In the present study, we evaluated the antihepatotoxic activity of the different fractions of Clerodendrum phlomidis by performing biochemical parameters and histopathological studies against toxicity caused by the carbon tetrachloride. The histopathological studies of the liver showed swelling and necrosis in hepatocytes in CCl4 treated rats, treatment with different fractions have reduced significantly the necrosis and swelling of the hepatocytes. The biochemical parameters also showed the significant antihepatotoxic activity.


It is increasingly common in natural and social sciences to rely on network visualizations to explore relational datasets and illustrate findings. Such practices have been around long enough to prove that scholars find it useful to project networks in a two-dimensional space and to use their visual qualities as proxies for their topological features. Yet these practices remain based on intuition, and the foundations and limits of this type of exploration are still implicit. To fill this lack of formalization, this paper offers explicit documentation for the kind of visual network analysis encouraged by force-directed layouts. Using the example of a network of Jazz performers, band and record labels extracted from Wikipedia, the paper provides guidelines on how to make networks readable and how to interpret their visual features. It discusses how the inherent ambiguity of network visualizations can be exploited for exploratory data analysis. Acknowledging that vagueness is a feature of many relational datasets in the humanities and social sciences, the paper contends that visual ambiguity, if properly interpreted, can be an asset for the analysis. Finally, we propose two attempts to distinguish the ambiguity inherited from the represented phenomenon from the distortions coming from fitting a multidimensional object in a two-dimensional space. We discuss why these attempts are only partially successful, and we propose further steps towards a metric of spatialization quality.


Portable electronic products demand multifunctional module comprising of digital, radio frequency and memory functions. Through silicon via (TSV) technology provides a means of implementing complex, multifunctional integration with a higher packing density for a system in package. A 3-D silicon module with TSV has been developed in this paper. Thermo-mechanical analysis has been performed and TSV interconnect design is optimized. Multiple chips representing different functional circuits are assembled using wirebond and flip chip interconnection methods. Silicon carrier is fabricated using via-first approach, the barrier copper via is exposed by the backgrinding process. A two-stack silicon module is developed and module fabrication details are given in this paper. The module reliability has been evaluated under temperature cycling (-40/125°C ) and drop test.


Friesen et al. demonstrate that investor heterogeneous beliefs affect option prices and explain the risk neutral skewness. Following their study, this paper examines the cross-sectional relation between heterogeneous beliefs and the option implied volatility smile. Examining the impact of heterogeneous beliefs on puts and calls separately produces more insights on the effect of heterogeneous beliefs on option prices. The paper finds that stocks with greater belief differences have more pronounced volatility smiles steeper put slopes and steeper call slopes. These results confirm the findings of Friesen, Zhang and Zorn (2012) that investor heterogeneous beliefs affect option prices and further demonstrate this impact is same for puts and calls. This study also suggests that empirical studies of heterogeneous beliefs are robust to various measures of option prices.


Introduction: Aging-dependent decline in the angiogenesis of heart is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. This study was aimed to characterize effect of exercise on angiogenesis alterations and molecular mediators which are related to angiogenesis in the heart under aging condition. Methods: Twenty-one male Wistar rats were assigned into three groups: young, aged, and exercise. Aged animals in the exercise group run on treadmill for 8 weeks. At the end, heart samples were collected and used for histological evaluation , determination of angiogenesis by immunostaining for PECAM-1/ CD31 and expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A), thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) levels by ELISA. P<0.05 is considered as statistically significant. Results: Our results showed that angiogenesis, and VEGF-A levels were significantly decreased, TSP1 (P >0.0001) and p-NF-κB (P >0.001) levels were significantly increased in the heart of aged group compared to young group. Exercise group showed significant increase in angiogenesis, VEGF-A (P >0.0001), and p-NF-κB (P >0.001) and showed significant decrease in TSP-1 levels (P >0.001) compared to aged group. Moreover, compared to the young group, aged group showed histological changes in the heart, such as interstitial edema, and congestion, whereas, treatment with exercise improved these undesirable changes in the heart of exercise groups. Conclusion: These findings indicated that aging-related decrease in angiogenesis in the heart may mediated by downexpression of VEGF-A and overexpression of TSP-1 proteins. Also, we showed that p-NF-κB protein was increased in the heart of aged rats, this probably mediated by compensatory mechanism. It was also showed that exercise as novel non-pharmacological therapy modifies VEGF-A and TSP-1 and increases p-NF-κB protein levels in the aged heart.


Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) is released from cells in a latent form consisting of the mature growth factor associated with an aminoterminal propeptide and latent TGF-beta binding protein (LTBP). The endogenous activation of latent TGF-beta has been described in co- cultures of endothelial and smooth muscle cells. However, the mechanism of this activation remains unknown. Antibodies to native platelet LTBP and to a peptide fragment of LTBP inhibit in a dose-dependent manner the activation of latent TGF-beta normally observed when endothelial cells are cocultured with smooth muscle cells. Inhibition of latent TGF- beta activation was also observed when cells were co-cultured in the presence of an excess of free LTBP. These data represent the first demonstration of a function for the LTBP in the extracellular regulation of TGF-beta activity and indicate that LTBP participates in the activation of latent TGF-beta, perhaps by concentrating the latent growth factor on the cell surface where activation occurs.


Spleen antibody-forming function in the offspring of female rats with experimental chronic autoimmune liver affection has been studied for its specificities. The data obtained testify to that these animals are characterized by the increased immunoreactivity at all the stages of investigation, that is confirmed by an increase in the number of antibody-forming cells in their spleen. Besides, the splenocytes of immunized animals have an immunostimulating effect on the productive phase of antibodygenesis and has no such effect on the inductive phase.


Introduction of health insurance system provided modernization of medical facilities and equipment. High costs on medical equipment especially imported require economic analysis of its use. The aim of the study was to conduct clinical and economic analysis of efficacy of medical equipment use by municipal health care agencies in megapolis. Materials and methods: Annual reports on medical devices and anonymous questionnaires were included into the research. The study revealed the following results: more than 48,65% of medical equipment owned by hospitals exploited during 6-10 years and was retired. Due to insufficient funding only 49,13% of all medical equipment undergoes technical maintenance. Lack of equipment reduces the amount of free medical service. Conclusion: Health care institutions are provided with medical equipment in 30-40%. It results in quality of medical equipment in polyclinics and hospitals where up to 80% of technology is obsolete. Rational use of medical equipment makes possible to provide diagnostic assistance to population in megapolis


The efficient capture of light is an essential factor for consideration in all solar cell designs. This chapter explores antireflective and light trapping schemes designed to reduce optical losses in solar cells with the aim of improving device efficiency. After a survey of the different mechanisms available for antireflection and light trapping, the various schemes employing these mechanisms are described. This begins with the traditional methods of thin film antireflective coatings and large (micron) scale texturing before moving onto more recent developments in the use of subwavelength texturing, taking inspiration from natural 'moth-eye' antireflective surfaces. Finally, the rapidly emerging field of plasmonics for photovoltaics is explored in which metal nanoparticles scatter incoming light through the generation of localized surface plasmons. In each section, the simulation techniques used for design optimization are introduced and methods for experimental realization and implementation in a range of photovoltaic devices are described. The associated increases in cost and complexity conferred to the solar cell fabrication process are also considered because these are the main hindrances to wide scale adoption of new strategies of light capture.


Ralph Skinner, Ipswich Rd , Annerley 4103. stressed that the pressurejimmobilisat ion type of first aid sho uld be removed shortly after the pat ient reaches hospital.' When a high concentra tion of venom is kept trapped in a limb for a prolonged period, unusual local effects may occur. Tiger snake venom contains a strong procoagulantand necrosis is probably caused by near-compl ete coagulation in all blood vessels aro und the bitten area, which renders the tissue avasc ular. Further publ icity appears needed on the correct usage of these new first aid measures.


As part of the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA) project, the FAAM BAe-146 research aircraft sampled the lower and mid-troposphere around the West Africa sub-region. Back trajectory analysis of the air parcels sampled on-board during the entire duration of the flights showed the history and fate of the air parcels. Data from flights B228 and B231 showed strongly enhanced carbon monoxide (CO) and ozone levels attributable to emissions of anthropogenic origin from the city of Lagos and gas flaring activities in the Nigeria oil fields. The elevated levels of ozone and CO observed at about 6 km above the sea-level on flight B231 were attributed to long-range transport of biomass burning plume from the East, around Sudan. The strongly enhanced mixing ratios of short-chained alkanes and CO (> 400 ppbv) observed from measurements on flights B228 and B231 are indicative of natural gas/combustion sources. Flight B222 sampled air parcels strongly impacted by emissions from Lagos but not from the Nigeria oil field and measured relatively lower mixing ratios of ozone, CO and short-chained alkanes species. Results from this study strongly suggests gas flaring emissions in the Niger Delta area to be a prominent contributor to the enhanced levels of short-chained alkane species observed in Lagos metropolis, especially during the West Africa Monsoon (WAM) months and, hence, a significant source of atmospheric aerosol in the sub-region.

 Key words: African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA), gas flaring, West Africa Monsoon, alkanes, ozone, Niger Delta.


In this experimental study, the effects of vacuum process on mechanical and physical properties of concrete were investigated by comparing mechanical properties of vacuum processed and half vacuum processed concrete specimens with those of control specimens. Vacuum equipment was used to apply vacuum to fresh concrete in order to extract water from floor concrete. Compressive strength and some other test results obtained from both vacuum processed and plain concrete core specimens were evaluated and then compared. Test results have shown that the compressive strength of vacuum processed concrete specimens increased substantially due to the decrease in water/cement ratio by dewatering process. The effects of the process on compressive strength at early ages and on surface placement are much more pronounced. Some of the other properties such as dry density, unit weight, surface hardness, and surface porosity are also improved by vacuum dewatering process.


Unofficial roads form dense networks in landscapes, generating a litany of negative ecological outcomes, but in frontier areas they are also instrumental in local livelihoods and community development. This trade-off poses dilemmas for the governance of unofficial roads. Unofficial road building in frontier areas of the Brazilian Amazon illustrates the challenges of 'road governance.' Both state-based and community-based governance models exhibit important liabilities for governing unofficial roads. Whereas state-based governance has experienced difficulties in adapting to specific local contexts and interacting effectively with local peoples, community-based governance has a mixed record owing to social inequalities and conflicts among local interest groups. A state-community hybrid model may offer more effective governance of unofficial road building by combining the oversight capacity of the state with locally-grounded community management via participatory decision-making.


There are few data to support the use of follow-on formulas in infants from the age of 6 months. In a prospective trial in a deprived inner city area of Birmingham 100 infants who were already receiving pasteurised cows' milk by 6 months of age were enrolled and randomised either to receive a follow-on formula or to continue on cows' milk from 6 months until 18 months. At 18 months of age the follow-on formula group returned to cows' milk and both groups were followed up until 24 months. Iron status, growth, and nutritional status were analysed at intervals of six months. At enrollment, no differences in haematological status were evident. However, by 12 months of age, 31% of the cows' milk group were anaemic (haemoglobin concentration < 110 g/l) compared with only 3% of those receiving follow-on formulas. At 18 months, 33% of the cows' milk group were anaemic compared with only 2% of the follow-on formula group and by 24 months of age none of the follow-on formula group was anaemic, whereas 26% in the cows' milk group still had a haemoglobin of < 110 g/l. Mean corpuscular volume was significantly smaller and ferritin significantly lower in the cows' milk group at 12, 18, and 24 months. Dietary iron intake was higher in the follow-on formula group at 12 and 18 months but not at 24 months, when both groups were back on cows' milk. Infants and toddlers at high risk of iron deficiency are therefore unlikely to become anaemic if receiving a follow-on formula, although the relative merits of follow-on formula compared with an ordinary infant formula remain uncertain.


In today's world, where fears of "what if" grow daily, information technology (IT) professionals are planning for those possible disasters. According to a 2003 article found on ComputerWorld's web site, nine out of ten IT leaders surveyed had already cemented a disaster recovery plan or will have one in place within the year. Planning for a disaster may seem odd at first. But it is a smart choice for anyone who wants to protect a valuable asset. For instance, just as you would not carelessly store paper money next to the fireplace, the same intelligence applies to data and computers. A catastrophe is anything that threatens the function or existence of a business, ranging from a computer virus to a huge earthquake. A well thought out disaster recovery plan can play a major role in a company's survival/success. Disaster recovery covers a broad range of topics and includes practically everyone in an organization. Every employee - manager and janitor - must be on the same page when a disaster occurs. The support of all the management teams is also necessary. This article covers two important topics in disaster recovery, risk management and disaster recovery planning.


All propagandists by definition want their side of the story to be the first draft of history, and then to have that first draft used as footnotes for the rest of time. By equal definition, all propagandists want to de-legitimize anything that contradicts their version of events. This is the job of a spin-doctor, and such an individual (or institution) cannot be ethically or morally blamed for meeting their job description. In spinning a story, they are merely doing their job. In contrast, journalists covering a crisis are supposed to be wary of dramatic press releases and partisan reporting, balloon stories and disinformation, as well as blatant lies. Sadly, this was not the case for much of the Western reporting on the Karabakh "story" of 1991–1994. The sheer weight and availability of reference material for student or scholar looking into those events today remains lopsidedly in favor of the Armenian version. In this paper we will analyze how the Armenians won the Karabakh war of information hands-down, defining what happened in terms of where, when and why. Arguably, of even greater importance, how they managed to define the basic terms of reference that are used to frame the conflict. Indeed this demonstrates the efficiency with which the Armenian spin-doctors achieved their informational aims and by the same measure how inefficient the Azerbaijanis were in achieving theirs.


The current global economic and financial crises led by free markets economies; that clearly indicates the collapse of Milton-Friedman's philosophy of Chicago university which was based on Adam Smith's classical economic theory, and policies of Thatcher- Reagan' free - market model; as dominated thinking for 30 years has been discredited. The systemic crisis of capitalism is looming right after. The pursuit of the model based on the growth of the real economy and of the consumption attached to it, has become, for the first time in history a real threat for the future of humankind and the planet.


Generalization is a major challenge for multiagent reinforcement learning. How well does an agent perform when placed in novel environments and in interactions with new co-players? In this paper, we investigate and quantify the relationship between generalization and diversity in the multi-agent domain. Across the range of multiagent environments considered here, procedurally generating training levels significantly improves agent performance on held-out levels. However, agent performance on the specific levels used in training sometimes declines as a result. To better understand the effects of co-player variation, our experiments introduce a new environmentagnostic measure of behavioral diversity. Results demonstrate that population size and intrinsic motivation are both effective methods of generating greater population diversity. In turn, training with a diverse set of co-players strengthens agent performance in some (but not all) cases.


Neutron activation analysis of pottery was established at Bonn in 1983 and has since become one of the primary archaeometry-based analytical techniques at the facility. A brief history of the laboratory and a discussion of the best relative fit procedure for pottery is provided. When comparing concentration data for pottery, a best relative fit should always be considered. This mathematical procedure generally results in 'sharper' concentration patterns and improves the separability of chemically not very different compositional groups. This is demonstrated for a set of 30 Late Cypriot (Myc. IIIC1) pottery samples from Sinda, Cyprus, which allow formation of a good reference pattern for this site. Applying factors in the range of 0.82-1.43, a number of samples from Egypt and Palestine can be assigned with high probability to a Cypriot origin.


Rail seat deterioration (RSD) refers to the degradation of concrete material at the contact interface between the concrete crosstie rail seat and the rail pad that protects the bearing area of the crosstie, which supports the rail. Abrasion is a viable mechanism that causes RSD. The objective of this study is to investigate the abrasion resistance of several approaches, such as the addition of mineral admixtures, fibers, and varying curing conditions, to mitigate abrasion of the rail seat. In order to achieve this objective, the abrasion mechanism of RSD was simulated using the small-scale test for abrasion resistance, which was designed by researchers at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The results of this study show that the addition of optimal amounts of silica fume, fly ash, steel fibers, as well as increased moisture availability while curing improves the abrasion resistance of concrete.


Mycotoxins are a quite numerous group of substances released as metabolites by molds, which badly aff ect human and animal health. Th eir impact on organisms resulting from alimentary exposure is well recognized, but the mechanisms by which they exert their health eff ects aft er inhalation exposure are still poorly investigated. Th e aim of this work was to review the literature concerning the outcomes of occupational exposure to mycotoxins present in the work environment. Th e author discusses the major mycotoxin classes, their chemical structure, some physicochemical properties and biological activity properties. Th is paper summarizes the results of investigations on the impact of occupational exposure to molds present in the workplace air in various branches of industry. Problems of identifying the mechanism of health eff ects exerted due inhalation exposure to mycotoxins are also discussed. Th is review shows that there is lack of good hygiene standards and legislation regulating the presence of these compounds in the workplace air. Th ese is due to insuffi cient number of analyses aimed at estimating short-term inhalation exposure to mycotoxins and lack of monitoring of long-term exposure and its health eff ects. Th e authors concludes that occupational exposure to mycotoxins and their role in the development of pathological changes in the respiratory system require further investigations. Med Pr 2008;59(4):333–345


Description of diffusion paths is one of the most interesting and topical problems in experimental investigations of interdiffusion in multicomponent systems and, particularly, in ternary systems. The relationship between effective interdiffusion coefficients and diffusion paths in ternary systems has been discussed earlier but the specific influence of the mobility and thermodynamic properties of components on the characteristics of the diffusion path is still unclear. In this paper an attempt is made to clarify the separate influences of mobility and thermodynamics on the behavior of diffusion paths in ternary systems and the corresponding correlation is found. It is shown that in most cases the deviation of the diffusion path from linearity (an ideal system) is related to the deviation of the thermodynamic properties from the ideal. The results obtained are analyzed on the basis of thermodynamic data for the ternary system Cu-Fe-Ni.


Observations of comet C/1995O1 Hale-Bopp during the spring of 1997 led to the discovery of a neutral sodium tail whose origin is still not clearly understood. Here, we propose an interpretation for the origin of this sodium tail, which is based upon chemical grounds. Starting from Na+ trapped chemically during the condensation of refractory material in the protosolar nebula to its incorporation in the building blocks of comets and its transfer from refractory to volatile phases in the nucleus due to aqueous alteration, we follow the chemical path of sodium until its transformation into a neutral atom when released from the sublimating cometary ice. We propose that two Na reservoirs should coexist in a comet: one coming from the refractory dust, the other one from the icy matrix. Their relative importance would depend on the extent of the zone where liquid water formed within the nucleus and the time during which water remained liquid, thus favoring the Na+ exchange between rocks and ice. These two key parameters would in turn strongly depend on the thermal history of the comet (amounts of radiogenic nuclides, orbital history, etc.). If our model is correct, the detection of Na originating from water ice would be a testimonial of the past aqueous alteration of the comet or its parent body.


Several sets of experimental data on conveyance capacity, the division of flow between a main river channel and its floodplains, boundary shear, and sediment transport in overbank flow are presented. The strengths and weaknesses of various 1-D modelling approaches are highlighted. The coherence method (COHM) of Ackers [J. Hydraul. Res. 31 (1993) 509] and the weighted divided channel method (WDCM) of Lambert and Myers [Proc. Inst. Civil Engineers Water Maritime Energy 130 (1998) 84] are shown to be two useful 1-D methods for dealing with overbank flows. They are relatively simple to apply, and give not only the stage–discharge relationship, but also the division of flow between the main channel and the floodplains. Their general validity has been extended by testing the two methods against data sets other than those used in their original formulation.A modified version of the WDCM is presented that gives better predictions for homogeneously roughened channels. It is shown that the WDCM does not give good predictions for heterogeneously roughened compound channels. A comparison is made between the COHM and WDCM concerning their relative accuracy and ease of application for conveyance and boundary shear calculations. Finally, the COHM is applied to some mobile boundary compound channel data and shows that once the total and zonal channel discharges are calculated correctly, the sediment transport concentration may be predicted reasonably well for high discharges but not so well for low discharges and shallow floodplain depths, unless the boundary shear stress on the main channel bed is specified or calculated.


Optimal transport is an important tool in machine learning, allowing to capture geometric properties of the data through a linear program on transport polytopes. We present a single-loop optimization algorithm for minimizing general convex objectives on these domains, utilizing the principles of Sinkhorn matrix scaling and mirror descent. The proposed algorithm is robust to noise, and can be used in an online setting. We provide theoretical guarantees for convex objectives and experimental results showcasing it effectiveness on both synthetic and real-world data.


Today Superconducting Nanowire Single-Photon Detectors (SNSPDs) are commonly used in different photon-starved applications, including testing and diagnostics of VLSI circuits. Detecting very faint signals in the near-infrared wavelength range requires not only good detection efficiency, but also very low Dark Count Rate (DCR) and jitter. For example, low noise is crucial to enable ultra-low voltage optical testing of integrated circuits. The effect of detector temperature and background thermal radiation on the noise of superconducting single-photon detectors made of NbN meanders is studied in this paper. It is shown that two different regimes can be identified in the DCR vs. bias current characteristics. At high bias, the dark count rate is dominated by the intrinsic noise of the detector, while at low bias current it is dominated by the detection of stray photons that get onto the SNSPD. Changing the detector temperature changes its switching current and only affects the high bias branch of the characteristics: a reduction of the DCR can be achieved by lowering the SNSPD base temperature. On the other hand, changing the temperature of the single-photon light source (e.g. the VLSI circuit under test) only affects the low bias regime: a lower target temperature leads to a smaller DCR.


We present path entropy, an information-theoretic measure that captures the notion of patterning due to phase separation in organic tissues. Recent work has demonstrated, both in silico and in vitro, that phase separation in epithelia can arise simply from the forces at play between cells with differing mechanical properties. These qualitative results give rise to numerous questions about how the degree of patterning relates to model parameters or underlying biophysical properties. Answering these questions requires a consistent and meaningful way of quantifying degree of patterning that we observe. We define a resolution-independent measure that is better suited than image-processing techniques for comparing cellular structures. We show how this measure can be usefully applied in a selection of scenarios from biological experiment and computer simulation, and argue for the establishment of a tissue-graph library to assist with parameter estimation for synthetic morphology.


The amount and formation rate of methane in marine sediments is a crucial aspect when determining both the methane fluxes towards the ocean-atmosphere system and the potential for dissolved methane to form other phases (e.g. free gas and hydrate). Nevertheless, due to the low methane solubility at ambient pressure (ca. 1.5 mM for average seawater temperature and salinity) methane degassing upon core retrieval limits the accuracy of methane concentrations measured above 1.5 mM. While several tools have been developed that may tackle this problem (e.g. autoclave coring), these methods may not be readily available nor practical for the entire scientific community. Nevertheless, diagenetic models which simulate both δ13C-methane and δ13C-DIC (dissolved inorganic carbon) can not only be used to better infer methane concentration profiles, but may also provide a comprehensive method for constraining methanogenic and methanotrophic rates in a cost-efficient manner. Here, we demonstrate the application of these carbon isotope, reaction-transport models to both steady-state and transient geochemical conditions in sediments located both in the shelf and in the slope.


Background Antidepressants are one of the most widely prescribed drugs in the global north. However, little is known about the health consequences of long-term treatment. Aims This study aimed to investigate the association between antidepressant use and adverse events. Method The study cohort consisted of UK Biobank participants whose data was linked to primary care records (N = 222 121). We assessed the association between antidepressant use by drug class (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and 'other') and four morbidity (diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease (CHD), cerebrovascular disease (CV)) and two mortality (cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause) outcomes, using Cox's proportional hazards model at 5- and 10-year follow-up. Results SSRI treatment was associated with decreased risk of diabetes at 5 years (hazard ratio 0.64, 95% CI 0.49–0.83) and 10 years (hazard ratio 0.68, 95% CI 0.53–0.87), and hypertension at 10 years (hazard ratio 0.77, 95% CI 0.66–0.89). At 10-year follow-up, SSRI treatment was associated with increased risks of CV (hazard ratio 1.34, 95% CI 1.02–1.77), CVD mortality (hazard ratio 1.87, 95% CI 1.38–2.53) and all-cause mortality (hazard ratio 1.73, 95% CI 1.48–2.03), and 'other' class treatment was associated with increased risk of CHD (hazard ratio 1.99, 95% CI 1.31–3.01), CVD (hazard ratio 1.86, 95% CI 1.10–3.15) and all-cause mortality (hazard ratio 2.20, 95% CI 1.71–2.84). Conclusions Our findings indicate an association between long-term antidepressant usage and elevated risks of CHD, CVD mortality and all-cause mortality. Further research is needed to assess whether the observed associations are causal, and elucidate the underlying mechanisms.


Three large earthquakes occurred within the rupture zone of the 1906 Colombia-Ecuador earthquake (M_W = 8.8): in 1942 (M_S = 7.9); 1958 (MS = 7.8); and 1979 (M_S = 7.7). We compared the size and mechanism of these earthquakes by using long-period surface waves, tsunami data, and macroseismic data. The 1979 event is a thrust event with a seismic moment of 2.9 × 10^(28) dyne-cm, and represents subduction of the Nazca plate beneath South America. The rupture length and direction are 230 km and N40°E, respectively. Examination of old seismograms indicates that the 1906 event is also a thrust event which ruptured in the northeast direction. The seismic moment estimated from the tsunami data and the size of the rupture zone is 2 × 10^(29) dyne-cm. The 1942 and 1958 events are much smaller (about 1/5 to 1/10 of the 1979 event in the seismic moment) than the 1979 event. We conclude that the sum of the seismic moments of the 1942, 1958, and 1979 events is only Formula of that of the 1906 event despite the fact that the sequence of the 1942, 1958, and 1979 events ruptured approximately the same segment as the 1906 event. This difference could be explained by an asperity model in which the fault zone is held by a discrete distribution of asperities with weak zones in between. The weak zone normally behaves aseismically, but slips abruptly only when it is driven by failure of the asperities. A small earthquake represents failure of one asperity, and the rupture zone is pinned at both ends by adjacent asperities so that the effective width and the amount of slip are relatively small. A great earthquake represents failure of more than one asperity, and consequently involves much larger width and slip.


Methane (CH 4 ) Volume Mixing Ratio (VMR) at pressure level 925hPa data extracted from Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) with spatial resolution of 1°× 1° covering whole of Iraq and surrounding regions (28.5°–38.5°N, 37.5°–49.5°E) have been examined for the period from January 2003 to December 2013. The results show a considerable increasing of CH 4 with maximum values at north and north eastern regions during autumn and the early winter, whereas the minimum values appeared at the pristine desert environment at the west and the south-west region during spring months. For more accuracy validation the trend analysis was applied on the retrieved AIRS data at three different stations are Mosul, Baghdad and Basrah. The mean and standard deviation in Mosul, Baghdad and Basrah was (1.8657 ± 0.0198, 1.8536 ± 0.0196, 1.8448 ± 0.0212) ppmv respectively for monthly long term trend analysis. Monthly trend analyses have positive trends (0.0040, 0.0039 and 0.0042) ppmv.y -1 for Mosul, Baghdad and Basrah Consecutively. These results indicate that Satellite observations efficiently present the temporal and spatial variations of the CH 4 for the considered study Area.


RADAR (http://radar.gsa.ac.uk/) is the Glasgow School of Art's institutional repository, and showcases thousands of research outputs in the fields of art, design and architecture, making details and images of artefacts, exhibitions and performances (as well as books, journal articles and conference papers) available to a global audience. Increasingly, RADAR is also being utilised as an internal tool, and now provides the GSA's researchers with the ability to create Annual Research Plans (ARPs), helping to maximise the number of high quality submissions to the next REF.

Following on from my 2016 presentation (http://radar.gsa.ac.uk/4686/), I will show what RADAR has done next: building on the capability to house ARPs, we now have a workflow for the peer review of these plans within RADAR. As part of a blind peer review process, reviewers can attach comments to a specific ARP, which are then considered by a wider review panel at a face to face meeting. A panel chair then adds a summary statement to each ARP, which is subsequently released to the researcher, without the peer reviewers' comments becoming visible.

As outlined in a recent case study, this work has "led to increased user engagement, and […] demonstrated a new use for the repository beyond its scholarly communication function" (http://radar.gsa.ac.uk/5296/). In the conference theme's spirit of celebrating progress, and exploring trends and challenges, the continued development of (and investment in) RADAR is bearing fruit: as more researchers are using RADAR, more outputs are being added, and visibility and downloads are increasing – enabling the GSA's research to become more impactful.


Recently, smart devices have become more and more prevalent in the daily life. The spread of these devices introduced various use cases; however, communication has always been their primary functionality. With the development of WebRTC (Web Real- Time Communication) and the availability of this technology on smart devices, applications offering real-time multimedia communication features will become more pervasive. Though WebRTC presents a promising set of standards and interfaces for the task of carrying data from one end to another, there are security issues that are left in the hands of the application developers. In this thesis, we aim to achieve secure multimedia communication by tackling the key generation and distribution issue of WebRTC platform using a smart card for secure storage and operations. We tested different cryptographic algorithms on smart cards, and resultantly we designed a mechanism based on hash chains. This mechanism allowed synchronous generation of keys at both sides. The mechanism was implemented and tested on different brands of Java Cards. The results of the tests indicate that it is possible to produce a key under one-second time. In addition, the results were analyzed to optimize generation times of particular keys by adjusting chain length parameter of the mechanism. Consequently, the key generation method was integrated into Media Security Platform of Netas¸ Telecommunications A.S¸ ., which is based on WebRTC. The integration was performed under the guidance of a signaling scheme drafted for the message traffic for the key agreement. In conclusion, the successful integration and better results indicate an improvement over a previously used public key system.


Ultrasonic flow measurement technology has the potential to significantly improve flow measurement accuracy beyond that presently achieved. However, current applications fail to achieve theoretical accuracies because of turbulence effects on ultrasonic wave transit time. Herein, the ultrasonic flowmeter equation is reconsidered, where the effects of turbulent velocity and sound speed fluctuations are included. The result is an integral equation for the corresponding correlation functions. In this paper experimental velocity data are used to solve this integral equation analytically. As a result, some statistical characteristics of the turbulent flow are developed and can explain the limitations of measurement accuracy observed in applications. NOMENCLATURE c Mean speed of sound c ' Speed of sound fluctuations u Mean velocity component in X  direction u ' Fluctuations of velocity component in X direction S Sound wave travel path *Address all correspondence to this author. w.w. Durgin Mechanical Engineering Department Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, Massachusetts 01609 Email: wwdurgin@wpLedu H. Johari Mechanical Engineering Department Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, Massachusetts 01609 Email: email@example.com 1)..1 Sound wave travel time N Number of experiments KtJ (S, S') Spatial correlation function oftravel time t1..t K ' ( s, s ') Spatial correlation function of u X component velocity fluctuations KC' (s, s ') Spatial correlation function of sound speed fluctuations 'Pi (X), If/j (X ') Shape functions INTRODUCTION Technical advances in ultrasonics for the past twenty years have resulted in the development of electronic instrumentation capable of measuring very small time differences associated with changes in the ultrasound wave propagation time (Lynnworth, 1989). These capabilities are used effectively in oblique path flowmeters. The ability of ultrasound to measure noninvasively, nondestructively and rapidly is clearly desirable (Yeh and Mattingly, 1998). Nevertheless, the accuracy of these Requestors must com I ." COPyright law (Title 17 uPl We'th .. ~ . Ode) Copyright© 2001 by ASME 571 devices has not improved very ~uch, certainly not proportional to improvements in the measurement technology. We believe the explanation lies in the effect of turbulence on the ultrasonic wave propagation. Our objective in this research is an attempt to find analytical solution of the ultrasonic flowmeter equation; namely an integral equation for the corresponding correlation functions derived from general ultrasonic flowmeter equation. The paper focuses on construction of statistical characteristics of the turbulent flow based on experimental data. Our approach in this paper is: 1. Develop statistical characteristics of the ultrasonic wave travel time using an ensemble of experiments to construct a spatial correlation function of the pulse propagation time period. 2. To solve an inverse problem of finding analytical spatial correlation functions of turbulent velocity and sound speed variations based on the experimentally obtained spatial correlation function of time. METHOD OF APPROACH The method utilizes ultrasonic pulses that travel in straight paths. Figure 1 illustrates the ultrasonic flowmeter in a duct. The upper and lower transducer locations and signal path are shown. In the limiting case, the mean flow should not affect the transit time of the signal.


Electrical and structural properties of low-temperature-grown In/sub 0.53/Ga/sub 0.47/As (LT-InGaAs) on GaAs using an InGaAlAs metamorphic buffer (M-buffer) were studied. Dependence of carrier lifetime of the LT-InGaAs on post thermal annealing was also investigated. Utilization of residual dislocation in the LT-InGaAs on the M-buffer was effective in reducing the carrier lifetime, producing the carrier lifetime of 2.14 ps that is comparable to that of the Be-doped LT-InGaAs.


Abstract. During the CARRIBA (Cloud, Aerosol, Radiation and tuRbulence in the trade wInd regime over BArbados) campaign, the interaction between aerosol particles and cloud microphysical properties was investigated in detail, which also includes the influence of clouds on the aerosol formation. During two intensive campaigns in 2010 and 2011, helicopter-borne measurement flights were performed to investigate the thermodynamic, turbulent, microphysical, and radiative properties of trade-wind cumuli over Barbados. During these flights, 91 cases with increased aerosol particle number concentrations near clouds were detected. The majority of these cases are also correlated with enhanced irradiance in the ultraviolet (UV) spectral wavelength range. This enhancement reaches values up to a factor of 3.3 greater compared to background values. Thus, cloud boundaries provide a perfect environment for the production of precursor gases for new particle formation. Another feature of cloud edges is an increased turbulence, which may also enhance nucleation and particle growth. The observed events have a mean length of 100 m, corresponding to a lifetime of less than 300 s. This implies that particles with diameters of at least 7 nm grew several nanometers per minute, which corresponds to the upper end of values in the literature (Kulmala et al., 2004). Such high values cannot be explained by sulfuric acid alone; thus extremely low volatility organic compounds (ELVOCs) are probably involved here.


Positive photoresists are currently being pushed to their limits to develop new processes for fine line lithography. Much of this processing is done in high temperature environments or with processes which generate a great deal of localized heat. Other processes use highly reactive free radical or ionic species. Further, current requirements demand that this processing be accomplished with minimal degredation of the resist image. All these requirements put increasing demands on the thermal stability of photoresist products. In view of these demands, a more complete understanding of the thermal chemistry of resist products would be of beneficial interest to those utilizing or designing these processes. This is of major importance in the development of new equipment, materials, and processes; especially where considerable heat is generated in the presence of resist materials. This paper attempts to provide a basic background to develop this understanding. It provides a description of the effects of thermal processing on positive photoresists. The paper discusses the thermal chemistry, particularly at temperatures above 100 degrees C, of the major positive photoresists used in microelectronic applications. The major emphasis is placed on common positive photoresist products containing diazo-oxide PAC and novolak resin. The paper gives a brief description of composition of the resists, and then an analysis of the thermolysis products at various temperatures. Analysis of the thermal reactions of the PAC, resin, and resist are given. The chemistry of the bulk films as well as the localized surface effects are examined. Finally, the effects of thermolysis are related to their impact on subsequent processing steps.


Current international guidelines determine the effect of pedestrians on footbridges via an equivalent harmonic load. However, the dynamic response of footbridges obtained according to these standards differs from the values recorded experimentally. In order to overcome this issue, a new modelling framework has been recently proposed by several researchers. This novel approach allows considering more accurately three key aspects: (i) the inter- and intra-subject variability, (ii) the pedestrian-structure interaction and (iii) the crowd dynamics. For this purpose, different crowd-structure interaction models have been developed. Despite the large number of proposals, all of them share the same scheme: the crowd-structure interaction is simulated by linking two sub-models, namely (i) a pedestrian-structure interaction sub-model and (ii) a crowd sub-model. Further-more, the variability of the pedestrian ' s behaviour may be taken into account via the assumption that the model parameters are random variables. In this chapter, a summary of the state-of-art of this new modelling framework is presented, with special emphasis in a case study where the crowd-structure interaction model developed by the authors is used to simulate the lateral lock-in phenomenon on a real footbridge. Footbridge Via the Modification of its Natural Frequencies. International


COVID-19 outbreak has been influenced tourism sectors in Indonesia. Many economic activity related to tourism industry was drop and many tourism worker loss jobs. In the absent of tourism activity, the natural ecosystem has opportunities to restore the degraded system caused by intensive use of tourist visitation. Traveling responsible to pandemic disease spread through the tourist movement and human physical contact. New tourism should be able to promote responsible travels through the management of visitor, reduce mass tourism and create high tourism product which are able to support economic benefits to local community, socio-cultural aspect preservation, and environmental conservation. The quality is important rather than quantity or the number of tourist. COVID-19 pandemic provides significant lesson learned for new tourism implementation in Indonesia.


Earth Resistance Tomography (ERT) is a geophysical prospecting technique that has the capacity to model subsurface sediments. This technique is applied at the Cave near Rovinjsko Selo 1 site which is in the Lim Channel, Croatia.  ERT is used as a means for positively identifying a previous excavation trench location within site which, in turn, informs the excavation planning process. The potential benefits of this technique are discussed for future excavation planning efforts at Romuald's Cave, another cave site location in the Lim Channel.  While beneficial in this study, the technique's utility will vary in other locations according to site conditions, amount of previous excavation activities, and age of earlier excavation activities which affects both the geophysical survey design and applicability of ERT to the specific site environment.


The objectives of our study were to examine 1) the proportion of responders and nonresponders to exercise training in terms of vascular function; 2) a priori factors related to exercise training-induced changes in conduit artery function, and 3) the contribution of traditional cardiovascular risk factors to exercise-induced changes in artery function. We pooled data from our laboratories involving 182 subjects who underwent supervised, large-muscle group, endurance-type exercise training interventions with pre-/posttraining measures of flow-mediated dilation (FMD%) to assess artery function. All studies adopted an identical FMD protocol (5-min ischemia, distal cuff inflation), contemporary echo-Doppler methodology, and observer-independent automated analysis. Linear regression analysis was used to identify factors contributing to changes in FMD%. We found that cardiopulmonary fitness improved, and weight, body mass index (BMI), cholesterol, and mean arterial pressure (MAP) decreased after training, while FMD% increased in 76% of subjects (P < 0.001). Training-induced increase in FMD% was predicted by lower body weight (β = -0.212), lower baseline FMD% (β = -0.469), lower training frequency (β = -0.256), and longer training duration (β = 0.367) (combined: P < 0.001, r = 0.63). With the exception of a modest correlation with total cholesterol (r = -0.243, P < 0.01), changes in traditional cardiovascular risk factors were not significantly related to changes in FMD% (P > 0.05). In conclusion, we found that, while some subjects do not demonstrate increases following exercise training, improvement in FMD% is present in those with lower pretraining body weight and endothelial function. Moreover, exercise training-induced change in FMD% did not correlate with changes in traditional cardiovascular risk factors, indicating that some cardioprotective effects of exercise training are independent of improvement in risk factors.


Objective
To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) for the differentiation of PCV from wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD).

Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted from Jun 2014 to Apr 2016 at Peking Union Medical College Hospital.The case series included 132 eyes of 126 patients with clinical diagnosis of PCV or wAMD.Eyes with three or more of the following SD-OCT findings were diagnosed with PCV: double layer sign, pigment epithelium detachment (PED), a sharp PED peak, a PED notch and a hyporeflective lumen representing polypoidal lesion.The sensitivity and specificity of the OCT-based diagnosis was estimated.Levels of agreement were determined by κ analyses.

Results
One hundred and twenty-six patients (132 eyes) with PCV or wAMD were enrolled in the study.In PCV patients, PED notch, a hyporeflective lumen representing polypoidal lesion, PED peak, double layer sign and PED were 38, 35, 48, 40 and 46, accounting for 67.9%, 62.5%, 85.7%, 71.4% and 82.1%, respectively.In wAMD patients, PED notch, a hyporeflective lumen representing polypoidal lesion, PED peak, double layer sign and PED were 12, 3, 11, 8 and 26, accounting for 14.5%, 10.5%, 34.2%, 15.8% and 3.9%, respectively, which were all lower than PCV, with statistically significant differences (all at P<0.001). SD-OCT detected PCV in 49 of 56 eyes and 10 PCV patients were misdiagnosed as wAMD.The sensitivity and specificity of SD-OCT for the differentiation of PCV from wAMD were 87.5% and 86.8%, respectively.The consistence between SD-OCT and imdocyanine green angiography (ICGA) was moderate (κ=0.738, P<0.001).

Conclusions
SD-OCT exhibits high sensitivity and specificity in PCV diagnosis.The presence of DLS, PED, a sharp PED peak, a PED notch, and a hyporeflective lumen representing polypoidal lesion is suggested to be a new diagnostic strategy for PCV.

Key words:
Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy; Optical coherence tomography; Branching vascular network; Double layer sign


The aim of this study was to enhance the classical adjuvant functionality of maize starch (Mst) by co-processing with small quantities of carbopol 974P (CaPol). A pre-processed maize starch (MpS) was coated with different concentrations of CaPol corresponding to 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0 %w/w and spray-dried at controlled conditions to produce the CaPol-coated motifs (MpS-CaPol). The relevant physicochemical and functional properties of the new CaPol-coated starch, as a direct compression and rapid disintegrating adjuvant were evaluated in the preparation of acetyl salicylic acid (ASA) tablets. The yield of MpS-CaPol produced with the various mix were between 87 to 95% of the weight of the start ingredients. There were no remarkable differences in the relevant physicochemical and functional properties determined for Mst and MpS thus, the results of MpS were not presented. There were no remarkable morphological differences between the particles of Mst and those of the coated motifs. The variants of the new starch motif showed properties that were sensitive to the concentrations of CaPol used in the coating. All the variants of MpS-CaPol generally showed comparative enhanced flow and moisture uptake. The swelling capacity of the new excipients containing different concentrations of CaPol can be ranked thus: 1 > 0.75 > 0.5 > 0.25 > 0% (Mst). The ASA tablets showed relative increased tensile strength and dissolution as the concentrations of CaPol increased (0 to 0.75%). The disintegration time were remarkably modified: The tablets prepared with new excipients containing CaPol of concentrations 0.25 to 0.75 %w/w all disintegrated rapidly within 1 min while that containing 1% w/w disintegrated at 45 ± 0.5 min; ASA tablets without disintegrant did not disintegrate even after 120 min. This study has shown that spray-dried Mst granules coated with small quantities of CaPol produced an excipient with new basic physicochemical properties that enhanced its adjuvant functionality when used for direct compression of rapid release ASA tablets.

 Key words: Maize starch, carbopol, film-coating, spray-drying, acetyl salicylic acid tablets.


Background: The only curative treatment for most esophageal cancers is radical esophagectomy. Minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) aims to reduce postoperative morbidity, but is not yet widely established. Linear stapled anastomosis is a promising technique for MIE because it is quite feasible even without robotic assistance. Aim of the present study is to compare total MIE with linear stapled anastomosis to open esophagectomy (OE) with circular stapled anastomosis with special regard to postoperative morbidity in an expertise-based randomized controlled trial (RCT). Methods/design: This superiority RCT compares MIE with linear stapled anastomosis (intervention) to OE with circular stapled anastomosis (control) for Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy. It was initiated in February 2019 and recruitment is expected to last for 3 years. For inclusion, patients must be 18 years of age or more with a resectable primary malignancy in the distal esophagus. Participants with tumor localizations above the azygos vein, metastasis or infiltration into adjacent tissue will be excluded. In an expertise-based approach the allocated treatment will only be carried out by the single most experienced surgeon of the surgical center for each respective technique. The sample size was calculated with 20 participants per group for the primary endpoint postoperative morbidity according to comprehensive complication index (CCI) within 30 postoperative days. Secondary endpoints include anastomotic insufficiency, pulmonary complications, other intra- and postoperative outcome parameters such as estimated blood loss, operative time, length of stay, short-term oncologic endpoints, adherence to a standardized fast-track protocol, postoperative pain, and postoperative recovery (QoR-15). Quality of life (SF-36, CAT EORTC QLQ-C30, CAT EORTC QLQ-OES18) and oncological outcomes are evaluated with 60 months follow-up. Discussion: MIVATE is the first RCT to compare OE with circular stapled anastomosis to total MIE with linear stapled anastomosis exclusively for intrathoracic anastomosis. The expertise-based approach limits bias due to heterogeneity of surgical expertise. The use of a dedicated fast-track protocol in both OE and MIE will shed light on the role of the access strategy alone in this setting. The findings of this study will serve to define which approach has the best perioperative outcome for patients requiring esophagectomy. Trial registration: German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00016773. Registered on February 18th, 2019.


Immigration reform is the most polarizing legislative issues in the US. Surprisingly, despite regular polling evidence of the American public's attitudes towards immigration reform proposals, little evidence has elicited the preferences of the group most affected by any policy changes - legal and illegal Hispanic immigrants. This study presents evidence from a survey and choice experiment of Hispanic immigrants who entered the US illegally on their preferences and willingness to pay for different immigration reform proposals. Policy attributes, which are based on current competing US Senate and House bills, include pathways to legal permanent residence, length of temporary work visas, family visitation rights, and access to medical care. The results quantify the value Hispanic immigrants place on different policy attributes and suggest that longer term work visas are valued on par with legal permanent residence. Furthermore, the ability to legally work in the US is substantially more valued than social services such as medical care and social security benefits.


Evanescent field based biosensing systems such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR), diffraction gratings, or metal-clad waveguides (MCWGs) are powerful tools for label-free real-time monitoring of signaling activity of living cells exposed to hormones, pharmacological agents, and toxins. In particular, MCWG-based imaging is well suited for studying relatively thick objects such as cells due to its greater depth of penetration into the sensing medium, compared to SPR. Label-free methods, however, provide only indirect measurements in that the measured signal arises from local changes in material properties rather than from specific biomolecular targets. In the case of cells, the situation is especially complex as the measured label-free signal may result from a combination of very diverse sources: morphological changes, intra-cellular reorganization, cascaded molecular events, protein expression etc. Consequently, deconvolving the contributions of specific sources to a particular cell response profile can be challenging. In the following, we present a cell imaging platform that combines two distinct sensing modalities, namely label-free MCWG imaging and label-based surface enhanced fluorescence (SEF), designed to facilitate the identification of the underlying molecular and structural contributions to the label-free MCWG images. We demonstrate the bimodal capabilities of this imaging platform in experiments designed to visualize actin cytoskeleton organization in vascular smooth muscle cells. We then monitored the real-time response of HEK293 cells expressing the Angiotensin 1 receptor (AT1R), when stimulated by the receptor agonist Angiotensin II (AngII). The analysis of the simultaneous label-free signal obtained by MCWG and the intracellular calcium signal resulting form AT1R activation, measured by SEF, allows relating label-free signal features to specific markers of receptor activation. Our results show that the intracellular calcium levels normally observed following AT1R activation are not required for the initial burst of cellular activity observed in the MCWG signal but rather indicates signaling activity involving the intracellular kinase ROCK.


This paper examines the relationships between public services improvement, and public management reforms, including regulatory governance, in the context of the dominant reform models promoted globally. Emphasis is placed upon the contested nature of the central concepts dominant in such analysis, inconsistencies in the assumptions that inform them, and the critique of them offered by research findings on empirical practice. It is argued that current reform initiatives in these areas in developing countries are closely interlinked, but are likely to be ineffective because they embody models that do not engage accurately with the real economic and political conditions of these countries. The implications for attempts to create new mechanisms of public services delivery are considered. The approach advocated is a cautious treatment of so-called "best practice" models, allowing for adaptive responses that are rooted in local conditions and assume variations in political and bureaucratic cultures, in the belief that this more versatile approach is less of a hostage to crude and contextless global blueprints. Ultimately, the provision of desired and effective public goods and services to all citizens will be determined by a resolution of the most appropriate relationships between state, market and civil society, rather than by technical and managerial fixes. The choices involved are political choices.


The effects of three-week administration of cerucal and haloperidol were compared in two ways of injections--intraperitoneal 10 mg/kg and intrastriatal 5 micrograms/l microliter. Both of the ways produce the inhibition of rats locomotor activity, but only after the intraperitoneal haloperidol injection the cataleptic status was observed. The inhibition of avoidance conditioning in shuttle box was registered in each haloperidol microinjections, but in case of cerucal intrastriatal microinjection this effect in first 4-5 days of experiment was limited. No any muscular deviation after cerucal injection (systemic and intrabrain) were observed. The antihyperkinetic activity and striatal mechanisms of cerucal and their application in neurology were discussed.


ABSTRACT Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) was used for the identification of Legionella species. Primer SK2 (5′-CGGCGGCGGCGG-3′) and standardized RAPD conditions gave the technique a reproducibility of 93 to 100%, depending on the species tested. Species-specific patterns corresponding to the 42Legionella species were consequently defined by this method; the patterns were dependent on the recognition of a core of common bands for each species. This specificity was demonstrated by testing 65 type strains and 265 environmental and clinical isolates. No serogroup-specific profiles were obtained. A number of unidentifiedLegionella isolates potentially corresponding to new species were clustered in four groups. RAPD analysis appears to be a rapid and reproducible technique for identification ofLegionella isolates to the species level without further restriction or hybridization.


Multispecies biofilms are important models for studying the evolution of microbial interactions. Co-cultivation of Xanthomonas retroflexus (XR) and Paenibacillus amylolyticus (PA) systemically leads to the appearance of an XR wrinkled mutant (XRW), increasing biofilm production. The nature of this new interaction and the role of each partner remain unclear. We tested the involvement of secreted molecular cues in this interaction by exposing XR and XRW to PA or its supernatant and analysing the response using RNA-seq, colony-forming unit (CFU) estimates, biofilm quantification, and microscopy. Compared to wild type, the mutations in XRW altered its gene expression and increased its CFU number. These changes matched the reported effects for one of the mutated genes: a response regulator part of a two-component system involved in environmental sensing. When XRW was co-cultured with PA or its supernatant, the mutations effects on XRW gene expression were masked, except for genes involved in sedentary lifestyle, being consistent with the higher biofilm production. It appears that the higher biofilm production was the result of the interaction between the genetic context (mutations) and the biotic environment (PA signals). Regulatory genes involved in environmental sensing need to be considered to shed further light on microbial interactions.


BACKGROUND
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is actual or threatened physical, sexual, psychological, emotional or stalking abuse by an intimate partner. Despite the high prevalence of IPV in South Africa (SA), there is a paucity of data on university students training in fields where they are likely to have to manage the after-effects of such events in their personal capacity in the future.

OBJECTIVES
To ascertain the prevalence of IPV in an SA tertiary institution population with a diverse demographic profile.

METHODS
Students from the faculty of health sciences and the faculty of humanities, social work department, completed an anonymous questionnaire. Students were made aware of psychological counselling available to them.

RESULTS
Responses were obtained from 1 354 of 1 593 students (85.0%) (67.8% female, 45.9% black, 32.7% white, 16.6% Indian, 4.8% coloured). Of the respondents, 53.0% indicated that they were in a relationship. The prevalence of any type of IPV (sexual, physical or emotional abuse) among all respondents was 42.6%. Emotional abuse was reported by 54.9% of respondents, physical abuse by 20.0% and sexual abuse by 8.9%. Thirty-five females (6.5% of respondents who had suffered IPV) indicated that they had been emotionally, physically and sexually abused. Fourteen percent identified themselves as perpetrators of abuse, but only three perpetrators of sexual abuse reported having also been victims of sexual abuse. Most respondents (58.7%) knew where to get help.

CONCLUSION
The extent of IPV among the medical and social work students sampled was found to be unacceptably high, both as victims and as perpetrators. As a result of their exposure to IPV, these individuals may have difficulty in managing patients who have been subjected to abuse.


SUMMARY: One hundred and eighty-three strains of Escherichia coli were examined for lysogeny and colicinogeny: 40.4 % were neither lysogenic nor colicinogenic; 31.1 % were only colicinogenic; 13.1% were only lysogenic; 15.2% were lysogenic and colicinogenic. Though the detection of lysogeny could almost certainly be increased by using a greater number of sensitive indicator strains or by using more sensitive methods, the results of this study suggest: (a) that lysogeny in E. coli is more frequent than found in earlier studies (Fredericq, 1952); (b) that lysogeny and colicinogeny are not correlated but occur independently in E. coli strains.


Drawing upon feminist theory and principles of freedom of contract, this Note proposes a new statutory framework for addressing surrogacy in the state of Tennessee. Part I provides a balanced discussion of why couples choose surrogacy as well as varying types of surrogacy available to individuals. Part II explores the judicial and legislative responses toward surrogacy contracts in the United States and discusses significant surrogacy litigation that continues to shape the public policy arguments surrounding this issue. Part III provides background on Tennessee's approach to the right to privacy as well as recent surrogacy case law and legislation. Part IV addresses feminist arguments as applied to surrogacy. Part V offers a discussion of the intersection of freedom to contract and public policy concerns that influence the debate about whether or not surrogacy contracts should be legal. Part VI recommends proper statutory language to regulate gestational surrogacy contracts in Tennessee.


Summary 1. Environmental stochasticity and low demographic rates may cause delayed extinctions of habitat-specialist species that were initially retained within remnant patches after habitat loss and fragmentation. Detecting such extinction debts opens opportunities to counteract future biodiversity loss, yet knowing the underlying causes of population declines is a basic need for targeting specific guidelines for conservation and restoration (e.g. habitat quantity, quality or connectivity). 2. Here, we examine the extinction debt in the common Mediterranean shrub Myrtus communis (myrtle) occurring in woodland patches of a highly fragmented region that has lost nearly half of the remnant woodland cover during the last 50 years (1956–2002). 3. We sampled myrtle occurrence in 304 woodland patches and modelled its probability of occurrence in relation to patch size, patch disturbance and woodland cover in the surrounding landscape. In order to test for extinction debt evidence, we tested whether myrtle occurrence is better predicted by past (1956) than by present (2002) woodland cover. 4. We found that the probability of myrtle occurrence is associated with present patch features (size and disturbance) that are linked to causes of individual mortality and/or recruitment collapse. However, it was associated with past – rather than present – woodland cover in the surrounding landscape, proving a still unpaid extinction debt. Specifically, myrtle occurrence is very unlikely in small and highly disturbed patches located in long-term deforested landscapes. 5. Synthesis and applications. Individual longevity of the Mediterranean shrub Myrtus communis (myrtle) can delay local extinctions, but paying the debt is a matter of time, especially considering the elevated susceptibility of small and disturbed populations to environmental stochasticity. However, these populations still offer management opportunities, and reducing disturbances and improving habitat quality, especially within small woodland patches, should be a top priority for conservation and restoration.


Dr. Opelka is a member of the College's CPT/RUC Committee, which makes recommendations about general surgery codes that should be added to, revised, or deleted from the CPT Manual. The committee also develops recommendations for the relative work values assigned to the general surgery services listed in the Medicare fee schedule. Because of his deep knowledge of the Medicare payment system, Dr. Opelka has frequently represented the College on panels convened by the federal government and in meetings with federal officials. In particular, he served recently on expert panels convened by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) to develop direct cost data for the purpose of calculating resource-based practice expense relative values, which are scheduled to be incorporated into the Medicare fee schedule over a four-year period beginning in 1999. Dr. Opelka also participated in meetings that the General Accounting Office (GAO) requested with the College as part of its review of the methods being used by HCFA to generate the new practice expense values. Following are some of Dr. Opelka's thoughts about the federal government's efforts in this area.


Abstract. Global image orientation techniques aim at estimating camera rotations and positions for a whole set of images simultaneously. One of the main arguments for these procedures is an improved robustness against drifting of camera stations in comparison to more classical sequential approaches. Usually, the process consists of computation of absolute rotations and, in a second step, absolute positions for the cameras. Either the first or both steps rely on the network of transformations arising from relative orientations between cameras. Therefore, the quality of the obtained absolute results is influenced by tensions in the network. These may e.g. be induced by insufficient knowledge of the intrinsic camera parameters. Another reason can be found in local weaknesses of image connectivity. We apply a hierarchical approach with intermediate bundle adjustment to reduce these effects. We adopt efficient global techniques which register image triplets based on fixed absolute camera rotations and scaled relative camera translations but do not involve scene structure elements in the fusion step. Our variant employs submodels of arbitrary size, orientation and scale, by computing relative rotations and scales between - and subsequently absolute rotations and scales for - submodels and is applied hierarchically. Furthermore we substitute classical bundle adjustment by a structureless approach based on epipolar geometry and augmented with a scale consistency constraint.


This research aimed to create a tool for pineapples quality grading according to the standard weight and size of Thai Agricultural Commodity Food Standard. The standard weights of pineapple are divided into 10 levels (A-J) and the standard sizes of pineapple are categorized into two classes (class I and class II). The developed tool consists of hardware components and a grading software program. The control light source box was constructed for camera and load cell installation to capture pineapple image and measure pineapple weight, respectively. The obtained image was sent to software program to change colors of the image into gray scale and to reduce noises in the image. The clearly edges of the image were employed to compute size of a pineapple and the data were transferred to fuzzy system. The inputs of fuzzy system determined the size and weight of pineapple which used to establish twenty fuzzy rules. The experiments performed by random selection size and weight of three pineapple kinds including Nanglae, Sriracha, Phuket. The experimental results reveal that classification of pineapple by the created tool exhibited high accuracy of size and weight detection equaled 87.5%. The average relative error performed 2.30% and 5.24% of size and weight, respectively.


This study reports the first epidemiological survey specific to the region of Andalucia. The study was conducted with trained and standardised examiners, according to a multi-stage sampling process which ensured that a representative sample of children in the relevant age groups was examined. 2,961 subjects aged 7, 12 and 14 years were selected from schools in the eight provinces of the region. The percentage of 7-year-old children with no experience of caries in the deciduous dentition was 28 and in the permanent teeth 66; 29 per cent of 12- and 18 per cent of 14-year-old children were caries-free. The mean dmft at age 7 years was 3.45, while average DMFT values at ages 7, 12 and 14 years were 0.66, 2.70 and 4.01 respectively. When only children with past or present caries experience were considered, mean dmft at 7 years was 4.80 while mean DMFT at ages 7, 12 and 14 years was 1.92, 3.81 and 4.87. Children of non-manual background had lower caries experience than those from a manual background. Caries experience was consistently higher in Sevilla, Malaga and Granada while Almeria and Jaen had significantly higher numbers of children caries-free in all age groups. Variations in the proportions of caries-free subjects between provinces were associated with the natural fluoride content of the water supplies, though variations in sugar consumption could not be excluded. The results showed that caries experience was moderate. However, the large amount of untreated disease and increases in sugar consumption indicated a need for population based health promotion strategies and school based preventive and treatment programmes.


In many real-life routing problems, incorporating the negative effects of turns is an important, but often overlooked aspect. This is especially true for order picking in warehouses, where making the turns not only decreases the picking efficiency by reducing the speed of the vehicle, but it also results in other unquantifiable effects such as vehicle tipovers, increased congestion and increased risk of collision with pedestrians or other vehicles. In this paper, we consider the order picking problem in a parallel-aisle warehouse by taking into account the number and effect of the turns. In particular, we show that the problem of minimising the number of turns, minimising travel time under turn penalties, the biobjective problem that involves turn and travel time minimisation as separate objectives, and the triobjective problem with U-turn minimisation as a third objective can all be solved in polynomial time. Our computational results show that the algorithms we develop can generate the corresponding Pareto front very quickly, and significantly outperform heuristic approaches used in practice.


Hypertensive mice that express the human renin and angiotensinogen genes are used as a model for human hypertension because they develop hypertension secondary to increased renin-angiotensin system activity. Our study investigated the cellular localization and distribution of COX-1, COX-2, mPGES-1, and mPGES-2 in organ tissues from a mouse model of human hypertension. Male (n = 15) and female (n = 15) double transgenic mice (h-Ang 204/1 h-Ren 9) were used in the study. Lung, kidney, and heart tissues were obtained from mice at necropsy and fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin followed by embedding in paraffin wax. Cut sections were stained immunohistochemically with antibodies to COX-1, COX-2, mPGES-1, and mPGES-2 and analyzed by light microscopy. Renal expression of COX-1 was the highest in the distal convoluted tubules, cortical collecting ducts, and medullary collecting ducts; while proximal convoluted tubules lacked COX-1 expression. Bronchial and bronchiolar epithelial cells, alveolar macrophages, and cardiac vascular endothelial cells also had strong COX-1 expression, with other renal, pulmonary, or cardiac microanatomic locations having mild-to-moderate expression. mPGES-2 expression was strong in the bronchial and bronchiolar epithelial cells, mild to moderate in various renal microanatomic locations, and absent in cardiac tissues. COX-2 expression was strong in the proximal and distal convoluted tubules, alveolar macrophages, and bronchial and bronchiolar epithelial cells. Marked mPGES-1 was present only in bronchial and bronchiolar epithelial cells; while mild-to-moderate expression was present in other pulmonary, renal, or cardiac microanatomic locations. Expression of these molecules was similar between males and females. Our work suggests that in hypertensive mice, there are (a) significant microanatomic variations in the pulmonary, renal, and cardiac distribution and cellular localization of COX-1, COX-2, mPGES-1, and mPGES-2, and (b) no differences in expression between genders.


Temporal graphs are used to abstractly model real-life networks that are inherently dynamic in nature. Given a static underlying graph $G=(V,E)$, a temporal graph on $G$ is a sequence of snapshots $G_t$, one for each time step $t\geq 1$. In this paper we study stochastic temporal graphs, i.e. stochastic processes $\mathcal{G}$ whose random variables are the snapshots of a temporal graph on $G$. A natural feature observed in various real-life scenarios is a memory effect in the appearance probabilities of particular edges; i.e. the probability an edge $e\in E$ appears at time step $t$ depends on its appearance (or absence) at the previous $k$ steps. In this paper we study the hierarchy of models memory-$k$, addressing this memory effect in an edge-centric network evolution: every edge of $G$ has its own independent probability distribution for its appearance over time. Clearly, for every $k\geq 1$, memory-$(k-1)$ is a special case of memory-$k$. We make a clear distinction between the values $k=0$ ("no memory") and $k\geq 1$ ("some memory"), as in some cases these models exhibit a fundamentally different computational behavior, as our results indicate. For every $k\geq 0$ we investigate the complexity of two naturally related, but fundamentally different, temporal path (journey) problems: MINIMUM ARRIVAL and BEST POLICY. In the first problem we are looking for the expected arrival time of a foremost journey between two designated vertices $s,y$. In the second one we are looking for the arrival time of the best policy for actually choosing a particular $s$-$y$ journey. We present a detailed investigation of the computational landscape of both problems for the different values of memory $k$. Among other results we prove that, surprisingly, MINIMUM ARRIVAL is strictly harder than BEST POLICY; in fact, for $k=0$, MINIMUM ARRIVAL is #P-hard while BEST POLICY is solvable in $O(n^2)$ time.


The goal of my research is to investigate the ways in which prostitutes, and specifically prostitutes in public spaces, were used as a symbol for the multiple fears that arose in British society during the long nineteenth century. These fears ranged in content from economic anxieties, to the control of women, to more specific concerns over public health and international relations. The rhetoric used against prostitutes coincides with the progression of these anxieties, suggesting that the true nature of public concern over prostitutes was not necessarily about sex as a commodity; rather, these women acted as an outlet through which contemporaries could express their broader, perhaps more complicated fears during the period, many of which related directly to the use of public space.


Toward ITS, academia and industry aim to utilize all possible radio access technologies in order to support reliable services and applications in VANETs. Thus, the inclusion of already deployed Wi-Fi networks in VANET topology is a crucial step for the next generation vehicular networks. However, the VANET topology also requires preservation of the features already offered by DSRC and the core cellular network. As a result, the coexistence of multiple different access technologies results in high complexity in terms of the control and management of the network infrastructure. To this end, software defined networking provides a promising opportunity to simplify the management and control of clumsy network infrastructures by decoupling the data and control planes in order to provide elasticity for current networks. In this article, we propose an architectural model that exploits this opportunity in order to enhance VANET with Wi-Fi access capability. Moreover, we offer a novel software defined VANET architecture that consists of soft OpenFlow switches with Wi-Fi capabilities as both roadside units and vehicles. In particular, we first investigate existing test tools and environments for software defined wireless networks and also supply a novel testbed architecture in order to provide a feasible test environment for evaluating the proposed architecture. Additionally, we propose a Wireless Access Management (WAM) protocol that provides wireless host management and basic flow admission with respect to the available bandwidth to validate the capability of the offered architecture. The observation results of the deployed testbed prove the conformity of the offered 802.11 architecture to the VANET.


Analysis of strong-motion instrument recordings in Seattle, Washington, resulting from the 2002 M w 7.9 Denali, Alaska, earthquake reveals that amplification in the 0.2- to 1.0-Hz frequency band is largely governed by the shallow sediments both inside and outside the sedimentary basins beneath the Puget Lowland. Sites above the deep sedimentary strata show additional seismic-wave amplification in the 0.04- to 0.2-Hz frequency range. Surface waves generated by the M w 7.9 Denali, Alaska, earthquake of 3 November 2002 produced pronounced water waves across Washington state. The largest water waves coincided with the area of largest seismic-wave amplification underlain by the Seattle basin. In the current work, we present reports that show Lakes Union and Washington, both located on the Seattle basin, are susceptible to large water waves generated by large local earthquakes and teleseisms. A simple model of a water body is adopted to explain the generation of waves in water basins. This model provides reasonable estimates for the water-wave amplitudes in swimming pools during the Denali earthquake but appears to underestimate the waves observed in Lake Union.


International economic law (IEL) developed since ancient times based on private and public, national and transnational regulation of economic transactions and related economic policies. International human rights law (HRL) emerged only in the 20th century based on different (e.g. deontological rather than utilitarian) rationalities; it continues to be developed by different international fora, but depends on economic law for generating economic goods and services necessary for protecting human rights. Section I discusses the increasing 'constitutionalization' of HRL and IEL at national and regional levels of governance and its implications for the settlement of trade and investment disputes. Section 2 discusses 'constitutional justice principles' as legal basis for impartial third-party adjudication requiring 'judicial administration of justice' and treaty interpretations 'in conformity with the principles of justice' and human rights accepted by all UN member states. Section 3 elaborates in more detail problems of 'systemic interpretation' and 'constitutional interpretation' in IEL. Section 4 gives an overview of procedural human rights dimensions in IEL adjudication, like the human right of access to justice and the emerging common law of transnational adjudication. Section 5 discusses procedural and substantive human rights problems in WTO and investment adjudication. Section 6 criticizes trade and investment adjudication for neglecting HRL and constitutional, distributive, corrective and commutative justice principles.


Recent developments and advances in micro-electro-mechanical systems for nanometer-scale applications such as scanning force microscopy are presented. The microfabrication of tools so small that they enable access to the nanoworld, such as tips, flexible cantilevers, integrated deflection sensors and nanoactuators is described. Bulk and surface micromachining of mono- or polycrystalline silicon, extended by aligned-wafer-bonding, etch-back and sacrificial-layer-etching steps are major fabrication steps used. Experiments on prototypes show that these devices are promising for use as ultra-sensitive stand-alone probe micro-instruments.


We introduce a descriptive framework for robotic replicating systems that extends von Neumann's classical model of selfreproducing automata. A new physical prototype is developed to examine principles and uncover hardware limitations of kinematic reproduction at a low-complexity level in man-made physical systems. The initial functional robot assembles six subsystems located in a partially structured environment to form an exact functional replica of itself. Self-replication of the sort demonstrated here can be achieved by designing a robotic system composed of multiple simple parts/subsystems rather than a relatively few complex robotic modules. Therefore, this prototype hints at the feasibility of the concept of fully autonomous man-made machines that can construct functional copies of themselves from many very basic components. As a simple measure of system complexity, the number of active elements in each subsystem and interconnections between subsystems are counted. In addition, we present a measure of the degree of replication that includes the complexity distribution and the relative complexity of the total system to individual parts.


Patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can develop strong drug resistance following long-term treatment with platinum-based drugs. Increasing doses of chemotherapeutic drugs fail to obtain better results, and serious complications occur. It has been demonstrated that upregulation of excision repair cross-complementary 1 (ERCC1) in lung cancer cells is closely associated with cell resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy. In addition, curcumin (CMN) enhances antitumor effects in NSCLC by downregulating ERCC1. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of demethoxycurcumin (DMC), a curcuminoid, on the reversal of resistance of NSCLC cells in vitro and in vivo. The present study demonstrated that DMC significantly increased the sensitivity of DDP in DDP-resistant A549 (A549/DDP) cells. The results from an MTT assay demonstrated that DMC combined with DDP significantly attenuated the proliferation of A549/DDP cells. Furthermore, DMC exhibited decreased toxicity in normal lung fibroblast MRC-5 cells. In addition, following treatment of A549/DDP cells with a combination of DMC and DDP, the expression of ERCC1 was reduced, the protein levels of Bcl-2 and Bax were decreased and increased, respectively, whereas caspase-3 was activated, according to results from western blotting. Finally, DDP combined with DMC significantly attenuated A549/DDP cell-derived tumor growth in vivo. Taken together, the findings from the present study suggested that DMC in combination with DDP may be considered as a novel combination regimen for restoring DDP sensitivity in DDP-resistant NSCLC cells.


Rapid diagnosis of COVID-19 is essential for instituting measures to prevent viral spread. SARS-CoV-2 antigen rapid diagnostic test (Ag-RDT) based on lateral flow immunochromatography assay (LFIA) principle can visually indicate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 antigens as a band. Ag-RDT is clinically promising as a point-of-care testing because it can give results in a short time without the need for special equipment. Although various antigen capture LFIAs are now available for rapid diagnosis for SARS-CoV-2 infection, they face the problems of low sensitivity. We have previously developed highly specific monoclonal antibodies (mAb) against SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein (NP) and in this study, we have employed these mAbs to develop a new LFIA that can detect SARS-CoV-2 NP in nasopharyngeal swab samples with higher sensitivity by combining them with silver amplification technology. We also compared the performance of our Ag-RDT against the commercially available Ag-RDTs using clinical samples to find that our newly developed LFIA performed best among tested, highlighting the superiority of silver amplification technology.


: The aim of the present study was to compare, under the same nursing conditions, the energy-nitrogen balance and the protein turnover in small for gestational age (SGA) and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) low birthweight infants. We compared 8 SGA's (mean +/- s.d.: gestational age 35 +/- 2 weeks, birthweight 1520 +/- 330 g) to 11 AGA premature infants (32 +/- 2 weeks, birthweight 1560 +/- 240 g). When their rate of weight gain was above 15 g/kg/d (17.6 +/- 3.0 and 18.2 +/- 2.6 g/kg/d, mean postnatal age 18 +/- 10 and 20 +/- 9 d respectively) they were studied with respect to their metabolizable energy intake, their energy expenditure, their energy and protein gain and their protein turnover. Energy balance was assessed by the difference between metabolizable energy and energy expenditure as measured by indirect calorimetry. Protein gain was calculated from the amount of retained nitrogen. Protein turnover was estimated by a stable isotope enrichment technique using repeated nasogastric administration of 15N-glycine for 72 h. Although there was no difference in their metabolizable energy intakes (110 +/- 12 versus 108 +/- 11 kcal/kg/d), SGA's had a higher rate of resting energy expenditure (64 +/- 8 versus 57 +/- 8 kcal/kg/d, P less than 0.05). Protein gain and composition of weight gain was very similar in both groups (2.0 +/- 0.4 versus 2.1 +/- 0.4 g protein/kg/d; 3.5 +/- 1.1 versus 3.3 +/- 1.4 g fat/kg/d in SGA's and AGA's respectively). However, the rate of protein synthesis was significantly lower in SGA's (7.7 +/- 1.6 g/kg/d) as compared to AGA's (9.7 +/- 2.8 g/kg/d; P less than 0.05). It is concluded that SGA's have a more efficient protein gain/protein synthesis ratio since for the same weight and protein gains, SGA's show a 20 per cent slower protein turnover. They might therefore tolerate slightly higher protein intakes. Postconceptional age seems to be an important factor in the regulation of protein turnover.


This paper presents a novel semantic analysis of unit names and gradable adjectives, inspired by measurement theory (Krantz et al 1971). Based on measurement theory's typology of measures, I claim that different predicates are associated with different types of measures whose special characteristics, together with features of the relations denoted by unit names, explain the puzzling limited distribution of measure phrases.


In the increasingly global world, skills in cultural competence now form part of the minimum standards of practice required for allied health professionals. During an international work-integrated learning (WIL) placement, allied health students' cultural competence is expected to be enhanced. The present study scrutinized reflective journals of students who completed an international WIL placement to identify themes related to student learning. A retrospective content analysis identified three core themes with sub-themes: Cultural Competence with three subthemes: cultural egocentricity and cultural adjustment, cultural conflict in dealing with disability (not resolved over time) and, communication and language barriers; Professional Development with two subthemes: the evolution of evaluating success and impact on future practice, and Personal Growth with two subthemes: newfound reality - constant self-discovery and social responsibility. These themes provide guidance for academics in preparing students beforehand and the reflections during international WIL placements.


Detailed geological description of fractured reservoirs is typically characterized by the discrete-fracture model (DFM), in which the rock matrix and fractures are explicitly represented in the form of unstructured grids. Its high computation cost makes it infeasible for field-scale applications. Traditional flow-based and static-based methods used to upscale detailed geological DFM to reservoir simulation model suffer from, to some extent, high computation cost and low accuracy, respectively. In this paper, we present a novel deep learning-based upscaling method as an alternative to traditional methods.
 This work aims to build an image-to-value model based on convolutional neural network to model the nonlinear mapping between the high-resolution image of detailed DFM as input and the upscaled reservoir simulation model as output. The reservoir simulation model (herein refers to the dual-porosity model) includes the predicted fracture-fracture transmissibility linking two adjacent grid blocks and fracture-matrix transmissibility within each coarse block. The proposed upscaling workflow comprises the train-validation samples generation, convolutional neural network training-validating process, and model evaluation. We apply a two-point flux approximation (TPFA) scheme based on embedded discrete-fracture model (EDFM) to generate the datasets. We perform trial-error analysis on the coupling training-validating process to update the ratio of train-validation samples, optimize the learning rate and the network architecture. This process is applied until the trained model obtains an accuracy above 90 % for both train-validation samples.
 We then demonstrate its performance with the two-phase reference solutions obtained from the fine model in terms of water saturation profile and oil recovery versus PVI. Results show that the DL-based approach provides a good match with the reference solutions for both water saturation distribution and oil recovery curve. This work manifests the value of the DL-based method for the upscaling of detailed DFM to the dual-porosity model and can be extended to construct generalized dual-porosity, dual-permeability models or include more complex physics, such as capillary and gravity effects.


Portable roll-up signs are currently used by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) for identification of short-term maintenance/work zones and emergency operations. These signs have fiberglass frames to directly support diamond-shaped and rectangular flexible sign faces. It has been frequently reported that the fiberglass frames have failed due to bending caused by natural wind or gust generated by passing vehicles. The cost of these failures is more than the marginal cost of replacing the broken frame members. It includes the safety cost to workers and the traveling public. Research studies to date on sign structures have focused on permanent signs with rigid faces. However, there has been little formal and in-depth research on wind loading on roll-up signs with flexible facing materials. This research project was proposed to address three major issues: (1) understanding the nature of wind loading on portable roll-up signs, (2) identifying alternative materials for fiberglass frames, and (3) developing modified/new designs of portable roll-up signs. The work performed under this project revealed that the vertical frames failed due to progressive cracking at the fiber-matrix interfaces caused by torsion, instead of bending. Therefore, it was determined to increase the torsional stiffness of vertical frames by wrapping high-strength carbon fiber sheets around the existing fiberglass frames in a pre-determined direction to improve the resistance to wind loading. Prototype roll-up signs with the modified frame design were manufactured in the laboratory and were subjected to various tests including the full-scale vehicle impact tests per Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) impact performance criteria. The test results showed that the modified design showed better serviceability as well as higher resistance to torsion as compared to the original design. In addition, the prototype roll-up signs met MASH impact performance criteria. The outcome of the project can lead to a significant reduction of the cost for replacing failed roll-up signs, and more importantly, help improve the safety of workers and traveling public in maintenance/work zones