Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future. - Niels Bohr One of the difficulties associated with scatter measurements is the large number of variables on which the scatter distribution depends. In addition to sample parameters such as roughness, bulk defects, and contamination, there are instrumentation-dependent parameters such as polarization, angle of incidence, and wavelength. Separating the various effects is not trivial, although there can be strong economic motivations to do so. The usual approach has been to make scatter measurements under the conditions expected for actual use; that is, to use the polarization, incident angle, and wavelength that are intended for eventual use to make the scatter measurements. Although polarization and incident angle are relatively easy to adjust in most instruments, a huge amount of data would be required to cover all of the combinations that a given sample might encounter in its expected use. In addition, generating scatter data at arbitrary wavelengths is an expensive task. Therefore, there are strong motivations for being able to predict
sample scatter and avoid taking the data. Unfortunately, there has been a tendency to oversimplify some scatter predictions, which has led to poor results and considerable confusion. For example, the relationship TIS = (4πσ/λ) 2 can be interpreted as follows: if the rms roughness doubles, the measured TIS will quadruple. This is essentially true (ignoring the high-angle sensitivity limitations of TIS measurements given in Section 1.6) if the increase in σ is produced proportionally over the spatial bandwidth corresponding to the angular collection cone of the scatter instrument (i.e., the PSD doubles over the collection angles). But the equation is easily misinterpreted as indicating that if the illuminating wavelength is doubled, the measured scatter from a given reflector should be reduced by one fourth. Although one could probably guess that the TIS would be reduced in such a case, it would be just a guess because changing the wavelength changes the spatial bandwidth of the measurement. If a grating was being measured, and doubling the wavelength brought the first-order diffraction into the collection optics, the TIS would probably increase!


The authors investigated the electrical compensation induced by deep levels introduced in metal organic vapor phase epitaxy grown n+-InGaP∕GaAs epitaxial layers by high temperature Fe implantation. The activation of the Fe2+-related deep levels has been assessed by current-voltage analyses performed at different temperatures. In the framework of the space charge limited current model, they determined the energy location in the gap of the deep levels that control the electrical properties of the semi-insulating epilayers. A donor level which acts as an electron trap located at EC−0.5eV and a Fe-related acceptor level which is responsible for the stable increase of resistivity located at EV+0.72eV were identified.


Arguably the most important pop-culture import from the East to the West, manga is a phenomenon that can no longer be ignored. Yet just as much as it is a source of visual splendor and riveting storylines, manga -- the herald of the exotic and uber-hip -- stimulates intense philosophical interest. Drawing from Japanese art traditions, influenced by the impact of World War II, and a significant player in cross-cultural exchange, manga has rapidly become a literary force worldwide. Readers of all ages eagerly await the next installment of their favorite manga series and delight in discovering new titles. Manga and Philosophy joins the lively discussion about manga by examining some of its major forms (lolicon to shonen to shojo), best titles (Death Note to Space Battleship Yamato to Gunslinger Girl), and the cultural factors surrounding it. Can demons be good? Is it morally wrong to sexualize schoolgirls? What do giant robots teach us about the ethics of war? All of these questions and more are dealt with professionally and accessibly, making Manga and Philosophy all but indispensable for fans and scholars alike.


In France, one can date the establishment of the process of civilization between 1635 and 1675, as the current of civility, which had begun to develop in scattered salons, is taken over by the monarchy. A continuity between salons and court can be seen in refined morals, language (le bel usage), and the gallant aesthetics, the matrix of literary creation in the seventeenth century. However, as values leave the salons under Richelieu – home of counter-power – for Louis XIV's court – seat of the dominant power – they undergo a rigidification. The society of leisure yields to a ritualization of all activities, and the model of the "galant homme", that was distinguished by its boldness, declines before that of the "honnete homme", who cultivates an art of measure to fit all situations. The progressive specialization of the salons changes them into academies, preparing the creation of a "classical" taste.


A fine structural investigation of the causative organisms of systemic granuloma in goldf ~ s h Carassius auratus revealed single-nucleate amoeboid organisms which were either intracellular, enclosed within a parasitophorous vacuole, or intercellular, embedded in an electron-dense matrix, presumably residues of defunct host cells. The nucleolemma-bound nucleus contained a large centrally positioned nucleolus. The cytoplasm contained ribosomal aggregates, endoplasmic reticulum and numerous adjunct thick-walled vesicles. Mitochondria were absent. Large cytoplasmic inclusions contained electron dense deposits. Additionally, cytoplasmic ribosome-rich bodies differentiated from the cytoplasm, segregating into an invagination of the organism's body wall and apparently were becoming confluent with the parasitophorous vacuole. The taxonomic and biological affinities of these organisms are discussed through comparison with similar Dermocystidium-like and amoeboid aetiological agents from fish.


Quite a few papers have been written on the significance of elevated hemoglobin (Hb) A 2 as a parameter for the diagnosis of β-thalassemia trait, on the cutoff values to be used in diagnostics and on the significance and effects of factors reducing or elevating the expression of HbA 2 and last but not least on the need for reliable measurement methods and precise calibrations with accurate standards. However, little has been published on the causes that elevate or reduce the HbA 2 levels in β- and a-thalassemia and in other conditions. For a better understanding of the value of a precise measurement of this parameter we summarize and elucidate in this review the direct and indirect mechanisms that cause the variations in HbA 2 expression and that influence the value of this parameter in particular conditions. We conclude by explaining the advantages and disadvantages of trusting on a precise measurement in the complete diagnostic contest.


A diverse assemblage of early land plants from the Lower Devonian of the Welsh Borderland. Nine rhyniophytoid taxa are described from an early Gedinnian locality (middle micromatus-newportensis spore Biozone) near Ludlow, England. They include Cooksonia pertoni, C. hemisphaerica, C. cambrensis, Tortilicaulis transwalliensis and three new taxa, Salopella marcensis sp. nov., Uskiella reticulata sp. nov. and Tarrantia salopensis gen. et sp. nov. Isolated sporangia of reniform shape, and those subtended by short lengths of axis, contain spores of Apiculiretusispora type and may belong to C. caledonica or Renalia. Morphologically distinctive forking, terminal sporangia lacking identifiable spores are not placed in a new taxon, because evidence based on in situ spores from elsewhere suggests they may belong to Salopella. Structures previously interpreted as clusters of sporangia of Yarravia-type are shown to be ± globular sporangia longitudinally split into valves. Sterile axes are dominated by smooth forms; although rare examples possess small enations. Tracheids have not been seen in axes of fertile specimens nor in sterile coalified compressions. A single pyrite permineralization contains tracheids of zosterophyll type. The assemblage demonstrates diversity among rhyniophytoids in the early Devonian and the existence of low vegetation 'alongside' the much larger zosterophyll dominated type.


BACKGROUND: Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a benign and self-limiting syndrome, but can progress to life-threatening conditions if leave untreated. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of acetazolamide for the prophylaxis of AMS, and disclose factors that affect the treatment effect of acetazolamide. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials comparing the use of acetazolamide versus placebo for the prevention of AMS were included. The incidence of AMS was our primary endpoint. Meta-regression analysis was conducted to explore factors that associated with acetazolamide efficacy. Trial sequential analyses were conducted to estimate the statistical power of the available data. RESULTS: A total of 22 trials were included. Acetazolamide at 125, 250, and 375 mg/bid significantly reduced incidence of AMS compared to placebo. TAS indicated that the current evidence was adequate confirming the efficacy of acetazolamide at 125, 250, and 375 mg/bid in lowering incidence of AMS. There was no evidence of an association between efficacy and dose of acetazolamide, timing at start of acetazolamide treatment, mode of ascent, AMS assessment score, timing of AMS assessment, baseline altitude, and endpoint altitude. CONCLUSION: Acetazolamide is effective prophylaxis for the prevention of AMS at 125, 250, and 375 mg/bid. Future investigation should focus on personal characteristics, disclosing the correlation between acetazolamide efficacy and body mass, height, degree of prior acclimatization, individual inborn susceptibility, and history of AMS.


The rivers of the wet-dry tropics in northern Australia support highly productive and diverse ecosystems, with a wide variety and abundance of freshwater fish. However, there are significant and imminent anthropogenic threats to these near-pristine ecosystems and the implications for freshwater fishes are difficult to predict, as there is little information known about basic life history, particularly reproduction and early life stages of these fishes. This study investigated the temporal and spatial variability of spawning and recruitment of freshwater fish during the dry season, low-flow period in the Daly River, Northern Territory. Sampling of fish early life stages occurred at 6 weekly intervals (May- October 2013) at the Daly River Crossing, to investigate temporal patterns. On two occasions (early and late dry season 2013) sampling also occurred at Claravale and Oolloo Crossings, when spatial and habitat patterns were explored. A diverse range of sampling gears was used across a range of slackwater habitats and the mid-channel environment, during both the day and night. The dry season low-flow period was found to be important for freshwater fish spawning (indicated by presence of larvae) and recruitment (indicated by presence of juveniles). Twenty species were recorded spawning during the 2013 dry season, from a range of different life history strategies and taxonomic groups. Spawning occurred throughout the dry season, although the transition times (coming from the wet to the dry season, and dry to wet season) seemed to be key spawning periods for the majority of species collected. Temporal variability was largely due to a peak in larval abundance towards the end of the dry season, attributable to the increased abundance of larvae of opportunistic species (i.e. Craterocephalus stramineus and Craterocephalus stercusmuscarum). Larval and juvenile fish assemblages also varied among river reaches; with larval abundance lower and juvenile species richness higher at the downstream site (Daly River Crossing), compared to the other two sites. Variability may be due to broad differences in habitat characteristics (e.g. submerged vegetation) and position within the catchment. Within-reach spatial variability was also evident, as the majority of fish in early life stages used low flow slackwater habitats along the bank edges, rather than the mid-channel. This is consistent with the low flow recruitment hypothesis (Humphries et al. 1999). The recorded environmental variables within slackwaters only explained 31.9 % and 27.6% of the variance in the larval and juvenile assemblages respectively, with dissolved oxygen and turbidity being responsible for most of the variation. This study has made a key contribution to understanding the significance of dry season low flows for spawning and recruitment of freshwater fishes in wet-dry tropical rivers. However, longer term and more spatially replicated sampling is required to confidently describe the importance of the period, and the spawning period and cues of freshwater fishes in these rivers.


Introduction: Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to the increased risk of several chronic diseases, especially in people living in the Northern Latitudes. The aim of this study was to assess the vitamin D status in older subjects born in 1945 in Northern Finland (latitude 65°North), and to examine its associations to components of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we invited 904 subjects born in 1945 from the Oulu region (Oulu45 cohort), out of an original cohort of 1332 subjects. In the cohort, plasma 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels were determined by an enzyme immunoassay of 263 men and 373 women, with a mean age baseline of 69±0.5 years old. We assessed the participants' usage of vitamin D supplements, as well as their lifestyle factors, using a questionnaire. Results: Nearly 80% of the subjects had low vitamin D levels [either vitamin D deficient (<50 nmol/L) or insufficient (50 – 75 nmol/L)], and only 20% of the participants had sufficient vitamin D levels (>75 nmol/L) (based on the American Endocrine Society guidelines). The low vitamin D status was associated with a high prevalence of MetS; a significantly higher number of subjects with MetS (41%) had low vitamin D levels in comparison to the non-MetS subjects (38%) (p ≤ 0.05). The subjects under vitamin D supplementation had a significantly lower incidence of MetS (42.6% vs 57.4%) and its components in comparison to the non-supplemented subjects (p ≤ 0.05). Conclusions: Low vitamin D levels are a risk factor for MetS amongst other lifestyle factors, such as dietary habits and physical inactivity, among older subjects in the Northern Latitudes (65°North). Optimal supplementation of vitamin D, along with rich dietary sources of vitamin D, are highly recommended for older subjects as a means to positively affect, e.g., hypertension, insulin resistance, and obesity, as components of the MetS.


One of a writing center's greatest institutional strengths is its versatility. A common misconception is that all writing centers are alike–indeed, many clients may not notice differences from one kind of organizational structure to another. Admittedly, regardless of a writing center's actual structure, it always holds to the ideal of providing support for what Muriel Harris calls "collaboration in learning about writing" (370). Yet variations in writing centers do exist, and often for complex reasons including funding, resources, prospective personnel, and the needs of the larger educational institution or community. Writing centers can be differentiated by the kind of people they employ: either what we call an expert/novice model or a peer-tutoring model, and sometimes a combination of the two. Thus, writing centers are spaces that can be tailored to the needs of the larger institution, and this versatility is one of the writing center's strengths in finding broad applications and implementation across a variety of locales.


In this study, the linear and nonlinear displacement responses of an antisymmetric angle-ply composite plate subjected to sonic boom and air blast loadings are addressed. The first-order shear deformation theory is used for the governing equations so that the shear deformations can be taken into account for the responses of moderately thick plates. The von Karman type of geometric nonlinearities are considered and the rectangular composite plate is assumed to be simply supported on all edges. A multimode Galerkin approach is used to obtain the equation of motion in the time domain, and those equations are solved by a Runge-Kutta fifth-order method. The influences of a large number of parameters are investigated, such as damping ratio, geometric nonlinearity, number of modes, characteristic of the blast, plate geometry, and fiber orientation.


Locoregional and intratumoral administration of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) has been successful in obtaining inhibition or regression of tumor growth in the clinic. This potent antitumor activity of TNF alpha has not yet been exploited as a systemic agent in cancer therapy, mainly due to high levels of toxicity to normal tissues before a therapeutic dose of TNF alpha in the tumor has been achieved. To address this, we have targeted TNF alpha using antitumor antibodies. We have used a genetic fusion of human recombinant TNF alpha with MFE-23, a single-chain Fv antibody fragment directed against carcinoembryonic antigen. MFE-23::TNF alpha fusion protein is isolated in high yields (28 mg/L) from bacterial inclusion bodies and purified to homogeneity by affinity chromatography. It is a 144 kDa trimer in native form and possesses the antigen-binding activity of the sFv and the cytotoxicity to both WEHI 164 and a human adenocarcinoma cell line (LoVo) of rhTNF alpha. Radiolabeled MFE-23::TNF alpha binds both human and mouse TNF receptor 1 in vitro and is able to localize effectively in nude (nu/nu) mice bearing human LS174T xenografts; tumor/tissue ratios of 21:1 and 60:1 are achieved 24 and 48 h after intravenous injection. These studies indicate that MFE-23::TNF alpha will provide an effective means for systemically administered cancer therapy with TNF alpha.


The fifth volume of the Dictionary of American Regional English, ending with zydeco, was finished last year and published this spring. Since then the project has been working on preparing material for a sixth volume of supplemental materials (geographical and social maps, an index to the entries, and lists of responses to selected questions in the DARE questionnaire), which is to appear early next year, and for a corrected and enhanced online edition of the whole work, to be launched late next year. Plans are already being made for periodic updates and revisions of the online edition, which will take advantage not only of the thousands of new citations that have already been collected, but also of the many Web resources that have become available since the first three volumes were written. Future plans include a pilot project to test the feasibility of using modern methods—Web-based questionnaires and telephone interviews—to achieve the same sort of results as the original DARE fieldwork, and a project to make the sound recordings from the original fieldwork—along with a database containing detailed content listings—available on the Web.


The human herpes virus Epstein-Barr (EBV) is clearly associated with African Burkitt's lymphoma and the undifferentiated form of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, although its role in oncogenesis is still poorly defined. Recently EBV has been implicated in other types of lymphomas, as well as in some nonlymphomatous neoplastic processes. Its possible association with human breast cancer has been investigated here. DNA from 91 cases of breast carcinoma and blood samples from the same patients were amplified with the PCR over a region in the EBV /(«/»!ll\Vmajor repeat sequence following a single-step amplification protocol. Nineteen samples (21%) were found to be positive; 10 samples of blood (only 3 of them from patients with EBV-positive tumors) were found by the adopted protocol to contain EBV DNA. Another series of PCR amplifications using primers covering a unique (nonreiterated) fragment in />•«/»!IK.' encoding the EBERs (two short nonpolyadenylated RNAs generally highly expressed ¡n cells latently infected with EBV) confirmed these findings. A good corre lation between the two sets of experiments was observed, and only five differences in results were obtained on samples tested. In situ hybridiza tion was carried out using BamHIW biotinylated DNA probes or EBER-1 digoxigenin-labeled riboprobes with the aim of confirming as well as localizing the signal to the epithelial cell. Twelve sections (63%) among the PCR-positive samples were found positive by in situ hybridization with the DNA probe, and six (31.5%) sections were found with the RNA probe. Twenty-one samples from benign breast tumors or normal breast tissue were used as controls for PCR amplification in this study, none of which was found positive. This is the first known report showing positive results for EBV in breast cancer. No statistical association was found in these studies between the presence of EBV and the histolÃ3gica! type of the tumor, however. Its role therefore remains for the moment unknown, as well as does the significance of the association of EBV with only a subset of the cases.


Radio frequency (RF) heating is recognized as a technique having the potential to thermally enhance remediation of hydrocarbon-impacted soil. RF heating delivers electromagnetic (EM) power to a targeted body of soil, resulting in an increased soil temperature that enhances the in-situ remediation processes such as biodegradation. Antennas are placed either on the ground or installed in the soil near the ground surface. The antennas operate in the hundreds of kHz to MHz range.
 To model the RF heating process, we successfully coupled a reservoir simulator with a 3-dimensional (3D) EM solver to evaluate the ability of RF technology to heat soil in situ. The coupled reservoir/EM simulator solves the EM fields and associated heating for a heterogeneous reservoir or soil volume in the presence of multiple antennas. The coupling was accomplished through a flexible interface in the reservoir simulator that allows the runtime loading of third-party software libraries with additional physics. This coupled workflow had been previously used for studying RF heating for heavy oil recovery (Li 2019).
 An RF heating simulation case study was performed in support of a soil remediation field test designed to demonstrate the ability to heat soils using EM energy. The study included field test data analysis, simulation model building, and history matching the model to test data. Results indicate, on average, the soil was heated ∼2-3°C above the initial formation temperature after approximately two days (52 hours) of RF heating. We found that the RF heating was local, and our simulation model, after tuning input parameters, was able to predict a temperature profile consistent with the field test observations. With properly designed RF heating field pilots and tuning of EM and reservoir parameters in simulation models, the coupled reservoir/EM simulator is a powerful tool for the calibration, evaluation, and optimization of RF heating operations.


A high-Tc superconducting (HTSC) thin film with an inductive shunt was investigated as the model of a hybrid current limiter based on the superconducting-normal state transition. In addition to features previously observed in operation of other current limiters, sharp peaks of rather high frequency were found to appear on the background of a basic low-frequency voltage signal. This is attributed to self-oscillations of temperature and current in the superconductor. The influence of the frequency and magnitude of the circuit current on the character of self-oscillations was experimentally investigated. Qualitative analysis of the conditions for appearance of the self-oscillations under dc and ac conditions was carried out.


The clinical immunopharmacology of RU 41740 was studied in man by means of double-blind, drug versus placebo trials. When the compound was administered concomitantly with an anti-influenza vaccine, the anti-influenza antibody titers were higher than in the group which received a placebo. RU 41740 increased delayed hypersensitivity as demonstrated in vitro by lymphocyte proliferation tests in treated subjects and in vivo by cutaneous reactions in patients with malignant diseases. The drug was also found to stimulate phogocytosis in patients with chronic bronchitis. These studies show that RU 41740 has a non-specific enhancing effect on humoral and cellular immune responses and on phagocytic functions.


The late W. H. Hutt was preeminent and persistent critic of the economic theories of John Maynard Keynes. In "The Keynesian Episode", he presents a comprehensive review of Keynes's general Theory, including the finest critique to date of the Acceleration Principle. He questions the very legitimacy of Keyne's fundamental epistemology.


The problem of adequately measuring success of information system (IS) projects has not been sufficiently solved. Whereas the traditional approach of assessing IS project success in terms of adherence to budget, schedule and requirements is said to be insufficient, there is lack of agreement on a multidimensional approach using further or different criteria. As success is seen as matter of perspective, project stakeholders' subjective perceptions of project success are supposed to be important criteria. Thereby, especially the satisfaction of the client organisation is relevant as it is crucial for the contractor's reputation and assignments of follow-up projects. However, IS developing companies and success reports predominantly assess IS project success using only the objective adherence-to-planning criteria. We believe that client satisfaction in IS projects highly depends on the confirmation of client's expectations concerning project (process and product) performance. We thus apply the Expectation-Confirmation Theory (ECT) to the context of IS projects aiming to explain the satisfaction of the client organisation. As managing expectations may influence satisfaction, we extend the ECT by client-vendor communication. We assume that client-vendor communication manages expectations, that is, it moderates the relationship between expectation and confirmation. We present and argue for our hypothesized model and according measures for a quantitative analysis. As our study is one of few focussing on the client perspective, we propose an innovative approach to further improve the understanding of IS project success.


In Malaysia, Jaapar (2006) stated that Value Management (VM) is still at the early stage of its evolution. Despite its infancy stage, the authorisation of VM Circular 3/2009 by Economic Planning Unit (EPU) has made all public projects exceeding RM50 million to implement the VM studies. There are three objectives to be achieved in this research. The objectives are to identify the VM participants' receptiveness towards the VM implementation in a workshop environment setting, to observe the VM manual application in the VM workshop and to discover the challenges faced by the VM participants and facilitators.
Keywords: Value Management; VM Workshop Environment; VM Participants' Behaviour; VM Future Growth.
eISSN 2514-751X © 2018. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.
https://doi.org/10.21834/aje-bs.v3i8.280


The wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have a wide range of applications in many areas, including many kinds of uses such as
environmental monitoring and chemical detection. Due to the restriction of energy supply, the improvement of routing performance is the major motivation in WSNs.
We present a Clustering Opportunistic Ant-based Routing protoco (COAR), which comprises the following main contributions to achieve high energy efficient and well load-balance: (i) in the clustering algorithm, we calculate the theoretical value of energy
dissipation, which will make the number of clusters fluctuate around the expected value, (ii) define novel heuristic function and pheromone update manner, develop an improved ant-based
routing algorithm, in this way, the optimal path with lower energy level and shorter link length is established, and (iii) propose the energy-based opportunistic broadcasting mechanism to reduce
the routing control overhead. We implement COAR protocol in NS2 simulator and our extensive evaluation shows that COAR is superior to some seminal routing algorithms under a wide range of scenarios.


We develop a formalism to calculate the quasiparticle energy within the GW many-body perturbation correction to the density functional theory. The occupied and virtual orbitals of the Kohn-Sham Hamiltonian are replaced by stochastic orbitals used to evaluate the Green function G, the polarization potential W, and, thereby, the GW self-energy. The stochastic GW (sGW) formalism relies on novel theoretical concepts such as stochastic time-dependent Hartree propagation, stochastic matrix compression, and spatial or temporal stochastic decoupling techniques. Beyond the theoretical interest, the formalism enables linear scaling GW calculations breaking the theoretical scaling limit for GW as well as circumventing the need for energy cutoff approximations. We illustrate the method for silicon nanocrystals of varying sizes with N_{e}>3000 electrons.


Summary Release into the wild is the preferred outcome for rehabilitated animals, but often little is known about what happens to individuals following their release. Increased knowledge of post-release survival and reintegration into the wild could improve release and rehabilitation strategies. To assess the survival and reintegration of rehabilitated Endangered Carnaby's Cockatoos Zanda latirostris into wild flocks we studied the movements and behaviour of 23 birds fitted with satellite tracking devices. We assessed longer term survival by collating records of leg-banded birds over eight years. Rehabilitated birds had an estimated annual survival rate of 0.73. The band recovery rate for all rehabilitated Carnaby's Cockatoos banded between 2005 and 2013 was not significantly different to those fitted with tracking devices (10.3% versus 13.0% respectively, P = 1). Physical, social and behavioural indicators of fitness were used to assess the success of the reintegration of rehabilitated birds. Released birds flew, roosted and foraged with wild birds. Whilst pair bond formation and breeding of study birds could not be confirmed during this study, behaviours associated with pair bonding were observed, including allo-preening and male courtship displays. The rehabilitation process and pre-release procedure for identifying individuals ready for release was effective at selecting suitable release candidates.


Diabetes is an important human ailment affecting many lives in different countries. Diallyl disulfide (DADS), the antidiabetic compound found in garlic, acts as a therapeutic agent in diabetes mellitus condition. This research aimed to investigate the role of DADS on the gluconeogenic mechanism in the liver tissue and the potential involvement of CREB in glucose homeostasis in a Wistar rat model. The alteration in the body weight, liver weight and glycogen content in diabetic rats were prevented by this therapeutic compound: the cAMP-responsive element-binding protein (CREB), an important transcriptional regulator of the gluconeogenic mechanism. The glucose uptake potential was studied by the expression of CREB protein in DADS treated diabetic rats using the western blotting technique. A high level of hepatic CREB protein expression was noted in diabetic status in the chronic hyperglycemic model which was reversed by DADS. The antihyperglycemic effect of DADS was almost similar to that of known antidiabetic drug metformin. The therapeutic action of DADS on diabetic status is due to the control of the glycemic imbalance in liver tissue.


: We have briefly tried to inform about the fact why controls of profitableness have to be carried out, how is their course and by virtue of which standards the unprofitableness is assessed. In form of a randomized summary we will once more specify what the physician by all means should do if the fee is reduced or a drug recourse takes place: 1. The date of receipt is to be written clearly visible on the control rescript, since this is of importance for the grace when legal remedies may be applied. 2. Test the rescript, whether or not the reducing or the recourse seems to be justified or whether you have the impression that the data of your activity and management of your practice have not been fully taken into consideration. In this case you at once object and announce a detailed argument. 3. Test quietly, after the first irritation has subsided, whether the points of view explained in the paragraphs 3 and 4 have been taken into consideration, in particular: a. Is the comparative group right? b. Is the present elevation of the average values suited to justify the reducing measure performed? c. Are all peculiarities of the practice taken into consideration? d. Are the peculiarities of the practice sufficiently exactly quantified? e. Was a possible compensatory less expenditure taken into consideration? 4. Summarize the result of your own inquires, as they are described in item 3, in a relevant argument as short as possible. If you need statistical data, which are not at your disposal, for writing this argument, so request such data from the control department of your health-insurance company. 5. In a drug recourse you control, whether or not you can acknowledge the judgment of the arguments for reducing declared. Otherwise you request from your health insurance company the examination into the adequate prescriptions, in which case you probably have to go into the business premises of your health insurance company, in order to be able to take notes there.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Language is very important thing to our life because language has strong influence in the society relationship. Language is one important thing of communication and language can express speaker"s ideas, feeling, emotion, and suggestion. Literature is a part of language and

language is tool for communication. Therefore, literature cannot be separated from language. Literature is simple another way we can experience the world around us trough our imagination (Jones, 1968).

Literature not only provides pleasure for the reader but also gives something more important to understand life.

Koesnoesoebroto mentions two kinds of literature. They are the literature of knowledge and the literature of imagination (1988:2). The literature of knowledge presents or interprets facts, ideas or happenings. Literature of imagination interprets experience by a fictitious presentation of person, ideas, and events. The creative writer is not only primarily concerned with the actual truth of particular events but also their imagination.

A song is one example of literature of imagination. According to Hornby, "Song is a short poem or number of verses set of music and intended to be sung by singer. Song is one of literary works that has the purpose for entertainment, enjoyment and information. Song is a media to express the imagination, ideas, felling and message to the readers. In many songs commonly uses figurative language and usually contains beautiful words. So, figurative language is part of composer style. It

means that the author will be expressing the message using by using words that need interpretation.

There are some studies related with this study. In 2007, Lutfiani conducted the research about the message of Kelly Clarkson"s song lyric "Breakway". In 2005, Hardiansyah studied the figurative language used on Creed album "Weathered". Based on statement above, the writer on this thesis is interested in analyzing the figurative language in English song. The writer chooses "Heal the World" sung by Michael Jackson as the subject of the research

because the song tells about human life in the world. Michael Jackson is an American pop singer and songwriter. In this case, the writer aims to find the figurative language of "Heal the World" by Michael Jackson and

the message behind the song. Therefore, in this thesis the writer chooses the title of thesis "an analysis of figurative language and message on the song of "Heal the World" sung by Michael Jackson".


: The secreted-protein agarose diffusion immunoassay (SADI) described here is an efficient and time-saving method for identifying cell lines secreting recombinant protein products. In addition to significantly reducing the labor involved in identifying clones of interest, it also increases the possibility of detecting rare transformants by allowing the screening of a large number of clones simultaneously. The recovery of viable cell lines following the technique is nearly 100%. We demonstrate that the assay can be used to differentiate between clones producing two different protein products and that it is possible to use the technique to identify and isolate the high-producing recombinant clones in a population. Given an available antiserum, it should be possible to adapt this assay for any secreted protein of interest.


Innovation has moved to the foreground in regional policy in the three last decades. Public policies have been shaped by «best practice models» derived from high-tech urban-metropolitan areas and successful regions. However, lessons learned from these examples are rarely transferable elsewhere. The regional innovation systems in peripheral regions, and the likelihood of their acting as instruments for territorial competitiveness, have rarely been the subjects of discussion. The main objective of the article is precisely to take Portugal as an example to enrich this analysis. The first part of this article examines the concept of regional innovation systems against the background of modern theories of innovation and regional policies. It is argued that the role of localized learning is of strategic importance in the promotion of endogenous regional development. The authors then discuss the structural barriers and opportunities to promote regional innovation strategies in the Portuguese political, economic and social context, and, finally, they point out some specificities that need to be addressed in the redesign of public interventions in order to improve regional competitiveness and sustainability.


Bioactive ceramics such as bioactive glasses, calcium carbonate and sintered hydroxyapatite are widely used in biomaterials field because of their high biocompatibility. In this study, natural hydroxyapatite (N-HA) and synthetic Hydroxyapatite (S-HA) were heat treated at 800°C and studied using "in vitro" experiments. Several physicochemical methods like: SRD, FTIR, SEM and ICP-OES were employed to evaluate the effects of the thermal treatment and to compare their behaviour after soaking in the Simulated Body Fluid SBF at different times. The formation of TCP has favours the formation of new phase. Obtained results show that the dissolution occurred more in N-HA than in S-HA and consequently the precipitation of new phosphate phase is more important in N-HA. This is due to the presence of Mg, Sr and Zn in N-HA with concentration higher to that in S-HA.


Gastrointestinal nematode parasitism is arguably the most serious constraint affecting sheep production worldwide. The nematode of particular concern is Haemonchus contortus, which can cause severe blood loss resulting in anemia, anorexia, depression, loss of condition, and eventual death. In this study the haematology and histopathology of different glands randomly selected sheep was studied after collection of blood and tissue sample from industrial slaughter houses in Ilam. Different regions of alimentary tract of the 375 animals were checked for the type of parasites present. Those animal with parasite consider as infected and without parasite concerned as a control The present study researched to know the species of parasite affected sheep at Ilam province having 465 Km border-line with Iraq country, in addition to study the pathological lesions in some immune system tissue glands. Dominent infection found in sheep were Haemonchus contourtus Trichurous, globulosa,Tristrongylus, colubriformis, Bunostomom trigonocephalum, Ostertagia ostertagi and sometime trematodes were also found .Erythrocyte number were significantly reduced in infected sheep. Haemoglobin concentration was also found droped in infected animal. Mean cell haemoglobin and Mean cell haemoglobin concentration did not show significant decrease while packed cell volume was significantly reduced in infected animal. Total leukocyte showed consistent pattern of increase in infected sheep percentage count of Neutrophil appear to be reduced with an evident increase in Lymphocytes. Results of this study illustrated that clinical signs of infected animals showed emaciation, sunken eye, and diarrhea, due to infection with Nematode which was identified based on the morphology of the adult worms. Histopathological findings of tissues of infected sheep particularly lymph node, revealed lymphadenitis, while in mesentery cross section of adult parasites in lumen of vein associated with thrombophelebitis has been seen, liver also showed minute granulomas around central vein. These results signify immunopathological response of the host.


Healthcare providers (HCPs) should identify overweight and obesity for surveillance and intervention purposes. This study aimed (a) to assess the ability of HCPs to estimate body mass index (BMI) by visual inspection and (b) to determine how systematically BMI is measured in an outpatient setting. A mixed group of 219 HCPs and 33 medical students were asked to estimate the BMI of five photographed people with varying degrees of obesity. A systematic survey of hospital charts took place over one week in a stratified random sample of 26 out-patient clinics in a teaching hospital. Each chart was surveyed for recording of height, weight, BMI and waist circumference at that clinic, or if not measured then, during the preceding year. The study group underestimated the BMI of obese people, with greater discrepancies as obesity increased: an actual BMI of 32 kg/m2 was underestimated by 9%, while one of 72 kg/m2 was underestimated by 42%. Of 515 hospital charts identified, weight was recorded for 33.4% of patients, height for 4%, waist circumference for 1.4% and BMI for 0.4%. In the 10 clinics that measured weight during the data collection period, the percentage of patients weighed was 11.8 - 88.9%. However, clinics were reasonably well supplied with equipment: 100% had weighing scales, 76.9% had a measuring tape, 7.7% had a BMI chart and all but one had a stadiometer. Conclusion HCPs neither recognise obesity reliably nor routinely record BMI. Systematic measurement strategies are required to tackle the global obesity epidemic.


Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is one of the most important grain legumes in East Africa, but its yield has remained below the genetic potential. Declining soil fertility is among the primary constraints to bean production in most East African bean producing regions. Often existing recommendations are generic and inept to guide farm level decision making on nutrient replenishment. A greenhouse nutrient omission study was conducted to determine the limiting nutrients in three soils of Masaka District, commonly cropped to beans: "Liddugavu" a Phaeozem, "Limyufumyufu" a Cambisol and "Luyinjayinga" an Umbrisol soil. Nine treatments; (i) complete nutrient treatment, (ii) N omitted, (iii) P omitted, (iv) K omitted, (v) Mg omitted, (vi) S omitted, (vii) Ca omitted, (viii) Micronutrients omitted and (ix) control without nutrients. Each treatment was randomly assigned to the three soils and replicated three times using a completely randomised design. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were limiting nutrients for bean production in Umbrisol (Luyinjayinja) while in Cambisol ('Limyufumyufu), common bean production was most limited by soil acidity. The performance varied with soil types, with beans grown on the Phaeozem registering greater leaf number and growth, confirming both scientist's and local farmer's knowledge that this soil has greater potential than the other two soils.


In the modern age, information is a crucial aspect of management. It is an important source needed to develop other resources and it is believed that information is power. The development and use of information management systems is a modern phenomenon concerned with the use of appropriate information that will lead to better planning and better decision making. A web tool for crime data analysis is a comprehensive textbook on such subject, covering a broad array of topics not usually included in practical machine learning algorithm text books. It discusses many methods based in different fields, including statistics, pattern recognition, neural networks, artificial intelligence, and data mining,in order to present a practical treatment of machine learning problems and solutions. All learning algorithms are explained so that anybody can easily understand the concepts and transfer into a computer program.The book can be used by undergraduates,graduates and engineering students who have completed courses in computer programming, probability, calculus, and linear algebra.


The δ15N values of organisms are commonly used across diverse ecosystems to estimate trophic position and infer trophic connectivity. We undertook a novel cross-basin comparison of trophic position in two ecologically well-characterized and different groups of dominant mid-water fish consumers using amino acid nitrogen isotope compositions. We found that trophic positions estimated from the δ15N values of individual amino acids are nearly uniform within both families of these fishes across five global regions despite great variability in bulk tissue δ15N values. Regional differences in the δ15N values of phenylalanine confirmed that bulk tissue δ15N values reflect region-specific water mass biogeochemistry controlling δ15N values at the base of the food web. Trophic positions calculated from amino acid isotopic analyses (AA-TP) for lanternfishes (family Myctophidae) (AA-TP ∼2.9) largely align with expectations from stomach content studies (TP ∼3.2), while AA-TPs for dragonfishes (family Stomiidae) (AA-TP ∼3.2) were lower than TPs derived from stomach content studies (TP∼4.1). We demonstrate that amino acid nitrogen isotope analysis can overcome shortcomings of bulk tissue isotope analysis across biogeochemically distinct systems to provide globally comparative information regarding marine food web structure.


The focus of the book is on practical problems and how to solve them in Python. The examples given are useful programs that try to solve real-world needs. Each chapter revolves around a single concept giving several examples gradually growing in difficulty. Each section analyses the problem first before diving into coding and gives extensive background information to enable the reader to generalize from the specific problem to a wider range of challenges. The sample code is provided as fully working examples with all key issues extensively highlighted. All sample programs are clear and concise yet nothing essential is left out and the programming style focuses on readability rather than on stylistic rigor or efficiency. This book is for users comfortable with Blender as a modeling and rendering tool who want to expand their skills to include Blender scripting to automate laborious tasks and achieve results otherwise impossible. Blender experience is essential as is some experience in Python programming.


Periodic nonuniform sampling can be used to achieve sub-Nyquist sampling of bandlimited multiband signals. In this paper, we examine the question of selecting the sampling pattern in such a scheme, so that the reconstruction robustness - measured by the condition-number of the modulation matrix - is maximized. Contrary to previous work, where the sampling pattern was chosen from a discrete set, we let the sampling patterns vary continuously, but impose a structural constraint. Using this approach, we derive necessary and sufficient conditions on the spectral support of the signal for which perfect conditioning exist, namely, for which a sampling pattern can be found so that the resulting modulation matrix has a condition number equal to 1. A simple test to check for these conditions is developed and the desired sampling patterns are found. An algorithm for choosing the sampling pattern when the aforementioned conditions are not satisfied is also introduced. Finally, we present some simulation results.


Purpose: To determine whether domain transfer learning can improve the performance of deep features extracted from digital mammograms using a pre-trained deep convolutional neural network (CNN) in the prediction of occult invasive disease for patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) on core needle biopsy. Method: In this study, we collected digital mammography magnification views for 140 patients with DCIS at biopsy, 35 of which were subsequently upstaged to invasive cancer. We utilized a deep CNN model that was pre-trained on two natural image data sets (ImageNet and DTD) and one mammographic data set (INbreast) as the feature extractor, hypothesizing that these data sets are increasingly more similar to our target task and will lead to better representations of deep features to describe DCIS lesions. Through a statistical pooling strategy, three sets of deep features were extracted using the CNNs at different levels of convolutional layers from the lesion areas. A logistic regression classifier was then trained to predict which tumors contain occult invasive disease. The generalization performance was assessed and compared using repeated random sub-sampling validation and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Result: The best performance of deep features was from CNN model pre-trained on INbreast, and the proposed classifier using this set of deep features was able to achieve a median classification performance of ROC-AUC equal to 0.75, which is significantly better (p<=0.05) than the performance of deep features extracted using ImageNet data set (ROCAUC = 0.68). Conclusion: Transfer learning is helpful for learning a better representation of deep features, and improves the prediction of occult invasive disease in DCIS.


This paper describes a sequential tripping strategy used in a wide area back-up protection expert system (BPES) to combat situations in which protection relays have maloperated or information is missing. The BPES is an innovative back-up protection scheme designed to prevent the occurrence of widespread blackouts. The BPES evaluates the certainty that transmission lines are likely to be affected by the fault and uses a sequential tripping strategy to isolate the fault if a firm decision is not available due to maloperated relays and/or missing information. The mode of analysis and the sequential tripping strategy ensure that the BPES will clear a fault at minimum risk to the network. An example is included to demonstrate how the certainty factor-based sequential tripping strategy is employed by the BPES to clear a fault that occurred on the southwestern part of the UK National Grid System.


Purpose of review This paper reviews recent advances in heart failure biomarkers for identification of disease precursors, subclinical disease, and onset or progression of overt disease. Recent findings Heart failure biomarkers can be categorized empirically as neurohormonal mediators, markers of myocyte injury and remodeling, and indicators of systemic inflammation. Brain natriuretic peptide is the most widely studied, with a potentially important but evolving role for determining prognosis and as a surrogate endpoint in clinical trials. Strong evidence exists for use of brain natriuretic peptide in the diagnosis of acute heart failure and for improved clinical outcomes with a brain natriuretic peptide-guided approach to heart failure care. The use of brain natriuretic peptide as a screening tool for asymptomatic left ventricular systolic dysfunction, or to distinguish systolic from diastolic heart failure, is not supported by current data. Markers of myocyte injury, including troponins, heart-type fatty acid binding protein, and myosin light chain-1, may further improve heart failure prognostication in conjunction with plasma brain natriuretic peptide. Biomarkers of matrix remodeling and inflammation have emerged as potential preclinical indicators to identify individuals at risk of developing clinical heart failure. A role for cellular adhesion molecules may also emerge in identifying those at risk for cardiovascular thrombotic complications, such as stroke. Summary The spectrum of heart failure biomarkers and their potential clinical applications continues to grow. Ongoing research on multimarker strategies will likely identify biomarker combinations that are optimal at various stages during the evolution of heart failure, ranging from their use for screening, diagnosis, determining prognosis, and guiding management.


The concept of continuous-time trajectory representation has brought increased accuracy and efficiency to multi-modal sensor fusion in modern SLAM. However, regardless of these advantages, its offline property caused by the requirement of global batch optimization is critically hindering its relevance for real-time and life-long applications. In this paper, we present a dense map-centric SLAM method based on a continuous-time trajectory to cope with this problem. The proposed system locally functions in a similar fashion to conventional Continuous-Time SLAM (CT-SLAM). However, it removes the need for global trajectory optimization by introducing map deformation. The computational complexity of the proposed approach for loop closure does not depend on the operation time, but only on the size of the space it explored before the loop closure. It is therefore more suitable for long term operation compared to the conventional CT-SLAM. Furthermore, the proposed method reduces uncertainty in the reconstructed dense map by using probabilistic surface element (surfel) fusion. We demonstrate that the proposed method produces globally consistent maps without global batch trajectory optimization, and effectively reduces LiDAR noise by surfel fusion.


A resume is given of an investigation of the influence of plastic deformation and of annealing temperature on the tensile and shear elastic properties of high strength nonferrous metals and stainless steels in the form of rods and tubes. The data were obtained from earlier technical reports and notes, and from unpublished work in this investigation. There are also included data obtained from published and unpublished work performed on an independent investigation. The rod materials, namely, nickel, monel, inconel, copper, 13:2 Cr-Ni steel, and 18:8 Cr-Ni steel, were tested in tension; 18:8 Cr-Ni steel tubes were tested in shear, and nickel, monel, aluminum-monel, and Inconel tubes were tested in both tension and shear. There are first described experiments on the relationship between hysteresis and creep, as obtained with repeated cyclic stressing of annealed stainless steel specimens over a constant load range. These tests, which preceded the measurements of elastic properties, assisted in devising the loading time schedule used in such measurements. From corrected stress-set curves are derived the five proof stresses used as indices of elastic or yield strength. From corrected stress-strain curves are derived the secant modulus and its variation with stress. The relationship between the forms of the stress-set and stress-strain curves and the values of the properties derived is discussed. Curves of variation of proof stress and modulus with prior extension, as obtained with single rod specimens, consist in wavelike basic curves with superposed oscillations due to differences of rest interval and extension spacing; the effects of these differences are studied. Oscillations of proof stress and modulus are generally opposite in manner. The use of a series of tubular specimens corresponding to different amounts of prior extension of cold reduction gave curves almost devoid of oscillation since the effects of variation of rest interval and extension spacing were removed. Comparison is also obtained between the variation of the several properties, as measured in tension and in shear. The rise of proof stress with extension is studied, and the work-hardening rates of the various metals evaluated. The ratio between the tensile and shear proof stresses for the various annealed and cold-worked tubular metals is likewise calculated. The influence of annealing or tempering temperature on the proof stresses and moduli for the cold-worked metals and for air-hardened 13:2 Cr-Ni steel is investigated. An improvement of elastic strength generally is obtained, without important loss of yield strength, by annealing at suitable temperature. The variation of the proof stress and modulus of elasticity with plastic deformation or annealing temperature is explained in terms of the relative dominance of three important factors: namely, (a) internal stress, (b) lattice-expansion or work-hardening, and (c) crystal reorientation. Effective values of Poisson's ratio were computed from tensile and shear moduli obtained on tubular specimens. The variation of Poisson's ratio with plastic deformation and annealing temperature is explained in terms of the degree of anisotropy produced by changes of (a) internal stress and (b) crystal orientation.


Hierarchies are pervasive in groups, generally providing clear guidelines for the dominance and deference behaviors that members are expected to show based on their relative ranks. But what happens when team members disagree about where each member ranks on the status hierarchy? While some research has examined overt status rivalries (Sutton & Hargadon, 1996), typically focusing on battles for the top positions (Groysberg, Polzer & Elfenbein, 2009; Overbeck, Correll, & Park, 2005), our study contributes novel findings on the effects of disagreement amongst all members' perceptions of their team's status hierarchy. This paper develops and tests a theory to explain how even small differences in members' status perceptions - differences that may not be apparent to the members themselves - can diminish coordination, generate task conflict, and weaken performance.We identify two conditions - time pressure and intragroup familiarity - under which team members' disagreements on the status hierarchy are more likely to lead to poor coordination and increased conflict. Survey data from a longitudinal field study of 89 consulting and accounting teams from a Big Four firm allow us to examine how teams experience status disagreement over time. Independent, third-party performance data for each team demonstrates how coordination and conflict ultimately affect performance with clients. These findings contribute both to the micro-status literature (especially to the growing body of research on the role of status in shaping team dynamics and outcomes) and more broadly to the team effectiveness literature.


Abstract A problem of lossy compression of hyperspectral images is considered. A specific aspect is that we assume a signal-dependent model of noise for data acquired by new generation sensors. Moreover, a signal-dependent component of the noise is assumed dominant compared to a signal-independent noise component. Sub-band (component-wise) lossy compression is studied first, and it is demonstrated that optimal operation point (OOP) can exist. For such OOP, the mean square error between compressed and noise-free images attains global or, at least, local minimum, i.e., a good effect of noise removal (filtering) is reached. In practice, we show how compression in the neighborhood of OOP can be carried out, when a noise-free image is not available. Two approaches for reaching this goal are studied. First, lossy compression directly applied to the original data is considered. According to another approach, lossy compression is applied to images after direct variance stabilizing transform (VST) with properly adjusted parameters. Inverse VST has to be performed only after data decompression. It is shown that the second approach has certain advantages. One of them is that the quantization step for a coder can be set the same for all sub-band images. This offers favorable prerequisites for applying three-dimensional (3-D) methods of lossy compression for sub-band images combined into groups after VST. Two approaches to 3-D compression, based on the discrete cosine transform, are proposed and studied. A first approach presumes obtaining the reference and "difference" images for each group. A second performs compression directly for sub-images in a group. We show that it is a good choice to have 16 sub-images in each group. The abovementioned approaches are tested for Hyperion hyperspectral data. It is demonstrated that the compression ratio of about 15–20 can be provided for hyperspectral image compression in the neighborhood of OOP for 3-D coders, which is sufficiently larger than for component-wise compression and lossless coding.


Background: Iron chelators are an important part of management of patients with thalassemia. It is prudent to compare efficacy of different iron chelators in treatment of iron overload in these patients who receive regular blood transfusion. We aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of available oral iron chelator; Deferasirox (Exjade®) with Deferasirox (Osveral®) in reducing iron overload in patients with β-thalassemia major. Methods: Children suffering from β-thalassemia major referring to Mofid Children Hospital were enrolled in this non-randomized clinical trial. The patients were divided into two groups receiving Deferasirox (Exjade®) versus Deferasirox (Osveral®) and their response to either treatment was assessed by measurement of serum ferritin levels and estimation of cardiac and liver iron by MRI T2* of heart and liver. Efficacy of either medication was compared before and after 12 months of treatment. Serum ferritin levels were measured every three months. Mean serum ferritin at baseline was compared with post-treatment values. MRI T2* of heart and liver was performed before and after treatment. Results: Out of 69 patients with a mean age of 13.6±7.4 years, 42 (60.9%) were male. 30 patients were assigned to take Deferasirox (Exjade®) and 39 patients to take Deferasirox (Osveral®). The groups were not different regarding the age and the gender (P=0.18 and 0.621, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference in post-treatment serum ferritin level measurements between the two groups. In patients who received Osveral®, decrease in liver iron overload was significant (0.99 ms in Exjade® group vs 1.16 ms in Osveral® group, p=0.007). In the group of patients who received Exjade®, decrease in cardiac iron overload was significant (4.52 in Exjade group vs. 1.71 in Osveral group, P<0.001). Conclusion: Deferasirox (Osveral®), the iron chelator manufactured in Iran, was as efficient as Deferasirox (Exjade®) in iron removal and could be a substitute for Deferasirox (Exjade®).


This paper briefly summarizes the analysis and findings of the 1996 Boskin Commission Report, Toward a More Accurate Measure of the Cost of Living. It then reviews the comments and criticisms that appeared soon after the Report was issued and provides responses to the more important criticisms. Changes in the CPI, both those that were planned before the Report and those that were in part a response to its recommendations, are summarized and assessed. The paper concludes with a summary of recent research on quality change and comments on the current status of the CPI and of price measurement research. Including those improvements that the BLS has announced for implementation in 2000-2002, the paper estimates that the current upward bias in the CPI is in the range of 0.65 percent, down from the 1.1 percent that the Report estimated applied to the period 1995-96.


One-pot furfuralcohol (FOL) production via dehydration of corncob-derived xylose followed by bioreduction of furfural has been described. The synthesized biocompatible solid acid catalyst SO42−/SnO2-attapulgite has been characterized and used for the dehydration of xylose-rich hydrolysate, and the highest furfural yield of 44% is achieved when employing 3.6 wt% catalyst loading at 170 °C for 20 min. The recombinant Escherichia coli CCZU-A13 harboring a NADH-dependent reductase (SsCR) is found to catalyze the bioreduction of furfural to FOL, the whole-cell catalyst could tolerate as high as 300 mM furfural substrate to give 221 mM FOL after 12 h of reaction under the optimum conditions (1.0 mM glucose per mM furfural, 30 °C, pH 6.5, 0.1 g wet cells per mL). The two processes are successfully combined in a one-pot manner to transform the xylose-rich hydrolysate to furfural, and then to FOL with 44% yield based on the starting material xylose (100% FOL yield for the bioreduction step). Finally, recycling experiments for the carrageenan immobilized whole-cell and solid acid catalyst in one-pot FOL production are conducted; both catalysts show excellent recyclability and no obvious decrease in activity is detected after 5 cycles of reaction. The developed one-pot chemo-enzymatic approach is greatly useful for practical green FOL production from renewable biomass resources.


Cost efficiency has been a dominant perspective in the traditional IT literature. However, in complex technology and business environment, the widely recognized cost efficient assumption of information technology has been increasingly challenged. Drawing from a case study of wireless network implementation situated in a politically sensitive workplace, this paper provided practice insights for IT managers in today's networked economy. More specifically, stories experienced in the case study illustrated that despite well-calculated cost efficiency of wireless network infrastructure, the radical implementation process in the case organization encountered enormous challenges and opposition due to the fact that administrators failed to consider various stakeholders' positions and interests. Eventually, the implementation objectives and outcome were considerably undermined. Implications from this empirical case research reemphasized the significance of understanding political forces situated in any business environment where different stakeholders hold conflicting interests. Lessons learned from the case story further encouraged IT managers and policy makers to better strategize emerging information technology in general and wireless networks in particular as the whole global society and business environment are increasingly facing an emerging wireless world.


Recent studies have stressed the importance of distortions in resource allocation across heterogeneous establishments in generating large TFP e¤ects. There is however little direct empirical evidence from actual policy experiments on the magnitude of these e¤ects. In this paper we propose and implement a simple methodology that empirically identi…es the separate e¤ects of entry and size restrictions on aggregate TFP and apply it to an analysis of the policy of industrial licensing in India. The licensing policy was notably reformed in the mid-1980s, and we take advantage of this policy experiment to identify the e¤ects of the licensing regime using factory-level data covering this period. Our results suggest that the easing of constraints on size were responsible for a 5-6% aggregate TFP improvement, and that the easing of entry restrictions resulted in a nearly 15-16% TFP improvement. JEL Codes: L5, O14, O47


Crude glycerol, a by-product of biodiesel production which contain impurities such as methanol, triglycerides and catalysts, would represent a huge challenge to the environment if disposed. Thus the best opportunity is to convert crude glycerol into valuable products. While a number of microorganisms are able to utilize glycerol as a sole carbon source to yield a range of organic acids and alcohols, the fermentation process has not been optimized. The main objective of the study was to evaluate the application of ultrasound to enhance the production of value-added acids and alcohols by anaerobic fermentation of crude glycerol. By a method of screening, Clostridium diolis was selected and used in batch fermentation experiments at 37 C, pH of 6.8 7 and 150 rpm on anaerobic environment by N2 sparging. Prior to each experiment, crude glycerol was washed three (3) time with diethyl ether and a series of glycerol concentrations (50-150 g/L) was fermented for 48 hours with samples taken every 3 hours for analyses. The high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and a light microscopy were used to analyze samples before and after the fermentation process. Interestingly, very low amounts of methanol and free fatty acids were observed in the washed glycerol after HPLC analysis compared to crude glycerol. Results also demonstrated the production of 1, 3-Propanediol (1, 3-PD) and acetic acid when the fermentation liquor was analyzed by HPLC after 48 hours. Moreover, other solvents such as butanol and lactic acid were obtained in very low quantities. Subsequently, the effect of ultrasound on the growth of Clostridium diolis was evaluated and lead to enhanced yields by promoting rapid cellular growth rate. The results thereby indicate that better product yields can be achieved when microorganisms are stimulated with low intensity ultrasonic irradiations.


Objectives This study aimed to investigate the functional network effects of corpus callosotomy (CC), a well-recognized palliative surgical therapy for patients with Lennox–Gastaut syndrome (LGS). Specifically, we sought to gain insight into the effects of CC on LGS remission, based on brain networks in LGS by calculating network metrics and evaluating by network measures before and after surgery. Methods Electroencephalographic recordings made during preoperative and 3-month postoperative states in 14 patients with LGS who had undergone successful CC were retrospectively analyzed. First, undirected correlation matrices were constituted for the mathematical expression of functional networks. Then, we plotted these networks to analyze the effects of CC on connectivity. In addition, conventional local and global network measures were applied to evaluate differences in network topology between preoperative and postoperative states. Results In the preoperative state, hubs were mainly distributed around the paramedian regions. After CC, the hubs moved from the paramedian regions to the dual-hemisphere and even the lateral regions. Thus, the general connectivity state became more homogeneous, which was verified by network plots and statistical analysis of local measures. The results of global network measures indicated a decreased clustering coefficient in the delta band, decreased characteristic path length in both the delta and gamma bands, and increased global efficiency in the gamma band. Conclusion Our results showed a consistent variation in the global brain network that converted to a small-world topology with an optimal balance of functional integration and segregation of the network. Such changes were positively correlated with satisfactory surgery results, which could be interpreted as being indicative of LGS recovery process after CC. For patients with refractory LGS along with no focal epileptogenic zone findings, which were not suitable for the resective surgical therapy, our results verified that CC could work as an effective surgical treatment option.


The depletion of articular cartilage in the afflicted joints is a primary clinical feature of osteoarthritis. This disorder has been linked to a disturbance in the metabolism of the extracellular matrix components of this tissue. The mechanisms involved in the regulation of sulfated proteoglycan metabolism in articular cartilage were therefore studied by measuring the biosynthesis and distribution of (35)S-labeled glycosaminoglycans in chondrocyte cultures derived from normal and osteoarthritic tissue. Incorporation experiments were carried out at pH 7.0 with [(35)S]Na(2)SO(4) in the presence of fetal calf serum, human serum from normal or arthritic individuals, or a combination of these. In the presence of heat-inactivated human sera, osteoarthritic chondrocytes incorporate about two times as much of the available sulfate into macromolecules as do normal chondrocytes. The deposition of newly synthesized sulfated macromolecules into the cell layer by these cells is lower, however, than that by normal cells. In cultures of normal human chondrocytes, noninactivated sera from individuals with osteoarthritis stimulate proteoglycan biosynthesis more than equal concentrations of normal sera. The fraction of the newly synthesized material deposited into the cell layer was found to decrease with increasing serum concentrations. In the absence of serum, a 5- to 10-fold increase in deposited sulfated macromolecules was found. The distribution within the cell layer between intra- and extracellular sites also was monitored by serum factors. Heat inactivation of the human serum component of the medium resulted in a 50% decrease in intracellular retention. These data suggest that biosynthesis of sulfated proteoglycans and their retention in the matrix are modulated by cell and serum factors. Despite and increased uptake of radioactively labeled inorganic sulfate by osteoarthritic chondrocytes in cell culture, a lower rate of deposition into the cell layer resulted in less matrix formation. This may be representative of the process leading to cartilage degradation in degenerative joint disease in vivo.


We report the continuous growth maintenance of untransformed and chemically transformed fibroblasts (AKR‐2B, AKR‐MCA cells) in low concentrations of serum (0.1% FBS). The cell lines established (AKR‐0.1F, MCA‐0.1F) proliferated at rates comparable to cells maintained under high serum conditions (10% FBS). Complete removal of serum from the cells did not induce quiescence. The MCA‐0.1F cells were more similar to the untransformed AKR‐2B fibroblasts in their morphology, saturation density, inability to form colonies under anchorage‐independent conditions, steady‐state level of c‐myc expression, and kinetics of induction of c‐myc in response to specific growth factors. This report demonstrates the utility of this cell line as anonquiescent model system for investigating growth factor‐specific effects in serum‐free, cycling cells. Addition of transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) (5 ng/ml) to proliferating MCA‐0.IF cells, in the absence of any serum, induced a multilayered growth pattern at confluency, similar to that of AKR‐MCA cells maintained in 10% FBS. Other growth factors tested did not elicit this effect. The induction of this growth pattern by TGF‐β was associated with a sustained induction of the c‐myc proto‐oncogene at con‐fluency, but not with a restoration of anchorage‐independent growth. The data suggest that TGF‐β may play a role in the up‐regulation of c‐myc at confluency previously described for AKR‐MCA cells maintained in 10% serum.


This book deals with an interface between mechanical engineering and biology. Available for the first time in paperback, it reviews biological structural materials and systems and their mechanically important features and demonstrates that function at any particular level of biological integration is permitted and controlled by structure at lower levels of integration. Five chapters discuss the properties of materials in general and those of biomaterials in particular. The authors examine the design of skeletal elements and discuss animal and plant systems in terms of mechanical design. In a concluding chapter they investigate organisms in their environments and the insights gained from study of the mechanical aspects of their lives.


A new fluorescent chemosensor with a remarkable red shift in emission spectra based on naphthalene groups for quantification of zinc ions was synthesized and investigated. It was found that sensor H2L exhibited a remarkably large red shift in emission upon complexation with Zn2+ ions. The limit of detection (LOD) was calculated to be 4.98 × 10−9 M. The fluorescence behavior of the prepared compound resembles with IMP and INH logic gates.


Wireless underground sensor networks (WUSNs) consist of sensors that are buried in and communicate through soil. The channel quality of WUSNs is strongly impacted by environmental parameters such soil moisture. Thus, the communication range of the nodes and the network connectivity vary over time. To address the challenges in underground communication, above ground nodes are deployed to maintain connectivity. In this paper, the connectivity of WUSNs under varying environmental conditions is captured by modeling the cluster size distribution under sub-critical conditions and through a novel aboveground communication coverage model for underground clusters. The resulting connectivity model is utilized to analyze two communication schemes: transmit power control and environment-aware routing, which maintain connectivity while reducing energy consumption. It is shown that transmit power control can maintain network connectivity under all soil moisture values at the cost of energy consumption. Utilizing relays based on soil moisture levels can decrease this energy consumption. A composite of both approaches is also considered to analyze the tradeoff between connectivity and energy consumption.


This descriptive correlational study examined the relationships between and among diabetes self-care, diabetes time management, and diabetes distress in women with type 2 (T2DM). A gap of knowledge exists between these variables and this study, guided by Orem's self-care theory, aimed to identify these relationships and predictors of diabetes selfcare. The sample (N = 188) was comprised of predominately White (81.4%) women recruited from multiple office locations, community hospitals, and diabetes support groups predominately from the Mid-Atlantic Region (64.04%). Participants voluntarily participated by responding to flyers posted in data collection locations or by electronic survey disseminated by diabetes support group newsletters. Participants completed three established survey instruments to measure the main study variables: the Diabetes SelfManagement Questionnaire (DSMQ), the Diabetes Time Management Questionnaire (DTMQ), and the Diabetes Distress Scale (DSS). Survey responses were analyzed using several descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses. Study results showed a strong inverse bivariate relationship between diabetes selfcare and diabetes time management and a medium inverse relationship between diabetes self-care and diabetes distress. Additionally, diabetes time management and diabetes distress showed a moderate positive relationship. A multivariate model demonstrated that time management and diabetes distress explained 37.7% of the variance in diabetes self-care, F (2, 185) = 55.86, p < 0.001. Diabetes time management was the strongest, statistically significant, unique contributor to explaining self-care (β = -0.56, p < 0.001). The ANCOVA


Online and offline video clips provide rich information on dynamic events that occurred over a period of time, for example, human actions, crowd behaviours, and other subject pattern changes. Although substantial progresses have been made in the last 3 decades on 2D image feature processing and their applications in areas such as face matching and objects recognition, video event detection still remains one of the most challenging fields in computer vision study due to the wide range of continuous and non-linear signals engaged by an imaging system, and the inherent semantic difficulties in machine-based understanding of the detected feature patterns.

For bridging the gap between the pixel-level image features and the semantic "meanings" of a videoed single human event, this research has investigated the problem domain through employing the 3D Spatio-Temporal Volume (STV) structure and its global feature paradigm for event pattern recognition. The process pipeline follows an improved Pair-wise Region Comparison (I-PWRC) and a region intersection (RI) based 3D template matching approach for detecting and identifying human actions under uncontrolled real-world videoing conditions. To maintain the run-time performance of this innovative system design, this programme has also developed an efficient pre-filtering mechanism to reduce the amount of voxels (volumetric pixels) that need to be processed in each operational cycle.

For further improving the system's adaptability and robustness, several optimisation techniques, such as scale-invariant template matching and event location prediction mechanisms, have also been developed and implemented. The proposed design has been tested on various renowned online computer vision research databases and been benchmarked against other classic implementation strategies and systems. Satisfactory evaluation results have been obtained through statistical analyses on standard test criteria such as "Recall" rate and the processing efficiency.


A Web service (WS) is called compound or composite when its execution involves interactions with other WS to use their features. The composition of WS specifies which services need to be invoked, in what order and how to handle exception conditions. This paper gives an overview of research efforts of WS composition. The approaches proposed in the literature are diverse, interesting and have opened important research areas. Based on many studies, we extracted the most important role of WS composition use in order to facilitate its introduction in WS concept.


The purpose of this research is to examine the relationships between the levels of mental skills and techniques of university students, who continue their sports life as licensed in different sports branches, and the emotional intelligence in sports. A total of 169 athletes, 91 male (53.8%) (Mage=25.36±6.06) and 78 female (46.2%) (Mage=23.03±4.98), who continue their professional sports life in different sports branches, voluntarily participated in the research. The research was designed in relational screening model. Personal Information Form, Mental Training Inventory in Sport, and Emotional Intelligence Inventory in Sport, which were created by the researchers, were used as data collection tools within the scope of the research. In the analysis of the data, firstly, the skewness and kurtosis values were checked for the normality assumptions and it was determined that the distribution was normal. In this direction, t-test was used to compare two independent groups, Pearson correlation analysis was used to determine the relationships between the variables, and multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine the power of the independent variables in predicting the dependent variable. When the findings obtained within the scope of the research were examined, it was determined that the emotional intelligence sub-dimensions significantly predicted the components of mental training skills and techniques. In this context, a result was obtained that as the level of emotional intelligence increases, the levels of mental training skills and techniques will also increase. However, when the analyzes for demographic variables were examined within the scope of the research, it was determined that there was a significant difference within the groups. As a result, it is recommended to include programs on emotional intelligence and mental training skills and techniques in the training of athletes in order to achieve the optimal range of sportive performance. Keywords: Emotional Intelligence, Mental Training, Sports


Objective: To examine the association between operator or hospital volume and procedural outcomes of carotid revascularization. Background: Operator and hospital volume have been proposed as determinants of outcome after carotid endarterectomy (CEA) or carotid artery stenting (CAS). The magnitude and clinical relevance of this relationship are debated. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed and EMBASE until August 21, 2017. The primary outcome was procedural (30 days, in-hospital, or perioperative) death or stroke. Obtained or estimated risk estimates were pooled with a generic inverse variance random-effects model. Results: We included 87 studies. A decreased risk of death or stroke following CEA was found for high compared to low operator volume with a pooled adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 0.50 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.28–0.87; 3 cohorts), and a pooled unadjusted relative risk (RR) of 0.59 (95% CI 0.42–0.83; 9 cohorts); for high compared to low hospital volume with a pooled adjusted OR of 0.62 (95% CI 0.42–0.90; 5 cohorts), and a pooled unadjusted RR of 0.68 (95% CI 0.51–0.92; 9 cohorts). A decreased risk of death or stroke after CAS was found for high compared to low operator volume with an adjusted OR of 0.43 (95% CI 0.20–0.95; 1 cohort), and an unadjusted RR of 0.50 (95% CI 0.32–0.79; 1 cohort); for high compared to low hospital volume with an adjusted OR of 0.46 (95% CI 0.26–0.80; 1 cohort), and no significant decreased risk in a pooled unadjusted RR of 0.72 (95% CI 0.49–1.06; 2 cohorts). Conclusions: We found a decreased risk of procedural death and stroke after CEA and CAS for high operator and high hospital volume, indicating that aiming for a high volume may help to reduce procedural complications. Registration: This systematic review has been registered in the international prospective registry of systematic reviews (PROSPERO): CRD42017051491.


The smart city has become a hegemonic notion of urban governance, transforming and supplanting planning. The first part of this article reviews current critiques of this notion. Scholars present three main arguments against the smart city: that it is incompatible with an informal character of the city, that it subjects the city to corporate power and that it reproduces social and urban inequalities. It is argued that these critiques either misunderstand how power functions in the smart city or fail to address it as a specific modality of entrepreneurial urban governance. The second part advances an alternative critique, contending that the smart city should be understood as an urban embodiment of the society of control (Deleuze). The smart city is embedded in the intellectual framework of second order cybernetics and articulates urban subjectivity in terms of data flows. Planning as a political practice is superseded by an environmental-behavioural control, in which subjectivity is articulated supra-individually (permeating the city with sensing nodes) and infra-individually (making citizens into sensing nodes).


Monitoring heart beat and in venereal cardiac activity is a typical task requested in a clinical environment to analyze a great variety of patient's conditions. Obtaining this information without contact with the patient's skin represents a future tool in a large number of fields also outside the clinics. Generally this task cannot be accomplished when the patient's condition determines impairment of their health so that having skin contact or any other surface contact has to be avoided, or when the type of functional situation (people with or within confined environment) does not permit the use of any kind of sensors or electrodes within the examination environment. We propose a new technique using laser vibrometry capable of obtaining non-contact monitoring of the heart rate (HR) and retrieving physiological quantities characterizing cardiac activity measuring the motion's properties of the external surface of the human chest on several cardiovascular sites or on the carotideo site. ECG and vibratory signals from the chest wall and carotid were simultaneously recorded. To do this, a measurement bench was realized based on a laser Doppler vibrometer. Recorded signals were collected afterwards to measure the consecutive RR and vibrocardiographic (VV) intervals. Sequences of both RR and corresponding VV intervals were obtained; based on these, tachograms were built. Poincare maps, displaying the relationship between a point and its consecutive in a time series, were obtained. In order to stress the limits of the vibratory signals in representing HR variability (HRV) as the ECG, the power spectral densities of the tachograms were performed. A comparison of the obtained results highlights the coincidence for ECG and the chest wall vibratory investigated information content, confirming the proposed method as an alternative to the typical ECG method when non contact HR activity monitoring must be provided.


Granulite-facies gneiss of the Arequipa massif extensively developed along the Coastal Cordillera of southern Peru gives a whole-rock isochron age of 1,811 ± 39 m.y. (λ 87 Rb = 1.47 × 10 −11 yr −1 ) and an initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratio of 0.7086 ± 0.0009. Migmatitic granite within the gneiss is probably of late Precambrian or early Paleozoic age. Mineral ages, both K-Ar and Rb-Sr, from the gneisses and granites are disturbed. Potassium feldspar from the gneiss appears to have been reset by the migmatitization event, whereas mica and potassium feldspar from the migmatitic granite appear to reflect established tectonic-thermal events of Late Devonian and Late Triassic time. In both metamorphic grade and age pattern, these rocks are similar to those of the Trans-Amazonian nucleus of the Guianas, Brazil, Uruguay, and the Buenos Aires province of Argentina. We suggest that the Arequipa massif has always been an integral part of the Trans-Amazonian nucleus and that the Andean belt is ensialic, at least in Peru. The manner in which the structural trends in the Arequipa massif strike into the Pacific Ocean leads to speculation concerning the evolution of the Pacific. Simple rifting, tectonic erosion, and major transcurrent faulting are considered as possible mechanisms to explain the truncation.


Abstract Augmentative communication aids are used to assist persons with severe speech and motor disabilities in their natural communication. Motion impaired users operate computer-based communication aids with alternate input methods instead of mouse or keyboard, which makes the communication process slow. A word to sentence generation technique called Compansion was proposed to improve communication rate of augmentative communication users. In Compansion, a sequence of root words was converted to a grammatically well-formed sentence. To perform the conversion, Compansion required significant linguistic knowledge. This requirement limits applicability of Compansion to languages for which such knowledge do not exist. Moreover, the issues of pre(post)position attachment, morphology synthesis and word ordering need to be addressed to apply Compansion to languages other than English. We propose enhancements to make Compansion work for non-English languages. Based on the proposed enhancements, we have developed a word to sentence generator. The word to sentence generator is used in Sanyog – an augmentative communication system in Bengali, a language spoken primarily in Eastern India and Bangladesh. Evaluation of Sanyog shows that our word to sentence generator helps in increasing communication rate without putting significant physical or cognitive load on users. Development and evaluation of our word to sentence generator is described in this paper.


The German JAKOB lexicon provides a basis for the coding of patient narratives and is currently extended in the direction of a phraseological and construction-grammar resource. For this purpose, we will compare two formalisms for the representation of multiword expressions (MWE): The Dutch Electronic Lexicon of Multiword Expressions (DuELME, Gregoire 2009) and the verb patterns from Corpus Pattern Analysis (CPA, Hanks 2008). We are looking for a representation format which is human-readable, and equally adapted for natural language processing (NLP). The JAKOB lexicon is implemented in the OLIF format and currently contains 7000 entries. The MWEs investigated are verbal phraseologisms and originate from the corpora of three different clients, consisting of a total of more than 400 transcribed sessions. The narrative analysis method JAKOB is a tool for investigating everyday stories from psychotherapy transcripts (Boothe 2004). Stories are annotated on the basis of our predefined psycho-conceptual coding system represented in the lexicon. JAKOB allows formulating hypotheses about the client's conflicts, the analysis of the discourse being one component thereof. DuELME is an NLP lexicon project which encodes MWE descriptions in a theoryand implementationindependent way. Every MWE is an instance of a construction class with elements including morphosyntactic parameters. CPA patterns represent semantic properties for the elements of a (verbal) construction, whereas syntactic properties are represented in the JAKOB lexicon by the subcategorization frames (Satzmuster) of Wahrig (2007). We are implementing an additional lexicon property 'bauplan' which is formally constructed as a combination of the DuELME component list, the Wahrig subcategorization frame and semantic information out of the CPA-pattern. Because this structure is difficult to read for the lexicographer, it is generated automatically and can be hidden from the user, but is available for NLP tasks.


Associative memory plays an important role in human intelligence and its mechanisms have been linked to attention in machine learning. While the machine learning community's interest in associative memories has recently been rekindled, most work has focused on memory recall ($read$) over memory learning ($write$). In this paper, we present BayesPCN, a hierarchical associative memory capable of performing continual one-shot memory writes without meta-learning. Moreover, BayesPCN is able to gradually forget past observations ($forget$) to free its memory. Experiments show that BayesPCN can recall corrupted i.i.d. high-dimensional data observed hundreds to a thousand ``timesteps'' ago without a large drop in recall ability compared to the state-of-the-art offline-learned parametric memory models.


Examines the employment effects of minimum wage regulation on Greek manufacturing for the period 1962‐87. The empirical analysis is carried out in three steps. First, estimates the effect of the minimum wage on the average wages of adult male and female industrial workers to derive estimates of wage elasticities of each type of labour with respect to the minimum wage. Second, estimates labour demand equations for the two types of labour to derive the employment elasticities with respect to the corresponding average wage. Finally, provides estimates on the employment effects of the minimum wage by combining the results derived in the first two stages. The results provide some indications that the minimum wage plays a more significant role in the employment of female than male workers in manufacturing, and suggest that minimum wages positively affect the average real wage of both types of workers examined.


A recent line of work has established uncoupled learning dynamics such that, when employed by all players in a game, each player's \emph{regret} after $T$ repetitions grows polylogarithmically in $T$, an exponential improvement over the traditional guarantees within the no-regret framework. However, so far these results have only been limited to certain classes of games with structured strategy spaces -- such as normal-form and extensive-form games. The question as to whether $O(\text{polylog} T)$ regret bounds can be obtained for general convex and compact strategy sets -- which occur in many fundamental models in economics and multiagent systems -- while retaining efficient strategy updates is an important question. In this paper, we answer this in the positive by establishing the first uncoupled learning algorithm with $O(\log T)$ per-player regret in general \emph{convex games}, that is, games with concave utility functions supported on arbitrary convex and compact strategy sets. Our learning dynamics are based on an instantiation of optimistic follow-the-regularized-leader over an appropriately \emph{lifted} space using a \emph{self-concordant regularizer} that is, peculiarly, not a barrier for the feasible region. Further, our learning dynamics are efficiently implementable given access to a proximal oracle for the convex strategy set, leading to $O(\log\log T)$ per-iteration complexity; we also give extensions when access to only a \emph{linear} optimization oracle is assumed. Finally, we adapt our dynamics to guarantee $O(\sqrt{T})$ regret in the adversarial regime. Even in those special cases where prior results apply, our algorithm improves over the state-of-the-art regret bounds either in terms of the dependence on the number of iterations or on the dimension of the strategy sets.


DNN inference is time-consuming and resource hungry. Partitioning and early exit are ways to run DNNs efficiently on the edge. Partitioning balances the computation load on multiple servers, and early exit offers to quit the inference process sooner and save time. Usually, these two are considered separate steps with limited flexibility. This work combines partitioning and early exit and proposes a performance model to estimate both inference latency and accuracy. We use this performance model to offer the best partitioned/early exit DNN based on deployment information and user preferences. Our experiments show that the flexibility in number and position of partitioning points and placement on available devices plays an important role in deciding the best output. In the future, we plan to turn this work into a "one-click" system to train and optimize models for edge computing.