Incorporated in Malaysia in 1974 and headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, CIMB Group's operations encompass a well-established consumer bank, a premier regional investment bank and an Islamic bank, served by a staff of over 25,000 employees. CIMB Bank, the consumer banking arm of the Group, is the country's second largest commercial bank, with over 5.3 million customers nationwide. The bank offers a full spectrum of banking services covering credit cards, mortgages, auto loans, business banking services for SMEs and mid-sized corporate customers, insurance, investment services and wealth management services for our customers. It also provides offshore
financial services out of its Labuan office. CIMB Investment Bank, the Group's corporate and investment banking outfit, provides a complete suite of services in corporate finance, equity market and derivatives, cross market trading and treasury, debt capital market and syndicate, structured products and derivatives, research, corporate and international banking, asset management, private equities, structured assets, real estate, structured investments and private banking, and custody and trust to individuals, corporate clients, governments and financial institutions. Known for its unrivalled leadership in all areas of product-market knowledge and transaction execution excellence, CIMB Investment Bank's award winning franchise is consistently at the forefront of Malaysia and Southeast Asia's corporate advisory, equity and debt capital markets.


The third edition of this very successful book provides a comprehensive and practical guide to the diagnosis and management of inherited disorders conferring susceptibility to cancer. Issues discussed include risk assessment, genetic counselling, predictive testing and organisation of a cancer genetics service. A full reference list gives access to background literature. With completely up-to-date molecular information, screening guidelines and management advice, this new edition will provide geneticists and clinicians in all disciplines with an invaluable resource for screening, managing and advising patients.


A combination of field observations and measurements were used to study the energy-balance of a patchy arctic tundra snow-cover during the winter of 2003/2004 at a mountain tundra site in Northern Sweden. To quantify the effect of patchy snow-cover on surface energetic, the Met. Office Surface Exchange Scheme (MOSES 2) was employed to simulate surface snow dynamics. Surface snow patchiness was controlled by the interaction of blowing snow with surface topography and vegetation, with deep drifts forming in topographic hollows and tall shrub beds. Some exposed ridge tops remained exposed for the majority of the winter. The surface patchiness was found to significantly alter the surface energetics, and the interaction between snow and snow-free surfaces was critical to accurately numerically simulating snow-cover ablation. The assumption of uniform snow- covers in large-scale atmospheric models may lead to significant errors in model simulations. It was found that for large-scale models, heterogeneous snow-covers can be adequately represented by the use of separate energy-balances for snow and snow-free surfaces respectively with a single underlying soil layer. The proportions of each surface can be represented using a snow covered fraction which is a parameterisation of the distribution of snow depths. Simulated surface fluxes, particularly surface runoff and heat and water vapour, were found to be highly sensitive to the exact form of this parameterisation. No field evidence was found for the advection of turbulent energy between snow and snow-free surfaces


In this paper a network security management tool, which is integrated in a power system simulator, has been introduced. The network security management (NSM) is used by network operators to avoid insecure network states due to high penetration of DGs. Especially in situations of low load and strong wind the operation parameters e.g. current or voltage can exceed the allowable values. The NSM tool introduced in this paper is performing new NSM algorithms within the power flow calculations. On the one hand, it can be used as an online application to support the network operator in his decisions using measurements and short time forecasts. On the other hand, by using the tool for long time simulations it can be used to optimize the NSM algorithms, to optimally plan network reinforcement and to predict the intensity of the NSM system on the profitability of the DG operators.


We develop and evaluate algorithms for generating random variates for simulation input. One group called automatic, or black-box algorithms can be used to sample from distributions with known density. They are based on the rejection principle. The hat function is generated automatically in a setup step using the idea of transformed density rejection. There, the density is transformed into a concave function and the minimum of several tangents is used to construct the hat function. The resulting algorithms are not too complicated and are quite fast. The principle is also applicable to random vectors. A second group of algorithms is presented that generate random variates directly from a given sample by implicitly estimating the unknown distribution. The best of these algorithms are based on the idea of naive resampling plus added noise. These algorithms can be interpreted as sampling from the kernel density estimates. This method can be also applied to random vectors. There, it can be interpreted as a mixture of naive resampling and sampling from the multi-normal distribution that has the same covariance matrix as the data. The algorithms described in the paper have been implemented in ANSI C in a library called UNURAN which is available via anonymous ftp.


Background Voriconazole pharmacokinetics (PK) have been studied in paediatric studies and described by popu-lation pharmacokinetic modelling.1 Using the currently approved intravenous (IV) dosing regimen,2,3 paediatric patients provided 30 trough samples resulting in a ob-served median (range) of 1.2 (0.11–17.4) mg/L.1 This illustrates the highly variable pharmacokinetic (PK) pro-file of voriconazole in children. The aim of this case series is to evaluate the effectiveness of dosing guidelines in combination with routine therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) to achieve therapeutic serum concentrations of voriconazole in young cancer patients (age 0–6 years old). Methods At the VUmc, paediatric patients are treated using TDM. Voriconazole plasma concentrations are monitored and dosing regimens are individualised, aiming at trough levels of 1–6 mg/L depending on the location of the Asper-gillus. A case series of 4 children (age 0–6 years) is presented. Results Highly variable voriconazole exposure (n=4) were observed. Case 1 Boy, 13 months, acute myeloid leukaemia: Loading dose 9 mg/kg tid (IV), maintenance 8 mg/kg tid (IV) [2] resulted in supratherapeutic levels, hepatic toxicity and circulatory insufficiency. Root cause: CYP2C inhibition by previous prophylactic Itraconazole treatment. Itraconazole has a half-life time up to two days. Therapeutic voriconazole levels achieved at 6 mg/kg tid (IV); Case 2 Boy, 5 years, acute lymphatic leukaemia: Doses varying between 7 mg/kg tid IV and 11 mg/kg tid IV during 4 months of IV therapy. Highly variable trough concentrations varying from 0.10–13.3 mg/L; 65% within the target range of 2–6 mg/L for cerebral Aspergillus: Case 3 Girl, 7 months, mixed phenotype acute leukaemia: Load-ing dose 6 mg/kgbid (IV), maintenance 9 mg/kgbid (PO) resulted in subtherapeutic trough levels (0.1–0.2 mg/L), possibly due to high first pass metabolism. Case 4 Girl, 5 years, acute lymphatic leukaemia: Loading dose 10 mg/kgbid (PO), high maintenance dose of 23 mg/kgbid (PO) re-sulted in therapeutic levels. Higher doses of 30 mg/kgbid resulted in a more than dose-proportional increase of ex-posure (trough level 22 mg/L), suggesting non-linear PK. Conclusion Voriconazole PK is highly variable in pedi-atric cancer patients, which can only partly be attributed to drug interactions and co-morbidities. A starting dose of 18 mg/kg (IV) is recommended and could be adminis-tered as 6 mg/kg tid (IV).2 Intensive TDM (at least twice weekly) and daily in-depth status reviews are recom-mended to achieve therapeutic drug levels.


A tornado occurred in Angus, Ontario, during the late afternoon hours of June 17, 2014. The authors conducted a damage investigation on the morning following the storm. The damage indicators support the classification of the tornado as an EF-2, including the observation of several complete roof failures of recently-constructed, wood-frame houses. Most of the damage to residential homes was contained along two streets, with the tornado appearing to have gone down the backyards between the two. In total, 101 houses were observed to have sustained some level of damage. The evidence suggests that the quality of construction likely affected the performance of failed roofs. A detailed fragility analysis was conducted to assess wind speeds associated with these failures of the roof-to-wall connections. An overturned and lofted box truck provided the opportunity to correlate this failure with adjacent, repetitive failures of roof sheathing, shingles and garage doors.


Thirty-six dogs were diagnosed with pancreatic abscess by the presence of purulent exudate within the parenchyma of the pancreas during exploratory laparotomy. Data regarding history, physical examination findings, clinicopathological data, diagnostic imaging findings, bacteriological culture results, abdominal drainage technique, and perioperative treatment were evaluated for factors predictive of survival. Elevated blood urea nitrogen, serum alkaline phosphatase activity, and rising bicarbonate ion concentration were each found to have statistically significant (P<0.05) influences on survival to discharge. Twenty-two (71%) of 36 dogs died or were euthanized prior to discharge from the hospital.


The objective of this study was to determine a selection method at early stage for drought tolerant hybrid rice. The experimental design was split plot with 3 replications. In the first experiment the main plot was concentration of PEG 6000 consisting of control and concentration 25% of PEG 6000. The subplots were hybrid genotypes/varieties, i.e. BI485A/BP3, BI485A/BP5, BI485A/BP10, BI485A/BP12, BI485A/BP15, BI599A/BP5, BI599A/BP15, BI665A/BP6, Maro, Hipa 8, IR64 and Limboto. In the second experiment the main plot was drought stress level which consisted of control and drought stress at 60% field capacity. The subplots were hybrid genotypes/varieties used in the first experiment. The results showed that PEG 6000 could be used to detect drought tolerant genotypes at early stage. Seedling dry weight was the major character for selecting drought tolerant genotypes. Genotypes BI485A/BP15 and BI559A/BP15 are tolerant to drought and can potentially be grown in rainfed lowland. Keywords: drought tolerant, early selection, hybrid rice, polyethylene glycol


Varying noise factors in an experiment allows us to find robust conditions against such variation. The levels of the noise factors need to be selected carefully. Levels that are too wide may be infeasible or too costly, and if too narrow they may not provide a good model for prediction and control purposes. We propose a noise-factor separation (NFS) criterion for designs used in robust parameter design, in which a design is preferred to another if it provides the same expected mean square error for the noise part of the fitted model but for a smaller range of the noise factors in uncoded units. We evaluate several experimental designs that can be used to fit a response model that is quadratic in the controllable factors and also contains noise main effects and noise × control interactions. It is shown how the new criterion is related to variance dispersion graphs for the slope and may be used in conjunction with these graphs to assess a given experimental design. The new criterion is incorporated into an optimization formulation used to find new three-level designs that also includes traditional design criteria, such a D-efficiency. A Genetic algorithm was developed to solve such formulation. It is shown how the new designs are competitive in terms of design size, noise-factor separation, and variance dispersion for the mean and slope with respect to composite mixed resolution designs.


Architect and social critic Michael Sorkin develops his own vision of the future lower Manhattan through a series of chronologically organized essays illustrated with full-color images of his own plans. Mixing his inimitable brand of social criticism with more personal reflections, Starting From Zero offers a striving challenge to the Ground Zero redevelopment plan recently chosen by New York's establishment insiders.


The overall responsibility for waste management in Phnom Penh Capital (PPC) has rested with the municipal authorities and contracted waste collection companies. Providing waste collection services is a major challenge for Phnom Penh due to the increasing waste volume and the deficiency of the system under public–private partnership. In response to continuing population growth and urbanization, sustainable management is necessary. This study reviewed the details of the processes and examined the performance of the private sector and local government authorities (LGAs). The study used sustainability assessment, according to a success and efficiency factor method. This assessment method was developed to support solid waste management in developing countries. Multiple sustainability domains were evaluated: institutional, legislative, technical, environmental and health aspects as well as social, economic, financial and critical aspects. The results indicate that the long-term contract design attempts for partnership may actually result in a worsening of the situation by facilitating new ways of concentration, inefficiency and political interest. The limited institutional capacity of the public sectors is a consequence of the inefficient decentralization of municipal solid waste management (MSWM) policies. Public–private partnerships can be neither effective nor sustainable if LGAs and CINTRI co. Ltd. waste collection company do not build proper incentives into their management of the two sectors. Revisiting the legal framework, establishing a facilitating agency that will assist in the design and the nurturing of partnerships, competitive tendering, and transparency and financial accountability are essential elements for PPP on the provision of waste services in PPC.


C. S. Jones & P. T. Leat write: In a recent paper Winchester et al. 1987 presented geochemical data for Caledonized metavolcanic rocks from the Western Ox Mountains and NW Mayo Inlier, Ireland. They found geochemical differences between two metabasalt units that occur within a thick metasedimentary sequence of semi-pelite and psammite, and are separated by a syn-metamorphic dislocation, (the Glennawoo Slide; Taylor 1969). Winchester et al. demonstrated that the metabasalts south of the slide have trace element compositions similar to mid ocean ridge basalt (MORB), whereas metabasalts north of the slide, have compositions similar to continental tholeiites and tholeiites of the ocean island basalt (OIB) association. They concluded from these data that the two groups of basalts were erupted in different crustal settings and proposed that the Glennawoo Slide is a major terrane boundary which subsequently brought the two units together. If accepted, this conclusion would have major implications for the tectonic history of the Irish Caledonides. The psammitic nature of the metasedimentary rocks closely associated with both groups of metabasalts indicates that neither was erupted in a truly oceanic setting. We argue here that both groups of metabasalts could have been erupted in the same continental margin environment, and we summarize structural, stratigraphic and metamorphic evidence which precludes the identification of the Glennawoo Slide as a terrane boundary as defined by Jones et al. 1983. Geochemical evidence. A recent trend in basalt geochemistry has been the increasing awareness that degree of partial melting of mantle has a major


The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relations between education and happiness from the perspectives of the West and the East, especially Buddhism and Christianity as well as classical Greek and Chinese great thinkers. In order to examine this study systematically, three research questions are addressed as follows: First, what are educational principles of Confucius and Mencius vs. Aristotle and Plato? Second, what are happiness principles of Buddhism and Christianity? And third, what are the relations between education and happiness in the philosophical and religious aspects? To defend the research questions, the researcher uses a descriptive analysis method, with a cross cultural approach. The author provides only basic theories to understand two significant factors of happiness or well-being studies from the lenses of the West and the East for the educators and theorists of both worlds. The author suggests that such a study should be deeply and diversely researched by various research methodologies in the future. In addition, wisdoms and theories of the two worlds should be grafted on another, and new paradigms of happiness or well-being studies should be drawn through the future studies.


Author(s): Hendrickson, Kristi | Advisor(s): Friend, Margaret | Abstract: At its core, word learning and recognition concerns a relation between a low-level acoustic signal and a high-level semantic representation. Fundamental to the study of the early lexical-semantic system is the manner and degree to which the acoustic signal activates the semantic representation, and how meanings associated with words relate to one another. An implicit notion in the developmental literature is that upon hearing a word, young children activate the corresponding semantic representation in a dichotomous fashion – i.e., the semantic representation is either activated resulting in word recognition or not activated resulting in lack of recognition. Further, it is not entirely known the degree to which very young children appreciate that word referents are meaningfully related. To date, models of early auditory-semantic processing are primarily based on studies of meaningful relations between words and referents. However, lexical information (i.e., words) is not the only type of auditory input that is meaningful – environmental sounds (e.g., dog barking or pen scribbling) are nonverbal yet complex sounds that carry deep semantic associations with a corresponding referent. Therefore, a thorough investigation into the fundamental relation between acoustic signals and meaning requires an understanding of how meaning is associated with both lexical and non-lexical sounds. A series of four studies with toddlers and adults are presented to investigate three related issues in the study of early auditory-semantic development: 1.) Is lexical knowledge dichotomous or continuous? 2.) How is lexical information semantically processed and organized? 3.) To what degree is such processing specific to language? In the first set of studies, Chapters 2 and 3 present behavioral evidence that early word recognition is not binary, but instead graded, and partial knowledge plays a role in future learning. In the second set of studies, Chapters 4 and 5 replicate and extend findings that suggest the lexical-semantic system is organized as an interconnected semantic network both early in life and into adulthood. Further, these chapters present evidence that the electrophysiological markers of semantic processing are present during environmental sound processing in toddlers and adults, however words and environmental sounds appear to be organized somewhat differently, with a more consistent fine-grained structure for words compared to environmental sounds. Together, these studies provide behavioral and electrophysiological evidence to further our understanding of the nature of the early auditory-semantic system.


The purpose of this study was to determine whether the combination of dobutamine and atropine causes cardiac stress equivalent to treadmill exercise. Therefore, electrocardiography and echocardiography were performed on 10 warmblood horses before, during, and after different cardiac stress tests. Stressors consisted of a standardized treadmill exercise and combined administration of dobutamine (7.5 microg/kg/min) and atropine (5 microg/kg). Maxima heart rates were achieved during the treadmill exercise (175 +/- 10 bpm). After exercise, a rapid decrease in heart rate was observed. Subsequently, a stress echocardiography for which a heart rate >100 bpm was required could only be performed within 1 minute after exercise. The mean heart rate during echocardiography was 136 +/- 8 bpm after exercise. The combination of dobutamine and atropine also resulted in a significant increase in heart rate, up to 141 +/- 20 bpm. Maxima heart rate was significantly higher during the treadmill exercise, but the decrease in heart rate was significantly slower after dobutamine and atropine administration. Over a period of 7.9 minutes, the mean heart rate was 123 +/- 8 bpm during dobutamine and atropine administration. Consequently, the combination of both drugs offered sufficient time for detailed examinations. Overall, echocardiographic examination identified a decrease in left ventricular (LV) dimensions, an increase in LV wall thickness, and a decrease in stroke volume after the treadmill exercise and during pharmacologic stress testing compared with baseline. Changes in echocardiographic variables generally were more pronounced during dobutamine and atropine administration. Similar to stress echocardiography in humans, in horses the combination of dobutamine and atropine is useful to produce an increase in heart rate comparable with what is achieved with exercise but without the need of increasing dobutamine dosage.


Pioneering development that blends informality, self-help, peer support, information and sustainability in a unique mix of charitable and commercial income generation alongside community development. Background Vision: That all in Central Lancashire facing life shortening illness have quality of life and dignity in death. Our current model cannot deliver this. Influences Dying for Change – Charles Leadbeater, 2010 'support will be impossible unless we encourage conversations … so people are more able to shape what happens' Commission into the Future of Hospice Care – Help the Hospices, 2013 people want 'easy access to information and regular conversations' the future lies in 'maximising the potential that consumers and the community have' Local discussion with patients and families about their experiences of end of life care Practicalities Renovation of a dilapidated barn into Café and Community Palliative Care Centre 50% funded by Capital Grant 12 month building project Opened 24th November 2014 Project aims Serving the whole population by empowering people to help each other Opening up to reach out Social enterprise through commercial and community development Sustainable income to support the main hospice Key features Welcoming café serving high quality, wholesome meals Volunteers providing basic emotional support to bereaved, lonely, worried, anxious people Information sessions with experts to plan for end of life e.g. local solicitors, civil service An informal 'introduction' to the hospice A range of activities to attract new groups of supporters – craft workshops, light exercise classes, room hire to businesses Impact Café sales 278% up on forecast 56 people supported through advisor service Dec 14 to Mar 15 53% of those that answered the question 'had no previous connexion with the hospice' What would they have done if they hadn't spoken to an advisor, of those that answered the question 40% would have done nothing or had ongoing stress/anxiety 54% said that they would have sought help from a health professional


Nonprofits offer services to disadvantaged populations, mobilize collective action, and advocate for civil rights. Conducting this work requires significant resources, raising the question: how do nonprofits succeed in increasing donations and volunteers amid widespread competition for these resources? Much research treats nonprofits as cold, rational entities, focusing on overhead, the "price" of donations, and efficiency in programming. We argue that nonprofits attract donors and volunteers by connecting to their emotions. We use newly available administrative IRS 990 e-filer data to analyze 90,000 nonprofit missions from 2012 to 2016. Computational text analysis measures the positive or negative affect of each nonprofit's mission statement. We then link the positive and negative sentiment expressed by nonprofits to their donations and volunteers. We differentiate between the institutional fields of nonprofits—for example, arts, education, social welfare—distinguishing nonprofits focused on social bonding from those focused on social problems. We find that expressed positive emotion is often associated with higher donations and volunteers, especially in bonding fields. But for some types of nonprofits, combining positive sentiment with negative sentiment in a mission statement is most effective in producing volunteers. Auxiliary analyses using experimental and longitudinal designs provide converging evidence that emotional language enhances charitable behavior. Understanding the role of emotion can help nonprofit organizations attract and engage volunteers and donors.


IMPORTANCE
Identification of the bacterium responsible for an outbreak can aid in disease management. However, traditional culture-based diagnosis can be difficult, particularly if no specific diagnostic test is available for an outbreak strain.

OBJECTIVE
To explore the potential of metagenomics, which is the direct sequencing of DNA extracted from microbiologically complex samples, as an open-ended clinical discovery platform capable of identifying and characterizing bacterial strains from an outbreak without laboratory culture.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS
In a retrospective investigation, 45 samples were selected from fecal specimens obtained from patients with diarrhea during the 2011 outbreak of Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC) O104:H4 in Germany. Samples were subjected to high-throughput sequencing (August-September 2012), followed by a 3-phase analysis (November 2012-February 2013). In phase 1, a de novo assembly approach was developed to obtain a draft genome of the outbreak strain. In phase 2, the depth of coverage of the outbreak strain genome was determined in each sample. In phase 3, sequences from each sample were compared with sequences from known bacteria to identify pathogens other than the outbreak strain.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
The recovery of genome sequence data for the purposes of identification and characterization of the outbreak strain and other pathogens from fecal samples.

RESULTS
During phase 1, a draft genome of the STEC outbreak strain was obtained. During phase 2, the outbreak strain genome was recovered from 10 samples at greater than 10-fold coverage and from 26 samples at greater than 1-fold coverage. Sequences from the Shiga-toxin genes were detected in 27 of 40 STEC-positive samples (67%). In phase 3, sequences from Clostridium difficile, Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter concisus, and Salmonella enterica were recovered.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
These results suggest the potential of metagenomics as a culture-independent approach for the identification of bacterial pathogens during an outbreak of diarrheal disease. Challenges include improving diagnostic sensitivity, speeding up and simplifying workflows, and reducing costs.


Chronic stresses, including the mechanical strain caused by hypertension or excess pulmonary ventilation pressure, lead to important clinical consequences, including hypertrophy and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Pathologic hypertrophy contributes to decreased organ function and, ultimately, organ failure; and cardiac and diabetic renal hypertrophy are major causes of morbidity and morality in the developed world. Likewise, acute respiratory distress syndrome is a serious potential side effect of mechanical pulmonary ventilation. Whereas the deleterious effects of chronic stress are well established, the molecular mechanisms by which these stresses affect cell function are still poorly characterized. gene 33 (also called mitogen-inducible gene-6, mig-6) is an immediate early gene that is transcriptionally induced by a divergent array of extracellular stimuli. The physiologic function of Gene 33 is unknown. Here we show that gene 33 mRNA levels increase sharply in response to a set of commonly occurring chronic stress stimuli: mechanical strain, vasoactive peptides, and diabetic nephropathy. Induction ofgene 33 requires the stress-activated protein kinases (SAPKs)/c-Jun NH2-terminal kinases. This expression pattern suggests that gene 33 is a potential marker for diabetic nephropathy and other pathologic responses to persistent sublethal stress. The structure of Gene 33 indicates an adapter protein capable of binding monomeric GTPases of the Rho subfamily. Consistent with this, Gene 33 interacts in vivo and, in a GTP-dependent manner, in vitro with Cdc42Hs; and transient expression of Gene 33 results in the selective activation of the SAPKs. These results imply a reciprocal, positive feedback relationship between Gene 33 expression and SAPK activation. Expression of Gene 33 at sufficient levels may enable a compensatory reprogramming of cellular function in response to chronic stress, which may have pathophysiological consequences.


The enlargement of the European Union in May 2004 triggered a relatively large and rapid migration inflow into Wales which was concentrated into narrow areas and occupations. As this inflow was larger and faster than anticipated, it arguably corresponds more closely to an exogenous supply shock than most migration shocks studied in the literature. This helps to some extent to circumvent identification issues arising from simultaneity bias which usually pose difficulties when estimating the effect of migration inflows on the labour market. We found little evidence that the inflow of accession migrants contributed to a fall in wages or a rise in claimant unemployment in Wales between 2004 and 2006. In particular, we found no evidence of an adverse impact on young, female or low-skilled claimant unemployment and no evidence of an adverse impact on the wages of the low-paid. If anything, we found a positive effect on the wages of higher paid workers and some weak evidence of a potentially favourable impact on claimant unemployment.


We propose a new deep architecture for person re-identification (re-id). While re-id has seen much recent progress, spatial localization and view-invariant representation learning for robust cross-view matching remain key, unsolved problems. We address these questions by means of a new attention-driven Siamese learning architecture, called the Consistent Attentive Siamese Network. Our key innovations compared to existing, competing methods include (a) a flexible framework design that produces attention with only identity labels as supervision, (b) explicit mechanisms to enforce attention consistency among images of the same person, and (c) a new Siamese framework that integrates attention and attention consistency, producing principled supervisory signals as well as the first mechanism that can explain the reasoning behind the Siamese framework's predictions. We conduct extensive evaluations on the CUHK03-NP, DukeMTMC-ReID, and Market-1501 datasets and report competitive performance.


In hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC), the majority of reported mutations are dispersed throughout the 35 exons of the two principal susceptibility genes, MLH1 and MSH2, and because of this complexity, rapid mutation screening methods are required. The aim of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity of the Enzymatic Mutation Detection™ (EMD™) assay in HNPCC using genomic DNA samples with known gene alterations in MLH1 and MSH2. The EMD assay relies upon the enzyme T4 Endonuclease VII recognizing and cleaving DNA mismatches, created when a PCR product containing a sequence alteration is hybridized with a wild type probe. A total of 68 different sequence variants from 30 exons were analyzed. The EMD assay was able to detect 62 of the 68 sequence variants (91%) with the majority showing strong cleavage products. One of the advantages of the EMD assay over other mutation screening techniques is that larger fragments can be analyzed in a single assay. No specialized equipment is required and one set of primers is sufficient for radioactive detection of the cleavage products. This method can be adapted to use fluorescent dye‐labelled primers and may be automated to detect mutations accurately and rapidly in a large number of samples. One new MLH1 mutation (418delA) and two novel MSH2 mutations (1A>C; 227‐228delAG) were also detected in HNPCC patients screened using this method. Hum Mutat 16:61–67, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Dutch youth have extensive knowledge on and a very positive attitude towards safe sex. Over 75% has the intention to maintain condom use with a new partner until both have been tested for an sti. Our next goal was to influence behaviour directly. We provided emotional arguments; a good lover discusses wishes and boundaries with his or her partner. Condom use should be a part of that conversation. The best moment to bring up condom use is right before you take of your pants. We communicated a cue; at this moment you should act this way to adher to the social norm. We needed to be as lively as possible so teenagers could project themselves into these scenarios. We used a social media strategy to co-create them. We co-operated with several niche youth-run online communities. We offered no rewards or prizes to participants other than be taken seriously and have their input being used in a television campaign. We were open, honoust, active and accessible. We reached over 3 million readers, our webvideos were watched over 2 million times. We received over 21.000 handwritten responses and over 60.000 votes on our polls. Interactivity with and between teenagers rose weekly during the campaign. This co-creation led to three tv commercials showing six scenarios and three radio commercials. 91% of our target audience was reached. The resulting campaign was well received (7.3 appreciation, benchmark: 6.8) and very effective: correct message transfer was 98%. We also found a significant behavioural result: The number of youths who reported bringing up the subject of condoms before taking of their pants rose from 56% to 74%.


Techniques for construction and configuration of tiled display systems have been focused by a number of research groups. Arrays of monitors or projectors in a fixed size matrix NxM can be managed by computer clusters to display a single image with large dimensions and high resolution. In the present work, an array of tablet PCs is used to compose a tiled display with a specific interaction feature due to the mobility of each individual tablet. Tracking ground fixed markers with the tablets web cameras enable the system to change the virtual image region to be displayed by each tile, which allows dynamic exploration of the visualization space.


A fast algorithm for T2 encoder in JPEG2000 suitable for hardware implementation is presented in this paper, based on the elaborate analysis of ratedistortion optimization algorithm. By reducing calculative complexity, the difficulty of hardware implementation for T2 encoder is reduced, and the parallelizability of the JPEG2000 hardware system is enhanced. The experimental results show that the final code stream is accorded with the standard format of JPEG2000 and reconstructed image quality decreases little. The system has been implemented on FPGA.


Purpose Differentiating tumor from its surrounding soft tissues is challenging for x‐ray computed tomography (CT). Fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT) can directly localize the internal tumors targeted with specific fluorescent probes. A FMT system was developed and integrated onto a CT‐guided irradiator to improve tumor localization for image‐guided radiation. Methods The FMT system was aligned orthogonal to the cone‐beam CT onboard our previously developed image‐guided small animal arc radiation treatment system (iSMAART). Through rigorous physical registration, the onboard CT provides accurate surface contour which is used to generate three‐dimensional mesh for FMT reconstruction. During FMT experiments, a point laser source perpendicular to the rotating axis was used to excite the internal fluorophores. The normalized optical images from multiple projection angles were adopted for tomographic reconstruction. To investigate the accuracy of the FMT in locating the tumor and recovering its volume, in vivo experiments were conducted on two breast cancer models: MDA‐MB‐231 cancer xenograft on nude mice and 4T1 cancer xenograft on white mice. Both cancer cell lines overexpress the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). A novel fluorescent poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic) acid (PLGA) nanoparticle conjugated with anti‐EGFR was intravenously injected to specifically target the breast cancer cells. Another ex vivo experiment on a mouse bearing a surgically implanted Indocyanine Green‐containing glass tube was conducted, to additionally validate the precision of FMT‐guided radiation therapy. Results The FMT can accurately localize the single‐nodule breast tumors actively targeted with fluorescent nanoparticles with localization error < 0.5 mm calculated between the centers of mass of tumors in FMT and CT. The reconstructed tumor volume in FMT was significantly correlated with that in the iodinated contrast‐enhanced CT (R2 = 0.94, P < 0.001). The FMT was able to guide focal radiation delivery with submillimeter accuracy. Conclusion Using the tumor‐targeting fluorescent probes, the iSMAART with onboard FMT system can accurately differentiate tumors from their surrounding soft tissue, guide precise focal radiation delivery, and potentially assess tumor response in cancer research.


The gap between the speed of logic and DRAM access is widening. Traditional processors hide some of the mismatch in latency using techniques such as multi-level caches, instruction prefetching and memory interleaving/pipelining. Even with larger caches, cache miss rates are higher than the rate at which memory can provide data. Moreover, the memory bandwidth visible at the system bus forms a bottleneck. Therefore, there are compelling reasons for integrating DRAM and logic including: (i) the bandwidth available within the chip is many order of magnitude higher than that at the memory bus at a significantly lower access time and with lower power dissipation; and (ii) as typical workloads shift towards data-intensive/multimedia applications, the wide bandwidth can be effectively utilized. To effectively support data-intensive applications, we designed a Parallel Processor in Memory (PPIM) processor. PPIM is based on a distributed data-parallel architecture with limited support for control parallelism. The paper presents ppim-sim, a cycle-accurate simulator that models PPIM processor in software and is capable of running PPIM program binaries. Exponents conducted to evaluate the simulation using a number of data-intensive application models for varying PPIM configurations are presented. It was observed from the experiments that ppim-sim not only simulates large models in tractable amounts of time, but also is memory-efficient. In addition, the parameterized design of ppim-sim coupled with robust and effective interfaces makes it a research tool to study different processing element and controller architectures implemented in memory.


An existing model of opinion dynamics on an adaptive social network is extended to introduce update policy heterogeneity, representing the fact that individual differences between social animals can affect their tendency to form, and be influenced by, their social bonds with other animals. As in the original model, the opinions and social connections of a population of model agents change due to three social processes: conformity, homophily and neophily. Here, however, we explore the case in which each node's susceptibility to these three processes is parameterised by node-specific values drawn independently at random from some distribution. This introduction of heterogeneity increases both the degree of extremism and connectedness in the final population (relative to comparable homogeneous networks) and leads to significant assortativity with respect to node update policy parameters as well as node opinions. Each node's update policy parameters also predict properties of the community that they will belong to in the final network configuration. These results suggest that update policy heterogeneity in social populations may have a significant impact on the formation of extremist communities in real-world populations.


Threats to marine and estuarine species operate over many spatial scales, from nutrient enrichment at the watershed/estuarine scale to invasive species and climate change at regional and global scales. To help address research questions across these scales, we provide here a standardized framework for a biogeographical information system containing queriable biological data that allows extraction of information on multiple species, across a variety of spatial scales based on species distributions, natural history attributes and habitat requirements. As scientists shift from research on localized impacts on individual species to regional and global scale threats, macroecological approaches of studying multiple species over broad geographical areas are becoming increasingly important. The standardized framework described here for capturing and integrating biological and geographical data is a critical first step towards addressing these macroecological questions and we urge organizations capturing biogeoinformatics data to consider adopting this framework.


Breathing results from the interaction of two distinct oscillators: the preBötzinger Complex (preBötC) driving inspiration and the lateral parafacial region (pFRG) driving active expiration. The pFRG is silent during resting and become rhythmically active during high metabolic demand such as hypoxia. Catecholaminergic C1 cells are activated by hypoxia, which is a strong stimulus for active expiration. We hypothesized that the C1 cells and pFRG may constitute functionally distinct but interacting populations in order to contributes to control expiratory activity during hypoxia. We found that: a) C1 neurons are activated by hypoxia and project to pFRG region; b) active expiration elicited by hypoxia was blunted after blockade of ionotropic glutamatergic antagonist at the level of pFRG and c) selective depletion of C1 neurons eliminated the active expiration elicited by hypoxia. The results suggest that C1 cells may regulate the respiratory cycle including the active expiration under hypoxic condition.


Arthroscopic lavage of a joint with saline followed by the administration of corticosteroids intra-articularly could lead to an improved functioning of the joint. In a recent study published in this issue the results of arthrocentesis with intra-articular administration of corticosteroids was compared with lavage with or without intra-articular administration of corticosteroids in patients with a non-infectious inflammatory arthritis of the knee joint. The results confirm earlier reports, which demonstrated that the beneficial therapeutic effects of corticosteroids administered intra-articularly can be prolonged by a therapeutic lavage in patients with non-infectious inflammatory arthritis, provided the lavage is performed with a sufficient amount of saline.


In 2011, earthquakes in Japan and flood in Thailand revealed the serious risks that local break downs of Motor vehicle sector and Electronic computing sector cause the cascade breakdown of world economy. To estimate such risks, it seems that the connections between international industrial sectors are important and recently developed complex networks method is suitable for this study. We use the data of the Input-Output table of Asian countries and USA made by JETRO in 1990, 1995 and 2000[1]. We regard the table as network matrix and make various directed weighted networks. In these networks, the nodes correspond to each industry sector in a country and the weight of the link corresponds to the amount of the money which uses the product of an industry sector as material to produce the product of another industry sector. We found how the economy of Asian countries has changed visually from 1990 to 2000. Main players in 1990 are Japan and USA and China appears in 1995. Main nodes which have heavy total weight of the links are Other service sector and Wholesale and retail trade sector in USA and Japan. We think cascade failure of the industry sector has deep connection with not only quantitative weights of the links but also network structure. So we calculate betweenness centrality of nodes using Dijkstra algorithm [2,3,4], which describes basically the number of paths through the node. We found the betweenness centrality is high in Motor vehicle sector, Electronic computing sector and Semiconductors and integrated circuits sector. Next we use CO2 emission data made by IEA [5] and make environmental extension of Input-Output table. Comparing money base networks, the weights of the links equally spread all countries and main node which has heavy total weight of the links is Electricity and gas sector. Keywords: Complex Networks, CO 2 Emission, Asian Countries, Input-Output Table


A significant amount of the Swedish single family houses have installed a ground source heat pump as primary energy source. Many of these installed heat pumps are due for replacement and the new installed heat pumps are generally more efficient. Thus, they extract more heat from the ground at a given heat load of the building. This fact combined with the early "rule of thumb" used by Swedish installers for sizing the borehole length means that many boreholes now are slightly undersized in terms of length.One obvious remedy is to drill some additional meters to the existing borehole. Other alternatives exist to offset this situation as well and two of these are that the borehole is assisted by either a solar collector or an outside air heat collector, similar type used for air-to-air heat pumps. The effect of such a measure is that less energy is extracted from the ground during the heating season, and the heat pump may operate at higher heat source temperatures. In addition, it may prevent or at least delay freezing of the borehole, which may occur late of the heating season for some installations.The present paper investigates the performance of such system and to compare the outcome of these three systems in terms of annual energy extraction rate from the ground. The results indicate that the proposed system indeed may offset the additional heat extraction that a new more efficient heat pump would otherwise cause.


Many of physiological processes that influences yielding are heavily dependent on phenological development. Climate change will impact not only planting and harvesting date of crops but also the length of particular phenological phase. Therefore study of impact of climate change on agriculture should begin with determine how climate change will effect on crop phenology.The aim of the study was to assess how maize phenology will change according to different RCM scenarios. The length of the development stages was estimated by phenological model implemented in HERMES model. The model was calibrated and validated for silage maize varieties FAO 230-250 using 13-year data set (2004-2016) from experimental site, located in Grabow (Masovian Voivodeship, Central Poland). Calibration has been made by establishment - in crop parameter file - measured temperature sum for each development phase.The analyses were performed for the time series from 1971-2050 from RCM scenarios biased, using local experimental data from the station located at experimental site. The RCM simulations were represented by ten Regional Models based on five different Global Models. Two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP 4.5 and RCP8.5) were analysed and compared.Based on RCP4.5 the mean monthly air temperature for period between April and September will increase by 1.1˚C while RCP8.5 predicts 1.2˚C air temperature growth. In dependence on RCM scenario, changes in monthly mean air temperature between the base line period (1971-2020) and future climate (2021-2050) in RCP 4.5 range from 0.5˚C to 1.5˚C. Then according to RCP 8.5 the temperature will increase between 0.6˚C and 1.7˚C. The results demonstrate how to use different RCM and its basing can impact on maize phenology.


Syphilis is a complex infectious disease caused by Treponema pallidum and acquired through sexual contact or vertical transmission. The natural history of syphilis is divided in primary, secondary, latent and tertiary stages. The syphilis epidemic has evolved over the years. National rates of syphilis infection dropped to the lowest in 2000 and have since increased in certain populations. Men who have sex with men (MSM) account for 60% of new infections and high rates occur in individuals with human immune deficiency virus co-infection. This study describes and compares the demographic characteristics, risk factors, and clinical presentation of infectious syphilis cases diagnosed in the Miami-Dade Health Department STD clinic among the two main ethnicities (non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic).


Research on agricultural institution with agribusiness orientation has not yet been given much attention. Yet, farmers obtain information on technology, market and processing techniques through the existing institutional roles, either in forms of organization, norms or community figures. The effort to accelerate the flow of agricultural inputs, process of technology transfer, and other production factors is a collective activity depicted in institutional network in local agricultural activities. A participatory observation using Rapid Appraisal of Agriculture Knowledge Systems (RAAKS) methodology concludes that the present primordial institution in each production segment process positive potential to develop and that shared objective is recognized as the starting point to develop an institution. Moreover, size of organization, membership status and institutional orientation also play important roles in the development of an institution, minimum commercial size, and policy on managerial development.


The article looks critically at provision for addressing the ecological consequences of climate change under the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement. It finds that they lack key components, most notably a headline goal guiding parties to preserve ecosystem functionality in the face of climate change, which analysis of climate change as an environmental problem suggests that instruments which seek to combat this would need to possess. As a result, efforts to conserve and enhance carbon sink functions and to bolster the resilience of ecosystems in connection with adaptation may be undermined by the lack of an ecological context for climate change mitigation. Conclusions drawn from the analysis are used to propose a legal research agenda for exploration of how the international climate change regime's effectiveness for preventing ecologically harmful climate change could be enhanced.


This article is a reflection on the application of the Cuban literacy methodology Yo, Si Puedo to the Australian setting. The Yo, Si Puedo / Yes, I Can! model developed in Cuba by the Instituto Pedagogico Latinoamericano y Caribeno, IPLAC (Institute of Pedagogy for Latin America and the Caribbean) has been successfully implemented across the Global South as a strategy of adult literacy. It is a legacy of our Latin American revolutionary roots, with its origin in the Freirean pedagogy of the oppressed. Expanding across continents this model continues to teach reading and writing to disenfranchised adults in marginal and Indigenous communities, from the Argentinean Chaco to Brewarrina in northern NSW, Australia. Its aim is to contribute to the hope of improving the health and educational outcomes of the country's First Peoples. This article is indebted to conversations with the Cuban advisor of Yes, I Can!, Jose Manuel Chala Leblanch. Observing him working in the classroom setting of Brewarrina touched me at different levels: personally because it reminded me of my own family experiences with the education system in my country, Argentina; and professionally as an educator negotiating different languages and cultures. It also reinforced my belief in the importance of incorporating Indigenous ways of learning and teaching to Western styles of teaching and learning. I built this reflection moving from personal and poetic—visual and textual—narratives and observations to academic interventions informed by researched literature on adult and Indigenous education.


Two problems often emerge in the process of learning Chinese. First, learning to write at the beginning stage often focuses on forms, without an authentic purpose. As a result, learners do not have enough motivation to write. Second, while extensive reading benefits language learners, not many extensive reading materials are available to beginning and lower-intermediate level CFL learners. This empirical study examined the feasibility of incorporating a writing project into the curriculum, as well as the potential impact of such a project on learners' reading and writing progress. A total of 89 learners participated in this study. The findings show that the participants who wrote books and those who read the books both enjoyed and benefited from the project.


The compression and failure responses of four rootzone sand mixtures (with different types of particle shapes) were analyzed, compared, and modeled at two different moisture states (air dried and 30 cm tension). Differences in particle packing characteristics arising from particle shape and moisture were quantified. The air-dried and moist samples of the sand mixtures had initial bulk density (IBD) values ranging from 1.55 to 1.67g/cc and 1.23 to 1.48g/cc, respectively. The low IBD values observed for moist mixtures were attributed to the particle-particle agglomeration effects that take place in the presence of moisture. In addition, it was observed that the sand mixture's porosity increased with decreasing particle sphericity. During compression testing, moist samples underwent a greater volumetric deformation compared to the air-dried samples for the same pressure levels, e.g., at 69kPa, the volumetric strain of moist round sand mixtures was 8% higher than that of the air-dried round sand mixtures. Therefore, moisture acted as lubricant during volumetric compression of sand mixtures. Also, the bulk modulus values decreased with increasing moisture content and decreasing particle sphericity. During shear testing, the moist samples underwent a larger amount of strain deformation compared to the air-dried samples for the same stress difference values. This suggests that the presence of moisture makes the sand mixtures ductile during shear testing, unlike the usual brittle response in air-dried state. Shear modulus values linearly increased with the increase in mean pressure for the air-dried samples, whereas, for moist samples, the shear modulus values increased gradually or remained practically constant. The effect of pressure, moisture, and particle shape was also quantified for two elastoplastic parameters (consolidation and swelling indices). It was generally observed that the average consolidation index values decreased with pressure but increased with moisture and particle angularity. On the other hand, average swelling index values increased with pressure, moisture, and particle angularity. Overall, it was concluded that the moisture and particle shape had a decisive influence on the compression and shear profiles of continuous rootzone sand mixtures.


This article offers the first examination of its kind of the content and nature of anti-trafficking policy as it is pursued in Benin. The article draws on data gathered from policy and project documents and from interviews and participant observation with actors integral to the constitution of policy in (and with influence over) the Beninese anti-trafficking community. It attempts to bridge the oft-lamented gap between page and practice by conducting analysis not only of the representation of policy in text, but also of its lived manifestations in processes, interactions and structures. It argues that the various different actors that comprise Benin's anti-trafficking pantheon seek to accomplish one fundamental goal – to protect children from trafficking – through two overarching strategies – the promotion of 'healthy' childhoods and the pre-emptive prevention of child movement. The article examines each of the main strands of policy and concludes by offering a Foucauldian analysis of their operation. It thus fills a major gap in the academic understanding of anti-trafficking policy in the Beninese context.


Epidemiologic studies have shown that perinatal events are associated with an increased risk for type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes in childhood. We used nonobese diabetic mice to examine whether neonatal separation from the mother with or without phototherapy would affect the incidence of diabetes in this genetically susceptible mouse model. The newborn pups were taken from their mothers for two 4-h periods during each of five successive days. One group of animals was just taken from their mothers and were left lying in daylight in the cage, whereas another group was exposed to identical light as used for treatment of neonatal jaundice in infants. Treatment resulted in a 30% death rate. For animals surviving more than 3 mo the incidence of diabetes was significantly higher in both treatment groups compared with control animals, allowed to stay with their mother. The odds ratio for treatment versus control, stratifying for sex, was 3.42 (95% confidence interval, 1.57-7.74). Histologic insulitis did not differ between treated and untreated animals when examined either at clinical diabetes onset or at 8 mo of age. Blood glucose values at 8 mo of age (in animals without clinical diabetes) did not differ between treated and untreated animals. It is concluded that neonatal separation of the nonobese diabetic mice from their mothers will lead to a significantly increased risk for diabetes. This increase in risk seems to be associated with the induction of metabolic alterations leading to increased peripheral insulin need rather than with an increased rate of β cell destruction.


Abstract 2738

Poster Board II-714

L-Asparaginase (L-Asp) is an important component in the combined chemotherapy for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Administration of L-Asp leads to depletion of plasmatic asparagine and consequently causes loss of intracellular asparagine. As a non-essential amino acid, asparagine is synthesized from aspartate and glutamine by asparagine synthetase (ASNS). Primary ALL cells are believed to have low ASNS expression and therefore to be sensitive to asparagine depletion. Although increased ASNS level was shown to be connected with L-Asp resistance the exact relationship between ASNS expression and L-Asp sensitivity is not clear. We and others have previously shown TEL/AML1[+] ALL blasts express more ASNS mRNA than TEL/AML[-] do although primary TEL/AML[+] cell are in vitro more sensitive to treatment with L-Asp. Hutson et al (1997) showed that amino acid deprivation led to increased expression of ASNS on mRNA and protein level as well as to increased biological activity. On the other hand, Nan Su et al described negative correlation between L-Asp sensitivity and ASNS protein rather than mRNA levels. Therefore, in our studies we concentrated on protein expression of ASNS in patients' samples. So far, there has been no reproducible published data on ASNS protein detection by Western blot in primary patients' samples. Despite using 3 different antibodies and precise optimization we were not able to detect ASNS protein in patients' samples in contrast to cell lines. Transcripts' levels confirmed significantly lower (2 log) expression of ASNS in patients' leukemic cells compared to leukemic cell lines. Therefore, for further studies on gene and protein relation we had to rely on cell lines as a model. We detected ASNS gene expression and ASNS protein content in four ALL cell lines: REH (TEL/AML1[+]), UOCB6 (TEL/AML1[+]), NALM6 (TEL/PDGFRB[+]) and RS4;11 (MLL/AF4[+]). ASNS mRNA levels were in accord with sensitivity to L-Asp. UOCB6 as the most resistant cell line (IC50=0.04U/ml) had the highest expression of ASNS (normalized ASNS, nASNS=4.946), then NALM6 (IC50=0.01U/ml; nASNS=1.8), REH (IC50=0.6.10−4; nASNS=1.176) and RS4;11 (IC50<0.3.10−4; nASNS=0.024). ASNS protein levels significantly differed through passages in REH cells, likely due to rapid turnover. For the remaining three cell lines L-Asp sensitivity correlated also with protein content.

We have previously shown that different basal expression levels do not affect short-term dynamics of ASNS expression after L-Asp administration. Here we were interested to see the changes of sensitivity to L-Asp using gradient silencing of ASNS by RNAi in two cell lines with different basal expression: REH cell line with intermediate ASNS mRNA expression and RS4;11 cell line with very low mRNA expression. Gradient silencing revealed that L-Asp sensitivity correlated with ASNS expression till 50% decrease; further silencing did not potentiate the effect. The same response was seen in both cell lines despite different basal ASNS expression and sensitivity to L-Asp.

The ASNS is glutamine dependent enzyme therefore we also studied expression of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), an enzyme necessary for glutamine synthesis. We found significantly lower GDH mRNA expression in primary TEL/AML1[+] blasts in comparison with TEL/AML[-] blasts (p=0.019), which might lead to deficiency of glutamine in these cells and consequently higher sensitivity to L-Asp. Accordingly, silencing of ASNS in REH tended to increase GDH expression levels.

Our data confirm that generally, both ASNS mRNA and protein expression inversely correlate with the sensitivity to L-Asp in the cell lines. However, it may be misleading to draw conclusions for the patients' cells directly from the results obtained in cell line models. The expression patterns of ASNS in primary leukemic cells differ even from those of genotypically identical cell lines. The control of basal levels of ASNS in leukemic cells remains to be elucidated. Our results implicate an important role of GDH and glutamine metabolic pathway in the regulation of ASNS activity.

This work was supported by MSM0021620813 and GAUK 7835.

Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


An examination of the theories and concepts designed to explain the nature of contemporary international relations.

1. The modern international system and the emergence of the academic study of international relations; realism, idealism and the 'English School'; contemporary theories. 2. State-centric international relations: power and statecraft, the balance of power, and war. 3. International organisation: The UN System, regional organisations, international regimes, 'global governance'. 4. The politics of the world economy: globalisation, 'north-south' relations. 5. Global social movements and the new agenda of international relations.


In this paper, we study the degrees of freedom (DoF) of the MIMO relay networks. We start with a general Y channel, where each user has $M_i$ antennas and aims to exchange messages with the other two users via a relay equipped with $N$ antennas. Then, we extend our work to a general 4-user MIMO relay network. Unlike most previous work which focused on the total DoF of the network, our aim here is to characterize the achievable DoF region as well. We develop an outer bound on the DoF region based on the notion of one sided genie. Then, we define a new achievable region using the Signal Space Alignment (SSA) and the Detour Schemes. Our achievable scheme achieves the upper bound for certain conditions relating $M_i$'s and $N$.


In this paper, we propose a biometric solution to solve some of the significant problems associated with use of digital camera images as evidence in a court of law. We present a lossless watermarking solution to the problems associated with digital image integrity and the relationship to its chain of custody. The integrity of digital images as evidence rests on the accurate answering of a simple question: Who did what when? We show how to use lossless data embedding to identify from the digital image the photographer, the camera, the time when the image was taken, and verify the image integrity. We call a camera with this capability "Secure Digital Camera". The proposed concept will provide forensic investigators with a tool that will help them establish the integrity of a digital camera image presented to the court and prove that it is a true and accurate representation of reality.


The Copyright Act of 1976 confers on authors an exclusive right to prepare derivative works. It defines this term as "a work based upon one or more preexisting works," giving nine examples to illustrate the concept and ending with "or any other form in which a work may be recast, transformed, or adapted." This right has been unproblematic in cases involving the nine exemplary derivatives and close analogues, but highly problematic in some cases construing the last clause. This Article shows that the exclusive right to prepare derivative works is narrower in scope than critics have feared. The legislative history reveals that the definition was intended to clarify the scope of this right, which was accomplished through the nine examples, which have key characteristics in common, illustrating the types of derivatives meant to be covered by this right. To be consistent with the text of the statute, the legislative history, and the constitutional purpose of copyright, the derivative work should only be infringed under the last clause of the definition only if the plaintiff's claim involves one of the exemplary derivatives or close analogues. The Article also considers numerous provisions and doctrines of U.S. copyright law that limit the reach of the derivative work right, thereby promoting the constitutional purpose of copyright and policies favoring ongoing innovation and competition, free expression interests of subsequent authors, and privacy and autonomy interests of users. The Article considers a handful of derivative use cases that have given overbroad interpretations to the derivative work right and explains why these decisions are unsound.


Recently, large-scale knowledge bases have been constructed by automatically extracting relational facts from text. Unfortunately, most of the current knowledge bases focus on static facts and ignore the temporal dimension. However, the vast majority of facts are evolving with time or are valid only during a particular time period. Thus, time is a significant dimension that should be included in knowledge bases.
 In this paper, we introduce a complete information extraction framework that harvests temporal facts and events from semi-structured data and free text of Wikipedia articles to create a temporal ontology. First, we extend a temporal data representation model by making it aware of events. Second, we develop an information extraction method which harvests temporal facts and events from Wikipedia infoboxes, categories, lists, and article titles in order to build a temporal knowledge base. Third, we show how the system can use its extracted knowledge for further growing the knowledge base.
 We demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed methods through several experiments. We extracted more than one million temporal facts with precision over 90% for extraction from semi-structured data and almost 70% for extraction from text.


Mechanics of the camera for the large size telescopes of CTA must protect and provide a stable environment for its instrumentation. This is achieved by a stiff support structure enclosed in an air and water tight volume. The structure is specially devised to facilitate extracting the power dissipated by the focal plane electronics while keeping its weight small enough to guarantee an optimum load on the telescope structure. A heat extraction system is designed to keep the electronics temperature within its optimal operation range, stable in time and homogeneous along the camera volume, whereas it is decoupled from the temperature in the telescope environment. In this contribution, we present the details of this system as well as its verification based in finite element analysis computations and tested prototypes. Finally, issues related to the integration of the camera mechanics and electronics will be dealt with.


Necroptosis is a form of programmed cell death (PCD) characterized by RIP3 mediated MLKL activation and increased membrane permeability via MLKL oligomerization. Tumor cell immunogenic cell death (ICD) has been considered to be essential for the anti-tumor response, which is associated with DC recruitment, activation, and maturation. In this study, we found that P. aeruginosa showed its potential to suppress tumor growth and enable long-lasting anti-tumor immunity in vivo. What's more, phosphorylation- RIP3 and MLKL activation induced by P. aeruginosa infection resulted in tumor cell necrotic cell death and HMGB1 production, indicating that P. aeruginosa can cause immunogenic cell death. The necrotic cell death can further drive a robust anti-tumor response via promoting tumor cell death, inhibiting tumor cell proliferation, and modulating systemic immune responses and local immune microenvironment in tumor. Moreover, dying tumor cells killed by P. aeruginosa can catalyze DC maturation, which enhanced the antigen-presenting ability of DC cells. These findings demonstrate that P. aeruginosa can induce immunogenic cell death and trigger a robust long-lasting anti-tumor response along with reshaping tumor microenvironment.


The detection of Swerling 0 targets in movement in sea-ice Weibull-distributed clutter by neural networks (NNs) is presented in this paper. Synthetic data generated for typical sea-ice Weibull parameters reported in the literature are used. Due to the capability of NNs for learning the statistical properties of the clutter and target signals during a supervised training, high clutter reduction rates are achieved, reverting on high detection performances. The proposed NN-based detector is compared with a reference detector proposed in the literature that approximates the Neyman-Pearson (NP) detector. The results presented in the paper allow empirically demonstrating how the NN-based detector outperforms the detector taken as reference in all the cases under study. It is achieved not only in performance but also in robustness with respect to changes in sea-ice Weibull-distributed clutter conditions. Moreover, the computational cost of the NN-based detector is very low, involving high signal processing speed.


Identifying factors associated with the ubiquitous inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics for upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) will help develop effective interventions and decrease antimicrobial resistance. Surveys were mailed to family physicians in Ontario, Canada. The survey assessed antibiotic prescribing for URTIs and a wide range of influences on antibiotic decisions. Multivariate models of inappropriate prescribing were generated. 316 of 544 (58%) family physicians completed surveys. Associated with self-reported antibiotic prescribing for acute bronchitis were patients with obligations (OR 2.1; 95% CI, 1.2-3.6), physicians with positive antibiotic use attitudes (OR 2.1; 95% CI, 1.1-3.9), satisfaction antibiotics best for patients (OR 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1-2.1), and knowledgeable patients (OR 0.5; 95% CI, 03-0.8). Associated with antibiotic prescribing for influenza were patients with obligations (OR 2.2; 95% CI, 1.2-3.8), patients thought to be seeking antibiotics (OR 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1-1.9), and attending university and profession sponsored courses (OR 0.7; 95% CI, 0.4-1.0). Associated with not prescribing first line antibiotics for acute sinusitis were pharmaceutical industry influence (OR 2.0; 95% CI, 1.1-3.3), solo practice (OR 2.0; 95% CI, 1.1-5.0), and recommending rest and simple analgesics (OR 0.5; 95% CI, 0.3-0.8). Associated with not prescribing first line antibiotics for streptococcal pharyngitis were pharmaceutical industry influence (OR 1.7; 95% CI, 1.3-2.5), physician age (OR 1.6; 95% CI, 1.3-2.1), and perceived importance of clinical guidelines (OR 0.6; 95% CI, 0.4-0.8). Health care workers should be informed of the influence of perceived patient motivation and the pharmaceutical industry on antibiotic use for URTIs and these insights included in interventions targeting inappropriate antibiotic prescribing.


A new formulation of finite element-boundary integral (FE-BI) equations with non-overlapping and non-conforming domain decomposition method (DDM) is proposed to calculate electromagnetic scattering from cavities. The computational domain is divided into two parts: cavity and non-cavity domains. Tetrahedral elements with higher order and lower order vector basis functions are used in the cavity and non-cavity domains, respectively, and they are not conformal on the interface between two sub-domains. The application of Robin transmission condition at the aperture of the cavity relates the fields in the interior and exterior regions of the cavity. In addition, an effective preconditioner is designed to speed up the solution process of iterative solvers. Numerical results obtained show that the proposed method is suitable for this class of problems, and the preconditioner is highly effective to reduce the number of iterations for the solution.


Diseases are often caused by mutant proteins. Many drugs have limited effectiveness and/or toxic side effects because of a failure to selectively target the disease-causing mutant variant, rather than the functional wild type protein. Otherwise, the drugs may even target different proteins with similar structural features. Designing drugs that successfully target mutant proteins selectively represents a major challenge. Decades of cancer research have led to an abundance of potential therapeutic targets, often touted to be "master regulators". For many of these proteins, there are no FDA-approved drugs available; for others, off-target effects result in dose-limiting toxicity. Cancer-related proteins are an excellent medium to carry the story of mutant-specific targeting, as the disease is both initiated by and sustained by mutant proteins; furthermore, current chemotherapies generally fail at adequate selective distinction. This review discusses some of the challenges associated with selective targeting from a structural biology perspective, as well as some of the developments in algorithm approach and computational workflow that can be applied to address those issues. One of the most widely researched proteins in cancer biology is p53, a tumor suppressor. Here, p53 is discussed as a specific example of a challenging target, with contemporary drugs and methodologies used as examples of burgeoning successes. The oncogene KRAS, which has been described as "undruggable", is another extensively investigated protein in cancer biology. This review also examines KRAS to exemplify progress made towards selective targeting of disease-causing mutant proteins. Finally, possible future directions relevant to the topic are discussed.


An understanding of the epidemiology of poststroke dementia (PSD) is necessary to inform research, practice and policy. With increasing primary studies, a contemporary review of PSD could allow for analyses of incidence and prevalence trends. Databases were searched using a prespecified search strategy. Eligible studies described an ischaemic or mixed stroke cohort with prospective clinical assessment for dementia. Pooled prevalence of dementia was calculated using random-effects models at any time after stroke (primary outcome) and at 1 year (range: 6–18 months), stratified for inclusion of prestroke dementia. Meta-regression explored the effect of year of study. Sensitivity analyses removed low-quality or outlier studies. Of 12 505 titles assessed, 44 studies were included in the quantitative analyses. At any time point after stroke, the prevalence of PSD was 16.5% (95% CI 10.4% to 25.1%) excluding prestroke dementia and 22.3% (95% CI 18.8% to 26.2%) including prestroke dementia. At 1 year, the prevalence of PSD was 18.4% (95% CI 7.4% to 38.7%) and 20.4% (95% CI 14.2% to 28.2%) with prestroke dementia included. In studies including prestroke dementia there was a negative association between dementia prevalence and year of study (slope coefficient=−0.05 (SD: 0.01), p<0.0001). Estimates were robust to sensitivity analyses. Dementia is common following stroke. At any point following stroke, more than one in five people will have dementia, although a proportion of this dementia predates the stroke. Declining prevalence of prestroke dementia may explain apparent reduction in PSD over time. Risk of dementia following stroke remains substantial and front-loaded, with high prevalence at 1 year post event.


The migration of macrophages through peripheral tissues is an essential step in the host response to infection, inflammation, and ischemia as well as in tumor progression and tissue repair. The mannose receptor (MR; CD206, previously known as the macrophage MR) is a 175‐kDa type I transmembrane glycoprotein and is a member of a family of four recycling endocytic receptors, which share a common extracellular domain structure but distinct ligand‐binding properties and cell type expression patterns. MR has been shown to bind and internalize carbohydrate and collagen ligands and more recently, to have a role in myoblast motility and muscle growth. Given that the related Endo180 (CD280) receptor has also been shown to have a promigratory role, we hypothesized that MR may be involved in regulating macrophage migration and/or chemotaxis. Contrary to expectation, bone marrow‐derived macrophages (BMM) from MR‐deficient mice showed an increase in random cell migration and no impairment in chemotactic response to a gradient of CSF‐1. To investigate whether the related promigratory Endo180 receptor might compensate for lack of MR, mice with homozygous deletions in MR and Endo180 were generated. These animals showed no obvious phenotypic abnormality, and their BMM, like those from MR‐deficient mice, retained an enhanced migratory behavior. As MR is down‐regulated during macrophage activation, these findings have implications for the regulation of macrophage migration during different stages of pathogenesis.


It was reported that M1 monoclonal antibody (M1 mab) inhibited hamster sperm-egg fusion in a dose-dependent manner. The antigen was localized to the equatorial segment (ES) of the hamster sperm, and that after the acrosome reaction, it was exposed on the surface of the sperm plasma membrane overlying the ES. The M1 antigen therefore fulfilled the main requirements of a sperm component that might be involved in gamete fusion processes. Hence, it was necessary to fully characterized this sperm determinant in order to elucidate its role in fertilization and to assess its potential as contraceptive antigen. In this study, M1 mab was used to analyze the developmental expression of M1 antigen during spermatogenesis and during sperm maturation in the epididymal tract. Indirect immunofluorescent staining (IIF) assay revealed that the M1 antigen was detected only in the cross sections of seminiferous tubules containing spermatids and sperm. The specificity of M1 mab was examined also by IIF assay of cell suspensions prepared from various tissues of the hamster. The result showed that the M1 mab did not cross react with cells isolated from somatic tissues including lung, heart, kidney, spleen, brain and liver. Further detection by im-munoblotting also showed that the M1 antigen appeared to be sperm-specific as it was not detected in a range of somatic cells. It is therefore proposed that the M1 an-tigen which is synthesized only by the germ cells of the testis, also found to be ex-pressed at late spermatid stage and is a sperm-specific protein.


Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was induced to examine the environmental impacts in the life cycle of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) package of milk, and to compare the environmental impacts from different treatments in China in this article. The data of the mass and energy fluxes and the environmental emissions were obtained from sites investigation and literatures. It showed that the environmental impacts from raw materials supply period was the highest, over 79% of total environmental impacts in its life cycle except waste management. The environmental impacts mainly came from Fossil Fuels and Respiratory Inorganics. In the comparison of landfill, incineration and recycling of PET package, the environmental impact in landfill treatment was the highest, and then was incineration and recycle which were beneficial effects on environment. Incineration can avoid environmental impact of Respiratory Inorganics category and recycling can avoid Fossil Fuels category more significantly. Compared to the environmental impacts before PET package come into waste management, landfill could append 3.5% additional environmental impacts and incineration could reduce 22.2%. In contrast, recycling could reduce 61.7% of environmental impacts more significantly. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of the results. LCA methodology was very suitable for evaluating the overall environmental consequences, and could be used for decision support and strategic planning in China where pollution control has become increasingly important with the rapid increase of waste generation as well as the increasing public awareness of environmental protection.


Delays are one of the biggest problems facing by the construction industry. The delays in construction projects have significant financial and social impact to all parties involved in the projects. The aim of the paper is to analyse the impact of delay in Libyan construction projects by identifying and ranking the delay factors. A comprehensive literature was conducted to build up the general knowledge required to identify the potential delay factors in different countries. A semi structured questionnaire was designed using literature and distributed to construction companies that were selected randomly. The delay factors were ranked using the frequency of occurrence and severity scale. The survey result exposed that the construction projects in the developing countries suffer more delay than the developed countries. The critical delay factors found in Libyan construction projects were low skills of manpower, changes in the scope of the project, slowness in giving instruction, poor qualification of consultant and delay in delivering site project to contractor. Statistical experiments including, Paired Samples T-Test, was run to test the significance of the survey data and found that the result was significant. A case study of Libyan building project was analysed to identify the possible project delay and the sensitivity of each delay factor using @ risk simulation program. The case study result found that the project might be delayed by 97 to 103 days for one block in comparison to the planned duration. The results will guide the construction manager to take necessary measures to reduce the impact on construction project. The outcome of this study provides a methodology for identifying the delay factors and analysing the impact on construction projects.


Objective: The main intention of this research is to provide secured authentication on mobile devices with the use of multimodal based biometric authentication system under unconstrained settings. Methods: Method used in this research is pattern recognition algorithm namely modified unconstrained cohort normalisation (MUCN) is introduced into the score-level fusion process of multi-biometric system. The goal of proposed MUCN is normalizing the unconstraint modalities by correcting the misclassified scores occur in the UCN. Score normalization of multimodal biometric is enhanced and investigated for improving the accuracy performance of the multimodal biometric in an unconstraint setting. Results: The result of presented pattern recognition algorithm performs well in terms of recognition accuracy when compared to existing schemes.From the comparative evaluation on WVU multimodal data set, the proposed MUCN based Score level fusion achieves 89.2 % of overall recognition rate and out-performs existing state-of-art techniques. Conclusion: The present work demonstrates that the result obtained by MUCN can considerably improve the accuracy of fused biometrics. Thus it can be concluded that with respect to the obtained comparison results from the experiment, the proposed method provides highest recognization rate when compare with other conventional methods of biometric recognition system.


While studies on the damaging effects of PM2.5 air pollution are abundant, studies seeking to understand the factors that influence human behaviors for the avoidance of exposure to PM2.5 are lacking. Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) can be used to investigate the effects of Attitudes (AT), Subjective Norms (SN), and Perceived Behavioral Controls (PBC) in the Behavioral Intentions (BI) of parents with young children against exposure to PM2.5. Questionnaires, based on the TPB used to predict BI, were distributed to 610 parents in Taipei City and New Taipei City. Our results revealed that the AT of both groups had a significant positive predictive effect on their PBC and BI. While the SN of the Taipei group affected BI directly, there was no significant effect on the BI from the SN of the New Taipei group. Using path analysis, Taipei City and New Taipei City groups had different BI paths: All five hypotheses are statistically significant and form four paths in the Taipei City group. While only four hypotheses in the New Taipei City group formed three paths and no path for SN-BI. Both groups formed behaviors that were based on the SN/PBC around them, which ultimately contributed to the BI of their protective behaviors.


Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic affecting the world, seen in more than 1,300,000 patients. COVID-19 acts through the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. Cardiovascular comorbidities are more common with COVID-19, and nearly 10% of cases develop myocarditis (22% of critical patients). Further research is needed to continue or discontinue ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers, which are essential in hypertension and heart failure in COVID-19. Intensive research is promising for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19.


This paper proposes a new method to design a reinforcement learning-based integrated kinematic and dynamic tracking control scheme for a nonholonomic wheeled mobile robot. The scheme uses just only one neural network to design an online adaptive synchronous policy iteration algorithm implemented as an actor critic structure. Our tuning law for the single neural network not only learns online a tracking-HJB equation to approximate both the optimal cost and the optimal adaptive control law but also guarantees closed-loop stability in real-time. The convergence and stability of the overall system are proven by Lyapunov theory. The simulation results for wheeled mobile robot verify the effectiveness of the proposed controller.


Characterization of the genetic diversity of indigenous animal populations is a prerequisite for providing needed information for the conservation of useful genotypes against future uncertainties in the face of daunting global challenges such as climate change, emerging diseases, population growth, and rising consumer demands. In this study, a total of 232 helmeted guineafowls (Numida meleagris) sampled from three populations in Ghana, one population in Benin and two populations in Japan were genotyped across six autosomal microsatellite loci. Three vulturine guineafowls (Acryllium vulturinum) were included as outgroup. A total of 66 alleles were observed with an average of 11.0 alleles per locus. The indigenous West African populations (Ghana and Benin) were more genetically diverse (Na=9.8; Ho=0.457) but less differentiated (FST=0.162) compared to the non-indigenous populations in Japan (Na=4.2; Ho=0.236; FST=0.389). The information from this study would be useful for selection and improvement programs necessary for the sustainable exploitation of this agriculturally and commercially important species as a suitable alternative to chicken.


Background: Software project size is often used as independent variable for predicting dependent variables such as effort, schedule, costs or risks of software projects. The better the size estimation accuracy, the better the prediction accuracy of dependent variables. The size of each project is usually estimated in terms of the number of lines of code for the programming language in which the project will be coded. This estimation is typically done using expert judgment techniques or applying prediction models. Hypothesis: There is a statistically significant difference amongst size prediction accuracy of projects by the object-oriented programming language used, when they are estimated by expert judgment from specified requirements in natural language. Method: A population of 1,414 individual software projects was developed by 202 practitioners. Each project had its own specified requirements in natural language, and each one was developed within a controlled experiment and following a disciplined process. A sample of 676 projects developed in C++ or Java was selected for


OBJECTIVES
Ascertaining whether mental health service users have children is a clinical requirement in UK health services, and acknowledgement of a patient's parenting role is necessary to enable engagement with their parenting experience and to facilitate support, both of which are associated with improved outcomes for the parent-child dyad. The current study sought to investigate the practice of mental health practitioners working in UK adult mental health services with regard to the following: Ascertaining whether patients have children; engagement with the parenting role of patients; engagement with the construct of 'think patient as parent'.

METHODS
Self-report online/paper survey of 1105 multi-disciplinary adult mental health practitioners working in 15 mental health trusts in England.

RESULTS
A quarter of adult mental health practitioners did not routinely ascertain whether patients had dependent children. Less than half of practitioners engaged with the parenting experience or the potential impact of parental mental health on children.

CONCLUSIONS
The parenting role of patients is not routinely captured by large numbers of practitioners working in adult mental health settings. This is despite it being a mandatory requirement and an integral component of the systematic care of the adult, and preventative care for the offspring. Failure to engage with patients who are parents is a missed opportunity with profound downstream public health implications. The practice deficits identified in this study should be viewed in terms of broader structural failures to address the intergenerational transmission of poor mental health.

PRACTITIONER POINTS
Some parents who have mental health difficulties may struggle to provide appropriate and effective care to their children. The parenting role can also exacerbate mental health difficulties. Identification of dependent children is a mandatory component of adult mental health clinical practice and is necessary to understand a parent's support needs. A quarter of adult mental health practitioners are failing to do so. A missed opportunity to engage with the support needs of the parent-child dyad.


Optical single side band is a format that proves to be very efficient when dispersion is present in the fiber. This paper reports the construction and optimization of a Broadband Optical Single Sideband Prototype. We present our work in the implementation of optical single-sideband (OSSB) modulation and in the application of this modulation format for baseband transmission and microwave photonics. We report on the optimization of an Optical Single Sideband (OSSB) prototype transmitter 10 Gbit/s data rates. The system robustness to chromatic dispersion as well as the efficiency of the electric chromatic dispersion compensation were evaluated and reported.


Puppet is a declarative language for configuration management that has rapidly gained popularity in recent years. Numerous organizations now rely on Puppet code for deploying their software systems onto cloud infrastructures. In this paper we provide a definition of code quality for Puppet code and an automated technique for measuring and rating Puppet code quality. To this end, we first explore the notion of code quality as it applies to Puppet code by performing a survey among Puppet developers. Second, we develop a measurement model for the maintainability aspect of Puppet code quality. To arrive at this measurement model, we derive appropriate quality metrics from our survey results and from existing software quality models. We implemented the Puppet code quality model in a software analysis tool. We validate our definition of Puppet code quality and the measurement model by a structured interview with Puppet experts and by comparing the tool results with quality judgments of those experts. The validation shows that the measurement model and tool provide quality judgments of Puppet code that closely match the judgments of experts. Also, the experts deem the model appropriate and usable in practice. The Software Improvement Group (SIG) has started using the model in its consultancy practice.


In recent years, several attentional bias modification (ABM) studies have been conducted. Previous studies have suggested that explicit instruction (i.e., informing participants of the contingency of stimuli) enhances the effect of ABM. However, the specific working mechanism has not been identified. This is partly because reaction time (RT) data are typically reduced to an attention bias score, which is a mere difference of RT between experimental and control conditions. This data reduction causes a loss of information, as RT reflects various cognitive processes at play while making a response or decision. To overcome this issue, the present study applied linear ballistic accumulator (LBA) modeling to the outcomes (RT measures) of explicitly guided (compared to standard) ABM. This computational modeling approach allowed us to dissociate RTs into distinct components that can be relevant for attentional bias, such as efficiency of information processing or prior knowledge of the task; this provides an understanding of the mechanism of action underlying explicitly guided ABM. The analyzed data were RT-observed in the dot-probe task, which was administered before and after 3-days of ABM training. Our main focus was on the changes in LBA components that would be induced by the training. Additionally, we analyzed in-session performances over the 3 days of training. The LBA analysis revealed a significant reduction in processing efficiency (i.e., drift rate) in the congruent condition, where the target probe is presented in the same location as a negative stimulus. This explains the reduction in the overall attentional bias score, suggesting that explicit ABM suppresses processing of negative stimuli. Moreover, the results suggest that explicitly guided ABM may influence prior knowledge of the target location in the training task and make participants prepared to respond to the task. These findings highlight the usefulness of LBA-based analysis to explore the underlying cognitive mechanisms in ABM, and indeed our analyses revealed the differences between the explicit and the standard ABM that could not be identified by traditional RT analysis or attentional bias scores.


Sheep have a gastrointestinal tract similar to that of other ruminants. Their stomach is made up of four digestive organs: the rumen, the reticulum, the omasum and the abomasum. The rumen plays a role in storing ingested foods, which are fermented by a complex anaerobic rumen microbiota population with different types of interactions, positive or negative, that can occur between their microbial populations. Sheep feeding is largely based on the use of natural or cultivated fodder, which is exploited in green by grazing during the growth period of the grass and in the form of fodder preserved during the winter period. Ruminant foods are essentially of plant origin, and their constituents belong to two types of structures: intracellular constituents and cell wall components. Cellular carbohydrates play a role of metabolites or energy reserves; soluble carbohydrates account for less than 10% dry matter (DM) of foods. The plant cell wall is multi-layered and consists of primary wall and secondary wall. Fundamentally, the walls are deposited at an early stage of growth. A central blade forms the common boundary layer between two adjacent cells and occupies the location of the cell plate. Most of the plant cell walls consist of polysaccharides (cellulose, hemicellulose and pectic substances) and lignin, these constituents being highly polymerized, as well as proteins and tannins.