Mobile applications regularly interact with their noisy and ever-changing physical environment. The fundamentally uncertain nature of such interactions leads to significant challenges in energy optimization, a crucial goal of software engineering on mobile devices. This paper presents Aeneas, a novel energy optimization framework for Android in the presence of uncertainty. Aeneas provides a minimalistic programming model where acceptable program behavioral settings are abstracted as knobs and application-specific optimization goals — such as meeting an energy budget — are crystallized as rewards, both of which are directly programmable. At its heart, Aeneas is endowed with a stochastic optimizer to adaptively and intelligently select the reward-optimal knob setting through a form of reinforcement learning. We evaluate Aeneas on mobile GPS applications built over Google LocationService API. Through an in-field case study that covers approximately 6500 miles and 150 hours of driving as well as 20 hours of biking and hiking, we find that Aeneas can effectively and resiliently meet programmer-specified energy budgets in uncertain physical environments where individual GPS readings undergo significant fluctuation. Compared with non-stochastic approaches such as profile-guided optimization, Aeneas produces significantly more stable results across runs.


Under what conditions can a human rights-based approach be successfully utilized? This article argues that the efficacy of a human rights discourse is, in large part, determined by the nature of the arena in which rights are claimed. Utilizing process tracing, involving content analysis and in-depth interviews, the article examines the decades-long struggle to block the construction of a large dam in southeastern Turkey. The analysis focuses on the struggle's three core dimensions: (a) international activism to influence foreign financial stakeholders; (b) domestic activism targeting the government; and (c) regional conflict over international water flows. Each of these dimensions is characterized by vastly different degrees of discursive rights consensus and leverage. In the international dimension, activists achieved both discursive consensus and leverage and were able to successfully thwart the Turkish government's goal of building a major dam. However, this ultimately proved to be a pyrrhic victory when the Turkish government secured domestic financing for the project. The loss of leverage in the domestic arena rendered anti-dam activists' rights discourse ineffectual. Finally, the lack of regional consensus on water sharing and Iraq's lack of leverage enabled Turkey to complete the dam.


BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE
Extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) have emerged as a major threat worldwide with limited treatment options. The genotypes of ESBL producing strains largely remain unknown in India; hence the present study was aimed to determine the occurrence of ESBLs in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, their molecular types and associated risk factors in a tertiary care hospital.

METHODS
Total 200 consecutive clinical isolates of E. coli (n=143) and K. pneumoniae (n=57) collected between February and July 2006 at Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, a tertiary care hospital in north India, were examined phenotypically for ESBL production. ESBL strains were further typed for the bla(TEM/SHV/CTX-M) genes by PCR using specific primers. The bla(CTX-M) cluster was identified by restriction analysis and genotype by sequencing of PCR product. Resistance to other antimicrobial agents was also studied. Various risk factors associated with ESBL infections were analyzed by logistic regressions.

RESULTS
ESBLs were found in 63.6 per cent E. coli and 66.7 per cent K. pneumoniae isolates. Majority of the typeable isolates harboured two or more ESBL genes (57.3%). Overall bla(CTX-M) was the commonest genotype (85.4%) followed by bla(TEM) (54.9%) and bla(SHV) (32.9%) either alone or in combination. All CTX-M enzymes in E. coli and 87.5 per cent in K. pneumoniae belonged to the CTX-M-1 cluster. Sequencing was done for randomly selected 20 bla(CTX-M) PCR products and all were identified as CTXM- 3. Resistance of ESBL isolates to other antibiotics was amikacin 14.7 per cent, gentamicin 66.7 per cent, trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole 79.1 per cent and ciprofloxacin 93.8 per cent. Prior antibiotic exposure, use of intravenous device and urinary catheter, renal insufficiency and ICU admission were associated with ESBL infection on univariate analysis. On multivariate, antibiotic exposure (P=0.001) and use of urinary catheter (P<0.001) were identifified as risk for ESBL infection.

INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION
Our study showed high ESBL occurrence with CTX-M as the emerging type in our hospital and CTX-M-3 being reported for the fi rst time in India. High co-resistance to other non-beta-lactam antibiotics is a major challenge for management of ESBL infections.


In 1948, the United Nations signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Articles 23, 25, and 26 dealt with economic human rights. The United States is a signature of the UDHR, but is not in compliance with its terms. The descriptive research question for this study was "How many economic human rights violations (EHRV) do persons living in poverty acknowledge?" Fifty-seven participants were interviewed about their EHRV. Quantitative and qualitative data about the participants' EHRV are presented. Participants experienced over 600 EHRV over their lifetimes. Implications for social work practice are discussed.


Domain-specific modeling has gained increased attention in industry and academia in recent years leading to the emergence of numerous highly specialized, domain-specific modeling approaches and tools. However, the tools available today focus on one specific aspect of domain-specific modeling and tend to be isolated and difficult to integrate with each other. For instance, some tools focus exclusively on graphical, diagrammatic languages, while others focus on textual languages. The problems caused by this heterogeneous tool landscape become most evident when attempting to use multiple formats together.

A first step towards integrating different modeling formats within one single environment has been taken by the latest projective modeling environments which support the embedding of non-textual formats (e.g. tables) into textual model editors. However, in these modeling environments the textual format dominates the embedded formats. Moreover, all of these tools are based on two-level modeling technologies which are limited to one, hard-wired metamodel describing the modeling language and one instance level describing the user model expressed in terms of the language. In addition to the metamodel, the concrete syntax features offered by today's modeling tools are typically hardwired as well. When multiple notations are available, modelers usually have to decide for one notation before starting. To view the model in an alternative notation, the model has to be opened in a second editor.

The approach presented in this thesis for the deep, seamless, multi-format, multi-notation definition and use of domain-specific languages overcomes the aforementioned weaknesses. First, it treats all formats equally, no matter whether text, diagram or some other format. This allows different formats to be used side-by-side, as desired, without influencing one another negatively. Second, it allows a given format to be visualized in multiple notations in one editor, side-by-side. Third, the inherently deep architecture allows deep visualizations to be defined spanning as many classification levels as needed for language definition and use. Fourth, language definitions and visualizations are soft, like language applications, and can be changed at any time by modelers. The approach has been validated by means of an Eclipse EMF-based prototype implementation, called Melanee, and applied to a running example motivated by the ArchiMate Enterprise Architecture Modeling standard.


During the 1950s, the African United Nations Trust Territories became pivotal sites where the human rights principles outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights played a complementary role to anticolonial nationalism. A transregional human rights network provided international support to African nationalists and rights activists, and the Trusteeship Agreements and the UN Charter that administering authorities had signed set the conditions for legally implementable human rights norms. But as the trusteeship system came to a close circa 1960, the UN no longer had the jurisdictional means to enforce rights principles, and the transatlantic network that activists throughout Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States had put in place began to disintegrate. In the 1960s, the human rights movement in the global North parted ways with liberation politics as it narrowly redefined human rights as negative protections for individuals. Yet, as this comparative analysis of human rights in Tanzania and Cameroon reveals, in some parts of (post)colonial Africa, particularly in the former UN trust territories where a 1950s-era conception of rights had become prevalent, human rights remained the expression of a political solidarity rooted in the liberatory practices of anticolonial struggle.


Analysis of cardiovascular status in adult relatives of 116 kindred affected with familial hyperbetalipoproteinemia (type II hyperlipoproteinemia) was carried out to assess coronary artery disease (CAD) risk in relatives with type II (II) compared to unaffected family members. Over 90% of the 738 living relatives were interviewed by one investigator and 12 lead electrocardiograms were obtained. In these, and in 285 deceased relatives, physician and hospital records were utilized to determine CAD events by standard criteria. This study, the largest of its kind, permitted more precise and extensive determination of the CAD risk accompanying severe hyperbetalipoproteinemia than has heretofore been possible. CAD was diagnosed in 29.5% of II's compared with 10.5% of normal relatives (N) (P < .001). The II's and N's did not differ significantly with regard to age distribution, sex, hypertension, smoking habits, or body mass index. According to the Rose questionnaire, angina pectoris was diagnosed in 21.8% of II's and 6.5% of N's (P < .001). Documented myocardial infarction occurred in 6% of II's versus 1% of N's (P = .002). CAD death or myocardial infarction occurred in 10.1% of II's compared with 1.8% of N's (P < .001). The cumulative probability of nonfatal or fatal CAD by age 40 in male II's was 16% (1 in 6); by age 60, the expectation of an event had risen to 52% (1 in 2). Among male N's, the risk of nonfatal or fatal CAD by age 60 was 12.7%, lagging 20 years behind that seen in male II's. In female II's, the risk of nonfatal or fatal CAD by age 60 was 32.8% compared with only 9.1% in female N's.


Background: Seven to twenty percent of pregnant mothers experienced antenatal depression symptoms, which were associated to various risk factors. Several questionnaires to screen antenatal depression and its associated risk factors are available and have been tested in few sites, but not in the primary care of urban area in Indonesia. This study will describe the reliability of using these instruments at urban primary health care. Method: This study was a cross-sectional study with convenient sampling method of 116 pregnant mothers who had antenatal care in Matraman Primary Health Care between March–May 2016. Respondents were asked to fill an identity form to get their demographical characteristic. They also filled Lembar Pengenalan Gejala Depresi to detect any symptom of antenatal depression with cut off score ≥5 for the presence of depression, social support using Kuesioner Dukungan Sosial, relationship situation with husband using Kuesioner Kesesuaian Hubungan Suami Istri. Respondents took 20 minutes to complete all of the questionnaires. The reliability of each questionnaire was tested. Results: This study showed the reliability for each questionnaire to be used in urban primary health care setting. Cronbach's alpha for Lembar Pengenalan Gejala Depresi, Kuesioner Dukungan Sosial, and Kuesioner Kesesuaian Hubungan Suami Istri were 0.733, 0.877, and 0.890 respectively. For each questionnaire, there was no multicollinearity for each item. Conclusion: Lembar Pengenalan Gejala Depresi, Kuesioner Dukungan Sosial, and Kuesioner Kesesuaian Hubungan Suami Istri were reliable to detect antenatal depression and the associated risk factors in various setting.


This study attempted to investigate the impact of HRT of treated leachate recirculation on hydrolysis solubilization rate of coffee pulp in an acidogenic reactor. Coffee pulp presents more than 70% of organic matter and around of 30% of lignin and cellulose. Five lab scale reactors of 20 litres were used. Each reactor was fed with 5 kg of fresh coffee pulp and anaerobic sludge was used as inoculate. HRT of 0.5, 1, 3 and 10 days were applied. Each experiment shows that Total, Soluble and VFA COD appear rapidly in the removed leachate. HRT have a great impact on hydrolytic rate with an optimal value of 32,000 mg x L(-1) x d(-1).Low HRT increases hydrolysis rate and in consequence reduces duration of the hydrolytic phase. Also composition and concentration of VFA are influenced by HRT. Low ones favour acetic acid production and high ones permit the production of butyric. Low HRT generates leachate more easily fermentable. Efficiency of solubilization and acidification are independent of the HRT and present average values of 78% and 65% respectively. By batch feeding solid and continuous recirculation of treated leachate, HRT and SRT could be dissociated, where solid had a very high retention without problems of load, mixing and inhibition, and liquid could be recirculated with a very high rate. Under these low HRT condition, the first reactor of a two stage anaerobic system could reduces the hydrolysis duration of organic solid waste like coffee pulp and generate an optimal leachate for the methanization process.


Milk is an excellent medium for the growth of microorganisms including Listeria monocytogenes. Some pathogenic bacteria can survive after pasteurization in milk, and these bacteria can contaminate again after storage. The purpose of this study was to determine the behavior of L. monocyogenes after pasteurization in refrigerator storage. Fresh milk is pasteurized at 75, 80, 85, 90 and 95 ° C for 1 minute and stored at refrigerator temperature for 1 day, 1 week and 2 weeks. Characteristics of growth and total number of L. monocytogenes in Listeria Selective agar Base medium were observed. The results showed that the total number of L. monocytogenes at the control temperature before pasteurization was 7.91 (log cfu / ml). At pasteurization temperatures of 75, 80 and 85 ° C for 1 min, the number of L. monocytogenes bacteria were decrease to 5.83, 3.82 and 1.18 (log cfu / ml), respectively, whereas the total numbers of this bacteria on pasteurization temperatures of 90 and 95 C were all listeria killed, but can grow back in refrigerator storage (4°C).Keywords: Pasteurization, milk, Listeria monocytogenes, refrigerator storage


Anode recirculation with periodic purge is commonly used in polymer electrolyte fuel cell systems to control the accumulation of nitrogen, water, and other impurities that are present in the fuel or diffuse through the membrane from the cathode compartment. In this work, we develop a simple, generalized analytical model that simulates the time dependence of the accumulation of inert impurities in the anode compartment of such a system. It is shown that, when there is transport out of the anode chamber, the inert species is expected to accumulate exponentially until equilibrium is reached when the rate of inert entering the anode in the fuel supply and/or via crossover from the cathode is balanced by the rate of leakage and/or crossover to the cathode. The model is validated using recently published experimental data for the accumulation of N2, CH4, and CO2 in a recirculated system. The results show that nitrogen accumulation needs to be taken into account to properly adjust system parameters such as purge rate, purge volume, and recirculation rate. The use of this generalized analytical model is intended to aid the selection of these system parameters to optimize performance in the presence of inerts.


Gene therapy is a novel and promising treatment strategy for brain diseases. Yet, its development is largely obscured by various in vivo transport hurdles, especially the special BBB structure of brain. Developing an ingenious delivery vehicle can provide a great solution. Conventional vehicles for brain gene delivery are viral and non-viral vectors. With inherent superiority of gene transfection, researches on viral vectors are mainly focused on problems of brain cell targeting and global brain delivery. Non-viral vectors are more studied for better brain cell entrance either directly delivered to brain or systemically delivered to the body. Novel vehicles are cell vehicles (genetically engineered or nanoparticle- carrying cells) and exosomes. They exhibit distinct and unique features compared to viral and non-viral vectors. This review gives a summarization of current advances in these four kinds of brain gene vehicles. The merits and demerits of them are also pointed out respectively. We are hoping to give a clue to the future development direction of vehicles for brain gene delivery.


Biomarker study on dementia has developed widely. In applying biomarkers, there seems to be several utilizations such as presymptomaticand early-stage detection, differential diagnosis, and evaluation of treatment effect. Currently, most reliable fluid markers are amyloid peptide (Aβ) with microtubule-associated protein tau (TAU) and phosphorylated TAU (P-TAU) detected in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Aβ42 correlates with plaque pathology, TAU reflects the intensity of neuroaxonal degeneration, and PTAU may correlate with neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) pathology. An attenuation of the level of Aβ42 and elevation in the ratio of Aβ42 relative to the shorter major species of Aβ42 peptide with 40 amino acid residues (Aβ40) has been identified as significant events in the early stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. In addition, there is great interest in blood-based markers of AD since blood extraction is much less invasive. Moreover, plasma biomarkers can be measured at relatively low expense once a standard system of measurement is established. Although there is not yet an establish‐ ed or validated diagnostic test for plasma biomarkers, there is great interest in bloodbased markers. We will summarize reported biomarkers, describe our novel potential plasma biomarker for AD (annexin A5), offering a strategy for selecting candidates, and show our results and evaluation.


Precipitation behaviour in an Al-Mg-Si alloy aged at 403 K to 483 K was studied with respect to thermal stability and morphology of the metastable precipitates, using high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Vickers microhardness tests and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements. The quantitative analysis of the DSC measurements revealed that the change in the first exothermic peak (the peak P) of the metastable phase is proportional to the increases in the Vickers hardness. The HRTEM observations showed the four types of the precipitates in morphology during the isothermal ageing and the change in the peak P was mainly caused by the formation of the precipitates with irregular contrast and the ones with the network interior angle between 65°and 80°


Pregnancy leads to increased energy metabolism, hence the need for energy and other nutrients increases during pregnancy. Increased energy and nutrients are needed for growth and development of the fetus, the increase in the amount of the uterus, changes in the composition and metabolism of the mother's body. If  levels of iron in the body of pregnant women is less, then there will be a condition called anemia. That's because iron is an essential microelement for the body. This substance is especially needed in hemopoiesis (blood formation), ie in the synthesis of hemoglobin. The purpose of this study was  to determine Knowledge of Pregnant Women About Iron Deficiency Anemia and Family Role With Compliance In Consuming Iron Tablet in health center . This study was a quantitative research, analytical, with cross sectional study subjects all mothers who have antenatal and get a tablet Fe in Tanjungpinang health center  based on data consist of 40 respondents. The result of this study was significat relationship between knowledge of pregnant women to iron deficiency anemia with Compliance Consuming Tablet iron  show the value of p 0814, the p-value is greater than the p value 0:05 was shows that no have correlation between knowledge of pregnant women about iron deficiency anemia with Compliance Consuming Iron Tablets. Family Role in monitoring drinking iron tablet  with Compliance Consuming Iron Tablets shows the value of p 0.00 is smaller than the value of α 0.05. This shows that there is a relationship between family role in monitoring drinking iron tablet with compliance consuming iron tablet. This study  indicated to increase Knowledge Level Of a Person On Iron Deficiency Anemia  Not Consume The Influence Behavior Of Iron Tablet  But Can Improve The Role Of Family In Compliance With Pregnant Women Eat Iron Tablet.


Exoplanet discoveries have motivated numerous efforts to find unseen populations of exomoons, yet they have been unsuccessful. A plausible explanation is that most discovered planets are located on close-in orbits, which would make their moons prone to tidal evolution and orbital detachment. In recent models of tidally driven migration of exomoons, evolving planets might prevent what was considered their most plausible fate (i.e. colliding against their host planet), favouring scenarios where moons are pushed away and reach what we define as the satellite tidal orbital parking distance ($a_{\rm \mathrm{stop}}$), which is often within the critical limit for unstable orbits and depends mainly on the system's initial conditions: mass ratio, semimajor axes, and rotational rates. Using semi-analytical calculations and numerical simulations, we calculate $a_{\rm \mathrm{stop}}$ for different initial system parameters and constrain the transit detectability of exomoons around close-in planets. We found that systems with Mm/Mp ≥ 10−4, which are less likely to form, are also stable and detectable with present facilities (e.g. Kepler and TESS) through their direct and secondary effects in planet + moon transit, as they are massive, oversized, and migrate slowly. In contrast, systems with lower moon-to-planet mass ratios are ephemeral and hardly detectable. Moreover, any detection, confirmation, and full characterization would require both the short cadence capabilities of TESS and high photometric sensitivity of ground-based observatories. Finally, despite the shortage of discovered long-period planets in currently available data bases, the tidal migration model adopted in this work supports the idea that they are more likely to host the first detectable exomoon.


The purpose of this research is to analyze the studies conducted in Turkey and abroad concerning flipped learning model from various perspectives. Eighty studies were included in this research consisting of 34 studies in Turkey and 46 studies abroad. The studies examined within the scope of this research were reached using various databases. The studies were analyzed by using content analysis technique. As a result of the research, it was concluded that the number of studies about flipped learning model have increased in recent years, the majority of the studies are article, the mostly preferred method and design are mixed method and experimental design, teaching practices were mostly carried out with the university students, the achievement test, interview form and survey were mostly used in the studies, the videos, presentations and written documents were used in out-of-class activities and practical activities were conducted in class. According to the study results, it is seen that flipped learning model has a positive effect on the students' academic achievement, motivation, metacognitive awareness, etc. Moreover, it was determined that students and teachers have positive views on flipped learning model.


This article examines the thematic tension in Fromentin's Dominique between maturity (the conventional telos of the roman d'apprentissage) and modernity, as described by theorists from Benjamin to Moretti. The three principal male figures illustrate this tension in contrasting ways. Dominique's much-vaunted achievement of maturity depends on a complete withdrawal from modern urban existence and is, moreover, questioned by the otherwise uncritical frame narrator. Olivier, who thrives in the modern city, suffers mental collapse and attempts suicide when he returns to the ancestral estate. Augustin, married and successful by the end of the novel, goes some way to resolving the tension but lacks the emotional and aesthetic sensitivity to act as a satisfactory model of maturity. Dominique, then, supports Franco Moretti's claim that conventional models of maturity are incompatible with the centrifugal and dissipative energies of modernity and takes its place alongside L'Education sentimentale in the mid-century crisis of the psychological novel. (RM)


This study focused on two urban, Massachusetts high schools and the question of how the practices of school leaders related to the level of performance. Specifically, it attempted to provide specifics as to perceptions educational leaders held with regards to high-stakes environments and how they responded to state mandates. The study examined how leaders in both schools define successful reform, perceive high-stakes testing, perceive a need to raise student achievement, and implement reforms in response to high-stakes testing. For the purpose of this study, a leader was defined as anyone within the school system who has the power/ability to facilitate, implement, or lead change. The study combined qualitative interview data and survey methodology to examine differing perceptions and to identify the factors most strongly associated with different levels of reform success The findings from the scales, surveys, and interview data suggest that in a state with high-stakes testing, successful reform was defined by strategies that get "results,"— i.e. achievement on the high-stakes exam. Results help schools measure their progress and also appear to influence teacher support. The findings also show that success in a high-stakes environment is predicated on setting high standards for all students and being consistently aware of student achievement, which includes monitoring and guiding those students who struggle.


The spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) exhibits an enhanced activity of the peripheral sympathetic and brain renin-angiotensin systems. In the present experiments, we evaluated the cardiovascular response of angiotensin II (ANG II) microinjected in the rostral (RVLM) and the caudal (CVLM) ventrolateral medulla of age-matched (14-16 wk old) SHR and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. Responses of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) to microinjection of ANG II (5, 20 and 100 pmol) into histologically verified sites of the RVLM and CVLM were compared with those obtained by injections of the excitatory agent L-glutamate (2 nmol) at the same site. In both strains, ANG II elicited dose-dependent pressor responses in the RVLM and depressor responses in the CVLM, both of which peaked at a dose of 20 pmol. The magnitude of the fall in MAP produced by injections of ANG II into the CVLM were significantly (P less than 0.01) greater in SHR than in WKY group. In contrast, peak pressor responses elicited by injection of ANG II into the RVLM were of similar magnitude in the two groups. When compared with the MAP response produced by L-glutamate injections, responses to ANG II microinjection were slower in onset, and the latency to the peak response was longer. Ganglionic blockade with hexamethonium bromide prevented the effect of ANG II injection in the RVLM. This study provides evidence that ANG II acts as an excitatory agent at sites within the ventrolateral medulla that determine the vasomotor control of blood pressure in both normotensive and hypertensive rats.


Received 11 April 2006 Accepted 2 September 2006 Natural killer (NK) cells are a major component of the host innate immune defence against various pathogens. Several viruses, including Human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1), have developed strategies to evade the NK-cell response. This study was designed to evaluate whether HIV-1 could interfere with the expression of NK cell-activating ligands, specifically the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-I-like MICA and ULBP molecules that bind NKG2D, an activating receptor expressed by all NK cells. Results show that the HIV-1 Nef protein downmodulates cell-surface expression of MICA, ULBP1 and ULBP2, with a stronger effect on the latter molecule. The activity on MICA and ULBP2 is well conserved in Nef protein variants derived from HIV-1-infected patients. In HIV-1-infected cells, cell-surface expression of NKG2D ligands increased to a higher extent with a Nef-deficient virus compared with wild-type virus. Mutational analysis of Nef showed that NKG2D ligand downmodulation has structural requirements that differ from those of other reported Nef activities, including HLA-I downmodulation. Finally, data demonstrate that Nef expression has functional consequences on NK-cell recognition, causing a decreased susceptibility to NK cell-mediated lysis. These findings provide a novel insight into the mechanisms evolved by HIV-1 to escape from the NK-cell response.


After the 2008 financial crisis, the global derivatives trading volume in options proportion is growing, more and more investors build portfolios using options to hedge or arbitrage, our futures and stock options will soon open. Theoretical research of options is also changing, option pricing models under Levy processes developed rapidly. In this context, a review of the China's warrants market and the introduction of option pricing models can not only help us to reflect Chinese financial derivatives market regulation, but also to explore the option pricing theory for China`s financial market environment. In the framework of Monte Carlo simulation pricing, we established mufti-Levy process option pricing models, the structural model for the given parameter estimation and risk-neutral adjustment method are discussed, the last part of this chapter is an empirical analysis of China warrants trading data in order to prove the validate of Levy models. Key word: Levy stochastic processes, option pricing models, Chinese warrants market, American option pricing, risk-neutral adjustment, variance reduction techniques.


The appeal of plasmonics lies in the unique properties of coinage metal nanoparticles to strongly confine and enhance electromagnetic fields at the subwavelength. A simple 50 nm colloidal plasmonic particle can not only break the classical diffraction limit and produce subwavelength imaging, but it can also absorb light for killing cancer cells. A dipole gap antenna or a nanohole in a thin filmcan concentrate light below 10 nm, thus opening many perspectives, such as highly enhanced non-linear optics, extremely sensitive biosensors, Raman spectroscopy and single molecule detection. This thesis is oriented toward the design of new types of positive and negative plasmonic nanostructures can produce homogeneous plasmonic hot spots, where the electromagnetic field is dramatically enhanced. Electron beam lithography and focused ion beam milling are the twomethods used in this thesis to fabricate antennas. I have developed different original procedures to satisfy the specific fabrication requirements for different geometries. For instance, a dose adjustment technique is developed to achieve the effectively designed antenna gap and linewidth. Alignment accuracy is improved by adding one level of markers, which helps reaching the resolution limit of the system. The difficult liftoff problem caused by proximity effect is overcome by using single point exposure. Ion beam etching technique is applied to obtain perfectly symmetric three-dimensional sandwich structures. Small gaps for the negative antennas are obtained by adding a mask layer on top of soft metals. Most plasmonic nanostructures reported in the literature use gold asmetal, although silver is less absorbing and would provide even stronger enhancement factors. Unfortunately, silver deteriorates extremely rapidly. This has motivated me to investigate the deterioration mechanisms of silver. The common wisdom that oxidation and sulfidation cause the fast deterioration of silver antennas is proved questionable. On the contrary, I found that water or high relative humidity plays a crucial role for the deterioration of silver nanostructures. We have developed a dehydration process to remove the physically adsorbed water on the surface of the nanostructures; the silver antennas treated this way were found to be morphological stable with unaltered optical properties for over 14 weeks. The surface roughness of silver films treated in the same way were also significantly improved. These stable silver films and nanostructureswere used to fabricate different types of plasmonic antennas, including negative metallic nanohole antennas and sandwich cavity antenna, to study experimentally the interaction between fluorescent molecules and plasmonics nanostructures. The negative antennas exhibit a thickness-dependent fluorescence enhancement because the near-field enhancement becomes larger as the thickness of the antenna increases; the emission directionality is also improved for thick structures. Using surface chemical functionalization, molecules have also been placed directly in themiddle of the sandwich cavity, where the near-field enhancement is strongest. Unfortunately, the measured fluorescence enhancement is rather low; possibly caused by the non-uniform near-field enhancement in cavity and the quenching caused by the metal proximity. The last part of the thesis is dedicated to exploiting plasmonic hot spots with Fano-resonant plasmonic nanostructures.


Steve Reich's Clapping Music consists of a rhythmic pattern played by two performers each clapping the rhythm with their hands. One performer repeats the pattern unchangingly throughout the piece, while the other shifts the pattern by one unit of time after a certain fixed number of repetitions. This shifting continues until the the performers are once again playing in unison, which signals the end of the piece. Two intriguing questions in the past have been: how did Steve Reich select his pattern in the first place, and what kinds of explanations can be given for its success in what it does. Here we compare the Clapping Music rhythmic pattern to an almost identical Yoruba bell timeline of West Africa, which strongly influenced Reich. Reich added only one note to the Yoruba pattern. The two patterns are compared using two mathematical measures as a function of time as the piece is performed. One measure is a dissimilarity measure between the two patterns as they are being played, and the other is a measure of syncopation computed on both patterns, also as they are played. The analysis reveals that the pattern selected by Reich has greater rhythmic changes and a larger variety of changes as the piece progresses. Furthermore, a phylogenetic graph computed with the dissimilarity matrix yields additional insights into the salience of the pattern selected by Reich.


The design of flight control systems (FCS) for modern combat aircraft is seriously affected by the flexible modes of the aircraft structure. Currently, due to an incomplete understanding of the array of complex issues involved, a conservative approach is taken in order to design a FCS which can be cleared for flight. This paper describes a new and less conservative procedure which is based largely on a deeper understanding of the nonlinear dynamic behaviour of the aircraft's actuators. The key stages in the study are outlined to support the new procedures.


Five hundred meters of a unique Upper Cretaceous Cr-rich glauconitic sequence (Unit III) that overlies a 3-m-thick alkali-basalt flow with underlying epiclastic volcanogenic sediments was drilled at ODP Leg 120 Site 748. The Cr-rich glauconitic sequence is lithostratigraphically and biostratigraphically divided into three subunits (IIIA, IIIB, IIIC) that can also be recognized by the Cr concentration of the bulk sediment, which is low (<200 ppm) in Subunits IIIC and IIIA and high (400-800 ppm) in Subunit IIIB. The Cr enrichment is caused by Cr-spinel, which is the only significant heavy mineral component beside Fe-Ti ores. Other Cr-bearing components are glauconite pellets and possibly some other clay minerals. The glauconitic sequence of Subunit IIIB was formed by reworking of glauconite and volcanogenic components that were transported restricted distances and redeposited downslope by mass-transportation processes. The site of formation was a nearshore, shallow inner shelf environment, and final deposition may have been on the outer part of a narrow shelf, at the slope toward the restricted, probably synsedimentary, faulted Raggatt Basin. The volcanic edifices uncovered on land were tholeiitic basalts (T-MORB), alkali-basaltic (OIB) and (?)silicic volcanic complexes, and ultramafic rocks. The latter were the ultimate source for the Cr-spinel contribution. Terrestrial aqueous solutions carried Fe, K, Cr, Si, and probably Al into the marine environment, where, depending on the redox conditions of microenvironments in the sediment, green (Feand K-rich) or brown (Al-rich) glauconite pellets formed. The Upper Cretaceous glauconitic sequence at Site 748 on the Southern Kerguelen Plateau constitutes the transition in space and time from terrestrial to marine, from magmatically active subaerial to magmatically passive submarine conditions, and from a tranquil platform to active rifting conditions.


Traditional methods of estimating body volume (BV) such as hydrostatic weighing and air-displacement plethysmography (ADP) could theoretically be replaced using BV estimates obtained by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) or infrared 3-dimensional (3D) scanning devices. Multiple 3D scanning technologies have recently become popularized, including scanners that acquire data through pattern deformations caused by the projected light over the 3D object (i.e., structured light [SL] scanners) or by calculating depth from the time it takes reflected photons to reach the scanner's image sensor (i.e. time of flight [ToF] scanners). While these 3D scanning technologies currently predict body composition based primarily on circumference estimates, the BV estimates obtained by this technology could be used to predict body composition if the BV estimates are validated. PURPOSE: The purpose of this analysis was to examine the validity of BV estimates obtained from DXA-derived formulas and multiple types of 3D scanners as compared to ADP. METHODS: At a single research visit, BV estimates were obtained via ADP, prediction from DXA output, and three infrared 3D scanners in a sample of 102 adults (64 F, 38 M; age: 29.2 ± 13.4 y; BMI: 24.3 ± 3.9 kg/m2; BF%: 24.6 ± 8.3%). The 3D scanners included a SL scanner with a static configuration (SL-S) in which the scanner and participant are stationary during assessments, a SL scanner with a dynamic configuration (SL-D) in which the participant is rotated during the scan, and a ToF scanner with a dynamic configuration. ADP was designated as the criterion method, and BV estimates were compared using one-way ANOVA and post hoc testing with Bonferroni correction. Additional evaluations were conducted using the coefficient of determination (R2), constant error (CE), total error (TE), and 95% limits of agreement (LOA). RESULTS: DXA-derived BV estimates were valid and produced the lowest error of all methods (p > 0.05; R2: 1.00; CE: 0 – 1.4 L; TE: 0.8 – 1.5 L; LOA: 1.0 – 1.8 L). BVSL-D did not differ from BVADP (p > 0.05; R2: 1.00; CE: -3.9 L; TE: 4.0 L; LOA: 2.5 L), although errors were higher than the DXA-derived equations. The SL-S and ToF scanners did not produce valid estimates, although they differed in the direction and magnitude of errors. The SL-S scanner overestimated BV relative to BVADP (p=0.01; R2: 0.94; CE: 7.0 L; TE: 8.0 L; LOA: 7.3 L), while the ToF scanner underestimated BV relative to BVADP (p < 0.001; R2: 0.99; CE: -9.7 L; TE: 9.9 L; LOA: 4.6 L). CONCLUSION: The present results add to the growing research indicating that DXA-derived BV may be an acceptable replacement to traditional methods of BV assessment. Although the SL-D 3D scanner exhibited better validity of BV estimates as compared to the other scanners, improvements in the validity of BV estimates obtained from 3D scanners are necessary before this technology can be viewed as a viable alternative to traditional methods of BV assessment.


This study was designed to evaluate the ELISA for diagnosis of American visceral leishmaniasis (AVL) using antigen prepared from different Leishmania isolates and from a strain of Trypanosoma cruzi. Two Leishmania donovani chagasi isolates from Bahia and Maranhão (both states of northern Brazil), one L. donovani from Sudan, one L. mexicana amazonensis isolate, and one T. cruzi isolate were used. A total of 375 sera were tested, including 119 from AVL patients, 96 from nonleishmaniasis hospitalized patients, 20 from healthy persons, 30 from patients with mucocutaneous leishmaniasis, 28 from patients with Chagas' disease, 20 from patients with tuberculosis, 21 from leprosy patients, 27 from schistosomiasis patients and 14 from patients with systemic mycoses. The antigens prepared from L. d. chagasi (Bahia) and L. m. amazonensis showed the highest sensitivity (98% and 99%, respectively) for detecting antibodies in sera from AVL patients. However, the specificity of L. d. chagasi (Bahia) antigen was better than that of L. m. amazonensis (96% vs. 86%). Comparison among the three L. donovani isolates demonstrated that the antigen prepared with the isolate from the same area where the sera originated yielded higher mean absorbance than the others. By using spectrophotometric absorbance values it was possible to use a single dilution of serum (between 1/100-1/400) since a clear separation was seen between AVL patients and controls. No patients with the other diseases who were tested gave positive results. We suggest that ELISA can be a very convenient, sensitive, and specific test for diagnosis of AVL when soluble antigen, preferably from an isolate from the test area, is used.


Cellular therapies hold great potential to treat a variety of medical conditions. Product characterization of cellular therapies is particularly difficult, as they pose regulatory challenges due to donor heterogeneity and a lack of standard lot release tests that can reliably predict in vivo outcomes. In particular, multipotent stromal cells, also called mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), are potentially valuable as a cellular therapy due to their regenerative capacity and immunosuppressive function. Due to the required expansion and inherent heterogeneity of MSCs, quantitative approaches capable of measuring differentiation capacity and immunosuppressive function between donors and passages on a per cell basis are needed. To address this unmet need, a sample set of human MSCs comprised of eight donors was created, cultured to early and late passages, and novel quantitative bioassays were established capable of measuring adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation on a per cell basis, as well as an in vitro assay to measure immunosuppressive function. Based on existing bioassays, MSCs demonstrate a decrease in overall proliferative potential and colony forming unit capacity, while expression of hallmark MSC surface markers remain unchanged. Utilizing automated microscopy techniques, adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation potential was quantified on a per cell basis, allowing us to directly assess the role of donor variability and in vitro culture on MSC function. Overall, donor variability and a decrease in differentiation potential with passage was demonstrated based on these quantitative assays. Since culture-expanded MSCs increase in cell size, this parameter was utilized to enrich for small cells, which demonstrated that the small cell population is more stem-like based on these applied quantitative bioassays. Lastly, immunosuppressive function of human MSCs on murine-derived clonal T cells was assessed utilizing a novel in vitro xenogeneic model system. Human MSCs can inhibit murine T cell activation, rendering this an ideal system to assess immunosuppressive function of MSCs in vitro. In conclusion, novel methods were established to quantify MSC function, and these findings were correlated with other previously-established quantitative bioassays to better understand the role of donor variability and passaging on MSC potency. Taken together, these quantitative approaches provide valuable tools to measure MSC quality, and supports continued efforts to improve characterization strategies for cellular therapies.


Loss of p53-dependent apoptosis contributes to the development of hematologic malignancies and failure to respond to treatment. Proapoptotic Bcl-2 family member Puma is essential for apoptosis in HoxB8-immortalized interleukin-3 (IL-3)-dependent myeloid cell lines (FDM cells) provoked by IL-3 deprivation. p53 and FoxO3a can transcriptionally regulate Puma. To investigate which transcriptional regulator is responsible for IL-3 deprivation-induced Puma expression and apoptosis, we generated wild-type (WT), p53(-/-), and FoxO3a(-/-) FDM cells and found that p53(-/-) but not FoxO3a(-/-) cells were protected against IL-3 withdrawal. Loss of p21(cip/waf), which is critical for p53-mediated cell-cycle arrest, afforded no protection against IL-3 deprivation. A survival advantage was also observed in untransformed p53(-/-) hematopoietic progenitor cells cultured in the presence or absence of cytokines. In response to IL-3 deprivation, increased Puma protein levels in p53(-/-) cells were substantially delayed compared with WT cells. Increased p53 transcriptional activity was detected after cytokine deprivation. This was substantially less than that induced by DNA damage and associated not with increased p53 protein levels but with loss of the p53 regulator, MDM2. Thus, we conclude that p53 protein is activated after IL-3 deprivation by loss of MDM2. Activated p53 transcriptionally up-regulates Puma, which initiates apoptosis.


The experiment was performed in the campus of the State University of Alagoas, in Santana do Ipanema, in the semi-arid region of Northeast Brazil. This work is aimed at studying the transferences of Se from animals' food to milk in various levels of offers and its correlations with Ca, P, Mg and soluble Fe. The work also analyzed the somatic cells counts, total bacteria count and chemical composition of milk: Fat, total soluble solids, lactose and proteins. Eight Anglo Nubians animals with a live weight of 60 kg with fifteen days of second lactation were stabled in individual stalls and confined in a completely randomized design, DIC. The animals were fed with 2 kg.day-1 of cactus pear and 0.5 to 1.0 kg.day-1 Tifton hay (Cynodon spp.); concentrated and formed with 333.3 g.day-1 corn and 166.67 g.day-1 soy. The mineral salt was dosed in three treatments using selenium (Se). The treatments were; Treatment 00: at 0.0 mg kg-1 of animal MS.day-1 serving as control group with no supply of mineral salt, and if provided, it came from their own diet; Treatment 01: at 0.1 mg MS.day-1 of animal.kg-1; Treatment 02: at 0.45 mg of animal. kg-1 DM. day-1; and Treatment 03: with 0.90 mg Se animal.kg-1 DM.day-1 (p <0.05) using Tukey test.

 Key words: Calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, soluble iron.


Recent intersections between geology and microbiology, as well as environmental engineering and microbiology, have provided even more creative approaches for developing selective media for novel organisms. This chapter places some emphasis on the nutritional needs of some of the broad groups of prokaryotes that have been discovered through using selective media as an enrichment tool. Other important aspects of nutrition that are considered in the chapter are requirements for vitamins, trace minerals, other growth factors, buffers to control pH, sterilization, and preparation of solid media. The essential nutritional requirements for prokaryotes can be divided into two classes: macronutrients and micronutrients. More than 30 elements are considered essential for cell growth; however, there are six nonmetals (carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus) and two metals (potassium and magnesium) that constitute 98% of the dry weight of prokaryotic organisms. Sodium is necessary for certain marine bacteria, phototrophs, and some anaerobes. Mixed hydrolysates are processed yeast or meat extracts to supplement the nutritional aspects of peptones by providing some amino acids, carbohydrates, nucleic acid fractions, organic acids, vitamins, and trace minerals lost during their manufacture. It is important to ensure that the blood and serum used in formulating bacteriological media are free of pathogens and potential health risks, especially in light of the recent bovine spongiform encephalopathy outbreaks.


Mitchell demonstrates the transformation of relationships -- both between the Inuit and Europeans and among the Inuit themselves -- that has occurred since contact with the West, focusing on the intersection of class and nation. This intersection provides a unifying framework to order the history of Inuit-European contact. At the heart of the book is a detailed and original presentation of the Inuit cooperative movement. Mitchell's skilful blending of primary sources with personal experience and secondary literature provides a compelling analysis of the Inuit co-op as a development tool used by the state. In the final chapters, she provides an astute evaluation of contemporary Inuit land claims, concluding that the Inuit have been unequally incorporated into the Canadian class system because of their ethnic status and lack of capital. Growing nationalism among the Inuit and demands for self-government make From Talking Chiefs to a Native Corporate Elite a timely and important addition to the field of Native studies. It will be of great interest to both scholars and general readers.


Because grading errors can impede the integrity of the beef grading system, it is important to investigate the existence and possible sources of grader bias. In this article, we use a non-parametric method to identify grader bias in the beef grading system. Using simulation studies, we show that this method performs well without the normal distribution assumption. We find that macroeconomic events and graders' mood may affect grades using a non-parametric method. Further, the premium/discount analysis in this article suggested that, under the grid price system, livestock producers could have lost financially if human graders had been replaced by camera-grading system during our sample period.


The development of the technology to synthesize new genomes and to introduce them into hosts with inactivated wild-type chromosome opens the door to new horizons in synthetic biology. Here it is of outmost importance to harness the ability of using computational design to predict and optimize a synthetic genome before attempting its synthesis. The methodology to computationally design a genome is based on an optimization that computationally mimics genome evolution. The biggest bottleneck lies on the use of an appropriate fitness function. This fitness function, usually cell growth, relies on the ability to quantitatively model the biochemical networks of the cell at the genome scale using parameters inferred from high-throughput data. Computational methods integrating such models in a common multilayer design platform can be used to automatically engineer synthetic genomes under physiological specifications. We describe the current state-of-the-art on automated methods for engineering or re-engineering synthetic genomes. We restrict ourselves to global models of metabolism, transcription and DNA structure. Although we are still far from the de novo computational genome design, it is important to collect all relevant work towards this goal. Finally, we discuss future perspectives about the practicability of an automated methodology for such computational design of synthetic genomes.


In this paper, the microstructure and hardness of Ti-5Al-2Sn-2Zr-4Mo-4Cr titanium alloy with and without laser shock peening (LSP) were examined and compared. The titanium alloy samples were laser shock peened with different layers at the same power density. The microscopic structure after LSP are tested and analyzed by SEM and TEM. The results indicated that LSP changed the microstructure evidently. After 3 layers laser shock peening, there are nanocrystallization in the LSP zone. The shock wave provided high strain rate deformation and generated high-density dislocations in the material. Multiple severe plastic deformation caused by 3 to 5 LSP layers helped to rearrange the resultant dislocation, to form dislocation networks, leading to the formation of nanocrystallites. On the other hand, the microhardness across the polished surfaces of the titanium materials with and without LSP was measured. It is obvious that the laser shock peening improved the microhardness of the Ti-5Al-2Sn-2Zr-4Mo-4Cr for about 16% at the surface, and the affected depth is about 300 microns from the surface.


Butyl rubber, because of its high packing density and chemical structure is inherently impermeable to air and gases. However, the elastomer is highly flammable owing to its neat carbon-hydrogen backbone structure. The particular rubber is extensively being used as coating materials for nylon, cotton, polyester etc., for development of clothing outfits for service personnel working in hazardous chemical environments . It is, therefore , essential to evolve flame retardant butyl rubber compositions which could make such clothings impermeable to chemical agents having adequate flame retardancy. The present paper describes an attempt towards using various chemical additives viz. brominated phenyl ethers, chlorinated paraffin, various inorganic oxides and halogenated elastomer , either singly or in combinations as potential flame retardants in bromo-butyl rubber compositions. The cements were then prepared by adding toluene to these compositions (20 to 30% solid content). The homogenised cements were then applied on both sides of nylon fabric with varying add -on concentrations in a laboratory coating machine with doctors blade specially designed for this purpose. The coated fabrics were cured at different temperatures in step curing between 70-150°C, tested for impermeability against hazardous warfare agents and found to offer enhanced protection against these chemicals . Standard test methods e.g. (a) exposure of the fabric to direct flame as per BS method 3119 (b) limited oxygen index as per ASTM specification D-2663 were followed in the evaluation of flame retardancy. The fabrics showed no after glowlow after flame (2.5 sec. against 6 sec. specified) and 7.2 cm char length against 12 cm max. permissible value. The physicomechanical' properties e.g., breaking and tensile strengths were determined . Morphology and rubber fabric adhesion were studied using Scanning Electron Microscopy. BUTYL RUBBER-NYLON COMPOSITES 269


Standard models fail to explain variation in UK capital investment. This paper develops and tests a new theory based on the insights of Edmond Malinvaud, in which investment under uncertainty is adjusted to balance the cost of excess and deficient capacity. Using quarterly UK manufacturing data on two capital assets (machinery and building) over a 30-year period, we obtain unique cointegrating relationships for the model, linking investment, profitability and capacity utilization. Non-nested testing shows that the estimated model performs similarly to a frequently used survey of investment intentions. Our model also addresses differences in the behaviour of the two asset classes; we show that building investment fell relative to machinery investment over the period, reflecting not only relative prices and profitability, but also long term influences such as technology or governance. At the macro level we find little role for any effects from taxation or financial constraints.


This paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of possible causes of considerable production variability that characterised Russian agriculture during the last decade. The study investigates production risk and technical inefficiency as two sources that influence production variability. Using panel data from 1996 to 2001, an empirical analysis of 443 large agricultural enterprises from three regions in central, southern and Volga Russia is conducted. A production function specification accounting for the effect of inputs on both risk and technical inefficiency is found to describe production technologies of Russian farms more appropriately than the traditional stochastic frontier formulation.


The declaration of the 'end of the transition paradigm' at the dawn of the new millennium provoked a rethinking in transformation theory, as it challenged the dichotomy of democratic and authoritarian systems and the 'finality' of transformation. This study contributes to the debate on hybrid political systems, critically assessing established theoretical models of political cul-ture and stability with a view to their applicability in the post-Soviet environment. On the basis of comprehensive field research, the study compares Georgia and Armenia as most similar cases, which inherited similar legacies from their common Soviet past but showed different developments of regime persistence, instability and democratization processes since gaining independence and sovereignty. While Georgia experienced ups and downs of its democratization efforts, Armenia was considered a stable semi-consolidated authoritarian system until the Velvet Revolution, which can be regarded as an important 'reset' in Armenia's recent history. In a comparative approach this study analyses critical hues of stability in the political 'grey zone' while concentrating on the intermediary structure of both countries. Given its mediating function within the political system, the intermediary sphere of civil society actors and political elites instructively reflects the (dis)connect between citizens and the state. Focusing the analysis on the intermediary sphere provides valuable insights into the dynamics of political processes and decision-making, the articulation of interests independent from the state and the formation and recruitment of elites. By taking a critical look at the very constitution of the nexus of political elites and civil society as well as interlinkages and impacts, the major finding is that the mutual influence of political culture and political structure on stability can be confirmed in both countries' context. Thereby, the study identifies key differences in regime configurations that impact persistence in the political grey zone.


Biopharmaceutical production processes strive for the optimization of economic efficiency. Among others, the maximization of volumetric productivity is a key criterion. Typical parameters such as partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) and pH are known to influence the performance although reasons are not yet fully elucidated. In this study the effects of pCO2 and pH shifts on the phenotypic performance were linked to metabolic and energetic changes. Short peak performance of qmAb (23 pg/cell/day) was achieved by early pCO2 shifts up to 200 mbar but followed by declining intracellular ATP levels to 2.5 fmol/cell and 80% increase of qLac. On the contrary, steadily rising qmAb could be installed by slight pH down-shifts ensuring constant cell specific ATP production (qATP) of 27 pmol/cell/day and high intracellular ATP levels of about 4 fmol/cell. As a result, maximum productivity was achieved combining highest qmAb (20 pg/cell/day) with maximum cell density and no lactate formation. Our results indicate that the energy availability in form of intracellular ATP is crucial for maintaining antibody synthesis and reacts sensitive to pCO2 and pH-process parameters typically responsible for inhomogeneities after scaling up.


An online recognition method for handwritten Hiragana characters is developed based upon a complex AR model. The time delay of the AR model is enlarged so that global attributes of handwritten characters are well incorporated into the model, and a character segmentation technique is developed for performance improvement. A good recognition score has been obtained for two different writers.


The number of functional traits of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) microbial community (i.e. functional richness) is thought to be an important determinant of its overall functional performance, but the ecological factors that determine functional richness remain unclear. The number of taxa within a community (i.e. taxonomic richness) is one ecological factor that might be important. Communities that contain more taxa are more likely to have more functional traits, and a positive association is therefore expected between functional and taxonomic richness. Empirical tests for this positive association among WWTP communities, however, are lacking. We address this knowledge gap by measuring the functional and taxonomic richness of 10 independent WWTP communities. We demonstrate that functional and taxonomic richness are positively associated with each other. We further demonstrate that functional and taxonomic richness are negatively associated with the effluent NH4 -N and BOD5 concentrations. This led us to hypothesize that correlated variation in functional and taxonomic richness is likely related to variation in ambient nitrogen and carbon availability. We finally demonstrate that this hypothesis is consistent with the functional and taxonomic attributes of the WWTP communities. Together, our results improve our basic understanding of the ecology and functioning of WWTP communities.


In legislation, to earmark means roughly to designate (through a statutory provision or an accompanying committee report) certain appropriated funds for narrow (nearly always geographically-delimited) purposes that appear to benefit particular interests. Policymakers, civil society organizations, and scholarly observers routinely condemn earmarking as a practice putatively tied to corruption, or reflecting abuse of the political process – critiques that have spawned a variety of recent reform efforts. Yet a meticulous prescriptive evaluation of the practice soon raises fairly profound questions encompassing institutional design, legal theory, organizational practice, and the role of a cognitively-overburdened public in a democracy. Upon closer inspection, for example, earmarks seem no more or less likely to be connected to corruption than a host of other highly-targeted outputs of the legislative process, such as private immigration bills or intricate changes to complex regulatory statutes benefiting particular companies or interest groups. Earmarks can also serve as side payments capable of protecting legislative bargains from costlier distortions as lawmakers seek to advance their constituents' interests. Moreover, not all earmarks constitute 'pork-barrel' spending, as principled legislators could use targeted measures in order to manage the enormous analytical difficulty of designing complex legal provisions applying general principles to specific situations, and to protect lawmakers' role in a system of separated powers. Given these factors and the highly variable substantive content of earmarking, I reach three conclusions. First, some earmarks are substantively defensible. Second, on balance, conventional earmarks are probably more transparent than many other political deals. Hence, although earmarking reformers seem to assume that banishing earmarks would make it harder for lawmakers to advance their narrow personal interests or those of their constituencies, there is little basis for such a conclusion. Third, even if certain specific earmarks are not desirable, any sensible evaluation of the overall practice of earmarking implicates a broader discussion regarding the merits of the legislative process and the pluralist system in which it exists. A more analytically sound approach to earmarking would recognize the connection between targeted spending and legislative compromise. Such an approach would consider incremental changes promoting greater transparency and focus greater attention on discussions of the merits of individual earmarks. In contrast, aggressive efforts to limit earmarks altogether are exceedingly difficult to defend and may engender wider distortions in otherwise defensible statutes and regulatory policies.


A Ka-band push-push voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) using a parasitic capacitance cancelling technique is presented. To enhance the oscillation frequency (
 f
 osc
) and the tuning range (TR), the parasitic capacitance of the VCO is cancelled with negative capacitance (NC). To realise NC, a negative impedance circuit (NIC) is analysed and designed. Because of self-resonance frequency, NC is realised using an open-circuit stable NIC. For further enhancement of the f
 osc
, the VCO is developed in a push-push operation. The proposed VCO is fabricated in a commercial 0.15 μm GaAs pHEMT process. It shows 12.4% of the TR at 31.6 GHz with 11 dBm output power. With the NIC, the centre frequency of the VCO increases from 20.1 to 31.6 GHz and the TR increases from 5.7 to 12.4% compared with a VCO without the NIC.


Objective: This study sought to explore whether subgroups of patients with mild TBI could be identified by their symptom profile according to cluster analysis. We also investigated whether these clusters are uniquely associated with structural brain damage as well as their relationship to anxiety and depression, other health complaints, functioning and participation in work. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study of patients with mild TBI who were registered at baseline and 6-8 weeks after injury. Results: A total of 270 patients were included. K-mean cluster analyses were conducted to describe groups of subjects with similar profiles of responses to the Rivermead Post Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire (RPQ). The four-cluster solution revealed one cluster with a low level of symptoms (low), one with a generally high symptom level (high), one cluster characterised by a high level of symptoms regarding cognitive functions (cognitive) and one cluster with somatic and frustration dominating symptoms (somatic). No significant differences in symptom level (mean score on RPQ) were revealed between subjects with and without radiological findings on brain scans (p=0.34). The "high" cluster group scored significantly higher than clusters 1, 2 and 3 in terms of both depression and anxiety but significantly lower on the GOSE. Cluster 2 scored significantly lower for health complaints in comparison to the other clusters. Conclusion: Subgroups of patients with mild TBI could be identified according to their symptom profile using cluster analysis. Patients with minor symptoms had a reduced risk for a positive finding on CT or MRI, whereas the high symptom level group struggled to return to work and demonstrated high levels of anxiety, depression and disability.


Abstract Listicles are a new media phenomenon and appear on a news organization's website; they are articles that use a ranked list and offer concise details about a topic to readers. The study explores how consumers recognize and understand native ad forms that mimic listicle-style online news articles. We investigated whether the inclusion of a disclosure or a companion brand social media post triggers the same effect and process provoked by conceptual persuasion knowledge. Through a between-subject design experiment, we show that the presence of disclosures and branded social media posts influence consumer's perception of persuasion appropriateness, which correlates with the affective and behavioral evaluation of the brand and publisher.


The aim of the study is to examine differential item functioning (DIF) detection methods—the simultaneous item bias test (SIBTEST), Item Response Theory likelihood ratio (IRT-LR), Lord chi square (χ2), and Raju area measures—based on ability estimates when purifying items with DIF from the test, considering conditions of ratio of the items with DIF, effect size of DIF, and type of DIF. This study is a simulation study and 50 replications were conducted for each condition. In order to compare DIF detection methods, error (RMSD) and coefficient of concordance (Pearson's correlation coefficient) were calculated according to estimated and initial abilities for the reference group. As a result of the study, the lowest error and the highest concordance were seen in the case of 10% uniform DIF in the test and the method of IRT-LR, considering all other conditions. Moreover, for the method of SIBTEST and IRT-LR in all conditions, it was found that the error obtained by purifying items with C level DIF is lower than the error obtained by purifying items with both B and C level DIF. Similarly, for the method of SIBTEST and IRT-LR in all conditions, it was seen that the concordance coefficient found by purifying C level DIF is higher than the coefficient by purifying items with both B and C level DIF.


1. During normal flight of the desert locust, auxiliary ventilating mechanisms do not appear, and dorso-ventral abdominal pumping continues at increased frequency and amplitude. When flight stops hyperventilation together with auxiliary forms appear briefly. Removal of the abdomen has shown that pterothoracic and neck ventilation are adequate for sustained flight. 2. Spiracles 2 and 3 open wide during flight: when flight is weaker they make incipient closing movements. A central inhibitory reflex controls their activity, in addition to the peripheral action of carbon dioxide on spiracle 2. The incipient closing movements are shown not to have a functional significance; they are probably the expression of two competing mechanisms, and may arise by negative induction. 3. Spiracles 1 and 4-10 remain synchronized with ventilation, and thereby permit adequate ventilation of the central nervous system. 4. The isolation of the pterothoracic tracheal system is enhanced by the occlusion of two pairs of cross-links. The occlusion of a further three pairs in the prothorax and head ensures that the head has priority on the inspired air. 5. The occlusion of all the cross-links takes place after the first instar, at which time spiracle synchronization first regularly appears and a directed airstream becomes possible. 6. In flight there are two largely independent ventilating systems. The first, a two-way system, ventilates the flight muscles through the open spiracles 2 and 3 and is pumped by the flight movements. The second, a one-way system, ventilates primarily the central nervous system and is pumped by the abdomen, in through the dorsal orifice of spiracle 1, and out through spiracles 5-10.


Our visual systems combine the two, slightly different, retinal images to arrive at a stable and continuous percept of a given scene around us. While a large proportion of any scene is binocular, there are a host of regions that can only be seen by one eye. Rather than being ignored, these monocular regions are integrated with the surrounding binocular regions and their content is consciously accessible to us.

However, our perception of the information contained in monocular regions seems to be slightly different from that of information that is seen by both eyes (binocularly). Ono et al (2003)[1], for example, report that monocular regions appear slightly displaced and compressed, as if to 'fit' into the surrounding binocular space. Here we discuss two experiments that investigate our perception of monocular regions further.

We used two relative numerosity tasks to study whether monocular regions lead to a percept that is comparable to that of binocular regions, and we explored how the two types of regions are integrated to form a seemingly stable and continuous percept.


BEWARE: These are preliminary notes. In the future, they will become part of a textbook on Visual Object Recognition. Inferior temporal cortex (ITC) is the highest echelon within the visual stream concerned with processing visual shape information 1. As such, one may expect that some of the key properties of visual perception may be encoded in the activity of ensembles of neurons in ITC. The story of how inferior temporal cortex became accepted and described as a visual area is a rather interesting one; we encourage readers to consult (Gross, 1994) for a lucid historical discussion. Imagine that you are interested in finding out the functions and properties of a given brain area, say inferior temporal cortex (ITC) within the primate ventral visual stream. As we have discussed before (Chapter 4), part of the answer to this question may come from lesion studies. Bilateral lesions to ITC cause severe impairment in visual object recognition in macaque monkeys and several human object agnosias are correlated with damage in the inferior temporal cortex (Chapter 4). Another piece of evidence for function could come from non-invasive functional imaging studies. For example, upon presenting images of human faces and comparing the patterns of blood flow against those obtained when the same subject looks at pictures of houses, investigators typically report increased activity in the fusiform gyrus (e.g. (Kanwisher et al., 1997)). To some, this may be enough. To many others, this is only the beginning. Even if we have some indication (through lesion studies, functional imaging studies or other techniques) of the general function of a given brain area, much more work is needed to understand the mechanisms and computations involved in the function and properties of neurons in that area. We need to understand the receptive field structure and feature preferences of the different types of neurons in that area, how these preferences originate based on the input, recurrent connections and feedback signals and what type of output the area sends to its targets. For this purpose, it is necessary to examine function at neuronal resolution and millisecond temporal resolution. In this lecture, we will give an overview of the heroic efforts of many investigators to characterize the activity of neurons in ITC. 7.2 Neuroanatomy of inferior temporal cortex Inferior temporal cortex (ITC) is the last purely visual stage of processing along the ventral visual stream. It consists of Brodmann's cytoarchitectonic areas 1 …


Socio‐economic development pathways and their implications for the environment are highly uncertain, and energy transitions will involve complex interactions among sectors. Here, traditional Monte Carlo analysis is paired with scenario discovery techniques to provide a richer portrait of these complexities. Modeled uncertain input variables include costs of advanced energy technologies, energy efficiency trends, fossil fuel resource availability, elasticities of substitution for labor, capital, and energy across economic sectors, population growth, and labor and capital productivity. The sampled values are simulated through a multi‐sector, multi‐region, recursively dynamic model of the world economy to explore a range of possible future outcomes. We find that many patterns of energy and technology development are possible for various long‐term environmental pathways and that sectoral output for most sectors is little affected through 2050 by the long‐term temperature target, but with tight constraints on emissions, emission intensities must fall much more rapidly. Scenario discovery techniques are applied to the large uncertainty ensembles to explore if there are prevailing storylines behind outcomes of interest. An illustrative investigation focused on different levels of economic growth shows many combinations of pathways and no single storyline emerging for a given economic outcome. This method can be extended to other outcomes of interest, exploring the nature of scenarios with both tail and median outcomes. Sampling from a Monte Carlo generated ensemble provides a rich set of scenarios to investigate, and potentially aids in avoiding heuristic biases in less structured scenario approaches.


Goal modeling and analysis techniques help stakeholders consider possible tradeoff alternatives in their requirements and answer "what if" questions about those alternatives. Software projects today exist in an ephemeral state, and current goal modeling approaches do not answer questions about model evolution and changes in actors' intentionality. We have developed a technique [8] that allows stakeholders to explicate the dynamic nature of their intentional elements, and ask questions about how this dynamicity affects project outcomes. In this paper, we present GrowingLeaf , a new web-based goal modeling and analysis tool that implements this technique for iStar models. We discuss its support for modeling, simulation, and static analysis and illustrate it for a small example


We have developed a method to visualize fluorescent protein-labeled beta-cells in the intact pancreas through combined reflection and confocal imaging. This method provides a 3-D view of the beta-cells in situ. Imaging of the pancreas from mouse insulin I promoter (MIP)-green (GFP) and red fluorescent protein (RFP) transgenic mice shows that islets, beta-cell clusters, and single beta-cells are not evenly distributed but are aligned along the large blood vessels. We also observe the solitary beta-cells in both fetal and adult mice and along the pancreatic and common bile ducts. We have imaged the developing endocrine cells in the embryos using neurogenin-3 (Ngn3)-GFP mice crossed with MIP-RFP mice. The dual-color-coded pancreas from embryos (E15.5) shows a large number of green Ngn3-expressing proendocrine cells with a smaller number of red beta-cells. The imaging technique that we have developed, coupled with the transgenic mice in which beta-cells and beta-cell progenitors are labeled with different fluorescent proteins, will be useful for studying pancreatic development and function in normal and disease states.


Importance Several national initiatives have emerged to empower laypersons to act as immediate responders to reduce preventable deaths from uncontrolled bleeding. Point-of-care instructional interventions have been developed in response to the scalability challenges associated with in-person training. However, to our knowledge, their effectiveness for hemorrhage control has not been established. Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of different instructional point-of-care interventions and in-person training for hemorrhage control compared with no intervention and assess skill retention 3 to 9 months after hemorrhage control training. Design, Setting, and Participants This randomized clinical trial of 465 laypersons was conducted at a professional sports stadium in Massachusetts with capacity for 66 000 people and assessed correct tourniquet application by using different point-of-care interventions (audio kits and flashcards) and a Bleeding Control Basic (B-Con) course. Non-B-Con arms received B-Con training after initial testing (conducted from April 2017 to August 2017). Retesting for 303 participants (65%) was performed 3 to 9 months after training (October 2017 to January 2018) to evaluate B-Con retention. A logistic regression for demographic associations was performed for retention testing. Interventions Participants were randomized into 4 arms: instructional flashcards, audio kits with embedded flashcards, B-Con, and control. All participants received B-Con training to later assess retention. Main Outcomes and Measures Correct tourniquet application in a simulated scenario. Results Of the 465 participants, 189 (40.7%) were women and the mean (SD) age was 46.3 (16.1) years. For correct tourniquet application, B-Con (88% correct application [n = 122]; P < .001) was superior to control (n = 104 [16%]) while instructional flashcards (n = 117 [19.6%]) and audio kit (n = 122 [23%]) groups were not. More than half of participants in point-of-care arms did not use the educational prompts as intended. Of 303 participants (65%) who were assessed 3 to 9 months after undergoing B-Con training, 165 (54.5%) could correctly apply a tourniquet. Over this period, there was no further skill decay in the adjusted model that treated time as either linear (odds ratio [OR], 0.98; 95% CI, 0.95-1.03) or quadratic (OR, 1.00; 95% CI, 1.00-1.00). The only demographic that was associated with correct application at retention was age; adults aged 18 to 35 years (n = 58; OR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.21-4.72) and aged 35 to 55 years (n = 107; OR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.04-3.02) were more likely to be efficacious than those older than 55 years (n = 138). Conclusions and Relevance In-person hemorrhage control training for laypersons is currently the most efficacious means of enabling bystanders to act to control hemorrhage. Laypersons can successfully perform tourniquet application after undergoing a 1-hour course. However, only 54.5% retain this skill after 3 to 9 months, suggesting that investigating refresher training or improved point-of-care instructions is critical. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03479112


BACKGROUND
Pyridine nucleotides are essential for electron transport and serve as co-factors in multiple metabolic processes in all organisms. Each nucleotide has a particular role in metabolism. For instance, the NAD/NADP ratio is believed to be responsible for sustaining the functional status of plant cells. However, since enzymes involved in the synthesis and degradation of NAD and NADP have not been fully identified, the physiological functions of these co-enzymes in plant growth and development are largely unknown.

SCOPE
This Botanical Briefing covers progress in the developmental and stress-related roles of genes associated with NAD biosynthesis in plants. Special attention will be given to assessments of physiological impacts through the modulation of NAD and NADP biosynthesis.

CONCLUSIONS
The significance of NAD biosynthesis in plant development and NADP biosynthesis in plant stress tolerance is summarized in this Briefing. Further investigation of cells expressing a set of NAD biosynthetic genes would facilitate understanding of regulatory mechanisms by which plant cells maintain NAD homeostasis.


The closed shop is once again a focus of attention as the result of several states introdctcing legislation that seeks to outlaw the practice. This is despite a number of academic studies that have suggested that managers have much to gain from the closed shop and are often active supporters of it. In this study the impact of the anti-closed shop provisions of the Industrial Relations Act, 1991 (NSW) are assessed by way of a survey that asked seventy human resource managers to indicate how the legislation had affected their organizations. The same managers were also asked about their personal views on the closed shop and any advantages and disadvantages they associated with the practice. The study concludes that, at the time of the survey, the impact of the legislation was limited and that 60 per cent of the surveyed organizations continued to operate closed shops as they did before the Act came into effect. This is despite the fact that the majority of managers had a strong personal antipathy to the closed shop and claimed to see few advantages in the practice. A number of possible explanations are put forward to explain the dissonance between individual views and organizational practices.


The current economically situation brings the providers of higher education to dramatically changing requirements not only the existing curricula but also the need to refresh the current and contemporary approaches to the basic approaches of LLL and also its connections with built and real estate market contemporary needs. This paper attends the interest on the some fundamentals of the named problem according the Estonian situation and LLL superposition principles rising from the Bologna declaration or on the other hand from EU higher education fundamentals are also taken into account. The basic goal of the paper is to draw down 1) How the current curricula at university must be linked with real market requirements and 2)to supply university(Estonian University of Life Sciences) with concrete decisions how this co-operation must exist. The bases of given approach are authors past and current experiences from two professional societies were he is involved in as manager of professional education and/or professional certification.


Mycobacterium riyadhense was first isolated in 2009. Five additional cases were reported since then. This is, however, the first case of M. riyadhense with human immunodeficiency virus coinfection in the literature. A 54-year-old male diabetic presented with 4 months history of diarrhea, productive cough, odynophagia, and dysphagia with progressive weight loss. He looked cachectic with oropharyngeal thrush, bilateral axillary lymph node enlargement and herpes zoster involving the first two thoracic dermatomes. He had right-sided consolidation on chest examination. He was anemic with a normal platelet count. Sputum examination was positive for acid-fast bacilli (AFB); however, deoxyribonucleic acid probe-detection assay for MTB (complex) was negative. The isolate was confirmed as M. riyadhense at the Bioscientia laboratories (Ingelheim, Germany). Stool was positive for Clostridium difficile toxins by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) test was also positive. The patient showed improvement in clinical, bacteriologic, and immunologic parameters with antituberculous and antiretroviral medications. The lesson from this case is for clinicians to suspect infection with atypical mycobacteria once mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) PCR is negative in a patient with a positive smear for AFB so that appropriate therapy for nontuberculous mycobacterial disease can be initiated early.


The aim of the present work is to contribute to a better understanding of the relation between organization theory and management practice. It is organized as a collection of two papers, a theoretical and conceptual contribution and an ethnographic study. The first paper is concerned with systematizing different literatures inside and outside the field of organization studies that deal with the theory-practice relation. After identifying a series of positions to the theory-practice debate and unfolding some of their implicit assumptions and limitations, a new position called entwinement is developed in order to overcome status quo through reconciliation and integration. Accordingly, the paper proposes to reconceptualize theory and practice as a circular iterative process of action and cognition, science and common-sense enacted in the real world both by organization scholars and practitioners according to purposes at hand.
The second paper is the ethnographic study of an encounter between two groups of expert academics and practitioners occasioned by a one-year executive business master in an international business school. The research articulates a process view of the knowledge exchange between management academics and practitioners in particular and between individuals belonging to different communities of practice, in general, and emphasizes its dynamic, relational and transformative mechanisms. Findings show that when they are given the chance to interact, academics and practitioners set up local provisional relations that enable them to act as change intermediaries vis-a-vis each other's worlds, without tying themselves irremediably to each other and to the scenarios they conjointly projected during the master's experience. Finally, the study shows that provisional relations were accompanied by a recursive shift in knowledge modes. While interacting, academics passed from theory to practical theorizing, practitioners passed from an involved practical mode to a reflexive and quasi-theoretical one, and then, as exchanges proceeded, the other way around.


Reactions of valencepolaromeric ketenes of mesoionic heterocycles with 3-dimethylamino-2H-azirines : Reactions of the 3-dimethylamino-2H-azirines 1a and 1b with the mesoionic oxazole 5 and the mesoionic dithiole 6 in acetonitrile at room temperature yield the 1: 1 adducts 11, 12, 19 and 20, respectively (Schemes 5 and 8). These products can be formulated as adducts of the aminoazirines and the ketenes 5a and 6a, which are valence polaromeric forms of the mesoionic heterocycles 5 and 6 (Scheme 2).
The structure of the adducts has been elucidated by spectral data and their comparison with the data of (Z)-11, the structure of which has been established by X-ray [19]. Oxidation of the 1:1 adducts with KMnO4 in a two-phase system yields 4-dimethylamino-3-oxazolin-2-ones (cf. Scheme 6) by cleavage of the exocyclic C,C-double bond. A mechanism for the formation of the adducts is given in Scheme 9: Nucleophilic attack of 1 on the ketene leads to a primary adduct of type a, which undergoes cleavage of the former N(1),C(2)-azirine bond to give adducts of type 11 or 19. The N(1),C(2)-ring opening of 1a in the reaction with ketenes contrasts with the N(1),C(3)-opening of 1a in the addition with, for instance, isothiocyanates. These different ring openings are explained by the difference in nucleophilicity of the heteroatoms X and Y in a' (Scheme 10).


This book describes modern focused ion beam microscopes and techniques and how they can be used to aid materials metrology and as tools for the fabrication of devices that in turn are used in many other aspects of fundamental metrology. Beginning with a description of the currently available instruments including the new addition to the field of plasma-based sources, it then gives an overview of ion solid interactions and how the different types of instrument can be applied. Chapters then describe how these machines can be applied to the field of materials science and device fabrication giving examples of recent and current activity in both these areas.


In this article I evaluate the available case law (16 cases) on the private enforcement of Hungarian and EU competition rules in stand-alone actions. Before 1st of November 2005 it was not clear whether it was possible to initiate stand-alone actions based on Articles 11 (anticompetitive agreements) and 21 (abuse of a dominant position) of the Hungarian Competition Act (HCA). The courts interpreted the law in a way which in their opinion prevented the direct application of competition rules by the courts. The law was therefore amended in November 2005 and the HCA directly allows for private actions.In recent years the number of reported cases grew, but basically all of them were either unfounded or frivolous. In most of the cases the parties were just trying to invoke every legal norm which might aid them and somehow they found that the wording of the HCA might be useful. In most of the cases it turned out that relying on the HCA had no merits at all. Most of the judgements are either not discussing the competition issues at all, or only reflect to the arguments of the parties briefly. Only some cases go into the details and have a meaningful discussion of the provisions of the HCA and whether they are applicable or not. The article depicts a very unsatisfactory situation and provides a thorough overview of the recent case law.


Article history: Received on: 16/10/2015 Revised on: 17/12/2015 Accepted on: 28/12/2015 Available online: 27/02/2016 Objective of this study is to evaluate the cost and antibiotic utilization of pneumonia patients admitted in intensive care unit. It was a retrospective study. Details required for antibiotic utilization and cost analysis were acquired from hospital files. Out of 320 cases evaluated 110 cases were of pneumonia.28.2% of people had pneumonia as their primary diagnosis and 71.8% had hospital acquired/aspiration pneumonia. The mean length of ICU stay was 3.30± 1.91 days. 21.8% patients were put on ventilator. The mortality rate was 34.5%. Betalactum along with betalactamase inhibitor antibiotics were prescribed for 91% patients, Carbapenams for 20%, anti-staphylococcal antibiotic for 51% of patients and macrolides and miscellaneous antibiotics were prescribed in 25.5% and 36.4% patients respectively. Betalactum antibiotic along with betalactamase inhibitor and clindamycin combination was most commonly prescribed antibiotic. Average cost per patient who was not put on ventilator was Rs 27,123 where as ventilated patient per cost was Rs44, 812. This study showed that one third of ICU admissions was due to pneumonia. Highest numbers of pneumonia were hospital acquired/aspiration pneumonia. Cost of ventilator supported pneumonia was two times more than non-ventilated pneumonia. Ventilator support was the most expensive intervention adding to the cost of care followed by cost of antibiotics and investigations.


The marriage of dance and interactive image has been a persistent dream over the past decades, but reality has fallen far short of potential for both technical and conceptual reasons. This thesis proposes a new approach to the problem and lays out the theoretical, technical and aesthetic framework for the innovative art form of digitally augmented human movement. I will use as example works a series of installations, digital projections and compositions each of which contains a choreographic component---either through collaboration with a choreographer directly or by the creation of artworks that automatically organize and understand purely virtual movement. These works lead up to two unprecedented collaborations with two of the greatest choreographers working today; new pieces that combine dance and interactive projected light using real-time motion capture live on stage.
The existing field of "dance technology" is one with many problems. This is a domain with many practitioners, few techniques and almost no theory; a field that is generating "experimental" productions with every passing week, has literally hundreds of citable pieces and no canonical works; a field that is oddly disconnected from modern dance's history, pulled between the practical realities of the body and those of computer art, and has no influence on the prevailing digital art paradigms that it consumes.
This thesis will seek to address each of these problems: by providing techniques and a basis for "practical theory"; by building artworks with resources and people that have never previously been brought together, in theaters and in front of audiences previously inaccessible to the field; and by proving through demonstration that a profitable and important dialogue between digital art and the pioneers of modern dance can in fact occur.
The methodological perspective of this thesis is that of biologically inspired, agent-based artificial intelligence, taken to a high degree of technical depth. The representations, algorithms and techniques behind such agent architectures are extended and pushed into new territory for both interactive art and artificial intelligence. In particular, this thesis will focus on the control structures and the rendering of the extended agents bodies, the tools for creating complex agent-based artworks in intense collaborative situations, and the creation of agent structures that can span live image and interactive sound production. Each of these parts becomes an element of what it means to "choreograph" an extended agent for live performance. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)


ABSTRACT Calls for a Green New Deal in the United States represent an opportunity to learn from, and avoid the mistakes of, the last New Deal. We outline not the suite of Franklin Delano Roosevelt-era policies that fell under the umbrella of New Deal, but the conditions of their possibility, and what the aftermath of the New Deal means for the United States and beyond. The success of a Green New Deal rests both on the mobilization of a counter-movement to backlash caused by, and a commitment to avoid the injustices furthered through, the original compact after which it is named.


Based on ab-initio calculations we discuss Kondo effect due to Co adatom on graphene zigzag nanoribbon. Co atom located at hollow site behaves as spin S = 1/2 impurity with dxz and dyz orbitals contributing to magnetic moment. Dynamical correlations are analyzed with the use of complementary approximations: mean field slave boson approach, noncrossing approximation and equation of motion method. The impact of interplay between spin and orbital degrees of freedom together with the effect of peculiarities of electronic and magnetic structure of nanoribbon on many-body resonances is examined.


This special issue of Development Policy Review reflects on European Union (EU) efforts to build a more effective global development policy amid a rapidly changing international context. As 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals have made clear, global development challenges require collective action if they are to be resolved. Contributions to the special issue explore the ways in which the EU approaches collective action challenges in different development cooperation frameworks and policy settings. Themes explored include strategies for overcoming collective action problems, the impacts of these interactions on EU and member state aid policies, coherence between development and other policy fields, relations between European and other development actors, and the reception of the EU's efforts in developing countries.