ABSTRACT
Background. Disorders of Sex Development (DSD) is a term used to describe a congenital condition where sex chromosomes, gonads, and or anatomy of a person are atypical.  It is estimated to affect 1:4,500 people worlwide with varied clinical findings, hence the integrated and diverse interventions.
Objective. This study wished to observe the many interventions DSD patients received in Dr. Mohammad Hoesin Hospital as one of the national reference hospitals in Indonesia for South Sumatera region.
Methods. Medical records of 173 patients with clinical findings in accordance with DSD spectrum during 2013-2017 was observed in order to identify both surgical and medical interventions applied.
Results. Sixty two patients were diagnosed of having hypospadias (35.84%), making it the most common clinical finding among DSD patients in this hospital.  Surgical intervention was the most favored intervention, with 155 patients (89.6%) underwent various surgeries, ranging from urethroplasty to vaginoplasty and many more.  Five patients(2.9%) were treated with either hydrocortisone and florinef, or both.  One patient diagnosed with Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) had both surgical and medical intervention.
Conclusion. DSD gives a wide phenotypic spectrum, making its management both challenging and complicated.  Surgical, medical, and or a combination of both are the indispensable interventions when dealing with DSD patients.  Study focusing on psychological intervention for DSD patients is further needed.

Keyword: Disorders of Sex Development, DSD, surgical, medical, intervention.


This paper aims to introduce the performance of bunched-electrode for die-sinking EDM. Bunched-electrode was formed by bunching numerous hollow cell-electrodes together to generate an electrode in which end surface matches the final surface of the mould cavity. FEM analysis and experiments were conducted to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of bunched electrode in ED machining. Experiments show that while machining with bunched-electrode, it is feasible to apply a much higher peak current to achieve higher MRR. Meanwhile, a special phenomenon called shallow radial craters in machining with bunched-electrodes was observed and analyzed. One possible reason may be that the plasma columns in the gap are distorted outwards by strong inner pressure flushing.


Memory protocol commands and firmware features for storage solutions may function correctly by themselves, but due to implicit cross-feature dependencies they may exhibit incorrect behavior when exercised in combination with other features or commands. How can we efficiently use a set of standalone per-feature tests to test the cross-features dependencies? We define an algorithm that is based on greedy and randomized heuristics that can produce an optimized plan for cross-feature testing within a polynomial number of steps. The algorithm is designed to meet cross-feature coverage requirements and was used to find problems in memory chip firmware with good results. We were consistently able to produce a cross-feature test plan in no more than 5 hours given a set of more than 1400 per-feature test variants. We have successfully discovered bugs caused by incorrectly handled interrupts and errors in managing a shared resource, that would have been missed by the per-feature tests method.


This thesis consists of two self-contained empirical essays. Essay I investigates the impact of labor subsidies on TFP, and profit per employee is included as a second outcome. Coarsened exact matching (CEM) is performed on the key variables. After matching, a difference-indifference (DID) model is applied. The study shows that firms employing workers with wage subsidies experience negative and significant effects on both TFP and profit per employee. Heterogeneity is, however, observed; the only sector to show a deficit in both TFP and profit per employee is wholesale. During the second year with a subsidy, a negative impact can be observed on the profit per employee but not on TFP. The policy conclusion from the analysis is that subsidizing individuals from particular groups is necessary to induce firms to hire workers from these groups. However, the time period for which a single firm is subsidized should be considered. Essay II (with Jonas Månsson from Linnaeus University and the Swedish National Audit Office (SNAO), Christian Andersson from SNAO and Fredrik Bonander from SNAO) measures TFP of the Swedish district courts by applying data envelopment analysis (DEA) to calculate the Malmquist productivity index for 48 Swedish district courts from 2012 to 2015. This study uses a fully decomposed Malmquist index. A bootstrapping approach is further applied to compute confidence intervals for each decomposed factor of TFP as well as for TFP. The study shows an average annual of TFP by 0.7%. However, a substantial variation between years is observed both with regards to the number of statistically significant courts below and above unity. The negative impact is mainly driven by pure technical regress. Large variations are also observed over time where the small courts have the largest volatility. The TFP change is positively correlated with the rate of change in the caseload. Two recommendations are: 1) that district courts with negative TFP growth could learn from those with positive TFP growth and 2) that a back-up force could be developed to enhance flexibility.


The expression of tumor suppressor Arf is tightly repressed during normal cell growth at a young age and is activated by oncogenic insults, and during aging, results in p53 activation and cell-cycle arrest to prevent hyperproliferation. The mechanisms of both transcriptional repression and activation of Arf are not understood. We show that p53 binds to and represses Arf expression and that this repression requires the function of both histone deacetylases (HDAC) and polycomb group (PcG) proteins. Inactivation of p53 leads to increased Arf transcription in both mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) cultured in vitro and in tissues and organs of p53 null mice. Activation of endogenous p53 enhances Arf repression, and reintroduction of p53 back into p53 null MEFs restores Arf repression. Both DNA binding and transactivation activities of p53 are required for Arf repression. We show that p53 is required for both HDAC and PcG to repress Arf expression. Bindings of both HDAC and PcG to Arf are disrupted by inactivation of p53 and can be restored in p53 null MEFs by the reintroduction of wild-type, but not mutant, p53. These results indicate that p53 recruits both HDAC and PcG to Arf locus to repress its expression, and this repression constitutes a second feedback loop in p53 regulation.


Background:Transmitted drug resistance (TDR) is increasing in some areas of Africa. Detection of TDR may predict virologic failure of first-line nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)-based antiretroviral therapy (ART). We evaluated the utility of a relatively inexpensive oligonucleotide ligation assay (OLA) to detect clinically relevant TDR at the time of ART initiation. Methods:Pre-ART plasmas from ART-naive Kenyans initiating an NNRTI-based fixed-dose combination ART in a randomized adherence trial conducted in 2006 were retrospectively analyzed by OLA for mutations conferring resistance to NNRTI (K103N, Y181C, and G190A) and lamivudine (M184V). Post-ART plasmas were analyzed for virologic failure (≥1000 copies/mL) at 6-month intervals over 18-month follow-up. Pre-ART plasmas of those with virologic failure were evaluated for drug resistance by consensus and 454-pyrosequencing. Results:Among 386 participants, TDR was detected by OLA in 3.89% (95% confidence interval: 2.19 to 6.33) and was associated with a 10-fold higher rate of virologic failure (hazard ratio: 10.39; 95% confidence interval: 3.23 to 32.41; P < 0.001) compared with those without TDR. OLA detected 24 TDR mutations (K103N: n = 13; Y181C: n = 5; G190A: n = 3; M184V: n = 3) in 15 subjects (NNRTI: n = 15; 3TC: n = 3). Among 51 participants who developed virologic failure, consensus sequencing did not detect additional TDR mutations conferring high-level resistance, and pyrosequencing only detected additional mutations at frequencies <2%. Mutant frequencies <2% at ART initiation were significantly less likely to be found at the time of virologic failure compared with frequencies ≥2% (22% vs. 63%; P < 0.001). Conclusions:Detection of TDR by a point mutation assay may prevent the use of suboptimal ART.


The factors that affect algal growth have been widely studied due to newfound interests in biofuels. Other studies have tested the effect of the pH of water on the reproduction rates of algae. From the results, we hypothesized that algae will reproduce the most in more basic environments because acidic environments will adversely affect enzyme productivity and inhibit photosynthesis. In our experiment, we expose algae to three different pH levels created by three different concentration of vinegar and measure the algal density and chlorophyll content of each bottle. Our results suggested an observable trend in preference towards the more basic environment with the least amount of vinegar. This research will help in the understanding of environments that promote algae growth in order to maximize biomass production for biofuels.


Data concerning picoplanktonic community composition and abundance in the Central Adriatic Sea are presented in an effort to improve the knowledge of bacterioplankton and autotrophic picoplankton and their seasonal changes.
Flow cytometry analyses revealed the presence of two distinct bacteria populations: HNA and LNA cells. HNA cells showed an explicit correlation with viable and actively respiring cells. The study of viability and activity may increase our knowledge of the part that contributes really to the remineralization and bacterial biomass production. Authotrophic picoplankton abundance, especially picocyanobacteria, was strongly influenced by seasonality, indicating that light availability and water temperature are very important regulating factors. In terms of total carbon biomass, the main contribution came from heterotrophic bacteria with a lower contribution from autotrophic picoplankton. CARD-FISH evidenced, within the Eubacteria domain, the dominance of members of the phyla Alphaproteobacteria, with a strong contribution from SAR11clade, followed by Cytophaga-Flavobacterium and Gammaproteobacteria. The bacterial groups detected contributed differently depending when the sample was taken, suggesting possible seasonal patterns. This study documents for the first time picoplankton community composition in the Central Adriatic Sea using two different approaches, FCM and CARD-FISH, and could provide preliminary data for future studies.


Background: Nursing documentation in Indonesia is still much in the form of paper based documentation. Many weaknesses in this documentation model, so it needs to be innovated by using electronic-based nursing documentation. Problems that occur in RS X in the development of electronic-based nursing documentation are the factors of leadership, factors of means and factors of follow-up development of electronic nursing documentation. Method: In solving this problem, it is recommended to use Lewin's theory of change which consists of three phases: unfreezing, moving, and refreezing. Result: Stages of unfreezing: conducting evidence-based and literature review studies on the importance of electronic documentation, and brainstorming with the nurse actors change Phase Moving implementing the stages of implementation of electronic documentation development using the principles of 5 management functions namely planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling. Refreezing stages: provide supervisors, make Decree of Director and Standard of Operational Procedure about implementation of electronic-based nursing documentationin  X Hospital  Depok. Conclusion: In solving this problem, Lewin's theory of change consists of three pairs, namely unfreezing, moving, and refreezing.


Intractable epilepsy in children poses a serious medical challenge. Acute repetitive seizures and status epilepticus leads to frequent emergency room visits and hospital admissions. Delay of treatment may lead to resistance to the first-line anticonvulsant therapies. It has been shown that these children continue to remain intractable even after acute seizure management with approved Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agents. Intravenous levetiracetam, a second-generation anticonvulsant was approved by the FDA in 2006 in patients 16 years and older as an alternative when oral treatment is not an option. Data have been published showing that intravenous levetiracetam is safe and efficacious, and can be used in an acute inpatient setting. This current review will discuss the recent data about the safety and tolerability of intravenous levetiracetam in children and neonates, and emphasize the need for a larger prospective multicenter trial to prove the efficacy of this agent in acute seizure management.


This paper discusses fast-settling fundamental-output voltage-controlled oscillators in the Ku Band (15 to 18 GHz & 12 to 15 GHz), using silicon bipolar transistors and silicon varactor diodes. With these oscillators the output frequency settles within 2 µs to within +-1 MHz of the final frequency. Phase noise at 16.2 GHz was measured to be -93 dBc/Hz at 100 kHz from the carrier.


The matrix metalloproteinases MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-7, MMP-9, and MMP-13 are highly expressed in the tumor-bone microenvironment, and, of these, MMP-7 and MMP-9 were found to be localized to bone-resorbing osteoclasts in human breast-to-bone metastases. In a bid to define the roles of host-derived MMP-7 and MMP-9 in the tumor-bone microenvironment, the tibias of MMP-7 and MMP-9 null mice were injected with osteolytic luciferase-tagged mammary tumor cell lines. Our data show that osteoclast-derived MMP-7 significantly contributes to tumor growth and tumor-induced osteolysis whereas osteoclast-derived MMP-9 had no effect on these processes. MMP-7 is capable of processing a number of nonmatrix molecules to soluble active forms that have profound effects on cell-cell communication, such as RANKL, a crucial mediator of osteoclast precursor recruitment and maturation. Therefore, the ability of osteoclast-derived MMP-7 to promote RANKL solubilization in the tumor-bone microenvironment was explored. Results revealed that levels of soluble RANKL were significantly lower in the MMP-7 null mice compared with wild-type (WT) controls. In keeping with this observation, MMP-7 null mice had significantly fewer osteoclast numbers at the tumor-bone interface compared with the WT controls. In summary, we propose that the solubilization of RANKL by MMP-7 is a potential mechanism through which MMP-7 mediates mammary tumor-induced osteolysis. Our studies indicate that the selective inhibition of MMP-7 in the tumor-bone microenvironment may be of benefit for the treatment of lytic breast-to-bone metastases.


Interactive placemaking offers many new opportunities for the consideration and design of urban place, particularly through offering engagement with the creativity and experiences of local populations. This thesis explores the recent area of interactive placemaking from analytical and creative perspectives in developing a framework for both describing behaviours and producing design guidelines.

The thesis begins by drawing together and building on existing work in HCI and Design to provide an initial framework for the analysis of interactive place. The framework combines theoretical and practical threads to look at two central questions: how do people behave in interactive places, and how do we design such interactive places? The assumption underlying the thesis is that users' behaviours in public spaces can be observed, abstracted, and formalised to the extent that designers can use in designing and evaluating interactive public installations.

In observational studies of four interactive installations the thesis progressively develops the original framework so that it is usable, accessible and understandable by designers. The thesis then goes on to evaluate how twenty design students used the framework to realise a number of public interactive installations in the city of Chicago. The thesis concludes by combining insights from existing research and insights from the studies conducted to present a comprehensive and robust framework structure. The main contribution of the thesis is thus a new generative and evaluative framework for interactive placemaking.


OBJECTIVE
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is one common vascular complication after trauma or surgery. Macrophage plays an important role in recanalization of thrombosis and monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) has a potent chemotactic role for macrophage. This study investigated the role of MCP-1 and macrophage in DVT thrombolysis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
DVT mice model was established for evaluating thrombosis grades, and divided into DVT, DVT + MCP-1 recombinant protein, and DVT + MCP-1 neutralizing antibody groups. MCP-1 mRNA and protein expression, weight/length ratio of thrombosis were tested at 1, 5, 9 and 15 day after DVT. F4/80 protein expression in thrombosis on day 9 was measured to reflect infiltration of macrophage.

RESULTS
DVT model mice had thrombosis grade at 2.47 ± 0.22 whilst no thrombosis occurred in sham group. DVT group had gradually increased MCP-1 mRNA and protein expression, which reached the peak at day 9, followed by decreased expression. Thrombosis weight/length ratio showed decreasing trends. MCP-1 protein injection significantly elevated MCP-1 expression, decreased thrombosis weight/length ratio, and elevated macrophage infiltration. Injection of MCP-1 antibody remarkably decreased MCP-1 expression, elevated thrombosis weight/length ratio and macrophage infiltration.

CONCLUSIONS
MCP-1 up-regulation participates in macrophage chemotaxis and thrombolysis after DVT formation. The blockade of MCP-1 weakens its thrombolysis effects.


GABAB receptors (GABABRs) are involved in early events during neuronal development. The presence of GABABRs in developing oligodendrocytes has not been established. Using immunofluorescent co‐localization, we have identified GABABR proteins in O4 marker‐positive oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) in 4‐day‐old mouse brain periventricular white matter. In culture, OPCs, differentiated oligodendrocytes (DOs) and type 2 astrocytes (ASTs) express both the GABAB1abcdf and GABAB2 subunits of the GABABR. Using semiquantitative PCR analysis with GABABR isoform‐selective primers we found that the expression level of GABAB1abd was substantially higher in OPCs or ASTs than in DOs. In contrast, the GABAB2 isoform showed a similar level of expression in OPCs and DOs, and a significantly higher level in ASTs. This indicates that the expression of GABAB1 and GABAB2 subunits are under independent control during oligodendroglial development. Activation of GABABRs using the selective agonist baclofen demonstrated that these receptors are functionally active and negatively coupled to adenylyl cyclase. Manipulation of GABABR activity had no effect on OPC migration in a conventional agarose drop assay, whereas baclofen significantly increased OPC migration in a more sensitive transwell microchamber‐based assay. Exposure of cultured OPCs to baclofen increased their proliferation, providing evidence for a functional role of GABABRs in oligodendrocyte development. The presence of GABABRs in developing oligodendrocytes provides a new mechanism for neuronal–glial interactions during development and may offer a novel target for promoting remyelination following white matter injury.


Optimal local estimation is formulated in the minimax sense for inverse problems and nonlinear regression. This theory provides best mean squared finite sample error bounds for some popular statistical learning algorithms and also for several optimal improvements of other existing learning algorithms such as smoothing splines and kernel regularization. The bounds and improved algorithms are not based on asymptotics or Bayesian assumptions and are truly local for each query, not depending on cross validating estimates at other queries to optimize modeling parameters. Results are given for optimal local learning of approximately linear functions with side information (context) using real algebraic geometry. In particular, finite sample error bounds are given for ridge regression and for a local version of lasso regression. The new regression methods require only quadratic programming with linear or quadratic inequality constraints for implementation. Greedy additive expansions are then combined with local minimax learning via a change in metric. An optimal strategy is presented for fusing the local minimax estimators of a class of experts-providing optimal finite sample prediction error bounds from (random) forests. Local minimax learning is extended to kernel machines. Best local prediction error bounds for finite samples are given for Tikhonov regularization. The geometry of reproducing kernel Hilbert space is used to derive improved estimators with finite sample mean squared error (MSE) bounds for class membership probability in two class pattern classification problems. A purely local, cross validation free algorithm is proposed which uses Fisher information with these bounds to determine best local kernel shape in vector machine learning. Finally, a locally quadratic solution to the finite Fourier moments problem is presented. After reading the first three sections the reader may proceed directly to any of the subsequent applications sections.


A key result of the capital asset pricing model (CAPM) is that the market portfolio---the portfolio of all assets in which each asset's weight is proportional to its total market capitalization---lies on the mean-variance-efficient frontier, the set of portfolios having mean-variance characteristics that cannot be improved upon. Therefore, the CAPM cannot be consistent with efficient frontiers for which every frontier portfolio has at least one negative weight or short position. We call such efficient frontiers "impossible," and show that impossible frontiers are difficult to avoid. In particular, as the number of assets, n, grows, we prove that the probability that a generically chosen frontier is impossible tends to one at a geometric rate. In fact, for one natural class of distributions, nearly one-eighth of all assets on a frontier is expected to have negative weights for every portfolio on the frontier. We also show that the expected minimum amount of short selling across frontier portfolios grows linearly with n, and even when short sales are constrained to some finite level, an impossible frontier remains impossible. Using daily and monthly U.S. stock returns, we document the impossibility of efficient frontiers in the data.


90 patients with periodontitis have received peloid therapy. Mineral mud from Lake Goreloye deposits was applied by means of a specially developed device providing good contact of the mud with the gingiva and teeth. A good clinical response was achieved.


The purpose of this study was to determine the comparative activities of three methylxanthines, i.e., 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine (caffeine), 1,3-dimethylxanthine (theophylline), and 3,7-dimethylxanthine (theobromine) on developmental growth of the mammary gland in ovarian-hormone treated, mature nulliparous female Balb/c mice. When caffeine or theophylline was administered daily (via drinking water, 500 mg/L) for 30 days to 17 beta-estradiol/progesterone-treated intact or ovariectomized mice, a significant (p less than 0.05) enhancement of hormone-induced mammary gland lobulo-alveolar differentiation was observed. Caffeine or theophylline thus accelerated and/or intensified mammae lobulo-alveolar differentiation induced by the ovarian steroids. In contrast, theobromine (500 mg/L drinking water) did not significantly modify this developmental process. The stimulatory effect of caffeine and theophylline on mammae development was comparable quantitatively. In an effort to determine whether or not the stimulatory effect of caffeine or theophylline was directly on the mammary gland, small slow-release Elvax-40P pellets containing these methylxanthines were implanted directly into the mammary gland of mice concurrently treated with estrogen and progesterone. No significant stimulatory effect of caffeine or theophylline (or theobromine) was observed. Furthermore, the addition of methylxanthines (caffeine, 100 microM) to the culture media of whole mouse mammary glands (organ cultures) did not enhance lobulo-alveolar differentiation induced by mammotrophic hormones. Thus, while a consistent significant stimulatory effect of caffeine and theophylline on mammary lobulo/alveolar differentiation was observed when the methylxanthines were consumed orally (drinking water), no direct effect of these methylxanthines, when placed directly into the mammary gland or in culture media, on mammae development was observed. These data demonstrate that certain methylxanthines (e.g., caffeine and theophylline) but not others (e.g., theobromine) can significantly enhance mammotrophic hormone-induced mammary lobulo-alveolar differentiation in female Balb/c mice, an effect that appears not to be manifested via a direct action of the methylxanthines on the mammary gland.


Author(s): Chatterjee, Shaunak | Advisor(s): Russell, Stuart J | Abstract: This thesis addresses the problem of performing probabilistic inference in stochastic systems where the probability mass is far from uniformly distributed among all possible outcomes. Such near-deterministic systems arise in several real-world applications. For example, in human physiology, the widely varying evolution rates of physiological variables make certain trajectories much more likely than others; in natural language, a very small fraction of all possible word sequences accounts for a disproportionately high amount of probability under a language model. In such settings, it is often possible to obtain significant computational savings by focusing on the outcomes where the probability mass is concentrated. This contrasts with existing algorithms in probabilistic inference---such as junction tree, sum product, and belief propagation algorithms---which are well-tuned to exploit conditional independence relations.The first topic addressed in this thesis is thestructure of discrete-time temporal graphical models ofnear-deterministic stochastic processes. We show how the structuredepends on the ratios between the size of the time step and theeffective rates of change of the variables. We also prove that accurateapproximations can often be obtained by sparse structures even for verylarge time steps. Besides providing an intuitive reason for causal sparsity in discrete temporal models, the sparsity also speeds up inference.The next contribution is an eigenvalue algorithm for a linear factored system (e.g., dynamic Bayesian network), where existing algorithms do not scale since the size of the system is exponential in the number of variables. Using a combination of graphical model inference algorithms and numerical methods for spectral analysis, we propose an approximate spectral algorithm which operates in the factored representation and is exponentially faster than previous algorithms.The third contribution is a temporally abstracted Viterbi (TAV) algorithm. Starting with a spatio-temporally abstracted coarse representation of the original problem, the TAV algorithm iteratively refines the search space for the Viterbi path via spatial and temporal refinements. The algorithm is guaranteed to converge to the optimal solution with the use of admissible heuristic costs in the abstract levels and is much faster than the Viterbi algorithm for near-deterministic systems.The fourth contribution is a hierarchical image/video segmentation algorithm, that shares some of the ideas used in the TAV algorithm. A supervoxel tree provides the abstraction hierarchy for this application. The algorithm starts working with the coarsest level supervoxels, and refines portions of the tree which are likely to have multiple labels. Several existing segmentation algorithms can be used to solve the energy minimization problem in each iteration, and admissible heuristic costs once again guarantee optimality. Since large contiguous patches exist in images and videos, this approach is more computationally efficient than solving the problem at the finest level of supervoxels.The final contribution is a family of Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms for near-deterministic systems when there exists an efficient algorithm to sample solutions for the corresponding deterministic problem. In such a case, a generic MCMC algorithm's performance worsens as the problem becomes more deterministic despite the existence of the efficient algorithm in the deterministic limit. MCMC algorithms designed using our methodology can bridge this gap.The computational speedups we obtain through the various new algorithms presented in this thesis show that it is indeed possible to exploit near-determinism in probabilistic systems. Near-determinism, much like conditional independence, is a potential (and promising) source of computational savings for both exact and approximate inference. It is a direction that warrants more understanding and better generalized algorithms.


The subject of the present investigation is the influence of annealing on the microstructure of Co thin films. In particular, the evolution of the texture during annealing is studied and compared with that of Co/Cu multilayers of different individual layer thicknesses. 400nm thick Co films show a h.c.p. structure with a weak preference of the <001> texture component and a broad distribution of grain orientations. Annealing at about 350°C results in a strong increase of the h.c.p. <001> component, nearly complete disappearance of the statistical distribution and grain growth of a minor f.c.c. fraction in the films. In-situ XRD measurements on single Co films during annealing confirm that the texture change is irreversible. Multilayer stacks of Co/Cu layers show various texture changes depending on the individual layer thickness (ranging between 100nm and 1nm). Generally, with decreasing individual layer thickness and increasing annealing temperature the f.c.c. content in the multilayers increases at the expense of the h.c.p. fraction.


Monitoring elusive, relatively low-density, large predators, such as the grey wolf (Canis lupus), has often been accomplished by live-capture and radiocollaring. Increasingly, non-invasive methods are considered best practice whenever it is possible to use them. Recently, environmental DNA (eDNA) deposited in snow tracks was demonstrated as useful for identifying lynx (Lynx canadensis), fisher (Pekania pennanti), wolverine (Gulo gulo), sika deer (Cervus nippon), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), and the Japanese marten (Martes melampus) to species level using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) markers. We tested whether eDNA from fresh wolf snow tracks collected in the Superior National Forest, Minnesota, USA during winter 2019 could be used to identify species, sex, and individual. Seven of the 8 snow track samples were successfully identified to "wolf-dog" species using mtDNA, with alleles amplifying in 5 of the samples at 1 or both of loci u250 and FH2096 in the allele range for wolves for this population. None yielded enough high-quality DNA to obtain genotypes to determine individual or sex. We recommend additional field trials to determine the minimum number of tracks required per individual to obtain sufficient, high-quality eDNA, as well as collecting associated urine or blood (from estrus) when possible. If individual wolves could be identified and sexed by the eDNA in their snow tracks, researchers should be able to determine population and family or group metrics with greater precision and less effort than typically required when conducting winter scat or hair-based genetic field Correspondence: Shannon M. Beyer-Meyer, postal address: U. S. Geological Survey, 1393 Hwy 169, Ely, Minnesota, 55731, USA. Email: firstname.lastname@example.com CWBM 2020: Volume 9, Number 1 Original Research ISSN: 1929–3100 BARBER-MEYER et al. 13 studies of low density, elusive carnivores. Furthermore, this method would have applications to other areas of research and management, such as hunting quota determinations, validation of field methods and, in particular regards to wolves and other predators, livestock depredation issues. Overall, this technique holds significant future promise as field and laboratory methods are further refined for greater precision and optimized regarding the varying collection, filtration, and extraction protocols for different species in various environments.


Sixteen patients were operated for regmatogene retinal detachment developed at different time periods after a previously made vitrectomy; no retinal ruptures were found in preoperative examinations. The method of colouring with subretinal fluid, 0.1% fluorescence solution, was intraoperatively used for the detection of such ruptures. The coloured fluid escaped from the subretinal cavity through a retinal rapture into the vitreal cavity, which ensured an easy visualization of ruptures. Retinal ruptures could be detected in all 16 (100%) patients. They were located in 8 (50%) cases in the zone of previously made sclerotomy and were regarded as an outcome of the local proliferative vitreoretinopathy on the remains of the basic vitreous elements.


An important medical laser application is in the emerging field of photoradiation therapy (PRT). PRT is the process in which malignant tissue is destroyed by administration of light to a specific photosensitized site. Filtered arcs, incandescents and dye lasers have been used as sources of activating light. We have carried out light experiments in tissue to study such PRT light distributions. The results of this research have shown that a number of important optical phenomena occurring within illuminated tissue must be accounted for in order to make good predictions of tumor light dosage. Among these are; tissue type, interface effects and anomalies due to composition. These effects substantially influence light levels in PRT and, thus, the therapeutic effect. The uniqueness of tissue as a medium for light transport presents special problems for optics research and instrumentation. Successful solutions necessarily will involve collaboration between the life sciences and optic specialists. Attempts at treatment of human disease using non-ionizing radiation have a history archaeologically traceable to archaic societies (in which the sun's photons were used and often worshipped).1 Western medicine in the past, has used visible light beneficially, albeit empirically, on a few ailments. However, in this century, a significant development in the understanding and in the therapeutic use of this electromagnetic radiation in the UV, visible and IR has occurred, based on scientific study. This utilization of radiation in the visible and ultraviolet can be by two distinct processes. One is through the direct action of the photons which serve as the sole treatment agent. In this case the photon interacts with the cell, or its components, in a single step, to produce a desired effect. An example is the successful use of blue light for treatment of bilirubinemia in newborns. The second process is a biological effect produced through the combination of electromagnetic radiation with a photosensitive drug or naturally occurring compounds. The photo-sensitive molecule (ideally concentrated in the target tissue) serves as a kind of reaction catalyst in the living subject by transferring the photon's energy for the initiation of a biochemical reaction. An example is the use of the photosensitive compound hematoporphyrin derivative (HpD) combined with red light used to initiate a lethal oxidation of tumor tissue in cancer therapy. Dougherty has introduced this process and termed it photoradiation therapy (PRT)2. The current understanding of the PRT mechanism is schematized in Figure 1. A photosensitive compound (PC) at groundstate, concentrated in target tissue, is acted on by a photon of appropriate energy (hv) resulting in PC being raised from its ground state to the short lived, excited singlet state (PCs). In step two, PCs decays to its longer lived triplet state (PCt). In the third step, the excited compound, PCt in the presence of ground state molecular oxygen (02) transfers its energy to the oxygen, thus raising oxygen to a highly reactive singlet oxygen state (02s). PC, through the foregoing transition, is returned to its ground state and may repeat its role on encounter with a second photon. In the last step, 02s reacts with an available tissue substrate (M). Some of this toxic oxidation is thought to occur in membrane structures, with resulting cellular disruption. The damage to this cell component is presumed to be the key to the observed tumor destruction by the


Volcanic ash, pumice and Moringa oleifera (M. oleifera) were investigated as indigenous materials for removal of natural organic matter (NOM) at Kampala and Masaka water treatment plants in Uganda. Coagulation and filtration experiments were done using raw water at Kampala (Ggaba) and Masaka (Boma) National Water & Sewerage Corporation water treatment plants. Assessment of the two plants was done and they were found to be faced with differing challenges given the nature of their raw water sources. Therefore, the study was conducted to seek appropriate treatment processes that suite the conditions at the respective plant and avoid or minimize formation of unwanted chlorination by-products. The results from the study indicated that there were both operational and design handicaps at the Ggaba treatment plant with a need to modify the filtration and clarification units. At Masaka, pre-chlorination led to increases in total trihalomethanes as high as 4000%. The characterization studies indicated the major fraction of NOM to be hydrophilic and there was no variation in the character of NOM along the unit treatment processes investigated. On the other hand experiments conducted at both the pilot and laboratory scale gave promising results. Simple horizontal flow roughing filter at Masaka gave rise to dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and ferrous iron removals of 27% and 89% respectively. With a combined use of pumice and hydrogen peroxide in the filter, DOC removals of up to 68% were achieved. The results from jar test experiments also indicated that use of alum with M. oleifera coagulant extracted with sodium chloride solution as coagulant aid is promising as a first stage in the treatment train for waters with a humic materials and high content of iron, typical of swamp water sources. Therefore the findings show that it is possible to avoid the formation of unwanted by-products by application of roughing filtration with hydrogen peroxide in place of the pre-chlorination process. Assessment of the characteristics of the volcanic ash showed that it meets the requirements for a filtration material; and results obtained from the pilot study showed that it was a suitable alternative material for use in a dual media filtration system. There was an increase in the filter run length of about two and half fold in the dual media filtration column compared to the mono medium column.


Before India gained independence from Britain in 1947, when the partition was announced, the subcontinent instantly descended into riots, death, and destruction, culminating in one of the largest human waves of migration in history. Muslims in India were prompted to travel to Pakistan, while Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan were urged to return home. Approximately 15 million people were displaced or forced to relocate, with between half a million and two million killed in the consequent violence. This post-partition history includes some courageous individuals who lost everything during partition but reconstructed their existences from the ground up and climbed to the leading positions in their respective disciplines. Divided by Partition, United by Resilience – 21 Inspirational Stories from 1947, edited by Mallika Ahluwalia and published in 2018 by Rupa Publications India, is one such book that chronicles the narratives of 21 Indians who endured the chaos and destruction of India's Partition but managed to overcome their miseries to become living embodiments of accomplishment and excellence. Emphasising the stories' affirmative ethos, which steps beyond the tropes of loss and precarity, this article analyses how these individuals established their agency and extraordinariness vis-à-vis various epistemic tools. The article puts forth that these stories can be read as representative testimonies of diversified trajectories in the epistemological field of the Partition literature and studies. This article focuses on unlearning the monolithic perceptions of 1947 and approaching them through the lens of epistemic pluralism. The article finally argues that there are other sides that go beyond the meta-significations of partition narratives, as demonstrated by individuals who, through their tireless efforts, drew new contours of self-assertion, thereby creating diverse and dynamic epistemologies.


Many software modelling tools are built on top of the Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF) through which they can communicate and exchange models. In contrast to that, the Fujaba Toolsuite defines its own modelling framework. Both frameworks are built on the same concepts of software modelling. Therefore, they can be adapted. This paper presents an implementation of a generic adapter layer that adapts Fujaba's modelling framework to EMF. Through this adapter layer, Fujaba models can be processed by any EMF-based tool without adapting each of those tools individually.


A comprehensive economic analysis generally involves the calculation of indirect and direct health costs from a societal perspective as opposed to simply reporting costs from a hospital or payer perspective. Hospital charges for a surgical procedure must be converted to cost data when performing a cost-effectiveness analysis. Once cost data has been calculated, quality-adjusted life year data from a surgical treatment are calculated by using a preference-based health-related quality-of-life instrument such as the EQ-5D. A recent cost-utility analysis from a single study has demonstrated the long-term (over an 8-year time period) benefits of circumferential fusions over stand-alone posterolateral fusions. In addition, economic analysis from a single study has found that lumbar fusion for selected patients with low-back pain can be recommended from an economic perspective. Recent economic analysis, from a single study, finds that femoral ring allograft might be more cost-effective compared with a specific titanium cage when performing an anterior lumbar interbody fusion plus posterolateral fusion.


Introduction At the bore well natural gas is saturated with water. Downstream the presence of water may cause: formation of methane hydrates (blocking eventually the pipeline), condensation of water in the pipeline and corrosion effects. A process used for the dehydration of natural gas is glycol absorption. This process has several disadvantages like glycol regeneration, loss of glycol due to contamination with aromatic hydrocarbons, large and heavy equipment (especially offshore) and maintenance. Membrane processes do not have these disadvantages and are therefore a viable alternative. The aim of this project is to study membrane materials and their transport characteristics for the dehydration of natural gas at temperatures up to 80°C and pressures up to 80 bars. In this presentation the water vapor and gas transport properties through PEO PBT blockcopolymers are discussed.


Purpose: To determine the prevalence and risk factors of refractive errors among schoolchildren in Shiraz, Iran.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study, using random cluster sampling, 3065 Shiraz schoolchildren were selected in this study. The participants totaled 2683; 1872 elementary and middle school and 811 high school students. For the primary and middle schoolchildren, cycloplegic refraction and for the high school students, non-cycloplegic autorefraction was measured. Myopia, defined as spherical equivalent (SE) refraction -0.50 diopter (D) or worse, hyperopia as SE +2.00D and +0.50D or more for cycloplegic and noncycloplegic refractions respectively, and astigmatism as cylinder -0.75D or worse.

Results: The prevalence of refractive errors in elementary and middle school students was: myopia 4.35 % (95% confidence interval (CI), 2.89 -5.81), hyperopia 5.04 % (95%CI, 3.49 -6.58) and astigmatism 11.79 % (95%CI, 10.21 -13.38). For high school students, these rates were 22.4 % (95%CI, 18.44 -26.36), 10.52 % (95%CI, 6.75 -14.29) and 20.99% (95%CI, 16.55 -25.44), respectively.The prevalence of myopia increased with age in primary and middle school students (OR=1.15, 95% CI, 0.98 to1.33, p=0.073).

Conclusions: The result of this study indicated a relatively low prevalence of refractive errors among schoolchildren in Shiraz according to the protocol by "Refractive Error Study in Children" (RESC) in other investigations.


: Pineal hormone melatonin stabilizes mental activity of man and animals due to its somnogenic, anxiolytic, antidepressant and nootropic properties. Melatonin effects are based on the synchronization of biological rhythms via the influence on the cerebral structures which control biological rhythms and emotions and normalize endocrine and immune state.


From the Publisher:
Routers are the glue that connects the pieces of your network. Even in the simplest networks, this isn't a simple task. Routers have evolved into highly specialized computing platforms, with extremely flexible but complex capabilities.
Managing IP Networks with Cisco Routers is a practical guide to setting up and maintaining a production network. It discusses issues like how to select routing protocols and how to configure protocols to handle most common situations. It also discusses less esoteric but equally important issues like how to evaluate network equipment and vendors and how to set up a help desk. Although the book focuses on Cisco routers, and gives examples using Cisco's IOS, the principles discussed are common to all IP networks, regardless of the vendor you choose.
This book is firmly grounded in the realities of day-to-day network management. It's designed to solve real-world problems, like: "How do I prevent my router from using unreliable information from other routers?" "How do I safeguard my router against attacks?" "How can I make my network more reliable?" If you're building or maintaining an IP network, you'll find this book indispensable.
Topics covered include:
Designing an IP network Evaluating equipment and vendors Selecting routing protocols Configuring common interior protocols (RIP, OSPF, EIGRP) Connecting to external networks and configuring exterior protocols (BGP) Ongoing network management: troubleshooting and maintenance Security and privacy issues


The main objective of this study was to quantify the dynamics of ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3-) in the humus (0-7cm) and the uppermost mineral layer (0-15cm) of a forest soil. The soil was treated annually from 2012 to 2013 with one single dose of nitrogen (0, 15, 30kg N ha-1yr-1 applied as (NH4)2SO4, NH4Cl, KNO3). Net N mineralization, including net ammonification and net nitrification was determined in four in situ incubation periods over 2 years in a Picea-Abies forest stand at the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Southwest China. Measurements were done using soil cores (7cm or 15cm deep) with a resin bag filled with combined anion and cation exchange resins placed at the base to collect the N leaching from the soil. The accumulation rate of N was corrected for both deposition and fertilizer N inputs. In all treatments, both the content and accumulation of the mineral N were dominated by NH4+ which accounts for about 76-89% of the net mineralization. The accumulation rate of N decreased to 64-83% in KNO3 treatments. The net N mineralization rate increased with nitrogen input, especially in NH4+-N treatments (p<0.05). However, this promoting role decreased over time. At the highest (NH4)2SO4 additions, the net ammonification and net mineralization rate increased notably in the humus (0-7cm) rather than in the uppermost mineral layer (0-15 cm). Previous studies that reported on soil net mineralization from forests under different environmental conditions were compiled and assessed for the effects of atmospheric N deposition and environmental factors, annual precipitation, and annual temperature on annual fluxes of net nitrogen mineralization in forest soils, worldwide. The results show that an increase in atmospheric N deposition significantly enhances the soil net nitrogen mineralization rate. Variation in atmospheric N deposition accounts for 48% of the variation in the rate of soil net nitrogen mineralization across the forests.


The aim of the present study was to assess the prognostic significance of thoracic and abdominal trauma in severely injured patients. A retrospective analysis was performed based on data from the period from March 1 2006 to December 31 2007, taken from the Trauma Registry of the University Hospital "SantAndrea" in Rome. A total of 844 trauma patients were entered in a database created for this purpose, and only patients with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) > 15, (163 patients, 19.3%), were selected for the present study. These patients were divided into 2 groups: Group A (103 patients, 63.2%), consisting of patients with at least one thoracic injury, and Group B (46 patients, 28.2%) consisting of patients with concomitant thoracic and abdominal injuries. The impact of thoracic and abdominal trauma was studied by analyzing mortality and morbidity, in relation to patient age, cause and dynamics of trauma, length of hospital stay, and both ISS and New ISS (NISS). In a vast majority of cases, the cause of trauma was a road accident (126 patients, 77.3%). The mean age of patients with ISS > 15 was 45.2 +/- 19.3 years. The mean ISS and NISS were 25.7 +/- 10.5 and of 31.4 +/- 13.1 respectively. The overall morbidity and mortality rates were 18.4% (30 patients) and 28.8% (47 patients) respectively. In Group A the mortality rate was 23.3% (24 patients) and the morbidity rate was 33.9% (35 patients). In Group B mortality and morbidity rates were 369% (17 patients) and 43.5% (20 patients) respectively. It was shown that the presence of both thoracic and abdominal injuries significantly increases the risk of mortality and morbidity. In patients with predominantly thoracic injuries, NISS proved to be the more reliable score, while ISS appeared to be more accurate in evaluating patients with injuries affecting more than one region of the body.


Across three papers, this thesis explores emotional adjustment and its relation to selfawareness
following an acquired brain injury (ABI). The first paper, a literature review,
discusses the findings of studies that have investigated the relationship between selfawareness
and emotional distress following an ABI. Some of the studies demonstrated an
association between the two variables, whilst others did not. Three variables, namely; time
since injury, injury severity and the influence of rehabilitation were found to exert some
influence on findings. The second paper presents findings from an empirical study that
explores the lived experience of emotional adjustment following an ABI, in individuals who
participated in an Emotional Management therapeutic group. The study was undertaken
according to the principles of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), with semi
structured interviews being conducted with six individuals aged between 58-69 years.
Distinct aspects of experience emerged, forming three overarching super-ordinate themes:
biographical disruption, adjustment and post-traumatic growth. Biographical disruption
described the instant and devastating onset of an ABI which imposes significant change and
loss. Pre-injury personality, self-awareness and societal perceptions were discussed in regards
to their influence on self-appraisals. Adjustment outlined a process of adaptation to the ABI,
which appeared to be facilitated by meeting others who had also sustained an ABI. Posttraumatic
growth explored how participants acquired new insights and meaning to life,
whereby they discussed enjoying richer relationships and worrying less. The third paper
discusses implications for theory and clinical practice that emerged from the first two papers.
It outlines a range of factors and patient characteristics that may contribute to the
development of emotional adjustment disorders following ABI, thereby drawing attention to
how clinical interventions should be designed to minimise their impact. In addition, it
explores areas for development and further research. A personal reflection of the research
process and outcomes is included.


Although bioclogging has been used for various applications, its performance has been unpredictable. We carried out a bioclogging experiment and developed a reactive transport model to understand and quantify geophysical responses to the production of a biopolymer (dextran) in a silica sand porous medium. The developed model was used to predict effectiveness of bioclogging and the associated geophysical signature under different treatment conditions. The porosity reduction calculated from the reactive transport modeling matched the concurrent increase in electrical resistivity and confirmed the dominant contribution of pore fluid conductivity to the bulk electrical conductivity. Correlations between measured electrical phase signals and predicted mineral surface area reduction indicated the controlling effect of mineral surface area on polarization. The joint use of the two methods quantitatively estimated the extent of decrease in porosity as well as effective mineral surface area, both of which are challenging to measure nondestructivelyin biological systems. The joint use of the geophysical methods and reactive transport modeling provided a better understanding of the dominant processes that govern dextran-based bioclogging and the associated geophysical responses. This opens new opportunities for quantifying changes associated with bioclogging processes and can potentially lead to new conceptual models that relate hydraulic property changes to the porosity and mineral surface area, which will enhance prediction, monitoring, and control of applications that use bioclogging.


Abstract The McKenzie model of continental lithosphere extension describes the first-order lithosphere responses of crustal thinning and geothermal gradient increase following rifting, which lead to syn- and post-rift basin subsidence. At the sub-basin scale, seismic data show the fundamental importance of major basement faults in controlling the geometry and subsidence of rifted sedimentary basins. Reflection and earthquake seismology data show that these faults are generally planar and extend down 10–15 km to mid-crustal level. Below this depth deformation gives way to distributed ductile shear in the lower crust and mantle. Extensional faulting leads not only to hanging wall subsidence but also to footwall uplift. It can be successfully modelled using elastic dislocation, visco-elastic finite element and thin plate flexural-isostasy (flexural cantilever) theories. For extension on multiple faults, interference of footwall uplift and hanging wall collapse gives rise to the familiar block rotations of rift tectonics. Mathematical forward models of rifting, incorporating upper crustal faulting, lower crust/upper mantle plastic stretching, lithosphere thermal perturbation and re-equilibration, sediment loading and flexural isostasy have been developed and applied to both syn- and post-rift stages of basin evolution. The models allow the effects on basin geometry and subsidence of fault spacing, fault polarity and extension magnitude, as well as sediment fill and footwall erosion, to be explored. Reverse post-rift modelling from present day sections may be used to constrain β stretching estimates and to predict palaeobathymetry and topography. Both forward and reverse models have been successfully applied to many rift basins worldwide, including the Viking Graben, North Sea and the East African Rift System, both of which are documented here. The forward model is also capable of simulating the first-order geometry of metamorphic core-complexes and so-called 'detachment faults' documented from the Basin-and-Range Province of the western USA.


The increasing amount of data produced in many scientific and engineering domains creates as many new challenges for an efficient data analysis, as possibilities for its application. In this paper, we present one of the use-cases of the project VAVID, namely the condition monitoring of sensor information from wind turbines, and how a data gateway can help to increase the usability and security of the proposed system. Starting by briefly introducing the project, the paper presents the problem of handling and processing large amount of sensor data using existing tools in the context of wind turbines. It goes on to describe the innovative approach used in VAVID to meet this challenge, covering the main goals, numerical methods used for analysis, the storage concept, and architectural design. It concludes by offering a rational for the use of a data gateway as the main entry point to the system and how this is being implemented in VAVID.


A dual purpose robot automation system is developed for both arc welding and spot welding by one robot within a cell The need for automation of both arc welding and spot welding processes is urgent while the production volume is not so big as to accommodate separate station for the two processes Also, space is too narrow for separate station to be settled down in the factory A spot welding robot is chosen and the function for arc welding are implemented in-house at cost of advanced functions. For the spot welding, a single pole type gun is used and the robot has to push down the plate to be welded, which causes the robot positioning error Therefore, position error compensation algorithm is developed The basic functions for the arc welding processes are implemented using the digital I/O board of robot controller, PLC, and A/D conversion PCB The weaving pattern is taught m meticulously by manual teach A fixture unit is also developed for dual purpose The mam aspects of the system is presented In this paper especially in the design and implementation procedure The signal diagrams and sequence logic diagrams are also included
The outcome of the dual purpose welding cell is the Increased productivity and good production stability which is indispensable for production volume prediction Also, it leads to reduction of manufacturing lead time


The first relationship between Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) scale and the horizontal component of Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) was developed for the Costa Rican region using regression analysis of 108 earthquakes (2.8 < Mw < 7.7) that occurred between 1983 and 2004. For each PGA instrumentally recorded, a single MMI value was assigned based on the geographic proximity to the PGA observation. A total of 330 values of both the largest PGA of the two horizontal components (PGAmax) and the average of the two horizontal components (PGAave) were associated to MMI values. The correlations obtained are: MMI=2.30log(PGAmax)+0.92 and MMI=2.33log(PGAave)+0.76 for MMI II-V and MMI=3.82log(PGAmax)-1.78 and MMI=4.60log(PGAave)-3.38 for MMI V-VII. Predicted PGA intervals for each intensity unit were proposed based on these equations. There is a fairly remarkable agreement between the PGAmax vs. MMI found in this study and the correlation calculated by Wald et al. (1999a) for California. Keywords: Modified


This thesis examines the relationships and interactions between British and French soldiers on the Western Front of the First World War. To date the historical approaches to inter-allied relations has been predominantly focused on those interactions taking place at governmental or command levels. Whilst previous studies have touched on the relations between common soldiers, this has often been within specific case studies. I have drawn particularly on the contemporary diaries, letters and written records of British soldiers within the Imperial War Museum and also the postal censorship records of the French army at the Archives de l'armee de terre in order to trace the nature and evolution of these relations across the war. My study covers the time-period of 1914-1918 and focuses on periods of sustained contact in 1914, 1916 and 1918.

This focus shows that the arrival of Kitchener's New Armies in 1915-16 was a crucial development in forming strong relations between British and French soldiers. British military command took little interest and made no substantial plans for ensuring friendly relations between soldiers of the two armies and, as a result, these early interactions were largely self-directed by the soldiers. They were also driven by the apparent insecurities of the British volunteer soldiers who viewed themselves as being less accomplished than their French fellows, who were largely well-disposed to welcoming and teaching the new British arrivals in order to achieve swift victory. I argue that, although serendipitous in nature, this uneven starting point allowed relations between British and French armies to evolve positively whilst allowing both sides to maintain a sense of their own national identity without having to overly sacrifice their own ideals. However, the French desire for a decisive victory and a professional response in the trenches led to a rupture in Tommy-Poilu relations following the British failures in 1918. This changed the dynamic between the two nations in the build up to, and aftermath of, the armistice and provided a prelude to the difficult inter-war relationships at governmental levels.


The paper considers the problem of volatility co-movement, namely as to whether two financial returns have perfectly correlated common volatility process, in the framework of multivariate stochastic volatility models and proposes a test which checks the volatility co-movement. The proposed test is a stochastic volatility version of the co-movement test proposed by Engle and Susmel (1993), who investigated whether international equity markets have volatility co-movement using the framework of the ARCH model. In empirical analysis we found that volatility co-movement exists among closelylinked stock markets and that volatility co-movement of the exchange rate markets tends to be found when the overall volatility level is low, which is contrasting to the often-cited finding in the financial contagion literature that financial returns have co-movement in the level during the financial crisis.


The present monograph deals with research and optimization of strength and dynamic characteristics in manufacturing engineering. The introduction of the work describes findings about the importance of the given subject. Furthermore, it analyses the current status of the addressed issues at home and abroad. The publication is divided into two basic parts, namely the theoretical and the practical part. The theoretical part provides a detailed description of theoretical assumptions on solutions in the field of research and it also describes optimization of structural units in manufacturing engineering; while the practical part analyses strength and dynamic characteristics of the selected structural unit which is the drive of a manufacturing machine for bulk materials packaging. The practical part is also devoted to the experimental measurements of vibrations, ultrasound and sound on the given drive. The conclusion of the work presents the obtained results with new findings.


Three π-electron rich fluorescent supramolecular polymers (1–3) have been synthesized incorporating 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol groups in reasonable yield by employing Sonagashira coupling. They were characterized by multinuclear NMR (1H, 13C), ESI-MS and single crystal X-ray diffraction analyses [1 = 1-(2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol)pyrene; 2 = 9,10-bis(2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol)anthracene; 3 = 1,3,6,8-tetrakis(2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol)pyrene]. Single crystal structures of 1–3 indicated that the incorporation of hydroxy (–OH) groups on the peripheral of the fluorophores helps them to self-associate into an infinite supramolecular polymeric network via intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions between the adjacent discrete fluorophore units. All these compounds showed fluorescence characteristics in chloroform solution due to the extended π-conjugation and were used as selective fluorescent sensors for the detection of electron deficient nitroaromatics. The changes in photophysical properties of fluorophores (1–3) upon complex formation with electron deficient nitroaromatic explosives were studied in chloroform solution by using fluorescence spectroscopy. All these fluorophores showed the largest quenching response with moderate selectivity for nitroaromatics over various other electron deficient/rich aromatic compounds tested (Chart 1). Analysis of the fluorescence titration profile of 9,10-bis(2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol)anthracene fluorophore (2) with 1,3,5-trinitrotoluene/2,4-dinitrotoluene provided evidence that this particular fluorophore detects nitroaromatics in the nanomolar range [2.0 ppb for TNT, 13.7 ppb for DNT]. Moreover, sharp visual color change was observed upon mixing nitroaromatic (DNT) with fluorophores (1–3) both in solution as well as in solid phase. Furthermore, the vapor-phase sensing study of thin film of fluorophores (1–3) showed efficient quenching responses for DNT and this sensing process is reproducible. Selective fluorescence quenching response including a sharp visual color change for nitroaromatics make these tested fluorophores (1–3) as potential sensors for nitroaromatic compounds with a detection limit of ppb level.


The paper introduces the concept of social change in the context of social psychology. There are three levels of social change. (1). Radical transformations of the type of social relations and the economic formation through social revolutions. (2) System-level changes of specific domains of social practice such as education, mass communication, etc.. (3) Changes affecting vital activities of small groups or separate individuals. The psychological aspect of social change (especially of the two upper levels), is limited by the study of the individuals' perception of these changes, which sets the limits of competence for psychology in studying macro changes. However, the third level of social change makes the field of both social and, incidentally, general psychology. The specifics of the psychological study of social change at different levels is associated with different layers of methodology ranging from a general philosophical basis to special methods of research; the contribution of different layers of methodology varies across the levels of social change. The issue of resistance to change also requires different treatment depending on the level of analysis. Also discussed are the possibilities and limitations of an experimental research strategy. Lack of recognition of a broader social context is stated as a weakness of contemporary social psychology that needs to be corrected. Focusing on changes would bring social psychology closer to life problems, because the human situation in general is always a social and a changing one. Facing the challenge of change, an individual is involved with an inner conversation or an inner struggle to adapt to the change while maintaining personal self-esteem.


The introduction of functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) into the English-speaking world in 1985/86 revolutionized the surgical management and treatment of chronic inflammatory conditions of the nose and sinuses. It was Walter Messerklinger from the Styria city of Graz in Austria who performed much of the basic research that underpinned this surgery and his Department associate, Heinz Stammberger, amongst others who did much to teach and champion this new technique to the world. This paper traces the early development of endoscopic sinus surgery in Australia and its evolvement from the treatment of inflammatory sinus conditions to the management of other head and neck, and intracranial pathologies.


The greater demand for potable water, both locally and worldwide, has directed a huge interest amongst researchers to investigate the possibility of recycling and reusing wastewater from laundry run-offs. The advantage of using recycling wastewater from such sources is mainly due to the fact that these bulk volumes of wastewater are considered to be less chemically polluted in comparison to those discarded from industrial effluents and wastewater sources. Almost all laundry detergents contain surfactants, whose main func-tion serves to remove dirt/soil from contaminated items. Thus, an analysis of the surfactant levels before and after a treatment process is important to confirm that the surfactant has in fact carried out its intended purpose. Electrocoagulative treatment of wastewater, a well-researched and well-documented clean-up process that involves the production of aluminium hydroxy species by oxidation of aluminium metal upon the application of a controlled voltage which adsorbs fine particulate matter and pollutants from the wastewater has been investigated as a clean-up application to the treatment of laundry waste- water. The use of a biological treatment process which entails treating the wastewater with aerobic bacterial specie specifically designed to degrade fats, lipids, protein, detergents and hydrocarbons has also been investigated.


This paper examines how the characteristics of a recall affect the volume of media coverage about that recall. We link data on media reports to a comprehensive list of virtually all recalls of meat products over the period 2001--2012. We find considerable evidence that, up to a point, the characteristics of a food recall significantly affect reporting about that recall. Specifically a one percent increase in the volume of meat recalled results in a 0.1 percent increase in media coverage. In addition, we find that media coverage is significantly larger for incidents related to bacterial contamination as compared to other types of recalls.


Objective. Robotic devices show promise in restoring motor abilities to individuals with upper limb paresis or amputations. However, these systems are still limited in obtaining reliable signals from the human body to effectively control them. We propose that these robotic devices can be controlled through scalp electroencephalography (EEG), a neuroimaging technique that can capture motor commands through brain rhythms. In this work, we studied if EEG can be used to predict an individual's grip forces produced by the hand. Approach. Brain rhythms and grip forces were recorded from able-bodied human subjects while they performed an isometric force production task and a grasp-and-lift task. Grip force trajectories were reconstructed with a linear model that incorporated delta band (0.1–1 Hz) voltage potentials and spectral power in the theta (4–8 Hz), alpha (8–13 Hz), beta (13–30 Hz), low gamma (30–50 Hz), mid gamma (70–110 Hz), and high gamma (130–200 Hz) bands. Trajectory reconstruction models were trained and tested through 10-fold cross validation. Main results. Modest accuracies were attained in reconstructing grip forces during isometric force production (median r  =  0.42), and the grasp-and-lift task (median r  =  0.51). Predicted trajectories were also analyzed further to assess the linear models' performance based on task requirements. For the isometric force production task, we found that predicted grip trajectories did not yield static grip forces that were distinguishable in magnitude across three task conditions. For the grasp-and-lift task, we estimate there would be an approximate 25% error in distinguishing when a user wants to hold or release an object. Significance. These findings indicate that EEG, a noninvasive neuroimaging modality, has predictive information in neural features associated with finger force control and can potentially contribute to the development of brain machine interfaces (BMI) for performing activities of daily living.


In our contribution we would like to describe two new aspects of our low-cost mobile prototyping platform concept: a new hardware communication framework as well as new software features for navigation and control of our mobile platform. The paper is an extension of the ideas proposed in REV2009 [1] and is based on the therein used hardware platform and the monitoring and management software. This platform is based on the Quadrocopter concept â?? autonomous flying helicopter-style robots â?? and includes additional off-the-shelf parts. This leads to a universal mobile prototyping platform for communication tasks providing both mobile phone and WiFi access. However, the platform can provide these functions far more quickly than a technician on the ground might be able to. We will show that with our concept we can easily adapt the platform to the individual needs of the user, which leads to a very flexible and semi-autonomous system.


The aim of this research is to develop a laptop micro reactor system which can apply to many chemical synthetic processes. If we can reach the reactive conditions quickly and effectively using this micro reactor system, the speed of research and development will improve spectacularly. Here we design and fabricate a prototype of micro reactor with integrated fluid control devices. Developed fluid control devices are micro pumps, micro mixers, and a temperature regulator. Especially, the micro mixer is a novel one which has an active mechanism with a magnetic actuator. In the estimation of the micro pump, we have obtained the maximum flow rate and pressure was 1.15 ml/min and 2.76 kPa under the following conditions: voltage, 40 Vp-p; frequency, 2 Hz. In the estimation of micro mixer, we confirmed the effectiveness of the mixing in 0.163 s. The results indicated the availability of these devices. We represent a first possible step towards a laptop micro reactor system for chemical synthetic process.


The model-free (MF) analysis was applied to the fluorescence decays of 32 pyrene-labeled macromolecules to probe their internal dynamics. Depending on whether a pyrene derivative was attached to the chain ends of a linear chain, randomly along a polymer backbone, or at the chain terminals of dendrimers, the MF analysis was applied to probe the dynamics of polymer ring closure, backbone flexibility, or chain terminal mobility, respectively. For those polymeric constructs whose decays could be fitted according to Birks' scheme or the fluorescence blob model (FBM), good agreement was obtained between the rate constant for excimer formation retrieved from the MF analysis and those obtained according to the Birks' scheme or FBM analyses. The MF analysis was also applied to conduct the first successful direct comparison of the chain terminal dynamics of two types of pyrene end-labeled dendrons. Finally, the MF analysis was employed to build a calibration curve against which the internal dynamics of any pyrene-labeled macromolecule can now be benchmarked. This study further confirms the versatility and robustness of the MF analysis to study any type of pyrene-labeled macromolecule.


Recent botnets such as Conficker, Kraken, and Torpig have used DNS-based "domain fluxing" for command-and-control, where each Bot queries for existence of a series of domain names and the owner has to register only one such domain name. In this paper, we develop a methodology to detect such "domain fluxes" in DNS traffic by looking for patterns inherent to domain names that are generated algorithmically, in contrast to those generated by humans. In particular, we look at distribution of alphanumeric characters as well as bigrams in all domains that are mapped to the same set of IP addresses. We present and compare the performance of several distance metrics, including K-L distance, Edit distance, and Jaccard measure. We train by using a good dataset of domains obtained via a crawl of domains mapped to all IPv4 address space and modeling bad datasets based on behaviors seen so far and expected. We also apply our methodology to packet traces collected at a Tier-1 ISP and show we can automatically detect domain fluxing as used by Conficker botnet with minimal false positives, in addition to discovering a new botnet within the ISP trace. We also analyze a campus DNS trace to detect another unknown botnet exhibiting advanced domain-name generation technique.


We intended to determine rates of biogenic VOC and OVOC emissions from one of the dominant conifer ecosystems of California. Specifically, we needed to develop and deploy a new measurement system for ecosystem scale biogenic emissions of 2-methyl3-buten-2-ol (MBO), acetone, monoterpenes, and other oxygenated hydrocarbons, and supporting the California Air Resources Board use of this data to validate their biogenic emissions inventory system (BEIGIS). OVOCs were predominantly of natural origin. However, the relative impact of biogenic and anthropogenic emissions was different for each individual OVOC. MBO emissions were completely of biogenic origin, whereas methanol, ethanol, acetone, and acetaldehyde all had a combination of anthropogenic and biogenic sources. We found that biogenically emitted compounds included MBO, methanol, ethanol, acetaldehyde, acetone, and several monoterpenes. These were the most abundant VOCs at this site, excluding methane, and biogenic compounds dominated the total VOC reactivity in the region. The OVOCs were highly correlated with each other, especially during daytime. Fluxes were dominated by MBO and methanol with daytime average emissions of ~1.3 mg C m h. Ethanol, acetaldehyde, monoterpene, and acetone fluxes were approximately a factor of 5 lower. All fluxes showed diurnal cycles with maxima around noon and minima at night. Temperature and light were the main drivers for the MBO emissions, and the canopy level flux responses were virtually identical with previously measured leaf level fluxes from ponderosa pine trees at the same site. Ambient temperature appeared to be the most important driver of the other VOC fluxes, but moisture also played a role, particularly for monoterpenes, ethanol and acetone. Humidity impacts monoterpene fluxes particularly during extreme events, such as summer rain storms or prolonged summer droughts, both relatively common in the Mediterranean climate of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Soil and litter emissions, measured using a Pyrex glass chamber, contributed significantly to the canopy level fluxes of methanol, acetaldehyde, monoterpenes and acetone, and had a much smaller contribution to the canopy fluxes of ethanol. Analyses of concentration of ozone, isoprene and isoprene's oxidation products showed that a substantial amount of the ozone observed at the mid elevations of the Sierra Nevada Mountains was formed through


Reform of the health services in Norway for the mentally retarded led to a complete closure of all institutions for mentally retarded persons by the end of 1996. All 109 of the mentally retarded persons in the county of Sør-Trøndelag who were previously institutionalized were observed throughout this process, in 1987 and 1995. Both physical handicaps and psychiatric/behavioural problems had worsened. The carers' knowledge of their clients' physical health was inadequate in more than half (55%) of the cases. Medical treatment needed improving in 36% of the cases, while it was clearly deficient in 9%. There had been a reduction in the use of general medical services, as well as in the specialised services of psychologists, psychiatrists and neurologists. The organisation of services for this group of clients is in need of improvement.


Hadron therapy for e.g. cancer treatment requires an accurate dose deposition (total amount and location). As a consequence, monitoring is crucial for the success of the treatment. Currently employed PET imaging systems are not able to provide information about the deposed dose fast enough to allow stopping the therapy in case of a discordance with the treatment plan. We are currently investigating an imaging system based on a combined Compton scattering and pair creation camera capable of imaging gamma rays up to 50 MeV. The camera would be able to measure the complete spectrum of emitted gamma rays during the therapy session. We have performed Monte-Carlo simulations for three different proton beam energies in a typical hadron therapy scenario. They show that the location of the gamma-ray distribution decay and the falloff region of the deposed dose are related. The reconstructed images show that the proposed system could provide the required imaging and dose location capabilities.


Streaming analytics deploy Kleene pattern queries to detect and aggregate event trends on high-rate data streams. Despite increasing workloads, most state-of-the-art systems process each query independently, thus missing cost-saving sharing opportunities. Sharing event trend aggregation poses several technical challenges. First, Kleene patterns are in general difficult to share due to complex nesting and arbitrarily long matches. Second, not all sharing opportunities are beneficial because sharing Kleene patterns incurs non-trivial overhead to ensure the correctness of final aggregation results. We propose MUSE (Multi-query Shared Event trend aggregation), the first framework that shares aggregation queries with Kleene patterns while avoiding expensive trend construction. To find the beneficial sharing plan, the MUSE optimizer effectively selects robust sharing candidates from the exponentially large search space. Our experiments demonstrate that MUSE increases throughput by 4 orders of magnitude compared to state-of-the-art approaches.


The introduction of hexavalent T6+ cations in p‐type thermoelectric colusites Cu26T2Ge6S32 (T = Cr, Mo, W) leads to the highest power factors among iono‐covalent sulfides, ranging from 1.17 mW m−1 K−2 at 700 K for W to a value of 1.94 mW m−1 K−2 for Cr. In Cu26Cr2Ge6S32, ZT reaches values close to unity at 700 K. The improvement of the transport properties in these new sulfides is explained on the basis of electronic structure and transport calculations keeping in mind that the relaxation time is significantly influenced by the size and the electronegativity of the interstitial T cation. The rationale is based on the concept of a conductive "Cu–S" network, which in colusites corresponds to the more symmetric parent structure sphalerite. A detailed structural analysis of these colusites shows that the distortion of the conductive network is influenced by the presence in the structure of mixed octahedral–tetrahedral [TS4]Cu6 complexes where the T cations are underbonded to sulfur and form metal–metal interactions with copper, Cu–T distances decreasing from 2.76 Å for W to 2.71 Å for Cr. The interactions between these complexes are responsible for the outstanding electronic transport properties. By contrast, the thermal conductivity is not significantly affected.


This paper gives an account on the modern pollen rain–vegetation relationships, based on the pollen analysis of 12 surface samples, 2 samples each collected from the southern, northern, eastern and western flanks of Amjhera Swamp as well as 4 from the mixed tropical deciduous forests dominated by teak (Tectona grandis) in Hoshangabad District, southwestern Madhya Pradesh, India. The pollen assemblages demonstrate the dominance of arboreals (trees and shrubs) over non–arboreals (herbs). Among the tree taxa, Madhuca indica is constantly represented with average pollen frequency of 37.36% in most of the samples which could be attributed to the good preservation of its pollen in the sediments coupled with its high pollen dispersal efficiency. Terminalia (av. 5.1%) is also retrieved steadily. However, Tectona grandis is untraced in the samples despite being an enormous pollen producer and dominant forest component, which could be due to its low pollen dispersal efficiency and differential pollen preservation. Besides, Adina cordifolia, Mitragyna parvifolia, Schleichera oleosa and Emblica officinalis are present with average pollen frequencies of 8.1%, 7.8%, 6.69% and 1.126%, respectively, but only in a few samples. Syzygium, Maytenus, Lagerstroemia, Lannea coromandelica, etc. are also intermittently recovered in almost all the samples, but in varying frequencies (< 0.5%–7.91%) despite their frequent presence in the forest. This erratic display of all these taxa could be inferred to their low pollen productivity, since majority of the tropical trees portray a strong tendency of entomophily. The partial preservation of their pollen in the sediments cannot also be denied. The relatively meagre representation of grasses, sedges, Malvaceae, Xanthium except Tubuliflorae and culture pollen taxa such as Cheno/Am, Caryophyllaceae, Brassicaceae and Cannabis sativa are suggestive of poor herbaceous cover around the swamp and also in the mixed tropical deciduous forest. However, the record of Cerealia and other culture pollen taxa stamps the proximity of cultivated land and human habitation in and around the investigation site. The abundance of trilete fern spore as well as Ceratopteris, monolete fern spore and trilete with perine, though in relatively low values envisages their origin from the local sources as ferns and their allies flourish well in moist and shady habitats.


ABSTRACT East European food self-provisioning (FSP) has fascinated scholars of post-socialism ever since the early 1990s. In keeping with its predominantly economic and cultural conceptualisations, much of this research has been concerned with FSP's role in household economy and with the social profile of its practitioners. In contrast to western conceptualisations of FSP as an opportunity to expand food activism and foster social justice and environmental sustainability, post-socialist FSP has rarely been considered as such. In Czechia, FSP is practised by 43% of citizens and many of them do so in a relatively environmentally friendly way. Yet, most food-related campaigns run by environmental NGOs (ENGOs) pay little attention to FSP and focus on market-based ethical consumerism and alternative food networks instead. Using insights from actor-network theory, this paper discusses how Czech ENGO activists engage with FSP through discourse and in practice. Based on ethnographic fieldwork and interviews with leading activists, we show that FSP does figure in non-food-related campaigns and that the FSP practised by activists themselves or the FSP carried out by relatives and relatives' friends are not the same as the FSP on which they are reluctant to campaign. These differences, which include controllability and the time-consuming nature of practising FSP according to some of the activists' ideals, help this paper to come to an initial understanding of why Czech ENGOs do not run campaigns explicitly focused on FSP at the moment and shed some light on how this could change in the future.


The present study investigated the differences of perception of facial expressions among different attachment orientations. The study was conducted with 356 university students (202 female and 154 male). The participants were given Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R) scale to assess their adult attachment style and Morph Movie Task to assess their sensitivity to emotion information. The research has demonstrated that attachment security of childhood influences on cognitive and emotion development, providing a framework for the later relationships. Given the importance of social functioning on wellbeing, it is crucial to understand the possible underlying mechanism of impairments. For that purpose, this study focused on the perception of facial expressions which serves as the general emotional cue in social interactions. In order to examine the perceptual differences, morph video tasks have been used. It has been hypothesized that attachment anxiety is related to increased sensitivity to the changes in emotional information, whereas avoidant individuals are expected to disregard the incoming information. The results for categorical analysis revealed that dismissing individuals detected both the offset and onset of the emotion later compared to secure and preoccupied participants and preoccupied individuals detected the offset earlier than fearful individuals. On the other hand, the hierarchical regression analysis of attachment dimensions showed that only attachment avoidance predicted the late detection of both onset and offset scores. The possible mechanisms underlying the differential effects are discussed.


Many contemporary composition scholars are moving beyond process theory, contending that the act of writing effectively is one of complex social interaction, an intricate ballet of intellectual feigns, parries and thrusts, that cannot be reduced to the simple process of prewriting, writing and rewriting to be taught in the same, or even similar, manner to every person. In fact, they argue, there can be no effective classroom composition pedagogy that reveals the social nature of the act of writing to the student in any meaningful way. And yet a wealth of personal observations have shown that a great many working world adults—a substantially greater proportion of the population than that found in the first-year writing class—have mastered the skill of effective writing to a significant extent, leading to the conclusion that experience and maturation can and does teach the social nature of the many genres of everyday writing. What follows is an attempt to create a curriculum that recognizes the social nature of writing and incorporates it into the classroom setting through collaborative writing exercises, genre-awareness and assignments designed to reveal to the individual writer his or her own way of producing desired effects on readers. The curriculum also aims to hasten some of the experience and maturation that reveals the social nature of writing to so many writers as they wend their way through the working world. What is initially proposed is then taken into two first-year writing classes in succeeding semesters and evaluated on the basis of student responses and instructor observations. Those methods of evaluation are admittedly lacking in a high degree of reliability. However, this essay concludes with some suggested refinements and a proposal for a more thorough testing of the curriculum's effectiveness.


Manufacturers around the world constantly strive for lower cost solutions in order to maintain their competitiveness on machined components and manufactured goods. Globally, part quality has been found to be at acceptable levels and it continues to improve, while the pressure for part piece cost is enormous and is constantly being influenced downward by competition and buyer strategies. In machining processes, it is necessary to attain the desired surface quality in order to produce parts providing the required functioning. The surface quality is influenced by various cutting parameters (cutting speed, feed, depth of cut) and sometimes some other parameters. The objective of this paper is to review the effect of cutting parameters on surface integrity (surface roughness and residual stress) in hard turning.


Switched reluctance motor (SRM) drives have gained many attentions from researcher which will be used for automotive applications that needs high speed, wider range of constant power capability, ruggedness, and fault tolerance. This paper focuses on modelling and simulation of switched reluctance motor (SRM) based on COMSOL software, two dimensional finite element models of SRM were developed and established. The results show that the models established, are propitious to the accurate analysis of switched reluctance motor torque and flux. SRM 6/4 configuration was selected due to its simple structure and low cost of electronics required for the controller. The model developed will be used to design and build an EV SRM for prototype testing.


History recon iterates and deciphers the bygone ages and events. The ethnicities, values and beliefs held by preceding generations mark an indelible impact. It also records despair, wretched experiences and traumas of underprivileged, colonized and marginalized sections. Present culture can obviously no longer be described as closed spheres or in terms of inner homogeneity. Ethnography moves from its conventional single site location, contextualized by macro constructions of a large social order. Migration signifies a sudden and alien incursion in to the ecology of arts in Europe. Refugee history can be outlined from pre-modern times onwards. Refugees are persecuted and retained in remote areas, have to lead a miserable life. Cultural history synchronizes the cultural imbrications of past and groups of individuals together across other provinces. It has been considered as a methodology which deliberates on the realm of representation and the struggle over meaning for discovering the pursuit of historical understandings. The paper seeks to analyze the paradigm of refugee studies in the two stories Black- Eyed Woman and War Years from the Short story collection The Refugees.


Interpretability of learning algorithms is crucial for applications involving critical decisions, and variable importance is one of the main interpretation tools. Shapley effects are now widely used to interpret both tree ensembles and neural networks, as they can efficiently handle dependence and interactions in the data, as opposed to most other variable importance measures. However, estimating Shapley effects is a challenging task, because of the computational complexity and the conditional expectation estimates. Accordingly, existing Shapley algorithms have flaws: a costly running time, or a bias when input variables are dependent. Therefore, we introduce SHAFF, SHApley eFfects via random Forests, a fast and accurate Shapley effect estimate, even when input variables are dependent. We show SHAFF efficiency through both a theoretical analysis of its consistency, and the practical performance improvements over competitors with extensive experiments. An implementation of SHAFF in C++ and R is available online.


Classroom code switching is a common scenario in many multi lingual and multicultural classes. In a monolingual country like Bangladesh, classroom code switching has some distinctive attributes. As a part of the global transformation in the methods and techniques of English language teaching, we need to consider classroom code switching as a fact which cannot be ignored in any way especially in a country like Bangladesh where English is taught as a foreign language. In most of the cases Bangladeshi students tend to switch codes, but it is also common in teachers' discourse. This paper aims to focus on the reasons for teachers' code switching and the attitude of the teachers and students towards classroom code switching. A survey was conducted for data collection where two different sets of questionnaires were used for teachers and students. 20 English language teachers and 37 undergrad students from different universities participated in the survey. The findings of the survey result in identifying the reasons for teachers' code switching like ease of communication, explanation, maintaining discipline in the classroom, translation of the unknown terms etc. On the other hand, although many teachers consider that they should not switch codes in the class room, students possess a positive attitude towards it. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/sje.v7i0.14462 Stamford Journal of English; Volume 7; Page 40-61


This paper presents the design of a dual Z-source inverter that can be used with either a single dc source or two isolated dc sources. Unlike traditional inverters, the integration of a properly designed Z-source network and semiconductor switches to the proposed dual inverter allows buck-boost power conversion to be performed over a wide modulation range with three-level output waveforms generated. The connection of an additional transformer to the inverter ac output also allows all generic wye- or delta-connected loads with three-wire or four-wire configuration to be supplied by the inverter. Modulation-wise, the dual inverter can be controlled using a carefully designed carrier-based pulse-width modulation (PWM) scheme that always will ensure balanced voltage boosting of the Z-source network, while simultaneously achieving reduced common-mode switching. Because of the omission of dead-time delays in the dual inverter PWM scheme, its switched common-mode voltage can be completely eliminated, unlike in traditional inverters where narrow common-mode spikes are still generated. Under semiconductor failure conditions, the presented PWM schemes can easily be modified to allow the inverter to operate without interruption and for cases where two isolated sources are used, zero common-mode voltage can still be ensured. These theoretical findings together with the inverter practicality have been confirmed both in simulations using PSIM with Matlab/Simulink coupler and experimentally using a laboratory implemented inverter prototype