A simple array-based test structure has been developed to characterize AC variability in deeply scaled MOSFETs. Each test structure consists of 128 devices under test (DUTs) whose relative delays are characterized using a logic gate-based delay detector circuit. The delay measurement technique only requires a single off-chip DC voltage measurement for each DUT. A design-time optimization is performed on each DUT array to ensure that the measured delays of each DUT primarily reflects its AC, or short time-scale, characteristics rather than previously well-studied DC characteristics such as saturation current, threshold voltage, and channel length. The circuit is implemented in an advanced CMOS SOI technology and occupies an area of 400µm × 20µm. Simulations show that the test circuit effectively isolates the possible presence of AC effects from known DC variation sources for the transistors.


A novel fine inclusion removal technology due to the dispersed in-situ phase induced by the composite ball explosive reaction was put forward. A composite ball with this function has been designed and prepared using a laboratory model batch type balling disc (at 12 rpm) and the composite ball has been fed at the end of RH refining. The results indicate that feeding composite ball in RH ladle is a novel technology and the inclusion in the IF molten steel can be removed effectively. Compared with conventional inclusion removal technology, the number of the oxide inclusion can be decreased to a lower level and the inclusion size becomes finer. Using this novel technology, the total oxygen in the as-cast slab can approach to 5ppm and the steel production cost for per ton can be reduced by 5 ~12 RMB.


Abstract Prairie-oak butterfly species in the Willamette Valley-Puget Trough-Georgia Basin (WPG) ecosystem have declined dramatically due to widespread habitat degradation and loss of prairie-oak ecosystems in the region. Conservation of prairie-oak butterflies offers unique opportunities and special challenges. Here we provide an overview of butterfly conservation in WPG prairies. We begin with a review of the status of at-risk butterfly species in the region, an introduction to five species that are the focus of current conservation efforts: Fender's blue (Icaricia icarioides fenderi), Taylor's checkerspot (Euphydryas editha taylori), mardon skipper (Polites mardon), island marble (Euchloe ausonides insulanus), and Oregon silverspot (Speyeria zerene hippolyta), and a brief review of 10 additional at-risk butterfly species in the ecoregion. We follow with a discussion of three key threats (habitat loss and fragmentation, invasive species, and lack of appropriate disturbance) and four dominant management approaches (fire, herbicides, mowing, and habitat restoration). We discuss current challenges and emerging issues for these species, and focus on invasive species management, understanding basic biology, conserving multiple species, and adapting to climate change. We highlight several success stories from around the region. We conclude that butterfly biologists and land managers in the WPG are in a unique position to conserve the region's threatened prairie butterflies. Facilitating greater communication across the region through organizations such the Cascadia Prairie-Oak Partnership will assist in recovery of the WPG's threatened, endangered and at-risk butterfly species.


Six starter cultures were examined for their ability to induce beta-D-Galactosidase activity. The maximum (713 x 10(-4) units/ml) and minimum (140 x 10(-4) units/ml) enzyme activity was shown by Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptomyces thermophilus, respectively. The maximum inhibition by aflatoxin B1 of induction and activity of enzyme in vitro was observed at 60 micrograms/ml in all cultures. However, low levels of the toxin stimulated induction of the enzyme in Streptococcus lactis and S. thermophilus.


s 12th World Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine, Lyon, France S85 diagnosis "stroke". Almost as many men (n = 46) as women (n = 47) were treated. The average age of the patients was 77 years, while the most strokes were observed in the age group ranging from 80 to 90 years (n = 42). Not only the diastolic, but also the systolic blood pressure was to be measured in at least 10-minute intervals. The average systolic blood pressure was 154 mmHg, while 3 patients had systolic pressures of <100 mmHg and 16 patients >190 mmHg. The diastolic blood pressure was around 85.5 mmHg. The body temperature was to be taken axillary with digital thermometers. 61 patients did not run a fever, 7 patients had a slightly higher temperature, and 2 patients had a temperature exceeding 38.0°C. The oxygen saturation amounted to an average of 94.9%. Yet 6 patients had a primary oxygen saturation of less than 90%.


ABSTRACT The purpose of this research is to examine how the moderating effects of health knowledge (inactive vs. active) and advertising's entertainment level (high vs. low) affect children's response to advertising's food content (unhealthy vs. healthy). First, a primary study using the qualitative method was conducted with the purpose of identifying healthy and unhealthy food options based on culture, eating habits, nutritional value and the access of Iranian children to each option so that they could be displayed in TV advertising, advergames and questionnaires. Then, a 2 × 2 × 2 full-factorial, randomized, mixed-effects experimental design was used to test the research framework. 330 students (aged 6–11) participated in the study. The findings revealed that children tended to choose more unhealthy foods after exposure to unhealthy food advertising. This effect was greater for a higher level of entertainment, and was successfully moderated by the activation of health knowledge. It was concluded that embedding health messages in advertising (included TV advertising and advergames) help retrieving children's health knowledge and therefore, choosing less unhealthy food by them.


We present results on the rates of interlayer energy transfer between excitons in two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). We consider both radiative (mediated by real photons) and non-radiative (mediated by virtual photons) mechanisms of energy transfer using a unified Green's function approach that takes into account modification of the exciton energy dispersions as a result of interactions. The large optical oscillator strengths associated with excitons in TMDs result in very fast energy transfer rates. The energy transfer times depend on the exciton momentum, exciton linewidth, and the interlayer separation and can range from values less than 100 femtoseconds to more than tens of picoseconds. Whereas inside the light cone the energy transfer rates of longitudinal and transverse excitons are comparable, outside the light cone the energy transfer rates of longitudinal excitons far exceed those of transverse excitons. Average energy transfer times for a thermal ensemble of longitudinal and transverse excitons is temperature dependent and can be smaller than a picosecond at room temperature for interlayer separations smaller than 10 nm. Energy transfer times of localized excitons range from values less than a picosecond to several tens of picoseconds. When the exciton scattering and dephasing rates are small, energy transfer dynamics exhibit coherent oscillations. Our results show that electromagnetic interlayer energy transfer can be an efficient mechanism for energy exchange between TMD monolayers.


Revealing the implicit semantic relation between the constituents of a noun-compound is important for many NLP applications. It has been addressed in the literature either as a classification task to a set of pre-defined relations or by producing free text paraphrases explicating the relations. Most existing paraphrasing methods lack the ability to generalize, and have a hard time interpreting infrequent or new noun-compounds. We propose a neural model that generalizes better by representing paraphrases in a continuous space, generalizing for both unseen noun-compounds and rare paraphrases. Our model helps improving performance on both the noun-compound paraphrasing and classification tasks.


Several studies have been reported on active peptides isolated from some medicinal plants, which were effective inhibitors against snake venom induced toxicities. Hence, the aim of this research work was to isolate, purify and characterize an antisnake venom plant peptide from Bauhinia rufescens seed that can serve as potential alternative to serum-based antivenins. B. rufescens seed was collected, duly identified, authenticated and processed. The peptide was isolated from the seed and purified using gel filtration chromatography and SDS-PAGE and then named as BRS-P19. Venom Phospholipase A2 (VPLA2) was used for the study and was isolated from Naja nigricollis venom. Albino mice of both sexes were used for in vivo experiments. They were divided into seven (7) groups of three (3) mice each. Group 1 served as normal control, group 2 were injected with VPLA2 only, group 3 and 4 were injected with VPLA2 then treated with BRS-P19 at doses of 0.2 and 0.4 mg/kg b.w. respectively, while mice in group 5 were injected with VPLA2 then treated with standard antivenin, group 6 and 7 were injected with VPLA2 followed by administration of ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol respectively. In all the groups, hepatic and renal levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation (MDA) and activities of antioxidant enzymes were determined. The results showed that, the BRS-P19 has molecular weight of ~19kD. Its percentage in vitro inhibitory effect against VPLA2 was 91.85 ± 0.32%. For the in vivo study, the animals treated with 0.4 mg/kg b.w. of the BRS-P19 showed a significant (P<0.05) decrease in the hepatic and renal ROS and MDA levels when compared with the VPLA2 untreated group. But, the activities of the antioxidant enzymes in all the treated groups were significantly (P<0.05) increased by the BRS-P19 at 0.4 mg/kg b.w. when compared to the VPLA2 untreated group. Based on these findings, it has been established that, BRS-P19 has antisnake venom effect through inhibition of VPLA2 and antioxidant activity as the possible mechanisms of action.


Background This study investigates the outcome of anorexia nervosa in adolescents in relation to precipitating life events and changes in family functioning over time. Method Thirty-five adolescents with anorexia nervosa and their mothers were administered measures of life events and family functioning at initial assessment and 1 and 2 year follow-up, when outcome was also assessed. Results Fifty-five per cent of patients had a good outcome. Patients from initially well-functioning families or those with precipitating life events improved more in the first year, than those with dysfunctional families or without events. Subjects perceived a deterioration in family functioning at 1 year follow-up but an improvement at 2 years. Mothers reported no changes. Conclusions Approximately half of a series of early onset cases of anorexia nervosa can be expected to recover by 2 years. Healthy family functioning and presence of a precipitating life event predict good short-term outcome. The relationships between subjects' perceptions of family functioning and their recovery from anorexia nervosa is discussed.


An approach to computing pixel-by-pixel gradients of optical phase directly from digitally encoded Fourier-transform or phase-stepped fringe patterns is described. This approach can be classified as a phase unwrapping but is really a sine-cosine demodulation technique that finds its roots in the differential cross-multiplier phase-demodulation technique commonly used by the optical fiber sensor community. This technique is algorithmically simple, does not rely on a computation of the arctangent, and therefore is not subject to some of the limitations of the standard phase-unwrapping methodologies. The proposed phase-gradient technique is demonstrated by the calculation of strain fields from moir6 interferometric fringe patterns.


We have observed the effect of angled excitation beams on the photon echoes from the 22S1/2–22P1/2 transition of atomic lithium. The degradation of the echo from noncollinear excitations is not so great as had been feared. A calculation with the billiard-ball echo model is in good agreement with our experimental results. In a similar experiment in atomic-sodium vapor we have recorded a decay of echo intensity with increasing pulse separation over nearly 12 orders of magnitude, with the weakest signals coming from atoms that had been more than 23 lifetimes in their excited state.


ABSTRACTReceiver-side deghosting can be derived and implemented in the frequency domain as spatial deterministic deconvolution of marine pressure recordings. The deghosting/deconvolution operator is found analytically as the inverse Fourier transform of the wavenumber-domain wave equation deghosting function. For a sea surface reflection coefficient of −1, the wavenumber-domain deghosting function has well-known poles at fundamental frequencies equal to an integer multiple of a function of the receiver depth and the plane-wave dip angle relative to the depth axis. The first singularity is always at 0 Hz. The spatial deghosting operator has singularities at fundamental frequencies equal to an integer multiple of a function of the receiver depth, independent of its lateral coordinates. The first singularity is again at 0 Hz. In addition, the deghosting operator that is applied to 3D data has singularity when its lateral coordinate is zero. A simple numerical example demonstrates the method.


In 2011, an experiment was undertaken at KTH Royal Institute of Technology to introduce agile methods for product development into a mechatronics capstone course. This paper describes the method used, Scrum, and the context of the studied mechatronics capstone course. Mechatronics is here defined as "synergistic integration" of electronics, mechanical engineering, control and software engineering. Mechatronics product development, in this context, therefore deals with the development of complex and intelligent products, which implies multi-disciplinary work and the use of models etc. from several domains and areas. With the integration of Scrum into the mechatronics capstone course, an educational favorable alternative is identified, to previously used design methodologies such as more traditional stage-gate methods as the Waterfall or method or the V-model. This is due to the emphasis on early prototyping, quick feedback and incremental development. It still might not be the favorable method for use in large scale industrial development projects where formal procedures might still be preferred, but the pedagogical advantages in mechatronics education are valuable. Incremental development and rapid prototyping for example gives many opportunities to reflect and improve. The Scrum focus on self-organizing teams also provides a platform to practice project organization, by empowering students to take responsibility for the product development process. Among the results of this study, it is shown that it is possible and favorable to integrate Scrum in a mechatronics capstone course and that this can enhance student preparation for a future career as mechatronics product developers. It is also shown that this prepares the students with a larger flexibility to handle the increased complexity in mechatronics product development and thereby enabling the project teams to deliver results faster, more reliable and with higher quality.


Keywords: Service level agreement SLA management SLA matching Electronic markets Cloud economics Autonomic computing Standardized goods Commodity goods Market modeling Market liquidity a b s t r a c t Cloud computing is supposed to offer resources (i.e., data, software, and hardware services) in a manner similar to traditional utilities such as water, electricity, gas, and telephony. However, the current Cloud market is fragmented and static, preventing the successful implementation of ubiquitous computing on demand. In order to address the issue of fragmentation, commodity Cloud marketplaces have been suggested. However, as those marketplaces still suffer from being static (i.e., not being capable to adapt to changing market conditions and to the dynamics of user requirements for services), they do not operate at the optimal point. In this paper, we address this issue by channeling demand and supply into a few standardized services that are automatically adapted to user requirements in regular time intervals. For this, we utilize clustering algorithms and monitor the requirements of users. In order to avoid any cost to the user through these adaptations, we automatically adapt service level specifications of users to newly defined standardized goods. Using a simulation framework, we evaluate our approach and show its benefits to end users.


We estimate the impact of diabetic drug adherence on hospitalizations, ER visits, and hospital costs, using insurance claims from MarketScan® employer data. However, it is often difficult to measure the impact of drug adherence on hospitalizations since both adherence and hospitalizations may be correlated with unobservable patient severity. We control for such unobservables using propensity score methods and instrumental variables for adherence such as drug coinsurance levels and direct-to- consumer-advertising. We find a significant bias due to unobservable severity in that patients with more severe health are more apt to comply with medications. Thus, the relationship between adherence and hospitalization will be underestimated if one does not control for unobservable severity. Overall, we find that increasing diabetic drug adherence from 50% to 100% reduced the hospitalization rate by 23.3% (p=0.02) from 15% to 11.5%. ER visits are reduces by 46.2% (p=.04) from 17.3% to 9.3%. While such an increase in adherence increases diabetic drug spending by $776 a year per diabetic, the annual cost savings for averted hospitalizations are $886 per diabetic, a cost offset of $110 (p=0.02), or $1.14 per $1 spent on drugs.


The effects of a noise-like weak signal in the resonant switching of the magnetization driven by spin transfer torque have been systematically studied by means of micromagnetic simulations in both in-plane spin valves and out-of-plane magnetic tunnel junctions. The use of a noise-like resonant excitation allows the overpassing of some critical points compared to the traditional microwave assisted switching. In particular, the application of binary spreading sequences (BSS) does not require the precise knowledge of the resonant frequency and of the optimum relative phase, allowing the use of the same resonant excitation for all the devices in a matrix of memory cells, even if small variations of the physical and geometrical parameters are present. In addition, we also found that in spin valves the switching probabilities close to 100% can be achieved with a smaller current pulse, and in magnetic tunnel junctions a significant energy saving can be obtained.


Summary A cascaded iterative Fourier transform (CIFT) algorithm is presented for optical security applications. Two phase-masks are designed and located in the input and the Fourier domains of a 4-f correlator respectively, in order to implement the optical encryption or authenticity verification. Compared with previous methods, the proposed algorithm employs an improved searching strategy: modifying the phase-distributions of both masks synchronously as well as enlarging the searching space. Computer simulations show that the algorithm results in much faster convergence and better image quality for the recovered image. Each of these masks is assigned to different person. Therefore, the decrypted image can be obtained only when all these masks are under authorization. This key-assignment strategy may reduce the risk of being intruded.


This report describes 5 out of 8 siblings who were the first cases of myotonia congenita diagnosed in our department. The parents were first cousins. Neither the parents, nor the other family members have myotonia. The affected siblings 4 boys and 1 girl, all showed a very typical myotonia especially after prolonged rest, and it could be worked off with continuing activity. They had a muscular looking body or a herculean proportion. The diagnosis were based upon family history, clinical findings of percussion myotonia, had grip myotania, prominent muscular hypertrophy and confirmed by electromyographic examination revealing myotonic discharges. Since there were some functional impairments, these patients were treated with diphenylhydantoin and then with quinine sulphate, with good results. The patients related parents were much likely to be heterozygous for the same harmful recessive genes, because they had common ancestor. The role of marriage counseling is important in this kind of inherited disease, to prevent the occurrence of this inherited disorder in the next generations.


To predict local site effects during earthquakes, we must know the geometrical and mechanical properties of local sedimentary structures and their resonance behavior. We present a concept to identify resonance modes for 2D structures. This is done for synthetic as well as measured microtremor wave fields. The microtremor data were investigated by using the reference station and horizontal-to-vertical (H/V) methods. Analyzing the synthetic microtremor data in profiles across 2D structures, the reference station method (RSM) turned out to be much more suitable for the detection of 2D resonances than the H/V method. We therefore focused on RSM when analyzing the measurement data from two test sites in Switzerland, the St. Jakob–Tullingen trough near Basel in the north and a site in the Rhone valley near the village Vetroz in the south. The results of these two test sites led to different conclusions. Whereas the spectral peaks in data of the St. Jakob–Tullingen trough were not well developed and could only tentatively be interpreted, those from the Rhone valley clearly exhibited 2D resonance effects: the SH 00 and the SV -fundamental mode could be successfully identified at 0.32 ± 0.03 and 0.35 ± 0.03 Hz, respectively.


For a finite group scheme, the subadditive functions on finite dimensional representations are studied. It is shown that the projective variety of the cohomology ring can be recovered from the equivalence classes of subadditive functions. Using Crawley-Boevey's correspondence between subadditive functions and endofinite modules, we obtain an equivalence relation on the set of point modules introduced in our joint work with Iyengar and Pevtsova. This corresponds to the equivalence relation on pi-points introduced by Friedlander and Pevtsova.


SUMMARY: The series of investigations have been carried out on the effect of the entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana on the various developmental stages of Phthorimaea operculella. Both first and second instar larvae were more susceptible than the third of fourth instars. The infected prepupae and pupae resulted in marked decreases in the emergence and longevity of moths, deposited eggs and their egg hatchability. An obvious increase in the pupal duration was observed and the resulting malformed adults were also recorded. The latent were markedly obvious, specially in high doses of B. bassiana.


Strength values of the sapwood of Siberian yellow pine were measured in a system with orthogonal coordinates along the axial, radial, and tangential directions of the cell structure. Highest strength was the axial normal strength and lowest the tangential normal strength. The difference between these two values was 87-fold. Shear strength values remained between the two normal strength values. The highest shear strength appeared in tangential direction across the reinforcing fibers, i.e., on the plane perpendicular to the axial direction. Lowest shear strength appeared in tangential direction on the plane perpendicular to radial direction. The variations are due to orientation of cells and of fiber reinforcement in the cell wall laminas, especially in the middle layer of the secondary cell wall.


This paper introduces reachability logic, a language-independent seven-rule proof system for deriving reachability properties of systems. The key ingredients of reachability logic are its sentences, which are called reachability rules and generalize the transitions of operational semantics and the Hoare triples of axiomatic semantics, and the Circularity proof rule, which generalizes invariant proof rules for iterative and recursive constructs in axiomatic semantics. The target transition system is described as a set of reachability rules, which are taken as axioms in a reachability logic proof. Typical definition styles which can be read as collections of reachability rules include conventional small-step and big-step operational semantics. The reachability logic proof system is shown sound (in the sense of partial correctness) and relatively complete. The soundness result has also been formalized in Coq, allowing to convert reachability logic proofs into proof certificates depending only on the operational semantics and the unavoidable domain reasoning. Reachability logic thus eliminates the need to independently define an axiomatic and an operational semantics for each language, and the non-negligible effort to prove the former sound and complete w.r.t the latter.


We consider the problem of decoding a discrete signal of categorical variables from the observation of several histograms of pooled subsets of it. We present an Approximate Message Passing (AMP) algorithm for recovering the signal in the random dense setting where each observed histogram involves a random subset of size proportional to n of entries. We characterize the performance of the algorithm in the asymptotic regime where the number of observations m tends to infinity proportionally to n, by deriving the corresponding State Evolution (SE) equations and studying their dynamics. We initiate the analysis of the multi-dimensional SE dynamics by proving their convergence to a fixed point, along with some further properties of the iterates. The analysis reveals sharp phase transition phenomena where the behavior of AMP changes from exact recovery to weak correlation with the signal as m/n crosses a threshold. We derive formulae for the threshold in some special cases and show that they accurately match experimental behavior.


Shanghai Center Tower is the tallest skyscraper under construction in China with the height of 642 meters. In order to reflect the real structural status of Shanghai Center Tower during the construction period and running period in three dimensional graphics, a Structural Health Monitoring Software System (SHMSS) is developed. The CAE software system consists of three function modules such as Modeling module, Data Management module, Post-Processing module. The Modeling module could build a 3D model confirming to the real Shanghai Center Tower based on the Building Information Modeling (BIM) concept; the Data Management module could access the engineering data produced by the sensors; then in the Post -Processing module, various data about the Shanghai Center Tower could be processed and structural parameters such as member force, displacement, wind pressure would be displayed in the 3D model.


Feedback signaling plays a key role in flow control because the traffic source relies on the signaling information to make correct and timely flow-control decisions. However, it is difficult to design an efficient signaling algorithm since a signaling message can tolerate neither error nor latency. Multicast flow-control signaling imposes two additional challenges: scalability and feedback synchronization. Previous research on multicast signaling has mainly focused on the development of algorithms without analyzing their delay performance. To remedy this deficiency, we have previously developed a binary-tree model and an independent-marking statistical model for multicast-signaling delay analysis. This paper considers a general scenario where the congestion markings at different links are dependent - a more accurate but complex case. Specifically, we develop a Markov-chain model defined by the link-marking state on each path in the multicast tree. The Markov chain can not only capture link-marking dependencies, but also yield a tractable analytical model. We also develop a Markov-chain dependency-degree model to evaluate all possible Markov-chain dependency degrees without any prior knowledge of them. Using the above two models, we derive the general probability distributions of each path becoming the multicast-tree bottleneck. Also derived are the first and second moments of multicast signaling delays. The proposed Markov chain is also shown to asymptotically reach an equilibrium, and its limiting distribution converges to the marginal link-marking probabilities when the Markov chain is irreducible. Applying the two models, we analyze and contrast the delay scalability of two representative multicast signaling protocols: Soft-Synchronization Protocol (SSP) and Hop-By-Hop (HBH) algorithms.


AIMS
Numerous lines of evidence suggest a role of oxidative stress in initiation and progression of heart failure. We identify novel pathways of oxidative stress in cardiomyocytes using proteomic technology.

METHODS AND RESULTS
Cardiomyocytes and cardiac fibroblasts isolated from rat hearts were treated with sublethal doses of H(2)O(2) for detection of secreted protein factors in the conditioned media by mass spectrometry-based proteomics. Comparison between the two cell types leads to the finding that H(2)O(2) caused an elevated cystatin C protein in the conditioned medium from cardiomyocytes. When cardiomyopathy was induced in mice by chronic administration of doxorubicin, elevated cystatin C protein was detected in the plasma. Myocardial ischaemia by left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion causes an increase in the level of cystatin C protein in the plasma. In myocardial tissue from the ischaemic area, an increase in cystatin C correlates with the inhibition of cathepsin B activity and accumulation of fibronectin and collagen I/III. Overexpressing cystatin C gene or exposing fibroblasts to cystatin C protein results in an inhibition of cathepsin B and accumulation of fibronectin and collagen I/III.

CONCLUSION
Oxidants induce elevated cystatin C production from CMCs. Cystatin C plays a role in cardiac extracellular matrix remodelling.


Abstract. Risk assessment is mainly based on certain scenarios involving an event of a certain size which is thought to be characteristic for the considered type of hazard. However, many natural hazards extend over a wide range of event sizes, and some of them are even free of characteristic scales. An expression for the risk taking into account various event sizes is derived, and its implications on risk assessment for earthquakes, forest fires, landslides, and rockfalls are discussed. Under simple assumptions on the damage as a function of the event size, it turns out that the total risk is governed by either the small number of large events or the majority of small events. The distinction between these two classes depends on both the power-law exponent of the event size distribution and the damage function. For earthquakes, forest fires, and rockfalls, the total risk is mainly constituted by the largest events, while results are non-unique for landslides.


BACKGROUND CONTEXT: The clinical importance of lumbar pathology identified on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) remains unclear. It is plausible that pathology seen on MRI is a risk factor for a recurrence of low back pain (LBP); however, to our knowledge, this has not been investigated by previous studies. PURPOSE: The aim was to investigate whether lumbar pathology, identifiable on MRI, increases the risk of a recurrence of LBP. STUDY DESIGN: This was a prospective inception cohort study with 1-year follow-up. PATIENT SAMPLE: Seventy-six people who had recovered from an episode of LBP within the previous 3 months were included. OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was time to recurrence of LBP, which was determined by contacting participants at 2-month intervals for 12 months. METHODS: All participants underwent a baseline assessment including MRI scan and completion of a questionnaire, which assessed a range of potential risk factors for recurrence. Magnetic resonance imaging scans were reported for the presence of a range of MRI findings. The primary analysis investigated the predictive value of two clinical features (age and number of previous episodes) and six MRI findings (disc degeneration, high intensity zone, Modic changes, disc herniation, facet joint arthrosis, and spondylolisthesis) in a multivariate Cox regression model. We decided a priori that dichotomous predictors with hazard ratios (HRs) of greater than 1.5 or less than 0.67 would be considered potentially clinically important and justify further investigation. RESULTS: Of the eight predictors entered into the primary multivariate model, three (disc degeneration, high intensity zone, and number of previous episodes) met our a priori threshold for potential importance. Participants with disc degeneration score greater than or equal to 3 (Pfirrmann scale) had a HR of 1.89 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.42‐8.53) compared with those without. Patients with high intensity zone had an HR of 1.84 (95% CI 0.94‐3.59) compared with those without. For every additional previous episode, participants had an HR of 1.04 (95% CI 1.02‐1.07). CONCLUSIONS: We identified promising risk factors for a recurrence of LBP, which should be further investigated in larger trials. The findings suggest that pathology seen on MRI plays a potentially important role in recurrence of LBP. 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


Abstract The study aimed to evaluate the impact of the dual trigger with the combination of GnRH agonist and standard dose of recombinant hCG on IVF outcomes in poor ovarian responders with GnRH antagonist protocol. 1283 cycles of 1010 poor responder patients according to Bologna criteria were retrospectively analysed in terms of final oocyte maturation: dual trigger group (250 μg hCG + 0.2 mg triptorelin) or standard group (250 μg hCG). Primary outcome measures were the number of retrieved and mature oocytes. The secondary outcome measures were clinical pregnancy rates and live birth rates. The number of retrieved oocytes, mature oocytes, and the top-quality embryos transferred were significantly higher in the dual trigger group (p < .001). Fertilisation rates (73.6% vs 69.6%, p = .009), implantation rates (18.7% vs 14.6, p = .039), clinical pregnancy rate per embryo transfer (27.5% vs. 19.9%, p = .010) and live birth rate per embryo transfer (21.6% vs. 14.9%, p = .011) were also significantly higher in the dual trigger group as compared to the hCG trigger group. The usage of dual trigger with a GnRH agonist and a standard dosage of hCG could improve clinical pregnancy rates and live birth rates in poor ovarian responders undergoing GnRH antagonist IVF/ICSI cycles. IMPACT STATEMENT What is already known on this subject? Dual trigger with standard dose of hCG has been the subject of trials in normal responders to optimise IVF outcomes. The results of these studies showed significant improvements in implantation and pregnancy rates with an increase in the number of mature oocytes retrieved. As a result, dual trigger has become a popular ovulation trigger option in GnRH antagonist cycles. What do the results of this study add? There is limited data about the use of dual trigger in poor ovarian responders (PORs). According to our study, increasing the number of retrieved oocytes, mature oocytes, the number of fertilised oocytes, the number of transferred embryos and top quality embryos transferred by using dual trigger in patients with PORs have a positive impact on pregnancy outcomes. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? These findings implies potential advantages of dual trigger usage for improving IVF outcomes in PORs. With large sample sized prospective randomised trials, dual trigger with combination of GnRHa and a standard dose of hCG might replace the traditional ovulation trigger with hCG in PORs.


Despite its relatively small size, this book presents a fairly comprehensive discussion of the diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of tumors in the region of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. There are few other presentations with the level of sophistication achieved in Chapters 4 to 7 of this book, concerning the ophthalmologic and radiologic aspects, and surgical or radiotherapeutic management, of hypothalamic and pituitary tumors. The personal expertise of the authors of these chapters provides rich firsthand judgment, balanced by pertinent references to the work of others. Chapter 4 would have been enhanced by illustrations of visual field defects, but is still an excellent contribution with many insights into the common and unusual ophthalmologic problems. The chapter on radiology has many fine radiographs but lacks discussion of recent advances in tomography of the sella for the diagnosis of microadenomas. The first three chapters do not do service to the rest of the book because they are incomplete and at times inaccurate and outdated. There is no discussion of recent studies of the hypophysial portal systkm demonstrating the extensive interconnections between the circulations of the hypothalamus and the anterior and posterior pituitary, and the possibility of bidirectional flow in the vascular connection between brain and pituitary. The discussion of pituitary tumors does not take into account recent studies using immunologic methods and showing that prolactin comes from the tumor when it is hypersecreted into the plasma in Forbes-Albright syndrome. Also unrecognized is the recent evidence that many pituitary adenomas are "chromophobes" by tinctorial stains even if they hypersecrete corticotropin, growth hormone or prolactin. It is now evident that the classification of pituitary adenomas based on these stains is incomplete. There is a gross error in the discussion of cavernous sinus extension, stating that the fifth cranial nerve may be involved , " resu l t ing in p t o s i s , d i p l o p i a , ophthalmoplegia . . ."; these are disturbances associated with the third or sixth cranial nerve. The section on "Physiology, diagnosis and endocrine management" (Chapter 3 ) is necessarily outdated by rapid advances in this field. Unfortunately, the most recent references in the book date from 1974. Contrary to what is stated in the text, it is now kenerally accepted that gonadotropin-releasing hormone regulates both of the pituitary gonadotropins in all mammals, including man. Furthermore, several actions of somatostatin, in addition to its role in regulating growth hormone in the pituitary gland, are now known: These include local inhibition of glucagon and insulin, gastrin secretion, and a probable role as a neuromodulator in the brain and spinal cord. It is also now recognized that prolactin-inhibiting factor is in large part dopamine, indicating that not all of the regulatory hormones of the pituitary are peptides. Finally, the perpetual falsehood that antidiuretic hormone is produced by the supraoptic nucleus and oxytocin by the paraventricular nucleus in the hypothalamus has been continued. Regional assay and immunocytochemical studies have clearly shown that both these hormones are produced by different cells in both nuclei; the nuclear concept of neural regulation dies a slow death. The neural network concept is now in vogue; immunocytochemistry has shown that releasing factors (such as gonadotropin-releasing hormone) are produced in neurons that cannot all be put into one nucleus, such as the arcuate. Despite all its limitations, this book is worth having, particularly for the sections on ophthalmology and radiology. For the latest concepts in neuroendocrinology and the endocrine aspects of lesions in the hypothalamus and pituitary, the reader is advised to consult other recent texts on clinical neuroendocrinology ,


Rural development policies lately take an inter-sectoral area-based approach. This turn raises questions relating to governance on the one hand and issues relating to the participation of different sectors therein on the other. In this paper I present a case study from Germany, focussing on three area-based rural development funding programmes, two temporary pilot programmes and a mainstream scheme. The concept of regional governance is shown to play a crucial role in the implementation of pilot programmes, while mainstream policy only partly is affected. Forestry as a sector was found to only play a minor role in such processes of regional governance. This paper reveals sector – internal as well as – external causes of this phenomenon and closed with conclusions on how to (sector-internally and – externally) enhance forestry participation to area-based rural development programmes.


Abstract Arsenic and lead can induce genetic injuries and epigenetic signaling pathways in cultured mammalian cells. To test whether signaling pathways affect the extent of genetic injuries, we explored the impacts of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK) on nucleotide excision repair (NER), cytotoxicity, and genotoxicity following sodium arsenite [As(III)] and lead acetate [Pb(II)]. Sustained ERK activation was observed in human cells exposed to As(III) and Pb(II). As(III) inhibited the cellular NER synthesis capability; conversely, Pb(II) stimulated it. ERK activation contributed to the As(III)-induced NER inhibition and micronucleus formation. In contrast, this signal was required for inducing cellular NER activity and preventing mutagenesis following Pb(II). ERK activation by Pb(II) was dependent on protein kinase C (PKCα) that also exhibited anti-mutagenicity. Enforced expression of ERK signaling markedly elevated the cellular NER activity, which was suppressed by As(III). Nonetheless, ERK activation could counteract the cytotoxicity caused by these two metals. Together, the results indicate that pro-survival ERK signaling exhibits dual and opposing impacts on NER process following As(III) and Pb(II) exposures. The findings also suggest that ERK is an important epigenetic signaling in the determination of metal genotoxicity.


Studies about Assistive Technology have emphasized the need to integrate resources, services and strategies for inclusion and special education to foster the learning process and skill development of students with disabilities. The literature describes that the first step towards implementing assistive technology in schools should enable professionals to understand the situation involving the student in order to expand his or her participation in the teaching and learning process. This study aimed to identify the need for assistive technology services, resources and strategies for students with cerebral palsy in school. Two children with cerebral palsy and their teachers were selected. The data collection phase included three successive procedures: interviews with teachers, completing the identification protocol of the school routine and participant observation conducted in the classroom using filming and field diary. Based on the material gained from these three procedures, data triangulation was proposed, i.e., grouping information in a single document in order to establish categories of analysis. After preparing the material, the categories were assessed by judges from the field of knowledge. The results showed that after understanding the situation of the disabled student within the school context, it was possible to establish his or her skills and needs to indicate the appropriate assistive technology resources for the teacher's planning and thus provide proper teaching and learning for the children with disabilities. The study identified the need to establish specific procedures, an organized pedagogical plan and participation of health professionals as consultants on using assistive technology in school.


Two experiments were conducted during the wet seasons of 2004 and 2005 to investigate the performance of polyembryonic lines with respect to growth and yield of fluted pumpkin. The results revealed three morphotypes of polyembryony, namely: twin (bi-embryony), triple (tri-embryony) and quadruple (tetra-embryony). In the first year (2004), the triple and quadruple embryo types had the highest (54.52%) and lowest (2.02%) frequencies of occurrence, respectively. In the second year (2005), the frequencies of the triple and quadruple embryo types were 60.99% and 4.78%, respectively. There was no clear trend across all the embryo types investigated with respect to the characters measured. However, generally, the triple and the single (mono-embryony) lines performed better than the twin and quadruple lines. The impressive performance of the single and triple embryo types over the twin and quadruple embryo types with respect to the weight of pods, in 2004 and 2005 suggests that these embryo types are good candidates multiplication and distribution to farmers using the micropropagation technique. Key words: Polyembryony, growth, yield, fluted pumpkin, Telfairia occidentalis.


The input signal has a great influence on the performance of the system in digital control system. Processing of input signals is important to get useful signal in has processing of digital signal finite impulse response (fir) filter plays on important role. The aim of this paper is digital FIR filter designed by different window techniques perform better for reducing noise various window method such as Blackman window, Kaiser window, tucky window. We found that filter designing by window method is easy and fast.


ABSTRACT The traditional scholarly appraisal of Leonardo's Giant Crossbow design dismisses it as a fanciful object, although often with praise of it as a quintessential example of his technical draftsmanship. The author offers evidence of Leonardo's likely intent that the drawing function as a reliable plan with which readers of a treatise on military engineering could consider a strategy, or an imaginative solution (a fantasia), for building the full-scale giant crossbow. At issue are the agreements between the illustrated dimensions and the written specifications, the proportional consistency of those dimensions and the possible use of Archimedean geometry to determine the primary dimensions.


Providing processes with an eventual leader service is an important issue when one has to design and implement a middleware layer on top of a failure-prone asynchronous distributed system. This invited lecture investigates this problem. It first shows that such a service cannot be built if the underlying system is fully asynchronous. Then, the paper visits several additional behavioral assumptions that have been proposed in the literature to cope with this impossibility and presents corresponding eventual leader election protocols. This lecture can be seen as a guided tour of the eventual leader service problem, whose aim is to benefit researchers and system engineers working in distributed middleware built on top of asynchronous networks.


Submicrometer-sized high-index Mie resonators attract significant interest in photonic applications due to their capabilities to manipulate light. 2-dimensional metamaterials or metasurfaces consisting of arrays of such resonators on a device surface can be used in the flat optics, sensors, and other applications. Here, we report on the comprehensive nanoscale characterization and optical properties of nearly regular SiGe Mie resonator arrays on a Si surface fabricated using a simple and low-cost method. We achieved control on the surface morphology by depositing Ge on the Si(100) surface at elevated temperatures 890–960 °C and obtained arrays of submicrometer/micrometer low-Ge-content SiGe lenslike islands via dewetting when the Ge content was >4%. At the lower Ge content, we observed the formation of a continuous SiGe film via wetting. We used Raman microscopy not only for the Ge content and stress control but also for studying photonic properties of the islands and their coupling with the Si substrate. In contrast to the elastic light scattering, we clearly distinguished visible light Raman signals from the islands themselves and from the substrate areas under the islands enhanced compared to the signal from the open substrate. Calculation of the light electric field distribution in the islands and the substrate demonstrate how the islands trap the light and forward it into the high-index substrate. This explains the island-induced reflection suppression and Si substrate Raman enhancement, which we observe experimentally. Such an SiGe-island array is a promising metasurface for the improvement of Si photosensors and solar-energy device performance.Submicrometer-sized high-index Mie resonators attract significant interest in photonic applications due to their capabilities to manipulate light. 2-dimensional metamaterials or metasurfaces consisting of arrays of such resonators on a device surface can be used in the flat optics, sensors, and other applications. Here, we report on the comprehensive nanoscale characterization and optical properties of nearly regular SiGe Mie resonator arrays on a Si surface fabricated using a simple and low-cost method. We achieved control on the surface morphology by depositing Ge on the Si(100) surface at elevated temperatures 890–960 °C and obtained arrays of submicrometer/micrometer low-Ge-content SiGe lenslike islands via dewetting when the Ge content was >4%. At the lower Ge content, we observed the formation of a continuous SiGe film via wetting. We used Raman microscopy not only for the Ge content and stress control but also for studying photonic properties of the islands and their coupling with the Si substrate....


Annual sardine Sardina pilchardus landings from 1906 to 2002 off the northwest coast of the Iberian Peninsula vary according to solar activity. When the solar cycle is short, there is a trend towards increasing water transport onshore, which favours larval retention in areas close to the coast and, hence, sardine catches increase. However, when the solar cycle is longer, the trend is toward increasing water transport offshore, carrying eggs and larvae into areas where there is not enough food to survive and, therefore, decreasing sardine catches. These findings reveal the potential importance of solar activity on all biological process affected by coastal upwelling, including pelagic fisheries.


Abstract The treatment of choice for traumatized and difficult patients is psychoanalysis or psychoanalytical therapy followed by intensive group analysis for an unlimited period of time. The group is able to help the analyst make therapeutic use of inevitable difficulties in countertransference processes. Also, traumatized and difficult patients are likely to create the basic assumption of Incohesion: Aggregation/Massification, and to personify the roles associated with it. These processes can be used in order to provide such patients with appropriate therapeutic attention involving both containment and holding, and interpretation. Extensive clinical data from psychoanalysis and group analysis are used to illustrate both this clinical approach and the author's theory of Incohesion.


Presences That Disturb examines the historical and cultural contexts That determined the Romantic self in a revolutionary decade. It explores the ways in which canonical writers such as Wordsworth, Coleridge and Keats, and significant political figures such as John Thelwall imaginatively identified with certain emblematic Presences - from the Dark-Age hermit-king Tewdrig to the Polish patriot-General Kosciusko and the Welsh jacobin bard Edward Williams - as instructive models and haunting second selves. Addressing recent new historicist critiques, this highly original analysis of Romantic identity discusses both the subtle ways in which these crucial but neglected Presences inhabit literary texts and their broader cultural impact. Damian Walford Davies offers a wholly new perspective on Romanticism by rehistoricising canonical works in relation to marginalised Welsh figures, narratives and locations. Wales and the ideologically-troubling space of the Wye Valley are revealed as sites in which Romanticism came to terms with history. Drawing on a wide range of archival material, Presences That Disturb also enhances our understanding of how a number of cultural voices and discourses, from antiquarianism and Bardism to topographical description, county history and the tour, determined the shape of canonical Romanticism.


Hydrogen Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry (HDX-MS) is a powerful technique to monitor the intrinsic and conformational dynamics of proteins. Most HDX-MS experiments compare protein states (e.g. apoprotein vs liganded) and provide detailed information on differential dynamics between them obtained from multiple overlapping peptides. However, differential dynamics are difficult to compare across protein derivatives, oligomeric assemblies, homologues and samples treated under different buffer and protease conditions. A main reason is that peptide-based D-uptake differences do not inform on absolute intrinsic dynamics at the level of single aminoacyl residues. Such information is offered by protection factors, i.e. the position of the local equilibrium between the D-exchange-competent 'open' state and the non-exchanging 'closed' state. We present PyHDX, a software tool to calculate protection factors and Gibbs free energies typically within minutes from HDX-MS-derived peptide lists. PyHDX provides intrinsic information on the thermodynamics of protein dynamics at single-residue level. An interactive web interface further streamlines the process of transforming peptide lists to either coloured linear sequence maps or 3D structures of Gibbs free energies/protection factors. Availability PyHDX source code is released under the MIT license and can be accessed at the project's GitHub page.


Hyperlinked video is video in which specific objects are made selectable by some form of user interface, and the user's interactions with these objects modify the presentation of the video. Identifying and tracking the objects remains one of the chief difficulties in authoring hyperlinked video; we solve this problem through the use of a video tracking and segmentation algorithm that uses color, texture, motion, and position parameters. An author uses a computer mouse to scribble roughly on each desired object in a frame of video, and the system generates a segmentation mask for that frame and following frames. We have applied this technique in the production of a soap opera program, with the result that the user can inquire about purchasing clothing and furnishings used in the show. We will discuss this and other uses of the technology, describe our experiences in using the segmentation algorithm for hyperlinked video purposes in both broadcast and on-demand modes, and present several different user-interface methods appropriate for hyperlinked video.


Offshore wind farms are part of the transition to renewable sources of energy and both the total numbers and size of wind turbines are rapidly increasing. While the impact of underwater sound related to construction work has been in the focus of research and regulation, few data exist on the potential impact of underwater sound from operational wind farms. Here, we reviewed published sound levels of underwater sound from operational wind farms and found an increase with size of wind turbines expressed in terms of their nominal power. This trend was identified in both broadband and turbine-specific spectral band sound pressure levels (SPLs). For a nominal power of 10 MW, the trends in broadband SPLs and turbine-specific spectral band SPLs yielded source levels of 170 and 177 dB re 1 μPa m, respectively. The shift from using gear boxes to direct drive technology is expected to reduce the sound level by 10 dB. Using the U.S. regulatory criterion for behavioral disruption for continuous noise (i.e., level B), a single 10MW direct drive turbine is expected to cause behavioral response in marine mammals up to 1.4 km distance from the turbine, compared to 6.3 km for a turbine with gear box.


DOI https://doi.org/ 10.1055/s-0040-1717832 ISSN 2348-0548. © 2020. Indian Society of Neuroanaesthesiology and Critical Care. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit.


Not only has been economic inequality on the rise, but also the research agenda on inequality has moved decisively from the fringes to the center of policy and academic interest. This new concern and concentration in respect to this topic, data records, and methodological approaches have given rise to a vast amount of literature. It is for this reason that I review the most important recent works engaging with the origins of economic inequality – a debate which remains highly controversial. The usual categorization to explain the different storytelling – "to be or not to be neoliberal" – seems inappropriate. In this review on "the rockstars of the realm" (Thomas Piketty, Anthony Atkinson, Branko Milanovic and Walter Scheidel), I argue that the question and reason behind different approaches is instead: politics or the economy, which is the master that defines the space for action? The gradually established allegory of "the mirrored hourglass of inequality" illustrates the salience of this cleavage.


Background The effectiveness of insecticide treated nets is under threat across Africa south of the Sahara from the selection of pyrethroid resistance in Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes. To maintain progress against malaria it is necessary to identify alternative residual insecticides for mosquito nets. Mixtures of pyrethroid and insecticides with novel mode of action provide scope for both improved control and management of resistance through concurrent exposure to unrelated insecticides. Methods The pyrrole chlorfenapyr and the pyrethroid alphacypermethrin were tested individually and as a mixture on mosquito nets in an experimental hut trial in southern Benin against pyrethroid resistant An gambiae and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes. The nets were deliberately holed to simulate the effect of wear and tear. Results The nets treated with the mixture of chlorfenapyr 200 mg/m2 and alphacypermethrin 25 mg/m2 killed a proportion of An gambiae (77%, 95%CI: 66–86%) significantly greater than nets treated with alphacypermethrin 25 mg/m2 (30%, 95%CI: 21–41%) but not significantly different from nets treated with chlorfenapyr 200 mg/m2 (69%, 95%CI: 57–78%). The nets treated with the mixtures procured personal protection against An gambiae biting(58–62%) by a greater margin than the alphacypermethrin treated net (39%), whereas the chlorfenapyr treated net was not protective. A similar trend in mortality and blood feeding inhibition between treatments was observed in Cx quinquefasciatus to that seen in An. gambiae, although the effects were lower. A mixture of alphacypermethrin with chlorfenapyr applied at 100 mg/m2 had an effect similar to the mixture with chlorfenapyr at 200 mg/m2. Conclusion The effectiveness of ITNs against pyrethroid resistant mosquitoes was restored by the mixture: the alphacypermethrin component reduced human-vector contact while the chlorfenapyr controlled pyrethroid-resistant mosquitoes. The complementary action of these unrelated insecticides demonstrates that the combination on nets has potential for preventing malaria transmission in areas compromised by the spread of pyrethroid resistance.


Advocate is one legal upholder apparatus which has very important role. In a jurisdiction process, beside as the legal advisor of the perpetrator of criminal action, the Advocate also could functions as the attendant of victims in the case of physical violation toward the children. This protection is related with the psychological protection of the children. This research aimed to know what extent to the role of an advocated is needed to the victim in handling the case of physical violation toward the children. This research is normative research, it means the research more focused on the enforcement of positive legal norms by the form of legislations. The primary data source in this research is secondary data by the
shape of books and the opinion of the expert in legal field.
Primary legal source in this research was gained from the result of interview by the source persons. Mentod of analysis which is used in this research is qualitative analysis method and the process of drawing conclusion by deductive reasoning method. This research taken conclusion that the role of advocate toward the children as the victims of physical violation has function, and the method of handling which more specific compared to the handling of criminal action in general. Legal attendant toward the children as victims, as has been ruled in the Law Number 18 of 2003 is granted without any charge, by considering that most
of the victims' family come from low level of economical society and low level of education. The barriers which are faced in the efforts to give any attendant toward the children as the victims of violation is the behaviour of the victim which tends to isolation themselves. The advice could be submitted by the author is in order the advocate could cooperate with the other legal upholder apparatus to protect the children as the victims of violation. In addition, the advocate and the other legal upholder apparatus are hoped to be able to give more socialization on the presence of fee legal attendant.


In 1999, Mary Brennan wrote ''By recognising the child as, in effect, a 'little linguist' we are also recognising the power and effectiveness of the child's linguistic capacity'' (Brennan, 1999). The recognition of the power and effectiveness of deaf children's linguistic capacity needs to be taken a step further. Focus should be on the conditions in the children's environ-ments necessary to develop their linguistic capacity to its fullest potential and to enhance the use of this capacity in academic and social learning. This leads to the issue of the identification of the right language and instructional mix for deaf children, the topic that is addressed in this article. Essential in this process of identification are the educational objectives parents of deaf children have and the choices they make. This is related to a second issue, that of professional advice. Both issues are characterized by several dilemmas. These dilemmas are illustrated and directions are put forward that will enable educators to negotiate these dilemmas.


Background: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is widely utilized for severe cardiopulmonary insufficiency, but its application to the oncologic population has been debated given concern for increased risk of infection. This study aims to analyze the implications of infections acquired during ECMO runs in patients with malignancy. Methods: The Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) database was queried for patients with an International Classification of Diseases code of neoplasms over the last two decades (2000–2019). Culture-proven infections during ECMO runs were analyzed and compared to previously reported data for all ECMO runs. Results: Two thousand, seven hundred and fifty-seven patients met inclusion criteria. Infection acquired during ECMO run was found in 687 patients, a significantly greater proportion compared to all ECMO runs (24.9% vs 11.7%; P = .001). Adult patients had a significantly higher rate of infection (27.0%; P < .001) compared to neonatal (11.0%) and pediatric (21.4%) patients. Prevalence of infection was highest in pulmonary ECMO (29.0%), while the infection rate standardized with ECMO duration was highest in extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (55.03/1000-day ECMO run). Compared with ECMO for all diagnoses, the prevalence of Candida and Klebsiella infection was significantly higher in adult and pediatric oncologic patients. Regardless of the pathogen, the presence of infection was not associated with lower survival (38.6% vs 40.0%; P = .522). Conclusions: Oncologic patients had a significantly higher infection rate while on ECMO compared with the general ECMO population. However, the prognostic impact of these infections was minimal, thus ECMO should not be withheld in oncologic patients solely with concern for infection.


Purpose
Skin tone has been shown to impact the ability of darker-skinned athletes to maximize their earnings to potential earnings ratio. Additionally, studies of fan preference have found strong support for racial implications on team preference and ticket sales. The purpose of this paper is to test these theories empirically by examining the marginal impact of skin tone on top selling jerseys.

Design/methodology/approach
This study makes use of an ordered probit regression analysis to examine the impact of NBA players' skin tone on their jersey sales after controlling for a number of other factors. Jersey sales are measured in rank order and skin tone is captured by measuring the level of pigmentation in player profile photos.

Findings
Overall, the study finds a significantly positive relationship between skin tone and jersey sale rankings. This runs contrary to the standard literature results that darker-skinned athletes are likely to earn less and attract fewer endorsements than their lighter-skinned counterparts. More specifically, the marginal impact of skin tone is comparable to the marginal impact of individual player statistics in determining how well a player's jersey will sell.

Practical implications
If, in fact, fans are more likely to purchase jerseys from darker-skinned NBA players, it stands to reason that the standard business practice found in the literature of rewarding lighter-skinned players with higher salaries and better endorsement deals requires further investigation.

Originality/value
This study provides valuable information about athlete branding and offers insights to advertisers and sponsors seeking to align the strategy of branding athletes for increased jersey sales.


Bi2V0.9Co0.1O5.5-δ with a pure Aurivillius phase was synthesized by a sol-gel method using EDTA and citric as mixed complexing agents. It was found that homogeneous and fine powder (100-200 nm) with a pure Aurivillius phase can be produced by calcining the complex precursor at 450 °C for 1h in air. The sintering properties of Bi2V0.9Co0.1O5.5-δ were investigated in the range of 560-680 °C with respect to relativity density. Sintering at 640 °C was ascertained to be preferred for Bi2V0.9Co0.1O5.5-δ, producing a dense microstructure with uniform grains around 3-5 μm. The Bi2V0.9Co0.1O5.5-δ ceramic exhibits an oxygen ionic conductivity of 1.0×10-1 S·cm-1 at 600 °C. The difference between the activation energies for the ionic conducting in low and high temperature regions is qualitatively interpreted in terms of an order-disorder phase transition. This research demonstrates the advantage of the EDTA-citrate method in preparing Bi2V0.9Co0.1O5.5-δ with respect to the simplicity of synthesis process, desired morphology of synthesized powder, low sintering temperature and superior ionic conducting properties of ceramic specimen.


In this study, we first examined the roles of metabolic signaling, specifically global AMPK modulators and mitochondria-specific AMPK inhibitor (Mito-AIP), as well as mechanical force in beta catenin signaling through interaction between osteocytes and precursor osteoblasts as well as osteocytes and breast cancer cells. We also evaluated the role of metabolic signaling in Rho GTPases including RhoA, Rac1 and Cdc42. We observed that AMPK activator (A769662) and Mito-AMPK stimulated beta catenin translocation to the nucleus, indicating the activation of Wnt signaling, while Mito-AIP did not significantly affect beta catenin activation in osteoblasts. We also observed that osteocyte conditioned medium (CM) treated with Mito-AIP substantially increased beta catenin signaling in osteoblasts, while decreasing beta catenin signaling in breast cancer cells. CM of osteocytes treated with fluid flow increased beta catenin signaling in breast cancer cells. A769662 and Mito-AIP also decreased the activities of RhoA, Rac1, and Cdc42 in cancer cells which are known to regulate cancer cell migration.Additionally, we evaluated the roles of intracellular and extracellular moesin (MSN) protein in well-established oncogenic signaling proteins, such as FAK, Src, and RhoA as well beta catenin signaling. Constitutively active MSN (MSN+) significantly increased FAK and Src activities in cancer cells, but decreased the activity of RhoA. Surprisingly, CM of mesenchymal stem cells treated with MSN+ decreased the activities of FAK, Src, and RhoA, suggesting the inhibitory role of extracellular MSN in tumor-promoting signaling. Our results suggest the distinct role of AMPK signaling, specifically at mitochondria of osteocytes, in the activities of beta-catenin signaling in osteoblasts and breast cancer cells and the distinct role of intracellular and extracellular MSN in these two types of cell.


The coupling of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to proteins (PEGylation) has become a standard method to prolong blood circulation of imaging probes and other proteins, liposomes, and nanoparticles. However, concerns have arisen about the safety of PEG, especially with respect to its poor biodegradability and antibody formation, including new evidence about preformed anti-PEG antibodies in a quarter of healthy blood donors. Here, we apply a new hydrophilic polypeptide XTEN to extend the blood half-life of an imaging probe. As an example, we chose annexin A5 (AnxA5), a recombinant 35-kD protein extensively used for the in vitro and in vivo detection of apoptosis, that has a blood half-life of less than 7 min in mice, limiting its accumulation in target tissues and therefore limiting its utility as an imaging reagent. Methods: The sequence of XTEN was developed by Volker Schellenberger and colleagues by evolutionary in vitro optimization to yield PEG-like properties but provides several key advantages in comparison to PEG. The DNA of a 288-amino-acid version of XTEN with an additional N-terminal cysteine for site-directed coupling was fused to AnxA5 (XTEN-AnxA5). The fusion protein could be highly expressed in Escherichia coli and efficiently purified using XTEN conveniently as a purification tag. It was labeled with a thiol-reactive fluorescent dye and via a chelator with a radionuclide. Results: SPECT/CT imaging revealed a blood half-life of about 1 h in mice, markedly longer than the 7-min blood half-life for unmodified AnxA5, which should allow improved imaging of target tissues with low perfusion. In comparison to AnxA5, XTEN-AnxA5 demonstrated a substantially higher accumulation in tumors under chemotherapy in near-infrared fluorescence imaging. Conclusion: The presented method allows the expression and production of high amounts of long-circulating XTEN-AnxA5 without the necessity of PEGylation, thereby simplifying the synthesis while avoiding labeling-induced inactivation of AnxA5 and potential adverse effects of PEG. It is readily applicable to other recombinant protein or peptide-based imaging probes and allows fine-tuning of the desired blood half-life, because longer XTEN variants yield longer blood half-lives.


Film cooling is a widely adopted technology in high pressure stages of gas turbines in both propulsion and power-generation areas to keep the turbine components in the safe operation range. This cooling concept was first introduced by Prof. Goldstein's group from University of Minnesota in 1970s. Much of the follow up research efforts have been focused on the film hole shapes, measurement techniques, and film cooling performance under various mainstream and coolant side operating conditions. Here, a comprehensive developmental review from mid 2000s is presented to summarize the technical improvements and future path. Due to recent rapid advancements in the areas of measurement techniques (e.g., Pressure sensitive paints) and metal additive manufacturing, the film cooling technology has undergone significant changes. This article provides a historical perspective with over five decades of innovations in the area, and the effects of injection angle, hole shape, density ratio, momentum-flux ratio, blowing ratio, advective capacity ratio, and freestream conditions, etc. The impact of additive manufacturing on the film hole design strategies, current challenges posed by state-of-the-art AM technology, and pathways for future research is then discussed thoroughly. Detailed discussion is provided on the AM print quality in terms of dimensional accuracy, surface roughness and its subsequent effect on the adiabatic film cooling effectiveness and net heat flux reduction. A comparative study is performed with the AM assisted film hole fabrication and conventionally manufactured film holes.


Background and Objectives: Increased perinatal mortality incidence has been seen amongst patients whose precise gestational age is unknown. Trans cerebellar diameter is a newer parameter in the estimation of gestational age. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim to determine the accuracy of trans cerebellar diameter in predicting gestational age during second and third trimester of pregnancy.
Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted in the Mithila Hospital,Janakpurdham for a period of 1 year. The study included a total of 160 females with singleton pregnancies during their 2nd or 3rd trimester. The characteristic butterfly appearance of the cerebellum hinted the location of posterior fossa. All the data was arranged in a tabulated form and analyzed statistically. Data was expressed in the form of mean with standard deviation. SPSS software16 was used for the analysis of the data.
Results: The present study enrolled 160 subjects, out of which 80 were in their second trimester and 80 were in their third trimester.  The mean transcerebellar diameter of subjects in second trimester was 20.22±4.87 and it was 36.01±2.89 amongst subjects in their third trimester. As the gestational age advances, the transcerebellar diameter also increases with it in a linear manner.
Conclusion: Transcerebellar diameter can be used as a reliable parameter to estimate the gestational age and is also not altered in cases of intrautering growth restriction.


Elasmobranchs, the taxonomic group comprising sharks, skates and rays, play important roles in society and marine ecology but several species in this subclass are under threat. This collection aims to be an open access hub for articles concerning all areas of elasmobranch biology and conservation. The collection is indefinitely open to further submissions and so will continue to grow as additional articles are added.


Abstract While party splits are a relatively frequent phenomenon in many new and established democracies, the systematic empirical research on electoral competition after schisms is limited. The analysis of more than 200 splits across 25 European countries in the post-war period addresses this gap in the research. The study shows that the vote shares of rump and splinter parties in the first election after fission are related to their membership strength and the share of splinter legislators. This relationship is present in both Western Europe and Central and Eastern Europe. Additionally, economic growth affects the support of rump parties that hold government office while party system fragmentation and party funding regulations correlate with the electoral performance of splinter parties.


The modern information society will continue to emerge, and demand for wireless communication services will grow. Future generation wireless networks are considered necessary for the support of emerging services with their increasing requirements. Future generation wireless networks are characterized by a distributed, dynamic, self-organizing architecture (I. F. Akyildiz et al., 2006). These wireless networks are broadly categorized into different wireless networks according to their specific characteristics. Typical examples include Ad-Hoc/Mesh Networks, Sensor Networks, Cognitive Radio Networks, etc as shown in figure 1. These wireless networks could then constitute the infrastructure of numerous applications such as emergency and health-care systems, military, gaming, advertisements, customer-to-customer applications, etc. Not only their importance in military applications is growing, but also their impact on business is increasing. The emergence of these wireless networks created many open issues in network design too. More and more researchers are putting their efforts in designing the future generation wireless networks.


BACKGROUND
The objective of this study was to systematically review and quantitatively synthesize all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that have compared important outcomes in critically ill patients who received an administration of probiotics.

METHODS
A systematic literature search of PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials was conducted using specific search terms. Eligible studies were RCTs that compared the effect of prebiotics, probiotics, or synbiotics administration with control on ICU and hospital mortality rates in critically ill adult patients. Weighted mean differences (WMDs), pooled ORs, and 95% CIs were calculated using the Mantel-Haenszel fixed- and random-effects models.

RESULTS
Thirteen trials with 1,439 patients were analyzed. Probiotics did not significantly reduce ICU (OR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.63-1.15) or hospital (OR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.65-1.23) mortality. By contrast, probiotics administration reduced the incidence of ICU-acquired pneumonia (OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.42-0.79) and was associated with a shorter stay in the ICU (WMD, -1.49 days; 95% CI, -2.12 to -0.87 days). Finally, probiotics use was not associated with a shorter duration of mechanical ventilation (WMD, -0.18 days; 95% CI, -1.72-1.36 days) or a shorter hospital length of stay (WMD, -0.45 days; 95% CI, -1.41-0.52 days).

CONCLUSIONS
The present meta-analysis suggests that the administration of probiotics did not significantly reduce ICU or hospital mortality rates but did reduce the incidence of ICU-acquired pneumonia and ICU length of stay.


The project began as a proposal for an aerial leaflet drop over the city of Vienna and publication entitled Demand for Surrender commissioned by the Austrian Cultural Foundation (ACF), London. The work formed part of subsequent ACF publication Art Extraterritorial (ISBN 0-9520274-6-1). Project selected for funding and administrational support by HDTS and Andrea Zittel.

Following the 9/11 terrorist attack and advent of war in Iraq restrictions on airspace made it impossible to carry out the project in Vienna, an alternative outcome for the project was sought. Previous collaborations with Centre for Land Use Interpretation (CLUI), Los Angeles led to the development of the notion of a mainly un-witnessed performative action that would then be filmed and reported back to an audience. A suitably remote site was located in the Mojave Desert, Southern California by CLUI and 36,000 black standard NATO sized leaflets were dropped onto the site by light airplane over the course of two hours and filmed by camera crew. In co-operation and at the invitation of the organisation High Desert Test Sites (HDTS) and artist Andrea Zittel. Via HDTS permission was given to air the short film repeatedly on local television in the Joshua Tree area of Southern California. The action's act of dispersal had become its language, continually threatening a reality - a form of language bomb.

Vasseur's work makes parallels between notions of 'the real' in modern warfare and performative art practice as an exercise or dramatisation that also employs, entertains and maintains this paradigm in the same manner as a military exercise. The project was included in a discussion concerning the legacy of land art, Artforum, September 2006.

It was exhibited March, 2007, One Way Street, Sheppard Fine Arts Gallery, University of Nevada, Reno, curators Dr Amanda Beech, Matthew Poole. The exhibition toured Europe 2007.


Author(s): Low, Philip Steven | Abstract: Despite over 70 years of active research in mammalian EEGs, most of the neural structures responsible for sleep and waking rhythms have yet to be identified. At time of writing, three major beliefs pervade the field of sleep : 1) The neocortex is largely necessary for the production of "mammalian" sleep rhythms; 2) Human REM sleep is "paradoxical" insofar as the oscillations produced during REM sleep are "awake-like"; 3) Human sleep can only be objectively analyzed by human scorer. This way of looking at sleep is in need of major revision, as : 1) Birds, devoid of a neocortex, can produce oscillations which bare great similarity with those observed in mammals, in terms of both their raw signals and ultradian properties; 2) A temporal map of brain activity produced using a single channel of EEG is sufficient to clearly show that REM sleep and Waking have different and separable EEG profiles. Human REM sleep is therefore not paradoxical. 3) Sleep and Waking Stages can in fact be easily identified computationally using a single channel of EEG, obviating the need for human based sleep scoring. Moreover, it appears that low-passing from the skull reflected in EEGs can be easily circumvented, thus providing researchers and clinicians with a non-invasive window into brain activity, with high resolution in both the time and frequency domains. Furthermore, the possibility of there being yet another human sleep state should be fully explored. The use of these and similar techniques will hopefully minimize the significant strain placed on both humans and animals in at least the contexts of medicine as well as basic and clinical research


The paper is concerned with intermodulation distortion effects when interference occurs between satellite communication systems and trunk radio line-of-sight systems. Curves are presented showing distortion levels (which are proportional to the ratio of unwanted to wanted carrier powers) for various expected modulation conditions and carrier separations. These curves form the basis for recommendations in a companion paper regarding allowable radiated power levels in both the satellite and the line-of-sight systems. It appears that a particularly dangerous situation exists when the satellite system is lightly loaded. Permanent artificial dispersal of the satellite carrier seems necessary, and this is considered in some detail.


A 60-year-old man with cirrhosis and a remote history of colon cancer, for which he had undergone a hemicolectomy, presented to the emergency department with a fever. He reported no diarrhea, vomiting, or abdominal pain. His temperature was 38.5°C. There was no tenderness to palpation across his abdomen. Laboratory studies revealed a white-cell count of 12,300 per cubic millimeter (normal range, 3600 to 11,000) and a total bilirubin level of 2.0 mg per deciliter (34.2 μmol per liter) (normal range, 0.2 to 1.3 mg per deciliter [3.4 to 22.2 μmol per liter]), although his baseline total bilirubin level was 2.0 mg per deciliter owing to his liver disease. The aminotransferase levels, alkaline phosphatase levels, and urinalysis results were within the normal range. Two sets of blood cultures obtained on admission grew Escherichia coli. Computed tomography, which was performed to determine possible intraabdominal sources of infection, revealed no abscess, ascites, or colitis but did show multiple small, round, calcified gallstones (Panels A and B). Although no definitive source of the bacteremia was found, the patient became afebrile within the first 48 hours after antibiotic treatment was initiated. Cholecystectomy was considered but not pursued because of the patient's high operative risk owing to cirrhosis. He completed a course of antibiotics and was doing well at a follow-up visit 11 months after his discharge from the hospital. Ongoing surveillance has not identified a recurrence of colon cancer.


The publication of another edition in the Students Aids series, and that in Forensic Medicine and Toxicology might well pass without much notice or comment. In most universities students are no longer required to pass a medical examination in Medical Jurisprudence and therefore are not required to familiarize themselves with the subject. One cannot even conjure up a feverish pre-examination companionship. More's the pity. Comparison with its predecessor is of interest as it has been completely rewritten with almost 100 more pages. There are now three sections instead of two due to the author separating chapters on the law in relation to medicine and dentistry from those on practical forensic medicine. Although the latter occupies less than one-quarter of the book and lacks substance, it contains many useful tips for the practitioner or pathologist involved in Coroner's Courts. One may criticize the causes of sudden death (page J22) as being inadequate and the succeeding paragraph on lymphatism as of no value especially as it omits any reference to vagal inhibition. Important features of the book are references to The Coroner's Rules (1953) with much information regarding their interpretation and procedure where injury, surgical operation or foul play may have assisted death. This makes the book extremely useful for the house officer and a welcome and valuable edition to the library of the general practitioner and pathologist. The section on toxicology is also informative and includes important chapters on ansesthetics, household and insecticides poisons as well as more traditional ones. This latest edition might stand as a new textbook on its own account instead of hiding its light modestly in the Aid Series. It is good value. D. A. L. BOWEN.


ABSTRACT Three missense SURF1 mutations identified in patients with Leigh syndrome (LS) were evaluated in the yeast homolog Shy1 protein. Introduction of two of the Leigh mutations, F249T and Y344D, in Shy1 failed to significantly attenuate the function of Shy1 in cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) biogenesis as seen with the human mutations. In contrast, a G137E substitution in Shy1 results in a nonfunctional protein conferring a CcO deficiency. The G137E Shy1 mutant phenocopied shy1Δ cells in impaired Cox1 hemylation and low mitochondrial copper. A genetic screen for allele-specific suppressors of the G137E Shy1 mutant revealed Coa2, Cox10, and a novel factor designated Coa4. Coa2 and Cox10 are previously characterized CcO assembly factors. Coa4 is a twin CX9C motif mitochondrial protein localized in the intermembrane space and associated with the inner membrane. Cells lacking Coa4 are depressed in CcO activity but show no impairment in Cox1 maturation or formation of the Shy1-stabilized Cox1 assembly intermediate. To glean insights into the functional role of Coa4 in CcO biogenesis, an unbiased suppressor screen of coa4Δ cells was conducted. Respiratory function of coa4Δ cells was restored by the overexpression of CYC1 encoding cytochrome c. Cyc1 is known to be important at an ill-defined step in the assembly and/or stability of CcO. This new link to Coa4 may begin to further elucidate the role of Cyc1 in CcO biogenesis.


The study was a descriptive survey, designed to determine the graduates' perceptions of the diploma in agricultural education courses offered at the Botswana College of Agriculture. The specific objectives were to: (I) determine the perceived usefulness of the courses taught at the college for teaching agricultural science, (2) determine the perceptions of the graduates about the relevance of practical training programmes to teaching agricultural science, and (3) determine the headmasters' perceptions of graduate teachers of the diploma in agricultural education in the schools. The findings revealed that the majority of the socio-economic, crop science and production, agricultural engineering, animal science and production, and teacher education courses were rated very useful while the majority of the basic science courses were rated useful. The headmasters had very good perceptions of the agricultural education diploma graduate teachers. The diploma graduates rated the majority of the practical training programmes relevant to teaching agricultural science in the schools. It was recommended that the diploma in agricultural education curriculum be reviewed based on the findings of the study and that the agriculture teachers be provided in-service training programmes in communication skills, time management and human relations.


How does South Africa's extremely concentrated income inequality affect the incidence of property crime? Studies based on developed countries with much lower inequality levels show that property crime increases monotonically with inequality; but this is not the case for South Africa. We use 2011 South African census data and property crime data locally disaggregated to the police precinct level. The best fitting model is a flexible one including non-linear inequality and income effects as well as an interaction between these two variables. We link this result to extreme inequality signalling both that local elites should invest in security but also relative credit-constraints for potential criminals. Our results are robust to seven different inequality measures, but the precise form of these results varies based on how sensitive measures are to the top or bottom of the income distribution. We conclude that the usual monotonic relationship between property crime and inequality is not robust in high-inequality contexts like South Africa and that measurement of inequality matters in order to correctly specify this relationship.


In marine ecosystems, phytoplankton produce neurotoxic alkaloids in response to lipids secreted by predatory zooplankton. Through photosynthesis, marine phytoplankton are responsible for half of the world's carbon fixation. Interspecies communication between phytoplankton and their predator, zooplankton, is critical for the maintenance of the marine food web and ocean nutrients. Signaling compounds secreted by copepods (one type of grazing zooplankton) increase the production of harmful neurotoxic alkaloids by the algal bloom-forming dinoflagellate, Alexandrium minutum. Selander et al. identified six polar lipids that they named copepodamides A to F, which could be purified from extracts of Centropages typicus, a copepod. Each of the copepodamides contained one of the following fatty acyl groups derived from ω-3: docosahexaenoic acid 22:6Δ4,7,10,13,16,19 (DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid 20:5Δ5,8,11,14,17 (EPA), or stearidonic acid (SDA) 18:4Δ6,9,12,15. Mass spectrometry (MS) analysis of chemically degraded fragments revealed that copepodamides A, B, and C possessed a lipid-based scaffold, which the authors called copepodamide G, coupled to either DHA, EPA, or SDA, respectively, whereas copepodamides D, E, and F contained a copepodamide H lipid-based scaffold coupled to one of the ω-3 derived fatty acyl groups. NMR and MS analysis established that the lipid side chain of copepodamide H was a hydroxylated analog of the isoprenoid phytanic acid and that copepodamide G differed from copepodamide H by only two atomic mass units. Dose-response experiments showed that purified copepodamides A, B, and C were 10 times more potent than copepodamides D, E, and F, when individually tested for induction of toxin by A. minutum. Species of copepods that secreted higher proportions of A, B, or C copepodamides induced the greatest release of toxin by A. minutum. In sea water collected at different depths from the northeast Atlantic Ocean, the copepodamide concentration showed a positive correlation with copepod density and was highest near the surface. This study identifies an interspecies lipid signal used by plankton in an aquatic environment. E. Selander, J. Kubanek, M. Hamberg, M. X. Andersson, G. Cervin, H. Pavia, Predator lipids induce paralytic shellfish toxins in bloom-forming algae. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 112, 6395–6400 (2015). [Abstract] [Full Text]


National Digital Learning Resources (NDLR), now a mainstreamed service in Ireland, provides a national resource bank of digital materials for learning and teaching and was the first such initiative to involve all HEA-funded institutions. The authors undertook two parts of a three-phase internal evaluation of the NDLR pilot project in 2008. The evaluation focused particularly on describing and analysing the experiences of Communities of Practice established as part of the NDLR, and made recommendations for these communities in terms of their further development. In this paper, we describe the evaluation methods and we present findings from the evaluative studies. We discuss the interaction between the communities and the repository itself, and how the evaluation pointed the way for longer term use of the repository by individuals and groups. O'Keeffe et al. (2008) have previously examined the 'formal' and 'informal' nature of NDLR Communities of Practice, and we seek to extend this research by presenting four models to describe the communities as they currently function. NDLR Communities of Practice drew on existing networks, or in some cases established new ones, to foster and stimulate the use of the national digital repository. Although these networks call on the terms of Lave and Wenger's theoretical model (Lave & Wenger 2002), they might not conform to a traditional view of Communities of Practice. The paper will briefly review Communities of Practice theory to analyse the evaluation data, and will then describe the four models of community identified. Specifically, we examine the structure of the communities, and the ways in which individuals and special interests have been accommodated in ways that might not previously have been considered part of a Communities of Practice framework. The paper concludes with presentation of an 'evolutionary pathway' for NDLR communities, and we discuss how this will take shape as the project moves from pilot to mainstream. We offer proposals for how 'smart' communities can expand in the context of a full NDLR service.


Many nondestructive evaluations and structural health monitoring techniques rely on the analysis of guided waves propagation in large regions of plate like structures, but such ultrasound inspection techniques are often quite slow and require human interaction. For these reasons, extracting information related to the damage condition of a structure can be a time consuming process. Therefore, it is necessary to have fast and accurate techniques for damage detection and quantification. This research describes a method using compressive sensing (CS) and local wavenumber estimation techniques that can lead to fast scanning and damage detection procedures. The compressed sensing technique reduces the amount of measurements needed, thus achieving faster scanning. In this paper, it is demonstrated that such procedure does not compromise the detection accuracy, as a matter of fact, it allows to improve the performance of damage imaging tasks by removing noise artifacts. In the experiments detailed in this work, guided waves are excited with a piezoelectric transducer bonded to the inspected structure and sensed by an air-coupled probe mounted on a CNC machine for horizontal and vertical scanning. Full wavefields are rapidly reconstructed by applying the compressive sensing technique. Then, local wavenumber domain analysis is performed for processing guided wavefield data. To image the defect itself, we employed the application of both compressive sensing and local wavenumber damage quantification techniques to guided wavefield data for fast damage imaging process. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed techniques, several experiments were performed on aluminum structure, emulating defect with a mass. The results demonstrate that the techniques are very effective in localizing damage with high inspection speed by sampling just the 10% of the Nyquist scanpoints.


Large-scale diffusion-based generative models have led to breakthroughs in text-conditioned high-resolution image synthesis. Starting from random noise, such text-to-image diffusion models gradually synthesize images in an iterative fashion while conditioning on text prompts. We find that their synthesis behavior qualitatively changes throughout this process: Early in sampling, generation strongly relies on the text prompt to generate text-aligned content, while later, the text conditioning is almost entirely ignored. This suggests that sharing model parameters throughout the entire generation process may not be ideal. Therefore, in contrast to existing works, we propose to train an ensemble of text-to-image diffusion models specialized for different synthesis stages. To maintain training efficiency, we initially train a single model, which is then split into specialized models that are trained for the specific stages of the iterative generation process. Our ensemble of diffusion models, called eDiff-I, results in improved text alignment while maintaining the same inference computation cost and preserving high visual quality, outperforming previous large-scale text-to-image diffusion models on the standard benchmark. In addition, we train our model to exploit a variety of embeddings for conditioning, including the T5 text, CLIP text, and CLIP image embeddings. We show that these different embeddings lead to different behaviors. Notably, the CLIP image embedding allows an intuitive way of transferring the style of a reference image to the target text-to-image output. Lastly, we show a technique that enables eDiff-I's"paint-with-words"capability. A user can select the word in the input text and paint it in a canvas to control the output, which is very handy for crafting the desired image in mind. The project page is available at https://deepimagination.cc/eDiff-I/