In cognitive radio settings with highly dynamic primary activities and with small opportunities for secondary access, the requirement to fairly distribute the temporarily available spectral ranges among the unlicensed users turns out to be of particular relevance. The current paper addresses this issue by presenting a new design formulation that aims to optimize the performance of an orthogonal-frequency-division-multiple-access (OFDMA) ad-hoc cognitive radio network, by means of joint subcarrier assignment and power allocation. Besides important constraint on the tolerable interference induced to primary network, to efficiently implement spectrum-sharing fairness, the optimization problem considered here strictly enforces upper and lower bounds on the total amount of temporarily available bandwidth to be granted to individual secondary users. Specifically, the system throughput is maximized via the application of Lagrangian duality theory. More importantly, the dual decomposition framework also gives rise to the realization of distributed solution. As the proposed distributed protocol requires very limited cooperation among the participating network elements, it is especially applicable for the ad-hoc networking environment under investigation, to which any central processing or control is certainly inaccessible. While the computational complexity of the devised algorithm is affordable, its performance in practical scenarios also attains the actual global optimum. The potential of the proposed approach is verified through asymptotic complexity analysis and via numerical examples.


This study attemp to explore television advertising effect towards customer purchasing decision. In particular, the author devide television advertising into four sub-variable, which are advertising message, advertising audio, advertising ilustration and figure on advertising. This study conduct by taking four hundred responses of respondents. Quantitative research was used in this study. This study used non-probability sampling method with incidental sampling method for the sampling analysis. The population used in this research is limited in Indonesia population only in which the total population is around 255 million people. The data was analyzed using simple linear regression. Result revealed that television advertising have an effect towards customer purchase decision. It is recommended that company should improve the publication in order to attract more trust from the customer which lead into the increase of sales. Keyword: television advertising, customer purchase decision, advertising message, advertising audio, figure on advertising.


Graduate education platforms have received general acclaim as key components in the future structural development of third-level and fourth-level education in Europe. In Ireland the Higher Education Authority (HEA) has endorsed the restructuring of postgraduate education to incorporate the training of research students in key generic and transferable skills. This provides enhanced suitability for employment of research students in industry and the professions, rather than the educational sector. In addition, graduate programmes must provide improved structured support for research supervisors including training, particularly in respect of mentoring skills. This paper examines the challenges associated with the identification and implementation of an appropriate graduate platform model for a large, internationally recognized Institute of Technology, which offers a spectrum of academic programmes. The pros and cons of two models – a structured, institute-wide, non-discipline-specific platform and multiple, discipline-specific platforms – are highlighted. The difficulties attached to establishing comprehensive training programmes for students and staff with an underlying cross-disciplinary, inter-institutional framework are examined. Models currently being adapted by other Irish institutions are also critiqued. Finally, the ability of these educational models to meet the requirements of the industrial and professional sectors is explored. The question of whether graduate-level platforms have been created as higher education's proposed solution to a non-academic employment problem is also discussed.


An incompressible smoothed particle hydrodynamics (ISPH) method based on the incremental pressure projection method is developed in this study. The Rayleigh-Bnard convection in a square enclosure is used as a validation case and the results obtained by the proposed ISPH model are compared to the benchmark solutions. The comparison shows that the established ISPH method has a good performance in terms of accuracy. Subsequently, the proposed ISPH method is employed to simulate natural convection from a heated cylinder in a square enclosure. It shows that the predictions obtained by the ISPH method are in good agreements with the results obtained by previous studies using alternative numerical methods. A rotating and heated cylinder is also considered to study the effect of the rotation on the heat transfer process in the enclosure space. The numerical results show that for a square enclosure at, the addition of kinetic energy in the form of rotation does not enhance the heat transfer process. The method is also applied to simulate forced convection from a circular cylinder in an unbounded uniform flow. In terms of results, it turns out that the proposed ISPH model is capable to simulate heat transfer problems with the complex and moving boundaries.


Superhero narratives are distinguished by the hero's negotiation of the relationship between two constructed identities, one ordinary, one extraordinary. The superhero, whose costume emphasizes otherness, shelters in the guise of a civilian, in a performance of ordinariness. Prompted by Jacob Riis' invitation in 'How The Other Half Lives' (1890), journalists of that era engaged in performance of ordinariness in search of transstatus empathy. These journalists cloaked themselves in a 'signified cloth granting liberation and opportunity.' The clothes reduced their status, masking their profession or prestige, and they found themselves empowered. The disguises allowed them normalcy and anonymity, thereby enabling relationships and activities previously out of reach. Dressing down in civilian wardrobe, the superhero engages in similar trans-status disguise. By concealing otherness, he is liberated from the responsibilities of the superhero lifestyle and the extreme attention it garners. Superman's civilian masquerade provides the freedom to engage with normal human society. We can consider his Clark Kent persona in terms of the trans-status observations emerging from social experiments that utilise disguise to enter a closed social group. Kal-El of Krypton is a 'covert operative' who originates from outside the subject of his study, and disguises himself in order to infiltrate the group. He learns their costumes and customs via his rural Kansas upbringing, and then in adulthood and the urban sprawl of Metropolis, positions himself as 'one of them.' Superman's relationship with his civilian alter-ego differs from that of other superheroes, who acquire their superpowers later in life. Spider-Man, for example, can be equated to a 'retrospective participant observer': he is able to model his civilian disguise on his own past experiences of ordinariness. This paper will compare trans-status disguise in superhero comics to the activities of undercover journalists and social scientists, exploring the concealment of otherness through the performance of ordinariness.


The aims of this study are to analyse critically the different Christian responses to the Islamic understanding of the work of Muhammad. Chapter one consists a short introduction leading to an appraisal of Muhammad which incorporates historical, hagiographal and Quranic source material, and in the light of relevant Christian and Muslim scholarship. The second chapter presents a summary critical analysis of Muhammad in Christian theological perspective, from 661 A.D. to modern times. Chapter three presents a critique of Christian responses to the Muslim allegations that the text of the Bible has been infected with corruption; and that Muhammad's advent and status are foretold in the unadulterated' scriptures, and in the Gospel of Barnabas. Chapter four examines the theological significance of the work of Muhammad for Christians. Thus, Jesus and Muhammad are critically assessed and contrasted in order to ascertain the importance, for Christians, of the Muslim claims in respect of Muhammad as 'the messenger of God'. Chapter five provides a critical evaluation of the various Christian responses to Muhammad. It is argued that many of the said responses have been entangled in myths and misperceptions which have severely distorted the true account of Muhammad's work. Consequently, many Christians have failed to appreciate the divine legitimacy of Muhammad's call to prophethood. Further, it is argued that Christians should accept that Muhammad is a genuine prophet, and the messenger of God. However, Muhammad's use of the power-structure in order to maintain Islam is in sharp contrast to Jesus' decision to face the consequences of his ministry passively through faith in God. Accordingly, orthodox Christian belief in the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus provides another dimension to prophethood, where the messenger and the message become one, an identification which finds no parallel in Islam, and which, in the nature of the case, cannot find a parallel.


Patients in whom the standard of care has failed or who have uncommon tumors for which no standard of care exists are often treated with drugs selected based on the physician's best guess. The rate of success for this method is generally low. With the advent of fast, affordable tumor profiling technologies, and a growth in the understanding of predictive biomarkers, it is now possible to identify drugs potentially associated with clinical benefit for such patients. We present the Caris approach to evidence-based tumor profiling and two patients with advanced ovarian and prostate cancer in whom standard of care had failed and tumor profiling identified an effective treatment schedule. To establish Caris Molecular IntelligenceTM (CMI), over 120,000 clinical publications were screened and graded to characterize the predictive value of biomarkers that form the panel of tests. CMI includes multiple technologies to measure changes in proteins, ribonucleic acid, and deoxyribonucleic acid and proprietary software that matches the test results with the published evidence. The CMI results enable physicians to select drugs that are more likely to benefit the patients, avoid drugs that are not likely to work, and find treatment options that otherwise would not be considered. Worldwide, over 60,000 cancer patients have undergone evidence-based tumor profiling with CMI. In the cases reported in this article, CMI identified treatments that would not have been routinely used in the respective clinical setting. The clinical outcomes observed help to illustrate the utility of this approach.


"Better City, Better Life" is the theme of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. It is not until now that people have realized the role of cities in building a better life. As early as 2,000 years ago, the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle once said, "People come to the city-state for life, and stay in the city-state for a better life." At that time, the city-state was the city. Professor Edward Glaeser from Harvard University praised city as the greatest invention and the best hope of mankind in his influential book Triumph of the City, believing that the future of cities will determine the future of mankind. Glaeser's evaluation is based on profound insight. Cities have essentially reshaped the mechanism for interaction and cooperation of human society, strengthened the scale effect and agglomeration effect of resource allocation, promoted division of labor and specialization, promoted innovation, and enabled wealth to be created and accumulated on a larger scale.2


ABSTRACT Doctoral education was primarily designed to answer the human resources needs of academia. However, nowadays, increasing numbers of doctorate holders seek employment outside academia. Accordingly, doctoral education can be one of the means by which universities take part in the development of industry in their regions. This study explores whether and how doctoral-level skills are being adapted to the needs of local industrial employers in two different contexts. Two research and science parks situated next to research-intensive universities in Sweden and Spain were chosen as cases for an exploratory and comparative study. In these parks, local industrial employers conduct R&D activities that make them potentially attractive destinations for doctoral graduates. Similarities in the cases were found regarding the process of adaptation of doctoral education at the adjacent universities to meet the industrial employers' needs in the parks. Discrepancies are also highlighted regarding stages of development, institutional settings, geography and culture. Implications for several stakeholders are formulated to improve the process analysed in the study concerning better alignment of doctoral education with industrial employers' need for generic skills.


Introduction: Maternal and child health services have potentially critical role in improvement of reproductive and neonatal health thereby, reduce infant mortality rate (IMR). Delay in access to the health care involves problem in decision making and availability of health services. Health care seeking behavior (HCSB) is an important component of Health Systems Research (HSR) which is necessary for planning health policies. Aims and Objectives: To study (1) Antenatal HCSB of mothers. (2) Source of healthcare sought during antenatal period (3) Pattern of initiation of breast feeding among mothers. Methodology: This was a cross sectional community based study wherein, 1903 mothers of under 5 (U-5) were interviewed. Data were coded, analyzed using SPSS package, results expressed as rates and proportions. Predictors of HCSB was estimated by odds ratios (OR) calculation and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and a P value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: All mothers in study had at least one Antenatal Checkup (ANC). Most of the mothers, 1629 (85.6 %) were informed regarding importance of breastfeeding during ANC and 1668(87.6%) had at least one antenatal ultra-sonogram done. Private Health Care System (PHCS) was most preferred for delivery and 1884 (99%) were hospital delivery. 1693(88.9%) of mothers had breast fed their babies within first 2 hours of life and 376 (19.7%) gave pre lacteal feeds on day one. Conclusions: Large section of the society are still dependent on PHS for antenatal services. Realistic formulations of heath policies are needed based on utilization of health care services.


This study reported a hierarchically ordered porous Ni-based cathode of a solid oxide electrolysis cell to realise stable CO2 electrolysis without the need of safe gas. The Ni/(Y2O3)0.08(ZrO2)0.92 (YSZ) cathode support has a microchannel structure, which enabled efficient catalyst delivery to the reaction zone between the cathode and the electrolyte and resulted in facilitated gas diffusion through straight channels instead of the tortuous pores intrinsic to conventional porous electrodes. A catalyst network covering a Ni/YSZ scaffold reduced electrode polarisation resistance, prevented carbon formation and suppressed Ni oxidation. The facilitated gas diffusion diminished or eliminated concentration polarisation and carbon formation due to CO accumulation in the reaction zone. The novel hierarchical structure enables stable CO2 electrolysis over conventional Ni-based cathodes with low capital and operational costs.


Increasing population in the world drives people to find a different type of feeding regime. Even if there is an immense augmentation in crowd brilliant innovators are looking for new ways of farming more efficiently. Hydroponics is one of the novel paths that is a planting system without soil. The system reduces water usage by 95% and with the same rate provides efficiency in the crop, furthermore, sustainability is highly supplied. Traditional smart farming applied in the rural area strains immense transportation and brokership costs. In these days innovators make smart agriculture in vessel containers. Especially vertical and smart farming made in the suburban area of the cities offers new opportunities on vegetables' abundance. In this paper, the efficiency of this offered system is examined with minimizing the investment cost data. The system itself and the investment area have abounded with myriad uncertainties. Fuzzy logic tackles with those vaguenesses and fuzzy Evaluation Based on Distance from Average Solution (EDAS) method supplies assistance in the decision-making process of system evaluation. In addition, TODIM (a risk sensitive iterative multi-criteria decision making method based on Prospect Theory) is employed to check the evaluation of those three alternatives and to monitor how risk perception affects decision processes. A micro-based application is performed and attractive results are achieved.


This study identifies factors that shaped cash disbursement distribution policies employed by Brazilian public companies listed on the Brazilian Securities, Commodities and Futures Exchange (BM&FBOVESPA) from 1995 to 2011. Relationships between Dividends/Total Assets and potential determinants discussed in the literature, including firm size, corporate governance, profitability, leverage, market to book, liquidity, investment, risk, profit growth, information asymmetry and agency conflict, are examined. The following econometric methods are employed: (1) Tobit, given the nature of the dividend data, and (2) the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) to control for endogenous regressors. Significant positive variables found include size, return on assets (ROA), market to book, liquidity and profit growth. It can thus be inferred that larger firm size, profitability, market value, liquidity and profit growth correlate with greater firm propensity to distribute money to shareholders, thus supporting the theory of corporate finance. Significant negative variables found include leverage, liquidity squared, capex, beta and tag along 100%. It is thus inferred that more significantly leveraged companies that invest more heavily in fixed assets and that exhibit high liquidity, higher risk and less conflict between controlling and minority shareholders will be less likely to pay dividends to shareholders.


Bacillus thuringiensis sporulates in a glucose-glutamate medium without concurrent derepression of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Glutamate appears to regulate tricarboxylic acid cycle activity as well as to influence spore heat resistance and production of dipicolinic acid.


Metal halide perovskites, such as CsPbX3 (X = Cl, Br, and I), have gained extensive attention due to their increasing demand in optoelectronic applications such as solar cells and lighting-emitting devices. Herein, we report a versatile approach to synthesize high-quality CsPbBr3 perovskite nanocrystals (sized 5–15 nm) by ligand-assisted reprecipitation at room temperature. The monodispersed CsPbBr3 nanocube perovskites displayed relatively high photoluminescence quantum yields of 50–80%. By virtue of the quantum size effects, the bandgap energies were manipulated from blue to green spectral regions (410–530 nm). In addition, through compositional modulations of the anion exchange technique, the bright photoluminescence could be almost tuned over the entire visible spectral region (450–650 nm). Furthermore, the photoluminescence of the CsPbBr3 nanocrystals was characterized by narrow emission line widths of 15–50 nm and radiative lifetimes of 5–15 ns. Finally, by taking advantage of these outstanding merits, the CsPbBr3 perovskites were successfully utilized in the application of highly fluorescent patterning and color-purity light-emitting diodes.


The metric Ramsey problem asks for the largest subset S of a metric space that can be embedded into an ultrametric (more generally into a Hilbert space) with a given distortion. Study of this problem was motivated as a non-linear version of Dvoretzky theorem. Mendel and Naor [29] devised the so-called Ramsey Partitions to address this problem, and showed the algorithmic applications of their techniques to approximate distance oracles and ranking problems. In this article, we study the natural extension of the metric Ramsey problem to graphs, and introduce the notion of Ramsey Spanning Trees. We ask for the largest subset S ⊆ V of a given graph G=(V, E), such that there exists a spanning tree of G that has small stretch for S. Applied iteratively, this provides a small collection of spanning trees, such that each vertex has a tree providing low stretch paths to all other vertices. The union of these trees serves as a special type of spanner, a tree-padding spanner. We use this spanner to devise the first compact stateless routing scheme with O(1) routing decision time, and labels that are much shorter than in all currently existing schemes. We first revisit the metric Ramsey problem and provide a new deterministic construction. We prove that for every k, any n-point metric space has a subset S of size at least n1−1/k that embeds into an ultrametric with distortion 8k. We use this result to obtain the state-of-the-art deterministic construction of a distance oracle. Building on this result, we prove that for every k, any n-vertex graph G=(V, E) has a subset S of size at least n1−1/k, and a spanning tree of G, that has stretch O(k log log n) between any point in S and any point in V.


Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has been tasked by Bechtel National Inc. (BNI) on the River Protection Project-Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (RPP-WTP) project to perform research and development activities to resolve technical issues identified for the Pretreatment Facility (PTF). The Pretreatment Engineering Platform (PEP) was designed, constructed, and operated as part of a plan to respond to issue M12, "Undemonstrated Leaching Processes" of the External Flowsheet Review Team (EFRT) issue response plan.(a) The PEP is a 1/4.5-scale test platform designed to simulate the WTP pretreatment caustic leaching, oxidative leaching, ultrafiltration solids concentration, and slurry washing processes. The PEP replicates the WTP leaching processes using prototypic equipment and control strategies. The PEP also includes non-prototypic ancillary equipment to support the core processing.


Abstract : Building on relevant best practices extracted from the Capability Maturity Model (trademark) Integration (CMMI (trademark)) framework, this report defines effective and efficient practices for acquisition projects. These best practices focus on the activities performed by acquisition professionals in the acquisition program office. They also address internal program office activities that support the monitoring and control of development contractors and suppliers. They provide a foundation for acquisition process discipline and rigor that enables product and service development to be repeatedly executed with high levels of ultimate acquisition success. This report documents acquisition practices that should be performed by government acquisition projects acquiring systems or services. These practices, however, can also be used by non-government organizations to improve their acquisition practices. This report does not contain prescribed implementation approaches for achieving acquisition best practices. Instead, the proven content of the CMMI framework is used as a base, and amplifications that are specific to the acquisition process have been added. The information in this report also can be used by acquisition organizations that manage several related acquisition projects (e.g., product centers, acquisition commands, Program Executive Officers, Service/Component acquisition executives) to establish an acquisition process improvement program, ensuring the success of projects in their purview.


Highly c-axis oriented ZnO films were grown on the nucleation sides of freestanding diamond (FSD) substrates with homobuffer layer by radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering method. The effect of oxygen partial pressure (O2/Ar) on the properties of ZnO films was studied. ZnO-based UV photoconductive detector with planar interdigital (IDT) electrodes was fabricated by the lift off technique. Current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of the detector under ultraviolet (UV) light were measured and discussed.


According to the somatic mutation theory (SMT) of cancer, somatic mutations observed in cancerous tissues directly cause malignancy. However, a close look at the experimental data and observations about human diseases show many discrepancies with the theory, including the lack of specificity of the so-called 'cancer genes' that are mutated in noncancerous tissues, and not mutated in cancers; the rarity of malignancies in some genetic conditions with deoxyribonucleic acid repair anomalies and the high number of initial mutations in early carcinogenesis. Above all, abnormal proliferations and altered tissue architecture before specific genetic anomalies are detected strongly support the idea that the correlation between carcinogenesis and genetic modifications is more complex and probably less determining than has been theorised by the SMT. Other theories that take into account tissue architecture and microenvironment, such as the tissue organisation field theory, are promising paths towards an understanding of oncogenesis.

Key Concepts:

Initial somatic mutations are found in cancer tissues much more frequently than expected from a random event.

Proliferative and architectural anomalies are observed in organs before genetic anomalies occur.

Mutations of the so-called 'cancer genes' are present in noncancerous tissues.

Mutations of so-called 'cancer genes' are not present in all cells of a cancer/tumour.

Tissues maintain their respective phenotypes despite many mutations.

Some conditions with DNA repair deficiency have no increased risk of cancer, and some others appear to be protected against particular cancer types.

Cancers can be induced by transplanting a normal tissue into an unusual environment for that tissue.

Cancer cells can be reverted to normal cells when implanted into a microenvironment that is normal for this type of cells.

Keywords:

somatic mutation;
mutation rate;
carcinogenesis;
somatic mutation theory;
tissue organisation field theory;
oncogene;
tumour suppressor gene;
Down syndrome;
microenvironment


It can be difficult for researchers from outside the military to gain access to the field. However, there is a rich source on the military that is readily available for every researcher: military memoirs. This source does provide some methodological challenges with regard to truth and (self) censorship, nevertheless. This study questions how truth and (self) censorship issues influence the content of these military autobiographies. It shows that these issues are not only a concern for researchers, but also for military writers themselves. The study provides concrete quantitative data based on military Afghanistan memoirs published between 2001 and 2010 from five different countries: the UK, the US, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands. The majority of soldier-authors make some kind of truth claim in their books that they also substantiate. Military books published by traditional publishers do so significantly more often than self-published books. In books published in Anglo-Saxon countries soldier-authors make truth claims five times more often than do military authors from the Netherlands and Germany. At the same time, military authors also frequently admit to some form of self-censuring, so truth claims and self-censorship go hand in hand. From each of the countries studied, at least one author mentions being actively censored by the military, but most do not even mention it, making censorship a common, almost normal military feature. Making truth claims, mentioning being censored, or self-censoring do not influence the kind of plots these authors write either in a negative, or positive way.


A synthetic flavocytochrome with the reductase and oxygenase activities was obtained by covalent binding of riboflavin to cytochrome P450 2B4. The reactions catalyzed by the newly synthesized flavocytochromes were studied. Formation of carboxycomplex with the reduced form of hemoprotein led to 60-80% inhibition of oxygenase reactions indicating the leading role of reduced heme iron in generating active oxygen species by flavocytochromes.


Abstract Recent studies demonstrated that oxidized LDL (Ox-LDL) induces macrophage growth in vitro. The present study was undertaken to elucidate the intracellular signaling pathways for macrophage growth. Ox-LDL initiated a rapid and transient rise in intracellular free calcium ion and induced activation of membrane protein kinase C (PKC). Pertussis toxin completely inhibited the Ox-LDL–induced rise in free calcium ion and significantly inhibited macrophage growth by 50%. Moreover, PKC inhibitors calphostin C and H-7 significantly inhibited Ox-LDL–induced macrophage growth by 80%. On the other hand, phospholipase A2–treated acetylated LDL did not induce a rise in calcium but significantly activated PKC and led to significant macrophage growth that was significantly inhibited by calphostin C by 90%. These results suggest the presence of two intracellular signaling pathways for activation of PKC, a rise in calcium that was mediated by pertussis toxin–sensitive G protein and the internalization of lysophosp...


Abstract Deposition of two anhydrous sulphate-carbonate minerals, burkeite and hanksite, around a vapour escape in the pipe of a geothermal well of the Copahue field in Argentina is described. These minerals usually occur as efflorescences in saline soils or in continental lacustrine evaporite deposits, but have not been reported as products from geothermal fluids. Both minerals have been studied by means of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and electron dispersive energy, and thermo-gravimetric analysis, and have been determined as burkeite, Na6(CO3)(SO4)2, and hanksite, KNa22(SO4)9(CO3)2Cl.


Familial hypobetalipoproteinemia (FHBL) due to truncation-specifying mutations of apolipoprotein B (apoB), which impair hepatic lipid export in very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) particles, is associated with fatty liver. In an FHBL-like mouse with the apoB38.9 mutation, fatty liver develops despite reduced hepatic fatty acid synthesis. However, hepatic cholesterol contents in apoB38.9 mice are normal. We found that cholesterogenic enzymes (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase, sterol-C5-desaturase, and 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase) were consistently downregulated in two separate expression-profiling experiments using a total of 19 mice (n = 7 each for apob(+/+) and apob(+/38.9), and n = 5 for apob(38.9/38.9)) and Affymetrix Mu74Av2 GeneChip microarrays. Results were confirmed by real-time PCR. Cholesterol synthesis rates in cultured hepatocytes were reduced by 35% and 25% in apob(38.9/38.9) and apob(+/38.9), respectively, vs. apob(+/+). Hepatic triglycerides and lipid peroxides, the latter measured by thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) assay, were significantly elevated in apob(+/38.9) (117%) and apob(38.9/38.9) (132%) vs. apob(+/+) (100%), as were mRNA expression of the microsomal lipid peroxidizing enzymes Cyp4A10 and Cyp4A14. Hepatic lipid peroxide levels were positively correlated with triglyceride contents (r = 0.601, P = 0.0065). Thus the fatty liver due to a VLDL secretion defect is associated with insufficient adaptation to triglyceride accumulation and with increased lipid peroxidation. In contrast, apoB38.9 mice effectively maintain cholesterol homeostasis in the liver, at least in part, by reducing hepatic cholesterol synthesis.


Let A be a subset of a finite abelian group G . We say that A is sum-free if the equation x + y = z , has no solution ( x, y, z ) with x, y, z belonging to the set A . In this paper we shall characterise the largest possible sum-free subsets of G in case the order of G is only divisible by primes which are congruent to 1 modulo 3.


Nigeria, a developing nation with the estimated population of 170 million people (Moghalu, 2013) has about half of this number residing in the rural areas where their effort towards the extraction of wood for fuel is highly recognized. Wood extraction for fuel is economical and serves as alternative to every other source of energy for cooking, parboiling of certain grains like rice, smelting, and smithing, among other things. This trend has gone beyond rural activities; rather, urban dwellers in Nigeria have joined. In their case, both dead and live woods were harvested, and in the newest approach, wood is reduced to charcoal and used for the same purpose. The magnitude of impact done on the landscape by this activity is what the local nationals are ignorant of and should be properly informed. Employing ethnographic techniques, this study investigated the diversified areas of wood extraction for fuel among Nigerians, the likely impact, and suggests the control and conservative measures through which the impacts can be mitigated. Keywords : Wood Extraction, Fuel, Threat, Landscape, Conservation, Landscape Conservation, Nigeria


Abstract. We describe the first undisputable fossil of Rhinoclemmys (Cryptodira, Geoemydidae) east of the Andes, represented by an isolated nuchal bone found in one of the most important paleontological sites with association of fauna and humans (Muaco site, western Venezuela) from the Late Pleistocene of the southern Caribbean. The nuchal is complete and slightly wider (4.8 cm) than long (4.2 cm), preserving well-defined sulci of the cervical, vertebral 1, marginal 1, and pleural 1. Comparisons with extant and fossil specimens of Rhinoclemmys allow us to attribute this nuchal to Rhinoclemmys, albeit as an indeterminate species. The occurrence of Rhinoclemmys in the southern Paraguaná Peninsula indicates that during the Late Pleistocene this region had environmental conditions that allowed the survival of these freshwater-terrestrially adapted reptiles, particularly of "paleo-springs" inside a semi-arid region.


This article examines whether a proposed measure that would prohibit the importation into Australia of illegally logged timber would be consistent with the WTO Agreement if passed by the Australian Parliament in its current form. The Illegal Logging Prohibition Bill 2011 (Cth) would prohibit the importation of timber harvested in contravention of the laws of its country of origin, including timber in manufactured products such as furniture. Importers would also be required to comply with certain due diligence requirements, such as assessing the risk that their imports contained illegally logged timber. The Bill is patterned on similar measures adopted by the United States and the European Union and is part of a global movement to combat illegal logging. However, by conditioning entry into the Australian market solely on whether timber was harvested legally, the Bill raises clear issues under the WTO Agreement. In particular, the Bill is likely to lead to differential treatment of like products from different countries, contrary to the Most-Favored-Nation obligations in Article I of the GATT 1994. Moreover, as a restriction on imports the Bill is likely to contravene GATT Article XI. Finally, because the logging laws of countries differ from each other in ways that may not correspond to sound environmental practice, it is unlikely that the Bill could be justified under GATT Article XX because it would lead to arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination between products. An ancillary difficulty under Article XX is that there is evidence that the Bill will not contribute significantly to a net reduction in illegal logging, meaning it would be unlikely to pass a 'necessity' test. Although it might be thought that the Bill could fall under the TBT Agreement as well as the GATT 1994, it is unlikely to do so because it does not lay down physical product characteristics or production methods. However, if the TBT Agreement does apply, the Bill is likely to be inconsistent with it for similar reasons to its inconsistency with the GATT 1994. Ultimately, Australia may wish to consider reformulating the Bill so that it more accurately and effectively targets environmentally destructive logging practices and unfair competition against which the Australian government seeks to protect.


There has been limited research on depressive symptoms among high school students in St. Kitts and Nevis. This project examines levels of depressive symptoms among fourth form (grade 10) students attending all high schools in St. Kitts and Nevis. Students enrolled in the fourth form during the 2006/2007 academic year in all high schools were administered the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II). A near census of the students was conducted (n = 744 students; 50.4% females, 47.6% males, and 2% no gender reported; age 13–19 years, mean = 15.5 ± 0.8 years). Six in every ten students (62.1%) reported some symptoms of depression, with 14.8% reporting moderate to severe and 9.7% reporting severe symptoms of depression. Females reported significantly higher BDI-II scores (t(727) = 7.11, p < 0.01) with 70% of females reporting some level of depressive symptoms compared with 52% of their male counterparts (X2(1) = 24.6, p < 0.05). Additionally, 34% of females were in the moderate to severe or severe range of depressive symptoms, while 15% of males were in the same range. Students who were older than expected for their grade (i.e., 17 years or older) reported significantly higher BDI-II scores (F(2,740) = 2.88, p < 0.05) than students who were younger or at the expected age (i.e., 14–16 years). Students whose mothers had a high school or postsecondary education reported significantly lower levels of depressive symptoms than students whose mothers had less than a high school education (F(3, 637), = 4.23, p < 0.05). Symptoms of depression among fourth form students in St. Kitts and Nevis are a prevalent problem that is influenced by students' age, gender, and social class as indicated by maternal education.


Recent field observations indicate that in many forest ecosystems, plants use water that may be isotopically distinct from soil water that ultimately contributes to streamflow. Such an assertion has been met with varied reactions. Of the outstanding questions, we examine whether ecohydrological separation of water between trees and streams results from a separation in time, or in space. Here we present results from a 9‐month drought and rewetting experiment at the 26,700‐m3 mesocosm, Biosphere 2‐Tropical Rainforest biome. We test the null hypothesis that transpiration and groundwater recharge water are sampled from the same soil volume without preference for old nor young water. After a 10‐week drought, we added 66 mm of labeled rainfall with 152‰ δ2H distributed over four events, followed by background rainfall (−60‰ δ2H) distributed over 13 events. Our results show that mean transit times through groundwater recharge and plant transpiration were markedly different: groundwater recharge was 2–7 times faster (~9 days) than transpired water (range 17–62 days). The "age" of transpired water showed strong dependence on species and was linked to the difference between midday leaf water potential and soil matric potential. Moreover, our results show that trees used soil water (89% ±6) and not the "more mobile" (represented by "zero tension" seepage) water (11% ±6). The finding, which rejects our null hypothesis, is novel in that this partitioning is established based on soil water residence times. Our study quantifies mean transit times for transpiration and seepage flows under dynamic conditions.


I am conflicted in writing this Editorial Perspective. For over 20 years, I have been advocating for greater inclusion of patients' perspectives of their disease into the outcomes of clinical trials, into the methods for quality assessment/improvement, and as a basis for shared medical decision making. I have developed disease-specific measures for coronary artery disease, heart failure, and peripheral artery disease.1–3 Although some may say this perspective is self-serving, I think I have gained important insights into the barriers of health status assessments and wish to articulate the challenges I see.

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) quantify patients' perspectives about the frequency and severity of their symptoms, how their disease impacts their functioning, and the degree to which it limits their quality of life. Over the past several decades, numerous PROs, both generic and disease-specific, have been created, and the methodology for creating such measures has become increasingly codified. A PRO should be valid, reproducible over time in stable patients, and sensitive to clinical changes when they occur.4 Accordingly, PROs can be selected for a variety of conditions that are not only valid, reliable, sensitive to changes in disease status (or treatment), but also prognostic of clinical events, costs, and mortality. Moreover, they are probably the best assessment of the impact of a disease on patients' health status and are far more reproducible than clinician-reported outcomes, such as the New York Heart Association (NYHA) or the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Classification.5,6 Yet, despite over a decade of calls for these measures to be included in routine clinical care, they are seldom used.7

In November 2013, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute held a 2-day conference in which multiple healthcare stakeholders assembled to discuss the importance of including PROs in electronic health records and clinical care. Numerous …


Abstract Smooth and uniform solid D-T layers inside a spherical shell are needed to achieve ignition on the Laser Megajoule (LMJ) facility. The thermal environment around the capsule is the key to reach the low-mode D-T layer requirements. During the nineteenth Target Fabrication Meeting in Orlando, Florida (2010), an analytical model was presented to predict the low-mode time evolution of a D-T layer in a capsule caused by a thermal perturbation. The model showed that the dynamical response is ruled by the redistribution time constant. To check the validity of the model, experiments have been done with deuterium layers inside an integrating sphere. The use of an infrared laser to generate a volumetric heating of the deuterium allowed us to tune the conformation time constant. The experimental setup has also been modified to allow or cancel 300-K infrared radiation entering the integrating sphere, producing a local warming on the capsule. Using shadowgraphy techniques, we have been able to follow the dynamical behavior of the deuterium layer. Analyses conclude that the analytical model is right and can be used with confidence.


Reaction of indolizine-2-carboxylic acids with primary and secondary amines in the presence of 1,1′-carbonyldiimidazole provides convenient and efficient access to the corresponding secondary and tertiary amides and offers a significant improvement on previously reported methodology. The N–CO rotational barriers in the symmetrically substituted tertiary amides have also been explored using variable-temperature 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy.


Axoneme structures in sperm tail, is a supramolecular protein complex with motor protein and regulatory which playing a crucial role in determining sperm motility. Dynein, one of the three members of cytoskeletal motor protein, has a ring of six AAA+ which linked together into one large polypeptide that contribute to the formation of sperm flagella bending. The previously research reported that the first two AAA motor domains, AAA1 and AAA2, were a major site in ATP hydrolysis associated with motility in the flagellum. Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) as a management of infertility requires sperm preparation procedures, by Swim-up (SU) and Density Gradient Centrifugation (DGC), in order to enhance the quality regarding concentration and motility of the initial sperm. This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of the DGC and SU methods in selecting sperm, based the expression of sperm dynein AAA1 and AAA2. Semen samples were obtained from men underwent sperm preparation for IUI and divided into two groups, normozoospermia and asthenozoospermia, according to World Health Organization 2010 guideline. Semen analysis was performed to measure the sperm motility and velocity, before and after sperm preparation. The axoneme was isolated from the obtained samples from SU and DGC methods, while the level of AAA1 and AAA2 was measured by ELISA. This study showed that the percentage of motile sperm and velocity of prepared sperm in both groups in prepared sperm (post-SU and post-DGC) was higher compared to whole semen. The expression of sperm dynein AAA1 of prepared sperm in normozoospermia group showed higher, while in asthenozoospermia group showed lower activities compared to whole semen. The expression of sperm dynein AAA2 of prepared sperm in both groups showed lower activities compared to whole semen. The sperm preparation enhanced the quality of sperm and may increase the expression of sperm dynein AAA1 compared to the whole semen, without the involvement of sperm dynein AAA2.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Kidney involvement in Waldenström macroglobulinemia is less well described compared with kidney manifestations in multiple myeloma.

DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS
Of the 1363 patients seen with Waldenström macroglobulinemia and other IgM-secreting B cell lymphoproliferative disorders seen at the Mayo Clinic between 1996 and 2015, 57 kidney biopsies were retrospectively studied. The biopsy findings were correlated with clinical, kidney, and hematologic characteristics. Criteria for inclusion were evidence of a monoclonal IgM protein and availability of a kidney and a bone marrow biopsy for review. Glomerular and tubulointerstitial pathologies were categorized according to whether they were related to the monoclonal IgM.

RESULTS
Of the 57 patients identified, monoclonal gammopathy-related kidney lesions were identified in 82% (47 of 57 biopsies), whereas nonmonoclonal gammopathy-related kidney lesions were seen in 18% (ten of 57). Monoclonal gammopathy-related kidney lesions included monoclonal Ig-related amyloidosis (n=19; 33%), nonamyloid glomerulopathy (n=20, 35%), and tubulointerstitial nephropathies (n=8; 14%). The most common monoclonal gammopathy-related kidney lesion was monoclonal Ig-related amyloidosis (n=19; 33%) followed by cryoglobulinemic GN (n=13; 28%). Lymphoma infiltration was the most common tubulointerstitial lesion (n=4; 9%). The hematologic diagnosis was Waldenström macroglobulinemia in 74% (n=42), monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance in 16% (n=9), and marginal zone lymphoma (n=2), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (n=2), and low-grade B cell lymphoma (n=2) in 4% each.

CONCLUSIONS
Our study confirms a diverse variety of kidney lesions in patients with monoclonal IgM gammopathy.


Pertinent to the problems that wind turbine blades operate in complicated conditions, frequent failures and low replacement rate as well as rational inventory need, this paper, we build a fault tree model based on in-depth analysis of the failure causes. As the mechanical vibration of the wind turbine takes place first on the blades, the paper gives a detailed analysis to the Failure mechanism of blade vibration. Therefore the paper puts forward a dynamic prediction model of wind turbine blade failure number based on the grey theory. The relative error between its prediction and the field investigation data is less than 5%, meeting the actual needs of engineering and verifying the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed algorithm. It is of important engineering significance for it to provide a theoretical foundation for the failure analysis, failure research and inventory level of wind turbine blades.


We previously reported that lentiviral vectors derived from the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) were efficient at transducing rhesus hematopoietic repopulating cells. To evaluate the persistence of vector-containing and -expressing cells long term, and the safety implications of SIV lentiviral vector-mediated gene transfer, we followed 3 rhesus macaques for more than 4 years after transplantation with transduced CD34+ cells. All 3 animals demonstrated significant vector marking and expression of the GFP transgene in T cells, B cells, and granulocytes, with mean GFP+ levels of 6.7% (range, 3.3%-13.0%), 7.4% (4.2%-13.4%), and 5.6% (3.1%-10.5%), respectively. There was no vector silencing in hematopoietic cells over time. Vector insertion site analysis of granulocytes demonstrated sustained highly polyclonal reconstitution, with no evidence for progression to oligoclonality. A significant number of clones were found to contribute at both 1-year and 3- or 4-year time points. No vector integrations were detected in the MDS1/EVI1 region, in contrast to our previous findings with a gamma-retroviral vector. These data show that lentiviral vectors can mediate stable and efficient long-term expression in the progeny of transduced hematopoietic stem cells, with an integration profile that may be safer than that of standard Moloney murine leukemia virus (MLV)-derived retroviral vectors.


Abstract The autograft absolute lymphocyte count (A-ALC) ≥0.5 × 109 cells/kg is a survival prognostic factor for lymphoma patients undergoing autologous peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (APBHSCT). However, the A-ALC has not be tested as prognostic factor against double hit/triple hit lymphomas (DHL/THL). Thus, we set up to investigate if A-ALC is a prognostic factor for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) for DHL/THL post-APBHSCT. From January 2012 until December 2020, we identified 77 DHL/THL patients treated with APBHSCT. All patients required to have the diagnosis of DHL/THL by FISH for rearrangements of MYC, BCL2, and BCL6. With a median follow-up of 20.4 months (range, 0.4-94.5 months), DHL/THL patients infused with A-ALC ≥0.5 x 109 cells/kg experienced superior OS (HR = 0.251, 95%CI 0.117–0.539, p < 0.0004) and PFS (HR = 0.347, 95%CI 0.160–0.753, p < 0.007). Multivariate analysis showed that A-ALC was an independent predictor for OS (HR =0.119, 95%CI 0.030–0.473, p < 0.003) and PFS (HR = 0.400, 95%CI 0.189–0.850, p < 0.02). Our study showed that A-ALC is a prognostic factor for survival in DHL/THL. Our current practice for lymphoma patients is to collect enough stem cell but also A-ALC to improve clinical outcomes post-APBHSCT.


The paper focuses on provision of sustainable portable water to Amaokpara community in Orumba Local Government Area of Anambra State, using "Decision Tree Analysis" which involves two options of water boreholes and odor stream harnessing. This is to achieve one of the key targets of millennium development goals by 2015, which is aimed at the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and to ascertain the majority of premature deaths which is accounted by water related disease, in many cases could be alleviated by the provision of an adequate supply of water for both drinking and washing with full participation of the community.

 Key words: Decision-tree, water supply, boreholes, stream, construction, production, maintenance, sustainability.


[1] High-latitude transpolar arcs (TPAs) are often observed during northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF); of these, theta aurora are seen when transpolar arcs move in the dawn or dusk direction across the entire polar region in response to IMF By changes. Periods of study were chosen when By changes sign during steady northward IMF in order to determine the influence of IMF Bx, By, the strength of the IMF, the solar wind, and Earth dipole tilt on the occurrence and motion of high-latitude TPAs forming theta aurora. For a 4.5-year period there are 55 events for which IMF Bz is northward for at least 2 hours before and at least 3 hours after a By sign change. Of these, 19 occurred when the Polar satellite was over the Northern Hemisphere for the duration of the event. We find that for northward IMF and a By sign change theta aurora are almost always formed in the Northern Hemisphere, regardless of Bx and dipole tilt. This implies that theta aurorae form simultaneously in both hemispheres. IMF By does not appear to influence the intensity and duration of the arc. Strongest UV emissions occur in the summer hemisphere. Evolution time has a fairly complex dependence on solar wind parameters.


The problem of determining the optimal number of clusters is important but mysterious in cluster analysis. In this paper, we propose a novel method to find a set of candidate optimal number Ks of clusters in transactional datasets. Concretely, we propose Transactional-cluster-modes Dissimilarity based on the concept of coverage density as an intuitive transactional inter-cluster dissimilarity measure. Based on the above measure, an agglomerative hierachical clustering algorithm is developed and the Merge Dissimilarity Indexes, which are generated in hierachical cluster merging processes, are used to find the candidate optimal number Ks of clusters of transactional data. Our experimental results on both synthetic and real data show that the new method often effectively estimates the number of clusters of transactional data.


To solve the identification and comprehension problem of crosscutting concerns in existing legacy software system, a framework of aspects-oriented software reverse engineering was proposed. An approach on re-modularizing traversal features of legacy system was presented, which based on various Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagrams. While modeling crosscutting concerns in UML use case diagrams, the non-functional requirements that affect several use case modules can be enveloped into aspects modules with stereotype mechanism. The recurring message transmission patterns can be re-modularized as aspects in UML sequence diagrams with UML collaborations. Standard UML activity diagram notations were extended and modified by nodes fusion and addition, which support the graphical composition operation between crosscutting behaviors and primary business rules of concurrent system. The case study indicates traversal features of software system can be extracted and re-modularized from various perspectives in aspects-oriented reverse engineering, which improves the comprehensibility and maintainability of legacy system.


Abstract. A large component of the building material concrete consists of aggregate with varying particle sizes between 0.125 and 32 mm. Its actual size distribution significantly affects the quality characteristics of the final concrete in both, the fresh and hardened states. The usually unknown variations in the size distribution of the aggregate particles, which can be large especially when using recycled aggregate materials, are typically compensated by an increased usage of cement which, however, has severe negative impacts on economical and ecological aspects of the concrete production. In order to allow a precise control of the target properties of the concrete, unknown variations in the size distribution have to be quantified to enable a proper adaptation of the concrete's mixture design in real time. To this end, this paper proposes a deep learning based method for the determination of concrete aggregate grading curves. In this context, we propose a network architecture applying multi-scale feature extraction modules in order to handle the strongly diverse object sizes of the particles. Furthermore, we propose and publish a novel dataset of concrete aggregate used for the quantitative evaluation of our method.


stay geriatric patients. They last as long as more expensive silicone coated or pure silicone catheters, are more comfortable because they are softer, and are contraindicated only in patients allergic to latex. This view was also shared by Dr Belfield himself a couple of years ago,' and supports the view that a catheter is changed according to patients' needs and not by manufacturer's specification. Other workers have confirmed that there is no difference in the time between catheter changes with different types despite the apparently smoother surface of the Silastic catheters supposedly minimising encrustation.23 Indeed, scanning electronmicroscopy of the surface structure of different catheter materials has shown that the surface of unused siliconised latex is rough.4 Some patients are probably "encrustation formers" whatever catheter material is chosen. Alternative methods, such as high fluid intake and acidifying the urine with high dose ascorbic acid, are more effective at reducing blockage. Our second comment concerns the treatment of "infection." We certainly agree that the addition of antibacterial substances into drainage bags is ineffective in preventing bacteriuria. There are, however, good studies reporting that bladder washouts are also ineffective and probably harmful by further disrupting the already damaged bladder epithelium, thus predisposing the patient to further infection.56 Finally, we think that there should have been some comment about local care and about the effect on sex lives. A twice daily local soapy wash to the area, including the first six inches of catheter, and counselling on methods of sexual intercourse are minimum requirements for all patients.


The follow-up involved patients with infiltrative pulmonary tuberculosis who developed toxic medicamentous hepatitis associated with antituberculosis drugs. They were treated by the method of combined pharmacotherapy which comprised sodium nucleinate (0.5 g 4 times daily), splenin (2 ml twice a day) and quercetin. The given combination of drugs rapidly improved clinical parameters and normalized immunologic tests.


Sarah Kane's 4.48 Psychosis was completed a few months before she killed herself in 1999 and was performed posthumously a year after. Although it is almost impossible not to view her last play as a suicide note, yet a more attentive reading invites us to liberate her from the so-called 'Sylvia Plath's syndrome' which, prioritizing the biographical, distorts and impoverishes any other textual meaning. Among those meanings that are usually cancelled down by the mythologizing of the author (the dead author, in this case), this article focuses on Abjection, that which, according to Kristeva, remains outside the signifiable and threats the integrity of the ego border. In the psychotic subject (enacted by the anonymous voice/s of the play) the notion of a stable and coherent identity (one that would keep the abject under control) is seriously compromised and the boundaries between the "me" and the "not-me" get blurred. The resulting scenario is that of the dissipation of a definable subject, an evocative metaphor for the postmodern self. Either if Kane is to be related to Artaud (in her articulation of explicit violence and pain with a cathartic purpose) or if 4.48 Psychosis is regarded as 'experiential', it must be noticed that the provocative, confrontational and brutal language provided by the 'in-yer-face' theatre seems the best medium to express the disturbing aspects of the abject self.


LiCoO2 spinel is one of the most promising cathode materials for Li-ion batteries. However, the capacity fading is aggravated at high voltage, resulting from cathode degradation and electrolyte decomposition owing to over-charging. To improve structural stability, surface modification is an effective method. In this study, nano-crystallized ZnO was coated on the surface of commercial LiCoO2 powders via sol-gel method. The correlation among the amount of coated ZnO, microstructure of modified cathode and the cycling behavior of surface-treated LiCoO2 powders is discussed. Moreover, the effects of cycling for cathodes with as-derived powders on the phase and morphology are also considered. The surface morphology observed from the scanning electron microscope (SEM) images shows that nano-crystallized and spherical ZnO particles with an average size of about 20 nm have developed after coating. The size of ZnO nanocrystallites is related to the initial concentration of Zn2+ cations. In comparing the characteristics of bare and coated LiCoO2 powders, improvement in cyceability of the ZnO-coated cathode is explored. It is confirmed that Zn2+ ions diffuse into the surface region of LiCoO2 particles. To reveal the effects of Zone coating on enhancing the electrochemical properties of LiCoO2 cathode during charge and discharge, the morphological differences between the cathode material before and after cycling are discussed.


The constraints of Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs) utilisation partially reside in the dependency
on wireless communication protocols which may su�er from bandwidth limitation, latency and
frailness. In addition, the geographical separation between operator and UCAV can cause the operators
situational awareness to drastically decrease. These de�ciencies restrict the e�ectiveness of UCAVs
especially in engagements with adversaries. From this, the claim has evolved that UCAVs at present,
are insu�ciently survivable and e�ective in air-to-air combat situations. A potential solution overcoming
the vulnerability of UCAVs in air-to-air combat scenarios is provided by Hans Heerkens and Frank
Tempelman. The solution is being referred to as a Semi-Direct Control System (SDCS). The philosophy
behind the SDCS entails a scenario in which the UCAV operator does not control the UCAV equipped
with the SDCS directly, but instead sends commands with varying intervals. These commands provide
waypoints or goals for the UCAV to achieve. On board \Intelligence" determines how to ful�l the
command it has received from the operator. The SDCS is placed on the verge between direct joystick
control and full autonomous control and aims at eliminating the drawbacks of these "classic" control
options. This thesis handles the development of a demonstrational and developmental platform to act
as a tool to perform research into the feasibility of the SDCS and to demonstrate its functioning. The
prototype (MVP) developed in this thesis, is created from the open source
ight simulator FlightGear,
the programming language Python and by leveraging Ubuntu operating system functionality. Several
functionalities require further development to successfully demonstrate the added value of the SDCS;
such as the \intelligent"
ight controller and the user interface. The current possibilities of commands
that can be given to the UCAV are too limited to successfully perform UCAV related tasks. The MVP
can function as a development platform for further research; The choice of open source software and
the open and accessible architecture of FlightGear has strongly contributed to the MVP being future
proof. In addition, the open source community may provide further functionality. Data link latency
can be simulated with aid of the MVP which allows it to demonstrate the issues related with latency in
direct joystick control of UCAVs and furthermore function as a human factors research platform. The
MVP can be utilised as a research tool that can contribute to knowledge in the �eld of autonomy and
human factors research in Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems.


We are interested in the problem of text layout as it relates to our work on the intelligent generation of integrated text and information graphics (e.g., tables, bar charts, plots, maps) the AutoBrief system (Kerpedjiev et al. 1997; Green, Carenini, & Moore 1998; Green et al. 1998). Intelligent layout generation is related to the problems of media allocation and cross-media cue generation. We propose an approach to these problems that makes use of argument structure to define domain-independent for a multimedia generation system.


This paper describes the low power test challenges and features of a multi-core processor, Godson-T, which contains 16 identical cores. Since the silicon design technology scales to ultra deep submicron and even nanometers, the complexity and cost of testing is growing up, and the test power of such designs is extremely curious, especially for multicore processors. In this paper, we use the modular design methodology and scaleable design-for-testability (DFT) structure to achieve low test power, at the same time, an improved test pattern generation method is studied to reduce test power further more. The experimental results from the real chip show that the test power and test time are well balanced while achieving acceptable test coverage and cost.


The bisdioxopiperazine ICRF 187 is a potent intracellular chelating agent which effectively diminishes Adriamycin cardiotoxicity without compromising its antitumor activity. Our study aimed at verifying whether ICRF 187 can modulate the cytotoxic action of cisplatin (CDDP) on ovarian cancer cells. We used the A2780 ovarian cancer cell line and a subline resistant to CDDP (A2780-CDDP) obtained in our laboratory by continuous exposure of the parenatal cells to progressively increasing CDDP doses. In both cell lines ICRF 187 (0.1-0.5 microgram/ml) used in combination with CDDP (0.01-1 microgram/ml) produced a dose-dependent reduction of CDDP IC50 (the concentration inhibiting 50% of cell growth). Moreover, when ICRF 187 was used in combination with CDDP, analysis of the data by the isobole method showed that the combination of the two drugs produced a synergistic antiproliferative activity in both cell lines, with a CDDP potentiation up to fivefold. Our in vitro data show that ICRF 187 can synergize with CDDP. Prospective clinical trials are now needed to verify whether the addition of ICRF 187 to CDDP-containing regimens will result in an improved clinical response in ovarian cancer.


Physicists may soon have their first experimental evidence that string theory--a grand "theory of everything" that attempts to tie all the known forces together in a single framework--is more than just mathematics. String theory postulates a total of 10 dimensions, seven of which are assumed to be "compactified," that is, curled up on scales of just 10centimeters--so small as to be out of reach of any conceivable experiment. But now several groups are considering the possibility that a few of those dimensions could unravel a bit, opening up onto scales that precision measurements in accelerators or even on a bench top might actually probe. The work has drawn considerable interest at physics conferences over the last month.


During the past half-century, we find that the observed surface warming trend in the northern hemisphere, averaged across grid cells that contain at least 90% of the total monthly data, has been 0.051°C decade -1 . On a seasonally weighted basis, a relatively small area (12.8%) contributed over half of the annual warming, and in the winter 26% of the area accounts for 78% of the warming. Our analysis demonstrates that this warming is almost exclusively confined to the dry, cold, anticy- clones of Siberia and northwestern North America. The consequences of this type of regional warming are different than those associated with other regional warming scenarios. The spatial pattern of observed warming is not coincident with that projected by many of the leading general circulation models, including those featured in the 1996 Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate


Often hated during its lifespan in product (1996-2006), Clippy – Microsoft's Office Assistant, became a pop-culture icon in its afterlife. Delving into the plethora of memes featuring Clippy, we ask: why should a questionable character from a software program that has been out of use for well over a decade have so vibrant an afterlife? If Clippy has become a rhetorical resource, what is it being used to do? We propose that Clippy's dual status as the original natural-language digital assistant, one that fell critically short in its ability to actually assist, makes it an ideal vehicle for critique of today's ubiquitous assistants. An analysis of 1,148 meme instances collected from five sites led to a twofold argument: First, Clippy humor relies on the contrast between types of intelligence; Clippy is often too good at one kind, while lacking in another. In particular, Clippy lacks interpersonal intelligence: it serves as a disruptive mediator between its user and the world, as well as other human beings.
Yet this failure in "knowing its limits" and adapting to its environment is also what gives Clippy character. This suggests that digital assistants must attend to multiple kinds of intelligences; attending to any one over others may create an endearing character but not an effective digital assistant. Furthermore, the fact that the unbending yet personality-filled character of Clippy remains ungendered or male gives us insight into the pliant and empty characters of the female gendered Alexa, Siri, and Cortana.


Both energy companies and consumers have embraced green electricity as a concept in which electricity produced by renewable energy sources is separately marketed and priced from conventionally generated electricity based on fossil or nuclear sources. After its introduction in 1995 by an energy distributor at the end of 2003 around 35 % (2.4 million) of Dutch households were buying green electricity, and more than twenty providers of varieties of the product had emerged. From the perspective of realising a sustainable electricity system this seems very promising as inherent to 'green' electricity is its renewable source base. From the perspective of realising systems change the new practice involves different competencies, routines and interaction patterns and signifies the creation of a path diverging from the fossil based trajectory of the electricity sector. To increase our understanding of systems change this paper provides a more detailed assessment why the concept emerged and how its introduction triggered a sequence of changes in actors, networks, and institutions. The emergence of the concept is understood as the outcome of changing routines within a firm triggered by changes in its institutional environment. The spread of green electricity is understood as a process of institutionalisation with new practices diffusing throughout the energy sector, with legitimacy gained through the formation of new networks and alignment of a variety of actors, and with increasing co-ordination between actors as emerging governance structures develop from the local to the national and international level.


This paper is an attempt to think through the affective impacts of the precarity of British art departments – just one aspect of the financialization of British higher education. While the financialization of HE is an ongoing and complicated process, there are three major background conditions that contribute particularly sharply to the increased precarity across the sector: 1) the increase in tuition fees following the controversial Browne Review of 2010; 2) the Cameron coalition government's decision to remove caps in student numbers across British HE by 30,000 students in 2014-2015, and completely from the 2015-2016 academic year; and 3) uncertainty about the UK's ability to retain international students, staff and research funding – and about the UK's future more generally – caused by Brexit. These background conditions are causing instability throughout the HE sector, but they arguably produce even greater vulnerability within art departments: first, because of extra pressures on courses not deemed to lead to well-paid career options for most students; and second, because art departments, as space-intensive programs, exacerbate the politics of financialized space in the university. For instance, university management practices for pricing space and costing departments may unfairly put space-intensive programs at a disadvantage, by pricing space such that it distributes the costs of university management according to space use, without equally distributing the risks associated with running space-intensive, less profit-driven departments in a financialized HE context. Such disadvantaging through pricing space may occur in spite of the fact that less profitable, more space-intensive departments may make strong contributions to the quality of research within the university, as well as to society more generally through increasing access to high-quality art education for disadvantaged students.

How might these conditions influence what I call the institutional affectivity of art departments – in other words, the affective ecologies of art institutions, as they are impacted by increasing stress on debt- and job-burdened students; increasing precarity of academic staff, increased financial pressures on university management, and increased pressure on both students and staff due to wildly fluctuating student numbers, causing either department closures or unhealthy rates of expansion in high-recruiting departments? Further, what kinds of activist strategies might be deployed to address institutional affectivity in this financialized context? This paper suggests a need for new ways to conceptualize institutional affectivity between institutions – for instance, to understand how the pressures associated with under- or over-recruitment, from one university to the next, are inextricably linked within a deregulated context. Broadening the scope of entanglements, so to speak, by understanding how institutional affectivity courses through the sector between departments, might be a way to produce new forms of solidarity between departments facing increasingly inhospitable conditions in which to teach and learn.


ABSTRACT After adolescence, the incidence of meningococcal disease decreases with age as a result of the cumulative immunizing effect of repeated nasopharyngeal colonization. Nevertheless, some adults succumb to meningococcal disease, so we hypothesized that this is due to a subtle functional immunological defect. Peripheral blood lymphocytes derived from survivors of serogroup C meningococcal disease and from age- and sex-matched controls were incubated with a polyclonal B-cell activator containing anti-immunoglobulin D (α-δ-dex) employed to mimic antigen-specific stimuli encountered during immune responses to bacterial polysaccharides, with and without T-cell activation (using anti-CD3/anti-CD28). Subsequent proliferation and activation of T and B lymphocytes were measured. In patients, T-cell responses to polyclonal stimuli and the delivery of T-cell help to B cells were unimpaired. Levels of B-cell proliferation in response to α-δ-dex stimulation alone were low in all samples but were significantly lower in patients than in controls, and these differences were more pronounced with the addition of T-cell help. The data are consistent with the presence of a subtle immunodeficiency in adults who have exhibited susceptibility to meningococcal disease. This defect is manifested as an impaired B-cell response to T-cell-independent type 2 antigens analogous to bacterial capsular polysaccharide.


Mechanical alloying (MA) treatment was applied for the fabrication of fine-grained high nitrogen stainless steels. Chromium nitride (Cr 2 N) powder was mixed with Fe-Cr binary alloy powder to control its mean chemical composition to be Fe-23mass%Cr-1 mass%N which is enough to stabilize austenitic structure at room temperature. The powder mixture was mechanically alloyed up to 360 ks in an argon gas atmosphere (MA powder). The MA powder was packed in a stainless steel tube in a vacuum and consolidated by warm rolling at 1 073 K. The consolidated materials were finally heated to various temperatures (1 173-1 473 K) for austenitizing and then quenched without holding at the temperatures. Although the materials heat-treated below 1 323 K had bcc (martensitic) matrix, those heat-treated above 1 373 K had stable austenitic structure with a small amount of Cr 2 N. The grain size of matrix was maintained to be fine due to dispersed oxide particles within matrix in all steels. For example, the materials heat-treated at 1 473 K had fine austenitic structure in which the grain size was 2.2 μm and the solute nitrogen concentration was 0.86 mass%. The steel had very high yield strength of 1.1 GPa and moderate elongation of 30 %. Such a high strength of the steel was explained by the combined strengthening mechanism of nitrogen solid solution strengthening and grain refining strengthening.


Objectives: This study was designed to evaluate the clinical, histological and immunohistochemical findings and treatment of chronic actinic dermatitis in Korean patients. Methods: Seventeen Korean patients with chronic actinic dermatitis were enrolled for this study. The clinical and histological findings and the results of phototest were reviewed with medical records, clinical photographs and pathologic slides. We also reviewed the effectiveness of the treatments in all patients with chronic actinic dermatitis. Results: In all patients with chronic actinic dermatitis, pruritus was severe, and the patients present in the early stages with erythemas on the face, neck and the back of the hands. As the eruption progresses, it became lichenified and scaly plaques and papules developed. The face, upper extremity and neck were most commonly affected. The most common abnormal results of the phototests were decreased MED-UVB alone. In 8 patients with actinic reticuloid, histopathologic findings showed irregular acanthosis, parakeratosis, spongiosis, atypical hyperchromatic cells with cerebriform nuclei, epidermotropism, Pautrier-like microabscess, deep perivascular lymphocytic infiltrates, vertically-streaked collagen in the papillary dermis, stellate and multinucleated fibroblasts. Treatment includes topical tacrolimus and corticosteroid, oral corticosteroid, azathioprine and cyclosporine. Conclusions: Our study showed classic clinical and histological findings. The most common abnormal results of the phototests were decreased MED-UVB alone. Topical steroid, tacrolimus and systemic cyclosporine, azathioprine are effective in treating chronic actinic dermatitis.


Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT), the most toxic substance known to mankind, is the first example of the fully active molten globule state. To understand its folding mechanism, we performed urea denaturation experiments and theoretical modeling using BoNT serotype A (BoNT/A). We found that the extent of BoNT/A denaturation from the native state (N) shows a nonmonotonic dependence on urea concentration indicating a unique multistep denaturation process, N → I1 I2 U, with two intermediate states I1 and I2. BoNT/A loses almost all its secondary structure in 3.75 M urea (I1), yet it displays a native-like secondary structure in 5 M urea (I2). This agrees with the results of theoretical modeling, which helped to determine the molecular basis of unique behavior of BoNT/A in solution. Except for I2, all the states revert back to full enzymatic activity for SNAP-25 including the unfolded state U stable in 7 M urea. Our results stress the importance of structural flexibility in the toxin's mechanism of survival and action, an unmatched evolutionary trait from billion-year-old bacteria, which also correlates with the long-lasting enzymatic activity of BoNT inside neuronal cells. BoNT/A provides a rich model to explore protein folding in relation to functional activity.


Background: Although it is known that cancer mortality rate varies depending on occupations in Japan, differences in female cancer mortality rate depending on occupational classes have not been analyzed using the Vital Statistics in Japan. In this study, we analyzed the Vital Statistics data in Japan from 1995 to 2015, and revealed differences in cancer mortality rate depending on occupational classes among Japanese women. Methods: The Vital Statistics data by occupations from 1995 to 2015 were obtained from the "Report of Vital Statistics : Occupational and Industrial Aspects" in Japan, and data on mortality for cancer in all sites, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, gallbladder and extrahepatic bile duct cancer, pancreatic cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, and uterine cancer were used. We classified main occupation categories into non-manual workers and manual workers, and calculated age-standardized mortality rate for each of the occupational class, year, age group, and type of cancer and its annual percent change. Results: Age-standardized mortality rates for non-manual workers (222.0 per 100,000 persons in 1995 and 143.8 per 100,000 persons in 2015) were higher in cancer in all sites than those for manual workers (127.6 per 100,000 persons in 1995 and 103.7 per 100,000 persons in 2015) throughout the years. However, age-standardized mortality rates showed a significant decreasing trend between 1995 and 2015 for non-manual workers, and the absolute value of annual percent change was higher in non-manual workers than in manual workers. As a result, a difference in age-standardized mortality rates for cancer in all sites between the two types of occupational classes decreased throughout the years. Conclusion: A further study investigating differences in physical or behavioral characteristics of female non-manual and manual workers is needed in order to understand the key factors for the higher cancer mortality rate in non-manual workers.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how the market potential for internet services interacted historically with the diffusion process of fixed line and mobile telephony. Design/methodology/approach – The authors evaluate the historical interactions between internet, fixed line and mobile telephony using the International Telecommunications Union data set from 1991 until 2003 for 214 countries. Findings – It was found that between 1991 and 2003 mobile and internet services were fully complementary; fixed line facilitated the diffusion of internet service, but internet diffusion did not affect fixed line telephony. The authors discuss the implications of these results in the light of current developments of the telecommunications industry. Research limitations/implications – Internet adoption should be analysed in close relation to the adoption of other telecommunication services, such as fixed line and mobile telephony. Originality/value – The paper shows the interconnectivity of the internet with other telecommunication services and emphasizes the asymmetric nature of these interactions. Telecommunication services interactions are discussed in the light of recent industry developments.


Mariculture is an important component of Indonesian fisheries and aquaculture production, directly contributing an estimated US$ 320 million in 2008. Because most mariculture production is focussed on producing for export markets, mariculture production is an important source of foreign earnings for the Indonesian economy. This paper reviews the current status and prospects for continuing development of mariculture in Indonesia. Currently the major mariculture commodity in Indonesia is seaweed for carrageenan production. Seaweed production accounts for 98% of total Indonesian mariculture production and 84% of value. The other major commodity groups are marine finfish and pearl oysters. Commodities being developed for mariculture in Indonesia include abalone and spiny lobsters. Prospects for continued development of mariculture in Indonesia appear positive. Indonesia has several advantages for mariculture development, including many potential mariculture sites, a stable tropical climate, and does not suffer from cyclonic storms. The Government of Indonesia is planning to increase aquaculture production substantially over the next four years, including mariculture production. Globally, demand for seafood products is expanding due to increasing population and increased per capita consumption of fish products. Constraints to the continued development of mariculture in Indonesia include: limited seed supply, particularly of species which cannot be economically produced in hatcheries, such as spiny lobsters; need to develop more efficient production systems for some marine finfish; the need to improve environmental sustainability by improving feeds and reducing environmental impacts; and market issues relating to environmental sustainability.


Since the advent of gastric freezing as a definitive treatment of duodenal ulcer at the University of Minnesota, considerable interest has evolved concerning this procedure. Wangensteen et al (1962) 6 have stated that local gastric hypothermia may produce a physiological gastrectomy since there is a marked reduction in acid secretion after freezing. Their laboratory investigations have demonstrated a total achlorhydria in three Heidenhain preparations with marked reduction in secretory responses in two other animals after the Heidenhain pouches were frozen. Similar data were obtained from other of their pouch preparations, and it eventually seemed feasible to apply the technique clinically. 2,3 In this regard it is estimated that 1,000 patients in the United States have currently undergone gastric freezing as definitive treatment of chronic duodenal ulcer. Prior to any clinical evaluation of gastric freezing we have felt the necessity to fulfill two fundamental propositions in our experimental laboratory. In the


Introduction: Weed competition is one of the major factors which limit sugar beet production in the world. Weed – crop interactions are based on competition for water, nutrients and light and allelopathic effects may also play a small role. In sugar beet weed interference, all these factors are important too, but the light is of prime importance. Due to the fact that a lot of weeds can grow above the sugar beet canopy and reduce the amount of photosynthetic radiation reaching the crop, these weeds are stronger competitors compared to smaller weeds. In much sugar beet growing areas dicot weeds of the families Chenopodiaceae, Asteraceae, Brassicaceae and Polygonaceae are of major importance. The monocots are less important compared to dicot weeds. Competition from uncontrolled annual weeds that emerge within 8 weeks of sowing or within 4 weeks of the crop reaching the two-leaf stage can reduce root yields by 26–100% .Weeds that emerge 8 weeks after sowing, and particularly after the sugar beet plants have eight or more leaves, are less likely to affect yield. Although tractor hoeing and hand labour are still used in many production areas, herbicides have been the primary method of weed control in sugar beet. The effectiveness of pre-emergence residual herbicides decreases with reductions in rainfall or soil wet content. Therefore, less than 10 % of the total sugar beet crop is treated with pre-emergence herbicides. The remaining 90 % depends solely on a selection of post-emergence herbicides to maintain season-long weed control. The major herbicides are phenmedipham, chloridazon, metamitron. Mixtures of post-emergence, broad spectrum herbicides have to be applied to control the wide range of weed species in sugar beet crops.
Materials and Methods: To study the effects of weeds control by hand weeding and herbicides combination with two selective herbicides at different levels of nitrogen application on sugar beet yield and quality characteristics, an experiment carried out in TorbateJam Township as statistical design with split plots in a randomized complete block design with three replications during 2014. Experiment treatments included, the main factor involving four levels of different Nitrogen application (0, 100. 150 and 200 Kg.ha-1), sub factor involving combination of chloridazon + phenmedipham and metamitron + phenmedipham at 5 Kg.ha-1 herbicides. Four weeks after treatments, sampling of weeds and sugar beet carried out in middle of the plots with 0.5 × 0.5 quadrate. Then, samples were dried at oven-dried at 75 °C for 48 h and weighed. At the final harvest, to determine the grade, amino nitrogen, sodium, potassium with Betalyzr at sugar sector of Agricultural Center laboratory, sampling was removed from the middle of each plot.
Results Discussion: The results showed that application of nitrogen fertilizer and herbicide treatments were significantly different from each other at 1% and 5% levels, respectively. Based on experiment results, the highest root yield of sugar beet was obtained hand weeding with 200 kg N.ha-1 treatments. In between treatments of weed chemical control, metamitron + phenmedipham herbicides with 200 kg N.ha-1 was showed the highest root yield of sugar beet. High net sugar beet yield also was obtained at complete weed control with 200 kg N.ha-1, and metamitron + phenmedipham herbicides application with 200 kg N.ha-1 treatments. Also, the highest net and gross sugars were obtained at without weed control + 0 kg N.ha-1 treatments.
Conclusion: In conclusion, According to results of this study root yield and net and gross sugar were increased by increasing 200 kg nitrogen per hectare. Also, the highest net and gross sugar yield related to the using of hand weeding and combination herbicides of metamitron + phenmedipham and chloridazon + phenmedipham and application of 200 kg.ha-1 nitrogen fertilizer with weed control as well. Between weed controls treatments, root yield were increased by hand weeding compared to herbicide application and between herbicide treatments at Nitrogen different levels, by using of metamitron + phenmedipham than chloridazon + phenmedipham. Between chemical treatments, net and gross sugar yield, shoot dry weight and dry matter yield of sugar beet were more in combination of metamitron + phenmedipham than chloridazon + phenmedipham. While, weeds density and biomass were lesser in herbicide combination of metamitron + phenmedipham compared to chloridazon + phenmedipham. On the other hand, among treatments interaction, the highest root yield and percent of sugar and pure sugar were obtained by 200 kg per hectare Nitrogen fertilizer accompanied weeds control and without weeds control with lack of Nitrogen application respectively.


In animal models, liposomal formulations of paclitaxel possess lower toxicity and equal antitumor efficacy compared with the clinical formulation, Taxol. The goal of this study was to determine the formulation dependence of paclitaxel pharmacokinetics in rats, in order to test the hypothesis that altered biodistribution of paclitaxel modifies the exposure of critical normal tissues. Paclitaxel was administered intravenously in either multilamellar (MLV) liposomes composed of phosphatidylglycerol/phosphatidylcholine (L-pac) or in the Cremophor EL/ethanol vehicle used for the Taxol formulation (Cre-pac). The dose was 40 mg/kg, and the infusion time was 8 to 9 minutes. Animals were killed at various times, and pharmacokinetic parameters were determined from the blood and tissue distribution of paclitaxel. The area under the concentration vs time curve (AUC) for blood was similar for the 2 formulations (L-pac: 38.1±3.32 μg-h/mL; Cre-pac: 34.5±0.994 μg-h/mL), however, the AUC for various tissues was formulation-dependent. For bone marrow, skin, kidney, brain, adipose, and muscle tissue, the AUC was statistically higher for Cre-pac. For spleen, a tissue of the reticuloendothelial system that is important in the clearance of liposomes, the AUC was statistically higher for L-pac. Apparent tissue partition coefficients (Kp) also were calculated. For bone marrow, a tissue in which paclitaxel exerts significant toxicity, Kp was 5-fold greater for paclitaxel in Cre-pac. The data are consistent with paclitaxel release from circulating liposomes, but with efflux delayed sufficiently to retain drug to a greater extent in the central (blood) compartment and reduce penetration into peripheral tissues. These effects may contribute to the reduced toxicity of liposomal formulations of paclitaxel.


This paper considers a new risk-control and management approach for a bottleneck spanning tree problem under the situation where edge costs in a given network include randomness and reliability. Particularly, this paper focuses on the case that only mean value and variance of edge costs are calculated without assuming a specific random distribution. In order to develop the risk control approach, a confidence interval-based formulation is introduced. Using this interval, as well as minimizing the maximum value of worse edge costs, maximizing the minimum value of robust
parameters to edge costs is introduced as objective functions in the risk-control. Furthermore, in order to maintain the constructing spanning tree network entirely, the reliability for each edge is introduced, and maximizing the total reliability of spanning tree is assumed as the third objective function. The proposed model is a multiobjective programming problem, and hence, it is difficult to solve it directly without setting some optimal criterion. Therefore, satisfaction functions for each object and the integrated function are introduced, and the exact solution algorithm is developed by performing deterministic equivalent transformations. A numerical example is provided by comparing our proposed model with previous standard models.


This research guide contains resources on vaccinations and immunizations and is a starting point for students researching this topic or for anyone wanting general information.


Background: Soil salinization is a major limiting factor for crop cultivation. Switchgrass is a perennial rhizomatous bunchgrass that is considered an ideal plant for marginal lands, including sites with saline soil. Here, we investigated the physiological responses and transcriptome changes in the roots of two switchgrass genotypes under alkaline salt stress.Results: Alkaline salt stress significantly affected the membrane, osmotic adjustment and antioxidant systems in switchgrass roots, and the ASTTI values between Alamo and AM-314/MS-155 were divergent at different time points. A total of 108,319 unigenes were obtained after reassembly, including 73,636 unigenes in AM-314/MS-155 and 65,492 unigenes in Alamo. A total of 10,219 DEGs were identified, and the number of upregulated genes in Alamo was much greater than that in AM-314/MS-155 in both the early and late stages of alkaline salt stress. The DEGs in AM-314/MS-155 were mainly concentrated in the early stage, while Alamo showed greater advantages in the late stage. These DEGs were mainly enriched in plant-pathogen interactions, ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis and glycolysis/gluconeogenesis pathways. We characterized 1,480 TF genes into 64 TF families, and the most abundant TF family was the C2H2 family, followed by the bZIP and bHLH families. A total of 1,718 PKs were predicted, including CaMK, CDPK, MAPK and RLK. WGCNA revealed that the DEGs in the blue, brown, dark magenta and light steel blue 1 modules were associated with the physiological changes in roots of switchgrass under alkaline salt stress. The consistency between the qRT-PCR and RNA-Seq results confirmed the reliability of the RNA-seq sequencing data. A molecular regulatory network of the switchgrass response to alkaline salt stress was preliminarily constructed on the basis of transcriptional regulation and functional genes.Conclusions: The alkaline salt tolerance of switchgrass may be achieved by the regulation of ion homeostasis, transport proteins, detoxification, heat shock proteins, dehydration and sugar metabolism. These findings provide a comprehensive analysis of gene transcription and regulation induced by alkaline salt stress in two switchgrass genotypes and contribute to the understanding of the alkaline salt tolerance mechanism of switchgrass and the improvement of switchgrass germplasm.


Study Design. Cost of illness study alongside a randomized controlled trial. Objective. To describe the costs of care for patients with low back pain (1) and to identify patient characteristics as predictors for high health care cost during a 1-year follow-up (2). Summary of Background Data. Low back pain (LBP) is one of the leading causes of high health care costs in industrialized countries (Life time prevalence, 70%). A lot of research has been done to improve primary health care and patients′ prognosis. However, the cost of health care does not necessarily follow changes in patient outcomes. Methods. General practitioners (n = 126) recruited 1378 patients consulting for LBP. Sociodemographic data, pain characteristics, and LBP-related cost data were collected by interview at baseline and after 6 and 12 months. Costs were evaluated from the societal perspective. Predictors of high cost during the subsequent year were studied using logistic regression analysis. Results. Mean direct and indirect costs for LBP care are about twice as high for patients with chronic LBP compared to acutely ill patients. Indirect costs account for more than 52% to 54% of total costs. About 25% of direct costs refer to therapeutic procedures and hospital or rehabilitational care. Patients with high disability and limitations in daily living show a 2- to 5-fold change for subsequent high health care costs. Depression seems to be highly relevant for direct health care utilization. Conclusion. Interventions designed to reduce high health care costs for LBP should focus on patients with severe LBP and depressive comorbidity. Our results add to the economic understanding of LBP care and may give guidance for future actions on health care improvement and cost reduction.


In this paper, we propose a distributed algorithm to process conjunctive queries in P2P DHTs. The basic idea of the proposed scheme is to cache the search result for past conjunctive queries, and to use them to improve the efficiency of the succeeding query processing. As a concrete implementation of such result cache, we adopt Bloom filter in such a way that the cache size required for each query becomes as large as the size of each file index. The performance of the proposed scheme is evaluated by simulation. The result of simulations indicates that the proposed scheme is particularly effective for P2P DHTs with small storage size, and it reduces the amount of data transmissions to process given conjunctive queries by 49.7% compared with previous schemes.