In this study, we compare the diurnal variation in stratospheric ozone of the MACC (Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate) reanalysis, ECMWF Reanalysis Interim (ERA-Interim), and the free-running WACCM (Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model). The diurnal variation of stratospheric ozone results from photochemical and dynamical processes depending on altitude, latitude, and season. MACC reanalysis and WACCM use similar chemistry modules and calculate a similar diurnal cycle in ozone when it is caused by a photochemical variation. The results of the two model systems are confirmed by observations of the Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave Limb-Emission Sounder (SMILES) experiment and three selected sites of the Network for Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC) at Mauna Loa, Hawaii (tropics), Bern, Switzerland (midlatitudes), and Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard (high latitudes). On the other hand, the ozone product of ERA-Interim shows considerably less diurnal variation due to photochemical variations. The global maxima of diurnal variation occur at high latitudes in summer, e.g., near the Arctic NDACC site at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard. The local OZORAM radiometer observes this effect in good agreement with MACC reanalysis and WACCM. The sensed diurnal variation at Ny-Ålesund is up to 8% (0.4 ppmv) due to photochemical variations in summer and negligible during the dynamically dominated winter. However, when dynamics play a major role for the diurnal ozone variation as in the lower stratosphere (100–20 hPa), the reanalysis models ERA-Interim and MACC which assimilate data from radiosondes and satellites outperform the free-running WACCM. Such a domain is the Antarctic polar winter where a surprising novel feature of diurnal variation is indicated by MACC reanalysis and ERA-Interim at the edge of the polar vortex. This effect accounts for up to 8% (0.4 ppmv) in both model systems. In summary, MACC reanalysis provides a global description of the diurnal variation of stratospheric ozone caused by dynamics and photochemical variations. This is of high interest for ozone trend analysis and other research which is based on merged satellite data or measurements at different local time.


In nominal group, noun is the central word or as a modified word. It can be modified by several elements. One modification of a noun is by a noun added with –ed ending, then labelled pseudoparticipial. Pseudo-participial as modifier is not frequently used, but it exists. The objectives of this study are to identify the formation and to find out the meaning of pseudo-participial. The method used in this study is descriptive qualitative. She analyzed the data and described them based on the theories of Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG). The data were collected from Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA). The results reveals that the formation of pseudo-participial is placed before head named as pre-head modifier, it can be preceded by its own sub-modifier, such as intensifier or adjective, and it functions as epithet in nominal group structure. Pseudo-participial means having which can be elaborated using finite clause, non-finite clause, or prepositional phrase.


Mycotoxins are the secondary metabolites, produced by filamentous fungi and cause toxic response when ingested by higher animals. Cereal grain may be contaminated by mycotoxins by the fungi growing on plants as pathogens or associated with postharvest transportation and storage. Temperature and water activity have boosted the growth and development of fungi in stored seed/grains. Detection and control of fungi is a continuous concern since the fungi can become established and remain with the commodity anywhere along the production, storage, transportation and consumption. Mycotoxins are toxic by product of mould infestations affecting as much as one fourth global food and feed output. Food grains contaminated with mycotoxins particularly aflatoxins, a subcategory can cause fatal acute illness and associated with increased cancer risk. Although, a few fungal strain are toxigenic under the natural conditions, and about 30% isolates of Aspergillus flavus and A. terreus are capable of elaborating aflatoxins on suitable substrate such as sorghum and wheat grains. Developing countries like India, where a large population survive below poverty line are likely to require modern technology and economic support to implement these strategies and increase awareness among the farmers, traders and consumers, which would minimize mycotoxins contamination and adopt good agricultural practices (GAPs), good trader practices (GTPs) and good consumer practices (GCPs).


To investigate chronic immune effects of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDF), autoantibodies including anti-Smith (Sm) antibody, anti-ribonucleoprotein (RNP) antibody, anti-centromere antibody and anti-double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) antibody, were studied in 168 patients with Yusho and 54 controls in 2012. Autoatibodies were present in some patients of Yusho; 1 case (0.6%) for anti-Sm antibody, 4 cases (2.4%) for anti-centromere antibody and 11 cases (6.5%) for anti-dsDNA antibody. However, these autoantibodies were not demonstrated in any controls. There was a significantly higher prevalence of elevated anti-centromere antibody in subjects with high PCB concentration than in those with low PCB concentration. We conclude that anti-centromere antibody is present in patients with Yusho, and it may be associated with blood PCB concentration.


This paper presents a digital phase-locked loop (DPLL) used for GHz clock generation in large digital systems with >100× range of operating frequency. The DPLL uses phase selection and interpolation as the digital-controlled oscillator (DCO). A bandwidth-tracking technique that uses replica delay cells in the DCO and the phase detector (PD) is introduced to enable stable operation across the frequency range without calibration. Measurement results show that the DPLL achieves an output frequency up to 1.8 GHz in a 65-nm CMOS technology. Nearly constant damping factor and the tracking of the loop bandwidth to reference frequency are shown with a dynamic sweep of 8× reference frequency range (from 28 MHz to 225 MHz with core frequency of 3.6 GHz).


On a basis of the Kedem-Katchalsky formalism, the estimation method of the concentration boundary layers thicknesses (delta) in a single-membrane system containing binary solutions was devised. Mathematical formula, which is a basis of this method, contains transport membrane (L(p), sigma, omega) and solution (D, C) parameters and volume osmotic flux (J(v)). These values can be determined in a series of independent experiments. Calculated values (delta) are nonlinearly dependent on concentrations of investigated solutions and membrane system configuration. These nonlinearities are an effect of a competition between spontaneously occurring diffusion and convection processes.


Training adult literacy facilitators is essential for in the delivery of quality literacy programmes. Such training underscores a commitment to literacy as a human right, a source of equity and social justice. Since the 1990s, Southern Africa has attended to literacy as part of regional commitment to the ideals of the Jomtien Declaration on education-for-all. This paper provides an overview of the region's literacy facilitator training policies. Based on the premise that facilitators are the fulcrum of quality literacy, the paper argues that it is regrettable that despite policy rhetoric, literacy facilitators receive little remuneration, are not considered as professionals and lack job security. The paper examines the nature of their training and concludes that they receive minimal training that is inadequate for transforming them into professionals and, as such, this compromises the quality of their service delivery. The paper recommends the use of participatory training methods, the involvement of NGOs in training, the hiring of facilitators on contract, and the co-training of adult literacy facilitators and primary school teachers. Key words: literacy facilitators, inadequate training, professionalization, participatory training methods.


Identity politics, or collective activism based on embodied experiences of gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity or nationality, existed before the late twentieth century, but the term was coined in the 1970s and widely circulated in the 1980s as a response to social injustice, widespread prejudice and even assault borne by members of specific minority groups. For lesbians, gays and transsexuals, for ethnic minorities like Native Americans in the US or First Nations in Canada, for women in many Western countries, identity politics has meant working proactively for full legal and social recognition. Feminism often flies under the banner of identity politics with the argument that gender equality is still far from the norm in Western societies and even less so in many Asian and African societies, and in those of the Arab world.


The solution environment is of fundamental importance in the adsorption of molecules on surfaces, a process that is strongly affected by the capability of the adsorbate to disrupt the hydration layer above the surface. Here we disclose how the presence of interface water influences the adsorption mechanism of DNA nucleobases on a gold surface. By means of metadynamics simulations, we describe the distinctive features of a complex free-energy landscape for each base, which manifests activation barriers for the adsorption process. We characterize the different pathways that allow each nucleobase to overcome the barriers and be adsorbed on the surface, discussing how they influence the kinetics of adsorption of single-stranded DNA oligomers with homogeneous sequences. Our findings offer a rationale as to why experimental data on the adsorption of single-stranded homo-oligonucleotides do not straightforwardly follow the thermodynamics affinity rank.


Abstract The theoretical and practical development of the innovation concept is relevant in academic and economic arenas, and the regional systemic perspective of innovation is gaining ground as a solid approach in understanding this phenomenon and its components. This article analyzes the content and evolution of academic research on Regional Innovation Systems (RIS) from 1997 to September 2017. A rigorous search of articles about RISs published in top journals within the ISI Web of Knowledge was conducted. The selection of journals was based on their scores on the Scimago Journal & Country Rank. Descriptive and content analyses of the articles were performed and general statistics are presented. This study summarizes how literature has defined RIS, what are the components of RIS according to published papers, and how to measure performance of RIS. The article includes the identification of knowledge gaps in the field and some recommendations for future research.


Abstract. The basic aim of this 'case study' is to investigate the variability in the maximum height of the ionospheric F2-layer, hmF2, with periods of planetary waves (2–30 days), and to make an attempt to determine their origin. The hourly data of hmF2 above Millstone Hill (42.6° N, 71.5° W) during 01 September 1998 - 31 March 2000 were used for analysis. Three types of disturbances are studied in detail: (i) the 27- day oscillations observed in the hmF2 above Millstone Hill are generated by the geomagnetic activity and by the global-scale 27-day wave present in the zonal mesosphere/lower thermosphere (MLT) neutral wind. The time delay between the 27-day oscillation in the zonal wind and that in the hmF2 is found to be 5–6 days, while between the 27-day oscillation in the geomagnetic activity and that in the hmF2 is found to be 0.8–1 day; (ii) the 16-day oscillation in the hmF2 observed during summer 1999 is probably generated by the global scale 16-day modulation of the semidiurnal tide observed in the MLT region during PSMOS campaign in June–August. We found that if the modulated semidiurnal tide mediates the planetary wave signature in the ionosphere, this planetary wave oscillation has to be best expressed in the amplitude and in the phase of the 12-h periodicity of the ionosphere; and (iii) the third type of disturbances studied is the quasi-2- day activity in the hmF2 that increases during geomagnetic disturbances. The strong pseudo diurnal periodicities generated during the geomagnetic storms can interact between each other and produce the quasi-2-day oscillations in the ionosphere. Key words. Ionosphere (ionosphere-atmosphere interactions; ionosphere-magnetoshpere interactions; wave propagation)


A new species of gecko of the genus Tarentola is described from a single specimen in the herpetological collection of the National Museums of Scotland. The gecko was part of a presentation made in 1884 by a resident of Jamaica, and is presumed to be a Jamaican endemic, possibly now extinct. Though clearly a member of the predominantly African genus Tarentola, the new species bears no specific affinity with the only other known New World species, and is very distinct in lepidosis from similar African taxa. A complete description is given for this new species, and it is named Tarentola albertschwartzi. Its possible relationship to the fossil Aristelliger titan Hecht, 1951, is discussed.


This thesis will argue that when Greece joined the European Monetary Union two signals were sent to investors, which led them to lend to Greece at lower interest rates than the market fundamentals warranted. The first signal suggested that Greece's economy was no longer dysfunctional and that it was strong enough to be tightly integrated with the advanced economies of countries like Germany. A second signal suggested that due to the high level of integration among EMU countries, the governments of other EMU nations would be required to aid Greece in times of crisis in order to protect their own economies. Thus, investors believed that there was an implicit guarantee on Greek debt. Taken together, these two signals provided a rational for investors to lend with little restraint to Greece. Access to cheap credit supported the profligate spending of multiple Greek governments, which allowed necessary reforms to be postponed. However, without meaningful reforms, the Greek economy was ill-prepared to face the global financial crisis. As events unfolded, it became clear that there was in fact an EMU-backed guarantee on Greek debt. The loans that Greece received to avoid defaulting made this guarantee explicit, so it is no longer tenable to argue that EMU governments will be allowed to fail. Given this, it is prudent for the EMU to develop a permanent bailout mechanism.


Becoming to aging society era, numbers of patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) have been continuously increasing. PAD is a presentation of atherosclerotic diseases. Most of the time, the patients are accompanied with underlying diseases that increase risks of atherosclerosis. Treatments of PAD essentially require multidisciplinary team supports. Smoking cessation, controlled exercise program, medical control for underlying diseases must be performed at the beginning of treatments. Revascularizations are indicated in the patients with unbearable symptoms and limb threatening ischemia. The reason why modern endovascular techniques have expeditiously been grown up is its advantage of less invasive and not to burn the bridge for future surgical bypass. However, its drawbacks are higher reintervention rates, contrast-induced nephropathy, radiation exposure, and lower long-term patency.


Strain typing of tuberculosis (TB) isolates by 24 loci mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit-variable number tandem repeats (MIRU-VNTRs) is now a routine laboratory tool for TB control, but its utility in informing contact tracing and public health action has not been well reported in the United Kingdom. Since November 2011 we have routinely held typing meetings and undertaken cluster investigation. Over 18 months, 68 clusters were discussed. Fifty-five (81%) clusters were small (2–5 patients), 7 (10%) were medium (6–14 patients) and 6 (9%) were large (>15 patients, median = 42, IQR = 26–52). Enhanced epidemiological investigation was undertaken in 27/68 (40%) clusters. Typing meetings alone readily identified 20 definite epidemiological links between 46/458 (10%) cases. In 15 cases, 9 definite or probable links were not supported by genotyping, leading to expanded screening in one workplace. 112 extended interviews were done. A further 23 definite links between 77 (17%) cases, 2 probable links between 5 (1%) cases and 24 possible links between 72 (16%) cases were found. Expanded screening as a direct result of strain typing and cluster investigation occurred in 4/6 settings where non-household transmission was identified (a factory, 2 places of worship, a hospital, a hostel and a pub). An additional 124 contacts were identified. 65 attended screening, 21 latent TB cases were treated and 1 active TB case was found. Routine incorporation of strain typing data in contact tracing improves diagnosis of latent and active infection but requires investment in data management systems and human resource for enhanced epidemiological investigation.


Beef half carcasses were hand- or machine-washed and then machine-sanitized with 1.5% acetic acid. Sanitizer was applied at 14.4 or 52°C. Counts of Escherichia coli , Enterobacteriaceae and aerobic bacteria, made on samples collected by excision of tissues before and after treatments, demonstrated that machine washing and sanitizing reduced counts more than did hand washing. Counts were reduced more by hot than cool acetic acid. Percentages of samples with counts of log10 5.0/200 cm2 or higher after treatment were 26 and 46 for samples from carcasses sanitized with 1.5% acetic acid at 52 and 14.4°C, respectively. After hand washings 65% of the samples had these high counts.


A prospective observational study was conducted in 524 lumbar intervertebral disc herniation (LDH) inpatients to report the long-term effects of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatment. Participants received integrative CAM treatment during hospitalization, from June 2012 to May 2013, and long-term outcomes were assessed from July to August 2016. Numerical rating scales (NRSs) of back and leg pain, the Oswestry disability index (ODI), satisfaction, surgery, recurrence, and current care status were investigated. Baseline characteristics were analyzed to determine factors that predicted long-term satisfaction. A total of 367 patients were available for follow-up. The long-term change in NRS of back and leg pain and ODI was 3.53 (95% CI, 3.22, 3.83), 2.72 (2.34, 3.11), and 32.89 (30.21, 35.57), respectively, showing that improvements were well sustained. Regarding satisfaction, 86.11% responded that they were "slightly improved" or better. Range of lumbar flexion ≤ 60° and both legs' pain at admission were significant predictors of "much improved" or better satisfaction in the long term. Overall, LDH patients who received CAM treatment maintained favorable states in the long term. However, as an uncontrolled observational study, further studies with placebo and/or active controls are warranted. Trial Registration. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov  NCT02257723 (date of registration: October 2, 2014).


In humans, orally administered phenytoin, 5,5-diphenylhydantoin, is mainly excreted as 5-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-5-phenylhydantoin (4'-HPPH) O-glucuronide. Phenytoin is oxidized to 4'-HPPH by CYP2C9 and to a minor extent by CYP2C19, and then 4'-HPPH is metabolized to 4'-HPPH O-glucuronide by UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT). In the present study, 4'-HPPH O-glucuronidation in human liver microsomes was investigated. The metabolite formed by incubation with human liver microsomes, 4'-HPPH, and UDP-glucuronic acid was identified as 4'-HPPH O-glucuronide by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis. The 4'-HPPH O-glucuronosyltransferase activity in human liver microsomes was not saturated at concentrations up to 500 microM of 4'-HPPH. Any commercially available recombinant human UGTs (UGT1A1, UGT1A3, UGT1A4, UGT1A6, UGT1A9, UGT2B7, and UGT2B15) expressed in baculovirus-infected insect cells did not show detectable 4'-HPPH O-glucuronide. The 4'-HPPH O-glucuronidation in pooled human liver microsomes was inhibited by beta-estradiol as a typical substrate for UGT1A1 (IC(50) = 21.1 microM) and imipramine as a typical substrate for UGT1A4 (IC(50) = 57.7 microM). The inhibitory effects of propofol as a specific substrate for UGT1A9 (IC(50) = 167.1 microM) and emodin as a substrate for UGT1A8 and UGT1A10 (IC(50) = 287.6 microM) were not prominent. The interindividual difference in the 4'-HPPH O-glucuronidation in 14 human liver microsomes was 28.5-fold (0.023-0.656 nmol/min/mg of protein). The 4'-HPPH O-glucuronosyltransferase activity in 11 human liver microsomes was significantly (r = 0.609, P < 0.05) correlated with the 4-nitrophenol glucuronosyltransferase activity, which is catalyzed by UGT1A6 and UGT1A9. These results suggest that multiple UGT1As such as UGT1A1, UGT1A4, UGT1A6, and UGT1A9 are involved in 4'-HPPH O-glucuronidation in human liver microsomes, although the percentage contribution of each UGT1A could not be estimated. Large interindividual differences in the glucuronidation of 4'-HPPH might be responsible for the nonlinearity of the phenytoin plasma concentration or adverse reactions in humans.


Ever since the publication in 1565 of Girolamo Cardano's treatise on gambling, Liber de Ludo Aleae (The Book of Games of Chance), statistics and financial markets have become inextricably linked. Over the past few decades many of these links have become part of the canon of modern finance, and it is now impossible to fully appreciate the workings of financial markets without them. This selective survey covers three of the most important ideas of finance---efficient markets, the random walk hypothesis, and derivative pricing models---that illustrate the enormous research opportunities that lie at the intersection of finance and statistics


Nucleic acids are among the most versatile molecules for the construction of biomimetic systems because they can serve as information carriers and programmable construction materials. How nucleic acids interact with membranous coacervate compartments such as lipid sponge droplets is not known. Here we systematically characterize the potential of DNA to functionalize lipid sponge droplets and demonstrate a strong size dependence for sequestration into the sponge phase. Double stranded DNA molecules of more than 300 bp are excluded and form a corona on the surface of droplets they are targeted to. Shorter DNA molecules partition efficiently into the lipid sponge phase and can direct DNA-templated reactions to droplets. We demonstrate repeated capture and release of labeled DNA strands by dynamic hybridization and strand displacement reactions that occur inside droplets. Our system opens new opportunities for DNA-encoded functions in lipid sponge droplets such as cargo control and signaling.


The historical development of American public administration has evolved through four eras: clerks, civil service, administrative management, and under siege. During its early years government staffing was very sparse. A gradual thickening of the government workforce occurred during the 1800s, which was the era of clerks. Some were one-person agencies consisting of an elected official with administrative duties; others were patronage appointments by the candidate winning the presidency (or governor or mayor) rewarding supporters with jobs. After the Civil War, Union veterans increasingly populated nonpatronage positions.
 The assassination of President Garfield in 1881 by a disappointed office seeker crystalized public dissatisfaction with patronage, whether in Washington or by corrupt urban political machines. In 1883, the U.S. Congress passed a bill to create a merit-based civil service system. This began a second era of American public administration, that of civil servants. The original law only covered about 10% of all federal employees, but it set the precedent for gradual expansion of an apolitical civil service. Presidents came and went, but expert civil servants were unaffected. The rise of civil service also necessitated having employees to oversee them. These apolitical and expert managers led to the new profession of public administration, a development that required not only qualified practitioners but also credentialed faculty to train them.
 The 1932 election of Franklin Roosevelt as president triggered a third era, that of administrative management. This was a term used by FDR's reorganization planning committee partly because it connoted a high-level focus on the president's managerial needs. The concept encompassed both line and staff roles. Line officials ran bureaus and were accountable to the president. Staff functions, such as budgeting, HR, and planning facilitated effective management.
 In the post-FDR decades, especially after the 1960s, there was a gradually growing backlash against his kind of public administration. This became the fourth era, of government employees under siege. The election of Ronald Reagan in 1980 epitomized it. Government was not the solution, he liked to say, government was the problem. Politicians now ran for office against government. Increasingly, the bureaucracy at all levels of government was viewed with hostility, an enemy needing to be controlled and reduced. Bureaucrats became the bad guys in America's ongoing political narrative. After the election of President Donald Trump, a more ominous term came into use: the deep state. Supposedly, the bureaucracy now had a life of its own and could even destroy a president if it wanted to.
 Presumably, a fifth era of American public administration will eventually succeed this age of hostility toward all things governmental. If American history tells us anything, the outlines and themes of the fifth era will likely be surprising and unexpected. Nonetheless, government in a democracy will always need some form of public administration. No matter its precise outline, future public administration will likely retain the core values that government cannot be run like a business, that government's purpose is to promote the public interest, and that public administration cannot be perfect. Mistakes will always happen, but these can be learning experiences for improvement rather than excuses for increasingly dysfunctional bureaucratic behavior.


Diagrammatic models of argument are increasingly prominent in AI and Law. Unlike everyday language these models formalize many of the the components and relationships present in arguments and permit a more formal analysis of an arguments' structural weaknesses. Formalization, however, can raise problems of agreement. In order for argument diagramming to be widely accepted as a communications tool, individual authors and readers must be able to agree on the quality and meaning of a diagram as well as the role that key components play. This is especially problematic when arguers seek to map their diagrams to or from more conventional prose. In this paper we present results from a grader agreement study that we have conducted using LARGO diagrams. We then describe a detailed example of disagreement and highlight its implications for both our diagram model and modeling argument diagrams in general.


Abstract. In the context of wave climate variability, long-term alterations in the wave storminess pattern of the Catalan coast (northwestern Mediterranean Sea) are analysed in terms of wave energy content and wave direction, on the basis of wave hindcast data (from 44-year time series). In general, no significant temporal trends are found for annual mean and maximum energy. However, the same analysis carried out separately for different wave directions reveals a remarkable increase in the storm energy of events from the south, which is partly due to a rise in the annual percentage of such storms. A case study of Tarragona Port (on the southern Catalan coast) highlights the importance of including changes in wave direction in the study of potential impacts of climate change. In particular, an increase in the frequency of storms from the south leads to greater agitation inside the Port.


Policy problems are not just out there. Actors highlight different aspects of a situation as problematic and situate the problem on different scales. In this study we will analyse the way actors apply scales in their talk (or texts) to frame the complex decision-making process of the establishment of a so-called `new mixed company? or `mega?farm? in a small town in the Netherlands. According to the proponents, the establishment of the mega farm offers scale benefits related to environmental and economic issues on the higher regional, national and maybe even European and global level. However locally many citizens and an interest group are afraid this development will harm human health, will bring more transport of large vehicles to the area, and will destroy their landscape. In this exploratory paper we will first introduce our study, next develop a conceptual framework, followed by a description of our case, the methodology used and some preliminary results. We will give an initial answer to the question how actors use different scale frames to make sense of the mega-farm issue. More specifically we will discuss how different actors use scales to construct their arguments/credibility. In the discussion we will reflect on the implications of the `scaling? practices.


Abstract: Purified botulinum A exotoxin was used in the treatment of forty seven patients with benign essential blepharospasm, 11 patients with hemifacial spasm and 2 patients with age-related entropion. The treatment was effective in all three groups for an average of 3-4 months when symptoms recurred and repeated chemodenervation with toxin was needed. The commonest complication was transient ptosis with an overall frequency of 7.8%. This incidence increased to 11.1% with toxin doses higher than 25 units per orbicularis. The treatment was well accepted by the patients, who were subsequently able to return to pre-blepharospasm lifestyles.


Cell shape control is key to a number of fundamental biological processes, including cell division and migration. Improper cell shape regulation has been associated with diseases like cancer. Animal cell shape is controlled primarily by the cortex, a thin actomyosin network underlying the plasma membrane. The architecture and dynamics of the cortical network determine global physical properties of the cell surface, such as surface tension. Previous studies have shown that cortex tension increase drives cell rounding in mitosis. However, the changes in cortex network organisation that dictate changes in tension remain largely unexplored. In my PhD, I investigated cortex thickness, a fundamental property of the cortex that impacts cortex mechanics. Using a sub-resolution image analysis method developed in the lab for cortex thickness measurement, I found that the cortex undergoes thinning at mitosis entry. I then explored the mechanisms of thickness regulation using a targeted-screen approach and discovered that knock down of proteins that regulate actin assembly/disassembly and thus filament length, resulted in altered cortex thickness and cortical tension. Agent-based simulations of the cortex revealed a non-monotonic relationship between actin filament length, cortex thickness and tension that accounts for my experimental observations. I further explored the architecture of the cortex, focusing on cortex surface density, transversal actin density and the localisation of actin binding proteins. I could show that the cortex density (at the surface and in the transversal direction) increases significantly from interphase to mitosis. Interestingly, I found that the cortical distribution of myosin-2 motors, which generate tension, is sterically restricted due to their large size. I could show that myosins penetrate deeper into the interphase cortex compared to mitosis. This steric effect could strongly influence the generation of cortical tension. My findings on how cortex thickness, density and cortical protein localisation control tension bring new insights into how microscopic properties of the cortex regulate the mesoscopic properties of cells, which in turn drive cellular morphogenesis.


Reconstructing boundaries along material interfaces from volume fractions is a difficult problem, especially because the under‐resolved nature of the input data allows for many correct interpretations. Worse, algorithms widely accepted as appropriate for simulation are inappropriate for visualization. In this paper, we describe a new algorithm that is specifically intended for reconstructing material interfaces for visualization and analysis requirements. The algorithm performs well with respect to memory footprint and execution time, has desirable properties in various accuracy metrics, and also produces smooth surfaces with few artifacts, even when faced with more than two materials per cell.


Wood is a hygroscopic material that is affected by shape changes. The aim of this study was to analyse the variability of wood swelling in the individual anatomic directions. Wood swelling was examined on a sample tree containing compression wood. With regard to the presence of compression wood, the sample tree was divided into the following three zones: the compression wood zone (CW), the opposite wood zone (OW), and two side wood zones (SWL and SWR). The results show that the wood containing compression wood swells less at the transverse plane (in the radial and tangential direction). Conversely, the swelling of compression wood in the longitudinal direction is higher. The same proportion was established in the swelling coefficient that grew proportionally to the increasing wood density in all anatomic directions. The proportion of compression wood manifested its effects in different ways. Transversely (in the radial and tangential direction) the swelling coefficient decreased proportionally to the increasing percentage of compression wood, longitudinally, however, the opposite was the case.


Commissioned by the ELISION ensemble and the RMIT Sonic Arts Gallery. Part of 'The wreck of former boundaries' (2016) for 2 trumpet soloists, clarinet, alto saxophone, trombone, electric lap steel guitar, double bass, and 5.1 channel electronics


The function of rules and instructions to facilitate, maintain or modify the behaviour of individuals has been widely explored in a great variety of tasks. Both rules and instructions, independently of the properties and characteristics that are attributed to them, can be seen as descriptions of the contingencies or the relations between several elements of a situation that the subject has faced or will face. The present study explored the effects of feedback density and presence or absence of generic instructions with respect to the response component on post-contact descriptions (i.e. rules) of sixteen university students, using a fi rst order matching-to-sample task. Results were consistent with other studies in relation to the effects of instructional precision (i.e. high executions under precise instructions) and density of feedback. At the same time, the presence of a greater number of pertinent type post-contact descriptions was observed, contrary to previous research fi ndings. Results suggest an effect of instructional precision and change in feedback density on post-contingency contact descriptions.


As the operation of our fiber-optic backbone networks migrates from interconnected SONET rings to arbitrary mesh topology, traffic grooming on wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) mesh networks becomes an extremely important research problem. To address this problem, we propose a new generic graph model for traffic grooming in heterogeneous WDM mesh networks. The novelty of our model is that, by only manipulating the edges of the auxiliary graph created by our model and the weights of these edges, our model can achieve various objectives using different grooming policies, while taking into account various constraints such as transceivers, wavelengths, wavelength-conversion capabilities, and grooming capabilities. Based on the auxiliary graph, we develop an integrated traffic-grooming algorithm (IGABAG) and an integrated grooming procedure (INGPROC) which jointly solve several traffic-grooming subproblems by simply applying the shortest-path computation method. Different grooming policies can be represented by different weight-assignment functions, and the performance of these grooming policies are compared under both nonblocking scenario and blocking scenario. The IGABAG can be applied to both static and dynamic traffic grooming. In static grooming, the traffic-selection scheme is key to achieving good network performance. We propose several traffic-selection schemes based on this model and we evaluate their performance for different network topologies.


Of things said without any combination, each signifies either substance or quantity or qualification or a relative or where or when or being-in-a-position or having or doing or being-affected. To give a rough idea, examples of substance are man, horse; of quantity: fourfoot, five-foot; of qualification: white, grammatical; of a relative: double, half, larger; of where: in the Lyceum, in the market-place; of when: yesterday, last-year; of being-in-a-position: is-lying, issitting; of having: has-shoes-on, has-armour-on; of doing: cutting, burning; of being-affected: being-cut, being-burned.


This work is part of research on the emerging techniques to produce bulk nanostructured composites materials by severe plastic deformation and their characterization. Based on the Levi work, we present a new method to synthesize a composite wirecontaining carbon-nanosized filaments (graphite and C60 fullerenes) embedded in a copper matrix. The originality of this process is using powder media as fiber. Microstructures and electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties are presented.


Molecular imaging, where the location of molecules or nanoscale constructs can be tracked in the body to report on disease or biochemical processes, is rapidly expanding to include combined modality or multimodal imaging. No single imaging technique can offer the optimum combination of properties (e.g. resolution, sensitivity, cost, availability). The rapid technological advances in hardware to scan patients, and software to process and fuse images, are pushing the boundaries of novel medical imaging approaches, and hand-in-hand with this is the requirement for advanced and specific multimodal imaging agents. These agents can be detected using a selection from radioisotope, magnetic resonance and optical imaging, among others. Nanoparticles offer great scope in this area as they lend themselves, via facile modification procedures, to act as multifunctional constructs. They have relevance as therapeutics and drug delivery agents that can be tracked by molecular imaging techniques with the particular development of applications in optically guided surgery and as radiosensitizers. There has been a huge amount of research work to produce nanoconstructs for imaging, and the parameters for successful clinical translation and validation of therapeutic applications are now becoming much better understood. It is an exciting time of progress for these agents as their potential is closer to being realized with translation into the clinic. The coming 5–10 years will be critical, as we will see if the predicted improvement in clinical outcomes becomes a reality. Some of the latest advances in combination modality agents are selected and the progression pathway to clinical trials analysed. This article is part of the themed issue 'Challenges for chemistry in molecular imaging'.


The enteric nervous system (ENS) is principally derived from vagal and sacral neural crest cells that migrate throughout the gastrointestinal tract before differentiating into neurons and glia. These cells form two concentric rings of ganglia and regulate intestinal motility, absorption, and secretion. Abnormalities of ENS development can lead to disorders of intestinal function, including Hirschsprung's disease. These disorders are generally limited to the distal hindgut, suggesting unique features to development of this region. This study characterized the normal spatiotemporal development of the ENS within the avian hindgut. Neural crest cells begin to populate the hindgut at E8, with patterning of both plexuses complete by embryonic day 9. Crest‐derived cells arrive in the submucosal layer before the myenteric layer, as well as differentiate to a neuronal phenotype first. The cloaca demonstrates a unique pattern, characterized by a disorganized myenteric plexus and a flattened nerve of Remak. Detailed understanding of normal avian hindgut ENS development will allow better utilization of this model system to study abnormalities of the intestinal nervous system. Developmental Dynamics 229:708–712, 2004 © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Employee Engagement is indeed an effective tool to rejuvenate the workforce and keep them stress-free. An engaged employee is a productive resource to the organisation where he/she works. It is believed that the disengaged employee is more susceptible to stress and consequently, switchover to an organisation where he/she is actively engaged. This paper attempts to study the Employee Engagement and its effects on Employee Retention in Automobile Industry. The study – descriptive in nature – was conducted among the employees working in various Automobile Companies in and around Chennai. The sample size of 100 employees chosen based on purposive sampling technique. The Primary data was collected from those 100 employees using a structured questionnaire containing Closed-end questions pertaining to the study. The data gathered so was processed and analysed using various statistical tools such as Descriptive analysis, Correlation and Chi-Square. The study has established that there is a strong positive relationship between employee engagement and employee retention and loyalty towards the organisation. The study has also identified some factors that propel the Employee Engagement in Automobile sector – Effective Communication (between superiors and subordinates), Career Development, and Recognition.


Product designers are engaging with new making opportunities that depart from traditional massproductionprocesses and are forming new collaborations shifting practice and material opportunities.Pioneers in the field of biological art, Oron Catts and Ionat Zurr have said, "Life is increasinglyseen as the new frontier for exploitation; from industrial framing through in-vitro meat and bioprospectingto synthetic biology, life is extracted from its natural context into the realm of themanufactured" (Catts and Zurr, 2013). The concept of growing products is an enticing one for bothdesigners and users, with positive impacts on a number of scales including ecosystem impacts.Design and art historian Christina Cogdell (2011) has noted that scale is "absolutely critical tothe theory and practice of bio-design, yet it is little mentioned by its promoters." In the context ofproduct design, scale is perhaps best considered in relation to scale of production. Such a viewpoint,however, must recognize the impact of this production across various scales. It suggests guilt-freeproduction and consumption at an individual level, and at an urban scale, such production couldfacilitate a utopian polis that is self-sufficient, existing in equilibrium with the natural world. In thissense, the promise of bio-design is enticing, in addition to the new materials and ways of makingthat are being opened up to designers. It has been suggested by William Myers that "The spread ofbio-design promises to be much like mechanization in the 20th century, as described by historianssuch as Sigfried Giedion… upending accepted practices, extinguishing traditions, attenuating naturalbeauties, and shaping an alien way of life" (Myers, 2012). Designer and a leading thinker in thisfield Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg has asked, "When working in such a future-oriented area, a keyquestion that arises is how to inhabit the spaces of promise?" (Ginsberg et al., 2014).


his text assists in problem-oriented approaches to the most commonly occurring conditions encountered on pediatric rounds. New chapters cover topics such as well child care, developmental problems, hilar adenopathy, respiratory distress in newborn, and cardiac lab values


Geological field mapping is a vital first step in understanding geological processes. During the 20th century, mapping was revolutionized through advances in remote sensing technology. With the recent availability of low-cost remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), field geologists now routinely carry out aerial imaging without the need to use satellite, helicopter, or airplane systems. RPA photographs are processed by photo-based three-dimensional (3-D) reconstruction software, which uses structure-from-motion and multi-view stereo algorithms to create an ultra-high-resolution, 3-D point cloud of a region or target outcrop. These point clouds are analyzed to extract the orientation of geological structures and strata, and are also used to create digital elevation models and photorealistic 3-D models. However, this technique has only recently been used for structural mapping. Here, we outline a workflow starting with RPA data acquisition, followed by photo-based 3-D reconstruction, and ending with a 3-D geological model. The Jabal Hafit anticline in the United Arab Emirates was selected to demonstrate this workflow. At this anticline, outcrop exposure is excellent and the terrain is challenging to navigate due to areas of high relief. This makes for an ideal RPA mapping site and provides a good indication of how practical this method may be for the field geologist. Results confirm that RPA photo-based 3-D reconstruction mapping is an accurate and cost-efficient remote sensing method for geological mapping.


We propose a simple fluorescent bio-chip based on two types of alternative current-dielectrophoretic (AC-DEP) force, attractive (positive DEP) and repulsive (negative DEP) force, for simultaneous nano-molecules analysis. Various radius of micro-holes on the bio-chip are designed to apply the different AC-DEP forces, and the nano-molecules are concentrated inside the micro-hole arrays according to the intensity of the DEP force. The bio-chip was fabricated by Micro Electro Mechanical system (MEMS) technique, and was composed of two layers; a SiO2 layer and Ta/Pt layer were accomplished for an insulation layer and a top electrode with micro-hole arrays to apply electric fields for DEP force, respectively. Each SiO2 and Ta/Pt layers were deposited by thermal oxidation and sputtering, and micro-hole arrays were fabricated with Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) etching process. For generation of each positive and negative DEP at micro-holes, we applied two types of sine-wave AC voltage with different frequency range alternately. The intensity of the DEP force was controlled by the radius of the micro-hole and size of nano-molecule, and calculated with COMSOL multi-physics. Three types of nano-molecules labelled with different fluorescent dye were used and the intensity of nano-molecules was examined by the fluorescent optical analysis after applying the DEP force. By analyzing the fluorescent intensities of the nano-molecules, we verify the various nano-molecules in analyte are located successfully inside corresponding micro-holes with different radius according to their size.


Annexin A11 (Anxa11) is associated with various cancers. Using a pair of syngeneic murine hepatocarcinoma cells, Hca-P with ~25% and Hca-F with ~75% lymph node metastatic (LNM) potentials, we demonstrated Anxa11 involvement in hepatocarcinoma lymphatic metastasis. Here, ANXA11 acted as a suppressor for the tumorigenicity, LNM and 5-FU resistance of Hca-P via c-Jun. We constructed monoclonal Hca-P cell line with stable ANXA11 knockdown. Although Bax and Bcl-2 levels increased in shRNA-Anxa11-transfected Hca-P, ANXA11 downregulation showed no clear effect on Hca-P apoptosis. ANXA11 downregulation promoted in vitro migration and invasion capacities of Hca-P. In situ adhesion potential of Hca-P cells toward LN was significantly enhanced following ANXA11 downregulation. Consistently, ANXA11 downregulation promoted the in vivo tumor growth and LNM capacities of Hca-P cells. ANXA11 knockdown enhanced the chemoresistance of Hca-P cells specifically toward 5-FU instead of cisplatin. Its downregulation increased c-Jun (pSer73) and decreased c-Jun (pSer243) levels in Hca-P. c-Jun (pSer243) downregulation seemed to be only correlated with ANXA11 knockdown without the connection to 5-FU treatment. Interestingly, compared with scramble-Hca-P cells, the levels of c-Jun and c-Jun (pSer73) in shRNA-Anxa11-Hca-P cells were upregulated in the presences of 0.1 and 1.0 mg/L 5-FU. The levels changes from c-Jun and c-Jun (pSer73) in Hca-P cells showed a more obvious tendency with the combination of ANXA11 knockdown and 5-FU treatment. ANXA11 level regulates LNM and 5-FU resistance of Hca-P via c-Jun pathway. It might play an important role in hepatocarcinoma cell malignancy and be a therapeutic target for hepatocarcinoma.


This study examined whether lexical knowledge affects on letter migration with Japanese Kana words. The participants were presented with two brief masked "source" words (e.g., いす りか) each made up of two components (letters), followed by a "probe" word (e.g., いか). The probe word in the critical trial was a blend of two letters, one each from the two source words. The stimuli were also prepared with numeric consisting of two digits (e.g., source: 13 96, probe: 16). The task of participants was to decide whether the probe was one of the source stimuli. The results indicated that the probability of a false recognition was higher for Kana words than for numeric when components in the probe maintained the position they took in the source items (local consistent). This suggests that not only positional consistency of word-components but also lexical knowledge affects the letter migration.


The most familiar philosophical conception of objective chance renders determinism incompatible with non-trivial chances. This conception ‐ associated in particular with the work of David Lewis ‐ is not a good fit with our use of the word 'chance' and its cognates in ordinary discourse. In this paper we show how a generalized framework for chance can reconcile determinism with non-trivial chances, and provide for a more charitable interpretation of ordinary chance-talk. According to our proposal, variation in an admissible 'evidence base' generates a spectrum of different chance functions. Successive coarse-grainings of the evidence base generates a partial ordering of chance functions, with finer trumping coarser if known. We suggest that chance-attributions in ordinary discourse express different chance functions in different contexts, and we sketch a potential contextual mechanism for making particular chance functions salient. The mechanism involves the idea that admissible evidence is available evidence: propositions that could be known. A consequence is that attributions of objective chances inherit the relatively familiar context-sensitivity associated with the modal 'could'. We show how this contextdependency undermines certain arguments for the incompatibility of chance with determinism.


Non-spherical particles are present all around us, in biological, industrial and environmental processes. Making predictions of their impact on us and systems in our vicinity can make life better for everyone here on earth. For example, the ash particles from a volcano eruption are non-spherical and their spreading in the atmosphere can hugely impact the air traffic, as was also proven in 2010. Furthermore, the orientation of the wood fibres in a paper sheet influences the final properties of the paper, and the cause of a specific fibre orientation can be traced back to the fluid flows during the manufacturing process of the paper.In this thesis, experimental and numerical work is presented with the goal to understand and utilize the behavior of elongated particles in fluid flows. Two different experimental setups are used. The first one, a turbulent half channel flow, aims at increasing the understanding of how particles with non-zero inertia behave in turbulence. The second setup is an attempt to design a flow field with the purpose to align nanofibrils and create high performance cellulose filaments.Experiments were performed in a turbulent half channel flow at different flow set- tings with dilute suspensions of cellulose acetate fibres having three different aspect ratios (length to width ratio). The two main results were firstly that the fibres agglom- erated in streamwise streaks, believed to be due to the turbulent velocity structures in the flow. Secondly, the orientation of the fibres was observed to be determined by the aspect ratio and the mean shear, not the turbulence. Short fibres were oriented in the spanwise direction while long fibres were oriented in the streamwise direction.In order to utilize the impressive properties (stiffness comparable to Kevlar) of the cellulose nanofibril in a macroscopic material, the alignment of the fibrils must be controlled. Here, a flow focusing device (resulting in an extensional flow), designed to align the fibrils, is used to create a cellulose filament with aligned fibrils. The principle is based on a separation of the alignment and the assembly of the fibrils, i.e. first align the fibrils and then lock the aligned structure. With this process, continuous filaments were created, with properties similar to that of the wood fibre at the same fibril alignment. However, the highest alignment (lowest angle) of the fibrils in a filament created was only 31o from the filament axis, and the next step is to increase the alignment. This thesis includes modeling of the alignment process with the Smoluchowski equation and a rotary diffusion. Finding a model that correctly describes the alignment process should in the end make it possible to create a filament with fully aligned fibrils.


The aim of this study is to examine the influence of environmental satisfaction, job satisfaction, and Big Five personality traits on subjective well-being. Data were collected from white-collar workers across four Chinese cities in 2009. All the research variables were measured with multi-item instruments with good psychometric properties. The research found that environmental satisfaction, job satisfaction, conscientiousness and extraversion have a positive effect on subjective well-being. In addition, individuals married, managers and working in state sector were found to be happier in their lives than individuals who are single, in non-managerial position and in private sector. However, the research found no relationship between neuroticism, agreeableness and subjective well-being. The finding of a positive relationship between environmental satisfaction and subjective well-being suggests that by pursuing a balance between economic development and environmental protection, urban residents' SWB could be enhanced.


ear IgA disease. The patient had previously had a reaction to dapsone. The dose of sulphamethoxypyridazine was 250 mg thrice daily, increasing to 500 mg thrice daily, with prednisolone 15 mg daily for six months, during which time she became increasingly short of breath. Her drug induced alveolitis was reversed when the sulphonamide was stopped and the dose of prednisolone was raised to 60 mg daily. The recommended dose of sulphamethoxypyridazine for a urinary tract infection is, or was, 1-2 g immediately, followed by 500 mg daily. Because of the long plasma half life of the drug there is no advantage in giving the drug more frequently than once dailyindeed, peak plasma concentrations will be lower if the dose is split. Can the authors explain why they chose to give three times the recommended dose and why they used thrice daily dosage? And this to a patient with bullous skin disease who had already shown hypersensitivity to dapsone-and for six months .... The authors were fortunate that the daily prednisolone presumably damped down the progressive alveolitis and prevented any of the other severe reactions that might have been associated with prolonged overdosage.


OBJECTIVES
To investigate potential associations between the two functional C-reactive protein (CRP) gene polymorphisms at position 3872C>T (rs1205) and 4741G>C (rs3093068) and susceptibility, clinical expression, laboratory and pathological findings, and outcomes of giant cell arteritis (GCA) in a Nothern Italian population.

METHODS
One hundred and seventy Italian patients with biopsy-proven GCA resident in Reggio Emilia area, Italy, and 200 healthy controls from the same geographic area were genotyped for rs1205 and rs3093068 CRP gene polymorphisms by molecular methods. The patients were subgrouped on the basis of the presence or absence of clinical manifestations, histological and laboratory findings, and outcomes.

RESULTS
The distribution of rs1205 genotype was significantly different between GCA patients and controls (p=0.018). Homozygosity for T allele was significantly more frequent in GCA patients compared to controls [p=0.006; odds ratio (OR): 2.28 (95% CI: 1.1, 4.8)]. The distribution of rs3093068 genotype differed significantly between GCA patients and controls (p=0.010). Allele C and the carriers of the C allele (C/C+C/G) of rs3093068 genotype were significantly less frequent in GCA patients compared to controls [p=0.002, OR: 0.39 (95% CI: 0.24-0.73); p=0.002, OR: 0.35 (95% CI: 0.17-0.70), respectively]. No significant associations were found between the two polymorphisms and baseline clinical manifestations. The carriers of the allele C of rs3093068 genotype had significantly higher CRP values at diagnosis (13.2±5.0 vs. 8.3±6.0 mg/dl, p=0.007). Homozygosity for T allele of rs1205 genotype had a significantly more frequent eosinophil infiltration of the temporal artery wall (21.4% vs. 6.0%) (p=0.010, OR 4.28;1.31-13.98) than patients carrying the allele C. Carriers of the allele T of rs1205 genotype had lower glucocorticoid (GC) treatment duration (p=0.041), lower cumulative total GC dose (p=0.017), and higher prevalence of long-term remission (p=0.024).

CONCLUSIONS
CRP gene rs1205 and rs3093068 polymorphisms influence GCA susceptibility and its outcomes.


From the Publisher:
A unique synthesis of scientific content and artistic style, Biomedical Imaging, Visualization, and Analysis provides a comprehensive overview of the advances spurring the evolution of imaging science and practice.

The focus of Biomedical Imaging, Visualization, and Analysis is on comprehensive explanation and ample illustration, rather than complex physics or mathematics. A brief review of fundamental principles and underlying theories precedes detailed discussions of innovative imaging methods, novel visualization techniques, new processing algorithms, image modeling, and biomedical applications useful in medical training. The scope of the book embraces CT and MR elastography, parametric displays, virtual reality, volumetric modeling algorithms, surgical and radiation treatment planning, image-guided diagnosis and treatment, virtual endoscopy, epilepsy imaging, and cardiac motion analysis.

Biomedical Imaging, Visualization, and Analysis is a work of extension and integration:
"Such works are challenging, but when realized, they do not become obsolete; rather, they form durable links in the chain that faithfully connects the past to the present, and the present to the future. This book attempts to meet that challenge and provide an enduring bridge in the expanding field of biomedical imaging." (from the Preface)

By the same author:

THREE-DIMENSIONAL BIOMEDICAL IMAGING

Principles and Practice

Presents the essential information required by basic scientists and medical practitioners in multidisciplinary fields to understand 3-D imaging and its effective uses in biology and medicine.

"Every now and then a book arriveson one's desk for review that is hard to put down, and which is clearly going to be an instant classic. Reviewers are sometimes able to write, 'This is the book I would have liked to have written.' If I were Richard Robb, I would be very proud of this work. It captured my attention and I read it almost from cover to cover."-Clinical Oncology


According to the character of the trans-critical CO2 cycle, this paper develops the theoretical model of the gas cooler using the distributed-parameter method. At last, it optimizes the gas cooler. The comparison between the simulation and the experiments indicates: under different inlet temperature of cooling water, high pressure and mass flux of the refrigerant, the maximum deviation between the simulation and the experimental results is 5.6%, 10.1% and 19.7%,respectively. The optimal results indicates: when the refrigerant inlet is 8MPa and 93°C,and the cooling water inlet is 15°C,it is propitious to the inner heat exchange of the gas cooler using the four pipes of φ6mm×1mm, and the total heat exchange area of 1.1 m2.


The widespread adoption of Location-Based Services (LBSs) has come with controversy about privacy. While leveraging location information leads to improving services through geo-contextualization, it rises privacy concerns as new knowledge can be inferred from location records, such as home/work places, habits or religious beliefs. To overcome this problem, several Location Privacy Protection Mechanisms (LPPMs) have been proposed in the literature these last years. However, every mechanism comes with its own configuration parameters that directly impact the privacy guarantees and the resulting utility of protected data. In this context, it can be difficult for a non-expert system designer to choose appropriate configuration parameters to use according to the expected privacy and utility. In this paper, we present a framework enabling the easy configuration of LPPMs. To achieve that, our framework performs an offline, in-depth automated analysis of LPPMs to provide the formal relationship between their configuration parameters and both privacy and the utility metrics. This framework is modular: by using different metrics, a system designer is able to fine-tune her LPPM according to her expected privacy and utility guarantees (i.e., the guarantee itself and the level of this guarantee). To illustrate the capability of our framework, we analyse Geo-Indistinguishability (a well known differentially private LPPM) and we provide the formal relationship between its ϵ configuration parameter and two privacy and utility metrics.


Background: Endodontically treated teeth have increased susceptibility to fracture. To promote the fracture resistance, reinforcing the endodontically treated teeth is of utmost importance. An ideal restoration or core is necessary to build up the coronal portion of the tooth to an ideal anatomic form before the full coverage placement. Aims: Compare the fracture resistance of Nayyar Cores of amalgam, Zirconomer, and Para Core with natural teeth . Methods: This study compared the fracture resistance of coronal-radicular restorations made from three different restorative materials. Sixty human mandibular molars were selected, 45 of which were decoronated and root treated – 15 of these molars restored with amalgam, 15 with Zirconomer, and 15 using Para Core. The 15 natural teeth used as a control group. All the teeth were mounted in acrylic and subjected to compressive loading to failure on a universal testing machine. The force required to fracture each core specimen was recorded. Results: The data of the study were statistically analyzed by ANOVA test and Tukey post hoc test. The results of the study showed that natural teeth as having the highest fracture resistance values, followed by Para Core, amalgam, and Zirconomer. The differences among all groups were significant. Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, natural teeth showed higher fracture resistance to that of the Para Core, amalgam, and Zirconomer. Among the 3 Nayyar cores, Para Core has higher fracture resistance.


Abstract:This article discusses how Harriet Beecher Stowe and her contemporaries envisioned the present and future of society in terms of the institutions of religion and political economy. Drawing on the rhetoric surrounding the disestablishment of the state church in Massachusetts, on the political economy of Francis Wayland and Francis Bowen, and on Stowe's fiction and essays, I argue that an overemphasis on the individual in Stowe's thought has eclipsed how Stowe—and many others—depicted society through institutions. In Uncle Tom's Cabin, Stowe weighs the family and the voluntary church against slavery and the economy as institutions in order to illustrate a society purified of slavery's detrimental influence precisely through the institutions that criticism on Stowe has neglected. Put bluntly, we need to read Stowe's novel in terms of Tom's cabin and not just in terms of Tom as an individual martyr. Only by investigating such institutional thinking about society in the nineteenth century, I suggest, can we understand the relationship between religion, literature, and society in the wake of the secularization thesis.


Helicobacter pylori is an important risk factor for gastric ulcers. However, antibacterial therapies increase the resistance rate and decrease the eradication rate of H. pylori. Inspired by the microaerophilic characteristics of H. pylori, we aimed at effectively establishing an oxygen-enriched environment to eradicate and prevent the recurrence of H. pylori. The effect and the mechanism of an oxygen-enriched environment in eradicating H. pylori and preventing the recurrence were explored in vitro and in vivo. ABSTRACT Helicobacter pylori is an important risk factor for gastric ulcers. However, antibacterial therapies increase the resistance rate and decrease the eradication rate of H. pylori. Inspired by the microaerophilic characteristics of H. pylori, we aimed at effectively establishing an oxygen-enriched environment to eradicate and prevent the recurrence of H. pylori. The effect and the mechanism of an oxygen-enriched environment in eradicating H. pylori and preventing the recurrence were explored in vitro and in vivo. During oral administration and after drug withdrawal, H. pylori counts were evaluated by Giemsa staining in animal cohorts. An oxygen-enriched environment in which H. pylori could not survive was successfully established by adding hydrogen peroxide into several solutions and rabbit gastric juice. Hydrogen peroxide effectively killed H. pylori in Columbia blood agar and special peptone broth. Minimum inhibition concentrations and minimum bactericidal concentrations of hydrogen peroxide were both relatively stable after promotion of resistance for 30 generations, indicating that hydrogen peroxide did not easily promote resistance in H. pylori. In models of Mongolian gerbils and Kunming mice, hydrogen peroxide has been shown to significantly eradicate and effectively prevent the recurrence of H. pylori without toxicity and damage to the gastric mucosa. The mechanism of hydrogen peroxide causing H. pylori death was related to the disruption of bacterial cell membranes. The oxygen-enriched environment achieved by hydrogen peroxide eradicates and prevents the recurrence of H. pylori by damaging bacterial cell membranes. Hydrogen peroxide thus provides an attractive candidate for anti-H. pylori treatment.


The detection of veneer surface defects is of great significance to wood veneer material evaluation, quality control, and product classification in the wood processing. When the high-speed moving veneer image is collected on the conveyor belt, the image appears blurred, making it difficult to accurately identify the defect type and estimate the defect area. To solve this problem, this study compared three image restoration methods including unnatural L0 sparse representation (L0), multi-scale convolutional neural network (MSCNN), and scale-recurrent convolutional neural network (SRCNN). To perform the comparison analysis, a wood veneer image acquisition system was developed and it provided a wood veneer image dataset with 2,080 groups of blur-clear veneer image pairs. Analysis results showed that the SRCNN method performed better than the other two methods. At four different wood moving speeds, the peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) of the SRCNN was 4.64%, 14.63%, 18.48%, and 25.79%, higher than the other two methods and structural similarity (SSIM) was less than 2%. The average time for this algorithm to restore a blurred wood veneer image was 13.4 s. The findings of this study can lay the foundation for the industrialized detection of wood veneer defects.


Should There Be an Antitrust Whistleblower Statute?* On July 22cd, the Senate passed the Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act of 2015. The bill now goes to the House for consideration. If…


Acute and chronic leukemias, including CD34 1 CML cells, demonstrate increased expression of the Wilms tumor gene 1 product (WT1), making WT1 an attractive therapeutic target. However, WT1 is a currently undruggable, intracellular protein. ESKM is a human IgG1 T-cell receptor mimic monoclonal antibody directed to a 9–amino acid sequence of WT1 in the context of cell surface HLA-A*02. ESKM was therapeutically effective, alone and in combination with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), against Philadelphia chromosome–positive acute leukemia in murine models, including a leukemia with the mostcommon,pan-TKI,gatekeeperresistancemutation,T315I.ESKMwassuperiortothe first-generation TKI, imatinib. Combination therapy with ESKM and TKIs was superior to eitherdrugalone,capableofcuringmice.ESKMshowednotoxicitytohumanHLA-A*02:01 1 stem cells under the conditions of this murine model. These features of ESKM make it a promising nontoxic therapeutic agent for sensitive and resistant Ph 1 leukemias. ( Blood . 2014;123(21):3296-3304)


Objective: Electric field stimulation of carotid baroreceptors has been applied to treat patients with resistant hypertension caused by a range of conditions including high salt diet. This study investigated the effects of unilateral field stimulation of carotid baroreceptors on vascular stiffness and aortic wave reflection properties in Sprague-Dawley rats on high salt diet (HS) compared to age-matched controls (C). Design and method: Sprague-Dawley rats were fed with high salt (8% sodium chloride, n = 6) or normal chow (0.26% sodium chloride, n = 6) from weaning, with tail-cuff systolic blood pressure (SBP) was measured. Rats were anaesthetised (14 -17 weeks) and implemented with a field stimulation electrode surrounding the left carotid artery, immediately proximal to the bifurcation. Thoracic and abdominal aortic pressure and aortic flow were measured. Mean arterial pressure (MAP), mean aortic flow (MQ), heart rate (HR), pressure-dependant aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV) and aortic resistance (aR) were calculated. Impedance analysis was applied using Fourier components of pressure and flow waveforms from which characteristic impedance (Zc), forward (Pf) and backward pressure (Pb) waveforms, reflection magnitude (Rm) and phase of zero crossing frequency (fzero) were calculated. Results: Tail-cuff SBP was greater in HS rats (125 ± 12 mmHg, control 117 ± 13 mmHg, p < 0.05). Stimulation caused a significant reduction in MAP, HR and aPWV in each group. However, that reduction was not significant between HS and control groups (Table). Results of other parameters are reported in the Table. Figure. No caption available. Conclusions: The effect of field stimulation on aortic hemodynamic parameters in rats on high salt diet with altered blood pressure is comparable to that in control rats. Findings suggest that high salt diet does not influence hemodynamic effects of baroreceptor activation by field stimulation.


The main features of the Australian physical landscape are of the order of 107-108 years old. This contradicts the widely held view that little of the Earth's topography predates the Quaternary and that erosion cycles are carried to planation within tens of millions of years. Much of the Australian landscape must have developed over similar timescales to that of the tectonic evolution of the continent itself. The study of the geomorphology of such ancient terrains may therefore be seriously deficient unless it is considered within the context of continental-scale tectonic development. Application of this approach shows that there are strong links between the geomorphology of Australia and plate movements, ocean spreading, plate convergence, tectonostratigraphic terranes, orogenesis and epeirogenesis.

The most important factor contributing to the survival of ancient landscapes in Australia is the low rate of denudation which the continent has experienced during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. This is largely a consequence of orogenic stability, although the absence of significant Quaternary glaciation may also be of importance. However, in order for landforms to have survived over such timespans, denudation must not only have been low, but must also have been highly localized over space and time. This has been the case both on a regional scale, with long-term denudation rates of 0-2 m Ma−1 in central Australia contrasting with higher rates along the continental margins, and on a local scale, with denudation confined to valleys, leaving divides and interfluves almost unscathed.


International migration is increasing not only in absolute terms but also as a percentage of the global population. In 2019, international migrants made up 3.5 per cent of the global population, compared to 2.8 per cent in the year 2000. Over the past two decades, a philosophical literature has emerged to investigate what justice requires with respect to these vast migrant flows. My article criticizes much of this philosophical work. Building on the work of Charles Mills (2015), I argue that the terms in which many Anglo-American philosophers presently debate migration justice neglect and even obscure consideration of the ways in which current migration flows may be shaped by Euro-American colonialism and neo-colonialism. Such exclusions produce systematic biases in much of our philosophical literature. To develop less biased understandings of migration justice, I propose that Anglo-American philosophers should revise our methods and our conceptual frameworks to enable exploring the possible extent and ethical implications of colonial and neo-colonial influence. This is one part of the much larger task of decolonizing our political philosophy.


Despite all the progress that has been made in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, traditional approaches seem unsuitable to build truly intelligent robots, exhibiting human-like behaviours. Many authors agree that the source of intelligence is, to a great extent, the use of a huge memory, where sequences of events that guide our later behaviour are stored. Inspired by that idea, our approach is to navigate a robot using sequences of images stored in a Sparse Distributed Memory-a kind of associative memory based on the properties of high dimensional binary spaces, which, in theory, exhibits some human-like behaviours. The robot showed good ability to correctly follow most of the sequences learnt, with small errors and good immunity to the kidnapped robot problem.


Regional climate models (RCMs) are commonly used to provide detailed regional to local information for climate change assessments, impact studies, and work on climate change adaptation. The Baltic Sea region is well suited for RCM evaluation due to its complexity and good availability of observations.
 Evaluation of RCM performance over the Baltic Sea region suggests that:
 • Given appropriate boundary conditions, RCMs can reproduce many aspects of the climate in the Baltic Sea region.
 • High resolution improves the ability of RCMs to simulate significant processes in a realistic way.
 • When forced by global climate models (GCMs) with errors in their representation of the large-scale atmospheric circulation and/or sea surface conditions, performance of RCMs deteriorates.
 • Compared to GCMs, RCMs can add value on the regional scale, related to both the atmosphere and other parts of the climate system, such as the Baltic Sea, if appropriate coupled regional model systems are used.
 Future directions for regional climate modeling in the Baltic Sea region would involve testing and applying even more high-resolution, convection permitting, models to generally better represent climate features like heavy precipitation extremes. Also, phenomena more specific to the Baltic Sea region are expected to benefit from higher resolution (these include, for example, convective snowbands over the sea in winter). Continued work on better describing the fully coupled regional climate system involving the atmosphere and its interaction with the sea surface and land areas is also foreseen as beneficial. In this respect, atmospheric aerosols are important components that deserve more attention.


Introduction/Background Treatment of locally advanced cervical cancers with pelvic wall or surrounding organ invasion (FIGO IIIB/IVA) is a challenging situation and the clinical results have been traditionally poor. According the evolving of brachytherapy (BT) and imaging, our treatment aim has progressively become more radical and actually all patients are treated with external beam radiochemotherapy (EBRT) plus MR based Image Guided Adapted Brachytherapy (IGABT) and adjuvant chemotherapy (CT). Aim of this work is to revise this evolving trend over the past 19 years. Methodology Since January 2000, 108 cervical cancer patients with FIGO IIIB (because pelvic wall invasion) or IVA were discussed in multidisciplinary tumour board. Patients received radiotherapy treatment or best supportive care (BSC) depending on patient's clinical condition and treatment options available at that time (in our centre 3D-BT was introduced in 2006, IGABT in 2012, adjuvant CT in 2013). All patients are in prospective follow up in radiation oncology and gynaecology department. Results 23 patients receved BSC, 19 EBRT only, 19 EBRT+ standard 3D BT, 28 received EBRT plus IGABT and 19 received EBRT plus IGABT plus adjuvant CT. With a median follow up time of 53 months, 3 years overall survival was respectively 0%, 16.5%, 26.5%, 48.5% and 77.5%. Excluding patients who received BSC from further analysis, the 3 years DFS was respectively 11%, 11%, 36% and 58%. 3 year local control was respectively 17.5%, 43%, 91.5% and 100% 3 year systemic control was respectively 53.5%, 62%, 49% and 78.5% (Figure 1) Conclusion The evolution the radiotherapy technique is shaping the outcomes of cervical cancer patients, even in the most difficult cases. If tumour control is at hand, chemotherapy strategies to improve systemic control have to be identified. Disclosure Nothing to disclose. Abstract EP289 Figure 1 Cervical cancer FIGO IIIB(pelvic wall invasion) and IVA


was occasionally seen during drug reduction. One month following sodium valproate withdrawal a generalised tonicclonic convulsion occurred while she was playing a video game at home. EEG showed persistence of the left centro-temporal discharges and generalised spike and wave discharges evoked by intermittent photic stimulation. No further seizure or photoconvulsive response occurred afterwards, while off antiepileptic treatment. That photosensitivity was temporally linked to sodium valproate withdrawal is beyond doubt. All patients had generalised convulsions under environmental flicker stimulation and photoconvulsive response a few weeks after sodium valproate reduction


Post-copulatory sexual selection research tends to focus on the numerous adaptations that have evolved to increase the chances of donated spermatozoa fertilizing oocytes. Even though fertilization obviously directly depends on the presence of sufficient, viable spermatozoa, the quantification of the sperm transfer process itself has not received the attention it deserves. Here, we present experimental work on a simultaneously hermaphroditic snail in combination with a review of the literature focussing on the relationship between the duration of copulation and the number of sperm that are transferred. Based on classical work, this relationship is often assumed to be linear, but as we show here this need not be the case. Both our experimental data and the reviewed literature indicate that there are clear instances where the process of sperm transfer is not a linear process, i.e., longer copulation duration does not necessarily imply more transfer of sperm. As we point out, there seems to be a bias in the literature towards investigating this in insects, but other animal groups in which this has been investigated do show similar relationships. To conclude, we discuss how the specific patterns of sperm transfer that have been reported can be biologically interpreted and we caution that simply using copulation duration as a proxy for the number of sperm transferred can be misleading.


According to the seesaw mechanism, neutrino masses arise from the existence of heavy Majorana neutrinos postulated to emerge near the grand unification scale (GUT) of about 10 16 GeV. Despite its theoretical appeal, this scenario involves either physics at inaccessible scales or tuning the Yukawa couplings to un-naturally low values. Our work sidesteps the seesaw mechanism and shows that neutrino masses follow from placing the Standard Model on a spacetime support equipped with arbitrarily small deviations from four dimensions.


The paper is focused on the analysis of stability properties of a family of numerical methods designed for the numerical solution of stochastic Volterra integral equations. Stability properties are provided with respect to the basic test equation, as well as to the convolution test equation. For each equation, stability properties are intended both in the mean-square and in the asymptotic sense. Stability regions are also provided for a selection of methods. Numerical experiments confirming the theoretical study are also given.


Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes are now increasingly being adopted as a solution to environmental conservation problems in many countries throughout the world. Examples of these market based instruments are tradable pollution permits or certificates for ecosystem services. However, equity outcomes have rarely been considered in the implementation of such instruments. Neo-classical economic analysis does not explicitly take such equity considerations into account with efficiency concerns being the overriding goal. Increasingly this is being seen as inadequate to meet sustainability objectives and there is evidence to suggest that the adherence to an equitable framework for such schemes may determine whether or not stakeholders will participate in these markets. In this paper we develop a framework for consideration of equity in PES schemes. First the background and historical beginnings of these instruments are provided. A review of some existing schemes, particularly those that have tried to address income equity (pro-poor schemes), is presented and raises important issues related to efficiency versus equity concerns A framework is then provided to allow for the consideration of equity and fairness in such schemes designed to protect and enhance ecosystem services. Here a methodology for measuring equity, fairness and justice issues in PES and market based instrument schemes is developed on a case by case basis.


Pneumomediastinum is a rare condition with an incidence of 1/33,000. It can be a rare complication of diabetic acidoketosis. We present the cases of two diabetic patients and review the literature, focusing our analysis on the interrelationships between these two diseases. Both patients were young subjects, a 21-year-old woman and an 18-year-old man with type 1 diabetes who were admitted for acidoketosis. Clinically, the patients presented the cardinal signs of diabetes and a flu-like syndrome associated with dyspnea and chest pain. Physical examination revealed a poor general health status, tachycardia and polymnea, as well as a painful diffuse tumefaction of the neck with subcutaneous emphysema. Blood tests disclosed elevated glycemia and urine was positive for acetone. The diagnosis of severe metabolic acidosis was retained. The chest x-ray demonstrated the subcutaneous emphysema and air in the anterior mediastinum. On the computed tomography scan obtained in the second patient, the heart was silhouetted with a hyperlucent zone laterally. Treatment consisted in strict bed rest with oxygen therapy, fluid replacement, insulin and heparin. The pneumomediastinum resolved in both patients within three days on average. The causal effect of diabetic acidoketosis in the development of pneumomediastinum in our two patients was retained after ruling out all other potential causes, including chest trauma and asthma.


Outbreaks of plague have been recognized in Zambia since 1917 (1). On April 10, 2015, Zambia's Ministry of Health was notified by the Eastern Provincial Medical Office of possible bubonic plague cases in Nyimba District. Eleven patients with acute fever and cervical lymphadenopathy had been evaluated at two rural health centers during March 28-April 9, 2015; three patients died. To confirm the outbreak and develop control measures, the Zambia Ministry of Health's Field Epidemiology Training Program (ZFETP) conducted epidemiologic and laboratory investigations in partnership with the University of Zambia's schools of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine and the provincial and district medical offices. Twenty-one patients with clinically compatible plague were identified, with symptom onset during March 26-May 5, 2015. The median age was 8 years, and all patients were from the same village. Blood specimens or lymph node aspirates from six (29%) patients tested positive for Yersinia pestis by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). There is an urgent need to improve early identification and treatment of plague cases. PCR is a potential complementary tool for identifying plague, especially in areas with limited microbiologic capacity. Twelve (57%) patients, including all six with PCR-positive plague and all three who died, also tested positive for malaria by rapid diagnostic test (RDT). Plague patients coinfected with malaria might be misdiagnosed as solely having malaria, and appropriate antibacterial treatment to combat plague might not be given, increasing risk for mortality. Because patients with malaria might be coinfected with other pathogens, broad spectrum antibiotic treatment to cover other pathogens is recommended for all children with severe malaria, until a bacterial infection is excluded.


This paper is concerned with an extended shape from shading and a photometric stereo using local shading analysis. In general the direction of the steepest change in the image plane corresponds to the steepest gradient of the reflectance map. The local shading expansion method is proposed using this characteristic. The shape from shading can be applied locally.by use of this method to extract surface orientation of objects with uniform Lambertian reflectance properties. The number of light sources of the photometric stereo can be reduced to two light sources by use of this local shading expansion method. Surface orientation of objects with non-uniform Lambertian or uniform specular reflectance properties can be obtained using this photometric stereo.This paper presents the local shading expansion method and shows reconstructed shapes of objects using extracted surface orientation by this method.


Purpose We evaluated the effect of early chemoradiotherapy on the treatment of patients with limited stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC). Materials and Methods Between January 2006 and December 2011, thirty-one patients with histologically proven LS-SCLC who were treated with two cycles of chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy and consolidation chemotherapy were retrospectively analyzed. The chemotherapy regimen was composed of etoposide and cisplatin. Thoracic radiotherapy consisted of 50 to 60 Gy (median, 54 Gy) given in 5 to 6.5 weeks. Results The follow-up period ranged from 5 to 53 months (median, 22 months). After chemoradiotherapy, 35.5% of the patients (11 patients) showed complete response, 61.3% (19 patients) showed partial response, 3.2% (one patient) showed progressive disease, resulting in an overall response rate of 96.8% (30 patients). The 1-, 2-, and 3-year overall survival (OS) rates were 66.5%, 41.0%, and 28.1%, respectively, with a median OS of 21.3 months. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year progression free survival (PFS) rates were 49.8%, 22.8%, and 13.7%, respectively, with median PFS of 12 months. The patterns of failure were: locoregional recurrences in 29.0% (nine patients), distant metastasis in 9.7% (three patients), and both locoregional and distant metastasis in 9.7% (three patients). Grade 3 or 4 toxicities of leukopenia, anemia, and thrombocytopenia were observed in 32.2%, 29.0%, and 25.8%, respectively. Grade 3 radiation esophagitis and radiation pneumonitis were shown in 12.9% and 6.4%, respectively. Conclusion We conclude that early chemoradiotherapy for LS-SCLC provides feasible and acceptable local control and safety.


Characteristics of a DFB laser under high-speed direct modulation are studied with an emphasis on the spectral analysis. A stable single-longitudinal-mode oscillation was confirmed up to 8.4 GHz direct modulation. The possibility of reducing the frequency chirping by device parameter optimisation is predicted on the basis of the experimental results obtained.


Energy crisis in Indonesia, especially electrical energy has forced many fields to find the solution in solving this problem. The popular one is the utilization of water and wind energy. The blowing wind in Indonesia, according to LAPAN, is variably and the average of its velocity is low (0 ? 5 m/s). In utilizing this variably energy, there should be needed electrical machine (generator) that appropriate with the characteristics of its driver. Electrical generator has been widely spread in the market (radial flux type), usually in the kind of high speed induction generator where in this type, it needs gearbox transmission to get high rotation and also needs initial electrical energy (excitation voltage) to make its magnetic field. While, in the utilization of wind is needed lowspeed generator and without initial electrical energy, because as usual, it is placed in the areas with elektrical current. As the solution, in this research, there has been designed the permanently magnetic generator with multi pole to replace the existence voltage by magnetic induction type axial flux that easy to manufacture. The axial generator can be driven by wind turbine and water turbine or other sources. Axial generator has two main parts, they are rotor and stator. Rotor consists of 8 poles of permanently magnet and stator in the form of 8 coils by 400 turns conductor in each coil. To increase the process of charging/discharging efficiency on accu, and timer by generator signal time. Schematic series of timer generator is modified from switching controller series by John Bedini in 1984 by testing. Testing analysis shows that timer series by simpler generator frequency has better efficiency. In rotor rotation of 375 rpm, unload axial generator testing has 15,44 VAC, 13,84 VDC withoud capacitor and 19,9 VDC by capacitor. On the accu load 12V 7,2 Ah there is current 0,11 amps 11,45 VDC. On the planned rotation velocity (375 rpm), the generator is able to charge accu. Switching controller design that is resulted here is able to increase the process efficiency of charging acuu up to 51,85 %. Bigger as much as 13,67 % from the efficiency on John Bedini?s series Keyword : generator aksial; rotor; stator; magnet permanen; kecepatan putar rendah; switching controller Link Terkait : http://skripsi.umm.ac.id/files/disk1/318/jiptummpp-gdl-s1-2009-oongibanse-15884-PENDAHUL-N.pdf


Continental core complexes are generally interpreted to result from extensional doming due to gravity‐driven upflow of lower crust. In contrast, the Vepor Dome is characterized by the lack of inverted density profile and relatively cold metamorphic field gradient which precludes an activation of Rayleigh‐Taylor instability. Instead, the crustal structure of the Vepor Unit is marked by dense and weak metapelitic lower crust and light and strong granitoid upper crust inherited from Variscan nappe stacking. It is shown that the Cretaceous Eo‐Alpine tectonic evolution of the Vepor Dome is controlled by the dynamics of two neighboring mechanically strong continental blocks, i.e., the overthrusting of the suprastructural Gemer Unit from the south and the underthrusting of the Fatric basement from the north. Structural, metamorphic and geochronological data from the Vepor Unit imply two main phases of the convergent process: (1) Lower Cretaceous crustal thickening due to overthrusting and internal deformation of the Gemer Unit together with upper crustal folding in the Vepor Unit led to the progressive development of the orogenic front parallel pressure gradient. The instantaneous response of the lower crustal and low‐viscosity metapelites led to an along‐strike lower crustal flow accompanied by prograde Barrovian‐type metamorphism. (2) As the south vergent underthrusting of the Fatric basement propagated to greater depths during the Upper Cretaceous, the convergent process switched from top driven to bottom driven, and the exhumation of the lower crust occurred via polyharmonic folding. Overall doming of the Vepor Unit induced upper crustal detachment faulting and eastward unroofing of the dome.


Cancer stands out as one of the fatal diseases people are facing all the time. Each year, a countless number of people die because of the late diagnosis of cancer or wrong treatments. Glioma, one of the most common primary brain tumors, has different aggressiveness and sub-regions, which can affect the risk of disease. Although prediction of overall survival based on multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is challenging, in this study, we assess if and how location-based features of tumors can affect overall survival prediction. This approach is evaluated independently and in combination with radiomic features. The process is carried out on a data set entailing MRI images of patients with glioblastoma. To assess the impact of resection status, the data set is divided into two groups, patients were reported as gross total resection and unknown resection status. Then, different machine learning algorithms were used to evaluate how location features are linked with overall survival. Results from regression models indicate that location-based features have considerable effects on the patients' overall survival independently. Additionally, classifier models show an improvement in prediction accuracy by the addition of location-based features to radiomic features.


Biofuels have received considerable attention lately due to the scarcity of fossil-based energy and its adverse impact on the environment. Furthermore, the need for a consistent energy supply has led researchers and practitioners to investigate renewable sources such as biofuels and biomass. However, more investigation is needed, particularly for lignocellulosic (energy crops) biomass production and the biofuel supply chain. Various studies have been conducted to ensure the feasibility of biofuel and biomass production while maximizing its benefits, and to gain insights about energy generation from biomass-based sources. In this paper, we provide a literature review of the models developed for supply chain and production of lignocellulosic biofuel and biomass from energy crops, such as switchgrass and miscanthus. We also distinguish studies in terms of research area and methodology. Additionally, we compare three studies in detail with respect to the considered methodology, objective function, constraints, decisions taken, and application area. Finally, we provide a discussion of the areas where there is a research gap, and we highlight research needs in the biomass and biofuel supply chain area.


This essay provides an analytical description of the sources and collectors of the legal responsa (masāʾil) of Aḥmad Ibn Ḥanbal (d. 241/855). It outlines the contents and characteristics of the various Masāʾil works, the backgrounds and approaches of their authors, and their current status (manuscripts and editions). The essay also describes efforts by Aḥmad's students and followers to address contradictions and discrepancies among his statements and to identify general principles within them in order to make possible the articulation of the legal doctrine of the Ḥanbalī madhhab.