Recent e-Government literature has highlighted Government 2.0 (Gov 2.0) as a vehicle for greater citizen engagement. Despite previous high expectations, citizens' involvement in Gov 2.0 has been relatively low. Theoretical lens from service science and value co-creation are adapted from the literature and integrated with findings from prior e-Government research to develop a conceptual framework for Gov 2.0 citizens' participation. The framework suggests that citizens' participation in Gov 2.0 is boosted by their satisfaction with the engagement process of public value co-creation. We propose that service science and value co-creation approaches are more relevant to Gov 2.0 research as a two-way interaction between citizens and governments rather than the current one-way focus. The benefit of this service science framework is that it enables understanding of citizens' participation in Gov 2.0. Equally, this framework will benefit policymakers by informing them of the factors that influence and promote interaction with citizens. This paper aims to (1) formulate an initial framework that engage citizens to co-create public value in Gov 2.0 via the theoretical lens of service science; and (2) improve our understanding of Gov 2.0 tools and applications.


As an alternative to the Fibonacci heap, and a variation of the 2-3 heap data structure by Tadao Takaoka, this research presents the 3-4 heap data structure. The aim is to prove that the 3-4 heap, like its counter-part 2-3 heap, also supports n insert, n delete-min, and m decrease-key operations, in O(m + n log n) time. Many performance tests were carried out during this research comparing the 3-4 heap against the 2-3 heap and for a narrow set of circumstances the 3-4 heap outperformed the 2-3 heap. The 2-3 heap has got a structure based on dimensions which are rigid using ternary linking and this path is made up of three nodes linked together to form a trunk, and the trunk is permitted to shrink by one. If further shrinkage is required then an adjustment is made by moving a few nodes from nearby positions to ensure the heaps rigid dimensions are retained. Should this no longer be the case, then the adjustment will trigger a makeup event, which propagates to higher dimensions, and requires amortised analysis. To aid amortised analysis, the trunk is given a measurement value called potential and this is the number of comparisons required to place each node into its correct position in ascending order using linear search. The divergence of the 3-4 heap from the 2-3 heap is that the trunk maximum is increased by one to four and is still permitted to shrink by one. This modified data structure will have a wide range of applications as the data storage mechanism used by graph algorithms such as Dijkstra's 'Single Source Shortest Path'.


Recent research in numerical modeling of large rivers has focused in reproducing typical morphodynamic planform shapes. One of the typical planform shapes of large river systems is the anabranching structure, which is characterized by a main channel and several secondary channels. Although current models reproduce planform shapes very realistically, there is still a lack of data to validate such models and therefore any outcome from these predictions are questionable. To overcome this issue, an analysis of the morphodynamics on large river systems at different scales is carried out. This research will provide a better understanding of the processes involved in anabranching planforms that could be used to improve prediction of morphodynamic features by using high-resolution mathematical models. First, the effect of the main channel sinuosity in an anabranching planforms at two selected locations in the Amazon River at Peru is assessed with field measurements, numerical modeling and satellite imagery characterization. Next, a three dimensional hydrodynamic model for a bend of the Wabash River (at the Stateline between Indiana and Illinois) is carried out to study the modulation of the bank shear stresses due to the presence of bed forms. Lastly, a three dimensional model to study the turbulence of the bed amalgamation process is performed. From the analysis of the two locations along the Amazon River, it was confirmed that in a medium to high sinuosity stage, the secondary channels behave as non-developed meanders. Also, it was concluded that in all sinuosity stages, the planforms of the secondary channels are controlled by the main channel migration. On the other hand, the model of the Wabash River confirmed that the bank shear stress is greater when bed forms are present. Finally, the modeling of the amalgamation processes showed that there was a region of high shear stresses associated to turbulence production, in which the streamwise velocity fluctuations were associated to the modification of the bed morphology. Also, the Turbulence Horseshoes Vortices (THV) were more frequent at the beginning of the amalgamation process while the frequency of bursting events was highest when the amalgamation process is at the middle stage.


ABSTRACT Vibrio parahaemolyticus is an important human pathogen whose transmission is associated with the consumption of contaminated seafood. There is a growing public health concern due to the emergence of a pandemic strain causing severe outbreaks worldwide. Many questions remain unanswered regarding the evolution and population structure of V. parahaemolyticus. In this work, we describe a multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme for V. parahaemolyticus based on the internal fragment sequences of seven housekeeping genes. This MLST scheme was applied to 100 V. parahaemolyticus strains isolated from geographically diverse clinical (n = 37) and environmental (n = 63) sources. The sequences obtained from this work were deposited and are available in a public database (http://pubmlst.org/vparahaemolyticus ). Sixty-two unique sequence types were identified, and most (50) were represented by a single isolate, suggesting a high level of genetic diversity. Three major clonal complexes were identified by eBURST analysis. Separate clonal complexes were observed for V. parahaemolyticus isolates originating from the Pacific and Gulf coasts of the United States, while a third clonal complex consisted of strains belonging to the pandemic clonal complex with worldwide distribution. The data reported in this study indicate that V. parahaemolyticus is genetically diverse with a semiclonal population structure and an epidemic structure similar to that of Vibrio cholerae. Genetic diversity in V. parahaemolyticus appears to be driven primarily by frequent recombination rather than mutation, with recombination ratios estimated at 2.5:1 and 8.8:1 by allele and site, respectively. Application of this MLST scheme to more V. parahaemolyticus strains and by different laboratories will facilitate production of a global picture of the epidemiology and evolution of this pathogen.


Vertebrate granivores destroy plant seeds, but whether animal-induced seed mortality alters plant recruitment varies with habitat context, seed traits, and among granivore species. An incomplete understanding of seed predation makes it difficult to predict how widespread extirpations of vertebrate granivores in tropical forests might affect tree communities, especially in the face of habitat disturbance. Many tropical forests are simultaneously affected by animal loss as well as habitat disturbance, but the consequences of each for forest regeneration are often studied separately or additively, and usually on a single plant demographic stage. The combined impacts of these threats could affect plant recruitment in ways that are not apparent when studied in isolation. We used wire cages to exclude large (elephants), medium, (sambar deer, bearded pigs, muntjac deer), and small (porcupines, chevrotains) ground-dwelling mammalian granivores and herbivores in logged and unlogged forests in Malaysian Borneo. We assessed the interaction between habitat disturbance (selective logging) and experimental defaunation on seed survival, germination, and seedling establishment in five dominant dipterocarp tree species spanning a 21-fold gradient in seed size. Granivore-induced seed mortality was consistently higher in logged forest. Germination of unpredated seeds was reduced in logged forest and in the absence of small to large-bodied mammals. Experimental defaunation increased germination and reduced seed removal but had little effect on seed survival. Seedling recruitment however, was more likely where logging and animal loss occurred together. The interacting effects of logging and hunting could therefore, actually increase seedling establishment, suggesting that the loss of mammals in disturbed forest could have important consequences for forest regeneration and composition.


Severe chest trauma does not independently predict poor outcome in elderly patients. We chose a specific injury, flail chest, to determine whether age factored into outcome of these patients. A retrospective chart review of all trauma admissions to our Level I trauma center between January 1994 and January 1998 sustaining flail chest was undertaken. Sixty-eight patients were identified, but ten patients were excluded because of death on arrival. Fifty-eight patients were included in the study and separated into groups. The first group comprised those under the age of 55 (n = 32) and the second comprised those over age 55 (n = 26). Parameters evaluated were age, Injury Severity Score (ISS), neurologic injury, the need for mechanical ventilation, need for tracheostomy, length of stay, and death. Statistical analysis was performed with Wilcoxon t test, χ2, and logistic regression where appropriate. A 95 per cent confidence interval was sought as determinant of significance. Of the 58 surviving patients analyzed there was no significant difference between the groups regarding ISS, length of stay, days on the ventilator, head injury, tracheostomy, or development of pneumonia or adult respiratory distress syndrome. The likelihood of death was shown to increase by 132 per cent for every 10 years starting at the second decade and continuing to the eighth decade of life. The likelihood of death also increased by 30 per cent for each unit increase in ISS. The likelihood of death decreased by 23 per cent for every day survived in the hospital. Blunt chest trauma directly impacts respiratory mechanics. Elderly patients are more likely to have comorbid conditions and less likely to tolerate traumatic respiratory compromise. Age (and its effects on the body) is the strongest predictor of outcome with flail chest and is associated with an increased mortality (P ≤ 0.05).


Using numerical method, we investigate whether periodic, quasiperiodic, and chaotic breathers are supported by the two-dimensional discrete Fermi-Pasta-Ulam (FPU) lattice with linear dispersion term. The spatial profile and time evolution of the two-dimensional discrete β -FPU lattice are segregated by the method of separation of variables, and the numerical simulations suggest that the discrete breathers (DBs) are supported by the system. By introducing a periodic interaction into the linear interaction between the atoms, we achieve the coupling of two incommensurate frequencies for a single DB, and the numerical simulations suggest that the quasiperiodic and chaotic breathers are supported by the system, too.


Water pollution in drinking water is a major concern in rural areas that depend on local surface and ground water supplies. The Amazon river, for example, has800 thousand rural inhabitants, many of whom do not have access to treated water. Reaching the Amazon River to collect these water samples is already a complicated task. With constantly changing floodplains, and therefore water quality, the ability to collect water samples remotely and autonomously can help rural areas monitor their drinking water. There have been several studies investigating different unmanned surface vehicle (USV)prototypes and data collection methods. However, none have specifically made a compact USV to maneuver in rivers, while aiming to conserve energy to drive longer distances. This paper describes an in-depth design, fabrication, and automation process for a USV to drive in the Wabash River. The USV monitors its own location, speed, and battery voltage for power consumption analysis. As proof of concept, the USV measures water depth during field studies performed in Lake Harner, Indiana and the Wabash River. These field studies yield affirming results for the controls logic and power conservation of the designed USV.


Reliable, widely accessible and affordable biomarkers for predicting Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain pathology status are a necessity to aid development of prevention strategies in cognitively healthy at-risk older adults, at the right timepoint. Measurements of the key neuropathological hallmark beta-amyloid (Aβ) by PET neuroimaging or cerebrospinal fluid measures reflect its accumulation in the brain, yet recent methodological advancements now enable blood-based measures reflecting cerebral amyloid burden. The current study validated the capacity of plasma Aβ42/Aβ40 measured using six different assays to predict amyloid positivity in a subgroup of cognitively unimpaired (CU) participants in the ADNI study and assessed its ability to discriminate CU from AD cases. We also explored economic viability of using two different plasma amyloid assays for pre-screening in AD prevention trials and as routine clinical diagnostic tool, versus amyloid PET alone. A cross-sectional analysis of plasma and brain amyloid data, including comparative cost analysis of the plasma biomarkers in relation to brain amyloid PET. Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). ADNI participants consisting of 115 CU, mild cognitive impairment and AD cases who had plasma Aβ42/ Aβ40 measured with six platforms. Plasma Aβ42/Aβ40 was measured via six different platforms: three immunoassays (Roche, Quanterix and ADx Neurosciences) and three mass spectrometry (MS) based assays (WashU, Shimadzu and Gothenburg). Aβ-PET imaging was conducted within three months of plasma sampling using [18F]florbetapir. There was a weak to moderate correlation of plasma Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio between platforms. The MS-based WashU test had the highest capacity to discriminate between CU and AD (area under the curve, AUC = 0.734, 95% CI: 0.613–0.854; P = 0.008). Within the CU group, the WashU plasma amyloid test had the best discriminative capacity to distinguish Aβ+ from Aβ- (AUC = 0.753, 95% CI: 0.601–0.905; P = 0.003) closely followed by the immunoassay from Roche (AUC = 0.737, 95% CI: 0.597–0.877; P = 0.006). The exploratory economic analyses showed that the use of Roche or WashU plasma amyloid assay as a pre-screening tool prior to Aβ-PET scans for clinical trial recruitment significantly reduced total screening cost (saving up to $5882 per recruited patient) expected in an AD prevention trial. With few available treatment strategies, dementia prevention is a global priority. CU individuals at risk for AD are the target population for dementia prevention but have been poorly studied. Our findings confirming diagnostic value of ultrasensitive immunoassays and high-performance immunoprecipitation coupled with MS for measurement of plasma Aβ42/β40 to detect PET amyloid positivity in CU participants allude to potential clinical utility of this biomarker. Plasma Aβ42/Aβ40 could be optimal for pre-selecting at-risk candidates for more invasive and expensive investigations across AD prevention clinical trials and clinical care for a rapidly ageing population.


Abstract. A size-resolved particle dry deposition scheme is developed for inclusion in large-scale air quality and climate models where the size distribution and fate of atmospheric aerosols is of concern. The "resistance" structure is similar to what is proposed by Zhang et al. (2001), while a new "surface" deposition velocity (or surface resistance) is derived by simplification of a one-dimensional aerosol transport model (Petroff et al., 2008b, 2009). Compared to Zhang et al.'s model, the present model accounts for the leaf size, shape and area index as well as the height of the vegetation canopy. Consequently, it is more sensitive to the change of land covers, particularly in the accumulation mode (0.1–1 micron). A drift velocity is included to account for the phoretic effects related to temperature and humidity gradients close to liquid and solid water surfaces. An extended comparison of this model with experimental evidence is performed over typical land covers such as bare ground, grass, coniferous forest, liquid and solid water surfaces and highlights its adequate prediction. The predictions of the present model differ from Zhang et al.'s model in the fine mode, where the latter tends to over-estimate in a significant way the particle deposition, as measured by various investigators or predicted by the present model. The present development is thought to be useful to modellers of the atmospheric aerosol who need an adequate parameterization of aerosol dry removal to the earth surface, described here by 26 land covers. An open source code is available in Fortran90.


The cognitive binding problem is a central question in the study of consciousness: how does the brain synthesize its modal and submodal processing systems to generate a unity of conscious experience? This essay considers several solutions to the binding problem, as well as their shortcomings. In particular, the current theory of neural synchronization as the basis for binding and consciousness is explored in its relationship to the relativity of simultaneity. This discussion of cognitive binding and simultaneity in the brain incorporates the philosophy of Kant, notably the principles of the transcendental unity of apperception and the transcendental aesthetic found in his Critique of Pure Reason. This leads to a more general consideration of consciousness and time, and explores the possibility of non-temporal theories of consciousness. The emerging field of quantum neurodynamics is discussed in this context, and its remarkable relationship to Kant is elucidated. Finally, the relevance of Kant's philosophy to cognitive binding is used as a basis for the discussion of a neurophilosophical method in the investigation of consciousness.


Due to the increased power density of electronic devices, the heat originated from the core components increases the working temperature of the devices, enormously degrading their reliability and shortening their lifespan. So, effective heat dissipation from high-power electronic devices has become an urgent and complex problem. Herein, we report epoxy-based composites with an enhanced thermal conductivity by using reduced graphene oxide encapsulated copper sphere (Cu@rGO) hybrids as fillers. The Cu@rGO hybrid exhibits a 3D structure with high oxidation resistance. The obtained polymer composites exhibit a high thermal conductivity (7 W m−1 K−1), as the loading of the Cu@rGO hybrids is 80 wt%, which is 2.6 times higher than that of the polymer composites filled with only Cu spheres. The high thermal conductivity might be attributed to the synergistic effects between spherical Cu and rGO nano-sheets, which enhanced the oxidation resistance of copper and increased the thermal transfer path, along with the reduced interfacial thermal resistance between Cu and epoxy resins. In addition, the Cu@rGO/epoxy composites reveal a decreased thermal expansion coefficient (CTE), an increased glass transition temperature (Tg), and an enhanced shear strength. This unique 3D core–shell Cu@rGO structure and its epoxy composites with high thermal conductivity and dimensional stability could be suitable as excellent thermal interface materials in advanced electronic packaging techniques.


Quantitative active microwave imaging for breast cancer screening and therapy monitoring applications requires adequate reconstruction algorithms, in particular with regard to the nonlinearity and ill-posedness of the inverse problem. We employ a fully vectorial three-dimensional nonlinear inversion algorithm for reconstructing complex permittivity profiles from multi-view single-frequency scattered field data, which is based on a Gauss-Newton optimization of a regularized cost function. We tested it before with various types of regularizing functions for piecewise-constant objects from Institut Fresnel and with a quadratic smoothing function for a realistic numerical breast phantom. In the present paper we adopt a cost function that includes a Huber function in its regularization term, relying on a Markov Random Field approach. The Huber function favors spatial smoothing within homogeneous regions while preserving discontinuities between contrasted tissues. We illustrate the technique with 3D reconstructions from synthetic data at 2GHz for realistic numerical breast phantoms from the University of Wisconsin-Madison UWCEM online repository: we compare Huber regularization with a multiplicative smoothing regularization and show reconstructions for various positions of a tumor, for multiple tumors and for different tumor sizes, from a sparse and from a denser data configuration.


Background: Trees and arborescent palms adopt different rooting strategies and responses to physical limitations imposed by soil structure, depth and anoxia. However, the implications of these differences for understanding variation in the relative abundance of these groups have not been explored. Aims: We analysed the relationship between soil physical constraints and tree and palm basal area to understand how the physical properties of soil are directly or indirectly related to the structure and physiognomy of lowland Amazonian forests. Methods: We analysed inventory data from 74 forest plots across Amazonia, from the RAINFOR and PPBio networks for which basal area, stand turnover rates and soil data were available. We related patterns of basal area to environmental variables in ordinary least squares and quantile regression models. Results: Soil physical properties predicted the upper limit for basal area of both trees and palms. This relationship was direct for palms but mediated by forest turnover rates for trees. Soil physical constraints alone explained up to 24% of palm basal area and, together with rainfall, up to 18% of tree basal area. Tree basal area was greatest in forests with lower turnover rates on well-structured soils, while palm basal area was high in weakly structured soils. Conclusions: Our results show that palms and trees are associated with different soil physical conditions. We suggest that adaptations of these life-forms drive their responses to soil structure, and thus shape the overall forest physiognomy of Amazonian forest vegetation.


The Lower Triassic Katberg Formation (Beaufort Group, Karoo Supergroup) in South Africa is a fine-grained, arenaceous unit deposited under ephemeral bedload-dominated fluvial conditions and previously interpreted as representing a continuous stratigraphic record. Its genesis was linked directly to the end-Paleozoic extinction event and was considered to exhibit the results of a trend towards aridification. The present study documents the lowermost Katberg Formation exposed at Carlton Heights, Northern Cape Province, to test the aridification hypothesis.

Four lithofacies vary in both vertical and lateral relationships, with feldspathic sandstone dominating the stratigraphy. Pisolith-size nodular conglomerate consists of pedogenically derived carbonate nodules originally precipitated within aridisols, none of which are either exposed or reported from the formation. Rather, the only evidence of extreme aridification is found within channel lag, barform, and overbank deposits marking landscape degradation. Landscape aggradation is characterized by two feldspathic sandstone geometries where (1) medium-bedded, planar bedded, or ripple-laminated sheet sandstone is interpreted as ephemeral sheetflood deposits, and (2) thick-bedded, cross-laminated multi-lateral, lenticular sandstone is interpreted as associated with deeper, sand-bed braided (anabranching) systems. Overbank fines consist of polyphase siltstone paleosols in which bioturbated inceptisols were overprinted by gleysols wherein large pedogenic carbonate nodules precipitated under a high regional water table. Evidence exists for periodic drying in these wet regimes, but no evidence exists for extreme aridity. Hence, the lowermost Katberg Formation superficially exhibits only an aggradational sedimentological record, but significant diastems exist as evidenced by the concentration of aridisol precipitates at the base of each degradational cycle. A model for the Early Triassic in this part of the Karoo Basin is presented wherein this record is interpreted as a function of climate oscillations rather than either episodic uplift in the Cape Fold Belt or any ecosystem response to the end-Permian extinction.


The role of nonideal magnetohydrodynamics has been proven critical during the formation of protoplanetary disks, particularly in regulating their sizes. We provide a simple model to predict the disk size under the interplay among ambipolar diffusion, the Hall effect, and ohmic dissipation. The model predicts a small disk size of around 20 au that depends only sublinearly on disk parameters, for a wide range of initial conditions of subsolar mass and moderate magnetization. It is able to explain phenomena manifested in existing numerical simulations, including the bimodal disk behavior under parallel and antiparallel alignment between the rotation and magnetic field. In the parallel configuration, the disk size decreases and eventually disappears. In the antiparallel configuration, the disk has an outer partition (or pseudodisk), which is flat, shrinking, and short-lived, as well as an inner partition, which grows slowly with mass and is long-lived. Even with significant initial magnetization, the vertical field in the disk can only dominate at the early stage when the mass is low, and the toroidal field eventually dominates in all disks.


The structural characteristics of aqueous micelles composed of amphiphilic cyclic poly(n-butyl acrylate-b-ethylene oxide) (cyclic PBA-b-PEO) or a linear analogue (i.e., linear poly(n-butyl acrylate-b-ethylene oxide-b-n-butyl acrylate) (linear PBA-b-PEO-b-PBA)) were examined for the first time using synchrotron X-ray scattering techniques and quantitative data analysis. The scattering data were analyzed using a variety of methodologies in a comprehensive complementary manner. These analyses provided details of the structural information about the micelles. Both micelles were found to consist of a core and a fuzzy shell; however, the cyclic block copolymer had a strong tendency to form micelles with core and shell parts that were more compact and dense than the corresponding parts of the linear block copolymer micelles. The PBA block of the cyclic copolymer was found to form a hydrophobic core with a density that exceeded the density of the homopolymer in the bulk state. The structural differences originated primarily from the topological difference between the cyclic and linear block copolymers. The elimination of the chain end groups (which introduced entropy and increased the excess excluded volume) from the amphiphilic block copolymer yielded more stable dense micelles in solution.


This paper investigates the relation between measure words and mensural classifiers in numeral classifier languages. Based on data from three numeral classifier languages (Mandarin, Mokilese and Taba), the paper gives some preliminary evidence that measure words can be both classifier-like and noun-like in numeral classifier languages. This observation is discussed in the light of Rothstein's (2009, 2011) distinction between measuring and counting, Krifka's (1995) numeral based analysis of numeral classifier languages and Chierchia's (1997) proposal of treating nouns in classifier languages as kinds. Crucially, if the measure words are treated as nouns, one has to take into account that the atomic entities corresponding to units of measurement typically overlap. This is problematic for the type of interpretation that Chierchia (1997) assigns to kinds, as the kinds corresponding to different units of time would be indistinguishable. Other approaches will need a non-overlap condition on counting structures.


eBPF is a new technology which allows dynamically loading pieces of code into the Linux kernel. It can greatly speed up networking since it enables the kernel to process certain packets without the involvement of a userspace program. So far eBPF has been used for simple packet filtering applications such as firewalls or Denial of Service protection. We show that it is possible to develop a flow based network intrusion detection system based on machine learning entirely in eBPF. Our solution uses a decision tree and decides for each packet whether it is malicious or not, considering the entire previous context of the network flow. We achieve a performance increase of over 20% compared to the same solution implemented as a userspace program.


Gen-Probe's DNA probes were evaluated for use in the identification of clinical isolates of Histoplasma capsulatum var. capsulatum and Cryptococcus neoformans. Ninety-five mould-phase fungi were probed, including 41 isolates of H. capsulatum var. capsulatum. Similarly, 98 yeasts, including 42 C. neoformans isolates, were examined by using the C. neoformans DNA probe. In the study, both probes demonstrated 100% specificity and 100% sensitivity. Their use in the clinical laboratory may significantly reduce the time required for definitive identification of fungi.


Although stemmed femoral components often are used in revision total knee arthroplasty, no quantitative comparison of the relative stability of a femoral component with and without a stem has been performed previously. A radiostereophotogrammetric analysis was performed to determine the influence of stem extension on mechanical stability in a laboratory experiment. In addition, the contribution of impacted morselized bone graft used for reconstruction of bone defects to stability was determined. Ten fresh frozen distal femoral specimens, of which the bone mineral density was measured, were prepared to fit a cemented femoral component with an uncemented stem. A cyclic axial load of 750 N was applied to the medial part of the femoral component. The loading test was repeated after creation of a standard, unicondylar, uncontained medial bone defect, after reconstruction of the defect with impacted morselized bone graft, after disconnecting the stem from the component, and after removal of the morselized bone graft. A significant difference was found in rotation and translation of the femoral component with the stem and after its functional removal. The femoral component rotated significantly into varus and internal rotation, and the tip of the stem translated significantly laterally after disconnection of the stem. A linear correlation between bone mineral density in the femoral neck and the radiostereophotogrammetric motion data was absent, but a bone mineral density threshold level of 0.55 g/cm2 was present, below which stability decreased considerably. Morselized bone graft provided only a minor contribution to stability compared with a stem.


We introduce a client-server toolkit called Sync Kit that demonstrates how client-side database storage can improve the performance of data intensive websites. Sync Kit is designed to make use of the embedded relational database defined in the upcoming HTML5 standard to offload some data storage and processing from a web server onto the web browsers to which it serves content. Our toolkit provides various strategies for synchronizing relational database tables between the browser and the web server, along with a client-side template library so that portions web applications may be executed client-side. Unlike prior work in this area, Sync Kit persists both templates and data in the browser across web sessions, increasing the number of concurrent connections a server can handle by up to a factor of four versus that of a traditional server-only web stack and a factor of three versus a recent template caching approach.


Background Disasters, including earthquakes, may strike abruptly without warning. Children may develop psychological damage resulting from experiencing an overwhelmingly traumatic event. They may feel very frightened during a disaster and demonstrate emotional and behavioral problems afterwards. Objective To evaluate the presence of developmental disorders, behavioral disorders, and depression in children after the earthquake at Padang and Pariaman on September 30th, 2009. Methods This was a cross􀁘sectional study using the developmental pre screening questionnaire (KPSP), Pediatric Symptoms Checklist-17 (PSC-17), and Child Depression Inventory (CDI) in children after the Padang and Pariaman earthquake (September 30th, 2009), in Sungai Limau and Sungai Geringging District, Pariaman Region, West Sumatera. Our study was conducted October 15th to November 28th, 2009. Results There were 172 children screened using the KPSP. Forty-two (25%) children scored 7􀁘8 (reason for concern), 18 (10%) children scored <7 (suspected to have a developmental disorder), and the remainder scored as developmentally appropriate. Behavioral disorder screening was perfonned in 339 children using the PSC􀁘 17. Internalizing disorder alone was suspected in 58 (17%) children, externalizing disorder alone in 26 (7.7%), and attention􀁘defidt disorder alone in 5 (1.5%). Eight (2.4%) children were suspected to have both internalizing and attention􀁘defidt disorders, 4 (1.2%) children externalizing and attention􀁘defidt disorders, 22 (6.5%) children internalizing and externalizing disorders, and 15 (4.4%) children all three disorders. From 4 9 children who underwent depression screening using CDI, 15 (30.6%) children were suspected to have depression.  Conclusion After the Padang and Pariaman earthquake, we found 10% of subjects screened were suspected of having a developmental disorder. The most connnonbehavioral disorder found was internalizing disorder. Possible depression was found in 30.6% of children surveyed. Traumatized children are at risk for developing post traumatic stress disorder.  2011;5' :133-7].


About 4000 exoplanets have been confirmed since the year of 1992, and for most of the planets, the main parameters that can be measured are planetary radius and mass. Based on these two parameters, surface gravity can be estimated. In this work, we investigate the effects of varying radius and gravity on the climate of rapidly rotating terrestrial planets with assuming they have an ocean and Earth-like atmospheres (N$_2$, CO$_2$, and H$_2$O). Using a three-dimensional (3D) atmospheric general circulation model (GCM), we find that varying radius mainly influences the equator-to-pole surface temperature difference while varying gravity mainly influences the mean surface temperature. For planets of larger radii, the meridional atmospheric energy transport is weaker, which warms the tropics but cools high latitudes. For planets of larger gravities, the surface is globally cooler due to the fact that saturated vapor pressure depends on air temperature only and column water vapor mass is approximately equal to saturated vapor pressure over gravity multiplied by relative humidity. The relative humidity does not change much in our experiments. Ice albedo and water vapor feedbacks act to further amplify the effects of varying radius and gravity. These results suggest that radius and gravity are important factors for planetary climate, although they are not as critical as stellar flux, atmospheric composition and mass, and rotation rate. Future simulations are required to know how large the radius and gravity could influence the width of the habitable zone using 3D GCMs.


Abstract Background: Acute renal failure (ARF), a common and serious complication in patients with septic shock, has high mortality. Recent data suggest that proinflammatory cytokines may contribute to sepsis-associated ARF. Methods: To examine the role of proinflammatory cytokines, we evaluated 537 patients enrolled in the placebo arm of the Norasept II study, of whom 112 patients (20%) developed ARF. Results: By univariate analysis, the following factors were significantly associated with the development of ARF: male sex, younger age, increased heart rate, higher Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score, oliguria, increased blood urea nitrogen level, increased serum creatinine (Scr) level, decreased arterial pH, and increased serum potassium level. Although there were no statistically significant differences in serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) or interleukin-6 between patients with and without ARF, elevated serum levels of the two soluble TNF-α receptors (S-TNF-RI and S-TNF-RII) were strongly associated with the development of ARF (S-TNF-RI, 25 ± 16 versus 18 ± 13 ng/mL; P = 0.00006; S-TNF-RII, 25 ± 21 versus 18 ± 17 ng/mL; P = 0.0007). Using forward stepwise regression analysis, elevated S-TNF-R level remained an independent predictor for ARF, even when we limited our analysis to patients with Scr levels of 1.4 mg/dL or less (≤124 μmol/L) at study entry, suggesting that decreased renal clearance of S-TNF-R alone cannot account for this association. Elevated S-TNF-R level also was an independent predictor of mortality among patients developing ARF. Conclusion: S-TNF-R level is an independent predictor for the development of ARF and mortality. We speculate that elevated S-TNF-R levels may reflect a more intense inflammatory response. Am J Kidney Dis 41:62-75. © 2003 by the National Kidney Foundation, Inc.


A reiterative analysis was applied to determine the optimum number of storms required to generate site mean concentrations (SMC), using total phosphorus data from 17 urban catchments. For each analysed catchment, event mean concentration data were randomly placed into various calibration set sizes, ranging from 1 to N (where N was equal to the total number of storms available at the given catchment). Geometric mean estimates of SMCs associated with each calibration set size were then calculated, and verified using all available data from the catchment of interest. This process was repeated 10,000 times for each catchment. Average errors associated with each sample size were then plotted and used to estimate the optimum number of storms required to derive SMCs at each catchment. The optimum was derived by evaluating the balance between cost and uncertainty, whereby the minimum number of storms producing a relatively accurate estimate of SMC was accepted. Overall, it was found that between five and seven storm events were sufficient. In addition, it was deduced that sampling only six storm events would be approximately 40% cheaper than sampling 12 events.


This report summarises the findings of the project that have been presented in a number of separate reports and publications. In the Chapters 2 to 5 the approach, results and conclusions of the project are summarised, following the structure of the different work packages. Chapter 2 summarises the work on ethical values of organic agriculture. Chapter 3 looks at the differences in the implementation of Regulation (EEC) 2092/91 across Europe and compares the European Regulation with international standards. Chapters 4 and 5 summarise the findings that relate to reducing the dependency on non-organic inputs in the case of feed and seed.
The final Chapter 6 consolidates the recommendations of the whole project arising from the various different work packages in one place. Recommendations are aimed in particular at the second stage of the ongoing revision process of the European Regulation, the transfer of the detailed rules from the Annexes of the Regulation (EEC) 2092/91 that is expected to start after the completion of the project. Further recommendations for standard setting bodies, regulators and research recommendations are also presented.

The overall objective of the project was to provide recommendations for the revision and further development of the Regulation (EEC) 2092/91 and other standards for organic agriculture, broken down into a number of specific objectives that resulted in 12 seperate reports.

The basic ethical values and value differences of organic agriculture in Europe was identified through stakeholder consultation (D 2.1) and through literature as part of developing a procedure for balancing and integrating the basic values in developments of EU regulation (D 2.3).

Organic standards from national and private organisations in Europe were compared with the EU regulation with help of database (www.organicrules.org) and differences were analysed to give recommendations on further harmonisation of the EU regulation (D 3.2).

The knowledge on how to achieve 100 % organic rations in diets for livestock was expanded through a meta-analysis of literature and an overview of the current situation to characterise the availability of protein sources for 100% organic diets for pigs and poultry was produced (D 4.1 part 1 and 2). Criteria for use of organic inputs, evaluation criteria for Annex II C: Feed materials and Annex II D: Dietary supplements of Regulation (EEC) 2092/91 were developed (D. 4.2). A guide for operators was developed (D 4.3).
The knowledge on how to reduce the use of non-organic seed and vegetative propagation materials was improved through reports on seed borne diseases in organic seed and propagation material (D 5.1), on the importance of quality characterising in organic seed and propagation material (D 5.2) and analysis of national derogation regimes (D 5.3).

The project produced 12 reports, 7 scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals, and a project web-page at www.organic-revision.org where all reports and further documents are available. It organised 3 workshops with stakeholders and had ongoing communication with the Unit on Organic Farming in DG Agriculture responsible for the Organic Regulation. Members of the team produced in total more than 250 dissemination items.


Context: The care bundle approach is a set of evidence-based practices that when performed collectively and reliably have been shown to improve the patient outcome. Aims: To evaluate the impact of the bundle care approach on reducing device-associated infections (DAIs). Settings and Design: The study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital, South India. The study period was from January 2016 to September 2016 which was divided into three phases, each comprising 3 months. Subjects and Methods: During the implementation phase, bundle care forms were implemented in all Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and the ICU staff were given a basic education on the importance of bundle care approach. The DAI rates (ventilator-associated pneumonia [VAP] rates, central line-associated bloodstream infection [CLABSI] rate, and catheter-associated urinary tract infection [CAUTI] rate) were calculated throughout the study period. Statistical Analysis Used: Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 19 software. Results: During preimplementation phase, the VAP rate, CLABSI rate, and CAUTI rate were 14.79, 4.98, and 4.86 per 1000 device days, respectively. Rates were reduced to 13.03, 3.98, and 3.39 per 1000 device days, respectively, during the implementation phase and further reduced into 11.91, 3.49, and 2.36 per 1000 device days during the postimplementation phase. The month-wise decreasing trend of DAI rates was significant for medical ICUs as compared to surgical and pediatric ICUs. Conclusions: The month-wise decreasing trend of VAP rate, CLABSI rate, and CAUTI rate was noted, which signifies that the use of care bundle approach has a great impact on reducing DAIs


This document proposes an additional endpoint for OAuth authorization
servers, which allows clients to notify the authorization server that
a previously obtained refresh or access token is no longer needed.
This allows the authorization server to clean up security credentials.
A revocation request will invalidate the actual token and, if
applicable, other tokens based on the same authorization grant.


This article addresses the concept of authenticity, a characteristic of late modern Western culture. This characteristic is viewed by some as an ideal and by others as a root of the problems inherent within Western culture. After discussing various viewpoints, the author supports the idea that authenticity should not be totally accepted or rejected and sets forth a proposal based on the so-called "negative ethics" or "skeptical ethics".


With the constant growth of medical electronic systems, including decision support systems and personal wellbeing applications, the need for machine understandable information has increased. However, much of the data currently available is in free-form text, which is a convenient way for people to express concepts and events, but is especially challenging for machines to process. Information extraction can relieve some of the problems related with processing free-form text, by providing a semantic interpretation and abstraction of texts. This thesis presents the PharmInX information extraction system, which aims to automatically extract information from pharmacological texts, more precisely medication leaflets. The system was designed to target several different kinds of information regarding pharmacological products, particularly their posology, side effects and indications. The primary goal is to provide high-quality and machine understandable information, which is currently not available for medical electronic systems. With such information, these systems could provide better well care services for patients, and enhance decision support systems for health care professionals. The PharmInX system was designed and developed with these goals in mind. It includes 6 components each with different capabilities: 1) text pre-processing, 2) document reader, 3) general natural language processing, 4) named entity recognition, 5) relation extraction and finally 6) information consumers. The reasoning of these components relies in rules, regular expressions, searches in external resources and machine learning. Once all these stages are completed, we can then access the information extracted through an ontology which was carefully developed to support the pharmacological information that we intended to extract. For the purpose of both development support and evaluation of the system, some pharmacological documents were manually annotated and used as gold standard. The results achieved by the system resorting to this evaluation indicate that pharmacological and clinical information can successfully be extracted from free-form texts in Portuguese, presenting a F1 score of 99.23% when recognizing entities and a F1 score of 97.43% when extracting relations between those entities.


Music didactic intentionality as social construction This article discusses contemporary music education aiming at a new understanding of teaching and learning contemporary music. Today in Sweden, the interest for contemporary music within formalised music education is growing rapidly. This raises questions about what content is taught and how this affects pupils' learning of music. The theoretical framework is inspired by a social-constructionist perspective (Burr, 2003). Thus, this text argues against an essentialist perspective on subject matter, teaching methods or content. Teaching practices are seen as cultural practices formed through and by discourses in different contexts, which have implications for the concept of learning. Earlier research has investigated discourses mainly by focusing on language, while this article discusses the possibility of understanding "intentionality" as a place where discourse on learning takes place. Therefore didactic intentionality is suggested to be understood as not only the relationship between pupil and content but also as a way to understand how discourses work in music education contexts. This may prove to be a useable concept when analyzing music education practices.


Myopia is not only inherited but also caused by excessive reading and other close work. The objective of present study was to find out the various genetic and environmental factors contributing to the occurrence of myopia among students. The prevalence of myopia among the first year medical students of MMMC Manipal, India was assessed using a questionnaire. These Malaysian Medical students belonged to different ethnicity like Chinese, Malay and Indians. Our survey showed that the females had higher prevalence of myopia when compared to males of the same age group. A higher percentage of Chinese medical students were found to have myopia when compared to other Malaysian races. Although there was an association with the level of education, gender, ethnicity and origin with the prevalence of myopia, its occurrence may be reduced by suitable awareness programs and proper knowledge on development of myopia by environmental factors to a great extent.


Solution processable conjugated polymers are always composed of a rigid polymer backbone and flexible side chains. The typical side chains of conjugated polymers are alkyl chains, which are hydrophobic. Oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG) chains, which are hydrophilic, have also been widely used as side chains of conjugated polymers. Compared with alkyl chains, OEG chains possess some characteristics, such as hydrophilicity, high polarity, high flexibility and ionic conductivity. As a result, OEG chains greatly affect the opto-electronic properties, molecular stacking behaviors in thin films, and opto-electronic device performance of the resulting conjugated polymers. Conjugated polymers bearing OEG side chains can not only show improved opto-electronic device performance, but also enable new opto-electronic device applications. In this review, using several typical examples, we summarize conjugated polymers bearing OEG side chains for optoelectronic applications.


When parallel light is reflected from a small perfect reflecting sphere the illumination is approximately independent of the angle of incidence and reflection. A formula is developed to study this approximation. Also a formula is given for the case of a sphere which is not supposed to be perfectly reflecting but reflects according to some law like Fresnel's reflection law.


The article deals with the international monetary relations around the years of the crisis of the Bretton Woods system. This contribution is based on new US sources recently released, and on French public and private archives, as well as on the collection of oral sources available in Paris at the Georges Pompidou Foundation. Thanks to these sources, the article focuses the monetary troubles of the late 1960's and the 1970's in the framework of the increasingly difficult relationships between the EEC and the United States. It shows as well that evolution of the US position has been influenced only partly by Nixon's domestic approach to the main economic policy problems, and especially to foreign economic policy. The US administration had in fact a strategy that was reconsidering world economic balance of power, in which Europe could be an economic competitor and not anymore only a political partner. For the European countries, and especially for the EEC, the discussions about the reform of the monetary system shown the lack of a real common vision of the international economic situation. Part of them were politically still too close to the US to permit the development of a real European point of view. On the other hand, the other countries, like France, were still looking for a new strategy that included the revival of the European economic and monetary union - despite the end of the "franco-fracaise" approach to international economic and monetary problems.


Phylogenetic relationships among Phytophthora species were investigated by sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region I of the ribosomal DNA repeat unit. The extensive collection of isolates included taxa from all six morphological groups recognized by Waterhouse (1963) including molecular groups previously identified using isozymes and mtDNA restriction fragment length polymorphisms. Similar to previous studies, the inferred relationships indicated that molecular groups of P. cryptogea}drechslerilike and P. megasperma-like taxa are polyphyletic. Morphological groups V and VI, which are dierentiated by the presence of amphigynous or paragynous antheridia, are not monophyletic: species of the two groups are interspersed in the tree. Species with papillate and semi-papillate sporangia (groups I‐IV) clustered together and this cluster was distinct from those of species with nonpapillate sporangia. There was no congruence between the mode of antheridial attachment, sporangial caducity, or homo- or heterothallic habit and the molecular grouping of the species. Our study provides evidence that the antheridial position together with homo- or heterothallic habit does not reflect phylogenetic relationships within Phytophthora. Consequently, confirming studies done previously (Cooke & Duncan 1997), this study provides evidence that the morphological characters used in Phytophthora taxonomy are of limited value for deducing phylogenetic relationships, because they exhibit convergent evolution.


We describe a modular software that allows fast development of eye-in-hand image-based visual servoing applications (VISP states for "Visual Servoing Platform"). Visual servoing consists of specifying a task as the regulation in the image of a set of visual features. Various issues have thus to considered in the design of such application: among these issues we find the control of camera motions and the tracking of visual features. Our environment features a wide class of control skills as well as a library of real-time tracking processes. Some applications that used this modular architecture on a six DOF cartesian robot are finally presented.


Abstract This work presents a new constructive uniqueness proof for Calderón's inverse problem of electrical impedance tomography, subject to local Cauchy data, for a large class of piecewise constant conductivities that we call piecewise constant layered conductivities (PCLC). The resulting reconstruction method only relies on the physically intuitive monotonicity principles of the local Neumann-to-Dirichlet map, and therefore the method lends itself well to efficient numerical implementation and generalization to electrode models. Several direct reconstruction methods exist for the related problem of inclusion detection, however they share the property that "holes in inclusions" or "inclusions-within-inclusions" cannot be determined. One such method is the monotonicity method of Harrach, Seo, and Ullrich, and in fact the method presented here is a modified variant of the monotonicity method which overcomes this problem. More precisely, the presented method abuses that a PCLC type conductivity can be decomposed into nested layers of positive and/or negative perturbations that, layer-by-layer, can be determined via the monotonicity method. The conductivity values on each layer are found via basic one-dimensional optimization problems constrained by monotonicity relations.


Controversy still exists concerning the diagnosis and treatment of congenital lobar emphysema (CLE). Although surgical removal of the affected lobe is the most commonly accepted form of treatment, detection of milder or even asymptomatic cases is usually followed by a more conservative management of patients, i. e. non-surgical treatment and follow-up. We therefore decided to evaluate our patients with CLE, placing special emphasis on treatment and diagnostic techniques. We also evaluated quantitative analyses of alveolar diameters. Fourteen children with CLE were analysed retrospectively, including age, sex, clinical picture, localisation, diagnostic and surgical modalities and histopathologic diagnosis. The alveolar diameters of affected lobes were compared with those of the lobectomised patients with other non-obstructive respiratory diseases. All children but one had severe respiratory distress as an initial symptom. All patients, except newborns, had a history of pulmonary infection. All cases underwent thoracic CT examination as the main radiologic method. In all of the patients, only one lobe was affected. We found an obvious mediastinal shift and atelectasis of adjacent lobes due to compression of the affected lobe. The affected lobe was therefore surgically removed in all of the children. In one case, we had to carry out a partial lobectomy to reduce the duration of the operation, due to an intraoperative fall of oxygen saturation. All of the children had an uneventful clinical course postoperatively. The alveolar diameters of the cases with CLE were significantly greater than those of the control patients. We think that the majority of cases with CLE have too severe respiratory distress to avoid surgical removal of affected lobe. Conservative management should be reserved only for patients with milder symptoms or no distress at all.


Recently, diagnostic on Medium Voltage Cables using tan δ measurement that measures dissipation factor with 0.1Hz VLF (Very Low Frequency) high voltage source has emerged as an efficient way to assess water tree aging of MV (Medium Voltage) cables. This study verified the validity diagnostic evaluation criteria defined by IEEE400.2-2013 and it's pervious drafts of DTD (Delta tan δ) and STDEV (Standard Deviation) - indicating voltage-stability and time-stability of tan δ respectively - by applying tan δ measurement to KEPCO (Korea Electric Power Corporation)'s power distribution system and suggested a new assessment factor being defined as Skirt, and its new formula in order to identify the precursor of insulation breakdown with patterns of tan δ. By visualizing complex correlations between various assessment factors and proposing a 3-dimensional assessment standard that can normalize the deterioration condition of a cable into a uniform value, this study has established a foundation to calculate the remaining life time of a cable through VLF tan δ diagnostic.


As a huge medical system in the World, herbal drugs are very effective for many diseases. However Diabetes Mellitus also control by herbal drugs even though not efficiency reducing the symptoms of Neuropathy. Therefore this research tries to correct that problem by poly herbal formula. In commonly patients are suffering from peripheral neuropathy caused by Diabetes Mellitus. We would like to do research in efficacy of ARUGANKATTAI PASTE (GLY CYN NEU Ointment) and Control Drug (placebo). Case control double blind clinical study measured to assess the effect of the treatment by significant relief of burning sensation within a month. The neuropathic symptoms; very mild grade 46.15% in Group-I (D.M.T), Marked improvement grade 15.38%, Moderate improvement grade 38.46% in Group-II (GlyCynNeu Ointment) and mild improvement 23.08%, very mild improvement 07.69% in Group-III in burning sensation than the Numbness, Numbness & Burning sensation (both).In statistically way, this research is qualitative analyses therefore compare with two and analyzed significant of each compares. However final identical results say: Comparing the control (Group-I), GlyCynNeuointment (Group-II) was shown Significant (p<0.05) reduction in symptoms of neuropathy. GlyCynNeu Ointment was significantly (p<0.05) change symptoms of neuropathy within one month (4th Week) of treatment. Finally, concluded effectiveness of research drugs GLY CYN NEU Ointment significant most effective than Control Drug Group-III and Hospital Diabetic treatment (Group-I) for Diabetic Neuropathic symptoms. In neuropathic symptoms, BURNING SENSATION was highly notified changes like reducing within one a month than other symptoms.


The two-dimensional (2D) cubic phase function (CPF) is known as a highly accurate 2D polynomial phase signal estimator, but it has limited applicability due to the requirement for the 3D search for second-order partial phase derivatives. The authors propose an interpolation-based approach simulating non-uniform (NU) signal sampling in order to reduce the 2D CPF calculation complexity. The NU resampling enables the 2D CPF evaluation using the 2D fast Fourier transform and searches over mixed-phase parameter. The computational complexity is reduced from O ( N 5 ) to O ( N 3 log 2 N ) . The additional stage with dechirping, filtering and phase unwrapping is introduced to refine parameter estimates.


On the basis of the cylindrical grinding-hardening test, the influences of the grinding parameters on surface hardened layer were studied. The result shows that when ap≤0.2mm, there is an unhardened area exist in cylindrical grinding hardened workpiece. When ap>0.2mm, there is a tempered area exist in cylindrical grinding hardened workpiece due to the action of grinding heat during cut-in and cut-out of grinding wheel. When depth of cut increases, or feed speed decreases, the hardened layer depth increases accordingly. In the practical application, the satisfactory quality of the cylindrical grinding hardened layer can be obtained through reasonable combination of ap and vw.


In 2013, NHS England specified that: '... every person with a long-term condition or disability has a personalised care plan supporting them to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to manage their own health' .1

Around 40% of the UK population experience a long-term condition while 65% of people aged 65–84 years have two or more.2 This is an all-time high, with figures set to rise. This places significant personal, social, and economic burden on individuals, their families, and the community.

The use of care plans to manage multiple long-term conditions — by assessing individual behaviour, setting joint goals, supporting self-management, and ensuring proactive follow-up — is based on Wagner's Chronic Care Model.3 The model takes into account the need to provide support and structure to patients, and the fact that all long-term conditions have common challenges.

Care planning has received extraordinary interest in the NHS. Policymakers endorse care planning as a way of containing high costs, encouraging a more person-centred approach, improving quality of life, and reducing mortality rates and emergency admissions to hospitals. But are care plans effective in this regard and what challenges do GP practices face in implementation?

Systematic literature reviews on the impact of care planning show that it leads to only limited reductions in admissions and small improvements in patients' physical health.4 However, …


background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a multifactorial disorder, with mutations implicated in 14 sarcomeric and cytoskeletal genes, leading to genotypic and phenotypic heterogeneity, and a challenging genetic and clinical diagnosis. The genetic characteristics of HCM have been studied for more than two decades in various ethnic and racial groups, and many novel genetic variations have been reported. The myosin heavy chain gene is the most heavily implicated gene in HCM, with >200 reported mutations, the majority of which have been found in the head-rod junction. The rod portion of MYH7, coded by exons 29 to 40 and belonging to the light meromyosin (LMM) region, has not been characterized to the same extent as the head domain with respect to single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)/mutations.
OBJECTIVE: To screen the conserved LMM region, constituting exons 27 to 39 (13 exons), to identify any pathogenic SNPs/variations in this region in a population of Indian patients.
Methods: Molecular screening was performed by polymerase chain reaction-based single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis in 100 control individuals and 100 HCM patients. The variations were confirmed by sequencing. Insilico analysis was performed to analyze the effect of the respective variations.
Results : Screening of exons 27 to 39 revealed three novel missense variations and one novel synonymous variation in exon 34. Interestingly, patients with these variations also exhibited compound heterozygosity, indicating exon 34 to be the 'hotspot' exon of the LMM region.
Conclusion: The results of the present study emphasize the importance of the LMM (rod) region of the MYH7 gene and suggest that variations in the conserved region are likely to be more pathogenic, making screening of the entire gene for HCM diagnosis mandatory.


Conjunctival amelanotic malignant melanoma is a rare form of melanoma, which lacks visible pigment and is commonly located underneath the eyelids in the bulbar conjunctiva. In this report, we described a case of a Caucasian women in her 70s who presented with unilateral irritation and tenderness following cataract surgery. On eversion of the eyelid, two elevated pink lesions were noted. Tumour - Node - Metastasis staging with the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system eighth edition was T3C and required multiple excisions and reconstruction procedures. This case exemplified the diagnostic pitfall of conjunctival amelanotic malignant melanoma, which is a potentially life-threatening disease and the importance of histopathology in the diagnostic process.


Channel zapping time is a crucial issue in Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) Quality of Experience (QoE) performance. One way to reduce channel zapping time is a predictive tuning method, which reduces channel zapping time by prejoining channels that are likely to be selected next, in addition to the currently watched channel. This paper presents an improved predictive tuning method that satisfies required channel zapping time with minimized bandwidth usage. Unlike existing methods, the proposed method determines the most efficient number of prejoining channels in a surfing period and in a viewing period differently by estimating expected channel zapping time and expected bandwidth usage with a Semi-Markov Process. We also propose a prejoining channel selection method according to the combined button and channel preference. Mathematical model and simulation show that the proposed method achieves the required channel zapping time with less bandwidth consumption and a more stable network than previous works.


Abstract. Airborne LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) and airborne photogrammetry are both proven and widely used techniques for the 3D topographic mapping of extended areas. Although both techniques are based on different reconstruction principles (polar measurement vs. ray triangulation), they ultimately serve the same purpose, the 3D reconstruction of the Earth's surface, natural objects or infrastructure. It is therefore obvious for many applications to integrate the data from both techniques to generate more accurate and complete results. Many works have been published on this topic of data fusion. However, no rigorous integrated solution exists for the first two steps that need to be carried out after data acquisition, namely (a) the lidar strip adjustment and (b) the aerial triangulation. A consequence of solving these two optimization problems independently can be large discrepancies (of up to several decimeters) between the lidar block and the image block. This is especially the case in challenging situations, e.g. corridor mapping with one strip only or in case few or no ground control data. To avoid this problem and thereby profit from many other advantages, a first rigorous integration of these two tasks, the hybrid orientation of lidar point clouds and aerial images, is presented in this work.


: An important point in the evolution of chronic aortic insufficiency (CAI) is the degree of disturbance of left ventricular performance (LVP), from which the surgical risk and the prognosis depend. Is possible by M mode Echocardiography (M-Echo) to evaluate the different elements that regulate the LVP, with the known measurements and by ratios of integral appraisal that are described here. We studied 14 patients with pure CAI at the National Institute of Cardiology, all of them had left catherization, ventriculography aortography, M-Echo, Chest X ray and EKG. The end systolic diameter (ESD) of the left ventricle (LV) and the fractional shortening (FS) showed good correlation with the end diastolic pressure (EDP) of the LV (r = 0.86 and -0.74 respectively). The percentage of aortic regurgitation (%AR) did not show significative correlation with the parameters of LV function. The ratios of integral appraisal showed good correlation with the EDP of the LV, the left atrium diameter over ejection fraction ratio (LAD/EF) was r = 0.764; the E point-septum separation over the fractional shortening ratio (E-S/FE) was r = 0.776, and for the ESD over the normalized velocity of the posterior wall of the LV ratio (ESD/NVPW) was r = 0.85. The relationship of the ESD/NVPW ratio with the EF was good (r = 0.95), with the mean velocity of circunferential shortening (r = -0.94) and with the cardiothoracic index (r = 0.88). We did not find a relationship between the functional class (NYHA) and the LVP, evaluated hemodynamic and echocardiographic methods used here. The M-Echo is an useful procedure for the sequential study of CAI, that permits recognition of the initiation and severity of the LV dysfunction, and it is of great help to signal the right moment for the surgical treatment.


Matters of the so-called the "pseudo-Olympic" games are relatively unknown in Polish scientific literature, and some attempts to revive the games and their creators were only heard fragmentarily or not at all. Finding and analyzing materials of the Roman Academy of Arcadia has brought an interesting discovery. This article aims to present the figure of Giovanni Mario Crescimbeni – one of the founders of Arcadia, its first Curator and the main creator and organizer of a specific type of competition – inspired by the ancient Olympic Games – poetic Olympic Games that were the central cultural event of the Academy. Arcadian poetic games are an example of the heritage of the Olympic idea at the end of the 17th century and throughout the 18th century.


We compute—in the long-wavelength limit—the intensity of light scattered by resonantly absorbing molecules in solution. An expression is obtained that connects the scattered intensity with the absorption of the molecule. This result reflects the resonant behavior in scattered intensity by diphenylpolyenes. For further confirmation more experimental data are needed; in particular, measurement of light scattering in the spectral region of an absorption line. A possible experimental design is suggested for such measurements.


We have newly developed a multimedia processing LSI, targeting HDTV applications such as a digital broadcasting receiver based on ATSC or ARIB standards. It integrates many essential features such as multiple HDTV/SDTV input and output ports, an MPEG2-I/JPEG decoder, programmable video scaling engines, alpha-blending and a 2-D graphic engine. This LSI will be very useful in a broad range of multimedia applications such as DTV/ATV receivers, set top boxes, interactive TVs, cable and satellite.


Objective: This paper has been prepared as an effort to reassess the research studies on the relevance of machine learning techniques in the domain of agricultural crop production. Methods/Statistical Analysis: This method is a new approach for production of agricultural crop management. Accurate and timely forecasts of crop production are necessary for important policy decisions like import-export, pricing marketing distribution etc. which are issued by the directorate of economics and statistics. However one has understand that these prior estimates are not the objective estimates as these estimate requires lots of descriptive assessment based on many different qualitative factors. Hence there is a requirement to develop statistically sound objective prediction of crop production. That development in computing and information storage has provided large amount of data. Findings: The problem has been to intricate knowledge from this raw data , this has lead to the development of new approach and techniques such as machine learning that can be used to unite the knowledge of the data with crop yield evaluation. This research has been intended to evaluate these innovative techniques such that significant relationship can be found by their applications to the various variables present in the data base. Application / Improvement: The few techniques like artificial neural networks, Information Fuzzy Network, Decision Tree, Regression Analysis, Bayesian belief network. Time series analysis, Markov chain model, k-means clustering, k nearest neighbor, and support vector machine are applied in the domain of agriculture were presented.


Porous crystalline materials, such as porous organic cages (POCs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs), are important for a wide range of applications such as gas storage/separation, sensing and catalysis. A conventional synthetic approach for imine-based POCs and COFs usually involves the use of organic solvents/acid catalysts (such as AcOH or TFA). However, synthesizing and growing POC crystals and COF crystallites with enhanced crystallinity is not an easy-to-perform process, in which many reaction parameters need to be screened. To overcome these problems, we have proposed herein a facile and green synthetic strategy by adopting H2O/organic solvents/MOH (M = Na, K, and Cs) as reaction media to produce a series of phenol-based POCs and COFs. X-ray crystallography and molecular simulations have been used to confirm their structures in addition to NMR, mass and FT-IR spectra, and gas sorption experiments reveal their porosity and sorption properties. This new approach provides not only an efficient and alternative route to synthesize highly crystalline POCs and even COFs, but also insight into the crystallization process of these two kinds of porous materials, especially in the hydrous media.


The electrical potential technique was applied to monitor the crack initiation and propagation in LY12-CZ plates. The feasibility of this method was validated by a simulation experiment firstly. Then fatigue crack monitoring experiment based on LY12-CZ aluminum alloy center-hole plate specimen was carried out. After a special coating sensor was prepared on the monitoring area of the specimen by surface technology, a set of fatigue crack monitoring experiments were carried out. The changes in the potential values of the coating sensor resulting from crack damage were documented. Since the property of the coating sensor and the introduced current were constant, the measured voltage values would only relate to the crack's length and position. Based on the experimental results, the relation curves between voltage values and crack lengths were obtained, and a set of empirical formulae were deduced.


A pilot project which aimed to develop the management and leadership abilities of 51 senior staff members from 17 secondary schools in the Aoraki region of New Zealand is described. The action research approach was used to identify local hopes and needs and as a basis for developing and testing a programme model for staff development based on a set of relevant elements such as regular sessions, interschool interaction, freedom from responsibilities, enjoyment of learning and exploration of the central concept of school culture. The project was led by a consultant‐co‐ordinator team. Participants examined issues related to management, leadership and change and they developed strategies for increasing the management effectiveness of their schools. The aim shared by all participants was to develop management and leadership skills in order better to support teachers and learners. The background to the project and its underpinning professional development model are described.


We upgraded the chemical network from the UMIST Database for Astrochemistry 2006 to include isotopes such as 13 C and 18 O. This includes all corresponding isotopologues, their chemical reactions and the properly scaled reaction rate coefficients. We study the fractionation behavior of astrochemically relevant species over a wide range of model parameters, relevant for modelling of photo-dissociation regions (PDRs). We separately analyze the fractionation of the local abundances, fractionation of the total column densities, and fractionation visible in the emission line ratios. We find that strong C + fractionation is possible in cool C + gas. Optical thickness as well as excitation effects produce intensity ratios between 40 and 400. The fractionation of CO in PDRs is significantly different from the diffuse interstellar medium. PDR model results never show a fractionation ratio of the CO column density larger than the elemental ratio. Isotope-selective photo-dissociation is always dominated by the isotope-selective chemistry in dense PDR gas. The fractionation of C, CH, CH + and HCO + is studied in detail, showing that the fractionation of C, CH and CH + is dominated by the fractionation of their parental species. The light hydrides chemically derive from C + , and, consequently, their fractionation state is coupled to that of C + . The fractionation of C is a mixed case depending on whether formation from CO or HCO + dominates. Ratios of the emission lines of [C II ], [C I ], 13 CO, and H 13 CO + provide individual diagnostics to the fractionation status of C + , C, and CO. – ISM: abundances – ISM: structure – photon-dominated region (PDR) – ISM: clouds


Objectives: To measure external radiation doses and estimate internal radiation doses (due to the process of radionuclide injection) to staff members working in a nuclear medicine department over a 1-year period; to assess the possible radiation doses to staff members in order to determine whether classification of radiation workers is necessary. Methods: Radiation doses to 4 nuclear medicine physicians, 8 radiographers, and 2 laboratory attendants were measured by digital pocket dosimeters. Results: After correction for background natural radiation dose, the mean annual radiation dose to the physicians was 0.29 ± 0.21 mSv. This was lower than the mean annual radiation dose of 2.07 ± 0.97 mSv (p = 0.017) to the radiographers and 1.97 ± 0.05 mSv (p = 0.064) to the laboratory attendants, respectively. The mean radiation dose to the radiographers performing data acquisition and radionuclide injection (1.82 ± 1.08 mSv) was not different from that of the radiographers performing data acquisition only (2.53 ± 0.47 mSv) [p = 0.439]. An empirical formula was applied to compute the possible risk of receiving an internal dose in the process of radionuclide injection. The annual internal radiation dose to individual staff members performing radionuclide injection was estimated to be 0.01 mSv, which can be considered negligible in an estimation of total effective dose. Conclusions: This 1-year study showed that effective radiation doses to nuclear medicine department staff members were within permissible levels, and that the classification of radiation workers is unlikely to be necessary in a typical nuclear medicine department in Hong Kong.


Objective: To compare the efficacy of fistulotomy versus fistulectomy in the treatment of low lying anal fistula in male patients.
Study Design: Randomized clinical trial.
Place and Duration of Study: Surgery Department, CMH Multan and CMH Malir, from Aug 2008 to Oct 2013.
Patients and Methods: Study was done on 262 patients. Patients with anal fistula were divided by simple random allocation into groups A (fistulotomy) and B (fistulectomy). The patients with simple low anal fistula without any comorbids were included in the study and the patients with recurrent fistula, high fistula or those having any comorbid were excluded from the study. Data was analysed using SPSS 17. Descriptive statistics applied for both quantitative and qualitative variables. Mean and standard deviation for quantitative and frequencies and percentages for qualitative data.
Results: Total 262 patients were selected having low lying anal fistula and operated as group A – fistulotomy and group B – fistulectomy, each group constituted of 131 patients each. The operating time was found to be shorter for group A (14.29+3.24 minutes) and group B (25.92 +3.60 minutes). The group A patients were discharged earlier (3.73 + 0.65 days) than group B (4.88 + 0.35 days). In group A incidence of postoperative bleeding (0.8%), infection (2.2%) and recurrence was (10.7%). While in group B bleeding (3.1%), infection (3.8%) and recurrence was (15.3%). Severity of postoperative pain (as assessed by Numeric Rating Scale) was higher in group B as compared to group A. The healing time was shorter in group A (4.04 + 0.33 weeks) as compared to group B (4.57 + 0.497 weeks) and the patients of group A returned to normal activity earlier (10.9 + 2.05 weeks) than group B patients (15.54 + 0.51 weeks).
Conclusion: In male patients suffering from simple low lying anal fistulas, fistulotomy has a definitive superiority over fistulectomy and is recommended to be adopted as primary surgical modality for the treatment.


EVE is a high-level visualization library using ROOT's data-processing, GUI and OpenGL interfaces. It is designed as a framework for object management offering hierarchical data organization, object interaction and visualization via GUI and OpenGL representations. Automatic creation of 2D projected views is also supported. On the other hand, it can serve as an event visualization toolkit satisfying most HEP requirements: visualization of geometry, simulated and reconstructed data such as hits, clusters, tracks and calorimeter information. Special classes are available for visualization of raw-data. Object-interaction layer allows for easy selection and highlighting of objects and their derived representations (projections) across several views (3D, Rho-Z, R-Phi). Object-specific tooltips are provided in both GUI and GL views. The visual-configuration layer of EVE is built around a data-base of template objects that can be applied to specific instances of visualization objects to ensure consistent object presentation. The data-base can be retrieved from a file, edited during the framework operation and stored to file. EVE prototype was developed within the ALICE collaboration and has been included into ROOT in December 2007. Since then all EVE components have reached maturity. EVE is used as the base of AliEve visualization framework in ALICE, Firework physics-oriented event-display in CMS, and as the visualization engine of FairRoot in FAIR.


Summary:
Serial casting is successful in avoiding extensive posteromedial release (PMR) in only 11% to 58% of patients with idiopathic congenital clubfoot. Extensive open surgery is commonly associated with long-term stiffness and weakness. Ponseti claims to avoid PMR in 89% of cases by using his specific technique of manipulation, casting, and limited surgery. The authors report their first 27 patients undergoing the Ponseti technique (34 feet) with a group of 27 matched control patients (34 feet). All patients underwent serial casting, begun within the first 3 months of life. The parameter studied was the need to perform PMR within the first year of life. In the Ponseti group, only 1 (3%) of 34 feet required PMR. In 31 (91%) of 34 feet, percutaneous Achilles tenotomy was performed at age 2 to 3 months. The average duration of casting was 2 months. In the control group, 32 (94%) of 34 feet required PMR within the first year of life, despite a longer casting period. Based on the authors' initial success with the Ponseti method, they no longer believe that PMR is required for most cases of idiopathic clubfoot. Foot abduction splints are crucial to avoid recurrence. Longer follow-up will determine whether the authors can continue to match Ponseti's reported outcomes.


This report summarizes a study of the physics potential of the CLIC e + e - linear collider operating at centre-of-mass energies from 1 TeV to 5 TeV with luminosity of the order of 10 35 cm -2 s -1 . First, the CLIC collider complex is surveyed, with emphasis on aspects related to its physics capabilities, particularly the luminosity and energy, and also possible polarization, γγ and e + e - collisions. The next CLIC Test facility, CTF3, and its R&D programme are also reviewed. We then discuss aspects of experimentation at CLIC, including backgrounds and experimental conditions, and present a conceptual detector design used in the physics analyses, most of which use the nominal CLIC centre-of-mass energy of 3 TeV. CLIC contributions to Higgs physics could include completing the profile of a light Higgs boson by measuring rare decays and reconstructing the Higgs potential, or discovering one or more heavy Higgs bosons, or probing CP violation in the Higgs sector. Turning to physics beyond the Standard Model, CLIC might be able to complete the supersymmetric spectrum and make more precise measurements of sparticles detected previously at the LHC or a lower-energy linear e + e - collider: γγ collisions and polarization would be particularly useful for these tasks. CLIC would also have unique capabilities for probing other possible extensions of the Standard Model, such as theories with extra dimensions or new vector resonances, new contact interactions and models with strong WW scattering at high energies. In all the scenarios we have studied, CLIC would provide significant fundamental physics information beyond that available from the LHC and a lower-energy linear e + e - collider, as a result of its unique combination of high energy and experimental precision.


Cell cycle checkpoint kinase 2 (CHEK2) is a transducer of cellular responses to DNA damage. The CHEK2 1100delC has previously been shown to be a low‐penetrance breast cancer susceptibility allele. We have evaluated the role of another CHEK2 variant, I157T in the FHA domain of the gene, for association with breast cancer. I157T was found at a significantly higher frequency in the population‐based series of breast cancer patients (77/1035, 7.4%, odds ratio [OR] = 1.43, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.06–1.95, p = 0.021) than among population controls (100/1885, 5.3%). The frequency in the familial breast cancer patients was not elevated (28/507, 5.5%, OR = 1.04, 95% CI = 0.68–1.61). The I157T protein, that undermines cellular responses to ionizing radiation and shows deficiency in substrate recognition in vivo, was expressed at normal level in tumor tissues as well as in cultured cells. The I157T protein was stable and it dimerized with the wild‐type CHEK2 co‐expressed in human cells. These functional properties of the I157T protein suggest that this variant may have negative effect on the pool of normal CHEK2 protein in heterozygous carrier cells by formation of heterodimers with wild‐type CHEK2. The I157T variant may be associated with breast cancer risk, but the risk is lower than for 1100delC. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


The northern portion of Mexico City9s urban zone faces new geological hazards due to the large population growth. Specifically, at the Sierra de Guadalupe, between the Federal District and Mexico State, landslide activity has been present as rockfalls and wedge failures, especially during and after the rainy season. In 2004, the Metropolitan Geological Survey created the first landslide inventory map and geographic information systems–based landslide susceptibility analysis using an heuristic technique. Using the same database of triggering parameters and raster characteristics to ensure comparable results, we created a new landslide susceptibility zonation using the bivariate method. Accuracy of the predictions for both methods was tested through comparisons with the landslide inventory map and new landslide activity (during year 2005). The results using different methodologies represented a change of about 70 percent of the landslide susceptibility definition in the Sierra de Guadalupe. The study also demonstrated that the landslide susceptibility zonation can be improved by introducing quantitative analysis and choosing well-related causative parameters to the landslide phenomena. Specifically, the knowledge of experts on the effects and degree of influence of each triggering parameter used for the analysis is very important in order to define a highly representative zonation independent of the technique. Further improvements can be obtained by refining databases, by selecting triggering parameters, and by generating a historical landslide activity database for the Sierra de Guadalupe.


One of the central ways in which institutional racism is perpetuated is through the designation of the somatic norm. However, although the classed and gendered nature of the somatic norm underlying somataphobic representations of the universal `individual' have been both theoretically and substantially explored, the racial character of this embodied being has received scant attention. This paper introduces race to the wider debates on the embodied nature of the political `individual', before analysing the specific ways in which an institution that is deemed to be at the absolute apex of disembodied, neutral professionalism - the British senior civil service - is naturalised as the domain for white men. The somatic norm underlying the representation of the impartial senior civil service is brought to the fore in this paper by discussing the location of black senior civil servants, whose presence helps us to highlight the synchronic relationship between racialised bodies and elite spaces in the body politic. These `Space Invaders' disturb the racialised nature of these spaces whilst at the same time adhering to the assimilative pressure of the somatic norm. An engagement with the interview accounts of black senior civil servants allows us to grasp some idea of what it is like for them to coexist in a place that is built on a `racial contract' which has demarcated spaces in accordance with racialised corporealities. As matter out of place these `different' bodies generate disorientation, undergo the burden of invisibility and abide by the racialised and classed informal rules of behaviour, particularly those of the legitimate language. All of which problematises the notion of `difference' in organisations as entailing much more than the mere existence of `different' bodies, on the basis of race or gender.


We present a low-complexity algorithm for detection in large MIMO systems based on the likelihood ascent search (LAS) algorithm. The key idea in our work is to generate multiple possible solutions or outputs from which we select the best one. We propose two possible approaches to achieve this goal and both are investigated. Computer simulations demonstrate that the proposed algorithm, Multiple Output Selection-LAS, which has the same complexity order as that of conventional LAS algorithms, is superior in bit error rate (BER) performance to LAS conventional algorithms. For example, with 20 antennas at both the transmitter and receiver, the proposed MOS-LAS algorithm needs about 4 dB less SNR to achieve a target BER of 10-4 for 4-QAM.


Numerous works have addressed efficient parallel GF(2m) multiplication based on polynomial basis or some of its variants. For those field degrees where neither irreducible trinomials nor Equally Spaced Polynomials (EPSs) exist, the best area/time performance has been achieved for special-type irreducible pentanomials, which however do not exist for all degrees. In other words, no multiplier architecture has been proposed so far achieving the best performance and, at the same time, being general enough to support any field degrees. In this paper, we propose a new representation, based on what we called Generalized Polynomial Bases (GPBs), covering polynomial bases and the so-called Shifted Polynomial Bases (SPBs) as special cases. In order to study the new representation, we introduce a novel formulation for polynomial basis and its variants, which is able to express concisely all implementation aspects of interest, i.e., gate count, subexpression sharing, and time delay. The methodology enabled by the new formulation is completely general and repetitive in its application, allowing the development of an ad-hoc software tool to derive proofs for area complexity and time delays automatically. As the central contribution of this paper, we introduce some new types of irreducible pentanomials and an associated GPB. Based on the above formulation, we prove that carefully chosen GPBs yield multiplier architectures matching, or even outperforming, the best special-type pentanomials from both the area and time point of view. Most importantly, the proposed GPB architectures require pentanomials existing for all degrees of practical interest. A list of suitable irreducible pentanomials for all degrees less than 1,000 is given in the appendix (Fig. 5 and Tables 4-11 are provided in a separate file containing the body of Appendix, which can be found on the Computer Society Digital Library at >http://doi.ieeecomputersociety.org/10.1109/TC.2012.63).


The paper provides insights into habitat features, breeding system and sensitivity to inbreeding depression of Dianthus guliae Janka, an endangered carnation endemic to Italian Peninsula. Since its discovery, D. guliae disappeared in various sites of historical occurrence. Consequently, the species currently occurs in a few stands scattered on the Cilento mountains, and in a severely depleted population found in north-eastern Calabria. In order to improve the conservation status of D. guliae, the species was subject to an array of empirical investigations on the possible reasons of its proneness to extinction. Much work was focused on biological traits potentially related to a low persistence ability under adverse demographic contexts. Subsequently to preliminary tests, improved work on reproductive traits confirmed that D. guliae is unable for effective seed production under scarce pollen delivery. Moreover, fitness assessments in crossed and selfed progenies highlighted the plant's sensitivity to inbreeding depression. The cultivation of selfed and crossed offspring under different regimes (including field conditions) showed that the extent of inbreeding depression increases with environmental harshness. Information on community structure and composition suggest that in Calabria the species is prone to forest recovery and clumping. In absence of conservation measures focused on both habitat and population, it is likely that D. guliae will undergo a further extinction in the southernmost stand.


Exploration of advanced modulation formats and multiplexing techniques
for next generation optical access networks are of interest as promising
solutions for delivering multiple services to end-users. This thesis addresses
this from two different angles: high dimensionality carrierless amplitudephase
(CAP) and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radio-over-fiber
(RoF) systems.
High dimensionality CAP modulation has been investigated in optical
fiber systems. In this project we conducted the first experimental demonstration
of 3 and 4 dimensional CAP with bit rates up to 10 Gb/s. These
results indicate the potentiality of supporting multiple users with converged
services. At the same time, orthogonal division multiple access
(ODMA) systems for multiple possible dimensions of CAP modulation has
been demonstrated for user and service allocation in wavelength division
multiplexing (WDM) optical access network.
2 x 2 MIMO RoF employing orthogonal frequency division multiplexing
(OFDM) with 5.6 GHz RoF signaling over all-vertical cavity surface
emitting lasers (VCSEL) WDM passive optical networks (PONs). We have
employed polarization division multiplexing (PDM) to further increase the
capacity per wavelength of the femto-cell network. Bit rate up to 1.59 Gbps
with fiber-wireless transmission over 1 m air distance is demonstrated.
The results presented in this thesis demonstrate the feasibility of high
dimensionality CAP in increasing the number of dimensions and their potentially
to be utilized for multiple service allocation to different users.
MIMO multiplexing techniques with OFDM provides the scalability in increasing
spectral effciency and bit rates for RoF systems.
High dimensional CAP and MIMO multiplexing techniques are two
promising solutions for supporting wired and hybrid wired-wireless access
networks.