Goelzer et al (2012) paint a portentous picture of what is likely to happen to the global sea-level over the next 1000 years. This worrying assessment is based on our current best understanding of how the world's giant ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica, as well as a quarter of a million smaller glacial ice masses, and the ocean collectively respond to ongoing climate change. Theirs is a state of the science study that integrates these key contributors of sea-level change based on the latest models and current understanding, and an integrated Earth systems modelling approach termed LOVECLIM. As they point out in their study, only a handful of global climate models to date—i.e. models that are used to make predictions of future climate change—incorporate dynamically (fully) coupled ice-sheet models. According to the scenarios presented by Goelzer et al (2012), we could see between 2.1 and 6.8 m of global sea-level rise by 3000 AD, compared with 'just' 1.1 m if the atmosphere is stabilised at 2000 CO2 levels. Much, up to some 4 m, of this contribution comes from increased melting and mass loss of the Greenland ice sheet, which is several times more sensitive than the Antarctic ice sheet to warming temperatures in these simulations. Interestingly, dynamical ice mass losses through iceberg calving become increasingly less significant for Greenland as the ice sheet retreats further inland during the 1000 yr runs (Sole et al 2008). The latest modelling studies show that around a half, perhaps more, of the recent Greenland mass losses (Barletta et al 2012, Rignot et al 2011) are already through increased melt and runoff (Hanna et al 2008, 2012, van den Broeke et al 2009); note also the recent (summer 2012) record surface melting of the Greenland ice sheet (Nghiem et al 2012) caused by atmospheric forcing (Overland et al 2012) and the potential of such events to impact on ice flow (Bartholomew et al 2011). By contrast, the greatest sea-level rise reported for Antarctica by 3000 AD is no more than 94 cm; Antarctica remains relatively insensitive for future sea-level rise given a temperature increase of no more than 5–6 °C (quite a lot) above present levels. Oceanic thermal expansion and, especially, glacier melt seem very much second-order effects, compared with the Greenland sea-level contribution, for the next millennium. As expected, there are considerable differences between the outcomes of the model experiments depending on the time and level at which greenhouse gas emissions are stabilised. I am not quite sure why they 'prefer' the model version which reaches stabilisation at 2000 greenhouse gas levels since those levels have since been significantly exceeded and show no signs of tailing off yet—quite the reverse. According to the famous Keeling et al dataset from Mauna Loa in Hawaii, atmospheric CO2 levels at about 369 parts per million by volume of the global atmosphere in 2000 have since risen to about 392 ppmv in 2012, and this increase shows no signs of abating. Realistically, it's going to be at least another decade or two (or longer) before we can effectively even begin to stabilise atmospheric greenhouse gas levels, assuming the political will is there: which at the moment it is not. Of course this does not commit us to the other three more extreme experimental results (from greenhouse gas stabilization at 2100) reported in the study but we are heading dangerously in that direction. In effect the simulations are sensitivity studies, which may be largely unrealistic but are still useful as a kind of guide to what might happen under future climate change. Naturally, many uncertainties remain, especially concerning how ice-sheet motion ('dynamics') is represented in the models (e.g. the absence of so-called 'higher order physics' including longitudinal (push–pull) stresses which can rapidly transfer peripheral ice velocity perturbations inland (Price et al 2011)). Furthermore, the atmospheric model used in LOVECLIM is very coarse at 5.625° latitude/longitude resolution. There appears to be a cancelling out of errors in LOVECLIM, where its climate sensitivity seems quite low (in comparison with other models) but the simulated enhanced high-latitude warming—often termed Arctic amplification and evident in observed climate data for the last 30 years—is quite high. It would be good to include precipitation as well as temperature changes when modelling the future response of glaciers, even though the former is likely to be less important. I do not agree that uncertainties in climate sensitivity can be adequately accounted for by varying boundary and initial conditions in ensembles of models, as all of the model simulations may be systematically biased due to some physical effect that is improperly considered—or unrepresented—by all of the models, but this is a widely used technique and probably the best that can be done here. Despite these caveats, Goelzer et al 's (2012) results will undoubtedly prove useful for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)'s upcoming Fifth Assessment Report due to be released in 2014. The key challenge remains to further improve the individual components of the Earth system model, especially those concerning ice-sheet dynamics. Acknowledgments EH thanks Ben Brock, Amy Jowett and Andrew Sole for useful editorial suggestions to the text. References Barletta V R, Sørensen L S and Forsberg R 2012 Variability of mass changes at basin scale for Greenland and Antarctica Cryosp. Discuss. 6 3397–446 Bartholomew I, Nienow P, Sole A, Mair D, Cowton T and King M A 2011 Seasonal variations in Greenland ice sheet motion: inland extent and behaviour at higher elevations Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 307 271–8 Goelzer H, Huybrechts P, Raper S C B, Loutre M -F, Goosse H and Fichefet T 2012 Millennial total sea-level commitments projected with the Earth system model of intermediate complexity LOVECLIM Environ. Res. Lett. 7 045401 Hanna E, Huybrechts P, Steffen K, Cappelen J, Huff R, Shuman C, Irvine-Fynn T, Wise S and Griffiths M 2008 Increased runoff from melt from the Greenland ice sheet: a response to global warming J. Clim. 21 331–41 Hanna E, Jones J M, Cappelen J, Mernild S H, Wood L, Steffen K and Huybrechts P 2012 The influence of North Atlantic atmospheric and oceanic forcing effects on 1900–2010 Greenland summer climate and ice melt/runoff Int. J. Climatol. at press (doi:10.1002/joc.3475) Nghiem S V, Hall D K, Mote T L, Tedesco M, Albert M R, Keegan K, Shuman C A A, DiGirolamo N E and Neumann G 2012 The extreme melt across the Greenland ice sheet in 2012 Geophys. Res. Lett. at press (doi:10.1029/2012GL053611) Overland J E, Francis J, Hanna E and Wang M 2012 The recent shift in early summer Arctic atmospheric circulation Geophys. Res. Lett. 39 L19804 Price S F, Payne A J, Howat I M and Smith B E 2011 Committed sea-level rise for the next century from Greenland ice sheet dynamics during the past decade Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. 108 8978–83 Rignot E, Velicogna I, van den Broeke M R, Monaghan A and Lenaerts J 2011 Acceleration of the contribution of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets to sea level rise Geophys. Res. Lett. 38 L05503 Sole A, Payne T, Bamber J, Nienow P and Krabill W 2008 Testing hypotheses of the cause of peripheral thinning of the Greenland ice sheet: is land-terminating ice thinning at anomalously high rates? Cryosphere 2 205–18 van den Broeke M, Bamber J, Ettema J, Rignot E, Schrama E, van de Berg W, van Meijgaard E, Velicogna I and Wouters B 2009 Partitioning recent Greenland mass loss Science 326 984–6


Neurons have a membrane periodic skeleton (MPS) composed of actin rings interconnected by spectrin. Here, combining chemical and genetic gain- and loss-of-function assays, we show that in rat hippocampal neurons the MPS is an actomyosin network that controls axonal expansion and contraction. Using super-resolution microscopy, we analyzed the localization of axonal non-muscle myosin II (NMII). We show that active NMII light chains are colocalized with actin rings and organized in a circular periodic manner throughout the axon shaft. In contrast, NMII heavy chains are mostly positioned along the longitudinal axonal axis, being able to crosslink adjacent rings. NMII filaments can play contractile or scaffolding roles determined by their position relative to actin rings and activation state. We also show that MPS destabilization through NMII inactivation affects axonal electrophysiology, increasing action potential conduction velocity. In summary, our findings open new perspectives on axon diameter regulation, with important implications in neuronal biology.


Designing for natural ventilation became permissible in a vastly increased range of climate zones in 2004 with the incorporation of an adaptive model into ASHRAE's comfort standard (Std 55-2004). This mainstreaming of adaptive comfort was further reinforced with the introduction in 2007 of a European standard (EN 15251) that closely followed the ASHRAE 55-2004 precedent. Despite its broad international acceptance, there remains a gap in the fundamental theoretical underpinnings of the adaptive comfort approach. The biggest question left begging is: "How can a single set of thermal environmental conditions deemed unacceptable in a conventional HVAC setting be regarded as acceptable and even pleasant in a naturally ventilated setting?" A related question is directed specifically at the role of air movement: "How can a single level of air speed be experienced as an unpleasant draft under one set of conditions, and yet induce pleasant sensations under different thermal conditions?" In this paper the physiological phenomenon of alliesthesia is applied to the specific context of thermal comfort to provide a deeper understanding of why adaptive comfort actually works in naturally ventilated situations. Conference theme: Human


In this paper, we propose an architecture of software-defined information-centric network virtualization with device-to-device (D2D) communications, which facilitates dynamic virtual resource allocation and content caching via a software-defined networking (SDN) controller with a global view of the system. In our proposed framework, substrate physical resources can be virtualized and shared among multiple mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs). Meanwhile, by means of integrating D2D communications into information-centric wireless networks, content caching is enabled not only in the air but in mobile devices as well. In addition, taking into consideration inaccurate channel estimation and measurement, we formulate the virtual resource allocation and caching optimization as a discrete stochastic optimization problem in which imperfect channel state information is incorporated. Because the formulated virtual resource allocation problem is a large-scale combinational optimization problem, we exploit discrete stochastic approximation approaches to cope with it. Finally, extensive simulations are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme with different system parameters. Simulation results show that MVNOs can benefit from not only the sharing of physical infrastructure but from the caching functionality that exists in both the air and mobile devices as well.


Although a high breakdown voltage or field is considered as a major advantage of diamond, there has been a large difference in breakdown voltages or fields of diamond devices in literature. Most of these apparently contradictory results did not correctly reflect material properties because of specific device designs, such as punch-through structure and insufficient edge termination. Once these data were removed, the remaining few results, including a record-high breakdown field of 20 MV/cm, were theoretically reproduced, exactly calculating ionization integrals based on the ionization coefficients that were obtained after compensating for possible errors involved in reported theoretical values. In this compensation, we newly developed a method for extracting an ionization coefficient from an arbitrary relationship between breakdown voltage and doping density in the Chynoweth's framework. The breakdown field of diamond was estimated to depend on the doping density more than other materials, and accordingly required to be compared at the same doping density. The figure of merit (FOM) of diamond devices, obtained using these breakdown data, was comparable to the FOMs of 4H-SiC and Wurtzite-GaN devices at room temperature, but was projected to be larger than the latter by more than one order of magnitude at higher temperatures about 300 °C. Considering the relatively undeveloped state of diamond technology, there is room for further enhancement of the diamond FOM, improving breakdown voltage and mobility. Through these investigations, junction breakdown was found to be initiated by electrons or holes in a p −-type or n −-type drift layer, respectively. The breakdown voltages in the two types of drift layers differed from each other in a strict sense but were practically the same. Hence, we do not need to care about the conduction type of drift layers, but should rather exactly calculate the ionization integral without approximating ionization coefficients by a power function of electric field as often done in Si devices. In order to facilitate this approach, we developed a method for simplifying the ionization integral, which method, together with the aforementioned method for extracting ionization coefficients, will help to promote the study on breakdown phenomena of all semiconductors.


The laser surface alloying of 18/8 stainless steel with Mn, was carried out by 6 kW cw CO2 laser. The microstructure, chemical composition and phase identification of the modified layer were examined using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Xray diffractometry, respectively. Cavitation behavior of produced layers was investigated in a rotating disc facility. Cavitation properties of laser-processed steel were calculated in the initial stage of erosion, on the surface of about 4 mm2, on which cavitation intensity was constant. As a property characterizing the cavitation erosion resistance of materials was proposed for the depth of strain hardening. It was found that presence of manganese in the amount of 7.31% causes the highest increase hardness after alloying and the lowest depth of strain hardening due to cavitation loading.


A helical-motion induction motor (HMIM) that can be used in a tandem arrangement of two units to form a direct-acting, two-degrees-of-freedom actuator capable of producing pure rotary motion, pure linear motion, or helical motion is described. It is shown that under appropriate definition of slip the Steinmetz equivalent circuit of an induction motor can be applied to this two-degrees-of-freedom machine. A procedure is developed for the determination of the equivalent circuit parameters, even though the magnetizing inductance is small for a typical secondary of conducting sleeve design. Experimental data recorded from an operational model of the HMIM show excellent agreement with values of thrust and torque predicted by the equivalent circuit. >


Small-molecule fluorophores enable the observation of biomolecules in their native context with fluorescence microscopy. Specific labeling via bio-orthogonal tetrazine chemistry combines minimal label size with rapid labeling kinetics. At the same time, fluorogenic tetrazine–dye conjugates exhibit efficient quenching of dyes prior to target binding. However, live-cell compatible long-wavelength fluorophores with strong fluorogenicity have been difficult to realize. Here, we report close proximity tetrazine–dye conjugates with minimal distance between tetrazine and the fluorophore. Two synthetic routes give access to a series of cell-permeable and -impermeable dyes including highly fluorogenic far-red emitting derivatives with electron exchange as the dominant excited-state quenching mechanism. We demonstrate their potential for live-cell imaging in combination with unnatural amino acids, wash-free multicolor and super-resolution STED, and SOFI imaging. These dyes pave the way for advanced fluorescence imaging of biomolecules with minimal label size.


The transformation of the Organization of African Unity to African Union is a historical landmark of African Leaders' intention towards integration, project her continental interest in the international state system and seek for African initiative in solving African problems. This paper seeks to  strengthen the operations of the African Union by examining the efforts of African Leaders towards African integration, obstacles confronting or  militating against the integration, and seeking ways to strengthen the  integration of the Union. The paper is aimed at protecting the continental interest of Africa in the International State System as well as seeks for  ways on how to achieve African integration. Creating a philosophy that will drive the African integration concept, involve the private sectors and  non-governmental organizations in the integration process, and create  peace within the continent institute dispute settlement mechanisms.  Internal insurgencies group need to be settled/arrested, and transparent democratic, electoral and leadership need to be strengthened. There  should be a collective effort to combat terrorism, ensure stability in the political system; and use a collective effort to combat pervasive corruption among African Countries. Corruption kills economic growth and demeans political legitimacy. These factors inhibit investment process hence, trading among African countries is very low. Key words : Strengthening, African Union and African Integration


La Noche de Tlatelolco: Testimonios de Historia Oral is a text full of voices which had been silenced. In addition, it is a hybrid text because it combines photojournalism, the literal words of many interviewees, witness accounts of survivors and political prisoners, and extracts from documentary sources like political speeches and hospital reports. It is an example of histories narrated orally by those who did not previously have a voice. They are oral translations of the real, intralinguistic and interlinguistic rewritings exemplifying what Bastin (2006: 121) calls "oraliture", a type of textual construction of great importance when changing the way of looking at the history of translation. Since the studies published by Paul Bandia, Jeremy Munday or Georges Bastin, translation theory has been pressing for analysis of translations which take into account the concepts of critical historiography. The aim should be to achieve translations which overcome the traditional Eurocentrism and universalism that have allowed Westerners to remain in the comfort zone, a zone which offered only the vision of the conquerors and not that of the conquered. The translator cannot ignore all these changes and must begin to construct new venues in historical text research and its translation which put an end once and for all to that Eurocentric vision presented to us as the only true one.


Background:Among the mutations described in non–small cell lung carcinoma is a rearrangement resulting from an inversion within chromosome 2p leading to the formation of a fusion gene, echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4-anaplastic lymphoma kinase (EML4-ALK). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is the gold standard for the detection of ALK gene rearrangements. However, molecular methods are not readily available in all pathology laboratories. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) using an antibody directed against the EML4-ALK fusion protein provides a widely available alternative method of detection. We assessed whether IHC is a comparable and cost-effective alternative to FISH analysis for the detection of ALK gene rearrangements. Design:A total of 110 non–small cell lung carcinoma cases (63 surgical/biopsy and 47 cytology specimens), previously tested for ALK gene rearrangements by FISH [7 (6.4%) positive for the rearrangement], were probed for the EML4-ALK fusion protein using a monoclonal EML4-ALK antibody, clone 5A4. Cells were considered to stain positive for ALK if >5% of cells showed cytoplasmic staining of at least grade 1 intensity (scale: 0 to 3). A cost analysis was performed using ALK IHC as a screening test. Results:The sensitivity and specificity of the EML4-ALK IHC stain compared with ALK FISH analysis were 100% and 96%, respectively. All 7 FISH-positive cases stained positive by IHC, whereas 4 FISH-negative cases demonstrated positive staining. One of the 4 FISH-negative, IHC-positive cases harbored an EML4-ALK rearrangement by RT-PCR yielding 3 false-positive results overall. The &kgr; agreement between IHC and FISH methods is 0.76 (substantial/excellent). The potential savings of implementing the ALK IHC as a screening method would be $10,418.21. Conclusions:Sensitivity of the EML4-ALK IHC stain is excellent (100%) but due to its suboptimal specificity, IHC cannot reliably supplant FISH analysis for the detection of ALK gene rearrangements. IHC shows promise as a screening tool to prevent unnecessary costly FISH analysis.


acute attack2 and in long term management.3 Equally, in many patients with airway obstruction related to chronic bronchitis the obstruction may be partly reversible. This can be shown both by an acute response to bronchodilators4 and by increased circadian variation.' These facts have important implications in both treatment and epidemiological studies. Perhaps the time has come to return to making a diagnosis in the form of a clinical syndrome-for example, "atopic asthma" or "airway obstruction related to cigarette smoking"-and defining the obstruction more precisely but independently. Ventilatory function should be described in terms of (a) the best lung function which can be achieved and the method used to achieve it and (b) the extent of the variability in function and the method used to demonstrate it. For example, one might describe as an atopic asthmatic a patient whose ventilatory function will return to 90% of normal with corticosteroids and shows a variability of 25% as shown by spontaneous variation of peak expiratory flow rate. This encourages the trial of each method available to achieve as near normal function as possible in every patient. At the same time it gives a realistic background on which to judge the success or failure of long term management.


Living observation and silver impregnation methods were used to investigate the morphology and infraciliature of three Fronto- nia ciliates (F. guangdongensis spec. nov., F. ocularis Bullington, 1939 and F. schaefferi Bullington, 1939) that were isolated from coastal waters of the South China Sea. Frontonia guangdongensis spec. nov. may be recognized by the combination of the following characteristics: cells about 160 × 35 μm in vivo; elongated body with right margin depressed in anterior third; length to width ratio 4:1 to 5:1; three or four vestibular and four or fi ve postoral kineties; peniculi 1 and 2 each with four rows of kineties, peniculus 3 with two rows; one contractile vacuole in mid-body region right of cell median; brackish water habitat. A key based on morphological data for fourteen marine or brack- ish water Frontonia species found in China is also provided. In addition, the small subunit (SSU) rDNA gene was sequenced for F. ocularis Bullington, 1939. Our phylogenetic analyses support the contention that the genus Frontonia is not monophyletic.


The taxonomy of ribbon worms (Nemertea) is particularly challenging due to the sparsity of distinct morphological characters, causing a significant underestimation of the group's true diversity. The number of named deep-sea species is very limited and there is a vast number of undescribed deep-sea nemerteans still to be discovered. In this paper we figuratively 'cut the ribbon' and name seven new species of monostiliferous hoplonemerteans from seeps and seamounts along the Costa Rican margin, one from seeps along the Oregon margin, and one from vents of the Juan de Fuca Ridge, USA. The species Chernyshevia escarpiaphila gen. et sp. nov. and five species of the genus Alvinonemertes gen. nov. (Alvinonemertes dariae gen. et sp. nov., Alvinonemertes dagmarae gen. et sp. nov., Alvinonemertes christianeae gen. et sp. nov., Alvinonemertes claudiae gen. et sp. nov., Alvinonemertes tatjanae gen. et sp. nov.) represent Oerstediina, whereas the three species Tetrastemma sundbergi sp. nov., Tetrastemma polyakovae sp. nov., and Tetrastemma strandae sp. nov. represent Amphiporina. One species of tubulanid palaeonemerteans is described but not provided with a species name due to lacking sequence data for comparison. Additionally, we provide sequence data for one lineid heteronemertean, one reptant hoplonemertean, and two further eumonostiliferan hoplonemertean species. We use an integrative, turbotaxonomic approach combining DNA sequence data with concise morphological descriptions and fully digitized serial histological sections made available as cybertypes.


The metabolic repertoire of cancer cells diverge significantly from that of normal cells. Energy production in cancer cells tends to depend on aerobic glycolysis, a feature that is routinely monitored by positron emission tomography (PET) imaging using 2-[ 18 F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ([ 18 F]FDG). In addition to predilection for glycolysis, cancer cells may possess other unique metabolic characteristics, such as increased consumption of glutamine. As with glucose, glutamine also serves as a key carbon source for ATP production and biosynthesis. Given this, quantitative measures of glutaminolysis may reflect critical processes in oncology. Accordingly, PET agents targeting glutamine uptake, such as 4-[ 18 F]fluoro-glutamine ([ 18 F]4F-GLN), have been reported and used in preclinical models of cancer. The goal of this study was to elucidate the feasibility of using [ 18 F]4F-GLN PET to predict response to targeted therapy within the context of colorectal cancer (CRC). Initially we validated expression of SLC1A5, the primary plasma membrane transporter of glutamine, in tumor and normal colon specimens for 58 patients with primary and advanced CRC. We found that SLC1A5 expression was elevated in over 80%of primary tumor specimens but did not correlate with grade or gender. Furthermore, elevated SLC1A5 expression correlated strongly with elevated Ki67, a molecular marker of proliferation. Given this, we evaluated [ 18 F]4F-GLN PET in preclinical models of V600E BRAF-expressing CRC as a means of detecting anti-proliferation responses to targeted therapeutics. Simulating a clinical study within the context of the Vanderbilt GI SPORE, the regimen included an inhibitor of mutant BRAF, a PI3K/mTOR inhibitor, and a combination there of. Strikingly, [ 18 F]4F-GLN PET was found to correlate more closely to markers of anti-proliferative responses in vivo than analogously performed [ 18 F]FDG PET imaging studies. We believe that these findings not only provide a greater understanding of the role that glutaminolysis plays in CRC but also illuminate the potential impact that glutaminolysis derived PET could have towards guiding drug development clinical trials as an imaging metric of early therapeutic response detection. Citation Format: Matthew R. Hight, Michael L. Schulte, Samir Saleh, Gregory D. Ayers, Frank L. Revetta, M. Kay Washington, Robert J. Coffey, H. Charles Manning. Molecular imaging of glutaminolysis as a tool for evaluating therapeutic response in preclinical models of colorectal cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2058. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2058


Abstract A minicomputer online information retrieval program is described that is designed to facilitate timely distribution of agricultural market news to state and county research and extension faculty. These faculty have designed programs that extend this information to clientele in their areas. An evaluation indicates that users find great value in this network. Usage has grown rapidly over the period the network has been available. This program is available and can be used by other states and clientele.


Background Severe bacterial keratitis (BK) typically requires intensive antimicrobial therapy. Empiric therapy is usually with a topical fluoroquinolone or fortified aminoglycoside–cephalosporin combination. Trials to date have not reached any consensus as to which antibiotic regimen most effectively treats BK. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis using Cochrane methodology was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of topical antibiotics in the management of BK. Outcomes included treatment success, time to cure, serious complications of infection and adverse effects. Results A comprehensive search for trials resulted in 27 956 abstracts for review. This eventually resulted in 16 high quality trials involving 1823 participants included in the review. Treatment success, time to cure and serious complications of infection were comparable among all antibiotic treatments included in the review. Furthermore, there was no evidence of difference in the risk of corneal perforation with any included antibiotics or antibiotic classes. Fluoroquinolones significantly reduced risk of ocular discomfort and chemical conjunctivitis but increased the risk of white precipitate formation compared with aminoglycoside–cephalosporin. Fortified tobramycin–cefazolin was approximately three times more likely to cause ocular discomfort than other topical antibiotics. Conclusions Results of this review suggest no evidence of difference in comparative effectiveness between fluoroquinolones and aminoglycoside–cephalosporin treatment options in the management of BK. There were differences in safety profile, however. Fluoroquinolones decreased the risk of ocular discomfort and chemical conjunctivitis while ciprofloxacin increased the risk of white corneal precipitate compared with aminoglycoside–cephalosporin.


This paper addresses some fundamental and practical issues that should be considered when pursuing evaluation studies in Information Visualization. The main focus is on quantitative experimental research but the general information applies to all kinds of studies. The purpose is to increase awareness of what constitutes a sound scientific approach to evaluation and to point out common pitfalls and mistakes during the phases of such study. These phases cover how to plan, design, conduct and analyse the outcome of an evaluation and finally how to report in a way that enhances readability, provides details relevant to the outcome and that allows replication. The paper could be used as a guide when conducting evaluation and it could also be helpful when reviewing publications since the same rules apply.


With the use of the Internet, mobile platforms, online commerce, and social media services, the footprints of human behavior can be easily recorded in the digital world, which generates data on an extremely large scale. Twitter as a big data social network becomes one of the most important sources for capturing up-to-date events happened in the world. Deriving topics from Twitter is important for various applications, such as situation awareness, market analysis, content filtering, and recommendations. However, topic derivation with high purity in Twitter is hard to achieve because tweets are limited to 140 characters. Previous works on topic derivation in Twitter suffer from low purity. In this paper, we propose corpus-based topic derivation (CTD) approach that combines a Twitter corpus and LF-LDA, which is a text processing model to identify topics and clusters of similar hashtags. We use asymmetric topic LF-LDA to obtain better purity of topics. Compared to intJNMF, a representative related work, the purity (F-measure) of our proposed CTD increases from 5.26% (27.81%) to 11.32% (34.28%) for 20 to 100 topics. We also propose a timestamp-based popular hashtags prediction (TPHP) approach by creating trending hashtags lists (THLs), which are lists of hashtags used by many users and make use of timestamps in tweets. We use the edit distance to find the difference between consecutive THLs. Then the difference can be used to calculate volatility to find how people react to real world events. Compared to Hybrid+, a representative related work, the mean average precision (MAP) of our TPHP increases by 19.45% (week-day), 15.08% (week-week) and 16.95% (month-week).


In this paper, we propose a novel forwarding technique based on geographical location of the nodes involved and random selection of the relaying node via contention among receivers. We focus on the multihop performance of such a solution, in terms of the average number of hops to reach a destination as a function of the distance and of the average number of available neighbors. An idealized scheme (in which the best relay node is always chosen) is discussed and its performance is evaluated by means of both simulation and analytical techniques. A practical scheme to select one of the best relays is shown to achieve performance very close to that of the ideal case. Some discussion about design issues for practical implementation is also given.


The long-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus) (Cuvier, 1829), was used to validate the pre-dictive accuracy of three progressively realistic models for estimating the realized annual fecundity of asyn-chronous, indeterminate, multiple spawners. Underwater surveys and catch data were used to estimate the duration of the reproductive season, female spawning frequency, male brooding frequency, and batch fecun-dity. The most realistic model, a generalization of the spawning fraction method, produced unbiased estimates of male brooding frequency (mean ±standard deviation [SD]=4.2 ±1.6 broods/year). Mean batch fecundity and realized annual fecundity were 213.9 (±110.9) and 903.6 (±522.4), respectively. However, females prepared significantly more clutches than the number of broods produced by males. Thus, methods that infer spawning frequency from patterns in female egg production may lead to significant overestimates of realized annual fecundity. The spawning fraction method is broadly applicable to many taxa that exhibit parental care and can be applied nondestructively to species for which conservation is a concern.


We discuss a possible experimental scheme for the implementation of a quantum walk. The scheme is based on the passage of an atom inside a high-Q cavity. The chirality is characterized by the atomic states and the displacement is characterized by the photon number inside the cavity. The quantum steps are described by appropriate interactions with a sequence of classical and quantized cavity fields.


Background: The rise in consumer-centric health insurance plans has increased the importance of the patient in choosing a provider. There is a paucity of studies that examine how patients select an orthopaedic sports medicine physician. Purpose: To evaluate factors that patients consider when choosing an orthopaedic sports medicine physician. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: A total of 1077 patients who sought treatment by 3 sports medicine physicians were administered an anonymous questionnaire. The questionnaire included 19 questions asking respondents to rate the importance of specific factors regarding the selection of orthopaedic sports medicine physicians on a scale of 1 (not important at all) to 10 (very important). The remaining 6 questions were multiple-choice and regarded the following criteria: preferred physician age, appointment availability, clinic waiting room times, travel distance, and medical student/resident involvement. Results: Of the 1077 consecutive patients administered the survey, 382 (35%) responded. Of these, 59% (n = 224) were male, and 41% (n = 158) were female. In ranking the 19 criteria in terms of importance, patients rated board certification (9.12 ± 1.88), being well known for a specific area of expertise (8.27 ± 2.39), and in-network provider status (8.13 ± 2.94) as the 3 most important factors in selecting an orthopaedic sports medicine physician. Radio, television, and Internet advertisements were rated the least important. Regarding physician age, 63% of patients would consider seeking a physician who is ≤65 years old. Approximately 78% of patients would consider seeking a different physician if no appointments were available within 4 weeks. Conclusion: The study results suggest that board certification, being well known for a specific area of expertise, and health insurance in-network providers may be the most important factors influencing patient selection of an orthopaedic sports medicine physician. Advertisements were least important to patients. Patient preferences varied regarding ideal physician age, clinic appointment availability, medical student/resident involvement, and travel distance in choosing an orthopaedic sports medicine physician. In the context of health care delivery and as reimbursement becomes increasingly consumer centered, understanding the process of provider selection is important.


Improvements in cameras, computer vision, and machine learning are enabling real-time object recognition in interactive systems. Reliable recognition of uninstrumented objects opens up exciting new scenarios using the real-world objects that surround us. At the same time, it introduces the need to understand and manage the uncertainty and ambiguities that are inherent to such sensing. This paper examines this problem in the context of LEGO OASIS, a camera and projector-based system that recognizes LEGO toys and augments them with projected digital content. We focus on an interaction language to model the creation and manipulation of relationships between physical objects and their digital capabilities. We use this set of abstractions to examine different notions of recognition errors and explore interactive approaches to overcoming fundamental challenges in interactive object-aware systems.


Abstract : A time scale is a procedure for combining the data from an ensemble of clocks or frequency standards. The input data to the ensemble algorithm are generally the time (or frequency) differences between each of the members and the reference device for the system. Therefore, the overall time and frequency of the ensemble are free parameters and must be continuously adjusted using external data and a steering algorithm. In addition, the outputs of the procedure are the average time and frequency of the group and the characteristics of each device (time, frequency, frequency aging, prediction error, etc.) with respect to this average, and a second job of the steering algorithm is to realize this computed average time and frequency in a physical device. I will discuss the considerations that govern the design of steering algorithms in general. I will illustrate these considerations using the algorithms that realize UTC (NIST) from the ensemble average of the time differences of the cesium standards and hydrogen masers that are located at the NIST laboratory in Boulder. I will also discuss the design of the steering of the backup for UTC (NIST), which is based on an ensemble of cesium standards located at the NIST radio station in Fort Collins. The backup time scale is intended to support the NIST services should the primary time scale become unavailable, so that it must track UTC (NIST) as closely as possible, which implies a tight coupling between the two scales. At the same time, it must remain independent of UTC (NIST) so that it does not fail if its external reference becomes unavailable, which implies a loose coupling. I will discuss the actual design, which is a compromise between these two incompatible requirements.


Nanosized and highly reactive magnesium niobate Mg4Nb2O9 were successfully synthesized by a sol-gel method as potential candidates for use in microwave applications as a low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC). The Nb-Mg-citric acid solution was evaporated resulting in a dry gel that was calcined in the temperature ranging from 550°C to 850°C for crystallization in air atmosphere. The crystallization process from the gel to the crystalline Mg4Nb2O9 was followed by thermal analysis and during calcinations phase evolution of the powders was studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. Particle size and morphology were examined by high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM). At 850°C the corundum-like phase of magnesium niobate was obtained in air atmosphere with an average particle diameter of 80 nm approximately calculated from the HR-SEM images.


We synthesise and update results from the suite of biophysical, larval-dispersal models developed in the Benguela Current ecosystem. Biophysical models of larval dispersal use outputs of physical hydrodynamic models as inputs to individual-based models in which biological processes acting during the larval life are included. In the Benguela, such models were first applied to simulate the dispersal of anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus and sardine Sardinops sagax ichthyoplankton, and more recently of the early life stages of chokka-squid Loligo reynaudii and Cape hakes Merluccius spp. We identify how the models have helped advance understanding of key processes for these species. We then discuss which aspects of the early life of marine species in the Benguela Current ecosystem are still not well understood and could benefit from new modelling studies.


The need to mitigate the climate change has brought in the last years to a fast rise of renewable technologies. The inherent fluctuations of the solar resource make concentrating solar power technologies an application that demands full flexibility of the steam turbine component. A key aspect of this sought steam turbine flexibility is the capability for fast starts, in order to harvest the solar energy as soon as it is available. However, turbine start-up time is constrained by the risk of low cycle fatigue damage due to thermal stress, which may bring the machine to failure. Given that the thermal limitations related to fatigue are temperature dependent, a transient thermal analysis of the steam turbine during start process is thus necessary in order to improve the start-up operation.
 This work focuses on the calculation of turbine thermo-mechanical properties and the optimization of different start-up cases in order to identify the best solution in terms of guaranteeing reliable and fast start-ups. In order to achieve this, a finite element thermal model of a turbine installed in a concentrating solar power plant was developed and validated against measured data. Results showed relative errors of temperature evolutions below 2%, making valid the assumptions and simplifications made. Since there is trade-off between start-up speed and turbine lifetime consumption, the model was then implemented within a multi-objective optimization scheme in order to test and design faster start-ups while ensuring safe operation of the machine. Significant improvements came up in terms of start-up time reduction up to 30% less than the standard start-up process.


As capacity of the field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) continues to increase, power dissipated in the logic and routing resources has become a critical concern for FPGA architects. Recent studies have shown that static power is fast approaching the dynamic power in submicron devices. In this article, we propose an analytical model for relating homogeneous island-style-based FPGA architecture to static power. Current FPGA power models are tightly coupled with CAD tools. Our CAD-independent model captures the static power for a given FPGA architecture based on estimates of routing and logic resource utilizations from a pre-technology mapped netlist. We observe an average correlation ratio (C-Ratio) of 95% and a minimum absolute percentage error (MAPE) rate of 15% with respect to the experimental results generated by the Versatile Placement Routing (VPR) tool over the MCNC benchmarks. Our model offers application engineers and FPGA architects the capability to evaluate the impact of their design choices on static power without having to go through CAD-intensive investigations.


Imagine that your doctor has just given you the terrific news that your annual checkup went well and that all of your tests show that you are in perfect health. Then imagine that he hands you a script and says, "Take this every day. It has many side effects, including lethal ones." You would be loath to begin this regimen. Yet, this is what countless women do each day when they use contraception to "prevent" a pregnancy.


Freud's interpretation of the ancient legend of Oedipus-as formulated in Sophocles' tragic drama-is among the most widely known concepts of psychoanalysis. Euripides' Ion, however, presents a more complex version of the development of personal identity. Here, the discovery of family origins is a process in which parent and child both take part as distinct agents driven by their own impulses of violence and desire. Euripides, Freud, and the Romance of Belonging studies the construction of identity and the origins of the primal trauma in two texts, the Ion and Freud's case history of the Wolf Man. Victoria Pedrick challenges the conventional psychoanalytic theory of the development of the individual within the family, presenting instead a richer and more complex economy of exchange between the parent and the child. She provides a new perspective on Freud's appropriation of ancient texts and moves beyond the familiar reunion in Oedipus to the more nuanced scene of abandonment present in Ion. Her parallel investigation of these texts suggests that contemporary culture remains preoccupied by the problems of the past in the determination of identity. Pedrick's fresh perspectives on both texts as well as on their relationship to each other shed new light on two foundational moments in the intellectual development of the West: Greek tragedy and Freudian psychoanalysis.


Academics, practitioners and media agree that the topic of work-life balance is on the agenda and valued by the new business generation. Although Sweden might be considered a working friendly country, the management consultancy industry is not recognized to be the same. With an institutional perspective we will through a discourse analysis investigate the communication on Swedish management consultancies web pages in order to explore how consultancies relate to the work-life balance discourse. In this study we look at work-life balance communication as a continuum with abstract and concrete as two opposites where the level of concreteness will decide the level of responsibility dedicated from the organizations regarding employees` work-life balance. Our findings suggest that the discourse is mostly composed of abstract descriptive talk, which indicates that the communication exists as a legitimizing result of institutional pressures, and might not be an essential matter for the concultancies` everyday practice. A big part of the responsibility to achieve a work-life balance is put upon the individual employee and even though initiatives are presented they are seldom followed up by concrete targets or supported with results.


In this paper, a novel pipeline for loop-closure detection is proposed. We base our work on a bag of binary feature words and we produce a description vector capable of characterizing a physical scene as a whole. Instead of relying on single camera measurements, the robot's trajectory is dynamically segmented into image sequences according to its content. The visual word occurrences from each sequence are then combined to create sequence-visual-word-vectors and provide additional information to the matching functionality. In this way, scenes with considerable visual differences are firstly discarded, while the respective image-to-image associations are provided subsequently. With the purpose of further enhancing the system's performance, a novel temporal consistency filter (trained offline) is also introduced to advance matches that persist over time. Evaluation results prove that the presented method compares favorably with other state-of-the-art techniques, while our algorithm is tested on a tablet device, verifying the computational efficiency of the approach.


Background: Golimumab (GLB) is a subcutaneous anti-tumour necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNF) therapy. Randomised controlled trials have demonstrated GLB efficacy in the induction and maintenance of remission in ulcerative colitis (UC). Data are few on the outcome of GLB therapy for UC in routine clinical practice.
Aims: To describe the outcome of GLB therapy for UC in routine clinical practice in Ireland.
Methods: Patients receiving GLB as therapy for UC were identified (n=77) from six Irish Medical centers. Only ambulatory outpatients, with 6 months of follow up post GLB initiation were included (n=69). Baseline clinical, demographic and laboratory data were collected. The primary endpoints were factors associated with durability of GLB response measured by time to drug discontinuation; 3-month clinical response; and 6-month corticosteroid free remission rates. Clinical response was defined as a decrease from baseline in partial Mayo score of at least 3 points and ongoing receipt of GLB. Clinical remission was defined as a partial Mayo score of less than or equal to 2 and continuing receipt of GLB. Secondary endpoints included rates of dose optimisation, dose intervention strategy and adverse events. Raw p values are reported with p values <0.006 (Bonferroni correction) considered significant
Results: The study cohort comprised n=69 UC patients. Baseline characteristics were as follows (continuous variables, median [range]): Age 41.4 years [20.3–76.8]; 55% male; disease duration 6.5 years [0–29.9]; clinical Mayo subscore 6 [0–9]; proctitis, left-sided and extensive colitis in 8%, 54% and 38% respectively; baseline CRP 4.4 mg/L [0.2–134.6]; baseline albumin 42 g/L (16–51). Proportions on concomitant medications at GLB initiation were as follows: 5-aminosalicylate therapy 78%, concomitant immunomodulator 45%, systemic corticosteroids 40% (prednisolone dose, 35mg [5–40]). 36% of subjects were anti-TNF naive. Proportions receiving 50mg and 100mg 4-weekly maintenance regimes were 44% and 56% respectively. 3-month clinical response and 6-month corticosteroid free clinical remission rates were 42% and 42% respectively. 41% of patients required GLB dose optimisation (median [95% CI] time to dose optimisation: 6.5 months [1.4–11.6]); 44% dose increase and 56% interval shortening. Baseline CRP of ≥5mg/L is associated with a shorter time to GLB discontinuation, hazard ratio 3.1 (95% CI 1.4–6.7], p=0.005. Significant adverse events occurred in 3% of patients.
Conclusions: These real world clinical data demonstrate GLB is an effective and safe induction and maintenance agent for UC. GLB dose optimisation is frequently required. A high baseline CRP, likely reflective of increased inflammatory burden, is associated with a less durable GLB response.


1. Intracellular concentrations of adenosine 3′: 5′-cyclic phosphate (cyclic AMP) and activities of adenylcyclase and phosphodiesterase were determined in oestrogen-pretreated rat uteri during exposure to different concentrations of angiotensin II. 2. No significant variations in cyclic AMP or in the enzyme activities were observed at concentrations of angiotensin inducing significant contractions. 3. It is concluded that in rat uterus, the process of excitation-contraction coupling triggered by angiotensin is not mediated by variations in intracellular levels of cyclic AMP.


After receiving monosodium glutamate by stomach tube, the brains of infant macaques were perfused for examination by light and electron microscopy. No morphological differences were observed in the hypothalamic regions of treated and control monkeys. However, inadequately fixed tissue had the same appearance as that of the previously reported brain lesion in a newborn monkey.


Patient-centered care (PCC) has the potential to entail tailored primary care delivery according to the needs of patients with multimorbidity (two or more co-existing chronic conditions). To make primary care for these patients more patient centered, insight on healthcare professionals' perceived PCC implementation barriers is needed. In this study, healthcare professionals' perceived barriers to primary PCC delivery to patients with multimorbidity were investigated using a constructivist qualitative design based on semi-structured interviews with nine general and nurse practitioners from seven general practices in the Netherlands. Purposive sampling was used, and the interview content was analyzed to generate themes representing experienced barriers. Barriers were identified in all eight PCC dimensions (patient preferences, information and education, access to care, physical comfort, emotional support, family and friends, continuity and transition, and coordination of care). They include difficulties achieving mutual understanding between patients and healthcare professionals, professionals' lack of training and education in new skills, data protection laws that impede adequate documentation and information sharing, time pressure, and conflicting financial incentives. These barriers pose true challenges to effective, sustainable PCC implementation at the patient, organizational, and national levels. Further improvement of primary care delivery to patients with multimorbidity is needed to overcome these barriers.


Local labor laws in Taiwan push migrant workers to run away from contracted employment arrangements and become undocumented. This article examines the common forms of struggle pursued by runaway Indonesian migrant workers with a focus on the informal organizational structures that support their daily survival. To open space for maneuver within nation-state borders, runaway migrant workers utilize their agency and negotiate state and nonstate structures such as recruitment companies, NGOs and civil society organizations, migrant communities, illegal agency services, and taxi drivers.


This chapter presents an instructional model that promotes and facilitates the changing role of both the learner and the teacher in a twenty-first century teaching-learning environ ment that is technology driven. The model provides a pedagogical approach that is student centred with the teacher assuming the role of a facilitator in the student learning process . Qualitative methods of data collection were used in collecting the data that were used in the development of the model. Document analysis and focus group interview were used for data collection at the preliminary stage of the study while developing the model. The model was tested for a period of 3 years. Interview and observation were used for data col lection during and after the testing period. Document analysis was used in analysing the data collected from documents while content and thematic analysis were used in analysing the data collected from interviews and observations. Findings from the study indicated that the use of the model facilitates the development of inquiry skills, critical thinking and problem-solving skills among the pre-service teachers who participated in the study.


In this paper, we present a reactive control policy which adapts the source bit rate to the reserved resources in order to ensure performance guarantees for multimedia applications. The proposed method called flatness based trajectory tracking deals with drastic traffic flow rate changes and limits the traffic in order to respect the time constraints. We show the contribution of the reactive control and the dynamic regulation using purely control theoretic approaches which stabilize the network and avoid undesirable oscillations for the transmission of such critical flows. Here, we present a performance analysis for such rate control mechanism, and illustrate its feasibility through its implementation on MPLS-TE control plane of SSFnet/Glass simulator.


: A major objective of clinical teaching to medical students is that they should see medical practice at its best and should be inspired to emulate and, indeed, improve on this. Medicine in old age is so complex that the medical record, a basis of good practice, is even more essential than in other fields of medicine. The Aberdeen medical record with its problem-orientated approach is described and examples given on the way in which this is used together with the relevance of these examples to undergraduate teaching. The system is particularly relevant to long-stay patients. The medical record is so important a part of the practice of medicine that there should be formal teaching on it in medical schools.


Attracting and keeping consumers' loyalty in Fast Moving Consumer Goods segment became the main concern for all producing companies and retailers, too. Many marketing researchers argue that product or service quality perception is one of the key elements in brand loyalty building process. When talking about food market, one has to be aware that food consumption has direct impact on human health and, in that context, process of building brand loyalty for food brands is not possible, or it can be hard, if the product quality of food brands is not on the expected level and according to defined food quality standards. The goal of this paper was to understand aspects of connection between food product quality and brand loyalty process better and to explore how problems with negative quality inconsistency in different food categories can influence brand loyalty. An empirical research (on-line survey) was conducted to prove and explain the connection between food product quality and food brand loyalty. The research results shows that the main reasons for being loyal to a certain food brand or product are related mostly to positive brand experience, high and stabile product quality, and recognizable taste. In the context of these research results, it can be concluded that long term consumer satisfaction as a factor in food brand loyalty process depends on stabile product quality, so food manufacturers or food brand owners should be focused on preventing or minimizing the aspect of negative quality issues. Regarding research limitations, the study was conducted only on users from Croatian market; so broadening the survey to other markets should give a clearer view on the connection between food product quality and brand loyalty process.


Abstract The evolution of the vertical mass flux in isolated cumulus and cumulus congestus clouds is documented using two King Airs during the Convection and Precipitation/Electrification Experiment (CaPE,), conducted in east-central Florida during the summer of 1991. These clouds develop over the sea-breeze convergence in an environment characterized by low shear and moderate convective available potential energy. The aircraft, separated vertically by 600–1000 m, commence flying near-simultaneous penetrations as the cloud top passes through the altitude of the upper aircraft and continue sampling until the cloud disappears. The net vertical mass flux for each level is estimated; the difference in the mass flux between the two levels leads to a diagnosis of the net entrainment or detrainment that occurs laterally in the intervening cloud layer. This kinematic technique relies on determination of cloud edge based on liquid water measurements, a cloud shape factor, and the vertical velocity. The technique i...


: Cerebral thrombotic disease is a rare and nearly always fatal complication of ulcerative colitis. It is associated with a necrotizing vasculitis. We report a fatal case with a confusing neurologic picture arising from this complication. Autopsy revealed necrosis and hemorrhages affecting both cortical grey and white matter. Microscopic examination showed thrombosis of small and medium size vessels associated with hemorrhages and a necrotizing angiitis. Ulcerations, hemorrhages, pseudopolyps, and cryptic abscesses were found in the rectosigmoid region of the colon compatible with active ulcerative colitis. A sudden neurologic deficit in a patient with ulcerative colitis should direct attention to the consideration of a cerebral thrombotic event and the possibility of an associated cerebral vasculitis. Diagnosis may be strongly suggested by MRI or arteriography, but it may require confirmation by biopsy of the brain parenchyma and leptomeninges. A hypercoagulable state has been associated with the thrombosis. Anticoagulation has yielded successful results in some patients with cerebral thrombosis but the risk of massive intracranial and gastrointestinal bleeding preclude to establish clear indications. Neurologic improvement has been obtained with the use of steroids and cyclophosphamide.


Aims: This study has been conducted to focus on the localization of the design parameters used for the design of wastewater treatment plants in a region of Iran. Materials and Methods: Three wastewater treatment plants were selected (as models) in a cold weather region of Iran. The main characteristics of the wastewater, such as, flow rate and its fluctuations, total solids, and the organic and nutrient contents, which play an important role in the design and operation of the wastewater treatment facilities, were measured for the selected plants during a year. Results: The averages of the design parameters for the investigated plants, including, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD 5 ), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), volatile suspended solids (VSS), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), and total phosphorous (TP) were, 41, 60, 65, 47, 8.3, and 0.93 g/capita, respectively. Wastewater production was 177 lit/cap-day with a maximum and minimum coefficient of 1.76 and 0.29, respectively. Conclusions: Using design parameters based on the local characteristics and the real-world conditions of the wastewater, can result in more+operational efficiency in the wastewater plants. It is suggested that the results of this study can be applied to the design of wastewater facilities throughout Iran, with the same local conditions.


Abstract Objective To quantify the effects of a series of text messages (safetxt) delivered in the community on incidence of chlamydia and gonorrhoea reinfection at one year in people aged 16-24 years. Design Parallel group randomised controlled trial. Setting 92 sexual health clinics in the United Kingdom. Participants People aged 16-24 years with a diagnosis of, or treatment for, chlamydia, gonorrhoea, or non-specific urethritis in the past two weeks who owned a mobile phone. Interventions 3123 participants assigned to the safetxt intervention received a series of text messages to improve sex behaviours: four texts daily for days 1-3, one or two daily for days 4-28, two or three weekly for month 2, and 2-5 monthly for months 3-12. 3125 control participants received a monthly text message for one year asking for any change to postal or email address. It was hypothesised that safetxt would reduce the risk of chlamydia and gonorrhoea reinfection at one year by improving three key safer sex behaviours: partner notification at one month, condom use, and sexually transmitted infection testing before unprotected sex with a new partner. Care providers and outcome assessors were blind to allocation. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was the cumulative incidence of chlamydia or gonorrhoea reinfection at one year, assessed by nucleic acid amplification tests. Safety outcomes were self-reported road traffic incidents and partner violence. All analyses were by intention to treat. Results 6248 of 20 476 people assessed for eligibility between 1 April 2016 and 23 November 2018 were randomised. Primary outcome data were available for 4675/6248 (74.8%). At one year, the cumulative incidence of chlamydia or gonorrhoea reinfection was 22.2% (693/3123) in the safetxt arm versus 20.3% (633/3125) in the control arm (odds ratio 1.13, 95% confidence interval 0.98 to 1.31). The number needed to harm was 64 (95% confidence interval number needed to benefit 334 to ∞ to number needed to harm 24) The risk of road traffic incidents and partner violence was similar between the groups. Conclusions The safetxt intervention did not reduce chlamydia and gonorrhoea reinfections at one year in people aged 16-24 years. More reinfections occurred in the safetxt group. The results highlight the need for rigorous evaluation of health communication interventions. Trial registration ISRCTN registry ISRCTN64390461.


We consider minimal time problems governed by nonlinear systems under general time dependant state constraints and in the two-player games setting. In general, it is known that the characterization of the minimal time function, as well as the study of its regularity properties, is a difficult task in particular when no controlability assumption is made. In addition to these difficulties, we are interested here to the case when the target, the state constraints and the dynamics are allowed to be time-dependent. We introduce a particular "reachability" control problem, which has a supremum cost function but is free of state constraints. This auxiliary control problem allows to characterize easily the backward reachable sets, and then, the minimal time function, without assuming any controllability assumption. These techniques are linked to the well known level-set approachs. Partial results of the study have been published recently by the authors in SICON. Here, we generalize the method to more complex problems of moving target and obstacle problems. Our results can be used to deal with motion planning problems with obstacle avoidance.


Abstract. The extraction of road network is an emerging area in information extraction from high-resolution satellite images (HRSI). It is also an interesting field that incorporates various tactics to achieve road network. The process of road detection from remote sensing images is quite complex, due to the presence of various noises. These noises could be the vehicles, crossing lines and toll bridges. Few small and large false road segments interrupt the extraction of road segments that happens due to the similar spectral behavior in heterogeneous objects. To achieve a better level of accuracy, numerous factors play their important role, such as spectral data of satellite sensor and the information related to land surface area. Therefore the interpretation varies on processing of images with different heuristic parameters. These parameters have tuned according to the road characteristics of the terrain in satellite images. There are several approaches proposed and implemented to extract the roads from HRSI comprising a single or hybrid method. This kind of hybrid approach has also improved the accuracy of road extraction in comparison to a single approach. Some characteristics related to impervious and non-impervious surfaces are used as salient features that help to improve the extraction of road area only in the correct manner. These characteristics also used to utilize the spatial, spectral and texture features to increase the accuracy of classified results. Therefore, aforesaid characteristics have been utilized in combination of road spectral properties to extract road network only with improved accuracy. This evaluated road network is quite accurate with the help of these defined methodologies.


Thousands of children experience a cardiac arrest event in the hospital each year, with more than half of these patients not surviving to hospital discharge. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) depth, rate, velocity and percentage of high-quality chest compressions are modifiable factors associated with improved survival. Therefore, we created a novel and standardised process to track and analyse cardiac arrests in the Duke paediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Our aim was to identify areas for improved American Heart Association (AHA) compliance and implement education and communication-based initiatives to enhance early recognition of at-risk patients leading to improved outcomes. From January 2017 to December 2018, all cardiac arrests in our PICU were tracked, reviewed and presented at monthly morbidity and mortality conference. We used the data to track compliance with AHA guidelines and identify opportunities for improvement. Through these efforts, we established a multidisciplinary cardiac arrest education and review programme. Over the 2-year period, we tracked 45 cardiac arrests, which comprised 2% of all PICU admissions. In 2017, during the first year of development, 16 of 22 arrests (73%) were not reported to code committee members in time for complete review. Of the six cardiac arrests with complete reviews, only 17% followed AHA guidelines. In 2018, all 23 arrest events were communicated and 76% of resuscitations were found to be compliant with AHA guidelines. Survival of patients to discharge was 47% in 2017 and increased to 63% in 2018 with similar percentage of PICU admissions having a cardiac arrest between the 2 years. The primary aim of this project was to establish a multidisciplinary comprehensive cardiac arrest review process. This programme allowed for comprehensive analysis of individual events, promoted quality improvement initiatives and improved consistent delivery of high-quality CPR.


Francisella tularensis (Ft) is a highly infectious bacterium that causes tularemia, which manifests in multiple presentations such as ulceroglandular, pneumonic, or typhoidal forms. Pneumonic tularemia, a more severe manifestation, can result from inhalation of as few as 10 colony forming units of Ft. The low infectious dose, its potential for aerosolization, and severity of disease has resulted in Ft classification as a Select Agent by the CDC for bioweapon potential. The severe clinical and financial burden a bioweapon attack utilizing Ft would impose on the U.S. makes development of therapeutics and vaccines an important contribution to protecting public health. Determination of vaccine targets requires knowledge of the early pathogenesis of Ft in the lungs. Ft infects a wide variety of cells, including lung macrophages and lung epithelial cells, likely involved in initial infection from aerosol; few have compared the permissivity of infection between these cell types to infection by Ft. We utilized an in vitro infection assay with murine macrophages (J774) and human alveolar epithelial cells (A549), and developed an ex vivo infection assay for 3D-cultured human primary bronchial epithelium (HBE), intended to mimic lung architecture. Early cellular events within SCHU S4 infected rabbit tissue, a model which exhibits clinical disease similar to humans, was assessed for cellular infiltration, changes in lung architecture, and apoptosis. I found that different strains of Ft (SCHU S4, LVS, and U112), grow at similar rates in A549 as J774 after initial infection. Moreover, I have demonstrated that Ft can infect HBE in the 3D culture system. These data suggest that it takes Ft longer to infect the HBE cells than the A549 or J774 cells. This is the first infection assay performed within a 3D HBE culture, to our knowledge. Over the course of the first five days post-exposure there is an increasing amount of inflammation, hemorrhaging and apoptosis in rabbit lung. When taken altogether, these data suggest lung epithelial cells have an underappreciated role in Ft early pathogenesis and dissemination.


The system is designed to describe and collect data of virtual analysis of electroencephalograms (EEG), as well as to make an expert conclusion on the functional status of the brain and its particular regions. The system includes three parallelly operating systems in the form of a EEC visual analysis schedule as a questionnaire. A programme provides recommendations for describing the level, pattern, and magnitude of the changes detected. Another programme automatically makes an EEC description and a conclusion on cerebral function in conformity with the signs given in the questionnaire and displays them on the screen and sends them to the print. The system may be used for practice in the in- and outpatient settings, for training and postgraduate training of young specialists, and for researches.


Effective microorganisms (EM) are inoculants used by farmers on various crops, and the actual efficiency of EM and their composition have been widely discussed. The objective of this study was to analyze the profile of the microbial community in soils after applying 3 EM inoculants from different origins with and without manure and to determine the impacts on growth and chemical composition of Urochloa brizantha (palisade grass). We showed, by PCR-DGGE technique, that the community structure of the fungi and bacteria in soil differed with EMs from different sources and that adding manure to the soil also significantly altered the bacterial and fungal profile. We also found that adding manure to soil resulted in a pronounced increase in both dry matter yield and crude protein concentration in palisade grass, while benefits of applying EM were largely restricted to a farmer-produced inoculant, where CP% was increased and NDF% was reduced when applied along with manure.


Blood Pressure (BP) is one of the most important vital signs of the human body, which its value provides valuable physiological information about cardiac function for physicians. In recent years, many types of research have been done in the field of BP estimation using Photoplethysmography (PPG) signal. On the other hand, the results of the studies on Heart Rate (HR) and Respiration Rate (RR) calculations have been reported using the imaging Photoplethysmography (iPPG) signal. The iPPG signal is a kind of PPG signal that is recorded in a non-contact method using a camera.This paper is among the first studies to provide a new algorithm for estimating BP values using the only iPPG signal and with a non-contact method. The validity of the proposed algorithm was evaluated in a gathered database with 40 people. The algorithm in estimation of the Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP) was able to achieve mean error of −0.2 and standard deviation of 6.41 mmHg and in estimation of the Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) was able to achieve mean error of 0.45 and standard deviation of 12.39 mmHg.


Private lands are the new frontier for managing wildlife that covers two-thirds of the United States, provides habitat for 85% of wildlife, and offers opportunities for outdoor recreation. Wildlife and recreation are increasingly viewed as a product of agricultural and forest lands rather than by-products. The role of landowners to manage wildlife on private lands and the incentives to do so are unclear. Historical conflicts between governments and landowners make working together a new challenge. The "debris" of controversy erodes the building blocks for solutions; thus, debates about governmental controls over wildlife must be replaced with the pragmatic recognition that private landowners control the fate of habitats, wildlife, and recreation on private lands. Wildlife administrators must face these changing times and enable the private sector to assist with the governments' missions by enabling the private sector to become guardians and stewards of resources. A new age of trust, empowerment, enfranchisement, and cooperative planning should herald in programs for habitat, wildlife, and recreation management in the new frontier of private lands management for wildlife and recreation. Recommendations are offered. PRIVATE LANDS AND NEW FRONTIERS


Hot work tool steels generally consist of the tempered martensitic structure and they are high strength materials using all strengthening mechanisms, such as strain strengthening, grain refinement strengthening, solid solution strengthening and precipitation strengthening. It is necessary to use the grain refinement strengthening that can bring both higher strength at high temperature and toughness than those of conventional steels. In this study, hot work tool steels with ultra-fine grained structure were fabricated by the mechanical alloying treatment. The powder mixture of atomized AISI H13 steel powders and Y2O3 powders was mechanically alloyed by a planetary ball mill for 360ks. The mechanically alloyed powders were packed in a stainless steel tube in a vacuum and then consolidated by hot rolling for full densification. The consolidated material was austenitized at 1293K, which was general austenitizing temperature of H13 steel, and then oil-quenched. Through this process, an ultra-fine grained H13 steel with equiaxed grains of about 0.3 microns in diameter could be obtained. A quenched hardness of the developed steel was comparable to that of an AISI M2 high speed steel produced by melting and hot-working process. Furthermore, although tempered hardness of the M2 steel decreases with increasing tempering temperature of 848K or higher, that of the developed steel does not decrease so much. Therefore the hardness of the developed steel exceeds that of the M2 steel at tempering temperatures over 923K.


ABSTRACT Demands and stressors from work increasingly encroach upon people's family lives in modern settings, resulting in poorer familial relationships and impaired psychological health. The current study proposed and examined dispositional optimism as a potential psychological buffer of the deleterious impact of negative work-to-family spillover (WFS) on psychological health. Based on a sample of employed midlife adults in the United States (N = 1,252) drawn from a large and nationally representative dataset, MIDUS 3, we found that dispositional optimism significantly moderated the relationship between negative WFS and subjective well-being, even after controlling for a variety of potential confounds. However, this moderation effect was not consistently observed for the relationship between negative WFS and depressive symptoms, suggesting that the buffering utility of dispositional optimism may be limited to day-to-day subjective well-being and may not extend to the domain of mental health issues. Nonetheless, our findings indicate the potential importance of considering psychological resources in our efforts to mitigate strains on psychological health arising from negative WFS – to which future studies are encouraged to explore further.


University of Stavanger, Norway i Abstract The pipeline industry has developed its technical capabilities to enable operations in deeper water. In ultra deepwater developments, the offshore industry has been challenged to solve demanding tasks, to develop new and reliable installation technologies for deepwater and uneven seafloor conditions, and to discover technology to deal with harsh environmental conditions. Pipeline installation in deeper water area needs special considerations regarding the lay vessel capabilities. These capabilities are that the vessel should have enough tension capacity for the deeper water and good dynamic positioning system restricted to small movements only. Two common methods used to install pipeline are the S-Lay and J-Lay methods. Some parameters need to be considered when choosing the appropriate installation method, therefore limitations for each methods are investigated. For the S-Lay method, these important parameters Include vessel tension capacity, stinger length, stinger curvature, strain in the overbend region and bending moment in the sagbend region. The maximum depth at which a given pipeline can be laid could be increased with a longer stinger of the lay barge and bigger vessel tension capacity. However, choosing these options may require clamping to pull the pipeline that can cause a heavy mooring system and high risk associated with a very long stinger subject to hydrodynamic forces. In addition, these options also could destroy the pipe coating. On the contrary with the S-Lay method, the J-Lay method reduces any horizontal reaction on the vessel's equipment, and because of this, the J-Lay technology might be used to meet project requirements in deeper water. However, the capability of the J-Lay method in deep and very deep waters requires barges with dynamic positioning capabilities. This is because positioning by spread mooring with anchors would always be worthless and often unfeasible due to the safety of operations. Under extreme conditions, the loading process induced by the lay barge response to wave actions in deep waters is less severe for J-lay method compared to other methods. However, special attention has to be paid to the complex nature of vortex shedding induced oscillations along the suspended pipeline span. Considering the aspects mentioned above, studies will be carried out in this master thesis. The thesis will expose two pipeline installation methods, i.e. S-Lay and J-Lay methods for various water depths and pipe sizes. Starting from 800 m to 4000 m water depth, pipe sizes more than 24 inch will be investigated. The effect of increasing strain in the overbend region and effect of reducing the stinger length will be studied to meet these challenges and to improve the laying efficiency especially using the S-lay method. Plot for various water depths and pipeline properties will be presented as the results of this master thesis. The installation analysis will be performed by using computer program SIMLA.


Because violations of information security (ISec) and privacy have become ubiquitous in both personal and work environments, academic attention to ISec and privacy has taken on paramount importance. Consequently, a key focus of ISec research has been discovering ways to motivate individuals to engage in more secure behaviors. Over time, the protection motivation theory (PMT) has become a leading theoretical foundation used in ISec research to help motivate individuals to change their security-related behaviors to protect themselves and their organizations. Our careful review of the foundation for PMT identified three opportunities for improving ISec PMT research. First, extant ISec studies do not use the full nomology of PMT constructs. Second, only one study uses fear-appeal manipulations, even though these are a core element of PMT, and virtually no ISec study models or measures fear. Third, whereas these studies have made excellent progress in predicting security intentions, none of them have addressed actual security behaviors.This article describes the theoretical foundation of these three opportunities for improvement. We tested the nomology of PMT, including manipulated fear appeals, in two different ISec contexts that model PMT's modern theoretical treatment more closely than do extant ISec studies. The first data collection was a longitudinal study in the context of data backups. The second study was a short-term cross-sectional study in the context of anti-malware software. Our new model demonstrated better results and stronger fit than the existing models and confirmed the efficacy of the three potential improvements we identified.


LaxSr2−xMnCoO6 materials with different Sr contents were prepared by a coprecipitation method, with LaSrMnCoO6 found to be the best catalyst for 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) destruction (T90 = 509 °C). As such, a series of LaSrMnCoO6/H-ZSM-5 composite materials were rationally synthesized to further improve the catalytic activity of LaSrMnCoO6. As expected, the introduction of H-ZSM-5 could remarkably enlarge the surface area, increase the number of Lewis acid sites, and enhance the mobility of the surface adsorbed oxygen species, which consequently improved the catalytic activity of LaSrMnCoO6. Among all the composite materials, 10 wt% LaSrMnCoO6/H-ZSM-5 possessed the highest catalytic activity, with 90% of 1,2-DCE destructed at 337 °C, which is a temperature reduction of more than 70 °C and 170 °C compared with that of H-ZSM-5 (T90 = 411 °C) and LaSrMnCoO6 (T90 = 509 °C), respectively. Online product analysis revealed that CO2, CO, HCl, and Cl2 were the primary products in the oxidation of 1,2-DCE, while several unfavorable reaction by-products, such as vinyl chloride, 1,1,2-trichloroethane, trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene, and acetaldehyde, were also formed via dechlorination and dehydrochlorination processes. Based on the above results, the reaction path and mechanism of 1,2-DCE decomposition are proposed.


High-mountain Asia (HMA) constitutes the largest glacierized region outside of the Earth's polar regions. Although available observations are limited, long-term records indicate sustained HMA glacier mass loss since ~1850, with accelerated loss in recent decades. Recent satellite data capture the spatial variability of this mass loss, but spatial resolution is coarse and some estimates for regional and HMA-wide mass loss disagree. To address these issues, we generated 5,797 high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) from available sub-meter commercial stereo imagery (DigitalGlobe WorldView-1/2/3 and GeoEye-1) acquired over HMA glaciers from 2007 to 2018 (primarily 2013–2017). We also reprocessed 28,278 ASTER DEMs over HMA from 2000 to 2018. We combined these observations to generate robust elevation change trend maps and geodetic mass balance estimates for 99% of HMA glaciers between 2000 and 2018. We estimate total HMA glacier mass change of −19.0 ± 2.5 Gt yr−1 (−0.19 ± 0.03 m w.e. yr−1). We document the spatial pattern of HMA glacier mass change with unprecedented detail, and present aggregated estimates for HMA glacierized sub-regions and hydrologic basins. Our results offer improved estimates for the HMA contribution to global sea level rise in recent decades with total cumulative sea-level rise contribution of ~0.7 mm from exorheic basins between 2000 and 2018. We estimate that the range of excess glacier meltwater runoff due to negative glacier mass balance in each basin constitutes ~12–53% of the total basin-specific glacier meltwater runoff. These results can be used for calibration and validation of glacier mass balance models, satellite gravimetry observations, and hydrologic models needed for present and future water resource management.


The research of this dissertation was entitled Tarekat As a System of Sufism Education (The Moral Study of the Education System of the Qodiriyah Wa Naqsabandiyah Congregation in Ogan Komering Ilir District). This is motivated by the growth and development of a desire for spiritualism or Sufism in society in the form of tarekat teachings. The teachings of Sufism which were once exclusive and individual can only be learned by special people. In its development the tarekat underwent a shift so that it was inclusive and communal / group that could be learned by all Muslims. The growth of Sufism Majlis became the embryo of the formation of non-formal institutions of Sufism namely tarekat. Qadiriyah wa Naqsabandiyah (TQN) is one of the Sufism educational institutions which consists of educational components that work systemically. So the formulation of the problem is how morality in the spiritual education system of the Qadiriyah wa Naqsabandiyah Order includes aspects; Educational Objectives, Educators, Students, Educational Processes, Curriculum and evaluation. This research is a type of field research (Field Research), while the research approach that I use is the Phenomenological approach. This research includes descriptive qualitative research. In collecting data, the authors used primary and secondary data sources, namely murshid tarekat, students, provincial and district JATMAN administrators, and tarekat guidebooks. Data collection techniques are interview techniques, observation, and documentation. After the data is obtained, then it is analyzed using the descriptive-qualitative method with the technical data collection, data selection process (data reduction), data assessment, and conclusion drawing. This study found that in the Qadiriah Wa Naqsyabandiyah Ogan Komering Ilir Congregation, there are educational components that work systemically, including: Educational Objectives that have a moral characteristically Effective Ritualist, become an Al'Abid al Kamil, a moral educator (Teacher Centered) being the main controller in education, students who have the morality of Resignation Religion, namely surrender fully/have a strong belief in spiritual guidance given by murshid (Rabithah and Wasilah). The Education Process that has an Akhlakistik Religious Internalisation, namely internalizing religious values through Dhikrullah (Dzikir Darajah and Khasanah), and with the method of Mujahadah, Muraqabah, and Musyahadah. The curriculum which has the morality of the subject of Eksperiance Oriented is oriented towards the spiritual experiences of students through the Amaliah and the teachings of the TQN (Aurad Dhikr, Tawajjuhan, Khataman, Shalawat, Istighasah and Manaqiban). Evaluation that has an akhlaqic Collegial Personal in the sense of institutional evaluation and individual (personal) evaluation in terms of the spiritual/inner condition of the student through isyarah murshid. With the findings above, the most important contribution in this research is Practically, this dissertation shows that the existence of the TQN tarekat institution in Kab. Ogan Komering Ilir is one of the Islamic Religious education institutions that focuses on the spiritual formation of the community so that it is able to create positive community morals in the face of the swift currents of globalization/modern civilization values in the present.


OBJECTIVE: To study morphologically the eggs of T. circummaculata and T. rubrovaria. METHODS: Forty eggs of the two species were measured through Nikon model 6C profile projector. Student test was utilized for the statistical analysis and scanning electron microscopy for the morphological study of the eggs. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: The statistical analysis shows that the T. rubrovaria eggs are larger that those of T. circummaculata. Microscopical observations revealed that the chorial rim and the spermatic groove are less evident in T. circummaculata than in T. rubrovaria. Both species, the majority of exochorion cells are hexagonal. It was also observed the embryo eclosion and details of the embryonic molt.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a 5As framework for entrepreneurial nudge public leadership for health and wellness promotion based on two exemplary cases in Mississippi.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors use a "case within a case" study design to develop the 5As public influence framework for entrepreneurial public leadership.

Findings
Based on the investigated cases of healthcare and wellness promotion in Hernando and Charleston, Mississippi, the authors developed the 5As framework for wellness promotion dimensions of awareness, assistance, alignment, association, and assessment. This framework is applicable to the lived experiences of community members, leaders, healthcare providers, and government.

Research limitations/implications
The study results provide a compelling insight into early-stage formation of entrepreneurial public leadership. However, the study results lack generalizability due to the case study approach used.

Practical implications
This study can assist entrepreneurial public leaders and policy-makers align their strategic wellness goals, initiatives, and policies that motivate community members to seek and receive supporting services.

Originality/value
Developing an original framework for wellness promotion useful to both healthcare practitioners and public leaders, this study contributes to the extant literature on public health leadership and proposes mechanisms for addressing community wellness needs. The framework is designed to address public health concerns by integrating public leadership strategies aimed at linking with existing community wellness and healthcare services.


Loss-of-function mutations of the SURF-1 gene have been associated with Leigh syndrome with cytochrome c oxidase (COX) deficiency. Mature Surf-1 protein (Surf-1p) is a 30 kDa hydrophobic polypeptide whose function is still unknown. Using antibodies against a recombinant, hemagglutinin-tagged Surf-1p, we have demonstrated that this protein is imported into mitochondria as a larger precursor, which is then processed into the mature product by cleaving off an N-terminal leader polypeptide of approximately 40 amino acids. By using western blot analysis with specific antibodies, we showed that Surf-1p is localized in and tightly bound to the mitochondrial inner membrane. The same analysis revealed that no protein is present in cell lines harboring loss-of-function mutations of SURF-1, regardless of their type and position. Northern blot analysis showed the virtual absence of specific SURF-1 transcripts in different mutant cell lines. This result suggests that several mutations of SURF-1 are associated with severe mRNA instability. To understand better whether and which domains of the protein are essential for function, we generated several constructs with truncated or partially deleted SURF-1 cDNAs. None of these constructs, expressed into Surf-1p null mutant cells, were able to rescue the COX phenotype, suggesting that different regions of the protein are all essential for function. Finally, experiments based on blue native two-dimensional gel electrophoresis indicated that assembly of COX in Surf-1p null mutants is blocked at an early step, most likely before the incorporation of subunit II in the nascent intermediates composed of subunit I alone or subunit I plus subunit IV. However, detection of residual amounts of fully assembled complex suggests a certain degree of redundancy of this system.


The square wave generated from the rotary operation with adiabatic switching is a continuously traveling wave, which provides multiple phases of the clock signal on the rotary ring. Recent research in the design automation of rotary clocking implementation has adopted some simplifications of the phase assignments for scalability. Towards this end, the design techniques, employed in conventional IC flows, can be employed for rotary clock automation as well. In this work, a timing framework is developed and skew analysis is presented for the rotary clocking technology to observe the effects of certain design simplifications in timing automation. Further, a methodology is presented to achieve a bounded skew implementation for rotary clocking technology. Experiments performed on R1–R5 benchmark circuits show a negligible increase in wirelength (around 1.25%) for the bounded skew constraint implementation with a 3.5% skew bound, where as, without the bounded skew, overall skew would be 5.5%.


The synthesis of layered phosphonates of zirconium was carried out using ligands which were combinations of phenylphosphonic acid and either phosphoric or phosphorus acid. At high ratios of phosphate to phenylphosphonic acid in the presence of HF a staged or interstratified product was obtained in which layers of pure phosphate alternated with those of phenyl pendant groups. At lower ratios of phosphate to phosphonate both ligands are randomly dispersed on the layers with compositions Zr(O{sub 3}PC{sub 6}H{sub 5}){sub x}(HPO{sub 4}){sub x{minus}x}, where x = 0.7-1. When the second ligand was phosphite, a greater variety of products were obtained. In the case where both ligands were randomly dispersed on the layers, the interlayer distances ranged from 15.5{angstrom} (almost all phenylphosphonate)j to 10.4{angstrom}(mostly phosphite). This latter spacing arises from each phenyl group in one layer lying opposite a phosphite group in the adjacent layers. Interstratified phosphonate phosphites were also obtained. The behavior of these mixed derivatives on sulfonation under fuming sulfuric acid is also described.


Context. A new generation of spectral synthesis models has been developed in recent years, but there is no matching set of template galaxy spectra, in terms of quality and resolution, for testing and refining the new models. Aims. Our main goal is to find and calibrate new near-infrared spectral indices along the Hubble sequence of galaxies which will be used to obtain additional constraints to the population analysis based on medium-resolution integrated spectra of galaxies. Methods. Spectra of previously studied and well-understood galaxies with relatively simple stellar populations (e.g., ellipticals or bulge dominated galaxies) are needed to provide a baseline data set for spectral synthesis models. Results. X-shooter spectra spanning the optical and infrared wavelengths (350–2400 nm) of bright nearby elliptical galaxies with a resolving power of R ∼ 4000–5400 were obtained. Heliocentric systemic velocity, velocity dispersion, and Mg, Fe, and Hβ linestrength indices are presented. Conclusions. We present a library of very-high-quality spectra of galaxies covering a large range of age, metallicity, and morphological type. Such a dataset of spectra will be crucial to addressing important questions of the modern investigation concerning galaxy formation and evolution.


Speechreading broadly involves looking, perceiving, and interpreting spoken symbols. It has a wide range of multimedia applications such as in surveillance, Internet telephony, and as an aid to a person with hearing impairments. However, most of the work in speechreading has been limited to text generation from silent videos. Recently, research has ventured into generating (audio) speech from silent video sequences but there have been no developments in using multiple cameras for speech generation. To this end, this paper presents the world's first ever multi-view speech reading and reconstruction system. This work encompasses the boundaries of multimedia research by putting forth a model which leverages silent video feeds from multiple cameras recording the same subject to generate intelligent speech for a speaker. Initial results confirm the usefulness of exploiting multiple views in building an efficient speech reading and reconstruction system. It further shows the optimal placement of cameras which would lead to the maximum intelligibility of speech. Next, it lays out various innovative applications for the proposed system focusing on its potential prodigious impact in not just security arena but in many other multimedia analytics problems.