This paper deals with the application of adaptive fractional order control to networked control systems (NCSs) to compensate the effects of timevarying network-induced delays. In essence, it adapts both the gains and the orders of a local PI α D µ controller in accordance with the current network condition in order to avoid a decreased control performance. A frequency domain framework is provided to analyze the system stability on the basis of the switching systems theory. The velocity control of a servomotor through the Internet is given to show the effectiveness of the proposed adaptive controller, including a comparison with non- and gain scheduled controllers.


The Lorentz law of force is the fifth pillar of classical electrodynamics, the other four being Maxwell's macroscopic equations. The Lorentz law is the universal expression of the force exerted by electromagnetic fields on a volume containing a distribution of electrical charges and currents. If electric and magnetic dipoles also happen to be present in a material medium, they are traditionally treated by expressing the corresponding polarization and magnetization distributions in terms of bound-charge and bound-current densities, which are subsequently added to free-charge and free-current densities, respectively. In this way, Maxwell's macroscopic equations are reduced to his microscopic equations, and the Lorentz law is expected to provide a precise expression of the electromagnetic force density on material bodies at all points in space and time. This Letter presents incontrovertible theoretical evidence of the incompatibility of the Lorentz law with the fundamental tenets of special relativity. We argue that the Lorentz law must be abandoned in favor of a more general expression of the electromagnetic force density, such as the one discovered by Einstein and Laub in 1908. Not only is the Einstein-Laub formula consistent with special relativity, it also solves the long-standing problem of "hidden momentum" in classical electrodynamics.


PURPOSE
Evaluate the feasibility of constructing 3D-printed patient-specific surface mould applicators for HDR brachytherapy treatment of superficial lesions.

METHODS
We propose using computer-aided design software to create 3D printed surface mould applicators for brachytherapy. A mould generation module was developed in the open-source 3D Slicer (www.slicer.org) medical image analysis platform. The system extracts the skin surface from CT images, and generates smooth catheter paths over the region of interest based on user-defined start and end points at a specified stand-off distance from the skin surface. The catheter paths are radially extended to create catheter channels that are sufficiently wide to ensure smooth insertion of catheters for a safe source travel. An outer mould surface is generated to encompass the channels. The mould is also equipped with fiducial markers to ensure its reproducible placement. A surface mould applicator with eight parallel catheter channels of 4mm diameters was fabricated for the nose region of a head phantom; flexible plastic catheters of 2mm diameter were threaded through these channels maintaining 10mm catheter separations and a 5mm stand-off distance from the skin surface. The apparatus yielded 3mm thickness of mould material between channels and the skin. The mould design was exported as a stereolithography file to a Dimension SST1200es 3D printer and printed using ABS Plus plastic material.

RESULTS
The applicator closely matched its design and was found to be sufficiently rigid without deformation during repeated application on the head phantom. Catheters were easily threaded into channels carved along catheter paths. Further tests are required to evaluate feasibility of channel diameters smaller than 4mm.

CONCLUSION
Construction of 3D-printed mould applicators show promise for use in patient specific brachytherapy of superficial lesions. Further evaluation of 3D printing techniques and materials is required for constructing sufficiently thin, rigid and durable surface moulds suitable for clinical deployment.


Biosafety Tips brings you practical approaches to biosafety or "news you can use." If you are looking for a useful and sensible solution to a biocontainment problem or perhaps a reference to help convince a skeptical researcher of the need for caution, this is the place to look. In this column I share some biosafety insights for managing a variety of workplace situations. I welcome feedback or suggestions for future topics. Please e-mail any comments, suggestions, or insights to Karen Byers at email@example.com.


Summary
The co-ordination of expression of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes was studied in developing flowers. Four genes encoding enzymes operating late in the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway are induced together during flower development but the early steps appear to be induced more rapidly. Co-ordination of expression could imply a common regulatory mechanism controlling the expression of metabolically related genes. The data presented here show that while four genes may share such a mechanism for the control of their expression during flower development, different control processes regulate the early steps of the pathway. Spatially, gene expression is patterned across the flower and appears to be very similar for all the biosynthetic genes. However, the observed influence of the regulatory gene Delila shows that the spatial co-ordination of gene expression must involve more than one regulatory system. Delila itself appears to have a dual function, being required for activation of expression of the later genes in the flower tube but repressing chalcone synthase gene expression in the mesophyll of the corolla lobes. It is postulated that common signals induce the expression of genes in the pathway during flower development. The data presented here suggest that the same regulatory mechanism interprets these signals for four of the genes encoding the later biosynthetic enzymes, but that different or modified mechanisms interpret the signals to control expression of chalcone synthase and chalcone isomerase genes in Antirrhinum flowers.


Crisis in Sociology presents a compelling portrait of sociology's current troubles and proposes a controversial remedy. In the authors' view, sociology's crisis has deep roots, traceable to the over-ambitious sweep of the discipline's founders. Generations of sociologists have failed to focus effectively on the tasks necessary to build a social science. The authors see sociology's most disabling flaw in the failure to discover even a single general law or principle. This makes it impossible to systematically organize empirical observations, guide inquiry by suggesting falsifiable hypotheses, or form the core of a genuinely cumulative body of knowledge. Absent such a theoretical tool, sociology can aspire to little more than an amorphous mass of hunches and disconnected facts. The condition engenders confusion and unproductive debate. It invites fragmentation and predation by applied social disciplines, such as business administration, criminal justice, social work, and urban studies. Even more dangerous are incursions by prestigious social sciences and by branches of evolutionary biology that constitute the frontier of the current revolution in behavioral science. Lopreato and Crippen argue that unless sociology takes into account central developments in evolutionary science, it will not survive as an academic discipline. Crisis in Sociology argues that participation in the "new social science," exemplified by thriving new fields such as evolutionary psychology, will help to build a vigorous, scientific sociology. The authors analyze research on such subjects as sex roles, social stratification, and ethnic conflict, showing how otherwise disconnected features of the sociological landscape can in fact contribute to a theoretically coherent and cumulative body of knowledge.


In the field of cavity nano-optomechanics, the nanoresonator-in-the-middle approach consists in inserting a sub-wavelength sized deformable resonator, here a nanowire, in the small mode volume of a fiber microcavity. Internal resonances in the nanowire enhance the light nanowire interaction which provide giant coupling strengthes -- sufficient to enter the single photon regime of cavity optomechanics -- at the condition to precisely position the nanowire within the cavity field. Here we expose a theoretical description that combines an analytical formulation of the Mie-scattering of the intracavity light by the nanowire and an input-output formalism describing the dynamics of the intracavity optical eigenmodes. We investigate both facets of the optomechanical interaction describing the position dependent parametric and dissipative optomechanical coupling strengths, as well as the optomechanical force field experienced by the nanowire. We find a quantitative agreement with recent experimental realization. We discuss the specific phenomenology of the optomechanical interaction which acquires a vectorial character since the nanowire can identically vibrate along both transverse directions: the optomechanical force field presents a non-zero rotational, while anomalous positive cavity shifts are expected. Taking advantage of the large Kerr-like non linearity, this work opens perspectives in the field of quantum optics with nanoresonator with for instance broadband squeezing of the outgoing cavity fields close to the single photon level.


FluoRender is a software program used for the visualization and analysis of 3-D biological image data, particularly from fluorescence microscopy. We examine FluoRender's script system to demonstrate its translation process. In this article, we borrow the concept of lingua franca from linguistics. We designed a connecting language between the source and target domains for translation, thereby augmenting understanding and acceptance. In FluoRender's script system, the lingua franca consists of the mapping between the control of the media player and the computational and interactive subroutines of an analysis workflow. Workflows supporting automatic, semiautomatic, and manual operations were made available and easily accessible to end users. The formalization of the lingua franca as a technique for translational computer science provides guidance for future development.


Chemotherapy is a standard strategy for glioma, while chemoresistance remains a major therapeutic challenge in current clinical practice. Our present study was aimed to determine whether inhibition of the miR‐223/paired box 6 (PAX6) pathway could increase the sensitivity of glioma to Temozolomide. An elevated level of miR‐223 was observed in glioma tissues. Exogenous miR‐223 promoted cell survival when exposed to Temozolomide (TMZ), while miR‐223 inhibition could reverse this process. The RNA and protein levels of PAX6 were significantly decreased by exogenous miR‐223, and the 3′‐untranslated region of PAX6 was shown to be a target of miR‐223. Besides, it has also been reported that PI3K/Akt signaling pathway is pivotal to regulate glioma growth and proliferation. In the present study, we revealed that miR‐223/PAX6 axis regulated the growth, invasion, and chemo resistance of glioblastoma stem cells to TMZ via regulating PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, which present a novel potential therapy for intervention of glioblastoma. Taken together, our findings shed new light on the miR‐223/PAX6 pathway in glioma and this pathway might modulate the sensitivity of glioma to TMZ via regulating PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 3452–3461, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Upper-limb impairments are all-pervasive in Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). As a consequence, people affected by a loss of arm function must endure severe limitations. To compensate for the lack of a functional arm and hand, we developed a wearable system that combines different assistive technologies including sensing, haptics, orthotics and robotics. The result is a device that helps lifting the forearm by means of a passive exoskeleton and improves the grasping ability of the impaired hand by employing a wearable robotic supernumerary finger. A pilot study involving 3 patients, which was conducted to test the capability of the device to assist in performing ADLs, confirmed its usefulness and serves as a first step in the investigation of novel paradigms for robotic assistance.


The brown hare ( Lepus europaeus Pallas) is a widely popular game species throughout Europe and a species of specific biological and economical interest, which plays an important role in the hunting economy of Vojvodina (Serbia). Awareness of the value of genetic resources has encouraged studies of the genetic diversity present in different game populations. The aim of the present study was to evaluate genetic diversity in brown hare populations from Vojvodina using two molecular marker systems, allozyme and microsatellite variability, and to compare the data obtained using these two methods. Standard protocols for allozyme and microsatellite analyses in brown hares were used to measure the degree of genetic variability within and among three brown hare populations from Vojvodina: Backa, Banat and Srem, defined using geographical criterion. Both marker systems revealed significant differences between observed and expected heterozygosity in the populations, as well as positive fixation indice values. Significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg expectations were not detected for all analyzed loci, indicating that the detected deficit of heterozygotes was the consequence of slight gene pool substructuring, rather than inbreeding effects. Microsatellite analysis revealed negligible population differentiation, while allozyme analysis revealed slightly moderate differentiation, supporting previous data showing that there is a generally shallow gene pool divergence among brown hare populations in Europe. Graphical analysis of allozyme variability data suggests lower genetic differentiation between Banat and Srem brown hare populations, in contrast with phylogenetic trees derived from microsatellite variability data, where Backa and Banat brown hare populations were genetically less different. Considering previous analyses of the same populations using nuclear and mtDNA variability data, which suggest a closer gene pool affinity between Backa and Banat, we conclude that although fewer markers were employed, microsatellite-derived data still yields more reliable results than allozyme variability data.


Objective: Our objective was to assess low-cost and feasible feedback alternatives and compare them to Lambert's OQ feedback system. We also studied patient, therapist, and process characteristics that could moderate the effect of feedback on outcome, session attendance, and alliance. Method: A total of 547 patients, 75% female, average age 41 (SD = 13), 95% Latino, treated in an outpatient individual psychotherapy setting in Chile were randomly assigned to five feedback conditions: no feedback, feedback on symptomatology, feedback on the alliance, feedback on both symptomatology and alliance, and Lambert's OQ progress feedback report. The measures included the Outcome Questionnaire and the Working Alliance Inventory. We also had follow-up interviews with therapists. Results: We found through multilevel modeling that feedback had no effect on outcome, session attendance, and alliance. Contrary to previous findings, these results were maintained even when focusing only on patients "not-on-track." However, patients' former psychiatric hospitalization history and baseline severity, combined with lack of progress, significantly moderated the impact of feedback. For this more dysfunctional population, "positive feedback" (i.e., low symptomatology) to therapists had a positive impact on therapy outcome, while "negative feedback" (i.e., high symptomatology) had a negative impact. Conclusions: Providing feedback to therapists without offering them tools to improve treatment may be ineffective and even be detrimental. This may be especially the case for patients who suffer more severe mental health issues and whose therapists receive mostly discouraging news as feedback.


To identify and account for the effects from cryocontamination, the infrared spectral transmittances of cryofilms formed by CO2, H2O, and NH3 were measured. These 0.25–14-μm-thick films were cryopumped onto 20-, 80-, and in one case 50-K germanium substrates; the deposition pressures for the films deposited at 20 K and that for 80-K films were approximately 2 × 10−6 Torr. Transmittance spectra were obtained for the 500–3700-cm−1 range with a Fourier-transform spectrometer. Values of the optical properties (n, k) for the CO2, H2O, and NH3 cryofilms were derived from the experimental data using a thin-film-transmittance analytical model and the nonlinear least-squares method. Results from the least-squares method are compared with a Kramers–Kronig determination of the refractive index (n). The optical properties (n, k) of such cryofilms are essential for predicting the degradation of contaminated cryocooled optical surfaces.


The utilization of application-to-application (A2A) credentials within interpretive language scripts and application code has long been a security risk. The quandaries being how to protect and secure the credentials handled in the main body of code and avoid exploitation from rogue programmers, system administrators and other users with authorized high levels of privilege.
Researchers report that A2A credentials cannot be protected and that there is no way to reduce the risk of the inevitable successful attack and subsequent exploit. Therefore, research efforts to date have primarily been focused on mitigating the impact of the attack rather than finding ways to reduce the attack surface.
The work contained herein successfully addresses this serious cross-cutting concern and proves that it is in fact possible to significantly reduce the risk of attack. This reduction of risk was accomplished through implementing a method of credential obfuscation which applied advice with concerns utilizing a composition filter. The filter modified messages containing the credentials as they were sent from the interpretive language script to the remote data store.
The modification extracted credentials from a secure password vault and inserted them into the message being sent to the remote data store. This modification moved the handling of the credentials from the main body of code to a secure library and out of the reach of attackers with authorized high levels of privilege. The relocation of the credential handling code lines significantly reduced the attack surface and the overall risk of attack.


A classic philosopher in the Bildung tradition, Humboldt argued that general Bildung was the opposite of specialist training (vocational education). This has been a matter of contention and the aim here is to revisit the issue through an empirical case study. In the vocational education biography of craft master Wolfgang B. he speaks about aspects of his education that have much in common with Humboldt's ideal of general Bildung but transposed into the context of vocational education and training (VET). The concept of vocationalism (Beruflichkeit) provides context to the present argument which is that the contrast Humboldt made is relevant but not in the sense of there being two categories of education (general and vocational) but rather two expressions of pedagogy: one expansive and one exclusive. Furthermore, there are two versions of general or expansive Bildung present in the case. The conclusions are that empirical studies of vocational Bildung expand on the concept of Bildung, increase our understanding of how VET contains affordances of Bildung and of the curriculum-patterns related to this.


Abstract Purpose: Home-time (the number of days spent at home during the first 3 months after stroke) shows a strong association with the modified Rankin scale (mRS). We studied whether Home-time was also a determinant of quality-of-life and medical care costs after ischemic stroke, and assessed factors delaying discharge home. Materials and methods: Five hundred and sixty nine patients participated in a retrospective study when returning for an in-person visit after an ischemic stroke. Home-time, mRS, EQ-5D-3L, inpatient and outpatient resource utilization, use of mobility aids, changes to home and car, comorbidities were recorded. Results: Each additional Home-time day was significantly associated with an increase in utility of 0.0056 (p < 0.0001) and an in- and outpatient cost saving of $99 (p = 0.0158). Requiring extra material support significantly decreased Home-time by 76 days (including: requiring home changes: -68 days, car alterations: -49 days, needing a wheelchair: -80 days or walker: -71 days, needing bed or bath rails: -79 days). This univariable effect was confirmed in multivariable analysis when comparing with patients having the same disability level without requiring material support. Conclusions: Home-time is a stroke outcome associated with disease severity, healthcare costs and patient wellbeing. Streamlining the discharge process for those requiring extra material support may lead to cost savings and higher quality-of-life. Implications for rehabilitation Delays in discharge from the acute hospital or rehabilitation facility are incurred when patients need extra material support in order to return home. Staff from the discharging facility should assist families by giving timely information on the availability and the cost of wheel chairs and walkers; and explaining and planning the need of a stair lift, bed and bath rails as well as car modifications. Planning the discharge process with the families will lead to a more rapid return home and will result in reduced overall health care costs and higher quality of life for the patients.


Tested, among 110 Dutch undergraduate students, the effects of action frame (AF) under conditions of fear arousal (FA). We predicted an interaction effect between FA and AF that would show that high FA paired with loss information leads to a more positive evaluation of the recommended action than do combinations of (a) high FA with gain information and (b) low FA with either loss or gain information. In the high-threat condition, Ss read information that stressed the severity of breast cancer and the Ss' susceptibility to it. In the low-threat condition, the S's susceptibility to breast cancer was described as low. FA was measured by 4 items on a 9-point scale. Next, Ss then read information about performing breast self-examination that was presented either in a loss frame or in a gain frame. The main dependent variable was a relative evaluation of the importance of monthly breast self-examination performance compared with 5 other health behaviors. A main effect of FA was found, but this effect seemed to be qualified by the predicted interaction between FA and AF, which approached significance. Simple contrast analyses show that Ss in the high FA-loss condition evaluated breast self-examination as more important than Ss in any of the other groups. Further research is suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)


To our knowledge, natural history has not been reported for cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) diagnosed by pathologic evaluation of the apical core at left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation or cardiac transplantation. We retrospectively identified 232 consecutive patients meeting CS criteria. Of these patients, 54 were diagnosed by pathologic confirmation of CS, 10 after evaluation of the apical core (LVAD implant) or explanted heart (transplant). We compared clinical characteristics at initial evaluation and outcomes for these 10 patients with those of 10 patients with known CS before LVAD implant/transplant. In the study group, five patients (50%) had confirmed extracardiac sarcoidosis before LVAD implant/transplant; five had not been diagnosed with sarcoidosis. Mean (standard deviation) left ventricular ejection fraction at initial evaluation was 23% (16%), and left ventricular end-diastolic dimension was 61 (10) mm. Four patients died during follow-up; however, no survival difference was found for the 10 patients diagnosed incidentally and the group with a previous diagnosis or institutional LVAD/transplant cohorts. Patients diagnosed with CS on pathological examination of the apical core/explanted heart may have severe dilated cardiomyopathy as the initial presentation. Outcomes for patients with CS after advanced heart failure therapies may be comparable with those of non-CS patients.


Over recent decades, research on the internet and political participation has substantially developed, from speculative studies on possible impacts in social and economic life to detailed analyses of organizational usage. In the field of politics focus is increasingly shifting from understanding organizational, or supply side, to the usage and dimension of citizen engagement. Citizens have various ways to engage in civic political life, with many new forms of engagement facilitated by digital technologies. The question is to what extent these forms of engagement have any impact on society and the way society is governed. More particularly, what forms of engagement have impact, what type of impact is evidenced, is that impact positive or negative, in what ways and for whom?


The biostability of the polymer is one of the critical parameters to use them for biomaterial application. Polyurethane being one of the most compliant polymer but there are concerns regarding its resistance to degradation, particularly from hydrolysis and oxidation. The aim of this study is to synthesise a novel bioactive composite by creating a covalent linkage between polyurethane and nano-apatites and to analyse the in-vitro hydrolytic degradation of a series of newly synthesised polyurethane (PU) and polyurethane/nano-hydroxyapatite (PU/n-HA) composites. Nano-apatite powder was produced through sol-gel technique. A novel polyurethane composite material was prepared by chemically bonding the n-HA to the diisocyanate component in the polyurethane backbone by utilising solvent polymerisation. The concentration of nano-apatite was 5, 10, 15 and 20% wt/wt in polyurethane. Hydrolytic degradation of the PU and PU/n-HA composites were carried out both in deionised water and in phosphate buffer solution (PBS) having (pH 7.4) at 37 °C for a predetermined time interval of 90 days. The PU and PU/ n-HA composites were physically and chemically characterised by using contact angle measurement, weight loss, Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy couples with Photoacoustic Sampling Cell (FTIR-PAS), Raman Spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). These characterisations showed that with the addition of n-HA the composite exhibits hydrophobic behaviour and degradation rate reduces due to covalent linkage between n-HA and PU. Hence it has been concluded that the degradation rate of the newly developed PU/n-HA composites can be controlled, which helps in tailor making the biomaterial for specific applications. Copyright © 2008 American Scientific Publishers All rights reserved.


The Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) is currently a dominant method of sensor fusion used for navigation of mobile devices, robotics and autonomous vehicles. One navigation system involves the EKF fusion of an Inertial Navigation System (INS) with a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) to perform 3D pose estimation, which is essential to practical applications like autonomous vehicles and UAVs. This system involves using the INS to predict pose changes and uses GNSS measurements when available to correct for estimation drifts and sensor errors. The performance of the state estimation is heavily dependent on the accurate selection of EKF parameters, leading to the optimal selection of parameters being a critical factor in the design and use of the EKF. In this paper, a methodical and efficient method of EKF parameter tuning is presented. The tuning framework uses nominal parameters generated by Gauss Markov (GM) and Allan Variance (AV) methods that are tuned by Genetic Algorithms (GA) accelerated by a Design of Experiment (DoE) technique to efficiently optimize EKF parameters. This framework has been implemented in MATLAB and tested using simulations and real data. The results demonstrate that GA tuned parameters increases accuracy substantially, and that the DoE technique consistently improves the convergence behavior of the GA.


In this work we present a GIS web-based open source platform for wireless in situ geosensor data visualization and distributed geoprocessing. Emphasis is put on: i) visualization of sensor measurements and sensor location on a map; ii) geoprocessing of these data; iii) and, visualization of geoprocessing results on a map. The platform combines the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) standards, in particular the Sensor Observation Service (SOS), and the OGC Web Processing Service (WPS).


Globalization and FDI an important input to future economic growth and in general they are regarded as a positive energy for improved quality of life, acceleration of economic growth, efficient allocation of resources and great productivity improvement. Whereas, anti-globalization site squabbled that it adds to poverty and leads to worsening in the distribution of incomes. Pakistan also embarked on a path towards liberalizing like many other developing countries, its trade and investment with the expectations that it will stimulate economic growth. This study examines the impact of globalization and FDI on economic growth in Pakistan using ARDL bound testing technique over the period 1980-2016.


Driver assistance systems have increasingly relied on more sensors for new functions. As advanced driver assistance system continue to improve towards automated driving, new methods are required for processing the data in an efficient and economical manner from the sensors for such complex systems. The detection of dynamic objects is one of the most important aspects required by advanced driver assistance systems and automated driving. In this thesis, an environment model approach for the detection of dynamic objects is presented in order to realize an effective method for sensor data fusion. A scalable high-level fusion architecture is developed for fusing object data from several sensors in a single system, where processing occurs in three levels: sensor, fusion and application. A complete and consistent object model which includes the object's dynamic state, existence probability and classification is defined as a sensor-independent and generic interface for sensor data fusion across all three processing levels. Novel algorithms are developed for object data association and fusion at the fusion-level of the architecture. An asynchronous sensor-to-global fusion strategy is applied in order to process sensor data immediately within the high-level fusion architecture, giving driver assistance systems the most up-todate information about the vehicle's environment. Track-to-track fusion algorithms are uniquely applied for dynamic state fusion, where the information matrix fusion algorithm produces results comparable to a low-level central Kalman filter approach. The existence probability of an object is fused using a novel approach based on the Dempster-Shafer evidence theory, where the individual sensor's existence estimation performance is considered during the fusion process. A similar novel approach with the Dempster-Shafer evidence theory is also applied to the fusion of an object's classification. The developed high-level sensor data fusion architecture and its algorithms are evaluated using a prototype vehicle equipped with 12 sensors for surround environment perception. A thorough evaluation of the complete object model is performed on a closed test track using vehicles equipped with hardware for generating an accurate ground truth. Existence and classification performance is evaluated using labeled data sets from real traffic scenarios. The evaluation demonstrates the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed sensor data fusion approach. The work presented in this thesis has additionally been extensively used in several research projects as the dynamic object detection platform for automated driving applications on highways in real traffic.


The last few years have been characterised by an increasing awareness of the inadequacy of children's therapeutic options and of science's insufficient knowledge in this area.1 2 The well-documented, frequent use of off-label and unlicensed medications in the young,3 4 with the increased risks it carries,5 can be seen as an indicator of the still limited knowledge on paediatric drug therapies. This lack of data is generally due to the greater difficulties inherent (ethical, practical and economic) in carrying out clinical trials in children. In such a context, given the scant evidence available on the safety and efficacy of drug therapies, the use of drugs in children is often inappropriate and not rational.6

With the awareness of the inadequate situation came the need to study paediatric research more closely to identify which disease areas are being addressed and which therapeutic needs of children are being ignored. The systematic analysis of drug use (also in children)7 and the analysis of off-label and unlicensed drug use data can be useful to highlight areas in which therapeutic knowledge is lacking. However, in order to direct research towards areas that are not being covered, as opposed to areas that are well-defined or over-exposed to research, knowledge of ongoing and planned research is also necessary; thus the importance of trial registers. Registers are the means by which researchers and anyone working in the healthcare field can access data on research being carried out and use such data to orient their therapeutic choices, their work and their research plans. In order for registers to be useful, however, data on all trials must be reported, even if fear of competition may hinder participation.8 Trial registration is, in fact, fundamental, and it is so for numerous reasons related to aspects of research …


Context: Following the social cognitive career theory of Lent, Brown, and Hackett (1994), the current study examines the effect of role models' professions and practical internship experiences on the choice of professional environment independent of professional interests. Embedded in the Swiss context with its strong vocational training system, the paper outlines to what extent the desired professional environment is realized in the chosen apprenticeship two years later and how this realization can be predicted. The theoretical model proposes that students form direct professional experiences during their first internship(s). If those experiences are positive, students choose an apprenticeship in the same professional environment. Students have indirect (vicarious) professional experiences through their role models. If those experiences are positive, students choose an apprenticeship in the role model's professional environment. The study examined whether, independent of professional interests, direct experiences in internships and indirect experiences through role models' professions predict the realization of a desired professional environment in an apprenticeship.Method: The longitudinal sample consists of N = 348 seventh- and ninth-grade students from four German-speaking Swiss cantons. Professional interests and environments were measured using standardized questionnaires. The professional environments of the desired professions, the chosen apprenticeships, the role model's professions, and the internship's professions were coded using Holland's (1997) interest types: realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional (RIASEC).Results: In 53% of the cases, students chose an apprenticeship in the professional environment they desired. In 53% of the cases, the chosen professional environment corresponded with the professional environment of the student's two most important role models. In 39% of the cases, those role models were their parents. By means of logistic regression analyses, we can show that role models' professional environments and the professional environment of the first internship influenced the realization of the desired professional environment at the end of lower secondary school, independent of the effect of the individuals' interests.Conclusions: Results show that direct professional experiences in internships and indirect experiences of role models influence the realization of the desired professional environment, independent of professional interests. In a contextual approach, career counselling should include the role model's profession and how it corresponds with the client's interests and professional desires. Moreover, role models, especially parents, have a responsibility to reflect on how their goals influence students' career choice processes.


Much of identity formation processes nowadays takes place online, indicating that intergroup differentiation may be found in online communities. This paper focuses on identity formation processes in an open online xenophobic, anti-immigrant, discussion forum. Open discussion forums provide an excellent opportunity to investigate open interactions that may reveal how identity is formed and how individual users are influenced by other users. Using computational text analysis and Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC), our results show that new users change from an individual identification to a group identification over time as indicated by a decrease in the use of "I" and increase in the use of "we". The analyses also show increased use of "they" indicating intergroup differentiation. Moreover, the linguistic style of new users became more similar to that of the overall forum over time. Further, the emotional content decreased over time. The results indicate that new users on a forum create a collective identity with the other users and adapt to them linguistically.


ABSTRACT Silurian dolomite that crops out in a quarry at Maumee, Ohio USA, forms a thick reef complex roughly 600 m in diameter and about 68 m thick. It is composed, in ascending stratigraphic order, of the Lockport Dolomite and the Greenfield Dolomite. The Lockport Dolomite at Maumee contains multistory stromatolite, thrombolite, and coral-microbialite reefs. Such reefs have never been reported previously in this unit in Ohio and Indiana. Thrombolite and stromatolite reefs are interpreted to have formed in a subtidal setting possibly within a hypersaline lagoon. Wave stress affected the coral-microbialite reefs by limiting the number of metazoans and promoting the formation of fibrous cement inferred to have been marine precipitates originally in the form of magnesian calcite. Thrombolites an stromatolites form 20-60% by volume of coral-microbialite reefs, and they contributed substantially to the syndepositional stabilization of these reefs by serving as binders and encrusters of metazoans, especially branching corals. Such stabilization sharply limited the amount of sediment available for the formation of flank beds next to coral-microbialite reefs. Evolution of the Maumee reef complex (MRC) involved two shallowing-upward sequences, each of which was terminated by subaerial exposure. The older interval of subaerial exposure is represented by an intraformational unconformity within the Lockport Dolomite. The younger unconformity at the top of the Lockport Dolomite is correlated with the base of the A-1 evaporite in the Michigan Basin. Parts or all of patterns shown by coral-microbialite reefs and microbialite reefs in the MRC may provide an analogue for better understanding the nature and evolution of pinnacle reefs and patch reefs in the Michigan Basin region and other reefs elsewhere.


Functionalisation of polysulfone (PSU) with β-cyclodextrin (β.CD) is a potential vehicle for the design of drug delivery devices via complexation. In this approach, PSU film was first pre-activated by air plasma to facilitate a post-grafting reaction with methacrylic acid (MAA) and then amination by diamino-dipropylamine (DADPA). Finally, β.CD was anchored on to PSU-PMAA-DADPA surfaces via covalent bonding with amino groups. Creation of functional groups was confirmed by ATR-FTIR and functionalisation of PSU-PMAA-DADPA film with β.CD was verified by UV absorbance following immersion in phenolphthalein (PHP), which formed inclusion complexes with the attached β.CD. A reduction in absorbance of the PHP solution was observed, together with an increase in PHP exhaustion on to the PSU-PMAA-DADPA films as a result of functionalisation with β.CD. Increasing the amount of β.CD attached to the PSU-PMAA-DADPA films progressively increased PHP exhaustion until saturation was achieved.


In contrast to off-line search algorithms such as A ° and IDA', in real-time heuristic search we have to commit a move within a limited search horizon or time. One well known algorithm in this class is RTA'. An algorithm is said to learn if it improves its performance over successive problem trials. In RTA" the heuristic estimation is in general not admissible. Thus RTA ° has to be modified to a variant LRTA" that is capable of learning. The aim of the strategies proposed in this paper is to improve the estimations found in LRTA'. First, we examine two new schemas forward updating and backward updating for LRTA*. Then we propose CRTA" which works similar to RTA* but terminates with admissible heuristic values. It is shown that the strategy used in CRTA* can be made efficiently. Combined with lazy evaluation updating CRTA* leads to an improved real time learning algorithm called SLRTA'. Experimentally we show that CRTA* expands significantly less nodes than LRTA" and thus converges faster to the optimal values.


A new hierarchical approach for the recognition of unconstrained handwritten numerals is proposed. In order to obtain a reliable skeleton of the observed character, some preprocessing operations including smoothing, noise removal, normalization, and a thinning process are first applied to each character. Then, some interesting feature points are extracted from this reliable skeleton of the character. In the first stage of preclassification, a set of structural features named four-zone codes is adopted to preclassify the numerals. Due to the large degree of data and distortion of characters, a three layer fuzzy neural network is used for fine classification. Experimental results show that a high recognition rate over 99.5% is obtained. >


No contemporary French feminist has made a bigger impact in America than Helene Cixous. Brilliant, bold, and combative, author of numerous novels and a gargantuan study of James Joyce, and sponsor of a series of notorious seminars at the University of Paris about women's writing, she has exploited the roles of femme fatale and maitresse d'education in a career that has been spectacularly defiant and productive. Sihanouk is one of Cixous's most ambitious projects: the dramatic portrayal of the conflicts between old and new, East and West, North and South, religion and politics. At its center is the figure of Norodom Sihanouk. Vain when a prince, as king Sihanouk discovered his responsibility to his country and came to embody Cambodia. He used every means to keep his country growing, healthy, and out of the wars of Southeast Asia that consumed Laos and Vietnam. Cixous recognized in Sihanouk a historical figure as fascinating as a tragic king in Shakespeare: a man of uncommon intelligence on whom his country's history pivoted, a man placed by fate into a world of bad choices and surrounded by powerful and relentless antagonists. But Sihanouk gave Cixous something more: a king who is indisputably modern, who has read and loved Shakespeare, and whose story continues. First published in 1985, the play begins with Sihanouk's abdication in 1955 and ends with his arrest by the Khmer Rouge two decades later. The destiny of an entire country unfolds through the fifty characters who appear on stage.


Background . Cognitive impairment has been shown to predict falls risk in older adults. The ability to step accurately is necessary to safely traverse challenging terrain conditions such as uneven or slippery surfaces. However, it is unclear how well persons with cognitive impairment can step accurately to avoid such hazards and what specific aspects of cognition predict stepping ability in different patient populations. Methods . Healthy older adults (NC), patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment with only memory impairment (MCI– EF) or memory and executive function impairments (MCI þ EF) and early Alzheimer's patients (AD) were timed as they performed a stepping accuracy test with increasing cognitive demand (Walking Trail-Making Test; W-TMT), which required stepping on instrumented targets with either increasing sequential numbers (W-TMT A) or alternating sequential numbers and letters (W-TMT B). Results . After accounting for age and baseline walking speed, the AD and MCI þ EF groups were significantly slower than the NC and MCI–EF groups on the task with the highest cognitive demand, W-TMT B (interaction effect F ¼ 6.781, p , .0001). No group differences were noted on the W-TMT A task that was less cognitively demanding. Neuropsychological measures of executive functioning were associated with slower W-TMT B performance, whereas memory, visual attention and visual spatial skills were not (adjusted R 2 ¼ 0.42). Conclusions . Executive function is important for stepping performance, particularly under more complex envi- ronmental conditions.


Article history: Received: 12 September 2011 Accepted: 23 September 2011 Available online: 27 October 2011 Background: Anxiety among patients experiencing coronary angiography increases within invasive studies including angiography. Anxiety as an intensifier at cardiovascular reactions can endanger patients in angiography clinics. Studies indicate that lavendula spica L. inhalation can decrease anxiety. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of aromatherapy on the anxiety level of patients experiencing coronary angiography. Materials and Methods: This research is a clinical trial study performed on a group of 96 patients hospitalized in Sari Fatemeh-Zahra Hospital for coronary angiography who were randomly selected. They were divided in two subject (45 patients) and control (46 patients) groups. Demographic data sheets, recording sheet of homodynamic variables and Spielberger state-trait anxiety inventory were distributed among the two groups before and after aromatherapy. The data were analyzed using SPSS-16 as well as statistical T-test and chi-square test. Results: The two groups were homogenous in terms of gender, marital status, level of education, sickness background, age and health insurance. The data indicated that anxiety level decreased significantly in the subject group compared with the control group after aromatherapy (P < 0.0001). There was also a significant difference in systolic and diastolic blood pressure and respiratory rate as well as heartbeat parameters in these two groups. (P<0.05) Conclusion: Lavendula aroma inhalation can decrease anxiety level of patients before coronary angiography and accordingly aromatherapy can be used as health care intervention and mental support, without any side effects, for the patients before invasive interventions such as angiography. © 2012 Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, ZJRMS. All rights reserved.


In this paper, we compare how the term 'sovereignty' was used by MPs in parliamentary debates on the European Communities Bill in 1971–1972 and the European Union Bill in 2011. In both cases, the language of sovereignty was often a placeholder for deeper concerns about the erosion of the political power exercisable by domestic political institutions. Comparing parliamentary debates separated by almost forty years reveals a shift from concerns primarily about the erosion of sovereignty by the law-making powers of European political institutions towards concerns about its erosion by the courts, and the domestic courts at that. We reflect on these concerns to evaluate whether a possible UK withdrawal from the EU would lead to a 'regaining' of sovereignty.


A measles virus (Halle SSPE isolate) induced ring plaque phenomenon (concentric rings of living and dead cells) has been shown to be associated with the temperature-dependent production of interfering particles. The interfering particles have been purified by potassium tartrate linear gradient centrifugation and have buoyant densities of 1.15 g/ml (M particle) and 1.06 g/ml (L particle) respectively. Both interfering particle population have been shown to decrease the yield of wild-type measles virus from infected cells by 50% when co-infection experiments were performed. Neither the M or L particle population interfered with the growth of VSV in the same host-cell system.


Developing agricultural systems which are able to balance productivity and sustainability is critical for ensuring future food security. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are an important component of the soil microbial community and play a vital role in a range of essential ecosystem functions. Arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis is characterised by the exchange of carbon from host plants in return for nutrients captured in the soil by the fungi, however AMF may also provide important non-nutritional benefits such as improving host plant resistance to pathogens. AMF are known to form symbiosis with over 80% of land plants including many major crop plants and have therefore received recognition as a potential tool for improving sustainability of agro-ecosystems.
Apple is the fourth most widely planted fruit crop globally and is known to form symbiosis with AMF. The potential for AMF to improve orchard sustainability has been recognised by the cider apple industry and led to the overarching aim of this thesis which is to evaluate the potential benefits of AMF for cider apple production and sustainable management.
Using the combination of a semi-controlled growth experiment and a landscape scale sampling approach, this study has examined the benefit AMF can provide to growth, health and productivity of cider apple trees. Understanding impacts of orchard management upon AMF communities has been a key aim of this work due to the increasing body of research reporting reduced abundance and functioning of AMF within intensively managed agricultural environments. This study has characterised AMF communities naturally found within three major cider apple orchard management types and investigated how AMF communities are impacted by aspects of orchard management.
Results from this thesis provide evidence that AMF are able to provide disease resistance benefits to apple and are therefore beneficial to apple production. Furthermore data from this thesis shows that irrespective of management, cider apple orchards are able to host naturally diverse AMF communities which show similarities to the AMF communities of woodland. Results from this thesis have significant implications for orchard management and have highlighted several areas for potential future research.


We present first-principles based calculations of the tunneling conductance and magnetoconductance of epitaxial Fe(100) uMgO(100)uFe(100) sandwiches. Our results indicate that tunneling is much more interesting and complicated than the simple barrier model used previously. We obtain the following general results: ~1! Tunneling conductance depends strongly on the symmetry of the Bloch states in the electrodes and of the evanescent states in the barrier layer. ~2! Bloch states of different symmetry decay at different rates within the barrier. The decay rate is determined by the complex energy bands of the same symmetry in the barrier. ~3! There may be quantum interference between the decaying states in the barrier. This leads to an oscillatory dependence of the tunneling current on ki and a damped oscillatory dependence on barrier thickness. ~4! Interfacial resonance states can allow particular Bloch states to tunnel efficiently through the barrier. For Fe(100)uMgO(100)uFe(100) our calculations indicate that quite different tunneling mechanisms dominate the conductance in the two spin channels. In the majority channel the conductance is primarily via Bloch electrons with small transverse momentum. One particular state with D1 symmetry is able to effectively couple from the Fe into the MgO. In the minority channel the conductance is primarily through interface resonance states especially for thinner layers. We predict a large magnetoresistance that increases with barrier thickness.


Purulent disease of the uterus develops in 40% of dairy cows after parturition when the epithelium of the endometrium is disrupted to expose the underlying stroma to bacteria. The severity of endometrial pathology is associated with isolation of Trueperella pyogenes. In the present study, T. pyogenes alone caused uterine disease when infused into the uterus of cattle where the endometrial epithelium was disrupted. The bacterium secretes a cholesterol-dependent cytolysin, pyolysin (PLO), and the plo gene was identical and the plo gene promoter was highly similar amongst 12 clinical isolates of T. pyogenes. Bacteria-free filtrates of the T. pyogenes cultures caused hemolysis and endometrial cytolysis, and PLO was the main cytolytic agent because addition of anti-PLO antibody prevented cytolysis. Similarly, a plodeletion T. pyogenes mutant did not cause hemolysis or endometrial cytolysis. Endometrial stromal cells were notably more sensitive to PLO-mediated cytolysis than epithelial or immune cells. Stromal cells also contained more cholesterol than epithelial cells, and reducing stromal cell cholesterol content using cyclodextrins protected against PLO. Although T. pyogenes or plo-deletion T. pyogenes stimulated accumulation of inflammatory mediators such as IL-1beta, IL-6 and IL-8 from endometrium, PLO did not stimulate inflammatory responses by endometrial or hematopoietic cells, or in vitro organ cultures of endometrium. The marked sensitivity of stromal cells to PLO-mediated cytolysis provides an explanation for how T. pyogenes acts as an opportunistic pathogen to cause pathology of the endometrium once the protective epithelium is lost after parturition.


The first inbound Voyager 2 crossing of Saturn's bow shock [at 31.7 Saturn radii (RS), near local noon] and the last outbound crossing (at 87.4 RS, near local dawn) had similar plasma wave signatures. However, many other aspects of the plasma wave measurements differed considerably during the inbound and outbound passes, suggesting the presence of effects associated with significant north-south or noon-dawn asymmetries, or temporal variations. Within Saturn's magnetosphere, the plasma wave instrument detected electron plasma oscillations, upper hybrid resonance emissions, half-gyrofrequency harmonics, hiss and chorus, narrowband electromagnetic emissions and broadband Saturn radio noise, and noise bursts with characteristics of static. At the ring plane crossing, the plasma wave instrument also detected a large number of intense impulses that we interpret in terms of ring particle impacts on Voyager 2.


Background and Objectives Sedation is often requested during local and regional anesthesia. However, some surgical procedures, such as plastic surgery, require conscious sedation, which may be difficult to achieve. Hypnosis, used routinely to provide conscious sedation in the authors' Department of Plastic Surgery, results in high patient and surgeon satisfaction. The authors conducted a retrospective study to investigate the benefits of hypnosis in supplementing local anesthesia. Methods The study included 337 patients undergoing minor and major plastic surgical procedures under local anesthesia and conscious intravenous sedation. Patients were divided into three groups depending on the sedation technique: intravenous sedation (n = 137) using only midazolam and alfentanil; hypnosis (n = 172), during which patients achieved a hypnotic trance level with age regression; and relaxation (n = 28), comprising patients in whom hypnosis was induced without attaining a trance level. In all three groups, midazolam and alfentanil were titrated to achieve patient immobility, in response to patient complaints, and to maintain hemodynamic stability. Midazolam and alfentanil requirements; intra- and postoperative pain scores; as well as pre-, intra-, and postoperative anxiety scores, reported on a 10-cm visual analog scale, were recorded and compared in the three groups. Results Intraoperative anxiety reported by patients in the hypnosis group (0.7 ± 0.11) and in the relaxation group (2.08 ± 0.4) was significantly (P < .001) less than in the intravenous sedation group (5.6 ± 1.6). Pain scores during surgery were significantly greater in the intravenous sedation group (4.9 ± 0.6) than in the hypnosis group (1.36 ± 0.12; P < .001) and the relaxation group (1.82 ± 0.6; P < .01). Furthermore, midazolam requirements were significantly lower in the hypnosis group (P < .001) and in the relaxation group (P < .01) as compared with the intravenous sedation group: respectively, 0.04 ± 0.002, 0.07 ± 0.005, and 0.11 ± 0.01 mg/kg/h. Alfentanil requirements were significantly decreased in the hypnosis group, as compared with the intravenous sedation group: 10.2 ± 0.6 μg/kg/h versus 15.5 ± 2.07 μg/kg/h; P < .002. In the relaxation group, alfentanil requirements were 14.3 ± 1.5 μg/kg/h (ns). Postoperative nausea and vomiting were reported by 1.2% of patients in the hypnosis group, 12.8% in the relaxation group and 26.7% in the intravenous sedation group. Greater patient satisfaction with the anesthetic procedure and greater surgical comfort were also reported in the hypnosis group. Conclusions Successful hypnosis as an adjunct sedation procedure to conscious intravenous sedation provided better pain and anxiety relief than conventional intravenous sedation and allowed for a significant reduction in midazolam and alfentanil requirements. Patient satisfaction was significantly improved.


CONTEXT
The Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) is a bedside scoring system that is non-invasive, simple and repeatable to reflect dynamic changes in physiological state.

OBJECTIVE
This study aims to assess accuracy of MEWS and determine an optimal MEWS value in predicting severity in acute pancreatitis (AP).

METHODS
A prospective database of consecutive admissions with AP to a single institution was analysed to determine value of MEWS in identifying severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) and predicting poor outcome. Receiver operator curves (ROC) were used to determine optimal accuracy. Sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value (NPV), and positive predictive values (PPV) were calculated for the optimal MEWS values obtained.

RESULTS
One-hundred and 42 patients with AP were included. The optimal highest MEWS per 24 hours period (hMEWS) and mean MEWS per 24 hour period (mMEWS) in predicting SAP as determined by ROC were 2.5 and 1.625 respectively; with hMEWS ≥3 and mMEWS >1 utilised in this cohort as MEWS scores are whole numbers. On admission, sensitivity, specificity, NPV, PPV, and accuracy of hMEWS ≥3 was 95.5%, 90.8%, 99.0%, 65.6% and 92.0%; and for mMWES >1 was 95.5%, 87.5%, 99.0%, 58.3% and 88.7%, both superior than the Imrie score: 31.5%, 92.1%, 88.9%, 40.0% and 83.5%. The accuracy of hMEWS ≥3 and mMEWS >1 increased over the subsequent 72 hours (days 0-2) from 92 to 96%, and 89% to 94%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS
MEWS provides a novel, easy, instant, repeatable, reliable prognostic score that may be superior to existing scoring systems. A larger cohort is required to validate these findings.


The issue of erroneous convictions in capital cases has recently gained considerable nationwide media attention. This article builds on prior research by examining 76 cases of inmates who were released from death rows between 1970 and 1998 because of doubts about their guilt. By using sources, or persons who have extensive insider knowledge about these cases, as well as published court opinions, it was possible to identify the causes of the wrongful convictions as well as the significant events that led to the discovery of the miscarriages of justice. The data indicate that prosecutorial misconduct, perjury of witnesses, police misconduct, and racial discrimination were influential factors that led to the wrongful convictions. In addition, continued investigation by the defense attorney, new witnesses coming forward, and/or a confession from another person were the factors most often leading to the discovery of errors. These findings suggest that there have not been any significant changes in causes of erroneous convictions since the implementation of contemporary safeguards. As a result, policy changes are suggested to decrease the chances of erroneous executions.


The subject raises a huge interest in international circles, be it research groups, financial institutions or public decision makers due to market globalization and integration which trigger the risks that are spread from one market to the other through intensive financial flows. The definition of financial stability is controversial. Therefore we endeavor to select the most prominent views concerning this subject given its importance in modern economies. Further the most important macroeconomic determinants of financial stability are described as well as the requirements to fulfill this objective.


This article analyses what may be termed as the European Union's (EU) post-liberal approach to the Moldova–Transnistria conflict. Since 2003, within the ENP framework, the EU has become increasingly committed to its transformation. Such an engagement is further confirmed by the establishment of the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) in 2005, aimed at building confidence between the parties, stimulate their economic interdependence and change perceptions about the conflict. The mission's outcomes are moving beyond its technical scope, supporting the conflict peaceful transformation. The focus on bottom-up initiatives and local engagement allows for a broader understanding of the complex dynamics underlying the conflict, which together with the high-level negotiation process may provide a holistic approach to its resolution and increase the likelihood to reach a sustainable settlement.


The extraordinary sensitivity of CD8 (cid:3) T cells to recognize antigen impinges to a large extent on the coreceptor CD8. While several studies have shown that the CD8 (cid:2) chain endows CD8 with efficient coreceptor function, the molecular basis for this is enigmatic. Here we report that cell-associated CD8 (cid:4)(cid:2) , but not CD8 (cid:4)(cid:4) or soluble CD8 (cid:4)(cid:2) , substantially increases the avidity of T cell receptor (TCR)-ligand binding. To elucidate how the cytoplasmic and transmembrane portions of CD8 (cid:2) endow CD8 with efficient coreceptor function, we examined T1.4 T cell hybridomas transfected with various CD8 (cid:2) constructs. T1.4 hybridomas recognize a photoreactive Plasmodium berghei circumsporozoite (PbCS) peptide derivative (PbCS (4-azidobe-zoic acid [ABA])) in the context of H-2K d , and permit assessment of TCR-ligand binding by TCR photoaffinity labeling. We find that the cytoplasmic portion of CD8 (cid:2) , mainly due to its palmitoylation, mediates partitioning of CD8 in lipid rafts, where it efficiently associates with p56 lck . In addition, the cytoplasmic portion of CD8 (cid:2) mediates constitutive association of CD8 with TCR/CD3. The resulting TCR-CD8 adducts exhibit high affinity for major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-peptide. Importantly, because CD8 (cid:4)(cid:2) partitions in rafts, its interaction with TCR/CD3 promotes raft association of TCR/CD3. Engagement of these TCR/ CD3-CD8/lck adducts by multimeric MHC-peptide induces activation of p56 lck in rafts, which in turn phosphorylates CD3 and initiates T cell activation. column (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech) and used within 24 h. Experiments were performed at 25 (cid:13) C using HBS buffer (10 mM HEPES [pH 7.4], 150 mM NaCl, 3.4 mM EDTA, and 0.005% Surfactant P20; BIAcore) and a flow-rate of 10 (cid:9) l/ml.


Caribbean coral reefs have deteriorated substantially over the past 30 years, which is broadly attributable to the effects of global climate change. In the same time, Indo-Pacific reefs maintain higher coral cover and typically recover rapidly after disturbances. This difference in reef resilience is largely due to much higher coral recruitment rates in the Pacific. We hypothesized that the lack of Caribbean recruitment might be explained by diminishing quality of settlement cues and/or impaired sensitivity of Caribbean coral larvae to those cues, relative to the Pacific. To evaluate this hypothesis, we assembled a collection of bulk samples of reef encrusting communities, mostly consisting of crustose coralline algae (CCA), from various reefs around the world and tested them as settlement cues for several coral species originating from different ocean provinces. Cue samples were meta-barcoded to evaluate their taxonomic diversity. We observed no systematic differences either in cue potency or in strength of larval responses depending on the ocean province, and no preference of coral larvae towards cues from the same ocean. Instead, we detected significant differences in cue preferences among coral species, even for corals originating from the same reef. We conclude that the region-wide disruption of the settlement process is unlikely to be the major cause of Caribbean reef loss. However, due to their high sensitivity to the effects of climate change, shifts in the composition of CCA-associated communities, combined with pronounced differences in cue preferences among coral species, could substantially influence future coral community structure.


Four cases of cerebellar hemorrhage complicating temporal lobectomy are presented. A case of postoperative hemorrhage located remote from the operative site as a complication of intracranial surgery is rare, especially when it involves the cerebellum after supratentorial craniotomy. In a review of the literature, the authors identified only 12 such cases, none of which was described in the setting of a temporal lobectomy. The possible etiologies for cerebellar hemorrhage in the four cases presented are examined, including the role of epidural suction drains and the position of the head during surgery. The mechanism of cerebellar hemorrhage in this series of patients is probably multifactorial. Special attention throughout the perioperative course must be given to hemodynamic, anatomical, and physiological factors that together can affect the patient negatively.


The functional 5' flanking region of the human 12-lipoxygenase in epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells was characterized. By a primer extension method, the transcription initiation sites were mapped at -47 adenosine, -48 guanosine and -55 guanosine upstream of the ATG translation start codon. Transient transfection with a series of 5' and 3' deletion constructs showed that the 5' flanking region spanning from -224 to -100 bp was important for the basal expression of 12-lipoxygenase gene. Gel mobility shift assays with antibodies of transcription factors showed that both Sp1 and Sp3 required highly GC-rich Sp1 sites within this region for binding. Disruption of two Sp1 recognition motifs residing at -158 to -150 bp and -123 to -114 bp by site-directed mutagenesis markedly reduced the basal 12-lipoxygenase promoter activity and abolished the retarded bands in a gel-shift assay, indicating that these two Sp1-binding sites were essential for gene expression. The same two Sp1-binding sites in this promoter region were also responsible for epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced expression of 12-lipoxygenase gene. Moreover, EGF also induced the transcriptional activation of luciferase driven by SV40 early promoter, which contained rich Sp1-binding sites. Taken together, the results suggest that two specific Sp1 consensus sites are involved in the mediation of the basal promoter activity as well as EGF induction of the 12-lipoxygenase gene and that Sp1 and Sp3 transcription factors might have a role in their regulation.


The development of embodied conversational agents (ECA) as companions brings several challenges for both affective and conversational dialogue. These include challenges in generating appropriate affective responses, selecting the overall shape of the dialogue, providing prompt system response times, and handling interruptions. We present an implementation of such a companion showing the development of individual modules that attempt to address these challenges. Further, to resolve resulting conflicts, we present encompassing interaction strategies that attempt to balance the competing requirements along with dialogues from our working prototype to illustrate these interaction strategies in operation. Finally, we provide the results of an evaluation of the companion using an evaluation methodology created for conversational dialogue and including analysis using appropriateness annotation.


We revisit Machina's local utility as a tool to analyze attitudes to multivariate risks. Using martingale embedding techniques, we show that for non-expected utility maximizers choosing between multivariate prospects, aversion to multivariate mean preserving increases in risk is equivalent to the concavity of the local utility functions, thereby generalizing Machina's result in [18]. To analyze comparative risk attitudes within the multivariate extension of rank dependent expected utility of [10], we extend Quiggin's monotone mean and utility preserving increases in risk and show that the useful characterization given in [17] still holds in the multivariate case.


It used to be a secret that, in its post-war heyday, the Broadway musical recruited a massive underground following of gay men. But though this once silent social fact currently spawns jokes that every sitcom viewer is presumed to be in on, it has not necessarily become better understood. In this text, D.A. Miller probes what all the jokes about the post-war Broadway musical laugh off: the embarrassingly mutual affinity between a "general" cultural form and the despised "minority" that was in fact that form's implicit audience. D.A. Miller restores to their historical density the main modes of reception that so many gay men developed to answer the musical's call: the early private communion with the original cast albums; the later camping of show tunes in piano bars; and the still later reformatting of these same songs at the post-Stonewall disco. In addition, through an extended reading of "Gypsy", Miller specifies the nature of the call itself, which he locates in the post-war musical's most basic conventions: the contradictory relation between the show and the book; the mimetic tendency of the musical number; and the centrality of the female star. If the post-war musical may be called a "gay" genre, Miller demonstrates, this is because its regular but unpublicized work has been to indulge men in the thrills of a femininity become their own.


Abstract A sample of Kansas farms was used to examine the impact of risk and specialization on mean financial performance. Mean financial performance was hypothesized to be influenced by risk, age of the operator, percentage of acres owned, financial efficiency, leverage, specialization, and farm size. Risk, age of operator, financial efficiency, and farm size had the largest impacts on mean financial performance. Specializing in swine, dairy, or crop production increased mean financial performance, while specializing in beef production decreased mean financial performance. Farms with both crops and a livestock enterprise (beef, swine, or dairy) tended to have less variability in financial performance.


The kinetic and concentration dependences of erythrocyte vesiculation and hemolysis induced by sodium dodecyl sulfate were studied. The similarity of the slopes of the dose dependence of the SDS-induced vesiculation and slow hemolysis rates in the double logarithmic coordinates suggested a close relation between the processes of vesiculation and pore formation for slow hemolysis by the detergent. Further evidence of the competitive nature of the detergent-induced vesiculation and fast hemolysis by sodium dodecyl sulfate was obtained. The phenomenon of partial hemolysis proceeding at a rate comparable to that of cell vesiculation is explained in terms of the competition between hemolysis and vesiculation, without resorting to erythrocyte heterogeneity. New vesicular-competitive hemolysis is described. Based on it, the action of different hemolysis-inducing agents is analysed.


ABSTRACT Neurocysticercosis (NC), caused by the larval stage of Taenia solium, is one of the most common parasitic diseases of the central nervous system. The diagnosis of NC is mostly based on costly brain neuroimaging (computed tomography and/or nuclear magnetic resonance), which is rarely accessible in most affected areas. The most sensitive and specific tools for NC diagnosis are imagery techniques. The identification of specific antibodies and antigens is currently used only to support NC diagnosis due to their limited specificity and sensitivity. This study was performed to compare immunodiagnostic assays (antibody detection by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA] and enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blotting [EITB] and HP10 antigen detection by ELISA) with the detection of parasite DNA by PCR amplification of a repetitive element of the parasite genome in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 121 radiologically and clinically characterized NC patients. Patients were divided into six groups according to the stage of the parasites and their localization. The CSF cellularity of each patient was also recorded. When all patients were considered, PCR exhibited the highest sensitivity (95.9%) and variable specificity (80% or 100%) depending on the controls used. The sensitivities of antibody detection by ELISA and EITB were not significantly different, and ELISA identified HP10 antigen mostly when vesicular cysticerci were located in the subarachnoideal basal cisterns. These results can help in the selection of different individual assays or combinations of assays to be used in NC diagnosis according to different requirements.


An analytical equation was obtained to describe the therapeutic effectiveness factor (TEF) as a function of radiation dose. By this equation TEF function of dose was found for rhabdomyosarcoma that showed a considerable dependence of TEF upon dose fractionation schedule. At the same time, TEF gave no unique information on the advantage of neutron therapy since doses at which TEF was maximum did not correspond to those providing the highest effectiveness of the treatment.


This work represents ongoing investigation of muscle fatigue assessment during voluntary cyclic contractions by means of a continuous wavelet transform (CWT). A change in the power spectrum median frequency (MDF). A change in scalogram, has been chosen as muscle fatigue indicator. The results show that moving average (MA) filter is not suitable for filtering of MDF obtained from scalogram.


A 58-year-old Japanese man had tarry stool and severe anemia. Neither upper nor lower gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy showed any localized lesions. Thus, the source of his GI bleeding was suspected to be in the small intestine, and he underwent peroral double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) using EN-450T5 (Fujinon-Toshiba ES System Co., Tokyo, Japan). There were no lesions considered to be the source of GI bleeding. After the procedure, the patient began to experience abdominal pain. Laboratory tests revealed hyperamylasemia and abdominal computed tomography revealed an inflammation of the pancreas and the peripancreas. He was thus diagnosed to have acute pancreatitis. Conservative treatments resulted in both clinical and laboratory amelioration. He had no history of alcohol ingestion, gallstone disease or pancreatitis. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography demonstrated no structural alterations and no stones in the pancreatobiliary ductal system. As his abdominal pain started after the procedure, his acute pancreatitis was thus thought to have been related to the peroral DBE. This is the first reported case of acute pancreatitis probably associated with peroral DBE.


An analysis of gay male reviewers' responses to major commercial publishers' expanded offerings of fiction by and about gay people during the 1970s reveals how reviewers constructed a machinery of gay-identified criticism, negotiated new definitions of gay identity, and forged a community of gay intellectuals and authors intent on using their own mainstream success to make evident to all the creativity and value of contemporary gay life. By decade's end, this gay literary elite had developed ideas about gay cultural politics and the proper relationship between activism and commercial cultural production that differed distinctly from those of gay political organizations and other gay activists. These developments sketch a richer and more complicated story of the evolution of gay identity and gay politics-particularly the politics of visibility-after Stonewall.


Context: Currently, the literature on hot yoga is lacking, and there is still much to understand regarding the safety of these practices. However, one point of safety often emphasized is hydration during the practice of hot yoga. Aim: The aim of this study was to examine hydration encouragement by hot yoga instructors and hydration behaviors and related outcomes by hot yoga participants. Methods: A cross-sectional study (n = 700) collected self-report data on demographics, types and frequency of yoga practiced, hydration behaviors, and self-report measures of adverse outcomes experienced by participants during hot yoga. Associations between hydration encouragement, protective behaviors, and adverse outcomes were analyzed through Chi-square tests. Results: Every protective hydration behavior was significantly associated with instructor encouragement (P < 0.05). Hydration before or during hot yoga participation was associated with a lower occurrence of dehydration symptoms (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Hot yoga instructors hold a key role in encouraging hydration and student safety outcomes.


In the United States of America, police body-worn cameras (bodycams) were introduced to protect civilians against violence by law enforcement authorities. In the Netherlands, however, the same technology has been introduced to record and discipline the behavior of the growing number of citizens using their smartphone cameras to film the (mis)conduct of police. In answer to these citizens sousveilling the police and publishing their images on social media, the bodycam was introduced as an objective referee that also includes the perspective of the police officer. According to this view, the bodycam is a tool of equiveillance: a situation with a diversity of perspectives in which surveillance and sousveillance are in balance (Mann 2005). Various factors, however, hamper the equiveillant usage of bodycams in the Netherlands. Firstly, the attachment of the bodycam to the uniform of the officer leads to an imbalanced representation of perspectives. The police perspective is emphasized by the footage that is literally taken from their perspective, in which others are filmed slightly from below, making them look bigger and more overwhelming. Also, the police officers' movements create shaky footage with deceptive intensity that invokes the image of a hectic situation that calls for police action. Secondly, it is the officer who decides when to wear a camera and when to start and stop recording. This leaves the potential to not record any misconduct. Thirdly, access to the recorded images, whilst in theory open to police and citizens alike, is in practice exclusively for the police. Within the current regulatory framework, bodycams are thus not neutral reporters of interactions between civilians and the police. We will end our contribution to this Dialogue section with suggestions for the improvement of those rules and reflect on the question of whether bodycams can ever be objective referees.


Four cultivars of peanuts (Florigiant, Florunner, Starr and Tamnut) grown at two locations (Lewiston, North Carolina (NC) and Stephenville, Texas (TX)) in the National Regional Variety Trials were evaluated for protein nutritional quality. Peanuts, blanched with a minimum of heat treatment and partially defatted on a Carver press, were extracted with hexane at room temperature. Rats were fed these peanut meals to provide 10% of dietary protein (N × 6.25). PER was calculated as the ratio of weight gained to protein consumed for the 28-day feeding period. Adjusted PER values of the 8 peanut meals ranged from 1.3 to 1.7 compared to a value of 2.5 for the casein control diet. No statistically significant differences existed in PER among the 4 cultivars grown in NC. Florunner and Tamnut produced in TX had lower PER values than Florigiant and Starr grown at the same location. Florigiant, Florunner, and Tamnut grown in NC had lower PER values than the same varieties from TX. Rats were fed diets with Florunner peanut meal supplemented with methionine, lysine, and threonine, singly and in all combinations, for 7-day periods. Differences in protein quality between NC and TX-produced peanuts were overcome by addition of methionine to the diets. When all three amino acids were added, peanut meal from both locations supported growth of young rats equal to that of casein.


Within a search for outbursts among variable stars of Orion type by comparing DSS and DSSII images, V1219 Cyg was identified as potential candidate. While modeling its SED, the 2MASS magnitudes turned out to be too faint by about 3 mag. The NIR fluxes derived from the UKIDSS images are consistent with SED models, and confirm that the object was much dimmer during the 2MASS observations. Thus, instead of hinting at an outburst, the initial find points to a previous fading during the DSS epoch. We characterize this interesting YSO using new observations performed with the Tautenburg 2-m telescope as well as a wealth of archival data.


The major androgen metabolizing enzymes, aromatase cytochrome P450 and 5 alpha-reductase play critical role(s) in the development of sexually dimorphic brain structures, the modulation of neuroendocrine function(s) and the regulation of sexual and non-sexual behaviors. Using established assays, we detected 5 alpha-reductase and aromatase enzymatic activities in amygdala and frontal cortical tissue from male and female rats during the perinatal interval (from gestational day (GD) 19 to postnatal day (PND) 6). The present findings indicate that 5 alpha-reductase and aromatase rates in the cortex display different enzyme profiles, while in the amygdala tissue site a similar pattern is seen for both enzymes during perinatal development. In general, there was a lack of sex differences in the enzymatic rates. The importance these enzyme systems play in generating androgen (and progesterone) steroid metabolites which influence neural development and function are discussed.


Multiple possible solutions can arise in many domains, such as scene interpretation and speech recognition. This paper examines the eficiency of multiple-context TMSs, such as the ATMS, in solving a scene representation problem which we call the Vision Constraint Recognition problem. The ATMS has been claimed to be quite eficient for solving problems with multiple possible solutions, even for problems with large databases. However, we present evidence that for large databases with multiple possible solutions (which we argue occur frequently in practice), such multiple-context TMSs can be very inefficient. We present a class of problems for which using a multiple-context TMS is both intrinsically interesting and ideal, but which will be computationally infeasible because of the exponential size of the database which the TMS must explore. To circumvent such infeasiblity, appropriate control must be exerted by the problem solver.


The volume of archaeological reports being produced since the introduction of PG161 has significantly increased, as a result of the increased volume of archaeological investigations conducted by academic and commercial archaeology. It is highly desirable to be able to search effectively within and across such reports in order to find information that promotes quality research. A potential dissemination of information via semantic technologies offers the opportunity to improve archaeological practice, not only by enabling access to information but also by changing how information is structured and the way research is conducted. This thesis presents a method for automatic semantic indexing of archaeological grey-literature reports using rule-based Information Extraction techniques in combination with domain-specific ontological and terminological resources. This semantic annotation of contextual abstractions from archaeological grey-literature is driven by Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques which are used to identify "rich" meaningful pieces of text, thus overcoming barriers in document indexing and retrieval imposed by the use of natural language. The semantic annotation system (OPTIMA) performs the NLP tasks of Named Entity Recognition, Relation Extraction, Negation Detection and Word Sense disambiguation using hand-crafted rules and terminological resources for associating contextual abstractions with classes of the ISO Standard (ISO 21127:2006) CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model (CRM) for cultural heritage and its archaeological extension, CRM-EH, together with concepts from English Heritage thesauri and glossaries. The results demonstrate that the techniques can deliver semantic annotations of archaeological grey literature documents with respect to the domain conceptual models. Such semantic annotations have proven capable of supporting semantic query, document study and cross-searching via web based applications. The research outcomes have provided semantic annotations for the Semantic Technologies for Archaeological Resources (STAR) project, which explored the potential of semantic technologies in the integration of archaeological digital resources. The thesis represents the first discussion on the employment of CIDOC CRM and CRM-EH in semantic annotation of grey-literature documents using rule-based Information Extraction techniques driven by a supplementary exploitation of domain-specific ontological and terminological resources. It is anticipated that the methods can be generalised in the future to the broader field of Digital Humanities.


The Red Hills section of northern Florida is composed of Leon County, where Tallahassee is located, and its neighboring counties of Gadsden and Jackson to the west and Jefferson and Madison to the east. The land is distinctive band of rolling red clay hills that extends for 150 miles along the border of Alabama and Georgia. This well-written narrative chronicles the history of the region from the time of first European contact in 1528 through the end of the Civil War, and provides a comprehensive study of this vital section of northern Florida. Recent excavation of the Tallahassee area provided anthropological and archaeological evidence showing that the Red Hills of Florida were sought out by agricultural Indians long before European contact. DeSoto fed his army of more that 700 during the winter of 1539-40 from corn gathered within a few miles of the principal town of the Apalachee. The Spaniards who settled in the Apalachee area during the mission era depended on the corn for survival and used the Indians of the 14 Apalachee mission in a war of empire building with the English of South Carolina. Raids by these enemies wiped out the Indians of the Apalachee area and its mission in 1704. In 1818 Andrew Jackson defeated the successors of the Apalachee in the Red Hills, the Seminoles, and after Florida became American territory in 1821, Governor Du Val planned the town of Tallahassee near the original DeSoto winter campsite. Farsighted Du Val used a site plan that provide for future expansion. Farmers were shipping cotton from the region as early as 1820, but the full development of the plantation economy had to await the removal of the Seminoles. From the 1840s through the Civil War cotton was the major crop which supported the social, political, and economic growth of this pivotal area of north Florida know as the Red Hills."


Despite the development of injury surveillance systems for use at large multi sportsevents (Junge 2008), their implementation is still methodologically and practicallychallenging. Edouard (2013) and Engebretsen (2013) have pointed out that thecontext of athletics championships feature unique constraints, such as a limiteddata-collection window and large amounts of data to be recorded and rapidlyvalidated. To manage these logistical issues, Electronic Data Capture (EDC) methodshave been proposed (Bjorneboe 2009, Alonso 2012, Edouard 2013). EDC systemshave successfully been used for surveillance during multi-sport events Derman et al(2013) and its potential for surveillance studies during athletics championships istherefore interesting. The focus for surveillance during athletics championships hasthis far been on injury and illness data collected from team medical staff in directassociation to the competitions. But the most common injury and illness problems inathletics are overuse syndromes (Alonso 2009, Edouard 2012, Jacobsson 2013) andknowledge of risk factors associated to these problems is also relevant in associationto championships. A desirable next step to extend the surveillance routines istherefore to include also pre-participation risk factors. For surveillance of overusesyndromes, online systems for athlete self-report of data on pain and othersymptoms have been reported superior to reports from coaches (Shiff 2010). EDCsystems have also been applied for athlete self-report of exposure and injury data inathletics and other individual sports and have been found to be well accepted with agood efficiency (Jacobsson 2013, Clarsen 2013). There are thus reasons forinvestigating EDC system use by both athletes and team medical staff during athleticchampionships.This thesis used a cross-sectional design to collect qualitative data from athletes andteam medical staff using interviews and "think-aloud" usability evaluation methods(Ericsson 1993; Kuusela 2000). It was performed over 3 days during the 2013European Athletics Indoor Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden. Online EDCsystems for collection of data from athletes and team medical staff, respectively,were prepared for the study. The system for use by team medical staff was intendedto collect data on injuries and illnesses sustained during the championship and thesystem for athletes to collect data on risk factors.This study does not provide a solution in how an EDC effort should be implementedduring athletics championships. It does however points towards usability factorsthat needs to be taken into consideration if taking such an approach.


Abstract This paper estimates the economic impact of terrorism at $US 33 billion in 2018. In the 18 years from 2000 to 2018, terrorism cost the world economy $US 855 billion. This model follows the methodology of the 2019 Global Terrorism Index and uses a bottom-up cost accounting approach to aggregate the cost of four indicators that result from the incidents of terrorism. The four indicators include terrorism-related deaths, injuries, property damage and GDP losses. The findings of this paper show that global terrorism peaked in 2014 with 33,555 deaths globally and a consequential economic impact of $US 111 billion. From 2011 to 2014, terrorism-related deaths increased by 353%, and terrorist incidents rose by 190%. The 100 incidents with the highest economic impact from deaths and injuries are included in the analysis. The September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States stands as the incident with the highest economic impact accounting for deaths and injuries only at $US 40.6 billion, this is followed by the Sinjar massacre in Sinjar, Nineveh, Iraq at $US 4.3 billion.


A low sex ratio, where there are fewer men than women, has been associated with increasing rates of men's same-sex aggression.  This is surprising, given the relative surplus of mates and presumably lowered mate competition in low sex ratio societies.  Two competing hypotheses—a "culture of violence" hypothesis and a functional, evolutionary hypothesis—may account for this finding.  The current research tests which of these hypotheses explains another facet of men's aggression—violence against women. Correlations supported an evolutionary perspective of violence against women: higher sex ratio societies, where women are scarce, were significantly more likely to be tolerant toward rape and were significantly more likely to aggress against wives.  These results suggest refinement of a culture of violence perspective.  They also replicate and extend previous research on sex ratio imbalances and men's aggression toward women.


ABSTRACT In our previous works, it is clearly addressed that optimisation of fin profile is of vital importance in terms of the rate of heat transfer from a hot surface, and the optimisation procedure depends on several factors. Within the scope of this research, a longitudinal cylindrical fin profile is under interest for the optimisation research. The purpose is to investigate the effects of longitudinal parabolic perforations on the fin parameters such as temperature distribution, effectiveness and efficiency, in which the fin surface is cooled by natural convection and radiation. Different concavity levels are considered to form parabolic perforations. The rate of heat transfer from fin surface is numerically correlated with the fin mass with respect to different concavity levels. According to results, heat transfer from unit fin mass is enhanced with the new designs. The outcome of the study can be used to optimise the needs for particular applications by making a decision between heat loss and weight options. That is, the increase in the concavity level of the perforation results in a lighter and cheaper design, but yielding a lower heat loss. However, heat transfer from unit mass is still enhanced.


In structural proof theory, designing and working on large calculi make it difficult to get intuitions about each rule individually and as part of a whole system. We introduce two novel tools to help working on calculi using the approach of graph theory and automata theory. The first tool is a Proof Tree Automaton (PTA): a tree automaton which language is the derivation language of a calculus. The second tool is a graphical representation of a calculus called Proof Tree Graph (PTG). In this directed hypergraph, vertices are sets of terms (e.g. sequents) and hyperarcs are rules. We explore properties of PTA and PTGs and how they relate to each other. We show that we can decompose a PTA as a partial map from a calculus to a traditional tree automaton. We formulate that statement in the theory of refinement systems. Finally, we compare our framework to proof nets and string diagrams.


Magnetic Resonance Thermometry (MRT) is a developing diagnostic technique that leverages advanced medical technologies to accurately measure the temperature of a fluid flow within and around complex geometries. The full three-dimensional temperature field obtained by MRT can be used to analyze heat transfer characteristics and potentially investigate thermal boundary layers near arbitrarily complex surfaces. This technique requires neither optical nor physical accessibility, thereby enabling a wide range of engineering applications. This paper describes the current state of the art for MRT measurement, detailing turbulent water channel tests, materials selection, scanning parameters, data analysis of time-averaged temperature measurements, and uncertainty estimates.
 The purpose of this work was to evaluate and refine the MRT technique to increase the accuracy of temperature measurements and minimize the error in fully turbulent flow measurements. In the present study, a plate with a vertical cylinder extending from both of its sides was placed between two channels, and a diagonal hole was drilled through the cylinder from one side of the plate to the other. This enabled fluid from one channel to mix with the fluid in the other. This experiment studied the mixing of two fluids at different temperatures. The upstream temperatures of each fluid were measured with thermocouples. Both flows were fully turbulent, and the colder temperature channel had a Reynolds number of 11,800. Tests were run with four different fluid temperatures for calibration and to determine any temperature dependence of measurements. Three-dimensional temperature field measurements are reported and details about data processing and procedures to conduct the experiments are provided.
 This work resulted in several notable improvements to MRT experimental methods. The test section and water channel were designed to limit the effects of thermal expansion in the stereolithography materials used for manufacturing the complex internal flow geometry. Multiple echo scans were used to minimize the effects of magnetic field drift commonly observed in extended scanning periods in MRI systems. Data analysis techniques were used to quantify expansion effects for both hot and cold flow cases. To quantify measurement uncertainty, the standard deviation of the mean was calculated at each data point across different scan numbers and confidence intervals established using a student t-test. An improved data processing code was used to filter data resulting in increased measurement accuracy and reduced uncertainty to less than 1 °C for most of the domain.
 Future work will further refine the experimental techniques to improve scanning procedures, employ high conductivity ceramics and larger geometries with relevant applications, and simplify data processing methods to generate full-field flow temperature data.