ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) design verification takes as long as the designers take to describe, synthesis and implement the design. The hybrid approach, where the design is first prototyped on an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) platform for functional validation and then implemented as an ASIC allows earlier defect detection in the design process and thus allows a significant time saving. This paper deals with a CMOS standard-cell ASIC implementation of a SoC (System on Chip) based on the OpenRISC processor for Voice over IP (VoIP) application; where a hybrid approach is adopted. The architecture of the design is mainly based on the reuse of IPs cores described at the RTL level. This RTL code is technology-independent; hence the design can be ported easily from FPGA to ASIC. Results show that the SoC occupied the area of 2.64mm2. Regarding the power consumption, RTL power estimation is given.


Software evolution is a crucial activity for software organizations. A specifc type of software evolution is the integration of previously isolated systems. The need for integration is often a consequence of different organizational changes, including merging of previously separate organizations. One goal of software integration is to increase the value to users of several systems by combining their functionality, another is to reduce functionality overlap. If the systems are completely owned and controlled in-house, there is an additional advantage in rationalizing the use of internal resources by decreasing the amount of software with essentially the same purpose. Despite in-house integration being common, this topic has received little attention from researchers. This thesis contributes to an increasing understanding of the problems associated with in-house integration and provides guidelines to the more efficient utilization of the existing systems and the personnel.In the thesis, we combine two perspectives: software architecture and processes. The perspective of software architecture is used to show how compatibility analysis and development of integration alternatives can be performed rapidly at a high level of abstraction. The software process perspective has led to the identification of important characteristics and practices of the integration process. The guidelines provided in the thesis will help those performing future in-house integration to make well-founded decisions timely and efficiently.The contributions are based on several integration projects in industry, which have been studied systematically in order to collect, evaluate and generalize their experiences.


Invited Papers.- The DBLP Computer Science Bibliography: Evolution, Research Issues, Perspectives.- From Searching Text to Querying XML Streams.- String Matching Problems from Bioinformatics Which Still Need Better Solutions.- String Matching.- Optimal Exact String Matching Based on Suffix Arrays.- Faster String Matching with Super-Alphabets.- On the Size of DASG for Multiple Texts.- String Processing.- Sorting by Prefix Transpositions.- Efficient Computation of Long Similar Subsequences.- Stemming Galician Texts.- Firing Policies for an Arabic Rule-Based Stemmer.- Web Ranking and Link Analysis.- Enhancing the Set-Based Model Using Proximity Information.- Web Structure, Dynamics and Page Quality.- A Theoretical Analysis of Google's PageRank.- Machine Learning Approach for Homepage Finding Task.- Pattern Matching.- Tree Pattern Matching for Linear Static Terms.- Processing Text Files as Is: Pattern Matching over Compressed Texts, Multi-byte Character Texts, and Semi-structured Texts.- Pattern Matching over Multi-attribute Data Streams.- Digital Libraries and Applications.- Java MARIAN: From an OPAC to a Modern Digital Library System.- A Framework for Generating Attribute Extractors for Web Data Sources.- Multiple Example Queries in Content-Based Image Retrieval.- Focussed Structured Document Retrieval.- Towards a More Comprehensive Comparison of Collaborative Filtering Algorithms.- Approximate Searching.- Fully Dynamic Spatial Approximation Trees.- String Matching with Metric Trees Using an Approximate Distance.- Probabilistic Proximity Searching Algorithms Based on Compact Partitions.- Indexing Techniques.- t-Spanners as a Data Structure for Metric Space Searching.- Compact Directed Acyclic Word Graphs for a Sliding Window.- Indexing Text Using the Ziv-Lempel Trie.


The existence of the mysterious pseudo-gap state in the phase diagram of copper oxide superconductors and its interplay with unconventional d-wave superconductivity has been a long standing issue for more than a decade. There is now a growing number of experimental indications that the pseudo-gap phase actually corresponds to a symmetry breaking state. In his theory for cuprates, C. M. Varma proposes that the pseudo-gap is a new state of matter associated with the spontaneous appearance of circulating current loops within CuO2 unit cell. This intra-unit-cell order breaks time reversal symmetry, but preserves lattice translation invariance. Polarized elastic neutron scattering measurements provide evidence for an intra-unit-cell magnetic order inside the pseudo-gap state. This order could be produced by the orbital-like magnetic moments induced by the circulating current loops. The magnetic order displays the same characteristic features in HgBa2CuO4+δ, YBa2Cu3O6+x and Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ demonstrating that this genuine phase is ubiquitous of the pseudo-gap of high temperature copper oxide materials. We review the main properties characterizing this intra-unit-cell magnetic order and discuss its interplay or competition with other spin and charge instabilities.


Background The transmission of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is influenced by climatic variables. However, few studies have examined the quantitative relationship between climate variation and HFRS transmission. Objective We examined the potential impact of climate variability on HFRS transmission and developed climate-based forecasting models for HFRS in northeastern China. Methods We obtained data on monthly counts of reported HFRS cases in Elunchun and Molidawahaner counties for 1997–2007 from the Inner Mongolia Center for Disease Control and Prevention and climate data from the Chinese Bureau of Meteorology. Cross-correlations assessed crude associations between climate variables, including rainfall, land surface temperature (LST), relative humidity (RH), and the multivariate El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) index (MEI) and monthly HFRS cases over a range of lags. We used time-series Poisson regression models to examine the independent contribution of climatic variables to HFRS transmission. Results Cross-correlation analyses showed that rainfall, LST, RH, and MEI were significantly associated with monthly HFRS cases with lags of 3–5 months in both study areas. The results of Poisson regression indicated that after controlling for the autocorrelation, seasonality, and long-term trend, rainfall, LST, RH, and MEI with lags of 3–5 months were associated with HFRS in both study areas. The final model had good accuracy in forecasting the occurrence of HFRS. Conclusions Climate variability plays a significant role in HFRS transmission in northeastern China. The model developed in this study has implications for HFRS control and prevention.


This paper investigates how the share of education expenditure in the household budget varies across Turkish households with different gender-age composition of children. Using household level data from Household Budget Surveys over the period 2004 – 2008, I find no evidence for a pro-male bias. Results suggest that a pro-female bias at the secondary school level emerged in 2006 which is in line with declining gender gaps in enrolment at the secondary school level. Findings in both urban and rural areas suggest that Turkish households do not favor boys in the allocation of education expenditures. To the contrary, in 2006 girls of secondary school age group receive more educational resources than boys of the same age group. This may be explained by the effect of both education and textbook assistance campaigns. Further research is needed to make other labor market oriented explanations.


Background: Metabolic syndrome is associated with an increase in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Since the first description of MS, several definitions have been elaborated (IDF, AHA, Who, NCEP). Arterial stiffness is a strong independent predictor of cardiovascular events and cardiovascular mortality in various groups of patients. Aim: The purpose of present study was to investigate the impact of the different definitions of MS on arterial stiffness. Material and Methods: we investigated 214 patients, mean age 60.04±9.98 years. Arterial stiffness was evaluated using TensioMed TM Arteriograph. Results: Using the three definitions of the metabolic syndrome – IDF 2005, AHA, NCEP -, a proportion of 71.5% (153 patients), 72.9% (156 patients) and 62.1% (133 patients), respectively, had metabolic syndrome. Pulse wave velocity in the group of patients with metabolic syndrome was increased compared to those without metabolic syndrome, but the difference was not statistically significant (IDF - 10.37±2.13m/sec vs 10.04±2.21m/sec, AHA 10.40±2.14m/sec vs 9.93±2.19m/sec, NCEP 10.47±1.86m/sec vs 9.95±2.55m/sec). A statistically significant difference between pulse wave velocity in men with metabolic syndrome compared to those without metabolic syndrome was found, the relationship being not true in women. Conclusion: Patients with MS (especially men) have increased arterial stiffness parameters than those without metabolic syndrome. All the three definitions used have the same ability to identify patients with arterial stiffness. Arterial stiffness parameters are more altered as the number of criteria for the definition of metabolic syndrome increases, regardless of the definition used.


This work analyzes the difference between trade policy and competition policy for prices, wages, employment and national welfare when both product and labor markets are imperfectly competitive. Trade and competition policies have different impact on the domestic labor market when it is unionized. While competitive policies increase union welfare, imports from a foreign country reduce it. Competition policy in the presence of national labor unions does not reduce labor market distortions, while competition induced by trade policy from a foreign exporter reduces both labor and product market distortions and competition is harsher as long as a foreign union is more employment oriented. The impact of both policies on the domestic welfare level is analyzed.


Unfavorable hygienic factors, like nickel-containing dust, toxic gases, resinous sublimates, heat and hard physical labor are inherent in the modern production of nickel. A variety of occupational peculiarities results in a higher morbidity of workers. Diseases of the respiratory organs, digestive system, skin and of the subcutaneous cellular tissue are in the lead. Besides, bronchitis, pneumoconiosis, exogenous fibrosing alveolitis as well as neoplasms in the respiratory organs and stomach equally belong to occupational diseases. Preventive schemes of the general occupational and oncological morbidity of workers must rest on a comprehensive set of measures with the introduction of new technological innovations and of raw materials into all nickel-production stages being of primary importance.


Abstract Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are the most common mental disorders following traumatic experiences. The aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which PTSD and depression co-occurred in Serbian general population at baseline and 1 year after the follow-up, as well as how this co-occurrence was associated with sociodemographic factors, personal distress, suicidality and quality of life. Subjects and methods The sample consisted of 159 subjects, who fulfilled the IES criteria for PTSD, and were taken from a larger sample of 640 participants, which was chosen by a random walk technique in five regions of the country affected by major trauma. The assessment was carried out by the following instruments: Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview 5 (MINI 5), Life Stressor Checklist-Revised (BSC-R), Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) and Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life Scale (MANSA). The follow-up study was carried out 1 year after the baseline. Results In the initial phase, PTSD was found in 100 out of 159 participants (62.9%), while 81 (51%) fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for MDD. Comorbidity of PTSD and depression was identified in 65 (40.9%) subjects of the sample. After 1 year, PTSD was found in 56 (35.2%) and MDD in 73 (45.9%) participants. Comorbidity of PTSD and depression in the follow-up phase was identified in 41 (25.8%) subjects of the sample. The subjects with comorbidity had significantly higher level of post-traumatic stress symptoms, general psychological distress as well as suicide risk and lower level of quality of life than participants with either condition alone. Conclusion PTSD–depression comorbidity is a common post-traumatic condition. Complex psychopathology, severity of symptoms and their consequences, both at individual and community levels, require attention to be paid to early diagnostics and treatment of affected persons.


Singapore's post-independence leaders perceived the country's vulnerability in terms of its miniscule size, lack of resources and hinterland, fragile ethnic harmony and geo-strategic location surrounded by larger, and potentially hostile, neighbours. Given such odds, Singapore sought to become a global city by tapping into international flows of goods and trade. Becoming a core node in the global economy also enhanced Singapore's strategic relevance, upping major powers' interest in its survival. However, due to its global connectivity Singapore's exposure to rapidly spreading global risks, such as pandemics and financial crises, has become increasingly noticeable. This paper seeks to uncover a paradox in Singapore's ambition to become a global city as new vulnerabilities emerge from its highly globalized status. Through a discourse analysis of policy-makers' statements and speeches, it reveals that a recurrent theme of perceived vulnerability today relates to the extensive global maritime, aviation and financial flows on which Singapore's continued prosperity depends. The paper concludes that the critical infrastructure that underpin its global connectivity — its airport, maritime port hub and financial centre — can also unwittingly circulate and import global risks such as pandemics, Weapons of Mass Destruction proliferation, financial contagion and terrorist financing, adding a new dimension to how its leaders perceive vulnerability.


It is worth highlighting that, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, vertical profiles of atmospheric parameters and $C_n^2$ were measured at Lhasa, south of the Tibetan Plateau, using balloon-borne radiosondes. Based on the measurements, two new statistical models (Lhasa HMN and Lhasa Dewan) for estimating turbulence strength are proposed. Attention has been paid to evaluate the reliability of the two models to reconstruct vertical profiles of $C_n^2$ from a statistical perspective. The statistical analyses presenting the Lhasa HMN model are accompanied with lower bias, root mean square error (RMSE), and bias-corrected RMSE ($\sigma$) than those of the Lhasa Dewan model, which implies the Lhasa HMN model can better reveal the nature of turbulence characteristics of Lhasa influenced by unique local weather conditions. In addition, the comparison between the Lhasa HMN model and measurements in calculating integrated astroclimatic parameters is carried out, and the result suggests that the performance of the Lhasa HMN model is reliable and satisfactory. The new reliable $C_n^2$ model offers new insight into the characteristics of optical turbulence at Lhasa and provides support for pursuing astronomical site selection in the Tibetan Plateau.


In this article, a Ti/Al thin film with Ti as an adhesive layer that merits high conductivity, excellent adhesion and low cost is used as the electrode in a biomedical blood separation chip instead of the conventional biomedical electrode mostly made of expensive Au and/or Pt. The design and fabrication of the meander-shaped Ti/Al thin-film electrode are studied for the application to promote the capillary-driven dielectrophoresis (DEP) blood separation chip. The meandered electrode with a castellated profile of 0.6 and 0.2 mm spacing instead of the flat one is designed on the glass substrate to produce an asymmetric electric field for the DEP force to separate the blood. The meander-with-castellated electrode shape and gap affects the electric field gradient on the separation performance. The patterning of the electrode was performed by the low-cost CO2 laser-ablated polymer tape rather than an expensive-complex photolithography process and then followed by sputtering together with lift-off process. The Ti/Al thin film is coated on the channel backside rather than inside for contactless DEP to avoid the contact pollution of the sample as well to reduce the operation voltage. The COMSOL Multiphysics® simulation of the electric field and the blood separation test were done for verifying the design and experiment. In the simulation, the 0.2 mm castellated electrode can greatly enhance the asymmetric electric field peak of 24000 V m−1 compared to the flat electrode of about 12000 V m−1. Also, the 0.2 mm gap castellated electrode with three-time electric-field-gradient-pulse frequency can enhance the DEP force compared to the 0.6 mm gap electrode. In the experiment, the blood chip of 0.2 mm castellated electrode with the highly increased electric field and DEP force can shorten the starting separation time from 533 s to 253 s and enhance the separation efficiency from 20.0% to 51.7% at the applied voltage of 5 V and 1 MHz.


A new nocardioform actinomycete was isolated by filament micromanipulation during the course of a study into foaming in activated sludge plants in Australia. It constitutes the second most prevalent foaming organism in Australia after Nocardiu amarae. These two foaming organisms can be differentiated morphologically, biochemically and chemotaxonomically. The microscopic appearance of the filaments of the new taxon resembles a pine tree. The filaments are Gram-positive, non-acid-fast, non-motile, non-sheathed and about 0.5-1 -0 pm in diameter. On a complex medium, the colonies are orange, opaque, macroscopically dry and friable, microscopically moist and shiny, with a pasty texture and an entire edge. The strains are positive for catalase, oxidase and urease and are oxidative in their metabolism of glucose. No strain could degrade hypoxanthine, xanthine, tyrosine, casein, gelatin or aesculin and none could grow with lysozyme. The strains contain peptidoglycan type Aly, cell wall type IV, whole cell sugar pattern type A, phospholipid type PII, menaquinones o-cyclo-MK-8 (H4), fatty acids comprising straight chain saturated and unsaturated acids and tuberculostearic acid, and mycolic acids with 58-64 carbons containing substantial amounts of unsaturated chains in the 2-position. The name Nocardiapinensis has been chosen for the new taxon because of the pine tree like appearance of the organism on microscopy. The type strain, UQM3063, is deposited at the University of Queensland, Department of Microbiology Culture Collection.


Three-dimensional (3D) radiative transfer effects are a major source of retrieval errors in satellite-based optical re- mote sensing of clouds. In this study, we present two retrieval methods based on deep learning. We use deep neural networks (DNNs) to retrieve multipixel estimates of cloud optical thickness and column-mean cloud droplet effective radius simultane- ously from multispectral, multipixel radiances. Cloud field data are obtained from large-eddy simulations, and a 3D radiative transfer model is employed to simulate upward radiances from clouds. The cloud and radiance data are used to train and test the DNNs. The proposed DNN-based retrieval is shown to be more accurate than the existing look-up table approach that assumes plane-parallel, homogeneous clouds. By using convolutional layers, the DNN method estimates cloud properties robustly, even for optically thick clouds, and can correct the 3D radiative transfer effects that would otherwise affect the radiance values.


We consider the impact of thermal inflation—a short, secondary period of inflation that can arise in supersymmetric scenarios—on the stochastic gravitational wave background. We show that while the primordial inflationary gravitational wave background is essentially unchanged at cosmic microwave background scales, it is massively diluted at solar system scales and would be unobservable by a Big Bang Observer (BBO) style experiment. Conversely, bubble collisions at the end of thermal inflation can generate a new stochastic background. We calculate the likely properties of the bubbles created during this phase transition, and show that the expected amplitude and frequency of this signal would fall within the BBO range.


In recent years, the Malaysian rice sector has experienced structural changes to increase its competitiveness within a dynamic environment that is influenced by political, technical, economic and international trade challenges. Using a Policy Analysis Matrix, this paper examines whether Malaysia would have the comparative advantage in rice production under different scenarios of existing policies and economic reforms. The empirical results show that the rice farming is marginally competitive and generates relatively low social profits. Other empirical results show that three out of four states have comparative advantages in producing rice with Domestic Resource Cost values or DRCs less than one. Conversely, the results indicate no comparative advantage for rice production in the KETARA granary area, as DRC is greater than one.


Using large-scale quantum Monte Carlo simulations of lattice bosonic models, we precisely investigate the effect of weak Josephson tunneling between 2D superfluid or superconducting layers. In the clean case, the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition immediately turns into 3DXY, with phase coherence and superflow in all spatial directions, and a strong enhancement of the critical temperature. However, when disorder is present, rare regions fluctuations can lead to an intermediate finite-temperature phase —the so-called sliding regime— where only 2D superflow occurs within the layers without any transverse superfluid coherence, while a true 3D Bose-Einstein condensate exists. Critical properties of such an unconventional regime are carefully investigated.


There is a link between the methods employed to study and interpret the constitution, and the concepts of the constitution itself. These concepts are diverse, but, in any given moment, some of them may be favored by historical conditions. Therefore, historical dynamics may alter the way in which the constitution is conceived, interpreted, applied and, therefore, the constitution itself, as long as it is not viewed in a purely positivistic perspective. Starting from some methodological essays of the authors of Quaderni costituzionali, three stages of Italian constitutional history are reviewed in the light of the foregoing premises: the transition from liberal to welfare state («stato sociale»), witnessed by the methodological writings of Vittorio Emanuele Orlando; the rise of the welfare state in the republican Constitution, seen through the work of Costantino Mortati at the Constituent Assembly and his ensuing perplexities; the evolution of the constitutional state («stato costituzionale»), characterized by the dialectic between ever-moving principles, as well as by a growing role of judicial authorities, while political institutions languish. The essay ends with a look at the present: a landscape of changes so substantial, that they demand to be translated into legal categories and require speculations on the very conditions and premises of the 1948 Constitution.


Biologists have long appreciated natural variation in the nematode phylum. The development of Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism has provided a rich set of specific genetic and cellular mechanisms that have been subjected to... Since the earliest days of research on nematodes, scientists have noted the developmental and morphological variation that exists within and between species. As various cellular and developmental processes were revealed through intense focus on Caenorhabditis elegans, these comparative studies have expanded. Within the genus Caenorhabditis, they include characterization of intraspecific polymorphisms and comparisons of distinct species, all generally amenable to the same laboratory culture methods and supported by robust genomic and experimental tools. The C. elegans paradigm has also motivated studies with more distantly related nematodes and animals. Combined with improved phylogenies, this work has led to important insights about the evolution of nematode development. First, while many aspects of C. elegans development are representative of Caenorhabditis, and of terrestrial nematodes more generally, others vary in ways both obvious and cryptic. Second, the system has revealed several clear examples of developmental flexibility in achieving a particular trait. This includes developmental system drift, in which the developmental control of homologous traits has diverged in different lineages, and cases of convergent evolution. Overall, the wealth of information and experimental techniques developed in C. elegans is being leveraged to make nematodes a powerful system for evolutionary cellular and developmental biology.


Abstract Network system structure is the basis of network communication. The design of network model can change the network structure from the root, solve the deficiency of the original network system, and meet the new demand of the future network. TCP/IP as the core network technology is successful, it has shortcomings but is a reasonable existence, will continue to play a role. Considering the compatibility with the original network, the new network model needs to be compatible with the existing TCP/IP four-layer model, at the same time; it can provide a better technical system to implement the future network. Based on the Internet three-layer/four-layer hybrid architecture TCP/IP/M and ISO/IEC next-generation Internet standard solutions, this paper proposes the IPV9 system architecture, which can directly transmit audio and video data with three layers on the premise of not affecting the existing four-layer network transmission. The hybrid structure is a new transmission theory, which requires the establishment of a link before data transmission and the withdrawal of the link after the transmission is completed. It solves the problem of high-quality real-time media communication caused by the integration of three networks (communication network, broadcasting network and Internet) from the underlying structure of the network, realizes the long-distance and large-traffic data transmission of the future network, and lays a solid foundation for the digital currency and virtual currency of the Internet. The system framework is verified by practical application. It have been deployed to verify the compatibility and reliable transmission between IPV9 network and the existing network, under the independent, reliable, secure and controllable network architecture, a new generation of master root server and 13 root domain name servers.


Summary
The aim of this research was to evaluate the effects of lemon essential oil (LO, at 0.5%, 1%, 2% v/v film-forming solutions) and surfactants (Tween 80 and Span 80 at 0.1% v/v film-forming solutions) on physical, optical and structural properties of chitosan (CH) films. The films were formed by casting method. Results showed that the incorporation of LO provoked a decrease in water content, water vapour permeability (WVP) and mechanical properties. Less transparency and higher total colour difference were observed in CH–LO composite films. The addition of surfactants significantly increased WVP and solubility in water of CH–LO films. The film containing Tween 80 showed lower mechanical strength and higher transparency. The morphology was different depending on the LO contents and surfactant types used. Tween 80 improved the stability of LO in the film, whereas Span 80 promoted the movement of oil droplets to the film surface.


Osteoporosis and osteoarthritis are highly prevalent conditions that result in high levels of disability and healthcare costs. For both conditions, age and female sex are risk factors. High impact exercise interventions have improved outcome measures related to fracture risk across several age and sex cohorts, but there have been mixed findings in postmenopausal women, the group at greatest risk of osteoporosis. Despite limited evidence of exercise being a risk factor for osteoarthritis, there may be concern from older people about any potential negative effects high impact exercise may have on their joints. Imaging technologies have been well validated to analyse changes in both bone strength and joint health following interventions. The aim of this thesis was to use imaging technologies to assess changes in markers associated with osteoporosis and osteoarthritis following a high impact exercise intervention in postmenopausal women. The first two studies in this thesis established a valid and reliable methodology for analysing joint health prior to the intervention study. First, a systematic review of studies using compositional MRI to assess changes in articular cartilage following loading was conducted. The results of the review indicated that T2 mapping was the most widely used technique and that changes in compositional MRI outcome variables were mostly localised and exercise specific, with no evidence of long-term detrimental effects of chronic loading. Study two established the between-scan reproducibility of T2 mapping for different regions of interest in the knee. Six older women were scanned twice (one week apart) and changes in T2 relaxation times were analysed. Results showed that the reproducibility (%CVRMS) ranged from 3.74% to 14.82% with a mean of 8.68±2.70%. These figures were comparable with previous studies and confirmed the protocol for acquiring and analysing MRI scans during the intervention study.In study three, forty-two women were recruited to a unilateral, high impact exercise intervention lasting six months. Participants completed a progressive hopping exercise on a randomly assigned exercise leg, which was compared to the contralateral control leg. Dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans were acquired before and after the intervention, to assess changes in femoral neck bone mineral density, content and section modulus. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the knee joint was conducted before and after the intervention to provide information on the biochemical composition of the cartilage using T2 relaxometry, and semi-quantitative analysis of further joint pathology. Unilateral static postural sway was measured using a force plate before and after the intervention. Thirty-five participants completed the intervention with a mean adherence of 76.822.5%. Femoral neck bone mineral density, bone mineral content and section modulus all increased in the exercise leg (+0.81%, +0.69% and +3.18% respectively), compared to decreases in the control leg (-0.57%, -0.71% and -0.75%: all interaction effects P<0.05). There was a significant increase in mean T2 relaxation times (main effect of time P=0.011), but this did not differ between the exercise leg and control leg, indicating no global effect. The semi-quantitative analysis showed a high prevalence of bone marrow lesions and cartilage defects, especially in the patellofemoral joint, with no indication that the intervention caused pathology progression. Improvements in unilateral postural sway speed and mediolateral sway path were seen in both legs and not affected by the intervention. Study four investigated a range of weight-bearing movements to provide the ground reaction forces produced, and the osteogenic potential of these exercises. Twenty-eight older women were recruited and asked to perform multiple repetitions of fourteen different activities on a force plate. The maximum ground reaction force recorded for each movement was compared. Results indicated that stamps and skipping may be good candidates for exercises to increase femoral neck bone mineral density.This research is the first to demonstrate that a unilateral, high impact exercise intervention—that is simple, free and home-based—can improve femoral neck bone mineral density in healthy postmenopausal women. The results from both compositional and semi-quantitative MRI, used for the first time during a high impact intervention, there was no evidence of detrimental changes in knee joint health. Unilateral, multidirectional hopping appears to be a feasible, safe an effective intervention to reduce fracture risk in healthy, postmenopausal women


Captain Jack Aubrey sets sail for the South China Sea with a new lease on life. Following his dismissal from the Royal Navy (a false accusation), he has earned reinstatement through his daring exploits as a privateer, brilliantly chronicled in The Letter of Marque. Now he is to shepherd Stephen Maturin-his friend, ship's surgeon, and sometimes intelligence agent-on a diplomatic mission to prevent links between Bonaparte and the Malay princes which would put English merchant shipping at risk. The journey of the Diane encompasses a great and satisfying diversity of adventures. Maturin climbs the Thousand Steps of the sacred crater of the orangutans; a killer typhoon catches Aubrey and his crew trying to work the Diane off a reef; and in the barbaric court of Pulo Prabang a classic duel of intelligence agents unfolds: the French envoys, well entrenched in the Sultan's good graces, against the savage cunning of Stephen Maturin.


It has been proposed that a deep magma body beneath the east rift zone (ERZ) of Kilauea volcano, Hawaii, must be present in order to explain the observed deformation of the south flank. From November 1999 to June 2000, 29 IRIS-PASSCAL three-component seismographs were operated across Kilauea9s ERZ and south flank. Using local earthquakes recorded by these stations, supplemented with data from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory stations, we investigated the deep structure of the ERZ and south flank through two approaches: seismic velocity tomography and seismic attenuation tomography. Results along two north-northwest-south-southeast profiles are examined. The western profile shows a low-velocity region beneath and south of the Hilina Pali, and earthquakes at depth are sandwiched between a high V p / V s , high Q zone and a low V p / V s , low Q zone. The velocity and attenuation differences are interpreted to reflect the contrast in material properties between the overlying volcanic pile and the underlying fluid-rich ocean sediments and fractured, altered ocean crust beneath the south flank thrust fault. The eastern profile shows an anomalous feature with low V p , low V p / V s , high Q p , and low Q s at about 7 km depth beneath the ERZ. The low V p / V s ratio is inconsistent with the presence of partial melt. Instead, this anomaly is attributed to a trapped reservoir of CO 2 . Our results do not support the existence of a sizable molten or partially molten body at depth beneath the ERZ. If the deep magma body exists, it must be relatively small. Based on synthetic resolution tests, an estimated limit on the maximum allowable cross-sectional size of the deep magma body is about 2 by 4 km.


An intravenous urogram in a child with left adrenal neuroblastoma and bone metastases deomonstrated malrotation of the left kidney but no visible mass. A bone scan showed uptake of 99mTc by the tumor which suggested the diagnosis, confirmed by an abdominal echogram.


Grid cells are a special class of spatial cells found in the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) characterized by their strikingly regular hexagonal firing fields. This spatially periodic firing pattern was originally considered to be invariant to the geometric properties of the environment. However, this notion was contested by examining the grid cell periodicity in environments with different polarity (Krupic et al 2015) and in connected environments (Carpenter et al 2015). Aforementioned experimental results demonstrated the dependence of grid cell activity on environmental geometry. Analysis of grid cell periodicity on practically infinite variations of environmental geometry imposes a limitation on the experimental study. Hence we analyze the grid cell periodicity from a computational point of view using a model that was successful in generating a wide range of spatial cells, including grid cells, place cells, head direction cells and border cells. We simulated the model in four types of environmental geometries such as: 1) connected environments, 2) convex shapes, 3) concave shapes and 4) regular polygons with varying number of sides. Simulation results point to a greater function for grid cells than what was believed hitherto. Grid cells in the model code not just for local position but also for more global information like the shape of the environment. The proposed model is interesting not only because it was able to capture the aforementioned experimental results but, more importantly, it was able to make many important predictions on the effect of the environmental geometry on the grid cell periodicity.


A new spectrophotometric method has been developed for determination of molybdenum using surfactant-mediated liquid--liquid extraction. Molybdenum(V) obtained by ascorbic acid reduction in 2.5 M H2SO4 reacted spontaneously with thiocyanate and cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), forming an intense orange yellow complex that was extracted quantitatively into 1,2-dichloroethane and absorbed at 460 nm. The absorbance of the extract was found to be stable for more than 24 h. Beer's law was obeyed over the concentration range 0.1--4.2 m g Mo mL-1 of the extract. The linear range for an accurate determination was found to be 1.2--2.6 m g Mo mL-1. The molar absorptivity and LOD of the procedure were 4.01 \times 104 L mol-1 cm-1 and 0.00239 m g Mo mL-1, respectively. The stoichiometry of the orange yellow complex (Mo:SCN:CTAB) was found to be 1:3:2. The effect of a large number of cations, anions, and complexing agents was studied. For 10 replicate determinations of 1 m g Mo mL-1, the standard deviation was 0.014 concentration units with a relative mean error of \pm 0.38%. The method developed was applied for determination of molybdenum in various alloy steels and a wide variety of biological and environmental samples, including different types of water samples.


While significant strides have been made in the optimization of GaN-based devices on foreign substrates, a more attractive alternative would be homoepitaxy on GaN substrates. The primary motivation of this work is to explore the growth of thick films of GaN from the melt for the ultimate use as substrate material. We have previously demonstrated the synthesis of polycrystalline, wurtzitic gallium nitride and indium nitride by saturating gallium metal and indium metal with atomic nitrogen from a microwave plasma source. Plasma synthesis avoids the high equilibrium pressures required when molecular nitrogen is used as the nitrogen source. Here we report the growth of thick oriented GaN layers using the same technique by the introduction of (0001) sapphire into the melt to serve as a substrate. The mechanism of this growth is not established, but may involve transport of the metal as a liquid film onto the sapphire and subsequent reaction with atomic nitrogen. The films were characterized by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction showed that the GaN films were oriented with their c-axes parallel to the sapphire c-axis. The TEM analysis confirmed the orientation and revealed a dislocation density of approximately 10 10 cm. The E2 Raman active phonon modes were observed in the GaN films.


Despite recent advances in understanding the microbiome of eukaryotes, little is known about microbial communities in fungi. Here we investigate the structure of bacterial communities in mushrooms, including common edible ones, with respect to biotic and abiotic factors in the boreal forest. Using a combination of culture-based and Illumina high-throughput sequencing, we characterized the bacterial communities in fruitbodies of fungi from eight genera spanning four orders of the class Agaricomycetes (Basidiomycota). Our results revealed that soil pH followed by fungal identity are the main determinants of the structure of bacterial communities in mushrooms. While almost half of fruitbody bacteria were also detected from soil, the abundance of several bacterial taxa differed considerably between the two environments. The effect of host identity was significant at the fungal genus and order level and could to some extent be ascribed to the distinct bacterial community of the chanterelle, representing Cantharellales—the earliest diverged group of mushroom-forming basidiomycetes. These data suggest that besides the substantial contribution of soil as a major taxa source of bacterial communities in mushrooms, the structure of these communities is also affected by the identity of the host. Thus, bacteria inhabiting fungal fruitbodies may be non-randomly selected from environment based on their symbiotic functions and/or habitat requirements.


Cypriot bronze four-sided stands represent some of the most impressive metal artefacts produced in the Eastern Mediterranean. As such they offer insight into the high level of the Cypriot bronzework of the Late Bronze Age and witness the advanced skills of the Cypriot metalsmiths. A bronze fragment depicting a man bearing an oxhide ingot, detached from a four-sided stand and housed in the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada, is now added to the corpus of these works. Although unprovenanced, its Cypriot origin is proven by its close typological, technological and stylistic affinities when compared to other Cypriot stands. The discussion of technology, style and chronology of this fragment serves as an opportunity for the evaluation of the stands as a whole and their establishment as products of great technical and artistic virtuosity.


Electroencephalography signal is the recording of electrical activity of brain, provides valuable information of the brain function and neurological disorder. this paper proposed committee neural network for classification of EEG signals. Committee neural network consists of different neural network that used multilayer perceptron back propagation algorithm. The number of input node and hidden node selection for artificial neural network remains an important issues, as over parametrized ANN gets trapped in local minima resulting non convergence of ANN structure during training. Redundant features and excessive hidden
nodes of ANN increases modeling complexity without improving discrimination performance. Therefore optimum design of neural network which intern optimizes the committee neural network is required towards real time detection of EEG signals. The present work attempts to: (i) develop feature extraction algorithm which combines the score generated from autoregressive based feature and wavelet based feature for better classification of EEG signals, (ii) a two-level committee neural network is proposed based on the decision of several neural networks, (iii) select a set of input features that are effective for identification of EEG signal using genetic algorithm, (iv) make certain optimum selection of nodes in the hidden layer using genetic algorithm for each ANN structure of two-level CNN to get effective
classification of EEG signal. It is observed that the performance of proposed technique is better than the earlier established techniques (combined neural network based model and wavelet/ mixture of experts network based approach) and the technique that uses artificial neural network with back propagation multilayer perceptron


October 1971 remains the only time that the United Kingdom has successfully launched a satellite into Earth orbit by means of a launch vehicle developed within the country. In doing so, it became the sixth nation to attain this capability. Unlike others, however, the UK took the decision to abandon this capability, citing cost of development and the existence of alternative, cheaper arrangements with other states. With the granting of royal assent to the Space Industry Act (SIA) 2018, however, the UK is taking legislative steps to regain sovereign launch capacity. Accompanied by a significant amount of publicity from the UK Government, the SIA represents an ambitious attempt to re-establish independent launch capacity and a launch facility within the UK to complement its burgeoning small satellite industry.


The aim of this research is to establish whether container architecture in the residential sector of New Zealand is energy efficient in contrast with traditional houses built by different building materials. This study is part of a discussion on sustainability in prefabricated architecture. The term "container architecture" has not been assessed in depth yet. On the other hand, the concept of prefabrication in architecture is well documented. Despite the large amount of empirical knowledge, little is known about container architecture in the residential sector. A comparative life cycle analysis has been undertaken by emphasising three different approaches: Energy consumption, CO2 emissions and the thermal performance of three conventional building materials (steel, concrete and timber-based structures) in the residential sector of New Zealand. Results from international studies of the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) method in houses have been mixed. A number of studies suggest the importance of this methodology in order to achieve benefits in the reduction of energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Most of these studies agree that operational energy is the highest driver of both the energy consumed and CO2 emitted. However, some studies disagree with this approach due to the assumption made in the underestimation of the energy used in the transport of raw materials in the construction process of a building. Establishing a comparative life cycle analysis between a container-house, a concrete dwelling and a timber residence may provide further insight in the understanding of the patterns related to the energy consumption and CO2 emissions in the residential sector when container houses are used. Such understanding may be useful in developing more efficient houses. The household data for each project has been calculated and this information has been used to explore the drivers of the energy consumption and CO2 emissions through the lifespan of every example. Three case studies have been selected for this comparative life cycle analysis. Selection criteria are based upon relationships between container-architecture's main features that match with some ideals of the Modern Movement in Architecture: the construction of prefabricated and mass produced elements, modularity and formal simplicity. Emphasis is put on numerical relationships related to shipping steel-boxes, size and form, scale, material properties, density, site location and climatic conditions. The three case studies are: for steel, the Stevens House, which is the first container house constructed in Wellington, for concrete, a single dwelling unit of the Jellicoe Towers, a post-WWII model of Modern Architecture in New Zealand built in the late 1960s and for timber, the Firth House, a wooden-based house designed by Cedric Firth which was inspired by the works of Walter Gropius and Konrad Wachsmann, German figures of the Modern Movement in Architecture. The life cycle energy consumption is given by using two different software packages. The first is known as Gabi, which has a European database. It is useful to calculate the total amount of energy used and the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere by the different projects through their lifespan. The second program is New Zealand software known as ALF 3 (Annual Loss Factor 3), developed under BRANZ (Building Research Association of New Zealand) which is useful to calculate space heating energy. The outcome of the research shows that the usage of shipping containers in buildings leads to a major consumption of energy (per square metre) and release of CO2 into the atmosphere (per square metre) in comparison with traditional concrete and timber buildings.


LiF films grown on glass and Si(100) substrates by thermal evaporation were used as radiation imaging detectors to evaluate the Bragg peak position of a 3 MeV proton beam produced by a linear accelerator. The proton irradiation of LiF films induces the formation of stable color centers, mainly the primary F centers and the aggregate F2 and F3+ defects, whose local concentrations are proportional to the deposited energy. Under optical pumping in the blue spectral region, F2 and F3+ color centers emit broad photoluminescence bands located at 678 and 541 nm, respectively, which can be detected by conventional fluorescence microscopy. Photoluminescence images of the top surface of the exposed LiF films allowed obtaining the Bragg peak position of the proton beam, whose evaluation is in satisfactory agreement with software simulations.


This work is divided in three parts. The first is an assessment of the
present state of performance in the management of the environment and
the natural capital of the region. This section will identify the primary
threats to sustainability and the challenges that the region faces in order
to overcome them. In the second section, we will analyze the policies that
are necessary to achieve high environmental performance with a focus on
governance, multisector mainstreaming, the participation of the private
sector, and social inclusion. The study reviews the debate on trade offs
between economic growth and the environment, showing that investing
in physical infrastructure and economic development, while conserving
the environment and natural capital, is a viable and smart sustainable
development strategy. In fact, it is argued that the natural capital is itself a
form of "ecological infrastructure" generating valuable goods and services
that contribute to economic competitiveness, income generation, and better
quality of life, especially for vulnerable groups. The study ends with a short
section of conclusions.


William Shakespeare, the greatest playwright of Renaissance England, wrote great number of history plays about English history. Prominent historical events of the middle ages and the lives of the medieval kings were the main sources of his history plays. However, the political atmosphere of Renaissance England was also influential on Shakespeare, when he was writing his history plays. In these plays, Shakespeare usually distorted historical facts for the favour of the reigning monarchs and advocated the political views of Elizabeth I and James I through the bridges he built between the similar events of his time and the middle ages. The aim of this paper is to review the turning points in the political atmosphere that influenced William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616) when he was writing his Macbeth, Richard II, Richard III and the Life and Death of King John. Briefly stated, there were significant social, political and religious events of early modern England behind the history plays of William Shakespeare. Therefore, it is important to know these major political events to understand and analyse Shakespeare's histories better.


This article presents a proposal for defining and measuring precarious employment. We begin by relating this phenomenon to the changing faces of work and social class. We then expound a methodology that combines the techniques of correspondence analysis and k-means clustering to produce a typology of nine groups of precarious employment. This reveals such employment to be a multidimensional phenomenon combining aspects of stability, insecurity, income, working conditions and working hours. The results point to a phenomenon that is not tied to any one class or position in the labour market or to any one dimension or indicator but is rather a multidimensional process that cuts across class divides and pervades different positions and situations throughout the Chilean employment structure.


Abstract : The Class IV supply category includes fortification materials, obstacle and barrier materials, and construction materials for base development and general engineering. Having an accurate, quick estimate of the Class IV supply requirements for a given contingency is crucial to high-level military planning and analysis. Many recent changes in military operations, mission requirements, and force structure have had a significant impact on Class IV supply requirements and on the planning factors used to estimate them. This research derives new Class IV supply planning factors appropriate for updating the Army Force Planning Data and Assumptions used for Total Army Analysis and for supporting contingency planning and analysis at the division level or higher. This research showed that the Class IV consumption rate varies based on the type and phase of the contingency. A single planning factor cannot accurately represent the Class IV requirements. The study recommends that Army planners adopt the simple, one-page methodology for computing a contingency-specific Class IV planning factor as presented in Table 5-4. The study also recommends building interfaces between engineer and logistics components in the computer models used for contingency planning and military analysis. (MM)


Abstract : During earthquakes, ground movement can cause soils to lose strength or stiffness resulting in structures settling and embankments sliding. A phenomenon contributing to this loss in strength and subsequent failures is called soil liquefaction. This title, however, does not refer to a single well-defined event, but rather to a complex set of interrelated phenomena which contribute to the occurrence of damage and and failures during an earthquake. Numerous investigators have tried to model and predict the potential and probability of liquefaction occurring in soils. Since the early 1960's considerable attention has been given to the development of laboratory testing procedures to provide improved methods of characterizing the liquefaction properties of soils. Various test apparatus have been designed or modified in an attempt to provide an accurate representation of the stress state generated in-situ by earthquakes. To this end a number of experimental devices including the cyclic triaxial, and cyclic simple shear with repeatable representation of conditions in-situ during an actual earthquake.


Two new 3-D chip stacking technologies, wire-on-bump (WOB) and bump-on-flex (BOF), are proposed and demonstrated with their prototypes. The WOB and BOF technologies are for low cost 3-D stacking of memory chips by vertical side interconnections with metal wires and flex-circuits, respectively. These new 3-D chip stacking technologies have benefits such as a shorter signal path and 3-D stackability of an unlimited number of chips compared to wire-bonded chip stacking. In the case of the BOF technology, additional active and passive components can be either surface-mounted onto or embedded into the flex-circuit, which is an added value that other chip stacking technologies have not demonstrated so far. More importantly, the WOB and BOF technologies enable lower cost processes than Si through-via technology, which is thus more suitable for memory chip stacking. This paper describes the detailed processes for our unique chip stacking structures with vertical interconnection methods of the WOB and BOF. Finite-element modeling and thermal cycle (TC) tests are also performed to address their thermo-mechanical reliability.


For years economists have urged policymakers to use market-based approaches such as cap-and-trade programs or emission taxes to control pollution. The SO2 allowance market created by Title IV of the 1990 U.S. Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) presents the first real test of the wisdom of economists' advice. This paper provides an overview of the origins, design, and performance of the U.S. acid rain program, and an analysis of its specific features and its adaptability as a model for addressing other pollution problems, such as control of NOx or CO2 emissions. The program also has resulted in innovation through changes in organizational technology, in the organization of markets, and through experimentation at individual boilers, much of which arguably would not have occurred under a more prescriptive approach to regulation. There is ample evidence that allowance trading has achieved substantial cost savings, and there are lessons that can guide the design of future policies.


Field evaluation of 92 released rice varieties of different states of India for stem borer resistance was conducted at Central Rice Research Institute, Cuttack during 2003, 2004 and 2005 wet seasons. The varieties, viz., Tara, Punshi, Triveni, CSR-30, Saktiman, Kshira, Tripti, Seema, Mahalaxmi, Ambika, CSR-10, PR-115,Saket-4, VLD- 221, Indira, Mandira and Mahamaya showed field reaction.(SES Score-1) over the seasons. The varieties viz. Purnendu, Gayatri and Ketekijoha showed high percentage of white ear head (WEH) damage (>30%). The resistance most popular varieties Lalat and Swarna were found to be highly susceptible.


Abstract An experimental study of direct power conversion for D-3He fusion is presented. In a small-scale simulator of direct energy converter, which is based on a principle of deceleration of 14.7MeV protons by traveling wave field, a new structure of an external transmission circuit in experiment is proposed for the purpose of enhancement of deceleration electrode voltages. A prototype circuit was designed and constructed, resulting improvement of voltage amplitude in an order of magnitude. A more practical circuit, in which inductor elements were manufactured by using coaxial cables, was also constructed and tested. An excitation of the third harmonic frequency with a significant amplitude was observed. The cause of this problem is attributed to the modulated ion beam which has a third harmonic component and fact that the inductance of the element nonlinearly depends on frequency. This problem is serious for a practical scale energy converter, and a careful design of the circuit could avoid the problem.


Introduction: The aim of this study was to identify the prognostic factors and to establish a model for the prediction of life expectancy in patients with recurrent cervical cancer that had previously been treated with radiotherapy. Methods: The records of consecutive women with recurrent cervical cancer after radiotherapy were retrospectively reviewed. Primary disease, follow-up, and recurrence data were collected. Univariate and multivariate analyses of prognostic factors of survival were performed. Results: A total of 162 patients were included in our database. The median survival after recurrence was 15 months. Multivariate analysis revealed that symptom status, the site of relapse, prior chemoradiotherapy, and treatment modality were significant prognostic factors in terms of survival after recurrence. Patient survival was inversely correlated with the number of these prognostic factors. When the patients were divided into 3 prognostic groups, (low risk: patients with no poor prognostic factors; intermediate: patients with one poor prognostic factor; and high-risk: patients with more than 2 poor prognostic factors), the patients in the high-risk group had a significantly shorter survival (median, 10 months) than those with one risk factor (median, 20 months) or no risk factors (median, 36 months). Conclusions: Symptom status, the site of relapse, prior chemoradiotherapy, and treatment modality are significant prognostic factors in patients with recurrent cervical cancer that had previously been treated with radiotherapy. Our prognostic model, composed of 4 clinical variables, may enable physicians to predict survival more accurately. Abbreviations: CT - Computed tomography, PET-CT - Positron emission tomography in combination with computed tomography, ISBT - Interstitial brachytherapy, DFI - Disease-free interval


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Whether degree of iron stores influences progression of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease is controversial. We studied the relationship of indirect measures of iron stores with mortality in highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)-naive participants from the Women's Interagency HIV Study.

DESIGN AND METHODS
One hundred and fifty-eight HIV-infected women who died before July 1996 were individually matched by CD4+ cell count (within +/- 50 cells/mL) and HIV RNA level (within +/- 0.50 log10 copies/mL) to 154 controls. Serum ferritin and transferrin receptor concentrations were measured in 151 pairs of women. Results. Using multivariable conditional logistic regression models that were adjusted for self-reported antiretroviral therapy use, age, smoking status, ethnicity, hemoglobin concentration, C-reactive protein and aspartate amino transferase, a log10 increase in baseline serum ferritin concentration was associated with a 1.67-fold increase in the odds of death (95% CI: 0.98, 2.86) and a one-unit decrease in transferrin receptor to log10 ferritin ratio was associated with a 1.12-fold (95% CI: 1.01, 1.23) increase in the odds of death.

INTERPRETATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS
In this study, higher indirect measures of iron status were associated with reduced survival among HAART-naive HIV-infected women. Additional prospective studies with data on direct measures of iron status along with randomized trials are needed to elucidate the current equipoise over whether iron supplementation is beneficial by preventing anemia or harmful by increasing iron stores in HIV-infected women.


1. Sodium influx and loss rates in Gammarus pulex were measured at constant temperatures. The sodium loss rate was immediately influenced by a change in temperature, with a Q 10 of 1.5 to 2.0 at temperatures between 0.3 and 21.5° C. The sodium influx rate is apparently influenced in the same way. 2. The sodium uptake mechanism in G. pulex from three localities was half-saturated at an external concentration of 0.10-0.15 mM/l. sodium. 3. The total sodium loss rate remained approximately constant in animals acclimatized to the range of external concentrations from 2 to about 0.2 mM/l. sodium. 18% of the sodium was lost in urine with a sodium concentration estimated at 30-50 mM/l. The remainder of the sodium loss was due to diffusion across the body surface. 4. In animals acclimatized to concentrations below about 0.2 mM/l. sodium the sodium loss rate was reduced, due to ( a ) a lower diffusion rate following a fall in the blood sodium concentration, and ( b ) the elaboration of a more dilute urine. 5. There was a very close association between changes in the blood sodium concentration, the elaboration of a very dilute urine, and the rate of sodium uptake at the body surface. The results indicate that a fall in the blood sodium concentration leads to simultaneous activation of the sodium uptake mechanisms at the body surface and in the antennary glands. 6. It is estimated that, by producing a dilute urine, total sodium uptake in G. pulex is shared equally between the renal uptake mechanism and the mechanism situated at the body surface. 7. In sea-water media G. pulex drinks and expels fluid from the gut. In a medium slightly hyperosmotic to the normal blood concentration the amount imbibed was equal to the normal rate of urine flow when in fresh water.


Replication of experiments claiming to demonstrate excess heat production in light water-Ni-K2CO3 electrolytic cells was found to produce an apparent excess heat of 11 W maximum, for 60 W electrical power into the cell. Power gains range from 1.06 to 1.68. The cell was operated at four different dc current levels plus one pulsed current run at 1 Hz, 10% duty cycle. The 28 liter cell used in these verification tests was on loan from a private corporation whose own tests with similar cells are documented to produce 50 W steady excess heat for a continuous period exceeding hundreds of days. The apparent excess heat can not be readily explained either in terms of nonlinearity of the cell's thermal conductance at a low temperature differential or by thermoelectric heat pumping. However, the present data do admit efficient recombination of dissolved hydrogen-oxygen as an ordinary explanation. Calorimetry methods and heat balance calculations for the verification tests are described. Considering the large magnitude of benefit if this effect is found to be a genuine new energy source, a more thorough investigation of evolved heat in the nickel-hydrogen system in both electrolytic and gaseous loading cells remains warranted.


For the last 30 years, biological effects of non-ionizing radiation (NIR: 0-300 GHz) has got the top position in the scientific area, since a large population of the people are exposed to these fields. In this study, we evaluated the radio frequency radiation (RFR) at a pilot region located in Yenimahalle Sentepe Dededoruk Hill, in Ankara, Turkey. There are 64 different TV and radio towers and one base station at that region. With this study we calculated RFR of 14 radio transmitters. Although the base station, TV transmitters and some of radio transmitters are not included in the calculations, the radiation is found 388% more than the permitted standard values of Turkey.


THE DECREASE in the incidence of postoperative incisional sepsis following the adoption of the principles of Lister has not resulted in a further steady decline in this rate as techniques and an efficient sterilization technology were perfected. There has been no improvement in the incidence of sepsis after clean postoperative incisions over the past 20 years despite substantial efforts. It is hardly satisfying to describe the persistence of a low incidence of sepsis as an "irreducible minimum." This "irreducible" rate does not include the sporadic epidemics of postsurgical infections which on investigation can be shown to have an epidemiologic basis. It is the persistent, low, fluctuating rate which follows clean operations in healthy patients presenting year in and year out and which apparently characterizes individual clean operations as studied in several surgical centers. 1 No satisfactory explanation exists as to why 2% to 6% of healthy patients develop postoperative incisional


This paper provides a quantative comparison of the efficiency of the self-organized construction processes of the P-Grid and FreeNet peer-to-peer systems. Starting from a defined, realistic network topology we simulate the construction of their access structures and measure the incurred message load and memory usage for routing tables. Besides these results our experimental setup may also be used as a starting point for defining a standard test and evaluation suite for P2P systems.


The thermoelectric generator using solar heat was applied to the device (heat-electricity conversion device) to produce small-scale electricity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics and performance of the device, which equipped with heat pipe as heat source. The experimental results showed that efficiency of circular single evacuated solar collector was higher 2.7 times than that of rectangular solar collector. Furthermore maximum power of 5 watt was obtained when 2 devices with series array were used and it could be more improved by increasing the number of device or measurement time.


Why is Russia less attractive than other emerging countries for foreign investors? To answer this question, some empirical facts about the recent changes in Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) in Russia are presented. The main theoretical factors behind a territory's attractiveness for this kind of investments are discussed. An econometrical analysis of the determinants of FDIs in Central and Eastern Europe, some ex- Soviet bloc countries, in Russia, China and India are presented. It shows that, especially for Russia, there is a significant negative "country-effect" which tends to indicate that factors still remain that has a negative impact for this country. When the "risk" variable is introduced, it supports a significant explanation, especially in Russia, where the country-effect disappears. JEL codes: E22, F21, G32, P52.


A Wireless sensor network (WSN) is a network together with sensor nodes that connected through wireless media. After the deployment of a WSN some common variables such as sensing interval, data sending interval or small programs stored in each node of the network may need to be updated or changed. Since sensor nodes are distributed in ad hoc fashion manual updating is not always possible. So we use data dissemination protocols to alter the sensor configuration parameters. Two main drawbacks are suffered by existing data discovery and dissemination protocols. First, they are based on the centralized approach; in this approach only base station can disseminate data items. Such an approach suffers from single point of failure. Second, most protocols assume that working environment is safe, so attackers can easily harm network. In Wireless Sensor Network, the security and confidentiality of data is very important. This paper proposes a secure and distributed data dissemination protocol named Sec-DiDrip. It allows multiple authorized network users to directly disseminate data items to the sensor nodes. Sec-Drip enhances ensures the confidentiality of disseminated data hence enhances security.


Background Diagnosis and treatment for Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) is inaccessible for many of the 33 million people in low and middle income countries living with this disease. More knowledge about risk factors and pathophysiologic mechanisms involved is needed in order to prevent disease and optimize treatment. This study investigated risk factors in a Nepalese population, with a special focus on Vitamin D deficiency because of its immunomodulatory effects. Methods Ninety-nine patients with confirmed RHD diagnosis and 97 matched, cardiac-healthy controls selected by echocardiography were recruited from hospitals in the Central and Western region of Nepal. Serum 25(OH)D concentrations were assessed using dried blood spots and anthropometric values measured to evaluate nutritional status. Conditional logistic regression analysis was used to define association between vitamin D deficiency and RHD. Results The mean age of RHD patients was 31 years (range 9–70) and for healthy controls 32 years (range 9–65), with a 4:1 female to male ratio. Vitamin D levels were lower than expected in both RDH and controls. RHD patients had lower vitamin D levels than controls with a mean s-25(OH)D concentration of 39 nmol/l (range 8.7–89.4) compared with controls 45 nmol/l (range 14.5–86.7) (p-value = 0.02). People with Vitamin D insufficiency had a higher risk (OR = 2.59; 95% CI: 1.04–6.50) of also having RHD compared to people with Vitamin D concentrations >50 nmol/l. Body mass index was significantly lower in RHD patients (22.6; 95% CI, 21.5–23.2) compared to controls (24.2; 95% CI, 23.3–25.1). Conclusion RHD patients in Nepal have lower Vitamin D levels and overall poor nutritional status compared to the non-RHD controls. Longitudinal studies are needed to explore the causality between RHD and vitamin D level. Future research is also recommended among Nepali general population to confirm the low level of vitamin D as reported in our control group.


This paper is to study the enhancement of power system quality for distribution feeders with wind generator (WG) by applying the static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) to provide the voltage support during fault contingency. The critical clearing time for circuit breaker tripping to isolate the fault is derived by considering the low voltage ride through capability of WG and the reactive power compensation by STATCOM system. To restore the stable operation of the microgrid after the fault transient disturbance, an adaptive load shedding scheme is proposed to disconnect proper amount of nonessential loads according to the feeder loading and wind speed so that the tripping of WG due to under frequency constraint can be prevented. A Taipower distribution system has been selected for computer simulation to verify the effectiveness of the proposed strategy to determine the setting feeder CB tripping and load shedding to improve the power system stability of distribution feeder with wind generator.


AIMS
To assess the effectiveness of interventions directed at the prevention or reduction of use of illicit substances by young people or those directed at reducing harm caused by continuing use.

DESIGN
A systematic review was conducted. Reports were identified through electronic and hand searching and contact with known workers in the area. Studies were included if they reported evaluations of interventions targeting illicit drug use and provided sufficient detail of the intervention and design of the evaluation to allow judgements to be made of their methodological soundness. Meta-analyses were conducted combining the data of the methodologically sound studies. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTINGS TARGETED BY INTERVENTIONS: Evaluations of interventions were included if their targeted audience included young people aged between 8 and 25 years. Identified evaluations were delivered in a range of settings including: schools and colleges; community settings; the family; medical/therapeutic settings; mass media.

MEASUREMENTS
Data extracted from each report included details of design, content and theoretical orientation of intervention, setting of the intervention, target audience, methods, population size, subject refusal rates, rates of attrition, outcome measures, length of follow-up and findings, including statistical power.

FINDINGS
The majority of studies identified were evaluations of interventions introduced in schools and targeting alcohol, tobacco and marijuana simultaneously. These studies were methodologically stronger than interventions targeting other drugs and implemented outside schools. Meta-analyses showed that the impact of evaluated interventions was small with dissipation of programme gains over time. Interventions targeting hard to reach groups have not been evaluated adequately.

CONCLUSIONS
Effort needs to be directed towards the development of improved evaluative solutions to the problems posed by these groups. There is still insufficient evidence to assess the effectiveness of the range of approaches to drugs education; more methodologically sound evaluations are required. There is also a need to target interventions to reflect the specific needs and experiences of recipients.


. Ukrainian ethnomusicologist Halyna Pshenichkina ( Галина Пшенічкіна ) is interested into the variety of melodic forms from regional wedding songs. The 8 syllables (5+3) melodic form called as tirades ( тирады ) in Ukrainian ethnomusicology are investigated by her in this article. Such form is the second in the row of the most popular melodic forms of all Ukrai nian wedding songs. The object of actual research sources is local tradition of Right-Bank Cherkasy region wedding songs. She notices the stability in ge neral features of ritual-functional, rhythm-compositional and modal charac - teristics of actual melodic form in one hand, and the reflections of its unique specific local peculiarities in another hand. This way a number of standard 8 syllables (5+3) tirades melodic form examples together with various this form complications, transformations (extensions, add-ons, contaminations), and other unconventional rhythmo-melodic solutions known in the melodic lines of Right-Bank Cherkasy region wedding songs are presented and investigated in the article.


Special Issue editors, Professor Kate Rigby and Associate Professor Linda Williams, introduce papers arising from the 5th  Biennial conference, 'Regarding the Earth: Ecological Vision in Word and Vision'. Participants in this issue were asked to consider the ecological implications of different ways of perceiving, imagining, valuing and representing Earth, whether understood as planet, place or collective, comprising a multiplicity of more-than-human entities, agencies and processes.


Few studies have been published in the literature regarding fractures of limbs in patients with poliomyelitis. We have conducted a retrospective study from 1992 to 2004 in order to present our data on fractures of lower limbs in adult patients with residua of poliomyelitis. During the thirteen-year period under study, only eight fractures of the lower limbs in seven patients were observed. There were three males and four females with a mean age of 42.6 years at the time of the injury. Fractures were caused by moderate trauma in four patients and severe trauma in three. Six patients were walking while one used wheelchair before the injury. The femur was the bone injured in all cases. Treatment performed in four patients consisted of surgical operation. However although the small number of patients remains the primary limitation of this investigation, the patients constitute a homogeneous group which is representative of the condition in respect of the location of fractures and mechanism. We think that in our medical environment, despite the influence of traditional bonesetters, every effort should be made to maintain the patient's independence by surgical treatment of displaced femoral fractures in adults with residua of poliomyelitis. This can allow for a quick return to the pre-injury level. Keywords :adult, fracture, lower limb, poliomyelitis Nigerian Medical Practitioner Vol. 48(3) 2005: 67-69


Allergen proteases from a number sources including the filamentous fungus A. fumigatus, are thought to be important in the development of severe asthma through protease dependent interactions with the respiratory epithelium. The first aim of the thesis was to determine the effect of a variety of growth substrates on the secretion of proteases from different strains of A. fumigatus. The second aim was to investigate the effects of recombinant allergen proteases Asp f 5 and Asp f 13 expressed in the P. pastoris protein expression system and crude A. fumigatus culture supernatants on airway epithelial cells and determine whether protease induced interleukin 8 (IL-8) release from airway epithelial cells was dependent on the activation of protease activated receptor 2 (PAR-2).Results demonstrated that the AF293 strain of A. fumigatus secreted serine proteases during growth on pig lung homogenate medium and metalloproteases during growth on a casein based medium but suppressed protease secretion in Vogel?s minimal medium. Analysis of the secretion and RNA levels of proteases in A. fumigatus showed that the matrix metalloprotease, Asp f 5 and the serine protease, Asp f 13 were up-regulated and secreted during growth in pig lung medium and that the matrix metalloprotease, Lap1 was up-regulated and secreted along with Asp f 5 and Asp f 13 in casein medium. This finding was confirmed using protease inhibitors and by using strains of A. fumigatus in which Asp f 5 and Asp f 13 genes were disrupted. These results suggest that A. fumigatus was able to detect different complex proteins available as substrates in it?s environment and regulate protease secretion accordingly. Furthermore, in several strains of A. fumigatus, protease activity was not suppressed by growth in Vogel?s medium, suggesting differences in the regulation of protease secretion between strains. Both A. fumigatus culture supernatants and recombinant Asp f 5 and Asp f 13 produced in P. pastoris caused epithelial airway cell desquamination, and IL-8 release in a protease and dose-dependent manner. In addition, both recombinant Asp f 5 and Asp f 13 were both shown to cleave PAR-2 at a site that resulted in receptor activation.In conclusion, differences in the secretion of proteases between A. fumigatus strains and during growth of A. fumigatus on different media suggests a requirement for the standardisation of the preparation of A. fumigatus allergen extracts used both in clinical diagnosis of A. fumigatus allergy and in vitro and in vivo research studies. Furthermore, it is proposed that allergen proteases secreted by A. fumigatus may interact with a variety of host proteins including, matrix molecules, enzymes and receptors which may exacerbate allergic airway diseases.


Given time and frequency differences of arrival measurements, we estimate the position and velocity of an emitter by jointly eliminating nonlinear nuisance parameters with an orthogonal projection matrix. Although simulation results show that this estimator does not always perform as well as the two-step estimator, the benefit is its computational simplicity. Whereas the complexity of the two-step estimator increases cubically with respect to the number of sensors, the complexity of the proposed estimator increases quadratically.


The paper will present the methodology used to design optimized die coatings employed in material forming processes in an effort to extend the life and effect efficient operation of the dies. An optimized die coating 'architecture' requires that the coating system be essentially non-wetting with the material (metal, glass, polymer) being formed in the die, coupled with good wear and oxidation resistance Other factors, such as delaying the onset of thermal fatigue cracking (heat checking), and an acceptably low coefficient of friction. And, possibly, self-lubricating, also need to be considered based on the processing and forming conditions that include both liquid and solid materials. Many different die coatings have and are being used with different levels of success. This paper presents the current understanding that has been gained in laboratory testing, in-plant trials, and modeling in an effort to generate a fundamental understanding of how such optimized die coating systems may be designed for specific forming operations and conditions, with examples based on dies used in aluminum pressure die casting, glass molding, and metal forming operations.


Equipment for infrared vision of anatomical structures applicable to assist the physicians in endoscopic, fetoscopic or laparoscopic operations and methods for signal processing to enhance said vision, comprising two units that work together: a multimodal or multispectral imaging unit, constituted by a device comprising an endoscope or fetoscope or laparoscope, and additional optical systems to acquire multimodal images of the interior of the patient's body; and an image processing unit, to which said images are transferred, comprising processing devices with a navigation interface which process said images and display the patient's enhanced anatomical map image and the endoscope location, equipped with hardware and software that apply at least five different vision-enhancing methods, namely normalization, segmentation, tracking, mapping and fusion.


Compartment syndrome is a surgical emergency that requires immediate decompression. We know of no documented cases that describe ecthyma gangrenosum as a primary cause of compartment syndrome. We present a case of a baby with x-linked agammaglobulinaemia who developed compartment syndrome associated with systemic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection and ecthyma gangrenosum of the leg. He was treated by debridement and fasciotomies followed by primary closure and skin grafting and made an uneventful recovery.


L-lysin-a-oxidase (LO), a fungal enzyme catalysing oxidative deamination of L-lysin, was used for the inhibition of the reproduction of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). Antiviral activity of LO was tested in vitro. The expression of viral antigens and CPE of HSV-1 was inhibited by LO at a concentration 0.7 mg/ml.


Procedural due process requires all legal proceedings to be fair and that every party involved is given notice of the proceedings, are treated equally, and are given an opportunity to be heard and to deal with the case of its opponent before a decision is made by a lawfully constituted tribunal or decision maker. However, while the mandatory due process requirements are of utmost importance within international arbitration, where are its limits? How far shall the equal treatment and procedural fairness go, and can it happen at the expense of procedural efficiency? The users of international arbitration tend to be concerned on the delays and high expenses of arbitration. A recurrent complaint is the 'judicialisation' of arbitration; that the procedure is becoming as equally formal dispute resolution proceeding as litigation. Simultaneously, the international arbitration field has been promoting arbitral cost and time efficiency, by incorporating relevant provisions to national arbitration laws, institutional arbitration rules and to other soft law elements. This contribution addresses the balance between the requirements of due process and efficiency within international arbitration.


We consider SDMA in a multi-user downlink MIMO system with several access points, each serving one or more users. The problem of minimizing the total transmitted power satisfying the SINR requirements at all users is considered. This is a non-linear and non-convex optimization problem with three sets of variables: the transmitter powers, the transmitter weights and the receiver weights. Global system knowledge will be assumed at the access points and the provided results can be seen as benchmarks in system performance. We present a new initialization strategy and investigate its convergence behavior for a proposed algorithm. A numerical study is performed to analyze the dependence of the target SINRs on the optimal solution. The performance of this initialization process is evaluated and compared to an existing beamforming algorithm


Light is important for the growth, behavior and development of both phototrophic and autotrophic organisms. A large diversity of organisms used silica-based materials as internal and external structures. Nano-scaled well-organized silica biomaterials are characterized by a low refractive index and an extremely low absorption coefficient in the visible range, which make them interesting for optical studies. Recent studies on silica materials from glass sponges and diatoms, have pointed out very interesting optical properties, such as light waveguiding, diffraction, focusing and photoluminescence. Light guiding and focusing have been shown to be coupled properties found in spicule of glass sponge or shells of diatoms. Moreover, most of these interesting studies have used purified biomaterials and the properties have addressed in non-aquatic environments, first in order to enhance the index contrast in the structure and second to enhance the spectral distribution. Although there is many evidences that silica biomaterials can present interesting optical properties that might be used for industrial purposes, it is important to emphases that the results were obtained from a few numbers of species. Due to the key roles of light for a large number of marine organisms, the development of experiments with living organisms along with field studies are require to better improve our understanding of the physiological and structural roles played by silica structures.


In prior work we observed that expert searchers follow well-defined search procedures in order to obtain comprehensive information on the Web. Motivated by that observation, we developed a prototype domain portal called the Strategy Hub that provides expert search procedures to benefit novice searchers. The search procedures in the prototype were entirely handcrafted by search experts, making further expansion of the Strategy Hub cost-prohibitive. However, a recent study on the distribution of healthcare information on the web suggested that search procedures can be automatically generated from pages that have been rated based on the extent to which they cover facts relevant to a topic.

This paper presents the results of experiments designed to automate the process of rating the extent to which a page covers relevant facts. To automatically generate these ratings, we used two natural language systems, Latent Semantic Analysis and MEAD, to compute the similarity between sentences on the page and each fact. We then used an algorithm to convert these similarity scores to a single rating that represents the extent to which the page covered each fact.

These automatic ratings are compared with manual ratings using inter-rater reliability statistics. Analysis of these statistics reveals the strengths and weaknesses of each tool, and suggests avenues for improvement.


A direct calculation of the tidal generation of internal waves over the global ocean is presented. The calculation is based on a semianalytical model, assuming that the internal tide characteristic slope exceeds the bathymetric slope (subcritical slope) and the bathymetric height is small relative to the vertical scale of the wave, as well as that the horizontal tidal excursion is smaller than the horizontal topographic scale. The calculationisperformedfortheM2tidalconstituent. Incontrasttoprevioussimilarcomputations,theinternal tide is projected onto vertical eigenmodes, which gives two advantages. First, the vertical density profile and the finite ocean depth are taken into account in a fully consistent way, in contrast to earlier work based on the WKB approximation. Nevertheless, the WKB-based total global conversion follows closely that obtained using the eigenmode decomposition in each of the latitudinal and vertical distributions. Second, the information about the distribution of the conversion energy over different vertical modes is valuable, since the lowest modes can propagate over long distances, while high modes are more likely to dissipate locally, near thegenerationsite.Itisfoundthatthedifferencebetweentheverticaldistributionsofthetidalconversioninto the vertical modes is smaller for the case of very deep ocean than the shallow-ocean depth. The results of the present work pave the way for future work on the vertical and horizontal distribution of the mixing caused by internal tides.


Background Despite the increasing incidence of Prostate cancer, there has not been any focused screening policy or strategy in sub-Saharan Africa including Nigeria. Objectives To assess the level of awareness and uptake of PSA screening test and their determinants in a Nigerian community. Methods A cross-sectional population survey of men with no prior history of prostate cancer was carried out. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the effect of identified variables in predicting awareness and uptake of prostate cancer screening. Results Mean age was 51.5±9.8 years; a few men (31, 16.9%) had ever heard of the screening test and most got the information from health centers. A low proportion (8, 4.4%) had taken the screening test. Men with incomes above poverty line (OR = 11.7 2.8–50.1, p = .001) or those with health insurance (OR = 2.7 1.2–6.5, p = .023) were significantly more likely to be aware of the test. Only the men with higher incomes (OR = 25.6 5.8–114.2, p = .0001) were significantly more likely to have taken the test. Conclusion Higher incomes and health insurance status impact screening awareness but only income status determines if men subsequently proceed to take the PSA screening test.


Identifying logic relationships between proteins is essential for understanding their function within cells. Previous studies have been done to infer protein logic relationships using pairwise and triplet logic analysis on phylogenetic profiles. Other computational methods have also been developed using pairwise analysis on Rosetta Stone data to infer protein functional linkages. (Proteins that share the same metabolic pathway or a common structural complex are said to be functionally linked.) This paper describes a Bayesian modeling framework for combining phylogenetic profile data via a likelihood with Rosetta Stone data via a prior probability. Based on the proposed framework, a general method is developed for jointly learning high-order logic relationships among proteins whose presence or absence can be identified by logic functions. The method is applied to analyze protein triplets and quartets on phylogenetic profile and Rosetta Stone data sets with 140 clusters of orthologous genes (COGs). The biological meaning of the top 30 significant triplets are further verified using the KEGG and NCBI databases. Over 50% of the discovered relationships that are associated with high significant scores could not be inferred using phylogenetic profile or Rosetta Stone data alone. The statistical analysis in this paper shows that all significant quartets have p-values /spl les/5.71E-04. Many of them assign putative functional roles on uncharacterized proteins.


A Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) is a tool that has specific features for conducting studies in several different areas, as well as for supporting the policy decision process. Following an application for Portugal, a SAM-based approach is adopted for studying (measuring and modelling) the impact of the introduction of a social policy measure of the increase in households' income on the socio-economic activity of a country, and the associated institutions' income. Numerical and algebraic versions of a SAM enable the identification of the networks of the linkages of the monetary or nominal flows measured by the National Accounts and the corresponding structural features, as well as the associated multiplier effects, which are used to measure the impact on the socio-economic activity. This measurement is at a macroeconomic level, using macroeconomic aggregates and balances.


This paper examines the satellite payload hardware design and the technical challenges to provide true mobility and to have access to a wide variety of communication services on a global scale. It identifies the key elements to achieve the performance and capacity demands, and addresses the technical barriers to overcome. Associated are a number of system issues, such as network services and management, satellite constellation, payload concept, and available technology. Consequently, the paper focuses on the payload hardware design aspects and, finally, for completeness the research activities and developments pursued by the European industry with the support by the European Space Agency are highlighted.


Search based solvers for Quantified Boolean Formulas (QBF) have adapted the SAT solver techniques of unit propagation and clause learning to prune falsifying assignments. The technique of cube learning has been developed to help them prune satisfying assignments. Cubes, however, have not been able to achieve the same degree of effectiveness as clauses. In this paper we demonstrate how a circuit representation for QBF can support the propagation of dual truth values. The dual values support the identical techniques of unit propagation and clause learning, except now it is satisfying assignments rather than falsifying assignments that are pruned. Dual value propagation thus exploits the circuit representation and the duality of QBF formulas so that the same effective SAT techniques can now be used to prune both falsifying and satisfyingly assignments. We show empirically that dual propagation yields significantperformance improvements and advances the state of the art in QBF solving.


Abstract The accurate evaluation of the instantaneous undeformed chip thickness (IUCT) plays a crucial role in the modeling of milling processes. However, the vibrations of the tool-workpiece system can make conventional IUCT models either inaccurate or not applicable. This paper introduced the concept of surface function to describe the milled surface, through which the IUCT can be readily computed. The evolution of this surface function is governed by a partial differential equation (PDE) in the form of a balance law, and the material removal process is characterized by discontinuous conditions at the cutters. A finite volume algorithm is adopted to solve the proposed PDE with discontinuous conditions at the cutters. Through a case study of the asymmetric cutting process, the surface function method demonstrates two main advantages over typical conventional methods: (i) a detailed description of IUCT evolution considering the influence of the initial shape of the workpiece and (ii) a general framework to accurately compute the IUCT. This method shows a promising potential for computing the IUCT when simulating in numerical simulations.