From the perspective of satisfaction, physical and mental health, and re-travel, this study explored whether the development of religious and cultural tourism could construct a sustainable and friendly life and leisure environment for the elderly to promote physical and mental health. This research adopted a mixed method, collected 700 questionnaires, used SPSS 22.0 statistical software, and analyzed basic statistics, t-test, and PPMCC test. Then, the researchers conducted semi-structured interviews, collected the opinions of six interviewees, and finally analyzed with multiple checks Law discussion. The results found that people of different genders and stakeholders had different opinions about DIY activities on leisure satisfaction, featured itineraries, relaxation areas, signs and instructions, community association and service center services, historical landmarks, and public transportation. They found people's life satisfaction in physical and mental health was increased, their headaches or pressures on the top of their heads were relieved, backache problems were reduced, and they were no longer anxious and lost tempers. They had a greater willingness to revisit some places and share experiences. This study found significant differences among these topics (p < 0.01). Women, residents, and tourists had different opinions. In addition, although the natural environment landscape and feelings have the greatest influence, the better the physical and mental health was improved, the better the willingness to travel. However, the more perfect the local construction and development, the less favorable to attract people to engage in leisure activities or tourism consumption.


We have produced and characterized polyclonal anti-idiotypic antibodies (anti-ids) that mimic the antigenic structures of gp53 from bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV). In this study, the anti-ids were used to identify cell receptors for BVDV. The anti-ids bound specifically to bovine cells, as determined by flow cytometric analysis, and inhibitory binding assays showed that they bound to the cell surface receptors for BVDV. A cell surface protein with an M(r) of approximately 50K was immunoprecipitated by the anti-ids from MDBK cells; this was blocked by preincubation of cell lysate with BVDV. This indicates that the 50K protein might be a specific receptor for BVDV gp53. Thirteen BVDV strains were used to evaluate inhibition of anti-id binding to MDBK cells and inhibition of BVDV infection of anti-id-treated MDBK cell monolayers. Results demonstrated that both processes were inhibited to varying degrees depending on virus strain. The results suggested that multiple receptors for BVDV attachment may exist on MDBK cells, and that different virus strains do not have the same receptor.


Here we characterize the genetic structure of Black Salamanders (Aneides flavipunctatus) in the Klamath Mountains of northwestern California and southwestern Oregon using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences. We hypothesized that the Sacramento, Smith, Klamath, and Rogue River watersheds would represent distinct genetic populations based on prior ecological results, which suggest that Black Salamanders avoid high elevations such as the ridges that separate watersheds. Our mitochondrial results revealed two major lineages, one in the Sacramento River watershed, and another containing the Klamath, Smith, and Rogue River watersheds. Clustering analyses of our thirteen nuclear loci show the Sacramento watershed population to be genetically distinctive. Populations in the Klamath, Smith, and Rogue watersheds are also distinctive but not as differentiated and their boundaries do not correspond to watersheds. Our historical demographic analyses suggest that the Sacramento population has been isolated from the Klamath populations since the mid-Pleistocene, with negligible subsequent gene flow (2 Nm ≤ 0.1). The Smith and Rogue River watershed populations show genetic signals of recent population expansion. These results suggest that the Sacramento River and Klamath River watersheds served as Pleistocene refugia, and that the Rogue and Smith River watersheds were colonized more recently by northward range expansion from the Klamath.


Aim
The island rule describes a trend toward dwarfism of large animals and gigantism of small animals on islands. Studies of vertebrates, including reptiles, report conflicting results regarding the generality of this evolutionary pattern. We studied the size evolution of insular turtles at the intra- and interspecific levels, as well as the clade level. We examined the evolutionary patterns, the relationship of habitat preferences and insular turtle size and whether the island rule extends to turtles.

Location
Islands world-wide and adjacent continents.

Methods
We collected data from the literature and expanded our database by measuring turtle specimens in museum collections. We used reduced major axis regression to test the island rule at the inter- and intraspecific levels, after accounting for phylogenetic effects. In addition, we compared body size frequency distributions of insular versus mainland turtles at the clade level.

Results
Our analyses revealed no support for the island rule in turtles. Intraspecifically, we found no systematic pattern of body size evolution. Interspecifically, large turtle species tend to become larger on islands, in contrast to the island rule predictions. Islands generally harbour larger turtles than mainland regions. This pattern is especially apparent when recently extinct species are considered. We found no impact of habitat preferences on the evolution of body size on islands.

Main conclusions
Turtles on islands do not follow the island rule. We suggest that both physiological and ecological factors drive turtle body size evolution on islands, and their tendency for insular gigantism. Large turtles can survive longer periods of water or food shortage on small oceanic islands. Increased intraspecific competition and reduced interspecific competition and predation on islands may favour large body size. A non-mutually exclusive explanation is that the presence of giant tortoises on islands may reflect founder effects rather than evolution – large turtles are better island colonizers.


The dental wastewater can contribute to the total daily mercury load on the environment. Factorial design of experiments is useful to analyze factors that influence this solubility. The aim of the present study was to design experiments to examine the effects of operational variables, humic acid, temperature, pH and contact time that may affect the solubility of total mercury as dental amalgam residue in reduction process. Based on the factorial design of experiments, the humic acid concentration was the most significant factor in this process, followed by other factors. The parameters affecting the solubility of total mercury showed that when the (HA), T and CT increases and pH decreases there is an important increase of total mercury concentration in process. For the tested conditions, the high total mercury concentration was obtained using the humic acid concentration = 1.0 g L -1 , temperature = 35 o C, pH = 4.0 and contact time = 10 days.


Demand forecast plays an important role in the power industry, as it sets the basis for decision making in power system operation and planning. Electricity consumption forecasting of individual buildings has been widely used for energy management, planning and energy-saving potential identification in the past decade. Yet, insignificant focus has been put on aggregated demand forecast of neighborhoods. In the context of the future smart grid, short- and long-term demand forecast on a neighborhood level will be an essential task for utility providers to better plan generation and solve congestion problems of the distribution network. Based on a comprehensive literature study, an ensemble learning method is proposed for predicting short- and long-term electricity demand of a campus located in the Netherlands. The ensemble model performed better in demand forecasting of neighborhoods compared to individual models for an hour ahead, day ahead and year ahead with R2 values of 0.988, 0.951 and 0.943 respectively. Assessing the demand for cluster of buildings with distinct boundaries such as hospitals and campuses at an aggregated level would reduce the amount of data needed to be stored. The proposed technique contributes to short (single step) and long term (multi step) energy self-sufficiency planning and energy balancing systems on a neighborhood scale.


Most existing approaches to Twitter sentiment analysis assume that sentiment is explicitly expressed through affective words. Nevertheless, sentiment is often implicitly expressed via latent semantic relations, patterns and dependencies among words in tweets. In this paper, we propose a novel approach that automatically captures patterns of words of similar contextual semantics and sentiment in tweets. Unlike previous work on sentiment pattern extraction, our proposed approach does not rely on external and fixed sets of syntactical templates/patterns, nor requires deep analyses of the syntactic structure of sentences in tweets. We evaluate our approach with tweetand entity-level sentiment analysis tasks by using the extracted semantic patterns as classification features in both tasks. We use 9 Twitter datasets in our evaluation and compare the performance of our patterns against 6 state-of-the-art baselines. Results show that our patterns consistently outperform all other baselines on all datasets by 2.19% at the tweet-level and 7.5% at the entity-level in average F-measure.


In mid-1940, Austrians, Germans, and Italians in Britain were labelled 'enemies' by the government and subject to mass internment. In an anti-alienist climate they were targets of particular popular hostility. Neutral Irish also attracted hostility and suspicion as Fifth Columnists and spies. But after mid-1940 the British government moved to an increasingly complex view of nationality with Churchill taking a close personal interest in the recruitment of enemy nationals and neutral Irish to the British forces. Those who served came to be regarded as loyal allies. They faced charges of treachery from their fellow-nationals, demonstrating the assumption—common to Britain as well as Germany, Ireland, and Italy—that patriotism should be singular and exclusive. There is some recent literature exploring mass internment and the histories of Germans, Irish, and Italians in Britain after 1940. The literature treats national groups separately, but offers an opportunity for comparative analysis. This article puts Germans, Irish, and Italians in the same frame, focusing on those who contributed to the British war effort as soldiers, war-workers, and propagandists and tracing common transnational themes in their histories. Transnational allegiances are neglected in literature on transnational history, but were common to many Germans, Irish, and Italians in wartime Britain. Falling outside national memories, their histories have been largely forgotten. Those who gave their lives are rarely commemorated.


Electroencephalographic signals or EEG signals are very closely related to psychophysiological. At present, many types of diseases caused by the psycho-physiological have risen in the society. Early detection of psycho-physiological related problem such as stress, hypertension, depression and others has now become very important. This is due to the modern society lifestyle which contributes to major psychophysiological problems. The existing practice to patients, who have been detected with psycho-physiological problem, used the assessment methods such as questionnaires and interviews which need expertise to handle the case and resulted in time consuming. Thus, a quick, reliable and simple method to determine the level of psycho-physiological condition is necessary during the treatments which can abridge the time needed to diagnose individuals. This study aim is to demonstrate some mental characteristics related to calmness can be grouped and categorized, hence produced EEG calmness index. To materialize this, asymmetry index was chosen as EEG feature in distinguishing unique characteristics of EEG signals from different brain behaviours named as relaxed state and non-relaxed state. The EEG signals were preprocessed through Fast Fourier Transform and were segmented before the energy spectral density (ESD) was derived. The asymmetry index was calculated using the derived ESD. The different data behaviour between relaxed state and non-relaxed state were verified by means of linear regression method to confirm the data discrepancy. In the EEG calmness categorization subtractive clustering was used to identify the total number of EEG behaviour existed within the data features. The Fuzzy C-Means (FCM) was used to place the data features into the same group and the classification was proven through k-Nearest Neighbour (k-NN). Statistical analysis was also employed to confirm the group selected by the FCM provides significant cluster selectivity. Model of Z-score was used to label the calmness indices and set the Zvalue equal to 2a as the minimum level to become EEG calmness index. From the statistical analysis and Z-score results, three indices can be proposed as calmness indices. This was supported with the k-NN performance measures which confirmed the selection for the three indices with 100% accuracy. Therefore, the number of calmness indices which could be used to represent the EEG calmness is three. The results obtained in this study also suggested that the EEG behaviour during calmness can be categorized. The chosen techniques used in the study and the calmness index have brought a novel finding in the EEG research. It is expected that the established EEG calmness index can be projected for the psycho-physiological diagnosis.


Clock synchronization is ubiquitous in wireless systems for communication, sensing, and control. In this paper, we design a scalable system in which an indefinite number of passively receiving wireless units can synchronize to a single master clock at the level of discrete clock ticks. Accurate synchronization requires an estimate of the node positions to compensate the time-of-flight transmission delay in line-of-sight environments. If such information is available, the framework developed here takes position uncertainties into account. In the absence of such information, as in indoor scenarios, we propose an auxiliary localization mechanism. Furthermore, we derive the Cramer–Rao bounds for the system, which show that it enables synchronization accuracy at sub-nanosecond levels. Finally, we develop and evaluate an online estimation method, which is statistically efficient.


The aim of the present work is to study water recycling and reuse in a soft drink Factory. Water is an essential raw material in the soft drink productions with a consumption of 2.5 to 3.5 liter of water per liter of soft drink. The wastewater generated in this industry is mainly from bottle washing, filler backwashing, washing of bottle machines, equipments, floors and pipe work during flavor changing. The major contaminants in this effluent are caustic soda and sucrose In order to reduce water consumption and volume of wastewater generated in the soft drink plant, Sulave private sector factory was chosen as a case study of the generated wastewater in the plant .The study was carried out between May till October 2010 for measuring and monitoring various pollutants of the generated wastewater in the plant. Two strategies had been proposed, in the first wastewater out of bottle washing machine and washing columns could be recycled to the units if treated by: FiltrationAdsorption-Reverse Osmosis system, this proposal reduced water consumption in the factory by about 35% and decreased wastewater effluents by 65% of total wastewater effluents. The second strategy was to reuse water out of the bottle washing machine after treating it by: Filtration-Adsorption system to be used in the washing column .The water consumption in this strategy was reduced by about 15% with a reduction of 35% in wastewater effluents


Olfactory dysfunction constitutes one of the earliest signs of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and has been shown in individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). Whether the severity of olfactory impairments in aMCI patients parallels those in AD has not been clearly established. In addition, given reports of asymmetries in neuropathological burden in early AD, functional asymmetries in olfactory performance may enhance early detection if olfactory function is assessed unirhinally. We compared AD, aMCI, and healthy participants on olfactory identification and memory assessed unirhinally. Olfactory identification was most proficient in the healthy participants and least proficient in AD, although this disparity did not depend on nostril side. Nevertheless, when only the worst nostril of each participant was included in the analysis, aMCI patients outperformed their AD counterparts. In contrast, when only the best nostril of each participant was included in the analysis--often regarded as an estimate of birhinal performance--this difference between aMCI and AD dissipated. Olfactory memory did not differ significantly across the groups, perhaps reflecting a floor effect. The findings support the hypothesis that unirhinal olfactory assessment may assist in differentiating between demented and nondemented individuals.


Background Since 1998, several evidence-based guidelines for Preventive Child Health Care (PCHC) were developed at request of the Dutch Ministry of Ministry of Health Welfare and Sports. The Dutch Centre for Child Health oversees the development, implementation and evaluation of guidelines. Adherence to guidelines is a prerequisite for clients to receive the intended care and benefit. Objective To assess the extent to which professionals in PCHC adhere to key recommendations of nine PCHC-guidelines. Methods We undertook a survey among a representative sample of PCHC-professionals (n = 472). Guideline developers selected key activities/recommendations in their guideline. Participants indicated, for each key activity, the proportion of children they applied the activity to. From this, we calculated the proportion of all prescribed key activities the professionals had actually adhered to (i.e. completeness of use). Participants marked obstructers to adhere to the guidelines. Results 299 (63%) professionals filled-out the questionnaire; 91 doctors, 159 nurses, and 49 medical assistants. Completeness of use varied from 28% to 98% per key activity. Lack of time and lack of client cooperation were often mentioned as obstructers. Discussion There is room for improvement. Problems in measuring adherence have arisen when key recommendations were not very specific. Implications for Guideline Developers/Users To enable future monitoring, guideline developers should be specific in formulating key activities, and make sure that, in the guideline, key activities are clearly recognisable. Assessment of adherence is recommended as a way to point out weaknesses in guidelines and their implementation.


Many an exasperated parent, trying to get a fidgety child to listen and follow instructions, has utilized the phrase "pay attention" with a big exclamation mark at the end. Coaches, teachers, and mentors, willing their hopefuls to realize their full potential and to forsake distractions and temptations (and to make their guardians proud), implore them to "focus, focus, focus …" Attempts to influence and control others' behavior work through attention. If individuals' attention is not directed at what needs to be done, chances are very low that it will ever get done. What is true for the interpersonal context holds true for the organizational context: the structuring and management of attention is central to control processes in organizations. An organization must succeed at directing members' minds or it never will manage to direct their actions. Many definitions of organizational control implicitly or explicitly stress the role of cognitive processes and especially attention. For example, control has been characterized as "measurement and control systems [which] focus attention and cause persons in the organization to orient their efforts to succeeding on the measured dimension" (Pfeffer,1982: 131); and have more recently been defined as "any mechanism that managers use to direct attention, motivate, and energize organizational members to act in desired ways to meet an organization's objectives" (Long et al ., 2003). Although it appears that it is true by definition that controls affect attention, it is important to examine in detail how different types of control affect attention in different ways.


This study explores the nature of pre-service Mathematical Literacy teachers' problem solving with a focus on intra-mathematics and extra-mathematics connections, across two years (2011-2012). The pre-service teachers were enrolled into a new three-year Bachelor of Education course, Concepts and literacy in mathematics (CLM), at a large urban University in South Africa. The CLM course aimed specifically at developing the teachers' fundamental mathematical knowledge as well as contextual knowledge, which were believed to be key components in ML teaching. The fact that the course offered a new approach to professional teacher development in ML (pre-service), contrasting the old model (in-service) reported in ML-related literature in South Africa, where qualified teachers from other subjects were reskilled, coupled with the need to grow the pool of qualified ML teachers, provided a rationale for conducting this study. Data relating to the pre-service teachers' responses to assessment tasks within the course, and their school practicum periods focusing on classroom mathematical working, combined with pedagogical orientations, was collected. PISA's (OECD, 2010, 2013) dimensions of the mathematisation process provided the theoretical framework while Graven and Venkat's (2007a) pedagogic agendas were used to make sense of the pedagogic orientations in practice. The results relating to both learning and practice suggest that the teachers' knowledge relating to model formulation, an aspect of extramathematics connections, was weak across the two years. Nevertheless, improvements in ways in which the dimensions ofthe mathematisation process occurred were noted across the two years, with localised errors. In terms of pedagogic agendas foregrounded by the teachers in ML classrooms, results indicate that agenda 2 (content and context driven) and agenda 3 (mainly content driven) featured more than agenda 1 (context driven) which supports the rhetoric in the ML curriculum. Two implications to teacher training have been noted; first the need for a focus on correctly translating quantities from problem situations into mathematical models, and secondly, the need for promotion of provision of solution procedures with pedagogic links. This study offers two key contributions namely; extending knowledge relating to pre-service ML teacher training, and extending theory for understanding steps in problem solving to incorporate aspects of pedagogy.


The literature examining the relationship between green supply chain management and firm performance has expanded greatly in recent years. Although researchers maintain that green supply chain management can bring positive financial performance, to date they have ignored the moderating role of the social control mechanism, especially in the context of China. Drawing on social exchange theory, this study aims to contribute to the literature in this field by proposing social control as an effective mechanism to strengthen the impact of green supply chain management on firms' financial performance. Today, most empirical literature in the field of green supply chain management adopts the static view and overlooks the contextual factors. This study addresses the gap by investigating the green supply chain management in an environment characterized by frequently unavoidable disruptions, and the effectiveness of social control that accommodates this complexity and dynamism. By examining green supply chain management under conditions of environmental dynamism, this study contributes to the literature of interface of green supply chain and resilience. Using a sample of 185 Chinese manufacturers, the theoretical model is empirically verified. The research findings indicate that in a dynamic environment, the joint effect of social control and green supply chain management practices is positive and significant. This paper also discusses the theoretical contribution and managerial implications of the study, outlines the research limitations, and provides recommendations for future research.


The heat capacity of MnSi at B = 0 and B = 4 T was measured in the temperature range 2.5-100 K. To analyze the data, calculations of the phonon spectrum and phonon density of states in MnSi were performed. The calculated phonon frequencies were confirmed by means of inelastic neutron scattering. The analysis of the data suggests the existence of negative contributions to the heat capacity and entropy of MnSi at T > T(c) that may imply a specific ordering in the spin subsystem in the paramagnetic phase of MnSi.


The environmentally friendly alternatives are being examined by an R&D group funded by German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The research goals of this group are to analyze the potential of known environmental friendly gases to serve as protective atmosphere, and also to develop and to evaluate new methods for protecting the surface of magnesium melts. One possible alternative is covering the magnesium melt with CO2-snow, which is deposited on the molten bath and decreases the surface temperature of the melt. On the other hand gas expansion is the result of the sublimation of the CO2-snow which displaces any oxygen at the surface of the molten magnesium.


This article analyzes the multiple innovation trajectories and changes in competitive strategy in Singapore as it evolves from an industrial economy to a knowledge-based economy. In addition to the existing national innovation system in the well-heeled industrial manufacturing sectors such as electronics, chemicals, and precision engineering, a new mode of innovation has been evolving in the research-intensive biomedical industries cluster, which emphasizes a special role for the academic sector in the innovation milieu. Biotech investments at the moment appear to pose high risks due to the rather amorphous and unclear market signals coming out of the industry. However, as technologies become more speculative, governments do need to spread their bets more widely to enable more possibilities to emerge. The challenges and opportunities Singapore faces have relevance to other states seeking to adopt new policies for gaining competitiveness and national comparative advantage in an era of globalization.


The development of an efficient ground sampling strategy is critical to assess uncertainties associated with moderate- or coarse-resolution remote-sensing products. This work presents a comparison of estimating spatial means from fine spatial resolution images using spatial random sampling (SRS), Block Kriging (BK), and Means of Surface with Nonhomogeneity (MSN) at 1 km2 spatial scale. Towards this goal, we focus on the sampling strategies for ground data measurements and provide an assessment of the MODIS LAI product validated by the spatial means estimated by the above-mentioned three methods. The results of this study indicate that: (1) for its effective stratification strategies and its criteria of minimum mean square estimation error, MSN demonstrates the lowest mean squared estimation error for estimating the means of stratified nonhomogeneous surface; (2) BK is efficient in estimating the means of homogeneous surfaces without bias and with minimum mean squared estimation errors. The MODIS LAI product is assessed using the means estimated by SRS, BK, and MSN based on Landsat 8 OLI and SPOT HRV fine-resolution LAI maps. For heterogeneous surfaces, MSN results in low RMSE and high accuracy of MODIS LAI product compared with BK and SRS, whereas for homogeneous surfaces, the statistical parameters outputted by these three methods are similar. These results reveal that MSN is an effective method for estimating the spatial means for heterogeneous surfaces. There are differences in the accuracies of MODIS LAI product assessed by these three methods.


Following the principles of bioisosterism we envisioned to synthesize novel analogs of lead compound α- cyclohexyl-α-hydroxy-benzeneacetic acid-4-(diethylamino)-2-butynyl ester with planned structural modifications. Compounds synthesized were characterized by spectroscopic techniques to establish their structures and evaluated for their anti-spasmodic, anti-cholinergic and antimicrobial potency. The antispasmodic and anti-cholinergic testing was carried out by muscle relaxation studies on isolated Wistar rat's ileum, contracted with acetylcholine and acetylcholine antagonist property on frog rectus abdominal muscle preparation respectively. The sedative potency of the compounds was evaluated following one-way ANOVA followed by Scheffe's post hoc analysis to find out the significance. The compounds were evaluated in vitro, for their antibacterial activity using acetone as a solvent and MIC was done by broth dilution method. The fungal susceptibility testing on different fungi was done by cupdiffusion method using Clotrimazole (100mcg/mL) as standard using acetone as a solvent. The compounds have shown promising results and definite structure-activity relationship could be established.


In this paper, we report on how the properties of the suspensions of a lyotropic nematic mineral liquid crystal (MLC) based on V2O5 ribbons are exploited to synthesize single‐domain mesostructured inorganic–inorganic composites, aligned at the centimeter length scale by application of a relatively small magnetic field (0.85 T). In addition, the removal of the mineral template from the inorganic matrix leaves aligned empty channels, fingerprints of the V2O5 ribbons. Large colorless and birefringent mesoporous material is obtained where the orientational order of the channel director has retain the magnetic‐field alignment of its mineral template up to the centimeter length scale within the porous macroscopic silica matrix. A representative material exhibits slit‐like pores with cross‐sectional dimensions of 2 × 20 nm over 600 nm, and has a specific surface area of 207 m2 g–1.


OBJECTIVES
To assess the visual prognosis of patients with age-related macular degeneration and unilateral extrafoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV), and to determine the risk of CNV developing in fellow eyes that were initially unaffected.

DESIGN, PATIENTS, AND SETTING
Five-year prospective follow-up study of fellow eyes of 228 patients enrolled in a randomized clinical trial of laser photocoagulation of extrafoveal CNV. Visual acuity was measured and macular photographs were taken at 6-month intervals.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Five-year change in visual acuity of fellow eyes from baseline, incidence of legal blindness (visual acuity of < or = 20/200 in the better eye), and cumulative incidence of CNV in fellow eyes free of neovascular maculopathy at the time of study enrollment.

RESULTS
Photographically documented CNV developed in 33 (26%) of 128 fellow eyes that were initially free of neovascular maculopathy, and was associated with poor visual acuity at the end of the 5-year follow-up period. Among 67 patients who had bilateral neovascular maculopathy initially and were examined 5 years later, 33 (49%) were legally blind compared with 13 (12%) of 106 patients who had unilateral neovascular maculopathy initially. In all 13 of the latter group, CNV had developed in the fellow eye.

CONCLUSIONS
Patients with age-related macular degeneration and CNV in one eye are at high risk of legal blindness within 5 years, and, thus, should be followed up carefully to ensure that laser treatment can be applied to CNV in either eye whenever it is likely to improve the visual prognosis.


Matching Logic is a framework for specifying programming language semantics and reasoning about programs. Its formulas are called patterns and are built with variables, symbols, connectives and quantifiers. A pattern is a combination of structural components (term patterns), which must be matched, and constraints (predicate patterns), which must be satisfied. Dealing with more than one structural component in a pattern could be cumbersome because it involves multiple matching operations. A source for getting patterns with many structural components is the conjunction of patterns. Here, we propose a method that uses a syntactic unification algorithm to transform conjunctions of structural patterns into equivalent patterns having only one structural component and some additional constraints. We prove the soundness of our approach, we discuss why the approach is not complete and we provide sound strategies to generate certificates for the equivalences, validated using Coq.


Effective Instruction for English Language Learners by Kelly Picard Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Walden University November 2019 Abstract The problem addressed in this study is that English Language Learners (ELLs) in a California school district are not meeting the targeted yearly grade level expectations or making the same progress as non-ELL students. Meeting this goal will help close the achievement gap between ELLs and their native-English speaking peers. The purpose of the qualitative study was to explore the local problem and identify how teachers provided academic instruction to support ELLs with academic instruction and investigate perceived causes of the inadequate progress in learning English andThe problem addressed in this study is that English Language Learners (ELLs) in a California school district are not meeting the targeted yearly grade level expectations or making the same progress as non-ELL students. Meeting this goal will help close the achievement gap between ELLs and their native-English speaking peers. The purpose of the qualitative study was to explore the local problem and identify how teachers provided academic instruction to support ELLs with academic instruction and investigate perceived causes of the inadequate progress in learning English and the academic content. The research was guided by Vygotsky's theory of development and the social/cognitive interactions with Ladson-Billings' approach to cultural relevance. These theories support how teachers and students maintain an active cognitive and social learning approach. The qualitative study investigated teachers' instructional practices for ELLs through classroom observations and interviews. Purposeful sampling identified 12 potential participants who met the criteria of providing ELL instruction. Four ELL teachers participated through observations and interviews. The data analysis examined, identified, and interpreted themes. Data saturation was reached as no new themes emerged. The following 4 themes resulted: (a) classroom environment, (b) curriculum content, (c) academic language, and (d) differentiation. A 3-Day PD was designed to guide future ELL pedagogy and strategic activity to promote social change by providing educators opportunities to practice research based ELL instructional approaches to teaching. The end goal is for improved academic and social achievements for ELL students. Effective Instruction for English Language Learners by Kelly Picard Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Walden University November 2019


Plutonic, volcanic, and hydrothermal activity in magmatic
 arcs is commonly focused spatially, leaving behind complex records of
 multiple ore-forming processes that can be appreciated in detail only if the
 timing of igneous and hydrothermal systems is ascertained. The Spahievo ore
 district, Bulgaria, is adjacent to the Oligocene Borovitsa caldera, one of
 the largest in Europe. Juxtaposition of porphyry mineralization, barren
 advanced argillic alteration, and low-sulfidation epithermal alteration and
 mineralization zones along the caldera margin provides an uncommon
 opportunity to examine the temporal development of an evolved
 magmatic-hydrothermal system. 40 Ar/ 39 Ar ages
 determined using a CO 2 laser to fuse or incrementally heat
 minerals from fresh igneous and altered rocks indicate a rapid succession of
 (1) pre-caldera intermediate magmatism including monzonitic intrusion and
 coeval porphyry-style mineralization and advanced argillic alteration
 between 32.9 and 32.3 Ma; (2) rhyolitic ash-flow tuffs, dikes, and domes,
 with adularia-sericite alteration accompanied by epithermal precious metal
 mineralization at 32.1 Ma; and (3) nearly synchronous collapse of a nested
 caldera and intrusion of a ring-fault rhyolite dome and intracaldera dikes
 at 31.8 Ma. These ages link monzonitic intrusion, Cu-Mo mineralization, and
 advanced argillic alteration, and indicate that rhyolitic magmatism and
 adularia-sericite alteration with associated base-metal plus Au
 mineralization is slightly younger, about 100 to 500 k.y. Deposition of Au
 ore ca. 300 k.y. prior to caldera collapse distinguishes this ore district
 from many well-known deposits in which ore formation accompanied andesitic
 or rhyolitic intrusions along ring fractures that postdate the collapse.


Aim: Inflammatory myofibroblastic pseudotumor (IMT), part of the inflammatory pseudotumor (IPT) family, shares many presenting features with more common expansile sinonasal masses and is unlikely to be diagnosed without clinical suspicion. Background: Inflammatory myofibroblastic pseudotumor (IMT) is histologically characterized by myofibroblasts with prominent small lymphocytes and plasma cells, often initially mistaken for other inflammatory processes. These lesions share characteristics of pseudotumors and neoplasms with possible malignant potential. Case description: We present the case of a 57-year-old woman who was eventually properly diagnosed with IMT. She initially presented with several month histories of severe right-sided headache, facial pain, blurry vision, and right lid ptosis. The patient was diagnosed with invasive fungal sinusitis by another provider but proved nonresponsive to intravenous antifungal therapy. Repeat biopsy revealed an inflammatory process consistent with IMT. The lesion was rapidly responsive to intravenous steroid therapy. Conclusion: A destructive sinonasal mass necessitates a wide differential diagnosis that should include IPT. Both medical and multimodal treatment strategies have proven highly efficacious with a high cure rate and a higher rate of tumor stabilization. Clinical significance: IMT is an example of a commonly misdiagnosed pathology even with permanent section analysis by several pathologists. Early identification of this condition can lead to better treatment with medical therapeutic options and minimize unnecessary interventions.


The state of knowledge of anodic bonding is reviewed, paying particular attention to the creation of intimate contact and to the microstructure of anodic bonds formed between silicon and Pyrex. Equivalent electrical circuit models of differing degrees of sophistication which have been proposed in the literature to predict the current-time characteristics observed experimentally for a range of conditions of applied voltage and temperature in anodic bonding are critically analysed. It is shown that relatively simple equivalent circuit models comprising capacitors and resistors can be used to account for the main features of the observed current-time characteristics, but that these require the assumption of large relative permittivities for the capacitative components in the models.


Six seated tests were evaluated in the laboratory to determine whether they would be feasible for use on the water as sobriety tests to measure impairment from alcohol at blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) of >0.08%. The standardized field sobriety tests (SFSTs) currently used at roadside are not suitable for the marine environment; marine law enforcement officers are left with insufficient methods to assess impairment on the water. One hundred fifty-seven participants were randomly assigned to a BAC group: 0.00%, 0.04%, 0.08%, and 0.12%. Six tests were administered to the participants by experienced law enforcement officers. Neither the testers nor the participants were privy to the participants' BACs. A variable called BAC status (N = 138) was obtained by dividing the average BAC into two groups: BAC < 0.08% and BAC ≥ 0.08%. A combination of four tests—horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN), finger to nose (FTN), palm pat (PP), and hand coordination (HC)—correctly classified 82% of the BACs ≥0.08% and 67% of the BACs <0.08%, for an overall percentage correct of 72%. Four individual tests also predicted BAC status: HGN, FTN, PP, and HC. Four tests in combination and individually discriminated BAC status, although the overall percentages of accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the tests were below what was typically reported in literature on the roadside SFSTs. With the proper refinements, the four tests may assist marine officers with assessments of alcohol-related impairment in recreational boaters.


The α7 neuronal nicotinic receptor gene (CHRNA7) is widely expressed in both the brain and periphery whereas its encoding protein of α7 neuronal acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) belongs to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor family. Considerable evidence suggests that α7nAChR plays an important role in chronic inflammatory and neuropathic pain signaling and thus has been proposed as a potential target for treating cognitive deficits in patients with schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Alzheimer's disease. The aim of the present study was to determine the role of endogenous α7nAChR signaling in human colorectal cancer growth and metastasis. pLVX‑CHRNA7 encoding the full length of CHRNA7 was constructed and transfected into LoVo human colorectal cancer cells. Cell proliferation was measured by Cell Counting Kit‑8 (CCK‑8), and cell migration and invasion were detected by Transwell chamber assays. Expression and activity of metastasis‑related metalloproteinases (MMPs) were analyzed by western blotting and gelatin zymography, respectively. Activation of metastasis-related signaling molecules was detected by western blotting. LY294002 was used to specifically block the phosphatidylinositol 3‑kinase/v‑akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homologue (PI3K/Akt) pathway. We showed that concomitantly with an increase in α7nAChR expression after transfection, LoVo cells presented reduced abilities for migration and invasion, which was accompanied by reduced expression levels of MMP‑1 and MMP‑9 as well as activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. The application of LY294002 restored the migration and invasion abilities of the LoVo cells bearing CHRNA7. Collectively, we conclude that overexpression of CHRNA7 negatively controls colorectal cancer LoVo cell invasion and metastasis via PI3K/Akt pathway activation and may serve as either a diagnostic marker or a therapeutic target for colorectal cancer metastasis.


Thermal perceptions and preferences of individuals outdoors cannot be entirely explained by the energy balance of the human body. They are also affected by psychological and behavioural factors or the so‐called thermal adaptation. To examine the effect of thermal adaptation on seasonal outdoor thermal comfort, 1644 interviews with concurrent micrometeorological measurements were conducted outdoors in central Taiwan. Results indicate a deviation of 1.3 °C standard effective temperature (SET*) in neutral temperatures between hot and cool seasons, and a deviation of 1.8 °C SET* in preferred temperature between hot and cool seasons. Additionally, although subjects' temperature and sunshine preferences were highly correlated with SET*, they diverged between seasons for identical SET* exposures in the two seasons. Analysis reveals that people's thermal perceptions were strongly related to the air temperature (Ta) and mean radiant temperature (Tmrt), but not significant to air speed and air humidity. These results demonstrate that thermal adaptation markedly influences seasonal outdoor thermal comfort, knowledge of which may be useful in the planning and design of outdoor environments in hot–humid regions. Copyright © 2010 Royal Meteorological Society


We use satellite night lights data to estimate the extent of provincial-level gross domestic product (GDP) manipulation in China and show that firms located in provinces with greater GDP manipulation have higher cost of equity. This effect is significant for local state-owned enterprises (SOEs) only; furthermore, it is more pronounced when local government officials face greater promotion pressure and when institutional ownership is lower. We also document a negative association between future earnings and GDP manipulation. Overall, our findings suggest that Chinese local governments intervene in local SOEs' decisions to manipulate GDP figures which may cost shareholders.


A mild and transition-metal-free protocol is herein presented for the preparation of 6-fluoroalkylphenanthridines and this reaction can be readily scaled up to the gram level. The easy-handling sodium tri-, di-, and monofluoromethanesulfinates are used as efficient radical fluoroalkylation reagents under ambient conditions. In the presence of the organic photoredox catalyst N-methyl-9-mesityl acridinium, a range of desired products were afforded in satisfactory yields upon visible-light irradiation.


In discussing differences between males and females, people are generally inclined to consider the existing physical differences as the chief source of their divergence in character and in social behavior. In this respect, scientists are divided into two groups: the first, headed by Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), affirms the existence of a strong relationship between the biological and the psychological differences, making the latter a direct result of the former; while another group insists on denying that relationship and considers the differences in character as a result of non-biological factors.


The effects of arabinoxylan (AX)-rich rye bran based diet (RB) and antibiotics on digestion, fermentation and short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) absorption were studied compared with an iso-dietary fibre (DF) cellulose based diet (CEL). Thirty female pigs (body weight 72.5 ± 3.9 kg) were fed a standard swine diet in week 1, CEL as wash-out for bran-associated bioactive components in week 2 and then divided into 3 groups fed either the CEL (n = 10) or RB (n = 20) for 2 weeks, where 10 pigs from RB had daily intramuscular antibiotic injections (RB+) and the other 10 pigs were untreated (RB-) in week 4. In RB, the degradation of AX mainly occurred in caecum and proximal colon (P < 0.01) and to a higher extent than cellulose, which on the other hand, irrespective of antibiotic treatment, was less degraded in the RB groups than in the CEL (P < 0.01). The apparent digestibility of fat and protein in the distal small intestine was lower for RB than CEL (P < 0.05), the protein digestibility remained lower in most of the colon, and the digestibility was not affected by treatment with antibiotics. The colonic concentrations of SCFA, acetate and propionate as well as the butyrate concentration in the distal colon were lower with the RB treatments compared with CEL (P < 0.01). Caecal butyrate concentrations were on the other hand higher, and a significant reduction was seen with antibiotic treatment (P < 0.001). The daily net absorption of SCFA and acetate was lower with RB than with CEL (P < 0.01). In conclusion, RB resulted in different DF degradation processes and SCFA production compared with CEL, whereas antibiotic treatment had marginal effects on the intestinal DF degradation but hampered butyrate production.


Most of the existing salient object detection (SOD) models focus on improving the overall model performance, without explicitly explaining the discrepancy between the training and testing distributions. In this paper, we investigate a particular type of epistemic uncertainty, namely distributional uncertainty, for salient object detection. Specifically, for the first time, we explore the existing class-aware distribution gap exploration techniques, i.e. long-tail learning, single-model uncertainty modeling and test-time strategies, and adapt them to model the distributional uncertainty for our class-agnostic task. We define test sample that is dissimilar to the training dataset as being "out-of-distribution" (OOD) samples. Different from the conventional OOD definition, where OOD samples are those not belonging to the closed-world training categories, OOD samples for SOD are those break the basic priors of saliency, i.e. center prior, color contrast prior, compactness prior and etc., indicating OOD as being "continuous" instead of being discrete for our task. We've carried out extensive experimental results to verify effectiveness of existing distribution gap modeling techniques for SOD, and conclude that both train-time single-model uncertainty estimation techniques and weight-regularization solutions that preventing model activation from drifting too much are promising directions for modeling distributional uncertainty for SOD.


The Palliser Formation of western Canada constitutes a giant, tropical carbonate platform of Famennian age. Although now mostly composed of peloids, aggregates, intraclasts, and cortoids, a major proportion of these micritic particles originally consisted of bioclasts, primarily crinoidal, that were obliterated by bioerosion. Analogous to modern tropical environments, microendoliths may have proliferated on this platform during widespread mesotrophic conditions owing to excess nutrients derived from the developing Ellesmerian orogen in the Canadian Arctic. The orogeny was coincident with profound changes in the middle Paleozoic biosphere due to increased pedogenesis accompanying the spread of deep-rooting gymnosperms. This evolutionary event may have resulted in the disturbance of the ecological balance in epicontinental seas by causing enhanced nutrient mobilization and riverine nutrient flux. This precursor to the observed Mesozoic increase in bioerosion hides a bountiful, although low-diversity, skeleton- secreting benthos on the Famennian platform, thereby concealing the extent of the Late Devonian faunal crisis and its recovery.


The TOV equation appears as the relativistic counterpart of the classical condition for hydrostatic equilibrium. In the present work we aim at showing that a generalised TOV equation also characterises the equilibrium of models endowed with other symmetries besides spherical. We apply the dual null formalism to spacetimes with two dimensional spherical, planar and hyperbolic symmetries with a perfect fluid as the source. We also assume a Killing vector field orthogonal to the surfaces of symmetry, which gives us static solutions, in the timelike Killing field case, and homogeneous dynamical solutions in the case the Killing field is spacelike. In order to treat equally all the aforementioned cases, we discuss the definition of a quasi-local energy for the spacetimes with planar and hyperbolic foliations, since the Hawking–Hayward definition only applies to compact foliations. After this procedure, we are able to translate our geometrical formalism to the fluid dynamics language in a unified way, to find the generalised TOV equation, for the three cases when the solution is static, and to obtain the evolution equation, for the homogeneous spacetime cases. Remarkably, we show that the static solutions which are not spherically symmetric violate the weak energy condition (WEC). We have also shown that the counterpart of the TOV equation ρ + P = 0, defining a cosmological constant-type behaviour, both in the hyperbolic and spherical cases. This implies a violation of the strong energy condition in both cases, added to the above mentioned violation of the weak energy condition in the hyperbolic case. We illustrate our unified treatment obtaining analogs of Schwarzschild interior solution, for an incompressible fluid ρ = ρ0 constant.


Indian tribes, because of their distinctive regulatory authority and significant connection to the environment, possess unique capacities to innovate within the field of environmental law in the over 56 million acres that makes up Indian country. In this first scholarly work to address this aspect of tribal environmental law, this article advocates for the idea of tribes as "laboratories" for examining environmental regulation. Tribes enact environmental regulation by two primary means – in their capacity as "tribes as states" (TAS) and in their capacity as inherent sovereigns – both of which create unparalleled space for innovation. Moving first to the TAS setting, the article examines synergies between federal and tribal environmental law. Following an expansive discussion of laws adopted by several tribes under their TAS authority, the article next turns to a discussion of the implications of tribal environmental innovations. Here, the article begins by looking at the emerging trends in tribal adaptation of federal environmental law. The article turns next to a look at tribal environmental law adopted purely as a result of tribal inherent sovereignty. Here, the article begins the foundational discussion of how tribes may take lessons learned from the TAS setting and, by the exercise of inherent sovereignty, truly be innovators in the development of environmental law. The article then develops some initial thoughts of how tribes, the states and the federal government may benefit from innovations occurring within the tribal environmental laboratory. Tribal environmental law is particularly exciting given its ability to transcend federal environmental law. Ultimately, the article concludes that, by enacting environmental laws to meet their unique tribal needs, many tribes are creating and innovating in the field under their unique powers as separate sovereigns within the United States, truly acting as laboratories of the future.


The study was carried out in Union Council Islamphur Tehsil Babozay District Sawt since Feb, 2020. Islampur consists of three village councils namely Balawow, Chitawar and Serkaricham. .The total Shawl makers in this Union Council is 1331. Out of total Balawow village council shawl maker number is 406, Chitawar 429 and Serkaricham Village council number is 496. Through Yamani Formula Sample size was fixed to 133 while through allocation technique the size 133 was distributed among the three village councils. The number of sample size Balawow was 41, Chitawar 43 and Serkaricham was 49. Through interview schedule data was collected from the respondents and analyzed with the help of SPSS, Stata and MS Excel software and draw the conclusion and wrote the result of the study. The result indicates that Shawl is very nice business activity in this Union Council and have improved socioeconomic condition of the study area. The average net returns was found Rs23466 per month of the Shawl maker while total sales mean was Rs 95902. The empirical outcomes found out that net profit of shawl production has been positively links with price of shawl and number of producing shawls in the study area while good marketing also play great role in Shawl industry uplifting. There the shawl makers on middle men sell the Shawl on low price and then they sold on high price in national and international market. Similarly cost of shawls negatively affect the net income of the Shawl Maker due to high cost in the study area. All variables such as shawl price, Production cost were found statistically significant. The overall results display that production of shawls is profitable for the study area. Terrorism in the past has been mostly damaged to this industry and majority people due to Militancy fled away from the area and after peace then start to this business for uplifting to their socioeconomic conditions. On the basis of problems the study recommend that to provide credit facility to shawl maker for making more shawls; Provide favorable market to shawl industry in the study area; Peace and security for shawl industry enhancement is required; Transportation facilities should also be provided for shawl industry enhancement; Vocational institution should be established for further uplifting to this industry; Shawl and other cottage industries should be included in the government policy at assembly level in the country; Subsidies price on inputs of shawl and support price for selling the shawl should be included in the Government policy debate while tax should be exempted on shawl imported inputs and on exported Shawl in the country by government; Tourism industry in Swat should be developed for shawl industry enhancement.


In this chapter I tie together three lines of argument. In line with existing research, I show that music is an important component in human identity construction and development, both on an individual and collective level. Moreover I argue that music fulfills these identity functions through its affective and emotional qualities. In my second line of argument I claim that these identity functions become severely restricted by today's copyright-laws. As, for instance, national copyright-laws are increasingly forced to harmonize with the global TRIPS-agreement (Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights), music becomes subject to the private rights of multinational corporations and media-conglomerates, whereby music loses its independence as a dynamic cultural expression and individual self-object.Against the totalizing threat of today's copyright regime I claim, as my third line of argument, that the same principles that underlie music's power to fulfill human identity functions show that music cannot be reduced to an expression subject to private rights. Music is more than a material set of sounds with a predictable physiological effect. Nor can music be reduced to an immaterial cognitive object. Music's ontological status derives to an irreducible extent from the affective investment of its listeners.


It is estimated that vaccinating 50-70% of school-aged children for influenza can produce population-wide indirect effects. We evaluated a city-wide, school-located influenza vaccination (SLIV) intervention that aimed to increase influenza vaccination coverage. The intervention was implemented in over 95 pre-schools and elementary schools in northern California from 2014 to 2018. Using a matched prospective cohort design, we estimated intervention impacts on student influenza vaccination coverage, school absenteeism, and community-wide indirect effects on laboratory-confirmed influenza hospitalizations.We used a multivariate matching algorithm to identify a nearby comparison school district with similar pre-intervention characteristics and matched schools in each district. To measure student influenza vaccination, we conducted cross-sectional surveys of student caregivers in 22 school pairs (2016 survey N = 6,070; 2017 survey N = 6,507). We estimated the incidence of laboratory-confirmed influenza hospitalization from 2011-2018 using surveillance data from school district zip codes. We analyzed student absenteeism data from 2011-2018 from each district (N = 42,487,816 student-days). To account for pre-intervention differences between districts, we estimated difference-in-differences (DID) in influenza hospitalization incidence and absenteeism rates using generalized linear and log-linear models with a population offset for incidence outcomes.The number of students vaccinated by the SLIV intervention ranged from 7,502 to 10,106 (22-28% of eligible students) each year. During the intervention, influenza vaccination coverage among elementary students was 53-66% in the comparison district. Coverage was similar between the intervention and comparison districts in 2014-15 and 2015-16 and was significantly higher in the intervention site in 2016-17 (7% 95% CI 4, 11) and 2017-18 (11% 95% CI 7, 15). During seasons when vaccination coverage was higher among intervention schools and the vaccine was moderately effective, there was evidence of statistically significant indirect effects: adjusting for pre-intervention differences between districts, the reduction in influenza hospitalizations in the intervention site was 76 (95% CI 20, 133) in 2016-17 and 165 (95% CI 86, 243) in 2017-18 among non-elementary school aged individuals and 327 (5, 659) in 2016-17 and 715 (236, 1195) in 2017-18 among adults 65 years or older. The reduction in illness-related school absences during influenza season was 3,538 (95% CI 709, 6,366) in 2016-17 and 8,249 (95% CI 3,213, 13,285) in 2017-18. Limitations of this study include the use of an observational design, which may be subject to unmeasured confounding, and caregiver-reported vaccination status, which is subject to poor recall and low response rates.A city-wide SLIV intervention in a large, diverse urban population decreased the incidence of laboratory-confirmed influenza hospitalization in all age groups and decreased illness-specific school absence rates among students during seasons when the vaccine was moderately effective, suggesting that the intervention produced indirect effects. Our findings suggest that in populations with moderately high background levels of influenza vaccination coverage, SLIV programs can further increase coverage and reduce influenza across communities.


High-resolution stochastic 'bottom-up' domestic energy demand models can be used to assess the impact of lowcarbon technologies, and can underpin energy analyses of aggregations of dwellings. The domestic electricity demand model developed by Loughborough University has these features and accounts for lighting, appliance
usage, and photovoltaic micro-generation. Work is underway at Loughborough to extend the existing model intoan integrated thermal-electrical domestic demand model that can provide a suitable basis for modelling the
impact of low-carbon heating technologies. This paper describes the development of one of the new components of the integrated model: a solar thermal collector model that provides domestic hot water to the dwelling. The paper describes the overall architecture of the solar thermal model and how it integrates with the broader thermal
model, and includes a description of the control logic and thermal-electrical equivalent network used to model the
solar collector heat output.


Virtual reference service has become ubiquitous in academic libraries. The increased adoption of chat technology brings to light some of the challenges of providing high-quality reference service. The lack of a personal connection, increased transaction time, and technical problems are often cited. Techniques, such as conducting a reference interview or using online communication conventions, can make virtual reference as effective as face-to-face reference. Additionally, inclusion of video or Web annotation in the virtual reference session can add an element of personalization that might otherwise be missing. Virtual reference can be an emotionally rich, engaging, and effective form of reference service if these techniques and technologies are adopted.


Water vapour interacts with growing chromia scales in several different ways. Formation and volatilisation of Cr2O2(OH)2 is shown to account quantitatively for chromium loss from thin alloy foils reacted with air-steam mixtures over periods of 103 h. In the shorter term, water vapour is shown to refine the grain structure of Cr2O3 scales grown on Ni-25Cr. Scaling kinetics are at the same time accelerated by an additional, larger contribution to diffusion by a grain boundary species, either OH- or H2O. A slight increase in scaling rate observed at low water vapour partial pressures in H2/H2O gases is thought to be due to hydrogen doping.


Background: There are limited studies on the effects of statins on outcomes in the moderate chronic kidney disease (CKD) population and their trajectory to end-stage kidney disease. Objective: To examine the long-term effects of lipid-lowering therapy on all-cause mortality, cardiovascular morbidity, CKD progression, and socioeconomic well-being in Australian, New Zealand, and Malaysian SHARP (Study of Heart and Renal Protection) trial participants—a randomized controlled trial of a combination of simvastatin and ezetimibe, compared with placebo, for the reduction of cardiovascular events in moderate to severe CKD. Design: Protocol for an extended prospective observational follow-up. Setting: Australian, New Zealand, and Malaysian participating centers in patients with advanced CKD. Patients: All SHARP trial participants alive at the final study visit. Measurements: Primary outcomes were measured by participant self-report and verified by hospital administrative data. In addition, secondary outcomes were measured using a validated study questionnaire of health-related quality of life, a 56-item economic survey. Methods: Participants were followed up with alternating face-to-face visits and telephone calls on a 6-monthly basis until 5 years following their final SHARP Study visit. In addition, there were 6-monthly follow-up telephone calls in between these visits. Data linkage to health registries in Australia, New Zealand, and Malaysia was also performed. Results: The SHARP-Extended Review (SHARP-ER) cohort comprised 1136 SHARP participants with a median of 4.6 years of follow-up. Compared with all SHARP participants who originally participated in the Australian, New Zealand, and Malaysian regions, the SHARP-ER participants were younger (57.2 [48.3-66.4] vs 60.5 [50.3-70.7] years) with a lower proportion of men (61.5% vs 62.8%). There were a lower proportion of participants with hypertension (83.7% vs 85.0%) and diabetes (20.0% vs 23.5%). Limitations: As a long-term follow-up study, the surviving cohort of SHARP-ER is a selected group of the original study participants, which may limit the generalizability of the findings. Conclusion: The SHARP-ER study will contribute important evidence on the long-term outcomes of cholesterol-lowering therapy in patients with advanced CKD with a total of 10 years of follow-up. Novel analyses of the socioeconomic impact of CKD over time will guide resource allocation. Trial Registration: The SHARP trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00125593 and ISRCTN 54137607.


Objectives: To analyze the frequency of NMDA receptor (NMDAR) antibodies in patients with various inflammatory demyelinating diseases of the CNS and to determine their clinical correlates. Methods: Retrospective case-control study from 2005 to 2014 with the detection of serum IgG antibodies to NMDAR, aquaporin-4, and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein by recombinant live cell-based immunofluorescence assays. Fifty-one patients with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, 41 with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders, 34 with clinically isolated syndrome, and 89 with multiple sclerosis (MS) were included. Due to a known association of NMDAR antibodies with seizures and behavioral symptoms, patients with those clinical manifestations were preferentially included and are therefore overrepresented in our cohort. Nine patients with NMDAR encephalitis, 94 patients with other neurologic diseases, and 48 healthy individuals were used as controls. Results: NMDAR antibodies were found in all 9 patients with NMDAR encephalitis but in only 1 of 215 (0.5%) patients with inflammatory demyelination and in none of the controls. This patient had relapsing-remitting MS with NMDAR antibodies present at disease onset, with an increase in NMDAR antibody titer with the onset of psychiatric symptoms and cognitive deficits. Conclusion: In demyelinating disorders, NMDAR antibodies are uncommon, even in those with symptoms seen in NMDAR encephalitis.


Background: Epigenetic regulation plays significant role in the development of the inner ear. It is known that Ring1B can monoubiquitinate H2AK119 to compact nucleosomes and block gene transcription. Ring1B plays crucial role in embryonic development, heterochromatin function, stem cell maintenance and so on. However, it is still unknown whether Ring1B plays a role in the development of inner ear. Methods: Here, we used postnatal C56BL/6J mice to examine the expression of Ring1B in the cochlea using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, and immunofluorescence staining. Results: Ring1B mRNA expression was observed at postnatal day 0 and postnatal day 14 cochlea. Ring1B protein was expressed in the cochlea on postnatal days 0, 14, and 30. The Ring1B was observed to be expressed in spiral ganglion cells at postnatal days 0, 14, and 30. Additionally, Ring1B was expressed in hair cells at postnatal days 0, 14, and 30. Conclusion: Our results provide the basic expression pattern of Ring1B and might be helpful for future investigations of the detailed role of Ring1B in the cochlea.


The paper treats the Wigner distribution of scalar-valued stochastic processes defined on R-d. We show that if the process is Gaussian and weakly harmonizable then a stochastic Wigner distribution is well defined. The special cas, of stationary processes is studied, in which case the Wigner distribution is weakly stationary in the time variable and the variance is equal to the deterministic Wigner distribution of the covariance function.


Detailed metabolic imaging of specific brain regions in early aging may expose pathophysiological mechanisms and indicate effective neuropharmacological targets in the onset of cognitive decline. Comprehensive imaging of brain aging and drug-target effects is restricted using conventional methodology. We simultaneously visualized multiple metabolic alterations induced by normal aging in specific regions of mouse brains by integrating Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry imaging and combined supervised and unsupervised machine learning models. We examined the interplay between aging and the response to tacrine-induced acetylcholinesterase inhibition, a well-characterized therapeutic treatment against dementia. The dipeptide carnosine (β-alanyl-l-histidine) and the vitamin α-tocopherol were significantly elevated by aging in different brain regions. l-Carnitine and acetylcholine metabolism were found to be major pathways affected by aging and tacrine administration in a brain region-specific manner, indicating altered mitochondrial function and neurotransmission. The highly interconnected hippocampus and retrosplenial cortex displayed different age-induced alterations in lipids and acylcarnitines, reflecting diverse region-specific metabolic effects. The subregional differences observed in the hippocampal formation of several lipid metabolites demonstrate the unique potential of the technique compared to standard mass spectrometry approaches. An age-induced increase of endogenous antioxidants, such as α-tocopherol, in the hippocampus was detected, suggesting an augmentation of neuroprotective mechanisms in early aging. Our comprehensive imaging approach visualized heterogeneous age-induced metabolic perturbations in mitochondrial function, neurotransmission, and lipid signaling, not always attenuated by acetylcholinesterase inhibition.


When studying autoantibody specificity by the indirect antiglobulin test with column agglutination techniques ether and xylene elution techniques result in haemoglobin stained eluates which give a red colouration to the gel or glass beads and do not allow the identification of positive reactions. Xylene eluates were incubated with commercially available group O-test red cell panels at 37 degrees C for 45 min in the wells of a microtitre plate in a 3:1 eluate:red cell ratio. After washing with normal saline, sensitized red cells, resuspended in low ionic strength solution (LISS), were applied onto the microtubes containing the antiglobulin serum and positive reactions were recorded after centrifugation. We studied the specificity of 35 autoantibody containing eluates from 12 patients with lymphoproliferative disorders (six having autoimmune haemolysis) and 23 HIV patients without autoimmune haemolysis. All patients had a gel or column positive (IgG) direct antiglobulin test while the tube direct antiglobulin test failed to show red cell bound IgG. We found a reactive indirect antiglobulin test in 20/23 eluates from HIV infected patients (with a panreactive specificity), in all patients with autoimmune haemolysis (one with anti-C, two with anti-E, one with anti-K and two with a panreactive specificity) and in all patients with positive direct antiglobulin test but without immune mediate haemolysis (in all cases with panreactive specificity). The method proposed is a promising tool for the study of the specificity of antibody containing haemoglobin stained eluates; in this study it allowed us to confirm that some HIV patients have specific binding of IgG on their RBC and to identify the specificity of tube test non-reactive eluates.


Background Simulation was endorsed by the National Patient Safety Agency as a valuable tool for training the medical workforce in the UK.1 Multidisciplinary simulation in neonatology increases participant's confidence in neonatal emergencies2 and may improve patient outcome.3 Method Multiprofessional neonatal simulation programme was established in the Tertiary Neonatal unit at, Southampton in 2012. A double blind cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted within the first year to explore nursing perception to simulation.4 Simulation was reported to bedaunting. Despite their concerns, 88% of nurses wished to continue gaining simulation experience in multidisciplinary setting. Changes implemented after this survey included among others, having multidisciplinary facilitators (a doctor and a nurse for each session).18 months after introducing the changes the survey was repeated in similar settings. Triple blinding was ensured by using an independent analyst from outside the programme. Results 71% of participating nursing staff answered. Both surveys included similar spread of nursing experience but there were 13 new recruits in the recent survey who had previous experience of hi-fidelity simulation in training. Also, substantially more staff had attended >5 sessions (21% vs 7%) and multidisciplinary sessions with doctors (62.5% vs 45.5%). As in the previous survey, they mostly found these multidisciplinary sessions very useful but daunting however, 85% comments in free text were positive including excellent, exciting, enjoyable, great learning opportunity, daunting improves with practice. Though more nurses opted to have simulation sessions separate from doctors (25% vs 12.5%) a lot of them suggested they should be only for some nursing relevant topics. Potential impact Regular multidisciplinary simulation sessions reap benefits in terms of greater buy-in/uptake especially if changes are introduced to practice, based on feedbacks. This survey reveals that professionals value the benefits of simulation in a non-multidisciplinary setting as well, especially in less diverse scenarios. This may be taken as an opportunity to expand the simulation experience of trainers and the trained. References National Patient Safety Agency-NPSA. Review of patient safety for children and young people (June 2009) Davidson SK, Hassell et al. Neonatal simulation training improves paediatric trainees' confidence in emergency scenarios. Arch Dis Child 2014;99(Suppl 1):A64 Sharma A, Gunda R. Cascading risk through multiprofessional neonatal simulation. Arch Dis Child 2014;99(Suppl 1):A35–A36 Ball J, Gunda RK, Awoseyila A, Sharma A. 0149 Nuneosim Survey – a triple blind study of nursing perception to simulation training in a tertiary neonatal intensive care setting. BMJ STEL 2014;1:A67


Mean temperature, the frequency of extreme climatic events, and temperature variability, are all projected to increase as a result of the current trends in climate change. In order to maximize our ability to mitigate the negative effects of climate change, it is important that we study the effects of extreme temperature events, and temperature variability. For populations whose development is temperature-dependent, these temperature variations can have strong effects on development and population dynamics. While small scale effects can be understood through experimental manipulations in the laboratory, population-level effects are more difficult to determine. Temperature change has been shown to shift tree lines towards higher altitudes, and affect the home-range of many biological systems, such as the expansion of red fox northward and the parallel retreat of the arctic fox. Although the effects of shifting range boundaries and isotherms are being actively studied, temperature variability has been given much less attention. Nonetheless, even without large increases in temperature, increased variability in climatic conditions can have a strong effect on species survival. Increased variability in precipitation is likely to have hastened the extinction of two well known butterfly populations while variability in temperature has been demonstrated to have an effect on the extinction time of long-lived shorebirds. For Zooplankton, temperature variability has a major effect on its growth rates and generation times. In this paper, we focus on poikilotherms, organisms whose development rate throughout each life stage is dictated by environmental temperature. Moreover, the different life stages of an organism, often separated by different morphologies, can develop at different rates over different temperature ranges. The developmental rates of an organism can be related to a host of processes including voltinism (number of generations per year), as well as the fecundity and mortality of the organism. The intrinsically non-linear relationship between ambient temperature and development is difficult to analyze without a mathematical model. Modeling with mathematics provides a relatively inexpensive alternative to field and/or laboratory studies, and a single model can be used as a basis for testing a wide variety of extreme temperature events superimposed on any plausible baseline annual temperature profile. We investigate a temperature driven model to simulate and analyze the generational effects of thermal perturbations on poikilotherms, where thermal perturbations include increases in mean annual temperature, increases in daily and annual temperature swings, and extreme temperature events. Using information about the temperature-dependent developmental rates (inverse developmental times) for each life stage, we can analyze the stability of the organism's life-cycle under different thermal perturbations. The model is based on the G-function (generation function) model developed by Powell (Powell & Logan (2005) Theoretical Population Biology 67(3):161-79).


Matrix factorization (MF) is widely used in recommendation systems. We present cuMF, a highly-optimized matrix factorization tool with supreme performance on graphics processing units (GPUs) by fully utilizing the GPU compute power and minimizing the overhead of data movement. Firstly, we introduce a memoryoptimized alternating least square (ALS) method by reducing discontiguous memory access and aggressively using registers to reduce memory latency. Secondly, we combine data parallelism with model parallelism to scale to multiple GPUs. Results show that with up to four GPUs on one machine, cuMF can be up to ten times as fast as those on sizable clusters on large scale problems, and has impressively good performance when solving the largest matrix factorization problem ever reported.


Foreword by Joseph A. Citro Chronology Defining King's Horrorscape: An Introduction by Tony Magistrale The Masks of the Goddess: The Unfolding of the Female Archetype in Stephen King's CARRIE by Greg Weller Partners in the DANSE: Women in Stephen King's Fiction by Mary Pharr Complex, Archetype, and Primal Fear: King's Use of Fairy Tales in THE SHINING by Ronald T. Curran The Three Genres of THE STAND by Edwin F. Casebeer Some Ways of Reading THE DEAD ZONE by Michael N. Stanton Fear and Pity: Tragic Horror in King's PET SEMATARY by Leonard Mustazza The Mythic Journey in "The Body" by Arthur W. Biddle "Everybody Pays ... Even for Things They Didn't Do": Stephen King's Pay-out in the Bachman Novels by James F. Smith Science, Politics, and the Epic Imagination: THE TALISMAN by Tony Magistrale A Clockwork Evil: Guilt and Coincidence in "The Monkey" by Gene Doty Playing the Heavy: Weight, Appetite, and Embodiment in Three Novels by Stephen King by Bernadette Bosky Riddle Game: Stephen King's Metafictive Dialogue by Jeanne Campbell Reesman Stephen King Reading William Faulkner: Memory, Desire, and Time in the Making of IT by Mary Jane Dickerson "The Face of Mr. Flip": Homophobia in the Horror of Stephen King by Douglas Keesey Reading, Writing and Interpreting: Stephen King's MISERY by Lauri Berkenkamp A Stephen King Bibliography Index


Emerging non-volatile memories based on resistive switching mechanisms attract intense R&D efforts from both academia and industry. Oxide-based Resistive Random Acces Memories (OxRAM) gather noteworthy performances, such as fast write/read speed, low power and high endurance outperforming therefore conventional Flash memories. To fully explore new design concepts such as distributed memory in logic, OxRAM compact models have to be developed and implemented into electrical simulators to assess performances at a circuit level. In this paper, we present compact models of the bipolar OxRAM memory based on physical phenomenons. This model was implemented in electrical simulators for single device up to circuit level. J. Low Power Electron. Appl. 2014, 4 2


Abstract Local government is being widely recognized in all developing countries as a vital institutional form for ensuring grass-root level democracy and participatory development. Bangladesh is no exception. This article reviews various experiments in local government reforms in Bangladesh and analyzes the relevant issues from a political economy perspective. Despite considerable efforts made over the years no effective and viable local government system has emerged in Bangladesh. Central control through local bureaucracy and the politicization of the management of local government affairs have been systematic phenomena.


Thermodynamic and transport properties are reported on single crystals of the hexagonal antiferromagnet Mn$_3$Sn grown by the Sn flux technique. Magnetization measurements reveal two magnetic phase transitions at $T_1$ = 275 K and $T_2$ = 200 K, below the antiferromagnetic phase transition at $T_N$ $\approx$ 420 K. The Hall conductivity in zero magnetic field is suppressed dramatically from 4.7 $\Omega^{-1}$cm$^{-1}$ to near zero below $T_1$, coincident with the vanishing of the weak ferromagnetic moment. This illustrates that the large anomalous Hall effect (AHE) arising from the Berry curvature can be switched on and off by a subtle change in the symmetry of the magnetic structure near room temperature.


We propose two blind source separation techniques that are applicable to a wide class of source distributions that may also be skewed and may even have zero kurtosis. Skewed distributions are encountered in many important application areas such as communications and biomedical signal processing. The methods are based on maximum likelihood approach where source distributions are modeled adaptively by the Pearson system and the extended generalized lambda distribution (EGLD). To compare the developed methods with the existing methods, quantitative measures for the quality of separation are used. Simulation experiments demonstrate the good performance of proposed methods in the cases where the standard BSS methods perform poorly.


Background: Nowadays, in most countries of the world, especially in industrial societies and the societies in which the social and economical chaos have disrupted the normal life, social sources of stress have got common more than ever, in a way that stress is considered as the black plague in the current era. The aim of this study is to assess Job stress and related factors in nurses in Ilam. Methods: This study is of the descriptive-analytical kind, which was performed in a temporary way. The sample was consisted of all nurses working in governmental hospitals of Ilam city. Sampling was performed through consensus, and the Cooper's job stress questionnaire was used for collecting data. SPSS software and one-way Analysis Of Variance (ANOVA) test were used to analyze the data. Results: 56 percents of research units have experienced severe stress. Using the ANOVA test, a significant relationship was observed between the average years of employment and the kind of the hospital and the average level of stress (p<0.05). Conclusion: Our results show that in the begging years of employment and in nurses with low record of employment stress is severe, and after ten years of employment stress level declines. Conflict with other nurses and physicians, and also lacking enough skill for performing nursing services, are the main causes of prevalence of stress among nurses in governmental hospitals in Ilam.


BACKGROUND
The goal of this study was to investigate psychosocial disability in relation to depressive symptom severity during the long-term course of unipolar major depressive disorder (MDD).

METHODS
Monthly ratings of impairment in major life functions and social relationships were obtained during an average of 10 years' systematic follow-up of 371 patients with unipolar MDD in the National Institute of Mental Health Collaborative Depression Study. Random regression models were used to examine variations in psychosocial functioning associated with 3 levels of depressive symptom severity and the asymptomatic status.

RESULTS
A progressive gradient of psychosocial impairment was associated with a parallel gradient in the level of depressive symptom severity, which ranges from asymptomatic to subthreshold depressive symptoms to symptoms at the minor depression/dysthymia level to symptoms at the MDD level. Significant increases in disability occurred with each stepwise increment in depressive symptom severity.

CONCLUSIONS
During the long-term course, disability is pervasive and chronic but disappears when patients become asymptomatic. Depressive symptoms at levels of subthreshold depressive symptoms, minor depression/ dysthymia, and MDD represent a continuum of depressive symptom severity in unipolar MDD, each level of which is associated with a significant stepwise increment in psychosocial disability.


From November 1998 to December 2000, 84 suspected measles cases were reported in Catalonia (6 090 040 inhabitants). Of the 73 laboratory tested cases (87%), 20 showed IgM antibodies specific to measles and 3 were epidemiologically linked to a confirmed case. Among these 23 confirmed cases, 13 were indigenous, the last two cases reported dating back from June 1999 and July 2000. These results confirm the success of the measles elimination programme implemented in 1998 in Catalonia.


Background : Visual impairment is a serious health problem. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 80% of the incidence of visual impairment occurring globally could be prevented or treated. Several factors responsible for high rates of uncorrected refractive errors are the lack of awareness about the early detection on the unequal distribution regarding health services and a culture of compliance. This study was aimed to identify the differences of the level of visual acuity and self-perception of the visual functions between high school students in the urban and rural areas. Methods : A cross sectional study was conducted among 94 high school students in two different schools, urban and rural areas during November 2012, using the simple random sampling technique. The study was performed through interviews and examination of visual acuity using Rapid Assessments of Avoidable Blindness. The collected data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney test. Results : A total of 93.6% of respondents had good visual acuity. Self-perception of the visual functioning test showed that most respondents gave good answer. The statistical test using Mann-Whitney showed that there was no difference in level of visual acuity and self-perception of visual function between urban and rural students (p>0.05). Conclusions : Most of the high school students have good visual acuity and good self-perception of their visual function but there is no difference between rural and urban areas. DOI : 10.15850/amj.v2n3.507


In relativistic heavy ion collisions heavy flavor probes are crucial to understand the interactions between partons and the produced hot nuclear matter. Measurements in p+p collisions provide information about how the heavy quarks are produced and fragment and in d+Au collisions are sensitive to possible effects from cold nuclear matter. Azimuthal correlation measurements involving heavy flavor probes are complementary to single particle spectra measurements and provide additional information about production and interactions of heavy quarks. Measurements of electrons with heavy flavor decay with other hadrons from the event can provide information about how the heavy quark interacts with the produced matter and can be compared to similar measurements from light hadron correlations. Correlations between electrons from heavy flavor decay with muons, also from heavy flavor decay, can provide further information about heavy flavor production and cold nuclear matter effects in d+Au collisions with a very clean signal. We present PHENIX results for electron-hadron correlations in p+p and Au+Au collisions and electron-muon correlations in p+p and d+Au collisions and discuss the implications of these measurements.


Two-photon absorption and blue-light-induced red absorption (BLIRA) is demonstrated in lithium tantalate LiTaO3 waveguides with ultrashort laser pulses. The blue transmission is modeled for hyperbolic-secantsquared pulses of blue light and is shown to be heavily attenuated by two-photon absorption. The blue light also generates traps for red light, which are absorbed through single-photon interactions. Over 50% red absorption is observed. The blue pulse energy dependence of BLIRA is shown to follow recent theoretical models that rely on two different physical mechanisms depending on the temporal overlap of the pump and probe pulses. The time dependence of BLIRA is explored experimentally and is shown to fit well to a stretchedexponential model. Finally, we investigate the effects of pulse shaping and find that, over our range of pulse durations, the amount of BLIRA is relatively insensitive to pulse shape. © 2006 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: 190.7110, 230.7380, 320.7130.