BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
In recent years fludarabine alone or in combination with other drugs has been reported to be effective in the treatment of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL), both as first line and salvage therapy. Among the different combination regimens, the association of fludarabine and cyclophosphamide has shown a considerable therapeutic efficacy, although a relevant number of infectious complications have been described, particularly in elderly patients. The aim of this work was to evaluate the efficacy, the toxicity, and the incidence of infectious episodes of a regimen combining lower doses of fludarabine and cyclophosphamide in elderly patients with B-CLL refractory to conventional therapy.

DESIGN AND METHODS
Twenty patients with progressive B-CLL with a median age of 75 years (4 in stage B and 16 in stage C) and refractory to conventional therapy were enrolled in this study. The combination regimen was as follows: fludarabine 15 mg/m2/day i.v. [max 25 mg] and cyclophosphamide 200 mg/m2/day i.v. for four days.

RESULTS
All patients enrolled were evaluable for response. Three out of 20 (15%) patients achieved a complete remission (CR), 14/20 (70%) a partial response (PR) with an overall response rate (CR+PR) of 85%, according to National Cancer Institute-Working Group response criteria. Three patients were considered resistant. In four out of 20 patients (20%), a severe neutropenia (neutrophils < 0.5x10(9)/L) occurred and one of them developed an infectious complication which required treatment with systemic antibiotics and granulocyte colony- stimulating factor (G-CSF). Non-hematologic toxicity was negligible in all patients but one, who despite a adequate therapy with allopurinol and hydration, experienced a tumor lysis syndrome with transient but severe renal impairment.

INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS
The association of low-dose fludarabine and cyclophosphamide appeared to be effective in this subset of B-CLL patients, reproducing a similar overall response rate obtained with other fludarabine-based combination therapies. In addition, in this group of elderly patients, toxic side effects were negligible and infectious complications remarkably low.


The purpose of this research is to figure out the significant factors that appear to advertising practices by the restaurants of Bangladesh in Dhaka city. A total of 300 questionnaires were distributed to the consumers of various restaurants in Dhaka city. Finally, 250 questionnaires became validated and tested for further statistical analysis. Apart from demographic analysis exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and multiple regressions were conducted for testing the hypotheses. Through the literature review three factors have identified. These are encouragement of good deeds, morality and truthfulness. Among all the important variables morality and truthfulness of advertising practices plays the most significant factor among the respondents followed by encouragement of good deeds. In addition most of the respondents confirmed that most of the restaurants do not practices decent advertisement and need more supervision by the higher authority. The paper applies knowledge from the area of Islamic advertising which offer a holistic view in understanding factors that are very significant to understand the advertising practices by the restaurant in Bangladesh. It is hoped that the findings of this study will assist the restaurant in what they can produce their services and how they want to promote their services as well to their target consumers'.


Background: The medical management of a preterm birth is a challenge, and there is not a definite consensus on how to deal with this situation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of delivery room (DR) management on clinical condition (temperature, peripheral oxygen saturation, blood glucose level, hemoglobin level, mean blood pressure and pH) on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) admission of preterm infants born before 27+0 weeks of gestational age (GA).
Methods: This study was performed among all preterm infants with a GA between 23+0 and 26+6 weeks admitted to the Level III NICU of Centro Hospitalar Universitario de Sao Joao (Porto, Portugal) between 1st January 2005 and 31st December 2018. Maternal demographics, gestation information, infants' characteristics, DR and NICU data were evaluated.
Results: A total of 65 preterm neonates were included in this study. The admission pH was associated to the administration of epinephrine in DR (B = -0.786; p = 0.003; 95%CI [-1.282; -0.290]); blood glucose level to body weight at birth (B = 0.253; p = 0.006; 95%CI [0.078; 0.428]) and epinephrine in DR (B = 72.719; p = 0.02; 95%CI [12.530; 132.908]); body temperature to epinephrine administrated in DR (B = -1.703; p = 0.001; 95%CI [-2.692; -0.714]); and hemoglobin level to early continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in DR (B = 6.008; p = 0.013; 95%CI [1.356; 10.660]).
Conclusion: DR procedures can have negative or positive effects on early outcomes of preterm newborns. It is crucial to research more about their impact to optimize the NICU management of this particular and challenging neonatal group and support the neonatologists' clinical decisions.


Preliminary results from the D{null} experiment on jet production with forward rapidity gaps in {ital p{anti p}} collisions are presented. A class of dijet events with a forward rapidity gap is observed at center-of-mass energies {radical}s = 1800 GeV and 630 GeV. The number of events with rapidity gaps at both center-of-mass energies is significantly greater than the expectation from multiplicity fluctuations and is consistent with a hard single diffractive process. A small class of events with two forward gaps and central dijets is also observed at 1800 GeV. This topology is consistent with hard double pomeron exchange.


Abstract From its founding by Andrew Taylor Still, MD, DO, through the work of many contributors, one of the cornerstones of osteopathic medicine has been its ability to aid health by promoting neuromuscular homeostasis. As part of the understanding of osteopathic medicine since the time of Still, the proper functioning of stretch receptor organs (SROs) of skeletal muscle have been recognized as having a central role in this homeostasis. In doing so, the complexities of these numerous and vital sensors are described, including recent findings regarding their structure, function, and the nature of their neural connections. In their homeostatic role, SROs conduct information centrally for integration in proprioceptive and autonomic reflexes. By virtue of their integral role in muscle reflexes, they are putatively involved in somatic dysfunction and segmental facilitation. In reviewing some well-established knowledge regarding the SRO and introducing more recent scientific findings, an attempt is made to offer insights on how this knowledge may be applied to better understand somatic dysfunction.


No single acoustic parameter is believed to characterize solely voice individuality. A perceptual experiment has been performed concerning the voice individuality of human speech sounds making use of an analysis–synthesis method which is capable of independent manipulation of formant frequencies, bandwidths, and pitch frequencies. Pitch and formant frequencies are the two most important acoustic parameters for speech science and technology. This experiment has been performed to examine which parameter carries more information or is more robust, in terms of voice individuality, against acoustic distortion. Experimental results reveal that the perception of voice individuality is far more sensitive to the formant frequencies than the pitch frequency. Only a few percent shift of all formant frequencies, either toward the high‐frequency region or toward low frequency, from the original values has been found to lose the voice individuality almost 100% while pitch frequency does not. Pitch frequency has been fo...


We study a sample of 43 early-type galaxies, selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) because they appeared to have velocity dispersions of σ≥ 350 km s−1. High-resolution photometry in the SDSS i passband using the High-Resolution Channel of the Advanced Camera for Surveys on board the Hubble Space Telescope shows that just less than half of the sample is made up of superpositions of two or three galaxies, so the reported velocity dispersion is incorrect. The other half of the sample is made up of single objects with genuinely large velocity dispersions. None of these objects has σ larger than 426 ± 30 km s−1. These objects define rather different size–, mass– and density–luminosity relations than the bulk of the early-type galaxy population; for their luminosities, they are the smallest, most massive and densest galaxies in the Universe. Although the slopes of the scaling relations they define are rather different from those of the bulk of the population, they lie approximately parallel to those of the bulk at fixed σ. This suggests that these objects are simply the large-σ extremes of the early-type population; they are not otherwise unusual. These objects appear to be of two distinct types. The less luminous (Mr > −23) objects are rather flattened, and their properties suggest some amount of rotational support. While this may complicate interpretation of the SDSS velocity dispersion estimate, and hence estimates of their dynamical mass and density, we argue that these objects are extremely dense for their luminosities, suggesting merger histories with abnormally large amounts of gaseous dissipation. The more luminous objects (Mr < −23) tend to be round and to lie in or at the centres of clusters. Their circular isophotes, large velocity dispersions and environments are consistent with the hypothesis that they are brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs). Models in which BCGs form from predominantly radial mergers having little angular momentum predict that they should be prolate. If viewed along the major axis, such objects would appear to have abnormally large velocity dispersions for their sizes, and to be abnormally round for their luminosities. This is true of the objects in our sample, once we account for the fact that the most luminous galaxies (Mr < −23.5), and BCGs, become slightly less round with increasing luminosity. Thus, the shapes of the most luminous galaxies suggest that they formed from radial mergers, and the shapes of the most luminous objects in our large-σ sample suggest that they are the densest of these objects, viewed along the major axis.


There is a critical spatial component in the emerging cooperative Russian planning model for economic growth across the federation. Although in Russia, as in the EU, this spatial modeling for joint action and cooperation has not entirely displaced the older model of competitive fiscal federalism and public policy doctrine of the 1980s, the newer cooperative model, emerging from the globalization of supply chains and cross-regional externalities, encourages integration rather than competition within larger functional macro-spaces. It embraces both cross-regional and cross-national pooling of human and other resources. There has been considerable Russian research on regional integration (Shishkov, 2001; Butorina, 2011; Kolesov, 1996; Kulikov, 2002) and internationalization (Vardomskiy, 2002; Kosolapov, 2005; Belousov, 2011; Skatershchikova et al., 2002; Tsygankov, 2004). This paper contributes to the existing research by developing a new database to map the strategies of regional authorities. In this paper, we develop three case studies to show program development and implementation of bilateral and multi-lateral strategies. Our information represents a complete survey of selected regions from the material available at this time, showing design and strategy, and some implementation. Our survey is the first attempt we are aware of that traces the new cross-regional arrangements.


LPTransition (lptransition.uclouvain.be) is a pluri-disciplinary, trans-sectorial and community-driven scientific research platform, created in 2015. Its specific purpose is to support existing research projects at the Universite catholique de Louvain on ecological and social transition with a transdisciplinary perspective (that is, in close cooperation with social partners and stemming from the social innovations that these actors initiate). Our vision is that production, translation and dissemination of knowledge for social and ecological transition requires close partnerships between researchers and practitioners during the entire research process. The end goal of such partnerships is to produce both better science and more socially robust knowledge. This paper will look back at and reflect on the platform's first year of work with transition movements in the agri-food system. More in particular, we will evaluate and discuss three types of projects currently supported by the platform: (1) the framing of phd dissertations completed in partnership with social movements, (2) the collective programming and evaluation of transdisciplinary research, (3) the organization of transdisciplinary workshops aiming at facilitating co-production of knowledge, in particular on community-supported agriculture.


Abstract The basic analysis of long-term wind characteristics and wind energy resources in the Barents Sea was carried out from 1996 to 2015 based on the ERA-Interim reanalysis dataset from ECMWF. In recent years, it has been possible to exploit the wind power resources in the Barents Sea at the hub height due to the sea ice cover retreat in the northeast direction. Based on the NSDIC monthly sea ice concentration data, the entire Barents Sea has been partitioned into the ice-free zone and the ice zone. Spatial and temporal distributions of the mean monthly and annual wind speed and wind power density are presented in both zones. Seven points were selected at different locations in the ice-free zone so as to obtain and study the wind roses, the interannual wind power variation and the annual average net electric energy output. For extreme wind speed parameters, the Pearson type III distribution provides better fitness of annual speed extrema and the Gumbel distribution performs well with higher speeds at longer return periods.


The ongoing "hidden in plain sight" geoengineering operations including the pervasive, near global spraying of ultrafine particles into the troposphere pose an existential risk to the biosphere and humanity. Likewise, bioengineering and genetic manipulation of potential pandemic pathogens with associated accidental or deliberate release represents a dire risk to the modern world. Compelling evidence to date indicates that the chimeric structure and added furin cleavage site of SARS-CoV-2 was the result of human manipulation in the laboratory. Coronavirus and vaccine patents indicate a foreknowledge of the COVID-19 pandemic, which conveniently serves the interests of the global elites. The new COVID-19 vaccines, hailed as the answer to the pandemic, have potential toxicity, fail to prevent transmission, drive the development of new variants, and over time may predispose recipients to antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) of infection. Other important technological threats include Internet-based censorship, nano-particulate pollution, electro-pollution and the massive amounts of electromagnetic energy inflicted on humans and Earth's natural environment. A Technology Bill of Rights is critically needed to protect humanity and salvage what remains of earth's life support systems.


We propose a novel hardware and software co-exploration framework for efficient neural architecture search (NAS). Different from existing hardware-aware NAS which assumes a fixed hardware design and explores the NAS space only, our framework simultaneously explores both the architecture search space and the hardware design space to identify the best neural architecture and hardware pairs that maximize both test accuracy and hardware efficiency. Such a practice greatly opens up the design freedom and pushes forward the Pareto frontier between hardware efficiency and test accuracy for better design tradeoffs. The framework iteratively performs a two-level (fast and slow) exploration. Without lengthy training, the fast exploration can effectively fine-tune hyperparameters and prune inferior architectures in terms of hardware specifications, which significantly accelerates the NAS process. Then, the slow exploration trains candidates on a validation set and updates a controller using the reinforcement learning to maximize the expected accuracy together with the hardware efficiency. In this article, we demonstrate that the co-exploration framework can effectively expand the search space to incorporate models with high accuracy, and we theoretically show that the proposed two-level optimization can efficiently prune inferior solutions to better explore the search space. The experimental results on ImageNet show that the co-exploration NAS can find solutions with the same accuracy, 35.24% higher throughput, 54.05% higher energy efficiency, compared with the hardware-aware NAS.


With the increase of the amount of data and users in the information systems, the requirement of data integrity is needed to be improved as well, so the work has become necessary independently. One important element in the information system is a key of authentication schemes, which is used as a message authentication code (MAC). One technique to produce a MAC is based on using a hash function and is referred to as a HMAC.MD5 represents one efficient algorithms for hashing the data, then, the purpose of implementatio n and used this algorithm is to give them some privacy in the application. Where they become independent work accessories as much as possible, but what is necessary, such as RAM and the pulse generator. Therefore, we focus on the application of VHDL for implement and computing to MD5 for data integrity checking method and to ensure that the data of an information system is in a correct state. The implementation of MD5 algorithm by using Xilinx-spartan-3A XCS1400AFPGA, with 50 MHz internal clock is helping for satisfies the above requirements.


First and foremost, this contribution offers (1) a structural and rhetorical reading of the debates on the third day between Clement and Appion in the Pseudo-Clementine Homilies (Hom. 6) and shows that there is a well-considered rhetorical ring structure in their disputes. Connected with this first point (2), the suggested reading will unravel how Clement and Appion use and manipulate their sophisticated rhetoric, linked to this particular structure. This is well worth considering since these debates deal with Greek paideia, which means culture and above all education, of which rhetorical education forms part. The rhetorical features will be displayed as a fine product of the rhetorical and even sophistic background in Late Antiquity. Clement, moreover, will present himself as a master in rhetoric against Appion, who is presented as a sophist and grammarian in the novel. Finally (3), the focus on the narrative structure of and the rhetorical dynamics in Hom. 6. will contribute to a better understanding of these disputes between Appion and Clement (Hom. 4-6) and their function in the novel generally.


The most common detachment‐limited river incision models ignore the effects of sediment on fluvial erosion, yet steep reaches of mountain rivers often host clusters of large (>1 m) blocks. We argue that this distribution of blocks is a manifestation of an autogenic negative feedback in which fast vertical river incision steepens adjacent hillslopes, which deliver blocks to the channel. Blocks inhibit incision by shielding the bed and enhancing form drag. We explore this feedback with a 1‐D channel‐reach model in which block delivery by hillslopes depends on the river incision rate. Results indicate that incision‐dependent block delivery can explain the block distribution in Boulder Creek, Colorado. The proposed negative feedback may significantly slow knickpoint retreat, channel adjustment, and landscape response compared to rates predicted by current theory. The influence of hillslope‐derived blocks may complicate efforts to extract base level histories from river profiles.


Cicero's first major triumph was the prosecution of Caius Verres for misgovernment in Sicily. This speech was given in the second part of the trial and shows the development of Cicero's rhetoric. This edition communicates the literary flavour of the original and discusses the historical and political background to the trial, with examination of noteworthy textual cruces and problems of interpretation. The book presents Latin text with facing-page English translation, introduction and commentary.


We presented two American black bears (Ursus americanus) with a serial list learning memory task, and one of the bears with a matching-to-sample task. After extended training, both bears demonstrated some success with the memory task but failed to generalize the overarching rule of the task to novel stimuli. Matching to sample proved even more difficult for our bear to learn. We conclude that, despite previous success in training bears to respond to natural categories, quantity discriminations, and other related tasks, that bears may possess a cognitive limitation with regards to learning abstract rules. Future tests using different procedures are necessary to determine whether this is a limit of bears' cognitive capacities, or a limitation of the current tasks as presented. Future tests should present a larger number of varying stimuli. Ideally, bears of various species should be tested on these tasks to demonstrate species as well as individual differences.


This response essay engages the three book discussion essays by Shanna Jean-Baptiste, Grace Sanders Johnson, and Tobias Warner on the author's Reimagining Liberation: How Black Women Transformed Citizenship in the French Empire (2020). Building on the speculative and archival methods undertaken by the three respondents, Joseph-Gabriel returns to underexplored primary sources to stage an encounter between the Haitian writer Marie Vieux Chauvet and the Martinican writer Suzanne Césaire. The resulting conversation considers alternate possibilities for reading disorder, defiance, and imagined new worlds in Black women's literary production and political thought.


The work done in this thesis is related to the project 3DStrain the overall objective of which is to develop a generic framework for the parietal and regional tracking of the left ventricle and to adapt it the 3D + t cardiac imaging modalities used in clinical routine (3D ultrasound, SPECT, cine MRI). We worked on the parietal motion and myocardial deformation. We made the state-of-the-art on motion estimation approaches in general and on methods applied to imaging modalities in clinical practice to quantify myocardial deformation taking into account their specificities and limitations. We focused on tracking methods that optimize the similarity between the intensities between consecutive images of a sequence to estimate the spatial velocity field. They are based on the assumption of the invariance of image gray level (or optical flow) and regularization terms are used to solve the aperture problem. We proposed a regularization term well suited to physical and physiological properties of myocardial motion. The advantage of the proposed approach relies on its flexibility to estimate the dense field of myocardial motion on image sequences over the cardiac cycle. Motion is estimated while preserving myocardial wall discontinuities. However, the data similarity term used in our method is based only on the intensity of the image. It properly estimates the displacement field especially in the radial direction as the movement of circumferential twist is hardly visible on cine MRI in short axis view, the data we used for performing the experiments. To make the estimation more robust, we proposed a dynamic evolution model for the cardiac contraction and relaxation to introduce the temporal constraint ofthe dynamics of the heart. This model helps to estimate not only the dense field of myocardial displacement, but also other parameters of myocardial contractility (the contraction phase and asymmetry between systole and diastole) in variational data assimilation formalism. Automatic estimation of deformation and myocardial contractibility (the strain, phase and asymmetry) was validated against the cardiological and radiological expertise (Dr Elisabeth Coupez and Dr Lucie Cassagnes, CHU Clermont-Ferrand) through semi-quantitative scores of contraction called Wall Motion Score (WMS) and Wall Thickening Index (WTI). The proposed method provides promising results for both motion estimation results and the diagnosis indices for evaluation of myocardial dyskinesia. In order to gain in robustness and accuracy, it is necessary to perform the measurement of strain and indices of myocardial contraction precisely inside endocardial and epicardial walls. Therefore, we conducted a collaborative work with Kevin Bianchi, another PhD student on the project 3DStrain and we proposed a method of coupling of myocardial segmentation by deformable models and estimation of myocardial motion in a variational data assimilation framework.


Individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have an increased risk of bone fragility fractures compared to nondiabetic subjects. This increased fracture risk may occur despite normal or even increased values of bone mineral density (BMD), and poor bone quality is suggested to contribute to skeletal fragility in this population. These concepts explain why the only evaluation of BMD could not be considered an adequate tool for evaluating the risk of fracture in the individual T2DM patient. Unfortunately, nowadays, the bone quality could not be reliably evaluated in the routine clinical practice. On the other hand, getting further insight on the pathogenesis of T2DM-related bone fragility could consent to ameliorate both the detection of the patients at risk for fracture and their appropriate treatment. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the increased risk of fragility fractures in a T2DM population are complex. Indeed, in T2DM, bone health is negatively affected by several factors, such as inflammatory cytokines, muscle-derived hormones, incretins, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) production and cortisol secretion, peripheral activation, and sensitivity. All these factors may alter bone formation and resorption, collagen formation, and bone marrow adiposity, ultimately leading to reduced bone strength. Additional factors such as hypoglycemia and the consequent increased propensity for falls and the direct effects on bone and mineral metabolism of certain antidiabetic medications may contribute to the increased fracture risk in this population. The purpose of this review is to summarize the literature evidence that faces the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying bone fragility in T2DM patients.


An increasing number of manufacturing businesses are placing direct emphasis on operations management as a means of achieving competitive success in the contemporary performance measures of quality, speed and price. The use of information technology (IT) and business systems as a strategic weapon can be seen as a basis for achieving this end.
The capabilities that manufacturing companies need to acquire in this situation include flexibility and innovation. Flexibility implies the ability to change swiftly and effectively, while innovation means the ability to renew and update products quickly. Packaged, advanced business systems such as Material Requirements Planning (MRP) can provide some of the above capabilities. This paper considers the transition from the identification of key business strategies to the choice of computer systems and supporting implementation techniques. The resource constraints of small companies are identified and the implications of these considered, leading to a choice of specification and implementation for an industrial case study. The paper investigates the business requirements for the application and implementation of a packaged, MRP-based system in a small manufacturing company and suggests a conceptual framework based on experiences, to-date at the study company. This work is further supported by a small survey of similar companies and by the Teaching Company Directorate.


The development objective of the National Water Project for Zimbabwe is to improve access and efficiency in water services in selected growth centers and to strengthen planning and regulation capacity for the water and sanitation sector. Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: (1) avoiding unnecessary movements and pulling of equipment on the ground; (2) avoid cutting down trees. Where trees are cut, replant as close as possible in terms of species and location; (3) sprinkle water on soil and backfill trenches immediately; (4) filter integrity to be maintained and a dedicated backwash mains and lined backwash ponds; (5) provide adequate protective clothing and awareness; and (6) ensure water is available for a minimum of 8 hours every day during school time.


In the first year of the Clinton administration, President Clinton's White House staff was engaged in a heated discussion of the administration's economic stimulus package and its plight in the Congress. While some White House staffers urged moderation and compromise with the Republicans over this issue, Senator Byrd (D-WV) was adamantly supporting the president's original position without modifications. In frustration the president exclaimed, "I don't know this place.... He's been around here almost as long as I've been alive.... How do I not go with him?"(1) The president was clearly frustrated and he would become equally frustrated when he discovered that his advisers failed to inform him of the effect of the discretionary budget caps negotiated in the 1990 budget deal on his economic investment plan.(2) The story is not unique to the Clinton administration. David Stockman relates the story of President Reagan's campaign promise to increase military spending. Upon entering office, Stockman quickly understood what effect the fulfillment of this promise would have on the budget deficit, for it would come after President Carter had already increased the defense budget.(3) Newly elected presidents almost always feel frustrated and inadequate in their dealings with the Congress. Washington is unfamiliar territory for presidents, especially if their only experience was at the gubernatorial level of government. The key to a successful first year in the White House is advanced planning and learning during the transition period from one administration to another. This period lasts eleven weeks, just seventy-seven days. It is a frightfully short period of time to adjust to the Washington culture. Yet, failure to do so will inevitably result in policy failures for the president. This article will examine the problems and pitfalls associated with modem presidential transitions. Our analysis will concentrate mainly on presidential transitions from one party to another, although we do recognize that there are unique transition problems involving presidents succeeding former presidents of the same party or same-party presidents inheriting the presidency either through death or scandal. First, we will present a useful framework for analyzing modem presidential transitions. Second, we will examine modem presidencies from Carter to Clinton and discuss just how they have grappled with the problems of transition. In this effort we will pay particular attention to the problems of foreign policy. Third, we shall draw a few lessons from this comparative review. Fourth, we shall catalogue some of the assistance available to presidents during the transition phase of governing. Finally, we shall describe the problems associated with this assistance and suggest reforms aimed at helping modem presidents complete a successful transition. Modern Presidential Transitions: A Framework for Analysis Richard Neustadt has warned of the perils facing incoming presidential administrations in their transition phase.(4) Most first-term presidents are new to the presidential policy process; thus, they are prone to be caught by surprise by events in the domestic or foreign policy realm. This is especially the case with successful presidential candidates who have campaigned as Washington outsiders. Second, most presidents will face pressures to act, perhaps in haste, to developing problems. New administrations face the pressure of time to achieve policy accomplishments with limited political capital. In fact, as Paul Light has warned, presidents must push their domestic policy agenda through the Congress before losing precious political capital during their first year in office.(5) Third, most presidents will face the problem of hubris, or the feeling that they or their administration know best how to organize and respond to policy problems.(6) This feeling of hubris can lead to a fourth problem of naivete concerning both the Washington policy and political process. …


The frequency and the extent of damages caused by network attacks have been actually increasing greatly in recent years, although many approaches to avoiding and detecting attacks have been proposed in the community of network security. Thus, how to fast detect actual or potential attacks has become an urgent issue. Among the detection strategies, behavior-based ones, which use normal access patterns learned from reference data (e.g., History traffic) to detect new attacks, have attracted attention from many researchers. In each of all such strategies, a learning algorithm is necessary and plays a key role. Obviously, whether the learning algorithm can extract the normal behavior modes properly or not directly influence the detection result. However, some parameters have to determine in advance in the existing learning algorithms, which is not easy, even not feasible, in many actual applications. For example, even in the newest learning algorithm, which called FHST learning algorithm in this study, two parameters are used and they are difficult to be determined in advance. In this study, we propose a parameter less learning algorithm for the first time, in which no parameters are used. The efficiency of our proposal is verified by experiment. Although the proposed learning algorithm in this study is designed for detecting port scans, it is obviously able to be used to other behavior-based detections.


A commonly occurring computation idiom in neural networks is to perform some pointwise operations on the result of a matrix multiplication. Such a sequence of operations is typically represented as a computation graph in deep learning compilers. When compiling to a GPU target, these computations can be individually mapped to manually tuned implementations provided by libraries such as cuBLAS and cuDNN. These libraries also provide off-the-shelf support for targeting tensor cores in NVIDIA GPUs, which can lead to huge performance boosts through their specialized support for mixed-precision matrix math. Alternatively, tensor cores can be programmed directly using CUDA APIs or inline assembly instructions, which opens up the possibility of generating efficient CUDA kernels automatically for such computations.
Automatic kernel generation is particularly crucial when it is beneficial to generate efficient code for an entire computation graph by fusing several operations into a single device function instead of invoking a separate kernel for each of them. Polyhedral compilation techniques provide a systematic approach for the analysis and transformation of a sequence of affine loop-nests. In this paper, we describe a polyhedral approach to generate efficient CUDA kernels for matrix multiplication using inline assembly instructions for programming tensor cores on NVIDIA Volta GPUs. Furthermore, we build on this approach to generate fused kernels for computation sequences involving matrix multiplication and pointwise operations such as bias addition, ReLU activation etc. Experimental evaluation of these techniques show that automatically generated kernels can provide significantly better performance than manually tuned library implementations, with speedups ranging up to 2.55X.


The notions of manipulator layout, layout center, layout length, and layout conditioning for any serial-type robotic manipulators are discussed. The motivation behind these concepts is the devising of a kinetostatic performance index to serve in the optimum dimensioning of the geometric parameters of serial manipulators. Based on these definitions, a measure of manipulator conditioning is devised that is highly suited for the intended tasks of manipulator design. Moreover, this performance index is substantially less expensive to compute than other measures of kinematic conditioning.


Biological complexity, inaccessible anatomical location, nonspecific symptoms, lack of a screening biomarker, advanced disease at presentation and drug resistance epitomise pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) as a poor-prognosis, lethal disease. Twenty-five years of research (basic, translational and clinical) have barely made strides to improve survival, mainly because of a fundamental lack of knowledge of the biological processes initiating and propagating PDA. However, isolation of pancreas cancer stem cells or progenitors, whole-genome sequencing for driver mutations, advances in functional imaging, mechanistic dissection of the desmoplastic reaction and novel targeted therapies are likely to shed light on how best to treat PDA. Here we summarise current knowledge and areas where the field is advancing, and give our opinion on the research direction the field should be focusing on to better deliver promising therapies for our patients.


Integrating sustainability into an undergraduate engineering program at the University of Technology, Sydney has been a challenging project. The authors of this paper have been participant observers of the integration process. In this paper, they have attempted an analysis of that process, focussing on the dynamics of the network of people and interests, which have shaped the process. Actor network theory was used to provide an analytical framework for the analysis. The interests and experiences of the authors in the process necessarily influence the analysis. All three authors have been active in positioning sustainability as a central theme for the critique and practice of engineering. Paul Bryce and Stephen Johnston have had long‐standing involvement in technology transfer projects in development. Both have published on engineering as a social activity, critiquing the undue emphasis in engineering education on engineering science, at the expense of attention to engineering practice. Their experience and scholarship have given credibility to their efforts in the faculty to press for a new paradigm of engineering practice. Keiko Yasukawa is an educational developer in the faculty who has been working with staff and students to help them reflect on their idea of what engineering is about in their teaching and learning. She has taken a leading role in shaping the new curriculum.


We discuss small perturbations on the self-accelerated solution of the Dvali–Gabadadze–Porrati model, and argue that claims of instability of the solution that are based on linearized calculations are unwarranted because of the following. (1) Small perturbations of an empty self-accelerated background can be quantized consistently without yielding ghosts. (2) Conformal sources, such as radiation, do not give rise to instabilities either. (3) A typical non-conformal source could introduce ghosts in the linearized approximation and become unstable; however, it also invalidates the approximation itself. Such a source creates a halo of variable curvature that locally dominates over the self-accelerated background and extends over a domain in which the linearization breaks down. Perturbations that are valid outside the halo may not continue inside, as is suggested by some non-perturbative solutions. (4) In the Euclidean continuation of the theory, with arbitrary sources, we derive certain constraints imposed by the second order equations on first order perturbations, thus restricting the linearized solutions that could be continued to the full non-linear theory. Naive linearized solutions fail to satisfy the above constraints. (5) Finally, we clarify in detail subtleties associated with the boundary conditions and analytic properties of the Green's functions.


Introduced by a few small religious liberal-arts colleges in the 1940s, the reformist movement toward studying peace has recently gained momentum in larger academic auditoriums. The author cites prominent academicians currently examining this trend and presents the case for accepting grass-roots social activism as a crucial link to the closed world of policy-making elites. He places faith in individual thinkers to provide new insights and practical theories of peace studies in both national and international domains.


Festivals are part of living in India and are known for bringing upliftment in moods and well beings of individuals. With the changing lifestyle in metros, young generations are in transition of adopting new modern cultural and food habits such as dining out. The present paper studies the impact of Navratras festival on subjective wellbeing of vegetarian customers in fast food joints and hotels. The paper employed a survey research design and convenient critical analysis from vegetarian customers and hoteliers. The sample (N250) was customers in all categories hotels and fast food joints in Delhi NCR. Data was collected using questions adapted from standardized tool of Sell and Nagpal's The Subjective Wellbeing Inventory (1992) and an interview schedule was adopted. Findings revealed that celebrating Navratras outside reflects changing life style and has a positive impact on customers' subjective wellbeing. Int. J. Soc. Sci. Manage. Vol-2, issue-4: 333-338


Residential design and construction relies heavily on construction documentation to convey not only form and function, but also to aid in the estimation and marketing of the structure. If done with traditional methods, residential design and construction requires many people and hours to gather the data in useful forms. The traditional documents that are necessary for the construction processes are the estimate, bill of material and construction documents or working drawings. Furthermore, technology is providing marketing alternatives such as three-dimensional models for visualization, simulation and spatial analysis. In today's extremely competitive construction market, it is logical to identify ways to combine tasks in order to save time and money. The advent of Computer Aided Design in the construction process has saved an abundance of time and energy, but these tools are not being utilized to their full potential. Some designers and architects are simply trading in their board and T-square for a mouse and a monitor, but the idea of a computer is to advance current practices, not just be an alternative method. The computer, if utilized correctly, can create not only the traditional two-dimensional data, but also three-dimensional information that can provide construction documentation and marketing requirements. The availability of multiple AEC products can make it very hard for the user to select the correct application for their company. This leads us to research in the comparison of the products available. In this paper, we have chosen to compare and contrast "geometric modelers" versus "parametric modelers" to show the benefits and drawbacks of each.


The action of cohabitation to be one of criminal to criminalize the thing wich has recently based the concept of penal law, because cohabitation is regarded as the action wich does not agree with the tradition and religius norm applying in Indonesia. Moreever, cohabitation could categorized as social desease. It so happens, the problem wich is being discussed in this short paper seeking the problem on the importance of criminalization toward the cohabitation viewed from the penal law policy and also the use of penal law implementation in anticipacing and resolving the case of cohabitation in Indonesia. It show that the criminalization of cohabitation should be conducted accordingly as the action of cohabitation, because is not compliant agree with the tradition and religius norm applying in Indonesia. Beside, criminalization should stand on the substance/element of value, justice and the law supremacy so that it can be implemented in the form of to reflect the identity of Indonesia. The methodolody used in this research is normative yuridical one wich means to focus on the researc of library research.


This paper examines a biologically-inspired representation technique designed for the support of sensory-motor learning in developmental robotics. An interesting feature of the many topographic neural sheets in the brain is that closely packed receptive fields must overlap in order to fully cover a spatial region. This raises interesting scientific questions with engineering implications: e.g. is overlap detrimental? does it have any benefits? This paper examines the effects and properties of overlap between elements arranged in arrays or maps. In particular we investigate how overlap affects the representation and transmission of spatial location information on and between topographic maps. Through a series of experiments we determine the conditions under which overlap offers advantages and identify useful ranges of overlap for building mappings in cognitive robotic systems. Our motivation is to understand the phenomena of overlap in order to provide guidance for application in sensory-motor learning robots.


DYSPNEA is a sensation, a symptom, a complaint on the part of the patient of not being able to breathe enough or having to breathe too much, or, simply, an abnormal, uncomfortable feeling during breathing. Exertional dyspnea is the most common symptom of patients with pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases and the diseases of the pulmonary circulation. Since dyspnea during exercise precedes dyspnea at rest, exercise testing can expose cardiovascular and lung disease at an earlier stage if the patient is examined during exercise. Our understanding of the factors that cause dyspnea with exercise has greatly improved since measurement of gas exchange and ventilation during exercise has been made reliable and easy by the development of new transducers and minicomputers. Not only has insight been gained into the mechanisms of dyspnea, but we have learned how to use exercise tests to distinguish between its various clinical causes. This review describes the gas-exchange requirements to perform exercise and how their impair¬ ment might induce dyspnea.


To address the possibility that an abnormality in pancreatic beta-endorphin activity might contribute to abnormal insulin secretion in diabetes mellitus, we studied the effects of beta-endorphin infusion on islet function in diabetic patients. The iv infusion of human beta-endorphin at a dose of 0.5 mg/h for 2 h in type-2 non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients (n = 12) raised plasma insulin and glucagon levels and slightly but significantly lowered plasma glucose concentrations. beta-Endorphin infusion also resulted in reappearance of a clear-cut acute insulin response to glucose, while second phase insulin release was increased and glucose disposal accelerated. Acute insulin and glucagon responses to arginine were not increased by beta-endorphin, suggesting that the effect of the opioid on the B cells of the diabetic patients is specific for glucose. An intraislet abnormality of opioid peptides action and/or secretion may play a role in the disturbances of insulin secretion in patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus.


The immune system plays a crucial role in maintaining health and protecting the human body against microbial invasions. However, this same system can lead to exaggerated immune and inflammatory responses that result in adverse outcomes known as hypersensitivity reactions. There are four traditional classifications for hypersensitivity reactions, and these include Type I, Type II, Type III, and Type IV reactions: Type I hypersensitivity is also known as an immediate reaction and involves immunoglobulin E (IgE) mediated release of antibodies against the soluble antigen. This results in mast cell degranulation and release of histamine and other inflammatory mediators. Type II hypersensitivity is also known as cytotoxic reactions and engages IgG and IgM antibodies, leading to the complement system activation and cell damage or lysis. Type III hypersensitivity is also known as immune complex reactions and involves IgG, IgM, and sometimes IgA antibodies. The build-up of these immune complexes results in complement system activation, which leads to polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) chemotaxis and eventually causing tissue damage. Type IV hypersensitivity is also known as delayed-type and involves of T-cell-mediated reactions. T-cells or macrophages are activated as a result of cytokine release, leading to tissue damage. There has been a more recent classification introduced by Sell et al. that accounts for multiple components of the immune system and categorizes the reactions into seven parts. However, the focus of this article will be on the classic Type I hypersensitivity reactions.Type I hypersensitivities include atopic diseases, which are an exaggerated IgE mediated immune responses (i.e., allergic: asthma, rhinitis, conjunctivitis, and dermatitis), and allergic diseases, which are immune responses to foreign allergens (i.e., anaphylaxis, urticaria, angioedema, food, and drug allergies). The allergens that result in a type I hypersensitivity may be harmless (i.e., pollen, mites, or foods, drugs, etc.) or more hazardous such as insect venoms. The reaction may be manifested in different areas of the body and may result in instances such as: Nasal allergic rhinitis or hay fever Ocular allergic conjunctivitis, potentially due to seasonal allergens such as pollen or mold spores Dermatological hives, atopic eczema, or erythema Soft tissue angioedema Pulmonary reactions, such as allergic asthma or hypoxia Systemic reaction, which is a life-threatening medical emergency, and also known as anaphylaxis. There are certain risk factors that increase the risk of allergic diseases. These factors include geographical distribution, environmental risks such as pollution or socioeconomic status, genetic predisposition, or the "hygiene hypothesis". The "hygiene hypothesis" suggests that our modern society practices of good hygiene and the lack of early exposure to many microbes or antigens may result in failures of the immune system functionality. As such, the hypothesis suggests that early exposure to a diverse range of microorganisms and antigens may actually lead to overall decreased rates of allergies, asthma, and other immune disorders.


PURPOSE
Despite incessant motion of the retinal image, persons with congenital nystagmus (CN) usually do not report that targets are smeared. The authors investigated whether the brief stationary glimpses of a target that occur during foveation periods in the CN waveform contribute to the alleviation of perceived smear.

METHODS
Retinal image motion simulating that in jerk nystagmus was produced in normal observers (N = 10) who monocularly viewed either a 5-minute or a 1 degree luminous disk reflected from a horizontally oscillating mirror. Contrast sensitivities to detect each target and to perceive the presence of motion smear were determined for two simulated CN waveforms; observers also estimated the length and brightness of perceived smear for several suprathreshold target luminances. One waveform was a 7 degrees, 4-Hz ramp that included 120 msec zero-velocity intervals, simulating the foveation periods in the CN waveform. The second waveform lacked the zero-velocity simulated foveation periods. For comparison, estimates of perceived smear for physically stationary targets were obtained from three observers with CN.

RESULTS
Normal observers' contrast sensitivities for perceiving smear were nearly identical for the simulated CN waveforms with and without a 120-msec foveation period. Estimated length and brightness of perceived smear for suprathreshold targets increased similarly with luminance for both waveforms. Observers with CN reported substantially less smear than did normal observers.

CONCLUSIONS
Glimpses of a stationary retinal image during simulated foveation periods do not attenuate the perception of motion-induced smear in normal observers. In persons with CN, the perception of smear may be reduced by the extraretinal signals that accompany their eye movements.


Abstract This collaborative paper looks at how libraries can engage with and offer leadership in the Open Science movement. It is based on case studies and the results of an EU-funded research project on Research Data Management taken from European research-led universities and their libraries. It begins by analysing three recent trends in Science, and then links component parts of the research process to aspects of Open Science. The paper then looks in detail at four areas and identifies roles for libraries: Open Access and Open Access publishing, Research Data Management, E-Infrastructures (especially the European Open Science Cloud), and Citizen Science. The paper ends in suggesting a model for how libraries, by using a 4-step test, can assess their engagement with Open Science. This 4-step test is based on lessons drawn from the case studies.


A retrospective study was devised to determine the correlation between plain film radiographic findings and computed tomography iohexol myelography in the recognition of lumbar disc protrusion. A group of 61 patients who had chronic low back pain seen in Taitung Mackay Memorial hospital from January 1, 1988 to December 31, 1988 was studied. In comparison of 207 lumbar disc protrusion, reaching an accuracy close to 80% but cannot distinguish between disc bulging or herniation. Spur formation correlated to a lesser extent. Subluxation of facet joints, discogenic sclerosis and vacuum phenomenon were all specific to disc protrusion; however, their rare occurrences have limited their usefulness in the recognition of disc protrusion.


This paper presents the design and evaluation of a Striped File I/O (SFIO) library for parallel I/O within an MPI environment. We present techniques for optimizing communications and disk accesses for small striping factors. Using MPI derived datatype capabilities, we transmit fragmented data over the network by single MPI transfers. We present the I/O performance of the SFIO library on DEC Alpha clusters, both for the Fast Ethernet and for the TNET communication networks.


Safety, security, and privacy are three critical concerns affiliated with the use of drones in everyday life. Considering their ever-shrinking sizes and capabilities, being aware of drone activities in the vicinity becomes an important surveillance item. Therefore, keeping track of drones and preferably their controllers should be included into the already-existing security measures. In this study, a frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) type drone controller signal detection and emitter direction finding framework is proposed to achieve aforementioned goals. Since drone communications signals generally coexist with other FHSS signals in 2.4 GHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band, first, a method based on cyclostationarity analysis is proposed to distinguish the drone radio controller signals from other signals utilizing 2.4 GHz ISM band. Then, a variant of short-term Fourier transform is introduced to extract the parameters of detected drone remote controller signals. The correct hopping signals are then aggregated based on the clustered parameters to obtain their combined baseband equivalent signal. Furthermore, the resampling process is applied to reduce the unrelated samples in the spectrum and represent the spectrum with the reconstructed signal, which has a much lower bandwidth than the spread bandwidth. Finally, two different multiple signal classification algorithms are utilized to estimate the direction of the drone controller relative to the receiving system. In order to validate the overall performance of the proposed method, the introduced framework is implemented on hardware platforms and tested under real-world conditions. A uniform linear antenna array is utilized to capture over-the-air signals in hilly terrain suburban environments by considering both line–of-sight and non–line–of-sight cases. Direction estimation performance is presented in a comparative manner and relevant discussions are provided.


It is of interest to understand damage and failure mechanisms of microcracks and their evolution as a function of loading history, especially in the case of complex loading. Owing to their superior mechanical and physical properties, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) seem to hold a great promise as an ideal reinforcing material for composites of high-strength and low-density. HOWEVER, In most of the experimental results, only modest improvements in the strength and stiffness have been achieved by incorporating carbon nanotubes in polymers. There are many factors that influence the overall mechanical property of CNT-reinforced composites, e.g. the weak bonding between CNTs and matrix, the waviness and agglomeration of CNTs. In the present paper, we use the Mori-Tanaka method to evaluate the effect of these factors on the moduli of CNTs-CNT-reinforced composites. It is established that the waviness and agglomeration may significantly reduce the stiffening effect of CNTs, while the interface between the matrix and CNTs influence the moduli of CNTs-reinforced composites little.In this paper, the frictional sliding of microcracks under complex triaxial loading is analyzed, and the obtained results are incorporated into the constitutive relation of microcrack-weakened brittle materials.


The new standard for DVB-RCS includes guidelines for mobile user in the market of aircraft, maritime and terrestrial transportation. The standard proposed by ETSI suggests the possibility of using a continuous carrier operation mode in the return channel, beside the classical MF-TDMA mode for better adapting the satellite bandwidth to the new requests of mobile users. It can be important a mechanism for switching between these modalities, in order to exploit in a better way the satellite resources. In this paper a proposal of a novel switching mechanism is presented. Simulation campaigns are carried out in order to validate the proposal algorithm considering different user application distributions. Simulation results proof the goodness of the proposal and provide some guidelines to the satellite operators that want to adopt in their satellite system this hybrid mode called by ETSI standard "Basic Mode".


Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), a ligand for endothelial differentiation gene family proteins, is one of the most potent signal mediators released from activated platelets. Here, we report that S1P induces membrane ruffling of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) via the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR), Src family tyrosine kinase(s), and the CrkII adaptor protein. S1P induced prominent phosphorylation of CrkII in HUVECs, indicating that CrkII was involved in the S1P-induced signaling pathway. S1P-induced CrkII phosphorylation was blocked by pertussis toxin and overexpression of the carboxyl terminus of β-adrenergic receptor kinase, indicating that the βγ subunit of Gi was required for the phosphorylation. Notably, the S1P-induced CrkII phosphorylation was also abolished by inhibitors of VEGFR or Src family tyrosine kinases. By using Picchu, a real time monitoring protein for CrkII phosphorylation, we found that S1P induced rapid CrkII phosphorylation at membrane ruffles. Finally, we observed that expression of a dominant negative mutant of CrkII inhibited the S1P-induced membrane ruffling and cell migration. These results delineated a novel S1P signaling pathway that involves sequential activation of Gi-coupled receptor(s), VEGFR, Src family tyrosine kinase(s), and the CrkII adaptor protein, and which is responsible for both the induction of membrane ruffling and the increase in cell motility.


My topic tonight is one which by profession I am hardly qualified to discuss. I am an economist, and my concern with psychoanalysis is only marginal. If nevertheless I am going to speak about "Marxism and Psychoanalysis," it is because as a social scientist and as a Marxist I have to consider the social process as a whole; I have to study the phenomena which play a major role in the social life of our time. And it is a fact which we should face squarely: psychoanalysis today exercises an influence which is probably more pervasive than that of any other doctrine or school of thought which contributes to the formation of our "collective mind." It would be instructive to poll this large audience and to find out how many came here tonight because Marxism appears in the announcement and how many because of their interest in psychoanalysis.This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.


In this paper some of the inconsistencies and limitations of other models in the simulation of the effects of ATIS (Advanced Traveller Information Systems) will be discussed, with particular regard to the impact of pre-trip information on the day-to-day dynamics of transportation systems. An innovative model will be proposed, where the compliance of travellers to ATIS will be considered to be elastic and explicitly modelled; it will be considered both variable within the whole dynamic process and dependent on the accuracy of the information. For the sake of simplicity, a fixed O/D demand will be considered and the effects of ATIS will be taken into account only on route choices. It will be shown that in most cases ATlS cannot be used to optimise the performances of the traffic network (system optimum); rather, travellers are compliant to information only if supplied according to user optimum. The main role of ATIS in recurrent traffic conditions will be shown to be the stabilisation of the transport systems. The first section will introduce the motivations of the proposed model and how they have been addressed in literature, moreover it will anticipate most of the innovative characteristic of the proposed model, as well as the expected accuracy of the results. In the second section the model will be formalised as a dynamic process, which includes explicit simulation of compliance. In the third section the result of some numerical experiments, related to different information strategies, will be presented; moreover, some theoretical analysis will be carried out by determining the stability domain for the dynamic process in presence of information. For the covering abstract see ITRD E129315.


Background: Atraumatic hip instability, or microinstability, is a challenging diagnosis for clinicians to make. Several radiographic parameters have been proposed to help identify patients with instability as a means to direct treatment. The Femoro-epiphyseal Acetabular Roof (FEAR) index was recently offered as a parameter to predict instability in a borderline dysplastic population. Purpose: To evaluate the FEAR index in a series of predominantly nondysplastic patients undergoing hip arthroscopic surgery to determine if it can accurately predict patients with diagnosed microinstability at the time of surgery. Study Design: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2. Methods: A consecutive series of 200 patients undergoing hip arthroscopic surgery were evaluated for microinstability intraoperatively. Microinstability was diagnosed based on previously published criteria. Retrospectively, radiographic parameters were measured including the lateral center edge angle of Wiberg (LCEA), Tönnis angle, physeal scar angle, and FEAR index. Patients were excluded if they previously had any type of bony procedures performed, underwent prior open hip surgery or total hip arthroplasty of the ipsilateral hip, had osteoarthritis (Tönnis grade >1), or had any radiographic features of moderate-to-severe acetabular dysplasia including an LCEA <18°. Results: After applying exclusion criteria, 167 hips in 150 patients were analyzed. Based on an intraoperative assessment, 96 hips (57.5%) were considered stable, and 71 hips (42.5%) had signs of microinstability (unstable group). Patients in the unstable group had fewer radiographic findings of femoroacetabular impingement and higher rates of borderline dysplasia. All 4 measured angles were found to have excellent interobserver agreement. The FEAR index was significantly more positive in the unstable group compared with the stable group (−7.8° vs −11.3°, respectively; P = .004). A more positive FEAR index was also found in patients meeting intraoperative criteria for instability, with the exception of chondral wear pattern. Unstable nondysplastic patients (LCEA ≥25°, Tönnis angle ≤10°) also were found to have higher FEAR index values (−9.0° vs −12.0°, respectively; P = .012). A FEAR index cut-off of −5.0° was associated with a specificity of 92.4% and accuracy of 69.4% for predicting instability in a nondysplastic population. Conclusion: The FEAR index was validated to improve the recognition of unstable patients preoperatively across a population with both borderline dysplastic and nondysplastic features.


Smart tourism is one component of smart village or smart city that aims to improve service quality of tourism. Smart tourism is expected to provide a better tourist experience for tourists by utilizing information technology. The purpose of this study is to develop for a culinary recommendation application to support smart tourism. Simple Multi-Attribute Rating Technique (SMART) was employed to develop the application which is based on geographic information systems. The application gives culinary places' recommendation by considering several attributes, such as facilities, prices, menu variations, and distances (most recommender systems of culinary places do not use distance as the main attribute). In addition, this recommendation system is also one of the solutions in implementing green computing, namely "telecommuting" by reducing transportation emissions. Two test scenarios, namely user acceptance, and accuracy testing have been carried out. The user acceptance testing yielded 75.2% which indicated that the application was good, while the result of the accuracy testing was 83.33% which was considered high.


A frequency-tunable wireless access scheme based on optoelectronic oscillating technology is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. By using this scheme, the frequency of the transmitted wireless signals can be tuned by adjusting the wavelength of the input light. The 1.25 Gb/s on-off keying signals with the carrier frequency of 8–14.5 GHz are generated and transmitted through a radio over fiber link. The envelope detecting technique is employed in the receiver to support the down-conversion and demodulation. Electrical local oscillators are not required in the transmitter and receiver end, which simplifies the system structure and lowers the cost.


Among the medical physics community, there is nowadays a great interest in the possible implementation of scatter imaging techniques, especially in the field of breast imaging. It is well known that malignant lesions and normal tissue differ in their scattering signatures, and thus scattered radiation can provide a powerful tool to distinguish between the two cases. Up to now, most of the proposed techniques rely on the detection of radiation scattered at angles of the order of a few degrees, which in most cases results in very high contrast values. On the other hand, at those relatively large angles the scattered flux is relatively low with respect to the primary, which often implies the necessity of increasing the dose delivered to the sample in order to achieve sufficient statistics. Furthermore, most of these techniques are based on pencil beam set-ups, which results in an increase of the overall duration of the examination. We propose here an alternative approach based on the detection of radiation scattered at extremely small angles, of the order of ∼100–200 μrad. This results in a relatively high scattered flux (5–10% of the primary) and in the possibility of utilizing a fan beam geometry, which reduces the acquisition times with respect to pencil beam set-ups. Images of several samples have been acquired, demonstrating that the proposed technique results in an increased contrast with respect to absorption imaging. Possible in vivo implementations of the technique at no dose expense are finally discussed.


This paper describes an active-stall wind turbine controller. The objective is to develop a general model of an active stall controller in order to simulate the operation of grid connected active stall wind turbines. The active stall turbine concept and its control strategies are presented and evaluated by simulations. The presented controller is described for continuous operation under all wind speeds from start-up wind speed to shut down wind speed. Due to its parametric implementation it is general i.e. it can represent different active stall wind turbine controllers and can be implemented in different simulation tools.


This paper deals with the speed sensorless vector control of an induction motor in a special case where the output voltage of the PWM inverter is filtered by an LC filter. The system states are estimated by means of an adaptive full-order observer, and no additional voltage, current or speed measurements are needed. The rotor speed adaptation is based on the estimation error of the inverter output current. Dynamic analysis is used to find an observer gain that enables a wide operation region, including very low and very high speeds. A torque-maximizing control method is applied in the field-weakening region. Simulation and experimental results show that the performance is comparable to that of a drive without the LC filter


Three different WC grain size powder were used to prepare WC-Co coatings employing HVOF technique. The effect of WC grain size on the abrasive wear resistance and failure mechanism were analyzed. The results show that the abrasive wear resistance increases with the decrease of WC grain size. Nanostructured coating is high in surface plasticity. It can only be pressed out of prints, the opportunity of cutting is small. Micro-cutting wear dominates the main abrasive wear mechanism of nanostructured coating.


It is well known that an FDDI token ring network provides a guaranteed throughput for synchronous messages and a bounded medium access delay for each node/station. However, this fact alone cannot effectively support many real-time applications that require the timely delivery of each critical message. The reason for this is that the FDDI guarantees a medium access delay bound to nodes, but not to messages themselves. The message-delivery delays may exceed the medium-access delay bound even if a node transmits synchronous messages at a rate not greater than the guaranteed throughput. We solve this problem by developing a synchronous bandwidth allocation (SEA) scheme which calculates the synchronous bandwidth necessary for each application to satisfy its message-delivery delay requirement. The result obtained in this paper is essential for effective use of the FDDI token ring networks in supporting such real-time communication as digital video/audio transmissions, and distributed control/monitoring.


PURPOSE
To study the role of costimulatory signaling through the CD28-B7 interaction in experimental autoimmune anterior uveitis (EAAU).

METHODS
Naive Lewis rats were immunized with insoluble melanin-associated antigen (MAA) derived from bovine iris and ciliary body. CTLA4-Fc, a recombinant protein comprised of the extracellular domain of human CTLA4 bound to mouse IgG2a Fc, was used to block the CD28-B7 interaction. A mutant version (CTLA4-Fc-mutant) was used as a control. The effect of CTLA4-Fc on the in vivo induction of disease with MAA was studied. Subsequently, the mechanism by which CTLA4-Fc blocked the interaction of CD28 and B7 was investigated in vivo, using the adoptive transfer of T cells derived from CTLA4-Fc-treated rats, and in vitro, using the proliferative response and cytokine production of MAA-T cells in the presence of CTLA4-Fc.

RESULTS
CTLA4-Fc markedly reduced the incidence and severity of EAAU in Lewis rats after sensitization with MAA. The adoptive transfer of sensitized T cells from CTLA4-Fc-treated donors did not induce EAAU in naive recipients. CTLA4-Fc inhibited the expansion of antigen-specific MAA-T cells and the production of TNF-alpha.

CONCLUSIONS
The costimulatory signal delivered through CD28-B7 is required for the induction and pathogenesis of EAAU. In the absence of this signal, antigen-specific expansion of MAA reactive T cells as well as production of TNF-alpha is inhibited. Abrogation of this costimulatory signal may be an important therapeutic option for EAAU.


Given the significance that the cloud paradigm has in modern society, it is extremely important to provide security to users at all levels, especially at the most fundamental ones since these are the most sensitive and potentially harmful in the event of an attack. However, the cloud computing paradigm brings new challenges in which security mechanisms are weakened or deactivated to improve profitability and exploitation of the available resources. Kernel randomization is an important security mechanism that is currently present in all main operating systems. Function-Granular Kernel Randomization is a new step that aims to be the future of the kernel randomization, because it provides much more security than current kernel randomization approaches. Unfortunately, function-granular kernel randomization also impacts significantly on the performance and potential benefits of memory deduplication. Both function-granular kernel randomization and memory deduplication are desired and beneficial; the first for the strong protection it gives, and the second for the reduction of costs in terms of memory consumption. In this paper, we analyse the impact of function-granular kernel randomization on memory deduplication revealing why it cannot offer maximum security and shareability of memory simultaneously. We also discuss the reasons why having a full position independent kernel code counter-intuitively does not solve the problem introducing a challenge to kernel randomization designers. To solve these problems, we propose a function-granular kernel randomization modification for cloud systems that enables full function-granular kernel randomization while reduces memory deduplication cancellations to almost zero. The proposed approach forces guest kernels of the same tenant to have the same random memory layout of memory regions with high impact on deduplication, ensuring a high rate of deduplicated pages while the kernel randomization is fully enabled. Our approach enables cloud providers to have both, high levels of security and an efficient use of resources.


In this paper, we revisit the discrete lossy Gray-Wyner problem. In particular, we derive its optimal second-order coding rate region, its error exponent (reliability function), and its moderate deviations constant under mild conditions on the source. To obtain the second-order asymptotics, we extend some ideas from Watanabe's work. In particular, we leverage the properties of an appropriate generalization of the conditional distortion-tilted information density, which was first introduced by Kostina and Verdú. The converse part uses a perturbation argument by Gu and Effros in their strong converse proof of the discrete Gray–Wyner problem. The achievability part uses two novel elements: 1) a generalization of various type covering lemmas and 2) the uniform continuity of the conditional rate-distortion function in both the source (joint) distribution and the distortion level. To obtain the error exponent, for the achievability part, we use the same generalized type covering lemma, and for the converse, we use the strong converse together with a change-of-measure technique. Finally, to obtain the moderate deviations constant, we apply the moderate deviations theorem to probabilities defined in terms of information spectrum quantities.


Heparin neutralizes the inhibitory effect of prostacyclin (PGI2) on platelet aggregation. The PGI2-induced enhancement of platelet cyclic adenosine monophosphate levels is also inhibited. The mechanism appears to involve a direct interaction in which heparin neutralizes the inhibitory effects of PGI2 on platelet aggregation but, at the same time, does not lose its own anticoagulant activity. These findings may explain instances in which heparin infusions have been reported to produce hyperaggregation of platelets, thrombotic episodes, and thrombocytopenia in patients.


The idea that unregulated protease activity underlies the pathogenesis of COPD has been prominent since the recognition that genetic loss of α1 antitrypsin led to unregulated neutrophil elastase activity and premature emphysema.1 Increased proteolysis by other proteases, particularly the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), has since been implicated in COPD. The MMPs are a family of over 20 zinc-dependent endopeptidases, initially identified as extracellular matrix (ECM) degrading enzymes and classified according to their ECM substrates. In individual studies, genetic association, overexpression, and in fewer cases, activity of individual proteases have been associated with COPD in humans and smoke-induced emphysema in animals. While a number of MMPs and disintegrin and metalloproteinases have been studied in COPD at some level, most interest has focused on MMP-1, MMP-12 and MMP-9. MMP-1 is overexpressed by alveolar macrophages, type II pneumocytes and airway epithelial cells. The protein is induced by cigarette smoke and is capable of degrading collagens I and III, the most abundant lung proteins.2 ,3 MMP-9 expressed by neutrophils and macrophages is overexpressed in COPD although MMP-9 activity, rather than protease expression, is suppressed in stable patients compared with healthy smokers but activated during exacerbations.4 ,5 Although MMP-9 has elastase activity in vitro, its action in COPD may be due to generation of prolyl–glycine–proline (PGP), a collagen-derived neutrophil chemotactic matrikine rather than elastolysis.6 MMP-12 is an elastase associated with the development of COPD by genome-wide association study,7 whose presence and activity in sputum are associated airflow obstruction8 and in which single-nucleotide polymorphisms that reduce enzyme activity are associated with protection from emphysema in COPD.9 While the 'classical'-matrix-degrading actions of these proteases can be easily related to the pathogenesis of COPD, unfortunately the reality is not that straightforward. …


This study attempts to know the fund management of Bantuan Operasional Sekolah (BOS/School Operational Assistance) in Madrasah Ibtidaiyah (MI) and Madrasah Tsanawiyah (MTs) and also its effectiveness in improving the education quality in madrasah. The research was conducted in 12 provinces with 144 MI and 98 MTs samples in total. The data were collected using instrument of questionnaires, interview guides, checklists, and being analyzed using SPSS Version 19. The research result shows that, first, the performance of BOS fund management has been very positive. The positive side of this BOS fund management is seen from the level of preparation, the implementation process, and activities after the implementation, its derivative impacts, and general evaluation toward the performance of BOS Team of the madrasah. Second, the BOS fund have avery positive impact towards the quality improvement of madrasah which is measured with the indicators of improved accreditation status of madrasah, increasing number of students, and the (decreasing) number of not-grade and drop-out students. The positive impact of BOS is also recorded from the achievement of madrasah students in many and various contests. In addition to that, the BOS fund is able to increase the ethos of school and learning spirit of the students.


Sociologists often study exotic cultures by immersing themselves in an environment until they become accepted as insiders. In this fascinating account by acclaimed researcher William A. Corsaro, a scientist "goes native" to study the secret world of children. Here, for the first time, are the children themselves, heard through an expert who knows that the only way to truly understand them is by becoming a member of their community. That's just what Corsaro did when he traded in his adult perspective for a seat in the sandbox alongside groups of preschoolers. Corsaro's journey of discovery is as fascinating as it is revealing. Living among and gaining the acceptance of children, he gradually comes to understand that a child's world is far more complex than anyone ever suspected. He documents a special culture, unique unto itself, in which children create their own social structures and exert their own influences. At a time when many parents fear that they don't spend enough time with their children, and experts debate the best path to healthy development, seeing childhood through the eyes of a child offers parents and caregivers fresh and compelling insights. Corsaro calls upon all adults to appreciate, embrace, and savor their children's culture. He asks us to take a cue from those we hold so precious and understand that "we're all friends, right?"


Wire waveguides have recently been shown to be valuable for transporting pulsed terahertz radiation. A radially polarized surface wave is excited when a linearly polarized terahertz pulse is focused on the gap between the wire waveguide and another metal structure. We calculate the input coupling efficiency using a simulation based on the finite element method (FEM). Additional FEM results indicate that enhanced coupling efficiency can be achieved through the use of a radially symmetric photoconductive antenna. Experimental results confirm that such an antenna can generate terahertz radiation which couples to the radial waveguide mode with greatly improved efficiency


"I have met with but one or two persons in the course of my life who understand the art of Walking, that is, of taking walks, who had a genius, so to speak, for sauntering." Henry David Thoreau (1817 1862)" Everything is within walking distance if you have the time." Stephen Wright (1955 )For approximately six million years, humans have walked the earth. This is the story of how, why, and to what effect we put one foot in front of the other. Walking has been the primary mode of locomotion for humans until very recent times when we began to sit and ride-first on horses and in carriages, then trains and bicycles, and finally cars, trucks, buses, and airplanes-rather than go on foot. The particular way we saunter, clomp, meander, shuffle, plod along, jaunt, tramp, and wander on foot conveys a wealth of information about our identity, condition, and destination. In this fast-stepping social history, Joseph A. Amato takes us on a journey of walking-from the first human migrations to marching Roman legions and ancient Greeks who considered man a "featherless biped"; from trekking medieval pilgrims to strolling courtiers; from urban pavement pounders to ambling window shoppers to suburban mall walkers. Concentrating on walking in Europe and North America and with particular focus on how walking differed according to social class, Amato distinguishes how, where, when, who, what, and under which conditions people moved on foot. He identifies crucial transformations in the history of walking, including the adoption of the horse by the mounted warrior; the rise of public display among European nobility; and the building of roads and transportation systems, which led to the inevitable ascent of the wheel over the foot."


Aims: The purpose of this study was to examine the long-term effects of baclofen in a large cohort of alcohol-dependent patients compliant to baclofen treatment. Methods: A hundred patients with alcohol dependence, resistant to usual treatments, were treated with escalating doses of baclofen (no superior limit). Alcohol consumption (in grams) and craving for alcohol were assessed before treatment and at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months. Assessments were simply based on patients' statements. The outcome measure was the consumption of alcohol, rated according to the World Health Organization criteria for risk of chronic harm. Results: While all patients were rated "at high risk" at baseline, approximately half of them were rated "at low risk" at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months. The sum of patients who were at "low risk" and at "moderate risk" (improved patients) was 84% at 3 months, 70% at 6 months, 63% at 1 year, and 62% at 2 years. The constancy of improvement over the 2-years was remarkable. The average maximal dose of baclofen taken was 147 mg/day. Ninety-two percentage of patients reported that they experienced the craving-suppressing effect of baclofen. Significant relationships were found between the amount in grams of alcohol taken before treatment and the maximal dose of baclofen required, and between the existence of a mental disorder and a lesser effect of baclofen. Conclusion: Baclofen produces an effortless decrease or suppression of alcohol craving when it is prescribed with no superior limit of dose. Potential limitations in the effectiveness of baclofen include the coexistence of a mental disorder, the concomitant use of other psychotropic drugs, a lack of real motivation in patients to stop drinking, and the impossibility to reach the optimal dose of baclofen because of unbearable side-effects (sometimes possibly related to too sharp a protocol of dose escalation).


Micro x-ray fluorescence (µXRF) core scanning is capable of measuring the elemental composition of lake sediment at sub-millimetre resolution, but bioturbation and physical mixing may degrade environmental signals at such fine scales. The aim of this research is to determine the maximum possible resolution at which meaningful environmental signals may be reconstructed from lake sediments using this method. Sediment from a coastal lake in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, has been analysed using calibrated element measurements to reconstruct storminess since AD 200. We find that a Ca/K ratio in lake-core sediments reflects the presence of fine calcium carbonate shell fragments, a constituent of sand in the catchment that is washed and blown into the lake. Variations in this ratio are significantly correlated with instrumental records of precipitation and low pressures, suggesting it is a proxy for storminess. Furthermore, identification of a c. 60-year cycle supports a climatic influence on Ca/K, as this cycle is frequently identified in reconstructions of the North Atlantic Oscillation and North Atlantic sea-surface temperature. Comparison with weather records at different resolutions and spectral analysis indicate that µXRF data from Loch Hosta can be interpreted at sub-decadal resolutions (equivalent to core depth intervals of 3–5 mm in this location). Therefore, we suggest that sub-centimetre sampling using µXRF core scanning could be beneficial in producing environmental reconstructions in many lake settings where sediments are not varved.


Change of chemosensory event-related potentials on olfactory stimulation as a function of odorant concentrations is discussed. According to the ascending method, from undetectable level to clearly detectable level, the dependency of shortening of the peak latency on the concentration of odorant was recognized as a rapid decrease of amplitude from the threshold level when results of our ascending trial were averaged. However, a much higher concentration of odorant did not always evoke a positive response and a shorter peak latency.


The reaction kinetics of the weathering of several phyllosilicates and one sorosilicate were stud ied experimentally. The alteration products were characterised by various methods in clud ing XRD, HRTEM, SEM, FTIR, NMR and Mossbauer spectroscopy. Weathering of silicates is of particular concern to our knowledge of several areas in low temperature geochemistry, such as el e ment cy cling, ground water chemistry and soil formation. The importance of these processes ex tends to the long-term nutrient supply to forest ecosystems and control of soil and water acidity, es pe cial ly in Scandinavia. Several soil models designed to predict the impact of acid rain on the soil chemistry rely on kinetic data of mineral weathering. The reaction kinetics for minerals are used in such models to predict chang es in soil chem is try. This enables calculation of the effect of acid rain (i. e. critical load) in a 100-year per spec tive. For some minerals relatively little knowledge is available for the reaction kinetics. There fore the dissolution kinetics of muscovite, biotite, phlogopite, vermiculite and epi dote were studied over the pH range 1 to 6.5 at room temperature using flow-through reactors. Silica release rates based on specific surface area are about the same for as divers silicates as epidote (sorosilicate), K-feldspar (tectosilicate) and phlogopite (phyllosilicate). At pH 3 log R = -15.41, -15.5 and -15.46 respectively for these min er als. However, the framework of Si and Al is likely to determine with what ease cations positioned in between the conformation of Si and Al tetrahedra are re leased. For example, K in micas have transportation channels due to the layer struc ture and ought there fore to be released easier than in K-feldspar. In most cases Si is the most slowly released element in silicates, but in epidote, Si and Ca are the fastest released elements from the structure, while Al and Fe are retained. Leaching of inter framework cations creates strain and charge im bal ance in the silicate structure, causing Si to be more readily released in base cation containing silicates than in quartz. Released Si may repolymerise directly at the surface of silicates or interlayers. Amor phous silica gel has been detected, as a weathering product between packages of 2:1 layers in bi otite, using AEM. Iron(hydr)oxides have been found as the end-product of biotite weathering. Re sid u al layer calculations based on the solution composition show that Al and Fe form an enriched layer with a thickness of 1-2 nm at the surface of epidote. Biotite and phlogopite probably alter to trioctahedral vermiculite from the edges and inwards. Mossbauer spectroscopy shows that weathering of biotite as well as ver micu lite is accompanied by oxidation. Al-hydroxy polymers are introduced in the in ter lay er during weathering of phlogopite and vermiculite, which is supported by both XRD and 27Al MAS-NMR analyses. Additions of KCl and AlCl3 to the reactant solutions show that release rates, exfoliation and oxidation processes decrease with increased concentrations for both biotite and phlogopite. Leaching of interlayer cat i ons seems thus to initiate oxidation of ferrous iron.


We examined the operationalization of risk, need, and responsivity principles (RNRP) in local policy in five Pennsylvania county juvenile probation departments. "Core" policies focused on officers' assessment; decision-making about client services and supervision; engagement with system stakeholders; and intervention with clients. "Supporting" policies focused on competency development; management and supervision; and performance measurement. Policy variations highlighted innovations and dilemmas in operationalizing RNRP. Dilemmas included the extent to which officers are cast as change agents; how needs are prioritized; how risk and needs are tied to decisions; and how officers advocate about assessment results with system stakeholders.


In the United States, adolescents are routinely prescribed opioids for management of pain. Data suggest that early opioid use, even via a legitimate prescription, can increase risk for opioid misuse. There are surprisingly little data on the nature of pain medication prescribing within pediatric medical settings and adolescent outcomes despite this being the place most youth are introduced to prescription opioids. To address this gap, the current study recruited n = 139 adolescents ages 14-18 years who were prescribed opioid medications for acute noncancer pain in pediatric outpatient medical settings. Data on opioid use and mood symptoms were obtained via daily diaries and self-report measures. The majority of youth (90.9%) filled the opioid prescription, and of those who used those opioids, the frequency of use varied widely (10-100% of days). There were no gender differences in the percent of opioid use days, despite females reporting higher pain and mood symptoms than males. Greater pain experiences and the number of pills prescribed were positively associated with opioid use as reported in daily diaries. As hypothesized, higher depressive symptoms were associated with greater opioid use. Higher daily reports of worried or scared affect were associated with lower opioid use. Findings contribute to our understanding of adolescent opioid use following prescription in a pediatric outpatient medical setting. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).


Ecological status class assessments of European rivers are required by the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), the purpose of which is to carry out good river basin management. In the future, these studies will be presumably complemented by molecular analysis, additional to classical taxonomy. To ease this transitional phase, several aspects must be addressed. One of the limitations of ecological community studies based on massive sequencing techniques is the quality of reference databases. There are usually two major problems to deal with: 1) the absence of reference sequences for certain organisms and 2) the presence of sequences of doubtful quality or incorrect assignment. To prevent this type of problem, good coordination between qualified taxonomists and genetic analysts is necessary. Taking into account that we are a group made up of expert taxonomists and bioinformaticians, we have carried out a review of several species. Specifically, we have focused on organisms of interest present in the hydrological network for monitoring the ecological state of waters of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. In this review, a historical study of the species present throughout the entire period of the monitoring hydrological network (30 years) was first carried out. Then a search was carried out in the genetic databases to see how many of these species have not a reference ‡ ‡ ‡ § § § § ‡ © Aguirre M et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. sequence. Thus be able to start a search and selection for said organisms by a taxonomist and to sequence them. In parallel, a study of the existing sequences in the databases was carried out to confirm the clustering of the sequences at the family level. In the case of the study of macroinvertebrates, we test a selected gene or regions (18S V4 rDNA, 18S V9 rDNA, COI). to check their variability. As follows, it was possible to discard sequences that were significantly dispersed from the family cluster and to prevent sequences that could be incorrectly assigned to each family. Furthermore, it was observed that for the macroinvertebrates of interest for our geographical area, a total of 154 families, 27 (17.53%) were missing for having reference sequences. In the case of the sequences of the freshwater fish population, we discovered the following situation: of 34 species with occurrences in the rivers of the network, 16 had no reference sequences. Therefore, taking advantage of the annual samplings of the hydrological network, samples of these fish species were collected to be able to include their sequences in the database. Once the reference sequences of the species were obtained, a macroinvertebrate and ichthyofauna detection project was carried out. In this project, we use amplicon technology by Illumina sequencing focused focused on eDNA from water samples. In which it was possible to observe the improvement of detection and species assignment once the sequences were entered into the database. In conclusion, getting a complete and curated database is essential for the correct assignment and detection of organisms to improving the accuracy analysis and interpretation of the communities. In the same way, the need for collaboration between taxonomists and geneticists is imperative to be able to correctly validate the reference sequences.


Strategic planning and business plan development are essential nursing management skills in today's competitive, fast paced, continually changing health care environment. Even in times of great uncertainty, nurse managers need to plan and forecast for the future. A well-written business plan allows nurse managers to communicate their expertise and proactively contribute to the programmatic decisions and changes occurring within their patient population or service area. This article presents the use of planning documents as a practical, strategic business planning strategy. Although the model addresses orthopedic services specifically, nurse managers can gain an understanding and working knowledge of planning concepts that can be applied to all patient populations.