Sanderson explores the nature of the contemporary world's 200 societies by comparing and contrasting their basic institutions and patterns of social organization. Major topics include the rich democracies and how they became rich and democratic; the expansion of government and the welfare state; the collapse of Communism and the transition to postsocialist societies; the conditions of less-developed countries, with attention to those that are developing rapidly as well as those that continue to lag far behind; racial and ethnic divisions and conflicts worldwide; the gender revolution of the past fifty years and changing contemporary patterns of gender inequality throughout the world; major shifts in family patterns and the transition to below-replacement fertility; the global spread and expansion of mass education and educational credentialism; worldwide patterns of religious belief and practice; a detailed evaluation of the secularization thesis; economic, political, and cultural globalization; the nature of social and economic progress over the past two centuries; and nine predictions concerning the short-term and long-term future of the world. The book provides detailed and fully up-to-date statistical data on societies in 43 tables.


Abstract Online platforms, such as App Store and Kindle, are facing a common dilemma: while the implementation of technology-based protection impedes piracy and hence boosts demand from legal users (positive effect), the resulting restriction meanwhile imposes some level of disutility on the same due to inconvenience (negative effect). This paper investigates a monopolistic platform's optimal protection level and pricing strategy under an agency business model (content agency model or advertising agency model). We find that the platform's protection strategy hinges on the relative magnitude of the two opposing effects of protection. When the negative effect dominates, the minimal protection is optimal. However, as the positive effect becomes more salient, the platform has an incentive to increase the protection level. We also find that although the demand of non-pure platform users always increases as the level of content substitutability rises under the minimal and maximal protection regions, it is not necessarily the case under the medium protection region. The study advances our understanding of the content protection against piracy from a platform's perspective. Our findings also provide insights into business model decision when platform protection is endogenously determined.


Data distribution management (DDM) deals with two basic problems: how to distribute data generated at the application layer among underlying nodes in the distributed system and how to retrieve data whenever it is necessary. DDM is addressed in two different network environments: peer-to-peer (P2P) overlay networks and cluster-based network environments. Although DDM provides the same data indexing service in both distributed network environments, it serves upper-layer applications for very different purposes, and it is supported by underlying networks with distinctive infrastructures. This chapter introduces some basic concepts that are widely used in the high-level architecture (HLA)/DDM based distributed simulations community. In order to understand these concepts more thoroughly, their different representations as used by two major DDM systems: the region-based system and the grid-based system are incorporated.


The present study was carried out to evaluate the antidiabetic activity of catechins isolated from Bridelia ferruginea in previous studies. Epigallocatechin (EGC) and Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) isolated from B. ferruginea were administrated to streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice to evaluate their anti-hyperglycemic and anti-hyperlipidemic effects. Then, biochemical parameters were assayed in different groups of streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. The level of fasting blood glucose levels, triglycerides (TG) and total cholesterol (TC) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice were significantly decreased after daily oral administration of EGC and EGCG at doses of 10 mg/kg/day, for 21 days.  Glucose intolerance was significantly reduced in streptozotocin induced diabetic mice treated with catechins. These results suggest that catechins constituents from B. ferruginea, revealed significant anti-hyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic activity in type 2 diabetes.

 Key words: Bridelia ferruginea, epigallocatechin,  streptozotocin, diabetes, medicinal plant.


OBJECTIVES
This paper summarizes much of the research that is applicable to the design of auditory alarms in a medical context. It also summarizes research that demonstrates that false alarm rates are unacceptably high, meaning that the proper application of auditory alarm design principles are compromised.

TARGET AUDIENCE
Designers, users, and manufacturers of medical information and monitoring systems that indicate when medical or other parameters are exceeded and that are indicated by an auditory signal or signals.

SCOPE
The emergence of alarms as a 'hot topic'; an outline of the issues and design principles, including IEC 60601-1-8; the high incidence of false alarms and its impact on alarm design and alarm fatigue; approaches to reducing alarm fatigue; alarm philosophy explained; urgency in audible alarms; different classes of sound as alarms; heterogeneity in alarm set design; problems with IEC 60601-1-8 and ways of approaching this design problem.


Gasification process at updraft gasifier produces greater amount of tar than other type of gasifier. To reduce tar at updraft gasifier, the pirolysis gas will be re-circulated to combustion zone and to exhaust gas from reduction zone. Recirculation of pirolysis gas to combustion zone can be carried out by using ejector. Ejector is an equipment used to inject the secondary fluid flow by the movement of momentum and energy from high speed primary flow (jet). The research conducted with isothermal 3D simulation using CFD and experimental investigation of recirculation flow using ejector at updraft gasifier. Ejector velocity for simulation and experimentation is constant at 0.6 m/s. Ejector's nozzle exit position (NXP) direction will be varied. The goal of this research is to obtain information of optimal nozzle exit position for producing maximum velocity of gas recirculation. The result of simulation and experiment shows that the change of nozzle exit position direction to – x axis from zero point, it will give maximum velocity of gas recirculation flow with the optimum position of nozzle exit position at the range of -3 to -4 cm from zero point.


Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is highly endemic in Bangladesh. Using passive surveillance data (case records from all 64 districts of Bangladesh, 2014–2017) and district domestic ruminant population estimates, we calculated FMD cumulative incidence per 10,000 animals at risk per district, conducted cluster (Moran's spatial autocorrelation and scan statistics) and hotspot analysis (local indicator of spatial association statistic), created predictive maps and identified risk factors using a geographically weighted regression model. A total of 548,817 FMD cases in cattle and buffalo were reported during the four-year study period. The highest proportion (31.5%) of cases were reported during the post-monsoon season, and from Chattogram (29.2%) division. Five space-time clusters, 9 local clusters, and 14 hotspots were identified. Overall, higher cumulative incidences of FMD were consistently predicted in eastern parts of Bangladesh. The precipitation in the pre-monsoon season (p = 0.0008) was positively associated with FMD in Bangladesh. Results suggest climate plays an important role in the epidemiology of FMD in Bangladesh, and high risk zones exist. In a resource limited-setting, hotspots and clusters should be prioritized for vaccination coverage, and surveillance for FMD should be targeted in eastern areas of Bangladesh and during the post-monsoon season.


The growth profiles of five strains of Cronobacter spp. at low temperature (4 oC to 8 oC) and their thermal resistance to mild heat treatment (48 oC to 50 oC) were investigated with a view to developing a model to predict lag times of individual cells, using a strain with a relatively high thermotolerance and able to grow well at refrigeration temperature (7 oC).

The effect of heat stress (49 oC for 7 min) and subsequent recovery temperatures (7 oC to 22 oC) on the individual cellular lag times of one strain of Cronobacter turicensis were analysed using optical density measurements. It was found that the distribution of individual lag times of Cr. turicensis shifted right and became more spread when the recovery temperature decreased, and the distribution was more skewed after heat stress. Assuming the lag of a single cell follows a shifted Gamma distribution with a fixed shape parameter, the effect of recovery temperature on the individual lag times of untreated and sublethally heat stressed cells of Cr. turicensis were modelled. It was found that the shift parameter (Tshift) increased asymptotically as the temperature decreased, while the logarithm of the scale parameter (θ) decreased linearly as recovery temperature increased.

To test the validity of the model, growth of low numbers of untreated and heat stressed Cr. turicensis in tryptone soy broth (TSB) and infant first milk was measured experimentally between 7 oC and 22 oC and compared with predictions obtained by Monte Carlo simulations. It was found that in TSB, in most cases, the simulations from both models underestimated the actual growth of individual cells of Cr. turicensis from challenge tests; while in first milk, the untreated model slightly underestimated the actual growth at low temperatures (7 oC and 12 oC). The heat stressed model in first milk was generally in agreement with the data derived from the challenge tests and provides a basis for reliable quantitative microbiological risk assessments for Cronobacter spp. in infant milk.

The study has made a contribution to understanding and modelling the responses of untreated and sublethally heat stressed Cr. turicensis at 7 oC, 12 oC and 22 oC at single cell level.


CD8+ T cells are crucial for the clearance of viral infections, and current research begins to highlight their importance in parasitic diseases too. In-depth research about characteristics of CD8+ T-cell subsets and exhaustion remains uncertain, especially during filariasis, a chronic helminth infection. Lymphatic filariasis, elicited by Wuchereria bancrofti, remains a serious health problem in endemic areas in Ghana, especially in those suffering from morbidity due to lymphedema (LE). In this observational study, the characteristics and profiles of CD8+ T cells were compared between asymptomatic Wuchereria bancrofti-infected individuals, uninfected endemic normals, and those with LE (grades 2–6). Focusing on exhausted memory (CD8+exmem: CD8+ T-betdimEomeshi) and effector (CD8+exeff: CD8+T-bethiEomesdim) CD8+ T-cell subsets, advanced flow cytometry revealed that LE individuals presented reduced frequencies of IFN-γ+CD8+exmem T cells expressing Tim-3 or LAG-3 which negatively correlated to the presence of LE. Moreover, the LE cohort further showed significantly higher frequencies of IL-10+CD8+exeff T cells expressing either Tim-3, LAG-3, CD39, KLRG-1, or PD-1, all associated markers of exhaustion, and that these frequencies positively correlated with the presence of LE. In summary, this study shows that distinct exhausted CD8+ T-cell subsets are prominent in individuals suffering from LE, suggesting that enhanced inflammation and constant immune activation might drive exhaustion of CD8+ T cells. Since T-cell exhaustion is known to be associated with insufficient control of persisting antigen, the data presented here reveals that these CD8+ T-cell exhaustion patterns in filarial LE should be taken into consideration for prevention and control management of LE.


Environmental issues should be a priority in the study of the current post-modern era of international relations.  The after-effects of industrialization and technological progress have a very crucial impact on the global environment.  Hence, we begin to examine the contemporary history of the efforts of the European countries as the first spearhead of the industrial revolution in dealing with the environmental crisis. The European Union is experiencing a lot of issues, commonly in the case of Environmental Diplomacy. Quo vadis is a Latin phrase meaning "Where are you going?". From this term, it will be seen how the problems that occur as well as the future that will be confronted with the aid of the EU. EU used to be in conflict with countless events such as with the United States, China, Indonesia, and even had its very own members, specifically Britain.

Keywords : Environmental Diplomacy, United States, Indonesia,  European Union.


Multi-channel shopping keeping consumers from changing retailers during the channel conversion process has become an important issue. Showrooming, one of the increasingly popular form of multi-channel behavior, brings different influences to retailers. This paper focuses on how to keep consumers loyal to retailer of showrooming behavior during the channel conversion process, and explore its influencing factors from the perspective of cognitive appraisal theory. Three hundred and ten questionnaires were collected to conduct empirical analysis by structural equation modeling (SEM). The empirical research results show that information availability, price comparison, and after sales service positively affect perceived fluency and perceived value, but interaction service has no significant effect on perceived fluency and perceived value, and that perceived value and perceived fluency further promote the appearance of showrooming behavior. The research results improve the existing showrooming research system, and provide suggestions for retailers on how to improve the channel characteristics to promote positive showrooming.


ABSTRACT Efavirenz (EFZ) has been associated with neuropsychiatric side effects. Recently, the 8-hydroxy-EFZ (8OH-EFZ) metabolite has been shown to be a potent neurotoxin in vitro, inducing neuronal damage at concentrations of 3.3 ng/ml. EFZ induced similar neuronal damage at concentrations of 31.6 ng/ml. We investigated the effect of genotype and blood-brain barrier integrity on EFZ metabolite concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). We measured CSF drug concentrations in subjects from two separate study populations: 47 subjects with tuberculous meningitis (TBM) coinfection in Vietnam receiving 800 mg EFZ with standard antituberculous treatment and 25 subjects from the PARTITION study in the United Kingdom without central nervous system infection receiving 600 mg EFZ. EFZ and metabolite concentrations in CSF and plasma were measured and compared with estimates of effectiveness and neurotoxicity from available published in vitro and in vivo data. The effect of the CYP2B6 c.516G→T genotype (GG genotype, fast EFV metabolizer status; GT genotype, intermediate EFV metabolizer status; TT genotype, slow EFV metabolizer status) was examined. The mean CSF concentrations of EFZ and 8OH-EFZ in the TBM group were 60.3 and 39.3 ng/ml, respectively, and those in the no-TBM group were 15.0 and 5.9 ng/ml, respectively. Plasma EFZ and 8OH-EFZ concentrations were similar between the two groups. CSF EFZ concentrations were above the in vitro toxic concentration in 76% of samples (GG genotype, 61%; GT genotype, 90%; TT genotype, 100%) in the TBM group and 13% of samples (GG genotype, 0%; GT genotype, 18%; TT genotype, 50%) in the no-TBM group. CSF 8OH-EFZ concentrations were above the in vitro toxic concentration in 98% of the TBM group and 87% of the no-TBM group; levels were independent of genotype but correlated with the CSF/plasma albumin ratio. Potentially neurotoxic concentrations of 8OH-EFZ are frequently observed in CSF independently of the CYP2B6 genotype, particularly in those with impaired blood-brain barrier integrity.


This brief to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court was filed in support of the City of South Portland by the Amici Curiae, including the International Municipal Lawyers Association and legal scholars, to provide the Court with a background on the role of local governments in land use planning, and to explain why the City of South Portland's Clear Skies Ordinance falls easily within the City's authority and was not preempted by state legislation.

After studying the potential for bulk loading of crude oil within its boundaries, the City of South Portland concluded that the infrastructure requirements and environmental impacts of the activity posed a threat to public health and welfare and were incompatible with the community's vision of itself for the future. The City therefore decided to enact the Clear Skies Ordinance, which prohibits the storing and handling of petroleum or petroleum products for the bulk loading of crude oil onto any marine tank vessel in specified zoning districts. Litigation followed, with plaintiffs arguing that the City lacked authority to enact the Ordinance and that, even if it had such authority in the first instance, that authority had been preempted by other state law. Defendants prevailed on summary judgment in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine, and during the course of an appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, the Circuit certified several questions to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. This brief was filed in support of the City with regard to those certified questions.

The brief begins by discussing how central the role of local governments is in making land use decisions, emphasizing the highly localized impacts of land use decisions for public health and welfare. It then describes the zoning mechanisms by which local governments exercise their land use power, and discusses why the zoning power is so important for protecting public health and environmental quality, and responding to the changing needs of communities.

Next, the brief explains the legal underpinnings of the City of South Portland's home rule authority. The Constitution of the State of Maine contains a broad grant of home rule authority that is further strengthened by a statutorily imposed rebuttable presumption of validity for exercises of that authority. Local exercises of zoning authority are consistent within this home rule grant, and the brief discusses why the Clear Skies Ordinance falls squarely within the local zoning power. Finally, the brief explains why the Ordinance has not been expressly or impliedly preempted by state law. For all of those reasons, the brief concludes that the City's enactment of the Ordinance was valid in the first instance and should not be overturned.


Objective: Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD) was established as a new DSM-5 disorder despite little published research, and there are no studies investigating agreement between informants on the presence of DMDD symptoms. Methods: Mothers, fathers, and teachers rated DMDD symptoms (irritable-angry mood and temper outbursts) in 768 children with psychiatric disorders ages 6-16.
Results: Mother and father ratings were similar, but parent-teacher agreement was poor. Mothers and fathers identified a substantially higher percentage of children with DMDD symptoms (30% and 25%) than did teachers (12%).
Conclusion: Our findings are consistent with previous studies demonstrating that parents perceive more externalizing and internalizing symptoms in their children than do teachers. This has implications for interpreting mother, father, and teacher report, which is particularly important for disorders like DMDD that have DSM-5 cross-setting diagnostic requirements. Given our findings, it seems prudent to obtain ratings from both parents and teachers and recognize that parents are likely to report greater DMDD symptoms than teachers.


Agriculture is an important part of Ethiopia's economy constituting a significant proportion of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and total export. The method of agricultural production in Ethiopia has resulted in increasing deforestation and degradation. Among others, Agroforestry has been considered as a potential alternative to address the increasing deforestation and degradation. Khat (Catha edulis), an indigenous shrub species offers the potential to be intercropped with other food crops in an agroforestry system. The aim of this article is to assess the competitiveness of Khat production as a complementary source of income for farmers in the West Shaw region of Ethiopia. Three focus group discussions (FGD) with 14 Khat producers per FGD were conducted in 3 villages in West Shewa and East Wollega zones in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. In addition, key informant interviews with traders were conducted to obtain further information about Khat production and marketing. Data was analyzed using Porters' five forces framework. The results indicate that demand exceeds its current supply and farmers have power to determine the price. However, there is high level of competition among traders in sourcing from the farmers leading to price war among traders. The agro ecological suitability for Khat production in the area indicates that more farmers can produce it if the awareness of its market potential is built. However, with the high level of demand and existence of export market, supply can be absorbed. We conclude that Khat can be promoted as a profitable crop for agroforestry practice in Ethiopia.


The effect of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and its synthetic analogue, 1alpha,25-dihydroxy-16-ene-23yne-26,27-hexafluoro-19-n or-cholecalciferol (Ro 25-6760), have been evaluated both in vitro and in vivo in human colorectal cancer cell lines expressing high (HT-29) and low (SW-620) levels of vitamin D receptor. 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 caused significant dose-dependent growth inhibition of HT-29 cells at concentrations ranging from 10(-11) to 10(-6). The antiproliferative effect of Ro 25-6760 on HT-29 cells was also dose-dependent with cell counts on day 6, ranging from 98% of control at 10(-11) M to 14% of control at 10(-6) M. However, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and Ro 25-6760 did not have any growth inhibitory effect on SW-620 at all concentrations. In mice with HT-29 tumor xenografts, administration of vitamin D at 0.1 and 0.2 microg/injection i.p. three times/week did not cause any significant tumor growth delay, whereas synthetic analogue Ro 25-6760, at both concentrations, caused a significant tumor growth inhibition in comparison with the control arm. In 30% of mice treated by R0 25-6760 the tumors disappeared on average after the second injection, and tumor growth did not resume after drug withdrawal. However, both 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 or Ro 25-6760 had no growth inhibitory effect at all applied concentrations in mice with the SW-620 tumor xenografts. The mechanism for this impressive growth inhibition is not yet elucidated and warrants further investigation.


Resistance exercise is a popular form of conditioning for numerous sport disciplines, and recently different modes of strength training are being evaluated for health benefits. Resistance exercise differs significantly in nature, and several variables determine the direction and range of adaptive changes that occur in the muscular and skeletal system of the body. Some modes of resistance training can also be effective in stimulating the cardiovascular system. These variables include exercise selection (general, specific, single or multi joint, dynamic, explosive), type of resistance (free weights, variable resistance, isokinetics), order of exercise (upper and lower body or push and pull exercises), and most of all the training load which includes intensity expressed as % of 1RM, number of repetitions, number of sets and the rest interval between sets. Manipulating these variables allows for specific adaptive changes which may include gains in muscle mass, muscle strength or muscle endurance. It has been well established that during resistance exercise fatigue occurs, regardless of the volume and intensity of work applied. The peripheral mechanisms of fatigue have been studied and explained in more detail than those related to the CNS. This review is an attempt to bring together the latest knowledge regarding fatigue, both peripheral and central, during resistance exercise. The authors of this review concentrated on physiological and biochemical mechanisms underlying fatigue in exercises performed with maximal intensity, as well as those performed to exhaustion with numerous repetitions and submaximal load.


Description: A self-contained introduction to matrix analysis theory and applications in the field of statistics Comprehensive in scope, Matrix Algebra for Linear Models offers a succinct summary of matrix theory and its related applications to statistics, especially linear models. The book provides a unified presentation of the mathematical properties and statistical applications of matrices in order to define and manipulate data. Written for theoretical and applied statisticians, the book utilizes multiple numerical examples to illustrate key ideas, methods, and techniques crucial to understanding matrix algebra's application in linear models. Matrix Algebra for Linear Models expertly balances concepts and methods allowing for a side-by-side presentation of matrix theory and its linear model applications. Including concise summaries on each topic, the book also features: Methods of deriving results from the properties of eigenvalues and the singular value decomposition Solutions to matrix optimization problems for obtaining more efficient biased estimators for parameters in linear regression models A section on the generalized singular value decomposition Multiple chapter exercises with selected answers to enhance understanding of the presented material Matrix Algebra for Linear Models is an ideal textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate-level courses on statistics, matrices, and linear algebra. The book is also an excellent reference for statisticians, engineers, economists, and readers interested in the linear statistical model.


This paper describes a case of transmission of herpetic whitlow to the index finger of a dental student from a patient with herpes simplex virus. The recognition of intraoral vira! infections in patients is important because these viruses have serious implications for heaith care providers. Rubber gloves must be worn when patients with primary or secondary herpetic lesions are treated. Asymptomatic permanent herpes virus carriers must also be treated with appropriate precautions. (Quintessence Int }993;24:363-364:)


The elegant impression of swirl skirts has been well received by most ladies, yet the textile industry does not have an objective method of evaluating the visual elegance of swirl skirt by grades. In the present study we there for use fabric mechanical properties through the KES-FB system to predict the elegance of swirl skirt manufactured that is to create a method for objectively evaluating visual elegance of swirl skirt by grades. From the study it is found there is a notable correlation between fabric mechanical properties and the visual elegance of swirl skirt by grades. It can also establish a objective evaluation model of visual elegance of swirl skirt by grades basing on the regression method using several key fabric mechanical properties in which the said models pass the fitting test with results exceeding 0.80. In addition, in the present study we use stepwise regression selection method to pick out the most significant key factors ( bending rigidity and shear hysteresis at 0 .5° ) affecting the visual elegance of swirl skirt by grades and then reapplies the regression method successfully thus establishing a method only using two fabric mechanical properties for objective evaluation of the visual elegance of swirl skirt by grades, in a more simple and objective manner.


This study aims to explore the change of attitude toward STEM among senior high school girl students after participating in a solar automatic trolley contest. The questionnaire survey and focus group interviews were adopted as research methodologies. The data was analyzed through attitude scale and the quantitative data and qualitative materials of interview contents. The subjects were the 11 th grade girl students in a senior high school who participated in the solar automatic trolley contest in teams. A total of 77 students participated in 18 teams. The results found that 1) books and teachers were their important sources of scientific information and practical teaching was more likely to trigger learning motivation; 2) the advantage of the technology learning was the enhancement of the sense of achievement; the disadvantage was the effect of the effectiveness of work; 3) the learning engineering could cultivate systematic thinking, problem-solving ability; 4) mathematics is an indispensable tool in daily life and teachers have played an important role in mathematics learning. Therefore, the research proposed that school should create more successful learning opportunities as well as provide the models of successful women; schools and businesses should encourage women to grasp learning and working opportunities in STEM field; teachers should strengthen integrated professional knowledge about STEM through special topic production curriculum, strengthen students' integrated knowledge about STEM.


DOI:  10.17014/ijog.v7i3.145 Sedimentary history and stratigraphy of the Papua and Arafura Sea areas, eastern Indonesia, are gained from surface geological mapping combined with published data from oil companies. Development of some sedimentary units demonstrates that the tectonism have influenced sedimentation of such units comprising a succession of Phanerozoic rocks developing in a stable continental margin. The succession underlain by Cambrian-Silurian-Devonian metamorphic rocks consists of Tuaba, Kariem, Awitagoh, and Kemum Formation, and Modio Dolomite (Pre-Rift Phase). These rocks having been intruded by Late Permian-Middle Triassic granitoids and Carboniferous granite, are unconformably overlain by Late Carboniferous to Cretaceous siliciclastic-rich units comprising Aifam Group and Tipuma Formation (syn-Rift Phase) and Kembelangan Group (Mesozoic Passive Margin Post-Rift). The Aifam Group is separated by a regionally continuous boundary on its top contact from the Triassic-Early Jurassic Tipuma Formation, which filled the block-faulted rift valley subbasins of continentally deposited red beds in the breakup stage. Regionally, developed erosion surfaces of the breakup unconformity have separated these red beds from generally transgressive post-breakup deposits of the Jurassic to Cretaceous marine sediments of the Kembelangan Group. Beach to shallow marine-glauconitic sandstone and shale of the group pass upward into shelf mudstone. Relative sea level fall related to the tectonic stability of the area led to the development of Eocene to Late Miocene platform carbonates of the New Guinea Limestone Supergroup which occurred in the entire island of Papua and the southern of Arafura that overlie these non-carbonate units (Tertiary passive margin). It is separated from the siliciclastic-rich packages by the Tertiary - Pre-Tertiary boundary. The sea level fluctuation within the group was also recorded during the formation of thin, discontinuous sandstone beds/lenses of Sirga Formation and Adi Member of the Oligocene age (Convergence phase). Turbidite sediments of the Miocene Klasafet Formation was deposited in a deep marine environment at the same time as the eruption of magmatic arc (Compressional phase). The mainland area was exposed above sea level at Late Miocene to Pleistocene (Melanesian Orogeny) and terrigenous detritus deposition began to fill in the basin as molasses type deposits with a marine influence in part (Buru and Steenkool Formations).


The antioxidant activity of aqueous flower extract of Hibiscus tiliaceus (Malvaceae) was accessed on the basis of the radical scavenging effect of the stable DPPH free radical inhibition assay. The extract showed significant activity at a concentration of 250 μg/ml. Antibacterial potency of water extract of flower and ethanolic leaves extract of the plant was studied by agar disc diffusion method. Both the extracts showed good amount of antimicrobial activity.


The current study was carried out to determine the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activities of methanolic extract P. silhetensis leaves in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. In this study diabetes was induced in rats by intraperitoneal administration of 150 mg/kg of alloxan. Animals were treated for one week with the plant extract at doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg body weight. Metformin (100 mg/kg b.w.) was used as standard for comparison. The anti-diabetes activity was examined by measuring blood glucose level at 0, 3, 5 and 7 days in diabetic induced animal models. Blood samples were collected at day eight of the treatment and analyzed for triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) after sacrifice. Alloxan-induced diabetic rats exhibited a significant decrease in plasma glucose level when treated with P. silhetensis leaf extract as compared to normal, diabetic control and standard rats. All tested lipid parameters were improved after the treatment with methanolic extract of P. silhetensis and metformin as compared to diabetic rats. The results of the present study showed that P. silhetensis possesses significant anti-diabetic properties and has beneficial effects on diabetic hyperlipidemia.
Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal 22(1): 41-44, 2019


Speaker identification using speech sample is a common task in forensic phonetics. The presence of noise in the speech sample is a challenge for phoneticians because it can interfere or modify the parameters that are used to identificate the speaker. This study aims to analyze the impact of noise in spontaneous speech by measuring eight prosodic parameters in differents noise-to-ratio signals: high signal-to-noise ratio (recording made in a quiet room) and low signal-to-noise ratio (original recording with adition of gaussian noise). Spectral emphasis and median of fundamental frequency showed differences in its values when the signal-to-noise ratio had changed. The analysis of different parameters related to rhytmical structure of the speech samples were more resistant to noise presence and that parameters seem to be sufficiently robust to be used when the signal-to-noise ratio is low.


Graphene oxide has attracted intense research interest recently because the graphene oxide synthesis route, as a promising alternative for cost-effective mass production of graphene, has been explored. To further study the oxidation process and possible mechanism and to explore applicability of the oxidized products, we have performed a computational study on three series of oligoacene dioxides, focusing on their structures and electronic properties. Taking 1,5-dioxidized naphthalene as a starting point, three series of oligoacene dioxides are considered as follows: 1) middle insertion by 1-2 benzene rings; 2) single-side expansion using 1-2 benzene rings; 3) double-side expansion using two benzene rings. On the basis of density functional theory and complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) calculations, we reveal that oligoacene dioxides in the middle insertion series have a triplet ground state, whereas those in the single-side expansion series and the double-side expansion series have open-shell broken-symmetry singlet diradical ground states except for their common origin naphthalene-1,5-dioxide whose ground state is triplet and which is also viewed as the origin of the middle insertion series. Magnetic coupling interactions of these oligoacene dioxides are also determined. This work should help people toward an atomistic understanding of the electronic structures and properties of possible intermediates or products and even the oxidation mechanism of graphene sheets, and provides a reasonable strategy of designing novel graphene-oxide-based magnetic materials.


This study aimed to describe the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from Wuhan to rural villages in the Hubei Province The analysis revealed the following: 1) COVID-19 spread from Wuhan to other cities and rural areas in Hubei, but the disease did not become widespread in rural villages because of strict prevention measures and urbanization;2) According to the fluctuation in the number of confirmed cases reported in Hubei after January 23, 2020, we inferred that the infected patients on the same day will become ill during the next 20 days;3) the advanced traffic system facilitates the direct spread of COVID-19 from Wuhan to counties, towns, and villages in the Hubei Province There is a low possibility of COVID-19 spread from prefecture-level cities to rural areas The findings imply that the government should limit the travelers from the cities to the rural areas, pay more attention to the prevention and control of SARS-CoV-2 in cities, and appropriately prolong the isolated observation period of travelers


Entrepreneurship in the jua kali sector presents a potential solution to the unemployment crisis in Kenya by creating opportunities for self-employed youth and other young people they hire. This study examines the growth aspirations of young jua kali entrepreneurs and identifies the underlying reasons why some are more growth-oriented than others. The study is based on primary data collected through interviews with 58 young jua kali entrepreneurs in Nairobi's manufacturing sector. The results indicate that the vast majority of jua kali youths aspire to expand their firms and employ additional workers in the next five years. Entrepreneurs in the garment sub-sector have the highest growth aspirations. Higher aspirations are also more prevalent among those with family support, those with relevant employment and business experience, those who are older, and those with a secondary education.


Random dropout has become a standard regularization technique in artificial neural networks (ANNs), but it is currently unknown whether an analogous mechanism exists in biological neural networks (BioNNs). If it does, its structure is likely to be optimized by hundreds of millions of years of evolution, which may suggest novel dropout strategies in large-scale ANNs. We propose that the brain serotonergic fibers meet some of the expected criteria because of their ubiquitous presence, stochastic structure, and ability to grow throughout the individual's lifespan. Since the trajectories of serotonergic fibers can be modeled as paths of anomalous diffusion processes, in this proof-of-concept study we investigated a dropout algorithm based on the superdiffusive fractional Brownian motion (FBM). This research contributes to biologically-inspired regularization in ANNs.


This paper documents near-autonomous negotiation of synthetic and natural climbing terrain by a rugged legged robot, achieved through sequential composition of appropriate perceptually triggered locomotion primitives. The first, simple composition achieves autonomous uphill climbs in unstructured outdoor terrain while avoiding surrounding obstacles such as trees and bushes. The second, slightly more complex composition achieves autonomous stairwell climbing in a variety of different buildings. In both cases, the intrinsic motor competence of the legged platform requires only small amounts of sensory information to yield near-complete autonomy. Both of these behaviors were developed using X-RHex, a new revision of RHex that is a laboratory on legs, allowing a style of rapid development of sensorimotor tasks with a convenience near to that of conducting experiments on a lab bench. Applications of this work include urban search and rescue as well as reconnaissance operations in which robust yet simple-to-implement autonomy allows a robot access to difficult environments with little burden to a human operator.


This study investigated the microbial community structure and functioning in relation to properties of dominant sediment types (sand, mud) of hypertrophic inner coastal waters. A transect in the Groser Jasmunder Bodden (inner part of the Nordrugensche Bodden, Southern Baltic Sea), with 6 stations from the shore to the central part was sampled in June 1999. In light-exposed nearshore sandy sediments, microphytobenthos was the driving source for benthic metabolism. Positive relationships between photoautotrophic biomass and available dissolved organic carbon (measured with a microbial biosensor) suggested that the pool of available dissolved organic nutri- ents was supplied by photosynthesis products of the benthic microalgae. Organic matter produced by these algae was rapidly recycled and led to low standing stocks of organic matter. In contrast, muddy organic-rich accumulation sites in greater water depths with limited or no light were hetero- trophically dominated. These sediments retained large amounts of deposited organic matter, espe- cially organic carbon and phosphorus. Intensive microbial degradation of deposited organic matter resulted in enhanced enzymatic activity, and in enhanced concentrations of ammonium and phos- phate in porewaters. Our findings revealed that sedimentary bulk parameters such as concentration and degradability of particulate organic carbon as well as microbial biomass and activity depend on mud content in pure sandy sediments (with a mud content <10%), while they remain unchanged in sediments with higher mud content. Carbon-normalized enzymatic activity rates revealed that substrate turnover rates in muddy sediments of hypertrophic waters were relatively low compared to sediments with comparable total organic carbon concentrations in eutrophic waters. These findings imply that the availability of degradable organic matter (accounting only for <1% of total organic matter) and probably inorganic nutrients might be of much greater importance in regulating microbial biomass and activity than total organic carbon.


Low peak bone mass and increased bone loss within the process of bone remodelling are the most important determinants for the manifestation of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Both are influenced during lifetime by a large number of risk factors additively leading to a critical low bone mass. Loss of bone substance and deterioration of architecture of bone tissue lead to an increased fragility of the skeleton. In this complex interactions menopausal decrease of endogenous estrogen secretion is of special importance. Decrease of estrogen induces by effects on calcitropic hormones and different local growth factors a high bone turnover with a high rate of bone loss. The resulting slight increase of serum calcium and the consequent decrease in the secretion of parathyroid hormones and activation of vitamin D in the kidneys lead to a decreased intestinal calcium absorption. In peri- and early postmenopausal women there is a large range of different degrees of bone turnover. It is unclear however, whether there are really two distinct groups of so-called rapid and slow bone losers. It remains to clarify which intrinsic mechanisms besides the risk factors are responsible for the individually different answer of calcium and bone metabolism to estrogen deficiency, which is the same in every women.


The project had two intended goals. One was to create a prototype for the proxy component of the Secure Webservice Platform system that can function on the GNU/Linux operating system. The other goal was to evaluate a number of different SOAP security methods in order to determine if any could function as a alternative to the Specifikation för Säker Elektronisk Kommunikation (SSEK) standard. In order to achieve the second goal, an evaluation was performed on the SOAP security methods Transport Layer Security, XML Signature, XML Encryption, Web Service Security, and Web Service Secure Conversation using a set of predefined criteria. In order to be able to evaluate if any of the methods could function as an alternative to SSEK, an evaluation of SSEK using the predefined criteria was also performed. In order to achieve the first goal, a prototype was constructed and SSEK security was implemented using a combination of node.js, libxmljs and xmlsec. The conclusions drawn from the results obtained is that none of the evaluated methods could work as an alternative to SSEK security, although some could come close when combined with others. It was also concluded that while node.js could be used to construct a prototype, due to the limited amount of support for SOAP web service standards provided by node.js as well as the amount of adjustments that needed to be done on libxmljs in order to implement the security, careful consideration should be taken before selecting node.js as a platform for similar projects.


1. The pyruvate kinases of the desert locust fat body and flight muscle were partially purified by ammonium sulphate fractionation. 2. The fat-body enzyme is allosterically activated by very low (1mum) concentrations of fructose 1,6-diphosphate, whereas the flight-muscle enzyme is unaffected by this metabolite at physiological pH. 3. Flight-muscle pyruvate kinase is activated by preincubation at 25 degrees for 5min., whereas the fat-body enzyme is unaffected by such treatment. 4. Both enzymes require 1-2mm-ADP for maximal activity and are inhibited at higher concentrations. With the fat-body enzyme inhibition by ADP is prevented by the presence of fructose 1,6-diphosphate. 5. Both enzymes are inhibited by ATP, half-maximal inhibition occurring at about 5mm-ATP. With the fat-body enzyme ATP inhibition can be reversed by fructose 1,6-diphosphate. 6. The fat-body enzyme exhibits maximal activity at about pH7.2 and the activity decreases rapidly above this pH. This inactivation at high pH is not observed in the presence of fructose 1,6-diphosphate, i.e. maximum stimulating effects of fructose 1,6-diphosphate are observed at high pH. The flight-muscle enzyme exhibits two optima, one at about pH7.2 as with the fat-body enzyme and the other at about pH8.5. Stimulation of the enzyme activity by fructose 1,6-diphosphate was observed at pH8.5 and above.


Code review is an integral part of modern software development, where patch authors invite fellow developers to inspect code changes. While code review boasts technical and non-technical benefits, it is a costly use of developer time, who need to switch contexts away from their current development tasks. Since a careful code review requires even more time, developers often make intuition-based decisions about the patches that they will invest effort in carefully reviewing. Our key intuition in this paper is that patches that impact mission-critical project deliverables or deliverables that cover a broad set of products may require more reviewing effort than others. To help developers identify such patches, we introduce BLIMP Tracer, a build impact analysis system that we developed and integrated with the code review platform used by a globally distributed product team at Dell EMC, a large multinational corporation. BLIMP Tracer operates on a Build Dependency Graph (BDG) that describes how each file in the system is processed to produce the set of intermediate and output deliverables. For a given patch, BLIMP Tracer then traverses the BDG to identify the deliverables that are impacted by the change. Finally, the results are reported directly within the code review interface. To evaluate BLIMP Tracer, we conducted a qualitative study with 45 developers, observing that BLIMP Tracer not only improves the speed and accuracy of identifying the set of deliverables that are impacted by a patch, but also helps the community to better understand the project architecture.


Abstract. Approximately half of marine carbon sequestration takes place in coastal wetlands, including tidal marshes, where organic matter contributes to soil elevation and ecosystem persistence in the face of sea-level rise. The long-term viability of marshes and their carbon pools depends, in part, on how the balance between productivity and decay responds to climate change. Here, we report the sensitivity of labile soil organic-matter decay in tidal marshes to seasonal and latitudinal variations in temperature measured over a 3-year period. We find a moderate increase in decay rate at warmer temperatures (3–6% per °C, Q10 = 1.3–1.5). Despite the profound differences between microbial metabolism in wetlands and uplands, our results indicate a strong conservation of temperature sensitivity. Moreover, simple comparisons with organic-matter production suggest that elevated atmospheric CO2 and warmer temperatures will accelerate carbon accumulation in marsh soils, and potentially enhance their ability to survive sea-level rise.


Background: The blue mussel, Mytilus edulis L., is an important contributor to the shellfish sector of Scottish aquaculture, with 7,270 tonnes worth £8.8 million being produced for the year 2015. Since 2010, production values have fluctuated as a result of inconsistent spat settlement, several business closures, and heightened levels of marine toxins in some areas. On Scotland's west coast, some farms (most notably Loch Etive) have suffered production losses from the appearance of non-marketable mussels with particularly fragile shells and poor quality meat. Recent research has demonstrated that these undesirable traits have a genetic factor, linked to the presence of a non-native but related species Mytilus trossulus (Gould, 1850) and often its hybrids with the native M. edulis. M. trossulus has been classed as a commercially damaging species under Scottish law, but there is insufficient data on hybridisation and introgression patterns in Scottish mussel populations to evaluate any possible impacts this could have on production. Existing research has focused on single locus genotyping to identify Mytilus spp. and their hybrids in Scotland. By instead utilising multilocus genotyping, introgression could be identified and a better understanding of population structure could be gained, with implications for management to maintain productivity and profitability. The aim of the research presented here was to develop and validate a suite of new species diagnostic markers for multilocus genotyping of field populations of Scottish mussels, thereby establishing a more complete picture of the taxonomic relationships between species than previous studies have permitted. Results: Analysis of SNPs identified with RADseq confirmed the presence of three genetically distinct Mytilus species in Scotland: M. edulis, M. galloprovincialis and M. trossulus. RADseq and KASP genotyping technology successfully identified and validated a suite of 12 highly robust diagnostic SNP markers for multilocus genotyping of Mytilus mussel populations. These markers permitted more comprehensive genotyping than previous studies had, allowing presumed pure species individuals to be distinguished from first generation (F1) hybrids and introgressed (FX) genotypes in reference populations, and subsequently presented the possibility of exploring introgression in a wider scale study. Multilocus genotyping of mussel populations from around Scotland revealed widespread introgression of M. edulis with both M. galloprovincialis and M. trossulus. No pure M. galloprovincialis was identified and pure M. trossulus was restricted to a single site in Loch Etive, possibly part of a relict population. F1 hybrids between M. edulis and M. trossulus were identified in Loch Etive and in Loch Fyne on the west coast. This was evidence of ongoing hybridisation and suggested an active hybrid zone existed in Scotland, something that previous single locus genotyping studies had not acknowledged. A link between shell fragility and M. trossulus introgression was recognised at a single site outside of Loch Etive, but this was not apparent anywhere else and the actual causes of shell fragility remain unevaluated. There was a clear difference between the genetics of most farmed stock and wild populations, which indicated an anthropogenic effect on introgression and subsequent species composition, and had implications for future farm site selection and broodstock sourcing. Temporal species composition in Loch Etive differed over a short time period, but high proportions of M. trossulus alleles were observable some 25 months after a major fallowing event had taken place. Pure M. trossulus was also identifiable, which was consistent with the presence of an established population of M. trossulus existing in this area. Conclusion: Multilocus genotyping has produced a more in depth picture of species diversity in Scottish mussel populations. SNP assays revealed widespread introgression between three genetically distinct species – M. edulis, M. galloprovincialis and M. trossulus – and furthermore recognised that, to date, single locus genotyping has overestimated the abundance of pure Mytilus mussels in Scottish waters. However, this hitherto unidentified genetic complexity does not appear disadvantageous to mussel production, despite the prevalence of M. trossulus introgression among farmed populations, and it is somewhat unlikely that genetics are the sole cause of undesirable shell characteristics among Mytilus spp. mussels.


In bioscience, there are several apatites constituteds by differents compositions. In the biological environment, apatites are found in bones and teeth of vertebrates with Ca/P ration from 2.0 to 0.5. It is not easy to determine the exact proportion of Ca2 + and PO43- in solution in the preparation of the process. In this study, apatites with Ca/P ration 1.0, 1.67 and 2.0 were prepared by direct reaction in an solution of H3PO4 in a suspension of Ca(OH)2, of same molarity, evalueting the crystallinity of CPP, Hap e TeCP with 1 mol/l, 3 mol/l and 5 mol/l. The samples characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) were compared with the standard of reference of the data base JCPDS. The composition of calcium phosphate for the differents molarity studied, resulted in a combination of phases with the exception of hydroxyapatite Ca/P ration 1.67 at concentrations 1 mol/l and 3 mol/l. But the diffractograms revealed that the increased molarity provided a decrease of some peaks of reflection of calcium phosphates with Ca/P ration 1.67. However, for the Ca/P ration 1.0 increasing the concentration, showed an increase of crystallinity of calcium phosphates. The FTIR confirmed the presence of phosphates in the spectrums around 1045 cm-1. The calcium phosphates obtained through direct reaction showed Ca/P ration is related with the technique employed, consolidating it in the preparation of these bioceramics.


Abstract Background and Objectives The bereavement literature has shown that losing close loved ones can lead to sustained declines in quality of life. Research in this area has typically focused on singular bereavement events, such as the loss of a spouse or child. Much less is known regarding the consequences of repeated bereavement or repeated losses in one's social network. Research Design and Methods We use longitudinal panel survey data from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics of Australia study to examine the effect of repeated bereavement in one's social network on cognitive and affective measures of subjective well-being and whether there are age differences in the magnitude of these effects across young adulthood, midlife, and old age. To address our research questions, we use a multiple-group discontinuous change model with random effects. Results Repeated deaths in one's social network had a nonlinear effect on life satisfaction and positive affect, suggesting that individuals were able to adapt to two bereavements, but each bereavement beyond two resulted in sustained lower levels. Negative affect did not show increases because of repeated bereavements. Repeated bereavement had the strongest effect for those in young adulthood and old age. Discussion and Implications Our findings demonstrate that repeated bereavement has consequences for subjective well-being and that young and older adults are most vulnerable to repeated bereavement. Our discussion focuses on the conceptual and methodological advancements of our study for the examination of major life stressors.


The purpose of this study is to determine what are the students' opinions about learning the geometry subjects of primary 7th grade with Geometer's Sketchpad dynamic geometry software. In order to determine the students' opinions, computer-assisted teaching method using Geometer's Sketchpad was used. For this purpose, application related to Geometer's Sketchpad software and computer-aided materials were carried out with totally 42 7th grade students. In the study, data on students' opinions about learning the geometry subjects with Geometer's Sketchpad dynamic geometry software was collected by using semi-structured interview form. Descriptive analysis method was used to analyze the qualitative data obtained. The students stated that studying with GSP dynamic geometry software facilitated the learning, made students more active, increased their interest in geometry and desire to succeed; they learned collaboration, group work, and sharing. The negative opinions of the students were formed because of lack of time to study and program's being


This thesis includes three empirical essays which cover different topics. Before moving to the main chapters, I would like to briefly discuss the research question and main findings of each project.

Chapter 1 Black-White Wage Convergence in the United States

This paper explores whether there is a pattern of heterogeneous wage convergence between black and white workers in the Southern US relative to the Non-Southern US during the post-Civil Rights era. Heterogeneity in relation to the South may be plausibly associated with a range of determinants: the region's historical experience of slavery, different observable factors, or changing political and social institutions. My evidence from US Census data for 1980, 1990 and 2000 indicates that a strong pattern of "black-black" and "black-white" wage convergence exists between Southern born and Non-Southern born individuals. This wage convergence pattern, particularly amongst black workers, is similar across Southern states associated with different historical intensities of slavery, but it is stronger and more persistent for the low wage groups in the South. In addition, the wage convergence is mainly from the low wage quartile groups. My assessment of the impact of institutional changes as a driver of wage convergence suggests that the changes associated with rising political competition from 1960 to 1980 contributed to rising black wages.

Chapter 2 Hate Crime and Victory of Obama

This paper examines whether Obama's 2008 electoral victory affected hate crimes. Hate crime data from 2005 to 2012 indicate that anti-black and total hate crimes declined significantly in Blue States after Obama won the election, relative to Red States. The drop is even more significant in States that supported the Democratic presidential candidates in the 2004 and 2008 elections. Moreover, this decline is highly associated with the decreasing education gap between black people and white people. These findings suggest that Obama's victory played a role in reducing the number of hate crimes in the US.

Chapter 3 The Long-Run Labor Market Consequences of Being Born in A Bad Economy

Recent studies have shown that an economic or environmental shock at an early stage of life can have a negative long-term impact on health status as well as educational and labour market outcomes. In this study, I examine whether being born during an economic recession affects later-life earnings. By utilising 2000 US Census data, I find that males born between 1965 and 1979 experienced a 1 percent of earning loss with every one unit increase in the unemployment rate at year of birth. The effect is similar in those with and without college education. Moreover, the effect is stronger in the low wage quartile groups. These findings suggest that the labour market consequences of being born in a recession are negative and persistent.


Protamine sulfate has been used for many years to reverse the effects of unfractionated heparin, but it can cause hemodynamic changes and other serious side effects. Platelet factor 4 (PF4) is a naturally occurring protein synthesized in megakaryocytes and eventually stored in the alpha granules of platelets for later release. Although the complete physiologic role of PF4 is unknown, it is highly effective for the neutralization of heparin anticoagulation. Several preliminary animal studies and trials using blood obtained from cardiopulmonary bypass circuits suggested recombinant PF4 (rPF4) would be an effective alternative to protamine. In the first open-label, phase 1 human study, patients received rPF4 in doses of 0.5, 1.0, 2.5, or 5.0 mg/kg over 3 minutes to reverse heparin anticoagulation after diagnostic cardiac catheterization. There were no important hemodynamic changes and the rPF4 was highly effective in neutralizing heparin. Serial measurements of rPF4 levels showed a monophasic elimination pattern with a serum half-life of 25.5 +/- 13.5 minutes that was independent of dose administered. A randomized and blinded trial comparing rPF4 to protamine confirmed the safety and effectiveness of rPF4. Although rPF4 was initially being evaluated as a clinical alternative to protamine, it is not currently being developed for general clinical use.


This paper describes the Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS) element of Intelligent Vehicle-Highway Systems (IVHS). The discussion includes a review of the setting or background in which IVHS/ATMS is being considered; a description of ATMS and its role in the IVHS program; observations on the state of the art and the state of the practice; a scenario for broad scale deployment of the technology; and the benefits that might be achieved from the required investment.


Normal pressure hydrocephalus is frequently emphasised as a cause of reversible dementia, but is seldom encountered. Over a 2 year period, 5 patients presented with cognitive decline, and gait disturbance, with or without incontinence. CT head examination revealed hydrocephalus. Although none had symptoms of raised intracranial pressure on initial presentation, there were clinical or CT signs of raised intracranial pressure in 4 of the 5. Underlying pathologies were meningeal lymphocytic lymphoma, idiopathic meningeal fibrosis, periaqueductal glioma, basilar aneurysm and basilar invagination. All patients responded to the insertion of a shunt. Over the same period, only 1 patient was shunted for idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus, without improvement. We challenge the concept of idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus as a cause of cognitive deterioration.


In this study, it was aimed to improve the soil with low pH and high amount of heavy metals by using municipal solid waste compost, lime and commercial soil improvers (Terra B and Viro Bind). In this study, the forms of the metals in the soil were determined by using sequential extraction method. It was investigated how soil improvers added to soil change the forms of metals. It was also investigated how the addition of soil improvers (compost, lime and commercial soil improvers) to the soil affects the amount of metal deposited on the roots and stems of the plants (Zea mays). It has been observed that the improvers added to the soil increase the pH value of the soil as T50 > Compost > Lime > A2. The sequential extraction results revealed that exchangeable forms of the studied heavy metals were transformed into the organically bound form. When compared with the control, high concentrations of the metals (except Ni) were found in the Organic Matter (OM) bound and residual forms following the addition of commercial soil conditioners such as A2 and T50, respectively. For the metals measured in the study, with the addition of A2, 96% of Pb, 99% of Cu and Cd, 86% of Ni and 97% of Zn are transformed into OM bound and residual forms, and with the addition of T50, 80% of Pb, 99% of Cu, Cd and ZN, and 78% of Ni were converted to OM bound and residual forms. These results indicated that the application of 1.5% lime combined with 10% compost substantially enhanced plant growth in the contaminated soils.


The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of body mass index (BMI) as a predictor of in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) outcomes. Two hundred twenty-three IVF-ET cycles in 164 patients under 37 yr using GnRH agonist long protocols were included in this retrospective study. All of the selected cases were divided into two groups by a cutoff of 24 kg/m2 and these two groups were compared in regard to the outcomes of IVF-ET. There were no significant differences between group 1 (BMI <24 kg/m2) and group 2 (BMI ≥ 24 kg/m2) in age, basal serum FSH level, estradiol (E2) level and endometrial thickness on hCG day, number of retrieved oocytes and transferred embryos. However, higher doses of gonadotropins were used in group 2 (30.8±12.7 ampoules vs. 35.4±15.3 ampoules, p=0.051). The clinical pregnancy rate was significantly lower in group 2 (25.9% vs. 10.5%, p=0.041) and implantation rate tended to be lower in group 2 (12.7% vs. 6.8%, p=0.085). BMI ≥ 24 kg/m2 can be a candidate prognosticator of IVF-ET outcomes.


Understanding nucleation and growth of two-dimensional (2D) and layered materials is a challenging topic due to the complex van der Waals interactions between layers and substrate. The morphology of 2D materials is known vary depending on experimental conditions. For the case of MoS2, the morphology has been shown to vary from rounded (molybdenum rich) domains to equilateral triangular (sulfur rich) domains. These different morphologies can result in drastically different properties, which can be exploited for applications in catalytic reactions, digital electronics, optoelectronics, and energy storage. Powder vaporization (PV) synthesis of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) can yield vertical domains, however, these domains are often ignored when the morphology evolution of MoS2 is discussed, thereby completely omitting a major part of the impact of the Mo:S ratio to the growth mode of MoS2 during PV. Combining experimental and numerical simulation methods, we reveal a vertical-to-horizontal growth mode transition for MoS2 that occurs in the presence of a molybdenum oxide partial pressure gradient. Transmission electron microscopy reveals that the growth of vertical MoS2 results from initial seeding of single crystalline molybdenum dioxide, followed by sulfurization from the substrate upward to form vertically oriented MoS2 domains.


The purpose of this paper is to show how successful, sustained school improvement in schools in urban settings which serve highly disadvantaged communities relies upon the qualities and skills of their principals to engage, simultaneously, in capacity building at individual, collective and community levels. Definitions of capacity building as, 'the interplay between personal abilities, interpersonal relationships, and organisational structures (Mitchell and Sackney, 2000:11) are limited in their application for they often fail to acknowledge that over the course of the time needed to build stable and successful learning and achievement environments, principals are likely to have to move through a number of 'layered' development phases, each one of which will contain priorities; and that during this change process, principals will likely also need to maintain, articulate and communicate a clear set of values upon which their strategies will be based.


Drawing widely on contemporary theory - particularly revisionist views of Freud such as those offered by Lacan and Kristeva - this volume ranges from the well-known Gothic horrors of Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne to the popular fantasies of Stephen King and the postmodern visions of Kathy Acker. Special attention is paid to the issues of slavery and race in both black and white texts, including those by Ralph Ellison and William Faulkner. In the view of the editors and contributors, the Gothic is not so much a historical category as a mode of thought haunted by history, a part of suburban life and the lifeblood of films such as "The Exorcist" and "Fatal Attraction".


Ammonia capture by porous materials is relevant to protection of humans from chemical threats, while ammonia separation may be relevant to its isolation and use following generation by emerging electrochemical schemes. Our previous work described both reversible and irreversible interactions of ammonia with the metal-organic framework (MOF) material, NU-1000, following thermal treatment at either 120 or 300 °C. In the present work, we have examined NU-1000-Cl, a variant that features a modified node structure-at ambient temperature, Zr6(μ3-O)4(μ3-OH)4(H2O)812+ in place of Zr6(μ3-O)4(μ3-OH)4(OH)4(H2O)48+. Carboxylate termini from each of eight linkers balance the 8+ charge of the parent node, while four chloride ions, attached only by hydrogen bonding, complete the charge balance for the 12+ version. We find that both reversible and irreversible uptake of ammonia are enhanced for NU-1000-Cl, relative to the chloride-free version. Two irreversible interactions were observed via in situ diffuse-reflectance infrared Fourier-transform spectroscopy: coordination of NH3 at open Zr sites generated during thermal pretreatment and formation of NH4+ by proton transfer from node aqua ligands. The irreversibility of the latter appears to be facilitated by the presence chloride ions, as NH4+ formation occurs reversibly with chloride-free NU-1000. At room temperature, chemically reversible (and irreversible) interactions between ammonia and NU-1000-Cl result in separation of NH3 from N2 when gas mixtures are examined with breakthrough instrumentation, as evinced by a much longer breakthrough time (∼9 min) for NH3.


The FDA's approval of filgrastim (granulocyte colony-stimulating factor [G-CSF]) for accelerated recovery of neutrophil counts following chemotherapy has prompted discussions regarding the cost and benefits associated with such expensive new therapies. One method to evaluate the cost effectiveness of a therapy is decision analysis, which provides a quantitative method of cost analysis. Using the principles of decision analysis, we created a decision-analysis tree for evaluating the cost effectiveness of G-CSF therapy. Based on data gathered from a retrospective review of ambulatory oncology patients, we found that routine administration of G-CSF to all outpatients receiving chemotherapy is not cost effective, although it would be justifiable for some patients.


New Courts in Late Tsarist Russia: On Imperial Representation and Muslim Participation This article explores the new circuit courts introduced in late tsarist Russia in the 1860s as an interactive space in which jurists and ordinary subjects of the Empire shaped and experienced state policy. Furthermore, by focusing on Crimea and Kazan, two regions that were home to significant numbers of Muslim Tatars, it considers the court system as a point of entry into the study of imperial rule over ethnic and religious minorities. Discussing the role of Tatars in the new courts and competing visions of imperial society as communicated in the courtroom, the article argues that the new legal system furthered the integration of Tatars into the institutions of the Empire. At the same time, the courts contributed to an increasing differentiation among Muslims (as those in the Steppe region, Central Asia and the Caucasus remained outside the system). The article draws mainly on court records from Kazan and Simferopol (Crimea), newspaper coverage and on the reports and memoirs of jurists.


Like No Other: Exceptionalism and Nativism in Early Modern Japan probes the association of the early modern Japanese intellectual institution called Kokugaku with the phenomenon of nativism. Uncovering profound differences that cast serious doubt on this association, Mark McNally argues that what Japanologists viewed as nativistic about Kokugaku were actually more typical of what Americanists call exceptionalism. By severing the link between Kokugaku and nativism, he is able to explore within early modern Japanese history instances that were more genuinely nativistic, such as the upheaval associated with the intercultural encounters with Westerners during the 1850s and 1860s that culminated in the overthrow of Japan's last shogun. He also documents, for the first time in Japanese studies, the ways in which exceptionalism applies to Japanese history; not by focusing on either Nihonjinron or on Kokugaku--the connection between the former and exceptionalism is one that Americanists have already made, and the connection between the two Japanese institutions is one that Japanologists already know well--but by highlighting the central role of Confucianism. While Americans looked to the Judeo-Christian tradition for their exceptionalist ideas, their counterparts in early modern Japan looked to Confucianism, whose foundational connections to exceptionalism were perhaps stronger than any analogous tradition in the West. Despite the fact that exceptionalism and nativism occupy distinct positions within the historiographical traditions of both the United States and Japan, they also intersect and overlap in the latter case, which strongly suggests that this situation may also be true in other places, including the United States.


Abstract Objective. To evaluate the clinical manifestations, endoscopic, and radiological characteristics, histological features, and treatment of eosinophilic gastroenteritis in adult patients. Methods. The clinical records of 34 patients diagnosed as eosinophilic gastroenteritis and eight patients who had abdominal symptoms and unexplained peripheral eosinophilia but no evidence of tissue eosinophilic infiltration were reviewed and analyzed. Results. Thirteen patients had a history of asthma or allergic rhinitis, while 10 had an allergic history. Peripheral eosinophilia occurred in 83.3% of patients, IgE was elevated in half, and α2-macroglobulin was elevated in 92.8% of patients. The small intestine(82.4%)was the most common site involved. Erythema was the predominate feature seen on endoscopy. Radiographic study generally revealed thickening of the small intestinal wall. Eosinophilia generally involved the lamina propria of mucosa, but any layer of the gut could be affected, even in sites which had normal endoscopic or radiographic appearance. In all, 15.4% (6/39) of patients had Helicobacter pylori infection. Symptom remission within 1 week was found in 80% (20/25) of patients treated with steroids and in 58.8% (10/17) of patients treated with symptomatic treatment. In all, 85.7% (18/21) of patients had their eosinophil counts return to normal within 2 weeks in the steroid treatment group, but none (0/13) in the other group. Conclusion . Eosinophilic gastroenteritis may be more common than previously recognized. Multiple biopsies obtained from the both normal and abnormal appearing areas in the second part of the duodenum are highly recommended. Steroids are effective in relieving symptoms and improving eosinophilia.


Animal-borne data loggers (ABDLs) or "tags" are regularly used to elucidate animal ecology and physiology, but current literature highlights the need to assess associated deleterious impacts including increased resistive force to motion. Previous studies have used Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to estimate this impact, but many suffer limitations (e.g., inaccurate turbulence modeling, neglecting boundary layer transition, neglecting added mass effects, and analyzing the ABDL in isolation from the animal). A novel CFD-based method is presented in which a "tag impact envelope" is defined utilizing simulations with and without transition modelling to define upper and lower drag limits , respectively, and added mass coefficients are found via simulations with sinusoidally varying inlet velocity, with modified Navier-Stokes conservation of momentum equations enforcing a shift to the animal's noninertial reference frame. The method generates coefficients for calculating total resistive force for any velocity and acceleration combinati on, and is validated against theory for a prolate spheroid. An example case shows ABDL drag impact on a harp seal of 11.21% 16.24%, with negligible influence on added mass. By considering the effects of added mass and boundary layer transition, the approach presented is an enhancement to the CFD-based ABDL impact assessment methods previously applied by researchers.


Background: Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among women in the US. Considering the poor survival rates, identifying modifiable lifestyle factors including dietary interventions for ovarian cancer is needed. Compared to single foods or nutrients, examining dietary exposures as dietary patterns may allow us to accommodate the multidimensional aspects of diet and to better capture the role of diet in ovarian cancer carcinogenesis. Healthy Eating Index (HEI) is a measure of dietary quality to assess adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Compared to HEI-2005 edition, HEI-2010 has an increased emphasis on dietary quality and reflects the most recent dietary guidelines. Alternate Healthy Eating Index-2010 (AHEI-2010), grounded in a different eating guide, the Healthy Eating Pyramid, was based on dietary predictors of chronic diseases. To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the impact of dietary quality on ovarian cancer risk in African-American women. Objective: We aimed to evaluate three index-based dietary patterns–HEI-2005, HEI-2010, AHEI-2010–in relation to ovarian cancer risk in African-American women. Methods: Analyses were conducted among 415 cases of ovarian cancer and 629 controls using data from the African American Cancer Epidemiology Study (AACES). AACES is an ongoing population-based case-control study of ovarian cancer in African-American women in 11 sites in the US. Cases were identified through rapid case ascertainment and age- and site-matched controls were identified by random-digit-dialing. Information on risk factors related to ovarian cancer was collected by computer-assisted telephone interview. Dietary information 1 year before diagnosis (cases) or interview (controls) was obtained using a Block food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). AACES FFQ data were linked to the MyPyramid Equivalents Database 2.0 or based on published descriptions to generate equivalent intake for food groups under HEIs and AHEI-2010. Both HEIs includes 12 components, with total scores ranging from 0 to 100. AHEI-2010 includes 10 components with overall scores from 0 to 110. Higher scores indicate better adherence to a healthy diet. We used multivariate unconditional logistic regression models to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) adjusted for potential socio-demographic and lifestyle risk factors. Results: Only higher AHEI-2010 scores were associated with lower risk of ovarian cancer among all African-American women [OR comparing the highest quartile (Q4) vs. lowest (Q1) =0.66, 95% CI 0.45-0.98, p-trend =0.05]. The relationships between HEIs or AHEI and ovarian cancer risk were modified by menopausal status. Among post-menopausal women, we found lower risk of ovarian cancer with higher adherence of HEI-2010 (OR Q4 vs. Q1 =0.57, 95% CI 0.36-0.92, p-trend =0.03) and AHEI-2010 (OR Q4 vs. Q1 =0.49, 95% CI 0.31-0.78, p-trend =0.01). We observed no associations among pre-menopausal women. HEI-2005 was not associated with ovarian cancer risk among all or by menopausal status. Analyses evaluating individual score components with ovarian cancer risk suggested that in our sample of African-American women the benefits of HEI-2010 mainly come from higher intake of total vegetables, greens and beans, seafood and plant proteins and lower intake of empty calories (i.e., calories from solid fats, alcohol and added sugars). Consistently, the associations with AHEI-2010 were mainly driven by higher vegetable intake and lower intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and fruit juice. Conclusion: Our findings suggest, for the first time, that a healthy diet is associated with lower risk of ovarian cancer in African Americans. Adherence to the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans may reduce ovarian cancer risk among post-menopausal African-American women. This abstract is also presented as Poster A67. Citation Format: Bo Qin, Patricia G. Moorman, Anthony J. Alberg, Jill S. Barnholtz-Sloan, Melissa Bondy, Michele L. Cote, Ellen Funkhouser, Edward S. Peters, Ann G. Schwartz, Paul Terry, Joellen M. Schildkraut, Elisa V. Bandera. Dietary quality and ovarian cancer risk in African American women. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eighth AACR Conference on The Science of Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; Nov 13-16, 2015; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2016;25(3 Suppl):Abstract nr PR05.


Global Optimization (GO) problems occur quite frequently in real-life applications, but are very hard to solve. As a result there is an ever-growing demand to find effective, fast methods for solving GO problems. The goal of this research is to develop algorithms that can quickly find good quality solutions to large-scale nonconvex GO problems, which are the hardest form of GO problems. This research develops a fast heuristic multistart algorithm for solving large-scale GO problems. The new heuristic algorithm, Constraint Consensus Global Optimizer (CCGO), has two phases: global and local. The global phase is an approximate search that quickly explores the variable space using a variety of heuristics. The local phase launches local solvers from the most promising points found in the global phase. CCGO has been specifically designed to utilize the state of the art hardware systems supporting concurrency in software execution. The components of the new heuristic algorithm have been thoroughly examined via a number of experiments. The performance of the new heuristic is then studied with respect to some state of the art complete and heuristic solvers. Empirical results show that the CCGO algorithm has an edge in runtime while offering competitive solution quality. CCGO's ability to find high-quality solutions quickly makes it an attractive choice in both theory and practice: (a) practical applications that need a solution as quickly as possible can use CCGO to get one and (b) optimization solvers that want to capitalize on an early incumbent solution can use CCGO or its approximate search feature within their workflow.


Hadron therapy is a new treatment technique for cancer. Clinical studies [1] have demonstrated that hadron therapy is clinically more effective than conventional radiotherapy as it delivers the dose to the tumour, sparing the healthy tissue. Although this method reduces the additional dose delivered to the healthy tissues, due to the beam delivery systems the patients and the personnel are exposed to a secondary dose. Therefore, one of the main tasks for medical physicists is to make sure that the treatments are delivered according to the treatment plan.

This thesis is focused on the verification of the secondary dose received by the patient or the personnel during and after the irradiation sessions at three different facilities: the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, the Christie Proton Therapy Centre and OpenMed at CERN. The ambient dose equivalent calculations were studied using the FLUKA Monte Carlo code. These calculations investigate whether the shielding methods meet the existing radiation protection requirements and if the dose delivered to the patients or staff is kept As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) [38].


There appears to be a gap between the behaviours of leaders and the expectations of followers and other stakeholders. This gap may be due to an absence of brave leadership. An action research study was designed for use with six leaders who undertook to help evolve and also be coached using a brave leadership coaching model. The data was analysed using a retroductive and thematic approach. The use of the brave leadership model appears to indicate that it can assist in decision making and that bravery may be enhanced, at least from a subjective perspective. It would also appear that the idea of brave leadership may complement other leadership theories.


age and low-lying placenta. The timing of trophoblastic invasion, however suggests this condition could be identified in the first trimester of pregnancy. The objective is to describe the relation between the uterine scar and the trophoblast by transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS) as well as the potential predictive value for identifying PA in patients with a history Caesarean section (CS). Methods: All patients with a history of CS underwent TVUS between 11 and 13+6 weeks as part of routine prenatal care. A standard plane was defined as mid-sagittal view through the cervical canal showing the isthmus and the lower part of the gestational sac. The relationship between the scar and the trophoblast led to 2 groups. Group A: trophoblast not overlapping the scar and group B: trophoblast overlapping the scar. All patients were followed until delivery. Results: 123 patients with a at least one prior Caesarean were prospectively included. Median gestational age for ultrasound was 12 weeks (11–13+6). Median maternal age was 33 years (22–45). In one case, the scar was not visualized. Group A comprised 115 patients (94%) and Group B 7 patients (6%). The only case of PA was diagnosed in one patient of group B, as suspected on followup ultrasound. An elective CS and conservative management was initially performed. The placenta was still intrauterine 3 months later, when endometritis developed requiring a hysterectomy. In all other cases, follow-up ultrasound showed normal placental insertion and eventless delivery with respect to PA. Conclusions: TVUS assessment of the uterine scar in relation to the trophoblast during first trimester is promising for early detection of patients at-risk of PA. This finding should help pre-delivery recognition of PA, thus potentially reducing the related maternal morbidity.


This thesis argues that the land question in Malawi can be resolved through
the emergence of a responsibilized State under people–generated responsibilization.
People–generated responsibilization is a holistic, bottom–up approach to tackling
asymmetrical access to, and ownership of, land in the country. This, it is suggested,
must entail proactive, people–based action for a triangulated approach to land reform
involving law, macroeconomic frameworks like poverty reduction strategies, and the
adherence to the terms of governing under the Constitution.
The broad context of the research is that since the mid–1990s, Malawi has
joined the 'new wave' of land reform. The new wave takes place amidst the re–
conceptualization of 'development' in development discourse through a supposedly
decentred focus on economic growth. The new donor consensus is that land reform
must be more human–centred and foster pro–poor economic growth. It is in this
environment that Malawi adopted the National Land Policy in 2002. The Policy is
meant to guide the country's land reform and contribute to sustained economic
growth.
The new wave is problematic since it perpetuates land reform approaches of
the law and development movement whereby land reform becomes land law reform.
The 'customary' space is subjected to a process of formalization and privatization of
the right to property in land ostensibly to boost economic growth. This approach is
narrow and undermines the resolution of a land question. Using the Foucauldian
'idea' of governmentality, the thesis examines situations and processes that have
entrenched the land question in Malawi. There is a multiverse of the parochial
interests of the State, the Bretton Woods Institutions, 'commercial' farmers, and the
land deprived. The narrow focus on land law reform demonstrates the dominance of
market as value and entrenches the land question in Malawi.


We have carried out 98-level configuration-interaction/close-coupling (CI/CC) intermediate coupling frame transformation (ICFT) and Breit–Pauli R-matrix calculations for the electron-impact excitation of Be-like Al 9+. The close agreement that we find between the two sets of effective collision strengths demonstrates the continued robustness of the ICFT method. On the other hand, a comparison of this data with previous 238-level CI/CC ICFT effective collision strengths shows that the results for excitation up to n = 4 levels are systematically and increasingly underestimated over a wide range of temperatures by R-matrix calculations whose CC expansion extends only to n = 4 (98-levels). Thus, we find to be false a recent conjecture that the ICFT approach may not be completely robust. The conjecture was based upon a comparison of 98-level CI/CC Dirac R-matrix effective collision strengths for Al 9+ with those from the 238-level CI/CC ICFT R-matrix calculations. The disagreement found recently is due to a lack of convergence of the CC expansion in the 98-level CI/CC Dirac work. The earlier 238-level CI/CC ICFT work has a superior target to the 98-level CI/CC Dirac one and provides more accurate atomic data. Similar considerations need to be made for other Be-like ions and for other sequences.


SUMMARY: Splash dispersal (first studied by Faulwetter, 1917 a, b) is characteristic of many bacterial plant pathogens and slime-spored fungi. The mechanism of splash has been studied in the laboratory under simplified conditions with water drops falling from known heights on to thin films of a suspension of conidia of Fusarium solani spread on horizontal glass surfaces. The resulting splash droplets were caught, counted and measured by the naphthol green B slide method (Liddell & Wootten, 1957). Both the total number of droplets produced and of those carrying spores increased as the film thickness decreased, and as the size and velocity of the incident drop increased.
One incident drop 5 mm. in diameter falling on a horizontal film of spore suspension 0·1 mm. thick on a glass surface produced over 5200 splash droplets of which over 2000 carried one or more spores. The sizes of splash droplets ranged from 5μ to about 2400μ, and their size distribution was of the log probability type. The median diameter was 70 μ for all droplets, and 140 μ for droplets carrying spores. The medium horizontal distances travelled by these droplets in still air was 10 and 20 cm. respectively. Increasing the film thickness to 0·5 and 1·0 mm. reduced the total resulting droplets to 3500 and 2100 (1600 and 500 carrying spores), respectively. Neither median diameter nor median distance of horizontal travel were much altered by varying the diameter of incident drop or film thickness. Droplets of diameters between 164 and 655μ tended to travel further than either smaller or larger droplets. Small spores such as those of Gloeosporium album, Colletotrichum lindemuthianum and Nectria cinnabarina were even more readily picked up from suspension than the macroconidia of Fusarium solani.
The number of droplets deposited per unit area on a horizontal plane decreased rapidly with increasing distance from point of impact, and in still air few droplets travelled beyond 70 cm.
Splash on a twig bearing conidial fructifications of Nectria cinnabarina produced 2000 spore-carrying droplets, and the sequence of events is shown by high-speed photography.
A splash droplet consists of an intimate mixture of liquid from both the incident drop and the surface film. The larger splash droplets contain spores if either the incident drop or the surface film is a spore suspension. Both raindrops falling at terminal velocity and drops falling more slowly from vegetation may operate the splash dispersal mechanism. Splash in rain or drip from trees may act as a complete dispersal mechanism in still air, or as a 'take-off' mechanism leading to dispersal by wind. Both functions are important in plant epidemiology.


Behavior analysis using trajectory data presents a practical and interesting challenge for KDD. Conventional analyses address discriminative tasks of behaviors, e.g., classification and clustering typically using the subsequences extracted from the trajectory of an object as a numerical feature representation. In this paper, we explore further to identify the difference in the high-level semantics of behaviors such as roles and address the task in a cross-domain learning approach. The trajectory, from which the features are sampled, is intuitively viewed as a domain, and we assume that its intrinsic structure is characterized by the underlying role associated with the tracked object. We propose a novel hybrid method of spectral clustering and density approximation for comparing clustering structures of two independently sampled trajectory data and identifying patterns of behaviors unique to a role. We present empirical evaluations of the proposed method in two practical settings using real-world robotic trajectories.


In fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the carbohydrate components of the cell wall consist of galactomannan, unlike in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We previously found that the disruption of gms1+, a gene encoding the UDP‐galactose transporter required for the synthesis of galactomannan, led to the complete defect of cell surface galactosylation in Sz. pombe. The Δgms1 strain is therefore useful for the analysis of physiological properties of galactose residues in Sz. pombe. The deletion strain of gms1+ was viable; however, itshowed an aberrant cell morphology and increased sensitivities to digestion with β‐glucanase and to various drugs, such as hygromycin B, sodium orthovanadate and Calcofluor white. A reduction of galactomannan layers of the cell wall in the Δgms1 strain was observed by scanning and transmission electron microscopic analyses. The addition of osmotic stabilizer suppressed the morphologic defect of the Δgms1 cells, while other phenotypes were weakly suppressed. The Δgms1 (h90) strain was incapable of sexual conjugation during nutritional starvation. These results suggest that the cell surface galactosylation is required not only for non‐sexual flocculation but also for sexual conjugation in Sz. pombe. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The main object of the work was to study the mechanisms of discrimination in the transfer of strontium and calcium across biological membranes. 3. The experimental work was done in rats and in human subjects using radioactive and stable tracers and intravenous and oral doses of stable strontium. All experiments were carried out under in vivo conditions. 4. The studies using the rat as experimental animal investigated the passage of stronttum-85 with respect to calcium-47 across the gastrointestinal membrane from the bloodstream to the intestine. The isotopes were given intravenously and the rats were examined both feeding and fasting. From the first study which was over a 24 hour interval it appeared that strontium was excreted to a slightly greater extent than calcium into the intestine during feeding. When the rats were fasted, less of both isotopes was excreted by this route although the difference between strontium and calcium was increased. The Sr/Ca faecal excretion ratio increased from 1.2 in the feeding rats to 2,2 in the fasting animals, Intravenously administered strontium-85 was excreted equally in urine and faeces - approximately 10% of the dose by each route of excetion. Calcium-47 however was mainly excreted in stool (approximately 8%) while less than 1% was excreted via the kidney. Fasting caused reduced levels of both 85Sr and 47Ca in the urine. These excretory differences resulted in (a) greater bone deposition of 47Ca than 85Sr both during feeding and fasting and (b) greater levels of both isotopes in the skeleton of the fasting rats than of the feeding animals. A second rat study was performed to investigate the effect of time on the distribution of the isotopes compared to the 24 hour study. In this case animals were sacrificed at 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 hours after injection of the dose. The results of this experiment indicate that calcium is excreted into the intestine slightly faster than strontium and the differences between 85Sr and 47Ca at 24 hours were due to discrimination in reabsorption by the gut. It appeared that there was little difference between the isotopes between 1 and 4 hours. In fasting the reabsorption of the secreted isotopes was greater than during feeding. The passage of strontium with respect to calcium across the human placenta was investigated. Neutron activation techniques were used to measure stable strontium and flame emission spectrometry for calcium. It was shown that calcium passes more readily than strontium across the membrane from mother to child by a factor of about 2. The concentration of calcium in the serum of the newborn was about 20% higher than that of the mother. The effect of stable strontium on the excretions of strontium and calcium was studied in man during both oral and intravenous administration of the element. It was shown that a large dose of stable strontium administered orally was similarly distributed in the excretions as was the trace level of an average diet. Retention of such a dose was for a short period of time in a subject who had no error in calcium metabolism. Intravenously administered stable strontium was mainly excreted via the kidney. Ammonium Chloride and Aluminium Phosphate Gel have been used in attempts to modify stable strontium excretion but with little success. Both intravenously and orally administered stable strontium had a marked effect on the urinary calcium excretion. This was reduced to about half of the normal level when strontium was administered by either route.