An effective multiport measurement system for the characterization of N-port nonlinear microwave devices is proposed. The proposed measurement system has the capability of measuring the S-parameters of linear microwave circuits and the amplitude-modulation-to-amplitude-modulation (AM/AM) and amplitude-modulation-to-phase-modulation (AM/PM) conversions for fundamental and harmonic frequencies for nonlinear microwave devices on single-step measurement without any need for reconnection or change in the calibration technique or measurement setup. It is found suitable that the proposed system can accurately quantify the impact of crosstalk on the performance of multibranch amplifiers and multiport nonlinear microwave systems in terms of power efficiency and signal distortion.


Abstract A droplet, a few hundreds of microns, of liquid crystalline hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC) in water is imbedded into a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix and subjected to a shear flow. The droplet is deformed into a thread of high aspect ratio. The textures associated with the break-up of the thread once the flow is stopped are observed by optical microscopy. After stopping the flow a banded texture appears. The droplets resulting from the break-up have a bipolar texture with the two opposite poles being along the former thread direction.


This paper presents theory and practice of Constructive Conversation Analysis, when applied into therapeutic settings—such as psychotherapeutic, counseling and assessment sessions, client-therapist interactions or even client's written memoirs. In particular, through the individuation of the linguistic construction, it is possible to put in evidence the felicity conditions of the speech act and hence to facilitate the setting itself, e.g., obtaining conversations free from obstacles and misunderstandings. The results of the analysis performed by the linguist let the therapist to assess—or repair—the therapeutic alliance with the client in order to let emerge insights, 'good hours', restructurations, more quickly and precisely. Finally, if applied to more case studies, e.g., different clients, it can improve the therapist's conversational style in the therapeutic interaction as well as the comprehension of clients' memoirs.


This paper analyzes a two-way relaying (TWR) system where two sources with multiple antennas exchange data via an amplify-and-forward relay with a single antenna. In the system considered herein, the link quality between the sources and relay can generally be asymmetric due to the nonidentical antenna configuration and relay location. In such a general setup, an accurate upper-bound on the average sum rate (ASR) is derived when beamforming is employed at the sources. We show that the proposed bound is much closer to the exact ASR than the conventional bound under various system configurations. It is also observed that relay location is more important than relay power allocation when the numbers of source antennas are unequal.


Informational world cities are based on knowledge; and the traditional institutions of knowledge organization, storage and dissemination are libraries. Knowledge institutions, like (digital) libraries, provide societies with worldwide information and establish a culture of lifelong learning. In informational cities, libraries might change into the knowledge hubs of the ubiquitous society. Our hypothesis is: Regarding to the highly developed ICT infrastructure of an informational city, libraries have a huge variety of digital information as well as attractive physical meeting, working and learning spaces. This paper investigates the important role of (digital) libraries in the constitution of informational cities. Based on the relevant literature, we investigated public libraries in informational cities. An international survey was conducted in the period from 26th August to 22nd September 2011. For this purpose, a questionnaire was developed which was sent to 38 public libraries in several major cities of the world. A total of 14 libraries from Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific agreed to take part in this survey. Additionally, we conducted a case study of the library infrastructure of Singapore. The results of the survey illustrate that there is no consistent strategy how libraries handle their physical and digital library. Investments in digital resources or in physical spaces differ on a large scale. But nearly all libraries offer electronic resources (such as e-books or e-journals), digital reference services as well as guides and seminars to enhance the information literacy of their users.


Dopamine and other catecholamines are involved in numerous processes in the neuronal network. Various methods for their analysis have been developed. In order to avoid a disturbance of sensor signal by interfering substances electrochemical sensors for catecholamines apply frequently complex modification strategies. These sensors are characterized often by a rather poor signal stability because of the deposition of polymerization products at the electrode surface. Fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) as electrode material allows the direct detection of dopamine via differential pulse voltammetry without expensive modifications and stability problems. This kind of electrode material can discriminate between dopamine and metabolites, is characterized by a wide linear range, shows a high stability of the sensor signal and is not disturbed by typical interfering substances (ascorbic acid, uric acid).


Using light to control the movement of nanostructured objects is a great challenge. This challenge involves fields like optical tweezing, Casimir forces, integrated optics, biophysics, and many others. However, when the complexity of the light-activated devices increases, disorder unavoidably occurs and induces a number of effects, such as multiple-scattering, diffusion, and the localization of light. We show that these effects radically enhance the mechanical effect of light. We determine theoretically the link between optical pressure and the light diffusion coefficient and unveil that optical forces and their statistical fluctuations reach a maximum at the onset of the photon localization. Disorder may thus be exploited for increasing the mechanical action of light on complex objects.


Social media utilization has been growing exponentially worldwide and has created a thriving venue for radiologists and the profession of radiology to engage in on both the academic and social levels. The aim of this article is to conduct updated literature review and address a gap in the literature by introducing a simple classification for social media utilization and a new theoretical model to outline the role and potential value of social media in the realm of radiology. We propose classifying social media through usage-driven and access-driven indices. Furthermore, we discuss the interdependency of radiologists, other physicians and non-physician stakeholders, scientific journals, conferences/meetings and the general public in an integrated social media continuum model. With the ongoing sub-specialization of radiology, social media helps mitigate the physical barriers of making connections with peers and audiences which would have otherwise been unfeasible. The constant evolution and diversification of social media platforms necessitates a novel approach to better understand its role through a radiological lens. With the looming fear of 'ancillary service' labelling, social media could be the golden plate to halt the path towards commoditization of radiology.


To determine the effects of integrative relaxation training (IRT) on emotional stability, we exposed 32 patients diagnosed with anxiety disorder to a pre-test (16PF) and to 12 sessions of group psychoeducation training. Patients were randomly assigned to 2 groups (study 17 and control 15 patients). The study group received 12 weekly group sessions of IRT. Level of anxiety was evaluated in a post-test using a questionnaire and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Emotional stability and level of anxiety were significantly reduced in the study group: there was a marked increase in scores for emotionally s and venturesome and a decrease in scores for apprehensive and tense. The STAI score was statistically significantly lower in the study group.


BACKGROUND & AIMS
We combined gene expression and metabolic profiling analyses to identify factors associated with outcomes of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODS
We compared metabolic and gene expression patterns between paired tumor and nontumor tissues from 30 patients with HCC, and validated the results using samples from 356 patients with HCC. A total of 469 metabolites were measured using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Metabolic and genomic data were integrated, and Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards analyses were used to associate specific patterns with patient outcomes. Associated factors were evaluated for their effects on cancer cells in vitro and tumor formation in nude mice.

RESULTS
We identified 28 metabolites and 169 genes associated with aggressive HCC. Lipid metabolites of stearoyl-CoA-desaturase (SCD) activity were associated with aberrant palmitate signaling in aggressive HCC samples. Expression of gene products associated with these metabolites, including SCD, were associated independently with survival times and tumor recurrence in the test and validation sets. Combined expression of SCD and α-fetoprotein were associated with outcomes of patients with early-stage HCC. Levels of monounsaturated palmitic acid, the product of SCD activity, were increased in aggressive HCCs; monounsaturated palmitic acid increased migration and invasion of cultured HCC cells and colony formation by HCC cells. HCC cells that expressed small interfering RNA against SCD had decreased cell migration and colony formation in culture and reduced tumorigenicity in mice.

CONCLUSIONS
By using a combination of gene expression and metabolic profile analysis, we identified a lipogenic network that involves SCD and palmitate signaling and was associated with HCC progression and patient outcomes. The microarray platform and data have been submitted to the Gene Expression Omnibus public database at NCBI following MIAME guidelines. Accession numbers: GPL4700 (platform), and GSE6857 (samples).


The purpose of the work recorded in this thesis was to investigate aspects of the several stages of the lungworm Aelurostrongylus abstrusus together with the effects of the parasite on intermediate, paratenio and final hosts. With regard to first-stage larvae, an estimation of the number produced by infected cats revealed that millions of those forms were excreted over a patent-period of between nine and ten weeks. Furthermore, such larvae had the ability to survive dehydration and extremes of temperature for varying periods of time. Aelurostronpylus abstrusua requires an intermediate host in which to complete its life-cycle and, in the past, there has been controversy as to the role of the mouse in that event. Experiments, herein described, indicated that, although the latter species was not a true intermediate host for the lungworm, it was able to act as a paratenic host and store third-stage larvae for at least four months. It was also confirmed that a snail, Helix aspersa, was a satisfactory intermediate host and that first-stage larvae invaded the sole of that mollusc, migrated into the deeper tissues during the course of the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours and, in twenty-three days, developed into third-stage infective larvae. The latter forms remained viable for the life-time of the snail. The majority of larvae was recovered from the muscular solo and, although a substantial number was extracted from other parts of the snail, it was considered that infection of the mollusc resulted from penetration of the pedal epithelium by, rather than ingestion of, lasrvae. The possibility of the existence of molluscan immunity was discussed. The effects of the parasite on the final host were ascertained. At least 100 third-stage larvae were necessary for successful parasitic infestation of the cat although, at that dosage, little clinical upset ensued. Numbers of 1,600 larvae, and more, produced increasingly severe clinical signs and pulmonary pathological changes while an infecting dose of 3,200 larvae was considered almost certain to be fatal. Because of difficulties inherent to the procedure of oral infection of cats, a parenteral method was tried but was found to produce inconstant results. Many metazoan parasites induce, In their hosts, an immunity which persists for a varying period of time and protects against further attack by the same parasite. Aelurostrongylas abstrusus was found not to be an exception and oats infested by the parasite 388 days earlier withstood re-infection. The outcome of an experiment, in which resistance to lungworm disease was passively transferred to oats by means of serum obtained from recovered animals, emphasised the importance of humoral antibodies in parasitic immunity. Following upon the results of the above experiments, the possibility of inducing active immunity in cats was considered. To that end, small numbers of unatteauated, infective larvae were administered to oats on three occasions and at monthly intervals and, at the end of the immunising regime, the animals were pathogenic with pathogenic doses of third-stage larvae. The results of that investigation showed that it was feasible to vaccinate cats against infection by Aelurostrongylus abstrusus.. Shat section of the thesis was completed by an assessment of the effects of the lungworm on the pulmonary vasculature of the cat. Nine days after Infestation, hypertrophic change was noticeable in the medial coat of branches of the pulmonary artery and the arteriopathy was found to persist for a period of at least two years. Such evidence confirmed the previously-held Opinion of the author that spontaneous pulmonary arterial disease of the oat arose as a result of infestation, past or present, by Aelitrostrongylua abstrusus. The final part of the work was devoted to a study of diagnosis and treatment of feline parasitic pneumonia. The results of radiological examination showed that such a facility was of value in recognition of the disease. Of additional diagnostic worth was the Indirect Fluorescent Antibody technique by which procedure specific immunofluorescence was demonstrated to occur in sera taken from lungworm-infested oats. It was considered that the above examinations together with -careful clinical observation were able to provide sufficient proof of the presence of lungworm disease. With regard to therapy, diethylcarbamazine citrate was administered to a group of infected animals hut examination of faecal larval output as well as post-mortem study of the lungs of the oats showed that the drug had been unable to control or cure the condition. When six oral doses of the anthelmintic, tetramisole, were given to infected cats it was discovered that all stages of the parasite had been either eliminated or destroyed. However, the substance proved to be unpalatable to oats and evoked excessive salivation. To overcome that problem, resort was made to parenteral administration. It was then found that fairly small amounts of the chemical were toxic to, and caused death in, a number of experimental animals. Numerous doses were still required to abolish excretion of first- stage larvae from the faeces of treated animals and it was decided that parenterally-administered tetramisole had little advantage over that given orally. The thesis was concluded by a review of the work completed, and of the problems yet unsolved, with regard to the many facets of the lungworm, Aelurostrongylus abstrusus.


The small white lady's-slipper (Cypripedium candidum) is threatened or endangered in 10 or more of the approximately 20 U.S. states and Canadian provinces in which it is found. Our pilot study revealed a lack of pollination occurring in Wisconsin's wild populations of this orchid. We also speculate from observations taken during the study that animal browse contributes to the state threatened status of this orchid. The results of this 1-year study are taken from three sites of low prairie in southern Wisconsin. Orchids were counted at each site; a subset of flowering plants was hand pollinated and mapped as to location. Three weeks later these plants and populations were revisited and inventoried for ovary development. Hand-pollinated plants had a significantly higher success of ovary development than plants left to natural pollination.


Substantial amount of text data which is increasingly being generated and shared on the internet and social media every second affect the society positively or negatively almost in any aspect of online world and also business and industries. Sentiments/opinions/reviews' of users posted on social media are the valuable information that have motivated researchers to analyze them to get better insight and feedbacks about any product such as a video in Instagram, a movie in Netflix, or even new brand car introduced by BMW. Sentiments are usually written using a combination of languages such as English which is resource rich and regional languages such as Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, etc. which are resource poor. However, due to technical constraints, many users prefer to pen their opinions in Roman script. These kinds of texts written in two or more languages using a common language script or different language scripts are called code-mixing texts. Code-mixed texts are increasing day-by-day with the increase in the number of users depending on various online platforms. Analyzing such texts pose a real challenge for the researchers. In view of the challenges posed by the code-mixed texts, this paper describes three proposed models namely, SACo-Ensemble, SACo-Keras, and SACo-ULMFiT using Machine Learning (ML), Deep Learning (DL), and Transfer Learning (TL) approaches respectively for the task of Sentiments Analysis in Tamil-English and Malayalam-English code-mixed texts.


The rubber particles included in rubber modified polymeric materials such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) polymer and impact modified polymers play an important role in determining their rheological properties, processing behavior, and mechanical properties. In this study both small strain oscillatory shear viscosity in the frequency range from 10−2 to 102 s−1 and uniaxial elongational viscosity behavior at two elongation rates (

= 0.1 and 1.0 s−1) over the range of temperatures from 140°C to 200°C were measured for commercial ABS polymers with different contents and deformability of rubber particles. The influences of rubber content and deformability on rheological properties such as melt elasticity, elongational viscosity, strain hardening and/or softening, the onset of nonuniform deformation, and thermoforming performance were investigated. The Wagner two-parameter nonlinear viscoelastic constitutive model was used to describe strain hardening behavior, while the Considere criterion was used to determine the onset point of nonuniform deformation. The part thickness distribution obtained through use of a vacuum snap-back forming process was simulated to investigate the effects of rheological changes associated with different rubber particles on the thermoforming performance. It was found that ABS polymers with larger contents of hard rubber particles exhibited more melt elasticity, stronger strain hardening, a maximum of biaxial elongational viscosity, onset of nonuniform deformation at later time, and better thermoforming performance. Strain hardening and the Considere criterion provide simple, reliable indicators of the thermoforming performance of ABS polymers.


Studies conducted in the past decade have identified that a significant portion of the genome is "non-coded" instead accounts for non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) including microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), circular RNAs (circRNAs), piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), guide RNAs (gRNAs), small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs) and small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs). Evidences further indicate that these groups of ncRNAs contribute significantly to cardiac remodeling process including hypertrophy and fibrosis. In addition, several ncRNAs have been identified as biomarkers in cardiac disease. Thereby, ncRNAs are promising therapeutic targets for several cardiac pathologies/diseases. This review aims to discuss and summarize the molecular mechanisms and function of several classes of ncRNAs related to cardiac diseases.


Pulse discharge sintering (PDS) technique was employed to synthesize the ternary compound Ti 3 SiC 2 from four starting powder mixtures. The experimental results demonstrated that when the starting material of 3Ti/Si/2C or 3Ti/SiC/C was used high content of the secondary phase, TiC, higher than 30 mass%, was found in the sintered material. When TiC powder as starting material was used (Ti/Si/2TiC) in the same stoichiometric composition, however, the final sintered product contained low TiC content of a few percent. Further adjusting the composition to the off-stoichiometric of 2Ti/2Si/3TiC, the content of the secondary phase TiC was further controlled to be around 1 mass%. In the materials sintered from Ti/Si/2TiC and 2Ti/2Si/3TiC an optimum sintering temperature exists at 1573 K, at which the highest Ti 3 SiC 2 phase purity was achieved. When sintered at the optimum temperature a density of higher than 99% was obtained. At the optimum sintering temperature, both the phase purity and the density of the material sintered from 2Ti/2Si/3TiC showed very little dependence on the sintering time ranging from a few minutes to four hours, indicating the phase stability at this temperature.


ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 5 Number 12 (2016) pp. 295-307 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com The incidence of dengue has grown dramatically around the world in recent decades. The exact clinical and laboratory profile is crucial for diagnosis as well as successful management of the patients. This study is an attempt to assess the clinical and laboratory profile of serologically confirmed cases of dengue fever in a tertiary care hospital. This cross-sectional observational study was carried out including 45 dengue fever cases in a tertiary care teaching hospital. All patients above 18 years with confirmed dengue, who were either admitted in the medical wards of the hospital or managed as outdoor patients with NS1 (non-structural protein) antigen and/ or IgM dengue antibody positivity were included in the study. All the patients, who presented with fever and found positive Dengue IgM antibodies capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (MAC-ELISA). The diagnosis of DF, DHF, and dengue shock syndrome (DSS) were based on the WHO criteria. Fever was documented in all 45 (100%) patients, the most common symptom followed by reduced appetite 41 (91.1%), myalgia 39 (86.7%), headache 36 (80%), abdominal pain 29 (64.4%), nausea/ vomiting 18 (40%), diarrhea 17 (37.8%) and pruritus 17 (37.8%). Bleeding manifestations occurred in 21 (46.7%) patients, of whom petechiae 17 (37.8%) was the most frequent followed by gum bleeding 5 (11.1%), gum bleeding 5 (11.1%). Ecchymosis 3 (6.7%), malena3 (6.7%) and hematuria 2 (4.4%) were less common. Fever associated with headache, retroorbital pain, erythematous morbilliform rash and itching in palms and soles along with thrombocytopenia, leucopenia, and elevated liver transaminases should prompt a clinician on the possibility of dengue infection. Proper confirmation of diagnosis, early institution of therapy, public awareness, and vector control are important factors to be taken into consideration in the prevention and management of dengue. K e y w o r d s


Current technology trends make it possible to build communication networks that can support high performance distributed computing. This paper describes issues in the design of a prototype switch for an arbitrary topology point-to-point network with link speeds of up to one gigabit per second. The switch deals in fixed-length ATM-style cells, which it can process at a rate of 37 million cells per second. It provides high bandwidth and low latency for datagram traffic. In addition, it supports real-time traffic by providing bandwidth reservations with guaranteed latency bounds. The key to the switch''s operation is a technique called "parallel iterative matching," which can quickly identify a set of conflict-free cells for transmission in a time slot. Bandwidth reservations are accommodated in the switch by building a fixed schedule for transporting cells from reserved flows across the switch; parallel iterative matching can fill unused slots with datagram traffic. Finally, we note that parallel iterative matching may not allocate bandwidth fairly among flows of datagram traffic. We describe a technique called "statistical matching," which can be used to ensure fairness at the switch and to support applications with rapidly changing needs for guaranteed bandwidth.


The group-III nitrides, InN, GaN, and AlN, and their alloys have emerged as one of the most important material classes for optoelectronic devices. The incorporation of quantum dots (QDs) as active material improves the performance of conventional optoelectronic devices, such as laser diodes. In this study, we present a theoretical analysis of the gain characteristics of InxGa1−xN/Al0.2Ga0.8N three-dimensional quantum box lasers, based on the density matrix theory of semiconductor lasers with relaxation broadening. The study is done on three samples of QDs: GaN/Al0.2Ga0.8N, In0.3Ga0.7N/Al0.2Ga0.8N, and In0.5Ga0.5N/Al0.2Ga0.8N. A comparative study of the gain spectra of GaN/Al0.2Ga0.8N-based quantum-well and QD lasers is also presented for various side lengths. The variation of peak gain on carrier density is presented as well. The effect of indium composition on the variation in modal gain versus current density and the threshold current with inverse cavity length is plotted. The results show that the In0.5Ga0.5N/Al0.2Ga0.8N QD laser emitting at red wavelength has a higher value of optical gain of 19,575 cm −1 and a lower threshold current density of 143.9 A/cm .


Transit's land use-shaping capability is an important justification and goal for fixed-guideway transit investment. While transit facility designs are expected to inform transit-oriented development (TOD), little research has examined how U.S. professionals incorporate TOD considerations into transit project planning. Through interviews, this study described how transit professionals identified TOD opportunities and how TOD considerations informed project designs across 19 U.S. regions, often substantially. However, the ways interviewees identified TOD opportunities were often inconsistent with the TOD literature, which may partially explain some transit planners' unmet TOD expectations. Findings suggest that there is room for improvement in practitioners' TOD-related transit planning practices.


Small farmers are one of the more disadvantaged and vulnerable groups in Nigeria. Studies have shown that majority of people living in absolute poverty can be found on small farms with half in this group undernourished. The study examined heterogeneity in circumstances and diversity in rural agriculture, the persistence of small farms, poverty and institutional development and facilities. Data for this study came from Nigerian living Standard Survey (NLSS) which covered the two periods 1994/2004. The data set consists of 9550 respondents' but only 8264 cases were useful for this study. The index of heterogeneity at 29.1 indicated persistence of small farms in the two periods under consideration. Persistence of small farms and poverty are closely related (r = 0.674). The poverty differential in the two surveys data revealed that poverty increased by 14.72%. Disaggregation analysis indicated that institutional development and facilities improved farm outputs, diversification to non-farm and reduction in poverty. Access to these institutional facilities can enable the small farmers to rearticulate their livelihood activities. Policy makers need to show more commitment to develop agriculture through identifying and providing the capacity need of small farmers in order for them to absorb and used whatever modern techniques introduced.


We have investigated the structure of hydrated (Mg,Fe)SiO, glasses both at high pressure and after quenching, using infrared spectroscopy. Glasses were synthesized by fusion at pressures of up to 4l GPa and probed in situ to 39 GPa. Strong H bonding, as manifested by the presence of distinct OH stretching bands between 2250 and 2600 cm-', plays an important role in the speciation of OH groups at pressures between 15 and 25 GPa. At higher pressures, strong H bonding is also observed in the glasses but is completely unquenchable to ambient pressure; major structural changes are observed during decompression from pressures in excess of20 GPa. Both the absence ofa sigrrificant concentration of strongly H-bound OH groups and the similarity in frequency of the primary O-H stretching peak in the spectra of samples quenched from pressures above 30 GPa and those formed below 15 GPa indicate that similar structural features exist in glasses synthesized and quenched from these two separate pressure regimes. We infer that changes in Si coordination occur primarily between these two pressures and are largely unquenchable. Intratetrahedral H bonding is suggested as a possible mechanism for densification at pressures lower than -25 GPa. Estimated bond lengths for high-pressure hydroxylated species imply that the hydrous component in silicate melts undergoes significant densification with pressure, and that the volume of dissolved HrO in high-pressure silicate melts is controlled almost solely by the volume of O anions.


As a high prevalence disorder with limited information about etiology, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been marked by confusion and miscommunication around its causes and treatments. To promote high-quality science communication, we participated in a local science festival, both providing information about the brain and ASD and asking passersby questions about their knowledge of ASD. We then asked the booth staffers to evaluate the program and conducted qualitative analyses of public and staffer responses. Public responses to the question "what would you like to know about autism?" most often concerned how the disorder was diagnosed or defined. In contrast, public responses to the question "what would you like others to know about autism?" centered around educating those unaffected by ASD on how to improve interactions and awareness, mentioning inclusivity and intersectionality, and dispelling negative stereotypes. The staffers overwhelmingly reported that in future years, they would include even more science and allow for more in-depth conversations with interested parties, as well as bringing materials in other languages. These responses are in keeping with a trend for more inclusive science communication, particularly in the field of behavioral health and ASD, and a desire to challenge myths around the condition. We conclude that our science festival interactions brought multiple benefits to public and staff.


The guide includes information on finding legal materials on the Web and by using STCC library resources. There are tabs for locating different types of resources (such as cases and statutes) and tabs that describe resources in different areas of the law.


Australia supports the concept that lesions in Australia have a better prognosis than those in Oxford because they are diagnosed at an earlier stage owing to greater public and professional awareness.4 At Queen's University, Belfast, we have now started a teaching programme to improve the recognition ofmelanomas by medical students. We plan to extend this into the postgraduate educational programme for general practitioners and other doctors. The public should also be made more aware of the possible dangers inherent in certain types of pigmented lesions and the curability of melanoma in its early stages. Unnecessary deaths can be prevented.


This paper argues that digital living and working has changed irrevocably as a result of the Covid-19 Pandemic and therefore, digital developments in education brought about mainly by the use of blended learning during the Pandemic needs to be converged to support lifelong digital learning. Adopting the European Unions definition of blended learning, the paper shows that a tripartite understanding of blended learning between schools, Industry and policymakers is needed to secure sustainability and transferability of digital skills from school to the workplace. The Digital Schools Awards programme is offered as a potential contributor to a digital culture of lifelong learning to consolidate the development of digital literacy across Europe so that the experiences of blended learning and teaching during the Pandemic can be harnessed and advanced. To be sustainable, blended learning must appeal to students and their teachers' pedagogical and curricular needs. The paper, therefore, promotes a continuum approach to blended learning where a range of developmental and progressive strategies are proposed as 'accelerators' for digital skills. A rationale for future work and draws on this continuum to support blended learning and the workplace as a lifelong practice. A multistakeholder, peer to peer approach to the future of learning and skills development will, we argue, positively impact the way 21 st -century citizens can educate, learn and work at cross-cultural, multi-societal and institution levels.


In this paper, we consider the design of bit-parallel canonical basis multipliers over the finite field GF(2m) generated by a special type of irreducible pentanomial that is used as an irreducible polynomial in the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). Explicit formulas for the coordinates of the multiplier are given. The main advantage of our design is that some of the expressions obtained are common to any irreducible polynomial, so our multiplier can be generalized to perform the multiplication over general irreducible polynomials. Moreover, the obtained expressions can be easily converted to parameterizable code using hardware description languages. The theoretical complexity analysis also shows that our bit-parallel multipliers present a reduced number of xor gates with respect to the best known results found in the literature


In most parallel supercomputers, submitting a job for execution involves specifying how many processors are to be allocated to the job. When the job is moldable (i.e., there is a choice on how many processors the job uses), an application scheduler called SA can significantly improve job performance by automatically selecting how many processors to use. Since most jobs are moldable, this result has great impact to the current state of practice in supercomputer scheduling. However, the widespread use of SA can change the nature of workload processed by supercomputers. When many SAs are scheduling jobs on one supercomputer, the decision made by one SA affects the state of the system, therefore impacting other instances of SA. In this case, the global behavior of the system comes from the aggregate behavior caused by all SAs. In particular, it is reasonable to expect the competition for resources to become tougher with multiple SAs, and this tough competition to decrease the performance improvement attained by each SA individually. This paper investigates this very issue. We found that the increased competition indeed makes it harder for each individual instance of SA to improve job performance. Nevertheless, there are two other aggregate behaviors that override increased competition when the system load is moderate to heavy. First, as load goes up, SA chooses smaller requests, which increases efficiency, which effectively decreases the offered load, which mitigates long wait times. Second, better job packing and fewer jobs in the system make it easier for incoming jobs to fit in the supercomputer schedule, thus reducing wait times further. As a result, in moderate to heavy load conditions, a single instance of SA benefits from the fact that other jobs are also using SA.


Utilizing computational linguistics on written haiku poems to identify social skills among more than 450 hackers and makers, we build a theory of conscientiousness, social awareness and social influence and their association with entrepreneurial experience defined by number of times the individual has been involved in new firm establishment. We tie these individual qualities to the individual?s entrepreneurial tendencies by considering three core activities of entrepreneurship: information gathering, translation of information into business opportunities, and securing resources. We distinguish theoretically between establishment of the first start-up (entrepreneurship) and the repeated transitioning into entrepreneurship (entrepreneurial experience). Entrepreneurial experience is found to be positively associated with self-confidence and social awareness while negatively associated with social influence. Qualitative scrutiny of the Haiku Poems provides further support for the findings on social influence and bestows added confidence in the use of computational linguistics on Haiku poems for addressing research questions on social skills. All results are robust with regard to generic personality traits.


This special issue focuses on care in late life and at the end of life for people with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, from an international perspective. We use the shorthand lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or trans (LGBT) for convenience but it is important to recognise that this term (and related alternatives, such as LGBTQ, which are used by some authors in this special issue) are derived from Western theorisations of gender and sexuality and may not be recognisable or helpful in other contexts (Gosine, 2006). There is a growing body of research demonstrating that LGBT people are a diverse and under-researched new ageing population, but less attention has been paid to the specific issues connected to care in late life and at the end of life. While some of the issues will be similar to those facing all older people, existing research identifies separate issues that need to be addressed for older LGBT people entering their later and last years of life and into death and bereavement.


This paper analyses the policing strategies of private security companies operating in urban space. An existing literature has considered the variety of ways that territory becomes of fundamental importance in the work of public police forces. However, this paper examines territory in the context of private security companies. Drawing on empirical research in Cape Town, it examines how demarcated territories become key subjects in private policing. Private security companies are responsible for a relatively small section of the city, while in contrast the public police ultimately have to see city space as a whole. Hence, private policing strategy becomes one of displacement, especially of so-called undesirables yielding a patchworked public space associated with private enclaves of consumption. The conclusions signal the historical resonances and comparative implications of these political–legal–security dynamics.


Nutritional deprivation or malnutrition suppresses immune function in humans and animals, thereby conferring higher susceptibility to infectious diseases. Indeed, nutritional deprivation induces atrophy of lymphoid tissues such as thymus and spleen and decreases the number of circulating lymphocytes. Leptin, a major adipocytokine, is exclusively produced in the adipose tissue in response to the nutritional status and acts on the hypothalamus, thereby regulating energy homeostasis. Although leptin plays a critical role in the starvation-induced T-cell-mediated immunosuppression, little is known about its role in B-cell homeostasis under starvation conditions. Here we show the alteration of B-cell development in the bone marrow of fasted mice, characterized by decrease in pro-B, pre-B, and immature B cells and increase in mature B cells. Interestingly, intracerebroventricular leptin injection was sufficient to prevent the alteration of B-cell development of fasted mice. The alteration of B lineage cells in the bone marrow of fasted mice was markedly prevented by oral administration of glucocorticoid receptor antagonist RU486 (11β-[p-(dimethylamino)phenyl]-17β-hydroxy-17-(1-propynyl)estra-4,9-dien-3-one). It was also effectively prevented by intracerebroventricular injection of neuropeptide Y Y1 receptor antagonist BIBP3226 [(2R)-5-(diaminomethylideneamino)-2-[(2,2-diphenylacetyl)amino]-N-[(4-hydroxyphenyl)methyl]pentanamide], along with suppression of the otherwise increased serum corticosterone concentrations. This study provides the first in vivo evidence for the role of central leptin signaling in the starvation-induced alteration of B-cell development. The data of this study suggest that the CNS, which is inherent to integrate information from throughout the organism, is able to control immune function.


Uterine deciduomas were found in two female virgin rats, a 15-week-old Lewis rat and a 7-week-old Sprague-Dawley rat. The firm white nodules were located at the base of unilateral uterine horns and were approximately 6 mm and 4 mm in diameter. Histopathologically, the nodules were composed of three areas, each with a distinct type of proliferating cells: large epithelioid decidual cells with round nuclei, prominent nucleoli and abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm (antimesometrial region); compact spindle-shaped cells with oval nuclei and vacuolar cytoplasm (transitional region); and pleomorphic and spiny cells with round to oval nuclei and compact eosinophilic cytoplasm (mesometrial region). These cells proliferated in sheet-like arrangements and transformed into the other types of cells located in surrounding regions. Immunohistochemically, proliferating cells in all regions were strongly positive for proliferating cell nuclear antigen. The proliferating cells were positive for vimentin, and large decidual cells were positive for common acute lymphoblastic leukemia antigen 10, a marker of uterine interstitial cells. Large decidual cells were positive for α-smooth muscle actin and desmin, suggesting differentiation into muscular cells. Progesterone receptor was expressed in all cell types; however, estrogen receptor α was not expressed in the antimesometrial region. These extremely rare tumor-like nodules represent nonneoplastic lesions referred as decidual reactions of endometrial interstitial cells, and their biological behavior is that of a space-occupying benign tumor in young rats. Our cases might provide information as a historical control in toxicity and pharmacological studies in rats.


The purpose of this article is to described the evolution of the number of residential subscribers of broadband fixed access by cable modem, in Portugal, on the period from 2000–2009. The pattern of evolution is estimated by fitting several models to the series, namely the following: exponential, Gompertz, Logistic, Bass and Michaelis-Menten. We fit the models to the data by nonlinear least squares, except in the exponential model where the linear version is fitted by ordinary least squares, using the internet freely available program R. This comparative study is in line with many others on the diffusion of technological innovations in the telecommunications sector, where the point is finding out if there is an early or a late take-off phenomenon. The Michaelis-Menten model is introduced for the first time in this approach. It allows to predict the later evolution in the series and reveals a qualitatively different behavior.


The quest to find models usefully characterizing data is a process central to the scientific method and has been carried out on many fronts. Researchers from an expanding number of fields have designed algorithms to discover rules or equations that capture key relationships between variables in a database. Some modern heuristic modeling approaches seem to have gained in popularity partly as a way to "avoid statistics" while still addressing challenging induction tasks. Yet, there are useful distinctives in what may be called a "statistical viewpoint", and we review here some major advances in statistics from recent decades that are applicable to Knowledge Discovery in Databases.


We use computer simulation to identify a process by which cooperation evolves without iteration, and evolves better in large than in small societies. It is based on an empirically supported heuristic for deciding whether to enter noniterated prisoner's dilemma games, namely, Expect others to have the same dispositions as yourself. Players are assigned a probability of cooperating that also defines their expectations about others' behavior and thus their willingness to play. The carrying capacity of the ecology is 10,000. Players multiply by 2 if their aggregate payoff in a given round (1) places them among the more successful 5,000 and (2) is more than zero. We find that the most adaptive disposition is toward the mean of the population. That is where individuals have the optimal mix of consummated plays with more cooperative players and unconsummated plays with less cooperative ones. When encounters occur by proximity, fortuitous clusters toward the cooperative tail will grow and dominate the society. Such clusters are more likely in large societies.


The aim of this work was to explore an alternative to existing methods of detection for Human African Trypanosomiasis (also known as sleeping sickness). A new approach to diagnostics for sleeping sickness is needed, since the existing methods of detection employed in the field have significant shortcomings in terms of sensitivity, cost or ease of operation.
In this work, the enrichment of trypanosomes from blood using travelling electric fields and the selective lysis of cells using optoelectronic tweezers will be presented. Both techniques allow for the enrichment of trypanosomes from blood samples but the first is more suited for an application as a point-of-care device, while the latter is also applicable to other cell types and offers greater flexibility.
Besides demonstrating and quantifying the experimental results the work includes simulations to further explain the phenomena and investigate the underlying mechanisms.
The results presented here offer a new method to enrich trypanosomes, a central step in any potential diagnostic tool. They open up the possibility to develop a new solution to the challenges posed by sleeping sickness diagnostics and allow for miniaturisation and automation of the process.


Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is a heterodimeric glycoprotein involved in antiparasitic and allergic immune reactions. IgE glycosylation is known to exhibit significant interindividual variation, and several reports have indicated its relevance in determining IgE activity. Here, we present site-specific glycosylation analysis of IgE from three different sources: IgE from the serum of a hyperimmune donor, from the pooled serum of multiple nondiseased donors, and from the pooled serum of 2 patients with IgE myeloma. The heavy chains were isolated and digested with either trypsin, proteinase K, or chymotrypsin, which permitted coverage of all seven potential N-glycosylation sites. The resulting (glyco-)peptides were analyzed by nano-reversed-phase-LC-MS/MS and MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS/MS. Site Asn264 was shown to be unoccupied. In all three samples, site Asn275 contained exclusively oligomannosidic structures with between 2 and 9 mannoses, whereas sites Asn21, Asn49, Asn99, Asn146, and Asn252 contained exclusively complex-type glycans. For the nonmyeloma IgE, the majority of these glycans were biantennary and core-fucosylated and contained one or two terminal N-acetylneuraminic acids. In contrast, myeloma IgE showed a higher abundance of triantennary and tetraantennary glycan structures and a low abundance of species with a bisecting N-acetylglucosamine. Our approach allows comparison of the glycosylation of IgE samples in a site-specific manner.


Practical Applications Summary In Trade-Off in Multifactor Smart Beta Investing: Factor Premium and Implementation Cost, from the 2019 Quantitative Special Issue of The Journal of Portfolio Management, Feifei Li and Joseph (Yoseop) Shim (both of Research Affiliates) investigate the effects of implementation costs on multifactor portfolio construction. They examine the performance impact of rebalancing multifactor portfolios by looking at portfolio characteristics such as volume, tilt, turnover, and turnover concentration. They find that multifactor portfolios that included all six style factors under consideration—value, low beta, profitability, investment, momentum, and size—yielded the highest information ratios, both before and after trading costs, with a very small negative impact on Sharpe ratios compared with multifactor portfolios composed of fewer factors. The authors also determine that a uniform concentration level of 25% for all factors provides the greatest performance in the presence of implementation costs. Overall, they suggest investors pursue multifactor portfolios composed of the top 25% of stocks in each of the six style factors.


Abstract This essay makes the first sustained study of the Okinawan artist Makishi Tsutomu (1941–2015) who used American Pop Art vocabularies to describe the complex realities of US-occupied Okinawa. Focusing on his 1972 installation Commemorating the Reversion to the Great Empire of Japan, the essay examines the critical ambivalence of Makishi's Political Pop as a translation strategy. Despite his critique of both American and Japanese imperialism, Makishi was aware that Okinawa was inseparably entangled in it, especially in the context of the Vietnam War, which brought violence, but also economic benefits, to Okinawa. Despite his use of the American Pop idiom as a new lingua franca for contemporary art, Makishi's work did not reach either mainland or international audiences as the artist exhibited almost exclusively in Okinawa. By comparing Makishi's artistic strategies with those of a representative Okinawan novelist, Ōshiro Tatsuhiro, especially as articulated in his 1967 novella The Cocktail Party, the essay situates the significance of Makishi's project within the emerging discourse on the global neo-avant-garde.


The object of this study was to determine the effect of large oral doses of L-leucine, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6 or vitamin C, given over a period of days, on the plasma free amino acid levels and protein nutrition index values of South African Blacks on a maize diet. In addition, single loads of L-tryptophan or L-kynurenine were given before and after the above regimen of L-leucine or vitamin to determine the effect of tryptophan or kynurenine with and without the influence of these factors on the plasma free amino acid levels and protein nutrition index values. Vitamin C therapy or a single dose of L-tryptophan increased the total plasma free amino acid levels. L-leucine therapy or a single loading dose of L-tryptophan increased the protein nutrition index. Single loading doses of L-kynurenine decreased the protein nutrition index. The levels of non-essential amino acids in the plasma of Blacks were much higher than those of Whites, and consequently the protein nutrition index values were much lower.


Mossbauer spectroscopy of the synthetic tetramers (Fe4S4(SR)4)2- (R = alkyl, aryl) and the corresponding trianions obtained by one-electron reduction, when compared with available data for 4-Fe and 8-Fe iron-sulfur proteins, shows that these tetramers are electronic analogs of the active sites of the proteins.


This article investigates the implementation of key performance indicators (KPIs) in Western Australia's public mental health system. A nationally agreed performance measurement framework forms part of the much needed reform now taking place within Australia. However, progress in the effective monitoring and reporting of KPIs is slow in most states, including Western Australia. The authors report on the results of a selective case study involving semi-structured interviews with mental health administrators and offer a more nuanced insight into the intricacies and difficulties involved in performance measurement reform. The principal finding is that effective performance measurement and reporting can be internally problematic, particularly within a fragmented and networked system. This tends to give rise to a conformance-only approach to performance measurement.


The computing paradigm based on the giant-like DC is replaced by a new paradigm. The urgency of this shift is caused by the requirements of new applications that actively use video, real-time interactivity, new mobile communication technologies, which today cannot be implemented without the usage of cloud computing and virtualization based on SDN&NFV technologies. The presentation considers the requirements dictated by these applications, outlines the architecture of this new paradigm which we call Hierarchical Edge Computing (HEC). Attention is focused on the fact that all these applications are distributed, become more and more real-time applications and require guaranteed quality of service in the networking operation. The main scientific problems that need to be solved for implementing this new paradigm are discussed.


Corporate Social Responsibility or known as CSR, is a corporate activity to response what the the stakeholders have done to the company. Company's hope that the stakeholder will give a positive responses  through CSR that showed in company's financial performance. According to Stern Steward, Market Value Added (MVA) is the best tools to measure company's financial performance. MVA shows how much values does the company created. The aim of this research is to test if  Good Corporate Governance (GCG) would increase the relationship between CSR and MVA. The research sample was Governance Perception Indeks (CGPI) participants held by IICG (The Indonesian Institute for Corporate Governance)  from 2009  to 2011. Use some criteria, there are 40 companies choosen as a sample. From the research that the writer do through the model that use MRA (Market Regression Analysis), GCG that measure with CGPI score, was not  provided as a moderating variable. The significance level of the interaction variable (CSRI * CGPI) is >0,05 that is 0,569.  Adjusted R 2 as determinating variable shows 11% which means that CSRI, CGPI and lnCSR_CGPI variable could explain dependent variable lnMVA with the total 11%, and 89% remaining was explained by another variable outside the model.


In this article I argue that a methodological challenge to an integrated history and philosophy of science approach put forth by Ronald Giere almost forty years ago can be met by what I call the Kuhnian mode of History and Philosophy of Science (HPS). Although in the Kuhnian mode of HPS norms about science are motivated by historical facts about scientific practice, the justifiers of the constructed norms are not historical facts. The Kuhnian mode of HPS therefore evades the naturalistic fallacy which Giere's challenge is a version of. Against the backdrop of a discussion of Laudan's normative naturalism I argue that the Kuhnian mode of HPS is a superior form of naturalism: it establishes contact to the practice of science without making itself dependent on its contingencies.


This paper addresses the trade-off between additional loss-absorbing capacity and potentially higher bank risk-taking associated with the introduction of the Basel III Leverage Ratio. This is addressed in both a theoretical and empirical setting. Using a theoretical micro model, we show that a leverage ratio requirement can incentivise banks that are bound by it to increase their risk-taking. This increase in risk-taking however, should be more than outweighed by the benefits of higher capital and therefore increased loss-absorbing capacity, thereby leading to more stable banks. These theoretical predictions are tested and confirmed in an empirical analysis on a large sample of EU banks. Our baseline empirical model suggests that a leverage ratio requirement would lead to a significant decline in the distress probability of highly leveraged banks.


This thesis considers the state preservation and use of Nottinghamshire country houses during the mid-twentieth century, from the initiation of mass requisition in 1937 until 1967 when concerns for architectural preservation moved away from the country house. This thesis reviews literature on the landed estate in the twentieth century and the emergence of preservationist claims on the country house. Three substantive sections follow. The first discusses the declining representation of landowners within local governance in Nottinghamshire and the constitution of the County Council, and considers how estate space was incorporated within broadened concerns for the preservation of the historic environment and additionally provided the focus for the implementation of a variety of modern state and non-state functions. The second section considers how changing policy and aesthetic judgements impacted upon the preservation of country houses. Through discussion of Rufford Abbey, Winkburn Hall and Ossington Hall I consider the complexities of preservationist claims and how these conflicted with the responsibilities of the state and the demands of private landowners. The third section considers how estate space became valued by local authorities in the implementation of a variety of new modern educational uses, including the teacher training college at Eaton Hall and a school campus development at Bramcote Hills. The thesis concludes by considering the status of the country house in Nottinghamshire since 1967, and contemporary demands on the spaces considered historically in this study.


Severe malarial anemia (SMA), caused by infections with Plasmodium falciparum, is one of the leading causes of childhood mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Although the molecular determinants of SMA are largely undefined, dysregulation in host-derived inflammatory mediators influences disease severity. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is an important regulator of innate inflammatory responses that has recently been shown to suppress erythropoiesis and promote pathogenesis of SMA in murine models. The role of MIF in childhood malarial pathogenesis was investigated by examining peripheral blood MIF production in children residing in a hyperendemic area of Gabon, and a holoendemic region of western Kenya. The relationship between MIF concentrations and monocytic acquisition of hemozoin, and the effects of MIF on erythropoiesis in vivo and in vitro were investigated. In addition, the influence of genetic variation at MIF -173 (G/C) and -794 (CATT5-8) on MIF production and susceptibility to SMA and high-density parasitemia (HDP) was examined. Circulating MIF concentrations and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) MIF production progressively declined with increasing anemia severity and increasing levels of hemozoin-containing monocytes. However, circulating MIF concentrations were not significantly associated with reticulocyte production in children with acute malaria. Additional experiments in malaria-naive individuals demonstrated that hemozoin caused both increased and decreased MIF production in cultured PBMC based on genetic differences. In addiiton, a novel in vitro model of erythropoiesis was developed and used to demonstrate that treatment with exogenous MIF or blocking endogenous MIF did not signifcantly impact on the efficiency of erythropoiesis. Genetic analyses revealed that the MIF -173 CC genotype was associated with an increased risk of HDP compared to MIF -173 GG. In addition, individuals with the MIF -794CATT6/-173G haplotype were significantly protected from SMA while those with -794CATT7/8/-173C haplotypes were at an increased risk of developing SMA. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that SMA is associated with decreased MIF production and that individuals with high MIF-producing genetic variants are less susceptible to severe malaria. The public health significance of this study is that investigations presented here increase our understanding of protective inflammatory responses to childhood malaria, which is critical in the formulation of an effective malarial vaccine.


The main objective of this paper is to report preliminary findings on the recent trends in agricultural land prices in South Africa against the backdrop of growing concerns over their rising levels. Given the important role of land prices, the impact such increases would have on significant national development efforts, including the on-going land reform programme and other aspects of agricultural restructuring, provide strong justification for this investigation. The cointegration approach was employed within a framework that allowed for both long-run and short-run dynamics of the relationships to be identified. Building on previous structural modelling of farmland prices in the country, and using much expanded time series spanning forty-nine years, it was possible to establish some patterns of causation in the relationships between farmland prices and a range of macro-aggregates, including interest rate on debt, the rate of inflation, Gross Domestic Product, among others. Although the important role of foreign buyers is suggested by some of the results, there is need for further studies on this subject, using alternative data sets. The finding of a Granger causality relationship between farmland prices and GDP is interesting to the extent that it reflects buying power and confirms impressions about the crucial role of farmland prices in national economic management and the successful implementation of the on-going agrarian reforms in South Africa.


In the past seven centuries Dante has become world renowned, with his works translated into multiple languages and read by people of all ages and cultural backgrounds. Th is volume brings together interdisciplinary essays by leading international scholars to provide a comprehensive account of the historical, cultural, and intellectual context in which Dante lived and worked: from the economic, social, and political scene to the feel of daily life; from education and religion to the administration of justice; from medicine to philosophy and science; from classical antiquity to popular culture; and from the dramatic transformation of urban spaces to the explosion of visual arts and music. Th is book, while locating Dante in relation to each of these topics, off ers readers a clear and reliable idea of what life was like for Dante as an outstanding poet and intellectual in the Italy of the late Middle Ages.


Enhancement of bridge security is key to improved homeland security and entails several steps, including on-site assessment, analysis of security components, and implementation of some mitigation measures. A review of the nation's current bridge security posture showed a need to develop methods to identify critical bridges as security hazards and to provide engineering standards and guidelines for security design to reduce the vulnerability of bridges to attack. In particular, a need was seen for a simple bridge security checklist to provide on-site assessment of bridge vulnerability and security risk. After the events of September 11, 2001, the New Jersey Department of Transportation asked Rutgers University to develop a checklist to be used by bridge inspectors to provide management with security data for the department's entire bridge inventory. Rutgers developed a concise checklist, which consisted of yes or no questions in three categories: occurrence, vulnerability, and importance. The overall risk of a structure was measured in terms of an equation risk. To improve this tool, a survey was administered to industry subject matter experts across the United States to determine the relative importance of each question. The data from the survey were analyzed with the use of the analytic hierarchy process, and new weights were assigned to each question. This paper provides the results of the survey and discusses the methodology, analysis of the survey results, and implementation of the updated tool.


This study aimed to evaluate the genetic diversity of biomass and saccharin sorghum genotypes, based on 19 agronomic traits by the means of multicategorical variables. The experiment was conducted in the experimental area of the University of the State of Mato Grosso/UNEMAT, in Caceres. We evaluated 25 genotypes of saccharin sorghum and 36 genotypes of biomass sorghum, in a randomized complete-block design with three replications. The data were submitted to three clustering methods, Tocher optimization, UPGMA hierarchical and Projection distances in 3D plan and comparing their results. The study showed the most divergent genotypes and the behavior of the three methods, which have proved partially concordant in the grouping of genotypes. The combined use of the clustering methods enabled a more accurate assessment for inference, and evidence the existence of genetic variability among saccharin and biomass sorghum genotypes.


The mechanical properties of composite laminates play a key role in the success of composite reinforcement method, but various investigations suggest that the stiffness of epoxybased composites is sensitive to the variation of moisture ratio and temperature of the working environment. The aim in this research is to characterize the effect of hygrothermal aged composite patch on the strength of repaired cracks, under mixed mode I/II conditions. For this purpose a reinforced sheet, i.e. a crack fastener hole specimen is examined by using a finite element simulation. The crack tip parameters and fracture characteristics of repaired cracks are determined as a function of the total amount of moisture inside the composite patch. The results of this study show that the performance of composite reinforcement technique depends on the amount of water absorption within the bonded patches.


Background and Objective: Tuberculosis (TB) is an endemic disease in Iraq. Many methods are available to diagnose pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB (EPTB). The most traditional test is the sputum smear for acid-fast bacilli (AFB). However, it is well known for its low sensitivity and specificity. On the other hand, culturing AFB although considered the gold standard for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), yet it takes long time to confirm or exclude the presence of TB. The WHO has recommended the use of a gene-based molecular technique called GeneXpert (GX) MTB/rifampicin (RIF) for rapid and accurate detection of MTB in pulmonary and extrapulmonary (EPTB) sites. GX is a quick, fully automated system that can be easily used with minimal training. The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of the GX test for diagnosing MTB in pulmonary and extrapulmonary sites in Kurdistan/Iraq that is considered as an endemic area for TB, as well as testing the ability of this technique to identify the resistant strains of these bacilli to first-line anti-TB treatment. Methodology: A total of 925 (504 males and 421 females) patients attended the TB center in Erbil/Iraq from August 2015 to August 2017. These patients were clinically diagnosed or suspected to have TB. Two sputum samples were collected from each patient and subjected to AFB smear staining. The other portions of the sputum were examined by GX assay, and a number of cases were grown on the Lowenstein–Jensen media. For extrapulmonary fluid samples, the same tests were done. Results: Seven hundred and forty-three were pulmonary samples, and the remaining 182 cases were extrapulmonary specimens (cerebrospinal fluid, peritoneal aspirate, pleural fluid, urine, and blood). Of these, 575 had their AFB smears done which was positive for in 184 (32%) and negative in 391 (68%) cases. On the other hand, real-time polymerase chain reaction using GX technology was positive in 228 (39.65%) while negative in 347 (60.34%) cases. The sensitivity and specificity of the GeneX versus AFB smear considering culture as a gold standard were 94.9% and 80.1%, respectively. In addition, GX technique revealed that about 20 (14.3%) of positive MTB cases were resistant to RIF therapy. Conclusion: The current study displayed the real significance of using GX test in diagnosing MTB in pulmonary and extrapulmonary specimens to save time and to avoid unnecessary anti-TB treatment.


A trial was performed with 2 fistula pigs (each with 2 fistulas, one located about 30 cm below the pyloric orifice and the other at the end of the small intestine). Animal A received a casein diet containing 14% crude protein for a period of 2 weeks before the tracer amino acid was administered. Animal B received the same diet for a period of 10 days and was then fed a diet (at the same protein level) containing gluten as sole protein source. The two tracer amino acids, 14C-U-L-leucine and 3H-4,5-(N)-L-lysine, were injected intravenously. The passage rates for dry matter, organic matter and N measured at the beginning of the small intestine were higher than the rate of intake. The rate of passage of amino acids was also found to be increased relative to the rate of intake. In general, this increase involved the non-essential amino acids to a much larger extent. A considerable proportion of the amino acids passing into the large intestine is not excreted with the faeces but is probably converted in catabolic processes. It is for this reason that any values for the efficiency of amino acid absorption calculated on the basis of data on the faecal excretion of amino acids will not provide conclusive evidence for the availability of dietary amino acids in processes of the intermediate metabolism. The rate of secretion of 3H and 14C radioactivity into the digesta of the small intestine was found to increase rapidly within 1-2 hrs after administration of the tracer amino acids. The 14C radioactivity detected was found to be almost exclusively derived from 14C leucine while only about 60% of the 3H activity found in the digesta of fistula I were shown to be bound to lysine. Labelled lysine and leucine (of endogenic origin) are absorbed into the small intestine at a slower rate (i.e. endogenic proteins are less efficiently digested) than the non-radioactive amino acids (of exogenic origin) so that a process of concentration of endogenic amino acids is observed towards the end of the small intestine.


Context. Spectroscopic observations of numerous trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs), considered to be among the most pristine objects of the solar system, have revealed the presence of several kinds of surface ices. The high-sensitivity spectra that can be measured for the brightest objects also provide constraints on the physical properties of the surface (e.g. ice phase, temperature). Aims. We observed one of the largest and brightest TNOs, 136108 (2003 EL 61 ), to determine its surface composition properties and to constrain its surface properties. Methods. We obtained new visible spectra with EMMI on the ESO-NTT and near-infrared spectra with the new 3D spectrograph SINFONI at the ESO-VLT. Our analysis consists of radiative transfer modelling to constrain composition and surface properties and to identify the precise minimum of the 1.65 micron band to constrain the surface temperature. Results. The observations reveal a surface essentially composed of water ice. An absorption feature at 1.65 micron clearly indicates the presence of ice in the crystalline phase. Spectral modelling suggests that a small fraction of the surface ice is in the amorphous state. We also derive the temperature of the crystalline ice at the surface.


Expanded graphite treated with silane coupling agent (DB-171) was incorporated into PDCPD to explore its tribological features. Chemically treated expanded graphite (TEG)/PDCPD composites were prepared by a simulating reaction injection molding (SRIM) system. The friction and wear properties of TEG/PDCPD composites were investigated on a block-on-ring tribological tester under dry sliding condition. Experimental results show that the friction coefficients of PDCPD composites increase slightly, and the wear volume losses of the PDCPD composites reduce significantly with the loading of treated expanded graphite. The addition of only 0.3wt% chemically treated expanded graphite contributes to dramatic improvement of wear resistance of PDCPD, and the wear volume loss reduces by 71.2% compared with pure PDCPD. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was utilized to study the worn surfaces of PDCPD composites, and the friction and wear mechanisms were discussed.


SELF-HANDICAPPING by AMANDA L. CARAVALHO (Under the Direction of Victoria Plaut) ABSTRACT The current study investigated the consequences of stereotype threat on self-handicapping in the context of an athletic task. Eighty-three participants completed two packets of questionnaires and performed a golf task under one of two conditions. It was hypothesized that White participants (n=66) with fragile self-esteem (i.e. high global self-esteem, high contingency, and high instability) would experience greater self-handicapping when in the threat condition where the task was framed as a test of an individual's "natural athletic ability." A significant three-way interaction, level of self-esteem by contingency by condition, was found to support this hypothesis thus implying the use of behavioral self-handicapping as a defensive mechanism in the threat condition. A second three-way interaction indicated that those with high global self-esteem and high instability when in the threat condition predicted they would do well thus suggesting more confidence and possibly overconfidence in their ability. The implications of both interactions are discussed.


Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is a human alpha-herpesvirus that causes varicella (chickenpox) at primary infection and may reactivate as herpes zoster. VZV is a T-lymphotropic virus in vivo. To investigate the T-cell tropism of VZV, we constructed a recombinant virus expressing green fluorescent protein (VZV-GFP) under the CMV IE promoter. Coculture of VZV-GFP-infected fibroblasts with II-23 cells, a CD4-positive human T-cell hybridoma, resulted in transfer of virus to II-23 cells. II-23 cells are susceptible to VZV-GFP infection as demonstrated by expression of immediate/early (IE62), early (ORF4), and late (gE) genes. Recovery of infectious virus was limited, with only 1 to 3 in 10(6) cells releasing infectious virus by plaque assay, indicating that transfer of virus results in a limited productive infection. In vitro infection of II-23 cells will be useful for further analysis of VZV tropism for T-lymphocytes.


Ismail al-Jazari was a prominent inventor in the Islamic world and is known today as the father of robotics. His magnum opus, The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices, gathered together instructions for building 100 devices he had designed. He invented a variety of water-rising machines, clocks, and humanoid automata, such as a drink-serving waitress, a hand-washer with flush mechanisms, a peacock fountain with automated servants, and a musical robot band. The latter was an early programmable automaton invented in 1206, making al-Jazari the first person to introduce the concept of programming and automation.


This value chain analysis was conducted from April to September 2014 to provide a development framework for growth and competitiveness of the red bulb onion industry in Cagayan Valley region, which will be the basis for the Nueva Vizcaya commodity investment plan under the Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP). For the study, 126 respondents (i.e., 105 farmers, 4 barangay [village] agents, 14 wholesaler-retailers, 2 assemblers, and 1 configurator) were selected through tracer methodology. Onion production in the region is concentrated in the province of Nueva Vizcaya, specifically in the towns of Aritao, Bambang, and Dupax del Sur, where about 450 ha of rice land are planted with onions from October to March. The value chain map included five functions: input provision, production, transformation, marketing, and consumption. Three chains, one for each province, were studied to calculate the valued added by the different players in the chain. In general, the farmer got the highest share at 41% net profit margin of the valued added, followed by the assembler/shipper (13%), wholesaler-retailer (7%), configurator (6%), then the agent (5.35%). The value chains identified were either configurator-led, farmer-led, or trader-led. Several constraints threaten the industry: (1) high cost of imported seeds, (2) decreasing onion farmland; and (3) the combined effects of ASEAN Integration, onion smuggling, and importation. The red bulb onion industry in the region can only prosper if the organized farmers will be empowered to integrate backward and forward along the value chain.


A shallow marine Eocene section recovered in the cored borehole 011-BP, southwestern Siberia, was analyzed palynologically. Age-diagnostic dinoflagellate cyst events including the first occurrences of Charlesdowniea coleothrypta, Dracodinium politum, Ochetodinium romanum, Samlandia chlamydophora, Areosphaeridium diktyoplokum, Hystricho-sphaeropsis costae, Wetzeliella eocaenica and Duosphaeridium nudum are recognized at successive levels in the Upper Lulinvor Formation (498.0–459.0 m), indicating a Middle-latest Ypresian age. A hiatus spanning the Early Lutetian is present at an unconformity at 459.0 m which underlies sediments of the uppermost Lulinvor Formation (459.0–456.0 m), which are referred to the Middle Lutetian based on the presence of Costacysta bucina, Cordosphaeridium cantharellus and Wilsonidium echinosuturatum. The overlying interval from 456.0 m to 265.0 m (Tavda Formation) is referred to the latest Lutetian to Priabonian primarily based on a combination of published paleomagnetic signals and the presence of Rhombodinium draco, Membranosphaeridium aspinatum, Svalbardella sp., Thalassiphora fenestrata, Thalassiphora reticulata, Rhombodinium perforatum and Rhombodinium longimanum. According to the combined dinoflagellate cyst data and normal magnetic polarity in the uppermost part of the Tavda Formation, marine sedimentation was interrupted in southwestern Siberia during the Late Priabonian (∼34.8 Ma). The dinoflagellate cyst assemblages are illustrated, the new species Thalassiphora dominiquei is formally described and a neotype for Wetzeliella coronata (Vozzhennikova 1967) Lentin & Williams 1976 is designated. The morphology and taxonomy of several taxa are discussed.


Parkinson disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative condition affecting people predominantly at old age that is characterized by a progressive loss of midbrain dopaminergic neurons and by the accumulation of α-synuclein-containing intraneuronal inclusions known as Lewy bodies. Defects in cellular degradation processes such as the autophagy-lysosomal pathway are suspected to be involved in PD progression. The mammalian Lysosomal-associated membrane proteins LAMP1 and LAMP2 are transmembrane glycoproteins localized in lysosomes and late endosomes that are involved in autophagosome/lysosome maturation and function. Here, we show that the lack of Drosophila Lamp1, the homolog of LAMP1 and LAMP2, severely increased fly susceptibility to paraquat, a pro-oxidant compound known as a potential PD inducer in humans. Moreover, the loss of Lamp1 also exacerbated the progressive locomotor defects induced by the expression of PD-associated mutant α-synuclein A30P (α-synA30P) in dopaminergic neurons. Remarkably, the ubiquitous re-expression of Lamp1 in a mutant context fully suppressed all these defects and conferred significant resistance towards both PD factors above that of wild-type flies. Immunostaining analysis showed that the brain levels of α-synA30P were unexpectedly decreased in young adult Lamp1-deficient flies expressing this protein in comparison to non-mutant controls. This suggests that Lamp1 could neutralize α-synuclein toxicity by promoting the formation of non-pathogenic aggregates in neurons. Overall, our findings reveal a novel role for Drosophila Lamp1 in protecting against oxidative stress and α-synuclein neurotoxicity in PD models, thus furthering our understanding of the function of its mammalian homologs.


Abstract Listeners incrementally process words as they hear them, progressively updating inferences about what word is intended as the phonetic signal unfolds in time. As a consequence, phonetic cues positioned early in the signal for a word are on average more informative about word-identity because they disambiguate the intended word from more lexical alternatives than cues late in the word. In this contribution, we review two new findings about structure in lexicons and phonological grammars, and argue that both arise through the same biases on phonetic reduction and enhancement resulting from incremental processing. (i) Languages optimize their lexicons over time with respect to the amount of signal allocated to words relative to their predictability: words that are on average less predictable in context tend to be longer, while those that are on average more predictable tend to be shorter. However, the fact that phonetic material earlier in the word plays a larger role in word identification suggests that languages should also optimize the distribution of that information across the word. In this contribution we review recent work on a range of different languages that supports this hypothesis: less frequent words are not only on average longer, but also contain more highly informative segments early in the word. (ii) All languages are characterized by phonological grammars of rules describing predictable modifications of pronunciation in context. Because speakers appear to pronounce informative phonetic cues more carefully than less informative cues, it has been predicted that languages should be less likely to evolve phonological rules that reduce lexical contrast at word beginnings. A recent investigation through a statistical analysis of a cross-linguistic dataset of phonological rules strongly supports this hypothesis. Taken together, we argue that these findings suggest that the incrementality of lexical processing has wide-ranging effects on the evolution of phonotactic patterns.


Due to the large diffusion of wearable devices, the task of detecting motor activities from sensor data is becoming increasingly common in a wide range of applications. During the development of predictive models for activity recognition, data scientists generally rely on performance metrics (such as accuracy score) for evaluating and comparing the performance of classification algorithms. While these numerical estimates represent a straightforward way to summarize the effectiveness of a model, they convey little insights on the causes of misclassified events, not offering enough clues for data scientists to improve their algorithms. In this paper we present BlueSky Xplorer, an interactive visualization system to analyze, debug and compare the output of multiple predictive models at different levels of granularity. We combine classification results on multi-sensor data with the context of usage of each sensor and with ground truth information (such as textual labels and videos), representing them as temporally-aligned linear tracks. We then define an algebraic language over these tracks that enables users to quickly identify classification errors and to visually reason on the performance of classifiers. We demonstrate the usefulness of our tool by applying it to a real-world example, involving the development of models for assessing the symptoms of Parkinsons disease. In particular, we show how Xplorer was used to improve the performance of classification models and to discover problems in data temporal alignment.


OBJECTIVE
To compare the normal respiratory function values in young Kenyans with those reported for regional African neighbours and Caucasians.

DESIGN
Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC) and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) were measured in a non-randomised sample of young indigenous Kenyans and the values were compared with those of age-matched regional African neighbours (Ethiopians and South Africans) and Caucasians (Australians).

SETTING
Faculty of Health Sciences, Moi University, Eldoret.

SUBJECTS
Eighty eight apparently healthy young Kenyan university students (64 males, 20-25 years and 24 females, 19-23 years) were examined.

RESULTS
The mean values (males versus females) were FEV1, 3.95 +/- 0.07 versus 2.97 +/- 0.08, FVC, 4.31 +/- 0.08 versus 3.19 +/- 0.09, and PEFR, 586.30 +/- 8.54 versus 438.30 +/- 8.55. The values for females were 25-26% less than those for males. The expiratory ratios (FEV1/FVC x 100) were 92.22 +/- 0.60% and 93.44 +/- 0.61% for males and females respectively, well within normal range. The FEV1, FVC and PEFR for both males and females correlated positively with heights.

CONCLUSION
These results were comparable to values reported for age-matched regional neighbours (Ethiopians and South Africans) but were lower than those reported for Australian caucasians. This highlights the need for the Kenyan population to have its own local reference values.


. — In recent years, considérable attention has been given to the famüy of aperiqdic languages, also known as star-free languages and noncounting regular languages. Several interesting subfamilies of aperiodic languages have been studied and characterized by the properties of the corresponding syntactic semigroups. The study of such families has been systematized by examining the position of each family in certain natural hiérarchies. This paper gives a brief survey of results in this area.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a model for planning and controlling the design process in companies that design, manufacture and assemble prefabricated engineer-to-order (ETO) building systems. This model was devised as an adaptation of the Last Planner® System for ETO multiple-project environments. Design/methodology/approach – Design science research, also known as prescriptive research, was the methodological approach adopted in this research. An empirical study was carried out at the design department of a leading steel fabricator from Brazil, in which the proposed model was implemented in six different design teams. Findings – The main benefits of the proposed model were shielding design work from variability, encouraging collaborative planning, creating opportunities for learning, increasing process transparency, and flexibility according to project status. Two main factors affected the effectiveness of the implementation process commitment and leadership of design managers, and training on design management and project planning and control core concepts and practices. Research limitations/implications – Some limitations were identified in the implementation process: similarly to some previous studies (Ballard, 2002; Codinhoto and Formoso, 2005), the success of constraint analysis was still limited; some of the metrics produced (e.g. ABI, causes of planning failures) have not been fully used for process improvement; and systematic feedback about project status was not properly implemented and tested. Originality/value – The main contributions of this study in relation to traditional design planning and control practices are related to the use of two levels of look-ahead planning, the introduction of a decoupling point between conceptual and detail design, the proposition of new metrics for the Last Planner® System, and understanding the potential role of visual management to support planning and control.


Sand, clay and rock have to be excavated for a variety of purposes, such as dredging, trenching, mining (including deep sea mining), drilling, tunnel boring and many other applications. Many excavations take place on dry land, but they are also frequently required in completely saturated conditions, and the methods necessary to accomplish them consequently vary widely. This book provides an overview of cutting theories. It begins with a generic model, valid for all types of soil (sand, clay and rock), and continues with the specifics of dry sand, water-saturated sand, clay, atmospheric rock and hyperbaric rock. Small blade angles and large blade angles are discussed for each soil type, and for each case considered the equations/model for cutting forces, power and specific energy are given. With models verified by laboratory research, principally from the Delft University of Technology, and data from other recognized sources, this book will prove an invaluable reference for anybody whose work involves major excavations of any kind.


A colouring of a digraph as defined by Neumann-Lara in 1982 is a vertex-colouring such that no monochromatic directed cycles exist. The minimal number of colours required for such a colouring of a loopless digraph is defined to be its dichromatic number. This quantity has been widely studied in the last decades and can be considered as a natural directed analogue of the chromatic number of a graph. A digraph $D$ is called even if for every $0$-$1$-weighting of the edges it contains a directed cycle of even total weight. We show that every non-even digraph has dichromatic number at most $2$ and an optimal colouring can be found in polynomial time. We strengthen a previously known NP-hardness result by showing that deciding whether a directed graph is $2$-colourable remains NP-hard even if it contains a feedback vertex set of bounded size.


THE ETIOLOGIC diagnosis of acute pericarditis is at times difficult and expensive from the time and financial standpoint. Likewise, prognosis may be greatly affected when an etiology is discovered which previously had been unsuspected. Of such a nature is the case to be presented here. REPORT OF CASE A 35-year-old Negro mail-truck driver entered the hospital for his first admission with a chief complaint of fever of one month's duration. The patient had been completely well until two months before admission, at which time he noted the onset of a nonproductive cough not associated with pain. A chest x-ray at this time was interpreted as normal. These symptoms continued in progressive fashion until about a month before admission, when the development of low-grade fever sent him to his local physician, who treated him with penicillin. However, he continued to have fever (temperature to 101 F) daily. The penicillin had no


Current medical procedures used to obtain data needed for foot rehabilitation and consequently, improvement of gait stability, provide only limited information regarding the efficiency of a specific treatment. The present study provides a set of biomechanical tools to support physical therapists in evaluation of foot treatments, by integrating plantar pressure measurements, skeletal radiographic imaging, surface EMG recording and computational simulations of the mechanical stresses within the foot structure. Physical therapists may even apply the computational modeling approach to evaluate biomechanical status before treatment and compare predicted with actual results, e.g. in terms of gait stability, optimization of the foot-ground pressure, etc.


The development of tools to control the cell activity after transplantation is of utmost importance in Regenerative Medicine. For clinical efficacy, it is imperative that cells survive and engraft into the host tissue. However, a significant number of cells (typically >70% in few days) die or are lost within hours after transplantation. Therefore, the implementation of new strategies to promote cell survival after transplantation is crucial. Both cord blood-derived endothelial progenitor cells (CB-EPCs) and VEGF-A have been proposed as therapeutic tools to induce angiogenesis for the treatment of ischemic diseases. VEGF-A promotes the formation of microvessels that differ structurally and functionally depending on its presentation. Free VEGF forms big, leaky vessels while immobilized VEGF facilitates the formation of highly branched networks. Immobilization of VEGF alters VEGFR-2 signaling and subsequent downstream pathways. Improved understanding of the molecular targets underlying the action mechanism of immobilized VEGF might help to develop new platforms to increase post-transplantation cell survival and regenerative capacity. We showed that conjugated VEGF modulates cord blood-derived endothelial cell (CB-EC) activity by decreasing the expression miR-17 both in vitro and in vivo. To mimic the down-regulation of miR-17 by immobilized VEGF and understand the effect of miR-17 down-regulation on cell survival, CB-ECs were transfected with antagomiR-17. AntagomiR-17 increased CB-EC survival at least 1.5 times (n = 6) compared to scrambled antagomiR or pro-angiogenic miRNAs reported in the literature (e.g. miR-424 and miR-132) and sprout formation on Matrigel at least 2 times (n = 5) under hypoxia conditions (0.1% O2). In vivo, antagomiR-17 accelerated hemodynamic recovery of the whole limb (n = 12) in unilateral limb ischemia obtained by occlusion of the left femoral artery (Figure 1).Abstract 198 Figure 1 Blood flow recovery evaluated by Laser Doppler analysis was significantly higher 21 days after surgery in antagomiR-17 group compared to scrambled antagomiR and EBM-2 groups. Immunohistochemical analyses showed around 1.4 times increase in the capillary density of skeletal muscle in antagomiR-17 condition. In order to determine the gene target and potential pathway involved in the biological effect of antagomiR-17, next generation mRNA sequencing and data mining were used. Gene expression results and siRNA experiments on CB-ECs revealed ZNF652 and CDKN1A as the targets of antagomiR-17-mediated EC survival. Interestingly, CDKN1A was reported in the literature as an anti-apoptotic molecule. Overall, our results show that the immobilized VEGF increases the EC survival both in vitro and in vivo by downregulating miR-17, of which main gene targets are CDKN1A and ZNF652 to exert its function in the survival of the cells.


Background

We report the results of an e-learning project focused on the progressively acquired knowledge on Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19), targeted to Italian healthcare professionals. and funded by the Italian National Federation of the Associations of Doctors, Surgeons and Dentists (FNOMCeO) and the Federation of Orders of Italian Pharmacists (FOFI).
Methods

The core course was launched as soon as the first cases of COVID-19 occurred in Italy. Several courses have been published throughout 2020 to meet the pandemic-related educational needs and offer continuously updated and evidence-based contents, supported by evidence-based scientific information and institutional sources.
Results

From February 22nd to December 31st, 2020, 70,825 health professionals enrolled in the main course and 67,103 (94.7%) passed, obtaining the Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits. The participants accounted for approximately 19% and 12% of all Italian practising physicians/dentists and pharmacists, respectively. Over 99.5% of participants considered the contents of high quality, relevant and appropriate for their immediate educational needs.
Conclusion

The Italian e-learning offer developed in the first nine months of the pandemic achieved wide dissemination and excellent acceptance by healthcare professionals working in the field. This educational model provides healthcare professionals with evidence-based and tailored information. During pandemics it offers several advantages: time flexibility, remote participation, continuous updating following the emerging evidence.


This research presents a proposal of malware classification and its update based on capacity and obfuscation. This article is an extension of [4]a, and describes the procedure for malware updating, that is, to take obsolete malware that is already detectable by antiviruses, update it through obfuscation techniques and thus making it undetectable again. As the updating of malware is generally performed manually, an automatic solution is presented together with a comparison from the standpoint of cost and processing time. The automated method proved to be more reliable, fast and less intensive in the use of resources, specially in terms of antivirus analysis and malware functionality checking times.


AI systems that learn through reward feedback about the actions they take are increasingly deployed in domains that have significant impact on our daily life. In many cases the rewards should not be the only guiding criteria, as there are additional constraints and/or priorities imposed by regulations, values, preferences, or ethical principles. We detail a novel online system, based on an extension of the contextual bandits framework, that learns a set of behavioral constraints by observation and uses these constraints as a guide when making decisions in an online setting while still being reactive to reward feedback. In addition, our system can highlight features of the context which are more predicted to be more rewarding and/or are in line with the behavioral constraints.  We demonstrate the system by building an interactive interface for an online movie recommendation agent and show that our system is able to act within a set of behavior constraints without significantly degrading overall performance.


With more than 2 billion users, WhatsApp is one of the most important mobile technologies in the world. Accordingly, scholarly interest in WhatsApp has grown in recent years. However, studies have tended to separate WhatsApp's visual and textual elements from the analysis of its technological infrastructure. Alternatively, we argue for a "textomaterial" approach that examines the links between both dimensions. We elaborate on the analytical gains that come from this approach by examining the use of WhatsApp in Mexico City. We posit that considering how textual/visual elements and technological features are interwoven is crucial for understanding the cultural specificity of WhatsApp's development and use in places like Latin America.