Academic institutions are a well-established source of pharmaceutical innovation. However, the researchers behind these discoveries are rarely responsible for successful translation of their findings to the market. It is hypothesized that by enhancing their understanding and knowledge of the regulatory requirements associated with drug development, the speed of innovation to market would be increased, while simultaneously decreasing technology transfer issues that arise as commercially focused projects move from academia to industry. The usefulness of an associated regulatory readiness tool to guide researchers involved in commercially focused projects will also be investigated.


This article examines the findings of the recent OPAL report Beyond OER: Shifting Focus from Resources to Practices. In doing so, it defines current understanding of open educational resources and open educational practices, and highlights the shift from open content to open practice. The article includes a framework for supporting open educational practices. The conclusions emphasise that open access is a necessary but not sufficient condition for the opening of education, and foreshadows ongoing moves toward changes in educational architectures that promote increased uptake of open educational resources and wider application of open education.


Abstract. Recent studies have challenged the assumption that Ku-band radar used by the CryoSat-2 altimeter fully penetrates the dry snow cover of Arctic sea ice. There is also uncertainty around the proper technique for handling retracker threshold selection in the Threshold First-Maxima Retracker (TFMRA) method which estimates the ice surface elevation from the radar echo waveform. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy and penetration of the TFMRA retracking method applied to the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar and Interferometric Radar Altimeter System (ASIRAS), an airborne simulator of the CryoSat-2, to investigate the effect of surface characteristics and improve accuracy. The ice surface elevation estimate from ASIRAS was evaluated by comparing to the snow surface measured by aggregating laser altimetry observations from the Airborne Laser Scanner (ALS), and the ice surface measured by subtracting ground observations of snow depth from the snow surface. The perceived penetration of the ice surface estimate was found to increase with the retracker threshold and was correlated with the value of surface properties. The slope of the relationship between penetration and threshold was greater for a deformed ice surface, a rough snow surface, a deeper snow cover, an absence of salinity and a larger snow grain size. As a result, the ideal retracked threshold, one that would achieve 100 % penetration, varies depending on properties of the surface being observed. Under conditions such deep snow or a large grain size, the retracked elevation sr was found in some cases to not penetrate fully the snowpack. This would cause an overestimation of the sea ice freeboard and as a consequence, the sea ice thickness. Results suggest that using a single threshold with the TFMRA retracking method will not yield a reliable estimate of the snow-ice interface when observed over an area with diverse surface properties. However, there may be potential to improve the retracking method by incorporating knowledge of the sensed surface physical characteristics. This study shows that remotely sensed surface properties, such as the ice deformity or snow surface roughness, can be combined with the waveform shape to select an ideal retracker for individual returns with an additional offset to account for the incomplete penetration of Ku-band over appropriate surface characteristics.


Neonicotinoid insecticides (imidacloprid, clothianidin, thiamethoxam) and fipronil for maize (Zea mays L.) seed dressing have been claimed to play a role in honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) decline, since pneumatic precision drills used for sowing contribute to the dispersion of the abrasion dust produced by dressed seeds. The active ingredients (a.i.) can contaminate the environment and can lead to the exposure of operators and bystanders during sowing operations. To achieve a significant reduction of dust drift and to enhance the safety for the operators, CRA-ING studied and developed novel engineering solutions applicable to drills, based on an air-recycling/filtering system. In the first system, the air's excess is forced outward through suitable filters placed on the modified lid of the seed hopper. It can be easily applied to commercial drills in use. The second system was specifically designed for new drills. It consists of a collector duct that receives the air expelled from the vacuum fan opening, creating constant pressure conditions. Part of the air is recycled into the seed hoppers, as the air in excess is directed outward through a single main filter. A third system, based on the second one, entails the use of an electrostatic filter to improve its efficiency. Moreover, to avoid the operator's exposure to the dust during the seed loading, we show an integrated solution based on the use of a modified pre-charged plastic container that replace the drill's hoppers. Preliminary tests ascertained the regular seed distribution with the drills equipped with the prototypes. Then, trials were carried out at fixed point and in field, for detecting the amounts of the drifted a.i., using commercial maize seed dressed with thiamethoxam, imidacloprid, clothianidin and fipronil. The test results show powder and a.i. drift reductions up to a maximum of 94.5% measured at ground level (with fipronil as a.i.) as a consequence of the use of the prototypes.


One of the greatest sources of uncertainty in future climate projections comes from limitations in modelling clouds and in understanding how different cloud types interact with the climate system. A key first step in reducing this uncertainty is to accurately classify cloud types at high spatial and temporal resolution. In this paper, we introduce Cumulo, a benchmark dataset for training and evaluating global cloud classification models. It consists of one year of 1km resolution MODIS hyperspectral imagery merged with pixel-width 'tracks' of CloudSat cloud labels. Bringing these complementary datasets together is a crucial first step, enabling the Machine-Learning community to develop innovative new techniques which could greatly benefit the Climate community. To showcase Cumulo, we provide baseline performance analysis using an invertible flow generative model (IResNet), which further allows us to discover new sub-classes for a given cloud class by exploring the latent space. To compare methods, we introduce a set of evaluation criteria, to identify models that are not only accurate, but also physically-realistic.


This dissertation aims to increase the knowledge about how societal contexts shape the social construction of crises in Chinese social media. It consists of four articles to advance current crisis communication research theoretically and empirically. Drawing on the social constructionist approach, Article 1 proposes a theoretical framework for investigating how societal contexts are embedded in crisis construction in China. Following the proposed theoretical framework, Articles 2, 3, and 4 present empirical analyses of the political and technological contexts in China that impact the construction and negotiation of meaning among social actors on the Chinese microblogging service Weibo, which consequently shapes crisis construction. The crisis construction is further excavated into various forms, including the constructions of crisis attribution, authority, and organizational misconduct, which are examined in the Articles 2, 3 and 4, respectively. This dissertation employs multiple qualitative methods for text analysis to examine posts and comments on Weibo regarding two organizational crises (i.e., the McDonalds' crisis in 2014 and the United Airlines crisis in 2017). More specifically, the qualitative methods include framing analysis (Article 2), genre analysis (Article 3), and qualitative content analysis (Article 4).This dissertation offers a novel depiction of crisis communication in China, which accentuates the influences of political and technological contexts. The findings from the four articles justify and validate the complex and mutually constitutive relationship between politics and technology that underpin the construction of crises in the Chinese context. More specifically, the dissertation observes three ways of contextual influence on the construction of organizational crises: (1) the ascribing of crisis attribution through construction and negotiation of meaning; (2) the generation of authority through social actors' actions and interactions; and (3) the debating of organizational misconduct through public interpretation and discussion. Moreover, a synthesis of the findings from the three empirical articles reveals that the politics, or the political dimensions, of crisis have become deeply ingrained —even unavoidable—in the Chinese context and are relevant not only to crises that derive from various political factors, but also for those that originate without political implications. This dissertation suggests the term "politicizing crisis communication" to describe the process through which social actors ascribe political meaning to and/or interpret organizational crises from political viewpoints. Three elements, namely crisis attribution, crisis management, and crisis implication, are discussed to conceptualize the idea of "politicizing crisis communication."This dissertation fleshes out and deepens our understanding of the relevance of political and technological contexts in the shaping of organizational crises by social actors via social media in China. More importantly, by integrating the social constructionist approach, this dissertation advances the context-oriented tradition by scrutinizing the large-scale dynamics of societal contexts in crisis communication. (Less)


The climate analogue approach is often considered a valuable tool for climate change impact projection and adaptation planning, especially for complex systems that cannot be modelled reliably. Important examples are smallholder farming systems using agroforestry or other mixed-cropping approaches. For the projected climate at a particular site of interest, the analogue approach identifies locations where the current climate is similar to these projected conditions. By comparing baseline-analogue site pairs, information on climate impacts and opportunities for adaptation can be obtained. However, the climate analogue approach is only meaningful, if climate is a dominant driver of differences between baseline and analogue site pairs. For a smallholder farming setting on Mt. Elgon in Kenya, we tested this requirement by comparing yield potentials of maize and coffee (obtained from the IIASA Global Agro-ecological Zones dataset) among 50 close analogue sites for different future climate scenarios and models, and by comparing local ecological knowledge and farm characteristics for one baseline-analogue pair. Yield potentials among the 50 closest analogue locations varied strongly within all climate scenarios, hinting at factors other than climate as major drivers of what the analogue approach might interpret as climate effects. However, on average future climatic conditions seemed more favourable to maize and coffee cultivation than current conditions. The detailed site comparison revealed substantial differences between farms in important characteristics, such as farm size and presence of cash crops, casting doubt on the usefulness of the comparison for climate change analysis. Climatic constraints were similar between sites, so that no apparent lessons for adaptation could be derived. Pests and diseases were also similar, indicating that climate change may not lead to strong changes in biotic constraints at the baseline site in the near future. From both analyses, it appeared that differences between baseline and analogue sites were mostly explained by non-climatic factors. This does not bode well for using the analogue approach


Objective:  We aim to understand (1) the frequency of URL sharing and (2) types of shared URLs among opioid related discussions that take place in the social media platform called  Reddit . Introduction:  Nearly 100 people per day die from opioid overdose in the United States. Further, prescription opioid abuse is assumed to be responsible for a 15-year increase in opioid overdose deaths 1 . However, with increasing use of social media comes increasing opportunity to seek and share information. For instance, 80% of Internet users obtain health information online 2 , including popular social interaction sites like Reddit (http://www.reddit.com), which had more than 82.5 billion page views in 2015 3 . In Reddit, members often share information, and include URLs to supplement the information. Understanding the frequency of URL sharing and types of shared URLs can improve our knowledge of information seeking/sharing behaviors as well as domains of shared information on social media. Such knowledge has the potential to provide opportunities to improve public health surveillance practice. We use Reddit to track opioid related discussions and then investigate types of shared URLs among Reddit members in those discussions. Methods:  First, we use a dataset 4 —made available on Reddit—that has been used in several informatics studies 5,6 . The dataset is comprised of 13,213,173 unique member IDs, 114,320,798 posts, and 1,659,361,605 associated comments that are made on 239,772 (including active and inactive) subreddits (i.e., sub-communities) from October 2007 to May 2015. Second, we identified 9 terms that are associated with opioids. The terms are 'opioid', 'opium', 'morphine', 'opiate', 'hydrocodone', 'oxycodone', 'fentanyl', 'heroin', and 'methadone'. Third, we preprocessed the entire dataset (i.e., converting text to lower cases and removing punctuation) and extracted discussions with opioid terms and their metadata (e.g., user ID, post ID) via a lexicon-based approach. Fourth, we extracted URLs using Python from these discussions, categorized the URLs by domain, and then visualized the results in a bubble chart 7 . Results:  We extracted 1,121,187 posts/comments that were made by 328,179 unique member IDs from 8,892 subreddits. Of the 1,121,187 posts/comments, 82,639 posts/comments contained URLs (7.37%), and these posts consisted of 272,551 individual URLs and 138,206 unique URLs. The types of shared URLs in these opioid related discussions are summarized in Figure 1. The color and size represent the type and size respectively of shared URLs. The '.com' is in blue; '.org' is in orange; and '.gov' is in green. Conclusions:  We present preliminary findings concerning the types of shared URLs in opioid-related discussions among Reddit members. Our initial results suggest that Reddit members openly discuss opioid related issues and URL sharing is a part of information sharing. Although members share many URLs from reliable information sources (e.g., 'ncbi.nlm.nih.gov', 'wikipedia.org, 'nytimes.com', 'sciencedirect.com'), further investigation is needed concerning many of the '.com' URLs, which have the potential to contain high and/or low quality information (e.g., 'youtube.com', 'reddit.com', 'google.com', 'amazon.com') to fully understand information seeking/sharing behaviors on social media and to identify opportunities, such as misinformation dissemination for improving public health surveillance practice.


The International Herpes Management Forum (IHMF) has published guidelines for the diagnosis and management of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and disease in solid organ (SOT) and haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients. These recommendations have been updated to include, among others: (1) use of whole blood for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnosis of CMV infection; (2) CMV load measurements for prognostication and for monitoring response to anti-CMV therapy; (3) valganciclovir prophylaxis in CMV donor-positive/recipientnegative (D+/R-) SOT patients for prevention of CMV disease; (4) oral ganciclovir prophylaxis, in preference to aciclovir, to reduce incidence of CMV disease in SOT patients; (5) pre-emptive therapy with oral ganciclovir to reduce incidence of CMV disease and viraemia in liver transplant patients; (6) valaciclovir prophylaxis, in preference to high-dose oral aciclovir, to prevent CMV infection in allogeneic HSCT patients; and (7) foscarnet as an alternative to intravenous ganciclovir for pre-emptive treatment of CMV infection in allogeneic HSCT patients. New developments in the field requiring further research were highlighted, including: optimal frequency of CMV monitoring in CMV D+/R- SOT patients; optimal duration of prophylaxis for the prevention of late CMV disease; need for an acceptable viral threshold for initiation of pre-emptive therapy; and assessment of the clinical efficacy of valganciclovir for the treatment of CMV disease and as pre-emptive therapy in SOT and HSCT patients. This article presents supporting evidence for these recommendations and statements.


The office of the Business Manager of The Journal is 311 and 312 Fitten Building. The editors are not responsible for views expressed by contributors. Articles for publication should reach this office not later than the 15th inst. Address all communications, and make all remittances payable to The Atlanta teuical and Surgical Journal, Atlanta, Ga. Reprints of articles will be furnished, when desired, at a small cost. Requests for the same should always be made on the manuscript.


Geospatial semantic graphs provide a robust foundation for representing and analyzing remote sensor data. In particular, they support a variety of pattern search operations that capture the spatial and temporal relationships among the objects and events in the data. However, in the presence of large data corpora, even a carefully constructed search query may return a large number of unintended matches. This work considers the problem of calculating a quality score for each match to the query, given that the underlying data are uncertain. We present a preliminary evaluation of three methods for determining both match quality scores and associated uncertainty bounds, illustrated in the context of an example based on overhead imagery data.


School leaders in all settings require suitable integration of leadership knowledge and skills to respond effectively to the many challenges that beset them in their daily work. However, it is argued that the rural context creates additional and distinctive challenges for school leaders, as rural schools have unique challenges and traits that differentiate them markedly from those in urban areas. To help understand how rural leaders in rural schools deal with the challenges and complexity in their work five schools were selected for the study. A qualitative research paradigm was selected. The selection process involved a purposive sample. Three of the five principals on whom the case studies were based were in their first year and the other two, were in their third and fourth year as a permanent teaching principal, respectively. Principals were interviewed using semi-structured, in-depth interviews. It was found that the desirability of principals acquiring a rural lens as a strategy for enhancing leadership has important implications for their initial preparation and also for their ongoing professional training. https://doi.org/10.19108/KOERS.82.3.2337


C-type lectin-like domain (CTLD) proteins are mainly known for their crucial roles in vertebrate immunity acting either as pattern recognition receptors or antimicrobial peptides. In invertebrates the exact immune function of CTLD proteins is less described despite of the abundance of their encoding genes in many metazoan genomes. Caenorhabditis elegans particularly stands out for its enormous set of diversified CTLD proteins. Surprisingly, their exact contribution to C. elegans immunity still remains elusive.
During my PhD I systematically screened the CTLD gene (clec) repertoire of C. elegans to identify genes that are involved in the defense against the two pathogens Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus thuringiensis (BT). Unexpectedly, in the tested mutants clec-knock-out led equally to susceptibility and resistance to infection, indicating that clec genes mediate both immune activation and suppression. Resistance of clec mutants on BT could partially be explained by enhanced pathogen avoidance behavior. We could confirm for the clec gene C54G4.4 that it negatively regulates behavioral immune responses and thus demonstrated that beside a potential contribution to the physiological, clec genes might also function in behavioral immunity.
In parallel we analyzed the expression of clec genes upon infection and stress. We identified clec-4 as another interesting candidate due to its highly up-regulated profile upon exposure to many pathogens and stresses. Surprisingly, the clec-4 mutant showed resistance towards BT infection, suggesting a function in negative regulation of the immune response. We further examined the role of a co-expressed clec-4 paralog, clec-41, which was required for defense against BT and suppressed the resistance phenotype of the clec 4 mutant. These findings give hint to a complex regulation network of interacting clec genes.
Taken together, our work is the first step towards a more detailed analysis of the exact clec function in immunity.


Aim: We investigated patterns of species richness and community dissimilarity along elevation gradients using globally replicated, standardized surveys of vascular plants. We asked how these patterns of diversity are influenced by anthropogenic pressures (road construction and non-native species).

Location: Global.

Time period: 2008-2015.

Major taxa studied: Vascular plants.

Methods: Native and non-native vascular plant species were recorded in 943 plots along 25 elevation gradients, in nine mountain regions, on four continents. Sampling took place in plots along and away from roads. We analysed the effects of elevation and distance from road on species richness patterns and community dissimilarity (beta-diversity), and assessed how non-native species modified such elevational diversity patterns.

Results: Globally, native and total species richness showed a unimodal relationship with elevation that peaked at lower-mid elevations, but these patterns were altered along roads and due to non-native species. Differences in elevational species richness patterns between regions disappeared along roadsides, and non-native species changed the patterns' character in all study regions. Community dissimilarity was reduced along roadsides and through non-native species. We also found a significant elevational decay of beta-diversity, which however was not affected by roads or non-native species.

Main conclusions: Idiosyncratic native species richness patterns in plots away from roads implicate region-specific mechanisms underlying these patterns. However, along roadsides a clearer elevational signal emerged and species richness mostly peaked at mid-elevations. We conclude that both roads and non-native species lead to a homogenization of species richness patterns and plant communities in mountains.


Drawing on the disciplines of social history and folklore, this article examines a much-neglected dimension of local story lore—feats of strength stories—among the immigrant Scots and their descendants in Eastern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton. Fieldwork conducted in both Gaelic and English, as well as print sources, document the rich prevalence of stories about exceptional physical strength and stamina, which once served as vital expressions of identity and community. These stories still form a vigorous component of the regional folktale corpus and represent a favourite genre among tradition bearers.


We have proposed a vertical comb-drive MEMS mirror which can be applied for a spectrometer with a phase-shifting method, and fabricated the mirror device using the micro fabrication technology. The configuration of the MEMS mirror was designed with three vertical electrostatic comb-drive actuators and hinges at the periphery of the mirror. In the proposed spectrometer, the phase of the light which is reflected at the movable mirror is changed, and the interferogram is obtained by the movable mirror which is driven precisely. We evaluated the moving characteristics of the fabricated MEMS mirror and confirmed that the MEMS mirror could be driven vertically to about 23μm and also could be tilted. Using this MEMS mirror, we configured the spectrometer with a source of monochromatic light (λ= 405 nm), and evaluated the spectroscopic characteristic in principle. Then, we have confirmed that the fabricated MEMS mirror can be applied to the spectrometer with the phase-shifting method.


Changes in technological paradigm regarding the information modeling of geospatial data (geomatics) brought significant possibilities of virtual simulation of urban environments via aggregation of information from different sources into a geometric model. These capacities have been used in many different disciplines from military and governmental uses to commercial systems, such as satellite 3D models of different areas (i.e. Google Maps) or GIS data and BIM models. Considering this technological possibility as a tool of visualization of urban components, for urban planning purposes and real estate evaluations, provides an integrated system of management, integration and distribution of complex urban geo-information. As an alternative use of such systems, this study explores the capacities and advantage of using information modeling approaches for simulating the inaccessible areas within geopolitically conflict zones (either by legal or physical restrictions--geopolitical brownfields) to provide a visual presentation of current physical conditions of given areas. This approach may also open possible visions on potential future real estate capacities of those affected areas and its peripheries, where more accurate and reliable development and regeneration proposals may produce accordingly. Correspondingly a methodological framework of data collection (aggregation of information) and also simulations suggested, which consequently may deliver more efficient decisions on future real estate market capacities to decision makers (authorities), real estate experts, and urban planners.


In wireless fading channels, multiuser diversity can be exploited by scheduling users to transmit when their channel conditions are favorable. This leads to a sum throughput that increases with the number of users and, in certain cases, achieves capacity. However, such scheduling requires global knowledge of every user's channel gain, which may be difficult to obtain in some situations. This paper addresses contention-based protocols for exploiting multiuser diversity with only local channel knowledge. A variation of the ALOHA protocol is given in which users attempt to exploit multiuser diversity gains, but suffer contention losses due to the distributed channel knowledge. The growth rate of the sum throughput for this protocol is characterized in a backlogged system under both short-term and long-term average power constraints. A simple "fixed-rate" system is shown to be asymptotically optimal and to achieve the same growth rate as in a system with an optimal centralized scheduler. Moreover, asymptotically, the fraction of throughput lost due to contention is shown to be 1/e. Also, in a system with random arrivals and an infinite user population, a variation of this ALOHA protocol is shown to be stable for any total arrival rate, given that users can estimate the backlog.


TERATOMA OF the neck is a rare neoplasm. The first proven case was published by Hess in Germany in 1854,1while the first case in the United States was not reported until Bell's publication in 1926.2Since 1854, 102 cases have appeared in the literature, 32 of which are from the United States. This report will analyze these 32 cases and describe two new cases in detail. Report of Cases Case1 (Hospital No. 39212).—This was an eight months fetus delivered by cesarean section. The mother was a 21-year-old Negro para 2, gravida 3. She began to complain of vague abdominal distress three weeks prior to admission and noted rapid increase in the size of her uterus, about 10 cm over a three-weeks' period. She was admitted to the hospital with the diagnosis of polyhydramnios. A transabdominal tap was done and 6,000 ml of amniotic fluid slowly removed.


This study reports the cellular localization of gamma-interferon (gamma-IFN) in nerve roots during the course of experimental autoimmune neuritis induced either by active immunization (EAN) or adoptive transfer of P2-specific T-cells (AT-EAN). One micrometre thick cryosections of ventral roots of EAN and AT-EAN animals were labelled with the monoclonal antibodies DB-1 and DB-12 recognizing different epitopes of rat gamma-IFN. In EAN numerous gamma-IFN-positive cells were present before overt clinical signs and demyelination (days 11-13 after immunization). Concomitantly, raised gamma-IFN levels were measured in the serum of these animals. However, systemically increased gamma-IFN serum levels were not specific for a neuritogenic T-cell response. At subsequent stages when many axons were demyelinated (day 16 and later) gamma-IFN-positive cells had disappeared and gamma-IFN serum levels returned to normal value. gamma-Interferon positive cells could be identified as W3/13 positive T-cells and polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Additionally, a considerable number of ED1-positive macrophages showed gamma-IFN immunoreactivity. The majority of macrophages and all Schwann cells were gamma-IFN negative. Similar results were obtained in AT-EAN 4 d and 6 d following cell transfer. After nerve transection no gamma-IFN-positive cells were found in the distal stumps. The localization of gamma-IFN in nerve roots indicates an important role of this lymphokine in acute immune-mediated demyelination. gamma-Interferon most likely locally affects macrophage functions such as migration, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II antigen (Ia) expression, and production of cytotoxic molecules in nerves, and thereby contributes to myelin damage.


The present investigation involved the screening and evaluation of S. apetala leaf crude extracts for the phytochemicals, antibacterial activity and antioxidant activity. Green synthesis of AgNPs using aqueous leaf extract, Characterization and antibacterial activity of synthesized nanoparticles were also carried out in the study. Outcome of all the experiments carried out suggests the existence of most of the phytochemicals in the leaves and are having some important biological activities. Further work is needed to isolate, purify and identify the exact active principle which is the cause for the biological activities. The Green synthesis is a simple, low cost and ecofriendly approach without any huge inputs in terms of energy. This is the first report of Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles for this plant. Being exhibiting greater antibacterial activity, phytochemical based nanoparticles may stand as a potential remedy in developing drugs against antibiotic resistant bacteria.


Machine learning techniques are becoming a fundamental tool for scientific and engineering progress. These techniques are applied in contexts as diverse as astronomy and spam filtering. However, correctly applying these techniques requires careful engineering. Much attention has been paid to the technical potential; relatively little attention has been paid to the software engineering process required to bring research-based machine learning techniques into practical utility. Technology companies have supported the engineering community through machine learning frameworks such as TensorFLow and PyTorch, but the details of how to engineer complex machine learning models in these frameworks have remained hidden. To promote best practices within the engineering community, academic institutions and Google have partnered to launch a Special Interest Group on Machine Learning Models (SIGMODELS) whose goal is to develop exemplary implementations of prominent machine learning models in community locations such as the TensorFlow Model Garden (TFMG). The purpose of this report is to define a process for reproducing a state-of-the-art machine learning model at a level of quality suitable for inclusion in the TFMG. We define the engineering process and elaborate on each step, from paper analysis to model release. We report on our experiences implementing the YOLO model family with a team of 26 student researchers, share the tools we developed, and describe the lessons we learned along the way.


Summary Quantitative and morphologic histochemical studies of the activity of the benzpyrene hydroxylase system in the gastrointestinal tract have been carried out. In normal rats activity is found only in the small intestine. In rats in which an increase in activity is induced by oral administration of 1,2-benzanthracene, activity is found throughout the entire gastrointestinal tract but varies in magnitude from one region to another. The effects of starvation and of a low-fat diet have been studied and were found to markedly lower the activity of the enzyme system. In addition to the rat, benzpyrene hydroxylase activity has been found to be present in the duodenum of mouse, guinea pig, rabbit, hamster, dog, monkey, baboon, and man. The possible role of this type of system as a protective mechanism against polycyclic hydrocarbons which might reach the gastrointestinal tract is discussed.


CD1d-restricted invariant natural killer T (iNK T) cells activated by their experimental ligand alpha-galactosylceramide (alpha-GC) can produce both T helper 1 (Th1) and Th2 cytokines and display regulatory functions. Recent studies identified CD4(+) and CD4(-) CD8(-) double-negative (DN) iNK T cells as the two major components of the human population and suggest that they display a Th2 and a Th1 profile, respectively. We compared the Th2-promoting activity of freshly isolated human CD4(+) and DN iNK T cells in terms of their capacity to induce Ig production by autologous B cells. Secretion of IgG and IgE but not IgM was enhanced by the CD4(+) T cell subset (including iNK T cells) but not by its DN counterpart. iNK T cells were directly responsible for this pro-Th2 effect, as demonstrated by the requirement for both alpha-GC stimulation and CD1d presentation, as well as by its disappearance upon iNK T cell depletion. Interaction with iNK T cells led to progressive accumulation of isotype-switched and activated B cells. Myeloid dendritic cells (DC) completely block the induction of Ig production in co-culture. This dominant inhibitory effect of myeloid DC was concomitant with a specific loss of interleukin (IL)-4 production by CD4(+) iNK T but not by conventional T cells. These data support the conclusion that, conversely to the interferon (IFN)-gamma-producing DN human iNK T cell population, interleukin (IL)-4-producing CD4(+) iNK T cells can activate and help B cells to produce both IgG and IgE through a CD1d-dependent mechanism, in keeping with a functional Th1/Th2 dichotomy between these subsets.


Graves eye disease (GED) is a serious autoimmune disorder that often results in orbital congestion, massive extraocular muscle enlargement, mechanical strabismus, and severe diplopia. Surgical treatment of this condition has often yielded unsatisfactory results and unique or unusual complications. At the University of Michigan, I have had the opportunity to participate in an interdisciplinary Graves eye disease center and provide medical and surgical care for strabismus and diplopia in a large number of these patients. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively review my experience with the surgical treatment of these patients to determine what works, what to expect, and how to avoid the pitfalls and complications that have been common in the treatment of these patients. A retrospective review of the charts of all patients with GED and strabismus or diplopia seen between 1982 and 2001 and who had been followed for at least six months is reported. One hundred eighty-three charts were reviewed, of which 155 met inclusion criteria and 135 had undergone strabismus surgery. These provided the core population for this series. Charts were reviewed for demographics, clinical, and surgical characteristics with emphasis on the types of surgeries performed, surgical results, and complications. Results are organized in categories according to the lessons they have taught me. Special emphasis was placed on the relationship between orbital decompression and strabismus, between the size of strabismus angle and surgical success, and between the special features of GED as they relate to surgical complications and surgical success. I hope these lessons will assist others in the optimal care of these challenging patients.


abstract:According to Internet legend, a cursed JPEG file circulates online, featuring an image of a dog with a much too human grin. If you happen to see this image, the dog will haunt your dreams, asking you to "spread the word" by showing its picture to someone else, thereby passing on the curse. The story of Smile.dog, which is the demon dog's name, is a so-called creepypasta – that is, a digital urban legend. Its curse is therefore a playful one, meant to be circulated as a hoax, but it is also a productive, yet challenging, place to ruminate upon ethics in an era of digital media. Through the lens of Jacques Derrida's concept of hauntology – a haunted ontology – this article explores what digital monsters and curses might teach us about ethics as a question of responding to that which haunts and hoaxes.


Staphylococcal enterotoxins (SE) and toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1) bind to MHC class II molecules and the toxin-class II complexes induce proliferation of T cells bearing specific V beta sequences. We have previously reported that these toxins display varying binding affinities for HLA-DR1. We now investigated whether these differences simply reflected differences in binding affinity for a single class II binding site or, at least in part, the engagement of different binding sites on the HLA-DR complex. Through competitive binding studies we show that SEB and TSST-1, which are not closely related by their amino acid sequences, bind to two different sites on HLA-DR. Both of these sites are also occupied by staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA), enterotoxin D (SED), and enterotoxin E (SEE) which exhibit more than 70% amino acid sequence homology. SEB and TSST-1 failed to inhibit SEA binding to HLA-DR. These studies suggest that there may be three distinct, although perhaps overlapping, binding sites on HLA-DR for these toxins. Further, although SED and SEE are similar to SEA in structure, and appear to bind the same sites on HLA-DR as SEA, they displayed significantly lower binding affinities. T cell proliferative responses to SED required a higher concentration of the toxin than SEA, probably reflecting its lower binding affinity. SEE, however, elicited T cell responses at very low concentrations, similar to SEA, despite its much lower binding affinity. Therefore, although the affinities of these toxins to MHC class II molecules appear to significantly influence the T cell responses, the effective recognition of the toxin-class II complex by the TCR may also contribute to such responses.


The author has undertaken the task of compiling information about the clinical manifestations and treatment of atherosclerosis. Despite the use of the general term "arteriosclerosis" in the title, the author deals chiefly in this book with atherosclerosis and not generally with hyperplastic or occlusive disease of the arterioles. His approach considers atherosclerosis of the aorta and the arteries of the heart, brain, retina, limbs, and abdominal viscera as all being a part of the same disease process. Since treatment of atherosclerosis per se hinges upon a definition of causative factors, which are at present obscure, the author devotes most of the book to the management of the complications of atherosclerosis. These include angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease. There is a complete discussion of the differential diagnosis of chest pain. The book is described as being intended for the general practitioner. As such,


Recently, a novel method for image scrambling (and unscrambling) has been proposed. This method is based on a linear transformation involving the Kroneker-delta function. However, while quite interesting, the way it was introduced, leaves some open issues concerning its actual usability for information hiding. Therefore, in this paper, we extend the original proposal and show how it can be used to securely pass image-like information between the users.


It can be difficult to develop, fit to data, and generate from, models that capture dependence and/ or nonstationarity in simulation inputs. Should we bother? How should we go about it? We discuss these issues, focusing on three examples: call center arrivals, ambulance travel speeds and wind modeling for America's Cup races.


B. A. Davey and H. A. Priestley have investigated the optimality of dualities on a quasivariety , where is a finite algebra. Relative to a given set Ω of relations yielding a duality, they characterized the optimal dualities as the dualities determined by the transversals of a certain family of subsets of Ω. However the structure of these subsets — known as globally minimal failsets — remained to be understood. This paper gives a complete description of the globally minimal failsets which do not contain partial endomorphisms, and an algorithmic method to determine them. These results are applied, by way of illustration, to the variety of de Morgan algebras and to two further varieties, one of them an Ockham algebra variety and the other a variety of Heyting algebras. All the globally minimal failsets are determined in each case.


This will be the first nursing book of its kind, focusing on the positioning of nurses within the multidisciplinary team, and outlining their role in the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of care for IBD patients. This book presents ways for nurses to provide continuity of care, support, and information to patients from diagnosis onwards, helping to prevent crisis and deterioration so patients can achieve the best possible quality of life. By understanding the disease, its management, and gaining insight into the patient's experience in this way, nurses can make a real difference in clinical practice. This title features clear, concise, clinical content covering all the essential aspects of IBD care and patient treatment. It presents the basics of IBD, Clinical Management and Advanced Practice. Each section includes key points, case studies, and a unique patient translation summary to enable nurses to evaluate their own learning, and importantly apply this directly to their practice. This book will logically progress through the patient pathway, integrating research evidence, patient experience, clinical expertise and nursing theory to provide an authoritative text for all nurses caring patients with IBD


Objective: Our study investigated the role of microRNA (miR)-200a and its molecular targets in hepatocel- lular carcinoma (HCC) cells. Methods: An inhibitor of miR-200a was transiently transfected into the hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, MHCC-97L. The effect of this transfection on mRNA levels of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related genes was measured by fluorescence-based quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT- PCR). Further, protein levels of EMT-related genes, cell proliferation and apoptosis-related markers were assessed by Western blot analysis in these transfected cells. MTT and wound-healing assay were used to evaluate the prolif- eration and migration of MHCC-97L cells in presence and in absence of miR-200a inhibitor. Results: Compared with miR-NC control group, qRT-PCR results in anti-miR-200a group revealed a significant reduction in the mRNA levels of E-cadherin, with a concomitant increasing in vimentin mRNA level (all P < 0.05). Western blot results showed higher E-cadherin and Caspase-3 protein expressions in anti-miR-200a group compared to miR-NC group (P < 0.05). In addition, vimentin and Ki-67 protein expression was found sharply decreased in anti-miR-200a group compared to miR-NC group (P < 0.05). Consistent with this, wound-healing and MTT assay showed that migration and prolifera- tion capacity of MHCC-97L cells in anti-miR-200a group is significantly increased compared with miR-NC group (both P < 0.05). Conclusion: Our study reveals an important role of miR-200a in inhibiting EMT, proliferation and migration in HCC cells, suggesting the possibility of miR-200a-based therapeutics in HCC.


Abnormal serum proteins have been occasionally detected in patients with malignant lymphoma.1-3The "myeloma-type" electrophoretic characteristics of these proteins have given rise to the thought of a possible nosologic relationship between lymphoma and myeloma.1The fact that ultracentrifugal analysis has revealed the presence of macroglobulins in some of the cases4has not detracted from the possibility of this relationship and has broadened the spectrum of diseases with dysproteinemia. The following report deals with an additional patient with lymphoma and dysproteinemia. It is of particular interest that during the course of observation of this patient the character of the hyperglobulinemia changed: The initially present broad gamma peak in the electrophoretogram was replaced by a "myeloma-type" globulin within a few weeks. A 41-year-old Negro male maintenance worker had been quite well except for occasional dyspepsia until 6 months prior to admission when he began to notice easy fatigability and


Due to the scalability of production and the convenience in processing, graphene oxide (GO) has become an important precursor for the fabrication of transparent conductive films (TCFs). Developing a method to reduce the high contact resistance between the GO sheets, which is mainly due to the presence of a huge number of intersheet junctions, is the key for these applications. Here, we demonstrate a method of molecular level controlled fabrication of hybrid TCFs composed of 1-dimensional (1D) silver nanowires (Ag NWs) and 2-dimensional (2D) reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheets. The ultra-large graphene oxide (UL-GO) sheets were transferred onto the quartz substrate via the Langmuir–Blodgett (L–B) method and then covered with Ag NW by the spin-coating method. The hybrid film was then reduced by chemical reduction using hydrazine hydrate. Upon varying the amount of Ag NW, the reduced UL-GO/Ag NW hybrid films show low sheet resistance ranging 13 to 48 Ω sq−1 with optical transmittance ranging from 71.9% to 91.2%. The direct current (DC) to optical conductivity ratio of the hybrid films can reach up to 81, which is comparable to that of indium tin oxide (ITO).


ABSTRACT Sexual role preference or self-label (i.e., top, versatile, or bottom) has been well studied in samples of sexual minority men (SMM) but lacks research among adolescent sexual minority men (ASMM). In response, data were collected from 302 ASMM (15–18 years old), measuring sexual self-label, relationship and sexual experience, sexually explicit media use, use of geosocial networking applications, penis size satisfaction, and gender atypicality. Results showed there was no significant difference in the distribution of sexual position self-identity in ASMM when compared with data from published, adult samples. A model that associated sexual socialization factors with adopting any self-label was significant, with greater number of partners, previous geosocial networking app use, and more relationship experience being positive predictors of having a label. Additionally, a model that tested the convergent validity between self-label and enacted sexual behaviors was significant. Both receptive and insertive sex enactments were highly correlated with corresponding labels. Lastly, gender atypicality and penis size satisfaction were significant predictors of sexual position self-identity. Data from our study supports sexual self-labeling occurring before adulthood, during adolescence for SMM. Furthermore, it shows that socialization factors (e.g., partner frequency, using apps) are important in the development of sexual position self-identity in this population.


A smooth closed manifold is said to be an almost sphere if it admits a Morse function with exactly two critical points. In this paper, we characterize those smooth closed manifolds which admit Morse functions such that each regular fiber is a finite disjoint union of almost spheres. We will see that such manifolds coincide with those which admit Morse functions with at most three critical values. As an application, we give a new proof of the characterization theorem of those closed manifolds which admit special generic maps into the plane. We also discuss homotopy and di¤eomorphism invariants of manifolds related to the minimum number of critical values of Morse functions; in particular, the Lusternik-Schnirelmann category and spherical cone length. Those closed orientable 3-manifolds which admit Morse functions with regular fibers consisting of spheres and tori are also studied.


Entrepreneurial human capital plays a relatively more important role in intermediate income countries, but professional human capital is relatively more abundant in richer economies. Because the return to entrepreneurship is risky, individuals devote less time to the accumulation of entrepreneurial skills and more to the accumulation of professional skills as per capita income grows. Countries that initially have too little of either entrepreneurial or professional skills may end up in a development trap. The steady state may be characterized by either too much or too little education.


The cutting fluids in machining, when chosen and applied adequately can contemplate in benefits during the manufacturing processes. The selected method should allow the cutting fluid to reach the closest possible of the cutting edge lubricating the chip-tool interface. The properties of the fluid are fundamental so that the same facilitates the machining process. However the fluid can represent a great problem for the environment and health of the operator. For that reason, several scientific and technological studies are constantly developed to investigate the performance and alternative applications of cutting fluids in machining operations. This work studies the effect of sunflower oil in the cutting forces for the drilling process of 1045 ABNT steel. The fluid was applied in the form MQL - Minimum Quantity Lubrication for different cutting conditions. The cutting speed, feed rate and the length of the hole were varied. Each one of the cutting variables two levels were used. The results suggest a good acting sunflower oil in the work accomplished.


We use results from a survey of specialty food manufacturers to examine how supplier– manufacturer relationships vary in the specialty food sector. While diverse mechanisms govern relationships between manufacturers and suppliers, relational contracts (longstanding, informal commitments) are the most common governance structure in our sample overall, particularly for medium-sized manufacturers. Vertical integration with the principal supplier is most common for smaller manufacturers, who also are most likely to use open market purchases. The largest manufacturers are significantly more likely to use formal contracts. Nearly half of manufacturers in our sample, regardless of their size, purchase directly from farms.


Nine hundred and sixty weaned pigs were exposed for five weeks to controlled concentrations of atmospheric ammonia and dust in a single, multifactorial experiment. The treatments were a mean dust concentration of either 1·2, 2·7, 5·1 or 9·9 mg/m3 (inhalable fraction) and a mean ammonia concentration of either 0·6, 10·0, 18·8 or 37·0 ppm, concentrations representative of commercial conditions. The experiment was carried out over two years and the pigs were used in eight batches, each consisting of five lots of 24 pigs. Each treatment combination was replicated once, and an additional control lot (nominally 0 mg/m3 dust and 0 ppm ammonia) was included in each batch. The dust concentration was the same in the other four lots in each batch in which the four concentrations of ammonia were used; thus, the split-plot design was more sensitive to the effects of ammonia than dust. The groups of pigs were kept separately in five rooms in a purpose-built facility, and the pollutants were injected continuously into the air supply. Ammonia was supplied from a pressurised cylinder, and the endogenous dust in each room was supplemented by an artificial dust manufactured from feed, barley straw and faeces, mixed by weight in the proportions 5:1:4; its ingredients were oven-dried, milled and mixed, and then resuspended in the air supply. The health of the pigs was assessed in terms of general pathology, respiratory tract pathology, and the microbiology of the nasal cavity, trachea and lung. In each batch, postmortem examinations were carried out on 40 pigs after five weeks' exposure to the pollutants and on 30 pigs two weeks later to test for carryover and recovery – a total of 560 pigs. These examinations revealed minimal gross pathology and widespread minor pathological changes of little significance. The pigs' turbinate and lung scores were low and unaffected by exposure to pollutants. All the putative bacterial pathogens, with the exception of toxigenic Pasteurella multocida type D, were isolated from the respiratory tract of the pigs of both ages, but there were no differences between the effects of the different concentrations of pollutants.


A series of low-cost poly(vinyl butyral) (PVB)/poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) blended substrates were fabricated for the preparation of thin-film composite (TFC) forward osmosis (FO) membranes. The effect of PVB blend ratio on the substrate and TFC membrane was investigated. The results showed that the properties of the substrates were significantly improved and that the selective layer became looser, rougher, and less crosslinked after the introduction of PVB. The water permeability was initially improved when the PVB blend ratio increased from 0% to 30%. However, the NaCl rejection was rapidly declined with a further increase in the blend ratio, which should be ascribed to a decrease in the crosslinked degree of the PA selective layer. Meanwhile, the calculated results shows the value of structure parameter is sharply decreased to 186 μm for TFC30 from 2680 μm for TFC0. The results demonstrated that a PVB blend ratio of 30% should be the optimal ratio for fabrication of the substrate for the TFC membrane showing satisfactory FO performance: a high water flux of 29.37/49.85 L m−2 h−1 (FO/PRO mode) and a low specific salt flux of 0.11/0.10 g L−1 (FO/PRO mode) using 1 M NaCl as the draw solution and DI water as feed solution.


Monitoring of system cleanliness levels and counting of particulate contaminant are fundamental to achieving hydraulic system reliability as any departure from the specified cleanliness level is often a precursor to future failures. On-line monitoring of cleanliness levels has the advantage of giving data both very quickly and accurately as environmental influences are eliminated. In this way, corrective actions can be promptly implemented. Most on-line instruments are sensitive to system conditions to a greater or lesser extent, but Automatic Particle Counters (APCs) working on light extinction principles are especially sensitive to the presence of optical interfaces caused by such conditions as fluid mixtures, emulsions, free water and air bubbles. These conditions give erroneous data and can result in drawing incorrect conclusions, wasting maintenance time and ultimately, reduced user confidence in cleanliness monitoring. This paper describes such conditions and shows how the correct selection of the analysis technique can result in reliable cleanliness level data.


The novelty of this paper is the proof of functional microdevice fabrication using a recently developed low-temperature transfer process. The process is based on adhesion control of molded Ni microstructures on a donor wafer by using plasma-deposited fluorocarbon films. Low-temperature adhesive bonding of the microstructures on the target wafer using benzocyclobutene sealing enables mechanical tearing off from the donor wafer. Interest of this process for manufacturing microsensors is demonstrated here in the case of microbeams used as pressure sensors based on the Pirani principle. A simple analytical model is used to estimate the electrothermal behavior of the suspended microwires as a function of the ambient gas pressure. Estimations are compared to experimental measurements performed on Ni electroplated microwires of 550-1200-μm length, 10-μm width, and 0.7-7- μm thickness characterized into a vacuum chamber. These microsensors present a maximum of sensitivity in the range of 0.1-100 mbar, which is in line with standard performances of Pirani gauges. The presented results thus demonstrate the interest of a simple film transfer process for the elaboration of 3-D functional microstructures.


Nicotiana plumbaginifolia NpPDR1, a plasma membrane pleiotropic drug resistance-type ATP-binding cassette transporter formerly named NpABC1, has been suggested to transport the diterpene sclareol, an antifungal compound. However, direct evidence for a role of pleiotropic drug resistance transporters in the plant defense is still lacking. In situ immunolocalization and histochemical analysis using the gusA reporter gene showed that NpPDR1 was constitutively expressed in the whole root, in the leaf glandular trichomes, and in the flower petals. However, NpPDR1 expression was induced in the whole leaf following infection with the fungus Botrytis cinerea, and the bacteria Pseudomonas syringae pv tabaci, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Pseudomonas marginalis pv marginalis, which do not induce a hypersensitive response in N. plumbaginifolia, whereas a weaker response was observed using P. syringae pv syringae, which does induce a hypersensitive response. Induced NpPDR1 expression was more associated with the jasmonic acid than the salicylic acid signaling pathway. These data suggest that NpPDR1 is involved in both constitutive and jasmonic acid-dependent induced defense. Transgenic plants in which NpPDR1 expression was prevented by RNA interference showed increased sensitivity to sclareol and reduced resistance to B. cinerea. These data show that NpPDR1 is involved in pathogen resistance and thus demonstrate a new role for the ATP-binding cassette transporter family.


Chemokines are small signaling proteins that control cell migration through the formation of extracellular concentration gradients. Binding of chemokines to chemokine receptors activates intracellular signaling pathways, leading to chemotaxis of leukocytes during an inflammatory response. Chemokines and their receptors are thereby a crucial part of the immune system and regulate a number of other physiological functions including development and angiogenesis. Most chemokine receptors belong to the large family of G-protein coupled receptors that are ubiquitous in human cells and constitute ~40% of current drug targets. CXCR7 (also known as atypical chemokine receptor 3, ACKR3) is an atypical (not G-protein coupled) chemokine receptor that binds the chemokines SDF-1 (shared with CXCR4) and I-TAC (shared with CXCR3). This binding triggers β-arrestin dependent signaling pathways and regulates signaling of other receptors by controlling the extracellular chemokine concentration. CXCR7 expression is up-regulated in different forms of cancer and inhibiting CXCR7 with siRNA or a small molecule CXCR7 antagonist can reduce tumor size and slow down cancer progression. These findings make CXCR7 a therapeutic target and an antagonist of CXCR7 is currently tested in preclinical trials to treat glioblastoma multiforme. The aim of this study is to understand the mechanism of chemokine binding and signal transduction for CXCR7. This is done by determining a high resolution structure of CXCR7 in complex with SDF-1 and a small molecule antagonist using x-ray crystallography in combination with other complimentary methods. To date, the conditions for production of large amounts of stable, functional CXCR7 protein have been optimized and lipid cubic phase crystals have been obtained of CXCR7 in complex with a high affinity mutant of SDF-1. and key sites of interaction between the receptor and chemokine have been identified. Currently, crystallization conditions are being optimized to produce crystals large enough to enable structure determination. High resolution structures of CXCR7 in complex with SDF-1 and antagonists could facilitate the development of new therapeutics targeting CXCR7 with higher affinity and specificity. A structure of CXCR7 in complex with SDF-1 could also reveal the molecular details of chemokine binding, and the structural differences between the atypical CXCR7 and other chemokine receptors that lead to triggering of different signaling pathways upon chemokine binding. Citation Format: Martin Gustavsson, Yi Zheng, Ling Qin, Lauren G. Holden, Irina Kufareva, Tracy M. Handel. Towards an understanding of the structural basis of CXCR7 ligand binding and signaling. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR Inaugural International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; September 16-19, 2015; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2016;4(1 Suppl):Abstract nr A168.


This report finds that one of the more striking stories about the social networking population has been the growth among older internet users in recent years. Overview The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project has been studying online adults' social networking site use since 2005, and has seen substantial growth since then. Today, 72% of online adults use social networking sites. Although younger adults continue to be the most likely social media users, one of the more striking stories about the social networking population has been the growth among older internet users in recent years. Those ages 65 and older have roughly tripled their presence on social networking sites in the last four years—from 13% in the spring of 2009 to 43% now. In this report we also studied online adults' use of Twitter. The percentage of internet users who are on Twitter has more than doubled since November 2010, currently standing at 18%. Internet users ages 18-29 are the most likely to use Twitter—30% of them now do so. About the survey The results in this report are based on data from telephone interviews conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International from April 17 to May 19, 2013, among a sample of 2,252 adults, age 18 and older. Telephone interviews were conducted in English and Spanish by landline (1,125) and cell phone (1,127, including 571 without a landline phone). For results based on the total sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the error attributable to sampling is plus or minus 2.3 percentage points. For results based on Internet users (n=1,895), the margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.


Background A pectoralis major flap is one of the standard tools for the reconstruction of defects of the head and neck. Despite the technical advancement in free tissue transfer in head and neck reconstruction, the benefits of a pectoralis major flap should not be overlooked. The purpose of this study is to evaluate our 17 years of experience in reconstructing defects of the head and neck region using the pectoralis major flap. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 112 patients (120 cases) who underwent pectoralis major flap operations for head and neck reconstruction during a period ranging from 1994 to 2010. Results In our series, no total necrosis of the flap occurred. Of the total cases, 30.8% presented with flap-related complications. Major complications occurred in 20% of all of the cases but were then all successfully treated. The male sex was correlated with the occurrence of overall complications (P=0.020) and major complications (P=0.007). Preoperative albumin levels of <3.8 g/dL were correlated with the formation of fistula (P=0.030). Defects of the hypopharynx were correlated with the occurrence of major complications (P=0.019) and the formation of fistula (P=0.012). Secondary reconstructions were correlated with the occurrence of overall complications (P=0.013) and the formation of fistula (P=0.030). Conclusions A pectoralis major flap is still considered to be a safe, versatile one-stage reconstruction procedure in the management of the defects of head and neck and the protection of the carotid artery.


We derive fitting formulae for the quick determination of the existence of S-type and P-type habitable zones (HZs) in binary systems. Based on previous work, we consider the limits of the climatological HZ in binary systems (which sensitively depend on the system parameters) based on a joint constraint encompassing planetary orbital stability and a habitable region for a possible system planet. Additionally, we employ updated results on planetary climate models obtained by Kopparapu and collaborators. Our results are applied to four P-type systems (Kepler-34, Kepler-35, Kepler-413, and Kepler-1647) and two S-type systems (TrES-2 and KOI-1257). Our method allows us to gauge the existence of climatological HZs for these systems in a straightforward manner with detailed consideration of the observational uncertainties. Further applications may include studies of other existing systems as well as systems to be identified through future observational campaigns.


Motivated by the central role and the importance of network throughput for the performance of net-worked applications and thus for user experience, this paper investigates the process of user-perceived throughput. This throughput is measured on rather small time scales and interpreted with aid of summary statistics, histograms and autocorrelation coefficients. The results including GPRS, UMTS and WLAN measurements reveal a clear influence of the network, seen from variations of application-perceived throughput on the one-second time scale, which has to be considered when choosing the right kind of network for a specific task. The different statistical metrics considered will later be used in our research to maintain the QoS of the service decided by the user. While theoretical throughputs are yielded as expected in UMTS, both GPRS and WLAN do not reach the promised throughput values.


BACKGROUND
Multimorbidity (the co-occurrence of multiple chronic conditions) is increasingly common, especially among people with dementia. Few neuroimaging studies have explored amyloid biomarkers in people with multimorbidity.

OBJECTIVE
We aimed to conduct the first study of the association between multimorbidity and cerebrospinal fluid amyloid-β42 (CSF Aβ).

METHOD
The European Prevention of Alzheimer's Dementia (EPAD) Longitudinal Cohort Study V500.0 dataset includes volunteers aged ≥50 years from 12 sites. Participants undergo detailed phenotyping, including CSF measures and a self-reported medical history. Using logistic and linear regression analyses, we explored the association between multimorbidity and continuous chronic condition count with CSF Aβ positivity (Aβ42 <1000pg/ml) and continuous CSF Aβ concentration. All models were adjusted for age, sex, APOE status, education, and family history of dementia.

RESULTS
Among 447 eligible participants without dementia, the mean (SD) age was 66.6 (6.6) years, 234 (52.3%) were women, and 157 (35.1%) were amyloid positive. With chronic conditions regarded as pseudo-continuous, each additional condition carried a decreased likelihood of amyloid positivity (OR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.68-0.97; p = 0.026). With CSF Aβ as a continuous variable, each additional condition was associated with an increase of 54.2 pg/ml (95% CI: 9.9-98.5, p = 0.017). Having ≥2 conditions was inversely associated with amyloid positivity (OR 0.59, 95% CI: 0.37-0.95, p = 0.030) compared to one or none.

CONCLUSION
Our findings suggest that the established association between multimorbidity and dementia may be due to a pathway other than amyloid. However, this cross-sectional study does not allow us to make causal inferences. Longitudinal work is required to confirm the inverse association found.


We demonstrated a multiplexed fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor with static strain resolution of 10 nanostrain (nε) for crustal strain monitoring. Each sensor unit consists of a pair of identical FBGs for strain sensing and reference, respectively. A narrow linewidth tunable laser is used to interrogate the FBGs, and a cross-correlation algorithm is incorporated to demodulate the wavelength difference induced by strain. When no strain is applied, an ultrahigh wavelength precision corresponding to strain resolution of 3.3 nε was obtained, indicating the ultimate resolution of the sensor system. With a variable strain applied by a piezo-stage, strain resolution of 17.6 nε was demonstrated. When the sensor is adopted for the in situ monitoring of crustal deformation, the strain induced by oceanic tide is clearly recorded with a resolution of 10 nε, providing a potential tool for the geophysical measurements.


I assess the potential of quantum computation. Broad and important applications must be found to justify construction of a quantum computer; I review some of the known quantum algorithms and consider the prospects for finding new ones. Quantum computers are notoriously susceptible to making errors; I discuss recently developed fault–tolerant procedures that enable a quantum computer with noisy gates to perform reliably. Quantum computing hardware is still in its infancy; I comment on the specifications that should be met by future hardware. Over the past few years, work on quantum computation has erected a new classification of computational complexity, has generated profound insights into the nature of decoherence, and has stimulated the formulation of new techniques in high–precision experimental physics. A broad interdisciplinary effort will be needed if quantum computers are to fulfil their destiny as the world's fastest computing devices. This paper is an expanded version of remarks that were prepared for a panel discussion at the ITP Conference on Quantum Coherence and Decoherence, December 1996.


Abstract This study investigates whether structural modeling, process tracing, and self-reports are able to provide similar information about attribute weights in multiattribute evaluation processes. In three experiments subjects had to evaluate a large number of profiles of fictitious persons described on a number of attributes. The experiments differed in type of judgment task, type of subjects, and number of attributes. Subject attribute weights were derived in all cases by fitting a statistical model (statistical weights), by analyzing verbal protocols (verbal protocol weights), and by directly asking the subject how important the attributes are for the judgments (subjective weights). Correspondence between the three sets of weights is examined in two ways: by computing the correlation between three sets of weights and by calculating how adequately the different sets of weights, applied in a linear model, can predict the subject′s judgments. The first method appears to be inappropriate for investigating correspondence. The correlations are rather unstable because of the small number of attributes, and apart from that, they tend to underestimate real correspondence when the weights in the respective sets are approximately equal. The second method shows that the three sets of weights are about equally adequate in predicting the actual subject judgments. It is concluded that this method convincingly demonstrates that the three different ways of eliciting attribute weights yield similar results.


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An electromagnetic beam that is not the solution to the paraxial wave equation but is the solution to Maxwell's equation is simulated directly by the finite-difference time-domain method. Electrical and magnetic field components of the beam are presented graphically. Then the diffraction of the electromagnetic beam pulse by an aperture in a conducting screen is analyzed. The fraction of the beam power through the aperture is defined and calculated. The fields in the time domain near the aperture, which show the diffraction by the aperture, are presented graphically.


—In this paper, we introduce a new channel pruning method to accelerate very deep convolutional neural networks. Given a trained CNN model, we propose an iterative two-step algorithm to effectively prune each layer, by a LASSO regression based channel selection and least square reconstruction. We further generalize this algorithm to multi-layer and multi-branch cases. Our method reduces the accumulated error and enhances the compatibility with various architectures. Our pruned VGG-16 achieves the state-of-the-art results by 5 × speed-up along with only 0.3% increase of error. More importantly, our method is able to accelerate modern networks like ResNet, Xception and suffers only 1.4%, 1.0% accuracy loss under 2 × speed-up respectively, which is significant. Our code has been made publicly available.


type="main"> This article relies on a unique dataset of daily price indices for stocks and bonds to analyse the functioning of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) in the period 1931–40. We find that this market deviated from weak-form efficiency, in a context of cross-market segmentation, short-run spillovers, and turmoil surrounding major events. In this context, zaibatsu insiders were able to make abnormal returns via informed trading, while other uninformed investors could rely on technical rules to make abnormal profits. Such findings call for a micro-level analysis of the interwar TSE corporate financing function.


18F-fluorine is an ideal imaging PET (positron emission tomography) nuclide due to the low energy of its β+ (positron) and pure β+ decay. PAMAM dendrimers are branched organic molecules with multiple NH2 termini each of which can accommodate the attachment of functionalities. The presence of a thiol group also facilitates the conjugation of a targeting molecule. Here we describe the attachment of boroaryl moieties to the terminal NH2 groups of dendrimers and after cleavage of the bridging thiol group conjugation of the functionalized dendrons (half-dendrimers) to biotin. Incubation of the targeted, boroaryl-functionalized dendrons with 18F-fluoride in acetic acid facilitated their radiolabelling with a labelling efficiency of about 60%. We then demonstrated that the 18F-dendron–biotin bound to HER-2 expressing cellsin vitro pre-targeted with the avidin–trastuzumab conjugate. The cell-associated 18F decreased with increasing dendron size suggesting that the larger dendrons sterically hindered binding of avidin with biotin. This is the first study to demonstrate that dendrimers can be functionalized with 18F-fluorinatable groups and used to target cell surface receptors.


This paper discussed the impact of molecular imaging on clinical and preclinical medicine. Potential problems of delivering the effective therapeutic dose and the properties that can help contribute to the drug efficacy were presented. The rationale for the design of new antiangiogenic agents that can be used for imaging and therapy was presented. Finally, results from imaging and targeted nanoparticle-based therapies were presented. In vivo imaging of angiogenic tumors using anti-/spl alpha//sub v//spl beta//sub 3/-targeted polymerized vesicles composed of the murine antibody LM609 attached to nanoparticles labeled with the MR contrast agent gadolinium in the V2 carcinoma model in rabbits. MRI studies using this targeted contrast agent revealed large areas of /spl alpha//sub v//spl beta//sub 3/ integrin expression in tumor-associated vasculature that conventional MRIs failed to show. By modification of the nanoparticles this imaging agent was used as an antiangiogenic gene delivery system.


Microbial (enzymatic) hydrolysis of (±)-O-acetyl allethrolone gave (Ȓ)-(R)-allethrolone with (+)-(S)-O-acetyl allethrolone. And microbial hydrolysis of (±)-cis and trans-2-allylcyclopentyl acetates gave the low optically active cis and trans-2-allylcyclopentanols with the acetates of their antipodes. Also, the acetates of (±)-primary alcohols with cyclopropane and cyclohexene rings: (±)-chrysanthemyl alcohol, α-cyclogeraniol, were hydrolyzed by microorganisms to give the optically active alcohols in low optical purities Further, synthesis and microbial resolution of racemic hydroxy-trimethylcyclohexanones, useful intermediate for synthesis of compounds related to carotenoids, were tried.


: Objective: In this study, Rosa pisiformis was evaluated for its antioxidant activity, vitamin (A, E, C), trace element (Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Cr, Se) and mineral (Ca, K, Mg, Na) levels, in addition to its cardioprotective effects on cardiac tissue antioxidant enzymes (GSH-Px, SOD, CAT) during isoproterenol (ISO) - induced oxidative stress. Methods: In the study, vitamin and mineral analysis was carried out using HPLC and ICP-MS method, R. P. antioxidant and antiradical properties were determined using spectrophotometer. Forty wistar albino rats were divided into four groups: control (0.9% NaCl), ISO (100 mg/kg), ISO (100 mg/kg) + R. P. (300 mg/kg) and R. P. (300 mg/ kg). ISO was injected subcutaneously into rats twice at an interval of 24 h for two consecutive days (on 28 th and 29 th day). R. P. fruit administered daily. The experimental period was continued for 30 days. Results: The results of the study indicated that R. P. fruit and leaves contain high levels of minerals and vitamins and possess antioxidant and antiradical activity and its fruits have positive effects on cardiac tissues. The results are supported with significant changes in antioxidant enzyme levels and histopathological examination. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that R. P. fruits in particular can be used to treat and prevent cardiac diseases.


We introduce a Python library, called jumpdiff , which includes all necessary functions to assess jump-diffusion processes. This library includes functions which compute a set of non-parametric estimators of all contributions composing a jump-diffusion process, namely the drift, the diffusion, and the stochastic jump strengths. Having a set of measurements from a jump-diffusion process, jumpdiff is able to retrieve the evolution equation producing data series statistically equivalent to the series of measurements. The back-end calculations are based on second-order corrections of the conditional moments expressed from the series of Kramers-Moyal coefficients. Additionally, the library is also able to test if stochastic jump contributions are present in the dynamics underlying a set of measurements. Finally, we introduce a simple iterative method for deriving second-order corrections of any Kramers-Moyal coefficient.


The effects of multiple invasive plants on soil fungal communities may impact native ecosystems differently than invasion by one species alone. Native plant communities are likely to have a differential above and below ground response to invaders, and therefore understanding fungal implications of invader interactions would be useful when considering restoration strategies. We examined how invasion by European species, Dog-strangling vine or DSV (Vincetoxicum rossicum) (also pale swallow-wort) and garlic mustard or GM (Alliaria petiolata), can alter root colonization by both the total and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. In two different sites in the Greater Toronto Area, we investigated fungal communities associated with each plant species in differing invasion scenarios using terminal restriction length polymorphism analysis. Fungal communities in DSV changed significantly in the presence of GM, with decreased colonization densities observed in both the total fungi (Student's t-test; t = 2.1, p = 0.02) and AMF communities (Student's t-test; t = 2.0, p = 0.03), as well as decreased overall phylotype richness of the total fungal communities associating with DSV growing in GM patches relative to those growing separately from GM in both sites (one-way ANOVA; F = 4.4, p = 0.02). The converse was not observed, suggesting that GM has the dominant effect on the invaded soil environment. These results suggest that multiple plant invaders influence the composition of soil fungi available to natives in a manner that is less predictable than invasion by a single species, possibly via increased carbon provision or antibiosis attributable to unique root exudates.


Kidney function is critical in determining the level of arterial pressure and in the pathogenesis of hypertension. Important evidence comes from studies in which the level of blood pressure is dictated by the donor when kidneys are transplanted between genetically hypertensive and normotensive rats. We have hypothesized that pharmacotherapy modifies specific properties of the kidney, particularly the vasculature, such that after kidney transplantation, there are persistent changes in the level of arterial pressure. Consistent with previous studies, a 2-week aggressive treatment of adult (15 weeks) spontaneously hypertensive rats with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (enalapril) combined with a low-salt diet induced a persistent change in the kidney and a decrease in arterial pressure (18%). These persistent changes in arterial pressure could be completely transferred to untreated adult spontaneously hypertensive rats by kidney transplantation (ie, pressure in untreated rats was decreased after transplantation of a kidney donated from a previously treated rat). Further, the importance of kidney-specific changes was demonstrated by finding that the treatment-induced lowering of arterial pressure was completely reversed by transferring an untreated kidney into a previously treated rat. The specific treatment-induced changes to the kidney included a decrease in structurally based renal vascular resistance that was similar to the persistent lowering of arterial pressure. These data provide evidence for a link between the treatment-induced changes in kidney vascular structure and the persistent lowering of arterial pressure. The findings also suggest that a key pharmacotherapeutic target in hypertension should be kidney-specific changes, such as renal vascular structure.


In recent years, there has been a demand to include doctoral students and researchers in the curriculum for information literacy. Not only information search, but also the expertise of the librarians in scientific publishing, bibliometric analysis is demanded. As a result of the demand the two universities in Turku/Abo have developed their research services. The libraries have also met for benchmarking and further cooperation is being discussed. 1.The implementation of three focus group interviews with 18 researchers at Abo Akademi University The Focus Group survey methodology has its roots in social science qualitative research. It is widely used in the library world and is considered to be suitable particularly well for the evaluation and development of library services. The overall purpose with our interviews was to obtain feedback on how library users (in this case, researchers and graduate students) wish AAUL to develop its services to better meet their needs. Three group interviews were conducted, with 6-8 participators. The following questions were, among others, discussed in every session: How do the researchers perceive the library's role in their daily work? What is the starting point for retrieving information (e.g. The MetaLib portal, Google Scholar or other)? Is there a need for courses/more supervision in information search and reference management? Is there a need for tailored and integrated library services? As a result of the sessions and analysis of the group discussions a number of measures were proposed: Targeted teaching of subject-specific databases, more topic-specific sessions in the library portal and RefWorks. Compulsory information retrieval course for first year doctoral students. Information Weeks or "hands on" sessions on campus libraries. The library should participate more in workshops and seminars to increase their visibility and their services. The library should actively consider how to measure the impact and influence of such as the teaching of information retrieval and databases to better develop and monitor the results. More individual supervision and focus on the personal touch. The presentation will also discuss the pros and cons of the focus group method. 2.Transferable skills for researchers in Turku University Library (TUL) In Turku University Library the need for IL among doctoral students and researchers had also been recognized and when the University of Turku Graduate School (UTUGS) was established in 2011, the library immediately contacted the coordinator of UTUGS. Already in the first meeting both parties agreed that the first training of which the library would be responsible would take place in Spring 2012. The course blended well into the other transferable skills training of UTUGS. The IL course contents were then planned with the UTUGS Coordinator who had the best knowledge of what the PhD students would need from the library. E-resources, reference management, affiliation, plagiarism etc. were discussed and the first course description was written. One of the key elements was that other experts in the university were asked to lecture also. They covered subjects like ethics and plagiarism. For all three courses the library has asked for feedback and adjusted the content respectively. For the most part the feedback has been encouraging but there are still things to be done. Which are the interfaces with the other UTUGS courses? How can the course participants benefit more of the interdisciplinary groups they are studying in? Does the training have effect on the research the participants are doing? 3.Cooperation and benchmarking Since 2004, The Information Literacy Network of the Finnish Universities has coordinated further education and exchanges of experiences. Some of the members were appointed in 2012 to develop the recommendations of information literacy in universities and universities of applied sciences in Finland. The recommendations are now under consideration by the libraries and will be used in negotiations with the university administration to implement compulsory studies of information skills among doctoral students. On a local level, AAUL and TUL, as neighbouring libraries, have strengthen the exchange of ideas and experiences during the last years. As AAUL started with focus group surveys and abstracts before implementing information literacy courses, TUL started with customized courses for doctoral students last year. There have been fruitful, professional discussions and more elaborative benchmarking sessions between the libraries. Together the both libraries have also hosted the University Library of Gothenburg and arranged a two-day-long benchmarking seminar about research services. Normal 0 21 false false false SV X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */
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Although the female gender is generally less represented in cardiovascular studies, observational and randomized investigations suggest that-compared with men-women may obtain different benefits from antiplatelet therapy. Multiple factors, including hormonal mechanisms and differences in platelet biology, might contribute to such apparent gender peculiarities. The thrombotic and bleeding risks, as well as outcomes after a cardiovascular event, appear to differ between genders, partly in relation to differences in age, comorbidities and body size. Equally, the benefits of antiplatelet therapy may differ in women compared with men in different vascular beds, during primary or secondary prevention and according to the type of an antiplatelet agent used. This document is an attempt to bring together current evidence, clinical practices and gaps of knowledge on gender-specific platelet function and antiplatelet therapy. On the basis of the available data, we provide suggestions on current indications of antiplatelet therapy for cardiovascular prevention in women with different clinical features; no strong recommendation may be given because the available data derive from observational studies or post hoc/subgroup analyses of randomized studies without systematic adjustments for baseline risk profiles.


There is widespread evidence that multiple drivers of global change, such as habitat degradation, invasive species, and climate change, are influencing wildlife. Understanding how these drivers interact with and affect species may be difficult because outcomes depend on the magnitude and duration of environmental change and the life history of the organism. In addition, various environmental drivers may be evaluated and managed at different spatial scales. We used a historical dataset from 1991 to 1994 and current information from 2010 to 2012 to examine whether occupancy patterns of wintering raptors were consistent with regional changes in distribution or habitat conditions within a local management unit, the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (NCA). We predicted that if local populations reflected regional shifts, then rates of raptor occupancy within the NCA would be higher compared to historical estimates and birds would use different habitats compared to historical use. Alternatively, if local populations were determined by habitat conditions, then we predicted that occupancy rate of raptors within the NCA would be lower compared to historical estimates and current habitat use would be consistent with historical use. Results support the hypothesis that northward distributional shifts influenced wintering raptor populations in southwest Idaho to a greater extent than local habitat conditions. Wintering raptors had higher occupancy rates in 2010–2012 compared to 1991–1994, whereas invasive grasses have increased and native shrubs have decreased suggesting that habitat suitability for raptors has declined over time. On the species level, changes in habitat use were associated with greater increases in occupancy rates in 2010–2012 compared to 1991–1994. Organisms flexible in their habitat use may be better able to respond to continental forces driving distribution shifts. Conversely, habitat or prey specialists may be poorly equipped to handle such rapid, large-scale global change. Further, Grinnellian niche models predicting species response to change by mapping current habitat use to forecasted vegetation maps should consider plasticity in habitat use and changes in the cost-benefits of life-history strategies. © 2015 The Wildlife Society.


Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) information is crucial in areas such as natural resource management, environmental management, risk management, and the like. Combining LULC data needs common standards in production phase. A common nomenclature and classification system accepted for LULC data does not exist in public institutions in Turkey. In this study, CORINE database and its nomenclature were extended by creating a standard LULC definition system for land-use classes in level-4 and level-5. To test the proposed model, land-use classes in level-5 were created using topographic maps, QuickBird image and in situ data. Land-use classes created in level-5 were generalized to lower resolution raster images at level-4 and level-3 using ArcGIS 9.2 and a created MATLAB code. Results showed that the proposed algorithm and nomenclature are successful to create LULC data for Turkey.


Information and resources on the NIH Public Access Policy, including eligibility, processes and compliance. Compliance with the NIH Public Access Policy


The neurosteroid 17‐beta estradiol (E2) plays an important role in neuronal plasticity, neurogenesis and neuroprotection of hippocampal neurons in slice cultures and the female brain. While some effects of E2 on hippocampal neurons observed in females were also seen in the male hippocampus, others seem to be specific to females. The current study aimed to further explore the effect of E2 on the male hippocampus by investigating the relationship between genetic variations in E2 synthesis and hippocampal gray matter (GM) volume. We chose a single nucleotide polymorphism (rs700158, SNP) in the gene CYP19A1 coding for the final enzyme (aromatase) in E2 synthesis. Men homozygous for the A allele of rs700518 have repeatedly been shown to have higher E2 serum levels than male carriers of the G allele. Two independent cohorts of healthy young men were genotyped for rs700518 and voxel‐based morphometry (VBM) was performed on structural magnetic resonance images to determine genotype dependent group differences. Men homozygous for the A allele of rs700518 had greater bilateral posterior hippocampal GM volumes in both cohorts. Thus, the genotype associated with higher E2 serum levels was also associated with greater hippocampal gray matter. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


New isotopic ages are presented from the syntectonic Cashel-Lough Wheelaun basic intrusion and an associated K-feldspar granite gneiss of the Connemara gneiss complex from Lettershinna Hill. The linear, normally discordant distribution of data-points from the Cashel-Lough Wheelaun metagabbro indicates that the zircons in this intrusion have no significant inherited radiogenic Pb. They yield an upper concordia intercept age of 477+25−6 Ma, and a more precise 207Pb/206Pb age of 490 ± 1 Ma. In contrast, zircons from the K-feldspar granite gneiss show distinct reverse discordance. The non-magnetic fractions show a good linear arrangement yielding a lower intercept age of 454+6 −14Ma and a very uncertain upper intercept age of 1807+646−570Ma. The lower intercept age is younger than the 477 ± 9 Ma K-Ar age of hornblendes in gneisses from Lettershinna Hill (Elias et al. 1988) and therefore reflects a Pb loss episode younger than igneous crystallization. The imprecise Proterozoic upper intercept age indicates contamination by older inherited and only partially reset zircons.


Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are considered to be promising, low-cost alternatives to amorphous silicon solar cells. The major components of a DSC include a metal oxide (usually TiO2), a dye, an electrolyte and a Pt- or carbon-deposited counter electrode. The photoexcited electrons from the dye diffuse through the TiO2 network and reach the counter electrode through an external circuit. However due to the trap-limited diffusion process, the electron collection efficiency is affected. Thus, for a hassle-free transport of electrons there is a need for additional electron transport channels. Further in order to reduce the overall cost of the device there is also a need for cheaper alternative counter electrodes in place of Pt. The 15th most abundant element in the earth's crust, carbon and its allotropes with their outstanding catalytic activity and electrical conductivity prove to be promising materials to overcome all these shortcomings and demerits. The review presented below summarizes the up-to-date research efforts on the role of carbon nanostructures in DSSCs, the various synthesis strategies adopted for their preparation and their photovoltaic performance. The review also includes a brief discussion about the role of carbon nanostructures in non-planar flexible wire-shaped DSSCs.