This paper describes the deployment of a large-scale study designed to measure human interactions across a variety of communication channels, with high temporal resolution and spanning multiple years—the Copenhagen Networks Study. Specifically, we collect data on face-to-face interactions, telecommunication, social networks, location, and background information (personality, demographics, health, politics) for a densely connected population of 1 000 individuals, using state-of-the-art smartphones as social sensors. Here we provide an overview of the related work and describe the motivation and research agenda driving the study. Additionally, the paper details the data-types measured, and the technical infrastructure in terms of both backend and phone software, as well as an outline of the deployment procedures. We document the participant privacy procedures and their underlying principles. The paper is concluded with early results from data analysis, illustrating the importance of multi-channel high-resolution approach to data collection.


In this Essay, I challenge the conventional corporate law wisdom that unhappy mutual fund investors paying high fees don't need litigation or regulation to protect their interests because they should simply exit a fund and reinvest elsewhere. The exit solution, advanced by Professors John Morley and Quinn Curtis in Taking Exit Rights Seriously provided an elegantly simply solution to the problem of unhappy indirect investors (e.g., mutual fund investors) given that they are often low-dollar, low-incentive, rationally-apathetic investors facing enormous information asymmetries and collective action problems. According to their view, competition produced by exit, or the threat of exit, is the key to mitigating high fees in the mutual fund market. But what if some mutual fund investors are stuck and exit is, for them, an empty option? Such is the case for citizen shareholders who are the fastest growing group of new securities investors: those who enter the securities market through self-directed, defined contribution retirement plans such as a 401(k) — and who invest heavily in mutual funds and other securities. Drawing upon more recent scholarship by Ian Ayres and Quinn Curtis, Beyond Diversification, showing the continuing problem of high mutual fund fees, I examine the implications of hindered exit for citizen shareholders. Investing through defined contribution plans (i) adds investment costs; (ii) distorts competitive forces through limited exit options, conflicts of interests and share classes; (iii) fractures oversight liability; and (iv) introduces unique switching costs. These differences create a competitive disadvantage for retirement investors who are relatively locked-in with diluted exit rights.Thus, for citizen shareholders, exit and competition are not the hoped-for panacea. This Essay redirects corporate law scholarship's attention to these unsophisticated, passive, and apathetic, but also socially and financially important, investors. Elusive exit suggests the need to reexamine regulatory and litigation strategies to better serve citizen shareholders.


The effects of mitochondrial uncoupling on skeletal muscle mitochondrial adaptation and maximal exercise capacity are unknown. In this study, rats were divided into a control group (CTL, n = 8) and a group treated with 2,4-dinitrophenol, a mitochondrial uncoupler, for 28 days (DNP, 30 mg·kg(-1)·day(-1) in drinking water, n = 8). The DNP group had a significantly lower body mass (P < 0.05) and a higher resting oxygen uptake (Vo2, P < 0.005). The incremental treadmill test showed that maximal running speed and running economy (P < 0.01) were impaired but that maximal Vo2 (Vo2max) was higher in the DNP-treated rats (P < 0.05). In skinned gastrocnemius fibers, basal respiration (V0) was higher (P < 0.01) in the DNP-treated animals, whereas the acceptor control ratio (ACR, Vmax/V0) was significantly lower (P < 0.05), indicating a reduction in OXPHOS efficiency. In skeletal muscle, DNP activated the mitochondrial biogenesis pathway, as indicated by changes in the mRNA expression of PGC1-α and -β, NRF-1 and -2, and TFAM, and increased the mRNA expression of cytochrome oxidase 1 (P < 0.01). The expression of two mitochondrial proteins (prohibitin and Ndufs 3) was higher after DNP treatment. Mitochondrial fission 1 protein (Fis-1) was increased in the DNP group (P < 0.01), but mitofusin-1 and -2 were unchanged. Histochemical staining for NADH dehydrogenase and succinate dehydrogenase activity in the gastrocnemius muscle revealed an increase in the proportion of oxidative fibers after DNP treatment. Our study shows that mitochondrial uncoupling induces several skeletal muscle adaptations, highlighting the role of mitochondrial coupling as a critical factor for maximal exercise capacities. These results emphasize the importance of investigating the qualitative aspects of mitochondrial function in addition to the amount of mitochondria.


We use the first-principles calculation method to study the interface effect on the structure and electronic properties of graphdiyne adsorbed on the conventional substrates of rough SiO2 and flat h-BN. For the SiO2 substrate, we consider all possible surface terminations, including Si termination with dangling bond, Si terminations with full and partial hydrogenation, and oxygen terminations with dimerization and hydrogenation. We find that graphdiyne can maintain a flat geometry when absorbed on both h-BN and SiO2 substrates except for the Si termination with partial hydrogenation (Si-H) SiO2 substrate. A lack of surface corrugation in graphdiyne on the substrates, which may help maintain its electronic band character, is due to the weak Van der Waals interaction between graphdiyne and the substrate. Si-H SiO2 should be avoided in applications since a covalent type bonding between graphdiyne and SiO2 will totally vary the band structure of graphdiyne. Interestingly, the oxygen termination with dimerization SiO2 substrate has spontaneous p-type doping on graphdiyne via interlayer charge transfer even in the absence of extrinsic impurities in the substrate. Our result may provide a stimulus for future experiments to unveil its potential in electronic device applications.


BACKGROUND
As the interval between rupture of the fetal membranes at term and delivery increases, so may the risk of fetal and maternal infection. Recently the TERMPROM (Term Prelabor Rupture of the Membranes) Study Group reported the results of a randomized controlled trial comparing 4 management strategies: induction with oxytocin (IwO), induction with prostaglandin (IwP), and expectant management and induction with either oxytocin (EM-O) or prostaglandin (EM-P) if complications developed. The study found no statistically significant differences in neonatal infection and cesarean section rates between any of the 4 groups.

OBJECTIVE
To conduct an economic evaluation comparing the cost of (a) IwO and EM-O, (b) IwP and EM-P and (c) IwO and IwP.

DESIGN
An economic analysis, conducted alongside the clinical trial, using a third-party payer perspective. Analysis included all treatment costs incurred for both the mother and the baby. Information on health care utilization and outcomes was collected for all study participants. Three countries (Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia), corresponding to the largest study recruitment, were chosen for calculation of unit costs. For each country, the base, low and high estimates of unit cost for each service item were generated. Intention-to-treat analysis. Extensive statistical and sensitivity analyses were performed.

RESULTS
The median cost of IwO per patient was significantly lower statistically than that of EM-O and IwP. This result held in all 3 countries compared -$114 and -$46 in Canada, -113 Pounds and -63 Pounds in the UK, and -A$30 and -A$49 in Australia) and after an extensive sensitivity analysis. There was no statistically significant difference in median cost per patient between IwP and EM-P.

CONCLUSION
Although the clinical results of the TERMPROM study did not find IwO to be preferable to the other treatment alternatives, the economic evaluation found it to be less costly. However, these cost differences, even though statistically significant, are not likely to be important in many countries. When this is the case, the authors recommend that women be offered a choice between management strategies.


This article deals with the contribution of both the future SPOT-5 (which will produce images with the same bands as the existing SPOT 1-3 ones but with an improved spatial resolution) and a sensor fusion method to urban mapping. The ARSIS concept (in French: Amelioration de la Resolution Spatiale par Injection de Structures) is used for sensor fusion. It allows the improvement of spatial resolution of the multi-band images, while preserving spectral information, by use of the high frequencies of panchromatic images. A well-proven method for urban mapping is then applied to all multi-spectral images available in the context of the study. A photo-interpretation of the latter confirms the benefit of fine image resolutions to urban roads mapping, in the limit of the sensor studied here. Then, when comparing the roads surface at all resolutions with reference extracted from accurate maps of the city, we demonstrate quantitatively that the finer the resolution, the more accurate the cartography.


Trajectory prediction is a critical part of many AI applications, for example, the safe operation of autonomous vehicles. However, current methods are prone to making inconsistent and physically unrealistic predictions. We leverage insights from fluid dynamics to overcome this limitation by considering internal symmetry in trajectories. We propose a novel model, Equivariant Continous COnvolution (ECCO) for improved trajectory prediction. ECCO uses rotationally-equivariant continuous convolutions to embed the symmetries of the system. On two real-world vehicle and pedestrian trajectory datasets, ECCO attains competitive accuracy with significantly fewer parameters. It is also more sample efficient, generalizing automatically from few data points in any orientation. Lastly, ECCO improves generalization with equivariance, resulting in more physically consistent predictions. Our method provides a fresh perspective towards increasing trust and transparency in deep learning models.


Traditional learning environments are often constrained by time and place.  Many researchers have suggested that social networking tools are one way to support a more participatory and interactive experience for students in the higher education classroom and encourage learning connections across time and place. While social networking tools, such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are commonly used and studied in higher education, the use of Google+ Communities is still in its infancy. (Note: Google announced in October 2018 that they would be shutting down Google + in 2019; however, the results of this study can be extended to other social media platforms.) The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to explore how the utilization of an online informal learning environment (Google + Communities) influenced the success of preservice teachers in a children's literature course.  While the results indicated that the Google + Community did not have a statistically significant effect on preservice teachers' final grades, there were several benefits including connections and transfer of learning to other courses and the greater teaching profession, increased community building and improved critical evaluation of information and texts. This study provides insight into the purpose, usefulness, and other benefits of informal learning environments, including Google + Communities.


: Molecular cloning and expression of Corynebacterium glutamicum genes complementing Escherichia coli mutations thrA2 and ilvA was performed. It was demonstrated that the thrA2 gene of C. glutamicum is located close to thrB on EcoRI DNA fragment 4.1 kb long. The fragment was cloned in pUC18 vector. The thrA2 gene is expressed in the recombinant plasmid pOBT3 under control of the vector pUC18 Plac promoter. In E. coli minicells, the genes thrA2 and thrB determined synthesis of proteins of Mr 43kD and 25 kD, respectively. A gene complementing ilvA mutation of E. coli was identified in a library of EcoRI C. glutamicum DNA fragments. This library was constructed using plasmid vector. It was shown that the ilvA gene of C. glutamicum is located inside the 3.6 kb EcoRI fragment and is expressed using its own promoter.


Birth: Icon Drawings (2011) are a series of pencil and ink drawings that unite the public practice of watching YouTube birth videos with the more personal experience of giving birth oneself. Sargeant aims to expose the physical and emotional experience of birth, paying attention to both her own feelings of emotional detachment during the delivery of her sons, and to the idea of traumatic birth more generally. The artist considers the vulnerability of both mother and child, and through the inclusion of adult hands seeks to represent the carers that aid a birthing mother to be (e.g., the woman's partner, the midwife, the doula, a family member, or a friend). The depiction of the mother's body for Sargeant refers back to earlier sketches made in the series M(other) Icons. Here, the mother is depicted as fragmented, ethereal, and empty. Such emptiness, despite the presence of a child, is also hinted at in Birth: Icon Drawings. The simple and anatomical style of drawing that Sargeant adopts makes reference to historical sketches of the body and, in particular, to those housed by the Wellcome Trust. The decorative and abstract detail surrounding the vagina is intended to contrast with the complexity of a disembodied mother subject, and to attract the eye of the viewer into the sketch.


The growth of data traffic as air traffic increases is leading to bottlenecks. We propose a new time division multiple access (TDMA) protocol termed location-based TDMA (LBTM) to accommodate increasing data traffic and air-to-air communications. LBTM provides all three modes of communication: unicast, multicast, and broadcast. ACK needs a long guard time for reliable multicast in the aeronautical environment, because it is a long distance communication system. LBTM uses location information to overcome this problem. We can reduce the guard time of ACK and prevent collisions. In our scheme, multicast aircraft calculate ACK arrival time to ensure that ACKs arrive at the sender at different times. Therefore, LBTM reduces the amount of guard time of ACK and the total average time to complete a reliable multicast MAC request. This results in a significant increase in network utilization and throughput.


Since the Colombo Plan in the 1950s, scholarships have been a part of Australia's strategy to help develop Indonesia's human resource capacity. The Australian Development Scholarships (ADS) scheme – the flagship of Australia's scholarships scheme in Indonesia – has been in operation since 1998. While the benefits of the scholarships scheme have historically been regarded as self-evident, the benefits these students derive from studying in Australia are difficult to quantify. Early evaluation of the scheme has focused largely on the benefits to individual scholars, with less emphasis on the impact on the organisations to which the alumni return. While studies in this area have contributed to the focus of this study, few have focused on education as aid, the outcomes of scholarships on returning alumni or, in particular, the linkage between alumni and their home organisations. This study investigates the effectiveness of the ADS scheme in contributing to organisation development through a case study of the re-integration of AusAID-funded ADS alumni within the context of the Government of Indonesia's Ministry of Finance. The aim is to see the effectiveness and impact of the policy of providing concentrations of scholarships within an organisation and, specifically, the impact that returning scholars – who may begin to form a critical mass – are having within their organisations. The empirical study is based on data from 29 qualitative interviews – supported by observation and policy document review – with three groups of purposefully selected participants: ADS alumni, ADS liaison officers, and ADS alumni supervisors. These groups were selected given their distinctive, interconnecting roles in the context of effective human resource management and, in particular, management of the ADS scheme in the agencies. The interviews were conducted in the Ministry of Finance in 2011. Key findings show that the non-academic, social dimension of the in-Australia study experience was highly valued by alumni, as much as or even more than the academic experience the ADS awards are ostensibly designed to support. The ADS experience fundamentally allows the development of the whole individual, both academically and non-academically. This research highlights the importance of soft skills and intercultural competency. The development of these through the in-Australia ADS scheme – irrespective of the field of study – appears to hold the key to understanding alumni employability, providing better awareness of the full suite of skills and competencies that alumni bring to a workplace. This leads to the more effective utilisation of the alumni and, in turn, more effective Australian scholarships. This study highlights the importance of bureaucratic reform in the Ministry of Finance as the macro-contextual environment in which the agencies researched in this study operate. It argues that this environment both enables and inhibits the utilisation of ADS awards within these agencies. Bureaucratic reform is the notable factor contributing to change in the workplace environment and culture. Finally, this study highlights the key role played by the supervisors of the returning ADS alumni with reference to both the bureaucratic reform process and the aims and objectives of the ADS scheme. It argues that the supervisors' strategic role in the agencies as middle managers has the potential to increase the effective utilisation of alumni in relation to their technical skills, soft skills, and intercultural competency for the organisation's benefits. Overall, this study demonstrates that employing sociology – and specifically organisation development – as a framework of analysis can provide a more nuanced understanding of the aspirations, experiences, and outcomes of ADS alumni in the context of scholarship impact assessment, and is considered as one of the contributions of sociology to the field.


The current platform of conventional cardiovascular risk assessments tends to forsake the importance of endothelial function - a key biological mechanism by which cardiovascular risk factors exert their propensity for adverse vascular events. Moreover, the presence and severity of endothelial dysfunction in 'low-risk' individuals suggests considerable variability in pre-clinical risk that could potentially be detected well before the onset of disease. The aim of the present thesis was to investigate the presence and impact of retinal vascular dysfunction, as a barometer of endothelial function, in otherwise healthy individuals with one or more cardiovascular risk factors, but low to moderate cardiovascular risk. Systemic circulatory influences on retinal vascular function were also evaluated. The principle sections and findings of this work are: 1. Ageing effect on retinal vascular function • In low-risk individuals, there are age differences in retinal vascular function throughout the entire functional response curve for arteries and veins. Gender differences mainly affect the dilatory phase and are only present in young individuals. 2. Retinal vascular function in healthy individuals with a family history of cardiovascular disease • In low-risk individuals with a family history of cardiovascular disease, impairments in microvascular function at the retinal level correlate with established plasma markers for cardiovascular risk. 3. Ethnic differences in retinal vascular function • When compared to age-matched White Europeans, in low-risk middle-aged South Asians, there are impairments in retinal vascular function that correlate with established cardiovascular risk indicators. 4. Systemic circulatory influences on retinalµvascular function • Systemic antioxidant capacity (redox index) and plasma markers for cardiovascular risk (lipids) influence retinal microvascular function at both arterial and venous levels. 5. Retinal vascular function in individuals with obstructive sleep apnoea: a preliminarystudy • Patients with moderate to severe sleep apnoea exhibit attenuated retinal vascular function.


To investigate the role of cellular immunodeficiency in recurrent toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis, six Cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) with healed toxoplasmic lesions of the retina were immunosuppressed by total lymphoid irradiation. Three months prior to irradiation 30,000 Toxoplasma gondii organisms of the Beverley strain had been inoculated onto the macula of eye in each monkey via a pars plana approach. Toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis developed in each animal, and lesions were allowed to heal without treatment. During total lymphoid irradiation animals received 2000 centigrays (cGy) over a 7-week period. Irradiation resulted in an immediate drop in total lymphocyte counts and decreased ability to stimulate lymphocytes by phytohemagglutinin. Weekly ophthalmoscopic examinations following irradiation failed to show evidence of recurrent ocular disease despite persistent immunodeficiency. Four months after irradiation live organisms were reinoculated onto the nasal retina of the same eye in each animal. Retinochoroidal lesions identical to those seen in primary disease developed in five of six animals. Toxoplasma organisms therefore were able to proliferate in ocular tissue following the administration of immunosuppressive therapy. This study fails to support the hypothesis that cellular immunodeficiency alone will initiate recurrent toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis. Results suggest that reactivation of disease from encysted organisms involves factors other than suppression of Toxoplasma proliferation. If reactivation occurs by other mechanisms, however, cellular immunodeficiency then may allow development of extensive disease.


At a time when India is having best growth prospects in its history, we are facing a crisis of immeasurable magnitude on the HR front. A leading economist wrote that India could face full employment in the next five years. Let us wake up to this challenge and work out solutions. India has come a long way, in the education sector. Since citizens still face scarcity of opportunities, most of the teachers come to colleges and universities seeking job opportunities alone. Our work ethics is such that the best is not attracted and if they come, they can't continue. There is a definite need to develop a system, which attracts talent for faculty positions and is able to contribute its best effort towards excellence in higher education. This paper is an effort towards this direction. Current focus on education and training and enhancing capacity in that area, is perhaps the right or only answer to this.  Nasscom Strategic Review indicates that out of the 3.2 million graduates that India generates every year, only about 50% of the engineers and 15-20% of other graduates are readily employable. Capacity Building' is distinct from the current models of education and training. It is focused, on-the-job training which ensures that the trainees go through real world' projects in simulated environments. The capacity building industry will need to recreate training environments for the identified skill streams in IT & ITES. Government must invest in industrial training institutes (ITIs) and polytechnics in enabling them to be forerunners in building focused skills for the services sector expanding the scope of such institutions and opening more such institutions dedicated to the services sector. It should create a conducive environment for entrepreneurs to invest in this opportunity, by providing tax breaks, and other incentives. There is a real threat to India's competitive position in the global business landscape, if the right things are not done. Supply-side concerns have begun to emerge. Wage inflation concerns are becoming voiced more vociferously. There is a need for all stakeholders, local, state and educational institutions, faculty and students to come together on a common platform to ensure that India continues to be able to position it- self as the knowledge capital of the world.


1. The origin and topographical organization of input to the arm area of the primate motor cortex from the ventrolateral thalamus were examined using the method of retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). 2. A thin, continuous slab of labeled neurons was found in the ventrolateral thalamus followingmultiple injections of HRP into the arm area of the motor cortex. The slab of labeled neurons was flanked, medially and laterally, by groups of unlabeled neurons. 3. The origin of ventrolateral thalamic input was more extensive than previously thought. Labeled neurons were found from A10.0 to A6.0 and occurred in three ventolateral thalamic subdivisions: ventralis lateralis pars oralis (VLo), ventralis lateralis pars caudalis (VLc), and ventralis posterior lateralis pars oralis (VPLo). For simplicity this region containing labeled neurons has been termed the ventrolateral thalamic (VL) arm area. 4. Injections of HRP into the somatic sensory cortex indicated that the thalamic regions which project to the somatic sensory cortex are separate from the VL arm area. 5. The distribution of labeled neurons following single injections of HRP into different regions of the motor cortex arm area indicated that the VL arm area is topographically organized, particularly its caudal part. Ventral regions of the VL arm area were labeled following HRP injections into motor cortex regions adjacent to the central sulcus where the representation of largely distal musculature is localized. Dorsal regions of the VL arm area were labeled following HRP injections into motor cortex regions more rostral to the central sulcus where the representation of more proximal musculature is localized. 6. A larger region of the VL arm area was labeled following HRP injections adjacent to the central sulcus than following the more rostral motor cortex injections. This suggests that, like the arm area of the motor cortex, more of the VL arm area is allotted to the representation of distal than proximal musculature. 7. Following very small cortical HRP injections, isolated labeled thalamic neurons were diffusely scattered throughout a 3-mm rostrocaudal extent of the VL arm area. In addition, a small focal cluster of labeled thalamic neurons was also seen. The labeled cluster was limited to 0.5 mm rostrocaudally and 300 mum in width. The focal distribution of labeled thalamic neurons suggests that aspects of a point to point organization may exist in the connection between VL and the motor cortex arm area.


The objective of this survey is to determine the frequency, reasons, and factors influencing use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in general and specialty pediatrics within the same geographic area. Of the 281 surveys completed, CAM use was higher in children with epilepsy (61.9%), cancer (59%), asthma (50.7%), and sickle cell disease (47.4%) than in general pediatrics (36%). Children most often used prayer (60.5%), massage (27.9%), specialty vitamins (27.2%), chiropractic care (25.9%), and dietary supplements (21.8%). Parents who used CAM for themselves (68.7%) were more likely to access CAM for their child. Most parents (62.6%) disclosed some or all of their child's use of CAM to providers. This study confirms that within the same geographic region, children with chronic and life-threatening illness use more CAM therapies than children seen in primary care clinics. Children with cancer use CAM for different reasons than children with non-life-threatening illnesses.


The CAP reform and the enlargement process are projected to have major implications for the activity of the research community in Europe in the field of quantitative and modelling analysis. The main analytical challenges to be addressed will concern primarily the impact of decoupling with the need for a better representation of factor markets and agricultural household behaviour, the representation of our trade policy, the consequences of the recent and future enlargement and the improvement in the coverage of the EU rural development policy. Quantitative tools will increasingly need to be also policy-relevant, theoretically – and empirically – sound, validated and timely to contribute to the policy process.


much more effectively if they have some understanding of each others' work. With this in mind Dr Woods has written a straightforward account of the causes and medical management of handicap with our colleagues in the educational and social services chiefly in mind. The author sensibly deals mainly with the common varieties of mental, physical and sensory handicap, and rarer entities are mentioned only in passing. The educational implications of each condition are clearly explained and many are illustrated by examples from the author's practice. Perhaps the role of the parent in the care of the handicapped child might have received more stress, but it is difficult to include everything in a book which is deliberately concise. The style makes for pleasant reading and is refreshingly free from medical jargon. Dr Woods' down to earth approach and her wealth of experience enables her to write a book which may be confidently recommended to our colleagues in these other professions. Paediatricians in training will also find much accumulated wisdom as well as an excellent summary of good practice in the medical care of children with handicapping disorders.


This paper describes a new interleaved bidirectional dc-dc converter for energy storage system applications. The proposed bidirectional dc-dc converter consists of energy storage system as input source and an interleaved half-bridge on both sides of high frequency transformer. The proposed converter can be easily extended to the multi-phase interleaved bidirectional dc-dc converter with modularity as the capacity of energy storage increases. The number of switching devices of the proposed converter is reduced by half count compared to the dual full-bridge dc-dc converter in parallel operation, and a high step-up voltage conversion is achieved with reduced transformer turn ratio and switching losses of all active switching devices are minimized through zero voltage switching without additional circuit components. The operation principle, mathematical analysis and simulation results are presented in this paper.


Isorhynchophylline (IRN) and rhynchophylline (RN), a pair of stereoisomers, are tetracyclic oxindole alkaloids isolated from Uncaria rhynchophylla, a commonly used Chinese medicinal herb. These two compounds have drawn extensive attention due to their potent neuroprotective effects with promising therapeutic potential for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, IRN and RN can interconvert into each other in vivo after oral administration. The present study aimed to elucidate the pharmacokinetic profiles and disposition kinetics of the administered and generated stereoisomers in the brain and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) after oral administration of equal dose of IRN or RN to rats. Our study demonstrated that after oral administration, RN showed significantly higher systemic exposure (6.5 folds of IRN, p < 0.001) and disposition in the brain (2.5 folds of IRN, p < 0.01) and CSF (3 folds of IRN, p < 0.001) than IRN. The results indicated that interconversion between IRN and RN occurred. Notably, regardless of the orally administered IRN or RN, RN would always be one of the major or predominant forms present in the body. Our results provided sound evidence supporting further development of RN as a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of AD. Moreover, the present study sets a solid example that integrating pharmacokinetics is crucial to identify the truly therapeutic agent.


From the Publisher:
A Local Area Network (LAN) is a network usually within a single office or building that links desktop computers with each other and with peripherals such as servers and printers. The interconnect is the electrical and functional association of two different services, often provided by different suppliers, and it is from LAN inter-connection that telecoms operators seek to profit. The application of LAN interconnection via satellite can be used to complement and extend existing terrestrial public access networks through interconnection of clusters of broadband islands (such as LANs and MANs) in remote regions, where terrestrial lines are expensive to install and operate. Examples include: * Hospitals/clinics in remote and rural areas can be connected to the central hospitals in a tele-medicine environment * Remote offices can be connected to the central office to facilitate tele-working * University/colleges can be inter-connected to provide tele-education facilities Similarly, the possibility to provide access to such facilities in developing regions of the world is also viable and particularly attractive in the short to mid-term. Private LAN connection facilities could also be made available to the corporate user, offering the possibility to establish broadband internet access within a closed user group. Such a scenario could be of interest to the financial sector. By gathering the knowledge and experiences of well-known satellite systems experts from different parts of Europe this comprehensive volume provides detailed analysis on technical aspects for interconnecting local area network using satellite. Starting from traffic source modelling for different types ofapplications and services to different types of transmission techniques and networking functions for supporting such services, different case studies are presented to analyse the performance of such technologies. By providing an insight to current and future developments in satellite communications systems and by covering a broad range of materials in technical aspects in relation to satellite communication systems technologies, this volume will be of tremendous use to researchers, academia and industry. * First book to present such a thorough description of the reliability functions of satellite systems * Discusses IP over satellite * Provides a unique analysis and description of different simulation tools that are under development for evaluating the performance of satellite systems * Includes a chapter devoted to traffic modelling for satellite systems * Reviews current research and developments in security and discusses how such security functions can be implemented over satellite networks * Addresses different types of routing strategies and includes three different case studies which have been carried out to analyse the performance of different routing strategies


The organ-meridian relationship is investigated. The acupuncture and meridian system of traditional Chinese medicine is an important, real biophysical aspect of the living body. With the electrodermal screening device (EDSD), it is possible to define, both quantitatively and qualitatively, much of the meridian system. The meridian system is essential to most or possibly all bodily functions. The EDSD, which reads meridian information, is capable of delivering valuable information on nearly every facet of body function. The EDST could serve as the standard "ruler" by which biological energy is measured, similar to body temperature and blood pressure. In other words, it is conceivable that someday the EDSD will be as commonplace as the thermometer and sphygmomanometer. The EDSD is non-invasive and economical. With its further refinement and acceptance, along with that of the associated testing methodology (EDST) and health management system (EDSS), it may be possible to chart even the higher functions, including emotional, cognitive, and psychosomatic. The EDST has the potential of developing into a truly complete test of the body, making possible levels of international medical standardization and meta-analysis unknown today. The device, test, and system may prove to be the greatest set of tools against disease created this century. But now what is needed is much more research. It is the authors' sincere hope that many others in the medical-scientific community will see the EDST's potential and initiate further research projects.


We demonstrate a passive mode-locked Er:Yb doped double-clad ring fiber laser based on graphene saturable absorber. By adjusting the polarization controller and minimizing the cavity loss, the laser can operate at hundreds of harmonics of the fundamental repetition frequency of the resonator with the central wavelength of 1.61 μm. Up to 683rd harmonic (which corresponds to 5.882 GHz) of the fundamental repetition frequency was achieved.


A detailed biochemical analysis of the venous blood and daily urine samples of the crewmembers of the Salyut-4 second expedition after their 63-day space flight showed metabolic changes as compared with the preflight level. The changes were more marked immediately postflight. On the 7th postflight day most parameters studied tended to return to the preflight values. This study did not demonstrate any adverse biochemical changes that may prevent long-duration manned space flights.


There is no parity of esteem between academic and vocational qualifications in the labour market. Data from the Labour Force Survey show that on average men and women working full-time with academic qualifications at one level in the national qualifications framework earn about the same as men and women with vocational qualifications set notionally one level higher. So those with A levels have earnings similar to those with higher or level 4 vocational qualifications, those with 5 or more O levels or higher grade GCSEs have earnings similar to those with level 3 vocational qualifications, and those with 1-4 O levels or higher grade GCSEs have earnings similar to those with level 2 vocational qualifications. These higher earnings occur firstly because academic qualifications at a given level are more successful in buying access to more highly paid occupations. Secondly, within the most highly paid managerial, professional and technical occupations, academic qualifications are associated with higher earnings. These findings raise significant issues for public policy, calling into question the way in which the UK's National Targets for Education and Training have been formulated and much work on international comparisons of educational attainment.


This article presents the theoretical background to a wider project that is attempting to increase our understanding of the impact and uses of large-scale digitization, being undertaken by the first author at University College London with the working title 'What is the impact of large-scale digitization upon researchers and the information sector?' It discusses the controversy surrounding the emergence of mass digitization: the creation and collection of huge resources containing millions of pages of textual cultural content. It demonstrates that the polarized nature of the literature about this technological development is far from unprecedented, and in fact can be traced through the theory of a number of varied fields: the debate surrounding mechanization and digital technologies, our understanding of the role of the sublime in modern representations of technology, the similarities between the sociology of city life and digital information overload, and the way in which innovations are diffused throughout society. It proposes that these theories explain why debates around technological innovation often become so hyperbolic, creating an almost mythological view of technological determination. It concludes that, as a result of the processes outlined in this theory, mass digitization has become stuck between two conflicting rhetorical movements, and that it is therefore necessary to begin working to increase our understanding of this technology and to move the debate onwards using evidence from the real world.


Abstract The development of multilateral diplomacy over the past decades, its importance that the process of multilateral diplomacy withholds in solving crises and global governance, this paper will try to evaluate the current trend of processes and critically evaluate is there hope and realistic expectation that multilateral diplomacy will become a basis for global governance in the future. There are many definitions given to the multilateralism, having in account that multilateralism within the global governance is becoming increasingly complex in its form and expressions. In doing the analysis on how much there is scope of multilateral diplomacy as basis for global governance, an overview on historical facts, international organizations and elements contributing to the global governance achievement will be touched upon. Impact and historical aspects of international organisations such as United Nations, European Union and World Trade organisations in setting the first pillars of global governance will be also elaborated, with an emphasis on impact and potential that these institutions have in global governance evolution.


Abstract Analyses of music and environment are proliferating, yet new conceptions are needed to make sense of growing ecological crisis in the Anthropocene. From an empirical project tracing guitars all the way back to the tree, I argue for deeper conceptual and empirical integration of music into the material and visceral processes that constitute ecological crisis itself. Musicians are not only inspired by environmental concerns for compositional or activist purposes. They are entangled in environmental crisis through material and embodied relations with ecosystems, especially via the musical instruments we depend upon. I foreground three 'more-than-musical' themes to make sense of unfurling forces: materiality, corporeality and volatility. Musical instruments are gateway objects that invite contemplation of material and corporal relations. Such relations bind together musicians and non-human others. Material and corporeal relations with increasingly threatened upstream forests, and endangered tree species, are being confronted and reconfigured. In the context of ecological crisis, guitars do much more than make pleasing acoustic sounds. Via guitars we co-generate, with non-human others, a sound track of crisis both melancholy and hopeful.


PURPOSE
Negative symptoms are a persistent, yet under-explored problem in psychosis. Disturbances in metacognition are a potential causal factor in negative symptom development and maintenance. This meta-analysis uses individual participant data (IPD) from existing research to assess the relationship between negative symptoms and metacognition treated as summed scores and domains.

METHODS
Data sets containing individuals with negative symptoms and metacognition data, aged 16+ with psychosis, were identified according to pre-specific parameters. IPD integrity and completeness were checked and data were synthesized in two-stage meta-analyses of each negative symptoms cluster compared with metacognition in seemingly unrelated regression using restricted maximum likelihood estimation. Planned and exploratory sensitivity analyses were also conducted.

RESULTS
Thirty-three eligible data sets were identified with 21 with sufficient similarity and availability to be included in meta-analyses, corresponding to 1301 participants. The strongest relationships observed were between summed scores of negative symptoms and metacognition. Metacognitive domains of self-reflectivity and understanding others' minds, and expressive negative symptoms emerged as significant in some meta-analyses. The uncertainty of several effect estimates increased significantly when controlling for covariates.

CONCLUSIONS
This robust meta-analysis highlights the impact of using summed versus domain-specific scores of metacognition and negative symptoms, and relationships are not as clear-cut as once believed. Findings support arguments for further differentiation of negative symptom profiles and continued granular exploration of the relationship between metacognition and negative symptoms.


During the growing season, the photosynthesis and growth of boreal forests are regulated by physiological responses to environmental factors. Physiological variations affect the spectral properties of leaves. Linking canopy-level spectral reflectance to leaf-level processes for monitoring forest seasonal physiology using satellite images is hindered by view and illumination effects and variations in canopy structure. To better understand the connection between the two structural levels, we used nine narrow-band vegetation indices (VIs) derived from Hyperion imagery to track the seasonal dynamics of boreal forest stands: the photochemical reflectance indices (PRI and PRI515) related to the xanthophyll cycle, the red edge (RE) index, the Maccioni (Macc) and the green normalized difference vegetation index related to chlorophyll concentration (Ca + b), the carotenoid simple ratio and Gitelson carotenoid concentration index related to carotenoid concentration (Cx + c), the normalized difference vegetation index related to fractional cover, and the plant senescence reflectance index related to the Cx + c/Ca + b ratio. As ground truth, we used measurements of exposed pine shoot light use efficiency (LUE) and photosynthesis. Over the study period (May to August), LUE and photosynthesis were best correlated with the chlorophyll VIs Macc and RE. Both indices also exhibited the lowest coefficient of variation in association with forest structure. PRI, on the other hand, was affected by canopy structure and observation geometry and was uncoupled from LUE during the growing season. Our findings demonstrate that the photosynthesis and productivity of boreal forests in the growing season are best tracked using VIs related to total pigment concentration (i.e., chlorophyll).


In this thesis I attempt to bridge the gap between discussions of Thomas Jefferson's diplomatic policy and his interactions with the Native Americans. I argue that his idealism as well as his coercive tactics in foreign affairs heavily influenced his conduct with neighboring Indian tribes. With European nations, Jefferson articulated his goals in terms of natural rights of states and an idea of universal morality. At the same time, he often used seemingly Machiavellian tactics, like coercion, and threats of war to pursue these ends. Jefferson's goals in Indian affairs were very similar to those in the international arena. He wanted to promote peaceful trade, and prevent war, but above all, acquire as much land as possible. He pursued these aims with the same blend of moral justification and cunning tactics. I will demonstrate this through analysis of Jefferson's philosophical views regarding diplomacy, his ideas about Native Americans, and his role as president in carrying out both of these things in the real world. This will include examining Jefferson's writing about both foreign and Indian affairs, comparing treaties and negotiations Jefferson conducted with Europe as well as with the Native Americans, and his instructions to subordinates on these matters. This thesis will contribute to the discussion of the presidency of Thomas Jefferson as well as the treatment of Native Americans in the early American Republic.


Competitive anxiety is one of the psychological factors which greatly affect athletes' performances. Competitive anxiety is divided into somatic anxiety and cognitive anxiety. This study was conducted to look at mindfulness and coping skills as predictors of competitive anxiety. Through purposive sampling techniques, some (N = 159) senior athletes, representatives of various sports from various provinces in Indonesia, with an age range of 18-40 years were included in this study. This non-experimental research method design used three questionnaires, consisting of AAQ-II (mindfulness), ACSI (coping skills), and CSAI-2R (competitive anxiety) as measurement tools. Statistical analysis, using multiple regression, showed that mindfulness and coping skills simultaneously have a linear relationship to competitive anxiety, and significantly predict a competitive anxiety level of 29%. This means that mindfulness and coping skills can decrease competitive anxiety in athletes. Further analysis found that mindfulness plays a greater role in reducing competitive anxiety than coping skills.


Abstract Anatomical information and pathologies have been conveyed through the medium of medical illustrations for centuries. In the formative years of British neurosurgery, Professor Norman Dott (1897–1973) utilised medical illustrations as a means of documenting neurosurgical advances and conveying pathological-anatomical correlation. He commissioned a vast number of medical illustrations over the course of his career, ultimately producing a diverse collection of items, most of which is cared for by Lothian Health Services Archive (LHSA), Edinburgh, Scotland. In this study, the original material from Dott's personal collection was audited. Of 172 stand-alone drawings, 84 were categorised and analysed. The findings are a reflection of Dott's expertise as an academic and a surgeon. Spanning the years 1925–1968, a wide range of pathologies and procedures are depicted including intracranial aneurysms and their ligation, an area in which Dott was renowned for pioneering surgical advances. The collection stands as a testament to Dott's emphasis upon medical illustration to communicate the intricacies and complexities of his field, providing valuable insight into clinical and surgical practice in neurosurgery when the specialty was in its juvenescence. In order to illuminate the connections between biography and specialism that generated an extraordinary visual archive, this study considers the early life and work of Norman Dott and the influence of Harvey Cushing on Dott's prioritisation of visual documentation of surgical practice. It explores the impact of German–American medical artist Max Brödel on the UK, and especially on the artists employed by Dott, before presenting a short review of the medical illustrations they created.


OF DISSERTATION THE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL AND HYPOXIA EXPOSURE IN THE DEVELOPING BRAIN Exposure to alcohol (ethanol (ETOH)) during fetal development results in a variety of cognitive/behavioral deficits. The effects of fetal ETOH exposure vary across individuals and numerous studies have shown that ETOH's interaction with other variables can affect outcome in offspring. These studies investigated the effects of developmental ETOH and hypoxia. It was hypothesized that a history of ETOH during development alters the response to a subsequent hypoxic challenge, such as that which may occur during parturition; this results in central nervous system (CNS) damage and behavioral deficits. The first study determined if developmental ETOH and hypoxia exposure produced behavioral deficits in a 3 trimester rodent model. Prior research indicated that chronic ETOH exposure followed by a brief hypoxic challenge produced multiplicative cytotoxicity in an in vitro organotypic hippocampal slice culture (OHSC) model. In vivo, ETOH exposure followed by hypoxia increased locomotor activity in an open field task, compared to controls or subjects exposed to either insult alone. Additionally, ETOH + hypoxia produced acquisition deficits in male subjects in a water maze task. The second study further investigated ETOH + hypoxic cell damage in the OHSC model. The results from these experiments showed that cytotoxicity increased above control levels over 24 hours in the sensitive CA1 and CA3 regions of the hippocampus. Results also demonstrated that at a relatively "low" concentration of ETOH still sensitized the developing brain to a hypoxic episode. Finally, these data indicate that ETOH withdrawal was necessary to produce an interaction between these two insults. The third study employed the novel compound, JR220, to determine to role of polyamines in ETOH + hypoxia cytotoxicity in OHSCs. JR220 acts on the polyamine site of NMDAr and previous studies indicate that it is protective against ETOH withdrawal damage. The results from this study suggested that polyamine site blockade was protective against cell damage associated with exposure to ETOH and acute hypoxia. Collectively, these results indicate that exposure to ETOH during development sensitizes the brain to a brief hypoxic challenge. These results could help explain why some children appear to be more affected by fetal ETOH exposure than others. Both the in vitro and in vivo models developed in this dissertation can be used to further explore the effects of ETOH and hypoxia during fetal development and can be used to screen potential pharmacotherapies.


A 12-year-old girl with superficial moniliasis of a fingernail had idiopathic hypoparathyroidism. Nine months later, she had a clinical syndrome consistent with Addison disease. However, the serum cortisol and urinary 17-hydroxycorticosteroid values were normal. Stimulation with corticotropin and metyrapone showed an intact pituitaryadrenal axis. Plasma renin level was elevated. Despite severe hyponatremia, excessive urinary sodium loss, and evidence of hypovolemia, the excretion of aldosterone and of the major metabolite of 18-hydroxycorticosterone was markedly decreased. However, the excretory product of 18-hydroxydeoxycorticosterone, produced in the zona fasciculata, was normal. These findings point to either an isolated 18-hydroxylase deficiency limited to the zona glomerulosa or to destruction of the adrenal cortex involving only the zona glomerulosa.


Accelerating learning processes for complex tasks by leveraging previously learned tasks has been one of the most challenging problems in reinforcement learning, especially when the similarity between source and target tasks is low. This work proposes REPresentation And INstance Transfer (REPAINT) algorithm for knowledge transfer in deep reinforcement learning. REPAINT not only transfers the representation of a pre-trained teacher policy in the on-policy learning, but also uses an advantage-based experience selection approach to transfer useful samples collected following the teacher policy in the off-policy learning. Our experimental results on several benchmark tasks show that REPAINT significantly reduces the total training time in generic cases of task similarity. In particular, when the source tasks are dissimilar to, or sub-tasks of, the target tasks, REPAINT outperforms other baselines in both training-time reduction and asymptotic performance of return scores.


The 21st century global market demands highly skilled workforce who are intellectually active, creative, innovative and capable of critical thinking. Therefore, this study examines the factors determining employee creative and innovative undertakings at work in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria with a focus on transformational leadership and organizational culture. The study adopted survey design and simple and moderated regression analyses to test seven hypotheses. Data were collected from 414 (270 males and 144 females) randomly selected employees of four oil and gas service companies in Lagos aged between 19 and 61 years (x=33.4). Employees completed questionnaires consisting of validated scales of employee creativity and innovation, transformational leadership and organizational culture in the study. Cronbach alpha of the scales ranged from 0.87 to 0.97. Results showed that transformational leadership has significant impact on employee creativity (R²=.43, p<.001) and employee innovation (R²=.43, p<.001); organizational culture has significant impact on employee creativity (R²=.27, p<.001) and employee innovation (R²= .15, p<.001); and transformational leadership and organizational culture significantly interacted to impact employee creativity (ΔR²=.13, p<.001) and employee innovation (ΔR²=.15, p<.001). It was concluded that transformational leadership and appropriate organizational culture are important factors in facilitating employee creativity and innovation in the oil and gas service industry in Nigeria. It was recommended that oil and gas service companies can facilitate employee creativity and innovation by promoting and investing in transformational leadership training of their managerial staff as well as instituting enabling innovative organisational culture.Keywords: Employee creativity, innovation, transformational leadership and organisational culture


South Africa has experienced immense changes in the post-apartheid era and coordinated local public policy has sought to expand and improve the level of basic services provided to disadvantaged people. Local government has played a pivotal role in this process and has been subjected to intense reform in an effort to enhance its effectiveness and broaden its range of activities. While a number of scholars have examined the administrative, political and social dimensions of the local government reform program, little attention has focused on the economic efficiency of service provision. This paper seeks to remedy this neglect by evaluating the productive efficiency with which municipal councils have delivered electricity, domestic waste removal, sanitation and water in line with their new responsibilities using Data Envelopment Analysis techniques applied to cross-sectional data covering the period 2006-2007 for 231 local municipalities and 46 district municipalities.


Each year, mine and mill operations generate enormous amounts of two waste types - fine-grained tailings and coarse-grained waste rocks. Fine-grained tailings are either discharged in slurry form to surface tailings dams or delivered in cementitious form to underground mine stopes as backfilling, while coarse-grained rocks are typically stored by depositing as a dry material in large dumps. The engineering design of surface tailings dams or underground mine stopes is often controlled by the high compressibility and low shear strength characteristics of fine-grained tailings. Cemented paste backfill CPB indicating saturated, fine-grained backfills can undergo major consolidation settlement during early curing stages. Thus, a better understanding of the rate and magnitude of both differential and total settlement of CPB cured under stress is essential for a proper backfill geotechnical design. The consolidation parameters of CPB can be determined from an improved lab setup called CUAPS (curing under applied pressure system). This setup is capable of simulating the CPB placement and curing conditions, and measuring the consolidation parameters of CPB cured under effective stresses ranging between 0.5 and 400 kPa. In this study, a series of one-dimensional consolidation tests were conducted on CPB samples allowing for examination of the effects of binder type and rate as well as curing time on the compression properties (e.g., coefficient of consolidation cv, compression index Cc, and recompression index Cr) and the final geotechnical index properties (e.g., void ratio ef, water content wf, and degree of saturation Sf). Results showed that as the binder content increases, the initial resistance to consolidation increases. The cv value decreases over the course of time due to evolution of the CPB microstructure generated by the hydration process.


Abstract : Utilizing data from three satellites the document presents the relationship between the particle energy and angular distributions, the resulting auroral forms, and spatial features such as the inverted V and electrostatic structures. The occurrence of field-aligned electrons over a wide range of energies near and at the edges of inverted V structures in the low altitude local evening auroral region is an outstanding feature in the data. The DMSP pictures often show a brightening of the auroral form in coincidence with similar intense electron precipitation at the edges of inverted V structures. Preliminary examination of the S3-3 data has produced only a few such events with a tendency for them to occur at lower altitudes. As a separate topic, a detailed description of a high altitude inverted V structure is presented using S3-3 data. The region contained strong perpendicular electric field structures embedded therein. The potential drop in the region peaks near 16 kV with 10-12 kV below and 4-6 kV above 8000 km. The modification of the electron distributions due to strong electric field structures is analyzed. The signature of the acceleration in the electrons is consistent with an acceleration region that starts 2000-4000 km above the satellite altitude of 8000 km and extends well below the satellite. (Author)


Space division multiplexing (SDM) erbium-doped seven-core fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) are increasingly attracting interest due to their performances in improving capacity transmission systems. To increase the gain and improve the characteristics of the SDM seven-core fiber amplifier, this paper proposes the use of the erbium/ytterbium (Er3+/Yb3+) co-doped seven-core fiber amplifier. A theoretical model of the SDM co-doped seven-core fiber amplifier is developed. The presented results show that the proposed model allows us to obtain a peak gain over 60 dB at a wavelength of 1543 nm, a large bandwidth of 64 nm with a gain greater than 20 dB and with a minimum noise which is lower than 6 dB.


The present paper describes problems involved in antedating headwords in the third edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED3). One of the elements in urgent need of revision in the previous edition was the dating of quotations but, despite the intensive labours of the lexicographers, some OED3 headwords and senses are still likely to be misdated. This paper is based on the premise that Google Books, a gigantic online resource, can be applied successfully for the verification of OED3 dating. Indeed, my findings indicate clearly that Google Books has a vast research potential, because half of the words in my sample (covering 129 items related to dancing) have been antedated in full-text sources. However, neither the search procedure nor the interpretation of data retrieved is straightforward, so a number of ambiguous and problematic examples have been provided to show that antedating is far more intricate than it seems at first sight. For example, one has to repeatedly distinguish between related senses, evaluate the relevance of similar word-forms and determine whether or not the words can be treated as fully-fledged loanwords. Even though many of my decisions were purely intuitive, I nonetheless hope that at least some of the antedatings found in Google Books turn out to be helpful for OED3 lexicographers in the on-going revision process.


Pre-trained Transformer-based models have become immensely popular amongst NLP practitioners. We present TrelBERT – the first Polish language model suited for application in the social media domain. TrelBERT is based on an existing general-domain model and adapted to the language of social media by pre-training it further on a large collection of Twitter data. We demonstrate its usefulness by evaluating it in the downstream task of cyberbullying detection, in which it achieves state-of-the-art results, outperforming larger monolingual models trained on general-domain corpora, as well as multilingual in-domain models, by a large margin. We make the model publicly available. We also release a new dataset for the problem of harmful speech detection.


The cardiovascular system (CVS) has emerged as an important target of corticosteroid hormones. Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists provide cardiovascular protection and are now routinely used in disorders such as primary hyperaldosteronism, resistant hypertension and congestive heart failure (CHF) but the underlying molecular mechanisms of corticosteroid hormone action remain unclear. We have characterised corticosteroid hormone action and metabolism by 11β- hydroxysteroid-dehydrogenases (11β-HSDs) in isolated adult rat cardiomyocytes (CM) and cardiac fibroblasts (cFb). We have detected 11β-HSD1 expression and activity in CM and cFb where it facilitates glucocorticoid hormone action, whereas 11β-HSD2 was absent. We have shown differential gene regulation by aldosterone (Aldo) and corticosterone in CM and identified novel Aldo target genes which may provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of Aldo action. We have also studied the role of corticosteroids in essential hypertension and the effect of spironolactone (Spiro) upon their secretion and metabolism in patients with chronic kidney disease. We have shown that mineralocorticoids but not glucocorticoids are involved in elevated blood pressure in essential hypertension and that Spiro treatment results in compensatory activation of the renin-angiotensinaldosterone system (RAAS), whereas glucocorticoid secretion and metabolism remain unchanged. In summary, these data provide novel molecular and clinical insights into corticosteroid hormone action in the CVS.


Semiclassical methods to simulate both steady and time-resolved photoelectron spectra are presented. These approaches provide spectra with absolute band shapes and vibrational broadening beyond the Condon approximation, using an ensemble of nuclear configurations built either via distribution samplings or nonadiabatic dynamics simulations. Two models to account for the electron kinetic energy modulation due to vibrational overlaps between initial and final states are discussed. As illustrative examples, the steady photoelectron spectra of imidazole and adenine and the time- and kinetic-energy-resolved photoelectron spectrum of imidazole were simulated within the frame of time-dependent density functional theory. While for steady spectra only electrons ejected with maximum allowed kinetic energy need to be considered, it is shown that to properly describe time-resolved spectra, electrons ejected with low kinetic energies must be considered in the simulations as well. The results also show that simulations based either on full computation of photoelectron cross section or on simple Dyson orbital norms provide results of similar quality.


: Selective coronarography and pharmacological test with intravenous administration of ergometrin have been carried out in 100 patients. The test permits one to demonstrate the vasospastic form of angina pectoris, which is encountered in patients with different degrees of lesions of the coronary arteries and different tolerance to exercise. Lack of coincidence in localization of ischaemic zones in the myocardium in tests with exercise and intravenous injection of ergometrin according to myocardium scintigraphy with 201Tl points to the possibility of existence of two forms of angina pectoris in the same patient, differing not only in the pathogenetic mechanisms but also in the localization of the ischaemic changes supervening in the myocardium. According to the data of echocardiography during the anginal attack with rise of the ST segment there is a more pronounced dilatation of the left ventricle cavity and decrease of the myocardial contractility than in the anginal attack with depression of the ST segment. In patients with spontaneous angina pectoris and rise of the ST segment corinfar exerted marked antianginal effect. Inderal was ineffective. In patients with angina pectoris and depression of the ST segment there was no difference between the two drugs.


The software architecture of a system is the overall structure of the system in terms of its constituent components and their interconnections. Dynamic changes to the instantiated system architecture-to the components and/or interconnections-may take place while it is running. In order that these changes do not violate the integrity of the system, we adopt a general model of dynamic configuration which only permits change to occur when the affected portions of the system are quiescent. In this paper we investigate the ability to perform behaviour analysis on systems which conform to the change model. Our analysis approach associates behavioural specifications with the components of a software architecture and analyses the behaviour of systems composed from these components. We use Labelled Transition Systems to specify behaviour and Compositional Reachability Analysis to check composite system models. We model the changes that can occur and use analysis to check that the architecture satisfies the properties required of it: before, during and after the change. The paper uses an example to illustrate the approach and discusses some issues arising from the work.


Many benthic dinoflagellates are known or suspected producers of lipophilic polyether phycotoxins, particularly in tropical and subtropical coastal zones. These toxins are responsible for diverse intoxication events of marine fauna and human consumers of seafood, but most notably in humans, they cause toxin syndromes known as diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) and ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP). This has led to enhanced, but still insufficient, efforts to describe benthic dinoflagellate taxa using morphological and molecular approaches. For example, recently published information on epibenthic dinoflagellates from Mexican coastal waters includes about 45 species from 15 genera, but many have only been tentatively identified to the species level, with fewer still confirmed by molecular criteria. This review on the biodiversity and biogeography of known or putatively toxigenic benthic species in Latin America, restricts the geographical scope to the neritic zones of the North and South American continents, including adjacent islands and coral reefs. The focus is on species from subtropical and tropical waters, primarily within the genera Prorocentrum, Gambierdiscus/Fukuyoa, Coolia, Ostreopsis and Amphidinium. The state of knowledge on reported taxa in these waters is inadequate and time-series data are generally lacking for the prediction of regime shift and global change effects. Details of their respective toxigenicity and toxin composition have only recently been explored in a few locations. Nevertheless, by describing the specific ecosystem habitats for toxigenic benthic dinoflagellates, and by comparing those among the three key regions - the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and the subtropical and tropical Pacific coast, insights for further risk assessment of the global spreading of toxic benthic species is generated for the management of their effects in Latin America.


There is a need for Accelerated Discovery Cycles (ADCs) for integrating experimental and observational data to capture large-scale dynamic ecosystem complexity, to instantly process massive datasets, to test contrasting mechanistic models and to drive the next set of experiments. The overreaching objective is to enable ADCs by coupling recent advances in computational models and cyber-systems with the unique experimental infrastructure of Biosphere 2 (B2), a large-scale earth system science facility now under management by the University of Arizona. In the context of ADCs, there is a need for software development environment for modeling complex systems and a middleware for data streaming from the field into the models. Kepler is an open source tool that enables the end user to design scientific workflows in order to manage scientific data and perform complex analysis on the data. Ring Buffered Network Bus (RBNB) Data Turbine is a middleware system that is used to integrate sensor-based environment observing systems with data processing systems. Currently the integration between Kepler and Data Turbine is limited to reading from the Data Turbine only. In ADC, multiple hypotheses are tested with different assimilation models. These models run on a distributed computing environment, therefore capability of simultaneous reads and writes to the Data Turbine is a necessity. In this paper we show how to integrate Kepler with RBNB Data Turbine to achieve this capability. We also exploit the open-source features of Kepler system and create customized processing models in order to accelerate and automate the experiments in ecosystems research. We describe in further details our implementation approach to enable future studies on Kepler and Data Turbine integration.


Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) is subject to damage by a range of insect pests, the most important of which are the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae), the koa seedworm, Cryptophlebia illepida (Butler), and the litchi fruitmoth, C. ombrodelta (Lower) (also known as the macadamia nut borer) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). The activity of tephritid fruit flies and Cryptophlebia spp. (hereafter referred to as Cryptophlebia) both can lead to several types of fruit defects, including holes, stains, and release of fruit juices, making it difficult to distinguish which pest caused the damage. Field studies were conducted to minimize the occurrence of these types of fruit defects through use of a spinosad-based protein bait (GF-120 Fruit Fly Bait) to suppress oriental fruit fly populations, and an attractant associated with a contact insecticide (attract-and-kill) technique (Last Call) to suppress Cryptophlebia populations in litchi orchards at the scale of individual farms. The Last Call product used was based on a pheromone blend developed for the macadamia nut borer because preliminary tests identified that this blend was more attractive to both C. ombrodelta and C. illepida than was a pheromone blend developed for the oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta (Busck). Overall, based on results from four split plot litchi orchards, there was no significant difference in oriental fruit fly trap catch between spray and control sections at any trap service date. However, population reduction in the sprayed section of one orchard with a higher B. dorsalis population may have been a result of the spray application. Cryptophlebia trap catch was significantly lower in the treated orchards after the first Last Call application. Cryptophlebia infestation was more than three-fold greater than infestation by oriental fruit fly in each of the orchards. For both pests, there was no significant difference in infestation rate or infestation-related fruit damage between control and treatment orchards. Improved bait sprays and improved attract-and-kill products and/or larger treatment areas may be needed to provide satisfactory levels of fruit fly and Cryptophlebia suppression.


Computer games have been recognized for their educational potential for some time now and the number of educational games available has steadily increased in recent years. As the number of educational games available increases, serious games are starting to face a similar dilemma to other types of educational resources: how can educators or parents easily find the most relevant games and share their experiences from using them these games? To this end the EduGameLab project has developed a tool for sharing experiences about educational games among educators and parents in the form of a database of educational games and experiences of individual educators and parents with these games. The development of this database was based on a metadata schema for formally describing serious games and experiences with these games. In this paper we report on the development of this database, revisit and refine the metadata schema based on our experiences and evaluate the usability and usefulness of the database based on feedback gathered at practical workshops with educators.


In wine-growing regions, zoning studies define areas according to their potential to produce specific wines and also identify the key drivers behind their variability and optimize vineyard management for sustainable viticulture. However, delineation of homogeneous zones is difficult because of the complex combination of factors which could affect zone classifications. One possibility to capture potential variability is the use of natural environmental properties as they are related to success in grape growing. With the aim of characterizing the spatial variability of the main vine-related environmental variables and determining different zones, climate and topographical data were obtained for Extremadura (southwestern Spain), an important wine region. Firstly, accurate maps of all climate indices were generated by using regression-kriging as the most suitable algorithm in which exhaustive secondary information on elevation was incorporated, and maps of topography-derived variables were obtained using GIS (Geographical Information System) tools. Secondly, principal component analysis and multivariate geographic classification were used to define homogeneous classes, resulting in three zones. Each zone was further characterized by overlaying the zonation map with a geology map and all enviromental layers. It was obtained that although a wide part of the Extremaduran territory has warm climate characteristics, the zones have different viticultural potential and a high proportion of the region lays on suitable substrate. This zonation in Extremadura is the basis for further zoning studies at more detailed field scale and the modeling of vineyard response to climate change.


The key notion in service-oriented architecture is decoupling clients and providers of a service based on an abstract service description , which is used by the service broker to point clients to a suitable service implementation. A client then send service requests directly to the service implementation. A problem with the current architecture is that it does not provide means for clients to specify, service brokers to verify, and service implementations to prove that certain desired non-functional properties are satisfied during service request processing. An example of such non-functional property is access and persistence restrictions on the data received as part of the service requests. In this work, we describe an extension of the service-oriented architecture that provides these facilities. We also discuss a preliminary implementation of this architecture and report preliminary results that demonstrate the potential practical value of the proposed architecture in real-world software applications.


The author re-examines the concept of equality in international society, past and present. The conventional view that equality of states necessarily flows from sovereignty, that it is a corollary to sovereignty or simply a synonym, is considered a contingent rather than a necessary contention. The main argument is that equality in global international society should be theorised anew, restoring the normative strength of the principle. It is shown how concepts of equality make intelligible different normative and ethical conceptions of the modern political space in the past. Drawing on the works of such diverse theorists as Hans Kelsen, Peter Singer, John Rawls and Michael Oakeshott, the author suggests how a renewed interest in equality contributes to making international society a more inclusive, egalitarian, and credible moral and political association.


There are major psychological problems in our schools and colleges around the world and especially, in America. These conflicts entail the absence of "Boarded" school psychologists and their roles related to health care and student behavior. Recent research suggests that the level of dopamine in the blood is significantly related to our crime and delinquency problems, typically associated with the use and abuse of alcohol and drugs and consequently abnormal blood chemistry related to psychophysiology. Dopamine reduction causes reduced or extinguished personal sensitivity to praise and blame related to social group membership; causing loss of self-esteem and self-efficacy. ********** The Psychologist in our schools and colleges is responsible for helping personnel, teachers and parents to deal with and understand the behavior of students involved in each of their respective settings. They are concerned with helping individuals in schools to deal with their personal behavior and interpersonal relations and more specifically, in facilitating personal development and adaptations to their aspiring goals and life plans. Additionally, Board certified psychologists serve as consultants and supervisors in the student's health care. These professionals are by far the most important and critical elements in relation to the personal welfare of all individuals, and ultimately the success of our institutions as well. Our dilemma is directly related to the one million high school dropouts in prisons and to the lack of welfare for another million US prison inmates. Basic School Psychologists Typically in connection with elementary, middle and high schools, psychologists possessing a master's degree are the most prevalently employed. Their primary function is the administration of individual intelligence tests in connection with the admission for special training. They are skilled in identifying learning problems in relation to vision, foreign language, and non-reading readiness skills; as opposed to determining if limited intelligence qualifies students for special training admission. Doctoral Level School Psychologist Psychologists in our schools and colleges have educational training ranging from a bachelor's degree earned at an accredited college or university to those who not only have the doctoral degree but also satisfactorily completing internships, to be qualified for dealing with presenting student behavior and personality problems. This is the usual background of the typical school psychologist in middle and high schools and even most of our state colleges. Their first order of business deals with the learning problems and personal and family adjustment including health care management. The Boarded School Psychologist The American Academy of School Psychology, about a decade old, provides special recognition for select school psychologists who have a doctoral degree from a recognized college or university, with an appropriate internship. Then, after four or more years of successful practice, these individuals may seek to obtain the diplomate and be "boarded" not unlike other health care professionals. Qualifying as a boarded school psychologist is evaluated after appearing before a very select Board of Peers for formal examinations to determine that they possess credentials for such an award. Today however, there are few health care services that do not boast the presence of "boarded" health care professionals. Contrastingly, there are very few high schools or state colleges that have the services of a boarded school psychologist. Even colleges granting doctoral degrees in school psychology seldom have a boarded school psychologist on their staff. This dilemma results in a lamentable state of affairs and must be corrected if we choose to raise our high schools and state colleges to comparable standards similar to the medical profession. …


Few studies have examined characteristics and
correlates of females who display assaultive behaviours towards their intimate
partners. Personality disorders, anger responses, type of violence perpetrated,
and post-traumatic stress reactions in female perpetrated intimate violence are
important factors in diagnosis, management, and treatment considerations. The
present study examined the incidence of cluster B personality disorder traits
in a non-clinical sample of self-identified females who perpetrate intimate
partner violence (IPV). Results suggest differences in anger responses, nature
and severity of violence perpetrated, and post-traumatic stress reactions
across personality disorder categories. The numerous important applied
implications and future research directions are discussed.


Aim - The rationale behind this review paper is to examine the association between the lean
practices and green practices in the service sector. And that raises set of research issues and leading to select
some research questions arising out this topic of research.
Design/methodology/approach-The articles published in the period of 1999-2020 were collected by different
data bases like Elsevier, emerald, Springer, Taylor Francis, the articles were scrutinized and clarified thoroughly
close to the relation of lean and green management in service industries.
Findings- Combining the lean and green together in the service organization is a daunting task much of the
articles are emphasize more on the technologies rather than human efficiency in achieving the sustainability in
the lean and green methods, so there is a large scope in the human involvement and the subsequent benefits of
LGM(Lean and green management).
Research implications/Limitations- There are many more articles e emphasizing the importance of lean
implementation, lean management, lean six sigma but very few existing literatures are available only in lean
greenmangement, after careful refining of the existing articles related to lean and green management in service
industries we exclude many non relevant articles related to other domains (like green construction, green
technologies in architecture etc.) based from this 84 articles only.
Originality/value- The paper evaluates 84 articles reported in the domain of lean green management, it explores
ample opportunities of research potential available in the lean green management in the service industries.


Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are performed in order to detect the genetic variations associated with physical traits (e.g. diseases), and Plink is a popular software system for analyzing the data of GWAS. Due to the large datasets involved, the task of data processing can be very time-consuming. Although GPUs (graphics processing units) are not generally applicable to all computing tasks, they have the capability to significantly speedup many types of time-intensive applications due to the GPU's massively parallel architecture. The practical goal of this project is to investigate whether GPU acceleration of a pipeline of Plink's time-intensive kernels can substantially improve its overall runtime performance. A framework called PlinkGPU has been designed to fulfill this goal – it includes CUDA and OpenCL implementations for a specific set of Plink operations. Real-life datasets of increasing size are used to test the performance and scalability of both implementations. With the implemented analysis on the largest dataset, PlinkGPU runs 94 times faster than the original CPU-based version of Plink. Finally, this paper discusses whether GPUs are the most appropriate strategy for this type of data-intensive analysis.


An alternative route to produce biodiesel is based on esterification of free fatty acids present in byproducts obtained from vegetable oil refining, such as palm oil fatty acid distillate (PFAD). PFAD is a byproduct of the production of edible palm oil, which contains 96 wt.% of free fatty acids. The purpose of this work was to study biodiesel synthesis via esterification of PFAD with methanol and ethanol, catalyzed by commercial immobilized lipases (Novozym 435, Lipozyme RM-IM, and Lipozyme TL-IM), in a solvent-free system. The effects of reaction parameters such as type of lipase, enzyme amount, type of alcohol, alcohol amount, and enzyme reuse were studied. Fatty acid conversion of 93% was obtained after 2.5 h of esterification reaction between PFAD and ethanol using 1.0 wt.% of Novozym 435 at 60°C.


We propose a novel dictionary-based learning method for ambiguously labeled multiclass classification, where each training sample has multiple labels and only one of them is the correct label. The dictionary learning problem is solved using an iterative alternating algorithm. At each iteration of the algorithm, two alternating steps are performed: a confidence update and a dictionary update. The confidence of each sample is defined as the probability distribution on its ambiguous labels. The dictionaries are updated using either soft (EM-based) or hard decision rules. Extensive evaluations on existing datasets demonstrate that the proposed method performs significantly better than state-of-the-art ambiguously labeled learning approaches.


Although current knowledge attributes movement disorders to a dysfunction of the basal ganglia–motor cortex circuits, abnormalities in the peripheral afferent inputs or in their central processing may interfere with motor program execution. We review the abnormalities of sensorimotor integration described in the various types of movement disorders. Several observations, including those of parkinsonian patients' excessive reliance on ongoing visual information during movement tasks, suggest that proprioception is defective in Parkinson's disease (PD). The disturbance of proprioceptive regulation, possibly related to the occurrence of abnormal muscle‐stretch reflexes, might be important for generating hypometric or bradykinetic movements. Studies with somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs), prepulse inhibition, and event‐related potentials support the hypothesis of central abnormalities of sensorimotor integration in PD. In Huntington's disease (HD), changes in SEPs and long‐latency stretch reflexes suggest that a defective gating of peripheral afferent input to the brain might impair sensorimotor integration in cortical motor areas, thus interfering with the processing of motor programs. Defective motor programming might contribute to some features of motor impairment in HD. Sensory symptoms are frequent in focal dystonia and sensory manipulation can modify the dystonic movements. In addition, specific sensory functions (kinaesthesia, spatial–temporal discrimination) can be impaired in patients with focal hand dystonia, thus leading to a "sensory overflow." Sensory input may be abnormal and trigger focal dystonia, or defective "gating" may cause an input–output mismatch in specific motor programs. Altogether, several observations strongly support the idea that sensorimotor integration is impaired in focal dystonia. Although elemental sensation is normal in patients with tics, tics can be associated with sensory phenomena. Some neurophysiological studies suggest that an altered "gating" mechanism also underlies the development of tics. This review underlines the importance of abnormal sensorimotor integration in the pathophysiology of movement disorders. Although the physiological mechanism remains unclear, the defect is of special clinical relevance in determining the development of focal dystonia.


Although the use of injectable anesthesia prior to subgingival scaling and root planing (SRP) reduces pain, many patients report fear and prolonged numbness of adjacent tissues. The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of a eutectic mixture containing 25 mg/g of lidocaine and 25 mg/g of prilocaine, injectable 2% lidocaine, topical 2% benzocaine and a placebo substance on reducing pain during SRP. In this randomized, split-mouth, masked clinical trial, thirty-two patients presenting more than two teeth with probing depth and clinical attachment level ≥ 5 mm in at least 4 sextants were randomly allocated to four groups: EMLA(r); injectable 2% lidocaine; topical 2% benzocaine and placebo. Pain and discomfort were measured using a visual analogue scale (VAS) and verbal scale (VS). Repeated-measures analysis of variance and Poisson regression were used for analysis. Patient satisfaction with the anesthesia was determined at the end of each treatment session. VAS and VS scores did not differ between injectable 2% lidocaine and EMLA (p > 0.05) and both substances showed significantly better pain control compared to 2% benzocaine and placebo (p < 0.05). 93.7% and 81.2% of the individuals were satisfied with the injectable anesthetic and EMLA, respectively (p = 0.158). Dissatisfaction with benzocaine and placebo was approximately 10 times greater than injectable anesthesia (p = 0.001). In conclusion, EMLA showed an equivalent effect on pain control when compared to the injectable anesthesia and performed better than 2% benzocaine in SRP. Thus, EMLA is a viable anesthetic option during scaling and root planning, despite the frequent need for second application.


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This essay posits that Justice Sonia Sotomayor is the Supreme Court's chief defender of the Fourth Amendment and the cherished values it protects. She has consistently defended Fourth Amendment freedoms—in majority, concurring, and especially in dissenting opinions. Part I recounts a few of her majority opinions in Fourth Amendment cases. Part II examines her concurring opinion in United States v. Jones. Part III examines several of her dissenting opinions in Fourth Amendment cases. A review of these opinions demonstrates what should be clear to any observer of the Supreme Court: Justice Sotomayor consistently defends Fourth Amendment principles and values.


Handroanthus heptaphyllus (Vell.) Mattos (Bignoniaceae), a tropical forest tree, is a source of wood suitable for the manufacture of fine furniture and chemical compounds with medicinal and insecticidal properties. Poor seed viability of this species limits the conventional propagation practice. In vitro  germination of seeds was achieved in semi-solid Murashige and Skoog's (MS) medium. A disinfection protocol was optimized for germination and growth of seedlings in vitro . Proliferation of shoots from cotyledonary and stem nodal segments was achieved in semi-solid MS medium supplemented with 22.2 μM 6-benzyladenine. Temporary immersion culture promoted elongation and rooting of shoots and reduced the shoot tip necrosis compared with culture on semisolid medium (6.7±2.7 and 41.7±7.0%, respectively; P = 0.001). Plantlets derived from temporary immersion showed better performance during the acclimatization phase. This is the first report on micropropagation of H. heptaphyllus . Keywords: Seeds, uncoated seeds, cotyledon, stem nodes, axillary shoots, adventitious shoot, black lapacho


Motivation: Detailed copy number (CN) variation data can be obtained from 450k or EPIC Illumina methylation assays. However, the effects of different preprocessing strategies (normalization, transformation and selection of gain/loss cutoff values) on variant calling have not been evaluated systematically. Results: We provide an R package which allows to directly compare any preprocessed CN data. It provides its own CN alteration detection methodology: segments are identified through detection of changes in variance of CN data and are subsequently filtered for significance. Meaningful cutoffs for gain/loss definition can be identified automatically through analysis of the resulting &Dgr;CN distributions of all analyzed samples. Three exemplary datasets (2x450k, 1xEPIC) were selected for comparative analyses of Raw, Illumina, SWAN, Quantile, Noob, Funnorm and Dasen normalizations. Importantly, all CN data distributions were skewed (‐0.66 to ‐1.2) therefore requiring different gain/loss cutoffs. Depending on the normalization method, prominent baseline differences between samples could be observed. We present a workflow, which alleviates both issues: Z‐transformation removes baseline differences between samples, and automatic cutoff selection circumvents the problems accompanying the skewed distributions. Additional filtering of candidates by significance yields comparable results for most enumerated normalization methods except for SWAN. In contrast, manual cutoff determination results in highly variable numbers of variant calls, highly dependent on the selected normalization method. Taken together, we present a workflow which allows to robustly identify copy number alterations in methylation array data fairly independent of the applied normalization. Availability and Implementation: The cnAnalysis450k package is available on github (https://github.com/mknoll/cnAnalysis450k). Contact: email@example.com Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


This research aimed to compare the G and Phi coefficients estimated in Decision studies in Generalizability theory and obtained in actual cases for the same conditions of similar facets by using crossed design. The research was conducted as pure research on 120 individuals (students), six items and 12 raters. An achievement test composed of six open ended questions and a holistic rubric developed by the researcher were used in data collection. Data analysis included obtaining the G and Phi coefficients by creating actual cases for two, four and six raters followed by D studies conducted for other actual cases with different measurement conditions to make estimates. Finally, G and Phi coefficients obtained and estimated for two, four and six raters were compared separately. Findings show that G and Phi coefficients estimated in D studies by increasing the number of raters were sometimes greater than those obtained in actual cases although they were sometimes smaller. However, it was concluded that a pattern may not always exist between the G and Phi coefficients obtained in actual cases for same number of raters and those estimated in D studies.