conduction and circus movement tachycardias in patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Circulation 47: 1229, 1973 31. Sellors TK, Bashore TM, Gallagher JJ: Digitalis in the preexcitation syndrome. Analysis during atrial fibrillation. Circulation 56: 260, 1977 32. De la Fuente D, Sasyniuk B, Moe GK: Conduction through a narrow isthmus in isolated canine atrial tissue. A model of the WPW syndrome. Circulation 44: 803, 1971 33. Wilson FN: A case in which the vagus influenced the form of the ventricular complex of the electrocardiogram. Arch Intern Med 16: 1008, 1915 34. Wolff L, Parkinson J, White PD: Bundle branch block with short PR interval in healthy young people prone to paroxysmal tachycardia. Am Heart J 5: 685, 1930 35. Gavrilescu S: Manifestation of the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome during isoprenaline infusion and carotid sinus massage. Cardiologia 61: 146, 1976 36. Singer DH, Lazzara R, Hoffman BF: Interrelationships between automaticity and conduction in Purkinje fibers. Circ Res 21: 537, 1967 37. Wit AL, Hoffman BF, Rosen MR: Appraisal and reappraisal of cardiac therapy. Electrophysiology and pharmacology of cardiac arrhythmias. IX. Cardiac electrophysiologic effects of beta-adrenergic receptor stimulation and blockade. Part A. Am Heart J 90: 521, 1975 38. Hoffman BF, Rosen MR, Wit AL: Appraisal and reappraisal of cardiac therapy. Electrophysiology and pharmacology of cardiac arrhythmias. VII. Cardiac effects of quinidine and procainamide. Part B. Am Heart J 90: 117, 1975 39. Gelband H, Rosen MR, Myerburg RJ, Bush HL, Basett AL, Hoffman BF: Restorative effect of epinephrine on the electrophysiologic properties of depressed human atrial tissue. J Electrocardiol 10: 313, 1977 40. Wallace AG, Sarnoff SJ: Effects of cardiac sympathetic nerve stimulation on conduction in the heart. Circ Res 14: 86, 1964 41. Dhingra RC, Winslow E, Pouget JM, Rahimtoola SH, Rosen KM: The effects of isoproterenol on atrioventricular and intraventricular conduction. Am J Cardiol 32: 629, 1973 42. Gonzalez Mora R, Halpern MS, Chiale PA, Nau GJ, Levi RJ, Sandomir E, Przybylski J, Elizari MV, Lizzari JO, Rosenbaum MB: Efectos del isoproterenol sobre la conducci6n intraventricular en pacientes con bloqueo de rama intermitente. (abstr) Proceedings XVI Argentine Congress of Cardiology. Buenos Aires, November 1977 43. Neuss H, Schlepper M: Influence of various antiarrhythmic drugs (aprindine, ajmaline, verapamil, oxprenolol, orciprenaline) on functional properties of accessory atrioventricular pathways. Acta Cardiol6gica (suppl 18): 279, 1974


In this paper we extend the Semantic Desktop with a novel input modality: handwriting on paper. This extension allows for annotating printed documents with handwritten notes, which are then recognized, interpreted and integrated into the personal knowledge space. Thus it supports personal knowledge work on paper. In particular, the user can mark any text segment and annotate it with his or her own comments. The semantic of these comments and marks are then interpreted and, finally, the result is included in the user's Semantic Desktop. The methodology for finding the intended meaning of the annotation in context of the marked text is presented in this paper. To demonstrate the applicability of our approach, we have implemented a prototype for the NEPOMUK Semantic Desktop.


In recent years, impressive results have been reported for the recognition of individual object classes, based on the combination of robust visual features with powerful statistical learning techniques. As a result, the simultaneous recognition of many object classes is coming into focus, posing challenges with respect to both model complexity and the need for increasing amounts of training data. Reusing once acquired information in the context of related recognition tasks, effectively transferring knowledge between object classes, has been identified as a promising route towards scalable recognition. Besides increasing scalability, knowledge transfer has been shown to enable novel tasks, such as the recognition of object classes for which no training data are available, termed zero-shot recognition. In this case, missing training data is compensated by exploiting additional, complementary sources of knowledge, such as linguistic knowledge bases. Based on these encouraging prospects, this thesis explores four different dimensions of knowledge transfer in object class recognition. First, we investigate the role of visual features as a low level representation of transferable knowledge. Based on an extensive evaluation of existing state-of-the-art local feature detectors and descriptors, we identify shape-based features in connection with powerful spatial models as a promising candidate representation. Building upon this result, we further introduce a novel flavor of local shape-based features, as well as a generic appearance descriptor based on shading artifacts. Second, we highlight the connection between knowledge transfer and generalization across basic-level object categories, by recognizing objects according to potential functions or affordances. In particular, we demonstrate that visually distinct hints on affordances, modeled as collections of local shape features, can be shared and hence transfered between object classes. Third, we design shape-based object class models for knowledge transfer, representing object classes as spatially constrained assemblies of parts, including pair-wise symmetry relations. These models are both compositional and incremental, allowing for knowledge transfer either on the level of entire object class models or restricted to a subset of model components. While knowledge transfer in these models has to be guided by manual supervision, we demonstrate the benefit of knowledge transfer for object class recognition when learning from scarce training data. And fourth, we demonstrate that exploiting additional sources of knowledge besides real world training images can aid object class recognition, effectively transferring knowledge between different representations. In particular, we use linguistic knowledge bases in connection with semantic relatedness measures to automatically determine potential sources and targets of knowledge transfer for zero-shot recognition, and show the successful learning of shape-based object class models from collections of 3D computer aided design (CAD) models, not using any real world training images of the object class of interest. In summary, this thesis achieves encouraging results with respect to four different dimensions of knowledge transfer, namely, specialized visual feature representations, generalization across basic-level categories, compositional object class models, and the exploitation of additional sources of knowledge, confirming the benefits of knowledge transfer. As a side effect, we are able to obtain object class recognition results often superior to or en par with prior work.


Fatigue cracks in shot-peened and case-hardened notched machine components are subjected to stress fields induced by the external load and residual stresses resulting from the surface treatment. Both stress fields are characterized by nonuniform distributions, and handbook stress intensity factor solutions are in such cases unavailable, especially in the case of planar nonelliptical cracks. The method presented here is based on the generalized weight function technique enabling the stress intensity factors to be calculated for any Mode I loading applied to arbitrary planar convex and embedded crack. The stress intensity factor can be determined at any point on the crack contour by using one general weight function discussed in the paper. The weight function, m A , can be sufficiently well described by two quantities, i.e., the distance, p, from the load point, P(x, y), on the crack surface to the point, A, on the crack front where the stress intensity is to be calculated and the length, Γ c ., of the inverted crack contour. The stress intensity factors are calculated by integrating the product of the stress field and the weight function over the entire crack area. The general weight function and calculated stress intensity factors are validated against various numerical and analytical data. The numerical procedure for calculating stress intensity factors for arbitrary nonlinear stress distributions is briefly discussed as well. Several examples of typical input data and stress intensity factor results are presented including embedded and edge cracks subjected to two-dimensional stress fields. The method is particularly suitable for modeling fatigue crack growth in the presence of complex stress fields.


Abstract. Comprehensive and sustainable landslide management, including identification of landslide susceptible areas, requires a lot of organisations and people to collaborate efficiently. Often, landslide management efforts are made after major triggering events only, such as hazard mitigations that applied after the 2015 Gorkha earthquake in Nepal. Next, to a lack of efficiency and continuity, there is also a lack of sharing of information and cooperation among stakeholders to cope with significant disaster events. There should be a system to allow easy update of landslide information after an event. For a variety of users of landslide information in Nepal, the availability and extraction of landslide data from the database are a vital requirement. In this study, we investigate the requirements to and propose a concept for a web-based Nepalese landslide information system (NELIS) that provides users with a platform to share the location of landslide events for the further collaborations. The system will be defined as a web-based geographic information system (GIS) that supports responsible organisations to address and manage different user requirements of people working with landslides, thereby improving the current state of landslide management in Nepal. The overall aim of this research is to propose a conceptual design of NELIS and to show the current status of the cooperation between involved stakeholders. A system like NELIS could benefit stakeholders involved in data collection and landslide management in their efforts to report and provide landslide information. Moreover, such a system would allow for detailed and structured landslide documentation and consequently provide valuable information for susceptibility, hazard, and risk mapping. For the reporting of landslides directly to the system, a web portal is proposed. Stakeholders who can contribute to the reporting of landslides are mostly local communities and schools. Based on field investigations, literature reviews and user interviews, the practical structure of the landslide database and a conceptual design for the NELIS platform is proposed.


Author(s): Jiang, Yong | Advisor(s): Wang, Yinsheng | Abstract: Exogenous and endogenous agents can induce the formation of both single- and tandem-nucleobase lesions in DNA. In this dissertation, we assessed the formation and genotoxicity of three different types of DNA lesions; a novel guanine-thymine intrastrand cross-link lesion (G[8-5m]T), two tandem single-nucleobase lesions consisting of a thymidine glycol and an 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine [5'-(8-oxodG)-Tg-3' and 5'-Tg-(8-oxodG)-3' ], and a single nucleobase lesion, N2-(1-carboxyethyl)-2'-deoxyguanosine (N2-CEdG). In Chapter 2, We demonstrated the dose-dependent induction of the G[8-5m]T cross-link in human HeLa-S3 cells upon exposure to gamma rays by LC-MS/MS. The in-vitro replication studies on the lesion-bearing substrate showed that the Klenow fragment of Escherichia coli (E. coli) DNA polymerase I stopped synthesis mostly after incorporating one nucleotide opposite the 3'-thymine moiety of the lesion. Yeast polymerase eta, a translesion synthesis DNA polymerase, could replicate past the lesion with a markedly reduced efficiency. However, it could also induce nucleotide misincorporation (i.e., dAMP and dGMP) opposite the 5'-guanine moiety of the G[8-5m]T. In Chapters 3 and 4, we developed an LC-MS/MS-based strategy for quantitative analysis and demonstrated the efficient formation of a tandem lesion, 5'-Tg-(8-oxodG)-3', in calf thymus DNA upon exposure to Cu(II)/ascorbate along with H2O2 or gamma rays. Both in-vitro and in-vivo replication studies on two tandem lesions, 5'-(8-oxodG)-Tg-3' and 5'-Tg-(8-oxodG)-3', revealed that the tandem lesions blocked DNA replication mediated by the Klenow fragment and yeast pol eta; more readily than when the Tg or 8-oxodG was present alone and the mutagenicity of Tg or 8-oxodG differed while they were present alone or in tandem. Moreover, the activities of base excision repair enzymes were altered in substrates bearing the tandem lesions. The 5'-Tg-(8-oxodG)-3' could also give rise to a substantial frequency of TG to GT tandem double mutation. These results support that complex lesions could exert a greater cytotoxic effect than when the composing lesions are present alone and the mutagenic properties of the tandem lesions could be markedly affected by the spatial arrangement of the component lesions.In Chapter 5, we analyzed the formation and genotoxic properties of N2-CEdG, demonstrated that this major stable DNA adduct could be induced by methylglyoxal (MG) in human cancer cells. We also found that N2-CEdG is weakly mutagenic, and DinB (i.e., polymerase IV in E. coli) is the major DNA polymerase responsible for bypassing the lesion in vivo; the E. coli pol IV- and human polymerase kappa-mediated nucleotide incorporation opposite this lesion is both accurate and efficient. Our results supported N2-CEdG may constitute an important endogenous substrate for DinB DNA polymerase.


A wide range of approaches has been applied to address banking and other financial crises. The nature of the approach depends on the nature of the crisis, its origins, evolution and context. Systemic banking crises are among the most common and costly to address. The experiences of the three major international financial crises of the past 25 years – the Asian Financial Crisis, the Global Financial Crisis, and the European Debt Crisis – offer critical lessons regarding the most effective approaches in tackling bank solvency during a systemic crisis. One of the most common and also effective methods has been the transfer of non-performing loans (NPLs) to an Asset Management Company (AMC) that performs workouts or liquidates stressed loan portfolios at a more opportune time to amortize losses. In most cases the use of AMCs has delivered positive results for the taxpayer.

Contemporary consensus as regards tackling bank solvency during a systemic financial crisis focuses heavily on prevention of government bailouts in order to protect state finances and curb moral hazard. However, an overly dogmatic focus on preventing public financial support in the context of a systemic bank solvency crisis may place insurmountable obstacles to the use of state-backed AMCs and other forms of resolution of NPLs and bank recapitalization. This paper provides a new perspective on the common belief that public support in the context of systemic bank insolvency – i.e. bank bailouts – is an inefficient use of public funds or conducive to moral hazard.

Our study finds that state-backed AMCs can be effective in recapitalizing banking systems, depending on the modus operandi of the restructuring, funding and the conditions attached to the fiscal backstop. With respect to systemic banking crises or those caused by exogenous factors, such as the unprecedented disruption of economic activity due the COVID-19 pandemic, preservation of financial stability and not containment of moral hazard should be policy-makers' predominant goal. Thus, we suggest that a combination of balance sheet restructuring and the use of AMCs to manage NPLs is the optimal approach.


This study focused on star-up of the partial nitrification in sequencing batch biofilm reactor (SBBR) with domestic wastewater at room temperature. No significant nitrate formation was observed during the full period of operation and the nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) was successfully outcompeted. When influent ammonium concentration decreased from 200mg/L to 80mg/L, a stable influent at a ratio of 1.03 NO2-N/NH4-N was produced after 44 continuous cycles(33d)and that indicated partial nitrification achievement. A recommended start-up strategy based on high FA concentration and aeration control was proposed to achieve partial nitrification with low ammonium strength wastewater at room temperature.


This paper presents a comparison of the level of application of telecommunications technologies to agricultural market information systems in Ghana and Tanzania. The data on economic indicators related to telecommunications services used in this comparative analysis was provided by the statistics division of the United Nations. The review reveals that even though both Ghana and Tanzania are developing nations, Ghana is significantly ahead of Tanzania in the provision of information and communications technology (ICT) facilities that support operations of agricultural market information systems. However, low‐income smallholder farmers of both countries still need more access to ICT facilities for them to exploit fully the services offered by ICT‐based agricultural market information systems. Both countries also need to promote participation of the private sector for establishment of economically sustainable market information services. Recommendations drawn from this analysis do not only apply to Ghana and Tanzania but also to other developing countries in Sub‐Saharan Africa.


BACKGROUND
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most common disorders in the world, but is generally refractory to antidepressant treatment. However, physical exercise has been demonstrated to improve MDD symptoms, though the mechanism through which this is achieved is not clear. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to clarify whether physical exercise increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in patients with MDD to either establish or rule out this effect as a possible mechanism.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS
We searched five electronic databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, CHINAL, Cochran Library, and Japanese Central Review of Medicine) for interventional studies released prior to 24 October 2017, examining the effects of physical exercise on BDNF in patients with MDD that compared the experimental group with an MDD control group. Those studies meeting the inclusion criteria were subjected to a meta-analysis in which changes of BDNF from baseline to post-exercise were quantified, with a standard mean difference and random effect model.

RESULTS
Five studies were eligible and included 199 participants. All articles included subjects with severe symptoms; three articles studied inpatient populations. All articles introduced aerobic exercise. We found no significant effect of physical exercise on BDNF levels (Z=0.32, p=0.75), and no heterogeneity (I2=0%). The risk of bias was moderate.

CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that physical exercise does not significantly increase BDNF in patients with MDD. Thus, while increased BDNF has been shown to be beneficial in patients with MDD, physical exercise likely produces its benefits through a different mechanism. However, the small number of included articles and lack of multiple reviewers increase the risk of the result being a false negative.


In the structure design, the definition of the joints had a great impact on the structure internal force distribution, thus affecting the whole structure design. In the traditional design of steel structures, the beam-column joints were always considered as completely rigid connections or ideal hinged connections, but it is usually not in accord with the practical situations. According to the existing formulas, the simplified formulas for the end moments of semi-rigid connections have been proposed, the semi-rigid connections will also be discussed. The formulas proposed in this paper are applied to the auxiliary beam-column joint design, which is part of the counterforce frame design. It is hoped that the formulas can provide a reference for the steel frame design. Keywords: semi-rigid connections, end moments, internal forces distribution, steel frame design


This Essay is part of a larger project exploring the possibility that, contrary to much of the prevailing scholarship, judicial supervision of the prosecutor's charging decision — through both expansive judicial interpretation of current ethics rules and judicial enactment and enforcement of more extensive ethics rules — might serve as a viable and effective mechanism for meaningful review and regulation.In a forthcoming article, Bruce Green and I identify and respond to some of the reasons scholars have generally steered clear of considering the option that judges might play a more robust role in supervising prosecutors' charging discretion by implementing enhanced disciplinary rules addressing charging decisions. Specifically, we suggest that much of the leading scholarship seems to be built on the premise that, as a descriptive matter, as part of the doctrine of separation of powers, and for practical reasons, courts lack the authority and ability to review the prosecutorial charging decision. We argue, however, that the nearly categorical assumption among many scholars that courts do not have the authority to review charging decisions reflects an undue attention to federal law and federal courts, and as a result, reveals only part of the story.Based on an examination of the state court experience, we find that, contrary to the assumptions of many scholars, both as a descriptive matter and a normative matter, in many states and in a variety of contexts, courts have exercised both adjudicatory and disciplinary review of charging decisions. In so doing, state courts have sometimes deemed separation of powers arguments less compelling in the face of judicial responsibility and authority to insure the fair administration of justice. Moreover, even to the extent that most courts remain reluctant to review charging decisions through the adjudicatory process, the courts in every state exercise the inherent authority to regulate the practice of law in their own jurisdiction, through which they enact and implement ethics rules that regulate the practice of law and, at times, subject lawyers to discipline. We conclude that, in further exercise of their inherent authority, courts have the ability to play a more active role in reviewing charging decisions by interpreting current rules and adopting enhanced rules regulating the charging decision.Building on these observations and arguments, this Essay briefly considers the potential utility of disciplinary regulation as a remedy for abuses of prosecutorial discretion. Toward that goal, the Essay explores whether, in comparison with other approaches, disciplinary rules might provide a more appropriate and effective mechanism for responding to the problem of abuse of prosecutorial power. Part I of the Essay briefly documents concerns over actual and perceived abuses of prosecutors' charging power. Part II then summarizes and critiques a number of leading proposals for reform of prosecutors' charging discretion. Finally, Part III analyzes the potential utility of disciplinary review as an alternative avenue of reform. On the basis of this analysis, the Essay concludes that judicial supervision of prosecutors through the disciplinary process may not be vulnerable to some of the objections that have been leveled against other proposals.


This article discusses the findings of an empirical study that investigated the attitudes of different sections of the membership of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church to the socio-economic and political struggles in Nigeria. The study sought to explore how this denomination's theology and missional orientation have limited its role in the holistic development of Nigerians. The article argues that proclamation of the SDA Church's unique message and its involvement in transformational development should not be mutually exclusive. There were three major findings of the empirical research. First, although SDA members, clergy and church leadership thought the church had a role to play in national development, there was a level of inhibition in their minds and actions. Second, SDA members, clergy and leadership upheld that involvement in national development should ultimately be for evangelisation purposes. Third, Nigerians who were not members of the SDA Church felt the SDA Church had not made any really significant impact on Nigerian society. Based on these findings, the article concludes by upholding the paradigm of transformational development as theological vision for the SDA Church becoming an actor of holistic development in Nigerian society.


We report the synthesis, characterization and evaluation of lecithin-drug hybrid nanocarriers (NCs) with enhanced oral bioavailability and anti-parasitic potential for poorly water-soluble drugs. Amphotericin B (AmB), a poor water-soluble drug with poor membrane penetrating ability, was selected as a model drug to demonstrate the potential of the lecithin-drug hybrid NCs. Lec-AmB NCs were prepared by the self-assembly of lecithin into nanoparticles (NPs) at a critical micellar concentration of 4 mg ml-1 and into liposomes at a critical liposomal concentration of 53 mg ml-1 in aqueous systems. The Lec-AmB NPs (200-300 nm) were further coated with polyethylene glycol (MW 600) and Tween 20, whereas the liposomes (70-90 nm) were used as such for this study. The Lec-AmB NCs were evaluated for their ability to boost in vivo oral pharmacokinetic parameters in rabbits and in vitro anti-leishmanial activity against the promastigotes of Leishmania tropica. A reciprocal relationship was observed between the size and drug encapsulation efficiency of the NPs, but no such relationship was observed in the case of the liposomes. More importantly, the oral bioavailability and anti-leishmanial activity of Lec-AmB NPs was enhanced up to 21- and 6.3-fold, and 21- and 2-fold, respectively, in the case of the liposomes. The improvement in the bioavailability and anti-leishmanial activity is very significant compared to the deoxycholate complex of AmB (water soluble, injectable market product: Anfotericina FADA®), and this study, thus shows the promising potential of easy-to-prepare NCs with improved therapeutic efficiency using phosphocholine-based biocompatible surfactants.


Among the many books in Michigan State University's Criminology Collection is a Corpus juris militaris, published in Germany in 1687. Its binding contains four small parchment strips with medieval Dutch verses. Although the strips are still attached in the spine, the verses can be identified as belonging to the Roman der Lorreinen, and more specifically as remnants of manuscript A, written in the duchy of Brabant in the second quarter of the fourteenth century. Manuscript A originally must have consisted of over 400 leaves, containing more than 150.000 verses (note: there are no complete manuscripts of the Roman der Lorreinen). Only 7% of manuscript A has been preserved in several European libraries, mainly in Germany. The new fragment suggests that manuscript A was used as binding material not earlier than the end of the seventeenth century (after 1687). The newly found verses are from the first part of the Roman der Lorreinen, which was an adaptation of the Old French chanson de geste Garin le Loherenc. This article offers a first edition and study of the verses, comparing them to the Old French counterparts. This comparison offers additional evidence for the earlier hypothesis that manuscript A contained the same adaptation of Garin le Loherenc as the fragmentary manuscripts B and C.


This paper proposes optimization with interval-valued random functions as a very natural theoretical tool for posing and solving optimization problems arising in various fields such as oil reservoir exploration and structural design, since the input data for these problems consist of large sets of inequalities, obtained by repeating a particular measurement many times. The technique of weighted sums, the Aumann's integral and properties of interval arithmetic are used to establish necessary and sufficient conditions for the solution of these optimization problems. Moreover, we compare the numerical results obtained by applying the stochastic approach and the interval approach.


: This is the first reported case of granulomatous hepatitis in a healthy adult following intralesional injection of BCG into a plantar wart. Previous reports of disseminated disease following intralesional injections have all been in patients with malignancies. The clinical course in this patient was characterized by fever, chills and drainage from the injection site. Diagnosis was made by demonstration of noncaseating granulomas on liver biopsy. No acid-fast organisms were identified by stain or culture. The patient responded to antituberculous therapy.


The relationship between foreign portfolio investment (FPI) and various macroeconomic variables of China has been discussed in the existing literature. However, the link between China's accounting reforms and FPI is yet to be explored. This study intends to discover the impact of changes in China's accounting system and convergence of its domestic accounting standards (henceforth referred to as accounting reforms) on FPI. We have used Binary Choice Model in Eviews for two decades' data. In our analyses, FPI has been taken as dependent variable, whereas accounting reforms, annual increase in listed companies, GDP growth of China and financial crises are taken as explanatory variables. The results of our model reveal a significant relationship between accounting reforms and FPI; moreover, Granger causality test shows a significant causal relationship between yearly increase in listed companies and FPI. Our findings are theoretically rational and can be useful for both investors and the policymakers.


Long Baseline Radio Interferometry can achieve the highest angular resolution in astronomy and has demonstrated astrometric accuracy of ~10 microarcseconds. With increased sensitivity it can achieve ~1 microarcsecond accuracy, uniquely opening a wide range of astrophysical problems for study.


Domain adaptation is transfer learning which aims to generalize a learning model across training and testing data with different distributions. Most previous research tackle this problem in seeking a shared feature representation between source and target domains while reducing the mismatch of their data distributions. In this paper, we propose a close yet discriminative domain adaptation method, namely CDDA, which generates a latent feature representation with two interesting properties. First, the discrepancy between the source and target domain, measured in terms of both marginal and conditional probability distribution via Maximum Mean Discrepancy is minimized so as to attract two domains close to each other. More importantly, we also design a repulsive force term, which maximizes the distances between each label dependent sub-domain to all others so as to drag different class dependent sub-domains far away from each other and thereby increase the discriminative power of the adapted domain. Moreover, given the fact that the underlying data manifold could have complex geometric structure, we further propose the constraints of label smoothness and geometric structure consistency for label propagation. Extensive experiments are conducted on 36 cross-domain image classification tasks over four public datasets. The comprehensive results show that the proposed method consistently outperforms the state-of-the-art methods with significant margins.


An urgent need for early detection and diagnosis of diseases continuously pushes the advancements of imaging modalities and contrast agents. Current challenges remain for fast and detailed imaging of tissue microstructures and lesion characterization that could be achieved via development of nontoxic contrast agents with longer circulation time. Nanoparticle technology offers this possibility. Here, we review nanoparticle-based contrast agents employed in most common biomedical imaging modalities, including fluorescence imaging, MRI, CT, US, PET and SPECT, addressing their structure related features, advantages and limitations. Furthermore, their applications in each imaging modality are also reviewed using commonly studied examples. Future research will investigate multifunctional nanoplatforms to address safety, efficacy and theranostic capabilities. Nanoparticles as imaging contrast agents have promise to greatly benefit clinical practice.


This Concise Hornbook guides students through the complex concepts and principles underlying the law of domestic and international conflicts. The book will be an indispensable aid to students and practitioners seeking to better understand the basic principles of choice of law, recognition of judgments, and the law applied in federal courts, as well as more specific developments concerning conflicts in family law, cyberspace, and international transactions.


The Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Consortium Workshop was conceived as a venue to foster communication among Academic Medical Centers (AMCs) in the development of methods to improve clinical research management. The consortium, comprised of 46 awardee sites as of 2009, many with multiple AMCs, is expected to expand to 60 sites when fully implemented. At the 2nd Annual CTSA Clinical Research Management Workshop held on June 22nd and 23rd, 2009, on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) campus, consortium members and potential CTSA sites gathered with stakeholders from private industry, the NIH, the Food and Drug Administration, and private research organizations, to formulate a plan to address challenges in clinical research management. Specific aims included improving protocol processing and sharing process improvement initiatives in the expectation that best practices will be implemented and improvements will be measured and reported. The findings presented at this workshop indicated significant variance in Institutional Review Board approval of protocols and contract execution by AMC and CTSA sites. Most represented marked delays compared to non‐AMC sites and that, as a likely consequence, AMCs were later to enroll patients and/or meet enrollment targets compared to dedicated or professional sites. Clin Trans Sci 2010; Volume 3: 305–308


SIR,-Dr Byth and colleagues (23 November, p 1461) -have reopened the controversy about the, mechanism imnplicated in oestrogen associated fluid retention. They showed that 43% of the fluid retained by pharmacological doses of oestrogen accumulated within one week ofstarting treatment but without any change in sodium-balance. This was accompanied-by a decrease itn plasma conc,ntrations of vasopressin and a rise in angiotensin.I values. The actual. rise in plasma volume.attained by three,months represented an increase of 17%. This rise. was similar to the 19% rincrease, m extracellular fluid volume found in a study of 20 postmenopausal women receiving a physiological dose ofoestrogen for over a year.' Since there was a sixfold difference, in dosage between these two studies it seems unlikely that oestrogen associated fluid retention is dose related after physiological replacement has been achieved. However, the effect of oestrogen on angiotensin II may be more specifically dose related, in. so far as the' mean (SEM).angiotensin II value found in our oestrogen, replaced women was only 20,7 (1-2) pg/ml (20 9 (1-2) pmol/l)2 compared with 36 (4) pmol/l (356(4) pg/ml) in their study. The oestrogen associated reduction in.plasma vasopressin values which .Dr Blyth. and colleagues showed would suggest that this was.a homoeostatic response to the fall in plasma osmolality whiclb occurs in such patients.' We postulated that the relatively low plasma and high urinary osmolality that we found had been caused by an oestrogen induced increase in renal tubular sensitivity to vasopressin. An alternative, hypothesis might be that angiotensin II itself has water retaining properties. In this situation natiuretic therapy would be inappropriate, but angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors might be of value. Dr Blyth and colleagues also showed that this expansion in plasma volume was not associated with any short term change in sodium balance, confirming our data, which showed no change in total exchangeable sodium with long term oestrogen treatment. ' From these observations we can postulate that to accommodate this rearrangement of body fluid the skeleton of an average woman would have to donate about 220 mmol of sodium.to the extracellular fluid. If this void in skeletal ionic structure was made good by calcium ions this, phenomenon could account for an apparent increase of about 1% in bone mass.3


A structure of social norms, the right kinds of laws, and the right kinds of governance structures are more crucial in economic development of a country than getting economic policies right. Cultural norms are not hard-wired, as many would like to believe. They change, along with changing incentives and changing atmospheres. Contrary to the understanding that persuasion of self-interest in best for the society and economy, trust plays a key role in societal development. Societies which can trust one another can cut many more deals, transactions, businesses because you can rely on the other side, and those societies begin to flourish. At the same time good laws play key role in fostering economic development. The relationship between abolition of child labour and increasing adult wages illustrates the point


An outbreak of yellow fever in Ipetu-Ijesa, Nigeria, was confirmed by serological test and virus isolation. Serologically testing of subjects 12 weeks after an emergency mass vaccination following the outbreak showed a high degree of cross reactivity between yellow fever virus and seven other group B flaviviruses. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of neutralizing antibodies to yellow fever vaccine and wild virus among the vaccinated subjects. These findings are attributed to the probable hyperactivity and an all time exposure to yellow fever virus in circulation in the studied area.


This paper presents a simple model for the nonlinear magnetization characteristics of a switched reluctance motor (SRM). The flux linkage is given as a continuous mathematical expression depending on the phase current and rotor position. This expression can then be differentiated or integrated easily without computer use; it allows finding a mathematical formula for the instantaneous torque of each phase. The model is valuable for computer-aided designs, especially for sizing and initial estimates where accuracy can be traded with time saving. The model was implemented to verify its degree of accuracy. The simulation program has the ability to calculate numerous parameters that can be very useful for quick estimates of the efficiency for a particular SRM drive or even to choose a particular motor.


This chapter discusses how to measure research and experimental development (R&D) activity, noting that is highly concentrated, specially in the Business enterprise sector, but it is also widely spread across the economy. These characteristics give rise to measurement challenges as do the disparate uses of R&D statistics. These include the use of aggregate statistics for policy analysis, policy evaluation and target setting, the use of R&D expenditures as input to a capital stock of R&D in the System of National Accounts (SNA), and unit level analysis of R&D activity. Measurement, whether through surveys, the use of administrative data, or combinations of the two, requires a statistical infrastructure including registers of institutions, methodological support, means of linking data sets to enhance analytical capacity, and quality assurance standards. All of these are discussed, but, recognising that countries have quite different infrastructures and measurement challenges no specific formal recommendations are made. Sources are provided to support the development of statistical measurement.


The purpose of this study was to improve the fine motor skills of 4-5-year-old children through origami games in Kampung Gang Buaya Salatiga. Attractive origami paper folding activities can motivate children to improve their fine motor skills. This type of research is Participatory Action Research (PAR) conducted through 2 cycles. The research subjects were SI 5 girls and 4 boys. Data collection techniques use interviews and documentation. The research object is children's fine motor skills through origami paper games. Data Analysis Techniques using Quantitative Descriptive. Branch stitching can be seen from the average fine motor skills of children with origami paper applications with the criteria of Developing According to Hope that is 76%. The results of this study indicate an increase in children's fine motor skills through playing origami paper in the village of Gang Buaya Salatiga, which is seen from the children's fine motor skills in the pre-action stage, which is an average of 33.3% to 65.38% in cycle I actions, then increased to 79.62% in the transition period II.


Recent studies have demonstrated that enzyme-instructed self-assembly (EISA) in extra- or intracellular environments can serve as a multistep process for controlling cell fate. There is little knowledge, however, about the kinetics of EISA in the complex environments in or around cells. Here we design and synthesize three dipeptidic precursors (LD- 1 -SO 3 , DL- 1 -SO 3 , DD- 1 -SO 3 ), consisting of diphenylalanine (L-Phe-D-Phe, D-Phe-L-Phe, D-Phe-D-Phe, respectively) as the backbone, which are capped by 2-(naphthalen-2-yl)acetic acid at the N-terminal and by 2-(4-(2-aminoethoxy)-4-oxobutanamido)ethane-1-sulfonic acid at the C-terminal. On hydrolysis by carboxylesterases (CES), these precursors result in hydrogelators, which self-assemble in water at different rates. While all three precursors selectively kill cancer cells, especially high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma cells (HGSC), by undergoing intracellular EISA, DL- 1 -SO 3 and DD- 1 -SO 3 exhibit the lowest and the highest activities, respectively, against the cancer cells. This trend inversely correlates with the rates of converting the precursors to the hydrogelators in PBS buffer. Because CES exists both extra- and intracellularly, we use kinetic modeling to analyze the kinetics of EISA inside cells and to calculate the cytotoxicity of each precursor for killing cancer cells. Our results indicate that (i) the stereochemistry of the precursors affects the morphology of the nanostructures formed by the hydrogelators, as well as the rate of enzymatic conversion; (ii) decreased extracellular hydrolysis of precursors favors intracellular EISA inside the cells; (iii) the inherent features (e.g., self-assembling ability and morphology) of the EISA molecules largely dictate the cytotoxicity of intracellular EISA. As the kinetic analysis of intracellular EISA, this work elucidates how the stereochemistry modulates EISA in the complex extra- and/or intracellular environment for developing anticancer molecular processes. Moreover, it provides insights for understanding the kinetics and cytotoxicity of aggregates of aberrant proteins or peptides formed inside and outside cells. filaments present inside the cells compared to the LD- 1 -SO 3 -treated cells. These results confirm that intracellular assemblies of these hydrogelators disrupt actin filaments in the cells, which likely contributes to cell death. DD- 1 -SO 3 and DL- 1 -SO 3 show the most and least obvious actin disruption, respectively, in agreement with the relative cytotoxicities of the precursors and further supporting the notion that intracellular EISA is a powerful process to interfere with actin dynamics, thereby killing cancer cells.


Climate change has the potential to profoundly affect agricultural production in Australia. Previous studies have identified that, in general, most agricultural regions in South-East Queensland are likely to have reduced water availability in the future due to likely decreases in rainfall, changes in temperature and net evaporation. These effects are then likely to exacerbate other climate-related crop production challenges through fruit loss, lower yields and reduced water use efficiencies due to higher temperatures. The aim of this project is to provide a detailed biophysical and economic assessment of identified adaptation strategies, potential implications and adaptation potential under different climate change (CC) scenarios for the Queensland cropping industry.

This project conducted focussed reviews on the adaptation strategies at the regional and national scales for grain and sugar cane industries, and on how the impact of elevated CO2 is modelled into the selected crop models in order to assess the effect of CO2 enrichment on the study crops. An multi-model ensemble approach (as developed in DCAP USQ 7.2) was used to simulated crop yields under 3 different CC scenarios and some of the adaptation strategies suggested after consultation with growers and industry experts. The economic modelling involves (1) assigning a dollar value to every event in crop models, such as sowing and harvest, and other operations on farm, and (ii) quantifying the annual profit according to the strategy.

The reviews of literature identified that many potential adaptation strategies are common across industries. Thus, technical adaptation options such as changed sowing/planting dates, use of long-maturing and/or drought-tolerant varieties, improved management of limited water supplies, improvement of field-drainage, improved decision making regarding herbicide, pesticide or fertilizer application, switch between crops or between cropping and livestock production, and switch land to non-agricultural use or bring new land into production, are among the common strategies at field and farm levels. At the regional level, since there will be wide variation in CC impacts across the growing regions, regional studies to detail the effects of all limiting factors of crop yield including moisture, temperature, nitrogen, and phosphorus are needed. A range of potential adaptations also exists. They include institutional changes, industry capacity development programs, regional development policies, drought support programs, rural adjustment and trade, flexible R&D, etc.

Engagement with some key stakeholders was carried out through interviews and meetings. Overall, for agriculture in drylands, farmers have a conservative behaviour which consist to minimizing costs and ensure minimum incomes when adverse weather conditions. The adaptation strategies mentioned include changes in sowing/planting dates, management practices that help keep the soil moisture as long as possible throughout the cropping season, adoption of new crop varieties (e.g., heat/drought, and/or pest and disease tolerant cultivars), efficient use of chemicals and fertilizers through precision agriculture, and the use of decision support tools integrating information about climate and key crop management practices.

The multi-model ensemble approach (including the models APSIM and DSSAT) was used for assessing some adaptation strategies to CC at field level. The study crops were wheat, sorghum, cotton and sugarcane. Simulations results using projected climate data from the HADGEM2-ES general circulation model forced with three representative concentrations pathways (RCPs) 2.6, 4.5 and 8.5 showed variable and relatively important yield decreases according to the site and crop over the 2030-2099 period.

The economic analysis indicates that without adaptation overall gross margins will decrease. Successful adaptation to climate change will need both strategic preparation and tactical response strategies. One of the benefits of farming in a region historically prone to significant annual and seasonal climate variability is that producers have relatively high levels of diversification. This may well enable them to consider adaptation options with greater ease compared with farmers who have not had to incorporate strategies to overcome climate variability.


In 1987 the National Park Service and Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy launched the Alcatraz Cellhouse Tour as part of the interpretive program educating visitors about the island and its history. Using an existing format made possible several years previously by Sony Walkman™ technology, the designers framed this individual, and innovative, audio tour as a means for visitors to experience the cellhouse through the voices of people incarcerated there, or living and working there, during the years when it served as an active federal prison. Such a design called for different decisions about content, scripting and moving people through space than had been required for ranger-led tours or the lecture-type audio tours prevalent at the time. The original tour has been updated continuously since its launch, and experienced by millions of visitors in multiple languages. The author of this case experienced the tour in 1988 and interviewed key designers in 2014.


Previous work on bonobos (Pan paniscus) has focused on the role of aggression in the context of conflict resolution in captive groups. This study investigates events of aggressive behaviour of wild bonobos to evaluate its significance in the context of mating. Temporal association (15 minutes) between aggression and mating was used to assume functional relationship. The proportion of events that were found to be related to mating activity was highest for female-female aggression followed by male-male, male-female, and female-male aggression. The results suggest that intrasexual aggression is used to manipulate the mating success of competitors: Males competed for access to oestrus females, aggression between males was high on mating days, and aggressors had higher mating rates than targets. Harassment by females disturbed mating attempts of targets, the rate of aggression increased with the number of oestrous females per party and following harassment, aggressors tended to mate more often with the male partner of the target female. Unlike intrasexual aggression, support for the predicted functions of inter-sexual aggression in the context of mating was weak. Aggression by males against females was rare and was almost never followed by mating between aggressor and target. Female aggression against males occurred frequently but appeared to be independent of mating behaviour. The results did not support the female-defence alliance hypothesis (Parish, 1996). However, when males and females engaged in close association, the rate of aggression tended to be lower and rates of mating were higher than during control periods. We suggest that male intersexual aggression is incompatible with intersexual bonding and propose that the potential benefits that males derive from affiliative long-term association with females prevent males from being aggressive against females.


Two South African cyanobacteria strains (coded 3g and 7e) of the genus Nostoc were evaluated for  improvement of the aggregate stability of a silty loam soil with low organic C content and compared with  Nostoc strain 9v isolated from a Tanzanian soil. The soil was either cropped with maize or non-cropped and  inoculated with the three strains in a glasshouse. After 42 days, the aggregate stability based on mean weight  diameter (MWD) and fragment size distribution were determined by fast wetting, wet stirring and slow  wetting methods. Inoculation of the soil with strains 3g and 7e improved the soil's MWD and increased its  proportion of large aggregates, particularly in the cropped soil. The opposite was the case for aggregates in soils inoculated with the reference strain 9v. Strain 3g resulted in greater improvement of MWD estimated by fast wetting, while strains 7e and 9v improved aggregate stability estimated by wet stirring. Improvement of aggregate stability was more related to exocellular polysaccharide (EPS) content than organic C. The results suggest that indigenous strains with high potential for EPS production could improve the soil structural  stability of degraded soils in South Africa. Key words : Aggregate stability, exocellular polysaccharides, indigenous cyanobacteria, mean weight diameter.


This review reports on recent advances in our knowledge about the stability of binary colloids. We focus not only on experimental results but also discuss theoretical and simulation studies regarding kinetic and structural aspects of heteroaggregation processes arising in such systems. In the first part of this work, heteroaggregation of oppositely charged particles is reviewed. When the interactions are short ranged, binary diffusion-limited cluster-cluster aggregation takes place. In this case, the short time behavior of the system follows the Hogg, Healy and Fuerstenau (HHF) theory. At long times, however, stable aggregates may form and remain in the system. Furthermore, cluster discrimination is observed, clusters that differ only by one constituent particle were found to behave quite differently. When the range of the interactions is increased, the latter effects become more pronounced. The fractal dimension of heteroaggregates is, in general, smaller than the values reported for fast and slow homoaggregation processes. In some cases, even values close to unity were obtained. This means that heteroaggregates have an open branched structure that may approach a chain-like morphology. In the second part of this work, we briefly discuss similar effects arising in heteroaggregation phenomena due to differences in particle size and chemical composition. The third part of this review tackles recent developments in the field of equilibrium phase diagrams of binary colloids. In the last section, the relatively small number of papers about heteroaggregation processes in two-dimensional systems is also discussed.


In this article, a comprehensive descriptive model of R&D knowledge management is presented and its use illustrated. Knowledge is defined as: information internalized by means of research, study or experience, that has value for the organization. First, the issue of knowledge management is placed in the context of R&D management, and set alongside what has been written in R&D management literature about topics such as information management, information technology in R&D, technology transfer, communication and organizational learning. Then, we present our descriptive model, and apply it in a case study concerning a Dutch multinational in the chemical industry. The model served as an aid to identify bottlenecks, and was a useful starting point for formulating improvement plans, some of which are presented. The paper concludes with an evaluation of the model as a communication and analysis tool, and ideas for further improvement.


Abstract This research study analyzes the effect of extrinsic product cues (store name, brand name, price) and customer service on restaurant image of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan. The self-administered questionnaire was distributed among the customers of   six well known restaurants of two cities of KPK, Pakistan. The names of these two cities are Peshawar and Kohat. This research study uses regression and correlation techniques in order to analyze the relationship as well as effect between extrinsic product cues (store name, brand name, price) and customer service on restaurant image. The result of the study demonstrates that there is a significant positive impact of predictors on the response variable. The study recommends favorable extrinsic product cues and customer services enhance the image of the restaurant. Future research areas have also been indicated in this study. Key words: Brand name, Store name, Price, Customer service & Restaurant image


In this thesis I explore the nature and properties of scrambling in Korean. Contrary to the widely accepted view that scrambling is truly optional, I propose that scrambling is a consequence of case-driven obligatory movement, a proposal consistent with the "last resort" condition on movement in [Chomsky 1991] and [Chomsky 1992]. I assume that scrambling is adjunction and defend this view in Ch. 5. In Ch. 2 and Ch. 3 based on binding facts and scope reconstruction, I claim that scrambling is best analyzed as A-movement. Scrambling either creates a binding relation which does not obtain in the base order, or destroys a binding relation which obtains in the base order. A scrambled element undergoes optional reconstruction for scope interpretation. All these properites are consistent with those of standard A-movement. In Ch. 4, I propose that scrambling is a consequence of case-driven movement. On the basis of case and word order possibilities in event nominal clauses, I first establish that in Korean nominative case is licensed by INFL, and accusative case by a complex category formed by the head raising of VERB-to-INFL. Under the VP-internal Subject Hypothesis, all the arguments have to move out of VP to be assigned case. As long as the case licensing conditions are met, arguments may be arranged in any order, and therefore, scrambling is a consequence of case driven movement. The combination of the assumption that scrambling is adjunction with the proposal that scrambling is Amovement leads to the conclusion that adjoined positions are A-positions, contrary to the view in [Chomsky 1986] that adjoined positions are A'-positions. In Ch. 5, I defend the conclusion that adjoined positions are Apositions in Korean, on the basis of facts involving case assignment to adverbials, binding by a nominative adjunct NP in multiple nominative constructions, and absence of island effects in scrambling out of a scrambled clause. In Ch. 6, I examine island effects and discourse constraints on scrambling. I argue that islandhood of various clause types is determined by the selectional properties of the clause, as argued by [Cinque 1990] for whmovement. I also argue that the relevant discourse notion characterizing the scramblability of an element is "presuppositionality" as defined in [Diesing 1990], rather than specificity as various authors including [Moltmann 1990], [Mahajan 1990] and [Enc 1991] advocate. Comments University of Pennsylvania Institute for Research in Cognitive Science Technical Report No. IRCS-93-06 This thesis or dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/ircs_reports/15


As data centers attempt to cope with the exponential growth of data, new techniques for intelligent, software-defined data centers SDDC are being developed to confront the scale and pace of changing resources and requirements. For cost-constrained environments, like those increasingly present in scientific research labs, SDDCs also present the possibility to provide better reliability and performability with no additional hardware through the use of dynamic syndrome allocation. To do so the middleware layers of SDDCs must be able to calculate and account for complex dependence relationships to determine an optimal data layout. This challenge is exacerbated by the growth of constraints on the dependence problem when available resources are both large due to a higher number of syndromes that can be stored and small due to the lack of available space for syndrome allocation. We present a quantitative method for characterizing these challenges using an analysis of attack domains for high-dimension variants of the n-queens problem that enables performable solutions via the SMT solver Z3. We demonstrate correctness of our technique, and provide experimental evidence of its efficacy; our implementation is publicly available.


Objectives: The outcomes of unicondylar knee arthroplasties (UKA) have demonstrated inconsistent long-term survival. In this study, we had the intention to report the clinical series of UKA using a semi-active robot system for the implantation of an inlay unicondylar knee arthroplasty. Methods: 108 knees in 100 patients who underwent robotically-assisted tibiofemoral arthroplasty between November 2010 and November 2012 included in the study. Minimum follow-up was 24 months (mean 28 months). The patients with a broad BMI range and a wide range of deformity are included in this study. Oxford Knee Score (OKS), Knee Society Score (KSS) and Functional Score were recorded in the clinical follow-ups of patients. Results: The OKS improved from preoperative mean of 21.90±8.16 to a mean of 38.92±6.26, the KSS improved from preoperative mean of 53.69±11.23 to a mean of 86.37±9.31, the FS degree improved from preoperative mean of 46.81±16.25 to a mean of 80.80±13.43 at 2 years follow up. Conclusion: We noticed that OKS, KSS and FS was remarkably improved in the robotic unicondylar prosthesis patients with a broad BMI range and a wide range of deformity.


Building on legal anthropology and performance studies, this chapter analyses the Gacaca law talk and performances to evidence the wider context of changes in Rwanda post-1994 due to national and international pressures. The Rwandan government legally mandated Rwandans to actively participate in the gacaca courts from 2004 to 2012 for crimes committed during the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi. Every citizen was required to attend the local level courts to provide testimony and to serve as judge, witness and testifier on a weekly basis. In total, 15,300 courts ruled over nearly two million cases. Based on a 'kaleidoscopic' reading of optical illusions, or a slight shift in perspective to integrate the multiplicity of performances within the gacaca system, we demonstrate the dramaturgic nature of gacaca through gacaca law, policy and practices. Ultimately, such visual metaphors provide important interpretative tools to grasp how gacaca scripts were performed for different audiences with different effects and functions depending on micro to macro politics, and the resulting performances of competing narratives and the variances within the gacaca system.


markdownabstractIntroduction

In secondary care about 50% of newly referred patients to outpatient clinics of Neurology, Gynecology, Rheumatology or Internal Medicine present medically unexplained physical symptoms (MUPS). Medical specialists consider patients with symptoms without underlying pathology difficult to deal with, especially when patients have invalidating symptoms. Specialists sometimes don't understand patients' expectations and face patients, who are not willing to accept their findings and definition of MUPS. Moreover, medical specialists feel less competent in their consultations with MUPS patients compared to patients with explained symptoms. MUPS patients in specialist care sometimes don't feel understood, anxious and unsatisfied when expectations are not met. Contest between patients' expertise, resting on their knowledge of their symptoms and doctors' authority, based on the normal findings of tests and investigations often contribute to problems in MUPS-consultations. Providing medical specialists with MUPS-focused knowledge and communication skills could make them more comfortable and effective in consultations, which could improve patient health and reduce costs.

Methods

We performed a systematic review on MUPS-focused communication and the effects on patient health and use of care. We used the Intervention Mapping (IM) framework to systematically apply theories, empirical evidence and practice perspectives in developing a MUPS-focused communication training in specialist care. We designed a multi-center cluster-randomized trial and tested the effectiveness of this training model on doctors' communication skills by videotaped consultations using a MUPS-focused version of the Four Habits Coding Scheme. We assessed the quality of specialists' reply letters to the general practitioners about MUPS patients on eight digital items and studied outcomes on patient health and costs by validated patient questionnaires (Whitely Index; 4DSQ; VAS; SF-36; TiCP). Doctors evaluated the usefulness of the training program by self-report questionnaires.

Results

We found limited research on MUPS-focused communication in specialist care. Patient outcomes and use of care were positively influenced by perceiving patients' expectations correctly, explaining the nature of MUPS with additional information, explaining normal test results prior to investigation and a positive doctor-patient interaction. With the IM approach we developed an evidence-based, 14-hour communication training for medical specialists and residents in which they were taught to explore biopsychosocial aspects of patient's symptoms, explain MUPS understandably, reassure patients effectively and to write appropriate reply letters to the general practitioner about MUPS patients.
123 doctors (40% medical specialists and 60% residents) and 478 MUPS patients from eleven specialties were included in the trial; 98 doctors completed the study with one or more videotaped consultation and reply letter. The training improved doctor's exploring and information-giving skills in MUPS consultations. Specialists more often mentioned and answered patients questions in their reply letter to the general practitioner. Evaluation by self-report showed a high practical value for specialists. No effects on patient health were found. However, the trial was underpowered at patient level: recruitment of patients was lower than expected and patient non-response higher than estimated.

Conclusion

We developed a feasible, evidence-based and effective MUPS-focused communication training for medical specialists and residents, which provides them with optimal knowledge, skills and confidence in MUPS consultations.


A review of Fiber optical parametric amplifiers is presented. Theoretical framework necessary to understand fiber nonlinearities are provided with emphasis on Four – wave mixing, a nonlinear phenomena that transfers energy from a strong pump wave to two waves, a signal wave and a generated idler wave. Fiber optical parametric amplifiers (FOPA) are based on Four–wave-mixing (FWM). FOPA have the prospects of use in several applications of optical communication systems. They can be used for linear signal amplification, wavelength conversion, all – optical signal sampling etc. Such amplifiers exhibits lower noise figures with feasibility to achieve 0 – dB noise figure and they have the ability to operate over arbitrarily centered and wide wavelength ranges. FOPA are certainly enablers to increase overall capabilities of wavelength – division – multiplexed (WDM) optical communication systems. SIGNIFICANCE: The need for amplification outside the conventional erbium band kindles research in to Fiber optical parametric amplification as it was realized that FOPA will offer a wide gain bandwidth and can be tailored to operate at any wavelength.


Education of gifted individuals became a major issue all over the world because of their vital importance in the future of humanity and their countries. Education of these students which varies from country to another, is being Met by the Center of Science and Art in Turkey. These centers which give care to individual differences, aim to grow students as individuals for scientific thinking combined with aesthetic values behaviors, producer, problem solver, and self-fulfiller. Living Rapid change in the world, is also reflected in the field of education, new teaching approaches have emerged to provide a more effective learning to students. Interdisciplinary teaching which gained importance in education in recent years, has given positive results in the field of visual arts too. In this study, is in order to see the results of gifted students in visual arts education using interdisciplinary activities; performing interdisciplinary visual arts education activities in Compliance period of Science and Art Center in Konya and evaluating the results. In this study, and with the idea of supporting each other, several data were used along with quantitative and qualitative research methods and expert assessments obtained from one group used in the study, teacher and student interviews and student reflection papers. As activities showed good level of interest and participation from students were performed in relation to other disciplines. And other results from this research which used the guidance and consultancy were concluded like co-operation, sharing, responsibility, motivation, internal audit and exchanging ideas. In addition, developing creative thinking and problem-solving skills in students through interdisciplinary activities which contribute to the research, all with results from providing student's abilities for applications and other useful methods concluded from other disciplines as well.


It has been widely claimed that direct and indirect carbothermic reduction of alumina for the production of aluminium have the potential to consume less energy, generate fewer perfluorocarbons and have lower total greenhouse gas emissions compared to the Hall-He ́ roult process. A review of alternative aluminium production techniques focusing on the indirect carbothermal reduction routes has been presented in the Part 1 paper. In this Part 2 paper, systematic thermodynamic analyses of indirect carbothermal reduction routes are presented. These include the analyses of the Stage 1 of the process where alumina is converted to intermediate aluminium compounds before they are further reduced to aluminium metal in the subsequent stages. The results suggested that in the Stage 1, high alumina conversion at the process conditions studied can be achieved through three process routes: halide (chloride), nitride and sulphide routes. Thermodynamic analyses were also carried out for the Stage 2 where the intermediate aluminium nitride, chlorides or sulphides are reduced to aluminium through thermal dissociation, thermal disproportionation and/or electrolysis. Analysis of the results suggests aluminium may be extracted from AlN using thermal dissociation, while disproportionation and electrolysis are more suitable for AlCl3 and Al2S3.


The current financial-economic crisis has actualized important issues regarding the dynamics of the economic system, the relations between economy and politics, and the notions of good society. Thus the question of how economic education in school can support students' understanding of the crisis is relevant to pose. This article asks what are the strengths and weaknesses, and also the promises and challenges, in the Finnish upper secondary school economic education, concerning teaching about the crisis? The article analyses the core curriculum for upper secondary school economic education in Finland, the available upper secondary school economy textbooks, and a selection of students' social studies exam papers in the matriculation examination in spring 2010. The focus of the analysis is on how the current financial-economic crisis is presented in the textbooks and in the exam papers, what the competences are that the core curriculum delineates economic education should develope in students, and what capacity Finnish social studies teachers have for teaching about economy. The article proposes that the presence of historical perspectives and political analyses in economic education are important, in particular when teaching about topics like the current financial-economic crises.


The case opens with the Ford Motor Company seemingly on the path toward bankruptcy. Ford had been bleeding red ink for more than ten years when it decided in 2006 that continuing the same turnaround attempts was not going to right the ship. The company was facing significant external challenges, such as intense competition and changing consumer preferences, as well as internal challenges, such as quality and design issues and a stifling level of corporate complexity. As the case begins, CEO Bill Ford has taken the unusual step of hiring an auto industry outsider as his replacement. Alan Mulally, a thirty-seven-year Boeing veteran and principal architect of the venerable airplane manufacturer's own massive and successful turnaround, wasted little time in getting about the business of remaking Ford. He developed a plan to: focus on the Ford brand and divest the numerous other brands the company had acquired over the years; simplify and streamline the company's manufacturing operations; and remake the corporate culture from one of fiefdoms and false optimism to collaboration and facing reality. With an ardent belief in the plan's viability, Mulally raised nearly $24 billion and began to put his plan into motion. The case explores the many causes of this once-great company's decline and the steps it took to beat the odds and get back on the path of profitability.

This case demonstrates that internal issues alone can derail a company and emphasizes the importance of leadership in fostering the right corporate culture to turn a company around. Students will identify the key internal and external factors that can contribute to a company's decline and learn the importance of diagnosing issues within each of three major aspects of a company-strategy, operations, and financials-in order to develop a successful turnaround plan.


The first examples of polyphilic bent-core compounds consisting of a biphenyl central core, a chiral terminal chain and an oligo(dimethylsiloxane) end group at the other terminus have been synthesized and characterized. The mesomorphic behaviour of the compounds was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, optical polarizing microscopy, X-ray diffraction and electro-optic methods. The olefinic precursors show monotropic or enantiotropic B1 type mesophases. The siloxane substituted analogues containing a racemic chain exhibit dark conglomerate phases (DC[*] phases) which are composed of chiral domains with opposite chirality, whereas the siloxane derivatives with a homogeneously chiral moiety show "dark enantiomer" phases (DE* phases) with uniform chirality. Under electric fields, different types of ferroelectric switching (FE) smectic and modulated smectic phases were induced. The effects of chain branching, spacer length and molecular chirality on the stability of the DCFE[*] and DEFE* phases and on the field-induced smectic and modulated smectic phases were investigated.


Relatively uniform light curves and spectral evolution of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) have led to the use of SNe Ia as a ``standard candle'' to determine cosmological parameters, such as the Hubble constant, the density parameter, and the cosmological constant. Whether a statistically significant value of the cosmological constant can be obtained depends on whether the peak luminosities of SNe Ia are sufficiently free from the effects of cosmic and galactic evolutions. Here we first review the single degenerate scenario for the Chandrasekhar mass white dwarf (WD) models of SNe Ia. We identify the progenitor's evolution and population with two channels: (1) the WD+RG (red-giant) and (2) the WD+MS (near main-sequence He-rich star) channels. In these channels, the strong wind from accreting white dwarfs plays a key role, which yields important age and metallicity effects on the evolution. We then address the questions whether the nature of SNe Ia depends systematically on environmental properties such as metallicity and age of the progenitor system and whether significant evolutionary effects exist. We suggest that the variation of the carbon mass fraction $X$(C) in the C+O WD (or the variation of the initial WD mass) causes the diversity of the brightness of SNe Ia. This model can explain the observed dependence of SNe Ia brighness on the galaxy types. Finally, applying the metallicity effect on the evolution of SN Ia progenitors, we make a prediction of the cosmic supernova rate history as a composite of the supernova rates in different types of galaxies.


After the previous special issue on immersive virtual worlds, this issue of ALT-J returns to more familiar territory. The opening paper from Carol Russell continues to build ALT-J's corpus of knowledge around institutional embedding of technology; this time through an evaluation of the effectiveness of a staff development programme. The following four papers all explore the challenge of learner engagement from a variety of different angles: instructional design, student support and the pedagogy of innovative, technology-mediated learning environments. As a relative newcomer to ALT-J it seems to me that the distinctiveness of the journal lies in its ability to bring together such a broad range of work.


This study investigates the impact of external debt on the economic growth of Pakistan using annual time series data over the period 1976 to 2018. For this purpose, the syntheses of debt overhang and debt crowding-out hypotheses are examined within the framework of augmented Solow growth model. An autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model, Error Correction model and appropriate data diagnostic tests are applied. The empirical results indicate that external borrowing and debt servicing hamper the economic growth in Pakistan. Results reveal that 1% increase in stock of external debt is causing 0.20% fall in economic growth. Similarly,1% increase in debt servicing is causing 0.13% fall in economic growth. The findings of this study suggest that the policy makers should create a conductive environment for bringing increase in the level of domestic savings and exports, and should focus on increasing the inflow of capital through foreign direct investment and attracting the foreign exchange reserves. Incorporation of debt monitoring system along with its management is also required for minimizing the adverse effects of debt overhang and debt crowding out effects of the external debt.


Abstract The purpose of this study is to analyze the musical tastes of secondayr school students in terms of cultural origin, in the Spanish city of Melilla, a North African enclave bordered by Morocco and characterized by its cultural diversity. The study also examines the musical environment of the students since, as different studies have shown (Frith, 2004; Hargreaves, Marshall & North, 2003; Lundquist, 2002; Pitts, 2007), there is no direct relationship between music studied formally in school and the music listened to in daily life. Some 667 students from first to fourth year in compulsory secondary education level (334 females and 323 males), between the ages of 12 and 16 participated, of which 55.9% were of Berber origin, 39.1% of European origin, and 4.9% of mixed origin. The results that were derived from the Questionnaire on Preferences of Musical Styles prepared by Lorenzo, Herrera & Cremades (2008) reflect that the musical tastes of students are oriented towards popular music (Reggaeton, Pop, Hip-Hop or Rap, amongst others) and, on the other hand, they differ according to the cultural group of origin. These musical preferences are clearly influenced by several agents of socialization that are part of informal education (principally peer groups, TV, radio, and the Internet), that shape the cultural and musical consumption habits of young people. Finally, a number of proposals are made for the integration of formal and informal musical education.


We propose a computational framework for developing Taft-like linear free energy relationships to characterize steric effects on the catalytic activity of transition metal complexes. The framework uses the activation strain model and energy decomposition analysis to isolate electronic and geometric effects, and identifies structural descriptors to construct the linear relationship. We demonstrate proof-of-principle for CH activation with enzyme-inspired [Cu2O2]2+ complexes, each coordinated to two identical bidentate diamine N-donors. Electronic effects are largely similar across the chosen systems and geometric effects – quantified by strain energies – are accurately captured by a linear combination of two structural descriptors. A powerful linear free energy relationship emerges that is both transferable to asymmetrically substituted complexes and independent of choice of theory. We outline steps for expanding this approach to create a generalizable Taft framework for inorganic catalyst design.


A detailed theoretical analysis of defect engineering in a channel drop filter consisting of a single point defect near a waveguide in a two-dimensional (2-D) photonic crystal (PC) slab is presented. Initially, engineering of the point defect to control the polarization modes of emitted light is examined. By introducing an elliptical defect laterally shifted from the PC lattice, a single linearly polarized light mode can be selected to emit the majority of light, whereas light emitted from the original circular defect is made up of a range of linearly polarized modes. It is also shown that the ratio of light emitted from the top and bottom side of the defect can be improved considerably by introducing a defect with a stepped section along the vertical axis, thereby increasing the net efficiency of the device.


Variation is an essential feature of biological populations, yet much of ecological theory treats individuals as though they are identical. This simplifying assumption is often justified by the perception that variation among individuals does not have significant effects on the dynamics of whole populations. However, this perception may be skewed by a historic focus on studying single populations. A true evaluation of the extent to which amongindividual variation affects the dynamics of populations requires the study of multiple populations. In this study, we examined variation in the dynamics of populations of a livebearing, marine fish (black surfperch; Embiotoca jacksoni). In collaboration with an organization of citizen scientists (Reef Check California), we were able to examine the dynamics of eight populations that were distributed throughout ~700 km of coastline, a distance that encompasses much of this species' range. We hypothesized that genetic variation within a local population would be related to the intensity of competition and to the strength of population regulation. To test this hypothesis, we examined whether genetic diversity (measured by the diversity of mitochondrial DNA haplotypes) was related to the strength of population regulation. Lowdiversity populations experienced strong density dependence in population growth rates and population sizes were regulated much more tightly than they were in highdiversity populations. Mechanisms that contributed to this pattern include links between genetic diversity, habitat use, and spatial crowding. On average, lowdiversity populations used less of the available habitat and exhibited greater spatial clustering (and more intense competition) for a given level of density (measured at the scale of the reef). Although the populations we studied also varied with respect to exogenous characteristics (habitat complexity, densities of predators, and interspecific competitors), none of these characteristics was significantly related to the strength of population regulation. In contrast, an endogenous characteristic of the population (genetic diversity) explained 77% of the variation in the strength of population regulation (95% CI: 27–94%). Our results suggest that the genetic and phenotypic composition of populations can play a major role in their dynamics.


Ultra-High Molecular Weight PolyEthylene (UHMWPE) is known to be an engineering material rather than a commodity plastic due to its excellent mechanical properties together with the chemical and high abrasion resistance. The main drawback of this material is the processability due to the very high viscosity of the melt due to the large number of entanglements. Recently, a significant improvement in the processability has been reported. The fundamental concept is to reduce the formation of entanglements in the amorphous phase of the semi-crystalline polymer by fast crystallizing the growing chains during polymerization. The so-called disentangled UHMWPE can be processed in the nascent powder into high modulus/ high strength tapes [1]. Several catalytic systems are known to produce polyethylene, but few are reported to have ultra-high molecular weight capabilities, even fewer to produce disentangled UHMWPE. In the present study we have investigated the effect of some reaction conditions in the polymerization of ethylene using a bis(phenoxyimine) Titanium (IV) catalyst capable to synthesize disentangled UHMWPE. The polymers produced are characterized by rheology, DSC and SEM. The polymers synthesized can be solid state processed into uniaxially drawn tapes having high modulus/high strength making them suitable for extreme performance applications (Figure 1) [2].


The state of combat readiness for any armed forces is relating to its training level. Besides military operations conducted in the real battlefield, as a "way" of armed forces' training, the training through simulation exercises is the best alternative for improving the combat readiness to all military specialties. Even if a military force will be or not be deployed in a theater of operations, its combat readiness level is maintained at a high state by conducting an effective training based on a well-designed scenario which best fits in an integrated training environment. The simulation exercise scenario aims to accomplish the training objectives, which is based on main essential tasks list that has been tailored for each specific military operation. Throughout the simulation exercise planning process, the planning team personnel have to make use of their planning experience, expertise and all available planning tools in order to mitigate any gaps that could appear during designing and developing a suitable exercise scenario, which best meet the accomplishment of the training objectives. During 2017, a research team from Romanian Land Forces Academy has been conducted a scientific research for setting up a dedicated web-based application in support of the simulation exercise scenario's development process. As a dedicated tool for enhancing the management of scenario development process, T-STML (Tailoring a Response Force - Scenario Tool for Military Leaders) was designed in order to decrease the exercise planning process time and to ensure a well coordination and flow of information among the simulation exercises' planners.


Blockchain is a rapidly evolving technology known for its security, immutability and decentralized nature. At its heart, it's used for storing various kinds of data like transactions. But it is not limited to just the transactions or the cryptocurrency. It can also be used to store many other things like assets, IoT data or even multimedia data like songs, pictures, and videos. The number of IoT devices being connected to the internet is increasing day by day. In fact, Garter (Analyst Firm) predicts there will be 20.4 Billion IoT devices by the end of 2020 [IOTb]. With the increase in the number of IoT devices, there will be an increase in the amount of data they generate. Managing this huge data efficiently so that its available to every authorized user without any integrity loss will be very pivotal in the near future. HyperLedger is an open source project hosted by Linux Foundation. There are a lot of subprojects that come under the umbrella of HyperLedger consortia like HyperLedger Fabric, Indy, Composer and many more. HyperLedger Fabric is one of the projects initially developed by IBM and later contributed to HyperLedger. It allows us to develop private permissioned Blockchain following the best in industry standards and algorithms. In this thesis, we are managing IoT data on the HyperLedger Fabric Blockchain. We will be collecting data from the IoT sensors and securely transmitting it to our node running the HyperLedger Blockchain using the MQTT protocol. After receiving data from the sensor we will process the data and add it to our ledger. We also evaluate the performance of our network taking various parameters like batch timeout, batch size, and message count into consideration.


Goat peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated, using Ficoll-sodium diatrozoate. Monocytes were separated by adherence and maintained in culture for up to 50 days. By 24 hours of culture and after removal of nonadherent cells, there were 94.2 +/- 5% of the adherent cells classifiable as monocytes based on nonspecific esterase staining. Greater than 98% of these cells were phagocytic. Approximately 94% had receptors for the Fc portion of bovine immunoglobulin G, and 86% had receptors for equine complement. Cytochemically, goat monocytes were positive for nonspecific esterase, acid phosphatase, glucuronidase, lactate dehydrogenase, succinic dehydrogenase, and glycogen, regardless of culture duration when tested. Results for specific esterase, peroxidase, and Sudan black staining varied from faint to negative. The esterase staining pattern of cultured monocytes was characterized by light and electron microscopies. Ultrastructurally, esterase activity was limited to the cell membrane. Intracytoplasmic esterase activity was not recognizable in normal monocytes or in monocytes containing phagocytized particles.


The large submetacentric abnormal late replicating X-chromosomes were found in three patients under karyological studies of 168 patients with Turner's syndrome. G- and C-banding revealed that abnormal chromosomes are three variants of isodicentric chromosomes resulting from the junction of the short arms of two X-chromosomes. The patients' karyotypes are respectively: 45,X/46,X,dic (X)(qter leads to p22: :p22 leads to qter); 46X,dic(X)(qter leads to p21: :p21 leads to qter); 46,X/46,X,dic(X)(qter leads to p11: :p11 leads to qter). All the three patients had different size deficiencies of the short arm of the X-chromosome. Partial X-monosomy caused the appearance of features of the Turner syndrome, which was less expressed in our patients compared to those with the entire X-monosomy.


Traditional medicine (TM) is a system of health care that has ancient roots. It has been defined as practices designed to promote mental, physical and spiritual well-being of mankind. Usually (TM) are made from various types of medicinal plants. Sometimes they contain other ingredients such as animal parts and minerals however, the primary source of remedies is botanical. The use of traditional medicine has started beyond recorded history, but has increased tremendously in recent years. It is considered as alternative treatments which are widely used in developing countries. Recently became more popular in most developed countries as well. According to the world health Organization (WHO) reports that more than 70% of the population all over the world relies on non-conventional medicine. This high percentage indicates the positive attitudes towards herbal medicine in various places in the world, probably due to the people's believe that such products are more likely to be safe 'natural' rather than 'synthetic' origin. In Malaysia, folk medicines are widely used .The huge demand of TM has been driven the total Malaysian market for TM to US $ 1.29 billion in 2005. The global popularity of(TM) has created great concern about the safety and efficacy of traditional medicines. Although WHO has developed guidelines for the quality control of herbal drugs, there is still a gap between available knowledge and implementation. Processors of herbal drugs are still not much aware of WHO's guidelines yet they continue their work without proper quality control which results in products with lots of contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides residues and microbes, therefore inappropriate consumption of herbal preparation can cause serious health complication even toxicity.. In our study we are focusing on identifying the presence of toxic heavy metals in locally available traditional medicines in the east coast region of Malaysia. Traditional medicine samples were collected from different sources such as shops, open market, night market and weekend market. Most of them are not registered with the Malaysian drug authority. All samples were digested using freshly prepared aqua regia (mixture of concentrated nitric acid and hydrochloric acid 1:3 ratio). 0.5 g of each sample was weighed and placed in 100 ml PTFE beaker, after which 9 ml of freshly prepared aqua regia was added. The mixture was then heated over water bath for 4-5 hours or until the sample had completely dissolved. The mixture was then allowed to cool and filtered; the residue was then washed with deionised water, and the extract was then made up to 50 ml with deionised water. The samples were then analysed by using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Out of twenty over traditional medicine samples most of them has shown the presence of lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), ferrum (Fe) and zinc (Zn). The results for nickel (Ni) and cadmium (Cd) were found below the detection limit using flame ionization technique and expected to be detected using graphite furnace AAS (GFAAS) method which will be the second part of this study. From the results we conclude that the traditional medicines available in local markets contain heavy metals which are considered toxic for human if consumed more than the permissible amount.

Key word: Traditional medicine, heavy metal, Toxicity, Aqua regia, AAS.


This paper presents a power monitoring and control system for a medium voltage smart grid system. The smart grid interconnects the power sources between solar PV panel and 220V distribution network. This system consisting major components of inverters, measuring meters, solar charge controllers, relays, Arduino NANO and Raspberry Pi. The Current, power and energy readings are duly recorded. The Internet of Things (IoT) plays the vital role in the data communication between the sensors and electric power system. The voltage and current sensor data is used for the protection of power system network. In the traditional systems only the communication is uni-directional. The reliability of power supply is increased by used the bi directional network communication medium such as IoT. The tabulated results of voltage levels between 203.5V up to 212.8V shows the feasibility and effectiveness of proposed design. The proposed IoT model demonstrated the bidirectional communication from the sensors to the control unit and vice versa.


Research on hybrid rice in Indonesia was initiated in 1983, in collaboration with the International Rice Research Institute. Since 2000 private sector had indicated their interest in hybrid rice seed business. Planted area of hybrid rice in Indonesia was still relatively small of about 658 thousand hectares or about 5.0 percent of the total rice planted area of 13.2 million hectares in 2013. This study was aimed to analyze farmers' responses and preferences to the development of hybrid rice in East Java, one of the rice production center in Indonesia. Contingent valuation method (CVM) to analyze farmers' Willingness to Accept (WTA) and Willingness to Pay (WTP) with respect to various factors was then exercised to evaluate constraints and prospect of the future of hybrid rice development in Indonesia. The outputs of this study showed that farmers' preferences to hybrid rice based on its taste was positive, especially to the newly introduced hybrid rice variety "Hipa Jatim", when compared with the previous hybrid varieties, such as Maro and Rokan. WTA and WTP also showed significant farmers' interests to the hybrid variety, due to higher yield and its better taste, similar to that of popular inbred rice. Farmers' WTAs of hybrid rice was significantly influenced by the productivity, response to pests and deseases, and the total cost of production, while consummers' WTPs of hybrid rice was significantly influened by the quality of milled rice.


Background Underfeeding is correlated with a higher morbidity rate, mortality and lenght of stay. Measuring and managinig nutrional risk are therefore important tasks. Purpose Evaluation of nutrition adequacy energy delivery in surgical intensive care unit (ICU), compliant with European recommendations. Material and methods Prospective study, of one month, in 3 surgical ICU with daily analysis of all nutritional supports. Were taken into account:oral alimentation and enrichment, enteral and parenteral nutrition, micronutrients and electrolytes supplies, energy delivery data and adequacy of nutritional support, duration, indication, weight loss. Energy targets were set at 15 kcal/kg/day for Day 3 (D3) and 20 kcal/kg/day for D7. Kruskal Wallis and Fischer tests were used for values of p < 0.05 considered significant ones. Results Sixty six patients: mean age 57.9 ± 17.3 years and mean BMI 26.9 ± 5.2 kg/m2. Mean of length of stay was 10.1 ± 5.3 days (p > 0.05). Nutrition was initiated with parenteral nutrition for 39.4% patients versus 37.9% with enteral nutrition versus 22.7% with oral nutrition (p < 0.01). Time to feeding was 2.2 ± 1.1 days (p > 0.05). Energy target was reached at D3 for 53% patients vs 62% at D7 (p > 0.05). Time needed to achieve the target rate was 5.3 ± 2.9 days (p > 0.05). Energy delivery was lower than the energy target during the first 3 days (p < 0.001). Difference between energy target and delivery decreased from −19.7 kcal/kg/day as a mean during the first day, to a mean of −3.3 kcal/kg/day at D7. Proportion of energy target provided by the enteral, parenteral or oral route was not significantly different from D1 to D7 (p > 0.05). Cumulated energy balance was 5023 ± 38.9 kcal/kg/day. At the last day, protein intake was <1.2 g/kg/day for 32% of patients receiving parenteral nutrition vs. 38.5% receiving enteral nutrition (p < 0.05). Conclusion One can reach the caloric target at D3 and D7 and provide a better balance between enteral and parental nutrition as defined by European recommendations. References and/or Acknowledgements ESPEN guidelines 2006/2009 No conflict of interest.


Pictures have become increasingly common and popular in mobile communications. However, due to the limitation of mobile devices, there is a need to develop new technologies to facilitate the browsing of large pictures on the small screen. In this paper, we propose a novel approach which is able to automate the scrolling and navigation of a large picture with a minimal amount of user interaction on mobile devices. An image attention model is employed to illustrate the information structure within an image. An optimal image browsing path is then calculated based on the image attention model to simulate the human browsing behaviors. Experimental evaluations of the proposed mechanism indicate that our approach is an effective way for viewing large images on small displays.