BACKGROUND
The purpose of this experiment was to test the feasibility of creating an animal model of ethanol consumption using social insects. Honey bees were selected as the model social insect because much is known about their natural history, physiology, genetics, and behavior. They are also inexpensive to procure and maintain. Of special interest is their use of communication and social organization.

METHODS
Using both between- and within-experiment designs, studies were conducted with harnessed foragers to determine whether honey bees would consume ethanol mixed with sucrose (and, in some cases, water). Shuttle-box and running-wheel studies were conducted to examine the effect of ethanol on locomotion. The effect of ethanol on stinging behavior in harnessed foragers was investigated. The effect of ethanol on Pavlovian conditioning of proboscis extension was also investigated. Finally, in a self-administration study, foraging honey bees were trained to fly to an artificial flower containing ethanol.

RESULTS
(1) Harnessed honey bees readily consume 1%, 5%, 10%, and 20% ethanol solutions; (2) 95% ethanol will also be consumed as long as the antennae do not make contact with the solution; (3) with the exception of 95% ethanol, consumption as measured by contact time or amount consumed does not differ in animals that consume 1%, 5%, 10%, and 20% ethanol solutions; (4) exposure to a lesser (or greater) concentration of ethanol does not influence consumption of a greater (or lesser) concentration; (5) consumption of 10% and 20% ethanol solutions decreases locomotion when tested in both a shuttle-box and running-wheel situation; (6) consumption of 1%, 5%, 10%, and 20% ethanol does not influence stinging behavior in harnessed foragers; (7) ethanol solutions greater than 5% significantly impair Pavlovian conditioning of proboscis extension; and (8) free-flying honey bee foragers will readily drink from an artificial flower containing 5% ethanol.

CONCLUSIONS
The experiments on consumption, locomotion, and learning suggest that exposure to ethanol influences behavior of honey bees similar to that observed in experiments with analogous vertebrates. The honey bee model presents unique research opportunities regarding the influence of ethanol in the areas of language, social interaction, development, and learning. Although the behavioral results are interesting, similarity between the physiologic effects of ethanol on honey bees and vertebrates has not yet been determined.


Abstract The phenotype, T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) usage and specificity of intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL), and hybridomas derived from IEL have been examined. In young conventionally reared mice, approximately 50% of the IEL express TCR αβ and 50% express TCR γδ, although there is considerable variation between individuals. Here we demonstrate that T-cell hybridomas can be prepared from freshly isolated BALB/c mouse IEL. The expressed TCR of these hybridomas reflects the TCR isotype distribution of the IEL population. Analysis of the γδ TCR expressed by the hybridomas demonstrates that IEL express a greater number of TCR V gene segments than has been reported for γδ T cells in several other epithelial sites. At least five types of γδ TCRs are expressed by a panel of BALB/c IEL hybridomas, although use of the γδ TCR V gene repertoire clearly is not random. Some TCR γδ cells and γδ hybridomas have been reported to recognize purified protein derivative (PPD); however, none of the IEL hybridomas secreted IL-2 in response to PPD. These data suggest that most TCR γδ IEL are not likely to be PPD reactive.


In myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), resistance to hypomethylating agents (HMA) portends a poor prognosis, underscoring the importance of understanding the molecular mechanisms leading to HMA-resistance. In this study, P39 and Kasumi-1 cells and their azacitidine-resistant and decitabine-resistant sublines were evaluated comparatively with transcriptomic and methylomic analyses. Expression profiling and genome-wide methylation microarray showed downregulation of PTEN associated with DNA hypermethylation in P39 cell lines resistant to azacitidine and decitabine. This pattern of PTEN dysregulation was also confirmed in a cohort of patients failing treatment with HMA. DNA hypomethylation of MDM2 was detected with downregulation of MDM2 in HMA resistant cell lines. Long-read sequencing revealed significant RNA hypomethylation of MDM2 resulting in alternative splicing and production of a truncated MDM2 transcript in azacitidine-resistant P39 cells. The expression of this MDM2 truncated transcript was also significantly increased in HMA-resistant patients compared with HMA-responsive patients. In conclusion, epigenetic and epi-transcriptomic dysregulation of PTEN and MDM2 were associated with resistance to hypomethylating agents.


This book provides a comprehensive foundation in Probabilistic Normed (PN) Spaces for anyone conducting research in this field of mathematics and statistics. It is the first to fully discuss the developments and the open problems of this highly relevant topic, introduced by A N Serstnev in the early 1960s as a response to problems of best approximations in statistics.
The theory was revived by Claudi Alsina, Bert Schweizer and Abe Sklar in 1993, who provided a new, wider definition of a PN space which quickly became the standard adopted by all researchers
This book is the first wholly up-to-date and thorough investigation of the properties, uses and applications of PN spaces, based on the standard definition. Topics covered include:
• What are PN spaces?
• The topology of PN spaces
• Probabilistic norms and convergence
• Products and quotients of PN spaces
• D-boundedness and D-compactness
• Normability
• Invariant and semi-invariant PN spaces
• Linear operators
• Stability of some functional equations in PN spaces
• Menger's 2-probabilistic normed spaces
The theory of PN spaces is relevant as a generalization of deterministic results of linear normed spaces and also in the study of random operator equations. This introduction will therefore have broad relevance across mathematical and statistical research, especially those working in probabilistic functional analysis and probabilistic geometry.


Zinc finger domains are highly structured and can mediate interactions to DNA, RNA, proteins, lipids, and small molecules. Accordingly, zinc finger proteins are very versatile and involved in many biological functions. Eukaryotes contain a wealth of zinc finger proteins, but zinc finger proteins have also been found in archaea and bacteria. Large zinc finger proteins have been well studied, however, in stark contrast, single domain zinc finger µ-proteins of less than 70 amino acids have not been studied at all, with one single exception. Therefore, 16 zinc finger µ-proteins of the haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii were chosen and in frame deletion mutants of the cognate genes were generated. The phenotypes of mutants and wild-type were compared under eight different conditions, which were chosen to represent various pathways and involve many genes. None of the mutants differed from the wild-type under optimal or near-optimal conditions. However, 12 of the 16 mutants exhibited a phenotypic difference under at least one of the four following conditions: Growth in synthetic medium with glycerol, growth in the presence of bile acids, biofilm formation, and swarming. In total, 16 loss of function and 11 gain of function phenotypes were observed. Five mutants indicated counter-regulation of a sessile versus a motile life style in H. volcanii. In conclusion, the generation and analysis of a set of deletion mutants demonstrated the high importance of zinc finger µ-proteins for various biological functions, and it will be the basis for future mechanistic insight.


This book addresses a significant area of applied social-choice theory--the evaluation of voting procedures designed to select a single winner from a field of three or more candidates. Such procedures can differ strikingly in the election outcomes they produce, the opportunities for manipulation that they create, and the nature of the candidates--centrist or extremist--whom they advantage. The author uses computer simulations based on models of voting behavior and reconstructions of historical elections to assess the likelihood that each multicandidate voting system meets political objectives.Alternative procedures abound: the single-vote plurality method, ubiquitous in the United States, Canada, and Britain; runoff, used in certain primaries; the Borda count, based on rank scores submitted by each voter; approval voting, which permits each voter to support several candidates equally; and the Hare system of successive eliminations, to name a few. This work concludes that single-vote plurality is most often at odds with the majoritarian principle of Condorcet. Those methods most likely to choose the Condorcet candidate under sincere voting are generally the most vulnerable to manipulation. Approval voting and the Hare and runoff methods emerge from the analyses as the most reliable.Originally published in 1988.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.


This paper addresses the next phase in the development of living systems science, which includes the science of society.  The principles of this science have been developed.  The next phase of the science is an elaboration of the social innovation determinant of the science of society.  Early social innovations are belief systems.  The basic phenomenon causing the need for belief systems is the increased size of the human brain since the emergence of Homo sapiens.  The large brain resulted in two fundamental phenomena, the concepts of mortality and rational behaviors.  The concept of mortality and the genetically determined need for survival resulted in the concept of an after life (immortality).  Some early humans invented belief systems based on the concept of an afterlife.  The concept of rational behavior (reason for  things that happen) resulted in the belief that some thing or things cause events to occur.  It  is hypothesized that the mortality and rationality phenomena resulted in the innovation of belief system and the religions to implement these belief systems.  These hypotheses are tested using artifact of ancient humans and recent primitive humans.


Summary Competition among sympatric wild herbivores is reduced by different physiological, morphological and behavioural traits resulting in different dietary niches. Wild equids are a rather uniform group of large herbivores which have dramatically declined in numbers and range. Correlative evidence suggests that pasture competition with livestock is one of the key factors for this decline, and the situation may be aggravated in areas where different equid species overlap. The Dzungarian Gobi is currently the only place where two wild equid species coexist and share the range with the domesticated form of a third equid species. In the winter‐cold Gobi desert pasture productivity is low, highly seasonal, and wild equids additionally face increasing livestock densities. We used stable isotope chronologies of tail hairs to draw inferences about multi‐year diet seasonality, isotopic dietary niches and physiological adaptations in the Asiatic wild ass (khulan), re‐introduced Przewalski's horse, and domestic horse in the Mongolian part of the Dzungarian Gobi. Our results showed that even in the arid Gobi, both horse species are predominantly grazers, whereas khulan are highly seasonal, switching from being grazers in summer to mixed feeders in winter. The isotopic dietary niches of the two horse species were almost identical, did not vary with season as in khulan and were narrower than in the latter. Higher δ15N values point towards higher water use efficiency in khulan, which may be one reason why they can exploit pastures further away from water. Synthesis and applications. The high degree of isotopic dietary niche overlap in the two horse species in the Mongolian Gobi points towards a high potential for pasture competition during the critical nutritional bottleneck in winter and highlights the need to severely restrict grazing of domestic horses on the range of the Przewalski's horses. The evolutionary more distant khulan are less constrained by water and seem more flexible in their choice of diet or less successful in exploiting grass‐dominated habitats in winter due to human presence. Providing additional water sources could increase the competition between khulan and livestock and should, therefore, only be done following careful consideration.


INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: We aim to surgically reinnervate a lower motor neuron neurogenic bladder via obturator-to-pelvic and sciatic-to-pudendal nerve transfer. Behavioral observations provide the most global assessment of functional recovery. We sought to determine whether observed micturition postures disappear in decentralized animals and reappear after reinnervation. METHODS: Three groups of female canines were used: 1) Long-term survival (12 months) after transection of all ventral and dorsal sacral roots, the dorsal roots of L7 and hypogastric nerves, bilaterally (n=4); 2) Procedures described in Group 1, followed by obturator-to-pelvic nerve and sciatic-to-pudendal nerve transfer (n=3); 3) Unoperated control animals (n=3). Micturition postures were monitored for 24 hours at monthly intervals via video recording. Bacteriuria was tracked midway through the study with urine Multistix test strip assays, body temperature, and cultured urine specimens by a commercial clinical laboratory. Awake cystometry assessed awareness of a bladder fullness and ability to empty. RESULTS: 3/4 animals in Group 1 showed micturition postures up to 12 months postoperatively, with the fourth exhibiting an intermediate posture unlike the typical micturition posture. While status of bacteriuria for three animals was unknown, confirmed bacteriuria in one animal coincided with observed postures. We saw an increase in micturition postures with the presence of bacteriuria in 2/3 animals in Group 2, prior to reinnervation, which disappeared with successful antibiotic clearance. At least three months after reinnervation, all animals in Group 2 exhibited micturition postures in their home cages. Group 3 control animals showed micturition postures and bladder emptying after removal of catheter. During awake cystometry, no animals in Group 1 appeared distressed by bladder filling. In contrast, 1/3 animals in Group 2 tested at 6 and 7 months after nerve reinnervation procedures made vocalizations that suggested discomfort, and therefore sensation, after filling. The animal then voided bladder after removal of catheter. CONCLUSIONS: Although we predicted a loss of sensation after transecting the sacral roots and dorsal roots of L7, we observed frequent micturition postures suggestive sensation, possibly due to concomitant UTIs rather than bladder fullness. Furthermore, observations made during video recording and awake cystometry suggest that the nerve transfer reinnervation procedure lead to recovered sensitivity of bladder fullness. Source of Funding: NIH: NIH-NINDS NS070267 to MRR and MFB


The starting point for this book is the currently developing Bologna process, to which more than 40 governments have agreed, to set common European standards for higher education, and the EU's own strategy to exploit the knowledge economy more effectively. Both have target dates of 2010." "Anne Corbett sets out to explore the dynamics of these major European initiatives. She aims to provide a better understanding of earlier European initiatives from the European University (1955) to the Erasmus programme (1987) and to show why, and to what extent, the Bologna process builds on earlier developments. A second and analytic aim is to show how and why certain individuals, who are an integral part of the policy process, have to be part of the explanation of how and why policy develops in the EU - and elsewhere


More than 160 years of history go with the use of polymers in the cable industry. Polyethylene of low and high density and crosslinked polyethylene gradually succeeded paper and polyvinylchloride. This review discusses some aspects of the aging processes of polyethylene under working conditions. Electrical and water treeing are considered, dependent upon the morphology and the induced characteristics of the insulating material.


This study presents a structural design optimizing sizes of high-rise steel plane truss members by maximizing stiffness subjected to given volume constraints. The sizing optimum design is evaluated by using a well-known optimality criteria (OC) of gradient-based optimization methods. In typical size optimization methods, truss structures are optimized with respect to minimum weight with constraints on the value of some displacement and on the member stresses. The present method is an inversed size optimization in comparisons with the typical size optimization methods since it maximizes stiffness associated with stresses or displacements subjected to volume constraints related to weight. The inversed approach is another alternative to classical size optimization methods in order to optimize members' sizes in truss structures. Numerical applications of a round shape steel pipe truss structure are studied to verify that the proposed maximum stiffness-based size optimization design is suitable for optimally developing truss members's sizes.


We suggest two metrics for assessing the quality of atomistic configurations of disordered materials, both of which are based on quantifying the orientational distribution of neighbours around each atom in the configuration. The first metric is that of geometric invariance: i.e., the extent to which the neighbour arrangements are as similar as possible for different atoms, allowing for variations in frame of reference. The second metric concerns the degree of local symmetry. We propose that for a set of configurations with equivalent pair correlations, ranking highly those configurations with low geometric invariance but with high local symmetry selects for structural simplicity in a way that does not rely on formal group theoretical language (and hence long-range periodic order). We show that these metrics rank a range of SiO2 and a-Si configurations in an intuitive manner, and are also significantly more sensitive to unphysical features of those configurations in a way that metrics based on pair correlations are not. We also report that implementation of the metrics within a reverse Monte Carlo algorithm gives rise to an energy landscape that is too coarse (at least in this initial implementation) for amorphous structure "solution".


An 8-year-old patient is admitted with severe mucocutaneous erythema and fever. He looks acutely ill, with haemorrhagic crusting on his lips and complains of burning pain. He is diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and supportive measures are commenced. You wonder if in this scenario systemic steroids would be useful. You decide to look at the evidence.

In children with SJS (patient) do systemic steroids (intervention) reduce morbidity or mortality (outcome)?

PubMed and Scopus databases were searched using search terms: Stevens-Johnson syndrome AND steroids AND (management OR treatment OR therapy).

Inclusion criteria were: children included in study population, article in English, evidence level 2 or higher (using Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine criteria1).

Altogether, 189 papers were found in Pubmed, of which 186 were irrelevant or of insufficient quality. Three hundred and ten papers were found in Scopus, of which one was a further relevant paper. All relevant papers are summarised in table 1.

View this table:

Table 1
Summary of included papers

SJS (also known as Lyell's disease) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are severe, sometimes life-threatening skin reactions that present with mucocutaneous epidermal detachment.2 Classically considered drug reactions, other aetiological factors include viral infections, M pneumoniae , vaccines and some neoplastic and autoimmune conditions.3

There are no universally accepted diagnostic criteria and confusion over nomenclature between SJS, TEN and erythema multiforme has been only partially resolved. Bastuji-Garin et al in 19934 and Roujeau in 19945 published a consensus definition distinguishing erythema multiforme as a distinct entity, with SJS and TEN variants of severity in a spectrum of the same disease process. Estimates of incidence vary widely, perhaps reflecting the use of varying classification systems, from 0.4 to 1.2 and 1.2 to 6 …


Mycorrhizal hyphae can link one root to another, and it is possible that phosphorus passes from plant to plant by these links. We present evidence on whether this 'direct transfer pathway' is the major route between mycorrhizal plants, or whether most phosphorus passes from the roots of one plant to the soil before being taken up by the other plant's roots or its associated mycorrhizal hyphae (the 'soil pool pathway'). The time-course of loss of 32 P from Lolium perenne L. roots to solution was measured after 32 P had been fed to leaves. Another experiment indicated that the amount of 32 P lost to soil was not influenced by mycorrhizal infection. 32 P was applied to soil in which Plantago lanceolata L., mycorrhizal or non-mycorrhizal, was growing and the time-course of uptake determined. Using these results, two alternative models, the 'direct transfer model' and the 'soil pool model', were used to predict the time-course and amount of 32 P transfer from L. perenne to P. lanceolata. The predictions were then compared with measured transfers between these two species presented here and in a previous paper. The soil pool model's predictions of both amount and time-course of transfer gave the better fit to observation. The evidence thus suggests that direct hyphal links between roots are not important in phosphorus transfer between these plants.


Abstract. Persistent high aerosol loadings together with extremely high population densities have raised serious air quality and public health concerns in many urban centers in East Asia. However, ground-based air quality monitoring is relatively limited in this area. Recently, satellite-retrieved Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) at high resolution has become a powerful tool to characterize aerosol patterns in space and time. Using ground AOD observations from the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) and the Distributed Regional Aerosol Gridded Observation Networks (DRAGON)-Asia Campaign, as well as from handheld sunphotometers, we evaluated emerging aerosol products from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) aboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP), the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) aboard the Communication, Ocean, and Meteorology Satellite (COMS), and Terra and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) (Collection 6) in East Asia in 2012 and 2013. In the case study in Beijing, when compared with AOD observations from handheld sunphotometers, 51 % of VIIRS Environmental Data Record (EDR) AOD, 37 % of GOCI AOD, 33 % of VIIRS Intermediate Product (IP) AOD, 26 % of Terra MODIS C6 3 km AOD, and 16 % of Aqua MODIS C6 3 km AOD fell within the reference expected error (EE) envelope (±0.05 ± 0.15 AOD). Comparing against AERONET AOD over the Japan–South Korea region, 64 % of EDR, 37 % of IP, 61 % of GOCI, 39 % of Terra MODIS, and 56 % of Aqua MODIS C6 3 km AOD fell within the EE. In general, satellite aerosol products performed better in tracking the day-to-day variability than tracking the spatial variability at high resolutions. The VIIRS EDR and GOCI products provided the most accurate AOD retrievals, while VIIRS IP and MODIS C6 3 km products had positive biases.


Brain venous volume above the lateral ventricle in military patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) was assessed using two segmentation approaches on susceptibility weighted images (SWI) and quantitative susceptibility maps (QSM). This retrospective study included a total of 147 subjects: 14 patients with severe TBI; 38 patients with moderate TBI, 58 patients with mild TBI (28 with blast-related injuries and 30 with non-blast-related injuries), and 37 control subjects without history of TBI. Using the multiscale vessel enhancement filter on SWI images, patients with severe TBI demonstrated significantly higher segmented venous volumes compared with controls. Using a threshold approach on QSM images, TBI patients with different severities all demonstrated increased segmented volumes compared with control subjects: in the whole brain (severe, p = 0.001; moderate, p = 0.008; mild, p = 0.042, compared with controls), in the left hemisphere (severe, p = 0.01; moderate, p = 0.038, compared with controls), in the right hemisphere (severe, p = 0.001; moderate, p = 0.013; mild, p = 0.027, compared with controls). While segmented volumes on SWI appear to overlay directly on the visualized venous structures, the QSM-derived segments also encompass some perivascular and deep white matter areas. This might represent the damage in the perivascular regions associated with iron deposition or astroglial scarring.


The bonnet tool polishing is a novel, advanced and ultra-precise polishing process, by which the freeform surface can be polished. However, during the past few years, not only the key technology of calculating the dwell time and controlling the surface form in the bonnet polishing has been little reported so far, but also little attention has been paid to research the material removal function of the convex surface based on the geometry model considering the influence of the curvature radius. Firstly in this paper, for realizing the control of the freeform surface automatically by the bonnet polishing, on the basis of the simplified geometric model of convex surface, the calculation expression of the polishing contact spot on the convex surface considering the influence of the curvature radius is deduced, and the calculation model of the pressure distribution considering the influence of the curvature radius on the convex surface is derived by the coordinate transformation. Then the velocity distribution model is built in the bonnet polishing the convex surface. On the basis of the above research and the semi-experimental modified Preston equation obtained from the combination method of experimental and theoretical derivation, the material removal model of the convex surface considering the influence of the curvature radius in the bonnet polishing is established. Finally, the validity of the model through the simulation method has been validated. This research presents an effective prediction model and the calculation method of material removal for convex surface in bonnet polishing and prepares for the bonnet polishing the free surface numerically and automatically.


Abstract Demands for critical care services are increasing, but the supply of qualified physicians is not. Moreover, there are mounting national expectations for continuous on-site, senior providers and for adherence to quality and safety practices. In teaching institutions, manpower shortages are exacerbated by shrinking trainee duty hours, and there is a growing desire to recoup the revenue lost when a non-credentialed provider delivers a service. Increasingly, hospitalists and acute-care nurse practitioners (ACNPs) are meeting these needs. This article describes the development of an ACNP service in a university hospital medical intensive care unit (ICU) designed to improve the range and quality of services and faculty staffing when the ICU expanded from 22 to 34 beds without adding physicians. Eight ACNPs were hired and, over 9 months, received didactic, procedural, simulation center, and supervised patient care training. Progressive workload and graded responsibility were used to transition to a 24-hour, in-house, resident-independent, attending-supervised service, which now admits just under half of all patients (3.4 ± 1.3 patients/day), cares for approximately one-fourth of the unit's critically ill patients (6.0 ± 1.4 patients/day), and responds to medical rapid response team calls daily (1.5 ± 1.7 calls/day). Over the first 5 months of operation, work output in all categories continued to increase, with ACNPs documenting an average of 11.1 ± 2.7 activities per day (all data mean ± standard deviation). Acute-care nurse practitioners also provide 40% of the daily resident core lectures and a monthly staff nurse conference. Insufficient data exist at this time, however, to report accurate billing or collection results. Specific areas discussed within this article include service structure, hiring and training, implementation, scheduling, supervision, problems encountered, productivity, monitoring, and future plans.


Hematological parameters were studied in normotensive and spontaneous hypertensive rats along with those treated with chronic subcutaneous injections of CCl4. The normotensive animals treated with CCl4 demonstrated an erythrocytosis with an increase in the hematocrit levels. A lymphocytosis was seen with neutropenia in both CCl4 treated and untreated normotensive groups. The SHR animals compared to their normotensive counterparts had a lesser degree of lymphocytosis with an increase in the number of neutrophils. There was no blood pressure change in the normotensive CCl4 treated group, however a significant blood pressure difference was observed in the SHR group after CCl4 treatment.


—We present the results of three-dimensional numerical simulations of mass transfer in semi-detached binary with a donor star whose rotation vector precesses around the orbital rotation axis of the binary in the observer's coordinate frame. The calculations support our previous model of flow without a 'hot spot'. Characteristic features of the flow in this model, such as the formation of an circumbinary envelope, the absence of a 'hot spot' at the edge of the accretion disk, and the formation of a shock wave along the edge of the stream, are also present in the solution for a binary with precessing donor star. The parameters of accretion disk and of the structure of the near-disk regions recur with the precessional period of the rotation axis of donor star.


The purpose of the study was to explore Utilization of Information and Communication Technology resources at higher education level in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The population of the study comprised of all teachers and students of public sector universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The researcher selected three public sector universities using Basket Technique of simple random sampling method. The researcher selected a sample of 450 respondents (150 teachers and 300 students) from the sampled universities. Questionnaire was used for data analysis. Percentage and T-test was used for data analysis. The study reveals that the institutions of higher education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are lacking with Information and Communication resources. The researcher concluded that both natural and social sciences departments were not well equipped with the Information & communication Technology resources. Therefore, it is recommended that Information & communication Technology resources may be provided to higher education institutions to bring the students capable and compete the modern world of science and technology.


This study was carried on the effect of superliv feeding on commercial broiler. Superliv is an herbal product and useful growth promoter for the broiler due to its lever tonic. The experiment was conducted at the poultry farm of C. S. A. Univ. of Agri. & Tech., Kanpur. The experiment was carried out on 60 days old broiler chicks were divided randomly into four groups of 15 chicks in each group. The birds of group G1 were served as control while group G2, G3 and G4 were received 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 per cent of Superliv, respectively. Feeding trials were conducted for 5 weeks. First three-week broiler was fed broiler starter and letter was fed broiler finisher ration. The weekly body weight (gms) per broiler chicks up to fifth week of age is weighed as 1036.66 +83.20, 1075.33+54.49, 1130.00 +67.11 and 11.43.33 + 46.54, respectively, body weight gain (gms) during I, II, III, IV, and V week of age were 992.58, 1028.11, 1089.25 and 1106.05 respectively, Weekly feed consumption (gms) per broiler chicks up to Vth week of age were 2314.58, 2326.78, 2329.40 and 2365.92 respectively, feed conversion efficiency up to Vth week of age were 2.15, 2.12, 2.05 and 2.03 respectively, higher profit per broiler chicks was found Rs.11.14, 12.49, 14.63 and 14.89 respectively, and benefit cost ratio was found 0.71, 0.72, 0.74 and 0.76 in group G1, G2, G3, and G4, respectively. Thus, it can be concluded that the superliv feed supplement at 0.3 per cent level or group G4 was beneficiary in broiler chick ration. It can help on the increase of growth rate, body weight gain, F.C.R. and benefit cost ratio.


INTRODUCTION
The prognostic role of pathologic fracture in osteosarcoma has not been settled down, as previous researches have reached contradictory results. This study is prepared to clarify whether pathologic fracture predicts a poor prognosis of patients with osteosarcoma.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
After completely retrieved databases including China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), PubMed, Highwire, EMBASE and Science Direct, all eligible articles were included based on inclusion/exclusion criteria. And we performed a meta-analysis to calculate the pooled prognostic role of pathologic fracture in osteosarcoma.

RESULTS
Finally, a total of 8 articles met the inclusion/exclusion criteria, involving 1,677 subjects. We found that the pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidential interval (CI) of pathologic fracture in osteosarcoma for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) are 2.13 (1.43, 3.15) and 1.58 (1.11, 2.24), respectively.

CONCLUSION
This meta-analysis demonstrated that presentation with a pathologic fracture in osteosarcoma was correlated with a poor prognosis. And pathologic fracture might be a poor predictor of survival in osteosarcoma.


To optimize the cost and performance of complex cloud services under dynamic requirements, workflows and diverse cloud offerings, we rely on different elasticity control processes. An elasticity control process, when being enforced, produces effects in different parts of the cloud service. These effects normally evolve in time and depend on workload characteristics, and on the actions within the elasticity control process enforced. Therefore, understanding the effects on the behavior of the cloud service is of utter importance for runtime decision-making process, when controlling cloud service elasticity. In this paper, we present a novel methodology and a framework for estimating and evaluating cloud service elasticity behaviors. To estimate the elasticity behavior, we collect information concerning service structure, deployment, service runtime, control processes, and cloud infrastructure. Based on this information, we utilize clustering techniques to identify cloud service elasticity behavior, in time, and for different parts of the service. Knowledge about such behavior is utilized within a cloud service elasticity controller to substantially improve the selection and execution of elasticity control processes. These elasticity behavior estimations are successfully being used by our elasticity controller, in order to improve runtime decision quality. We evaluate our framework with three real-world cloud services in different application domains. Experiments show that we are able to estimate the behavior in 89.5% of the cases. Moreover, we have observed improvements in our elasticity controller, which takes better control decisions, and does not exhibit control oscillations.


Drought stress is one of the most important factors limiting the survival and growth of plants in the different habitats of Iran. Detailed knowledge about the ecophysiological responses of native plants to drought stress could contribute to the success of breeding and re-vegetation programs. Six wild populations of Anthemis tinctoria, were assigned to four drought treatments, i.e. well-watered (100% field capacity), mild drought stress (75% field capacity), moderate drought stress (55% field capacity), and severe drought stress (35% field capacity). Relative water content, dry matter content, osmotic solutes (proline and soluble sugars), antioxidant enzymes (peroxidase and polypolyphenol oxidase), total protein content, and pigments content were investigated. Severe drought stress largely increased accumulations of osmotic solutes and peroxidase activity of the most populations, but significantly decreased relative water content, dry matter content, total protein content and polyphenol oxidase activity in the all populations. Drought stress significantly decreased pigments content, but increased the ratio of carotenoids to total chlorophylls in the studied populations. The positive relationships were observed among antioxidant enzymes activities, and between contents of osmotic solutes and antioxidant enzymes activities. These findings suggest that populations are characterized by a significantly different tolerance to drought, when drought stress occurs. Based on these findings it may conclude that the population 27480 is more tolerant to osmotic stress due to specific antioxidative mechanisms, while the population 18041 was the least tolerant to sever drought stress. It seems that the population 27480 has a higher adoption potential to arid and semi-arid conditions which makes it a candidate of choice in breeding programs.


The requirements for the foundations of naval vessel engines are based on classification rules devised by classification societies or/and military standardization rules. A class guideline was published, defining the requirements, acceptance criteria and machinery seating methods. There is also a schedule of basic calculation procedures for cast resin or rubber chocks which facilitates the process of machinery foundation design, preloading force calculation, the establishment of boundary conditions etc. In case of naval vessels, typical procedures do not meet tactical requirements due to potential explosion loads. Since minehunters are mainly deployed at sea, handling active, naval mines, the shock resistance calculation for the entire machinery, including the Genset, is required. The paper presents preliminary MatLab calculation methods which can be used to analyse the type, number and location of rubber or elastomer chocks. The procedure consists of input data such as UNDEX pressure and technical data of the Genset used in the Polish Navy. Calculation results include the analysis of the dynamic interaction between the Genset and the foundation, as well as the damping effect generated by the UNDEX (UNDerwater EXplosion) shock pulse.


In order to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the Doppler ultrasonography profile in the assessment of fetal wellbeing in hypertensive pregnancies, 171 women at 36-42 week's gestation were included. A Doppler color ultrasound scanning was made and the score of the Doppler ultrasonography profile were correlated with the neonatal outcome, with one minute Apgar's score or admission to neonatal intensive care unit as main outcome. The Doppler ultrasonography profile includes: umbilical artery Doppler flow velocity waveforms, amniotic fluid volume, fetal movements, placental grading and fetal growth pattern. In 145 cases (84.7%) had gestational hypertension without proteinuria, 22 patients (12.9%) had chronic hypertension and only in 4 cases (2.4%) preeclampsia was found. In 101 patients (59%) a cesarean section was made, 66 cases delivered normally and 4 (2.4%) patients had complicated vaginal delivery. Scores of diagnostic tests were: sensitivity 44%, specificity 99%, positive predictive value 80% and negative predictive value 97%, with an average accuracy of 71.5%. The multiple logistic regression analysis with 5 parameters of the Doppler ultrasonography profile had a determination coefficient (R2 = 0.15125) P < 0.01, and umbilical artery Doppler flow velocity waveforms had a regression coefficient--31.3959 (P < 0.05). It was concluded that the Doppler ultrasonography profile is a test with high predictive values in assessing fetal wellbeing in hypertensive pregnancies and the umbilical artery Doppler flow velocity alone is a significant variable in the multiple logistic regression analysis.


In addition to its role on calcium homeostasis, vitamin D exhibits local (paracrine) effects on cell proliferation differentiation and immune function. Most cells in the body express Vitamin D receptors and 1α-hydroxylase, thereby permitting local production of 1,25 dihydroxycholecalciferol, which has therapeutic implications (paracrine effects). Studies have shown that chronic vitamin D deficiency may have serious adverse consequences such as increased risk of hypertension, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer of the colon, prostate, breast, ovary, and type 1 diabetes. However, information about the effect of vitamin D supplementation and replacement, and cardiometabolic outcomes is very limited. Studies on Vitamin D replacement in patients with chronic kidney disease and dialysis patients are needed.


At the photoreceptor ribbon synapse, glutamate released from vesicles at different positions along the ribbon reaches the same postsynaptic receptors. Thus, vesicles may not exert entirely independent effects. We examined whether responses of salamander retinal horizontal cells evoked by light or direct depolarization during paired recordings could be predicted by summation of individual miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs). For EPSCs evoked by depolarization of rods or cones, linear convolution of mEPSCs with photoreceptor release functions predicted EPSC waveforms and changes caused by inhibiting glutamate receptor desensitization. A low‐affinity glutamate antagonist, kynurenic acid (KynA), preferentially reduced later components of rod‐driven EPSCs, suggesting lower levels of glutamate are present during the later sustained component of the EPSC. A glutamate‐scavenging enzyme, glutamic‐pyruvic transaminase, did not inhibit mEPSCs or the initial component of rod‐driven EPSCs, but reduced later components of the EPSC. Inhibiting glutamate uptake with a low concentration of dl‐threo‐β‐benzoyloxyaspartate (TBOA) also did not alter mEPSCs or the initial component of rod‐driven EPSCs, but enhanced later components of the EPSC. Low concentrations of TBOA and KynA did not affect the kinetics of fast cone‐driven EPSCs. Under both rod‐ and cone‐dominated conditions, light‐evoked currents (LECs) were enhanced considerably by TBOA. LECs were more strongly inhibited than EPSCs by KynA, suggesting the presence of lower glutamate levels. Collectively, these results indicate that the initial EPSC component can be largely predicted from a linear sum of individual mEPSCs, but with sustained release, residual amounts of glutamate from multiple vesicles pool together, influencing LECs and later components of EPSCs.


The situation-dependent lateralization of sympathetic electrodermal arousal during real-life stress (Picard, Fedor, & Ayzenberg, 2016) may challenge a unitary notion of arousal, and call into question the practice of unilateral electrodermal recording, but there are broader implications. Here we consider a potential relationship between stress-induced lateralized shifts in electrodermal activity, and a theory concerning lateralized emotion-induced cardiac arrhythmia.


Thirty female patients were studied while taking penfluridol, continuous neuroleptic antipsychotic medication given orally. These patients were hospitalized making observation and control adequate in 73.3% of the cases. Colateral effects that we observed were minimum and variable in nearly all the patients, and many of these effects are of little significance as they are observed with other neuroleptics.


Cable-operated manipulators, also termed cable robots, possess a number of unique properties which make them suitable for tasks involving high payloads, large workspaces, and interacting with dangerous materials. But the fact that cables can only pull the end effector but not push it, makes their feedback control law more challenging than their counterpart, the rigid robots. In this paper, we present a modeling and control strategy for a cable suspended structure called the \lq{SpiderCrane}\rq. By avoiding heavy mobile components, the design of this crane makes it particularly useful for work requiring high speeds. The modeling of such a multiple cable mechanism is challenging due to the number of constraints arising from cable interactions. From a control theoretical point of view, such mechanical systems are underactuated, which gives rise to challenging control issues. In this paper, we consider a 2-dimensional version of SpiderCrane that captures most of its control-related aspects. We employ a novel approach, by which we separate the cable and pulley dynamics from the payload dynamics for the ease of controller design. This enables us to view the payload as a pendulum suspended from a cable whose suspension point lies on a mass that moves in a two-dimensional space. We apply interconnection and damping assignment passivity-based control to both shape the potential energy and change the interconnection structure for swing minimization. Damping is injected to ensure (asymptotic) stabilization.


Adversarially trained generative models (GANs) have recently achieved compelling image synthesis results. But despite early successes in using GANs for unsupervised representation learning, they have since been superseded by approaches based on self-supervision. In this work we show that progress in image generation quality translates to substantially improved representation learning performance. Our approach, BigBiGAN, builds upon the state-of-the-art BigGAN model, extending it to representation learning by adding an encoder and modifying the discriminator. We extensively evaluate the representation learning and generation capabilities of these BigBiGAN models, demonstrating that these generation-based models achieve the state of the art in unsupervised representation learning on ImageNet, as well as in unconditional image generation. Pretrained BigBiGAN models -- including image generators and encoders -- are available on TensorFlow Hub (https://tfhub.dev/s?publisher=deepmind&q=bigbigan).


Applying a poll-based survey provides important information regarding the tourist offer particulars in Balea Lac area. On the day the survey is performed its main advantage is also outlined: the fact that this information display a good accuracy, are obtained in a short time span and involving relatively low expenses.Data collection and centralization of the answers provided by interviewed tourists regarding tourism practice in the Balea Lac area have led to drawing up distributions that are presented in the paper. Based on the respective information, statistics methods adequate to the study of tourist opinion on the Balea Lac Ice Hotel brand image.Several issues have been outlined, regarding the types of respondents based on their category, Romanian or foreigners, from Romania and based on destination countries, function of: the type of stay; the means of information; their answers referring to their first arrival at Balea Lac; the degree of destination assessment; their opinion on host reception; their preference for Balea Lac; appreciating value for money; age groups; gender; social and professional standing.The image created through the attractions and services provided in the Balea Lac tourist area by tourism activities closely related to the Ice Hotel is well appreciated, so that they have opened up a rather favorable expectancy for those willing to come back and for those tempted to try and spend their holidays in the presented hotel. To conclude, the overall recorded answers are optimistic. In relation to the above, in order to get acquainted with the motivations, tourist satisfaction, and their constructive proposals and suggestions, permanent contact is necessary, as well as a lively and open dialogue with tourists, a contact that takes place by launching opinion raising issues.Given the current background of surging competition between domestic and foreign tourist product providers, setting up a constant clientele is of outmost importance, which would also promote the local tourist product among potential tourists on different markets. The main requirement in order to accomplish this major goal is providing higher quality tourist service provision, as well as setting up the necessary elements to trigger a positive and lasting impression among visitors.


Many marine snails have a biphasic life cycle. They may live in diverse habitats on the ocean floor as adults, but are planktonic in the larval phase where they are subject to oceanic tides and currents. The link between these two disparate life history stages is metamorphosis, a dramatic and irreversible developmental event that transforms a larva physically, physiologically and behaviorally into a juvenile, a tiny, sexually immature adult. This conversion occurs only when animals are competent, physiologically able to respond to environmental cues that are indicative of a favorable juvenile habitat. Such cues can include biological odorants as well as physical features of the juvenile ecosystem. The idea that environmental stimuli, such as the presence of conspecific adults or useful food sources, could trigger metamorphosis in marine invertebrates was first promulgated about 90 years ago (Mo1tensen 1921). Since then, the sources of metamorphic stimuli have been identified for a variety of molluscs, including some of the caenogastropods, the more evolutionarily advanced snails. Our experiments on the induction of metamorphosis in the intertidal snail, Ilyanassa obsoleta, by benthic diatoms have demonstrated that like other marine larvae, our model organism can display positive, negative or neutral responses to various diatom species.
Investigations into the regulation of metamorphosis have moved in the last 30 years from morphology and ecology to include the cells and signaling molecules that are active in the underlying neural pathways. Investigations with l. obsoleta have demonstrated that two important neurotransmitters, serotonin (5-HT) and nitric oxide (NO), play opposing roles in the neural network that controls metamorphosis. A third neurotransmitter, (gamma)-aminobutyric acid (GABA), can induce metamorphosis in abalone, primitive molluscan relatives of l. obsoleta, by binding to GABAergic receptors located on epidermal projections of chemosensory neurons. Experimental evidence indicates that GABA mimicks the action of a natural algal ligand in this situation. In contrast, results of our recent experiments suggest that in I. obsoleta, GABA functions along with NO to inhibit metamorphosis. Experimental confirmation of this idea is proceeding in our laboratory. Serotonergic neurons are retained in the anterior portion of the larval brain of most marine invertebrates, including the marine snails. Serotonin triggers or promotes metamorphosis in several other molluscs, but is not a universal metamorphic inducer. In contrast, NO preserves the larval state in l. obsoleta and although comparative work is limited, NO plays similar, although not necessarily identical roles in a few related species. Thus, metamorphic actions of NO and 5-HT generally appear to be conserved, especially within related molluscan taxa. However, we speculate that interactions between different gastropod larvae and diverse arrays of biological and physical features within their native ecosystems have led to the divergent evolutionary adaptations seen in the use of GABA and its receptors.


MR diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to analyze the fibrous structure of aortic tissue. A fresh porcine aorta was imaged at 7T using a spin echo sequence with the following parameters: matrix 128 128 pixel; slice thickness 0.5 mm; interslice spacing 0.1 mm; number of slices 16; echo time 20.3 s; field of view 28 mm 28 mm. Eigenvectors from the diffusion tensor images were calculated for the central image slice and the averaged tensors and the eigenvector corresponding to the largest eigenvalue showed two distinct angles corresponding to near and to the transverse plane of the aorta. Fibre tractography within the aortic volume imaged confirmed that fibre angles were oriented helically with lead angles of and . The findings correspond to current histological and microscopy data on the fibrous structure of aortic tissue, and therefore the eigenvector maps and fibre tractography appear to reflect the alignment of the fibers in the aorta. In view of current efforts to develop noninvasive diagnostic tools for cardiovascular diseases, DTI may offer a technique to assess the structural properties of arterial tissue and hence any changes or degradation in arterial tissue.


Gas turbine engine performance requires effective and reliable internal cooling over the duty cycle of the engine. Life predictions for rotating components subject to the main gas path temperatures are vital. This demands increased precision in the specification of the internal air system flows which provide turbine stator well cooling and sealing. This in turn requires detailed knowledge of the flow rates through rim seals and interstage labyrinth seals. Knowledge of seal movement and clearances at operating temperatures is of great importance when prescribing these flows. A test facility has been developed at the University of Sussex, incorporating a two stage turbine rated at 400 kW with an individual stage pressure ratio of 1.7:1. The mechanical design of the test facility allows internal cooling geometry to be rapidly re-configured, while cooling flow rates of between 0.71 CW, ENT and 1.46 CW, ENT, may be set to allow ingress or egress dominated cavity flows. The main annulus and cavity conditions correspond to in cavity rotational Reynolds numbers of 1.71 × 106 < Reϕ <1.93 × 106. Displacement sensors have been used to establish hot running seal clearances over a range of stator well flow conditions, allowing realistic flow rates to be calculated. Additionally, gas seeding techniques have been developed, where stator well and main annulus flow interactions are evaluated by measuring changes in gas concentration. Experiments have been performed which allow rim seal and re-ingestion flows to be quantified. It will be shown that this work develops the measurement of stator well cooling flows and provides data suitable for the validation of improved thermo-mechanical and CFD codes, beneficial to the engine design process.


Damage detection using changes in global dynamic characteristics has been a hot research topic in recent years. In the present paper, based on natural frequencies and mode shapes, a numerical tudy locating and assessing damage in a circular cylindrical shell is presented. The axial position of the damage can be easily obtained by comparing the theoretical and measured frequency changes due to damage. Additional information of mode shapes is introduced to locate the exact damage position. And the damage extent can be estimated by the first order approximation method. The feasibility and practicality of the damage detection scheme are evaluated for several damage scenarios by locating and sizing damage in free-clamped shells. The results illustrate that the proposed detection scheme can confidently locate the single or multiple positions of damage. It is also observed that damage extent can be estimated with a relatively small error.


Drawing partly on her own experience, Joanna Fox seeks to unpack the expertise that service users bring to the design and delivery of mental health services. Service user involvement cannot be imposed by policy diktat from above, she argues. Rather, it must be nurtured at the grass roots, by allowing service users to take control over their own lives, and their care and treatment.


Many dolomite units in the early to middle Paleozoic Cordilleran miogeocline of Nevada formed through diagenetic replacement of subtidally deposited CaCO 3 by CaMg(CO 3 ) 2 . Across the miogeocline, the consistent temporal and spatial distribution of limestone on the west and dolomite on the east indicates that there was a paleogeographic control on diagenetic dolomite formation. Dolomitization models involving hypersaline brines are inadequate to account for the origin of regionally extensive replacement-dolomite formations in Nevada that lack associated evaporite-mineral suites. Several workers have recently proposed that the mixing of marine pore water with meteoric-derived ground water would lead to dolomitization of CaCO 3 in the subsurface, without precipitation of evaporites. We propose that subtidally deposited CaCO 3 in east-central Nevada became dolomitized in the subsurface as a result of dilution of marine pore water by fresh ground water derived from subaerially exposed tracts in the eastern part of the miogeocline. CaCO 3 sedimentary deposits in west-central Nevada were never intruded by fresh water because they were not proximal to areas of freshwater recharge; consequently, these sediments escaped dolomitization. The freshwater-seawater-mixing model is compatible with the regional extent of replacement-dolomite formations in Nevada and resolves the relation between dolomitization and paleogeography.


Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) provides pulmonary and/or cardiac support for critically ill patients. Due to their diseases, they are at high risk of developing acute kidney injury. In that case, continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is applied to provide renal support and fluid management. The ECMO and CRRT circuits can be combined by an integrated or parallel approach. So far, all methods used for combined extracorporeal lung and kidney support present serious drawbacks. This includes not only high risks of circuit related complications such as bleeding, thrombus formation, and hemolysis, but also increase in technical workload and health care costs. In this sense, the development of a novel optimized artificial lung device with integrated renal support could offer important treatment benefits. Therefore, we conducted a review to provide technical background on existing techniques for extracorporeal lung and kidney support and give insight on important aspects to be addressed in the development of this novel highly integrated artificial lung device.


This report examines the implications for management accounting of the changes which are taking place within British firms which are adopting different forms of advanced manufacturing techniques and managerial processes. It reviews information concerning changing managerial perceptions of information requirements, the use of new communication forms and channels, and the implications of changing organisational structures so as to help the management accounting profession to react to this new environment. The report supports its conclusions by exploring the findings of empirical investigations of the United Kingdom, North American and Japanese firms undertaken by various independent researchers and concentrates on documenting changes in management accounting processes in these countries. This study seeks to explain the implications for management accounting of recent changes in technology, and in organisational procedures in management.


This study is aimed at identifying the prevalence of the verbal and nonverbal communication amongst football players in the Palestinian Football League as well as the degree of communication in different playing situation. The methodology used for this study is based on a questionnaire distributed for (187) professional players for the season 2011/2012, the questionnaire covered three dimensions: verbal communication, nonverbal communication, and degree of communication. The results showed that the verbal communication was the mostly used of communication (78.4%), a medium level of nonverbal communication was used among players (68.2%), and there was a great deal of communication amongst the players at the various stages of playing (86%). In addition, the results showed minimal statistics regarding verbal communication amongst the professional players fully and partially and for the advantage of the fully professional ones. The researcher recommended that greater attention and focus should be given by the trainers to nonverbal communication (sign and body language) as part of the training strategy, by considering it as one fundamental element that contributes to the sport achievement.


The story of Kfar Etzion in Israel's War of Independence represents the constitutive heroic myth of the religious-Zionist community. No other event in the history of religious Zionism has grown to such mythical magnitude and had had such immense impact on the national-religious community in Israel as the story of Kfar Etzion. The article traces the origins and development of the myth and explains its central status in the ethos of religious-Zionist heroism. It explains the construction of the myth and its inculcation in the religious-Zionist Movement, and shows the close link between myth-making, memory, and the politics of the commemoration and historiography of the War of Independence. In presenting the elements of the Kfar Etzion myth within the religious value system, I show that it is not only a story of Zionist heroism, but primarily one that seeks to be a link in the historical chain of Jewish heroism and a core story in religious-Zionist history.


This paper presents a system for performance-based character animation that enables any user to control the facial expressions of a digital avatar in realtime. The user is recorded in a natural environment using a non-intrusive, commercially available 3D sensor. The simplicity of this acquisition device comes at the cost of high noise levels in the acquired data. To effectively map low-quality 2D images and 3D depth maps to realistic facial expressions, we introduce a novel face tracking algorithm that combines geometry and texture registration with pre-recorded animation priors in a single optimization. Formulated as a maximum a posteriori estimation in a reduced parameter space, our method implicitly exploits temporal coherence to stabilize the tracking. We demonstrate that compelling 3D facial dynamics can be reconstructed in realtime without the use of face markers, intrusive lighting, or complex scanning hardware. This makes our system easy to deploy and facilitates a range of new applications, e.g. in digital gameplay or social interactions.


We provide a quick proof of the following known result: the Sobolev space associated with the Euclidean space, endowed with the Euclidean distance and an arbitrary Radon measure, is Hilbert. Our new approach relies upon the properties of the Alberti-Marchese decomposability bundle. As a consequence of our arguments, we also prove that if the Sobolev norm is closable on compactly-supported smooth functions, then the reference measure is absolutely continuous with respect to the Lebesgue measure.


The examination of the works of Kalidasa here undertaken makes an essential departure from the hitherto existing approach to the subject in two directions. There being no comprehensive and intensive inquiry into the poetic and dramatic art and technique of the poet, an attempt has therefore been made to confine ourselves, firstly, to a strictly literary appraisal of the poems and dramas. The data gathered from this study leads us on to the second aspect of our investigation where the evidence bearing on the mutual relation between Kalidasa's literary art and the theory of poetics is examined. In our internal literary estimate the works have been scrutinised from to points of view which form the basic criteria in the oanskrit theory of poetics. (i) The poet's imagery has been classified and the most important image patterns deuduced therefrom. (ii) The works are analysed from the standpoint of rasa, formulated in dramatic theory before Kalidasa and accepted as a general literary principle in the later theory of poetics. One important fact which emerges from the above survey is the poet's vivification of nature in his image processes - a principle deriving from Indian philosophical thought- and another is tile conception of love which appears as human and realistic though operating within the divine and semi-divine framework of the narrative. Wherever it has been founa necesanry reference has been made to antecedent image-processes that enable us to study the historical development of better-patterned forms from early times to the days of Kalidasa. Asmaghosa's influence on Kalidasa with regard to rhyme and assonance as well as the contrasting features of the sound patterns of Bhavabhuti and Kalidasa have been briefly discussed preparatory to the detailed survey of the poetic-drama-tic technique of Bhavabuti in comparison with that of Kalidasa. This has not only helped to elucidate the fundamental differences and similarities of their literary art and style but thrown some valuable light on Kalidasa's place in the general evolution of Sanskrit kavya, Brom this point we have proceeded to examine the extent of the influence of dramatic theory on Kalidasa's dramatic technique, testifying to his awareness of Bharata's conception of rasa. Being the earliest dramatist to refer to it, Kalidasa forms an important link between theory and practice, the interrelation of which has been examined in some detail with particular reference to the contribution he has made in furnishing data for the clarification and exemplification of poetical theory in succeeding schools and notably in Anandaverdhana's school of dhvani. As far as the literary evidence permits we have found, it possible to deduce the purpose and function of poetry as it appears to Kalidasa which is diametrically opposite to the conception of Asvaghosa and is accepted only partially by Bhavabhuti. The comparative study of the poet and Bhavabhuti and certain data from the more mature works, as for example, the Meghaduta and the Vikramorvasiya, have also enabled us to arrive at plausible views on his life and character as a poet.


Coordinate measuring machine (CMM) technology is widely used in inspection, but sometimes it is not suitable for measuring complex parts in dimensional metrology or reverse engineering owing its inherent slow speed. On the other hand, optical scanning sensors acquire data rapidly, but have poorer accuracy and access restrictions. Multi-sensor systems allow selection of discrete probing or scanning methods to measure part elements. The decision is often based on the principle that tight tolerance elements should be measured by contact methods, while other more loose tolerance elements can be scanned by optical sensors. This article summarizes recent developments and applications of hybrid tactile and non-contact 3D measuring systems and gives examples of its applications in dimensional metrology. Recent and future developments will concentrate on improved measuring reliability, reduced uncertainty of measurement data and higher accuracy and lower costs.


We present highly transparent and conductive silver thin films in a thermally evaporated dielectric/metal/dielectric (DMD) multilayer architecture as top electrode for efficient small molecule organic solar cells. DMD electrodes are frequently used for optoelectronic devices and exhibit excellent optical and electrical properties. Here, we show that ultrathin seed layers such as calcium, aluminum, and gold of only 1 nm thickness strongly influence the morphology of the subsequently deposited silver layer used as electrode. The wetting of silver on the substrate is significantly improved with increasing surface energy of the seed material resulting in enhanced optical and electrical properties. Typically thermally evaporated silver on a dielectric material forms rough and granular layers which are not closed and not conductive below thicknesses of 10 nm. With gold acting as seed layer, the silver electrode forms a continuous, smooth, conductive layer down to a silver thickness of 3 nm. At 7 nm silver thickness such an electrode exhibits a sheet resistance of 19 Ω/□ and a peak transmittance of 83% at 580 nm wavelength, both superior compared to silver electrodes without seed layer and even to indium tin oxide (ITO). Top‐illuminated solar cells using gold/silver double layer electrodes achieve power conversion efficiencies of 4.7%, which is equal to 4.6% observed in bottom‐illuminated reference devices employing conventional ITO. The top electrodes investigated here exhibit promising properties for semitransparent solar cells or devices fabricated on opaque substrates.


Despite nearly 20 years of recruitment and retention efforts focused on female students, women constituted only 19% of engineering students in 2007. A cross-case analysis of six engineering schools based on rich qualitative data from faculty, student, and administrator interviews, as well as observations and documents, provides a unique opportunity to identify trends and unique practices used to address the recruitment and retention of women engineering students. This paper focuses specifically on how these institutions implement K-12 outreach, admissions, summer/bridge, and first and second-year support programs. We find three themes that support recruitment of female students: 1) historical commitment, institutional type, and geographical location; 2) flexible and strategic admissions policies and "high touch" efforts; and 3) outreach programs for K-12. We also highlight five themes that lead to female students' retaining an engineering degree: 1) Campus climate, 2) support services during early undergraduate years, 3) strong ties to faculty and student interaction in and out of the classroom, 4) high support for student organizations and activities, and 5) learning and living communities.


Background and the purpose of the study: One of the most important complications of diabetes is foot ulcers with a life time risk of 15% among diabetics. The main objectives of this study was to evaluate adverse drug reactions(ADR) of oral and topical application of ANGIPARS, a novel compound applied in treatment of diabetic foot ulcers and also its effect on wound surface area, Ankle Brachial Index(ABI), Toe Brachial Index(TBI) and wound temperature . Material and Methods: A total number of 75 diabetic patients who were over 50 years (56.7± 9.7 years) and had foot ulcers without any signs of osteomyelitis were enrolled in this study. A basal wound surface area, ABI, TBI and wound temperature was measured and routine hematological and biochemistry tests were performed. Six weeks and 6 months after simultaneous application of oral and topical forms of ANGIPARS, mentioned parameters were evaluated again and analysis was carried out using standard methods. Results and Conclusion: The mean surface area of the ulcers were 6.05 ± 11.1 cm 2 at the baseline and 2.4±6.9 cm 2 after six weeks of therapy showing a considerable decrease. A significant rise in ABI and TBI (p<0.05) was observed after 6 weeks of treatment. The results also demonstrated a significant fall in erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) for 45 days after drug administration but no significant changes in the other laboratory tests were observed at this time. No significant side effects or toxicity was reported by the participants during the course of the study. This study showed the immense effect and safety of ANGIPARS on treatment of diabetic foot ulcers.


Finite impulse response (FIR) filters are widely used in electronic design applications such as digital signal processing, image processing and digital communications. The demand for high performance is increasing particularly in modern real-time signal processing applications. Due to the trade-offs between the performance requirements and design constraints, it is required to develop new design approaches that not only improve the computational efficiency, but also support processors with application-specific hardware accelerators. In this study, design of a low-pass FIR filter operating at 10 MSps sampling rate with 2Mhz cutoff frequency and -40dB/decade attenuation rate is considered as a sample problem, and its performance and cost have been comparatively examined on various hardware platforms. We tested the performance of the designed filter by implementing it on a plain ARM-based processor, FPGA+ARM based System-on-Chip, and an Intel i7-based processor. As a result of the study, we observed that while the filter design implemented on the FPGA+ARM-based SoC works 8.86 times faster than the implemented on a solo ARM-based processor, 1.98 times slower than the implementation on the Intel i7-based processor. In addition, we have determined that the FIR filter design implemented on the FPGA+ARM based SoC exhibits the highest efficiency from the price/performance perspective.


Abstract. Vehicular emission is a key contributor to ambient volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and NOx in Chinese megacities. However, the information of real-world emission factors (EFs) for a typical urban fleet is still limited, hindering the development of a more reliable emission inventory in China. Based on a more-than-two-week (August 8–24, 2017) tunnel test in urban Tianjin in northern China, and on the use of a statistical regression model, the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) receptor model, and the Calculate Emissions from Road Transport (COPERT) IV model, characteristics of vehicular VOCs-NOx-CO emissions were analyzed systematically. The fleet-average EFs (pollutant: downslope, upslope, and overall in mg km−1 veh−1) were estimated respectively as follows: (NO: 61.92 ± 72.46, 158.58 ± 73.48, 97.52 ± 69.84), (NO2: 16.52 ± 11.49, 23.98 ± 20.14, 15.86 ± 9.38), (NOx: 79.45 ± 78.43, 181.22 ± 88.29, 116.56 ± 77.61), and (CO: 269.96 ± 342.38, 577.76 ± 382.22, 344.67 ± 250.01). The EFs of NO-NO2-NOx and CO from heavy-duty vehicles (or diesel vehicles) were differentiated from light-duty vehicles (or gasoline vehicles). The ratios (v / v) of NO2 to NOx in the primary vehicular exhaust were approximately 0.18 ± 0.09, 0.10 ± 0.22 and 0.10 ± 0.05 for downslope, upslope, and the entire tunnel, respectively. The fleet-average EF of the 99-target non-methane VOCs (NMVOCs) was 40.56 ± 12.18 mg km−1 veh−1, lower than the previous studies in China. The BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, p-xylene, m-xylene and o-xylene) levels decreased by approximately 79 % when emission standards increased from China I to China V. The source profiles of NMVOCs from the tailpipe and evaporative emissions were resolved by the PMF model. The evaporative emissions accounted for nearly one-half of the total vehicular VOC emissions, indicating that evaporative and tailpipe emissions contributed equally to VOC emissions. The relative contributions of evaporative NMVOC emissions to total vehicular NMVOC emissions are temperature-dependent with the average increasing ratio of 7.55 % °C−1. The primary emission ratio (ER, m / m) of VOCs / NOx was approximately 2.04, suggesting that vehicular NOx and VOCs can be co-emitted with a proper ER. According to the vehicular ERs of VOCs / NOx in Tianjin (2000–2016) and China (2010–2030), as even more stringent emission standards are implemented in the future, the O3 chemical regimes were likely to be VOCs-limited (i.e., 8 : 1 threshold) for cities or regions where VOCs and NOx emissions are dominated by vehicular exhaust. Our study enriched the database on the fleet-average emission factors of on-road vehicles for emission inventory, air quality modeling, and health effects studies, provided implications for following O3 control in China from the view of primary emission, and highlighted the importance of further control of evaporative emissions.


From the observation of school librarians' usual practices in three secondary schools in Paris (2006-2009), with an ethnographic approach, the aim of this study is to better define the information culture, in particular which kinds of knowledge are necessary to learn, live and evolve in the information society context. Thus, the study points up that the web 2.0, in order to be an educational tool, needs an accompanied digital conduct. New training needs appear, characterized by the emergence of new knowledge (digital identity, traceability, informative survey...) and the reconfiguration of some others (information ethics, indexing, mediation, authority, intellectual property, relevance...).


Aims: This systematic review aims at exploring the impact of the professional practice environment on nurses' job satisfaction. Background: A growing body of research has documented an association between the quality of nursing professional practice environments and nurse satisfaction, patient satisfaction and quality of care. Method: Fourteen studies were identified through a systematic search of the literature. Eligibility criteria included only quantitative studies that examined factors correlating the nursing professional practice environment and job satisfaction. Quality assessments were completed on all studies according to predefined criteria. Data extraction and analysis of the studies examined revealed three main areas: correlations of the professional practice environment and nurses' job satisfaction; resource adequacy; and quality of care. Results: The results document evidence of the effect of Professional Practice Environment (PPE) on job satisfaction, burnout and intention to leave. The PPE was correlated to the nurses' ratings of the quality of nursing care. Nurse staffing levels and nurse-physician relations were also correlated with job satisfaction. Conclusions: Hospital officials and decision makers need to work towards the implementation of a Positive Professional Environment so that the professionals' job satisfaction is secured at the highest possible level, particularly in this current and worsening world financial crisis.


Because of the importance of graphics and information within the domain of architecture, engineering and construction (AEC), an appropriate combination of visualization technology and information management technology is of utter importance in the development of appropriately supporting design and construction applications. Virtual environments, however, tend not to make this information available. The sparse number of applications that present additional information furthermore tend to limit their scope to pure construction information and do not incorporate information from loosely related knowledge domains, such as cultural heritage or architectural history information. We therefore started an investigation of two of the newest developments in these domains, namely game engine technology and semantic web technology. This paper documents part of this research, containing a review and comparison of the most prominent game engines and documenting our architectural semantic web. A short test-case illustrates how both can be combined to enhance information visualization for architectural design and construction.


The purpose of this study is to investigate an under-researched area of adult learning in informal and unstructured online spaces. The first phase of the project involved a systematic review of 31 studies on adult learners' peer-to-peer (P2P) interactions in online learning environments. The aspects explored were: (1), the characteristics of adult P2P engagement in online collaborative learning environments; (2), the impacts of that engagement on the learning outcomes of adult learners; and (3), the factors that could facilitate or hinder adult engagement in such environments. The review revealed that most studies investigated the broad effects of P2P adult learning on learning outcomes. These effects suggest that: (1) the adult learning efficiency could be improved through the application of more specialized approaches; and (2), that various unexplored factors may be important in facilitating P2P adult learning. This research will allow for better consideration of adult learning processes and activities.


A recent line of argumentation research has focused on the examination of prototypical argumentative patterns – patterns that can
 be theoretically expected in view of the type of standpoint defended, the institutional aim, and the conventions and constraints
 of the context (Van Eemeren 2016: 13–15). This paper aims to add a new dimension to
 both this line of research and research on health communication by determining whether the prototypical types of argumentation in
 consultations about palliative systemic treatment for advanced cancer are stereotypical as well, that is, whether they are
 dominant in a quantitative sense (van Eemeren 2016: 16). For this purpose, a valid and
 reliable measurement instrument is developed and used in a content analysis of the transcripts of 49 consultations. On the basis
 of the results of this analysis, it can be concluded that the use of symptomatic and pragmatic argumentation is stereotypical in
 this type of consultations.


Aims. The optical emission of black hole transients increases by several magnitudes during the X-ray outbursts. Whether the extra light arises from the X-ray heated outer disc, from the inner hot accretion flow, or from the jet is currently debated. Optical polarisation measurements are able to distinguish the relative contributions of these components.
Methods. We present the results of BVR polarisation measurements of the black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1820+070 during the period of March-April 2018.
Results. We detect small, ∼0.7%, but statistically significant polarisation, part of which is of interstellar origin. Depending on the interstellar polarisation estimate, the intrinsic polarisation degree of the source is between ∼0.3% and 0.7%, and the polarisation position angle is between ∼10 ° −30°. We show that the polarisation increases after MJD 58222 (2018 April 14). The change is of the order of 0.1% and is most pronounced in the R band. The change of the source Stokes parameters occurs simultaneously with the drop of the observed V-band flux and a slow softening of the X-ray spectrum. The Stokes vectors of intrinsic polarisation before and after the drop are parallel, at least in the V and R filters.
Conclusions. We suggest that the increased polarisation is due to the decreasing contribution of the non-polarized component, which we associate with the the hot flow or jet emission. The low polarisation can result from the tangled geometry of the magnetic field or from the Faraday rotation in the dense, ionised, and magnetised medium close to the black hole. The polarized optical emission is likely produced by the irradiated disc or by scattering of its radiation in the optically thin outflow.


Utilization of electronic products expansion dramatically in recent decades throughout the globe. Faster technological evolution is one of the causes of the high use of electronic products and makes the product obsolete rapidly. Therefore, this encourages the potential for various risks and becomes one of the problems in the sustainability of environmental management. Moreover, risk factors study in the process of managing e-waste has not been done. Therefore, this study will analyze the risk of ewaste management factors using the Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA) approach. Several important information regarding the risk factors of the e-waste management process were collected using literature studies, interview methods, and fishbone diagrams. The risk factors were arranged in the form of questionnaires distributed to five respondents from various fields such as academics, the ministry of environment, the sanitation department, non-governmental organizations. The respondents were asked to provide a risk assessment based on expertise and professionalism. The result shows that several highest RPN values such as manual technology (729), number of technologies (729), legal compliance (729), and recycling costs (729). At the same time, other factors are still in the medium and low category. Thus, risk evaluation in the e-waste management process is focused on the highest risk category. Furthermore, this research can be an approach to evaluating risk management from electronic waste in DKI Jakarta-Indonesia and other developing countries. Further studies to improve the results of this research need to be carried out that will be useful for further action in the future. Keywords— e-waste; fishbone; FMEA; Risk; RPN.


New data on tooth enamel and dentin microstructure, obtained by acoustic microscopy methods, which are based on evaluation of distribution of the local elastic and mechanical properties, are presented. The results demonstrate that the acoustic microscopy methods are more sensitive to changes in mechanical properties of dental tissues in caries in comparison with optic microscopy.


The use of conservation tillage is increasing in North America, but information on its effect on water quality in cold climatic regions is limited. To obtain such information, the effect of no-tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) treatments on nitrate-nitrogen (NO 3 -N) concentration, specific electrical conductivity (EC), and pH in shallow groundwater (1.2, 1.8, 3.0, and 4.6 m depths) was studied over four successive crop years in corn fields (loam soil) of approximately 3 ha each, located in eastern Ontario. Water table elevation was also monitored during three crop years. Average NO 3 -N concentration at the 1.2, 1.8, and 4.6 m depths was consistently higher under CT than under NT in every crop year and every season. However, the effect of tillage was not significant at P< 0.05. Nitrate concentration decreased significantly with depth. It was about two to three times the drinking water limit of 10 mg/L as NO 3 -N at the 1.2, 1.8, and 3.0 m depths. At the 4.6 m depth, NO 3 -N concentrations were mostly low but increased with time. Changes in water table elevation appeared to affect NO 3 -N concentrations at the 1.2 m depth under NT only. At a given depth, EC and pH of groundwater were not affected by tillage treatment. However, within each tillage treatment, values increased significantly with depth. Results from this study indicated a large spatial variability in NO 3 -N and EC values in groundwater, which could have masked small tillage effects. More intensive temporal and spatial sampling may he required to establish tillage treatment effects, if any.


The tyrosine kinase activity of the BCR/ABL fusion protein is required for the transformation in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. The tyrosine kinase inhibitor STI571 inhibits the BCR/ABL and ABL kinase activity and consequently inhibits growth of BCR/ABL-positive cells. However, resistance to STI571 has been demonstrated in Ph+ cell lines and in CML patients and can be explained in some cases by point mutations within the ATP-binding pocket or amplification of the bcr/abl gene. In previous investigations using a nu/nu mouse model, the binding of STI571 to elevated levels of the plasmaprotein -1 acid glycoprotein (AGP) was identified as an additional mechanism of resistance to this therapeutic approach. Here we provide data on the expression of AGP in CML patients under therapy with STI571. Patients received 400 or 600 mg STI571 daily and apart from clinical parameters we determined AGP and C-reactive protein (CRP) plasma levels as well as the quantitative expression of both BCR/ABL and AGP mRNA in peripheral blood cells. Our data suggest that despite elevated AGP levels in 52% of our patients, no upfront resistance against STI571 was present. In conclusion, we demonstrated that during the first 13 weeks of STI571 therapy (i) plasma AGP levels in CML patients correlate with white blood cell count and stage of disease; (ii) patients with elevated AGP responded less rapidly to STI571; (iii) elevated AGP and CRP levels normalized in patients during treatment with STI571, although mRNA levels of AGP remained stable; (iv) initially normal levels of AGP remained in the normal range during treatment with STI571, indicating that STI571 does not trigger AGP expression in humans; and (v) in relapsed patients, elevation of AGP levels is present prior to hematological progress.


The genome of hybridoma PTF-02 has two genes for the kappa chains, and only one of these codes for the synthesis of the antibody light chains. The nucleotide sequences corresponding to the leader peptide and to the variable region of this gene were determined. An amino acid sequence corresponding to exons has been proposed on the basis of the nucleotide sequence. A nucleotide sequence adjacent to the gene at the 5'-end has also been determined, in particular, the precise localization of TATA- and CAT-boxes as well as those of the conservative deca (dc) and pentadeca (pd) sequences. The structure of the regulatory region in the gene is similar to that in the myeloma genomes. However, the 5'-region differs in its nucleotide composition and in the frequency of dc sequences from the DNA sequences adjacent to the 5'-end of eukaryotic genes which do not belong to the immunoglobulin family.


The role of Au adatoms in high-density alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) has been investigated. Surface reconstructions in ethylthiol (ET) SAMs due to gold adatoms have been studied using DFT calculations. Relative energies are compared based on binding and surface energies calculated for different lattices using the same unit cell. We have found a structure with two ET-Au-ET adatom moieties binding on top of surface gold atoms as the most stable structure. Our model is consistent with the structural parameters obtained from experiments. In particular, the simulated STM image displays the characteristic zig-zag pattern. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009


Giant rockslides and slumps are recognized over a large part of the east limb of the Sinking Creek anticline, a southern Appalachian fold. The slides are among the largest such features known in the Appalachians and are found within 15 km of the active Giles County, Virginia, seismic zone. The zone of rockslides, identified by anomalous topography and geologic structures, is about 25 km long and 1.0 km wide. Downslope transport, ranging from 0.5 to 1.0 km, of at least 100 million m 3 of Silurian sandstones and shales can be identified. During sliding, bedding within individual blocks, as much as 5.0 km long, has undergone 30° to 90° rotation about a horizontal axis. The displaced masses have undergone extensive erosion and dissection and may be only remnants of previously more extensive slides. Secondary features associated with the rockslides include breakaway scarps, slope reversals, sag ponds, and slide breccias. The recognition of these features, which might be mistaken for remnants of an Alleghanian thrust sheet, suggests that examination of similar settings throughout the southern and central Appalachian Valley and Ridge province might disclose additional examples of large ancient rockslides.


Business-process management (BPM) is nowadays a key technology for the automation and support of processes in medium-sized and large organizations. This technology has been successfully applied to business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce since the '90s, and it is now being applied also in e-government for the management of administrative procedures. As stated in Aalst, Hofstede, and Weske (2003), the origins of BPM technologies can be found in the '70s with the research on office information systems. Research in this area was almost stopped in the '80s, but it rose again in the '90s under the name of work-flow management. Now it is evolving with a more integral approach and a new name: BPM. It is defined in Aalst, Hofstede, and Weske (2003, p. 4) as "supporting business processes using methods, techniques, and software to design, enact, control, and analyze operational processes involving humans, organizations, applications, documents and other sources of information." The main functionalities provided by a BPM system are defining business processes, automatically enacting them, controlling their enactment, and analyzing them. This article is focused on the last functionality: business-process analysis (BPA). BPA can be defined as a set of technologies that provide support for obtaining relevant properties of business-process models in order to reason about them, detect functional errors, or improve their performance. BPA was a neglected area in the work-flow management systems developed in the '90s. Will van der Aalst (1998) was one of the first researchers in this field. He proposed the use of petri nets for modeling business processes and the application of the analysis theory developed for this formalism to demonstrate the correctness of the developed processes, analyze performance, and so forth. Since then, other approaches, based on formal methods, were proposed. BPA is important for BPM because it provides the technology for improving the reliability and efficiency of the business process of organizations. Reliability considerably reduces expenses caused by errors in transactions. Efficiency reduces expenses caused by an inefficient use of resources and can improve the satisfaction of customers. The next section provides a background on the most important analysis technologies: functional verification and performance measuring. Then, the discussion is focused on functional verification. An overview on how different authors applied functional verification to business processes is presented. Then these works are analyzed and an open, modular, and extensible architecture for the functional verification of business processes is presented. Later, the future trends on this topic are outlined. Finally, the conclusion highlights the main concepts introduced in this article.


When large companies get Agile right, the results can be stunning. Productivity can improve by a factor of three. Employee engagement, measured in quantitative surveys, increases dramatically too. New product features can be released within weeks or months rather than quarters or years. Rates of innovation rise, while the number of defects and do-overs declines. In the first year after going Agile, one bank's development team increased the value delivered per dollar spent by 50%, simultaneously cutting development time in half and improving employee engagement by one-third.


Abstract Plant–microbe interactions in the rhizosphere influence rates of organic matter mineralization and nutrient cycling that are critical to sustainable agricultural productivity. Agricultural intensification, particularly the introduction of synthetic fertilizer in the USA, altered the abundance and dominant forms of nitrogen (N), a critical plant nutrient, potentially imposing selection pressure on plant traits and plant–microbe interactions regulating N cycling and acquisition. We hypothesized that maize adaptation to synthetic N fertilization altered root functional traits and rhizosphere microbial nutrient cycling, reducing maize ability to acquire N from organic sources. Six maize genotypes released pre-fertilizer (1936, 1939, 1942) or post-fertilizer (1984, 1994, 2015) were grown in rhizoboxes containing patches of 15N-labelled clover/vetch residue. Multivariate approaches did not identify architectural traits that strongly and consistently predicted rhizosphere processes, though metrics of root morphological plasticity were linked to carbon- and N-cycling enzyme activities. Root traits, potential activities of extracellular enzymes (BG, LAP, NAG, urease), abundances of N-cycling genes (amoA, narG, nirK, nirS, nosZ) and uptake of organic N did not differ between eras of release despite substantial variation among genotypes and replicates. Thus, agricultural intensification does not appear to have impaired N cycling and acquisition from organic sources by modern maize and its rhizobiome. Improved mechanistic understanding of rhizosphere processes and their response to selective pressures will contribute greatly to rhizosphere engineering for sustainable agriculture.