We present results for the measurement of $\phi$ meson production via its charged kaon decay channel $\phi \to K^+K^-$ in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=62.4$, 130, and 200 GeV, and in $p+p$ and $d$+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=200$ GeV from the STAR experiment at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The midrapidity ($|y|<0.5$) $\phi$ meson transverse momentum ($p_{T}$) spectra in central Au+Au collisions are found to be well described by a single exponential distribution. On the other hand, the $p_{T}$ spectra from $p+p$, $d$+Au and peripheral Au+Au collisions show power-law tails at intermediate and high $p_{T}$ and are described better by Levy distributions. The constant $\phi/K^-$ yield ratio vs beam species, collision centrality and colliding energy is in contradiction with expectations from models having kaon coalescence as the dominant mechanism for $\phi$ production at RHIC. The $\Omega/\phi$ yield ratio as a function of $p_{T}$ is consistent with a model based on the recombination of thermal $s$ quarks up to $p_{T}\sim 4$ GeV/$c$, but disagrees at higher transverse momenta. The measured nuclear modification factor, $R_{dAu}$, for the $\phi$ meson increases above unity at intermediate $p_{T}$, similar to that for pions and protons, while $R_{AA}$ is suppressed due to the energy loss effect in central Au+Au collisions. Number of constituent quark scaling of both $R_{cp}$ and $v_{2}$ for the $\phi$ meson with respect to other hadrons in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}$=200 GeV at intermediate $p_{T}$ is observed. These observations support quark coalescence as being the dominant mechanism of hadronization in the intermediate $p_{T}$ region at RHIC.


The size and strength of the Royal Navy experienced a punctuated evolution into the largest and most powerful Navy in the world by 1815. Most historians tend to represent its superiority in conflicts at sea as an indication of several factors that would be conceptualized by economists as residuals in a production function, namely: better technologies, efficient seamanship, bravery in battle, the Nelson factor, strong logistical support on shore and latterly well designed systems of economic incentives. But are these factors anywhere near sufficient to explain the Royal Navy's relative prowess over rival fleets? This paper argues that the fiscal and financial institutions based upon a political consensus for a sustained uplift in state expenditures on the largest standing fleet of warships in Europe was created during an interregnum of Republican rule, carried forward by the Stuarts and exploited to reach its full potential between the Glorious Revolution (1688) and the Congress of Vienna (1815). The Royal Navy's protection promoted development and consolidation of the realm's extensive maritime sector that, in turn, sustained the largest fleet of battleships on call for defense and aggression in Europe and across the oceans of the world economy.


Online aggression represents a serious, and regularly occurring, social problem. In this piece the authors consider derogatory, harmful messages on the social media platform, Twitter, that target one of three groups of women, Asians, Blacks, and Latinx. The research focuses on messages that include one of the most common female slurs, "b!tch." The findings of this chapter reveal that aggressive messages oriented toward women of color can be vicious and easily accessible (located in fewer than 30 seconds). Using an intersectional approach, the authors note the distinctive experiences of online harassment for women of color. The findings highlight the manner in which detrimental stereotypes are reinforced, including that of the "eroticized and obedient Asian woman," the "angry Black woman," and the "poor Latinx woman." In some exceptions, women use the term "b!tch" in a positive and empowering manner, likely in an attempt to "reclaim" one of the common words used to attack females. Applying a social network perspective, we illustrate the tendency of typically hostile tweets to develop into interactive network conversations, where the original message spreads beyond the victim, and in the case of public individuals, quite widely. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the processes that lead to online harassment, including the fortification of typical norms and social dominance. Finally, the authors find that messages that Gender and the Media: Women's Places advances in Gender research, Volume 26, 105–123 copyright © 2019 by emerald Publishing limited all rights of reproduction in any form reserved issn: 1529-2126/doi:10.1108/s1529-212620180000026008 106 diane FeLMLee et aL. use the word "b!tch" to insult Asian, Black, and Latinx women are particularly damaging in that they reinforce traditional stereotypes of women and ethnoracial minorities, and these messages possess the ability to extend to wider audiences. keywords: Bullying; cyberbullying; intersectionality; women of color; minority women; asian women; Black women; Latinx women; stereotypes; social networks


The study of responses to mass atrocities is overwhelmingly focused on the present; yet societies in the past also had to deal with the difficulties that arise in the aftermath of such events. This article examines one such case, the aftermath of the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution. This period was characterised by ambivalence toward the memory of revolutionary violence, which was at one and the same time repressed and encouraged. In this context, ghosts offered a way for simultaneously talking and not talking about the legacies of the Reign of Terror. This article focuses on the case of the phantasmagoria, a unique lantern show that featured ghosts and debuted in Paris after the Reign of Terror. It argues that the spectral images, which the phantasmagoria created, occupied a middle ground between silence and speech, making it possible for contemporaries of the revolutionary era to face the notion that the past, which they destroyed, would return to haunt them.


This paper presents an optimal design of digital low pass finite impulse response (FIR) filter using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). The design target of FIR filter is to approximate the ideal filters on the request of a given designing specifications. The traditional based optimization techniques are not efficient for digital filter design. The filter specification to be realized PSO algorithm generatesthe best coefficients and try to meet the ideal frequency response. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) proposes a new equation for the velocity vector and updating the particle vectors and hence the solution quality is improved. The PSO technique enhances its search capability that leads to a higher probability of obtaining the optimal solution. In this paper for the given problem the realization of the FIR filter has been performed. The simulation results have been performed by using the particle swarm optimization (PSO) method.


The 13th general election in 2013 (GE13) was the most recent general election in Malaysia. It was a display of stiff competition as the main opposition coalition at the time, Pakatan Rakyat (PR), was a strong competitor for Barisan Nasional (BN), the ruling coalition. BN learned its lesson from the 12th general election campaign in 2008 (GE12) and came up with a large scale campaign and active participation on social media in GE13. The former prime minister of Malaysia who led the GE12 campaign, Abdullah Badawi, mentioned it was "a serious misjudgment" when BN depended on government- controlled newspapers and television as the opposition attracted young voters with mobile phone text messages and blogs for the elections ("Malaysian leader admits ignoring Internet was a mistake," 2008). PR performed better in the election compared to the ruling coalition in GE12, increasing their seats from 19 to 82 in a parliament of 222 members. That election denied BN a two- thirds majority in the parliament.
GE13 was regarded as the fi rst social media election by the new leader of BN at the time, Najib Tun Razak, because politicians from the two main coalitions used social media to engage with voters online (Lim, 2013 ; Sani, 2014 ). Gomez ( 2013 ) dispels this notion due to the BN's poor election performance and described the election instead as BN losing the social media election. BN used both traditional and social media in the GE13 campaign (Bakar, Yusoff , & Hussin, 2014 ). Whichever view one takes, it is clear that the Internet has transformed the political communication style of Malaysian elections from the use of traditional mass media to a symbiosis of both traditional mass media for predominantly one- way communication and online media for interactive communication with voters. Of great interest to this chapter are the previous qualitative studies and reviews of the GE13 campaign in terms of advertising. A meta- ethnographic synthesis of qualitative research studies and reviews of the political campaigns for the 13th general election in Malaysia has generated themes and identifi ed keywords for comparison and contrast. These studies provide an insight into the GE13 campaign in relation to advertising. Before turning to the advertising in the GE13, it is important fi rst to understand the Malaysian populace and the country's aspirations, which determine the signifi cant aspects of the election campaigns in GE13 and in previous elections.


The authors' objective was to review previous studies of immediate (first 30 seconds) and stabilized (30 seconds to 20 minutes) hemodynamic responses of healthy adults to the head‐up posture, with particular reference to alteration of such responses in the elderly and the usefulness of such data in the diagnosis of orthostatic hypotension. The immediate response in healthy young adults is characterized by a prompt rise in heart rate, which peaks at about 8 to 15 seconds and then tapers; the arterial pressure and total vascular resistance decrease sharply at 5 to 10 seconds, followed by a rapid rebound and overshoot. Over the first 30 seconds there is a steady parallel decline of thoracic blood volume and stroke volume; there is also an initial surge of cardiac output followed by a steady decrease. During the stabilized response (30 seconds to 20 minutes), the hemodynamic variables are relatively steady, showing average increases in heart rate of about 15 to 30%, in diastolic pressure of 10 to 15%, and in total vascular resistance of 30 to 40%; during the 5th to 20th minutes there are also decreases in thoracic blood volume averaging about 25 to 30%, in cardiac output 15 to 30%, and in pulse pressure about 5 to 10%. It is evident that in normal human subjects, assumption of the upright posture results in profound hemodynamic changes, most of them occurring during the first 30 seconds. In elderly subjects (aged 60–69 years), there are, in the upright posture, lesser increments of heart rate and diastolic pressure, but no significant differences from younger age groups in the response of thoracic blood volume, cardiac output or total vascular resistance. However, beginning at about age 75, there is an increasing incidence of orthostatic hypotension, which averages about 14 to 20% at age 75 and older. The tendency toward orthostatic hypotension in the elderly is due (1) to the structural and functional changes in the circulation itself, (2) to a decline in autonomic function, and (3) to a probable functional deficiency of the skeletal muscle pump. The authors believe that closer hemodynamic monitoring of orthostatic hypotension patients would considerably increase our understanding and aid in the diagnosis of this condition.


We consider a multipair relay channel, where multiple sources communicate with multiple destinations with the help of a full-duplex (FD) relay station (RS). All sources and destinations have a single antenna, while the RS is equipped with massive arrays. We assume that the RS estimates the channels by using training sequences transmitted from sources and destinations. Then, it uses maximum-ratio combining/maximum-ratio transmission (MRC/MRT) to process the signals. To significantly reduce the loop interference (LI) effect, we propose two massive MIMO processing techniques: i) using a massive receive antenna array; or ii) using a massive transmit antenna array together with very low transmit power at the RS. We derive an exact achievable rate in closed-form and evaluate the system spectral efficiency. We show that, by doubling the number of antennas at the RS, the transmit power of each source and of the RS can be reduced by 1.5 dB if the pilot power is equal to the signal power and by 3 dB if the pilot power is kept fixed, while maintaining a given quality-of-service. Furthermore, we compare FD and half-duplex (HD) modes and show that FD improves significantly the performance when the LI level is low.


Lattice corneal dystrophy (LCD) type I is one of the five dominant TGFBI (transformimg growth factor β induced; formerly designated as bigh3 or keratoepithelin)-related corneal dystrophies with characteristic lattice-like refractile lines in the corneal stroma.1 Other than this common-type LCD, there have also been reported several minor-type LCDs caused by different mutations of the TGFBI gene.2

An 85-year-old man presented with complaints of bilateral blurred vision. His best-corrected visual acuity was 0.1 in OD and HM/30 cm in OS. He had bilateral corneal haze and cataract. The corneal haze contained many isolated or fused refractile opacities, most of them being dot-like, and some being lattice-like (figure 1A). The opacities were found at all depths of the corneal stroma, but mainly involved the deep stromal layer. The degree of corneal haze was severe in his left eye, but relatively mild in his right eye. His wife and two sons did not show any corneal opacity in their eyes. Cataract surgery was performed on his left eye, but his best-corrected visual acuity in that eye was improved …


Manually implementing equals (for object comparisons) and hashCode (for object hashing) methods in large software projects is tedious and error-prone. This is due to many special cases, such as field shadowing, comparison between different types, or cyclic object graphs. Here, we present JEqualityGen, a source code generator that automatically derives implementations of these methods.
 JEqualityGen proceeds in two states: it first uses source code reflection in MetaAspectJ to generate aspects that contain the method implementations, before it uses weaving on the bytecode level to insert these into the target application. JEqualityGen generates not only correct, but efficient source code that on a typical large-scale Java application exhibits a performance improvement of more than two orders of magnitude in the equality operations generated, compared to an existing system based on runtime reflection. JEqualityGen achieves this by generating runtime profiling code that collects data. This enables it to generate optimised method implementations in a second round.


The Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association is one of the biggest international events in anthropology. Judging by the association's website, the event offers 750 sessions and includes more than 6,000 participants from all over the world. It is supported by key professional societies, such as the Society for Cultural Anthropology, as well as by numerous special interest groups, sections, and committees. This article review covers the thematic aspects of the conference; the program's features, including the scale of the meeting and a focus on anthropologic careers; the attitude of the professional community towards an anthropologist's role in society and shifts in this attitude; changing aspects of ethnographic methods; and finally some additional observations made by the author during the 115th Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association entitled "Evidence. Accident. Discovery," held in Minneapolis in November 2016. Attention is paid to educational programs within the community of anthropologists, the practical importance of informal communication at the conference, and the further exploration of public media tools-mainly digital-such as social networks and blogs. The next Annual Meeting, "Anthropology Matters!" will further promote the active social participation of anthropologists and proceed with "anthropological investigation, translation, influence and action." This conference matters: it is a great opportunity to stay informed on the actual directions that anthropology and its methodology are taking and it is also a helpful tool to collect diverse professional feedback on anthropological research projects.


Multiprocessor systems present serious challenges in the design of real-time systems due to the wider variation of execution time of an instruction sequence compared to a uniprocessor system. Even if non-determinism is tightly controlled by adding conventional QoS support, it is generally difficult to find the minimal hardware resource request settings (e.g., memory bandwidth) for a given user-level performance goal (e.g., transactions per second). In this paper, we introduce the METERG (Measurement-Time Enforcement and Run-Time Guarantee) QoS system that provides an easy method of obtaining a tight estimate of the lower bound on end-to-end performance for a given configuration of resource reservations. Every QoS-capable block in the METERG system supports two operation modes for each task requiring QoS: enforcement mode for estimating the lower bound on a task's execution time and deployment mode for maximizing its performance. We evaluate the effectiveness of our approach with an execution-driven multiprocessor simulator implementing the METERG QoS memory subsystem. We show that the performance lower bound is easy to obtain by simply running an application in enforcement mode, and that this estimated lower bound is tight.


Predicting the thermodynamic stability of proteins is a common and widely used step in protein engineering, and when elucidating the molecular mechanisms behind evolution and disease. Here, we present RaSP, a method for making rapid and accurate predictions of changes in protein stability by leveraging deep learning representations. RaSP performs on-par with biophysics-based methods and enables saturation mutagenesis stability predictions in less than a second per residue. We use RaSP to calculate ∼ 300 million stability changes for nearly all single amino acid changes in the human proteome, and examine variants observed in the human population. We find that variants that are common in the population are substantially depleted for severe destabilization, and that there are substantial differences between benign and pathogenic variants, highlighting the role of protein stability in genetic diseases. RaSP is freely available—including via a Web interface—and enables large-scale analyses of stability in experimental and predicted protein structures.


Abstract. Following the latest developments in Remotely Piloted Airborne Systems (RPAS) industry and attending some of the most prominent fairs related to the field of geomatics one easily recognizes that it is RPAS, which is strongly pushed into the civilian market. It really is of interest, if official authorities like National Mapping Agencies (NMAs) are starting to implement the RPASs technology within their specific data acquisition processes – to establish alternatives to their traditional manned photogrammetric survey flights. The European Spatial Data Research organization (EuroSDR), representing European NMAs and research organizations of currently 17 European states, is following UAV developments since end of 2004, where an ongoing activity was created, to continuously update their members on the developments in this technology. As systems consolidated, new impetus was given to more deeply explore the potential RPAS for national mapping. Today first national mapping agencies have already used RPAS based data for first experiments in mapping. Several NMAs are discussing on the future role of this technology within their agencies. This report will try to give an overview on the current situation on the use of RPAS in European mapping agencies. Based on the input from some selected NMAs, their expectations on RPAS technology, the fields of use they foresee in their countryspecific surroundings and – exemplarily – first experiences with this type of technology will be presented. Even though the use of RPAS in NMAs is still new, substantial technical and operational benefits become obvious already. With that, the paper will try to give a state-of-the-art report on the current activities and overall acceptance of RPAS technology in European photogrammetric mapping.


ABSTRACT Background Health care providers' knowledge and attitudes about vaccines are important determinants of their own vaccine uptake, their intention to recommend vaccines, and their patients' vaccine uptake. This qualitative study' objective was to better understand health care providers' vaccination decisions, their views on barriers to COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and proposed solutions, their opinions on vaccine policies, and their perceived role in discussing COVID-19 vaccination with patients. Methods Semi-structured interviews on perceptions of COVID-19 vaccines were conducted with Canadian health care providers (N = 14) in spring 2021. A qualitative thematic analysis using NVivo was conducted. Results Participants had positive attitudes toward vaccination and were vaccinated against COVID-19 or intended to do so once eligible (two delayed their first dose). Only two were actively promoting COVID-19 vaccination to their patients; others either avoided discussing the topic or only provided answers when asked questions. Participants' proposed solutions to enhance COVID-19 vaccine uptake in the public were in relation to access to vaccination services, information in multiple languages, and community outreach. Most participants were in favor of mandatory vaccination policies and had mixed views on the potential impact of the Canadian vaccine-injury support program. Conclusions While health care providers are recognized as a key source of information regarding vaccines, participants in our study did not consider it their role to provide advice on COVID-19 vaccination. This is a missed opportunity that could be avoided by ensuring health care providers have the tools and training to feel confident in engaging in vaccine discussions with their patients.


DNA-mediated long-range electron transfer from photoexcited 1,10-phenanthroline complexes of ruthenium, Ru(phen)2(3)+, to isostructural complexes of cobalt(III), rhodium(III), and chromium(III) bound along the helical strand. The efficiency of transfer depended upon binding mode and driving force. For a given donor-acceptor pair, surface-bound complexes showed greater rate enhancements than those that were intercalatively bound. Even in rigid glycerol at 253 K, the rates for donor-acceptor pairs bound to DNA remained enhanced. For the series of acceptors, the greatest enhancement in electron-transfer rate was found with chromium, the acceptor of intermediate driving force. The DNA polymer appears to provide an efficient intervening medium to couple donor and acceptor metal complexes for electron transfer.


During the 2012 outage of the Belgian nuclear power plants (NPP) Doel 3 and Tihange 2 non-destructive testing (NDT) measurements revealed a high quantity of indications in the upper and lower core shells of the reactor pressure vessels (RPV). A root cause analysis leads to the most likely hypothesis that the indications are hydrogen flakes in segregated zones of the RPV ferritic base material. The laminar and quasi-laminar orientation (0° – 15° inclination to the pressure retaining surface) of the hydrogen flakes, the interaction of several adjacent flakes and the mechanical loading conditions lead to a mixed-mode behavior at the crack tips.
 In the framework of an ongoing research project, experimental and numerical investigations are conducted with the aim to describe the failure behavior of such complex crack configurations. The experiments are carried out using two ferritic materials. One is a non-irradiated representative RPV steel (SA 508 Class 2) and the second material is a special lower bound melt of a modified 22NiMoCr3-7 steel (FKS test melt KS 07 C) containing hydrogen flakes. A material characterization is done for both materials including tensile specimens, notched round bars, shear-, torsion- and compact-tension-shear (CTS) - specimens to investigate different stress states. Furthermore, flat tensile specimens with eroded artificial crack fields are used to investigate the interaction between the cracks in different arranged crack fields. Numerical simulations are carried out with extended micromechanical based damage mechanics models. For the description of ductile failure an enhanced Rousselier model is used and an enhanced Beremin model to calculate the probability of cleavage fracture. To account the sensitivity for low stress triaxiality damage by shear loading, the Rousselier model was enhanced with a term to account for damage evolution by shear. The Beremin model will be enhanced with a term to account for different levels of triaxiality. For the numerical simulations in the transition region of ductile-to-brittle failure a coupled damage mechanics model (enhanced Rousselier and Beremin) will be used. In this paper, the current status of the ongoing research project and first results are presented.


From the start, play and game studies scholars have investigated the experiences of women and girls who play games online, as well as gendered assumptions around digital as well as non-digital play (Brunner et al., 2000; Bryce & Rutter, 2002; Delamere & Shaw, 2008; Fron et al., 2007a, 2007b; Pearce, 2009). Scholars have challenged ideas such as that girls and women have weaker gameplay skills than boys and men (Jenson & De Castell, 2008), that women are not interested in competitive play (Taylor, 2006), that girls and women are different in their play experiences and interests (Royse et al., 2007) and that women are not frequent or loyal players (Consalvo & Begy, 2015; Williams et al., 2009). However, there is still more to learn about how women, girls, boys, men, nonbinary and other individuals play, as well as how gender can play an important role beyond as an identity marker in playful expressions as well as normative expectations for play. This panel offers new ways of examining how gender, games, and other forms of online play, can be analyzed and understood. These four papers argue for a more nuanced understanding of gender and play, further challenging gaming culture's preoccupation that certain games and certain styles of play are more "valid" than others (Consalvo & Paul, 2019). To do that, we offer fresh analytical tools, different theoretical lenses and underexplored sites for study. $2 "No Need For Speed" makes a unique contribution to gaming and play literature, offering a new articulation of the temporal experiences within and external to game play - especially in COVID/pandemic times. In particular, the authors argue that the concept of "slow gaming," might offer new possibilities for both our experiences of play and the way that time within the games industry itself is being reconceptualized. The authors offer three different games as examples of how "slow gaming" challenges our relationship to play, domesticity, notions of gender, and labor practices within the gaming industry more broadly. This paper argues that playing slow games, or playing games slowly, might provide a unique political rejoinder to contemporary life under late capitalism. $2 Two papers in this panel bring underutilized theoretical frameworks to the study of gender and games: examining how socioeconomic class and boundary keeping intersect with gender and gameplay in important ways. The presentation "Working for hearts: Social class and time management games" reads popular casual games such as Sally's Spa through an intersectional critique. Adding to gendered examinations of casual games (Chess, 2012, 2017), this paper brings in a critique of social class. It does so through exploring the classed positions of jobs in these games, as well as how the player's agency is limited both through classed expectations of certain occupations as well as further undermined by particular design decisions and gameplay mechanics as well as game narratives. It demonstrates how class is an important aspect of identity that can help us better understand gaming representations. The second paper to bring in underutilized theory is "Gendered expectations of playing nice, boundary keeping and problematic/toxic behaviors in casual video game communities." This paper offers a different way of understanding the role of toxic behavior and players in game communities: through the sociological lens of boundary keeping. While not dismissing the real effects of harassment, it explores how activities such as trolling and other problematic gameplay is defined differently within different player groups, how it can strengthen some in-game communities or spur the creation of groups dedicated to combating such problems, and in the process helping to further enrich and make more inclusive gaming culture. $2 "Girls, Platforms, and Play" examines an offline form of gendered play and competition – pre-teen and teen girls riding hobbyhorses – and how the activity has been differently contested and/or constructed on two platforms: YouTube and Instagram. Legacy media video content of hobbyhorse competitions uploaded to YouTube inevitably have led – given YouTube's largely antisocial comment culture (Burgess & Green, 2018) – to hobbyhorsers' activities to be delegitimized for a number of reasons by commenters: mainly, because it's just girls playing with toys, not participating in a sport; or because it is an athletic endeavor, but its participants should compete in a "real" sport, like track and field; or because it's not real equestrianism. Instagram's affordances, which help encourage connections among subculture participants and the creation of communities (Leaver, Highfield, & Abidin, 2020), have allowed hobbyhorse enthusiasts to create a space of their own online.


The article explores the political orientation of the members of the Hungarian Constitutional Court between 2010 and 2014, when the government had a two-thirds majority in Parliament, and, thereby, was able to influence the composition and the operation of the Court. First, the study describes the basic features of the Court as it was established at the dawn of the transition to democracy in 1989/1990. Then it analyses the institutional changes shortly after the overwhelming election victory of the conservative right in 2010, specifying the measures which dismantled the guarantees of the organisational and political independence of the Court. In the third part, the author presents an empirical research about the political orientation of the judges. He shows that constitutional judges vote more or less consistently for their nominating (left–liberal or conservative) party. Zoltán Szente argues that the most plausible explanation for the extremely strong correlation between the voting behavior of the judges and the political standpoints of their nominating parties is the political orientation of the members of the Court: the judges support the political parties that nominated them, because they agree with policy or ideology of these parties.


Recent labor markets developments, including mismatches in the skills of workers and jobs, extended unemployment benefits, and very high rates of long-term joblessness, may be impeding the return to "normal" unemployment rates of around 5%. An examination of alternative measures of labor market conditions suggests that the "normal" unemployment rate may have risen as much as 1.7 percentage points to about 6.7%, although much of this increase is likely to prove temporary. Even with such an increase, sizable labor market slack is expected to persist for years.


This thesis proposes that the Caribs of St. Vincent, who form a small minority in the island, have been the subject of a European discourse of alterity from the fifteenth century onwards. It further argues that the key tropes employed by this discourse were primarily reflexive and focused on emerging concepts of self and property. It is argued that, as a consequence of the hegemonic position that British culture attained in St. Vincent, the Vincentian population, both Carib and non-Carib alike, internalized these tropes. This has led most modern studies of the Caribs to present them as a marginalized population on the verge of extinction. This thesis argues that contrary7 to this misconception, the position of the Caribs has fundamentally altered in the period since independence and now features at the core of an essentialist discourse of national identity. Following a general introduction, the second chapter deals primarily with the construction of the traditional tropes associated with Caribness. In the third chapter the relationship of the Caribs to a developing European anthropology is examined with reference to concepts of natural law. This is followed by an analysis of the insertion of the island of St. Vincent into the mercantilist world system. In chapter four the historiography of the Caribs is considered in terms of the influence of British texts, and alternative sources of information, primarily French and Dutch, are considered in terms of the development of an historical hegemony on the island Chapter five discusses the events in the latter half of the twentieth century which served to reinforce the stereotypes of the preceeding centuries and yet which, it is argued, brought about the possibility of new forms of self-identification. The following chapter deals with the role of land ownership as a catalyst for Carib self-consciousness. The antepenultimate chapter deals with modern historiography and the influences of supra-national discourses in the Caribbean, whilst the penultimate considers the role of the Caribs in modern party politics in St. Vincent. The thesis concludes with a summary of the theoretical implications of this study.


The cowpea is an important food crop in the North and Northeast regions of Brazil, where the beans are consumed either green or ripe. Yet, considering its socio-economic importance and its tropical origin, cowpea yields are low in those regions, due to inadequate cultivation practices and incorrect soil management. Therefore, the objective of this study was to study the development of cowpea crop inoculated and fertilized with two different nitrogen (N) sources. The experiment was conducted in the municipality of Rorainópolis (RR). The experimental design was randomized blocks with four treatments and five replications. The plant material was 'BRS Guariba' cowpea cultivar, and the treatments were: (i) control (no nitrogen fertilization), (ii) seeds inoculated with Bradyrhizobium elkanii, (iii) urea as N source (60 kg N ha), and (iv) ammonium sulphate as N source (60 kg N ha). The following crop traits were evaluated: foliar macronutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S), green and dry weight of shoots, dry beans per plant, pod yield and bean yield. Urea and ammonium sulphate promoted high accumulation of nutrients in leaves. Ammonium sulphate also stood out regarding productivity traits, thus proving to be a viable N source for cowpea in the Amazon region. The nodulation with Bradyrhizobium elkanii wasn't efficient to replace the fertilization with nitrogen fertilizers for cowpea BRS Guariba.


Background: Nasal polyposis (NP) is an inflammatory disease of the upper nasal airways frequently present in CF patients. Interferon-Related Developmental Regulator 1 (IFRD1) gene was reported as a possible modifier of CF lung disease severity. Three IFRD1 SNPs were analyzed to investigate a possible effect on the development of NP in CF patients. Methods and patients: The DNA of 143 patients with CF (40 with and 103 without NP) was purified from peripheral blood samples. IFRD1 SNPs (rs7817, rs3807213, rs6968084) were genotyped by restriction enzyme analysis. Results: The T allele of the common polymorphisms rs7817 and the rs7817-rs3807213 haplotype were associated with NP (p = 0.002 and 0.004, respectively). Conclusions: These results showed the association of the IFRD1-rs7817 polymorphism with NP in CF patients.


Key words: eternal problems, philosophical knowledge, worldview, theory, unique and universal knowledge

The eternal philosophical questions that determine the nature of scientific thought and the meaning of artistic imagination appear in the minds of people in the pattern of new (actual) problems within the formation of sometimes mystical hypotheses, but more often – rigorous scientific theories. The following philosophical problems can be regarded as the most interesting: the problem of the beginning, the problem of the material and the ideal, the problem of soul and body, the problem of freedom and creativity of the individual, the problem of the meaning of life, the problem of truth. For each of them there is a list of solutions proposed by philosophers of a particular era. Scientific research in the field of natural and social sciences involves a corresponding process in which the presented problem is subjected to a hypothetical solution and its theoretical base is formed. In the field of philosophy, this mechanism does not work. Philosophy is not only a science, but also a worldview. Worldview problems do not have an unambiguous and final settlement. The problems here are eternal. Each historical epoch creates a compact system corresponding to the level of knowledge and worldview development of its time.
However, in the process of further development, the "reliable theory" faces a new problem, for the solution of which the study undergoes a new cycle. These transitional stages accumulate an undeniable system of knowledge; however, the main question always remains open and unresolved. Eternal problems feed science with new theoretical propositions and create new foundations and opportunities for its subsequent development. This is not only the logic of philosophy development, but also the logic of science development as a whole.

https://new.vsu.am/grqer/2023/pilisopayutyun/+311-Գնել Տիգրանյան-Հավերժական պրոբլեմները՝ որպես փիլիսոփայական գիտելիքի զարգացման գործոն.pdf


Cyber-Physics System (CPS) is a relatively new term assuming tight integration of physical systems and cyber (IT) systems interacting in real time. Such systems aim at providing a flexible and extensible infrastructure supporting a variety of inputs (e.g. sensor-based and customer needs) and outputs (actuators or indicators/displays). CPSs rely on communication, computation and control infrastructures to provide for efficient utilization of logistics infrastructure resources. In this context, Logistics-as-a-Service (LaaS) is a logistics network of organizations, people, information and resources supported by service-oriented cyber-physical systems. Intelligent multimodal logistics network is an important node in the worldwide logistics, involved in moving a product from supplier to customer or providing an accompanying service. The paper presents a generic architecture for LaaS, which is based on representing elements of the logistics networks as services. In this environment, the role of an application ontology and integration of individual and organizational competences is investigated and the use of ontology matching for finding suitable resources in a multi-lingual logistics network is discussed.


Trichoderma species are non-pathogenic microorganisms that protect against fungal diseases and contribute to increased crop yields. However, not all Trichoderma species have the same effects on crop or a pathogen, whereby the characterization and identification of strains at the species level is the first step in the use of a microorganism. The aim of this study was the identification – at species level – of five strains of Trichoderma isolated from soil samples obtained from garlic and onion fields located in Costa Rica, through the analysis of the ITS1, 5.8S, and ITS2 ribosomal RNA regions; as well as the determination of their individual antagonistic ability over S. cepivorum Berkeley. In order to distinguish the strains, the amplified products were analyzed using MEGA v6.0 software, calculating the genetic distances through the Tamura-Nei model and building the phylogenetic tree using the Maximum Likelihood method. We established that the evaluated strains belonged to the species T. harzianum and T. asperellum; however it was not possible to identify one of the analyzed strains based on the species criterion. To evaluate their antagonistic ability, the dual culture technique, Bell's scale, and the percentage inhibition of radial growth (PIRG) were used, evidencing that one of the T. asperellum isolates presented the best yields under standard, solid fermentation conditions.


Abstract Graptolite biogeography is examined for the late Arenig-Llanvirn when provincialism was at its greatest and the Llandeilo-Caradoc when graptolites were cosmopolitan. This examination incorporates new data from China and recently revised palaeogeographic base maps. Water-mass specificity is considered to be the primary factor affecting graptolite biogeography. On the recently revised base maps, the distribution of Pacific and Atlantic provinces in the late Arenig-Llanvirn is in general consistent with the model of water-mass specificity and the hypothesis that climate cooling associated with the onset of continental glaciation lead to the development of provincialism. However, a small clockwise rotation of South America and a slight northward shift in the position of North America is recommended. The climatic-cooling hypothesis includes the proposal that continued cooling confined graptolites to the tropics where the uniform environment precluded provincialism. The distribution of the cosmopolitan fauna of the Nemagraptus gracilis Zone in relationship to the Llandeilo-Caradoc palaeogeography is consistent with this hypothesis, except for the positions of the European platform, Britain, Armorica, and the Carpathians in the mid to high southern latitudes. Either the latitudinal positions of these areas must be shifted substantially to the north, or the climatic-cooling hypothesis mnst be in error.


A novel scheme for an adjustable low-voltage CMOS current mirror is introduced. The proposed current mirror provides continuous gain adjustment, while it simultaneously features the attractive characteristic of low-voltage operation. The behaviour of the proposed topology has been experimentally verified through a first-order lowpass filter fabricated in AMS 0.35 μm CMOS technology.


Targeted disruption of the single mutant K-ras allele in two human colorectal carcinoma cell lines (DLD-1 and HCT-116) leads to loss of tumorigenic competence in nude mice with retention of ability to grow indefinitely in monolayer culture. Because expression of the mutant K-ras oncogene in these cell lines is associated with marked up-regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor/vascular permeability factor (VEGF/VPF), we sought to determine whether this potent angiogenesis inducer plays a role in K-ras-dependent tumorigenic competence. Transfection of a VEGF121 antisense expression vector into DLD-1 and HCT-116 cells resulted in suppression of VEGF/VPF production by a factor of 3- to 4-fold. The VEGF/VPF-deficient sublines, unlike the parental population or vector controls, were profoundly suppressed in their ability to form tumors in nude mice for as long as 6 months after cell injection. In contrast, in vitro growth of these sublines was unaffected, thus demonstrating the critical importance of VEGF/VPF as an angiogenic factor for HCT-116 and DLD-1 cells. Transfection of a full-length VEGF121 cDNA into two nontumorigenic mutant K-ras knockout sublines resulted in a weak but detectable restoration of tumorigenic ability in vivo in a subset of the transfectants, with no consistent change in growth properties in vitro. The findings indicate that mutant ras-oncogene-dependent VEGF/VPF expression is necessary, but not sufficient, for progressive tumor growth in vivo and highlight the relative contribution of oncogenes, such as mutant K-ras, to the process of tumor angiogenesis.


This is a review of James Boyle's new book, Shamans, Software and Spleens: Law and the Construction of the Information Society. Boyle's book ranges across the law of information, which he argues should be treated as a unified discipline. Boyle applies his analysis of "romantic authorship" to the law of information, arguing that in copyright and elsewhere, the law gives new works too much protection because it wrongly discounts the sources on which those works necessarily build. In this review, I suggest that whatever its merits as legal argument, "romantic authorship" does not explain very much about the features of copyright law, nor why copyright protection is expanding over time. I suggest an alternative explanation: that a particular strand of law and economics scholarship that endorses strong property rights is pushing for the "propertization" of all valuable information.


All insects are influenced by low temperature. However, as a typical stenothermic insect, the honey bee is perhaps the most severely affected. Low temperature exposure during the capped brood stages leads to high mortality and shortened worker longevity. The impact of low temperature stress on vein development has not, however, been investigated. In this study, the eight different developmental stages of capped brood (Apis mellifera) were exposed to 20 °C for 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84, and 96 h, and then incubated at 35 °C (the optimum temperature for brood development) until emergence. We found a total of 21 abnormal vein types, consisting of 16 types of supernumerary veins and five types of lost veins. The abnormal phenomena in the brood occurred mainly 1–4 days after capping, when the metamorphosis process from larvae to pupa occurs. Our results suggest that this metamorphosis process is critical for the development of veins, indicating it as the most sensitive period to low-temperature. In addition, we found a cross vein "rs-m" between Rs and M in the hind wing of the honey bee, which has previously been ignored due to its very short length. This study on the effects of temperature on wing venation in stenothermic insects adds to our understanding of the thermal requirements for shaping the wing vein pattern, and for predicting wing venation deformation. This also adds a new research route for the investigation of the evolutionary relationship between honey bees and other hymenopteran insects.


Terrorist organizations are both imitative and innovative in character. While the drivers of imitation have been extensively modeled using concepts such as contagion and diffusion, creativity and innovation remain relatively underdeveloped ideas in the context of terrorist behavior. This article seeks to redress this deficiency by presenting a conceptual framework with which we can understand the complex nature and multiple drivers of creativity and innovation within terrorist organizations. The overriding questions we address are: what factors spark creativity and innovation within terrorist organizations, and are there particular organizational traits that increase an organization's propensity to be creative and innovative? Using insights from industrial and organizational psychology and aided by illustrative examples and case studies from the history of terrorism, we aim to show that the multiple drivers of creativity and innovation are identifiable. By providing a conceptual framework that explores these key issues, we suggest that a much clearer research agenda for these issues may emerge. We conclude with a discussion concerning how our framework can help inform counter-terrorism practices.


Samples bearing Palorbitolina were obtained from three localities on the islands of Cres and Losinj in the northern Adriatic. Although a relatively small number (<60) of specimens were studied, the size of the embryonic chamber and test diameters of Palorbitolina lenticularis indicate a Lower Aptian age. This is confirmed for the Adriatic carbonate platform by the presence of Lower Aptian index taxa. Both embryonic chamber and test diameter variation are pronounced. No change was observed concerning the relationship between stratigraphic horizon and the embryonic chamber diameter. A proportional relationship between the size of the embryonic chamber and the test was determined.

These data show that before it appeared on the Adriatic carbonate platform, Palorbitolina already colonized the predominantly mixed clastic-carbonate environments of the Mediterranean, as has been suggested by Velic & Sokac (1978). Although an essentially westwards water circulation during the late Barremian and early Aptian probably aided Palorbitolina in colonization of the Tethyan realm, it can neither explain the simultaneous existence of Palorbitolina in different and remote parts of the Tethys nor its dispersal, which must have been very rapid.


Real world scenes have huge intensity variations which are not in the control of the capture process. While human eye has an excellent dynamic range that enables us to visualize precise contrast variations and dynamically adapts to illumination variations, the dynamic range of conventional imaging devices is limited because of the physical constraints of the sensors. As a result of limited capabilities of the sensors, image saturation is observed often when lighting conditions are unfavorable (very bright, dark or uneven). In such scenarios, the captured image will have some optimally illuminated parts while some parts may undergo saturation (underexposure or overexposure). This makes the captured scene visually unappealing and the capture suffers from significant information loss. In this work, we propose an imaging solution to recover the scene information lost due to saturation, and hence, produce a better quality image ensuring no or minimal saturation.


• After the collapse of the Soviet Union, humanities and social sciences in Central Asia have undergone tremendous changes. • Although the situation is different in each country of the region, all humanities and social sciences share similar features: they still merge scholarly standards with political ideology that come from the authorities, offer a dichotomous thinking ("positive – negative", "true – false"), continue to use emotional and axiological vocabulary coming from Soviet phraseology, claim objective knowledge, and lack interdisciplinary approach. • In the current ideological constructions, the past in a certain interpretation acts as a natural and logically justified bridge to an outlined future. On methodology and epistemological situation in humanities and social sciences in Central Asia*


The discovery of appropriate synthetic reaction conditions for fabricating a stable zirconium-based molecular sieve (Zr-fum-fcu-MOF) with minimal defects and its utilization in the challenging separation of linear paraffins from branched paraffins is reported. The crystallinity and structural defects were modulated and adjusted at the molecular level by controlling the synthetic reaction conditions (i.e., amounts of modulators and ligands). The impact of molecular defects on the separation of n-butane from iso-butane was studied through the preparation, fine characterization, and performance evaluation of Zr-fum-fcu-MOFs with varying degrees of defects. Defect-rich Zr-fum-fcu-MOFs were found to have poor n-butane/iso-butane separation, mainly driven by thermodynamics, while Zr-fum-fcu-MOFs with fewer or minimal defects showed efficient separation, driven mainly by kinetics and full molecular exclusion mechanisms. The impact of intrinsic defects (i.e., missing organic or inorganic blocks) on the associated mechanisms involved in the separation of n-butane/iso-butane was evidenced through single-gas adsorption, mixed-gas column breakthrough experiments, and calorimetric studies. This investigation demonstrates, for the first time, the importance of controlling intrinsic defects to maintain the selective exclusion behavior of hydrocarbon isomers when using molecular sieves.


The physical explanation of shear lag is given in this paper. The shear lag effects can be attributed to the abrupt change of shear stress at web-flange junction. The abrupt change at the junction of shear stresses changes the magnitude of the flange bending stresses, which attenuates gradually with increasing distances from the web. Meanwhile, the abrupt change of shear stresses from zero to the flange shear stress also influences the bending stress state at the centerline of the flange. The method to determine the shear lag effects has been given, which is based on the Euler-Bernoulli elementary theory of bending, and the calculated results are in good agreement with the experimental results. Considering the transversal distribution of the shear stress at the junction, the flange real bending stress could be calculated on the section. The change of the shear stresses decreases the magnitude of the bending stresses in tension, but increases the magnitude of the bending stresses in compression. The shear lag effects in continuous box girder are different from that in the simply supported box girder. The reaction force of the continuous support would generate an abrupt change of the shear forces between the two sides of the support, and the real bending stresses beside the support would vary significantly due to shear lag effects. The ratio of real bending stress to standard bending stress is not the proper index to reflect the shear lag effects, but the real bending stresses could represent the shear lag effects and should be paid more attention to in design.


Coated sheet steels have been increasingly used in automotive industry for improving corrosion resistance. When GA outer plates processed the interfacing of the coating film and the metal matrix causes surface irregularities in the surface state of the sheet metal. Consequently, research to determine each phase composite's friction coefficient is on-going. Investigating the effects that cause surface roughness, change and mechanical properties of outer automobile plates through temper rolling skin pass mill elongation is essential. Researching surface roughness in relation to surface friction properties requires the determination of a surface friction coefficient. This research demonstrates that there is a complex effect between the lubricant membrane and surface roughness when processing GA plates. Consequently, the strength of the lubricant membrane strongly influences the friction coefficient


Animal slaughter has recently become highly visible in popular food media. This thesis interrogates the myths, assumptions and ideologies underlying this so-called New Carnivore movement, through critical analysis of a range of popular gastronomic texts. Socially-constructed ideas about 'reality', 'sentimentality', 'sacrifice', and 'redemption' are intimately implicated in the process of animal slaughter, as are the notions of 'good taste' and social distinction. The domination of animals, demonstrated through the slaughter, butchery, and consumption of nonhuman bodies, is held to be an integral component in the performance of gender, as well as a means of reconnecting, via a kind of secular epiphany, with 'Nature' at its most authentic. As a hostile backlash against the social progress made by the animal advocacy and vegetarian movements, New Carnivorism denigrates vegetarianism and veganism as outdated, unfashionable, unnatural, puritanical and rude. Although these texts' potential to inspire farmed animal welfare reform should not be ignored, New Carnivorism ultimately serves to naturalize, justify and promote the continued consumption of meat, and the continued exploitation of nonhuman animals, in Western societies. The New Visibility of Slaughter in Popular Gastronomy 4


The themes raised in the sermons of the Portuguese Jesuit Antonio Vieira were far ahead of their time. Already in the XVII century, the missionary questions the equality of Europeans, Africans and Indians before God, as well as the injustice of one race oppressing another. In his sermons, he asks his listeners to repent and reject slavery. He wants every colonist to become an apostle in his new homeland: to sow the faith of Christ and take care of the religious and moral education of his slaves. Uncovering the conflicts between the three ethnic groups, Vieira seeks to smooth out these contradictions, pointing out the ways of peaceful coexistence of the three cultures within the bosom of the same faith.


Atom Probe Tomography is aimed at beginners and researchers interested in expanding their expertise in this area. It provides the theoretical background and practical information necessary to investigate how materials work using atom probe microscopy techniques, and includes detailed explanations of the fundamentals, the instrumentation, contemporary specimen preparation techniques, and experimental details, as well as an overview of the results that can be obtained. The book emphasizes processes for assessing data quality and the proper implementation of advanced data mining algorithms. For those more experienced in the technique, this book will serve as a single comprehensive source of indispensable reference information, tables, and techniques. Both beginner and expert will value the way the book is set out in the context of materials science and engineering. In addition, its references to key research outcomes based upon the training program held at the University of Rouen-one of the leading scientific research centers exploring the various aspects of the instrument-will further enhance understanding and the learning process.Provides an introduction to the capabilities and limitations of atom probe tomography when analyzing materialsWritten for both experienced researchers and new usersIncludes exercises, along with corrections, for users to practice the techniques discussedContains coverage of more advanced and less widespread techniques, such as correlative APT and STEM microscopy


At the end of 2000 the new age of AINEs was introduced, specially the selective inhibitors of the COX-2, whose main function is to block the production of the prostaglandins and the acute tissue inflammation. These inhibitors have analgesic, antithermal and antiinflammatory effects similar to traditional AINEs; they are prescribed specifically to diminish pain and inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. After them introduction, it was reported that they can produce cardiovascular effects, mainly infarcts. This revision exposes the adverse effects that selective inhibitors of the COX-2 produce when elevated doses are administered, during prolonged time, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis; in addition, it comments present recommendations for them prescription.


It is believed that it is valuable to develop the application of low temperature (LT) poly-Si TFT-LCD to personal digital assistant (PDA) display. It is important to develop a circuit suitable for an LT poly-Si TFT. This 3.8-inch diagonal, and QVGA formatted, reflective color LCD with integrated 3 b DAC driver uses LT poly-Si TFTs. The LCD panel has a narrow frame and low power consumption of 15 mW.


X-ray diffraction measurements and analyses were developed and used to examine the phase transition in KCl shocked to 7 GPa. Diffraction data were obtained below and above the transition stress, and related quantitatively to macroscopic compression in the two phases. Interplanar spacing measurements revealed isotropic compression of the unit cell. Above the transition stress, a diffraction peak from the (110) planes in phase II was observed consistently and the orientation of the transformed crystal structure was determined with respect to the phase I structure. This determination provides a mechanism for the atomic rearrangement from the rocksalt to the cesium chloride structure in KCl shocked along [100].


Nonlinear distortion of a signal passing through a system may be caused by a number of factors. One of those factors, a limiter like transfer function, is considered. The nonlinear distortion causes a change in the probability density function (PDF) of the signal. The PDF of the signal can be characterized by the coefficients of a fifth-order polynomial fitted to the PDF curve. The coefficients are used as a vector input to an artificial neural network trained to classify the vector as belonging to a distorted or undistorted audio signal. Results show that the artificial neural network is able to classify signals, with PDFs indicating the presence of significant high amplitude components, into distorted or undistorted. A low amplitude signal will not be distorted during its passage through a nonlinear system and therefore the output will be classified as "not distorted". This gives rise to, what seem to be, errors in the classification of signals. However, the technique developed identifies distortion in the signal and not in the system through which the signal has passed.


Regionally, an ice cover in fjords of mainland Norway may form and break up repeatedly during winter. Due to relatively high water temperatures, the freeze-up process is expected to be related to freshwater-induced stratification in the fjords in conjunction with low air temperatues. In an attempt to identify the variability of water conditions in the fjords leading up to and during ice cover development, a low-cost buoy had been developed to cope with the high potential of loss of equipment during break-up of ice. The current version of the buoy logs GPS coordinates and ocean, ice and air temperature, and transmits data through the cell phone network. Experience from the first season of multiple deployments showed that the concept is working but the physical design of the buoy could be improved to withstand forces in open water.


Masonry infilled Reinforced Concrete (RC) framed structure is the utmost common kind of building in which, RC frames contribute in resisting lateral forces. Due to heavy mass and rigid construction, the RC framed buildings performs unfortunate under lateral forces. Practice of Lightweight concrete (LWC) is superlative because the dead load of concrete is massive. Low density materials are chosen in LWC, reduces the mass of the building thus decreasing the influence of lateral forces. However, LWC having a lesser modulus of elasticity has a more rapidly develops the cracks in the RC members. In this investigation, pumice is a naturally available material of volcanic source, has low density, which creates it ideal for production of LWC, likewise steel fibres are employed as an additive to enhance the energy absorption ability and to reduce the possibility of development of the cracks. In the present paper the structural behaviour of Lightweight RC framed structures realized by using steel fibres and subjected to lateral forces, In this study, four RC frames viz., F1-NWC (Control), F2NWCF (with 1% Vf of steel fibres), F3-LWC (with 20% substitute of coarse aggregate instead of pumice aggregate) and F4-LWCF (with 20% substitute of coarse aggregate instead of pumice aggregate and 1% Vf of steel fibres) were casted and tested under in-plane horizontal loading, which are designed according to Indian Standard (IS) code IS 456 (2000). It was observed that the behaviour of F4-LWCF significantly better in comparison to other frames in various parameters such as load carrying capacity, displacement, ductility, stiffness and energy dissipation.


This guide will inform you of a variety of digital technologies, digital explorations, and key organizations that may be helpful to you.


Virus-like particles (VLPs) have been shown to be strong activators of dendritic cells (DCs). DCs are the most potent antigen presenting cells (APCs) and their activation prompts the priming of immunity mediators based on B and T cells. The first step for the activation of DCs is the binding of VLPs to pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) on the surface of DCs, followed by VLP internalization. Like wild-type viruses, VLPs use specific PRRs from the DC; however, these recognition interactions between VLPs and PRRs from DCs have not been thoroughly reviewed. In this review, we focused on the interaction between proteins that form VLPs and PRRs from DCs. Several proteins that form VLP contain glycosylations that allow the direct interaction with PRRs sensing carbohydrates, prompting DC maturation and leading to the development of strong adaptive immune responses. We also discussed how the knowledge of the molecular interaction between VLPs and PRRs from DCs can lead to the smart design of VLPs, whether based on the fusion of foreign epitopes or their chemical conjugation, as well as other modifications that have been shown to induce a stronger adaptive immune response and protection against infectious pathogens of importance in human and veterinary medicine. Finally, we address the use of VLPs as tools against cancer and allergic diseases.


ABSTRACT Divergence in genital traits between closely related species is occasionally greater in sympatry than in allopatry, possibly because directional selection facilitates differentiation so as to prevent unfit hybridization. Here, we report for the first time that the shape of a functional genital structure, cercus, differs markedly between sympatrically and allopatrically occurring individuals in two brachypterous grasshopper species, Parapodisma setouchiensis Inoue 1979 and Parapodisma subastris Huang 1983 (Orthoptera: Podisminae). Although in areas of allopatry the cerci were straight in both species, in areas of sympatry the cerci of P. setouchiensis had an almost orthogonal bend. Furthermore, the angles of curvature of the cerci of P. setouchiensis varied continuously along a transect through sympatric and allopatric areas. We also observed copulation behavior in pairs and found that the apical part of the cerci was inserted into the space between the posterior edges of the seventh abdominal sternite and the seventh abdominal tergite of the female. We suggest that the orthogonally bent cerci allows the male to obtain a firm grip on the female's abdomen and propose that the conspicuous variation in the cerci of P. setouchiensis contributes to the strength of reinforcement of a premating isolation system.


An ecology of segregation E have largely avoided race and racism as ecological factors, but events in 2020 have made it impossible to continue to ignore these impacts. This does not mean that ecologists have failed to contribute to the scholarship and activism of environmental justice. But the time has come for the science to more fully acknowledge the existence and impact of systemic racism, especially in the US. Acknowledging this fact in the various specialties within our discipline would complement the scholarship on environmental justice, and support the expanding efforts of ESA to be more racially diverse and inclusive. We advocate for a new research agenda, the ecology of segregation. This entails an approach to data collection, model building, and practical application that recognizes the following. First, institutionalized racism, and the spatial heterogeneity that it creates for where people live and work, are pervasive in the US and elsewhere. Second, the origins and implications of, as well as changes in, such spatial patterns occur at various ecological scales ranging from populations to communities, ecosystems, and landscapes. Finally, racism is a system of formal and informal social norms that establishes a racial‐based power hierarchy; apportions sites, benefits, and hazards based on that hierarchy; and adopts mechanisms of resilience to maintain itself over time. Consolidating these facts within a research agenda would facilitate the identification and formulation of broad guiding questions. What are the environmental consequences of institutionalized racism, including the spatial segregation of people by race? How do the environmental and social outcomes of, and the processes associated with, segregation influence one another? Answering these fundamental but so far largely unaddressed questions will boost ecological contributions to solving societal problems, such as those in climate adaptation, sustainability, and Earth stewardship. The emergence of an ecology of segregation has been hampered by social assumptions. In the past, ecologists often considered ecological systems to be apart from human systems. Although ecologists gradually acknowledged that the two systems can and do influence each other, they often used simple social variables such as population density to indicate human impacts on ecosystems and employed assumptions that are now recognized as naïve: for instance, that everyone has equal access to money, information, and choice. However, as social–ecological science has matured, the idea that humans are components of, and not separate from, ecological systems has been widely accepted. An example of this maturation is the advice of social scientist Gary Machlis, who cautions that social–ecological models that exclude power, bias, greed, or corruption cannot yield convincing or realistic outputs. We explicitly add racism to this list. Ecologists' attention to race may have been hampered by the fact that the racist foundations of segregation and environmental hazard are often obscure. The mechanisms of US racial power have been hidden in idealistic language such as "post‐racial", euphemistic constitutional structures such as the "three‐fifths clause", and seemingly race‐neutral legal arrangements like those associated with residential zoning. Ecologists have been as misled by these pervasive social devices, as have many other groups. Attention to race and racism as ecological factors may also have been dampened because so few ecologists have "lived experience" with them. (Full disclosure: One of the authors is Black.) Consequently, one of the most fundamental and widespread aspects of US landscapes has been virtually neglected as an ecological factor. Pursuing research on the ecology of segregation adds a social–ecological feedback that has been missing in environmental justice research. As a research topic, the ecology of segregation has several benefits. (1) It represents a broad intellectual domain, given segregation's pervasiveness in the US over space and time and how it likely affects ecosystem structure and function. (2) It aligns with existing spatial scales within ecology. (3) It can strengthen the connection between the social and biophysical sciences as well as stimulate interdisciplinary research into the history and ongoing legacies of segregation. (4) It offers a gateway to increasing the racial and ethnic representation within the science, but does not limit itself to study only by researchers of color. (5) It may provide new practical "hooks" for ecology; namely, an improved understanding of the environmental outcomes of segregation may help empower underrepresented communities, inform policy, disrupt the stubborn resilience of racism, and suggest options for restoring habitats damaged by its legacies. Human agents and institutions act within social–ecological systems, and the outcomes of their actions cannot be understood as independent of those systems. The ecology of segregation is a new system science waiting to be born.


In the Canadian Arctic, winter roads are engineered across the frozen land, rivers, and lakes. The strength and longevity of these roads depend on particular weather conditions. Our research focuses on the winter road between Tulita and Norman Wells, Northwest Territories, which has been maintained officially by the territorial government since 1982. Statistical analysis of the opening dates for the winter road showed five seasons with extremely early dates and five with extremely late dates. The extremely early-opening seasons are distinguished by anomalously high sea-level pressures, anomalously cold tropospheric air, and northwesterly surface winds during the November prior to the road opening. The extremely late-opening seasons are characterized by an anomalously strong Aleutian low in the preceding November. The extremely late-opening years are correlated with strong El Nino seasons, whereas the extremely early-opening years are not systematically associated with teleconnection patterns. Our analysis of meteorological conditions near Norman Wells, associated with the extreme opening dates for this winter road, may provide planners with more precise information germane to this road construction.


Forgetting can be highly functional when unwanted or irrelevant memory representations interfere with cognitive or motivational goals. Current theory assumes that forgetting can be brought about by the intentional or unintentional inhibition of interfering memory representations. In four studies, the present thesis investigated this claim by employing behavioral testing, and neuroimaging methods based on the electroencephalogram (EEG), event-related potentials (ERPs) and EEG oscillations.
Studies I-III employed adaptations of the think/no-think paradigm. Participants first engage in paired associate learning. Then, during the think/no-think phase, one member of the paired items (cues) is repeatedly presented with the instruction to retrieve (think condition) or suppress (no-think condition) the associated target item. Study I showed that intentional suppression can reduce subsequent recognition memory performance for no-think items. This finding suggests that intentional suppression leads to a reduction of item memory strength by inhibition. Correct recognition of no-think items was accompanied by late positive ERPs, implying more effortful post-retrieval monitoring processes. Study II investigated ERPs during the think/no-think phase. In no-think trials, we observed a reduction of parietal positive-going ERPs between 500-600 ms, indicating that intentional suppression hampered the conscious recollection of unwanted memories. In addition, intentional suppression correlated with a pronounced negative ERP amplitude peak between 350-450 ms and a positive ERP slow wave at frontal electrode sites from 700-1000 ms. The negative peak correlated with a N2 ERP component observed in a stop-signal-task in the same participants, suggesting that memory suppression and motor stopping recruit similar inhibitory control networks. Study III explored the influence of memory strength, task-switching, suppression strategy, and compliance on the ERP correlates of memory suppression. A decrease of item memory strength over the time course of the think/no-think phase reflected in more negative going ERPs between 225-450 ms after cue onset. Besides mirroring the findings of Study I, the results also implied that negative going ERP components, assumed to reflect inhibitory control processes, may be superimposed on such neural correlates of strength reduction. The frontal positive slow-wave as observed in Study II was found to be enhanced after a switch from think to no-think trials, suggesting that the think/no-think manipulation also entails task switching processes reflecting in neural markers of executive control. Finally, a direct suppression strategy and higher compliance correlated with more negative going ERPs throughout the epoch.
Memory inhibition can aid the very act of remembering. Trying to retrieve a particular experience or fact often leads to the activation of other currently irrelevant memories. In order to remember the desired information, inhibitory control mechanisms are thought to be recruited in order to dampen the strength of interfering memories. Study IV was designed to track inhibition to the brain networks housing the traces of interfering memories. Participants learned abstract shapes that were paired with two different colors, one appearing in the left and the other in the right visual half-field. Subsequently, participants practiced retrieval of one color, selecting it over the other, competing color. In a final recall test, memory for competing colors was impaired. Between 90-430 ms, we observed an increase of oscillatory power in the alpha/beta band of the EEG at posterior electrode sites over the brain hemisphere housing the sensory representation of the competitor. In the light of strong evidence connecting EEG alpha/beta oscillation to inhibition, we regard this finding as direct neural evidence for the inhibition of interfering memories during selective retrieval.
Taken together, the results give strong evidence for the claim that undesired memories can be inhibited. Memory inhibition appears to act similar to inhibition in selective attention and motor control. The present thesis mainly aimed at investigating the underlying mechanisms in controlled laboratory settings and has implications for future studies in the field. The findings also contribute to understanding the symptoms and psychological processes in populations that display memory distortions and biases, such as the elderly, and patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.


Lower respiratory tract infections, including hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia, are common in hospitalized patient populations. Standard methods frequently fail to identify the infectious etiology due to the polymicrobial nature of respiratory specimens and the necessity of ordering specific tests to identify viral agents. The potential severity of these infections combined with a failure to clearly identify the causative pathogen results in administration of empirical antibiotic agents based on clinical presentation and other risk factors. ABSTRACT Lower respiratory tract infections, including hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia, are common in hospitalized patient populations. Standard methods frequently fail to identify the infectious etiology due to the polymicrobial nature of respiratory specimens and the necessity of ordering specific tests to identify viral agents. The potential severity of these infections combined with a failure to clearly identify the causative pathogen results in administration of empirical antibiotic agents based on clinical presentation and other risk factors. We examined the impact of the multiplexed, semiquantitative BioFire FilmArray Pneumonia panel (PN panel) test on laboratory reporting for 259 adult inpatients submitting bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimens for laboratory analysis. The PN panel demonstrated a combined 96.2% positive percent agreement (PPA) and 98.1% negative percent agreement (NPA) for the qualitative identification of 15 bacterial targets compared to routine bacterial culture. Semiquantitative values reported by the PN panel were frequently higher than values reported by culture, resulting in semiquantitative agreement (within the same log10 value) of 43.6% between the PN panel and culture; however, all bacterial targets reported as >105 CFU/ml in culture were reported as ≥105 genomic copies/ml by the PN panel. Viral targets were identified by the PN panel in 17.7% of specimens tested, of which 39.1% were detected in conjunction with a bacterial target. A review of patient medical records, including clinically prescribed antibiotics, revealed the potential for antibiotic adjustment in 70.7% of patients based on the PN panel result, including discontinuation or de-escalation in 48.2% of patients, resulting in an average savings of 6.2 antibiotic days/patient.


Event-based cameras are a new type of visual sensor that operate under a unique paradigm. These cameras provide asynchronous data on the log-level changes in light intensity for individual pixels, independent of other pixels' measurements. Through the hardware-level approach to change detection, these cameras can achieve microsecond fidelity, millisecond latency, ultra-wide dynamic range, and all with very low power requirements. The advantages provided by event-based cameras make them excellent candidates for visual odometry (VO) for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) navigation. This document presents the research and implementation of an event-based visualinertial odometry (EVIO) pipeline, which estimates a vehicle's 6-degrees-of-freedom (DOF) motion and pose utilizing an affixed event-based camera with an integrated Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) inertial measurement unit (IMU). The front-end of the EVIO pipeline uses the current motion estimate of the pipeline to generate motion-compensated frames from the asynchronous event camera data. These frames are fed the back-end of the pipeline, which uses a Multi-State Constrained Kalman Filter (MSCKF) [1] implemented with Scorpion, a Bayesian state estimation framework developed by the Autonomy and Navigation Technology (ANT) Center at Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) [2]. This EVIO pipeline was tested on selections from the benchmark Event Camera Dataset [3]; and on a dataset collected, as part of this research, during the ANT Center's first flight test with an event-based camera.


The class I major histocompatibility complex-encoded HLA-B*2705 protein was simulated in complex with six different peptides exhibiting unexpected structure-activity relationships. Various structural and dynamical properties of the solvated protein-peptide complexes (atomic fluctuations, solvent-accessible surface areas, hydrogen bonding pattern) were found to be in qualitative agreement with the available binding data. Peptides that have been experimentally shown to bind to the protein remained tightly anchored to the MHC molecule, whereas nonbinders were significantly more weakly complexes to the protein and progressively dissociate from it at their N- and C-terminal ends. The molecular dynamics simulations emphasize the unexpectedly important role of secondary anchors (positions 1 and 3) in influencing the MHC-bound conformation of antigenic nonapeptides. Furthermore, it confirms that dominant anchor residues cannot solely account for peptide binding to a class I MHC molecule. The molecular dynamics method could be used as a complementary tool to T cell epitope predictions from the primary sequences of proteins of immunological interest. It is better suited to MHC proteins for which a crystal structure already exists. Furthermore, it may facilitate the engineering of T cell epitopes as well as the rational design of new MHC inhibitors designed to fit optimally the peptide binding cleft.


Garlic (Allium sativum) is probably one of the earliest known medicinal plants and has been used to improve growth and resistance of a number of livestock and fish. This study was conducted to show the effects garlic on the growth performance and nutrient utilization of fingerlings of an ecotype cichlid commonly called 'wesafu' in Nigeria. A total of 600 fingerlings (1.4 ± 0.12 g) were obtained from the hatchery of the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research, Victoria Island, Lagos and used for the study. They were randomly assigned to 12 plastic tanks each, 0.5 m with a flow-through water system. Five doses of garlic,0 (control), 10g, 20g and 30g of fresh clove of garlic were mixed with 1kg feed. The control diet was free from garlic. The experiment extended lasted for 12 weeks. The results showed significantly increased weight and growth performance of the ecotype cichlid (P<0.01) in all groups fed on garlic. The mortalities were lower in diet supplemented with garlic than in the control group. The improve survival rate may be due to the enhanced immune response resulting from improved defense mechanism.


Urban and Freeman investigated the mechanisms whereby the intramembrane protease Rhomboid-1 achieves substrate specificity and defined a motif that could be used to identify rhomboid substrates. Rhomboid intramembrane proteases represent a widespread group of enzymes whose functions and substrates remain, for the most part, undefined. In Drosophila, Rhomboid-1 cleaves the protein Spitz in the Golgi apparatus, allowing Spitz to be secreted and to act as a ligand for the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). AarA, another rhomboid membrane protease, has been implicated in activating intercellular signals in bacteria. Urban and Freeman coexpressed Rhomboid-1 with various proteins in COS cells and found that it showed specificity in cleaving Spitz but not the closely related transforming growth factor α(TGF-α), the EGFR receptor, or the Notch ligand Delta. The authors constructed chimeric proteins, in which various regions of Spitz and TGF-α were systematically exchanged, and defined a small motif that lay entirely within the Spitz transmembrane domain that was both necessary and sufficient for substrate cleavage. Mutational analysis indicated that helix-disrupting residues--together with constraints on the extent of hydrophobicity--were critical for Rhomboid-1 function. Rhomboid proteins from bacteria and from vertebrates recognized the same motif, suggesting a common targeting strategy. The authors searched for other proteins cleaved within their transmembrane domains that had Spitz-like motifs and identified a family of proteins involved in parasitic invasion as rhomboid substrates. The cleavage motif can thus be used to identify new rhomboid substrates and thereby to better understand the functions of this widespread enzyme family. S. Urban, M. Freeman, Substrate specificity of rhomboid intramembrane proteases is governed by helix-breaking residues in the substrate transmembrane region. Mol. Cell 11, 1425-1434 (2003). [Online Journal]


In temperate forest ecosystems, the role of deer in litter decomposition, a key nutrient cycling process, remains debated. Deer may modify the decomposition process by affecting plant cover and thus modifying litter abundance. They can also alter litter quality through differential browsing and affect decomposer ability by changing soil abiotic properties and the nature of decomposer communities. We used two litterbag experiments in a quasi-experimental situation resulting from the introduction of Sitka black-tailed deer Odocoileus odocoileus sitkensis on forested islands of Haida Gwaii (Canada). We investigated the effects of deer on decomposition through their impacts on litter quality and on decomposer ability. After one year, the effect of deer on litter quality resulted in a lower rate of mass loss in litter from litterbags. This mass loss mainly reflected a 21 and 38 % lower rate of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) loss, respectively. Presence of deer resulted in lower decomposer ability for the rate of carbon loss, but not for nitrogen loss. The level of C loss after one year was 5% higher for litter decomposing on an island without deer. But the change in the rate of carbon loss explained by the effect of deer on decomposer ability was outweighed by the effect deer had on litter quality. Additional effects of deer on the decomposition process through feces deposition were significant but minor. These results question the role the large increase in deer populations observed in temperate forests at continental scales may play in broad scale patterns of C and N cycling.


Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a frequent and costly health care problem representing the most common arrhythmia resulting in hospital admission. Total mortality and cardiovascular mortality are significantly increased in patients with AF compared to controls. In addition to symptoms of palpitations, patients with AF have an increased risk of stroke and may also develop decreased exercise tolerance and left ventricular dysfunction. All of these problems may be reversed with restoration and maintenance of sinus rhythm. External electrical cardioversion has been a remarkably effective and safe method for termination of this arrhythmia. Originally described by Lown et al. in 1963, it has been a well accepted mode of acute therapy. However, this technique requires general anesthesia or heavy sedation. Internal atrial defibrillation has been evaluated as an alternative approach to the external technique for over 2 decades. Recent studies have shown that low-energy internal atrial defibrillation using biphasic shocks is an effective and safe means in restoring sinus rhythm in patients with AF and should be considered especially in patients in whom external cardioversion attempts have failed. Implantable Atrial Defibrillator: Recently, a stand alone IAD, the Metrix System (models 3000 and 3020), has entered clinical investigation. Atrial defibrillation is accomplished by a shock delivered between electrodes in the right atrium and the coronary sinus. The right atrium lead has an active fixation in the right atrium. The coronary sinus lead has a natural spiral configuration for retention in the coronary sinus, and can be straightened with a stylet. Both leads are 7 French in diameter and the defibrillation coils are each 6 cm in length. The electrodes may be placed using separate leads, or very soon by using a single bipolar lead. A separate bipolar right ventricular lead is used for R wave synchronization and post shock pacing. The Metrix defibrillator can be used to induce AF by using R wave synchronous shocks and can store intracardiac electrograms (EGMs) for up to 2 minutes from the most recent 6 AF episodes. The device can be programmed into one of the following operating modes: fully automatic, patient activated, monitor mode, bradycardia pacing only, and off. As AF is not life-threatening, in the automatic mode the device is only intermittently active in detecting and treating AF, and this "sleep wake-up" cycle interval is programmable. The device employs extensive processing both for detection and R wave synchronization. In April 1996, the phase I Metrix multicenter clinical trial was started. As of May 1997, a total of 51 Metrix systems had been implanted as part of the phase I multicenter clinical trial. Preliminary data suggest that both defibrillation thresholds and electrograms are stable over time (implant to 3 months). Detection accuracy has been excellent (100% specificity, 92.3% sensitivity) and there have been no errors of R wave selection for synchronization. No proarrhythmias have resulted from over 3700 shocks delivered. The device is effective in electrically converting 96% of the spontaneous episodes of AF. In 27% of episodes several shocks were required because of early recurrence of AF. In 5 patients, the atrial defibrillator was removed: 2 infections, 1 cardiac tamponade, 1 permanent loss of telemetry, 1 patient required His-Bundle ablation because of frequent episodes of drug refractory AF with rapid ventricular response. Initial clinical experience under controlled conditions with the Metrix system suggests that the implantable atrial defibrillator may offer a therapeutic alternative for a subgroup of patients with drug refractory, symptomatic, long lasting, and infrequent episodes of AF. Further efforts must be undertaken to reduce the patient discomfort associated with internal atrial defibrillation in an attempt to make this new therapy acceptable to a larger patient population with AF. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)


A basic requirement for a credit risk model is that it should not imply negative default probabilities. In this paper, we explore the implications of this condition for credit risk modeling. More specifically, we use the condition as a diagnostic tool to investigate if a particular model is consistent with a given set of credit spreads. We show that under this condition, each model has two credit spread boundaries which can be calculated analytically, and the model is correctly specified if and only if the observed credit spread curve lies within the two boundaries. These analytical formulas for the boundaries also allow us to derive some general properties of a large class of credit risk models. Our study also adds to the literature on pricing defaultable claims off the default probability curve, a method widely used in practice. It is well-known that negative default probabilities frequently occur in constructions of default probability curves. Our analysis provides one possible explanation of why this problem happens and also suggests how the problem may be solved (or at least alleviated).


In the laser forming of metal plates, there is a substantial waiting time required for cooling down the workpiece so that a steep temperature gradient can be reestablished during the next scan. Currently, there are no standard techniques that can be used to reduce this waiting time. This paper discusses the possibility of using non-natural cooling systems to cool down the workpiece. A numerical model of thermo-mechanical analyses with moving boundary conditions to simulate the traveling of laser beam and moving forced water cooling system is presented. Based on the proposed model, cooling effects under different laser powers and scanning velocities with various cooling conditions are investigated. The results show that the forced water cooling can significantly reduce the temperature with no adverse effect on the forming of plates.


Ninety-two patients were entered in a double-blind controlled trial of long-acting quinidine bisulphate for the maintenance of sinus rhythm following DC reversion of atrial fibrillation. By random selection two statistically comparable groups of patients were obtained, a control group being given a placebo and a treated group quinidine bisulphate 1.5 g. per day in two 12-hourly doses. Thirty-seven patients were followed up in the control group and twenty-eight patients in the treated group. The maintenance of sinus rhythm in the treated group was significantly longer than in the control group, especially during the first three months. The mean serum quinidine level in the treated group was 2.2+/-0.3 (SEM) mg. per litre. There was one death among the patients treated with quinidine, which may have been due to quinidine toxicity caused by a high serum quinidine level.


Energy management strategy (EMS) has a profound influence over the performance of a fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle since it can maintain the energy sources in their high efficacy zones leading to efficiency and lifetime enhancement of the system. This paper puts forward an online multi-mode EMS to efficiently split the power among the components while embracing the effects of the driving conditions and performance degradation of the fuel cell system. In this regard, firstly, a self-organizing map (SOM) is trained to cluster the driving patterns. The SOM competitive layer in this work is composed of ten driving features as inputs and it classifies the driving patterns into three classes in the output. Subsequently, a three-mode fuzzy logic controller (FLC) is designed and optimized offline by the genetic algorithm for each driving pattern. Unlike the other similar works, the output membership function of the FLC is designed based on the online identification of the maximum power and efficiency of the fuel cell system which change over time. Finally, the SOM is utilized to recognize the driving mode at each sequence and accordingly activate the most suitable mode of the FLC to meet the requested power by efficient use of the energy sources. The performance of the proposed EMS has been validated by using the hardware-in-the-loop platform for several scenarios. The experimental results analyses indicate the promising performance of the suggested methodology in terms of ameliorating hydrogen economy and the fuel cell system lifetime.


In this paper a modified image coding scheme based on discrete fuzzy transform is presented. In this method, the image is partitioned in to subimages of size 16×16, then any compressed subimage is obtained using fuzzy transform and uniform quantization according to the standard deviation of subimage. These subimages are decompressed with the related inverse fuzzy transform and recomposed for the reconstruction of the image. This method allows the user to select regions of interest and to compress each one with different quality factor. A comparison with the fuzzy-based image coding scheme (FTR) and JPEG method is performed. Experimental results show that the proposed method performs better than FTR and JPEG, especially for images with a low and medium level of details.


The EGRID project aims at implementing a national facility for processing economic and financial data using computational grid technology. As such, it acts as the underlying fabric on top of which partner projects, more strictly focused on research in itself, develop end-user applications. In this paper we present the first release of the infrastructure, which is based on European DataGrid (EDG) middleware and is hosted as an independent Virtual Organization (VO) within INFN-GRID (Czajkowski et al., 2001). However, the EDG middleware is partially inadequate for our partners because of security, privacy and user friendliness. A detailed discussion of temporary workarounds and planned future enhancements will be presented.


The primary aim of teaching design for mechanical engineering students is to make the students achieve a fundamental level of competence in design. This involves creating appropriate learning environment for the students to develop concepts, creativity and critical thinking skills. It is also necessary for the students to develop both individual and team based skills. This paper looks at the student responses based on individual and team based tasks in a second year design course. The student surveys indicate very strong support for team based projects, with a high proportion of students agreeing that they gained many learning benefits as a result: importance of simple design, practical experience of design, and importance of organisation, skills in problem solving and how to work in a team. Overall, the student feedback indicates that they have to work individually to understand the concepts and collectively on a project to achieve a high level outcome.