Pastoralists make the most of resources distributed unevenly over space and time to provide a range of goods and services. Operating in a shock-prone environment, pastoralists deploy endogenous strategies such as mobility, diversification in agriculture or in non-agricultural activities, management of social networks, etc. However, accurate and reliable knowledge about the economics of pastoralism is yet to be understood and absorbed at the local, regional and national levels, based on reliable data. In the absence of such knowledge, governments and private firms neglect investment that would allow those systems to better connect to markets, and are unable to provide appropriate services, infrastructure and tenure security. With Argentina, Chad and Mongolia as pilot cases, this study by CIRAD, commissioned by FAO, funded by IFAD and facilitated by pastoralist associations (Fundacion Gran Chaco, Reseau Billital Maroobe, and the National Federation of Pasture User Groups), aimed to fulfil this knowledge gap through a multifunctional assessment of pastoral production systems and their economic contribution. Importantly, incorporating self-consumption of pastoralist households' productions themselves as an key component of gross revenue shows a significant increase in their contribution to national GDPs. The diversified sources of revenue and the importance of self-consumption also indicate that pastoral systems fulfil a range of functions (income, food security, flexible labor, etc.). Further, the study promotes close cooperation between pastoralist associations, research institutions and development partners. Such new partnerships allow strengthening the capacity of those pastoralist associations in collecting and managing their own data, as well as using this data in policy dialogue.


Background Concussions are a significant burden in youth ice hockey that can have serious health consequences if not identified and managed appropriately. Parents' role in facilitating identification and appropriate concussion management as well as child education is vital. This project aims to understand parent and player concussion knowledge and potential barriers to physician diagnosis and appropriate return to play after concussion. Methods Using a mixed methods study design, 63 players (ages 11–14) and 82 parents from Vancouver and Calgary (Canada) completed a survey on concussion knowledge. Qualitative interviews of 6 mothers and 7 fathers explored the barriers and facilitators associated with physician follow-up after a concussion. Results All parents and 93.6% players identified concussion as a brain injury. When asked to identify concussion symptoms from a list with 8 concussion and 8 distractor symptoms, parents and players had similar mean scores (12.7 and 12.3/16 respectively). Only 50.8% of parents and 14.3% of players were able to identify the correct course of action for all three scenario-based concussion management questions. Finally, only 59.8% of parents and 11.1% of players recognised the term "graduated return to play protocol". A preliminary analysis of themes from the interviews highlighted barriers to physician follow-up: Parents' belief that the concussion was not serious, concussion symptoms resolving prior to physician visit, and physician availability. Facilitators of appropriate behaviour: Team personnel explaining to the parents the importance of physician visits at time of injury and a team protocol that enforces physician-based management. Conclusions Concussion awareness is improving but there are still gaps in hockey parents' and players' understanding of management. Understanding beliefs, barriers and facilitators of proper concussion management behaviour may assist with reducing the consequences that can arise due to mismanagement.


Reducing residual vibration is very crucial to enhance the speed and precision of XY stages which are often employed by manufacturing/measuring machines. Input shaping is known to be a very effective tool for suppressing such residual vibration without introducing any complicated sensors and feedback control. This paper investigated the effects of input command discretization parameters in real-time input shaping, such as discretizing interval and duration time, on the dynamic performance of a XY stage equipped with servo motors. A simulation model is established to investigate the dynamic performance of the XY stage. In order to evaluate the real-time input shaping parameters on the performance of the XY stage, two fundamental input shaping schemes, ZV(zero vibration) and ZVD(zero vibration and derivative), are implemented and tested with the discretizing interval and duration time varied. The experimental results provide a strategy to gain better performance.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the value of preincisional peritonsillar infiltration of bupivacaine hydrochloride before tonsillectomy under general anesthesia.

DESIGN
Double-blind trial with two groups comparing 0.25% bupivacaine with placebo (normal saline). The patients were followed up for 10 days after surgery.

SETTING
Department of Otolaryngology, University Hospital of Aarhus (Denmark).

PATIENTS
Men and women 18 to 40 years of age referred to our department for bilateral tonsillectomy, but with no sign of acute infection or suspected malignant neoplasm. Twenty-six patients entered the study; five were excluded for failure to complete the postoperative data; and two, one from each group, had postoperative bleeding. Data from 19 patients were analyzed, nine in the bupivacaine group and 10 in the placebo group.

INTERVENTION
One group had 5 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine hydrochloride (Marcaine) infiltrated around each tonsil, the other an identical placebo (normal saline) infiltration.

OUTCOME MEASURES
A visual analogue scale was used as the primary efficacy measure. The daily intake of analgesics and a possible weight loss were registered.

RESULTS
A notably lower score on the visual analogue scale was found in the bupivacaine group.

CONCLUSIONS
Preoperative blocking of nociceptive impulses reduces prolonged postoperative pain, but no reduction in the intake of analgesics was found. Medication was insufficient for the first postoperative days.


The stoichiometry of the oxidative phosphorylation of glutamic acid 5-semialdehyde by gamma-glutamyl phosphate reductase (glutamate semialdehyde dehydrogenase) has been established. Equimolar amounts of NADP+ and L-glutamic acid 5-semialdehyde are consumed and equimolar amounts of 5-oxiopyrroilidine-2-carboxylic acid and NADPH are formed. The end-product of the reaction is demonstrated to be 5-oxopyrrolidine-2-carboxylic acid, probably arising from the true end-product gamma-glutamyl phosphate.


We prove that the sequential functionals of some fixed types at type level 2, taking finite sequences of unary functions as arguments, do form a directed complete partial ordering. This gives a full characterisation of for which types the partially ordered set of sequential functionals has this property. As a tool, we prove a normal form theorem for the finite sequential functionals of the types in question,


Industrial robots play an important role in today's production. They are mostly tied to the production process by teached orders. To make industrial robots more flexible and more interesting for the industry, they are often additionally equipped with a vision system. Thus, they are not bound by their fixed program and able to adapt their path to each object individually. This paper explains the cooperation of a six-axis industrial robot and a 2D-Vision System. Here, the precision of the robot and the accuracy of the vision system are combined. The vision system In Sight Micro 1100 acquires quality and localization tasks. It locates the object, inspects it and judged its quality. These results are finally send to the robot controller of KUKA KRC 2 Edition 2005 in the form of coordinates and are ultimately put into action by the industrial robot KUKA KR 16-2. With the software In Sight Explorer 4.8.0 a visual order can be created and adapted to the existing conditions. It offers a variety of preset localizing and qualitative tools. Alternatively, there is the possibility to created special tools in a spreadsheet program. The paper describes the interface between vision system and robot. Finally, an inspection station for work piece quality control is created from the derived results.


The objective of this paper is to evaluate the income inequality, income distribution but also housing affordability in Poland and in Spain between 2004 and 2012. Although the general equilibrium models do not always hold, the simple partial-equilibrium models suggest that income increases at the higher end of income distribution (the 10th decile) can raise housing prices offered for the lower end of this distribution (the 1st decile). The research consists of analysis of income distribution and housing affordability and afterwards its broad and in deep compare. The structure of this comparison is divided into two levels: national and regional (two homogeneous regions, one in each country). A standard Kakawani decomposition model based on the Gini index is used for the empirical research and the data is provided by Eurostat - the EU-SILC database in the form of annual equivalised gross income and equivalised disposable income.Income inequality in Poland decreased by roughly 15% as a result of redistributive effect of social benefits and taxes. And, the impact of this redistributive effect on housing allocation was the decrease of inequality of 14,7% for property owners with no outstanding mortgage neither housing loans, 11% for property owners with outstanding mortgage (the ownership rate exceeded 82% in 2012 indeed) and 3% for tenants paying reduced rent. However, for the group of tenants paying the market price rent the inequality in fact increased by roughly 3%. Bearing in mind that Poland and Spain have passed the parallel pathways by experiencing economic and social changes and so far Spain was the model for economic and system transition. Could it be also a model for income distribution and housing affordability?


Adaptive time-frequency representations have many advantages compared with conventional methods. In this paper, a new method is proposed to adapt Smoothed Pseudo Wigner- Ville distribution to match signal's time-frequency content. It is based on maximizing a local timefrequency concentration measure for different time and frequency smoothing window lengths. Subsequently, the optimized values are used for constructing an adaptive kernel over time. The proposed transform is then applied to vibration signals of healthy and cracked shafts which are acquired through run-up, and the crack signature is obtained. Results show that enhanced improvement in resolution is obtained while the computational cost is not very high.


Abstract Donnell's model of a shallow (and thin) circular cylindrical shell is formulated by a system of three partial differential equations, only one of which contains explicit time dependence. It constitutes one of the most important linear shell models, yet problems associated with its boundary stabilization and control have not been carefully studied. In this paper, we set up the functional–analytic framework, derive dissipative boundary conditions, and determine the infinitesimal generator of the semigroup of evolution. Using a frequency domain method along with energy multipliers, we establish the result of uniform exponential decay of energy under geometric conditions identical to those of the case of a thin Kirchoff plate. Our approach, incorporating energy multipliers in the frequency domain with a contrapositive argument, appears to be new. It has the beneficial effect of avoiding the necessity to estimate lower order terms when the shell radius is not large. We also consider the case in which the domains contain angular corners; special treatment is required to handle the additional energy contributed by the twisting moments at corner points. Under the assumption of sufficient regularity, uniform exponential decay of energy is also established for such domains.


INTRODUCTION The Regulatory Studies Program of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University is dedicated to advancing knowledge about the effects of regulation on society. As part of its mission, the program conducts careful and independent analyses that employ contemporary economic scholarship to assess rulemaking proposals and their effects on the economic opportunities and the social well-being available to all members of American society.


Diagnosis of hepatobiliary diseases – An overview: [Extract]
The liver has many, diverse functions within the body and this is reflected in the many consequences of liver dysfunction. Like the kidneys, the liver has considerable functional reserve, so that significant hepatobiliary disease can exist before signs of dysfunction become evident. Clinical features of early liver disease are non-specific and include polyuria/polydipsia (PU/PD),
vomiting, lethargy and inappetence. Findings that are suggestive of more severe hepatobiliary disease include: icterus, hyperammonaemia (leading to hepatic encephalopathy), hypoglycaemia, ascites and haemostatic disorders. Needless to say, there are many other causes of most of these clinical findings.

Treatment of hepatobiliary disorders – an overview: [Extract]
Surprisingly few studies have been done to evaluate the efficacy (or otherwise) of drugs used to treat hepatobiliary disease in dogs and cats. It would be ideal if randomized, double-blind placebocontrolled clinical trials formed the basis of many of our treatment choices. In reality, no such trials
have been done and most of our clinical decisions are based upon small, non-randomized retrospective studies or extrapolations from human medicine based upon a reasonable understanding of underlying pathophysiology.

An international group of veterinary hepatologists is now in the process of standardizing nomenclature as a prerequisite for commencing multi-centre collaborative studies. It is to be hoped that, in the coming years, high-quality scientific studies will be carried out and published as peerreviewed
scientific articles, to allow a much more rational approach to therapy of hepatobiliary diseases, one based on high-quality evidence. However, that is for the future. Much of what follows is based upon rather flimsy evidence, but represents a summary of current practices.

Exocrine pancreatic disorders: [Extract]
Pancreatitis is a relatively common diagnosis in dogs and is being diagnosed with increasing frequency in cats. The true incidence of pancreatitis in dogs and cats is uncertain. It is likely that many cases are missed and, conversely, pancreatitis may sometimes be diagnosed incorrectly in patients with other gastrointestinal diseases.


Of the 216 species of phyllostomid bats, fewer than 10% have had their mating systems studied in any great detail; however, some species exhibit mating systems ranging from apparent monogamy to extreme polygyny. Paternity studies reveal that the social mating system is generally indicative of the genetic mating system although in some cases, subordinate males father some offspring. These findings suggest that mate selection can involve both male competition and female choice. To estimate the strength of precopulatory and postcopulatory sexual selection, we use measures of sexual dimorphism in relative body mass and canine length as indicators of direct male competition, and relative testes mass as a proxy for sperm competition. We then evaluate the influence of aggregation size and permanence of the roosting structure on the intensity of sexual selection using phylogenetically-informed analyses. Even though females are often larger than males, male-biased sexual dimorphism for relative mass and canine length is widespread and associated with large roosting aggregations. In contrast, sperm competition is greatest in species with intermediate sized aggregations. These patterns of sexual dimorphism are largely consistent with what is known about phyllostomid mating systems, but exceptions provide potential opportunities for future study.


Mobility Management is quite common and important methodology for transportation policy. In mobility management for sustainable urban transport, the technique of action plans has been applied to help commuters translate their intention into actual travel behavior. However, less is known about the influence of the factor, coping planning, psychologically involving both "anticipation of barriers" and "strategy for overcoming barriers" even though it has been regarded as a key role in behavior change in the fields of health psychology and behavioral medicine. Therefore, the purpose of this research was two-fold: (1) to examine the roles of not merely action planning but coping planning as the proximal psychological determinants of car use behavior and pro-environmental mode use behavior, and (2) to assess the effects of requesting commuters to form personalized action plans and coping plans, respectively, on action planning and coping planning. We conducted an internet survey to 232 respondents with a car available who live in Taipei City, Taiwan. The respondents were assigned into one of three groups with action plan intervention, with action plus coping plan intervention, and without intervention. The results indicate that (1) coping planning mediates between intention and behavior, as well as between action planning and behavior; (2) owing to existing the interaction effect, the influence of action planning on behavior will be amplified if coping planning as a moderator is high; (3) forming personalized coping plans has an instant effect in promoting coping planning. Based on these findings, soft transport policy should include coping planning and related interventions for more effectively reducing car use.


This edited collection, comprising essays by an array of established and emerging scholars from Europe and the United States, offers a fresh perspective on the history of transatlantic political networks and exchanges since 1800. Historians such as Daniel T. Rodgers have already shown how important such networks were in shaping the politics of the modern Atlantic world. To date, however, this field has been dominated by studies of the activities and ideas of progressive reformers, with a particular focus on the period 1870-1940, an era in which reform networks coalesced so as to fashion the world of 'social politics' so brilliantly depicted in Rodgers's path-breaking study Atlantic Crossings (1998). The contributions gathered here challenge the chronological and ideological orientation of such work. They do so by collectively proposing a new periodization of modern transatlantic politics—one demonstrating the vitality and long-range significance both of early and mid-nineteenth, and of post-1945 interactions. At the same time, they illustrate the ideological heterogeneity of transatlantic political exchange, which encompassed a kaleidoscope of conservative, radical, and populist elements, in addition to the progressive and liberal currents about which so much has already been written.


Fetal cardiac measurements derived in the five-chamber and the short-axis view were performed in uncomplicated pregnancies between the 20th and the 40th week of gestation. Using cine loop and zoom techniques, the diameters of the aortic and pulmonary valve were measured (n = 157) and the pulmonary trunk/aorta ratio calculated. Normal ranges for both parameters were constructed and correlated with gestational age. Both diameters showed a linear increase during gestation (aorta r = 0.87, pulmonary trunk r = 0.91). The mean pulmonary trunk/aorta ratio had a constant value of 1.25 and showed no changes throughout pregnancy. In 128 fetuses the heart width was further measured and the vessel diameters were presented in correlation to the heart width.


AIM
Trace elements (TE) metabolism is altered in inflammatory bowel diseases. TE (zinc and copper) are constituents of antioxidant enzymes. Iron is involved in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammation. The aim was to evaluate zinc and copper status and the effects of iron manipulation in experimental colitis.

METHODS
Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups: standard diet, iron-deprived diet, iron-supplemented diet, and sham-treated controls. Macroscopic damage was scored. DNA adducts were measured in the colon. Liver and colonic concentration of TE were measured.

RESULTS
Macroscopic damage was reduced in iron-deprived groups and increased in iron-supplemented rats. Damage to the DNA was reduced in iron-deprived groups and increased in iron-supplemented groups. Liver and colonic iron concentrations were reduced in iron-deprived and increased in iron-supplemented rats. Liver zinc concentration was reduced after supplementation whereas colonic levels were similar in controls and treated rats. Liver copper concentration was reduced in all the colitic groups except in the iron-supplemented group whereas colonic concentration was increased in iron-deprived rats.

CONCLUSION
Iron deprivation diminishes the severity of DNBS colitis while supplementation worsens colitis. Zinc and copper status are modified by iron manipulation.


Duplex Stainless Steels (DSS) are used extensively in various industrial applications where the properties of both austenite and ferrite steels are required. Higher mechanical strength and superior corrosion resistance are the advantages of DSS. One of the main drawbacks for Duplex steels is precipitation of sigma phase and other intermetallic phases adversely affecting the mechanical strength and the corrosion behavior of the steels. The precipitation of these secondary phases and the associated brittleness can be due to improper heat treatment. The instability in the microstructure of Duplex stainless steels can be studied by understanding the phase transformations especially the ones involving sigma phase. To reduce the time and effort to be put in for experimental work, computational simulations are used to get an initial understanding on the phase transformations.The present thesis work is on the phase transformations involving sigma phase for Fe-Cr system and Fe-Cr-Ni system using theoretical approach in 1D and 2D geometries. A phase field model is implemented for the microstructural evolution in DSS in combination with thermodynamic data collected from the Thermo-Calc software. The Wheeler Boettinger McFadden (WBM) model is used for Gibbs energy interpolation of the system.FiPy- Finite volume PDE solver written in python is used to simulate the phase transformation conditions first in Fe-Cr system for ferrite-austenite and ferrite-sigma phase transformations. It is then repeated for Fe-Cr-Ni ternary system. In the present study a model was developed for deriving Gibbs energy expression for sigma phase based on the common tangent condition. This model can be used to describe composition constrained phases and stoichiometric phases using the WBM model in phase field modeling. Cogswell's theory of using phase order variable instead of an interpolating polynomial in the expression for Gibbs energy of whole system is also tried.


As reported by the Web site CBS MoneyWatch [1], electric vehicles are seeing a steady growth in consumer interest, especially within the youngest age group of potential buyers. As is the case with all vehicles, it is very important and even required to continuously monitor its vital equipment. Therefore, today almost all vehicles are equipped with an onboard diagnosis (OBD) system. This system is used for warnings and monitoring critical failures in the vehicle such as ignition, battery, oil and gasoline level, engine, and brakes, among others. If a problem or malfunction is detected, the OBD system sets a malfunction indicator light (MIL) on the dashboard that is readily visible to the vehicle operator and informs the driver of the existing problem. The OBD is a valuable tool that assists in the service and repair of vehicles by providing a simple, quick, and effective way to pinpoint problems by retrieving vital automobile diagnostics. In the case of vehicles with electric motors, the detection of faults expectedly differs from that in vehicles with gasoline engines. This article will describe DSP techniques using Texas Instruments TMS320F2812 signal processor to achieve this.


The mechanical properties of ceramics materials can be tailored by designing their microstructures. Residual stress is one of the important factors for controlling the crack propagation and consequently improving the mechanical properties. On the other hand, development of the crystallographic orientation even in a diamagnetic ceramic can be controlled by colloidal processing in a strong magnetic field. In this study, alumina/alumina laminar composites with different crystalline-oriented layers were fabricated by EPD in a strong magnetic field in order to control the residual stress using the difference in the thermal expansion of each layer.


Abstract Background: Although the common cold is among the most frequent ailments encountered in clinical practice, little is known about its impact on productivity, absenteeism, and daily life. Objective: The United States Attitudes of Consumers Toward Health, Cough, and Cold (ACHOO) survey was developed to inform healthcare providers on patients' experience of cough/cold. This analysis focuses on the impact of cough/cold on daily activity, productivity, and absenteeism; other results are reported elsewhere. Design: ACHOO was a 36-question online survey. Participants: US adult Internet/mobile device users (N = 3333) were recruited in October 2012. Response quotas modeled on 2010 US Census data ensured a demographically representative sample; 75% of completed surveys were randomized as the primary analysis pool. Main measures: Demographics and impact of cough/cold were reported using means, frequencies, and percentages. Weighted least squares regression or weighted paired t-test were used to identify factors associated with greater impact. Key results: The analysis pool (N = 2505) included 1342 (53.6%) women and 1163 (46.4%) men (mean ages, 46.7 and 45.9 years). A majority (84.7%) had ≥1 cold in the past year. Fifty-two percent said cough/cold impacted daily life a fair amount to a lot. Productivity decreased by a mean 26.4%, and 44.5% of respondents reported work/school absenteeism (usually 1–2 days) during a cold. Overall, 93% of survey participants reported sleep difficulty (slight to extreme) during a cough/cold. Among all respondents, 57% reported cough or nasal congestion as the symptoms making sleep difficult. Higher frequency of colds, more cold symptoms, difficulty sleeping, and worse overall health status correlated with greater impact on productivity, absenteeism, and daily life. Limitations: Study limitations include the potential for recall bias given the retrospective nature of the self-reports. Furthermore, no attempt was made to distinguish treatment effects, if any, from those of the underlying cough/cold. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first large national survey to quantify adverse effects of cough/cold on daily activity, productivity, and absenteeism. Cold- and patient-related characteristics influence the degree of impact.


The United States sports industiy is a multi-billion dollar industry. Corporations attempt to curry favor with consumers by aligning their products and services with this popular industry through sports sponsorship and endorsement opportunities. The upside to this association is well-documented in the sports marketing literature. Less well known however, is the impact on corporate brands when a scandal erupts around an athletic endorser such as a team, coach, or player. Numerous sports scandals such as the recruiting scandal at the University of Colorado or the Kobe Bryant rape case raise serious questions about the impact of sports scandals on both professional and amateur athletic institutions, sponsors, participants, and other constituents. The purpose of the present research study is twofold: (1) to attempt to identify aspects of a sports scandal that influence our perception of the impact of the event and (2) to understand the short and longterm effects of sports scandals on the consumers' affiliation with the sponsors' products, sports organization, and with the sport entity involved in the scandal.


English writing is considered as an important language skill to be learnt and thus, the educational institutions have acknowledged the importance of acquiring English. The study aims to investigate the effects of journal writing on Malaysian ESL Learners' writing performance. The objectives of this study are to investigate the effects of journal writing towards Malaysian ESL Learners' writing performance in terms of Overall, Content and Language Use scores between two independent groups namely Experimental and Control Group. This study employed experimental research design in gathering the data. 61 Diploma students from two different classes at Universiti Teknologi Mara Alor Gajah, were chosen as respondents for this study. The respondents were assigned into two groups, namely Journal Writing Instruction Class (Experimental Group) and Conventional Writing Instruction Class (Control Group). Sets of questionnaire were given to both groups to gain their demographic background. Pre and post writing test were administered to identify the differences between Overall, Content and Language Use scores of their ESL writing performance. These scores were compared between the two groups. Interview sessions were conducted on week-14 in gaining the ESL Learners' perspective towards journal writing integration. After going through 14-week of learning process, quantitative and qualitative findings revealed that Experimental Group performed better in Overall, Content and Language Use scores. This study employed an experimental which is appropriate for the nature of this study. The data collected were analyzed using SPSS to identify the correlation of journal writing and ESL writing performance. The data were analyzed statistically using several tools of test in providing strong evidence. Analysis of Variance, Sample T-Test, Frequencies and Mean Scores were used in producing the findings. These findings indicated that students from Experimental Group showed good improvement in their ESL writing performance where majority of the students had an improved writing score. The findings from the interview sessions revealed that the respondents felt journal writing had helped them to improve their ESL writing performance. Besides, they believed the advantages of journal writing outweighed the difficulties of journal writing implementation. This study hopes to provide ESL educators with useful insights in integrating journal writing in their ESL writing classes.


[Purpose] The present study aimed at examining changes in aerobic energy metabolism and performance in cycling athletes after 2 weeks of intermittent training in a multistep hypobaric hypoxia environment. [Subjects and Methods] We also aimed at using the findings to propose an efficient training program in hypobaric hypoxia for endurance athletes with disabilities. The study participants were three cycling athletes with physical disabilities from the Korean national team (A, B, and C athletes). They underwent complex (repetition, interval, and continued) training with a roller-type cycle in a multistep hypobaric hypoxia environment (simulated altitude, 4,000 m above sea level). The training was conducted in twelve 60-min sessions for 2 weeks and it was based on the ventilatory threshold intensity, measured in an exercise stress test, conducted prior to training, at constant temperature (23 °C ± 2 °C) and humidity conditions (50% ± 5%). [Results] B and C athletes showed no noticeable changes in relative VO2max and HRmax values after training. A, B, and C athletes all showed increases in all-out time, 2′09″ (13.1%), 2′43″ (18.7%), and 1′22″ (7.4%), respectively after training. Although the relative VO2max and HRmax values were not improved, submaximal exercise performance ability was improved. [Conclusion] Therefore, 2 weeks of intermittent training in a hypobaric hypoxia environment positively affected aerobic energy metabolism and performance.


Recently important changes have been made to fire service management practices in Australia; however, these changes have typically not been based on empirical research or followed up by systematic evaluation. While job satisfaction and leadership behaviour have been extensively investigated in other fields, studies of these variables in the fire service, particularly in Australia, are almost absent. This article examines links between job satisfaction and leadership behaviour in aviation fire fighters. Fifty‐six fire fighters responded to the Job Descriptive Index and the Leadership Behaviour Questionnaire XII. As hypothesised, employee job satisfaction correlated with supervisor leadership behaviour, with the exception of consideration leadership and co‐worker satisfaction. A new explanation, concerning level of team interaction, is proposed for the findings. Implications for the fire service and areas for further research are suggested.


Background Among asbestos-exposed individuals, abnormal spirometry is usually associated with parenchymal abnormalities or diffuse pleural thickening. Localised pleural thickening (LPT), the most common abnormality associated with asbestos exposure, is typically thought to be a marker of exposure with little clinical consequence. Our objective was to determine if abnormal spirometry is associated with LPT independent of other abnormalities, using data from community-based screening conducted in Libby, Montana. Methods Subjects were a subset of screening participants comprising persons with interpretable spirometry and chest radiograph results (n=6475). Chest radiographs were independently evaluated by two or three B readers, and participants were classified by mutually exclusive categories of spirometry outcome: normal, restriction, obstruction or mixed defect. Results Restrictive spirometry was strongly associated with parenchymal abnormalities (OR 2.9; 95% CI 1.4 to 6.0) and diffuse pleural thickening (OR 4.1; 95% CI 2.1 to 7.8). Controlling for the presence of these abnormalities as well as age, smoking status and other covariates, restrictive spirometry was also associated with LPT (OR 1.4; 95% CI 1.1 to 1.8). The risk of restrictive spirometric findings correlated with the severity of LPT. Conclusions In this large community-based screening cohort, restrictive spirometry is significantly associated with LPT, indicating that this abnormality may result in lung function impairment. Physicians treating patients exposed to Libby amphibole should be aware that LPT may have functional consequences.


Reliability requirement is one of the most important quality of services (QoS) and should be satisfied for a reliable workflow in cloud computing. Primary-backup replication is an important software fault-tolerant technique used to satisfy reliability requirement. Recent works studied quantitative fault-tolerant scheduling to reduce execution cost by minimizing the number of replicas while satisfying the reliability requirement of a workflow on heterogeneous infrastructure as a service (IaaS) clouds. However, a minimum number of replicas does not necessarily lead to the minimum execution cost and shortest schedule length in a heterogeneous IaaS cloud. In this study, we propose the quantitative fault-tolerant scheduling algorithms QFEC and QFEC+ with minimum execution costs and QFSL and QFSL+ with shortest schedule lengths while satisfing the reliability requirements of workflows. Extensive experimental results show that (1) compared with the state-of-the-art algorithms, the proposed algorithms achieve less execution cost and shorter schedule length, although the number of replicas are not minimum; (2) QFEC and QFEC+ are designed to reduce execution cost, and QFEC+ is better than QFEC for all low-parallelism and high-parallelism workflows; and (3) QFSL and QFSL+ are designed to decrease schedule length, and QFSL+ is better than QFSL for all low-parallelism and high-parallelism workflows.


This paper reports the magnetic characteristics of the oscillation in the axial and transverse magnetic fields derived from the measurements for the oscillation spectra in the 492.4 nm He-Zn II, and in the simultaneously operating 537.8 and 636.0 nm He-Cd II hollow cathode lasers. The simultaneous oscillation in the He-Cd II lasers is compared to the monochromatic one in each wavelength. The experimental data in the magnetic fields are well explained by the theoretical treatment including not only Zeeman effects but also the plasma effects in which the excitation mechanisms are considered using the rate equations. The electron density in the laser plasma that depends on the magnetic fields plays an important role in the excitation mechanisms. This paper proposes that the magnetic characteristics will be used for the color control of a white light laser as well as for the improvement of the monochromaticity in the anomalously broadened lasers.


Gaussian processes (GPs) are important probabilistic tools for inference and learning in spatio-temporal modelling problems such as those in climate science and epidemiology. However, existing GP approximations do not simultaneously support large numbers of off-the-grid spatial data-points and long time-series which is a hallmark of many applications. Pseudo-point approximations, one of the gold-standard methods for scaling GPs to large data sets, are well suited for handling off-the-grid spatial data. However, they cannot handle long temporal observation horizons effectively reverting to cubic computational scaling in the time dimension. State space GP approximations are well suited to handling temporal data, if the temporal GP prior admits a Markov form, leading to linear complexity in the number of temporal observations, but have a cubic spatial cost and cannot handle off-the-grid spatial data. In this work we show that there is a simple and elegant way to combine pseudo-point methods with the state space GP approximation framework to get the best of both worlds. The approach hinges on a surprising conditional independence property which applies to space--time separable GPs. We demonstrate empirically that the combined approach is more scalable and applicable to a greater range of spatio-temporal problems than either method on its own.


The erosion-oxidation (E-O) behavior of high velocity oxy fuel (HVOF) sprayed Ni20Cr alloy as well as WC and Cr3C2 cermet coatings on a steel substrate were studied. The E-O tests were carried out in a rig with specimen assemblies that were rotated through a fluidized bed of erodent particles in the temperature range 500-850°C and with erodent impact velocities of 2.5-19.5 ms-1. Alumina powder (~200Am) was used as the erodent. The E-O resistance of the coatings was determined as wastage, as a function of temperature. The three coatings did not exhibit any significant change in E-O at temperatures up to 500-600°C. At higher temperatures, wastage increased with temperature, reached a maximum at 700°C and then decreased with further increase in temperature. Different E-O regimes were identified. The specimen surfaces were examined in a scanning electron microscope and their roughness determined. E-O maps have been drawn that define conditions under which the coatings undergo low, moderate and severe wastage.


This study empirically investigates the relationship between independent directors' cash compensation and the likelihood of corporate fraud. Using data of 2542 Chinese firms and 17239 firm years from 2010 to 2017, the findings of logistic regression, firm-fixed effects, instrumental variable specification, and propensity score matching models show that there is a negative association between cash compensation of independent directors and corporate fraud. Our findings suggest that if independent directors are treated with higher cash compensation, it enhances the board's independence and makes the effective monitoring over management behaviors and financial reporting process. On contrary to non-SOEs, the findings also document that the negative association between independent directors' compensation and corporate fraud is pronounced in SOEs. The study not only shows the impact of independent director's compensation on firm fraud beyond agency and contract theories but also creates policy implications regarding independent director's compensation in particular scenario of emerging economies.


The thermal properties of coarse grained knotted polymers containing two kinds of monomers $A$ and $B$ fluctuating in a solution are investigated on a simple cubic lattice using the Wang-Landau MC algorithm. These knots have a more complex phase diagram than knots formed by homopolymers, including the possible presence of metastable states. Two different setups are considered: i) charged block copolymers in a ion solution and ii) neutral copolymers with the $A$ monomers above and the $B$ monomers below the theta point. A precise interpretation of the peaks observed in the plots of the specific heat capacity is provided. In view of possible applications in medicine and the construction of intelligent materials, it is also shown that the behavior of copolymer rings can be tuned by changing both their monomer configuration and topology. We find that the most stable compact states are formed by charged copolymers in which very short segments with $A$ monomers are alternated by short segments with $B$ monomers. In such knots the transition from the compact to the expanded state is very fast, leading to a narrow and high peak in the specific heat capacity which appears at very high temperatures. The effects of topology allow to tune the radius of gyration of the knotted polymer ring and to increase or decrease the temperatures at which the observed phase transitions or rearrangements of the system occur. While we observe a general fading out of the influence of topology in longer polymers, our simulations have captured a few exceptions to this rule.


Polylactide (PLA)-based nanomaterials have been extensively explored in biomedical applications due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability. However, PLA has two main limitations: hydrophobicity and slow degradation rate. My Ph.D. research focuses on the exploration of potential approaches to circumvent these challenges by synthesis of PLA-based amphiphilic block copolymers (ABPs) with stimuli-responsive degradation (SRD) and these ABPs are used to fabricate novel PLA-based nanomaterials.
SRD is highly desirable in the design of multi-functional polymer-based drug delivery systems. SRD involves the incorporation of dynamic covalent bonds into nanomaterials that can be cleaved in response to external stimuli such as light, ultrasound, low pH, and enzymes. This process leads to chemical or physical changes of nanomaterials to enhance the release of therapeutics or tune the morphologies. Reduction-responsive degradation uses disulfide-thiol chemistry. Disulfide linkages are cleaved either in response to a reductive environment or a disulfide-thiol exchange reaction in the presence of thiols. Using this unique system, PLA-based nanomaterials with disulfide linkages can be developed for tumor-targeting drug delivery.
Amphiphilic micellar aggregates have attracted much interest as a promising candidate for effective polymeric drug delivery. Micelles are formed through aqueous self-assembly of ABPs consisting of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic blocks. Hydrophobic cores encapsulate hydrophobic therapeutics and the surrounding hydrophilic coronas enhance colloidal stability. Adjusting this unique structure of ABP is a promising strategy for circumventing the hydrophobicity of PLA. Uniformed micelles in the nanoscale size range can prolong the blood residence and minimize side effects, and possess multiple cargos into a single vehicle, allowing multi-functional drug delivery.
In this thesis, several reduction-responsive degradable PLA-based ABPs have been reported. They were further used to fabricate various nanomaterials including micellar drug carriers; polyplexes; and nanofibers. These ABPs were synthesized by a combination method of ring opening polymerization and atom transfer radical polymerization. Due to their amphiphilic nature, ABPs can be self-assembled to form the micellar platforms possessing hydrophobic therapeutics in the core, which is surrounded with hydrophilic coronas. ABPs with positively charged hydrophilic blocks enable the formation of cationic micellar aggregates. These cationic micelles have subsequently been used as dual delivery carriers of drugs and genes. Furthermore, incorporating dual-located disulfide linkages at both the hydrophobic PLA core and the interface leads to a synergistically enhanced release of encapsulated drugs in cellular environments. Moreover, PLA nanofibers were fabricated via air-spinning technique of high-molecular weight PLAs. Their hydrophobic surface was modified with hydrophilic polymers via facile surface-initiated ATRP. The resulting surface-modified PLA fibers exhibit enhanced hydrophilicity and thermal stability, as well as tunable surface properties upon the cleavage of disulfide linkages. Under a reductive environment, these novel PLA-based nanomaterials are rapidly degraded upon the cleavage of disulfides, leading to controlled release of drugs and genes, as well as change of surface properties. These results suggest the disulfide-labeled PLA-based nanomaterials offer great potential and versatility in biomedical applications.


Providing vector processing in a standard RISC chip, the AltiVecTM technology enhancements to the PowerPC/sup TM/ architecture hold the promise of the signal processing power of a DSP chip with the programming ease of a RISC chip. This paper explores how this new technology can fit into an open architecture for real-time image and signal processing. The open systems architecture described herein includes both software and hardware components. The open software architecture addresses how to achieve high performance and productivity for signal processing algorithms while using standard APIs and high-level languages to promote portability and maintainability. The hardware architecture addresses high-performance memory subsystem design and scalable communication bandwidth between multiple processors, also adhering to standards to facilitate technology insertion. The paper then addresses how to integrate AltiVec technology into the open software and hardware architectures. Finally, an example implementation is provided for a real-time multiprocessor system.


Aim: To analyze the effectiveness of a tailored medical support to help children from ethnic minorities to achieve the same good metabolic control of autochthonous peers with type-1 diabetes (T1D). Methods: Children <10 years of age belonging to ethnic minority (EM) families (Group 1) were compared with autochthonous peers (Group 2) who received the diagnosis of T1D in 2014-2016. The Protocol for minorities included other than the standard protocol: booklets translated in ethnic minority languages; weekly visits at home or at school; family-guides; clinic visits supported by professional interpreters. After twelve months of this approach, parents of ethnic minority children answered a short questionnaire concerning satisfaction about educational tools for diabetes management. Results: From 1st January 2014 to December 31st 2016, 72 children received the diagnosis of T1D at the University Children Hospital of Parma, Italy. Nineteen children belonged to an EM family (26.38%), and were included in the Group 1. Twenty-one autochthonous peers were randomly recruited for the Group 2. T1D was diagnosed at the same mean age in Group 1 (5.2±2.2) and in Group 2 patients (5.7±2.4). Metabolic derangements at diagnosis were more severe in Group 1 than in Group 2 patients. However, patients of both Groups showed a similar decrease in HbA1c levels during the first 3 and 6 months post diagnosis. Patients did not differ in mean insulin doses at discharge and at follow up. The calls to the emergency toll-free telephone number were more numerous from the parents from Group 1 than from the parents of Group 2. Total cost to implement the tailored protocol in Group 1 was higher of 87% compared with the standard protocol used for Group 2 patients. Great majority of parents reported to be satisfied with the provided diabetes education program. Conclusions: 1The results of this study suggested that children from EM families can achieve the same good metabolic control of autochthonous peers with T1D, providing a cost-effective tailored support to their family members. (www.actabiomedica.it)


Due to their weak polarity and large surface area, activated carbon supports have the potential to enhance the dispersion of metal-sulfides. It is expected that the absence of a strong metal-support interaction can result in the formation of a very active and stable Ni-Mo-S phase. In this study, catalysts with different amounts of nickel and molybdenum supported on a commercial activated carbon were prepared by a co-impregnation method and characterized by BET, XRF, and SEM techniques. The catalytic activity for hydroprocessing of Jatropha oil was evaluated in a batch reactor, and the composition of the liquid and gaseous products were determined. Results showed that gaseous products are mainly composed of high amounts of propane and small amounts of other light hydrocarbons (C1 to C5). Liquid hydrocarbon products consisted of a mixture containing mainly n-paraffins of C15-C18 and some oxygenated compounds. The catalysts with a mass fractionof 3 % Ni, 15 % Mo (Ni3Mo15/AC) presented the highest selectivity toward C17-C18 hydrocarbons, with a product distribution similar to a commercialalumina-supported Ni-Mo-S catalyst.


Research on organizational socialization has been strongly influenced by the literature on rites of passage but has paid limited attention to its key concept of liminality, the threshold state of being 'betwixt and between', in exploring the process by which outsiders become insiders. In traditional organizational careers liminality occurs only briefly, at the initial point of organizational entry. However as contemporary careers typically involve inter-organizational moves the career actor is likely to experience several episodes of organizational socialization and therefore many more periods of liminality. Indeed changes to the labor market such as increased use of temps and freelancers, and fixed-term and zero hours contracts, mean that for many workers a sense of liminality is practically a permanent condition. There is therefore an urgent need to address the neglect of liminality in the organizational socialization literature. This paper presents key findings from a study of organizational socialization of cruise ship workers, a group for whom ongoing liminality is a key feature of their experience. Researchers have explored liminality among workers such as temps, interim managers and, but cruise ship workers' experience of liminality is much more pronounced, being characterized by repeated crossing and re-crossing of thresholds (both physical and psychological), between home, ship and shore. Their sense of liminality may actually increase over time, as they eventually find themselves feeling 'betwixt and between' even when at home. Long-term cruise ship workers may also feel liminal in respect of their careers, viewing working on cruise ships as a temporary situation (even if they end up working this way for a decade or more), pending the launch of the 'real' career.


The use of topical mechlorethamine hydrochloride in the treatment of skin disease has been restricted because of the frequent development of contact dermatitis. A series of 24 patients with mycosis fungoides in stages 1A (eight patients), 1B (15 patients), and 2 (one patient) were treated with ointment-based mechlorethamine, prepared by an anhydrous method. This preparation was therapeutically effective. Complete clearing occurred in 15 of 18 patients with active disease over evaluation periods of up to 27 months, and one patient had partial clearing. Two patients showed a partial relapse during their evaluation periods. The incidence of contact dermatitis was very low: 8% in individuals with a history of hypersensitivity to mechlorethamine and 0% in patients being exposed to the medication for the first time. This new preparation has been shown to be effective therapy for mycosis fungoides. Patient use is associated with minimal side effects.


SYNOPSIS: We examine whether analysts who use more favorable language during earnings conference calls subsequently issue more accurate earnings forecasts. Using a large sample of earnings conference calls from the 2004–2013 period for S&P 500 firms, we find a significantly positive relation between an analyst's tone during a firm's call and the accuracy of the analyst's next quarterly earnings forecast for that firm. We find a similar relation for analysts who praise a firm's management during the call. Our findings are consistent with the favorableness of an analyst's language reflecting their access to a firm's management. In additional analyses, we find that female analysts, analysts with less general experience, analysts at smaller brokerage firms, and analysts who cover more industries, on average, use significantly more favorable language during earnings conference calls. Overall, we contribute a new proxy, incremental to other proxies, for the analyst-manager relationship.


This paper presents a post-silicon hold time closure technique for performance-relaxed, sub-threshold digital designs using tunable-buffer insertion in hold-critical data-paths. Hold time closure in flip-flop based digital circuits is highly critical because hold failures cannot be corrected post-fabrication. This criticality increases in the sub-threshold domain, which is highly sensitive to process, voltage, and temperature variations. Design-time hold margins enable robust hold time closure across variations. However, insufficient hold margins can lead to chip failures and overestimated hold margins introduce additional costs in area and power. In this paper, we propose a post-silicon hold time closure methodology that introduces tunable-buffers in the data-path. This enables post-silicon correction of hold violations and therefore, reduces the design effort in estimating design-time hold margins. We design a tunable-buffer, demonstrate the tunable-buffer insertion strategy, and present a physical design flow using standard EDA tools. We verify this technique with measurements of a 130 nm test chip. A design-dependent hold slack improvement in the range of 103%–195% is achieved compared to the traditional buffering technique, with minimal power and area overhead. This technique also has the potential to reduce the number of buffers inserted for hold closure.


Context: The prevalence of occupational health hazards and mortality has been reported to be unusually high among people of India. Although developed countries are very much careful about the health in occupations it is quite neglected in the developing countries like India. Aims: To record PEFR in asymptomatic male workers exposed to chemical fumes for more than 2 years and compare the results with age matched unexposed, healthy male controls. Methods and Material: This was a comparative study between 50 asymptomatic male workers exposed to chemical fumes for more than 2 years in various industries located at Jeedimetla Industrial Area and 50 unexposed healthy male individuals from general population. The sampling was done by simple random sampling (lottery method). The data was collected in the Research Laboratory of Physiology. Anthropometry like weight, height, was measured and the PEFR test was performed in the standing position by taking a deep inspiration and then blowing out as hard and as quickly as possible with their nose closed. Data was analyzed by using SPSS package and was expressed in terms of mean ± SD. Results: It was observed that mean PEFR was statistically highly significant in cases (p = 0.0001), and PEFR decreased with increase in duration of exposure. Conclusions: Thus, it can be concluded that apparently healthy individuals may also have abnormal PEFR findings. Hence, a regular check on these parameters will help them in reducing the chances of its manifestation at a future date.


Introduction: The partial pressure of oxygen in the atmosphere decreases proportionately with an increase in the altitude. The study was done to compare the oxygen saturation of non-acclimatized adults going to different altitudes in Nepal.
Materials and Methods: It was a descriptive observational study conducted on ten individuals of a medical team traveling to Humla district of Nepal for a multi-disciplinary medical camp. Oxygen saturation was measured at different altitudes i.e. in Kathmandu, Nepalgunj, in the flight at an altitude of 3360 meters and in Bargaun village of Humla district located at an altitude of 3300 meters. Mean pulse oximetry reading was calculated and compared.
Results: Among the participants, age ranged from 24-57 years. Male to female ratio was 1.5:1. The mean SPO2 at Nepalgunj, Kathmandu, Bargaun of Humla and in the flight (at an altitude of 3360 meters) were 99.67 %, 97%, 91% and 87.4% respectively among the study participants. However, the difference in Oxygen saturation values at different altitudes among different gender and different age was not statistically significant.
Conclusions: Oxygen saturation decreased linearly with the rise in altitude among all the study participants irrespective of age and gender.


Functionally, gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor (GABAR)-mediated inhibition can be classified as phasic (synaptic) and tonic (extrasynaptic). The GABARs underlying tonic inhibition assemble from subunits different from those responsible for phasic inhibition. We wanted to assess the excitability of hippocampal pyramidal cell (PC) networks following a selective impairment of tonic inhibition. This is difficult to accomplish by pharmacological means. Because the GABAR alpha5 subunits mostly mediate the tonic inhibition in CA1 and CA3 PCs, we quantified changes in tonic inhibition and examined network excitability in slices of adult gabra5-/- mice. In gabra5-/- CA1 and CA3 PCs tonic inhibitory currents were 60 and 53%, respectively, of those recorded in wild type (WT), with no alterations in phasic inhibition. The amount of tonic inhibition recorded in slices was significantly affected by the method of slice storage (interface or submerged chamber). Field recordings in gabra5-/- CA3 pyramidal layer showed an increased network excitability that was decreased by the GABAR agonist muscimol at a concentration that restored the tonic inhibition of gabra5-/- PCs to the WT level without altering phasic inhibition. Through a battery of pharmacological experiments, we have identified delta subunit-containing GABARs as the mediators of the residual tonic inhibition in gabra5-/- PCs. Our study is consistent with an important role of tonic inhibition in the control of hippocampal network excitability and highlights selective enhancers of tonic inhibition as promising therapeutic approaches for diseases involving network hyperexcitability.


Abstract Background The prevention of tuberculosis (TB) in child contacts of TB cases and people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a public health priority, but global access to TB preventive therapy (TPT) remains low. In 2019, we implemented Vikela Ekhaya, a novel community-based TB contact management program in Eswatini designed to reduce barriers to accessing TPT. Methods Vikela Ekhaya offered differentiated TB and HIV testing for household contacts of TB cases by using mobile contact management teams to screen contacts, assess their TPT eligibility, and initiate and monitor TPT adherence in participants' homes. Results In total, 945 contacts from 244 households were screened for TB symptoms; 72 (8%) contacts reported TB symptoms, and 5 contacts (0.5%) were diagnosed with prevalent TB. A total of 322 of 330 (98%) eligible asymptomatic household contacts initiated TPT. Of 322 contacts initiating TPT, 248 children initiated 3 months of isoniazid and rifampicin and 74 children and adults living with HIV initiated 6 months of isoniazid; 298 (93%) completed TPT. In clustered logistic regression analyses, unknown HIV status (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 5.7, P = .023), positive HIV status (aOR 21.1, P = .001), urban setting (aOR 5.6, P = .006), and low income (aOR 5.9, P = .001) predicted loss from the cascade of care among TPT-eligible contacts. Conclusion Vikela Ekhaya demonstrated that community-based TB household contact management is a feasible, acceptable, and successful strategy for TB screening and TPT delivery. The results of this study support the development of novel, differentiated, community-based interventions for TB prevention and control.


My work aimed at investigating the aspects of reproductive biology and population genetics of three iconic prairie forbs. Microsatellite genotypes were used to determine the extent of clonal growth, genetic diversity, and genetic structure in nine populations of Asclepias lanuginosa and five populations of A. viridiflora. A nearly complete shift in the mode of reproduction, from sexual to asexual, in A. lanuginosa, appears to be the most immediate threat to survival of A. lanuginosa in these fragmented prairie remnants. For my work on Castilleja coccinea, the focus was understanding the biology underlying bract color polymorphism. Castilleja coccinea displays showy scarlet bracts throughout its range in eastern North America, but yellow bracts are predominant colors of some Midwestern populations. These populations exhibit a bract color polymorphism, with each population having predominantly yellow or scarlet bracts. I conducted hand-pollination experiments in two nearby populations, one predominantly yellow and one predominantly scarlet. Both color morphs of C. coccinea were self-compatible. I found reproductive trade-offs between a higher reproductive output in the scarlet morph and a reproductive assurance advantage in the yellow morph, which may explain the maintenance of the polymorphism in C. coccinea. Population genomics of the Midwestern C. coccinea was conducted using 958 single nucleotide polymorphisms that were variable among 10 populations and 5,532 SNPs that were variable between the color morphs, which were discovered by double digest Restriction-Site Associated DNA sequencing. Results suggest the distribution of bract colors is not correlated to the patterns of population structure and genetic diversity. Further, the two color morphs were not genetically differentiated. Geographic distance or evolutionary history scenarios failed to explain the apparent population structure and genetic differentiation. I found some indirect evidence that neutral processes may be responsible. Inheritance patterns of bract colors in C. coccinea were determined using a hand-pollination experiment among yellow, orange, and scarlet bract colored individuals. Bract color of C. coccinea is likely primarily controlled by multiple alleles at a single locus and follows an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance with yellow dominant over scarlet and orange.


Procyclic culture form (PCF) trypanosomes were established from a bloodstream form population of cloned Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense and were used to immunize mice for hybridoma production. Indirect immunofluorescence was used to select 10 hybridomas which secreted antibodies that bound to the surface of homologous living PCF. The antibodies reacted with PCF of several clones of T.b. brucei, T.b. gambiense, and T.b. rhodesiense, but not with PCF of T. congolense or T. vivax, or with promastigotes of several species of Leishmania parasites. The antigens were not detectable in ethanol/acetic acid-fixed bloodstream forms or in lysates of bloodstream forms of any of the T. brucei subspecies, and are thus species-specific and stage-specific markers. Selected monoclonal antibodies bound to procyclic trypanosomes taken directly from the midgut of infected tsetse flies, and to immature epimastigote forms in salivary probes, and may therefore be useful in epidemiologic investigations.


The growth and development of colonial hydroids is dependent upon a flow of gastrovascular fluid through a common vasculature. Gastrovascular flow is believed to be driven by polyp contractions, stolonal contractions and endodermal ciliation. In the athecate hydroid Hydractinia symbiolongicarpus we found that polyp contractions, stolonal contractions and gastrovascular flow were only weakly correlated on a local scale. Stolons isolated from vascular continuity to polyps were found to display contraction frequencies indistinguishable from those observed in intact colonies. Transmission electron micrographs reveal a unique organelle, with characteristics of a contractile vacuole, in the apical stolonal endoderm. The activity of this organelle, inferred from static observations, correlates with the observed pattern of stolonal contractions. This is the first record of a contractile vacuole in an eumetazoan animal. Its description calls for a revision of existing interpretations of the mechanism of stolonal contractions in hydroids.


: Resilience is the process that leads to thriving during adversity. Grit is the passion and perseverance for long-term goals. During COVID-19, people face various threats and unemployment which adversely affect their well-being. The present study explored the relationship between grit and resilience during COVID-19 among the unemployed. The data were collected from 300 participants who were unemployed through various social media platform. Connor-Davidson's resilience short form and short grit scale were used to measure resilience and grit respectively. For the analysis, the Pearson product-moment correlation and stepwise regression were used. The results indicated a significant positive relationship between grit and resilience. The persistent effort dimension of grit was found to have a higher correlation with resilience. Grit and persistent effort were found to be significant predictors of resilience. It is therefore concluded that those higher level of grit, enhances ones capability to deal with stress during the pandemic.


In this article, magneto-thermo-elastic stresses and perturbation of magnetic field vector are analyzed for a thick-walled cylinder made from polystyrene, reinforced with functionally graded (FG) single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) in radial direction, while subjected to an axial and uniform magnetic field as well as a transient thermal field. Generalized plane strain state is considered in this study. The SWCNTs are assumed aligned, straight with infinite length. Two types of variations in the volume fraction of SWCNTs were considered in the structure of the FG cylinder along the radius from inner to outer surface, namely: functionally graded increasing (FG Inc) and functionally graded decreasing (FG Dec) which are then compared with uniformly distributed (UD) layouts. The constitutive equations of this type of reinforced polymeric cylinder are derived by Mori-Tanaka method. Following the introduction of a second order partial differential equation derived from the equations of motion and stress-strain relationships and solving by a semi-analytical method, distribution of stresses and perturbation of magnetic field vector are obtained. Results indicate that maximum radial and circumferential stresses occur in FG Inc and FG Dec layouts, respectively. Maximum perturbation of magnetic field vector is not affected by UD layout. © 2011 IAU, Arak Branch. All rights reserved.


Interaction amongst learners has been identified as a critical element in the learning process. It has been argued that distance education practice, because of geographical separation and dependence upon media for communication has offered limited opportunity for interpersonal interaction. However, with the aid of recently introduced computer communications, distance learners now have the potential to interact with other learners, wherever they are, and whenever it is convenient. Yet, despite the benefits offered by computer mediated communication, there are reports that many of the learners in computer conferences do not actively participate or participate minimally and that the majority of messages are contributed by a disproportionate few. Two hypotheses to explain this phenomenon have been offered in the literature; the absence of critical nonverbal elements that are found in face to face communication; and a perceived higher standard for the written word than the spoken word. Those factors may lead to communication apprehension and non-participation by certain individuals. This study utilized a single case study research design to investigate the reasons for varying levels of participation in computer conferencing and to examine whether there is a relationship between communication apprehension and levels of participation in computer conferences. Fifty-two subjects from a sample of 126 adult learners in three graduate distance education courses responded by completing two questionnaires. Participants answered questions about their general conferencing activity and the extent to which certain factors influenced their frequency of message contribution. Data analyses of questionnaire responses revealed no significant relationships with two iii exceptions. Low participation students (lurkers) were more likely to report that; a) time limitations related to their jobs influenced their participation to a considerable extent; and, b) that they often found their opinion had already been expressed by another student. Student responses to the questionnaires are discussed and possible explanations are considered. Limitations of the study are described and further research activities are proposed.


The Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm is a key reference for inference in latent variable models; unfortunately, its computational cost is prohibitive in the large scale learning setting. In this paper, we propose an extension of the Stochastic Path-Integrated Differential EstimatoR EM (SPIDER-EM) and derive complexity bounds for this novel algorithm, designed to solve smooth nonconvex finite-sum optimization problems. We show that it reaches the same state of the art complexity bounds as SPIDER-EM; and provide conditions for a linear rate of convergence. Numerical results support our findings.


One of the major objectives of adopting service-oriented architecture (SOA) is to enhance the IS agility of organizations and improve IT-business alignment. In practice the contradictory experiences about SOA implementation turn out to be a paradox: why many organizations failed to meet their expectations about SOA implementation efforts, while others succeeded? Contrast to prior research on SOA, this study adopts the process perspective and provides plausible theoretical explanations for the "SOA implementation paradox". Specifically, the study uses multiple case-study methods to develop a system dynamics model which highlights the feedback loops and time delay during the SOA implementation process. The results reveal the dynamic characteristics of learning curve of SOA implementation and two organizational traps (technology learning trap and implementation effectiveness trap) associated with SOA implementation. Technology learning trap refers to the situation that the less learning in using the technology, the more difficult and complex the technology is perceived. Implementation effectiveness trap refers to the situation in which the organization may misperceive the inappropriateness of SOA when SOA implementation is temporally less effective and perceived benefits of SOA are delayed. The theory of the organizational traps can be generalized to a broad context of innovative IS implementation. Further, the theoretical causes of the traps are investigated. Finally, the research implication of this study and connections with existing literature on IS and organization are discussed.


This thesis is a study of the effects of totalitarian propaganda in a period of unrelenting crisis. Its importance as a totalitarian state and the vast amount of documentary material available make National Socialist Germany of 1943-45 an "ideal" subject for such a study. As long as Germany was confronted with a generally favourable military situation, as was the case in the years 1939-42, the work of Nazi propagandists was a
comparatively easy one. The Stalingrad debacle in the winter of 1942-3, however, marked a turn not only in Germany's'military fortune, but also in domestic morale and response to propaganda. Nazi propagandists, now deprived of the favourable context, faced their first real test and were compelled to create a substitute
for the increasingly unwelcome real world. It is shown that the German people's recognition of the growing rift between this propaganda-ersatz, "world" and the reality of the military situation resulted in a fall in Nazi propaganda's reputation for truth and trustworthiness, as well as an increasing dependence on alternative, even forbidden, unofficial information sources (e. g. rumours, foreign radio stations, the accounts of soldiers at the front). The thesis deals with those factors determining propaganda policy, the popular response to this propaganda and the reaction of the propagandists to this response. Within the context of this two-way process of interaction between propagandists and propaganda audience particular attention is paid to six themes.
(a) What was the comparative importance of fear and consolation as components of Nazi propaganda policy? How successful were propagandists in strengthening the German people's will to resist the enemy by pointing out the dire consequences of defeat, and, at the same time, in providing adequate "positive" arguments to convince their audience of the feasibility of "final victory"?
(b) How effective was constant repetition of the propaganda message?
(c) How "total" was, in fact, Nazi propaganda? Was the
propaganda audience identical with the German people?
(d) What was the effect of military events and bombing on the popular attitude to both Nazi propaganda and the unofficial information sources, mentioned above?
(e) How crucial were class and regional factors in determining morale and response to propaganda?
(f) What effects did military setback and bombing have on
popular attitudes to the future and the growing likelihood of defeat? Did the German people accept the basic propaganda argument that defeat would constitute their own destruction?
The study is principally concerned with the Nazi press and radio, as well as some aspects of Party propaganda. Chapters 2-7 each contain a basic research subject for an examination of one or more of the questions listed above. The subjects chosen are the Battle of Stalingrad, the subsequent "Total War" campaign, the anti-Bolshevik and anti-Semitic propaganda campaigns in the first half of 1943, the Allied bombing offensive against the Reich, retaliation (Vergeltung) propaganda, and, finally, the catastrophic. chain of events in the final nine months of the Second World War. Chapter 8 presents some general conclusions


Interactions of the extracellular matrix component hyaluronic acid and its cellular receptors CD44 and RHAMM/IHABP have been linked to tumor progression and metastasis formation. We investigated the expression and hyaluronic-acid-dependent functions of CD44 and RHAMM/IHABP in human melanoma. Immunohistochemistry of tumor specimens at different stages of melanoma progression revealed an increased expression of CD44 and RHAMM/IHABP. High mRNA expression of CD44 was found in three highly tumorigenic melanoma cell lines compared with less tumorigenic melanoma cells or nontransformed melanocytes. RHAMM/IHABP expression was upregulated in all cell lines analyzed but not in melanocytes. In contrast to the cell surface localization of CD44, RHAMM/IHABP was detected exclusively within the cytoplasm of melanoma cells. Binding and adhesion of melanoma cells to hyaluronic acid is mainly CD44 dependent as it was inhibited to 60%--80% by an anti-CD44 monoclonal antibody whereas anti-RHAMM/IHABP sera had no effect. Culture of melanoma cells in the presence of hyaluronic acid resulted in a dose-dependent, CD44-mediated increase of melanoma cell proliferation and enhanced release of basic fibroblast growth factor and transforming growth factor beta 1. We conclude that (i) the expression of CD44 and RHAMM/IHABP is increased during melanoma progression, (ii) CD44 is the principal hyaluronic acid surface receptor on melanoma cells, and (iii) the hyaluronic-acid-induced increase of the proliferative capacity of melanoma cells is mainly dependent on CD44--hyaluronic acid interactions.


High-resolution infrared imagery from the ITOS 1 satellite demonstrates the utility of synoptic sea-surface temperature information. The northern edge of the Gulf Stream, the slope waters, and the shelf waters display complex thermal characteristics with distinct temperature gradients separating these three water masses. This type of information can be very useful for increasing our understanding of many physical phenomena that occur over Earth's oceans.


A major role of chemokines is to mediate leukocyte migration through interaction with G-protein-coupled receptors. Various delivery systems have been developed to utilize the chemokine properties for combating disease. Viral and mutant viral vectors expressing chemokines, genetically modified dendritic cells with chemokine or chemokine receptors, engineered chemokine-expressing tumor cells and pDNA encoding chemokines are among these methods. Another approach for inducing a targeted immune response is fusion of a targeting antibody or antibody fragment to a chemokine. In addition, chemokines induce more effective antitumor immunity when used as adjuvants. In this regard, chemokines are codelivered along with antigens or fused as a targeting unit with antigenic moieties. In this review, several chemokines with their role in inducing immune response against different diseases are discussed, with a major emphasis on cancer.


Intrusion detection systems are designed to provide security in computer networks, so that if the attacker crosses other security devices, they can detect and prevent the attack process. One of the most essential challenges in designing these systems is the so called curse of dimensionality. Therefore, in order to obtain satisfactory performance in these systems we have to take advantage of appropriate pre-processing steps specially the feature subset selection methods. Since the problem of searching for the optimal feature subset has an intolerable complexity, in this paper we propose a genetic-algorithm-based search method for finding the most relevant subset of features. In order to find the most relevant features, the parallel structure of the genetic algorithm along with the distribution factor of the features is used. The fitness value of each feature subset is computed according to performance of the classifier trained with respect to that subset. In order to evaluate the performance of the proposed method, we use the NSL-KDD dataset which benefits from more real-world intriguing records than other intrusion detection data. The results of our evaluation experiments shows that the proposed method outperforms the prior methods.


ABSTRACT Objective Evaluate the utility of brief online training for facilitating mental health professionals' perceived knowledge, confidence, and comfort in working with non-binary clients, and building positive attitudes. Method Baseline participants were 79 Australian registered mental health professionals, of whom 38 completed online training and a one-week follow-up assessment. Participants completed an assessment of attitudes, comfort, confidence, and perceived knowledge pertaining to non-binary people before and after completing online training. The training (30-minute average completion time) provided information on non-binary people's lives using text, images, embedded video, and links to optional resources. Results Follow-up measures completed one-week post-intervention indicated engagement in the training may lead to increased perceived knowledge, confidence and comfort. Attitudes were positive at baseline and were not significantly different at follow-up. Conclusions Providing brief online training for working with non-binary people in mental health might improve practitioner perceived knowledge, confidence and competence at low cost and with easy access. Future research is required to account for limitations and build on current outcomes. Key Points What is already known on this topic: Little is known about the effects of brief online training regarding non-binary genders on mental health practitioner's attitudes, confidence, comfort, and perceived knowledge. Previous research has shown that brief training can increase positive attitudes for, knowledge of, behavioural intent, and cultural competence for working with sexual and gender minorities, though has not specifically focused on non-binary people. Previous literature has highlighted positive associations between practitioner knowledge and the well-being of non-binary people accessing health services. What this paper adds: This paper adds to the ongoing genesis of options for training mental health practitioners about non-binary people and relevant issues. Findings suggest beneficial outcomes from both prior professional training in this area and the brief training used in the study. The brief online training used in the study was associated with higher perceived knowledge, confidence, and comfort for working with non-binary clients, but further research is needed to understand reasons for change in these variables.


Healthcare infrastructural investments are a key strategic issue in countries such as Italy, whose aging population faces severe public budget constraints, exacerbated by the unprecedented recession. The choice between traditional procurement (TP) and Public Private Partnerships/Project Finance (PPP/PF) is by now a cornerstone of public strategies concerning complex infrastructural investments. PESTLE and SWOT strategic analysis provides a systematic and comprehensive reflection of the external and internal operational environment but has infrequently been applied to infrastructural procurement. Risk sharing between public and private actors and consequent corporate governance and ownership issues are still under-investigated in the literature, especially if associated with innovative PESTLE and SWOT instruments. Evidence shows that PESTLE and SWOT analysis improves procurement choices and public-private partnering, softening governance concerns. Since empirical considerations about Italy may be globally extended, even beyond the healthcare industry, the audience of this study may conveniently widen well beyond its apparently narrow focus.


The induction motor is considered the workhorse of the
industry as it is used in most of the engineering applications. It is essential
to ensure a safe and reliable operation of the induction motor in every system.
Among the various types of induction motor faults, stator winding insulation
fault accounts for a high percentage of it. As such, being able to detect early
stages of insulation faults within the equipment using the method proposed in
this paper would prove to be useful in providing timely maintenance. The proposed method in this paper is the non-intrusive
impedance extraction method for online stator winding fault detection of
induction motor. By observing the health condition of the motor in relation
with its impedance, early stages of faults can be detected and rectified. Hence, eliminating potential safety hazards, reducing motor
downtime as well as lowering the cost of maintenance. Experimental results
shown will prove the reliability and accuracy in which the method proposed
would provide. At the same time, its installation and removal are less
complicated as compared to other methods hence is cost and time efficient.


More and more learning activities take place online in a selfdirected manner. Therefore, just as the idea of self-tracking activities for fitness purposes has gained momentum in the past few years, tools and methods for awareness and self-reflection on one's own online learning behavior appear as an emerging need for both formal and informal learners. Addressing this need is one of the key objectives of the AFEL (Analytics for Everyday Learning) project. In this paper, we discuss the different aspects of what needs to be put in place in order to enable awareness and self-reflection in online learning. We start by describing a scenario that guides the work done. We then investigate the theoretical, technical and support aspects that are required to enable this scenario, as well as the current state of the research in each aspect within the AFEL project. We conclude with a discussion of the ongoing plans from the project to develop learner-facing tools that enable awareness and selfreflection for online, self-directed learners. We also elucidate the need to establish further research programs on facets of self-tracking for learning that are necessarily going to emerge in the near future, especially regarding privacy and ethics.


Background The National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP), established nationally in England in 2008, aims to prevent and control chlamydia infection in young adults under 25 years of age through opportunistic community based testing. Aim We wished to validate the NCSP estimates of chlamydia screening coverage in the target population of young adults by comparing to self-reported chlamydia testing among participants to the Health Survey for England (HSE). Methods Chlamydia screening coverage is calculated centrally by combining the number of tests reported from three sources of data: NCSP; sexual health clinics; and laboratories. All three sources provide data by age and sex. HSE is an annual general health survey of a nationally representative selection of households in England. In 2010, questions on previous history of testing for chlamydia were asked of all 4259 individuals aged 16–54 who were interviewed. Analyses presented here are limited to the 725 young adults aged 16–24 years old. Results In 2010, NCSP estimated that 2.2 million chlamydia tests were performed in England among young adults aged 15–24 years old, representing up to 33% of the target population (43% of females and 24% of males). In HSE 2010, 44% of females (177/402) and 27% of males (87/323) reported having ever had a chlamydia test. The proportion who reported having had chlamydia test in the last year was lower for both females (27%; 109/402) and males (17%; 55/323). Conclusion We have demonstrated the progress made by NCSP in achieving high national levels of coverage. Estimated coverage rates in 2010 reported by NCSP were slightly higher than those recorded by HSE which may be in part due to the inclusion of those who have had repeat chlamydia tests. The data collected by HSE has proved a valuable source of data with which to monitor the progress of NCSP in achieving national targets for testing coverage and improve the delivery of the programme.


The authors describe a project which is intended as a prototype study to demonstrate the effectiveness, as measured by execution speedup, of running parallel simulations on newly available high-performance but relatively low-cost multiple-processor architectures. The authors focus on performance problems related to the use of discrete event simulation as a tool for development of system designs, and they discuss important constraints in its use in this area. They briefly survey the high-performance architectures which can be used to speed up simulations, as well as the relationship of parallel simulation to general distributed systems issues, and they describe the model being implemented to evaluate the effectiveness of the architecture and processor synchronization technique that have been chosen.<<ETX>>


Since 1980 many developing countries have adopted two major macroeconomic strategies: Stabilisation and Structural Adjustment. A generally held view regarding the impact of these macroeconomic strategies is that it led to unemployment, low investment, decline in real wages, capital flight, rise in inequality and poverty. All these resulted in deterioration in living conditions of the poor in the short run.1 In some cases, the long run benefits, if any, of these programmes are sacrificed due to the high social costs in the short run. A number of studies, examining the impact of the observed macroeconomic impact of the Structural Adjustment Policies (StAP), report mixed impact on women. For example, on the one hand, Khan (1999) found an increasing trend in feminisation of agricultural labour2, and feminisation of poverty3 while Brown (1992), on the other hand, reports employment as a key factor in determining women's empowerment and argues that some aspects of economic reforms hold for improvement in the long-run. The argument is based on the assumption that greater economic role for women offers protection and that employment itself mitigates against domestic violence. However, the overall effect of structural adjustment is difficult to measure as it varies across countries, across sectors, and across individuals within a household.


Vinclozolin (Ronilan) and benomyl (Benlate) fungicides were applied to canola with 5 application methods to determine the impact of nozzle type and pressure on sclerotinia stem rot suppression over 3 seasons in north-east Saskatchewan. A spray deposition study was conducted under controlled conditions, which showed that the majority of spray was intercepted by the top third of the canola canopy for all application systems, with a slight increase in the amount deposited on the upper flowers with elevated spray pressure. Flowers and buds retained nearly 20% of the total applied spray dose, and leaves retained most of the remainder. Stems retained a very minor proportion of the applied dose. Coarser sprays delivered more of their dose in the target area, but had lower retention values on flowers and buds than the finer sprays. In field experiments fungicide effectiveness varied with environmental conditions each season but both products were generally equally effective in 1998 and 2000, reducing stem rot incidence and increasing yield over that of untreated plots. In 1999 neither fungicide was effective for sclerotinia control likely due to the prevailing environment that was conducive to heavy disease development. Overall, conventional flat fan nozzles (TeeJet XR) and low-drift venturi nozzles (Greenleaf TurboDrop) were equally effective at reducing stem rot incidence. There was a trend to improved stem rot control and increased yield for each nozzle when operated at elevated pressure. Based on these results, venturi nozzle technology is appropriate for use with foliar fungicides for sclerotinia stem rot control in canola provided pressures are adjusted to optimize nozzle performance.


The task of automatic design space exploration of heterogeneous multi-processor systems is often tackled with evolutionary algorithms. In this paper, we propose a novel approach in combining evolutionary algorithms with symbolic techniques in order to improve the convergence speed. The main idea is to guide the search towards the feasible region by utilizing symbolic techniques. We present experimental results showing the advantages of our novel approach, especially when the search space contains only few feasible solutions, what is often the case when designing heterogeneous multi-processor systems.


A recent report issued jointly by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) concluded that the evidence to support a positive association between greater intakes of red and processed meat and colorectal cancer was convincing, but the evidence for specific meat components explaining these associations remained inconclusive. To explore potential underlying mechanisms for these observations, we examined associations of mutagens generated through meat cooking and meat processing methods with colorectal cancer in a large multisite population-based case-control study in a contiguous 19-county area in central and northeast Pennsylvania. Participants (863 healthy controls, 483 incident colon and 196 incident rectal cancer cases) completed a detailed lifestyle questionnaire and the 137-item National Cancer Institute9s Diet History Questionnaire (DHQ). The DHQ included a detailed cooked and processed meat module to estimate intakes of heterocyclic amines (HCAs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nitrites, and nitrates. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations between meat exposures and colorectal cancer stratified by sub-site of the large intestine were estimated from unconditional logistic regression models. After multivariate adjustment for age, total energy intake, sex, body mass index, energy-adjusted total fruit and vegetable intake, and past regular NSAID use, positive associations with HCAs and PAHs, as measured by total mutagenic activity, were stronger for rectal cancer (OR = 1.55, 95% CI: 0.97, 2.47; P for trend = 0.049) than colon cancer, whereas positive associations with nitrites plus nitrates were stronger for colon cancer (OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 0.91-1.87; P for trend = 0.031). Our findings support the hypothesis that greater exposure to HCAs, PAHs, nitrites, and nitrates is a plausible mechanism by which red and processed meat may increase colorectal cancer risk. Our sub-site analyses indicate that associations between meat-derived exposures and colon and rectal cancer may differ, which underscores the need for additional studies that examine dietary risk factors for colon and rectal cancer as separate endpoints. The investigation of interactions between genetic polymorphisms and meat exposures in relation to colorectal cancer risk is underway in our study population. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2010;3(12 Suppl):A84.


High genetic diversity in chili is the basis for a chili breeding program. One of the methods to increase diversity is through crossing. There are several crossing designs in order to produce new varieties, such as diallel crossing. Diallel analysis is a method for studying the inheritance of characteristics from various crossings. The aim of this research was to estimate the genetic parameters, the general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) of six inbred lines of chili. The research was conducted in November 2008-May 2009 at the Experimental Farm Leuwikopo IPB. Genetic materials used were six inbred lines of chili (IPB C2, IPB C9, IPB C10, IPB C14, IPB C15 and IPB C20) and the F1s of the combination of six inbred lines. The experimental design was Randomized Complete Block Design with a single factor, namely genotype. The number of genotypes were 36 with three replications, so there were 108 units of experiment. The crossing design used was diallel crossing design. The results showed that there were no interaction between genes on the dichotomous height and fruit weight, significant additive effects, the control genes spread unevenly, and relatively high heritability values. Genotype which carried recessive genes the most was IPB C14 and genotype which carried the most dominant genes was IPB C10. IPB C10 showed the highest GCA for dichotomous height and IPB C2 showed the highest GCA on fruit weight. The crossing between IPB C2 x IPB C10 showed the highest SCA for dichotomous height. For fruit weight, crossing of IPB C2x IPB C14 had the highest SCA. Crossing combination of IPB C2 x IPB C14 was the best hybrid.


Since the concept of a smart city was introduced, IoT (Internet of Things) has beenconsidered the key infrastructure in a smart city. However, there are currently no detailed explanations of the technical contributions of IoT in terms of the management, development, and improvements of smart cities. Therefore, the current study describes the importance of IoT technologies on the technology roadmap (TRM) of a smart city. Moreover, the survey with about 200 experts was conducted to investigate both the importance and essentiality of detail components of IoT technologies for a smart city. Based on the survey results, the focal points and essential elements for the successful developments of a smart city are presented.


Partial multi-label learning (PML), which tackles the problem of learning multi-label prediction models from instances with overcomplete noisy annotations, has recently started gaining attention from the research community. In this paper, we propose a novel adversarial learning model, PML-GAN, under a generalized encoder-decoder framework for partial multi-label learning. The PML-GAN model uses a disambiguation network to identify irrelevant labels and uses a multi-label prediction network to map the training instances to their disambiguated label vectors, while deploying a generative adversarial network as an inverse mapping from label vectors to data samples in the input feature space. The learning of the overall model corresponds to a minimax adversarial game, which enhances the correspondence of input features with the output labels in a bi-directional mapping. Extensive experiments are conducted on both synthetic and real-world partial multi-label datasets, while the proposed model demonstrates the state-of-the-art performance.