Investigations of the marine-derived fungus Chaetomium sp. led to the isolation of the new natural products chaetoxanthones A, B, and C (1-3). Compounds 1 and 2 are substituted with a dioxane/tetrahydropyran moiety rarely found in natural products. Compound 3 was identified as a chlorinated xanthone substituted with a tetrahydropyran ring. The configurational analysis of these compounds employed CD spectroscopy, modified Mosher's method, and selective NOE gradient measurements. Compound 2 showed selective activity against Plasmodium falciparum with an IC50 value of 0.5 microg/mL without being cytotoxic toward cultured eukaryotic cells. Compound 3 displayed a moderate activity against Trypanosoma cruzi with an IC50 value of 1.5 microg/mL.


The thickness of the mantle transition zone beneath Ross Island, and parts of the Transantarctic Mountains and East Antarctic Craton has been mapped using data from the 2000–2003 Transantarctic Mountain Seismic Experiment to determine if, as indicated by some tomographic images, an upper mantle thermal anomaly centered beneath Ross Island is a deep‐seated feature extending into the mantle transition zone. Some 2700 receiver functions have been stacked using a 3D velocity model, revealing Ps conversions from the mantle transition zone discontinuities at depths of 410 and 660 km. Results yield an average nearly uniform transition zone thickness (266 ± 10 km) that is slightly larger than the global average, implying that the upper mantle thermal anomaly does not likely extend into the transition zone. This finding favors explanations for the upper mantle thermal anomaly invoking a plume head or small‐scale convection.


Recently, increase of the gold prices attracts interest again together with the affects of the latest financial crisis. Main objective of this study is to determine factors affecting the gold prices. The study includes montly data between June, 1992 and March, 2010. Oil prices, USA exchange rate, USA inflation rate, USA real interest rate data are included in the model as variables. According to emprical findings, highest correlation is found between gold prices and USA exchange rate negatively. Secondly, a positive correlation is found between gold prices and oil prices.


The majority of ectopic pregnancies are located within the fallopian tube. Nevertheless, pregnancies have been reported to implant in the cervix, ovary, interstitial tubal segment, and at various intra-abdominal sites. The diagnosis and treatment of these unusual implantation sites presents both diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas. The majority of data regarding these unusual ectopic pregnancies come largely from case reports and anecdotal information. In the past, treatment of these ectopic pregnancies used various combinations of surgery and/or systemic and local chemotherapy. In this article, we attempt to summarize the current data regarding diagnosis and optimal treatment of these unusual ectopic pregnancies.


Grammars can serve as producers for structured test inputs that are syntactically correct by construction. A probabilistic grammar assigns probabilities to individual productions, thus controlling the distribution of input elements. Using the grammars as input parsers, we show how to learn input distributions from input samples, allowing to create inputs that are similar to the sample; by inverting the probabilities, we can create inputs that are dissimilar to the sample. This allows for three test generation strategies: 1) "Common inputs"–by learning from common inputs, we can create inputs that are similar to the sample; this is useful for regression testing. 2) "Uncommon inputs"–learning from common inputs and inverting probabilities yields inputs that are strongly dissimilar to the sample; this is useful for completing a test suite with "inputs from hell" that test uncommon features, yet are syntactically valid. 3) "Failure-inducing inputs"–learning from inputs that caused failures in the past gives us inputs that share similar features and thus also have a high chance of triggering bugs; this is useful for testing the completeness of fixes. Our evaluation on three common input formats (JSON, JavaScript, CSS) shows the effectiveness of these approaches. Results show that "common inputs" reproduced 96 percent of the methods induced by the samples. In contrast, for almost all subjects (95 percent), the "uncommon inputs" covered significantly different methods from the samples. Learning from failure-inducing samples reproduced all exceptions (100 percent) triggered by the failure-inducing samples and discovered new exceptions not found in any of the samples learned from.


Introduction: Candida infection of the salivary glands is extremely rare, and a parotid gland infection with Candida tropicalis in an immunocompetent patient has, to the best of our knowledge, never been described before. Case presentation: A 76-year-old male with known bilateral oncocytic parotid lesions and antibiotic suppression therapy for a vascular endograft infection presented with fever and a tender red mass in the left parotid region. Although a bacterial infection of the parotid gland was suspected at first, cultures of parotid cyst aspirate yielded C. tropicalis. Once the Gram stain indicated the presence of yeast cells, fluconazole therapy was initiated. Follow-up after 3 weeks showed resolution of the infection and antifungal therapy was ceased. Conclusions: With increasing and widespread antibiotic use, this case underlines the emergence of uncommon pathogens by antibiotic selection pressure. This shift in causative pathogens will not only result in an increase in Candida infections at known body sites but will also lead to infection of less common anatomical sites. Clinicians should recognize this trend and adjust their differential diagnosis accordingly.


Objective To explore the early predictors of patients with 2009 H1N1 pneumonia by analyzing the clinical features.Methods The 2009 H1 N1 pneumonia patients,admitted to our emergency intensive care unit (EICU) from October 2009 to January 2010,were retrospectively analyzed. The 86patients were divided into died and survival groups. The chi-square test and T test were used to examine the difference between groups.Results Of the 86 patients we studied,15 ( 17.4% ) cases died and 12 cases received mechanical ventilation. All patients underwent chest radiography on admission and the findings were consistent with pneumonia in all cases.The median duration of symptoms before admission was 3.2 days.The first laboratory test results indicated the average total number of white blood cell (WBC) was (6358 ±483) /mm3.Of the 86 patients,47 (54.7% ) showed a reduction in WBC.Of the 71 patients who survived,35 (49.3%) had leucopenia and12 (80%) in died group (x2 =4.71,P < 0.05).In survival group,39 (54.9%) had lymphopenia and 13 (86.7%) in died group (x2 =5.22,P <0.05).Of 72 patients had T-lymphocyte subsets results,CD4 + T cell counts on average was (424.8 ±231.6 ) /mm3 in57 survival cases and (242.5 ±99.1) /mm3 in 15 died cases (t=2.14,P < 0.05).On admission,serum creatine kinase (CK) in died group was (794.5 ± 85.1 ) U/L,higher than (632.3 ±47.9) U/L in survival group (t =2.25,P < 0.05).Elevated CK was found in 14 (93.3%)of 15 died cases and 50 (70.4%) in survival group (x2 =5.87,P < 0.05). Serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in died group was (1028.6 ± 97.3) U/L,higher than (832.3 ± 56.1 ) U/L in survival group (t =2.31,P < 0.05). According to the criterion of body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m2,33 (38.4%) cases were obesity,in which 13 (86.7% ) in died group and 20 (28.2%) in survival group ( x2 =17.92,P < 0.01 ),The mortality was increasing along with the BMI was increasing ( r =0.37,P =0.048). Conclusions SOFA,MEDS,CURB-65 score used in emergency room as the risk stratification methods can not effectively predict the 2009 H1N1 pneumonia patients. Peripheral blood lymphocyte counts,serum creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase,body mass index in the early course may be factors associated with outcomes of 2009 H1N1 pneumonia patients.

Key words:
Novel influenza (H1N1) ;  Pneumonia;  Clinical features;  Mortality;  Prognosis


This paper assesses the impact of corporate taxation on multinational activity. A numerically solvable general equilibrium model of trade and multinational firms is used to incorporate the following components of corporate taxation: parent and host country statutory corporate tax rates, withholding tax rates, and parent and host country depreciation allowances. We account for their differential impact under alternative methods of double taxation relief (i.e., credit, exemption, and deduction). The hypotheses regarding the effects of changes in the tax parameters are investigated in a panel of bilateral OECD outbound stocks of foreign direct investment (FDI) from 1991 to 2002. For this, we compile annual information on taxation to construct the largest existing panel of tax parameters at the bilateral level based on national tax law and bilateral tax treaties. Our findings indicate that the parent country's statutory corporate tax rate tends to foster outward FDI, whereas the host country's statutory corporate and withholding tax rates are negatively associated with outward FDI. Depreciation allowances exert a significant impact on FDI, as hypothesized. JEL Code: H25, H73, F21, F23, C33.


In this paper, we select the application domain of earthquake engineering for utility of sonification, where signals are of random frequency and amplitude content. In particular, we focus on the response of structures to particular earthquake time histories. Given a random ground motion input, the resulting response signal will vary in the time and frequency domain, and show large variations in acceleration, velocity and displacement space. We illustrate the utility of different simple, yet robust sonification techniques to the study of the response of a variety of linear elastic single-degree-offreedom (SDOF) oscillators, with different natural periods Tn and associated damping ratios ζn, subjected to a pair of earthquake motions. In the system study, we augment the representation of the response results of these SDOF structures with both visual and aural cues.


This research aims to study mixed factors of service marketing affecting student loyalty toward the business administration curriculum at the master's degree level at Srinakharinwirot University. It also examines the relationship between student satisfaction and loyalty in the MBA program. The results show that service marketing mixed factors have influenced student satisfaction in the MBA curriculum by approximately 39.4 percent. The product and service aspect is the most important factor in predicting student satisfaction. Furthermore, the service marketing mix has influenced student attitudinal loyalty toward the MBA curriculum by about 26.7 percent, while the service-marketing mix has influenced student behavioral loyalty by nearly 40.5 percent. Student satisfaction has rather a low positive relation to attitudinal loyalty at the 0.01 level of statistical significance. Student satisfaction has a moderately positive relation to behavioral loyalty at the statistical significance level of 0.01.


In this article we discuss how the incorporation of selected technologies (i.e., outboard motor, snowmobile) in Northern Ontario profoundly and irrevocably transformed two Cree nations located in the Hudson Bay Lowlands. We demonstrate how this technological in- tegration has provided two remote First Nations in Canada with the ability to adapt to biophysical and socio-cultural changes, thereby sus- taining traditional livelihood and providing food security. Interviews conducted in 2006-2010 with the Weenusk First Nation at Peawanuck, and the Washaho First Nation at Fort Severn are used to contextualize the discussion and answer the following research questions: (a) Are a greater or smaller number of people in these two First Nations engaged in subsistence behaviour today than in the past?; (b) Are these har- vesters more or less successful?; and (c) Are levels of subsistence con- sumption different? The findings indicate that while less people are generally participating in traditional subsistence activities, access to traditional foods due to technology remains, for the time being, the same. The sustainability of these activities on the long-term is exam- ined in the conclusion.


The European Spallation Source (ESS), now under construction in Lund, Sweden, offers unique opportunities for experimental physics, not only in neutron science but potentially in particle physics. The ESS neutrino superbeam project plans to use a 5 MW proton beam from the ESS linac to generate a high intensity neutrino superbeam, with the final goal of detecting leptonic CP-violation in an underground megaton Cherenkov water detector. The neutrino production requires a second target station and a complex focusing system for the pions emerging from the target. The normal-conducting magnetic horns that are normally used for these applications cannot accept the 2.86 ms long proton pulses of the ESS linac, which means that pulse shortening in an accumulator ring would be required. That, in turn, requires H- operation in the linac to accommodate the high intensity. As an attractive alternative, we investigate the possibility of using superconducting solenoids for the pion focusing. This solenoid horn system needs to also separate positive and negative pion charge as completely as possible, in order to generate separately neutrino and anti-neutrino beams. We present here progress in the study of such a solenoid horn.


Thermoacoustic Power Sensor (TAPS) technology offers the potential for self-powered, wireless measurement of nuclear reactor core operating conditions. TAPS are based on thermoacoustic engines, which harness thermal energy from fission reactions to generate acoustic waves by virtue of gas motion through a porous stack of thermally nonconductive material. TAPS can be placed in the core, where they generate acoustic waves whose frequency and amplitude are proportional to the local temperature and radiation flux, respectively. TAPS acoustic signals are not measured directly at the TAPS; rather, they propagate wirelessly from an individual TAPS through the reactor, and ultimately to a low-power receiver network on the vessel's exterior. In order to rely on TAPS as primary instrumentation, reactor-specific models which account for geometric/acoustic complexities in the signal propagation environment must be used to predict the amplitude and frequency of TAPS signals at receiver locations. The reactor state may then be derived by comparing receiver signals to the reference levels established by predictive modeling. In this paper, we develop and experimentally benchmark a methodology for predictive modeling of the signals generated by a TAPS system, with the intent of subsequently extending these efforts to modeling of TAPS in a liquid sodium environment.


In this work sub-terahertz imaging using Compressive Sensing (CS) techniques for targets placed behind a visibly opaque barrier is demonstrated both experimentally and theoretically. Using a multiplied Schottky diode based millimeter wave source working at 118 GHz, metal cutout targets were illuminated in both reflection and transmission configurations with and without barriers which were made out of drywall. In both modes the image is spatially discretized using laser machined, 10 × 10 pixel metal apertures to demonstrate the technique of compressive sensing. The images were collected by modulating the source and measuring the transmitted flux through the apertures using a Golay cell. Experimental results were compared to simulations of the expected transmission through the metal apertures. Image quality decreases as expected when going from the non-obscured transmission case to the obscured transmission case and finally to the obscured reflection case. However, in all instances the image appears below the Nyquist rate which demonstrates that this technique is a viable option for Through the Wall Reflection Imaging (TWRI) applications.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic analysis of the literature to assess the efficacy of traction for patients with neck or back pain.

SUBJECTS
For this purpose, randomized clinical trials comparing traction with other treatments were selected.

METHODS
A computer-aided search of the literature was conducted for relevant articles, followed by blinded assessment of the methods of the studies. The main outcome measures were (1) scoring for quality of the designated conduct of studies (based on a methodological checklist with four main categories: study population, interventions, measurement of effect, and data presentation) and the main conclusions of author(s) with regard to traction and (2) calculation of confidence intervals and power of the studies.

RESULTS
Only three studies scored more than 50 points (maximum score = 100 points), suggesting that most of the selected studies were of poor quality. None of these three studies showed favorable results for traction. Only four studies, of which one scored more than 50 points, had an acceptable power (1- beta > 80%).

CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION
The available reports of studies on the efficacy of traction for back and neck pain do not allow clear conclusions due to the methodological flaws in their design and conduct. Most studies lacked power (1-beta) due to small sample sizes. To date, no conclusions can be drawn about whether a specific traction modality for back or neck pain is effective, or more efficacious than other treatments. There are no clear indications, however, that traction is an ineffective therapy for back and neck pain. Further trials are needed in which much more attention should be paid to proper design and conduct, as well as to clear descriptions of crucial methodological features and results.


This dissertation analyses the impact of political and macroeconomic uncertainties on environmental outcomes and design of policy instruments. The first essay examines how the rate of agricultural land expansion in tropical countries depends on the nature and persistence of new political regimes. We use a novel panel data method that extends previous studies. We find that both new autocratic and democratic regimes have accelerated the expansion of agricultural land, thus yielding support to some of the findings in the earlier literature. Interesting differences emerge between regions, with the impact being most pronounced in Latin America. The analysis is developed more formally using a simple competitive land use model with political regime dependent confiscation risk and agricultural subsidy policy. The second essay evaluates the effectiveness of performance bonding for tropical forest concession management in achieving first and second best outcomes concerning reduced impact logging (RIL) standards. As a novel contribution, this essay introduces a simple model of two-stage concession design, and focus on the impact of three complications: harvester participation constraints, government repayment risk, and imperfect enforcement. We find several new and interesting results, in particular, imperfect enforcement and bond risk may deter implementation of bonding schemes as either the bond payment has to be set higher or the penalty mapping has to become more punitive. Policy implications, including potential for mechanisms such as REDD+ in improving the bonding outcomes, and the degree of financial support required to guarantee full implementation of RIL, are also examined. The third essay focuses on the relative performance of fixed versus intensity allowances in the presence of both productivity and energy price uncertainties. Both allowance instruments achieve the same steady-state emissions reduction target of 20%, which is similar to the current policy proposals, and the regulator then chooses the allowance policy that has the lowest expected abatement cost. We use a standard real business cycle (RBC) model to solve for the expected abatement cost under both policies. Unlike previous studies, our results show that under a reasonable model calibration, fixed allowances outperform intensity allowances with as much as 30% cost difference.


The etiology of localized scleroderma remains unclear. The objective of this article is to review different theories of etiology, specifically provocative and predisposing factors for the development of localized scleroderma. The mini-review presents the factors, which may influence the occurrence of localized scleroderma. The genetic predisposition for the development of scleroderma is a relevant characteristic of the disease. Different traumatic factors, viral & bacterial infections, chemical substances, pharmaceutical agents may trigger localized scleroderma. Neoplasia is regarded as a distinct triggering impulse for scleroderma.


This paper presents an argument about the cultural construction of visual products. Based on data from video observations, interviews and the collection of studentproduced (visual) artifacts, a material ethnography approach is presented. Applying reflexivity with the use of visuals, the following argument is made. Instead of revealing insights through just one approach, a reflective methodology should consider: (a) the context in which the visual was produced; (b) the content of the visual; (c) the contexts in, and subjectivities through, which visuals are viewed; and (d) the materiality and agency of visuals. A case of a New Zealand year 7/8 primary science class studying the water cycle is presented. It is argued that teaching science concepts like the water cycle through visualizations cannot be an abstract endeavor because even when abstract ideas are presented, they are visualized as concrete objects. The teacher used a range of visual materials including video clips, diagrams, student drawings, and student produced 3D models, each endowed with unique material and visual dimensions. The teacher activated those through talking, writing, drawing and working with artifacts and purposefully recorded conversations with individual students to be able to reflect on and track the children's progression in understanding.


A 150-kDa cytadhesin-like protein from Mycoplasma gallisepticum has been identified. A previously described 583-bp fragment (J.E. Dohms, L.L. Hnatow, P. Whetzel, R. Morgan and C.L. Keeler, Jr., Avian Dis. 37:380-388, 1993) was used to probe a genomic library of M. gallisepticum DNA. An 8.0-kb SacI fragment was identified, cloned, and partially sequenced. Analysis of the resulting 3,750-bp sequence revealed the presence of a 3,366-nucleotide open reading frame, mgc1. The 1,122-amino-acid protein encoded by this open reading frame, MGC1, has characteristics of a class I membrane protein and has homology with the MgPa cytadhesin of Mycoplasma genitalium (26.3%) and the P1 cytadhesin of Mycoplasma pneumoniae (28.7%). A portion of MGC1 was expressed as a glutathione S-transferase fusion protein and used to produce antiserum in rabbits. The antiserum recognizes a 150-kDa protein from M. gallisepticum. The protein is sensitive to trypsin, confirming that it is surface exposed. Primer extension analysis indicates that the mgc1 RNA starts within an upstream open reading frame, suggesting complex control of its expression. This is the first description of a functional gene from M. gallisepticum showing homology to cytadhesin genes from human mycoplasmas.


Objective: To describe the prenatal diagnosis of trichothiodystrophy (TTD) through endoscopically-guided fetal eyebrow biopsy. Materials and Methods: A 32-year-old patient, gravida 4, para 3, with a history of 2 previous infants affected with TTD was referred at 175/7 weeks for fetal hair biopsy. DNA repair studies had been normal in the previous children. Four 1-mm biopsies were obtained from the external aspect of the fetal eyebrows under direct endoscopic guidance. Fetal hair samples were assessed with polarized microscopy, electron microscopy, hematoxylin and eosin staining, and were also sent for analysis of sulfur content (cystine levels). Results: The fetal eyebrows were the only adequate source of hair in the early second trimester. The biopsy samples yielded adequate material for all tests. Polarized microscopy showed characteristic banding patterns, but trichoschisis was not apparent. Cystine levels (19 μmol/l) in the biopsy sample were significantly lower than an age-matched (fresh spontaneous abortion) control (368 μmol/l). Conclusion: Prenatal diagnosis of TTD is possible in the second trimester through endoscopically-guided eyebrow biopsy. An adequate amount of hair is present in the eyebrows by then, and the disease is already manifest. Analysis of sulfur content of the hair samples is preferred over polarized or electron microscopy, as many classic microscopic findings of TTD may not be present in the early second trimester.


Segmentation of the vertebrate hindbrain leads to the formation of a series of rhombomeres with distinct identities. In mouse, Krox20 and kreisler play important roles in specifying distinct rhombomeres and in controlling segmental identity by directly regulating rhombomere-specific expression of Hox genes. We show that spiel ohne grenzen (spg) zebrafish mutants develop rhombomeric territories that are abnormal in both size and shape. Rhombomere boundaries are malpositioned or absent and the segmental pattern of neuronal differentiation is perturbed. Segment-specific expression of hoxa2, hoxb2 and hoxb3 is severely affected during initial stages of hindbrain development in spg mutants and the establishment of krx20 (Krox20 ortholog) and valentino (val; kreisler ortholog) expression is impaired. spg mutants carry loss-of-function mutations in the pou2 gene. pou2 is expressed at high levels in the hindbrain primordium of wild-type embryos prior to activation of krx20 and val. Widespread overexpression of Pou2 can rescue the segmental krx20 and val domains in spg mutants, but does not induce ectopic expression of these genes. This suggests that spg/pou2 acts in a permissive manner and is essential for normal expression of krx20 and val. We propose that spg/pou2 is an essential component of the regulatory cascade controlling hindbrain segmentation and acts before krx20 and val in the establishment of rhombomere precursor territories.


To design the scaffold with suitable properties for the development of tissue engineered livers, materials design, selection and scaffold construct are three dispensable steps to be followed consequently. Firstly, some natural materials such as collagen, chitosan and alignate as well as some prevailing aliphatic polyester such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA), polyglycolide (PGA) and their copolymers poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) are selected and characterized by hepatocyte culture. The experimental results reveal that the natural materials with excellent biocompatibility are not suitable as the scaffold alone because of the poor mechanical properties. At same time, aliphatic polyesters with good mechanical properties and biodegrade abilities are also proved inapplicable for hepatocytes for the lack of right cell recognition sites. Among our study scope, the hybrid materials such as collagen/chitosan or collagen/chitosan/heparin are the very promising candidates for hepatic tissue engineering scaffold. Secondly, two novel designs composed of collagen and PLGA, namely, the spindle porous scaffold with separated channels for transportation of nutrient, plasma and the one made by dewaxen-casting method are initiated respectively.


Sonderegger pine (Pinus x sondereggeri H.H. Chapm.) is a hybrid pine species of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) and longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) that is culled when noticed during seedling processing and packing in the nursery. Early indication of the hybrid has been theorized as the absence of a seed wing stub or hypocotyl lift off of the growing medium surface, although neither of these theories has been proven. Two trials were conducted to determine the role of container cell color, growing medium depth in the cells, and the presence of a seed wing stub on longleaf pine hypocotyl lift. Seedlings grown in black container cells had increased hypocotyl lift and tendency for reductions in root-collar diameter growth regardless of seed wing stub presence. Genetic testing indicated that both wingless and winged seeds were true longleaf pine. This paper was presented at the Joint Annual Meeting of the Southern Forest Nursery Association and the Northeast Forest and Conservation Nursery Association (Pensacola, FL, July 17–19, 2018).


Generally, most of the studies on life satisfaction have been conducted in populations outside the shores of Afrique Noire. Scholars interested in positive psychology have been studying in practical terms what it takes to attain subjective well-being. Subjective wellbeing in the form of happiness or life satisfaction may be referred to as combination of simple to complex perceptive judgment concerning satisfaction with life, characterized by the frequent experiencing of positive moods and emotion (Schimmack et al., 2004). Life satisfaction was explained using Veenhoven's (1984) Quality of Life (QOL) Model; emotional Intelligence was discussed with the Model by Salovey. Based on the findings, the study has empirically demonstrated that health workers who perceived an increase sense of emotional intelligence and self-esteem showed higher tendency to demonstrate life satisfaction than their counterparts. The result of this study also showed that all the independent variables (emotional intelligence (?=0.189, p<0.01), and self-esteem (?=0.145, p<0.05) predicted life satisfaction. The researcher recommends that Ministry of Health in Nigeria should take adequate steps to inculcate life satisfying measure that directly increase the emotional and behavioural aspects of health workers' life to increase the chances of developing and sustaining a viable health service delivery in Nigeria.


The average age of the HIV population is increasing, due primarily to advances in antiretroviral treatment. Adults over the age of 50 will soon make up the majority of adults with HIV in resource rich settings. However, research into their well-being is lagging behind. An initial systematic review into the well-being of older persons with HIV (PWH), conducted as part of this thesis, revealed little comprehensive research. Even fewer studies were identified exploring the effects of 'time diagnosed with HIV' on well-being, which is increasingly a significant variable in HIV care. This makes designing effective health-care interventions for older adults with HIV in the UK problematic. This thesis aims to identify differences in physical, social, and mental well-being in PWH in relation to age, and time diagnosed with HIV. Using one multi-centre UK study (the ASTRA study; N=3,258), one smaller study (the Resilience study, N=327) and two systematic reviews. It reveals that physical symptom frequency and distress did not differ in prevalence with age, although the symptoms of concern did. Social support decreased with age and problems with activities of daily living increased, but mental health (assessed by depression and anxiety symptoms) improved. Time with diagnosed HIV, however, was found to be strongly related to worse physical, mental, and social well-being. This is novel data and would benefit from further research to identify the extent of its effect on well-being. A second study was designed and utilised to explore these conflicting findings, and 'resilience' (assessed via the RS-14 scale) was found to relate to the increase in mental health with age, as well as the reduction in well-being identified in adults with long-term HIV. This data is the first of its kind. The results are used to suggest appropriate intervention content for adults ageing with HIV.


We consider a multi-antenna broadcast channel with more single-antenna receivers than transmit antennas and partial channel state information at the transmitter (CSIT). We propose a novel type of CSIT representation for the purpose of user selection, coined as ranking-based feedback. Each user calculates and feeds back the rank, an integer between 1 and W + 1, of its instantaneous channel quality information (CQI) among a set of W past CQI measurements. Apart from reducing significantly the required feedback load, ranking-based feedback enables the transmitter to select users that are on the highest peak (quantile) with respect to their own channel distribution, independently of the distribution of other users. It can also be shown that this feedback metric can restore temporal fairness in heterogeneous networks, in which users' channels are not identically distributed and mobile terminals experience different average signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The performance of a system that performs user selection using ranking-based CSIT in the context of random opportunistic beamforming is analyzed, and we provide design guidelines on the number of required past CSIT samples and the impact of finite W on average throughput. Simulation results show that feedback reduction of order of 40‐50% can be achieved with negligible decrease in system throughput.


Nanocelluloses (NCs) are bio-based nano-structurated products that open up new solutions for natural material sciences. Although a high number of papers have described their production, properties, and potential applications in multiple industrial sectors, no review to date has focused on their possible use in cementitious composites, which is the aim of this review. It describes how they could be applied in the manufacturing process as a raw material or an additive. NCs improve mechanical properties (internal bonding strength, modulus of elasticity (MOE), and modulus of rupture (MOR)), alter the rheology of the cement paste, and affect the physical properties of cements/cementitious composites. Additionally, the interactions between NCs and the other components of the fiber cement matrix are analyzed. The final result depends on many factors, such as the NC type, the dosage addition mode, the dispersion, the matrix type, and the curing process. However, all of these factors have not been studied in full so far. This review has also identified a number of unexplored areas of great potential for future research in relation to NC applications for fiber-reinforced cement composites, which will include their use as a surface treatment agent, an anionic flocculant, or an additive for wastewater treatment. Although NCs remain expensive, the market perspective is very promising.


In this work, a modified coupling Lattice Boltzmann Model (LBM) in simulation of cardiac electrophysiology is developed in order to capture the detailed activities of macro- to micro-scale transport processes. The propagation of electrical activity in the human heart through torso is mathematically modeled by bidomain type systems. As transmembrane potential evolves, we take into account domain anisotropical properties using intracellular and extracellular conductivity, such as in a pacemaker or an electrocardiogram, in both parallel and perpendicular directions to the fibers. The bidomain system represents multi-scale, stiff and strongly nonlinear coupled reaction-diffusion models that consist of a set of ordinary differential equations coupled with a set of partial differential equations. Due to dynamic and geometry complexity, numerical simulation and implementation of bidomain type systems are extremely challenging conceptual and computational problems but are very important in many real-life and biomedical applications. This paper suggests a modified LBM scheme, reliable, efficient, stable and easy to implement in the context of such bidomain systems. Numerical tests to confirm effectiveness and accuracy of our approach are provided and the propagation of electrophysiological waves in the heart is analyzed.


Within the context of monitoring desertification using a network of observatories, one faces the problem of the representativeness of biophysical, ecological, and socioeconomic variations. Ideally, one would choose at least one observatory for each homogeneous zone using indicators that capture these variations. Here, we focused only on ecoclimatic aspects defined by the global physical and climatic conditions characterizing arid and semiarid zones. The challenging aim of this paper is to spatially identify the different patterns of ecoclimatic variations. For most of the indicators of arid or semiarid zones, temporal characteristics and interactions through a typical year are observed. In order to take into account these dynamics in the clustering approach, one must use a methodology that captures interactions between spatial location, time of measurement, and indicator measured. For this purpose, a multiway analysis, generalizing principal component analysis, has been used on internationally recognized ecoclimatic indicators that characterize arid and semiarid zones. Most of these indicators were used nondynamically or qualitatively to approve and certify observatories of the Reseau d'Observatoires pour le Suivi Ecologique a long Termes network. A direct application of this method would be to assess homogeneity and validity of ecoclimatic characteristics for each observatory comparative to its regional location within its country or within the whole circum-Saharan region.


This paper reports on the spatial scales of meandering motions using recent data from three mesoscale networks. Although the mesoscale motions extend over a wide range of scales, and time series do not reveal a spectral peak, the examination of the spatial coherence does identify a preferred spatial scale. Several independent methods reveal the same preferred spatial scale for horizontal coherence for a given network. However, the spatial scale differs by a factor of two between the different networks examined here, presumably due to the different topography and surface conditions. The preferred spatial scale increases roughly linearly with range of time scales included in the evaluation. However, the details of this increase do not seem to be predictable, again partly due to site-specific conditions. The preferred spatial scales are of the order of a few kilometres for time scales less than an hour, but may reach tens of kilometres for time scales of several hours. The preferred horizontal length scale determines the area over which the flow features are statistically coherent. Measurements at a single location can be considered as representative for an area comparable to or smaller than the preferred scale.


Background: Patients with reduced mobility are at risk of pressure ulceration. Urinal or faecal incontinence increases the vulnerability of skin to damage and the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel has identified that moisture lesions contribute to the development of pressure damage. In one UK district general hospital a sudden rise in the incidence of pressure ulcers coincided with an outbreak of infectious intestinal disease caused by Clostridium difficile and Norovirus. Objectives: To determine if circumstantial evidence was present to link the rise in pressure ulcer incidence with the outbreaks of diarrhoea. Methods: All patients who experienced pressure ulceration and diarrhoea in the period January to March 2006 were identified and their case notes were reviewed. The dates of the onset of diarrhoea and pressure ulceration on the buttocks and sacrum were compared and any relevant written notes by nurses or doctors were examined. Conclusions: Twenty-three patients who had pressure ulcers also appeared as symptomatic cases on the diarrhoea outbreak lists. Fourteen cases were considered to demonstrate aetiological linkage to the presence of diarrhoea. Sufficient circumstantial evidence was demonstrated to persuade the healthcare trust to take action on the institution of skin care measures for all patients with incontinence. Conflict of interest: None


Software watermarking is a software protection technique used to defend the intellectual property of proprietary code. In particular, software watermarking aims at preventing software piracy by embedding a signature, i.e. an identifier reliably representing the owner, in the code. When an illegal copy is made, the owner can claim his/her identity by extracting the signature. It is important to hide the signature in the program in order to make it difficult for the attacker to detect, tamper or remove it. In this work, we present a formal framework for software watermarking, based on program semantics and abstract interpretation, where attackers are modelled as abstract interpreters. In this setting, we can prove that the ability to identify signatures can be modelled as a completeness property of the attackers in the abstract interpretation framework. Indeed, hiding a signature in the code corresponds to embed it as a semantic property that can be retrieved only by attackers that are complete for it. Any abstract interpreter that is not complete for the property specifying the signature cannot detect, tamper or remove it. We formalize in the proposed framework the major quality features of a software watermarking technique: secrecy, resilience, transparence and accuracy. This provides a unifying framework for interpreting both watermarking schemes and attacks, and it allows us to formally compare the quality of different watermarking techniques. Indeed, a large number of watermarking techniques exist in the literature and they are typically evaluated with respect to their secrecy, resilience, transparence and accuracy to attacks. Formally identifying the attacks for which a watermarking scheme is secret, resilient, transparent or accurate can be a complex and error-prone task, since attacks and watermarking schemes are typically defined in different settings and using different languages (e.g. program transformation vs. program analysis), complicating the task of comparing one against the others.


This paper provides a new exponential type estimator in simple random sampling for population mean. It is shown that proposed exponential type estimator is always more efficient than estimators considered by Bahl and Tuteja (1991) and Singh, Chauhan, Sawan, and Smarandache (2009). From numerical examples it is also observed that proposed modified ratio estimator performs better than existing estimators.


"Where I was. we only raped Gooks." -Cameron, from the film version of The Stunt Man Both the film The Stunt Man and the Paul Brodeur novel of the same name use the war in Vietnam as a central motivating device for their main character, Cameron. Oddly, critics of the novel and film have downplayed the importance of the war or have dismissed it altogether. Rather, most have chosen to focus their attentions upon the frame-the story/film within the film/story-or the recurrent themes of paranoia and of reality versus illusion.' Yet the Vietnam War provides the glue that holds the story together in both versions. The treatment of the war and the central characters changed drastically from the novel to the film.2 Both novel and film state that in order for Cameron (and, by association, the audience) to survive, he must be reborn. However, the statements made about the war in the two versions are decidedly different. Brodeur's novel is humorless and bleak, an existential indictment of the war that ultimately says there is no escape from the war or its destruction, even at home. Rush's film, on the other hand, employs suspense and humor to implore the audience to confront its memory of the war, heal wounds, and move on. The novel, published in 1970, presented Cameron as a twenty-six-year-old graduate student drafted one month before his eligibility expired. Brodeur's Cameron, a brooding, bookish man, is nearly paralyzed by his over-rationalization of the world around him. Scared of the war, cheated by having his number come up so late, he never makes it to Vietnam. In fact he goes AWOL before he even makes it to basic training. Sent on an errand by the black D.I. when their bus breaks down en route to camp, he runs away dreaming of Canada. Wishing to make an example of Cameron for his evasion of the war, authorities doggedly pursue him. The luck of running onto a film location and being absorbed into its community for a brief time (by replacing a Stuntman that he believes he may have killed) offers him only an angst-ridden prolonging of the inevitable. Cameron is constantly reminded of the war as radio or television reports about it drone on throughout the novel. The Cameron of the film is feral where Brodeur's is cerebral. The novel's Cameron is prodded into action by the geriatric, glaucomic movie director. Gottschalk, and his sadistic cinematographer, Bruno da Ke. The cinematic Cameron, a seasoned combat veteran dubbed "Lucky Bert" by the film's mercurial director, Eli Cross, reacts atavistically to his surroundings, then later ponders their import. Brodeur never lets the reader forget that his Cameron loves books. Brodeur's Cameron muses over his past life as a graduate student, whereas the filmic Cameron. when asked if he reads, responds curtly, "short words." Columbia bought the rights to the novel before the book was published in 1970 and offered the project to A.I.P. alumnus Richard Rush. The studio hoped to offer a topical film that would appeal to a counter-culture audience. A film about a pensive, gentle pacifist forced into service, then trying to escape the army, had relevance. A sagging box office led the studio to scrap any project that could not guarantee immediate success, however, and they stopped production on The Stunt Man. Rush optioned the novel and peddled it all over Hollywood to unenthusiastic receptions (Peary 229). Meanwhile, the war was winding down. The Vietnami/.ation of the war during the Nixon administration slowly reduced the numbers of American men going into combat, and public support for the war reached its nadir. Americans, who could voyeuristically peek in on the war from the comfort of their living rooms, felt increasing disdain for the conflict. The public became saturated with Vietnam, and studios regarded the subject as box office poison. Richard Rush and screenwriter Lawrence Marcus, unwilling to abandon the project, continued to revise the script (nine times)4 until they received independent backing to produce the film in 1978 (Peary 230). …


Background : Radioactive synoviorthesis by injection of safe radioisotopes into the joints affected to chronic arthritis is accounted as a novel method to treat haemophilic arthropathy. The main goal of this therapy would be decrease in frequency of hemarthrosis and consumption of coagulation factors. In this study we assessed the effect of radioactive synoviorthesis on the frequency of hemarthrosis, factor consumption and other related parameters. Methods : In an interventional study in Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran, Iran, after meeting of inclusion criteria and taking written consent, colloid 32 p radiosynovectomy was performed for 56 joints with haemophilic arthropathy. After local anesthesia of injection site, one mci of 32P for large joints (knee) and 0.5 mci for small joints (ankle and elbow) was injected, respectively. Half of these doses were considered for children (age <12 years). Results : The mean of age was 16.78 year old (Range: 2.5-36; SD: 7.46 ) and 98.2% of cases were male. Injected were knee 80.35% , ankle 12.5% , and elbow 7% . The mean of follow-up was 43.63 months (range: 3-102 ) that at the end, the result was 62% decrease in frequency of hemarthrosis (p =0.0001 ) and 84% decrease in factor consumption (p =0.0001 ). However, the involvement of other (non injected) joints during follow-up could lower the decrease of mean of total factor consumption. Conclusions: Radioactive synoviorthesis can be a cost-effective alternative to decrease hemarthrosis and factor consumption in haemophilic arthropathy. Abstract


The insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGF-IR) plays an important role in cell transformation and in protection from apoptosis. Although the wild-type IGF-IR generally has an antiapoptotic effect, there are reports that its COOH terminus may actually generate a proapoptotic signal. Three different expression plasmids, all coding for the COOH-terminal sequences of the human IGF-IR, MyCF, CF, and MyKCF, were stably transfected into human ovarian carcinoma CaOV-3 cells. All three plasmids had no effect on monolayer growth but strongly inhibited colony formation in soft agar. Only one of the plasmids, MyCF, expressing the last 112 amino acids of the IGF-IR and carrying a myristylation signal, caused large-scale apoptosis of CaOV-3 cells in vivo and abrogation of tumorigenesis in nude mice. The plasmid expressing the MyCF sequence was also introduced into human glioblastoma T98G cells, where it decreased the clonogenicity of cells, caused a marked inhibition of colony formation in soft agar, and induced apoptosis in vivo. A double mutation at residues 1293 and 1294 of MyCF completely abrogated its inhibitory and proapoptotic activities. Neither the autophosphorylation of the IGF-IR nor the tyrosyl phosphorylation of IRS-1 was affected by the expression of the MyCF plasmid. These and other findings suggest that a stably expressed myristylated COOH terminus of the IGF-IR can induce apoptosis in human tumor cells in vivo and inhibit tumorigenesis in nude mice by a mechanism that avoids the protective effect of the IGF-IR.


This paper studies the state-of-art of Internet of Things (IoT). By enabling new forms of communication between people and things, and between things themselves, IoT would add a new dimension to the world of information and communication just as Internet once did. In this paper, IoT definitions from different perspective in academic communities are described and compared. The main enabling technologies in IoT are summarized such like RFID systems, sensor networks, and intelligence in smart objects, etc. The effects of their potential applications are reviewed. Finally the major research issues remaining open for academic communities are analyzed.


: The requisites for filling up birth certificates in France (> or = 180 days of pregnancy and vitality at the registration of birth) are different from the criteria recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) (at least 500 g) for national statistics. The number of stillborn babies and neonatal deaths known from two different sources in the Nord-Pas de Calais Region in 1988-1989 have been compared ie: the vital statistics published by INSEE and the data of a survey carried out in hospitals according to the WHO criteria. Among the 808 known perinatal deaths in the survey, 305 (37.7%) were ignored or were not classified in the same categories by the registration services for vital statistics. 230 children including 29 born alive had not been registered and 75 children born alive had been registered as still born. The disparity in these definitions between INSEE and the WHO has serious consequences: the perinatal mortality measured by INSEE is underestimated by 28%, in comparison with mortality registered according to the WHO criteria. The 180 day threshold of viability reduces the social rights of employed women and makes it more difficult for them to have the money they spent on medical care refunded. Finally, as it is impossible to find a trace of these children who were not legally registered since they were under the threshold of viability, the mourning response of parents to perinatal deaths is all the more difficult. Current evolution in the threshold of viability observed in maternity units, makes it necessary to change the criteria which are applied for the legal registration of births.


Abstract Azithromycin, a broad-spectrum azalide, and co-amoxiclav were compared in a randomized, multicentre, open-label trial in 759 patients treated for acute tracheobronchitis (n = 620) or acute infectious exacerbations of chronic bronchitis (n = 139). Patients were randomized (2:1) to a 3-day regimen of two azithromycin 250 mg capsules once daily or a 5-10-day regimen of co-amoxiclav, one 625 mg tablet three times daily. Azithromycin produced a significantly higher cure rate (70.6% versus 61.1%) than co-amoxiclav (P = 0.011) and there were fewer failures (7.8% versus 13.6%) and relapses in the azithromycin-treated group, giving a higher overall response rate for azithromycin (89.7% versus 80.2%, P = 0.0003). With azithromycin, compliance was better than with co-amoxiclav and there was a significantly shorter time to improvement or cure. A higher incidence of adverse events, mostly gastrointestinal, was reported by patients taking co-amoxiclav (21.3% versus 14%, P = 0.0097), causing more patients in this group to discontinue therapy (7% versus 1.2%, P = 0.00004).


Deutsche Edelstahlwerke Cryodur 1730 is a medium-carbon, non-alloy cold-work tool steel. It is primarily used in the non-heattreated condition. For special applications it is used in the quenched and tempered condition. Owing to its low hardenability Cryodur 1730 develops a fully hardened zone that is relatively thin, even when quenched drastically. Thicker sections have a hard case over a tough core. This datasheet provides information on composition, physical properties, hardness, and elasticity. It also includes information on wear resistance as well as heat treating, machining, and joining. Filing Code: TS-808. Producer or source: Deutsche Edelstahlwerke Specialty Steel.


Men often have poorer health outcomes than women. In the United States, Black men in particular tend to have worse health than not only Black women but other racial/ethnic groups of men. One factor that contributes to health is the role of masculinity. Previous research notes that men who cling to hegemonic notions of masculine identity tend to engage in negative health behaviors. However, hegemonic masculinity is not the realm in which Black men exist. Criminalized, surveilled, and subject to structural racism and racial discrimination, Black masculinities exist on their own spectrum separate from that of White men. One characteristic associated with Black masculinity is that of faith, and faith is a growing field of study with respect to health. This paper examines the relationship between Black masculinity as framed by faith in shaping the food and eating habits of Black men. Food and eating are central to health and well-being yet remain understudied with respect to Black masculinity through the lens of faith. This study offers a qualitative account of Black men's experiences through the use of in-depth interview data. The key finding of this study is that fasting operates as a mechanism of health promotion for Black men. This paper utilizes the term Black men as an all-encompassing term of members of the African diaspora as opposed to African American in order to recognize the diversity of the participants in this study.


The effect of suramin, an acid naphthylamine, on rat kidney lysosomal membrane integrity was studied. Lysosomal particles were incubated with suramin (0.1-0.4 mM) and light scattering behaviour of the mixtures were subsequently measured. There was a significant decrease (P less than 0.005) in the amount of light absorbed in the presence of suramin compared to lysosomal particle suspension alone. This was accompanied by release of acid phosphatase, a lysosomal 'marker' enzyme, into the suspending medium. These effects were reduced in the presence of acetylsalicylic acid, a known lysosomal membrane stabilizer. Administration of suramin to rats resulted in loss of kidney acid phosphatase and lysozyme activities from the tissue. These results indicate labilization of rat kidney lysosomal membrane by suramin molecules both in vitro and in vivo.


Drug resistance is one of the major obstacles in the treatment of various cancers. Since chemotherapy serves as a most beneficial method for the repression of tumor progression and due to its desirable cell death potency in tumors which reducing metastasis, failure of such a pivotal treatment lead to tumor recurrence and consequent mortality. Multidrug resistance, the principal mechanism by which many cancers develop resistance to chemotherapy drugs, is a major factor in the failure of many forms of chemotherapy. MDR1 overexpression is one form of the multidrug resistance (MDR) phenotype, which can be acquired by patients initially responsive to chemotherapy. In this review, we briefly look inside the recent mechanisms of chemotherapeutic resistance, the MDR1 gene expression in tumors and some novel inhibition-based approaches.


Neurophysiological experiments in iaboratory animals and humans have convincingly demonstrated the development of "central sensitization" in response to. repeated discharot: of primary afferent nociceotors (1. 2). Convenrence of 10w-ttU-eshold . mechanoreceptive neurons on spinothaiamic tract neurons that have bee!". sensitized by nociceptive input is thought to account for tenderness around the site of ir4u..,. It now searLS clear that abnormal persistence of this sensitization process contributes to sensory disturbances experienced by many patients with. chronic P"'Tl syro.dromes (3). Low-grade nociceptive input appears to be sufficient to maintain sJinptOil""1S of central sensitization in certain patients with chronic pain syndromes (4); in others, nociceptive input seems unnecessary (5), implytn.g that central changes mediate sensory disturbances (6). In many respects, the development of sensitivity to ilOrmally innocuous levels of li2ht and noise during headache reSembles the process of IIcentral sensitization" demonstrated neurophysiologically in spinot..h"lamic tract neurons. The persistence of visual and auditory sensitivity between episodes of headache tr..ay be analogous to the persistence of tenderness for hours -or days after injury. In this issue of Cepha1lllgia, Vanagaite-Vingen and colleagues report on sensitivity to light and noise in patients ~~ cluster ~a~ ache, and on SeIlSltiVl~j to noISe m migraine, Their reports confirm the clinical impression-that photophobia persists beiween attacks during bouts of clm;ter headache, and al,;o demonstrate that patients are unusually sensitive to noise when in a bout. Importantly, Var.agaite=VL-~en et al. found that sensitivity to light and noise returned to normal beiween bouts of cluster headache. In contrast, patients with migr.riJu! reported that discomfort to low levels of noise persisted during the headache-free interval, The h'lter.sit-j of phonophobia between attacks of migraine -was not related to usual headache frequency; however, the association between phonophobia and time since the last attack was not investigated; leaving open the possibility that this symptom might eventually disappear in patients with .._trL'u"n ..-..... ~""":!II,..k 1'7\ .LLU..~"1 ~L" A .. I.U'-ft,CJ \1'" Vana~te-V~'s~ emphasize that sensorY disturbanCes persist between attacks of migraine and cluster headache. Perhaps these distuIbances are residual symptoms of "central sensitization" (analogous to tenderness after L.'I"I.ju... 'I"'If)• Alternatively, they may be an indication of persistent low-grade activation of peripheral or central nociceptive mechanisms that contribute to headache (analogous to persistent sensory disturbances in certain chronic pain syndromes). H indeed there are parallels bet¥1eeI1 sensitization of spinothalamic tract neurons and themechanisms that CUfitribute to photophobia and phonophobia; then treatments which reverse central sensitization (e.g., 8) might decrease susceptibility to headache; furthermore, sensitivity to light and noise may tum out to be useful markers Of the effectiveness of preventative therapy.


The survival of mammals is dependent upon a relatively constant, adequate supply of glucose to the central nervous system, despite large fluctuations in the amount of food available. When food is abundant, the liver stores ingested carbohydrate as glycogen, and during fasts, the stored glycogen is released at a precisely regulated rate to maintain the blood glucose level. The rates of storage and release of carbohydrate by the liver are determined by the plasma concentrations of several bloodborne signals; most important are the concentrations of glucose, and the hormones insulin and glucagon. To understand the complex control relationships of these three signals as they affect the liver, their individual dynamic influences have been determined experimentally, and they have been integrated by means of a computer simulation of the pathways of hepatic glycogen metabolism. The simulation studies have led to specific hypotheses about the biochemical effects of glucose and insulin on the liver. The simulation studies have also led to the conclusion that glucose exerts a rapid moment-to-moment influence of glucose on the rate of uptake of glucose by the liver. Insulin, however, by exerting a slower influence on the sensitivity of the liver to glucose, is very effective in "optimizing" the amount of glycogen which the liver stores food during food intake. Thus, integrated experimental and simulation studies can lead to a view of a physiological regulating system which does not emerge from either approach used alone.


The present investigation aims at elucidating the photoluminescence (PL) behaviour of Tb3+ doped SiO2–M2O3 (M=Al, Ga)–LiF–CaF2 optical glasses. The absorption spectra of these glasses have revealed the absorption bands due to 7F6 → (5L8, 5G3, 5L9, 5G4, 5D2, 5G5), 5L10, (5G6, 5D3) and 5D4 transitions. The Tb3+ excitation bands are assigned to the electronic transitions of 4f8 → 4f75d1 and 4f8 → 4f8. The PL spectra with the excitation wavelength 378 nm recorded at room temperature of these glasses have exhibited the following emission transitions: 5D4 → 7FJ (J = 6, 5, 4, 3). An attempt has also been made to throw some light on the relationship between the structural modifications and luminescence efficiencies of both the two glasses. And found the fluorescence intensity of 543 nm emission in SGLCT is 46% higher than that in SALCT due to the different metal oxides viz., Ga2O3 and Al2O3.


Many if not most gastrointestinal cancers arise in the setting of chronic inflammation, and examples include gastroesophageal reflux-induced esophageal adenocarcinoma, H. pylori-associated gastric cancer and colitis-associated colorectal cancer. We have utilized murine models of esophagitis (L2-IL-1β transgenic mice), gastritis (H/K-ATPase-IL-1β and Helicobacter felis infection) and colitis (AOM/DSS) to investigate the role of chronic inflammation in the development of malignancy. In models of chronic gastrointestinal inflammation, there is an early expansion of immature myeloid cells (IMC) followed later by increases in αSMA+ stromal fibroblasts (CAFs). The increase in IMC results from in part from an expansion of splenic progenitors/HSC, while the increased CAFs reflects an increase in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) within the preneoplastic tissue. Together, the amplification of myeloid progenitors and MSC-derived stromal cells results in an evolving cancer niche that contributes to expansion of gut progenitors. In the colon, these inflammatory signals can results in crypt fission and monoclonal conversion of intestinal crypt units. Thus, an early amplification of epithelial stem or progenitor cells appears to be a requirement for the development of neoplasia. Eliminating the early cancer niche, which appears to be needed for the initiation of tumors, appears to represent a potential strategy for cancer prevention. Citation Format: Timothy C. Wang. Inflammation, stem cells, and cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2012 Oct 16-19; Anaheim, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Prev Res 2012;5(11 Suppl):Abstract nr PL02-01.


ABSTRACT Diary methods have long been used as pedagogic tools in learning, and as part of reflective practice in teacher education, but less often as data collection instruments in educational research. This is in part due to implementation challenges emerging from the time and literacy demands they place on participants. To illustrate the use of diary methods in educational research, we juxtapose two diary studies to reflect on how to use diaries as data collection tools against a backdrop of researcher positionality. In the first example, the teacher-researcher embedded diaries in a curriculum to collect data from language learners in Japan. While learner engagement with the diaries was high, the prescriptive approach led students to tell 'the teacher what they wanted to read'. In the second example, the researcher used the diaries to collect data on out-of-class learning among language students in Germany. Engagement with the diaries was initially low but improved substantially after daily reminders were sent via mobile phone. Nonetheless, results revealed a possible self-selection bias. Both examples highlight the value in making adaptations to diary methods as the research context necessitates, so that researchers can take into account issues that might distort or produce misleading data.


Super-resolution is a process for obtaining high quality and high resolution images from a set of or only one low-resolution image. The most practical one for image super-resolution is reconstruction-based method, which minimizes the difference between observed low-resolution images and the estimation for high resolution image. Therein, interpolation step plays a key role for the estimated high resolution image quality. Usually, the conventional bilinear or bicubic methods are used in the reconstruction-based super-resolution. However, these conventional interpolations generally lead to blurring on edge regions and need more time for convergence in reconstruction-based super-resolution method. Therefore, this paper propose a gradient based edge preserving interpolation method, which can reduce not only artifact noise but also blurring near edge regions in the estimated high resolution image. Furthermore, our proposed interpolation method can also solve large complexity and time-consuming problem in the recently developed New Edge-directed interpolation, which usually can achieve sharp edge in the high resolution reconstructed image. Experiments validate that our proposed interpolation method for image super-resolution is more effective than the conventional interpolation ones.


This article based on the results of research conducted at one of the villages the coastal areas of West Sumatra, in Nagari T i ku Selatan, Tanjung Mutiara District, Agam. This area have been based on traditions since ancestors held as tradition " " m e m b a ngun rumpon", "festival Babantai and "Tolak Bala" . The role of social institutions that have been rooted in self in Tiku fishermen whose presence is needed by the community. Social institutions set up in the form of "Arisan" association (Julo-Julo), followed by wives of fishermen, Religious tradition (Yasinan), Social Death tradition, mutual assistance are bottom up. This institute aims to improve the socio-economic members and provide a sense of security and safety in public life consistently carry out its consistent activities on a regular activities.


The ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of epsilon-caprolactone (CL) was carried out in toluene at 100 degrees C with n-propanol (nPrOH) in the presence of Bu(2)SnCl(2). It comes out that the molar mass of the polyester chains can be predicted from the initial monomer-to-alcohol molar ratio in accordance with a controlled ROP mechanism involving an O-acyl cleavage of the monomer to selectively form (alpha-propyloxy)(omega-hydroxy)poly(epsilon-caprolactone) chains. In order to gain fundamental understanding of the mechanistic factors governing the polyester chain growth, advanced (1)H, (13)C, and (119)Sn NMR investigations were performed in situ in [D(8)]toluene, as well as with model solutions that contained Bu(2)SnCl(2) and binary mixtures of the components at various concentrations and temperatures. This has enabled us to propose a mechanism in which Bu(2)SnCl(2) behaves as a catalyst, while nPrOH is the actual initiator. It involves non-aggregated, six-coordinate Bu(2)SnCl(2) complexes in which ligands exchange fast on the (119)Sn NMR observational timescale, and the simultaneous interactions of CL and alcohol function in such a way that it favors insertion/propagation reactions over transesterification ones, up to high monomer conversion.


The harniful health effects of tobacco smoking have been reported by many experts. Death rates are unifomily higher among smokers than among non-smokers, in both sexes and whatever the age at death. Cigarette smoking is also considered to be responsible for the great majority of cases of lung cancer. There is evidence that the influence of smoking in ischaemic heart disease is not only independent, but also synergistic with other risk factors such as hypertension and high blood cholesterol. Surveys in many countries show that smokers cough more than non-smokers and produce more sputum. Cigarette smoking acts independently and synergistically with other risk factors contributing to bronchitis. Many experts agree that the smoking problem is now a worldwide epidemic and causing serious diseases. Therefore, studying the problem associated with tobacco should include, specifically the harmful health effects of smoking. The study was carried out in Yogyakarta among senior high school's student. The aim of the study is to test the hypothesis that there is a relationship between neurotic tendency with smoking. Randomized sampling method were done for the analytic-descriptive design of the study. Results showed that there is a significant difference between group of smokers and non-smokers according to the tendency of neurosis (p<0.05). Results also showed that there is a correlation between the tendency of neurosis and smoking (Contingency-Coeff.=0.44) Key Words: smoking - smoker prevalence - smoker relatives - neurosis - psychiatric intervention


An emergent stream of research in management employs configurational and holistic approaches to understanding macro and micro phenomena. In this study, we introduce mixture models—a related class of models—to organizational research and show how they can be applied to nonexperimental data. Specifically, we reexamine the long-standing research question concerning the CEO pay–firm performance relationship using a novel empirical approach, treating individual pay elements as components of a mixture, and demonstrate its utility for other research questions involving mixtures or proportions. Through this, we provide a step-by-step guide for other researchers interested in compositional modeling. Our results highlight that a more nuanced approach to understanding the influence of executive compensation on firm performance brings new insights to this research stream, showcasing the potential of compositional models for other literatures.


All-solid-state batteries are expected to provide a next-generation solution for energy storage. Employing fast conducting lithium thiophosphates as a replacement for liquid electrolytes in conventional lithium ion batteries has shown great promise, however, capacity fading and the underlying interfacial side reactions of thiophosphates and cathode active materials are not yet understood well. In this study, we charge solid-state batteries to different cut-off potentials and find the formation of a redox-active resistive layer in the solid electrolyte, which impedes the conductivity depending on the state-of-charge of the battery. Using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy as well as depth profiling with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy we find a thick passivation layer at the current collector and decomposition products within the cathode composite. In addition, an in situ electrochemical experiment during X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows that the solid electrolyte is redox active at the cathode/solid electrolyte interface in solid-state batteries. This work highlights the importance of protecting interface layers at the current collector, and the influence of the resulting electric potential drop, as well as provides insight into the redox chemistry of lithium conducting thiophosphates.


Contained in the nowadays dominant view
that migrants and their integration constitute
a first order social risk because of their different
moral values is the idea that migrants,
women in particular, are passive victims of
incomprehensible cultural imperatives. Discussion
of various cases of deep moral diversity,
e.g. sex selective abortion or female
genital cutting leads to the conclusion that
even in these cases women are driven by
motives we can understand. Social norms
can make it rational for individuals, Western
and non-Western
alike, to want things, which
are harmful to them or their daughters. This
opens up possibilities for cross-cultural solidarity.
Taking into account the social circumstances
that incite people to unwanted behaviour
allows for more effective intervention
than a mere cultural explanation.
Governments try to promote the integration
of migrants. European research on the
Islamic headscarf suggests that countries
have their own historical traditions of including
citizens into the nation. These concern
not only the inclusion of migrants, but broader
categories of citizens and correspond with
nation-specific institutional arrangementswhich cannot, however, be reduced to one
underlying national system. What policy best
promotes the integration of migrants still has
to be researched, preferably through a comparative
institutional approach.


This chapter examines the law of navigation on international waterways, its development, and the contribution it has made to the law of international watercourses more generally. The rules of international law regarding navigation on international waterways are most highly developed in Europe. The development occurred—to some extent—bilaterally but was consolidated and widely dispersed by the major peace treaties beginning with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. These rules provided broadly for freedom of navigation, first for riparians then for all nations. In the absence of a contrary treaty regime or inconsistent state practice regarding a particular waterway or area, the principle of freedom of navigation for states riparian to an international waterway should be presumed to be the prevailing standard under general international law. The content of this principle is that which has developed through the consistent practice of states over nearly two centuries.


Bacteria are microbes which have an ability to live wherever there is a life. Some of the bacteria are saprophyte and some are parasitic. But most of the bacteria have not been identified or cultured; therefore the benefits are still unknown. Methanogenic bacteria are one of the saprophyte bacteria. These bacteria produces methane, a biogas as an alternative fuel in the future. Most of methanogenic bacteria are uncultured, however a few of them are found in the sewage of coconut water. The objectives of this research are to isolate, characterize and identify the methanogenic bacteria that lived in coconut water. The method of this research was fermentation, analysis characterization, and identification of methanogenic bacteria. First, methanogenic bacteria were isolated from coconut water by fermentation. The samples were from four places in Minahasa, which are Rasi (I), Koka (II), Amurang (III), and Lola (IV) and one place in Bogor (V). Secondly, the methane produced from fermentation was analysed by gas chromatography and the bacteria can be characterized by Bergey's method. The next step is the identification which was conducted by isolating the DNA, amplifying the DNA by PCR, then sequencing the DNA with BioEdit Sequence Aligment. As the result, high and stable methane was produced in Rasi (I) and Amurang (III). The characteristic of the bacteria are red colony (M) and white colony (P). The shape of the colonies is circles, gram positive, basil shape, mesofile, positive of catalase and citrate, positive of sugar fermentation, gelatin, casein and starch hydrolysis also lived in Nutrient Broth with pH 5.7-6.8. The sequencing of isolate P resulting in nucleotide composition of G 31.25%, C 20.58%, A 27.11% and T 21.04% while isolate M are G 31.34%, C 20.31%, A 27.02% and T 21.32%. The identification of isolate M is equal with Clostridium tyrobutyricum (100 %) and isolate P is very close with Clostridium tyrobutyricum (99 %).


As soil erosion has been severely constraining agricultural production and economic sustainability in the Loess Plateau in central China, study of hydrologic connectivity of tilled slope surfaces based on higher accuracy has major implications for prevention of soil erosion. This study explores the properties of hydrologic connectivity of microtopographic slope surfaces (contour tilled, at gradients of 15°, 20°, and 25° in respective events) under artificial rainfall (at 90 mm h−1) produced in laboratory experiments. A spatial metric, flowlength, was acquired and tested to quantify the connectivity of runoff source areas and was calculated as the average lengths of the runoff pathways. The grid cells, which measured lengths of flow paths (6 to 10 mm) in runoff source areas at different slopes, accounted for over 46% of the total grid cells on the raster-based map. Flow path lengths increased when the slope gradient was steeper and decreased when the surface roughness increased. The ratio of the surface area connected to the outlet to the total surface area of the soil tank (C, %), which equals the parameter C, or the ratio of the surface runoff area connected to the downstream outlet to the total surface area of the study area, peaked quickly and then became stable under accumulative rainfall. The steeper the slope, the shorter amount of time it took for C to reach its peak; the greater the average C, the better hydrologic connectivity. Flowlength could be an important index for characterizing the structural properties of the hydrologic connectivity of a slope surface, and also simplified hydrograph and relative surface connection function can be used to characterize the runoff generation process and the mechanism of the soil surface and the properties of its hydrologic connectivity. These results are instrumental in providing guidelines on and insight into the role of hydrologic connectivity at a microtopographic scale.


Developmental equations, which predict 32 parameters of the electroencephalogram recorded from the healthy human as a function of age, were tested in diverse groups of children. Few significant deviations were found in normal children, even in a culture different from the one on which the equations were based. A high incidence of significant deviations was found in children with learning disabilities and those at risk for various neurological disorders.


The aerodynamic properties of 15 knitted fabrics of varying cover factor, yarn, and fiber compositions were investigated for their aerodynamic properties on circular cylinders in a wind tunnel. Measurements of the drag force, pressure distribution, and the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) technique were used in order to obtain a better understanding of the effects of yarn, fiber composition, cover factor, and elastic deformation on the flow field and drag coefficient. It was clearly demonstrated from the drag force measurements that the yarn construction and fiber composition have a substantial effect on the drag coefficient (CD), with fabrics composed of spun yarn experiencing no CD-drop as opposed to those composed of filament yarn, and being almost unaffected by the cover factor in the range of Reynolds numbers investigated. Hairiness of the spun yarn was found to minimise the drag-reducing effect of the boundary layer transition and increase the trans-critical drag. The hairy surface layer also appeared to retard the turbulent boundary layer as almost no pressure recovery was observed prior to separation on the cylinder model. The effect of elastic deformation was investigated by image analysis of scanned textile samples, and demonstrated that surface roughness might not be directly correlated to cover factor when the fabrics are stretched. Different elastic behavior of fabrics with different cover factors was also found to affect the structure of the knit surface and thus their aerodynamic behavior. The onset of drag crisis found in drag measurements confirmed the deviation from a sequence determined solely by cover factor.


This thesis unpacks the complex and interconnected relationships between credit and debt, specific techniques of government, and social class processes over time. The thesis is underpinned by a social ecological model: it operates horizontally across the credit and debt realms and vertically on three levels – the meta, the macro and the micro. Methodologically, the data are generated from archival databases, experiences drawn from working within a debt charity, and in-depth interviews with 21 individuals using the services of StepChange Debt Charity to help with their financial difficulties. The thesis starts by exploring how a cadre of free-marketers proposed a series of economic and social policies from the 1950s which aimed to configure a new form of governmentality. Drawing upon documents drawn from various archives, the thesis reveals how their ideas – the market, the consumer, and the pursuit of private property – all rely on unhindered credit to operate. The thesis subsequently examines identity formation within a social domain dominated by these ideas and awash with credit. Building a theoretical framework based on Pierre Bourdieu's relational understandings of class and Anthony Giddens' notion of ontological security, the thesis then draws on interview data to outline how the participants use credit to build identities in response to amplifying inequality. A consequence of this process for the participants is the accumulation of a large credit balance, and their fall-into-debt. Here the thesis changes track, beginning to explore the dominant forms of governmentality that structure the debt realm. Initially tracing how debt collection practices threaten the participants' capital stocks, the thesis moves onto expose how the shame and fear these practices induce are not unintended but instead serve to transform identities. The thesis shows how neoliberals classify and stigmatise those who fall-into-debt as irresponsible and immoral debtors, and disseminate a discourse of individual financial responsibility, with the intention of normalising total debt repayment. The thesis draws upon the interview data to reveal how the participants come to internalise these discourses and reconstruct their lives to make sure they submit to it. This thesis argues the realms of credit and debt, the forms of governmentality engendered to support them, and the 'classificatory struggles' they induce, are arranged to provide enduring, maximised and protected profit streams to those who produce and distribute credit.


The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of aqueous
seed extract of Tephrosia purpurea (TpASet) on blood glucose and
antioxidant status in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats.
Hyperglycemia associated with an altered hexokinase and
glucose-6-phosphatase activities, elevated lipid peroxidation,
disturbed enzymatic [Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and
glutathione peroxidase (GPx)] and non enzymatic [Glutathione, vitamin C
and vitamin E] antioxidant status were observed in streptozotocin
induced diabetic rats. Oral administration of "TpASet" at a dose of
600mg/kg body weight showed significant improvement in above mentioned
parameters. Our results clearly indicate that "TpASet" has potent
antihyperglycemic and antioxidant effects in streptozotocin-induced
diabetic rats and therefore further studies are warranted to isolate
and characterize the bioactive principles from "TpASet".


Existing point cloud based 3D detectors are designed for the particular scene, either indoor or outdoor ones. Because of the substantial differences in object distribution and point density within point clouds collected from various environments, coupled with the intricate nature of 3D metrics, there is still a lack of a unified network architecture that can accommodate diverse scenes. In this paper, we propose Uni3DETR, a unified 3D detector that addresses indoor and outdoor 3D detection within the same framework. Specifically, we employ the detection transformer with point-voxel interaction for object prediction, which leverages voxel features and points for cross-attention and behaves resistant to the discrepancies from data. We then propose the mixture of query points, which sufficiently exploits global information for dense small-range indoor scenes and local information for large-range sparse outdoor ones. Furthermore, our proposed decoupled IoU provides an easy-to-optimize training target for localization by disentangling the xy and z space. Extensive experiments validate that Uni3DETR exhibits excellent performance consistently on both indoor and outdoor 3D detection. In contrast to previous specialized detectors, which may perform well on some particular datasets but suffer a substantial degradation on different scenes, Uni3DETR demonstrates the strong generalization ability under heterogeneous conditions (Fig. 1). Codes are available at \href{https://github.com/zhenyuw16/Uni3DETR}{https://github.com/zhenyuw16/Uni3DETR}.


Since ratifying the CRPD (Convention on the Rights of Persons with disabilities), Indonesia has witnessed developments in promoting the rights of people with disabilities. Public policies and civil organizations make their respective contributions. Muhammadiyah responded favorably by issuing a comprehensive fatwa on Islam and disability in 2020, compiled in Fikih Difabel. This paper uses an interdisciplinary approach to understand the Fikih Difabel. It explores the historical context of disability in Muhammadiyah and analyzes religious interpretations that become the paradigm and content of Fikih Difabel. Data were collected from various primary sources, such as interviews, observations, and analyses of various Muhammadiyah documents. The research concludes that Fikih Difabel is an organizational and academic effort to find a theological basis to promote disability rights. Fikih Difabel has succeeded in listening to the disabled's aspirations, integrating the national legal norms and current academic findings, and highlighting Islamic ideals of just and inclusive religion. Fikih Difabel is Muhammadiyah's contribution to promoting Islam as an inclusive and friendly religion for persons with disabilities


Comparison of Sindbis virus strains isolated in different regions of the world (in Africa, Australia, and Europe, including Russia and its nearest neighbors) in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) by the primary gene structure of proteins NSP1 and E1 and in the neutralization test showed the greatest similarity between geographically close strains isolated in Northern Europe (KFL, Karelia, 1381 and 1388, Estonia). Sindbis strains AR339 and Babanki isolated in Africa were similar to each other and to strains from Northern Europe by the examined gene sites but different from the Northern variants in the neutralization test. Geographically remote strains F-720 (Armenia and Southern Europe) and Whataroa (New Zealand) were close to Sindbis virus from Africa and Northern Europe by only one of the genes examined (F-720 by NSP1 and Whataroa by E1). PCR was carried out using oligonucleotide primers containing nucleotide sequences identical to genes NSP1 and E1 sites of Sindbis strains HRSP, Okelbo, and KFL, but different from gene sites of other known representatives of alphaviruses by at least 5 positions. PCR analysis showed that the appurtenance of the geographic variants to Sindbis group can be ascertained only after investigating the homology of at least two genes coding for the replicative and structural proteins. Such a procedure of PCR permits the detection of Sindbis viruses of different geographic origin with changes in their primary structure and allows the differentiation between Sindbis viruses and Western equine encephalomyelitis viruses within the serological complex.


Within the Ghanaian clay and artistic discourse, traditional practice and formal academia training have been windows for producing ceramic works. However, despite their contributions to the cultural heritage of Ghana and beyond, they seem to be on a parallel practice, with limited synergies and inclusiveness. This study, therefore, looks at what the two seemingly disparate extremes, albeit bound by a common material, "clay", can learn from each other. To what means would the notion of collaborations become a strong tool for strengthening the traditional and contemporary practice and getting younger practitioners to take over from the ones that are ageing? The study discussed the possibilities of traditional pottery practices and academia collaborations and the effect on expanding the clay material and artistic productions. In sum, and their exchange of knowledge with students foster creativity and a healthy relationship between academia and traditional practice. Artistic and curatorial practices can thrive better by identifying and developing such synergies. Both students and women potters moved from knowing to understanding clay practices.


After a mathematical evaluation of 20 mixtures containing different proportions of potato (P), lupin (L) and whole egg (E) on dry basis and kept the latter component in a constant amount of 6 per cent, a mixture of 60:34:6 (P:L:E) was chosen for a further experimental work at a lab level because of his better nutritional value for the pre-school children feeding. When an eighteen percent suspension of the mixture mentioned above was dehydrated in a drum drier an adecuate yield of flakes was obtained with an appropriate water absorption. The sensory evaluation test of the dehydrated product as a sauce indicated a higher acceptance than purees. On the other hand, during a 90 days period storage test of the product as flakes, it did not show microbiological problems, although after 45 days rancidity appeared in the dehydrated product.


Combining high‐resolution imaging and electrophysiological recordings is key for various types of experimentation on lipid bilayers and ion channels. Here, we propose an integrated biosensing platform consisting of a microfluidic cartridge and a dedicated chip‐holder to conduct such dual measurements on suspended lipid bilayers, in a user‐friendly manner. To illustrate the potential of the integrated platform, we characterize lipid bilayers in terms of thickness and fluidity while simultaneously monitoring single ion channel currents. For that purpose, POPC lipid bilayers are supplemented with a fluorescently‐tagged phospholipid (NBD‐PE, 1% mol) for Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching (FRAP) measurements and a model ion channel (gramicidin, 1 nM). These combined measurements reveal that NBD‐PE has no effect on the lipid bilayer thickness while gramicidin induces thinning of the membrane. Furthermore, the presence of gramicidin does not alter the lipid bilayer fluidity. Surprisingly, in lipid bilayers supplemented with both probes, a reduction in gramicidin open probability and lifetime is observed compared to lipid bilayers with gramicidin only, suggesting an influence of NBD‐PE on the gramicidin ion function. Altogether, our proposed microfluidic biosensing platform in combination with the herein presented multi‐parametric measurement scheme paves the way to explore the interdependent relationship between lipid bilayer properties and ion channel function.


Soil erosion may accelerate the impact of climate change by releasing carbon, productivity loss, and harm the food production securities. Losing of soil productivity may lead to another land and forest clearing to support the agriculture activities. The Modified Productivity Index (MPI) is a new method to assess the effects of soil erosion on soil productivity. This research aimed to evaluate the application of MPI on the tropical volcanic landscape in Indonesia. It is important because having a good quantitative judgment on land evaluations will have a great impact to reduce climate change due to land mismanagement. The research area was at Bompon Watershed, Magelang Regency, Central Java, Indonesia. The method used MPI to estimate the soil productivity potency. The parameters observed were clay content, soil organic matter, soil pH, soil available water, and soil weight. The results found that PI was considered low, despite the actual condition of Bompon watershed which densely covered by vegetation. Turns out, there are some limitations of the method that needs to be corrected before widely applied in the tropical and multi-vegetation area such as Indonesia.


This paper presents the study of surface morphological, optical and microstructural features of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanofilm layered upon p-type Si substrate of orientation by employing conventional RF magnetron sputtering system at different annealing temperatures. The effect of annealing on the nano-film is examined using different characterization techniques such as Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy), UV-vis spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The sharp diffraction peak at (002) orientation is seen by the XRD spectra which signifies a better growth of single crystalline thin film along the z-axis with the hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure. The surface morphological study shows that the grain size of the thin film intensifies from 22.06 nm to 36.77 nm when the annealing temperature is increased whereas there is a decrease in the values of lattice constants (a=b, c), FWHM (full width at half maximum), residual stress, lattice strain and dislocation density by increasing annealing temperature. The enhancement in the grain size makes the thin film appropriate for MEMS device applications including piezoelectric energy harvesters, gas sensors, etc. The optical bandgap of the ZnO thin film is estimated using Kubelka-Munk (KM) approach and it decreases from 3.23 to 3.16 eV for As-deposited, 400 °C, 600 °C and 800 °C respectively which makes the annealed thin film apposite for optoelectronic device applications. The intensity of the Raman peaks strengthens with the annealing temperature. These results prove that the annealing extensively enhances the crystallinity, structural, morphological and optical features of ZnO thin film and hence becomes suitable for nanoelectronic device applications.


Given that children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often require one-to-one individualized instruction, using tablets as teaching tools may represent an interesting option in classrooms with high student to teacher ratios. The purpose of our study was to extend research by evaluating the effects of tablet-based instruction on the generalization of skills in children with ASD. Specifically, we used multiple probe designs to assess the effectiveness of using an app to teach one-word receptive identification to five children with ASD between 4 and 11 years old. Our results indicated that three of five children displayed generalization on at least two concepts following tablet-based instruction. The tablet-based app may promote generalization of learned concepts in some children with ASD, but our results suggest that it is not a one-size-fitsall solution. As such, our study underlines the importance of conducting individualized assessment prior to using tablet-based instruction with children with ASD.


In video coding, traditional motion estimation methods work well for videos with camera translational motion, but their efficiency drops for other motions, such as rotational and dolly motions. In this paper, a motion-information-based three-dimensional (3D) video coding method is proposed for texture plus depth 3D video. The synchronized global motion information of the camera is obtained to assist the encoder improve its rate-distortion performance by projecting the temporal neighboring texture and depth frames into the position of the current frame, using the depth and camera motion information. Then, the projected frames are added into the reference buffer list as virtual reference frames. As these virtual reference frames could be more similar to the current to-be-encoded frame than the conventional reference frames, the required bits to represent the residual will be reduced. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed scheme enhances the coding performance for all camera motion types and for various scene settings and resolutions using H.264 and HEVC standards, respectively. With the computer graphic sequences, for H.264, the average gain of texture and depth coding are up to 2 dB and 1 dB, respectively. For HEVC and HD resolution sequences, the gain of texture coding reaches 0.4 dB. For realistic sequences, up to 0.5 dB gain (H.264) is achieved for the texture video, while up to 0.7 dB gain is achieved for the depth sequences.