We present experimental results on the velocity statistics of a granular fluid with an effective stochastic thermostat, in a quasi-two-dimensional configuration. We find the base state, as measured by the single particle velocity distribution P(c) in the central high-probability regions, to be well described by P(c)=f{MB}[1+a2S2(c2)] : It deviates from a Maxwell-Boltzmann f{MB} by a second order Sonine polynomial S2(c2) with a single adjustable parameter a2. We find a2 to be a function of the filling fraction and independent of the driving over a wide range of frequencies and accelerations. Moreover, there is a consistent overpopulation in the distribution's tails, which scale as P proportional, variant exp(-A x c{3/2}) . To our knowledge, this is the first time that Sonine deviations have been measured in an experimental system.


The first AFOB special issue of Biotechnology Journal is edited by Prof. Tai Hyun Park and Prof. George G. Q. Chen. The eleven articles are representative of the diverse nature of biotechnology today, covering topics such as microfluidic devices, high-throughput analysis, biosensors, bio-imaging, tissue engineering, vaccination, gene delivery, gene expression, and cell-free protein synthesis.


OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the use at home of night-time pulsioxymetry to diagnose obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome in the general population.

DESIGN
Cros-sectional study of diagnostic tests.

PARTICIPANTS
Random sample of 70 individuals chosen from a Health Centre´s appointment records.

MAIN MEASUREMENTS
Anamnesis concerning sleep and respiratory disorders during sleep, anthropometric measurements, Epworth´s sleepiness scale, home night-time pulsioxymetry and polysomnography.

RESULTS
Visual inspection by oxymetry gave 82% sensitivity (95% CI, 62-93) and 69% specificity (95% CI, 53-82) for the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. Other indices such as the time with oxygen saturation below 90% and the number of desaturations above 4% gave a sensitivity of 82% and 86% and specificity of 63% and 65%, respectively. All the cases of clinically significant obstructive apnoea were diagnosed by pulsioxymetry.

CONCLUSIONS
Night-time pulsioxymetry is a useful test for general screening of obstructive sleep apnoea.


The recent era of computing has paved a significant path for dramatic growth of multimedia services. Video-on-Demand (VoD) system is one such multimedia service that allows a viewer to choose video of their choice on an adhoc basis. The videos are delivered to user in real time via a network. This paper tries to optimize the performance of VoD system by proposing an efficient video streaming architecture. The architecture is designed carefully to select videos of various popularity and intelligently allocating resources between intermediate servers and the main multimedia server. Simulation results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed architecture.


Medical teleconsultation was among the initial use cases for early telepresence research projects since medical treatment often requires timely intervention by highly specialized experts. When remote medical experts support interventions, a holistic view of the surgical site can increase situation awareness and improve team communication. A possible solution is the concept of immersive telepresence, where remote users virtually join the operating theater that is transmitted based on a real-time reconstruction of the local site. Enabled by the availability of RGB-D sensors and sufficient computing capability, it becomes possible to capture such a site in real time using multiple stationary sensors. The 3D reconstruction and simplification of textured surface meshes from the point clouds of a dynamic scene in real time is challenging and becomes infeasible for increasing capture volumes. This work presents a tightly integrated, stateless 3D reconstruction pipeline for dynamic, room-scale environments that generates simplified surface meshes from multiple RGB-D sensors in real time. Our algorithm operates directly on the fused, voxelized point cloud instead of populating signed-distance volumes per frame and using a marching cube variant for surface reconstruction. We extend the formulation of the dual contouring algorithm to work for point cloud data stored in an octree and interleave a vertex-clustering-based simplification before extracting the surface geometry. Our 3D reconstruction pipeline can perform a live reconstruction of six incoming depth videos at their native frame rate of 30 frames per second, enabling the reconstruction of smooth movement. Arbitrarily complex scene changes are possible since we do not store persistent information between frames. In terms of mesh quality and hole filling, our method falls between the direct mesh reconstruction and expensive global fitting of implicit functions.


The cell kinetic characteristic of all epithelia is the same. All are analogs of the crypt-villus unit of the gastrointestinal mucosa. Each unit is nourished by at least one determined uncommitted stem cell (DS). When the DS divides, one of its progeny replaces the parent and remains a DS, while the other starts streaming outward. When entering a differentiation pathway it is called a committed stem cell (CS). Cells in the unit differentiate while streaming. Initially they continue multiplying and are called amplifying progenitors (P-cells), then they lose the capacity to synthesize DNA and become non-dividing (quiescent) end cells (Q-cells). All cells except the DS are transitional and short lived (in the crypt they live several days): only the DS is permanent. Since epithelial tissues are cell kinetic analogs of the crypt, it is assumed here that their neoplastic progression is analogous with the adenoma-carcinoma sequence of the crypt. Neoplasia starts when a normal cell is transformed into a neoplastic. If a transitional cell is hit by a carcinogen and transformed into a neoplastic, it soon will be washed out from the system. Only a transformed DS can maintain the neoplastic trait since it never leaves the crypt. Neoplasia is thus a pathology of the DS. There are two differentiation scales in the embryo: global and local. The first starts with the fertilized ovum that divides into stem cells that become more and more determined. Following gastrulation each determined stem cell generates its local progeny of transitional cells that make the tissue units. Determined stem cells are direct descendants of the fertilized ovum, while their transitional progenitors are direct descendants of determined stem cells.


The liver is frequently colonized by metastatic tumor cells despite its dense population of macrophages (Kupffer cells). We have studied the interactions between metastatic colon carcinoma cells (DHD) and syngeneic Kupffer cells under different experimental conditions in vitro. In an adhesion assay the binding of DHD cells to Kupffer cell monolayers was shown to be time and temperature dependent, reaching a maximum level after about 90 min of incubation at 37°. in contrast, only a low level of binding could be observed at 4°. The level of binding could be increased by pretreatment of the Kupffer cells with phorbol 12‐myristate 13‐acetate. A firm interaction between the two cell types was shown to be dependent on the presence of calcium‐ and trypsin‐sensitive structures on the surface of the Kupffer cells. Pretreatment of the macrophages with the cytoskeletal inhibitors colchicine and cytochalasin B was also found to reduce significantly the binding of tumor cells. This binding was also inhibited to a large extent by D‐mannose and N‐acetyl‐D‐galactosamine. The Kupffer cells were not cytotoxic against the colon carcinoma cells.


The helminths of 4 suni, Neotragus moschatus, from the Tembe National Elephant Park, KwaZulu, Natal, were collected, counted and identified. Cooperia hungi, a race of Cooperia rotundispiculum, Haemonchus vegliai, Setaria cornuta, a Skrjabinema sp., Strongyloides papillosus, Trichostrongylus anomalus and Trichostrongylus deflexus are new parasite records for suni in Africa. Megacooperia woodfordi was recovered for the first time from South African antelope.


Severe exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are associated with fatal outcomes, especially in patients in need of hospitalizations. Repeated hospitalizations increase the economic burden of COPD. Objective: identification of the risk factors for repeated hospital admissions of patients with COPD, assessing the possibility of their modification. Methods: a retrospective analysis of case records of all patients admitted in the city hospital with exacerbations of COPD during 18 calendar months (161), of which 118 patients were hospitalized once, 14 - twice, and 5 - three times. Results: During inpatient treatment defects of therapy were detected: bronchodilator therapy (excessive theophylline), antimicrobial therapy and oxygen therapy (noncompliance, insufficient control of effects). Inhalation steroids were recommended excessively, with increasing frequency after each subsequent discharge. There was no control of adherence to treatment in outpatient settings. Significant risk factors for repeated hospitalizations were identified: male sex (RR 2,29; 95% CI; 0,78-6,69), age >70 years (RR 2,069; 95% CI; 1,01-4,2), smoking experience >40 years (RR 5,3; 95% CI; 1,6-17,5), duration of COPD >6 years (RR 2,4; 95% CI; 0,98-6,18), the presence of three or more concomitant diseases, first of all, cardiovascular (RR 13,0; 95% CI; 1,89-90,14). Conclusions: to reduce the risk of repeated hospitalizations, the main emphasis of treatment and prophylaxis should be directed to patients of working age: early smoking cessation, adequate treatment of COPD exacerbations and comorbidity in the hospital, control of adherence to treatment after discharge.


In this paper, 60-GHz receiver and transmitter front-ends implemented in 65-nm baseline CMOS are presented. Both down- and upconversion mixers employ a spiral transmission line balun for the local oscillator input, thus, creating a balanced mixer topology. The receiver has a balanced active mixer and a low noise amplifier on the same chip. The measured results show that the receiver has a 14.5-dB gain and a 9.2-dB double sideband noise figure with 53-GHz local oscillator and 1.5-GHz intermediate frequencies. The transmitter front-end consists of a balanced resistive mixer and a five-stage medium power amplifier. The mixer topology enables wideband LO-suppression as well as IF and RF responses. The measured upconversion gain and 1-dB output compression point at 60 GHz are 12 dB and −3 dBm, respectively. The saturated output power is +2 dBm. The chip sizes are 0.90 and 1.00 mm2 for the receiver and transmitter front-end, respectively.


This paper investigates the transmission of monetary policy in Luxembourg. It is the first empirical analysis conducted for Luxembourg firm-level data. The results indicate that the sales accelerator may be at work. A very robust result is the negative effect of the user cost of capital on firms' investment ratio. Changes in user cost are significantly affected by changes in the monetary policy indicator. In addition, firm specific balance sheet characteristics, such as the lagged cash stock to capital ratio influence the investment behaviour according to the broad credit channel theory. It is shown that young firms, in particular, are more sensitive to user cost changes, sales growth and the lagged cash to capital ratio. JEL Codes: D21, D92, E22, E52


We have determined and compared the SiO maser velocity parameters of semiregular variables in the v = 1, J = 1 − 0 (J10) and the v = 1, J = 2 − 1 (J21) transitions. Fourteen sources in the Mopra SiO Maser Catalogue are classified as semiregular variables of types SR, SRa, SRb, or SRc. (L2 Puppis, an SRa star with an unusual SiO maser spectrum, has been analyzed individually.) We have previously presented the overall and phase dependent velocity parameters of SiO masers associated with long period variables (LPVs) of well-established periods and maxima. A comparison of the velocity centroid (VC) difference, VC21–VC10, shows mixed results for the variable types. Some differences are negative and some positive. The SRc difference is negative, large, and relatively stable. The SRb difference has the widest distribution. The velocity ranges (VRs) of the maser emission have been compared using arithmetic averages, Gaussian fits to the distributions, and Weibull fits to the distributions. For LPVs, SRs, SRas, and SRcs the VR10 is one to a few km s−1 greater than the VR21. SRcs have the largest VRs by a factor of two or three indicating the greater range over which the conditions necessary for masers to originate exist in these supergiant stars. SRbs are the only classification of semiregular variable in which the VR21 exceeds the VR10. The larger VR21 compared to VR10 for SRbs appears in all comparisons. The difference in the SRb SiO maser velocity parameters may be due to a difference in the oscillation mechanism of the star. The suggested overtone oscillations of SRbs may affect the circumstellar cloud dynamics. Little theoretical work has specifically addressed the masers in semiregular variables. Qualitative comparisons of the data with the existing models of the SiO masers in LPVs are made.


Grindr, a location-based real-time dating application, provides sexual-minority men (SMM) a space through which they can identify, access, and communicate with one another. Although previous research has examined user motivations and public self-disclosure patterns on Grindr, we investigate the effects intimate self-disclosure and sexting via the application's private messaging on internalized homophobia and loneliness. Using the Internet-enhanced self-disclosure hypothesis (ISDH) as a framework, we conducted an online survey of 274 Grindr users. Serial mediation analysis showed support for the ISDH, suggesting that Grindr use was negatively associated with loneliness. Intimate self-disclosure and internalized homophobia mediated the relationship between Grindr use and loneliness, but sexting had no relationship with internalized homophobia or loneliness. We discuss implications for the ISDH, Grindr, self-disclosure, and sexting.


Summary Plasma mephobarbital and phenobarbital concentrations were determined in 11 epileptic patients receiving mephobarbital alone or in combination with other antiepileptic drugs. The analysis was carried out by a selective ion monitoring (SIM) mass fragmentography technique following formation of N-propyl derivatives of both drugs. The plasma concentrations of phenobarbital ranged from 4 to 32 μg/ml and those of mephobarbital from 0.2 to 1.7 μg/ml. Differences in the metabolism rates of the drugs accounted for the plasma concentration differences; mephobarbital is metabolized more rapidly than phenobarbital. Phenobarbital concentrations obtained by SIM mass fragmentography were similar to those obtained by gas-liquid chromatographic on-column methylation, which quantitates only "total phenobarbital" (mephobarbital plus phenobarbital).


We present the basic framework of a logic of actions and plans de ned in terms of modal logic combined with a notion of dependence. The latter is used as a weak causal connection between actions and literals. In this paper we focus on the frame problem and demonstrate how it can be solved in our framework in a simple and monotonic way. We give the semantics, and associate an axiomatics and a decision procedure to it. The decision procedure is based on a sound and complete tableau method with single step rules to treat dependence. We show how it can be used to generate plans. Our solution is formally assessed by a translation of Gelfond and Lifschitz' logic A. We brie y sketch the second part of the paper, showing how we can go beyond A by some examples involving nondeterminism and rami cations.


On the Cave of the Nymphs , an allegorical exegesis of Homer's description of the cave of the nymphs at Odyssey 13.102-112, a passage quoted in full at the beginning of the treatise after the briefest possible indication of the project on which Porphyry is embarking, has been generally given little attention in discussions of Neoplatonic philosophy, as it is deemed to be of little importance for establishing Porphyrian doctrine. However, the treatise contains significant philosophical thoughts on the relationship between the soul and body, embodiment, demonology, and the concept of salvation of soul, which are compatible with his other works, especially On Abstinence from Killing Animals ( De Abstinentia ) and Pathways to the Intelligible ( Sententiae ). The concept of salvation of soul is found in Porphyry's identification of the goddess Athena with phronesis , along with the olive tree, while Odysseus represents the soul descending into genesis, but will return back to his fatherland.In this context, this paper will explore the role and meaning of phronesis , namely the goddess Athena, in the process of the soul's journey towards the intelligible realm and show the relevance of the Neoplatonic doctrine of virtues, particularly the cathartic virtues, in Sententia 32 to Porphyry's reading of Homer's image of Odysseus under guidance of the goddess Athena. Phronesis inspires the soul to incline towards the level of Intellect that is, away from damaging influences of the body to which the soul is enslaved and which confuses it with desires, passions, fears and illusory impressions, and prevents it from attaining the intelligible realm, whereas the body and its desires lead us to conflict and unjust behaviour in order to gain wealth, status, power, and pleasure.


Identifying the main factors of economic growth, the study and analysis of the mechanisms of their influence on the development of regions can be considered one of the most pressing problems in modern economic research. The main goal of the research is to build an econometric production model of regional economic growth on the basis of an analysis of existing analytical approaches to assessing regional economic growth. To achieve this goal, a study was conducted to assess the quality of economic growth using multiplicative models of production functions by regions of the Russian Federation, which will allow building a unique function for each region, which describes the economic potential and the future direction of regional development. As a result of the study, it was concluded that it is necessary to adjust the existing and develop new approaches to assessing the dynamics of economic development. An econometric production model of regional economic growth is presented, which is based on production functions.


The scope of exclusive breastfeeding has not met the set targets. One of the benefits of papaya leaves is ASI Booster (ASI booster), because it can increase milk production and protein levels. The purpose of this community service activity is to improve knowledge and skills about ASI and the technique of instant papaya leaves. The design is the pre test and post test level of knowledge and skills. The material is delivered by lecture and demonstration methods. The evaluation was carried out after the practice of instant making of papaya leaves by carrying out a post test and evaluating the establishment of a banner on the description of instant papaya leaf products and their benefits as ASI smoothers and meeting forums in the village to check information desemination. Community service activities were conducted in 3 meetings. The first meeting was the delivery of material about ASI, ASI smoothing, the benefits of papaya leaves, the technique of instant papaya leaves. The second meeting was the training of instant papaya leaves in the Semarang Department of Health's Health Polytechnic Department, which was attended by 3 cadres of Karangjati Village. The third meeting was carried out to socialize and practice the instant making of papaya leaves in Karangjati Village to the people of Karangjati village. The participants who participated in the community service activities were 30 residents of Karangjati Village, Blora Based on the paired t-test, the Sig. (2-tailed) knowledge of 0,000 (<0,05) and skills of 0,000 (<0,05), then there is the effect of training on instant making of papaya leaves as breast milk booster to the level of knowledge and skills.This community service provides many benefits for participants, namely for cadres and community members. The real form is the increasing knowledge of breast milk and ASI smoothers with the instant making of papaya leaves.


One of the effects of the Internet is that the dissemination of scientific publications in a few years has migrated to electronic formats. The basic business practices for trading the content between publishers on one hand and libraries and readers on the other, have however not changed much. Scientists have in order to utilise the potential of the Web and in protest against the high subscription prices of mainstream publishers started Open Access (OA) journals and e-print repositories, which distribute scientific information freely. Most early OA-journals were run in a spirit of voluntarism reminiscent of Open Source projects, but recently some large scale efforts have started were the publishers regard the authors as their customers and sell them scientific publication services (including free access) for author charges. The recent launch of the Public Library of Science Biology journal was for instance noted also in the general media. Despite an increasing awareness among academics that OA would be the optimal distribution mode for publicly financed research results, OA channels still constitute only a marginal phenomenon in the global scholarly communication system, although their share of all published material is rapidly rising. There are many barriers to changing the current system. The aim of the panel is to increase the awareness of MIS scholars about the current state and possibilities of OA channels and to start a discussion about the many legal, economic, psychological and social issues surrounding the way scholars communicate with their peers and how the Internet is changing the situation. The panel participants include Bo-Christer Bjork, Erik Sandewall and Grahame Cooper.


A group of twenty‐four workers handling di‐isocyanates and with respiratory disease were investigated by occupational‐type bronchial provocation tests for sensitivity to toluene di‐isocyanate (TDI), to which all were exposed, and to diphenylmethane di‐isocyanate (MDI) and hexamethylene di‐isocyanate (HDI). Sixteen gave asthmatic reactions to TDI and eight of these also reacted to MDI. Four of the eight TDI and MDI reactors had histories of exposure only to TDI, and of them two reacted also to HDI. Of nine subjects tested with HDI, three gave asthmatic reactions, and all three also reacted to TDI and MDI. Thus reactions to MDI and HDI were elicited only in the TDI reactors. The possibility of specific sensitivity to these and other di‐isocyanates requires tests in subjects exposed to them and not to TDI.


Introduction The detection of a new species is the result of a decision-making AQ1 process, one that has traditionally and primarily been based upon the discovery of distinguishing characters (Cronquist 1978;Mayr 1982;Winston 1999; Sites &Marshall 2004). This process, called diagnosis, is acutely important as it necessarily lies at the crux of the discovery of biodiversity, including the identification of conservation units. With the rise of quantitative phylogenetic methods, and the increasing accessibility of molecular data, numerous methods for diagnosis have been proposed in recent years (Sites & Marshall 2004). For many situations the identification of a new species is one that does not particularly require quantitative methodology. These are the cases where the organisms of the putative new species are conspicuously divergent from all known species and, thus, where the new species is identified as a sister taxon to previously identified groups. But increasingly, as more new species are described and as more species are the subject of additional investigation, the questions of diagnosis arise within previously described species, wherein patterns of differentiation among populations of the same species must be interpreted in taxonomic terms. In short: how dowe decide when a closer look at one taxonomic species actually reveals the presence of more than one species? A similar question arises in conservation contexts: do the data from one species (or one conservation unit) actually reveal the presence of multiple units, each of which merit recognition and possibly protection? This question may not be cast in terms of the taxonomic rank of species, and so the criteria used for diagnosis of a new species may differ from those used for diagnosing a population in terms of meriting conservation status. For example, in the United States the language of the amended Endangered Species Act (16 USC §§1531– 1544) refers to a 'distinct population segment of any species of vertebrate fish or wildlife which interbreeds when mature'. In effect this conservation policy has identified a taxonomic category of 'distinct population segment' or 'DPS' as it is called in discussions on biodiversity conservation, one for which criteria and protocols for diagnosis have been much discussed (Waples 1991a; Moritz 1994;


During viral development bacteriophage T4 modifies the valyl-transfer RNA synthetase of its host Escherichia coli, but the function of the modification has remained elusive. A strain of Escherichia coli has now been identified which is nonpermissive for wild-type bacteriophage T4, but permissive for bacteriophage mutants impaired in the modification reaction. A comparison with other bacteria suggests that nonpermissiveness is due to synthesis of a thermolabile valyl-transfer RNA synthetase and relaxed control of RNA accumulation.


In order to investigate interaction of drought stress and potassium application on potassium, calcium, magnesium concentration and oil of two species of canola and mustard, a factorial experiment based on randomized complete block design with three replications was conducted during two years (2007-2009) at Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Station of Zehak located in Sistan and Baluchstan province. Irrigation regimes in three levels (irrigation after 50, 70 and 90 percent depletion of soil available water), potassium sulphate fertilizer in three levels (0, 150 and 250 kg.ha -1 K2SO4) and two species of Brassica napus (Hyola 401 Hybrid of canola) and Brassica juncea (landrace cultivar of mustard native of Indian) were allocated to experiment factors. According to the results two species showed different pattern of potassium and calcium accumulation in their leaves. Mustard contained a higher leaf potassium and calcium contents than canola. Under severe drought stress, leaf potassium and magnesium increased but calcium change was not significant. Increasing potassium application in the soil increased potassium and decreased calcium concentration in the leaf. Potassium application did not show any significant effect on leaf magnesium concentration. Hyola 401 showed higher seed yield, oil yield and oil content than landrace of mustard. Seed and oil yield increased but oil percent decreased with increasing drought stress. Potassium application caused increasing seed yield and oil yield in different levels of water availability in both species. Seed yield had positive correlation with oil yield, oil content and potassium concentration but its correlation with leaf calcium and magnesium concentration was negative. Based on the results of this experiment, it can be reported that equilibrium supply of potassium and moisture increased grain yield, oil production and absorb of mineral nutrients in both species and property variation in nutrients absorption efficiency in brassica genus can be used in breeding programs for drought tolerance.


Death is a natural process which inevitably experienced by all living beings, including humans. The death was initially only meant simply, when a person is no longer breathing as well as no longer palpable pulse of his heart, then he stated had faced death. However, as the development of science and technology, increasingly more widespread death factor, namely the loss of function of the brain stem. When the brain is not functioning then it means consciousness too have been stalled. Then it can be inferred, the heart rate, breathing and brain stem function has stopped, she has experienced death. But many of the events, as someone already stated, a few moments later he was ' back to life '. That is what is known in our community with suspended animation, or in the science of psychology known as the Near Dath Experience (NDE). People who experience NDE, feeling that her through a spate of incidents that felt very real, up to when she woke up again, He was able to recount what he experienced at ' his death '. Suspended upon exposure to people who never experienced it, is a strange event, and is the spiritual experience that cannot be forgotten. Some say a very soft light shining of God.  Experience this remarkable self indicating that human beings could encounter Trans, events that are beyond him.


This paper reports experiments with 102 mm diameter closed-ended instrumented Imperial College piles (ICPs) jacked into low- to medium-density chalk at a well-characterized UK test site. The "ICP" instruments allowed the effective stress regime surrounding the pile shaft to be tracked during pile installation, equalization periods of up to 2.5 months, and load testing under static tension and one-way axial cyclic loading. Installation resistances are shown to be dominated by the pile tip loads. Low installation shaft stresses and radial effective stresses were measured that correlated with local cone penetration test (CPT) tip resistances. Marked shaft total stress reductions and steep stress gradients are demonstrated in the vicinity of the pile tip. The local interface shaft effective stress paths developed during static and cyclic loading displayed trends that resemble those seen in comparable tests in sands. Shaft failure followed the Coulomb law and constrained interface dilation was apparent as the pile experienced drained loading to failure, although with a lesser degree of radial expansion than with sands. Radial effective stresses were also found to fall with time after installation, leading to reductions in shaft capacity as proven by subsequent static tension testing. The jacked, closed-ended, piles' ageing trends contrast sharply with those found with open piles driven at the same site, indicating that ageing is affected by pile tip geometry and (or) installation method.


The purpose of this guide is to help VDOT employees select the best ways to access Books24x7 when off the VDOT network and using home computers or mobile devices. Follow these instructions if you want to log in from the VDOT network using a browser other than Internet Explorer 11 (like Chrome or Firefox).


With the recent advances of technology in wireless communication, sensors, and low power integrated-circuit, Wireless Body Sensor Network (WBSN) has emerged. It has been used in a wide range of applications like healthcare monitoring, sports training, and wellness. However, WBSN poses several issues like scalability, reliability, packet delay due to body blockage, movement and dense deployment. Therefore, an efficient routing scheme is essential to achieve good network performance. This paper presents the performance study of Backpressure Collection Protocol (BCP), a new alternative of data collection protocol that routes packet on a per-packet basis dynamically using congestion gradient, for WBSN. The study consists of evaluating the packet delivery ratio (PDR), packet loss, and end-to-end packet transmission delay for a single-hop and two-hop communication networks using BCP. The experiment results showed BCP performs excellent in WBSN with PDR approximately being 1 and packet loss being zero after 5 seconds booting up, and packet delay on average being 13 milliseconds. The Last-In-First-Out (LIFO) mechanism implemented in BCP appears to be also suitable for health-care monitoring application because the most recent sensing data is sent to base station instead of outdated data. Besides, this paper has demonstrated packet loss optimization to reduce the packet loss during the initial 5 seconds booting to zero packets.


Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL

Although an estimated 217,730 men will develop prostate cancer in 2010, only 15% (32,050) will die of this disease. To avoid overtreatment, new biomarkers for early detection of potentially lethal prostate cancers are needed. Cathepsin L (Cat L), also known as the major excreted protein (MEP), is a cysteine proteinase capable of degrading the extracellular matrix. Increased levels of Cat L are found in ras transformed cells and in human prostate cancer cell lines (PC3, DU 145) and are associated with tumor cell invasion and metastasis in these experimental models. Since invasion and metastasis are the lethal aspects of cancer, we hypothesized that overexpression of Cat L will be associated with prostate cancer development and progression in men and with poor clinical outcome. Forty one prostate cancers (CaP), including all Gleason grades, and 62 specimens of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) were stained by immunohistochemistry in histologic sections of archival FFPE tissues for Cat L, Cat B and their endogenous inhibitors cystatin C and stefin A. Stain was evaluated according to intensisty (I) and % of epithelium stained (A). Semiquantitative observations were expressed as histoscores (HS = I × A). Histoscores were compared to proliferation (Ki67) and apoptosis (TUNEL) in adjacent histologic sections. Data were compared to five year recurrence and survival. The Institutional Review Board of St. Elizabeth Medical Center (Edgewood, KY) gave approval for this study. Expression of these cysteine proteinases and their inhibitors was confined to the epithelial portion of prostate tissues but was heterogeneous. Increased frequency of near uniform expression of Cat L was found in CaP relative to BPH from patients with or without CaP (p = 0.001) and was significantly correlated with cystatin C expression (p = 0.0044). The Cat L HS in CaP was 285% of that in BPH from patients without CaP, whereas the HS for Cat B was unchanged, suggesting that Cat L was the more predominant cysteine proteinase in neoplastic growth. Increased Cat L expression in neoplastic growth was not matched quantitatively by increased endogenous inhibitor expression. Cat L HS was significantly correlated with cell proliferation (p = 0.0001) and with apoptosis (p = 0.0180). Higher Gleason grade tumors had significantly higher Cat L HS as well as higher proliferation and apoptosis. Importantly, Cat L and proliferation, but not apoptosis, were significantly increased (p < 0.05) in CaP patients who recurred or died from CaP within 5 years of diagnosis compared to patients who survived without a recurrence. We conclude that Cat L is a significant factor in CaP development, progression and outcome and therefore is both a potential prognostic marker and target for CaP therapy.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4172. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-4172


Proper channel selection is essential to exploit the benefits of multi-channel systems by distributing conflicting transmissions across non-interfering channels. Critical to channel selection is the channel quality metric. We propose a busy time ratio (BTR) metric that captures channel contention and user traffic load under a variety of network dynamics. We also propose a distributed collaborative sensing scheme to reduce sensing overhead and energy consumptions. The proposed algorithms can be implemented using conventional 802.11 hardware with single radio interface. The proposed metric can be integrated with routing and channel selection. Experimental results show that the proposed scheme significantly outperforms the existing channel selection methods.


Dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) was measured during the development in rats of brain tumors induced following inoculation with avian sarcoma virus. Increasing activity of this enzyme in brain was correlated with the course of primary brain tumor growth. The specific activities of DHFR in primary human brain tumor tissues were comparable to those found in avian sarcoma virus-induced brain tumors in rats. Specific activities of DHFR in cell cultures derived from human and rat primary intracranial gliomas and sarcomas were up to 6 times those found in adult rat liver. The presence of DHFR in neoplasms of central nervous system origin is relevant to the development of folate antagonists which, unlike methotrexate, can readily cross the blood-brain barrier. In normal developing rat brain, DHFR specific activity was high in embryos at 19 days of gestation and declined thereafter, until at 20 days after birth the activity was very low. The methotrexate titration assay was used to measure enzyme levels in the brains of fetal and newborn rats, and good correlation with the spectrophotometric assay was observed. The pattern was different in liver, showing maximum activity 11 days after birth and retaining high activity in adult liver. Both the cofactor requirement and the sensitivity to methotrexate indicate that the enzyme in the brain is DHFR.


Secure message transformation promote the creation of various cryptography systems to enable receivers to interpret the transformed information. In the present age of information technology, the secure transfer of information is the main study of most agencies. In this study, a particular symmetric cryptography system, Hill Cipher method, is enhanced with the help of encryption and decryption algorithms of the asymmetric RSA cryptography system to avoid certain problems. Previous results show that the original Hill algorithms are still insufficient because of their weakness to known plaintext attack, and a modification of the Hill Cipher cryptography system is therefore presented to increase its invulnerability. The enhancement focuses on implementing the RSA algorithms over the Hill Cipher to increase its security efficiency. The suggested method relies on the security of the RSA and Hill Cipher cryptosystems to find the private decryption keys, and thus is much more secure and powerful than both methods applied separately. Also secure and dynamic generation of the Hill Cipher matrix instead of using static matrix are proposed. This new approach is composed of a public key cryptosystem that has a shared secret key (between participants only), public key (announced to all), and two private keys (for each person). Therefore, this new modification can increase the invulnerability of the Hill Cipher against future attacks during transmission of information between agencies in this age of information technology


In this work we explore if it is possible to reproduce molecular-scale slip behaviour by using continuum equations. To that end it is noted that molecular-scale slip is affected by three factors: (i) near the wall, the fluid experiences a potential because of the wall; (ii) the fluid density responds to that potential, and hence, fluid compressibility is relevant; and (iii) the fluid can lose momentum to the wall. To incorporate these features we simulate shear flow of a compressible fluid between two walls in the presence of a potential. Compressibility effect is found to be important only in the near-wall region. The slip length is calculated from the mean velocity profile. The slip-length-versus-shear-rate trend is similar to that in molecular dynamic calculations. First, there is a constant value of the slip length at low shear rates. Then, the slip length increases beyond a critical shear rate. Lastly, the slip length reaches another constant value if the wall momentum loss parameter is non-zero. The scaling for the critical shear rate emerges from our results. The value of the slip length increases if the wall potential is less corrugated and if the momentum loss to the wall is low. An understanding of the overall force balance during various slip modes emerges from the governing equations.


Background The largest outbreaks of COVID-19 in the United States have occurred in correctional facilities, and little is known about the feasibility and acceptability of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine campaigns among incarcerated people. Objective The aim of this study was to describe a statewide vaccination program among incarcerated people and staff working in a prison setting. Methods Between December 2020 and February 2021, the Rhode Island Department of Corrections (RIDOC) offered the opportunity for SARS-CoV-2 vaccination to all correctional staff and sentenced individuals. Two RIDOC public health educators provided education on the vaccine, answered questions, and obtained consent before the vaccine clinic day for the incarcerated group. All staff received information on signing up for vaccines and watched an educational video that was created by the medical director. Additional information regarding vaccine education and resources was sent via email to the entire RIDOC department. Results During this initial campaign, 76.4% (1106/1447) of sentenced individuals and 68.4% (1008/1474) of correctional staff accepted and received the vaccine. Four months after the first vaccine was offered, 77.7% (1124/1447) of the sentenced population and 69.6% (1026/1474) of staff were fully vaccinated. Conclusions This study demonstrates the feasibility and efficiency of vaccine implementation in a carceral setting. Education and communication likely played an important role in mitigating vaccine refusals.


The destruction of liver microsomal cytochromes P450 by a previously administered low dose of CCl4 has been widely accepted as the mechanism of CCl4 autoprotection. However, circumstantial evidence suggests that this mechanism cannot completely explain the phenomenon of autoprotection. The protective effect of a low dose of CCl4 (0.3 ml/kg, po) on the lethal effect of a subsequently administered high dose (5 ml/kg, po) was established in male Sprague Dawley rats. The protective dose permitted 100% survival, whereas only 15% survival was observed without it. Hepatotoxicity, measured by serum enzyme elevations (aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, and sorbitol dehydrogenase) and histopathological changes 24 hr after the treatment with high dose, was similar in both the groups, even though the protective dose had significantly decreased liver microsomal cytochromes P450 (to 62% of normal) and associated enzymes, aminopyrine demethylase and aniline hydroxylase. Rats pretreated with CoCl2 to decrease hepatic microsomal cytochrome P450 to 44% of normal levels did not show a significant protection from the hepatotoxicity of high dose of CCl4. Previous studies have established that hepatocellular regeneration is stimulated within 6 hr after the administration of a low dose of CCl4. Based on this observation, a premise that autoprotection results from augmented recovery from injury rather than decreased injury appears likely. Hence, the role of hepatocellular regeneration was evaluated by following 3H-thymidine incorporation in hepatocellular nuclear DNA, labelling index by autoradiography, and by morphometric estimation of mitotic index. After administration of the protective dose of CCl4, stimulated nuclear DNA synthesis measured by 3H-thymidine incorporation into nuclear DNA was increased and this remained high even after subsequent administration of high dose of CCl4. Forty-eight hr after the administration of a lethal dose of CCl4 alone (5 ml/kg, po), labelling index was slightly increased, but mitotic index was not increased. In the surviving rats (15%), both labelling index and mitotic index were significantly elevated after an additional 24 hr. In rats receiving the protective dose, a significantly greater elevation of labelling index as well as mitotic index occurred 48 hr after the administration of the same lethal dose of CCl4. These results suggest that hepatocellular regeneration stimulated by the protective dose, as a biological response recruited to overcome the accompanying limited injury, may augment and sustain tissue repair processes to permit tissue restoration even after the massive liver injury elicited by the subsequent large dose of CCl4.


This editorial commentary focuses on a review of past, present, and future maternal and child health (MCH) services in India. MCH was first initiated in the early 1900s, when maternity services were improved and rural midwives and birth attendants received training. MCH was voluntary work coordinated by the Maternal and Child Welfare Bureau under the Indian Red Cross Society. Madras state was the first to establish a separate Maternal Welfare section in the Office of Director of Health Services in 1931. In 1946, the Bhore Committee recommended the integration of MCH within General Health Services, but implementation occurred after 1955. Before 1953, MCH was unevenly distributed and delivered through maternity homes and midwives. WHO and UNICEF support contributed to the expansion of MCH services. The Mudaliar Committee in 1962 recommended, for instance, the expansion of MCH centers to include 1 ANM per 10,000 population. The Child Care Committee in 1960 prepared the first report on preschool child care and proposed several models of comprehensive child welfare services. In 1968, the Committee on Child Welfare Programs associated successful family planning (FP) with good MCH services. The 5-year plan for 1969-74 was the first to integrate FP with MCH. 1974 was a pivotal year. India established a National Policy for Children and a Children's Board. The 1983 National Health Policy identified 9 out of 17 goals as child-related. India today has an extensive set of MCH/FP services. Future child survival will depend upon increased immunization coverage. Future efforts should focus on establishing the community as the focus of updated and well-equipped services. Community volunteers will need to spread awareness and knowledge of FP and MCH. Programs must reduce poverty, expand schooling, empower women and girls, and treat domestic violence as a health issue. AIDS is another future challenge.


Once dependent on family to bury and memorialize the dead, caring for the deceased has become increasingly precarious in the wake of a decreasing and aging population, a trend towards single households, and downsizing of social relationality—including the temple parishioner system once key in mortuary rituals. In the new "ending" marketplace emerging today to help Japanese manage this precarity, automated graves offer customers a convenient burial spot in an urban ossuary where ashes, interred in a deposit box, are automatically transferred to a grave upon visitation. Based on ethnographic fieldwork, the article examines the just-in-time delivery system at work in automated graves, arguing that the mechanism serves as a social prosthesis, propping up the allure of social caring for the dead, even for those whose ashes are never visited by human relations. With over 30 such institutions now operating in Japan, automated graves are a sign of changing sociality between the living and the dead.


This study investigates the motivational factors affecting the quantity and quality of voluntary knowledge contribution in online Q&A communities. Although previous studies focus on knowledge contribution quantity, this study regards quantity and quality as two important, yet distinct, aspects of knowledge contribution. Drawing on self-determination theory, this study proposes that five motivational factors, categorized along the extrinsic-intrinsic spectrum of motivation, have differential effects on knowledge contribution quantity versus quality in the context of online Q&A communities. An online survey with 367 participants was conducted in a leading online Q&A community to test the research model. Results show that rewards in the reputation system, learning, knowledge self-efficacy, and enjoy helping stand out as important motivations. Furthermore, rewards in the reputation system, as a manifestation of the external regulation, is more effective in facilitating the knowledge contribution quantity than quality. Knowledge self-efficacy, as a manifestation of intrinsic motivation, is more strongly related to knowledge contribution quality, whereas the other intrinsic motivation, enjoy helping, is more strongly associated with knowledge contribution quantity. Both theoretical and practical implications are discussed.


Background: The core intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs), encompassing the default-mode network (DMN), salience network (SN) and central executive network (CEN), have been shown to be dysfunctional in individual's with internalizing disorders (IDs; e.g. major depressive disorder, MDD; generalized anxiety disorder, GAD; social anxiety disorder, SOC). As such, source-localised electroencephalogram neurofeedback (EEG-NFB) therapy targeting key cortical nodes within these networks has the potential to reduce symptoms associated with IDs and restore normal core ICN function. We intend to conduct a transdiagnostic, randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, dose-response, parallel-group trial of standardized low-resolution electromagnetic tomography electrophysiological infraslow (<0.1 Hz) fluctuation neurofeedback (sLORETA eISF-NFB) 3 times per week over 4 weeks in participants (n=60) with IDs. Our primary aim will be to assess the clinical efficacy of sLORETA eISF-NFB via relevant patient-reported outcomes (PROs). Methods: We will randomly assign participants with a current diagnosis of MDD, GAD, and/or SOC to one of four groups: 1) 12 sessions of posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) up-training (n=15), 2) 6 sessions of yoked-sham training followed by 6 sessions of PCC up-training (n=15), 3) 12 sessions of concurrent mid-cingulate (MCC) down-training and PCC up-training (n=15), or 4) 6 sessions of yoked-sham training followed by 6 sessions of concurrent MCC down-training and PCC up-training. Transdiagnostic PROs, as well as resting-state neuro-physiological measures (EEG; electrocardiography, ECG; electrodermal activity, EDA), will be collected from all subjects at baseline, mid-training, 1 week post-training, and 1 month post-training. We will further compare baseline PROs and neuro-physiological measures to age- and sex-matched non-ID (i.e. no ID diagnosis) controls. Discussion: This protocol will outline the rationale and research methodology for a clinical trial of sLORETA eISF-NFB targeting key nodes within the core ICNs in a population with IDs with the primary aim being to assess its specific (e.g. non-placebo induced) efficacy via PROs. Trial Registration: Our study was prospectively registered with the Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR; Trial Id: ACTRN12619001428156)


This study proposed a virtual reality (VR) head-mounted visual field (VF) test system, or also known as the GlauCUTU VF test, for a reaction time (RT) perimetry with moving visual stimuli that progressively increase in intensity. The test entailed 24-2 VF protocol and was examined on 2 study groups, controls with normal fields and subjects with glaucoma. To collect reaction times, participants were urged to respond to the stimulus by pressing on the clicker as fast as possible. Performance of the GlauCUTU VF test was compared to the gold standard Humphrey Visual Field Analyzer (HFA). The HFA showed a significant difference between the GlauCUTU and HFA with mean duration of 254.41 and 609, respectively [t(16) = 15.273, p<0.05]. Likewise, our system also effectively differentiated glaucomatous eyes from normal eyes for the left eye and right eye, respectively. When compared to the HFA, the GlauCUTU test produced a significantly shorter average test duration by 354 seconds which reduced test-induced eye fatigue. The portable and inexpensive GlauCUTU perimetry system proves to be a promising method for increasing accessibility to glaucoma screening.Clinical relevance- GlauCUTU, an automated head-mounted VR perimetry device for VF test, is portable, cost-effective, and suitable for low resource settings. Unlike the conventional HFA test, GlauCUTU VF test reports in terms of subjects RT which is reportedly higher in glaucoma patients.


Tiled display environments present opportune workspaces for displaying multimedia content. Often times, displaying this kind of audio/visual information requires a substantial amount of network bandwidth. In this paper we present a method for distributing the decoding over the entire display environment, allowing for substantially less network overhead. This method also allows for interactive configuration of the visual workspace. The method described scales independently of video frame size and produces lower latency compared to streaming approaches.


Efficient methods of quantifying speech intelligibility are needed for designing and understanding functional architectural spaces. All current measures of speech intelligibility are based on monaural impulse response, which excludes consideration of important binaural aspects of human hearing, including dereverberation and decoloration. Acquisition of binaural data has increasingly become common practice, using dummy heads or in‐ear microphones, making the development of binaural intelligibility measures especially timely. The need for such a measure is illustrated by calculations of speech transmission index (STI) with a single energy‐based impulse obtained through combination of binaural data channels. Each method of combination produces significantly different STI values that illustrate the impact of orientation and location on intelligibility calculations. The relationship between such estimation variation and subjective experience must be studied to determine the research direction for a much needed...


PURPOSE
Improving the quality of patient care is a challenge that calls for a multidisciplinary approach, embedding a broad spectrum of knowledge and involving healthcare professionals from diverse backgrounds. The purpose of this paper is to present an innovative approach that implements discrete-event simulation (DES) as a decision-supporting tool in the management of Six Sigma quality improvement projects.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH
A roadmap is designed to assist quality practitioners and health care professionals in the design and successful implementation of simulation models within the define-measure-analyse-design-verify (DMADV) or define-measure-analyse-improve-control (DMAIC) Six Sigma procedures.

FINDINGS
A case regarding the reorganisation of the flow of emergency patients affected by vertigo symptoms was developed in a large town hospital as a preliminary test of the roadmap. The positive feedback from professionals carrying out the project looks promising and encourages further roadmap testing in other clinical settings.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS
The roadmap is a structured procedure that people involved in quality improvement can implement to manage projects based on the analysis and comparison of alternative scenarios.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE
The role of Six Sigma philosophy in improvement of the quality of healthcare services is recognised both by researchers and by quality practitioners; discrete-event simulation models are commonly used to improve the key performance measures of patient care delivery. The two approaches are seldom referenced and implemented together; however, they could be successfully integrated to carry out quality improvement programs. This paper proposes an innovative approach to bridge the gap and enrich the Six Sigma toolbox of quality improvement procedures with DES.


The effect of the surrounding dielectric on the conductivity of GaN nanowires is measured experimentally. The two following configurations are considered: bare suspended and SiO2-coated nanowires. The measured conductivity is consistently fitted by two exponential terms with different activation energies, indicating multichannel conduction. The larger energy, attributed to activation of impurities into the conduction subband, shows essentially inverse dependence on nanowire radius, consistent with the dielectric confinement effect. This agrees with calculated values from finite element analysis. The smaller energy is independent of the nanowire radius, suggesting a surface conduction channel.


Non-invasive methods of monitoring wild populations (such as genotyping faeces or hair) are now widely used and advocated. The potential advantages of such methods over traditional direct monitoring (such as live capture) are that accuracy improves because sampling of non-trappable individuals may be possible, species in difficult and remote terrain can be surveyed more efficiently, and disturbance to animals is minimal. Few studies have assessed the effects of interactions between species on remote sampling success. We test the use of non-invasive monitoring for the cryptic, forest-dwelling, solitary and endangered bridled nailtail wallaby (Onychogalea fraenata) that is sympatric with the ecologically similar and more common black-striped wallaby (Macropus dorsalis). Six types of hair traps were tested for 3668 trap days, and hairs were caught with about a 10% success rate. Camera traps showed that baited hair traps targeted both wallaby species. We microscopically identified hair as bridled nailtail wallaby or black-striped wallaby. We compared these hairs and their genotypes (using seven microsatellite loci) with known bridled nailtail wallaby hairs and genotypes derived from animal trapping. Trapped bridled nailtail wallaby hairs had characteristics that could be mistaken for black-stripe wallaby hairs; characteristics were not diagnostic. Genetic assignment tests consistently differentiated the known bridled nailtail wallaby samples from identified black-striped wallaby samples, however genetic overlap between most of the microsatellite markers means that they are not suitable for species identification of single samples, with the possible exception of the microsatellite locus B151. With similar trapping effort and within the same area, live-capture mark-recapture techniques estimated 40-60 individuals and non-invasive methods only detected 14 genotypes. A species-specific genetic marker would allow more efficient targeting of bridled nailtail wallaby samples and increase capture rates.


A new cylindrical low-mass central drift chamber has been constructed for the K + ! + experiment at BNL (E787). The chamber consists of 12 layers of axial wire cells and 6 layers of thin cathode-strip foils, four of which are supported by diierential gas pressure. The momentum resolution (RMS) for muons and pions in the range 150 to 250 MeV/c is found to be about 0.9%.


An 18-month-old male mixed breed dog was evaluated for acute vomiting and hematemesis. Clinical signs and initial radiographic findings shared commonalities with reported cases of pylorogastric intussusception in dogs. However, unlike previously reported cases, additional imaging [including ultrasound and computed tomography (CT)] revealed invagination of the gastric fundus into the gastric body, consistent with true gastrogastric intussusception. These findings were confirmed with histopathology and on necropsy. Key clinical message: Although extremely rare, gastrogastric intussusception should be included as a differential diagnosis for any patient presenting with acute vomiting, abdominal pain, dehydration, or tachycardia in combination with the diagnostic imaging findings described in this report.


The energy efficiency of future wireless networks is an important area of study to reduce network costs, carbon emissions and to improve future network sustainability. The Mobile VCE Green Radio Industry-Academic Project has studied a number of techniques and concepts for energy saving in wireless networks. This paper is three fold: first, we present some of the key research advances on energy-efficiency techniques and architectures. Secondly, we address the major challenge to understand how to combine energy savings of most promising techniques. Finally, we discuss integration solutions within the project to determine the overall energy savings in conventional macro-cell only networks and future heterogeneous networks. The results of this analysis will be described and discussed.


This study followed a cohort of community-dwelling individuals receiving wound-care in a large urban-rural region. During a randomized control trial (RCT) evaluating outcomes of receiving care in a nurse-clinic or at home, many approached were willing to participate if they could choose their location of care. This provided a unique opportunity to enroll them as a "choice" cohort, following them in the same manner as the trial participants but allowing them to select their setting of care. The objective was to investigate the role of preference and location of care on care outcomes, including satisfaction with care, healing, health-related quality of life (HRQL), pain, and resource use. This is a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort of 126 individuals enrolled in an RCT to receive care at home or in a nurse-clinic (Allocated group), and an additional 104 who received care at home or in a nurse-clinic based on their preference (Choice group). Mobile individuals with a leg ulcer of venous or mixed venous etiology, referred for community leg ulcer care, were eligible. Specially-trained nurses provided care to both groups using an evidence-informed protocol. Baseline data included socio-demographic, circumstance-of-living and a detailed wound assessment. Mean age of the cohort was 68 years. Satisfaction, healing, recurrence, pain, HRQL, and resource utilization did not differ between groups. If available, individuals should have an option of care venue given almost half of those approached indicated a clear preference for clinic or home. With outcomes being similar, health care planners and decision-makers, as well as individuals and their families, can feel confident that the setting of care will not impact the outcomes. However, larger studies in other contexts are needed to explore the interaction between choice and setting.


This article outlines the meaning of the emerging duty of "state neutrality" in the field of public school education. The author specifically examines how this notion impacts access to adequate education; the ramifications of state neutrality in regard to international human rights standards, particularly children's rights to education, freedom of religion or belief, and equal treatment; parental rights and liberties, particularly with regard to the upbringing and education of their children; and the impact of state neutrality on the position and role of primary school teachers. Additionally, this article contemplates the merits of neutrally teaching publically educated students on the subject of religion.


Detailed knowledge of botanical composition is a key factor for the sustainable and site-specific management of permanent grassland and facilitates an improvement in the performance and efficiency of livestock feeding. Spectral-based data acquisition combined with machine learning has the potential to classify species groups and plant parts in permanent grassland with high accuracy. However, a disadvantage of this method is the fact that hyperspectral sensors with a wide spectral range and fine spectral and high spatial resolution are costly and create large amounts of data. Therefore, the question arises as to whether these parameters are necessary for accurate grassland classification. Thus, the use of sensors with lower spectral and spatial resolution and correspondingly lower data processing requirements could be a conceivable approach. Therefore, we investigated the classification performance with reduced predictor sets formed by different approaches in permanent grassland. For pixel-based classification, a cross-validated mean accuracy of 86.1% was reached using a multilayer perceptron (MLP) including all 191 available predictors, i.e., spectral bands. Using only 48 high-performing predictors, an accuracy of 80% could still be achieved. In particular, the spectral regions of 954 nm to 956 nm, 684 nm to 744 nm and 442 nm to 444 nm contributed most to the classification performance. These results provide a promising basis for future data acquisition and the analysis of grassland vegetation.


OBJECTIVES
To give a brief overview of issues pertinent to selecting an ophthalmic electronic medical record (EMR) program and to outline the company demographics and software capabilities of the major vendors in this area.

METHODS
Software companies shipping an EMR package were contacted to obtain information on their software and company demographics. The focus was on companies selectively marketing to ophthalmology practices, and, therefore, most were selected based on their representation at the 1998 and/or 1999 American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting. Software companies that responded to repeated inquiries in a timely fashion were included.

RESULTS
Sixteen companies were evaluated. Electronic medical records packages ranged from $3000 to $80 000 (mean, approximately $30 000). Company demographics revealed a range from 1 to 1600 employees (mean, 204). Most of these companies have been in business for 6 years or less (range, 1-15 years; mean, 6 years). My opinions concerning various aspects of the EMR are presented.

CONCLUSIONS
There is a wide range of EMR products available for the ophthalmology practice. Computer technology has matured to a point at which the graphical demands of the ophthalmology EMR can be satisfied. Weaknesses do exist in the inherent difficulty of recording an ophthalmology encounter, the relative adolescence of software companies, and the lack of standards in the industry.


Gaseous explosion models generally assume the gas mixture to be uniform. However, in a real explosion, the vapor cloud may not be homogeneous, and repartitioning of the reactivity inside the cloud can be subject to wide spatial variations. In this work, experimental tests were run to study the flame propagation and acceleration in nonuniform mixtures. Experiments were performed in a long vertical confined tube with a square cross section, composed of four equal sections. A gate valve separated the tube into two parts, and the composition of the gases was different on each side of the valve. The opening of the valve permitted the mixing of gases by molecular diffusion. For nonuniform mixtures, a mode of propagation identical to that seen in uniform mixtures was observed; however, a third phase of propagation was found, in which the flame velocity increased strongly. This increase occurred with higher hydrogen concentration in an upward‐propagating flame. A concentration gradient can appreciably modify the trajectory and acceleration of a flame. Here, however, the incidence of pressure effects remained modest, since the combustion was confined and the final pressure depended mainly on the quantity of reactants available. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog, 2009.


This is an empirical analysis study focuses simultaneously on the impact of the real effective exchange rate, domestic interest rate, foreign interest rate, inflation rate, domestic money supply, net foreign assets and terms of trade which were identified by earlier researchers upon real growth domestic products (RGDP) of the ASEAN-5 countries. The real effective exchange rates (REER) of these currencies are measured against the US Dollar based on authoritative quarterly data time series between 1991:Q1 to 2006:Q2. This study is expected to provide several important economic and financial contributions to fill the gap in the financial and economic literature for ASEAN countries. It identifies the measure of the impact of the real effective exchange rates (REER) upon their economic growth using the most advanced statistical frameworks. A recently developed "Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL)" co-integration by Pesaran et al. was the fundamental approach employed to analyse the relevant hypotheses of this study. The ARDL technique indeed was recognized to have additional advantages of yielding consistent estimates of the long-run coefficient. The empirical results confirm that the domestic money supply (M1) followed by REER (S) are the long-term and short- run variables that had positive and significant impact on ASEAN-5 countries' real domestic products' growth rate (RGDP). The other identified variables by the earlier researchers had diverse impacts during the full study period, their impact on economic growth of the study countries over the period vary in accordance to the contemporary businesses and economics environments.


The chances of a moth mating successfully may depend on the type of crop or other vegetation surrounding it. Mating trays were used to determine the mating success of Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) in various crops in the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia during the 1996/97 and 1667/98 seasons. Moth abundance was assessed with pheromone and light traps. A series of comparisons of three or four crops was used, including mature maize (corn), immature, flowering and post flowering cotton and pre flowering and post flowering sunflower, sorghum and soybeans and fallow land. Laboratory reared virgin females with their wings clipped were placed in mating trays in the various crops and remained there until they were mated. The studies indicate that host plants did not significantly influence the chance of being mated, despite substantial variation in moth abundance between crops. Preliminary studies included a comparison of wing-clipping methods. The removal of the right fore and hind wings proved most effective. No consistent pattern emerged suggesting the multiple moths could be used in each tray. A comparison of females aged two to five days old showed no significant effect of moth age on the chance of being mated. The response of females to host volatiles and male response to females in the presence of host volatiles is being investigated in laboratory studies.


Vertebrates have evolved innate immune defense mechanisms that recognize and respond to structural patterns that are specific to microbial molecules. One such pattern recognition system is based on unmethylated CpG dinucleotides in particular sequence contexts (CpG motifs); these motifs are common in bacterial DNA but are under-represented ("CpG suppression") and methylated in vertebrate DNA. Mice that are injected with bacterial DNA or synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) containing CpG motifs respond with a rapid production of IL-12 and IFN-gamma. The serum levels of IL-12 were increased for at least 8 days after a single injection of CpG ODNs, but IFN-gamma levels returned to baseline within 24 h. This Th1-like cytokine response to CpG motifs induces a state of resistance to infection by Listeria monocytogenes in susceptible specific pathogen-free BALB/c mice. Resistance developed within 48 h of pretreatment with CpG ODNs, persisted for at least 2 wk, and was dependent upon IFN-gamma secretion. These data support the hypothesis that CpG DNA motifs are a "danger signal" that activates protective innate immune defenses and may have therapeutic potential.


The Yurkharovskoye oil and gas condensate field is one of the main asset of PJSC NOVATEK. Two of the three productive levels (Cenoman and Valangin) are in the active development phase. The Jurassic reservoir, which is characterized by complex geology, high formation pressure (gradient ~ 2.0MPa / 100m) and a low fracturing gradient (FG), is currently in the exploration phase. In 2017, drilling of the first exploration well with a depth of 4855 m with a horizontal ending with multistage formation fracturing in the Jurassic formation was successfully completed. Successful completion of the drilling allowed not only to obtain valuable geological information, but also to choose an approach to the construction of such wells in the future.
 Joint efforts of the field operator, drilling contractor and oilfield services company have developed a drilling system that included a full range of engineering solutions that ensure an efficient and accident-free well construction process: completion, directional drilling, bits, drilling fluids, geomechanics and managed pressure drilling (MPD). Previous experience in the construction of directional wells was associated with mud losses due to fracturing, blow outs and wellbore collapse. At the design planning stage, the well design was optimized, the completion system was developed, the formulations of high-density drilling muds with low rheology were selected, a choice of technologies was made and much more. Each stage of the well construction was worked out and a scheme of operative interaction between the parties was developed, which allowed timely correction of the work program based on an actual information.
 Even at the design planning stage geomechanical modeling allowed design optimization and choose a safe trajectory of the well, and its update, based on the actual information, allowed to reduce the risks. Specially for this well, the formulation of the hydrocarbon-based solution was developed, which, despite its high density, was distinguished by low rheological properties. An important aspect of the preparation was the selection of bottomhole assembly and drilling regimes, which, on the one hand, should ensure efficient drilling, and on the other, generate the smallest possible equivalent circulation density (ECD). The use of MPD technology has made possible to maintain the ECD and ESP (equivalent static pressure) at the same level and to compensate for the pressure fluctuations during circulation and movement of the drill string while trips. To select the BHA, a special program complex was used to simulate the dynamics of its behavior at the bottomhole. Logging tools at BHA provided important real-time information that was used to manage the drilling process and make operational decisions. The hybrid rotary steerable system (RSS) allowed to drill the well in the riskiest intervals with a minimum angle and to provide a high dog leg and hit the target. The completion system for multistage fracturing with swellable packers required preparation of the wellbore and planning of all the necessary operations in order not to initiate hydraulic fracturing, wellbore collapse and failure to reach the target depth.
 The project of NOVATEK-Yurkharovneftegaz is a bright example when modern technologies and effective interaction of participants allow successfully solving problems that were previously considered as difficult to implement and open new horizons for developing hard-to-reach deposits in extreme conditions. Successful experience gained during the project will ensure the efficient construction of wells in the field.


Purpose
This study aims to investigate the determinants of Islamic stock returns listed on Jakarta Islamic Index (Indonesia) between 2008 and 2018.

Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a quantile bounded autoregressive distributed lag (QBARDL) model to uncover relevant relationships.

Findings
This study finds that the Dow Jones Islamic Market Index, gold returns, world oil prices and exchange rates are the determinants of the Indonesia's Islamic stock returns. However, the relationship is time varying developing intra-/inter-quantile bounded.

Practical implications
Integration of the Islamic stock returns with the real economic indicators changes over time. The findings have important implications for the policymakers, the fund managers and the investors to anticipate consequences when considering the macroeconomic conditions before participating in the Indonesian Islamic stock market.

Originality/value
Using a QBARDL, this study finds that the Islamic stock returns have on net and "time-varying intra-/inter-quantile developing" relationship with its determinants as data quantiles progressed from 25% to 75%.


Aims: The aim of this study is to develop and validate an efficient method for the specific determination of L-ascorbic acid in citrus fruits and to compare it with a usual method, method using 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol
Methodology: The research for a specific method for determination of L-ascorbic acid has led to development and validation of High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography – Densitometric (HPTLC-D) method. The validation criteria evaluated are response function, determination reading wavelength, limit of detection, precision of the technique, limit of quantification and recovery rate. The validated method was applied to citrus juice samples for quantification of L-ascorbic acid. Then a 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol titrimetric assay of L-ascorbic acid in the same sample was performed for comparison of method results.
Results: HPTLC-D method showed improved sensitivity on 360 nm scanner and a good linearity relationship between standard concentrations and absorbance responses. The regression coefficient obtained is R2 = 0.99. The limit of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantification (LOQ) are respectively 3 ng and 9.5 ng per deposit. The method also exhibited good repeatability and precision, with intra-day (n = 3) and inter-day (n = 4) coefficients of variation (CV) of less than 6%.
Application of the HPTLC-Dmethod to citrus juices yielded a recovery rate ranging from 97% to 99%.
Conclusion: Comparison of results of the two methods shows that the contents obtained by titrimetry are greater than those obtained by HPTLC-D by 42.25%. This is explained by the presence of other redox compounds which are dosed at the same time as L-ascorbic acid. HPTLC-D makes it possible to specifically dose L-ascorbic acid.


San Nicolas de Esquiros and Santa Maria del Refugio Haciendas emerge from colonial times in Mexico, instituting their communities based on this and the figure of peasant subsumed to that of the authority. Based on its morpho-spatial characteristics and its festivities, communities form what is meaningful for them: their heritage and their identity. Due to the neoliberal economic system they live in social exclusion and economic poverty, having to sell or divide their patrimonial to slightly solve this situation. This has led to the disarticulation of these heritage spaces, thus affecting their being a community. A growth of its hull destruction can be observed as well as pollution of its springs and the transformation of their celebrations. Economic problems are leading them to live in ways that oppose their constitution of identity and because of this condition of submission and poverty, governance still seems far from being handled.
It will be shown how the current economic system has a negative impact on the patrimonial of its populations, thereby harming the social, spatial and identity tissue. The impossibility to state governance for the preservation of its governance will also be displayed.
The method used was the critical dialectics, performing ethnographic work (semi-structured interviews and participant observation), in site readings and works analysis. All of it taken to a database from the two approaches: first the one for discovery and afterwards that of explanation.


Climate change triggered recent floods are the deadliest disasters in Kerala and the frequency of such floods are projected to have drastic effects on agriculture and economic prosperity. An investigation was conducted by us over a period of 5 years from 2015-2018 (cycle 1 (2015 - 16); cycle 2 (2017 - 18) looking into the incidence of rainfall effects, pH and global warming on the soil profile of Kerala. The study is based on secondary data collected from soil health card and ENVIS Centre: Kerala state of environment and related issues. From the assessment of data, we observed major elements such as phosphorus, potassium, and organic carbon have been drastically reduced specially in the rainfall afflicted Northern districts of Kerala. These major elements are the key players involved in driving agricultural productivity. Availability of Nitrogen was drastically reduced in both cycles. Minor elements on the other hand zinc, iron, copper, boron and manganese were more abundant in the soil. Studies such as this, aims towards understanding the global warming pattern and its predictable changes in the soil profile, driving elemental availability for agriculture. Hence in this measure, to sustain Kerala's agricultural production, an integrated institutional system for element substitution and recharging measures need to be promoted to boost agriculture output. Crop production is threatened in complex ways due to global warming as it introduces incidence of newer pests and pathogens, increasing water scarcity, increases in the frequency of extreme weather conditions. Globally crop yields have diminished and therefore to achieve SDG 2 and hunger by 2030 is a challenging task.


This study reports on the perception and production of Standard Dutch and Standard British English vowels by speakers of two regional varieties of Belgian Dutch (East Flemish and Brabantine) which differ in their vowel realizations. Twenty-four native speakers of Dutch performed two picture naming tasks and two vowel categorization tasks, in which they heard Standard Dutch or English vowels and were asked to map these onto orthographic representations of Dutch vowels. The results of the production tasks were acoustically analyzed in PRAAT (Boersma and Weenink 2013) and normalized and plotted through NORM (Thomas and Kendall 2010). The results of the Dutch production and categorization tasks revealed that the participants' L1 regional variety importantly influenced their production and especially perception of vowels in the standard variety of their L1. The two groups also differed in how they assimilated non-native English vowels to native vowel categories, but no major differences could be observed in their productions of non-native vowels. The study therefore only partly confirms earlier studies showing that L1 regional variation may have an influence on the acquisition of non-native language varieties.


We analyse the Schrödinger operator for a quantum scalar particle in a curved spacetime which is fibred over absolute time and is equipped with given spacelike metric, gravitational field and electromagnetic field. We approach the Schrödinger operator in three independent ways: in terms of covariant differentials induced by the quantum connection, via a quantum Lagrangian and directly by the only requirement of general covariance. In particular, in the flat case, our Schrödinger operator coincides with the standard one.


Abstract An efficient one-pot three-component Kabachnik–Fields reaction of aldehydes (acyclic nucleosides), amines (or amino acid), and triethyl phosphite proceeded for the synthesis of aminophosphonates using natural phosphate coated with iodine (I2@NP) as a catalyst. The novel α-aminophosphonate and phosphonic acid acyclic nucleosides were tested for their anti-HCV and anti-HIV activities. The molecular docking showed that the non-activity of these compounds could be due to the absence of hydrophobic pharmacophores.


In the literature, existence of equilibria for discrete-time mean field games has been in general established via Kakutani's Fixed Point Theorem. However, this fixed point theorem does not entail any iterative scheme for computing equilibria. In this paper, we first propose a Q-iteration algorithm to compute equilibria for mean-field games with known model using Banach Fixed Point Theorem. Then, we generalize this algorithm to model-free setting using fitted Q-iteration algorithm and establish the probabilistic convergence of the proposed iteration. Then, using the output of this learning algorithm, we construct an approximate Nash equilibrium for finite-agent stochastic game with mean-field interaction between agents.


An experiment was conducted to evaluate the performance of 11 tomato cultivars under the agro-climatic conditions of Dera Ismail Khan. The trail was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RBCD) with three replications. Data were collected on different parameters including days to flowering, days to fruiting, stem diameter, fruits per plant, fruit weight, fruits per cluster, fruit length, fruit diameter, yield per plot (kg) and yield per hectare (tons). The results indicated that tomato cv. Vegnesh and Nandi took the minimum days to flowering and fruiting. Maximum stem diameter was reported in Vegnesh. Maximum number of fruits per cluster and fruit length was obtained in cv. Jyothi and Vegnesh. Maximum number of fruit per plant, weight of fruits per plant, fruit diameter, yield per plot (Kg) and yield per hectare (tons) was recorded in cv. 131 and Vegnesh. It was recommended that tomato cvs. Vegnesh, 131 and Jyothi performed well under the agro-climatic conditions of Dera Ismail Khan.


Torrefaction can increase the energy yield of biomass for better utilization in bioenergy, but chemical changes occur during the pretreatment process. Wood residues of Cupressus lusitanica, Dipteryx panamensis, Gmelina arborea, Tectona grandis, and Vochysia ferruginea were torrefied for three different time periods (8, 10, and 12 min) and three different temperatures (200, 225, and 250 °C). The mass loss, net calorific value, ash, volatiles, lignin, cellulose, extractives, and infrared spectra were evaluated. The results showed that the mass loss in torrefied biomass varied between 10% and 70%, ash content varied between 0.19 and 7.00%, and volatiles content varied between 63 and 85%. Net calorific value values varied between 17 and 23 MJ/kg, increasing with the increased torrefaction temperature. Cellulose varied between 49.85 and 67.57%. Lignin varied between 27.33 and 41.09%. The extractives varied between 3.70 and 16.86%. The change in the ratio of intensity (RI) for the bands identified using FTIR analyses showed that large changes occurred in hemicellulose components. The multivariate analysis showed that lignin, ash, extractives in hot water, volatiles, and mass loss were the variables that contributed most. The analysis of all these variables showed that torrefaction at 250 °C for 12 min presented the greatest biomass degradation. Torrefaction at 200 °C and 225 °C for 8, 10, and 12 min was optimal for thermal treatment of the biomass of these woody species.


We have explicitly identified coloured conical emission (CCE) and noncollinear optical parametric generation (OPG) by spectrum characterizations. With an experimental setup providing different pump pulse durations, CCE and noncollinear OPG are observed both alternatively and simultaneously. Comparisons between CCE and noncollinear OPG are studied. Accumulation behaviour of modulational instabilities is observed in our two-crystal cascaded configuration, which results in enhancement or depression of the CCE formation.


SAR real-time signal processing plays a significant role in SAR system, and has been taken as an important means to obtain real-time and effective information in military application. This paper analyzes the basic system requirements in view of the SAR signal processing feature, and a universal design method of system architecture and software realization are presented. Finally, the actual result obtained from a Ku-band radar system is presented to prove that the system design method is feasible.


The DDI-Lifecycle (DDI-L) metadata, described in XML, includes information about questions, code lists, variables, questionnaires, instrument flow, and conceptual components. These metadata items can be precisely identified and versioned to track changes made during development and over different waves of a survey. This paper details how the precise descriptions of metadata items found in DDI-L can be leveraged to generate complete Blaise questionnaires, a process that helps reduce programming errors, creates an audit trail, and saves valuable programmer time. A process for converting DDI-L to Blaise questionnaires will also be detailed using a DDI-L editing tool named Colectica Designer. Documenting a survey is a time intensive process prone to errors and often done at the end of the survey design process where some knowledge may have already been lost. In addition to being used in the Blaise code generation, the DDI-L metadata also recorded the entire questionnaire design and implementation process from the beginning. This allows documentation and code books to be automatically generated based off the same DDI-L XML files. The standardized XML format also allows sharing with other organizations, enabling reuse of questionnaire sections across surveys.


Dr. Chase: To keep up with the times we have, by consensus, renamed this symposium "Surgical Personpower." It is evident that surgeons have been interested in this most critical health care problem for several years and once again we hope we are demonstrating ourselves to be in the vanguard. You have an outstanding panel today and I am not going to waste your time with lengthy introductions but, as you know, we are faced with some critical problems in the health care industry in this country. A few examples are (1) uncertainty as to the optimum number of physicians, (2) maldistribution among specialties and geographic areas, (3) changing ratio of foreign medical graduates to US graduates (particularly in view of the fact that in this current year only one in five premedical graduates will get into an American medical school), (4) federal reimbursement for doctors of osteopathy in our residency


The assembly of picornavirus capsids proceeds through the stepwise oligomerization of capsid protein subunits and depends on interactions between critical residues known as hotspots. Few studies have described the identification of hotspot residues at the protein subunit interfaces of the picornavirus capsid, some of which could represent novel drug targets. Using a combination of accessible web servers for hotspot prediction, we performed a comprehensive bioinformatic analysis of the hotspot residues at the intraprotomer, interprotomer and interpentamer interfaces of the Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) capsid. Significantly, many of the predicted hotspot residues were found to be conserved in representative viruses from different genera, suggesting that the molecular determinants of capsid assembly are conserved across the family. The analysis presented here can be applied to any icosahedral structure and provides a platform for in vitro mutagenesis studies to further investigate the significance of these hotspots in critical stages of the virus life cycle with a view to identify potential targets for antiviral drug design.


Abstract On 28 October 2018 the far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro won the presidential elections in Brazil with 55% of the vote. This result has been viewed by many as yet another instance of the global rise of authoritarian populist leaders, grouping Bolsonaro alongside the likes of Hungary's Viktor Orbán, Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, India's Narendra Modi, or Donald Trump in the USA – indeed, Bolsonaro has been dubbed the "Trump of the Tropics." The focus on Bolsonaro himself reflects the strong emphasis on executives in a rapidly expanding literature suggesting the emergence of a new form of would-be autocrat who is democratically elected but who hollows out democratic rule over time. However, this Article argues that, far beyond Bolsonaro, the Brazilian experience is an important case-study as it prompts reflection on three fundamental propositions. First, any analysis of liberal democracy as the perceived object of attack must be highly cognizant of the democratic "starting point" and history of a given state. Second, an excessive focus on executive-led assaults on democratic rule can impede fuller analysis of a broader suite of actors and factors relevant to the (declining) health of the democratic system. Third, authoritarianism is a more appropriate analytical lens than populism for identifying potential democratic threats, especially in the Brazilian context.


In present study, the prevalence of enteric bacterial indicators like Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Shigella, Proteus, Klebsiella, Vibrio cholerae and Vibrio parahaemolyticus like organism in water and sediment of Veraval coast were studied at six different locations in three different seasons. Statistical analysis of data showed that there is a significant increase in count in September (Monsoon) as compared to January (post monsoon). It was also found that the enteric bacterial count was higher in sediment than in surface waters in harbour mouth and during monsoon season. A strong correlation of bacterial counts with physico-chemical parameters was observed. Temperature, pH, salinity, Dissolved oxygen (DO), Nitrite (NO2) and Nitrate (NO3) showed negative correlation with the bacterial counts whereas Biological Oxygen demand (BOD), Ammonia (NH4 ) and Phosphate (PO4) showed a positive correlation with the bacterial counts.


Geologic time is a central concept in Earth science teaching and research, but undergraduate students are seldom involved in doing time: measuring 'ages' of rocks or minerals. Integration of apatite fission track (AFT) analysis in geoscience classes is an accessible way to involve students in determining dates for geologic events. AFT analysis is an active-learning, inquiry-based technique in which students can visualize and understand concepts such as radioactive decay and its relationship to geologic ages, and the method and its applications can be a basis for cross-discipline instruction within a physical sciences curriculum. Fission-track analysis exercises can be incorporated into a variety of physical science classes or can be run as a separate workshop on geologic time or tectonics. We present a teaching module for incorporation of AFT analysis into general physical geology or historical geology lecture and/or laboratory. This exercise involves counting fission tracks using images from prepared samples (apatite grains already separated from a rock) with known uranium content. The data collected by students can then be used to demonstrate a variety of concepts, from radioactive decay to time-temperature paths and rates of geologic processes. With this module, undergraduates learn problem-solving techniques and experience a hands-on, quantitative approach to geologic time, rates of geologic processes, and the scientific method in general.


The kinetic properties of the solar wind protons (ions), like their temperature anisotropy and the resulting instabilities, are, in general, investigated considering only the proton core (or thermal) populations. The implication of the suprathermal halo components is minimized or just ignored, despite the fact that their presence in the solar wind is continuously reported by the observations, and their kinetic energy density may be significant. Whether they are originating in the corona or solar wind, the energetic particles may result from acceleration by the plasma turbulence or from the pitch angle scattering of the streaming protons by the self‐generated fluctuations. The presence of suprathermal protons in the heliosphere suggests, therefore, a direct implication in resonant interactions, e.g., Landau and cyclotron, with plasma particles. This paper presents the results of a first investigation on the interplay of the proton core and suprathermal halo, when both these two populations may exhibit temperature anisotropies, which destabilize the electromagnetic ion (proton) cyclotron (EMIC) modes. These results clearly show that for conditions typically encountered in the solar wind, the effects of the suprathermals can be more important than those driven by the core. Remarkable are also the cumulative effects of the core and halo components, which change dramatically the instability conditions.


A relaxation algorithm composed of both a time-step parallel algorithm and a component-wise parallel algorithm is proposed for solving large-scale system simulation problems in parallel. The interconnected nature of the system, which is characterized by the component connection model, is fully exploited by this approach. A technique for finding an optimal number of the time steps is also described. Finally, this algorithm is illustrated via several examples in which the possible trade-offs between the speedup ratio, efficiency, and waiting time are analyzed.


Recent developments in the apparel market created new tasks for computer vision application. One such challenge is designing a system for trying on clothes virtually in real-time. Proposed solutions require setting up a special stationary system for body capture and mostly generate animated avatar instead of overlaying the garments in real-time. We propose a framework that utilizes state-of-the-art monocular-based 3D skeleton reconstruction and parametric body generation techniques allowing to operate under constrained resources, such as smartphones. In addition, we also consider the problem of dealing with visual artifacts as a result of 3D projection on a real-time image and design a solution to reduce them based on iterative closest point method.


Abstract : Code switching is the process of code translation from a first language to a second language. While the code mixing is the process of inserting a second language during communication. Both of them frequently happen in education as one example in the Arabic teaching. It aims to give an understanding to students about the material presented. Therefore, the author tries to analyze about code switching and code mixing of Arabic in learning speaking skills. Related issues that need to be investigated are 1) forms of code switching and code mixing; 2) factors affecting the code switching and code mixing. Based on the analysis of data, the author found one type of code switching and code mixing and four causes of code switching and two causes of code mixing. Two types mentioned above are external code switching and external code mixing. As for the causes of code switching are factors such needs, speaker, listener and strengthening while the causes of code mixing are language and attitude.