As throughput, scalability and energy-efficiency in Network-on-Chips (NoCs) are becoming critical, there is a growing impetus to explore emerging technologies for implementing NoCs in future multicore and manycore architectures. Two disruptive technologies on the horizon are Nanophotonic Interconnects (NIs) and 3D stacking. NIs can deliver high on-chip bandwidth while delivering low energy/bit, thereby providing a reasonable performance-per-watt in the future. 3D stacking can reduce the interconnect distance and increase the bandwidth density by incorporating multiple communication layers. In this paper, we propose an architecture that combines NIs and 3D stacking to design an energy-efficient and reconfigurable NoC. We quantitatively compare the hardware complexity of the proposed topology to other nanophotonic networks in terms of hop count, network diameter, radix and photonic parameters. To maximize performance, we also propose an efficient reconfiguration algorithm that dynamically re-allocates channel bandwidth by adapting to traffic fluctuations. For 64-core reconfigured network, our simulation results indicate that the execution time can be reduced up to 25% for Splash-2, PARSEC and SPEC CPU2006 benchmarks. Moreover, for a 256-core version of the proposed architecture, our simulation results indicate a throughput improvement of more than 25% and energy savings of 23% on synthetic traffic when compared to competitive on-chip electrical and optical networks.


Viral lower respiratory tract illnesses occurring during the first years of life are associated with increased risk of subsequent asthma, but the mechanisms involved have not been completely elucidated. The available evidence suggests that the factors that explain this connection are heterogeneous. Children who start life with lower levels of airway function appear to be more prone to transient forms of wheezing in the first years of life. "Intrinsic" bronchial hyperresponsiveness, that is, that measured shortly after birth and unrelated to markers of atopy, has been reported to predict both early life wheezing and wheezing occurring during the early school years, independent of atopy. It has also been suggested that both decreased interferon-gamma responses measured before any viral lower respiratory illness and increased interferon-gamma responses measured at the time of the illness may predispose to such illnesses. Children in whom the former mechanism is involved should be expected to be more atopic later in life, whereas those with the latter mechanism should be less likely to be atopic. This may explain why early viral respiratory illnesses have been found to be both protective against and a risk factor for subsequent atopy in different studies. Current evidence thus suggests that different and often apparently contradictory mechanisms related to airway function, structure, and immune responsiveness may explain the association between viral lower airway illness in early life and subsequent asthma. Future preventive and therapeutic strategies will need to address the specific mechanisms that explain this association in different groups of subjects.


In our daily life, people often use forecasting techniques to predict weather, economy, population growth, stock, etc. However, in the real world, an event can be affected by many factors. Therefore, if we consider more factors for prediction, then we can get better forecasting results. In recent years, many researchers used fuzzy time series to handle prediction problems. In this paper, we present a new method to predict temperature and the Taiwan Futures Exchange (TAIFEX), based on the two-factors high-order fuzzy time series. The proposed method constructs two-factors high-order fuzzy logical relationships based on the historical data to increase the forecasting accuracy rate. The proposed method gets a higher forecasting accuracy rate than the existing methods.


Ever since the works of anti-psychiatry and the bringing out of the danger of trying to master the adolescent, we have been made aware of a certain iatrogenic pathology. What is less known are the identification risks which exist between the young patient and the mentally-ill person. This identification can be imaginary, but it always runs the risk of becoming symbolic and opening up the way to chronification. So it would seem to us to be important to promote a special setting for adolescents.


The present study examined the impact of training mothers in high-elaborative, emotional reminiscing on children's autobiographical memory and emotion knowledge. Eighty mothers were randomly allocated to one of two training conditions: in the reminiscing condition, mothers were encouraged to reminisce by asking their children (aged 3.5 to 5 years) elaborative Wh- questions, providing detailed descriptions, and discussing emotions, and in the control condition, mothers were encouraged to play by following their children's lead. Forty-four mothers completed the study. Both immediately and 6 months after training, mothers in the reminiscing condition and their children each made more high-elaborative utterances and emotion references during shared recall than did mothers in the control condition and their children. Children of reminiscing mothers also showed better emotion cause knowledge after 6 months than did children of control mothers, but children's independent recall to an experimenter did not differ according to condition. The findings suggest that an elaborative and emotion-rich reminiscing style can be taught to parents, with potential benefits for children's shared (but not independent) memory contributions and for emotion knowledge development.


Systemic therapy with cytotoxic agents remains one of the main treatment methods for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Cisplatin is a commonly used chemotherapeutic agent, that, when combined with other drugs, is an effective treatment for NSCLC. However, effective cancer therapy is hindered by a patient's resistance to cisplatin. Unfortunately, the potential mechanism underlying such resistance remains unclear. In this study, we explored the mechanism of microRNA-106b-5p (miR-106b-5p), which is involved in the resistance to cisplatin in the A549 cell line of NSCLC. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to test the expression of miR-106-5p in the A549 and the A549/DDP cell line of NSCLC. The cell counting kit-8 assay was used to detect cell viability. Flow cytometry was used to measure cell cycle and cell apoptosis. Luciferase reporter assays and western blot were performed to confirm whether polycystic kidney disease-2 (PKD2) is a direct target gene of miR-106b-5p. Immunohistochemistry was performed to examine the distribution of PKD2 expression in patients who are sensitive and resistant to cisplatin. The experiments indicated that the expression of miR-106b-5p was significantly decreased in A549/DDP compared with that in A549. MiR-106b-5p affected the tolerance of cells to cisplatin by negatively regulating PKD2. Upregulation of miR-106b-5p or downregulation of PKD2 expression can cause A549/DDP cells to become considerably more sensitive to cisplatin. The results showed that miR-106b-5p enhanced the sensitivity of A549/DDP cells to cisplatin by targeting the expression of PKD2. These findings suggest that the use of miR-106b-5p may be a promising clinical strategy in the treatment of NSCLC.


Abstract The keeled box turtle, Cuora mouhotii, is documented in southern Vietnam for the first time, extending the range of the species approximately 300 km southward. The southern population is morphologically similar to the subspecies C. m. obsti and occurs in sympatry with Cuora picturata, a species recently discovered in the wild for the first time. As C. mouhotii is known to hybridize with the closest living relatives of C. picturata (Cuora galbinifrons and Cuora bourreti), this finding allows for the possibility, on the basis of geography, that C. mouhotii and C. picturata may also hybridize in the wild.


Research to date has demonstrated the apparent differences how architects, as 'experts' and members of the public as 'non-experts' perceive and understand visual representations. However, the studies that compare architect' responses with other professionals in the field are rare. This paper reports the findings from an Economic and Social science Research Council (ESRC) funded study that investigated peoples' perceptual and cognitive responses to traditional and computer generated forms of architectural representations. The study and analysis provide an insight into factors that are relevant to the communication, shared understanding of design ideas and knowledge exchange amongst the participants in the process. Findings indicate strong resemblance between professionals' and 'lay' peoples' responses. Architects' responses vary depending on the age and length of work experience. The analysis of groups' accounts of how and why they prefer and value the forms they do shows the fracturing of communication and shared understanding amongst participants.


A questionnaire survey was carried out on 114 personnel from government authorities and professional companies administering cadastre registration in Penang, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Johore. The aim of the study was to elicit the opinions of the respondents and to appraise their understanding on five study areas, viz. land legislation, land administration, cadastre registration, and cadastral survey and mapping issues. The respondents were from State Lands and Mines Office, State District Land Office, Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia, Department of Director General of Lands and Mines Office, State Local Authority and Licensed Land Surveyors.


While a certain compound can be considered as an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in controlled situations, it may fail as a medicine due to problems related to its physical, chemical or biological properties. Moisture, heat or oxygen may jeopardize the chemical or physical stability of the compound, compromising its long-term storage. On the other hand, the form in which the compound is available may present poor solubility in water, preventing its absorption by the human body. The preparation of cocrystals is among the solutions that have been used to circumvent these kinds of problems. If one of the components of a cocrystal is an API, the crystal is classified as a pharmaceutical cocrystal. Conversely, the other component is called a coformer. It is the screening of the vast number of available coformers that allows the optimization of the target parameter (e.g. improving stability toward moisture). In spite of berberine (BBR) being a water-soluble drug with a wide spectrum of medical applications, it presents poor intestine absorption via oral administration (Fratter & De Servi, 2014). Additionally, this API is highly hygroscopic and presents an extremely bitter taste. Cocrystals have been prepared in attempts to solve these problems (Lu et al., 2019; Wang et al., 2016). Recently, in Acta Crystallographica Section C, Sun et al. (2019) proposed a possible solution for improving the water solubility of BBR by the formation of multicomponent pharmaceutical salts (or ionic cocrystals in a wider definition; Kumar & Nanda, 2018) with diclofenac (DIC), another known API, as coformer. Thus, they managed to prepare DIC salts of BBR as a dihydrate (denoted I) and four other solvates [hemidichloromethane dihydrate (II), ethanol (III) and methanol (IV and V, monoand disolvates, respectively)]. These salts were readily prepared by slow evaporation of mixtures containing the corresponding solvents. All crystals show an N—H O hydrogen-bond interaction between the amino group of DIC and the carboxylate group of BBR comprising an S(7) graph-set motif. Additionally, O—H O hydrogen-bond interactions are also present in I, II and V, comprising rings with R4(12) and R 4 6(12) graph-set motifs in I, a one-dimensional chain in II and an isolated hydrogen bond in V. Additionally, – interactions are also present in all the compounds, except for II. Sun et al. (2019) have contributed to the library extension of berberine presentations. Further studies may result in the use of the prepared compounds for new formulations of berberine with improved properties.


SIA-NY students may use this guide to discover resources and great places to study in New York City this summer


Abstract Naraoiids, defined as lightly sclerotized arthropods with a dimidiate tergum of two sclerites separated by a single transverse articulation, have been found in the Cambrian and Silurian. During the Cambrian they had a wide distribution coinciding with trilobite realms. This pattern may be related to the breakup of a Neoproterozoic supercontinent, probably Pannotia, which implies that naraoiids originated before the Cambrian "explosion." Based on new observations on the original material from the Burgess Shale (Middle Cambrian, British Columbia), Naraoia halia is reconsidered as a valid species. The validity is further confirmed by a new record of the occurrence of this species in the Chengjiang Lagerstätte (Lower Cambrian, China). In addition, some structures of N. compacta of the Burgess Shale have been reinterpreted. Two more naraoiid species are redescribed in detail from the Chengjiang Lagerstätte on the basis of more than 1,000 well-preserved specimens. Naraoia spinosa shows dimorphism and Misszhouia longicaudata exhibits geographical variation in the overall shape of the dorsal exoskeleton. Naraoiids may have a protaspis-like larva, but the previously assigned protaspis has proven to be a separate taxon, Primicaris. In dorsal view, naraoiids resemble a giant "degree 0" meraspis (i.e., without thorax), and could have originated from different heterochronic processes, neoteny or hypermorphosis. Naraoiids are generally accepted as vagrant benthos. A predatory/scavenging life mode is supported by functional morphology and recent analogues. A healed injury in M. longicaudata suggests that they could be the prey of larger predators, most likely anomalocaridids. We suggest that differences in exopod composition might represent evolutionary changes through the Early–Middle Cambrian. The monophyly of the Naraoiidae is not firmly established. Similarity to liwiids, supposed to be the close relatives of naraoiids, is limited to overall shape. We exclude naraoiids from the Trilobita, though there do exist a number of similarities between them.


Fast pulse radiolysis and kinetic spectroscopy were used to rapidly generate a variety of free radicals in situ and study their reactions with ferricytochrome c in the time range 10-6 to 1 second. The radicals included t-butanol, which is inert to ferricytochrome c; malate, lactate, and ethanol, which react with it relatively slowly but are completely utilized in reducing it to ferrocytochrome c; and hydrated electrons and hydrogen atoms, which react with it very rapidly but yield ferrocytochrome c only in part, showing intramolecular consecutive reactions and further attack on the ferrocytochrome c protein. From a detailed comparison between malate and hydrogen atoms it is argued that malate reacts directly and selectively with a specific part of the ferricytochrome c surface while hydrogen atoms react with other parts of the protein too, yielding radicals which in part transfer intramolecularly to yield ferrocytochrome c.


Strategic technology management decisions are one of the best opportunities for healthcare providers to positively meet clinical needs, patient expectations and competitiveness goals. Technology management must not be treated as an event (annual capital budgeting) but as a well-thought-out, long-range business plan. A strategic technology management team should be formed that includes all the key strategic business areas, plus ad hoc members from the clinical and biomedical engineering areas. Current and future needs should be assessed and the performance of the plan monitored. A plan will help achieve buy-in from clinicians and reduce unwarranted expenditures on technology.


OBJECTIVE
Somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) abnormalities were reported in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). This study aimed to investigate SSEP abnormalities and its relation with clinical findings in AS patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study included 26 patients with AS and 17 age-matched health volunteers (Control for SSEP). Median nerve SSEP findings were normal in all AS cases.

RESULTS
However, delayed latency and/or very low amplitude of tibial nerve SSEP was found in 20 (76.9%) AS patients. There were significant correlations between tibial SSEP latency and disease duration (R=0.433 to 0.635). There was also an inverse correlation between tibial SSEP amplitude and disease duration (R=-0.429, p=0.047). Serum estradiol level, hip total bone mineral density, The Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) score and Beck depression score were significantly lower in AS patients with SSEP abnormalities (37.3±10.8 pg/mL, 0.916±0.123 g/cm(2), 35.0±27.9, 12.8±8.4, respectively) than in AS patients without SSEP abnormalities (53.7±12.3 pg/mL, 1.103±0.197 g/cm(2), 64.8±15.5, 24.8±10.1, respectively).

CONCLUSION
Significant inverse correlations between SSEP latencies and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) levels were found (R=-0.400 to -0.713). There were also significant inverse correlation between SSEP latencies and DHEAS/oestrogen index (R=-0.596 to -0.868), and between SSEP latencies and DHEAS/Progesterone index (R=-0.467 to -0.685). As a conclusion, this study indicates that tibial nerve SSEP abnormalities are common in patients with AS and there are significant correlations between clinical findings of AS and SSEP abnormalities.


Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive chronic disorder characterized by activation of fibroblasts and overproduction of extracellular matrix (ECM). Caveolin-1 (cav-1), a principal component of caveolae, has been implicated in the regulation of numerous signaling pathways and biological processes. We observed marked reduction of cav-1 expression in lung tissues and in primary pulmonary fibroblasts from IPF patients compared with controls. We also demonstrated that cav-1 markedly ameliorated bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis, as indicated by histological analysis, hydroxyproline content, and immunoblot analysis. Additionally, transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), the well-known profibrotic cytokine, decreased cav-1 expression in human pulmonary fibroblasts. cav-1 was able to suppress TGF-β1–induced ECM production in cultured fibroblasts through the regulation of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway. Interestingly, highly activated JNK was detected in IPF- and BLM-instilled lung tissue samples, which was dramatically suppressed by ad–cav-1 infection. Moreover, JNK1-null fibroblasts showed reduced smad signaling cascades, mimicking the effects of cav-1. This study indicates a pivotal role for cav-1 in ECM regulation and suggests a novel therapeutic target for patients with pulmonary fibrosis.


Rural roads construction projects are expensive, this has led to difficulties in developing accurate construction plans and modeling the construction operation using a novel simulation system. In this field, the aim of this research is to create a knowledge driven rural road construction simulation system to assist satellite image in generating s and reliable road construction plans. Road construction operations of the resources have been identified, developed, classified and modeled through a comprehensive analysis of a Simulink road construction projects. For every road construction operation a GIS-based template for little models was defined and developed. The models abridge distance of the path on the roads construction between villages and automating the optimizing of works. Also, the models provide a roadmap for evaluating several shortest paths on road construction via Quad-tree decomposition of the satellite image. A simulation case study was modeled to identify applicability, usefulness and accuracy of the developed simulation system and results are presented in this paper. The study fulfilled that the system generated for fast marching.


Thyroid testing is increasingly used as a tool for identifying cases of thyroid disease in both primary and secondary care even in the absence of a strong clinical suspicion of disease. Patients with unsuspected thyroid disease are, therefore, likely to be identified, and among those identified are a few patients who have pituitary tumours or hypopituitarism. In the United Kingdom there is variation in which tests are offered for first line thyroid testing. In a 1994 survey of endocrinological testing in clinical biochemistry laboratories in the United Kingdom, Barth et al found that 30 different combinations of first line and second line profiles were being used.1 In a total of 186 replies 34% of laboratories reported offering testing for free thyroxine concentrations and thyroid stimulating hormone, 32% offered testing only for thyroid stimulating hormone, and 18% offered testing for total thyroxine concentration. The cases of the six patients described here highlight the fact that offering testing only for thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) may be inappropriate.

The first five patients discussed had concentrations of free thyroxine hormone and thyroid stimulating hormone measured using a highly sensitive, third generation method (Amerlite hTSH, Kodak Clinical Diagnostics, Amersham). In the sixth patient these were measured by a two step, second generation method (Beckman Instruments, High Wycombe). Prolactin, luteinising hormone, and follicle stimulating hormone were measured using the Abbott IMX fluoroimmunoassay (Abbott Diagnostics, Maidenhead). Growth hormone was measured using the Nichols Diagnostics immunoassay (Nichols Institute Diagnostika, Bad-Nauheim, Germany). Testosterone was measured by radioimmunoassay. Anterior pituitary function was investigated in five patients using glucagon, thyrotrophin releasing hormone, and gonadotrophin releasing hormone challenge. Insulin was used instead of glucagon in one instance.

### Case 1

A 75 year old man with a three year history of anaemia was referred by his general practitioner to a general physician. The patient's …


This paper introduces a research project that aims to speed-up and size-up some gas storage valuations, based on a Stochastic Dynamic Programming algorithm. Such valuations are typically needed by investment projects and yield prices of gas storage spaces and facilities. However, they involve computations which require great amounts of CPU power or memory. As a result, their parallelization on PC clusters or supercomputers becomes highly attractive and sometimes unavoidable despite its complexity. Our parallelization strategy is based on a message passing paradigm, and distributes both computations and data on a cluster, in order to achieve speed-up and size-up. It includes some complex and optimized data exchanges which are dynamically computed, planned and achieved at each computation step. This optimized data distribution and memory management allows to process large problems on a high number of processors. Moreover, our parallel implementation is able to support different price models, and our first experiments on a standard 32 PC cluster show very good performances particularly for complex price models.


Membrane filtration is widely used for advanced water and wastewater treatments because of many favorable features it offers. Critical issues in membrane processes are membrane fouling as well as tortuous and broad size distribution of membrane pores. In this study, micro- and submicron-sieve membranes with uniform, non-tortuous pores were fabricated using a soft-lithographic technique. Due to the precisely controlled pore size, spatial distribution and non-tortuous quality, the membrane flux per surface porosity was shown to be greatly enhanced in comparison with conventional membranes with a tortuous pore structure. Furthermore, the solventless UV-curable polyurethane acrylate (PUA), employed as the membrane material, has lower surface energy leading to much better anti-biofouling performance than other commercial membrane materials. The soft-lithographic technique and UV-curable polyurethane acrylate (PUA) introduced here would open a horizon to a new generation of membranes with anti-fouling capability.


The term systemic failure is one used with increasing frequency particularly by journalists and politicians to account for things going wrong in an increasingly complex and uncertain world. But what does it actually mean from a systems thinking perspective, and how might effective strategic thinking in management practice reduce incidences of systemic failure? From a systems thinking in practice perspective three interwoven traps contribute to systemic failure reductionism, dogmatism, and managerialism. Using the example of systemic failure of academic economics in averting the global financial crisis – as expressed by prominent economists themselves each of the three traps is explored. Drawing on a framework for systems thinking in practice informed by the critical systems practice of systemic triangulation, some practical tools from systems approaches are introduced to counter traps of systemic failure.


Abstract Using screening regression procedures, an attempt has been made to standardize probability of precipitation Brier scores for difficulty. Climatological factors affecting the difficulty of forecasting used are: precipitation frequency, time persistence and small amount frequency. Standardizing equations were derived for three-month seasons from seven years of data. Four-term regression equations were developed for each season and lead time. Local forecaster improvement over guidance scores varied inversely as the Model Output Statistics (MOS) scores, indicating that poor machine forecasts are easier to improve upon than good machine forecasts.


The federal Head Start program, designed to improve the school readiness of children from low-income families, often serves 3- and 4-year-olds in the same classrooms. Given the developmental differences between 3- and 4-year-olds, it is unknown whether educating them together in the same classrooms benefits one group, both, or neither. Using data from the Family and Child Experiences Survey 2009 cohort, this study used a peer-effects framework to examine the associations between mixed-age classrooms and the school readiness of a nationally representative sample of newly enrolled 3-year-olds (n = 1,644) and 4-year-olds (n = 1,185) in the Head Start program. Results revealed that 4-year-olds displayed fewer gains in academic skills during the preschool year when they were enrolled in classrooms with more 3-year-olds; effect sizes corresponded to 4 to 5 months of academic development. In contrast, classroom age composition was not consistently associated with 3-year-olds' school readiness.


Sleep is a fundamental homeostatic process, and disorders of sleep can greatly affect quality of life. Parkinson's disease (PD) is highly comorbid for a spectrum of sleep disorders and deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) has been reported to improve sleep architecture in PD. We studied local field potential (LFP) recordings in PD subjects undergoing STN-DBS over the course of a full-night's sleep. We examined the changes in oscillatory activity recorded from STN between ultradian sleep states to determine whether sleep-stage dependent spectral patterns might reflect underlying dysfunction. For this study, PD (n=10) subjects were assessed with concurrent polysomnography and LFP recordings from the DBS electrodes, for an average of 7.5 hours in 'off' dopaminergic medication state. Across subjects, we found conserved spectral patterns among the canonical frequency bands (delta 0–3 Hz, theta 3–7 Hz, alpha 7–13 Hz, beta 13–30 Hz, gamma 30–90 Hz and high frequency 90–350 Hz) that were associated with specific sleep cycles: delta (0–3 Hz) activity during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) associated stages was greater than during Awake, whereas beta (13–30 Hz) activity during NREM states was lower than Awake and rapid eye movement (REM). In addition, all frequency bands were significantly different between NREM states and REM. However, each individual subject exhibited a unique mosaic of spectral interrelationships between frequency bands. Our work suggests that LFP recordings from human STN differentiate between sleep cycle states, and sleep-state specific spectral mosaics may provide insight into mechanisms underlying sleep pathophysiology.


Several recent theoretical proposals suggest that young children are rational, constructivist learners (e.g. Gopnik & Wellman, 2012; Xu & Kushnir, 2012; 2013). One of the claims made under constructive learning is that children are active learners – they selectively attend and explore their environment in order to maximize information gain (e.g., Kidd, Piantadosi, & Aslin, 2012; Schulz & Bonawitz, 2007). Most studies to date, however, have focused on how efficiently children learn when they are given evidence by an experimenter ('teacher'), under conditions of training: children receive a restricted set of evidence, and they are subsequently tested on their learning. Yet children are not mere observers; they actively engage their environment to supplement their learning. In our experiment, 3-year-old children successfully acquired higher-order generalizations using self-generated evidence during free play, suggesting an early capacity to engage in self-directed learning.


Introduction: Proximal humeral fracture whether caused by trauma or related to osteoporosis, requires carefully planned individual treatment. The choice of technique and devices depends on quality of bone, soft tissue, age and reliability of patients. However the goal of proximal humerus fracture fixation should be stable reduction, allowing early motion of fracture.
Objectives: To analyze fractures of the proximal humerus that were treated either with the proximal humerus internal locking system (PHILOS) locking plate or percutaneous K wire and document their clinical and functional outcome.
Materials and Method: The study includes patients with proximal humerus fractures who underwent Open reduction and internal fixation with PHILOS locking plate or Percutaneous K-wire fixation.
Functional outcome was evaluated by Constant-Murley score. Patients were followed up at 6 weekly interval until fracture union and at once at 1 yr after the surgery
30 cases were studied, cases were selected randomly for both PHILOS and percutaneous k wire fixation, each 15 cases.
Results: 33.34% patients treated with open reduction and internal fixation with PHILOS plating had good to excellent results, 46.6% of patients had fair results and the remaining 20% had poor results.
40% of patients treated with closed reduction and K wire fixation had good to excellent results, 40% of patients had fair results and remaining 20% had poor results.
Conclusion: The results of surgical treatment of proximal humerus fractures in both the groups (percutaneous pinning and PHILOS plating) are satisfactory with good functional outcome.

Keywords: Proximal humerus, Constant-Murley score, PHILOS, K wire


Inside-out plasma-membrane vesicles isolated from rat liver [Prpic, Green, Blackmore & Exton (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 1382-1385] accumulated a substantial amount of 45Ca2+ when they were incubated in a medium whose ionic composition and pH mimicked those of cytosol and which contained MgATP. The Vmax of the initial 45Ca2+ uptake rate was 2.9 +/- 0.6 nmol/min per mg and the Km for Ca2+ was 0.50 +/- 0.08 microM. The ATP-dependent 45Ca2+ uptake by inside-out plasma-membrane vesicles was about 20 times more sensitive to saponin than was the ATP-dependent uptake by a microsomal preparation. The 45Ca2+ efflux from the inside-out vesicles, which is equivalent to the Ca2+ influx in intact cells, was increased when the free Ca2+ concentration in the medium was decreased. The Ca2+ antagonists La3+ and Co2+ inhibited the 45Ca2+ efflux from the vesicles. Neomycin stimulated the Ca2+ efflux in the presence of either a high or a low free Ca2+ concentration. These results confirm that polyvalent cations regulate Ca2+ fluxes through the plasma membrane.


In this letter, we find cumulative distribution function (CDF) and probability density function (PDF) of the generalized max-min Exponential random variable (RV) in terms of converging power series. By using the PDF of this RV, the average bit error rate (BER) of the max-min criterion based best path selection scheme in multi-hop decode-and-forward (DF) cooperative communication system over Rayleigh fading channels is analyzed. It is demonstrated by the analysis and simulation that max-min criterion based path selection works very well in the multi-hop DF cooperative system.


We explored the frequency of suppressed reproduction in Atlantic cod Gadus morhua in Smith Sound, Trinity Bay (NAFO Area 3L), Newfoundland, Canada, the largest remaining spawning aggregation of the so-called 'northern cod'. In the years 1999 to 2004, suppression of reproduction via mass atresia of vitellogenic oocytes occurred in 8.4 to 55.6% of potential female spawners. Suppres- sion of reproduction was particularly common in the 40 to 49 cm size class, perhaps representing females aborting their first attempt at spawning, but was also common in all larger size classes, sug- gesting that spawning was not annual for all fish. The fact that non-reproductive fish were generally in poorer condition than those that were successfully ripening suggests a nutritional control to spawning. Stable isotope (δ 13 C) signatures suggest that small to medium sized cod (40 to 60 cm) were more likely to spawn when feeding on pelagic (i.e. capelin) than benthic (i.e. shrimp) prey. Small to medium sized cod in Smith Sound were generally in poorer nutritional condition than those in nearby Placentia Bay. Stomach content analysis suggested that Placentia Bay cod fed more heavily on capelin than those in Smith Sound and that they fed year-round, whereas Smith Sound cod ceased feeding during winter. Years with the highest degree of reproductive suppression in Smith Sound were also the years with the highest proportion of female fish in the 40 to 49 cm size class, suggest- ing that yearly variability in the number of non-reproductive fish was related to population size struc- ture. Failure to account for the non-reproductive portion of the population resulted in overestimation of egg production by 8 to 41% annually for the Smith Sound aggregation. The results emphasise the need to adjust spawning stock biomass accordingly in order to accurately estimate reproductive potential in marine groundfish and develop effective management strategies.


This study aimed to determine whether low-income women residing in a rural community in South Africa experienced any significant difference in the prevalence rates of depressive symptoms postpartum as compared to depressive symptoms prepartum. Thirty women between the ages of 16 and 38 were recruited during pregnancy from the local community clinic in Kylemore, South Africa. The women where assessed for elevated levels of depressive symptomatology using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) during pregnancy and again at three and six months postpartum. It was found that 18 (60%) of the women reported elevated levels of depressive symptomatology during the prepartum assessment, with 11 (37.9%) and 12 (48%) women reporting elevated levels of depressive symptomatology at the three months and six month postpartum assessment respectively. It was further found that the sample from the current study did not experience any significant difference in the rate of depressive symptomatology from the prepartum assessment to either of the postpartum assessments. The results also suggests that a relationship exists between the levels of depressive symptomatology prepartum and the levels of depressive symptomatology postpartum, as those women who experienced high levels of depressive symptomatology during pregnancy continued to show high levels of depressive symptomatology at the postpartum assessments. The findings from the current study thus suggest that the classification of postpartum depression as a unique and separate entity, that differs from depression occurring in women at other times and from depression as experienced by men, may be misleading. The term suggests a depression that develops following childbirth, while in the current study it seemed that when depressive symptoms were reported postpartum, they were also already apparent during pregnancy. The findings from the current study therefore suggest that the existence of postpartum depression as a distinct diagnosis or illness is problematic – a suggestion that has frequently been suggested in the literature (Aderibigbe, Gureje, & Omigbodun, 1993; Chandran, Tharyan, Muliyil & Abraham, 2002; Cooper, Campbell, Day, Kennerly & Bond, 1988; Cox, Murray & Chapman, 1993; O'Hara, Zekoski, Phillips & Wright, 1990; Patel, Rodrigues, & DeSouza, 2002).


Educators today are faced with a worthy goal. Every student, including those with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), must be taught by a qualified teacher. However, recruiting, training, and retaining quality special education teachers continue to confound the field. The purpose of this study was to determine if the completion of a NCATE/CEC (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education/Council for Exceptional Children) approved masters program specializing in EBD from a well-known university increased the confidence in knowledge and skills of special educators, the numbers of special educators, and/or the retention of special educators working with students with EBD. The sample in this study was composed of 199 students who had completed the master's degree in special education who specialized in emotional/behavioral disorders from 1985 to 2005. Data were compiled from 80 students at a response rate of approximately 40%. Additionally, five respondents participated in face-to-face interviews. The data did not lend themselves to the quantitative analysis and thus pose a limitation to the generalizability of this study. However, combined with the qualitative analysis, the study provided a rich analysis of a program whose graduates stay in the field of special education providing services to students with EBD.


Wali nikah (male next of kin and guardian whose consent is required for the marriage of a girl or woman) is one of the pillars of marriage, and it is written in Article 14 of the Compilation of Islamic Law.  Rasulullah SAW said that "the marriage is not valid without the (present of ) wali" meaning that the marriage agreement is not valid without the present of guardian. In general, the one who becomes the wali for the marriage is wali nasab. If the wali nasab is adhal (fair), the guardianship can be represented by wali hakim. The transfer of guardianship from wali nasab to wali hakimis regulated in Article 23 (1) and (2) of the Compilation of Islamic Law. The purpose of this study was to describe the factors causing the incident of wali adhal, the validity of marriage if the wali adhal occured based on the decision No. 215/Pdt.P/2011/Pengadilan Agama Jakarta Selatan, and the status of marriage resulted from the wali adhal marriage. Keywords :      Wali Adhal, Validity, Marriage


Third-generation synchrotron radiation X-ray phase-contrast microscopy(XPCM) can be used for obtaining image with edge enhancement, and achieve the high contrast imaging of low-Z materials with the spatial coherence peculiarity of X-rays. In the present paper, the characteristic microstructures of adhesive at the interface and their penetration in wood/bamboo composite material were investigated systematically by XPCM at Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF). And the effect of several processing techniques was analyzed for the adhesive penetration in wood/bamboo materials. The results show that the synchrotron radiation XPCM is expected to be one of the important precision detection methods for wood-based panels.


As mobile robots find increasing use in outdoor applications, designing energy-efficient robot navigation algorithms is gaining importance. There are two primary approaches to energy efficient navigation: Offline approaches rely on a previously built energy map as input to a path planner. Obtaining energy maps for large environments is challenging. Alternatively, the robot can navigate in an online fashion and build the map as it navigates. Online navigation in unknown environments with only local information is still a challenging research problem. In this paper, we present a novel approach which addresses both of these challenges. Our approach starts with a segmented aerial image of the environment. We show that a coarse energy map can be built from the segmentation. However, the absolute energy value for a specific terrain type (e.g. grass) can vary across environments. Therefore, rather than using this energy map directly, we use it to build the covariance function for a Gaussian Process (GP) based representation of the environment. In the online phase, energy measurements collected during navigation are used for estimating energy profiles across the environment using GP regression. Coupled with an A*-like navigation algorithm, we show in simulations that our approach outperforms representative baseline approaches. We also present results from field experiments which demonstrate the practical applicability of our method.


The paper presents an assessment of the performances of RANS turbulence models for simulating turbulent swirling can-combustor flows with different inlet swirl intensities (i.e. S=0.4 and S=0.81). The predictions compared against published experimental data reveal that the eddy-viscosity models can not show the central recirculation zone in the case of a weakly swirling flow. However, although they reveal the existence of this region in a strongly swirling flow, they are incapable of predicting its correct size. On the other hand, the Reynolds stress models are able to predict the cor- ner and the central recirculation zones in both flow cases. The predictions of turbulence intensities by using the realizable k-� and the SST k-� are comparable to those of the Reynolds stress closures. The shear stresses are not well predicted by all the tested models. Both the eddy-viscosity and the Reynolds stress closures show relatively less approximation errors in the weakly swirling flow.


ABSTRACTPostoperative rehabilitation for lumbar radiculopathy has shown little effect on reducing pain and disability. Current preoperative education programs with a focus on a biomedical approach feature procedural and anatomical information, and these too have shown little effect on postoperative outcomes. This report describes the development of an evidence-based educational program and booklet for patients undergoing lumbar surgery for radiculopathy using a recently conducted systematic review of neuroscience education for musculoskeletal pain. The previous systematic review produced evidence for neuroscience education as well as best-evidence synthesis of the content and delivery methods for neuroscience education for musculoskeletal pain. These evidence statements were extracted and developed into patient-centered messages and a booklet, which was then evaluated by peer and patient review. The neuroscience educational booklet and preoperative program convey key messages from the previous systematic review aimed at reducing fear and anxiety before surgery and assist in developing realistic expectations regarding pain after surgery. Key topics include the decision to undergo surgery, pain processing, peripheral nerve sensitization, effect of anxiety and stress on pain, surgery and the nervous system, and decreasing nerve sensitization. Feedback from the evaluations of the booklet and preoperative program was favorable from all review groups, suggesting that this proposed evidence-based neuroscience educational program may be ready for clinical application.


The automatic translation of folk psychology into newly formed brain modules specifically dedicated to mind-reading and other social cognitive abilities should be carefully scrutinized. Searching for the brain location of intentions, beliefs and desires—as such—might not be the best epistemic strategy to disclose what social cognition really is. The results of neurocognitive research suggest that in the brain of primates, mirror neurons, and more generally the premotor system, play a major role in several aspects of social cognition, from action and intention understanding to language processing. This evidence is presented and discussed within the theoretical frame of an embodied simulation account of social cognition. Embodied simulation and the mirror neuron system underpinning it provide the means to share communicative intentions, meaning and reference, thus granting the parity requirements of social communication.


This paper measures some of the impacts that development in transportation infrastructure could have on the Colombian economy during the period 1905-1990. The first section of the paper analyzes the responsiveness of the economy to changes in transportation costs and changes in transportation length network, by estimating the demand elasticities for railroads' freight and passenger services. This enables us to calculate the social savings on railroad freight. The lack of data on highways' transportation rates and freight volumes narrows the analysis to the railway sector alone. The second section studies the correlation between coffee expansions and transportation infrastructure improvements. The hypothesis is that improvements in transportation have been trigged by, and subsequently have contributed to, the expansion of coffee exports during the first half of the twentieth century. To test this hypothesis a time series technique, vector auto-regression (VAR) estimation, is implemented. The last section examines whether declines in transportation costs, due to expansions in transportation infrastructure, can explain reductions in the divergences of the agricultural prices gap among Colombian cities. The study of this issue relies on cointegration analysis. Our main result is that railroads did not play an overwhelming role in the Colombian economy. The main problem was the topographical conditions of the country that made railroad constructions very costly, the lack of economic resources, and the not competing forces of alternative transport modes. The results suggest that even highways did not help draw the country together.


Themarine environment has a remarkable source of natural products mainly frommarine fungi, which have been a central source of novel pharmacologically bioactive secondary metabolites. In this study, the search for a new potential apoptosis-inducing metabolite is focused on marine sponge-associated symbionts. A total of sixteen different sponges were obtained from the Gulf of Mannar region, India, and twenty-three different marine fungal strains were isolated and tested for antiproliferative activity by the MTT assay. Out of these, Monascus sp. NMK7 associated with the marine sponge Clathria frondifera was found to have a promising antiproliferative property. Furthermore, to isolate the pure active metabolite, the crude material was subjected to column chromatography and HPLC. Structural characterization was conducted by a variety of spectroscopic techniques including UV, IR, MS and NMR. The obtained results from the MS and NMR spectroscopy determined 418.5 Da to be the molecular weight and C24H34O6 to be the molecular formula of the metabolite, indicating the presence of monacolin X (NMKD7). NMKD7 was found to induce dose-dependent cytotoxicity in different human breast cancer cell lines MCF-7, T47D, MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468 and MCF-10A normal breast cell after 24 h of exposure. For elucidating the possible mode of cell death, T47D and MDA-MB-468 cells were treated with NMKD7 for 24 h to examine the morphological change of the chromatin (PI & AO/EB). Therefore, it has been suggested as the possible mechanism of apoptosis, and apart from this, it has also exhibited antibacterial and anti-migratory properties as well as induced the ROS stress (DCFH-DA), which causes the mitochondrial membrane potential difference (Rhodamine-123), the loss of cell membrane integrity and eventually cell death. Thus, the present study features a novel promising apoptosis-inducing metabolite (NMKD7) with minimal toxicity, suggesting its potential for biotechnological applications, and substantiates that it should be further considered for the elucidation of molecular targets and signal transduction pathways.


BACKGROUND/AIMS
The surgical indication for acute appendicitis has been discussed diversely. SIRS (systematic inflammatory response syndrome) is a concept that has been advocated as the clinical criteria on inflammatory diseases. The aim of the current study was to elucidate the significance of SIRS score in deciding therapeutic strategies for acute appendicitis.

METHODOLOGY
One hundred and twenty-five patients who were admitted with the diagnosis of acute appendicitis were investigated in the current study. The ultimate surgical indication was decided by the physical examination done by the surgeons. Fifty-nine patients were indicated for appendectomy. The relationship between decision for the surgical treatment for acute appendicitis and SIRS score/positive status was investigated.

RESULTS
SIRS score of the patients who were treated with appendectomy was significantly higher than that of the patients treated with conservative therapy containing starvation and administration of antibiotics therapy and SIRS positive status in patients treated with appendectomy was also higher than that in patients with conservative therapy.

CONCLUSIONS
SIRS score is also useful as objective and auxiliary information to determine the surgical indication for acute appendicitis.


There are two ways of considering the eternity presented in this paper: the eternity as a fundamental value, in the context of sacrum, and the eternity expressed as a temporal phenomenon. The author collates linguistic and semiotic view with the ontological and metaphysical one. The text is built on two axes: theoretical and methodological optic founded by authors representing Tartu-Moscow Semiotic Group on the one hand, and the metaphysical way of describing the presence. There is one notion that combines these two approaches: the centre. The text presents characteristic relations betweencultural system and its centre (centres), as well as the centre as a place of presenceand sense (according to the Western metaphysics) or, in contrary, as a "sacred nothing" (according to the Eastern metaphysics). The last part of the article discusses some Old Testament texts presenting Babylon and Jerusalem. Author refers mainly to the conceptsof Lotman, Toporow, Barthes and Derrida.


The Pantheon in Rome is one of the grand architectural statements of all ages. This richly illustrated book isolates the reasons for its extraordinary impact on Western architecture, discussing the Pantheon as a building in its time but also as a building for all time. Mr. MacDonald traces the history of the structure since its completion and examines its progeny--domed rotundas with temple-fronted porches built from the second century to the twentieth--relating them to the original. He analyzes the Pantheon's design and the details of its technology and construction, and explores the meaning of the building on the basis of ancient texts, formal symbolism, and architectural analogy. He sees the immense unobstructed interior, with its disk of light that marks the sun's passage through the day, as an architectural metaphor for the ecumenical pretensions of the Roman Empire. Past discussions of the Pantheon have tended to center on design and structure. These are but the starting point for Mr. MacDonald, who goes on to show why it ranks--along with Cheops's pyramid, the Parthenon, Wren's churches, Mansard's palaces-as an architectural archetype.


Significance: The growing incidence of neurodegenerative diseases significantly impacts the individuals who suffer from these disorders and is a major health concern globally. Although the specific mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases are still far from being acknowledged, it is becoming clear that oxidative stress and neuroinflammation are critical contributing factors to the progression of neurodegeneration. Thus, it is conceivable that the inhibition of oxidative stress and neuroinflammation may represent promising therapeutic targets for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Recent Advances: Recently, the strategy for neurodegenerative disease therapy has shifted from the use of antioxidants and conventional anti-inflammatory targets to upstream mediators due to the failure of most antioxidants and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in clinical trials. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidases (NOXs), a family of superoxide-producing enzyme complexes, have been identified as an upstream factor that controls both oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. Genetic inactivation or pharmacological inhibition of NOX enzymes displays potent neuroprotective effects in a broad spectrum of neurodegenerative disease models. Critical Issues: The detailed mechanisms of how NOX enzymes regulate oxidative stress and neuroinflammation still remain unclear. Moreover, the currently available inhibitors of NOX enzymes exhibit nonspecificity, off-target effects, unsuitable pharmacokinetic properties, and even high toxicity, markedly limiting their potential clinical applications. Future Directions: This review provides novel insights into the roles of NOXs in neurodegenerative pharmacology, and indicates the types of NOX enzyme inhibitors that should be identified and developed as candidates for future applications, which might reveal novel neurodegenerative disease therapies based on NOXs.


In this paper, we have demonstrated the facile synthesis of stable gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using imidazolium ionic liquids (ImILs) as a stabilizer as well as a surfactant and their surface plasmon resonance (SPR) in different molecular solvents with varying dielectric properties. The preparation of AuNPs capped with N,N′-dialkyl ImILs of different chain lengths (denoted as [C4,Cn-im]Br, n = carbon number of the alkyl chain) has been investigated. With one long alkyl chain (n ≥ 14), these AuNPs could be stably dispersed in solution over a month. The amphiphilic nature of the imidazolium salt dictates the stability and dispersion of these AuNPs in organic or aqueous solvents. Alkyl chain lengths (n ≥ 14) and the amount of ImILs have insignificant effect on the size of AuNPs and they possess an average size of 5 nm. These ionic liquid stabilized AuNPs were exploited to examine their optical properties when exposed to various solvent systems by measuring the change in the SPR spectrum. It was seen that the position of the SPR band of AuNPs is greatly influenced by the solvents under consideration. The shift in the SPR absorption band is observed to be in the range of 520 nm to 605 nm for AuNP@[C4,C16-im]Br from nonpolar to highly polar solvents. The considerable discovery presented here is that the λSPR of the SPR shifts to the blue with the increase of carbon atom in the alcohol chain from methanol to 1-decanol. Also for polyethylene glycols (PEGs), the λSPR shifts to the blue with the increase in molecular weight from PEG 200 to PEG 600. In above both cases, the variation in SPR of AuNPs is observed according to the dielectric properties of the medium in addition to the steric factor of alcohols and PEGs during their interaction with AuNP surfaces.


Synopsis On the Isle of Bute, the Carboniferous Period is represented mainly by volcanic rocks of the Clyde Plateau Volcanic Formation (Viséan, mid- to late Holkerian). Although previously considered to lie on rocks of the Upper Old Red Sandstone (Bute Conglomerate, mainly Famennian) or Kinnesswood Formation of the Inverclyde Group (mainly Tournaisian), exposed contacts in south Bute show the volcanic rocks to lie disconformably on the lower part of the Clyde Sandstone Formation (higher in that same group). Detailed mapping and measurement of stratigraphic sections at several locations in south Bute reveals the Courceyan to Chadian (Inverclyde) sedimentary succession to comprise the Kinnesswood, Ballagan, and the lower part of the Clyde Sandstone formations. In the Ascog area in the east-central part of Bute, the Birgidale Formation (Viséan; Holkerian) overlies these formations and is conformably overlain by volcanic rocks of the Clyde Plateau Volcanic Formation. Newly discovered exposures of the Ballagan Formation at Dunagoil Bay on the west side of south Bute extend the known distribution of the formation on the island. The relatively thin development of Inverclyde formations in south Bute probably reflects the palaeogeographical position of the area on the northeastern shoulder of the now-submerged North-East Arran Trough. The Inverclyde Group rocks are mostly of terrestrial origin but the Ballagan Formation denotes a short-lived shallow marine incursion. Overall, these rocks record a transition from semi-arid to humid climatic conditions, consonant with the suggestion, based on palaeomagnetic investigations, that at the time of deposition the area migrated northwards through arid to tropical palaeolatitudes.


The gains from international diversification are a well-established fact. In this study a non-parametric moving block bootstrap is used to investigate if investors with long investment horizons should tilt their portfolio weights towards the international stock markets. Through this approach we are able to study the impact of estimation risk on the optimal weights in the assets, and over the investment horizons. The analysis shows that the investors gain more from internationally diversified portfolios if the investment horizon is longer, that is, the weight in the international assets are significantly higher for long investment horizons compared to the one-year horizon.


After cardiac injury, the mammalian adult heart has a very limited capacity to regenerate, due to the inability of fully differentiated cardiomyocytes (CMs) to efficiently proliferate. This has been directly linked to the extracellular matrix (ECM) surrounding and connecting cardiomyocytes, as its increasing rigidity during heart maturation has a crucial impact over the proliferative capacity of CMs. Very recent studies using mouse models have demonstrated how the ECM protein agrin might promote heart regeneration through CMs de-differentiation and proliferation. In maturing CMs, this proteoglycan would act as an inducer of a specific molecular pathway involving ECM receptor(s) within the transmembrane dystrophin-glycoprotein complex (DGC) as well as intracellular Yap, an effector of the Hippo pathway involved in the replication/regeneration program of CMs. According to the mechanism proposed, during mice heart development agrin gets progressively downregulated and ultimately replaced by other ECM proteins eventually leading to loss of proliferation/ regenerative capacity in mature CMs. Although the role played by the agrin-DGC-YAP axis during human heart development remains still largely to be defined, this scenario opens up fascinating and promising therapeutic avenues. Herein, we discuss the currently available relevant information on this system, with a view to explore how the fundamental understanding of the regenerative potential of this cellular program can be translated into therapeutic treatment of injured human hearts.


In order to better constrain the timing of the Cenozoic uplift history of the Tianshan due to the India-Asia collision, we carried out a magnetostratigraphic study at the Yaha section, on the southern flank of the Tianshan range (northwest China). 1069 samples were collected from a 2814-m-thick section composed mainly of fluvio-lacustrine sandstone and conglomerate mapped as the Neogene Kuqa Formation. Rock magnetic experiments show that the magnetic remanence is principally carried by magnetite yet hematite is also abundant . Stepwise thermal demagnetization isolated a linear magnetization component that decays univectorally toward the origin. Based on a positive fold test and the equal proportion of magnetic polarities, the isolated direction likely represents a primary magnetization. Eighteen magnetic polarity changes were identified. They correlate between ~5.2 and ~12.6 Ma with the reference magnetic polarity time scale. We also measured the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility of the samples. Before ~ 11 Ma the average shape parameter T of the AMS is around 0 meaning the grains are spherical in shape and far-traveled. By ~11 Ma, T strongly increases to values strictly greater than 0 meaning that the magnetic grains are oblate in shape and traveled less far. The timing of this change in the T parameter is strongly correlated to a decrease in the bulk susceptibility that likely signals a modification of the source rock. From the rock magnetic parameters, together with the acceleration of the sedimentation rate, we conclude that the uplift of the Tianshan mountains started by ~ 11 Ma.


Asteroseismic observations are crucial to constrain stellar models with precision. Bayesian Estimation of STellar Parameters (BESTP) is a tool that utilizes Bayesian statistics and nested sampling Monte Carlo algorithm to search for the stellar models that best match a given set of classical and asteroseismic constraints from observations. The computation and evaluation of models are efficiently performed in an automated and multi-threaded way. To illustrate the capabilities of BESTP, we estimate fundamental stellar properties for the Sun and the red-giant star HD 222076. In both cases, we find models that are consistent with observations. We also evaluate the improvement in the precision of stellar parameters when the oscillation frequencies of individual modes are included as constraints, compared to the case when only the large frequency separation is included. For the solar case, the uncertainties of estimated masses, radii and ages are reduced by 0.7%, 0.3% and 8% respectively. For HD 222076, they are reduced even more noticeably by 2%, 0.5% and 4.7% respectively. We also note an improvement of 10% for the age of HD 222076 when the Gaia parallax is included as a constraint compared to the case when only the large separation is included as a constraint.


We use a new data set to study the determinants of the performance of open--end actively managed equity mutual funds in 27 countries. We find that mutual funds underperform the market overall. The results show important differences in the determinants of fund performance in the USA and elsewhere in the world. The US evidence of diminishing returns to scale is not a universal truth as the performance of funds located outside the USA and funds that invest overseas is not negatively affected by scale. Our findings suggest that the adverse scale effects in the USA are related to liquidity constraints faced by funds that, by virtue of their style, have to invest in small and domestic stocks. Country characteristics also explain fund performance. Funds located in countries with liquid stock markets and strong legal institutions display better performance. Copyright 2013, Oxford University Press.


The optimal alloy design and microstructure for the high temperature (around 800oC) constrained cyclic thermal fatigue applications in thin-section ductile irons have been established previously by the authors. This study intends to investigate the effect of graphite morphology on the thermal fatigue property of thin-section (2mm ~ 6mm) graphitic cast irons. The results show that to produce carbide-free spheroidal graphite irons in relatively thin sections of 2-mm or 3-mm in the as cast conditions is feasible. However, for compacted graphite cast irons, graphite particles largely in nodular form always occurs in rather thin sections, and acceptable compacted graphite structure can only be obtained when the section thickness exceeds about 6-mm. Regarding the constrained cyclic thermal fatigue property (20 ~ 800oC), cast irons with spheroidal graphite exhibit the best thermal fatigue life, which is followed by irons with compacted graphite, and then flake graphite cast irons, even though flake graphite cast irons show least swelling or distortion after cyclic thermal fatigue test. Furthermore, adding some 0.5%Mo to the irons significantly improves the thermal fatigue property, in some cases even by a factor of 2, implying that the role of Mo outweighs the influence of graphite structure in promoting thermal fatigue property.


This paper proposes a simple discrete-time (DT) modeling technique for the rapid, yet accurate, simulation of the effect of clock jitter on the performance of continuous-time (CT) DeltaSigma modulators. The proposed DT modeling technique is derived from the impulse-invariant transform and is applicable to arbitrary-order lowpass and bandpass CT DeltaSigma modulators, with single-bit or multibit feedback digital-to-analog converters (DACs) employing delayed return-to-zero (RZ) or non-return-to-zero (NRZ) rectangular pulses. Its accuracy is independent of both the power spectrum of the clock jitter and the loop transfer function of the DeltaSigma modulator. The proposed DT modeling technique is validated (for both independent and accumulated clock-jitter errors) against accurate simulations in SIMULINK, using behavioral blocks developed to directly simulate RZ or NRZ DACs with clock jitter. It is subsequently applied to various CT DeltaSigma modulator architectures (low- pass and bandpass, with single-bit and multibit DACs) to study the relative effectiveness of different feedback-DAC pulsing schemes (NRZ, RZ, RZ with fixed on-time, and RZ with fixed off-time) in minimizing the modulator sensitivity to clock jitter. The performance of each architecture is compared as a function of clock jitter, thereby offering a valuable reference for selecting a rectangular feedback-DAC pulse shape when designing CT DeltaSigma analog-to-digital converters.


Urban environments present major challenges to the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) positioning to estimate the position of a self-driving vehicle. GNSS signals are often obstructed by buildings and other obstacles, leading to reflected and diffracted signals, which cause major positioning errors and known as line-of-sight (LOS) and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) multipath errors. Particularly, real-time kinematic (RTK)-GNSS, which can estimate the position in the centimeter-level accuracy, cannot estimate the precise position when there exist NLOS multipath errors. If we use NLOS GNSS code and carrier phase multipath measurements into the RTK-GNSS algorithm, carrier phase integer ambiguity cannot be solved, or wrong integer ambiguities are estimated. As a result, integer ambiguity resolved to fix solutions cannot be estimated, or wrong fix solutions which have large position error are estimated. That is a major barrier to using RTK-GNSS in autonomous driving.

In this paper, we propose a novel NLOS detection and exclusion technique to enhance existing RTK-GNSS positioning in urban areas using only GNSS measurements alone. The key idea behind the proposed technique is that the NLOS pseudorange error will always be a positive value. NLOS pseudorange is longer than the true range, which is the distance between the GNSS antenna and satellite, due to the time delay caused by reflection and diffraction. The distribution of the NLOS error is not along with a Gaussian distribution. We use this phenomenon to detect the NLOS signals.

We propose a technique to detect and eliminate the NLOS multipath using double-differenced pseudorange residuals (DD-PR). In the RTK-GNSS, DD GNSS measurement between the rover and base station is typically used. Here, we compute the DD-PR to detect the NLOS signals. In order to compute the DD-PR, the true position of the vehicle must be determined in advance. To solve this contradiction, we use a particle filter. The particle filter generates the position hypotheses, which is called as "particle". These particles are used as the position candidate for estimating the DD-PR. When the DD-PR can be calculated at each particle position, we detect the large positive errors in DD-PR as NLOS signals. Then we compute the integer ambiguity of only the LOS DD carrier phase to estimate the precise vehicle position.

The flow of the proposed technique is as follows:

(1) The hypothetical user positions are created as particles, where the state vectors of these particles are 3D positions, x, y, and z. The initial particles are distributed based on the solution of the normal GNSS point positioning and its variance.

(2) In the prediction step of the particle filter, the particle state in the next time step is estimated using the velocity of each particle computed from GNSS Doppler measurements.

(3) Next, we compute the DD-PR at each particle location. The receiver clock bias, satellite clock bias, ionosphere error, and troposphere error in GNSS pseudorange are canceled through DD computation. As a result, DD geometrical range between receiver and satellite and DD multipath errors remain in the DD measurement. We compute DD-PR using the particle position. As a result, the only multipath error remains if the particle is close to the true position. NLOS multipath error is always positive value; we generate the subset of the LOS measurement hypothesis at each particle using a simple threshold test.

(4) Next, we compute the RTK-GNSS position solution using the generated subset of the LOS measurement hypothesis at each particle location. It is expected that the RTK-GNSS fix solution can be calculated if the particle location is close to the true position because the NLOS signal has been eliminated. By contrast, if the particle is far from true position, the integer ambiguity cannot be solved because of using the incorrect subset of LOS measurements. The likelihood of each particle is computed from a distance between the particle location and the RTK-GNSS fix solution. The particle that is closest to the true position has a higher likelihood than the other particles. The probabilistic weight of each particle is then updated based on its likelihood.

(5) Finally, all the particles are resampled based on their new weights. Particles that are sufficiently close to the true position survive this resampling step, and the average position of the remaining particles are employed as the final estimated user position.

To confirm the effectiveness of the proposed technique, a kinematic positioning test was performed in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. From the several positioning tests, the proposed technique could dramatically improve the availability and accuracy of RTK-GNSS fix solutions in the dense urban canyon where there exist a lot of NLOS multipath signals.


Alongside with collections in form of historical objects, as well as objects related to human culture, museums have taken an important role in providing education, especially for tourists who visiting a destination. However, at its conditions who have lack of innovation, has implications for declining number in interest of tourists to come and dig deeper into the collections in museum. This research set an objective to answer how could technology applied in museum. Research has been done through Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and depth observation conducted on January 2020, in Jakarta. Nine informants/participants involved during FGD, including 5 museums (public and private), 2 technology providers, and 1 museum users community. Research indicates that strong cooperation between museums and technology providers has been elaborated, in particular in several museums in Jakarta. Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality are two most applications applied. Meanwhile, museums have established several platforms for security and data collection purposes. Both parties will try to add more platforms through video mapping application, projection mapping, virtual tour, and internet of things (IoT) operations. Process of increasing experience and immersion encounters obstacles, to provide additional experience to visitors, so that all five senses that exist in visitors, can enjoy all museum collection. Technology could embrace interaction and immersion to add more experience value on visitors. Thus, tourism industry would be more attractive with the presences of museums.


Fixed investment was the most important contributing factor to the boom-bust cycle in Cyprus over the last decade. Investment boomed during a credit boom in mid-2000s, during which the corporate sector borrowed heavily. Investment collapsed after 2008 when the credit boom ended. Investment and corporate balance sheets further deteriorated during the Cypriot banking crisis over 2012–2014. Using firm-level investment and balance sheet data, we find that corporate indebtedness is negatively associated with investment both before and after the banking crisis, although the effect is weaker after the Cypriot banking crisis, possibly due to the reduced role of credit in driving post-crisis investment and growth. Our results suggest the need to repair corporate balance sheets to support sustainable invesetment.


Objective: Explore and describe experiences and perceptions of falls, risk of falling, and fall-related consequences in individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) who are still walking. Design: A qualitative interview study applying interpretive content analysis with an inductive approach. Setting: Specialized rehabilitation hospital. Subjects: A purposeful sample of 15 individuals (10 men), 23 to 78 years old, 2-34 years post injury with chronic incomplete traumatic SCI, and walking ⩾75% of time for mobility needs. Methods: Individual, semi-structured face-to-face interviews were recorded, condensed, and coded to find themes and subthemes. Results: One overarching theme was revealed: "Falling challenges identity and self-image as normal" which comprised two main themes "Walking with incomplete SCI involves minimizing fall risk and fall-related concerns without compromising identity as normal" and "Walking with incomplete SCI implies willingness to increase fall risk in order to maintain identity as normal". Informants were aware of their increased fall risk and took precautions, but willingly exposed themselves to risky situations when important to self-identity. All informants expressed some conditional fall-related concerns, and a few experienced concerns limiting activity and participation. Conclusion: Ambulatory individuals with incomplete SCI considered falls to be a part of life. However, falls interfered with the informants' identities and self-images as normal, healthy, and well-functioning. A few expressed dysfunctional concerns about falling, and interventions should target these.


ABSTRACT Urban living lab (ULL) experiments are expected to create grounds for circular city transitions but their temporal dynamics remain understudied. This study investigates the linkages of a particular sanitation experiment to a long-term urban development trajectories in the Hiedanranta ULL in the City of Tampere, Finland. The ethnographical study focuses on the temporal matches and mismatches of three interrelated timescales affecting the transformative potential of the experiment: (1) the experiment's life cycle, (2) the brownfield ULL and (3) the formal land-use planning of the future city district. Temporal analysis showed that the creation of transformative capacity requires a long development trajectory beyond a single experiment. In this case, the long-term development of R&D networks and the persistence and maturation of the ULL with its variety of co-developing experiments enabled experiment implementation; changed the city's sustainability discourse; and nurtured prominent cross-sectoral initiative of a super block. However, further implementation of ULL innovations in urban planning has proven to be difficult without a clear orchestrator. Practical recommendations highlight the need to clarify the strategic role of the ULL in experimental governance, transparent ULL processes that support learning, and overcoming transition barriers in the rigid infrastructure sector.


Zooplankton assemblages (Copepoda and Cladocera) in a cascade of reservoirs of a large tropical river (SE Brazil) The construction of reservoirs for the production of electricity is one of the major human interferences on large tropical rivers. This study analyzes the structure of the microcrustacean assemblages (Copepoda and Cladocera) in a cascade of 8 reservoirs in the Paranapanema River. Samples were obtained during 8 campaigns through a vertical haul (from bottom to surface) with a net with 50 μm of mesh size in 19 stations distributed along the watershed (ca. 700 km). The 3 main tributaries were sampled downstream, just like the mouth zone ot the Paranapanema River into the Paran´ a River. Nineteen species of Copepoda and 56 of Cladocera were identified. This high richness confirms the importance of considering the entire watershed for the elaboration of regional inventories. The main species were Notodiaptomus henseni, N. iheringi, Thermocyclops minutus, T. decipiens, Mesocyclops longisetus, M. meridianus and M. ogunnus, among the copepods, and the cladocerans Daphnia gessneri, Ceriodaphnia cornuta rigaudi, C. cornuta cornuta, C. silvestrii, Diaphanosoma spinulosum, D. birgei, D. brevireme, D. fluviatile, Moina minuta, Bosmina hagmanni and Bosminopsis deitersi. The seasonal occurrence of the main species is discussed. A downstream increase in richness (River Continuum Concept) was not observed. The transition zones (riverine to lacustrine) and the zones connected to flooded areas and lagoons have a positive effect on the richness. Comparisons of the diaptomidae composition and dominance between decades indicate an important structural change, probably related to the increase in the trophic conditions. Two different conditions favor the increase in abundance: higher water retention time and also of the trophic conditions. Temporal and longitudinal (intra-reservoir) trends were observed but they could not be generalized. The variation of the relative abundance of the cladoceran families and Thermocyclops species, as well as of the Shannon diversity index, were related to the different trophic and hydrodynamic conditions in the cascade. The analysis of the microcrustacean composition and abundance has allowed the identification of important spatial patterns in the hydrographic watershed, including the effects of damming.


A new scheme of energy storage in single-quantum-well semiconductor lasers is analyzed. This scheme involves the storage of the majority of injected carriers in the continuum states of the surrounding bulk material, in which the carrier density is diluted and the higher-order carrier-density-dependent recombination processes are much smaller. This allows the inversion level to build up to a much higher level during the pumping stage of Q switching. The possibility of using indirect-band-gap semiconductors for carrier storage is also proposed.


We analyse the influence of input pump pulse energy on the four-wave mixing (FWM) conversion efficiency in semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs). For the simulation of the wave propagation in the SOA, we use the nonlinear propagation equation taking into account the gain spectrum dynamics, gain saturation which depends on carrier depletion, carrier heating, spectral hole-burning, group velocity dispersion, self-phase modulation and two photon absorption. The simulation results confirm that corresponding to each input probe pulse energy, there is an optimum input pump energy that maximises the FWM conversion efficiency in the SOA. The configuration of the SOA input pump pulse energy is organised to maximise the FWM conversion efficiency, which is very much useful in practical communication systems. It is shown that energy of the generated FWM pulse will remain constant when the input pump energy increases further from the optimum input pump energy. Moreover, FWM conversion efficiency will decrease when the input pump energy increases further from the optimum input pump energy.


Political science traditionally conceptualizes efficacy only in relation to politics and government. In this article, we look beyond political efficacy and examine the effect of general self-efficacy on young adults' voting behavior. General self-efficacy, an individual's estimation of capacity to operate successfully across a variety of domains, is often important to the behavioral decisions of individuals entering a new domain of activity. With data from the Children of the National Longitudinal Study of Youth, we examine the effect of general self-efficacy on voting behavior among young, first-time voters. We find that general self-efficacy has a positive effect on voter turnout, and this effect is strongest for young people from low socioeconomic-status families.


In recent years, digital watermarking techniques have been proposed to protect the copyright of multimedia data. Different watermarking schemes have been suggested for images. This paper proposes a watermarking algorithm based on image segmentation and Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT). The image is first segmented using Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm. For each segment, the image segment is subdivided into pixels blocks of size 8 times 8 (64 pixels), and zigzag reordered. The DCT of the block is then computed. Then, a pseudorandom sequence of real numbers is embedded in the DCT domain of each image segment. Different experiments are conducted to show the performance of the scheme under different types of attacks. The results show that our proposed watermark scheme is robust to common signal distortions, including geometric manipulations.


The world has opened up to learn natural languages, particularly in India. Working on natural languages has become crucial. India is a country where 1,652 languages were identified in 1961 & it is believed that 880 languages are still in use. India has 22 official languages one of them is Kannada and is rapidly used in the state of Karnataka [1].Nearly, 40 million Kannadigas and 50.8 million speakers have found [2]. Natural language processing is a way to communicate with intelligent systems using natural language techniques. This paper presents Kannada phonetic transcription, is a part of natural language processing. Phonetic transcription is a process of representing words, sentences or language by means of phonetic symbols. The paper presents a way to transcript Kannada language using UTF-8 encoding to pronounce phonemes. Index terms Phoneme, Phonetic, Transcription, UTF-8


We extend the results concerning periodic boundary value problems from the continuous calculus to time scales. First we use the Schauder fixed point theorem and the concept of lower and upper solutions to prove the existence of the solutions and then we investigate a monotone iterative method which could generate some of them. Since this method does not work on each time scale, a condition containing a Lipschitz constant of right-hand side function and the supremum of the graininess function is introduced.


Reference budgets (RB) are illustrative priced baskets containing the minimum goods and services necessary for well-described types of families to have adequate social participation. Cross-country comparable food RB with the minimum cost were previously developed in 26 EU countries. However, sustainability was not considered. The aim of this paper is to present the development of healthy and sustainable food baskets for Spanish adults. This work follows the steps proposed in previous European projects to build RB: (1) revision of guidelines on healthy and sustainable eating and expert consultations, (2) translation into a concrete list of foods, (3) pricing. The results indicate that a sustainable diet can be cheaper than current recommendations when only the dietary content is considered, representing monthly savings of about EUR 7.27. This is mainly explained by the shift towards more plant-based proteins. Adding constraints on origin, packaging and seasonality increases the overall cost of the food basket by EUR 12.22/month compared with current recommendations. The Spanish Sustainable Food Reference Budget illustrates the cost of applying different criteria to improve dietary sustainability in the Spanish context, and can be useful to support the ecological transition, since providing different levels of adherence to a sustainable dietary pattern can ease its access across socioeconomic groups.


ABSTRACT Containment systems that have been developed to isolate wastes from the soil and water that surround them in the ground include compacted clay barriers, slurry trench cutoff walls, geomembrane walls, concrete diaphragm walls, sheetpile walls, grout curtains, hydraulic barriers, compacted clay liners, and geomembrane liners. The choice in any case is dictated by whether waste from an existing facility or spill or from a new disposal site is to be contained and by the geological setting. Properly compacted clays have properties that are well-suited for waste containment, as do flexible membrane liners. Compatibility between these materials and the waste must be considered in any case. Evidence is accumulating that the hydraulic conductivity of properly compacted clay is not significantly affected by exposure to most organic solvents and inorganic chemical wastes in dilute solution. Double liner designs that incorporate both compacted clay and flexible membrane liners as well as leachate collection systems have been proposed to satisfy the requirements of recent legislation in the USA. The higher temperatures and long times associated with nuclear waste isolation by deep burial pose special problems of barrier stability. It appears that smectite clay has adequate stability to be used for repository buffer and seal material.


I begin by demonstrating the inadequacy of the idea that the aesthetic appreciation of nature should be understood as the appreciation of nature as if it were art. This leads to a consideration of three theses: (i) from the aesthetic point of view natural items should be appreciated under concepts of the natural things or phenomena they are, (ii) what aesthetic properties a natural item really possesses is determined by the right categories of nature to experience the item as falling under, and (iii) (the doctrine of positive aesthetics with respect to nature) the natural world untouched by humanity is essentially aesthetically good. I indicate an unclarity in (i) and identify difficulties facing (ii). I distinguish various versions of (iii), reject certain of these, and fault a number of arguments in support of (iii). I conclude that the idea of the aesthetic value of a natural item is such that it endows the aesthetic appreciation of nature with a freedom and relativity denied to the appreciation of art and renders (iii) problematic.


Das tragische Dreigestirn und seine modernen Beurteiler. By D R . KAMILLO HUEMER. Pp. ioo. Vienna and Leipzig : Carl Fromme, 1930. THIS book contains nine essays of varying length, most of which deal with the characterdrawing of the three great ' s tars ' of the Attic stage. The author's points are most conscientiously enforced with illustrations from the plays themselves—perhaps with excessive detail for the purpose of establishing not very novel conclusions, such as the consistency of the Aeschylean Orestes and Clytemnestra, and the view that Sophocles, despite certain modern judgments, really could draw character. He illustrates his points not only from the Greek tragedians, but frequently from his compatriots, Goethe, Schiller, and Grillparzer, and also from Shakespeare. He is especially on the look-out for inconsistency; and though he defends the character of Iphigenia (in Aulis) from the indictment of Aristotle in the Poetics, he finds the threnody of Antigone out of keeping with her character, in which stricture not many would follow him. To him three characters are especially unmoglich—Oxes\.es and Electra in the Orestes, and Agamemnon in the Iphigenia in Aulis. We may agree with him when he finds it unnatural that the brother and sister, after having been stricken with compunction at the matricide, should proceed to plot the murder not only of the guilty Helen, but of the innocent Hermione. But the various motives that determine the conduct of the vacillating Agamemnon seem most natural, and he is a very interesting personage. In the last essay, at the close of an eloquent passage, in which he enumerates the virtues and defects of Euripides, he declares that the scenes in which the dramatist has sacrificed unity of plot and consistency of character in order to make particular scenes effective show that one thing is wanting to him —namely, das kiinstlerische Gewissen.


In 1933 the young Russian communications engineer Vladimir Aleksandrovich Kotelnikov published a paper in which he formulated, for the first time in an engineering context, the sampling theorem for lowpass and bandpass signals. He also considered the bandwidth requirements of discrete signal transmission for telegraphy and images. Kotelnikov subsequently worked on scrambling, cryptography, optimal detection, and planetary radar (including the radar-assisted cartography of Venus). He was awarded numerous Soviet and international prizes, and played a major role in Soviet academic and professional life in the field of radio engineering. Yet his achievements are still comparatively little known outside Russia.


This collection of statistical data on the 90 Highland Lao communities in the United States is designed to help members of those communities and people working in refugee-serving agencies to better assist this refugee group. Information was provided by community leaders, state refugee coordinatcrs, and counZ:y human resource officials in 1988. Profiles of 71 Hmong communities in 30 states include the estimated size of the population and information about jobs held by refugees and services available to them. The following other Highland Lao populations, residing in 19 communities in eight states, are also profiled: (1) Iu Mien; (2) Khmu; (3) Lahu; (4) Loa Lue; and (5) Lao Tinh. The following national findings are reported: (1) the estimated total population of the Hmong communities was 105,253 and the estimated total population of the other communities was 12,777; (2) most of the highland Lao live in California, Wisconsin, and Minnesota; (3) the self-sufficiency rate nationwide (the percentage of families who do not receive cash assistance) for the Hmong was 37 percent, and the rates for the other groups varied greatly; (4) generational problems, mental health, juvenile delinquency, marital problems, cultural adjustments, and drug abuse were the most frequently cited problems; and (5) drug abuse was mentioned only in the largest urban communities. Statistical data are presented in seven tables and one grapn. (FMW) * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * C Ni kt, .C1 ef, A Cs4 November 1988 PROFILES OF THE HIGHLAND LAO COMMUNITIES IN THE UNITED STATES


In recent years, educators and economists have experimented with a number of innovations to improve academic outcomes of students in developing countries. Providing cash rewards to students based on academic achievement may be a cost effective approach to achieve the goal. However, psychologists contend that external rewards undermines students' internal motivation to learn. To test these hypotheses, I am conducting a field experiment among eighth graders in public schools in the suburbs of Kathmandu, Nepal. Students receive cash reward at the end of each of three semesters based on their grades. Each exam is worth 100 points, and each point is worth 5 rupees (approximately 7 US cents). Therefore, each student can earn up to 500 rupees per semester. From a pool of 33 schools, the incentive scheme is offered to students in 11 randomly selected schools while the remaining 22 schools serve as the comparison group. At the end of the year, students take a district level examination. Scores of incentive recipients will be compared to that of non-recipients to gauge the impact of cash rewards on outcomes. Preliminary analysis shows that recipients have higher score than non-recipients in some subjects, the scores are similar in other subjects, and lower in yet other subjects. However, final conclusion can only be made after analyzing the scores from district level exam. Survey responses of students shows that that external rewards has had no noticeable impact on students' intrinsic motivation to learn.


Thisarticle examines cloudburst-triggered natural hazards mainly flashfloods and landslides in the Uttarakhand Himalaya. It further describes mechanism and implications of natural hazards and illustrates the preventive and mitigation measures. We conducted this study through collection of archival data, case study of cloudburst hit areas, and rapid field visit of the affected regions. In the second week of August 2017, about 50 people died and huge losses to property were noticed due to cloudburst-triggered flashfloods. Our study shows that although cloudburst triggered hazards in the Uttarakhand Himalaya are natural phenomena and unavoidable yet, disasters can be minimized if preventive measures are taken up appropriately. We suggested that construction of human settlements, institutions and infrastructural facilities along the seasonal streams and the perennial rivers should be avoided to prevent disasters. Further, large-scale tree plantation on the degraded land will reduce the magnitude of hazards. Keywords—Cloudburst, flashfloods, landslides, fragile landscape, Uttarakhand Himalaya.


What was it like to be a slave in colonial South Africa? What difference did freedom make? The questions themselves are simply put, but John Edwin Mason has found complex answers after delving deeply into the slaves' experience within the slaveholding patriarchal household, the work that slaves performed, the families they created, and the religions they practiced. Grounding his analysis within the context of South Africa's incorporation into the British Empire - primarily examining the period of 1820-50 - Mason investigates a wealth of documentation from the British Colony of the Cape of Good Hope. Colonial officials, particularly the slave protectors, created and preserved a rich archive within which the voices of slaves and slaveholders, free blacks, and poor whiles are recorded, and from which Mason presents vividly descriptive and telling accounts of slave life. In Social Death and Resurrection Mason draws upon Harvard sociologist Orlando Patterson's theory that a slave's social degradation rendered him socially dead. "Social death" defined slavery in the ideal, slavery as it would have been had the slaves played along. But in colonial South Africa slaves did not play along: they fought the lash and resisted domination, retaining a cultural and moral community of their own. Mason investigates the subsequent "resurrection" of slaves following their successful struggle to preserve family, faith, community ties, and human dignity, despite their class domination and racial subjugation by slaveowners. Although slavery officially came to an end with a series of reforms during a mid-nineteenth-century period of modernization and reform, the British colonial state's commitment to formal equality was in fact compatible with continued class domination. As a result, slaves did not entirely cease to be slaves, but through their own efforts and some governmental assistance, they achieved at least a partial victory over slavery's violence, marginalization, and degradation.


Communication scholar Linje Patrick Manyozo categorised six schools of thought in communication for development: 1) Bretton Woods; 2) Latin American; 3) Indian; 4) African; 5) Los Banos; and the 6) Communication for Development and Social Change (Manyozo, 2006). In this paper I will discuss one of the schools of thought in communication for development: the Los Banos tradition of development communication. I will start by introducing the various schools of thought as Manyozo described them in his article "Communication for Development: A Historical Perspective" published by UNESCO in 2007. Then, I will focus on the Los Banos tradition through which I will try to make the study and practice of development communication come alive for you. I will share with you the development communication curriculum, as well as examples of research and extension activities, at the College of Development Communication, University of the Philippines Los Banos. In conclusion, allow me to describe who the development communicator of the 21st century should be.


Interconnected hierarchical porous carbon was successfully prepared by direct carbonization of industrial waste sodium lignosulfonate without additional templating and activation agents. The as-prepared carbon sample shows a moderate specific surface area of 903 m2 g−1 and high contents of 8.11 at% oxygen and 1.76 at% nitrogen, which could improve the electrolyte-affinitive surface area in an aqueous electrolyte. When used as electrode materials for symmetric supercapacitors in 7 M KOH electrolytes, the as-synthesized carbon sample exhibits a significantly high gravimetric capacitance of 247 F g−1, a volumetric capacitance of 240 F cm−3, and an areal capacitance of 27.4 μF cm−2 at a current density of 0.05 A g−1. Moreover, a superior energy density of 8.4 W h L−1 (at 13.9 W L−1) and a power density of 5573.1 W L−1 (at 3.5 W h L−1), as well as a remarkable cycling stability after 20 000 cycles at two different current densities were achieved for the assembled supercapacitors.