The diagnosis of somatoform disorders in elderly patients is frequently difficult due to the presence of a mixture of symptoms related to organic pathological changes, medication side effects and mental processes. For this reason, important indications of somatoform disorders are difficulties in the doctor-patient relationship that result in the patient being convinced that he/she is suffering from an organic disease which the attending physician is not able to detect. In old age, numerous physical and social losses that must be coped with can be the source of emotional difficulties. While making a diagnosis, it is essential to recognize the underlying psychological connections to the physical symptoms of the patient. The goal is to gently and constructively expand the patient's organic explanation to include psychosomatic possibilities, for example within psychosomatic primary health care. To evaluate difficulties in a doctor-patient relationship, participation in Balint seminars can be very helpful.


A description is given of the CLIP7 image-processing chip. The device is implemented as a custom designed integrated circuit and contains a single processing element for use in arrays of processors. The chip uses 16-bit internal and 8-bit external data buses and divides crudely into two major sections: data processing and data input/output. The first structure to be assembled using these processors is a 256-element linear array, each element incorporating two of the CLIP7 processors. This system, known as CLIP7A, is used both to study the application of partial local autonomy techniques to image processing and also as a fast and convenient system for the emulation of other architectures. CLIP7A software and hardware are also described. >


Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors are currently considered a very promising alternative to Si for channel applications in next-generation field-effect transistors of sub-5 nm designs. However, their huge potential cannot be fully exploited owing to a lack of competitive insulators which are required to effectively separate the channel from the gate, while being scalable down to few nanometers thicknesses. Recently we have made an attempt at addressing this issue by using crystalline CaF2 insulators and demonstrated competitive MoS2 devices with the insulator thickness of only about 2 nm. Here we report a detailed study of the performance, reliability and thermal stability of these devices. We demonstrate that, in contrast to SiO2 and other amorphous oxides, CaF2 has a very low density of insulator defects which are responsible for the hysteresis and long-term drifts of the transistor characteristics. At the same time, CaF2 exhibits smaller leakage currents and higher electric stability compared to hBN. By comparing our MoS2 transistors with CaF2 fabricated using MoS2 films of different quality, we show that the major limitations on the performance and reliability of these devices come from the bare channel rather than from the superior CaF2 insulator. Finally, we perform the first study of degradation mechanisms only observed for tunnel-thin gate insulators in 2D devices. While these degradation mechanisms are similar for hBN and CaF2, they are less pronounced in CaF2. Our results therefore present a solution to a very important roadblock on the way towards fully scalable 2D nanoelectronics with competitive performance and reliability.


Critical evaluation of the adequacy of ecological models is urgently needed to enhance their utility in developing theory and enabling environmental managers and policymakers to make informed decisions. Poorly supported management can have detrimental, costly or irreversible impacts on the environment and society. Here, we examine common issues in ecological modelling and suggest criteria for improving modelling frameworks. An appropriate level of process description is crucial to constructing the best possible model, given the available data and understanding of ecological structures. Model details unsupported by data typically lead to over parameterisation and poor model performance. Conversely, a lack of mechanistic details may limit a model's ability to predict ecological systems' responses to management. Ecological studies that employ models should follow a set of model adequacy assessment protocols that include: asking a series of critical questions regarding state and control variable selection, the determinacy of data, and the sensitiv-ity and validity of analyses. We also need to improve model elaboration, refinement and coarse graining procedures to better understand the relevancy and adequacy of our models and the role they play in advancing theory, improving hind and forecasting, and enabling problem solving and management. Ecology Letters 21 :


In our investigation of the crude extracts from the terrestrial derived Streptomycete isolate sp. Wo 990, two compounds namely, 4-nitrobenzoic acid tetrahydrofuran-2-yl-methylester (1) and 4-hydroxy-5methylfuran-3-one (5) were obtained for the first time from microorganisms. In addition, 2phenylacetamide, 5-methyl-1H-pyrimidine-2,4-dione, 2-amino-3-phenyl-propionic acid and 2-(6-aminopurin-9-yl)-5-methyl-sulfanylmethyl-tetrahydrofuran-4-diol were isolated. The structures of the new compounds 1 and 5 were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis (1D and 2D), mass spectra and comparison with the literature data.


Microwave-treated Casuarina equisetifolia seeds were used as adsorbents in batch adsorption of malachite green (MG) and neutral red (NR) dyes. Chemical composition analysis show that amount of cellulose in seeds was as high as 56%. The amount of dye adsorbed increased with the increase of initial MG and NR dye concentrations from 42.47 to 51.18 mg/g and 29.78 to 39.66 mg/g, respectively. Surface morphology observation supports the adsorption process and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra analysis indicates involvement of functional groups in the adsorption process. Langmuir model fitted well the experimental MG adsorption data with R2 of 0.9928. Both Langmuir and Freundlich models were found to have best fit for the adsorption of NR dye with R2 of 0.9611 and 0.9791 respectively. The adsorption factor, RL of MG and NR dyes reveals that the adsorption process is favorable in nature. Keywords : Casuarina equisetifolia, microwave, adsorption


Photocatalysts made of earth-abundant elements are highly desired for photocatalytic H2 evolution as well as bacterial inactivation without requirement of noble metal (i.e. Pt, Ag). In this study, nickel phosphide (Ni2P) was used as a nonprecious co-catalyst to couple with metal-free g-C3N4 based on Z-scheme type of electron transportation model. The exfoliation of bulk g-C3N4, the in-situ synthesis and anchoring of Ni2P nanoparticles onto the g-C3N4 nanosheets were achieved in one-step by a hydrothermal method without adding any surfactants or templates. The optimized Ni2P/g-C3N4 lamellar nanohydrids exhibited remarkably enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity for H2 evolution and bacterial inactivation without noble metal loading, and the obtained activity is approximately 22 and 10 times higher than that of pure g-C3N4, respectively. The Ni2P was proposed to effectively trap the photo-generated e− via a Z-scheme type of route, thus significantly promoting the e−-h+ separation and subsequent + i2P reduction of protons to generate H2. The bacterial inactivation was found to undergo a direct h oxidation process, and therefore the trapping of e− by Ni2P also facilitated h+ accumulation, leading to enhanced bacterial inactivation efficiency. This study demonstrates a proof-of-concept for constructing all-earth-abundant photocatalysts without any noble metal elements for both energy production and environmental application. © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.


Silymarin is a mixture of polyphenolic flavonoids isolated from milk thistle (Silybum marianum) with anticancer activities reported for several organ sites. The present study tested the efficacy of dietary silymarin against mammary carcinogenesis in two rodent models. In the Sprague-Dawley rat model, female rats were fed a purified diet supplemented with none, 0.03, 0.1, 0.3 or 1% (w/w) of silymarin from 21 days of age (DOA) and carcinogenesis was initiated by a single i.p. injection of 1-methyl-1-nitrosourea (MNU) at 51 DOA. Mammary tumor (MT) development was followed till 110 days after carcinogen injection. In the MMTV-neu/HER2 transgenic mouse mammary carcinogenesis model, homozygous transgenic females were fed a purified diet supplemented with none or 0.3% silymarin, either from 28 or 120 DOA and MT development was followed to approximately 300 DOA. The results showed that dietary silymarin increased the plasma concentration of free and total silibinin, a major component of silymarin, in a dose-dependent manner in the rat, but did not decrease either MT incidence or number. Instead silymarin modestly increased the number of MNU-induced MTs in rats. Similarly, silymarin increased MT incidence and multiplicity and non-MTs in the neu-transgenic mice. In cell culture, treatment of human MCF-7 breast cancer cells with serum-achievable concentrations of silymarin in the rodent models stimulated their growth, in part through an estrogen-like activity. Because silymarin is being used in the treatment of liver cirrhosis and a variety of other human ailments, and is sold as a dietary supplement, our findings add a cautionary note to its application in breast cancer prevention.


The research was undertaken to analyze selected physicochemical and biological properties of soils from the buffer zones of a small watercourse located in the agricultural catchment area of North-Eastern Poland. Research points were located in the buffer zone. Samples were taken from the surface soil level. In samples were measured the pH, organic carbon, total nitrogen, nitrates as well as the emission of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. The quantitative and qualitative composition of the microscopic fungi (micromycetes) communities that inhabit the analyzed soils was also determined. It was found that the soil in the buffer zone, which is formed by shrubs and which separates arable land from the river, is more abundant in selected solutes, has a higher carbon dioxide emission, also has a richer quantitative and qualitative structure of fungi. It was found that soils from buffer zones are the place of dynamic processes that affect biological and chemical properties.


Deliberating groups, including juries, typically end up in a more extreme position in line with their predeliberation tendencies. A jury whose members are inclined, before deliberation, to find a defendant not guilty will likely render a verdict of not guilty; a jury whose members want to award punitive damages will likely produce an award higher than that of the median juror. The phenomenon of group polarization, found in many domains, stems from a combination of information pooling and peer pressure. The events portrayed in the film 12 Angry Men seem to defy the logic of group polarization, but the film nonetheless shows an acute psychological sense.


This study builds on past research to examine the association of engagement in consistently high binge drinking behavior in adolescence with the concurrent development of marijuana use and to better understand the development of marijuana use during adolescence among a sample of juvenile offenders. This research used group-based trajectory analysis to examine heterogeneity in the development of marijuana use and dual trajectory analysis to examine the relevance of trajectories for predicting concurrent problematic binge drinking. A seven-group model best fit the marijuana use data. Marijuana use in adolescence predicted increased odds of assignment to the heavy chronic binge drinking group. The heavy chronic marijuana use group was overwhelmingly the best predictor of assignment to this group. Juvenile offenders are at risk of engagement in marijuana use and problematic levels of marijuana use. Engagement in marijuana use predicts higher odds of problematic binge drinking behavior during adolescence.


We develop a formal model of exchange and governance in multiparty presidential regimes that simultaneously considers political transfers, monetary transfers, and policy concessions. The modeling results suggest that executives will use political transfers like cabinet positions in exchange for support from factions that are ideologically similar to the executive and will use monetary transfers like pork for ideologically distant factions within more heterogeneous voting coalitions. The use of political or monetary transfers also depends on the relative cost of each, which in turn depends on features of the institutional and bargaining environments. Additionally, the model suggests that an executive with greater relative bargaining power concedes less on policies or makes fewer transfers to achieve a particular policy outcome. Cross-national empirical evidence and a closer study of Brazil are supportive of model assertions and findings. Though applied specifically to multiparty presidential circumstances, the model permits extension to other regimes.


In order to reduce the silicon content to the maximum allowed value for the production of high-purity titanium dioxide, a hydrometallurgical process on the desiliconization during alkaline leaching of titanium slag under atmospheric pressure was studied. The effect of leaching temperature, initial NaOH concentration, leaching time and mass ratio of alkali to slag, on the efficiency of silicon removal were investigated. The results show that when the mass concentration of NaOH is 30%, mass ratio of alkali to slag 3:1, the leaching temperature 120°C and the retention time about 120min, the content of silicon in solid is reduced to 0.45%. Simultaneously, the content of aluminum is reduced to 1.62%, without affecting the content of titanium. The kinetics on the desiliconization during alkaline leaching of titanium slag was carried out. The results show that under the leaching parameters mentioned above, the apparent activation energy is calculated to be 45.43kJ/mol.


: Forming limit diagram is a useful tool for investigation of sheet's formability for designing industrial products. Experimentally extracting forming limit diagram requires exact experimental tests, and is time consuming, and expensive. Therefore, several studies have been carried out on the usage of theoretical methods and finite element software for determining these diagrams. In this study, forming limit diagram for AA3105 aluminum alloy sheet were obtained by simulating the Nakazima and modified Marciniak tests in ABAQUS software. In order to numerically determine forming limit diagram of AA3105, Hill yield criterion, Hosford yield criterion and Gurson, Tvergaad and Needleman damage model based on the Hosford criterion and Voce and power law hardening rules were investigated. Due to the lack of the Hosford yield criterion and the Gurson, Tvergaad and Needleman damage model based on Hosford criterion in the ABAQUS software, VUMAT subroutines has been developed and used to determine the behavior of the AA3105 aluminum alloy. The results showed that the predicted forming limit diagram based on the Hill criterion, shows large deviation from experimental results. The usage of the Hosford criterion and Gurson, Tvergaad and Needleman damage model for aluminum alloys showed a better correlation with experimental results. Also, due to the presence of voids in metals, the Gurson, Tvergaad and Needleman damage model which is based on the void volume fraction has a greater physical justification than the other yield criterions. Furthermore, by comparing numerical forming limit diagrams that obtained from Nakazima and modified Marciniak tests, it was concluded that the limit strains in modified Marciniak test is lower than the Nakazima test.


After minor head injury (MHI) postconcussive symptoms (PCS) such as memory and attention deficits frequently occur. It has been hypothesised that PCS are caused by microstructural damage to the brain due to shearing injury, which is not detectable with conventional imaging, and may be responsible for a functional deficit. The purpose of this study was to correlate functional magnetic resonance imaging brain activation of working memory and selective attention with PCS. 21 MHI patients and 12 healthy controls were scanned at 3T. Stimulation paradigms were the n‐back and Counting Stroop tasks to engage working memory and selective attention, respectively. Functional data analysis consisted of random effects group analyses, correlating brain activation patterns with the severity of PCS as evaluated with the Rivermead postconcussion symptoms questionnaire. At minimal working memory load, activation was seen in patients with greater severity of PCS in the working memory network. With an increase of working memory load, increase of activation was more pronounced in patients with greater severity of PCS. At high and increased working memory load, activation associated with the severity of PCS was seen in the posterior parietal area, parahippocampal gyrus, and posterior cingulate gyrus. Activation related to selective attention processing was increased with greater severity of PCS. The increased activity in relation to working memory and attention, and the recruitment of brain areas outside the working memory network at high working memory load, may be considered a reflection of the brain's compensatory response to microstructural injury in patients with PCS. Hum Brain Mapp, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


The necessity modality of intuitionist S4 is a comonad. In this paper, we study indexed necessity modalities that provide the logical foundation for a variety of applications; for example, to model possession of capabilities in policy languages for access control, and to track exceptions in type theories for exceptional computation. Noninterference properties of the intuitionist logic of indexed necessity modalities capture the limitations on the information flow between formulas that are under the scope of necessity modalities with different indices. The impact of noninterference is seen in the unprovability of certain formulas. Noninterference is necessary for several applications. In models of capabilities, noninterference facilitates distributed reasoning. In models of exceptions, noninterference is necessary to ensure that the exceptions are tracked conservatively. In this paper, we prove noninterference properties for indexed intuitionist necessity S4 modalities. To our knowledge, this is the first examination of noninterference results for the intuitionist S4 necessity modality (even without indexing). 1998 ACM Subject Classification F.4.1 Modal Logic


One hundred twenty-three of 300 blood samples (41%) taken from Rio Grande wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo intermedia) from three locations in southern Texas (Welder Wildlife Refuge, Chaparrosa Ranch, and Campo Alegre Ranch) and subinoculated into domestic broad-breasted white turkey poults were positive for a Plasmodium (Novyella) sp. Analysis of blood films from 350 turkeys revealed Haemoproteus meleagridis in 76% of the birds. A significantly greater mean parasite intensity was observed in birds from Welder Wildlife Refuge. Birds from the Campo Alegre Ranch exhibited a significantly higher prevalence of H. meleagridis than birds from Chaparrosa. The Plasmodium sp. was infective for canaries (Serinus canaria), bobwhites (Colinus virginianus), and ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus), but would not produce infection in white leghorn chickens (Gallus gallus) or Coturnix quail (Coturnix coturnix). Attempts to infect Culex tarsalis and C. pipiens pipiens were unsuccessful. Asexual erythrocytic synchrony was not observed when blood-induced infections were monitored in two domestic turkey poults every 4 hr for 72 hr. Exoerythrocytic stages were not found upon examination of impression smears and tissue samples taken from brain, liver, spleen, kidney, lung, and bone marrow. The Plasmodium sp. is most similar morphologically to three species in the subgenus Novyella, P. hexamerium, P. vaughani, and P. kempi. The most striking similarities are to P. hexamerium, and involve mean merozoite number, erythrocytic schizont location, and vertebrate host susceptibility. It differs from P. vaughani in being able to infect turkeys and in type of parasitized erythrocytes. Differences to P. kempi include mean merozoite number, and ability to infect pheasants, and its inability to develop in C. pipiens and C. tarsalis.


ABSTRACT The goal of this paper is to evaluate two methods for the topic modeling of multilingual document collections: (1) machine translation (MT), and (2) the coding of semantic concepts using a multilingual dictionary (MD) prior to topic modeling. We empirically assess the consequences of these approaches based on both a quantitative comparison of models and a qualitative validation of each method's potentials and weaknesses. Our case study uses two text collections (of tweets and news articles) in three languages (English, Hebrew, Arabic), covering the ongoing local conflicts between Israeli authorities, settlers, and Palestinian Bedouins in the West Bank. We find that both methods produce a large share of equivalent topics, especially in the context of fairly homogenous news discourse, yet show limited but systematic differences when applied to highly heterogenous social media discourse. While the MD model delivers a more nuanced picture of conflict-related topics, it misses several more peripheral topics, especially those unrelated to the dictionary's focus, which are picked up by the MT model. Our study is a first step toward instrument validation, indicating that both methods yield valid, comparable results, while method-specific differences remain.


This paper describes the image processing techniques designed to localize tracks of snowcats for the Italian mission in Antarctica within the ENEA R.A.S. (Surface Antarctic Robot) project for the autonomous driving of intelligent snowcats. The final goal is to enable snowcats to automatically follow preceding ones. A camera is used to acquire images of the scene in realtime; the image sequence is analyzed by a computer vision system which identifies the tracks and produces a high level description of the scene. This data is forwarded to a further software module in charge of the control of the snowcat movement. A further optional representation, in which markers highlighting the tracks are superimposed onto the acquired image, is transmitted to a human supervisor located off-board.


We report 11 patients diagnosed of Acute Rheumatic Fever (ARF), and 7 of Poststreptococcal Reactive Arthritis (PSRA): patients with group A beta hemolytic streptococcal infection and articular disease who do not fulfill the modified Jones criteria. All patients with ARF were treated with monthly prophylaxis (with penicillin G benzathine). Carditis was seen in five patients, but only one of them has developed a mitral valve insufficiency. The prophylaxis in patients with PSRA was individualized. None of these patients had clinical evidence of carditis during the acute disease, but one of them developed a mitral and aortic stenosis two years after the initial episode. The possible indication of penicillin prophylaxis in these patients with PSRA in suggested.


Abstract Objective. Adiponectin is an adipokine that is mostly secreted from adipose tissues and has a significant role in the improvement of insulin resistant and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study is conducted to examine the association of rs17300539 and rs266729 with T2DM and serum adiponectin level in Iranian population. Method. A case-control study was conducted on 80 individuals with fasting plasma glucose (FPG) >100 (mg/dl) as diabetic-pre-diabetic group, and 80 individuals with fasting plasma glucose 70-100 (mg/dl) as control group. DNA extraction was done on samples and genotyping method was performed by PCR-RFLP. Result. The frequency of GA genotype in rs17300539 (diabetic/pre-diabetic 35.5%, control 11.3%, (OR [95%CI]=4.18[1.8-9.6]; p=0.001) and allele A (diabetic/pre-diabetic 31%, control 9%, (OR [95% CI]=4.67[2-10.7]) was significantly more in diabetic/pre-diabetic group compared to control group. The difference in the genotype frequency for rs266729 in diabetic group compared to that in control was not significant. The levels of adiponectin in diabetic cases had no difference compared to the control group in both polymorphisms. The rs266729 was not associated with any metabolic parameter except waist circumference (p=0.03), however, rs17300539 shows association only with fasting plasma glucose, triglyceride, and total cholesterol (p=0.007, 0.039, 0.0032, respectively). Conclusion. Our findings showed that there is an association between rs17300539 with the increase of T2DM but rs266729 showed no association with the risk of T2DM. Allele A of rs17300539 increased the risk of diabetes. There is no association between adiponectin level and both polymorphisms.


Hypertension is the commonest cardiovascular disorder and poses a major health challenge to populations of countries in socio-economic transition as well as those of developed countries. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), hypertension has emerged as a leading cause of death. However, there is little first hand information with regard to the status of specific known risk factors for hypertension, nor of the extent to which the rapid changes in life style, especially dietary habits and lack of exercise, have contributed to the growing number of hypertensives in this population. The aim of this study was to document the circulating levels of various biochemical markers of hypertension and chronic renal failure (CRF), a disease which is normally associated with hypertension. The study population consisted of hypertensive and CRF patients and healthy
Emirati subjects, who are mainly Gull Arabs of Bedouin descent. It has been hypothesized that the population lacks a number of confounding risk factors for cardiovascular diseases such as alcohol consumption, chronic stress and cigarettesmoking.
Plasma levels of immunoreactive endothelin-1 (ET-l), homocysteine (Hcy), growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-l), leptin, and insulin were measured by standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methods. Plasma
glucose, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, lipids and lipoproteins were measured by standard colorimetric assays.
With regard to hypertension, a major finding of this study is related to the levels of ET-1 in Etniratis with untreated essential hypertension. These were significantly (p < 0.01) higher in hypertensives (mean 10.1 ± 1.0 pmol ') than in normotensives (mean 2.2± 0.5 pmol F'). For all subjects ET-1 levels correlated closely with systolic blood pressure (SBP), but less significantly with diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and body weight. In a more extensive study, hypertensives were found to have higher body mass index (BMI) and triacylglycerols (TG), non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and ET-1 and
lower high-density lipoprotein- (HDL)-cholesterol. Further, both SBP and DBP weresignificantly correlated with age, BMI. NEFA, ET-1 and log insulin and TG and negatively with HDL-cho!esterol. The independence of associations between blood
pressure and ET-1 or HDL-cholesterol and ET-1 and HDL-cholesterol or NEFA were confirmed by partial regression, but not that of correlations between NEFA and blood pressure or HDL-cholesterol. Further study of the racial differences in the levels of biochemical markers among treated hypertensive subjects of four ethnic groups, has revealed that whilst ET-1 was decreased to normal levels. Hcy was significantly increased in hypertensives than age-, gender- and ethnic-matched healthy normotensives. In all hypertensive subjects, total cholesterol (TC), HDL-cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein- (LDL)—cholesterol were significantly decreased and TG was significantly increased while NEFA was unchanged. Emirati subjects, either hypertensives or normotensives, had the highest BMI with tendency towards obesity compared to the non-
Gulf Arab, African, and Asian groups respectively. In patients with renal disease, results have shown that IGF-1 is notably decreased in CRF patients and negatively correlated with both systolic and DBP indicative of a possible role for IGF-1 as a marker of renal disease progression among hypertensive patients. Moreover, significantly elevated levels of leptin were observed, particularly in female patients, and leptin was shown to correlate significantly (p < 0.0]) with insulin,
total and LDL-cholesterol and TG. Leptin was negatively correlated with GH concentrations, but was not correlated with IGF-1 levels. Further, the results have also shown that in CRF, reduced activity of lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT), has been documented and this has been shown to be associated with low levels of HDLcholesterol
and other lipid changes including membrane lipid composition. in untreated hypertensives, low I-IDL-cholesterol have also been documented, but apparently without impaired LCAT activity. When combined all CRF subjects, regardless of dialysis, total and LDL-cholesterol were unchanged, TO and free cholesterol (FC) were raised and HDL-cholesterol levels and the percentage of esterified cholesterol (EC) were significantly decreased compared to controls. Plasma NEFA levels for untreated patients were similar to controls, but were decreased in peritoneal dialysis patients and markedly increased both before and, even more so, after dialysis in haemodialysis patients. In conclusion, the results of this study have shown that plasma concentrations of ET-1 in Emiratis are significantly (p c 0.01) higher in untreated hypertensives than in
normotensives. The increased lelevls of FT-I were associated with raised NEFA and decreased HDL-cholesterol concentrations. It is suggested that ET-1 either alone or in conjunction with dislipidaemia, could be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in this population. in treated hypertensive subjects however, Hcy levels rather than FT-I were
increased in all ethnic groups compared to age- gender and ethnic-matched controls. In addition, the pattern of correlations and hormone and lipid changes found in this study suggest that raised insulin levels may be an important determinant of leptin levels in CRF, but that OH, IGF-1 and lipid status are not.


Package managers provide ease of access to applications by removing the time-consuming and sometimes completely prohibitive barrier of successfully building, installing, and maintaining the software for a system. A package dependency contains dependencies between all packages required to build and run the target software. Package management system developers, package maintainers, and users may consult the dependency graph when a simple listing is insufficient for their analyses. However, users working in a remote command line environment must disrupt their workflow to visualize dependency graphs in graphical programs, possibly needing to move files between devices or incur forwarding lag. Such is the case for users of Spack, an open source package management system originally developed to ease the complex builds required by supercomputing environments. To preserve the command line workflow of Spack, we develop an interactive ASCII visualization for its dependency graphs. Through interviews with Spack maintainers, we identify user goals and corresponding visual tasks for dependency graphs. We evaluate the use of our visualization through a command line-centered study, comparing it to the system's two existing approaches. We observe that despite the limitations of the ASCII representation, our visualization is preferred by participants when approached from a command line interface workflow.


Although function projective synchronization in complex dynamical networks has been extensively studied in the literature, few papers deal with the problem between two different complex networks with correlated random disturbances. In this paper, we present some novel techniques to analyze the problem of synchronization. A probability approach is introduced to obtain an almost sure synchronization criterion. We also present some efficient approaches to analyze the problem of exponential synchronization. For the problem of synchronization in some complex networks, our approaches not only can replace the LaSalle-type theorem but also allow improvements of existing results in the literature. Finally, some numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approaches.


In view of the rapidly growing number of synthesized nanoparticles as well as public concerns about their potential negative impacts on human health and the environment, there is an urgent need to address current risk assessment data gaps. Thus, the development of comprehensive computational methods (e.g., read-across methods) for filling data gaps that meet realistic data needs is crucial. The present study proposes a new quantitative read-across approach based on linear algebra (i.e., one/two-point-slope formula) and one of the most widely used unsupervised pattern recognition methods (i.e., principal component analysis). The applicability and usefulness of the newly developed read-across algorithm for pre-screening hazard assessment of nanomaterials are confirmed by using three literature nanotoxicity datasets. The findings from this study clearly indicate that the proposed read-across approach provides reasonably accurate and statistically significant results of estimations of nanotoxicity data. Therefore, the method can be used for prioritizing current and future nanoparticles for the purpose of further testing and risk assessment.


It has been estimated that 300–500 million malaria infections occur on an annual basis and causes fatality to millions of human beings. Most of the drugs used for treatment of malaria have developed drug-resistant parasites or have serious side effects. Plant kingdom has throughout the centuries proved to be efficient source of efficacious malarial drugs like quinine and artemisinin. Since these drugs have already developed or in the process of developing drug resistance, it is important to continuously search the plant kingdom for more effective antimalarial drugs. In this aspect, the medicinal practices of indigenous communities can play a major role in identification of antimalarial plants. Bangladesh has a number of indigenous communities or tribes, who because of their living within or in close proximity to mosquito-infested forest regions, have high incidences of malaria. Over the centuries, the tribal medicinal practitioners have treated malaria with various plant-based formulations. The objective of the present study was to conduct an ethnomedicinal survey among various tribes of Bangladesh to identify the plants that they use for treatment of the disease. Surveys were conducted among seven tribes, namely, Bawm, Chak, Chakma, Garo, Marma, Murong, and Tripura, who inhabit the southeastern or northcentral forested regions of Bangladesh. Interviews conducted with the various tribal medicinal practitioners indicated that a total of eleven plants distributed into 10 families were used for treatment of malaria and accompanying symptoms like fever, anemia, ache, vomiting, and chills. Leaves constituted 35.7% of total uses followed by roots at 21.4%. Other plant parts used for treatment included barks, seeds, fruits, and flowers. A review of the published scientific literature showed that a number of plants used by the tribal medicinal practitioners have been scientifically validated in their uses. Taken together, the plants merit further scientific research towards possible discovery of novel compounds that can be used to successfully treat malaria with less undesirable sideeffects.


The primary flux model for the calculation of
atmospheric neutrino is renewed based on the
AMS02 observation of primary cosmic rays. With
new cosmic ray spectra model, the interaction
model is also studied again, so that it reproduce
the observed muon flux accurately. Then, we
applied the primary cosmic ray flux model and
the interaction model to the calculation of
atmospheric neutrino flux. In this paper, some of
preliminary results are presented.


Tropical forests being rich in biodiversity are becoming increasingly fragmented and degraded, hence are declined due to human intervention, ultimately threatening survival of birds. The present study was envisaged to highlight the impact of anthropogenic activities on avifauna. Our study revealed habitat destruction (60%) being the most detrimental human activity on avifauna diversity habitats due to timber extraction, livestock grazing, firewood and medicinal herbs, however, hunting of birds for continuous use (15%) only affected limited bird species. Two areas were taken protected areas (possessing low cultivation, overgrazing, and logging) and second unprotected areas (having higher levels of intervention). Farms around the wetlands increased bird diversity. The current study demands strict actions on illegal forest exploitation to ensure survival of avifauna diversity in Bhoj Wetland, Bhopal. Proper management not only will improve the current situation for its dweller species, but also will attract more species in future.


This study focuses on the skills requirements and the development thereof among 109 interviewed formal sector agribusiness companies in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, and South Africa. The study was conducted in the context of anticipated dramatic changes in Africa's food consumption patterns over coming decades, driven by rising incomes and urban populations, and the need for new and better skills in the workforce in order to satisfy this demand. Among the key findings are (1) except for South Africa, companies predominantly employ O-level graduates but (in all countries including South Africa) expect demand for graduates beyond A-Level to grow the fastest over the next five years; (2) while companies see a need for improved technical skills, "soft" skills were also seen as critically important and an area of relative dissatisfaction by the companies; (3) to improve the skills of their workforce, companies in four of the five countries dominantly rely on in-house training, and in three of those four, the option of paying for college or university training ranked 3rd or 4th out of four options; (4) results on relationships with vocational training institutions were varied, with companies in South Africa with a more technical or production related core business typically showing a strong relationship with them, whereas companies with a more financial core business showed a poor to non-existent relationship; and (5) a general concern seen most clearly in South Africa related the quality of primary and secondary education (especially as regards math and science), and the lack of practical and relevant industry experience of entry level employees after completing tertiary education.


In many service industries, customers have to wait for service. When customers have a choice, this waiting may influence their service experience, sojourn time, and ultimately spending, reneging, and return behavior. Not much is known however, about the system-wide impact of waiting on customer behavior and resulting revenue. In this paper, we empirically investigate this by analyzing data obtained from 94,404 customers visiting a popular Indian restaurant during a 12 month period. The results show that a longer waiting time relates to reneging behavior, a longer time until a customer returns, and a shorter dining duration. To find out the impact of the consequences of waiting time, we use the empirical findings and data collected in a simulation experiment. This experiment shows that, without waiting, the total revenue generated by the restaurant would increase by nearly 15% compared to the current situation. Stimulating customers to reserve could enable restaurants to reap part of this benefit. Furthermore, the results of simulation experiments suggest that, within the boundaries of the current capacity, revenue could be increased by a maximum of 7.5% if more flexible rules were used to allocate customers to tables. Alternatively, by increasing the existing seating capacity by 20%, revenue could be boosted by 7.7% without the need to attract additional customers. Our findings extend the knowledge on the consequences of customer waiting, and enable service providers to better understand the financial and operational impact of waiting-related decisions in service settings.


A technique of stapled ileal reservoir to anal anastomosis has been described. This operative approach has been used in 38 patients. Anastomotic complications have been minimal and the functional results have been extremely satisfactory.


ABSTRACT Hurricane-generated, thinly bedded grainstones are the dominant style of stratification on the carbonate tidal-flat complex on Caicos Platform, British West Indies. This is in dramatic contrast to the winter-storm-generated millimeter-thick laminae which dominate stratification on the northwest Andros tidal flats and have become the general criteria for recognizing ancient carbonate tidal-flat sequences. Hurricane Kate, which passed directly across the Caicos tidal flats on 18 November 1985, provided an opportunity both to document the character and distribution of a specific storm-sediment layer and to evaluate the role of hurricanes in molding the geometry of the tidal-flat system. Though moderate in strength and producing only incomplete flooding, Hurricane Kate deposited a layer of fine to very fine peloidal grainstone 0.5-2 cm in thickness across significant portions of the extremely broad, low-relief shore and channel levees and the inland algal marsh. These storm layers are interbedded with organic-rich layers which represent prolonged periods of growth of Scytonema algal mat between hurricanes. Recognition that centimeter-thick grainstone layers dominate entire tidal-flat complexes necessitates both a thorough modification of criteria for defining ancient carbonate tidal-flat deposits and a reevaluation of supposedly subtidal, thinly bedded limestones.


The recent reports of abuse of prisoners held by U.S. military personnel have raised questions about how the armed forces control servicemembers. Congress, under the authorities vested in it by the U.S. Constitution, has enacted procedures for addressing misconduct by servicemembers. One such procedure is an administrative separation under which a member's continued suitability for service is determined. Administrative separations are non-punitive and can be initiated for a number of reasons, including misconduct or criminal offenses. They may be used in place of or after the
servicemember has been subject to a court-martial or nonjudicial punishment. This report provides an overview of administrative separations as an alternative or companion to courts-martial.


The advancement of mechanical actuators benefits from the development of new structural materials with prominent properties. A novel three-dimensional (3D) hydrothermally converted graphene and polypyrrole (G-PPy) hybrid electrochemical actuator is presented, which is prepared via a convenient hydrothermal process, followed by in situ electropolymerization of pyrrole. The 3D pore-interconnected G-PPy pillar exhibits strong actuation responses superior to pure graphene and PPy film. In response to the low potentials of ±0.8 V, the saturated strain of 3D G-PPy pillar can reach a record of 2.5%, which is more than 10 times higher than that of carbon nanotube film and about 3 times that of unitary graphene film under an applied potential of ±1.2 V. Also, the 3D G-PPy actuator exhibits high actuation durability with high operating load as demonstrated by an 11 day continuous measurement. Finally, a proof-of-concept application of 3D G-PPy as smart filler for on/off switch is also demonstrated, which indicates the great potential of the 3D G-PPy structure developed in this study for advanced actuator systems.


Background: congenital inguinal hernias are rarely detected in utero, with prenatal diagnoses often made in the 3rd trimester. While most reported cases are isolated, fetal inguinal hernia has also been reported with rib and vertebral anomalies in the setting of Jarcho-Levin syndrome. Case: we report a case and associated images and video of a male infant prenatally diagnosed with a large inguinal hernia and multiple other anomalies. Prenatal ultrasound at 32 weeks revealed a large homogeneous solid mass anterior to the fetal pelvis measuring 4.70 × 4.62 × 4.88 cm adjacent to a normalappearing phallus (image 1). Peristalsis was noted within the mass, with bowel loops extending from the fetal abdomen into the mass suggesting an inguinal hernia (video). A normal cord insertion was noted. Additional anomalies apparent by prenatal sonogram included lumbosacral myelomeningocele with Chiari malformation, d-transposition of the great arteries, multiple hemivertebrae, and lower extremities fixed in flexion with short longs bones and bilateral talipes. Prenatal MRI confirmed the above findings. Amniocentesis revealed a normal male karyotype with a negative microarray. Cesarean delivery of a 2630 g male was performed at term due to breech presentation. Postnatal examination confirmed prenatal findings with no clinical or molecular evidence of a genetic abnormality. Conclusion: Inguinal hernias may be detected prenatally by identification of peristalsing bowel loops extending from the fetal abdomen into an external pelvic mass. Close evaluation for associated anomalies is required, as other structural anomalies may be present even the absence of a syndromic diagnosis.


We present a new parallel code for computing the dynamical evolution of collisional N-body systems with up to N ∼ 107 particles. Our code is based on the Hénon Monte Carlo method for solving the Fokker–Planck equation, and makes assumptions of spherical symmetry and dynamical equilibrium. The principal algorithmic developments involve optimizing data structures and the introduction of a parallel random number generation scheme as well as a parallel sorting algorithm required to find nearest neighbors for interactions and to compute the gravitational potential. The new algorithms we introduce along with our choice of decomposition scheme minimize communication costs and ensure optimal distribution of data and workload among the processing units. Our implementation uses the Message Passing Interface library for communication, which makes it portable to many different supercomputing architectures. We validate the code by calculating the evolution of clusters with initial Plummer distribution functions up to core collapse with the number of stars, N, spanning three orders of magnitude from 105 to 107. We find that our results are in good agreement with self-similar core-collapse solutions, and the core-collapse times generally agree with expectations from the literature. Also, we observe good total energy conservation, within ≲ 0.04% throughout all simulations. We analyze the performance of the code, and demonstrate near-linear scaling of the runtime with the number of processors up to 64 processors for N = 105, 128 for N = 106 and 256 for N = 107. The runtime reaches saturation with the addition of processors beyond these limits, which is a characteristic of the parallel sorting algorithm. The resulting maximum speedups we achieve are approximately 60×, 100×, and 220×, respectively.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether central auditory processing dysfunction measured by the dichotic digit test-1 digit (DDT1) is present in preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD) individuals who are cognitively normal (CN) older adults with the cerebral beta-amyloid (Aβ) deposition and to explore the potential of the DDT1 as a screening test for preclinical AD.

STUDY DESIGN
Cross-sectional design.

SETTING
A prospective observational cohort study.

METHODS
CN older adults with a global clinical dementia rating score of 0 were included. The hearing test battery including pure-tone audiometry, speech audiometry, distortion product otoacoustic emission, and DDT1 was administered to participants.

RESULTS
Fifty CN older adults were included. Among them, 38 individuals were included in the Aβ deposition negative (AN) group and 12 were included in the Aβ deposition positive (AP) group. The DDT1 scores of both the better and worse ears were significantly lower in the AP group than in the AN group (p = .008 and p = .015, respectively). No significant differences were observed between the groups in tests of the peripheral auditory pathways. In multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusted for apolipoprotein E4 positivity, the DDT1 better ear score predicted the AP group (p = .036, odds ratio = 0.892, 95% confidence interval: 0.780-0.985) with relatively high diagnostic accuracy.

CONCLUSION
Our findings suggest that Aβ deposition may affect the central auditory pathway even before cognitive decline appears. DDT1, which can easily be applied to the old-age population, may have the potential as a screening tool for preclinical AD.


Though bimolecular nucleophilic substitution (SN2) reactions play a fundamental role in chemistry, chemically accurate full-dimensional global analytical potential energy surfaces (PESs) have not been developed for these systems. These PESs govern the motion of the atoms in a chemical reaction; thus, the knowledge of the PES is essential to study the dynamics and atomic-level mechanisms. Here, we report a full-dimensional ab initio PES for the F− + CH3Cl → Cl− + CH3F reaction, the PES has an estimated average accuracy of about 0.5 kcal mol−1. Quasiclassical trajectories on this PES reveal that the direct rebound mechanism dominates at high collision energies, whereas the reaction is mainly indirect at low collision energies, where the formation of long-lived hydrogen-bonded and C3v ion–dipole entrance-channel complexes play a major role in the dynamics. A direct stripping mechanism is also found at large impact parameters resulting in significant forward scattering, whereas the direct rebound mechanism scatters towards backward directions. At high collision energies the reaction can be controlled by orienting the reactants into a reactive F− + H3CCl orientation, whereas at low collision energies the initial orientation is not always maintained, because the long-range ion–dipole interactions efficiently steer the reactants into a reactive orientation even if F− initially approaches the non-reactive side of CH3Cl. Mode-specific vibrational distributions show that the reaction produces vibrationally hot CH3F molecules with excited CF stretching, especially at low collision energies.


Here in this paper, the synthesis of two newly synthesized perylene tetracarboxylic diimides (PTCDIs) namely N,N′-Bis (2,5-diethoxyphenyl) perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic diimide and N,N′-Bis (4-butoxyphenyl) perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic diimide are reported and are represented as compounds DE-PTCDI and BA-PTCDI respectively. The synthesized compounds were characterized by using different methods such as FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and mass spectral analysis. The scope of this work was to synthesize new PTCDIs and study its optical and morphological properties. The rod like morphological features of both the synthesized compounds were characterized by using various microscopic techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), optical microscopy, atomic scope microscopy (AFM) and phase contrast microscopic techniques. Computational studies too were carried out in order to elucidate the structure of these compounds.


BACKGROUND
Many practitioners have found that posture training has a positive impact on temporomandibular, or TMD, symptoms. The authors conducted a study to evaluate its effectiveness.

METHODS
Sixty patients with TMD and a primary muscle disorder were randomized into two groups: one group received posture training and TMD self-management instructions while the control group received TMD self-management instructions only. Four weeks after the study began, the authors reexamined the subjects for changes in symptoms, pain-free opening and pressure algometer pain thresholds. In addition, pretreatment and posttreatment posture measurements were recorded for subjects in the treatment group.

RESULTS
Statistically significant improvement was demonstrated by the modified symptom severity index, maximum pain-free opening and pressure algometer threshold measurements, as well as by the subjects' perceived TMD and neck symptoms. Subjects in the treatment group reported having experienced a mean reduction in TMD and neck symptoms of 41.9 and 38.2 percent, respectively, while subjects in the control group reported a mean reduction in these symptoms of 8.1 and 9.3 percent. Within the treatment group, the authors found significant correlations between improvements in TMD symptoms and improvements in neck symptoms (P < .005) as well as between TMD symptom improvement and the difference between head and shoulder posture measurements at the outset of treatment (P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS
Posture training and TMD self-management instructions are significantly more effective than TMD self-management instructions alone for patients with TMD who have a primary muscle disorder.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS
Patients with TMD who hold their heads farther forward relative to the shoulders have a high probability of experiencing symptom improvement as a result of posture training and being provided with selfmanagement instructions.


We report on the fabrication and properties of sub-micron YBa2Cu3O7-x off-axis biepitaxial junctions. The vision behind this work is to set up a reliable nanotechnology processing to improve junctions' performances and reproducibility through the reduction of their size. We will illustrate the fabrication procedure employed and show the results obtained on samples where the transport parameters were tuned in a predictable way. Also, proofs of a clean barrier structure with few facets and low disorder were obtained.


The invasive and predatory harlequin lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis, has been introduced as a biological control agent to many agricultural areas worldwide and has now spread from agricultural to natural habitats where it threatens native arthropod biodiversity. The aim of this study was to determine how H. axyridis uses the local landscape during different times of the year in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. We also determined its association to native arthropod diversity. Harmonia axyridis adults and larvae, as well as arthropod herbivores, predators and other ladybeetles were sampled every second month for a year with a vacuum sampler in vineyards, natural habitats, edges between natural habitats and vineyards, and urban areas. Highest adult and larval H. axyridis abundance occurred in urban areas during all sampling periods, with a peak in May and July (winter). Vineyards and natural vegetation had very low abundances of H. axyridis. Harmonia axyridis had some, but limited effect on the local arthropod community abundance. There was also a negative relationship between H. axyridis and the overall arthropod community as well as a positive relationship between H. axyridis abundance and that of other ladybeetles. Harmonia axyridis appeared to influence the assemblage composition of other ladybeetles and herbivores. Overall, the native arthropod assemblage responded primarily to season and habitat and secondary to the presence of H. axyridis. Harmonia axyridis has a strong association with the urban environment, seemingly in association with the exotic aphid Tuberculatus annulatus that feeds on cultivated oak trees. Outside of the urban area, H. axyridis numbers were very low and its ecological impacts may be negligible.


SUMMARY Although infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) has been described as one of the most economically important viral respiratory diseases in poultry, there are few analyses of outbreaks that use spatial statistics. In order to better understand how the different genotypes of IBV behave spatially and temporally, we used geographic information system-based mapping coupled with spatial and spatial-temporal statistics to identify statistically significant clustering of multiple strains of infectious bronchitis (IB) between 2008 and 2012 in California. Specifically, space-time permutation and multinomial models were used to identify spatial and spatial-temporal clusters of various genotypes of IBV. Using time permutations (i.e., windows) spanning days to years, we identified three statistically significant (P < 0.05) clusters. In contrast, multinomial models identified two statistically significant spatial-temporal clusters and one statistically significant spatial cluster. When comparing the space-time permutation and multinomial models against each other, we identified spatial and temporal overlap in two of the three statistically significant clusters. From a practical perspective, multinomial clustering approaches may be advantageous for studying IB because the model allows the different genotypes of IB to be independent nominal variables, thereby allowing for a more detailed spatial analysis. To that point, based on their risk ratios, the genotypes classified as vaccine-related were identified as the most significant contributor to two of the three mutinomial clusters. Additionally, statistically significant clusters were mapped and layered on a hot-spot analysis of commercial poultry farm density in order to qualitatively assess the relationship between farm density and clusters of IBV. Results showed that one of the three space-time permutations and one of the three multinomial clusters were spatially centered near the highest density farm areas, as determined by the hot-spot analysis.


We reduce the computational cost of Neural AutoML with transfer learning. AutoML relieves human effort by automating the design of ML algorithms. Neural AutoML has become popular for the design of deep learning architectures, however, this method has a high computation cost. To address this we propose Transfer Neural AutoML that uses knowledge from prior tasks to speed up network design. We extend RL-based architecture search methods to support parallel training on multiple tasks and then transfer the search strategy to new tasks. On language and image classification data, Transfer Neural AutoML reduces convergence time over single-task training by over an order of magnitude on many tasks.


Abstract This paper describes cost modelling research, industrial approaches and commercial systems and how these relate to whole-life cost estimating. The particular focus of the research described is the applicability of current approaches for the modelling of low-volume, infrequent products, such as complex electronic systems at the conceptual design stage. Traditional approaches, in particular those used to predict costs for mechanical systems, are described in detail, and the approach by which cost estimating relationships are ascertained is summarized. The approaches used within sectors such as aerospace, construction and injection moulding are discussed and evaluated. All of these are placed in the context of the design process, and in particular their relationship to the conceptual design of a product is described. Finally, a review of commercial systems and the methods they adopt and domains to which they are applicable are described. The use of these approaches in terms of whole-life cost of a product is then mapped.


Abstract Pyrochemical processing has several advantages over conventional wet processing for the treatment of spent nitride fuel. Besides the molten salt electrorefining of nitride fuel, actinide nitride formation in and recovery from the liquid cadmium cathode is a key technology in the nitride fuel cycle with pyrochemical processing. It was found that heating a cadmium alloy containing plutonium and uranium at 973 K under a nitrogen gas stream resulted in the simultaneous nitridation of the actinides and the distillation of cadmium. Furthermore, nitride pellets were prepared from the powder recovered without any milling or granulating process. The results obtained in the present study suggested that the nitride fuel cycle with pyrochemical processing is technologically feasible for transmutation of minor actinides and advanced fast reactors.


The breakup of solid aggregates suspended in a turbulent flow is considered. The aggregates are assumed to be small with respect to the Kolmogorov length scale and the flow is assumed to be homogeneous. Further, it is assumed that breakup is caused by hydrodynamic stresses acting on the aggregates, and breakup is therefore assumed to follow a first-order kinetic where KB(x) is the breakup rate function and x is the aggregate mass. To model KB(x), it is assumed that an aggregate breaks instantaneously when the surrounding flow is violent enough to create a hydrodynamic stress that exceeds a critical value required to break the aggregate. For aggregates smaller than the Kolmogorov length scale the hydrodynamic stress is determined by the viscosity and local energy dissipation rate whose fluctuations are highly intermittent. Hence, the first-order breakup kinetics are governed by the frequency with which the local energy dissipation rate exceeds a critical value (that corresponds to the critical stress). A multifractal model is adopted to describe the statistical properties of the local energy dissipation rate, and a power-law relation is used to relate the critical energy dissipation rate above which breakup occurs to the aggregate mass. The model leads to an expression for KB(x) that is zero below a limiting aggregate mass, and diverges for x → ∞. When simulating the breakup process, the former leads to an asymptotic mean aggregate size whose scaling with the mean energy dissipation rate differs by one third from the scaling expected in a non-fluctuating flow.


Abstract The use of pigs as a source of organs and tissues for xenotransplantation can overcome the growing shortage of human donors. Human NK cells play an important role in the cell-mediated rejection of pig-to-human xenografts. In this paper we report the generation and extensive characterization of three generations of transgenic pigs with HLA-E gene encoding the antigen which can inhibit the human NK cell-mediated response. The gene construct pHLAE-GFPBsd containing the human gene encoding the human leukocyte antigen under the promoter of the EF-1α elongation factor ensuring systemic expression was introduced by microinjection into a pronucleus of the fertilized porcine oocyte. PCR analysis revealed and FISH analysis confirmed that the pHLAE-GFPBsd gene construct was present in the genome of the founder female pig. As a result of inter-breeding, an additional 7 transgenic animals were obtained (one individual from F1 generation and six individuals from F2 generation). The transgene expression was shown by RT-PCR and flow cytometry. Real Time PCR analysis estimated the approximate number of transgene copies at 16–34. Karyotype analysis did not show any changes in the structure or the number of chromosomes. The expression level of the transgene was stable in the next generation of genetically modified pigs. An NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity assay showed the increased viability of the transgenic cells in comparison with the wild-type, which confirmed the protective influence of HLA-E expression.


This article provides an account of the experience at the Hughston Orthopaedic Clinic in diagnosing and treating acute anterolateral rotatory instability of the knee. Clinical evaluation, surgical exposure and repair, and postoperative rehabilitation are detailed, with emphasis on an integrated approach to treatment, with the goal of restoring stability and function to the injured knee.


Most broadband providers are moving their circuit-switched video to video-over-IP and are multiplexing this traffic with broadband Internet traffic. These vertically integrated video services are thus competing with over-the-top (OTT) video services for customers and for network capacity.Broadband providers are deploying quality-of-service (QoS) technologies to improve the performance of video-over-IP by reserving network resources for or prioritizing their video traffic. Broadband providers may sell QoS to OTT video service providers or directly to end users. Alternatively, vertically integrated broadband and video service providers may refuse to provide access to QoS to competing video service providers.A key net neutrality question is whether a vertically integrated provider can unreasonably advantage itself over competing content providers by selling QoS at unreasonably high prices or by refusing to provide QoS to competing content providers. There is a substantial academic literature comparing various types of neutrality. Most, however, focus on an absolute prohibition of prioritization. In contrast, we focus here on the effects of a prohibition of third party paid prioritization on competition between a vertically integrated provider and an OTT provider. We develop a mathematical model, grounded jointly in network architecture and economic theory, of competition between one vertically integrated provider and one OTT provider. The two offer horizontally differentiated services that differ by the amount and type of content, based on a Hotelling model. End users are similarly differentiated by their preference for the type of content. End users decide which service to subscribe to (if any) so as to maximize surplus.The broadband provider decides whether to deploy QoS, which incurs an incremental network cost per user. QoS, if used, increases user utility proportionally. We consider two types of markets: a market in which the broadband provider charges the OTT content provider for QoS, and an alternative market in which the broadband provider charges end users directly for QoS. The vertically integrated provider sets its video service price and the QoS price to maximize profit, defined as the sum of video service revenue and QoS revenue minus the corresponding incremental costs. The OTT provider sets its video service price to maximize profit, define as video service revenue minus the corresponding incremental content cost and the QoS cost.We first analyze the duopoly competition game under a fixed QoS price. The price, market share, and profit of the ISP and of the OTT provider at the Nash equilibrium are derived. We then consider the broadband provider's decision to deploy QoS, and when it does, how it will set the QoS price. In both types of markets, we analytically determine when the broadband provider will sell QoS and when the OTT provider or users will purchase QoS.We find that the price for QoS when sold to the OTT provider may be higher than when sold directly to users. If users are relatively homogeneous in their preferences, then the broadband provider may charge a higher price for QoS than is social welfare maximizing. If the QoS price is set to maximize social welfare, then social welfare may be higher if QoS is sold to users than if it is sold to content providers.Finally, we present numerical results based on current Internet statistics. In addition to verifying the analytical results, we illustrate when the broadband provider's decision does not maximize social welfare; the effect of QoS price on content prices; the variation of each content provider's market share with QoS price; and the variation of QoS price, content prices, and market shares with the benefit of QoS and the amount of content differentiation.


In warm dark matter scenarios structure formation is suppressed on small scales with respect to the cold dark matter case, reducing the number of low-mass halos and the fraction of ionized gas at high redshifts and thus, delaying reionization. This has an impact on the ionization history of the Universe and measurements of the optical depth to reionization, of the evolution of the global fraction of ionized gas and of the thermal history of the intergalactic medium, can be used to set constraints on the mass of the dark matter particle. However, the suppression of the fraction of ionized medium in these scenarios can be partly compensated by varying other parameters, as the ionization efficiency or the minimum mass for which halos can host star-forming galaxies. Here we use different data sets regarding the ionization and thermal histories of the Universe and, taking into account the degeneracies from several astrophysical parameters, we obtain a lower bound on the mass of thermal warm dark matter candidates of $m_X > 1.3$ keV, or $m_s > 5.5$ keV for the case of sterile neutrinos non-resonantly produced in the early Universe, both at 90% confidence level.


Recently, HER2-directed treatment, such as trastuzumab, has shown clinical benefit in HER2-amplified gastric cancer. On the basis of recent studies about epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) or HER2targeting agents (including gefitinib, lapatinib, and trastuzumab) in gastric cancer, the potent effects of pan-HER inhibitors targeting the HER family are anticipated. In this study, we evaluated the activity and mechanisms of PF00299804, an irreversible pan-HER inhibitor, in gastric cancer in vitro and in vivomodels. PF00299804 showed significant growth-inhibitory effects in HER2-amplified gastric cancer cells (SNU216, N87), and it had lower 50% inhibitory concentration values compared with other EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors, including gefitinib, lapatinib, BIBW-2992, and CI-1033. PF00299804 induced apoptosis and G1 arrest and inhibited phosphorylation of receptors in the HER family and downstream signaling pathways including STAT3, AKT, and extracellular signal–regulated kinases (ERK) in HER2-amplified gastric cancer cells. PF00299804 also blocked EGFR/HER2, HER2/HER3, and HER3/HER4 heterodimer formation as well as the association of HER3 with p85a in SNU216 cells. The combination of PF00299804 with clinically relevant chemotherapeutic agents or molecular-targeted agents including trastuzumab (an anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody), CP751871 (an IGF1R inhibitor), PD0325901 (an ERK1/2 inhibitor), and PF04691502 (a PI3K/mTOR inhibitor) produced synergistic effects. These findings indicate that PF00299804 can be used as a targeted therapy for the treatment of HER2-amplified gastric cancer through inhibition of HER family heterodimer formation and may augment antitumor efficacy of chemotherapeutic and/or moleculartargeted agents. Mol Cancer Ther; 11(2); 1–13. 2011 AACR.


Abstract Objectives Although laboratory result presentation may lead to information overload and subsequent missed or delayed diagnosis, little has been done in the past to improve this post-analytical issue. We aimed to investigate the efficiency, efficacy and user satisfaction of alternative report formats. Methods We redesigned cumulative (sparkline format) and single reports (improved tabular and z-log format) and tested these on 46 physicians, nurses and medical students in comparison to the classical tabular formats, by asking standardized questions on general items on the reports as well as on suspected diagnosis and follow-up treatment or diagnostics. Results Efficacy remained at a very high level both in the new formats as well as in the classical formats. We found no significant difference in any of the groups. Efficiency improved in all groups when using the sparkline cumulative format and marginally when showing the improved tabular format. When asking medical questions, efficiency and efficacy remained similar between report formats and groups. All alternative reports were subjectively more attractive to the majority of participants. Conclusions Showing cumulative reports as a graphical display led to faster detection of general information on the report with the same level of correctness. Considering the familiarity bias of the classical single report formats, the borderline-significant improvement of the alternative tabular format and the non-inferiority of the z-log format, suggests that single reports might benefit from some improvements derived from basic information design.


MOTIVATION
Single nucleic polymorphisms (SNPs) are one of the most abundant genetic variations in the human genome. Recently, several platforms for high-throughput SNP analysis have become available, capable of measuring thousands of SNPs across the genome. Tools for analysing and visualizing these large genetic data sets in biologically relevant manner are rare. This hinders effective use of the SNP-array data in research on complex diseases, such as cancer.

RESULTS
We describe a computational framework to analyse and visualize SNP-array data, and link the results in relevant databases. Our major objective is to develop methods for identifying DNA regions that likely harbour recessive mutations. Thus, the algorithms are designed to have high sensitivity and the identified regions are ranked using a scoring algorithm. We have also developed annotation tools that automatically query gene IDs, exon counts, microarray probe IDs, etc. In our case study, we apply the methods for identifying candidate regions for recessively inherited colorectal cancer predisposition and suggest directions for wet-lab experiments.

AVAILABILITY
R-package implementation is available at http://www.ltdk.helsinki.fi/sysbio/csb/downloads/CohortComparator/


This paper proposes a bidirectional power flow control of a grid interactive solar photovoltaic (SPV) fed water pumping system. A brushless DC (BLDC) motor-drive without phase current sensor, is used to run a water pump. This system and control enable a consumer to operate the water pump at its full capacity for 24-hours regardless of the climatic condition and to feed a single phase utility grid when the water pumping is not required. The full utilization of SPV array and motor-pump is made possible in addition to an enhanced reliability of the pumping system. Using a single phase voltage source converter (VSC), a unit vector template (UVT) generation technique accomplishes a bidirectional power flow control between the grid and the DC bus of voltage source inverter (VSI) which feeds a BLDC motor. The VSI is operated with fundamental frequency pulses which minimizes the switching loss. The maximum power point (MPP) operation of SPV array, and power quality standards such as power factor and total harmonic distortion (THD) of grid are met by this system. Its applicability and reliability are demonstrated by various simulated results using MATLAB/Simulink platform and hardware implementation.


Hypertension (HT) represents the most important and preventable risk factor accountable for the development of cardiovascular diseases, that are estimated at about 9 milion deaths per year. Despite the therapeutic advantages, HT is only 13% controlled globally. Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) are prescribed worldwide for HT, heart failure or chronic kidney disease. Even though their mechanism is similar, the side effects differ. ACE-I reduces mortality and morbidity in cardiovascular patients, while ARB ca be used as an alternative for patients with ACE-I intolerance. It´s important to compare the efficacy of the two drugs in treating HT and as primary and secondary prevention in cardiovascular events.


Endosulfan is a synthetic cyclodiene non-systemic insecticide and acaricide with both contact and stomach activity. Microorganisms play a key role in removal of xenobiotics like endosulfan from the contaminanted sites because of their dynamic, complex, and complicated enzymatic systems which degrade these chemical. In this study, endosulfan was degraded by indigenous bacteria strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. The biodegradation process was carried out according to the method established by Buff et al., 1992. The results obtained showed that the bacterial strains efficiently degraded endosulfan by consuming more than 90 % of 40 mg/l of the minimal media within 7 days of incubation. Maximum biodegration by these two selected bacterial stains was observed at an initial pH of 8.0 at an incubation temperature of 30 °C. The findings from present study suggest that these bacterial strains could be potentially promising as a low cost effective technology in the biodegradation of endosulfan from the environment.


Technological processes associated with municipal solid waste (MSW) processing are a potential source of odorant emissions, i.e., substances that cause negative olfactory impressions. When released into the atmosphere, these substances can cause odour nuisance complaints from residents. Many scientists have noted the strong relationship between odorant emission sources and odour concentrations and their significant impact on the living comfort of residents near these sources, as well as their social and economic relations. This paper attempts to estimate the odour load of selected elements of the technological sequence of a biogas plant processing municipal waste. Odour load was characterised by four constituents: odorant emissions, odour emissions, the variability of these emissions, and the emission levels per 1 Mg (1000 kg) of waste. The highest odour emissions accompany the storage of mixed MSW, which is associated with a large amount of waste. Limiting the storage time of waste should be an indispensable part of the technological regime. The dominant odorant associated with mixed MSW storage is NH3 emissions. The greatest variability of odorant and odour emissions concerns gases captured from selectively collected waste plastics and metals, due to the varied forms of selective waste collection in the service area, and their unstable efficiency. High variability of NH3 and odour emissions also accompanies digestate dewatering.


The research symposium Mobile Learning: Gulf Perspectives held on 25 April, 2013 culminated in a discussion about the present and future status of mobile learning in the Gulf region, among a panel of people who are currently involved in different aspects of mobile learning. The members of the panel were selected to reflect the perspectives of key stakeholders in the success of any innovative initiative at a university: administrators, faculty, researchers, IT personnel, and students. The panelists were provided with five key questions to which they responded based on their own experience and viewpoint.


The Potemkin village is a metaphor for the cases of conscious, yet false construction or beautification for the sake of presenting something as better than it is, usually in front of high officials. Enumerating multiple cases and possible applications of the term (and its synonyms), I base my research on Belarus, a former Soviet and still socialist independent state governed by the same president since 1994. Going there for fieldwork at least twice a year, I noticed the extreme popularity of stories about Potemkin villages erected for the visits of the president, high officials, or foreigners. Analyzing vernacular attitudes toward Potemkinism, I argue for the multidimensionalunderstanding of it, suggesting that in a socialist state, Potemkinist order becomes a viable alternative to democracy and a significant means for the country's self-representation.


Abstract The Emerald Oil Field lies in Blocks 2/10a, 2/15a and 3/1 lb in the UK sector of the northern North Sea. The field is located on the 'Transitional Shelf, an area on the western flank of the Viking Graben, downfaulted from the East Shetland Platform. The first well was drilled on the structure in 1978. Subsequently, a further seven wells have been drilled to delineate the field. The Emerald Field is an elongate dip and fault closed structure subparallel to the local NW-SE regional structural trend. the 'Emerald Sandstone' forms the main reservoir of the field and comprises a homogeneous transgressive unit of Callovian to Bathonian age, undelain by tilted Precambrian and Devonian Basement Horst blocks. Sealing is provided by siltstones and shales of the overlying Healther and Kimmeridge Clay Formations. The reservoir lies at depths between 5150-5600 ft, and wells drilled to date have encountered pay thicknesses of 42-74 ft. Where the sandstone is hydrocarbon bearing, it has a 100% net/ gross ratio. Porosities average 28% and permeabilities lie in the range 0-1 to 1.3 darcies. Wireline and test data indicate that the field contains a continouous oil column of 200 ft. Three distinct structural culminations exist on and adjacent to the field, which give rise to three separate gas caps, centred around wells 2/10a-4, 2/10a-7 and 2/10a-6 The maximum flow rate achieved from the reservoir to date is 6822 BOPD of 24° API oil with a GOR of 300 SCF/STBBL. In-place hydrocarbons are estimated to be 216 MMBBL of oil and 61 BCF of gas, with an estimated 43 MMBBL of oil recoverable by the initial development plan. initial development drilling began in Spring 1989 and the development scheme will use a floating production system. Production to the facility, via flexible risers, is from seven pre-drilled deviated wells with gas lift. An additional four pre-drilled water injection wells will provide reservoir pressure support.


The Theory of Transforming Wellbeing (TTW) is emerging as an inevitable response to the ever-growing imbalance in our lives across the globe. Over the decades, we have been advancing technologies to make our lives better. The fundamental question still remains: with all the evolving innovations, are we gaining decent success in achieving happier and more sustainable societies? All the crucial domains of our lives continuously provide evidence of things getting disbalanced despite us making huge progress in building increasingly capable technological innovations, such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, augmented reality, autonomous vehicles, and drones, just to name a few. The TTW advances scientific knowledge and its practical applications to transform lives. Due to its strong fundament that blends technological innovations with human nature, TTW is applicable in many essential life contexts, including health, education, sustainability, equality, governance, safety, emergency, ecology, and economy.


This presentation analyses the problems of availability and comparability of data on international migration flows between the European Union member states. The presented material is based mainly on the analysis of data sent by national statistical institutes in response to the Joint UNSD-Eurostat-UNECE-CoE-ILO Questionnaire on International Migration Statistics and information collected within the recently completed THESIM (Towards Harmonised European Statistics on International Migration) project. One of the objectives of the latter project was to support the implementation of the forthcoming Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on Community statistics on migration and international protection , in particular to analyse the current functioning of migration statistics in the 25 EU countries and to identify the problems that the countries might encounter in relation to the requirements of the new regulation. In the presentation we attempt to explain differences between the flows reported by sending and receiving countries by analysing differences in sources, definitions and coverage of the data. Inconsistencies in the data on international migration flows published in international databases are also discussed. The analysis indicates that very few countries comply with the UN recommendations and use one year duration of stay criterion in their definition, and good comparability of statistics will be very difficult to achieve. More attention should be paid to the proper documentation of the data.


Recent studies have reported a decline and lack of creativity across many nations, raising concern about low status of divergent thinking - the basis of creativity. The purpose of this study was to explore some correlates of divergent thinking that would be utilized to enhance creativity. Its objective was to determine correlations between divergent thinking and: project work, creative attitude, critical thinking, originality, and interaction with toys and science materials. The study employed a correlation design and targeted a population of 2,236 12th grade secondary school physics students in Nairobi Province; while the sample comprised 763 respondents, obtained through stratified and random sampling techniques. Data were collected using Questionnaire for Physics Students, which was constructed by the researcher and validated by three experts in psychometric measures from Maseno University. The instrument had a reliability of .837; and significance of correlations was tested at p = 0.05 and p = 0.01 levels. Significant correlations were observed between divergent thinking scores and: creative attitude, critical thinking, extent of play with toys, and originality. The study recommends (1) use of supplementary print and audiovisual scientific materials in schools to inspire creativity and (2) further research aimed at establishing causative relationships involving divergent thinking


Aim Functional traits of organisms are key to understanding and predicting biodiversity and ecological change, which motivates continuous collection of traits and their integration into global databases. Such trait matrices are inherently sparse, severely limiting their usefulness for further analyses. On the other hand, traits are characterized by the phylogenetic trait signal, trait–trait correlations and environmental constraints, all of which provide information that could be used to statistically fill gaps. We propose the application of probabilistic models which, for the first time, utilize all three characteristics to fill gaps in trait databases and predict trait values at larger spatial scales. Innovation For this purpose we introduce BHPMF, a hierarchical Bayesian extension of probabilistic matrix factorization (PMF). PMF is a machine learning technique which exploits the correlation structure of sparse matrices to impute missing entries. BHPMF additionally utilizes the taxonomic hierarchy for trait prediction and provides uncertainty estimates for each imputation. In combination with multiple regression against environmental information, BHPMF allows for extrapolation from point measurements to larger spatial scales. We demonstrate the applicability of BHPMF in ecological contexts, using different plant functional trait datasets, also comparing results to taking the species mean and PMF. Main conclusions Sensitivity analyses validate the robustness and accuracy of BHPMF: our method captures the correlation structure of the trait matrix as well as the phylogenetic trait signal – also for extremely sparse trait matrices – and provides a robust measure of confidence in prediction accuracy for each missing entry. The combination of BHPMF with environmental constraints provides a promising concept to extrapolate traits beyond sampled regions, accounting for intraspecific trait variability. We conclude that BHPMF and its derivatives have a high potential to support future trait-based research in macroecology and functional biogeography.


This paper is the last in our trilogy on Twenty-First Century Historiography. It attempts to bring all our endeavours to their logical culmination and as such may be construed to be our apotheosis in this regard. The first paper proposed a basic approach for Historiography in the Twenty-first Century and laid out the basic objectives of Twenty-first Century Historiography. The second paper laid out the core principles of Twenty-first Century Historiography, and these were seen a necessary adjunct for the accomplishment of the objectives of Twenty-first Century Historiography as defined in the first paper. In this paper, we introduce Anthropological Historiography as an integral, though not core component of Twenty-first Century Historiography and lay down is basic tenets and objectives. We also delineate the role that we expect will be played by Anthropological Historiography in the attainment of long-term Anthropological goals and objectives, and in promoting human welfare and well-being in general. Anthropological Historiography, with its myriad and multiple interfaces with other sciences is also expected to play a major role in promoting a scientific temper among the laity and the general public and trigger shifts in individual and societal orientations in due course by countering popular perceptions on many issues that impact their daily lives and making outdated and popular paradigms and ideologies redundant. We expect that Anthropological Historiography will play a major role in marginalizing fringe movements besides leading to an enhanced understanding of various aspects of science, history and ethnology among the population and ushering in intellectual movements where such movements are long overdue, and very indirectly leading to a quantum increase in scientific endeavours. We also believe that Anthropological Historiography should be taught as a specialized sub-discipline chiefly targeted towards higher grade students, or students pursuing advanced courses, and should be pursued not by general historians, but by specialized Anthropological Historians.


The metamorphites of the Arunta Block, central Australia, formed from protoliths deposited not long before prograde high-T, low-P metamorphism at about 1800 Ma. The grade of the exposed rocks varies from lowermost amphibolite to granulite. Estimated pressures range from < 2kbar to 9 kbar, with temperatures to about 900°C. Granulite metamorphism was accompanied by extensive migmatization, the result of water-undersaturated partial melting. As the fluid-phase composition was thus locally controlled, the granulites retained the undepleted chemical signatures typical of their lowergrade lateral equivalents. Models that best explain this segment of the tectonic evolution are those based on extension and vertical accretion. Retrograde metamorphism, localized in zones of severe deformation and hydration, occurred after considerable cooling. However, the regional distribution of pressure conditions for the retrograde metamorphism appears to have been little changed from that of the prograde metamorphism. Geological history The Arunta Block, a tract of metamorphosed early Proterozoic rocks, occupies some 200000 km2 in central Australia (Fig. 1). It merges north-west into The Granites-Tanami Block and north into the Tennant Creek Block, both of similar age. It is onlapped by platform covers of middle Proterozoic, late Proterozoic to mid-Palaeozoic, and Mesozoic ages. Exposures are in part excellent, but a major portion of the block is covered by a veneer of Cainozoic sediments and sheet sand. The Arunta Block is subdivided into northern, central and southern tectonic provinces (Shaw et al. 1984, Stewart et al. 1984). The northern and southern provinces have a large proportion of orthogneiss (metagranite); the central


The development of new-generation photovoltaic devices through more sustainable production techniques and materials is driven by the need of containing the threats to the biosphere while guaranteeing the safety of the supply, accounting for the limited availability of fossil fuels. This study investigates the crystal structure of thin films of chalcogenides, in particular a junction with a p-type (Cu2S) and a n-type (CdS) layer deposited one on top of the other on a Ag(111) substrate, starting from aqueous solution and by means of Electrochemical Atomic Layer Deposition (E-ALD) (the system is denoted by (Cu2S)60/(CdS)60/Ag(111)). The experiment highlights the profound epitaxial relationship existing between the films and the bulk, consequent to the homogenisation of the metrics of the CdS and the Cu2S structures to values commensurate to the surface periodicity of the substrate. Cadmium sulphide develops an elementary cell with crystallographic axes parallel to those of the Ag(111) and parameters |a|, |b| and |c| never found in any of the known mineral phases. The comparison with the wurtzite-type structure of greenockite shows a compensation mechanism related to the strain imposed by the film growth on the crystallographic Ag(111) surface.The positions in the reciprocal space of the Cu2S reflections is compatible with a pseudo-hexagonal pattern rotated by 30 ° with respect to the Ag, as already noticed in relation to a Cu2S/Ag(111) E-ALD deposit (1). The Cu2S c axis results parallel to the direction [111] of the Ag substrate and its structure is characterized by the strong occurrence of the 3.963 A periodicity, which corresponds to the interatomic distance S-S in the triangular CuS3 groups, basis of all the mineral Cu2-xS group structures. These data suggest a pseudo-hexagonal chalcocite-like structure with a planarization of S layers (1), as a result of the strong epitaxial relationship existing with the CdS below. This study confirms E-ALD as an energy efficient method for the growth of semiconducting heterostructures with tailored properties.

Giaccherini et al. (2017), Scientific Reports | 7: 1615 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-01717-0


Reverse engineering has been widely recognized as a central step in a product cycle of designing and manufacturing. However, major problems with current reverse engineering technology are the inefficient surface reconstruction process, lack of digitizing accuracy control in the data digitization process, and bottlenecks resulted from huge amounts of digitized surface points in the surface modeling process. Moreover, under this limitation, modern concurrent engineering concepts are difficult to be applied to obtain optimal product process. This paper presents a case study on the reverse designing of a plastic part. The study applies a developed reverse engineering approach to reconstruct surface--a series of advanced algorithms, including segmentation, simplification, extraction, fitting curves and reconstruction surface. Two orthogonal curves, which are fitted from the digitized points, are taken as base curves of a ruled surface patch. All surface patches are merged into a whole surface by trimming and chamfering. A CAD model is constructed based on the whole surface. The approach integrates surface digitizing and modeling processes of a plastic part into surface reconstruction process. Using the approach, accurate product CAD model can be efficiently generated and the product design cycle of plastic parts can be successfully linked.


Over the entire life span, social relationships are essential ingredients of human life. Social relationships describe regular interactions with other people over a certain period and generally include a mental representation of the relationship and the relationship partner. Social relationships cover diverse types, such as those with family members, romantic partners, friends, colleagues, as well as with other unrelated people. In general, most of these relationships change in number, contact frequency, and relationship quality during adulthood and old age. For example, both the number of and contact with friends and other unrelated people generally decrease with advancing age, whereas the number of and contact with family members remain rather stable. Relatively little is known about longitudinal changes in the quality of relationships, apart from romantic relationships, because few longitudinal studies have tracked specific relationships. Some explanatory factors, which are discussed in the literature, are (a) motivational changes, (b) reduced time due to work and family demands during adulthood, and (c) resource constraints in older age. Future work on social relationships would benefit from increasingly applying dyadic and network approaches to include the perspective of relationship partners as well as from examining online and offline contact in social relationships, which has already proved important among younger adults.


Scholarship on East European politics expects that party competition in the region is determined by various communist legacies, juxtaposing state-centric authoritarianism to a liberal market economy. Recent empirical evidence, however, uncovers significant variance of party competition patterns across East European countries. To explain this variance, this article argues that an interaction between communist institutional framework and partisan responses to ethnic minorities determines party competition structure in the region. While experience with communist federalism determines partisan affinities with ethnic minorities, tolerance or support for ethnic minorities leads the political actors associated with those minorities to general socially liberal positions. Consequently—and contrary to received knowledge—ethnic politics influence the ideological content of party competition and structure party systems in Eastern Europe.


Abstract In the broader context of research on the Sicilian Porcellio imbutus-complex, the postmarsupial development of Porcellio siculoccidentalis Viglianisi, Lombardo & Caruso, 1992 was studied in detail. This research was conducted in the laboratory under controlled conditions, allowing us to follow the stages of development, from the formation of the marsupium in ovigerous females until the larval stages and development of the seventh pair of legs. The timing of developmental stages and the morphological modifications of appendages in the postmarsupial manca stages (M I–M III) are described. The manca stage M I had a duration of about one hour. Ovigerous females were collected and reared separately, and the number of parturial molts in the absence of males was counted. The results showed a maximum of four successive parturial molts. Fecundity and fertility were evaluated as the number of eggs and embryos, respectively, inside the marsupium of the ovigerous females. Both parameters were positively correlated with the size of the females. The maximum numbers of eggs and embryos in the marsupium were 113 and 141, respectively. Data describing the total number of postmarsupial mancas released per month indicated that the highest release occurred in April.