The response of an idealized ocean basin to variable buoyancy forcing is examined. A general circulation model that employs a Gent–McWilliams mixing parameterization is forced by a zonally constant restoring surface temperature profile, which varies with latitude and time over a period P. In each experiment, 17 different values of P are studied, ranging from 6 months to 32 000 yr. The model's meridional overturning circulation (MOC) exhibits a very strong response on all time scales greater than 15 yr, up to and including the longest forcing time scales examined. The peak-to-peak values of the MOC oscillations reach up to 125% of the steady-state maximum MOC and exhibit resonance-like behavior, with a maximum at centennial to millennial forcing periods (depending on the vertical diffusivity). This resonance-like behavior stems from the existence of two adjustment time scales, one of which is set by the vertical diffusion and the other of which is set by the basin width. Furthermore, the linearity of the response as well as its lag with the forcing varies with the forcing period. The considerable deviation from the quasi-equilibrium response at all time scales above 15 yr is surprising and suggests a potentially important role of the ocean circulation for climate, even at Milankovich time scales.


The molecular structures of both native and false hairs as well as the tendon of the female cadaver buried about 2,100 years ago, which was excavated from the Han Tomb, No. 1 at Mawangdui near Changsha, Human Province, China, have been studied with X-ray fiber diffraction. It has been shown that the conformations of alpha-keratin and collagen and the basic longitudinal period of these fibrous protein molecular chains have been preserved in those specimens respectively, but the aggregations of fibrous molecules have somewhat changed. Some exploration was made on the origin where came the cubic mercury sulphide inside the cadaver's hair.


We have synthesized gallium oxide (Ga2O3) nanomaterials at two different growth temperatures on iridium (Ir)-coated substrates by thermal evaporation of GaN powders. The products consist mainly of nanobelts, with some additional nanosheets. The nanobelts were of a single-crystalline monoclinic Ga2O3 structure. The broad emission photoluminescence band of 900°C-products had a different peak position from that of the 970°C-products.


Aim The aim of this paper is to explore school nurses' experiences of teaching Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) as part of the primary school curriculum. In particular, it focuses on the questions that the children ask during the lessons and the strategies the nurses employ in managing those questions. Background School-based SRE is an important aspect of children's education. However, it is a highly politicised and controversial area, which is a matter of concern to a number of stakeholders. In the primary school setting, school nurses are commonly involved in delivery of the programme. Their input is particularly valued, because they are 'specialist outsiders' who create an environment that is conducive to discussion of sensitive topics. To date, there is little understanding of the skills that they employ in managing the educational needs of primary school children within the confines of a pre-agreed school curriculum. Methods Semistructured focus group interviews were conducted with small groups of school nurses from a single geographical location in the Midlands region of England. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis approach. Findings Data identified the ways in which the nurses viewed and responded to the children's agenda, which was realised in the form of questions. In particular, it focuses on what they deemed to be inappropriate questions and the basis on which this label was applied. Five strategies for managing these inappropriate questions were identifiable from the data. Their deployment is explored in relation to the tensions implicit in the realisation of sexualised realities in a classroom setting.


We have constructed the discourse component for a multimodal user-interface dialogue system. The larger system acts as a conversational agent engaged in dialogue with the human user. Output originating with the backend application system can take the eventual form of spoken English utterances, printed English text, or changes in the graphical display screen, e.g., appearance, disappearance, movement, or color change of a screen icon, and left or right panning or zooming of the overall display. User input utterances can be typed or spoken English queries and commands, mouse gestures (simple clicks), and typed English command-language utt rances.


Since 2006, the ADB/OECD Anti-Corruption Initiative for Asia and the Pacific has conducted Thematic Reviews of specific areas of its members' anti-corruption efforts. Through the Reviews, the Initiative's Steering Group takes stock of each member's efforts, identifies challenges that have been encountered, and proposes recommendations for a way forward in order to overcome these difficulties. The reviews also identify cross-country trends and common obstacles, which in turn allow the Initiative to tailor its capacity building activities to address these challenges. The first Thematic Review in 2006 focused on members' anti-corruption efforts in public procurement. A second Review in 2007 looked at extradition, mutual legal assistance and asset recovery in corruption cases. In 2008, the Initiative chose the criminalisation of bribery as the topic for its third Thematic Review. Criminalisation is a key component of all international anti-corruption instruments, such as the Initiative's Anti-Corruption Action Plan for Asia and the Pacific; the United Nations' Convention against Corruption (UNCAC); and the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions (AntiBribery Convention). In this paper aims compare and improve 2 members' efforts from Asia India and Pakistan in this area and thus strengthen their fight against corruption. Keyword:criminalisation,corruption,bribery,India,Pakistan


The psychology of sustainability claims for a new kind of organization that promotes employee well-being as well as the search firm's performance. In sustainable and healthy organizations, tasks are characterized by their significance, variety, autonomy, and feedback from the job. This way of organizing employees' activities motivates them and can affect their well-being. However, due to a series of age-related physical and cognitive changes, older workers must constantly adapt to task demands to continue working and maintain their productivity. This research explores the moderating role of selection, optimization, and compensation strategies in the relationship between task characteristics (significance, variety, autonomy, and feedback from the job) on the one hand, and job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviors on the other. This study was carried out using a lagged design over a three-month interval. Participants were 183 Spanish workers aged between 45–55 years who completed two questionnaires (Time 1 and Time 2). The results support the moderating role of the optimization and compensation in the relationship between task characteristics and employee well-being. Elective selection and loss-based selection strategies do not moderate the relationship. These findings underscore that people who are actively involved in optimization and compensation strategies can age successfully at work. The implications of this study to improve the orientation practices of older workers are discussed.


In recent years, Satisfiability Modulo Theories (SMT) solvers have emerged as powerful tools in many formal methods applications, including verification, automated theorem proving, planning and software synthesis. The expressive power of SMT allows problems from many disciplines to be handled in a single unified approach. While SMT solvers are highly effective at handling certain classes of problems due to highly tuned implementations of efficient ground decision procedures, their ability is often limited when reasoning about universally quantified first-order formulas. Since generally this class of problems is undecidable, most SMT solvers use heuristic techniques for answering unsatisfiable when quantified formulas are present. On the other hand, when the problem is satisfiable, solvers using these techniques will either run indefinitely, or give up after some predetermined amount of effort. In a majority of formal methods applications, it is critical that the SMT solver be able to determine when such a formula is satisfiable, especially when it can return some representation of a model for the formula. This dissertation introduces new techniques for finding models for SMT formulas containing quantified first-order formulas. We will focus our attention on finding finite models, that is, models whose domain elements can be represented as a finite set. We give a procedure that is both finite model complete and refutationally complete for a fragment of first-order logic that occurs commonly in practice.


The latest update to our executive approval series reveals a mix of continuity and change. The most obvious difference in the circumstances confronting the nation's executives in the latest wave (July 10-26, 2020, N=19,052) compared to the prior wave (June 12-28, 2020) is that far more states are seeing increases in COVID cases than in early June. For instance, in the Northeast in our late June wave, all but one state (New Jersey) were trending downward in COVID cases relative to our early June wave. In late July, all but two states in the region are trending upwards in COVID cases. (New Jersey, ironically, represents one of the two improving states, with the second being Maine). Despite these worsening trends, many governors in the Northeast (excepting Maine, where Democratic Governor Mill's approval rating stands at a middling 54%) remain quite popular, and have seen their approval ratings remain relatively stable (e.g. Massachusetts and Vermont) or increase (e.g., Rhode Island and Maine). Two governors in the region — Governor Murphy (D) of New Jersey and Governor Sununu (R) of New Hampshire — have faced substantial erosion in public support for their management of the pandemic since June, by 6 and 8 percentage points, respectively.


The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer Every reasonable effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the factual data on which this map interpretation is based; however, the Minnesota Geological Survey does not warrant or guarantee that there are no errors. Users may wish to verify critical information; sources include both the references listed here and information on file at the offices of the Minnesota Geological Survey in St. Paul. In addition, effort has been made to ensure that the interpretation conforms to sound geologic and cartographic principles. No claim is made that the interpretation shown is rigorously correct, however, and it should not be used to guide engineering-scale decisions without site-specific verification. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Government. This map is submitted for publication with the understanding that the U.S. Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for governmental use. Supported by the U.S. Geological Survey, National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, under assistance Award No. 07HQAG0126.


ABSTRACT Transport researchers have identified a low propensity to use nonmotorized travel modes among retired people and associated concerns about road safety risks and obesity. This exploratory research examines the creation of driving habits during the life stages and the contextual factors that affect the travel mode choices of retired people. Retrospective, semistructured interviews with 37 retired people were undertaken in a low-density city of Canberra, Australia. Analysis of recorded data from the survey provides an example of mobility narratives organized around five hypotheses. Most respondents obtained a driver's license as soon as possible, despite many reporting favorable experiences of using public transport when young. The need to move from place to place for work and children's activities reinforces driving habits. This occurs especially in low-density environments such as Canberra where public transport cannot fulfill their needs. Once the driving habit is created it is retained well into retirement, and the preference is to keep driving independently as long as physical ability allows. In older age, some respondents self-limit their driving distances and avoid peak hours and night-time driving to minimize the safety risk. The conclusions contain research implications that explore the best opportunities to mainstream sustainable transport in an aging society. In addition to licensing and public transport issues, we argue that the fundamental challenge for sustainability remains how transport systems could be designed to support the needs of every generation, to minimize later dependence on the automobile.


The sorption of eosin by peanut husk, which was chemically modified by formaldehyde in acidic medium was studied with variation in the parameters of contact time, pH, initial eosin concentration and temperature. They were used for equilibrium sorption uptake studies with eosin. The results indicate that sorption equilibrium could be well described by the Freundlich isotherm equation. The sorption followed the pseudo-second order model. The mass transfer model as intraparticle diffusion was applied to the experimental data to examine the mechanisms of the rate controlling step. It was found that the intraparticle diffusion is becoming the significant controlling step under the experimental conditions. The thermodynamic constants of the sorption process were also evaluated, which suggest an endothermic physical sorption process which runs spontaneously.


After the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic from china in 17th November 2019, whole world is affected and most countries adopted complete lockdown for its prevention. Nepal government also announced complete lockdown from 24th March 2020 up to 14th June 2020 with partial lockdown extending up to 21st July 2020. This study was carried out to explore the effect of lockdown on capital budget expenditure in Gaindakot Municipality, a central municipal of country. Data were collected from Gaidakot Municipality and trends were analyzed to assess the financial expenditure of Budget. Only 42.98 million rupees was expended during lockdown period for the capital works, which is 41.57% less than the expenditure of 73.57 million on previous fiscal year for same period. Out of 3.17 million budget allocated for forest and environment protection, none of the programs were executed and no budget was expended. Similar case was seen for agricultural and animal programs too. Similarly only 50000 was expended in water supply scheme out of 1.74 million budget. River training and irrigation works was carried out expending only 7.33 million out of yearly budget of 34.3 million. The result of study showed that there is great disturbance in development activities due to coronavirus pandemic and expenditure on capitalized budget for different sectors was decreased. We can expect the impact on whole country to be worse looking on scenario of single municipality thus promoting economic activities with adapting control mechanism for corona virus.<br>


The idea of rationality enters an econometrician's work in many ways; e.g., in his presuppositions about sample populations, in his model selections and data analyses, and in his choice of projects. I shall consider some of these ways and their ramifications for the econometrician's own life and for the development of econometrics. I begin with a discussion of rationality that I have found in the writings of Aristotle and other leading philosophers. My aim here is to establish the characteristics that we in good faith can expect rational members of a sample population to possess. The characteristics with which I end up have no definite meaning. Instead they are like undefined terms in mathematics that an econometrician can interpret in ways that suit the purposes of his research and seem appropriate for the population he is studying. When interpreted, the pertinent characteristics of the rational members of a given population become hypotheses whose empirical relevance must be tested. In rationally designed econometric studies the interpretation of 'rationality' that seems appropriate for a given study is usually an interpretation that the pertinent econometrician extracts from various economic theories. I look at some of these interpretations and discuss their empirical relevance. The interpretations of particular interest concern consumer choice under certainty, choice under risky and uncertain conditions, and choice in game-theoretic situations. These interpretations appear in various representations in the ways econometricians model rationality. I single out for discussion microeconometric models of consumer choice and macroeconometric rational expectations models. In the last section of the paper I consider two lacunas in Kuhn's and Lakatos' theories, and see how econometricians go about solving puzzles and extending positive heuristics. I begin by discussing the considerations that guide an econometrician in his choice of research projects. Then, I argue about the determinants of rational choice in model selection. Finally, I consider the politics of writing research reports. The contents of these sections concern aspects of an econometrician's rational choice that are relevant for the orderly development of econometrics.


On August 1, 1990, there was an unprecedented event in the Ukrainian town of Chervonohrad: a crowd gathered at the central square and, for the first time in the USSR, demolished a monument to Lenin. The demolition caused a political scandal and was the first of a chain of Lenin statue topplings all over Soviet Ukraine and beyond. Chervonohrad's deconstruction is often compared to the array of Lenin statue demolitions that took place during the 2013-14 Ukrainian Revolution. Yet, this historic comparison does not answer the question: why was Chervonohrad, out of all the Soviet political centres and peripheral towns, meant to go down in history in this monumental way? Although the transformation of monumental landscapes has been among the most studied aspects of the post-Soviet condition, it has often been approached unilaterally. The studies of dismantled monuments have explored the largest scale of national and international politics, national imageries, and historic myth. The overwhelming attention paid to major metropolitan areas overshadowed the importance of place politics, local actors, and power relationships within former Soviet republics. As a result, the transformation of Soviet monumental landscapes has been sometimes misread as a top-down geopolitical process over the plain and ghostly backgrounds of post-Soviet metropolitan cityscapes. This article questions the scales and methods used to study monumental deconstruction. While national politics were undoubtedly an integral part of Chervonohrad's milestone event, this study aims to understand the complex causes that led to the removal of the monument through Chervonohrad's politics of place, the history of urban displacement and appropriation, and the agents and constellations that made this demolition possible .


This paper describes the design of a low power, energy-efficient CMOS smart temperature sensor intended for RFID temperature sensing. The BJT-based sensor employs an energy- efficient 2nd-order zoom ADC, which combines a coarse 5-bit SAR conversion with a fine 10-bit ΔΣ conversion. Moreover, a new integration scheme is proposed that halves the conversion time, while requiring no extra supply current. To meet the stringent cost constraints on RFID tags, a fast voltage calibration technique is used, which can be carried out in only 200 msec. After batch calibration and an individual room-temperature calibration, the sensor achieves an inaccuracy of ±0.15°C (3σ) from -55°C to 125°C . Over the same range, devices from a second lot achieved an inaccuracy of ±0.25°C (3σ) in both ceramic and plastic packages. The sensor occupies 0.08 mm2 in a 0.16 μm CMOS process, draws 3.4 μA from a 1.5 V to 2 V supply, and achieves a resolution of 20 mK in a conversion time of 5.3 msec. This corresponds to a minimum energy dissipation of 27 nJ per conversion.


This study aims to address a number of issues. What type of novel is Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahrel How modem or forward-looking is Goethe's novel? What methods does Goethe use for presenting the events and characters of his novel? An approach from the point of view of narrative technique is adopted to provide answers to these questions. Taking the theories of Wayne Booth, Percy Lubbock, Gerard Genette, Eberhard Lanimert and Michael Toolan, I examine showing (modem) and telling (archaic) as a question both of voice and of detail, and then look at direct methods of presenting 'thought' in the text (i.e. commentary and sententiousness) in comparison with indirect methods (implication, motif and indirection).Applying these concepts to Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre, the novel opens in a scene - the action and dialogue emerge from this scene. This forward-looking opening establishes a norm of situation-bound dialogue and episodic chapters. The modem novel's obsession with the depiction of external features and surface details is shunned. The degree of reference to the existing genre is underlined by the widespread use of sententious discourse by both narrator and characters. However, by comparison, Goethe's use of sententious discourse is complex. The treatment of central themes ('Bildung' and 'Heilung') and central characters (Mignon, Philine and the Turmgesellschaft) is examined as a study of Goethe's techniques of implication. The conventional presentation of Philine (she is defined) is contrasted with the way in which Mignon is never summarised or even commented upon. In conclusion, Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre is compared with the earlier Geschichte des Agathon (Wieland) and the later Effi Briest (Fontane). In terms of the degree of scene, the external presentation of Mignon and the implicating process used in the treatment of key themes, Goethe's novel anticipates the realistic novel. Nevertheless, in its use of sententiousness and its cursory scene-setting, Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre does look back to Agathon.


Learning linear combinations of multiple kernels is an appealing strategy when the right choice of features is unknown. Previous approaches to multiple kernel learning (MKL) promote sparse kernel combinations to support interpretability. Unfortunately, `1-norm MKL is hardly observed to outperform trivial baselines in practical applications. To allow for robust kernel mixtures, we generalize MKL to arbitrary `p-norms. We devise new insights on the connection between several existing MKL formulations and develop two efficient interleaved optimization strategies for arbitrary p > 1. Empirically, we demonstrate that the interleaved optimization strategies are much faster compared to the traditionally used wrapper approaches. Finally, we apply `p-norm MKL to real-world problems from computational biology, showing that non-sparse MKL achieves accuracies that go beyond the state-of-the-art.


In July 1929, Dr Friedrich Ritter and Dore Strauch left their spouses and the turmoil of post-World War I Germany for the remote, uninhabited, and rugged volcanic island of Floreana in the Galapagos archipelago. Their dream was to live self-sufficiently in an idyllic tropical setting unspoiled by civilization. Wealthy yachters stopping at Floreana in the early 1930s reported on the couple's pioneering enterprise to the outside world. The news created a sensation that subsequently attracted other settlers, including a mysterious Viennese faux baroness who quickly sowed discord on the island. Not all the participants in this drama survived though. A prolonged drought gripped the island from 1933 to 1935 leading to food shortages that ultimately claimed the life of Dr. Ritter, a vegetarian who unwittingly ate tainted chicken out of desperation. The bizarre intrigues and struggles to endure on Floreana were chronicled in Dore Strauch's 1936 memoir "Satan Came to Eden" and a 2013 Hollywood documentary based on it. A story that has not been told is how an extended period of cold La Niña conditions in 1933-35 led to the drought that caused the food shortages. We use an atmospheric reanalysis and other data sources to describe these cold conditions and how they affected the human drama that unfolded on Floreana Island. The protracted La Niña impacted other parts of the globe and in particular was a major influence on development of the 1930s Dust Bowl in the southern plains of the United States.


INTRODUCTION
There are data linking gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) with adverse neurodevelopmental outcome in the offspring. We investigated the effect of GDM on microstructural brain development and neurodevelopmental outcome of very preterm infants.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Preterm infants <32 gestational weeks of mothers with GDM obtained cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) including diffusion-tensor imaging at term-equivalent age. For every infant, two gestational age-, sex-, and MRI scanner type-matched controls were included. Brain injury was assessed and fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measured in 14 defined cerebral regions. Neurodevelopmental outcome was quantified at the corrected age of 24 months using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development.

RESULTS
We included 47 infants of mothers with GDM and 94 controls. There were no differences in neonatal morbidity between the groups, nor in any type of brain injury. The GDM group showed significantly higher FA values in the centrum semiovale, the posterior limb of the internal capsule and the pons bilaterally, in the corpus callosum and the right occipital white matter, as well as lower ADC values in the right centrum semiovale, the right occipital white matter and the corpus callosum. Neurodevelopmental outcome did not differ between the groups.

CONCLUSION
We found no impairment of brain development in GDM-exposed infants compared to matched controls, but differences in white matter microstructure in specific regions indicating an enhanced maturation. However, neurodevelopmental outcome was equal in both groups. Further studies are needed to better understand brain maturation in preterm infants exposed to GDM.


Amending soil with biochar may be a means of sequestering atmospheric CO2 and improving soil quality, but few multiyear field studies have examined the impacts of a one-time biochar application in an irrigated, calcareous soil. We fall-applied four treatments: dairy manure (18.7 tons/ac dry wt.); hardwood-derived biochar (10 tons/ac dry wt.); combined biochar and manure; and no amendments (control). We measured net N-mineralization using buried soil bags and soil greenhouse gas emissions (CO2, CH4, and N2O) from late spring to fall, corn silage yields, and crop N uptake each year. The influence of biochar and manure on silage yield changed with time after application in fall 2008. Biochar increased corn yields slightly (5%) in 2009, decreased yields by 14% in 2010, and had no effect in 2011. Conversely, manure had no affect on yields in 2009, but increased yields substantially in 2010 (33%) and again slightly in 2011 (7%). When compared with a class comprising all other treatments, biochar-only produced 33% less cumulative net N mineralization, 20% less CO2-C and 50% less N2O-N gas emissions, and increased the soil NH4:NO3 ratio 1.8-fold, indicating that biochar impaired nitrification and N immobilization processes. While the biochar-only treatment demonstrated a potential to increase corn yields and minimize CO2-C and N2O-N gas emissions in these calcareous soils, biochar also caused decreased corn yields under conditions in which NH4-N dominated the soil inorganic N pool. The combined biochar-manure treatment more effectively utilized the two soil amendments as it eliminated potential yield reductions caused by biochar and maximized manure net N mineralization potential.


This paper presents a parameter study and design optimization of a flexural hinge-based bender by use of finite-element modelling and analytical formulation. The relationship between the mirror shape and the driving forces, the so-called bender driving equation, is established. Various parameters are investigated: the material properties, the geometrical parameters, the stress and deformation of the mirror and flexural hinge, the residual slope error of the mirror, and the resolution required for the actuators. Analysis results have been compared with test results for a prototype bender and a silicon mirror (170 x 40 x 10 mm). Both analysis and test results confirm the microradian accuracy of the bent mirror. Finally, a bender design for short-bending-radius applications is also presented.


Digital circuits have been developed to interface superconductive electronic chips with high speed 50-/spl Omega/ transmission lines. Digital data at 1 Gigabit per second was transferred through a Josephson chip in a first cryostat to another Josephson chip in a second cryostat. The chips were connected by more than 3 meters of 50-/spl Omega/ transmission line. No semiconductor amplifiers were used in this data path. A Hewlett Packard data source provided the original data to the first chip, which converted it to SFQ data. Output interface circuits were driven by a 2-GHz external clock to latch series strings of 10 junctions and drive 2-Gbps data into a 50-/spl Omega/ cable. In the second cryostat, a latching three-junction interferometer with a two-turn control line converted the input signal to latched data and switched an MVTL OR-gate output. This demonstration showed that low-power Josephson digital circuits can be integrated into multichip digital subsystems that can pass data at high rates without the use of power-hungry semiconductor amplifiers.


The paper aims at highlighting the crucial features of the Vietnamese industrialization pattern as well as at analysing the literature concerning industrial development in Vietnam. Specifically, it focuses on the role played by industrial policies in the transition period followed to the Doi Moi reforms (1986). Moreover, it displays a review of the recent planning strategies undertaken by the Vietnamese government emphasizing the function taken on by the adoption of selectivity as an instrument to upgrade the competitiveness of the Vietnamese production system. The evolution of the Vietnamese planning approach over the last 15 years shows, at the same time, a twofold influence: on a side, the Washington International financial authorities push towards the adoption of a market-friendly and export-led growth model, on the other side the Vietnamese policy makers seem to take as a reference point the Asian developmental model and, in particular, the Chinese upgrading experience whose impressive growth performance have been fueled also by the implementation of selective interventions. In this regard, the paper explores the weaknesses characterizing Vietnamese planning strategies and put some policy implication forward in order to mitigate the structural limits which distinguish the Vietnamese industrial development pattern.


The role of Legionella sp as an important pathogen, although reported in many countries, had not been well documented in Brazil. The main objective of the present study is to detect this organism or it's immunological response in patients with pulmonary infections in the city of São Paulo. For this purpose, specific laboratory methodology was introduced to cultivate the agent and demonstrate specific antibodies by serology. Patients from two University centers in São Paulo were studied: 100 from the Hospital Universitario, University of São Paulo with general pulmonary infections and 100 from Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, University of São Paulo. The latter were selected to exclude pulmonary infections of other bacterial aetiology, and 30 of these were selected from the Renal Transplant Unit. Clinical specimens for cultures included sputum tracheal secretion, pleural, fluid, bronchial washing or lung tissue biopsy. Isolation of Legionella sp was attempted in BCYE medium with and without antibiotics, presumptive diagnosis by biochemical methods and identification through direct immunofluorescence staining and slide agglutination test. Direct evidence of the organism in tissue was attempted by direct immunofluorescence staining. Specific antibodies for Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 were tested by the indirect immunofluorescence assay. Serology was also carried out in specimens from human contacts with Legionnaires' Disease. Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 was isolated from two patients, demonstrating the presence of the pathogen in this country. Serology was able to establish present or past infection with the agent in 16 of the 100 patients from Hospital das Clínicas and in only one from Hospital Universitário. In patients considered as high risk groups from Hospital das Clínicas with renal transplantation, serology for present or past Legionellosis was positive in 33% and in 8.5% for community acquired infections. Serology in specimens from Medical personnel in contact with patients of Legionnaires' disease was positive for past infection in one single subject, confirming information already published that direct transmission from person to person is unusual. The introduction of specific methods for laboratorial evidence of Legionella sp infections at the Hospital das Clínicas-Faculdade de Medicina USP community has permitted diagnosis in able time to allow use of specific anti-microbial therapy, with good results.


Smart homes generally focus on issues to do with security, health, energy savings and entertainment, issues which grow in importance as we age. The sensors, actuators and entertainment devices required to build such a system add significantly to its complexity. Hence, the Man-Machine Interface (MMI) to the smart home systems is often acknowledged to be the most sensitive area for acceptance. Smart homes can allow the user modify the house via a unified control, additionally assisted living smart homes gather information about the subjects health, information that can be used to feedback to the user to modify their behaviour via the device. Increasingly these interface device present information from the internet, such as weather and news. With the internet fast becoming the first source of information for many services, such as shopping, or care workers access, these devices may additionally help bridge the digital divide between the young and old (2) , if the principles of universal design are addressed (3)(4) . The purpose of this study is to examine user interfaces devices that can perform these tasks and analyse them with regard to the particular requirements of the older user.


In order to study the bending capacity of steel and concrete composite girder with concrete filled tubular flange (SCCGCFTF), a formula for the ultimate bending capacity of normal section was proposed based on perfected elastic-plastic model for steel and restricted concrete model for inner high performance self-compacted concrete. Analysis result shows that the mechanical behavior under static load can be divided into two phases in accordance with confining effects. Confining effects strength of the concrete-filled steel tube flange was relation to the restriction effect coefficient ξ. The ratios of the calculated value to the experimental ultimate bending capacity were between 0.93 and 0.97. Therefore, the theoretical formula is relatively safe to calculate the ultimate bending capacity.


Abstract A new technique has been developed for the production of solid wire or rods from powder by laser melting. Three techniques have been developed to ensure that the molten powder solidifies as a rod or wire rather than a series of droplets. The straight rods or wires produced in this way have near-circular cross-section, are several millimetres in diameter and can be pore free. The techniques can be used to produce welding rods, tensile test samples and other solid pieces from a wide range of powder mixes. The rapid thermal cycle involved means that it is now possible to produce hitherto difficult mixtures and alloys in the solid form in seconds.


The paper analyzes how German cooperative wineries compete with private (i.e. non-cooperative) wineries regarding reputation, quality categorization and varietal selection. Among the reasons why German cooperatives lag behind in terms of reputation for quality wine are organization principles of cooperatives and the difficulty to manage growers supplying grapes of different qualities. Cooperatives turn their supply of grapes into wine often classified as quality wine without much distinction. Conversely, privately owned wineries growing their own grapes may have more control over quality along their production chain and are able to produce more distinctive wines. In turn, they gain more reputation with final consumers with respect to quality. We analyze data for private and cooperative wineries from Germany. Our objective is to identify key differences in terms of reputation for quality wine production. Specifically, we look at interaction effects based on organizational form (cooperative vs. private) and the German wine quality categorization (i.e. basic quality wine vs. Kabinett, Spatlese, or Auslese) as well as varietal effects. We employ a hedonic pricing model to test the hypothesis that wines produced by private producers receive a reputation premium relative to cooperatives. Moreover, we hypothesize that private wineries receive a price premium relative to coopera- tives for other than basic quality wines and distinct varieties such as Riesling and Pinot Noir. The empirical analysis confirms both hypotheses. The estimated coefficients indicate that cooperatives are unable to gain quality premium for most quality cat- egories and gain price premiums only for non-distinct varieties such as Lemberger and Dornfelder. We can argue that German cooperatives are stuck in the low quality corner of the quality and variety spectrum and are currently not able to compete with private wineries in terms of quality. This result supports the observation that cooperatives typically compete on price with their wines being sold in discount stores.


Embossed holographic elements, such as diffraction gratings, display holograms and optical discs
are now firmly established as mass-replicated items. The embossed hologram has evolved from its original
form recorded in emulsion on glass plate to present-day images stamped
into plastic. The process of obtaining a holographic image in plastic
requires several stages of information transfer: first a surface relief
image must be recorded into emulsion; next a metal replica must be
made; finally the embossed plastic image is produced. A detailed
analysis of the information transfer process has been undertaken and is
described. [Continues.]


OBJECTIVES
To investigate the influence of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) intensity on the clearance of ceftolozane/tazobactam in critical care patients, and to evaluate if the reported doses would achieve an optimal pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) target against Pseudomonas aeruginosa exhibiting different MICs.

METHODS
The MEDLINE-PubMed database was searched from inception to January 2020 to retrieve observational studies or case reports investigating the PK behaviour of ceftolozane/tazobactam during CRRT. Relevant CRRT settings and PK variables were extracted, and the influence of CRRT intensity on ceftolozane/tazobactam total clearance (CLtot) was determined by simple linear regression. The optimal PK/PD target for the reported doses was deemed to be achieved when ceftolozane trough concentrations (Cmin) were above the MIC (less intensive target) or four times the MIC (intensive target) for P. aeruginosa.

RESULTS
Data from six studies including 11 patients (mean age 56.6 years) were analysed. Mean blood flow rate and effluent flow rate were 161.8 mL/min and 2383.4 mL/h, respectively. Ceftolozane Cmin ranged from 25.8 to 79.4 mg/L. A significant correlation was found for ceftolozane CLtot and effluent flow rate (P = 0.027). The intensive PK/PD target was achieved by 100% and 50% of the reported doses for MIC, respectively, up to 4 and 8 mg/L.

CONCLUSIONS
A significant correlation between effluent flow rate and ceftolozane clearance during CRRT could be identified. Higher dosing regimens coupled with continuous/extended infusion may be required in the case of higher CRRT intensity, deep-seated infections or poorly susceptible isolates. Larger studies assessing ceftolozane PK in different CRRT settings are warranted.


Abstract. The trapezoidal relationship between land surface temperature (Ts) and Vegetation Index (VI) was used to estimate soil moisture in the present study. An iterative algorithm is proposed to estimate the vertices of the Ts ~ VI trapezoid theoretically for each pixel, and then Water Deficit Index (WDI) is calculated based on the Ts ~ VI trapezoid using MODIS remotely sensed measurements of surface temperature and enhanced vegetation index (EVI). The capability of using WDI based on Ts ~ VI trapezoid to estimate soil moisture is evaluated using soil moisture observations and antecedent precipitation in the Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed (WGEW) in Arizona, USA. The result shows that, the Ts ~ VI trapezoid based WDI can capture temporal variation in surface soil moisture well, but the capability of detecting spatial variation is poor for such a semi-arid region as WGEW.


Many applications require circuits to be operated close to the performance limits of current silicon (production) processes to meet the required circuit specifications for, e.g., high speed, low noise, and low power consumption. Therefore, the circuits must be carefully optimized by selecting the individual transistor configurations. As a consequence, model parameters for a large variety of configurations (100 or more) are often requested. Unfortunately, most present design tools and modeling methods do not support an efficient generation of the respective parameter sets for bipolar compact models. This paper describes an approach that is physics and process based; facilitates an extremely fast generation of consistent model parameter sets, even during the initial phase of process development; and reduces parameter extraction efforts significantly. This allows one to quickly explore various process options in advance and to align process development with circuit product requirements. The approach is supported by a computer-aided-design tool named TRADICA, which can be combined with circuit simulators allowing the emitter size and number of emitter, base, and collector contacts to be the only model parameters visible to designers. Related modeling and parameter extraction issues are also discussed because these areas are often unknown and tend to be underestimated by circuit designers and process developers but have a significant impact on the flexibility, capability, and accuracy of circuit design.


The Aim of this Work Is to Present a Three-Dimensional Mathematical Modelling to Predict Heat and Mass Transport inside the Industrial Brick with Rectangular Holes during the Drying Including Shrinkage and Hygrothermalelastic Stress Analysis. the Numerical Solution of the Diffusion Equation, Being Used the Finite-Volume Method, Considering Constant Thermo-Physical Properties and Convective Boundary Conditions at the Surface of the Solid, it Is Presented and Analyzed. Results of the Temperature, Moisture Content and Stress Distributions, and Drying and Heating Kinetics Are Shown and Analyzed. Results of the Average Moisture Content and Surface Temperature of the Brick along the Drying Process Are Compared with Experimental Data (T = 80.0oC and RH = 4.6 %) and Good Agreement Was Obtained. it Was Verified that the Largest Temperature, Moisture Content and Stress Gradients Are Located in the Intern and External Vertexes of the Brick.


The three-dimensional flow around a spherical bubble moving steadily in a viscous linear shear flow is studied numerically by solving the full Navier–Stokes equations. The bubble surface is assumed to be clean so that the outer flow obeys a zero-shear-stress condition and does not induce any rotation of the bubble. The main goal of the present study is to provide a complete description of the lift force experienced by the bubble and of the mechanisms responsible for this force over a wide range of Reynolds number (0.1[les ]Re[les ]500, Re being based on the bubble diameter) and shear rate (0[les ]Sr[les ]1, Sr being the ratio between the velocity difference across the bubble and the relative velocity). For that purpose the structure of the flow field, the influence of the Reynolds number on the streamwise vorticity field and the distribution of the tangential velocities at the surface of the bubble are first studied in detail. It is shown that the latter distribution which plays a central role in the production of the lift force is dramatically dependent on viscous effects. The numerical results concerning the lift coefficient reveal very different behaviours at low and high Reynolds numbers. These two asymptotic regimes shed light on the respective roles played by the vorticity produced at the bubble surface and by that contained in the undisturbed flow. At low Reynolds number it is found that the lift coefficient depends strongly on both the Reynolds number and the shear rate. In contrast, for moderate to high Reynolds numbers these dependences are found to be very weak. The numerical values obtained for the lift coefficient agree very well with available asymptotic results in the low- and high-Reynolds-number limits. The range of validity of these asymptotic solutions is specified by varying the characteristic parameters of the problem and examining the corresponding evolution of the lift coefficient. The numerical results are also used for obtaining empirical correlations useful for practical calculations at finite Reynolds number. The transient behaviour of the lift force is then examined. It is found that, starting from the undisturbed flow, the value of the lift force at short time differs from its steady value, even when the Reynolds number is high, because the vorticity field needs a finite time to reach its steady distribution. This finding is confirmed by an analytical derivation of the initial value of the lift coefficient in an inviscid shear flow. Finally, a specific investigation of the evolution of the lift and drag coefficients with the shear rate at high Reynolds number is carried out. It is found that when the shear rate becomes large, i.e. Sr=O(1), a small but consistent decrease of the lift coefficient occurs while a very significant increase of the drag coefficient, essentially produced by the modifications of the pressure distribution, is observed. Some of the foregoing results are used to show that the well-known equality between the added mass coefficient and the lift coefficient holds only in the limit of weak shears and nearly steady flows.


Aim: Most people with type 2 diabetes eventually require insulin treatment because of progressive loss of beta-cell function. The most common adverse effect of insulin therapy is hypoglycemia. Recurrent hypoglycemia may lead to impaired awareness of hypoglycemia (IAH) and a consequently high risk for severe hypoglycemia. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of IAH and severe hypoglycemia in a large cohort of people with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes. Methods: The Dutch Diabetes Pearl is a contemporary cohort of people with type 2 diabetes from primary, secondary and tertiary medical centers in the Netherlands. We collected data from people on insulin therapy who had completed the validated Dutch version of the Clarke questionnaire on IAH, where 3 out of 5 points indicate IAH. Descriptive statistics, T-tests and Chi-square tests were performed. Results: Our study included 1923 patients of whom 59% were men. Median age was 62.1 years (interquartile range 55.1-68.3), median diabetes duration was 13.9 years (8.8-20.1) and median HbA 1c was 7.6 % (7.0-8.5). 2individuals (10.8%) were classified as having IAH; these people were more likely to be non-Caucasian and have a lower educational level, and less likely to have a partner. Severe hypoglycemia was reported in 617 patients (32.1%) and severe hypoglycemia requiring medical intervention in the past year in 166 patients (8.6%). People with severe hypoglycemia were more likely to be non-Caucasian, to have a lower educational level, to have a history of cardiovascular events and neuropathic pain, and to use over 10 different types of drugs. No significant associations between HbA 1c -levels and IAH or severe hypoglycemia were observed. Conclusion: IAH and severe hypoglycemia are common in people with type 2 diabetes treated with insulin. Non- Caucasian ethnicity, lower educational level, and being single may be risk factors for IAH in patients with type 2 diabetes. Disclosure L. van Meijel: None. F. de Vegt: None. C. Tack: Advisory Panel; Self; Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., Novo Nordisk A/S, AstraZeneca. Research Support; Self; AstraZeneca. Speaker9s Bureau; Self; Novo Nordisk A/S. E.J. Abbink: None. F. Rutters: None. J.M. Dekker: None. B.H. Wolffenbuttel: None. F. Holleman: Other Relationship; Self; Sanofi-Aventis, Bioton, AstraZeneca. J. DeVries: Research Support; Self; Dexcom, Inc., Medtronic, Novo Nordisk A/S. Advisory Panel; Self; Novo Nordisk A/S. Speaker9s Bureau; Self; Novo Nordisk A/S, Roche Diabetes Care Health and Digital Solutions. Advisory Panel; Self; Sanofi. Research Support; Self; Senseonics. Speaker9s Bureau; Self; Senseonics. Advisory Panel; Self; Zealand Pharma A/S. N. Masurel: None. H. Pijl: None. B. Ozcan: None. B. Silvius: None. B.E. de Galan: Research Support; Self; AstraZeneca, Sanofi. Advisory Panel; Self; Novo Nordisk A/S.


Consistence of lithium-ion power battery significantly affects the life and safety of battery modules and packs. To improve the consistence, battery grouping is employed, assembling batteries with similar electrochemical characteristics to make up modules and packs. Therefore, grouping process boils down to unsupervised clustering problem. Current used grouping approaches include two aspects, static characteristics based and dynamic based. However, there are three problems. First, the common problem is underutilization of multi-source data. Second, for the static characteristics based, there is grouping failure over time. Third, for the dynamic characteristics based, there is high computational complexity. To solve these problems, we propose a distributed multisource data fusion based battery grouping approach. The proposed approach designs an effective network structure for multisource data fusion, and a self supervised scheme for feature extraction from both static and dynamic multisource data. We apply our approach on real battery modules and test state of health (SOH) after charging-discharging cycles. Experimental results indicate that the proposed scheme can increase SOH of modules by 3.89%, and reduce the inconsistence by 68.4%. Meanwhile, with the distributed deployment the time cost is reduced by 87.9% than the centralized scheme.


Recent HCI scholarship has critiqued anthropocentrism in design as contributing to the ecological crisis. The current paper contributes theoretically and empirically to this area, adopting the lens of Socio-Ecological Relations, inspired by Environmental History and STS. We argue that a socio-ecological lens can offer practical tools to HCI and Interaction Design to overcome the separation between humanity and nature-as-a-resource. For this reason, our unit of analysis is humanity-in-nature and nature-in-humanity, and we show how this double internality becomes visible using an historical and geographical approach in the design process. Methodologically, using Situational Analysis, we analyse an Action Research project that introduced a digital platform for community radio in rural contexts. We find that Socio-Ecological Relations, performed in specific places, shape the design process and are themselves transformed by becoming part of it. We provide a set of sensitivities for operationalizing this approach for design researchers.


Environmental law in South Africa has developed in a rapid fashion since the inception of the new constitutional dispensation in 1994.  This development is evident from, inter alia , the constitutionalisation of the environmental right in section 24 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996.  Section 24 contains amongst other provisions, directive principles that impose duties on government to protect the environment for present and future generations through reasonable legislative and other measures.  It is apparent from section 24 that these measures should ensure environmental governance practices that are aimed at the achievement of sustainable results.  The South African environmental governance regime is, however, characterised by fragmentation that may negate the achievement of sustainable environmental governance.  It is argued in this article that, for environmental governance to become sustainable, it is necessary to integrate environmental governance efforts, possibly by way of a holistic approach to environmental governance.  In light of the above, this article: investigates the nature and extent of fragmentation; explores reasons for fragmentation; discusses disadvantages of fragmented governance efforts in South Africa; investigates the concept of integration and holistic governance as means to achieve sustainable environmental governance results; and makes recommendations regarding the eventual achievement of integrated, holistic and sustainable environmental governance.


The construction of in situ grown porous structures can enlarge the contact area between electrodes and electrolyte and shorten the distance for ion diffusion, boosting the electrochemical properties of electrode materials. Herein, we combine molten-salt electrodeposition and AlP-assisted solvothermal phosphorization to design porous NiCoP in situ grown on Ni foam (p-NiCoP/NF). Even with a high mass loading of 10.1 mg cm−2, the as-prepared p-NiCoP/NF exhibits a remarkable mass specific capacity (Qm) of 1279.2 C g−1 (0.99 A g−1) and good rate capability. Furthermore, the p-NiCoP/NF//AC device, assembled using p-NiCoP/NF and active carbon (AC), presents a high energy density of 45.5 W h kg−1 at a power density of 124.2 W kg−1 and superior cycling stability (92.86% retention after 10 000 cycles). Finally, we introduce a four-electrode system to study the effect of the potential window of the positive and negative electrodes in an asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) on its energy density, where it boosts the energy density and rate capability at the optimal working state.


In past decade, more and more data are collected from multiple sources or represented by multiple views, where different views describe distinct perspectives of the data. Although each view could be individually used for finding patterns by clustering, the clustering performance could be more accurate by exploring the rich information among multiple views. Several multi-view clustering methods have been proposed to unsupervised integrate different views of data. However, they are graph based approaches, e.g. based on spectral clustering, such that they cannot handle the large-scale data. How to combine these heterogeneous features for unsupervised large-scale data clustering has become a challenging problem. In this paper, we propose a new robust large-scale multi-view clustering method to integrate heterogeneous representations of largescale data. We evaluate the proposed new methods by six benchmark data sets and compared the performance with several commonly used clustering approaches as well as the baseline multi-view clustering methods. In all experimental results, our proposed methods consistently achieve superiors clustering performances.


Thermo-acoustic systems can convert thermal energy into acoustic waves and vice-versa. These acoustic waves can be used to induce cooling (thermo-acoustic refrigeration) or generate electricity (thermo-acoustic generator). This conversion is due to the thermo-viscous interaction between the acoustically oscillating gas medium within a porous material, referred to as a regenerator, and the pore internal walls. Although there has been significant progress in the development of efficient thermo-acoustic systems, their relatively low efficiency and the nonlinearity associated with more severe working conditions remain their major issues. Therefore, it is a major potential area of research. In this study, a one-stage travelling-wave thermo-acoustic engine has been modelled using DeltaEC. The simulation was performed by considering various input heat to the hot heat exchanger within the range of 8.2 to 227.91W, and sixty (60) datasets were generated. These data were used to build an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model. The comparison between the output data extracted from the DeltaEC simulation and the results predicted from the ANN model was done. Both of the results obtained are in good agreement and prove that the ANN can be suitable for predicting configurations that were not previously simulated.


Intraspecific diversity arises from genetic and plastic responses to the environment. Immense natural history collections allow comprehensive surveys of intraspecific diversity across a species range through centuries of environmental variation. Using 216 years of Arabidopsis thaliana samples, we tested if traits exhibit coordinated variation and hypothesized adaptive responses to climate gradients. We used spatially varying coefficient models to quantify region-specific trends. Traits generally showed little coordination. However, C:N was low for summer versus spring-collected plants, consistent with a life history-physiology axis from slow-growing winter annuals to fast-growing spring/summer annuals. Collection date was later in more recent years in many regions, possibly because these populations shifted toward more spring (as opposed to fall) germination. δ15N decreased over time across most of the range, consistent with predictions based on anthropogenic changes. Regional heterogeneity in phenotype trends indicates complex responses to spatial and temporal climate shifts potentially arising from variation in local adaptation and plasticity.


Regular changes are revealed in electron-transport chains of the energy and detoxifying systems. The changes occur mainly in iron-sulphur centres and cytochrome P-450 under chemical and viral blastomogenesis in the muscular tissue induced by 3-methyl cholanthrene and Moloney oncornavirus. In the tissue of developing Moloney tumour and spleen kinetics of the formation of triplet signal of nitrosyl complexes is recorded in the region of g-factor of free radicals of semiquinone type and its transformation into singlet signal of EPR with the Moloney sarcoma regression.


This book offers a psychoanalytic perspective on learning and teaching and on many of the issues which preoccupy those who work in educational institutions. It looks at the origins of learning in childrens early relationships and at factors which help and hinder the educational process in later childhood and adolescence. Amongst the topics addressed in the book are the significance of play and playfulness, the impact of change, separation, times of transition, bereavement, bullying and racism. The author has aimed to set well-established psychoanalytic ideas about learning within the context of current educational practice and to look at the teachers experience alongside that of the students.This volume is a collection of papers, each of which is a version of a lecture previously given as part of the Tavistock course, "Emotional Factors in Learning and Teaching; counselling aspects in education". The course, which is for teachers and others working in educational settings, has been running for more than thirty years. It began as a collaboration between Martha Harris, then Head of the Child Psychotherapy training at the Tavistock Clinic and her husband, Roland Harris, an educationalist and writer. This partnership between clinical thinking and expertise in educational theory and practice continues to the present day, with child psychotherapists and educationists working closely together. The ideas underpinning the course were first elaborated by Isca Saltzberger Wittenberg, Gianna Henry and Elsie Osborne in 1983 in The Emotional Experience of Learning and Teaching, a book which remains a valued, core text. This new volume represents an attempt to revisit some of the same themes and to set the applied psychoanalytic thinking in the current educational context.


Our morphological studies of the pancreas of patients suffering from neonatal persistent hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia of infancy (PHHI), enabled us to discover the existence of two different forms of the syndrome, focal and diffuse. We defined precise morphological criteria allowing their differential diagnosis, even for intraoperative examination of frozen sections of small biopsies from the various areas of the pancreas. Together with selective venous catheterization, morphology can thus guide the surgeon when deciding between partial pancreatectomy in case of focal PHHI. and near-total pancreatectomy in case of diffuse PHHI. Among neonates affected by PHHI, about 40% suffer from the focal form of the syndrome and have clearly a better prognosis than those suffering from the diffuse form, in that they do not need a subtotal pancreatectomy with its complications. The second part of our work was devoted to analyze the pathogenesis of PHHI. We demonstrated that diffuse PHHI is not the result of an abnormal proliferation of b cells, and thus that nesidioblastosis is not the underlying pathological condition of the disease. By contrast, in total concordance with its genetic background, the focal PHHI lesion has a very high proliferation index, not observed in insulinomas, the other pancreatic endocrine lesion responsible for hyperinsulinemia. Comparing the focal lesion in focal PHHI with insulinomas, we found that not only their morphological features are different, but also their functional characteristics studied by morphological and quantitative approaches. However, some insulinomas share similarities in their molecular background with focal PHHI. Finally, we recently identified an atypical form of PHHI, characterized by a mosaicism of islets. This new form is currently under investigation.


Brain metastases are refractory to therapies that control systemic disease in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer and the brain microenvironment contributes to this therapy resistance. Nutrient availability can vary across tissues, therefore metabolic adaptations required for brain metastatic breast cancer growth may introduce liabilities that can be exploited for therapy. Here we assessed how metabolism differs between breast tumors in brain versus extracranial sites and found that fatty acid synthesis is elevated in breast tumors growing in the brain. We determine that this phenotype is an adaptation to decreased lipid availability in the brain relative to other tissues, resulting in site-specific dependency on fatty acid synthesis for breast tumors growing at this site. Genetic or pharmacological inhibition of fatty acid synthase reduces human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast tumor growth in the brain, demonstrating that differences in nutrient availability across metastatic sites can result in targetable metabolic dependencies.


The dynamics of mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV)-specific CD4 T cell responses and the mechanisms by which these cells contribute to viral control are not well understood, mainly due to lack of appropriate tools to characterize MCMV-specific CD4 T cells. We therefore generated MCMV-specific CD4 T cell hybridomas, then used an MCMV expression library and overlapping peptides to identify CD4 T cell epitopes. We used these novel tools to study the long-term kinetics and organ distribution of MCMV-specific CD4 T cells in comparison to MCMV-specific CD8 T cell responses. We demonstrate that the overall MCMV-specific CD4 T cell response stabilizes during the latent stage, which stands in contrast to subpopulations of MCMV-specific CD8 T cells and HCMV-specific CD4 T cells which accumulate over the course of CMV latency. Furthermore, MCMV-specific CD4 T cells displayed a Th1 phenotype, secreting high levels of IFN- (cid:1) and TNF- (cid:2) and to some extent IL-2, cytokines which are involved in protection from CMV disease. The Journal of Immunology, 2008, 181: 1128–1134.


Background Withania somnifera (WS), also known as Ashwagandha, is commonly used in Ayurveda and other traditional medicine systems. WS has seen an increase in worldwide usage due to its reputation as an adaptogen. This popularity has elicited increased scientific study of its biological effects, including a potential application for neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. Objective This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of preclinical and clinical studies examining the neuropsychiatric effects of WS, specifically its application in stress, anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Methods Reports of human trials and animal studies of WS were collected primarily from the PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. Results WS root and leaf extracts exhibited noteworthy anti-stress and anti-anxiety activity in animal and human studies. WS also improved symptoms of depression and insomnia, though fewer studies investigated these applications. WS may alleviate these conditions predominantly through modulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and sympathetic-adrenal medullary axes, as well as through GABAergic and serotonergic pathways. While some studies link specific withanolide components to its neuropsychiatric benefits, there is evidence for the presence of additional yet unidentified active compounds in WS. Conclusion While benefits were seen in the reviewed studies, significant variability in the WS extracts examined prevents a consensus on the optimum WS preparation or dosage for treating neuropsychiatric conditions. WS generally appears safe for human use; however, it will be important to investigate potential herb-drug interactions involving WS if used alongside pharmaceutical interventions. Further elucidation of active compounds of WS is also needed.


Barker and Mullooly, in this issue of theArchives(p 85), have characterized the adult patient population at greatest risk for a fatal outcome during influenza epidemics. Results of a survey in Houston (W. P. Glezen, MD, and A. Payne, DPH, unpublished data, Jan 1, 1976, through June 30,1978) are in general agreement with their description, with a few exceptions. During the intense influenza A/Victoria virus epidemic of 1976, we found that, in the judgment of the physician signing the death certificate, 18% of the patients whose deaths were attributed either to pneumonia or influenza or both did not have an underlying condition that made them vulnerable to fatal outcome. Furthermore, 38.6% of the patients dying were younger than 65 years. Therefore, the problem was not confined to the aged and infirmed. But should we limit our concern to the persons who do not survive the yearly onslaught of influenza


: Because of the increasing business pressures, companies must be adaptable and flexible in order to withstand them. Inadequate business processes and low level of business process orientation, that in its core accentuates business processes as opposed to business functions and focuses on process performance and customer satisfaction, hider the ability to adapt to changing environment. It has been shown in previous studies that the companies which have reached higher business process maturity level consistently outperform those that have not reached them. The aim of this paper is to provide a basic understanding of business process orientation concept and business process maturity model. Besides that the paper presents the state of business process orientation in Croatia that has been captured with a study conducted in 2013. Based on the results some practical implications and guidelines for managers are given.


Signal propagation and noise accumulation in lightwave systems using saturated optical amplifiers as repeaters are analyzed. Numerical simulations of amplified spontaneous emission in concatenated erbium-doped fiber amplifiers indicate that a reach beyond 10000 km is possible with a 1.55- mu m system in the absence of fiber nonlinearities. Distributed optical amplifiers are shown to have low noise, but require higher pump power than lumped amplifiers. Three operating modes of an amplifier lightwave system are identified and their relative signal power efficiency and noise performance are described. >


In the United States utilitarian theory posits that granting an exclusive right in creative expression will provide a necessary incentive to invest in the creation and distribution of expressive works. It is feared that without this incentive there would be insufficient motivation for creation. Indeed, it appears that the U.S. adheres completely to the notion that "no man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money." Yet the creation of many works, such as emails and papal decrees, ordinarily are not motivated by monetary incentives. Nevertheless, current copyright protection fails to account for the creator's motivation in determining the level of protection of the copyrighted work. Despite its extremely low threshold, copyright protection is not cost-free: granting exclusive rights in expression makes subsequent expression more costly, imposes wealth distribution costs, and creates distributive consequences affecting opportunities for expression. Society should avoid shouldering these costs when they are unnecessary. If copyright law is designed to guard against underproduction of intangible assets then it is entirely appropriate to provide less protection when there is little risk of underproduction. This article argues for less robust copyright protection for differently motivated works. Well-documented industry capture of the legislative process in the field of copyright law makes legislative recalibration of the scope of protection unlikely. This article provides a more realistic approach: courts should incorporate a motivational inquiry when determining the level of similarity needed to demonstrate non-literal infringement and should also expressly consider creator motivations when analyzing the second and fourth fair use factors. Reducing the robustness of copyright protection for differently motivated works will decrease the costs to society and better facilitate the underlying goal of copyright law: the promotion of knowledge and learning.


Will people recharge a vehicle that does not have to be recharged? This, and the degree to which plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) designs emphasize gasoline or electricity, are central to assessing the energy and environmental effects of PHEVs. Plug-in conversions of hybrid vehicles are being made available to (predominately new-car buying) households throughout the Sacramento region for four to six weeks each. The vehicles are instrumented to report travel and energy; households are interviewed and surveyed. Results from the first 34 households—all selected in part because they can recharge a vehicle at home—indicate that on average they will recharge a PHEV about once per day, but with wide variation across households. The PHEV designs created by these households emphasize increased fuel economy rather than all-electric operation—as did the designs of prior representative samples of new-car buyers (who had not driven PHEVs). This result may be due in part to 1) "anchoring" (respondents are driving a PHEV that does not practically allow all-electric operation), and 2) households not creating integrated assessments of gasoline and electricity use/cost from the in-vehicle and internet-based instrumentation. Over the PHEV trials, narratives are co-authored about the PHEVs and their place in the ongoing life-stories of the participants. The primary themes to emerge are changing driving behavior, recharging habits and etiquette, confusion about PHEVs and how they work, and the role of payback analyses and more intuitive assessments of whether PHEVs are "worth it." Tracing social interactions by the participants about the PHEVs reveals that complex translation of ideas and information about PHEVs is occurring as the PHEV drivers, in particular, use their trial period to reflexively explore lifestyle and identity possibilities of these new vehicles.


It is essential for early human life that immunological responses to developing embryos are tightly regulated. An imbalance in the activation and regulation of the human complement system occurs in pregnancy complications, such as pre-eclampsia and recurrent miscarriage. We hereby present the first full analysis of the expression and deposition of complement molecules in human pre-implantation embryos. Thus far, immunological imbalance has been considered in stages of pregnancy following implantation. We here show that complement activation and deposition takes place on developing human embryos already at the pre-implantation stage. Using confocal microscopy, we observed deposition of activation products such as C1q, C3 and C5 on healthy developing embryos, which highlights the need for strict complement regulation. The early embryos express the complement membrane inhibitors CD46, CD55 and CD59 and bind the soluble regulators C4bp and factor H. These findings show that complement targets human embryos, and indicate potential adverse pregnancy outcomes, if regulation of activation fails. In addition, single-cell RNA sequencing of embryos at oocyte, zygote, 4-cell and 8-cell stages showed expression of complement genes, e.g. C1s, C2, C3, C5, factor B and factor D. This shows that the embryonic cells themselves have the capacity to express C3 and C5, which may become activated and function as mediators of cellular signaling. The specific local embryonic expression of complement components, regulators, and deposition of activation products on the surface of embryos suggests that complement has immunoregulatory functions and may impact cellular homeostasis and differentiation at the earliest stage of human life. Statement of significance While canonical functions of the complement system relate to pathogen-defence, it is known to drive certain immune pathologies. The work here described shows, for the first time, expression and localization of a full range of complement molecules in human pre-implantation embryos. We demonstrate complement attack against early embryos, and show presence of embryonic defence mechanisms. Furthermore, we reveal early embryonic production of complement activators, suggesting non-canonical roles in cell signalling and development. Our findings thus reveal a fundamental role for complement at the earliest stages of human embryogenesis. Our data opens up for future studies into the role of complement, both in relation to infertility and pregnancy complications, as well as basic cellular processes during early human development.


: The phenomenon of fast death of mice after parenteral administration of mink serum was explained by high activity of mink complement in particular by unusually high activity of its alternative pathway of activation. The presence of antibodies to mouse erythrocytes in mink serum was necessary precondition for their lysis under action of mink complement by classical and alternative pathways. However, removal of these antibodies resulting in cancellation of hemolysis did not effect toxicity of mink serum for nice in vivo. Partial decomplementization of mink serum zymosan completely prevented death of animals.


Increased numbers of mast cells are noted at sites of wound healing and inflammation. These mast cells are either recruited from the bone marrow or proliferate locally under cytokine stimulation. However, the molecular mechanisms mediating initial adhesive interactions between mast cell precursors and vascular endothelial cells are not well understood. We have used a syngeneic dorsal skinfold chamber model of microcirculation to study early events of mast cell-endothelial cell interactions by intravital fluorescence microscopy. Because "rolling" represents the earliest step of granulocyte adhesion under conditions of flow, our objective was to determine whether vascular selectins promote rolling of immature mouse bone marrow-derived mast cells (MBMMC) on endothelial cells lining murine blood vessels in vivo. In this study, titanium window chambers were implanted on the dorsal skinfolds of BALB/c mice. The passage of injected fluorescently labeled MBMMC within blood vessels of the striated skin muscle was observed by stroboscopic epi-illumination. As previously determined for other leukocytes, MBMMC were observed to roll in venules but not in arterioles or capillaries. Mice were also treated with neutralizing anti-E-selectin (mAb 9A9) and anti-P-selectin (mAb 5H1) antibodies and tested for their ability to block MBMMC rolling on venular endothelial cells. Intravenous administration of mAb 5H1 resulted in a marked decrease in MBMMC rolling, whereas mAb 9A9 and isotype matched control antibodies had no effect on the rolling flux of MBMMC. These studies represent the first identification of P-selectin as a rolling receptor for MBMMC, and demonstrate the use of a dorsal skinfold technique to study MBMMC-endothelial cell interactions under conditions of physiologic flow. Further studies will determine whether vascular selectins participate in the rolling and tissue recruitment of true circulating immature mast cell precursors in vivo.


A type-specific monoclonal antibody, LP10, precipitated a glycoprotein with a molecular weight of approximately 59,000 from purified herpes simplex virus type 1. Although this glycoprotein was similar in size to glycoprotein D (gD), it was shown to be less abundant in both virions and infected cells, to migrate more rapidly in its precursor form, to incorporate glucosamine but not mannose, and to have a more stable precursor in tunicamycin-treated cells than the gD precursor (pgD). Immunoassays of cells infected with insertion recombinants and intertypic recombinants localized the gene coding for the target antigen of LP10 to the unique short (Us) region at map units 0.892 to 0.924 excluding gD. The target antigen of LP10 was then definitively mapped to the Us4 open reading frame by immunoprecipitation of a polypeptide synthesized by in vitro translation of a Us4-specific transcript prepared by using an SP6 cloning This newly identified glycoprotein product of the Us4 gene of herpes simplex virus type 1 is distinct from the previously identified gB1, gC1, gE1, and gH1.


The Scioto Hopewell and Their Neighbors: Bioarchaeological Documentation and Cultural Understanding. D. TROY CASE and CHRISTOPHER CARR (eds.). Springer, New York, 2008. xvii, 774 pp., illus., maps; CD-ROM. $183.00 (hardback), ISBN 13: 978-0-38777386-5; $79.95 (softback), ISBN: 978-1-4419-6507-3.The Scioto Hopewell and Their Neighbors: Bioarchaeological Documentation and Cultural Understanding includes an outstanding synthesis of the Ohio Hopewell culture. Certainly it is the most potentially useful sourcebook of data pertaining to Hopewell archaeology ever assembled under a single cover, and Case and Carr are owed a debt of considerable gratitude for the enormous effort they have poured into this project.This book presents the foundation of data upon which their previous synthetic work, Gathering Hopewell: Society, Ritual, and Ritual Interaction (Carr and Case 2005), was based. Yet it also extends and adjusts interpretations presented in that previous volume. I cannot do justice to the full extent of what Carr, Case, and their contributors have accomplished in a review of this length, but I will attempt to highlight what I perceive to be the book's principal strengths. In addition, I draw attention to what I regard as serious methodological problems with their research program.Case and Carr have two complementary goals for the book. First, they wish "to describe in rich, ethnographic-like detail and genre, to the extent possible, the culture, lifeways, environment, and history" of the Scioto Hopewell (p. 5). They refer to this as "thick prehistory" (p. 3). Second, they attempt to "systematize and present for use by other researchers the massive, largely unpublished mortuary-archaeological and physical anthropological information and other supporting data that exist on the Scioto Hopewell and their Hopewellian neighbors across Ohio" (p. 5). Case and Carr fully achieve their second goal and make important contributions toward the first, but, I think, overreach in their ambitious attempt to write a "thick prehistory" for the Hopewell episode. It is a laudable goal, but I remain unconvinced that current archaeological theory and methods afford us the capability "to know and experience the lives of past people in their own social and cultural terms" (p. 7).The book comes with a CD-ROM on which there are a number of invaluable research aids, the most important of which are four extensive databases, including an Excel database of the human remains, funerary objects, and forms of burial for "1,052+ individuals buried in 126 earthen mounds and burial areas in 52 ceremonial centers" (p. 16). In addition, there are digitized maps of "the spatial layouts of burials and ceremonial deposits of artifacts on the floors under 50 mounds" and of Ohio counties showing the "locations of 3,691 earthen-mound and earthen-enclosure ceremonial centers" (p. 17). Finally, there is a compilation of "the ceremonial functions, symbolic meanings, and social role associations of a wide range of historic Woodland Native American ceremonial paraphernalia that are analogous to those used by the Ohio Hopewell" (p. 16). This last database will be useful to a wide audience of archaeologists, anthropologists, and ethnohistorians.Among the more important contributions to our understanding of Hopewellian history presented in this book are Case and Carr's convincing determinations that neither the florescence nor the decline of Hopewell culture can be tied convincingly to demographic or ecological causes (290) and that spiritualreligious events likely initiated both (chapter 5). Also, they argue persuasively that the pace of change throughout the Middle Woodland period was more rapid than often has been appreciated (p. 289). The concluding chapter, in which Carr offers his suggestions for future research, is an important recognition that we still have a lot to learn about this fascinating culture.Although Case and Carr express their intention to develop a rich description of the Hopewell culture without being unduly concerned that it "fit neatly with general anthropological theoretical expectations, ethnohistorical Woodland Native American analogs, or popular interpretations" (p. …


We developed Pickering foams highly stabilized by high-aspect-ratio (ξ = diameter/thickness) nano-sheets. The effects of particle aspect ratio, concentration, and hydrophobicity were also investigated. To our knowledge, our study provides the first experimental evidence of the effect of particle aspect ratio on particle-stabilized foams. The adsorption properties of these highly anisotropic nano-sheets are strongly affected by their small thickness and large lateral size (i.e., two-dimensional). These high-aspect-ratio nano-sheets were obtained by exfoliation of α-zirconium phosphate (ZrP) crystals with propylamine (C3H7NH2, PA). The hydrophobicity of the nano-sheets was tailored by adjusting the PA : ZrP molar ratio in the suspension. The morphology and stability of the foam depend on the nano-sheet aspect ratio and concentration as well as on the PA : ZrP molar ratio. Here, we found that using low and high aspect ratio nano-sheets having a high and an intermediate degree of hydrophobicity, respectively, is the successful formula to obtain high foam stability. The aqueous foams were characterized by optical and cross-polarized micrographs. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs of dried foams revealed the adsorption of the PA–ZrP nano-sheets on the air–water interface. The foam stability was studied by measuring the foam and the water volume as a function of time to obtain the foam decay and water drainage rate, respectively. We also observed that the foams were stabilized by jammed layers of nano-sheets located in the bulk and at the air–water interface. These layers of particles prevent air diffusion between the bubbles, hence arresting Ostwald ripening and coalescence.


The discovery of Didymograptus (Didymograptus) artus Elles and Wood in the Ordovician section of the Vidrias Cape (Atlantic coast of Spain), constitutes the first record of early Oretanian (= mid Darriwilian) rocks in the Cantabrian Zone of the Iberian Massif. The fossil locality lies in a shaly intercalation towards the middle part of an easternmost equivalent of the «Sabugo Quartzite» of the Navia Domain (West Asturian-Leonese Zone), so far unknown in the reference section for the Ordovician of the Cantabrian
Zone of the nearby Penas Cape. Correlations of the studied strata by previous authors are also reviewed, and the existence of a fault is suggested to occur between the «Penas» and «Vidrias» members of the Luarca Formation on the famous section of the Penas Cape.


Th is article explores the ethics and aesthetics of representing travel and intercultural encounter in textual and photographic forms. Taking as its starting point two textual accounts of journeys in the course of which photographic narratives were also produced, the article explores the possibilities and limitations of textuality and visuality and thus considers the implications of, or new opportunities aff orded by, reading – and ultimately publishing – these narratives as iconotexts. Focusing on Pierre Loti's L'Inde (sans les Anglais) (1901) and Ella Maillart's Oasis interdites (1937), the article also off ers an alternative perspective on writers whose work is commonly associated with an imperialist or exoticist discourse, with cliche and one-dimensionality. As such, it aims to replace the monolithic, orientalist vision often attributed to these writers with ambiguity, ethical hesitation and a plurality of perspectives. Using these examples as a springboard, the article seeks to argue that verbal/visual mobility in narratives representing mobility contributes to resisting static, monolithic perceptions of other cultures. Using the work of British graffi ti artist Banksy as a foil for exploring photography as cultural commodifi cation and art as commodity, the article also seeks to engage with current debates in Humanities research on ekphrasis and iconotextuality and on the problematics of representing other cultures within an ethical and/or humanist frame.


Spore-forming bacteria, Bacillus sp., frequently been associated with the contamination of rice and other starchy products. Spores are more resistant to antimicrobial treatments than its vegetative cells. The extract of Indonesian bay leaf (Syzygium polyanthum L.) was assessed for its antibacterial and sporicidal activities against vegetative cells and spores of B. cereus isolated from rice (25 strains). The results showed that S. polyanthum L. extract was able to inhibit the growth of vegetative cells of all B. cereus isolates with MICs ranged from 0.16 to 0.63 mg/mL and can kill with MBCs ranged from 0.31 to 2.50 mg/mL. The bactericidal endpoint for B. cereus BC-NP.8 in time kill curve was at 1.25 mg/mL (8× MIC) after 4 h of incubation while for B. cereus ATCC 33019 was at 2.50 mg/mL (8× MIC). The sporicidal activity of S. polyanthum L. extract was not affected by different temperatures treatment and alteration of the pHs of extract. Therefore, this indicates that the extract was stable after exposed to pH3, 7 and 10 as well as temperature of 50, 80, and 121°C. Observation under on scanning electron microscope the structure of the B. cereus ATCC 33019 spores was ruptured after being treated with 1% (w/v) S. polyanthum L. extract for 1 h. In conclusion, S. polyanthum L.
extract had antibacterial and sporicidal activity against vegetative cells and spores of B. cereus isolated from rice.


In this thesis, we consider random sums with heavy-tailed increments. By the term random sum, we mean a sum of random variables where the number of summands is also random. Our interest is to analyse the tail behaviour of random sums and to construct an efficient method to calculate quantiles. For the sake of efficiency, we simulate rare-events (tail-events) using a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method. The asymptotic behaviour of sum and the maximum of heavy-tailed random sums is identical. Therefore we compare random sum and maximum value for various distributions, to investigate from which point one can use the asymptotic approximation. Furthermore, we propose a new method to estimate quantiles and the estimator is shown to be efficient.


Abstract Introduction: Crinum latifolium is a natural plant showing the anti-inflammatory effects. We aimed to evaluate the effects of Crinum latifolium extract on proinflammatory cytokine production and maturation of early and late endosomes in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced human macrophages at light microscopic and biochemical levels. Material and Methods: The effects of Crinum latifolium extract in human macrophages stimulated with LPS was evaluated to optic densities of the lysosome-associated membrane protein-1 (LAMP-1) and early endo-some antigen 1 (EEA1) by immunohistochemistry staining and to level of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-6 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: Crinum latifolium group exhibited a significant decreased in the levels of IL-6 in the supernatant as compared to the LPS group for 2 and 72 hours (p<0.0001). Crinum latifolium group exhibited a significant increased in the optic density of the EEA1 and LAMP-1 in coverslips as compared to the control and lipopolysaccharide groups after 2 and 72 hours (p<0.0001). Conclusions: Crinum latifolium may a therapeutic plant in the inflammatory diseases, such as sepsis, through anti-inflammatory effects, such as decrease in production of the proinflammatory cytokine and increase in maturations of the early and late endosomes in macrophages.


Competitive analysis is concerned with minimizing a relative measure of performance. When applied to financial trading strategies, competitive analysis leads to the development of strategies with minimum relative performance risk. This approach is too inflexible. Many investors are interested in managing their risk: they may be willing to increase their risk for some form of reward. They may also have some forecast of the future. We extend competitive analysis to provide a framework in which investors can develop optimal trading strategies based on their risk tolerance and forecast. We first define notions of risk and reward that are smooth extensions of classical competitive analysis. We then illustrate our ideas using the ski-rental problem. Finally, we analyze a financial game, the unidirectional conversion problem. In particular, we present an optimal risk-tolerant algorithm for the forecast that prices will reach a certain level at some point during the game, and give numerical results of the investor's reward for making such a forecast.


This study focuses on the design of a MATLAB platform for non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) based systems with link-level and system-level analyses. Among the different potential candidates for 5G, NOMA is gaining considerable attention owing to the many-fold increase in spectral efficiency as compared to orthogonal multiple access (OMA). In this study, a NOMA simulator is presented for two and more than two users in a single cell for link-level analysis; whereas, for system-level analysis, seven cells and 19 cells scenarios were considered. Long-term evolution (LTE) was used as the baseline for the NOMA simulator, while bit error rate (BER), throughput and spectral efficiency are used as performance metrics to analyze the simulator performance. Moreover, we demonstrated the application of the NOMA simulator for different simulation scenarios through examples. In addition, the performance of multi-carrier NOMA (MC-NOMA) was evaluated in the presence of AWGN, impulse noise, and intercell interference. To circumvent channel impairments, channel coding with linear precoding is suggested to improve the BER performance of the system.


Substrate and light intensity exert influence on the quality of seedlings produced by increasing plant nutritional efficiency and growth. The objective of this work was to study the emergence and early growth of guava seedlings (Psidium guajava L.) in substrate enriched with sewage sludge and under different light intensities. In the conduction of this work, guava seeds of the cultivar Pedro Sato were used and five substrates formed by dystrophic Red Yellow Latosol, washed sand, and sewage sludge: S1-soil + sand (Control); S2 - soil + sand + silt (40 t ha-1); S3 - soil + sand + silt (80 t ha-1); S4 - soil + sand + sludge (120 t ha-1); S5 - soil + sand + sludge (240 t ha-1); and S6 - soil + sand + sludge (480 t ha-1). Each experimental plot consisted of four repetitions of 25 seeds for the analyzed emergence (%) and emergence speed index. For fresh and aerial part dry mass (mg L-1), root dry mass (mg L-1), root volume (cm3 plant-1), number of leaves, levels of chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll each experimental plot consisted of four repetitions of 16 seeds. The production of guava seedlings with sewage sludge should be conducted with the dosages of 240 and 480 t ha-1. Shading with two screens is recommended for the production of guava seedlings.

 Key words: Biosolids, emergency, luminous intensity, Psidium guajava L., residues.


Social animals may share information to obtain a more complete and accurate picture of their surroundings. However, physical constraints on communication limit the flow of information between interacting individuals in a way that can cause an accumulation of errors and deteriorated collective behaviors. Here, we theoretically study a general model of information sharing within animal groups. We take an algorithmic perspective to identify efficient communication schemes that are, nevertheless, economic in terms of communication, memory and individual internal computation. We present a simple and natural algorithm in which each agent compresses all information it has gathered into a single parameter that represents its confidence in its behavior. Confidence is communicated between agents by means of active signaling. We motivate this model by novel and existing empirical evidences for confidence sharing in animal groups. We rigorously show that this algorithm competes extremely well with the best possible algorithm that operates without any computational constraints. We also show that this algorithm is minimal, in the sense that further reduction in communication may significantly reduce performances. Our proofs rely on the Cramér-Rao bound and on our definition of a Fisher Channel Capacity. We use these concepts to quantify information flows within the group which are then used to obtain lower bounds on collective performance. The abstract nature of our model makes it rigorously solvable and its conclusions highly general. Indeed, our results suggest confidence sharing as a central notion in the context of animal communication.


Gradient-based edge detection is a straightforward method to identify the edge points in the original grey-level image. It is consistent with the intuition that in the human vision system the edge points always appear where the change of grey-level is greatest within their neighbourhood. In this paper, triple-diagonal gradient-based edge detection is introduced. It is based on the features of Spiral Architecture and computes the gradients in three diagonal directions instead of approximating the gradient in one direction only as the traditional methods do. Essentially, it improves the accuracy for locating edge points. As a result, it does not need any supplementary processing to enhance the edge map.


This paper presents the development of a micro-machined dual-backplate capacitive microphone for aeroacoustic measurements. The device theory, fabrication, and characterization are discussed. The microphone is fabricated using the five-layer planarized-polysilicon SUMMiT V process at Sandia National Laboratories. The microphone consists of a 0.46-mm-diameter 2.25-mum-thick circular diaphragm and two circular backplates. The diaphragm is separated from each backplate by a 2-mum air gap. Experimental characterization of the microphone shows a sensitivity of 390 muV/Pa. The dynamic range of the microphone interfaced with a charge amplifier extends from the noise floor of 41 dB/ radicHz up to 164 dB and the resonant frequency is 178 kHz.