This article discusses a find assemblage that has been in the Drents Museum's collection since December 1933. The finder, Arent Middelveld, had earlier that year offered the assemblage to the Rijksmuseumvan Oudheden (National Museum of Antiquities) in Leiden, but that museum was not interested in it on account of its fragmentary state. Middelveld was a real treasure-hunter who was only interested in how much his finds would fetch him. There is however no reason whatsoever to doubt the reliability of the find's source, which is reported to have been 'Barger-Oosterveld'. Unfortunately, this is a vague description as this is a large area to the south, east and southeast of the town of Emmen. The finds recorded under number 1933/XII 1 do not all belong together. The part of a bronze axe and the earthenware (cat. Nos 1-2) date from the period from the Middle Bronze Age up to and including the Early Iron Age and are much older than the other finds, which are datable to the early Roman period (cat. Nos 3-19). How the oldest three objects came to form part of this assemblage is not clear (perhaps because they were found in roughly thes ame area, or due to an administrative error). The most important elements of the Early Roman-period part of the assemblage are fragments of an Arretine sigilllata plate Ha 1/Ic, an Aucissa brooch, two brooches of the Almgren 19 type, part of a helmet?, rivets or split pins of a belt hook decorated with red enamel, harness fittings, several fragments of a rectangular mirror and glass segmented beads. All that is known about the finds' context is that the objects were found on ploughed land. No other finds from the same period (nor incidentally from later phases of the Roman period) are reported as having been found at 'Barger-Oosterveld'. Exactly where in 'Barger-Oosterveld' the objects were found can no longer be determined. The finds probably represent the contents of one or more burials (at least one male burial and possibly – considering the presence of a mirror and beads – also a female burial). It is not known whether the finder observed any cremated remains. The military objects may well have belonged to a cavalryman who served in one of the auxiliary troops in the Augustan or early Tiberian era. But in which campaign(s) and in which unit (Ampsivarii?) he may have participated in the Germanic Wars we don't know. In a northern Dutch/northern German perspective this is a highly exceptional find, because we don't know of any such burials in this region.


Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are increasingly used in many applications, such as volcano and fire monitoring, urban sensing, and perimeter surveillance. In a large WSN, in-network data aggregation (i.e., combining partial results at intermediate nodes during message routing) significantly reduces the amount of communication overhead and energy consumption. The research community proposed a loss-resilient aggregation framework called synopsis diffusion, which uses duplicate insensitive algorithms on top of multipath routing schemes to accurately compute aggregates (e.g., predicate count or sum). However, this aggregation framework does not address the problem of false sub-aggregate values contributed by compromised nodes. This attack may cause large errors in the aggregate computed at the base station, which is the root node in the aggregation hierarchy. In this paper, we make the synopsis diffusion approach secure against the above attack launched by compromised nodes. In particular, we present an algorithm to enable the base station to securely compute predicate count or sum even in the presence of such an attack. Our attack-resilient computation algorithm computes the true aggregate by filtering out the contributions of compromised nodes in the aggregation hierarchy. Extensive analysis and simulation study show that our algorithm outperforms other existing approaches.


Although concurrency is generally perceived to be a `hard' subject, it can in fact be very simple --- provided that the underlying model is simple. The occam-pi parallel processing language provides such a simple yet powerful concurrency model that is based on CSP and the pi-calculus. This thesis presents pony, the occam-pi Network Environment. occam-pi and pony provide a new, unified, concurrency model that bridges inter- and intra-processor concurrency. This enables the development of distributed applications in a transparent, dynamic and highly scalable way. The author specified the layout of the pony system as presented in this thesis, and carried out about 90% of the implementation. This thesis is structured into three main parts, as well as an introduction and an appendix. In the introduction, the need for a unified concurrency model is examined in detail. Thereupon, the pony environment is presented as a solution that provides such a unified model. The first part of this thesis is concerned with the usage of the pony environment for the development of distributed applications. It presents the interface between pony and the user-level code, as well as pony's configuration and a sample application. The second part presents the design and implementation of the pony environment. It explains the internal structure of pony, the implementation of pony's components and public processes, and the integration of pony in the KRoC compiler. The third part evaluates pony's performance and contains the final conclusions. It presents a number of performance tests and concludes with a discussion of the work presented in this thesis, along with an outline of possible future research.


A metal sphere's state by pulsed discharge in air was characterized for the application of an explosion of a metal sphere inserted in the bonding adhesive caused by the pulsed discharge to separate bonded structures. Although the adhesive is widely used in composite materials for automobiles and aircraft, dismantling bonded structures has been challenging. Therefore, facile and selective separation of bonded structures is required for easy disassembly. In this study, a metal sphere set in the adhesive in place of an alumina sphere that adjusted the thickness of the adhesive layer was exploded by the Joule heating caused by the discharge current flow to fracture the adhesive and separate the adherend. High-speed images of the metal sphere's state in air, as the behavior in the adhesive is not observable, showed that an explosion occurred at the contact point between the metal sphere and the electrode. An electrothermal simulation using the measured current flow to consider the contact conditions indicated that the Joule heating at the contact point increased the sphere's temperature above the boiling point of iron at the time of the explosion observed in the experiment. A test model of the bonded structure containing the adhesive with the sphere also showed that the sphere allowed control of the discharge path in the adhesive, separating 25-mm2 adhesive surfaces with a charging energy of 30 J. These results indicated that adding a metal sphere to adhesive is effective for selectively separating the adherend from the bonded structure using pulsed discharge to generate the explosion of the sphere at the contact point.


Random 1/2-disk routing in wireless ad-hoc networks is a localized geometric routing scheme in which each node chooses the next relay randomly among the nodes within its transmission range and in the general direction of the destination. We introduce a notion of convergence for geometric routing schemes that not only considers the feasibility of packet delivery through possibly multi-hop relaying, but also requires the packet delivery to occur in a finite number of hops. We derive sufficient conditions that ensure the asymptotic \emph{convergence} of the random 1/2-disk routing scheme based on this convergence notion, and by modeling the packet distance evolution to the destination as a Markov process, we derive bounds on the expected number of hops that each packet traverses to reach its destination.


Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease, claims to suffer a significant hindrance in everyday life, because of the frequency of psychological complaints. The aim of this study was to identify and analyze social functioning, work productivity and psychological assessment in IBD patients and to correlate these parameters with history and activity of the disease.

 An observational study was performed in 99 IBD patients. Psychosocial data were assessed through the administration of specific questionnaires: Social Functioning Questionnaire (QFS) for monitoring social functioning; Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire (WPAI) for work productivity; State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI 1,2), for psychological assessment. IBD activity was measured by Partial Mayo score. Student's t test or Wilcoxon rank sum test were used to compare continuous variables between subgroups and chi-square test to compare categorical variables. Univariate and multivariate linear regression were used, respectively, to assess the relationship between psychosocial and disease characteristics and to compare outcomes with determinant associated results in univariate regression.

 Univariate analysis showed a statistically significant correlation of the overall QFS score with both the level of education (0.6; 95% CI = 0.1–1.2; p = 0.028) and the unemployed status (- 4.5; 95% CI = -8.9- -0.1; p = 0.044). Moreover, the impairment of WPAI was greater in subjects with ulcerative colitis with severe endoscopic activity according with Partial Mayo score (15.5; 95% CI = 1.0–30.0; p = 0.038). Overall impairment in subjects with stable employment correlated with age (- 0.5; 95% CI = -0.9- -0.1; p = 0.010) and was greater in subjects who underwent at least one surgical operation (15.8; 95% CI = 3.0–28.6; p = 0.016). Psychological evaluation showed that state and trait anxiety correlated significantly with Partial Mayo score (respectively 1.8; 95% CI = 0.6–2.7; p = 0.004 and 1.3; 95% CI = 0.1–2.5; p = 0.042) and age (respectively - 0.2; 95% CI = -0.3- -0.1; p = 0.028 and - 0.3; 95% CI = -0.5 - -0.1; p = 0.037). State anxiety increased in case of long-standing illness (- 0.3; 95% CI = -0.5 - -0.1; p = 0.037), while the non-worker status correlated with trait anxiety when compared to paid employment (- 7.0; 95% CI = -0.9–13.1; p = 0.026).

 Social functioning was correlated to the employment status and to the level of education. Work productivity was lower in UC patients with severe activity and who undergone at least one surgery related to IBD. The state of anxiety was related with age, duration and activity of illness, while the trait of anxiety was major in non-worker patients.


Layout optimization of offshore wind farms seeks to automate the design of the wind farm and the placement of wind turbines such that the proposed wind farm maximizes its potential. The optimization of an offshore wind farm layout therefore seeks to minimize the costs of the wind farm while maximizing the energy extraction while considering the effects of wakes on the resource; the electrical infrastructure required to collect the energy generated; the cost variation across the site; and all technical and consenting constraints that the wind farm developer must adhere to. As wakes, electrical losses, and costs are non-linear, this produces a complex optimization problem. This thesis describes the design, development, validation, and initial application of a new framework for the optimization of offshore wind farm layouts using either a genetic algorithm or a particle swarm optimizer. The developed methodology and analysis tool have been developed such that individual components can either be used to analyze a particular wind farm layout or used in conjunction with the optimization algorithms to design and optimize wind farm layouts. To accomplish this, separate modules have been developed and validated for the design and optimization of the necessary electrical infrastructure, the assessment of the energy production considering energy losses, and the estimation of the project costs. By including site-dependent parameters and project specific constraints, the framework is capable of exploring the influence the wind farm layout has on the levelized cost of energy of the project. Deploying the integrated framework using two common engineering metaheuristic algorithms to hypothetical, existing, and future wind farms highlights the advantages of this holistic layout optimization framework over the industry standard approaches commonly deployed in offshore wind farm design leading to a reduction in LCOE. Application of the tool to a UK Round 3 site recently under development has also highlighted how the use of this tool can aid in the development of future regulations by considering various constraints on the placement of wind turbines within the site and exploring how these impact the levelized cost of energy.


REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY
Horses in training tend to become inappetant; however, the mechanism responsible for this training-induced inappetance is not known.

HYPOTHESIS
Training and/or ulcers alter the feed intake (FI) and hormonal and/or biochemical (active ghrelin, leptin, glucose, insulin and cortisol) responses to acute high intensity exercise.

METHODS
Eight Standardbred mares underwent 3 interval exercise tests (IET) and 3 parallel control tests (CON) before (IET1) and after 8 weeks of training (IET2) and after treatment for gastric ulcers (IET3). Plasma samples were taken before (0 min), during (last 10 sec of velocities eliciting 40, 100 and 20% VO2max), and after (30 min, 60 min, 24 h) exercise (EX) or CON tests for RIA and colorimetric measurement of the concentrations of the above parameters. Samples were also collected before and after feeding. Horses were trained at a work intensity of 70% HRmax for 30 min/day, 5 days per week with FI measured daily.

RESULTS
There were no changes (P>0.05) in any variable during the parallel control trials. However, there was a mismatch between FI and digestible energy (DE) requirements (P<0.05) with EX horses not meeting their DE requirements during the post training IETs. During all IETs, ghrelin, glucose and cortisol increased (P<0.05) during EX. Leptin only increased (P<0.05) during EX in the post training IETs. Insulin remained low during EX, but increased (P<0.05) post EX.

CONCLUSION
High intensity exercise appeared to be associated with decreases in FI and alterations of leptin and ghrelin.

POTENTIAL RELEVANCE
More research is needed to determine if there is a relationship between alterations of these hormones and changes in FI in horses that lose weight while in training.


Introduction Tendinopathies are common, debilitating tendon disorders, seen among both athletes and non-athletes. Due to the unclear aetiology of tendinopathy, treatment is often generalised, and efficacy limited. Changes in mechanical and cellular interactions after microdamage are thought to be key in developing tendinopathy (Arnoczky et al., 2007). Therefore understanding how the cell strain environment modulates matrix turnover and catabolism is essential. A unique fibre composite system has been developed for this purpose. It mimics the unique tenocyte environment by encapsulating cell-coated polyethylene glycol (PEG)-RGD rods within a PEG matrix, using UV light initiated polymerisation. By recapitulating the specific, tightly controlled strain conditions, seen by tenocytes in situ, multiple post-analysis techniques such gene expression can be explored. Materials and Methods PEG-RGD rods of two stiffness were made (20% and 60% PEG), and soaked for 10 or 60 min prior to encapsulation to generate four different shear:tension ratios for cells. Rods were seeded with either healthy or diseased human tenocytes (obtained following surgery with ethical permissions) prior to encapsulation; 12 composites for each strain condition. The local strain environment was characterised by straining composites whilst visualising rod extension and shear with brightfield microscopy and cell deformation with confocal microscopy. The cell response to strain was also characterised, applying 5% cyclic strain (1Hz) to samples for 24hrs, in custom-built chambers maintained in an incubator. Gene expression across the groups was compared via RT-qPCR. Results Tenocytes successfully attach to rods in all composite conditions and remain viable. Altering the materials chemistry of rods and surrounding PEG, adjusted the extent of rod strain in relation to the applied gross strain (Figure 1), creating a spectrum of local cell strain conditions, spanning physiological and pathological conditions. Preliminary results confirm that strain applied to the construct does result in cell deformation. Gene expression analysis has shown that human tenocytes respond to brief handling when encapsulated in composites, particularly with an up-regulation of MMP1, and it takes 24 h for gene expression to stabilise. Cells also respond to the range of shear:tension strain ratios, with MMP1 and COL1A1 differentially regulated by varying shear strains and rod stiffness. Abstract 78 Figure 1 Summary of Micromechanics showing rod extension (%) vs. gross strain (%) for cell seeded composites Discussion/ Conclusion This novel fibre composite material provides the first system able to investigate tenocyte mechanotransduction and physiological and pathological levels of cell shear and tension. Current experiments have begun identifying the cell strain conditions associated with catabolic and anabolic matrix turnover, providing an exciting avenue for further understanding tendinopathy. Data suggests that the shear-strain ratio experienced by cells could be an important factor regulating their behaviour. Acknowledgments Dharmesh Patel is supported by an Arthritis Research UK Studentship. Reference Arnoczky, et al. Int J Exp Pathol, 2007;88:217–26


A clinical case is reported in which pain, swelling, and paresthesia of the left submandibular area and tongue was variously diagnosed as a sublingual infection, a submandibular gland infection or tumor, nonunion of the mandible from previous orthognathic surgery seven years earlier, and finally as a sequela to loose Kirschner wires used as fixation in the previously mentioned surgery. Proper diagnosis by history, examination, and radiology, followed by surgical removal of two loose Kirschner wires resulted in complete remission of all symptoms.


This study investigated the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in the elderly women living in the rural area of Thailand. The subjects were 132 cases (but just 129 cases were used in the statistical analysis?) of the elderly women who were living in the rural area of Khon Kaen province. The mean (+/- SD) of age and the mean (+/- SD) of serum 25 (OH) D concentration of these elderly women were 71.55 (+/- 5.26) years and 44.9 (+/- 11.02) ng/ml respectively. There was a significant inverse relationship (or correlation? Notice your analysis.) between the serum 25 (OH) D and the PTH concentration. The serum PTH concentration increased significantly when the serum 25 (OH) D concentration was at < or = 35 ng/ml. As a result, the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in these selected elderly women was 17.4 per cent.


BACKGROUND
Guilt appears to be a factor that may increase the severity of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and negatively impact treatment outcomes. However, researchers and clinicians have paid little attention to addressing guilt in OCD treatment. Because guilt is an important perpetuating and mediating factor for OCD symptoms and the development of guilt-specific strategies may yield improved treatment outcomes, we hypothesized that a review of the relevant literature may provide important guidance for the field.

METHODS
To identify existing scientific contributions across psychological, biologic, and theological disciplines, we conducted a systematic review of the literature on the topic of pathological guilt (PG) in OCD.

RESULTS
Fourteen studies focusing on both PG and OCD were identified. The content of these papers consistently reflected the theme that guilt plays a significant role in OCD and obsessive-compulsive symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS
The potential influence and moderating effects of guilt require more focused attention in the clinical management of OCD. Development of routine standardized measures and treatment protocols targeting the role of guilt in OCD, in addition to consultation with clergy or other appropriate community resources, would provide valuable contributions to the literature. Addressing this affective component related to OCD may lead to improved treatment outcomes and fewer relapses for this debilitating and frequently chronic illness.


Network-on-chip (NoC) has become the standard communication fabric for on-chip components in modern System-on-chip (SoC) designs. Since NoC has visibility to all communications in the SoC, it has been one of the primary targets for security attacks. While packet encryption can provide secure communication, it can introduce unacceptable energy and performance overhead due to the resource-constrained nature of SoC designs. In this paper, we propose a lightweight encryption scheme that is implemented on the network interface. Our approach improves the performance of encryption without compromising security using incremental cryptography, which exploits the unique NoC traffic characteristics. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed approach significantly (up to 57%, 30% on average) reduces the encryption time compared to traditional approaches with negligible (less than 2%) impact on area overhead.


The behaviour of a power system under a transmissionand generation constrained economic dispatch strategy, is simulated over the feasible range of system load using recently developed techniques based on the continuation method. All optimum variables of interest including costs, incremental costs, power generated, power and energy flows, and the Lagrange multipliers of the active variables, can be easily computed as analytic piece-wise linear or quadratic functions of the system load. These results are combined with a load duration curve model of the probabilistic load behaviour to generate duration curve models for all the above variables. The new load duration curves then serve to generate a wide range of probabilistic measures of the system behaviour useful in the estimation of production costs,and in planning.


Shedding new light on British expansion in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, this collection of essays examines how the first British Empire was received and shaped by its subject peoples in Scotland, Ireland, North America, and the Caribbean. An introduction surveys British imperial historiography and provides a context for the volume as a whole. The essays focus on specific ethnic groups -- Native Americans, African-Americans, Scotch-Irish, and Dutch and Germans -- and their relations with the British, as well as on the effects of British expansion in particular regions -- Ireland, Scotland, Canada, and the West Indies. A conclusion assesses the impact of the North American colonies on British society and politics. Taken together, these essays represent a new kind of imperial history -- one that portrays imperial expansion as a dynamic process in which the oulying areas, not only the English center, played an important role in the development and character of the Empire. The collection interpets imperial history broadly, examining it from the perspective of common folk as well as elites and discussing the clash of cultures in addition to political disputes. Finally, by examining shifting and multiple frontiers and by drawing parallels between outlying provinces, these essays move us closer to a truly integrated story that links the diverse ethnic experiences of the first British Empire. The contributors are Bernard Bailyn, Philip D. Morgan, Nicholas Canny, Eric Richards, James H. Merrell, A. G. Roeber, Maldwyn A. Jones, Michael Craton, J. M. Bumsted, and Jacob M. Price.


Objectives Prior data suggest that within subpopulations of racial and ethnic minorities, endometrial cancer (EC) risk varies. Nativity as mediator of risk has been poorly studied. Our objective was to determine if Caribbean nativity influences EC risk and presentation. Methods Using the Florida Cancer Data System (FCDS), we identified women diagnosed with EC from 1981–2013. Demographics and pathologic factors were abstracted. Caribbean nativity included countries of both African and Hispanic lineage. Statistical analyses were performed using logistic regression and chi-square, with statistical significance at p<0.05. Results Of the 23,690 women in the FCDS identified with EC, 840 had Caribbean nativity. Among Caribbean immigrants with EC, a higher proportion had type II histologies compared to US natives (35.6% vs. 27.5%, p<0.01), with very high prevalence seen among Haitian (54.2%, p<0.01) and Jamaican (47.1%, p<0.01) women. In comparison to US-born women, uterine serous carcinoma was more prevalent in women from Guyana (22.2% vs. 6.5%, p=0.03) and Jamaica (13.8% vs. 6.5%, p=0.001), with carcinosarcoma more prevalent in women from Haiti (13.5% vs. 4.6%, p<0.01) and Jamaica (13.8% vs. 4.6%, p<0.01). More Caribbean immigrants presented with distant disease (10.1% vs. 6.9%, p<0.01). Relative to US natives, significant increases in type II EC risk were seen in women born in Haiti (OR 3.08 [2.06–4.62], p<0.01) and Jamaica (OR 2.32 [1.66–3.25], p<0.01). Conclusions Women of Jamaican and Haitian birthplace have increased risks of type II EC compared to US-born women. Caribbean natives also have a higher prevalence of type II histologies. Effect of nativity on EC warrants further study.


Clustered microcalcifications on X-ray mammograms are an important sign for early detection of breast cancer. Texture-analysis methods can be applied to detect clustered microcalcifications in digitized mammograms. In this paper, a comparative study of texture-analysis methods is performed for the surrounding region-dependence method, which has been proposed by the authors, and conventional texture-analysis methods, such as the spatial gray-level dependence method, the gray-level run-length method, and the gray-level difference method. Textural features extracted by these methods are exploited to classify regions of interest (ROI's) into positive ROI's containing clustered microcalcifications and negative ROI's containing normal tissues. A three-layer backpropagation neural network is used as a classifier. The results of the neural network for the texture-analysis methods are evaluated by using a receiver operating-characteristics (ROC) analysis. The surrounding region-dependence method is shown to be superior to the conventional texture-analysis methods with respect to classification accuracy and computational complexity.


The objective of this research was to investigate xylanase production by filamentous fungi (Trichoderma viride) to determine the best cultivation conditions in the process, aiming toward optimization of enzyme production. The best temperature, as well as the best carbon source, for biomass production was determined through an automated turbidimetric method (Bioscreen-C). The enzyme activity of this fungus was separately evaluated in two solid substrates (wheat and soybean bran) and in Vogel medium, pure and by adding other carbon sources. Temperature effects, cultivation time, and spore concentrations were also tested. The best temperature and carbon source for enzyme and biomass production was 25°C and sorbitol, respectively. Maximum xylanase activity was achieved when the fungus was cultivated in wheat bran along with sorbitol (1%, w/v), using a spore concentration of 2 x 106 spores.mL-1, pH 5.0, for 144 h cultivation. The study demonstrated not only the importance of the nature of the substrate in obtaining a system resistant to catabolic repression, but also the importance of the culture conditions for biosynthesis of this enzyme. T. viride showed a high potential for xylanase production under the conditions presented in these assays.


The deformation and strength characteristic of rockfill is different when it is dry or wet. The wetting effects should be a major factor in the long-term settlement of a rockfill dam. The 160 m high Yellow River Xiaolangdi dam is a rockfill dam with inclined core clay. Moistening laboratory tests were carried out to investigate the deformation and strength characteristic of the rockfill in the Xiaolangdi dam. Based on the test results, two-dimensional consolidation numerical simulations on the dam employed nonlinear stress strain constitutive model were conducted to investigate the effects of wetting on the deformation performance of the dam.


Human resource is the main pillar for a company to realize the company's vision, mission, and goals. This research aimed to assess (evaluate) the programs and resource management system in Vouk Hotel & Suites Bali. The data sources used were primary and secondary data. The primary data source was taken from structured interview and questionnaire distribution, meanwhile the secondary data source was taken from regulation book, standard operating procedure (SOP), percentage absenteeism, and employee service income in 2019 at Vouk Hotel & Suites Bali. The obtained data was analyzed by using descriptive qualitative method with four steps of analysis in audit management, namely: preliminary audit, review and management control testing, follow-up audit, and recommendation. The result of the research indicated the weaknesses of several human resource functions, those are planning, employee training & development, employee performance appraisal, and given compensation. Based on the indicating weakness of the research, therefore, some improvement recommendations were given.


Multicast is widely deployed in data centers for point-to-multi-point communications. Multicast is increasingly being used to carry uncompressed video in media data centers with very large bandwidth requirements per flow. Multicast control protocols such as IGMP and PIM build multicast trees without trying to maximize the overall fabric capacity, leading to decreased fabric utilization and inability to service flows. In addition, existing multicast protocols are not bandwidth-aware and could cause links to over-subscribe leading to packet loss and negative user quality of experience. In this paper, we formulate offline optimization for multicast trees in clos fabric. We then design and implement two novel algorithms, iRP and LiRP, to optimize multicast tree formation and increase overall fabric multicast capacity. iRP algorithm optimizes online formation of multicast trees while addressing bandwidth requirements using SDN controller. We share analysis of TV studio repetitive traffic patterns the benefits of time series forecasting to predict multicast group membership and bring online optimization efficiency closer to offline optimization results. We then implement and test LiRP algorithm to increases iRP's fabric efficiency by implementing k-fold cross validation method to predict future multicast group memberships leading to optimized multicast tree placement. We implement iRP and LiRP algorithms using controller-based system and test both algorithms using Cisco Nexus commercially available switches. Testing results confirm that iRP Algorithm increases fabric capacity by 60% compared to PIM performance. LiRP system increases the efficiency of iRP by up to 40% through prediction of multicast group memberships with online arrival.


Obsessive compulsive symptoms have been reported in frontal lobe tumours and basal ganglia lesions. We report herewith a case of an adolescent who had a vermian cystic mass for which he underwent excision surgery. Three months postsurgery family members noticed that he started with repeated hand washing and abnormal walking pattern. Also, he developed bedwetting in sleep at night. He was given clinical diagnosis of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Nocturnal enuresis following a cerebellar mass removal which improved with fluoxetine and impiramine respectively.


Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), which is produced endogenously from L-cysteine, is an irritant with pro-nociceptive actions. We have used measurements of intracellular calcium concentration, electrophysiology and behavioral measurements to show that the somatic pronociceptive actions of H2S require TRPA1. A H2S donor, NaHS, activated TRPA1 expressed in CHO cells and stimulated DRG neurons isolated from Trpa1+/+ but not Trpa1−/− mice. TRPA1 activation by NaHS was pH dependent with increased activity at acidic pH. The midpoint of the relationship between NaHS EC50 values and external pH was pH 7.21, close to the expected dissociation constant for H2S (pKa 7.04). NaHS evoked single channel currents in inside-out and cell-attached membrane patches consistent with an intracellular site of action. In behavioral experiments, intraplantar administration of NaHS and L-cysteine evoked mechanical and cold hypersensitivities in Trpa1+/+ but not in Trpa1−/− mice. The sensitizing effects of L-cysteine in wild-type mice were inhibited by a cystathionine β-synthase inhibitor, D,L-propargylglycine (PAG), which inhibits H2S formation. Mechanical hypersensitivity evoked by intraplantar injections of LPS was prevented by PAG and the TRPA1 antagonist AP-18 and was absent in Trpa1−/− mice, indicating that H2S mediated stimulation of TRPA1 is necessary for the local pronociceptive effects of LPS. The pro-nociceptive effects of intraplantar NaHS were retained in Trpv1−/− mice ruling out TRPV1 as a molecular target. In behavioral studies, NaHS mediated sensitization was also inhibited by a T-type calcium channel inhibitor, mibefradil. In contrast to the effects of NaHS on somatic sensitivity, intracolonic NaHS administration evoked similar nociceptive effects in Trpa1+/+ and Trpa1−/− mice, suggesting that the visceral pro-nociceptive effects of H2S are independent of TRPA1. In electrophysiological studies, the depolarizing actions of H2S on isolated DRG neurons were inhibited by AP-18, but not by mibefradil indicating that the primary excitatory effect of H2S on DRG neurons is TRPA1 mediated depolarization.


Mining-induced coal dust causes various respiratory diseases to mine workers mainly coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP). Currently available underground monitors are expensive and bulky. These disadvantages limit them for regulatory sample monitoring purposes. Moreover, personal exposure levels for most miners remain unknown, risking them to potential overexposures. Low-cost light scattering particulate matter (PM) sensors offer a potential solution to this problem with the capability to characterize PM concentration with high spatio-temporal resolution. However, these sensors require precise calibration before they can be deployed in mining environments. No previous study has promulgated a standard protocol to assess these sensors for coal dust monitoring. The goal of this study was to calibrate Plantower PMS5003 sensors for coal dust monitoring using linear regression models. Two other commercially available PM sensors, the Airtrek and Gaslab CM-505 multi-gas sensors, were also evaluated and calibrated. They were evaluated for factors including linearity, precision, limit of detection, upper concentration limits, and the influence of temperature and relative humidity in a laboratory wind tunnel. The PMS5003 sensors were observed to be accurate below 3.0 mg/m3 concentration levels with R-squared values of 0.70 to 0.90 which was the best among the sensors under with an acceptable precision below 1.5 mg/m3. Moreover, this study shows that temperature and relative humidity have minimal influence on the efficacy of low-cost PM sensors' ability to monitor coal dust. This investigation reveals the feasibility of low-cost sensors for real-time personal coal dust monitoring in underground coal mines if a robust calibration model is applied.


We have implemented an all-fiber optical delay line using two linearly chirped fiber Bragg gratings cascaded in reverse order and all-fiber optics components. The features of the proposed all-fiber based technique for variable delay line are discussed theoretically and demonstrated experimentally. The non-invasive cross-sectional images of biomedical samples as well as a transparent glass plate obtained with implemented all-fiber delay line having the axial resolution of 100 mum and the dynamic range of 50dB are presented to validates the imaging performance and demonstrate the feasibility of the delay line for optical coherence tomography.


Pool boiling experiments are performed to investigate the effects of inclination angle, θ, and average roughness, Ra, of uniformly heated 10 × 10 mm copper surfaces on saturation boiling of HFE-7000 dielectric liquid. Ra varied from 0.039 to 0.1.44 μm and θ from 0° (upward facing) to 180° (downward facing). In addition, high speed images and still photographs of nucleate boiling in the various regions and near CHF are captured to assist the interpretation of experimental results. The values of CHF and the maximum nucleate boiling heat transfer coefficient, hMNB, which occurs near the fully developed nucleate boiling region, increase with increasing Ra and/or decreasing θ. The corresponding surface superheats, however, decrease with increasing θ and/or Ra. In the upward facing orientation, CHF increases from ∼20.7 to ∼30.9 W/cm2 with increasing Ra from 0.039 to 0.144 μm, and the corresponding CHF values in the downward facing orientation are 7.1 and 8.9 W/cm2, respectively. Nucleate boiling heat transfer coefficient, hNB, in the discrete bubbles region at low surface superheats increases, while in the fully developed nucleate boiling region at high superheats it increases with increasing Ra and/or decreasing θ. The developed correlations for CHF and hMNB and corresponding superheats, as functions of Ra and θ, are in good agreement with the experimental data.


The fine-tuning principles are analyzed in search for predictions of top-quark and Higgs-boson masses. The modification of Veltman condition based on the compensation between fermion and boson vacuum energies within the Standard Model multi-plets is proposed. It is supplied with the stability under rescal-ing and with the requirement of minimum for the physical v. e. v. for the Higgs field (zero anomalous dimension). Their joint solution for top-quark and Higgs-boson couplings exists for the cutoff Λ ≈ 2 . 3 · 10 13 GeV that yields the low-energy values m t = 151 ± 4 GeV ; m H = 195 ± 7 GeV .


Hydrodynamics characteristic for the mixing of gas-solid-liquid in membrane bioreactorsubmerged (MBRs) and its influence on mass transfer was studied computationally at various solid concentration, incoming gas rate, and the baffle distance. Computational method was conducted by using software GAMBIT 2.1.6. for the making of the grid which represents the calculation domain and conduct the simulation using CFD software FLUENT commercial code 6.2.16. The calculation result was recorded after the iteration reach the certain convergence level.Multiphase flow in reactor was simulated with mixture model, while to model the turbulence characteristic of the flow standard k-e model was used. The geometric system studied is bioreactor in the form of box with flat bottom, 2 baffles, submerged hollow fiber membrane and air passage at the bottom of the reactor. For the membrane modeling, it is used two approachesthat is membrane as black box and membrane as porous media. The liquid used is water, and the solid is activated sludge, and air acts as gas phase. The result indicates that gas-solid-liquid system with the nearest baffle location from the membrane cause, the liquid dispersion process goes faster, so that fluid in the tank can be mixed perfectly and it can increase the gas-liquid mass transfer rate and the flux at MBRs.The increase of the solid concentration does not significantly affect the change of gasliquid mass transfer rate and flux through the membrane, but the increase of air flow rate can increase the gas-liquid mass transfer and the flux. Porous media approach give the prediction of the gas hold up distribution more over all than black box approach. The position of baffle 9 cm from tank wall is the best position viewed from the balance between the of air flow with the circulating fluid flow. Considered from the solid distribution, double inlet MBRs is better compared to that of single inlet. Flux obtained does not show significant difference. From both approaches of the membrane model, membrane model as porous media give the simulation results closer to the experimental data.


Hydrogen sulfide is essentially removed from the raw natural gas to meet the process, health, safety and environmental standards. Alkanolamine based absorption process remains the prevalent technique for hydrogen sulfide removal due to ease of operation and economic considerations. The design of such gas separation systems is a critical factor in meeting the stringent process requirements and optimizing operations. To achieve precise design, determination of vapor–liqid equilibrium for the system is indispensable while maintaining efficacy and simplicity. This study presents a simple model for estimating hydrogen sulfide solubility in aqueous alkanolamines and their blends in the high pressure-high gas loading region. The model equation is developed by considering and combining amine protonation and bi-sulfide formation reactions, assuming ideal liquid properties. Satisfactory correlated values of hydrogen sulfide loadings (0.21–3.15 mol gas/mole solvent) are obtained over a wide range of temperature (298.15–393.15 K), pressure (60–7027 kPa) and alkanolamine concentration (1.12–14.27 molal). Parameters are given for the hydrogen sulfide solubility in aqueous solutions of monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, N-methyldiethanolamine, 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol, piperazine, diglycolamine, di-isopropylamine, 1-amino-2-propanol and their selected blends. The model shall be useful for the design of alkanolamine based natural gas sweetening systems, operating at high pressure and high hydrogen sulfide gas loadings. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT


Abstract Llano del Jícaro, Veracruz, is a workshop site where Olmec monuments were carved from exposed boulders of Cerro Cintepec basalt. The site, which lies in the hinterland of the major Olmec center of Laguna de los Cerros, was discovered in 1960 by Alfonso Medellín Zenil, who moved one of its unfinished monuments to the Museum of Anthropology in Jalapa. In 1991 more intensive archaeological investigations at Llano del Jícaro located nine additional boulders, including a tabletop altar, with evidence of carving. Excavations around four of these monoliths uncovered debitage and hammerstones from the manufacturing process. Survey also located the remains of the probable residences of the stonecarvers.


[1] The Panoramic Camera (Pancam) on the Mars Exploration Rover mission has acquired in excess of 20,000 images of the Pancam calibration targets on the rovers. Analysis of this data set allows estimates of the rate of deposition and removal of aeolian dust on both rovers. During the first 150–170 sols there was gradual dust accumulation on the rovers but no evidence for dust removal. After that time there is ample evidence for both dust removal and dust deposition on both rover decks. We analyze data from early in both rover missions using a diffusive reflectance mixing model. Assuming a dust settling rate proportional to the atmospheric optical depth, we derive spectra of optically thick layers of airfall dust that are consistent with spectra from dusty regions on the Martian surface. Airfall dust reflectance at the Opportunity site appears greater than at the Spirit site, consistent with other observations. We estimate the optical depth of dust deposited on the Spirit calibration target by sol 150 to be 0.44 ± 0.13. For Opportunity the value was 0.39 ± 0.12. Assuming 80% pore space, we estimate that the dust layer grew at a rate of one grain diameter per ∼100 sols on the Spirit calibration target. On Opportunity the rate was one grain diameter per ∼125 sols. These numbers are consistent with dust deposition rates observed by Mars Pathfinder taking into account the lower atmospheric dust optical depth during the Mars Pathfinder mission.


Estrogens as biologically active compounds belong to a group of steroids hormones. The definition of these substances is a very important factor in humans. These compounds play an essential role because regulate many physiological processes, including normal cell growth, development and tissue-specific gene regulation in the reproductive tract and in the central nervous and skeleton systems. The much higher concentration of these matters is key in growth of sexual organs and development of secondary sexual features in women. Synthetic compounds which initiate or enhance the effect of estrogens are called xenobiotics. Xenobiotics are found in the human body in much higher concentrations than are usual. They can modify the functions of the endocrine, reproductive, nervous and immune system. For this reason it is significant to determine these compounds. Their physico-chemical properties and complex structure cause many analytical problems. Chromatography, especially liquid chromatography (LC), is used in an extremely large range of analytical methods. Successful analysis of estrogens requires a rapid, reliable, precise method for sample preparation and cleanup to remove potential interfering components. An applicable procedure is the use of solid-phase extraction (SPE), especially with molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP), therefore SPE-MIP. MIPs are taylor-made synthetic materials capable of selectivity rebinding a target analyte based on a combination of recognition mechanisms including size, shape and functionality. Combination SPE-MIP and LC with various detection techniques present an excellent method in quality control of estrogens.


We present molecular dynamics simulations using both empirical potentials (EP) and density functional theory (DFT) on ion irradiation of graphene. The comparison between the two methods shows that EP gives not only qualitatively but also quantitatively reasonable estimates of defect production during ion irradiation in carbon nanosystems. Ion irradiation is shown to give rise to a range of interesting defects e.g. single, double and triple vacancies, bond rotations, close-by Frenkel pairs and more complex defect structures. We show that the creation of these defects is related to the atomic processes upon the ion impact, and define the critical irradiation angles both for maximum damage and no penetration as a function of the ion mass.


Citizenship is generally considered a permanent status of which a person cannot be deprived, following the principle that there can be no involuntary loss of nationality. But in the 19 t h and at least the first half of the 20 t h century, many countries applied the so-called «marriage rule», thus depriving women who married a foreigner of their original nationality. This practice sometimes had dramatic consequences, as the First World War demonstrated, and women's organizations mobilized against it on an international level. In many cases they were successful, but not so in Switzerland. Quite to the contrary, during the Second World War the common-law practice was transformed into a positive statute, albeit within the temporary wartime Vollmachtenrecht, or special mandate law. Only in 1952, with the revision of the federal law on nationality, did women gain the right to an option to keep their Swiss passports. This paper focuses on the controversies between jurists and feminists, but also between different groups of civil servants. It shows that the discursive construction of the nation-state, built on boundaries between the «own» and the «foreign», between stable - thus seemingly loyal - citizenship and unstable citizenship, was highly gendered. It also draws attention to the dynamics of the juridical norms of modern contemporary states, which became more and more interdependent in the 20 t h century.


Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had a devastating impact globally, with severe health and economic consequences. To prepare health systems to deal with the pandemic, epidemiological and cost projection models are required to inform budgets and efficient allocation of resources. This study estimates daily inpatient care costs of COVID-19 in South Africa, an important input into cost projection and economic evaluation models. Methods: We adopted a micro-costing approach, which involved the identification, measurement and valuation of resources used in the clinical management of COVID-19. We considered only direct medical costs for an episode of hospitalisation from the South African public health system perspective. Resource quantities and unit costs were obtained from various sources. Inpatient costs per patient day was estimated for consumables, capital equipment and human resources for three levels of inpatient care – general wards, high care wards and intensive care units (ICUs). Results: Average daily costs per patient increased with the level of care. The highest average daily cost was estimated for ICU admissions – 271 USD to 306 USD (financial costs) and ~800 USD to 830 USD (economic costs, excluding facility fee) depending on the need for invasive vs. non-invasive ventilation (NIV). Conversely, the lowest cost was estimated for general ward-based care – 62 USD to 79 USD (financial costs) and 119 USD to 278 USD (economic costs, excluding facility fees) depending on the need for supplemental oxygen. In high care wards, total cost was estimated at 156 USD, financial costs and 277 USD, economic costs (excluding facility fees). Probabilistic sensitivity analyses suggest our costs estimates are robust to uncertainty in cost inputs. Conclusion: Our estimates of inpatient costs are useful for informing budgeting and planning processes and cost-effectiveness analysis in the South African context. However, these estimates can be adapted to inform policy decisions in other context.


Farmers in the lower Bengal Delta around the city of Khulna, Bangladesh, are particularly vulnerable to hydro-climatic variability. Phenomena such as heavy rain, drought and salt intrusion increasingly affect their crop production, with far-reaching socio-economic and environmental impacts. Reliable hydro-climatic information service received in a timely manner could help farmers improve their responses to hydro-climatic variability, thus improving their agricultural decision-making. However, significant challenges persist regarding information uptake and the role of information from the available sources. We designed an explorative research framework combining different participatory methods and analysis of climate data. Our aim was to examine three key research questions: (i) what information is currently available to farmers for agricultural practices and decision-making? (ii) what is the perceived quality of the available hydro-climatic information in response to water and weather related stresses? (iii) how does the available information influence farmers' decision-making? We found that farmers had access to information from five main sources: informal contacts, formal contacts, education and training programs, traditional media (like television) and modern ICT tools/social media. However, informal contacts, particularly with peer farmers and private input suppliers, were the farmers' main source, in addition to their own previous experiences. Farmers perceived hydro-climatic variability as high and the quality of available hydro-climatic information as poor. They indicated a need for more accurate, time-specific, trusted and actionable information for improving agricultural decision-making. We conclude that there is high potential and need for hydro-climatic information services tailored for farmers in the study area.


This study examines the filmmaking practices of selected Zimbabwean video filmmakers across the filmmaking value chain in order to explore how they 'negotiate', 'appropriate', 'contaminate' and 'violate' mainstream conventional filmmaking modes. The analysis contextualizes conditions of production from concept to exhibition. Evidence is that filmmaking choices are framed as much by the aesthetics of filmmaking as by the resources that are available. Filmmaking and distribution occur mostly under the radar. The video filmmaker is a hybrid between a "guerilla" and a "hustler" who has adapted his/her means to create a "shoe-string" alternative cinematic practice. The study began with a historical outline of post-colonial film practice and how this did not allow a conducive environment for alternative 'indigenous' cinematic practice. It then proceeded to examine the nature of video film practice and its efficacy. The nature of video film practice was examined from concept to exhibition in terms of how video filmmakers navigate their way through the limitations of their resources-in the process creating an alternative cinematic movement. The study concluded by analyzing how the language and aesthetic orientation of the films constitute a hybrid alternative cinematic praxis. Through the lens of Hybridity and Third Cinema theories the researcher argues that as a new form of cultural expression, video film is Zimbabwe's new 'Alternative Cinema' invented by innovative Zimbabweans in remapping the turbulent contours of a troubled post-colony. Through visual analysis, participant observation and interviews, the study demonstrates how creative classes of marginal Zimbabweans have now taken initiative, appropriating and adapting new media technologies in reinventing not just their social and economic lives, but also in revisualizing their social struggles in everyday life for both local and international audiences. In short, the thematic and cinematographic imperfections and shortfalls of the Zimbabwe video film emerges a recognizable Zimbabwean film "movement, a style, a way of doing film", a 'subgenre' worth study and critical appreciation. This is an attempt to find purpose, intention, 'beauty' and method out of that which is ordinarily regarded as jumbled, unrefined, ugly and accidental. The researcher concludes that the lack of funding and institutional support has necessitated the creation of a de-centralized and decolonized filmmaking praxis in Zimbabwe. After a past of unsuccessful models that included government and non-governmental organization (NGO) funding, the Zimbabwean film industry is emerging anew in the mold of video filmmaking practice. This filmmaking praxis is not a utopia. Funding, distribution and profitability are in flux, and the future remains unsure and unclear. The researcher concludes that, a traditionally monopolistic, minority and elitist activity is now open to broader participation and innovation.


Reversible protein phosphorylation accomplished by kinases and phosphatases is a major regulatory mechanism. Out of several families of protein phosphatases, serine/threonine phosphatases quantitatively prevail. The functional diversity of the serine/threonine phosphatase type-1 (PP1) in vivo results from the association of its catalytic subunit (PP1c) with different regulatory or inhibitory subunits. One of them is inhibitor-1 (I-1) that inhibits PP1c only in its PKA-phosphorylated form (I-1-Thr35P). Disruption of the I-1 gene in mice resulted in protection from catecholamine-induced lethal arrhythmias and cardiac hypertrophy. This suggested that pharmacological I-1 blockade may represent a therapeutic strategy in heart failure. Therefore, the aim of this study was to screen a library of chemical compounds that inhibit I-1 and to characterize promising candidates in vitro for efficiency and toxicity. We succeeded to establish one colorimetric and one fluorescence assay system using pNPP and DiFMUP as substrates, respectively. The principal feasibility of both assays was confirmed with well-characterized chemical and protein inhibitors of PP1. However, the fluorescence assay exhibited a significantly higher sensitivity (with 500-fold lower requirement for recombinant PP1). We also investigated the effects of mutant I-1 proteins, which implicated the importance of the KIQF motif and Thr-P35 within the conserved N-terminal region of I-1 for binding to and activity against PP1. Screening of selected small peptides derived from I-1 yielded peptides with inhibitory activity against PP1/I-1 interaction. For instance, a nonapeptide containing the KIQF motif antagonized I-1 inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 3 µM. Notably, a cell-permeable poly-Arg modified peptide attenuated beta-adrenoceptor induced phosphorylation of PLB on Ser16 in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes, indicating biological functionality. Finally, we started to screen a selected, but undirected compound library and a number of in silico designed compounds, which should specifically interfere with the interaction of PP1 with Thr35-phosphorylated I-1. The Z'-factor amounted to 0.86 and 0.73 for PP1 alone and PP1 + I-1P, respectively, which confirmed the suitability of the fluorescence assay for HTS. Nearly 9,000 small molecules were tested in a HTS format using either single-point or kinetic measurements. However, none of them could be validated in secondary assays, suggesting that screening of more compounds is required to identify validated hits. Furthermore, we investigated the aptitude of our fluorescence assay to quantify endogenous phosphatase activities in the cell/tissue extracts. Using okadaic acid (OA) and tautomycin (TTM), this assay enabled us to distinguish the fraction of toxin-sensitive PPP family phosphatases (PP2A, PP4, PP5 and PP6), from insensitive phosphatases (PP2B, PP7, PPM family, PTPases, ACP and AP). Conditions for the specific quantification of PP1 holoenzymes activity still need to be defined. In conclusion, a reliable assay system for the specific detection of I-1 inhibitory compounds has been developed and forms the basis to identify promising small molecule candidates, which could pave the way for the development of clinically applicable drugs to treat patients with chronic heart failure.


Since the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in 2019, there have been global public health initiatives that have advocated for the community use of face masks to reduce spread of the virus. Although the community use of facial coverings has been deemed essential for public health, there have been calls for enquiries to ascertain how face masks may impact non-verbal methods of communication. This study aimed to ascertain how the brief observations of faces in opaque facial coverings could impact facial emotion recognition. It was also an aim to ascertain if there was an association between the levels of empathic concern and facial emotion recognition when viewing masked faces. An opportunity sample of 199 participants, who resided in the United Kingdom, were randomly assigned to briefly observe either masked (n = 102) or unmasked (n = 97) faces. Participants in both conditions were required to view a series of facial expressions, from the Radboud Faces Database, with models conveying the emotional states of anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprised. Each face was presented to participants for a period of 250 ms in the masked and unmasked conditions. A 6 (emotion type) x 2 (masked/unmasked condition) mixed ANOVA revealed that viewing masked faces significantly reduced facial emotion recognition of disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprised. However, there were no differences in the success rate of recognising the emotional state of anger between the masked and unmasked conditions. Furthermore, higher levels of empathic concern were associated with greater success in facially recognising the emotional state of disgust. The results of this study suggest that significant reductions in emotion recognition, when viewing faces in opaque masks, can still be observed when people are exposed to facial stimuli for a brief period of time.


Our understanding of the elusive subluxation and the effects of spinal manipulation has gradually evolved as the science of articular neurology, biomechanics, and motor programming has matured. New insights are consistently accumulating with the proliferation of research investigating the mysteries of kinematics and neuromotor control. In 2011, two papers made important and original contributions to enhance our understanding of the impact of the high-velocity, low-amplitude thrust of manipulation on multifidus muscle function, and the correlation between this and improved clinical outcomes. Let's review the latest research and discuss implementation of these findings to improve patient outcomes through appropriate integration of manipulation and appropriate exercise training.


Case report: A 57-year-old immunocompetent woman was diagnosed with syphilitic bilateral panuveitis after the onset of dramatic bilateral visual loss with inflammation of the anterior segment of the eye, severe vitritis and chorioretinitis which improved after treatment. Discussion: Syphilis is a complex disease of increasing prevalence. If diagnosis is delayed ocular syphilis can produce severe visual loss due to neuritis, chorioretinitis with panuveitis, affecting both eyes in 50% of cases. Nevertheless, syphilis is considered one of the few causes of uveitis in which a cure can be obtained with proper treatment (Arch Soc Esp Oftalmol 2009; 84: 101-104).


The anodized Al alloy films are sealed in the alumina sol with anatase type of titanium oxide.Coloration experiment; acid drip test and self-cleaning efficiency are used as evaluation criterions. Orthogonal test of sol sealed films and Two Factor test are used to value the influence of technological parameters on properties of the sealed films. The results show that the corrosion resistance of sealed film doped with TiO2 was superior to that of without in neutral saline water. Three-dimensional surface morphologies obtained by OLS3100 laser confocal scanning microscope (LSCM ) show that the sealed films with are smoother than ones without TiO2 and its pits in the sealed film are less. The sealed films with TiO2 have both corrosion resistance and self-cleaning effect.


The battle against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) still continues three years after the onset of the pandemic, but there are concerns about the next emerging infectious disease. This study reports the practices during the initial response to COVID-19 on the cruise ship Diamond Princess and lessons learned from a nursing perspective. During these practices, one of the authors dealt with a sample collection team from the Self-Defense Forces and collaborated with the Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT), Disaster Psychiatric Assistance Team (DPAT), and other teams. They mentioned the passengers' state and the distress and fatigue of the personnel assisting them. This revealed the specifics of emerging infectious diseases and their commonalities, regardless of the disaster. Results identified three crucial points: i) predicting the impact of lifestyle changes on health due to isolation and implementing preventive measures, ii) protecting individual human rights and dignity even in health emergencies, and iii) support for personnel providing assistance.


We have developed algorithms that retrieve ocean-surface wind speed and direction under rain using brightness-temperature (TB) measurements from passive satellite microwave radiometers. For accurate radiometer retrievals of wind speeds in the rain, it is essential to use TB signals at different frequencies, whose spectral signature makes it possible to find channel combinations that are sufficiently sensitive to wind speed but little or not sensitive to rain. The wind-speed retrieval accuracy of an algorithm that utilizes C-band frequencies and is trained for tropical cyclones ranges from 2.0 m/s in light rain to 4.0 m/s in heavy rain. We have also trained and tested global algorithms that are less accurate in tropical storms but can be applied under all conditions. The wind-direction retrieval accuracy degrades from about 10deg in light rain to 30deg at the onset of heavy rain. We compare the performance of wind-vector retrievals under rain from microwave radiometers with those from scatterometers and discuss advantages and shortcomings of both instruments. We have also analyzed the wind-induced sea-surface emissivity, including its wind-direction dependence for wind speeds up to 45 m/s.


Probably every forensic drug laboratory has at one time or other, faced the problem of training a new chemist. His prior experience varies from a recent college graduate to a transferee from another laboratory. The latter person would only require instruction on the use of instruments he did not have in his former laboratory, a briefing on such matters as degree of analytical effort applied, laboratory personnel policies, and an introduction to the laboratory staff. However, it is the training of the new graduate of an accredited college with a baccalaureate degree in chemistry, and no professional work experience which will be discussed here.


The dynamics of liquid drops in microgravity were observed in the Drop Physics Module flown aboard the second United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML‐2) in 1995. Water drops with varying concentrations of the surfactants Triton‐X 100 and Bovine Serum Albumin were suspended in air and deformed by an acoustic standing wave. When the deforming force was removed, the drops oscillated freely about a spherical equilibrium shape, as opposed to the oblate equilibrium shape of a drop levitated in 1‐g. Drop diameters between 1 and 3 cm were observed. Frequencies and decays for the dynamics have been extracted from the data. Results are compared to theoretical models and experiments in 1‐g. Results for frequency shifts due to large amplitude oscillations are also presented. [Work supported by NASA through JPL, contract 958722.]


In this theoretical study, the vibration suppression and nonlinear energy transfer, as a function of a dimensionless pendulum length parameter, is investigated for an Inerter Pendulum Vibration Absorber (IPVA) attached to a linear single-degree-of-freedom spring-mass-damper system, subject to white noise excitation. Stochastic differential equations of motion are first developed and integrated to determine the evolution of the response and associated mean and mean square values for long integration times. Dynamic statistical moment equations are then developed, while arc-length continuation is used to track stationary the moments as a function of the pendulum length. Two noise intensity and damping configurations are analyzed and a critical parameter value, in both cases, is found to produce a qualitative change in the system dynamics accompanied by optimal vibration suppression. The results are compared to the response of a linear system without an IPVA to quantify the vibration suppression. Realizations in the time domain are finally calculated to provide validation for the results and gain insight into the changing dynamics of the system as a function of the pendulum length, leading to the discovery of intermittent rotation for sufficiently large pendulum length.


Classification of hyperspectral images always suffers from high dimensionality and very limited labeled samples. Recently, the spectral-spatial classification has attracted considerable attention and can achieve higher classification accuracy and smoother classification maps. In this paper, a novel spectral-spatial classification method for hyperspectral images by using kernel methods is investigated. For a given hyperspectral image, the principle component analysis (PCA) transform is first performed. Then, the first principle component of the input image is segmented into non-overlapping homogeneous regions by using the entropy rate superpixel (ERS) algorithm. Next, the local spectral histogram model is applied to each homogeneous region to obtain the corresponding texture features. Because this step is performed within each homogenous region, instead of within a fixed-size image window, the obtained local texture features in the image are more accurate, which can effectively benefit the improvement of classification accuracy. In the following step, a contextual spectral-texture kernel is constructed by combining spectral information in the image and the extracted texture information using the linearity property of the kernel methods. Finally, the classification map is achieved by the support vector machines (SVM) classifier using the proposed spectral-texture kernel. Experiments on two benchmark airborne hyperspectral datasets demonstrate that our method can effectively improve classification accuracies, even though only a very limited training sample is available. Specifically, our method can achieve from 8.26% to 15.1% higher in terms of overall accuracy than the traditional SVM classifier. The performance of our method was further compared to several state-of-the-art classification methods of hyperspectral images using objective quantitative measures and a visual qualitative evaluation.


The Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami is famous for depicting natural landscapes and Iranian vernacular architecture in his films. These spaces function not only as visual motifs, but also as elements that shape the cinematic spaces of his films, recount the narratives, and foreshadow the plots' conclusions. This thesis examines five of his films to understand how space is used in visual storytelling and to derive an architectural interpretation from his cinematic spaces. Positioning that a film can be read through spatial experiences, this thesis aims to discuss and deconstruct the spatial composition of Kiarostami's cinematic images, and then re-envision them through an architectural narrative. I discuss architectural and cinematic spaces in his cinema, as wells as the juxtaposition of these elements into a sequential image. Then, through a process that combines architectural design with cinematic framing and editing, I reconstruct and present spaces inspired by Kiarostami's vision of place and space in a series of architectural vignettes. Through the act of investigating Kiarostami's spatial language in filmmaking, this thesis introduces architectural methodologies as a tool for the analysis of cinematic narratives and concepts. The visualization of these narratives through my own interpretation transcribes Kiarostami's approach to spatial storytelling into architectural place making and design.


Creative and cultural clusters or districts – including art production, exhibition and trade - have been one of the key elements of urban regeneration practices in contemporary China.
But what are the different spatial approaches to reactivate post-industrial clusters in Chinese cities through creative activities? How some of these interventions fostered social inclusion and community engagement?
The reflection on, and the comparison in between, few meaningful case studies in Shanghai could better illustrate the different arrangements that derived from these experiences, both in terms of physical transformation and social interaction.


Today with the latest technology the information beyond tool movement and switching instruction such as tooling, manufacturing features and process sequences are needed to support global adaptability for manufacturing with a specific focus on CNC-based manufacture This research focuses on the use of the new standard; ISO 14649 (STEP-NC), to address the process planning and machining of discrete turn/mill components and proposes a STEP Compliant NC structure for generation of ISO 14646 code which can be used for turned component manufacture. The novel application of this work is STEP-NC compliant process control where the research will utilise and extend the standard for in process measurement at the machine and also explore the application and integration of the STEP-NC standards. The major contribution of this research is the review of a computational environment for a STEPNC compliant system for turn/mill operations.


In order to design two distinct engineering qualification levels for an existing University of Technology programme, empirical evidence based on the current diploma is necessary to illuminate the nature of and the relationship between the contextual and conceptual elements underpinning a multidisciplinary engineering curriculum. The increasing focus on contextual application could result in decreasing opportunities to develop the conceptual disciplinary grasp required for a dynamic, emerging region at the forefront of technological innovation. Using the theoretical tools of Bernstein and Maton to analyse final year student practice, the research addresses the question of how multidisciplinary knowledge is integrated by students, and what this reveals about the nature of such knowledge. The paper presents a conceptualisation of multidisciplinary knowledge integration practices as a dynamic process along two axes simultaneously, shifting between different forms and levels of conceptual and contextual knowledge.


The disappearance of amphibian populations from seemingly pristine upland areas worldwide has become a major focus of conservation efforts in the last two decades, and a parasitic chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, is thought to be the causative agent of the population declines. We examined the altitudinal distribution of chytrid infections in three stream-dwelling frog species (Litoria wilcoxii, L. pearsoniana and L. chloris) in southeast Queensland, Australia, and hypothesized that if B. dendrobatidis were responsible for the disappearance of high-altitude frog populations, infection prevalence and intensity would be greatest at higher altitudes. Overall, 37.7% of the 798 adult frogs we sampled were infected with B. dendrobatidis, and infections were found in all the populations we examined. Contrary to our initial hypothesis, we found no consistent evidence that high-altitude frogs were more likely to be infected than were lowland frogs. Further, the intensity of fungal infections (number of zoospores) on high-altitude frogs did not differ significantly from that of lowland frogs. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis appears to be capable of infecting frogs at all altitudes in the subtropics, suggesting that all populations are at risk of decline when conditions favour disease outbreaks.We did find evidence, however, that chytrid infections persist longer into summer in upland as compared with lowland areas, suggesting that montane amphibian populations remain susceptible to disease outbreaks for longer periods than do lowland populations. Further, we found that at high altitudes, temperatures optimal for chytrid growth and reproduction coincide with frog metamorphosis, the life-stage at which frogs are most susceptible to chytrid infections. While these altitudinal differences may account for the differential population-level responses to the presence of B. dendrobatidis, the reason why many of southeast Queensland's montane frog populations declined precipitously while lowland populations remained stable has yet to be resolved.


Analysis of a change in average tumor age in an inbred strain of mice has yielded data which indicate that the mammary tumor virus can undergo stable alteration in activity. It was discovered that descendants of one female of the A/Crgl stock were developing mammary tumors at an average age 4 months earlier than that of the breeding females in the rest of the stock. The former mice were separated out as a subline, and it was found that they differed from the strain not only in average age of tumor development but also in average number of tumors developing per tumor-bear ing mouse and in tumor incidence in virgin females. Differences in mean tumor age be tween groups of reciprocal hybrids (between the strain and the subline) indicated that extrachromosomal influences were involved. Alteration of the tumor ages by reciprocal foster-nursing indicated that this extrachromosomal influence was the mammary tu mor virus transmitted in the milk. Serial transmission of each virus through two gen erations of genetically identical mice eliminated the possibility that a genetic change in the mouse was being expressed as a change in activity of the virus transmitted to the offspring. Attempts to express the difference in activity of the viruses by introduction into other strains were successful. These experiments establish a mutation in the mouse mammary tumor virus.


In a widely publicized and controversial article, Regnerus (2012a) seeks to evaluate what he calls the "'no-differences' paradigm" with respect to outcomes for children of same-sex parents. We consider the scientific claims in Regnerus in light of extant evidence and flaws in the article's evidence and analytical strategy. We find that the evidence presented does not support rejecting the no-differences claim, and therefore the study does not constitute evidence for disadvantages suffered by children of same-sex couples. The state of scientific knowledge on same-sex parenting remains as it was prior to the publication of Regnerus.


Registration of practitioners under Indian system of Medicine and Homoeopathy, who possess recognized medical qualifications as per Indian Medicine Central Council Act, 1970 and Homoeopathy Central Council Act, 1973 is being done by State Boards/ Councils. These State Boards/Councils constituted by the State Governments are maintaining State Register of AYUSH registered practitioners. Central Register of AYUSH practitioners are also maintained by the regulatory bodies, Central Council of Indian Medicine and Central Council of Homoeopathy. Central Registers is being updated from time to time from State Registers.


Background: Metabolic syndrome is considered one of the important factors that increases the cardiovascular risk. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of metabolic syndrome in patients with coronary artery disease and to compare the frequency of severe coronary artery disease in patients with and without metabolic syndrome.
 Methodology: This descriptive study was carried out from January 2010 to July 2010 at Department of Cardiology, Punjab Institute of Cardiology, Lahore. Two hundred patients with coronary artery disease, planned to undergo coronary angiography were studied. They were divided into two groups; Group A with and Group B without metabolic syndrome. The severity of CAD on angiography was compared between the two groups.
 Results: The mean age of patients in group A was 54±10.3 and in group B 51.4±10.5 years. There were 70(75%) males and 24(25%) females in Group A, while 80(76%) males and 26(24%) females in group B. Frequency of metabolic syndrome in the study population was 47%. Frequency of severe coronary artery disease was 66% in Group A as compared to 46% in Group B (p=0.005).
 Conclusion: Frequency of metabolic syndrome is high in patients with coronary artery disease. Those with metabolic syndrome have severe coronary artery disease. Older patients have higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome and thus severe coronary artery disease.


Abstract We test the relative rates of evolution of pre‐ and postzygotic reproductive isolation using eight populations of the sexually dimorphic stalk‐eyed flies Cyrtodiopsis dalmanni and C. whitei. Flies from these populations exhibit few morphological differences yet experience strong sexual selection on male eyestalks. To measure reproductive isolation we housed one male and three female flies from within and between these populations in replicate cages and then recorded mating behavior, sperm transfer, progeny production, and hybrid fertility. Using a phylogeny based on partial sequences of two mitochondrial genes, we found that premating isolation, postmating isolation prior to hybrid eclosion, and female hybrid sterility evolve gradually with respect to mitochondrial DNA sequence divergence. In contrast, male hybrid sterility evolves much more rapidly‐at least twice as fast as any other form of reproductive isolation. Hybrid sterility, therefore, obeys Haldane's rule. Although some brood sex ratios were female biased, average brood sex ratio did not covary with genetic distance, as would be expected if hybrid inviability obeyed Haldane's rule. The likelihood that forces including sexual selection and intra‐ and intergenomic conflict may have contributed to these patterns is discussed.


The accelerating changes in the surrounding world and also increasing demands from politicians, consumers, their family etc., makes many farmers feel stressed, focus a lot on threats and weaknesses, and so they become rather indistinct in their relations between private life and business.. At the same time, physical work tends to exclude creative work and strategic thinking. This paper will describe a program, developed for Swedish farmers and other rural businessmen in co-operation between Swedish Farmers Union, (project-owner), and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Step 1 is done in groups of 8 to 12 farmers, guided by tutors, who have been given a four days training program in coaching a group to grow individually in their personality and self-confidence. Each farmer does a "SWOT"-analysis focused on opportunities and strengths. After formulating the idea/mission, goals and activities needed to reach the goals for the business, they formulate the same for their own life. Especially, they focus on their need of competence development, and bring them into a net-based "marketplace for competence". In step 2 a number of new "blocks" have been developed. One is a "Balanced Scorecard" for farmers and rural entrepreneurs. The farmers joining the program find themselves more distinct in relation to the surrounding world and in the relation between life and business. The discussions about life ideas and life quality have been much appreciated. The possibility for strategic thinking and the close connection between strategy and daily work, the focusing on "opportunities and strengths" and the balancing process in the "Balanced Scorecard" are some of the most valuable aspects.


Atomic Weighted Vectors (AWVs) are vectors that contain the codified information of molecular structures, which can apply to a set of Aggregation Operators (AOs) to calculate total and local molecular descriptors (MDs). This article presents an exploratory study of a new tool useful for drug discovery using different datasets, such as DRAGON and Sutherland's datasets, as well as their comparison with other well-known approaches. In order to evaluate the performance of the tool, several statistics and QSAR/QSPR experiments were performed. Variability analyses are used to quantify the information content of the AWVs obtained from the tool, by the way of an information theory-based algorithm. Principal Components Analysis (PCA) is used to analyze the orthogonality of these descriptors, for which the new MDs from AWVs provide different information from those codified by DRAGON descriptors (0-2D). The QSAR models are obtained for every Sutherland's dataset, according to the original division into training/test sets, by means of the Multiple Linear Regression with Genetic Algorithm (MLR-GA). These models have been validated and compare favorably to several approaches previously published, using the same benchmark datasets. The obtained results show that this tool should be a useful strategy for the QSAR/QSPR studies, despite its simplicity.


In the therapy of ocular diseases, different active pharmaceutical ingredients are often instilled concomitantly as different ophthalmic solutions at an appropriate interval (unfixed-combination therapy) or simultaneously as one formulation (fixed-combination therapy). In this study, we aimed to compare the in vitro cytotoxicity of fixedand unfixed-combination ophthalmic solutions using the glaucoma therapeutic agents, timolol and brimonidine. Cultured human corneal epithelial cell line was used as a test system. Exposure period was set at 5 min. Compared with the fixed-combination treatment, the unfixed-combination treatment (timolol followed by brimonidine, and vice versa) led to a significant reduction in the percentage of cell viability. In conclusion, it was suggested that a fixed-combination ophthalmic solution was expected to cause less cellular damage to the ocular surface, compared to an unfixed-combination ophthalmic solution.


Beta-catenin plays multiple roles in liver health and disease through regulation of proliferation, differentiation and metabolism. Elucidating the molecular basis of how beta-catenin regulates these diverse functions and others is the subject of this dissertation. While beta-catenin signaling undergoes temporal activation and its loss dampens liver regeneration (LR), the impact of stimulating this pathway remains unknown. We utilized transgenic (TG) mice expressing Ser45 mutated beta-catenin in hepatocytes to show a growth advantage both in vitro and during LR through cyclin-D1 regulation. Additionally, hydrodynamic delivery of Wnt-1 gene delivery induced beta-catenin activation and hepatocyte proliferation during LR. Regucalcin or senescence marker protein-30 (SMP30) was identified as a beta-catenin target in the liver through the use of hepatocyte-specific beta-catenin conditional knockout (KO) mice. SMP30 is a critical enzyme for the synthesis of ascorbic acid in murine hepatocytes, and its loss led to lower serum ascorbate levels in KO. KO hepatocytes displayed massive apoptosis in culture, which was blocked by addition of ascorbate to culture media. Additionally, apoptosis in HepG2 cells due to regucalcin knockdown was rescued by anti-oxidants. Thus, one mechanism of how beta-catenin regulates hepatocyte redox state and survival is through the control of regucalcin expression. KO livers displayed a basal increase in number of apoptotic hepatocytes. We explored the susceptibility of KO and wildtype (WT) controls to activation of the TNF-alpha mediated apoptotic pathway. Paradoxically, KO mice are refractory to D-galactosamine (GalN)/LPS, Actinomycin D (ActD)/LPS and GalN/TNF-alpha treatments showing lower morbidity than WT. NF-kappaB, a major pro-survival factor and its transcriptional targets were increased in KO basally and after injury due to lack of beta-catenin-p65 association, presence of increased basal inflammation and oxidative stress and increased TLR4 expression in KO livers. Additionally, p65 activation occurred earlier in KO than WT after LPS stimulation. Thus, paradoxical protection from TNF-alpha-mediated apoptosis in KOs occurs owing to pre-existing NF-kappaB activation that 'primes' the liver for protection against exogenous insult. Thus, we have identified beta-catenin as a pleiotropic factor regulating cell proliferation, cellular redox state and cell survival through specific genetic targets and protein-protein interactions. These findings have broad implications in acute and chronic hepatic diseases.


To account for voter decision making in initiative elections, we integrate theory and research on public opinion, misinformation, and motivated reasoning. Heuristic and motivated reasoning literatures suggest that voters' preexisting values interact with political sophistication such that politically knowledgeable voters develop systematically distorted empirical beliefs relevant to the initiatives on their ballots. These beliefs, in turn, can predict voting preferences even after controlling for underlying values, regardless of one's political sophistication. These hypotheses were tested using a 2003 voter survey conducted prior to a statewide initiative election that repealed a workplace safety regulation. Results showed that only those voters knowledgeable of key endorsements had initiative-specific beliefs that lined up with their underlying antiregulation values. Also, voters' empirical beliefs had an effect on initiative support even after controlling for prior values, and political sophistication did not moderate this effect.


Linux 2.4 has been around in production environments at companies for a few years now, we have been able to gather some good data on how well (or not) things scale up. Number of CPU's, amount of memory, number of processes, IO throughput, etc. Most of the deployments in production today, are on relatively small systems, 4to 8-ways, 8–16GB of memory, in a few cases 32GB. The architecture of choice has also been IA32. 64-bit systems are picking up in popularity rapidly, however. Now with 2.6, a lot of the barriers are supposed to be gone. So, have they really? How much memory can be used now, how is cpu scaling these days, how good is IO throughput with multiple controllers in 2.6. A lot of people have the assumption that 2.6 resolves all of this. We will go into detail on what we have found out, what we have tested and some of the conclusions on how good the move to 2.6 will really be.


Gas-cooled solar receivers for concentrating solar power plants are capable of providing high temperature, pressurized gas for electrical power generation via a Brayton cycle. This can be accomplished by expanding hot, pressurized gas directly through a turbine, or through using a heat exchanger to indirectly heat pressurized air. Gas-cooled receivers can be divided into two basic technologies. In tube based solar receivers, thermal energy is transferred to air through convection with the heated tube wall. This limits receiver efficiency since the tube wall needs to be substantially hotter than the gas inside due to the relatively poor gas heat transfer coefficient. In volumetric receivers, solar energy is absorbed within a volume, rather than on a surface. The absorption volume can be filled with ceramic foam, wires, or particles to act as the absorbing medium. In a small particle heat exchange receiver, for example, sub-micron sized particles absorb solar radiation, and transfer this energy as heat to a surrounding fluid. This effectively eliminates any thermal resistance, allowing for higher receiver efficiencies. However, mechanical considerations limit the size of volumetric, pressurized gas-cooled receivers. In order to solve this problem, several thermodynamic cycles have been investigated, each of which is motivated by key physical considerations in volumetric receivers. The cyclic efficiencies are determined by a new MATLAB code based on previous Brayton cycle modeling conducted by Sandia National Laboratories. The modeling accounts for pressure drops and temperature losses in various components, and parameters such as the turbine inlet temperature and pressure ratio are easily modified to run parametric cases. The performance of a gas-cooled solar receiver is largely a function of its ability to provide process gas at a consistent temperature or pressure, regardless of variations in solar flux, which can vary due to cloud transients or apparent sun motion throughout the day. Consistent output can be ensured by combusting fuel within the cycle, effectively making a solar/fossil fuel hybrid system. Several schemes for hybridization with natural gas are considered here, including externally fired concepts and combined receiver/combustor units. Because the efficiency of hybridized cycles is a function of the solar thermal input, the part load behavior of the recuperated cycle is examined in depth. Finally, a brief report of economic costs inherent to solar powered gas turbine engines is given. Possibilities for the future of solar power gas turbine power plants are discussed, with key issues regarding thermal storage techniques.Copyright © 2010 by ASME


Meiosis is a linear differentiation pathway remarkable for deliberate DNA damage. During meiotic prophase, DNA damage checkpoint is repressed, which may promote homologous recombination and repair. Meiotic breaks are known to influence meiotic chromosome segregation, preventing aneuploidy in gametes. Convergent genes cause transcriptional interference through overlapping transcripts, resulting in gene suppression. This general mechanism of gene silencing has been noted in both yeast and metazoans. In Schizosaccharomyces pombe, chk1⁺ is convergent with the meiotically upregulated meu27⁺ gene. Through gain- and loss-of-function assays we are developing a model of checkpoint regulation during nitrogen stress. We find that altered meu27⁺ expression impacts chk1⁺ mRNA levels, DNA segregation, and cell cycle progression. S. pombe
encodes several DNA damage checkpoint genes that are convergent with stress-inducible transcripts. Therefore, we investigate the possibility that convergent transcription is a mechanism altering DNA damage repair during other stresses and differentiation programmes which may trigger unregulated cell division.


The Wilshire fault is a potentially seismogenic, blind thrust fault inferred to underlie and cause the Wilshire arch, a Quaternary fold in the Hollywood area, just west of downtown Los Angeles, California. Two inverse models, based on the Wilshire arch, allow us to estimate the location and slip rate of the Wilshire fault, which may be illuminated by a zone of microearthquakes. A fault-bend fold model indicates a reverse-slip rate of 1.5-1.9 mm/yr, whereas a three-dimensional elastic-dislocation model indicates a right-reverse slip rate of 2.6-3.2 mm/yr. The Wilshire fault is a previously unrecognized seismic hazard directly beneath Hollywood and Beverly Hills, distinct from the faults under the nearby Santa Monica Mountains.


Rapid changes in society and education, and the demand for high professional standards as a prerequisite for successful student learning, necessitate a constant update of teachers' professional knowledge and skills. In this context, coaching is seen as a powerful tool for self-development and self-actualization, which unlocks learners' potential and maximises their achievements. The article focuses on ensuring sustainability in teachers' professional development and improving teachers' competence by introducing them to basic coaching skills which they can use to improve learners' results and their relationships with educators. The discussion is based on data from the implementation of a coaching-based teaching methodology comprising 3 modules which deal with different aspects of coaching. The modules were piloted and evaluated on the basis of their overall effectiveness, and teachers' and learners' development. The participants in the study included 39 educators working in educational institutions in 6 European countries. The analysis is based on data collected by means of questionnaires for the participants, post-piloting focus-groups and individual interviews. The findings suggest improvement in teacher – student relationships, creativity, motivation, goal-setting, and job satisfaction. In terms of benefits for teachers, the highest values were given to the development of professional competence, and improving the effectiveness of teaching. In terms of module content, the participants preferred the linear progression from general to specific, thus choosing to focus on coaching essentials and basic coaching skills before moving on to their application in working with learners. In their feedback the participants singled out the topics of self-reflection, active listening and focusing on solutions as most interesting and useful. As for modules' usefulness for learners' development, the highest values were given to learners' ability to set goals, followed by improving creativity, improving communication, and increasing motivation.


This research describes an ontology design pattern for dynamically conceptualizing, establishing, tracking, and updating relative relationships and dependencies between entities (real or representational) of a physical, temporal, and/or importance scope. We present a Relative Relationship (RR) Pattern, associated axioms, an implementation of current geometric scale translation research, a detailed example, and suggestions for other potential use cases. It provides data hooks that allow dynamic updating of linked data as changes occur in preference systems, scaling systems, or time expiration parameters; additionally, it separates the false notion that level of detail is always synonymous with scope. Furthermore, we discuss how this design pattern potentially acts as an intermediate step to assist the transition between open linked-data and decision support frameworks that need to readily update changes within the accurate data over modern, distributed data access points.


Please note that there is an error in Table 2 of the February 2015 article "Assessment of Intracranial Collaterals on CT Angiography in Anterior Circulation Acute Ischemic Stroke" by Yeo et al (AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2015;36:289 –94, originally published on-line on October 16, 2014, doi:10.3174/ajnr.A4117). The population of patients with good collaterals by Miteff scoring with good outcomes has been switched with the population with poor outcomes. The corrected Table 2 is reproduced below with the corrected segment shown in bold. The authors apologize for the error.


In the hyperendemic areas of Ethiopia there is severe tropical malaria, "cerebral malaria" which is frequently followed by complications as malaria coma or malaria algide. The authors followed up the clinical course and causes of malaria coma in 25 patients, including in 10 dead subjects. The development of malaria coma is chiefly associated with untimely diagnosis, patients' late admissions, and inadequate prehospital treatment. The current and past diseases may be regarded as factors aggravating the disease.