This article uses economy-wide modeling techniques to offer an intra-regional perspective on the impacts of trade reforms on rural economies and migration for five Central American countries (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Nicaragua) that are negotiating the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) with the United States. Potential migration and welfare impacts of agricultural provisions in CAFTA depend on market integration, diversification of economic strategies, and government policies. Conclusions highlight the importance of product mixes, technologies, and labor markets in shaping outcomes of trade policy reforms.


OBJECTIVE
Identify the characteristics associated with correct utilization of self examination (SE), clinical exam (CE) and mammography (MA) for breast cancer (BC) early detection.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Interviews were undertaken with 1 030 Mexican women (n=1 030), 20 to 88 years of age, regarding their reproductive and sociodemographic characteristics. An index of correct utilization was constructed based on the form and frequency practice of those techniques.

RESULTS
The prevalence of correct utilization of SE was 11% and 5.4% for CE. Further, 7.6% of women 40-49 years of age with 2 or more BC risk factors had MA during the two years prior to the interview, and for 31.6% among women ≥50 years of age the MA was annually. The main determinant of MA utilization was having financial protection from either IMSS, ISSSTE or Seguro Popular.

CONCLUSIONS
It is necessary to improve the correct utilization of BC detection techniques in Mexico.


In this work, we investigate the formation process of interfacial crystallization between poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and reduced graphene oxide fibers (rGOFs) using polarized optical microscopy (POM). It was found that the transcrystallization of PLLA on the surface of the rGOF could be achieved and that the degree of transcrystallinity decreased with an increase in crystallization temperature. Micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (micro-FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were further employed to investigate the molecular chain orientation and internal structure within the interfacial crystalline region. Based on the theory of heterogeneous nucleation and the theory of crystal growth rate, the nucleating ability of the rGOF toward PLLA was evaluated with regards to the value of the interfacial free energy difference function Δσ. This work is important for the design and fabrication of PLLA/rGOF composites with good interfacial interaction and high-performance.


This article examines the politics of bureaucratization of Islam that the Azerbaijani government initially implemented in the mid-2000s and which has intensified after 2011. First, the state superimposed its bureaucratic categories on the Muslim communities of the country. Then, it proceeded to transform local religious figures into state employees. Yet, at the same time, the government insists that it does not interfere into theological issues and that all of its bureaucratic initiatives are aimed at ensuring freedom of belief and protecting the public order. However, with time, the process of bureaucratization has shifted from regulation to a direct administrative and ideological intervention into the religious space aimed at creating a state-imagined "orthodoxy" designated as traditional Islam. This article draws on previously untapped primary sources to discuss the different ideological and political aspects of this bureaucratically initiated tradition and its pervasive and transformative influence on the local religious landscape.


Massive pulmonary thromboembolism has a high mortality. Early thrombolysis is the treatment of choice. We report a 79-year-old man admitted in shock. A chest angio-CAT scan showed a massive pulmonary thromboembolism. A transthoracic echocardiography showed a right cardiac dysfunction. Although the patient was in hemodynamic instability, he was subjected to thrombolysis with streptokinase, assisted with noradrenaline support and invasive mechanical ventilation. Parenteral anticoagulation was started thereafter. A second echocardiography, performed 72 hours later showed an improvement in right ventricular function. The patient had a nosocomial pneumonia that was treated. Noradrenalin and mechanical ventilation were discontinued nine and 15 days after thrombolysis. A new angio-CAT scan, 23 days after the procedure, was normal. The patient was discharged in good conditions 27 days after admission.


We study the final stages of the common envelope (CE) evolution and find that a substantial fraction of the ejected mass does not reach the escape velocity. To reach this conclusion we use a self-similar solution under simplifying assumptions. Most of the gravitational energy of a companion white dwarf (WD) is released in the envelope of a massive asymptotic giant branch (AGB) or the red giant branch (RGB) star in a very short time. This rapid energy release forms a blast wave in the envelope. We follow the blast wave propagation from the centre of the AGB outwards, and show that ∼1–10 per cent of the ejected envelope remains bound to the remnant binary system. We suggest that due to angular momentum conservation and further interaction with the binary system, the fall-back material forms a circumbinary disc around the post-AGB Core and the companion WD. The interaction of the circumbinary disc with the binary system will reduce the orbital separation much more than expected of the dynamical phase (where the envelope is ejected) of the CE alone. The smaller orbital separation favours a merger at the end of the CE phase or a short time after, while the core is still hot. This is another channel for the formation of a massive WD with super-Chandrasekhar mass that might explode as a Type Ia supernova. We term this the core-degenerate (CD) scenario.


Background : Adoption of voluntary smoking restrictions continues to increase in US private households and the hospitality industry. Unfortunately, discrepancies regarding their scope, implementation, and enforcement exist, potentially compromising their impact on lowering nonsmokers' exposure to tobacco smoke toxicants. The objective of this dissertation was to examine the role of voluntary smoking restrictions on reducing secondhand smoke (SHS) and thirdhand smoke (THS) exposure of nonsmokers in private settings. Methods : Data for this dissertation were taken from three separate existing studies conducted in San Diego, CA, examining (1) SHS exposure among pre-teens (Chapter 2, N=388 families), (2) THS pollution of private homes (Chapter 3, N=100 homes), and (3) smoking policy of rental car companies (Chapter 4, N=6 national companies with N=125 local branches). Data for Chapter 2 were examined using multinomial logistic regression to examine the circumstances under which parent /child dyads agreed on a smoking ban. Data for Chapter 3 were examined using multinomial logistic regression to investigate the role of smoking restrictions and behaviors on THS pollutants in dust and on surfaces. Data for Chapter 4 were examined to describe smoking policies at the corporate level and explore their implementation in local branches. Results : In Chapter 2, 18.3% of dyads disagreed on the presence of a complete smoking ban. Factors that contributed to this disagreement included residents' smoking behaviors and parents inconsistently asking visitors to smoke outside. In Chapter 3, home smoking rules and compliance with rules were found to affect indoor smoking rates, which in turn influenced THS contamination in dust and on surface. Other factors that impacted THS in dust were home features and remediation efforts. In Chapter 4, four of the six national rental car companies reported an official smoking policy. Lack of training and communication to local branch staff resulted in poor implementation of the official company smoking policies and failure to protect customers from THS exposure. Discussion : Private indoor settings remain the primary location for exposure to tobacco smoke pollutants for nonsmokers. Voluntary smoking restrictions in private settings can reduce THS contamination and exposure. Residents and management need to define, communicate, and consistently implement smoking restrictions to ensure a true smoke-free environment


This paper presents the results of a picture-naming and picture-categorization task incorporating high-quality color images and low-quality black and white images. Research participants—all adults recruited from a beginning-level, community-based English as a Second Language (ESL) class—were asked to perform two tasks: 1) naming all the pictures they saw appear on a computer screen one-by-one, and 2) naming only the pictures which appeared on the screen and belonged to a certain semantic category, such as fruits. In conditions involving high quality pictures, research participants performed similarly on both the naming and categorization tasks, suggesting that the two tasks require equal access to the semantic processing systems. However, in conditions involving low-quality images, participants performed significantly more slowly on the picture-naming task than they did on the picture-categorization task, suggesting that picture-naming may require fuller access to the semantic system in the case of low-quality images. The results of the higher processing cost for picture naming, as well as implications for language teaching, will be discussed in the paper.


Multi-vehicle collision avoidance is a highly crucial problem due to the soaring interests of introducing autonomous vehicles into the real world in recent years. The safety of these vehicles while they complete their objectives is of paramount importance. Hamilton-Jacobi (HJ) reachability is a promising tool for guaranteeing safety for low-dimensional systems. However, due to its exponential complexity in computation time, no reachability-based methods have been able to guarantee safety for more than three vehicles successfully in unstructured scenarios. For systems with four or more vehicles, we can only empirically validate their safety performance. While reachability-based safety methods enjoy a flexible least-restrictive control strategy, it is challenging to reason about long-horizon trajectories online because safety at any given state is determined by looking up the safety value in a pre-computed table that does not exhibit favorable properties that continuous functions have. This motivates the problem of improving the safety performance of unstructured multi-vehicle systems when safety cannot be guaranteed given any least-restrictive safety-aware collision avoidance algorithm while avoiding online trajectory optimization. In this paper, we propose a novel approach using supervised learning to enhance the safety of vehicles by proposing new initial states in very close neighborhood of the original initial states of vehicles. Our experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed approach and show that vehicles are able to get to their goals with better safety performance with our approach compared to a baseline approach in wide-ranging scenarios.


Creating meaning from a wide variety of available information and being able to choose what to learn are highly relevant skills for learning in a connectivist setting. In this work, various approaches have been utilized to gain insights into learning processes occurring within a network of learners and understand the factors that shape learners' interests and the topics to which learners devote a significant attention. This study combines different methods to develop a scalable analytic approach for a comprehensive analysis of learners' discourse in a connectivist massive open online course (cMOOC). By linking techniques for semantic annotation and graph analysis with a qualitative analysis of learner-generated discourse, we examined how social media platforms (blogs, Twitter, and Facebook) and course recommendations influence content creation and topics discussed within a cMOOC. Our findings indicate that learners tend to focus on several prominent topics that emerge very quickly in the course. They maintain that focus, with some exceptions, throughout the course, regardless of readings suggested by the instructor. Moreover, the topics discussed across different social media differ, which can likely be attributed to the affordances of different media. Finally, our results indicate a relatively low level of cohesion in the topics discussed which might be an indicator of a diversity of the conceptual coverage discussed by the course participants.


Objective: The main objective of this work was to develop a simple, rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) method for the simultaneous quantification of Canagliflozin and Metformin. Methods: Deuterated compounds of respective drugs were used an internal standard. Sample extraction was carried out using a simple Protein Precipitation (PP) technique. A C18 column with an isocratic mobile phase composed of 5mM ammonium acetate with 0.01% formic acid and methanol were used for chromatographic separation. Results: The method was validated in the linearity range of 10.00–6028.00 ng/mL for Canagliflozin and 10.00– 3027.00 ng/mL for Metformin. The precision and accuracy results over five concentration levels in five different batches were well within the acceptance limits. A variety of stability tests were executed in plasma and in neat samples are comply with the FDA guidelines. Conclusion: The proposed assay method is simple, rapid and sensitive for the simultaneous determination of Canagliflozin and Metformin in human plasma. This method was successfully used to quantitate the in vivo plasma concentrations obtained from a pharmacokinetic study.


Many contemporary scholars have recently defended the idea that the agency of things is symmetrical and equivalent to human agency. We propose an alternative approach to artefacts' agency based on a field study concerned with contextually situated observations of the process of design of artefacts in Amazonia. By means of participant observation and interviews, we address the role of artefacts in relation to human agency. In so doing, we focus on the human-unique capacity for design as it is related to cognitive resources such as intentionality, decision-making, planning, and volitional adaptations of the material world to human purposes. We argue that such cognitive resources are ultimate manifestations of human agency. The findings allow us to conclude that artefacts possess a special form of agency, which operates in different ways from the agency of true agents. This agency is derived: it depends on the actions of true agents, with either function as remote intentions or are required for the artefact to work at the moment of use. Thus, the relation between artefacts and agents is asymmetrical. Given that the derived agency of artefacts allows people to expand their own agency, we propose the notion of enhanced agency for the prosthetic incorporation of artefacts into the agentive capabilities of human agents.


Today's automotive and electronics technologies are evolving so rapidly that educators and industry are both challenged to re-educate the technological workforce in the new area before they are replaced with yet another generation. In early November 2009 Ford's Product Development senior management formally approved a proposal by the University of Detroit Mercy to transform 125 of Ford's "IC Engine Automotive Engineers" into "Advanced Electric Vehicle Automotive Engineers." Two months later, the first course of the Advanced Electric Vehicle Program began in Dearborn. UDM's response to Ford's needs (and those of other OEM's and suppliers) was not only at the rate of "academic light speed," but it involved direct collaboration of Ford's electric vehicle leaders and subject matter experts and the UDM AEV Program faculty. In fact, before teaching each course, the UDM engineering and science professors will work for one or two months in the Ford engineering group that is directly involved in the design and development of the systems that the course focuses on (batteries, e-drive systems, power electronics, etc). The prime architects of this process and curriculum include the UDM dean, associate dean and faculty of engineering and science from UDM, and Ford Learning & Development managers and Product Development leaders from Sustainable Mobility Technologies and Research & Advanced organizations. Such a rapid and highly responsive curriculum development is not the norm in academia. To accomplish this outcome UDM had to be more customer-focused like industry and Ford needed to embrace academic priorities and provide access to its electric vehicle SME's by UDM faculty. The paper will discuss the following related issues: building the relationship and trust between Ford and UDM; collaborative development; "just in time" development and deployment of curriculum; shared investment; modularizing education (it doesn't always have to be in "degree-sized chunks"), linking suppliers and OEMs; balancing service to corporations and service to students.


The retrieval dynamics of the tethered satellite system is simulated using Galerkin's method with and without the contribution of the lateral vibration to the strain and the bead model approach in which the tether is assumed to be a series of point masses connected to each other by massless springs and revolute joints. Simulation results show that all the methods produce significantly different responses. It is found that Galerkin's method without the lateral strain contribution does not reproduce the longitudinal bobbing motion due to lateral vibrations and does not show attenuation of lateral vibrations as the tether shortens. When the lateral contribution is included, convergence of the response is not achieved and sudden divergence is exhibited during retrieval as the number of modes used in the simulation is increased. The simulations using the bead model show the longitudinal bobbing motion as well as the skip-rope motion during the terminal phases of retrieval. In addition, a simple method for obtaining nonrecursive order-Af computation for the bead model simulation is presented.


Objectives: To compare clinical, anthropometric, and laboratory characteristics in diabetes type 2 patients of 2 genetically-distinct ethnicities living in Jordan, Arabs and Circassians/Chechens. Methods: This cross sectional ethnic comparison study was conducted in King Abdullah University Hospital, Irbid and The National Center for Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Genetics, Amman, Jordan between June 2013 and February 2014. A sample of 347 (237 Arab and 110 Circassian/Chechen) people living with diabetes were included in the study. Data were collected through direct interviews with the participants. Clinical data were collected using a questionnaire and anthropometric measurements. Laboratory data were extracted from the patients' medical records. Results: More Arabs with diabetes had hypertension as a comorbidity than Circassians/Chechens with diabetes. Arabs living with diabetes were generally more obese, whereas Circassians/Chechens living with diabetes had worse lipid control. Arabs with diabetes had higher means of glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and fasting blood sugar, and more Arabs with diabetes had unsatisfactory glycemic control (60.6%) than Circassians/Chechens with diabetes (38.2%) (HbA1c ≥7.0%). Most participants (88.8%) had at least one lipid abnormality (dyslipidemia). Conclusion: Multiple discrepancies among the 2 ethnic diabetic populations were found. New diabetes management recommendations and policies should be used when treating people living with diabetes of those ethnicities, particularly in areas of glycemic control, lipid control, and obesity.


We propose a Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) methodology for the analysis of distributed and Big Data in the framework of the Medical Informatics Platform (MIP) of the Human Brain Project (HBP). MLR is a very versatile model, and is considered one of the workhorses for estimating dependences between clinical, neuropsychological and neurophysiological variables in the field of neuroimaging. One of the main concepts behind MIP is to federate data, which is stored locally in geographically distributed sites (hospitals, customized databases, etc.) around the world. We restrain from using a unique federation node for two main reasons: first the maintenance of data privacy, and second the efficiency in management of big volumes of data in terms of latency and storage resources needed in the federation node. Considering these conditions and the distributed nature of data, MLR cannot be estimated in the classical way, which raises the necessity of modifications of the standard algorithms. We use the Bayesian formalism that provides the armamentarium necessary to implement the MLR methodology for distributed Big Data. It allows us to account for the heterogeneity of the possible mechanisms that explain data sets across sites expressed through different models of explanatory variables. This approach enables the integration of highly heterogeneous data coming from different subjects and hospitals across the globe. Additionally, it offers general and sophisticated ways, which are extendable to other statistical models, to suit high-dimensional and distributed multimodal data. This work forms part of a series of papers related to the methodological developments embedded in the MIP.


We describe an algorithm for the detection and clutter rejection of military vehicles in forward-looking infrared (FLIR) imagery. The detection algorithm is designed to be a prescreener that selects regions for further analysis and uses a spatial anomaly approach that looks for target-sized regions of the image that differ in texture, brightness, edge strength, or other spatial characteristics. The features are linearly combined to form a confidence image that is thresholded to find likely target locations. The clutter rejection portion uses target-specific information extracted from training samples to reduce the false alarms of the detector. The outputs of the clutter rejecter and detector are combined by a higher-level evidence integrator to improve performance over simple concatenation of the detector and clutter rejecter. The algorithm has been applied to a large number of FLIR imagery sets, and some of these results are presented here.


This article explores the institutionalization of state-led development in Myanmar after 1988 in comparison with Suharto's Indonesia. The analysis centres on the characteristics and theory of developmental states that emerged from the studies of East Asian countries like Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. In Southeast Asia, Suharto's Indonesia was perceived as a successful case and was studied by scholars in line with the characteristics of the developmental state. The Tatmadaw (military) government in Myanmar was believed to follow the model of state-led development in Indonesia under Suharto where the military took the role of establishing economic and political development. However, Myanmar has yet to achieve its goal of building a successful state-led development. Therefore, this paper argues that implementing an efficient and effective institutionalization is essential for a successful state-led development (developmental state) in Myanmar.


This investigation focused on the interrelationships among students' study activities, students' self-concept of academic ability ratings, students' academic achievement, and instructional practices in 12 high school biology courses. Using a framework derived from a previous investigation, course features were classified into those that appear to (a) place demands on, (b) support, or (c) compensate for student engagement in particular study activities. Students' study activities, self-concept of academic ability ratings, and achievement were measured with experimenter-developed instruments. Results are reported for (a) characteristics of instruments and course features, (b) relationships between central factors of the investigation, and (c) multi-level relationships between course features and student variables. Results at the student level indicated that self-concept of academic ability and, to a lesser extent, students' study activities were positively associated with student achievement. Students' self-concept of academic ability ratings were also linked to students' engagement in generative, proactive study activities. At the course level the supportive practices of providing challenging homework assignments and extensive feedback on student coursework were associated with student engagement in effortful, generative, proactive study activities. The provision of extensive feedback was also associated with high student achievement. Multi-level relationships were analysed using hierarchical linear modelling (HLM) analyses. These analyses revealed, for example, that in courses in which little or no feedback is given on homework assignments, the relationship between achievement and student engagement in diligent effort management activities was enhanced. Other HLM analyses were conducted to examine the mediating role of course features on the relationship between students' self-concept of academic ability and their study activities and achievement. For example, the presence of challenging course demands was associated with an enhancement of the relationship between self-concept of academic ability and achievement whereas the presence of instructor provisions (supports and compensations) designed to reduce course demands was associated with a reduction in this relationship.


Early worsening of diabetic retinopathy, characterized by cotton wool spots, intraretinal microvascular abnormalities and/or macular edema, can occur following improvement of glycemic control. In four randomized 28- to 52-week clinical trials comparing insulin glargine and NPH insulin in regard to glycemic control and frequency of hypoglycemia, ophthalmologic examinations and fundus photographs were included to assess frequency of early worsening of retinopathy or other early adverse ocular effects. Retinopathy progression rates at 28 weeks were 7-12% by clinical examination and 3-8% by photographic grading; corresponding rates of clinically significant macular edema (CSME) were 1-8% and 1-4%, respectively. Optic disc swelling was not observed clinically or in photographs. Two of the 24 possible comparisons (four trials, three outcomes, two assessment methods), both of which were photographic assessments in type 2 diabetes, were in/near the nominally significant range and favored NPH insulin: 28-week rates of >or=3-step retinopathy progression (insulin glargine: 16/213, 7.5%; NPH insulin: 6/220, 2.7%; p=0.028) and 52-week CSME rates (26/233, 11.2% and 14/214, 6.5%, respectively; p=0.098). Because the between-treatment differences were small and inconsistent across trials and assessment methods, and because overall rates were consistent with the natural course of diabetic retinopathy, we conclude that it is unlikely that insulin glargine carries a higher risk of early worsening or other early adverse effect than NPH insulin. These trials tended to exclude a large early adverse effect, such as optic disc swelling, but cannot assess longer-term effects; a 5-year randomized trial of insulin glargine versus NPH insulin has been initiated. Data from this manuscript have been presented as posters and published in abstract form at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes 2001 ( DIABETOLOGIA 44(Suppl 1):I-IV(A287), 2001) and the Latin American Diabetes Association 2001 (11-15 November 2001, Punta del Este, Uruguay; Poster 180) congresses.


If you want to travel through the world in a quiet, contented way, don't get careless in any respect. Man, in every phase of life, is particularly given to carelessness. If he is on the high road to wealth and station, he becomes careless, of those who perhaps were the very means of his good fortune. On the other 'hand, if he is unfortunate in business he loses his self-respect, and rushes to the dram shop or gaming table. Whatever position a man finds himself placed in, whether by accident, fortunate speculation, or persevering industry, he should always retain that command over himself that will entitle him to the good will of old as well as new friends. If a man rises from comparative obscurity to some degree of eminence of any kindj and with no intention to offend, but carelessly notices an old friend if he meet him, he is very likely to get the ill-will of his more humble but old associate. The first time this careless recognition is noticed it produces a bad effect, and the next dis like, and finally hatred and contempt. We have known some of the very best friends in the world completely estranged by a wrong interpretation of acts towards each other. It is a common belief that as a man advances in the world he is desirous of cutting those who do not gain so rapidly as him self. This is an error, no doubt, in many instances, and the remedy is one of the easiest things in the world. A little of the starch out of the one, and the slightest liberal feeling on the other, will be found to be a true panacea for nine-tenths of the imaginary shys which lead to the entire separation of old friends, and even goes so far sometimes as to produce bad feelings among relatives. We shall end this brief article on carelessness by repeating the advice with which we begun. If you want to travel through the world in a quiet contented way, don't get careless in any respect. Be free with your friends as though no change affected your condition in life, let that condition have changed ever so much, be it for better or worse.


The simulations, calibration, measured output currents and relative sensitivity of the first-ever fabricated gallium nitride (GaN) magnetic high electron mobility transistors (MagHEMTs) are given in this work. The current imbalance and relative sensitivities obtained from simulations are calibrated against the experimental data measured at room temperature (RT). The average calculated relative sensitivity of the 60 fabricated devices measured is 11.98%T−1. We present three-dimensional simulation results of GaN split-current magnetic sensors for different geometrical and biasing parameters at various ambient temperatures. The detailed analysis of device behaviour is given for each scenario. The relative sensitivity degrades at 400 K (Sr = 6.78%T−1) and 500 K (Sr = 4.91%T−1) compared to the sensitivity measured at 300 K (Sr = 11.98%T−1). The GaN MagHEMTs show promising predicted relative sensitivities at 400 K and 500 K compared to silicon magnetic field effect transistors (MagFETs) operating at much lower temperatures. Moreover, device geometrical parameters are optimised to enhance the relative sensitivity from 11.98%T−1 to 23.29%T−1 using the commercial simulation toolbox Atlas, by Silvaco.


Glucocorticoids are extremely effective anti-inflammatory therapies, but their clinical use is limited due to severe side effects, including osteoporosis, muscle wasting, fat redistribution, and skin thinning. Here we use heavy water labeling and mass spectrometry to measure fluxes through metabolic pathways impacted by glucocorticoids. We combine these methods with measurements of body composition in corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)-transgenic (Tg)(+) mice that have chronically elevated, endogenously produced corticosterone and a phenotype that closely mimics Cushing's disease in humans. CRH-Tg(+) mice had increased adipose mass, adipose triglyceride synthesis, and greatly increased triglyceride/fatty acid cycling in subcutaneous and abdominal fat depots and increased de novo lipogenesis in the abdominal depot. In bone, CRH-Tg(+) mice had decreased bone mass, absolute collagen synthesis rates, and collagen breakdown rate. In skin, CRH-Tg(+) mice had decreased skin thickness and absolute collagen synthesis rates but no decrease in the collagen breakdown rate. In muscle, CRH-Tg(+) mice had decreased muscle mass and absolute protein synthesis but no decrease in the protein breakdown rate. We conclude that chronic exposure to endogenous glucocorticoid excess in mice is associated with ongoing decreases in bone collagen, skin collagen, and muscle protein synthesis without compensatory reduction (coupling) of breakdown rates in skin and muscle. Both of these actions contribute to reduced protein pool sizes. We also conclude that increased cycling between triglycerides and free fatty acids occurs in both abdominal and subcutaneous fat depots in CRH-Tg(+) mice. CRH-Tg mice have both increased lipolysis and increased triglyceride synthesis in adipose tissue.


Summary form only given. The amount of electrical engineering knowledge required in semiconductor design is decreasing and the process is now mimicking software design. Design re-use is moving upstream with sophisticated subsystems and flexible, technology-independent building blocks becoming available from ASIC vendors and other sources. The time spent debugging the applications software is vastly exceeding the development time invested in the hardware. Driven by the opportunity of million-plus gates ASICs on the one hand, sophisticated synthesis and simulation tools on the other, the design paradigm for most designers is shifting from the gate level to the functional level. With this shift comes the move to hardware description languages, increased design re-use, and active trade-off between software and hardware implementations. The author highlights the status and progress of this evolution and discusses its impact on semiconductor and system design in the coming years.<<ETX>>


We evaluated the three-dimensional vascular architecture of feeder vessels in exudative macular disease. A case of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy with choroidal neovascularization was examined with Doppler optical coherence tomography (OCT), and the three-dimensional architecture of the feeder vessels could be clearly visualized in the Doppler OCT angiography image, showing the site of growth of the feeder vessels passing through Bruch's membrane. Together, the results demonstrated in this case report that Doppler OCT was useful for the noninvasive assessment of feeder vessels in exudative macular disease.


Tuberculosis is a major cause of human death around the world and is caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacterium infects 1.8 billion people yearly which equals one-third of the world population. Pathogenic bacterial genomes contain many perfect, imperfect and approximate tandem repeats that can serve as marker for genotyping these pathogens. Tandem repeats are generated by duplications during successive generations which changes genome structures, thereby providing diversity and improving the fitness of the pathogen during infection. In the present study, we have retrieved reference genomes of 30 Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains and used Tandem Repeats Finder tool for the prediction of genome-wide repeats. The genomes of publicly available Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains varied in size from 4.38 MB to 4.42 MB. After trimming out low quality tandem repeats, we found the strain M. tuberculosis CCDC5079 to have the maximum tandem repeats density number (DN) while density length (DL) was found to be maximum in M. tuberculosis KIT87190.We found the lowest repeat density number and length in M. tuberculosis Erdman. This study would help in mapping and identification of pathogenic bacterial species and to understand the importance of tandem repeats in their evolution.


SUMMARY The subcellular distribution of various lysosomal hydrolases and mitochondria! cytochrome c oxidase of mammary carcinomas of C3H mice was studied by means of differential centrifugation and zonal ultracentriftigation and in electron histochemical preparations. Tumors that received a single local dose of 500, 1000, or 7000 rad showed an increase in the specific activities of acid hydrolases in the whole homogenates. Under the same conditions, time-and dose-dependent increases in the proportion of absolute unsedimentable activities were observed. These changes appeared not earlier than 6 hr after doses of 7000 rad. Whole homogenates from animals receiving a combined treatment of X-irradiation plus vitamin A showed higher levels of specific acid hydrolases than those from mice treated with radiation alone, and homogenates from mice given X-irradiation plus cortisone showed lower levels of acid-hydrolytic activity than those from irradiated animals. A peak of fast-moving acid hydrolases that precedes the mitochondria! fraction in the high-resolution zonal ultracentrifugation techniques appears clearly enlarged in tumors treated with 1000 rad. These samples also showed a decrease of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase. The bio chemical and electron histochemical changes observed indicate an involvement of the lysosome system in regressing mammary carcinomas. The fact that the course of biochemical events in the irradiated tumors is modified by lysosome labilizers or stabilizers is also


Stress perfusion cardiovascular magnetic resonance (SPCMR) is now established in the investigation of myocardial ischaemia. Various pharmacological options exist for inducing stress conditions. Regadenoson is an A-2A agonist with many advantages over Adenosine, including easier administration and fewer side effects. Whilst the use of Regadenoson has been studied in nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI), its efficacy has not been as robustly documented in SPCMR. Our centre has a large nuclear MPI service, with a smaller but rapidly growing stress perfusion CMR service. The aim of this study was to determine the major adverse cardiac event (MACE) rate following a normal Regadenoson SPCMR examination. A retrospective RIS (Radiology Information System) search was performed over a 2 year period (2013 – 2014) which yielded 156 SPCMR studies. 95 were excluded due to alternative/undocumented pharmacological stress agents, positive results for inducible ischaemia or failure to complete stress perfusion sequences. This yielded a total cohort of 61 patients who had a normal Regadenoson SPCMR study (this included well documented artefacts such as dark-rim). Basal, mid and apical short axis views were obtained during first pass of contrast (Gadovist, 0.2mg/kg, 6ml/second) at peak stress (400 micrograms Regadenoson). Rest perfusion was repeated 15 min after the initial contrast injection. All patients were scanned on a Siemens 1.5T Avanto MRI scanner. All patients were followed up for at least 1 year for MACE, i.e. cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction or coronary revascularisation. Out of 61 patients who had a normal Regadenoson SPCMR study, 1 patient experienced MACE within the follow up period (intra-operative death during cardiac transplantation). Excluding this, no patients suffered adverse events during the follow up period. In conclusion, a normal Regadenoson stress perfusion CMR examination is associated with a very low MACE rate within 2 years.


The oxidation of sulphides in acid sulphate soils (ASS) causes the acidification of many Australian coastal river systems. The acidity negatively impacts upon coastal ecosystems, aquaculture, agriculture and concrete and steel infrastructure. In the low-lying floodplains, relatively deep surface drains fitted with one-way floodgates lower the watertable, thereby exposing the sulphidic minerals to oxidation. On the Broughton Creek floodplain in SE Australia, four distinct remediation strategies have been developed to tackle the issue of acidification by ASS: (i) simple V-notch weirs that raise the level of the watertable surrounding the drains thereby submerging the pyrite and preventing the further formation of acidity; (ii) modified two-way floodgates that allow the inflow of tidal water into the drains, thereby buffering the acidity within the drain before it enters the river and raising the level of the watertable surrounding the drain; (iii) lateral impermeable lime barriers that both prevent oxidation of pyrite by stopping the downward movement of oxygen into the soil and neutralise the acidity in the groundwater; and (iv) permeable reactive barriers (PRB) that passively intercept the groundwater flow and neutralise the acidity. Each remediation strategy has a distinct role to suit the different terrain and groundwater conditions.


Multi-walled triaxial hollow fibers with two different outer wall materials are fabricated by core-sheath electrospinning process and integrated into epoxy matrix with or without primary glass fiber reinforcement to produce composites with enhanced mechanical properties. The morphologies of multi-walled hollow fibers are tailored by controlling the materials and processing parameters such as polymer and solvent types. The triaxial hollow fiber fabrication is achieved through using a nozzle containing concentric tubes, which allows for the transport of different fluids to the tip of the nozzle under the applied high voltage. In comparison to uniaxial electrospun fibers, the hollowness of electrospun fibers enables one to manufacture new reinforcing agents that can improve the specific strength of composites. It is shown that the mechanical properties of epoxy matrix composite incorporated with electrospun fibers as primary fiber reinforcement can be significantly tailored by properly selecting the wall materials, diameters, and the amount of electrospun fibers. We have also presented that triaxial electrospun hollow fibers as co-reinforcement in the glass fiber-laminated epoxy matrix composites enhance the flexural modulus by 6.5%, flexural strength by 14%, the onset of first layer of glass fabric failure strain by 12.5%, and final failure strain by 20%.


Glioblastomas (GBMs) are the most common and aggressive primary human malignant brain tumors. 4-Hydroxy tamoxifen (OHT) is an active metabolite of the tamoxifen (TMX) prodrug and a well-established estrogen receptor (ER) and estrogen-related receptor antagonist. A recent study from our laboratory demonstrated that OHT induced ER-independent malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) cell death by autophagic degradation of the prosurvival protein Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog. Because both MPNST and GBM are glial in cell origin, we hypothesized that OHT could mediate similar effects in GBM. OHT induced a concentration-dependent reduction in cell viability that was largely independent of caspase activation in a human GBM cell line and 2 patient-derived xenolines. Further, OHT induced both cytotoxic autophagy and a concentration-dependent decrease in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) protein levels. A GBM cell line expressing EGFR variant III (EGFRvIII) was relatively resistant to OHT-induced death and EGFRvIII was refractory to OHT-induced degradation. Thus, OHT induces GBM cell death through a caspase-independent, autophagy-related mechanism and should be considered as a potential therapeutic agent in patients with GBM whose tumors express wild-type EGFR.


In the structure of agricultural enterprise accounting information the accounting of fixed asset turnover operations provides for 5.1 % of all economic indices. Besides this exceptional feature the said accounting is important in the management system of any enterprise that provides the organizers of production with valuable information regarding fixed asset, its physical state, the rate of provision with this asset and its depreciation. Enterprise fixed asset accounting information is suggested to arrange in an automated way using personal computers (PC) and perfect software that would be helpful in creating a computer-aided database (CDB). When creating the CDB of enterprise fixed asset accounting the author recommends that information classificators and other permanent reference books were prepared, primary documents of variable information adequately introduced, primary data operatively input into magnetic discs, the secondary information regarding the fixed asset turnover over a certain (requested by a customer) period of time formed in an automated way. The article offers using the forms of listings (videoframes) designed by the author which are characterized as simple, informative and operative to use in asset turnover control and economic analysis. Creation of enterprise accounting CDB is related to the usage of this base for computing the indices of economic analysis by taking a real enterprise data as examples.


In June of 2004, shortly after the Abu Ghraib prison crisis, the Supreme Court held that the district courts of the United States had jurisdiction to hear habeas petitions filed by alien detainees being held in Guantdinamo Bay, Cuba challenging the legality of their detentions. Rasul v. Bush,' and its companion cases Hamdi v. Rumsfeld' and Rumsfeld v. Padilla, 5 addressed the fate of more than 600 detainees being held in what has been called a legal "black hole," as the Government asserted that neither the U.S. Constitution nor the Geneva Conventions applied to alleged members of Al Qaeda that were apprehended during the war on terrorism. 4 Although these decisions


In vivo microdialysis was used to monitor noradrenalin (NA) release in the rat hippocampus, sensorimotor cortex and amygdala in response to seizures induced by electrical kindling stimulation in the hippocampus. Generalized seizures increased NA output in the hippocampus five‐fold above baseline level (as assessed with 2‐min sampling periods). The peak value was seen 2–4 min after onset of seizure activity and baseline was reached after another 6–8 min. In the sensorimotor cortex, there was a seven‐fold increase showing a similar time‐course. Focal hippocampal seizures gave rise to three‐fold and 80% increases above baseline in the hippocampus and sensorimotor cortex, respectively. A unilateral knife transection of the dorsal noradrenergic bundle reduced hippocampal NA release induced by focal seizures by 53%. In animals subjected to 30 stimulus‐evoked seizures with 5‐min intervals ('rapid kindling'), maximal NA output was observed after the third seizure in both hippocampus (237% increase) and amygdala (122% increase). NA levels tapered off with repeated stimulation and reached baseline after nine stimulations in the hippocampus; in the amygdala, the NA output was still slightly elevated at the end of the stimulation period. These results indicate that there is a general activation of the locus coeruleus system during focal as well as generalized seizures, as evidenced by marked increases in transmitter release from noradrenergic terminals in all forebrain areas studied. NA output in areas exhibiting seizure activity is dependent on impulse flow in locus coeruleus neurons and probably also on local regulatory mechanisms active at the noradrenergic terminal level. The increase in inhibitory noradrenergic transmission in both epileptic and non‐epileptic brain regions may dampen ongoing seizure activity as well as lessen its spread and generalization.


Recently, SiO2 grown at low temperatures has been highlighted for a range of applications. In this letter, SiO2 films were deposited at 280°C by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (ALD) using bis-diethylamino-silane and O2 plasma. The electrical conduction mechanisms of a 38-nm-thick SiO2 film were found to be ohmic and Fowler-Nordheim tunneling in the low- and high-voltage ranges, respectively. The electrical breakdown field of the silicon oxide films was measured at ~10 MV/cm. The excellent breakdown field was well explained by the fact that ALD SiO2 has very low carbon content (<; 0.5%) and does not have any oxygen deficiency and nonbridging oxygen. Compared to wet SiO2, the increase in etch rates was attributed to the existence of strained bonds.


PTERAPOGON n. g. Body deep, compressed. Head large. Eye large, greater than snout. Mouth wide, oblique. Maxillary reaches to below middle of eye. Teeth villiform in bands in jaws, on vomer and palatines. No canines. Preopercle ridge double, edge serrate. Opercle with spine posteriorly. Scales large, ctenoid. Top of head, interorbital and snout naked. Lateral line complete, scales about 25. First dorsal of 7 spines, second dorsal of 1 spine and 14 rays. Anal of 2 spines and 13 rays, similar and opposite to soft dorsal. Pectorals short. Ventrals long. Caudal fin deeply forked. This genus is distinguished from all other Apogonidae in having 14 rays in soft dorsal fin. Pterapogon kauderni n. sp. (PL I, fig. 2). Depth 2. Head 2l/2. Snout 4 in head. Eye 2—21/4. Interorbital about equal to snout. Maxillary reaches to middle of eye. The 1st spine of Dl is small, the 3rd, 4th and 5th are elongated, about as long as head. The 1st, 2nd? 3rd, and 4th ray of D2 are elongated, the 2nd is the longest, longer than length excluded head. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd anal ray are elongated, the 2nd is the longest, as long as or longer than the head. Caudal fin deeply forked, the external caudal rays are elongated and much longer than head. Pectoral fin short, as long as eye + snout. Ventrals long, 1st and 2nd ray prolonged, 2nd ray the longest, as long as or longer than head. Color in spirits: whitish, dotted over with small black spots. A black transverse band is placed a little obliquely through the eye, another from the first half of first dorsal fin to the branchiostegal rays, a third from


Attention to economic inequality has increased in the wake of the global financial crisis, and along with this increased attention has come the need for reconsideration of the dynamics of moral reflection on inequality. Inequality is often viewed as a negative in terms of economic and social costs. But there are also moral challenges that arise from inequality. The Christian tradition emphasizes the diversity, and therefore the inequality, of the created order, and as such inequality is not simply a result of sin. After the fall into sin, there are new dynamics which consist of sinful kinds of inequality as well as sinful attitudes towards the gifts and endowments of others. This "grief" at the good of others has been classically understood as the vice of envy (invidia). This article argues for the ongoing relevance of envy as a particularly important moral category for evaluation of economic inequality.


The article examines Brazil's approaches to the UN reform, and in particular the UN Security Council. Brazil participates in the work of major international institutions, such as the UN, WTO, G20, and considers them to be the only effective tools for addressing major global challenges. The author discuses the country's vision of peacekeeping operations, humanitarian missions, and hunger and poverty reduction and analyzes the priorities of Brazilian assistance to other developing economies.The author describes several concepts proposed by Brazil for implementation by the UN in the area of peace-keeping and peace-building. The "responsibility while protect" concept is considered as a supplement to "responsibility to protect" and is aimed at reducing the risks of military conflicts. The Friends of Mediation concept highlights the need for all military interventions to be fully controlled by the UN. The article specifies actions taken by Brazil to promote its ideas within the UN.Development assistance is considered to be another element of Brazilian "preventive diplomacy". Most activities in this area are focused on neighbouring states in South America and on African countries and aimed at addressing poverty and starvation, strengthening health systems and fighting against communicable diseases, tackling climate change, ensuring sustainable development and protecting human rights. The author describes the system created to manage and assess the effectiveness of Brazil's engagement in development assistance.The author identifies the interdependence between security and development as one of the main drivers of Brazilian foreign policy and highlights the country's commitments to major international institutions and to the reform of the UN as a centre of the global governance system coordinating efforts to address major global challenges.


This paper presents the results of the experimental works to investigate the use of waste limestone from water treatment industry as fine aggregate in green concrete. Two concrete mixtures with a constant water-to-binder ratio of 0.3 were prepared for this investigation, in which, the normal concrete mixture was designed following the guidelines of ACI 211 standard, while the green concrete mixture was designed using densified mixture design algorithm (DMDA) technology. For comparison, both types of concrete samples were subjected to the same test program, including fresh properties, compressive strength, strength efficiency of cement, drying shrinkage, electrical surface resistivity, ultrasonic pulse velocity, and thermal conductivity. Test results indicate that both concrete mixtures showed the excellent workability due to the round-shape of waste limestone aggregate and the use of superplasticizer. In addition, the green concrete mixture exhibited a better performance in terms of engineering properties and durability in comparison with the normal concrete mixture. The results of the present study further support the recycling and reuse of waste limestone as fine aggregate in the production of green concrete.


We present a new BSSRDF for rendering images of translucent materials. Previous diffusion BSSRDFs are limited by the accuracy of classical diffusion theory. We introduce a modified diffusion theory that is more accurate for highly absorbing materials and near the point of illumination. The new diffusion solution accurately decouples single and multiple scattering. We then derive a novel, analytic, extended-source solution to the multilayer search-light problem by quantizing the diffusion Green's function. This allows the application of the diffusion multipole model to material layers several orders of magnitude thinner than previously possible and creates accurate results under high-frequency illumination. Quantized diffusion provides both a new physical foundation and a variable-accuracy construction method for sum-of-Gaussians BSSRDFs, which have many useful properties for efficient rendering and appearance capture. Our BSSRDF maps directly to previous real-time rendering algorithms. For film production rendering, we propose several improvements to previous hierarchical point cloud algorithms by introducing a new radial-binning data structure and a doubly-adaptive traversal strategy.


The objective of this paper is to investigate and analyze energy saving and process optimization opportunities in upstream surface facilities, from downhole all the way to the gas-oil separation plants (GOSPs), using value Methodology. Function analysis was used to identify those functions that can be reduced, eliminated, or synergized, to minimize GOSP operating and maintenance cost.
 In this paper, various energy saving and process optimization opportunities in GOSPs were brainstormed, analyzed, shortlisted, simulated, and validated using actual plant data. Process simulation using Hysys was used to model and verify the feasibility of different process optimization opportunities in GOSPs. A 300 MBD production facility was used to benchmark the Hysys simulation model, and to verify the feasibility of these promising energy saving opportunities. All of the successful opportunities were selected, based on their minimum OPEX and CAPEX, using value engineering methodology.


The constant growth of bandwidth requirements in optical communication networks has prompted the evolution from conventional on-off-keying (OOK) transmission techniques to coherent, polarization multiplexed schemes. The higher spectral efficiency afforded by this approach enables per channel data rates of 100–400Gbps over existing fiber infrastructure. Both the transmitters and receivers benefit from monolithic integration, as it reduces costs and offers rugged performance. A block diagram of a coherent polarization multiplex receiver is shown in Fig. 1(a) and basically consists of: i) polarization splitters ii) high performance 90o hybrids and iii) high speed photodiodes. A first monolithically integrated coherent receiver was presented in [1], which, however, required external polarization management. Integration of the polarization managing elements, such as polarization splitters or polarization rotators, is challenging as they exhibit stringing fabrication tolerances. Here, we will review some recent advances in integrated polarization management. Furthermore, we discuss the design of tunable, fabrication tolerant polarization splitters based on Mach-Zehnder structures as shown in Fig. 1(b) [2], carried out in the EU-FP7 Mirthe project. The operation of a monolithically integrated polarization multiplex coherent receiver based on these polarization splitters has been recently demonstrated [3].


For the last twenty years magnetic surveys have frequently been applied in archaeological prospection. Among the different processing techniques that can be applied to the magnetic data, we studied the possibility for delineating the position and the spatial orientation of shallow depth magnetic anomalous bodies. The approach namely cross-correlation filter (or matched filter) has been adopted. At first, theoretical magnetic anomalies of total magnetic field, of its components and the vertical gradient of these, due to three-dimensional bodies, oriented S-N, E-W and NW-SE, were calculated. These synthetic bodies were considered a sum of many elementary prisms. Field measurements were simulated adding a noise component with different signal-to-noise ratio on the theoretical anomalies. In order to improve signal-to-noise ratio and to locate and delineate the orientation of the anomalous bodies a bidimensional cross-correlation technique was applied. Different synthetic anomalies, due to bodies with different dimensions, depths, susceptibility contrasts and geomagnetic parameters were used, as operators, to apply the cross-correlation technique. The efficiency of the method was improved using a normalised cross-correlation of the field data.


Thailand's total export value of artificial flowers is comparatively high, especially during the past 6-7 years. However, since 1989, the US GSP granted for hand-made artificial flowers from Thailand has been terminated. Such GSP termination has caused serious impacts on the export of artificial flowers of Thailand because of the 17% higher rate of tariff. Furthermore, wages have increased, and also, the people Republic of China, due to its advantages of lower production cost and lower wages, began to play an important role in exporting artificial flowers to foreign markets such as U.S.A., Canada, and West-Germany. Thus,the artificial flower business of Thailand is facing many problems. The objectives of this study are to analyse the situation of production and marketing of artificial flowers of Thailand,and to find out solutions for some concerning problems. The primary data used in this study are mostly obtained from interviews of 23 companies engaged in the production and export of artificial flowers: all of them have investment promotion certificates from the government and are still in this business. For secondary data, their sources are from various government offices,such as the Department of Customs, the Ministry of Finance, and the Bank of Thailand. The analysis shows that major problems of production are the increasing cost of production due to the higher prices of raw materials, as well as skilled labor shortage. With regard to marketing, it is found that the export of artificial flowers from Thailand depends upon only one major market, i.e., the U.S.A. market, the export value to U.S.A. market being approximately 80% of the total export value from Thailand. Another problem is that the selling price of this commodity has been forced to increase in accordance with the increasing cost of production. This is an important factor to hinder market expansion. Furthermore, in order to ascertain the conclusion, the result of statistical analysis indicates that the export price affects the demand from foreign countries. On the contrary, looking from the supply side, export price is not a significant factor to stimulate manufacturers to increase their production. The analysis also reveals that the competitors of Thailand in the export of artificial flowers to the U.S.A.market do not lessen the US demand from Thailand, since the demand of this commodity still exceed the supply. As to methods of production, the analysis shows that manufacturers are likely to replace human labor with machines in some possible steps of production because the production elasticity of machine is higher than of human labor. Recommendations to solve these problems are as follows. The manufacturers and the government sector should support exporters by improving infrastructure to facilitate large freigters to ship cargo. Also, a rebate of import tariff of raw materials to the manufactures is necessary, so that they could improve their capital circulation.


ABSTRACT Clostridium difficile strain BI/NAP1/027 is associated with increased C. difficile infection (CDI) rates and severity, and the efficacy of some CDI therapies may be strain dependent. Although cultured C. difficile isolates can be reliably subtyped by various methods, the long turnaround times, high cost, and limited availability of strain typing preclude their routine use. Nucleic acid amplification tests identify BI/NAP1/027 rapidly from stool, but the emergence of closely related strains compromises test specificity. Although detection of epidemiologically significant pathogens is generally useful for infection control programs, specific data supporting use of rapid detection of BI/NAP1/027 as an infection control tool are still awaited.


Objective: We prospectively evaluated safety and clinical efficacy of an active bone conduction implant, named Bonebridge, in patients with conductive hearing loss (CHL). Performance was compared with the preoperative aided condition. Methods: Nine Dutch-speaking patients were implanted with Bonebridge in a single tertiary referral center and were followed up for 4 years and 11 months (mean). Six patients had CHL, one had mixed hearing loss (MHL), and two had single-sided deafness. Preoperatively, patients were fitted with a conventional air conduction hearing aid (HA) and/or a bone-anchored HA processor worn on a headband. Intraand postoperative complication rates were assessed for all patients. Five patients with CHL/MHL participated in an extensive audiological evaluation, including regular measurements of hearing thresholds (air and bone conduction), speech reception in quiet (consonant vowel consonant or CVC words) and noise (sentences), and subjective satisfaction (Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit questionnaire and the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale). Results: Patients' residual hearing was not deteriorated by the implantation, and no adverse events were reported. For CHL and MHL cases (n=5), the median functional gain was 20 dB at activation and remained stable thereafter. After 3 months, the median word recognition score in quiet at 40 dB A was 80%. The median speech reception threshold in noise was 4.8 dB signal to noise ratio 1 year postoperatively. Comparison with preoperative scores with a bone conduction device on a headband revealed no significant differences. Questionnaires demonstrated subjective satisfaction. Stable performance was observed along the entire follow-up period. Conclusion: Bonebridge can be considered a safe and effective treatment option for patients with CHL.


Planar jets are used for many applications including heating, cooling, and ventilation. Generally, a planar jet provides good mixing within an enclosure. In building applications, the jet provides both thermal comfort and adequate indoor air quality. Increased mixing rates may reduce short circuiting of conditioned air, eliminate dead zones within the occupied zone, reduce energy costs, increase occupant comfort, and increase indoor air quality. This article discusses how an infrared imaging system was used to demonstrate how jet excitation affected the spread angle and the jet mixing efficiency. Infrared imaging captures a large number of data points in real time (over 50,000 data points per image) providing significant advantages over single-point measurements. The authors used a mesh screen with a time constant of approximately 0.3 seconds as a target for the infrared camera to detect temperature variations in the jet. The infrared images show that excitation of the jet caused increased jet spread. Digital data reduction and analysis show changes in jet isotherms and quantify the increased mixing caused by excitation.


Hearing reduction and hearing loss are common among the industrial workers exposed to continuous and intensive occupational noise, although they are completely preventable. Hearing protection devices are more and more widely used in modern industry, however, they are not efficient enough. That is why preventive otorhinolaryngologic examinations should regularly been performed to enable the early diagnosis and timely treatment of this severe pathology. Several recent investigations deal with the damage of the medium and inner ear as well as of the hearing characteristics caused by intensive and longlasting industrial noise, especially in construction in the USA (Wu, et al., 1998; Edelson, et al., 2009), in dockyards (Sliwinska-Kowalska, et al., 2004; Zamyslowska-Szmytke, et al., 2007), in a liquefied petroleum gas cylinder infusion factory in Taiwan (Chang, et al., 2009), in a semiconductor factory (Chou, et al., 2009), in steel mills, lumber mills and marble shops in Brazil (Boger, et al., 2009), among truck drivers (Krishnamurti, 2009; Karimi, et al., 2010), etc. The combined harmful effects of workplace noise and various agents such as chemicals (Morata, et al., 1993; Sliwinska-Kowalska, et al., 2004; Sliwinska- Kowalska, et al., 2005) and heat (Singh, et al., 2010) are intensively studied, too. Binaurial hearing impairment caused by simultaneous exposure to occupational noise and cigarette smoke is proved, too (Mohammadi, et al., 2010). The role of shift-work on noise-induced hearing loss is emphasized (Borchgrevink, 2009; Chou, et al., 2009). The purpose of the present paper is to analyze the dynamics of hearing reduction of dockyard workers by twofold comprehensive screening examinations as a first step in a broad prevention programme.


Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) have been emerged as a successful delivery approach for driving large-scale infrastructure projects to provide affordable services and to meet the public requirements. The successful development of performance-based output specifications (PSOS) for PPP infrastructure projects have been under the attention of many procurement agencies and public authorities. Many diverse groups from both public and private sector believe that the current practice of PSOS needs to be enhanced. The lack of guidance to ensure that the performance is properly linked with the designed end product is identified as the major challenge to develop a high quality PSOS. In this study, a set of performance criteria and a generic framework for developing high quality PSOS based on the hierarchy of system engineering approach is proposed. Moreover, two infrastructure projects were considered as case studies to evaluate the PSOS implemented and to compare the results obtained, with the proposed framework.


Following extensive economic and market reforms and more than a decade of negotiations, Vietnam became the latest country to accede to the World Trade Organization in November 2006. While it is expected that greater liberalisation will boost Vietnam's economic growth and contribute to the country's ongoing transition towards a market economy, there are concerns about potentially negative impacts on vulnerable sectors of the population, including remote rural populations, women and children. In order to explore the possible impacts of Vietnam's trade liberalisation on children in poor communities, this paper examines key mediating factors that impact child welfare and the ways that trade liberalisation could affect these variables. It focuses on three key aspects of child well-being – child work (domestic and extra-household), educational attainment and health status. It applies a mixed methods approach: econometrics analysis using data from the first wave of the Young Lives Vietnam longitudinal survey on childhood poverty combined within in-depth qualitative analysis of two key agricultural commodity sectors, aquaculture and sugarcane, that are expected to be significantly impacted by Vietnam's integration into the world economy.

Our main quantitative findings point to significant differences in child well-being outcomes based on ethnicity, household poverty status and vulnerability to declining living standards, parental (especially maternal) education levels, children's involvement in work activities, and access to public services. Our qualitative findings highlight the implications of caregivers' shifting time inputs to productive and care economy work on child well-being, familial coping strategies in the context of economic shocks, the importance of social capital in mediating economic opportunities as well as differences in livelihood patterns among majority and minority ethnic groups. The paper concludes by discussing why mixed methods research can play an important role in focusing greater policy attention on the linkages between economic globalisation and children's experiences of poverty.


The genesis of this thesis was the experience of the transcendent quality of Vincent van Gogh's oeuvre. The hypothesis is that Van Gogh pursued his vocation to be a minister of Christ through art having failed in his desire to pursue a vocation in the institutional church. The perspective is through the lens of Christian Spirituality and the concept of transformation leading to transcendence. Van Gogh's life is viewed as a compulsive mission, a pilgrimage with both a physical and spiritual dimension. His physical journey is well documented. His spiritual journey seems almost as clear when his obsession with depicting the Sower is analysed in the light of that parable and Christ's Gospel as expressed as much in his artworks as in his correspondence. Account is taken of the abundant critical literature including Christocentric analyses. These latter tend to focus on the trilogy of paintings which unmistakably represent religious biblical images: The Pieta (after Delacroix), The Good Samaritan (after Delacroix), and The Raising of Lazarus (after Rembrandt). However, this ignores the rich Christian symbolism that can be found in so much of his other work through his understanding of chromatics and the choice of his subject matter.
Van Gogh's early life as an art dealer exposed him to a wide variety of artistic genres and styles. He also became an advocate for and an adept in Japonisme. Van Gogh was multilingual and widely read in his native Dutch and in English and French. He was immersed in the Bible and Christ's teaching. All of this combined in his developing mastery of a personalised art form which found expression in depictions beginning with The Potato Eaters, continuing through numerous works of sowers, harvest and reaping, culminating in the death and resurrection symbolism in his final works, Wheatfields with Crows and Roots. Christian spirituality evidenced in that mission.


Milk-derived peptides with ACE-inhibiting properties may have antihypertensive effects in humans. We conducted a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial to examine the blood pressure lowering potential of 2 ACE-inhibiting lactotripeptides, ie, Isoleucine-Proline-Proline and Valine-Proline-Proline. We included 135 Dutch subjects with elevated systolic blood pressure who were otherwise healthy and who received no current antihypertensive treatment. After a 2-week run-in period on placebo, subjects randomly received a daily dose of 200 mL dairy drink with 14 mg lactotripeptides obtained by concentrating fermented milk, enzymatic hydrolysis, or chemical synthesis, or placebo for 8 weeks, followed by a 2-week wash-out. The primary outcome was 8-week change in office systolic blood pressure. Secondary outcomes were change in diastolic blood pressure, home blood pressure, 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure, plasma ACE-activity, and plasma angiotensin II. Blood pressure at baseline was on average 142/84 mm Hg. Lactotripeptides did not significantly change systolic blood pressure (P=0.46) or diastolic blood pressure (P=0.31) compared with placebo. The mean difference (95%-CI) in systolic blood pressure response between treatment and placebo was 2.8 mm Hg (−2.6;8.2) for concentrated fermented milk lactotripeptides, −0.5 mm Hg (−6.0;5.0) for enzymatic lactotripeptides, and 1.6 mm Hg (−3.9;6.9) for synthetic lactotripeptides. Treatment neither had a significant effect on secondary outcome measures. In conclusion, the present study does not support the hypothesis of a blood pressure lowering effect of the lactotripeptides Isoleucine-Proline-Proline and Valine-Proline-Proline.


The decrease in oil price has been a hot topic over recent years and has directly affected oil companies and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of systems used for oil production (subsea assets in particular). Numerous technologies, methodologies, processes and tools are being developed to support lifecycle cost reductions for subsea assets and to maximize the overall profits for the industry.  Prognostic and Health Management (PHM) is a technology that can assess and predict the remaining useful life (RUL) of a system, enabling operations and maintenance strategies to be better planned. One goal of PHM is to lower the cost for a system during the operational period by reducing the downtime cost and risk of unanticipated failures. Traditionally, failure was accepted in this industry sector through the incorporation of functional safety features of critical components. Unfortunately, a fail-safe strategy has significant downtime costs associated with it. However, introduction of new technology (e.g. PHM) requires a business case to demonstrate the potential benefits. At present there is a lack of literature on the topic of PHM cost-benefit-risk analysis for subsea production systems. This paper will provide a background of lifecycle cost and the potential cost savings PHM can deliver in the subsea application will be provided. The paper will also expand on four categories of factors contributing to the cost benefit analysis as well as a case study to illustrate the potential cost savings and the side-effects from PHM integration on subsea equipment.


The objective of the paper was to understand the impact of sub regional economic cooperation, known as the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT), on trade sector in Indonesia. The approach of research based on export macro information by provinces and commodities. The method used in the analytical framework was a fixed effect method. The regional study covered Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, North Sumatera, West Sumatera, and Riau provinces, and the commodities involved CPO, coffee and rubber, with 1990-2008 data series. Based on pooled regression, there was a significant impact on export from the four provinces to Malaysia and Thailand for all based years. One might focus on commodity level that, in fact, CPO was the only one commodity that had a significant impact within the IMTGT region. In addition, Thai Bath and Malaysian Ringgit, with respect to GDP for both countries, had significant influenced on export, especially after the IMT-GT endorsed.


Many industrial processes are spatiotemporal dynamic systems. A three-dimensional fuzzy-logic controller (3-D FLC) has been recently developed to process the inherent capability of spatiotemporal dynamic systems. Sensor placement, which is always crucial to the control of spatiotemporal dynamic systems, is also critical to the design of the 3-D FLC. In this paper, a new sensor-placement strategy is developed. Its main feature is to position the sensor by utilizing the main characteristics of spatial distribution. The key technique is to use a spatial-constrained fuzzy c-means algorithm to extract the characteristics of spatial distribution. For an easy implementation, a systematic sensor-placement design scheme in four steps (i.e., data collection, dimension reduction, data clustering, and sensor locating) is developed. Finally, control of a catalytic packed-bed reactor is taken as an application to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed sensor-placement scheme.


Urinary incontinence (UI) increases the risk of medical complications and psychosocial, physical, and emotional problems.

PURPOSE
This cross-sectional descriptive study investigated the correlation between spiritual well-being (SWB) and quality of life (QOL) in patients with UI.

METHODS
Patients with UI visiting an outpatient urology clinic of a university hospital in Turkey were invited to participate. Data were collected using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being 12 Item Scale (FACIT-Sp-12) (range 0-48 with higher scores indicating better SWB) and the Incontinence Quality of Life Questionnaire (I-QOL) (range 0-100 with higher scores indicating better QOL).

RESULTS
The sample consisted of 383 patients. Most were female (235; 61%), had completed high school (169; 44%), had experienced UI for an average of 3.54 years (SD 3.44), and were between 21 and 92 years of age (mean 52.7; SD 14). The mean I-QOL score was 65.31 ± 19.71 with subscores ranging from a low of 59.69 for social embarrassment to a high of 71.44 for psychosocial impact. The average FACIT-Sp-12 score was 28.00 ± 6.08. Overall I-QOL and FACIT-Sp-12 scores were weakly positively correlated (r = .235).

CON- CLUSION
In this study both QOL and SWB scores were good; higher UI-specific QOL scores and some subscores were asso-ciated with higher SWB scores and subscores. Incontinence QOL should be determined together with SWB in patients with UI.


This paper offers an updated look at the early history of the settlement of Knossos and its immediate hinterland based on the combination of new survey material and a review
of legacy data from the long history of excavations in the area. The approach aims to provide a better understanding of the Prepalatial (Neolithic to Middle Minoan IA) settlement history at the Kephala Hill and nearby areas that complements the traditional focus on stratigraphic excavations under and around the later Bronze Age palace. The Prepalatial material collected and analysed by the Knossos Urban Landscape Project (KULP)is presented in a preliminary form but already sheds new light on the initial process of urbanisation at the site. The analysed data identify a sizeable community at Knossos from the Final Neolithic that slowly grew during the 3rd millennium BCE. The settlement experienced a rapid period of growth at the start of the 2nd millennium BCE that marks the beginning of its development as an urban centre. This is also a moment at which we can identify a major re-organisation in the occupation of the valley and possibly also in the funerary landscape around the settlement.


Methylation and the single neuronal cell The presence or absence of methylation on chromosomal DNA can drive or repress gene expression. Now, a comprehensive map of methylation variation in neuronal cell populations, including a between-species comparison, illustrates how epigenetic diversity plays important roles in neuronal development. Luo et al. examined how DNA methylation is both similar and different within neurons at the single-nucleus level in humans and mice. They identified 16 mouse and 21 human neuronal clusters, with greater complexity of excitatory neurons in deep brain layers than in superficial layers. Science, this issue p. 600 Single-nucleus methylomes distinguish neuron types and predict conserved gene regulatory elements in mice and humans. The mammalian brain contains diverse neuronal types, yet we lack single-cell epigenomic assays that are able to identify and characterize them. DNA methylation is a stable epigenetic mark that distinguishes cell types and marks regulatory elements. We generated >6000 methylomes from single neuronal nuclei and used them to identify 16 mouse and 21 human neuronal subpopulations in the frontal cortex. CG and non-CG methylation exhibited cell type–specific distributions, and we identified regulatory elements with differential methylation across neuron types. Methylation signatures identified a layer 6 excitatory neuron subtype and a unique human parvalbumin-expressing inhibitory neuron subtype. We observed stronger cross-species conservation of regulatory elements in inhibitory neurons than in excitatory neurons. Single-nucleus methylomes expand the atlas of brain cell types and identify regulatory elements that drive conserved brain cell diversity.


Canadian agricultural trade promotion expenditures have dramatically increased from C$.4 million in 1969/70 to C$26.5 million in 1981/82. To evaluate the effect of these expenditures on agricultural exports an econometric analysis is presented in this study. The extended distributed lag model for export demand is developed and estimated using an iterative autoregressive least squares with instrumental variable (IALSI) method of estimation. The results reveal that the trade promotion programs (aggregate expenditure levels) have had a statistically significant effect on agricultural exports. The analysis of dynamic multipliers indicates that the effect of trade promotion expenditure on export levels is likely to decline gradually and last for about a five-year period. Also, the real export demand for aggregate agricultural products is found close to unitary elastic with respect to the real export price variable.


Biologically active iodine-125-labeled adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) binds specifically to ACTH receptors extracted from adrenals. Unlabeled ACTH at 1 picogram per milliliter significantly displaces labeled ACTH from these receptors. This system, which appears to be applicable to all polypeptide hormones, provides a rapid and sensitive method for measurements of biologically active ACTH in dilute whole plasma.


The main objective of this thesis is to find a zero of a function using interval analysis approach. Specifically, the focus is on the well-known method called interval
parameter regula falsi method (p-RF). Three modifications had been made in order to improve the p-RF method. The new modifications namely p-RFM1, p-RFM2 and p-RFM3 methods were described widely in this thesis. This study also considers the average of central processing unit (CPU) time of the algorithms of the modified methods where they were ran
on Matlab R2007a software in associated with Intlab package. The theoretical analysis of the convergence rate of the modi¯ed methods were given. The p-RFM1 method is focusing on updating the midpoint of current interval in the inner iteration i. Another inner iteration l was introduced in p-RFM1 and the name of this modification is p-RFM2 method. The calculation of the gradient of the function in the p-RFM1 method is approximated using the secant method. The actual gradient of the current midpoint is now replacing the approximated gradient. The modification was named as the p-RFM3 method. All the modified methods mentioned above showed better rate of convergence than p-RF method. This is supported by lesser average CPU times tested on nine test problems. Therefore, it is concluded that the modified methods are better in term of rate of convergence and average CPU time than the original method.


In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, digital contact tracing has been developed and promoted in many countries as a valuable tool to help the fight against the virus, allowing health authorities to react quickly and limit contagion. Very often, however, these tracing apps have faced public resistance, making their use relatively sparse and ineffective. Our study relies on an interdisciplinary approach that brings together criminological and computational expertise to consider the key social dynamics underlying people's resistance to using the NHS contact-tracing app in England and Wales. The present study analyses a large Twitter dataset to investigate interactions between relevant user accounts and identify the main narrative frames (lack of trust and negative liberties) and mechanisms (polluted information, conspiratorial thinking and reactance) to explain resistance towards use of the NHS contact-tracing app. Our study builds on concepts of User eXperience (UX) and algorithm aversion and demonstrates the relevance of these elements to the key criminological problem of resistance to official technologies.


The articles collected within these virtual pages knit together intimate portraits of educators and communities from Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Detroit, Arizona, Indiana, and North Carolina and their struggles in fighting for the democratic and, at times, revolutionary and humanizing ideals that are still to be realized within the project of public education in the United States. Though at times disparate in how and where these struggles take place—in the street, in the classroom, in the school, in the union meeting, in the home, in the courtroom—what threads these qualitative sketches together is the collective double-movement of the teachers they document. One the one hand, teachers hold radical critiques of the way things are and the shape of the river, as it were, in the direction things are going (without any kind of romanticizing of a past that never was). On the other hand, these critiques are met with intentional, organized, and informed action. Because of and despite the kinds of neoliberal policies that have made it almost impossible to engage in liberatory pedagogy and create loving and caring communities in the classroom, teachers are figuring out ways to resist, to endure, and to transform public education.


The aim of this study was to detect some anabolic (zeranol, trenbolone, diethylstilbestrol, clenbuterol) residues in meat and meat products marketed in Istanbul. In the study, a total of 60 samples (30 fresh meat and 30 meat products) were obtained from different markets and used as test materials. The anabolic residues in the sample extracts were detected by ELISA. Initially, recovery tests were performed and then residues of one or more anabolics were analyzed in all samples. Among anabolizing residues studied, zeranol was detected in all samples (100%), trenbolone was detected in 48 samples (80%) and diethylstilbestrol was detected in 21 samples (35%) whereas no clenbuterol residues were detected in any of the samples. The results indicated that the level of zeranol and diethylstilbestrol in considerable part of samples found to be more than the acceptable limits. Therefore, meat and meat products with excessive levels of anabolics might be harmful for the consumer. In conclusion, the use of anabolic agents in animal husbandry in Turkey must be strictly controlled.


The construction sector is responsible for a large percentage of the world's total energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, the concept of green building has become one of the effective forefronts for the sustainable development. With the global trend, Sri Lanka also has put the interest on adopting the green concept. This paper examines the current status, opportunities, benefits and challenges in associated with green buildings and a comparison between GREENSL rating system for built environment which is developed by Green Building Council of Sri Lanka (GBCSL) and LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design which is developed by United States Green Building Council(USGBC). Through the concept of green building it provides significant benefits over traditional construction practices. Reducing consumption by incorporating energy and water efficient mechanisms, combining renewable energy, improving indoor air quality and upgrading the health and comfortability of occupants, reduction of waste, reduced life cycle cost (LCC) and increased life span of the building are some of the major drives. However there are some challenges for the implementation of green construction projects. 5-10% of higher initial costs, fear of unknown, technical difficulties during the construction process, lengthy approval process are some of the main barriers for the widespread of this concept. The quality of green buildings can be assessed by green certifications used in Sri Lanka. When aiming for green building certification, property developers have two crucial options namely LEED and GREENSL. There are 7 criteria under LEED and GREENSL, respectively. Sustainable site, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, indoor air quality and innovation design are the criteria common to both rating systems. Management and social and cultural awareness are the two criteria additionally used by GREENSL and regional priority is the criterion specific to LEED. By observing these criteria it is evident that both rating systems have common objectives. Comparatively GREENSL has been developed by considering our own requirements. Therefore, it is much more appropriate to Sri Lankan context. Similarly it was observed that the same rating system is used for each and every building type within the construction sector. Considering the facts it can be suggested that different rating systems with different criteria can be developed and use as the structure of the building is different to each other. Meantime it is essential for the government to implement policies to obtain green certification for every structure build in the construction sector. Keywords: GREENSL, Green Building, Indoor air quality, LEED, Water efficiency


2-Nitrosoamino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (N-NO-MeIQx) is a nitrosation product of the food carcinogen 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx) and is proposed to form in vivo under inflammatory conditions. This study evaluated the stability and reactivity of N-NO-MeIQx to assess its possible role in the initiation of colon cancer by MeIQx. 14C-N-NO-MeIQx (4 microM) was incubated for 4 h over a range of pH values, and its stability was monitored by HPLC. At pH values from pH 7.4 to 9.0, N-NO-MeIQx was very stable with no detectable change observed. Glutathione (1 mM) did not alter stability at pH 7.4. As the pH decreased, this nitrosamine was less stable with only 48 +/- 1% remaining at pH 5.5 and none remaining at pH 3.5 or 2.0. Major products identified by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry were 3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline and 2-hydroxy-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline. MeIQx was a minor product. At pH 2.0, the t(1/2) for N-NO-MeIQx was reduced from 2.1 +/- 0.2 to 1.2 +/- 0.1 min with 10 mM NaN3. This effect of azide was due to the formation of 2-azido-MeIQx. The binding of 14C-N-NO-MeIQx to DNA increased with decreasing pH. The 10-fold increase in binding observed at pH 2.0 as compared to pH 5.5 was completely inhibited by 10 mM NaN3 due to 2-azido-MeIQx formation. The reactivity of N-NO-MeIQx was compared to N-OH-MeIQx by evaluating adduct formation with 2'-deoxyguanosine 3'-monophosphate (dGp) by 32P-postlabeling. N-OH-MeIQx formed a single major adduct, N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-MeIQx (dG-C8-MeIQx). Incubation of N-NO-MeIQx under inflammatory conditions (pH 5.5 +/- HOCl) produced dG-C8-MeIQx along with 4-6 other adducts. dG-C8-MeIQx formation increased in the presence of HOCl. Liver from a MeIQx-treated mouse contained dG-C8-MeIQx and two other adducts detected with N-NO-MeIQx but not N-OH-MeIQx. These results suggest that N-NO-MeIQx could be genotoxic, is activated by conditions that mediate inflammatory responses, and is a possible cancer risk factor for individuals with inflammation of the colon.


Synthesis of fluorescent carbohydrates and glycopep- tides has been emerging as an attractive research field because of various biological roles of carbohydrates and glycoproteins. Fluo- rescent glycosides and C-glycosides were synthesized by copper(I)- catalyzed Huisgen reaction between 6-O-(2-azidoacetyl) glycopy- ranosides and alkyne-functionalized fluorophores. For the fluores- cent disaccharides as well as glycosyl amino acids derivatives, glycosylation of azido-functionalized thioglycosides, followed by click reaction with corresponding fluorophores is preferred than the inversed procedure (click reaction before the glycosylation). Fluo- rophores like dansyl, NBD, or rhodamine have been successfully in- troduced on the sugar ring. All the newly synthesized fluorescent glycosides and glycoconjugates showed similar photophysical properties to the native fluorophores, with a higher quantum yield for the dansyl derivatives.


With a growing population, rising housing costs and housing providers struggling to meet demand for affordable accommodation, more and more people in the UK find themselves sharing their living spaces with people from outside of their families at some point in their lives. Focusing on sharers in a wide variety of contexts and at all stages of the life course, Shared Housing, Shared Lives demonstrates how personal relationships are the key to whether shared living arrangements falter or flourish. Indeed, this book demonstrates how issues such as finances, domestic space and daily routines are all factors which can impact upon personal relationships and wider understandings of the home and privacy. By directing attention towards people and relationships rather than bricks and mortar, Shared Housing, Shared Lives is essential reading for students and researchers in fields such as sociology, housing studies, social policy, cultural anthropology and demography, as well as for researchers and practitioners working in these areas... Download ebook, read file pdf Everyday Experiences Across the Lifecourse


ABSTRACT Fine-scale population distribution data at the building level play an essential role in numerous fields, for example urban planning and disaster prevention. The rapid technological development of remote sensing (RS) and geographical information system (GIS) in recent decades has benefited numerous population distribution mapping studies. However, most of these studies focused on global population and environmental changes; few considered fine-scale population mapping at the local scale, largely because of a lack of reliable data and models. As geospatial big data booms, Internet-collected volunteered geographic information (VGI) can now be used to solve this problem. This article establishes a novel framework to map urban population distributions at the building scale by integrating multisource geospatial big data, which is essential for the fine-scale mapping of population distributions. First, Baidu points-of-interest (POIs) and real-time Tencent user densities (RTUD) are analyzed by using a random forest algorithm to down-scale the street-level population distribution to the grid level. Then, we design an effective iterative building-population gravity model to map population distributions at the building level. Meanwhile, we introduce a densely inhabited index (DII), generated by the proposed gravity model, which can be used to estimate the degree of residential crowding. According to a comparison with official community-level census data and the results of previous population mapping methods, our method exhibits the best accuracy (Pearson R = .8615, RMSE = 663.3250, p < .0001). The produced fine-scale population map can offer a more thorough understanding of inner city population distributions, which can thus help policy makers optimize the allocation of resources.


Traditional access control solutions, based on preliminary identification and authentication of the access requester, are not adequate for the context of open web service systems, where servers generally do not have prior knowledge of the requesters. The research community has acknowledged such a paradigm shift and several investigations have been carried out for new approaches to regulate access control in open dynamic settings. Typically based on logic, such approaches, while appealing for their expressiveness, result not applicable in practice, where simplicity, efficiency, and consistency with consolidated technology are crucial. The eXtensible Access Control Markup Language (XACML) has established itself as the emerging technological solution for controlling access in an interoperable and flexible way. Although supporting the most common policy representation mechanisms and having acquired a significant spread in the research community and the industry, XACML still suffers from some limitations which impact its ability to support actual requirements of open web-based systems. In this paper, we provide a simple and effective formalization of novel concepts that have to be supported for enforcing the new access control paradigm needed in open scenarios, toward the aim of providing an expressive solution actually deployable with today's technology. We illustrate how the concepts of our model can be deployed in the XACML standard by exploiting its extension points for the definition of new functions, and introducing a dialog management framework to enable access control interactions between web service clients and servers.