In Part 1 of this paper, we presented the engineering design and instrumentation of the Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System (JSATS) cabled system, a nonproprietary sensing technology developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District (Oregon, USA) to meet the needs for monitoring the survival of juvenile salmonids through the hydroelectric facilities within the Federal Columbia River Power System. Here in Part 2, we describe how the JSATS cabled system was employed as a reference sensor network for detecting and tracking juvenile salmon. Time-of-arrival data for valid detections on four hydrophones were used to solve for the three-dimensional (3D) position of fish surgically implanted with JSATS acoustic transmitters. Validation tests demonstrated high accuracy of 3D tracking up to 100 m upstream from the John Day Dam spillway. The along-dam component, used for assigning the route of fish passage, had the highest accuracy; the median errors ranged from 0.02 to 0.22 m, and root mean square errors ranged from 0.07 to 0.56 m at distances up to 100 m. For the 2008 case study at John Day Dam, the range for 3D tracking was more than 100 m upstream of the dam face where hydrophones were deployed, and detection and tracking probabilities of fish tagged with JSATS acoustic transmitters were higher than 98%. JSATS cabled systems have been successfully deployed on several major dams to acquire information for salmon protection and for development of more "fish-friendly" hydroelectric facilities.


Deep neural networks for video classification, just like image classification networks, may be subjected to adversarial manipulation. The main difference between image classifiers and video classifiers is that the latter usually use temporal information contained within the video. In this work we present a manipulation scheme for fooling video classifiers by introducing a flickering temporal perturbation that in some cases may be unnoticeable by human observers and is implementable in the real world. After demonstrating the manipulation of action classification of single videos, we generalize the procedure to make universal adversarial perturbation, achieving high fooling ratio. In addition, we generalize the universal perturbation and produce a temporal-invariant perturbation, which can be applied to the video without synchronizing the perturbation to the input. The attack was implemented on several target models and the transferability of the attack was demonstrated. These properties allow us to bridge the gap between simulated environment and real-world application, as will be demonstrated in this paper for the first time for an over-the-air flickering attack.


This paper extracts the Policy Implications from ENEPRI Research Report No. 35, prepared under Work Package IV of the AHEAD Project (Ageing, Health Status and Determinants of Health Expenditure) for the European Commission. The purpose of this work package was to build up a picture of the movements in health status of the whole population of each country by age. In WP III of the AHEAD project, transition probabilities were calculated for the migration between the different states of health, and for selected countries, migration into residential care and death. We use these probabilities together with demographic data from various sources to produce demographic accounts and then use these once again to produce transition probabilities.


This paper is mainly about the recognition of car license plate characters. A method based on two-kind feature and two-stage classifier is presented. For car license plate character recognition, there are two kinds of features that can be extracted: configurable feature and statistical feature. Usually, the classifier whose inputs are statistical features is easy to train, but its robustness isn't good. The advantage of the classifier whose input is configurable feature is its better reliability, but this kind of classifier usually needs a complicated pretreatment process. So, the classifier, which based on two-kind feature and two-stage classifier, synthesizes the advantages of the two kinds of classifiers and avoids the flaws. The two classifiers in this paper are both trained by SVM. Also, the experiment results show that the recognition rate is higher, and that multi-stage classifier is obviously superior to single classifier.


The purpose of this study was to explore supply chain management aspects in Fish Farming, by assessing the role of contemporary supply chain management practises towards increased availability of farmed fish in Lilongwe city. The objective of this study was to assess how adoption of contemporary supply chain management practises in fish farming would lead to increased availability of farmed fish through effective production and distribution of farmed fish. .
This study was important because it gives an insight into different supply chain management techniques which can be used by the fish farmers in ensuring effective distribution of fish which will reduce costs and improve services delivery.
Through a survey that was carried out with fish farmers, it was established that the post-harvest section of fish farming is still under developed which leads into substantial losses especially during the rainy season. Predominant causes aredue to inability to preserve fish stocks, and lack of key equipment suitable for controlling temperature considering the perishability of fish as well as lack of market orientation which led to failure in identifying stable and reliable markets.
The study recommends that the Government and private sector stakeholder groups need to to create a centre which will be responsible for coordinating the fish farmers and the customers. The above mentioned centre will be responsible for market research so that the farmers find reliable and stable fish markets.
It also recommends that establishment of farmers association will also help in availability of farmed fish through consolidation of fish quantities at club level and selling them in bulk. This will be particularly important in such a way that it will give the association greater negotiation power when selling their fish products hence more bargaining power on determining fish prices.


Familial renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is genetically heterogeneous and may be associated with germline mutations in a number of genes. Twelve different constitutional translocations involving chromosome 3 have also been described in association with inherited RCC. In some families the lifetime risk of RCC in chromosome 3 translocation carriers has been estimated to be more than 80%; however the cancer risks in patients with chromosome 3 translocations not ascertained because of a family history of RCC are not well defined. We report a retrospective population‐based study using Danish national cytogenetic and cancer registries to clarify tumor risks associated with constitutional translocations involving chromosome 3. We identified 222 (105 females, 117 males) individuals with a constitutional chromosome 3 translocation and compared their cancer risks to those of the Danish population. None of the chromosome 3 translocation carriers had developed RCC at the time of study (female 95% CIs 0.000–0.042, male 95% CIs 0.000–0.038) (P = 1.0 and P = 0.498 for females and males compared to Danish population). Fourteen translocation carriers had developed cancer but there was no evidence of an excess of early onset disease and lifetime cancer risks in chromosome 3 translocation carriers were similar that in the Danish population. There was no association between cancer risk and location of the chromosome 3 breakpoint (HR = 1.322, P = 0.673). These findings suggest that, in the absence of a family history of RCC or evidence of disruption of a specific tumor suppressor gene, chromosome 3 translocations carriers are not at high risk of developing RCC. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Geoscience libraries and their users were the subjects of a two part questionnaire dealing with user background and attitudes in conjunction with library organization systems. The 23 libraries responding to the first questionnaire varied in size, setting, and organizational systems. A variety of classification systems are utilized in the libraries, but the majority (82.6%) of responding librarians felt the systems they use meet their users' needs. In contrast to this, the majority of libraries make use of Library of Congress subject headings, but there is a clear trend in librarians' views that this system is not adequate for their users' needs. 336 library users responded to the second questionnaire. A picture of the "average" geoscience information user emerged as a highly educated male geologist in his early thirties to forties. Users generally took a positive attitude toward the library and their skills as a user. The information access points they consider the most important are: author name, subject heading, asking the librarian, and title. No difference was found in the type or importance of information access points used in libraries using only Library of Congress subject heading. Further study into users' information seeking habits in differing library environments is recommended, as well as an increase in libraries' use of bibliographic instruction.


Convulsive crisis is a transient disturbance of cerebral function, and the etiology of which may be manifold. Its clarification is essential for establishing adequate therapy and seizure control. In the pregnancy-puerperal cycle, eclampsia is the most common cause of it, but brain tumor, epilepsy and other disorders are part of the differential diagnosis. We report a case of seizure triggered by tumor in a primigest, 22 years old, at 38 weeks' gestation with premature rupture of membranes. Cesarean section was performed due to non-reassuring fetal condition. On the second day of puerperium, she presented recurrent episodes of generalized tonic-clonic seizures and elevated blood pressure. She received magnesium sulfate for 24 hours and persisted with severe headache. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed an expansive lesion in the left frontoparietal region. The patient underwent intracranial microsurgery on the eighth day after cesarean section, with complete resection of the lesion and anatomopathological diagnosis of schwannoma. She went through good postoperative evolution, without neurological deficits, and stayed on phenobarbital, with no seizures until 6 months of follow-up. From the case we conclude that although the first diagnosis in pregnant or puerperal women with seizures should be eclampsia, there are other causes, such as brain tumor and Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome (PRES). Careful evaluation is required, especially in refractory cases and not responding to usual treatment.


A growth analysis study was conducted on Mikania micrantha Kunth stem sections grown between crop rows and at the edges of taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) and cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) fields at Koronivia Research Station, Viti Levu Fiji. The relative stem growth rate of the longest stem of mikania in the taro field was 3.4 and 2.7 cm cm day at the edges and in between crop rows, respectively. While in the cassava field, the relative stem growth rate was 2.7 and 3.8 cm cm day for between crop rows and at the edges, respectively. Mikania plants growing at the edges of the field had greater relative leaf, stem and root dry matter growth rates than plants growing in between crop rows of both crops. These differences in plant performance may be attributed to the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) that was available for interception at the edges of the crop but less so within the crop as well as a greater nutrient availability at the edges compared to between the crop rows.


In a Quality of Service (QoS) aware communication system, a user is able to choose between various service classes, each with different reliability, predictability, and efficiency degrees. However, until now security has not been recognized as a parameter in QoS architectures and no security-related service classes have been defined. This implies that users have no chance of configuring their level of security, which is remarkable. This paper contains a survey of QoS architectures as seen from a security point of view and gives some initial ideas on how QoS architectures can be extended with a security dimension.


Rats were dosed for 6 days with purified SEF 21 fimbriae of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis 10360. The levels of fimbriae in gut contents associated with tissues and in the faeces were quantified by direct non-competitive ELISA. SEF 21 was distributed throughout the gut. The majority was found in the large intestine where it was primarily in the luminal contents. In contrast, a high proportion of SEF 21 detected in the ileum, the main site of salmonella colonisation and invasion, was tissue-bound. Thus, purified SEF 21 survived intestinal passage and associated with the stomach and gastrointestinal tract in a pattern similar to that found with whole Salmonella cells.


Cu11O2 (VO4)6 powders have been synthesized by complexing Sol-Gel method using citric acid as chelate, calcined at different temperature without using any template. Techniques of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) have been employed to characterize the as-synthesized materials. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO) solution under UV-light. It revealed that temperature values can influence significantly on the morphologies and structures of the products.It also found that the sample prepared with the molar ratio of citric acid to metal inons be 2:1, pH=7 and calcinated under 500°C for 4 hours was pure triclinic Cu11O2 (VO4)6 phase.In this conditions, the sample had highest photocatalytic activity with the photodegradation rate was about 78.9% or so in 60min under 20W ultraviolet lamp.


The Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea virginica , is an ecologically important species that plays a role in protecting shorelines, water filtration, and providing habitat and food for various fish species. Perkinsus marinus and Haplosporidium nesloni are two pathogens currently affecting oyster populations. These pathogens have both been documented as causes of mass mortality events along the East coast. They greatly diminish the health of oysters, resulting in the degradation of oyster tissue, reduction in growth and reproductive ability, and may cause death. In this study, wild oysters were collected from eleven locations along the Georgia coast to investigate the presence, intensity, and impact on the health of local populations. The condition of each oyster was calculated during processing, and qPCR was used to determine the presence and intensity of both P. marinus and H. nelsoni . Additionally, population genetic structure and kinship within and among populations was examined using 20 microsatellite loci. Results showed that >90% of oysters tested were infected by one or both pathogens, and 48.8% of these were cases of co-infection . Intensity of infection varied significantly across sites for both P. marinus and H. nelsoni (p = <0.0001, p = <.0001, respectively). Across sites, variation in oyster condition was driven by a single study site exhibiting higher oyster condition (p = <0.0001), however, being infected had no effect on oyster condition (p = 0.071), and neither did infection intensity of either pathogen (p = 0.346, p = 0.819). There was evidence supporting the theory of sweepstakes reproductive success among Georgia oyster populations; fine-scale population structure was detected, however, there was no link to geographic location. Additionally, oyster kin were found to be more likely to settle near each other (p = <0.0001).


ABSTRACT Although much has been written about estuaries and estuarine sediments, very few facies models have been proposed to date and considerable ambiguity remains in coastal classification schemes. Current stratigraphic concepts fail to elucidate not only the differences between certain deltaic, estuarine, and lagoon-fill sequences, but also the pronounced similarities between many riverine and salt-marsh estuarine sequences. These distinctive latero-vertical successions, recent and ancient, warrant increased scrutiny and conceptual refinement. Preliminary stratigraphic models and definitions presented here--based largely upon modern Georgia estuaries--should provide a broad framework for further evaluation and clarification of the above facies relationships. From that standpoint, an estuarine sequence consists of complex, intertidal to subtidal, mostly channel-form facies dominated to some extent by tidal effects, typically displaying abrupt variations in sediment texture and composition, and in physical and biogenic sedimentary structures. Subtle to pronounced salinity gradients may be discernible; nevertheless, the features most diagnostic of the overall sequence are 1) tidally influenced channel-form deposits, and 2) characteristic bioturbate textures and trace fossils.


In the year 2018, several research projects of the Chairs of the Faculty of Law and Administration of the Jagiellonian University which are concerned with legal and constitutional history were continued, and an important new one – project IURA – was launched. Apart from these, the faculty members and postgraduates, of the Chairs were engaged in cooperation with other academic centers, including several international conferences, and the preparation of a book devoted to the memory of Prof. Janusz Sondel (1937–2017).1 A very challenging but fruitful event was the 72nd World Congress of SIHDA (Société Internationale Fernand de Visscher pour l'Histoire des Droits de l'Antiquité), organized by the Chair of Roman Law.


Recently, it has been shown that spiral-shaped microdisk cavities support highly nonorthogonal pairs of copropagating modes with a preferred sense of rotation (spatial chirality) [ J. Wiersig et al. Phys. Rev. A 78 053809 (2008)]. Here, we provide numerical evidence which indicates that such pairs are a common feature of deformed microdisk cavities which lack mirror symmetries. In particular, we demonstrate that discontinuities of the cavity boundary such as the notch in the spiral cavity are not needed. We find a quantitative relation between the nonorthogonality and the chirality of the modes which agrees well with the predictions from an effective non-Hermitian Hamiltonian. A comparison to ray-tracing simulations is given.


Can rebel organizations in a civil conflict use social media to garner international support? This article argues that the use of social media is a unique form of public diplomacy through which rebels project a favorable image to gain that support. It analyzes the Libyan civil war, during which rebels invested considerable resources in diplomatic efforts to gain US support. The study entails collecting original data, and finds that rebel public diplomacy via Twitter increases co-operation with the rebels when their message (1) clarifies the type of regime they intend to create and (2) emphasizes the atrocities perpetrated by the government. Providing rebels with an important tool of image projection, social media can affect dynamics in an ever more connected international arena.


Moldable job scheduling has been proved to be effective compared to traditionaljob scheduling policies. It is based on the observation that most jobs submitted to a spaceshared parallel system can actually reduce their response times if they were allowed to take any number of processors in a user-specified range. Previous approaches to scheduling of moldable jobs focused on when and how to choose the number of processors for a moldable job. Careful experimental evaluations show that these techniques are not robust. This paper proposes a new strategy for scheduling moldable jobs that outperforms not only the traditional rigid scheme, but also the previous moldable scheduling policies, by doing uniformly well under different load conditions and for jobs of different scalabilities.


Context. The geometry and physical conditions in solar coronal loops are complicated and still not understood well. Recent high-resolution observations obtained with TRACE indicate the existence of sub-resolution transverse structuring not accessible to direct observation. This ingredient has not yet been taken into account in the previous theoretical models used for the study of transversal coronal loop oscillations and of their damping due to resonant conversion of energy. Aims. This study aims to assess the effect of the possibly unresolved internal structure of a coronal loop on the properties of its transverse oscillations and on the efficiency of resonant absorption as a damping mechanism of these oscillations. Methods. The equilibrium configuration of a single coronal loop with internal density structuring is modelled by considering the loop as composed of two very close, parallel, identical coronal slabs in Cartesian geometry. The period of the oscillation and the damping time are computed for the resonantly damped fundamental kink mode. These quantities are then compared to those obtained for two models for a single equivalent slab without internal density structuring. Results. We find that the period and the damping time of a coronal loop with internal density structuring change by less than 15%, when compared to the same oscillatory properties of a single coronal loop with either the same density contrast or a single coronal loop with the same total mass. Conclusions. Therefore the internal density structuring of a coronal loop does not affect its oscillatory properties very much. However, the sub-resolution structuring of a coronal loop with different densities in its components or with different widths could vary these results.


How sedentary time (ST) relates to total and regional adiposity and whether these associations are independent of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) are of clinical and public health interest. We assessed the relationship between objectively measured MVPA, ST and ST breaks in adults at risk of type 2 diabetes. The sample consisted of 163 adults (37–75 years) recruited from primary care. Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (iDXA, GE Corp) was used to estimate total and regional (appendages and trunk) fat mass as well as fat mass in the abdominal (android) and hip/thigh (gynoid) regions. The Actigraph GT3X was worn for 7 days (participants with  ⩾4 valid days included herein) and published cut-points were applied to 15 s epoch data to estimate mean MVPA, ST and breaks in ST. Multiple regression investigated associations between both ST and MVPA with total and regional adiposity without and with adjustment for known and potential confounders (including total lean mass) and for each other. MVPA was negatively and significantly associated with total (b  =  −62; p  =  0.002), and regional (p  <  0.05) adiposity before and after adjusting for confounders including ST. Although ST was positively and significantly associated with total (b  =  46.4; p  =  0.002) and regional adiposity (all p  ⩽  0.007), these relationships disappeared after adjustment for MVPA (p  >  0.05). Sedentary breaks were not significantly related to adiposity before or after adjustment. An age-by-MVPA interaction for total, android, gynoid and trunk fat revealed that MVPA did not remain significant when controlling for ST and other covariates in the adults over 65 years old. In this sample of adults at risk of type 2 diabetes, MVPA, and not ST, was associated with total and regional adiposity after adjustment for each other. However, in older adults at risk of T2D weight related benefits may be gained from reducing daily ST and increasing MVPA.


In western North America, wildfire is a critical component of many ecosystems and a natural hazard that can result in catastrophic losses of human lives and property. Billions of dollars are spent suppressing wildfires each year. In the past decades, academic research has made substantial contributions to the understanding of fire and its interaction with climate and land management. Most reviews of the academic literature, however, are centered in either natural or social science. We offer an integrated cross-disciplinary guide to state-of-the art fire science and use this review to identify research gaps. We focus on the modern era and understanding fire in the context of a changing climate in western North America. We find that studies combining social and natural science perspectives remain limited and that interactions among coupled system components are poorly understood. For example, while natural science studies have identified how fuel treatments alter fire regimes, few social science studies examine how decisions are made about fuel treatments and how these decisions respond to changes in fire regimes. A key challenge is to better quantify the effects of actual fire management policies in a way that accounts for the complexity of coupled natural and natural–human system interactions.


Using published data on star irradiances in the visible region and assuming a blackbody distribution of energy, irradiances from stars and planets are calculated over the spectral region of 0.1 to 100 microns. Results are presented in chart form for ready application in the design of viewing systems operating in space.


A marine surface wave seismic investigation was performed in order to characterize the sediments and bedrock in Ystad harbor, southern Sweden. The dispersive nature of Sholte waves was analyzed and fundamental mode dispersion curves extracted. Using inverse modelling a few layer shear wave velocity, Vs, profile was successfully retrieved to a depth of 5-10 m below sea bottom. The seismic results were confirmed with result from geotechnical probing. The measurements were made with a 12-channel neutral buoyancy streamer with 2 m hydrophone separation. A small number of led plates were attached to the streamer in order to make it sink and for each measurement the ends of the streamer were fixed on the bottom using small concrete blocks. The streamer was pulled up on the vessel before moving to the next measurement position. As energy source a small amount of explosives was detonated on the sea bottom with the shot positioned at 15-30 m distance from the nearest hydrophone and inline with the streamer. The production rate of this approach was 30 measurements in one field day, which should be compared to the 1 or 2 geotechnical soundings that can be achieved at the same time.


The paper focuses on the quantitative analysis of the coupling dynamic characteristics of two non-identical exciters in a non-resonant vibrating system. The load torque of each motor consists of three items, including the torque of sine effect of phase angles, that of coupling sine effect and that of coupling cosine effect. The torque of frequency capture results from the torque of coupling cosine effect, which is equal to the product of the coupling kinetic energy, the coefficient of coupling cosine effect, and the sine of phase difference of two exciters. The motions of the system excited by two exciters in the same direction make phase difference close to π and that in opposite directions makes phase difference close to 0. Numerical results show that synchronous operation is stable when the dimensionless relative moments of inertia of two exciters are greater than zero and four times of their product is greater than the square of their coefficient of coupling cosine effect. The stability of the synchronous operation is only dependent on the structural parameters of the system, such as the mass ratios of two exciters to the vibrating system, and the ratio of the distance between an exciter and the centroid of the system to the equivalent radius of the system about its centroid.


Importance
Higher rates of infertility and pregnancy complications have been found for female surgeons compared with the general population. Several reproductive hazards are present in the operating room and may be associated with these findings. Hazards should be identified and controlled to minimize risks.

Observations
Studies comparing surgeons with the general population show increased rates of infertility and pregnancy complications, including conditions affecting both mother and fetus, such as spontaneous abortion, preterm delivery, growth restriction, and congenital abnormalities. Attention has focused on older age and demanding working conditions of pregnant surgeons; however, there are reproductive hazards present in the operating room that might also be contributing. Relevant hazards include radiation, surgical smoke, working conditions, sharps injury, anesthetic gases, and intraoperative use of toxic agents. Published evidence is limited to retrospective studies. Robust data are often unavailable to guide specific dose-response relationships, making it difficult to quantify risk and create occupational safety guidelines. Nevertheless, regulatory agencies have set exposure limits for some agents, relying on limited evidence. Various workplace interventions have shown success in reducing exposure levels for many reproductive hazards and should be adopted by surgical workplaces.

Conclusions and Relevance
Reproductive hazards exist in the operating room that may contribute to pregnancy complications and infertility in surgeons. Information and guidance should be given to female surgeons and trainees of reproductive age, and efforts should be made in the workplace to control exposures but not restrict female surgeons' activities unnecessarily.


The latter part of the twentieth century saw the near-universal recognition of the idea of children's rights as human rights. At the same time, the conceptual basis for such rights remains largely under-theorized. Part of the aim of this article is to draw on the insights of the "capabilities approach" developed by Martha Nussbaum in philosophy, and Amartya Sen in economics, in order to provide a fuller theoretical justification of this kind. In addition, this article investigates the degree to which it will be justifiable, under such an approach, for international human rights law or national constitutions, to give special priority to children's rights. It begins this task by first considering, and rejecting, potential justifications for such special priority based on the need to ensure the future self-reliance of children as adults and ideas about the special "innocence" of children; and, then, by developing two affirmative justifications for such special priority, based on the special vulnerability of children, and the special cost-effectiveness of protecting children's rights. This article also explores the degree to which these principles may provide a starting point for thinking about more general trade-offs between different rights claims, or claimants, under a capabilities approach.


This study attempts to calculate the optimal geometry of convective-radiating radial of ICEs fin arrays using entropy generation method. The analysis is conducted to achieve the balance between entropy generation due to heat transfer and entropy generation due to fluid friction. In designing of the thermal system, it is important to minimize thermal irreversibilities, because the optimal geometry found while the entropy generation rate is minimized. In this study, the entropy generation minimization (EGM) technique based on fin thickness is applied to study the thermodynamic irreversibility caused by heat transfer and fluid irreversibility in radiating convective radial fin arrays. In addition, the cost parameters of fin optimum thickness is also considered and presented. The entropy generation is found to be strongly influenced by emissivity of fin material surface and increasing the cross flow fluid velocity will enhance the heat transfer rate that will reduce the heat transfer irreversibility.Copyright © 2005 by ASME


In order to study the properties and effects of high Galactic latitude dust, we present an analysis of 373,303 galaxies selected from the Galaxy Evolution Explorer All-Sky Survey and Wide-field Infrared Explorer All-Sky Data Release. By examining the variation in aggregate ultraviolet colors and number density of these galaxies, we measure the extinction curve at high latitude. We additionally consider a population of spectroscopically selected galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to measure extinction in the optical. We find that dust at high latitude is neither quantitatively nor qualitatively consistent with standard reddening laws. Extinction in the FUV and NUV is ∼10% and ∼35% higher than expected, with significant variation across the sky. We find that no single RV parameter fits both the optical and ultraviolet extinction at high latitude, and that while both show detectable variation across the sky, these variations are not related. We propose that the overall trends we detect likely stem from an increase in very small silicate grains in the interstellar medium.


Twenty-one Mio-Pliocene floras distributed from sea level in west-central California, across the Sierra Nevada and into western Nevada, are preserved in volcanic sediments occurring either (1) at or near the base of the andesitic Mehrten formation and its correlatives east and west of the Sierra Nevada, or (2) in the underlying rhyolitic Valley Springs formation and its close equivalents in western Nevada and coastal California. Since the floras are related to living communities whose topographic and climatic relations can be measured, they provide a basis for estimating the altitude of the Sierra Nevada and of west-central Nevada at the inception of vulcanism during Mio-Pliocene time. Local, provincial, and regional comparisons indicate that there were then only moderate east-west differences in vegetation, climate, and topography across this area where environmental diversity is marked today. A number of paleogeographic inferences are made: Geologic —Just before late Tertiary vulcanism the Sierra Nevada was a broad ridge with its summit near 3000 feet. It was incised by 2- to 4–mile wide, 1000-foot-deep valleys, some of which drained western Nevada. The lowlands of western Nevada had an average elevation of 2000–2500 feet. Two major components of late Cenozoic diastrophism are recognized in the Sierra Nevada. Faulting accounted for an average maximum displacement of 3500 feet in this section of the range, and regional warping ranged from 1800 feet at Donner Pass to 3000 feet at Carson Pass 50 miles south. Climatic —Building up the Sierran ridge from 6000 to 8000 feet by vulcanism and diastrophism in the later Cenozoic (1) reduced temperature along the summit so that arctic-alpine and subalpine forest environments came into existence, and (2) lowered rainfall sufficiently over the lowlands to leeward to account for the present steppe (sage) and desert regions. Biologic —Plants (and animals) from contiguous milder environments gradually were invading these new zones during the later Cenozoic and have continued to evolve there.


Both psoriasis and atopic dermatitis (AD) are not only associated with an impaired stratum corneum barrier, but also with abnormal expression of the tight junction (TJ) proteins. Because host defense peptides, including LL-37, are overexpressed in lesional psoriatic skin but are downregulated in lesional AD skin, we hypothesized that LL-37 might regulate the TJ function in keratinocytes. We demonstrated that LL-37 selectively increased the expression of several claudins and occludin, and enhanced their membrane distribution. Furthermore, LL-37 elevated the transepithelial electrical resistance while reducing the paracellular permeability of keratinocyte layers, and this activity was weakened by the claudin inhibitor ochratoxin A. A characterization of the molecular mechanism underlying the regulation of the TJ barrier by LL-37 revealed that LL-37 induced the activation of the Rac1, atypical PKC, glycogen synthase kinase-3 and PI3K pathways, and the specific inhibition of these pathways reversed the LL-37-mediated regulation of TJ function. In addition, LL-37 enhanced the expression of differentiation markers under the control of ochratoxin A, suggesting an association between LL-37-induced TJ function and keratinocyte differentiation. These data provide novel evidence that, in addition to its antimicrobial and other immunoregulatory functions, LL-37 contributes to cutaneous immunity by strengthening the skin's barrier function.


If my grandmother had survived the sickness of old age and were alive to witness the economic injustices wrought by capitalist culture, what would she think? If my grandmother were alive to observe familiar technologies for exterminating household pests—surveillance, capture, imprisonment, disposal—being increasingly aimed toward low-income Black communities, what would she believe? If my grandmother were alive to discover, in the palm of her hands, a digital platform for spreading information (and misinformation) to the masses and painting new futures into the minds of lawmakers and politicians, what would she say? Studies have shown that low-income individuals are more likely to suffer physiological and psychological harms than middle- and high-income individuals due to the substandard conditions of their communities. Yet, such indignities are justified by market opportunities to grasp for better—to take "personal responsibility" and "pull yourself up by the bootstraps"—even when the process of grasping for upward social mobility inflicts its own trauma. This Essay explores the trauma of grasping for better in the United States where wealth inequities only seem to be getting worse. In so doing, it considers whether capitalism's competitive and individualistic culture—a spirit that thrives on the exploitation of the weak to further the capital accumulation of the strong—not only normalizes violence as a mechanism for social mobility but sews division and strife where alternative futures, perhaps even Afro-futures, might finally set us all free.


Aim: To illustrate the benefits of working in partnership with clinicans, academics and industry to improve undergraduate clinical skills and promote leg health amongst the local population.
Method: Leg health assessment days have taken place with industry support since 2011.
Members of the public are invited via local press to attend a leg health assessment. The holistic assessment incorporates:
• Past medical history
• Assessment of limb for chonic venous disease
• Arertial assessment

The assessment is carried out by podiatry undergraduates, supported by practising clinicians. The results of this assessement is communicated with the indivual and any necessary early intervention is recommended. This can include lifestyle advice, provision of hosiery, or instructions to visit the General Pratitioner (GP). Information gained from this assessment and details of intervention is communicated to the GP, with consent from the individual.
Results / Discussion: The process enables the undergraduate podiatrist to:
• Develop assessment skills under supervision
• Understand appropriate referral pathways for those requiring medical input
• Aprreciate the need and the clinical benefits of early intervention for venous/ lymphatic insuffiency
• Develop hosiery selection, measurement and fitting skills.

The benefits for the individual:
• The process of self referral and subsequent assessment and treatment facilitates empowerment
• Promotes self care
• Individuals feel listened to and supported
• Prevents disease progression and potentially the development of further complications.
• Facilitates timely specialist referral in cases requiring prompt review.
Conclusion: Leg health assessment days facilitate both undergraduate training and health promotion. The days gain positive feedback from both individuals and undergraduates.


ABSTRACT For insects, chilling injuries that occur in the absence of freezing are often related to a systemic loss of ion and water balance that leads to extracellular hyperkalemia, cell depolarization and the triggering of apoptotic signalling cascades. The ability of insect ionoregulatory organs (e.g. the Malpighian tubules) to maintain ion balance in the cold has been linked to improved chill tolerance, and many neuroendocrine factors are known to influence ion transport rates of these organs. Injection of micromolar doses of CAPA (an insect neuropeptide) have been previously demonstrated to improve Drosophila cold tolerance, but the mechanisms through which it impacts chill tolerance are unclear, and low doses of CAPA have been previously demonstrated to cause anti-diuresis in insects, including dipterans. Here, we provide evidence that low (femtomolar) and high (micromolar) doses of CAPA impair and improve chill tolerance, respectively, via two different effects on Malpighian tubule ion and water transport. While low doses of CAPA are anti-diuretic, reduce tubule K+ clearance rates and reduce chill tolerance, high doses facilitate K+ clearance from the haemolymph and increase chill tolerance. By quantifying CAPA peptide levels in the central nervous system, we estimated the maximum achievable hormonal titres of CAPA and found further evidence that CAPA may function as an anti-diuretic hormone in Drosophila melanogaster. We provide the first evidence of a neuropeptide that can negatively affect cold tolerance in an insect and further evidence of CAPA functioning as an anti-diuretic peptide in this ubiquitous insect model. Summary: Many insects lose ion balance in the cold. CAPA neuropeptide can slow ion transport and reduce the cold tolerance of a fly.


Existing research supports a wide range of positive effects for physical, mental and social wellbeing from outdoor exercise, particularly through engagement with nature, however few current landscapes facilitate exercise participation and efficacy for older persons and often require targeted design refinement to foster accessibility, inclusivity and sociability. In order to identify how therapeutic landscape design can be developed to best assist older persons' health and wellbeing, epidemiological data, injury statistics, and currently available outdoor fitness equipment that is specifically marketed for use by older persons were examined. A number of problematic design issues were identified including poor equipment design; failure to integrate cognitive tasks; and minimal integration of safe, age and ability-specific elements. This paper advocates rekindling the connection to public green space in order to foster disability prevention and promote rehabilitation in older persons. The incorporation of design elements that specifically address elements of prevalent morbidities and concerns, such as psychological restoration, stress reduction, attention recovery, the health and wellbeing of older persons in the community could be improved. Age-specific design suggestions include integrating interactive landscapes with ecological regenerative planning to assist with the prevention of common morbidities in older persons.


The genus Sideritis (Lamiaceae) is represented by 45 species (54 taxa) in Anatolia with high endemism ratio (74%), and Turkey is one of the gene centers of the genus along with Spain. Acetone extract of the aerial parts of Sideritis lycia afforded eight known ent-kaurene diterpenoids, structures of which have been identified as linearol, isolinearol, isosidol, sidol, siderol, sideridiol, 7-epi-candicandiol and foliol through H NMR, C NMR and mass spectroscopic analyses. Cytotoxic and antiviral activities of the acetone extract, linearol, sidol and isosidol were investigated together with insecticidal activity of species. The antiviral index of linearol, isosidol and acetone extract of S. lycia were determined as 2.31, 2.01 and 2.58, respectively, except sidol. 7-Epi-candicandiol was found to be the most active diterpene against a series of cancer cell lines with ED50 values; KB (13.3 μg/mL), COL-2 (11.8 g/mL), LU1 (17.9 g/mL), LNCaP (14.9 g/mL) and A2780 (9.0 g/mL). Activity results of this study indicated that ent-kaurane diterpenes have potential to be considered as antiviral and cytotoxic lead compounds.


BACKGROUND
Various mediators and anti-inflammatory drugs were used since from a long time but it is still a challenge for the medicinal chemists to treat or reduce the symptoms of inflammatory diseases. Most of the clinically used anti-inflammatory drugs such as NSAIDs, Coxibs and GCs are allied with considerable toxicity.

OBJECTIVE
The search of novel anti-inflammatory agent is not an ending process. Although the drug treatment has been improved steadily but yet, it is still there is a need to develop more potent therapeutic agents.

METHOD
Reported literature survey has been studied to summarize the nitrogen containing moieties which were utilized as potential therapeutic agents.

RESULTS
A variety of N-heterocyclic analogs are known to exhibit a wide range of interesting biological activities like antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant, analgesic, antimicrobial, anticancer, antiprotozoal, antioxidant, antiparasitic, antiplatelet, cardioprotective, anthelmintic, antidiabetic, antitubercular, trypanocidal and anti-HIV. However, numerous approaches were used to overcome the toxicity level such as co-administration with suitable agent/substance which provides protection against toxicity as well to synthesise new potent and safe anti-inflammatory drug.

CONCLUSION
The present review summarizes the synthetic methodology and therapeutic potential of some N-heterocyclic analogs as potent anti-inflammatory agents.


We consider inference and testing in extended constant conditional correlation GARCH models in the case where the true parameter vector is a boundary point of the parameter space. This is of particular importance when testing for volatility spillovers in the model. The large-sample properties of the QMLE are derived together with the limiting distributions of the related LR, Wald, and LM statistics. Due to the boundary problem, these large-sample properties become nonstandard. The size and power properties of the tests are investigated in a simulation study. As an empirical illustration we test for (no) volatility spillovers between foreign exchange rates.


In the near past, most of the researches on image copy detection focused on finding an image feature that is robust for all kinds of image attacks. However, it is difficult to find a feature that is robust enough for most of image attacks. When original image suffers from image attack, especially serious attack, the number of keypoint matches and the performance of image copy detection will be reduced. In this paper, we propose a novel copy detection framework to solve the problem instead of finding a better feature. In our approach, the original image is applied some kinds of virtual attacks, and the attacked images can be considered to be the copies of original image, then we detect keypoint on original image, its copies and test image using scale-invariant feature transform(SIFT) algorithm[1]. SIFT descriptors are computed for keypoint's representation. In the past, popular copy detection method used to match the descriptors attached to the keypoints between original image and test image directly. However, our method not only matches directly between original image and test image, but also matches indirectly. This indirect matching process can be converted to two sub-processes: (1) matching the keypoints between test image and original image's copies, (2) matching the keypoints between original image and its copies. Our method can achieve good performance on keypoint matching and copy detection under the noise and JPEG attack.


The retaining walls of Machu Picchu, constructed of dry stacked granite blocks during the 15th century, have remained standing for centuries in a challenging geologic and climatic setting with little to no maintenance. In order to construct such enduring infrastructure, Incan engineers understood the basic concepts that we use today to design modern retaining walls. A stability analysis, based on conservatively selected parameters, reveals that the Incan walls generally meet modern standards for sliding stability (assuming full-contact and thus maximum frictional forces between blocks) and the walls nearly meet modern standards for overturning stability. A fractal analysis of the walls, conducted by digitizing and analyzing photos of four retaining walls and one dwelling wall, shows that the roughness of the stones making up the walls is fractal. The analysis also shows that the size distributions of the stones in the walls are fractal over several ranges, or multi-fractal.The walls were simulated in the laboratory using a matrix of wooden dowels subjected to normal loading via a direct shear apparatus. Force chains formed in the matrix; as the size distribution of the dowels changed with the addition of multiple dowel sizes, the number of dowels not engaged by force chains decreased until all of the dowels were engaged in transmitting the load to neighboring dowels.The fractal distribution of stone sizes in the walls aids in the transmission of load between individual particles in the wall as demonstrated through the laboratory analysis of wooden dowels. By engaging each particle in sharing the loading, the full stability of the wall can be realized.


Sir We commend Westwood and colleagues on their single-centre retrospective longitudinal study investigating the validity of routine luminal imaging following admission to hospital with acute uncomplicated diverticulitis based on computed tomography (CT) diagnosis. Their conclusions suggesting that subsequent colonic evaluation following acute uncomplicated diverticulitis may not be required are echoed in our own local experience. We carried out a similar study for the year 2009 to quantify the added diagnostic value of luminal imaging in uncomplicated acute diverticulitis treated with antibiotics and radiologically guided abscess drainage if required. We excluded all patients requiring surgery during their admission. Ninety-six patients were included, with follow-up endoscopy arranged for 80 and an attendance rate of 76 per cent achieved. No cases of colorectal cancer were identified, including in those who did not have endoscopy. Adenomas were found in six patients (8 per cent), with only one having high-grade dysplasia. Our findings support those of Westwood and colleagues, and add further to their proposal that, in the absence of other factors, follow-up luminal imaging may not be required after CTproven diverticulitis that is treated without surgery. A. A. Page, A. Khan and R. J. Davies Cambridge Colorectal Unit, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK (e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com) DOI: 10.1002/bjs.8670 Letter 2: Routine colonoscopy following acute uncomplicated diverticulitis (Br J Surg 2011; 98: 1630–1634)


III-VI compounds In2S3 and In2Se3 are potential optical-absorption materials used for solar energy conversion and photon detection applications. The natural surface oxide and intrinsic chalcogen vacancies in In2X3 (X = S, Se) facilitate photoelectric conversion in near infrared (NIR) to ultraviolet (UV) region. In this work, In2S3 and In2Se3 crystals have been grown by chemical vapor transport method using ICl3 as a transport agent. The as-grown In2S3 presents β phase with a tetragonal lattice (β-In2S3) while In2Se3 reveals a hexagonal layer structure of α phase (α-In2Se3). The band-edge property of β-In2S3 and α-In2Se3 has been evaluated by transmittance and thermoreflectance spectroscopy. The direct band gaps have been determined to be Eg = 1.935 eV for β-In2S3, and Eg = 1.453 eV for α-In2Se3, respectively. The optoelectronic and photoelectric conversion properties of III-VI In2S3 and In2Se3 are examined by surface photovoltage, surface photoconductive response, photoluminescence, and photoconductivity measurements. The experimental evaluations show In2X3 a well-functional material in photoelectric conversion and photodetection from near IR to UV region with the auxiliary of intrinsic defects and surface formation oxides existed in the chalcogenides.


With current Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) network mobility (NEMO) basic support (NBS) to manage mobility of a mobile network that moves as a whole, all communication to and from mobile network nodes (MNNs) inside the mobile network must go through multiple tunnels between upstream mobile routers and their home agents. This results in the nonoptimized route and increased packet delay between communication peers. Hence, numerous NEMO schemes such as reverse routing header (RRH), mobile IPv6 route optimization for NEMO (MIRON), and care-of prefix (CoP) have been proposed to solve it. Whenever the whole mobile network or its mobile subnet changes its points of network attachments, a large number of duplicate binding update messages are sent from the handoff mobile network to all connecting correspondent nodes on the Internet to establish a direct and optimized packet route between them, which raises the corresponding consumed Internet and local wireless network bandwidth and, in turn, increases the packet transmission delay. However, traditional NEMO schemes cannot solve this serious binding update storm problem. In this paper, we apply the hierarchical concept to the CoP scheme as the Hierarchical CoP (HCoP) scheme and then enhance the HCoP with a novel binding update tree (BUT) structure as the HCoP-B for efficient NEMO management of the nested mobile network. Compared with the traditional RRH, MIRON, and HCoP with intensive performance analyses and simulations, HCoP-B achieves the shortest handoff latency, the lowest number of duplicate binding update messages conveyed over the Internet, and the least amount of consumed Internet and local wireless network bandwidth for session initialization and route optimization of all connecting correspondent nodes at the expense of a small amount of extra binding caches in the BUT. We also discuss important issues about HCoP-B deployment, security, and mobility anchor point (MAP) location alternatives. Consequently, HCoP-B achieves the correspondent node (CN)'s route optimization and resolves the associated binding update storm problem simultaneously for the nested mobile network.


With the development of Network technology and multimedia, applying network to teaching and developing education and research services on the network has become the trend of deportment in teaching. Department of Mineral Processing according to its specialized characteristic designed and made the teaching website. The paper introduced the overall design and produce details of Education Web site of the mineral processing Department. In the paper, it was mainly mention who to design and plan in the pre-development, collect data and make Web page beautify in medium-term, and debug, publish, update and maintenance in the final, and so on.


Amongst the compositions of poverty line in Bangka Belitung Islands, cigarette consumption expenditure had the second largest percentage for the poverty line, while rice as staple food only occupied the fourth position. Cigarettes do not contain calories, so it is possible for someone who has an expenditure above the poverty line to remain poor because a lot of expenditure are spent to consume cigarettes. The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of cigarette consumption on poverty status, with a simulation of converting cigarette expenditure into spending on other foods containing calories. In particular, it was to study whether there is a change in poverty status after conversion of cigarette expenditure and analyzing the influence of social, economic, and demographic characteristics on changes in poverty status. This study focused on poor households that consumed cigarettes. This study used 7,080 household data from all regencies and cities in Bangka Belitung province, which was collected from the field study by students of Polytechnic of Statistics STIS in 2017. The simulation results showed that there is a significant change in poverty status when converting cigarette expenditure. Furthermore, the results of binary logistic regression analysis showed that households with a higher level of education, status of head of household as employee or having a business, non-agricultural employment, and an increase in per capita income have a greater tendency to change the poverty status of the households. Thus, cigarette expenditure can change poverty status if it can be used for better needs.


Objective: To observe the outcomes of dental implant treatment based on the evaluation of bone conditions using Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT).  Material and Methods: A total of 31 dental implants were collected for the present study. Subsequently, mesial and distal bone losses were examined, while buccal and lingual bone thickness were measured at 7 levels. Evaluation and interpretation of CBCT results was performed by 3 independent examiners.  Results: The average of mesial bone loss was 1.08 mm and 1.36 mm on distal bone. Every dental implant had lingual/palatal bone on level 1 to 3, only 1 (6.5%) didn't have bone on level 4, 3 implants (9.7%) had no bone at level 5 and 6, and 22 implants (74.2%) had no bone at level 7/implant platform. There were 8 implants (25.8%) didn't have buccal bone at level 7, only 1 implant (3.2%) didn't have buccal bone at level 2,4,5 and 6, and there were 2 implants (6.5%) had no buccal bone on level 3. Dehiscence / fenestration can be seen on 90% of the implant subjects.  Conclusion: These bone loss condition could be consequence of several factors such as infection, diagnosis, treatment plan, and operator's surgery skills. The implants that placed without CBCT could lead to operator miscalculation on bone condition, therefore in moderate to advanced cases, the use of CBCT should be mandatory for treatment plan.


High strength, low thermal conductivity, high ductility and high work hardening tendency of stainless steels are the main factors that make their machinability difficult. In this study experiments for high-speed turning of 1Cr18Ni9Ti stainless steel were carried out with ceramic tools. The influence of cutting speed on tool wear, chip formation as well as chip color, and surface roughness were investigated. A decrease in tool nose wear was observed with increasing the cutting speed up to 210 m/min. Surface roughness (Ra) was also decreased with increasing the cutting speed. Correlation was made between the tool nose wear/surface roughness and the chips obtained at the three cutting speeds of 110, 160 and 210 m/min.


Fruit production needs a post-harvest pest management system to obtain equitable quality of the fruits without containing pesticide residues. Fruit flies are the main pest on fruits in Indonesia. Plant parts of papaya have been known containing insecticidal compounds such as its skin of unripe fruit and leaves. The extract of papaya fruit skin with colour break fruit to green mature stage, and papaya leaves had been tried to disinfest fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) in starfruit with dipping the fruit for 10 minutes. Heating of the extract at 40oC had been done to increase effectivity of the extracts. The fruit skin extract was not effective to disinfest the fruit fly, otherwise extract of the leaves contains high feeding toxicity with LC-50 : (13,0467 + 1,1091)%. The higher the concentration of papaya leaves extract, the stroger its depressing effect on the number of adults of fruit fly and their size. The heating had not increased the effectiveness of papaya leaves extract, but it could prolong the emergence of fruit fly adults and depress their size. The treatments of the research had not changed the flavor of starfruit, but the heating even could reduce the sourness of the fruit. Keywords : disinfestation, fruit fly, dipping treatment strar fruit, papaya plant parts


University education is, at times, claimed to be overly theoretical and disconnected from the reality for which it is preparing students. The disconnection of theory from practice might have a negative impact on students' learning experiences if it leads to a view of university education as impractical and abstract, rather than current and applicable to work-life situations. A pedagogical method aimed at bringing examples from workplaces and society in general, to theory lectures, is to use different media sources, such as magazines, music, television or films. These can highlight how theory contextualises, explains and improves practice.The aim of this article is to investigate how the animated TV series, The Simpsons , can be fruitfully used to illuminate tourism practices in a theoretical first-year tourism university unit. The method used in the article is to present an example illustrated by educational constructivism. The major finding is that by analysing The Simpsons as a key to popular culture and how the series is part of the formation of social perceptions of tourism in the public domain, students learn to see why it is important to use theories when managing tourism businesses.


The present study on biological diversity of marine phytoplankton along coastal waters at Veraval was conducted along Saurashtra coast. Water samples were collected at fortnightly intervals from two locations. Three sites each at 20 m intervals were identified for the sample collection at both the locations. Fifty liter each of sea water was filtered through sieve units from all the six sites for collecting phytoplankton. The five classes of marine phytoplankton identified were Bacillariophyceae, Dianophyceae, Cyanophyceae, Chlorophyceae and Chrysophyceae. Total 158 species of marine phytoplankton were collected; nine of them could not be identified. Diatoms were the most dominant group (129 spp.) followed by dianoflagellates (11 spp.), blue-green algae, brown or orange chromatophores and green algae.


In this paper we present a brokerage system for making idle cpu resources of anonymous users of the World Wide Web accessible for distributed Web-Computing. The Locust (LOw cost Computing Utilizing Skimmed idle Time) Broker collects and remarkets the aggregated resources by means of ubiquitous Web and Java technologies and creates an electronic spot market focused on the mainstream Internet user as suppliers of idle computing resources. We introduce the economic Price/Market model of Locust enabling the export or import of resource surpluses or lacks between so-called submarkets. Test cases for consumption of aggregated CPU resources include distributed Raytracing and RC5 decryption. We further describe the RC5 key block management and our efforts to reach performance comparable to native RC5 implementations.


A key aspect of antiviral immunity is the distinction between "self" and "non-self" components. This distinction can be established through the detection of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), a common sign of viral infection, by cytosolic RNA helicases. Depending on the organism, two major antiviral pathways can be induced by dsRNA helicases: RNA interference (RNAi) and interferon (IFN) signaling. In the RNAi pathway, dsRNAs are recognized by a Dicer protein, and are then used for the sequence-dependent recognition and subsequent degradation of the complementary viral RNAs. In the IFN signaling pathway, dsRNAs are recognized by a RIG-like receptor (RLR), which induces a signaling cascade in order to induce the expression of IFNs, cytokines and chemokines. In this review, we discuss the RNA features that can be used by the cell to detect a viral infection, the two aforementioned types of helicase-mediated sensing, as well as some viral escape mechanisms developed to avoid recognition.


As the United States faces challenges in developing and deploying next generation broadband technologies, it has reopened the debates regarding the best way to organize the telecommunication industry to achieve these goals. Yet this requires organizing network service providers, application providers, technology developers, and advertisers, each of whom are competing to further their own self interests which may not necessarily align with the interests of the consumers. Given the challenges of modeling these interactions, we have chosen a complex adaptive system approach to modeling the provision of broadband access and the corresponding applications, content, and consumption. The specific approach is a combination of multi‐agent simulation and genetic programming. Each type of agent in the marketplace co‐evolves its strategy to respond to the actions taken by other agents. Through this process, each agent searches for a good response to the other actions, improving their individual welfare within the constraints of the actions taken by other agents. The processes show that in general competition creates the best results for consumers. However, in cases where the cost of building the infrastructure is high, the consumers may be better served by a monopolist.


Basalts are the prevalent rock type on Mars and the products of aqueously altered basalts and hydrated minerals associated with basalts are of particular interest as possible tracers of a past, slightly more clement climate on the planet and/or magmatic processes [1,2]. Study of alteration processes of basalts on Earth that show some similarities to surface and subsurface processes occurring on Mars will help understand and interpret martian features. The Skouriotissa mine in Cyprus is an open pit copper mine (consisting of a very massive sulphide deposit, VMS) exposing the upper pillow basalt formation in the Troodos ophiolitic zone. The basalt has been altered by (1) hydrothermal and deuteritic processes and (2) acidic water (pH <5) associated with the mining working. We have analysed the mineralogical evolution of the basalt through different alteration facies (phyllosilicates, including Mg-smectite, vermiculite, nontronite, and zeolites), depending on the type of alteration. Similar mineralogical associations have been described on Noachian/early Hesperian Mars (e.g. [1,2.3]) and may have been formed by the same kinds of processes. These suites of rocks form part of the collection of Mars analogue rocks that is being prepared at the CNRS/Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers en region Centre (OSUC) in Orleans to help calibrate present and future flight instruments (e.g. MSL, the international Mars- 2018 in situ mission). This collection is named International Space Analogue Rockstore (ISAR) and the relevant information is contained in the website: http://www.isar.cnars-orleans.fr [4,5]. [1] Bibring et al., 2006, Science 312; [2] Ehlmann et al., 2011, Nature 479; [3] Meunier et al., in prep. ; [4] Bost N. et al., in review (Icarus).[5] Bost N. et al., This Conference, abstract 1403.


The invention relates to a new High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT), made essentially of layers of Group XIII element(s) nitride(s). Contrary to currently available transistors of this type, the transistor according to the invention is produced on a homosubstrate made of gallium-containing nitride, has no nucleation layer and its buffer layer is remarkably thinner than in known HEMTs. Preferably, at least the buffer layer, being a part of the transistor according to the present invention, is produced by epitaxial methods and the direction of growth of said layer in an epitaxial process is essentially perpendicular to the direction of growth of the substrate. The invention relates also to a method of manufacturing of High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT).


The US Department of Energy Spent Fuel and Waste Science and Technology (SFWST) program is performing research to determine the mechanical loading conditions applied to spent nuclear fuel (SNF) during normal conditions of transport to inform mechanical tests of SNF and close an important knowledge gap related to the practical disposition of SNF in the US. Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have completed an extensive finite element study to characterize and estimate the potential mechanical loads on SNF during a hypothetical 30 cm drop of an SNF transportation package. This modeling study is validated with test data collected by the SFWST program during a physical test campaign that included one-third scale package drop tests and full-scale single fuel assembly drop tests. The test campaign was led by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and included international collaboration with Equipos Nucleares S.A, S.M.E (ENSA) and Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM).
 The key contribution of the modeling study is to go beyond the limitations of the limited number of physical tests to estimate the impact response to variations in impact angle, initial gap conditions, fuel assembly design, burnup and other parameters that affect the mechanical loads. The methodology of this study included a classic parametric study to calculate the impact response of highly detailed fuel assemblies over many combinations of parameters. Models of a 17 × 17 pressurized water reactor fuel assembly and a generic 10 × 10 boiling water reactor fuel assembly were both used in this study to cover the major fuel assembly types in the US inventory. Over 2,000 impact responses were calculated. The results of the parametric study were evaluated using traditional methods and basic statistics. The results were also used to construct a damage model using multiple nonlinear regression techniques to predict the mechanical loads over the full range of all input parameters. The damage model was found to work very well for all impact angle cases where the cask came to rest on its side. It was concluded that end drop cases where the cask remained vertical (instead of tipping over onto its side) were not sufficiently characterized by the current set of parametric study cases to include in the damage model, but it was not a priority to fully investigate that range because the highest mechanical loads were observed in the broader range of side impact cases. This modeling work provides sufficient insight into the mechanical loads on SNF during a hypothetical 30 cm package drop that, when considered along with the physical test data collected by the SNL-led team, the SFSWT program can consider the knowledge gap closed.


The goal of this work is to address the recent success of domain randomization and data augmentation for the sim2real setting. We explain this success through the lens of causal inference, positioning domain randomization and data augmentation as interventions on the environment which encourage invariance to irrelevant features. Such interventions include visual perturbations that have no effect on reward and dynamics. This encourages the learning algorithm to be robust to these types of variations and learn to attend to the true causal mechanisms for solving the task. This connection leads to two key findings: (1) perturbations to the environment do not have to be realistic, but merely show variation along dimensions that also vary in the real world, and (2) use of an explicit invariance-inducing objective improves generalization in sim2sim and sim2real transfer settings over just data augmentation or domain randomization alone. We demonstrate the capability of our method by performing zero-shot transfer of a robot arm reach task on a 7DoF Jaco arm learning from pixel observations.


Abstract HTRA3 is a newly identified serine peptidase of the mammalian HTRA (high-temperature requirement factor A) family, that is upregulated dramatically during mouse placental development. The current study determined whether HTRA3 was involved in human placentation. During the menstrual cycle, HTRA3 was expressed primarily in the endometrial glands, being significantly upregulated toward the mid- to late secretory phases; prominent expression in the stroma detected only in the decidual cells in the late secretory phase. Thus, overall endometrial HTRA3 expression was highest in the late secretory phase, when the endometrium is prepared for maternal-trophoblast interaction. During the first trimester of pregnancy, both glandular and decidual HTRA3 expression increased further with the decidual upregulation being highly significant. The strong link between HTRA3 expression and endometrial stromal cell decidualization was further established in an in vitro model using primary endometrial stromal cells. HTRA3 was also expressed by certain trophoblast subtypes in the first-trimester placenta: strongly in the villous syncytiotrophoblast, trophoblast shell, and endovascular trophoblast and weakly in the distal portion of the trophoblast cell columns but not in villous cytotrophoblast, the proximal region of the cell columns, or interstitial trophoblast. Upregulation of HTRA3 expression in association with placental development was revealed by a significant elevation of this protein in the maternal serum during the first trimester. We thus propose that HTRA3 is a previously unrecognized factor closely associated with and potentially important for human placentation. This study established crucial groundwork for future investigations toward establishing the physiological roles of HTRA3 in human placentation.


The effect of biomass share on gaseous pollutant emissions from fluidized bed co-firing of various biomass fuels with high calorific value coals have extensively been investigated to date. However, effect of co-firing of olive residues with low calorific value lignites having high ash and sulfur contents has not been studied in bubbling fluidized bed combustors. In this study, experimental results of various runs pertaining to gaseous emissions (O2, CO2, CO, SO2, NO, N2O) from METU 0.3 MWt Atmospheric Bubbling Fluidized Bed Combustor (ABFBC) test rig co-firing olive residue with indigenous lignite at different biomass shares are presented. The results reveal that co-firing increases combustion efficiency irrespective of the biomass share and that increase in biomass share reduces N2O and SO2 emissions considerably while increasing CO emission. O2, CO2 and NO emissions are not found sensitive to increase in biomass share. Olive residues are co-fired with high ash and sulfur containing lignite without any operational problems.


We present a state reduction method that effectively reduces a two-dimensional Markov model to a one-dimensional Markov model for the performance analysis of a class of concurrent data structure maintenance policies. The reduced model allows the derivation of a closed form expression for the average service time per operation and facilitates the identification of priority allocation functions under which: the system is stable; and the service time per operation is minimized. The applicability of the model is exemplified with a binary tree data structure and the conditions under which concurrent maintenance strategies are better than a conventional incremental maintenance strategy are determined. >


Very short columns filled with 1.9 μm particles were evaluated for the ultra-fast analysis of pharmaceutical formulations. Local anaesthetic, mydriatic and anti-hypertensive agents were chosen as analytes and a method was developed and validated for each of these substances, according to ICH guidelines. Excellent quantitative performance was obtained using an optimized Chromatographie system that reduces the importance of extra-column effects and cuts the analysis time to less than 15 s.


Chemotherapy treatment and its secondary effects are devastating for patients and it is due to cellular resistance. So there is a scientific and medical interest in understanding cellular transport mechanisms of anti-cancer drugs. As part of this thesis, biomimetic models, in particular liposomes have been specially designed to study some of the transport mechanisms. While maintaining their simplicity, liposomes have been preferred over other models because their membranes are similar (structure and behaviour) to that of cell membranes. Thus, a bare liposome, a liposome with electroactive units encapsulated within its internal void and surface-modified redox liposornes were designed. In order to obtain the surface-modified redox liposome, the phospholipid headgroup of 1,2-distearoyl-sn -glycero-3-phosphocholine (DSPC) was first modified with an electroactive ferrocene derivative. The modification of the phospholipid headgroup with ferrocenemethanol led to the synthesis of an unstable redox phospholipid. Thus ferrocene-ethanol was preferred. Since the latter is a primary alcohol and DSPC is a choline bearing phospholipid, Phospholipase D-assisted transphosphatidylation was performed. To our knowledge, it is the first time an organometallic redox phospholipid was synthesised. The ferrocene group was attached covalently to the phospholipid headgroup and this was mostly verified by infrared studies. Mass spectrometry and 31phosphorus NMR spectroscopy were also used to quantify the reaction mixture. Cyclic voltammetry analysis confirmed that the functionalized phospholipid is indeed redox active. The ethylferrocene phospholipid was then used to produce surface-modified redox liposomes by the double emulsion technique. The liposome was immobilised by sedimentation by encapsulating sucrose within the liposome. Scanning electrochemical microscopy studies were performed on this redox active liposome, which mimicked a surface bound reaction. It was demonstrated, by chronoamperometry experiments, that its surface was not only electroactive, but its electrochemical response could be modulated upon the use of a specific sacrificial mediator. This preliminary investigation was only the beginning of a much larger SECM study on surface bound reactions at membranes. Finally, the design of a new ring microelectrode is presented. The fabrication steps of this microelectrode are simpler than what is already presented in the literature. Moreover, the use of pure platinum (and not an alloy) and the isolation of the micropipet by a silicon oxide coating make this distinct from others. However, cyclic voltammetry analysis combined with numerical simulations showed that during the ring exposure by focused ion beam the insulating properties of the silicon oxide layer are weakened. A small modification of this step would lead to the fabrication of a ring microelectrode suitable for SECM local probe


A discussion. The evolution of the concept of the forward and backward conditioning is traced. An attempt to define more precisely the widely distributed term such as a "feedback", is made.


Background: The majority of ovarian carcinomas are of high-grade serous histology, which is associated with poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Several studies have identified gene expression-based subtypes of high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) as a basis for targeted therapy, yet extensive ambiguity in subtype classification impairs translation of these subtypes into clinical practice. Furthermore, although HGSOC tumors are known to be frequently polyclonal, it is unknown whether clones within the same tumor share the same subtype. Results: We investigate whether ambiguity in subtype classification can be attributed to the polyclonal composition of HGSOC tumors, addressing the currently unresolved question whether proposed subtypes are early or late events in tumorigenesis. This hypothesis is first tested in The Cancer Genome Atlas HGSOC cases by (i) analyzing recurrent somatic copy number alterations for their association with subtypes, (ii) inferring per-alteration clonality from complementary analysis of SNP arrays and whole-exome sequencing, and (iii) testing whether subtype-associated alterations tend to predominantly occur clonally (early events) or subclonally (late events). As opposed to the genomically distinct evolution of soft-tissue sarcoma subtypes, we find that subtype association of HGSOC alterations significantly correlate with subclonality. This correlation is particularly evident for the high-purity proliferative subtype spectrum, which is also characterized by extreme genomic instability, absence of immune infiltration, and increased patient age. This is in stark contrast to the high-purity differentiated subtype spectrum, which is characterized by largely intact genome integrity, high immune infiltration, and younger patient age. Other subtypes showed intermediate levels for these characteristics. From single cell sequencing of an independent HGSOC tumor, we demonstrate that ambiguity in subtype classification extends to individual tumor epithelial cells, further supporting a developmental transition from one subtype spectrum to another. Conclusion: We propose a novel model of HGSOC tumor development that complements the subtype perspective. In this model, individual tumors develop from an early differentiated spectrum to a late proliferative spectrum, and may exhibit characteristics of different previously defined "subtypes" at different points along a timeline characterized by increasing genomic instability and subclonal expansion. This model is more consistent with available bulk and single-cell data, and provides an explanation for ambiguity in subtype classification as the result of assigning discrete, mutually exclusive subtypes to a genomically complex process of tumor evolution.


External knowledge is often useful for natural language understanding tasks. We introduce a contextual text representation model called Conceptual-Contextual (CC) embeddings, which incorporates structured knowledge into text representations. Unlike entity embedding methods, our approach encodes a knowledge graph into a context model. CC embeddings can be easily reused for a wide range of tasks just like pre-trained language models. Our model effectively encodes the huge UMLS database by leveraging semantic generalizability. Experiments on electronic health records (EHRs) and medical text processing benchmarks showed our model gives a major boost to the performance of supervised medical NLP tasks.


We report the microstructure and optical properties of gallium nitride (GaN) epilayers grown on lens shape patterned sapphire substrate (PSS) using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) for various growth times. A lens shaped pattern was used to reduce the threading dislocation density and to improve optical emission efficiency. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) image shows flat and smooth surface of GaN grown on PSS at 80 min which could be achieved by lateral growth from the trench region. From the DCXRD spectra, full width at half maximun (FWHM) value was decreased with increasing growth time. FWHM of the sample grown at 80 min was 473.5 arc sec. This indicates there is an improvement in crystalline quality of the GaN grown on PSS as the growth time increases. From photoluminescence (PL) spectra, an increase in band edge emission intensity and a decrease in defect related yellow luminescence was observed for GaN on PSS as the growth time increased. From the PL spectra, FWHM was 82.2 meV at peak position 363.9 nm for the sample grown for 80 min. It is clearly seen that the threading dislocations can be reduced by lateral growth improving the light emission efficiency by internal light reflection on the lens surface for GaN grown on PSS.


Eight patients who initially presented with signs and symptoms of the fibrositis syndrome, without overt hypothyroid disease, were found to have chemical evidence of hypothyroidism. Myalgic symptoms resolved in 6 of 8 patients treated with low dose thyroid replacement. In addition, another hypothesis of pathophysiology of the myalgic symptoms observed in patients with hypothyroidism related to sleep disturbance is offered.


Purpose: With an increasing focus on developing survivorship services tailored for adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors, incorporation of viewpoints from both survivors and health care professionals (HCPs) is important. This study aims to explore the perceptions of current and prospective survivorship services from both groups in Singapore to propose service design and delivery strategies. Methods: Focus group discussions with 23 AYA cancer survivors between the ages of 16 and 39 years at diagnosis and 18 HCPs were conducted in National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) and Singapore Cancer Society (SCS). All focus group discussions were transcribed verbatim. Deductive thematic analysis was performed according to the components of a design thinking model: empathizing with AYA survivors, defining care gaps, proposing services, and implementation strategies. Results: AYA survivors preferred age-specific services that are aligned with their personal goals. Current survivorship care failed to address the needs of survivors' dependents (caregivers and children) and to consider the utility of each service temporally. Prospective services should clarify disease disclosure obligation in job search and introduce a care navigator. Key implementation strategies included (1) training HCPs on communication techniques with AYA, (2) selecting engagement platforms that complement survivors' information-seeking behavior, (3) improving outreach to survivors through appropriate branding and publicity, and (4) consolidating services from multiple providers. Conclusions: The design of survivorship care services for AYA survivors should be systematic in its conceptualization process and employ implementation strategies. The coordination of the wide spectrum of services warrants a concerted effort by cancer centers, community partners, and the government.


The purpose of the Prassis project (acronym of Pest risk assessment in the European Community: inventory of data sources) is to review and to produce an inventory of international and national key information and data sources, necessary to conduct the risk assessment of harmful organisms. A protocol was developed for inventorying the sources available in literature, in web-sites, in databases, and in software, in a structured, transparent, and efficient manner. The protocol was designed in such a way that the data sources inventoried could also be useful for future risk assessments in other fields and / or connected with other databases. About 250 descriptors (metadata) were defined for describing the data sources. Metadata for evaluation of data quality (strengths and weaknesses), accessibility for EFSA, and suitability for pest risk assessment were also included. International standards and codes were used whenever possible. The protocol was implemented in a userfriendly web-portal. The web-portal was designed to facilitate on-line entry of new data sources and on-line modification or updating of the existing ones. The web-portal also makes it possible to search the data sources within the inventory by using both basic and advanced search procedures, and to summarize results in a clear and concise way. A database was developed containing international and national information and data sources. The inventory covers the 27 European Member States and 34 third Countries. About 500 sources were entered in the web-based portal; because some sources contain information on different aspects of pest risk analysis, there are more than 600 records of interest. The project has three main weaknesses: i) although very large, the database is incomplete; ii) procedures for evaluating the quality of the sources included in the inventory can be improved; iii) the practical use of web-portal functionalities has not been thoroughly tested. Possible solutions are provided. 1 Accepted for Publication on 8 December 2009


Abstract. In this study, NO2 columns from the US EPA Models-3/CMAQ model simulations carried out using the 2001 ACE-ASIA (Asia Pacific Regional Aerosol Characterization Experiment) emission inventory over East Asia were compared with the GOME-derived NO2 columns. There were large discrepancies between the CMAQ-predicted and GOME-derived NO2 columns in the fall and winter seasons. In particular, while the CMAQ-predicted NO2 columns produced larger values than the GOME-derived NO2 columns over South Korea for all four seasons, the CMAQ-predicted NO2 columns produced smaller values than the GOME-derived NO2 columns over North China for all seasons with the exception of summer (summer anomaly). It is believed that there might be some error in the NOx emission estimates as well as uncertainty in the NOx chemical loss rates over North China and South Korea. Regarding the latter, this study further focused on the biogenic VOC (BVOC) emissions that were strongly coupled with NOx chemistry during summer in East Asia. This study also investigated whether the CMAQ-modeled NO2/NOx ratios with the possibly overestimated isoprene emissions were higher than those with reduced isoprene emissions. Although changes in both the NOx chemical loss rates and NO2/NOx ratios from CMAQ-modeling with the different isoprene emissions affected the CMAQ-modeled NO2 levels, the effects were found to be limited, mainly due to the low absolute levels of NO2 in summer. Seasonal variations of the NOx emission fluxes over East Asia were further investigated by a set of sensitivity runs of the CMAQ model. Although the results still exhibited the summer anomaly possibly due to the uncertainties in both NOx-related chemistry in the CMAQ model and the GOME measurements, it is believed that consideration of both the seasonal variations in NOx emissions and the correct BVOC emissions in East Asia are critical. Overall, it is estimated that the NOx emissions are underestimated by ~57.3% in North China and overestimated by ~46.1% in South Korea over an entire year. In order to confirm the uncertainty in NOx emissions, the NOx emissions over South Korea and China were further investigated using the ACE-ASIA, REAS (Regional Emission inventory in ASia), and CAPSS (Clean Air Policy Support System) emission inventories. The comparison between the CMAQ-calculated and GOME-derived NO2 columns indicated that both the ACE-ASIA and REAS inventories have some uncertainty in NOx emissions over North China and South Korea, which can also lead to some errors in modeling the formation of ozone and secondary aerosols in South Korea and North China.


INTRODUCTION: Human papillomavirus (HPV) 6/11/16/18 vaccine (qHPV vaccine) is a quadrivalent vaccine for the prevention of cervical, vulvar, and vaginal cancers; their respective precancers; and genital warts caused by these vaccine types. As of December 2012, more than 50 million doses of qHPV vaccine have been distributed in the United States where the majority of exposures occurred. Because the vaccine is recommended for women of childbearing age, Merck and Co, Inc established the Pregnancy Registry for qHPV vaccine in 2006. A 6-year summary of the safety profile of pregnancy exposures and outcomes to the qHPV vaccine is presented. METHODS: Enrollment criteria to the registry included an identifiable patient and health care provider from the United States, France, or Canada exposed within 1 month before the date of onset of the last menstrual period or at any time during pregnancy. Outcomes of interest were pregnancy outcomes and birth defects. Prospectively reported cases (reported before the outcome of the pregnancy was known) were used for rate calculations because retrospectively reported cases (reported after the outcome is known) are considered to be inherently biased toward abnormal outcomes. The Metro Atlanta Congenital Defects Program methodology is used to compare and define birth defects and estimate rates. RESULTS: For the 1,573 prospective reports with known natural pregnancy outcomes, 1,452 (92%) were live births. Of 1,460 neonates, 1,381 (95%) were born without birth defects. The prevalence of major birth defects was 2.5 per 100 live-born neonates (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.7–3.4) and compares favorably with the observed Metro Atlanta Congenital Defects Program rate of 2.67 per 100. The overall rate of spontaneous abortion was 6.7 per 100 outcomes (95% CI 5.5–8.2). There were 12 fetal deaths (0.8/100 outcomes, 95% CI 0.4–1.4) not clustered around a specific abnormality. CONCLUSION: This is likely the largest HPV vaccine pregnancy registry to date. Rates of spontaneous abortions and major birth defects were not greater than the Metro Atlanta Congenital Defects Program unexposed population rates. Analysis of 6 years of pregnancy registry data shows no adverse signals. The qHPV vaccine is not recommended for use in pregnant women.


Vertebral osteomyelitis also known as discitis/pyogenic spondylitis refers to inflammation of the vertebral disc space. It is commonly seen in men and adults more than 50 years of age. Fungal osteomyelitis is a rare scenario compared to its bacterial counterpart. Spinal epidural abscess is a dangerous complication associated with vertebral osteomyelitis. Here, we report two cases of vertebral osteomyelitis caused by Candida tropicalis in patients with renal disorders (stage 5 chronic kidney disease and nephropathy). One of the case discussed here presented with spinal epidural abscess. Both the patients were started on antifungal therapy. One patient responded to treatment while the other was lost to follow up.


Background/Objectives: The lip is a unique tissue type that acts as a "barrier" to the mouth and receives many external stimuli. It is also a common symptom in atopic dermatitis. Dupilumab was the first targeted biological drug approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD). There is no real-world clinical data on the use of dupilumab in patients with AD and cheilitis. This retrospective study compared the improvement in skin lesions in AD patients with cheilitis after dupilumab treatment and evaluated the improvement in cheilitis. Methods: This is a retrospective case series. We investigated patients with AD treated with dupilumab in our department from September 2020 to May 2022, including those with cheilitis. Demographic information such as age, sex, AD or other atopy history, and the anatomical site of dermatitis was collected. Disease severity was assessed using the eczema area and severity index score (EASI), body surface area (BSA), and severity assessment of cheilitis (the cheilitis symptom score) at baseline and after 16 weeks. Results: We reviewed 96 patients treated with dupilumab for AD, and including the 10 patients with cheilitis (10.4%). All patients demonstrated significant improvement in skin lesions, and lip symptoms improved in seven patients. Among AD patients with improved cheilitis, the average reduction in EASI was 35.0% for BSA (34.9%) and the cheilitis symptom score was 29.9% at week 8. At week 16, compared with the baseline score, the improvement in cheilitis symptom scores was 58.1%, EASI was 60.8%, and BSA was 56.2%, respectively. Conclusion: Effective treatment of both the skin and cheilitis was achieved with dupilumab. The improvement in cheilitis involvement was slower than that in skin lesions. This case series confirms that dupilumab could be a valuable approach for treating patients with atopic dermatitis-associated lip involvement.


Obesity is linked to increased risk for and severity of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Cerebral blood flow (CBF) reductions are an early feature of AD and are also linked to obesity. We showed that non-flowing capillaries, caused by adhered neutrophils, underlie the CBF reduction in mouse models of AD. Because obesity could exacerbate the vascular inflammation likely underlying this neutrophil adhesion, we tested links between obesity and AD by feeding APP/PS1 mice a high fat diet (Hfd) and evaluating behavioral, physiological, and pathological changes. We found trends toward poorer memory performance in APP/PS1 mice fed a Hfd, impaired social interactions with either APP/PS1 genotype or a Hfd, and synergistic impairment of sensory-motor function in APP/PS1 mice fed a Hfd. The Hfd led to increases in amyloid-beta monomers and plaques in APP/PS1 mice, as well as increased brain inflammation. These results agree with previous reports showing obesity exacerbates AD-related pathology and symptoms in mice. We used a crowd-sourced, citizen science approach to analyze imaging data to determine the impact of the APP/PS1 genotype and a Hfd capillary stalling and CBF. Surprisingly, we did not see an increase in the number of non-flowing capillaries or a worsening of the CBF deficit in APP/PS1 mice fed a Hfd as compared to controls, suggesting capillary stalling is not a mechanistic link between a Hfd and increased severity of AD in mice. Reducing capillary stalling by blocking neutrophil adhesion improved CBF and short-term memory function in APP/PS1 mice, even when fed a Hfd. Significance statement Obesity, especially in mid-life, has been linked to increased risk for and severity of Alzheimer's disease. Here, we show that blocking adhesion of white blood cells leads to increases in brain blood flow that improve cognitive function, regardless of whether mice are obese or not.