The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is a powerful tool for high-resolution mapping of comets, but the main interferometer (comprised of 50 × 12 m antennas) is insensitive to the largest coma scales due to a lack of very short baselines. In this Letter, we present a new technique employing ALMA autocorrelation data (obtained simultaneously with the interferometric observations), effectively treating the entire 12 m array as a collection of single-dish telescopes. Using combined autocorrelation spectra from 28 active antennas, we recovered extended HCN coma emission from comet C/2012 S1 (ISON), resulting in a fourteen-fold increase in detected line brightness compared with the interferometer. This resulted in the first detection of rotational emission from H13CN in this comet. Using a detailed coma radiative transfer model accounting for optical depth and non-local thermodynamic equilibrium excitation effects, we obtained an H12CN/H13CN ratio of 88 ± 18, which matches the terrestrial value of 89. This is consistent with a lack of isotopic fractionation in HCN during comet formation in the protosolar accretion disk. The possibility of future discoveries in extended sources using autocorrelation spectroscopy from the main ALMA array is thus demonstrated.


Abstract The diversity of small lakes' (size <50 km) configurations, sizes, surrounding terrain, and land use combined with relative sparsity of observations complicates the observational evaluation of the lake breezes (LB) that are induced by these lakes. In the present article observational data obtained from available documents, data archives, and special projects were surveyed to suggest characterization of the LB features. The observational survey was complemented by conceptual evaluations. A preliminary generalization of the LB intensity and inland penetration in relation to the surrounding land use was inferred. The conceptual evaluation suggested that for a given lake width the prime factor affecting the LB intensity is the magnitude of the surface sensible heat flux over the surrounding land. Cooling related to the lake water temperature was indicated to have usually a secondary effect on the LB intensity for small lakes. Surface observations implied that the onshore penetration of the LB by the ...


Based on the theory of solid mechanics, a group of "defoxels" have been defined and used to create three dimensional virtual shapes. A defoxel can be viewed as a force (or a source) which is capable to deform objects or meshes accordingly in a nature way. The defoxel acts as an abstract notation for distortion in space and a collection of defoxels are capable of creating complex deformation patterns, presenting rich variation in terms of curvature and distortion of shapes. The beauty of using this notation is the capability of generating a collection of shaping effects instantly with the same setting of defoxels when feeding different shapes to deform. Furthermore, we have implemented an Autodesk|Maya plug-in to assist artists to create art pieces with defoxels interactively, leading to the desired demonstrations. With a few examples, the paper envisages the potential of defoxels as a shaping tool to reflect tensions and deformations in space.


Abstract Early plant establishment through seed germination and seedling emergence is a crucial process that determines seedling number, emergence time distribution and the early growth of seedlings, all of which are affected by soil climate and soil structure. In the current context of climate change, in which increasing the diversity of cultivated species is considered desirable, and new tillage practices are considerably modifying top-soil surface characteristics, we need to improve our ability to model the effects of the environment on plant establishment. Using a trait-based and model-based framework, we aimed to identify general relationships between seed and seedling traits (e.g. seed mass and lipid content, seedling diameter, base temperature) and germination and emergence model parameters (e.g. time to mid-germination, shoot elongation rate) measured for 18 genotypes belonging to 14 species. Relationships were also investigated among model parameters or traits. Germination rates were faster for species with a high base temperature and for species with seed reserves located principally in the embryo (rather than the endosperm or perisperm). During heterotrophic growth, maximal shoot length and elongation rate increased with seed dry mass. The sensitivity of seedlings to soil obstacles was negatively related to shoot diameter. Thus apart from the known effects of seed mass on seedling establishment, we found that seed reserve location, seedling shoot diameter and shape affected germination rate and emergence success. Such generic rules linking plant traits to germination and emergence parameters enhance our understanding of the determinants of environmental effects on plant establishment success.


Objectives: Primary fallopian tube carcinoma (PFTC) is a rare cancer. Although comparable to epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), PFTC may have different biology and prognosis than EOC. This single tertiary care hospital based study aims to evaluate the survival outcome and to identify factors that prognosticate the clinical outcome in PFTC patients. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated all the 21 patients diagnosed with PFTC between 2004-2013. We studied clinicopathological data to extract the prognostic factors for recurrence and survival. Kaplan-Meier curves were generated, and survival differences evaluated by using log-rank tests. Results: All the patients had pathologically proven PFTC. The mean age was 53.5 years (range: 36-69 years). Per-vaginal bleeding 11(52.2%) and abdominal pain 5 (23.8%) of average duration of 2.7 months were the commonest symptoms. Stage distribution at presentation, International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology (FIGO)-1991 stage I,II,III,IV were 33.3%, 19%, 42%, 4.7% respectively. Commonest histology was serous-papillary carcinoma 18 (86%).Optimal debulking was done in 18 (85.7%) cases. Seventeen (81%) patients received paclitaxol-carboplatin adjuvant chemotherapy. Median follow-up period was 31 months (range: 6-127months). The disease free interval was 23.5 months. Five year Overall survival was 42.8%. Lymphovascular space invasion was associated with advanced stage (p=0.026) and earlier recurrences (p=0.044). Factors prognostic for overall survival were FIGO stage (p=0.008) and lymph node metastasis (p=0.038). Conclusion: Our single institution study results show that presence of advanced stage at diagnosis and lymph nodal metastases results in poor overall survival. Presence of lymphovascular space invasion indicates increased recurrence risk. Future clinical studies are warranted to identify the possible distinct clinical behaviour of PFTC.


In this paper, we propose a novel method for protecting convolutional neural network models with a secret key set so that unauthorized users without the correct key set cannot access trained models. The method enables us to protect not only from copyright infringement but also the functionality of a model from unauthorized access without any noticeable overhead. We introduce three block-wise transformations with a secret key set to generate learnable transformed images: pixel shuffling, negative/positive transformation, and format-preserving Feistel-based encryption. Protected models are trained by using transformed images. The results of experiments with the CIFAR and ImageNet datasets show that the performance of a protected model was close to that of non-protected models when the key set was correct, while the accuracy severely dropped when an incorrect key set was given. The protected model was also demonstrated to be robust against various attacks. Compared with the state-of-the-art model protection with passports, the proposed method does not have any additional layers in the network, and therefore, there is no overhead during training and inference processes.


The blood supply to 13 potential vascularized donor nerve grafts was examined by 241 cadaveric dissections. Results reveal a new classification of nerve blood supply that helps identify six of the 13 nerves as potential donor vascularized nerve grafts (anterior tibial, saphenous, superficial peroneal, superficial radial, ulnar, and sural nerves). These six nerves were then further investigated with injection studies, revealing that long lengths of the nerves may survive on the intrinsic supply alone. Extensive measurements were completed on the six nerves and corresponding blood supply. The surgical anatomy and clinical application of these donor nerves are reviewed. Each nerve was then evaluated in terms of new criteria developed for the ideal donor vascularized nerve graft. The saphenous nerve is believed to be best suited as a donor vascularized nerve graft. Finally, a new method is proposed for forming cable grafts from segments of vascularized nerve grafts that are supplied solely by the intrinsic blood supply.


Getting Mother's Body by Suzan-Lori Parks transforms the traditional adventure quest narrative into a lyrical trek on the open road. Her characters move between Texas and Arizona in an attempt to recover treasure buried with the body of a transgressive black mother. After the mother's death, the western landscape grants her daughter physical freedom and uninhibited desire borne from the ability to roam even within the confines of American racial injustice. While The Second Life of Samuel Tyne, set on the western Canadian prairie, also challenges how black "western" identity is defined and redefined through multiple border crossings across U.S. states and the 49th Parallel. Like Parks' novel, Tyne centers on a death, burial, and material inheritance, however the journey involved is psychologically damaging to the primary characters. Overall, I am interested in how the authors engage in competing conversations about western idealism, capitalism, and the relationship between inherited Black wealth and success. Both novels seem to suggest from the outset that the solution to the social and economic problems can be solved once the inheritance is obtained. However, the quest for "gold" is fraught with obstacles that suggest the seekers will not be able to overcome their fractured existence as members of the black Diaspora, no matter the land settled or the price paid.


In this study, diesel fuel and diesel fuel + hydrogen mixtures were used as fuel in a diesel engine, which was single cylinder, four strokes, and with air cooled. Hydrogen was admitted to the engine's intake manifold at determined rates of 5, 10, 15, and 20%. The experiment was conducted at full load conditions and the results were compared for both operations. In the results of the experiments, it was seen that adding the hydrogen to a diesel engine made the engine volumetric production bad. For this reason, it is not suitable to use hydrogen in diesel engines as a fuel addition.


Occupational health nursing has grown and developed throughout the last century, from the influence of a few nurses in the late 19th century to 1988. Today's occupational health nurses have a significant impact on millions of workers across the United States and worldwide in multinational corporations. Nurses currently enjoy expanded roles, including involvement in the political arena and policy-making decisions, development of health promotion programs, research, and education, as well as providing more traditional but equally important employee health services, counseling, and teaching. The American workforce, as well as management teams, have seen the outcomes of quality occupational health nursing care and contributions throughout the years. The practice of American occupational health nursing which began in very humble surroundings and conditions in the 19th century continues to thrive in the space age of the 1980s and 1990s and to plan for the challenges of the 21st century.


In Chapter I, an outline of this thesis is given. In Chapter 2 we prospectively determined the natural course of pain in patients with conservatively treated acute osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (VCF). In addition, we assessed the type of conservative therapy that these patients received. The natural fracture healing, in terms of pain relief, of an acute, osteoporotic VCF mainly took place within the first 6 months. In view of the high percentage (31%) of patients with chronic pain due to an acute VCF with conservative therapy only, minimal invasive techniques should be considered. In the Netherlands, conservative treatment mainly consists of pain medication and physiotherapy and is prescribed by the general practitioner. In Chapter 3 rationale, objectives and design of the VERTOS II study are described. VERTOS II is an open-label randomized controlled trial comparing percutaneous vertebroplasty (PV) with optimal conservative pain management. In Chapter 4 the main outcomes of the VERTOS II study are analyzed en discussed. Our results show that in patients with acute osteoporotic VCFs who have persistent severe pain, PV done at a mean 5.6 weeks after onset of symptoms resulted in quicker and greater pain relief than conservative treatment did. Pain relief was sustained throughout a year of follow-up. After PV, patients used a lower class of drugs than did those receiving conservative treatment, or no drugs at all. With conservative treatment, pain relief was slower and less than with PV, and pain treatment required tended to increase during the first month. Some patients (24%) in the control group developed chronic back pain, possibly because of non-healing of the fracture. For both quality of life and function, improvement with time was significantly greater and quicker after PV than with conservative treatment. Incremental costs of PV roughly equaled procedural costs. The cost of one pain-free day gained was €20. The trial-based incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for PV, as compared with conservative treatment, was €22,685 per quality adjusted life year gained. The resulting incremental cost-effectiveness suggests that PV seemed warranted for the patients with VCFs treated at a mean 5.6 weeks after start of symptoms. In Chapter 5 we found that the incidence of new VCFs in patients with an acute osteoporotic VCF was not different after PV compared with conservative therapy in the first year of follow-up. The only risk factor for the occurrence of new VCFs was the number of VCFs at baseline indicating the severity of osteoporosis. PV contributed to preservation of stature by decreasing the incidence and severity of further height loss in treated vertebral bodies. In Chapter 6 we assessed the incidence of pulmonary cement embolism by performing native chest CT during follow-up in a large proportion of patients from the VERTOS II trial. Small and clinically silent pulmonary cement embolism occurred in a quarter of patients treated with PV. Cement leakage into the azygos vein was the only risk factor. With time, these small cement emboli remained inert on follow-up CT, without inflammatory pulmonary response. Standard post-procedural CT or chest radiographs are not necessary. In Chapter 7 we assessed the incidence, anatomical location, and clinical impact of perivertebral cement leakage on short- and long-term in a large patient cohort. Cement leakage after PV outside the vertebral body was frequently detected on CT. Most leakages are into adjacent disks or segmental veins and all patients were asymptomatic. Cement leakage occurred more frequently with higher injected volumes. Late cement migration during follow-up did not occur. Standard post-procedural CT of the treated vertebral body in PV is not necessary. In Chapter 8 pain management during PV is evaluated. In a substantial proportion of patients, local anaesthesia was not sufficient for pain reduction during PV. The severity of pain experienced by the patient is usually not appreciated correctly by the operator. In Chapter 9 the results of the VERTOS II study are interpreted and the clinical implications are discussed.


Collective bargaining is common in American public education, but its consequences are poorly understood. We focus here on key contractual provisions—seniority-based transfer rights—that affect teacher assignments, and we show that these transfer rights operate to burden disadvantaged schools with higher percentages of inexperienced teachers. We also show that this impact is conditional: It is substantial in large districts, where decisions are likely to follow rules, but it is virtually zero in small districts, where decisions tend to be less formal and undesirable outcomes can more easily be avoided. The negative consequences are thus concentrated on precisely those districts and schools—large districts, high-minority schools—that have been the nation's worst performers and the most difficult to improve.


The main aim of this paper is to provide an overview and an analysis of the role of non state actors after any disaster. This paper examines the reasons for financing compensation of non state actors in any disaster. It also explores the legal steps taken by responsible organization for any disaster and evaluates the commitment and support to injured workers for their treatments and rehabilitation afterwards. It examines the disbursement of compensation as per law and other financial supports committed by various organization. This paper tries to identify the sources of those funds and donations. Bangladesh is the most vulnerable country in the world because of frequent human induced disaster.

keywords : disaster, non state actors, compensation, post disaster recovery, response,
vulnerability.


Ancient, very metal-poor (VMP) stars offer a window into the earliest epochs of galaxy formation and assembly. We combine data from the H3 Spectroscopic Survey and Gaia to measure metallicities, abundances of α elements, stellar ages, and orbital properties of a sample of 482 VMP ([Fe/H] < −2) stars in order to constrain their origins. This sample is confined to 1 ≲ ∣Z∣ ≲ 3 kpc from the Galactic plane. We find that >70% of VMP stars near the disk are on prograde orbits and this fraction increases toward lower metallicities. This result is unexpected if metal-poor stars are predominantly accreted from many small systems with no preferred orientation, as such a scenario would imply a mostly isotropic distribution. Furthermore, we find there is some evidence for higher fractions of prograde orbits among stars with lower [α/Fe]. Isochrone-based ages for main-sequence turn-off stars reveal that these VMP stars are uniformly old (≈12 Gyr) irrespective of the α abundance and metallicity, suggesting that the metal-poor population was not born from the same well-mixed gas disk. We speculate that the VMP population has a heterogeneous origin, including both in situ formation in the ancient disk and accretion from a satellite with the same direction of rotation as the ancient disk at early times. Our precisely measured ages for these VMP stars on prograde orbits show that the Galaxy has had a relatively quiescent merging history over most of cosmic time, and implies the angular momentum alignment of the Galaxy has been in place for at least 12 Gyr.


AIM
To evaluate simulation strategies used for adult branch nursing students in one university.

METHOD
A questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data and open comments (qualitative data). The evaluation was completed by 45 of a group of 60 second-year diploma nursing students.

FINDINGS
There was widespread agreement that simulation is a productive learning strategy that broadens theoretical learning and supports the practice element of nurse education. Areas commented on included developing confidence, individual support and linking theory to practice.

CONCLUSION
Simulation supports the practical learning experience. It will neither take the place of traditional methods of teaching nor replace good practice experience for nursing students, but can support both elements of nurse education.


Abstract Objective Our objective was to determine if the relationship between interpregnancy interval (IPI) and preterm delivery was related to cervical shortening. Methods This is a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study designed to assess the relationship between cervical length (CL) and preterm delivery. Multiparous patients, who had transvaginal CLs obtained at 22 to 24 weeks and complete pregnancy outcome data available were included. The women were divided into two groups: Group 1 with an IPI of ≤ 1 year and Group 2 with an IPI of > 1 year. The primary outcome was short cervix (CL < 2.5 cm) at 24 weeks. The secondary outcome was the incidence of preterm delivery < 37 weeks. Interaction between short cervix and IPI was examined in a regression model. Results There were 155 women in Group 1 and 328 women in Group 2. There was no difference in the incidence of short cervix between groups (10.0% in Group 1 and 12.9% in Group 2, p = 0.35). In a logistic regression model, short IPI and short cervix were independently associated with preterm birth. Conclusion The relationship between short IPI and preterm birth is not explained by a short cervix. They remain independent risk factors for preterm birth.


Recently, in the UK's National Electricity Transmission System (NETS), considerable concerns have been raised over the lack of inertia as renewable incentives/targets are rapidly driving future energy mixes towards wind power. Slowly but surely, greater pressures have forced the UK's Transmission System Operator (TSO), the National Grid Electricity Transmission plc (NGET), to accommodate for weaker sources of inertia, whilst endeavouring to maintain their own system frequency under severe events, in accordance with the Security and Quality of Supply Standard (SQSS) [1]. When predicting the NETS' frequency response in the so called 2020 "gone green" era [2], the NGET's Frequency Response Working Group (FRWG) (and various other working groups), developed grid representative models using the Dynamic System Model Approach (DSMA), to predict frequency excursions under a lowered average system inertia. These models were excessively simplified and provided a theoretical estimate on how frequency excursions would pan out following a significant loss in 2020. Furthermore, these existing models ([3] [1] [4] [5]), do not consider the potential quantity of wind connected HVDC links and the wider application of HVDC support for frequency recovery; by means of active power support. So far, Voltage Source Converter (VSC) HVDC technology is seen as a potential option owing to its ability to control reactive and active power independently; furthermore, it is already in use in Two-Terminal (TT) offshore wind parks and interconnectors as seen by Dolwin1 in Germany, and the East-West Interconnector in the UK respectively [6] [7]. Realising its full potential to operate as a MT-VSC-HVDC network, greater potentials were drawn out in this research to overcome the majority of limitations found in TT/MT-Line Commutated Converter (LCC) HVDC, and conventional HVAC networks, in offshore wind park applications. Set by the aforementioned challenges, this thesis therefore improved on the DSMA by building a larger and more detailed System Representative Model (SRM) which permitted accurate frequency response testing in a 2020 setting, and, provided the necessary frequency excursion benchmarks to assess the possibility for MT-HVDC network support. With further detail and accuracy, the SRM provided an invaluable insight into the UK NETS in 2020 and as such led to the recommendations made to counter the lower sources of inertia.


Kaho'olawe, the eighth largest island in the Hawaiian chain, has experienced major surface erosion during the last century due to overgrazing and military activity. In this paper we report the results from a series of physically-based numerical simulations of hydrologic response, to large rainfall events, that were performed for Kaho'olawe. An event-based rainfall-runoff and erosion model (i.e., KINEROS) was applied, in a geographic information system (GIS) framework, to make quantitative and distributed estimates of infiltration, Horton overland flow generation, and erosion. A digital elevation model (DEM) was employed to delineate individual catchments across the island, and define areas of uniform slope within each catchment. A Landsat MSS scene of Kaho'olawe was used to classify the island into three distinct landcover categories via the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). The landcover categories were then used to further approximate the spatial pattern of near-surface soil hydraulic properties across the island. Distributed estimates of saturated hydraulic conductivity and sorptivity were obtained by ordinary kriging of 135 field measurements from the island. Sensitivity analysis was performed to characterize what impact the uncertainty in soil-hydraulic property and rainfall data had on simulated runoff. Horton overland flow and the related transport limited erosion were shown to be highly variable. The introduction of vegetation to denuded areas on Kaho'olawe was found to significantly reduce erosion.


BACKGROUND
Torsemide is a new loop diuretic that has shown, in short-term studies, to induce a longer and higher diuretic and natriuretic action than frusemide. However, torsemide long-term effects and complications have not been sufficiently investigated. The aim was to compare the efficacy and safety of torsemide versus frusemide in cirrhotic patients with uncomplicated ascites.

METHODS
Forty-six patients were randomized in two groups to receive torsemide 20 mg/day (n = 22) or frusemide 40 mg/day (n = 24). Both drugs were administered in association with spironolactone 200 mg/day. The initial doses of diuretics were increased every 3 days up to 60, 120 and 400 mg/day, respectively, if the body weight loss was less than 300 g/day or natriuresis was below 50 mEq/day.

RESULTS
Torsemide induced a significantly greater diuretic response than frusemide at 24 h and the maximum diuresis while mean diuresis was similar in both groups. Natriuresis was also higher with torsemide but the difference was not significant. The body weight loss, the treatment period, the ascites resolution and complications were similar in both groups. Diuretic doses were increased in two patients treated with torsemide and in nine patients treated with frusemide (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
These results show that torsemide is as effective and safe as frusemide for long-term treatment of cirrhotic patients with ascites.


In this paper we study the linear series $|L-3p|$ of hyperplane sections with a triple point $p$ on a surface $S$ embedded via a very ample line bundle $L$ for a \emph{general} point $p$. If this linear series does not have the expected dimension we call $(S,L)$ \emph{triple-point defective}. We show that on a triple-point defective surface through a general point every hyperplane section has either a triple component or the surface is rationally ruled and the hyperplane section contains twice a fibre of the ruling.


This paper discusses the relationship between emotions and rationality in the current debate aboutpopulism from the perspective of radical democracy. In response to the diagnosis of postdemocracy andpolitical apathy, the task was to help revitalize democracy, including through the deliberate elicitationof emotions. Using insights from Laclau`s and Mouffe`s political theories, two strategies are proposed,a strategy of indignation and a strategy of trust. By linking both strategies to the current discourse onthe rationality of emotions, both conceptions can be differentiated in a new way. Accordingly, it is notjust the issue of negative versus positive emotions, but the emotions also differ in their degree ofactivation and mobilization and thus the potential of their strategic use. This difference finally formsthe basis for analyzing the radical democratic potential of populism. A comparison of left and rightpopulisms should show that their difference can also be shown in dealing with the strategies described.Thus, the question arises why the one-sided thematization of negative emotions in the radicaldemocratic discourse remains dominant.


A new method is presented to provide automatic sequencing of multiple hy-drodynamic models and automated analysis of model forecast uncertainty. A Hydrodynamic and oil spill model Python (HyosPy) wrapper was developed to run the hydrodynamic model, link with the oil spill, and visualize results. The HyosPy wrapper completes the following steps automatically: (1) downloads wind and tide data (nowcast, forecast and historical); (2) converts data to hydrodynamic model input; (3) initializes a sequence of hydrodynamic models starting at pre-defined intervals on a multi-processor workstation. Each model starts from the latest observed data, so that the multiple models provide a range of forecast hydrodynamics with different initial and boundary conditions reflecting different forecast horizons. As a simple testbed for integration strategies and visualization on Google Earth, a Runge-Kutta 4 th order (RK4) particle transport tracer routine is developed for oil spill transport. The model forecast uncertainty is estimated by the difference between forecasts in the sequenced model runs and quantified by using statistics measurements. The HyosPy integrated system with wind and tide force is demonstrated by introducing an imaginary oil spill in Corpus Christi Bay. The results show that challenges in operational oil spill modeling can be met by leveraging existing models and web-visualization methods to provide tools for emergency managers.


Decomposing a scene into its shape, reflectance and illumination is a fundamental problem in computer vision and graphics. Neural approaches such as NeRF have achieved remarkable success in view synthesis, but do not explicitly perform decomposition and instead operate exclusively on radiance (the product of reflectance and illumination). Extensions to NeRF, such as NeRD, can perform decomposition but struggle to accurately recover detailed illumination, thereby significantly limiting realism. We propose a novel reflectance decomposition network that can estimate shape, BRDF, and per-image illumination given a set of object images captured under varying illumination. Our key technique is a novel illumination integration network called Neural-PIL that replaces a costly illumination integral operation in the rendering with a simple network query. In addition, we also learn deep low-dimensional priors on BRDF and illumination representations using novel smooth manifold auto-encoders. Our decompositions can result in considerably better BRDF and light estimates enabling more accurate novel view-synthesis and relighting compared to prior art. Project page: https://markboss.me/publication/2021-neural-pil/


The carbon dioxide flux through the air-water interface of coastal freshwater ecosystems must be quantified to understand the regional balances of carbon and its transport through coastal and estuarine regions. The variations in air-sea CO2 fluxes in nearshore ecosystems can be caused by the variable influence of rivers. In the present study, the amount of carbon emitted from a tropical coastal river was estimated using climatological and biogeochemical measurements (2002-2010) obtained from the basin of the Capibaribe River, which is located in the most populous and industrialized area of the northeast region of Brazil. The results showed a mean CO2 flux of +225 mmol·m-2·d-1, mainly from organic material from the untreated domestic and industrial wastewaters that are released into the river. This organic material increased the dissolved CO2 concentration in the river waters, leading to a partial pressure of CO2 inthe aquatic environment that reached 31,000 μatm. The months of April, February and December (the dry period) showed the largest monthly means for the variables associated with the carbonate system (, DIC, CO2(aq), CO32-, TA, temperature and pH). This status reflects the state of permanent pollution in the basin of the Capibaribe River, due, in particular, to the discharge of untreated domestic wastewater, which results in the continuous mineralization of organic material. This mineralization significantly increases the dissolved CO2 content in the estuarine and coastal waters, which is later released to the atmosphere.


This research was carried out to determine the effects of light colours (white florescent, red and green bulb) and lighting regimes (continuous and 2L+2D intermittent lighting) on growth performances and carcass traits of japanese quails. Live weights at the age of fifth week were 151.01, 132.84 and 160.40 (P<0.05) for white, red and green colour, respectively. Quails had heavier live weights in continuous lighting regime, in general (P<0.05). The best feed efficiency was observed in the green colour light group (3.27) followed by red or white groups (3.51 and 3.63) and the differences between light colour groups were found to be statistically significant (P<0.05). In all colour groups, continuous lighting gave a better feed efficiency (P<0.05). Viability was the highest in white colour light followed by red and green light groups (97.93, 98.68 and 93.04), intermittent lighting gave a higher viability in all groups. There were significant differences between slaughter percentage of colour groups, and were 71.96%, 67.81% and 67.56% for green, white and red light, respectively.


Proinflammatory cytokines are important factors in the regulation of diverse aspects of skeletal muscle function; however, the muscle cytokine receptors mediating these functions are uncharacterized. Binding kinetics (dissociation constant = 39+/-4.7 x 10(-9) M, maximal binding = 3.5+/-0.23 x 10(-12) mol/mg membrane protein) of muscle tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptors were obtained. Skeletal muscle was found to express mRNAs encoding interleukin-1 type I and II receptors, interleukin-6 receptor (IL-6R), and interferon-gamma receptor by RT-PCR, but these receptors were below limits of detection of ligand-binding assay (> or =1 fmol binding sites/mg protein). Twenty-four hours after intraperitoneal administration of endotoxin to rats, TNF receptor type II (TNFRII) and IL-6R mRNA were increased in skeletal muscle (P<0.05). In cultured L6 cells, the expression of mRNA encoding TNFRII and IL-6R receptors was induced by TNF-alpha, and all six cytokine receptor mRNA were induced by a mixture of TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, and endotoxin (P<0.05). This suggests that the low level of cytokine receptor expression is complemented by a capacity for receptor induction, providing a clear mechanism for amplification of cytokine responses at the muscle level.


Continuous composition gradients of several millimetres were generated in commercial WC-Co cutters to improve their shock resistance. This important gradation was obtained in one-step by using the imbibition process. The effects of this thermal processing were analysed in terms of microhardness, cobalt concentration and WC grain size. A gradient of a 300 HV amplitude is measured in the 8 mm-height sample treated by the imbibition process in association with a boron-rich coating. This gradient was preserved after the HPHT (high pressure – high temperature) step used for the diamond table deposition on the WC-Co cutter. To our knowledge, such gradients have never before been reported and should certainly increase cutter service life.


This study investigated changing levels of serum oxidant/antioxidant with chemotherapy and their relation to treatment in 34 Hodgkin's lymphoma patients. The patient population consisted of 19 males and 15 females. Mean age was 30.41 ± 12.08 years. All patients received the adriamycin, bleomycin, vincristine and dexamethasone (ABVD) treatment protocol. Blood samples were taken before treatment, and on days 1 and 7 during treatment for measurement of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), catalase (CAT), malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO) and enzyme activities. After ABVD treatment, mean free radical levels were increased and antioxidant levels were significantly decreased in the serum. ABVD treatment results in an increase of free radical levels and a decrease of antioxidant levels in the serum of patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma.


We analyze the ROSINA-DFMS data between August 2014 and February 2016 to examine the effect of seasonal variations on the four major species within the coma of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (H2O, CO2, CO, and O2), resulting from the tilt in the orientation of the comet's spin axis. Using a numerical data inversion, we derive the nonuniform activity distribution at the surface of the nucleus for these species, suggesting that the activity distribution at the surface of the nucleus has not significantly changed and that the differences observed in the coma are solely due to the variations in illumination conditions. A 3D DSMC model is applied where the boundary conditions are computed with a coupling of the surface activity distributions and the local illumination. The model is able to reproduce the evolution of the densities observed by ROSINA including the changes happening at equinox. While O2 stays correlated with H2O as it was before equinox, CO2 and CO, which had a poor correlation with respect to H2O pre-equinox, also became well correlated with H2O post-equinox. The integration of the densities from the model along the line of sight results in column densities directly comparable to the VIRTIS-H observations. Also, the evolution of the volatiles' production rates is derived from the coma model showing a steepening in the production rate curves after equinox. The model/data comparison suggests that the seasonal effects result in the northern hemisphere of 67P's nucleus being more processed with a layered structure while the southern hemisphere constantly exposes new material.


This paper provides an historical perspective of aluminium casthouse furnace evolution over the past 30 years or so with a view towards explaining the reasons for those innovations, and the success or otherwise of some of the changes which were tried. The paper covers electrically energized furnaces such as channel and coreless induction furnaces as well as "glo-bar" heated furnaces. It goes on to discuss fuel fired furnaces including melters of many varieties including side charged, top charged, sidewell, and multichamber designs. Additionally it includes melter/holders and conventional holding (casting furnaces). The drivers for change have been many and varied, and have included the need to cope with capacity creep, reduced specific energy consumption, improved asset utilization, greatly enhanced process intensity, reduced melt loss, improved furnace reliability, acceptance of the benefits of automation, and always the concern for improved safety in all aspects of furnace operation. Accordingly the paper covers related matters such as major changes in burner choices; furnace charging and tending; refractory type and design; furnace enlargement; forced convection stirring; dealing with difficult scraps; the demise of stationary casting furnaces, recognition of the need for improved metal cleanliness; and the challenge to deal with a wider range of difficult alloys. Additionally there has been a much greater understanding of furnace functionality by computer modelling of heat transfer as well as modelling of furnace stress design by FEA as well as some physical modelling and full scale tests to validate computer model assumptions. One of the most significant aspects of improved science has been the manner in which furnaces are operated to maximize productivity, reduce energy cost and melt loss, and by the adoption of purpose built tending vehicles. Finally the paper discusses prospects for future technological development and other aspects of improved productivity through achieving target composition first time as well as by better production planning, together with the aid of dynamic simulation for optimisation of activities.


Restrictions imposed on property assessment practices by state legislation such as Proposition 13 in California and Proposition 2½ in Massachusetts can lead to significant divergences between the assessed and market values of property, particularly for households with long tenures. As properties are assessed at their market value when sold, this can lead to a significant divergence in the property tax payment for a current homeowner and a prospective purchaser of the property. This may lead to "lock-in", decreased mobility, of homeowners reluctant to lose their tax advantage. Here using data on single family dwellings in Lexington, KY (Fayette County) we examine another practice leading to a systematic difference between assessed and market value of properties, the practice of assessing properties in individual neighborhoods on a four-year basis. In times of high housing appreciation, the difference in tax payments for houses last assessed two or three years earlier and their market values, the tax base for a new purchaser, can be significant and lead to a lock-in effect. Using administrative data from the Fayette County PVA we find evidence that housing sales are higher in the year before a neighborhood assessment suggesting that households adjust their mobility to capture the tax advantage associated with limited assessment.


Chilli shrimp paste is a traditional Southeast Asian condiment, usually consumed uncooked as a side dish with meal or raw vegetables. Chilli shrimp paste conventionally is prepared by housewives at home or at the restaurants using toasted fermented shrimp and fresh red chillies which are ground together with a granite mortar and pestle. The physicochemical properties and consumer preference of different chilli shrimp pastes were determined. The analyses were carried out using products obtained from the hypermarkets (commercially processed), restaurants (fresh made), and a product made in the laboratory by a professional chef. The colour value, pH, total soluble solids, moisture content, salt and sucrose were investigated. The results indicated that chilli shrimp paste with approximately 70% moisture content, 27 °Brix, 4.4% salt, 10% sucrose, thick and chunky paste with lightness value (L) of 23, redness value (a) of more than 20 and yellowness value (b) of 12 was more preferred. The linear model was found to describe the correlation between panellist score and colour values. Based on the model, panellists like redness and lightness but not yellowness. The highest coefficient of (a) value shows the most effective factor in colour score by panellist was redness. The pH range of samples was from 4.02 to 6.33. The pH of the samples did not affect the preference. Chilli shrimp paste prepared in the laboratory was most preferred while the commercially processed product was least preferred. The provided information in this study will help those in the food service industry to improve their products to meet consumer demand.


The old-growth, multiple ages, multispecies natural forest has played an important role in terrestrial ecosystem dynamics model and the global carbon budget. However, carbon fluxes of old forests in subtropical regions are rarely reported in China. In the present study, the CO₂ flux of an old-growth subtropical evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved mixed forest was observed using eddy covariance technique in Tianmu Mountain of Zhejiang Province. Based on the data sets which were observed from July 2013 to June 2014, the variations of net ecosystem exchange (NEE), eco-system respiration (Re), and gross ecosystem exchange (GEE) were analyzed. The results showed that during the study period, the monthly NEE all had a negative value (acted as a carbon sink) except for December and February (acted as a carbon source). The average monthly NEE was -61.52 g C · m⁻², the monthly carbon sequestration showed a double-peak curve and the maximum carbon sink was -149.40 g C · m⁻², which occurred in June while the maximum carbon source was 23.45 g C · m⁻², which occurred in February. The maximum of monthly mean CO₂ flux occurred in June with a value of -0.98 mg · m⁻² · s⁻¹, while the minimum value occurred in December with a value of -0.35 mg · m⁻² · s⁻¹. The NEE at the time point of positive and negative conversion had typical seasonal characteristics. The yearly NEE, Re, and GEE were -738.18, 931.05 and -1669.23 g C · m⁻², respectively. Compared with other forest ecosystems located at the similar latitude, the carbon fixation of the old-growth forest was larger, likely due to its complicated structure within the canopy and the presence of young-growth regeneration and successional stands. This showed that other than in carbon neutral, old-growth forests of Tianmu Mountain in subtropical China had a strong capability in carbon sequestration.


Louisiana State University with technological support from
Masaryk University (Czech Rep.) has decided to launch a unique
experimental class on high-performance computing taught by
prof. Thomas Sterling in spring semester 2007. This class
enables students of multiple universities to participate
interactively using high-end multimedia technologies. The class
uses low-latency interactive uncompressed high-definition video
at 1.5Gbps and AccessGrid audio to connect LSU, Louisiana Tech
University, University of Arkansas, MCNC and Masaryk
University. In this talk, we will focus on the enabling
technologies used, namely the video and audio (from both
hardware and software perspective) and the distribution system.
Supporting technologies---like streaming solutions using VLC,
QuickTime, Webex---will be mentioned as well, as they are
utilized namely to provide the content to participants
connected via other than very high bandwidth networks. Because
of problem with different start of semesters at different
schools, a recording system has been developed that enables
real-time storage of the uncompressed HD video and audio, so
that the content can be replayed to the students in the
original quality after the semester starts. The talk will also
highlight the challenging issues that were encountered both
before the course started and during its run, particularly
focusing on appropriate audio setup.


Background. Workers of the automobile industry, service stations and those working in the streets, are in chronic contact to low concentrations of carbon monoxide and at risk to damage the cardiovascular, haematology and nervous systems. Objective. Identify erythrocytosis and neuropsychological alterations in highway workers chronically exposed to low concentrations of CO. Method. Cross-sectional study that included 72 workers of the Mexico-Puebla Highway cabins (guards); 60 cashiers and 12 workers in charge of the shift, in which socio-demographic, clinical and occupational variables were explored; haemoglobin(Hb), hematocrit (Htc) and carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) was determined in their blood, and it was applied the Carbon monoxide neuropsychological screening battery (CONSB). The workers who are in charge of the full shift integrated the less exposed to CO group, while the cashiers would shape the greater exposure group. Results. In 49 workers, Hb: 18.1±1.9 mg/dL and Htc: 55.3±8.7 without significant differences between groups (p=0.82). The greater alteration was identified in the exposed group in the test of digit symbol (p= 0.012), trail-making part B (p= 0.002), and digit span (p=0.003); the test of blocks design resulted borderline (p=0.07). Discussion and conclusion. The group with the highest exposure to CO had lower performance in visual perception, encoding, visual-motor perception and immediate memory. Therefore important to consider epidemiological surveillance workers to intervene in cases with abnormal tests. The perception of innocuousness of chronic exposure to CO in these workers must avoid.


OBJECTIVES
To implement and to assess the efficacy of a school-based, sport team-centered program to prevent young female high school athletes' disordered eating and body-shaping drug use.

DESIGN AND SETTING
Prospective controlled trial in 18 high schools, with balanced random assignment by school to the intervention and usual-care control conditions.

PARTICIPANTS
We enrolled 928 students from 40 participating sport teams. Mean age was 15.4 years, 92.2% were white, and follow-up retention was 72%.

INTERVENTION
The ATHENA (Athletes Targeting Healthy Exercise and Nutrition Alternative) curriculum's 8 weekly 45-minute sessions were incorporated into a team's usual practice activities. Content was gender-specific, peer-led, and explicitly scripted. Topics included healthy sport nutrition, effective exercise training, drug use and other unhealthy behaviors' effects on sport performance, media images of females, and depression prevention.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
We assessed participants by confidential questionnaire prior to and following their sport season. We determined program effects using an analysis of covariance-based approach within the Generalized Estimating Equation framework.

RESULTS
Experimental athletes reported significantly less ongoing and new use of diet pills and less new use of athletic-enhancing substances (amphetamines, anabolic steroids, and sport supplements) (P<.05 for each). Other health-harming actions also were reduced (less riding with an alcohol-consuming driver [P = .05], more seat belt use [P<.05], and less new sexual activity [P<.05]). The ATHENA athletes had coincident positive changes in strength-training self-efficacy (P<.005) and healthy eating behaviors (P<.001). Reductions occurred in intentions toward future use of diet pills (P<.05), vomiting to lose weight (P<.05), and use of tobacco (P<.05) and muscle-building supplements (P<.005). The program's curriculum components were altered appropriately (controlling mood [P<.005], refusal skills [P = .05], belief in the media [P<.005], and perceptions of closest friends' body-shaping drug use [P<.001]).

CONCLUSIONS
Sport teams are effective natural vehicles for gender-specific, peer-led curricula to promote healthy lifestyles and to deter disordered eating, athletic-enhancing substance use, and other health-harming behaviors.


In this paper, we introduce and study the concept of "neutrosophic closed set "and "neutrosophic continuous function". Possible application to GIS topology rules are touched upon.


Large (up to ∼100 kt) liquid argon (LAr) time-projection chamber detectors are presently being considered for proton decay searches and neutrino astrophysics, as well as for far detectors for the next generation of long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments that aim to determine neutrino mass hierarchy and search for CP violation in the leptonic sector. These detectors rely on the capabilities to assemble large volumes of LAr in ultrahigh-purity conditions, possibly in an underground environment, and to achieve relatively long drifts for the ionization charge. Several proposals have been developed, each of which takes a different approach to the design of the cryogenic vessels and has different scales of modularity to reach the final mass dictated by physics. New detector concepts, with innovative designs of readout electronics and novel methods for the readout of the ionization charge and scintillation light, have been proposed.


1 A random double-blind study was performed in healthy volunteers. The immediate effects of three different 3-adrenoceptor blocking agents, metoprolol, pindolol and propranolol, on the plasma concentrations of adrenaline and noradrenaline were compared in a situation of pleasant psychic stimulation during a television-game of tennis. The immediate effects of labetalol in a group of patients with arterial hypertension were studied in a similar experimental situation. 2 During psychic stress the plasma concentration of noradrenaline rose significantly by 85% after placebo, by 95% after labetalol, by 63% after metoprolol and by 55% after propranolol. After pindolol the noradrenaline concentration remained unchanged. 3 During psychic stress the plasma concentration of adrenaline rose significantly by 135% after labetalol, by 110% after metoprolol and by 83% after propranolol. After pindolol and placebo the adrenaline concentration remained unchanged. 4 The present results are taken to indicate that the intrinsic sympathomimetic activity possessed by pindolol prevents the rise in plasma noradrenaline normally seen during psychic stress. It is suggested that P-adrenoceptor blockers with strong intrinsic sympathomimetic effect reduce the release of catecholamines during psychic stress.


A Path Computation Element (PCE) can compute Traffic Engineering (TE)
paths through a network that are subject to various constraints.
Currently, TE paths are Label Switched Paths (LSPs) which are set up
using the RSVP-TE signaling protocol. However, other TE path setup
methods are possible within the PCE architecture. This document
proposes an extension to the PCE communication protocol (PCEP) to
allow support for different path setup methods over a given PCEP
session.


A novel application-specific instruction set processor (ASIP) for use in the construction of modern signal processing systems is presented. This is a flexible device that can be used in the construction of array processor systems for the real-time implementation of functions such as singular-value decomposition (SVD) and QR decomposition (QRD), as well as other important matrix computations. It uses a coordinate rotation digital computer (CORDIC) module to perform arithmetic operations and several approaches are adopted to achieve high performance including pipelining of the micro-rotations, the use of parallel instructions and a dual-bus architecture. In addition, a novel method for scale factor correction is presented which only needs to be applied once at the end of the computation. This also reduces computation time and enhances performance. Methods are described which allow this processor to be used in reduced dimension (i.e., folded) array processor structures that allow tradeoffs between hardware and performance. The net result is a flexible matrix computational processing element (PE) whose functionality can be changed under program control for use in a wider range of scenarios than previous work. Details are presented of the results of a design study, which considers the application of this decomposition PE architecture in a combined SVD/QRD system and demonstrates that a combination of high performance and efficient silicon implementation are achievable.


Extracting main content from web page is the preprocessing of web information system. The content extraction approach based on wrapper is limited to one specific information source, and greatly depends on web page structure. It is seldom employed in practice. A new content extraction method is thus proposed in this paper, which can discover web page content according to the number of punctuations and the ratio of non-hyperlink character number to character number that hyperlinks contain. It can eliminate noise and extract main content blocks from web page effectively. Experimental results show that this approach is accurate and suitable for most web sites.


With the development of feed-forward models, the default model for sequence modeling has gradually evolved to replace recurrent networks. Many powerful feed-forward models based on convolutional networks and attention mechanism were proposed and show more potential to handle sequence modeling tasks. We wonder that is there an architecture that can not only achieve an approximate substitution of recurrent network, but also absorb the advantages of feed-forward models. So we propose an exploratory architecture referred to Temporal Convolutional Attention-based Network (TCAN) which combines temporal convolutional network and attention mechanism. TCAN includes two parts, one is Temporal Attention (TA) which captures relevant features inside the sequence, the other is Enhanced Residual (ER) which extracts shallow layer's important information and transfers to deep layers. We improve the state-of-the-art results of bpc/perplexity to 26.92 on word-level PTB, 1.043 on character-level PTB, and 6.66 on WikiText-2.


Recently, progress in learning-by-synthesis has proposed training models on synthetic images, which can effectively reduce the cost of manpower and material resources. However, learning from synthetic images still fails to achieve the desired performance compared to naturalistic images due to the different distribution of synthetic images. In an attempt to address this issue, previous methods were to improve the realism of synthetic images by learning a model. However, the disadvantage of the method is that the distortion has not been improved and the authenticity level is unstable. To solve this problem, we put forward a new structure to improve synthetic images, via the reference to the idea of style transformation, through which we can efficiently reduce the distortion of pictures and minimize the need of real data annotation. We estimate that this enables generation of highly realistic images, which we demonstrate both qualitatively and with a user study. We quantitatively evaluate the generated images by training models for gaze estimation. We show a significant improvement over using synthetic images, and achieve state-of-the-art results on various datasets including MPIIGaze dataset.


Selden Mast is a world leading producer of aluminium sail boat masts. The company has
also been developing and producing carbon fibre masts and poles for sail boat rigs for
the last 20 years. Carbon fibre composites are high-performing and expensive materials,
and any improvements made to the layup of the laminates will create a lighter and less
expensive product. Selden's composite masts are produced with a method called filament
winding, where the resin impregnated fibre tows are wound onto a rotating aluminium
mandrel with the same shape as the inside of the finished mast.
The goals of the project have been to accurately predict the bending stiffness and deflection
behaviour of any given mast or pole produced by this method, to evaluate the
compressive stiffness and strength of Selden's laminates. As well as characterising the
micro structure of the carbon fibre laminate in terms of out-of-plane waviness and relating
this to the compressive strength of the laminate. A mix of FE analyses using the
FEA software LUSAS together with actual benchmark testing has been used to compare
simulation to reality. The use of high resolution misalignment analysis (HRMA) has
been implemented to characterise the out-of-plane-waviness of the laminates. A method
to experimentally determine the compressive strength of a carbon fibre tube has been
developed and tested.
Comparing the test results to the results from the FE computations shows that it is
possible to come within 15% of the actual deflection when using Selden's previously
obtained material data. There are however signs of asymmetrical bending and stiffness
behaviour in non-circular cross-sections. This may occur as a result of the handling of
the masts during production, but also due to irregularities in the production technique
itself. Strength assessments based on the HRMA were shown to be in good agreement
with the experimental values. The method developed in this project to experimentally
determine compressive strength of a carbon fibre laminate tube has been shown to give
satisfactory results. However, to completely confirm the method, the failure mode of the
laminates in the test has to be identified.


This paper seeks to contribute to an inquiry into the factors that affect the viability and efficacy of regional organisations in Africa as peacemaking and security forums. The main aim of the paper is to explain the Southern African Development Community's limited success in peacemaking and in its efforts to establish a common security regime. Three major problems are discussed: the absence of common values among member states, which inhibits the development of trust, institutional cohesion, common policies and unified responses to crises; the reluctance of states to surrender sovereignty to a security regime that encompasses binding rules and decision-making; and the economic and administrative weakness of states. These are all national problems that cannot be solved at the regional level. Paradoxically, the challenge of common security in Southern Africa is less a regional than a national challenge.


In 2008, 28,000 people were ethnically cleansed from the breakaway province of South Ossetia during a brief but brutal war between Georgia and Russia. Their villages were bombed, burned, and in some cases bulldozed to ensure they could never return, and the entire province was occupied by Russia's 58th Army. Because return soon was unlikely, the Georgian government, acting in concert with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and more than ninety-five nongovernmental organizations and donor governments, chose to resettle them in thirty-six hastily built settlements in which they were to rebuild their lives. However, because the aid system was so chaotic, and because most aid agencies were acting in improvised ways, the internally displaced persons were housed in bleak and isolated settlements, unemployed and left to sit in poorly built homes that soon began to decay. Hannah Mintek's photographs offer a window into this scenario.


Summary of Part I Isolated ductus arteriosus vessels obtained from fetal lambs prior to lung expansion were perfused with blood of varying pO2 at a constant temperature and pressure. Flow decreased progressively as the pO2 of the perfusing blood increased. The changes were more striking at oxygen pressures greater than 50 mm Hg. Summary of Part II The effects of ventilating the lungs with oxygen and nitrogen on the pulmonary artery and ductus arteriosus circulation were investigated in near term fetal lambs with and without intact umbilical circulation. Oxygen ventilation increased transitorily the ductus flow through widening of the pressure difference between the pulmonary artery and aorta. Ductus flow was strikingly reduced as oxygen ventilation progressed. Pulmonary artery pressure fell while aortic pressure rose. These changes could be reversed with nitrogen. Nitrogen ventilation also produced an initial increase in ductus flow through an increase in the differential pressure between the pulmonary artery and aorta. Prolonged administration of nitrogen depressed ductus flow together with pulmonary flow and systemic arterial pressure. These changes were probably related to the direct effects of nitrogen and hypoxia on the heart and pulmonary circulation. Interruption of the umbilical circulation reduced temporarily ductus and pulmonary artery flows. This fall was related to circulatory readjustments caused by abrupt elimination of the placental circulation. From the in vivo and in vitro studies, it appears that at least three factors contribute to the control of blood flow in the ductus the pO2 of the blood; the pulmonary artery flow; and the differential pressure between the pulmonary artery and aorta.


Aiming at reducing CO2 emissions from shipping at the EU level, a system for monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) of CO2 emissions of ships was introduced in 2015 with the so-called 'MRV Regulation'. Its stated objective was to produce accurate information on the CO2 emissions of large ships using EU ports and to incentivize energy efficiency improvements by making this information publicly available. On 1 July 2019, the European Commission published the relevant data for 10,880 ships that called at EU ports within 2018. This milestone marked the completion of the first annual cycle of the regulation's implementation, enabling an early assessment of its effectiveness. To investigate the value of the published data, information was collected on all voyages performed within 2018 by a fleet of 1041 dry bulk carriers operated by a leading Danish shipping company. The MRV indicators were then recalculated on a global basis. The results indicate that the geographic coverage restrictions of the MRV Regulation introduce a significant bias, thus prohibiting their intended use. Nevertheless, the MRV Regulation has played a role in prompting the IMO to adopt its Data Collection System that monitors ship carbon emissions albeit on a global basis.


In my dissertation, An Ethics of Self-Consciousness: Modern Japanese Writing about Literature, I argue that for one line of modern Japanese critical and literary writers, investigations into the form of the novel as a genre took on ethical dimensions that impelled dramatic changes in their writing styles. Drawing broadly on the literary theories of Kamei Hideo, Suzuki Sadami, Michel Foucault, and Paul de Man, I suggest that reflexive narrative acts constituted ethical practice for these writers because such acts revealed the norms of recognition (which include politico-historical situations as well as the grammar of the language through which subjects identify one another) that determined what counted as legitimate subject positions. They experimented with self-conscious literary and critical writing to expose the limits of such norms, which they found inscribed in the language and form of the novel. The ethical reflexivity these writers came to value required an increasingly self-conscious theoretical language to account for it. Accordingly, these writers also experimented with multivalent critical languages that would not reinscript the language of the novel into the very social structures the novel attempted to critique. By examining their arguments about literature in relation to transformations in the structure, style, and rhetoric of their criticism, and by paying attention to the interplay between their criticism and their novels, I link for the first time transformations in the language and forms of their writing with developments in their theoretical approaches to the ethical responsibility of the novelistic form itself. In the first two chapters I examine the work of one of the progenitors of both modern Japanese criticism and fiction, Mori Ōgai (1868-1922). I argue that Ōgai discovered in self-conscious novelistic writing a means of critiquing the novel's social and ethical commitments to representing subjects authentically in ways that the rational, philosophical language of his early criticism could not accomplish. Drawing on theories of the novel by Mikhail Bakthin and Rene Girard, I show that Ōgai adopted a dialogic writing style that put competing voices in tension to expose the conventions of novelistic representation that legitimize the perspectives of his narrators at the expense of the authority and autonomy of other characters, and, even, his readers. My third chapter focuses on Akutagawa Ryūnosuke (1892-1927), whose compelling, carefully wrought and highly intellectual prose style symbolized the heights of Japanese modernism for many contemporaries as well as future generations. I draw on theories of aesthetics and ethics by Paul de Man and Geoffrey Harpham, among others, to suggest that for Akutagawa literary representation bore an ethical responsibility to reflect on its potentially determinant constructions of the self and others. In his late (1925-27) critical and literary writing, Akutagawa adopted an increasingly reflexive, fragmented style that created what Judith Butler calls an ethical opacity, deliberate narrative obfuscation that vexes the transparency with which discursive norms constitute the subject as such, in order to expose what he saw as the terrifying solipsism of modern literary constructions of the self. By putting these writers together for the first time through the concept of an ethics of self-consciousness, I provide a new means of organizing the history of modern Japanese theories of the novel. At the same time, I help clarify the reciprocal relationship between transformations in the forms of the novel and literary criticism. Finally, this research paves the way to construct a genealogy of the development of modern critical writing into something like we call literary theory.


Given the number of online sources for news, the volumes of news generated are so daunting that gaining insight from these collections become impossible without some aid to link them. Semantic linking of news articles facilitates grouping of similar or relevant news stories together for ease of human consumption. For example, a political analyst may like to have a single view of all news articles that report visits of State heads of different countries to a single country to make an in-depth analytical report on the possible impacts of all associated events. It is likely that no news source links all the relevant news together. In this paper, we discuss a multi-resolution, multi-perspective news analysis system that can link news articles collected from diverse sources over a period of time. The distinctive feature of the proposed news linking system is its capability to simultaneously link news articles and stories at multiple levels of granularity. At the lowest level several articles reporting the same event are linked together. Higher level groupings are more contextual and semantic. We have deployed a range of algorithms that use statistical text processing and Natural Language Processing techniques. The system is incremental in nature and depicts how stories have evolved over time along with main actors and activities. It also illustrates how a single story diverges into multiple themes or multiple stories converge due to conceptual similarity. Accuracy of linking thematically and conceptually linked news articles are also presented.


This paper presents an approach for the automatic layout generation of regular arrays. These arrays consist of processor cells interconnected with nearest neighbors. As there is a wide range of regular arrays, a single generator is not feasible. The Madmacs system is a development environment for customizing the generators of such structures. These generators are developed using the Lisp language. The use of a programming language allows great flexibility in the description of a generator for a specific kind of structure. A graphic editor is tightly coupled with the Lisp interpreter giving a high degree of interactivity. With its macro command mechanism, one can interactively develop new functions for repetitive task such as routing and use them in generators. Moreover, technology independent generators can be developed by using object size independent functions in Madmacs. The Madmacs environment is illustrated with a generator for bidimensional regular array layout.


We present an algorithm DASH to check if a program P satisfies a safety property φ. The unique feature of this algorithm is that it uses only test generation operations, and it refines and maintains a sound program abstraction as a consequence of failed test generation operations. Thus, each iteration of the algorithm is inexpensive, and can be implemented without any global may-alias information. In particular, we introduce a new refinement operator WPα that uses only the alias information obtained by symbolically executing a test to refine abstractions in a sound manner. We present a full exposition of the DASH algorithm and its theoretical properties. We have implemented DASH in a tool called YOGI that plugs into Microsoft's Static Driver Verifier framework. We have used this framework to run YOGI on 69 Windows Vista drivers with 85 properties and find that YOGI scales much better than SLAM, the current engine driving Microsoft's Static Driver Verifier.


Four separate studies evaluated several herbicides for reducing competition from overwintering weeds on sandy rangeland in west Texas. Air temperature was 10 degrees C with soil moisture adequate for plant growth at herbicide application (0.28 kg ae/ha) on 14 March 1985. Trichlopyr ([3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinyl)oxy]acetic acid); 2,4-D [(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid]; and dicamba (3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid) plus 2,4-D were ineffective, while picloram 4-amino-3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinecarboxylic acid); picloram plus 2,4-D; and dicamba alone adequately controlled western ragweed (Ambrosia psilostachya DC.), the major targeted weed. These treatments were repeated on 4 April 1986 when air temperature was 24 degrees C but with dry surface soils. Results were similar to those of 1985, except trichlopyr also controlled western ragweed under the warmer temperature. In another study, various rates of picloram and trichlopyr aerially applied 5 April 1986 showed that 0.07 kg ae/ha of picloram or 0.28 kg ae/ha of trichlopyr reduced (P & 0.05) western ragweed with a corresponding increase in grass production. Picloram more effectively controlled targeted forbs while trichlopyr suppressed sand shinnery oak (Quercus havardii Rydb.) more effectively. Two companion studies also evaluated picloram and picloram plus 2,4-D. In one study 0.28 kg ae/ha of picloram was applied to sand shinnery oak range on 11 March 1985. Grass yield increased from 359 kg/ha in untreated plots to 1,222 kg/ha in treated plots. Grass yield in treated areas remained greater (P & 0.05) for 3 growing seasons post-treatment. Sand shinnery oak plants at the bud burst stage were top-killed by picloram. On 14 March 1985 picloram (0.056 kg ae/ha) plus 2,4-D (0.224 kg ae/ha) was applied to sand shinnery oak rangeland. This treatment reduced forb production with a corresponding increase in grass production the year of application (P & 0.05), but effects did not persist into the second growing season. Picloram plus 2,4-D did not suppress sand shinnery oak.


Ferric citrate liposomes (FAC-Lip) and heme liposomes (Heme-Lip) were successfully prepared by a rotary-evaporated film-ultrasonication method. The release of iron liposomes were studied in vitro, and results showed that both iron liposomes had sustained-released properties, with Heme-Lip showing superior sustained-released over FAC-Lip. The liposome/water partition coefficients (P) were determined by equilibrium dialysis and the influences on P were evaluated, as well as the binding Gibbs free energy between FAC (Heme) and liposome. The results show that P initially increased and then decreased with increasing cholesterol content and the ratio of lipid to drug. The hydrogen and electrostatic interactions were largest when P was at its maximum. At the dialysis equilibrium, the binding Gibbs free energies (ΔG) of FAC-Lip and Heme- Lip were -12.7 and -18.2 kJ mol-1, respectively.


The current study advances understanding of how organizational threat affects the way publics respond to a health crisis. To this end, we investigated the influence of perceived temporal distance from organizational threat on crisis outcomes (i.e., organizational reputation, crisis emotions, and supportive behavioral intention) and the role of perceived health threat in this relationship. The findings of an experimental study ( N = 239) indicate that perceived temporal distance from organizational threat is negatively associated with crisis emotions and positively related to supportive behavioral intention. In addition, mediation analysis revealed indirect effects of perceived temporal distance on supportive behavioral intention via crisis emotions. The indirect effects through crisis emotions and the direct effect of temporal distance on supportive behavioral intention are also contingent on perceived health threat. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.


BACKGROUND
Inflammation plays an important role in the development and progression of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and NASH is a powerful driving force for the progression of fibrosis. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a simple emerging indicator of inflammation. We aimed to assess the potential association between NLR and histological severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

METHODS
This retrospective study consisted of 231 patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD in China from August 2017 to September 2019. The steatosis, activity, and fibrosis scoring system were used to evaluate liver biopsy tissue.

RESULTS
Of the 231 patients with NAFLD, advanced inflammatory activity was present in 43.3% and significant fibrosis in 25.5% of patients. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed NLR to be correlated with advanced inflammatory activity (Odds ratio (OR): 0.62, 95% CI: 0.42-0.94, P = .025) and significant fibrosis (OR: 0.57, 95% CI: 0.35-0.94, P = .028). The NLR was inversely associated with the degree of steatosis, lobular inflammation and fibrosis (r = -0.16, P = .014; r = -0.15, P = .019; r = -0.13, P = .046, respectively), but had no association with the severity of ballooning. The multivariate-adjusted models had good predictability for advanced inflammatory activity (area under curves (AUC) 0.790, 95% CI: 0.730-0.850) and for significant fibrosis (AUC 0.798, 95% CI: 0.728-0.868).

CONCLUSION
This study showed negative correlations between elevated NLR levels with advanced inflammatory activity and significant fibrosis in patients with NAFLD. Our results also suggested that NLR could be considered as a simple and noninvasive mark to identify high-risk populations in NAFLD.


Background: Acylation Stimulating Protein (ASP) stimulates adipocyte triglyceride synthesis and glucose transport. The aim was to examine ethnic difference in ASP and the relation to lipid profile and other parameters among Han, Uygur, and Kazak healthy populations matched for BMI, age and gender distribution. Methods: 331 healthy persons were recruited in total (age 30-60 yr): 137 Han, 114 Uygur, and 80 Kazak. Anthropometric mea- surements including height, weight, waist circumference, hip circumference, blood pressure, ankle brachial index (ABI), and pulse wave velocity (PWV) were measured in all participants. Fasting concentrations of fasting glucose, uric acid, and lipids, including triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), ASP, complement C3, insulin, non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured. Results: ASP in Uygurs was significantly lower than Han subjects (P=0.0003). The Uygurs demonstrated the highest C3 (P<0.001), CRP (P=0.001), and NEFA concentrations (P=0.008), the lowest %ASP/C3 (P<0.001) and TC levels (P=0.0008) vs those in Han and Kazak populations. In the Han group, glucose, the average ABI (an index of peripheral response) and diastolic blood pressure were significantly different from both Uygur and Kazak group (P=0.0007, P=0.0003, P=0.0001) while Kazaks show the lowest waist/hip circumference (WHR) (P=0.0003). Conclusion: There are ethnic differences in ASP, C3, CRP and lipid profiles in healthy Han, Uygur, and Kazak populations. Overall, the Uygur populations presents with a disadvantageous metabolic profile as com - pared to Han and Kazak groups.


In this paper, we offer an alternative methodology to detect credit constrained households among farmers and seek to identify the determinants of the same. In order to detect credit constrained households we use the marginal approach to arrive at the optimal expenditure requirement for production for each household, and if expenditure of a household is found less than the optimal level , we consider that household as credit constrained. After classifying a household as constrained or otherwise, the paper then seeks to identify the determinants by undertaking a probit regression analysis. Interestingly, the empirical exercise shows that the likelihood of being constrained is higher for a person better endowed in terms of level of education and economic resources. Indeed the optimal level of output per unit of land for a better endowed person is much higher due to his having access to cheaper formal sector loan and thereby facing lower marginal cost of production. This observation is also valid for the higher social category of households (general category) vis-a-vis other classes. Thus, differences in sources of loan make significant difference in the level of demand for credit and in turn the rationing faced by the households


The adjoint of the perturbed and linearized compressible viscous flow equations is formulated in such a way that its solution can be used to optimize control actuation in order to reduce flow-generated sound. We apply it to a direct numerical simulation of a randomly excited two-dimensional mixing layer, with inflow vorticity-thickness Reynolds number 500 and free-stream Mach numbers 0.9 and 0.2. The control actuation is implemented as general source terms in the flow equations (body forces, mass sources, and internal energy sources) with compact support near the inflow boundary. The noise to be reduced is defined by a space-time integral of the mean-square pressure fluctuations on a line parallel to the mixing layer in the acoustic field of the low-speed stream. Both the adjoint and flow equations are solved numerically and without modelling approximations. The objective is to study the mechanics of the noise generation and its control. All controls reduce targeted noise with very little required input power, with the most effective (the internal energy control) reducing the noise intensity by 11 dB. Numerical tests confirm that the control is not by any simple acoustic cancellation mechanism but instead results from a genuine change of the flow as a source of sound. The comparison of otherwise identical flows with and without control applied shows little change of the flow's gross features: the evolution and pairings of the energetic structures, turbulence kinetic energy, spreading rate, and so on are superficially unchanged. However, decomposition of the flow into empirical eigenfunctions, as surrogates for Fourier modes in the non-periodic streamwise direction, shows that the turbulence structures advect downstream more uniformly. This change appears to be the key to reducing their acoustic efficiency, a perspective that is clarified by comparing the randomly excited mixing layer to a harmonically excited mixing layer, which is relatively quiet because it is highly ordered. Unfortunately, from the perspective of any practical implementation with actuators, the optimized control identified has a complex spatial and temporal structure, but it can be simplified. Two empirical eigenmodes were required to represent it sufficiently to reduce the targeted noise intensity by about 50%. Optimization of a simple single-degree-of-freedom control with an ad hoc spatial structure is less effective.


This work has evolved from a set of three songs into a single movement setting of 5 poems all based on the theme of dreaming. The research aims were to reflect the multi-layered nature of the chosen texts in musical terms and to incorporate sprechstimme, a technique that the dedicatee, Jane Manning, specialises in.

The texts all refer to both dreaming and floating or weightless situations. The texts also operate on a number of different levels: the literal meaning; a sub-level of literal meaning created by the typographic breaking of words into parts, some of which have independent meaning and the level of the sounds of the words themselves. There is also a level of imagined meaning created by the use of symbols such as the final line of D-re-A-mi-N-gl-Y which consists entirely of punctuation marks. I have created a number of musical layers which reflect the text and also continue a compositional interest first established in 'Strata' (1979) and continued in 'Escalation(1984)', 'Altiplano' (1990) and 'Blackheath Counterpoint' (1992, Forward Music). The layers in this piece are: singing voice; sprechstimme voice; ostinatos; symmetrical chord progressions; and resonance. They have varying degrees of independence and are not continuous, overlapping in varying combinations throughout.


ABSTRACT Picornavirus RNA replication requires the formation of replication complexes (RCs) consisting of virus-induced vesicles associated with viral nonstructural proteins and RNA. Brefeldin A (BFA) has been shown to strongly inhibit RNA replication of poliovirus but not of encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV). Here, we demonstrate that the replication of parechovirus 1 (ParV1) is partly resistant to BFA, whereas echovirus 11 (EV11) replication is strongly inhibited. Since BFA inhibits COPI-dependent steps in endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-Golgi transport, we tested a hypothesis that different picornaviruses may have differential requirements for COPI in the formation of their RCs. Using immunofluorescence and cryo-immunoelectron microscopy we examined the association of a COPI component, β-COP, with the RCs of EMCV, ParV1, and EV11. EMCV RCs did not contain β-COP. In contrast, β-COP appeared to be specifically distributed to the RCs of EV11. In ParV1-infected cells β-COP was largely dispersed throughout the cytoplasm, with some being present in the RCs. These results suggest that there are differences in the involvement of COPI in the formation of the RCs of various picornaviruses, corresponding to their differential sensitivity to BFA. EMCV RCs are likely to be formed immediately after vesicle budding from the ER, prior to COPI association with membranes. ParV1 RCs are formed from COPI-containing membranes but COPI is unlikely to be directly involved in their formation, whereas formation of EV11 RCs appears to be dependent on COPI association with membranes.


This thesis describes the use of bimetallic alkyne complexes for use in variants of the
Nicholas reaction. The heterobimetallic core provides a source of chiral control unlike
previous protocols reported in the literature, as stereocontrol arises from the inherently
chiral cobalt-molybdenum core of these complexes and not from an external source.
The inherently chiral heterobimetallic complexes were utilised as efficient chiral
auxiliaries for nucleophilic additions to both propargylic alkene and Nicholas salt
complexes with a degree of stereocontrol also extending to intramolecular addition.
1,3-Dipolar cycioaddition to homo bimetallic and heterobimetallic enyne complexes to
obtain isoxazoline ring systems was investigated, following a report in the literature.
A novel homobimetallic 1,3-dipole was synthesised on opening of a cyclopropane,
subsequel1tly trapping with a series of aldehyde and imines to efficiently form
tetrahydrofuran and pyrrolidine ring structures.
Chapter 1: An overview of developments of homobimetallic alkyne complexes in the
Nicholas reaction as reported in the literature.
Chapter 2: Highlights our research into the use of bimetallic alkyne complexes for use in
organic synthesis.
Chapter 3: Provides experimental data for our studies.


We develop auction-based algorithms for joint allocation of resources, i.e., power profiles at the source and relay nodes and subcarrier assignment profile for multiple-user amplify-and-forward (AF) orthogonal frequency-division multiple-access (OFDMA) systems. The first algorithm is based on sequential single-item auction, where each user submits a bid based on either the marginal increase or the relative marginal increase in the data rate using the subcarrier. The first bidding strategy maximizes the sum data rate, whereas the second bidding strategy maximizes the fairness index. In both cases, the subcarrier is assigned to the user who submits the highest bid. The algorithm proceeds in a sequential fashion until all subcarriers are assigned. To reduce the synchronized interactions between the base station and the users, we propose a one-shot auction algorithm, where each user submits bids for all subcarriers at once based on the Shapley value, a well-known cooperative-game theoretic concept. The user evaluates each subcarrier based on an estimation of the Shapley value. The subcarriers are then assigned based on the submitted bids using an iterative algorithm that maximizes the fairness index. The throughput and fairness indices are used to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithms. Numerical results are used to show the merits of each algorithm.


Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) is used in photovoltaic (PV) system to continuously maximize the available power from PV panel. The power output from the panel is non-linear due to atmospheric conditions. This paper explored the performance of different maximum power point tracking (MPPT) techniques under static and dynamic atmospheric conditions. For performance assessment perturb and observe (P&O), fuzzy logic control (FLC) and particle swarm optimization MPPT techniques are developed. The performance level of these MPPT methods varies in several prospects such as response time, oscillations around maximum power point (MPP), tracking efficiency, the percentage of energy reduced to attain steady state and hardware implementation. A PV array of 1.5KW and boost converter with P&O, FLC, and PSO MPPT techniques are pretend using MATLAB/Simulink environment and established through the experimental setup. For a hardware implementation, to generate duty cycle for a boost converter using different MPPT algorithms dSPACE DS1103 processor board is used. The methodologies followed for analysis in this work are as follows: to begin with, MATLAB based solar PV module is developed and verified, then different MPPT techniques are engaged in this PV module under static and dynamic atmospheric circumstances to study the success of MPPT through simulation and hardware setup .


Halogenation is one of the cases for which advanced molecular simulation methods are mandatory for quantitative and predictive studies. The present work provides a systematic investigation of the importance of higher-order multipoles on specific sites of halobenzenes, other than the halogen, for static and dynamic properties in condensed-phase simulations. For that purpose, solute-solvent interactions using point charge (PC), multipole (MTP), and hybrid point charge/multipole (HYB) electrostatic models are analyzed in regions of halogen bonding and extended to regions of π orbitals of phenyl carbons. Using molecular dynamics simulations and quantum chemical methods, it is found that the sigma-hole does not only affect the halogen and the carbon bound to it but its effect extends to the carbons adjacent to the CX bond. This effect increases with the magnitude of the positive potential of the sigma-hole. With the MTP and HYB3 models, all hydration free energies of the PhX compounds are reproduced within 0.1 kcal/mol. Analysis of pair distribution functions and hydration free energies of halogenated benzenes provides a microscopic explanation why "point charge"-based representations with off-site charges fail in reproducing thermodynamic properties of the sigma-hole. Application of the hybrid models to study protein-ligand binding demonstrates both their accuracy and computational efficiency.


Similarity search is an important problem in many large scale applications such as image and text retrieval. Hashing method has become popular for similarity search due to its fast search speed and low storage cost. Recent research has shown that hashing quality can be dramatically improved by incorporating supervised information, e.g. semantic tags/labels, into hashing function learning. However, most existing supervised hashing methods can be regarded as passive methods, which assume that the labeled data are provided in advance. But in many real world applications, such supervised information may not be available. This paper proposes a novel active hashing approach, Active Hashing with Joint Data Example and Tag Selection (AH-JDETS), which actively selects the most informative data examples and tags in a joint manner for hashing function learning. In particular, it first identifies a set of informative data examples and tags for users to label based on the selection criteria that both the data examples and tags should be most uncertain and dissimilar with each other. Then this labeled information is combined with the unlabeled data to generate an effective hashing function. An iterative procedure is proposed for learning the optimal hashing function and selecting the most informative data examples and tags. Extensive experiments on four different datasets demonstrate that AH-JDETS achieves good performance compared with state-of-the-art supervised hashing methods but requires much less labeling cost, which overcomes the limitation of passive hashing methods. Furthermore, experimental results also indicate that the joint active selection approach outperforms a random (non-active) selection method and active selection methods only focusing on either data examples or tags.


Stroke is the world's second leading cause of mortality, with a high incidence of severe morbidity in surviving victims. About 87% of strokes are caused by ischemia, and the remainder is caused by hemorrhage. Ischemic stroke causes most deaths.1 Acute ischemic stroke results from a sudden decrease or loss of blood flow in cerebral arteries. Brain tissue has a relatively high consumption of oxygen and glucose, and depends almost exclusively on oxidative phosphorylation for energy production. Cerebral ischemia leads to the development of a cascade of pathological biochemical reactions, including the rapid depletion of the intracellular ATP pool, anaerobic glycolysis, lactate acidosis and membrane depolarization, glutamate excitotoxicity, the entry of Ca2+, Na+, and H2O into cells, activation of Ca-dependent proteins, mitochondrial dysfunction, overproduction of free radicals, activation of the immune system, gene overexpression, and, finally, cell death.1–3 Oxidative stress is one of the main mechanisms of stroke development. Free radical production and the activation of degradative enzymes lead to acute cell death through necrosis, but excitotoxic mechanisms can also initiate apoptosis.4 Besides causing cerebral cellular injury, oxidative stress also increases blood–brain barrier dysfunction.4,5

### Stroke Treatment

Major approaches developed to treat acute ischemic stroke fall into 2 categories, early recanalization (thrombolysis) and neuroprotection. There are ongoing trials aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of recombinant tissue–type plasminogen activator and acetylsalicylic acid in longer time windows with a finer selection of patients based on MRI and trials of novel recanalization methods.6 Neuroprotection is achieved by blocking of proinflammatory cytokines and cell adhesion agents, decrease of lipid peroxidation processes, and blocking of apoptosis.7 At least 25 clinical phase II and III trials are currently recruiting patients for the evaluation of new therapeutics for acute ischemic stroke.4 Despite these developments, the actual …


Understanding the role of the pineal gland in regulating the immune response and the role of photoperiod in influencing pineal gland secretions are becoming increasingly important. The purposes of the present experiments were to investigate the effects of different photoperiod regimens on T- and B-lymphocyte activities in broiler chickens. Next, the influence of different photoperiod regimens on the responsiveness of lymphocytes to melatonin in vitro was examined. The effect of melatonin in vitro on lymphocyte activities was also studied, regardless of the photoperiod received. Finally, the effects of photoperiod on the profiles of different splenocyte cell types were investigated. To study the effect of photoperiod on lymphocyte activities, different photoperiod regimens were used. These were: constant lighting, 23 h light:1 h darkness; intermediate lighting, 12 h light:12 h darkness; and intermittent lighting, 1 h light:3 h darkness. Peripheral blood and splenic lymphocyte activities were tested at 3 and 6 wk of age by performing a mitogen cell-proliferation assay with a polyclonal T-cell mitogen, concanavalin A (Con A), and T-dependent B-cell mitogen, pokeweed mitogen (PWM). To study the effect of photoperiod on the responsiveness of lymphocytes to melatonin in vitro or the effect of melatonin in vitro on lymphocyte activities regardless of photoperiod received, lymphocytes from the chickens that were exposed to the different photoperiod regimens were incubated with mitogen and different concentrations of melatonin. To study the effect of photoperiod on profiles of different cell types, the percentages of splenocyte subpopulations from birds exposed to different photo-periods were determined using flow cytometry with CD4+, CD8+, CD3+, and B-cell markers. The results of these studies indicate that splenic T and B lymphocytes from 6-wk-old chickens grown in intermittent lighting had higher activities than those from chickens grown in constant lighting. Peripheral blood and splenic lymphocytes from chickens raised under constant lighting were more responsive to melatonin in vitro than those from chickens raised under intermittent lighting. This difference in response may be due to lower levels of melatonin in birds receiving constant lighting, making them more sensitive to melatonin in vitro. Melatonin in vitro enhanced the mitogenic response of peripheral blood T lymphocytes from 6-wk-old chickens, splenic T lymphocytes from 3-wk-old chickens, and splenic T and possibly B lymphocytes from 6-wk-old chickens. Finally, intermittent lighting increased the percentages of splenic CD4+, CD8+, and CD3+ cells but not B-cell subpopulations at 6 wk of age, presumably because of increased levels of melatonin in birds receiving intermittent lighting. Our results re-emphasize the importance of melatonin in regulating host immune response; this regulation could be accomplished through exposing broiler chicks to intermittent lighting.