Grassmann's Law ‒ the phonetic change by virtue of which in an original diaspirate root a (regressive) dissimilation process takes place ‒ is generally regarded as working in reduplicated verbal forms, see e.g. τίθημι < */thitheːmi/, πέφeυγα < */phepheuga/ and so on. In this paper, I would argue in favour of the morphological nature of the process that generates non aspirated segments in the reduplicant. Indeed, the reduplicant is typologically characterized by the presence of unmarked features: among these, the non-aspirated stops can be included, if compared with the respective aspirated ones. KEYWORDS: Dissimilation, Grassmann's Law, phonetic laws, markedness, reduplication


This study introduces a haptic rendering algorithm for simulating surgical bone machining operations. The proposed algorithm is a new variant of the voxmap point-shell method, where the bone and surgical tool geometries are represented by voxels and points, respectively. The algorithm encompasses computationally efficient methods in a data-parallel framework to rapidly query intersecting voxel-point pairs, remove intersected bone voxels to replicate bone removal and compute elemental cutting forces. A new force model is adopted from the composite machining literature to calculate the elemental forces with higher accuracy. The integration of the algorithm with graphic rendering for visuo-haptic simulations is also outlined. The algorithm is benchmarked against state-of-the-art methods and is validated against prior experimental data collected during bone drilling and glenoid reaming trials. The results indicate improvements in computational efficiency and the force/torque prediction accuracy compared to the existing methods, which can be ultimately translated into higher realism in simulating orthopedic procedures.


Mutants of Escherichia coli K12 which accumulated the haem precursor porphobilinogen are described. The mutants grew very slowly on carbon and energy sources which K12 uses only oxidatively, and they had low catalase activities, suggesting that they were deficient in haem. Extracts had one-tenth of the parental activity of the enzyme porphobilinogen deaminase. In transduction, the mutation mapped close to genes ilvD and metE at minute 84. The gene was tentatively identified as hemC, coding for porphobilinogen deaminase. The gene symbol hemC replaces the earlier and temporary symbol popE.


Management of pediatric skull base tumors requires a multi-disciplinary team that integrates advances in neuro-imaging, radiation, medical and surgical treatments, and allied therapies. Tumors of the skull base harbor complex genetic and molecular signatures that have major implications on prognosis and quality of life. Individualized management requires a strong inter-disciplinary alliance amongst practitioners, as well as a strong therapeutic alliance with the patient and family to navigate the complex decision-making process of treatments. In this chapter, we present our experience managing surgical lesions of the pediatric skull base. General considerations to tumor pathology genetics and radiobiology, diagnostic imaging, rehabilitation of cranial neuropathies and cognitive function, surgical anatomy and reconstructive options, and quality of life should be applied to each case. We also present location- and tumor-specific considerations in the anterior, middle, and posterior fossa skull base with a focus on surgical approaches and complication avoidance. Special consideration is given to syndromic tumors, particularly those from neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF-2). Tumors can exist in multiple cranial compartments and as such some redundancy in concepts is unavoidable. Nevertheless, each patient presents with a unique clinical picture and tumor behavior. Knowledge and proficiency in skull base approaches is a necessary tool in every pediatric neurosurgeon's armamentarium.


The first issue of the Bulletin international des Societes de secours aux militaires blesses (October 1969) contains an appeal by the International Committee for ratification of the Articles of 1868 additional to the 1864 Geneva Convention. It is addressed to the Central Committees of the Relief Societies, with the request that they approach their respective governments on the matter. By the same token, the Committee proposed as recommended reading the work by Gustave Moynier, Etude sur la Convention de Geneve , which was described as a guide for use by army officers and doctors to give them a better understanding of the provisions of the 1864 Convention, "to refute the objections of its detractors and, by demonstrating that this instrument represents a victory for civilization, to turn them into zealous supporters". In the second issue of the Bulletin (January 1870), the Committee asked the Central Committees to what extent States had promulgated penal or other legislation and military ordinances or regulations relating to the stipulations of the Geneva Convention or action by relief societies.


In this paper, the characterisation of damage in an epoxy adhesive has been investigated. Bulk adhesive samples were used in this study for two reasons; firstly the stress distribution in the bulk adhesive sample is simpler than that in a joint, secondly, the specimen's dimensions meet fatigue test specimen standards. Low cycle fatigue (LCF) tests with a load ratio of 0.1 and a frequency of 5 Hz were performed on bulk adhesive dumbbell specimens. Damage curves, relating damage in the specimen to number of cycles to failure, were plotted using an isotropic damage equation in which damage is a function of stress, which decreases as damage progresses. The damage curves were then fitted using a LCF damage evolution law. This equation was derived from a dissipation potential function using Continuum Damage Mechanics (CDM) theory. Curve fitting was performed using a Robust Least Square technique rather than ordinary linear least square because the damage curve has extreme points (usually at the breaking point). Two damage parameters α and β were found from the curve fitting process. This process resulted in different values of α and β for different stress levels. The logarithmic α and β points were then plotted respect against stress level and linear regression was used to determine α and β as a function of stress. With this function, damage parameters for other stress level can be predicted.


Cisplatin is widely employed in combating renal cancers. However, a major challenge is the resistance of cisplatin by renal cancer cells. Increased miR-222 expression is known to promote this resistance and so ways of downregulating the expression of miR-222 is widely sought after as a means of combating the resistance. The study was performed to explore the effects of miR-222 on cisplatin resistance of renal cancer cell strains and related mechanisms. The expression of miR-222 and Dickkopf-3 (DKK3) was regulated to explore the effects of miR-222 and DKK3 on cisplatin chemotherapy in renal cancer cisplatin-resistant cell strains, and to figure out the regulatory relationship between miR-222 and DKK3. In renal cancer tissues and cell lines, miR-222 was highly expressed and DKK3 was lowly expressed. Renal cancer cisplatin-resistant cells had markedly higher miR-222 expression and lower DKK3 expression than normal renal cancer cells, suggesting a potential involvement of miR-222 and DKK3 in the cisplatin resistance in renal cancer cells. Down-regulated miR-222 expression led to stronger inhibition of the renal cancer cell growth by cisplatin and markedly higher DKK3 expression. Dual-luciferase reporter assay results showed that miR-222 had a targeted inhibition on DKK3. Co-transfection of miR-222 mimic and shDKK3, together with the up-regulation of miR-222 and DKK3 expressions, resulted in a higher sensitivity of renal cancer cells to cisplatin chemotherapy than the up-regulation of miR-222 expression alone. Down-regulated miR-222 expression can remove the inhibition of DKK3 expression and increase the sensitivity of renal cancer cells to cisplatin chemotherapy.


This article uses a Bayesian hierarchical model to quantify the adverse health effects associated with in-utero exposure to methylmercury. By allowing for study-to-studyas well as outcome-to-outcome variability, the approach provides a useful meta-analytic tool for multi-outcome, multi-study environmental risk assessments. The analysis presented here expands on the findings of a National Academy of Sciences (NAS) committee, charged with advising the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on an appropriate approach to conducting a risk assessment for methylmercury. The NAS committee, for which the senior author (Ryan) was a committee member, reviewed the findings from several conflicting studies and reported the results from a Bayesian hierarchical model that synthesized information across several studies and for several outcomes. Although the NAS committee did not suggest that the hierarchical model be used as the actual basis for a methylmercury risk assessment, the results from the model were used to justify and support the final recommendation that the risk analysis be based on data from a study conducted in the Faroe Islands, which had found a positive association between in-utero exposure to methylmercury and impaired neurological development. We considera variety of statistical issues, but particularly sensitivity to model specification.


Degradation of watershed areas in Kenya's basins is on the increase and is currently a major concern for the government. The main causes of watershed degradation stem from the abuse and poor management of forests and soils, overgrazing, extension of settlements into watershed areas, and unsuitable felling of trees for fuel wood. Recent legislative reforms in the water and environmental sector have been introduced to stem these environmental negative trends. However, extensive quantitative hydrologic analysis is necessary for the assessment of the water balance of various basins to form a basis for policy actions. In this regard, modelling the hydrologic cycle at a local scale still remains the most important scientific method of research for the water balance assessment of basins. The study area chosen in this study is the Nzoia basin in Kenya. This basin is a typical example of a flood disaster prone basin experiencing increased flood related disasters due to the increased watershed degradation in the recent past. The Nzoia basin is situated between latitudes 1 30'N and 0 05'S and between longitudes 34E and 35 45'E and is the largest basin in Kenya's Lake Victoria basin with an approximate area of 12,709km and a length of 334km to its outfall into the lake. The Nzoia system has its sources in the forested highlands (Mt. Elgon, Cherangani Hills, Nandi Hills and Kakamega forest). The objective of this study is to simulate streamflow changes as a result of the land use/cover status as at 1973, 1986 and 2000. Land use/cover data were based on Landsat images for these years. The runoff response as a result of the observed land use/cover change was tested by keeping constant all input datasets in a SWAT model and varying the land use. The results from the model showed that with the expansion of the area under agriculture, the stream flow increases during the rainy seasons and reduces during the dry seasons, whereas when the area under forest cover is increased the peak stream flow reduces, but when the forest cover is reduced to almost zero there is an increased peak and mean stream flow in the basin. It is therefore worth noting that a decrease in surface runoff would be desirable, as this would also decrease the devastating effects of floods; the rapid expansion of urban centres in the lower parts of the catchment (Mumias, Bungoma, Rwambwa) can be said to be a major contributing factor to the annual devastating floods. The results also indicated an increasing trend in rainfall amounts in parts of the basin between the periods 1970 1998. A study of three rainfall stations (1BD02, 1DA02 and 1DD02A) has shown a significant increase in rainfall while one station, in the lower part of the catchment (EE01), has shown a significant decrease. The area under forest cover decreased between 1970's and 1986 by 6.4% in the northwest and south of the catchment. But between the 1980's and the 2000's there was an increase in area under forest cover by 41.3%. Agricultural land use showed an increase in areal coverage between 1970's and 1986 by 6.7%, but in the year 2000's the agricultural activities declined by 4.6%. The area under bushland/shrubland/riverine agriculture increased between the 1970's, 1986 and the 2000's by about 123.4% and 11.10% respectively. This could be as a result of an expansion in riverine agriculture.


Persistent monitoring of targets in civil and military applications require a team of Unmanned Vehicles to visit the targets repeatedly over time. The vehicles visit the targets and transmit the collected information to the base station for further processing. The frequency of monitoring any given target is intuitively specified by its target revisit time, i.e., the maximum time elapsed between any two successive visits to the target. The persistent monitoring problem considered in this article is as follows: Given m vehicles and k allowed visits to n targets, find an optimal route for each vehicle such that each target is visited at least once, each target is visited at most by one vehicle and the maximum revisit time over all the targets is minimized. This problem is a generalization of the minmax, multiple Traveling Salesman Problem and is NP-Hard. Bounds on the optimal revisit times are provided for the case when the number of visits is large. Optimal revisit times are also developed for the single vehicle problem with tighter bounds. These results are practically useful in reducing the computational burden as one only needs to solve two problems for any large number of visits to find a good feasible solution.


In cereal seeds, mutations in one or more starch synthases lead to decreased amylopectin and increased amylose content. Here, the impact of starch synthase IIa ( SSIIa or SGP-1) mutations upon durum starch was investigated. A screen of durum accessions identi fi ed two lines lacking SGP-A1, the A genome copy of SGP-1. The two lines were determined to carry a 29 bp deletion in the fi rst exon of SSIIa . The SGP-A1 nulls were crossed with the durum variety ' Mountrail ' and F 5 derived SGP-A1 null progeny lines were treated with EMS. From each EMS population, one SGP-B1 null mutation was recovered with each being a missense mutation. Each of the SGP-1 nulls was found to have large increases in amylose content and reduced binding of SGP-2 and SGP-3 to the interior of starch granules. RNA-Seq was used to examine the impact the loss of SGP-1 has upon other starch biosynthetic genes. Signi fi cant increases in transcript levels of several starch biosynthetic genes were observed in SGP-1 nulls relative to Mountrail. The resultant high amylose durums may prove useful in the creation of value added pasta with increased fi rmness and reduced glycemic


Purpose: With the rapid demographic shift towards urbanization worldwide, increasing numbers of children are exposed to ozone and particulate pollutants as a result of closer proximity to transportation corridors. To quantify the effect that ozone has on mammals, a rat‐lung cast model was developed and micro‐CT techniques were used to image the lung casts at high spatial resolution.Method and Materials: A normal rat lung was characterized. At sacrifice, the trachea was cannulated, and a RTV silicone compound was injected by syringe into the airways and allowed to harden. The rat tissues were decomposed using acid bath, so that a cast of the respiratory tree of each rat remained. A custom designed micro‐CT scanner was used to evaluate the lung casts. The system used a 70 micrometer focal spot tungsten anode, a rotating stage, and a 2048 × 1024 CMOS based indirect ( Gd 2 O 2 S ) detector.Results: CT scans were acquired using the full resolution of the detector, and using between 300 and 1000 projection images. A cone beam reconstruction developed in house was used to generate high resolution volume data sets (eg. 1024 × 1024 × 512) of the lung casts. Conclusion: The micro‐CT scanner was able to accurately characterize the pulmonary structure of the rat from the lungs casts, and this approach was necessary to characterize the complex three dimensional pulmonary structures. This application of small animal imaging technology has enabled computer modeling and quantitative analysis of the biological issues surrounding ozone exposure using the rat model.


This thesis investigates the prevention of error propagation in magnetically recorded compressed data when severe environmental conditions result in uncorrected channel errors. The tape format DDS is examined and a computer simulation of its error correction procedures is described. This software implementation uses explicit parity byte equations and these are presented for all three Reed-Solomon codes. The simulation allows the calculation of the uncorrected error patterns when the recording is compromised and uncorrected byte errors are determined for given initial random and burst errors. Some of the more familiar data compression algorithms are visited before the little known adaptive Rice algorithm is described in detail. An analytic example is developed which demonstrates the coding mechanism. A synchronized piecewise compression strategy is adopted in which the synchronizing sequences are placed periodically into the compressed data stream. The synchronizing sequences are independent of the compression algorithm and may occur naturally in the compressed data stream. A cyclic count is added to the compressed data stream to number the groups of data between synchronizing sequences and prevent slippage in the data. The Rice algorithm is employed in the strategy to compress correlated physical data. A novel compressor is developed to compress mixed correlated physical data and text within the synchronization strategy. This compressor uses the Rice algorithm to compress the correlated data and a sliding window algorithm to compress the text and switches between the two algorithms as the data type varies. The sliding window compressor T.ZR is adopted when the same principles are applied to the robust compression of English text alone. TJ7R is modified to improve compression of relatively small pieces of English text. The synchronization strategy incorporating these algorithms has been simulated computationally. This simulation is linked to that of DDS in each test performed when the errors are both random and bursty. The decompressed data is compared to the original. The strategy is demonstrated to be effective in preventing error propagation beyond the data immediately affected by errors without significant damage to the compression ratio.


Random number generators are basic building blocks of modern cryptographic systems. Usually pseudo random number generators, carefully constructed deter- ministic algorithms that generate seemingly random numbers, are used. These are built upon foundations of thorough mathematical analysis and have been subjected to stringent testing to make sure that they can produce pseudo random sequences at a high bit-rate with good statistical properties.A pseudo random number generator must be initiated with a starting value. Since they are deterministic, the same starting value used twice on the same pseudo random number generator will produce the same seemingly random sequence. Therefore it is of utmost importance that the starting value contains enough en- tropy so that the output cannot be predicted or reproduced in an attack. To gen- erate a high entropy starting value, a true random number generator that uses sampling of some physical non-deterministic phenomenon to generate entropy, can be used. These are generally slower than their pseudo random counterparts but in turn need not generate the same amount of random values.In field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), generating random numbers is not trivial since they are built upon digital logic. A popular technique to generate entropy within a FPGA is to sample jittery clock signals. A quite recent technique proposed to create a robust clock signals, that contains such jitter, is to use self- timed ring oscillators. These are structures in which several events can propagate freely at an evenly spaced phase distribution.In this thesis self-timed rings of six different lengths is implemented on a spe- cific FPGA hardware. The different implementations are tested with the TestU01 test suite. The results show that two of the implementations have a good oscilla- tory behaviour that is well suited for use as random number generators. Others exhibit unexpected behaviours that are not suited to be used in a random num- ber generator. Two of the implemented random generators passed all tests in the TestU01 batteries Alphabit and BlockAlphabit. One of the generators was deemed not fit for use in a random number generator after failing all of the tests. The last three were not subjected to any tests since they did not behave as ex- pected.


We utilize wavelet coherency methodology with simulated confidence bounds to examine the short-term and long-term dependencies of the returns for S&P 500 and the S&P GSCI® commodity index. Our results indicate no evidence of co-movement between S&P 500 total return and the S&P GSCI® commodity index total return in the short term, thereby suggesting diversification gains for equity investors. Importantly, this finding encompasses the onset of the current financial crisis. However, long-term diversification benefits, particularly after the onset of the recent financial crisis, are limited. We find, moreover, no consistent evidence of co-movements between S&P 500 and 10 individual sub-indexes of the S&P GSCI® commodity index. Of particular importance, we report weak co-movement of returns between S&P 500 and S&P GSCI® Precious Metals total return and S&P 500 and S&P GSCI® Softs at all frequencies, implying significant diversification gains both for short-term and long-term investors.


Gomisin A (Gom A), a lignan isolated from Schisandra chinensis, has been reported produce numerous biological activities. However, its action on the ionic mechanisms remains largely unanswered. The present experiments were undertaken to investigate the possible perturbations of Gom A or other related compounds on different types of membrane ionic currents in electrically excitable cells (i.e., pituitary GH3 and pancreatic INS-1 cells). The exposure to Gom A led to the differential inhibition of peak and end-pulse components of voltage-gated Na+ current (INa) in GH3 cells with effective IC50 of 6.2 and 0.73 μM, respectively. The steady-state inactivation curve of INa in the presence of Gom A was shifted towards a more hyperpolarized potential. However, neither changes in the overall current-voltage relationship nor those for the gating charge of the current were demonstrated. The application of neither morin (10 μM) nor hesperidin (10 μM) perturbed the strength of INa, while sesamine could suppress it. However, in the continued presence of Gom A, the addition of sesamine failed to suppress INa further. Gom A also effectively suppressed the strength of persistent INa activated by long ramp voltage command, and further application of tefluthrin effectively attenuated Gom A-mediated inhibition of the current. The presence of Gom A mildly inhibited erg-mediated K+ current, while a lack of change in the amplitude of hyperpolarization-activated cation current was observed in its presence. Under cell-attached current recordings, the exposure to Gom A resulted in the decreased firing of spontaneous action currents with a minimal change in AC amplitude. In pancreatic INS-1 cells, the presence of Gom A was also noticed to inhibit peak and end-pulse components of INa differentially with the IC50 of 5.9 and 0.84 μM, respectively. Taken together, the emerging results presented herein provide the evidence that Gom A can differentially inhibit peak and sustained INa in endocrine cells (e.g., GH3 and INS-1 cells).


Background Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders in individuals with Huntington's disease (HD) and negatively impacts quality of life, functional ability and cognitive performance. However, reported prevalence rates vary greatly and little is known about the presentation of depression in HD. Aims To determine the lifetime prevalence of DSM-IV depressive disorders in a sample of unrelated individuals with HD, and to compare the depression phenotype in this HD sample and individuals with unipolar depression without HD. Methods Fifty unrelated individuals gene positive for HD were assessed for lifetime psychopathology using the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN) and best-estimate lifetime DSM-IV diagnosis and key illness course features were determined. 784 individuals with DSM-IV major recurrent depressive disorder (MDDR) and no HD, who were assessed using the same methods in an ongoing genetic epidemiology study, formed the comparison group. Results Twenty-eight individuals (56%) in the HD sample had a lifetime diagnosis of a DSM-IV depressive disorder and 12 individuals (24%) had a lifetime diagnosis of MDDR. Compared to the non-HD sample, individuals with HD and MDDR were significantly more likely to have a later median age at onset of depression (p = 0.001) and a higher level of functioning during their worst episode of depression (p = 0.006) and were significantly less likely to experience diurnal variation (p = 0.008), middle insomnia (p = 0.036) and increased appetite (p = 0.043) during their worst episode of depression. Conclusions The prevalence of lifetime DSM-IV depressive disorders in HD is up to four times higher than in the general population and the depression phenotype may be less severe with a higher age of onset.


The role of the community pharmacist involved in primary care has been undergoing change. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, developments in computerized medication surveillance within the Netherlands enabled pharmacists to react to prescriptions and detect inappropriate pharmacotherapy in community pharmacy sites. This activity became more clinically or patient-oriented in the late 1980s. In the early 1990s, pharmaceutical care was introduced in community pharmacy practice, and emphasis was given to providing patient-centered care and documenting cognitive services. The key features of pharmaceutical care provided in the primary care setting are described based on a review of the literature and on experiences in the Netherlands. Patient outcomes have yet to be shown to be improved by community pharmacy practice; methods for measuring performance are still lacking. Methods to evaluate the extent of integration of community pharmacy services into the clinical team are also lacking but are needed in order to define the future role of community pharmacists in the primary care setting. Integrated care needs to be developed in the Netherlands in order to present the next phase in the process of the "pharmaceutical evolution."


We introduce the eigentask framework for lifelong learning. An eigentask is a pairing of a skill that solves a set of related tasks, paired with a generative model that can sample from the skill's input space. The framework extends generative replay approaches, which have mainly been used to avoid catastrophic forgetting, to also address other lifelong learning goals such as forward knowledge transfer. We propose a wake-sleep cycle of alternating task learning and knowledge consolidation for learning in our framework, and instantiate it for lifelong supervised learning and lifelong RL. We achieve improved performance over the state-of-the-art in supervised continual learning, and show evidence of forward knowledge transfer in a lifelong RL application in the game Starcraft2.


ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of pet ownership in adolescents in Sweden and establish whether any gender, age or health-related differences exist between those who own pets and those who do not. In addition, the study aimed to explore the relationships between species of pet, age, gender, and other socio-demographic variables and the perceived importance of pets. Three age groups (13–14 years-old, 15–16 years-old, and 17–18 years-old) of adolescents, resident in a single county in Sweden, were surveyed using the questionnaire "Liv och Hälsa Ung" ("Youth Life and Health"). A total of 8,709 respondents were included in the analysis (pet owners = 5,793; non-pet owners = 2,916). Associations between importance of the pet and demographic variables and general self-rated health were investigated using logistic regression analysis. The prevalence of pet owners in the sample was 65%, and the most common types of pets were, in descending order of popularity, cats, dogs, rodents, fish/reptiles, and horses. Most of the pet owners said their pets were very or quite important to them, for the three age groups (73.1–88.6%). In general, pets were more important for the female respondents. Importance was dependent on type of pet, with male and female dog owners and female horse owners rating their pets as more important than the owners of other species of pet. Respondents who did not own a pet were more physically active than their pet- owning peers. Pet owners with the best self-rated health also attributed the greatest importance to their pet. However, adolescents with pets reported more psychological problems and somatic health aspects than those who did not own pets. This finding calls for further studies to be conducted, with designs allowing causal conclusions to be drawn.


In four experiments I examined the importance of the retinal center and periphery in the pickup of optical information for controlling stance as a function of the dynamic geometrical structure of the optical flow. All experiments were performed in a moving room so that the magnitude of compensatory sway in response to room movements could be measured. In Experiments 1 and 2 I found stronger sway response to flow having a largely lamellar structure that was presented to the retinal periphery than to more radially structured flow in the center. In Experiment 3 observers turned their heads to face the right wall of the room, placing radial flow in the periphery and lamellar flow in the center of the visual field. Radial flow presented to the retinal periphery induced no compensatory sway. Lamellar flow in the center of the retina produced some sway. Flow structure apparently interacts with the exposed retinal area in controlling stance.


Tree-based methods have become one of the most flexible, intuitive, and powerful data analytic tools for exploring complex data structures. Tree-based methods provide a natural framework for creating patient subgroups for risk classification. In this article, we review methodological and practical aspects of tree-based methods, with a focus on diagnostic classification (binary outcome) and prognostication (censored survival outcome). Creating an ensemble of trees improves prediction accuracy and addresses instability in a single tree. Ensemble methods are described that rely on resampling from the original data. Finally, we present methods to identify a representative tree from the ensemble that can be used for clinical decision-making. The methods are illustrated using data on ischemic heart disease classification, and data from the SPRINT trial (Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial) on adverse events in patients with high blood pressure.


"Traditionally" Buriat shamanism is clan-based. Ritual practice embedded kinship relations within a sacred geography, linking the living and the dead through a relationship to the landscape, reaffirmed at yearly tailgan ceremonies. In Buriatiia, Soviet modernization transformed the Buriat relationship to the land, and with it, the conditions of shamanic practice. As a result, many urban Buriats either do not know their clan affiliation, or no longer hold clan ceremonies. In response, two urban shaman's organizations have begun to hold tailgans on behalf of the residents of the city. The new ritual form relieves anxiety at the loss of tradition and underscores that loss. However, by redefining the ritual community around the city instead of the clan, the ritual community becomes


Abstract The equation of radiative transfer is applied to the analysis of solar irradiances penetrating into a plant canopy covered by a turbid atmosphere. The method of discrete coordinates is applied to vertically inhomogeneous atmospheres and plant canopies. It is shown that four-point quadrature yields results with an accuracy which is consistent with irradiance measurements.


The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has resulted in unprecedented challenges to veterinary diagnostic laboratories. These challenges include partial or complete shutdowns, interrupted courier services, disruptions in workflow and diagnostic testing, new physical distancing practices, protocol development or enhancement for handling samples from high-risk or susceptible species, and fulfilling requirements for pre-test permission approval from state and federal veterinary agencies, all of which have been implemented to prevent or minimize exposure and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 locally or regionally. As in people, SARS-CoV-2 infects animals through direct animal-to-animal contact and aerosol transmission between animals. Humans can also infect pets or other animals in their care and, although human-to-human transmission is the main route of viral spread in people, infected animals and specimens of their bodily fluids or tissues are a potential source of infection for veterinarians and technical or laboratory personnel that are handling them. In this perspective, we discuss how SARS-CoV-2 has necessitated rapid changes in laboratory operation to minimize zoonotic risk to personnel and to implement tests for identifying the virus in animals. The pandemic has highlighted the adaptability and quick response of veterinary diagnosticians to an emerging infectious disease and their critical role in maintaining animal health, while synergizing with and protecting human public health.


With an expected torrent of data from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), the need for automated identification of noisy and sparse light curves will increase drastically. In this paper, we performed classification of multiband astronomical light curves from the Photometric LSST Astronomical Time-series Classification Challenge (PLAsTiCC) data set via boosted neural nets, boosted decision trees, and a voted classifier for 14 astronomical categories. In order to deal with noisy features, we used wavelet decomposition together with feature selection. We also performed a feature ranking method using a neural network. Our method may be considered an alternative to random forests, which is known to favor features with more categories as relevant. We also investigated the class importance with neural nets using a one-versus-all approach which reduces the multiclass problem to a binary class problem.


Following the emergence of the behavioral movement in economics and finance, there have been mounting calls for strategy scholars to expand and deepen what is called as the field of behavioral strategy, in which cognitive and social psychology will be merged with strategic management theory and practice (Powell, Lovallo, & Fox, 2011). The goal is to bring realistic assumptions about human cognition, emotion, and social behavior to the strategic management of organizations and thus to enrich strategy theory, empirical research, and real world practice. Thanks to advancing research in social psychology and neuroscience, there has been a resurgence of scholarly interest in connecting micro psychological phenomena to strategic outcomes (e.g., Hodgkinson & Healey, 2011; Huy, 2011; Powell et al., 2011). Levinthal (2011) noted that many strategic management challenges involve ill-specified alternatives and coarse-grained representations of strategic issues with a high level of uncertainty and ambiguity. Dealing adequately with these issues escapes neat optimizing algorithms, which has been the focus of the literature on judgment and decision making. One type of psychological phenomenon, human emotion, has barely been integrated to strategy research, although mushrooming research on emotion has shown that emotion can have a potent influence on cognition and behavior, especially under conditions of uncertainty and ambiguity (see Elfenbein, 2007).


As the degree of globalization increases, developing country's race with countries practicing knowledge society norms requires creative techniques. Countries with limited technological capabilities tend to confront with middle-income trap that makes them create strategies profiting from technological innovation. The well-known method is to perform a technology foresight study and establish the technologies that the country must develop to improve its wellbeing. This paper proposes a differed approach in which a high technology product is serving as the prime motivation behind the nations planning of technology progress. The outcome of the methodology is the selection, prioritization and planning of necessary technologies of the product using all technological capabilities of the nation. Results of the exercise are instrumental in establishing the technology base of the country and enhance its promise of improving technological capability to a higher level. The paper explains the developed methodology and discusses its outputs.


The properties of glass fiber-reinforced polymer composites are closely related to the fiber-matrix interface. Interfacial treatments to improve mechanical properties are usually limited to enhance interfacial adhesion. In this work, Layer-by-Layer (LbL) technique was introduced to build a novel interface in polymer composites. Different numbers of bilayers of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) and poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) with carbon nanotubes were deposited through LbL on the surface of woven glass fibers (GFs). Polypropylene composites containing the modified GFs were prepared by compression molding. Thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy proved that multilayers of polymers with carbon nanotubes could be deposited on GFs surface. Mechanical tests on composites with modified GFs revealed an increase in Flexural Modulus and toughness. The overall results attested that the LbL technique can be used to design interfaces with different compositions to perform diverse tasks, such as to improve the stiffness of composites and to encapsulate active nanocomponents.


In this dissertation, we consider timeliness and energy optimization in battery-powered, mobile embedded real-time systems. We focus on real-time systems that operate in environments with dynamically uncertain properties, including context-dependent activity execution times and arbitrary activity arrival patterns. We consider an application model where activities are subject to time/utility function (or TUF) time constraints, mutual exclusion constraints on concurrent sharing of non-CPU resources, timeliness requirements including assurances on individual activity timeliness behavior, and system-level energy consumption requirements including a non-exhaustable energy budget.
To account for uncertainties in activity properties in dynamic systems, we stochastically describe activity execution demands, and describe activity arrival behaviors using the uni-modal arbitrary arrival model, which allows unbounded arrival frequencies. We consider the scheduling optimality criteria of: (1) probabilistically satisfying lower bounds on individual activities' maximal timeliness utilities, and (2) maximizing system-level energy efficiency, while ensuring that the system's energy consumption never exhausts the energy budget and resource mutual exclusion constraints are satisfied.
For this multi-criteria scheduling problem, we present a DVS (dynamic voltage scaling)-based, real-time scheduling algorithm called the Energy-Bounded Utility Accrual Algorithm (or EBUA). Since the scheduling problem is NP -hard, EBUA heuristically (and dynamically) allocates CPU cycles to activities, computes activity schedules, and scales CPU voltage and frequency with a polynomial-time cost. If activities' cumulative execution demands exceed the available CPU time or may exhaust the system's energy budget, the algorithm defers and rejects jobs in a controlled fashion, minimizing system-level energy consumption and maximizing total accrued utility.
We analytically establish several properties of EBUA. We prove that the algorithm never exhausts the specified energy budget. Further, we establish EBUA's timeliness optimality during under-loads, freedom from deadlocks, and correctness in mutually exclusive resource sharing. In particular, we prove that the algorithm's timeliness behavior subsumes the optimal timeliness behavior of deadline scheduling as a special case, and identify the conditions under which lower bounds on individual activity utilities are satisfied. In addition, we upper bound the time needed for mutually exclusively accessing shared resources under EBUA.
We conduct experimental studies by simulating the algorithm on the DVS-enabled AMD k6 processor model, and by implementing it on QNX Neutrino 6.2.1 RTOS. Our experimental results validate our analytical results. Further, they confirm EBUA's superiority over other energy-efficient real-time scheduling algorithms on timeliness and energy consumption behaviors.


Peritonitis is a major cause of technique failure in peritoneal dialysis (PD) and accurate diagnosis ensures successful management and avoids unnecessary antibiotic exposure. United Kingdom (UK) registry data on peritonitis rates are not routinely reported. We conducted an electronic survey amongst senior PD nurses and microbiologists to obtain information about PD effluent sampling and processing practices in the UK. The survey was completed by 53 of 79 centres (67% response rate). The median annual culture-negative rate was 15% (range 5 – 38%). The main findings were wide variation in reported sampling volumes and processing methods that may in part explain the variation in culture-negative rates. Adherence to guidelines might reduce culture-negative rates informed by reporting data into national registries.


The synthesis of nanoparticles has become a matter of great interest in recent times due to their various advantageous properties and applications in a variety of fields. The exploitation of different plant materials for the biosynthesis of nanoparticles is considered a green technology because it does not involve any harmful chemicals. In this study, iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4-NPs) were synthesized using a rapid, single step and completely green biosynthetic method by reduction of ferric chloride solution with brown seaweed (BS, Sargassum muticum) water extract containing sulphated polysaccharides as a main factor which acts as reducing agent and efficient stabilizer. The structural and properties of the Fe3O4-NPs were investigated by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (EDXRF), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) and transmission electron microscopy. The average particle diameter as determined by TEM was found to be 18 ± 4 nm. X-ray diffraction showed that the nanoparticles are crystalline in nature, with a cubic shape. The nanoparticles synthesized through this biosynthesis method can potentially useful in various applications.


Recent movements towards a 'knowledge-based' view of firm have emphasized the importance of knowledge in enabling the firm to gain competitive advantage. Different dimensions of knowledge are explicated in the knowledge management literature such as explicit vs. tacit knowledge, internal vs. external knowledge, etc. Based on SECI model, firms create knowledge through social interaction between tacit and explicit knowledge. It is important for them to acquire external knowledge and combine it with internal knowledge to create new knowledge as well. Acquiring external knowledge is a very complex process and several scholars have considered this process from different perspectives. In this paper, we try to integrate these perspectives and propose a System Dynamics (SD) model for knowledge transfer and creation dynamics within an industry. Using this model, we can test the impact of knowledge strategy adopted by a firm on its success in different knowledge situations.


To date, integration research has paid little attention to defining and exploring the interface between purchasing and logistics. This research seeks to catalog the set of joint activities that define this interface, and to analyze the way in which this interface is structured, in terms of how companies assign collective responsibility across the activity set. A cluster analysis of a set of 15 boundary-spanning activities reveals a preliminary taxonomy of three purchasing-logistics interface structures: (a) Purchasing-Dominant; (b) Segregated; and (c) Logistics-Dominant. The analysis also reveals limited evidence that the choice of purchasing-logistic interface structure has an influence on supply base performance. In addition, the choice of purchasing-logistics interface structure appears to be influenced by firm size.


Background. Cystic fibrosis is a hereditary multi-organ disease. The involvement of the respiratory system due to chronic inflammation and a chronic infectious process is the main cause of death in 90% of cases. Currently, chronic inflammation in the respiratory tract in cystic fibrosis is being actively studied and new approaches to therapy are being developed. Circulating extracellular DNA/cell-free DNA (eDNA/cf DNA) is present in the bloodstream and other biological fluids of both healthy and sick individuals. The eDNA concentration is increased during exacerbation of several illnesses and in cases of exposure to damaging factors. The eDNA concentration is regulated by the endonucleases activity.
Objectives. Study of the eDNA concentration and endonuclease activity in the plasma of children with cystic fibrosis.
Methods. The concentration of eDNA was determined in 115 children, and nuclease activity was determined in 117 children. The control group included 49 healthy children of the same age and sex. The eDNA was extracted by phenolic extraction. The concentration of extracellular DNA was measured by fluorescence with an intercalating dye PicoGreen (Invitrogen). The DNAse 1 activity in plasma samples was measured by means of radial diffusion. The data are presented as a median (Me) and quartiles (Q1 - Q3). Statistical analysis was performed using a nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test to compare the eDNA concentration and nuclease activity in groups of children with cystic fibrosis and control, and also to analyze the relationship between the eDNA concentration and the nuclease activity with the clinical characteristics of patients.
Results. The eDNA concentration was lower than that of healthy children (p 80% does not differ from the control group. The eDNA concentration decreased along with a decrease of lung function (FEV1 <80%). Patients with deteriorated lung function and increased requirement for bronchodilators had low nuclease activity.
Conclusion. Children with cystic fibrosis had lower eDNA concentration in comparison with the control. In patients with normal spirometry parameters, eDNA probably plays a metabolic role and its composition differs from that of the eDNA of patients with impaired lung function. The nuclease activity of blood plasma in patients with cystic fibrosis decreased with age, and at the same time the progression of the disease was observed. Changes of the eDNA concentration and composition, as well as the nuclease activity in CF patients, can be important for predicting the course and severity of the disease. The interpretation of the qualitative composition of the eDNA requires further study to determine its role in the development of the chronic inflammatory process in CF. The study of eDNA and nuclease activity in CF can be used for development of new pathogenetic treatment modalities


Leucocyte sodium and potassium content and concentrations were measured along with ouabain-sensitive and ouabain-insensitive rate constants for sodium efflux in 14 controls and 20 black patients with essential hypertension. Leucocyte sodium content was significantly increased in the patients (mean 101.1 +/- 7.8 mmol/kg dry solids v 74.5 +/- 7.6 mmol/kg dry solids; p less than 0.05), whereas the rate constants for sodium efflux were not significantly reduced. There was no difference between the two groups in cell potassium values. The increase in leucocyte sodium content in the presence of normal rate constants for sodium efflux suggests an increase in membrane permeability to sodium, which might be important in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension.


TO THE EDITOR: I agree with Emery and colleagues that family history can add much to downstream clinical interventions that provide tangible benefits to the presenting patient and his or her kin. The pedigree chart has some advantages over simple narrative recording of the same details, including the ability to instantly visualise relationships between individuals and the ease with which the chart can be updated and annotated. There is a familial aggregation (commonly an affected first-degree relative) in up to 25% of presenting cancer patients, while around 5% will harbour a highly penetrant genetic predisposition to cancer. In the cancer clinic, an acceptably detailed family cancer pedigree can typically be obtained in even less time than the 30 minutes suggested by Emery et al. Steps in drawing pedigrees have been outlined elsewhere and typically involve collecting information such as simple demographics, naming and symbolising different cancer types, and recording age of onset and age of death (if relevant) for the different individuals, starting with the presenting patient. The time required to construct a three-generation pedigree would typically be around 10 minutes, making it an attractive addition to routine history taking. If a cancer pattern emerges, the pedigree should be extended as far as possible. Of course, diagnosis verification (through death registries, etc) would be required before surveillance, prophylaxis and therapy decisions are addressed in the familial cancer setting. A convenient refresher for doctors who do not routinely draw pedigrees might be to first construct their own family tree, with reference to the symbols and relationship illustrators commonly used. It is likely that pedigrees in most clinics will be drawn by hand, at least initially, although there are software programs for pedigree creation available (eg, Family Tree Builder; <http:// www.myheritage.com/family-tree-builder>). Over the years, I have informally asked my specialist oncology trainees to routinely construct family pedigrees. I do not recall, among these highly clinically skilled doctors, one that was able to correctly draw a family pedigree until we had worked on it together. Given the benefits of family pedigree analysis across many disease categories, a little practice in pedigree drawing may be a useful exercise for many of us. Even without the requisite confirmation of disease status of the individuals represented, a simple pedigree chart, combined with quick reference to information on the potential clinical significance of any patterns it shows (eg, by consulting National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines), can help prioritise referrals to busy familial cancer clinics.


The present research examines the integration into employment of prisoners on parole who had been under the supervision of the Prisoner Rehabilitation Authority during the period 2007-2010. The supervision program included rehabilitation in the community, with the emphasis on employment. The research compares integration in employment and rates of reincarceration for the supervised group with prisoners who had been released from prison after serving their full sentences. The findings indicate that among prisoners who had participated in the supervision program, there is better integration into employment, a higher wage level, and lower rate of reincarceration. Based on these results, it may be tentatively inferred that the supervision program possesses a high potential for reintegrating released prisoners into the community.


In this study, anatomical and palynological features of the roots, stems, petiole and leaves of Salvia willeana (Holmboe) Hedge and Salvia veneris Hedge, Salvia species endemic to Cyprus, were investigated. In the anatomical characteristics of stem structures, it was found that the chlorenchyma composed of 6 or 7 rows of cells which was beneath the epidermis of S. veneris, whereas S. willeana did not have such a tissue. While the transverse section of the leaf of S. veneris had either a single large vascular bundle or a two-lobe vascular bundle in the midrib, there was only a single large vascular bundle in that of S. willeana. While there were 2-or-3-piece vascular bundles in the center and threepiece vascular bundles at the corners of the petiole of S. veneris, there was a single large vascular bundle in the center and two vascular bundles at the corners of the petiole of S. willeana. It was determined that pollens belonging to both taxa had hexazonocolpate, subprolate, semitectate structure and showed bireticulate ornamentation. However, the number of lumina in the secondary reticulum of S. willeana was fewer than ten while it was more than ten in S. veneris.


Cormack classification is believed as a golden indicator for predicting tracheal intubation is difficult or not in clinic. Some anaesthetists usually estimate the airway state by examining single airway features. However, specialists agree that prediction accuracy of a difficult airway may be improved if multiple static and dynamic metrical airway features were considered. In this paper, we developed a medical decision support system based on multilayer perceptron network for Cormark classification predication with 13 input features. A tracheal intubation database consisting of 824 cases was used to train and test the system. The results showed that the multilayer perceptron based decision support system we proposed could achieve 91.9% average classification accuracy, manifesting its great application prospect of supporting clinic aided diagnosis with full consideration of multiple features of airway physical examination.


Perhaps the most notable characteristics of overseas Chinese business enterprises, large and small, is the use of the family controlled company. A question which has been asked, quite legitimately, is whether Asian businesses should have a new and unique form of business vehicle, better suited to family controlled companies. The conclusion of this article is that the family controlled company is the rule in most of the world. Across jurisdictions its characteristics are remarkably similar. Accordingly, legal devices prevalent in many western jurisdictions, especially those addressing dispute resolution, could be adopted to Asian uses.


Cancer chemotherapy has evolved from cytotoxic agents and now includes several new agents that target specific molecules responsible for the regulation of cell growth, nutrient supply, and differentiation. These molecularly targeted therapies have a different mechanism of action than do classic cytotoxic agents, which predominantly attack rapidly proliferating cells. Not surprisingly, therefore, the toxicity of targeted and cytotoxic agents may differ in both clinical and radiologic presentation. Many of the toxicities of targeted therapies are not cumulative or dose dependent, some are asymptomatic, and others may first manifest radiologically. It is imperative that radiologists be aware of these toxicities and that they learn to recognize the relevant findings so that they can provide a complete differential diagnosis and thus play an important role in patient care.


Hollow carbon fibers were coated with Fe by chemical deposition to improve their electromagnetic performance. A parallel experiment was designed to investigate their chemical reactivity and surface curvature. The microstructure, composition, phase analysis and electromagnetic performance of Fe-coated and uncoated hollow carbon fibers were studied using SEM, EDAX, XRD and vector network analysis. The result indicates that magnetic loss is introduced due to the inherent property of iron. The real and imaginary parts of the complex permeability (μ′ and μ″) of the composites, which consist of the paraffin and the coated fibers after pretreatment and surface activity, are 1.44 and 0.54 at 2 GHz, respectively.


The objectives of the present research were to evaluate the variability induced by gamma-irradiation among a population of M8 sunflower mutant lines and to identify molecular markers associated with different seed germination traits. Experiments were carried out under well watered and water-stressed conditions using a randomized blocks design, with three replications. The studied traits consisted of critical times (the time to starting germination, TSG), the time to 50% germination (T50%G) and the time to maximum germination (TMG) and the percentage of seed germination (PSG). In both conditions, a large genetic variation was observed among mutant lines. Some mutant lines showed higher values of germination parameters when compared with the original lines (AS613). Results revealed the a efficiency of gamma irradiation for inducing genetic variation in sunflower, for germination traits. A highly negative, significant correlation was observed between PSG and the critical times of germination. Mutant line "M6-39-2-1" was significantly superior to the original line, for the studied traits, under the water-stressed condition. Multiple regression analyses showed that some AFLP markers were associated with several traits. The most informative AFLP markers were "E37M62-5" and "E33M60-6" which did not have any interactions with water stress. Several markers were associated with seed germination parameters in both conditions. The markers which were associated with different traits could be used in marker-assisted selection for germination parameters.


The recent slowdown in global economic activity has shown that macroeconomic models
without a well-structured representation of the financial sector will fail to provide understanding
of the way that disruptions in credit markets, capital markets and banking
can affect the rest of the economy. An investigation of foreign exchange speculation is
used to get a better knowledge of the interaction between the financial sector and the
economy as a step towards improving macroeconomic models and policy.


With the advent and growth of the Web, hypermedia information systems have propagated within and beyond organizations. Much concern has been expressed about the quality of hypermedia systems being developed and the apparent absence of disciplined development practices. There has been talk that the infamous "software crisis" is afflicting hypermedia systems development, allegedly brought about by shoddy project management, inadequate requirements analysis and planning, and ad hoc "quick and dirty" development approaches. This paper reports on the findings of a survey of 438 organisations in Ireland, the objectives of which were to test the validity of assertions of a "hypermedia crisis", and to explore what mechanisms if any are being used to guide and control hypermedia systems development. The preliminary conclusions are that hypermedia development is much more disciplined that popularly believed, and the state of practice is much healthier than depicted by many academic researchers.


This is a successful revision of a multiauthor text designed to serve as a reference on neurogenetic disorders and the molecular basis of neurologic diseases. The editors have done an excellent job of assembling a collection of expert authors, and the quality of individual chapters is high. The majority of chapters are devoted to monogenic entities and summarize succinctly the clinical features, biochemistry, and genetics of the disorders under discussion. In the great majority of these chapters, the quality of writing is excellent, and the reference lists are extensive. These chapters are valuable reviews of their topics and are the core of the book. A number of chapters move beyond discussion of monogenic disorders. There are excellent sections on mitochondrial disorders and prion diseases. Some effort is made to discuss the genetic and molecular basis of common disorders such as Alzheimer disease, schizophrenia, mood disorders, alcoholism, and multiple sclerosis. These


Laboratory studies were conducted on gapped silicon-carbide arresters and gapless metal-oxide surge arresters (MOAs) gathered from 24 kV networks in Finland. A total of 410 arresters of 21 different types from eight different manufacturers were investigated. A total of 246 silicon-carbide arresters (age from 14 to 38 years) and 164 MOAs (age from 4 to 15 years) were studied at the High Voltage Laboratory of Tampere University of Technology. The results of the measurements on MOAs were compared to the measurements conducted earlier on 16 new, unused MOAs of the same types as those taken from the field. A portion of 16.7% (41 specimens) of the silicon-carbide arresters failed in the ac voltage withstand test and 34.5% (85 specimens) did not pass the lightning impulse sparkover test. The current impulse test of the silicon-carbide arresters resulted in a lot of damage. Due to the damage and failures in the electrical tests the authors recommend the electricity companies in Finland to exchange 7 types of silicon-carbide arresters to new MOA types in order to reduce the risk of arrester failures and to improve the protection levels in MV networks. All the ten MOA types studied were generally in good condition after being used 4-15 years in networks. Only three specimens (out of 164) could be evaluated to be faulty. Comparisons between the MOAs gathered from the networks and the unused MOAs showed that the protection levels of the MOA types studied had remained stable and the ac durability of these MOA types had not remarkably weakened during the use in networks.


This paper studies improving solvers based on their past solving experiences, and focuses on improving solvers by offline training. Specifically, the key issues of offline training methods are discussed, and research belonging to this category but from different areas are reviewed in a unified framework. Existing training methods generally adopt a two-stage strategy in which selecting the training instances and training instances are treated in two independent phases. This paper proposes a new training method, dubbed LiangYi, which addresses these two issues simultaneously. LiangYi includes a training module for a population-based solver and an instance sampling module for updating the training instances. The idea behind LiangYi is to promote the population-based solver by training it (with the training module) to improve its performance on those instances (discovered by the sampling module) on which it performs badly, while keeping the good performances obtained by it on previous instances. An instantiation of LiangYi on the Travelling Salesman Problem is also proposed. Empirical results on a huge testing set containing 10000 instances showed LiangYi could train solvers that perform significantly better than the solvers trained by other state-of-the-art training method. Moreover, empirical investigation of the behaviours of LiangYi confirmed it was able to continuously improve the solver through training.


This study is a profile of the Jewish community of the shtetl (rural market town) Kitaigorod in the Podolia region of the Ukraine. The project is based upon the personal memoirs of a former resident of Kitaigorod. In order to place the memoirs into their proper historical perspective, the history of the Jews of Russia is presented, followed by a detailed analysis of the particularities of life in the rural market towns of the Pale of Settlement. The third chapter presents a history and description of Kitaigorod. An analysis of the tensions that arise in the use of primary and secondary source literature in historical research is presented in the next chapter. The value of the memoirs and their contribution to the understanding of pre-World War I Jewish communal life in the Ukraine is addressed as well. Finally, the last chapter contains the memoirs, along with two unpublished oral histories, a translation of an archived deposition on the pogrom in Kitaigorod as well as a translation of a lengthy article on the history of Kitaigorod, written by a former resident. The issues and problems involved in documenting and verifying information on Kitaigorod is addressed in an appendix.


The Packers and Stockyards Act was enacted in 1921. Congress was plainly influenced by the 1919 publication of a Federal Trade Commission Report on the meatpacking industry. Consistent with the FTC's jurisdiction and concerns, the Report dealt with deceptive and unfair practices as well as practices that were believed to violate the antitrust laws. The language of the PSA does much the same, mixing the two. Of its seven specific prohibitions, three contain antitrust-like provisions requiring a lessening of competition. Two others reach unfair and tort-like conduct without any requirement of harm to competition. The remaining two reach both anticompetitive and tortuous conspiracies. One of the conspiracy provisions plainly reaches price fixing and market division agreements. The other plainly reaches a full range of tortious and anticompetitive conduct without stating a harm to competition requirement.This brief essay considers the wisdom of holdings in half a dozen Circuit Courts of Appeal that even those sections of the statute that do not explicitly require harm to competition must be interpreted as if they did.


We have succeeded in discriminating between intact excitatory and inhibitory neuronal cells with Raman analysis. Excitatory and inhibitory neurons have several differences in their electric activities, but it can be difficult to determine their types based only on visual appearances. As Raman spectroscopy does not require any staining or labeling, its use in live neuronal cells is possible. In the present study, we used primary neurons obtained from rat cerebral cortexes, which we cultured on a glial feeder layered culturing dish for 15 days. The Raman spectra of the intact neurons on the dish were obtained; the neurons were then immunostained and their types determined. Partial least squares regression-discriminant analysis (PLSR-DA) was employed for classification of the excitatory and inhibitory neurons. The results demonstrated a high feasibility for use of Raman spectroscopy for discrimination analysis of inhibitory and excitatory neurons in a nondestructive manner.


The emphasis of education as a driving force for the growth of agricultural productivity can be dated back to the early 1960s. However, most empirical work failed to take into account of the fact that production technology changes with time and consequently obscure the true contribution of education in agricultural production. This study presents a more efficient version to testing the hypothesis that education plays a key role in agricultural development using a switching regression model. Because farmers' ability to deal with disequilibria is allowed to change with education in the present setting, a concrete evidence of the key role of education is provided in the empirical analysis of eight East Asian countries. The results suggest that there exists a threshold for the effects of education on agricultural productivity change. For the group of countries where education constitutes a major determinant of productivity growth in both the technical progress and stagnation regimes, we found the effect of education varies from country to country and from regime to regime. Moreover, our results also suggest technological improvement can defer the starting point of the descending stage whereas advance the time for taking off.


Turkish-origin migrants on average show lower academic performance than Germans. This achievement gap cannot be fully explained by socio-economic differences between the groups. Negative competence stereotypes about Turkish-origin students predict the causal attributions that German preservice teachers make for migrants' academic underperformance. Specifically, the more strongly preservice teachers endorse negative competence stereotypes, the more likely they are to attribute academic underperformance of Turkish-origin migrants to the migrants themselves and less to the educational system. Stereotype threat theory posits that the activation of stereotypes in test situations can reduce the performance of members of the negatively stereotyped group. Based on this theory, we propose that negative stereotypes provide a social-psychological explanation for the academic underperformance of Turkish-origin migrants compared to Germans. A series of six experiments conducted within a research project funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research investigated stereotype threat effects for Turkish-origin migrants. Two new moderator variables were identified: implicit theory of intelligence and vertical collectivism. A meta-analysis of the six studies showed a small, non-significant mean effect for stereotype threat main effects, but a significant medium-sized mean effect for moderated stereotype threat effects. Limitations and practical implications of stereotype threat effects in educational settings are discussed.


The trans fatty acids produced by partially hydrogenating vegetable oils may cause colorectal neoplasia by interfering with cell membrane function or eicosanoid synthesis. This possibility provides a rationale for looking at the relation between colorectal adenomatous polyps and consumption of foods containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (PHVOs). A total of 516 cases and 551 controls who underwent screening sigmoidoscopy from 1991–1993 were recruited from a prepaid Los Angeles health plan. Subjects were interviewed and given a self-administered food frequency questionnaire. Food items containing PHVOs were divided into four groups characterized by principal ingredients and preparation methods: sweetened baked goods, candy bars, oils and condiments, and french fries and chips. After adjusting for age, sex, physical activity, body mass index, smoking, total energy, and red meat and vegetable intake, there was a positive association between polyps and sweetened baked goods [350 1 versus <50 kcal/day (odds ratio, 2.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.3–3.5)]. No association was found with the other food groups after adjustment for dietary and nondietary covariates. Neither was total dietarytrans fatty acid associated with adenomas after adjustment for sweetened baked goods and other covariates. These results do not support the hypothesis that eating foods containing PHVOs increases the risk of colorectal adenomas, but they are consistent with the hypothesis that foods high in fat and sugar and low in fiber and correlated micronutrients increase the risk of adenomas.


"The object of this report, the last of a series of four on propeller design, is to describe a simple method for determining whether the strength of a propeller of a standard form is sufficient for safe operation. An approximate method of stress analysis is also given" (p. 1).


OBJECTIVE
Hospital discharge summaries can provide valuable information to future providers and may help to prevent hospital readmissions. We sought to examine whether the number of days to complete hospital discharge summaries is associated with 30-day readmission rate.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
This was a retrospective cohort study conducted on 87,994 consecutive discharges between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2014, in a large urban academic hospital. We used multivariable logistic regression models to examine the association between days to complete the discharge summary and hospital readmissions while controlling for age, gender, race, payer, hospital service (gynecology-obstetrics, medicine, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics, and surgical sciences), discharge location, length of stay, expected readmission rate in Maryland based on diagnosis and illness severity, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Comorbidity Index. Days to complete the hospital discharge summary-the primary exposure variable-was assessed using the 20th percentile (>3 vs ≤3 days) and as a continuous variable (odds ratio expressed per 3-day increase). The main outcome was all-cause readmission to any acute care hospital in Maryland within 30 days.

RESULTS
Among the 87,994 patients, there were 14,248 (16.2%) total readmissions. Discharge summary completion >3 days was significantly associated with readmission, with adjusted odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) of 1.09 (1.04 to 1.13, P = 0.001). We also found that every additional 3 days to complete the discharge summary was associated with an increased adjusted odds of readmission by 1% (OR: 1.01, 95% CI: 1.00 to 1.01, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION
Longer days to complete discharge summaries were associated with higher rates of all-cause hospital readmissions. Timely discharge summary completion time may be a quality indicator to evaluate current practice and as a potential strategy to improve patient outcomes. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2016;11:393-400. 2016 Society of Hospital Medicine.


We prove an Ω(n log n) lower bound on the number of non-busywaiting memory accesses by any deterministic algorithm solving n process mutual exclusion that communicates via shared registers. The cost of the algorithm is measured in the state change cost model, a variation of the cache coherent model. Our bound is tight in this model. We introduce a novel information theoretic proof technique. We first establish a lower bound on the information needed by processes to solve mutual exclusion. Then we relate the amount of information processes can acquire through shared memory accesses to the cost they incur. We believe our proof technique is flexible and intuitive, and may be applied to a variety of other problems and system models.


In this paper, Monte Carlo method (MCM) is used to analyze the uncertainty of optical calibration of end standards using both contact and non-contact techniques to validate the uncertainty values obtained by the conventional method, Guide to the expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM). Number of trials (M=104) is simulated with the probability density function (pdf) for each quantity, and the comparison between the results of the MCM and the GUM shows good agreement which in turn validates the uncertainty values obtained by the conventional method. The statistical analysis, variables' distributions, and the output of each technique are discussed in detail.


While ensuring stability for linear systems is well understood, it remains a major challenge for nonlinear systems. A general approach in such cases is to compute a combination of a Lyapunov function and an associated control policy. However, finding Lyapunov functions for general nonlinear systems is a challenging task. To address this challenge, several methods have been proposed that represent Lyapunov functions using neural networks. However, such approaches either focus on continuous-time systems, or highly restricted classes of nonlinear dynamics. We propose the first approach for learning neural Lyapunov control in a broad class of discrete-time systems. Three key ingredients enable us to effectively learn provably stable control policies. The first is a novel mixed-integer linear programming approach for verifying the discrete-time Lyapunov stability conditions, leveraging the particular structure of these conditions. The second is a novel approach for computing verified sublevel sets. The third is a heuristic gradient-based method for quickly finding counterexamples to significantly speed up Lyapunov function learning. Our experiments on four standard benchmarks demonstrate that our approach significantly outperforms state-of-the-art baselines. For example, on the path tracking benchmark, we outperform recent neural Lyapunov control baselines by an order of magnitude in both running time and the size of the region of attraction, and on two of the four benchmarks (cartpole and PVTOL), ours is the first automated approach to return a provably stable controller. Our code is available at: https://github.com/jlwu002/nlc_discrete.


The concept of security and the security culture of the state are always social constructs reflecting the outcome of interactions between state and society. Key categories of security, like dangerous social groups and activities are usually negotiated through these interactions. Politicians, secret agents, gendarms, denunciators, journalists, or the indicted, all shape the broader social meaning in a dynamic way. While in Greater Romania the state attempted to extend its control to ever broader segments of society in order to fend off perceived threats it had to rely on its own personnel and on people who cooperated in this effort, creating room for maneuver for everyone involved in this process. Due to its scarce resources the state could not even control entirely its own representatives, who often pursued a personal agenda different from the state's own goals. Irredentism, associated with ethnic minorities exemplifies this situation quite well. In an effort to preempt any threat from national minorities with a kin-state gradually led to the association of irredentism with ethnicity, without having control over the latter's exact meaning. Thus, its practical application depended on a series of factors, personal and structural ones, that finally led to a confusion and to the emptying of the concept that was applied without consistency. It was exactly this development that reconstituted the gap between state and society that actively engaged each other in the resulting process of negotiation. Under the surface of the rule of law and against the backdrop of the image of an ever more powerful state security apparatus, state and society defined together those informal rules of everyday co-existence that were often meant to hide reality from the watchful eyes of Bucharest.


Purpose To test the feasibility of a novel fully retrievable barrel-shaped vascular reconstruction device for stent assisted endovascular treatment of wide-necked bifurcation aneurysms. Methods 16 Canine were utilised to assess the acute technical feasibility and the chronic in vivo performance of the Barrel™ Bifurcation Vascular Reconstruction Device (Reverse Medical Corporation, Irvine, CA). The degree of angiographic aneurysm occlusion and the ability of the barrel device to support an embolic coil mass in both surgically created wide-necked (> 4 mm/dome to neck ratio < 2) bifurcation (n =16) and lateral wall (n =16) aneurysms were evaluated. Diagnostic angiography was performed during the procedure, immediately post procedure, and at 1, 2, 3, and 6 months post implantation. Histological analyses to evaluate vessel wall injury, inflammation, and neointimal response, were performed after 3 months on a subset of canines. Results 32 surgically created wide necked (5.20 ± 0.61 mm/dome to neck ratio 1.47 ± 0.18) bifurcation and lateral wall aneurysms were successfully embolised with Barrel Vascular Reconstruction devices and embolic coils. All embolisations were deemed clinically acceptable with angiographic fills of 92% ± 10.2% and Coil packing densities of 49 ± 9%. Coil Protrusion was noted in 2/32 (6%) with small neck remnants seen in 13/32 (41%). Acute results demonstrated the device to be easily delivered through a microcatheter with excellent fluoroscopic visualisation of the device including the barrel segment. In all cases the device was easy to position with good coil mass support and device stability. As the device is resheathable, it could be placed into either the contralateral or ipso-lateral vessel of the bifurcation aneurysm, depending on which vessel position offered the best neck coverage. Additionally the device could be manipulated in situ to further gain optimal neck coverage. The 1, 2, 3 and 6-month angiographic follow-ups confirmed that the device continued to provide both coil mass stability and neck coverage. 3-month histology was conducted and demonstrated that the device had zero or minimal vessel wall damage, with mature, stable and endothelialised neointima at aneurysmal necks. Additionally device struts were associated with zero or minimal inflammatory reaction. Conclusions The acute technical feasibility and chronic durability of the novel the Barrel™ Bifurcation Vascular Reconstruction Device has been demonstrated and may offer a new tool for the endovascular treatment of wide-necked bifurcation and branching type aneurysms. Disclosures S. Tateshima: 2; C; Reverse Medical. 4; C; Reverse Medical. D. Niemann: 2; C; Reverse Medical. S. Moskowitz: 2; C; Reverse Medical. B. Baxter: 2; C; Reverse Medical. D. Frei: 2; C; Reverse Medical. Abstract O-017 Figure 1


Purpose To investigate the surgical timing postinjury in regard to ocular motility in patients with orbital-floor blowout fractures. Methods This study involved 197 eyes (92 right eyes and 105 left eyes) of 197 patients (154 males and 43 females, mean age: 29.0 years, range: 7–85 years) with pure orbital blowout fractures. All patients underwent surgical repair within 30 days postinjury and were followed up for 3 months or more postoperative (mean follow-up period: 8.4 months, range: 3–59 months). Orbital blowout fractures were classified into one of three shapes: (1) trap-door fracture with muscle entrapment, (2) trap-door fracture with incarcerated tissue and (3) depressed fragment fracture. Ocular motility was estimated by percentage of Hess area ratio (HAR%) on the Hess chart at the final follow-up examination. In addition, correlations between postinjury surgical timing and HAR% were analysed. Results The mean postinjury surgical timing was 10.7±7.8 days (range: 0–30 days). The mean postoperative HAR% (92.9%±10.5%) was significantly improved compared with preoperative HAR% (73.5%±21.7%) (p<0.01). The mean postoperative HAR% (98.3%±4.4%) of the orbital-floor trap-door fracture patients with incarcerated tissue who underwent surgical repair within 8 days postinjury was significantly better than that of the patients who underwent surgical repair after 8 days (94.2%±5.8%) (p<0.01). Conclusions Patients with orbital-floor trap-door blowout fractures with incarcerated tissue that were repaired within 8 days postinjury had better outcomes than those repaired after 8 days, and HAR% is a useful method to record orbital fracture surgical outcomes.


Keywords: Travail et entreprise ; Energie et societe ; Section CH Reference EPFL-STUDENT-168533 Record created on 2011-08-31, modified on 2017-05-12


Fusarium head blight (FHB) in wheat causes yield loss, quality reduction, and mycotoxin contamination in temperate wheat production areas worldwide. The objective of this study was to quantify the progress of agronomic and FHB management strategies during the past two decades on FHB suppression and agronomic performance of winter wheat in environments favorable for FHB. Field experiments were conducted in environments typical in FHB epidemics for comparing common agronomic and FHB management practices used in the 1996 era compared to those used in 2016. The experiments included a comparison of 3 different nitrogen fertilizer (N) application rates, 6 old (1996-era) and new (modern-era) winter wheat cultivars representing combinations of susceptibility-eras to FHB, with and without a fungicide applied at flowering (pydiflumetofen + propiconazole). To mimic environments favorable for infection (similar to 1996 in Ontario, Canada), plots were challenged at 50% anthesis with a F. graminearum macroconidia suspension followed by mist irrigation. The modern management strategy of using moderately resistant cultivars, a fungicide applied at flowering, and a high rate of N fertilizer reduced total deoxynivalenol by 67%, reduced Fusarium damaged kernels (FDK) by 49%, reduced FHB Index by 86%, increased grain test weight by 11% and increased grain yield by 31% compared to the standard management practice of seeding highly susceptible (HS) cultivars with no fungicide and a lower rate of fertilizer N recommended in the 1996 era. This study enabled a published economic assessment of the return on investment for the improvements in cultivars, fungicide and N applications since 1996.


It has been demonstrated that noscapine, an antitussive opioid alkaloid, could antagonize brady- kinin-induced responses such as bradykinin effects in guinea-pig ileum, cough induced by bradykinin receptor agonist and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, and brain damage after brain edema both in neonatal rat model and in patients with stroke. In the present study, the effect of noscapine on bradykinin-induced constric- tion of human umbilical artery was investigated. Methods: Segments of human umbilical cords were obtained from women with normal full term pregnancies. Concentration-response curves for bradykinin (1-1000 nM) were constructed in the absence and presence of noscapine (1-1000 nM). To show the specificity of noscapine for bradykinin-induced constriction in the tissue, the effect of noscapine (10 pM) on vasoconstriction produced by histamine were also examined. Results: The results showed that noscapine could antagonize the constriction produced by bradykinin in hu- man umbilical artery. It was also demonstrated that noscapine was capable of reducing histamine-induced con- tractile response. Conclusion: It is concluded that noscapine can antagonize bradykinin-induced constriction of human umbili- cal artery in a nonspecific manner. Thus, noscapine is likely to find a clinical application in pathologic condi- tions accompanied by higher vascular sensitivity to bradykinin in pregnancy.


Behavioral, metabolic, and renal outcomes of 1-month isolation in adolescent male Dahl salt-sensitive rats. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 319: R684–R689, 2020. contact deficit is considered a stressful circumstance associated with various neural, hor- monal, genetic, immune, and behavioral effects. A growing body of clinical and basic science evidence suggests that social isolation is linked to a higher risk of various neurological, cardiovascular, and metabolic diseases, including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and obesity. However, the impact of the deficit of social interaction on kidney function is not well established. The Dahl salt-sensitive (SS) rat is a classical model of salt-induced hypertension and associated kidney injury. In this study, we investigated the effect of 30 days of social isolation (SI) on blood and urine electrolytes and metabolic, physiological, and behavioral parameters in adolescent male Dahl SS rats fed a normal 0.4% NaCl diet. SI rats demonstrated increased behavioral excitability compared with rats kept in groups. We also observed increased food consumption and a decrease in plasma leptin levels in the SI group without differences in water intake and weight gain compared with grouped ani- mals. No changes in the level of blood and urine electrolytes, 24-h urine output, creatinine clearance, and albumin/creatinine ratio were identified between the SI and grouped rats. These findings indicate that 30 days of social isolation of adolescent Dahl SS rats affects metabolic parameters but has no apparent influence on kidney function.


Objective: To establish clinical and diagnostic findings of malaria and acute viral hepatitis in children, stressing similarities and differences, so as to enhance the sensitivity of early malaria diagnosis in childhood. Methods: Two groups were studied, each including 30 children between 2 and 10 years of age. The patients presented either primary malaria infection or acute viral hepatitis, confirmed by thick blood film and tests for markers of viral hepatitis A and B. The patients were submitted to the following evaluations: erythrocyte, leucocyte and platelet counts, hemoglobin and hematocrit dosage, hepatic enzymes, urea, creatinine and bilirubin dosage. Clinical and laboratory findings were described for both groups and compared. Individuals with alterations on the physical exam in both groups were compared using Fisher's exact test. Results: Baseline clinical findings were the same in all patients: fever, headache, digestive problems and dark urine. One half of malaria patients did not present the classical malaria signs, but all of them presented fever, differently from patients with hepatitis. In malaria patients, anemia and thrombocytopenia were significantly more frequent than in hepatitis patients. A remarkable increase of bilirubin and hepatic enzyme levels was found in hepatitis patients. Conclusions: A detailed physical examination and a thorough evaluation of non-specific laboratory tests are sufficient to allow the presumptive diagnosis of both malaria and viral hepatitis, and to reinforce the early diagnosis and treatment of malaria.


The growing number of musculoskeletal disorders in industry could be addressed by the use of collaborative robots, which allow the joint manipulation of objects by both a robot and a person. Designing these robots requires to assess the ergonomic benefit they offer. However there is a lack of adapted assessment methods in the literature. Many biomechanical quantities can represent the physical solicitations to which the worker is exposed, but their relevance strongly depends on the considered task. This paper presents a method to automatically select relevant ergonomic indicators for a given task to be performed with a collaborative robot. A virtual human simulation is used to estimate thirty indicators for varying human and robot features. A variance-based analysis is then conducted to extract the most discriminating indicators. The method is validated on several different tasks. The relevance of the proposed approach is confirmed by the obtained results.


Business groups are a network form of multi-business firm that play central economic and technological roles in many emerging economies. We draw from the technology studies literature, complemented by concepts from studies of organizational networks, to investigate how equity, director, and operating ties between firms within groups shape their innovation opportunities. Technology studies suggest that such ties create both opportunities and constraints that influence innovative activity by affiliates and, in aggregate, by a group as a whole - opportunities that arise from access to information, people, money, and other resources, but also constraints that arise from entrenched relationships among different actors. The network literature, in turn, suggests that centrality and density of ties between firms within a group will shape the benefits and constraints. We find that the overall density and individual centrality of the three types of ties affects affiliate and group innovativeness among about 2,000 firms within 263 business groups in Taiwan between 1982 and 2000. Groups that offer affiliates focused access to financial resources and operating knowledge, coupled with autonomy from intra-group competition and strategic interference, often generate fertile opportunities for innovative activity by some of their members. The results also offer implications for multi-business firm innovativeness.


Ion induced bending is a promising controlled technique for manipulating nanoscale structures. However, the underlying mechanism of the process is not well understood. In this letter, we report a detailed study of the bending mechanism of Si nanowires (NWs) under Ga+ irradiation. The microstructural changes in the NW due to ion beam irradiation are studied and molecular dynamics simulations are used to explore the ion–NW interaction processes. The simulation results are compared with the microstructural studies of the NW. The investigations inform a generic understanding of the bending process in crystalline materials, which we suggest to be feasible as a versatile manipulation and integration technique in nanotechnology.


The frequency of cerebellar infarctions over two and a half years was 2.7% of the 1300 hospitalized patients over that period. Sixteen patients with cerebellar infarctions were studied by using clinical manifestations and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Ages ranged from 41-87 (mean 63.5) years; 13 were men and 3, women. Risk factors included: hypertension (50%), diabetes (44%), prior stroke (44%), cardiac disease (38%), and hyperlipidemia (19%). Common symptoms and signs were dizziness/vertigo (75%), unsteadiness (69%), dysarthria (69%), and nausea/vomiting (50%). Infarcts mainly involved the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) territory and tended to be associated with brainstem infarcts in 14 of the 16 patients. Most cerebellar infarctions had a benign course, especially the small ones. No mortality was noted in this series. The short-term outcome of the cerebellar infarctions seemed to depend on the size of the infarcts and the sites of the artery occlusion. It was concluded that diagnosis of cerebellar infarctions requires a high index of clinical suspicion, especially when patients present with a sudden onset of ataxia, dizziness/vertigo, nausea/vomiting and dysarthria; and that MRI is a useful tool for the detailed study of cerebellar infarctions and can elucidate associated brainstem infarcts.


This paper explores content regarding videogame remix culture on YouTube focusing on the comedy channel $2 , a comedy and gaming culture site, whose YouTube channel has nearly 440,000 subscribers and well over 97 million views.

 $2 videos take a humorous look at video game characters and gaming culture, often making social and meta-commentary by taking characters out of their textual places and remediating them in new, sometimes nuanced or highly controversial contexts. Their remediation of these popular characters often include commentary and narratology from a myriad of extratextual sources in gaming and nerd culture including television, films, comic books, the Internet and popular culture at large.

The author investigated the reception of videos within the gaming community on YouTube amongst user-generated comments posted underneath each video. Analysis compiled 150 randomly selected comments from 20 randomly selected videos on $2 's YouTube channel, for a total of 3,000 comments.

Research questions considered in this paper will include: (1) How do the commenters on $2 remix videos understand these videos as remix?; (2) Are the commenters aware of, or are they concerned with, intertextuality?; (3) What do commenters on $2 videos consider to be important in each video? Emergent categories were coded as an indicator of audience interpretation of the text; derivative, synchronicity, authenticity, comparative,

evaluative, communicative, and memetic. The implications of the study suggest gamers interpret the text communally, reifying community norms and culture while inspiring creativity and future remixing.


This research focuses on improved control for force-reflecting teleoperation systems in free motion and contact tasks. Specifically, the Naturally Transitioning Rate-to-Force Controller (NTRFC) is implemented in an Air Force experimental force-reflecting teleoperation system to achieve a unified controller with no mode switches from free motion to contact, and to reduce the wrench exerted on the environment by the slave manipulator during remote teleoperation tasks. In an effectiveness evaluation experiment, the experimental hypothesis is validated: the NTRFC with force reflection performs the best amongst four teleoperation control modes with respect to minimal wrench exertion on the environment. A negligible difference was found in total task-completion times amongst the four modes. The NTRFC with force reflection has the potential to improve task performance in remote, hazardous, teleoperation tasks in which minimal exerted wrench is desirable.


Standard approximations for the exchange-correlation (XC) functional in Kohn-Sham density functional theory (KS-DFT) typically lead to unacceptably large errors when applied to strongly-correlated electronic systems. Partition-DFT (PDFT) is a formally exact reformulation of KS-DFT in which the ground-state density and energy of a system are obtained through self-consistent calculations on isolated fragments, with a partition energy representing the \textit{inter}-fragment interactions. Here we show how typical errors of the local density approximation (LDA) in KS-DFT can be largely suppressed through a simple approximation, the generalized overlap approximation (GOA), for the partition energy in PDFT. Our method is illustrated on simple models of one-dimensional strongly-correlated linear hydrogen chains. The GOA, when used in combination with the LDA for the fragments, improves the LDA dissociation curves of hydrogen chains and produces results that are comparable to those of spin-unrestricted LDA, but without breaking the spin symmetry. GOA also induces a correction to the LDA electron density that partially captures the correct density dimerization in strongly-correlated hydrogen chains. Moreover, with an additional correction to the partition energy, the approximation is shown to produce dissociation energies in quantitative agreement to calculations based on the Density Matrix Renormalization Group method.


Atheroma and Leg Pain SIR,-Dr. N. de M. Rudolf and Dr. H. A. W. Forbes's patient with sedentary legpain (3 October, p. 863) could probably have continued to sit in comfort and yet retain the circulation in his legs if the inguinal ligaments had been divided, an operation which can be simply carried out, under local anaesthetic if necessary. In support of this view I should like to refer to a similar case treated by myself in 1961.