Exotic plant invasions are a significant problem in urban bushland in Sydney, Australia. In low-nutrient Hawkesbury Sandstone communities, invasive plants are often associated with urban run-off and subsequent increases in soil nutrients, particularly phosphorus. Fire is an important aspect of community dynamics in Sydney vegetation, and is sometimes used in bush regeneration projects as a tool for weed control. This study addressed the question: 'Are there differences in post-fire resprouting and germination of native and exotic species in nutrient- enriched communities, compared with communities not disturbed by nutrient enrichment?' We found that in non- enriched areas, few exotic species emerged, and those that did were unable to achieve the rapid growth that was seen in exotic plants in the nutrient-enriched areas. Therefore, fire did not promote the invasion of exotic plants into areas that were not nutrient-enriched. In nutrient-enriched areas after fire, the diversity of native species was lower than in the non-enriched areas. Some native species were able to survive and compete with the exotic species in terms of abundance, per cent cover and plant height. However, these successful species were a different suite of natives to those commonly found in the non-enriched areas. We suggest that although fire can be a useful tool for short-term removal of exotic plant biomass from nutrient-enriched areas, it does not promote establishment of native species that were not already present.


We propose a new method for the history of ideas that has none of the shortcomings so often ascribed to this approach. We call this method the model approach to the history of ideas. We argue that any adequately developed and implementable method to trace (dis)continuities in the history of human thought, or concept drift, will require that historians use explicit interpretive conceptual frameworks. We call these frameworks models. We argue that models enhance the comprehensibility of historical texts, and provide historians of ideas with a method that, unlike existing approaches, is susceptible neither to common holistic criticisms nor to Skinner's objections that the history of ideas yields arbitrary and biased reconstructions. To illustrate our proposal, we discuss the so-called Classical Model of Science and draw upon work in computer science and cognitive psychology.


The BondMachine (BM) is an innovative prototype software ecosystem aimed at creating facilities where both hardware and software are co-designed, guaranteeing a full exploitation of fabric capabilities (both in terms of concurrency and heterogeneity) with the smallest possible power dissipation. In the present paper we will provide a technical overview of the key aspects of the BondMachine toolkit, highlighting the advancements brought about by the porting of Go code in hardware. We will then show a cloud-based BM as a Service deployment. Finally, we will focus on TensorFlow, and in this context we will show how we plan to benchmark the system with a ML tracking reconstruction from pp collision at the LHC.


Venus' atmosphere shows highly variable warm vortices over both of the planet's poles. The nature of the mechanism behind their formation and properties is still unknown. Potential vorticity is a conserved quantity when advective processes dominate over friction and diabatic heating and is a quantity frequently used to model balanced flows. As a step toward understanding the vortices' dynamics, we present maps of Ertel's potential vorticity (EPV) at Venus' south polar region. We analyze three configurations of the south polar vortex at the upper cloud level (P ~ 240 mbar; z ~ 58 km), based on our previous analyses of cloud motions and thermal structure from data acquired by the Visual and InfraRed Thermal Imaging Spectrometer instrument on board Venus Express. Additionally, we tentatively estimate EPV at the lower cloud level (P ~ 2200 mbar; z ~ 43 km), based on our previous wind measurements and on static stability data from Pioneer Venus and the Venus International Reference Atmosphere (VIRA) model. Values of EPV are on the order of 10−6 and 10−8 K m2 kg−1 s−1 at the upper and lower cloud levels, respectively, being 3 times larger than the estimated errors. The morphology observed in EPV maps is mainly determined by the structures of the vertical component of the relative vorticity. This is in contrast to the vortex's morphology observed in 3.8 or 5 µm images which are related to the thermal structure of the atmosphere at the cloud top. Some of the EPV maps point to a weak ringed structure in the upper cloud, while a more homogenous EPV field is found in the lower cloud.


Analytic non-adiabatic coupling matrix elements (NACME) are derived and implemented for the spin-flip occupation restricted multiple active space configuration interaction (SF-ORMAS-CI) method. SF-ORMAS is a general spin correct implementation of the SF-CI method and has been shown to correctly describe various stationary geometries, including regions of conical intersections. The availability of non-adiabatic coupling allows a fuller examination of non-adiabatic phenomena with the SF-ORMAS method. In this study, the implementation of the NACME is tested using two model systems, MgFH and ethylene. In both cases, the SF-ORMAS method exhibits good qualitative agreement with established multi-reference methods, suggesting that SF-ORMAS is a suitable method for the study of non-adiabatic chemical phenomena.


Modular steel scaffolds are commonly used as supporting scaffolds in building construction, and traditionally, the load carrying capacities of these scaffolds are obtained from limited full-scale tests with little rational design. Structural failure of these scaffolds occurs from time to time due to inadequate design, poor installation and over-loads on sites. In general, multi-storey modular steel scaffolds are very slender structures which exhibit significant non-linear behaviour. Hence, secondary moments due to both and effects should be properly accounted for in the non-linear analyses. Moreover, while the structural behaviour of these scaffolds is known to be very sensitive to the types and the magnitudes of restraints provided from attached members and supports, yet it is always difficult to quantify these restraints in either test or practical conditions. The problem is further complicated due to the presence of initial geometrical imperfections in the scaffolds, including both member out-of-straightness and storey out-of-plumbness, and hence, initial geometrical imperfections should be carefully incorporated. This paper presents an extensive numerical study on three different approaches in analyzing and designing multi-storey modular steel scaffolds, namely, a) Eigenmode Imperfection Approach, b) Notional Load Approach, and c) Critical Load Approach. It should be noted that the three approaches adopt different ways to allow for the non-linear behaviour of the scaffolds in the presence of initial geometrical imperfections. Moreover, their suitability and accuracy in predicting the structural behaviour of modular steel scaffolds are discussed and compared thoroughly. The study aims to develop a simplified and yet reliable design approach for safe prediction on the load carrying capacities of multi-storey modular steel scaffolds, so that engineers can ensure safe and effective use of these scaffolds in building construction.


Background: Surrogacy is one of the new techniques of assisted reproduction technology in which a woman carries and bears a child for another woman. In Iran, many Shia clerics and jurists considered it permissible so there is no religious prohibition for it. In addition to the risk of physical complications for complete surrogate mothers, the possibility of psychological complications resulted from emotional attachment to a living creature in the surrogate mother as another injury requires counseling and assessment prior to acceptance by infertile couples and complete surrogate mothers. Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the emotional experiences of surrogate mothers. Materials and Methods: This was a qualitative, phenomenological study. We selected eight complete surrogate mothers in Isfahan. We used convenient sampling method and in-depth interview to collect the information. The data analysis was fulfilled via Colaizzi's seven-stage method. Reliability and validity study of the roots in the four-axis was done. Results: The findings of these interviews were classified into two main themes and four sub themes: acquired experiences in pregnancy (feelings toward pregnancy, relationship with family, relatives and commissioning couple) and consequences of surrogacy (complications of pregnancy, religious and financial problems of surrogacy). Conclusion: Surrogacy pregnancy should be considered as high-risk emotional experience because many of surrogate mothers may face negative experiences. Therefore, it is recommended that surrogates should receive professional counseling prior to, during and following pregnancy.


Quantum computing's seemingly perpetual promise of nearness still has a few hurdles to surmount before it can become a reality. Among these hurdles is that of protection of information from random errors. A potential solution for this challenge is stabilizer codes, which are the analog of classical linear error-correcting codes, however, with an additional axis of error possibility. By and large, quantum computing is discussed in the standard qubit, or two-level, language, however, it is worth considering the case of qudits, or more than two-level systems. Often times results follow simply from some form of algebraic extension: typically group theory or linear algebra. In this work we consider some features that are not immediately apparent from that approach, more often appealing to physical intuition to guide our mathematical ideas, then proving these ideas using the language of qudit operators. Here we consider two particular previously unexplored ideas. The first idea is that of embedding and inscribing of codes into spaces of different sizes than the stabilizer code was originally designed for. Here, we show that all codes can be embedded, and that for infinitely many primes we can in fact guarantee that the distance is at least preserved–a somewhat surprising result. The second idea is, in a way an application of those presented in the first idea, that of turning many stabilizer codes into hybrid codes by taking advantage of relabelling of syndromes and the rapid increase in syndrome space upon using codes in large spaces. Both of these are somewhat useful in their current forms, however, with some additional mathematical work could be turned into potentially very powerful tools for the protection of quantum information. We finish off by, and along the way, mentioning various future directions to carry work on this.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Pain is a subjective manifestation of unpleasant, personal and untransferable experience, produced by tissue injury involving physical and chemical body mechanisms. This study aimed at identifying the presence of acute pain in the postoperative period of appendectomy, at checking pain records, at describing postoperative complications and at comparing pain management and the adequacy of analgesia. METHODS: This is a transversal, descriptive and quantitative study. Sample was made up of 41 patients submitted to appendectomy. A semi-structured interview was carried out with information about use of analgesics, presence of postoperative pain, pain site, consequences of pain and visual analog scale. To evaluate pain management and the quality of analgesia, the Pain Management Index proposed by the World Health Organization was calculated. RESULTS: From total sample, 61% were males, mean age was 34.36±11.64 years, 70.7% were married and all patients have referred pain. In 90.2% of cases there was no pain recording in medical charts. Surgical incision was the major pain site and its primary consequence was impaired physical mobility. As to pain intensity, 22.2% of patients had moderate pain and were inadequately treated according to Pain Management Index. CONCLUSION: There has been considerable inadequacy of analgesia, pain recording in medical charts was scarce and no nursing professional has recorded pain. Surgical incision was major pain complaint site and impaired mobility was the primary complication. Our data bring about the need for investments in health pro


A new data-driven interacting-defect model has quantitatively described the nanoscopic com- position of high solute concentrations at grain boundaries in ion-conducting ceramics. The successful model is a data-driven Cahn-Hilliard methodology for interfaces and surfaces, introduced and demonstrated in this report. The model is applied to high spatial resolu- tion composition data gathered at grain boundaries in calcium-doped ceria. The statistical methodology for the data-driven procedure shows definitively that gradient terms are re- quired to quantitatively describe the local grain boundary composition data. The model additionally shows co-accumulation of negatively-charged acceptor dopants and positively- charged oxygen vacancies at the interface, which is qualitatively in accordance with atom probe tomography evidence in acceptor-doped ceria.


Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the implementation of information literacy programmes in the public libraries in Kenya as demonstrated through a case study of the major public library in the country – Kenya National Library Service (KNLS).

Design/methodology/approach

The use of a case study research design made it possible to establish in-depth personal views, opinions and attitudes of the various respondents through face-to-face interviews and questionnaires. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used to collect data from the respondents. Purposive and random sampling techniques were used, and data were analyzed.

Findings

Major findings of this study indicated that the majority of users at the KNLS relied heavily on the print information materials, while some users, especially researchers, utilized the Internet for their academic work or research. The findings indicated that information literacy should be embedded in the information literacy programmes in all public libraries.

Research limitations/implications

The study was confined to the KNLS. A much wider scope could be untenable, necessitating such limitation.

Practical implications

As KNLS is the national library charged with the responsibility of providing public library services, it is a major player in terms of policies and guidelines. The study will encourage users in public libraries to appreciate the importance of information resources and also sensitize public library administrators to support information literacy programmes.

Social implications

The study will enable the educational administrators to develop and plan relevant instructional models related to information literacy, critical thinking and independent learning. The challenges and solutions experienced at the KNLS can be applied in other public libraries in Kenya.

Originality/value

The study identified the various gaps and challenges that exists in implementation of information literacy programmes in public libraries. Major recommendations of this study are: users should be provided with training on use of information resources; library staff should be provided with methodology skills to make them effective trainers; and public libraries should partner with other stakeholders to provide information literacy programmes. In addition, adequate funding for physical, material and human resources should be provided to facilitate the implementation of information literacy programmes in the public libraries in Kenya.


E-Learning method is embedded in the complex set of techniques and
interactive teaching strategies
 The Educational software, eLearning product does not intended to modify the content of teaching, but applied in different educational approaches, he diversified teaching, it modifies the teacher's role , favoring the formation of learning skills.
 The research"s purpose consists of IAC complementary operationalization within initial teacher education, through interdisciplinary correlation between IAC and other pedagogical training and academical
 disciplines .
 Research objectives aim to carry out a critical analysis of the current curriculum of teacher education ,in terms of skills training opportunities provided for in the IAC, IAC utility argumentation in initial training of future teacher, student practice of IAC use study,in the initial psychological and pedagogical training.
 IAC use in shaping the skills to manifest, to use them in future school practice, going beyond the classical.
 Didactical professionalization is primarily based on conception changing and priority implementation of pedagogical training under current development of science education in the context of an informational society.
 Novelty and originality consists in outlining a practical project overall IAC interdisciplinary integration in the context of initial teacher education.
 This study summarizes the results of an empirical research whose purpose was to identify and analyze the views and attitudes of students-future teachers about the role of the IAC in the initial, concrete ways to conduct training activities in the IAC, at the psychological ,pedagogical training level and at the academic training level .
 The concretization of changes in initial teacher education,
bring changes in conception and unitary implementation of elements for a suitable curriculum for teacher training model for school of tomorrow and integration in a knowledge society.


An idealized atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) is used to investigate the sensitivity of model responses to the timing of imposed polar stratospheric cooling, intended to mimic the radiative effects of ozone depletion. The model exhibits circulation responses to springtime cooling that qualitatively match both observations and the responses of comprehensive chemistry climate models. The model's surface response is sensitive to the timing of the cooling, with the onset becoming delayed with later cooling, but with the termination occurring at similar times, suggesting that the meteorology plays an important role. The model's responses do not match the latitudinal structure of the leading annular mode; rather, the response described by the second empirical orthogonal function plays a substantial role, in addition to the first. It is suggested that the imposed cooling, when it delays the final warming, results in an extended period of lower stratospheric variability, which could be an important factor in producing realistic surface responses.


PURPOSE: To identify a pattern of findings on CT or MR of the brain in glutaric acidemia type I typical enough to permit a correct diagnosis. METHODS: Clinical history and findings and brain CT and MR results in 59 previously reported patients (MR in 12) and in 5 new patients (all examined with MR and 3 also with CT) were reviewed. RESULTS: In half the patients macrocephaly was present, and in half the onset was acute, often following infection and mimicking encephalitis. Although brain atrophy or hypoplasia was found in 61% and white matter changes in 51% of the patients, open opercula (usually very widely open) and often also wide cerebrospinal fluid spaces anterior to the temporal lobes were seen in 93%. Basal ganglia lesions, presenting as volume loss and high T2 signal in the caudate head and often also the lentiform nucleus bilaterally, were found in 44% and extracerebral fluid collections in 7 of 64 patients. CONCLUSION: The finding of very widely open opercula suggests glutaric acidemia type I, and if combined with basal ganglia lesions is almost pathognomonic, especially in a child with macrocephaly.


The purpose of this article is to classify the real hypersurfaces in complex space forms of dimension 2 that are both Levi-flat and minimal. The main results are as follows: When the curvature of the complex space form is nonzero, there is a 1-parameter family of such hypersurfaces. Specifically, for each one-parameter subgroup of the isometry group of the complex space form, there is an essentially unique example that is invariant under this one-parameter subgroup. On the other hand, when the curvature of the space form is zero, i.e., when the space form is $\mathbb{C}^2$ with its standard metric, there is an additional 'exceptional' example that has no continuous symmetries but is invariant under a lattice of translations. Up to isometry and homothety, this is the unique example with no continuous symmetries.


Echo-Planar functional magnetic resonance imaging (EP-fMRI) was used to study the activity of the amygdala while three normal female subjects viewed alternating blocks of affectively neutral and affectively negative still pictures. Bilateral activation in the amygdala that was significantly correlated with the changing valence of the visual stimuli was found in all three subjects. These findings are consistent with the large corpus of data from non-human studies suggesting that the amygdala is a key structure for extracting the affective significance from external stimuli. This is the first known report of phasic amygdala activation detected with EP-fMRI in normal human subjects responding to affective stimuli.


Mesozooplankton are key components in the marine environment, linking the microbial food web and the classic food chain. Yet uncertainties remain on how mesozooplankton mediate the dynamics of prey communities through their complex feeding patterns. To examine mesozooplankton-mediated trophic interactions, we performed shipboard incubations using food removal and dilution methods during 4 cruises in the Pearl River estuary (PRE), Southern China. Our results revealed that mesozooplankton had diverse effects on different size fractions and taxonomic groups of phytoplankton via a combination of strong feeding selectivity and trophic cascades. High ingestion rates by mesozooplankton suppressed the accumulation of microphytoplankton (>20 µm), whereas low ingestion rates by mesozooplankton and resultant trophic cascades promoted the biomass of nano-sized (2-20 µm) and pico-sized (0.7-2 µm) phytoplankton. Among phytoplankton groups, diatoms were passively selected by mesozooplankton despite their high concentrations in natural seawater, whereas dinoflagellates and cryptophytes were actively preferred by mesozooplankton in spring and autumn. Similarly, ciliates were also preferred by mesozooplankton despite their lower biomass compared to phytoplankton, which induced a trophic cascade that indirectly increased the biomass of smaller phytoplankton. The overall feeding effect of mesozooplankton on phytoplankton was determined by the balance between direct grazing rates and indirect compensation with trophic cascades. The degrees of carnivory of the mesozooplankton, which determined the strength of trophic cascades, varied among seasons, resulting in weak control of algal blooms by mesozooplankton. Our findings provide insights into the complex trophic interactions between mesozooplankton and other plankton groups in dynamic natural ecosystems.


The basic objective is to calculate cooling load to find exact air-conditioning equipment and air handling unit, to achieve comfort operation and good air distribution in the airconditioned zone. In present days the Energy consumption problem is one of the most serious problems. About 72% of world energy is consumed by infrastructure, industry, commercial buildings, residential houses, and markets. In a large building or complex, which is air‐conditioned, about 60% of the total energy requirement in the building is allocated for the air‐conditioning plant installed to use the cooling purpose. Exact prediction of the cooling and heating load, proper sizing of the heat ventilation airconditioning (HVAC) system and optimal control of the HVAC systems are important to minimize energy consumption. Calculation of thermal load of building is very essential to find exact air-conditioning equipment and air handling unit, to achieve comfort operation and good air distribution in the air-conditioned zone. This project Cooling load estimation for a Reading Hall of CAET, JAU presents by using TETD method. The Reading Hall considered in this study is situated in Junagadh (70.45°E, 21.52°N) district of Gujarat, India and elevation of about 107 meters above mean sea level. Junagadh has a tropical wet and dry climate. During monsoon, it receives high rainfall and retreats Northeast monsoon. The total heat required to be removed from the space in order to bring it at the desired temperature (21 – 26 °C) and relative humidity (60%) by the air conditioning equipment is known as cooling load or conditioned load. This load consists of external and internal loads. The cooling load of the Reading Hall is dependent on local climate, thermal characteristics of material and type of building. For calculating a cooling load using the transfer function method is to use the one step procedure, which was first presented in the ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals in the year 2005. This method is called the Total Equivalent temperature differences (TETD) method. In this method, hand calculation is used to calculate cooling load. The results show that the total cooling load for the AC required Reading Hall is 19.74 tons for summer (month of May). The m 2 /ton for the Reading Hall is about 18.83 m 2 /ton for summer, which is approximately same, comparing with the standard value about 20 m 2 /ton. The average sensible heat ratio of the Reading Hall is 0.74 for summer. K e y w o r d s


Develops and describes a knowledge‐based systems approach which may be used to highlight the disparity between the essential and/or desirable prerequisites for the implementation of effective master production scheduling (MPS) systems and what actually exists in a given manufacturing environment. Identifies seven high level MPS implementation issues: level of understanding of MPS systems; procedures and responsibilities for MPS creation; planning horizons, time‐buckets and time fences; capacity feasibility of the MPS; dealing with backlogs; adherence to the MPS; and what to master schedule. Asks questions to determine the presence or absence of necessary prerequisites. If a high level prerequisite, relating to procedures and data, is not present, further lower level questions are asked to assess the reasons for its lack, and how it may be provided. This gap analysis approach makes it possible to identify in advance the major problems which must be addressed to ensure the effective implementation of master...


In this article we propose several modeling choices to extend propensity score analysis to clustered data. We describe different possible model specifications for estimation of the propensity score: single-level model, fixed effects model, and two random effects models. We also consider both conditioning within clusters and conditioning across clusters. We examine the underlying assumptions of these modeling choices and the type of randomized experiment approximated by each approach. Using a simulation study, we compare the relative performance of these modeling and conditioning choices in reducing bias due to confounding variables at both the person and cluster levels. An applied example based on a study by Hughes, Chen, Thoemmes, and Kwok (2010) is provided in which the effect of retention in Grade 1 on passing an achievement test in Grade 3 is evaluated. We find that models that consider the clustered nature of the data both in estimation of the propensity score and conditioning on the propensity score performed best in our simulation study; however, other modeling choices also performed well. The applied example illustrates practical limitations of these models when cluster sizes are small.


We earlier constructed a generalized entropy concept to show the direction of time in an evolution following from a Markov generator. In such a dynamical system the entity found changes in a monotonic way starting from any initial state of the system. In this article, we generalize the treatment to the case when population is pumped into the system from levels not explicitly considered. These populations then pass through the coupled levels and exit by decay to levels outside the system. We derive the form of the equation of motion and relate it to our earlier treatments. It turns out that the formalism can be generalized to the new situation. Its physically relevant features are demonstrated and the behavior obtained is illustrated by a numerical treatment of the standard two-level system with pumping and relaxation included.


Hysteretic I-V (current-voltage) is studied in narrow Al nanowires. The nanowires have a cross section as small as 50 nm^2. We focus on the retapping current in a down-sweep of the current, at which a nanowire re-enters the superconducting state from a normal state. The retrapping current is found to be significantly smaller than the switching current at which the nanowire switches into the normal state from a superconducting state during a current up-sweep. For wires of different lengths, we analyze the heat removal due to various processes, including electronic and phonon processes. For a short wires 1.5 um in length, electronic thermal conduction is effective; for longer wires 10um in length, phonon conduction becomes important. We demonstrate that the measured retrapping current as a function of temperature can be quantitatively accounted for by the selfheating occurring in the normal portions of the nanowires to better than 20 % accuracy. For the phonon processes, the extracted thermal conduction parameters support the notion of a reduced phase-space below 3-dimensions, consistent with the phonon thermal wavelength having exceeded the lateral dimensions at temperatures below ~ 1.3K. Nevertheless, surprisingly the best fit was achieved with a functional form corresponding to 3-dimensional phonons, albeit requiring parameters far exceeding known values in the literature.


Importance
Congress has exempted 11 specialized cancer centers in the United States from the Prospective Payment System (PPS). These centers are also exempt from reporting many of the process-of-care and outcome measures to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that are required for hospitals in the PPS. It is not known how hospitals affiliated with PPS-exempt cancer centers differ from other hospitals affiliated with National Cancer Institute cancer centers (NCI-CCs) or other US hospitals that provide cancer care.

Objective
To examine differences between hospitals affiliated with PPS-exempt cancer centers, other hospitals affiliated with NCI-CCs, and other hospitals that provide cancer care on metrics that could be used in public reporting.

Design, Setting, and Participants
This retrospective cohort study compared hospital characteristics and cancer-related services using data from the American Hospital Association Annual Survey and US News Best Hospitals rankings. With a 100% sample of Medicare beneficiaries who underwent 1 of 9 cancer operations (brain tumor resection, colorectal resection, cystectomy, esophagectomy, gastrectomy, liver resection, lung resection, pancreatic resection, prostatectomy) from January 1, 2011, to May 31, 2015, we used hierarchical logistic regression methods to compare differences in 18 postoperative outcomes. Data analysis was conducted from February 2018 to August 2018.

Main Outcomes and Measures
This study evaluated hospital characteristics, including cancer-specific services, patient comorbidity burden, and cancer surgery postoperative outcomes, from PPS-exempt cancer centers, NCI-affiliated cancer centers, and other US hospitals that provide cancer care.

Results
Hospitals affiliated with PPS-exempt cancer centers (n = 15) and NCI-CCs (n = 54) were similar in hospital characteristics, basic cancer-related services, and patient comorbidity burden. Compared with NCI-CCs, PPS-exempt cancer centers had significantly higher US News reputation scores (mean [SD], 17.5 [24.0] vs 2.6 [4.8]; P < .001) but no differences in oncology patient volume, patient safety ratings, comorbidity burden, nurse staffing, US News total cancer scores, or US News survival scores. Hospitals affiliated with PPS-exempt cancer centers and NCI-CCs had similar adjusted postoperative outcomes for 15 of 18 measures, including mortality, readmission, and surgical site infections. Compared with hospitals affiliated with PPS-exempt cancer centers, patients treated at NCI-CCs were more likely to have postoperative sepsis (3.1% vs 1.7%; P = .002), acute renal failure (6.2% vs 3.9%; P = .01), and urinary tract infection (6.4% vs 4.0%; P = .002). Compared with the other hospitals that provide cancer care (n = 3578), PPS-exempt cancer center status was associated with improved outcomes for 7 of 18 measures, including mortality, sepsis, acute renal failure, pulmonary failure, and failure to rescue.

Conclusions and Relevance
Hospitals affiliated with PPS-exempt cancer centers and NCI-CCs had generally similar hospital characteristics, patient comorbidity burden, and cancer surgery outcomes. These findings raise questions about why some cancer centers are designated as PPS-exempt and why most hospitals are not required to publicly report cancer-specific quality metrics.


In much the same way that photography forced painting to move in new directions, the advent of the World Wide Web, with its proliferation of easily transferable and manipulated text, forces us to think about writing, creativity, and the materiality of language in new ways. In "Against Expression, "editors Craig Dworkin and Kenneth Goldsmith present the most innovative works responding to the challenges posed by these developments. Charles Bernstein has described conceptual poetry as "poetry pregnant with thought." "Against Expression, "the premier anthology of conceptual writing, presents work that is by turns thoughtful, funny, provocative, and disturbing. Dworkin and Goldsmith, two of the leading spokespersons and practitioners of conceptual writing, chart the trajectory of the conceptual aesthetic from early precursors including Samuel Beckett and Marcel Duchamp to the most prominent of today s writers. Nearly all of the major avant-garde groups of the past century are represented here, including Dada, OuLiPo, L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E, and Flarf to name just a few, but all the writers are united in their imaginative appropriation of found and generated texts and their exploration of nonexpressive language. "Against Expression "is a timely collection and an invaluable resource for readers and writers alike."


Background: Traumatic ulcer is a common form of ulceration occured in oral cavity caused by mechanical trauma, either acute or chronic, resulting in loss of the entire epithelium. Traumatic ulcer often occurs in children that are usually found on buccal mucosa, labial mucosa of upper and lower lip, lateral tongue, and a variety of areas that may be bitten. To properly diagnose the ulcer, dentists should evaluate the history and clinical description in detail. If the lesion is allegedly accompanied by other infections, such as fungal, bacterial or viral infections, microbiological or serological tests will be required. One of the initial therapy given for fungal infection is nystatin which aimed to support the recovery and repair processes of epithelial tissue in traumatic ulcer case. Purpose: This case report is aimed to emphasize the importance of microbiological examination in suspected cases of ulcer accompanied with traumatic fungal infection. Case: A 12-year-old girl came to the clinic of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Indonesia on June 9, 2011 accompanied with her mother. The patient who had a history of geographic tongue came with complaints of injury found in the middle of the tongue. The main diagnosis was ulcer accompanied with traumatic fungal infection based on the results of swab examination. Case management: This traumatic ulcer case was treated with Dental Health Education, oral prophylaxis, as well as prescribing and usage instructions of nystatin. The recovery and repair processes of mucosal epithelium of the tongue then occured after the use of nystatin. Conclusion: It can be concluded that microbiological examination is important to diagnose suspected cases of ulcer accompanied with traumatic fungal infection. The appropriate treatment such as nystatin can be given for traumatic fungal infection.


Abstract The crystal structure of tedhadleyite, ideally Hg2+Hg10+O4I2(Cl,Br)2, triclinic, A1̄, a 7.0147(5), b 11.8508(7), c 12.5985(8) Å, α 115.583(5), β 82.575(2), γ 100.619(2)º, V 927.0(2) Å3, Z = 2, was solved by direct methods and refined to an R1 index of 4.5% for 2677 unique reflections. There are six symmetrically distinct Hg sites in tedhadleyite: Hg(1) is occupied by Hg2+ and Hg(2-6) are occupied by Hg+ that forms three [Hg-Hg]2+ dimers with Hg-Hg separations between 2.527 and 2.556 Å. These [Hg-Hg]2+ dimers have strong covalent bonds to O atoms, forming pseudo-linear O-Hg-Hg-O arrangements, and weak bonds to halogen and O atoms at high angles to the dimer axis. The [O-Hg-Hg-O] groups share anions to form four-membered square rings of composition [Hg8O4] that link along [100] via [O-Hg-Hg-O] groups and along [001] via [O-Hg-O] groups, forming rectangular rings of composition [Hg14O8]. The rings form a corrugated layer that interweaves with a symmetrically related layer whereby the [O-Hg(6)-Hg(6)-O] linking groups of one layer pass through the centres of the square [Hg8O4] rings of the other layer to form [Hg11O4] complex slabs parallel to (010) that link through Hg-I and Hg-Br,Cl bonds.


The latest video compression standard HEVC sets new benchmarks concerning the efficiency for both video coding and also still image coding, i.e., pure intra picture coding. Nevertheless, its high complexity created by the rate-distortion optimization procedure is a serious drawback. To reduce this computational burden, several algorithms for fast mode decision have been proposed. However, most of these methods exclude modes based on analyzing the respective prediction errors. In this paper we present an algorithm for individual angular prediction mode exclusion which intervenes earlier, namely before prediction, almost solely based on the analysis of the reference samples. It is proposed to use this approach as an extension of the global angular intra mode exclusion scheme based on the reference samples from our previous work. The combined algorithm achieves average encoding time savings of approximately 25%, accompanied by only about 1.0% bit rate increase.


The fullerene molecule C60 is known to undergo many different chemical reactions, including intercalation of alkali- and alkaline earth metals. Relatively little is still known about the reaction between transition metals and C60, and the objective of this thesis was therefore-to investigate the chemical interaction between C60 and some group IV-VI transition metals. The method chosen for this purpose was thin film studies employing either co-evaporation of the metal together with C60 in a ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) system or by the reaction of gaseous C60 with a transition metal halide in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. In addition, adsorption studies of some transition metal halides were also performed in UHV.In situ x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of films obtained by co-evaporating Ti and C60 at approximately 100°C under UHV conditions showed two different reaction pathways depending on the Ti/C60 ratio in the film: (i) Deposition of films with Ti/C60>~3.5 resulted in disruption of the C60 molecule and titanium carbide (TiC) formation. Based on this reaction, it was shown that epitaxial TiC films could be deposited on substrates like MgO or SiC at substrate temperatures as low as 250°C. X-ray diffraction, low energy electron diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy were used to confirm the epitaxial growth behaviour of TiC. Moreover, the feasibility of using this process in the deposition of refractory carbide multilayers was demonstrated by growing a TiC/VC superlattice. (ii) For Ti/C60<~3.5, a new compound (titanium fulleride, TixC60) was formed. Soft x-ray spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy also supported compound formation. This TixC60 phase showed enhanced electrical conductivity and optical reflectivity compared to pure C60. Detailed information of the physical properties was impeded by the rapid oxidation upon air exposure. Finally, C60 surfaces showed no adsorption of transition metal halides such as Ticl4 and WF6 and it was shown that this property can be used for selective CVD.


It is established that the x-ray contrast agents urografin, omnipak, and ultravist produce a dose-dependent decrease in the thromboresistant properties of vascular walls in experimental rats. This effect is determined by the individual properties of substances rater than by their belonging to a certain class of ionic or nonionic compounds. Preliminary administration of n3-polyunsaturated fatty acids from fish oil offers a significant protection against the negative action of x-ray contrast agents and retains the antiaggregant activity of the vessel wall intima.


Psychological well-being has been generally associated with vigorous aerobic activity and structured aerobic activity in adolescents and children. Low-income children are at greater risk than the general population for experiencing high environmental stress and increased mental health problems. This study investigated the effects of a structured physical fitness program on psychological well-being in low-income Hispanic children. A total of 66, 33 girls, 33 boys, in Grade 4 were randomly assigned to either an Aerobic intensity (n = 34) or a Control intensity physical activity program (n = 32) for 6 wk. Psychological well-being was defined as scores on trait anxiety, depression, and self-esteem, measured, respectively, by the Trait Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, and Rosenberg Self-esteem scale. Analysis showed the children in the Aerobic intensity program significantly (p< .05) improved their cardiovascular fitness as measured by the PWC170 test. After the program was over, the children in this Aerobic group reported significantly (p< .05) less depression. The main effect for self-esteem reflected the Aerobic group's greater self-reported self-esteem. No differences were found on trait anxiety. The effects on depression and self-esteem may only be attributed to the cardiovascular improvement given the higher intensity physical activity program because causation was not assessed here.


Despite infiltrating immune cells playing an essential role in human disease and the patient response to treatment, the central mechanisms influencing variability in infiltration patterns are unclear. Using bulk RNA-seq data from 53 GTEx tissues, we applied cell-type deconvolution algorithms to evaluate the immune landscape across the healthy human body. We first performed a differential expression analysis of inflamed versus non-inflamed samples to identify essential pathways and regulators of infiltration. Next, we found 21 of 73 infiltration-related phenotypes to be associated with either age or sex (FDR < 0.1). Through our genetic analysis, we discovered 13 infiltration-related phenotypes have genome-wide significant associations (iQTLs) (P < 5.0 × 10−8), with a significant enrichment of tissue-specific expression quantitative trait loci in suggested iQTLs (P < 10−5). We highlight an association between neutrophil content in lung tissue and a variant near the CUX1 transcription factor gene (P = 9.7 × 10−11), which has been previously linked to neutrophil infiltration, inflammatory mechanisms, and the regulation of several immune response genes. Together, our results identify key factors influencing inter-individual variability of specific tissue infiltration patterns, which could provide insights on therapeutic targets for shifting infiltration profiles to a more favorable one.


SUMMARY Multiple salmonellosis outbreaks have been linked to contaminated tomatoes. We investigated a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium infections among 190 cases. For hypothesis generation, review of patients' food histories from four restaurant-associated clusters in four states revealed that large tomatoes were the only common food consumed by patients. Two case-control studies were conducted to identify food exposures associated with infections. In a study conducted in nine states illness was significantly associated with eating raw, large, round tomatoes in a restaurant [matched odds ratio (mOR) 3·1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·3–7·3]. In a Minnesota study, illness was associated with tomatoes eaten at a restaurant (OR 6·3, mid-P 95% CI 1·05–50·4, P=0·046). State, local and federal regulatory officials traced the source of tomatoes to Ohio tomato fields, a growing area not previously identified in past tomato-associated outbreaks. Because tomatoes are commonly eaten raw, prevention of tomato contamination should include interventions on the farm, during packing, and at restaurants.


Background Although influenza causes significant morbidity and mortality in the elderly, the factors underlying the reduced vaccine immunogenicity and efficacy in this age group are not completely understood. Age and immunosenescence factors, and their impact on humoral immunity after influenza vaccination, are of growing interest for the development of better vaccines for the elderly. Methods We assessed associations between age and immunosenescence markers (T cell receptor rearrangement excision circles – TREC content, peripheral white blood cell telomerase – TERT expression and CD28 expression on T cells) and influenza A/H1N1 vaccine-induced measures of humoral immunity in 106 older subjects at baseline and three timepoints post-vaccination. Results TERT activity (TERT mRNA expression) was significantly positively correlated with the observed increase in the influenza-specific memory B cell ELISPOT response at Day 28 compared to baseline (p-value=0.025). TREC levels were positively correlated with the baseline and early (Day 3) influenza A/H1N1-specific memory B cell ELISPOT response (p-value=0.042 and p-value=0.035, respectively). The expression and/or expression change of CD28 on CD4+ and/or CD8+ T cells at baseline and Day 3 was positively correlated with the influenza A/H1N1-specific memory B cell ELISPOT response at baseline, Day 28 and Day 75 post-vaccination. In a multivariable analysis, the peak antibody response (HAI and/or VNA at Day 28) was negatively associated with age, the percentage of CD8+CD28low T cells, IgD+CD27- naïve B cells, and percentage overall CD20- B cells and plasmablasts, measured at Day 3 post-vaccination. The early change in influenza-specific memory B cell ELISPOT response was positively correlated with the observed increase in influenza A/H1N1-specific HAI antibodies at Day 28 and Day 75 relative to baseline (p-value=0.007 and p-value=0.005, respectively). Conclusion Our data suggest that influenza-specific humoral immunity is significantly influenced by age, and that specific markers of immunosenescence (e.g., the baseline/early expression of CD28 on CD4+ and/or CD8+ T cells and T cell immune abnormalities) are correlated with different humoral immune response outcomes observed after vaccination in older individuals, and thus can be potentially used to predict vaccine immunogenicity.


Morphological as well as physiological findings reported here point to the existence of a previously undescribed brain organ we refer to as the organum cavum pre-lamina terminalis (OCPLT). The organ is a hollow, sagittal, forebrain structure consisting of a vertical interhemispheric horn that overlies the anterior aspect of the lamina terminalis and a horizontal horn that lies in the septum below the corpus callosum. This horizontal horn was previously referred to as the cavum septi pellucidi, a vestigial anatomic curiosity. The narrow cavities of the horizontal and vertical horns join under the genu of the corpus callosum and communicate freely. The two horns do not communicate with the cerebral ventricular system or the subarachnoid spaces. Microinjections of greater than or equal to 0.2 ng angiotensin II into all regions of the cavity resulted in significant drinking, whereas injections into areas surrounding the cavities were ineffective. These data show that the organ is a discrete brain entity and displays high sensitivity to angiotensin II. These findings suggest that the OCPLT is another brain organ with significant effects on fluid and electrolyte homeostasis and perhaps other brain functions.


Resistive Random Access Memory (ReRAM)-based neural network accelerators have potential to surpass their digital counterparts in computational efficiency and performance. However, design of these accelerators faces a number of challenges including imperfections of the ReRAM device and a large amount of calculations required to accurately simulate the former. We present XB-SIM , a simulation framework for ReRAM-crossbar-based Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) accelerators. XB-SIM can be flexibly configured to simulate the accelerator's structure and clock-driven behaviors at the architecture level. This framework also includes an ReRAM-aware Neural Network (NN) training algorithm and a CNN-oriented mapper to train an NN and map it onto the simulated design efficiently. Behavior of the simulator has been verified by the corresponding circuit simulation of a real chip. Furthermore, a batch processing mode of the massive calculations that are required to mimic the behavior of ReRAM-crossbar circuits is proposed to fully apply the computational concurrency of the mapping strategy. On CPU/GPGPU, this batch processing mode can improve the simulation speed by up to 5.02 or 34.29 . Within this framework, comprehensive architectural exploration and end-to-end evaluation have been achieved, which provide some insights for systemic optimization.


The model of the Russian economy that was formed in the 2000s does not match a new stable growth path, though it helped to calmly overcome the crisis of 2008 and 2009. The state needs to provide stability in the fields under its direct control, i.e. the budgetary and monetary policies. In the budgetary policy we consider the advantages and drawbacks of a "New Budget Rule", which is based on the long-term average price of oil. In the monetary sphere, we vote for a policy of transition to inflation targeting and prioritizing low inflation against the other goals of the monetary authorities


Although large volumes of magma and fluid move through the crust, the sites where these volumes once resided are difficult to recognize. We show that some (foliation) boudinage and shear band structures, which are classically interpreted as resulting from externally imposed extension or shearing, are better explained by the ductile collapse of magma- or fluid-filled voids. Experiments show that the shape of the collapse structures depends on the original shape of the void and the direction of confluence of its walls when its contents are drained. This can lead to both symmetrical boudin-like and asymmetrical shear band–like structures. The recognition of the true nature of these structures necessitates a reevaluation of strain measurements reported in the literature and the tectonic models based on them. Identifying the "missing volumes" clarifies the way magma makes granite plutons many cubic kilometers in volume in the upper crust.


Model combination techniques have consistently shown state-of-the-art performance across multiple tasks, including syntactic parsing. However, they dramatically increase runtime and can be difficult to employ in practice. We demonstrate that applying constituency model combination techniques to n-best lists instead of n different parsers results in significant parsing accuracy improvements. Parses are weighted by their probabilities and combined using an adapted version of Sagae and Lavie (2006). These accuracy gains come with marginal computational costs and are obtained on top of existing parsing techniques such as discriminative reranking and self-training, resulting in state-of-the-art accuracy: 92.6% on WSJ section 23. On out-of-domain corpora, accuracy is improved by 0.4% on average. We empirically confirm that six well-known n-best parsers benefit from the proposed methods across six domains.


PURPOSE
To calculate organ S values (mGy∕Bq-s) and effective doses per time-integrated activity (mSv∕Bq-s) for pediatric and adult family members exposed to an adult male or female patient treated with I-131 using a series of hybrid computational phantoms coupled with a Monte Carlo radiation transport technique.

METHODS
A series of pediatric and adult hybrid computational phantoms were employed in the study. Three different exposure scenarios were considered: (1) standing face-to-face exposures between an adult patient and pediatric or adult family phantoms at five different separation distances; (2) an adult female patient holding her newborn child, and (3) a 1-yr-old child standing on the lap of an adult female patient. For the adult patient model, two different thyroid-related diseases were considered: hyperthyroidism and differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) with corresponding internal distributions of 131I. A general purpose Monte Carlo code, MCNPX v2.7, was used to perform the Monte Carlo radiation transport.

RESULTS
The S values show a strong dependency on age and organ location within the family phantoms at short distances. The S values and effective dose per time-integrated activity from the adult female patient phantom are relatively high at shorter distances and to younger family phantoms. At a distance of 1 m, effective doses per time-integrated activity are lower than those values based on the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) by a factor of 2 for both adult male and female patient phantoms. The S values to target organs from the hyperthyroid-patient source distribution strongly depend on the height of the exposed family phantom, so that their values rapidly decrease with decreasing height of the family phantom. Active marrow of the 10-yr-old phantom shows the highest S values among family phantoms for the DTC-patient source distribution. In the exposure scenario of mother and baby, S values and effective doses per time-integrated activity to the newborn and 1-yr-old phantoms for a hyperthyroid-patient source are higher than values for a DTC-patient source.

CONCLUSIONS
The authors performed realistic assessments of 131I organ S values and effective dose per time-integrated activity from adult patients treated for hyperthyroidism and DTC to family members. In addition, the authors' studies consider Monte Carlo simulated "mother and baby∕child" exposure scenarios for the first time. Based on these results, the authors reconfirm the strong conservatism underlying the point source method recommended by the US NRC. The authors recommend that various factors such as the type of the patient's disease, the age of family members, and the distance∕posture between the patient and family members must be carefully considered to provide realistic dose estimates for patient-to-family exposures.


There have been numerous attempts to assess the overall impact of Higher Education Institutions on regional economies in the UK and elsewhere. There are two disparate approaches focussing on: demand-side effects of HEIs, exerted through universities' expenditures within the local economy; HEIs' contribution to the knowledge economy. However, neither approach seeks to measure the impact on regional economies that HEIs exert through the enhanced productivity of their graduates. We address this lacuna and explore the system-wide impact of the graduates on the regional economy. An extensive and sophisticated literature suggests that graduates enjoy a significant wage premium, often interpreted as reflecting their greater productivity relative to non-graduates. If this is so there is a clear and direct supply-side impact of HEI activities on regional economies through the employment of their graduates. However, there is some dispute over the extent to which the graduate wage premium reflects innate abilities rather than the impact of higher education per se. We use an HEI-disaggregated computable general equilibrium model of Scotland to estimate the impact of the growing proportion of graduates in the Scottish labour force that is implied by the current participation rate and demographic change, taking the graduate wage premium in Scotland as an indicator of productivity enhancement. We conduct a range of sensitivity analyses to assess the robustness of our results. While the detailed results do, of course, vary with alternative assumptions about future graduate retention rates and the size of the graduate wage premium, for example, they do suggest that the long-term supply-side impacts of HEIs provide a significant boost to regional GDP. Furthermore, the results suggest that the supply-side impacts of HEIs are likely to be more important than the expenditure impacts that are the focus of most impact studies.


Parameterized equations for the boundaries of joint space obstacles for planar robots are derived. The boundary of a joint obstacle prescribes the link motion of the closed chain formed by the robot in contact with a given obstacle. The theory of kinematic mappings is used to represent the link motion as a set of points in a projective three space. The link positions that are feasible to the arm define a manifold in this space, termed its reachable manifold. The link positions satisfying contact conditions define another manifold in the same space called the contact manifold. Their intersection is mapped to joint space to obtain equations defining the obstacle boundary. While the theory applies to general planar robots, the authors focus on the 3R robot arm. An example is also provided in which the boundaries of joint obstacles are computed.<<ETX>>


We introduce a new weak boundary procedure for high order finite difference methods applied to the linearized Euler and Navier-Stokes equations using summation-by-parts operators. Stability is obtained by using weak boundary conditions on penalty form. We demonstrate how to add on multiple penalties in the near boundary domain such that stability is preserved and an increased speed of convergence to steady-state is obtained.


Abstract This is the first paper to investigate factors that affect the size of the TV audience for the NCAA Men's Final Four. The model is based on Nielsen data for 54 markets for 10 years. One of the most interesting results is that college basketball teams have a measurable effect in their local markets, but even the biggest name programs do not have a national effect. However, the little known teams that succeed in the tournament, known as Cinderellas, have a national effect likely due to the media attention and success on the court. Broadcasters and advertisers are interested in maximizing the TV audience, and the model allows prediction to compare games between big market teams, big name teams, David vs. Goliath games, and a Championship game between two Cinderella teams.


Dredged marine soils that obtained from dredging work were characterize as geo-waste, which is prone to be dumped rather than to be reused. This type of soil is high in compressibility and low in load bearing capacity. The engineering properties of this soft soil can be improve via soil solidification method. Cement is the common hydraulic binder used in soil solidification, were found to generate the emission of greenhouse gasses (GHG), particularly carbon dioxide (CO2) which also had affected the earth's atmosphere. Therefore, there has been an increasing interest in using alternate pozzolanic materials such as waste granular materials (WGM) to fully or partially substituted the use of cement in soil solidification. WGM such as coal bottom ash (BA) and palm oil clinker (POC) were opted due to its pozzolanic properties. Prior to the planning of reclamation work using DMS admixed with conventional and/or alternate pozzolanic materials, the consolidation characteristics of the admixed materials must be acknowledged. Hence, the present study will examine the amount of settlement and coefficient of permeability (k) of DMS treated with cement and/or WGM in laboratory-scale experiments. Samples were prepared in various proportion in order to examine the individual effect of the cement and/or alternate pozzolanic materials on compressibility and permeability. For cement-admixed DMS, sample with 20 % of cement have significantly reduced the settlement than untreated and 10 % cemented DMS. For WGM-admixed DMS, the initial void ratio is low as compared to the untreated DMS due to the rearrangement of soil particles, which is densely packed. For cement-WGM-admixed DMS, samples of 15C50BA and 15C50POC displayed significant settlement reduction than 10C100BA, 10C100POC and untreated samples.


The concept of children and young people as researchers has started to gather momentum in response to changing perspectives on their status in society, recognition of their role as consumers and increased attention to children and young people's rights. There are early signs of a growing body of research studies undertaken by children and young people themselves. To date, this has included very little by young people with learning disabilities. 1 Concepts of young people's participation and voice are thrown into sharper contrast for groups who sit on the margins of society. This paper reports research undertaken by a group of young people with learning disabilities exploring their experiences of youth democracy and meaningful participation in decision‐making forums. The paper draws on theoretical frameworks of participation and voice; however, its primary focus is to celebrate and value research undertaken by these marginalised young people.


Digital subtraction angiography permits high resolution imaging of the left ventricle after an intravenous injection of contrast medium. The capacity of digital subtraction angiography to detect ischaemic wall motion abnormalities was tested in 150 consecutive patients without myocardial infarction who were referred for coronary angiography. Digital ventriculograms were considered to be abnormal if there was a severe wall motion abnormality at rest or if segmental wall motion deteriorated after exercise. The global ventricular response to exercise was considered to be abnormal if the ventricular ejection fraction computed by the Dodge area length formula was less than 50% at rest or failed to increase after exercise. Seventy eight (52%) of these subjects had stenosis of greater than 50% of at least one major coronary artery. In 36 (24%) more than one major coronary vessel was affected. Sensitivities for the detection of stenoses greater than 50% coronary obstruction were 82% and 69% for an abnormal segmental wall motion response and an abnormal ejection fraction response respectively. The specificity of these test responses was 76% and 68% respectively. No complications resulted from the digital ventriculographic studies. It is concluded that safe adequate digital ventricular imaging at rest and after exercise is possible and that an abnormal wall motion response is a sensitive indicator of important coronary obstructive disease.


This paper presents a study in which different commonly used microchip materials (silicon oxide, borosilicate glass, and PDMS) were analyzed for their effect on human promyelocytic leukemic (HL60) cells. Copper‐coated silicon was analyzed for its toxicity and therefore served as a positive control. With quantitative PCR, the expression of the proliferation marker Cyclin D1 and the apoptosis marker tissue transglutaminase were measured. Flow cytometry was used to analyze the distribution through the different phases of the cell cycle (propidium iodide, PI) and the apoptotic cascade (Annexin V in combination with PI). All microchip materials, with the exception of Cu, appeared to be suitable for HL60 cells, showing a ratio apoptosis/proliferation (Rap) comparable to materials used in conventional cell culture (polystyrene). These results were confirmed with cell cycle analysis and apoptosis studies. Precoating the microchip material surfaces with serum favor the proliferation, as demonstrated by a lower Rap as compared to uncoated surfaces. The Cu‐coated surface appeared to be toxic for HL60 cells, showing over 90% decreased viability within 24 h. From these results, it can be concluded that the chosen protocol is suitable for selection of the cell culture material, and that the most commonly used microchip materials are compatible with HL60 culturing.


Background: No quantitative or qualitative Doppler velocimetry classification of vascular flow resistance covering all stages of forward and reversed flows exists. Objective: To characterize uterine artery flow velocity waveforms (FVWs) obtained during an oxytocin challenge test (OCT) in comparison with FVWs in spontaneous normal labor. Methods: Uterine artery Doppler velocimetry was performed during and in-between uterine contractions in 61 high-risk pregnancies subjected to an OCT and in 20 normal spontaneous labors. FVW were classified relative to presence of forward/absent/reversed flow during systole and diastole, and the time-averaged flow velocity over the heart cycle. Results: 11 different FVW classes were distinguished. No relationship between FVWs recorded during uterine inertia and contractions was found (P > 0.2). In both groups, only forward FVWs were recorded in-between contractions, whereas during contractions flow reversals were more common in the OCT group (P < 0.002). In cases of a predominantly reversed flow a reciprocal relationship to FVW classes recorded in the contralateral artery was found. Conclusions: Uterine artery FVW patterns recorded during uterine contractions were not predicted by flow patterns recorded during uterine inertia. Reversals of flow direction were more common during oxytocin-provoked uterine contractions than during spontaneous contractions. In cases of a predominantly reversed flow domains of the uterus may be supplied by blood from the contralateral uterine artery. These observations give new insights into the uterine circulatory dynamics during labor, but also raise a question about a possible vasoconstrictory effect in uterine arteries of oxytocin at high concentrations.


Effective roofing must provide features such as tightness, impact strength, lightness and durability in addition to presenting appropriate thermal properties to external we ather conditions. In Brazil, many studies have been developed in order to evaluate the thermal behavior of various types of tiles. However, few evaluate the contribution of tiles with metallic material and the geometry of the roof to the internal heat gain of a building. In this way, this study has been carried out to evaluate the thermal performance of different types of metal roofing used in structured steel sheds for the eight bioclimatic zones established by the standard NBR 15220. It was evaluated the color and shape of the roof and also the material tile. The development work was divided into two stages: the first was an investigation into metal roofs on sheds that was more used in Brazil. The second was numerical simulations, using Energy Plus software. To evaluate the thermal performance it was used as a parameter the temporal evolution of shed temperature inside and the roof surface temperature. The results showed that the types of roof with natural ventilation have better performance, regardless of weather conditions, especially the transverse shed roof in summer climatic conditions. For warm and mild climate cities with low daily temperature range , the metal plain roofs without insulating material have satisfactory thermal performance. As for cities climates with high daily temperature range the metal tiles that has insulating material between the layers are more appropriate.


In today's information society, privacy protection has become a very important concern. In this paper we research the inference problems due to functional dependencies (FD) and multi-valued dependencies (MVD) in multilevel secure database (MLS) with element classification instances. To deal with the secure problem brought by inference channels we present our FD and MVD based inference control algorithms working on the finest-grained data level which greatly improve the availability of data and minimize the information loss


Terahertz waves of which frequency spans from 0.1 to 10 THz bridge the gap between the infrared spectrum and microwaves. Owing to the special features of terahertz wave, such as penetrability and non-ionizing, terahertz imaging technique is a very significant and important method for inspections and detections. Digital holography can reconstruct the amplitude and phase distributions of a sample without scanning and it already has many successful applications in the area of visible and infrared light. The terahertz in-line digital holographic multi-plane imaging system which is presented in this paper is the combination of a continuous-wave terahertz source and the in-line scheme of digital holography. In order to observe a three dimensional (3D) shape sample only a portion of which appears in good focus, the autofocusing algorithm is brought to the data process. The synthetic aperture method is also applied to provide the high resolution imaging effect in the terahertz waveband. Both intrinsic twin images and defocused objective images confuse the quality of the image in an individual reconstructed plane. In order to solve this issue, phase retrieval iteration algorithm is used for the reconstruction. In addition, the reconstructed amplitude image in each plane multiplies the mask of which the threshold depends on the values of the autofocusing curve. A sample with simple artificial structure is observed which verifies that the present method is an authentic tool to acquire the multi-plane information of a target in terahertz waves. It can expect a wide application in terahertz defect detecting, terahertz medical inspection and other important areas in the future.


Rural livelihoods in south western Nigeria are at risk to climate variability on the short run and climate change on the long run. This subjects agro ecological niches to high sensitivity and exposure thus reducing the adaptive capacity. Vulnerability results and the cocoa farming households, the major contributors to the Nigerian non-oil foreign exchange earnings are not exempted. This paper therefore attempts to assess the degree of vulnerability of cocoa farmers in Ekiti State to climate variability hazards using the Integrated Vulnerability Assessment Approach (IVAA). Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 120 cocoa farmers from whom data were generated for this study. Data were processed using the Principal Component Analysis (PCA).The result indicated that Cocoa farmers in Ekiti North, Ekiti South and Ekiti Central Agro Ecological Zones (AEZs) had the vulnerability index of -0.05, -0.76 and 0.82. This implies the first two zones are more relatively vulnerable as compared to the Ekiti Central AEZ. This is attributable to the higher exposure, sensitivity and the lower adaptive capacity in the Ekiti North and South AEZs in relation to the Central. The relative low level development and poor adaptive capacity in terms of access to basic infrastructure, technology, institutions and pervading poverty in the first two AEZs can be held accountable for this. All efforts should be in put in place by all relevant agencies to promote integrated rural development that enhances investment in infrastructure and alleviation of poverty. National regulations that restrict anthropogenic activities inimical to climate variability should be put in place. Efforts should equally be made by our national government to endorse and key-in to international treaties and protocols that control climate variability and change.


Abstract:
 Milne Fiord in the Canadian High Arctic contains the last known ice-dammed fiord lake (epishelf lake) in the Northern Hemisphere. This freshwater ecosystem is retained by the Milne Ice Shelf and is underlain by sea water that is connected to the Arctic Ocean. Using microscopy, photosynthetic pigment analyses, and molecular techniques we examined the planktonic communities present in Milne Fiord to determine the biotic characteristics of the epishelf lake and the sea water below. Net sampling of the water column of Milne Fiord revealed a mixture of marine, freshwater, and brackish Zooplankton taxa, and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) pigment analysis showed pronounced differences in phytoplankton composition through the highly stratified water column. Chlorophytes dominated in the epishelf lake, prasinophytes prevailed in the halocline, and the bottom layer harboured mainly fucoxanthin-containing groups. Clone libraries of a dark-incubated, concentrated sample from below the halocline (30 m depth) yielded marine Archaea (mainly Crenarchaeota) and known bacterial taxa from the Pacific and Arctic oceans (e.g., Roseobacter, Oleispira, Colwellia). An equivalent sample from the epishelf lake (5 m depth) yielded many bacterial taxa that are characteristic of cold, freshwater habitats (e.g., Polynucleobacter, Variovorax, Flavobacterium), the euryhaline genus Polaromonas, and freshwater eukaryotes, notably ciliates. Similarly, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analyses of T4-like bacteriophages showed different viral assemblages in the upper and lower water column. This diverse, stratified ecosystem is dependent on the integrity of the bounding ice shelf and is therefore vulnerable to the ongoing effects of climate change in this region.


Problem Statement: Patterns of consumption are considered as a main driver of unsustainable development. In the debate, education and educational organizations are unisonous considered as a key player to contribute to a more sustainable socialization of young consumers. Both schools and universities are challenged to become places and life-worlds in which sustainable consumption can be learned and experienced. The objective of this paper was to explore how educational organizations can effectively engage their members in bringing about the aspired transformations and monitoring their effects. Approach: The study used a conceptual approach that included three steps. Firstly, the concept of an educational organization's Culture of Consumption (COC) was adopted as an analytical frame of reference. In a second step, methodological propositions for changing the organizational COC were discussed drawing on the concepts of mode-2 knowledge production and participatory change management. In a third step, existing tools and approaches to sustainability auditing in the educational context were screened and critically discussed against the background of recent innovations in mode-2 approaches to sustainability evaluation. Results: The findings revealed that while existing sets of indicators did adequately account for key consumption-related organizational operations and to some extent for educational goals and aspirations, they failed to tap the realm of underlying and tacit basic assumptions that substantiate the essence of an organizational COC. To remedy this shortcoming, additional indicators and modifications were proposed. As a synthesis, a synoptic framework of a monitoring system for an educational organization's COC was presented. Conclusion: The study's results highlighted the need to develop monitoring frameworks that go beyond assessing operative performances and pay greater attention to reflective, interpretative and deliberative capacities in educational organizations.


Summary A stratigraphical succession in the lower part of the Culm Measures has been established in an area between the rivers Taw and Torridge, south-west of Barnstaple, North Devon. Higher Culm strata rest, possibly with unconformity, on the following sequence:— (d) Instow Beds: A greywacke-shale sequence including the Instow Fish-bed. (1500+feet.) (c) Limekiln Beds: Bedded siliceous siltstones and black shales. (100–120 feet.) (b) Chert Beds: Recognized in two facies—a central or Codden Hill facies, consisting almost entirely of bedded chert, and a northern or Fremington facies, containing in addition much limestone and shale. At the top of the Chert Beds in each facies are a Posidonia becheri and a "Goniatites spiralis" bed. (150–300+ feet.) (a) Pilton Beds (thickness unknown). The evidence of goniatites, trilobites and lamellibranchs is used to correlate the succession with the Carboniferous of North Germany and northern England. The presence of parts of zones II, IIIα and IIIβ of the German sequence is recognized in successive levels in the Codden Hill facies of the Chert Beds, whilst the Fremington facies is correlated with P1 of northern England. The Chert Beds in both facies are terminated by the "G. spiralis" bed of P1d-P2a ( =IIIβ7 or IIIγ1) age. The lower and upper Reticuloceras stages are represented in the Limekiln Beds, whilst G2 goniatites are found in the Fish-bed, which lies near the top of the Instow Beds. The lower part of the sequence is involved in a number of southward-dipping thrust-sheets; the upper part is steeply folded but rarely inverted. The general trend of fold-axes is E.–W.; there is a general westerly plunge of around 12°. Faults are both north-westerly and north-easterly, and appear to have succeeded the main thrusting, whilst minor E.–W. faulting has been observed. The cleavage and jointing can in most cases be related to the major tectonic pattern.


Recent decades have seen spectacular increases in the levels of divorce and separation across the Western world. This important development is having a radical impact on the conduct and nature of family relationships. This book offers an original investigation of these critical transformations through an ethnographic analysis of post-divorce family life in Britain and provides insightful answers to vexing questions, such as:- What cultural values and ideologies motivate and shape concerns over relationships when marriage ends?- Which relationships continue and why?- What cultural values underpin the financial transactions that take place or (more commonly) fail to take place after divorce?Drawing on extensive interviews with those most affected by divorce, the author argues that the positive sentiments traditionally associated with the notion of kinship are wholly inadequate when it comes to understanding divorce, but that kinship can provide an illuminating window through which to consider the breakdown of marital relations.This book represents a significant contribution to current debates over the changing form and expression of relationships in Western society in the late twentieth century.


Mango production covers 35% of the total acreage allotted for fruit production in Harari Regional State, eastern Ethiopia. However, there is a declining trend in yield and quality of fruits from the trees. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the status, practices and challenges of mango production in the study area. Interviews were made taking 70 mango growers selected purposively in the major mango growing areas of the region using semi-structured questionnaire from 2012 to 2013. The results indicated that 50% of the households have few mango trees, 10-20 trees that are from seedling in origin derived from very few trees that were introduced from abroad via missionaries and traders a century ago. As a result, wide variations were observed in phenotypic features of trees within a farm as well as throughout the study area. In total, 39 distinct eco-types were recorded. Input shortage (water, fertilizer and pesticide), lack of improved technologies, pests (especially fruit fly and anthracnose), postharvest loss and poor marketing were the major problems specified by the growers. Therefore, focus should be given in improving the production, productivity and marketing of the crop in order to utilize the available and adaptable mango eco-types which are on the verge of disappearance.


The current paper proposes a new way of experiencing learning, based on the concept of immersive education with the help of an emergent technology: virtual reality. Traditional education is extremely limited in terms of experimentation, and nowadays the evolving technologies aim to solve this shortcoming in order to give students the chance to experience studying in a different manner. At present, the emphasis is usually on teaching the theory basics, while the practical aspects are often ignored and treated superficially, especially in the engineering domain. Implementing immersive education enables both students and teachers to understand any school subject, but also to experience it in real time, thus getting in touch with the most important aspects of that domain. The approach presented in our paper is accomplished through a mobile application called ARVEE, which proposes an interactive, fun and yet educational way of learning astronomy and making students pursue a career in astronomical engineering or in fields related to manufacturing of accessories for astronomical telescopes and instruments. Using virtual reality, students can experience and learn easier the broad concepts of a school subject. The application proposes to combine both traditional and immersive education, the result being the use of virtual reality not only for recreational but also for educational purposes. The application was tested on a group of primary school pupils enrolled in an extracurricular programming club, and the results were extremely satisfying. Besides presenting our app and the way it can support the current educational challenges (e.g. lack of practical exercises), we also analyzed some other existing virtual reality applications that offer similar experiences to the one implemented by ARVEE.


Seagrass plant communities play an ecologically important role in Australian and Tasmanian coastal regions. They provide key ecological functions such as: organic matter provision; assimilation of energy into ecosystems; nutrient trapping and cycling; shore line protection and formation; substrate sediment stabilization; enhanced biodiversity; and trophic transfers to adjacent habitats in tropical and temperate regions. The temperate Tasmanian seagrass communities, however, have experienced a period of decline in their abundance due to various disturbances as have other coastal areas in the world. Seagrasses are subject to rapid environmental changes arising from not only natural causes but also human-induced pressures, such as sea level rise, coastal development, sewage discharges and sediment runoff. In spite of the value of these aquatic plant communities, virtually no monitoring of the abundance and distribution of seagrasses habitats, in particular at a large geographic scale has been conducted in Tasmania, such as Boullanger Bay. Information on the extent and status of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), here largely seagrass meadows, at multi-spatial and multi-temporal scales are needed to support effective conservation and management. Due to resourcing challenges for boat or diver based monitoring, production of such information on the natural dynamics of SAV can only feasibly be tackled by the application of remote sensing techniques. However, a lack of knowledge about the efficacy of remote sensing techniques for seagrass mapping and monitoring persists.
In the response to this need, this thesis summarises the development of an appropriate image processing scheme that produced viable data for interdisciplinary purposes in this particular location. Methods for mapping and monitoring SA V habitats distribution in Boullanger Bay at multiple spatial and temporal scales are trialled. Three case studies were conducted, including: (1) comparison between two hybrid image classification approaches for the investigation of method effectiveness; (2) change detection analysis of land cover classes in Boullanger Bay at two different spatial scales to determine the contribution of the moderate spatial resolution of Landsat and Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS); and (3) change detection analysis to determine the efficacy of the moderate spatial resolution and annual temporal resolution of Landsat in both intertidal or subtidal seagrass dominated environments.
Multi-temporal thematic map series of change detection results were produced over 18 years, from 1990 to 2008. The spatial and temporal changes in the occurrence of SAV meadows in Boullanger Bay were identified and presented that show the extent and distribution of SAV habitats and their rate of change.
Case Study 1 investigated the efficacy of the remote sensing technique performed in the case studies was investigated. Two hybrid approaches: Independent Component Analysis (ICA) based Maximum Likelihood Classifier (MLC) approach and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) based ISODATA approach were compared to assess their ability to classify land cover objects. 'Error Matrix', image classification accuracy assessment technique demonstrated the better image classification accuracy of ICA based MLC approach (Overall accuracy: 88.4%, Kappa coefficient: 0.86) than PCA based ISODATA approach (Overall accuracy: 82.7%, Kappa coefficient: 0.79).
Case Study 2 provided 'from - to' change between the classified land covers produced from Case Study 1. Write Function Memory Insertion (WFMI) change detection approach is used to effectively visualise the 'from - to' change between the land cover types. The study indicated that the saltmarsh/seagrass boundary was relatively stable over the study period. Conclusions about the relative change of habitats across the whole Boullanger Bay study site are limited due to image processing issues related to cloud and deeper water confounding the results. For SAV, it appears that there has been a decadal scale decline between 1990 and 2000 and then the areas remain stable through to 2008.
In Case Study 3, firstly, an ICA based Multiple-date Composite Image (MCI) change detection analysis was performed to identify the spatial and temporal changes in the intertidal habitats, especially the Zostera muelleri seagrass, in the Welcome Inlet area. A relatively stable overall coverage was identified with fluctuating losses and gains in SA V meadows in many areas throughout the monitoring period at rates ranging from annual to decadal. Secondly, a WFMI approach was used for change detection analysis in the open subtidal area of the Boullanger Bay to identify the stability of subtidal SAV meadows from 1990 to 2008. The method revealed the very high stability of sand patches (i.e. uncolonised areas) within the dense Posidonia australis seagrass meadows over the 18 year period.
Issues of the accuracy of thematic maps derived from Landsat and ALOS imagery were identified, including misclassification of land cover types in deep water areas i.e. > circa 7 m. However, the overall efficacy of the satellite sensors for mapping and monitoring SA V meadows in Boullanger Bay was supported.


Luminous z ≥ 7 quasars provide direct probes of the evolution of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and the intergalactic medium (IGM) during the epoch of reionization (EoR). The Lyα damping wing absorption imprinted by neutral hydrogen in the IGM can be detected in a single EoR quasar spectrum, allowing the measurement of the IGM neutral fraction toward that line of sight. However, damping wing features have only been detected in two z > 7 quasars in previous studies. In this paper, we present new high-quality optical and near-infrared spectroscopy of the z = 7.00 quasar DES J025216.64–050331.8 obtained with Keck/Near-Infrared Echellette Spectrometer and Gemini/GMOS. By using the Mg ii single-epoch virial method, we find that it hosts a SMBH accreting at an Eddington ratio of λEdd = 0.7 ± 0.1, consistent with the values seen in other luminous z ∼ 7 quasars. Furthermore, the Lyα region of the spectrum exhibits a strong damping wing absorption feature. The lack of associated metal absorption in the quasar spectrum indicates that this absorption is imprinted by a neutral IGM. Using a state-of-the-art model developed by Davies et al., we measure a volume-averaged neutral hydrogen fraction at z = 7 of within 68% (95%) confidence intervals when marginalizing over quasar lifetimes of . This is the highest IGM neutral fraction yet measured using reionization-era quasar spectra.


Global warming is one of most severe environmental concerns that our planet is facing today. One of its causes is the previous generation of refrigerants that, upon release, remain in the atmosphere for longer periods and contribute towards global warming. This issue could potentially be solved by replacing the previous generation's high global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants with environmentally friendly refrigerants. This scenario requires an analysis of new refrigerants for a comparison of the thermodynamic properties of the previously used refrigerants. In the present research, a numerical study was conducted to analyze the thermodynamic performance of specifically low GWP hydrofluoroolefens (HFO) refrigerants for an actual vapor compression refrigeration cycle (VCRC) with a constant degree of 3 K superheat. The output parameters included the refrigeration effect, compressor work input, the coefficient of performance (COP), and the volumetric refrigeration capacity (VRC), all of which were calculated by varying the condenser pressure from 6 to 12 bars and vapor pressure from 0.7 to 1.9 bars. Results showed that R1234ze(Z) clearly possessed the desired thermodynamic performance. The drop in refrigeration effect for R1234ze(Z) was merely 14.6% less than that of R134a at a 12 bar condenser pressure; this was minimum drop among candidate refrigerants. The drop in the COP was the minimum for R1234ze(Z)—5.1% less than that of R134a at a 9 bar condenser pressure and 4.7% less than that of R134a at a 1.9 bar evaporator pressure, whereas the COP values of the other refrigerants dropped more drastically at higher condenser pressures. R1234ze(Z) possessed favorable thermodynamic characteristics, with a GWP of 7, and it can serve as an alternative refrigerant for refrigeration systems for a sustainable environment.


For alpha-boron, R (3) over barm group, Lennard-Jones (L-J) pair potential function is fitted, and a pairwise many-body potential is constructed. For constructing both interatomic potentials, only the atomic average cohesive energy and geometric information are needed. And the cohesive energy and geometry of alpha-boron crystal are calculated by first-principles code Castep. The fitting procedure for the potentials is as follows. For L-J potential, the minimum of the function is set to be located at the nearest neighbors. For the pairwise many-body potential, L-J potential is minimal, and the form of the function is chosen as a piecewise function, which consists of the L-J function and polynomial function. The minima of L-J potential are located at the distances between the different neighbors of atoms, and the potential barriers are at the midpoints of the distances of the two neighbor minima. L-J potential, L-J pair potential, and Tersoff potential for boron are tested and compared with each other, by energy minimization method in molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The radial distribution function is used to analyze the structure obtained from the simulation results obtained by using different potentials. The results show that the structure after minimization deviates significantly from the initial crystal of alpha-boron by L-J potential, and final structure is consistent well with the initial ideal crystal, with L-J potential used. The NVT ensemble is used in MD simulation, where the temperature is set to be 2000 K, and the alpha-boron crystal experiences the thermodynamic evolutions for 10 fs and 100 fs, to obtain the deviated initial structures. Then the minimization by MD simulation is made to test the three potentials, which also shows that the L-J potential can give the much better result than the other two potentials.


Between one-third and one-half of all presently employed academics will reach retirement age in the next decade. A challenge facing universities in this current environment is to continue to sustain their research capacities. Policy-makers and universities have developed various strategies to support ongoing development of different cohorts within the broader research community. One strategic approach has been to foster the research capabilities of Early Career Researchers (ECRs). This paper describes and analyses the features of one promising program collaboratively developed to support ECRs from Australian education faculties within the University of Canberra and Charles Sturt University. The program was initiated by senior researchers from both universities who identified a large number of ECRs on their respective staffs who worked in isolation and who would benefit from an expansion of their research and professional dimensions. While the program began as a 'top down' initiative, sufficient autonomy was allowed for the ECRs to identify their own professional requirements and to develop an ongoing program. ECRs have met regularly over the past two years to identify shared issues; organise and attend joint professional development activities (such as visiting scholars and mentoring with senior researchers); and work on collaborative research projects and publications. Funding, ongoing senior management support, a variety of both senior and junior role models as well as working on common initiatives has provided momentum for the program. The overarching aim of the program is to build a research community amongst the ECRs of both universities. An example of this collaboration has been a major writing project involving the production of a suite of articles by the ECRs concerning common ECR issues and support strategies. Outcomes also have included professional development and fostering cross university networks. The characteristics underpinning the program are highlighted in this paper, with links made between theory and practice, resulting in valuable outcomes for the participants concerned. It foreshadows emerging changes to the culture of the two education faculties as a result of explicitly addressing ECR research issues. Suggestions for developing sustainable programs to support ongoing research capacity-building of ECRs in Australian universities conclude this paper.


This work presents a novel design of a hydrostatic thrust foil bearing (HSTFB), with an outer diameter of 154 mm, along with simulation and test results up to a specific load capacity of 223 kPa (32.3 psi). This bearing has high load capacity, low power loss, and no friction/wear during startup and shutdown. In addition, the HSTFB allows for bidirectional operation. The paper also presents an advanced simulation model that adopts the exact locations of tangentially arranged bumps to a cylindrical two-dimensional plate model of the top foil. This method predicts top foil deflection with better accuracy than the traditional independent elastic foundation model, which distributes the bump locations over the nodal points in the cylindrical coordinates, and with less computational resources than the finite element method applied to the entire bumps/top foils. The presented HSTFB was designed for organic Rankine cycle (ORC) generators, but its performance was predicted and measured using air in this paper. The bearing static performance is compared analytically against the rigid counterpart and presented at different supply pressures, speeds, and minimum film thicknesses. Experimental verification is conducted at 10, 15, and 20 krpm. The measured load capacity and frictional loss agree well with the prediction. The measured film thickness also agrees with the prediction after the structural deflection of the thrust runner disk is compensated. Overall, the novel HSTFB demonstrates excellent static performance and good potential for the intended ORC generators and other large oil-free turbomachines.


Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM) defines a mechanism for using digital signatures on E-Mail at the domain level, allowing the receiving domain to confirm that E-Mail came from the domain it claims to. Erasure codes introduce pollution attack, an attack in which the adversary injects packets to disrupt the erasure decoding procedure and consequently denies the authentication service to the receiver. This paper uses the agent for checking the spam E-Mail by using DKIM and proposes a new lightweight, pollution-attack resistant multicast authentication scheme (PARM), which generates evidence that receiver agent can validate on a fast, per-packet basis. Using agent, the authenticity of the system will increase and also our system will be more secure. Because of using the temporal key, time will be saved for generating evidence to the same message.


Television studies has come of age as the rapid expansion in media and communications courses shows. 'The Television Studies Book' is a stimulating and challenging collection which analyses how the study of television has developed and points to new approaches dealing with rapidly changing technologies and formats. Chapters on the history and methods of studying television reflect on such issues as the impact of feminism and the development of ethnographic research while specific case studies on topics as varied as US 'people shows', Brazilian telenovelas and the varied use of video in the home give pointed and vivid accounts of current practices. Specially commissioned chapters by scholars such as Lynn Spigel, Jostein Gripsrud, Gillian Branston and Laura Stempel Murnford provide accessible and concise accounts of the main developments in television studies in a book which will become an important resource for students in higher education who need to relate broad overall accounts to more specialised interests being developed through academic research.