Nowadays, the development of microfluidic chip [i.e. biochip, micro-total analysis system (μ-TAS) and LOC (lab-on-a-chip)] becomes more active, and the microchannels to deliver fluid by pressure or electroosmotic forces tend to be more complex like electronic circuits or networks. For a simple network of channels, we may calculate the pressure and the flow rate easily by using suitable formula. However, for complex network it is not handy to obtain such information with that simple way. For this reason, Graphic User Interface (GUI) program which can rapidly give required information should be necessary for microchip designers. In this paper, we present a GUI program developed in our laboratory and the simple theoretical formula used in the program. We applied our program to simple case and could get results compared well with other numerical results. Further, we applied our program to several complex cases and obtained reasonable results.


This study investigated the impact of international migrant remittances on life expectancy rate for countries
of West Africa Monetary Zones (WAMZ). Panel data set for the period (1990-2020) were used for the
analysis. The study estimated pooled ordinary least square, fixed effect models, random effect models and
pooled mean group estimate. The pooled mean group estimates showed that migrant remittance as a share
of the gross domestic product has significant positive impact on life expectancy rate in both short and long-
run. The result showed that in the, a 1% increase in migrant remittance as a share of the GDP will
cause life expectancy rate to rise by 4.003% in the short-run, but 9.896% in the long-run. Other factors
which include per capita income, HIV/AIDS and out-of-pocket health spending all significantly
influence life expectancy rate at birth. We recommend that policies should be articulated that will
incentivize remitting money home, and that the costs of remitting money home should be made less, while
the channels improved on.


This paper presents a novel three-phase voltage source type soft-switching inverter using the main and auxiliary IGBT power module packages in order to reduce their switching power losses as well as its electromagnetic noises. A single inductor-assisted resonant AC link snubber circuit as one of some resonant snubbers to achieve the zero voltage soft-switching for the three-phase voltage source inverter (VSI) with instantaneous space voltage vector sinewave modulation strategy is originally demonstrated as compared with the other resonant AC link snubber circuit topologies. In addition to this, its operation principle and unique features are described in this paper for resistive and inductive loads. Furthermore, the practical basic operating performances of the new instananeous space vector modulated soft-switching VSI using IGBT power modules are evaluated and discussed on the basis of power conversion efficiency and electromagnetic conductive and radiative noises from an experimental point of view, as compared with those of hard-switching VSI.


User-interface design is still a time consuming and cost intensive task to do. Based on the previous work and results from a project, this paper outlines a model-driven approach to generate user interfaces as a subject for a thesis. By using an interaction design model to capture the interactions and to generate the user interface fully automatically out of it, we propose to make user-interface design more cost efficient. The objective of our research is to elicit and evaluate the transformation steps for model driven development.


Cysticercosis is emerging as a serious public health and agricultural problem. In Egypt Taenia solium/ human cysticercosis is rare. Therefore, this study aims to survey the occurrence of T. solium and cysticercosis in human in Assiut and Sohage Governorates. Stool samples were collected from 425 patients suffering from gastrointestinal disturbances, who attended some hospitals in Assiut and Sohage Governorates. Stool samples were examined by both direct smear method and simple gravity sedimentation technique. Ninety two serum samples were collected randomly from the patients. IgG antibodies against Taenia solium and its cysticerci (Cysticercus cellulose) were detected in human serum by using ELISA. The occurrence of T. solium among 425 examined patients in the present work was 0.7% by using sedimentation stool examination technique. The seroprevalence of Taenia solium/cysticercosis in humans in Assiut and Sohage Governorates was 6.5% by using ELISA test. A great variation in the ecological distribution of Taenia solium/Cysticercosis in human was detected between Assiut and Sohage Governorates (8.1% & 3.33% respectively). Higher seroprevalence was detected in women (8.5%) than men (3.0%). There was positive correlation between the age of the patient and the infection rate which was 5.3% in the age group below 20 years, 5.5% in the age group 20-40 years and 11.1% in the age group above 40 years. Results obtained in this study reveal that cysticercosis is prevalent among man in the examined areas. Public health education is considered the key factor for control of cysticercosis.


By examining folk music activities connecting students and local musicians during the early 1960s at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, this article demonstrates how university geographies and musical landscapes influence musical activities in college towns. The geography of the University of Illinois, a rural Midwestern location with a mostly urban, middle-class student population, created an unusual combination of privileged students in a primarily working-class area. This combination of geography and landscape framed interactions between students and local musicians in Urbana-Champaign, stimulating and complicating the traversal of sociocultural differences through traditional music. Members of the University of Illinois Campus Folksong Club considered traditional music as a high cultural form distinct from mass-culture artists, aligning their interests with then-dominant scholarly approaches in folklore and film studies departments. Yet students also interrogated the impropriety of folksong presentation on campus, and community folksingers projected their own discomfort with students' liberal politics. In hosting concerts by rural musicians such as Frank Proffitt and producing a record of local Urbana-Champaign folksingers called Green Fields of Illinois (1963), the folksong club attempted to suture these differences by highlighting the aesthetic, domestic, historical, and educational aspects of local folk music, while avoiding contemporary socioeconomic, commercial, and political concerns. This depoliticized conception of folk music bridged students and local folksingers, but also represented local music via a nineteenth-century rural landscape that converted contemporaneous lived practice into a temporally distant object of aesthetic study. Students' study of folk music thus reinforced the power structures of university culture—but engaging local folksinging as an educational subject remained for them the most ethical solution for questioning, and potentially traversing, larger problems of inequality and difference.


We describe a machine learning centered approach to developing an open domain question answering system. The system was developed in the summer of 2002, building upon several existing machine learning based NLP modules developed within a unified framework. Both queries and data were pre-processed and augmented with pos tagging, shallow parsing information, and some level of semantic categorization (beyond named entity) using a SNoW based machine learning approach. Given these as input, the sys-tem proceeds as an incremental constraint satisfaction process. A machine learning based question analysis module extracts structural and semantic constraints on the answer, including a fine classi-fication of the desired answer type. The system continues in several steps to identify candidate passages and then extracts an answer that best satis-fies the constraints. With the available machine learning technologies, the system was developed in six weeks with the goal of identifying some of the key research issues of QA and challenges to it.


In this paper we investigate whether and to what extent inheritance expectations act as a driver of economic choices. We use the DHS dataset merged with a specific module on subjective probabilities on inheritance receiving and its amount foreseen in the next ten years. Hence, we analyze whether the expected inheritance acts as a deterrent to saving. Results suggest that individuals perceive the expected inheritances as a potential increase of personal wealth, which leads to a reduction in savings. Expectations appear to matter also in the enhancement of the intention to bequeath and in future work versus leisure choices. JEL codes: D14, D84, D91


Three intensive field campaigns were held in Malaysian Borneo during the first half of 2008 by a NERC-funded consortium of 8 UK institutions aiming at investigating Oxidant and Particle Photochemical Processes (OP3). Fluxes of heat and CO2 were measured during two periods (April and June/July 2008) at the Bukit Atur Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) tower located in the Danum Valley conservation area, Sabah; this tower stands 100 m tall and is situated on a hill leading to an effective measurement height of 200 m above the rainforest canopy. The forest directly surrounding the GAW tower can be described as a selective logged diptocarp forest, with primary forest in the Danum Valley Conservation Area 10 km S of the tower. Fluxes of carbon dioxide, latent and sensible heat were measured by eddy-covariance at a height of 75 m atop the GAW tower. Similar measurements were taken at the Sabahmas oil palm plantation, located 70 km NE east of the GAW site, during an intermediary campaign in May 2008, from a 15 m tower over the 12 m plantation. In addition to the measurements of day-time CO2 exchange, soil emissions of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) were measured in different forest plots and at the plantation using a manual static chamber technique.

Because the experimental setup was not suited to quantifying night-time respiration at the very low wind speeds encountered, the analysis of the CO2 fluxes focuses on the daytime fluxes. At the GAW site, daytime CO2 fluxes (Fc) were found to be highly correlated to photosynthetic activity whilst night time fluxes did not exhibit any dependence on air temperature confirming that dark respiration could not be observed, except for a peak of upward fluxes in the early morning (ca. 8:00 – 9:00 am) which were attributed to the growth of the mixing layer after sun rise.

CO2 concentrations ranged from 355 to 395 ppmv; the highest values were observed in the morning and coincided with surges in Fc caused by the flushing out of the nocturnal boundary layer, whilst the lowest concentrations were generally recorded during the afternoon, at the height of photosynthetic activity. Day time CO2 emissions ranged from ca. -10 to - 50 μmol m-2 s-1; maximum emission rates were comparable to peak day time fluxes recorded at the Sabahmas plantation. The forest site was found to be a sink of CH4 (ca. 0.2 kg.ha-1.yr-1), and the plantation a net source (0.4 kg.ha-1.yr-1). Both forest and plantation were however net sources of nitrous oxide (3.2 and 4.4 kg.ha-1.yr-1, respectively).


The Norwegian health care system is in rapid transformation. Changes in demography and lifestyle impose new challenges, and advances in technology and research have made more diagnoses and conditions treatable. Simultaneously the population continue to demand even higher quality and faster treatment from the public health care service. This study is a contribution to the understanding of knowledge transfer in Norwegian public hospitals. The problem definition answered by the study is how process-related knowledge is transferred successfully or unsuccessfully between surgical departments in Norwegian public hospitals. To answer the problem definition, a qualitative study was performed. 45 health care professionals with different backgrounds and educations from several Norwegian public hospitals were interviewed. These had both managerial and nonmanagerial responsibilities at various hierarchical levels in the organisations. This study has two main contributions to theory. The first contribution of the study is the deduction of the Knowledge transfer model. The second contribution is the understanding of how the specific properties of the model influence the eventual outcome of the knowledge transfer process.


This paper presents a comparative study of finite element method (FEM) and analytical method for the plane problem of a layered composite containing an internal perpendicular crack in literature. The layered composite consists of two elastic layers having different elastic constants and heights. External load is applied to the upper elastic layer by means o a rigid punch and the lower elastic layer rests on two simple supports. Numerical simulations are realized by the world wide code ANYS software. Two dimensional analysis of the problem is carried out and the results are verified by comparison with solutions reported in literature. Main goal of the numerical simulation is to investigate the normal stress ${\sigma}_x$(0, y), stress intensity factors at the crack factor and the crack opening displacements.


Oxygen deficiency stress leads to inhibition of mitochondrial respiration in plant cells, resulting in accumulation of NADH and a decrease in the ATP content. Tolerant rice plants can survive oxygen deficiency better than wheat or potato plants. The aim of this PhD-work was to examine, which biochemical processes are responsible for plant tolerance against low oxygen stress. The studies were focused on the analysis of ethanolic fermentation, photosynthesis and the function of pyrophosphate (PPi) as an alternative and compensatory energy source during ATP deficiency. The rate of ethanolic fermentation in rice and wheat plants during anoxia was measured by using a laser-based photoacoustic system during darkness and illumination. These data were replenished by the measurements of carbohydrate contents and enzyme activities as well as photosynthetic parameters. Additionally, experiments with transgenic potato plants with altered PPi metabolism were performed under hypoxia. By using ethanolic fermentation, plants can regenerate NAD and maintain ATP formation during glycolysis. It could be shown that tolerant rice plants produced much higher amounts of ethanol during anoxia in darkness compared to sensitive wheat plants. The high fermentation rate mainly occurred in the shoots as a result of high activities of fermentative enzymes as well as high availability of carbohydrates. Nevertheless, rice plants could not survive more than 24 h of anoxia in the dark because the carbohydrates became depleted. Illumination during anoxic stress extended survival of plants. Ethanolic fermentation rate was reduced during light exposure of plants, indicating that other energy-producing processes can compensate. However, it could be shown that the complete photosynthesis was slowed down during oxygen deficiency due to CO2 deficiency. It is likely that cyclic electron transport could at least partially contribute to ATP production during these conditions. In the past, it was speculated that PPi could replace ATP for phosphorylating processes. With transgenic potato plants expressing E. coli pyrophosphatase and therefore containing less PPi it was demonstrated that PPi is a significant alternative energy donor for sucrose cleavage during hypoxia. However, in transgenic potato plants with a reduction of synthesis and activity of PPi-dependent phosphofructokinase it could not be demonstrated that these plants suffer more from oxygenand ATP-deficiency than the control plants, although the


This research was performed in order to study wingtip devices and, in particular, winglets. Winglets are attached to commercial aircraft for the purpose of reducing induced drag caused by wake vortices on the wingtip. A winglet device can save an aircraft anywhere from 3-7% in fuel consumption. Over the course of a year, this can add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars saved. This research consisted of two parts: one part experiment and one part equipment design. The latter phase of this research examined various methods of testing in a subsonic wind tunnel laboratory setting. Experimental results found with each subsequent set-up were examined. The former part consisted of simulation work. Ansys Fluent 2020 was employed to obtain values for pressure, drag, lift, and vortices generated. For the experimental portion, two set-ups were tested: one which consisted of an array of differential pressure sensors, and the second a force balance system employing six load cells. For this research, the force balance system was found to be the more practical of the two. Using the force balance system, two winglet geometries were then compared. One which resembled Boeing's commonly used "Blended Winglet" and the other a New Design based on the wing tips of soaring type bird wings. With both experiment and simulation, it was found that the New Design created more lift overall. However, the simulation results showed that the "Blended Winglet" outperformed the New Design at angle of attack 11.5° by a small margin. Conversely, experimental results showed that the "Blended Winglet" outperformed only at angle of attack 2.5°. Still, lift generated and drag generated are not the only considerations in the design of a wingtip device. There are factors to take into account when winglet installation is considered such as how much weight and bending moment will be added to the wing, and how much additional cost and maintenance the winglet will require. This research attempted to evaluate different winglet designs using a holistic approach. This research also collected information on how winglet shapes affect fluid flow. More knowledge on fluid flow across a wing, and which geometry can most effectively reduce drag has the potential to create the next generation of efficiency in aircraft design.


In this paper we describe the design and evaluation of Anti-Phishing Phil, an online game that teaches users good habits to help them avoid phishing attacks. We used learning science principles to design and iteratively refine the game. We evaluated the game through a user study: participants were tested on their ability to identify fraudulent web sites before and after spending 15 minutes engaged in one of three anti-phishing training activities (playing the game, reading an anti-phishing tutorial we created based on the game, or reading existing online training materials). We found that the participants who played the game were better able to identify fraudulent web sites compared to the participants in other conditions. We attribute these effects to both the content of the training messages presented in the game as well as the presentation of these materials in an interactive game format. Our results confirm that games can be an effective way of educating people about phishing and other security attacks.


Vanadium phosphate
 catalysts were prepared by reducing square VOPO4·2H2O platelets with n-octane and 1-butanol and the resultant materials were characterized using a combination of techniques including powder X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy. The specific order in which the alkane and alcohol are added during the reduction step was found to have a remarkable influence on the precursor morphology and eventual catalytic activity of the final (VO)2P2O7 catalyst. Without the addition of n-octane the product consists of typical rosette-type VOHPO4·0.5H2O and n-octane addition after the reduction step does not significantly change the precursor morphology. By way of contrast, the addition of the n-octane before the reduction step leads to the formation of octagonal VOPO4·2H2O platelets which are then subsequently reduced by 1-butanol to form nanoscale rhomboidal VOHPO4·0.5H2O platelets. The co-addition of n-octane and 1-butanol, on the other hand, can reduce and reform the square VOPO4·2H2O crystals into rosette-type aggregates of angular VOHPO4·0.5H2O platelets. Nearly all of the catalysts generated exhibit a high activity and selectivity to maleic anhydride. The only exception is the catalyst produced by activating the nanoscale rhomboidal morphology precursor, which is attributed to its poorer crystallinity and more limited exposure of the active (100) (VO)2P2O7 plane. Furthermore, the spatial orientation relationship between the starting VOPO4·2H2O crystal and the VOHPO4·0.5H2O precursor phase has been indentified in this study as [001]VOPO4·2H2O//[001]VOHPO4·0.5H2O and [100]VOPO4·2H2O//[110]VOHPO4·0.5H2O. This information leads us to propose a two-step mechanism by which the topotactic transformation of VOPO4·2H2O to VOHPO4·0.5H2O occurs.


McCune-Albright syndrome is a genetic disease, defined by a clinical triad of polyostotic fibrous dysplasia of bone, café-au-lait skin spots, and precocious puberty. The case of a young man with McCune-Albright syndrome and fibrous dysplasia resulting in a severe tibial deformity is presented. Due to previous surgeries as a child, and subsequent complications with ongoing infection and soft tissue breakdown, the patient was keen to seek any reconstructive option with a chance of limb salvage. Multilevel, corrective tibial osteotomies were carried out by the orthopaedic team, followed by an acute deformity correction of the tibia, stabilised with an intramedullary tibial nail. This was followed by a soft tissue debridement and anterolateral thigh free flap by the plastic surgical team to cover the previously infected and broken down soft tissue over the anterior aspect of the tibia. The 10 hour surgery was completed without complication. A combined multidisciplinary approach to this rare disease and associated severe deformity has demonstrated an excellent outcome at one year with complete healing of the tibia. The patient is fully mobile and is pain free.


We assess the market risk of the 0VIX lending protocol using a multi-asset agent-based model to simulate ensembles of users subject to price-driven liquidation risk. Our multi-asset methodology shows that the protocol's systemic risk is small under stress and that enough collateral is always present to underwrite active loans. Our simulations use a wide variety of historical data to model market volatility and run the agent-based simulation to show that even if all the assets like ETH, BTC and MATIC increase their hourly volatility by more than ten times, the protocol carries less than 0.1% default risk given suggested protocol parameter values for liquidation loan-to-value ratio and liquidation incentives.


This study had the aim to verify the necessities of training and improvement of the 4th Regional Coordination in Health of Rio Grande do Sul State family health teams. The data collection was carried out through the application of questionnaires with objective questions, composed by two parts: field and competence nucleus. For data analyses, Normality, Chi-Square and G tests were used as statistical procedures for Easy and Difficult attributions indicated by the professionals. Professionals have shown less difficulty with generic attributions, related with basic methods and techniques of each health area. However, they have revealed a lot of difficulties with attributions relating to the search of new partners in health inside communities, stimulation of the people participation in the discussion of health rights, and completion of the SIA/SIAB forms, and others. Even after 12 years of the foundation of the Family Health Program (PSF), several difficulties are still observed concerning the way to work with this new health strategy in Brazil. Proposals are made for the complete understanding and improvement of the PSF strategy.


Rare-earth ions (REIs) have incomplete 4f shells and possess narrow optical intra-4f transitions due to shielding from electrons in the 5s and 5p orbitals, making them good candidates for solid-state optical quantum memory. The emission of Er3+ in the telecom C-band (1530 nm–1565 nm) makes it especially attractive for this application. In order to build practical, scalable devices, the REI needs to be embedded in a non-interacting host material, preferably one that can be integrated with silicon. In this paper, we show that Er3+ can be isovalently incorporated into epitaxial Y2O3 thin films on Si (111). We report on the synthesis of epitaxial, single-crystalline Er:Y2O3 on Si with a narrow inhomogeneous linewidth in the photoluminescence (PL) spectra, 5.1 GHz (<100 mK), and an optical excited state lifetime of 8.1 ms. The choice of Y2O3 was driven by its low nuclear spin and small lattice mismatch with Si. Using PL and electron paramagnetic resonance, we show that Er3+ substitutes for Y in the crystal lattice. The role of interfacial SiOx, diffusion of silicon into the film, and the effect of buffer layers on the inhomogeneous PL linewidth are examined. We also find that the linewidth decreased monotonically with film thickness but surprisingly exhibits no correlation with the film crystalline quality, as measured by the x-ray rocking curve scans, suggesting other factors at play that limit the inhomogeneous broadening in Y2O3 films.


Rifampicin is a broad spectrum semisynthetic antibiotic of the group of rifampicins. It is active against both grampositive and gramnegative organisms and mycobacteria. The studies on the pharmacokinetics of rifampicin showed that the drug was well absorbed from the gastro-intestinal tract. After a single administration of rifampicin in a dose of 150 mg its maximum concentration in the blood was registered in an hour. This concentration was preserved at the therapeutic level for 5 hours. Practically no accumulation of rifampicin was observed in its use in a dose of 150 mg 4 times a day for 5 days. Perspectivity of rifampicin use in the treatment of patients with inflammatory processes in the lungs of non-tuberculosis etiology was shown.


There is an increasing demand for non-invasive methods for the assessment of left ventricular function. Ultrasound Doppler methods are promising, and the early systolic flow velocity signal immediately distal to the aortic valve has been used clinically for this purpose. However, the signal is influenced not only by left ventricular ejection but also by systemic vascular characteristics. Their relative contribution to the time-velocity signal has not been analysed in depth previously. A theoretical analysis, based on a three-element Windkessel model, neglecting peripheral outflow in early systole and assuming linear pressure rise, was therefore tested in computer and hydraulic model simulations where peripheral outflow was included. Significant changes in early aortic flow velocity parameters were found when vascular characteristics were altered. As predicted by the theory, with a standardized aortic valve area and aortic pressure change, the simulations confirmed that maximal flow velocity is related to compliance of the aorta and the large arteries, and that maximal acceleration is inversely related to the characteristic impedance of the aorta. Therefore, maximal velocity and acceleration can be used for assessment of left ventricular function only in situations where vascular characteristics can be considered relatively constant or where they can be estimated.


The increasing gap between computing speed and storage latency leads to possible I/O bottlenecks on massively parallel computers. To mitigate this issue, hierarchical storage provides multi-tiered configurations where each tier has its own physical characteristics and associated performance. Selecting the most appropriate file placement policy on this multi-tiered storage is difficult and there is to our knowledge no tool that systematically provides statistics and metrics for optimal file policy selection. In this paper, we present FiLiP (File Lifecycle Profiler), a software which provides statistics and metrics for a better understanding of file access by applications and the consequences on file movements across hierarchical storage. After the description of FiLiP's main features and architecture, we highlight the usefulness of our tool using three I/O intensive simulation HPC applications: NEMO, S3DIO and NAMD and a three-tiered burst buffer.


Purpose: To evaluate the toxicity, antileukemic activity, and pharmacology of raltitrexed administered weekly for 3 weeks to patients with refractory or recurrent leukemia. Experimental Design: Raltitrexed was administered as a 15-minute infusion for 3 consecutive weeks every 5 weeks, at doses ranging from 1.3 to 2.8 mg/m2. The first course was used to determine the dose-limiting toxicities and maximum tolerated dose. Correlative studies included an assessment of raltitrexed pharmacokinetics and measurement of plasma 2′-deoxyuridine concentrations, a surrogate measure of thymidylate synthase inhibition. Results: Twenty-one children (18 evaluable) with refractory leukemia received 25 courses of raltitrexed. The dose-limiting toxicity was reversible elevation in liver transaminases at the 2.8-mg/m2 dose level and the maximum tolerated dose was 2.1 mg/m2 per dose. Pharmacokinetics were best characterized by a two-compartment model with a clearance of 139 mL/min/m2 (8.3 L/h/m2), a 2.4-L volume of distribution, an initial half-life (t1/2α) of 6 minutes, and a terminal half-life (t1/2β) of 45 minutes. There were three objective responses. Conclusions: Raltitrexed was well tolerated when administered as a single agent to children with recurrent or refractory leukemia. We observed preliminary evidence of antileukemia activity using this weekly dosing schedule and these observations support further evaluation of raltitrexed in this population.


The current climate of death, dying and access to care is evolving on a daily basis. As community resources and shelters within Toronto are being revitalized, the demand on the healthcare system continues to increase. This study explores how an interdisciplinary community healthcare team is challenging the current model of palliative care for service users who are vulnerably housed or experiencing homelessness within Toronto. Specifically, I am looking at understanding strategies of resistance to receiving a one size fits all form of care. This qualitative design used interviews to speak with five healthcare workers who work within an interdisciplinary care team to support this population. The outcome of the study highlights the experience of the participants regarding the importance of an interdisciplinary team approach to care, the resistance embodied within practice and the field, barriers to care and the challenges of the role.


All cases of first episodes of brain infarction occurring in the population of Rochester, Minnesota, from 1960 through 1979 were categorized as hemispheric or brainstem (including cerebellar) on the basis of clinical criteria, autopsy evidence, and the results of computed tomography (from 1973 on). Hemispheric infarction was 5 times more frequent than infarction of the brainstem and/or cerebellum. The magnitude of the decline in incidence was the same in each group during the 20-year period of the study. Thirty-day case fatality was similar in each group, but patients with brainstem infarction had a better long-term survival. Functional outcome among survivors of brainstem infarction was also better, 35% having returned to independent living by 1 year after onset compared with 22% of survivors of hemispheric infarction. This may have been a consequence of the higher proportion of residual cognitive and sensory impairments present in survivors of hemispheric infarction. Stroke Vol 15, No 5, 1984


The authors have investigated electrical behavior of implanted Al and B atoms near a "tail" region in 4H-SiC (0001) after high-temperature annealing. For aluminum-ion (Al+) implantation, slight in-diffusion of Al implants occurs in the initial stage of annealing at 1700 °C. Nearly all of implanted Al atoms, including the in-diffused Al atoms were activated by annealing at 1700 °C for 1 min. Several electrically deep centers are formed by Al+ implantation. The concentrations of the centers are 3-4 orders-of-magnitude lower than that of implanted Al-atom concentration. For boron-ion (B+) implantation, significant out- and in-diffusion of B implants occur in the initial stage of annealing at 1700 °C. Most of the in-diffused B implants work as B acceptors. A high density of B-related D center exists near the tail region. To suppress the B diffusion, a ten-times higher dose of carbon-ion (C+) co-implantation is effective. However, high concentrations of additional deep centers are introduced by such high-dose C+ co-implantation.


Background The Tapejaridae is a group of unusual toothless pterosaurs characterized by bizarre cranial crests. From a paleoecological point of view, frugivorous feeding habits have often been suggested for one of its included clades, the Tapejarinae. So far, the presence of these intriguing flying reptiles has been unambiguously documented from Early Cretaceous sites in China and Brazil, where pterosaur fossils are less rare and fragmentary than in similarly-aged European strata. Methodology/Principal Findings Europejara olcadesorum gen. et sp. nov. is diagnosed by a unique combination of characters including an unusual caudally recurved dentary crest. It represents the oldest known member of Tapejaridae and the oldest known toothless pterosaur. The new taxon documents the earliest stage of the acquisition of this anatomical feature during the evolutionary history of the Pterodactyloidea. This innovation may have been linked to the development of new feeding strategies. Conclusion/Significance The discovery of Europejara in the Barremian of the Iberian Peninsula reveals an earlier and broader global distribution of tapejarids, suggesting a Eurasian origin of this group. It adds to the poorly known pterosaur fauna of the Las Hoyas locality and contributes to a better understanding of the paleoecology of this Konservat-Lagerstätte. Finally, the significance of a probable contribution of tapejarine tapejarids to the early angiosperm dispersal is discussed.


Development of continuity between precast prestressed bridge girders by post-tensioning the insitu top slab In the regions of hogging moment is a relatively new technique which forms the basis for this research study. Compared
to the more conventional method of using reinforcing steel in the slab over the interior supports, prestressed slabs will ensure a crack free more durable bridge deck, and will therefore reduce the maintenance costs.

The effect that such a slab has on flexural and shear behaviour of the bridge deck has been studied both analytically and experimentally by considering
composite beams based on M-8 standard precast beam section. Comparison of the design of bridge decks with a prestressed slab and a reinforced concrete slab indicated that a partially prestressed slab with a prestress considering up to 50% of the live load will ensure the slab remains crack free under total service load. Although secondary effects and the two stage construction of such a slab tend to
increase the prestress requirement for the slab, the same two effects considerably reduce the positive midspan moments, resulting in a decrease in the prestress
required in the precast beams (and thus a possible increase in the span range) for given standard precast beam sections.

The experimental investigation consisted of testing eleven 1/3-scale M-8 continuous composite beams in two series, Series-A and Series-B. Series A, in which three beams were tested as double cantilevers was planned to study the
effects of prestressed slab on overall flexural behaviour. A considerable improvement in crack control under service loads and a higher ratio of measured to calculated ultimate moment capacity was obtained in beams with a prestressed
slab. The continuity developed using insitu prestressed slabs was very effective at all levels of loading. Recommendations have been made for the flexural design of
continuous bridge decks with this type of prestressed slabs.

In Series B, effect of prestressed slabs on shear strength at the continuity connection has been studied. A considerable increase in web shear cracking load was obtained for beams with prestressed slabs, resulting in a
decrease In the amount of shear reinforcement required for such beams. The different methods of predicting web shear cracking strength and web crushing strength according to current design codes were compared with experimental
values, and based on the results, recommendations for the design for vertical shear of composite beams subjected to hogging moments have been made.


Cadmium sulfide (CdS) is a semiconducting absorber for photoelectrochemical (PEC) hydrogen production with suitable electronic band structures. However, it suffers from severe photocorrosion and rapid charge recombination during the desired PEC reactions. Herein, we describe the identification of the optimal junction thickness of CdS/MoS2 core/sheath heterojunction nanostructures by employing atomic layer deposition (ALD) techniques. ALD-grown MoS2 sheath layers with different thicknesses were realized on single-crystalline CdS nanorod (NR) arrays on transparent conducting oxide substrates. We further monitored the resulting solar H2 evolution performance with our heterojunction photoanodes. The results showed that the junction thickness of MoS2 plays a key role in the reduction of photocorrosion and the enhanced photocurrent density by optimizing the charge separation. A better saturation photocurrent (∼46%) was obtained with the 7 nm-thick MoS2@CdS NRs than that with the bare CdS NRs. Moreover, the external quantum efficiency was increased twofold over that of the pristine CdS NRs. The ALD-grown MoS2@CdS heterojunction structures provides an efficient and versatile platform for hydrogen production when combining ALD-grown MoS2 with ideal semiconducting absorbers.


Husserl introduces a phenomenological concept called "motivation" early in the First Investigation of his magnum opus, the Logical Investigations. The importance of this concept has been overlooked since Husserl passes over it rather quickly on his way to an analysis of the meaningful nature of expression. I argue, however, that motivation is essential to Husserl's overall project, even if it is not essential for defining expression in the First Investigation. For Husserl, motivation is a relation between mental acts whereby the content of one act make some further meaningful content probable. I explicate the nature of this relation in terms of "evidentiary weight" and differentiate it from Husserl's notion of Evidenz , often translated as "self-evidence". I elucidate the importance of motivation in Husserl's overall phenomenological project by focusing on his analyses of thing-perception and empathy. Through these examples, we can better understand the continuity between the Logical Investigations and Husserl's later work.


Novel strategies have been developed to reduce or to avoid the intravitreal injections (IVTs) of the antiangiogenic (ranibizumab; RBZ) and the anti-inflammatory (triamcinolone acetonide; TA) agents used to treat vitreoretinal diseases. One of the strategies include liposomes. In this study, it was evaluated the safety and efficacy of topical triamcinolone-loaded liposomes formulation (TALF) as an adjuvant to intravitreal RBZ therapy in treatment-naive patients with neovascular age related macular degeneration (nAMD). Subjects were randomly assigned to the RBZTALF or the RBZ-pro re nata (RBZ-PRN) group. Patients from the RBZ-TALF group were instructed to apply TALF for a 12-month period after a single dose of RBZ. Patients from the RBZ-PRN group received three monthly RBZ-IVTs. Retreatment with RBZ was considered in case of nAMD reactivation. Related to safety, non-ocular abnormalities were observed during TALF therapy. Owing to the efficacy, non-significant differences are identified in visual acuity or central foveal thickness when the RBZ-PRN and RBZ-TALF groups are compared. Importantly the average number of RBZ injections was significantly lower in the RBZ-TALF group (2.5 ± 1.4 vs 6.1 ± 1.3 IVTs; p=0004). Therefore, TALF used as an adjuvant to RBZ reduce the number of RBZ-IVTs retreatment with optimal visual and anatomic results.


In this paper, we introduce a novel method to measure the contraction length and force output of Pneumatic Artificial Muscles. Our key innovation is to make the braid of these fiber-reinforced actuators out of insulated wires that form a single electric circuit. Changes in the inductance and resistance of this circuit can be related to muscle contraction length and muscle force. We implemented the proposed approach in two McKibben muscles that were evaluated under a variety of air pressures (0-200 kPa) and loads (0-45 N). The experiments confirmed our theoretical prediction of a roughly linear relationship between the measured inductance and the contraction length, as well as a strong correlation between the measured resistance and the actuator force. We were able to determine force with a resolution of 5N and contraction length with a resolution of 0.5 mm. This technique can be used to create flexible, precise, and robust self-sensing actuators that benefit a multitude of robotic applications.


Volumetric performance, a much more reliable and precise parameter for evaluating the charge-storage capacity of supercapacitors compared with gravimetric performance, has aroused more and more interest in recent years owing to the rapid development of miniaturized, portable and wearable electronic devices as well as electric vehicles. Various carbon materials are widely used as electrode materials in supercapacitors. However, their intrinsically low specific capacitance and relatively low bulk density lead to a relatively low volumetric performance, significantly limiting their future application. This critical review points out the crucial importance of volumetric performance and reviews recent achievements of high volumetric performances obtained through the rational design and development of novel carbon-based materials. Particular emphasis is focused on discussing the factors influencing the volumetric performance of carbon materials from a structural design point of view. We then make an in-depth summary of various promising approaches used to make significant research breakthroughs in recent years. Current challenges, future research directions and opportunities in this fascinating field of supercapacitors with high gravimetric and volumetric performances are also discussed.


Reactor antineutrinos have been indispensable for our understanding of neutrino mass and mixing. At the same time, discrepancies between the observed and predicted reactor νe rate and energy spectra have grown as the precision of these measurements has improved. Measurements of the electrons emitted following fission result in the most precise predictions for the corresponding νe flux, and our understanding of the potential systematic differences between the fission e− and νe fluxes has improved. Measurements of individual fission daughter isotopes and their decays are fraught with uncertainties, yet still provide insight into these discrepancies. Detailed comparisons of νe measurements among reactors are also shedding new light on this topic.


Face recognition still meets challenges despite the progresses made. One of less addressed problems is to reject unregistered subjects. Aiming to tackle this problem, this paper proposes random subspace support vector machine SVM ensemble to provide classification confidence and implement reject option to accommodate the situations where no classification should be made. The ensemble is created using the random subspace RS method, together with four feature descriptions including local binary pattern LBP, pyramid histogram of oriented gradient PHOG, Gabor filtering and wavelet transform. The consensus degree from the ensemble's voting conforms to the confidence measure and rejection is accomplished accordingly when the confidence falls below a threshold. The reliable recognition scheme is empirically evaluated on several benchmark face databases including AR faces, FERET faces and Yale B faces, all of which yielded highly reliable results, thus demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed approach.


Introduction: American library association (ALA) defined information literacy as a set of skills, which require an individual to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use it effectively. Information literacy affects research and educational activities. This study aims to evaluate the effect of weblog in increasing the information literacy of students. . Methods: This experimental study was carried out on 60 students enrolled in schools of Allied Health, Nursing & Midwifery and Public Health. They were randomly assigned into two arms of experiments and control. J the subjects in the experimental group received the educational program over two months via weblog. The level of information literacy in the two groups was assessed before and after training by questionnaire. Three steps were taken for examining validity and reliability of questionnaire including:; translation to Farsi, reviewing by a specialist and estimation of the Cronbach's alpha (Cronbach's alpha=.0.88) .Finally data were analyzed using SPSS16. Results: Out of total 60, %36.7of participants were men. There was not any significant difference in mean score of information literacy before training in the two groups (P>0.05), but after education the same test indicated a significant difference between the two groups (P<0.001). In addition it was showed a significant difference between the mean score of information literacy in experimental group before and after training (P<0.001). Conclusion: Using weblog for education, is a successful model for instruction of information literacy for students of medical sciences.


Previous work involving the squeeze-film flow of a model paste substance, a mixture of clay particles and mineral oil commonly known as 'Plasticine', has suggested that it behaves as a simple Herschel-Bulkley fluid which exhibits little strain history. However, tensile measurements, which are naturally limited to small strains by the onset of necking, indicate that this material shows strain hardening. A two roll-mill is employed here to investigate the influence of larger extensional strains. The data are analysed using an available first order engineering plasticity solution. The results confirm that this material exhibits both extensional strain and strain rate hardening. This observed strain hardening effect, which is not observed in the squeeze-film experiments, is attributed, in part, to the more homogeneous deformation fields induced during rolling and tensile extension.


Accurate tests to identify high-risk individuals in a population that could progress to severe forms of the disease are crucial strategies when tackling the nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) epidemic. NAFLD is projected to increase from affecting 83.1 million people in 2015 to 100.9 million in 2030, and its more severe form, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is estimated to increase from 16.52 million to 27.00 million in the US alone (1). These staggering numbers emphasize the need to precisely identify patients with NASH who could potentially develop life-threatening cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (2). By doing so, patients can be correctly selected to enter clinical trials designed to treat NASH with new drugs targeting different stages of the disease.


Objective: Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) has been gradually introduced into clinical liver surgery and transplantation in recent years. However, the protective effects of IPC on hepatic warm ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and the potential mechanisms involved are not fully understood. We aimed to evaluate whether the reduction of apoptotic sinusoidal endothelial cells (SECs), induced by IPC, contributes to its protective effect. Methods: Male Wistar rats were randomized into three experimental groups: the continuous clamping group underwent 60 min of 70% hepatic ischemia; the IPC group received 10 min ischemia followed by 10 min reperfusion prior to ischemia, and the sham control (sham) underwent a sham operation without ischemia. Hepatocyte and SEC apoptosis, liver necrotic areas and the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), hyaluronic acid, tumor necrosis factor, myeloperoxidase (MPO) and malondialdehyde were determined. Expression of cysteine-aspartic acid protease-3 (caspase-3) in hepatocytes and SECs was also investigated. Furthermore, the hepatic leukocyte infiltration was assessed by intravital fluorescence microscopy. Results: IPC exhibited a significant alleviation of their postischemic liver function. Serum AST, ALT and tissue MPO were significantly decreased by IPC, and the degree of hepatocyte and SEC apoptosis was significantly inhibited, as shown by the decreased numbers of adherent leukocytes. Conclusions: IPC attenuates hepatic I/R injury by the reduction of leukocyte infiltration, the reduction hepatic enzymatic leakage and the depression of apoptotic cells. SECs are more sensitive to apoptosis induced by warm I/R injury compared to hepatocytes.


The 14C-DMO/3H-inulin method for pHi was critically assessed in intact Callinectes and found to be reliable provided adequate equilibration time and significant radiolabel excretion were taken into account. An unusually high 'mean whole body pHi' (7.54 at 20°C compared with a pHa of 7.80) was due to a highly alkaline fluid compartment (pHi = 8.23) in the carapace. At 20°C the pHi of the heart was 7.35 and skeletal muscle pHi was 7.30, and there were small but consistent differences in the pHi of different muscle types. The change in pHa with temperature was −0.0151 u°C−1 between 10 and 30°C, slightly less than the slope for the neutral pH of water (ΔpN/ΔT ≃ −0.0175 u °C−1). With data corrected to constant PiCoCo2 this was associated with a change in [HCO3−]a between 10 and 20°C (−0.13 mequivl−1°C−1, constant PaCoCo2) and a change in PaCoCo2 between 20 and 30°C (+0.13Torr°C−1, constant [HCO3−]a). The disturbing effect of relatively small PiCOCO2 changes on this pattern was demonstrated. ΔpHi/ΔT slopes for all tissues except carapace were not significantly different from pHa/ΔT but generally lower than ΔpN/ΔT. The slope for the. carapace was very flat and greatly influenced the 'mean whole body pHi' slope (−0.0062u°C−1). In haemolymph in vitro at constant Picoco2 'passive' Δ[HCO3−]/ΔT (−0.17mequivI −1°C−1) was comparable to that in vivo between 10 and 20°C, independent of absolute PCOCO2. and directly related to total protein concentration. Haemolymph non-bicarbonate buffer value (β) was similarly related to protein, but increased with temperature. Crabs subjected to an acute 20→10°C shift showed initial overshoots of pHa and pHi associated with undershoot of PaCOCO2, all of which were corrected over 24 h as [HCO3−]a rose. During this period there was a significant net uptake


This is an introductory review of the AdS/CFT correspondence and of the ideas that led to its formulation. We show how comparison of stacks of D3-branes with corresponding supergravity solutions leads to dualities between conformal large N gauge theories in 4 dimensions and string backgrounds of the form AdS5 × X5 where X5 is an Einstein manifold. The gauge invariant chiral operators of the field theory are in one-to-one correspondence with the supergravity modes, and their correlation functions at strong coupling are determined by the dependence of the supergravity action on AdS boundary conditions. The simplest case is when X5 is a 5-sphere and the dual gauge theory is the N = 4 supersymmetric SU(N) Yang-Mills theory. We also discuss D3-branes on the conifold corresponding to X5 being a coset space T 1,1 = (SU(2)× SU(2))/U(1). This background is dual to a certain N = 1 superconformal field theory with gauge group SU(N)× SU(N).


COVID-19 constitutes a health crisis which has rapidly turned into a social and economic crisis. This paper brie(cid:135)y explores some of the issues raised by the combination of a massive supply-side shock with a massive demand-side shock, and the interaction of these with the exponential dynamics of a viral infection. The analysis suggests that, during the recovery, the state of infection among the existing workforce relative to that of the incoming one will play an important role in determining the dynamic interactions between economics and epidemiology. Perhaps counterintuitively, the logic of the basic epidemiological SI model suggests that, under plausible assumptions about consumer behavior, steady recovery is helped if the re-hired workers are more heavily infected than the existing workforce. This has implica-tions for the (cid:133)scal strategies that are likely to be pursued in the coming months. In particular, (cid:133)scal instruments should simultaneously target aggregate demand and disease transmissibility in relatively small steps. There is no restoring economic health without stabilizing economic sentiments, the path to which goes through communicating a reasonable degree of control over pathogen spread.


The Drosophila wingless (wg) gene encodes a secreted signaling protein that is required for many separate patterning events in both embryonic and larval development. wg functions in the development of the adult structures have been studied using the conditional mutant wgts and also using regulatory mutations of wg that reduce larval functions. Here we present evidence that Sternopleural (Sp) is another regulatory allele of wg that affects a subset of larval functions. Sp has both a recessive loss-of-function component and a gain-of-function component. The loss-of-function component reflects a reduction of wg activity in the notum and in the antenna. The gain-of-function component apparently leads to ectopic wg activity in the dorsal first and second leg disc and thereby generates the dominant Sp phenotype. Sp and other wg alleles show a complex pattern of complementation. We present evidence that these genetic properties are due to transvection. These results have implications for the genetic definition of a null allele at loci subject to transvection.


Introduction: There is an increasing emphasis on the use of Integrated Care Pathways for dementia in the hospital environment. Despite this, the Irish National Audit of Dementia Care in Acute Hospitals De Siun et al. 2014 found that 94% of acute hospitals did not have a dementia care pathway in operation. The Health Service Executive HSE and Genio provided funding to three hospitals in Ireland to develop an ICP for dementia care. An independent evaluation was conducted to uncover the strengths and challenges of the ICPs developed, as well as to collate learning from the sites to further develop ICPs for those living with dementia. Methods: Mixed methods were used to evaluate two of the ICPs developed to date. This included analysis of service provider and service user data, as well as audit and Hospital Inpatient Enquiry HIPE data. Ethical approval was secured from the Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committees in Trinity College Dublin and relevant hospital Ethics Committees. Results: The complexity involved in developing and rolling out an ICP for dementia was highlighted. Findings demonstrated a number of facilitators and challenges in the development of ICPs. Facilitators included: project leadership; organisational support; dedicated project personnel; project responsiveness; and dovetailing with other clinical, educational or organisational developments. Challenges identified included: competing initiatives and acuity of care demands; absence of standardisation; deficits in communication; and pressure on resources. Discussion and conclusions: The person with dementia and their individualised needs should be central to any innovations in integrated dementia care. A dementia-friendly orientation needs to be embedded in the strategic objectives and operational planning of an organisation in order for meaningful impact to be achieved. Innovation in the development of ICPs needs well-defined governance and visionary leadership. Dedicated resources are required by such leaders to support dementia care development. Findings demonstrated that a consortium approach is beneficial for projects to design, test and implement innovations to develop integrated dementia care. ICP development and dementia-friendly environmental design are protracted and require extensive planning to include process mapping of the care journey, evidence review and multi stakeholder consultation. Therefore, such projects should make consideration of sufficient lead-in time to devise related interventions. Such planning activities should be viewed as sub-components of the overall intervention. In cases where dementia-specific roles are shown to have positively influence project impact, commitment and resources are required to maintain these roles in order to maximise and further develop gains.


Heparanase (HPSE) is an endo-β-glucuronidase involved in extracellular matrix remodeling in rapidly healing tissues, most cancers and inflammation, and viral infection. Its importance as a therapeutic target warrants further study, but such is hampered by a lack of research tools. To expand the toolkits for probing HPSE enzymatic activity, we report the design of a substrate scaffold for HPSE comprised of a disaccharide substrate appended with a linker, capable of carrying cargo until being cleaved by HPSE. Here exemplified as a fluorogenic, coumarin-based imaging probe, this scaffold can potentially expand the availability of HPSE-responsive imaging or drug delivery tools using a variety of imaging moieties or other cargo. We show that electronic tuning of the scaffold provides a robust response to HPSE while simplifying the structural requirements of the attached cargo. Molecular docking and modeling suggest a productive probe/HPSE binding mode. These results further support the hypothesis that the reactivity of these HPSE-responsive probes is predominantly influenced by the electron density of the aglycone. This universal HPSE-activatable scaffold will greatly facilitate future development of HPSE-responsive probes and drugs.


Eating is one of the most basic human activities, and food interconnects with both collective and individual identities. As Europeans migrated to the rural United States in the nineteenth century, adopting and interpreting new food-ways was an important aspect of the forging of new immigrant selves. Thinking about food helped immigrants both to resist and to accommodate changes that eventually would prove inevitable for them.


Public policy aimed at reducing obesity is just one of many avenues that must be pursued to address the still-growing obesity pandemic. The complexity of the problem is illustrated in ecological frameworks and system maps of the determinants. These conceptual maps illustrate the complexity by acknowledging the influence of many different factors such as social norms and values; sectors of influence such as the food and beverage industries, media and transportation; behavioural settings including home and family, school and community; and individual factors such as genetics, psychosocial and other personal elements. But to solve such a complex problem, we need to move from an analysis of the determinants or causes of the problem to a solution orientation; the frameworks used to describe the problem may not be the right ones for building the "best" solutions. Solution-oriented frameworks, like those presented by Hobbs and Seeman, have been based on parameters such as the sector of influence (e.g., public policy) but would benefit from the consideration of complexity and the leverage points for intervention in complex systems, which are a function of parameters such as the structure of relationships and the presence or absence of feedback loops.


Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a disease with impact on dairy productivity, as well as having the potential for zoonotic transmission. Understanding the genetic diversity of the disease agent Mycobacterium bovis is important for identifying its routes of transmission. Here we investigated the level of genetic diversity of M. bovis isolates and assessed the zoonotic potential in risk groups of people working in bTB‐infected dairy farms in central Ethiopia. M. bovis was isolated and spoligotyped from tissue lesions collected from slaughtered cattle as well as from raw milk collected from bTB positive cows in dairy farms from six urban areas of central Ethiopia. From consented dairy farm workers, knowledge and practices related to zoonotic TB transmission, together with demographic and clinical information, was collected through interviews. Sputum or Fine Needle Aspirate (FNA) samples were collected from suspected TB cases. Spoligotyping of 55 M. bovis isolates that originated either from cattle tissues with tuberculous lesion or from raw milk revealed seven spoligotype patterns where SB1176 was the most prevalent type (47.3%). Most isolates (89.1%) were of the M. bovis African 2 clonal complex. All sputum and FNA samples from 41 dairy farm workers with symptoms of TB were culture negative for any mycobacteria. Among the 41 TB suspected farm workers, 61% did not know about bTB in cattle and its zoonotic potential, and over two‐third of these workers practiced raw milk consumption. Our spoligotype analysis suggests a wider transmission of a single spoligotype in the study area. The results reported here may be useful in guiding future work to identify the source and direction of bTB transmission and hence design of a control strategy. Isolation of M. bovis from milk, knowledge gap on zoonotic TB and practice of consumption of raw milk in the study population showed potential risk for zoonotic transmission.


Abstract. Increased surface melt over the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) is now estimated to account for half or more of the ice sheet's total mass loss. Here, we show that some meltwater is stored, over winter, in buried supraglacial lakes. We use airborne radar from Operation IceBridge between 2009 and 2012 to detect buried supraglacial lakes, and we find that they were distributed extensively around the GrIS margin through that period. Buried supraglacial lakes can persist through multiple winters and are, on average, ~ 1.9 + 0.2 m below the surface. Most buried supraglacial lakes exist with no surface expression of their occurrence in visible imagery. The few buried supraglacial lakes that do exhibit surface expression have a unique visible signature associated with a darker blue color where subsurface water is located. The volume of retained water in the buried supraglacial lakes is likely insignificant compared to the total mass loss from the GrIS, but the water may have important implications locally for the development of the englacial hydrologic system and ice temperatures. Buried supraglacial lakes represent a small but year-round source of meltwater in the GrIS hydrologic system.


A large social science literature documents partnership rates and correlates of partnership among heterosexual individuals. This paper presents the first systematic empirical analysis of partnership, cohabitation, and official "domestic partner" registrations among self-identified gay men and lesbians using four independent, large, population based data sources, mostly in California. The data indicate that 30-45 percent of gay men are in a cohabiting partnership, while about 50-60 percent of lesbians are partnered. Across the four samples, white and highly educated gay men and lesbians are more likely to be partnered. We also find that almost half of partnered lesbians report being registered officially with the government, while fewer than a quarter of partnered gay men are registered. Of partnered gay men and lesbians, those who officially registered report longer relationship durations and are more likely to have ever been legally married. Overall, our results advance the literature on the determinants of household formation and provide the first estimates of factors associated with being officially registered in a same-sex domestic partnership.


Swarm Computation is a relatively new optimisation paradigm. The basic premise is to model the collective behaviour of self-organised natural phenomena such as swarms, flocks and shoals, in order to solve optimisation problems. Particle Swarm Optimisation (PSO) is a type of swarm computation inspired by bird flocks or swarms of bees by modelling their collective social influence as they search for optimal solutions.

In many real-world applications of PSO, the algorithm is used as a data pre-processor for a neural network or similar post processing system, and is often extensively modified to suit the application. The thesis introduces techniques that allow unmodified PSO to be applied successfully to a range of problems, specifically three extensions to the basic PSO algorithm: solving optimisation problems by training a hyperspatial matrix, using a hierarchy of swarms to coordinate optimisation on several data sets simultaneously, and dynamic neighbourhood selection in swarms.

Rather than working directly with candidate solutions to an optimisation problem, the PSO algorithm is adapted to train a matrix of weights, to produce a solution to the problem from the inputs. The search space is abstracted from the problem data.

A single PSO swarm optimises a single data set and has difficulties where the data set comprises disjoint parts (such as time series data for different days). To address this problem, we introduce a hierarchy of swarms, where each child swarm optimises one section of the data set whose gbest particle is a member of the swarm above in the hierarchy. The parent swarm(s) coordinate their children and encourage more exploration of the solution space. We show that hierarchical swarms of this type perform better than single swarm PSO optimisers on the disjoint data sets used.

PSO relies on interaction between particles within a neighbourhood to find good solutions. In many PSO variants, possible interactions are arbitrary and fixed on initialisation. Our third contribution is a dynamic neighbourhood selection: particles can modify their neighbourhood, based on the success of the candidate neighbour particle. As PSO is intended to reflect the social interaction of agents, this change significantly increases the ability of the swarm to find optimal solutions. Applied to real-world medical and cosmological data, this modification is and shows improvements over standard PSO approaches with fixed neighbourhoods.


This work presents a set of approaches used to deal with the Frequency Assignment Problem (FAP), which is one of the key issues in the design of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) networks. The used formulation of the FAP is focused on aspects which are relevant for real-world GSM networks. The best up to date frequency plans for the considered version of the FAP had been obtained by using parallel memetic algorithms. However, such approaches suffer from premature convergence with some real world instances. Multiobjectivisation is a technique which transforms a mono-objective optimisation problem into a multi-objective one with the aim of avoiding stagnation. A Multiobjectivised Memetic Algorithm, based on the well-known Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) together with its required operators, is presented in this paper. Several multiobjectivised schemes, based on the addition of an artificial objective, are analysed. They have been combined with a novel crossover operator. Computational results obtained for two different real-world instances of the FAP demonstrate the validity of the proposed model. The new model provides benefits in terms of solution quality, and in terms of time saving. The previously known best frequency plans for both tested real-world networks have been improved.


Background: Playing sports has many benefits, including boosting physical, cardiovascular, and mental fitness. We tested whether athletic benefits extend to sensory processing—specifically auditory processing—as measured by the frequency-following response (FFR), a scalp-recorded electrophysiological potential that captures neural activity predominately from the auditory midbrain to complex sounds. Hypothesis: Given that FFR amplitude is sensitive to experience, with enrichment enhancing FFRs and injury reducing them, we hypothesized that playing sports is a form of enrichment that results in greater FFR amplitude. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Level of Evidence: Level 3. Methods: We measured FFRs to the speech syllable "da" in 495 student-athletes across 19 Division I teams and 493 age- and sex-matched controls and compared them on 3 measures of FFR amplitude: amplitude of the response, amplitude of the background noise, and the ratio of these 2 measures. Results: Athletes have larger responses to sound than nonathletes, driven by a reduction in their level of background neural noise. Conclusion: These findings suggest that playing sports increases the gain of an auditory signal by turning down the background noise. This mode of enhancement may be tied to the overall fitness level of athletes and/or the heightened need of an athlete to engage with and respond to auditory stimuli during competition. Clinical Relevance: These results motivate athletics overall and engagement in athletic interventions for populations that struggle with sensory processing, such as individuals with language disorders. Also, because head injuries can disrupt these same auditory processes, it is important to consider how auditory processing enhancements may offset injury.


Abstract The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) augments the open public service offered by the GPS in Europe making suitable the use of GPS for safety critical applications. EGNOS is designed according to the same standard [ICAO SARPs, 2018] such as US WAAS, Japanese MSAS, GAGAN in India, SDCM in Russia and KAAS in South Korea and provides over Europe both corrections and integrity information about the GPS system. As the European SBAS, EGNOS offers three services: Open Service, Safety-of-life Service and EDAS. In general, the EGNOS Safety-of-life (SoL) Service is intended for transport applications in different domains (and currently in use by Aviation) where lives could be endangered if the performance of the navigation system is degraded below specific accuracy limits without giving notice in the specified time to alert. This requires that the relevant authority of the particular transport domain determines specific requirements for the navigation service based on the needs of that domain. Even if the main objective of the SBAS systems is the civil aviation community, the advantages provided by this technology are very useful to users from other domains. In this sense, a new EGNOS service for maritime is currently under development with the objective to complement the existing maritime radionavigation systems (e.g. DGNSS) in the European region for enhanced accuracy and integrity information where there is no backup infrastructure or in poorly covered environments. One of the steps needed for the development of this new EGNOS maritime service is the definition of a minimum set of recommendations for receiver manufacturers to provide them with a clear view on how to design their SBAS receivers to be compliant with the requirements defined for such a service. For that, EC, GSA, ESA and ESSP SAS have been working together since 2016 to develop guidelines for manufacturers for the implementation of SBAS in shipborne receiver. These guidelines, developed in the frame of the SBAS Working Group created in the Special Committee (SC) 104 on Differential Global Navigation Satellite Systems (DGNSS) of Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services (RTCM), define a minimum set SBAS messages to be compliant with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Resolution A.1046 and additionally provide a test specifications. This paper presents a summary of these SBAS guidelines as well as the preliminary list of tests that must be fulfilled to be compliant. Additionally, a preliminary performance assessment of the EGNOS maritime service based on IMO Res. A.1046 (27) for a 24-months period during 2016, 2017 and 2018 is presented. The performance parameters are calculated using real data to show what level of performance was attained by EGNOS. The assessment was done using both EGNOS ground monitoring stations (RIMS) and fault-free receivers, based on these guidelines, fed with actual data. The performance is shown for each performance parameter defined in the IMO Res. A.1046 (27) and for navigation in Ocean Waters and coastal waters, harbour entrances and harbour approaches. The paper also includes Service Coverage maps representing where EGNOS maritime service based on IMO Res. A.1046 (27) is fulfilling the requirements. Furthermore, GSA and ESSP, with the collaboration of The Norwegian Coastal Administration and Hurtigruten Cruises, carried out a GNSS data collection campaign of 10 days along the Norwegian coast with a trajectory through Trondheim to Kirkenes and Kirkenes to Bergen in February 2018. The aim of this data campaign was to assess EGNOS performance at user level in the maritime domain at high latitudes in Europe. The data campaign includes the navigation outside the MT27 region defined in EGNOS at that moment (70ºN). A performance assessment of EGNOS using some commercial receivers and a software receiver in line with the SBAS guidelines will be presented, showing the observed accuracy and availably results of the EGNOS solution.


Introduction. – Treatment of choice for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is either eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) or trauma-focused cognitive behaviour therapy (TFCBT). Objective. – The aim of the present meta-analysis was to determine whether there are any differences between these two treatments with respect to efficacy and efficiency in treating PTSD. Method. – We performed a comprehensive literature search using several electronic search engines as well as manual searches of other review papers. Eight original studies involving 227 participants were identified in this manner. Results. – There were no differences between EMDR and TFCBT on measures of PTSD. However, there was a significant advantage for EMDR over TFCBT in reducing depression (Hedge's g = 0.63). The analysis also indicated a difference in the prescribed homework between the treatments. Meta-regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between hours of homework and gains in depression and PTSD symptoms. Conclusion. – These findings are discussed in terms of efficacy and cost-effectiveness and the use of homework in therapy. © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.


In two papers online this week in Science , researchers introduce a partial lower jaw from Ethiopia as the oldest known member of the genus Homo . Radiometrically dated to almost 2.8 million years ago, the jaw is a window on the mysterious time when our genus emerged. With both primitive and more modern traits, it is a bridge between our genus and its ancestors and points to when and where that evolutionary transition took place. Together with a reassessment of known fossils, published in Nature this week by paleontologist Fred Spoor and colleagues, the find is stimulating new efforts to sort out the mixed bag of early Homo remains and to trace how they are related to their australopithecine ancestors.


Abstract A 2-yr field study was conducted to compare growth characteristics of 24 Palmer amaranth accessions collected from across the indigenous range of the species in the United States. Variation in growth and development of Palmer amaranth was noted among accessions based on leaf area ratio (LAR), specific leaf area (SLA), net assimilation rate (NAR), and stem leaf ratio (SLR), but only SLR varied across harvest intervals among accessions. Accessions collected across the range of Palmer amaranth in the United States displayed variation in growth and development based on differences in LAR, SLA, NAR, and SLR. Observed differences among accessions indicate the existence of Palmer amaranth ecotypes. Nomenclature: Palmer amaranth, Amaranthus palmeri (S.) Wats., AMAPA.


In recent years, the landscape of computing paradigms has witnessed a gradual yet remarkable shift from monolithic computing to distributed and decentralized paradigms such as Internet of Things (IoT), Edge, Fog, Cloud, and Serverless. The frontiers of these computing technologies have been boosted by shift from manually encoded algorithms to Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven autonomous systems for optimum and reliable management of distributed computing resources. Prior work focuses on improving existing systems using AI across a wide range of domains, such as efficient resource provisioning, application deployment, task placement, and service management. This survey reviews the evolution of data-driven AI-augmented technologies and their impact on computing systems. We demystify new techniques and draw key insights in Edge, Fog and Cloud resource management-related uses of AI methods and also look at how AI can innovate traditional applications for enhanced Quality of Service (QoS) in the presence of a continuum of resources. We present the latest trends and impact areas such as optimizing AI models that are deployed on or for computing systems. We layout a roadmap for future research directions in areas such as resource management for QoS optimization and service reliability. Finally, we discuss blue-sky ideas and envision this work as an anchor point for future research on AI-driven computing systems.


The idea to this bachelor thesis was born after carefully following the coverage of Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye in Swedish media during their imprisonment in Ethiopia from June 2011 to September 2012. Based on our interest we designed two questions to answer throughout the thesis. These are:(1) How are Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye portrayed as journalists in the discussion about them that has taken place in Swedish media?(2) How is the journalistic profession described in the discussion about Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye in Swedish media? To answer these questions we decided to analyse texts that can be defined as the genre of opinion journalism, which all came from Swedish printed media. We have chosen 16 texts to analyse which show the variety of ways to write about Persson and Schibbye in the chosen genre during the chosen period of time. Opinion journalism is what newspapers use to attract readers, as they want to supplement the news coverage with comments and analysis from "experts". Persson and Schibbye were imprisoned in Ethiopia in June of 2011, and weren't released until 15 months later, in September of 2012. To analyse our material we have amongst others used theories regarding social constructionism, representation, discourse, the journalistic identity and the journalistic ideals that exist in Swedish society. The method chosen to carry through our analysis is a critical discourse analysis, according to Norman Faircloughs theory and his three dimensional model concerning text, the discourse practice and the social practice. The results that came from our analysis is that Persson and Schibbye is portrayed in three ways; as journalistic heroes, victims and/or crooks. In those examples that portray Persson and Schibbye as heroes, it is not only them that are praised, but also journalism as a profession and the journalistic assignment. This is also true regarding the texts that portay Schibbye as a crook, since it is Schibbyes earlier engagement in communistic politics that is criticised, not the journalistic profession itself. Persson and Schibbye are also portrayed as victims of the Ethiopian government and abuse of power.


The present paper describes the synthesis and hydrodynamic properties of a surface-modified ceramic membrane composed of a porous support which consists of gamma alumina and a titania wash-coat. Single gas permeation through the membranes was measured at 298 and 373K using H2, N2, Ar and CH4. The membranes showed high separation factors of gases consistent with Knudsen diffusion mechanisms. Structural characteristic and pore size distribution of the porous and surface modified silica membrane was analysed with Liquid Nitrogen adsorption at 77K to obtain gas adsorption/desorption isotherm of membrane materials. Both surface area of the porous support and surface-modified silica membrane was determined using Brunauer-Emmett-Teller(BET) model to reproducible isotherms while the pore diameter of both membranes was determined using Barrette- Joyner-Halenda (BJH) curve. The adsorption/desorption curve for the surface-modified silica ceramic membrane showed a type IV/V isotherm which indicates a mesoporous makeup. This surface-modified membrane, therefore, displayed high thermal stability and high permeance. Further results obtained from the experiments conducted have helped explain the effect of dissimilarity in the mass-transfer on the gas permeation through the hybrid ceramic membranes.


I n the first randomized controlled trial to examine integrating whole-genome sequencing (WGS) into primary care and cardiology clinical settings, patients reported that they were generally able to understand informed consent and were satisfied with physician discussions regarding the results (Roberts et al, 2018). The report was issued by the MedSeq Project, an ongoing randomized controlled clinical trial looking at the best ways to integrate genome sequencing into clinical medicine and how it might impact health systems and individuals. The results of this paper differ from those of many prior studies that reported widespread misunderstandings of informed consent processes in genomics research and, to a certain degree, in clinical research overall. However, although patient understanding and satisfaction were high, many held higher expectations as to the clinical benefits of genome sequencing. Research is relatively limited when it comes to the patient experience with genome sequencing, and most studies have focused on cancer patients. However, this paper does not suggest that WGS should be incorporated into cardiology and primary care, says Scott Roberts, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Health Behavior & Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, Michigan. "The most important factor for determining that is clinical utility, and this paper did not address outcomes in that domain," he says. "The current evidence beyond this study does not suggest that WGS generally has clinical utility in these populations, although one could imagine it may be useful in select individual cases." Dr. Roberts also explains that he thinks clinicians need to emphasize not only the potential benefits but also the current limitations of WGS. "Managing expectations at the outset could improve informed consent and reduce the likelihood of 'dashed hopes' should clinically useful results not be found," he says. There is an urgent need to develop standards and procedures for using information gleaned from genome sequencing in clinical medicine, but MedSeq researchers point out that many challenges remain regarding the integrity and storage of sequencing data, its interpretation, and responsible clinical integration. "Our findings on high patient expectations prior to testing are consistent with emerging findings from the cancer genetics literature, where next-generation sequencing is becoming used with greater frequency," explains Dr. Roberts, who also notes that time constraints in disciplines like primary care may make patient education about genome sequencing a challenge. "That is why this message regarding WGS limitations should be supplemented by other sources of information that patients can access," he says.


Shigatoxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC) such as E. coli O157 are significant human pathogens, capable of producing severe, systemic disease outcomes. The more serious symptoms associated with STEC infection are primarily the result of Shiga toxin (Stx) production, directed by converting Stx bacteriophages. During phage-mediated replication and host cell lysis, the toxins are released en masse from the bacterial cells, and the severity of disease is linked inexorably to toxin load. It is common for a single bacterial host to harbour more than one heterogeneous Stx prophage, and it has also been recently proven that multiple isogenic prophage copies can exist in a single cell, contrary to the lambda immunity model. It is possible that in these multiple lysogens there is an increased potential for production of Stx. This study investigated the expression profiles of single and double isogenic lysogens of Stx phage 24(B) using quantitative PCR to examine transcription levels, and a reporter gene construct as a proxy for the translation levels of stx transcripts. Toxin gene expression in double lysogens was in excess of the single lysogen counterpart, both in the prophage state and after induction of the lytic life cycle. In addition, double lysogens were found to be more sensitive to an increased induction stimulus than single lysogens, suggesting that maintenance of a stable prophage is less likely when multiple phage genome copies are present. Overall, these data demonstrate that the phenomenon of multiple lysogeny in STEC has the potential to impact upon disease pathology through increased toxin load.


The Internet has made it easier for social scientists to study human behav-ior by analyzing their interactions on social media platforms. Many of these platforms characterize conversations among users via threads , which induce a tree-like structure. The structural properties of these discussion trees , such as their width, depth, and size, can be used to make inferences regarding user discussion patterns and conversation dynamics. In this paper, we seek to understand the structure of these online discussions on Reddit. We characterize the structure of these discussions via a set of global and local discussion-tree properties. The global features constitute information regarding the commu-nity/subreddit of a given post, whereas the local features are comprised of the properties of the post itself. We perform various statistical analyses on a year's worth of Reddit data containing a quarter of a million posts and several million comments. These analyses allow us to tease apart the relative contribution of a discussion post's global and local properties and characterize the importance of specific individual features in determining the discussions' structural patterns. Our results indicate that both local and global features explain a significant amount of structural variation. Local features are collectively more important as they explain significantly more variation in the discussion trees' structural properties than global features. However, there is significant heterogeneity in the impact of the various features. Several global features, e.g., the topic, age, popularity, and the redundancy of content in a subreddit, also play a crucial role in understanding the specific properties of discussion trees.


Conversational practices do not occur at a single unit of analysis. To understand the interplay between social positioning, information sharing, and rhetorical strategy in language, various granularities are necessary. In this work we present a machine learning model for multi-party chat which predicts conversation structure across differing units of analysis. First, we mark sentence-level behavior using an information sharing annotation scheme. By taking advantage of Integer Linear Programming and a sociolinguistic framework, we enforce structural relationships between sentence-level annotations and sequences of interaction. Then, we show that clustering these sequences can effectively disentangle the threads of conversation. This model is highly accurate, performing near human accuracy, and performs analysis on-line, opening the door to real-time analysis of the discourse of conversation.


The intensity of competition in an industry is not a matter of luck. Rather, competition is rooted in underlying industry economics and goes well beyond the established competitors. Not all industries have equal potential. They differ fundamentally in their ultimate profit potential as the collective strength of the forces of competition differs; the forces range from intense in industries like tires, paper and steel, where no firm earns spectacular returns, to relatively mild in industries such as oil field equipment and services, cosmetics and toiletries, where high returns are common. Building long-term relationships with customers has become a critical strategy for most financial institutions in today's competitive financial markets. The banking industry must develop profitable, long-term relationships with its customers in order to survive in the competitive retail banking environment. Banks want a zero customer defection rate of profitable customers to reduce the churn rate and minimize the acquisition costs of new customers The research design was a cross sectional descriptive study of the Islamic banks operating in Kenya. The study was used to identify the strategies used by the Islamic banks to attract non-Muslim customers. The data collection tool was an interview guide. Content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative primary data which had been collected by conducting interviews and secondary information from the organization. The findings from the study were that the Islamic banks uses low cost, differentiation, pricing and delivery and distribution strategies to attract Non-Muslim customers. The usage of the strategies resulted to formulation of policies and procedures which enhance the strategy, business plan formulated on low cost strategy, continuous innovation of new customer friendly products, formation of group based microfinance products to attract low income customers and outsourcing of services. The bank also creates unique position, advertise the products, customer segmentation, analysis of competitor cost structure to set the prices, opening of more branches and installation of more ATM facilities, adoption of information technology and deployment of a combination of marketing strategies.


In this work we tackle the road sign problem with reservoir computing (RC) networks. The T-maze task (a particular form of the road sign problem) consists of a robot in a T-shaped environment that must reach the correct goal (left or right arm of the T-maze) depending on a previously received input sign. It is a control task in which the delay period between the sign received and the required response (e.g., turn right or left) is a crucial factor. Delayed response tasks like this one form a temporal problem that can be handled very well by RC networks. Reservoir computing is a biologically plausible technique which overcomes the problems of previous algorithms such as backpropagation through time - which exhibits slow (or non-) convergence on training. RC is a new concept that includes a fast and efficient training algorithm. We show that this simple approach can solve the T-maze task efficiently.


There is a general consensus that for the next few decades at least, the Earth will continue its warming. This will inevitably bring about serious environmental problems. For human society, the most severe will be those related to alterations of the hydrological cycle, which is already heavily influenced by human activities. Climate change will directly affect groundwater recharge, groundwater quality and the freshwater-seawater interface. The variations of groundwater storage inevitably entail a variety of geomorphological and engineering effects. In the areas where water resources are likely to diminish, groundwater will be one of the main solutions to prevent drought. In spite of its paramount importance, the issue of 'Climate Change and Groundwater' has been neglected. This volume presents some of the current understanding of the topic.


Spinal extradural meningeal cysts are typically formed by a thin fibrotic membranous capsule, macroscopically similar that of an arachnoid membrane, filled by cerebro spinal fluid and related to a nerve root or to the posterior midline. Ventral location is extremely rare and when it occurs they usually cause spinal cord herniation through the ventral dural gap. A 61 year-old man who began with a two years long history of insidious tetraparesis, spasticity and hyperreflexia in lower extremities, and flaccid atrophy of upper limbs, without sensory manifestations, is presented. Investigation through magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated an extensive spinal ventral extradural cystic collection from C6 to T11. The lesion was approached through a laminectomy and a cyst-peritoneal shunt was introduced. The cyst reduced in size significantly and the patient is asymptomatic over a 48 months follow-up. This is the first reported case of a spontaneous ventral extradural spinal meningeal cyst causing cord compression. Cyst-peritoneal shunt was effective in the treatment of the case and it should be considered in cases in which complete resection of the cyst is made more difficult or risky by the need of more aggressive surgical maneuvers.


This study investigated the hypothesis that rule reconfiguration in task switching can isolate aspects of intact and impaired control at different stages of Parkinson's disease (PD) by comparing switches between concrete naming rules pertaining to stimulus selection, to switches between abstract rules which allocate categorization responses to these stimuli. Based on previous findings, it was hypothesized that attentional switches, where task set competition emerges at the stimulus but not response set level, highlights striatal dopaminergic function. Conversely, increasing the degree of task set competition to encompass reconfiguration of response set when switching between abstract rules, represents a condition which engages the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and renders this manipulation sensitive to frontal damage. To this end, we investigated task switching with concrete and abstract rules in unilaterally (Hoehn & Yahr stage I) and bilaterally (Hoehn & Yahr stage II) affected PD patients, as well as striatally intact frontal lesion patients. As predicted, frontal lesion patients demonstrated switching deficits only with abstract categorization rules, where switching engendered complete task set reconfiguration and a new response, as did stage II PD patients with presumed frontal cortical pathology. Replicating previous findings, stage I PD patients with relatively circumscribed striatal pathology demonstrated no such impairment. Disease severity also impacted on attentional switching indexed by naming rules, since medicated stage II but not stage I patients demonstrated switching deficits emerging from stimulus set reconfiguration, suggesting that the ameliorative efficacy of dopaminergic medication is inversely related to the severity of the striatal deficit. These findings illustrate that the nature of the rules that are switched, and its implication in terms of reconfiguring different task set elements, highlights different neural characters of cognitive flexibility. These manipulations may help decipher the differential effects of progressive neurodegeneration on parkinsonian cognition, and provide a framework in which to conceptualize the contributions of cortical and subcortical regions to cognitive control.


OBJECTIVE To evaluate the use of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) in the diagnosis of diabetes and the relationship between FPG and various cardiovascular risk factors in a community-based Hong Kong Chinese population. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The results of 1,470 oral glucose tolerance tests from a prevalence survey for glucose intolerance and lipid abnormality in a Hong Kong Chinese working population were examined. Our previous report showed that an FPG of 5.7 mmol/l corresponded to a 2-h plasma glucose (PG) of 11.1 mmol/l, and we used this value as a cutoff value and examined the relationship between FPG and various cardiovascular risk factors in nondiabetic subjects. RESULTS An FPG cutoff value of 7.8 mmol/l gave a sensitivity of 20.0% and a specificity of 100% in the diagnosis of diabetes (defined as 2-h PG ≥ 11.1 mmol/l). We divided the non-diabetic subjects (FPG < 7.8 mmol/l and 2-h PG < 11.1 mmol/l) into two groups: subjects with FPG < 5.7 mmol/l and those with FPG ≥ 5.7 mmol/l and < 7.8 mmol/l. Subjects in the latter group were older, had higher blood pressure, BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, 2-h PG, fasting and 2-h insulin, fasting serum triglyceride, VLDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, and urinary albumin concentrations, as well as lower plasma HDL cholesterol and HDL2 cholesterol concentrations. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that an FPG cutoff value of 7.8 mmol/l, as recommended by the World Health Organization, was too high when applied to Chinese populations. As in the case of hyperlipidemia, plasma glucose concentration should be viewed as a continuum in terms of its relationship with cardiovascular risk.


Abstract topics are often very difficult to be visualized for the undergraduate students in mathematics, physics and engineering.Those problems could be represented by four fundamental examples; basic vector algebra, formation of standing waves, polarization of waves and optical filtering. In this work, the performance of teaching abstract topics using two different approaches are comparatively examined; the classical mathematical derivations and the transformation of abstract topics to visual dual physical problems. Efficiency of methodsare analysed statistically.Third year electrical engineering students' exam results are examined using the empirical cumulative distribution function (ECDF). The transformation method is observed to be helpful, especially for below the average students. Formations of healthy normally distributed exam scores are observed.