Traditionally the motor system was thought of as a movement output device that, after brain damage, can impede patients from correctly planning and executing an action. In the last 20 years neuropsychological observations have contributed to the development of a new view that attributes higher‐level functions to this system. Rapidly, this area of investigation has grown very popular, with motor representations being considered critical for action and object recognition, imagery and even language understanding. At present, we can distinguish between embodied and disembodied theories. The former predominantly are built on associations of deficits in these abilities whereas the latter rely on dissociations between deficits. Neuroimaging research has also showed that different action‐related functions activate either overlapping or discrete regions, thus sustaining either association‐based or dissociation‐based models. Although no convincing theory is, to date, available to explain both sets of observations, cognitive neuroscientists have begun to explore this intermediate hypothesis space. Here we suggest that concepts like strategy and simulation seem promising in explaining how the cognitive system alternates between action‐related functions.


This book is the first history of the techniques, systems, and technologies used to evacuate wounded from the battlefield. Historically, the word "ambulance "described those facilities that provided temporary assistance to the wounded, thus distinguishing them from stationary hospitals where military personnel received more permanent care. Americans and British, however, applied the term to the two-to four-wheeled transport conveyances that carried wounded from the battlefield to the war hospitals. With the aid of fifty-four illustrations, John S. Haller traces the histories of both meanings of the word from the Napoleonic era through the Great War and its aftermath. He concentrates on the development of British and American evacuation procedures and technology with a focus on hand conveyances and wheeled vehicles. His intent is not to cover all aspects of medical evacuation but to accurately recount the common medical evacuation problems, incongruities, and controversies that existed for warring nations.


Character-based representations have important advantages over subword-based ones for morphologically rich languages. They come with increased robustness to noisy input and do not need a separate tokenization step. However, they also have a crucial disadvantage: they notably increase the length of text sequences. The GBST method from Charformer groups (aka downsamples) characters to solve this, but allows information to leak when applied to a Transformer decoder. We solve this information leak issue, thereby enabling character grouping in the decoder. We show that Charformer downsampling has no apparent benefits in NMT over previous downsampling methods in terms of translation quality, however it can be trained roughly 30% faster. Promising performance on English--Turkish translation indicate the potential of character-level models for morphologically-rich languages.


The project is an ongoing exploration into the process of sharing memories, anecdotes and dance moves as a means of bringing communities together and engendering the possibilities for richer immersive performance experiences.
Through the process of gathering, documenting and responding to these garnered evocations, my research considers the shifting levels of audience engagement and participation and the significance of site and location. As an integral part of this participatory art project, I adopt the role of the 'Dance Collector': I will try to learn your moves and will teach you mine. I cannot dance, but you can watch me try.
I am particularly interested in documenting and performatively curating the experience of people whose reflections on special first meetings or of falling in love are accompanied by the excitement of dance movement. I seek to elicit memories of the intimacy, excitement, exhilaration of those dances at weddings, school discos, village halls and football stands. I want to collect these instances of social dance, interweaving them into an ongoing processual performance that transforms the testimony of others into an embodied archive.
The work shown here has evolved through interactions and residencies that have taken place at various community settings including: Crewe Community Centre, Hunt & Darton's Cafe (Manchester & Preston), Preston Market and The Birley Studios in Preston.


Background: In the female genital tract, up to 30% of Papanicolaou (Pap)-stained cervicovaginal smears of intrauterine device (IUD) users are positive for actinomyces-like organisms (ALOs). Many clinicians believe that no therapeutic intervention is necessary if women with ALOs are without symptoms. However, there are no recommendations for the procedure in ALO-positive women with need for a routine IUD exchange. Study Design: In this retrospective study, the incidence of ALOs was compared in ALO-positive women with a routine IUD exchange according to two new procedures: Group 1 (n=19), insertion of a new IUD immediately after removal of the index device, and Group 2 (n=19) IUD removal and reinsertion after 3–5 days. A Pap smear was obtained at intervals of 6 weeks and 12, 24 and 36 months after reinsertion. Results: The cytological examination carried out after 6 weeks proved to be negative for ALOs in all cases. After 36 months, smears were more often positive for ALOs in women with immediate IUD exchange (73% vs. 33%; pb.17). Conclusion: Our results indicate that in ALO-positive women, IUD reinsertion immediately after removal or after an interval of 3–5 days is safe. The interval reinsertion might be of advantage on a long-term basis.


Purpose: We identify whether tachyphylaxis and priapism effects of sildenafil are related to regulation of phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) expression. Materials and Methods: Cavernous smooth muscle cells (CSMCs) were isolated from young rats and treated with 0, 1, 10 and 25 μM sildenafil with or without 100 μM of sodium nitroprusside for 3 and 7 days. The cells were subjected to reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis for PDE-5 expression. Plasmid constructs carrying PDE-5A1 and PDE-5A2 promoters were transfected into COS-7 cells, treated with 25 μM sildenafil and analyzed for promoter activities. To simulate priapism, CSMCs were cultured under anoxia or hypoxia and then analyzed for PDE-5 expression. Furthermore, rats underwent bilateral pudendal arterial ligation for 1 day to 14 weeks, and corpus cavernous tissues were subjected to reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis for PDE-5 expression. Results: Up-regulation of PDE-5 was noted in CSMCs treated with 25 μM sildenafil for 7 days. PDE-5 messenger RNA and protein levels were significantly increased in the 7-day sildenafil treated cultures. Sodium nitroprusside appeared to down-regulate PDE-5 expression. Sildenafil significantly increased the activities of PDE-5A1 promoter. PDE-5 expression was significantly reduced under anoxia and hypoxia. The corpus cavernous tissue showed a gradual decrease in PDE-5 expression under ischemia. Conclusions: Repeated treatment with sildenafil at high concentrations was needed to simulate tachyphylaxis in our cell culture system. Adequate oxygenation was important for PDE-5 expression. Thus, sicklemic patients may express PDE-5 at abnormally low levels, predisposing them at risk of stuttering priapism.


Advisory system is an application system that helps the user in certain expertise
to make choice that suitable to their preferences or needs. The system provides a
recommendation, prediction or opinion that can assist the user in computerized solution.
In the era of e-commerce, applying the advisory system will help increasing the
business potential and also revenue, as the system can become a service that will attract
the user. The system is also seem to be useful in aiding guitar players to get the most
suitable guitar parts that match with their music preferences and playing styles by
suggesting which parts should be used or included in their guitar. For beginner guitar
player or who just recently grow interest in guitar, it is quite difficult for them to get the
right or suitable guitar parts that really suits their music preferences or their way of
playing guitar. The system has two recommendation modes which each method has
their own target user. The first mode is specially designed for beginner guitar player
who do not have even slight of idea about guitar or guitar parts. This mode require the
user to input three information, their budget, their music preferences and any brand that
their specifically want. The other recommendation mode is for beginner player that
have brief or little experience vwth the instrument. They just have to browse the list of
guitar parts and choose wliich that they like. With this, the user can get a suggestion and
use that as guidance in buying their guitar parts. As a conclusion, this system will be
helpfiil to beginner guitar player in buying the guitar parts that will suit well with their
preferences.


This essay discusses, in a somewhat wry vein, the author's research and development of the article, "The Lost Compromise: Reassessing the Early Understanding in Court and Congress on Incorporation of the Bill of Rights in the Fourteenth Amendment," 61 Ohio St. L.J. 1051 (2000) (available at http://ssrn.com/abstract=229228). The latter article, and this essay, challenge the conventional, orthodox view that the Supreme Court in the Slaughter-House Cases (1873) intentionally rejected the theory that the Fourteenth Amendment "incorporates" and applies the Bill of Rights to the states.This essay argues that Slaughter-House's bad reputation is largely unjustified. The decision is widely viewed as a travesty in which the Court judicially repealed the Fourteenth Amendment Privileges and Immunities Clause. But, in fact, it was a tragedy of failed promise. Slaughter-House reflected a moderately progressive compromise view of the Amendment. It allowed ample leeway for appropriate governmental regulation of economic, social, and health matters, while leaving the door open to (and arguably endorsing) the application of the Bill of Rights to the states. But the progressive potential of Slaughter-House was betrayed by later Supreme Court cases that disincorporated the Bill of Rights, and - as in Lochner v. New York (1905) - perverted the Amendment into a weapon to strike down progressive economic and social legislation.Additional articles by Professor Wildenthal relating to the Fourteenth Amendment and the Bill of Rights include: "The Road to Twining: Reassessing the Disincorporation of the Bill of Rights," 61 Ohio St. L.J. 1457 (2000) (available at http://ssrn.com/abstract=229443); "Nationalizing the Bill of Rights: Revisiting the Original Understanding of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1866-67," 68 Ohio St. L.J. 1509 (2007) (available at http://ssrn.com/abstract=963487); and "Nationalizing the Bill of Rights: Scholarship and Commentary on the Fourteenth Amendment in 1867-1873," 18 J. Contemp. Legal Issues 153 (2009) (available at http://ssrn.com/abstract=1354404).


Background: Skin test reactivity to hymenoptera venom and venom-specific IgE are important for diagnosing venom allergy and deciding on the appropriate allergen for venom immunotherapy (VIT). Longitudinal data on skin test reactivity during VIT and their correlation with venom-specific immunoglobulin (Ig)E and IgG are scarce. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed shifts in skin test reactivity and serum levels of venom-specific IgE and IgG in patients allergic to hymenoptera venom before the initiation of VIT with ultrarush therapy and after ≥3 years of VIT. Results: Fifty-four patients received ultrarush desensitization and subsequent VIT with wasp venom, 26 with honeybee venom, and 8 with both wasp and honeybee venom. Hymenoptera-specific skin test reactivity decreased during VIT in most patients, and became negative in 8% of the wasp-allergic patients and in 25% of the honeybee-allergic patients. Serum levels of venom-specific IgE positively correlated to skin test reactivity before VIT, but did not change significantly during VIT. IgG serum levels and the IgG/IgE ratio increased during VIT in most patients. A high IgG/IgE ratio correlated with low skin test reactivity after ≥3 years of VIT. Conclusions: The correlation between a high venom-specific IgG/IgE ratio and low skin test reactivity after VIT may be interesting for future investigations that assess its role as a potential marker for VIT efficacy.


The behavior of a noncavity laser with a magnifying optical element placed in front of the high-reflectivity mirror is analyzed. Using ray matrix analysis, a general formula for estimating the divergence is derived. It is shown that the formula can be applied to lasers with a telescope or a prism placed in front of the high-reflectivity curved or plane mirror at one end. The various noncavity configurations are applied to a copper vapor laser (CVL) and divergence is measured. The calculated and the experimentally observed divergence values are found to be in good agreement. >


Three-dimensional finite element method has been used for modelling of the magnetic field and computation of the electromagnetic force of recently developed permanent magnet linear actuator. The actuator is subject to specific requirements – having four stable positions without supply and maintaining minimum static force during the whole working stroke. The actuator consists of several cores with coils placed on a common yoke and a moving permanent magnet. It is intended for needle driving in a knitting machine. Influence of different factors on the static force characteristic is estimated.


LMX (Leader Member Exchange) theory is considered an approach to evaluate and examine the quality of the relationship between two parties, the leader and the group members. The objective of this approach, characterized by unique leader-members relationships, made it popular within the field of leadership. Based on the LMX framework, this research study aims to develop an understanding of the nature of the relationship between the research group leader and the research group members within the Higher Education (HE) sector where the research on LMX has been insufficient. This paper follows a phenomenological research approach to explore certain phenomena such as LMX differentiation and how it is perceived by research team members within the HE sector. The United Kingdom (UK) has been chosen as the research context due to the increasing impact of the HE sector, including the field of academic research, on the economy of the UK and the importance of academic research teams within this sector. This conceptual paper will explore the significance of the proposed research and its methodological implications.


Objective Hypotension following endotracheal intubation in the ICU is associated with poor outcomes. There is no formal prediction tool to help estimate the onset of this hemodynamic compromise. Our objective was to derive and validate a prediction model for immediate hypotension following endotracheal intubation. Methods A multicenter, prospective, cohort study enrolling 934 adults who underwent endotracheal intubation across 16 medical/surgical ICUs in the United States from July 2015-January 2017 was conducted to derive and validate a prediction model for immediate hypotension following endotracheal intubation. We defined hypotension as: 1) mean arterial pressure <65 mmHg; 2) systolic blood pressure <80 mmHg and/or decrease in systolic blood pressure of 40% from baseline; 3) or the initiation or increase in any vasopressor in the 30 minutes following endotracheal intubation. Results Post-intubation hypotension developed in 344 (36.8%) patients. In the full cohort, 11 variables were independently associated with hypotension: increasing illness severity; increasing age; sepsis diagnosis; endotracheal intubation in the setting of cardiac arrest, mean arterial pressure <65 mmHg, and acute respiratory failure; diuretic use 24 hours preceding endotracheal intubation; decreasing systolic blood pressure from 130 mmHg; catecholamine and phenylephrine use immediately prior to endotracheal intubation; and use of etomidate during endotracheal intubation. A model excluding unstable patients' pre-intubation (those receiving catecholamine vasopressors and/or who were intubated in the setting of cardiac arrest) was also developed and included the above variables with the exception of sepsis and etomidate. In the full cohort, the 11 variable model had a C-statistic of 0.75 (95% CI 0.72, 0.78). In the stable cohort, the 7 variable model C-statistic was 0.71 (95% CI 0.67, 0.75). In both cohorts, a clinical risk score was developed stratifying patients' risk of hypotension. Conclusions A novel multivariable risk score predicted post-intubation hypotension with accuracy in both unstable and stable critically ill patients. Study registration Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT02508948 and Registered Report Identifier: RR2-10.2196/11101.


Internet and information and communication technologies (ICTs) have contributed to the emergence of a new type of collaboration networks which is virtual organizations (VOs). VOs allow organizations to share and exchange resources and competencies for economical or educational purposes. Within VOs, each organization must open its information system; thus security concerns are raised to setup collaboration means. An information security policy is defined on the VO level. It must be consistent and be part of the global ISMS modelled and implemented according to the directives of international security standards. In this paper, we evaluate a proposal access control architecture for VOs using our maturity level tool based on the ISO/IEC 17799 international security standard.


Issues surrounding the management of mental illness in the workplace have become more pressing for employers over the past decade. To date, the impact of mental illness in the workplace has not been adequately documented or described. While individual supervisors and managers often have painful and complicated stories to tell, there has not yet been a significant body of literature to guide the supervisory
management of mental illness in the workplace. This is a guide for supervisors and, as such, attempts to provide a roadmap through the often overwhelming and confusing experience of workplace management
of employees with a mental illness. The purpose of this guide is to help supervisors to respond sensitively and effectively to instances when an employee may be suffering a mental illness in the workplace. The content of this guide has been developed from ongoing workplace consultation, interviews with employers, and a review of the literature addressing disability, mental illness, and the best practices for human resource policy. The guide is divided into two sections. The first discusses the issues, the challenges,
and the policy and legal implications facing managers, employees, and the entire workgroup when an employee suffers from a mental illness. The second section is devoted to recommending to supervisors a seven-step process for handling managerial situations when they arise. Before beginning, let's examine the magnitude of the experience of mental illness. How common is mental illness? How likely are supervisors to encounter mental illness in their immediate workgroup? What should and can they do about it?


Menstrual hygiene is vital to the health, well-being, dignity and productivity of women and girls. The study assessed menstrual hygiene practices among adolescents in selected secondary schools around the University of Ibadan. The study was descriptive. A semi structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 381 respondents. Sanitary pad was found to be the most common (76.6%) menstrual protective materials used by the respondents. The choice of menstrual hygiene product by majority (42.3%) of the respondents was not dependent on any particular reason. Most (93.7%) of the respondents had information about menstruation before they started and mothers were the source of information for most (87.0%). Only 30.1% of respondents' reported that food intake affected the flow menstruation. It is therefore pertinent that mothers be well equipped to give the girl child appropriate information about menstrual hygiene practices, in order to promote the health of the adolescent girls. Keywords: Adolescent, Menstrual hygiene, Practice, Secondary school


The authors discuss adaptive control of a space robot system with an attitude-controlled base on which the robot is attached. An adaptive control scheme in joint space is proposed. Since most tasks are specified in inertia space, instead of joint space, the authors discuss the issues associated to adaptive control in inertia space and identify two potential problems, unavailability of the joint trajectory (since mapping from inertia space trajectory is dynamics-dependent and subject to uncertainty), and nonlinear parameterization in inertia space. For a planar system, the linear parameterization problem is investigated, the design procedure of the controller is illustrated, and the validity and effectiveness of the proposed control scheme are demonstrated.<<ETX>>


Cross-platform object-level coherence in Web services-based distributed systems and grids requires lossless serialization to ensure programming-language specific objects are safely transmitted, manipulated, and stored. However, Web services development tools often suffer from lossy forms of XML serialization, which diminishes the usefulness of XML Web services as a competitive approach to binary protocols. The difficulty mainly originates from the impedance mismatch between programming language data types and XML schema types. To overcome this obstacle, we propose hybrid static/dynamic algorithms to support lossless serialization of programming-language specific binary-encoded object graphs to text-based XML trees, while staying within the limits imposed by XML schema validation and the XSD type system. This paper presents a compiler-based approach to automatically emit serialization routines for C and C++ data types to XML. Experimental results show that the presented compiler-based serialization is efficient and performance is comparable to systems that use binary protocols.


In the literature for strategic management a number of authors have explained in which ways information and communication technology (ICT) is being deployed in the strategy of the firm. In management books and articles in management journals a variety of cases have been described how specific firms deploy ICT but increasingly information, in their strategy. A number of authors have proposed conceptual frameworks for new strategies enabled by the deployment of ICT, but less so due to the changing nature of information and the exploitation of information. Both for educational purposes and for transferring insights gained from leading firms to other firms in a reliable and comprehensive way a conceptual framework is needed to understand new strategies, especially those based on competing on information and information superiority. This paper explorers the different concept of information in relation to a strategic deployment of information. The strategic deployment of ICT can be explained in the concepts of industrial organization as the underlying theory of strategy. The strategic deployment of information partly fits into traditional concepts, but also questions traditional concept of strategy. Also the lower costs of information and communication make corporate strategy and some aspects of business strategy converge, whereas other aspects of business strategy converge with operations. The higher transparency in markets due to lower costs of information and communication forces firms to shift their strategies from the conduct level to the structure level to create and maintain market power. Especially information overload and mediation of goods and services create strategies outside the scope of traditional strategies. The increased role of information in marketing, sales and the customer value proposition and the increased volatility in consumer preferences require firms to created some form of information superiority, that is the capability to acquire, record, store, retrieve, interpret information and turn this into product and price differentiation and adjusted customer value propositions. The attempt to understand the various roles of information in firm's strategies reveals that the field of strategy lacks a coherent theory.


This suite of Industry Snapshots complements Future Focus, the 2013 National Workforce Development Strategy. These snapshots provide additional information and analysis on each industry to assist stakeholders in planning for the future of their industry or sector. It should be noted that the longer term data contained in this publication is based on AWPA's four scenarios for Australia to 2025 and is not intended to be compared to other data sources or projections.


The intestine is exposed to a vast array of harmless dietary antigen as well as an enormous community of commensal bacteria. Alongside this harmless antigen, pathogens can enter the body via the intestinal mucosal surface. The intestinal immune system must discriminate between pathogens and innocuous antigens. Dendritic cells (DCs), present in the small intestine (SI) and colon, are fundamental in controlling intestinal immune responses; they migrate to the mesenteric lymph node (MLN) and prime effector or regulatory T cells. Furthermore, DCs direct the immune response in the gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT), the Peyer's patches (PP) and isolated lymphoid follicles (ILFs).
The aim of this work was to determine the anatomical origins of DCs in the MLN. First, the anatomical organisation of lymphatic vessels draining to the MLN from the SI and colon was investigated. Second, DC migration in mice lacking specific GALT was explored. Finally, the migration of DCs from PPs to the MLN was investigated. To achieve these aims, DC migration was studied using a variety of labelling methods, mice that lacked specific GALT were employed, and surgical procedures were used to collect DCs from the thoracic duct.
Here, I demonstrate the anatomical segregation of DCs that migrate to the MLN from the SI and colon. This was reflected in differences in DC subset composition and antigen presentation in the SI and colon-draining nodes of the MLN. Separate analysis of MLN nodes will allow a more refined understanding of intestinal immune responses. All but one DC subset, CD103-CD11b- DCs, were still present in pseudo-afferent lymph from mice lacking both PPs and ILFs. This subset is therefore likely to originate from either PPs or ILFs. Surprisingly, CD103+CD8α+ DCs were present in these mice, showing that many CD8α+ DCs were resident in the lamina propria and are not limited to lymphoid tissue. Four DC subsets are able to migrate from the intestine in PP-null mice, suggesting that CD103-CD11b- DCs migrate specifically from ILFs. I then demonstrated that DCs migrate from PPs to the MLN. These migrating PP DCs expanded in response to a DC specific growth factor and their migration depended on CCR7 and S1P. These cells may play an important role in driving immune responses in the MLN and their
manipulation could lead to advances in controlling intestinal immune responses.


We have developed an adaptive spectral imaging classifier that directly spectrally-classifies every location in a scene and adaptively adjusts itself to facilitate this classification process. The net result is classification error rates that are multiple orders-of-magnitude below those of conventional instruments or even static computational/compressive sensing approaches. I will present our latest results and demonstrate quantitative agreement with expected performance across a wide range of operational parameters. Article not available.


In the past years, many kinds of wrist-force sensors have been designed and developed. However, in the development of such sensors, the dynamic behavior of the sensors has rarely been investigated due to the complexity involved. To provide the designers and users of the sensors with insights into the dynamic performance of a designed sensor, we present in this paper the study of the dynamic behavior of the sensor. First of all, the dynamic behavior of typical sensing elements of the sensor is analyzed. Then a dynamic model of a wrist force sensor is developed with the dynamic behavior of the sensor studied taking into account the effects of the end effector of a robot. Some simulation and experiments are carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of the dynamic model and highlight the effects of the end effector of a robot on the dynamic behavior of the sensor.


The result of the hemodynamics in spleen studying in 90 patients with liver cirrhosis and a portal hypertension syndrome is adduced. The significance of hyperdynamic state of blood circulation in spleen, influencing the portal hypertension occurrence and the secondary hypersplenism formation, was established. The conversion of liver cirrhosis to decompensation stage is caused by the change of splenic circulation from hyperdynamic state to congestive one.


Three series of imines containing fluoroalkyl, polyether, alkyl and alkoxy peripheral chains have been prepared. The phase behaviour of the semiperfluorinated compounds has been investigated by optical polarizing microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray scattering. The thermal behaviour of the semiperfluorinated imines1–10 depends on the number of chains, the substitution pattern and the number of fluorine atoms in the fluoroalkyl chains. Increasing the number of fluorine atoms in the fluoroalkyl chains leads to a stabilization of smectic and columnar mesophases. The effect of polyether side chains on the mesomorphic behaviour of imine compounds has also been investigated. In addition, first examples of mesogenic copper(II) complexes carrying semiperfluorinated alkyl chains at their peripheries and a palladium complex have been synthesized and their liquid crystalline properties have been investigated.


The relationship between concepts such as resilience, capacity development, empowerment and poverty reduction, and their corresponding practices, works as a matrix of neoliberal subjectivation processes involving both men and women on a global level. In the framework of the human resilience paradigm, the concepts and political practices of development have taken on a particularly strategic value and conceptual meaning, and are producing unexpected effects in term of inclusion, exclusion, abandonment, and exploitation. Analysing capacity development policies as relates to resilience allows us to observe how Governmentality regulates the life and death of people on the global scene of the late liberalism.


We present an automated point-of-care testing (POCT) system for rapid detection of species- and resistance markers in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) at the level of single cells, directly from nasal swab samples. Our novel system allows clear differentiation between MRSA, methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (MR-CoNS), which is not the case for currently used real-time quantitative PCR based systems. On top, the novel approach outcompetes the culture-based methods in terms of its short time-to-result (1 h vs. up to 60 h) and reduces manual labor. The walk-away test is fully automated on the centrifugal microfluidic LabDisk platform. The LabDisk cartridge comprises the unit operations swab-uptake, reagent pre-storage, distribution of the sample into 20 000 droplets, specific enzymatic lysis of Staphylococcus spp. and recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) of species (vicK) - and resistance (mecA) -markers. LabDisk actuation, incubation and multi-channel fluorescence detection is demonstrated with a clinical isolate and spiked nasal swab samples down to a limit of detection (LOD) of 3 ± 0.3 CFU μl-1 for MRSA. The novel approach of the digital single cell detection is suggested to improve hospital admission screening, timely decision making, and goal-oriented antibiotic therapy. The implementation of a higher degree of multiplexing is required to translate the results into clinical practice.


Acute ethanolism in automobile drivers is purported to be both protective and detrimental in susceptibility to injury from an accident. The potential influence of acute intoxication (serum ethanol greater than 100 mg/dl) on pattern and severity of injury, hospital course, and long-term outcome, including mortality, was examined in 182 consecutive automobile drivers requiring admission to a regional university trauma center during 1980. Significantly more drivers were intoxicated than not, 61% vs. 39%. Similarly, more than 75% of the intoxicated drivers were young males and more than 80% of the intoxicated drivers were felt to be negligent and at cause for the accident. However in this series, the patterns and severity of injuries, hospital course, and late outcome were unaffected by the patient's blood alcohol level. Acute alcohol intoxication apparently neither protected nor hindered the response to injury in these motor vehicle drivers.


This special issue summarizes the main results of the latter half of a five-year project called SATREPS (Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development) supported by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). The project title is "Development of a Comprehensive Disaster Resilience System and Collaboration Platform in Myanmar" and it is the first SATREPS project adopted in Myanmar. Yangon Technological University (YTU) is a major counterpart organization and both national and local governmental organizations are working together as strategic partners.
 In the first half of the project, a database was constructed, composed of important data for assessing urban safety and disaster risk, such as the ground properties, and distribution of buildings, people, and traffic. Using the database, city development model and evaluation models for flood and earthquake risks were developed.
 In the latter half of the project, combining these two evaluation models, a system was developed for discussing future damage differences due to different urban plans and countermeasures. Furthermore, regarding flood, near-real-time flood inundation simulation system was developed. Related to earthquake disaster, a support system was developed for implementation of efficient countermeasures for both pre- and post-disaster. For infrastructure maintenance, performance monitoring and maintenance methods were proposed. Finally, in order to continue research activities and promote a continuous utilization of project results, a consortium scheme in which industry, government, and academia can work together has been created.
 We hope that our SATREPS project activities can contribute to proper urban development and improvement of disaster management issues not only in Myanmar but also in other Asian countries.


Osteoporosis is a major cause of disability among patients that are dependent on glucocorticoids in the treatment of inflammatory disease. The pathogenesis behind this side effect is complex, involving dysregulation of hormonal systems and direct effects on bone cells. The present thesis investigates the effects of glucocorticoids on the cells of the skeleton; the osteoblasts and the osteoclasts. First, three techniques for the isolation and culture of human osteoblast-like cells were compared and differences in the expression of markers of the osteoblastic phenotype were described. Also, a new fluorometric assay for the quantification of osteoblast cell proliferation was optimised and found to measure cell number in an accurate and reliable manner. Two main experimental in vitro models were used; primary isolations of human osteoblast-like cells (hOB) and a bone resorption assay based on radioactively labelled neonatal mouse calvariae. Specific focus was on the ability of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and growth hormone (GH) to modulate the effects of glucocorticoids on production of matrix proteins in the hOB system and the effect on osteoclast activity in the resorption assay.This thesis shows that dexamethasone inhibits proliferation of hOB cells when applied at doses above 0.1 µM and that both collagen type I and osteocalcin secretion is potently inhibited. Co-treatment with IGF-I totally reversed the inhibition of hydrocortisone on collagen synthesis but could only partially reverse the inhibitory effect of dexamethasone on cell growth. IGF-I, but not GH, stimulated osteocalcin secretion in the presence of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) and right shifted the dose-response curve of dexamethasone-induced inhibition of osteocalcin secretion. This effect may be mediated through an increased number of vitamin D receptors (VDR), since IGF-I increased VDR mRNA levels in the MG63 osteosarcoma cell line. Furthermore, it is shown that, although IGF-I stimulated the formation of osteoclasts in murine bone marrow cultures, it did not enhance bone resorption in neonatal mouse calvariae. Instead, IGF-I inhibited parathyroid hormone-, 1,25(OH)2D3-, prostaglandin E2- and dexamethasone-induced bone resorption. In summary, IGF-I counteracts the negative effects of glucocorticoids on bone cells and might be beneficial in the treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.


Throughout the developed world, the share of agriculture in total income of the rural population is declining. This is due to push and pull factors. On one hand, terms of trade of agriculture are falling and farmers are forced to seek additional income sources. On the other hand, population expansion in rural areas, including an important component of urban-to-rural migration, creates attractive opportunities for alternative income-generating activities. The question is whether agriculture is good or bad for rural well-being. Are communities with more agriculture composed of stronger farms that enhance economic well-being, or perhaps more agriculture means lack of alternatives, in which case the outcome is the opposite? The answer has important implications for agricultural and rural policy. This paper attempts to answer this question in the context of Israeli Moshav semi-cooperative villages. These villages were established by farmers but have experienced a rising trend of exodus from farming in recent years and an inflow of non-farm population. We use village-level data derived from Censuses of Population and Censuses of Agriculture to study three complementary measures of well-being: income per-capita, housing spaciousness, and automobile ownership. We estimate a recursive system of simultaneous equations in which housing spaciousness and automobile ownership depend on income per-capita. The fraction of agriculture in total income in each village is the central explanatory variable. We also use explanatory variables representing demographic and economic characteristics of the villages, as well as geographic location and institutional affiliation. The results show that agriculture has a significantly negative effect on income per-capita. Income per-capita is also affected positively by the fraction of the population in the labor force, by the fraction of self-employed, and by the fraction of the population holding academic degrees. It is affected negatively by the distance from Tel-Aviv (the economic center of the country). Housing spaciousness and automobile ownership are affected positively by income per-capita. Holding income per-capita constant, housing spaciousness and automobile ownership are affected positively by the importance of agriculture. Housing spaciousness is also affected positively by median age in the village and the dependency ration, and negatively by household size. Automobile ownership is affected positively by household size and negatively by the dependency ratio. We conclude that rural communities that rely more heavily on agriculture are worse off in terms of income per-capita, but this adverse effect on well-being is partially offset by opposite results with respect to housing spaciousness and automobile ownership. The decline of agriculture is clearly not fully compensated by alternative sources of income. Provided that the global decline of agriculture will continue, the challenge of the authorities is to promote sufficiently attractive employment opportunities in rural areas that will smooth the occupational migration out of farming and prevent rural poverty.


Plastics are an important part of the range of materials used in contemporary society, and almost all aspects of daily life involve plastics in some form. However, they are closely associated with various issues such as environmental pollution and health concerns. To tackle the worsening problems, in addition to implementing more effective waste management methods, the concept of sustainability should be ingrained in everyone's consciousness. This research explored the feasibility of establishing a learning experience for students by organising a small-scale design competition within the Te Herenga Waka / Victoria University of Wellington(THW/VUW) as a case study for creative sustainable practices. A specific focus of the research was on the recycling and upcycling of plastic waste generated, identified, and collected by students who have been exposed to 3D printing technologies.
A principle output of the research was to trial the effectiveness of this approach and provide informed guidelines for expanding this learning experience to other universities with 3D printing facilities.


In Reply: We thank Dr. Kopman for his comments regarding the Practice Guidelines for Postanesthetic Care.1 This guideline document consisted of an update rather than a comprehensive revision of the 2001 version2 and examined new evidence from literature, surveys, and other sources as applied to the existing evidence model. Of note, there were no changes to the recommendations. Had we obtained substantive new findings as applied to the original evidence linkages, we would likely have proceeded with a full revision and had the opportunity to reconsider the issue raised by Dr. Kopman. Regarding traditional bedside or clinical tests of neuromuscular function, we agree with Dr. Kopman that this area does straddle the topics of intraoperative and postoperative care, and our literature search focused primarily on postoperative care. In this case, our findings were observational as opposed to Category A (randomized controlled trial) evidence and believe that more research is needed in this important area. These observational studies did indicate that neuromuscular blockade monitoring is effective in detecting neuromuscular dysfunction. We also agree that intraoperative monitoring of neuromuscular function (ideally with a quantitative monitor) would be valuable, particularly during emergence and recovery. As with all of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) evidence-based practice parameters, the ASA endeavors to conduct an exhaustive literature search and invites comments and contributions from Task Force members, expert consultants, and other contributors during the several months the preapproval draft is posted on the internet. Though no queries similar to those raised by Dr. Kopman were received when the draft of this document was available for comment, we plan to again review these Guidelines in the future and will consider the query at that time. Again, we thank Dr. Kopman for his thoughtful and informative letter indicating his concerns.


Orthotopic liver transplantation (OUT) often involves large blood loss and replacement, aswell as administration of large amounts of blood products to correct coagulation defects. Renal free water excretion is often impaired in end-stage liver disease and not responsive to routine diuretic therapy, predisposing these patients to accumulation of extravascular lung water. The effects of the intraoperatives use of continuous arteriovenous hemofiltration (CAVH) on cardiopulmonary and oxygen transport variables were studied in ten patients during and 24 hours after OLT. CAVH prevented increases in pulmonary shunt fraction while decreasing PEEP and FIO2 requirements. Pulmonary compliance was significantly higher after operation in patients receivingCAVH. Before surgical dissection, hemodynamic effects of CAVH were minimal. Postoperatively, patients having CAVH had lower cardiac filling pressures and more normal systemic vascular resistance than did patients not having CAVH. These data suggest that CAVH may be a useful intraoperative technique for patients with impaired renal function undergoing liver transplantation.


Exploration in the absence of a concrete task is a key characteristic of autonomous agents and vital for the emergence of intelligent behaviour. Various intrinsic motivation frameworks have been suggested, such as novelty seeking, surprise maximisation or empowerment. Here we focus on the latter, empowerment, an agent-centric and information-theoretic measure of an agent's perceived influence on the world. By considering improving one's empowerment estimator – we call it empowerment gain (EG) – we derive a novel exploration criterion that focuses directly on the desired goal: exploration in order to help the agent recognise its capability to interact with the world. We propose a new theoretical framework based on improving a parametrised estimation of empowerment and show how it integrates novelty, surprise and learning progress into a single formulation. Empirically, we validate our theoretical findings on some simple but instructive grid world environments. We show that while such an agent is still novelty seeking, i. e. interested in exploring the whole state space, it focuses on exploration where its perceived influence is greater, avoiding areas of greater stochasticity or traps that limit its control.


Background: Food is a major determinant of chronic noncommunicable diseases. Because of this, social inequalities in food consumption will likely produce social inequalities in disease and life expectancy. Objectives: This study analyses the social inequalities in food consumption in Portugal and whether they differ between men and women and between younger and older people. Methods: Following a cross-sectional observational study, we analyzed data from 11,085 individuals aged 25–64 years who participated in the 2014 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Logistic regression models were used to measure the association between socioeconomic conditions, i.e., education and income, and food consumption. The analysis was then stratified by sex and age. Results: A positive gradient for income and education was observed in the consumption of fish, cakes, natural juices, and dairy products. The consumption of legumes and soft drinks was inversely related to income and education. A socioeconomic gradient for fruits and vegetables was observed only among women and older people. Worse-off people consumed less soup, and underprivileged women consumed fewer fast-food products. Conclusion: The food consumption patterns of Portuguese adults are related to their socioeconomic condition, with few variations across demographic categories.


The primary objective of the Health Care Linkage Project, funded by a grant from the Chicago Community Trust, is to develop, implement, and evaluate a primary health care linkage network within the city of Chicago that creates formalized linkages between community health centers, the Chicago Department of Health clinics, and hospitals. Six linkage networks are currently operational, with an additional two sites phased in during 1991. The success of the pilot project has been demonstrated by hundreds of patients receiving primary care and ancillary services on a more timely basis, by greater coordination between the public and private sector, by cost-savings to both patients and providers through reducing inappropriate use of services, and by a variety of spin-off projects which have improved the quality and accessibility of services. A second important objective is the development of a Health Care Linkage Manual that describes the practical experience and lessons gained from the linkages, the status of comparable arrangements in other U.S. cities, replicability of the linkage models, and recommendations for policy changes which will make linkages more effective.


In this study, a two‐stage battery charger architecture with high‐efficiency, multi‐input, and output half‐bridge LLC (HBLLC) resonance converter that performs a wide load range is proposed. The first input of the HBLLC is provided by the photovoltaic (PV) panel assembly on the vehicle. A high efficiency and fast maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm has been developed for the PV panel to operate at the maximum power point. The other input is supplied by a grid‐connected AC‐DC bridgeless power factor correction (PFC) converter, which is controlled with the average current mode (ACM) control method. The most important feature that distinguishes the designed topology from previous studies is that it charges the low‐voltage battery through the PV panel. In previous studies, the low‐voltage battery was being charged via the high‐voltage battery. This allowed the high‐voltage battery to transfer power to the low‐voltage battery even when it was not charged. However, in the proposed architecture, the low‐voltage battery is fed by a PV panel. This condition allows the electric vehicle to take more miles with a single charge process. Furthermore, the proposed architecture reduces energy costs in the long term by providing some of the energy demanded from the grid. In addition, the proposed integrated battery charging circuit is intended to reduce the cost of additional cables. The system is designed as 3.1 kW power and operated under no load to full load. As for the performance of the proposed architecture, the peak efficiency of the LLC resonant converter is 95.3%. In addition, peak efficiency of the AC‐DC bridgeless PFC converter is 97.3%, while the power factor is higher than 0.99, input current total harmonic distortion (THD) is less than 5%, MPPT method accuracy is higher than 99%, and output voltage ripples (ΔV) is less than 1 V.


Water quality issues remain one of the most complex and poorly understood problems,in terms of aquatic management; it is the aim of this study to develop a better understanding of the processes involved in the generation, transport and fate of nutrients in rivers, estuarine and coastal waters. This study introduces a linked modelling approach which is able to predict the impact of alternative land use management strategies on
the water quality of receiving waters. A concept for the assessment of nutrient loads is proposed on a catchment scale using geographic and land-use information. River runoff and transport is modelled considering the fluvial retention time with an implemented water quality submodel. It accounts for the biochemical reactions along the river course and is based on the "QUAL2" standard. In a third step, the discharges and concentrations of nutrients from the rivers are linked to the 2D finite volume model "HEMAT" which incorporates the transport by tidal currents. In addition, the above river water quality model was adapted to represent the conditions in estuarine and coastal waters. The impact of land use changes on the nutrient concentrations in the receiving waters was investigated by running the modelling tool for a range of landuse and hydrological scenarios with reduced nutrient input rates and for dry and wet weather conditions. The relationship between land use and nutrient concentrations in the rivers was modelled using export coefficients. Two types of land use were used: (i) Areas of intensive land use and (ii) areas with near to no nutrient outputs. To integrate economical and ecological effects of different land use strategies an input-output
analysis approach was used. The method of input-output analysis was used to link the export coefficient based land-use model with the hydrodynamic model and information on the agricultural yields of different types of land use. From the qualitative input-output graph a quantitative input-output matrix was derived. With this information, the requirements for land-use changes and appropriate compensatory measures
or subsidies for the agricultural sector can be determined by selecting the desired standards of water quality in the coastal waters. The linked model developed and applied in this study provides a decision support tool to assist materially in understanding and minimising nutrient problems in view of a sustainable estuarine and costal management


The phrase "online course materials" means different things to different people. A common characterization is that online course materials are delivered and consumed via a Web-based interface. Online education requires certain resources to be in place. Technological resources are easy to identify: computers with browser software, Internet access, servers, and so forth. Some resources are less obvious: student skills relating to computers, computerrelated skills of people developing online materials, and the resources needed to sustain the development and delivery of online materials. One important resource is the continuing development and redevelopment of online materials. Content and concepts in college courses change and the online materials must change as well. Additionally, the delivery methods for online materials change as technology changes. Faculty must be motivated to update and renew the content and also the delivery of online course materials. This article looks at the similarities and differences of U.S. and non-U.S. faculty in their perceptions of developing online course materials. Resources, demographics, and other factors will be considered. College faculty must believe that developing online materials has academic value in order to assure that online courses become a permanent feature of higher education and not merely a fad of the "dot com" era.


Finite element analysis is adopted in several engineering fields as such structural dynamics and multibody system dynamics. Fine meshes are usually employed to guarantee model accuracy. As a consequence, models have typically very large dimensions, and hence they are difficult to handle and often prone to numerical ill conditioning. Model reduction techniques, such as the Craig Bampton method, can be extremely useful to minimize model dimensions. This paper introduces an effective ranking method for the selection of CB interior modes suitable for vibrating systems under single harmonic excitation. The goal is to keep model dimensions to a minimum while preserving system forced response accuracy. The ranking of the interior modes is carried out using coefficients based on energetic considerations and taking into account the frequency and the shape of the force exciting the system. The aforementioned coefficients provide a measure of the contribution of each interior mode to the computation of the mean mechanical energy stored by the system in a period of excitation. The method is then applied to the model of a vibratory feeder. The results shows that the proposed method provides a very effective selection of the most important interior modes and therefore allows outperforming current state-of-the-art techniques.


Motivation: N6-methyl-adenosine (m6A) is the most prevalent mRNA methylation but precise prediction of its mRNA location is important for understanding its function. A recent sequencing technology, known as Methylated RNA Immunoprecipitation Sequencing technology (MeRIP-seq), has been developed for transcriptome-wide profiling of m6A. We previously developed a peak calling algorithm called exomePeak. However, exomePeak over-simplifies data characteristics and ignores the reads' variances among replicates or reads dependency across a site region. To further improve the performance, new model is needed to address these important issues of MeRIP-seq data. Results: We propose a novel, graphical model-based peak calling method, MeTPeak, for transcriptome-wide detection of m6A sites from MeRIP-seq data. MeTPeak explicitly models read count of an m6A site and introduces a hierarchical layer of Beta variables to capture the variances and a Hidden Markov model to characterize the reads dependency across a site. In addition, we developed a constrained Newton's method and designed a log-barrier function to compute analytically intractable, positively constrained Beta parameters. We applied our algorithm to simulated and real biological datasets and demonstrated significant improvement in detection performance and robustness over exomePeak. Prediction results on publicly available MeRIP-seq datasets are also validated and shown to be able to recapitulate the known patterns of m6A, further validating the improved performance of MeTPeak. Availability and implementation: The package 'MeTPeak' is implemented in R and C ++, and additional details are available at https://github.com/compgenomics/MeTPeak Contact: email@example.com or email@example.com Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


At the end of the Pleistocene the range of distribution of the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) appreciably moved to the extreme northern portions of Eurasia. At the boundary of the Late Pleistocene and early Holocene the distribution was divided into isolate groups. In the early Holocene the last mammoth populations were present on the Taimyr Peninsula and on Wrangel Island, in the Siberian Arctic Ocean. In the latter location, mammoths survived to the middle Holocene (3,000-4,000 years ago). In Northern America the range of distribution of the Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus columbii) also changed appreciably ate the end of the Pleistocene, producing separate, isolated populations. One of these isolate groups was established on the Californian Channel Islands. Comparisons of the morphological features of dentition and skeleton were made, to reflect the adaptations to habitation in the separate environments. The Holocene Wrangel Island molars have a narrow crown and a frequency of enamel plates slightly exceeding late Pleistocene Siberian mammoths. On the Channel Islands the lamellar frequency increased 20% for M. exilis. By comparison of parameters of the bones it is apparent that the American mammoth generally had a smaller size, although some individual bones are quite comparable. Our conclusions indicate that the Channel Islands mammoths are dwarfed, whereas the Wrangel mammoths are no longer considered to be dwarfs. It is probable that the major difference between the two populations is the length of isolation. For Wrangel Island it was not more than 6,000-7,000 years. Also, during the winters, Wrangel Island was connected to the mainland by ice, allowing migration in both directions. For the Channel Islands the time of isolation is not fully known, but it apparently exceeds 40,000 years. It is possible that additional migration of M. columbi from the mainland took place, but no dwarf mammoths have been discovered on the Californian coast. On the Channel Islands selective forces acted towards smaller animals, resulting in a new species (M. exilis) with 150-180 cm shoulder height. Holocene mammoths from Wrangel Island ranged from 180-230 cm shoulder height and probably corresponded to the last Late Pleistocene populations in northern Siberia.


Background: The associations between socioeconomic disadvantage and ischemic heart disease are not well understood. We explore the relationship between socioeconomic factors and acute coronary events using spatiotemporal analysis. Methods: We studied all deaths from acute myocardial infarction and hospital admissions for acute coronary syndrome and related revascularization procedures for the state of New South Wales, Australia, from 1996 through 2002. We used conditional autoregressive models to describe how characteristics of subjects' place of residence (socioeconomic disadvantage, proportion of the population of indigenous background, and metropolitan versus nonmetropolitan area) influenced admissions and mortality. Results: There were 32,534 deaths due to acute myocardial infarction and 129,045 admissions for acute coronary syndrome. We found a relationship between increasing socioeconomic disadvantage and mortality (unadjusted relative risk for highest quartile of disadvantage relative to lowest = 1.40; 95% confidence interval = 1.27–1.54) as well as admissions (1.41; 1.28–1.55). After accounting for admission rates, socioeconomic disadvantage was associated with lower rates of angiography (0.75; 0.63–0.88) and interventional angiography (0.70; 0.56–0.85). After adjusting for socioeconomic disadvantage, areas with higher proportions of the population identified as indigenous had higher rates of admission and mortality, while residency in the state capital was associated with higher admission rates and more interventional angiography. After accounting for admission rates, the association of socioeconomic disadvantage with mortality was reduced. Conclusions: Socioeconomic disadvantage increases both the risk of acute coronary syndrome and related mortality. A contributing factor appears to be a reduced chance of receiving appropriate care. Regions with a higher proportion of indigenous residents show risk beyond the effects of general socioeconomic disadvantage, while residents of metropolitan communities had increased utilization of more recent interventions.


The Sanga Sanga Block contains four large to giant hydrocarbon fields in mid-to upper Miocene deltaic sandstones of the Mahakam Delta, eastern Kalimantan (Indonesia). These fields occur in the northeast-trending Mahakam fold belt, which is characterized by long, tight, fault-bounded anticlines and broad synclines and cored by overpressured shales. Onshore sections of the fold belt are strongly deformed, uplifted, and eroded, whereas the eastern offshore sections are little deformed and buried by the progradational delta wedge. Section balancing of depth-converted seismic lines, together with scaled analog modeling, was used to develop a new tectonic model of inverted delta growth faults for the evolution of the Mahakam fold belt. Section balancing shows that the fault-bounded anticlines of the Sanga Sanga Block are formed by contractional reactivation of early delta-top extensional growth faults. The change from gravity-driven extension to regional contraction occurred at around 14 Ma. Anticlinal folds controlled local sedimentation patterns and influenced the distribution of the reservoir channel sands in the main hydrocarbon fields. Scaled analog models of progradational loading above a ductile substrate produced delta-top extensional growth faults and "depobelts," together with delta-toe fold-thrust. Contraction inverted the extensional growth faults and depobelts, producing tight, fault-bounded anticlines. The results support the model of delta inversion and, thus, the most viable explanation for the geometric, kinematic, and mechanical evolution of the structures in the Sanga Sanga Block. The inverted delta model has applications to other hydrocarbon-bearing deltas around Borneo and in other contracted delta systems.


The last improvements in programming languages and models have focused on simplicity and abstraction; leading Python to the top of the list of the programming languages. However, there is still room for improvement when preventing users from dealing directly with distributed and parallel computing issues. This paper proposes and evaluates AutoParallel, a Python module to automatically find an appropriate task-based parallelisation of affine loop nests and execute them in parallel in a distributed computing infrastructure. It is based on sequential programming and contains one single annotation (in the form of a Python decorator) so that anyone with intermediate-level programming skills can scale up an application to hundreds of cores. The evaluation demonstrates that AutoParallel goes one step further in easing the development of distributed applications. On the one hand, the programmability evaluation highlights the benefits of using a single Python decorator instead of manually annotating each task and its parameters or, even worse, having to develop the parallel code explicitly (e.g., using OpenMP, MPI). On the other hand, the performance evaluation demonstrates that AutoParallel is capable of automatically generating task-based workflows from sequential Python code while achieving the same performances than manually taskified versions of established state-of-the-art algorithms (i.e., Cholesky, LU, and QR decompositions). Finally, AutoParallel is also capable of automatically building data blocks to increase the tasks' granularity; freeing the user from creating the data chunks, and re-designing the algorithm. For advanced users, we believe that this feature can be useful as a baseline to design blocked algorithms.


Abstract. By combining optical remote sensing snow cover products with passive microwave remote sensing snow depth (SD) data, we produced a MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) cloudless binary snow cover product and a 500 m snow depth product. The temporal and spatial variations of snow cover from December 2000 to November 2014 in China were analyzed. The results indicate that, over the past 14 years, (1) the mean snow-covered area (SCA) in China was 11.3 % annually and 27 % in the winter season, with the mean SCA decreasing in summer and winter seasons, increasing in spring and fall seasons, and not much change annually; (2) the snow-covered days (SCDs) showed an increase in winter, spring, and fall, and annually, whereas they showed a decrease in summer; (3) the average SD decreased in winter, summer, and fall, while it increased in spring and annually; (4) the spatial distributions of SD and SCD were highly correlated seasonally and annually; and (5) the regional differences in the variation of snow cover in China were significant. Overall, the SCD and SD increased significantly in south and northeast China, and decreased significantly in the north of Xinjiang province. The SCD and SD increased on the southwest edge and in the southeast part of the Tibetan Plateau, whereas it decreased in the north and northwest regions.


The stable coexistence within populations of females, males, and hermaphrodites (subdioecy) is enigmatic because theoretical models indicate that maintenance of this sexual system involves highly restricted conditions. Subdioecy is more commonly interpreted as a transitory stage along the gynodioecious pathway from hermaphroditism to dioecy. The widespread, North American, aquatic plant Sagittaria latifolia is largely composed of monoecious or dioecious populations; however, subdioecious populations with high frequencies of hermaphrodites (mean frequency = 0.50) characterize the northern range boundary of dioecy in eastern North America. We investigated two hypotheses for the origin of subdioecy in this region. Using polymorphic microsatellite loci, we evaluated whether subdioecy arises through selection on standing genetic variation for male sex inconstancy in dioecious populations, or results from hybridization between monoecious and dioecious populations. We found evidence for both pathways to subdioecy, although hybridization was the more common mechanism, with genetic evidence of admixture in nine of 14 subdioecious populations examined. Hybridization has also played a role in the origin of androdioecious populations in S. latifolia, a mechanism not often considered in the evolution of this rare sexual system. Our study demonstrates how hybridization has the potential to play a role in the diversification of plant sexual systems.


Knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) industries demonstrate some of the highest levels of innovation in most developed economies. However, these industries are very heterogeneous. Research on their innovative activities is needed in order to provide evidence to inform policy instruments to support such companies. In this paper, we analyze the innovation configurations of 477 Russian KIBS companies. First, we use factor analysis to study the key features of their innovative behavior: different innovation types and different features of demand for KIBS from innovative clients (volume, range and level of customization of services). Three factors emerge, and the KIBS companies are divided into six clusters through the prism of these factors. The clusters are: non-innovators; organizational change innovators; marketing innovators; technology-oriented innovators; non-technological innovators and diversified innovators. Finally, we examine the distribution of companies across the clusters in terms of their size and the type of services.


Members of the Notch family encode transmembrane receptors that modulate differentiation, proliferation, and apoptotic programs of many precursor cells, including hematopoietic progenitors. Stimulation of Notch causes cleavage followed by translocation of the intracellular domain (NotchIC) to the nucleus, where it activates transcription of CBF1 responsive genes. The aim of this study was to elucidate the mechanisms leading to the overexpression of CD23, a striking feature of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) cells. By electrophoretic mobility shift assays, we identified a transcription factor complex (C1) that binds sequence specific to one known and 4 newly identified putative CBF1 recognition sites in the CD23a core promoter region. With the use of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)–infected B cells as a model for CBF1 mediated CD23a expression, C1 was found to be EBV inducible. Supershift assays revealed that the nuclear form of Notch2 is a component of C1 in B-CLL cells, supporting a model in which NotchIC activates transcription by binding to CBF1 tethered to DNA. Transient transfection of REH pre–B cells with an activated form of Notch2 induced endogenous CD23a, confirming that CD23a is a target gene of Notch2 signaling. Finally, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and kinetic analysis demonstrated that the Notch2 oncogene is not only overexpressed in B-CLL cells but might also be related to the failure of apoptosis characteristic for this disease. In conclusion, these data suggest that deregulation of Notch2 signaling is involved in the aberrant expression of CD23 in B-CLL. (Blood. 2002;99:3742-3747)


A general approach for investigating Bianchi-V cosmological models is introduced in a scalar-tensor theory of gravitation proposed by Saez and Ballester in which the law of variation for Hubble's parameter is taken into account. This variation for Hubble's parameter that yields a constant value of deceleration parameter is then utilized to solve the field equations governing anisotropic Bianchi-V space–time filled with perfect fluid. Two types of exact solutions that correspond to singular and nonsingular models are presented. Finally, we arrive to the conclusion that the universe decelerates for positive value of deceleration parameter whereas it accelerates for negative one. The behaviors of observationally important parameters are discussed in detail. Exact expressions for look-back time, luminosity distance and event horizon versus redshift are derived and their significance are discussed in detail. It has been observed that the solutions are compatible with the results of recent observations.


This work describes the preparation of an immobilised ephedrine silica supported catalyst and its application in asymmetric synthesis. (1R,2S)-(-)-Ephedrine is a controlled substance, whose use in synthesis is closely monitored by a licence regulated by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). One way of reducing the demand for controlled substances as catalysts is to tether them onto a support medium so that after use they may be recovered by filtration, washed and reactivated, if necessary, dried and then reused. In this project, (1R,2S)-(-)-ephedrine was tethered onto a functionalised silica support and tested for its use in asymmetric alkynylation reactions involving a range of aromatic aldehydes and a terminal alkyne, phenylacetylene. The loading of the ephedrine on the supported catalyst was characterised by both elemental analysis and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) due to the nature of the support material. The immobilised ephedrine catalyst was evaluated in asymmetric alkynylation reactions and was shown to provide good enantioselectivity (up to 92% for (R)-(+)-1,3-diphenylprop-2-yn-l-ol) and high yields for the secondary propargylic alcohols (up to 97%). The use of the immobilised ephedrine catalyst in asymmetric alkynylation reactions was assumed to be novel. The results of the newly formed secondary propargylic alcohols proved to be comparable to those achieved by homogeneous systems. The secondary propargylic alcohols were analysed using a wide range of spectroscopic techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), optical rotation and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Due to the restrictions placed on ephedrine, it was important to test the recyclability of the tethered catalyst to reduce the amount of the regulated drug in circulation. The catalyst demonstrated the ability to be recovered quantitatively from the reaction mixture using a simple filtration and then recycled in further asymmetric alkynylation reactions for three cycles before the yield was affected. In addition to the study, a novel tethering of ephedrine derivatives onto a silica support was investigation and its use in asymmetric alkynylation reactions explored. This was undertaken in an effort to optimise and improve upon the results obtained from N-methylephedrine alone. Our initial results showed that it is possible to tether ephedrine derivatives onto a silica support and then employ them in asymmetric synthesis, thus opening up the possibility to use controlled ephedrine more efficiently.


Knowing the virulence composition of Phytophthora sojae is important for the management of Phytophthora root and stem rot of soybean. Plant samples were collected in Michigan from diseased plants in soybean fields with Phytophthora root and stem rot symptoms. Eighty-seven isolates of P. sojae were evaluated for virulence using 13 differential soybean cultivars. Rps 3b, 3a, 1b, 1k, and 6 were resistant to 81, 77, 74, 69, and 66% of the isolates, respectively, while Rps 1a and 7 were resistant to only 12 to 13% of the isolates. Races 2, 25, 41, and 44 of P. sojae were identified among the isolates and reported for the first time in Michigan. Virulence formulae of 69 isolates did not match those of currently known races of P. sojae. Nine isolates were considered nonpathogenic. Incorporating Rps genes 1b, 1k, 3a, 3b, and 6 in soybean cultivars with good field tolerance, in conjunction with other control measures, should offer improved protection of soybeans from Phytophthora root and stem rot in Michigan.


This article presents a new approach to measure the impact of multi-channel advertising investments on brands' market shares in the main segment of the French automobile market. We propose a multi-channel attraction model with adstock, in order to take into account the advertising carryover effect and the competition. This model allows to distinguish between short term and long term effect of the advertising. As, from a mathematical point of view, a vector of market shares is a composition belonging to the simplex space, i.e. subject to positivity and summing up to one contraints, we take benefit from the compositional data analysis (CODA) literature to estimate properly this model. We show how to determine the carryover parameters for each channel (outdoor, press, radio and television) in a multivariate way. We consider several model specifications with more or less complexity (cross effects between brands), including Dirichlet models, and we compare them using goodness-of-fit and prediction accuracy measures. We explain how to built confidence and prediction ellipsoids in the space of market shares. The impact of each channel on market shares is measured in terms of direct and cross elasticities. We conclude that in this market, radio only has a contemporaneous impact whereas outdoor, press and television have a large decay effect. Moreover, the advertising elasticities vary across brands and channels, and can be negative. It also turns out that positive interactions do exist between certain brands for certain media.


The interaction force between likely charged particles/surfaces is usually repulsive due to the Coulomb interaction. However, the counterintuitive like-charge attraction in electrolytes has been frequently observed in experiments, which has been theoretically debated for a long time. It is widely known that the mean field Poisson-Boltzmann theory cannot explain or predict this anomalous feature since it ignores many-body properties. In this paper, we develop efficient algorithm and perform the force calculation between two interfaces using a set of self-consistent equations which properly takes into account the electrostatic correlation and the dielectric-boundary effects. By solving the equations and calculating the pressure with the Debye-charging process, we show that the self-consistent equations could be used to study the attraction between like-charge surfaces from weak-coupling to mediate-coupling regime, and that the attraction is due to the electrostatics-driven entropic force which is significantly enhanced by the dielectric depletion of mobile ions. A systematic investigation shows that the interaction forces can be tuned by material permittivity, ionic size and valence, and salt concentration, and that the like-charge attraction exists only for specific regime of these parameters.


Astrocyte gene expression is altered in mouse models of Huntington's disease and in postmortem brain samples from patients with HD. A shared signature Huntington's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by a dominant mutation in the HTT gene, resulting in production of mutant huntingtin protein (mHTT). Deletion of mHTT specifically from astrocytes slowed disease progression. Now, Diaz-Castro et al. determined astrocyte gene and protein expression in patients with HD and mouse models. They identified a core signature of 62 genes whose expression was altered by mHTT expression in mice and humans. The genes were associated with basic astrocytic functions. Lowering mHTT in a mouse model restored normal expression in 61 of the 62 genes. The results pave the way for the discovery of possible therapeutic targets for treating HD. Astrocytes are implicated in neurodegenerative disorders and may contribute to striatal neuron loss or dysfunction in Huntington's disease (HD). Here, we assessed striatal astrocyte gene and protein signatures in two HD mouse models at three stages and compared our results to human HD data at four clinical grades and to mice exhibiting polyglutamine length–dependent pathology. We found disease-model and stage-specific alterations and discovered a core disease-associated astrocyte molecular signature comprising 62 genes that were conserved between mice and humans. Our results show little evidence of neurotoxic A1 astrocytes that have been proposed to be causal for neuronal death in neurodegenerative disorders such as HD. Furthermore, 61 of the 62-core gene expression changes within astrocytes were reversed in a HD mouse model by lowering astrocyte mutant huntingtin protein (mHTT) expression using zinc finger protein (ZFP) transcriptional repressors. Our findings indicate that HD astrocytes progressively lose essential normal functions, some of which can be remedied by lowering mHTT. The data have implications for neurodegenerative disease rescue and repair strategies as well as specific therapeutic relevance for mHTT reduction and contribute to a better understanding of fundamental astrocyte biology and its contributions to disease.


For many years scholars of marketing have advocated the importance of marketing as a key determinant of business performance, and particularly for small and medium‐sized enterprises. In the UK, efforts have been made to translate theory into practice in an attempt to improve the competitiveness of the country's small and medium‐sized enterprises. Indeed, since the mid‐1980s, it has been a matter of government policy that a considerable emphasis be placed on seeking to improve the marketing performance of small‐ and medium‐sized firms. Thus, this article examines the marketing activities of a sample of 42 medium‐sized manufacturing firms over a ten‐year period. It reveals that the 42 firms known to have survived the economic exigencies of the decade were amongst the most market oriented of those surveyed in 1987, and that they have embraced both the substance and trappings of marketing.


The entorhinal cortex (ERC) has been implicated in schizophrenia by a number of studies. There is anatomical observation of neuronal heterotopias in the rostral ERC, which is consistent with a hypothesis of neurodevelopmental abnormalities in this disease. In view of the significant cytoarchitectonic variation of the ERC throughout its rostro-caudal extent, we performed a detailed subareal analysis of the rostral two-thirds of the entorhinal cortex (ERCr) in 14 postmortem schizophrenic brains and 14 matched controls (mean ages of 48 and 47 respectively). This systematic evaluation included both a qualitative microscopic analysis of morphogenetic anomalies that would be consistent with neurodevelopmental pathology and quantitative measurements of total neuronal number, average neuronal density, laminar volume and laminar depth from the cortical surface in cytoarchitectonically matched subareas of schizophrenic and control brains. Parcellation of the entire ERC on the basis of cytoarchitectonic criteria identified five distinct regions, similar to those described in the macaque, except that in the human brain three of the regions were further divisible into two or three subareas, yielding nine distinct cellular compartments. Five rostral areas, prorhinal (Pr), lateral (28L), intermediate rostral and caudal (281r and 281c), and sulcal (28S), comprise the ERCr. Gross and microscopic examination of these subdivisions throughout the ERCr failed to reveal laminar disorganization in any of the schizophrenic brains. The brains also did not differ significantly with respect to total neuronal number, total volume and neuronal density per laminar and subareal subdivision, or laminar thickness per entorhinal subarea. However, neuronal number and density were reduced by 12-18% in Pr and 28L, suggesting that mild quantitative abnormalities may exist in the ERCr and might possibly be revealed in a larger sample of schizophrenic brains. We have failed to confirm previous reports of laminar disorganization in the ERCr in brains of patients with schizophrenia; to the extent that this region is implicated in schizophrenia, the structural changes are likely to consist of more subtle cellular disturbances.


SUMMARY: During the course of adaptation to the mouse lung of the Rob strain of influenza B, 'pure' clones of virus were isolated from bronchial washings at succeeding passages by the limiting infective dilution technique in chick embryos. The clones were studied for various in vitro and in vivo properties. A progressive dominance was obtained in the virus population of virus particles causing extensive pulmonary consolidation. Those particles which produced extensive consolidation became resistant to inhibition of heated virus haemagglutinin by sheep mucin. A complete correlation was found between the appearance of resistance to sheep mucin inhibitor and a decrease of enzymic activity on sheep mucin.
From the heterogeneous population of particles found in the early course of mouse passage a virus was isolated which exhibited all of the tested properties of the adapted virus. In comparison to a non-pathogenic virus form, these properties included: (a) the production of extensive pulmonary consolidation, high mortality of mice, and multiplication of virus on serial mouse passage; (b) the production of a more rapid growth rate, and the ability to multiply to a greater extent; (c) the inability of heated virus haemagglutinin to be inhibited by sheep mucin and ovomucin; (d) a decrease of enzymic activity on sheep mucin and mouse lung inhibitors under certain experimental conditions; and (e) a high position in the fowl red cell receptor gradient.
The above data offer presumptive evidence that one of the processes operative in the adaptation process of Rob virus to the mouse lung is a selection of mutants found in the unadapted heterogeneous virus population.


In order to achieve a sense of self-presence in a virtual environment, users are represented by avatars. While avatars do not have to resemble individual users or even appear human, the avatar in which a user is embodied in can affect how that user behaves in a virtual environment. Thus, experiments in virtual reality will often manipulate avatar appearance, including personalizing avatars and agents so they resemble individual users. However, the customizable features in avatar creation software may create a biased representation of the participant. In the following paper, we discuss issues in generating custom avatars for experimental purposes and briefly describe the method we use of generating semi-customized avatars for use in a networked virtual environment designed for experimental manipulations. Using a small sample of convenience from an ongoing experiment, we describe participant self-presence ratings while inhabiting these avatars and compare those ratings to the "ground truth" ratings of avatar resemblance to the photographs by research assistant coders. We find a relationship between coder ratings of resemblance and participant ratings of self-presence for a subgroup of participants. Finally, we discuss suggested areas of improvement in avatar generation, including common pitfalls in photographing user faces and customizing avatar bodies and accessories.


In this paper, we propose a novel minimum gravitational potential energy (MPE)-based algorithm for global point set registration. The feature descriptors extraction algorithms have emerged as the standard approach to align point sets in the past few decades. However, the alignment can be challenging to take effect when the point set suffers from raw point data problems such as noises (Gaussian and Uniformly). Different from the most existing point set registration methods which usually extract the descriptors to find correspondences between point sets, our proposed MPE alignment method is able to handle large scale raw data offset without depending on traditional descriptors extraction, whether for the local or global registration methods. We decompose the solution into a global optimal convex approximation and the fast descent process to a local minimum. For the approximation step, the proposed minimum potential energy (MPE) approach consists of two main steps. Firstly, according to the construction of the force traction operator, we could simply compute the position of the potential energy minimum; Secondly, with respect to the finding of the MPE point, we propose a new theory that employs the two flags to observe the status of the registration procedure. The method of fast descent process to the minimum that we employed is the iterative closest point algorithm; it can achieve the global minimum. We demonstrate the performance of the proposed algorithm on synthetic data as well as on real data. The proposed method outperforms the other global methods in terms of both efficiency, accuracy and noise resistance.


The IgM mAbs 12A1 and 13F1 are protective and nonprotective, respectively, against lethal Cryptococcus neoformans infection in mice. To better understand the variables that contribute to IgM efficacy against C. neoformans, we studied the effects of inoculum size, route of infection, and Ab dose for each of these mAbs. mAb 13F1 did not prolong survival under any condition studied. mAb 12A1 prolonged survival after the administration of certain Ab doses after i.p. infection with defined inocula and promoted phagocytosis, agglutination, and the formation of inflammatory cell rings around yeast cells in vivo. Large Ab doses of mAb 12A1 resulted in either no protection or enhanced infection, consistent with a prozone-like effect. Investigation of this phenomenon revealed that the fungal cell was protected against microbicidal nitrogen-derived oxidants when large amounts of Ab were bound to the C. neoformans capsule. mAb 12A1 was opsonic in vitro for peritoneal, but not splenic or alveolar macrophages. In summary, our results indicate that IgM efficacy against C. neoformans is a function of the route of infection, inoculum, and Ab dose and is associated with its ability to promote opsonization, agglutination, and phagocytic ring formation in vivo. The occurrence of the prozone-like phenomenon implies that high Ab titers are not necessarily beneficial in assuring protection against certain pathogens and that caution should be exercised in using high Ab titer as a measure for vaccine efficacy.


The politics behind food production has never been as newsworthy, and as a result, as polarized as it is today. It seems that the world can be divided into two opposing ideologies, with little room for any sharing of values in between. The food sovereigntists desire that their food be produced in a traditional fashion without modern farming practices such as factory farms, chemical inputs or biotechnology, including the use of genetically modified (GM) crops. The other faction represents those who are in favor of agricultural biotechnology to ensure that crops are both high yielding and low in cost.


Research Question: Following a network perspective, we present footballs European loan system as an economic network and aim to answer the following questions; (i) what is the structure of the network? and, (ii) what are the topological properties of the network? Research Methods: Using data on the top-5 European leagues in European football 8139 loan transactions between 31/12/2009 – 22/12/2017 were analysed using social network analysis. Results and Findings: The results show that the loan system is embedded in ongoing structural relationships across Europe, more so in the Italian Serie A than other European leagues investigated. Additionally, our findings indicate that several elite clubs are extracting value from the loan system, while others are value creators. Implications: The implications of this research are fourfold: recommendations for executivelevel professionals in the football industry and how to maximise the structure of the system; considerations for UEFA and FIFA policy around regulations applied to loan systems; application of economic network theory to the trading (loan) system in European football; and recommendations for future academic research.


We consider video calls affected by bursty packet losses, where frame-level forward error correction (FEC) is employed due to delay constraints, and damaged frames and others predicted from them are discarded. Here, a high frame rate (FR) at low bitrates leads to large quantization step sizes (QS), small frames, and suboptimal FEC, whereas a low FR at high bitrates reduces the perceptual quality. To mitigate frame losses and freezing, hierarchical-P (hierP) temporal layering can be used with lower coding efficiency than IPPP coding. We study the received quality maximization for hierP and IPPP, by jointly optimizing the encoding FR, QS, and the FEC redundancy, under sending bitrate constraints. Building upon Q-STAR perceptual quality and R-STAR bitrate models, which depend on QS, and the decoded and encoding FR, respectively, we cast the problem as a combinatorial optimization problem. We solve for the encoding FR and the bitrate using exhaustive search, hill-climbing, and a greedy FEC distribution algorithm to determine the FEC redundancies. We show that, for random losses, the FEC bitrate ratio is an affine function of the packet-loss rate; low encoding FR is preferred at wider sending bitrate ranges with higher packet loss; layer protection is more even at higher bitrates; and IPPP, while achieving higher Q-STAR scores, is prone to freezing. For bursty losses, we show that layer redundancies are higher, rising with the mean burst length, reaching 80%; and hierP achieves higher Q-STAR scores than IPPP for longer bursts, and a smaller mean and variance of decoded frame distances.


Composites of poly(L-lactide) (PLA) with hemp linter fibers, prepared by batch mixing and plasticized with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG; weight-average molecular weight 1000 g/mol), were examined by differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and mechanical tests. The properties of samples of PLA/hemp and PLA–PEG/hemp composites were analyzed as a function of the fiber amount. The thermogravimetric analysis of the composites, carried out in air, showed that the degradation process of fiber-filled systems started earlier than that of plain PLA, independently of the presence of the plasticizer. Mechanical tests showed that the property of the composites have been enhanced increased with the hemp content. The mechanical performance high-point of composites appear with count of hemp linter fiber at 1%.(sample count of hemp fiber form 1% to 7%). Plasticization with PEG did not improve the tensile properties of the composites, but improve its break stress.


We introduce the problem of assigning alert duties to emergency service providers, namely civil protection teams and heart surgery wards in order to evenly distribute the workload among all providers and to optimize the level of service, measured by the intervention time. We compare two different exact optimization methods to solve this kind of problems, one based on general purpose integer linear programming solvers and the other based on Lagrangean relaxation and branch-and-bound. We also present a GRASP heuristic and we show how it can be used in combination with the general-purpose solver. Experimental results are presented on instances adapted from the O.R. Library and on instances taken from real applications.


Bioactive ceramics such as β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) promote and enhance biological fixation. Ceramics with a porous interconnected structure are suited for facilitation of bony ingrowth. An interconnected pore system with pore diameters in excess of 100 µm is required for cell penetration, tissue ingrowth, vascularization and nutrient delivery to the centre of the regenerating tissue. Human osteoblasts were cultured on the surface of a ceramic. In an in-vivo study, β-TCP samples with a porous interconnected structure were implanted into the femur of sheep and then investigated 6 weeks after operation. Histological analysis was performed on the area surrounding the implant. An indentation test was performed to complete failure of the bone/ceramic compound. Linear load, peak load and stiffness were recorded. All cylinders were found to be biocompatible and osteoconductive. Bone was more abundant in the outer ring than in the rest of the cylinder. The ceramic/bone compound was of low mechanical grade.


The direct synthesis of an acid-labile polyphosphoramidate by organobase-catalyzed ring-opening polymerization and an overall two-step preparation of polyphosphodiester ionomers (PPEI) by acid-assisted cleavage of the phosphoramidate bonds along the backbone of the polyphosphoramidate were developed in this study. The ultrafast organobase-catalyzed ring-opening polymerization of a cyclic phospholane methoxyethyl amidate monomer initiated by benzyl alcohol allowed for the preparation of well-defined polyphosphoramidates (PPA) with predictable molecular weights, narrow molecular weight distributions (PDI<1.10), and well-defined chain ends. Cleavage of the acid-labile phosphoramidate bonds on the polyphosphoramidate repeat units was evaluated under acidic conditions over a pH range of 1-5, and the complete hydrolysis produced polyphosphodiesters. The thermal properties of the resulting polyphosphoester ionomer acid and polyphosphoester ionomer sodium salt exhibited significant thermal stability. The parent PPA and both forms of the PPEIs showed low cytotoxicities toward HeLa cells and RAW 264.7 mouse macrophage cells. The synthetic methodology developed here has enriched the family of water-soluble polymers prepared by rapid and convenient organobase-catalyzed ring-opening polymerizations and straightforward chemical medication reactions, which are designed to be hydrolytically degradable and have promise for numerous biomedical and other applications.


The nucleation kinetics in the early stage of epitaxial growth mediated by a monolayer of surfactant is studied by using kinetic Monte Carlo simulations. Our simulation model includes three main kinetic parameters: a small barrier for adatom diffusion on the surfactant terrace, a higher barrier for the exchange of adatoms with their underneath surfactant atoms, and a highest barrier for the recovery exchange in which an exchanged adatom resurfaces to the top of the surfactant layer. The simulations reveal a distinct transition of nucleation behaviour as the different atomic processes are activated successively with increasing temperature. The total nucleus density as a function of temperature exhibits a complex N-shape with a minimum and a maximum, which define the transition temperatures. The characteristic behaviour of nucleation density is helpful to rationalize the experimental observations on the temperature dependence of growth mode in some surfactant-mediated epitaxial systems.