Transformation of a random variable is a common need in a design of many algorithms in signal processing, automatic control, and fault detection. Typically, the design is tied to an assumption on a probability density function of the random variable, often in the form of the Gaussian distribution. The assumption may be, however, difficult to be met in algorithms involving non-linear transformation of the random variable. This paper focuses on techniques capable to ensure validity of the Gaussian assumption of the non-linearly transformed Gaussian variable by approximating the to-be-transformed random variable distribution by a Gaussian mixture (GM) distribution. The stress is laid on an analysis and selection of design parameters of the approximate GM distribution to minimise the error imposed by the non-linear transformation such as the location and number of the GM terms. A special attention is devoted to the definition of the novel GM splitting directions based on the measures of non-Gaussianity. The proposed splitting directions are analysed and illustrated in numerical simulations.


We study debt policy of emerging economies accounting for credit and liquidity risk. To account for credit risk we study an incomplete markets model with limited commitment and exogenous costs of default following the quantitative literature of sovereign debt. To account for liquidity risk, we introduce search frictions in the market for sovereign bonds. In our model, default and liquidity will be jointly determined.This permits us to structurally decompose spreads into a credit and liquidity component. To evaluate the quantitative performance of the model we perform a calibration exercise using data for Argentina. We find that introducing liquidity risk does not harm the overall performance of the model in matching key moments of the data (mean debt to GDP, mean sovereign spread and volatility of sovereign spread). At the same time, the model endogenously generates bid ask spreads, that can match those for Argentinean bonds in the period of analysis. Regarding the structural decomposition,we find that the liquidity component can explain up to 50 percent of the sovereign spread during bad times; when the sovereign is not close to default, the liquidity component is negligible. Finally, regarding business cycle properties, the model matches key moments in the data.


Closed form expressions for the bit error rate (BER) performance of the up link of the space-frequency block-coded multiple input multiple output code-division multiple-access (SFBC-MIMO-CDMA) systems are derived and evaluated. The multiplicative effects of channel estimation errors, code cross-correlation and user channel cross-correlation on the BER are studied. Both Gold and PN sequences are considered. Rayleigh fading channels are considered. We consider both the Marray phase shift keying (MPSK) and the Marray quadrature amplitude modulation (MQAM) techniques. We compute the analysis results for a wide range of the various parameters involved (M-array size, number of OFDM carriers... etc) as well as different SFBC-MIMO-CDMA configurations. Such evaluations are crucial not only for system performance prediction, but also for network management, monitoring and future cross-layer design.


Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a green algae, is one of many critical primary producers, making up the base of most aquatic food webs (Norambuena et al. 2-6). Any disruption to its populations, can in turn, affect other inhabitants of that ecosystem, including salmon (Muller-Navarra and Dorthe 489-505.). Copper acts as an essential compound when present in small quantities for many species, but becomes highly toxic past one's biological requirements (Gaetke et al. 147-163). This study aims to understand the impacts of different concentrations of copper sulfate and exposure time on a population of C. reinhardtii. It is predicted that the population of C. reinhardtii will be affected by exposure time and CuSO₄, respectively, and that there will be an interaction between time and copper concentration on the population. This was achieved by subjecting a population of C. reinhardtii to three separate treatments of CuSO₄ over time: a control of 0 μM, 100 μM, and 200 μM CuSO₄. By assessing the results obtained through similar studies in the literature, the following concentrations were chosen to best describe both a lower and a higher limit for the copper tolerance of C. reinhardtii. The study was conducted over an 11 day period, with a total of 8 sampling days. Through the use of a haemocytometer, cell counts for each treatment group were recorded approximately every 24 hours, and the samples were kept in an incubator between data collections. The data was analyzed using a two-way ANOVA test, which resulted in p-values of 3.68E-13, 1.63E-30, and 1.34E-19. Since the obtained p-values were smaller than α of 0.05, the three null hypotheses were rejected. This suggests that the individual factors of copper sulfate concentration and exposure time, as well as their interaction, affect C. reinhardtii population. While the impact of the 100 μM CuSO₄ treatment group was very similar to that of the 200 μM group, there was a significant decline in population between the control and these two treatment groups. As such, the further study of exact copper tolerance ranges is crucial in understanding how its anthropogenic input into aquatic systems, whether through mining activities, pesticide run-off or others, would affect the ecosystem (Willis and Bishop 37).


The epigenetic regulation of gene expression is defined by covalent modifications of DNA and histone tails as well as by chromatin structure and nuclear architecture. Maintenance of epigenetic states therefore requires proteins engaged in chromatin remodeling, histone modifications, DNA replication and methylation. Using Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization, immunolocalization, genetic as well as molecular biology techniques I investigated chromatin structure and properties in Arabidopsis mutants impaired in the maintenance of transcriptional gene silencing (TGS). I showed that silencing of a multicopy transgenic locus results in neo-heterochromatin formation, accompanied by hypermethylation of DNA and of histone H3K9, two modifications enriched also in constitutive heterochromatin. Loss of the SWI2/SNF2 chromatin-remodeling factor DDM1 involved in maintenance of DNA methylation patterns, but also lack of functional protein MOM1 release silencing from specific repetitive targets. While the reactivation in ddm1 mutants is accompanied by a significant decondensation of heterochromatin and changes in histone modification patterns, mom1 allows transcription within a heterochromatic environment without disturbing DNA and histone methylation. An analysis of epistasis revealed that the nuclear MOM1 protein is part of a novel, methylation-independent pathway. Therefore decondensation of heterochromatin may accompany transcriptional activation, but it is not an obligate prerequisite. However, both pathways may act synergistically, as shown by the additive effects of reactivation, chromatin and phenotype aberrations in mom1/ddm1 double mutants. Within the methylation-based pathway, the different chromatin modifications are interrelated since the correct setting of H3K9 methylation marks depends on CpG methylation. In the complete absence of CpG methylation, histone H3 methylated at K9 becomes redistributed away from the chromocenters. Heterochromatin structure at the chromocenters, however, can be maintained even in the absence of both modifications previously assumed to be essential for heterochromatin formation and maintenance. In addition to the factors influencing chromatin properties globally, other components seem to have more specific targets, as loss of functional histone de-acetylaseresults in hyperacetylation and DNA methylation changes preferentially at rDNA loci. In general, the work presented here revealed several connections between chromatin shape and modifications at transgenic and endogenous parts of the genome and added to our insight into the complexity of epigenetic transcriptional regulation in Arabidopsis.


To examine the validity of a newly established "three-odor detection (TOD)" procedure using one of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), limonene, food-restricted male mice were used. Five animals each were assigned to either TOD or single-odor detection (SOD). TOD was composed of two trainings and one test (TEST) session. Mice were trained to discriminate an odor of coffee from no odor and odors of coffee and cheese from no odor in trainings 1 and 2, respectively. In TEST, mice were required to discriminate odors of coffee, cheese, and limonene from no odor. In SOD, mice were required to discriminate an odor of limonene from no odor. Each training or test was conducted once a day until animals achieved a learning criterion (75% correct response rate for 2 consecutive days), or until a maximum number of sessions (20 sessions) was completed. The number of sessions for reaching the learning criterion of animals in TEST (8.2 ± 0.8) was smaller than that of animals in SOD (19.2 ± 0.8). Results indicated that mice in TOD detected low levels of VOCs more rapidly than animals in SOD. I concluded that TOD is a useful procedure for detecting low levels of VOCs.


Concentration of Escherichia coli can be quantified based on a digestive enzyme produced by 97% of E. coli strains called β-glucuronidase (β-GUS). When in contact with a β-glucuronide (β-GLU) molecule, the enzyme cleaves the β-GLU segment off the molecule, leaving the remaining fragment untouched. The remaining fragment can serve as a marker for the presence of the enzyme and can be quantifiably calibrated to determine the concentration of the E. coli in each sample. For a colourimetric method approach, 4-nitrophenol-β-D-glucuronide (4-NβDg) can be used as a dye for the enzyme. The remainder of the molecule after enzymatic cleavage is a 4-nitrophenol, which is blue in colour. The change in colour can be quantified based on a calibration curve. For an electrochemical method approach, 4-NβDg can also be used because 4nitrophenol gives a characteristic cyclic voltammogram on a potentiostat. The change in resistance of 4-nitrophenol can be determined and calibrated to show the concentration of the E. coli in each sample.


This study uses results from marginal effects estimates across the foods and points of the food chain to rank the foods and food chain points in order of intensity of likelihood of a terrorist attack. The results show that young people, low incomers (<$35,000), those with medium to low knowledge about food chain and food safety, those skeptical about grocery abilities on food safety, and those with low education were likely to feel that certain foods are more likely to view likelihood of terrorist attacks possible. The results underscores the importance of consumer concerns about terrorist threats at the farm level, processing, grocery stores, or food transport calling for measures to secure such foods or segments of the food chain by all concerned. Notwithstanding, education and out reach efforts are critical in informing the public about agroterrorism, and the predisposing factors. For policy makers, the recurring persistent consumer perception vulnerability of the certain foods and points in food chain, points to the public concern of these areas as insecure, thereby direct disproportionate efforts secure such foods and points of the food chain.


VAT (Value Added Tax) registration is the primary concern in the VAT administration system for any country in the world. Appropriate registration of traders who fulfilled the legal requirements is a crucial point for the implementation of VAT laws. The justification for the researcher to conduct this research was, on one hand, the existences of many unlawful VAT-registered persons in the study area. On the other hand, there are larger numbers of VAT unregistered traders while they should have been registered which in turn results from unfair competition among traders. Besides, the high compliant cost of VAT registration coupled with a lack of awareness on the benefits of VAT registration results from complicated problems of VAT registration. The principal objectives of this research were to examine reasons for refusals of traders for VAT registration and to explore the factors that contribute to the weak enforcement of VAT laws. In doing this, the study employed qualitative research approaches so that it was devoted an in-depth analysis of laws and practical examination. The research relied on both primary and secondary data to gather the necessary information. Interviews, FGD (Focus Group Discussion) and legal analysis were part of primary data gathering tools. The finding of the research revealed that there are so many reasons for the refusal of VAT registration. Among other things, the high compliance cost and the complexity of the input VAT refunding system are the basic reasons for traders to be reluctant to get registered as VAT collectors. On top of that, there is always a fear of administrative and criminal liability on the side of traders. The study area is full of corruption so that there are enormous traders who failed to register for VAT though actually, they fulfilled the legal requirements. Conversely, there are also enormous traders who registered without qualifying the requirements set under VAT laws. Moreover, the research found that the threshold requirement is fair, but the rate is unfair for traders. The gap between ToT (Turn over Tax) and the VAT rate is quite different so that it affects competition. Finally, the study ends by providing possible solutions that may serve as inputs for tax authority and policymakers to re-design the VAT laws and its enforcement framework in Ethiopia. Inter alia, the researchers recommend a reduction of the VAT rate from fifteen percent, easing the compliance cost of VAT administration, creation of awareness about the benefit of VAT and staffing offices of revenue with disciplined and skilled personals.


The low level of basic numeracy achievement in the Solomon Islands education system is a growing concern to key stakeholders. Apart from monitoring numeracy standards, no attempt has been made to explore how Solomon Islands teachers structure mathematics teaching and learning, or the quality and effectiveness of teaching and learning in schools. It has been widely recognised that teachers' beliefs, knowledge, and practices are major influences in teaching and learning mathematics in classroom situations. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore Solomon Islands primary school teachers' beliefs, knowledge, reported practices, and professional learning experiences that enhance numeracy outcomes. The review of literature thus focuses on teacher beliefs about mathematics, its teaching, and learning; teacher pedagogical content knowledge; and professional development. Sixteen mainly urban based primary school teachers were interviewed to explore teachers' beliefs, pedagogical content knowledge, and professional learning experiences. A phenomenological approach to qualitative methodology was adopted to explore the phenomenon. A methodological triangulation of data collection was used involving a Belief Cards exercise and a semi-structured interview protocol. The combination of these methods helped to provide a coherent picture of teacher beliefs, knowledge, and practices. The results were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The findings of the Belief Cards exercise showed that individual teachers held disparate and inconsistent views and beliefs about mathematics, its teaching, and learning. Although the majority of the teachers agreed with beliefs about the nature of mathematics as problem solving and favoured pupil-centred approaches, when it came to specific beliefs representing pedagogic strategies about teaching and learning of mathematics, teachers held differing views about linking mathematics to real life situations; mathematics as teacher-centred and transmitted, and pupils as passive listeners; and teachers' enthusiasm about doing mathematics. The study also indicates most study teachers displayed a combination of traditional-transmission and contemporary-constructivist beliefs and views about mathematics, its teaching, and its learning. Further findings based on the interview protocol included that almost 50 per cent of the teachers claimed to have insufficient knowledge about mathematical content and theoretical perspectives about learning, inadequate specific mathematics teaching resources, and 75 per cent claimed a lack of ongoing professional development support in mathematics. Some constructivist mathematical practices were reported; however, the teaching described by some teachers tended to reflect the traditional-transmission approach to teaching and learning of mathematics. The overall results showed a disparity between teacher beliefs and practices exists.


The work described in this thesis involved the production of antibodies to several defined antigens and the chemical synthesis of bispecific antibodies.

Monoclonal antibodies against glial fibrillary acidic protein (anti-GFAP), and against a GFAP-like protein
on the human anaplastic astrocytoma cell line, G-CCM (anti-G-CCM) were produced by electrofusion and by fusion using polyethylene glycol, respectively. These antibodies were purified with saturated ammonium sulphate (S AS) and protein A. These antibodies were fully characterised by ELISA, Isotyping, SDS-PAGE, Immunocylochemisiry, Dot Blot, Western immunoblotting, BIAcore, HPLC, Immunofluoresence and FACS An attempt was made to clone and express the variable regions of the anti-G-CCM monoclonal antibody in Escherichia colt.

Iodinated Bolton-Hunter reagent (IBHR) was conjugated to bovine serum albumin (BSA), ovalbumin and keyhole limpet haemocyanin (KLH). These IBHR-protein conjugates were characterised by the iodide assay and the Bradford protein assay. The IBHR-BSA conjugate was used to immunise six mice and a rabbit to produce anti-IBHR antibodies. A monoclonal anti-IBHR antibody was not obtained. However,
a polyclonal anti-IBHR antibody was produced and was purified by SAS, protein A and CNBr-activated
sepharose affinity chromatography. This antibody was characterised by ELISA, SDS-PAGE and HPLC Bispecific antibodies were chemically generated using (1) anti-GFAP and ana-IBHR and (u) anti-G-CCM and anti-IBHR Ricin is a highly cytotoxic compound Bispecific antibodies were made using an acquired anti-Ricm. A chain monoclonal antibody together with anti-G-CCM and anti-GFAP. These bispecific antibodies were characterised by ELISA, SDS-PAGE, HPLC and FACS and may be used to target radioactive compounds and toxins to astrocytoma cells, in vivo.

A catalytic monoclonal antibody was generated using a transition state analogue-KLH conjugate as an immunogen in six mice. This antibody was precipitated using sodium sulphate and purified by protein G affinity chromatography. This antibody catalysed the hydrolysis of the corresponding carbonate and its rate kinetics were determined.


cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among adult women.it is a major cause of death of women because it is not diagnosed at early stage due to lack of screening and awareness. The purpose of this survey is to study the awareness of cervical cancer & its knowledge in a community. This survey conducted by a written questionnaire in which there are questions about cervical cancer screening, causes, vaccination, and risk. result indicated that 30% of respondents knew cervical cancer is the most common type of gynecological cancer.6% have done screening,40% knew about its affects.20% knew about screening and 19% had knowledge about screening. Only 18% knew about Pap test. Only 19% knew about HPV test. Only 13% knew the HPV as cause of cervical cancer.28% knew about risk of cervical cancer. Only 18% knew birth of more children as cause of cervical cancer. Only 22% knew about HPV vaccination.28% women feel hesitation for cervical screening.83% respondents think that awareness programs about cervical cancer must be conducted. From the result it is concluded that the awareness programs for cervical cancer need to be conducted to make people to be aware of cervical cancer so treatment and prevention of cervical cancer will efficiently be done.


OBJECTIVE
Current models propose that the experience of pain includes both sensory and affective components. Our purpose was to use functional MR imaging to determine areas of the brain engaged by the affective dimension of pain.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS
Twelve healthy adults underwent functional MR imaging using a gradient-echo echoplanar technique while a cold pressor test, consisting of cold and pain tasks, was applied first to one foot and then to the other. The cold task involved the application of cold water (14-20 degrees C) that was not at a painful level. For the pain task, the water temperature was then lowered to a painful temperature (8-14 degrees C) and subsequently to the pain threshold (3-8 degrees C). Images acquired at room temperature before the cold and pain tasks served as a baseline task. Composite maps of brain activation were generated by comparing the baseline task with the cold task and the cold task with the pain task. The significance of signal changes was estimated by randomization of individual activation maps.

RESULTS
Cold-related activation (p < 0.01) was found in the postcentral gyrus bilaterally, laterally, and inferiorly to the primary motor-sensory area of the foot and at a site near the second somatosensory site. Activation also occurred in the frontal lobe (the bilateral middle frontal gyri and the right inferior frontal gyrus), the left anterior insula, the left thalamus, and the superior aspect of the anterior cingulate gyrus (seen at one slice location). Pain-related activation (p < 0.01) included the anterior cingulate gyrus (seen at four slice locations); the superior frontal gyrus, especially on the right; and the right cuneus.

CONCLUSION
Compared with the basic sensory processing of pain, the affective dimension of pain activates a cortical network that includes the right superior frontal gyrus, the right cuneus, and a large area of the anterior cingulate gyrus.


Experiments were conducted on albino mice. With the aid of the test of inhibition of splenocyte migration in the agar medium it was shown that the tick-borne encephalitis virus caused the state of hypersensitivity of delayed type (HDT) expressed from the 3rd day after the infection and persisting up to the appearance of the clinical signs of the disease; in latent infection the HDT state persisted for a period of up to 50 days (observation period). At the same time the experimental animals displayed a weak splenocyte sensitization with the brain tissue chiefly observed in cases of an acute infection and expressed inconstantly in the latten course of tick-borne encephalitis.


According to diverse authors, diaphyseal fractures of the decrease leg bones are pressing trouble in traumatology and orthopedics. Diaphyseal fractures of the decrease leg bones are found as much as 27% (in keeping with O. V. Krasavitsa) of all accidents to the bones of the skeleton. The authors describe that the drawback of bone osteosynthesis is a big range of headaches and notes the instability of the plate, in addition to aseptic necrosis with its next destruction, is as much as 35% of cases.


ABSTRACT In this paper it was evaluated the performance of two strains of Aspergillus niger (mutant 11T53A14 and wild type C) previously selected as promising for lipase production, from cultivation media formulated from palm kernel cake (kernel) and alkaline sludge from refining were evaluated palm oil (palm oil sludge), palm oil (palm) waste industrialization by solid state fermentation (SSF). Experiments of enzyme production in SSF were conducted in aerated columns, incubated in a water bath at 32°C with controlled inlet of 1.0vvm. The best results were obtained with the mutant strain A. niger 11T53A14 in medium containing palm kernel cake moistened with a solution of ammonium sulfate (1.2%) and with the addition of 3% of palm oil sludge. The maximum lipase activity in this medium was 72.57U g dw-1 in 48 hours and 47.5% higher than in the medium without sludge palm. A comparison of the performance of the mutant strain with the wild-type strain showed that the medium composed of palm kernel cake added with ammonium sulfate and blurs palm induced both strains to produce lipases with good activity levels and reduced the time of


The algorithm of location and position determination was designed for humanoid soccer robot. The robots have to be able to control the ball effectively on the field of Indonesian Robot Soccer Competition which has a size of 900 cm x 600 cm. The algorithm of location and position determination uses parameters, such as the goalpost's thickness, the compass value, and the robot's head servo value. The goalpost's thickness is detected using The Centre of Gravity method. The width of the goalpost detected is analyzed using the principles of camera geometry to determine the distance between the robot and the goalpost. The tangent value of head servo's tilt angle is used to determine the distance between the robot and the ball. The distance between robot-goalpost and the distance between robot-ball are processed with the difference of head servo's pan angle and compass value using trigonometric formulas to determine the coordinates of the robot and the ball in the Cartesian coordinates.


Astrocytes are star-shaped glia cells and the most common cell type in the human brain with neurons. Astrocytes fulfill many functions in human brain. Providing support to the cells of the blood-brain barrier, balancing the extracellular ion concentration, supplying nutrients to the nerve tissue, and controlling the development of nerve cells are some of these tasks. In this study, the effects of calcium (Ca2+) ion concentration oscillations occuring in astrocytes on the neuron firing dynamics are investigated. When the obtained results are examined, it is observed that the production rate of insole 1,4,5-triphosphate (IP3), which is an agent that triggers calcium release from the resoruces in astrocytes, and the degradation time of that within the cell are important effects on the spike production dynamics of the neuron in contact with astrocyte. It is determined that neurons without any stimulation continue to produce spikes through calcium oscillations in the astrocytes, at high IP3 production rates and longer IP3 degradation times.


In fleshflies, Sarcophaga bullata, intracellular recording and Lucifer yellow dye‐filling have revealed small‐field elements of sexually isomorphic retinotopic arrays in the lobula and lobula plate, the axons of which project to premotor channels in the deutocerebrum that supply head‐turning and flight‐steering motor neurons. The dendrites of the small‐field elements visit very restricted oval areas of the retinotopic mosaic, comprising fields that are typically 6–8 input columns wide and 12–20 high. Their physiologically determined receptive fields are also small, typically 20° or less in diameter. The neurons are hyperpolarized in stationary illumination and are transiently depolarized by light OFF and to a lesser degree by light ON. Motion of a striped grating elicits a periodic excitation at the fundamental or second harmonic of the stimulus temporal contrast frequency. The arrangement of these elements in retinotopic arrays with their small receptive fields and flicker‐sensitive dynamic properties make these neurons well suited for the position‐dependent, direction‐insensitive detection of small objects in the fly's visual field, which, is known to drive fixation and tracking.


This site is designed to equip you with basic knowledge/skills needed to deliver excellent customer service here at Wayne State University. Review each page in it's entireity before taking the quizzes.


The determination of a suitable correction for tip blunting is crucial in order to obtain useful mechanical properties from nanoindentation experiments. While typically the required area function is acquired from the indentation of a reference material, the direct imaging by suitable methods is an interesting alternative. In this paper, we investigate the applicability of confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and self-imaging by scanning a sharp silicon tip using the scanning probe microscopy extension of the nanoindentation system and compare the results to the area function obtained by the indentation of fused silica. The important tip characteristics were determined by various methods based on the analysis of the obtained 3D data sets. It was found that the suitability of CLSM and AFM depend on the resolution and the operation mode, respectively. While for these methods only limited consistency of the determined tip characteristics was found, self-imaging resulted in an excellent overall agreement.


Situating the early modern nautical logbook and its northern European users within the histories of information, scientific observation, and expertise, this survey highlights the interdependence of utility and credibility on the high seas and the pitfalls of interdisciplinarity. Although navigators developed the logbook with practical concerns in mind, toward the close of the seventeenth century, administrators in England, France, and the Netherlands co-opted it for more idealized ends. Their thirst for detail sparked resistance from practitioners, some of whom began to subvert the very shipboard routines that had once authenticated the daily reports. Despite the logbook's eventual ubiquity, I argue that it ultimately failed as an epistemic tool and thus serves as a suggestive counterexample to the prevailing progressive histories of observation.


The most common shrub species in the Mediterranean vegetation is kermes oak (Quercus coccifera). This evergreen shrub and herbaceous vegetation underneath it is grazed by goats and other animals year round. In this research, the botanical composition of shruby grazeland located in the Mediterranean vegetation along with the forage yield (in October, 2006 and May, 2007) and nutritional value (between December, 2006 and November, 2007) of both the herbaceous species and kermes oak was studied. DM, CP, NDF, ADF, ADL, ash, DMD, ME, P and Ca contents of the shrub and herbaceous species were determined. Grazeland was covered by shrubs in 47.26%. Kermes oak was widely dominant (28.90%). In the herbaceous vegetation, grasses were most commonly found (57.36%), followed by forbs (32.94%) and legumes (9.70%). On the average, while kermes oak contained more DM, NDF, ADF and ADL, the herbaceous species had higher contents of CP, ash, DMD, ME, P and Ca. When plants started to grow in the springtime, DM, NDF, ADF and ADL decreased and CP, DMD, ME, P and Ca increased in both kermes oak and herbaceous species. Ash content changed in kermes oak throughout the year and no change was observed in the herbaceous species. Kermes oak specially had more CP and less DM compared to the herbaceous species during the summer. When the forage yield and nutritional value of the grazeland was considered, in the grazing goats there was a deficiency of HP during July-September and ME in the months other than April and May, and no deficiency of P and Ca. Consecutively, in the grazing lands representing Mediterranean vegetation, goats should be fed with supplementary energy feed throughout the year except for spring months, and with CP during summer months in order to obtain satisfactory productivity.


For the stable optimization of deep neural networks, regularization methods such as dropout and batch normalization have been used in various tasks. Nevertheless, the correct position to apply dropout has rarely been discussed, and different positions have been employed depending on the practitioners. In this study, we investigate the correct position to apply dropout. We demonstrate that for a residual network with batch normalization, applying dropout at certain positions increases the performance, whereas applying dropout at other positions decreases the performance. Based on theoretical analysis, we provide the following guideline for the correct position to apply dropout: apply one dropout after the last batch normalization but before the last weight layer in the residual branch. We provide detailed theoretical explanations to support this claim and demonstrate them through module tests. In addition, we investigate the correct position of dropout in the head that produces the final prediction. Although the current consensus is to apply dropout after global average pooling, we prove that applying dropout before global average pooling leads to a more stable output. The proposed guidelines are validated through experiments using different datasets and models.


Motivated by real-life deployments of multi-round federated analytics with secure aggregation, we investigate the fundamental communication-accuracy tradeoffs of the heavy hitter discovery and approximate (open-domain) histogram problems under a linear sketching constraint. We propose efficient algorithms based on local subsampling and invertible bloom look-up tables (IBLTs). We also show that our algorithms are information-theoretically optimal for a broad class of interactive schemes. The results show that the linear sketching constraint does increase the communication cost for both tasks by introducing an extra linear dependence on the number of users in a round. Moreover, our results also establish a separation between the communication cost for heavy hitter discovery and approximate histogram in the multi-round setting. The dependence on the number of rounds $R$ is at most logarithmic for heavy hitter discovery whereas that of approximate histogram is $\Theta(\sqrt{R})$. We also empirically demonstrate our findings.


To provide insight into polyaspartic acid nephroprotection and differences in aminoglycoside renal toxicity between two rat strains, the single-dose pharmacokinetics of tobramycin was examined in the presence and absence of polyaspartic acid. Following a single subcutaneous 6.5-mg/kg dose of tobramycin alone, higher aminoglycoside concentrations were measured in Sprague-Dawley rats than in Fischer rats (P < 0.05). Simultaneous administration of polyaspartic acid (50 mg/kg) and tobramycin did not alter the concentrations of tobramycin in serum. The amount of tobramycin in renal tissue and the amount recovered in urine over a 24-h period were greater in both rat strains when tobramycin and polyaspartic acid were given concomitantly. In summary, polyaspartic acid did not alter the concentrations in serum achieved after a single dose of tobramycin in two different rat strains but did result in higher renal concentrations and greater urinary excretion of tobramycin.


Soil erosion causes loss of soil nutrients, decline in crop yields, and reduction in soil productivity. Moreover, soil moved by erosion carries nutrients, pesticides and other harmful farm chemicals into rivers, streams, and ground water resources. Subsequently, protecting soils from erosion is important to sustain landscapes and human life. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have emerged as a powerful tool for handling spatial information and interact well with erosion models to provide robust problem solving capabilities useful for effective decision making. Erosion models often require moderate to high amounts of spatial data, which can be effectively handled through GIS. The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), later Revised (RUSLE), is a relatively simple model that has remained one of the most practical methods for estimating soil erosion potential and the effects of different management practices for over 40 years. Coupling GIS and RUSLE has been shown in many cases to be an effective approach for estimating the magnitude of soil loss and identifying spatial locations vulnerable to soil erosion. The objective of this research was to develop a user-friendly GIS-based application that could quickly estimate soil loss in Büyük Menderes, which is a Mediterranean River Basin through the integration of GIS and erosion modelling. RUSLE was chosen to model erosion due to its simplicity, wide acceptance/use, and manageable data requirements. This study emphasizes that spatial information technology including, remote sensing and GIS with RUSLE erosion modelling approach could be utilized in the spatial and quantitative assessment of erosion risk. The study showed that 2% of the basin is subject to very high erosion risk, 11% has high erosion risk, 33% has medium erosion risk. This erosion risk assessment also pointed the hot spot areas of erosion to related authorities to help in their erosion prevention efforts.


In a crowd model based on leader-follower interactions, where positions of the leaders are viewed as the control input, up-to-date solutions rely on knowledge of the agents' coordinates. In practice, it is more realistic to exploit knowledge of statistical properties of the group of agents, rather than their exact positions. In order to shape the crowd, we study thus the problem of controlling the moments instead, since it is well known that shape can be determined by moments. An optimal control for the moments tracking problem is obtained by solving a modified Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equation, which only uses the moments and leaders' states as feedback. The optimal solution can be solved fast enough for on-line implementations.


Criminal law in a totalitarian state — a North Korean case studyIt is hard to imagine that in the 21st century there is a state in which a joke, a yawn during a political speech or singing pop songs is punishable by death, and for accidentally breaking the bust of the chief, putting newspaper with his image on the floor or other manifestations of "disobedience" one can be sent to a concentration camp with one's whole family — three generations back. Meanwhile, it is not just an Orwellian vision of the world, but the North Korean reality.This article aims to analyze the North Korean penal code and, consequently, to find the answer to the question of whether criminal law in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is an instrument of a totalitarian state policy and, if so, of what kind.


Anomalies of the coronary arteries are uncommon and often asymptomatic. Double right coronary artery (RCA) is a very rare coronary anomaly. So far, the number of reported cases of double RCA is low. We describe a case of a 50-year-old female patient hospitalised with the diagnosis of unstable angina pectoris. RCA injection showed filling of two separately originating RCA, coursing towards the right atrioventricular groove. Coronary angioplasty was successful.


We briefly review the basis of the indirect boundary element method (IBEM) and apply it to compute the seismic response of three-dimensional topographic features for incident P and S waves. The method is based on the integral representation for scattered and diffracted waves using single-layer boundary sources. This approach is called indirect because source strengths should be obtained as an intermediate step. Boundary conditions lead to a system of integral equations for surface's sources. The discretization is based on the approximate rectification of involved surfaces using circles. This allows simple numerical and analytical integration of the exact Green's function for an unbounded, homogeneous, isotropic elastic space. In previous work, the accuracy of this approach has been verified. However, a serious limitation comes from the maximum frequency of interest because the size of the coefficient matrix grows as the square of frequency, and it can be easily too large for problems of practical interest. To overcome this difficulty, various threshold criteria were designed taking advantage from the significant spatial decay exhibited by Green's functions. Fast approximate solutions were obtained by using sparse matrix computations. Encouraging results are presented.


We consider the Cartan subalgebra of any very extended algebra G+++ where G is a simple Lie algebra and let the parameters be space-time fields. These are identified with diagonal metrics and dilatons. Using the properties of the algebra, we find that for all triple extensions G+++ of simple Lie algebras there are theories of gravity and matter, which admit classical solutions carrying representations of the Weyl group of G+++. We also identify the T and S-dualities of superstrings and of the bosonic string with Weyl reflections and outer automorphisms of well-chosen very extended algebras and we exhibit specific features of the triple extensions. We take these results as indication that very extended algebras underlie symmetries of any consistent theory of gravity and matter, and might encode basic information for the construction of such theory. Research Associate F.N.R.S.


Abstract Objective: To develop the cross-cultural validation and assessment of the psychometric properties of the Questionnaire about the quality and satisfaction dimensions of patients with primary health care.Methods: Methodological cultural adaptation and assessment study of the psychometric properties, involving 398 users from a primary care service. The construct validity was verified through principal components factor analysis and internal consistency assessment as determined by Cronbach's alpha, using SPSS.Results: A factorial structure was identified that is equivalent to the original instrument, showing six factors that explain 70.81% of the total variance. All internal consistency coefficients were higher than 0.84, indicating appropriate psychometric properties.Conclusion: The results show that the Brazilian Portuguese version of the instrument is culturally and linguistically appropriate to assess the satisfaction of users attended in primary care services. Descritores Pesquisa em enfermagem; Enfermagem de atencao primaria; Enfermagem em saude publica; Estudos de validacao; Satisfacao do usuario; Atencao primaria a saude


A kind of water-based material which can absorb mine gas and suppress gas explosion was designed for the purpose of keeping the coal mine safe. The anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was used as the main gas absorbent according to the micelle solubilization of surfactant, and castor oil was used as absorption enhancer in this material. Methane was regarded as a model of mine gas. The volume fraction of methane absorption was measured by head space gas chromatography. The state of the aggregates in the material was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The explosion suppression effect was tested by self-made explosion chamber which can simulate gas explosion. Also the methane absorption rate of the water-based material was tested in practice of coal mine. The results showed that the maximum volume fraction of methane absorption of the SDS + castor oil aqueous solution can reach up to 12.65%; with the addition of castor oil, the structure of aggregates in SDS aqueous solution system changed from spherical to lamellar, so it can provide greater non-polar microenvironment for methane; the water-based material can lower the maximum explosion pressure to some extent when it was sprayed into the explosion chamber in atomization condition before ignition; field test on methane absorption showed that the methane absorption ratio can reach up to 16.7%, which is much higher than the experimental value.


This paper presents an indirect current control scheme for utility interface applications. The scheme, which employs a single-phase half-bridge voltage-source inverter and a third order T-filter, is based on sensing the capacitor current of the load filter in an inner feedback control loop and the capacitor voltage in an outer voltage control loop to ensure that both the load voltage and current follow reference sinusoidal waveforms. The stability of the proposed scheme is investigated using the state-space averaging technique and the root locus method. The results of the stability analysis are used to select appropriate feedback control variables that produce stable feedback operation. Computer simulation results of the proposed utility interface system for operation of the power circuit from 'cold' start to full load is presented. It is shown that the proposed control scheme offers improved performance for utility interface applications. It is simple to implement, and is capable of producing nearly perfect sinusoidal line current and voltage waveforms at any desired power factor with moderate switching frequency and reasonable size of filter parameters.<<ETX>>


The steady-state regulation error in power converters that use the conventional hysteresis-modulation- based sliding mode controller can be suppressed through the incorporation of an additional integral term of the state variables into the controller. However, it is found that with the indirect type of sliding mode controller (derived based on the equivalent control approach), the same approach of integral sliding mode control is ineffective in alleviating the converter's steady-state error. Moreover, the error increases as the converter's switching frequency decreases. This paper presents an in-depth study of the phenomenon and offers a solution to the problem. Specifically, it is proposed that an additional double-integral term of the controlled variables to be adopted for constructing the sliding surface of indirect sliding mode controllers. Experimental results are provided for verification.


Clinical observations indicate that diabetes leads to micro- and macroangiopathy involving endothelial dysfunction. Because recent studies indicate an antiangiopathic effect of celiprolol, but not of metoprolol, in type 1 diabetes, we investigated the direct influence of exposure to high D-glucose concentrations on endothelial cells and the possible effects of both beta-blockers. Nine different chronic treatments were carried out on cultured porcine aortic endothelial cells: 1) 5 mmol/l D-glucose ("normoglycemic" cells), 2) 5 mmol/l D-glucose plus 15 mmol/l L-glucose (osmotic control), 3) 5 mmol/l D-glucose plus 0.5 micromol/l celiprolol, 4) 5 mmol/l D-glucose plus 0.05 micromol/l metoprolol, 5) 5 mmol/l D-glucose plus 0.5 micromol/l celiprolol plus 5 micromol/l propranolol, 6) 20 mmol/l D-glucose ("hyperglycemic" cells), 7) 20 mmol/l D-glucose plus 0.5 micromol/l celiprolol, 8) 20 mmol/l D-glucose plus 0.05 micromol/l metoprolol, and 9) 20 mmol/l D-glucose plus 0.5 micromol/l celiprolol plus 5 micromol/l propranolol. Using the Fura-2 technique, application of either 1 nmol/l bradykinin or 1 micromol/l ATP to the normoglycemic endothelial cells led to a significant increase in intracellular calcium, whereas the hyperglycemic cells showed significantly less reactivity to both agents. Exposure of endothelial cells to L-glucose did not show any difference to normoglycemic controls. Coadministration of 20 mmol/l glucose and celiprolol demonstrated that the alteration of the calcium signal induced by high D-glucose concentrations could be significantly antagonized with celiprolol. In contrast, coincubation with metoprolol failed to normalize the calcium signal. This effect of celiprolol was completely abolished in the presence of propranolol. In normoglycemic cells, none of the beta-blockers influenced the intracellular calcium response to bradykinin or ATP. These results indicate that chronic treatment with high D-glucose concentrations leads to an impairment of calcium signaling, which might be ameliorated by celiprolol.


Local delivery of physical energy, such as heat, is promising for the treatment of target lesions without the unintended distribution of heat to other normal tissue. However, the heating device must be equipped with an external power source or strong magnetic field to operate the device, and many of them are too large to be placed inside the body. In this regard, wireless, lightweight, flexible electronics can be used for the miniaturization of implantable devices. In this study, a flexible induction heating (IH) device is reported that integrates inkjet‐printed wirings and flexible polymeric thin films, specifically Au nanoink‐based wirings (thickness: 1.5 µm) and a biodegradable poly(D, L‐lactic acid) (PDLLA) thin film (thickness: 5 µm). A unique method of transferring the inkjet‐printed Au nanoink wiring onto the PDLLA thin film realizes the integration of the following technical features in one device: biocompatible packaging, a printed IH system, and body conformability. The resulting thin‐film IH device is successfully placed on a hepatic lobe of a beagle dog, which allows for a local increase in temperature of 7 °C after 1‐min power feeding without tissue inflammation. The thin‐film IH device is expected to provide minimally invasive thermotherapy when combined with endoscopic surgery.


Background Stroke is a severe condition with high morbidity and mortality. Despite treatment effects in acute stroke being predominantly time dependent (e.g. thrombolysis and thrombectomy), proven treatments are hospital based and require prior brain scanning to identify intracerebral haemorrhage. Commencing treatment in the ambulance could dramatically reduce time to treatment. Methods The rapid intervention with glyceryl trinitrate in hypertensive stroke trial-2 (RIGHT-2) is a multicentre prospective randomised single-blind blinded-endpoint parallel group trial assessing the safety and efficacy of ambulance-based, paramedic-delivered glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) when administered within 4 hours of stroke onset. Paramedics trained in RIGHT-2 procedures assess, take appropriate consent and enrol eligible FAST-positive patients and apply the first of four GTN or sham transdermal patches that are continued during hospital admission. Timings, vital signs and distances are recorded. Results 317 participants enrolled across five UK NHS ambulance services were assessed in this interim analysis. Median [interquartile range] timings in minutes were: symptom onset to 999 call 14 [5, 52], call-dispatch 2 [1, 6], onset-randomisation 60 [40, 105], scene-randomisation 21 [14, 31] with no difference between participants scoring FAST 2 or 3, scene-departure 32 [25, 40]), departure-hospital 16 [10, 24]. All timings were comparable to a cohort of 49 stroke patients across East Midlands Ambulance Service who were not enrolled in to RIGHT-2, e.g. scene-departure 32 [23, 40]. Conclusions Randomisation of participants to an ambulance-based stroke trial is possible with paramedics rapidly identifying eligible patients, gaining appropriate consent, randomising and commencing treatment en route to hospital without prolonging time spent on scene.


: Four important events of fertilization in the sea urchin are: 1) the acrosome reaction of the sperm, 2) sperm-egg fusion, 3) the cortical reaction of the egg, and 4) the formation of the fertilization coat. The acrosome reaction is triggered by contact of the sperm with the jelly coat, a complex extracellular matrix surrounding the egg. This causes rapid fluxes of ions, fusion of the acrosome membrane with the plasma membrane, and extension of the acrosomal filament. The acrosome membrane inserted into thesperm plasma membrane covers the acrosomal filament and contacts the plasma membrane of the egg to initiate sperm-egg fusion. One consequence of sperm-egg fusion is insertion of the sperm plasma membrane into the egg plasma membrane, producing a mosaic patch. The sperm components inserted persist in development and can be identified by quantitative methods after gastrulation. Another consequence of sperm-egg fusion is the cortical reaction in which thousands of vesicles fuse with the egg surface, thereby adding their membranes to the egg plasma membrane and releasing their contents upon the egg surface. This results in an approximate doubling of the amount of membrane on the egg surface in a few seconds and produces a mosaic topography. The excess surface membrane is accommodated by elongation of egg microvilli. The cortical reaction causes a detachment of the egg glycocalyx or vitelline membrane, and this layer is elevated from the egg surface. Contents of the cortical granules combine with and alter the vitelline membrane by a hardening reaction to produce the fertilization coat. Hardening involves a peroxidase-mediated tyrosine crosslinking, requiring a burst of oxygen consumption by the egg to generate hydrogen peroxide and resulting in chemiluminescence. These events are followed by activation of metabolic processes in the egg and changes which protect the egg against polyspermy.


A penetrative composite foliation and stretching lineation in the ophiolite of the Zermatt-Saas-Vanzone region developed under eclogite-facies conditions in mid-Cretaceous time. Eclogite-facies mineral parageneses in this foliation were progressively replaced by blueschist-facies and greenschist- to amphibolite-facies mineral assemblages during Late Cretaceous and mid-Tertiary time and were subsequently completely retrogressed. Kinematic indicators associated with the various stretching lineations of the different metamorphic facies reveal that shearing was initially approximately top-to-west (high-P phase) and changed during the greenschist/amphibolite-facies stage into a top-to-west/northwest orientation. Forethrusting was followed by low-angle normal shearing during the final retrograde phase. This sense of shear was upper block-to-southwest/west-southwest. Unambiguous structural relics of the high-pressure event were not recognized in the gneiss of the Monte Rosa nappe, but the close similarity of the metamorphic evolution of the Zermatt-Saas and Monte Rosa units (including the high-P event) makes a common tectonic history probable. In late Oligocene and Miocene time, the Zermatt-Saas-Vanzone region was affected by an initial phase of backfolding (Mischabel phase, predating top-southwest/west-southwest-directed, low-angle normal shearing) toward the south/southeast followed by a second backfolding event (Vanzone phase). The main geometrical and structural features suggest that the Mischabel phase resulted from vertical extrusion and horizontal intrusion of the ductile basement (Monte Rosa) into shallower units (Antrona and Zermatt-Seas ophiolites) and is in accord with a recently proposed kinematic model for the Central Alps. No clear-cut relations between the second phase of backfolding and the retrograde phase were observed; this suggests that both events took place largely simultaneously. Backfolding northeast of the Simplon line postdated retrograde normal shearing and is of late Miocene age. It is concluded that backfolding in the Zermatt-Saas-Vanzone region cannot be causally linked with backfolding northeast of the Simplon line.


This special issue emerges from a growing recognition of the need for research into; music curriculum matters in higher education. From our perspective, this arises from; a number of observable tendencies in the mainstream of music education studies in; institutional contexts, as gleaned from a review of related literature and conference; programming over the past few decades. First, there is a predominant emphasis on; primary and secondary levels of 'school music', a situation that is hardly surprising; given the overall scale of engagement at both of these levels which in many instances; involves compulsory, statutory education; this is paralleled by a significant level of; interest in research relating to instrumental and vocal education in conservatoires.; Second, it can be observed that, to date, the bulk of music education research carried; out in higher education settings has been primarily concerned with the sub-discipline; itself, that is to say, with the education of future teachers of music in generalist and/or; specialist settings. Increasingly though, this has come to be complemented by a; growing scholarly interest in the education of the professional musician.


Functioning as a "powerhouse", the liver adapts to the
metabolic needs of the body by maintaining a homeostatic balance. Prolactin
receptor (PRLR) has been found
to have a copious existence in the liver. Having established a well-defined role in both reproductive
and endocrine systems, the role of this transmembrane protein in hepatocytes is
yet to be elucidated. Due to its abundant nature, we hypothesized that PRLR is
required for maintaining hepatic homeostasis and plays a role in liver
diseases. To test this hypothesis, we defined two specific aims. The first was
to explore whether PRLR loss-of-function affects liver structure and function
in physiological conditions. The second was to determine whether PRLR is
associated with liver pathology. We deleted the Prlr gene specifically in hepatocytes using a virus-based approach
and evaluated liver function, transcriptome, and activities of downstream signaling
molecules. Due to the absence of PRLR, we found that the urea cycle was
disrupted, concomitant with excessive accumulation of urea in the blood; 133 genes exhibited
differential expression, largely associated with hepatocyte structure,
metabolism, and inflammation; and the activities of STAT3 and 5 were reduced. The
results signify that PRLR indeed plays a homeostatic role in the liver. We also
used Prlr+/- mice to
assess whether the loss of one allele of the Prlr gene alters maternal hepatic adaptations to pregnancy. As a
result, in the pre-pregnancy state and during the first half of gestation, the
expression of maternal hepatic PRLR protein was reduced approximately by half
owing to Prlr insufficiency. However,
during the second half of pregnancy, we observed compensatory upregulation of
this molecule, leading to minimal
interference in
STAT 3 and 5 signaling and liver size. Contrary to a previous study in the
breast and ovary, our results suggest that one allele of Prlr may be sufficient for the maternal liver to respond to this physiological
stimulus (pregnancy). Furthermore, we examined the expression and activity of
PRLR in fatty as well as cholestatic livers. Using a high fat diet, we induced non-alcoholic
fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Strikingly and for the first time, we discovered that the short isoform of PRLR
(PRLR-S) was completely inactivated in response to NAFLD, whereas the long isoform
remained unchanged. This finding strongly suggests the involvement of PRLR-S in
lipid metabolism. We also postulate that PRLR-L may be the major regulator of
STAT signaling in the liver, consistent with other reports. Lastly, we induced
extrahepatic cholestasis via bile duct ligation (BDL) in mice. As this liver
disease progressed, the expression of both isoforms of PRLR generally declined
and was surprisingly accompanied by increased STAT 3 and 5 activity. The data
suggests that PRLR participates in this disease progression, with a
disconnection between PRLR signaling and STAT proteins. Collectively, our preliminary
studies suggest that PRLR signaling is required to maintain liver homeostasis
and more prominently, is involved in liver diseases, especially NAFLD. These
findings lay a foundation for our future studies.


The rheological characteristic parameters of five lithium complex lubricating greases were determined. The comparison of rheological characteristic parameters and microstructure of the five greases was made. The results showed that the knowledge of the rheological properties of lubricating greases may contribute to reflect the change of the thickener structure. The flow transition index characterized the breaking behavior of inner structure of grease, the greater this index, the better that soap fiber structure of grease; The damping factor was shifted from a medium range towards a lower value which resulted in brittle character of sample. At a constant shear rate, the soap fiber structure of complex lithium grease is dense and uniform, apparent viscosity decline rate is small. In this sense, it is relevant to understand how the development of the soap fiber structures in the grease contributes to several functional and rheological properties of lubricating greases.


Lameness in sows has an economic impact on pig production and is a major welfare concern. The aim of the present project was to develop methods to evaluate and quantify lameness in breeding sows. Five methods to study lameness were compared between themselves and with visual gait scoring used as a reference: footprint analysis, kinematics, accelerometers, lying-to-standing transition and foot lesion observation. Fifty sows of various parities and stages of gestation were selected using visual gait scoring and distributed into three groups: lame (L), mildly lame (ML) and non-lame (NL). They were then tested using each method. Kinematics showed that L sows had a lower walking speed than NL sows (L: 0.83 ± 0.04, NL: 0.96 ± 0.03 m/s; P < 0.05), a shorter stride length than ML sows (L: 93.0 ± 2.6, ML: 101.2 ± 1.5 cm; P < 0.05) and a longer stance time than ML and NL sows (L: 0.83 ± 0.03, ML: 0.70 ± 0.03, NL: 0.69 ± 0.02 s; P < 0.01). Accelerometer measurements revealed that L sows spent less time standing over a 24-h period (L: 6.3 ± 1.3, ML: 13.7 ± 2.4, NL: 14.5 ± 2.4%; P < 0.01), lay down earlier after feeding (L: 33.4 ± 4.6, ML: 41.7 ± 3.1, NL: 48.6 ± 2.9 min; P < 0.05) and tended to step more often during the hour following feeding (L: 10.1 ± 2.0, ML: 6.1 ± 0.5, NL: 5.4 ± 0.4 step/min standing; P = 0.06) than NL sows, with the ML sows having intermediate values. Visual observation of back posture showed that 64% of L sows had an arched back, compared with only 14% in NL sows (P = 0.02). Finally, footprint analysis and observation of lying-to-standing transition and foot lesions were not successful in detecting significant differences between L, ML and NL sows. In conclusion, several quantitative variables obtained from kinematics and accelerometers proved to be successful in identifying reliable indicators of lameness in sows. Further work is needed to relate these indicators with causes of lameness and to develop methods that can be implemented on the farm.


The synthesis of 11 peptides, ranging in composition from 9 to 17 amino acid residues, by solid-phase methodology was accomplished with the purpose of studying how the amphiphilic and hydrophobic character, the size of the molecule, and the charge distribution modulate the antibacterial activity. It was found that peptides composed of 16 and 17 amino acid residues, with high hydrophobic (mainly due to Trp or Phe) and hydrophilic (due to Lys) character distributed along opposite amphiphilic faces, showed considerable antibacterial activity against clinically isolated bacteria together with Gram positive and Gram negative ATCC bacterial strains. However, the hemolytic capacity of the peptides was also significant. Decreasing the hydrophobic character of the molecule by replacing Trp or Phe with Leu residues while maintaining the basic contribution of Lys drastically reduced the hemolytic activity and only slightly decreased the bioactivity. Peptides composed of 9-10 amino acid residues with high hydrophobic and basic nature possess antibacterial activity but, in general, are less active than the larger counterpart peptides. By replacing all Trp residues of a short peptide by Leu residues, the activity was considerably reduced. Circular dichroism studies and antibacterial assays showed that shorter peptides with very low helical content, and thus deprived of amphiphilic character, still have appreciable bioactivity. This observation, coupled with the fact that due to their small size they cannot span the bacterial outer lipid bilayer, may suggest different mechanisms of action for long-chain vis-a-vis short-chain peptides.


The financial and economic crisis in America has affected emerging market (such as Indonesia). Indonesia now is lacking liquidity funds to finance its economic development. US Federal Government has bailed out and helped most multinational corporations to avoid bankruptcy and to stimlat economic growth. To fulfill the need for development financing, Indonesia may consider Islamic products financing that has been known in International financial market such as SUKUK. Fortunately, Indonesia has ratified SUKUK Act therefore, Indonesia may issue an Islamic financial scheme. The funds owned by a number of Middle Eeast investors as well as western investors have invested in Islamic scheme finance. So SUKUK can be another alternative that can be offered by Indonesian government as a source of public funds to finance economic development. Keywords: Sukuk, Islamic Finance, SBSN, Public Finance.


Background and Objectives: Tubulointerstitial fibrosis (TIF), the common pathway of chronic kidney disease (CKD) to end-stage kidney disease, is sorely lacking of effective drugs in prevention, even synthetic chemical drugs have made significant progress. Therefore, this study was to investigate the effects of Danhong (active agents of Salvia miltiorrhiza and safflower Carthamus) on TIF in early CKD with unilateral nephrectomy animal model. Materials and Methods: Forty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups (each n = 10): A, control; B, CKD; C, CKD + Danhong; and D, CKD + Losartan. In Group A and B, rats were treated with normal saline for 12 weeks. In Group C and D, rats were treated with Danhong (8 mL/kg/day) and losartan (20 mg/kg/day), respectively. The concentrations of angiotensin II (Ang II) and transforming growth factor (TGF-β) in kidney were measured by immunohistochemistry technique and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The relationship among the indicators relating to TIF was analyzed. Data were collected and analyzed using SPSS software. Results: The concentrations of Ang II and TGF-β in renal cortex homogenate, TGF-β1 positive area in renal cortex tissue, and semi-quantitative nephropathological scores of TIF were dramatically lower in CKD rats treated with Danhong, compare with those without Danhong management. Conclusions: Danhong has a protective effect on TIF in CKD rats, similar to losartan, may through a series of approach including suppression of Ang II and TGF-β in kidney.


The increase in extreme flooding in urban areas has sparked research interest in the quantitative impact of climate and land use change on flooding in cities. This article presents the results of a study that evaluated climate change and urbanization effects on flood hydrographs. General circulation models (GCMs) were applied to determine global climate change in the coming 100 years depending on various developmental trends and global greenhouse gas emission scenarios. A statistical downscaling methodology was applied on GCMs to generate local future climate data at high resolution. The Future projections of land use change data were combined together with the climate change predictions data and inserted into a hydrological model in order to estimate peak flood discharge rates at Kigali city in Rwanda for considered scenarios. The outcomes of the study show that the downscaled mean annual rainfall indicates neither systematic increments nor decrements in the next 100 years. The hydrological modeling results show the considerable impact of climate change by decreasing the expected flood peaks, whereas the land use change will cause a significant increase in floods. The land use change impacts predominate the climate change impacts at overall evaluation of floods.


Temporally varying turbulent flows are of considerable interest in complex engineering problems such as combustion, hydrodynamics, and hemodynamics. These types of flows are often associated with complex flow physics such as varying mean pressure gradients, interactions of different scales of motion, and complex boundary layer separations. Hybrid Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS)/Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) methods have recently shown promise for accurate and computationally efficient simulation of these flows. One such method is the dyanamic hybrid RANS-LES (DHRL) model which has been demonstrated for numerous statistically stationary turbulent flows. More recently, it has been shown that Exponential Time-Averaging (ETA) and Dynamic Time Filtering (DTF) methods for obtaining resolved flow statistics have significantly improved the predictive capabilities of the Dynamic Hybrid RANS-LES (DHRL) model performance for a non-stationary turbulent flows with periodically time-varying statistics. However, for non-periodic temporally evolving flows with monotonically varying statistics, a more suitable alternative is desired. In this study, the performance of the Dynamic Hybrid RANS-LES (DHRL) model with a double exponential dynamic time filtering (DDTF) methodology is evaluated against a Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) model, a conventional Hybrid RANS-LES (HRL) model, implicit LES, and the DHRL model with DTF for a pulsating channel and a temporally-varying turbulent mixing layer. Model performance is evaluated based on comparisons to existing experimental and Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) results. A comprehensive analysis of the results highlights key similarities and differences between the models and indicates that the use of a double exponential DTF technique improves the accuracy of the baseline DHRL model. It is concluded that the DDTF is a useful alternative to simulate unsteady non-periodic temporally evolving turbulent flows.


This thesis focuses on the portfolio optimisation problems, which concern with allocating the limited capital to invest in a number of potential assets (investments) in order to achieve the investors risk appetites and the return objectives. In the 1950s, Harry Markowitz proposed a mean-variance portfolio optimisation model, which is widely regarded as the foundation of the modern portfolio theory. However, the basic Markowitz mean-variance model has limited practical utilities since it omits many constraints existed in real world trading. The problem quickly becomes more complex with the additional real-world trading constraints involved.

One main problem of the mean-variance portfolio optimisation framework is that it relies on the perfect information. In practice, the problems faced in portfolio optimisation are more complex since many sources of market uncertainty are involved. Moreover, different risk measures need to be adopted in order to have a better reflection of the asymmetry nature of asset returns.

The thesis firstly studies the single-period mean-variance portfolio optimisation model with two practical trading constraints. Hereafter, a two-stage scenario-based stochastic portfolio optimisation model is developed. The two-stage stochastic programming model minimises the excess shortfall of portfolios which are captured by the CVaR risk measure. The two-stage stochastic programming model can capture the market uncertainty in terms of future asset prices and it enables the investors rebalancing the assets in a dynamic setting. A copula-based method is applied to generate scenarios to represent uncertainty in future asset prices in accordance with their historical information. Stability
tests are also performed and the results confirm that the scenario generation method is appropriate for the model.

Three hybrid algorithms which hybridise metaheuristics and exact methods in an integrated manner are presented to solve the two models. The principle of designing hybrid methods in this thesis can be described as: metaheuristic algorithms are adopted to search for the assets combination heuristically and exact methods are applied to calculate the corresponding assets weights optimally. For the cardinality constrained mean-variance model, a combinatorial algorithm which hybridises a PSO and the mathematical programming method is proposed to address the problem. For the two-stage stochastic programming model, a hybrid algorithm which integrates a GA and a LP solver is presented to address the problem and a hybrid combinatorial approach which integrates a PBIL-based metaheuristic and a LP solver is developed to address the problem with a large number of scenarios. One main advantage of the hybridisation approach is that it can guarantee the optimal weight allocation of the identified asset combinations.

Some useful strategies for different metaheuristics are investigated in order to keep a balance between algorithms' exploration and exploitation. Some useful mechanisms are also adopted in order to enhance the search efficiency and achieve a global better performance. The results have shown that such hybridisation strategy can achieve synergetic effects through the integration of multiple components.


Study methodologies of supersaturated state are fast developing as pharmaceutical industry is adopting supersaturating drug delivery systems (SDDS) to overcome the solubility issue of drugs. The "parachute" of sobriquet "spring-and-parachute", which indicates delayed or slowed intraluminal precipitation of drug from SDDS, is of immense importance to formulation scientists since optimal attainment of "parachute" governs the success of SDDS in stabilizing supersaturated state that ensues in enhancement of bioavailability. The studies carried out so far for precipitation assessments have ignored the stochastic nature of nucleation and lack absolute mathematical approach. In the current study, the supersaturated state has been studied in a quantitative manner through microarray plate method with application of the classical nucleation theory (CNT) equation for determination of precipitation kinetics. This microarray plate method is an attempt to pursue the principle of miniaturization in supersaturation assays and involves comprehensive measurements that allows for accounting of the stochastic nature of nucleation. Overcoming the drawbacks of reproducibility and greater material requirement of existing methods, this study aims to quantify the rate of in vivo precipitation through understanding of precipitation profile of model drug, celecoxib, in biorelevant media. Quantification of nucleation rates was made through CNT using tailored criteria and visually represented through temporal precipitation distribution (TPD) plots. Supersaturation stability was also compared through metastable zone width (MSZW). Optical microscopy helped in visualizing the dynamics of precipitation, while solid state characterization assisted in understanding the nature of obtained precipitates. This study identified the short-lived supersaturation of celecoxib and its tendency to precipitate under fasted conditions, which can be correlated with in vivo behavior for formulation design.


The youth constitutes the largest user base of social media networks. While this generation has grown up in a digitally immersed environment, they are still not immune to the dangers the online space bears. Hence, maintaining their privacy is paramount. The present article presents a theoretical contribution, that is based on a review of relevant articles. It sets out to investigate the importance adolescents attribute to online privacy, which is likely to influence their willingness to disclose data. In line with a "new privacy paradox", information disclosure is seen as unavoidable, given the centrality of social networks to adolescents' lives. This goes hand in hand with individual privacy management. As individuals often lack knowledge as to how to protect their privacy, it is essential to educate the youth about their possibilities, equipping them with agency and self-responsibilization. This corresponds with a teen-centric approach to privacy as proposed by the TOSS framework.


The recent amalgamation of transformer and convolutional designs has led to steady improvements in accuracy and efficiency of the models. In this work, we introduce FastViT, a hybrid vision transformer architecture that obtains the state-of-the-art latency-accuracy trade-off. To this end, we introduce a novel token mixing operator, RepMixer, a building block of FastViT, that uses structural reparameterization to lower the memory access cost by removing skip-connections in the network. We further apply train-time overparametrization and large kernel convolutions to boost accuracy and empirically show that these choices have minimal effect on latency. We show that - our model is 3.5x faster than CMT, a recent state-of-the-art hybrid transformer architecture, 4.9x faster than EfficientNet, and 1.9x faster than ConvNeXt on a mobile device for the same accuracy on the ImageNet dataset. At similar latency, our model obtains 4.2% better Top-1 accuracy on ImageNet than MobileOne. Our model consistently outperforms competing architectures across several tasks -- image classification, detection, segmentation and 3D mesh regression with significant improvement in latency on both a mobile device and a desktop GPU. Furthermore, our model is highly robust to out-of-distribution samples and corruptions, improving over competing robust models. Code and models are available at https://github.com/apple/ml-fastvit.


Cells of mouse spleen obtained 48 h after foster splenectomy, foster hepatectomy, resection of 2/3 of spleen or 36 h after resection of 2/3 of liver were introduced intravenously into partially hepatectomized (resection of 2/3 or 1/4 of liver) syngeneic recipients. Cells of regenerating spleen sharply inhibited the mitotic activity of cells of the recipient liver following resection of 1/4 of liver 48 h after the operation and introduction of cells. Inhibition proved to be dose-dependent: it became apparent when 30 million cells were introduced, increased at a dose of 60 million cells and remained at the same level at higher doses. Division of hepatocytes after resection of 1/4 of liver was inhibited by spleen cells taken in the donors 36 h after partial hepatectomy. Spleen cells of intact and pseudo-operated donors had no such ability. Introduction of 60 million of cells of the regenerating spleen and of the spleen of partially hepatectomized animals into recipients with resection of 2/3 of liver did not inhibit reliably the division of hepatocytes, thus indicating the dependence of inhibition on the level of suppressors in the organism. Resection of a major part of liver was accompanied by a greater decrease in the activity of endogenous suppressors which could not be recovered by the introduced cells. Inhibition of cell division by suppressors was not organ specific. Suppressors inhibited proliferation in liver irrespective of the site of operation.


The iron and zinc calcium oxysulfides Ca3Fe4S3O6, CaFeSO and CaZnSO are synthesized by reacting mixtures of CaO and FeS or of CaO and ZnS in an inert atmosphere. Their elemental compositions and lattice parameters are determined by X-ray microanalysis and X-ray diffraction. From the temperature-dependent lattice parameters of oxysulfides (measured up to 1170K) their thermal expansion coefficients are evaluated. Oxidation Ca3Fe4S3O6 and CaZnSO are studied by thermogravimetric analysis when air heated. Oxidation speed temperature coefficients showing that process limiting stage is diffusion are determined.


Public health information dissemination represents an interesting combination of broadcasting, sharing, and retrieving relevant health information. Social media-based public health information dissemination offers some particularly interesting characteristics, as individual users or members of the public actually carry out the actions that constitute the dissemination. These actions also may inherently provide novel evaluative information from a document computing perspective, providing information in relation to both documents and indeed the social media users or health consumers themselves. This paper discusses the novel aspects of social media-based public health information dissemination, including a comparison of its characteristics with search engine-based Web document retrieval. A preliminary analysis of a sample of public health advice tweets taken from a larger sample of over 4700 tweets sent by Australian health-related organization in February 2012 is described. Various preliminary measures are analyzed from this data to initially suggest possible characteristics of public health information dissemination and document evaluation in micro-blog-based systems based on this sample.


Polybromodiphenyl ethers are a family of 209 congeners widely used as brominated flame retardants in consumer products (computers, polyurethane foams, carpet...). They have the potential to be released from the product into the environment and are suspected to be associated with endocrine disruption. PBDE are ubiquitous and persistent in environment, but the repartition in environmental media and the population exposure are not well known. The aims of this project, supported by ANSES and the French Ministry of Environment, was to compare measurements of PBDEs in dust and air from offices and in the blood of their occupants and to explain PBDE levels with declared exposures. The protocol was accepted by different ethic comities. The first step was to develop and optimize some sampling and analysis methods for blood, air and dust. Eleven congeners were studied. Methods qualified for this study are discussed in other papers. In the second step, about thirty volunteers and their own office were included in the study. They answered questionnaires, had air and dust sampling in their office and blood sampling. PBDEs concentrations in blood ranged from 0,2-12,5 ng/g serum (mean is 2 ng/g serum), the major congener is BDE209. For most congeners, values are in the range of those found in European studies. The project does not reveal any significant relationship between concentrations in the air and the dust deposited in the investigated offices and blood levels of the occupants. For this group of people, the organization of the offices (number of computers, windows opening, stage, etc.) doesn't significantly impact the blood concentrations. These results cannot be applied to other populations. Transports and fish consumption could have an impact on the concentrations. Those relationships could be further investigated in a larger group using most specific tools.


Three new species of fossil Chicoreus and two new Recent species are described from the western Atlantic region. The fossil species are: C. elusivus, from the late lower Miocene Chipola Formation of northwestern Florida; C. xestos, from the middle Pliocene Pinecrest beds of southwestern Florida; and C. prolixus from the Pleistocene Mom Formation of Costa Rica. The Recent species are C. mergus and C. bullisi. In addition, a form that occurs in the Recent fauna of the Gulf of Mexico, here identified as C. dilectus variety, becomes the first record of the genus in the early Pliocene Agueguexquite Formation of Veracruz, Mexico. The earliest occurrence of C. brevifrons is noted in the middle Miocene (?) Encanto Formation of Mexico. Chicoreus argo is shown to be a synonym of C. spectrum, a Caribbean Recent species.


Background Elderly dementia patients are prescribed cholecalciferol (vitamin D) when institutionalized in one of our wards. We follow guidelines from the Dutch Health Council, which are evidence-based. No large-scale research, or guidelines are available on vitamin D deficiency and suppletion in institutionalized patient with HD, Korsakov's syndrome or Acquired Brain Injury. Chel et alfound high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency among 28 patients in a Dutch Skilled Nursing Facility. Method In 21 institutionalized HD patients we did blood tests to determine the level of vitamin D (serum 25(OH)D level). In these patients, blood samples had to be drawn for other indications, and the vit D level was assessed at the same time. Aim Assess the prevalence and level of vitamin D deficiency in our institutionalized HD patients. Results We found deficiency in all patients included. Mean was 25 nmol/l. Range was 3 – 51 nmol/l (rev. 50-150 nmol/l). Some of these patients are on a high kcal diet, adding drinks/meal replacements with added vitamins to their daily intake. Conclusions Vitamin D deficiency is common in advanced HD. Recommendations We recommend lab tests on admission, and prescribe monthly vitamin D to all HD patients with deficiency. In severe deficiency a weekly dose is given for three months. Contra indications (sarcoidosis, hyperkalemia, hyperparathyroidism) should be taken into account by prescribers. Exposure to the sun on a daily basis for at least 30 minutes is not always realistic, but advisable. References Chel VG, Ooms ME, van der Bent J, Veldkamp F, et al. High prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in patients with manifest Huntington disease: An explorative study. Dermatoendocrinol2013;5(3):348-51


ABSTRACT
Background:
Over the past 20 years, there have been relatively few changes in implant designs. Most systems are manufactured from commercially pure titanium with turned threads, are sprayed with plasma, are coated with hydroxyapatite, or have an oxide surface. The majority of dental implants have not been designed for differing bone morphologies. Today patients have high esthetic demands that require modifications of implant designs to fulfill their expectations.

Purpose:
This article evaluates the problems encountered when trying to achieve an optimum esthetic outcome with dental implants. Implants and abutment designs, biologic width, ridge anatomy, and timing of implant placement all affect esthetic results. Each of these factors is discussed and is related to the introduction of a new scalloped implant design. The purpose of the scalloped design is to keep or create interdental bony peaks that support the soft tissue, thereby maintaining or creating interimplant papillae.

Methods:
Clinical documentation of patients treated with the scalloped implant is presented. The esthetic outcome can be determined by comparing clinical documentation prior to and after treatment.

Conclusions:
The scalloped implant provides clinicians and patients with the option of improving esthetic outcomes. Placement and restoration of this implant are important when planning implant treatment in the esthetic zone.


Advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have made it possible to automate human-level visual search and perception tasks on the massive sets of image data shared on social media on a daily basis. However, AI-based automated filters are highly susceptible to deliberate image attacks that can lead to content misclassification of cyberbulling, child sexual abuse material (CSAM), adult content, and deepfakes.
One of the most effective methods to defend against such disturbances is adversarial training, but this comes at the cost of generalization for unseen attacks and transferability across models. In this article, we propose a robust defense against adversarial image attacks, which is model agnostic and generalizable to unseen adversaries. We begin with a baseline model, extracting the latent representations for each class and adaptively clustering the latent representations that share a semantic similarity. Next, we obtain the distributions for these clustered latent representations along with their originating images. We then learn semantic reconstruction dictionaries (SRD). We adversarially train a new model constraining the latent space representation to minimize the distance between the adversarial latent representation and the true cluster distribution. To purify the image, we decompose the input into low and high-frequency components. The high-frequency component is reconstructed based on the best SRD from the clean dataset. In order to evaluate the best SRD, we rely on the distance between the robust latent representations and semantic cluster distributions. The output is a purified image with no perturbations.
Evaluations using comprehensive datasets including image benchmarks and social media images demonstrate that our proposed purification approach guards and enhances the accuracy of AI-based image filters for unlawful and harmful perturbed images considerably.


Background: To investigate the occurrence of pneumonia in the real world among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, or asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS) treated with two different inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), budesonide vs fluticasone. Methods: National registry data were collected from the Korean National Health Insurance Research Database, comprising 1,025,340 random subjects who were selected from 46,605,433 Korean residents in 2002. Patients with asthma or COPD who used budesonide or fluticasone for the first time since 2003 were enrolled. Pneumonia and ICS-related pneumonia (pneumonia with history of ICS usage within 3 months) were counted. Pneumonia was identified if ICD-10 diagnosis and antibiotics were prescribed within 2 day. Results: A total of 15,476 patients were enrolled and there were 2,707 patients with pneumonia during follow-up periods. Univariate analysis showed that pneumonia were more frequent in patients with older age, higher daily ICS dose, more severe asthma/COPD in terms of admission and emergency room visits, and fluticasone usage. However there were no differences in pneumonia between fluticasone and budesonide after adjustments for daily dose of ICS. Among 2,707 patients with pneumonia, there were 868 patients (30%) with ICS-related pneumonia. But among them, 209 (209/868, 14.3%) patients started ICS within 1 week before pneumonia and ICS-related pneumonia were more prevalent in patients with older age and higher severity of asthma/COPD. Conclusion: Pneumonia and ICS-related pneumonia were prevalent in ICS users for asthma and COPD who were older age and showed higher severity.


Styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) is foremost synthetic rubber usedmainlyin combinationwith reinforcing fillers for automotive tire treads. Carbon black and silica are themost important reinforcing fillers and surface chemistryof both these fillers is different. OneSBRcompound filledwith carbon black (CB) only and one compound filedwithCBand silicawere prepared and vulcanized.The thermal oxidative stabilityof obtained SBR-CBand SBR-CB-Si sampleswas tested by differentmethods. The thermogravimetric curve fromthermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) shows main difference between both samples in ceramic yield athightemperatures.Thedifferential thermogravimetric curve shows two distinct peaks of diverse shape for samples with and without silica. One peak for compound SBR-CB and two peaks for compound SBROriginal CB-Siwere obtained bydifferential scanning calorimetry (DCS). Themost significant difference between samples SBR-CB and SBR-CB-Si shows ratio (loss factor) / (absolute value of complex tensilemodulus) in dependence on temperature, measured by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA).Chemical differences between SBR-CB and SBR-CB-Si samples, caused by presence of silica and detectable by FTIR spectroscopy, endure prolonged heating ofmaterials and explain different thermal degradation course of both samples. Surface chemistryof fillers so influences not onlyinteractions filler-fillerandfiller-polymer(connected withmechanical properties ofmaterials) but also complex of chemical reactions connectedwith stability of polymers.


Plasmid pRSVL persisted and expressed luciferase for at least 19 months in mouse skeletal muscle after intramuscular injection. Other injected plasmids also stably expressed long-term suggesting that any plasmid DNA could stably persist and express in muscle. Plasmid DNA was demonstrated by quantitative PCR in some of the muscle DNA samples for at least 19 months after injection. The methylation pattern of the plasmid DNA remained in its bacterial form indicating that the foreign DNA did not replicate in the muscle cells. The electroporation of total cellular DNA from injected muscles into bacteria indicated that the plasmid DNA was extrachromosomal. Chromosomal integration of plasmid DNA was searched for by electroporating the injected muscle DNA into bacteria after restriction enzyme digestion and ligation. No plasmids containing plasmid/chromosome junctions were observed in over 1800 colonies examined. Lack of integration increases the theoretical safety of this gene transfer technique. Long-term stability of plasmid DNA in muscle indicates that muscle is an attractive target tissue for the introduction of extrachromosomal plasmid or viral DNA for the purpose of gene therapy.


Despite some evidence of its usefulness, performance measurement by using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in the construction industry also has its critics. Among the shortcomings attributed to existing KPIs is the fact that almost all of them are product oriented. This means that the indicators are mostly used for review purposes after a project is completed and do not provide the opportunity to control the work whilst the project is still in progress. Many researchers have agreed on the need for a new approach that considers the construction process and allows active control. This paper describes the design of a proposed generic system for measuring process performance. As a basis for measuring process performance, the proposed measurement system relies on a series of questions related to both process completeness and process quality. The structure of the measurement system is on the basis of the findings of an earlier stage of the research that had resulted in the development of a number of process-based KPIs and the key issues they encompass. The appropriateness of the proposed measurement system has been tested on two on-going projects. The testing has shown that the proposed system produces relatively accurate indications of actual performance of construction projects. In this research, it was not possible to test the validity or the effectiveness of the proposed measurement system for control in practice. This is because of the long timescales involved in real-life projects and because of the possible influence of control actions taken by project management between the various processes


The aim of this study was relative variation quantification of the total electric field (EF) sum in a region very close to a dental root of the first molar tooth for two different materials: dentine (before implantation) and titanium (present in a screw after implantation), due to development of electrical charges generated by chewing force on the tooth. Because bone is a piezoelectric material, mechanical strain that is generated by chewing force on bone adjacent to the dental root produces electrical charges. Relative variations in the EF sum values with distance of nodes from the centerline of the root was observed for both cases and studied for two different boundary voltage conditions. Simulation and analysis were performed using the commercial finite-element analysis package ANSYS14. The detailed convergence analysis validated the effectiveness and accuracy of finite-element simulations. Before and after implantation, a significant variation in generation of electric charges at adjacent bone of the dental root was observed. We found that the differences in stress generation at the adjacent bone for those cases were just 5%, on average.


Human intracranial EEG (iEEG) recordings are primarily performed in epileptic patients for presurgical mapping purpose. When patients perform cognitive tasks, iEEG signals reveal high-frequency neural activities (HFA, between 40 Hz and 150 Hz) with exquisite anatomical, functional and temporal specificity. Such HFA were originally interpreted in the context of perceptual or motor binding, in line with animal studies on gamma-band ('40Hz') neural synchronization. Today, our understanding of HFA has evolved into a more general index of cortical processing: task-induced HFA would reveal, with excellent spatial and time resolution, the participation of local neural ensembles to the task-at-hand and the neural communication mechanisms allowing them to do so. This review promotes the claim that studying HFA with iEEG provides insights into the neural bases of cognition that cannot be derived as easily from other approaches, such as fMRI. We provide a series of examples supporting that claim, drawn from studies on memory, language and default-mode networks, and succesful attempts of real-time functional mapping.


Digital television is one of the biggest broadcasting media available. All over the world television companies are rearranging their broadcasting from analogue to digital transmission. Former standard disagreements in the analogue era have lead to an agreement of one common European standard for digital television. Countries like USA and Japan have their own similar standards.The report consists of two objectives; a survey of the most commonly used standards for digital television today and the construction of a prototype receiver for the second generation satellite DVB-standard.A thorough literature study and careful design resulted in a fully functioning system. Measurements performed on the DVB-S sections gave exemplary results. Comparing these results with corresponding measurements performed on the DVB-S2 section showed much better performance for DVB-S2 with the same code rates. This shows some of the advantages of the new standard and proving the coding theory right. New coding algorithms make it possible to transmit more information on noisier channels of inferior quality. In laymen's words; DVB-S2 gives a better picture and more television channels on the same satellite compared to DVB-S.


Activation sequence in the atria was investigated in 35 dogs. The atria were studied as four regions, and activation sequence in one region was determined in each experiment. In each region 60 electrograms were recorded simultaneously from bipolar electrodes. The maximal first derivative of the electrograms was taken as activation time. Dried atrial specimens, which permitted identification of pectinate muscles, crista terminalis, and the axis of fiber direction, were prepared. Nonuniform activation was demonstrated with more rapid conduction over the long axis of fiber direction and in Bachmann's bundle, crista terminalis, and pectinate muscles. These regions of rapid conduction were the same during sinus rhythm and ectopic and retrograde activation. Findings confirm the presence of paths with relatively rapid conduction in the atria and demonstrate that these are related to gross anatomic features. Findings also demonstrate that the paths are accessible to activation from multiple sites rather than insulated conduction paths with limited sites for entry and exit of activation.