Recently deep learning has been successfully adopted in many applications such as speech recognition and image classification. In this work, we explore the possibility of employing deep learning in graph clustering. We propose a simple method, which first learns a nonlinear embedding of the original graph by stacked autoencoder, and then runs $k$-means algorithm on the embedding to obtain the clustering result. We show that this simple method has solid theoretical foundation, due to the similarity between autoencoder and spectral clustering in terms of what they actually optimize. Then, we demonstrate that the proposed method is more efficient and flexible than spectral clustering. First, the computational complexity of autoencoder is much lower than spectral clustering: the former can be linear to the number of nodes in a sparse graph while the latter is super quadratic due to eigenvalue decomposition. Second, when additional sparsity constraint is imposed, we can simply employ the sparse autoencoder developed in the literature of deep learning; however, it is non-straightforward to implement a sparse spectral method. The experimental results on various graph datasets show that the proposed method significantly outperforms conventional spectral clustering which clearly indicates the effectiveness of deep learning in graph clustering.


In order to reduce infection risk of novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), we developed photocatalysts with nanoscale rutile TiO2 (4–8 nm) and CuxO (1–2 nm or less). Their extraordinarily small size leads to high dispersity and good optical transparency, besides large active surface area. Those photocatalysts can be applied to white and translucent latex paints and a transparent varnish. Although Cu2O clusters involved in the paint coating undergo gradual aerobic oxidation in the dark, the oxidized clusters are re-reduced under >380 nm light. The paint coating inactivated novel coronavirus and its alpha (B.1.1.7) variant under irradiation with fluorescent light for 3 h. The coating also exhibited antivirus effects on influenza A virus, feline calicivirus and bacteriophage Qβ. The photocatalysts would be applied to practical coatings and lower the risk of coronavirus infection via solid surfaces.


Uncertainty in classical stochastic programming models is often described solely by independent random parameters, ignoring their dependence on multidimensional features. We describe a novel contextual chance-constrained programming formulation that incorporates features, and argue that solutions that do not take them into account may not be implementable. Our formulation cannot be solved exactly in most cases, and we propose a tractable and fully data-driven approximate model that relies on weighted sums of random variables. We obtain a stochastic lower bound for the optimal value and feasibility results that include convergence to the true feasible set as the number of data points increases, as well as the minimal number of data points needed to obtain a feasible solution with high probability. We illustrate our findings in a vaccine allocation problem and compare the results with a na¨ıve sample average approximation approach.


A simple wide-view and broadband circular polarizer comprising of a linear polarizer and two uniaxial films is proposed to enhance the viewing angle of transflective liquid crystal displays (LCDs). For the transmissive mode, over the entire 90deg viewing cone, the normalized light leakage from two stacked circular polarizers is suppressed to below 1.5times10-2, and contrast ratio over 10:1 is obtained using a normally black vertically aligned transflective LCD. At the same time, this configuration warrants a broadband operation and reasonably good viewing angle (10:1 contrast ratio is over 40 at all directions) for the reflective mode. The physical mechanisms for achieving broadband operation and wide viewing angle are discussed.


Lipomas are rare primary heart tumors and may involve the endocardium, myocardium, or pericardium. Signs and symptoms depend on the tumor location and size. The intrapericardial lipoma we report has massive dimensions and mimics a pericardial effusion. A 38-year-old male complained of dyspnea and precordial pain. On physical examination, heart sounds were diminished. The patient had received extensive medication for a clinically suspected pericardial effusion due to heart failure. A voluminous mass resembling fat within the pericardial sac was revealed by transesophageal echocardiography and a computed tomography scan. The tumor was removed successfully by a subxiphoid surgical approach. The diagnosis of a 635 gram intrapericardial lipoma was confirmed by pathological examination. After surgery, the patient recovered well and was completely asymptomatic at a follow-up at 90 days. No medications were being taken since. The diagnosis of a pericardial effusion should be secured by imaging exams to avoid unnecessary medications. Cardiac lipomas can be readily recognized by their typical features on radiologic imaging. The surgical pathology examination confirms the diagnosis and rules out malignancy criteria.


Two distinct worlds of international agreements – concerning free trade and data protection – are now colliding due to provisions which may impose incompatible obligations on parties to both types of agreements. On the one hand, new Asia-Pacific free trade agreements (FTAs) include strict limits on how legislation can restrict personal data exports or require data localisation. On the other hand, the EU's GDPR, and Convention 108/108+ require countries' laws to impose restrictions on data exports if those countries wish to be held to provide 'adequate' protection, or to accede to the Convention. Mexico and Japan are the first countries where a clash of these obligations requires resolution, but similar clashes may soon arise in relation to Canada, New Zealand, and potentially other countries. This article explains how and where these conflicts are arising.

The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP – the 'new TPP') comes into force on 30 December 2018 because six of the eleven signatories (Mexico, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Australia and Singapore) have ratified it and deposited their agreements (only four were needed). It comes into force between ratifying parties. CPTPP's implications for privacy legislation are primarily that (i) it imposes an onerous Four-Step-Test' for any exceptions to its prohibition on data export limitations. There are similar data localisation prohibitions. State party dispute settlement provisions can result in a panel awarding monetary assessments against a party, and in some limited situations Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions could apply.

The United States – Mexico – Canada Agreement (USMCA – the 'new NAFTA') was agreed to on 1 October 2018, but is yet to be ratified and come into force. The test for data export restriction limitations, although using different words, is in substance the same as in the CPTPP. 'Data localisation' by requiring local processing is prohibited, and there are no exceptions, unlike the CPTPP.

The requirements of both the CPTPP and the USMCA require careful consideration by any of their Parties who are already Parties to Council of Europe data protection Convention 108 and its 2001 additional Protocol, or intending to accede to Convention 108+, or have obtained an adequacy decision by the EU or are attempting to obtain one under the GDPR. This article considers the position of Mexico, due to its accession to Convention 108 on 1 October 2018, its ratification of CPTPP, and potential ratification of USMCA. It also considers the position of Japan, due to it being about to obtain a positive 'adequacy' assessment under the GDPR from the EU, and its ratification of the CPTPP. Canada is in a similar position, and other countries may become so. When worlds collide, the results are unpredictable.


: Nondialyzed fraction of the ammonia extract from Siberian grass Nonea poulla is studied. A stable hypocoagulemy (without cumulative activity) was found in the experiments in vitro and in vivo carried out on rats (intravenous administration of the extract). The LD50 was 150 mg/kg at the effective dose of 10 mg/kg. Intraperitoneal and intramuscular administration during 20 days exerted neither hypocoagulemic nor toxic effect on the haemopoesis system and did not change the body weight of the animals.


A comparison of the role and performance of SMEs in Korea and Taiwan during the 1990s and early 2000s shows that the reputation for SMEs to be flexible in the face of adversity is well deserved, but should not be take for granted. Both Taiwan and Korea have built much of their economic success on SMEs. Both economies are very open to external shocks; both were affected by the 1997 Asian Crisis, and to a lesser extent, the "tech wreck" of 2001. Both economies have faced the need to restructure their industrial competitiveness, and both have active policies to support entrepreneurship and SMEs. Within this broad context of similarities, there are also some differences in approach and structure. All of this can give a better understanding of how managers and policy makers can help to create jobs and build a more competitive economy. SMEs provide about 80 percent of private sector employment in both economies, so SME performance is an important economic and social issue. The paper shows, for example, that Korean SMEs were subject to rather bigger devaluation shocks and currency volatility than their Taiwanese counterparts. However SME exporters in both economies showed considerable resilience in the face of shocks and SMEs in both economies have significantly improved their liquidity and debt ratios since 1997, suggesting they are better prepared now than before. They have done so in the face of a sharp decline in bank lending to SMEs. Over the decade there has been a steady structural decline in the importance of manufacturing SMEs in both economies. The paper examines the relative performance of SMEs in Taiwan and Korea over a turbulent decade, and it examines the SME policies and initiatives adopted. It seeks to extract some lessons for other economies seeking to develop an entrepreneurial and resilient SME sector in the face of global turbulence.


Abstract:
Inclusion complex has been used as effective metllhod to improve the dissolution properties and bioavailability of poorly water soluble drugs. The aim of present study was to improve the dissolution rate of poorly soluble drug, bicalutamide (BIC), by cyclodextrin inclusion complexation. The phase solubility profile of bicalutamide with hydroxypropyl-β-Cyclodextrin (HP- β-CD) was classified as An-type. Stability constant with 1:2 molar ratio was calculated from the phase solubility diagram. Gibbs free energy (ΔGtr) values were negative, indicating the spontaneous nature of BIC solubilization. Solid inclusion complexes were prepared at 1:1.5, 1:2 drug/carrier ratio by physical mixing, kneading method and solvent evaporation techniques. Optimized complex was characterized by using FTIR and differential scanning calorimetry. It could conclude that stability of BIC and the absence of well define drugpolymer interaction. Inclusion complex prepared by kneading method showed the most improvement in wettability and dissolution rate as compare with pure BIC and physical mixture. Tablets prepared using optimized ratio with HP-β-CD showed significant improvement in the release profile of BIC as compared with marketed tablets (CALUT).


A wave model in Qingdao Fushan Bay is established in the paper. The effect of the variety of terrain, dredging in the basin, the shelter of the structure, the reflection of the piers and breakwaters are taken into account. Rectangular grid is applied in the calculation. For reducing the errors and ensuring the precision, normally incident waves and completely-absorbed boundary conditions are considered in the calculation. The result gives the wave height at each point in different water levels, and wave directions of 50-years return period, which provides a basis for the shoreline structure of wave energy generation planning and designing.


Within the German project CURL 10 a full scale three-phase resistive current limiter was developed and successfully tested up to the nominal voltage and power (10 kV, 10 MVA). This is up today the largest HTS current limiter world wide. The device is based on bifilar coils of MCP-BSCCO 2212 bulk material and operates at T=66 K. Per phase 30 components are connected in series in order to obtain the required resistance. The electrical stabilization is based on a metallic shunt contacted continuously to the superconductor and allows electrical fields up to 0.6 V/cm. We report on the development of the superconducting components and their large-scale manufacturing processes including material, contacts, mechanical stabilization, high voltage insulation and quality control. In a series of preliminary small scale tests at different temperatures as well as in the final tests with the full scale prototype reliable current limitation could be demonstrated in the full range of prospective fault currents, also in the particular dangerous small load regime. Since April 2004 the demonstrator has been installed within a field test in the grid of RWE.


The task of understanding how the brain works has met with only limited success since important design concepts are not as yet incorporated in the analysis. Relevant concepts can be uncovered by studying the powerful methodologies that have evolved in the context of computer programming, raising the question of how the concepts involved there can be realised in neural hardware. Insights can be gained in regard to such issues through the study of the role played by models and representation. These insights lead on to an appreciation of the mechanisms underlying subtle capacities such as those concerned with the use of language. A precise, essentially mathematical account of such capacities is in prospect for the future.


The efficacy of neuronal function requires a well-balanced extracellular ion homeostasis and a steady supply with nutrients and metabolites. Therefore, all organisms equipped with a complex nervous system developed a so-called blood-brain barrier, protecting it from an uncontrolled entry of solutes, metabolites or pathogens. In higher vertebrates, this diffusion barrier is established by polarized endothelial cells that form extensive tight junctions, whereas in lower vertebrates and invertebrates the blood-brain barrier is exclusively formed by glial cells. Here, we review the development and function of the glial blood-brain barrier of Drosophila melanogaster. In the Drosophila nervous system, at least seven morphologically distinct glial cell classes can be distinguished. Two of these glial classes form the blood-brain barrier. Perineurial glial cells participate in nutrient uptake and establish a first diffusion barrier. The subperineurial glial (SPG) cells form septate junctions, which block paracellular diffusion and thus seal the nervous system from the hemolymph. We summarize the molecular basis of septate junction formation and address the different transport systems expressed by the blood-brain barrier forming glial cells.


Leaf developmental traits are an important component of crop breeding in small-grain cereals. Surprisingly, little is known about the genetic basis for the differences in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) leaf development. The two barley row-type classes, i.e., two- and six-rowed, show clear-cut differences in leaf development. To quantify these differences and to measure the genetic component of the phenotypic variance for the leaf developmental differences in both row-type classes we investigated 32 representative spring barley accessions (14 two- and 18 six-rowed accessions) under three independent growth conditions. Leaf mass area is lower in plants grown under greenhouse (GH) conditions due to fewer, smaller, and lighter leaf blades per main culm compared to pot- and soil-grown field plants. Larger and heavier leaf blades of six-rowed barley correlate with higher main culm spike grain yield, spike dry weight, and harvest index; however, smaller leaf area (LA) in two-rowed barley can be attributed to more spikes, tillers, and biological yield (aboveground parts). In general, leaf growth rate was significantly higher between awn primordium and tipping stages. Moderate to very high broad-sense heritabilities (0.67–0.90) were found under all growth conditions, indicating that these traits are predominantly genetically controlled. In addition, our data suggests that GH conditions are suitable for studying leaf developmental traits. Our results also demonstrated that LA impacts single plant yield and can be reconsidered in future breeding programs. Six-rowed spike 1 (Vrs1) is the major determinate of barley row-types, the differences in leaf development between two- and six-rowed barleys may be attributed to the regulation of Vrs1 in these two classes, which needs further testing.


Lidar observations of clear-air convection during the 1983 Boundary Layer Experiment (BLX83) reveal the presence of elongated, parallel regions of updrafts marked by enhanced aerosol backscattering. These linear (banded) aerosol structures were observed over a 2-hr period during a cloud-free morning. During this period, the depth of the convective boundary layer (CBL) increased from 100 to 1300 m. Wind speeds averaged over the depth of the CBL varied between 0 and 2 m/s, while the wind direction varied over a range of 160 deg. The CBL instability parameter, -Zi/L, increased from approximately 25 (weakly unstable) to 250 (strongly unstable). The spacings of the elongated, parallel plumes scaled with the CBL height. These findings suggest that secondary circulations in the form of horizontal roll vortices were present under conditions not normally associated with roll vortices. The lines of aerosol structures aligned much more closely (within 15 deg) with the direction of the vertical shear to the horizontal wind through the depth of the CBL than with either the surface wind, mean CBL wind, or the wind at an altitude of 1.1 Zi.


While activity recognition from inertial sensors holds potential for mobile health, differences in sensing platforms and user movement patterns cause performance degradation. Aiming to address these challenges, we propose a transfer learning framework, TransFall, for sensor-based activity recognition. TransFall's design contains a two-tier data transformation, a label estimation layer, and a model generation layer to recognize activities for the new scenario. We validate TransFall analytically and empirically.


Immune cells play an important functional role in bone fracture healing. Fracture repair is a well-choreographed process that takes approximately 21 days in healthy mice. While the process is complex, conceptually it can be divided into four overlapping stages: inflammation, cartilaginous callus formation, bony callus formation, and remodeling. T cells play a key role in both the cartilaginous and bony callus phases by producing IL-17A. In this issue of the JCI, Dar et al. showed that T cells were recruited from the gut, where the gut microbiota determined the pool of T cells that expressed IL-17A. Treatment with antibiotics and dysbiosis reduced the expansion of IL-17-expressing CD4+ T cells (Th17) and impaired callus formation. These findings demonstrate crosstalk among the gut microbiota, the adaptive immune system, and bone that has clinical implications for fracture healing.


In this article we present the results of the experimental research and those of the processes developing the crystallographic texture of computer modeling in CP Ti in the process of 1-4 equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) passes along the route ВС. The goal of the research was to determine the active deformation mechanisms, depending on the strain degree, accumulated in the ECAP process. The research was carried out by the method of X-ray analysis and by computer modeling. Computer modeling was carried out on the example of visco-plastic self-consistent model. Thereby, the basal, the prismatic and the pyramidal (of the 1st and of the 2nd order) slip systems were considered as possible active slip systems. Besides, the possibility of activating the tensile and the compressive twinning systems were taken into consideration. As the result of the carried out experimental research, the objective laws of forming preferred orientations were determined. For the first time, with the help of computer modeling, made up to the 4th ECAP pass, it was shown that the crystallographic texture development processes in CP Ti in ECAP, realized at temperature of 723 K, can be explained by activation of the basal, prismatic and pyramidal (of the 1st order) slip systems and compressive twinning systems. Therefore, the increase of the ECAP passes can lead to amplification of contribution of the basal and prismatic slip systems, as well as the insignificant weakening of the contribution of pyramidal slip systems (of the 1st order). Moreover, the compressive twinning can become obvious only in the 1st ECAP pass.


This paper uses the 2011 Census data to quantify the impact of educational disadvantage among Indigenous Australians for labour market participation, employment and occupational destinations. Introduction Economic participation is one of the fundamental building blocks identified in the Closing the Gap initiative (COAG 2008) for reducing disadvantage experienced by Indigenous Australians. This is because work provides economic, social and psychological benefits for individuals and societies. The government is committed to halving the gap in employment outcomes between Indigenous and other Australians by 2018; it is one of the key targets of its Closing the Gap Strategy. The definition for economic participation used in the National Indigenous Reform Agreement (COAG 2012) covers all aspects of economic activity, including participation in employment, engagement in entrepreneurial and commercial activities and access to native land assets and rights. This paper concentrates on economic activity that is directly related to the outcomes of participation in education and training, particularly employment. The most important aspect of the economic disparity between Indigenous Australians and the wider Australian population is the relatively small number of Indigenous Australians in employment. While there are many elements to this disparity (as will be noted later in the paper), a likely key contributor is the level of educational disadvantage among the Indigenous population. We use the 2011 Census data to quantify its importance for labour market participation, employment and occupational destinations. The research we have drawn on is extensive and varied, and includes academic research articles published in refereed journals and other publications published or completed over the last 10 years. We also provide our own analyses of the 2006 and 2011 Census, and of data from the ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Labour Force Survey, National Apprentices and Trainees Collection, National VET (Vocational Education and Training) Collection, the Schools Australia catalogue and the Student Outcomes Survey. We use these to provide descriptive information as well as to investigate linkages between participation and attainment in education and training and employment. In addition, we apply a simple decomposition calculation (Appendix A) to Census data to investigate the role of educational attainment in employment rates. Based on cross tabulations of employment status by educational attainment, we can isolate the importance of educational attainment in the difference between the employment rate of Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations. We find that the disparity in educational attainment between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations explains a dominant proportion of the disparity in the employment rates. This is true for both males and females and for all age groups. Moreover, we find the employment rate disparity relatively unimportant for the Indigenous population with high-level qualifications such as a degree. By contrast, the employment rate disparity is particularly high among Indigenous Australians with very poor levels of educational attainment. Evidence from studies using highly quantitative techniques (mostly results of basic descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses) is used to report on key and major factors that distinguish economic and education and training participation effects for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Findings from evaluations and interviews with stakeholders and program participants (where they exist) are used to explain experiences not easily captured by extant population surveys, censuses or administrative data. The Closing the gap: Prime Minister's report 2013 (Australian Government 2013) and the Report on government services 2013: Indigenous compendium (SCRGSP 2013) are key references. We begin our paper by providing a snapshot of key demographics. We follow this with information on participation and outcomes from senior secondary education, vocational education and training (including apprenticeships and traineeships) and higher education. This is followed by a detailed account of employment outcomes across regions and occupations. The role of educational attainment in explaining the disparity in employment rates is then given a special focus. We report on studies that have looked at the need to take into account the multiple elements of economic participation, and focus in more detail on the role of social capital and cultural attachments and employer discrimination. We conclude by emphasising our key findings about the role of education and the need to streamline programs and strategies. In accompanying appendixes, we provide extra detail on methodological approaches and programs (including key objectives, funding regimes and program evaluations). In many cases, the cross-sectional data we have employed have been useful to understand the gaps in outcomes. The inability to track students through the different stages of schooling and into further training and employment remains a challenge for the system and for researchers. Throughout each of the sections, we provide details on a range of programs (mostly Australian Government programs) that have been implemented to help improve Indigenous Australians' education, training and employment outcomes. Where detailed evaluations exist, we also present the findings of these. These program descriptions are not meant to be examples of what works and what does not work, unless of course there are robust evaluations that can be used to make such conclusions. They are just examples of the variety of programs that are being implemented and some details on participation and progress. The fact that there are only a few programs for which we have been able to access quite detailed evaluations highlights the difficulties in reaching a good understanding of what works and does not work.


Sr isotope ratios in carbonate-rich lacustrine strata provide highly resolved and geo- graphically specific records of past changes in weathering and regional drainage patterns. The Eocene Green River Formation is perhaps the best documented pre-Quaternary la- custrine unit in the world; therefore, these strata are ideally suited for studying the be- havior of Sr. The 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios measured for primary carbonate in lake expansion- contraction cycles of the Laney Member are directly linked to changing lake facies. Four distinct cycles are preserved in a 6.4 m interval of the Arco Washakie Basin No. 1 core, each represented by a vertical succession of transgressive stromatolite facies containing dolomicritic intraclasts, laminated micrite facies deposited during lake highstands, and lake-marginal dolomicrite facies, which represent subsequent lowstands. Initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios range from 0.711 99 to 0.713 31. The least radiogenic isotope compositions are as- sociated with laminated micrite that records increased regional runoff from Phanerozoic marine carbonate and Tertiary volcanic rocks during lacustrine highstands. The most radiogenic isotope compositions are associated with dolomicrite, recording a higher pro- portion of runoff from basin-bounding Precambrian uplifts and the exposed lake plain during lacustrine lowstand. The observed 87 Sr/ 86 Sr variations may also be due in part to changes in differential weathering of the surrounding landscape, where drier climates are associated with decreased differential weathering and, therefore, higher 87 Sr/ 86 Sr in runoff.


This paper proposes new divergence detection techniques for implementation within in-service non-intrusive measurement devices (INMDs) in public switched telephone networks (PSTNs). The in-service non-intrusive measurement system of interest is used to monitor the delivered quality of speech (QoS) by monitoring the echoes in the telephony network. INMDs are usually based on a class of least mean square (LMS) digital adaptive filters (DAFs). The performance criterion is defined by the modelling convergence rate derived from the optimal Wiener weights, and the excitation for the DAFs is conversational speech. Four types of divergence detectors (DD) are proposed. These are energy divergence detectors (EDD), log energy divergence detectors (LDD), zero crossing divergence detectors (ZDD) and autocorrelation coefficient divergence detectors (ADD). The proposed DDs are based on the detection of voiced/unvoiced/silence periods and as such act as pattern classifiers. Experimental observations have shown that divergence occurs during the low energy unvoiced segments in high-noise environments. The tap-weight coefficients of the DAF are updated with the new value during the voiced segment while the update of the tap-weight coefficients during unvoiced segments of the speech is frozen. This result is then compared with the perfect divergence detector, which employs the Wiener weight theory. The DD techniques reported produce a significant improvement in the system's performance in a noise-impaired environment. Over one second adaptation (8000 samples) the energy divergence detector, the log energy divergence detector, the autocorrelation divergence detector and the zero crossing divergence detector gave model improvements of 16.93 dB, 15.81 db, 12.48 dB and 11.62 dB respectively at echo to noise ratio (e/N) of 0 dB. The proposed DDs compare well with the ideal (nonimplementable) Wiener DD which gives an improvement of 20.92 dB.


Abstract No temporal trend in the intensity of drilling by naticids on Glycymeris yessoensis can be recognized during the late Cenozoic. Drilling sites shifted from the umbo to the center of the valve during the late Cenozoic. This shift might reflect the change of predators from Glossaulax in the Miocene to Cryptonatica or Euspira in the Pleistocene. Borehole sites in the middle Pleistocene were more stereotyped than in the early Pleistocene population despite the same predators. Edge drilling, which is a faster drilling method, first appeared in the population showing high drilling intensities in the early Pleistocene. Because a prediction of the hypothesis of escalation is that changes in predators' behavior developed through time, these changes in drilling location may be the results of escalation. In contrast with the stereotypic trend of borehole sites, correlation coefficients of predator-prey size decreased from the early to the middle Pleistocene.


We report the hydrothermal synthesis of free-standing lithium niobate nanowires. We show that the versatile properties of bulk lithium niobate such as nonlinear optical effects can be exploited at the nanoscale. We describe the fabrication of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidics as well as indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes with different design for dedicated applications. The control of microfluidic channel dimensions and the corresponding particle concentration is explored. Finally, the selection of fluidic conductivity for optimal dielectrophoretic trapping conditions is discussed.


The mechanism of ATP-citrate lyase has been proposed to involve a citryl-enzyme intermediate. When the enzyme is incubated with its substrates ATP and [14C]citrate, but in the absence of the final acceptor, two distinct types of citrate-containing complex can be isolated. At early time points, a highly unstable complex can be isolated by gel filtration which has a half-life of 36 s at 25 degrees C. This complex reacts rapidly with CoA, but cannot be acid-precipitated; behaviour consistent with its identification as enzyme-citryl phosphate. However, ATP-citrate lyase is also capable of undergoing a slow time-dependent covalent incorporation of radiolabel from [14C]citrate. This modification is acid-stable, non-specific, and cannot be reversed by the addition of CoA. When cytochrome is included in the reaction mixture as a heterologous acceptor, it is also citrylated. These reactions require that when ATP-citrate lyase is incubated with all its substrates except for CoA, a freely diffusible citrylating species is generated within the active site. This evidence suggests that there is no requirement for the mechanism of ATP-citrate lyase to proceed via a covalent citryl-enzyme intermediate. By analogy with succinyl-CoA synthetase, an enzyme which has a high degree of sequence similarity with ATP-citrate lyase, a simple mechanism is proposed for the enzyme in which citryl-CoA is produced by direct nucleophilic attack on citryl phosphate.


The Government's Health Work and Wellbeing report produced the Fit for Work scheme to reduce state sickness benefits by placing people into work. Flexible employee benefits improve performance at work and reduce sickness absence. When highly active motivated employees contract Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)/Myalgic Encaphalomyelitis or Encephalopathy (ME) they eventually lose the job on the grounds of incapability. They do not meet the criteria for employee benefits, nor for state benefits. This highlights a problem for well-being that is not being addressed by government or employers. Research is proposed for this group, using a framework with disability diversity champions, to help people with CFS/ME with job reviews and to explore flexible benefits to help them keep their jobs. It is anticipated that the research will identify cost savings and disability intelligence for the business and raise awareness of diversity in work and society, which may even reduce stress.


Ecodocumentary films such as The Cove, An Inconvenient Truth, and Sharkwater have demonstrated the power to influence audience behavior, establish public discourses, and inspire social change. This MRP explores promotional videos for a new ecodocumentary, Racing Extinction (Psihoyos, 2015), which explores the possibility of a sixth mass extinction of species, and what humans may be able to do to stop it. As such, this MRP attempts to discover more about the persuasive process, audience engagement, and how ecodocumentaries can work to enact social change. Using the Burkean concepts of dramatism, guilt-purification-redemption, and identification, this research analyzes the rhetoric of three promotional videos by assessing their dramatistic elements, how audiences may identify with the narratives therein and, to make a statement about their motives. The three videos have been selected to both exemplify the language of the filmmakers, and represent their two distinct objectives: to sell tickets, and to create social change. This research provides an examination of the persuasive tools used by the Racing Extinction filmmakers, and an overview of the levels of audience engagement online. For Burkean scholars, this research begins to fill key gaps in analyzed content. Through analyzing the promotional content for Racing Extinction, I seek to improve the scholarly understanding of the persuasive processes associated with ecodocumentary rhetoric.


Recent progress in the genetics of migraine has refocused attention on cortical dysfunction as an important component of the pathophysiology of this disorder. In previous work, we have demonstrated functional changes in the visual cortex of migraine patients, using an objective transcranial magnetic stimulation technique, termed magnetic suppression of perceptual accuracy (MSPA). This study aimed to replicate previous findings in migraine with aura (MA) and to use the technique to examine migraine without aura (MoA). Eight MA patients, 14 MoA patients and 13 migraine-free controls participated. MSPA assessments were undertaken using a standardized protocol in which computer-presented letter targets were followed at a variable delay interval by a single magnetic pulse delivered over the occiput. MSPA performance is expressed as a profile of response accuracy across target-pulse delay intervals. The profiles of migraine-free controls exhibited a normal U-shape. MA patients had significantly shallower profiles, showing little or no suppression at intermediate delay intervals. MoA patients had profiles that were similar to controls. Recent animal evidence strongly indicates that the U-shape of the normal MSPA function is caused by preferential activation of inhibitory neurons. Shallower MPSA profiles in MA patients are therefore likely to indicate a functional hyperexcitability caused by impaired inhibition. The finding of normal MPSA profiles in MoA patients is novel and will require further investigation.


This paper presents the construction and verification of
a new better semi-analytical, statistically derived universal model than that
modified from Huet and Blasingame equation for estimating absolute permeability
from mercury injection capillary pressure data. The foundation of
my new model is the petrophysical relation between absolute permeability and
capillary-pressure/wetting phase saturation properties. I also incorporate
characteristics of capillary pressure behavior using the classic Brooks-Corey
power-law model. The final form of my new proposed model allowed us to predict
absolute permeability as a function of effective porosity, irreducible wetting
phase saturation, displacement or threshold pressure corresponding pore throat
radius, and basic pore size characteristics. I built my model using 189 sets of
mercury—injection (Hg-air) capillary pressure data and measured
permeability-including core samples from several reservoirs both carbonate and
sandstone lithologies. I identified this correlation by quantifying its
accuracy and precision based on regression analysis. I compared permeability
estimates obtained from Huet and Blasingame mercury-injection
capillary-pressure-based model and my new universal predicted permeability
model to a set of laboratory measured permeability of my studied core sample
and previously published data results respectively, where I quantified the
method's accuracy and precision based on error analysis. The measured
permeability samples range is from 0.003 mD to 5341 mD. I review current
employed models that are classified as belonging to Poiseuille model.


We believe that the State of Gujarat has a chance for a tremendous breakthrough in economic development during the current decade. There are several reasons for this view. Opening up of the Indian economy has produced new dynamism in India's western and southern states, most dramatically in the information technology sector, but in others as well. The new technologies especially information technology and biotechnology give new opportunities for economic and social development. In the post-reform period, Gujarat, in particular, has witnessed high growth in: chemicals and petrochemicals, engineering, agro and food processing. Demographic trends in Gujarat, especially a slowing population growth rate and a rising share of the population of working age, contribute to rising per capita income. Gujarat, with a diversified industrial base, continuing improvements in the state's investment climate, one of the most attractive states' for domestic private investors, setting-up Special Economic Zones (SEZs), availability of large skilled managerial and technical manpower, exporting almost 20 percent of India's total exports, and last, but not the least, being a coastal state, with almost 1600 Kms of coastline, the State of Gujarat can become a major platform for labor-intensive manufacturing exports in the country, similar to what the coastal Chinese provinces have achieved during the last two decades. Briefly put, following an export-led growth strategy, Gujarat can get set for take off into a period of sustained high growth. In this paper, we analyze the growth experiences of China's coastal provinces in order to draw relevant lessons for Gujarat. Briefly put, to attain and sustain high rates of economic growth, Gujarat needs to follow a twopronged growth strategy, wherein the first prong is export-led growth, and the second prong is rural improvement. For the first prong, lessons from the Chinese coastal provinces are particularly instructive, since the Chinese provinces achieved in the past twenty years the kind of export-led growth that Indian states could have achieved, but have so far failed to achieve because of poor public policies. With regard to the second prong, Gujarat needs a specific strategy to bring modern economic growth to rural Gujarat, through a concerted campaign of infrastructure upgrading and appropriate re-design of state policy. Nirupam Bajpai is a Senior Development Advisor and Director of the South Asia Program at the Center on Globalization and Sustainable Development (CGSD), Columbia University.


Craddock N, Craddock B. Psvchiatric discharge suLmmaries: diltcring requirements of psychiatrists and general practitioners. BrMlcdJ 1989;299:1382. (2 December.) 2 Departments of Psychiatry and (Child Psychiatry, Institute of P'svchiatrv, and Mlaudslev Hospital, London. Psychiatric examination. Notes on eliciting and recording clinical information in psychiatric patinots. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987.


Since the breakdown of Dennard scaling the primary design goal for processor designs has shifted from increasing performance to increasing performance per Watt. The ePUMA platform is a flexible and configurable DSP platform that tries to address many of the problems with traditional DSP designs, to increase performance, but use less power. We trade the flexibility of traditional VLIW DSP designs for a simpler single instruction issue scheme and instead make sure that each instruction can perform more work. Multi-cycle instructions can operate directly on vectors and matrices in memory and the datapaths implement common DSP subgraphs directly in hardware, for high compute through-put. Memory bottlenecks, that are common in other architectures, are handled with flexible LUT-based multi-bank memory addressing and memory parallelism. A major contributor to energy consumption, data movement, is reduced by using heterogeneous interconnect and clustering compute resources around local memories for simple data sharing. To evaluate ePUMA we have implemented the majority of the kernel library from a commercial VLIW DSP manufacturer for comparison. Our results not only show good performance, but also an order of magnitude increase in energy- and area efficiency. In addition, the kernel code size is reduced by 91% on average compared to the VLIW DSP. These benefits makes ePUMA an attractive solution for future DSP.


These two volumes examine a significant but previously neglected moment in French cultural history: the emergence of French film theory and criticism before the essays of Andr Bazin. Richard Abel has devised an organizational scheme of six nearly symmetrical periods that serve to "bite into" the discursive flow of early French writing on the cinema. Each of the periods is discussed in a separate and extensive historical introduction, with convincing explications of the various concepts current at the time. In each instance, Abel goes on to provide a complementary anthology of selected texts in translation. Amounting to a portable archive, these anthologies make available a rich selection of nearly one hundred and fifty important texts, most of them never before published in English.


High-precision inertial sensing demonstrations with light pulse atom interferometry have typically used Raman pulses having durations orders of magnitude shorter than the dwell time between interferometer pulses. Environmentally robust sensors operating at high-bandwidth will be required to operate at short (millisecond scale) dwell times between Raman pulses. In such an operational mode, the Raman pulse duration becomes an appreciable fraction of the dwell time between pulses. In addition, high-precision inertial sensing applications have typically been demonstrated in mildly dynamic or nondynamic environments having low rate of change of inertial input, ensuring that applied Raman pulses satisfy the Raman resonance condition. Application of nonresonant pulses will be inevitable in sensors registering time-varying inertial input. We present a diagrammatic technique for calculation of atomic output state populations for multipulse atom optics manipulations that explicitly account for the effects of finite pulse duration and finite Raman detuning effects on the laser-induced atomic phase. We analyze several atom interferometer sequences. We report accelerometer and gyroscope phase evolution for fixed Raman laser frequency difference incorporating corrections in powers of the ratio of pulse duration to time interval between interferometer pulses. Our accelerometer result agrees with other published results.


Nowadays energy and power are the one of the basic needs in this modern world. Energy demand is increasing day by day. On the other hand, the many energy resources are getting exhausted and wasted. Proposal for utilization of waste energy of foot power with human locomotion is very relevant in populated countries like India where roads, railway stations, bus stands, temples, etc. are overcrowded and millions of people move around. This whole energy is wasted. If this energy made possible for utilization it will be a great invention. In this project we are converting non-conventional from just walking foot step into electrical energy. This project uses simple drive mechanism such as rack and pinion assembly. The control mechanism carries the rack & pinion, and D.C generator to output. In this project we are generating electrical power as nonconventional method by simply walking or running on the footsteps. Non-conventional energy system is very essential at this time to our nation. Non-conventional energy using foot step needs no fuel input power to generate the electrical power. In this project the simple drive mechanism such as rack and pinion assembly and chain drive mechanism is used for generating power by utilization of force which is obtained during the walking on steps is converted in to electrical energy with the help of mechanical L9systems. The generated power is stored by means of battery and this is used for activating the connected loads. This is one of the compact and efficient systems for generating electricity which can be easily installed in many regions.


SmI,-It is always flattering to have one's paper' discussed in a leading article of your periodical, but I should like to protest against some of the implications of your piece on 26 June, (p. 725). To begin with, we are not at all "defeatist" about the failure of in vitro sensitivity tests tocorrelate with clinical data. We hope to pursue this on a research level and to try to ameliorate this situation. Second, I should like to reassure your anonymous commentator. We colonials on this side of the ocean are indeed aware of the fact that ampicillin is not a "superpenicillin." I regret that your writer has been temporarily disillusioned, but I hope that this reassurance will correct his frame of mind. The experts we consulted at the Johns Hopkins Hospital are highly knowledgable individuals who know that ampicillin is not effective against penicillinase-producing organisms. Why they chose not to discuss this particular aspect of the survey we conducted is unclear to me, although my guess is that these busy individuals were somewhat overwhelmed by the masses of tables that we sent them and they merely picked out a few points which interested them particularly. My own role in the business was simply to print in full their letters of response. We did not comment on their opinions, nor on the discrepancy between house staff prescribing and the views of these experts. This was not the purpose of our paper. Instead, we merely wished to point out discrepancies when they existed. We had no illusion then, and have none now. as to the possibility that these brief responses by the three experts in question cover all of the discrepancies that exist. Finally, I wish to point out that anyone who believes that drug usage is free of error in any first-rate teaching hospital in the world is naive. This is not true for any hospital that I know of in the United States, and I submit that it might not even be true for those in the British Isles.-I am, etc.,


A common requirement of quantum simulations and algorithms is the preparation of complex states through sequences of 2-qubit gates. For a generic quantum state, the number of gates grows exponentially with the number of qubits, becoming unfeasible on near-term quantum devices. Here, we aim at creating an approximate encoding of the target state using a limited number of gates. As a first step, we consider a quantum state that is efficiently represented classically, such as a one-dimensional matrix product state. Using tensor network techniques, we develop an optimization algorithm that approaches the optimal implementation for a fixed number of gates. Our algorithm runs efficiently on classical computers and requires a polynomial number of iterations only. We demonstrate the feasibility of our approach by comparing optimal and suboptimal circuits on real devices. We, next, consider the implementation of the proposed optimization algorithm directly on a quantum computer and overcome inherent barren plateaus by employing a local cost function rather than a global one. By simulating realistic shot noise, we verify that the number of required measurements scales polynomially with the number of qubits. Our work offers a universal method to prepare target states using local gates and represents a significant improvement over known strategies.


Background Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is a systemic inflammatory disorder with unknown etiology and overlapping symptoms with giant cell arthritis and late-onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA). To date, no proteomics studies have been performed on PMR patients, and the number of biomarker studies remain limited. Objectives The primary aim of this study was to thoroughly investigate the corticosteroid treatment serum proteome of PMR with a focus on acute-phase reactions, complement system, and cytokines. Methods Filter-aided sample preparation for mass spectrometry, cell free DNA (cfDNA) assay, and 10plex cytokine assay were applied to PMR serum samples from the same patients before and after treatment, DMARD-naïve RA patients, and healthy controls. Results The core serum proteomes of the four groups were remarkably similar, and consisted of >200 proteins, which included acute-phase reactants, coagulation and complement proteins (figure), immunoglobulins, and apolipoproteins, and several more. Acute Phase Serum Amyloid A (SAA1) was differentially less abundant after PMR treatment, and CRP (after adjusting for two patients with low baseline CRP). cfDNA were more abundant in both groups of PMR compared to healthy controls. Complement factors were narrowly distributed and not affected by PMR treatment. The individual serum proteome of each PMR patient provided more than 100 differentially abundant proteins, and highlights the heterogeneity of patients. Conclusions We have established the core serum proteome of PMR in response to treatment, and compared it with RA and healthy controls. The results suggest a functional role of SSA1, and increased cfDNA in the pathogenesis of PMR indicates the activation of NETs. Disclosure of Interest None declared


An optimum route to fabricate the Al2O3/Cu nanocomposites with sound microstructure and improved mechanical properties was investigated. Three powder mixtures of Al2O3 and Cu, CuO or Cu-nitrate were used to obtain Al2O3/5 vol% Cu composites. Microstructural investigations for the composite from Al2O3/Cu-nitrate showed that fine Cu particles, about 150 nm in diameter, were homogeneously distributed within the Al2O3 matrix grains and at the grain boundaries. Fracture toughness of 4.8 MPam and strength of 953 MPa were measured for the Al2O3/5 vol% Cu nanocomposites prepared from Al2O3/Cu-nitrate mixture. The toughening and strengthening of the composites are explained by the crack bridging/deflection and the refinement of the microstructure, respectively.


DNA damage is recognized widely as a cause of programmed cell death (apoptosis), aimed at eliminating cells bearing genotoxic lesions. There fore, inhibition of DNA damage-induced apoptosis may play an important role in carcinogenesis and has been suggested as a mechanism of action of tumor-promoting agents. In the present study, the effects of treatment with UV light or the carcinogenic aromatic amine 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF) on apoptosis were studied in rat hepatocytes in primary culture. A significantly increased incidence of apoptotic nuclei, showing condensed or fragmented chromatin visualized with the fluorescent dye Hoechst 33258, was found after each type of treatment. After 48 h, the incidence of apoptosis had returned to the control level. When the liver tumor pro moters 2,3,7,8-tclrachlorodihcn/.o-/7-dioxin (TCDD) and phénobarbital were added to the medium, ¡ipoptosisdid not increase in UVor 2-AAFtreated compared with untreated cultures. Furthermore, Kill) and phé nobarbital suppressed internucleosomal DNA fragmentation elicited by UV irradiation. In contrast, the promoters did not suppress apoptosis induced by transforming growth factor /¡I.Immunoprecipitation of the tumor suppressor gene product p53 demonstrated that the increase in p53 observed after 1 \ irradiation was abrogated almost completely by TC'DD. Apoptosis induced in rat hepatocytes by DNA-damaging agents such as UV light or 2-AAF is suppressed by TC'DD and phénobarbital. Inhibition of apoptosis allowing survival of hepatocytes hearing genotoxic lesions may be crucial for the tumor-promoting action of TC'DD and phénobar


Abstract The aim of this study was to compare the quality of postburn facial scars before and after injection of unfiltered nanofat. The study was performed in the Plastic Surgery Department of Mayo Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan, from January 2015 to December 2016. Forty-eight patients with postburn facial scars were included; age range was 4 to 32 years with Fitzpatrick skin types between 3 and 4. Patients with hypertrophic scars, contractures, or keloids were excluded. Scars were assessed by a senior plastic surgeon and the patient on the POSAS (Patient Observer Scar Assessment Scale). Fat was harvested from the abdomen and/or thighs with a 3-mm multiport liposuction cannula (containing several sharp side holes of 1 mm) using Coleman technique. The harvested fat was emulsified and transferred into 1-mL Luer-Lock syringes for injection into the subdermal or intradermal plane. Final follow-up was scheduled at 6 months, and scar was rated by the patient and the same surgeon on the POSAS. Preoperative and postoperative scar scores were compared, and P values were calculated. Results indicated that after nanofat grafting, there was a statistically significant improvement in scar quality. The most significant improvements on the observer scale were seen in pigmentation and pliability (P < 0.0001). Thickness and relief were the least improved variables (P = of 0.785 and 0.99, respectively). ImageJ scanning also showed pigmentation change (P = 0.076). A statistically significant improvement was seen in all parameters of the patient section of the POSAS (P < 0.0001). In conclusion, unfiltered nanofat grafting seems to be a promising and effective therapeutic approach in postburn facial scars, showing significant improvement in scar quality. The trial was registered on www.clinicaltrials.gov with following ID NCT03352297.


Background: Premature ovarian failure (POF) is a common condition; its incidence is estimated to be as great as 1 in 100 by the age of 40 years. Physiologic replacement of ovarian steroid hormones seems rational until the age of normal menopause. Temporary return of ovarian function and pregnancy may occur rarely in women with POF. We report a case of POF who conceived during hormone replacement therapy. Case: A 30 years-old woman with confirmed POF after pelvic surgery and sever emotional stress conceived spontaneously. Conclusion: Return of ovarian function and achievement of pregnancy is possible in women with POF.


Safety and operational demands require that operators of unmanned security and defense vehicles be located at safe distances. The capability of creating photo-realistic 3D models using on-board sensors on unmanned vehicles will improve the operators' situational awareness. Instant Scene Modeler (iSM) is a vision system for generating calibrated photo-realistic 3D models of unknown environments quickly using stereo image sequences. Equipped with iSM, unmanned military vehicles can capture stereo images and create 3D models to be sent back to the base station, while they explore unknown environments. Rapid access to 3D models will increase the operator situational awareness and allow better mission planning and execution, as the models can be visualized from different views and used for relative measurements. Moreover, iSM also recovers the camera motion, also known as the visual odometry. As wheel odometry error grows over time, this can help improve the wheel odometry for better localization. Apart from unmanned vehicles, iSM has also been used in forensics and mining applications, for creating 3D models of crime scenes and of the mine tunnels respectively.


Objectives To analyse coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality and risk factor trends in the West Bank, occupied Palestinian territory between 1998 and 2009. Design Modelling study using CHD IMPACT model. Setting The West Bank, occupied Palestinian territory. Participants Data on populations, mortality, patient groups and numbers, treatments and cardiovascular risk factor trends were obtained from national and local surveys, routine national and WHO statistics, and critically appraised. Data were then integrated and analysed using a previously validated CHD model. Primary and secondary outcome measures CHD deaths prevented or postponed are the main outcome. Results CHD death rates fell by 20% in the West Bank, between 1998 and 2009. Smoking prevalence was initially high in men, 51%, but decreased to 42%. Population blood pressure levels and total cholesterol levels also decreased. Conversely, body mass index rose by 1–2 kg/m2 and diabetes increased by 2–8%. Population modelling suggested that more than two-thirds of the mortality fall was attributable to decreases in major risk factors, mainly total cholesterol, blood pressure and smoking. Approximately one-third of the CHD mortality decreases were attributable to treatments, particularly for secondary prevention and heart failure. However, the contributions from statins, surgery and angioplasty were consistently small. Conclusions CHD mortality fell by 20% between 1998 and 2009 in the West Bank. More than two-third of this fall was due to decreases in major risk factors, particularly total cholesterol and blood pressure. Our results clearly indicate that risk factor reductions in the general population compared save substantially more lives to specific treatments for individual patients. This emphasizes the importance of population-wide primary prevention strategies.


This essay aims to study the images of a modern Faro lady in Georgette Heyer's historical romance Faro's Daughter . It is divided into three parts. The first part examines Faro ladies in the history and literature of Georgian England, and it compares Heyer's heroine Deborah Grantham to them. The second talks about how Deborah embodies female virtues that are not appreciated by eighteenth-century gender law but are celebrated by feminist thinking such as Mary Wollstonecraft's. The third shows that Deborah in Heyer's work reflects the first-wave feminist thinking but does not follow all the trends of criticism and literary taste. The study juxtaposes Heyer's heroine with one of the notorious Georgian female gamer Lady Albinia Hobart and argues that Deborah is a reformed Faro lady. The study also examines Deborah in Faro's Daughter as a combination and rejection of eighteenth- and twentieth-century feminists such as Mary Wollstonecraft and Simone de Beauvoir, showing that Heyer finds her own path of feminist criticism. If historical romance is a sub-genre that revises history, Heyer's heroine, as the essay tries to point out, represents a revision of feminist discourse.


Extratropical transition(ET)istheprocessbywhichatropicalcyclone,uponencounteringabaroclinicenvironmentandreducedseasurface temperature at higher latitudes, transforms into an extratropical cyclone. This process is influenced by, and influences, phenomena from the tropicstothemidlatitudesandfromthemeso-totheplanetaryscalestoextentsthatvarybetweenindividualevents.Motivatedinpartbyrecent high-impact and/or extensively observedevents suchasNorthAtlantic HurricaneSandy in 2012 andwestern NorthPacificTyphoonSinlaku in 2008,thisreviewdetailsadvancesinunderstandingandpredictingETsincethepublicationofanearlierreviewin2003.MethodsfordiagnosingETinreanalysis,observational,andmodel-forecastdatasetsarediscussed.NewclimatologiesfortheeasternNorthPacificandsouthwestIndian Oceans are presented alongside updates to western North Pacific and North Atlantic Ocean climatologies. Advances in understanding and, in somecases,modelingthedirectimpactsofET-relatedwind,waves,andprecipitationarenoted.Improvedunderstandingofstructuralevolution throughout the transformation stage of ET fostered in large part by novel aircraft observations collected in several recent ET events is highlighted.Predictiveskill foroperational and numericalmodel ET-relatedforecastsisdiscussedalongwithenvironmental factors influencing posttransition cyclone structure and evolution. Operational ET forecast and analysis practices and challenges are detailed. In particular, some challenges of effective hazard communication for the evolving threats posed by a tropical cyclone during and after transition are introduced. This review concludes with recommendations for future work to further improve understanding, forecasts, and hazard communication. to ET's impacts, including downstream cyclogenesis, cyclone evolution after becoming extratropical, effects on the midlatitude flow and predictability, and phenomena as


Abstract : The influence of chemical kinetic and turbulent transport coefficients on afterburning rocket exhaust plume properties was analyzed in terms of predicted radar attenuations transverse to solid propellant plumes. A model of parallel turbulent mixing and nonequilibrium combustion and ionization was used to determine whether varying these coefficients, which are input data to the model, over their ranges of uncertainty has a significant effect on the predicted attenuation. The results of the study demonstrate that significant differences in predicted attenuation levels can result when the important reaction rate and turbulent transport coefficients are varied within their respective error bounds. This establishes the framework within which to interpret radar attenuation data taken at sea level and under simulated altitude conditions. It is also shown that a better laboratory determination of the rate coefficient for the dominant charge-producing reaction, K + Cl yielding K(+) + Cl(-), is of particular importance if more accurate attenuation predictions are to be made. It was concluded that realistic calculations of solid propellant exhaust plume electrical properties must take chemical kinetics into account. (Author)


Background and Aims: The genes encoding for tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and the vitamin D receptor (VDR) are colocalized to inflammatory bowel disease-associated linkage regions on chromosomes 6, 7 and 12. An association study of these gene polymorphisms with ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease and a stratification according to disease phenotypes was performed in order to identify gentically homogenous subgroups. Patients and Methods: 119 healthy, unrelated controls, 95 patients with Crohn's disease and 93 patients with ulcerative colitis were genotyped for the (G to A) –308 TNF-α promoter polymorphism on chromosome 6, the codon 497 EGFR polymorphism on chromosome 7 and the TaqI polymorphism of the VDR gene on chromosome 12. After genotyping, patients were stratified according to the respective disease phenotype. Results: A disequilibrium in the distribution of the VDR genotypes was found in patients with ulcerative colitis compared to controls (p = 0.024). In fistulizing and fibrostenotic Crohn's disease the 'TT' genotype was significantly reduced compared with other phenotypes (p = 0.006), whereas the 'tt' genotype was found more frequently (p = 0.04). The frequency of the WT allele of the EGFR gene was significantly higher in ulcerative colitis (p = 0.04) than in controls. Further significant differences, concerning the associations of the different polymorphisms and disease susceptibility or clinical phenotypes, were not observed. Conclusions: Regardless of the disease phenotype, the associations between the polymorphisms and inflammatory bowel disease investigated herein are modest, even after stratification for the disease phenotypes. Hence, these polymorphisms are unlikely to confer the reported linkage between inflammatory bowel disease and chromosomes 6, 7 and 12.


The psychological effects of urinary incontinence, such as psychological distress, depression, and anxiety are well recognised. Associations between incontinence, quality of life, and mental health have been demonstrated; however, research concerning incontinence and depression together, and the subsequent impact on health, quality of life, help-seeking, and other psychosocial factors, is limited. Examining associations between incontinence and psychosocial and mental health may provide an opportunity to address this health problem in a different way. A comprehensive review of the literature with regard to population studies in the area of urinary incontinence, psychosocial issues, and depression, as well as the interplay between these three concepts is presented, and the absence of research in this area is highlighted.


The EU has played a significant role in policy developments on economic aspects of
Internet governance. In the late 1990s, it created the dot eu Internet Top Level Domain
(TLD) which provides a means for Internet users to register their names under a
European label, thereby giving them a European address and identity on the Internet. This paper explores the emergent governance system for dot eu, considering three of its dimensions: the core norms and associated practices underpinning it; its structural makeup; and its operational "mechanics". Dot eu provides an interesting case of new European transnational private governance. The system draws upon and will comply with several core practices of Internet governance developed globally, most outstandingly, private interest self-regulation and alternative dispute settlement. Nonetheless, the governance of dot eu has been "customised" by the EU. When fully operational, it will involve a part-public, though predominantly private, trans-European regulatory network
across which the governance of dot eu will occur through a process of 'dispersed
agencification'. Here, Eurid - the private, transnational, not-for-profit, company
responsible for the dot eu registry - will become the central node in a regulatory network also comprising the European Commission (responsible for public policy rules governing dot eu), private alternative dispute resolution companies, temporarily deployed private validation agents, private registrar companies and, finally, registrants under dot eu.


Objectives: The major objective is to target diethylcarbamazine citrate (DEC) to the lymphatics and to increase its retention time. The effect of various excipients on the physicochemical characteristics of the nanoparticles was also studied. Materials and methods: Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) of DEC were prepared by ultrasonication by varying the concentrations of compritol 888 ATO, poloxamer 188 and soya lecithin. The SLNs were evaluated for size, shape, texture, surface charge, physical nature of the entrapped drug, entrapment efficiency and in vitro drug release. In vivo animal studies were carried out to estimate the pharmacokinetic parameters in blood and drug concentration in lymph after oral administration. Results: The size of the spherical particles was in the range of 27.25 ± 3.43 nm to 179 ± 3.08 nm and a maximum entrapment efficiency of 68.63 ± 1.53% was observed. In vitro release studies in pH 7.4 PBS displayed a rapid release and the maximum time taken for the complete drug to release was 150 min. In vivo studies indicated an enhancement in the amount of drug that reached lymphatics when administered via SLNs. Conclusion: Targeting of DEC to the lymphatics is possible through SLNs and the retention time in the lymphatics can also be enhanced.


Enantiomerically pure bis-heterocycles containing a (S)-proline moiety have been prepared starting from (S)-N-benzylprolinehydrazide (2b). The reactions with isothiocyanates or butyl isocyanate in refluxing MeOH led to the corresponding thiosemicarbazide 5 and semicarbazide 9 with a N-benzylprolinoyl residue. The structure of the tert-butyl derivative 5d was established by X-ray crystallography. Base-catalyzed cyclization of 5 and 9 led to (S)-3-(pyrrolidin-2-yl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole-5(4H)-thiones 6 and the corresponding 5(4H)-one 8, respectively, whereas, in concentrated H2SO4, compounds 5 undergo cyclization to give (S)-5-amino-2-(pyrrolidin-2-yl)-1,3,4-thiadiazoles 7. Furthermore, 2b reacted with hexane-2,5-dione in boiling iPrOH to yield the (S)-N-(2,5-dimethylpyrrol-1-yl)prolinamide 10. In the case of the bis-heterocycle 8, treatment with HCOONH4 and Pd/C in MeOH gave the debenzylated product 12.


This paper analyses police intelligence practice in Britain. Initially, the aim was to assess intelligence practice through the lens of the 'what works?' concept. Dominating public sector policy making today, the idea that evidence-based practice (EBP) may provide the institution with the knowledge it needs to better manage its business, is now is akin to a mantra for British policing but this study suggests that there are limits to the explanatory power of 'what works'?A review of relevant literature complemented a survey of a self-selected group of intelligence staff; a random sample of their number also was interviewed. Participants reflected on: their skills and abilities; their training; their successes and their failures; and the utility of the structures and processes within which they operated. Data were analysed using standard research tools. Respondents broadly agreed on what contributed to effective practice. Analysts,intelligence officers and managers ranked a skilled workforce as of greatest import. Human intelligence (HUMINT); operational teams, capable of responding quickly to intelligence;information technology; and plentiful sources of intelligence in their communities, were consistently ranked the top four significant factors in their successes. Directors' of intelligence(DOIs) rankings varied only to the extent that HUMINT placed first. Respondents also highlighted the direction and control of intelligence; partner and community engagement; and shortcomings in information technology and equipment as significant limiting factors. The research suggests that the credibility of intelligence staffs, their practice, and products are key to persuading others of the value of intelligence to the police institution.Ultimately, the 'what works?' approach may have value in policing but it raises important,largely ignored, questions about institutional memory and identity. Often, as in this case, other research methods will need to be employed to identify better practice. Even when that is achieved, institutional and cultural factors represent significant barriers to the adoption of EBP in policing.


Due to their high intensity of emission in the O VI λλ1031.9 and 1037.6 lines, even small sunspots on the solar disk can strongly influence the intensity of the radiative scattering component of O VI lines in the corona. Observations of O VI disk spectra show a λ1032/λ1038 line intensity ratio of >2.6 in a sunspot, compared to quiet-disk values of ~2. The enhancement of the λ1032 line in comparison to the λ1038 line is likely due to interaction between molecular hydrogen emission from the sunspot and the chromospheric O5+. Modeling shows that a contribution from sunspots increases the coronal O VI λ1032/λ1038 intensity ratio to values considerably higher than those achieved with a quiet-disk or coronal hole spectrum. Therefore a reexamination of flow velocities derived from SOHO UVCS streamer observations must be made. This modeling demonstrates that the inclusion of sunspots, when present, may lead to nonzero outflow velocities at lower heights in streamer cores, in contrast to some existing model results.


Shorebirds (Charadriiformes) undergo rapid migrations with potential for long-distance dispersal (LDD) of plants. We studied the frequency of endozoochory by shorebirds in different parts of Europe covering a broad latitudinal range and different seasons. We assessed whether plants dispersed conformed to morphological dispersal syndromes. A total of 409 excreta samples (271 faeces and 138 pellets) were collected from redshank Tringa totanus , black-winged stilt Himantopus himantopus , pied avocet Recurvirostra avosetta , northern lapwing Vanellus vanellus , Eurasian curlew Numenius arquata and black-tailed godwit Limosa limosa in south-west Spain, north-west England, southern Ireland and Iceland in 2005 and 2016, and intact seeds were extracted and identified. Godwits were sampled just before or after migratory movements between England and Iceland. The germinability of seeds was tested. Intact diaspores were recovered from all bird species and study areas, and were present in 13% of samples overall. Thirteen plant families were represented, including Charophyceae and 26 angiosperm taxa. Only four species had an 'endozoochory syndrome'. Four alien species were recorded. Ellenberg values classified three species as aquatic and 20 as terrestrial. Overall, 89% of seeds were from terrestrial plants, and 11% from aquatic plants. Average seed length was higher in redshank pellets than in their faeces. Six species were germinated, none of which had an endozoochory syndrome. Seeds were recorded during spring and autumn migration. Plant species recorded have broad latitudinal ranges consistent with LDD via shorebirds. Crucially, morphological syndromes do not adequately predict LDD potential, and more empirical work is required to identify which plants are dispersed by shorebirds. Incorporating endozoochory by shorebirds and other migratory waterbirds into plant distribution models would allow us to better understand the natural processes that facilitated colonization of oceanic islands, or to improve predictions of how plants will respond to climate change, or how alien species spread. The wide distribution of fresh-water plants, and of the lower animals, whether retaining the same identical form, or in some degree modified, apparently depends in main part on the wide dispersal of their seeds and eggs by animals, more especially by fresh-water birds, which have great powers of flight, and naturally travel from one piece of water to another .


This paper proposes a novel evolution strategy for a genetic algorithm (GA). This new algorithm is then applied to design robust D(alpha,r)-stable infinite-impulse-response (IIR) filters. Unlike existing research on designing IIR filters by using GA, in which the stability of IIR filters is tested by trial and error after the evolution of each generation of a GA, the stability criterion in this paper is embedded within the evolution of each generation. Consequently, the stability of this system can be guaranteed without the need for any other checks of the stability criterion in the evolution of each generation. Numerical experimental results are discussed to illustrate the soundness of the proposed evolution strategy. The robustness of the IIR filters is achieved by ensuring that all poles of the filters are located inside a disk D(alpha,r) contained in the unit circle, in which alpha is the center, r is the radius of the disk and IalphaI +r < 1 . So, in this paper, a D(alpha,r)-stability criterion will be first derived and then embedded in the GA for the design of robust IIR filters. Finally, two examples will be presented to show that the designed filters remain D(alpha,r)-stable during the evolution of the GA and will provide satisfactory results.


Transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) is a pleiotropic cytokine with potent neurotrophic and immunosuppressive properties that is upregulated after injury, but also expressed in the normal nervous system. In the current study, we examined the regulation of TGFβ1 and the effects of TGFβ1 deletion on cellular response in the uninjured adult brain and in the injured and regenerating facial motor nucleus. To avoid lethal autoimmune inflammation within 3 weeks after birth in TGFβ1-deficient mice, this study was performed on a T- and B-cell-deficient RAG2−/− background. Compared with wild-type siblings, homozygous deletion of TGFβ1 resulted in an extensive inflammatory response in otherwise uninjured brain parenchyma. Astrocytes increased in GFAP and CD44 immunoreactivity; microglia showed proliferative activity, expression of phagocytosis-associated markers [αXβ2, B7.2, and MHC1 (major histocompatibility complex type 1)], and reduced branching. Ultrastructural analysis revealed focal blockade of axonal transport, perinodal damming of axonal organelles, focal demyelination, and myelin debris in granule-rich, phagocytic microglia. After facial axotomy, absence of TGFβ1 led to a fourfold increase in neuronal cell death (52 vs 13%), decreased central axonal sprouting, and significant delay in functional recovery. It also interfered with the microglial response, resulting in a diminished expression of early activation markers [ICAM1 (intercellular adhesion molecule 1), α6β1, and αMβ2] and reduced proliferation. In line with axonal and glial findings in the otherwise uninjured CNS, absence of endogenous TGFβ1 also caused an ∼10% reduction in the number of normal motoneurons, pointing to an ongoing and potent trophic role of this anti-inflammatory cytokine in the normal as well as in the injured brain.


Spring preemergence herbicide applications are often used for burndown of existing weeds and residual control, eliminating weed presence during early season crop growth. There has been an increased interest in planting cover crops soon after cash crop removal, due to the potential soil and production benefits. However, soil herbicide residuals may result in poor cover crop growth. This study examined the growth of radish (Raphanus sativa) and rye (Secale cereal), species often used as cover crops, in soils treated with residual herbicides about 100 days prior to cover crop planting. The herbicides were applied at recommended rates to silage corn in mid-May to early June at two sites, a southern site near Beresford, SD (Egan-Trent Silty Clay Loam soil), and a northern site near Groton, SD (Beotia Silt Loam soil). Soil samples were collected in midSeptember, and greenhouse studies were conducted to examine if herbicide activity was great enough to injure the cover crops. Plant height and fresh weights of shoots and roots were compared to these parameters in plants grown in herbicide-free soil after six weeks of growth using a one-way paired t-test. Radish growth was unaffected by any herbicide. Several herbicides applied to the Groton soil reduced rye shoot weight, whereas in the Beresford soil several herbicides reduced rye shoot height and root weight. Rye shoot weight was reduced by 59% in Warrant treated soil at Beresford, however, at Groton, three herbicides reduced shoot weight by about 25% (Python, Warrant, and Spirit). Rye shoot height was reduced by about 23% by two herbicides (Parallel, Warrant) in Groton soil and by about 16% by three herbicides (Glory, Python, Acuron) in the Beresford soil. Rye root weight was reduced by 35% or more by five herbicides (Parallel, Glory, Python, Warrant, and Acuron) in the Beresford soil, but only by Warrant (44%) in the Groton soil. This data indicates that herbicide residuals can be present in high enough concentrations after a short season crop to injure fall planted cover crops and that injury is herbicide, crop species, and soil specific. Further studies are needed to understand the influence of specific soil, herbicide, climatic conditions, and cover crop species where herbicide injury is possible. The results can be used by growers to select herbicide/cover crop species combinations that will be most successful for farms.


One hundred and eighty one (181) food handlers working in 12 small food businesses in Abeokuta North Local Government were surveyed to assess their personal hygienic practices while handling food. The study also isolated and identified enteric bacteria from the stool samples of the food handlers. A cross sectional study was conducted among the food handlers using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. Of the 181 food handlers, 30.9% normally work with long fingernails, 77.4% wear jewelry and 39.5% chew gum while handling food. Also, 90.1% and 31.5% of the food handlers respectively does not wear gloves or apron when handling food. Few of the food handlers (14.3%) wash their hands at the commencement of each day's work; 19.3% wash hands after every visit to the toilet and 13.2% usually washed their hands each time they blow their nose or when hair, nose or mouth is touched. The enteric bacteria isolated from the food handlers and their frequency of occurrence are: Eschericia coli (17.7%); Klebsiella oxytoca (7.7%); Salmonella spp (5.5%); Citrobacter freundii (4.4%), Enterobacter cloacae (2.8%); Pseudomonas aeruginosa (8.3%) and Proteus mirabilis (4.4%). There is an immediate need for education and increasing awareness among food handlers regarding safe food handling practices.


The National REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation-Plus) Strategy in Indonesia highlights the importance of local participation and the reform of land tenure in the success of forest conservation. National parks are a main target area for REDD+. National parks in Indonesia have been suffering from forest destruction and conflicts between governments and local communities. This study investigated: (1) the historical process of developing the REDD+ project in collaboration with multiple stakeholders including government authorities, local NGOs, and local people; (2) the social and economic impacts of the REDD+ project on local people; and (3) the local awareness of and motivations to participate in the REDD+ project in Meru Betiri National Park in Indonesia. Interviews of stakeholders including village leaders, NGO staff, and park staff were conducted to obtain an overview of the REDD+ project in the national park. Interviews with a questionnaire were also conducted among randomly selected heads of households who participated or did not participate in the REDD+ project and lived adjacent to the national park. Our analysis revealed that participants in the project obtained the right to use illegally harvested bared lands for intercropping while planting trees to recover forest ecosystems inside the national park. This opportunity could have contributed to a drastic increase in income, particularly for economically disadvantaged people, and to the recovery of forest ecosystems. Although local people did not fully recognize the meaning of REDD+ or carbon credits, they were enthusiastic to join in managing and patrolling forests because of their satisfaction with the income generated by the national park. However, the challenge is how both the recovery of forests and income generation from the project can be maintained in a situation of insufficient funding from donors and unsettled arguments about the benefit of sharing carbon credits with local people.


Batch fermentations of Montrachet wine yeast under carbon dioxide pressure in a wine medium containing 5% added glucose indicated the feasibility of cultivation of yeast in this manner as the initial tank in a continuous fermentation production of sparkling wine ("champagne"). At 0.6 atm (gauge) carbon dioxide pressure, there was a fourfold inhibition of growth rate, and the final maximum cell concentration was about half of the control. The onset of fermentation was delayed by carbon dioxide pressure; however, the maximum fermentation rate was not greatly affected. Continuous fermentation, with dilution rates in the range of 0.015 hr -1 (with a constant volume of four liters and with flow rates in the range of 1 mL/min) showed the typical relationship between steady state cell concentration and dilution rate. The yeast were able to maintain steady state growth at each of the carbon dioxide pressures tested [up to 0.6 atm (gauge)], in spite of the inhibitory effect. From these results it was suggested that a dual-tank system, maintained at 0.3 and 5 atm (gauge) carbon dioxide pressures, with the second tank having six times the capacity of the first, could be used for continuous production of sparkling wine. In the steady state condition, higher utilizations of glucose were found at the higher carbon dioxide pressures, even though a lower steady state cell concentration was maintained. The extra requirement for substrate at the increased carbon dioxide pressure was explained as an increased maintenance energy requirement at the higher carbon dioxide pressure. The yeast cultivated in continuous fermentation at increased carbon dioxide pressures were used as inocula for bottle fermentations. Although no adaptation or mutation of the yeast to carbon dioxide pressure was evidenced in the continuous fermentations, the bottle fermentations with the yeast precultivated at the medium carbon dioxide pressure [0.3 atm (gauge)] showed a definite increased fermentation rate (as evidenced by rate of pressure development). The wines from the bottle fermentations were subjected to sensory evaluation and were found to be indistinguishable.


Computed tomograms of the inner ear structures (n=175) of 150 patients (age 0-75 years) with unaffected temporal bones were studied in detail. It is shown that polyposition CT of the temporal bone is a non-invasive method of visualization of the osseous labyrinth structures: cochlea, vestibule, semicircular canals, aqueducts of the labyrinth and internal acoustic meatus which are reflected on tomograms in 100% cases irrespective of the patient age. Their age-related features are analysed. CT imaging was made in 65 patients with neurosensory hypoacusis of inherited and acquired genesis. The following causes of neurosensory hypoacusis and deafness were revealed: congenital malformation of the labyrinth of Mondini type, common cavity of the labyrinth, cochlear hypoplasia, dysplasia of the vestibule and semicircular canals, a wide aqueduct of the vestibule, stenosis of the internal acoustic meatus, bulboform enlargement of the inner acoustic meatus, neurinoma (schwannoma) of the hearing nerve, Langerhans-cell histiocytosis with affection of the labyrinth capsule, atypical cholesteatoma. The detected changes in the inner ear structures determine further treatment policy.


River environments have played a vital role in human history. However, the intensive exploitation of rivers and deltas has increasingly caused problems, particularly in lowland deltas. Solving the current problems also requires a more fundamental understanding of how natural and societal systems interact. How did the early societies responded or adapted to, or prevented changes and dynamics, of these wetland areas? Answering this question would be a first and important step in the further understanding of the interaction between social and natural systems in deltas. The wealth of geological and archaeological data in the Netherlands, the publicly-available databases, and excellent preservation conditions constitute a perfect case to provide detailed palaeogeographical reconstructions of a complete distributary, the Oude Rijn, and to decipher the effect of the landscape and its dynamics on settlement locations in the delta in various time periods on a larger scale. From the AD 40s onwards a dense Roman military system was established along the Oude Rijn in the Netherlands. Long since, it has been questioned why this system was established in a wetland area and even was turned into the northwest frontier of the Roman Empire, the Limes. Therefore, a new and highly-detailed palaeogeographical map was constructed. From this map we conclude that this military system (a combination of forts and watchtowers) was established to watch over the river Rhine and its traffic, and to guard all waterways that gave access to the river Rhine from the Germanic residential areas further north and from/ to the Meuse tributary further south in the delta. Until recently, it was assumed that the Roman army in the Rhine-Meuse delta was mainly supplied with products transported over medium and long distances. A review of the archaeological data leads us to the argument that the Roman army procured wood and food (especially cereals and beef) from agrarian settlements in the immediate surroundings. We also modelled and quantified the carrying capacity of the landscape and the demand and supply of the Roman army along the Oude Rijn regarding wood and food for the period AD 40-140. Our calculations reveals that the carrying capacity of the landscape was larger than hitherto assumed, and that the local population was probably much more involved in the provisioning of the Roman army than previously assumed. Furthermore, the formation and landscape development of crevasse splays was analysed to increase the understanding of the attractiveness of these often short-lived landscape features for settlement and human use in general. Recent archaeological research has shown that these landscape features unexpectedly have provided favourable sites for settlements already from Neolithic period onwards. LIDAR data combined with digital coring databases and/or detailed soil maps have proven to be an excellent method for the identification and mapping of crevasse splays and the archaeological sites these contain. In addition, integrated geological and archaeological datasets to demonstrate the concurrence of the gradual abandonment of the Oude Rijn and Kromme Rijn - the main Rhine branch that hosted the Roman Limes -, the development of human habitation in the area, and the interactions between them. A continued geomorphic development during this period, which includes the 'Dark Ages' (AD 450-1000), appears to have been crucial in the development of Utrecht from a Roman army fort to a Medieval ecclesial centre. This thesis shows that Detailed landscape reconstructions are crucial for interpreting past changes in settlement development and land use in dynamic landscapes such as lowland delta areas.


Photostabilities of several dye-doped polymer optical fibers are investigated experimentally. In the spectral fluorescence of those fibers doped with dyes such as fluorescein and pyrromethene, a characteristic double-peak structure has been identified. The photobleaching induced by the irradiation of an Ar laser output is found to be partially or completely reversible. This depends on the type of dyes used and also on the intensity of irradiation. Also, a spectrally asymmetrical decay which corresponds to the differential photobleaching of the two peaks in the fluorescence spectra has been observed.


An arylalkylamine-type calmodulin antagonist, N-(3, 3-diphenylpropyl)-N'-[1-R-(3, 4-bis-butoxyphenyl)ethyl]-propylene-diamine (AAA) is presented and its complexes with calmodulin are characterized in solution and in the crystal. Near-UV circular dichroism spectra show that AAA binds to calmodulin with 2:1 stoichiometry in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner. The crystal structure with 2:1 stoichiometry is determined to 2.64 A resolution. The binding of AAA causes domain closure of calmodulin similar to that obtained with trifluoperazine. Solution and crystal data indicate that each of the two AAA molecules anchors in the hydrophobic pockets of calmodulin, overlapping with two trifluoperazine sites, i.e. at a hydrophobic pocket and an interdomain site. The two AAA molecules also interact with each other by hydrophobic forces. A competition enzymatic assay has revealed that AAA inhibits calmodulin-activated phosphodiesterase activity at two orders of magnitude lower concentration than trifluoperazine. The apparent dissociation constant of AAA to calmodulin is 18 nM, which is commensurable with that of target peptides. On the basis of the crystal structure, we propose that the high-affinity binding is mainly due to a favorable entropy term, as the AAA molecule makes multiple contacts in its complex with calmodulin.


Over the last decade, scholarship has predominantly originated and lived in the digital environment. Not surprisingly, scholars, researchers, and students are increasingly in need of skills related to data literacy and manipulation, data management, and data archiving and preservation. Libraries, traditionally well suited to assisting users with these issues in analog formats, are playing larger, more active roles in the digital environment as well – enhancing the research, teaching, and learning missions of many institutions of higher education. One approach academic libraries have used to respond to the growing digital needs among users is the development of digital scholarship services and centers. According to Lippincott, Hemmasi, and Lewis, these programs offer services focused on building and strengthening "relationships" with their users and by offering technological expertise in some core areas, including data visualization in the environmental sciences, data mining of texts in the humanities, and GIS representations in the social sciences. [1] In October 2015, the University of Houston (UH) Libraries' administration charged a group to develop recommendations for how the Libraries should move forward in the growing area of digital scholarship. Since then, the Digital Scholarship Services Team (DSST) has been hard at work researching and developing a roadmap for potential future services. In this presentation, DSST members address the methodology used to formulate the roadmap, highlight findings from their work, and share lessons learned from this collaborative, cross-departmental process. They start by describing the tasks performed to generate future plans around digital scholarship, including the development of a working definition of digital scholarship, the assessment of current needs associated with digital scholarship activities, the benchmarking of service models  at other institutions, and the scanning of existing services currently offered in the libraries and on campus. Next, DSST members discuss key results, prioritized around popular services in the field of digital scholarship, including data visualization, digital humanities, and data repository services. Finally, the group reflects on the collaborative aspects of their work, including their close ties to the UH Libraries' Strategic Planning Team. While only just started, DSST members believe that their work (and the roadmap they developed) contributes to the growing digital scholarship efforts among institutions in Texas. They believe this presentation will facilitate audience conversation, particularly on the challenges of starting and sustaining digital scholarship activities. [1] Joan K. Lippincott, Harriette Hemmasi, and Vivian Marie Lewis, "Trends in Digital Scholarship Centers," Educause Review (June 16, 2014): http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/trends-digital-scholarship-centers .


The rapid development of multinational companies (MNCs) has resulted in the need for accounting systems which function to report, evaluate and control international operations and their managers' effectiveness. While the problems surrounding the evaluation and control of domestic firms remain the same for MNCs' parent company managers, the question of which country's currency should be used in the evaluation process represents additional complexities for them. The choice is essentially either that of the parent company currency or the currency of the foreign subsidiary. Parent company managers may also use both of these currencies, but it is likely that this choice will result in different decisions regarding the performance of foreign operations (see Demirag, 1987,1987a, 1987b). The aim of this paper is to critically review the theoretical and empirical literature on the use of parent and/or foreign subsidiary accounting information used by multinational companies in the evaluation of their foreign subsidiary operations and managers. In doing so, the paper addresses the following two questions. First, to what extent is translated information, untranslated information or both types of information significant in the evaluation of foreign subsidiary operations and their managers' performance in MNCs? Second, what are the major contextual variables which influence MNC foreign currency accounting practices in performance evaluations?