The article critically examines the EU's conceptualisation of the rule of law in its enlargement practice. Two main arguments will be advanced. First, it will be argued that legality is a core element of the rule of law, and adherence to it is a fundamental characteristic of any institutional order governed by the rule of law, as evidenced in the Treaty (Article 2 TEU) and as acknowledged in the jurisprudence of the Court of Justice. Secondly, it will be shown that the EU's pre-accession process does not sufficiently address this rule of law element, to the extent that a) its main focus is alignment with the acquis, and b) changes made to domestic legislation are measured in terms of quantity and not quality. It will be demonstrated that this generates problems of legality in the candidate states, including legal inflation, instability, lack of generality of law and coherence, as well as problems of enforcement. It will be asserted that even though this is recognised by the Commission, over the years the EU has not amended its methodology, thereby failing to recognise that ensuring respect for the rule of law is not merely a process of adoption of a corpus of rules, but rather a complex process of adaptation to a particular value system. The article continues by arguing that the quality and complexity of the acquis leave considerable room for improvement, while at the same time raising questions as to its suitability as an instrument for development in the (potential) candidate countries. As a conclusion, some policy reflections will be offered on how these issues could be better addressed.
Keywords: EU rule of law, legality, EU enlargement, EU acquis, quantitative approach, benchmarking.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution − Non-Commercial − No Derivatives 4.0 International License.
Suggested citation: L Louwerse, 'Mind the Gap: Issues of Legality in the EU's Conceptualisation of the Rule of Law in its Enlargement Policy' (2019) 15 CYELP 27.


In the current study, we were interested in whether adolescents show a preference for social stimuli compared with non-social stimuli in the context of academic diligence, that is, the ability to expend effort on tedious tasks that have long-term benefits. Forty-five female adolescents (aged 11–17) and 46 female adults (aged 23–33) carried out an adapted version of the Academic Diligence Task (ADT). We created two variations of the ADT: a social ADT and non-social ADT. Individuals were required to freely split their time between an easy, boring arithmetic task and looking at a show-reel of photographs of people (in the social ADT) or landscapes (in the non-social ADT). Individuals also provided enjoyment ratings for both the arithmetic task and the set of photographs they viewed. Adolescents reported enjoying the social photographs significantly more than the non-social photographs, with the converse being true for adults. There was no significant difference in the time spent looking at the social photographs between the adolescents and adults. However, adults spent significantly more time than adolescents looking at the non-social photographs, suggesting that adolescents were less motivated to look at the non-social stimuli. Further, the correlation between self-reported enjoyment of the pictures and choice behaviour in the ADT was stronger for adults than for adolescents in the non-social condition, revealing a greater discrepancy between self-reported enjoyment and ADT choice behaviour for adolescents. Our results are discussed within the context of the development of social cognition and introspective awareness between adolescence and adulthood.


Soft-stamped nanoimprint lithography(NIL) is considered as one of the most effective processes of nanoscale patterning because of its low cost and high throughput. In this work, this method is used to emboss the poly(9, 9-dioctylfluorene)film. By reducing the linewidth of the nanogratings on the stamp, the orientations of nanocrystals are confined along the grating vector in the nanoimprint process, where the confinement linewidth is comparable to the geometrical size of the nanocrystal. When the linewidth is about 400 nm, the poly(9, 9-dioctylfluorene)(PFO) nanocrystals could be orderly arranged in the nanogratings, so that both pattern transfer and well-aligned nanocrystal arrangement could be achieved in a single step by the soft-stamped NIL. The relevant mechanism of the nanocrystalline alignment in these nanogratings is fully discussed. The modulation of nanocrystal alignment is of benefit to the charge mobilities and other performances of PFO-based devices for the future applications.


This is a directory for schools in South Carolina published for the years 1931-1932. The statistical data for the directories is drawn from the school year 1930-1931. The directory includes a listing of chief administrators and personnel for the State Board of Education. The directory also lists county supervisors, members of county boards of education and county superintendents. The directory lists chairmen and secretaries on boards of trustees in each high school district. The directory includes a listing of agricultural, trade and industry, and home economics teachers, as well as full-time adult and night-school teachers. The directory includes a listing of schools alphabetically organized by county. The directory lists officers of main organizations, such as the School Improvement Association and the South Carolina Congress of Parents and Teachers. The directory includes a listing of superintendents and principals by county and college presidents, organized by state, private, and/or denominational institution, as well as a listing of special schools and orphanages. The directory includes a listing of United States superintendents, organized alphabetically by state. The directory includes extensive statistics of public schools from the 1930-1931 school year, covering school finances, such as expenditures, as well as enrollment and attendance, numbers and types of schools, the average school session length in days, etc.


Rice (Oryza sativa L.), a major dietary source, is often cultivated in soils poor in available inorganic orthophosphate (Pi), which is a pivotal nutrient for growth and development. Poor soils are amended by phosphorus (P) fertilizer, which is derived from the non-renewable rock phosphate reserves. Therefore, there is a need for developing rice varieties with high productivity under low P conditions. At the ICAR-IIRR, ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) mutagenized rice genotype Nagina22 (N22) were screened for high grain yield in Pi-deprived soil, which led to the identification of ~10 gain-of-function mutants including NH787. Here, detailed comparative morphophysiological, biochemical, and molecular analyses of N22 and NH787 were carried out in hydroponics and potting soil under different Pi regimes. Under Pi-deprived conditions, compared with N22, NH787 exhibited higher root and vegetative biomass, the number of tillers, and grain yield. The augmented agronomic traits of NH787 were corroborated with significantly higher photosynthetic rate, pollen fertility, stigma receptivity, and the activities of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). Further, several genes involved in the maintenance of Pi homeostasis (GPH) were differentially regulated. The study thus revealed a wide-spectrum influence of the mutation in NH787 that contributed towards its higher Pi use efficiency.


Tumors are highly heterogeneous, consisting of cell populations with both transcriptional and genetic diversity. These diverse cell populations are spatially organized within a tumor, creating a distinct tumor microenvironment. A new technology called spatial transcriptomics can measure spatial patterns of gene expression within a tissue by sequencing RNA transcripts from a grid of spots, each containing a small number of cells. In tumor cells, these gene expression patterns represent the combined contribution of regulatory mechanisms, which alter the rate at which a gene is transcribed, and genetic diversity, particularly copy number aberrations (CNAs) which alter the number of copies of a gene in the genome. CNAs are common in tumors and often promote cancer growth through upregulation of oncogenes or downregulation of tumor-suppressor genes. We introduce a new method STARCH (spatial transcriptomics algorithm reconstructing copy-number heterogeneity) to infer CNAs from spatial transcriptomics data. STARCH overcomes challenges in inferring CNAs from RNA-sequencing data by leveraging the observation that cells located nearby in a tumor are likely to share similar CNAs. We find that STARCH outperforms existing methods for inferring CNAs from RNA-sequencing data without incorporating spatial information.


This article has several interrelated goals, all of which relate to an attempt at understanding why monolingualism is taken to be the default norm in linguistic inquiry (from sociolinguistics to formal linguistic theorizing). With others, I will take the position that comparing instances of multilingualism to so-called monolingualism is an unfair and inevitably inaccurate comparison since, among other variables, the social environments and access to input of multilinguals compared to monolinguals is most often unavoidably different (cf. Cruz-Ferreira 2006; Edwards 2004). Additionally, I will attempt to demonstrate that even so-called monolinguals have access to a variety of grammars related to different registers of speech and, therefore, are not truly monolingual in the sense that they poses one monolithic grammatical competence. Taken together, the present discussion questions both the default status of monolingualism as well as the functional adequacy of the term monolingualism.


Mobile autonomous systems like robot swarms or mobile software agents operate in a dynamic environment pertaining self-organization, selfconfiguration and heterogeneity of computing entities. In such settings there is a need for autonomic publishing and discovery of resources and just-in-time integration for on-the-fly service consumption without any a priori knowledge of available services both within the execution environment and from the outside world. We propose a mediator-based distributed Web services discovery and invocation middleware. Moreover we present experimental results on an implemented robot swarm simulation environment. We propose a conceptual classification of computing entities on the basis of communication capabilities and conceptual overlay formation for query propagation. Our approach provides a loose coupling in terms of space and time and uses both Internet-based communication and RDF-based communication via messages mediators/post-boxes between entities when inter-communication between entities is not possible.


ABSTRACT This paper describes a systematic review of international research evidence identifying the most promising approaches to attracting and retaining teachers in hard-to-staff areas. Only empirical studies that employed a causal or suitable comparative design and had robust measurements of recruitment and retention outcomes were considered. Studies were assessed for strength of evidence taking into account threats to trustworthiness which may bias the results. A search of 13 electronic databases and Google/Google scholar identified 20 distinct research reports that met the inclusion criteria. Financial incentives was the only approach that seemsto work in attracting teachers to challenging schools, but not effective in retaining them. To keep teachers working in challenging schools a supportive and conducive working environment would be needed. Other approaches such as mentoring, support, or teacher development do not have strong evidence of effectiveness, largely because much of the research on these approaches was weak. More robust research capable of addressing causal questions is therefore urgently required to determine their impact in attracting and retaining good teachers in areas where they are most needed. Long-term solution would be to change school-allocation policies and improve economic conditions in such areas so that the problem of staffing does not arise.


Prediction of season onset is important for many sectors, particularly on agricultural practices, as its usage for reducing climate risk and planning activities. Current knowledge on season onset prediction mainly focused on large area, which remains research challenge for local level. This research developed model prediction of season onset for Malang Regency, East Java based on global climate data. The research specifically aimed to: (i) determine the onset date of rainy and dry season, (ii) generate equation for onset date prediction using principal component regression (PCR) approach, and (iii) evaluate the model performance. We depend on statistical model based on a combine of domain time and principal component analysis (PCA) for atmospheric variables, namely sea level pressure, outgoing longwave radiation, and zonal wind. We used the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) data for model evaluation, especially for determination of onset date. Based on cumulative anomalies rainfall, the onset date for dry season occurred in the early May, whereas for rainy season it was in early November. The results showed that regression models of the principal components had a good skill to predict onset date for both seasons. It has been confirmed by a low error and a high correlation. Visually, the dynamic of onset dates from model was mostly identical to the observation. The predictive model for rainy season had higher performance compared to the model for dry season. This finding was confirmed by insignificant difference resulted from the independent t-test between model and observed onset dates. The best model for dry season was conducted by domain time of February, whereas for rainy season was domain time of August. This research can be used to complement previous studies regarding season onset prediction in Indonesia.


Experimental technique of in situ FESEM fatigue/creep experiments has been developed to investigate the mechanisms of fatigue/creep crack propagation in freestanding metallic nano-films. We developed an in situ FESEM fatigue/creep dual-mode testing machine which was able to conduct the fatigue or creep experiments inside the FESEM chamber. The testing machine has the capability to apply high-frequency cyclic load or constant load under load-control conditions to the freestanding metallic nano-film specimens. In situ FESEM observations of the fatigue crack propagation in 523-nm-thick freestanding copper (Cu) films confirmed that intrusions/extrusions were formed ahead of the fatigue crack tip in the lower stress intensity factor range (K), and the size of the intrusions/extrusions increased as the number of stress cycles increased. The fatigue crack then propagated preferentially through these intrusions/extrusions. In the higher K, the fatigue crack propagated in tensile fracture mode. In addition, in situ FESEM observations of the creep crack propagation in 391-nm-thick freestanding gold (Au) films confirmed that voids were formed ahead of the creep crack tip, and the crack then propagated by coalescence of the voids and the crack. These results indicate that this experimental technique is effective to clarify the mechanisms and mechanics of fatigue/creep crack propagation in freestanding nano-films.


This research uses data from the 2004 Agricultural Resource Management Survey and probit regression to examine the determinants of poverty among U.S. farm households. The findings reveal, among others, the importance of a livelihood strategy that combines participation in government programs and off-farm work in lowering poverty rates. Findings also show the importance of educational attainment of the farm operator in mitigating poverty, but only when poverty is measured on a relative rather than an absolute basis. Policy recommendations are provided in the context of these findings.


For a class project Nancy and her friends must interview a neighbor with an interesting hobby. So they pick Terry Smith, who takes stray cats and kittens into her barn and finds them new homes. The girls have fun visiting with the cats, and Bess falls in love with two kittens, Cottonball and Coco. But when Bess's new furry friends go missing, she is devastated. Nancy must discover who let these cats out of the bag before Bess's heart is broken!


Determination of safe human exposure levels of chemicals in toxicological risk assessments largely relies on animal toxicity data. In these toxicity studies, the highest number of animals are used for reproductive and developmental toxicity testing. Because of economic and ethical reasons, there is large interest in the development of in vitro and/or in silico test systems as alternatives for the animal studies. The aim of the present thesis was to evaluate the applicability of combined in vitro approaches taking toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic aspects into account, as well as of an integrated in vitro and in silico approach for prediction of developmental toxicity using a series of antifungal compounds as the model compounds. Transplacental transfer of compounds is highly likely to play an important role in developmental toxicity, so we developed and validated an in vitro placental barrier model using BeWo b30 cells to predict placental transfer. Then we investigated the applicability of the ES-D3 cell differentiation assay combined with the in vitro BeWo transport model to predict the relative in vivo developmental toxicity potencies of two sets of selected antifungal compounds. The data obtained show that the combined in vitro approach provided a correct prediction for the relative in vivo developmental toxicity, whereas the ES-D3 cell differentiation assay as stand-alone did not. In order to detect specific structural alterations induced by chemicals, we investigated the applicability of the ex ovo assay of chicken embryos to predict the specific alterations induced by the antifungal compounds. Data revealed that the ex ovo assay of chicken embryos is able to assess the teratogenic potential of antifungal compounds, and, when combined with the in vitro BeWo transport model, is able to better predict relative in vivo prenatal developmental toxicity potencies. Subsequently, we translated in vitro concentration–response data of the antifungal compound tebuconazole, obtained in the ES-D3 cell differentiation assay and the ex ovo assay of chicken embryos, into predicted in vivo dose–response data using physiologically based kinetic (PBK) modelling-facilitated reverse dosimetry. The results show that the BMD10 values from predicted dose–response data from both assays are in concordance with BMD10 values derived from in vivo data (within 5-fold difference). This revealed that PBK modeling is a promising tool to predict in vivo dose-response curves based on the results of in vitro toxicity assays, and may therefore be used to set a point of departure for deriving safe exposure limits in risk assessment. It is concluded the combined in vitro approaches and the integrated in vitro-in silico approaches appear to be promising for the screening and prioritization of chemicals and to provide reference values, such as BMD10 values, without using animals, therefore contributing to the 3R principle of animal testing.


Authentic tsunami sediments collected from a previously empty bottle and several coastal localities were identified as brownish silty fine sand with a characteristic grain size distribution and an assemblage of planktonic and benthic microfossils. e.g forams. Influenced by references in Sri Lankan ancient texts to occurrences of tsunamis a search was undertaken for paleotsunami sediments in selected coastal villages of Peraliya and Denuwala. In boreholes and well cuttings of such locations we recognize two paleotsunami horizons at 30 and 75 cm respectively below the present ground surface each consisting of brownish silty fine sand with microfossils that remarkably resembled those found in the recently deposited uncontaminated tsunami sediment. The 14C dating of different tsunami sediments gave anomalous ages. However their C/N ratios indicated marine origins. The book highlights diagnostic criteria to identify authentic past and recent tsunami sediments and discusses the challenges of 14C dating tsunami sediments. It is a landmark publication of interest to geologists, paleontologists, archaeologists and in modeling and dating tsunamis


BACKGROUND
The tenet that children with acute purulent rhinitis need not be treated with antibiotics unless drainage persists for 7 to 10 days is taught to medical students and residents in primary care specialties but may not be adhered to in actual clinical practice. Because of the global increase in bacterial resistance stemming largely from the overuse of antibiotics, we sought to determine how acute purulent rhinitis is managed in the primary care setting.

METHODS
We surveyed all 450 pediatricians (PD) and family practitioners (FP) in northern Virginia who were in active practice in 1994. The survey instrument was a questionnaire containing two clinical vignettes followed by a series of multiple choice or fill-in-the-blanks questions. Initial nonresponders received up to three additional mailings of the same questionnaire.

RESULTS
There were 346 (77%) evaluable responses. Seventy-one percent of FP and 53% of PD (P = 0.001) immediately prescribed antibiotics for infants with scant, green nasal mucopurulent secretions of 1 day duration; fewer treated an older child immediately (50% FP vs. 24% PD, P < 0.00001). Only 15% of FP vs. 23% of PD (P = 0.07) waited for 7 to 10 days of persistent purulent nasal drainage in infants before prescribing antibiotics. Ninety-four percent of FP and 95% of PD (P = 0.8) indicated that they would prescribe antibiotics immediately for infants with acute purulent rhinitis who attended day care. For otitis-prone children who were not in day care, 86% of FP and 78% of PD (P = 0.02) would also treat without delay. The reasons given for prompt antibiotic therapy were (1) the belief that many untreated patients would develop persistent purulent nasal drainage, (2) concern that acute otitis media would develop, (3) pressure from mothers to prescribe an antibiotic and/or (4) the desire to allow employed parents to return to work earlier. Amoxicillin was the initial choice for 89% of FP vs. 76% of PD (P = 0.003). Most FP (89%) and PD (97%) were concerned about the increase in bacterial resistance rates arising from unnecessary antibiotic prescribing (P = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS
Most infants and children with acute purulent rhinitis of short duration were treated with antibiotics despite professed concerns over the spread of bacterial resistance; the practice was more prevalent among FP.


Automatic, all-hex meshes are required in many environments. However, current methods can produce unacceptable results where geometric features or topologic connectivity impose limiting constraints. Collapsing a small number of edges or faces in an allhex mesh to produce degenerate hex elements may be sufficient to turn an otherwise unusable mesh into an adequate mesh for computational simulation. We propose a post-processing procedure that will operate on an existing all-hex mesh by identifying and collapsing edges and faces to improve element quality followed by local optimization-based smoothing. We also propose a new metric based upon the scaled Jacobian that can be used to determine element quality of a degenerate hex element. In addition we illustrate the effectiveness of degenerate elements in analysis and provide numerous meshing examples using the sculpt meshing procedure modified to incorporate degeneracies. c © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Peer-review under responsibility of organizing committee of the 23rd International Meshing Roundtable (IMR23).


Abstract : In this series of Image Understanding Workshop Proceedings, we have stressed the issue of representation. In particular, we have described the development by Horn and his colleagues of the reflectance map, the albedo image, and the Gaussian image, and we have described the work of the group founded by Marr using the primal sketch, the 2 1/2 D sketch, and axis based 3-D models. In the April, 1981 Proceedings, we reviewed work on computing shape from shading and occluding boundaries, including a local parallel algorithm for doing this due to Ikeuchi and Horn 1981; the detection and perception of motion by computing the optical flow and directional selectivity of zero crossings; the interpolation of curves and surfaces; the real-time convolution of images with a difference-of-Gaussians (DOG) operator; and progress toward computing the full primal sketch. Here we review work on stereo to facilitate the computation of depth information and visible surface characteristics, the detction and interpretation of motion, the interpolation and description of visible surfaces, the description of two- and three-dimensional shapes, real-time convolution, and shape from shading. (Author)


Quantum embedding theories are playing an increasingly important role in bridging different levels of approximation to the many body Schrödinger equation in physics, chemistry and materials science. In this paper, we present a linear algebra perspective of the recently developed projection based embedding theory (PET) [Manby et al, J. Chem. Theory Comput. 8, 2564, 2012], restricted to the context of Kohn-Sham density functional theory. By partitioning the global degrees of freedom into a "system" part and a "bath" part, and by choosing a proper projector from the bath, PET is an in principle exact formulation to confine the calculation to the system part only, and hence can be carried out with reduced computational cost. Viewed from the perspective of the domain decomposition method, one particularly interesting feature of PET is that it does not enforce a boundary condition explicitly, and remains applicable even when the discretized Hamiltonian matrix is dense, such as in the context of the planewave discretization. In practice, the accuracy of PET depends on the accuracy of the projector for the bath. Based on the linear algebra reformulation, we develop a first order perturbation correction to the projector from the bath to improve its accuracy. Numerical results for real chemical systems indicate that with a proper choice of reference system, the perturbatively corrected PET can be sufficiently accurate even when strong perturbation is applied to very small systems, such as the computation of the ground state energy of a SiH3F molecule, using a SiH4 molecule as the reference system.


This article examines how the raw milk marketing system in Kenya has evolved after the dairy sector liberalization in 1992 by using panel data of 874 rural households. From the 1998 to 2004, the proportion of rural households who sold milk increased from 37 to 51 percent. During the same period, the number of households who sold milk to traders tripled, while it has drastically declined for dairy cooperatives and a parastatal processing company. The price analysis indicates that the excess supply in localities does not affect the farm gate price received by milk producer in 1998, but not in 2004. This is because trading a perishable commodity, such as milk, over a long distance requires reliable market channels and it takes some time for such supporting market institutions to be established.


Background Outpatient sampling is used to investigate endometrial pathology. Little is known about practice habits and local failure rates at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa. Objective This study assessed the frequency of samples that showed no or limited histological representation of endometrium, and described demographic and pathological features. Methods All endometrial sample histology reports from the National Health Laboratory Services at the hospital from 01 July 2013 to 31 May 2017 were retrieved by searching the laboratory's information system. Clinical variables (age, menopausal state, indication for biopsy, endometrial thickness on ultrasound) and pathological findings (macroscopic amount of tissue, histological diagnosis, microscopic presence of endometrial tissue) were extracted and statistically analysed. Results A total of 1926 samples were included, 91% of which were submitted for abnormal or postmenopausal bleeding. No endometrium was observed in 25% of samples and 13% showed limited endometrium. Benign diagnoses (86%) were most common, with proliferative or secretory changes, endometrial polyps and endometritis accounting for most of these. Associations between the amount of sample received and the presence of endometrial tissue (p ≤ 0.001) and benign versus malignant diagnoses (p ≤ 0.001) were noted. The greater the endometrial thickness, the greater the likelihood of obtaining more sample (bulky vs scant p < 0.001) and making a malignant versus benign diagnosis (p = 0.005). Conclusion These findings are in keeping with literature outside Africa. Histology reports should be explicit when terms such as 'inadequate' or 'insufficient' are used, in order to facilitate clinical decision-making.


New Public Management was introduced to the Norwegian education sector in the 1980 and 1990s. This implied that universities and colleges got more freedom on how to plan and implement strategies to reach the goals and report results to the Norwegian Ministry for Education. Based on the achieved results the Ministry of Education decides the future financing of universities and colleges. This creates a "market" in the sector of education and a competition between institutions for higher education.This paper is based on studying two cases, one state university and one regional university college, to explore their marketing strategies and their use of advertisement. NTNU is the main case, while HiST, based in the same city, is the contrast case. The assumption is that the pledge by the Norwegian Ministry of Education was interpreted in such a way that marketing and advertising was the option to attract qualified students, survive the competition with other institutions for higher education and satisfy the criteria set by the Norwegian Ministry of Education.The assumption is that introduction of New Public Management stimulated the emergence of such marketing strategies. The interviews with NTNU University and HiST College leadership were carried out in order to find out why institutions made such strategies. In the analysis I seek to explain the emergence of such marketing strategies in the light of New Public Management theories, hands – off management and translation theory.The main findings are that New Public Management influences the emergence of marketing strategies at NTNU and HiST, but in the case of NTNU it also goes via EU since NTNU has international ambitions and considers itself to be in competition with European universities. This is strongly connected to the history of NTNU and the way that NTNU perceives itself. The same goes for HiST whose identity made it develop marketing in a different way.NTNU is using more resources to profile itself for broader audience, while HiST has adjusted marketing strategy to the local context. NTNU is more concerned with reputation building, while HiST focuses more on identity building. However, in the end we see that both institutions had their marketing strategies based on their competence and practice. In case of NTNU we see that its identity as leading technical university led it to continue on its road to success in a more global context. Thus, its marketing activities are expensive and reach broad audience. HiST is a regional college that has a smaller arena and is much more modes in its marketing activities.Both NTNU and HiST were concerned to build good reputation because it is a new trend on how to achieve what public institutions always need to have, namely, legitimacy and trust.


Background Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), applied to two brain sites with different phase lags, has been shown to modulate stimulation-outlasting functional connectivity between the targeted regions. Objective Here, we test if spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) can explain stimulation-outlasting connectivity modulation by dual-site tACS and explore the effects of tACS parameter choices. Methods Networks with two populations of spiking neurons were simulated. Synapses between the populations were subject to STDP. We re-analyzed resting-state EEG data to validate the model. Results Simulations showed stimulation-outlasting connectivity changes between in- and anti-phase tACS, dependent on both tACS frequency and conduction delays. Importantly, the model predicted that the largest effects would occur for short conduction delays between the stimulated regions, which agreed with experimental EEG connectivity modulation by 10 Hz tACS. Conclusion STDP can explain connectivity aftereffects of dual-site tACS. However, not all combinations of tACS frequency and application sites are expected to effectively modulate connectivity via STDP. We therefore suggest using appropriate computational models and/or EEG analysis for planning and interpretation of dualsite tACS studies relying on aftereffects.


This is the report of the independent Panel asked by the Australian government to review the financial system external dispute resolution (EDR) and complaints framework. As the Panel notes, it is essential that consumers of financial products and services have access to effective EDR. The current EDR arrangements consist of the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), Credit and Investments Ombudsman (CIO) and Superannuation Complaints Tribunal (SCT). In 2015-16, FOS, CIO and SCT received 41,223 disputes in total, with FOS receiving 34,095 disputes (83 per cent), CIO receiving 4,760 disputes (12 per cent) and SCT receiving 2,368 disputes (6 per cent). The Panel found that although the existing EDR framework reflects some important strengths, a number of features of the framework mean that it is not producing the best possible outcomes for some users.
The problems identified by the Panel include:
(a) issues associated with the existence of multiple EDR bodies with overlapping jurisdictions;
(b) the monetary limits and compensation caps of the EDR bodies have fallen behind what is required to ensure access to justice;
(c) small business does not have adequate access to EDR;
(d) the dispute resolution arrangements for superannuation are not adequate; and
(e) there are gaps and overlaps in membership of EDR bodies.
The report contains a series of recommendations designed to address these problems.


Spent Pot Lining (SPL) or Spent Cathode is a solid waste produced by the aluminium industry during the manufacture of aluminum metal in electrolytic cells. After 3-7 years of
operation, the cathode liner materials deteriorate and affect the cell's performance and need to be replaced. Due to high fluoride (20 wt. %) and cyanide (1 wt. %) content SPL was listed as hazardous waste by the US Environmental Protection Agency in the year 1988.In the present study, various approaches in the treatment of SPL have been conducted to recover the valuable carbon and fluoride values. Initially a comparative study was investigated by the chemical leaching of water washed SPL with H2SO4 and HClO4 acids and the process parameters were optimized via utilization of Multiple Level Factorial design. For H2SO4 and HClO4 treatment of water washed SPL, L/S ratio was found to be the most significant factor.The carbon content was increased from 42.19% for raw SPL to 70.83% for H2SO4 and 71.76% HClO4 treatment. An approach in chemical leaching of water washed SPL was performed initially with caustic leaching followed by Perchloric acid leaching. In this case, the Temperature was found to be the most significant factor among all the parameters, whereas the L/S ratio was the least significant among the four parameters studied.The carbon percentage of SPL was increased from 42.19 to 87.03% as confirmed from the ultimate analysis. From the proximate analysis, the fixed carbon was increased from 38.96% to 82.86% from the raw to final treated SPL. Another approach in chemical leaching of water washed SPL was conducted initially with causticleaching followed by sulfuric acid leaching. In this
case, Alkali concentration and the Temperaturewere found to be the most significant and least significant factor among the four parameters studied.The process parameters used in
above approaches were optimized by Taguchi method and Classical Method.The carbon percentage of SPL was increased from 42.19% to 81.27% as confirmed from the ultimate analysis. From the proximate analysis, the fixed carbon was increased from 38.96% to 78.68% for sulfuric acid from the raw to final treated SPL.Gross calorific values (GCV) were
determined for the all optimized samples obtained from above studies. The GCV was found to be increased from 2865.04kcal/kg to 6689.69 kcal/kg for raw SPL and optimized sample obtained from caustic followed by sulfuric acid treatment respectively.


The dynamic process of fine grain evolution of 6061 aluminum alloy during modified strain-induced, melt-activated (SIMA) process was studied. The modified SIMA process employed casting, two stage homogenization, warm multi-forging, and recrystallization and partial melting (RAP). Multi-forging was carried out at a strain rate of 9x10-3 s-1 to accumulate high strains, with decreasing temperature from 250 to 200 °C. The alloy multi-forged with the accumulated strain of about 12 and RAP at 640 °C for 10 min exhibited the uniform equiaxed recrystallized grain structure. Accordingly, it was evident that multi-forging was very effective on grain refinement and grain size uniformity. The present modified SIMA process was discussed as an alternative thermo-mechanical processing for preparing the alloys with fine grained structure for semi solid processing.


This article presents a proposal for Learning Object Design problem-based and well-defined features in the design of the problem, graphical interface design, the pattern of software architecture, the self-assessment process and structure of metadata are geared to the learning style and deployment platforms defined in non-functional requirements.
 The stage engineering design software Learning Object (LO), is an extension of the analysis model and requires the support of teachers with extensive knowledge of the issues associated with interactive content. In this design model specifies the system to reach the final program and here we propose the use of techniques in the life cycle for software design, appropriate to the design of Learning Objects to the proposed integrated engineering software Learning Objects based on known problems ISDOA.


Image manipulation detection is different from traditional semantic object detection because it pays more attention to tampering artifacts than to image content, which suggests that richer features need to be learned. We propose a two-stream Faster R-CNN network and train it end-to-end to detect the tampered regions given a manipulated image. One of the two streams is an RGB stream whose purpose is to extract features from the RGB image input to find tampering artifacts like strong contrast difference, unnatural tampered boundaries, and so on. The other is a noise stream that leverages the noise features extracted from a steganalysis rich model filter layer to discover the noise inconsistency between authentic and tampered regions. We then fuse features from the two streams through a bilinear pooling layer to further incorporate spatial co-occurrence of these two modalities. Experiments on four standard image manipulation datasets demonstrate that our two-stream framework outperforms each individual stream, and also achieves state-of-the-art performance compared to alternative methods with robustness to resizing and compression.


Oliveros-Torres, Silvia Ph.D., Purdue University, May 2013. Interactive Multivariate Data Exploration for Risk-based Decision Making. Major Professor: David S. Ebert. Risk-based decision making is a data-driven process used to gather data about outcomes, analyze different scenarios, and deliver informed decisions to mitigate risk. An interactive visual analytics system can help derive insights from large amounts of data and facilitate the risk management process thereby providing a suitable solution to examine different decision factors. This work introduces two separate systems that incorporate visual analytics techniques to help the users in the tasks of identifying patterns, finding correlations, designing mitigation strategies, and assisting in the long term planning and assessment process. The first system looks at the National Health and Nutrition Examination survey (NHANES) dataset to help researchers explore patterns and form hypothesis about the current state of nutrition and health of the general US population. The second system introduces the application of integrated visual analytics techniques to explore risk from both strategic and operational aspects in the US Coast Guard Operations. The system performs the following tasks: the identification of risk priority areas, a comparative visualization of risk factors along with trend analysis, the distribution of pre-computed risk values, and the analysis of coverage efficiency. Both systems were developed through a collaborative usercentered process which allows us to reflect on the case study methodology for riskbased visual analytics systems.


This article explores the epistemological locus of a revised natural theology (RNT) and examines the apologetic fruitfulness of this concept. In the current science-religion dialogue, RNT is advocated by scholars such as John Polkinghorne. I argue in this article that RNT partakes of the nature of faith and can be labelled as theological metaphysics. The apologetic output is then mainly seen as a contribution to constructing a coherent philosophical-theological understanding of reality. For being able to do this, we need to acknowledge a wider epistemological framework for RNT. One step is to rephrase the underlying critical realism to a constructive critical realism. This approach takes better into account the complexity of our reality. Thus, the apologetic fruitfulness can be evaluated against other competitive coherent systems at a transdisciplinary level.


Background: Hochuekkito (HKT), a traditional Japanese herbal medicine, enhances the immunity of elderly or weak individuals. It is also known to have preventive effects against influenza clinically. However, the detailed mechanisms of the preventive effects have not been clarified. We examined the relationship between the preventive effects of HKT and autophagy, a known stress response and quality control mechanism, using Madin-Darby canine kidney cells and influenza A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) virus. Methods: The effect of HKT on autophagy in influenza A virus (IAV)-infected cells was assessed by Western blotting and fluorescence microscopy using an RFP-GFP-LC3B sensor kit. Results: In Western blotting, treatment with HKT before IAV infection (pre-HKT) tended to induce autophagy in IAV-infected cells at an early stage of infection, eventually suppressing IAV-induced autophagy. Moreover, several autolysosomes, indicative of normal autophagosome-lysosome fusion, were observed in Pre-HKT cells transduced with RFP-GFP-LC3B but not in untreated IAV-infected cells. Conclusions: These findings indicated that IAV-mediated inhibition of the fusion of autophagosomes with lysosomes was prevented by HKT treatment before infection. According to these results, we propose that this phenomenon is one of the preventive effects of HKT against IAV.


Antimicrobial peptides have broad-spectrum antibacterial activity and high thermal stability.Researches prove that they can inhibit the development of Plasmodium or kill them.The paper focuses on research advances in their biological characteristics,natural or synthetic peptides as potential anti-Plasmodium agents in malaria research.


TO THE EDITOR, Genitourinary Medicine dose of of effective tr Low dose oral ofloxacin to treat gonorrhoea Despite ev in Hong Kong against ch alyticum, a Sir, confer n Penicillin resistant gonococci are now comgonococcal mon in the Far East.1 2 In Hong Kong, 50% et al, unpu of all new male patients with gonorrhoea are now being infected by penicillin resistant strains.3 In an gonorrhoea attempt to find a simple, safe alternative to Hong Kon penicillin, we undertook a trial of oral ofloxacin. BMH Hon, Ofloxacin is one of the new quinolone BFPO I antibiotics. Quinolones have high in vitro activity against gonococci, and both References norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin have been used successfully to treat uncomplicated I NgWS,( urethral gonorrhoea in men.4-' Ofloxacin hill R, has an MIC against gonococci of 0 1 g/1, Neisser which is superior to that of norfloxacin but localitio slightly inferior to that of ciprofloxacin.8 to 15 a During 1986, 104 consecutive men attend2 Wang Fl ing the British Military Hospital, Hong in Hor Kong with untreated urethral gonorrhoea Diseast were treated with a single 300mg dose of 3 Henderso ofloxacin by mouth. Gonorrhoea was diagC. Ami nosed on the basis of finding intracellular Kong. Gram negative diplococci in the urethral 4 Anonym,


In response to the call for sustainability education in construction courses, higher education institutions have started to incorporate sustainability components into their construction courses to some extent. This research aims to investigate sustainability embedded in construction management (CM) courses using the Queensland University of Technology as a case study. A content analysis of its CM course structure, unit aims, learning objectives and lecture materials is conducted to examine the sustainability elements incorporated into the CM curriculum. The results show that the course incorporates sustainability components into the existing course structure mainly through horizontal integration, embedding sustainability into general units rather than as an add-on subject. Additionally, the sustainability topics embedded in the course cover a comparatively broad and balanced range of sustainability categories, i.e. background knowledge, policies and regulations, environmental issues, social issues and economic issues as well as technology and innovation, although social sustainability aspects need to be further strengthened. This research addresses the need for urgency in the development of an effective sustainability education framework for construction courses. It is expected that the findings from this study will facilitate the improvement of sustainability education in construction courses generally.


Rats were given 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) intravenously in a dose of 15 mg/kg on the 21st day of pregnancy; its content in the liver, placenta, and the fetus was determined by the fluorescent-spectral method. The maximal concentration was reached in 10--15 min in the liver and placenta of the pregnant rats (45 and 6.3 microgram/kg, respectively) in comparison with a slower (in one hour) elevation in the fetal tissues (2.4 microgram/kg). It took about 5 hours for all the tissues to be cleared of the carcinogen. One hour after the administration DMBA was unevenly distributed in various fetal organs--the maximal content in the liver, and the minimal--in the "carcass" in comparison with the content in other organs (the kidneys, lungs, brain, intestine). The results obtained failed to correlate with the data on the predominant origination of the tumours in the kidneys and the nervous system of rats in transplacental DMBA action.


Recent episodes of stress in the financial system have fostered a great deal of discussion regarding new supervisory and regulatory tools for financial institutions. The recent introduction of additional capital requirements for systemically important financial institutions is one example of the concrete measures that are being taken by regulators to mitigate systemic risk. In order to assist market participants in assessing and tracking systemic risk in the financial system, the Volatility Laboratory of the NYU Stern School of Business developed a quantitative indicator, called SRISK, which estimates the expected capital shortfall faced by a firm in a potential future financial crisis. Conceptually, SRISK is similar to the stress tests that are regularly applied to financial institutions; however, it is based exclusively on publicly available information (market and accounting data) and is quick and inexpensive to compute. Those firms with a high capital shortfall in a crisis – that is, when capital is low in the financial system – are the ones with the potential to extend the crisis and impact the broader economy. We use SRISK to quantify the estimated capital shortfalls of financial institutions under three relevant stress events that occurred in 2016: Brexit, the Trump election and the Italian referendum. We refer to these events collectively as BRUMPIT. Our empirical results confirm the usefulness of SRISK in assessing the sensitivity of individual financial institutions to the BRUMPIT events. This highlights the transmission channels in terms of systemic risk.


This paper, which develops ideas in my Ph.D. thesis (Issa, 2014), identifies a number of modified proverbs in a modern Arabic novel, Muftaraq al-Maṭar, by the Syrian novelist Yūsuf al-Maḥmūd. The study delves into how different scholars define modified proverbs (also sometimes referred to as deformed proverbs or anti-proverbs). The researcher will study a sample of adapted proverbs, regarding their new representation, and the effect of formal changes on their meaning, especially, when compared with their original structure. The study focuses on how the use of proverbs in narrative helps to flesh out the material and cultural life of 20th century Syria. This is done mostly by re-contextualizing the adapted proverbs. In so doing, the paper also discusses the different techniques of modification identified by various researchers. Then the focus moves on Alan Partington's (1998, pp.126-8) four techniques for modifying phrases: substitution, insertion, abbreviation, and rephrasing. This is followed by an examination of sixteen modified proverbs, which are classified into four groups, each one representing the implementation of one of Partington's four techniques. Finally, the study examines the semantic effect of applying these techniques.


The loss of connectivity in intermittent streams can limit aquatic-invertebrate access to food resources, with different resources available in individual pools. Although leaf litter was abundant in the Macquarie River in Tasmania, stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses suggested that aquatic macrophytes were more prevalent in shredding macroinvertebrate diets. We tested this result with two multi-choice trials, which examined the feeding preferences of Atalophlebia albiterminata (Ephemeroptera) and the case-building trichopterans Lectrides varians, Notalina bifaria, Triplectides similis and T. ciuskus ciuskus. We first tested preferences for the dominant benthic leaf species (Acacia mucronata, Eucalyptus amygdalina, E. barberi, E. obliqua and E. viminalis). We hypothesised that macroinvertebrates would preferentially select leaves with lower chemical concentrations. However, there were no strong preferences for conditioned leaves by any invertebrate, although the leaves varied in toughness, tannin, nitrogen and allelochemical content. Second, we examined the preferences for E. amygdalina and E. barberi leaves or the fresh macrophytes Triglochin procerum, Myriophyllum salsugineum and Potamogeton tricarinatus. Macrophytes were preferred over leaves by all invertebrates, with T. procerum significantly preferred over the other macrophytes. This suggests that macrophytes may be undervalued in riverine food webs, and should be included in analyses of food webs using stable isotopes.


This article traces its origin to 25 years of qualitative study of men's violence towards women in close relationships. Major methodological concerns have involved finding ways to facilitate and support the research participants – women, men and children – in formulating themselves in as genuine and multifaceted a narrative as possible. Over the years, the approach 'the teller-focused interview' has emerged, with its theoretical and methodological base in feminist research, narrative theory and methodology, and a dialectical way of thinking about the relationship between interviewer and interviewee. It views them as partners with different tasks and responsibilities in the research process. This dialectic is referred to as a 'relational practice'. It is argued that the methodological concerns brought up are not limited to the area of violence towards women but are also applicable in studies of various types of human experience that are complex, sensitive, and difficult to bring up. Indications for the use of the approach will be addressed, and basic aspects of the relational practice of tellerfocused interviewing will be presented. Some remarks on the relationship between qualitative research and psychotherapy will also be included.


Since the 1980s, there has been a significant rise in domestic and international efforts to enforce individual criminal accountability for human rights violations through trials, but we still lack complete explanations for the emergence of this trend and the variation observed in the use of human rights prosecutions in the world. In this article, we examine the role that procedural law has had in allowing societal actors to influence in this rising trend for individual criminal accountability. We do this by focusing on participation rights granted to victims, such as private prosecution in criminal cases. Based on an exploration of an original database on human rights prosecutions in Latin America and fieldwork research in three countries, we argue that private prosecution is the key causal mechanism that allows societal actors to fight in domestic courts for individual criminal accountability for human rights violations.


Indirect selection can be a useful means of improving quantitatively inherited traits. The purpose of this experiment was to determine how the quantitatively inherited traits of cotton fiber quality are related, and if this information could be applied to the improvement of cotton fiber. Correlations between traits indicate relationships, but are frequently difficult to interpret. Analysis of commonality, which is analogous to path coefficients and based on analysis of variance, is one method used to make sense of relationships found through correlations. During the summers of 1993 and 1994, plants were grown in the vicinity of Stoneville, MS. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with two replicates. One hundred and seven randomly selected F2-derived lines of upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) from the cross, Acala 151775BR1 X DPL SR-383, were sampled for fiber in the F3 and F4 generations. Eight fiber traits were measured -- elongation, maturity, micronaire, perimeter, 2.5% span length, strength, wall thickness, and weight fineness. The analysis of commonality identified perimeter as the only fiber trait that influenced all traits. Perimeter had the greatest effect on micronaire (76.5% of total sums of squares), but also affected slightly more than 35% (uniquely and in conjunction with other traits) of the variation in models explaining length and strength. Elongation had the least in common with other fiber traits. These results indicate the potential to decrease micronaire and increase fiber length and strength by selection for smaller perimeter. However, indirect selection for fiber quality may not be practical as measuring perimeter adds additional costs and perimeter's effects on length and strength may be too small for meaningful improvement in length and strength.


UNLABELLED
Diisocyanates, widely used in industry for the production of polyurethanes, paints and adhesives represent a growing problem in occupational medicine. Beside toxic responses, isocyanates induce sensitization of exposed workers and may cause asthmatic reactions. To study the pathomechanisms of acute isocyanate induced lung injury, we developed an animal model using anaesthetised rabbits. Inhalation of toluene diisocyanate (TDI) in the range of threshold limit value (TLV) of 10 ppb (as well as 5 and 30 ppb) four times for a period of one hour, performed in 3 groups of 8 rabbits, did not significantly alter airway resistance (R), dynamic elastance (Edyn), slope of inspiratory pressure generation (dPoes/TI), arterial pressure (Pa) or arterial blood-gas tensions (PaO2, Pa-CO2) within time of exposure. In these experiments, before and after each TDI inhalation, unspecific airway responsiveness to 2% Acetylcholine (ACH) aerosol, inhaled for 1 minute, was measured. After 4 hours of TDI-inhalation, the amplitude of the bronchoconstrictory responses to ACH rose significantly (p < 0.005) to 3.6 times of the control value. Similar changes in the amplitude of airway resistance were measured. After inhalation of 5 ppb TDI no significant changes in airway reactivity were noticed, whereas the responses were further enhanced with 30 ppb TDI. In a control group of 8 animals, not undergoing TDI inhalation, the responses of Edyn, R and delta Pöes/TI to ACH aerosol inhalation did not significantly alter from one challenge to another.

CONCLUSION
Diisocyanate atmospheres of threshold limit value of 10 ppb cause bronchial hyperreactivity within 4 hours of exposure in our rabbit model of occupational lung disease.


The weak phonological awareness and slow reaction time in word identification is a disorder that dyslexic people have in reading (Wolf and Bowers, 1999). Therefore, this study will investigate the ability of phonological awareness, rapid naming and reading ability of people with dyslexia. The subjects consisted of 4 children aged 7-8 years of dyslexia in Sekolah Dasar Inklusif Pantara, Jakarta. The four dyslexic children were compared to the control group (20 children from Kwitang 8 PSKD Pancoran Mas, Depok, who had the same age and gender as dyslexic children). The research used quantitative method with case study control design. The study was conducted with three experiments, namely: reading test, counting the number of syllable, and fast-track test. The first experiment consisted of 100 words (simple words, digraphs, diphthongs, and consonant clusters). The second experiment consisted of 48 words (24 words with illustrations and 24 words with three syllabics). All words are from the 10,000 words that have the highest frequency in the Indonesian linguistic corpus. The third test is 50 RAN letters (Pennington et al., 2001). Results showed that persons with dyslexia had a lower ability than the control group on all three tests. Dyslexic children tend to perform sound recovery, eliminate phonemes and swap words with non-words and slow reaction times. Based on the results obtained, 2 dyslexic children data support double deficit hypothesis Wolf and Bowers (1999) because dyslexic children show phonological deficits and rapid naming deficits.


To improve the mechanical performance of hyaluronic acid (HA)-based hydrogels, we prepared novel hybrid hydrogels consisting of hydrophilic HA and hydrophobic poly(trimethylene carbonate) (PTMC). Both polymers were functionalized with methacrylic anhydride, yielding HAMA and PTMC-tMA. Hybrid networks with different ratios of PTMC-tMA:HAMA were prepared by photo-cross-linking, using DMSO pH 2.7 as a common solvent for both macromers. The hybrid networks had high gel contents. The hydrophilicity of the networks increased with increasing HAMA content. The networks consisted of the intended amounts of both macromers. The suture retention strength and compression modulus of the networks increased with increasing PTMC-tMA content. While the 100% HAMA network could not be sutured, the 50:50 PTMC-tMA:HAMA network had a suture retention strength of 5.3 N/mm. This is comparable to that of natural vascular tissues. Also the compression modulus (867 kPa) was significantly higher than that of the 100% HAMA network (13 kPa). Moreover, the networks were compatible with human mesenchymal stem cells. In conclusion, these resilient PTMC-tMA:HAMA networks are promising new biomaterials for tissue regeneration.


The computer systems are a key point for decision making in any company that intends to be competitive. This is because these systems are based on the management of data by generating useful information in the decision-making process. In this context, it is necessary that the information generated comes from data with the appropriate quality, being integrity one of the most relevant attributes. Diverse approaches and methods have been studied in the bibliography, which pursue as fundamental objectives to identify the scenarios where problems can be triggered in the quality of the data, as well as to define methods and mechanisms to guarantee and measure it. However, the scenario where quality is affected due to security threats is not taken into account in the analyzed works. The article is based on the general criteria of safety as an attribute of quality of any computer system, particularizing in a data security approach as an attribute of the quality of these. The main contribution lies in the definition of a new security context in which data quality problems can arise. A resistant method to attacks is proposed to measure the quality of the data, based on cryptographic mechanisms. In addition, an analysis is made of the incidence of the proposed method in the response times of the system. The results obtained in the experimentation show that the increases of the times are not significant, so they do not appreciably affect the system availability.


Recently, barrier function-based safe reinforcement learning (RL) with the actor-critic structure for continuous control tasks has received increasing attention. It is still challenging to learn a near-optimal control policy with safety and convergence guarantees. Also, few works have addressed the safe RL algorithm design under time-varying safety constraints. This paper proposes a model-based safe RL algorithm for optimal control of nonlinear systems with time-varying state and control constraints. In the proposed approach, we construct a novel barrier-based control policy structure that can guarantee control safety. A multi-step policy evaluation mechanism is proposed to predict the policy's safety risk under time-varying safety constraints and guide the policy to update safely. Theoretical results on stability and robustness are proven. Also, the convergence of the actor-critic learning algorithm is analyzed. The performance of the proposed algorithm outperforms several state-of-the-art RL algorithms in the simulated Safety Gym environment. Furthermore, the approach is applied to the integrated path following and collision avoidance problem for two real-world intelligent vehicles. A differential-drive vehicle and an Ackermann-drive one are used to verify the offline deployment performance and the online learning performance, respectively. Our approach shows an impressive sim-to-real transfer capability and a satisfactory online control performance in the experiment.


In this paper, a reduced size dual-band balanced antenna is presented and tested in a lid of a laptop computer. The antenna size is only 0.28 lambda0, which is 44% smaller than the conventional dipole antenna and is comparable to the size of unbalanced antenna. A modified meander line technology is used in the particular antenna configuration to achieve dual-band operation in the 2.5 and 5.25 GHz WLAN bands


We read with interest and congratulate Miller et al. for successfully implementing remote telementoring for retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy (RA). However, their claim that this is locally a new surgical technique and adoption of RA has been slow is not entirely correct. The potential advantages of retroperitoneal over a transperitoneal approach for laparoscopic adrenalectomy has been well reported. This includes more direct access to the adrenal gland without the need to mobilize and retract intra-abdominal structures and possibly a shorter operative time and length of stay. Local Australasian urologists that perform laparoscopic retroperitoneal renal surgery (nephrectomy, partial nephrectomy, pyeloplasty) have been performing RA for a number of years and our senior urology registrars are trained in this procedure. The operative technique and outcomes for both retroperitoneal approaches (posterior or lateral) are very similar, except for patient positioning.Although Miller et al. performed RAin the prone jackknife position, we suggest that a lateral decubitus position is preferable as there is potentially less airway and respiratory risk in the lateral position, especially in the co-morbid obese patient. Also, in the unlikely event of open conversion, the patient is already in position for a flank incision.The only possible advantage with a posterior approach is the feasibility of bilateral adrenalectomies without patient repositioning.


Two main objectives have been considered in this paper: providing a good model to predict the critical temperature and pressure of binary hydrocarbon mixtures, and comparing the efficiency of the artificial neural network algorithms and the support vector regression as two commonly used soft computing methods. In order to have a fair comparison and to achieve the highest efficiency, a comprehensive search method is used in neural network modeling, and a particle swram optimization algorithm for SVM modeling. To compare the accuracy of the models, various criteria such as ARD, MAE, MSE, RAE and R2 are used. The simulation results show that the ARD for the prediction of the true critical temperature and pressure of the binary hydrocarbon mixtures for the final optimized ANN-based model is equal to 0.0161 and 0.0387, respectively. The corressponding ARD value for the SVM-based model is equal to 0.0086 and 0.0091 for critical temperature and pressure, respectively. Simulation results show that although both models have a very high predictive accuracy, the SVM has higher learning speed and accuracy than ANN.


AIM
To evaluate prospectively the hemodynamic performance of «BioLAB Mono» stentless bioprosthesis implanted into aortic position.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Twenty seven patients (mean age 71 (67; 73); 17 women) with severe aortic stenosis underwent aortic valve replacement with «BioLAB Mono» stentless bioprosthesis from 2012 to 2014. The valves were implanted into supra-annular position using continuous polypropylene suture.

RESULTS
In the early postoperative period 1 patient (3.7%) died for acute heart failure. The mean aortic cross-clamping time was 81 (75; 90) min. Echocardiographic peak pressure gradient were 18 (16; 23) mmHg (postoperative). There were no cases of valve dysfunction in early postoperative period. Level of thrombocytes recovered after 10 days postoperatively.

CONCLUSION
«BioLAB Mono» aortic bioprosthesis implantation is easy and reproducible. The valve has excellent hemodynamic performance in early postoperative period.


We present a study based on Gaia DR2 of the population of blue straggler stars in the open clusters Trumpler 5, Trumpler 20, and NGC 2477. All candidates were selected according to their position in the color–magnitude diagram, their proper motion components, and their parallax. We also looked for yellow stragglers, i.e., possible evolved blue stragglers. We found that Trumpler 5 hosts a large blue straggler star population, which allowed us to analyze their radial distribution as a probe of the cluster's dynamical status. The blue straggler star distribution was compared with that of red giant branch stars to evaluate mass segregation. Our results indicate that blue straggler stars are not more centrally concentrated than red giant branch stars stars in any of the clusters. The radial distribution of blue straggler stars in Trumpler 5 is flat. Additionally, using a multi-epoch radial velocity survey conducted with the high-resolution spectrograph FLAMES/GIRAFFE at the Very Large Telescope, we measured the radial velocities of a sample of stragglers to compare with the mean radial velocity and velocity dispersion of the clusters. Based on the radial velocity variations for different epochs, we roughly classified these stars as possible close or long-period binaries.


Microwave absorbing material is currently being more and more widely applied in the world. However, conventional absorbent coating material cannot fulfill the complex current requirements of science and technology to have a wide absorption frequency band, and high absorption. This paper describes composite material plates with a multi-layer absorbing structure designed according to impedance-matching and attenuation principles, producing two- and three-layer absorbing structures. Twelve samples were made, containing graphite powder and manganese dioxide at varying concentrations. The results show that in the frequency range 8-18 GHz, the peak absorption of double-layer samples is -12.3dB, the effective bandwidth (R < -10 dB) is 1.8GHz. The absorption peak of three-layer samples is -18 dB, and the effective bandwidth (R < -10 dB) is 8GHz. The findings of this research are useful in improving the absorption bandwidth of absorbing material.


This paper presents an architectural approach to the design of low power reconfigurable finite impulse response (FIR) filter. The approach is well suited when the filter order is fixed and not changed for particular applications, and efficient trade-off between power savings and filter performance can be made using the proposed architecture. Generally, FIR filter has large amplitude variations in input data and coefficients. Considering the amplitude of both the filter coefficients and inputs, the proposed FIR filter dynamically changes the filter order. Mathematical analysis on power savings and filter performance degradation and its experimental results show that the proposed approach achieves significant power savings without seriously compromising the filter performance. The power savings is up to 41.9% with minor performance degradation, and the area overhead of the proposed scheme is less than 5.3% compared to the conventional approach.


A casing-less down hole sampling system for acquiring a subsurface sample for analysis using an inductively coupled plasma system is disclosed. The system includes a probe which is pushed into the formation to be analyzed using a hydraulic ram system. The probe includes a detachable tip member which has a soil point mad a barb, with the soil point aiding the penetration of the earth, and the barb causing the tip member to disengage from the probe and remain in the formation when the probe is pulled up. The probe is forced into the formation to be tested, and then pulled up slightly, to disengage the tip member and expose a column of the subsurface formation to be tested. An instrumentation tube mounted in the probe is then extended outward from the probe to longitudinally extend into the exposed column. A balloon seal mounted on the end of the instrumentation tube allows the bottom of the column to be sealed. A source of laser radiation is emitted from the instrumentation tube to ablate a sample from the exposed column. The instrumentation tube can be rotated in the probe to sweep the laser source across the surface of the exposed column. An aerosol transport system carries the ablated sample from the probe to the surface for testing in an inductively coupled plasma system. By testing at various levels in the down-hole as the probe is extracted from the soil, a profile of the subsurface formation may be obtained.


Routing performance is critical for peer-to-peer (P2P) systems to achieve high performance. Current routing algorithms concentrate on creating a well organized network architecture to boost routing performance. However, for each routing procedure, system returns location information of the requested file only and the characteristics of system workload are seldom considered. We propose the UCP2P routing algorithm which introduce "superobject" to take advantage of spatial locality among file accesses. When a client retrieves a file, UCP2P routing algorithm may send location information of several other correlated files in addition within one routing procedure. No further routing procedure is needed if the client requests any of these files later. By this mechanism, we can greatly reduce the routing overhead. Our preliminary simulation results show UCP2P achieves a great routing performance improvement over the previous algorithms.


The strategies of inclusive growth and development came into the limelight in the developmental policies of emerging market economies (EMEs), with higher economic growth rates. With an accelerated economic growth rate, Indian policy makers too shifted their focus on inclusive growth and development while formulating the 11 Keywords: Inclusive Growth, Flagship Programmes, 11 th Five Year Plan. Thus, the Plan targeted deprived sections of the Indian population. Recently in 2012, the Plan completed its tenure. It is therefore appropriate to examine the outreach of this Plan. The aim of the paper is to assess how far the 11 th Five Year Plan succeeded in bringing inclusive growth in India. Attempts are made here to evaluate various flagship programmes covering education, health, employment, rural-urban infrastructure, women and child development and social security measures against the backdrop of the Plan. Efforts are also made to evaluate specific schemes on the basis of their targets and achievements. At the same time, through financial inclusion, the RBI as well as NABARD endeavours to spread the benefits of financial development to the grassroot level. The coverage of the study is the period of the 11 th Five Year Plan i.e., from 2007-08 to 2011-12, using the data from the Economic Survey and other sources. In spite of various measures undertaken by the government, their effective implementation in India is lacking. th Five Year Plan, Inclusive Development, Financial Inclusion


Most people think it is morally wrong to breach a contract. But sophisticated commercial parties, like large corporations, have no objection to breaching contracts and paying the price in damages when doing so is in their self-interest. The literature has ignored the profound legal, economic, and normative implications of that asymmetry between individuals' and firms' approaches to breach. To individuals, a contract is a promise that cannot be broken regardless of the financial stakes. For example, millions of homeowners refused to breach their mortgage contracts in the aftermath of the housing crisis even though doing so could have saved them tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Their moral beliefs led homeowners to forgo opportunities for efficient breach that firms would have seized, thus exacerbating al-ready swelling wealth inequalities.

This Article explains this phenomenon, identifies its consequences and examines strategies to address it. Neither ex post judicial interventions (such as adjusting the remedies for breach) nor traditional ex ante regulatory interventions (such as disclosure requirements) will effectively address the problem. Instead, the most promising approach is a novel solution based on the framework of choice architecture: requiring contracts to include an express term creating an option to exit the contract and pay a fee equivalent to expectation damages. An express exit term elevates an implicit legal option into an explicit contractual option, reframing the moral choice so individuals would perceive exiting the contract as a morally permissible performance of their promise rather than a morally forbidden breaking of it. The presence of that exit term thereby aligns individuals' perceptions of their moral obligations under the contract with sophisticated firms' approaches to breach.

The Article concludes with new empirical evidence that demonstrates the practical impact of an exit clause. It presents the results of two experimental studies I performed that demonstrate the effectiveness of a mandatory exit clause in reducing the effects of the asymmetry between individuals and firms. Those results show that exit clauses could have substantial practical implications for the regulation of contracts in contexts like consumer and mortgage contracts.


The aim of this paper is to describe and analyse the emerging role of electronic agribusiness and the corresponding consequences in Germany. The study was carried out as a consecutive step by step procedure, including empirical surveys in farm and agribusiness small and medium size enterprises, accompanied by case studies in agribusiness firms, and a technology assessment expert survey. The results indicate that internet penetration on farm and agribusiness enterprise levels is rather high, but currently information and communication activities clearly dominate over commercial business activities. The case studies show that the internal communication changed significantly due to the implementation of internet applications like emailing, newsgroups, periodic information sheets and video-conferencing. Additionally, external communication changes according to the availability of internet features, e.g. suppliers of parts established internet networks for co-ordinated sales activities. The technology assessment expert survey indicates a gain in importance for pre- and after-sales services and communication activities by using internet technologies. Conclusions are - among others - an increasing importance of e-agribusiness and correspondingly an acceleration of structural change, but low or no expected effects on ecological parameters and on the labour market.


This manual aims to support stakeholder involvement in future action plan development and implementation and evaluation processes at European Union (EU), national and regional level. The manual outlines the development of the organic food and farming sector in Europe; organic action plans as a component of European, national and regional policies for organic farming; planning and implementation of organic action plans; involvement of stakeholders in organic action plan development; and methods and tools for evaluation of organic action plans. The manual draws on key lessons learnt from more than two decades' experience of development, implementation and evaluation of organic action plans throughout Europe.


Lysosomes were first described as vacuolar structures containing various hydrolytic enzymes at acidic pH. Subsequent studies revealed that the lysosome/vacuolar system is complex and composed of distinct membrane-enclosed vesicles including endosomes, primary and mature lysosomes, autophagic vesicles, residual bodies, multivesicular bodies, and digestive lysosomes. Lysosomes express a battery of hydrolytic enzymes including proteases, acid phosphatases, glycosidases, and lipases. Parasitic protozoa also possess complex intracellular lysosomes/endosomes/vesicles involved in digestion, transport and recycling of molecules similar to those of mammalian cells. Unique characteristics are ascribed to lysosomes of different parasites and may even differ between parasite stages. Transport of hydrolases and proteins to parasite lysosomes is directed either from the Golgi complex via endosomal vesicles or from endocytic vesicles originated in the cell surface. Inhibition of lysosomal proteases demonstrated that different proteolytic machineries catabolize distinct classes of proteins, and this selectivity may be exploited for the development of effective antiparasitic drugs. This review describes lysosomal molecules that are either validated or potential drug targets for Chagas' disease, sleeping sickness, leishmaniasis, toxoplasmosis, malaria, amebiasis, and giardiasis.


: African species of Gastropacha O chsenheimer , 1810, are revised. Taxon Estigena M oore , [1860] 1858-1859 stat. rev. is proposed again in original status of a separate genus. The species africana H olland , 1893 and silvestris S trand , 1918 are con sidered within Estigena , containing now 13 species. Two new genera are established: Weberolegra gen. nov. with the type-species Tauscheria weberi T ams , 1929 and Typhonoya gen. nov. with the type-species Estigena longipennis H ering , 1941; for both species the 9$ are described for the first time. Distributional maps and typical specimens for each species are pictured.


DOWNLOAD PDF This study discusses the application of SEM in the field of education on the relationship between quality of service (ξ1), satisfaction (η1), confidence (η2) and loyalty (η3) are also basic concepts SEM, structural equation modeling and make a path diagram. This study aimed to determine the relationship of service quality, satisfaction, trust and loyalty student at UNM Department of Mathematics and knowing intervening variable between service quality and loyalty. Using SEM analysis found that the quality of service significantly influence satisfaction and trust while the quality of service does not have a significant  direct  influence  loyalty. Satisfaction was also no significant  effect on loyalty. Structural equation modeling results are , , . From the analysis it can be concluded that loyalty can be built with good quality service with confidence as an intervening variable. So, with good service will lead to student confidence. Once there is trust there arise loyalty. Key words: SEM, service quality, satisfaction, trust, loyalty.


A technique for computing the switching activity of synchronous finite state machine (FSM) implementations including the influence of temporal correlation among the next state signals is described. The approach is based upon the computation that a FSM is in a given state which, in turn, is used to compute the conditional probability that a next state bit changes given its present state value. All computations are performed using decision diagram (DD) data structures. As an application of this method, the next state activity information is utilized for low power optimization in the synthesis of binary decision diagram (BDD) mapped circuits. Experimental results are presented based on a set of the ISCAS89 sequential benchmarks showing an average power reduction of 40 percent and tip to 90 percent reduction for individual benchmarks on the estimated power dissipation.


Abstract Starting from the examination of a passage of the Dialogo sopra i massimi sistemi del mondo that has been largely ignored by the scholarship, in this paper I want to reveal the true nature of Galileo's epistemology in terms of its epistemic ideal, that is that theory is capable of providing true and certain knowledge about natural phenomena coming from sensation. The investigation examines all the occurrences of the expression sensate esperienze in its singular and plural forms, both in the Latin and in the vernacular. The research proceeds diachronically through an analysis of Galileo's writings taken in order to show the progressive development of his epistemology. The paper will demonstrate how in thinking about sensate experiences Galileo had in mind as epistemic paradigm that of the epistemology of anatomy.


A new, "unexpected" generation of Jews made an appearance in Poland following the fall of the communist regime. Once home to the greatest Jewish community in the world and then site of one of the biggest tragedies in Jewish history, today Poland is experiencing what some have called a "renaissance of Jewish culture." Simultaneously, more and more Poles are discovering their Jewish roots and beginning to seek forms of Jewish affiliation. Can there be "authentic" Jewish life in Poland after fifty years of oppression? 'Return of the Jew' offers the first in-depth study of the third post-Holocaust generation of Jews in Poland. It provides a revealing account of the experience of being or rather becoming Jewish vis-a-vis uniquely compelling circumstances.


Unsupervised domain adaptation (UDA) is to make predictions for unlabeled data on a target domain, given labeled data on a source domain whose distribution shifts from the target one. Mainstream UDA methods learn aligned features between the two domains, such that a classifier trained on the source features can be readily applied to the target ones. However, such a transferring strategy has a potential risk of damaging the intrinsic discrimination of target data. To alleviate this risk, we are motivated by the assumption of structural domain similarity, and propose to directly uncover the intrinsic target discrimination via discriminative clustering of target data. We constrain the clustering solutions using structural source regularization that hinges on our assumed structural domain similarity. Technically, we use a flexible framework of deep network based discriminative clustering that minimizes the KL divergence between predictive label distribution of the network and an introduced auxiliary one; replacing the auxiliary distribution with that formed by ground-truth labels of source data implements the structural source regularization via a simple strategy of joint network training. We term our proposed method as Structurally Regularized Deep Clustering (SRDC), where we also enhance target discrimination with clustering of intermediate network features, and enhance structural regularization with soft selection of less divergent source examples. Careful ablation studies show the efficacy of our proposed SRDC. Notably, with no explicit domain alignment, SRDC outperforms all existing methods on three UDA benchmarks.


Dermatophytosis, also known as ringworm, is a contagious fungal skin disease affecting humans and animals worldwide. Persian cats exhibit severe forms of the disease more commonly than other breeds of cat, including other long-haired breeds. Certain types of severe dermatophytosis in humans are reportedly caused by monogenic inborn errors of immunity. The goal of this study was to identify genetic variants in Persian cats contributing to the phenotype of severe dermatophytosis. Whole-genome sequencing of case and control Persian cats followed by a genome-wide association study identified a highly divergent, disease-associated haplotype on chromosome F1 containing the S100 family of genes. S100 calcium binding protein A9 (S100A9), which encodes a subunit of the antimicrobial heterodimer known as calprotectin, contained 13 nonsynonymous variants between cases and controls. Evolutionary analysis of S100A9 haplotypes comparing cases, controls, and wild felids suggested the divergent disease-associated haplotype was likely introgressed into the domestic cat lineage and maintained via balancing selection. We demonstrated marked upregulation of calprotectin expression in the feline epidermis during dermatophytosis, suggesting involvement in disease pathogenesis. Given this divergent allele has been maintained in domestic cat and wildcat populations, this haplotype may have beneficial effects against other pathogens. The pathogen specificity of this altered protein should be investigated before attempting to reduce the allele frequency in the Persian cat breed. Further work is needed to clarify if severe Persian dermatophytosis is a monogenic disease or if hidden disease-susceptibility loci remain to be discovered. Consideration should be given to engineering antimicrobial peptides such as calprotectin for topical treatment of dermatophytosis in humans and animals.


Poly(butylene succinate-co-propylene succinate) (PBSPS) was polymerized using succinic acid, 1,4-butanediol, 1,3-propanediol, and glycerol (GC). The PBSPS copolyester with a BS/PS ratio of 7/3 has a low melting point (Tm, 80 °C) and crystallization temperature (Tc, 20 °C) in addition to excellent thermal stability with a thermal degradation temperature (Td) above 300 °C. Isodimorphism was observed for 30-50 mol% PS, lowering Tm and Tc. The featured crystalline lattices (021) and (110) of PBS at 2θ = 21.5° and 22.5° gradually disappeared with PS content greater than 50 mol% and transformed into a PPS crystalline lattice at 2θ = 22.3°. Young's modulus decreased with increasing PS content due to crystallinity loss. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction demonstrated that the chain movement regularity was affected by the GC content, reducing the crystallinity. The PBSPS copolyesters were elastic with 0.001 mol% GC but became rigid with GC content greater than 0.01 mol%. The chain conformation was flexible for 0.001-0.01 mol% GC and exhibited an irregular steric architecture for 0.02-0.03 mol% GC due to more GC acting as nodes. Thus, the thermal and mechanical properties of the synthesized bio-based PBSPS copolyesters can be controlled by adjusting the GC content; therefore, such copolyesters are suitable for medical support, coating, and phase-change material applications.


When four species compete stochastically in a cyclic way, the formation of two teams of mutually neutral partners is observed. In this paper we study through numerical simulations the extinction processes that can take place in this system both in the well mixed case as well as on different types of lattices. The different routes to extinction are revealed by the probability distribution of the domination time, i.e. the time needed for one team to fully occupy the system. If swapping is allowed between neutral partners, then the probability distribution is dominated by very long-lived states where a few very large domains persist, each domain being occupied by a mix of individuals from species that form one of the teams. Many aspects of the possible extinction scenarios are lost when only considering averaged quantities, such as for example the mean domination time.


: This article is designed to help dentists make better decisions regarding capitation programs. It focuses on approaches to costs that can be useful. An example is given that illustrates how these cost concepts might be used to analyze a capitation proposal.


European Union (EU) negotiations take place within the framework of a set of formal and informal institutions. Member states negotiate in the organizational context of the Council and the European Council, take decisions through alternative procedures and decision rules, and sustain a set of norms for the conduct of negotiations. While the effects of these institutions on negotiation behaviour and outcomes have received extensive attention, the question of why these particular institutions have been established or evolved remains underexplored. This contribution makes an argument in favour of systematic attention to the design of negotiation institutions in the EU, and suggests that we should draw on general theoretical approaches to institutional design for these purposes. Moreover, rather than engaging in the exercise of trying to prove or falsify theoretical approaches, we should exploit the potential for explanatory complementarities in concrete empirical domains. To this end, the paper advances a domain-of-application approach to institutional design and illustrates its applicability to EU negotiation institutions through four empirical illustrations.


In this paper we present a large scale, passive positioning system that can be used for approximate localization in Global Positioning System (GPS) denied/spoofed environments. This system can be used for detecting GPS spoofing as well as for initial position estimation for input to other GPS free positioning and navigation systems like Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM). Our Location inference through Frequency Modulation (FM) Signal Integration and estimation (LoSI) system is based on broadcast FM radio signals and uses Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) obtained using a Software Defined Radio (SDR). The RSSI thus obtained is used for indexing into an estimated model of expected FM spectrum for the entire United States. We show that with the hardware for data acquisition, a single point resolution of around 3 miles and associated algorithms, we are capable of positioning with errors as low as a single pixel (more precisely around 0.12 mile). The algorithm uses a largescale model estimation phase that computes the expected FM spectrum in small rectangular cells (realized using geohashes) across the Contiguous United States (CONUS). We define and use Dominant Channel Descriptor (DCD) features, which can be used for positioning using time varying models. Finally we use an algorithm based on Euclidean nearest neighbors in the DCD feature space for position estimation. The system first runs a DCD feature detector on the observed spectrum and then solves a subset query formulation to find Inference Candidates (IC). Finally, it uses a simple Euclidean nearest neighbor search on the ICs to localize the observation. We report results on 1500 points across Florida using data and model estimates from 2015 and 2017. We also provide a Bayesian decision theoretic justification for the nearest neighbor search.


This paper focuses on the scalability problems for high-speed switches, and presents an integrated scheduling algorithm that supports unicast and multicast traffic efficiently in input-queued packet switches. Considering the tradeoff balancing complexity and performance, the proposed integrated algorithm performs without iteration, and reduces the scheduling overhead to O(N) with a two-phase (request-grant) sequential scheduling for unicast and multicast traffic. In addition, it can be implemented in a fully distributed way, which is more suitable for high-speed switches. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm exhibits a good performance in terms of throughput and average delay, at different traffic compositions under various traffic patterns.


Introduction: Renal diseases are among the major health problems around the world that cause major changes in patients' lifestyle and affect their quality of lives. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of life of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Iran through a meta-analysis. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted using authentic Persian and English keywords in the national and international databases including IranMedex, SID, Magiran, IranDoc, Medlib, Science Direct, Pubmed, Scopus, Cochrane, Embase, Web of Science, and Medline. The data were analyzed using meta-analysis (random effects model). Heterogeneity of studies was assessed using I2 index. In this study, SF-36: 36-Item Short Form health-related quality of life (HRQOL), kidney disease quality of life-SF (KDQOL-SF), KDQOL and KDQOL-SFTM questionnaires were used. Data were analyzed using STATA Version 11 software. Results: A total of 17200 individuals participated in 45 reviewed studies, and the mean score of CKD patients' quality of life was estimated by SF-36 (60.31), HRQOL (60.51), and KDQOL-SF (50.37) questionnaires. In addition, meta-regression showed that the mean score of CKD patients' quality of life did not significantly decrease during the past years. Conclusion: The mean score of quality of life of patients with CKD was lower in different dimensions in comparison with that of normal people. Therefore, interventional measures should be taken to improve the quality of life of these patients in all dimensions.


In this letter, we present a scalable method based on the use of microfluidics and electrical conductivity measurement for monitoring the activity of an enzyme. This scalable method can be used for drug screening to test for the ability of an organic small molecule to inhibit the activity of an enzyme. Our method involves the use of electrodes integrated in a microchannel for the measurement of conductivity across the channel. An ac measurement is used to monitor the conductivity across the channel as the enzyme reaction proceeds. Here, we show the ability to measure these changes in conductivity and also the ability to distinguish between an active and inactive enzyme using an enzyme with two orders of magnitude reduced.


The paper analyzes the issues that pertain to the soft capacity of mobile multimedia CDMA networks and affect network planning and radio resource management. To do this, the paper presents analytically the factors affecting the RF carrier loading in both forward and reverse links. This analysis demonstrates how coverage and capacity of a multimedia CDMA system are intertwined and depend on parameters such as the service characteristics, the propagation channel conditions, the transmitted power limits and the generated interference. Graphical results show the effect of various parameters on carrier loading and illustrate the resulting 'cell breathing', drawing some very interesting conclusions concerning the design and dimensioning of 3G mobile multimedia W-CDMA systems.


Mycothiol S-transferase (MST) (encoded by the rv0443 gene) was previously identified as the enzyme responsible for the transfer of Mycothiol (MSH) to xenobiotic acceptors in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) during xenobiotic stress. To further characterize the functionality of MST in vitro and the possible roles in vivo, X-ray crystallographic, metal-dependent enzyme kinetics, thermal denaturation studies, and antibiotic MIC determination in rv0433 knockout strain were performed. The binding of MSH and Zn2+ increases the melting temperature by 12.9 °C as a consequence of the cooperative stabilization of MST by both MSH and metal. The co-crystal structure of MST in complex with MSH and Zn2+ to 1.45 Å resolution supports the specific utilization of MSH as a substrate as well as affording insights into the structural requirements of MSH binding and the metal-assisted catalytic mechanism of MST. Contrary to the well-defined role of MSH in mycobacterial xenobiotic responses and the ability of MST to bind MSH, cell-based studies with an M.tb rv0443 knockout strain failed to provide evidence for a role of MST in processing of rifampicin or isoniazid. These studies suggest the necessity of a new direction to identify acceptors of the enzyme and better define the biological role of MST in mycobacteria.