For natural language processing (NLP) tasks such as sentiment or topic classification, currently prevailing approaches heavily rely on pretraining large self-supervised models on massive external data resources. However, this methodology is being critiqued for: exceptional compute and pretraining data requirements; diminishing returns on both large and small datasets; and importantly, favourable evaluation settings that overestimate performance differences. The core belief behind current methodology, coined `the bitter lesson' by R. Sutton, is that `compute scale-up beats data and compute-efficient algorithms', neglecting that progress in compute hardware scale-up is based almost entirely on the miniaturisation of resource consumption. We thus approach pretraining from a miniaturisation perspective, such as not to require massive external data sources and models, or learned translations from continuous input embeddings to discrete labels. To minimise overly favourable evaluation, we examine learning on a long-tailed, low-resource, multi-label text classification dataset with noisy, highly sparse labels and many rare concepts. To this end, we propose a novel `dataset-internal' contrastive autoencoding approach to self-supervised pretraining and demonstrate marked improvements in zero-shot, few-shot and solely supervised learning performance; even under an unfavorable low-resource scenario, and without defaulting to large-scale external datasets for self-supervision. We also find empirical evidence that zero and few-shot learning markedly benefit from adding more `dataset-internal', self-supervised training signals, which is of practical importance when retrieving or computing on large external sources of such signals is infeasible.


It has been repeatedly shown that high accuracy can be obtained when comparing boundary-condition-independent compact thermal models (CTMs) to detailed model results. However, it should be realized that these results have been generated using certain assumptions (e.g., uniformly distributed boundary conditions), and the question remains about the validity of these assumptions when CTMs are used in "real-life" environments. The results show that the assumptions are justified, at least for the package studied, with the exception of boundary conditions associated with heat spreaders and heat sinks. For this type of boundary condition, we need to specify separate heat transfer coefficients for the two nodes at the surface. Finally, an important conclusion is that the "traditionally" generated CTMs perform very well in "real-life" environments.


This paper presents a simple model of how a small open economy can undervalue its real exchange rate using its capital account policies. The paper presents several properties of such policies, and proposes a rule of thumb to assess their welfare cost. The model is applied to an analysis of Chinese capital account policies.


Following a brief discussion on the differences between science and technology as well as engineering's main characteristics, I explore fiqh's epistemological features. The upshot of my discussion is that although Muslim scholars like Farabi and Ghazzali consciously placed fiqhin the category of "applied sciences," it seems that many of the fuqahā' and other Muslim (or even non-Muslim)s cholars have not fully appreciated the significance of this point.T he result, as I argue, has been epistemic confusion on the part ofm any fuqahā'and perhaps other Muslim scholars. It has generally been assumed that fiqhhas the (immediate) aim of acquiring knowledge and discovering objective truth about reality, and that by doing so it can fulfill its other purpose: dealing with practical issues. I shall argue that this misconception has contributed to some unfortunate consequences. Equating a faqīh, who is a practical problem-solver par excellence (i.e., an engineer), with an 'ālim (a man of knowledge) has helped the fuqahā' further consolidatet heir dominant position in the ecosystem of Islamic culture. In turn,t his has paved the way for the dominance of instrumentalistic/p ragmatic approaches, in contrast to truth-oriented activities, in tra-d itional centers of learning in Muslim societies.


Efficiency of organic or inorganic osmotica for seed priming of cocklebur (Xanthium pennsylvanicum Wallr.) revealed that KNO3 was the most promising, and was more effective than mannitol or other salts at the same concentration (200 mM) and was independent of the C2H4 action. However, KNO3 applied as a priming reagent enhanced the effect of C2H4 or that of the water stress imposed with mannitol. Unlike the action of mannitol, both KNO3M and C2H4 augmented the pool size of amino acids in seed cells. However, below 50 mM KNO3 imposing no stress only slightly, though insignificantly, affected the germinability as well as the levels of total cyanogen. On the other hand, at a high concentration which imposed water stress on the seeds, 200 mM KNO3 remarkably elevated the contents of both cyanogenic glycosides and lipids in the excised cotyledons. When C2H4 was added with KNO3, the level of cyanogenic compounds significantly increased but when added without KNO3, the contrary effect was shown. Hence the enhancement of the mannitol-induced priming effect by nitrogenous reagents in cocklebur seeds could be implicated in the accumulation of cyanogenic compounds. Unlike cocklebur, both common chickweed and barnyard grass seeds are very responsive to 30 mM KNO3 on germination, and such species abundantly contain cyanogen. The amount of cyanogen was further augmented by contact with KNO3 at only 30 mM. The role of NO-3 -dependent cyanogenesis is highlighted in relation to germination response of seeds.


A metallodielectric metamaterial have been investigated by using FDTD (Finite Difference Time Domain) method and fabricated with a resin based rapid prototyping machine. It was composed of 7 layers of parallel periodic copper wires embedded in resin. The metallodielectric metamaterial shows a different near field distribution with direction of incident electric field E that causes different electromagnetic (EM) properties. In particular, when incident electric field E is vertical to the wires inside resin, we observe enhacement of electric field in the vicinity of the embedded metal wires according to the incident direction of electirc field E as compared with dielectirc wihout metal wires. The enhanced electric field by the embedded metal wire is responsible for the enhancement of effective dielectric constant.


Direct measurement of functional effects of DNA sequence variants throughout a genome is a major challenge. We developed a method that uses CRISPR/Cas9 to engineer many specific variants of interest in parallel in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and to screen them for functional effects. We used the method to examine the functional consequences of premature termination codons (PTCs) at different locations within all annotated essential genes in yeast. We found that most PTCs were highly deleterious unless they occurred close to the C-terminal end and did not interrupt an annotated protein domain. Surprisingly, we discovered that some putatively essential genes are dispensable, while others have large dispensable regions. This approach can be used to profile the effects of large classes of variants in a high-throughput manner.


Increased protein intake frequently improves lipid profiles in humans and animals. To investigate the effects of collagen peptide ingestion on blood lipid profiles, 0.2 g/kg body weight collagen peptide was administered for 29 days to male Crlj:CD (SD) rats fed a high-lipid and high-sucrose diet, and their blood lipid levels were determined on days 1 and 28, and also on day 30 after overnight fasting. Food intake and body weight did not change with collagen peptide ingestion. Although triglycerides increased markedly with the high-lipid and high-sucrose diet, collagen peptide ingestion had no significant effect on triglyceride levels. Collagen peptide also had no effect on non-esterified fatty acid levels. In contrast, total cholesterol, particularly LDL, was significantly lower in rats given collagen peptide than in control rats on day 30 after overnight fasting. These results suggest that collagen peptide ingestion improves cholesterol metabolism in rats fed a high-lipid and high-sucrose diet.


Over the last 40 years child protection systems in all Advanced Western Societies have been subject to high profile criticisms and regular major reviews. In many respects the Munro Review of Child Protection (2011) in England, is very different to those which have gone before. This paper summarises the main findings and recommendations of The Review and locates it in its immediate policy and practice contexts. The paper also begins to identify some of its possible gaps and challenges and argues that the success of The Review is likely to depend on cultural, political and economic factors well beyond its influence and outlines what these are.


Pulmonic ingressive speech is often mentioned anecdotally in the linguistic research. Most previous studies investigating the phenomenon have stressed the paralinguistic function of ingressive speech (IS). This paper studies IS in two corpora of spontaneous Swedish speech. Eight subjects made business travel bookings in two data collections. In one corpus the subjects talked with a real, human travel agent; in the other they spoke with what they believed was a computer, played by a professional actor. The results show that all subjects made use of IS in the human‐human setting, while no one used IS in the human‐machine setting. These results strengthen the notion that IS is a speech phenomenon that is truly associated with human interactions. The results are discussed from the perspective of possible underlying factors, including discourse structure, gender issues, and possible enhancements in automatic speechbased dialog systems.


The theory of capitalist urbanization posits that the built form serves as a crucial sink through which overaccumulated capital is 'switched' from industrial production into long-term investment in urban infrastructure. Since Harvey's (1978) deployment of the theory, researchers have attempted to empirically substantiate the switching thesis with limited success. Christophers (2011) revisited the debate with new data and methods to support the claim that significant investment had switched into the built environment at the onset of the 2007/08 financial crisis. However, Christophers' study overlooks how crises are also geographically displaced. This article analyses Spanish trade data for the years 1993 to 2013, the years prior and subsequent to the housing-induced economic crisis (1997 to 2006). Two studies are undertaken. The first replicates Christophers' methodology to assess how and to what extent a sectoral switch into property investment occurred in Spain between 1997 and 2006. The second modifies the methodology to investigate the extent to which overaccumulated capital in Spain has been geographically displaced through investment in the Moroccan building industry since 2006. These approaches situate uneven development (geographical switching) and turnover time (sectoral switching) as the twin dynamics through which capitalist urbanization is spatio-temporally fixed.


An eyewitness account of a year in the life of a venture-capital company. Filled with the excitement and tension of high-level financial decision-making, this text also serves a practical purpose by covering the key issues for potential investors, such as writing and presenting a business plan.


Background: Infertility is a worldwide problem affecting about 10-15% of married couples and has social, economic and psychological implications1. A significant number of couples will require assisted reproduction following failure of common treatment options. Undergraduates form a rich source of potential gamete donors and it is imperative to assess their knowledge, attitude and willingness to participate in the expanding gamete donor programs in a developing country like Nigeria.
Objectives: This study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude of participants about assisted reproduction and to further evaluate their willingness to donate gametes for assisted conception or act as surrogates.
Methodology: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study of 1150 participants consisting of 511 male students and 639 female students of the University of Ibadan. Participants were selected by simple random sampling technique. A semistructured, self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude and willingness to participate in gamete donor programs. Participation was voluntary and data obtained was treated with utmost confidentiality. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM SPSS, New York) version 22.Descriptive statistics were generated, and the results summarized with the aid of a bar chart and frequency tables.
Results: Eight seven percent of the respondents had good knowledge of Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART) and the most common source of awareness was the media (63.3%). More respondents were aware of sperm donation (75.5%)compared to egg donation (61.9%). Ninety percent of the participants were correctly able to identify the places where ART could be practiced in Nigeria.Most of the respondents (81.5%) supported ART services and the most common reason for not supporting was due to ethical considerations (45.1%). Only about 54.9% were willing to participate in gamete donor programs. Nine (0.8%) female respondents had previously participated in egg (oocyte) donation while none of the male respondents had ever donated sperm. About threequarters of the respondents demonstrated good knowledge about the practice of surrogacy.


Steady-state and transient characteristics of packaged 6-kV 4H-SiC junction diodes have been investigated in the temperature range Т = 300 – 773 К. Analysis of the forward current-voltage characteristics and reverse current recovery waveforms shows that the lifetimeτ of non-equilibrium carriers in the base of the diodes steadily increases with temperature across the entire temperature interval. The rise in τ and decrease in carrier mobilities and diffusion coefficients with increasing temperature nearly compensate each other as regards their effect on the differential resistance of the diode, Rd. As a result, Rd is virtually temperature independent. An appreciable modulation of the base resistance takes place at room temperature even at a relatively small current density j of 20 A/cm2. At T = 800 K and j = 20 A/cm2, a very deep level of the base modulation has been observed. The bulk reverse current is governed by carrier generation in the space-charge region via a trap with activation energy of 1.62 eV. The surface leakage current of packaged structures does not exceed 2×10-6 А at T = 773 K and a reverse bias of 300 V.


Blue jays {Cyanocitta cristata) responded to projected black-and-white silhouettes of cherry leaves that were either undamaged or were damaged by either cryptic caterpillars that disguise leaf damage due to their feeding or by noncryptic caterpillars that do not disguise leaf damage due to their feeding. Pecks to the key on which the images were projected were reinforced only if interresponse times fell within specified temporal boundaries. These boundaries were different in the presence of the two types of leaf damage. Following training with one exemplar of each damage type, the jays correctly categorized novel instances of both types. They categorized novel undamaged leaves as if they were examples of leaves showing damage by cryptic caterpillars. Results suggest that the jays can readily discriminate and generalize to new mem-bers of a polymorphous stimulus class. The results suggest that techniques for the study of concept formation in animals can be applied to an animal's ability to categorize stimuli that are involved in a potential prey-predator relationship.


We present a unified large-system analysis of linear receivers for a class of random matrix channels. The technique unifies the analysis of both the minimum-mean-squared-error (MMSE) receiver and the adaptive least-squares (ALS) receiver, and also uses a common approach for both random independent, identically distributed (i.i.d.) and random orthogonal precoding. We derive expressions for the asymptotic signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) of the MMSE receiver, and both the transient and steady-state SINR of the ALS receiver, trained using either i.i.d. data sequences or orthogonal training sequences. The results are in terms of key system parameters, and allow for arbitrary distributions of the power of each of the data streams and the eigenvalues of the channel correlation matrix. In the case of the ALS receiver, we allow a diagonal loading constant and an arbitrary data windowing function. For i.i.d. training sequences and no diagonal loading, we give a fundamental relationship between the transient/steady-state SINR of the ALS and the MMSE receivers. We demonstrate that for a particular ratio of receive to transmit dimensions and window shape, all channels which have the same MMSE SINR have an identical transient ALS SINR response. We demonstrate several applications of the results, including an optimization of information throughput with respect to training sequence length in coded block transmission


This paper presents a description of the background characteristics and attainment profile of pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) in England, and of those missing a value for this variable. Free school meal eligibility is a measure of low parental income, widely used in social policy research as an individual indicator of potential disadvantage. It is routinely treated as context for judging both individual and school-level attainment, as an indicator of school composition, and has been proposed as the basis for the pupil premium funding policy for schools. Knowledge of the quality, reach and limitations of FSM as an indicator is therefore fundamental to accurate decision-making in a number of important areas. This paper uses a national dataset of all pupils (PLASC) for 2007. It looks at the relationship between different indicators of pupil background and attainment to help decide how useful FSM remains in relation to its suggested alternatives, and how to handle the crucial question of missing data and to describe more fully than previously the national picture of who is eligible for free school meals. The results show that, while the distinction between take-up and eligibility has been eroded, FSM remains a useful and clear stratifying variable for pupil attainment patterns in school, linked to type of school attended, school mobility, living in care, special needs, first language and minority ethnic group. The pupils missing FSM values fall into two groups, based largely on their type of school and how long they have been there. One group attends fee-paying schools and is most similar to non-FSM pupils elsewhere and could be aggregated with them in future analyses that do not want to omit them. The remaining missing FSM pupils form a deprived and perhaps super-deprived group. These should not be omitted, nor assumed to be like non-FSM pupils, as currently happens in official school performance figures in England in a way that disadvantages schools with very deprived intakes. The proposal here is that missing FSM pupils in state-funded institutions should be treated in future as a third distinct group. If these issues about missing data are resolved, and other limitations accepted, FSM remains a better indicator of low socioeconomic status than the current alternatives discussed in the paper.


While the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, early outcome studies indicate severe and pervasive global effects of the pandemic and associated measures to prevent the spread of the virus. General population studies, as well as insight into the outcomes for particular groups, will be necessary in order to mitigate potentially long-term effects as well as to prepare for future epidemics or pandemics. The pandemic conditions have been marked by rapid and abrupt changes and unpredictability which are circumstances that leave the autistic population particularly vulnerable to adverse outcomes following the distinctive features of the diagnosis. Studies are only beginning to delineate the outcomes of the global autism community and the present study adds to these findings by providing a local, multi-perspective, qualitative analysis of the lived experiences of the Swedish autism community. In this study, autistic youth and adults, caregivers of autistic individuals, as well as representatives of Swedish interest organizations were interviewed. Thematic analysis was performed on the population as a whole and patterns of results were formalized according to the International Classification of Function, Disability and Health (ICF-CY). Participants report wide-ranging adverse outcomes of the pandemic relating to mental health and access to support, participation in daily activities and socialization, education, and work as well as parental resources. However, participants also report positive outcomes relating to a reduction in specific social and everyday demands, and normalization of lived experiences. Additionally, interviews outlined some strategies used to cope during pandemic conditions. Implications of these findings are discussed.


In collaborative machine learning (CML), multiple agents pool their resources (e.g., data) together for a common learning task. In realistic CML settings where the agents are self-interested and not altruistic, they may be unwilling to share data or model information without adequate rewards. Furthermore, as the data/model information shared by the agents may differ in quality, designing rewards which are fair to them is important so that they would not feel exploited nor discouraged from sharing. In this paper, we adopt federated learning as the CML paradigm, propose a novel cosine gradient Shapley value (CGSV) to fairly evaluate the expected marginal contribution of each agent's uploaded model parameter update/gradient without needing an auxiliary validation dataset, and based on the CGSV, design a novel training-time gradient reward mechanism with a fairness guarantee by sparsifying the aggregated parameter update/gradient downloaded from the server as reward to each agent such that its resulting quality is commensurate to that of the agent's uploaded parameter update/gradient. We empirically demonstrate the effectiveness of our fair gradient reward mechanism on multiple benchmark datasets in terms of fairness, predictive performance, and time overhead.


Reduction–oxidation‐sensitive green fluorescent protein (roGFP1 and roGFP2) were expressed in different sub‐cellular compartments of Arabidopsis and tobacco leaves to empirically determine their performance as ratiometric redox sensors for confocal imaging in planta. A lower redox‐dependent change in fluorescence in combination with reduced excitation efficiency at 488 nm resulted in a significantly lower dynamic range of roGFP1 than for roGFP2. Nevertheless, when targeted to the cytosol and mitochondria of Arabidopsis leaves both roGFPs consistently indicated redox potentials of about –320 mV in the cytosol and –360 mV in the mitochondria after pH correction for the more alkaline matrix pH. Ratio measurements were consistent throughout the epidermal cell layer, but results might be attenuated deeper within the leaf tissue. Specific interaction of both roGFPs with glutaredoxin in vitro strongly suggests that in situ both variants preferentially act as sensors for the glutathione redox potential. roGFP2 targeted to plastids and peroxisomes in epidermal cells of tobacco leaves was slightly less reduced than in other plasmatic compartments, but still indicated a highly reduced glutathione pool. The only oxidizing compartment was the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum, in which roGFP2 was almost completely oxidized. In all compartments tested, roGFP2 reversibly responded to perfusion with H2O2 and DTT, further emphasizing that roGFP2 is a reliable probe for dynamic redox imaging in planta. Reliability of roGFP1 measurements might be obscured though in extended time courses as it was observed that intense irradiation of roGFP1 at 405 nm can lead to progressive photoisomerization and thus a redox‐independent change of fluorescence excitation ratios.


The development of Generation IV nuclear reactors is an ongoing worldwide interdisciplinary effort. Canada is involved with the development of the SuperCritical Water-cooled Reactor (SCWR). One of the numerous engineering challenges associated with this development is to ensure intensive and stable heat transfer to SuperCritical Water (SCW) in a core.It is very important to develop sophisticated theoretical models to improving understanding of physical processes behind forced-convective heat transfer and its deterioration in near-critical region. However, not all turbulent models implemented in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes are applicable to heat transfer at supercritical pressures. Additionally these codes should be first tuned on the basis of experimental data and, after that, used in similar calculations. Therefore, there is still a great reliance on 1D heat-transfer correlations for preliminary calculations.Performing experiments in SCW is extremely expensive due to the high temperatures and pressures involved. Therefore, it is reasonable to study the general properties of SuperCritical Fluids (SCF) by running experiments with modelling fluids; for example, carbon dioxide, which is widely used as a modeling fluid. In view of this, there is a need to compile a large database that will include experimental data on forced-convection heat-transfer to SuperCritical (SC) CO2 within a wide range of operational parameters. To date, a part of this database has been produced. It contains the bulk-fluid and wall temperatures of CO2 flowing upward in a vertical bare tube. CO2 is at supercritical pressure and the bulk-fluid and wall temperatures are below or above the pseudocritical temperature at the inlet of the test-section.Therefore, the objectives of this paper are:1) to propose a correlation in a standard non-dimensional form, which will generalize data within ±25%;2) to compare this correlation with the most recent, as well as previous 1D correlations for SC CO2 and SCW (appropriate scaling is performed).Copyright © 2013 by ASME


Background: Smoking is the major health problem all over the world and now it's become trend in university students to have smoking behavior because they believed that due to smoking they will be more acceptable in friends group. The most prevalence of smoking among university students is due to the attitude of students that it could enhance their personal attributes and make a positive change in their personality. The most provoking factor in the students to start smoking was the lack of knowledge regarding the harmful effect of smoking and also the students believed that smoking can reduce stress. Objective: To assess knowledge and attitude of university students towards smoking. Methodology: A cross sectional descriptive study design was used to assess the knowledge and attitude of university students towards smoking. Sample size of 222 students were taken from three departments of The University of Lahore, in which 80 students were from Nursing, 82 from Biotechnology(IMBB) and 60 physiotherapy students were included in this study. Results: Out of 222 students 32% were current smokers while 68% were nonsmokers, 70% students believed that Nicotine in Cigarette is not addictive to human, 83% of the respondents believed that smoking is a disgusting behavior and 85% of the respondents believed that smoking should be banned in Universities significant amount of students. Conclusion: there is strong link between the students' attitude and smoking behavior and it is important for parents and teachers to supervise their student's behavior.  Int. J. Soc. Sc. Manage. Vol. 4, Issue-1: 44-54


Although previous research has examined the role of adult attachment orientations, depressive symptoms, and conflict resolution behaviors (attacking and compromising) in marital quality, these variables have typically been considered separately. In the present study, these attributes were examined together in a community sample of 64 married couples. Correlational analyses revealed significant associations among the study variables and generally supported the hypothesized relations. When a regression series was applied to the data in order to examine indirect links between husbands' and wives' attachment orientations and their marital satisfaction, results provided some support for mediation; husbands' conflict resolution behaviors partially mediated the association between husbands' depressive symptoms and marital satisfaction. Interestingly, wives' conflict resolution behaviors did not mediate the association between wives' depressive symptoms and marital satisfaction. Instead, a different pattern was found; wives' conflict resolution behaviors partially mediated the association between wives' attachment anxiety and marital satisfaction. Findings highlight the importance of considering husbands' and wives' attributes separately and suggest directions for future research on this topic.


Several decades of research in the field of machine learning have resulted in a multitude of different algorithms for solving a broad range of problems. To tackle a new application, a researcher typically tries to map their problem onto one of these existing methods, often influenced by their familiarity with specific algorithms and by the availability of corresponding software implementations. In this study, we describe an alternative methodology for applying machine learning, in which a bespoke solution is formulated for each new application. The solution is expressed through a compact modelling language, and the corresponding custom machine learning code is then generated automatically. This model-based approach offers several major advantages, including the opportunity to create highly tailored models for specific scenarios, as well as rapid prototyping and comparison of a range of alternative models. Furthermore, newcomers to the field of machine learning do not have to learn about the huge range of traditional methods, but instead can focus their attention on understanding a single modelling environment. In this study, we show how probabilistic graphical models, coupled with efficient inference algorithms, provide a very flexible foundation for model-based machine learning, and we outline a large-scale commercial application of this framework involving tens of millions of users. We also describe the concept of probabilistic programming as a powerful software environment for model-based machine learning, and we discuss a specific probabilistic programming language called Infer.NET, which has been widely used in practical applications.


Responsive Security: Be Ready to Be Secure explores the challenges, issues, and dilemmas of managing information security risk, and introduces an approach for addressing concerns from both a practitioner and organizational management standpoint. Utilizing a research study generated from nearly a decade of action research and real-time experience, this book introduces the issues and dilemmas that fueled the study, discusses its key findings, and provides practical methods for managing information security risks. It presents the principles and methods of the responsive security approach, developed from the findings of the study, and details the research that led to the development of the approach. Demonstrates the viability and practicality of the approach in todays information security risk environment Demystifies information security risk management in practice, and reveals the limitations and inadequacies of current approaches Provides comprehensive coverage of the issues and challenges faced in managing information security risks today The author reviews existing literature that synthesizes current knowledge, supports the need for, and highlights the significance of the responsive security approach. He also highlights the concepts, strategies, and programs commonly used to achieve information security in organizations. Responsive Security: Be Ready to Be Secure examines the theories and knowledge in current literature, as well as the practices, related issues, and dilemmas experienced during the study. It discusses the reflexive analysis and interpretation involved in the final research cycles, and validates and refines the concepts, framework, and methodology of a responsive security approach for managing information security risk in a constantly changing risk environment.


To determine the important trends and issues in thousands of comments from customers and make strategic decisions about business operations, managers must go over these messages manually and try to make sense of them in a time consuming and tedious manner. There is an urgent need for technologies that help improve the efficiency of customer message management. We develop new issue identification techniques based on clustering and context aware similarity networks to enable managers to discover knowledge in text messages. We engineer a tool set specifically for exploring short text messages in the context of customer relationship management. In this paper, we report a proof of concept prototype called Message Sense Maker that can assist managers to map the overall sentiment of customers semiautomatically. We further justify the choice of particular technologies and validate our system through a field study of a customer support center in a large university.


The Greek domestic food industry plays a fundamental role in the Greek processing industry and the Greek economy in general. The food industry steadily is one of the most important sectors of the primary sector of the Greek economy, and one of the driving forces behind Greek processing; in fact, developments in it affect, to a significant extent, Greek production as a whole. The present paper examines the course and position of the food industry in the decade 2009-2017.  The study of this particular decade presents particular interest, considering that it encompasses the period of economic crisis. Other findings and conclusions that will be drawn reveal the behaviour of the above sector, its potential and any weaknesses or opportunities. The comparative analysis to the respective sector in the European Union shows that there is no significant difference. The vital role of the sector of food processing and its contribution to the European economy is obvious. The food industry is one of the biggest segments of the processing sector in the European Union, steadily emerging as one of the top sectors compared to other important sectors of the European economy, such as the automotive industry, chemicals, industrial machinery and metal products. The data of sub-sector classification suggest that the Greek food sector consists mainly of traditional sectors, which, basically, do not contribute to an increase in production added value or to the much needed - for Greek economy - extroversion. This paper shows that there is room for further improvement in the competitiveness of the food sector. Improving Greek food sector competitiveness will stem from supporting its human resources and their qualifications, knowledge, experience and skills, as well as the nature and degree of their specialisation. Furthermore, more efficient coordination and wider cooperation between sector representatives can contribute towards improved effectiveness and efficiency in the efforts to promote Greek products, as well as towards appropriate choices of strategies and stability in the implementation of long-term strategic planning. Generation of added value and increased extroversion rely, to a great extent, on the promotion of Greek products through appropriate, well-planned channels, quality. differentiation, and support of the standard of Greek / Mediterranean cuisine. The sector is lagging far behind in terms of the above, this being mainly due to the implementation of isolated decisions-moves, which are not part of a wider, long-term plan. Finally, the analysis of the figures examined shows that the Greek food industry - despite its structural weaknesses - is a dynamic, competitive and extrovert sector, with important investments and business activity, in Greece, the Balkans and all around Europe. The food industry has maintained, in all these years, even during the prolonged economic recession in Greece, its key role, having proven that it meets the conditions for remaining a basic engine of development. The key issues as regards the role of the Greek domestic food industry are related to extroversion, the Greek quality of the products, the Greek brand name and an organised promotion of Greek products.JEL classification numbers: Q13, Q17, L1, F1Keywords: Agricultural Markets and Marketing, Agricultural Trade, Food Trade, Market Structure, International Trade.


Background: Vaso-occlusive crises (VOC) are the most common acute complication of sickle cell disease (SCD). Crizanlizumab, an anti-P-selectin monoclonal antibody, is an FDA-approved disease-modifying therapy (DMT) for SCD patients (pts) aged ≥16 yrs to reduce the frequency of VOC. To better understand its use and impact, the National Alliance for Sickle Cell Centers (NASCC) conducted a retrospective study of pts prescribed crizanlizumab from 11/2019-6/30/2021. NASCC is a non-profit organization formed to support SCD centers in delivering quality comprehensive care by setting and adopting specific standards and advocating for improved health outcomes in SCD. This study describes the largest real-world cohort of pts treated with crizanlizumab.
 Methods: This is a two-part study. Part 1 was to evaluate NASCC center crizanlizumab practice and to summarize data on insurance approval and the frequency of drug discontinuation. Part 2 includes pt level data to evaluate reasons for discontinuation and acute care utilization pre and post therapy. Acute care use includes day hospital/infusion, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations for VOC (excluding COVID-19). The index date for each pt is defined as the 1st crizanlizumab infusion date. Chart review (electronic health records) was used to identify all acute care visits 12 months pre-index and ≤12 months post index. Acute care data will be analyzed in aggregate.
 Evaluation of center-specific use of crizanlizumab, time to initial site level formulary approval and drug discontinuation were analyzed. Pt level data collection is ongoing to include sufficient time post index date. VOC characteristics will be summarized using medians, median differences (pre/post treatment), and 95% confidence intervals. Additional evaluation of effectiveness of crizanlizumab will include analysis based on number of doses received, pre-treatment VOC burden, concomitant hydroxyurea (HU) use and genotype.
 Results: Data includes pts prescribed crizanlizumab at 11 NASCC centers. Site- formulary approvals to use crizanlizumab varied from 12/2019-12/2020. As a result, the 1st pt to receive treatment at each site varied from 1/15/2020-1/20/2021. Mean time from site-level approval to first infusion was 77 days (range: 0-394). Over 50% of sites received insurance denials mainly due to "insufficient medical necessity" or "medication not covered by the prescription plan." Sites were able to successfully appeal denials for 71% of pts (Table 1).
 Treatment Delivery: Each site gives infusions over 30 minutes and the majority (64%) do not use pre-medication unless pts had reactions. Some sites use diphenhydramine/acetaminophen (3) or normal saline and ketorolac (1). All sites prescribe crizanlizumab to pts of all SCD genotypes.
 Pts Treated: 297 pts were prescribed crizanlizumab of whom 238 received ≥ 1 infusion. There was variation in number of pts/site (range 6-73, mean 21) due to time to site-level approval, insurance and pt population. Of these 238, 75 pts (32%) discontinued treatment (0-17 pts/site). Sites reported pts perceived lack of improvement or feeling their overall pain was increased, transportation issues and infusion related reactions (IRRs) characterized by pain as some of the reasons for discontinuation. Evaluation of real-world efficacy measured by changes in acute care utilization, including sub-analysis by genotype, pre-treatment VOC burden and concomitant HU use, are pending sample size dependent feasibility.
 Discussion: This is the first multi-center real-world analysis of crizanlizumab. Findings demonstrate some insurance barriers to therapy. The majority of pts who initiated crizanlizumab have remained on therapy; however, 1/3 of pts had lack of effect or barriers to care. Pt level data will include characteristics related to treatment failure or IRR. Improving the understanding of phenotype-specific response to novel therapies is essential in SCD.
 Conclusion: Post-approval therapies for rare diseases must undergo real-world evaluation to ensure study results translate to the community. NASCC uses defined criteria for multidisciplinary care for Alliance inclusion and findings reflect the use of DMT in such centers. This is the first NASCC study of DMT in SCD. Part 2 of the study will give early insights into the effectiveness of crizanlizumab; long term follow-up is needed for a full understanding of its utility in SCD.
 Figure 1 Figure 1.

 Kanter: Fulcrum Therapeutics, Inc.: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Forma: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Agios: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Beam: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Graphite Bio: Consultancy; GuidePoint Global: Honoraria; Fulcrum Tx: Consultancy. Manwani: Novartis: Consultancy. Idowu: Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Global Blood Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Forma Therapeutics, Inc.: Research Funding; Ironwood: Research Funding. Treadwell: National Alliance of Sickle Cell Centers: Other: Early Evaluation of the Use of Crizanlizumab in Sickle Cell Disease. Clay: GBT: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria. Little: Hemex Health, Inc.: Patents & Royalties; Biochip Labs: Patents & Royalties. Desai: Global Blood Therapeutics: Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Other: Publication Fee, Research Funding; Forma: Consultancy; Foundation for Sickle Cell Research: Honoraria. Lanzkron: Shire: Research Funding; Pfizer: Current holder of individual stocks in a privately-held company; Bluebird Bio: Consultancy; Teva: Current holder of individual stocks in a privately-held company; Novo Nordisk: Consultancy; GBT: Research Funding; Imara: Research Funding; CSL Behring: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding.


Abstract : Space and time autocorrelation functions are defined for the precipitation process on a horizontal plane. An optical device was designed and used to measure these functions as well as the mean, the mean square and the variance of the rainfall rate for a time sequence of precipitation patterns of a widespread convective storm. The input data were radar PPI records stored on film in which the transmittance was adjusted to be proportional to rainfall rate.


The importance of the research made by Tesnière (1959) for the concepts of dependency and valency cannot be underestimated. However, his Structural Syntax remains still uninvestigated in most part. In this paper, a formal grammar model that follows Tesnière's intuitions and concepts as much as possible is proposed. This model is called constructive adpositional grammar. This paper explains the linguistic and formal reasons behind such a research plan.


The chapter of the handbook and the deliverable on data analysis will provide guidance and
general principles for
- pre-testing to check the usability of the system and the feasibility of the evaluation process,
- controlling the consistency of the chain and the precision with different sampling schemes,
- modelling the impact for each indicators and for an integrated evaluation including a
systemic and multidisciplinary interpretation of the effects,
- integrating and controlling the quality of space-time data from various sources (numerical,
video, questionnaires),
- selecting the appropriate statistical techniques for data processing, PI estimation and
hypothesis testing in accordance to the list of indicators and experimental design,
- scaling up from experimental data and identified models to population and network level.
Experimentalists stress the role and importance of a preliminary field test in FOT. Three main
objectives have been defined to make a preliminary diagnosis of usability of the systems and
to check the relevance and feasibility of the evaluation process. These preliminary tests are
very important for the practical deployment of the FOT as well as for the overall scientific
evaluation process.
Recommendations about the monitoring of local and global consistency of the chain of
operations from the database extraction to the hypothesis testing are given, especially to
ensure the validation of the calculation of the Performance indicators.
Integration of the outputs of the different analysis and hypothesis testing requires a kind of
meta-model and the competences of a multidisciplinary evaluation team, specially for
interpretation of the system impact and secondary effects (behavioural adaptation, learning
process, long-term retroaction, …).
In cooperation with WP2.2, methods for data quality control have been defined. Four types of
checks have been defined to complement the information of the data base in order to prepare
the data for the analysis.
Statistical methods have been described for three steps of the chain: data processing, PI
calculation and hypothesis testing. They belong either to exploratory data analysis or to
inferential analysis. Special attention has been given to the precision of the estimates of the
effects or impacts of the system on the Performance indicators by stressing the importance of
controlled randomisation and application of mixed regression models.
Scaling-up relies upon the potential to extrapolate from the PIs to estimates of the impact at
an aggregated level. Three approaches have been defined to carry out the scaling up process
from direct estimations to simulation models with the related assumptions. Models and methodologies for scaling up results on traffic flow, environmental effects (e.g. PM10, CO2,
Noise emissions in db) and traffic safety have been collected.


Background/Aims: An unsuccessful colonoscopy procedure is often related to inadequate bowel cleansing. It is difficult for patients to finish the whole 4 liters of polyethylene glycol-electrolyte lavage (PEG-EL) because of its salty taste and the large quantity. Pineapple juice has been shown to be an effective agent in the dissolution of undigested food in the stomach. This study assessed the effectiveness of both 2 and 4 liters of PEG-EL in precolonoscopic bowel cleansing and the quality of colonoscopic cleaning by adding 1 liter of pineapple juice to a reduced-volume PEG-based regime. Methods: The patients were chosen from those undergoing a colonoscopic procedure. A total of 126 patients were randomized into 3 groups receiving 3 different PEG-EL (Golytely®) regimes, i.e. 4 liters of PEG-EL (group 1, n = 44), 2 liters of PEG-EL (group 2, n = 39) or 2 liters of PEG-EL with 1 liter of pineapple juice (Dimes® 100%; group 3, n = 43). Results: Both the 4- and 2-liter PEG-EL regimes resulted in similar bowel cleansing scores in all parts of the colonic segments. However, adding 1 liter of pineapple juice to the reduced-volume PEG-EL regime improved the quality of the cleansing on the right side of the colon and in the transverse colon. Adequate bowel cleansing was achieved in 68.1% of the patients in group 1, 63.9% in group 2 and 80% in group 3 (the lowest score in one of the segments). On the other hand, the tolerability of the regimes was similar in all 3 groups (p = 0.509). Conclusions: Reduced PEG-EL (2 rather than 4 liters) may be sufficient for precolonoscopic bowel cleansing in the Turkish population. Administration of pineapple juice in the reduced-dose preparation regime may improve the quality of the bowel cleaning.


In light of the continual problem of attrition in the field of special education and the need for well-prepared new special education teachers, the purpose of this study was to examine how dialogic reflective electronic journaling (e-journaling) between this researcher and undergraduate preservice teachers involved in a special education field-based experience in the schools addressed their critical reflection in classroom decision-making as well as their transformative learning the Fall semester of their senior year prior to student teaching in the Spring. Performance feedback was given by this researcher as part of the teacher preparation supports already in place for the field-based experience. Specifically, this study explored the use of dialogic reflective e-journaling in addressing the preservice teachers' ability to cope with a classroom disorienting dilemma from a reflective perspective within their special education field-based experience, possibly experiencing positive personal transformation as teachers in the process. This study was underpinned by the theoretical framework of transformative learning theory (Mezirow 1978b, 1991, 1995). The qualitative methodology for this study was participatory action research (PAR), a type of action (change) research whereby researchers participate in a study alongside of other study participants. In terms of data collection, study data were triangulated through three data sources: initial interviews, e-journaling documentation, and a final researcher-developed questionnaire. Study findings revealed that dialogic reflective e-journaling enhanced the reflective skills of the study participants when faced with classroom disorienting dilemmas and resulted in perspective changes that instigated a positive personal transformation as teachers in the process.


Since emerging as an independent country in 1971, Bangladesh has achieved some notable development amid major socio-economic challenges. The rapid growth of the telecommunication industry has been a key success story. With some of the world's lowest tariffs, there are around 70 million active access paths of telecommunications here (with mobile SIM and PSTN penetrating of 43% and 1% of the population respectively). An estimated 10 million internet users access the cyberspace primarily through mobile internet.The TRE Survey (or the Telecom Regulatory Environment survey) conducted in Feb-Mar 2011 asked senior stakeholders to evaluate the effectiveness of the regulatory and policy environment in three telecom subsectors (fixed, mobile and broadband) along seven dimensions: market entry, access to scarce resources, interconnection, tariff regulation, anti-competitive practices, universal service obligation (USO), and quality of service (QoS) for the last 2 years (January 2009- January 2011).


In a continuation of the conversation with Fitch, Chomsky, and Hauser on the evolution of language, we examine their defense of the claim that the uniquely human, language-specific part of the language faculty (the "narrow language faculty") consists only of recursion, and that this part cannot be considered an adaptation to communication. We argue that their characterization of the narrow language faculty is problematic for many reasons, including its dichotomization of cognitive capacities into those that are utterly unique and those that are identical to nonlinguistic or nonhuman capacities, omitting capacities that may have been substantially modified during human evolution. We also question their dichotomy of the current utility versus original function of a trait, which omits traits that are adaptations for current use, and their dichotomy of humans and animals, which conflates similarity due to common function and similarity due to inheritance from a recent common ancestor. We show that recursion, though absent from other animals' communications systems, is found in visual cognition, hence cannot be the sole evolutionary development that granted language to humans. Finally, we note that despite Fitch et al.'s denial, their view of language evolution is tied to Chomsky's conception of language itself, which identifies combinatorial productivity with a core of "narrow syntax." An alternative conception, in which combinatoriality is spread across words and constructions, has both empirical advantages and greater evolutionary plausibility.


In this paper, we draw on a recent ethnographic study in a rural primary school to illustrate the ways that vestiges of colonialism remain deeply imbricated in contemporary schooling in Ghana. In reference to the history of education, we use evidence from this study to argue that colonial constructions of the African child are reproduced within schooling. We highlight the significance of schooling for the production of learner subjectivities and point to the ways that the institution of schooling and its everyday life continue to echo and re-instantiate colonial constructions of the African child. Drawing on the voices and experiences of students and teachers we illustrate the ways that formal schooling continues to work to devalue indigenous knowledge, to regulate and discipline African children and produce their inferiorisation through their education. We specifically highlight the gender inflections in the institutional routines of schooling. Following a brief introduction to the historical context of education in Ghana, we outline the research study and then the theoretical position upon which our analysis is based. We develop the analysis along three major discursive themes starting with the formal institutional structures of the school, highlighting the ways its disciplinary boundaries structure age and gender relations. We then turn to the curriculum and pedagogic practices that shape student understandings of what constitutes legitimate knowledge and the processes of learning. In the final theme, we examine the language of instruction and the ways that this produces exclusions and vilifies indigenous languages and the cultures that are expressed through it. In the conclusion, we draw the key points together to reflect on the extent to which contemporary schooling in Ghana sustains the production of the African child framed in the colonial era. Finally, we suggest that the educational experience of students offers an important starting point for efforts in decolonizing the school and curriculum.


A faulted rock usually shows the swelling behavior because of clay minerals which consist of the fault gouges. It makes rock mass unstable and threatens the safety of structures built in rock mass. This study was aimed at clarifying characteristics of physical and mechanical properties of faulted rock materials. At first, microstructures and mineralogical composition associated with faulting in the fault gouge zones were analyzed by using X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and SEM microphotographs. Physical properties of the faulted rock materials from fields were measured in the laboratory. It is well known that the mechanical properties are sensitive to the mineralogical assemblage and are affected by the shapes, distribution and preferred crystallographic orientation of the components. Material and direct shear tests were also conducted on faulted rock materials under saturated and unsaturated conditions. The mechanical results were analyzed together with the analyzed result of XRD and SEM.


Self-regulation is essential for optimal development, performance, and well-being in sport, and smartphones may support and hinder this self-regulation. The relationship between smartphones and self-regulation has seldom been investigated in sport. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine self-regulatory processes, conditions, and outcomes related to athletes' smartphone usage. Twenty-four competitive and high-performance athletes from eight sports participated in individual interviews informed by the models of self-regulated learning and self-regulatory strength. Themes created from a directed content analysis aligned with components of both models and were integrated with new themes to form the "Self-regulation and Smartphone Usage Model" (SSUM). The SSUM illustrates a cyclical model of self-regulation and smartphone usage across five components: self-regulation capacity, processes, conditions, outcomes, and competencies. While self-regulation demands can be increased because of smartphones and lead to depletion, smartphones can be powerful vehicles to strengthen self-regulation competencies.


To date, at least two well known methods have been widely used for vitrification of oocytes and embryos at different stages in a variety of species. However, there is no reported data regarding the comparative effectiveness of these two methods for vitrification of immature bovine oocytes. The objective of this study is to compare the nuclear maturation of immature bovine oocytes vitrified using open pulled straw (OPS) and cryotop methods. Two experiments were conducted in this study. In the first experiment, cytotoxicity of vitrification solutions (VS) from both methods was studied. After removal of cryoprotectants, cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) was cultured in vitro and cleavage rate was monitored on Day 2 post-insemination (pi), whereas, morulae and blastocyst yields on Days 5 and 8 pi, respectively. The VS solutions significantly reduced zygotic cleavage rate, morulae and blastocyst rates compared with the control group (P < 0.05). The lowest cleavage rate resulted from prolonged exposure time to OPS-VS solutions (35.1%; P < 0.05). However, the morulae and blastocyst rates were significantly higher (P < 0.05) for embryos derived from oocytes exposed to cryotop solutions (40.5 and 22.4%, respectively). In the second experiment, effectiveness of both vitrification methods was compared for cryopreservation of immature bovine oocytes. After warming, COCs were cultured in vitro for 24 h. The polar body (PB+) and metaphase-II (MII) stage rates differed significantly among treatment groups. Oocytes vitrified using cryotop solution and device showed higher percentages of PB+ (36%) and MII (51%) rates. In addition, the lowest percentage of degenerated oocytes resulted from cryotop solution. The highest degenerated oocytes obtained by equilibration in OPS solution and vitrified using OPS device (40%; P < 0.05). In conclusion, our data demonstrated that cryotop solution was less toxic to the immature bovine oocytes and vitrification with the cryotop method resulted in higher survival and nuclear maturation rates. Key words : Immature oocyte, bovine, vitrification, cryotop, open pulled straw (OPS).


The height from the bridge deck of 5th main pier to ground surface is about115m, and the depth from the top surface of pier cap to water surface is 65m. Reinforcement measures such as flaw detection by frogman, hole plugged, steel caisson placing, steel caisson modeling, high performance concrete seal cracks perimeter. Reinforcement show that, the effect of high-pressure water jet roughening and hole plugged is well; the steel caisson which weighs about 400t sinking stablely and reaching the intended design location; great liquidity, high performance concrete has good workability , 28d strength is above the design and specification demands, bridge static and dynamic tests meeting the design requirements. The research is important for bridge strengthening, and provides reference for the reinforcement design and construction of the same type bridge.


This essay and analysis brings to light how analytics and algorithms, such as those used by United Airlines in the decision to forcibly remove a passenger, highlights the interdependence between American business and American Democracy. The focus is on the injustices to a diverse group of stakeholders. Considering the United States Supreme Court ruling in 2010 that corporations have rights like people do, the critical question is in the relationships of rights of the non-corporate people; stakeholders including passengers, company personnel, management, stockholders, and the general public. All of this is in the context of corporate culture and the evolving culture of American Democracy. The concentration on bottom line analytics and disregard for ethical treatment of various stakeholders, especially fare-paying passengers, weakens the respect for the integrity of rights among the variety of stakeholders. The consequence is an endangerment of the future of American Democracy, especially from internal self-destructive forces of unbridled capitalism.


Data hiding such as steganography and invisible watermarking has important applications in copyright protection, privacy-preserved communication and content provenance. Existing works often fall short in either preserving image quality, or robustness against perturbations or are too complex to train. We propose RoSteALS, a practical steganography technique leveraging frozen pretrained autoencoders to free the payload embedding from learning the distribution of cover images. RoSteALS has a lightweight secret encoder of just 300k parameters, is easy to train, has perfect secret recovery performance and comparable image quality on three benchmarks. Additionally, RoSteALS can be adapted for novel cover-less steganography applications in which the cover image can be sampled from noise or conditioned on text prompts via a denoising diffusion process. Our model and code are available at https://github.com/TuBui/RoSteALS.


A new type of Rheometer has been designed based on hydrodynamic principles Hydrodynamic pressure technique is a relatively new and innovative technique for rheological studies of viscous non-Newtonian fluids. These principles have been extensively used for the last ten years for drawing and coating of strips and wires. The Rheometric Device consists of a rotating inner cylinder (shaft) in a fixed hollow outer cylinder. The complex geometry gap between the two cylinders is filled with a viscous non-Newtonian fluid. When the surface of the shaft is rotating inside the hollow cylinder filled with a viscous fluid, shearing takes place and hydrodynamic pressure develops the magnitude of which is dependent on the shape of the surfaces, the viscosity of the fluid as well as the shear rate 1e the speed with which the inner solid cylinder is rotated. The Rheometer has been developed to determine the Rheological properties of viscous fluid at pressures of up to 100 bar and a shear rate range of 500 to 4000 sec 1.

Experimental procedure and methods have been outlined and a number of experiments have been carried out to determine the effects of pressure and shear rate on viscosity. Included in the work are measurements of the pressure with variation of the shearing speed and inserts. Three different non-Newtonian fluids, glycerine, and silicon with two different viscosities were used as the pressure medium. The experimental works were undertaken with glycerine keeping GO temperature at 18 ± 1 C and silicon at 25+ 1 C for shearing speeds of between 0 25 m/sec-2 0 m/sec. In the present study, theoretical models have been developed based on the non-Newtonian characteristics and a shear rate viscosity relationship was determined using the rheometer at different pressures by comparing the calculated theoretical pressure distribution with the expenmental results.


Endolymphatic hydrops were produced in twenty guinea pigs by obliteration of the endolymphatic sac. Auditory and vestibular functions were investigated before and after the obliteration. Our experimental data showed that: 1) the SPVN (sinusoidal pendular vestibular nystagmus) frequency decreased after the obliteration of the lymphatic sac; 2) the CAP response threshold to filtered clicks and the CAP response threshold to clicks were both elevated after obliteration of the endolymphatic sac; and 3) 2f1-f2 DPO (distortion product otoacoustic emissions) amplitudes, as induced by primary tones of adequate frequency and level rations, decreased as endolymphatic hydrops occurred.


Anhedonia, the diminished ability to experience pleasure, is a key symptom of a range of mental and neurobiological disorders and is associated with altered eating behavior. This research study investigated the concept of anhedonia in relation to mental disorders and the perception of pleasure from food to better understand the link between anhedonia and eating behavior. A consumer survey (n = 1051), including the Food Pleasure Scale, the Chapman Revised Social Anhedonia Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire, and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale, was conducted to explore the perception of pleasure from food among people with anhedonic traits. Comparative analyses were performed between people with symptoms of depression and/or anxiety and people with no symptoms of these conditions. A segmentation analysis was furthermore performed based on three levels of anhedonia: Low, Intermediate and High anhedonia. Thus, insights into how food choice and eating habits may be affected by different levels of anhedonia are provided for the first time. Our findings showed that the 'Low anhedonia' segment found pleasure in all aspects of food pleasure, except for the aspect 'eating alone'. 'Eating alone' was, however, appreciated by the 'Intermediate anhedonia' and 'High anhedonia' segments. Both the 'Intermediate anhedonia' and 'High anhedonia' segments proved that their perceptions of food pleasure in general were affected by anhedonia, wherein the more complex aspects in particular, such as 'product information' and 'physical sensation', proved to be unrelated to food pleasure. For the 'High anhedonia' segment, the sensory modalities of food were also negatively associated with food pleasure, indicating that at this level of anhedonia the food itself is causing aversive sensations and expectations. Thus, valuable insights into the food pleasure profiles of people with different levels of anhedonia have been found for future research in the fields of mental illness, (food) anhedonia, and consumer behaviors.


Dance performance that is inclusive of dancers with differing corporealities has the potential to generate positive societal change with regard to perceptions of physical difference. Dance is a valuable site for exploring the placement of the physically disabled body in contemporary society, and for disrupting existing perceptions of disability as transgressive. This can come about through the embodied presence of both dancer and viewer, entering into a relationship grounded in intersubjectivity, without having to rely on symbolic signification. This thesis examines the placement of disabled bodies in dance performance from the intersecting perspectives of Critical Disability Studies, Performance Studies and Interpersonal Neurobiology in order to formulate a framework for theorizing perceptions of disability, the act of viewing dance and the impact of choreographic intent on viewers' perceptions of physical difference. In the first section, the sociopolitical placing of disabled bodies in western society is interrogated and a historiological study of both disability identity and the emergence of integrated dance is critically analysed. The second section provides detailed analyses of three dance performances that are inclusive of dancers with physical disabilities: GIMP (2009), Heidi Latsky, Diagnosis of a Faun (2009) Tamar Rogoff, and water burns sun (2009) Petra Kuppers. Each represents a specific understanding of disability, creating an evolutionary framework for conceptualizing different perceptions of disabled bodies as either monstrous freak, heroic victim or corporeally diverse. The third section creates connections between new knowledge in interpersonal neurobiology and viewers' perceptions of disability that are activated through viewing dance performance, thus providing an understanding of the mechanisms of discrimination and marginalization of people who embody difference, as well as uncovering mechanisms that have the potential to be reparative. The application of neuroscientific knowledge to Performance Studies can be modulated and expanded by considering the interpersonal communicative dimension of dance performance that is inclusive of differing corporealities. A theoretical approach that encompasses the neuroscientific conceptualization of intersubjectivity in creating empathic attunement between viewer and dancer, can offer a means of understanding the innate potential of dance performance to bring about societal change.


Renal involvement in visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is very frequent. The renal lesions of humans and dogs are similar but their pathogenesis has not been clearly elucidated. There is growing evidence that the cellular immune response is involved in the pathogenesis of immunologically mediated glomerulonephritis. Since T cells could participate in the pathogenesis of nephropathy, in the present study we investigated the possible involvement of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in the nephropathy of canine VL. Six dogs naturally infected with Leishmania (Leishmania) chagasi from the endemic area in the Northeast of Brazil, the town of Teresina in the State of Piauí, were studied. An expressive inflammatory infiltrate of CD4(+) T cells both in glomeruli and in interstitium was present in 4 animals and absent in 2. CD8(+) T cells were detected only in one animal. CD4(+) T cells alone were observed in 3 animals; when CD8+ T cells were present CD4(+) T cells were also present. CD4(+) T cells were observed in cases of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, diffuse membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, diffuse mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis and crescentic glomerulonephritis. CD8(+) T cells were present only in a case of crescentic glomerulonephritis. Leishmania antigen was detected in glomeruli and in interstitial inflammatory infiltrate in 4 animals and immunoglobulins were observed in 4 dogs. In this study we observed that T cells, in addition to immunoglobulins, are present in the renal lesion of canine VL. Further studies are in progress addressing the immunopathogenic mechanisms involving the participation of immunoglobulins and T cells in canine VL nephropathy.


Introduction of non-indigenous species have resulted in major global change, harming indigenous species and communities throughout the world and also have caused
enormous economic damage. Thus, the main objectives of this study were to examine the composition, ecology, and distribution of non-indigenous fish species in natural
water bodies and also evaluate the role and contribution of non-indigenous fish species through aquaculture or stock enhancement in socio-economic development in Malaysia.
The studies were carried out at five locations in Peninsular Malaysia and six locations in Sabah and Sarawak. The habitats surveyed in Malaysia include rivers and streams in highland and lowland areas, floodplain and large river system, rice fields, irrigation canal, ex-mining lakes, national park, and estuaries. A total of 4055 individual fish representing 150 species belonging to 38 families were captured. This included 67 species and 24 families from Peninsular Malaysia, and 113 species from 30 families of indigenous fish as well as non-indigenous from Sabah and Sarawak. Out of 150 fish species, 17 species from eight families were identified as non-indigenous. The family Cichlidae represented the highest species collection (5 species) followed by Cyprinidae (4 species), two species from families of Clariidae and Pangasiidae, and one species
from families of Charachidae, Helostomatidae, Belontiidae and Loricariidae respectively. The present study has shown that non-indigenous fish occurred and inhabited diverse habitats including highland and isolated streams, rivers, rice fields, swamps, drainage, dam and reservoirs, ex-mining lakes and estuaries in Malaysia. The intentional and unintentional introduction of non-indigenous fish species for various purposes, such as aquaculture development, aquarium fish industry, recreational fishing activities, natural disasters, biological control, and continuous released by Buddhist followers as part of their religious activities have caused a widespread distribution and establishment of nonindigenous species in local ecosystems. In addition, the occurrence of non-indigenous species, not only changed the structure of indigenous ichthyofauna group but also caused ecological and economical damages to local fishermen. The present finding provided evidence that there are no restrictions or limitation of spreading of non-indigenous fish in natural habitats of Malaysia. In the present study, a total of 42 non-indigenous species were recorded. Based on the records and field surveys, the number of introduced fish species was increased almost double than the previous records. Most of the species introduced mainly for aquaculture development and only a few introduced fish species for recreational fisheries, biological control and aquarium fish industries. The aquaculture industry has also encouraged introduction of 'aquaculture species' and has become the major reason for introducing non-indigenous fish species into Malaysia. The non-indigenous fishes that have been introduced for food fisheries and aquaculture development include Chinese carps (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, Cirrhina molitorella, Ctenopharyngodon idella, Cyprinus carpio, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix,); Indian carps (Catla catla, Cirrhina mrigala, Labeo rohita); Javanese carp (Barbonymus gonionotus); African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) and broadhead catfish (Clarias macrocephalus); snakeskin gouramy (Trichogaster pectoralis) and red promfet (Colossoma sp). The tilapias (Oreochromis spp.) together with their hybrids such as Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus), Nile tilapia (O.niloticus, O. urolepis hornorum), hybrid tilapia (O.
hornorum and O. mossambicus, red tilapia hybrid) and redbelly tilapia (Tilapia zillii) are also the important species in aquaculture development in Malaysia. This study has recorded a potential new species, Scortum barcoo, for aquaculture development in Malaysia. It showed that the rate and number of non-indigenous fishes introduced in
local habitat has greatly increased since the early twentieth century.


* �Correspondingauthor The Karlovy Vary Massif (KVM) in northern Bohemia is a composite granite body built up of Late Variscan biotite, two-mica and lithium mica granites. We summarize the available whole-rock geochemical and petrological data and correlate them with similar information from three boreholes in the northern and southwestern parts of the Massif. The aim of the study was to determine whether various types of granites differ in their physical and chemical properties, and whether any differences in physical characteristics affect the accuracy of geophysical interpretation. In accord with the earlier studies, we distinguish two geochemically and petrophysically contrasting granite suites - the Older Intrusive Complex (OIC) and Younger Intrusive Complex (YIC). The geochemical data show that the OIC and YIC granites differ significantly in the content of most major-element oxides (like SiO 2 , TiO 2 , FeO, Fe 2 O 3 tot , MgO and CaO). As to physi- cal parameters, the granites differ markedly in magnetic susceptibilities and in the contents of radioactive elements (U and Th). From gravity and magnetic data we compiled a 22 km long geophysical profile, which crosses two of the three studied boreholes. For the construction of geological model along this profile, we used the data on the petrophysical properties measured on samples from the boreholes. Densities of the individual granite types are very similar to each other and thus the distinction of the OIC and YIC granites based on gravity data is not possible. Magnetic susceptibility differs markedly for the OIC and YIC granites in the drill logs, but absolute values of magnetic susceptibilities are very low. Modelling showed that neither gravimetry nor magnetometry are suitable methods for distinguishing between the different types of granites. On the other hand, it proved that the spatial distribution of individual granite intrusions does not affect the overall interpretation of the shape, size and depth of the whole granite body.


One configuration of a hybrid electric vehicle is the split-axle parallel architecture, which enables existing ICE-powered vehicles to be retrofitted into a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) with minimal modification - achieved by placing electric motors in the hub of the non-driven wheels. This paper describes benefits of a hybrid drive-train and presents development work of an experimental prototype of the retrofit hybrid system, implemented on a Proton WAJA. It explains operation of the retrofit vehicle's energy management system and describes a dynamic simulation model for the HEV. Preliminary simulation studies show a fuel reduction of 25% compared to the ICE only-powered vehicle. Economic consideration requires further improvement of the fuel reduction, for the system to be commercially viable. This paper suggests for further research, an improvement to the simple retrofit system and investigation of various energy management strategies, to improve the fuel economy. Finally, this work describes experimental set-up for field testing and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation of the retrofit HEV.


Augustine and his World introduces readers to the world of the early church and to Augustine of Hippo - one of the giants of Christianity. From his birth in North Africa and his days as a free-living young man, through his mid-life conversion to Christianity and career as bishop of Hippo, Augustine's story has inspired generations for over 1600 years. Augustine's greatness lay in his ability to relate the philosophies of Ancient Greece and Rome to the precepts of the Christian faith. He also saved the Church itself from disintegrating into rival factions, by forging sound doctrine in the fires of controversy. Not only did Augustine provide a basis for doctrinal unity, but he presented the Church with a vision for its role in the world. Finally, he broke new ground in personal spirituality. He probed the depths and recesses of his own heart and mind to discern the influence of God in his life, and so discovered lessons and insights for every human being. This new account of his life will be of interest to a wide readership.