Aicardi syndrome (AS) is a rare neurogenic disorder characterised by the triad of corpus callosum dysgenesis (ACC), chorioretinal 'lacunae', and infantile spasms. The diagnosis of ACC is feasible by sonography, yet chorioretinal lacunae are very difficult to diagnose. There are also some additional brain abnormalities including: malformation of the cortical development (MCD), interhemispheric cyst and heterotopia. Therefore the diagnosis of AS largely dependent on neurosonography (NSG). A 24–year-old woman, para 0, was referred to our hospital due to a suspicion of fetal brain anomaly at 22 weeks of gestation. Multiple cysts of the fetal brain were noted on axial plane. NSG revealed a complete ACC, interhemispheric arachnoid cysts, a choroid plexus cyst, asymmetry between 2 cerebral hemispheres and suspected MCD. The diagnosis of AS was made according to our NSG findings. The findings of the fetal MRI do not contribute to the final diagnosis because our radiologist overlooked the MCD. The couple chose to terminate the pregnancy. A female abortus was born. Necropsy was declined. The karyotype was normal female and the arrays CGH was normal. The first clue in making the diagnosis in our case was the finding of ACC. Either complete or partial type can be diagnosed by NSG. Intracranial cysts were easily found by both the fetal MRI and by NSG. Asymmetry between 2 cerebral hemispheres with irregular folds led us to suspect MCD and make the diagnosis of AS. Although most authors think fetal MRI is the gold-standard imaging modality for diagnosing AS, MCD is easily overlooked by the fetal MRI in early gestation like in our case. Because AS is mostly present in the female fetus, the prenatal exam should include gender. If there is a ACC with intracranial cysts in the female fetus, AS should be on the list of differential diagnosis. Subsequent NSG and fetal MRI should be used to scrutinise fetal brain anatomy.


This paper investigates the eects of equity market integration on the transmission of monetary policy shocks. Based on the assumption that …nancial market liberalization and integration lead to falling portfolio holding costs, we analyze its eect on a two-country DSGE model with staggered prices and endogenous portfolio choice under incomplete markets. The model predicts that the reaction of stock prices, output and RER becomes muted upon impact and less persistence with falling portfolio holding costs. To test for a similar pattern in the data, we estimate a VAR with rolling coe¢ cients for Australia, which provides a good case study. We identify a monetary policy shock with the sign restriction approach. The impulse responses generated by the data are consistent with the prediction of the model and imply that equity market liberalization seems to weaken the impact of monetary policy, at least on stock prices .


Abstract An analysis system for barbell weightlifting exercises is proposed to record reliable performance and neuromuscular responses. The system consists of surface electromyography (sEMG) synchronized with electrogoniometry and a barbell position transducer. The purpose of this study was to establish the reliability of the three components of the system. Nine males (age 28.9 ± 4.8 years, mass 85.7 ± 15.1 kg) performed squat exercise at three loads on three separate trial days. A data acquisition and software system processed maximal knee angle (flexion), mean power for the concentric phase of squat exercise, and normalized root mean square of the vastus lateralis. Inter-trial coefficients of variation for each variable were calculated as 5.3%, 7.8%, and 7.5% respectively. In addition, knee joint motion and barbell displacement were significantly related to each other (bar displacement (m) = 1.39–0.0057 × knee angle (degress), with goodness-of-fit value, r 2 = 0.817), suggesting knee goniometry alone can represent the kinematics of a multi-joint squat exercise. The proven reliability of the three components of this system allows for real-time monitoring of resistance exercise using the preferred training methods of athletes, which could be valuable in the understanding of the neuromuscular response of elite strength training methods.


Abstract. This article qualitatively shows the yaw stability of a free-yawing downwind turbine and the ability of the turbine to align passively with the wind direction using a model with 2 degrees of freedom. An existing model of a Suzlon S111 upwind 2.1 MW turbine is converted into a downwind configuration with a 5∘ tilt and a 3.5∘ downwind cone angle. The analysis shows
that the static tilt angle causes a wind-speed-dependent yaw misalignment of up to −19∘ due to the projection of the torque onto the yaw bearing and the skewed aerodynamic forces caused by wind speed projection. With increased cone angles, the yaw stiffness can be increased for better yaw alignment and the stabilization of the free-yaw motion. The shaft length
influences the yaw alignment only for high wind speeds and cannot
significantly contribute to the damping of the free-yaw mode within the
investigated range. Asymmetric flapwise blade flexibility is seen to
significantly decrease the damping of the free-yaw mode, leading to
instability at wind speeds higher than 19 m s−1. It is shown that this
additional degree of freedom is needed to predict the qualitative yaw
behaviour of a free-yawing downwind wind turbine.


This paper urges that one of the great, quasi-theological debates in legal theory depends on answers to empirical questions. The debate is whether courts should be "formalistic," that is, whether they should interpret statutory terms in accordance with their literal meaning, or whether they should be permitted to reject literal meaning by reference to "purposes," or canons of constructions, or considerations of policy. Any good answer turns on what approach will minimize decision costs and error costs, and that depends on empirical judgments about the likely performance of courts and legislatures. There is discussion as well of information-eliciting and market-mimicking default rules in the interpretation of contracts and statutes.


Some current positions in the philosophy of mind, while ostensibly non-reductive, are in fact reductivist in ways that are seriously problematic. An example is found in the "naturalistic dualism" of David Chalmers: by maintaining the causal closure of the physical domain, Chalmers makes the rationality of conscious experience inexplicable. This can only be remedied by abandoning causal closure and acknowledging that micro processes in the brain go differently in the presence of conscious experience than they would without it. But this move has startling consequences: once it has been made, major objections to mind-body dualism disappear, and determinism is seen to be a theory that is completely lacking in empirical support. Thomas Nagel and John Searle are cited as examples of philosophers who make a serious effort to face up to the consequences of not being reductivists.


This paper investigates the numerical issue of a discrete-time induction-motor emulator implementation. The stability analysis of the finite-word length implementation shows a coupling between required word length and the sample rate. We propose specific guidelines to analyze this coupling and to estimate the required data word length for both signals and coefficients of the model. To respect algorithm requirements, a FPGA-based implementation was used for architecture development. The direct torque control is implemented to verify in real-time the AC-motor emulator prototype.


In this work, polyacrylonitrile (PAN) with nanoporous structures were successfully prepared via electrospinning technique. For the preparation of porous PAN nanofibers, two kinds of polymers of PAN and polystyrene (PS) were used as electrospun precursor materials, and then the bicomponent nanofibers of PAN and PS were extracted with chloroform to remove the PS in the composite polymer nanofibers. Electrospinning of PAN with 0-50% w/w at a 15% w/w total concentration in N, N-dimethylformamide produced fibres with decreasing averaged diameters from 500 to 1500 nm. Evidence of phase separation between PAN and PS in the bicomponent fibres was indicated by the characteristic PAN and PS peaks by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy


INTRODUCTION: The premenopause period is that which precedes the actual menopause, when a decrease of the ovarian hormones is present, leading to cardiovascular diseases as arterial hypertension, acute myocardial infarction and cerebrovascular diseases. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the antihypertensive response of the estradiol-medroxyprogesterone, to reduce arterial pressure in the premenopausal patient. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In a clinical trial from March 1997 to September 1998, 106 patients with systemic hypertension, symptoms hypoestrogenism and estradiol levels less than 30 pg/mL were evaluated. They were randomized at a trial in two groups with pursuit of 6 months. Group A: 53 with captopril, Group B: 53 with estradiol-medroxyprogesterone. The arterial pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides and symptoms hypoestrogenism were analyzed before and after the treatment. The statistical analysis was performed with Student T. RESULTS: A decrease of arterial pressure was observed with estradiol, the same as with captopril with a p < 0.05. Decrease of cholesterol and triglycerides were more significant in the estradiol group with a p < 0.05. A bigger attenuation of symptoms of the hypoestrogenism existed in the estradiol group. CONCLUSIONS: The antihypertensive response with estradiol was the same as with captopril in the premenopausal patient with systemic hypertension.


OBJECTIVE: Many health professional groups recommend folic acid supplementation for all women able to become pregnant. In this study, we document folic acid supplement use among a sample of women receiving routine gynecologic care. METHODS: A short questionnaire was administered to 322 women aged 18–45 years who were seeking routine gynecologic care at participating clinics in Little Rock, Arkansas. Questions covered knowledge and use of folic acid supplements, pregnancy intention, and demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Primary study outcomes were self-reported folic acid awareness, daily or weekly use of folic acid supplements, and intention to begin taking folic acid. Factors affecting study outcomes were examined individually by computing crude odd ratios and adjusted for other covariates using unconditional logistic regression. RESULTS: Although 61.8% of women reported awareness of the association between folic acid and birth defects prevention, only 27.1% of these women, and 22.7% of all study participants, reported daily use of a folic acid supplement. Substantially more women (39.8%) were taking a folic acid supplement at least once per week. Age, race, educational level, folic acid awareness, marital status, pregnancy intent, and other preventive health behaviors were the most important predictors of compliance. CONCLUSION: The results indicate a need for targeted interventions directed toward minority women, young women, and those of lower socioeconomic and educational status. The routine gynecologic visit is an ideal opportunity to counsel women of reproductive age to take folic acid daily. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III


In this paper we present an approach to performance estimation for hard real-time systems. We consider architectures consisting of multiple processors. The scheduling policy is based on a preemptive strategy with static priorities. Our model of the system captures both data and control dependencies, and the analysis is able to reduce the pessimism of the estimation by using the knowledge about these dependencies. Extensive experiments as well as a real life example demonstrate the efficiency of our approach.


Wing twisting has been shown to improve aircraft flight performance. The potential benefits of a twisting wing are often outweighed by the mass of the system required to twist the wing. Shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators repeatedly demonstrate abilities and properties that are ideal for aerospace actuation systems. Recent advances have shown an SMA torsional actuator that can be manufactured and trained with the ability to generate large twisting deformations under substantial loading. The primary disadvantage of implementing large SMA actuators has been their slow actuation time compared to conventional actuators. However, inductive heating of an SMA actuator allows it to generate a full actuation cycle in just seconds rather than minutes while still . The aim of this work is to demonstrate an experimental wing being twisted to approximately 10 degrees by using an inductively heated SMA torsional actuator. This study also considers a 3-D electromagnetic thermo-mechanical model of the SMA-wing system and compare these results to experiments to demonstrate modeling capabilities.


Objective – To explore how and when individuals with chronic health conditions seek out health information online, and the challenges they encounter when doing so.

Design – Qualitative study employing thematic analysis.

Setting – Urban Western Australia.

Subjects – 17 men and women between 19 and 85 years of age with at least 1 chronic health condition.

Methods – Participants were recruited in late 2013 at nine local pharmacies, through local radio, media channels, and a university's social media channels. Participants were adult English speakers who had looked for information on their chronic health condition(s) using the Internet. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with each participant, audio recorded, and transcribed. The transcripts were coded in QSR Nvivo using two different processes – an initial data-driven inductive approach to coding, followed by a theory driven analysis of the data.

Main Results – Three major themes emerged: trust, patient activation, and relevance. Many of the participants expressed trust both in health professionals and in the efficacy of search engines like Google. However, there was uncertainty about the quality of some of the health information sources found. Searching for information online was seen by some participants as a way to feel more empowered about their condition(s) and treatment, but they reported frustration in finding information that was relevant to their specific condition(s) given the volume of information available. Low health literacy emerged in participant interviews as an intrinsic barrier to effective online searches for health information, along with low patient motivation and lack of time. The many extrinsic barriers identified included difficulty determining the quality of information found, the accessibility of the information (e.g., journal paywalls), and poor relationships with health care providers.

Conclusion – Individuals look for online health information to help manage their chronic illnesses, but their ability to do so is influenced by their levels of health literacy and other external barriers to effective online navigation. Consumers may prefer to receive recommendations from health professionals for high quality health websites rather than training in how to navigate and identify these resources themselves.


ABSTRACT Host and distribution data are provided for the 26 species of fleas recorded from Georgia, U.S.A.: Cediopsylla inaequalis, C. simplex (rabbit flea), Ctenocephalides canis (dog flea), C. felis (cat flea), Echidnophaga gallinacea (sticktight flea), Pulex irritans (human flea), P. simulans, Xenopsylla cheopis (Oriental rat flea), Polygenis gwyni, Conorhinopsylla stanfordi, Ctenophthalmus pseuadagyrtes, Doratopsylla blarinae, Epitedia cavernicola, E. wenmanni, Nearctopsylla georgiana, Stenoponia americana, Ceratophyllus celsus, Nosopsyilus fasciatus (northern rat flea), Orchopeas howardi (squirrel flea), O. leucopus, O. pennsylvanicus, Leptopsylla segnis (European mouse flea), Odontopsyllus multispinosus, Peromyscopsylla hesperomys, P. scotti and Sternopsylla distincta texana. Three of these species, P. gwyni, N. georgiana and O. howardi, were described from Georgia specimens. While some of these flea species appear to be widely distributed throughout Georgia, C. inaequalis represents an introduction on hosts introduced for hunting from western North America, D. blarinae, E. cavernicola, N. georgiana, C. celsus and P. hesperomys were recorded only from Piedmont or mountainous regions in northern Georgia, and P. gwyni was mainly recorded in the Coastal Plain of southern Georgia. Nearctopsylla georgiana is known from only a single specimen and has never been recorded outside of northern Georgia. Fleas associated with domestic rats (Rattus norvegicus and R. rattus) were abundant in Georgia, especially coastal and southern Georgia during the 1930s–1950s but currently appear to be uncommon in the state. There were concerted control efforts against Rattus spp. and their fleas during that time period because of their reservoir and vector status, respectively, for Rickettsia typhi, the causative agent of murine (endemic) typhus. Human cases of murine typhus in Georgia have almost disappeared in recent decades. Other flea-borne diseases in Georgia include cat flea rickettsiosis caused by Rickettsia felis, bartonellosis (including cat scratch disease caused by Bartonella henselae), and sylvatic epidemic typhus caused by certain strains of Rickettsia prowazekii. Further, cat and dog fleas are intermediate hosts of the double-pored tapeworm, Dipylidium caninum, which typically infects dogs but can also infect cats and humans if infected fleas are inadvertently ingested. Human and pet-biting fleas such as the cat flea can also cause flea-bite dermatitis in dogs, cats and humans. Poultry fleas such as E. gallinacea currently appear to be uncommon on domesticated birds in Georgia but this flea sometimes infests chickens, dogs and some other mammals in fairly large numbers.


The 2018 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) revealed that the prevalence of hypertension was 28.3% among adults aged 30 years or older, and the awareness, treatment, and control rates of hypertension among hypertensive patients were 65%, 61.1%, and 45.4%, respectively. Even among patients treated with antihypertensive medications, 26.5% could not reduce their blood pressure to a level of <140/90 mm Hg. Although the indicators of the control of hypertension have been steadily improving in recent years, they are not yet satisfactory. Poor adherence to prescribed medications is thought to be the most important cause of insufficient blood pressure control. In the present study, Khadoura et al. investigated the prevalence of antihypertensive medication non-adherence and factors associated with it among 538 Iranian hypertensive patients attending primary clinics. In this cross-sectional survey, the prevalence of non-adherence was 65.8%. Old age, high education level, low frequency and number of medication, and fewer comorbidities were associated with good adherence. Additionally, patients with high self-efficacy and social support had high adherence to antihypertensive medication. Drug compliance is also an important issue in the treatment of hypertensive patients in Korea. To increase the effectiveness of antihypertensive treatment, an approach to figure out factors that reduce drug compliance is needed. The appropriate adherence rate was only 54.7% in the study using pharmacy claims data and qualification data of the insured of the national health insurance form in 2004. Upon multiple logistic regression analysis, the probability of appropriate medication adherence decreased in females, with age, when patients have a disability, prescription days per visit decreased, and the number of prescribing physicians increased. A study using the 2008 KNHANES data reported that cases with older age, a spouse, medicare insurance, a higher number of cormorbidities, and no current smoking status showed significantly high medication adherence. Choi et al. investigated factors affecting adherence to antihypertensive medication in 1,523 Korean hypertensive patients who visited family physicians of primary care clinics and hospitals. They reported that age ≥65 years, concomitant medication for diabetes, a family history of hypertension and/or cardiovascular disease, being on ≥2 classes of antihypertensive medications, high frequency of exercise, and treatment in a metropolitan-located hospital were associated with good adherence, while a high salt intake was associated with poor adherence. The differences in the characteristics or environment of the subjects between each study would be a reason for the large variety of factors that affect adherence. For example, studies between home blood pressure monitoring and drug compliance didn't show consistent results. Eventually, more diverse studies will be needed on factors that affect drug compliance, and access based on patient characteristics might be required for effective management. In addition, to increase the control rates, which are still low in Korea, attention will also need to be paid to other factors affecting uncontrolled hypertension.


About a year after core-collapse supernova, dust starts to condense in the ejecta. In meteorites, a fraction of C-rich presolar grains (e.g., silicon carbide (SiC) grains of Type-X and low density graphites) are identified as relics of these events, according to the anomalous isotopic abundances. Several features of these abundances remain unexplained and challenge the understanding of core-collapse supernovae explosions and nucleosynthesis. We show, for the first time, that most of the measured C-rich grain abundances can be accounted for in the C-rich material from explosive He burning in core-collapse supernovae with high shock velocities and consequent high temperatures. The inefficiency of the 12C(α, γ)16O reaction relative to the rest of the α-capture chain at T > 3.5 × 108 K causes the deepest He-shell material to be carbon-rich and silicon-rich, and depleted in oxygen. The isotopic ratio predictions in part of this material, defined here as the C/Si zone, are in agreement with the grain data. The high-temperature explosive conditions that our models reach at the bottom of the He shell can also be representative of the nucleosynthesis in hypernovae or in the high-temperature tail of a distribution of conditions in asymmetric supernovae. Finally, our predictions are consistent with the observation of large 44Ca/40Ca observed in the grains. This is due to the production of 44Ti together with 40Ca in the C/Si zone and/or to the strong depletion of 40Ca by neutron captures.


Ivermectin, an FDA-approved antiparasitic drug, has been reported to have in vitro activity against SARS-CoV-2. An increasing off-label use of Ivermectin for COVID-19 has been reported. We here assessed the effect of Ivermectin in Syrian hamsters infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Beta (B.1.351) variant. Infected animals received a clinically relevant dose of Ivermectin (0.4 mg/kg subcutaneously dosed) once daily for four consecutive days after which the effect was quantified. Ivermectin monotherapy did not reduce lung viral load and even significantly worsened the SARS-CoV-2-induced lung pathology. Additionally, it did not potentiate the activity of Molnupiravir (Lagevrio™) when combined with this drug. This study contributes to the growing body of evidence that Ivermectin does not result in a beneficial effect in the treatment of COVID-19. These findings are important given the increasing, dangerous off-label use of Ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19.


In this article we analyse the impact of the 1998 Italian Fiscal Reform on the effective labour demand. In the first part, we introduce a model which analyses the impact of fiscal policy on both the number of employees and the hours worked. We show that the Reform encourages a more intensive utilisation of the existing labour force instead of leading to new hirings. In the second part, we run a numerical simulation on a sample of Brescia manufacturing firms. We show that the IRAP tax rate should drop below 3% in order to obtain the pre-Reform level of workers demand.


In this paper, effects of strontium on Mg alloys and preparation technology of Mg-Sr and Mg-Sr-Al master alloys were summarized respectively. Prospects and applications of Sr-Mg master alloys were analyzed too. The results showed that thermodynamics calculation of reaction between SrO and Mg(l) showed that molten Mg can reduce SrO, in which excess of molten. The microstructure of hypoeutectic Mg-Sr binary alloys is composed of primary Mg matrix, and laminary eutectic phase(Mg-Mg17Sr2),but the microstructure of Mg-Sr-Al alloy consists of plate-like primary Al4Sr, laminary eutectic phase (Mg-Mg17Sr2 or Mg-Mg17Al12 or Mg-Mg17Sr2-Mg17Al12) embedded in primary dendrites of magnesium matrix. Additive strontium in Mg alloys can refine it grains, reduce degree of porosity, improve mechanical and thermal properties, therefore, Mg-Sr master alloys can be served widely as an additive for modification or as a constituent of Mg alloys, Al alloys, Zn alloys, etc.


A case of bilateral Duane's retraction syndrome (DRS) type III associated with Kallmann's syndrome (hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and anosmia) is reported. Both anomalies may result from a disturbance of embryogenesis during the second month of gestation. The authors assimilate bilateral type III DRS to congenital horizontal gaze paralysis.


Dilazep, a vasodilator previously recognized as an inhibitor of adenosine permeation, very rapidly blocked the uptake of adenosine by cultured L5178Y cells, and accordingly was used as a quencher in a simple quenched-flow system for measuring cellular uptake of nucleosides during very short intervals. Time courses of cellular uptake of adenosine, assayed during intervals between 0.05 and 0.5s with the quenched-flow system, were linear and defined initial rates of adenosine uptake. The latter are rates of inward transport of adenosine. Kinetic constants for that process in cultured S49 cells determined with the quenched-flow procedure were similar to those determined with an assay dependent on manual timing. In studies of adenosine uptake kinetics in human erythrocytes at 22 degrees C and 37 degrees C in which the quenched-flow procedure was used, time courses of adenosine uptake were linear at both temperatures and defined initial uptake rates; kinetic constants (means +/- S.E.M.) at 22 degrees C (n = 8) were Km 25 +/- 14 microM and Vmax. 15 +/- 5 pmol/s per microliter of cell water and at 37 degrees C (n = 3) were Km 98 +/- 17 microM and Vmax. 80 +/- 9 pmol/s per microliter of cell water.


This book offers a new, refreshing approach to productivity: why it is important, and how to manage and measure it. It deals in a stimulating way with such productivity improvement programmes as action learning, quality circles, inter-firm comparisons, and business clinics, and offers information on the most important areas in which productivity can be improved (quality maintenance, waste reduction and human resource management) and on a number of techniques which have been field-tested by enterprises and in ILO projects. A training videocassette, based on this book and entitled Quality in the job: Improving productivity through people, is available from Gower Training, Gower House, Croft Road, Aldershot, Hampshire, GU11 3HR, United Kingdom, www.gowertraining.co.uk.


The numerous mutations in two families of human zinc transporters (SLC30, 10 ZNT proteins and SLC39, 14 ZIP proteins) indicate that the inherited diseases established for ZIP4 (acrodermatitis enteropathica), ZIP13 (spondylocheirodysplastic Ehlers–Danlos syndrome), ZNT2 (transient neonatal zinc deficiency) and ZNT10 (manganism) signify an emerging field that is important for a wide variety of diseases. Discoveries also impact nutrition and toxicology as differences in requirements for zinc and sensitivities towards an excess of zinc are genetically determined. The spectrum of mutations leads to phenotypes of different severity and risk factors for diseases. Some mutations are rare but others such as the ones in ZNT2 and ZNT8 (the latter associated with diabetes risk) are important for the health of majorities in populations. Inherited diseases of zinc metabolism are also due to mutations in other genes. As metal ions interact and their concentrations are balanced, mutations affect the metabolism of metals ions other than zinc as already shown for manganese, iron and toxic metal ions such as cadmium.

Key Concepts

Zinc is involved in virtually all biological processes.
Zinc transporters, metallothioneins and other proteins are involved in inherited diseases of zinc metabolism with a large spectrum of phenotypes.
Two members of the human zinc transporter family ZNT (SLC30) have mutations that lead to inherited diseases: ZNT2 (transient neonatal zinc deficiency) and ZNT10 (manganism) – the list is likely to grow.
Two members of the human zinc transporter family ZIP (SLC39) have mutations that lead to inherited diseases: ZIP4 (acrodermatitis enteropathica) and ZIP13 (spondylocheirodysplastic Ehlers–Danlos syndrome) – the list is likely to grow.
Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) reveal relationships between zinc transporters and a wide range of diseases.
Some associations between zinc transporters and diseases affect large fractions of populations.
Mutations in bona fide zinc transporters affect the metabolism of other metal ions and possibly other trace elements, for example, selenium.

Keywords:

zinc;
zinc transporters;
ZNT (SLC30) family;
ZIP (SLC39) family;
diabetes;
cancer;
cardiovascular disease;
autism;
Parkinsonism;
psychiatric disease


For at least a decade, supermarket operators have turned increasingly to fresh foods for the strategic direction of their business by remodeling existing stores and building new stores to feature and emphasize produce, the delicatessen, the bakery, and other perishable departments. These departments have been the fastest growing and offer the greatest future sales potential as consumer demand for "fresh" and "ready to eat" prepared foods continues to grow. Despite these prospects, little is actually known about how consumers perceive and respond to product offerings and retailer initiatives in perishable departments. The objective ofthis report is to shed light on consumer attitudes and behavior with respect to one of the major supermarket perishable departments: the bakery. This report is based on a study which incorporated both primary and secondary sources of data (details in Section II). The primary data were collected through consumer surveys conducted nationwide by telephone and in-person at supermarkets in several regional market areas. A total of 700 consumers were surveyed. Additional primary data and insights were gathered through personal interviews with key supermarket bakery executives. Secondary data were gathered from trade reports, academic journals, and previously published research. The empirical results and analyses presented in Section III include such key findings as: • consumers consider convenience the most important reason for shopping supermarket bakeries, • the main reason some consumers do not buy baked goods in supermarkets is "freshness," which is perceived to be better at local bakeries, • consumer awareness of health and nutrition concerns is greater than consumer knowledge about these issues, • about half of consumers are familiar with the United States Department of Agriculture's Food Guide Pyramid, but the percentage varies greatly by age with the youngest shoppers being most familiar, • consumers rate many of the most popular retailer promotional efforts as uninfluential factors in their purchase decisions, and • price plays only a minor role in bakery purchase decisions for most consumers. The implications of these findings and others are discussed in Section IV which also discusses opportunities for the supermarket bakery industry to respond to the consumer characteristics and issues identified in this study. The results present many marketing challenges for supermarket bakery managers as consumers increasingly make bakery decisions based on knowledge of health, nutrition, and other issues.


Studying the fate of organic carbon in soils and sediments is challenging due mainly to the multiplicity of relationships that exist not only between microbial consortia but between the organic components, nutrients and break down products. Understanding what is happening to carbon in microbial systems would provide valuable information for climate change studies, agricultural planning, pollution studies and more. In this project, a method was developed using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GCMS), isotope ratio mass spectroscopy (IRMS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to track 13C in soil biomass. Phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA's) identified using GCMS were used as biomarkers to characterise microbial populations, IRMS data revealed which microbial groups were utilizing 13C labelled substrates. NMR allowed the transformations and fate of the carbon substrates to be determined. As the project progressed and developed the techniques were applied to studying organic pollutants and resident microbes in petroleum polluted sites. The method was also transferred to marine sediments, where it was used to study anthropogenic influence on sea bed organic matter in Dublin Bay. Diversifying the application of these methods has allowed us to investigate the fate organic carbon in a variety of scenarios. In incubated soils amended with CO2, glucose and acetate, microbial populations varied with carbon input. Studying carbon sequestration in agricultural soil using these techniques proved that sequestration increased significantly with addition of elemental sulphur. In sites polluted with petroleum compounds GCMS was used to qualify and quantify organic pollutants and characterise the microbial populations present. The study of marine sediment in Dublin Bay revealed significant levels of faecal biomarkers throughout the area and also measurable levels of poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH's). The methodology has proven to be adaptable to study carbon compounds in a wide variety of sample types.


Radiation-induced single-event upsets (SEUs) pose a serious threat to the reliability of registers. The existing SEU analyses for static CMOS registers focus on the circuit-level impact and may underestimate the pertinent SEU information provided through node analysis. This thesis proposes SEU node analysis to evaluate the sensitivity of static registers and apply the obtained node information to improve the robustness of the register through selective node hardening (SNH) technique. Unlike previous hardening techniques such as the Triple Modular Redundancy (TMR) and the Dual Interlocked Cell (DICE) latch, the SNH method does not introduce larger area overhead. Moreover, this thesis also explores the impact of SEUs in dynamic flip-flops, which are appealing for the design of high-performance microprocessors. Previous work either uses the approaches for static flip-flops to evaluate SEU effects in dynamic flip-flops or overlook the SEU injected during the precharge phase. In this thesis, possible SEU sensitive nodes in dynamic flip-flops are re-examined and their window of vulnerability (WOV) is extended. Simulation results for SEU analysis in non-hardened dynamic flip-flops reveal that the last 55.3 % of the precharge time and a 100% evaluation time are affected by SEUs.


Abstract Tricuspid atresia with common arterial trunk is a very rare association in complex CHD. This association has even more infrequently been documented concomitantly with interrupted aortic arch. We present the diagnosis and initial surgical management of an infant with a fetal diagnosis of tricuspid atresia and common arterial trunk, with additional postnatal finding of interrupted aortic arch with interruption between the left common carotid and left subclavian artery. Due to the infant's small size, she was initially palliated with bilateral pulmonary artery bands and a ductal stent. This was followed by septation of the common arterial trunk and interrupted aortic arch repair and 4 mm right subclavian artery to main pulmonary artery shunt placement at two months of age. She was discharged home on day of life 81.


Brown Corundum Ash(BCA) was used to modify nylon 1212(PA1212), which is produced during the production of electric fused brown corundum alumina and will causes serous environmental pollution if it is not recycled. In order to improve the tribological property of PA1212 composites, Graphite, MoS2 and PTFE were used. The composites were prepared by a twin-screw extruder through melt intercalation. The mechanical properties and the wear resistance of the PA1212/Brown Corundum Ash/graphite/MoS2/PTFE composite were studied. The shearing area of composite and the worn surfaces were examined by scanning electric microscope (SEM).


Information is transferred through a process consisting of an information source, a transmitter, a channel, a receiver, and its destination. Unfortunately, during the engineering design process, there is a risk of a design idea or solution being incorrectly transferred and interpreted due to the nonlinearity of the process, and many ways to communicate and disseminate ideas or solutions. The objective of this work is to explore the amount of relevant design information transmitted by different idea dissemination methods and how the receiver's familiarity with the idea impacts the effectiveness of the methods. First, this work explores the advantages and disadvantages of different dissemination methods in engineering design. Next, an experiment is conducted with engineering and nonengineering participants in order to quantify the information transmitted by different idea dissemination methods. This work also quantifies the effect that receivers' familiarity with a design artifact has on the amount of information transmitted by different dissemination methods. Finally, the results obtained from the experiments are compared with a previous theoretical model for validation. The results indicate that while certain methods are perceived as more informative and are able to convey more information than others (e.g., linguistic textual description versus virtual three-dimensional (3D) models), the effectiveness of the methods depends on a receiver's familiarity with the ideas being transmitted. Knowledge gained from this work can aid designers in selecting a suitable dissemination method needed to effectively communicate ideas and achieve a design solution.


A new aerobic mesophilic genus of actinomycetes, Planotetraspora, is described. These microorganisms produce a filamentous growth which is differentiated into a vegetative mycelium and an aerial mycelium; the hyphae are gram positive and not acid fast. Planotetraspora strains are characterized by the formation of long, cylindrical sporangia at the ends of short sporangiophores on aerial hyphae, with each sporangium containing four spores in a single row. The sporangiospores are released from the sporangia when preparations are flooded with water and are motile by means of single polar flagella. The type species of the new genus is Planotetraspora mira (type strain, NA9211028 [= SIIA9201]).


A survey of animal welfare agencies and corrections departments across Australia was conducted to compile a nationwide profile of prison dog programs, wherein inmates train dogs while learning skills to assist their rehabilitation. Most programs operating in 23 prisons in six Australian states were a community service design administered by animal welfare organizations. Inmates benefit through opportunities to train the dogs, give back to society, gain a sense of responsibility, improve self-confidence and social skills, and acquire vocational qualifications to improve job opportunities postrelease. Barriers identified included insufficient funding, limited training opportunities for the dogs, and some staff resistance.


Herein, we report a new highly luminescent material, a CsPbBr3@NH4Br (CPBr–NB) nanocomposite, formed via an ion-exchange reaction, which can reach up to a few micrometers in size. The CPBr–NB solid-state luminophores with a unique core@shell structure effectively avoid photoluminescence quenching and maintain excellent optical properties of the perovskite nanocrystals. Most importantly, the nanocomposite exhibits excellent water resistance and thermal stability. Such superior optical merits endow them with promising potential in lighting and displays.


Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) developing in a renal allograft either as a result of undetected presence within the donor organ or as a consequence of de novo development post transplantation is a rare event. The Cincinnati Transplant Tumor Registry has recorded 45 cases of RCC developing in a renal allograft. A case is presented of localized RCC developing in a renal allograft 10 years post transplant treated by partial nephrectomy with 5 years of disease-free follow-up.


The coastal environment of Bangladesh is characterized by excessive salinity in both ground and surface water resulting in poor coverage because of the paucity of drinking water. Ground water cannot be used as drinking water due to excessive salinity, iron and arsenic problem. Moreover, most of the water supply options are not feasible in this region. So, people are suffering intensely due to lack of safe water sources and diarrheal diseases break out several times in each year causing death to hundreds of people. Pond sand filter and the rainwater harvesting system are widely used alternative safe water source among other modern technologies in the coast. This book, therefore, provides the scientific evidence to proof, which technology have more potentiality to solve long term water crisis in water scarce area. It will also help to evaluate the functional ability of pond sand filter and rainwater harvesting system and limitation of these technologies. Therefore findings of this study will be very significant for further expansion, planning, implementing of such technologies in not only in salinity affected coastal regions but also in other arsenic prone areas in Bangladesh.


Purpose: To determine the frequency of occurrence of Enterobacter species and their antibiogram from clinical specimens of blood, cerebrospinal fluid, urine and wound obtained from University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria. Methods: Specimens were obtained from patients who were seen at the various units of the hospital during the period January 2008 to June 2010. The total number of specimens was 6632, and were obtained from 1678 adult males, 2010 adult females and 2944 children. The specimens were collected prior to commencement of antibiotic therapy, and cultured immediately using standard bacteriological methods. Growths were identified by colonial morphology and characteristics, and biochemical reactions. Antimicrobial sensitivity test was performed according to Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method as per Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) recommendation. The control organism was a sensitive strain of Eschrichia coli (NCTC 10418). Results: Two species of Enterobacter, namely, E. aerogenes (104; 97.2 %) and E. sakazaki i (3; 2.8 %) were isolated from the four types of clinical specimens, accounting for 1.6 % of all the samples. Sensitivity to antibacterials was as follows: ceftazidime (55.0 %), ofloxacin (53.3 %) and amoxicillin clavulanate (48.3 %). They were strongly resistant to the other antibiotics used in the study, especially the cephalosporins. There was no significant difference in infection rate among the age groups (p > 0.05). However, there was significant difference (p < 0.05) between isolates from cerebrospinal fluid, on the one hand, and those from wound, urine and blood, on the other hand. Conclusion: The rate of isolation of Enterobacter species in the health facility was low. Remarkable drug resistance of the organisms make them clinically significant pathogens. Keywords: β-Lactam antibiotics, Opportunistic infections, Bacterial resistance, Enterobacter species.


Biomineralization of skeletal components (e.g., bone and teeth) is generally accepted to occur under strict cellular regulation, leading to mineral–organic composites with hierarchical structures and properties optimized for their designated function. Such cellular regulation includes promoting mineralization at desired sites as well as inhibiting mineralization in soft tissues and other undesirable locations. In contrast, pathological mineralization, with potentially harmful health effects, can occur as a result of tissue or metabolic abnormalities, disease, or implantation of certain biomaterials. This progress report defines mineralization pathway components and identifies the commonalities (and differences) between physiological (e.g., bone remodeling) and pathological calcification formation pathways, based, in part, upon the extent of cellular control within the system. These concepts are discussed in representative examples of calcium phosphate‐based pathological mineralization in cancer (breast, thyroid, ovarian, and meningioma) and in cardiovascular disease. In‐depth mechanistic understanding of pathological mineralization requires utilizing state‐of‐the‐art materials science imaging and characterization techniques, focusing not only on the final deposits, but also on the earlier stages of crystal nucleation, growth, and aggregation. Such mechanistic understanding will further enable the use of pathological calcifications in diagnosis and prognosis, as well as possibly provide insights into preventative treatments for detrimental mineralization in disease.


ABSTRACT Universities are allocated considerable public resources and are expected to fulfil societal mandates through teaching, research and service to local, national and international communities. University strategic plans are public documents that express how university leaders, students, academic and administrative staff are expected to aspire to meet these societal mandates. We suggest that strategic plans can be a point of departure for academic staff and leaders to reflect on their values and articulate their praxes. By praxis we mean the sense-making and purpose academic staff and leaders identify in their practices and how they choose to live out their values. We suggest an approach, using the principles of deliberative communication, intended to help academic staff and leaders articulate their praxis and find ways to live out their values in a liberating or transformative manner.


Escherichia coli transcription factor sigma 54 contains motifs that resemble closely those used for RNA polymerase II in mammalian cells, including two hydrophobic heptad repeats, a very acidic region and a glutamine-rich region. Triple changes in hydrophobic or multiple changes in acidic residues in Region III are known to severely impair core-binding ability. To investigate whether all the changes in triple mutants are necessary for core binding, site-directed mutagenesis was performed to create single and double mutants in the leucine or isoleucine residues in the heptad repeat in Region III. Single mutants showed no discernible loss of function. Double mutants showed partial protection of the -12 promoter element of the glnAp2 promoter due to the partial loss of their ability to bind core RNA polymerase. These mutations were deleterious to the function of sigma 54, which retained only 30-40% of wild-type mRNA levels. However, double mutants retained nearly normal ability to form open complexes. Two triple mutants created during previous work lost most, if not all, of their ability to bind core RNA polymerase, to protect the -12 promoter element of the glnAp2 promoter and to open the transcription start site. The two triple mutants produced about 20% or less than 10% of the wild-type transcripts from the glnAp2 promoter. These results demonstrate that the hydrophobic heptad repeat in Region III is essential for core RNA polymerase binding. Progressive loss of hydrophobicity of the hydrophobic heptad repeat in Region III of sigma 54 resulted in a progressive loss of core-binding ability, leading to the loss of -12 promoter element recognition and mRNA production.


In the present research, a two-stage titanization-nitriding process has been developed with the goal to grow a wear- and oxidation-resistant TiN coating on the surface of nickel alloys. The process is based on the Powder Immersion Reaction Assisted Coating (PIRAC) method originally developed for the coating on non-oxide ceramics. At the first stage, Ni surface was enriched in Ti by PIRAC annealing in a halogen-activated Ti powder. This resulted in the formation of a multi-layer coating consisting of different Ti-Ni compound layers. The treatment temperature did not exceed 900oC to avoid liquid formation (the low melting Ti-Ti2Ni eutectic). The kinetics of different layers growth at 700-900oC was found to be controlled by diffusion and obeyed the parabolic growth law. The activation energies of the process as a whole and of separate layers growth have been measured. The effect of different processing parameters (amount of halogen, shape and size of Ti powder, etc.) on the formation of Ni-Ti surface layers has been studied. The Ti-enriched surface was subsequently transformed into a titanium nitride layer by PIRAC nitriding – a process based on annealing the sample under a low nitrogen pressure formed by selective diffusion of the atmospheric nitrogen. The thickness of the TiN layer did not exceed 1 µm even after 16 h long PIRAC treatment at 900oC. During nitriding, the significant growth of the Ni3Ti layer and the shrinkage of the Ti2Ni and NiTi layers (all formed during the titanization procedure) were observed. Several peculiarities of layers growth were observed both during titanization and during nitriding PIRAC procedures. The applicability of the TiN PIRAC coating process to Iron- and copper-base alloys has also been demonstrated.


The system clock in the authors' Intel 80c31-based Holter recorder is 12 MHz, and thus it takes tens of milliseconds to obtain the d/sub k/ at instant k. Therefore, it is impossible to apply the original linear approximation distance thresholding (LADT) algorithm in real time. With the authors' improved algorithm it takes about one ms to calculate /spl verbar/a/sub adm//spl verbar/=/spl sigma//spl middot/(1+(a/t)/sup 2/)/sup 1/2/. Though it is much faster to fulfill a linear segment approximation by the improved algorithm than by the original one, it is still difficult directly to apply the improved algorithm in a real-time system. However, it takes only two microseconds to get /spl verbar/a/sub adm//spl verbar/ by look-up in the error threshold table. In this way, about one millisecond is needed to complete a linear segment approximating (about 50 points). It can be seen that the fast realization scheme using the error threshold table not only preserves the high compression ratio and low distortion advantages of the LADT algorithm, but also makes possible the application of the LADT algorithm in real-time.<<ETX>>


Fixed-priority scheduling with deferred preemption(FPDS) and fixed-priority scheduling with preemption thresholds(FPTS) have been proposed in the literature as viable alternatives to fixed-priority preemptive scheduling (FPPS), that reduce memory requirements, reduce the cost of arbitrary preemptions, and may improve the feasibility of a task set even when preemption overheads are neglected. This paper aims at advancing the relative strength of limited preemptive schedulers by combining FPDS and FPTS. In particular, we present a refinement of FPDS with preemption thresholds for both jobs and sub-jobs, termed FPGS. We provide an exact schedulability analysis for FPGS, and show how to maximize the feasibility of a set of sporadic tasks under FPGS for given priorities, computation times, periods, and deadlines of tasks. We evaluate the effectiveness of FPGS by comparing the feasibility of task sets under FPGS with other fixed-priority scheduling algorithms by means of a simulation. Our experiments show that FPGS allows an increase of the number of task sets that are schedulable under fixed-priority scheduling.


Biosurfactant-producing bacteria can be found in contaminated environments such as biopurification systems (BPS) for pesticide treatments. A total of 18 isolates were screened to determine their ability to produce extracellular biosurfactants, using olive oil as the main carbon source. Out of the eighteen isolates, two strains (C11 and C27) were selected for biosurfactant production. The emulsification activities of the C11 and C27 strains using sunflower oil was 58.4 and 53.7%, respectively, and 46.6 and 48.0% using olive oil. Using molecular techniques and MALDI-TOF, the strains were identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (C11) and Streptomyces lavendulae (C27). The submerged cultivation of the two selected strains was carried out in a 1 L stirred-tank bioreactor. The maximum biosurfactant production, indicated by the lowest surface tension measurement, was similar (46 and 45 mN/m) for both strains, independent of the fact that the biomass of the B. amyloliquefaciens C11 strain was 50% lower than the biomass of the S. lavendulae C27 strain. The partially purified biosurfactants produced by B. amyloliquefaciens C11 and S. lavendulae C27 were characterized as a lipopeptide and a glycolipid, respectively. These outcomes highlight the potential of the selected biosurfactant-producing microorganisms for improving pesticides' bioavailability and therefore the degradational efficacy of BPS.


Damage to intracranial arteries was demonstrated angiographically in 24 patients with severe trauma to the skull and brain. The most common abnormalities were damage to the intima and traumatic carotid-cavernous fistulae (nine cases each). In addition, there were six traumatic aneurysms of the internal carotid artery, two extravasates from ruptured intracranial branches and one traumatic A-V fistula between the middle meningeal artery and the spheno-parietal sinus. The arterial damage was diagnosed either during the acute stage or after a latent period of days and weeks, if there were signs of intracranial bleeding or other evidence of vascular damage. Cerebral angiography in two or more projections is the method of choice for demonstrating even minor vascular lesions.


A solid state hydrogen generating apparatus comprises a hydrogen storage means, hydrogen supply means, the power generation cell device and the like. The hydrogen storage apparatus comprising a hydrogen storage bottle, the bottle containing hydrogen absorbing hydrogen storage particles having an average particle diameter of the hydrogen storage of 20 microns to 200 microns, having an internal cavity surrounded by porous walls; at one end of the hydrogen storage bottle is provided with a hole, the hole is provided with a filter; said hydrogen storage bottle made of silver cadmium oxide material; cell power generating apparatus comprising a polymer electrolyte membrane.


Background Stigmatising feelings are common among parents of children with epilepsy. Parents who harbour fear of their child with epilepsy being viewed differently may restrict the child's social participation. This study aimed to explore issues related to the interpersonal processes and context surrounding parent child dialogue about epilepsy, including consequences of communicating, or not, about epilepsy related issues, such as the restriction of participation in social activities. Method Phase one of this mixed method study involved conducting qualitative interviews with 30 children (6–16 years) with epilepsy and their parents. Data were thematically analysed. Findings Findings revealed a core theme of parents' restriction of social activities in response to their child's epilepsy. Sub-themes included hyper-vigilance (a heightened sense of watchfulness) and avoidance of communication about epilepsy to minimise social restrictions. Discussion Parental over-protection can relay to children the limitations that their epilepsy imposes on them. The impact of these limitations can not only support a child's negative attitude towards epilepsy but also promote child exclusivity and isolation.


BACKGROUND
The present study examined the contents of tocopherols and tocotrienols and their distribution in 58 different varieties of whole rice cultivated in Malaysia. The analytical method used was saponification of samples followed by dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction and reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

RESULTS
The total vitamin E contents of different varieties of whole rice ranged between 19.36 and 63.29 mg kg⁻¹. Contents of vitamin E isomers varied among rice varieties both within and between grain color groups. Black-pigmented rice showed significantly higher mean contents of α-tocopherol, β-tocopherol and α-tocotrienol than non-pigmented rice and red-pigmented rice. Red-pigmented rice had significantly lower mean contents of γ-tocotrienol and total vitamin E than non-pigmented rice. The mean contents of δ-tocotrienol and total vitamin E in non-pigmented rice, however, were similar to those in black-pigmented rice. γ-Tocotrienol was the predominant form of vitamin E isomer in all analyzed varieties. The Pearson correlations among vitamin E isomers and total vitamin E content of whole rice were also studied.

CONCLUSION
This study provides information on vitamin E content of different rice varieties that would be beneficial for decision making in genetic breeding of bioactive compound-rich rice varieties.


Leishmaniasis is a complex protozoan infectious disease and, associated with malnutrition, poor health services and unavailability of prophylactic control measures, neglected populations are particularly affected. Current drug regimens are outdated and associated with some drawbacks, such as cytotoxicity and resistance, and the development of novel, efficacious and less toxic drug regimens is urgently required. In addition, leishmanial pathogenesis is not well established or understood, and a prophylactic vaccine is an unfulfilled goal. Human kinetoplastid protozoan infections, including leishmaniasis, have been neglected for many years, and in an attempt to overcome this situation, some new drug targets were recently identified, enabling the development of new drugs and vaccines. Compounds from new drug classes have also shown excellent antileishmanial activities, some of the most promising ones included in clinical trials, and could be a hope to control the disease burden of this endemic disease in the near future. In this review, we discuss the limitations of current control methods, explore the wide range of compounds that are being screened and identified as antileishmanial drug prototypes, summarize the advances in identifying new drug targets aiming at innovative treatments and explore the state-of-art vaccine development field, including immunomodulation strategies.


The opening of new state schools by non-state actors has intensified debates about social selection and inequality in quasi-markets. This article examines the case of England, where the government allows anyone to apply to open a new 'free school', arguing this will improve social equity.
 Using data from the National Pupil Database for all 325 free schools established between 2011/12 and 2015/16, we analyse whether the students attending free schools are representative of their local neighbourhoods. We develop the first analysis of whether the specifics of who opens and provides
 a free school impacts on who attends the school. We also analyse whether opening a free school has an impact on neighbouring schools. We find that free schools are located in areas with above-average deprivation but admit intakes that are more affluent than the average for the neighbourhoods
 from which they recruit. This is particularly the case for primary free schools, which also recruit students with above-average prior attainment. There is no evidence that free schools become more representative as they admit additional year groups. Significantly, we find that all categories
 of free school providers have opened schools whose populations are more affluent than their neighbourhoods, with the exception of academy chains. We also find that the opening of a free school leads to a concentrated loss of pupils at the closest school, except in cities, but we do not identify
 an impact on the student composition of neighbouring schools. Discussing the reasons for this, we conclude that free schools are socially selective and reproduce socio-economic inequalities.


Hydrological and Paleoclimate Analysis of a Pinyon-Juniper and Fen-Dominated Watershed on the Windy Ridge Mega-Landslide Joel Frederick Barker Department of Geological Sciences, BYU Master of Science Chapter 1: Water Budget This chapter documents the hydrologic analysis of a watershed within the Windy Ridge mega-landslide of Central Utah to (1) create a water budget and (2) place a quantitative limit on the magnitude of climatic changes documented by Shurtliff et al. (2017) and Hudson et al. (2019). (1) A water budget was calculated over the last four years using instrumentation and weather stations both within and surrounding the watershed, In terms of precipitation input, 85% is released by the evapotranspiration of the Pinyon-Juniper forest, 4% discharges as surface water from the base of the watershed, and 11 % infiltrates the groundwater system. This infiltration rate is slightly lower than the 15% suggested by Maxey-Eakin method (Maxey and Eakin, 1949), likely due to the less permeable, clay-rich sediment. (2) Previous studies performed on Garden Basin Cattail (GBC) Fen at the base of its watershed suggest swings from pond-like to wetland environments (Shurtliff et al, 2017; Hudson et al, 2019). This study estimated precipitation values necessary to create standing water (pond) environments. Changes in annual precipitation, as well as input from North American monsoon (NAM), may cause these environmental changes. Each of these cases were examined. Trends in piezometer measurements compared to mean annual precipitation indicated that ≥ 644 mm of annual precipitation are required to sustain a wet (perennial standing water) environment. The change from wetland to pond conditions may depend on seasonal trends in precipitation. This study suggests an increase of 150-300 mm of precipitation in late summer (NAM) may be connected to perennially wet conditions. The higher annual precipitation values, largely accomplished by NAM fluctuations, caused a transition from wetland to pond (Hudson et al., 2019; Shurtliff et al., 2017). Chapter 2: Core Analysis Chapter 2 further documents the watershed's historical environmental and climate record by analyzing sediment and topography surrounding GBC fen, adding to the works of Shurtliff et al. (2019) and Hudson et al. (2019). A core was extracted from GBC fen at the base of the watershed and the sediment analyzed in terms of color, texture, environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) imaging, RockEval pyrolysis, and 14C ages. These results were then compared to pre-existing pollen and diatom proxies completed on a previous core by Shurtliff et al. (2019). This study suggests climatic variation, along with basin fill processes, was the driver of environmental change in GBC fen (Garden Basin watershed). Climate proxies show the basic trend from a particularly wet period (12-9 ka BP) of more stagnant or deeper water, to a much dryer period of much shallower water levels (9-3 ka BP), followed by a rebound in moisture levels, especially in the past few hundred years. Although climate was the driver of transitions within GBC2 core, a pollen record of sustained shallow water plants and MASW survey (Park et al., 1999) suggest beaver activity.


Japanese encephalitis (JE), caused by Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) infection, is the most important viral encephalitis in theworld. Approximately 35,000–50,000 people suffer from JE every year, with amortality rate of 10,000–15,000 people per year. Although the safety and efficacy of JE vaccines (inactivated and attenuated) have been demonstrated, China still accounts for 50% of the reported JE cases worldwide. In this review, we provide information about the burden of JE in mainland China and the corresponding epidemiology from 1949 to 2010, including the morbidity and mortality of JE; the age, gender, and vocational distribution of JE cases; its regional and seasonal distribution; and JE immunization. In addition, we discuss the relationships among vectors, hosts, and JEV isolates from mainland China; the dominant vector species for JEV transmission; the variety of JEV genotypes and the different biological characteristics of the different JEV genotypes; and the molecular evolution of JEV. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The polyguanine-rich DNA sequences commonly found at telomeres and in rDNAarrays have been shown to assemble into structures known as G quadruplexes, or G4 DNA, stabilized by base-stacked G quartets, an arrangement of four hydrogenbonded guanines. G4 DNA structures are resistant to the many helicases and nucleases that process intermediates arising in the course of DNA replication and repair. The lagging strand DNA replication protein, Dna2, has demonstrated a unique localization to telomeres and a role in de novo telomere biogenesis, prompting us to study the activities of Dna2 on G4 DNA-containing substrates. We find that yeast Dna2 binds with 25-fold higher affinity to G4 DNA formed from yeast telomere repeats than to single-stranded DNA of the same sequence. Human Dna2 also binds G4 DNAs. The helicase activities of both yeast and human Dna2 are effective in unwinding G4 DNAs. On the other hand, the nuclease activities of both yeast and human Dna2 are attenuated by the formation of G4 DNA, with the extent of inhibition depending on the topology of the G4 structure. This inhibition can be overcome by replication protein A. Replication protein A is known to stimulate the 5 to 3 -nuclease activity of Dna2; however, we go on to show that this same protein inhibits the 3 to 5 -exo/endonuclease activity of Dna2. These observations are discussed in terms of possible roles for Dna2 in resolving G4 secondary structures that arise during Okazaki fragment processing and telomere lengthening.


Many health needs assessment exercises are professionally led, employing complex epidemiological methods. An alternative method that gives valuable information about patient preferences is a forced-choice questionnaire, which this study used in five practices in the West of Scotland. In each practice, patient-centred care was the most highly valued attribute of service provision.


This paper deals with the ideal gas equation of state from a purely physical standpoint, starting from its own origins. In addition, this piece shows the way in which calculation of the PVT variables for a fixed mass of gas should be made, as well as other calculations involved in some thermodynamic processes. Those calculations are carried out more easily using the corresponding thermodynamic diagrams.


Recent advances in virtual reality, 3d computer generated graphics and computer vision are making the goal of producing a compelling interactive 3d face to face communication system more tractable. The problem with producing such a system is reconstructing the 3d geometry of the users in real-time. There are many ways of tackling this problem however many of them require prior knowledge (i.e model fitting methods). These add unnecessary constraints and limit the usability of the system to reconstructing known entities. Other high quality methods using laser triangulation require too many samples and therefore cannot handle dynamic and deformable shapes such as the human face. A more suited approach is to use stereo based algorithm that function using two of more views and augmenting their capabilities using structured light. The work presented in this thesis will examine and evaluate various stereo vision algorithms and hybrids with the goal of producing accurate 3d representations of human faces in real time. Various dynamic programming algorithms will be presented and hybrid variations. These will be extended into the space-time domain and the impact of using different structured light patterns with various algorithms and cost functions will be examined. Most real-time correspondence algorithms are limited to producing pixel value disparities; these can be augmented into producing sub-pixel disparities by smoothing functions. Applying such smoothing functions tends to remove detail. Another approach is to use non-linear optimization on a spatial-temporal warp function. These algorithms tend to be very computationally expensive and therefore not feasible for real time applications. With recent development of GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) driven by the consumer demand for complex real time 3d graphics, these cards are capable of processing large amounts of data in parallel. This makes them very amenable to solving large linear algebra problems. . The result being a tuneable stereo reconstruction framework that has been reformulated into streaming problems in order to be processed on the GPU to produce real time sub-pixel depth maps of human faces that can be triangulated to produce accurate 3d models.


Treatment of the symptom of constipation is usually symptomatic. Correction of abnormal lifestyle and dietary habits may constitute a sufficient treatment of constipation. In addition, bulk-forming agents and osmotically active laxatives may be used. Only when these measurements are insufficiently effective, may more drastic treatment options such as contact laxatives and enemas may be used. In cases of spastic pelvic floor syndrome physiotherapy of the pelvic floor is indicated


Last week Sanna and Laura had the pleasure of attending a presentation by Roma Maguire, professor of cancer care and head of eHealth research at the University of Surrey. Roma spoke about the need for personalised care to be more holistic instead of focussing solely on biomedical outcomes. Connected health is an ecosystem of care with the right information offered to people at the right time. Central to this ecosystem is ICT which allows for information to flow seamlessly through health and social care, offering a much more robust service. Through this shifting of responsibilities, Roma envisions a future where hospital care is the domain for the seriously ill and an emphasis is placed on communities to share the extra workload. Roma works at the 5G Innovation Centre in Surrey which focusses on mobile technologies and aims to offer a dense communication network to allow even the most remote areas to be connected.


The present code PD 5500, formerly BS 5500 [1] evolved partly from the well-known BS 1500 [2] in the 1950's and BS 1515 [3] first published in 1965; the latter permitted higher level allowable stresses and more advanced rules. In 1969, following a report from the Committee of Enquiry into the Pressure Vessel Industry, the British Standards Institution brought all the pressure vessel interests together under one general committee in order to rationalise the activity. This became PVE/ and presides over a large committee structure. There are a series of functional sub-committees who deal with specific aspects and a large number of technical committees as well as many additional sub committees and working groups. Most of these meet regularly. The technical committee PVE/1, Pressure Vessels, has overall responsibility for BS 5500. The functional committee PVE/1/15 Design Methods has an overall responsibility relating to 'Design' with particular reference to the design section of BS 5500 (Section 3). The first edition of BS 5500 was issued in 1976. The actual issue was delayed for some time because, in the early 1970's, there was an attempt in Europe to produce an international pressure vessel standard. A draft of the international standard appeared as ISO DIS 2694 [4] in 1973 but it was not generally accepted and the attempt was abandoned in the mid 70's. It was decided to use some of the material from 2694 within BS 5500 so that although the Standard was long delayed it benefited to some extent from the international efforts. Initially, committee PVE/l set out the concept of a "master" pressure vessel standard which could readily be applied to any vessel in either ferrous or non-ferrous materials and for highly specialised application with the minimum of supplementary requirements. The layout of BS 5500 is consistent with this concept and although the Standard has perhaps not fulfilled this high ideal, it has certainly been employed widely in many industries including non pressure vessel type applications. When issued it had a number of distinctive features compared with other pressure codes viz; weld joint factors were removed, the present three categories of construction were introduced, there was a new novel external pressure section, it has a loose leaf format and an annual updating was introduced. Further editions of BS 5500 have been issued every three years since 1982.


Speakers use a range of cues to signal ironic intent, including cues based on contrast with context, verbal, and paralinguistic cues. Speakers also rely on cues provided by addressees regarding comprehension of irony. When such cues are unavailable, speakers may be less willing to use irony because of the risk of miscommunication, and addressees may be more likely to misinterpret irony. The present study tested these hypotheses by examining the production and comprehension of irony in multimodal (face-to-face) and unimodal (computer-mediated) conversations. Contrary to expectations, speakers in the computer condition used more irony than face-to-face speakers. Comprehension of irony did not appear to differ across settings, although addressees in the computer condition provided less feedback (positive or negative) to their partners about their comprehension. These surprising results are discussed in terms of possible differences in the discourse goals and relational strategies engendered by computer-mediated and face-to-face communicative settings.


Objective: Treatment-resistant schizophrenia is costly. This study evaluated treatment-cost changes following prescription of clozapine in Japanese patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Methods: Thirty-six patients were recruited; five were subsequently excluded because clozapine was discontinued due to side effects. Medical costs (Japanese yen: JPY) of hospital stay and outpatient treatment were investigated separately, and the total medical cost calculated as their sum. Treatment was assessed at 6-month intervals, based on the month in which clozapine therapy began. The 6-month period after starting clozapine therapy was defined as "0," the prior 6-month period as "-0.5  years," and the subsequent 6-months as "0.5  years." Percapita 6-month mean costs were calculated. Results: Mean costs of hospital stay were JPY 253,306 at -2.5 years, JPY 312,093 at -2 years, JPY 418,900 at -1.5 years, JPY 442,247 at -1 year, JPY 450,538 at -0.5 years, JPY 507,850 at 0 years, JPY 273,679 at 0.5 years, JPY 374,665 at 1 year, and JPY 267,414 at 1.5  years. Mean costs for outpatient treatment were JPY 9,807 at -2.5 years, JPY 10,398 at -2 years, JPY 17,807 at -1.5 years, JPY 23,190 at -1 year, JPY 20,815 at -0.5 years, JPY 42,666 at 0 years, JPY 58,496 at 0.5 years, JPY 60,617 at 1 year, and JPY 62,001 at 1.5  years. Mean total costs were JPY 36,438 at -2.5  years, JPY 41,028 at -2 years, JPY 96,831 at -1.5 years, JPY 144,495 at -1 year, JPY 281,177 at -0.5 years, JPY 477,432 at 0 years, JPY 120,332 at 0.5 years, JPY 74,848 at 1 year, and JPY 72,999 at 1.5 years. Conclusion: Costs of hospital stay and total costs gradually increased before starting clozapine therapy and peaked when clozapine therapy began. Subsequently, outpatient costs slightly increased, but total costs decreased notably. Clozapine therapy is effective in reducing medical costs. PM513 Clinical Pharmacology Study of Cariprazine with Healthy Adult Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, and Caucasian Male Subjects Yasunori Morio, Masayoshi Imada, Tomoko Kubota, Tadakatsu Nakamura Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, Japan Abstract Objective: Cariprazine is a potent D3 and D2 receptor partial agonist with preferential binding to D3 receptors. It has been recently approved for the treatment of schizophrenia in USA and is also under developing in Asia and EU. Cariprazine is metabolized via the CYP3A4 and to a lesser extent via CYP2D6 pathways. In human the two active metabolites of cariprazine are desmethyl cariprazine (DCAR) and didesmethyl cariprazine (DDCAR). The effects of race/ethnicity on their pharmacokinetics are unknown. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the ethnic/racial difference in cariprazine pharmacokinetics between Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, and Caucasian. Methods: This was a single-dose, randomized, open-label, parallel-group study. Cariprazine 1 mg tablet was orally administered to healthy adult Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, and Caucasian male volunteers under fasted condition. The pharmacokinetics of cariprazine, DCAR and DDCAR were evaluated. Results: 40 subjects (10 subjects in each ethnicity) were enrolled, and all subjects were completed the study. Cmax of cariprazine in Korean and Taiwanese were similar to that in Japanese but AUC0-∞ were 41% and 33% higher in Korean and Taiwanese than in Japanese, respectively. AUC0-∞ of cariprazine was similar between Japanese and Caucasian but Cmax was 44% lower in Caucasian than in Japanese, partly due to larger body weights for Caucasian. Cmax and AUC0-∞ of DCAR were approximately the same or slightly lower in Korean and Taiwanese than in Japanese, and were lower in Caucasian than in Japanese. Cmax and AUC0-last of DDCAR tended to be comparable to or slightly lower in Korean, Taiwanese, and Caucasian than in Japanese. Conclusions: Between Japanese and each race/ethnicity, there were small differences in the exposure to cariprazine, DCAR and DDCAR. However, the distribution of variations in individual values for each pharmacokinetic parameter was almost overlapped. This suggests that there were no major pharmacokinetic differences among the races/ethnicities studied. PM514 DRD2, 5-HT1A, and 5-HT2A gene polymorphisms and clinical factors modulate aripiprazole efficacy in different symptom dimensions of schizophrenia DRD2, 5-HT1A, and 5-HT2A gene polymorphisms and clinical factors modulate aripiprazole efficacy in different symptom dimensions of schizophrenia


Abstract. Nest-site fidelity has been well-documented in turtles, but it is not known how long this behavior can persist. Nesting areas used by 153 individually marked Mississippi map turtles (Graptemys pseudogeographica kohnii) during 2001–2003 were compared with those used in 2019. Only 2 of 100 turtles collected in 2019 were recaptures, but these turtles returned significantly closer to their original capture location than by chance. The 17-yr interval between successive captures represents the longest record of nest-site fidelity in a freshwater turtle.


Shortly after Liwonde National Park was gazetted in 1973, the influence of fire and elephant foraging was expected to be the priority management consideration. A number of permanent woodland plots were established, including a 200 × 10 m belt transect in open mixed woodland. All woody plants >1.5 m high were individually followed individually over the 37-year study. Declines in canopy tree numbers (58%) and species losses (7 of 19) were gradual throughout the period. Mean physical characteristics such as height, stem basal area and canopy cover were either stable (height) or increased slowly through the first three sample periods, with notable gains in the last 16 years. In spite of the substantial decline in the number of individuals, growth of the surviving larger trees compensated for these losses until 2014. During the first 21 years, upper canopy tree loss through fire remained stable at 0.8 trees/year. Over the last 16 years mean annual fire losses was 1.1 trees/year with five trees lost in 2015. Elephant damage through 'pushovers' remained very low at 0.3 trees/year up to 1999. With increasing elephant numbers this increased to 1.1 trees/year, reaching 5.0 trees/year in 2015. All pushovers were ultimately killed by fire. Elephant foraging had a strong synergistic effect on fire mortality. Tree species remain in the shrub layer as rootstock or fire suffrutices. With continued burning to ground level each year these will gradually die out. Damage and mortality at this intensity will eventually reduce this woodland to tall dense grassland with scattered large trees.


Firms can create additional customer values by changing the visibility characteristic of business transactions. Both visible and invisible transactions can provide distinctive values to the customers. Visible transactions are those that are open to the customer: the customer can see the detailed logic of the transaction and may manipulate specific variables to control the transaction process. Invisible transactions mean that customers have little ability to control the transaction flow and may even be insulated from seeing the transaction This paper pursues finding out the contingencies of successful transaction visibility change by answering to the following question; "when does increasing (or decreasing) transaction visibility make sense to customers?" This archival case study finds out that transaction visibility change should fit to the need and capabilities of customers. Increasing transaction visibility makes sense when customers need a certain supplier's performance and have a confidence in the capabilities of executing the performance. And, decreasing transaction visibility makes sense when customers have substantial troubles in conducting their current transaction actions or when customers don't feel it necessary to conduct them separately because they can be derived from other action.


The experience of the federal medical center of the surgical treatment of small patients with the anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary trunk was analyzed. The early surgical treatment, directed at the reconstruction of the two sources of myocardial blood supply together with the standard use of "calcium sensitizer" ("Levosimendan") decrease the lethality to 6.6% without the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The restoration of the ischemized left ventricle after the correction and improvement of the concomitant mitral valve insufficiency were dynamically assessed in early postoperative terms.


Machine Learning (ML) has proven to be of great value in a variety of Software Engineering (SE) tasks to conduct, e.g., software defect prediction and estimation and test code generation. To accomplish these tasks, software datasets (i.e. collections of the various modules, such as files and classes, with features, such as software metrics and defective data) have to be gathered and properly preprocessed before the application of ML techniques.

In SE practice, software datasets may lack some features' classification data, e.g. defective data are not included being difficult to collect in new projects or in projects with partial historical data. These datasets are called unlabelled datasets and are the vast majority of software datasets. The extraction of the complete set of features (defectiveness included) and the classification of the various instances imply effort and time.

In literature, there exist various approaches to build a prediction model on unlabelled datasets that entail a high number of time-consuming permutations. Cloud computing infrastructure, GPU-equipped resources and adequate ML framework can give the chance to overcome this problem.

In this study, we are going to present the usefulness of the Clustering, LAbeling, Metric selection, Instance selection approach in high energy physics by applying them to a Geant4 software unlabelled dataset as a case study; by implementing models in different available frameworks, such as TensorFlow and Keras; and by running them in Java, Python and R. We intend to reduce the distance between theory and practice by providing strengths and limitations of the considered frameworks to enable users to assess suitability for their requirements.


A multivariate model, identifying monetary policy and allowing for simultaneity and regime switching in coefficients and variances, is confronted with U.S. data since 1959. The best fit is with a model that allows time variation in structural disturbance variances only. Among models that also allow for changes in equation coefficients, the best fit is for a model that allows coefficients to change only in the monetary policy rule. That model allows switching among three main regimes and one rarely and briefly occurring regime. The three main regimes correspond roughly to periods when most observers believe that monetary policy actually differed, and the differences in policy behavior are substantively interesting, though statistically ill determined. The estimates imply monetary targeting was central in the early '80s but was also important sporadically in the '70s. The changes in regime were essential neither to the rise in inflation in the '70s nor to its decline in the '80s. JEL classification: E52, E47, C53


We are engaged in a program to develop focusing hard x-ray telescopes in a double conical or Wolter 1 geometry that function up to 100 keV by employing small graze angles and multilayer coatings. Directly polished substrates are not an option because they are too thick to be nested efficiently. The only alternative is to fabricate the very thin substrates by replication. Our objective is the production of integral cylindrical substrates because they should result in better angular resolution than segmented foil geometries. In addition, integral cylinders would be more resistant to possible stress from deep multilayer coatings than segmented ones. Both electroforming of nickel (method of SAX, JET-X, and XMM) and epoxy replication are under consideration. Both processes can utilize the same types of mandrels and separation agents. While electroforming can produce substrates that are thin, the high density of the nickel may result in high weight optics for some missions. For convenience, experimentation with replication and coating is being carried out initially on flats. Our replication studies include trials with gold and carbon separation agents. This paper reports on our efforts with epoxy replicated optics.


We have used telomeric DNA to break the human Y chromosome within the centromeric array of alphoid satellite DNA and have created two derivative chromosomes; one consists of the short arm and 140 kb of alphoid DNA, the other consists of the long arm and 480 kb of alphoid DNA. Both segregate accurately at mitosis. It is known that there is no large scale sequence duplication around the alphoid DNA and so the simplest interpretation of our results is that the sequence responsible for accurate segregation is the alphoid DNA itself. Although the long arm acrocentric derivative segregates accurately it lags with respect to the other chromosomes in about 10% of anaphase cells and thus additional sequences may be required for orderly segregation. The short arm acrocentric chromosome is probably no larger than 12 Mb in size and thus our results also demonstrate that chromosomes of this size are capable of accurate segregation.


Systematic study of cell signaling networks increasingly involves high throughput proteomics, transcriptional profiling, and automated literature mining with the aim of assembling large scale interaction networks. In contrast, functional analysis of cell signaling usually focuses on a much smaller sets of proteins and eschews computation but focuses directly on cellular responses to environment and perturbation. We sought to combine these two traditions by collecting cell response measures on a reasonably large scale and then attempting to infer differences in network topology between two cell types. Human hepatocytes and hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines were exposed to inducers of inflammation, innate immunity, and proliferation in the presence and absence of small molecule drugs, and multiplex biochemical measurement was then performed on intra- and extracellular signaling molecules. We uncovered major differences between primary and transformed hepatocytes with respect to the engagement of toll-like receptor and NF-κB-dependent secretion of chemokines and cytokines that prime and attract immune cells. Overall, our results serve as a proof of principle for an approach to network analysis that is systematic, comparative, and biochemically focused. More specifically, our data support the hypothesis that hepatocellular carcinoma cells down-regulate normal inflammatory and immune responses to avoid immune editing.


Seven human factors models were evaluated using a small number of historical transfusion error reports to explore learning from human and organisation factors and decide the best model for a planned larger retrospective study. Insufficient information given in many reports led to subjectivity in categorisation, but the conclusion was that systems engineering initiative for patient safety 2.0 may be the best single system to use. Analysing the human factors effectively in transfusion incidents could provide some insights into process improvement.


COVID-19 has led to a global health emergency worldwide. As a result, healthcare workers undergo distress mainly due to the perceived risk of contracting the virus. Such stress might cause them to leave their jobs. In this context, the current study: (1) introduced the concept of perceived risk of COVID-19 and measured it by adapting and validating an existing scale available on the risk of infectious diseases and (2) investigated its outcomes, underlying mechanisms, and boundary conditions for healthcare workers. With the support of conservation of resources theory, the current study aimed to investigate the association between perceived risk of COVID-19 and turnover intentions among healthcare workers, particularly Doctors, nurses, and paramedics staff. This study also aimed to investigate the mediating role of perceived fear of COVID-19 between perceived risk of COVID-19 and turnover intention. The current study also aimed to examine the buffering role that perceptions of hospital measures against COVID-19 could have on diminishing workers' turnover intentions. Data were collected through a three time-lag email survey of healthcare workers in Pakistan (N = 178) who currently provide treatment to COVID-19 patients. The results supported the hypothesis that perceived risk of COVID-19 enhances fear of COVID-19 among healthcare workers and, consequently, their turnover intentions. Perceptions of hospital measures against COVID-19 weaken the relationship between perceived risk of COVID-19 and fear of COVID-19, which reduces turnover intentions of health care workers. The current study offers implications for theory, practitioners, and society.


A topological interlocking configuration is an arrangement of pieces shaped in such a way that the motion of any piece is blocked by its neighbors. A variety of interlocking configurations have been proposed for convex pieces that are arranged in a planar space. Published algorithms for creating a topological interlocking configuration start from a tessellation of the plane (e.g. squares colored as a checkerboard). For each square S of one color, a plane P through each edge E is considered, tilted by a given angle θ against the tessellated plane. This induces a face F supported by P and limited by other such planes nearby. Note that E is interior to the face. By adjacency, the squares of the other color have similarly delimiting faces. This algorithm generates a topological interlocking configuration of tetrahedra or antiprisms. When checked for correctness (i.e. for no overlap), it rests on the tessellation to be of squares. If the tessellation consists of rectangles, then the algorithm fails. If the tessellation is irregular, then the tilting angle is not uniform for each edge and must be determined, in the worst case, by trial and error. In this article, we propose a method for generating topological interlocking configurations in one single iteration over the tessellation or mesh using a height value and a center point type for each tile as parameters. The required angles are a function of the given height and selected center; therefore, angle choices are not required as an initial input. The configurations generated using our method are compared against the configurations generated using the angle-choice approach. The results show that the proposed method maintains the alignment of the pieces and preserves the co-planarity of the equatorial sections of the pieces. Furthermore, the proposed method opens a path of geometric analysis for topological interlocking configurations based on non-planar tessellations.


The sequences of 32 phospholipases A2 (EC 220.127.116.11) were analysed by secondary-structure prediction and the results were compared with the available crystallographic data. Good agreement is evident between prediction and experiment, especially for helical structure. Circular dichroic spectra were also determined for six enzymes from Elapid snake venom and these, in association with previously published spectra, confirm the main implication of the predictions, namely that all the homologues have qualitatively similar tertiary structures.

Consideration was then given to possible structure/activity relationships in the light of the above findings. The relative hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity of the area of the enzyme thought to interact with lipid/water interfaces was predicted and certain correlations were noted with relative penetrating power, species of origin and the presence of β-neurotoxic properties.


This paper proposes a multi-agent approach to adaptive control of fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) tracking a moving ground target. The approach implies that the UAVs in a single group must maintain preset phase shift angles while rotating around the target so as to evaluate the target's movement more ac-curately. Thus, the controls should ensure that: (1) the UAV swarm follows a moving circular path whose center is the target while also attaining and maintain-ing a circular formation of a specific geometric shape; (2) the formation control systems is capable of self-tuning since the UAV dynamics is uncertain. In con-trast to known studies, this one uses Lyapunov vector guidance fields that are di-rection- and magnitude-nonuniform. The overall cooperative controller structure is based on a decentralized and centralized consensus. This paper considers two interaction architectures: an open chain where each UAV only interacts with its neighbors; and cooperative leader, where the leading UAV is involved in attain-ing the formation. Using open chain decentralized architecture allows to have an unlimited number of aircraft in a group, which is in line with the swarm behavior concept. The cooperative controllers are self-tuned by fuzzy model reference adaptive control (MRAC). The approach was tested for efficiency and performance in various scenarios using complete nonlinear flying-wing UAV models equipped with configured standard autopilot models.


Magnetic recording at fast data rates requires write heads with rapid rise times of the magnetic flux during the write process. We present three-dimensional (3-D) micromagnetic finite-element (FEM) calculations of an entire ring head (including 3-D coil geometry) during the writing of magnetic bits in granular media. The calculation of the obtainable flux rise times takes into account the current rise in the coils, the magnetization processes in the yoke, the magnetization processes in the pole regions near the gap, as well as the magnetization dynamics in the magnetic recording media. The simulations demonstrate how input current profiles translate into magnetization processes in the head and media during writing.