Immigrant and native child poverty in Denmark, Norway and Sweden 1993 to 2001 is investigated using large sets of panel data. While native children face yearly poverty risks of less than 10 percent in all three countries and for all years investigated the increasing proportion of immigrant children with an origin in middle and low income countries have poverty risks that varies from 38 and up to as much as 58 percent. At the end of the observation period one third of the poor children in Norway have an immigrant origin, and that corresponding proportion is as high as about a half in Denmark as well as in Sweden. The strong overrepresentation of immigrant children from low and middle income countries when measured in yearly data is also found when applying a longer accounting period. We find that child poverty rates are generally high shortly after arrival to the new country, and typically decreases with years since immigration. Multivariate analysis shows that parents years since immigration and education affect risks of the number of periods in persistent poverty. While a native child is very unlikely to spend nine years in poverty, the corresponding risk for a child to a newly arrived immigrant from Turkey was found to be far from negligible. Much of the pattern is similar across the three countries but there are also some differences.


Objectives: This study investigated automatic assessment of vocal development in children with hearing loss compared with children who are typically developing, have language delays, and have autism spectrum disorder. Statistical models are examined for performance in a classification model and to predict age within the four groups of children. Design: The vocal analysis system analyzed 1913 whole-day, naturalistic acoustic recordings from 273 toddlers and preschoolers comprising children who were typically developing, hard of hearing, language delayed, or autistic. Results: Samples from children who were hard of hearing patterned more similarly to those of typically developing children than to the language delayed or autistic samples. The statistical models were able to classify children from the four groups examined and estimate developmental age based on automated vocal analysis. Conclusions: This work shows a broad similarity between children with hearing loss and typically developing children, although children with hearing loss show some delay in their production of speech. Automatic acoustic analysis can now be used to quantitatively compare vocal development in children with and without speech-related disorders. The work may serve to better distinguish among various developmental disorders and ultimately contribute to improved intervention.


Abstract Background: The majority of people with dementia are cared for by their families at home. This study aimed to elicit family carers' perceptions on home environmental aspects and strategies with the view to identify barriers and facilitators when caring for a person with dementia at home. Design and methods: Thirteen co-resident family carers were engaged in semi-structured in-depth walking interviews. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Home environments can pose a number of challenges and opportunities. Aspects of the architectural and interior environment (e.g. size, condition, layout and accessibility, familiarity) are perceived as important (Theme 1) as well as a plethora of environmental strategies that encourage independence and comfort at home (Theme 2). Carers' scepticism, timing, costs, property characteristics and mistrust to services are some barriers to implementing environmental strategies (Theme 3). Conclusions: Carers improvised solutions via trial and error and need further education on strategies to create an enabling and comfortable home environment.


ABSTRACT Vein filling low magnesium calcite in septarian veins exhibits fibrous, bladed and equant fabrics, all of which occur also in limestone cements. These fabrics are associated with particular crystal habits (fibrous-combined prism and rhombohedron; bladed-steep rhombohedra; equant-flat rhombohedra) and magnesium content (fibrous and bladed approximately 2.0 mole percent MgCO3; equant generally less than 0.4 mole % MgCO3). These relationships indicate that the amount of magnesium in aqueous solution controls the crystal habit of crystallizing calcite which in turn affects the final fabric. The sequence of fibrous or bladed calcite followed by equant calcite suggests crystallization in waters where magnesium content decreased with time (changing diagenetic environmen in marine lutites with burial). The early formed fibrous calcite may have crystallized as aragonite or as high magnesium calcite (micron-sized or fibrous cement), but was later modified through neomorphism. Concurrent increase in ferrous iron content (from early to late formed calcite) indicates parallel changes in those chemical factors (iron content, Eh?) that control the incorporation of iron into the calcite lattice.


Background: Subsets of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) such basal have activated signaling through the MAPK-ERK kinase (MEK) pathway. Use of MEK inhibitors in preclinical TNBC models demonstrates some cytostatic activity, but compensatory signaling through the PI3K/AKT pathway diminishes the antitumor effect of MEK inhibitor monotherapy in some TNBC cell lines. Combining a MEK inhibitor with an AKT inhibitor (horizontal blockade) may show increased antitumor activity. We sought to characterize the in vitro effects of the MEK inhibitor AZD6224 combined with the AKT inhibitor MK2206 in three different breast cancer cell lines. Methods: Cell Titer-Blue cell viability experiments were performed to test dilutions of AZD-6244 or MK-2206 alone or in combination at various molar ratios over a 72 hour time period in MCF-7 (ER+), SKBR3 (HER2+), and MBA-231 (TNBC) cell lines. Synergy was evaluated using Chou and Talalay combination index (CI) analyses (effective dose levels of 0.75, 0.9 and 0.95). Evaluation of MEK and AKT activity in the untreated, AZD6224, MK2206, and AZD+MK treated cells was performed using a BioRad (Hercules, CA) Bio-plex p-ERK1/2 (Thr202/Tyr204, Thr185/Tyr187) + pAKT (Ser473) phosphoprotein assay on a Luminex100. Results: Synergy was seen only in MDA-231 cells with a mean CI of .492 at a fixed dose ratio of 1:8. The mean fluorescence levels with standard errors of pERK1/2 and pAKT from duplicate experiments are shown in Table 1 in the four treatment groups. The greatest level of baseline MEK activation was seen in the MBA-231 cell line. A significant compensatory increase in p-AKT levels in the MBA-231 cells treated with AZD6224 alone was not observed, but this was seen in the SKBR3 cells. Conclusions: The combination of AZD6224+MK2206 demonstrates enhanced antitumor activity in the TNBC MBA-231 cell line over AZD6224 monotherapy. The strategy of combining a MEK inhibitor with an AKT inhibitor should be further explored in the treatment of TNBC. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2011 Nov 12-16; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2011;10(11 Suppl):Abstract nr C203.


Abstract This paper presents the findings of a research project on older workers transitioning into work as vocational educators through online undergraduate university study. The study involved interpretive phenomenological analysis of the experiences of 10 older learners. Their experience of online learning was found to be shaped by diverse influences and to comprise three distinct but interrelated elements: their use of technology, their use of hypermedia and their independent learning. Challenges raised by each of these elements called for a distinctive response from the university, respectively: short-term, readily available technical advice and support; tutoring to develop Web navigation and exploration skills, or the provision of selected readings; and opportunities for online or face-to-face dialogical engagement with others. Recommendations for the online provision of higher education for such learners, then, pointed to the need for an appropriately distinctive response to challenges in each of the three elements: the use of technology calling for individualised and immediate responsiveness to learner issues; the use of hypermedia calling for aggregated advice and resources prepared in advance; and independent learning calling for the prior structuring of opportunities for interactive engagement. Further research is suggested focusing on the relative cost and effectiveness of different approaches to addressing those needs.


Deep fertilizer placement is a promising strategy to increase crop yield and nitrogen (N) use efficiency while decreasing leached N and fertilizer-induced nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from soil to atmosphere. The objective was to test three fertilization depth treatments to compare greenhouse gas emissions of N2O, methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), as well as leaching and crop response. A deep fertilizer placement (Deep) at 0.20 m, a shallow placement (Shallow) at 0.07 m and a mixeddepth placement (Mixed) where the same amount of fertilizer was split between the depths of 0.07 and 0.20 m, and a non-fertilized control (Control) were evaluated. These fertilizer treatments were tested in a two-year field experiment, a five-year lysimeter experiment consisting of three years with crops, in addition to a 12-day lab incubation using labeled fertilizer. Deep placement significantly increased grain N uptake and yield and decreased N2O and CH4 emissions. CO2 emissions from bare soil were not significantly affected by fertilizer placement. Further, Deep reduced N leaching and increased crop water utilization. The tracer incubation indicated that indigenous soil N was the primary contributor to total N2O emissions in Deep, and CH4 emissions were correlated to N2O fluxes originating from fertilizer N. X-ray tomography of the incubated soil cores revealed that fluxes of N2O from fertilizer were affected by compaction level. Overall N use efficiency (NUE) was evaluated in the soil-crop system via an N balance, % NUE, agronomic efficiency of N (AEN) and the recovery efficiency of N (REN). Over the five years with crops, all indices indicated a higher N use efficiency with greater fertilizer placement depth.


This contribution adds the perspective of an independent evaluator to Canter, Kelly and Williams' account of pre-piloting the new surgical curriculum. I have been researching in to professional learning in the workplace for 15 years, reviewed research into postgraduate medical education for the Department of Health and, more recently, evaluated the national colonoscopy training programme administered by the College. My role during the pre-pilot was that of a participant observer and I attended planning and reflection meetings in the Raven department at the College and engaged with a substantial number of participants in the pre-pilot phase. This article summarises my evaluation report on the curriculum website (http://curriculum.jchst.org/).


Point defects, local strain or impurities can crucially impact the optical response of atomically thin two-dimensional materials as they offer trapping potentials for excitons. These trapped excitons appear in photoluminescence spectra as new resonances below the bright exciton that can even be exploited for single photon emission. While large progress has been made in deterministically introducing defects, only little is known about their impact on the optical fingerprint of 2D materials. Here, based on a microscopic approach we reveal direct signatures of localized bright excitonic states as well as indirect phonon-assisted side bands of localized momentum-dark excitons. The visibility of localized excitons strongly depends on temperature and disorder potential width. This results in different regimes, where either the bright or dark localized states are dominant in optical spectra. We trace back this behavior to an interplay between disorder-induced exciton capture and intervalley exciton-phonon scattering processes.


SUMMARY: Extracellular polysaccharide (EP) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were isolated from three strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens (a wild-type and two mutants) and the adsorption isotherms (relationship between amount of polymer adsorbed and bulk liquid concentration of polymer in solution) of these polymers to hydrophobic, tissue culture treated and sulphonated polystyrene surfaces were measured. The adsorption properties of the polymers were then related to the ability of the three bacterial strains to attach to the polystyrene surfaces in an attempt to elucidate the attachment mechanisms. A Langmuir adsorption isotherm equation was applied to the data, and the mathematical constants thus derived indicated if and at what concentration each surface became polymer-saturated and whether multilayer adsorption occurred. EP isolated from a crenated mutant (strain with the greatest attachment ability) adsorbed at higher concentrations than EP from wild-type and mucoid strains, and the isotherm indicated multilayer adsorption. EP from the mucoid strain (strain with little attachment ability) showed comparatively little adsorption. The isotherm of wild-type LPS was very similar to that of EP from the mucoid strain. Polymer adsorption to the three surface types was different and was generally consistent with the different degrees of bacterial attachment to the surfaces.


Social context has been shown to have a profound influence on brain activation in a wide range of vertebrate species. Best studied in songbirds, when males sing undirected song, the level of neural activity and expression of immediate early genes (IEGs) in several song nuclei is dramatically higher or lower than when they sing directed song to other birds, particularly females. This differential social context-dependent activation is independent of auditory input and is not simply dependent on the motor act of singing. These findings suggested that the critical sensory modality driving social context-dependent differences in the brain could be visual cues. Here, we tested this hypothesis by examining IEG activation in song nuclei in hemispheres to which visual input was normal or blocked. We found that covering one eye blocked visually induced IEG expression throughout both contralateral visual pathways of the brain, and reduced activation of the contralateral ventral tegmental area, a non-visual midbrain motivation-related area affected by social context. However, blocking visual input had no effect on the social context-dependent activation of the contralateral song nuclei during female-directed singing. Our findings suggest that individual sensory modalities are not direct driving forces for the social context differences in song nuclei during singing. Rather, these social context differences in brain activation appear to depend more on the general sense that another individual is present.


Preeclampsia is a multisystem disorder unique to human pregnancy and is its most common glomerular complication. It occurs in 2% to 8% of pregnancies and is a major contributor to maternal mortality worldwide. Although the pathophysiology of this syndrome is not fully understood, many pathogenetic mechanisms are involved in this disorder. The role of the placenta is crucial in the development of this disorder. Some pathogenetic mechanisms involved in this disease comprise defective deep placentation, autoantibodies to type-1 angiotensin II receptor, endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, platelet and thrombin activation, intravascular inflammation, and the imbalance between angiogenic and antiangiogenic factors which is thought to be one of the most crucial mechanisms. Further understanding of the full picture could enhance our current knowledge of the pathogenesis of preeclampsia and improve its treatment. Thus, based on specific biomarkers the diagnosis and subclassification of preeclampsia might be more accurate in identifying patients at risk, monitoring disease progression and providing effective interventions.


Dynamic and static activities in dentistry, cause musculoskeletal disorders but dentists do not have enough awareness about effects of ergonomic factors on their health. Literature reviews world over have shown a high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among dental practitioners. Aim: Correlation of the ergonomic factors and its association with age, gender, and work environment, musculoskeletal problems due to wrong postures and identify prophylactic measures used as self management strategies for prevention. Material and Methods: A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted between August 2012December 2013 in which a self-administered questionnaire was used to assess the musculoskeletal symptoms among dental practitioners. The recorded data was analyzed with SPSS 13. P-value 0.05 was considered to statistically significant. Results: One hundred and twenty dental practitioners participated in the study of which seventy-eight percent had a prevalence of at least one work related musculoskeletal disorder symptom (WMSD). The response rate was 56.07%. Most common areas affected by MSD in order of magnitude were neck (50%), low back (14.2%), shoulders (21.7%) and stiffness in fingers (21.7%). A significant association was observed between hours of practice, age, body posture and occurrence of WMSD. Conclusions: In conclusion it was observed that limited ergonomics in the work environment resulted in WMSD among dentists.


Repetitive thought (RT) – attentive, prolonged, or frequent thought about oneself and one's world – plays an important role in many models of psychological and physical ill health (e.g., rumination and worry), as well as models of recovery and well-being (e.g., processing and reminiscing). In these models, repetitive thought is typically treated as stable or trait-like. In contrast, episodic RT reflects what people have "on their minds" at a particular point in time. In four studies, young women (N=94), college students (N=166), first-year law students (N=73), and older adults (N=174) described their episodic RT, which was then rated for qualities including valence, purpose, and theme. Episodic RT valence was associated with mood and depressive symptoms both between (Studies 1–4) and within people (Studies 3–4), and it mediated the effects of dispositional coping through emotional approach (Study 1). The effect of episodic RT valence in turn was moderated by other properties of episodic RT, including purpose, "trait" valence, and theme (Studies 1–4). The study of episodic RT complements that of trait RT and allows for observations of how RT and psychological adjustment change in concert and in context, as well as examining how the RT qualities that are not reflected in trait measures affect adjustment.


A distinctive feature of a several turn-of-the-millennium singles performed by the Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and Britney Spears is the presence of the "complement chorus," a special, third appearance of chorus that appears after the bridge. The complement chorus brandishes a new melodic line with a distinct rhythmic profile, allowing for a high-energy climax rather than a mere restatement of the chorus, as it imbues the now-familiar chorus melody with new vigor. Complement choruses seem to have been a trick used exclusively by the producer Max Martin and his associates during the years 1998–2000, making them a distinctly Y2K phenomenon.


Several years ago, we reported that a Sendai virus (SeV) defective genome (DIH4UV) could be rescued in vivo with human parainfluenza virus type 1 (hPIV1) and bovine PIV3 but not by measles virus or vesicular stomatitis virus. It was concluded that the cis-acting RNA sequences were conserved within the SeV/PIV1/PIV3 group but that interactions between the polymerase complex (P-L) and the template protein N were unique for each virus. We have re-examined these conclusions using proteins expressed from cloned N, P and L genes for SeV and PIV3. The results demonstrate the specificity of the protein-protein interactions between polymerase and template, and confirm the prediction of the earlier work that PIV3 N, P and L proteins are capable of assembling and replicating SeV mini-genomes also expressed from a cDNA clone.


Infectious bronchitis (IB) is a notable disease of poultry flocks that results in economic loss As a consequence of the presence of various IB virus (IBV) serotypes, control strategies, such as vaccination, should be replaced by provide broad protective immunity against the disease to date Gram-positive enhancer matrix particles, or so-called bacterium like particles (BLPs), obtained from the bacterium Lactococcus lactis (L lactis), have demonstrated an adjuvancy effect by providing demanding mucosal and humoral immune responses, as well as a protective cellular immunity whenever delivered admixed with a vaccine via intranasal or intraocular administration In this study, for the first time, attempts were made to investigate the impact of an IBV vaccine supplemented by various doses of BLPs on induced levels of humoral immunity against IB For this purpose, increasing doses of derived BLPs (0, 0 15, 0 3, and 0 6 mg dry weight per bird) were admixed with IBV live attenuated H120 serotype vaccine, and were delivered via ocular administration to 4 equal groups of 10 specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens in 4 groups: control, BLP1, BLP2, and BLP3, respectively In addition, 10 SPF chickens that were not immunized comprised the Unvaccinated group Blood was collected from 5 members of each group weekly for 35 days Levels of IgG antibodies in the sera were then assayed using ELISA Weight gain and the feed conversion ratio of each group were also recorded weekly Finally, 3 birds from each group were necropsied to evaluate probable lesions The best results were obtained in the BLP1 group, with IBV vaccination at a low dose of admixed BLPs boosted immediate anti-IBV humoral responses;however, the results were not significantly different from those of the Control group, but were still feasible enough for application in the field In conclusion, BLPs could be a desirable adjuvant for IBV vaccines to increase immunity in chickens


There have been many improvements in Australian engineering education since the 1990s. However, given the recent drive for assuring the achievement of identified academic standards, more progress needs to be made, particularly in the area of evidence-based assessment. This paper reports on initiatives gathered from the literature and engineering academics in the USA, through an Australian National Teaching Fellowship program. The program aims to establish a process to help academics in designing and implementing evidence-based assessments that meet the needs of not only students and the staff that teach them, but also industry as well as accreditation bodies. The paper also examines the kinds and levels of support necessary for engineering academics, especially early career ones, to help meet the expectations of the current drive for assured quality and standards of both research and teaching. Academics are experiencing competing demands on their time and energy with very high expectations in research performance and increased teaching responsibilities, although many are researchers who have not had much pedagogic training. Based on the literature and investigation of relevant initiatives in the USA, we conducted interviews with several identified experts and change agents who have wrought effective academic cultural change within their institutions and beyond. These reveal that assuring the standards and quality of student learning outcomes through evidence-based assessments cannot be appropriately addressed without also addressing the issue of pedagogic training for academic staff. To be sustainable, such training needs to be complemented by a culture of on-going mentoring support from senior academics, formalised through the university administration, so that mentors are afforded resources, time, and appropriate recognition.


In this work, we intend to demonstrate a number of reliability techniques developed for Coarse Grained Reconfigurable Architectures (CGRA). The techniques to be demonstrated target different portions of a System on Chip (SoC) Design consisting of a general purpose CPU, various accelerators and a CGRA which may be used for application acceleration as well. On the CGRA we will demonstrate a light-weight Triple Modular Redundancy (TMR) technique which mitigates the hardware overhead usually incurred by TMR. In case of a detected CGRA fault, we use Dynamic Remapping of the application to avoid faulty components and thus restore the functionality of the mapped application. On SoC level, we demonstrate Dynamic Functional Verification to sample and thus detect faults in components of the SoC in a time multiplexed manner. The complete system is emulated on a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) for which we developed a fast and accurate fault injection method to test the developed techniques in a live and realistic way.


This study has applied a number of different O3 risk assessment methods in South Asia to assess the extent and magnitude of O3 risk to crops and investigate how appropriate different methods are in identifying local environmental conditions and crop physiological traits that might alter crop sensitivity to O3.

Concentration based methods are used in combination with tools and datasets tailored for South Asian conditions to investigate O3 impacts on wheat, rice, soybean and potato. Relative yield losses are substantially smaller (0.1 to 11.5 %) than those found in previously conducted global modelling studies (3 to 30 %) which is attributed to the improved resolution of the O3 photochemical model and crop distribution datasets used in this South Asian analysis.

For the first time O3 flux based risk assessment methods are also applied for wheat in India. The stomatal conductance component of this flux method has been parameterised for Indian wheat based on available crop physiology data. Comparisons show that flux based methods tend to estimate larger relative yield losses than concentration based methods (16 % compared to 0.6 to 11.5 % for India). There are also differences in the spatial pattern of estimated risk though both methods clearly identify the Indo-Gangetic Plains as a high O3 risk region. The co-variation in O3 concentrations, crop distribution (both growth periods and geographical location), local meteorology (especially temperature and VPD) and crop physiology are all important in determining flux estimated O3 sensitivity.
Finally, the flux based method is used to assess phenological traits (sowing times and maturing periods) introduced in new Indian wheat cultivars. This highlights the importance of crop phenology in determining O3 sensitivity as a function of both O3 concentration and environmental conditions and emphasises the potential application of flux based approaches as a tool capable of informing future crop biotechnology efforts.


Several methods have been proposed to support location-based services without revealing mobile users' privacy information. There are two types of privacy concerns in location-based services: location privacy and query privacy. Existing work, based on location k-anonymity, mainly focused on location privacy and are insufficient to protect query privacy. In particular, due to lack of semantics, location k-anonymity suffers from query homogeneity attack. In this paper, we introduce p-sensitivity, a novel privacy-protection model that considers query diversity and semantic information in anonymizing user locations. We propose a PE-tree for implementing the p-sensitivity model. Search algorithms and heuristics are developed to efficiently find the optimal p-sensitivity anonymization in the tree. Preliminary experiments show that p-sensitivity provides high-quality services without compromising users' query privacy.


Energy-dependent proton--potassium exchange in E. coli is suppressed by both ionophores and the inhibitor of hydrogen pumps N,N'-dichlohexilcarbodimide (DCCD). The ratio of DCCD-sensitive fluxes of H+ and K+ is equal to 2:1 and does not depend upon the values of ionic fluxes, external pH, osmolarity and temperature. Bacteria can absorb synthetic cation tetraphenilphosphonium (TPP+) both in the absence of glucose and at addition of this source of energy. In the presence of glucose TPP+-ions are taken up by cells during the first 5-10 min and then they leave cells. Such glucose--dependent kinetics of TPP+ accumulation coincides with that for the first rapid phase of K+ uptake, but the process is observed, only if the glucose--independent absorption of TPP+ is small. The amount of accumulated TPP+ may be ascribed to the membrane potential of E . coli equalling--180mV. It is therefore considered that electrogenic proton-potassium pump sensitive to external osmolarity operates in E. coli cell membrane and exchanges 2H+ of the cell for 1K+ of external medium.


Radioactivity was significantly incorporated from ascorbate 2-[35S]sulfate into chondroitin sulfate by embryonic chick cartilage epiphyses. The extent of incorporation was comparable with that from inorganic [35S]sulfate. The radioactive chondroitin sulfate formed from ascorbate 2-[35S]sulfate gave two radioactive disaccharides on chondroitinase-ABC [EC 184.108.40.206] digestion. The incorporation was markedly decreased by inorganic sulfate. The time course of incorporation from ascorbate 2-[35S]sulfate and inorganic [35S]sulfate into chondroitin sulfate and the constituent disaccharides suggest that the incorporation rates from the two radioactive substances are different.


OBJECTIVE
To study the feature of regional cerebral metabolism rate of glucose (rCMRglc) of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) by positron emission tomography (PET) and the relationship between MCI and AD.

METHODS
13 AD patients, 10 MCI patients and 10 health volunteers as a control group (HC) were underwent 18F-fluoro deoxyglucose (18F-FDG)-PET scanning.

RESULTS
(1) There was lightly decreasing of radioactivity of temporal lobe and parietal lobe in HC group, a little severer decrease in MCI group, markedly decrease of radioactivity of temporal lobe, parietal lobe and frontal lobe in AD group examined by naked-eye. (2) The rCMRglc of many parts of brain such as frontal lobe, including superior, middle and inferior frontal gyrus, orbital gyrus and rectus gyrus, temporal lobe, including superior, middle and inferior temporal gyrus, parietal lobe, including superior parietal lobe, supramarginal gyrus and angular gyrus, limbic system, including anterior cingulate gyrus, insular lobe, basal ganglions, including thalamus, caudate nucleus and amygdaloid nucleus decreased significantly in AD group, compared to MCI and HC groups (p < 0.05 to p < 0.001). (3) The rCMRglc of many parts of brain such as frontal lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, limbic system, and basal ganglions in MCI group was lower than that in HC group, but not significantly (p > 0.05). Only that of the left caudate nucleus in MCI decreased significantly compared to that in HC group (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION
Decreasing of rCMRglc of parietal lobe is sensitive in evaluating cognitive function, next one is temporal lobe, and then frontal lobe. The rCMRglc of frontal lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, limbic system, and basal ganglions decreasing markedly indicates that global function decayed in AD patients. While the rCMRglc of those parts in MCI patients' brain decreases mildly. This indicates that MCI is the middle state of AD and HC. Decreasing of rCMRglc of the left caudate nucleus has a certain role in diagnosis of MCI.


Modeling of a product or service's attractiveness as a function of its own attributes (e.g., price and quality) is one of the foundations in econometric forecasts, which have been provided with an assumption that each human rationally has a consistent preference order among his choice decisions. Yet the preference orders by real humans become irrationally reversed, when the choice set of available options is manipulated. In order to accurately predict choice decisions involving preference reversals, which existing econometric methods have failed to incorporate, the authors introduce a new cognitive choice model whose parameters are efficiently fitted with a global convex optimization algorithm. The proposed model captures each human as a Bayesian decision maker facing a mental conflict between objective evaluation samples and a subjective prior, where the underlying objective evaluation function is rationally independent from contexts while the subjective prior is irrationally determined by each choice set. As the key idea to analytically handle the irrationality and to yield the convex optimization, the Bayesian decision mechanism is implemented as a closedform Gaussian process regression using similarities among the available options in each context. By explaining the irrational decisions as a consequence of averting uncertainty, the proposed model outperformed the existing econometric models in predicting the irrational choice decisions recorded in realworld datasets. Appearing in Proceedings of the 18 International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Statistics (AISTATS) 2015, San Diego, CA, USA. JMLR: W&CP volume 38. Copyright 2015 by the authors.


Introduction: The orthodontic treatment of impacted maxillary canine remains a challenge to today's clinicians. The treatment of this clinical entity usually involves surgical exposure of the impacted tooth, followed by orthodontic traction to guide and align it into the dental arch. The impacted palatal canine requires a combination of both treatment modalities: orthodontic management and oral surgical treatment. Two types of approach are commonly used: simple exposure, or exposure with bracketing at the time of oral surgery procedure. Bracketing is a well-established and effective method of managing the impacted canine though it has been criticized for increasing the operating time and being a more technique-sensitive procedure.Aim: The aim was to compare the outcome and complication rate for each type of procedure.Material and method: In this study 20 treated patients with both palatal impacted canines were included, one at which the ectopic tooth was surgically exposed alone and the other where an orthodontic bracket was bonded to facilitate early traction, and the flap replaced.Results: In 30 per cent of all cases exposed and bracketed a second surgical intervention was required, compared with 15 per cent in the simple exposure group.Conclusion: Bracketing, though effective, is a more costly and time-consuming procedure, and it is suggested that simple exposure provides an equally efficient and predictable method of managing the palatal impacted canine with obvious clinical and financial benefits.


Phthalates are a class of plasticizing chemicals used to improve the flexibility of soft plastics (1, 6, 12, 15). As such, they have drawn increased attention as food contact substances (1, 10, 14), mostly entering food items from packaging materials (1, 8, 10, 14). Even though they had been approved as indirect food additives in Europe and the U.S. (1), the discovery of high concentrations of di(2-ethyl-hexyl) phthalate (DEHP), also known as bis 2-ethylhexyl phthalate (BEHP) (12, 15), in a probiotic food product by a scientist from Taiwan in April 2011 initiated the world's greatest health safety efforts (7). Investigators found that DEHP, along with other phthalates, were deliberately added to food products in replacement of the approved food additives, which would normally be added to emulsify the components in the drinks to achieve a natural and appealing appearance (7, 12, 15). This contamination event has been known as the 2011 Taiwan Food Scandal, where processed food items such as sports drinks, concentrated juice beverages, tea drinks, jam or jelly and food supplements were adulterated with phthalates, a harmful class of chemical compounds. Consequently, ingestion of these harmful compounds may result in adverse health affects such as endocrine disruption, malformation of reproductive organs, infertility and abnormal neurodevelopment (12). Many products made it across the border to 22 different countries (15, 17) including Canada and U.S. (17). Since then, the Taiwanese government made improvements to the food industry regulations (15, 17). This study was aimed to determine if DEHP was present, and compared to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) DEHP tolerable daily intake (TDI) of 0.05 mg/kg body weight (bw)/day (12, 17), in 30 different drinks of imported and domestic brands sold in Canada. For comparison purposes, the author completed calculations based on the average adult (over 18 years old) body weight of 70 kg, according to EFSA (41). Using liquid/liquid extraction followed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), 30 beverages were tested and analyzed for the presence of DEHP. Low concentrations of DEHP was detected in 3 of the beverages and none in the other 27 beverages tested on a calibrated instrument. The concentrations detected for the 3 beverages were lower than the TDI for a 70 kg body weight. Control samples were used to ensure method validity.


The presence of toxohormone-like factor in autolysates of animal tissues was investigated. One could always isolate appreciable quantities of preparations having toxohormone activity. At the doses tested, no activity could be shown in preparations from nonautolyzed tissues. We suggest that autolysis phenomena may cause the presence of toxohormone in tumor-bearing organisms.


ABSTRACT Assumptions about the topography of popular revolt have been essential in constructing sociological and historical models that demarcate a 'pre-modern' from the 'modern' period. In Charles Tilly's words, the 'repertoires of collective action' before the mid-nineteenth century were 'parochial, particular, and bifurcated', while afterwards, they became 'cosmopolitan, autonomous, and modular' (2008). By relying on primary sources across the Italian peninsula, France, Flanders and Britain and for the early modern period across German-speaking regions into Russia, this article shows that the plethora of late medieval revolts were rarely, if ever, confined to a neighbourhood or bounded by local religious congregations or family ties. Instead, they were citywide and north of the Alps fused alliances with the peasantry and other cities. With popular protest pushing eastward in the early modern period, these long-distant dimensions became more extensive, crossing linguistic boundaries and thousands of kilometres. In addition, this article raises new questions, such as why peasants and urban rebels in Italy, in contrast to northern Europe, resisted cross-mural alliances, and to what extent late medieval popular insurrection differed from those of the early modern period. The article ends with a call for new models to understand these differences.


Summary Factor V is an essential cofactor for blood coagulation that circulates in platelets and plasma. Unlike plasma factor V, platelet factorV is stored complexed with the polymeric α-granule protein multimerin. In analyses of human platelet factor V on nonreduced denaturing multimer gels, we identified that approximately 25% was variable in size and migrated larger than single chain factor V, the largest form in plasma. Upon reduction, the unusually large, variably-sized forms of platelet factor V liberated components that comigrated with other forms of platelet factor V, indicating that they contained factor V in interchain disulfide-linkages. With thrombin cleavage, factor Va heavy and light chain domains, but not B-domains, were liberated from the components linked by interchain disulfide bonds, indicating that the single cysteine in the B-domain at position 1085 was the site of disulfide linkage. Since unusually large factor V had a variable size and included forms larger than factor V dimers, the data suggested disulfide-linkage with another platelet protein, possibly multimerin. Immunoprecipitation experiments confirmed that unusually large factor V was associated with multimerin and it remained associated in 0.5 M salt. Moreover, platelets contained a subpopulation of multimerin polymers that resisted dissociation from factor V by denaturing detergent and comigrated with unusually large platelet factor V, before and after thrombin cleavage.The disulfide-linked complexes of multimerin and factor V in platelets, which are cleaved by thrombin to liberate factor Va, could be important for modulating the function of platelet factor V and its delivery onto activated platelets. Factor Va generation and function from unusually large platelet factor V is only speculative at this time.


Background Employees remain at risk of developing physical and mental health problems. To improve the lifestyle, health, and productivity many workplace interventions have been developed. However, not all of these interventions are effective. Mobile and wireless technology to support health behavior change (mobile health [mHealth] apps) is a promising, but relatively new domain for the occupational setting. Research on mHealth apps for the mental and physical health of employees is scarce. Interventions are more likely to be useful if they are rooted in health behavior change theory. Evaluating the presence of specific combinations of behavior change techniques (BCTs) in mHealth apps might be used as an indicator of potential quality and effectiveness. Objective The aim of this study was to assess whether mHealth apps for the mental and physical health of employees incorporate BCTs and, if so, which BCTs can be identified and which combinations of BCTs are present. Methods An assessment was made of apps aiming to reduce the risk of physical and psychosocial work demands and to promote a healthy lifestyle for employees. A systematic search was performed in iTunes and Google Play. Forty-five apps were screened and downloaded. BCTs were identified using a taxonomy applied in similar reviews. The mean and ranges were calculated. Results On average, the apps included 7 of the 26 BCTs (range 2-18). Techniques such as "provide feedback on performance," "provide information about behavior-health link," and "provide instruction" were used most frequently. Techniques that were used least were "relapse prevention," "prompt self-talk," "use follow-up prompts," and "provide information about others' approval." "Stress management," "prompt identification as a role model," and "agree on behavioral contract" were not used by any of the apps. The combination "provide information about behavior-health link" with "prompt intention formation" was found in 7/45 (16%) apps. The combination "provide information about behavior-health link" with "provide information on consequences," and "use follow-up prompts" was found in 2 (4%) apps. These combinations indicated potential effectiveness. The least potentially effective combination "provide feedback on performance" without "provide instruction" was found in 13 (29%) apps. Conclusions Apps for the occupational setting might be substantially improved to increase potential since results showed a limited presence of BCTs in general, limited use of potentially successful combinations of BCTs in apps, and use of potentially unsuccessful combinations of BCTs. Increasing knowledge on the effectiveness of BCTs in apps might be used to develop guidelines for app developers and selection criteria for companies and individuals. Also, this might contribute to decreasing the burden of work-related diseases. To achieve this, app developers, health behavior change professionals, experts on physical and mental health, and end-users should collaborate when developing apps for the working context.


Lack of primary schooling among rural children in developing countries is often attributed to credit constraints and household demand for child labour, implying that direct and indirect costs of schooling are high. Surprisingly few studies have considered the importance of parents' expected returns of investing in their childrens human capital, despite the fact that most parents rely on their children for old-age support and subsistence. In this paper, I propose an alternative model for human capital investment based on the household, rather than the individual child, incorporating the fact that parents bear the costs of educating all their children and face uncertainty about the level and share of future returns. This uncertainty can make it optimal for parents to ensure a certain degree of human capital diversification within the household. The model implications allow me to test whether it is the need for diversification or the costs of schooling that dominate the human capital investment decision in rural households. Using extraordinary long panel data from a rural region in Northwestern Tanzania, I find strong empirical evidence of diversification effects for rural sons, but not for rural daughters. Exactly in line with what should be expected for a patrilineal society. This can potentially have far reaching policy implications.


Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) program is by design a compulsory social insurance scheme financed predominantly by a progressive payroll tax. Since its introduction in 1995, the NHI has managed to reduce the number of individuals without health insurance from 41 percent to less than one percent. Studies have also shown that the NHI has had some successes in reallocating health resources from the rich to the poor. This chapter examines the role of Taiwan's Constitutional Court in shaping the NHI and therefore contributing to improved health equity. In contrast to the general perception that the pursuit of human rights is individualistic in nature, this chapter describes a series of constitutional interpretations in which the Taiwanese Court relied on collectivist values such as mutual support, risk sharing and vertical equity to uphold the NHI's compulsory enrolment policy, the practice of calculating NHI insurance premiums based on certain presumed minimum income, and the right of the government to limit the scope of the NHI benefit basket. It is argued that the Constitutional Court in these cases not only managed to protect the collective vision of the NHI from individual attacks, but it also enhanced the NHI's progressivity by ensuring that underprivileged beneficiaries have the right to receive proper government assistance with meeting their insurance premium obligations. Ultimately, however, the Court came short of proclaiming a constitutional right to health, and as a result it has limited further progress with respect to health equity in Taiwan. This chapter concludes by urging the Constitutional Court to pay heed to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which recently receives domestic legal status in Taiwan, and to recognize a robust constitutional right to health so as to facilitate Taiwanese people's equitable access to both medical care and underlying social determinants of health.


This guide provides an introduction to search strategies, database "best bets," and other tips for navigating the many forms of scholarship available in science fields.


Background The prevalence of pial arterial supply to cranial dural arteriovenous fistulas (dAVF) and its implication in the management of these fistulas is not well characterized. We performed a retrospective study to characterize pial arterial supply to dural arteriovenous fistulas and the implications for treatment. Methods Consecutive patients evaluated over a 12-year period were retrospectively reviewed. Angiograms were reviewed to characterize dAVF angioarchitecture and the presence of pial artery supply. Pial artery supply was categorized as dilated pre-existing dural branches and pure pial supply. We then studied the association between pial artery supply and clinical, angiographic, and treatment features. Results A total of 201 patients were included of which 27 (13.4%) had pial artery supply. Of these, 11 had supply from dilated pre-existing dural branches, nine had pure pial supply,and seven had both. There was a higher rate of dAVF rupture in the pial supply group (30.8% vs 9.8%, P=0.003) and these fistulas had a higher rate of Borden 2 and 3 (88.9% vs 38.4%, P<0.0001). Fistulas with pial artery supply had similar rates of endovascular and gamma knife treatment, but were more likely to undergo surgery than those without pial supply (25.9% vs 10.4%, P=0.03). Major complication rates were similar between groups (0% vs 1.1%, P=0.55). Conclusions More than 10% of dAVFs also have pial supply but this is not a contraindication to embolization. In our study pure pial supply was associated with a more aggressive fistula and was most common in tentorial dAVFs.


ABSTRACT Two heptapeptides with broad antifungal activity were identified and assessed for their ability to act synergistically with thiabendazole. The hexapeptide 66-10 was the progenitor of the heptapeptides and exhibited minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 9.3 to 9.8 mug/ml for thiabendazole (TBZ) resistant Fusarium sambucinum strains (MIC of 186 to 312 mug/ml). Heptapeptide derivatives 77-3 and 77-12 exhibited MICs between 3.8 and 7.5 mug/ml against the same strains. Incubation of conidia or mycelia with the peptide 77-3 showed that treated fungal structures were stained by the membrane impermeant dye SYTOX Green indicating disruption of membranes. Conidia incubated with peptide 77-3 at 10 mug/ml showed a 91 +/- 3.6% reduction in viability in 15 min. A checkerboard method was used to test the peptides and TBZ individually and in combination to determine potential synergistic activity. The results indicate that small peptides can act synergistically with TBZ against TBZ-resistant F. sambucinum.


In recent years, first-principle electronic structure calculations have been carried out to investigate such diverse phenomena as charge transport in molecular wires, optical properties of quantum structures and in photonics. However, at this time the prohibitive computational cost does not allow for such calculations to be easily carried out on nano-scale device structures comprising thousands of atoms. In addition, there are issues relating to the applicability of these approaches to describing the excitations that ought to be involved in charge transport.

Self-consistent extended Huckel theory (SC-EHT) has proved very effective in describing the band alignment at semiconductor interfaces, and optical properties of partially covered surfaces, as well as being employed in studying the electronic states of large molecules. We have developed a non-equilibrium Greens function (NEGF) SC-EHT code that may be applied to study charge transport through molecular wires. We study the transmission of a porphyrin molecule attached via thiol linkers to gold electrodes, compare our results with those obtained from density functional theory (DFT). We have studied the influence the thiol position on the Au substrate has on the conduction and the dependence of the electron transmission on the molecular conformation. In addition, we also report on the results of some preliminary investigations studying the influence of water on the conduction pathways.


In this thesis we have looked at the possibility of using a rover for deployment oflunar interferometers on the far side of the Moon. This project was made togetherwith two other groups from the mechanical engineering program at HalmstadUniversity. The project was divided into three units and we had the mainresponsibility for the design of the chassis.The goal of this project is to create a better understanding of the origin of the universeand how it still to this day keeps changing. This is believed to be achievable by usinglunar interferometers that will collect data in form of cosmic microwaves from outerspace. The lunar interferometers will be placed at the far side of the Moon since thisis the only site in solar system that is shielded from human-generated interference.The work was completed in collaboration with JPL and NASA, which are worldleading designers and manufacturers of space-related products.


Objectives The influence of low socioeconomic status on cardiovascular disease may be mediated in part by sustained activation of stress-related autonomic and neuroendocrine processes. We hypothesized that low socioeconomic status would be associated with heightened ambulatory blood pressure and cortisol output over the working day. Methods One hundred eight men and 94 women from the Whitehall II epidemiological cohort participated. Blood pressure and heart rate were monitored every 20 minutes over a working day and evening, and salivary cortisol was sampled on waking up and at 2-hour intervals. Measures were also taken under resting laboratory conditions. Socioeconomic status was indexed by grade of employment. Results Resting blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol did not differ by grade. Ambulatory systolic pressure was greater in the morning in the lower (128.9 ± 15.7 mm Hg) than the intermediate (122.6 ± 12.5 mm Hg) and higher grades (123.3 ± 12.7 mm Hg) after adjustment for age, sex, smoking, and alcohol intake (p = .019). Heart rate was also raised in the morning in the lower grade participants. Differences in morning systolic pressure and heart rate were independent of concurrent physical activity. Cortisol concentration was greater in lower than higher grade men (9.54 ± 4.1 vs. 7.38 ± 2.8 nmol/liter, p = .008) but was more elevated in higher than lower grade women (7.84 ± 2.5 vs. 6.35 ± 1.9 nmol/liter, p = .014). Differences remained significant after adjustment for age, time of awakening, smoking, and alcohol intake. Conclusions Socioeconomic differences in blood pressure and cortisol may reflect stress-related activation of biological pathways that contribute to variations in disease risk.


If a positron impacts onto a surface, it may lead to the emission of a positron-electron pair. We have commissioned a laboratory-based positron source and performed a systematic study on a variety of solid surfaces. In a symmetric emission geometry we can explore the fact that positrons and electrons are distinguishable particles. Following fundamental symmetry arguments we have to expect that the available energy is shared unequally among positrons and electrons. Experimentally we observe such a behavior for all materials studied. We find a universal feature for all materials in the sense that, on average, the positron carries a larger fraction of the available energy. A scattering model accounts qualitatively for the observed energy sharing in positron-electron pair emission. A comparison of the intensity levels from the different materials reveals a monotonic relation between the singles and pair coincidence count rates.


ABSTRACT Using the feminist lens of women economic empowerment and the concepts of resources, agency, and achievements, and the inter-related concepts of power, this article shares the experience of women beauty workers and women cab drivers working on different types of platform models in India. While beauty work is essentially a feminised sector of work in India, ride-hailing is a male-dominated form of work. The analysis is drawn from in-depth interviews with women workers, platform management, and union leaders, among others, to understand struggles and ways of 'being and doing' of women workers on platforms. The article presents the different types of platform models – freelance, fixed salary, and hybrid – and the differential impacts of these models on the working conditions of the women in these two sectors. The article then continues to unravel the concept of 'flexibility and autonomy', and the precarious nature of work for these different contractual arrangements as well as the implications of algorithmic controls and management on women workers. It eventually highlights that this 'new' gig economy contributes to the continuation of the informal nature of work, along with the precarity of the same, which hinders their ability to achieve empowerment.


Lungworm infections in dogs and cats have gained attention in practice in recent years, driven largely by the spread of Angiostrongylus vasorum outside historically recognised endemic foci and associated efforts to increase awareness and encourage treatment and prevention. While several species of lungworm are clinically relevant, A vasorum in particular is common and can be highly pathogenic in dogs in the UK. The tools available for the diagnosis and treatment of lungworm infections have advanced and informed clinicians are well equipped to deal with threats from this group of parasites. This article reviews the helminth parasites of the canine and feline respiratory systems, and summarises their life cycles, epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment and prevention. It also discusses apparent changes in the epidemiological patterns of lungworm infections in both species and the implications for risk assessment and management.


In this article I want to analyse how Charlotte Smith's novel Desmond (1792) mediates historical distance, i.e. how the novel engages with the past and how this engagement effects a particular historical experience of the represented event. Smith's novel gives rise to an ideological tension due to its confirmation of domestic tyranny, on the one hand, and its strong political support of the ideals of the French Revolution, on the other hand. I relate this tension to the ways in which the novel constructs historical dista nce. Methodologically, I rely on the theoretical reflections on historical distance by the Canadian historian Mark Salber Phillips. According to Phillips, historical distance is a rhetorical effect that can be studied from the text's formal organization, its affective tone, and its ideological programme. This leads to a conceptual understanding of how a text represents a particular historical event.


Abstract Seasonal changes in specific activity of acid phosphatase have been examined in 12 taxa of liverworts collected from different areas of Himachal Pradesh. The collection period was divided into three seasons relevant to bryophyte life history: rainy, winter and end of the growing season. The specific activity of acid phosphatase was highest during the rainy season in all except Asterella angusta and the lowest at the end of the growing season, thus indicating that the activity of the enzyme varies seasonally.


Nano-oxide dispersed austenitic alloys are widely used as structural components in different applications such as heat exchanger parts and pressure vessels in thermal or fusion nuclear power plants. Austenitic stainless steels are the main candidate materials in residual heat removal circuits of pressurised water reactor applications. As nuclear applications require high-temperature strength of the candidate material, improving strength of austenitic stainless steels is a challenge. By dispersing fine oxide particles into austenitic matrix higher strength of the material could be achieved.
The present work aims at synthesis of 70.0Fe-19.0Cr-11.0Ni (alloy A), 69.0Fe-19Cr-11Ni-1.0Y2O3 (alloy B), 69.0Fe-19Cr-11Ni-1.0TiO2 (alloy C) (all in wt %) each synthesized through mechanical alloying and subsequent consolidation by conventional sintering and spark plasma sintering methods. Following this mechano-chemical synthesis and consolidation, extensive effort has been undertaken to characterize the as-milled and consolidated products by X-ray diffraction study, scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy, energy disperse spectroscopy, followed by evaluation of physical (density and porosity), mechanical (hardness and wear resistance) and chemical (oxidation resistance) properties. The average particle size of alloy A powder decreased from 50.86 ± 6.19 µm to 3.5 ± 1.96 µm with increase in milling time from 0 h to 40 h, and the same phenomenon was observed in mechanical alloying of alloy B and alloy C powders. Samples sintered by spark plasma sintering (SPS) recorded high hardness values (476.0 HV - 724.4 HV) which are nearly 1.5 - 2.0 times the hardness values (268.0 - 464.9 HV) of same alloys consolidated by conventional sintering. Furthermore, wear resistance property of spark plasma sintered alloys, in the range of 3.17×10-7 - 15.62×10-7 mm3/mm, followed similar kind of trend as hardness. The wear rate of SPS alloy C (3.17×10-7 mm3/mm) is 1/5th the wear rate of alloy C sintered by conventional sintering (16.8×10-7 mm3/mm). The rate of oxidation of the present austenitic steel decreased with addition of nano-oxides in general and samples sintered by spark plasma sintering show the lowest rate of oxidation. Alloy C sintered by spark plasma sintering offers the maximum improvement in terms of mechanical and oxidation properties as compared to the other alloys and other sintering technique. Thus, it was concluded that mechanical alloying followed by spark plasma sintering (SPS) is the most promising route for synthesizing oxide dispersed austenitic matrix offering attractive mechanical properties.


We conducted two years field experiments in Germany comparing conventional and dropleg spraying techniques. We found slightly reduced efficacy of dropleg spraying of Biscaya and Mavrik on oilseed rape at BBCH growth stage 65 (full flowering) against insect pests (Meligethes aeneus, Ceutorhynchus pallidactylus, C. obstrictus and Dasineura brassicae). The dropleg technique therefore seems suitable for control of insect pests during the flowering stage of oilseed rape, when exposure for bees and other pollinators needs to be minimized. When testing Biscaya and Mavrik in 2015, the latter had lower efficiency.


Despite the many promising applications of Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs) the key advances to boost production to industrial scale still remain elusive. Recently, it has been shown that continuous flow chemistry is capable of handling the production of a large variety of MOFs, while also being scalable. However commonly used laboratory methods for postproduction processing, i.e. separation and activation are ineffective and costly at scale. Here we present the use of megasonics, a novel and scalable methodology based on sonication with high frequency sound waves, which performs separation and activation simultaneously, yielding high surface areas that previously were only obtainable with laboratory-scale methods like solvent exchange, supercritrics and calcination.


Most patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) are diagnosed with early stage disease and managed with active surveillance. The individual course of subjects with early stage CLL is heterogeneous and their probability of needing treatment is hardly anticipated at diagnosis. We aimed at developing an international prognostic score to predict time to first treatment (TTFT) in CLL patients with early, asymptomatic disease (IPS-E). Individual patient data from 11 international cohorts of patients with early stage CLL (n=4933) were analyzed to build and validate the prognostic score. Three covariates were consistently and independently correlated with TTFT: unmutated IGHV genes, absolute lymphocyte count >15 x109/l, and presence of palpable lymph nodes. The IPS-E was the sum of the covariates (one point each), and separated low-risk (score 0), intermediate-risk (score 1) and high-risk patients (score 2-3) showing a distinct TTFT. The score accuracy was validated in 9 cohorts staged by the Binet system and 1 cohort staged by the Rai system. The c-index was 0.74 in the training series and 0.70 in the aggregate of validation series. By meta-analysis of the training and validation cohorts, the 5-year cumulative risk of treatment start was 8.4%, 28.4%, and 61.2% among low-risk, intermediate-risk, and high-risk patients, respectively. The IPS-E is a simple and robust prognostic model that predicts the likelihood of treatment requirement in patients with early stage CLL. The IPS-E can be useful in clinical management and in the design of early intervention clinical trials.


The Triple Rinse poster acquaints new pest management technicians to proper techniques to clean and dispose of empty pesticide containers. The poster uses quick response (QR) codes that direct smartphones to online videos that demonstrate the triple rinse process and container disposal. This poster will serve as a valuable training tool for new technicians and a refresher tool for pesticide applicators. Designed by R.W. Baldwin, S.K. Hill, Philip Koehler, W. Walker, and J.C. Medley, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, August 2012.
ENY-2012/IN962: Pesticide Safety Miniposter: Triple Rinse Steps (ufl.edu)


Using a cell phone while driving has been shown to have a negative impact on driver performance. To determine why younger drivers persist in using cell phones while driving, underlying causal factors which contribute to selfreported usage were investigated. A total of 2,340 drivers, from high schools and universities located in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington responded to a survey instrument. Drivers were asked to self-report their frequency of distraction and their opinion about what activities are driving distractions. The objective was to determine what factors impact the driver choice to interact with a cell phone (talking or texting) while driving. A random parameter ordered-probit model was developed to predict the likelihood that a driver self-reported cell phone activity while driving as "infrequent", "moderate", or "frequent". It was found that the behaviors of texting and talking while driving were highly correlated. The developed models suggest that presence of friends in the car, parents frequently exhibiting distracted driving, more miles of driving, history of speeding tickets, crash history, having a full driver's license, owning an iPhone, and being female increases the likelihood of self-reported distracted driving. It was found that experienced drivers were more likely to talk and less likely to text while driving.


Operators are introducing mobile television and digital video content services globally. The Handbook of Mobile Broadcasting addresses all aspects of these services, providing a comprehensive reference on DVB-H, DMB, ISDB-T, and MediaFLO. Featuring contributions from experts in the field, the text presents technical standards and distribution protocols, offering detailed coverage of video coding, including design methodology and error resilience techniques; state-of-the-art technologies such as signaling, optimization, implementation, and simulation; and applications of mobile broadcasting, including emerging areas and new interactive services.


Populations of the common vole Microtus arvalis in mid-western France show cyclic dynamics with a three-year period. Studies of cyclic vole populations in Fennoscandia have often found inter-specific synchrony between the voles and other small mammals which share the voles' predators. Although predators are central to the favoured mechanism to explain Fennoscandian vole cycles and the spatial variation of small mammal populations, their role in vole cycles elsewhere, including France, is less clear. Establishing whether alternative prey species in France cycle in parallel with voles as they do in Fennoscandia is thus an important step towards understanding the generality of predators' influence on cyclic vole populations. We applied spatial and temporal autocorrelation and cross-correlation methods to French populations of M. arvalis and two sympatric non-cyclic small mammal species, Apodemus sylvaticus and Crocidura russula. Patterns of time-lagged cross-correlation between the abundance of M. arvalis and the other two species suggested synchrony in their dynamics beyond that expected of stochastic environmental variation, and indicated a weak three-year cycle in A. sylvaticus and C. russula that was in phase with that of M. arvalis. We interpret the synchrony between these species as the effect of shared predators and environmental stochasticity. Abundance within species showed weak spatial autocorrelation in June at scales consistent with dispersal being the mechanism responsible, but a more general lack of spatial structure within and between species was consistent with the strong spatial synchrony at regional scales often found in fluctuations of small mammal abundance.


Libraries can bring substantial expertise to bear on the collection, curation, and distribution of digital geospatial information, making them trusted and competent partners for organizations that wish to distribute geospatial data. By developing a well-thought-out data management and distribution policy, libraries can define the parameters of a data distribution partnership and reinforce a data provider's confidence in the library's role as a data custodian and distributor. In developing a policy, data distributors are advised to consider such issues as intellectual property rights, liability issues, distribution methods and services, data and metadata management practices, security risks posed by geospatial data, and user limitations. This article describes the most common elements of data sharing and distribution agreements and describes the development of a data management policy for the Cornell University Geospatial Information Repository (CUGIR).


This paper analyzes the mortgage borrowing process from a Russian state-owned provider of residential housing mortgages concentrating on the choice of having government insurance. This analysis takes into account the underwriting process and the choice of loan limit by the bank, the choice of contract terms and the performance of all loans issued from 2008 to 2012. Our dataset contains demographic, financial, loan terms and the performance information for all applications. We use a multistep nonparametric approach to estimate the determinants of bank and borrower choice. The main finding that the probability of having government insurance is linked to riskier loans, but insured loans also are more likely to be approved by the bank. The bank, when approving a borrower, takes into account not the probability of default but the difference between the probability of default and having government insurance.


Objective: To establish an interactive management model for community-oriented high-risk osteoporosis in conjunction with a rural community health service center. Materials and Methods: Toward multidimensional analysis of data, the system we developed combines basic principles of data warehouse technology oriented to the needs of community health services. This paper introduces the steps we took in constructing the data warehouse; the case presented here is that of a district community health management information system in Changshu, Jiangsu Province, China. For our data warehouse, we chose the MySQL 4.5 relational database, the Browser/Server, (B/S) model, and hypertext preprocessor as the development tools. Results: The system allowed online analysis processing and next-stage work preparation, and provided a platform for data management, data query, online analysis, etc., in community health service center, specialist outpatient for osteoporosis, and health administration sectors. Conclusion: The users of remote management system and data warehouse can include community health service centers, osteoporosis departments of hospitals, and health administration departments; provide reference for policymaking of health administrators, residents' health information, and intervention suggestions for general practitioners in community health service centers, patients' follow-up information for osteoporosis specialists in general hospitals.


Apple and apricot powders (APL-P and APR-P) were produced from apple and apricot fruits and they were used in cookie formulation at the levels of 10-40% (in flour bases). The APL-P and APR-P were rich in terms of total dietary fiber (TDF) and antioxidant power. The APR-P supplemented cookies had higher spread ratio and lower hardness values than the APL-P supplemented ones at all addition levels. The color values of the APR-P supplemented cookies were all acceptable. Overall sensory scores of the cookies supplemented with APL-P and APR-P were not significantly different from the control up to 20% addition. TDF contents of the supplemented cookies increased significantly with increasing addition level (p<0.01). The replacement of flour by APL-P and APR-P in wire-cut cookies showed that the physical characteristics and textural properties of the cookies were significantly affected (p<0.01) and APR-P appeared to be a more suitable replacer of flour than APL-P. Addition of both fruit powders upto 20% into the cookie formulation were evaluated as acceptable in terms of the sensory properties.


Pre-trained word embeddings like ELMo and BERT contain rich syntactic and semantic information, resulting in state-of-the-art performance on various tasks. We propose a very fast variational information bottleneck (VIB) method to nonlinearly compress these embeddings, keeping only the information that helps a discriminative parser. We compress each word embedding to either a discrete tag or a continuous vector. In the discrete version, our automatically compressed tags form an alternative tag set: we show experimentally that our tags capture most of the information in traditional POS tag annotations, but our tag sequences can be parsed more accurately at the same level of tag granularity. In the continuous version, we show experimentally that moderately compressing the word embeddings by our method yields a more accurate parser in 8 of 9 languages, unlike simple dimensionality reduction.


Indonesia is increasingly showing a more civilized humanity through incessant social practices in times of pandemic pressure and natural disasters. Various difficulties experienced by all levels of society have raised the attention of others to help help in locations affected by the economic crisis and losing their jobs. Almost all lines are trying to push the values of Pancasila by the impulse of the cultural conscience of the people's wisdom. It seems that the movement of the ideological spirit by the residents has not yet been realized that the character building of Pancasila values is moving. Therefore, a phenomenological research is needed on the implementation of Pancasila values from government, institutional and community activities as character building. The purpose of this research is to prove that the values of Pancasila are the character of the Nation which is a reflection of National resilience. The research method used is the method of interview and observation to determine the qualitative awareness of understanding the values and their implementation that is being carried out by the community. The findings obtained are that the local community carries out social service activities to reduce the burden of food, clothing, shelter and economic congestion in the family to create psychological and life resilience. The second finding is that the public is increasingly aware of the power of citizen unity driven by the spirit of the Pancasila ideology among pluralist communities. From these findings, it is concluded that the values of Pancasila must be grounded through community coaching / learning activities with the colors of the characters and local wisdom according to the culture of the environment.


Experienced process plant personnel observe that corrective maintenance work on one asset may often be followed by corrective work on the same asset or connected assets within a short amount of time. This problem is referred to as a cascading failure. Confirming if these events are chronic is difficult given the number of assets and the volume of maintenance and operation data. If cascading events can be identified, preventative measures can be implemented to prevent those cascades, eliminating unnecessary corrective work. This project uses complex network analysis to identify cascading events and where co-occurrence of work is most frequent, in a process plant. Data is drawn from over 50,000 work orders for 5,655 pumps in a mining company over a five-year period. A complex network is produced by connecting assets based on the frequency of co-occurrence of work. Beside the advantages of the visualisation of complex networks, the method produces quantified measures, normalised degree, eigenvector centrality and betweenness centrality, which are used to identify assets with significant impact on other assets. Affected pumps are apparent as communities in the network. This analysis identifies pumps that are "super-spreaders": pumps who experience corrective maintenance events which lead to corrective maintenance events on other pumps. The model can be tuned to different time windows, for example events within one or seven days. From these insights, changes can be made to operational, maintenance and recording practices to prevent re-occurrence. Of particular note in this data was the occurrence of self–loops in certain pumps and the prevalence of hidden failures in standby pumps.


Our objective was to determine temporal effects on medium pH caused by decomposition of three organic amendments incorporated with topsoil. Pine (Pinus taeda L.) bark, pine (Pinus taeda L.) straw, and red oak (Quercus falcata Michx. var. falcata) were ground to uniform particle size, incorporated with a silt loam topsoil at two rates (1:29 and 1:10 amendment:soil, w:w basis, referred to as 1X and 3X, respectively), placed into greenhouse pots, and sampled during 12 months to determine medium pH in comparison to an unamended topsoil (control). Compared to the control, pine straw, pine bark, and red oak 3X increased soil medium pH. All media except pine straw increased pH during the study. At any given sampling date, pine straw 3X had lower pH than the control, while red oak either did not differ from, or had higher pH than the control. By the end of the sampling period, pine bark and pine straw media had lower pH than the control. While statistically signifi cant, change in medium pH caused by any of these substances would be trivial for most horticultural crops, and easily corrected by use of other liming or acidifying amendments.


Background: The development and attainment of professional identity includes the need to meet the standards of the professional regulator, in the UK this is the General Medical Council's Good Medical Practice (GMP)1. Whilst it can be challenging to integrate this reality of medical practice into curricular and assessment methodologies2 various multi-dimensional, multiparadigmatic approaches to assess professionalism have been described3,4 including simulated situations5. Within an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) we aimed to design and assess the performance of a station using GMP as the assessment framework for professionalism6. Its developmental emphasis was formative, with verbal and written feedback and access to learning resources. Methodology: Using an iterative approach, we constructed an OSCE station with student and actor as foundation year 1 doctors, where a medical peer appears not fit for work due to health problems. The station assessed knowledge, skills and attitude, including the duty to raise appropriate concern about a colleague, inter-professional communication and protecting patients. After the 2016 iteration, performance data, examiner and student feedback were used to improve the assessment for 2017. Subsequent examiner feedback and a student focus group were used to understand the station's educational impact. Performance data were analysed using regression analysis, measuring reliability with Cronbach's alpha. Results: Examiners and students felt the station worked well but students confused a private conversation with a colleague with the duty of confidentiality for patients, as well as the need to act promptly. Students were uncertain as to whom they should escalate concerns. Within focus groups students spoke in terms of what they "should have" done suggesting the emergence of greater insight. However, only one looked at GMP after the assessment. In 2016 examiners found the binary assessment 'check-list' failed to discriminate students with partial insight from those with none, thus in 2017 a qualitative global rating scale was used. In 2016 station fail rate was 34%, R2 was 0.86 with 56% variance related to the circuit and 0.02 Alpha difference on deletion. Whereas in 2017 the fail rate was 24%, R2 was 0.80 with 20% variance related to the circuit and -0.06 Alpha difference on deletion. The inter-circuit variation in the 2016 iteration although not ideal is difficult to interpret as there were only small numbers of students; a maximum of 6 per circuit and 8 circuits in total. The professionalism station contributed to overall OSCE reliability in 2016 as Cronbach's alpha went down on deletion but not in 2017. The correlation between marks and overall rating of performance was very good for both iterations, slightly stronger for the 2016 'check list' mark scheme. Discrimination was also good for both stations, again better in 2016, 14.6% and 10.6% respectively. Discrimination between borderline and clearly passing students was less clear with a global rating scale but clearly failing or very good students were distinct. Examiner narrative supported the 2017 iteration's ability to identify students who had clearly recognized the fundamental actions required. Discussion: The OSCE model can use a professional framework, in this case GMP, in the assessment of professionalism in the context of a situational judgement with reasonable discrimination of student performance. OSCE station design and marking should to be linked to students' prior contextual experience where global ratings and examiner narrative appear to better assess performance. However a binary mark scheme discriminates well, but when used performance expectations need to reflect learner context. Although more work is needed to understand the impact of this approach on professional practice, graduates may benefit from revisiting these scenarios as they may feel more 'real' or relevant which may help to reinforce what was previously learned. References: 1. GMC (2013), Good Medical Practice. 2. O'Sulivan, H. et al (2012) Integrating professionalism into the curriculum: AMEE Guide No.61, Medical Teacher, 34:2, e64-e77 3. Hodges, B. et al (2011) Assessment of professionalism: Recommendations from the Ottawa 2010 Conference, Medical Teacher, 33:5, 354-363. 4. Goldie, J. (2013) Assessment of professionalism: A consolidation of current thinking, Medical Teacher, 35:2, e952-e956 5. van Zanten, M. et al (2005) Using a standardised patient assessment to measure professional attributes, Medical Education, 39: 20-29. 6. GMC (2016) Achieving good medical practice: guidance for medical students.


Background: In 2019 the majority of US medical students were women (50.5%). However, despite this representation, female representation within orthopaedic surgery remains low when compared to male counterparts. Previously, the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) and Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA) published their gender diversity data. No such study has been conducted in the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS), which is the largest membership organization for foot and ankle–trained orthopaedic surgeons. This study sought to investigate whether increased female representation in the AOFAS membership roster is reflected in different levels within the organization. Methods: The 2012-2022 membership rosters were obtained from the AOFAS and compared by gender. Volunteer, elected, and appointed leadership positions as well as rates of engagement were compared for each of the activities. Leadership positions were defined as committee chair, vice chair, or board of directors (BOD). When available, time for advancement through leadership positions to the presidential role was analyzed by gender. Comparative data were available for 2 other respective subspecialty groups, ASSH and POSNA, from previously published studies. Results: Between 2012 and 2022, the percentage of female membership in the AOFAS has continued to increase from 7.5% (n=76) to 13% (n=163). Engagement in committee membership positions during this time has more than doubled from 11 of 26 (14.4%) to 57 of 163 (34.9%). When participation trends were evaluated by gender, women showed higher rates of committee involvement than their male counterparts. In 2021 compared to 2012, the percentage of female committee members more than doubled compared with their male counterparts (female 34.9% to male 23.2% vs female 14.4% to male 16.8%). This increase in female gender committee composition trend has been seen in the ASSH and POSNA, but it is more pronounced in the AOFAS. Representation of women in committee chair positions and elected positions has not seen this same parallel increase. Conclusion: The female membership of the AOFAS has a similar gender composition to other orthopaedic subspecialities. Female membership within the society has increased over the past 10 years. The rates of female involvement within committee membership positions have seen a parallel increase. It will take time to mature into leadership roles as we continue to increase diversity within our respective subspecialty organizations. Inception of the AOFAS Diversity Equity and Inclusion and Women's Subcommittee demonstrate a continued emphasis on this core value within the society. Level of Evidence: Level IV, cohort study.


The "Perishable Refrigerated Products and Home Practices Survey" was a two-part survey developed to better understand consumers' perceptions and their current level of understanding regarding the proper handling and storage of perishable refrigerated foods. Past studies (e.g. Anonymous, 1997a; Anonymous, 1999a) have demonstrated a lack of consumer knowledge in such areas involving food safety practices. In recent years, there have been a number of large food recalls (i.e. Anonymous, 1997b; Anonymous, 1999b; CDC, 1999) due to the presence or possible presence of foodborne pathogens. Part of this study analyzed consumers' knowledge and attitudes towards the recalled products. A large number of foodborne outbreaks also occur in the household. After examining participant responses concerning food handling practices, (i.e. improper temperature control and lack of food rotation habits), the practices of many of the participants were not suitable to prevent possible foodborne contamination. Open dates and time-temperature integrators (TTI's), especially when used together, can assist consumers in purchasing fresh foods (Taoukis and Labuza, 1989a, b). However, numerous past studies have indicated consumer confusion regarding the meaning of open dates; and the results of this study confirm that the confusion continues. This may be due in part to the fact that there is no federally mandated, uniform open dating legislation in this country. TTI's are a fairly new device on the U.S. marketplace. While participants in this study were optimistic about the potential benefits of TTI's, 76% of consumers were unfamiliar with the device.


Through the study of the philosophy of Felix Guattari and Gilles Deleuze, this thesis seeks to extract and elaborate a political practice of language by investigating their critique of linguistics and the development of a semio-pragmatic conception of language. Whereas most scholars see Deleuze and Guattari's critique of linguistics as a project that claims to enact an escape from language, this thesis argues that implicit in Deleuze and Guattari's apparently antagonist approach to language is a new way of thinking about language as a social and political practice.
The thesis delineates a trajectory of research that is focused not on Deleuze and Guattari's philosophy of literature, nor on a philosophy of language, but rather on how language operates within a semiotic framework of power. It provides an analysis of Louis Hjelmslev's theory of the sign and Guattari and Deleuze's Hjelmslevian reading of Foucault's statement as the main resources for Deleuze and Guattari's elaboration of a pragmatics that is both political and semiotic, and which responds to
the need identified by Guattari to produce a political genealogy of content. To develop a theory of a political practice of language the thesis turns to Guattari's institutional reflections and takes the La Borde clinic as a case study. It examines clinical experimental protocols and Guattari's theory of subject- and subjected-group to discern the particular role that language plays in the framework of collective analytical processes of enunciation. It is argued that Guattari's reinterpretation of Sartre's dialectical sociology suggests a role for language – as social practice – in processes of autonomy and institutional creation. Finally, the thesis discusses two main ideas: the idea of an a-signifying use of language (a use that is not primarily concerned with signification) and the conceptualisation of language as intervention, following Guattari's attempt to mobilise an expanded notion of analysis – a collective militant analysis – moving from the clinical context to more general social contexts. Ultimately, the thesis argues that Guattari and Deleuze's critique of linguisticsand Guattari's mobilisation of analysis as a form of political intervention make it
possible to reclaim language as the centre of social and political struggles.


In a comprehensive study extending prior research, Prince and Rubin (2002) use the event study methodology, and find negative market reaction to a sample of 15 initial filings of product liability litigation and 29 other litigation events against U.S. automakers between 1973 and 1995. They conclude that the event study methodology is a useful way to measure the costs of litigation. In contrast, after examination of a new sample of 144 initial filing events and 465 other litigation events for six major automobile firms from 1985 to 2000, and after re-examining Prince and Rubin's data, we find that the market reaction to all but the most extreme and infrequent events is generally not significant. We suggest that the event study methodology may not generally be useful to study the social costs of litigation, but may be useful for unexpected abnormal litigation events where the potential liabilities (including reputation and other losses triggered by litigation) may far exceed the legal liability reserves set up by firms. We find mixed results for the market impact of litigation against a competitor. When a product liability lawsuit is first filed against a U.S. firm, the market values of the Japanese firms significantly decline. When a Japanese firm is sued for product liability, the U.S. firms register a significant increase in market value. However, these spillover results have to be interpreted with caution because of small sample sizes and possible confounding events.


Keeping Faith in Humanitarianism Joe Harbison Doctor of Ministry School of Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary 2016 Compassion that drives the humanitarian service of Christian, faith-based agencies transcends process and policy through informed practices leading to positive and compassionate engagement bringing transformational change among people in calamity and unjust systems. This dissertation explores the transformative role that faithbased agencies need to play in contemporary humanitarianism in order to span the gap between procedure and mercy in action. Further, it is an examination of theological, historical and practical applications of compassion at work demonstrating God's unconditional love to all of humanity. Faith-based humanitarian agencies struggle to serve marginalized communities and people groups, but are pulled in different directions by stakeholders. Donors who are highly motivated toward proclamation, expect a strong Gospel message. Local communities desire significant inputs to bring visible and tangible change. Institutional donors expect clear goals and outputs that belie evidence-based results. Local governments may welcome faith-based agencies but forbid religious proclamation especially where Christianity is a minority religion. Faith-based agencies are held to the same standards which govern all humanitarian agencies, creating new and complex challenges to serving the poor as ambassadors of God's good will and love. Part One deals with the unique historical and contemporary context within which faith-based humanitarian agencies operate. The reality and complexity of structure and policy, and the demand to meet greater humanitarian needs creates an environment of scrutiny and competition to fund, staff, resource and implement larger and more complex interventions. These developments are examined and reviewed in the light of contemporary agencies that have developed along parallel paths yet compete for resources. Part Two reviews theological underpinnings of faith-based humanitarianism. Beginning with a biblical reflection on the design and concept of neighborliness and concludes with three case studies along the themes of Justice, Policy and Mission providing a framework for understanding practical applications of mercy in action. Content Reader: Kurt Fredrickson, PhD Words: 300


Recent high-profile incidents have engendered doubts about trust in various firms and have resulted in cyber security becoming a critical risk factor that firms must address. Unsurprisingly, data breaches are currently the biggest concern of CIOs. The goal of this research is to answer the following questions: What are the specific cyber security concerns of the organization's leaders, and how will those leaders allocate resources to allay those concerns? We intend to use the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) Framework through a multiple case study approach. We will be collecting qualitative data through the use of semi-structured interviews of CIOs that are working in various industries in the US Midwest. The goal of this study is to extend the TOE framework to best explain the executive decision process with regards to cyber security.


A regular rail inspection schedule has been proposed to minimise any detrimental financial cost incurred due to operations under harsh environments. Missing opportunities to detect a defective rail could ultimately lead to its breaking, which would magnify the repair (as well as maintenance) cost by approximately 30–35% per rail-mile. However, the performance of a pre-planned inspection schedule may be affected by disruptions in one or more element(s) of inspection such as machine/vehicle breakdown or track unavailability, which are usually unpredictable events. As part of the justification for the need to manage a disrupted inspection schedule, this paper proposes a methodology that highlights the value of rescheduling. An extensive literature search was undertaken on the rescheduling framework in order to determine the appropriate policies, strategies and methods for rail inspection. As a result, the value of rescheduling is formulated as the ratio of rescheduling cost to a change in the value of risk from a missed opportunity to repair a defective rail, i.e. late defect detection. This numerical formula demonstrates how the proposed methodology is useful for filtering out a rescheduling strategy that has (negative) value when dealing with a disrupted rail inspection schedule. The discussion portrays several potential aspects to feasibly extend the proposed methodology on a large scale of rail network.


The method of Transient Electromagnetic(TEM) detection is widely applied to the field of coal mine and oil exploration. But since Transient Electromagnetic signal is a non-stationary , nonlinear , weak signal under the background of heavy noise , traditional method which is based on the signal superposition is only suited to the signal of the superficial layer , it can not fetch the weak signal of the deep layer. noise reduction of the transient electromagnetic weak signal under heavy noise based on power detection of EMD decomposition is presented in this paper. This method does not need prior information. Through the method, the transient electromagnetic weak signal under heavy noise is decomposed to several intrinsic mode functions. Then by power detection, the noise leading component is extracted and reduced .At last the transient electromagnetic weak signal is obtained adaptively. The example of this paper show: when the received TEM signal of deep layer is -30db SNR, This method can reduce the most of noise, obtain the transient electromagnetic weak signal which contains geological information, and improve the depth and accuracy of the TEM detection.


This paper presents a nonparametric learning approach for the automatic classification of particles produced by the collision of a heavy ion beam on a target, by focusing on the identification of isotopes of the most energic light charged particles (LCP). In particular, it is shown that the measurement of the particle collision can be traced back to the impulse response of a linear dynamical system and, by employing recent kernel-based approaches, a nonparametric model is found that effectively trades off bias and variance of the model estimate. Then, the smoothened signals can be employed to classify the different types of particles. Experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms the state of the art approaches. All the experiments are carried out with the large detector array CHIMERA (Charge Heavy Ions Mass and Energy Resolving Array) in Catania, Italy.


The settlement cntrol of high-speed railway is a key technology in embankment engineering. In order to reveal the engineering characteristics of the deep completely decomposed granite soil in Hainan east loop line, a passenger dedicated line, four groups of centrifuge model tests were conducted to study the settlement properties of the subsoils untreated, treated by dynamic compaction, and reinforced with cement-mixed piles, under the action of the embankment, especially the relationship between settlement and time, including the settlement during and post-construction. The results show that the Weibull model can describe the relationship between embankment settlement and time well, and that the post-construction settlements of the subsoil meet the requirements of the relevant code. Among the two foundation treatment measures, dynamic compaction is more effective than reinforcement with cement-mixed piles, and the pressure on the contact surface between embankment and subsoil was obviously different from the commonly used calculated values.