By the use of Western-blot analyses with polyclonal anti-(Factor H) antibodies, two low-Mr protein species of Mr 41,000 and 37,000 under non-reducing conditions and 43,000 and 40,000 under reducing conditions are consistently detected together with the well-known 155,000-Mr Factor H in human plasma and serum. These two additional species are also found in plasma, urine and synovial fluids. The 41,000-Mr species but not the 37,00-Mr species is detected by a monoclonal anti-(Factor H) antibody directed at the N-terminal part of Factor H. The 37,000-Mr species but not the 41,000-Mr species is detected by a monoclonal anti-(Factor H) antibody directed at the C-terminal part of Factor H. The 41,000-Mr and 37,000-Mr species are different from the well-characterized 36,000-Mr N-terminal tryptic fragment of Factor H. They are likely to represent translational products of the short Factor H mRNA species of 1.8 kb and 1.2-1.5 kb occurring in human liver that we have recently described.


Todays' Integrated Circuits (ICs) are starting to reach the physical limits of CMOS technology. Among the multiple challenges arising from technology nodes lower than 20nm, we can mention high leakage current (i.e., high static power consumption), reduced performance gain, reduced reliability, complex manufacturing processes leading to low yield and complex testing procedures, and extremely costly masks. In other words, ICs manufactured with the latest technology nodes are less and less efficient (w.r.t. both performance and energy consumption) than forecasted by the Moore's law. Moreover, manufactured devices are becoming less and less reliable, meaning that errors can appear during the normal lifetime of a device with a higher probability than with previous technology nodes. Fault tolerant mechanisms are therefore required to ensure the correct behavior of such devices at the cost of extra area, power and timing overheads. Finally, process variations force engineers to add extra guard bands (e.g., higher supply voltage or lower clock frequency than required under normal circumstances) to guarantee the correct functioning of manufactured devices. In the recent years, the Approximate Computing (AC) paradigm has emerged. AC is based on the intuitive observation that, while performing exact computation requires a high amount of resources, allowing selective approximation or occasional violation of the specification can provide gains in efficiency (i.e., less power consumption, less area, higher manufacturing yield) without significantly affecting the output quality [1]. This invited talk will first discuss the basic concepts of the AC paradigm and then will focus on the Design & Test of Integrated Circuits for AC-based systems. From the design point of view, a methodology able to automatically explore the impact of different approximation techniques on a given input algorithm will be presented. The methodology does not need to specify which part(s) of the algorithm should be approximated and how. It only requires the definition of the acceptable output degradation from the user. Aiming at defining a general method for considering arbitrary approximate computing techniques, IDEA has been developed, which is a design exploration tool able to find approximate versions for an algorithm described in software (i.e., coded in C/C++), by mutating the original code [2]. The mutated (i.e., approximated) version of the algorithm is then synthetized by using a High-Level Synthesis tool to obtain a HDL code. The latter is finally mapped into an FPGA to estimate the benefits of the approximation in terms of area reduction and performances. IDEA is composed of two main components: (i) a source-to-source compiler, the Clang-Chimera, which analyzes the Abstract Syntax Tree (AST) to apply user-defined code mutators, and (ii) a Branch & Bound optimizer, in order to search for the best functional approximation version of the given C/C++ code. Regarding the test of integrated circuits, we start from the consideration that AC-based systems can intrinsically accept the presence of faulty hardware (i.e., hardware that can produce errors). This paradigm is also called "computing on unreliable hardware". The hardware-induced errors have to be analyzed to determine their propagation through the system layers and eventually determining their impact on the final application. In other words, an AC-based system does not need to be built using defect-free ICs. Indeed, AC-based systems can manage at higher-level the errors due to defectives ICs, or those errors simply do not significantly impact the final applications. Under this assumption, we can relax test and reliability constraints of the manufactured ICs [3]. One of the ways to achieve this goal is to test only for a subset of faults instead of targeting all possible faults. In this way, we can reduce the manufacturing cost since we eventually reduce the number of test patterns and thus the test time.


This paper describes the technical approach and initial results of a test program for studying two-phase annular flow under the simulated microgravity conditions of KC-135 aircraft flights. A helical coil flow channel orientation was utilized in order to circumvent the restrictions normally associated with drop tower or aircraft flight tests with respect to two-phase flow, namely spatial restrictions preventing channel lengths of sufficient size to accurately measure pressure drops. Additionally, the helical coil geometry is of interest in itself, considering that operating in a microgravity environment vastly simplifies the two-phase flows occurring in coiled flow channels under 1-g conditions for virtually any orientation. Pressure drop measurements were made across four stainless steel coil test sections, having a range of inside tube diameters (0.95 to 1.9 cm), coil diameters (25 50 cm), and length-to-diameter ratios (380 720). Highspeed video photographic flow observations were made in the transparent straight sections immediately preceding and following the coil test sections. A transparent coil of tygon tubing of 1.9 cm inside diameter was also used to obtain flow visualization information within the coil itself. Initial test data has been obtained from one set of KC-135 flight tests, along with benchmark ground tests. Preliminary results appear to indicate that accurate pressure drop data is obtainable using a helical coil geometry that may be related to straight channel flow behavior. Also, video photographic results appear to indicate that the observed slug-annular flow regime transitions agree quite reasonably with the Dukler microgravity map.


BRCA1 is a tumor suppressor gene that is responsible for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome. To clarify the possible involvement of the BRCA1 protein in mammary carcinogenesis in sporadic and hereditary forms, we have analyzed the BRCA1 protein expression pattern in five breast epithelial cell lines, including a BRCA1-deficient cell line, and 162 breast cancer tissue samples [including 108 sporadic, 35 hereditary (BRCA1 status unknown), and 19 BRCA1-associated cases] from Japanese women. Twelve anti-BRCA1 antibodies were tested by fixation conditions, in which nuclear localization of BRCA1 protein was preserved, and by specificity of the antibodies, which was evaluated in BRCA1-deficient cancer cells. Using monoclonal antibodies applicable to immunohistochemical analysis of paraffin-embedded tissue sections, we found high-level expression of BRCA1 protein in normal mammary epithelium and various degrees of reduced expression in breast cancer cells. Of the 19 BRCA1-associated breast cancer tissues, 15 (79%) showed reduction (8 cases) or complete loss (7 cases) of nuclear expression. Thirty (28%) of 108 sporadic and 6 (17%) of 35 hereditary carcinomas showed reduced BRCA1 protein expression. Reduction of BRCA1 protein expression in sporadic carcinomas was associated with solid-tubular phenotype, with poor tubular differentiation, and with an overexpression of c-erbB-2 protein, which is one of the prognostic factors in breast cancer. Our data suggest that reduced expression of BRCA1 protein may play an important role in mammary carcinogenesis, not only in BRCA1-associated breast carcinomas, but also in sporadic carcinomas, and also suggest that mechanisms other than mutation may be involved in its reduced expression.


With the announcement to tender a project, several strategic decisions are made that have significant impact on the innovation and efficiency potential of a project. The purpose of this study is to investigate and compare how different types of integrative and collaborative procurement strategies may enhance the opportunities for improved efficiency and innovation in infrastructure projects. Hence, it contributes to the scientific debate on buyer-supplier relationships in relation to project performance. Furthermore, it guides public client organisations in steering explicitly for integration and innovation in their projects. Interview-based case studies of ten public infrastructure projects procured based on four different types of collaborative procurement strategies in Sweden and the Netherlands were conducted. The findings indicate that the duration of the collaboration is fundamental in setting the limits for innovation and that early involvement and long-term commitments in maintenance open up opportunities for more innovation. Naturally, the potential for increased efficiency is higher than for innovation and also occurs in collaborations with limited duration. The findings confirm the importance of a learning perspective on procurement strategies for public client organisations and show the importance of explicit considerations on incentives and project governance issues in the front-end phase of a project.


Building research capacity in developing countries using cost-effective methods has been recognised as an important pillar for the production of a sound evidence base for decision-making in policy and practice. We assessed the effectiveness of a research training course using traditional as well as video-teleconference method in Pakistan. A 9-day epidemiology research training course was offered to physicians in Pakistan (92%) and Bangladeshis (8%). The course was taught using (a) a traditional class room—face-to-face (F2F) method at the Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan; and (b) Video Tele-Conferencing (VTC) method at two medical institutions within Pakistan. A total of 40 participants were selected for F2F and 46 for VTC group. Outcome parameters were assessed pre- and post-course (short-term) as well as after 1 year (long-term). Costs of conducting the training in both methods were also identified using cost-effectiveness analysis. Results The total study sample included 56 participants (F2F=38 and VTC=18) for the short-term and 49 participants for long-term assessment. After the end of the course (9th day), mean post-test1 scores showed significant improvement in both the groups that is, 15.08±1.75 in F2F (p=0.001) vs 13.122±1.87 in VTC (p=0.001). Mean scores after 1-year of the course (post-test 2) were lower than mean post-test 1 scores in both groups (13.42±2.61 in F2F vs 12.31±2.08 in VTC), however, were higher than the baseline pre-test scores. Conclusion The use of e-technologies in developing countries proves to be an effective way of building capacity and reducing the problems of brain drain.


Introduction: The gold standard method to detect anti-nuclear antibodies is Indirect Immunofluorescence. Hep-2 cell lines coated slides are used to identify and detect the various patterns of fluorescence produced by anti-nuclear antibodies. Interpretation is based on the titre, pattern and intensity of fluorescence.
Objectives: To find out whether any relationship exists between the intensity of fluorescence and the concentration of anti-nuclear antibodies. For this the samples which exhibited homogeneous pattern were further tested by quantitative Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay to find out the concentration of anti-dsDNA antibody.
Materials and Methods: This prospective study was carried over a period of one year from January 2017 to December 2017 and the study group included 500 patients with lupus and 100 age and sex matched healthy controls. All the samples were processed for Indirect Immunofluorescence. The samples which were of homogeneous pattern were tested by Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay to quantitate the anti-dsDNA antibody concentration.
Results: The anti-dsDNA positivity in homogeneous pattern was statistically significant (p
Conclusion: As the intensity of fluorescence dose not reflect the concentration of antibody, further studies are needed to elucidate whether grading of intensity is mandatory in interpretation.

Keywords: Anti-nuclear antibodies, Indirect Immunofluorescence, Intensity grading, Antibody concentration.


Rapid advances in data collection and processing capabilities have allowed for the use of increasingly complex models that give rise to nonconvex optimization problems. These formulations, however, can be arbitrarily difficult to solve in general, in the sense that even simply verifying that a given point is a local minimum can be NP-hard [1]. Still, some relatively simple algorithms have been shown to lead to surprisingly good empirical results in many contexts of interest. Perhaps the most prominent example is the success of the backpropagation algorithm for training neural networks. Several recent works have pursued rigorous analytical justification for this phenomenon by studying the structure of the nonconvex optimization problems and establishing that simple algorithms, such as gradient descent and its variations, perform well in converging towards local minima and avoiding saddle-points. A key insight in these analyses is that gradient perturbations play a critical role in allowing local descent algorithms to efficiently distinguish desirable from undesirable stationary points and escape from the latter. In this article, we cover recent results on second-order guarantees for stochastic first-order optimization algorithms in centralized, federated, and decentralized architectures.


Federated learning (FL) supports training models on geographically distributed devices. However, traditional FL systems adopt a centralized synchronous strategy, putting high communication pressure and model generalization challenge. Existing optimizations on FL either fail to speedup training on heterogeneous devices or suffer from poor communication efficiency. In this paper, we propose HADFL, a framework that supports decentralized asynchronous training on heterogeneous devices. The devices train model locally with heterogeneity-aware local steps using local data. In each aggregation cycle, they are selected based on probability to perform model synchronization and aggregation. Compared with the traditional FL system, HADFL can relieve the central server's communication pressure, efficiently utilize heterogeneous computing power, and can achieve a maximum speedup of 3.15x than decentralized-FedAvg and 4.68x than Pytorch distributed training scheme, respectively, with almost no loss of convergence accuracy.


Hyperproperties, as introduced by Clarkson and Schneider, characterize the correctness of a computer program as a condition on its set of computation paths. Standard temporal logics can only refer to a single path at a time, and therefore cannot express many hyperproperties of interest, including noninterference and other important properties in security and coding theory. In this paper, we investigate an extension of temporal logic with explicit path variables. We show that the quantification over paths naturally subsumes other extensions of temporal logic with operators for information flow and knowledge. The model checking problem for temporal logic with path quantification is decidable. For alternation depth 1, the complexity is PSPACE in the length of the formula and NLOGSPACE in the size of the system, as for linear-time temporal logic.


Despite the successful development of automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems for several of the world's major languages, they require a tremendous amount of parallel speech-text data. Unfortunately, for many other languages, such re-sources are usually unavailable. This study addresses the speech-to-text mapping problem given only a collection of visually connected non-parallel speech-text data. We call this "mapping" since the system attempts to learn the semantic association between speech and text instead of recognizing the speech with the exact word-by-word transcription. Here, we propose utilizing our novel cyclic partially-aligned Transformer with two-fold mechanisms. First, we train a Transformer-based vector-quantized variational autoencoder (VQ-VAE) to produce a discrete speech representation in a self-supervised manner. Then, we use a Transformer-based sequence-to-sequence model inside a chain mechanism to map from unknown untranscribed speech utterances into a semantically equivalent text. Because this is not strictly recognizing speech, we focus on evaluating the semantic equivalence of the generated text hypothesis. Our evaluation shows that our proposed method is also effective for a multispeaker natural speech dataset and can also be applied for a cross-lingual application.


In an attempt to widen access to the study of magnetic fields in stellar astronomy, I present MOOGStokes, a version of the MOOG one-dimensional local thermodynamic equilibrium radiative transfer code, overhauled to incorporate a Stokes vector treatment of polarized radiation through a magnetic medium. MOOGStokes is a suite of three complementary programs, which together can synthesize the disk-averaged emergent spectrum of a star with a magnetic field. The first element (a pre-processing script called CounterPoint) calculates for a given magnetic field strength, wavelength shifts, and polarizations for the components of Zeeman-sensitive lines. The second element (a MOOG driver called SynStokes derived from the existing MOOG driver Synth) uses the list of Zeeman-shifted absorption lines together with the existing machinery of MOOG to synthesize the emergent spectrum at numerous locations across the stellar disk, accounting for stellar and magnetic field geometry. The third and final element (a post-processing script called DiskoBall) calculates the disk-averaged spectrum by weighting the individual emergent spectra by limb darkening and projected area, and applying the effects of Doppler broadening. All together, the MOOGStokes package allows users to synthesize emergent spectra of stars with magnetic fields in a familiar computational framework. MOOGStokes produces disk-averaged spectra for all Stokes vectors (I, Q, U, V), normalized by the continuum. MOOGStokes agrees well with the predictions of INVERS10 a polarized radiative transfer code with a long history of use in the study of stellar magnetic fields. In the non-magnetic limit, MOOGStokes also agrees with the predictions of the scalar version of MOOG.


Abstract Attacks on humans by Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) is an extreme form of human–elephant conflict. It is a serious issue in southern lowland Nepal where elephant‐related human fatalities are higher than other wildlife. Detailed understanding of elephant attacks on humans in Nepal is still lacking, hindering to devising appropriate strategies for human–elephant conflict mitigation. This study documented spatiotemporal pattern of elephant attacks on humans, factors associated with the attacks, and human/elephant behavior contributing to deaths of victims when attacked. We compiled all the documented incidences of elephant attacks on humans in Nepal for last 20 years across Terai and Chure region of Nepal. We also visited and interviewed 412 victim families (274 fatalities and 138 injuries) on elephant attacks. Majority of the victims were males (87.86%) and had low level of education. One fourth of the elephant attacks occurred while chasing the elephants. Solitary bulls or group of subadult males were involved in most of the attack. We found higher number of attacks outside the protected area. People who were drunk and chasing elephants using firecrackers were more vulnerable to the fatalities. In contrast, chasing elephants using fire was negatively associated with the fatalities. Elephant attacks were concentrated in proximity of forests primarily affecting the socioeconomically marginalized communities. Integrated settlement, safe housing for marginalized community, and community grain house in the settlement should be promoted to reduce the confrontation between elephants and humans in entire landscape for their long‐term survival.


This article addresses the controls exerted by sedimentologic and diagenetic factors on the preservation and modification of pore-network characteristics (porosity, pore types, sizes, shapes, and distribution) of carbonates belonging to the Bolognano Formation. This formation, exposed at the Majella Mountain, Italy, is composed of Oligocene–Miocene carbonates deposited in middle- to outer-ramp settings. The carbonates consist of (1) grainstones predominantly composed of either larger benthic foraminifera, especially Lepidocyclina, or bryozoans; (2) grainstones to packstones with abundant echinoid plates and spines; and (3) marly wackestones to mudstones with planktonic foraminifera. The results of this field- and laboratory-based study are consistent with skeletal grain assemblages, grain sizes, sorting, and shapes, all representing the sedimentologic factors responsible for high values of connected primary macroporosity in grainstones deposited on the high-energy, middle to proximal outer ramp. Cementation, responsible for porosity reduction and overall macropore shape and distribution in grainstones to packstones deposited on the intermediate outer ramp, was mainly dependent on the following factors: (1) amount of echinoid plates and spines, (2) grain size, (3) grain sorting and shapes, and (4) clay amount. Differently, in the wackestones to mudstones, laid down on the low-energy, distal outer ramp, matrix is the key sedimentologic factor responsible for low values of scattered macroporosity and dominance of microporosity. The aforementioned results may be useful to improve the prediction of reservoir quality by means of mapping, simulating, and assessing individual carbonate facies with peculiar pore-network characteristics.


The study of regional competitiveness of agricultural markets stresses the importance of market dynamics into a Supply Chain Management (SCM) framework. The aim of this paper was to carry out a descriptive analysis of the Brazilian beef meat sector focusing on the role of inter-firm collaboration as a source of value-added and competitive strength into the MERCOSUR context. It was applied two conceptual frameworks. The first one developed by Lambert and Cooper (2000) focus on an integration of the SCM and the second, proposed by Obersojer and Weindlmaier (2008) focus on an Efficient Consumer Response (ECR). From the first approach, it was identified structural problems that limit the integration of the SCM process of this sector, mainly due to difficulties to implement quality and safety standards due to its regional diversification. From the second, we concluded that distrust in the relationship between processing companies and retailers and a lack of strategic consumer orientation were the main obstacles for subsequent implementation of an ECR framework in the beef meat sector. Finally, it is desirable a management structure that enforces the capability of the different areas to increase the coordinating level among its respective chains.


Renin cleavage of angiotensinogen (AGT) releases angiotensin I (AngI) in the initial step of producing all angiotensin peptides. It has been suggested recently that redox regulation of a disulfide bond in AGT involving Cys18-Cys137 may be important to its renin cleavage efficiency in vivo. The purpose of this study was to test this prediction in a mouse model by comparing AngII production and AngII-dependent functions in mice expressing wild-type AGT versus a mutated form of AGT lacking the disulfide bond. Wild-type (hepAGT+/+) and hepatocyte-specific AGT-deficient (hepAGT−/−) littermates were developed in an low-density lipoprotein receptor −/− background. hepAGT+/+ mice were injected intraperitoneally with adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector containing a null insert. hepAGT−/− mice were injected with AAV containing a null insert, wild-type AGT or Cys18Ser and Cys137Ser mutated AGT. Two weeks after AAV injection, mice were fed a Western diet for 12 weeks. Administration of AAV containing either form of AGT led to similar plasma AGT concentrations in hepAGT−/− mice. High plasma renin concentrations in hepAGT−/− mice were suppressed equally by both forms of AGT, which were accompanied by comparable increases of plasma AngII concentrations similar to hepAGT+/+ mice. AAV-driven expression of both forms of AGT led to equivalent increases of systolic blood pressure and augmentation of atherosclerotic lesion size in hepAGT−/− mice. These measurements were comparable to systolic blood pressure and atherosclerotic lesions in hepAGT+/+ mice. These data indicate that the Cys18-Cys137 disulfide bond in AGT is dispensable for AngII production and AngII-dependent functions in mice.


The electrical and spectral output from luminescent solar concentrator (LSC) devices is predicted using thermodynamic modelling and ray-trace modelling techniques. Predicted output from four LSCs of varying dimensions, containing different luminescent dyes, are found to be in good agreement with measured output taken from fabricated LSCs. Despite the many different processes involved in the two modelling approach, predicted short circuit current densities from both approaches are found to be in excellent agreement.


We study list price competition when firms can individually target consumer discounts (at a cost) afterwards, and we address recent privacy regulation (like the GDPR) allowing consumers to choose whether to opt-in to targeting. Targeted consumers receive poaching and retention discount offers. Equilibrium discount offers are in mixed strategies, but only two firms vie for each contested consumer and final profits on them are Bertrand-like. When targeting is unrestricted, firm list pricing resembles monopoly. For plausible demand conditions and if targeting costs are not too low, firms and consumers are worse off with unrestricted targeting than banning it. However, targeting induces higher (lower) list prices if demand is convex (concave), and either side of the market can benefit if list prices shift enough in its favor. Given the choice, consumers opt in only when expected discounts exceed privacy costs. Under empirically plausible conditions, opt-in choice makes all consumers better off.


Segmentation is considered as a core step for any recognition or classification method and for the text within any document to be effectively recognized it must be segmented accurately. In this paper a text and writer independent algorithm for the segmentation of sub-words in Arabic words has been presented. The concept is based around the global binarization of an image at various thresholding levels. When each sub-word or Part of Arabic Word (PAW) within the image being investigated is processed at multiple threshold levels a cluster graph is obtained where each cluster represents the individual sub-words of that word. Once the clusters are obtained the task of segmentation is managed by simply selecting the respective cluster automatically which is achieved using the 95% confidence interval on the processed data generated by the accumulated graph. The presented algorithm was tested on 537 randomly selected words from the AHTID/MW database and the results showed that 95.3% of the sub-words or PAW were correctly segmented and extracted. The proposed method has shown considerable improvement over the projection profile method which is commonly used to segment sub-words or PAW.


The nearshore and surfzone in Southern California are highly dynamic regions (< 20 m depth), and governed by different processes than water further offshore. As such, these are also unique environments for phytoplankton; affecting the spatial and temporal distributions of chlorophyll a (Chl a, a proxy for phytoplankton biomass) and nutrient delivery. This dissertation explores the challenges of making Chl a measurements in the turbid surfzone, and presents data from a novel sampling platform designed for nearshore and surfzone measurements. The underlying mechanisms driving Chl a variability over hourly, weekly and monthly scales are investigated. The data presented here was collected during a 4-month field experiment at Huntington Beach, CA during Summer and Fall 2006. Chapter one demonstrates the data errors induced by in situ optical fluorometers within the bubbly and sandy surfzone. A method for data correction is developed, and applied to surfzone field observations. Chapter two describes the sudden appearance at the surface of an alongshore-parallel band of a redtide dominated by the regionally common dinoflagellate Lingulodinium polyedrum (F. Stein). The red tide band was mapped in high spatial and temporal resolution using novel instrumentation including a global positioning system (GPS) -tracked jetski. Data from a series of moorings and CTD profiles provide insight into the sequence of events that culminated in the surface red tide appearance. And finally, Chapter three explores the drivers of episodic phytoplankton blooms over the entire four month record. Three pulses of estimated advective and turbulent vertical (NO₃) flux, are found to precede three phytoplankton blooms by approximately 8 days. Chl a predicted from a very simple NP model driven only by the estimated NO₃ fluxes captured the timing, width and approximate magnitude of each of the blooms (r² = 0.49), verifying that the vertical NO₃ flux was a important control on the bloom events


Understanding how the different components of seawater alter the path of incident sunlight through scattering and absorption is essential to using remotely sensed ocean color observations effectively. This is particularly apropos in coastal waters where the different optically significant components (phytoplankton, detrital material, inorganic minerals, etc.) vary widely in concentration, often independently from one another. Inherent Optical Properties (IOPs) form the link between these biogeochemical constituents and the Apparent Optical Properties (AOPs). understanding this interrelationship is at the heart of successfully carrying out inversions of satellite-measured radiance to biogeochemical properties. While sufficient covariation of seawater constituents in case I waters typically allows empirical algorithms connecting AOPs and biogeochemical parameters to behave well, these empirical algorithms normally do not hold for case I1 regimes (Carder et al. 2003). Validation in the context of ocean color remote sensing refers to in-situ measurements used to verify or characterize algorithm products or any assumption used as input to an algorithm. In this project, validation capabilities are considered those measurement capabilities, techniques, methods, models, etc. that allow effective validation. Enhancing current validation capabilities by incorporating state-of-the-art IOP measurements and optical models is the purpose of this work. Involved in this pursuit is improving core IOP measurement capabilities (spectral, angular, spatio-temporal resolutions), improving our understanding of the behavior of analytical AOP-IOP approximations in complex coastal waters, and improving the spatial and temporal resolution of biogeochemical data for validation by applying biogeochemical-IOP inversion models so that these parameters can be computed from real-time IOP sensors with high sampling rates. Research cruises supported by this project provides for collection and processing of seawater samples for biogeochemical (pigments, DOC and POC) and optical (CDOM and POM absorption coefficients) analyses to enhance our understanding of the linkages between in-water optical measurements (IOPs and AOPs) and biogeochemical constituents and to provide a more comprehensive suite of validation products.


Histamine, released from activated mast cells, causes bronchoconstriction mediated by H(1) receptors, whereas beta(2)-agonists are widely used for the relief of bronchoconstriction. In this study, we examined the effects of the beta(2)-adrenoceptor agonist, fenoterol, on the expression of H(1) receptors at the mRNA and protein levels, and functional responses. Incubation of bovine tracheal smooth muscle with fenoterol (10(-7) M) for 2 h increased H(1) receptor mRNA (maximum approximately 190%). The number of H(1) receptors was increased after 12 and 18 h without any change in binding affinity. In the contraction experiments, the concentration-response curves for histamine-induced contraction were shifted significantly to the left after 18-h exposure to fenoterol, consistent with the increase in receptor number. The fenoterol-induced increase in H(1) receptor mRNA was concentration-dependent and was abolished by propranolol and ICI 118551, but not by CGP 20712A, indicating that fenoterol acts via beta(2)-adrenoceptors. These effects were mimicked by other cAMP-elevating agents forskolin and prostaglandin E(2), and by the stable cAMP analog 8-bromo-cAMP. Cycloheximide alone produced superinduction of H(1) receptor mRNA and augmented the fenoterol-induced increase in H(1) receptor mRNA. Fenoterol increased both the stability and the transcription rate of H(1) receptor mRNA. Pretreatment with dexamethasone did not prevent fenoterol-induced up-regulation of H(1) receptor mRNA. Thus, fenoterol increases the expression of airway smooth muscle H(1) receptors via activation of the cAMP system through increased gene transcription and mRNA stability. This mechanism may be involved in the adverse responses encountered with the clinical use of short-acting beta(2)-agonists.


Creep tests and microstructural observations in several high Cr ferritic steels bearing V and Nb were carried out in order to investigate effects of addition of V and Nb on , which is a coefficient of method. Creep strength was improved with increasing the V content and was slightly lowered by increasing the Nb content. in all the steels bearing V or Nb was lager than that in fundamental steel. The dependence of on the amount of additions was different between V and Nb. In steels bearing V, became larger with increasing V content. In steels bearing Nb, became smaller. These results revealed that corresponds to the creep strength, indicating that the value of can be estimated using the strengthening effects of the additive element.


In the course of our earlier data obtained in remote diagnosis of von Willebrand disease (vWD) program, 16 samples were identified for extended laboratory work up in order to clarify a specific subtype of vWD. Purpose of the study: extended phenotyping of blood samples with suspected type 2 vWD. This study is supported by the Independent Ethics Committee and approved by the Academic Council of the Dmitry Rogachev National Medical Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Immunology. Using 16 aliquoted frozen samples, collagen-binding (vWF:CB) and fVIII-binding activity of vWF (vWF:FVIIIB) tests were performed, as well as multimeric analysis of vWF. Isolated fVIII deficiency with no laboratory signs of 2N vWD subtype were detected in 7 (44%) of 16 patients with an initial decrease in the ratio of fVIII activity to vWF antigen. In the remaining 9 patients, vWF:CB was assessed, which showed a decrease in association with collagen in 6 patients, which allows one to suspect type 2A or 2B. In the remaining 3 with normal vWF:CB patients, type 2M was suspected. MA helped to further identify patients with suspected type 2B vWD. The use of remote diagnostics technologies allows phenotyping most forms of vWD even in patients living in regions with limited laboratory capabilities.


SME (Small & Medium Enterprises) IPOs formally debuted in India in 2012 when BSE and NSE introduced SME Platform on their exchanges along with Main Board Platform (for non-SMEs). SEBI has eased the listing criteria for SMEs to make it more attractive. The focus of this study is to assess and compare efficiency of SME IPOs with respect to Main Board IPOs in terms of price discovery using underpricing analysis. The study is based on sample of 1110 IPOs which comprises 526 SME IPOs and 584 Main Board IPOs that got listed on BSE, NSE and on their SME Platform during the period 2000 to 2019. Outcome of this analysis suggests that SME IPOs are more efficient in terms of underpricing. Further, the demand levels in case of SMEIPOs are lower compared with their counterparts, even though the probability of listing day gains is high. This study will provide insight to the policymakers, investing community, issuers and also add to the body of the knowledge on SME IPOs which is still at the nascent stage amongst the research community.


Conventional saliency prediction models typically learn a deterministic mapping from an image to its saliency map, and thus fail to explain the subjective nature of human attention. In this paper, to model the uncertainty of visual saliency, we study the saliency prediction problem from the perspective of generative models by learning a conditional probability distribution over the saliency map given an input image, and treating the saliency prediction as a sampling process from the learned distribution. Specifically, we propose a generative cooperative saliency prediction framework, where a conditional latent variable model~(LVM) and a conditional energy-based model~(EBM) are jointly trained to predict salient objects in a cooperative manner. The LVM serves as a fast but coarse predictor to efficiently produce an initial saliency map, which is then refined by the iterative Langevin revision of the EBM that serves as a slow but fine predictor. Such a coarse-to-fine cooperative saliency prediction strategy offers the best of both worlds. Moreover, we propose a ``cooperative learning while recovering" strategy and apply it to weakly supervised saliency prediction, where saliency annotations of training images are partially observed. Lastly, we find that the learned energy function in the EBM can serve as a refinement module that can refine the results of other pre-trained saliency prediction models. Experimental results show that our model can produce a set of diverse and plausible saliency maps of an image, and obtain state-of-the-art performance in both fully supervised and weakly supervised saliency prediction tasks.


We report on a study of radiative recombination in In0.11Ga0.89N/In.0.01Ga0.99N multiple quantum wells (MQWs). The QWs were nominally undoped, while the InGaN barriers were Si doped. The MQW part is situated in the depletion field of a pn-junction structure with electrical contacts, so that both photoluminescence (PL) and electroluminescence (EL) can be studied as a function of bias. The PL and EL spectra are distinctly different, in particular at low temperatures. The spectral properties and related differences in PL decay times reflect different recombination conditions in the MQW region for the individual QWs.


In the current era of the early diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa) and the development of minimally invasive surgical techniques, erectile dysfunction (ED) represents an important issue, with up to 68% of patients who undergo radical prostatectomy (RP) complaining of postoperative erectile function (EF) impairment. In this context, it is crucial to comprehensively consider all factors possibly associated with the prevention of post-RP ED throughout the entire clinical management of PCa patients. A careful assessment of both oncological and functional baseline characteristics should be carried out for each patient preoperatively. Baseline EF, together with age and the overall burden of comorbidities, has been strongly associated with the chance of post-RP EF recovery. With this goal in mind, internationally validated psychometric instruments are preferable for ensuring proper baseline EF evaluations, and questionnaires should be administered at the proper time before surgery. Careful preoperative counselling is also required, both to respect the patient's wishes and to avoid false expectations regarding eventual recovery of baseline EF. The advent of robotic surgery has led to improvements in the knowledge of prostate surgical anatomy, as reflected by the formal redefinition of nerve-sparing techniques. Overall, comparative studies have shown significantly better EF outcomes for robotic RP than for open techniques, although data from prospective trials have not always been consistent. Preclinical data and several prospective randomized trials have demonstrated the value of treating patients with oral phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors (PDE5is) after surgery, with the concomitant potential benefit of early re-oxygenation of the erectile tissue, which appears to be crucial for avoiding the eventual penile structural changes that are associated with postoperative neuropraxia and ultimately result in severe ED. For patients who do not properly respond to PDE5is, proper counselling regarding intracavernous treatment should be considered, along with the further possibility of surgical treatment for ED involving the implantation of a penile prosthesis.


Feral camels have significant negative impacts on the environment and the social/cultural values of Aboriginal people. These impacts include damage to vegetation through feeding behaviour and trampling; suppression of recruitment in some plant species; damage to wetlands through fouling, trampling, and sedimentation; competition with native animals for food, water and shelter; damage to sites such as waterholes, that have cultural significance to Aboriginal people; destruction of bushfood resources; reduction in Aboriginal people's enjoyment of natural areas; creation of dangerous driving conditions; damage to people and vehicles due to collisions, and being a general nuisance in remote settlements. Negative economic impacts of feral camels mainly include direct control and management costs, impacts on livestock production through camels competing with stock for food and other resources and damage to production-related infrastructure. The annual net impact cost of feral camels was estimated to be –$10.67 million for those elements that could be evaluated according to market values. We established a positive density/damage relationship for camels and infrastructure on pastoral properties, which is likely to hold true for environmental variables and cultural/social variables as well. Therefore, irrespective of climate change, the magnitude of the negative impacts of feral camels will undoubtedly increase if the population is allowed to continue to increase. Furthermore, the likelihood that camels would be epidemiologically involved in the spread of exotic diseases like bluetongue and surra (were there to be outbreaks of these diseases in Australia) is also very likely to increase with population density. On the basis of our present understanding, we recommend that feral camels be managed to a long-term target density of 0.1–0.2 camels/km2 at property to regional scales (areas in the order of 10 000–100 000 km2) in order to mitigate broad-scale negative impacts on the environmental, social/cultural and production assets of the Australian rangelands.


Accumulating evidence suggests that hyperinsulinemia contributes to heart dysfunction. Here we show that insulin signaling is responsible for high fat diet (HFD) feeding-induced expression of phosphodiesterase 4D (PDE4D) in the myocardium of mice. The increased expression of PDE4D, in concert with reduced phosphorylation of phospholamban (PLB), promotes systolic and diastolic heart dysfunction. We revealed that insulin-mediated induction of PDE4D was dependent on β2AR-mediaed β-arrestin2-ERK pathway, which is transactivated in a GRK2-dependent fashion. Deletion of β2AR gene significantly attenuated insulin-induced phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and Akt, as well as the upregulation of PDE4D expression, which prevented the heart dysfunction. β-arrestin2 KO mice did not display increased PDE4D expression and did not develop systolic or diastolic dysfunction following HFD. In brief, these data indicate that chronic hyperinsulinimia leads to heart dysfunction by increasing PDE4D expression via β2AR-GRK2-β-arrestin2 -ERK pathway, which suggests that β2AR signaling could be an attractive therapeutic target for preserving or improving cardiac function in subjects with insulin resistance.


The article sums up the Czech Economic Association's seminar ""Public Budgets in the Czech Republic"" held in April 2000 in Prague. Various presenters outlined the basic theoretical underpinnings of fiscal policy analysis and sought to quantify the structural and cyclical part of Czech public budgets. Focus was paid to an often overlooked aspect of taxation in the Czech Republic ? compliance costs and the European Union's influence on Czech taxation policy. It was agreed that the root of the Czech state's fiscal problem lays on the spending side of state budgets and that revenues are already stretched to the limit, with the possible exception of revenues from environmental taxes.


Abstract Background Many of the mobile applications (apps) used for delivering health interventions involve laboratory medicine data. This survey was conducted to search the online market for health apps that manage laboratory medicine data. The aim was to review them and perform a quality evaluation. Methods Apps search criteria were "Lab results blood work", "Lab results", and "Health apps". After the stepwise exclusion process, 52 selected apps were downloaded and analyzed. For review and content analysis of the apps, a multidimensional tool for classifying and rating the quality of mobile health apps – Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS), was used. Results Selected apps were classified into five categories according to their intended use by patients or physicians, and the type of data engaged. Spearman's correlation analysis found significant correlations between MARS individual scoring items, as with the subjective quality and number of technical aspects. Kruskal-Wallis analysis showed a significant difference in the number of technical aspects employed, MARS engagement and informational quality score items, total score, and subjective quality. The lowest values for all of these items were in the category of apps designed for patients, and the post hoc test showed that the difference was statistically significant between this and the values in all other categories. Conclusions Apps designed for patients, are of the poorest quality, considering the total quality of the content and information they provide, estimated using the MARS tool. This estimation needs to be validated for laboratory medicine apps, and eventually modified after consideration of specific quality benchmarks.


During the period January 2004 and December 2009, 5 infants were seen with congenital hypothyroidism and neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and variable degrees of elevated liver enzymes. Hepato-biliary scintigraphy ruled out biliary atresia and infectious causes were excluded by the appropriate investigation. The neonatal hypothyroidism was due to pituitary (central) hypothyroidism (one), transient hypothyroidism (one), thyroid gland aplasia (one), thyroid gland dyshormogenesis (two). The treatment with L-thyroxine led to complete resolution in the liver functions within 2 months.


Objective We report our clinical experience in treating 34 aneurysms in 29 patients using the Penumbra PC400 Large Volume Coil. Clinical presentation and treatment Our treatment population consisted of four large (10–25 mm) and 30 small (<10 mm) aneurysms. Nine were ruptured and 25 unruptured. Aneurysm location was 24 anterior circulation vs 10 posterior circulation. For the small aneurysms the average aneurysm size was 5.4 mm, average of 2.1 coils/aneurysm, and 48.9% average packing density. For the large aneurysms the average aneurysm size was 11.5 mm and 31.2% average packing density. An average of 5.6 coils were placed in three of the large aneurysms that were treated with only the PC400 coils. One of the large aneurysms had been previously treated with five GDC coils and then three Penumbra coils were used to treat recurrent aneurysm. Two patients had a stent placed across the aneurysm neck during a separate procedure performed prior to coiling and two patients had a stent placed during the coil procedure. One patient with a ruptured Left SCA aneurysm experienced a non-disabling Left PCA infarct giving a 2.9 % complication rate. Six month follow-up performed in 14 aneurysms. Conclusion Our clinical experience with the PC400 Coil system has demonstrated this 0.020′ coil and 025 ID deployment catheter to be safe and efficacious in treating both small and large aneurysms. Using the PC400 Large Volume Coil results in a higher packing density while using fewer coils. The use of fewer coils has proven to reduce case time and procedural costs. Follow-up data suggest that the use of the coils produced durable occlusions. The softness by design of this large volume coil combined with the improved body of the deployment catheter has markedly improved the treatment of both large and small aneurysms. Competing interests B Baxter: Stryker, ev3.


Abstract In following the rise of canis lupus familiaris from America's pet dog to dogmestic partner and ontological metaphor for capital unseen and humanly unseeable this dissertation hopes to reveal the 'spirit of calculation' that undergirds the nation's seemingly disinterested love for their four-legged others and demonstrate how cultural politics affect and are in turn affected by bio-politics and bio-power.;It argues that in response to the deflation of prevalent signifiers of social standing and sexual or matrimonial desirability during the financial and ontological crises of the 1830s, Jacksonians turned to the dog as an incorruptible sign of invisible individual substance. In their seemingly disinterested dedication to another, dependent species, they displayed advanced levels of self-denial, the defeat of the animal within, and sophisticated social skills suggestive of higher (rational) humanity, biological wealth, and natural status. Companion dogs thus became a commodity of distinction that exploited preexisting cultural bias toward less material concepts such as "gentility" and "grace." Canine companions helped salvage their caregiver's social position and desirability, better their chances in courtship, and secure the transmission of accumulated biological and cultural assets to the next generation. In transforming into timelessly dependable institutions for safeguarding and increasing embodied human capital, pet dogs became living and breathing "pet banks," whose perpetuity proved antithetical to President Jackson's ephemeral "pet bank" scheme.;Canine petbank power in capital management, courtship, and propagation not only raised dogs' desirability but also the stakes and quality of inter-species performances and, most importantly, the specter of "interest." as canine companions grew more and more numerous, more and more intimate, and more and more impertinent, they became dogmestic partners whose economic utility in the building, maintenance, and reproduction of cultural and biological capital was increasingly difficult to deny. In close readings of the works of nine American writers this dissertation traces literary strategies of denial that maximize the accumulation and transmission of capital through "artlessly" altruistic, inter-species companionship, on the one hand, and openly selfish intra-species relations on the other, by separating dogmestic and domestic partners, the source and vehicle for power, through time, space, and, most recently, reconceptualized human reproductive units. It is within these key moments, when inter-species intimacy stops to assist and begins to impede human survival, that humanity signifies animality, that the human can be decentered and the humananimal divide overcome.;In delineating heretofore hidden cultural connections, I hope to show that while the dogmestic has helped re-etch national, religious, racial, classist, gender and ethnic lines, and assisted in the bio-cultural dispossession of intra-species "Others," dogmestic practices have just as consistently and profitably been performed by members of miscellaneous outgroups to overcome putative biogenetic differences and challenge the status quo. My analysis suggests that pet dogs  Download


With growing urban populations, the World Health Organization has highlighted the importance of urban design for everyone. It is widely recognized that quality of life in the urban environment could be improved through participatory design that includes the active involvement of diverse citizens. Technologies can offer potential tools for such inclusive engagement, however, working together across disciplines and expertise presents key challenges. The design and infrastructure of cities is inherently complex and requires attention to inclusion, translation, sharing and communicating information in effective and constructive ways across diverse constituencies. This workshop intends to bring together a multi-disciplinary community of researchers and designers who are investigating theories, practices, methodologies and technologies of the city; how we live in and (re)adapt them to changing needs together with citizens. This includes technologies that support collecting data on, representing and sharing aspects of urban environments and experiences, architectural envisioning, grass-roots civic engagement, local government planning, activism and creative practice. Our aim is to map a multi-disciplinary agenda for the future of urban HCI.


Indian cuisine is as easy to explain as quantum mechanics. Over 5,000 years of history, India has welcomed a multitude of settlers, each having their own ingredients, spices, utensils, techniques, and recipes. Indian cuisine is ancient, rich, and diverse in its culinary customs, ethnic influences and flavours. Foreign invasions, trade relations and colonialism have aided in bringing new elements to Indian cuisine. Indian food is born from the concept of Ayurveda. Food was medicine and medicine was food. India is a melting pot of cuisine. The integration of foreign elements to the traditional Indian cuisine over various centuries has made it diverse.
With the advent of Mughals to India consumption of beef, lamb, chicken and fish was preferred to the traditional food. The food was rich with the usage of nuts, dairy products and sweeteners used in their preparation's like kormas, kaliya, halwa, nehari etc. the cuisine involved cooking methods such as Zamin Doz and Dum Pukth along with introduction of Royal kitchen hierarchy. Britshers brought in a culture of tea, concept of bakery and confectionery, railway catering. Chinese contributed with ingredients like MSG, Pork, Mushroom, Sweet corn and cooking methods such as stir frying and Dim Sum. Portuguese introduced vegetables and fruits like chilies, cashew nuts, tomato, pineapple, potato and pickling of seafood. French colonization influenced the food in Puducherry by introducing dishes like Ratatouille, Coq Au Vin, Crepes, Creme Brulee.
An exploratory study was made about the influence of foreign invaders on food and its impact on the food of a particular region.
Keywords: Indian Cuisine, Foreign Influence, Mughlai Cuisine, Portuguese Influence, Indo-Chinese cuisine, Anglo Indian Cuisine.


The most data-efficient algorithms for reinforcement learning (RL) in robotics are based on uncertain dynamical models: after each episode, they first learn a dynamical model of the robot, then they use an optimization algorithm to find a policy that maximizes the expected return given the model and its uncertainties. It is often believed that this optimization can be tractable only if analytical, gradient-based algorithms are used; however, these algorithms require using specific families of reward functions and policies, which greatly limits the flexibility of the overall approach. In this paper, we introduce a novel model-based RL algorithm, called Black-DROPS (Black-box Data-efficient RObot Policy Search) that: (1) does not impose any constraint on the reward function or the policy (they are treated as black-boxes), (2) is as data-efficient as the state-of-the-art algorithm for data-efficient RL in robotics, and (3) is as fast (or faster) than analytical approaches when several cores are available. The key idea is to replace the gradient-based optimization algorithm with a parallel, black-box algorithm that takes into account the model uncertainties. We demonstrate the performance of our new algorithm on two standard control benchmark problems (in simulation) and a low-cost robotic manipulator (with a real robot).


This study deals with three domains of food which raise complex epistemological, political and moral issues. Through an examination of a wide range of material drawn from anthropology, history, literature and political economy, the author discusses the relationship between food and entitlement, gender, notions of the body and development. Food is shown to be a powerful metaphor for our sense of self, our social and political relations, our cosmology and our global system.


The Fourth Amendment protects the "right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures." The understanding of these words seems to shift as new technologies emerge. As law enforcement's arsenal of surveillance techniques has grown to include GPS tracking, cell phones, and cell site location information (CSLI), the Supreme Court has applied Fourth Amendment protections to these modern tools. Law enforcement continues to use one pervasive surveillance technique without limitations: the routine collection of DNA. In 2013, the Supreme Court in Maryland v. King held that law enforcement may routinely collect DNA upon arrest for a serious crime. This Note discusses the routine collection of DNA and how it ought to be situated within evolving Fourth Amendment doctrine. Given the nature of DNA and growing DNA databases, law enforcement use of DNA—like its use of other surveillance technologies—should be limited by the Fourth Amendment. DNA collection may not fit neatly within Fourth Amendment jurisprudence, but neither did cell phones, GPS tracking devices, or CSLI when the Court chose to include them under such protections.


Studies were performed on anesthetized saline-loaded dogs to delineate the factors involved in the antinatriuretic effect of acute constriction of the thoracic (TIVC) and abdominal (AIVC) inferior vena cava. Acute TIVC constriction lowered cardiac output and arterial blood pressure and reduced urinary sodium excretion 48%; the same degree of reduction in renal perfusion pressure by suprarenal aortic constriction diminished sodium excretion only 27%. This finding suggested that factors other than a reduction in renal perfusion pressure are involved in the antinatriuretic effect of acute TIVC constriction. This conclusion was confirmed by studies in which a significant antinatriuretic effect (23%) was observed during acute TIVC constriction while renal perfusion pressure and renal venous pressure were held constant. A similar degree of constriction of the AIVC, as judged by the increase in vena cava pressure, did not cause a decrease in arterial pressure or cardiac output, and the modest antinatriuretic effect of this maneuver was not observed when renal venous pressure was held constant. The antinatriuretic effect of TIVC constriction which occurred in the absence of changes in renal perfusion pressure and renal venous pressure did not correlate with alterations in renal vascular resistance, glomerular filtration rate, and calculated initial postglomerular protein concentration and was not abolished by renal denervation or adrenalectomy. The afferent stimulus for the antinatriuretic effect may be related to the alterations in systemic hemodynamics which occur during acute TIVC, but not AIVC, constriction.


The local palm oil market of Togo has been facing competitive imports. Examining consumer preferences for domestic versus imported palm oil will aid local farmers with a more marketable product. A conjoint choice experiment (CCE) was designed to discover consumer preferences. Three-hundred surveys were conducted over two weeks in Sokode, Togo in June 2014. Latent class analysis results showed three distinctive classes of consumers. Class 1 (69%) consumers purchase palm oil once a week and have formal education. They prefer lower price and local palm oil for cooking sold at boutiques. Class 2 (28%) prefer local oil and Class 3 (3%) prefer imported oil. A site suitability analysis with ArcGIS revealed the best growing areas for the trees. The results will be presented to rural farmers in Togo in order to assist in the production of the best product for consumers, increasing local production and supporting the local economy.


Background Controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) is mainly based on management of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). FSH may be obtained from the urine of menopausal women (u-FSH) or through recombinant biotechnology (r-FSH). Purpose To conduct a pharmacoeconomic evaluation of different FSH (u-FSH vs. r-FSH) in COH. Materials and Methods We conducted a bibliographic review to compare the efficacy of u-FSH and r-FSH in COH (Database: PubMed, keywords: FSH and COH, randomised and controlled clinical trials, from 2005 to 2011). The efficacy indicators were: progression rate in pregnancy (pregnancy remained at 12 weeks) and the number of mature oocytes obtained. We determined the cost per unit of efficacy (using current Spanish drug prices in 2012) and the incremental cost-efficacy ratio (ICER) with their sensitivity analysis. Setting: Assisted Reproduction unit in tertiary teaching hospital that serves an average of 340 patients per year. Statistical analysis powered by SPSS 15.0. Results We analysed 10 clinical trials in women being treated with COH. The pooled data of the progression of pregnancy was 26.2% (FSH-r) vs. 22.3% (FSH-u) (difference = 3.9%; 95% CI = 1.2–5.9), and the average number of mature oocytes was: 9.0 (FSH-r) vs. 7.1 (FSH-u) (difference = 1.9; 95% CI = 0.7 to 4.1). The cost per pregnancy for r-FSH was €2,832.3 (€1,628.2–€3,754.3) and €2,332.5 (€1,526,1–€2,884.7) for u-FSH, so that the ICER in the pregnancy rate was 128.1 (85.1–147.4). The cost per number of mature oocytes obtained for r-FSH was €82.3 (€78.3–€98.1) and €73.3 (€67.6–€81.7) for u-FSH, so the ICER in mature oocytes obtained was 4.7 (4.0–15.2). Conclusions According to scientific evidence r-FSH appears to be more effective in women undergoing COH; however, this slight increase in efficacy does not seem to compensate for the difference in price, the result being that u-FSH is more cost effective. No conflict of interest.


Primary vasculitis is the result of idiopathic inflammation in blood vessel walls. T cells are believed to play a critical role, but the nature of the pathological T-cell response remains obscure. In this study, we provide evidence that CD4 T lymphocytes , activated in the presence of syngeneic vascular smooth muscle cells , were sufficient to induce vasculitic lesions after adoptive transfer to recipient mice. Additionally , the disease is triggered in the absence of antibodies in experiments in which both the donors of stimulated lymphocytes and the transfer recipients were mice that were deficient in B cells. Tracking and proliferation of the transferred cells and their cytokine profiles were assessed by fluorescence tagging and flow cytometry. Proliferating CD4 T cells were evident 3 days after transfer , corresponding to the occurrence of vasculitic lesions in mouse lungs. The transferred T lymphocytes exhibited Th1 and Th17 cytokine profiles and minimal Th2. However , 1 week after vasculitis induction, effector functions could be successfully recalled in Th1 cells , but not in Th17 cells. Additionally , in the absence of constitutive interferonexpression, T cells sensitized by vascular smooth muscle cells failed to induce vasculitis. In conclusion, our results show that Th1 cells play a key role in eliciting vasculitis in this murine model and that induction of the disease is possible in the absence of pathogenic antibodies. (Am J Pathol 2010, 177:3215–3223; DOI: 10.2353/ajpath.2010.090985)


Low noise platinum black or sputtered titanium nitride (TiN) microelectrodes are typically used for recording electrical activity of neuronal or cardiac cell cultures. Opaque electrodes and tracks, however, hinder the visibility of the cells when imaged with inverted microscope, which is the standard method of imaging cells plated on microelectrode array (MEA). Even though transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes exist, they cannot compete in impedance and noise performance with above-mentioned opaque counterparts. In this work, we propose atomic layer deposition (ALD) as the method to deposit TiN electrodes and tracks which are thin enough (25–65 nm) to be transparent (transmission ∼18–45%), but still benefit from the columnar structure of TiN, which is the key element to decrease noise and impedance of the electrodes. For ALD TiN electrodes (diameter 30 μm) impedances from 510 to 590 kΩ were measured at 1 kHz, which is less than the impedance of bare ITO electrodes. Human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cortical neurons were cultured on the ALD TiN MEAs for 14 days without observing any biocompatibility issues, and spontaneous electrical activity of the neurons was recorded successfully. The results show that transparent ALD TiN film is a suitable electrode material for producing functional MEAs.


The hepatitis C viral (HCV) infection is a global health burden, WHO estimates 130–150 million people chronically infected with hepatitis C virus worldwide. Additional 3–4 million people become newly infected annually and more than 350,000 people die each year of HCV-related liver diseases. HCV infection exhibits higher genetic diversity with regional variations in genotypic prevalence resulting big challenges on disease manage-ment. Introduction of DAAs revolutionised the new era of all oral therapy in treatment of chronic hepatitis C infection and is the regimens of choice in present days. However, IFN-based combination therapy with sofosbuvir has promising efficacy in genotypes 3, 4, 5 or 6 infections compared to genotypes 1 and 2 infections. So, these regimens could be an option in DAAs regimen failure cases. The poor availability of data on recent DAAs (IFN-free) regimens questioned on regular use and cost effectiveness is the another chal - lenge with DAAs regimens. So phase III trials (sofosbuvir and velpatasvir) of recent DAAs with pangenotypic actions and better tolerability in HCV infected patients are the future advances in treatment of chronic hepatitis C. After all those recent combination therapies with better SVR, the combination of pegylated interferon with ribavirin is the only option available where unavailability of other regimens still exists.


Prostaglandin E2 EP3 receptor is the only prostaglandin E2 receptor that couples to multiple G-proteins, but its role in thrombin-induced brain injury is unclear. In the present study, we exposed mouse hippocampal slice cultures to thrombin in vitro and injected mice with intrastriatal thrombin in vivo to investigate the role of EP3 receptor in thrombin-induced brain injury and explore its underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms. In vitro, EP3 receptor inhibition reduced thrombin-induced hippocampal CA1 cell death. In vivo, EP3 receptor was expressed in astrocytes and microglia in the perilesional region. EP3 receptor inhibition reduced lesion volume, neurologic deficit, cell death, matrix metalloproteinase-9 activity, neutrophil infiltration, and the number of CD68+ microglia, but increased the number of Ym-1+ M2 microglia. RhoA-Rho kinase levels were increased after thrombin injection and were decreased by EP3 receptor inhibition. In mice that received an intrastriatal injection of autologous arterial blood, inhibition of thrombin activity with hirudin decreased RhoA expression compared with that in vehicle-treated mice. However, EP3 receptor activation reversed this effect of hirudin. These findings show that prostaglandin E2 EP3 receptor contributes to thrombin-induced brain damage via Rho-Rho kinase–mediated cytotoxicity and proinflammatory responses.


Simple Summary Parasitic helminths represent one of the most pervasive challenges to livestock, and their intensity and distribution will be influenced by climate change. There is a need for long-term predictions to identify potential risks and highlight opportunities for control. We explore the approaches to modelling future helminth risk to livestock under climate change. One of the limitations to model creation is the lack of purpose driven data collection. We also conclude that models need to include a broad view of the livestock system to generate meaningful predictions. Abstract Climate change is a driving force for livestock parasite risk. This is especially true for helminths including the nematodes Haemonchus contortus, Teladorsagia circumcincta, Nematodirus battus, and the trematode Fasciola hepatica, since survival and development of free-living stages is chiefly affected by temperature and moisture. The paucity of long term predictions of helminth risk under climate change has driven us to explore optimal modelling approaches and identify current bottlenecks to generating meaningful predictions. We classify approaches as correlative or mechanistic, exploring their strengths and limitations. Climate is one aspect of a complex system and, at the farm level, husbandry has a dominant influence on helminth transmission. Continuing environmental change will necessitate the adoption of mitigation and adaptation strategies in husbandry. Long term predictive models need to have the architecture to incorporate these changes. Ultimately, an optimal modelling approach is likely to combine mechanistic processes and physiological thresholds with correlative bioclimatic modelling, incorporating changes in livestock husbandry and disease control. Irrespective of approach, the principal limitation to parasite predictions is the availability of active surveillance data and empirical data on physiological responses to climate variables. By combining improved empirical data and refined models with a broad view of the livestock system, robust projections of helminth risk can be developed.


Quantitative measurements of intravascular microscopic dynamics, such as absolute blood flow velocity, shear stress and the diffusion coefficient of red blood cells (RBCs), are fundamental in understanding the blood flow behavior within the microcirculation, and for understanding why diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) measurements of blood flow are dominantly sensitive to the diffusive motion of RBCs. Dynamic light scattering‐optical coherence tomography (DLS‐OCT) takes the advantages of using DLS to measure particle flow and diffusion within an OCT resolution‐constrained three‐dimensional volume, enabling the simultaneous measurements of absolute RBC velocity and diffusion coefficient with high spatial resolution. In this work, we applied DLS‐OCT to measure both RBC velocity and the shear‐induced diffusion coefficient within penetrating venules of the somatosensory cortex of anesthetized mice. Blood flow laminar profile measurements indicate a blunted laminar flow profile and the degree of blunting decreases with increasing vessel diameter. The measured shear‐induced diffusion coefficient was proportional to the flow shear rate with a magnitude of ~0.1 to 0.5 × 10−6 mm2. These results provide important experimental support for the recent theoretical explanation for why DCS is dominantly sensitive to RBC diffusive motion.


Regional regeneration strategies based on developing innovation capability have received much support in recent years. Evaluation of the effectiveness of such initiatives has, however, been limited largely to an assessment of the impact of such strategies on policy frameworks and attitudes. Based on innovation survey data covering nearly a decade, this paper outlines a number of external innovation benchmarks for core and peripheral regions within the EU. The benchmarks considered cover the innovation objectives, constraints resources, linkages and outputs of manufacturing firms. Despite considerable efforts in recent years to develop the innovation capability and institutional support framework for innovation in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, the benchmarks still point to a substantial performance gap between the Irish and German study regions and provide little evidence of convergence over the 1991-99 period. The benchmarks also suggest other more general points emphasising, for example, a general shortening of product lifecycles and a related shift towards more radical innovation. More disappointing is in that in each of the study regions the development of environmentally friendly products is given a low and diminishing priority by manufacturing firms.


Nuisance proliferations of the invasive benthic alga Didymosphenia geminata (Bacillariophyceae) are of major concern in many temperate regions due to their severe effects on river habitats and communities. Proliferations result from the production of basal stalk material, stimulated by phosphorus limited, high light conditions. An unresolved disconnect occurs where nitrogen and phosphorus are observed to stimulate D. geminata cell division, but, within a realised niche, disappearance or establishment failure occurs where dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) concentrations occur above c. 2–5 μg/L.
Our aims were to examine the mechanisms behind D. geminata bloom stimulation and absence/disappearance. We examined: (1a) whether prolonged nitrogen (NaNO3 – N) and phosphorus (NaH2PO4 – P) addition would stimulate cell division, and (1b) whether subsequent nutrient limitation stimulated stalk production; (2) whether the mechanism behind D. geminata absence at >5 μg/L DRP, occurred either as (2a) a deleterious consequence of prolonged N + P exposure or (2b) was associated with increasing densities of co-occurring algae; and (3) whether water velocity stimulated D. geminata cell division thereby influencing outcomes.
Didymosphenia geminata cell densities, frequencies of dividing cells, stalk production and densities of competing algae were examined in flow-through channel mesocosms over 8 weeks. Treatments included: Waitaki River water (control); N + P amended water; and two treatments in which nutrient amendments were changed over time, these being N + P to N, and N + P to Waitaki water.
Continued N + P amendment was positively correlated with D. geminata cell densities. N-replete P-limited channels, however, accrued greatest densities of D. geminata cells, stalk fragments and dividing cells. Results suggest that within a realised niche short term N + P amendment followed by chronic P limitation could either hasten and/or worsen bloom development.
Water velocity influenced community successional trajectories and D. geminata fitness outcomes. Across all nutrient and velocity treatments, a decline in D. geminata cell densities and cell division was correlated with increasing densities of competing algae.
Phosphorus limitation stimulating stalk production appears to be an example of physiological stress resulting in increased fitness (known as eustress) and D. geminata dominance. This contrasts with a general pattern of competitive exclusion as nutrient concentrations increase.


PurposeElectronic Sports (eSports) is an emerging sector of the sports and entertainment industry experiencing an accelerated increase in consumer and sponsor demand. This paper aims to study selected cases of eSports service ecosystems, to identify similarities and differences and to understand the different roles, relationships and multiple interactions of actors involved in value co-creation processes.Design/methodology/approachThis empirical paper follows the service-dominant logic to highlight value creation. Based on the sport value framework, an organizing logic for the actors in sports-related ecosystems to exchange service and co-create value, the authors apply the conceptualization of an eSports service ecosystem framework in which actors create value through their interactions. A case study approach was applied to qualitatively describe two cases of value co-creation by multiple actors during three eSports events. Case study 1a is the 2019 League of Legends World Championship Finals in Paris. Case study 1b is the 2020 League of Legends World Championship Finals in Shanghai. Case study 2 is the BLAST Premier Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Global Final 2020, which was entirely virtual.FindingsThe outcome is an empirically investigated conceptual framework of multiple actors co-creating value within a service ecosystem in eSports. The insights of the cases explain how actors interact with each other and co-create value during events in eSports ecosystems. The cases illustrate interactions in the context of eSports where the actors are connected within ecosystems. This enables further development of a value co-creation concept and a better understanding of value co-creation in eSports.Originality/valueThis study contributes to research by explicating a theoretically grounded framework for eSports service ecosystems based on empirical evidence. This research extends the scope of value co-creation beyond the firm–customer dyad to a service ecosystem in eSports, demonstrating the dynamic interactions of multiple actors.


Uterine fibroids, also known as uterine Leiomyomas or fibroids, are benign smooth muscle tumours of the uterus that can be seen in women of child bearing age. Women in their first trimester of pregnancy suffer no symptoms,  but others may experience painful or heavy periods.   The presence   of fibroids might occasionally make it more difficult to become pregnant; however, this is uncommon. Approximately 20 percent to 80 percent of women develop fibroids by the time they reach the age of 50.  If there are  no symptoms, it is typically not necessary to seek medical attention. Paracetamol (acetaminophen) and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs) may be used to relieve pain and bleeding, while ibuprofen and other NSAIDs may be used to relieve pain and bleeding. It is possible that women who have heavy periods will require iron supplements. The use of medications from the gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist family may help to reduce the growth of fibroids, but they are both expensive and associated with negative side effects. Patient counselling and education will aid in lowering the risk to patients and slowing the progression of the study. The work done to determine the causes of anaemia will aid in increasing knowledge about anaemia, including dietary modifications, and decreasing the progression of the study by providing patient counselling and education. The findings of a six month study of 75 cases of fibroids discovered in 362 samples revealed that uterine fibroids are the most common malignancy in women of reproductive age. Uterine fibroids are not only found in women of null parity; they can also be found in women with multiple pregnancies. On the contrary, the prevalence of anaemia, heavy bleeding with clots, and metrorrhagia in fibroids is rather high, which has an impact on psychological state as a result of the stigma associated with the sickness status, and which interferes with everyday activities.


Governments around the world are investing in large scale information and communication technology projects that are intended to modernize and streamline healthcare through the provision of nationally accessible electronic health records. In this way, they hope to `tame' the complex `wicked' problems facing healthcare, such as rising costs and fragmented delivery. However, these projects often encounter difficulties. Using a case study of Australia's 20-year journey towards a national electronic health record system, we show how these projects can ironically take on the characteristics of the `wicked problems' they are intended to solve, and how a failure to recognize and cope with these `wicked' characteristics can lead to waste, conflict and frustration among potential users. We suggest some alternative approaches to the management of large-scale ICT projects in healthcare and other public service sectors that deal with complex, sensitive data.


Learning that transcends participation processes is critical if public engagement is to translate into a legacy of enhanced environmental citizenship. However, a lack of empirical evidence has limited discussion to date to largely 'aspirational' claims. This paper offers the first rigorous examination of whether public participation does generate beyond-process social learning. Initially we review the literature on public participation and environmental citizenship to identify the key dimensions of social learning. We then re-visit a well-worked case study of an innovative public engagement process on the Hampshire waste strategy from the 1990s. Approximately one third of the original participants have been interviewed to identify whether and how the experience had a lasting effect on them. Key methodological difficulties are discussed, not least the analytical difficulties of attributing learning to a process that happened ten years previously. However, we argue that there is evidence that both instrumental and communicative learning have taken place, and conclude by identifying key areas that require further research.


Linear mixed-effects models (LMMs) are an important class of statistical models that can be used to analyze correlated data. Such data are encountered in a variety of fields including biostatistics, public health, psychometrics, educational measurement, and sociology. This book aims to support a wide range of uses for the models by applied researchers in those and other fields by providing state-of-the-art descriptions of the implementation of LMMs in R. To help readers to get familiar with the features of the models and the details of carrying them out in R, the book includes a review of the most important theoretical concepts of the models. The presentation connects theory, software and applications. It is built up incrementally, starting with a summary of the concepts underlying simpler classes of linear models like the classical regression model, and carrying them forward to LMMs. A similar step-by-step approach is used to describe the R tools for LMMs. All the classes of linear models presented in the book are illustrated using real-life data. The book also introduces several novel R tools for LMMs, including new class of variance-covariance structure for random-effects, methods for influence diagnostics and for power calculations. They are included into an R package that should assist the readers in applying these and other methods presented in this text.


Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Background: To assess the prevalence of macular microcystoid lacunae in patients with autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA) and its association with visual function and inner retinal morphology. Methods: The study included 140 participants with ADOA, with a mean age of 44 (SD ±19, range 7–82) years. Study participants with a genetically verified sequence variant in the OPA1 gene were examined with best-corrected visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, optical coherence tomography (Spectralis, Heidelberg) and adaptive optics fundus photography (rtx1, Imagine Eyes). Optically empty microcystoid spaces in the ganglion cell layer and inner plexiform layer were mapped by inspection of the 2 sets of images. Data were analyzed with a mixed model adjusted for age and sex with family and individual as random effect. Results: Microcystoid lacunae were present in 32 of 140 participants (23%) including 18 males and 14 females. Microcystoid lacunae were associated with younger age (P = 0.0503) and a smaller nerve fiber layer volume (P = 0.035). No association was found between presence of microcystoid lacunae and visual acuity (P = 0.2), contrast sensitivity (P = 0.8), axial length (P = 0.7), or ganglion cell layer volume (P = 0.2). The analysis showed moderately reduced visual acuity in patients with microcystoid lacunae. Normal and severely impaired visual function were seen only in participants without microcystoid lacunae. Conclusion: In ADOA, macular microcystoid lacunae were found in 23% of the study participants and tended to be present in younger participants with moderate visual acuity reduction and a smaller nerve fiber layer volume. Further studies are needed to investigate whether cavities left by dead ganglion cells are predictors of decrease in visual function.


Explosions due to gas leaks from accidents and human errors are major concerns faced in natural gas and related industries. Understanding its formation and dissociation mechanisms at field conditions is keys to its successful prevention and management. In the present study, two different meshes with different sized flow channels were proposed to prevent and control methane combustion in a circular gas pipeline. The perforated metal steel of 6 mm aperture and woven wire steel mesh with 1.31 mm aperture, 0.28 mm wire diameter installed in between the flange positioned 2000 mm in a 6300 mm horizontal circular pipe were used. The effects of propagated flame flow temperature variation and equivalence ratio on wire gauze combustion have been investigated and analyzed experimentally. Methane-air mixture at variable concentrations within the lower and upper flammability ranges of 6 and 9% were used in creating an explosive mixture through the pipe length. The parameters investigated were measured and recorded. The results indicated that the inflated period for methane-air concentrations and mesh sizes varied significantly with time. The wall temperature decreased with a decrease in mesh size. The woven wire and perforated plate on flame propagation showed greatly the mitigating capability of the meshes, with a flame temperature declining tremendously. Therefore, woven wire and perforated sheets installed in gas pipelines can reduce explosion risks efficiently and effectively. However, woven wire mesh is preferable because it declines the flame temperature compared to the perforated metal mesh.

 Key words: Explosion, combustion, flame propagation, temperature, steel meshes (Woven wire and perforated plate).


Here, we report the case of a patient with a slowly-progressing anterior mediastinal teratoma submitted to surgical resection. The anatomopathological examination of the sample revealed malignant degeneration to carcinoid tumor. Such evolution is very rare, and we have found only three related studies in the literature. We describe the clinicopathological features of the tumor and discuss the treatment administered. The evolution was satisfactory, and the patient was submitted to oncological treatment.


We sought to evaluate whether diabetes mellitus (DM) diagnosis, linkage to care, and meeting individual and combined treatment targets improved over time and to investigate potential disparities in U.S. DM care. To do so, we derived percentages of diagnoses, linkage, and treatment goal achievement from NHANES in 2005-08, 2009-12, and 2013-16, and developed a logistic regression model adjusting for period, demographics, education, and health insurance. In 2013-16, 74% of U.S. adults with DM were aware of their diagnoses; 70% were linked to DM care, 70% met HbA1c, 70% met blood pressure, 51% met cholesterol target, and 84% did not smoke. Twenty-one percent of patients achieved all treatment goals (Figure). None of the individual and combined outcomes improved over the 3 study periods (p=0.08-0.98). Compared to middle-aged adults with DM (45-64y), older adults (≥65y) were more likely (OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.20-2.24) and younger adults (18-44y) were less likely (OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.28-0.90) to meet the combined goals. Women achieved the combined goals less often (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.46-0.76). Reporting non-Hispanic black race (vs. non-Hispanic white race) was associated with reduced likelihood of achieving the combined goals (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.42-0.82). Despite major advances in DM medications and new care models, U.S. DM care has not significantly improved between 2005 and 2016. Disclosure P. Kazemian: None. F.M. Shebl: None. N. McCann: None. R. Walensky: Other Relationship; Spouse/Partner; Aileron. D.J. Wexler: Other Relationship; Spouse/Partner; APOLO1BIO. Funding Boston Area Diabetes Endocrinology Research Center; Steve and Deborah Gorlin MGH Research Scholar Award


Since the outbreak of the financial crisis Croatia has faced negative growth rates and Foreign Direct Investment has not recovered since. This has resulted in a steadily growing brain drain of highly qualified labor. The economy's international competitiveness has been decreasing for quite some time, and has now fallen to one of the last positions in the European ranking. Economic analysts and many politicians agree that the country's development is blocked by not being able to reform. Implementation of the necessary reforms is a precondition for any return to sustainable growth. This collected volume presents a comprehensive economic reform agenda for Croatia. The analyses focus on reform areas such as FDI and exports, exchange rates, labor markets, private debt, public finance, regulations of private enterprise, social security, human capital, technology and innovations, as well as infrastructure, especially energy. The reform concepts presented in each chapter of this volume were discussed in workshops with Croatian academics and stakeholders and condensed into a final comprehensive and feasible reform agenda.


Insulin is a critical hormone in the regulation of blood glucose levels. It is produced exclusively by pancreatic islet beta-cells. beta-cell-enriched transcription factors, such as Pdx1 and Beta2, have dual roles in the activation of the insulin gene promoter establishing beta-cell-specific insulin expression, and in the regulation of beta-cell differentiation. It was shown that MafA, a beta-cell-specific member of the Maf family of transcription factors, binds to the conserved C1/RIPE3b element of the insulin promoter. The Maf family proteins regulate tissue-specific gene expression and cell differentiation in a wide variety of tissues. MafA acts synergistically with Pdx1 and Beta2 to activate the insulin gene promoter, and mice with a targeted deletion of mafA develop age-dependent diabetes. MafA also regulates genes involved in beta-cell function such as Glucose transporter 2, Glucagons-like peptide 1 receptor, and Prohormone convertase 1/3. The abundance of MafA in beta-cells is regulated at both the transcriptional and post-translational levels by glucose and oxidative stress. This review summarizes recent progress in determining the functions and roles of MafA in the regulation of insulin gene transcription in beta-cells.


ABSTRACT Higher education institutions (HEIs) in Norway have been subjected to several reforms in recent decades. There are transformed relationships between institutions and their environment, and higher educations' third mission is emphasized. To improve our understanding of HEIs' third mission, this paper employs boundary object theory, enabling us to see how shifting projects are shaped and negotiated within these institutions. The paper concludes with a discussion of five main projects that are evident in third-mission presentations: the entrepreneurial project, the local and regional involvement project, the mode 2 project, the popular-science project, and the reputation project.


The ratio of specifc heat capacity, at constant presszrre to that at constant volume (cdc,J, of a gas can be determined by either the adiabatic expansion method or the sound velocity method. The objective of this experiment is apply the adiabatic expansion method for determining the spec$c heat capacity ratio of gas N2 and O2 The result showed that the ratio were 1.14 and 1.19 respectively for gas N2 and 02. The value obtained by the experiment was d~flerent about 15 to 19% from the result determined by theoretical method using 5 degree of Jkeedom. Theoretically cdc,, of both gas N2 and 0 2 which have 5 degree offreedom are 1.4. The dzflerence was considered to be caused by the experimental cmdition, which were not suflciently adiabatic, as required by the method. However, the simplicity of the method and clarity of its theoretical approach is advantageous to be used by students of Advance Thermodynamic class as a practical exercise.


The effects of adding a thin layer of an energetic polymer such as nitrocellulose (NC) to laser photothermal imaging media are investigated. Photothermal media are used which are model systems for computer-to-plate or computer-to-press imaging. The media consist of a substrate, a thin absorbing metallic absorbing layer and a silicone rubber imaging layer. An energetic polymer can be added between the substrate and the absorber. With 10 μs duration near-IR exposure pulses, the energetic layer has no discernable effect. With 110 ns imaging pulses, exposed spots in imaging media with energetic underlayers can be more than three times larger. The improvement due to energetic polymers results from confining the hot gas-phase thermochemical decomposition products under the silicone layer, as shown by time-resolved microscopy. The force exerted by the expanding bubble tears the neck of the bubble away from the substrate, increasing the imaged spot size. These rather complicated processes cannot be described by previously used simple exposure threshold models. An exposure parameter is introduced which deals with this problem. In some cases energetic material underlayers can improve the sensitivity of the media by a factor of three. This work is believed to be the first where a substantial sensitivity improvement in laser threshold for photothermal imaging is obtained with energetic polymers.


Abstract Two geoemydid turtle species, Geoemyda spengleri and Cuora bourreti, are documented from Laos for the first time. The record of G. spengleri is based on photographs taken of a wild turtle by staff in a protected area in eastern Bolikhamxay Province, central Laos. Those of C. bourreti are based on our examinations of live turtles in the possession of a hunter and in a village in a remote area of eastern Savannakhet Province, southeastern Laos. Both localities lie near the border with Vietnam, where these species were previously known. Turtles are highly threatened in Laos from overexploitation for food and traditional medicine purposes, but the presence of G. spengleri and C. bourreti within protected areas offers hope for their persistence.


Olfactory receptor neurons in the nasal epithelium detect a huge variety of airborne chemicals (termed 'odourants') and encode information about these stimuli in the form of action potentials. This code is then transmitted to the brain, where spatiotemporal patterns of neural activity represent the identity, concentration and temporal dynamics of the odourants. Neural processing of olfactory information at multiple levels in the brain mediates odour recognition, synthetic olfactory perceptions and provides feedback control to the initial stages of the olfactory pathway. This article presents some of the challenges in olfactory information processing and then reviews our current knowledge of the mechanisms by which the olfactory bulb and olfactory cortex represent odours and analyse olfactory information.

Key Concepts:

The chemical identity of an odourant is represented by the set of ORNs it stimulates and determines the odour's perceived quality.

The concentration of an odourant is represented jointly by the amplitude of the ORN response and the recruitment of ORNs expressing lower affinity receptors; this determines the odour's perceived intensity.

Each olfactory bulb glomerulus receives axonal projections from a set of ORNs expressing the same odour receptor.

An odour stimulates a subset of ORNs (based on their odour receptor expression) and thus drives activity in a corresponding subset of olfactory bulb glomeruli – this odour-to-glomerulus mapping is one of the most accessible codes in the nervous system.

Activity in olfactory bulb glomeruli is determined by a complex set of interactions among ORN sensory inputs, interneurons within and between glomeruli and modulatory inputs from other brain regions.

The set of mitral cells responding during odour presentation represents the chemical identity of the odour, whereas their firing frequency and timing provides additional information about the odour concentration.

Activity in mitral cells is shaped by complex interactions with inhibitory granule cells that interconnect mitral cells receiving disparate sensory input.

Neurons in piriform cortex respond to specific combinations of input from mitral cells in the olfactory bulb, thus selectively responding to certain odours or combinations of odours.

Keywords:

odour coding;
sensory coding;
olfactory bulb;
olfactory cortex;
smell;
piriform cortex