Author(s): Bressler, David William | Advisor(s): Silver, Michael | Abstract: The visual world is represented in the brain in numerous retinotopic maps that extend along the cortical surface. Directing spatial attention to a given location in the visual scene enhances perception of that location, and strengthens the neural response to visual stimulation at the attended location. However, the effects of attention on neural responses differ across visual cortical regions. This thesis is concerned with the study of the variety of effects of visual spatial attention on cortical responses. In the following chapters, we describe results from three major research projects. In the first project, we discovered that spatial attention improves response reliability (a signal-to-noise measure) in every cortical region we measured. The magnitude of these effects were greatest in regions with weak retinotopic signals, suggesting the importance of attention for discovering new areas of cortex with topographic organization. In the second project, we demonstrate that the attention-induced enhancement of response reliability results not only from a strengthening of the cortical response, but also a suppression of slow fluctuations in brain activity that are unrelated to the visual input. Moreover, the suppression of these slow fluctuations predicted performance on a visual detection task, whereas the enhancement of response magnitude did not. Finally, in the third project, we demonstrate attention's effect on response magnitude differs as a function of eccentricity; in early visual areas attention enhanced response strength the most for representations of central vision, whereas in dorsal regions attention enhanced response strength most for representations of peripheral vision. Moreover, we discovered that attention expanded the extent of visual space that generated a significant cortical response, and that this effect also differed across eccentricities and visual regions.


In this study, a data envelopment analysis approach was used to determine the efficiency of farmers, rank the efficient and inefficient ones and to identify the wasteful uses of energy by inefficient farmers with respect to energy use in different operations of soybean production in Golestan province, Iran. Data used in this study were obtained from 94 randomly selected soybean farms using a survey method. From this study, the following results were obtained: From total operational energy consumption in soybean production (22235 MJ ha-1), the greatest part was used in irrigation operation (73%); also, harvesting and tillage were the other main energy consumer operations. The technical, pure technical and scale efficiency scores of farmers were found to be 0.88, 0.91 and 0.96, respectively. Total energy requirement in target condition was calculated as 17937.7 MJ ha-1; accordingly, about 19.3% from the total input energy in present condition could be saved if the farmers follow the input package recommended by the study. Energy saving from irrigation (81.8%) had the highest share from total saving energy (4296.8 MJ ha-1). Also, the contributions of tillage, transportation and harvesting operations were found to be 4.7, 4.2 and 3.9%, respectively.

 Key words: Operational energy, irrigation operation, energy efficiency, soybean production.


BACKGROUND
The purpose of this study was to compare patient selection, operative factors, and survival for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for coronary heart disease in Minneapolis-St Paul (MSP), Minnesota, and Western Sweden (WS).

METHODS AND RESULTS
All patients from WS between 1988 and 1991 (n = 2365) and a 17% random sample of MSP patients between 1985 and 1990 (n = 1659) who underwent CABG surgery were studied. CABG was 3 times greater in MSP. MSP patients had significantly more obesity, cigarette smoking, prior CABG, and prior coronary angioplasty. WS patients had more and longer angina pectoris, better left ventricular function, and waited longer from previous acute MI until CABG. WS patients had more internal mammary artery graphs and a shorter aortic cross-clamp time. At discharge, WS patients received more beta-blockers and antiplatelet agents, whereas MSP patients received more calcium channel blockers and digitalis. Age-adjusted mortality rate at 28 days was significantly higher in MSP but not at 3 years. Adjustment for patient characteristics and treatment factors reduced or eliminated these differences.

CONCLUSIONS
Although coronary heart disease rates were higher in WS, age-adjusted CABG rates were 3-fold higher in MSP. Better survival among WS patients was associated with differences in patient selection and clinical and treatment characteristics because MSP patients were more severely ill and at increased risk. Health system characteristics and practice may account for these differences.


Many different biomarkers can be used to evaluate ethanol intake. Ethyl glucuronide (EtG) is a direct phase II and minor metabolite of ethanol formed through the UDP‐glucuronosyl transferase‐catalyzed conjugation of ethanol with glucuronic acid. Its investigation is of interest in both clinical and forensic contexts because of the wide window of detection. A sensitive LC‐MS/MS procedure has been developed and fully validated according to the guidelines of forensic toxicology for the analysis of EtG in hair. Sample preparation and chromatographic separation were thoroughly optimized. The analysis was performed in the multiple reaction monitoring mode using the transitions m/z 221 → 203 (for the quantification) and 221 → 85 or 75 (for the qualification) for EtG, and m/z 226 → 208 (for quantification) and 226 → 75 or 85 (for qualification) for EtG‐D5, used as the internal standard. Analyses were carried out using an Inertsil ODS‐3 column (100 × 3 mm i.d., 3 µm particle size) and a mobile phase composed of formic acid and acetonitrile. Various SPE cartridges and solvents were tested in order to obtain the highest recoveries and cleanest extracts. The assay linearity of EtG was confirmed over the range from 20 to 2500 pg mg−1, with a coefficient of determination (R2) above 0.99. The lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) was 20 pg mg−1 and the limit of detection was 10 pg mg−1. Intra‐ and inter‐day assays were less than 15% except at the LLOQ (20%). The analytical method was applied to 72 post‐mortem hair samples. EtG concentration in the hair ranged from 0 to 653 pg mg−1 hair. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Snowmelt processes on sea ice are the key drivers determining the seasonal sea-ice energy and mass budgets. Around Antarctica, snowmelt on perennial ice is weak and very different than in the Arctic, with most snow surviving the summer. Here, we compile time series of snowmelt onset dates on perennial Antarctic sea ice from 1992 to 2014 using active microwave observations from European Remote Sensing Satellite (ERS-1/2), Quick Scatterometer (QSCAT) and Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) radar scatterometers. Describing snow melt processes, we define two transition stages: A weak backscatter rise indicating the initial warming and metamorphosis of the snowpack (pre-melt), followed by a rapid rise indicating the onset of thaw-freeze cycles (snowmelt). Results show large interannual variability with average pre-melt and snowmelt onset dates of 29 November and 10 December, respectively, without any significant trends over the study period. Related to different signal frequencies, we show that QSCAT Ku-band (13.4 GHz signal frequency) derived pre-melt and snowmelt onset dates are earlier by 25 and 11 days, respectively, than ERS and ASCAT C-band (5.6 GHz) derived dates. This offset has been considered when constructing the time series. Combining the observed successive timing of melt events retrieved from radar scatterometers with melt onset dates retrieved from 37 GHz passive microwave radiometers, allows us to develop a conceptual model which illustrates how the evolution of seasonal snow temperature profiles affects different microwave bands with different penetration depths. These suggest that future multi-frequency microwave satellite missions could be used to resolve melt processes throughout the vertical snow column.


SIR,-A noteworthy point on which I differ from the opinion expressed in your commendable leading article (9 December, p. 563) is in the statement that "physiotherapy has no place in the treatment of status asthmaticus." It has been our custom during the past three years in this hospital (which is part of Helsinki University Central Hospital), in addition to other routine treatment in cases of status asthmaticus, to facilitate the patient's breathing by manual pressure on the lower part of his chest during


INTRODUCTION
Recent studies indicate that trauma patients with hollow viscus injuries requiring anastomosis who are managed with stapling have a higher rate of complications than do those in whom a hand-sewn anastomosis is used. We undertook this study to determine whether this finding applied to patients with small bowel trauma at our institution.

METHODS
Records of patients with small bowel injuries were retrospectively reviewed. Demographics, severity of injury, injury management, and outcome data were collected.

RESULTS
Patients who had their small bowel injuries managed by hand-sewn repair versus resection and stapled anastomosis demonstrated a nonsignificant decrease in overall complication rate (35% vs. 44%) and rate of intra-abdominal complication (10% vs. 18%). Yet the rate of intra-abdominal abscess formation was significantly lower with hand-sewn repair than with resection and stapled anastomosis (4% vs. 13%). However, when hand-sewn primary repairs were excluded from the analysis and injuries that required resection and either stapled or hand-sewn anastomosis were compared, there was a similar overall complication rate (41% vs. 41%) and rate of intra-abdominal complications (17% vs. 21%).

CONCLUSION
The rate of intra-abdominal complications did not differ significantly between patients requiring small bowel resection and reanastomosis managed by either a stapled or hand-sewn technique. In our experience, surgical stapling devices appear to be safe for use in repairing traumatic small bowel injury.


Although the dynamic aspect of the world is widely recognized, information systems have lagged in their ability to represent these dynamics and provide support for users and analysts, especially those who work with dynamic geographic domains. A collection of peer-reviewed articles, Understanding Dynamics of Geographic Domains showcases new research and perspectives on theoretical aspects of geographic dynamics and including novel data modeling and visualization-related studies. Multidisciplinary Book Brings Together Respected Specialists Editors Kathleen Stewart Hornsby and May Yuan bring together prominent and respected specialists to create a multidisciplinary book that combines coverage of topics from the perspectives of GIS, computer science, image processing, and information and data processing. Containing an 8-page color insert, the book is divided into three sections that explore the conceptual and cognitive underpinnings of geographic dynamics and data modeling topics; the related analytical and computational approaches; and topics relating to the visualization and simulation of geographic dynamics. A Milestone for Research Developments A quick review of the contents and contributors reveals the breadth and depth of knowledge provided. Incorporating theoretical, cognitive, methodological, and applied articles, the coverage is closely related to the national research agenda on Geographic Information Science proposed by the University Consortium of Geographic Information Science (UCGIS). Indeed, the foundations for this book began with a workshop co-sponsored by the UCGIS on the topic of geographic dynamics. This makes the book not only a top-notch reference but also a milestone for research developments in the field.


This specialized volume of Advances in Cancer Research is dedicated to the complex and largely unexplored field of intratumor diversity, with respect to differences in both genotype and phenotype among cell populations within tumors. * Unique subject matter: there are relatively few previous publications covering this complex topic, even though it has been a matter of much speculation ever since cancers were first studied under the microscope more than a century ago. This volume is an attempt to update the reader on novel findings as well as giving a historical perspective to the field. It thereby offers an excellent starting point for young scientists entering this field of research* Contributors: many of the contributors are renowned cancer researchers with long-term experience. To bring in new ideas to the field, these experienced authors have been blended with young bright minds who might provide novel starting points for solving old problems* Technical aspects: some chapters will be focused on specific techniques to address intratumor diversity and will therefore be helpful for colleagues wanting to broaden their technical expertise


Direct measurements were undertaken at the Aeronautics Laboratory in Turin of the aerodynamic actions on an oscillating wing. The tests conducted had as their essential object the examination of the operation of apparatus designed for this measurement. The values experimentally obtained for the aerodynamic coefficients are in good agreement with the theory of oscillatory motion of the wing of finite span and show clear deviation from the values obtained by theory of plane motion.


The specific reaction of O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT) with O6-benzylguanine (BG) derivatives allows for a specific labeling of AGT fusion proteins with chemically diverse compounds in living cells and in vitro. The efficiency of the labeling depends on a number of factors, most importantly on the reactivity, selectivity and stability of AGT. Here, we report the use of directed evolution and two different selection systems to further increase the activity of AGT towards BG derivatives by a factor of 17 and demonstrate the advantages of this mutant for the specific labeling of AGT fusion proteins displayed on the surface of mammalian cells. The results furthermore identify two regions of the protein outside the active site that influence the activity of the protein towards BG derivatives.


The biogas sector had a rapid development in the last decade with several new industrial plants realized all over Europe and Worldwide. The intrinsic efficiency of membrane structures [1] provided a cost effective solution to cover digesters, bio-filters, lagoons and gas holders through different concepts such as floating membranes, anticlastic geometries and pneumatic structures. However, after less than ten years of use, the structures show several critical aspects, generally related to the premature corrosion of the membrane, the failure of the joints and the overload due to strong winds and heavy snowfalls. This paper presents a review of the main structural solutions based on a pneumatic concept such as air-halls, pneumatic beams and floating roofs. The description will be supported by case studies of each type of structure including air-halls for digesters and bio-filters, Tensairity® and pneumatic beams for long span roofs, floating roofs for large lagoons. For each case study the authors will present data and examples related to the design, manufacturing and installation of the membrane and the issues related to the rapid degradation of the performance of the structure due to the extreme corrosive environment based on high temperatures and high concentration of corrosive chemicals. Finally, the paper will offer a review of the current precautions and solutions to reduces the risks of failures and to improve the expected lifespan of the structures.


SUMMARY: Sacral insufficiency fractures frequently cause significant pain and limit activities of daily living in patients with osteoporosis. Percutaneous vertebroplasty is a common procedure to alleviate the pain associated with thoracic and lumbar vertebral compression fractures. The sacral percutaneous vertebroplasty procedure (sacroplasty) has recently been introduced as an alternative to medical management of osteoporotic sacral insufficiency fractures. We describe our CT fluoroscopy technique in performing percutaneous sacroplasty.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the role of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) and pS2 protein in the evolution of malignancy in mucinous cystic tumors of the pancreas.

BACKGROUND
Mucinous cystic tumors of the pancreas include histologically benign but premalignant mucinous cystic neoplasms and mucinous cystadenocarcinoma. The molecular events leading to transformation from a benign to a malignant mucinous tumor are not known. Overexpression of EGF-R and detection of an estrogen-induced protein (pS2) has been demonstrated in ductal adenocarcinomas of the pancreas, but these factors have not been evaluated in mucinous cystic tumors.

DESIGN
Twenty-six mucinous tumors were examined for EGF-R, pS2 protein, and estrogen and progesterone receptors.

RESULTS
Eight (61.2%) of 13 malignant tumors exhibited increased expression of EGF-R, whereas EGF-R was not detected in any of the 13 benign tumors (P = .002). The pS2 protein was detected in nine of 11 malignant and 11 of 11 benign tumors (P = .480). Estrogen and progesterone receptors were not detected in the epithelium of either tumor type. The median survival time of the patients with EGF-R-negative tumors was 29.0 months compared with 14.5 months for those with EGF-R-positive tumors, but this difference did not reach significance owing to the small population size.

CONCLUSIONS
Overexpression of EGF-R in mucinous cystic tumors, as in ductal adenocarcinomas, may be an important feature associated with malignancy and may have prognostic significance. Failure to detect EGF-R in histologically benign epithelium suggests that the upregulation of EGF-R may be important in the evolution of aggressive behavior. The expression of pS2 protein appears to be independent of estrogen and may play a role in the proliferative activity of mucinous tumors. However, pS2 expression is not a feature associated exclusively with malignancy.


Abstract Computational models provide a framework through which to predict impurity in-growth in reactor generated radiological sources. However, the energy group structure and methodology used in these codes can have a significant impact on the accuracy of neutron cross sections and, as a result, on the inventory values calculated. The European Activation SYstem II (EASY-II) partitions neutron data in a number of different standard structures and then uses these to generate energy collapsed cross sections for each neutron reaction of interest. How well these single values represent the true neutron environment of the reactor is key to the codes efficacy for evaluating source impurities for use in material attribution. By comparing EASY-II nuclide inventories for cobalt source materials against analytically derived equivalents, these approximations have been shown to have limited impact. However, of the fission applicable standard structures investigated, only XMAS and CCFE were capable of precisely accounting for the differences in the energies required to simulate all the neutron reactions of potential interest to forensic investigations.


The dynamics of the preferred mode structure in the near field of an elliptic jet have been investigated using hot-wire measurements. A 2:1 aspect ratio jet with an initially turbulent boundary layer and a constant momentum thickness all around the nozzle exit perimeter was used for this study. Measurements were made in air at a Reynolds number ReDe (≡ UeDe/v) = 3.5 × 104. Controlled longitudinal excitation at the preferred mode frequency (StDe ≡ fDe/Ue = 0.4) induced periodic formation of structures, allowing phase-locked measurements with a local trigger hot wire. The dynamics of the organized structure are examined from educed fields of coherent vorticity and incoherent turbulence in the major and minor symmetry planes at five successive phases of evolution, and are also compared with corresponding data for a circular jet. Unlike in a circular jet, azimuthally fixed streamwise vortices (ribs) form without the aid of azimuthal forcing. The three-dimensional deformation of elliptic vortical structures and the rib formation mechanism have also been studied through direct numerical simulation. Differential self-induced motions due to non-uniform azimuthal curvature and the azimuthally fixed ribs produce greater mass entrainment in the elliptic jet than in a circular jet. The turbulence production mechanism, entrainment and mixing enhancement, and time-average measures and their modification by excitation are also discussed in terms of coherent structure dynamics and the rib-roll interaction. Various phase-dependent and time-average turbulence measures documented in this paper should serve as target data for validation of numerical simulations and turbulence modelling, and for design and control purposes in technological applications. Further details are given by Husain (1984).


We have adapted the stroma-dependent long-term bone marrow culture (LTBMC) system to study the development of human natural killer cells (NK) from the CD34+/HLA-DR- (CD34+/DR-) BM mononuclear cell (BMMNC) population. The CD34+/DR- population does not express any known antigens associated with myeloid or lymphoid lineage and has been shown by us and others to contain primitive hematopoietic progenitors capable of both self-renewal and differentiation to myeloid lineage. CD34+/DR- cells obtained from normal human BM by fluorescence-activated cell sorting were plated on allogeneic, irradiated BM stromal layers. After 5 weeks of culture in the presence of media containing recombinant interleukin-2 and human serum, 147- +/- 21-fold expansion of cells with the morphologic appearance of large granular lymphocytes was observed. Cultured cells (84.8% +/- 1.5%) expressed the characteristic CD56+/CD3- phenotype of NK. A proportion of CD56+/CD3- cells expressed other markers of lymphoid lineage that have been associated with mature NK, including CD2 (7.8% +/- 1.2%), CD7 (19.5% +/- 2.8), CD8 (3.1% +/- 1.0%), and CD16 (4.5% +/- 1.3%). The cultured cells did not express other antigens associated with T-lymphocyte (CD3, CD5, T-cell receptor [TCR] alpha/beta and TCR gamma/delta), B-lymphocyte (CD19), myeloid (MY8, CD33, and CD71), or monocytoid (CD14 and CD15) lineage and did not express the CD34 antigen associated with hematopoietic progenitors present on the starting population. This NK population was cytotoxic against both K562 (E:T 20:1; 79% +/- 1.9%) and Raji (E:T 20:1; 38% +/- 5.7%) target cell lines. The NK progenitor frequency in the CD34+/DR- cell population determined by limiting dilution of CD34+DR- on stromal layers followed by a functional chromium release assay against K562 targets was 1:169 +/- 50 CD34+/DR- cells. The data suggest that human LTBMC developed to study myeloid differentiation can be modified to study the origin and development of the NK and possibly other lymphoid lineages. Modified cultures show that cells with morphologic, phenotypic, and functional characteristics of NK can be derived from a population of BMMNC with the phenotype of primitive hematopoietic progenitors and without phenotypic evidence of lymphoid- or myeloid-lineage commitment. Further studies will address the cell of origin and the ontogeny of human NK and other lymphoid lineages.


BACKGROUND
While studies on mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for youth have recently emerged, there is a shortage of research on how adolescents from clinical populations experience MBSR. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the impact of MBSR from the subjective perspective of adolescents with serious mental health concerns.

METHOD
Adolescents (n = 28) from a residential treatment center participated in an adapted 8-week MBSR program in which they learned a range of mindfulness skills and were encouraged to apply the skills to their everyday lives. At the end of the program and at a 3-month follow-up, the youth participated in semistructured interviews in which they were asked to describe the impact of the program from their perspectives. Basic interpretive qualitative analysis methods were used to code the data and to group the codes into higher level themes.

RESULTS
Six main themes were found, including improved mood, enhanced relationship to self, increased self-control, improved problem-solving, awareness of the present, and enhanced interpersonal relationships.

DISCUSSION
Results from this study suggest that the MBSR program was perceived as beneficial both in the short-term and follow-up in several aspects of emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal functioning.


The aim of the present study is to provide an overall picture of the nature of urban folklore using the "Alligators in the Sewers" urban legend type circulated in both the Hungarian and international press and by word of mouth. While contemporary legends have attracted only sporadic attention in Hungarian research to date, by illustrating the historical development of this legend type the aim of the present case study is to demonstrate how the phenomenon has existed in the Hungarian press for almost 200 years.
The present study attempts to identify the kind of opportunities for interpretation offered by these stories in the field of folkloristics; the extent to which they are relevant beyond their literal meaning; and the ways in which they shed light on modern-day understandings of the world. Giant reptiles that are not indigenous to Europe are terrifying to the average individual, while at the same time they evoke a yearning for the natural world in city dwellers trapped amid concrete walls. Urban sewers and storm drains hold similar terrors: on the one hand, they are there to remove filth and symbolize the more unsavory aspects of urban life, while on the other hand their hidden presence beneath the ground offers ample opportunity for the projection of numerous fantasies. Animals that lurk in the sewers, from where they emerge to attack people, are manifestations, contained within simple, traditional narrative frameworks, of the murkiness of highly structured societies and of the sense of danger that this opacity engenders in us. The emergence and persistence of such stories can be attributed to a number of social practices, such as circuses, sideshows, and the keeping of reptiles as pets, along with the respective press reports and rumors.


In mammalian species and in the oldest of multicellular animal forms, NSAIDs inhibit cell activation, apparently in the absence of effects on PG biosynthesis. Thus, an alternative hypothesis can be proposed to account for the antiinflammatory effects of these drugs. Clearly, at low doses aspirin and most of the newer NSAIDs inhibit the biosynthesis of PGs from arachidonic acid, and stable PGs have been shown to mediate fever, hyperalgesia, vasodilation (edema), and several interleukin-1-dependent responses. At high doses, however, aspirin, sodium salicylate, and the newer NSAIDs (at antiinflammatory doses) inhibit non-PG-dependent processes, such as the activity of a variety of enzymes, proteoglycan synthesis by chondrocytes, transmembrane ion fluxes, and chemoattractant binding. These effects are most likely due to the capacity of aspirin-like drugs to insert into the lipid bilayer of plasma membranes, where they disrupt normal signaling events and protein-protein interactions. The ability of NSAIDs to thereby inhibit the activation of inflammatory cells such as the neutrophil may contribute to the antiinflammatory properties of this class of drugs.


This research examined employees' perceived ethical working conditions in the organisation which results from the relationship between leadership styles based on a task-trait perspective and organizational commitment of employees. The research utilised copied of structured questionnaire that were distributed to 167 respondents drawn from five leading deposit banks in Nigeria. Applying the regression technique, the results from data analysis indicated that the task-trait approach to leadership in organisations is significant to enhancing employees' perceived ethical working conditions, thereby inducing them to be committed to both their work-tasks and the organisations. Therefore, this study recommended that senior management especially in the banking industry should review the leadership style practiced in their organization and ensure that it creates the enabling organizational climate to achieving the set goals.


Today, we are witnessing a significant increase in high quality scientific literature, either born digital or
digitized. According to a series of specialists in education, research activities affect education and a specialized
dialogue between researchers and students can affect the quality of research output. This study takes into
consideration this interplay between research and education - even in the form of e-learning and digital
information -, and analyzes the accessibility of digital scientific literature offered by Romanian research libraries.
Firstly, the study presents findings obtained through exploration of existing specialized digital repositories
worldwide and in Romania, high quality digital scientific literature, renowned databases of journals, e-learning
platforms, along with open access initiatives. These digital resources need to be better identified and this paper is
framed by consideration of different ways to make visible the scientific output. In general, researchers use data and
information from other studies and, also, they need to communicate and disseminate their results rapidly to the
international academic community, by means of digital repositories and digital publications. Secondly, this
research identifies findings from an empirical analysis regarding the experiences and preferences of the Romanian
researchers and, also, a series of aspects regarding the role of librarians in digital literacy. Several methods are
used, including qualitative interviews, questionnaires, corroboration across participants and engagement with
previous international studies. The study concludes with the current trends observed for Romanian research
libraries and a series of considerations for practice, with the remark that academic work in institutes and
universities varies substantially across fields and disciplines, which can prohibit a generalization to all research
libraries in Romania.


The concept of the mole and its relationship to chemical algebra is difficult for many high school chemistry students to master. This paper describes a study of the use of proportional reasoning when teaching mole relationships and its effect on developing critical thinking skills. The Test of Logical Thinking (TOLT) was used as a preand post-assessment of students' critical thinking skills. An experimental group (n=29) was taught to solve stoichiometry problems by proportional reasoning, while a control group (n=28) used dimensional analysis. From the results, it was concluded that teaching stoichiometric relationships through proportional reasoning had no apparent effect on developing critical thinking skills in the experimental group. There was, however, an apparent improvement in the students' ability to work together toward solutions, to express their thinking processes verbally, and to listen to and evaluate the comments of others. From a survey of 40 local high school chemistry teachers (return rate of 47%), it was found that two-thirds of the teachers used dimensional analysis as their method for teaching stoichiometry. Appended materials include the TOLT, a Critical Thinking and Self-Reflection Checklist, worksheets, laboratory sheets, a stoichiometry test, and a weekly progress questionnaire. (PR) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. --*****************************************************************x*****


Increased demand of environment protection encouraged scientists to design products and processes that minimize the use and generation of hazardous substances. This work presents comprehensive result of large-scale fabrication and investigation of red-to-green tunable submicron spherical yttria particles codoped with low concentrations of Eu(+3) and Tb(+3). The color emission of synthesized particles can be precisely tuned from red to green by simple variation of Tb/Eu ratio and excitation wavelength. The Tb/Eu-codoped Y(2)O(3) particles did not adversely affect the viability of L-929 fibroblastic cells at concentrations less than 62.5 ppm. Through internalization and wide distribution inside the cells, Tb/Eu codoped Y(2)O(3) particles with intense bright green or red fluorescence rendered cell imaging to be possible. The high brightness, excellent stability, low-toxicity, and imaging capability along with fine color-tunability of synthesized particles enable to find promising application in various areas.


We studied the properties of the main phases of 24 super geomagnetic storms (SGSs) (ΔSYM-H ≤ −250 nT) since 1981. We divided the SGSs into two subgroups: SGSs-I (−400 nT <Δ SYM-H ≤ −250 nT) and SGSs-II (ΔSYM-H ≤ −400 nT). Of the 24 SGSs, 16 are SGSs-I and eight are SGSs-II. The source locations of SGSs were distributed in the longitudinal scope of [E37, W66]. 95.8% of the SGSs were distributed in the longitudinal scope of [E37, W20]. East and west hemispheres of the Sun had 14 and 10 SGSs, respectively. The durations of the main phases for six SGSs ranged from 2 to 4 hr. The durations of the main phases for the rest 18 SGSs were longer than 6.5 hr. The duration of the SGSs with source locations in the west hemisphere varied from 2.22 to 19.58 hr. The duration for the SGSs with the source locations in the east hemisphere ranged from 2.1 to 31.88 hr. The averaged duration of the main phases of the SGSs in the west and east hemispheres are 8.3 hr and 13.98 hr, respectively. ∣ΔSYM−H/Δt∣ for six SGSs with source locations distributed in the longitudinal area ranging from E15 to W20 was larger than 1.0 nT · minute−1, while ∣ΔSYM−H/Δt∣ for the rest 18 SGSs was lower than 1.0 nT · minute−1.∣ΔSYM−H/Δt∣ for SGSs-I varied from 0.18 to 3.0 nT · minute−1. ∣ΔSYM−H/Δt∣ for eight SGSs-II varied from 0.37 to 2.2 nT · minute−1 with seven SGSs-II falling in the scope from 0.37 to 0.992 nT · minute−1.


Philosophical Tensions in Modern Dramatic Literature Michael Y. Bennett, Words, Space, and the Audience: The Theatrical Tension Between Empiricism and Rationalism (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012), Pages 179. Behind Michael Y. Bennett's Words, Space, and the Audience is the defining and decidedly intractable question of reception theory, namely, "how does meaning get made in the theatre?" Bennett's answer is that meaning is produced through negotiating tensions between "empirical and rational ways of knowing," particularly at those historical moments when such tensions are encoded in local and global concerns (8-9). Adeptly blending philosophy, history, and politics, Bennett demonstrates how the philosophical debate between empiricism and rationalism is thematized in four major works of modern drama: Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest (1895), Luigi Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author (1921), Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot (1953), and Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woof (1962). Through thoughtfully researched and engagingly argued case-studies, Bennett accomplishes two overlapping aims: to offer new readings of these canonical works and, more significantly, to develop a heuristic for considering the key question from reception theory as it relates to modern dramatic texts. Deeply interdisciplinary, Bennett's argument is convincingly developed as part of a rich and complex study of four crucial historical moments, marked by tensions between empiricism and rationalism, which helped produce these dramas and which these dramas helped produce. The Importance of Being Earnest (and, briefly, Salome) is read against the height of British Idealism and the beginning of pragmatism and analytic philosophy during the fin de siecle. Six Characters in Search of an Author is considered against the struggle between pragmatism and idealism (in its worst manifestations, the rise of the fasci and Benito Mussolini) during post-World War I Italy. Waiting for Godot is read against the "The Great Quarrel" between Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus regarding existentialism during post-World War II Paris. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woof is considered against the demise and normalization of analytic philosophy during the Cold War and the Cultural Revolution in the United States. Through these chapters, Bennett traces "the waxing and waning of rationalism and empiricism in key historical moments" (25). More impressive is Bennett's meticulous examination of how the empiricism-rationalism dispute manifested in these historical moments and across the more than seventy years covered by the book. Naturally, he documents the major figures involved in these disputes, including T. H. Green and F. H. Bradley who advanced idealism in response to the empiricism of John Locke and David Hume at Oxford University during Wilde's tenure; and including the letters between Sartre and Camus, printed in Les Temps modernes, just one year before Beckett's play debuted in Paris. …


Traditional values, motivations, and expectations of seclusion by moose ( Alces alces ) hunters, more specifically their distributional overlap and encounters in the field, may exacerbate perceptions of competition among hunters. However, few studies have quantitatively addressed overlap in hunting activity where hunters express concern about competition. To assess spatial and temporal characteristics of competition, our objectives were to: 1) quantify temporal harvest patterns in regions with low (roadless rural) and high (roaded urban) accessibility, and 2) quantify overlap in harvest patterns of two hunter groups (local, non-local) in rural regions. We used moose harvest data (2000–2016) in Alaska to quantify and compare hunting patterns across time and space between the two hunter groups in different moose management areas. We created a relative hunter overlap index that accounted for the extent of overlap between local and non-local harvest. The timing of peak harvest was different ( P < 0.01) in urban and rural regions, occurring in the beginning and middle of the hunting season, respectively. In the rural region, hunter overlap scores revealed a concentration in 20% of the area on 16–20 September, with 50% of local harvest on 33% of the area and 54% of non-local harvest on 18% of the area. We recommend specific management strategies, such as lifting the air transportation ban into inaccessible areas, to redistribute hunters and reduce overlap and concerns of competition in high-use areas. We also encourage dissemination of information about known hotspots of hunter overlap to modify hunter expectations and subsequent behavior. Our hunter overlap index should prove useful in regions where similar concerns about hunter competition, hunter satisfaction, and related management dilemmas occur.


An antenna is an intermediate link between the radio transmitting or receiving device and the surrounding area. The antenna is a device that serves to radiate electromagnetic energy in the form of radio waves in the space and respectively to receive electromagnetic waves. In the first case, we are talking about a transmitting antenna, and the second one about a receiving antenna. The purpose of the transmitting antenna is to convert the transmitter's high-frequency current into a freely propagating electromagnetic wave. The role of the receiving antennas is to take part of the energy of the electromagnetic waves that reach them and trigger the receiver. The emitted field from the antenna is determine by the Pointing vector and shows the electromagnetic radiation area. Near the antenna, it is imaginary and has components on the three coordinate axes (θ, φ, r) considered in the spherical coordinate system to determine the position of a point in the three-dimensional space. Intensity of the field decreases faster than 1/r in the immediate vicinity of the antenna and proportional to 1/r in the distant zone. The Pointing vector in the distant zone is real and has two components (θ, φ) in the coordinate system.


Noninterference requires that there is no information flow from sensitive to public data in a given system. However, many systems release sensitive information as part of their intended function and therefore violate noninterference. To control information flow while permitting information release, some systems have a downgrading or declassification mechanism, but this creates the danger that it may cause unintentional information release. This paper shows that a robustness property can be used to characterize programs in which declassification mechanisms cannot be controlled by attackers to release more information than intended. It describes a simple way to provably enforce this robustness property through a type-based compile-time program analysis. The paper also presents a generalization of robustness that supports upgrading (endorsing) data integrity.


Love You Back (pink) by Joseph Klibansky is a contemporary artwork departing from architecture and the city, particularly the accelerated, compressed and densely populated urban environments of the 21st Century that he smoothly grades into what seems to be a possible glimpse of the future


One of the glaring omissions in private international law has been the failure of nations to reach accord about transnational insolvency. Historically, there has been little formal cooperation among bankruptcy courts worldwide. Most have long responded to the problem of what effect to give to foreign bankruptcies by protecting domestic interests and local creditors, and at times even discriminating against foreign creditors. This nationalistic approach to bankruptcy laws has often resulted in full liquidation proceedings in every country in which the assets of a debtor are located. It has also caused duplication of expenses and litigation, inequitable distributions to creditors worldwide, and instability in the climate for international trade. This article discusses US law regarding the recognition of foreign bankruptcy proceedings. The article provides an overview of the historical development of that law. It then examines the the statutory regime in the US Bankruptcy Code involving sections 303(b)(4), 304, and 305, with a focus on section 304. The article highlights the inconsistent approaches taken by the US courts in determining whether to recognize and assist foreign bankruptcies and proposes criteria to guide US courts in making those decisions.


: The lysogeny of eleven type strains of Bacillus thuringiensis was studied. Eight new phages were isolated from the variants B. thuringiensis var. tochigiensis, yunnanensis, colmeri, shandongiensis, neoleonensis, silo, mexicanensis, and toguchini belonging to the B1 morphotype. The phages that were isolated from B. thuringiensis var. tochigiensis, yunnanensis, shandongiensis, and mexicanensis possessed transverse disks at their tails and were classified into one morphological group. The protein patterns of the isolated phages were determined.


Maybe it's because Ryszard Kapuscinski told so many stories about himself that little is actually known about him. We meet him in the alleyways of Dakar and the bazaars of Tehran, the trenches in Angola and the sidestreets of Tegucigalpa, just as the city is being attacked. He doesn't so much describe these places as invites us to taste them, and we can do so through his perfect vignettes about his interactions with the people and the physical surroundings. Despite all this intimacy, we never know who he is. For he doesn't write about himself but about "Ryszard Kapuscinski," the hero of his books who has all these revealing encounters.  Now we have a guide who tells us of the man, not the hero, in his context of communist Poland. Artur Domosławski, himself a Polish journalist who modeled himself on Kapuscinski—he calls him his "mentor" or "master"—tells us two stories: one about Kapuscinski, and one about the Poland that made him.


Presentation of one case of non-differentiated small cell prostate carcinoma, not associated to adenocarcinoma, in a male patient diagnosed with Benign Prostate Hyperplasia and Lymphoproliferative Syndrome, seen at the clinic due to worsening of mictional symptomatology. The diagnosis of non-differentiated carcinoma was reached through transrectal biopsy of a prostate node. Initial staging after diagnosis was T4a, N2, M1c (TNM, 1992), as liver and brain metastasis were already present. No bone or lung involvement was found. Specific Prostate Antigen value was 7.4 ng/ml, Carcino-Embryonary Antigen (CAE) was normal and ACTH slightly elevated. Differential diagnosis was primarily established with lymphoma. Using immunohistochemical techniques, the tumoral cells were positive for low molecular weight Keratin (CAM 5.2) and specific neuronal Enolase; negative for specific prostate antigen, prostate acid phosphatase, common leucocyte antigen and ACTH. The initial treatment consisted in one course of carboplatin plus VP-16 chemotherapy. The patient died six months after diagnosis.


Twenty-five patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma and ten patients with minimum residual disease, but at high risk of recurrence after surgery, received weekly intradermal injections of purified RNA extracted from lymphoid organs of sheep immunized with human renal cell carcinoma. A retrospective control group consisted of 86 consecutive patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma from the same institution. Group survival was notable in RNA-treated patients who had multiple metastases limited to the lungs when compared with matched controls. Therapy did not influence the survival of patients with metastases to other sites or with multiple organ involvement. Eight of ten patients with minimum residual disease remained free of recurrence from 16 to 36 months after the initiation of therapy. Toxicity of RNA therapy was minimal. Changes in skin test response to dinitrochlorobenzene and common antigens, and levels of lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity and complement-fixing antibody, were primarily related to changes in tumor burden. Immune RNA therapy may be of value in selected patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma and as adjunctive therapy after definitive surgery.


Multivariate models such as the Cox regression model, if developed carefully, are powerful tools for making prognostic prediction which are frequently used in studies of clinical outcomes. Many applications require a large number of variables to be modelled by using a relatively small patient sample. Determination of the important variables in a model is critical to understand the behaviour of phenomena as the independent variables contribute the most to the outcome. From a practical perspective, a small subset of independent variables are usually selected from a large data set without the loss of any predictive efficiency. Automatic variable selection algorithms in scientific studies are commonly used for obtaining interpretable and practically applicable models. However, the careless use of these methods may lead to statistical problems. The performance of the generated models may be poor due to the violation of assumption, omission of the important variables, problems of overfitting, and the problem of multicollinearity and outliers. In order to enhance the accuracy of a model, it is essential to explore the data and its main characteristics before making any statistical inference. This study suggests an approach for acquiring a trustworthy model selection procedure for survival data by performing classical variables selection methods, accompanied by a graphical visualization method, namely robust coplot. Thus, it enables us to investigate the discrimination of observations, clusters of the variables and clusters of the observations that are highly characterized by a particular variable in a one graph. We present an application of combined method, as an integral part of statistical modelling, on survival data on multiple myeloma to show how coplot results are used in automatic variable selection algorithm in Cox regression model-building.


This study was founded on traditional medicinal information and local traditional uses of three Iraqi medicinal plants from the Rutaceae family, namely, Citrus grandis (leaves), Citrus sinensis (leaves and peel) and Ruta chalepensis (fruits, leaves, stems and roots). A bioassay-guided approach was adopted to study the phytochemicals and antimicrobial activity of these plants. The n-hexane, DCM and MeOH extracts of all plants and plant parts, obtained from successive Soxhlet extraction, were assessed for their antimicrobial proprieties using the microtitre resazurin assay involving two Gram-positive bacterial strains, Micrococcus luteus and Staphylococcus aureus, two Gram-negative strains, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and one fungal strain, Candida albicans. The DCM extracts of C. grandis (leaves) and C. sinensis (leaves) showed notable antimicrobial activity against the microbes used in this study with different MIC values. Both DCM and MeOH extracts of C. sinensis (peel) also revealed significant activity. All R. chalepensis extracts exhibited antimicrobial activity except for the root extract, which did not show any antimicrobial activity with the maximum concentration of 10 mg/mL. Thirty three compounds including two novel ones, mainly coumarins and flavonoids, were isolated from the active extracts/fractions using a combination of thin layer chromatography (TLC), solid-phase extraction and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectrometric techniques were employed to identify and confirm the structures of the isolated compounds. Twenty of 33 isolated compounds were evaluated for their anti-MRSA activity against five methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains (SA1199B, XU212, MRSA340702, EMRSA-15MRSA274819) and the standard strain (ATCC25923). The mechanism of action of six compounds were investigated by scanning electronic microscopic (SEM) method to detect any morphological changes or damage caused by the tested compounds. This study generated the first phytochemical and antimicrobial report of R. chalepensis fruits and Iraqi C. grandis leaves. To study the mechanism of action of compounds selected from the resazurin assay, a SEM protocol was developed.


CICS/ESA Version 4.1 and CICS/Transaction Server for OS/390 operating under MVS (Goal Mode) can provide significant performance improvements over MVS (Compatibility Mode). In Goal Mode, these systems provide a wealth of performance information that can be analyzed to remove constraints to improved CICS performance. This paper describes the information available in Goal Mode and provides suggestions about how to improve CICS performance based on the information provided.


Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an important public health problem which can lead to several complications like gastrointestinal dysfunction. Patients with TBI often suffer from gastrointestinal dysfunctions such as enteral feeding intolerance. Gastric ulceration is induced by various forms of stress like surgery, ischemia and trauma. TBI causes a delayed but significant decrease in intestinal contractile activity in the ileum leading to delayed transport. The association between severity of brain injury and enteral feeding intolerance suggests a strong link between the central nervous system and the non-functional gut. The results of recent basic and clinical studies revealed the beneficial effects of estrogen and progesterone hormones in the treatment of gastrointestinal dysfunction. Females have more resistance to stress and fewer gastrointestinal lesions occur in females as compared to males. Sex steroid hormones have sparked interest as possible neuroprotective agents after traumatic injury and many studies have been done on this subject. This article reviews the literature related to some possible physiological effects of female sexual hormones on the gastrointestinal tract following TBI. J Endocrinol Metab. 2017;7(6):163-171 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jem466w


: The functional activity of thrombocytes (aggregation, endo- and exocytosis) and erythrocytes (aggregation) in healthy persons given a course of interferon or reaferon treatment has been studied. The results obtained in this study indicate that these preparations produce a modulating effect on the functions of thrombocytes and erythrocytes of donors having shown abnormal functional activity of these blood cells prior to the course of treatment.


Teachers have large effects on students' academic outcomes, but there is little understanding of which features of teachers and teaching best explain these effects. In this study, we collected 22 measures of teacher and teaching quality from three broad categories: classroom instruction (e.g., quality, content), teacher personal characteristics (e.g., knowledge, self-efficacy), and teacher background (e.g., education, experience). All three categories explained some unique variation in teacher effects, though measures of instruction explained the least, even after correcting for measurement error. Thus, although a diverse set of measures best distinguishes teachers' effectiveness, a cost-effective starting point might be to focus on the less expensive but relatively information-rich measures of teacher personal characteristics and background.


Abstract Solid-state properties of dried protein formulations are important for stability and functionality of the product. This study investigates how different drying technologies (freeze-drying with and without annealing, spray drying and spray-freeze drying) affect the structure and solid-state properties of a set of matrix formulations composed of trehalose (glass former) and mannitol (scaffolding agent) in five ratios. The dried materials were characterized using differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The morphology of the dried matrix is determined by the drying technology and the composition. In all mixtures, mannitol partially dissolved in the amorphous trehalose, resulting in reduced glass transition temperature. At least 50% mannitol is required to achieve a scaffolding effect through crystallized mannitol. At 25% mannitol poor structural stability is obtained regardless of drying technology. Despite the vast differences in drying kinetics, all drying technologies resulted in similar amorphous content in the dried material.


Abstract The Gray Vireo (Vireo vicinior; hereafter "vireo") is a little-studied songbird with small breeding and wintering ranges. Because of uncertainty about vireo populations, conservationists are concerned about the future of this species. The goal of the present study was to provide new data on the ecology of the vireo to help determine its conservation status. During May and June 2001, I studied breeding habitat selection by vireos on the Colorado Plateau in northern Arizona and southern Utah. I surveyed for vireos and collected vegetation data on 31 transects in pinyon-juniper (Pinus edulis-Juniperus spp.) woodlands throughout this region. Estimated density of vireos was 0.064 ± 0.011 (mean ± SE) birds ha−1. Analysis at two scales showed that the vireo's primary habitat preference was for areas where junipers predominate over pinyon pine. Vireos also preferred areas with some shrub cover, and they increased with the prevalence of sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) among shrubs. Additionally, vireos were more common at lower elevations, an effect that was largely independent of vegetation characters. Habitats preferred by vireos are widespread in the southwestern United States and may be increasing in extent as woodlands expand into grasslands and shrublands. On the basis of these results, I suggest that vireo populations are relatively safe, at least for the short term. Additional data on vireo demography are needed to ensure the long-term conservation of this species. Abundancia y Preferencias de Hábitat de Vireo vicinior en la Planicie de Colorado


Despite the experience with IS outsourcing for decades, numerous outsourcing arrangements fail in practice. Likely reasons for such failures can be ascribed to divergent expectations and an inappropriate governance of the outsourcing relationship. The objective of this paper is to explore different types of outsourcing relationships and their configuration depending on the underlying expectations of outsourcing clients. Based on survey responses from 268 outsourcing clients, the data was analyzed with an exploratory factor analysis revealing four main outsourcing motives. These factors were used as distinguishing variables in a subsequent cluster analysis revealing four distinct outsourcing client types: business-efficiency clients, cost-conscious clients, strategists, and IT-excellence and reliability-oriented clients. These types were characterized along their underlying outsourcing motives and attributes that form each type. The findings call for a more differentiated view on outsourcing relationships. The paper concludes with implications for outsourcing clients and vendors and an outlook on future research.


This work focuses on scalability of multi-agentsystems (MAS) and on the development of methods to allow systems to configure themselves to any application scale and nature. I address this issue by referring to the assumption that social behavior of artificial agents cannot be achieved by simply designing a social agent architecture alone; social behavior needs social control mechanisms for agent groups or societies. Here, I shall outline such a mechanism, give an application example and put this work into relation to other fields of research.


A great divide exists between equity investors in developed market countries—the North—and investors in emerging market countries—the South—in their perspectives on global diversification. The investment policies of North investors typically are overweight allocations to the home market and underweight allocations to the emerging markets relative to the average global investor who has a home-market and developed-market bias. In contrast, the investment policies of South investors typically are overweight allocations to the home market and to other emerging markets, thus having a home-market and emerging-market bias. Relative to a fully global portfolio, both North and South portfolios are at risk of underperforming the average global investor, with some investors falling behind their current relative-wealth positions. Dopfel explores is the potential downside of North and South portfolios and the investors that are more likely to outperform the average global investor over the long run.


The incidence of ischemic stroke remains high in many countries, despite a declining trend in the incidence of brain circulation disorders. Limited knowledge of the pathogenesis, diagnosis, clinical presentation, and treatment of this life-threatening disease can be complemented by modelling of ischemic stroke on animals, particularly, in rodents (rats, mice). The aim of review : to provide a rationale for choosing an optimal model of human ischemic stroke. Among more than 300 primary literature sources from various databases (Scopus, Web of science, RSCI, etc.), 84 sources were selected for evaluation, of which 72 were published in the recent years (2015–2019). The criteria for exclusion of sources were low relevance and outdated data. The review examined six experimental models of acute cerebrovascular events including middle cerebral artery occlusion, embolic stroke model; phototrombosis; models using thrombin, endothelin-1 and electrocoagulation of the middle cerebral artery. The review outlines the factors influencing reliability and reproducibility of research results, related to adherence to the rules of animal accommodation and acclimatization, nutrition and care, selection of anesthesia and pain relief methods, compliance with aseptic techniques, monitoring of basic physiological parameters at all stages of the ischemic stroke modeling experiment, with humane withdrawal of animals from the experiment. It was concluded that the model of ischemic stroke, based on the occlusion of the middle cerebral artery, is most promising as being the closest to features of human ischemic stroke and enabling to obtain reproducible results in the experiment.


Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis continues to be a public health crisis. Urgent action is required to improve the coverage and quality of diagnosis, treatment and care for people affected by drug-resistant tuberculosis. To implement tuberculosis control, in 2018, WHO recommended cycloserine as one of the Group B drugs. Following this recommendation, cycloserine should be generally included in the starting line-up in the longer regimen for the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. However, neurological toxicity associated with this drug concerns clinicians and limits its use. In this paper, we present a case of a 48-year-old woman with a diagnosis of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis treated with cycloserine, who developed psychiatric adverse events after 3 months of administration. This case shows the need for close psychiatric follow-up to promptly detect adverse events in patients receiving regimens for multi-drug resistant tuberculosis.


An effective method to estimate articulatory movements has been developed and applied for speech recognition. Movements of articulatory parameters estimated from speech waves are usefel features in speech recognition, especially for continuous speech. In this paper, a method to identify vowels in continuous speech of unspecified speakers is discussed. First, results for discrete utterances of Japanese five vowels are shown. A normalization procedure to eliminate speaker differences is useful in vowel recognition. Second, results on vowel discrimination in continuous speech are reported. It is seen that rather simple algorithms in the articulatory domain are effective to deal with coarticulation effects in various contexts.


The aim of the present study was to examine if genetic factors associated with pain perception could predict the placebo analgesic response in healthy volunteers. 296 participants (182 women) were randomized to either a placebo group receiving placebo cream with information that the cream was an effective painkiller, or to a natural history group receiving no treatment. Pain was induced by contact heat stimuli. Genotyping for the mu-opioid receptor gene OPRM1, the serotonin transporter gene 5-HTT, and the dopamine-metabolizing gene COMT was performed. Individuals with the OPRM1 A/A genotype reported significantly higher placebo responses compared to individuals with the */G variant. No clear effect of the 5-HTT or COMT was observed. The OPRM1 A/A had a predictive accuracy of 92.5% in identification of placebo responders. Our data indicate that the OPRM1 rsl799971 A/A genotype can be used as a reliable identification marker for placebo analgesia.


For variable oscillation mechanisms, if output stroke is decreased, output-link force will increase for a same input due to the mechanical advantage. Thus, in order to eliminate input actuator stall phenomena for cases where sudden increase occurs at output load, variable oscillation mechanisms can be employed. In this study, a novel design procedure for seven link two degree-of-freedom variable oscillation mechanisms is proposed. The mechanisms run as a six-link mechanism for a fixed position of a control-link. With this method, a variable oscillation mechanism is designed. It is shown that the design procedure is consistent by performing a kinematic analysis. Also, an approach to switch to second oscillation mode is introduced via underactuation. Finally, it is verified that the theoretical approach proposed is consistent for underactuated switching with Nastran simulation.


Polarization contrast is presented in fluorescence images of a Langmuir-Blodgett monolayer obtained with a scanning near-field optical microscope operated in reflection. A tapered optical fiber is used both to excite and to collect the fluorescence. The lateral resolution in the reflection fluorescence image is estimated at 200 nm. Shear-force detection controls the tip-to- surface distance and simultaneously gives a topographic map. Direct correlation between topography and the fluorescent domain is thus obtained. We show that the fluorescence is polarized along the molecular orientation in the Langmuir- Blodgett monolayer. Thus we demonstrate the study of the polarization direction in the reflection mode.


Controversial data in literature and the results of our own investigations of the effects of varying liquid supply in premature and newborn infants have caused the setting up of an infusion pattern adapted to requirements for the neonatal period. The guidelines as proposed largely take into account varying water and energy catabolism of premature and newborn infants. As a matter of principle electrolyte substitution is not related to body weight but to the particular infusion quantity administered. It is of vital importance that no infusion pattern can do without a corresponding monitoring. Observation of the most essential parameters in the sera and urines of 65 solely parenterally infused premature and newborn infants has shown that very rarely, only on special occasions, minor adjustments had to be made.


This paper presents geometric design procedures for a new type of roller drive. Here, the pinion has two circularly arrayed cylindrical teeth instead of one circularly arrayed. This proposal is based on coordinate transformation and envelope theory, from which the epicycloid profiles are obtained. The centers of the cylindrical teeth of the pinion are determined by equidistant offset a distance 3 ρ (pinion-tooth radius). The real pinion profiles are the equidistant curve of the epicycloid profiles. Two examples are presented to demonstrate that this approach is feasible.


This essay will introduce a impellent tramcar machine, used for mining enterprises' vertical shaft hoisting transportation system, which is used to put tub into the cage, or pull it from the cage. The mechanical impellent tramcar machine are widely used at present, it rely on the direct-drive motor, there are two types of traction, one is towed by the sprocket and chain anther is towed by the reel and wire, whatever we use which type, both the traction drive components are exposed, the environment dust will lead to poor lubrication, running noise, shock and vibration significantly, poor stability. To overcome the mechanical impellent tramcar machine of these shortcomings, developed the hydraulic impellent tramcar machine, the hydraulic cylinder as the executing agency, the programmable logic controller to achieve electrical control, designed hydraulic systems and PLC control program, analyzed the impellent tramcar machine Structure and working principle, point out that the use of programmable logic controller, programming is easy, flexible, programmable logic controllers cater to the industrial production sites, with great anti-interference ability, hydraulic drive compact, smooth and high reliability.


Introduction Mitral valve repair in congenital heart disease has variable long-term results depending on the morphology of the valve. In the context of patients with variations of hypoplastic left heart syndrome, the outcomes are particularly disappointing. An 11-year-old boy, who had undergone repair of double outlet right ventricle with an aortic arch reconstruction as an infant, followed by mitral commissurotomy and resection of a supra-mitral membrane at 15 months of age developed progressive mitral stenosis leading to a further failed repair, then replacement of the valve with a 21 mm St. Jude mechanical prosthesis. He represented 3 weeks later in extremis with pulmonary oedema, a high velocity mitral inflow gradient, evidence of prosthetic leaflet fixation and signs of acute dysfunction of the mechanical valve on echocardiography. Method The recently placed mechanical valve was explanted via a left atriotomy and exploration revealed an organised clot completely fixing one leaflet and severely restricting the other (despite therapeutic anticoagulation (Warfarin) since implantation). Due to this early thrombosis of the mechanical valve and limited options for a standard biological prosthesis at this age, an Edwards' Sapien 3 valve was implanted via a hybrid approach. A flexible 28 mm MEMO 3D (Sorin Group, Milan Italy) annuloplasty ring was secured above the left atrial appendage as an anchor for the prosthesis. The valve was prepared, crimped and mounted in the standard manner and deployed using the proprietary delivery system. An additional 2mls was added to the suggested volume for a 23mm valve implant to ensure tight apposition and to ensure that the annuloplasty ring (D shaped in its native state) adopted a circular conformation to maximise the valve performance. The skirt of the valve was sewn to the annuloplasty ring with interrupted sutures for additional stability. Results The patient separated from bypass with ease and trans-oesophageal echo showed a minimal inflow gradient through the valve with no regurgitation and no paravalvar leak. After an unremarkable post-operative recovery the patient was discharged home. The tricuspid regurgitation jet diminished and at follow-up (>6months) there has been no evidence of elevated pulmonary artery or left atrial pressures. Warfarin was continued for an arbitrary period of 6 months and aspirin indefinitely. Conclusion The options for mitral valve replacement in neonates and infants are poor and also challenging in children with an underdeveloped annulus. Mechanical mitral valve prostheses are only available at 23mm and above. It is therefore common to use smaller aortic prosthesis upside-down in the mitral position. The width of the sewing ring of all prosthetic valves further limits the effective orifice. The result is that that the flow dynamics for these valves in the low velocity mitral position is poor, resulting in valve dysfunction such as described in our case. The Edwards Sapien valve chosen in this case effectively has no sewing ring and relatively short stent length, decreasing the risk of the valve support system causing significant left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. Mounting the valve using a supra-annular annuloplasty device, provides an anchor point and further decreases the risk of the valve protruding into the left ventricular outflow tract. Combining these technologies allows maximisation of the effective orifice. This technique has been used in a limited number of adult patients and to our knowledge is its first application in paediatric or congenital heart disease, representing a further step in the progress of hybrid techniques to improve treatment options in such difficult cases.


Rural youth outmigration is a phenomenon that can change the agricultural landscape of farming communities. The Philippines has witnessed an unprecedented youth exodus from rural to urban areas in past decades. This paper explored this issue in rice farming communities in two Philippine provinces, Aurora and Albay. Sixty-eight farmers' children aged 13–21 years old participated in this research. This paper analyzed the level of youth involvement in farm work and their perceptions on farming, which can ultimately inform their decision to migrate or continue farming. Parental discourses influencing youth decisions to migrate were then investigated. This research used mobility maps, time transects, photovoice outputs, in-depth and key informant interviews, and group discussions. While intentions to migrate were high, young individuals had a strong desire to remain connected to their family's farms. Hence, policymakers would do well to assist those who leave the rural areas and return after some time. Equal attention should be given to those who may not return to rural areas but are willing to invest in farming to employ their poor relatives. Migrants can often raise the resources needed to finance the input-intensive rice farming operations.


Male Long-Evans rats received an 8-trial training session in a spatial water maze task, followed by a unilateral posttraining intrahippocampal injection of either estradiol (1.0 microgram/0.5 microliter) or saline. Retention was tested 24 hr later, and latency to escape was used as a measure of memory. Retention test escape latencies of rats given intrahippocampal injections of estradiol were lower than those of saline-treated rats, indicating an enhancement of memory. Intrahippocampal injections of estradiol delayed 2 hr posttraining did not affect retention. In Experiment 2, the memory enhancing effect of intrahippocampal injection of estradiol was blocked by peripheral administration of a subeffective dose (0.1 mg/kg) of the cholinergic antagonist scopolamine. Intrahippocampal injections of estradiol enhance memory in male rats, and estradiol may influence memory through an interaction with muscarinic cholinergic systems.


A Reconfigurable Manufacturing System (RMS) is a new paradigm that focuses on manufacturing a high variety of products at the same system. Having specified a design strategy for an RMS as the first design step at the tactical level, products must be grouped to identify and allocate corresponding manufacturing facilities. An interface between market and manufacturing called reconfiguration link is presented to specify and arrange products for manufacturing. The reconfiguration link incorporates the tasks of determining the products in the production range, grouping them into families and selecting the appropriate family at each configuration stage. The proposed approach of (re)configuring products before manufacturing facilitates assigning product families to the required manufacturing facilities in terms of (re)configuring manufacturing systems. This paper contributes an overall approach of grouping products into families based on operational similarities, when machines are still not identified. Since the problem of product family selection consists of quantitative and qualitative objectives, the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) is then used while considering both market and manufacturing requirements. The AHP model is verified in an industrial case study through using Expert Choice software. The solutions take advantage of monitoring sensitivity analysis while changing the priorities of manufacturing and/or market criteria. The concept of the proposed model is generic in structure and applicable to many firms. However, the model must be adapted according to the specific nature of the company under study. For instance, product family choices may differ from one company to another because of the available technology and the volume and type of existing products in the production range.


This paper first presents the definition of computer assisted translation (CAT), usability index, user experience. Combining quantitative analysis method and questionnaire investigation method, this paper evaluates the application of CAT based on usability index and user experience. Research hypothesis, research design, model architecture and hypothesis validation model are used to verify the impact of usability index on users' choice of CAT software. Finally, the paper investigates the application of CAT software in English translation teaching for college students in China, and collects and analyzes the attitudes of teachers and students to CAT. The paper studies the contradiction between user demand and CAT software supply from the perspective of the usability of CAT so that to help the user to choose appropriate CAT software. The research on the application of CAT in English teaching has a scientific effect on the promotion of CAT in English translation.


Autoflocculation is a feature of some strains of Pseudomonas putida, a bacterium which is of interest commercially because it synthesises dehalogenases. Using shake flask cultures, it was shown that flocculation resulted from growth in magnesium-depleted conditions and the suggestion is made that flocculating strains of P. putida could have higher magnesium requirements than non-flocculating strains. Electron microscope evidence points towards some form of bridging mechanism for flocculation, possibly involving secreted polymers, rather than neutralisation of surface charge. Changes in cell shape were also observed in both flocculating and non-flocculating cultures grown in magnesium-depleted conditions. Measurements of floe strength and re-formation of floes after break-up tend to support the idea that flocculation could be of use in commercial downstream separation of cells.


This paper presents a method to perform Euclidean calibration on camera and projector-based structured light systems, without assuming specific scene structure. The vast majority of the methods in the literature rely on prior knowledge of the 3D scene geometry in order to perform calibration, i.e., the nature of the occluding bodies in the scene needs to be known beforehand in order to calibrate structured light systems. Examples of prior knowledge used include using known stationary occluding bodies, precisely maneuvering known occluding bodies, knowing the exact world location of projected points or lines, or ensuring the entire scene obeys some other specific setup. By using multiple cameras, the method presented in this paper is able to calibrate camera and projector systems without requiring any of these constraints on occluding bodies in the scene. The method presented optimizes the calibration of the scene in terms of image-based reprojection error. Simulations are shown which characterize the effect noise has on the system, and experimental verification is performed on complex and cluttered scenes. The main contribution of this paper is the elimination of the requirement of using known occluding bodies in the scene for camera and projector-based structured light system calibration, which has not been extensively studied.


There have been many indices available in the process industries to describe, rank or quantify hazards to people, properties and environments. Most of the developed methods were meant to be applied to large scale and complex systems of process industries. Development of a swift and simple inherent safety index method which is relevant to small scale, less complex membrane fuel cell system particularly the one in which to be applied during an early design stage is essential as an alternative to current comprehensive and yet time-consuming indices. In this work, a modified version of PIIS, modified prototype index for inherent safety (m-PIIS) was developed with the objectives of identifying, indicating and estimating inherent safety of fuel cell system at an early design stage. The developed index was tested at four proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell systems namely high pressure PEMFC system, low pressure PEMFC system, LH2 PEMFC system and on-board Me-OH PEMFC system. The developed index was also benchmarked against the original PIIS and ISI using the published results for the selection of process routes in MMA production. Results have indicated that m-PIIS has strong positive relationship with PIIS and ISI on most of the reaction step in MMA with the most significant are the C4, TBA, and C3 reaction steps. Other reaction steps such as C2/MP, C2/PA and ACH showed a strong positive relationship as well.


Interleukin (IL)-1 beta has been shown to stimulate ovarian prostaglandin biosynthesis. We hypothesized that this effect entails the induction of phospholipase A2 (PLA2). Treatment of cultured whole ovarian dispersates of immature rat origin with IL-1 beta produced significant increases in [3H]arachidonic acid (AA) release and [3H]prostanoid accumulation as well as increases in cellular PLA2 activity and in secretory PLA2 and cytosolic PLA2 transcripts. Cotreatment with IL-1 receptor antagonist reversed IL-mediated (and basal) release of [3H]labeled AA and prostaglandin products, as well as cellular PLA2 activity. Treatment with IL-1 beta also promoted a significant decrease in the cellular content of [3H]phospholipids (apparently phosphatidylethanolamine but not phosphatidylcholine). These observations establish the ovary as a site of IL-1-dependent sPLA2 and cPLA2 gene expression, document the presence of a possible phosphatidylethanolamine-dependent PLA2 activity in cultured whole ovarian dispersates, reveal the up-regulatory, receptor-mediated action of IL-1 beta in this regard and suggest the existence of endogenous PLA2-stimulating/ IL-1-like bioactivity.


Dofetilide is a class-Ill drug that inhibits the rapid component of the delayed potassium current (IKr). Experimental studies have shown that the different layers of ventricular muscle present differences in action potential duration (APD) and different responses to class III agents. It has been suggested that it contributes to APD heterogeneity in the ventricles. However, in vivo studies suggest that the strong cellular coupling reduces APD dispersion in intact heart. The aim of this paper is to study the effect of dofetilide on the action potentials (APs) in isolated ventricular cells and on APD dispersion in a strand of ventricular tissue. A mathematical model of dofetilide effects on IKr has been developed and incorporated into the Luo-Rudy dynamic model of ventricular AP. Our results show that dofetilide induces in midmyocardium cells a faster time-course inhibition of IKr than in endocardial or epicardial cells, and periods of instability with beat-to-beat APs variability. This behavior could favor temporal dispersion of repolarization between the different cells. The results also indicate that although dofetilide increases, the transmural gradient of APD in the ventricular wall, early after depolarizations (EADs) did not appear even under strong uncoupling conditions. However, reduced repolarization reserve favors the induction of EADs, even under normal coupling conditions.


Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is constantly progressing as an important imaging modality for the evaluation of the cardiovascular system and vascular malformations. Due to its superior contrast resolution and sensitivity, MRI is able to differentiate between fat, muscle, bone, and vascular structures. It provides three-dimensional information without the use of ionizing radiation or invasive procedures. We evaluated 11 vascular malformations by MRI using Spin Echo T1 and T2 weighted images. MRI provided more information than computerized tomography, and, in many instances, obviated the need for angiography.


Niromi de Soyza's Tamil Tigress: My Story as a Child Soldier in Sri Lanka's Bloody Civil War (2011) is a memoir about a year in the author's and her friend Ajanthi's lives when they joined the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) and fought as female militants in the second phase of the Sri Lankan civil war. Soyza's autobiographical account depicts the 1980s when the Tamil Tigers were fighting the Sri Lankan government and the Indian Peace Keeping Forces (IPKF) in the northern and eastern parts of the country. As teenagers, Niromi and Ajanthi were highly inspired by the revolutionary idealism of the Liberation Tigers and, with great zeal, decided to dedicate their lives to the cause of their community's rights in Sri Lanka. The article reads Soyza's memoir as a powerful depiction of how the Sri Lankan civil war and its gruesome violence affected women and their subjectivities. The article focuses on the psychosocial turbulence of young women like Niromi and Ajanthi, who took up arms with an unflinching hope to combat the Sinhalese atrocities and the Sri Lankan government's systemic apathy towards the Tamils. Unlike men, these female warriors were not valorized; instead, they faced family derision and social derogation at many levels. This article examines how those women who had dreamt of asserting their potency and agency vis-à-vis militancy have finally been left beleaguered and disillusioned. Uncovering the insidious differential treatment in a supposedly gender-equal organization such as the LTTE, de Soyza's memoir provides an intimate glimpse of the gendered discrimination that stereotypes women only as subordinate to their male counterparts, even when they act as equals. The article thus demonstrates that Niromi de Soyza's recollection offers an insightful understanding of the ambiguous predicament of female militants and, through her final disclosure, enunciates that war and militancy can hardly provide avenues for women's empowerment and affirmation.


Background - International consensus recognises four medulloblastoma molecular subgroups - WNT (MBWNT), SHH (MBSHH), Group 3 (MBGrp3) and Group 4 (MBGrp4) - each defined by their characteristic genome-wide transcriptomic and DNA methylomic profiles. Subgroups harbor distinct clinico-pathological and molecular features, underpin current disease sub-classification and initial subgroup-directed therapies are underway in clinical trials (i.e. reduced risk-adapted treatments for favorable-risk MBWNT patients; SMO inhibitors for MBSHH patients). However, significant biological heterogeneity and differences in survival are apparent within each subgroup, which remain to be resolved.

Methods - We undertook comprehensive molecular profiling and unsupervised class discovery (non-negative matrix factorization, t-SNE) of test and validation cohorts (n=704 in total), to identify consensus primary molecular subgroups within childhood medulloblastoma ( 3.0 years).

Findings - Seven robust and reproducible primary molecular subgroups of childhood medulloblastoma were identified, characterized by distinct biological/clinical features. For instance, MBSHH comprised two age-dependent subgroups, while MBGrp3 and MBGrp4 each split into two subgroups with significantly different survival rates. Survival analysis identified secondary features predictive of outcome. Cross-validated subgroup-dependent models incorporating these novel subgroups along with secondary features and established disease risk-factors, outperformed current disease risk-stratification schemes. These schema stratified patients into four clinical risk-groups - favorable-risk (91% 5-year survival, 25% of patients), standard-risk (81%, 23%), high-risk (42%, 38%) and very high-risk (28%, 13%) - to be considered for treatment reduction, intensification or novel therapies respectively.

Interpretation - The discovery of seven novel, clinically-significant, subgroups significantly improves disease risk-stratification and provides a new foundation for future research and clinical investigations.


As part of the National Early Intervention Longitudinal Study, information about the early intervention service systems in the 20 participating states was gathered. This article organizes this information into dimensions of a framework for describing early intervention systems at the state and local levels. Information collected indicates that considerable variation exists on all dimensions of the framework. Descriptive information is presented about how local jurisdictions are defined, eligibility criteria, what agencies are involved in early intervention, and models of intake and of service coordination, including vignettes for selected states. Research on the significance of this variation for how families experience early intervention is needed if better systems are to be implemented. Frameworks for describing early intervention systems are a necessary first step to this line of research. Future analyses from this study will look at the relationship between early intervention systems, services provided, and outcomes achieved.


Nowadays many companies and organizations choose to deploy their applications in data centers to leverage resource sharing. The increase in tasks of multiple applications, however, makes it challenging for a data center provider to maximize its revenue by intelligently scheduling tasks in software-defined networking (SDN)-enabled data centers. Existing SDN controllers only reduce network latency while ignoring virtual machine (VM) latency, thus may lead to revenue loss. In the context of SDN-enabled data centers, this paper presents a workload-aware revenue maximization (WARM) approach to maximize the revenue from a data center provider's perspective. The core idea is to jointly consider the optimal combination of VMs and routing paths for tasks of each application. Comparing with state-of-the-art methods, the experimental results show that WARM yields the best schedules that not only increase the revenue but also reduce the round-trip time of tasks of all applications.


This letter introduces a computationally efficient inversion algorithm based on the contrast source inversion method for two-layered media applications. The proposed algorithm employs Cauchy data to derive an integral representation of the electromagnetic field inside the homogeneous neighborhood of the target. This representation yields a Lippmann-Schwinger-type integral equation that does not involve the background Green's function. Therefore, it provides a significant improvement in computational efficiency. Numerical experiments are provided to demonstrate the performance of the method.


BACKGROUND
Multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction respiratory viral panel (RVP) testing offers enhanced test performance characteristics compared with older testing methods. However, the impact of RVP testing on physician antimicrobial prescription practices remains unclear. Our objective was to assess the potential relationship of RVP testing to physician treatment practices for children hospitalized with acute respiratory illness (ARI).

METHODS
We performed a retrospective chart review of children hospitalized for ARI during peak prevalence of respiratory viral infections in 2009-2011. Demographics, diagnostic testing, antimicrobial use, and clinical outcomes were abstracted from the electronic medical record. Antimicrobial use was compared with RVP testing data.

RESULTS
A total of 1727 patients met inclusion criteria. Of these patients, 254 (14.7%) children who were hospitalized for ARI received oseltamivir and 856 (49.6%) children received antibiotics. More children who received oseltamivir were positive for influenza by RVP (76.9% vs 18.0%; P < .0001). Children who underwent RVP testing received antibiotics more often than those who were not tested (53.7% vs 46.0%; P = .001), but children with a positive RVP test result received antibiotics less often (51.6% vs 67.0%; P = .003). A total of 5.8% of children who were positive for a viral pathogen by RVP had antibiotics discontinued. Antibiotics were started in fewer children when RVP results were positive (10.9% vs 100.0%; P < .0001).

CONCLUSIONS
Respiratory viral panel testing was associated with more appropriate oseltamivir use in children hospitalized with ARI. Physicians started antibiotics more often in children with a negative RVP test result and occasionally discontinued antibiotics in children diagnosed with a viral pathogen. These results suggest that RVP testing may enhance physician decision-making when prescribing antimicrobials in children hospitalized with ARI.


Using strain gauges we investigated proximal-distal and lateral-medial strain of the dorsum patellae before and after cutting of the lateral retinaculum and the plica mediopatellaris under flexion. Lateral-medial strain was abolished by the lateral release for the larger part and by cutting of the plica for a smaller part. Proximal-distal strain was not changed in any case. Therefore we conclude that the operation will only lead to a medial positioning, but not to a loosening of the extension apparat of the knee.


This paper presents an efficient text mining method focusing on extraction and updating of unknown words (unknown foreign words) to improve data classification and POS tags. Proposed methods can also help to improve the accuracy of mining frequent pattern and association rules from unstructured (textual) data. Many researches have been done by numerous scholars on estimation and segmentation for unknown words, but, they are limited to grammatical and linguistic rules with limited vocabulary. In our project we have consider the fact, that no language is free from the influence of foreign languages, especially, country like Korea where there is a rapid improvement in the area of culture and media and the frequent usage of these foreign languages, resulted in mixing up different languages, their style along with slangs and also abbreviated words in daily life and conversation. The main characteristic of our system is to find such unknown foreign words and update them to appropriate words, which depends on available information through dictionaries. We have also explained the essential natural language processing (NLP) tools used for data processing. Our proposed method used simple but efficient techniques, first it converts the data into structured form, using data preprocessing techniques. In this phase data passes through different stages, such as, cleaning, integration and selection of important data, and then it gets organized into databases structure for further analysis and processing. This database consists of different kinds of dictionaries, our system heavily based on dictionaries. We have manually created various kinds of dictionaries for different kinds of unknown foreign words processing and analysis with the help of our team members. Our proposed methods for discovering and updating foreign unknown word, first discovers the foreign word using morphological analysis with the help of automatically and manually created dictionaries, then suffix trimming and word segmentation, next our algorithm checks for its different written pattern using dictionaries according to its spelling and synonym word in native language (Korean) and also, updates the POS tags. We have tested on different collection of data from economics news, beauty & fashion and college student blogs, the results have shown great efficiency and improvement, and they were adequate enough to research further. * Corresponding author. Tel.: +82-10-3790-3355. E-mail address: email@example.com 193 Irfan Ajmal Khan and Jin-Tak Choi / Procedia Engineering 154 ( 2016 ) 192 – 198 © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of HIC 2016.


By investigating the Southern Weekly Incident, in which censorship of the prominent Chinese newspaper Southern Weekly triggered mass online contention in Chinese society, Resistance in Digital China examines how Chinese people engage in resistance on digital networks whilst cautiously safeguarding their life under authoritarian rule. Chen's in-depth analysis of the Southern Weekly Incident ties together overlapping debates in internet studies, Chinese studies, social movement studies, political communication, and cultural studies to discuss issues of civic connectivity, emotions, embodiment, and the construction of a public sphere in digital China. Resistance in Digital China demonstrates a valuable methodology for conducting in-depth empirical examination of an act of resistance in order to explore political, cultural, and sociological meanings of Chinese people's resistance within party limits. Fruitfully combining 45 interviews with key players in the Southern Weekly Incident with largely Western-based communications theory, Chen develops an understanding of the ongoing formation of the Chinese public sphere as elite-led and emotional, at once invoked and rejected by Chinese citizens.


In general, Stability number can be expressed as a function comprising of pore water pressures coefficient $(r_u)$, horizontal earthquake coefficient $(k_h)$, slope angle $(\beta)$ and friction angle $(\phi)$ in associated flow rule. Then it is important to know how different parameters influence the stability number. These influences may be obtained through the sensitivity analysis of the parameters. Due its facility in solving non linear problems, Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) has been proposed, as a powerful tool, to represent the stability number. Neural Networks are typically thought of as black boxes trained to a specific task on a large number of data samples. In many applications it becomes necessary to ook inside of these black boxes before they can be used in practice. Sensitivity analysis is one of best ways to look inside the neural model and ascertain that which parameters are having more effect on the output. Sensitivity analysis is a method for extracting the cause and effect relationship between the inputs and outputs of the network. The basic idea is that each input channel to the network is offset slightly and the corresponding change in the output(s) is reported. So, through differentiation of a previously trained net, the sensitivity factors of the main parameters of solar collectors is calculated and discussed. The sensitivity factors show how much the input variables influence the output variables. In this paper, the sensitivity analysis for stability number's main parameters is discussed. The result indicates that the ru is having more influence on stability number than any other parameter followed by \beta $k_h$ and \phi. The stability numbers have been found to decrease continuously with (i) increase in $r_u$, (ii) increase in kh and (iii) increase in slope angle $(\beta)$ (iv) decrease in \phi.