The Ultra-Violet Aerosol Index (UVAI) is a practical parameter for detecting aerosols that absorb UV radiation, especially where other aerosol retrievals fail, such as over bright surfaces (e.g., deserts and clouds). However, typical UVAI retrieval requires at least two UV channels, while several satellite instruments, such as the Thermal And Near infrared Sensor for carbon Observation Cloud and Aerosol Imager (TANSO-CAI) instrument onboard a Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT), provide single channel UV radiances. In this study, a new UVAI retrieval method was developed which uses a single UV channel. A single channel aerosol index (SAI) is defined to measure the extent to which an absorbing aerosol state differs from its state with minimized absorption by aerosol. The SAI qualitatively represents absorbing aerosols by considering a 30-day minimum composite and the variability in aerosol absorption. This study examines the feasibility of detecting absorbing aerosols using a UV-constrained satellite, focusing on those which have a single UV channel. The Vector LInearized pseudo-spherical Discrete Ordinate Radiative Transfer (VLIDORT) was used to test the sensitivity of the SAI and UVAI to aerosol optical properties. The theoretical calculations showed that highly absorbing aerosols have a meaningful correlation with SAI. The retrieved SAI from OMI and operational OMI UVAI were also in good agreement when UVAI values were greater than 0.7 (the absorption criteria of UVAI). The retrieved SAI from the TANSO-CAI data was compared with operational OMI UVAI data, demonstrating a reasonable agreement and low rate of false detection for cases of absorbing aerosols in East Asia. The SAI retrieved from TANSO-CAI was in better agreement with OMI UVAI, particularly for the values greater than the absorbing threshold value of 0.7.


In logistic transport industry, individual demands and diversity requirements are matters in transport operation; this paper focused on solving vehicle routing problem (VRP) by using the immune genetic algorithm (IGA). In this algorithm, firstly, establish the mathematical model of VRP. Secondly, design the IGA of which use natural number coding method to encode antibodies; apply R continuous method to calculate the affinity between antibodies; use the roulette wheel selection method to select good individuals; adopt partial matching method to improve the crossover operation; use simple inversion mutation method for mutation operation. Finally, example analysis proves that using the IGA can find out the optimal path quickly and efficiently.


The linear viscoelastic behavior of poly(norbornene)-graft-poly(±-lactide) was investigated as a function of grafting density and overall molar mass. Eight sets of polymers with grafting densities ranging from 0 to 100% were synthesized by living ring-opening metathesis copolymerization. Within each set, the graft chain molar mass and spacing between grafts were fixed, while the total backbone length was varied. Dynamic master curves reveal that these polymers display Rouse and reptation dynamics with a sharp transition in the zero-shear viscosity data, demonstrating that grafting density strongly impacts the entanglement molar mass. The entanglement modulus (Ge) scales with inverse grafting density (ng) as Ge ∼ ng1.2 and Ge ∼ ng0 in accordance with scaling theory in the high and low grafting density limits, respectively. However, a sharp transition between these limiting behaviors occurs, which does not conform to existing theoretical models for graft polymers. A molecular interpretation based on thin flexible chains at low grafting density and thick semiflexible chains at high grafting density anticipates the sharp transition between the limiting dynamical regimes.


Background The effectiveness of comprehensive stroke center (CSC) capabilities on stroke mortality remains uncertain. We performed a nationwide study to examine whether CSC capabilities influenced in-hospital mortality of patients with ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. Methods and Results Of the 1,369 certified training institutions in Japan, 749 hospitals responded to a questionnaire survey regarding CSC capabilities that queried the availability of personnel, diagnostic techniques, specific expertise, infrastructure, and educational components recommended for CSCs. Among the institutions that responded, data on patients hospitalized for stroke between April 1, 2010 and March 31, 2011 were obtained from the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database. In-hospital mortality was analyzed using hierarchical logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, sex, level of consciousness on admission, comorbidities, and the number of fulfilled CSC items in each component and in total. Data from 265 institutions and 53,170 emergency-hospitalized patients were analyzed. Mortality rates were 7.8% for patients with ischemic stroke, 16.8% for patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and 28.1% for patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Mortality adjusted for age, sex, and level of consciousness was significantly correlated with personnel, infrastructural, educational, and total CSC scores in patients with ischemic stroke. Mortality was significantly correlated with diagnostic, educational, and total CSC scores in patients with ICH and with specific expertise, infrastructural, educational, and total CSC scores in patients with SAH. Conclusions CSC capabilities were associated with reduced in-hospital mortality rates, and relevant aspects of care were found to be dependent on stroke type.


Mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS), which involves neuronal loss and gliosis within the mesial temporal structures (primarily in Sommer sector and the CA4 region of the hippocampus), 1 is an important cause of temporal lobe epilepsy.2 The syndrome of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy includes febrile seizures, onset of complex partial seizures in adolescence or early adulthood, poor response to antiepileptic medications, and MTS. 3 The modern understanding of MTS and its relationship to epilepsy, which has mirrored our understanding of epilepsy in general, has evolved since the description of hippocampal lesions in a group of patients with epilepsy in 1825. 4


Directed networks are conveniently represented as graphs in which ordered edges encode interactions between vertices. Despite their wide availability, there is a shortage of statistical models amenable for inference, specially when contextual information and degree heterogeneity are present. This paper presents an annotated graph model with parameters explicitly accounting for these features. To overcome the curse of dimensionality due to modelling degree heterogeneity, we introduce a sparsity assumption and propose a penalized likelihood approach with $\ell_1$-regularization for parameter estimation. We study the estimation and selection consistency of this approach under a sparse network assumption, and show that inference on the covariate parameter is straightforward, thus bypassing the need for the kind of debiasing commonly employed in $\ell_1$-penalized likelihood estimation. Simulation and data analysis corroborate our theoretical findings.


The paper reviews political and other trajectories in Vietnam in 2012, concluding that a systemic political crisis continues. Trying to rule over an increasingly open and globalizing society with unreformed Communist political institutions, the Vietnamese Communist Party has seen its institutional authority evaporate, so that it no longer functions as a coherent source of sovereign power.


Currently, 19 transiting exoplanets have published transmission spectra obtained with the Hubble/WFC3 G141 near-IR grism. Using this sample, we have undertaken a uniform analysis incorporating measurement-error debiasing of the spectral modulation due to H2O, measured in terms of the estimated atmospheric scale height, . For those planets with a reported H2O detection (10 out of 19), the spectral modulation due to H2O ranges from 0.9 to 2.9 with a mean value of 1.8 ± 0.5 . This spectral modulation is significantly less than predicted for clear atmospheres. For the group of planets in which H2O has been detected, we find the individual spectra can be coherently averaged to produce a characteristic spectrum in which the shape, together with the spectral modulation of the sample, are consistent with a range of H2O mixing ratios and cloud-top pressures, with a minimum H2O mixing ratio of ppm corresponding to the cloud-free case. Using this lower limit, we show that clouds or aerosols must block at least half of the atmospheric column that would otherwise be sampled by transmission spectroscopy in the case of a cloud-free atmosphere. We conclude that terminator-region clouds with sufficient opacity to be opaque in slant-viewing geometry are common in hot Jupiters.


The early Middle Cambrian phosphorites of the Georgina Basin were deposited in shallow nearshore marine environments varying from lagoonal, estuarine, littoral, to intertidal. Some deposits show penecontemporaneous erosion by stream channels in addition to subaerial weathering during periods of regression. There are three distinct types of phosphorite: mudstone phosphorite, replacement phosphorite, and pelletal phosphorite, the latter two were formed by diagenetic phosphatization of carbonate skeletal sands, bioclastic and micritic limestones, and dolomites. By comparison, the mudstone phosphorite, which predominates in the three deposits studied, shows little textural evidence of such an origin and has been accepted as an orthochemical sediment. However, this paper proposes a diagenetic origin identical to the other types.Some fifteen known deposits occur over a distance of about 1,000 km along the periphery and insular portions of the basin. The geochemistry of two of these deposits, D Tree and Sherrin Creek, which lie 75 km apart on the eastern edge of the basin, has been studied and compared with that of the Wonarah deposit, which lies within the basin 200 km to the west. Fifty-eight analyses reveal four element associations: apatite group (Ca, P, F), clay group (Al, K, Ti, Cr, Zr), heavy minerals group (Fe, Mn, Zn, Ni, Cu), and a leached group. Although the elements Na, S, CO 2 , Y, La, Ce, Sr, U, and Th correlate with apatite in the little-leached Sherrin Creek deposit, they exist as a separate leached group, or correlate with clays, in the more leached D Tree and Wonarah samples. Ba, V, Cu, and Pb do not behave to a consistent trend. The strongest correlations in the leached deposits are at a lower level of significance than at D Tree.Intense Cenozoic weathering extends beyond the maximum known depth of phosphorite. It, together with certain though unquantifiable Cambrian subaerial weathering effects, has been responsible for leaching, increasing in the order Sherrin Creek, D Tree, and Wonarah. Uranium, Th, La, Ce, Y, Ba, Sr, Na 2 O, SO 3 , and CO 2 are leached from the system to the extent of 45 to 80 weight percent. Comparison of the composition of leached and unleached phosphorites suggests there were discernible differences in the geochemistry of waters in the different embayments at the time the phosphorites were formed.


Investigations continue into the central neuronal circuitry involved in cardiovascular control, the activity of sympathetic efferents, cardiovascular responses, and experimental hypertension. Neurons within the ventrolateral medulla are integral to several reflex pathways. The activation of neurons within the A5 cell group can generate complex patterns of sympathetic and cardiovascular response. The type of respiratory modulation of a sympathetic neuron may be associated with its function. Opioid mechanisms within the central nervous system are important in cardiovascular responses to hemorrhage. The central actions of angiotensin II and atrial natriuretic peptide may blunt the baroreceptor reflex in spontaneously hypertensive rats.


To improve the control precision of multi-joint robots, a adaptive fuzzy immune PID control method for multi-joint robots was presented based on the immune feedback mechanism and fuzzy control theory, and the parameters of PID controller was optimized with hybrid algorithm. First, least square algorithm was used for off-line optimization to form immune feedback control system. Then, genetic algorithm was used for on-line optimization to get the optimal performance parameters of immune PID control system and the optimal fuzzy proportional parameters. Simulation results of a 2-joint robot manipulator demonstrated that the control method designed gets tracking effect with high precision and speed.


Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a pharmacogenetic disorder of skeletal muscle that is triggered in genetically predisposed individuals by common anesthetics and muscle relaxants. The ryanodine receptor (RYR1) is mutated in a number of MH pedigrees, some members of which also have central core disease (CCD), an inherited myopathy closely associated with MH. Mutation screening of 6 kb of the RYR1 gene has identified four adjacent novel mutations, C6487T, G6488A, G6502A, and C6617T, which result in the amino acid alterations Arg2163Cys, Arg2163His, Val2168Met, and Thr2206Met, respectively. Collectively, these mutations account for 11% of MH cases and identify the gene segment 6400-6700 as a mutation hot spot. Correlation analysis of the in vitro contracture-test data available for pedigrees bearing these and other RYR1 mutations showed an exceptionally good correlation between caffeine threshold and tension values, whereas no correlation was observed between halothane threshold and tension values. This finding has important ramifications for assignment of the MH-susceptible phenotype, in genotyping studies, and indicates that assessment of recombinant individuals on the basis of caffeine response is justified, whereas assessment on the basis of halothane response may be problematic. Interestingly, the data suggest a link between the caffeine threshold and tension values and the MH/CCD phenotype.


The agricultural extension system in Tanzania has faced many problems, of which the key seems to be the poor institutional. administrative and organizational structure of the extension services. Recently, the Tanzanian government, with the assistance of the World Bank launched a major restructuring of the country's extension system including the introduction of the training and visit (T and V) extension. The T and V extension has some inherent weaknesses particularly if implemented without any modification to the Tanzanian context, due to lack of resources and other complimentary services. Recommendations are given to make the T and V system of extension more effective under Tanzanian conditions.


Icterus condemnations compose a substantial proportion (41%) of total condemnations of bob veal, the class of veal composed of calves < 3 weeks old and weighing up to 68 kg. At postmortem examination, bob veal condemned because of icterus have generalized yellow discoloration of tissues, which is commonly associated with large, yellow liver (fatty liver), and a paucity of other gross pathologic changes. To establish that the generalized yellow discoloration was attributable to high tissue bilirubin concentrations and to examine the underlying mechanism(s) that might be responsible, blood samples and tissue specimens were obtained from clinically normal and icteric bob veal calves at slaughter. For comparison, blood samples were collected from clinically normal, 1- to 5-day-old Holstein calves being raised on local dairy farms. Hematologic and serum biochemical analyses were obtained for the 3 groups of calves (normal local, normal slaughter, and icteric slaughter), and tissues of slaughter calves were examined for histologic evidence of inflammatory or degenerative changes. Mean +/- SD total bilirubin concentration and creatine kinase (CK) activity in icteric bob veal (3.3 +/- 0.8 mg/dl; 869 +/- 788 U/L), normal bob veal (1.4 +/- 0.7 mg/dl; 486 +/- 890 U/L), and normal local calves (0.5 +/- 0.2 mg/dl; 156 +/- 158 U/L) were significantly different. When data for both normal and icteric bob veal calf groups were combined for analysis, total bilirubin concentration regressed significantly on hepatic lipid scores (P = 0.00003) and CK activity (P = 0.00049). Colostrum consumption was determined by measuring serum total protein concentration and serum gamma-glutamyltransferase activity. Bob veal calves that had not consumed colostrum had significantly higher total bilirubin (P = 0.00005) and CK (P = 0.0008) values. It was concluded that normal and icteric bob veal calves have significant increase in total bilirubin concentration, and icterus of bob veal calves is secondary to unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia. Lack of colostrum consumption was strongly correlated with icterus in bob veal calves.


In this study, soldiers' adaptation with the situational demands on combat deployment is explored. Certain changes on the level of two needs-based personality characteristics, Sensation Seeking (SS) and Need for Structure (NS) take place across deployment: soldiers who are lower in SS were more inclined to seek for sensations after deployment, and soldiers at the extremes of the NS dimension, modified their behavioral tendencies after deployment towards a moderate level. According to our findings, these changes suggest at least temporal characteristic adaptations with certain environmental demands. We discuss the implications of these findings for research and practice.


In order to protect river water quality, highly affected in urban areas by continuos as
intermittent immissions, it is necessary to adopt measures to intercept and treat these
polluted flows.
In particular during rain events, river water quality is affected by CSOs activation. Built
in order to protect the sewer system and the WWTP by increased flows due to heavy
rains, CSOs divert excess flows to the receiving water body.
On the basis of several scientific papers, and of direct evidences as well, that
demonstrate the detrimental effect of CSOs discharges, also the legislative framework
moved towards a stream standard point of view.
The WFD (EU/69/2000) sets new goals for receiving water quality, and groundwater as
well, through an integrated immission/emissions phylosophy, in which emission limits
are associated with effluent standards, based on the receiving water characteristics and
their specific use.
For surface waters the objective is that of a "good" ecological and chemical quality
status. A surface water is defined as of good ecological quality if there is only slight
departure from the biological community that would be expected in conditions of
minimal anthropogenic impact. Each Member State authority is responsible for
preparing and implementing a River Basin Management Plan to achieve the good
ecological quality, and comply with WFD requirements.
In order to cope with WFD targets, and thus to improve urban receiving water quality, a
CSOs control strategy need to be implemented. Temporarily storing the overflow (or at
least part of it) into tanks and treating it in the WWTP, after the end of the storm,
showed good results in reducing total pollutant mass spilled into the receiving river.
Italian State Authority, in order to comply with WFD statements, sets general
framework, and each Region has to adopt a Water Remediation Plan (PTA, Piano
Tutela Acque), setting goals, methods, and terms, to improve river water quality. Emilia
Romagna PTA sets 25% reduction up to 2008, and 50% reduction up to 2015 fo total
pollutants masses delivered by CSOs spills.
In order to plan remediation actions, a deep insight into spills dynamics is thus of great
importance.
The present thesis tries to understand spills dynamics through a numerical and an
experimental approach. A four months monitoring and sampling campaign was set on
the Bologna sewer network, and on the Navile Channel, that is the WWTP receiving
water , and that receives flows from up to 28 CSOs during rain events. On the other
hand, the full model of the sewer network, was build with the commercial software
InfoWorks CS.
The model was either calibrated with the data from the monitoring and sampling
campaign. Through further model simulations interdependencies among masses spilled,
rain characteristics and basin characteristics are looked for.
The thesis can be seen as a basis for further insighs and for planning remediation
actions.


Poster G5 Geoscience Australia has undertaken a regional seismic mapping study that extends into the frontier deep-water region of the offshore Otway Basin. This work builds on seismic mapping and petroleum systems modelling published in the 2021 Otway Basin Regional Study. Seismic interpretation spans over 18 000 line-km of new and reprocessed data collected in the 2020 Otway Basin seismic program and over 40 000 line-km of legacy 2D seismic data. Fault mapping has resulted in refinement and reinterpretation of regional structural elements, particularly in the deep-water areas. Structure surfaces and isochron maps highlight Shipwreck (Turonian–Santonian) and Sherbrook (Campanian–Maastrichtian) supersequence depocentres across the deep-water part of the basin. These observations will inform the characterisation of petroleum systems within the Upper Cretaceous succession, especially in the underexplored deep-water region. To access the poster click the link on the right. To read the full paper click here


Abstract Icehouse carbonate diagenesis is complex, with carbonate sequences being exposed to multiple meteoric hydrozones (vadose-zone, freshwater-lens, mixing-zone) on multiple occasions. A forward modeling approach using CARB3D+ has enabled quantitative exploration of the nature of this diagenetic overprinting, by explicit simulation of meteoric hydrozone residence times during evolution of an isolated carbonate platform. A sensitivity analysis was performed, encompassing the fundamental controls on hydrozone residence time; frequency and magnitude of sea-level variation, subsidence rate, and climate, the latter via its effect on freshwater-lens thickness and rate of dissolutional lowering of the land surface. Residence time within all meteoric hydrozones is characterized by a high degree of lateral continuity. Vertical continuity is much more limited, with significant variations on a fourth order sequence scale across the platform. Below sequence boundaries prolonged exposure to the vadose zone results from multiple missed beats (when the platform remains exposed at relative sea-level maxima). Overprinting gives total meteoric residence times significantly in excess of the duration of exposure of the overlying sequence boundary. There is a hierarchy of eustatically driven overprint cycles, with higher-frequency cyclicity modifying the primary signal generated by lower-frequency cycles. Fifth-order cycles thus have only a minor impact on hydrozone residence times, whilst third order (seismic scale) cycles are a critical control, and could be used as a first-order approximation of the amount of diagenetic overprinting. Subsidence has a strong control on residence time, with greater overprinting at lower subsidence rates, but in high-subsidence regimes sediment packages move below the zone of meteoric-water influence sufficiently rapidly that residence time can be minimal. High land-surface dissolution rates, which result from a wetter climate, remove a large proportion of the subaerially exposed sediment and reduce vadose-zone residence time. Higher effective recharge can increase the thickness of freshwater lens and mixing zones which increases residence times significantly. Residence times in the vadose zone can be directly linked to a sequence stratigraphic framework, but for the freshwater lens and the mixing zone this is possible only with a well constrained relative sea-level history.


The main goal of this study is to investigate the evaporation process of a coolant (water droplets) which is injected through spray nozzles mounted on a steam turbine bypass pipeline in a co-generator system. The study includes several important factors: (1) the effects of elbows on the flow pattern and evaporation process of the water particles; (2) heat transfer that affects the steam temperature and also the evaporation rates; and (3) the effects of insertion of a perforated plate in the flow path on the evaporation process.
 Modeling of the high-pressure turbulent steam flow was based on a non-staggered finite volume method in 3-D, turbulent, compressible, two-phase dispersed flow formulations. Computations were performed by separating the entire pipeline system into four sections, each of which was generated in a 3-D grid system for more efficient computations by maintaining a sufficiently large number of meshes for each section. Flow calculations were made in each region separately by patching the end conditions from one pipe to the inlet conditions of the next one.
 Through this research, numerous data have been acquired and analyzed for heat transfer mechanisms of the cooling water droplets in the pipeline system. The accuracy of the computations were validated by comparing them with theoretical models, and were shown to be quite reliable.


In recent years, the road accident has become a global problem and marked as the ninth prominent cause of death in the world. Due to the enormous number of road accidents every year, it has become a major problem in Bangladesh. It is entirely inadmissible and saddening to allow its citizen to kill by road accidents. Consequently, to handle this overwhelmed situation, a precise analysis is required. This research paper has been done to analyze traffic accidents more deeply to determine the intensity of accidents by using machine learning approaches in Bangladesh. We also figure out those significant factors that have a clear effect on road accidents and provide some beneficent suggestions regarding this issue. Analysis has been done, by using Decision Tree, K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Naïve Bayes and AdaBoost these four supervised learning techniques, to classify the severity of accidents into Fatal, Grievous, Simple Injury and Motor Collision these four categories. Finally, the best performance is achieved by AdaBoost.


The basic purpose of transportation planning and management is to match transportation supply with travel demand, which represents 'need'. A thorough understanding of existing travel pattern is necessary for identifying and analyzing existing traffic related problems. Detailed data on current travel pattern and traffic volumes are needed also for developing travel forecasting/prediction models. The prediction of future travel demand is an essential task of the long-range transportation planning process for determining strategies for accommodating future needs. These strategies may include land use policies, pricing programs, and expansion of transportation supply – highways and transit service.


We present the very first robust Bayesian Online Changepoint Detection algorithm through General Bayesian Inference (GBI) with $\beta$-divergences. The resulting inference procedure is doubly robust for both the parameter and the changepoint (CP) posterior, with linear time and constant space complexity. We provide a construction for exponential models and demonstrate it on the Bayesian Linear Regression model. In so doing, we make two additional contributions: Firstly, we make GBI scalable using Structural Variational approximations that are exact as $\beta \to 0$. Secondly, we give a principled way of choosing the divergence parameter $\beta$ by minimizing expected predictive loss on-line. Reducing False Discovery Rates of CPs from more than 90% to 0% on real world data, this offers the state of the art.


Pre-existing maternal overweight/obesity and pregnancy weight gain are associated with adverse birth outcomes such as low birth weight and prematurity, which may increase the risk of developmental tooth defects and early childhood caries. We sought to investigate the association between prepregnancy BMI, gestational weight gain (GWG) and the risk of early childhood caries. Data from 1,429 mother-offspring participants of the 1991/1992 Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children were analyzed. The exposures were prepregnancy BMI (under/normal weight vs. overweight/obese), and gestational weight gain (GWG) based on the Institute of Medicine's recommended levels. The main outcome measured was offspring caries experience determined by clinical oral examinations at three time points. Log binomial regression estimated risk ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Seventy six percent (76%) of the mothers were under/normal weight prepregnancy, 39% and 26% respectively gained less and more than the recommended weight for their prepregnancy BMI during pregnancy. Being overweight/obese prepregnancy was associated with unadjusted RR (95% CI) of offspring caries of 1.16 (0.90, 1.51) at 31-months, 1.20 (0.96, 1.49) at 43-months and 1.09 (0.91, 1.30) at 61-months. GWG less than recommended was associated with higher unadjusted offspring caries experience of 1.13 (0.86, 1.48), 1.17 (0.92, 1.48) and 1.04 (0.87, 1.25) at 31-months, 43-months and 61-months respectively. There was insufficient evidence to indicate an association between prepregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain on offspring caries experience risk.


A new nitriding method has been devised which requires only a simple vacuum furnace and enables direct nitridation of solid aluminium without any prior surface treatment. It can be used to produce thick aluminium nitride surface layers on aluminium, under nitrogen at atmospheric pressure. A critical element of the process is the use of a magnesium vapour source that reduces/disrupts the natural, protective oxide film on the aluminium surface and facilitates nitriding. The nitride surface layers form through two distinct modes, one growing outward from the aluminium plate surface and the other growing into the aluminium. Studies of the nitride layers utilizing optical microscopy, TEM, SEM, XRD and XPS have been conducted. Details of the composition, structure and growth as well as possible mechanisms for the nitride formation are presented. Understanding of the reaction may have important implications for the production of wear resistant coatings on bulk Al as well as for the production of Al/AlN composites.


Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are not only being developed to aid disabled individuals with motor substitution, motor recovery, and novel communication possibilities, but also as a modality for healthy users in entertainment and gaming. This study investigates whether the incorporation of a BCI in the popular game World of Warcraft (WoW) has effects on the user experience. A BCI control channel based on parietal alpha band power is used to control the shape and function of the avatar in the game. In the experiment, participants (n=42) , a mix of experienced and inexperienced WoW players, played with and without the use of BCI in a within-subjects design. Participants themselves could indicate when they wanted to stop playing. Actual and estimated duration was recorded and questionnaires on presence and control were administered. Afterwards, oral interviews were taken. No difference in actual duration was found between conditions. Results indicate that the difference between estimated and actual duration was not related to user experience but was person specific. When using a BCI, control and involvement were rated lower. But BCI control did not significantly decrease fun. During interviews, experienced players stated that they saw potential in the application of BCIs in games with complex interfaces such as WoW. This study suggests that BCI as an additional control can be as much fun and natural to use as keyboard/mouse control, even if the amount of control is limited.


ABSTRACT Background: Among the general public there is a deep fear of developing dementia, which has led to an increasing number of people "at risk" seeking ways (such as advance directives) to avoid undergoing progressive mental decline. The views of people with dementia are vital in obtaining a real answer to the question of how the disease affects people's lives and whether it actually involves the suffering that so many fear. Method: A review of the international literature is provided on what is known about living through dementia from the patient's perspective. Results: A total of 50 papers met the inclusion criteria. The findings of these reviewed papers give insight into the impact of dementia and the ways that those who have it deal with its effects by using different coping strategies. The literature on the perspective of the patient gives no solid support to the widespread assumption that dementia is necessarily a state of dreadful suffering. Although the impact of dementia and the experiences of loss resulting in multiple "negative" emotions cannot be denied, our findings also indicate that people do not undergo the disease passively and use both emotion-oriented and problem-oriented coping strategies to deal with its challenges. The experiences of living through dementia as told by the sufferers appear to yield a more subtle picture than the assumptions made by the general public. Conclusion: The overview provides a good starting point for improving the adjustment of care to the experience and wishes of people with dementia.


Different devices and techniques have been developed to retrieve fractured instruments during the endodontic procedures. This case report describes the management of a broken instrument, which was accidentally broken during cleaning and shaping of the root canal in right 2 nd molar tooth. A # 25 stainless steel K-file was separated in mesiobuccal canal of the treated tooth. At first, a radiograph was taken to confirm the level of separation of the instrument. The instrument was found to be separated at the apical 3 rd of the mesial canal and then file bypass technique was performed. Calcium hydroxide dressing was given for 7 days followed by obturation with guttapercha cone and zinc oxide eugenol sealer in lateral condensation technique. It can be concluded that bypass technique can be considered as simple and effective technique for the management of broken instrument into the root canal.


At the end of August 2010, the publication of what would sadly turn out to be the penultimate text written by Jose Luis Brea, Professor of Aesthetics and Contemporary Art Theory at the Universidad Carlos III of Madrid, awoke in many of us a deep feeling of sorrow and anxiety. The article in salonKritik, the online magazine he founded, was not by any means a farewell or some autobiographical sketch, but the comprehensive re-issuing of a text that served as a theoretical basis for the exhibition "The Last Days" (Seville, 1992). During those years, Jose Luis Brea proved himself to be ahead of his time when it came to leading the way in new curatorial practices, with his exhibition "Before and After the Enthusiasm" (Amsterdam, 1989) and with his essays that explored the end of the so-called Age of the Enthusiasm and the advent of the new "Cold Auras". The message carried by the re-publishing of Brea's article was very clear: All those who knew Jose Luis well were very aware of his illness – although we couldn't imagine that the end of his life was so near and his last days so close.


The purpose of this research was to investigate routes towards the synthesis of $\alpha,\alpha\sp\prime$dehydrodimeric amino acids. This dissertation describes various methods of effecting dehydrodimerization of bioxazoles. Bioxazoles are good candidates to serve as precursors to $\alpha\,\alpha\sp\prime$dehydrodimeric amino acids, because they are $\alpha,\alpha\sp\prime$-dehydrodimeric amino acid derivatives. This dissertation describes the synthesis and characterization of d,l and meso 4,4$\sp\prime$bioxazoles as well as, 2,4$\sp\prime$-bioxazoles. A variety of bioxazoles were synthesized and some were subjected to nucleophilic ring opening. It had been reported that nucleophilic attack at the bioxazole ring caused the dehydrodimeric carbon-carbon bond to be cleaved. Results of this work indicate that cleavage is not a universal pathway in nucleophilic ring opening. An attempt to complex a bioxazole with nickel bromide led to an investigation which proved that, at elevated temperatures, the bioxazole underwent a thermal isomerization. Though inclusive, investigation of the mechanism by EPR analysis indicated that the mechanism was radical based. A cross-over experiment confirmed that the mechanism of isomerization proceeded through a radical intermediate. Several bioxazoles and one bithiazole were heated in inhibitor free styrene to determine if bioxazoles would serve as a catalyst for radical polymerization. Though the cross-over experiment indicated that the bioxazoles fragmented into radicals at elevated temperatures, none of the bioxazoles heated in the presence of styrene induced polymerization.


A new brazed monolayer diamond grinding wheel is developed with the same continuous cutting edge distance on the wheel surface. Surface/subsurface damage of yttria partially stabilized zirconia (Y-PSZ) in grinding using monolayer brazed diamond wheel is analyzed. In this investigation, the influence of the maximum undeformed chip thickness (hm) on material removal mechanism is analyzed. The experiment results show that the ground surface is almost in ductile material removal mode when hm is below the critical value for Y-PSZ, otherwise it will be the combined removal modes of brittle and ductile when hm is above the critical value.


The goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and their teachers, and to examine whether this relationship was associated with children's academic motivation. The sample comprised 35 children with clinically elevated levels of ADHD symptoms and 36 children with no ADHD symptoms between the ages of 6 and 10. Children with symptoms of ADHD and their teachers reported impairments in both the emotional and collaborative aspects of their relationships, particularly for girls in the ADHD group. For children in the ADHD group, a self-reported close bond in the teacher–student relationship was associated with increased academic motivation. These findings were significant after controlling for co-occurring behaviour problems and academic impairments. These findings suggest that the symptoms of ADHD may interfere with teacher–student relationship and may serve as a barrier in student's academic achievement.


ABSTRACT A technique to determine the permeability from X-ray microtomographic images was developed and applied to paper structures. The images are thresholded and a skeleton of the pore space is obtained from the images. The skeleton is represented by means of a network of resistances. The total resistance of the network along the principal directions is now determined both in the in-plane (X, Y) as well as through the plane (Z) directions. The network resistance for structures at each section is determined. From this data, a correlation length for the network resistance is obtained. Correlation length data are used for determining the effect of heterogeneities on transport properties of paper structures. From this analysis, it is possible to analyze and simulate the moisture transport processes such as wicking and drying in paper, reproducing smaller-scale variations. Permeabilities in the thickness direction were calculated from the X-ray microtomographic reconstructions of the pore space. A set of paper samples prepared with different amounts of fines but with similar porosity and density was analyzed. The permeabilities of the X-ray reconstructions were reduced significantly in papers with fines in agreement with macroscopic measurements of flow through the same sheets. This demonstrated the higher tortuosities of the papers and their increased flow resistance, although the macroscopic porosity and density were relatively unchanged. The same analysis was repeated for a set of pilot machine sample papers to demonstrate variations in permeability predicted by X-ray microtomographic analyses in agreement with expected increases due to refining of pulps.


The political and cultural model of the United States allows the existence of national museums with an ethnic or racial character. The immigrant communities from African, Asian and Mexican origins have museums where they represent their own artistic and cultural heritage. But: what happens when the national assimilation project of the United States integrates as "national" the cultural treasures of immigrant communities? I will try to answer these questions briefly, based on case studies which I undertook in various museums in Chicago. I. NATIONAL MUSEUMS In the 19th century, the economic development of the United States not only accelerated the construction of industries and railways but also increased the emergence and development of museums. Criticized for their lack of historical tradition and heritage, the United States built up national museums with the aim of defining not only its economic power but also its cultural relevance to confront the cultural power of Europe. One of the instruments of the cultural power of the US is also the museum industry. In Europe (1), as well as in the United States, museums were developed to stimulate a national conscience and to build up a national imaginary. The idea of the national imaginary as a simple collective construction coincides with the theses of Benedict Anderson who characterizes "the nation" as an imagined construction: It is imagined because the members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow-members, meet them, or even hear of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion. (2) National museums appeared to show the images and symbols that expressed the pride and made up the identity of every nation. If in the United States the notion of "museum of art" did not exist before the American Civil war, it is important to stress that Ninety-five per cent of existing museums are said to have been founded since world war II. (3) But during the 20th century: [...] there was a proliferation of small, low-budget, neighborhood museums, often concentrating on the culture of everyday life or local heritage; at the other, corporate museums, the development of museums "franchises," "blockbuster" shows, iconic, "landmark" architecture, "superstar" museums, and "meta-museums" also flourished. (4) Nowadays, the museum enterprises in the United States (5), which are emblematic of the national art and heritage, coexist with the small community museums which are run by the younger generations of immigrant descent. But, how can a national museum represent itself through a "foreign" heritage? How can the imagined nation represent itself through the images and symbols of another national imaginary? Isn't the fact of representing the American nation with museums and images of Chinese, Mexican or African origins a contradiction in itself? II. COMMUNITY MUSEUMS In the 20th century, museums with an ethnic or racial character have appeared all over the Unites States. The cultural heritage of the immigrant communities has become a museum object in exhibits, and an actual issue for shows as well. It is not a right exercised by the American State, but rather conquered by social minorities: Blacks, Jews, Asians, Hispanics, homosexuals and women, among others. These museums, named "community museums" (6) pick up in their exhibits the symbols of the groups or societies of origin which they represent. In this way, they show the contexts of their past, without forgetting the cultural mutations of the present. In the United States, one of the first community museums was the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum. (7) This museum appeared in 1967 due to the growth of national museums at the time. Originally, the Anacostia was an initiative run by the marginal and poor community in Washington. Since its beginnings, the community has participated in the museological tasks. …


During their lifetime, cosmic dust silicates suffer from a continuous processing by annealing, cosmic ray and UV irradiation, destruction and possibly also interstellar recondensation. Since the discovery that a significant proportion of star- dust silicates leaves their star in crystalline form, the question arose as to why the interstellar silicate dust component does not show any indication of crystallinity. Amorphization due to ion irradiation is one possible explanation for the effect. In this paper, the results of irradiation experiments of submicrometre-sized clinoenstatite (MgSiO3) particles with 400 keV Ar + and 50 keV He + ions are presented. The irradiation doses have been varied between 1×10 16 and 1×10 18 ions/cm 2 for He + ions and 1×10 14 up to 5×10 14 ions/cm 2 for Ar + ions. These doses are comparable to those values that an interstellar silicate grain should be exposed to during its average life-time of 4×10 8 years. Threshold values for amorphization have been amounted to 1×10 17 and 3×10 14 ions/cm 2 for 50 keV He + and 400 keV Ar + ions. Besides the structural changes in the microcrystallites morphological modifications in the grains, but no change of the chemical composition are found. Conclusions of potential astrophysical relevance have been drawn.


Introduction: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is characterised by disturbed vessel morphology and an overproduction of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The VEGF gene located on chromosome 6p21.3 has several polymorphisms. Objective: To test the hypothesis that disturbed angiogenesis may be related to the genetic background of the VEGF gene. Materials and methods: EUSTAR centres included European Caucasian patients with SSc and matched controls with osteoarthritis. The VEGF gene was genotyped by polymerase chain reaction, followed by restriction enzyme analysis. The 634 C/T and 936 C/G mutations and an 18-base pair insertion/deletion at −2549 of the VEGF promoter region were tested. Results: 416 patients with SSc and 249 controls were included in the study population. Of the patients with SSc, 42% had a diffuse cutaneous subtype, 16% had increased pulmonary arterial pressure and 61% had decreased carbon monoxide diffusion capacity. The genotype frequencies in the patients with SSc and in controls were in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. The allele and genotype frequencies of the polymorphisms did not differ between patients with SSc and controls. No association was found between these polymorphisms and disease phenotypes. Conclusion: This study shows that there is no association between the three selected functional VEGF polymorphisms and SSc.


MicroRNAs (miRs) are small, endogenous, non-coding RNAs that regulate the stability and/or translation of complementary mRNA targets. MiRs have emerged not only as critical modulators of normal physiologic processes, but their deregulation may significantly impact prostate and other cancers. The expression of miR-23b and miR-27b, which are encoded by the same miR cluster (miR-23b/-27b), are downregulated in metastatic, castration-resistant tumors compared to primary prostate cancer and benign tissue; however, their possible role in prostate cancer progression is unknown. We found that ectopic expression of miR-23b/-27b in two independent castration-resistant prostate cancer cell lines resulted in suppression of invasion and migration, as well as reduced survival in soft agar (a measure of anoikis). However, there was no effect of miR-23b/-27b on cell proliferation suggesting that these miRs function as metastasis (but not growth) suppressors in prostate cancer. Conversely, inhibition of miR-23b/-27b in the less aggressive androgen-dependent LNCaP prostate cancer cell line resulted in enhanced invasion and migration also without affecting proliferation. Mechanistically, we found that introduction of miR-23b/-27b in metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer cell lines resulted in a significant attenuation of Rac1 activity without affecting total Rac1 levels and caused increased levels of the tumor suppressor E-cadherin. Inhibition of these miRs had the opposite effect in androgen-dependent LNCaP cells. These results suggest that miR-23b/-27b are metastasis suppressors that might serve as novel biomarkers and therapeutic agents for castration-resistant disease.


We propose a simple training regime that can improve the extrinsic performance of a parser, given only a corpus of sentences and a way to automatically evaluate the extrinsic quality of a candidate parse. We apply our method to train parsers that excel when used as part of a reordering component in a statistical machine translation system. We use a corpus of weakly-labeled reference reorderings to guide parser training. Our best parsers contribute significant improvements in subjective translation quality while their intrinsic attachment scores typically regress.


The moss Bartramia pomiformis, which has become very rare in Holland (see Fig. 1), was found in 12 localities in the sand dunes on the Isle of Texel. All localities are situated on steep, north-facing slopes that clearly showed terracing, which is caused by the activities of rabbits and grazing sheep. Bartramia grows on the steep banks of these terraces, in a vegetation that is dominated by bryophytes and lichens. Four releves of vegetations with Bartramia are presented in Table 1. It is pointed out that Bartramia requires a habitat that on the one hand offers sufficient protection against the desiccating influence of direct sunshine and wind, but which on the other hand still receives enough light to enable good growth of the moss. This kind of habitat is known as the 'open shade', which has been called 'Blauschatten' ('blue shade') by German workers, because of the fact that only diffuse, blue light, coming from the northern half of the sky, can reach such places. Since Bartramia typically occurs at such places as north facing slopes, wooded banks etc., and does not enter the deeper shade of the true forest, it can be regarded as a very good example of a 'Blauschattenpflanze'. A remarkable feature of the vegetation of north facing slopes in the open dune landscape of the Wadden Sea Islands is the terrestrial occurrence of a number of bryophytes that are otherwise mainly restricted to woodlands in the Netherlands. Some of these also grow on the ground in woodlands, e.g. Hylocomium splendens and Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus, while others usually occur as epiphytes, e.g. Frullania tamarisci, Isothecium myosuroides, Dicranoweisia cirrata and Metzgeria furcata. The presence of such 'woodland bryophytes' as terrestrials in open dunes has in the past been regarded as the result of a presumed greater 'oceanicity' of the Islands, as compared with the interior. This supposition is probably wrong, since the climate on the islands is not significantly more oceanic than in the rest of Holland. Therefore the occurrence of these bryophytes must largely be attributed to the suitable microclimate that is offered on dune slopes, rather than to greater oceanicity. Finally some attention is paid to the disappearance of Bartramia pomiformis from many of its former localities. The decline of this moss in large parts of the Netherlands is probably connected to the effects of acid rain and the destruction of hedgebanks. The maintenance or reintroduction of sheep grazing as a management tool is recommended for the conservation of its localities, along with those of other interesting bryophytes, in dry sand dunes.


This paper presents the diversity and status of plants conservation initiatives in the three mountain ecosystems in Mindanao, Philippines. Representative specimen were pressed, dried, poisoned and mounted as herbarium vouchers. To determine the index of general diversity for trees, 20x20 m sampling plots were established per vegetation type, and in each sampling plot, a 5x5 m sub-plot was laid to determine the species diversity for pteridophytes. Transect walk and sampling plots in 3 mountain ecosystems revealed several vegetation types with Mt. Malindang having 9 types, Mt. Hamiguitan with 5 types and Mt. Kitanglad with 3 types. Species richness was highest in Mt. Malindang (1,164 spp.), followed by Mt. Hamiguitan (878 spp.) and the lowest in Mt. Kitanglad (661 spp.) Regardless of the mountain ecosystem and plant groups, the montane vegetation had high species richness and diversity values than the dipterocarp and mossy forests. Mt. Kitanglad had the highest number of threatened species (92 spp.) while Mt. Malindang and Mt. Hamiguitan had 34 and 35 threatened species each, respectively. As to endemism, it showed that Mt. Hamiguitan had high endemism (34 %) than Mt. Kitanglad (21%) and Mt, Malindang (16%). Furthermore, the three mountain ecosystems showed 64 species as new record in Mindanao and 21 species in the Philippines while two species of Nepenthes are new to science. Keywords - diversity, species richness, assessment, plants, conservation, protected areas, Mindanao


The amount of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) will continue to increase in the coming decades with an expected rate of at least 4%/y, about three times higher than the growth of the average municipal waste because the market of the electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) is growing very fast.in the world. Innovative separation and beneficiation techniques of various materials encountered in WEEE waste is a major improvement for WEEE recycling. In this context, mechanical separation-oriented characterization of these wastes was conducted in an attempt to evaluate the flexibility of mechanical separation processes. A new methodology of characterisation was developed in BRGM. It is consisted on the sampling step followed by particle size distribution. Each size fraction is analysed manually to determine the colour, shape and liberation degrees of various products (plastics, metals ferrous and non-ferrous), which are essential for mechanical separation, were analysed by means of a grain counting approach. To identify the types of plastics, a mobile Phazir plastic detector based on IR spectroscopy was used, and the combination of magnetic and eddy current separations was performed to quantify ferrous and non-ferrous particles. The bromine was analysed by the instrument operates on the principle of x-ray fluorescence (Niton). Two different samples from different recycling industries were characterised in this work. The first sample is heterogeneous material containing different types of plastics, metals (ferrous and non-ferrous), printed circuit board (PCB), rubber, wood, etc. The second sample contains mostly plastics with high content of ABS. It is found that all aluminium particles are free (100%) in all investigated size fractions. Between 92 and 95% of plastics are present as free particles; however 67% in average of ferromagnetic particles are liberated. It can be observed that only 42% of ferromagnetic particles are free in the size fraction higher than 20 mm. Particle shapes were also quantified manually particle by particle. The results obtained show that the shapes of the particles, as a result of shredding, turn out to be heterogeneous, thereby complicating mechanical separation processes. In addition, the separability of various materials was ascertained by a sink-float analysis and eddy current separation. The second sample was separated by automatic sorting in four different products: ABS, PC/ABS, PC and rest product. The fractions were characterised by using the methodology described in this paper. The results show that the liberation degree of the plastic products (ABS, PC/ABS and PC) are close to 100%. Sink-float separation and Phazir plastic identification equipment confirms the high plastic quality. The products obtained from the automatic sorting of plastics containing brominated flame retardant were analysed by Niton which is confirmed the efficiency of the separation


— The major challenging issue in Cloud computing is Security. Providing Security is big issue towards protecting data from third person as well as in Internet. This mainly deals the Security how it is provided. Various type of services are there to protect our data and Various Services are available in Cloud Computing to Utilize effective manner as Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Hardware as a Service (HaaS). Cloud computing is the use of computing resources (hardware and software) that are delivered as a service over Internet network. Cloud Computing moves the Application software and databases to the large data centres, where the administration of the data and services may not be fully trustworthy that is in third party here the party has to get certified and authorized. Since Cloud Computing share distributed resources via network in the open environment thus it makes new security risks towards the correctness of the data in cloud. I propose in this paper flexibility of data storage mechanism in the distributed environment by using the homomorphism token generation. In the proposed system, users need to allow auditing the cloud storage with lightweight communication. While using Encryption and Decryption methods it is very burden for a single processor. Than the processing Capabilities can we utilize from Cloud Computing.


In this work we investigated the effects of malnutrition on the immune response in neoplastic patients. We studied the basal NK activity of 34 neoplastic malnourished patients and 10 neoplastic not malnourished patients and a control group of blood donors, by a standard 51 Cr release assay against K562 cells. We observed that the neoplastic malnourished patients have a defective NK activity in spite of a normal number of NK cells, as ascertained by HNK-1 monoclonal antibodies. The reduced NK activity of the neoplastic malnourished patients is only partially restored by rIFN alpha 2a but is normalized by rIL-2 stimulation. We also found that the endogenous IL-2 production from some of these patients is slightly reduced as compared to controls. On the contrary, there are no significative differences between the neoplastic not malnourished patients and blood donors, as concerns the NK activity. These results suggest that nutritional status plays a very important role in the maintenance of an efficient immune response in neoplastic patients.


: The sequential histologic changes in a bovine serum albumin (BSA)-induced model of chronic arthritis are described. The deposition of antigen in cartilage appears responsible for the localization of the chronic phase of the lesion, which predominates in synovium contiguous with the meniscus and periarticular ligaments. Theoretically, removal of antigen or immune complexes could play a key role in therapy of immune-mediated arthritis.


Importance Management of appendicitis as an urgent rather than emergency procedure has become an increasingly common practice in children. Controversy remains as to whether this practice is associated with increased risk of complicated appendicitis and adverse events. Objective To examine the association between time to appendectomy (TTA) and risk of complicated appendicitis and postoperative complications. Design, Setting, and Participants In this retrospective cohort study using the Pediatric National Surgical Quality Improvement Program appendectomy pilot database, 2429 children younger than 18 years who underwent appendectomy within 24 hours of presentation at 23 children's hospitals from January 1, 2013, through December 31, 2014, were studied. Exposures The main exposure was TTA, defined as the time from emergency department presentation to appendectomy. Patients were further categorized into early and late TTA groups based on whether their TTA was shorter or longer than their hospital's median TTA. Exposures were defined in this manner to compare rates of complicated appendicitis within a time frame sensitive to each hospital's existing infrastructure and diagnostic practices. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was complicated appendicitis documented at operation. The association between treatment delay and complicated appendicitis was examined across all hospitals by using TTA as a continuous variable and at the level of individual hospitals by using TTA as a categorical variable comparing outcomes between late and early TTA groups. Secondary outcomes included length of stay (LOS) and postoperative complications (incisional and organ space infections, percutaneous drainage procedures, unplanned reoperation, and hospital revisits). Results Of the 6767 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 2429 were included in the analysis (median age, 10 years; interquartile range, 8-13 years; 1467 [60.4%] male). Median hospital TTA was 7.4 hours (range, 5.0-19.2 hours), and 574 patients (23.6%) were diagnosed with complicated appendicitis (range, 5.2%-51.1% across hospitals). In multivariable analyses, increasing TTA was not associated with risk of complicated appendicitis (odds ratio per 1-hour increase in TTA, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.97-1.02). The odds ratios of complicated appendicitis for late vs early TTA across hospitals ranged from 0.39 to 9.63, and only 1 of the 23 hospitals had a statistically significant increase in their late TTA group (odds ratio, 9.63; 95% CI, 1.08-86.17; P = .03). Increasing TTA was associated with longer LOS (increase in mean LOS for each additional hour of TTA, 0.06 days; 95% CI, 0.03-0.08 days; P < .001) but was not associated with increased risk of any of the other secondary outcomes. Conclusions and Relevance Delay of appendectomy within 24 hours of presentation was not associated with increased risk of complicated appendicitis or adverse outcomes. These results support the premise that appendectomy can be safely performed as an urgent rather than emergency procedure.


Purpose. Although oral health providers have an important role in early identification, referral, and case management of patients with eating disorders, little is reported regarding their current secondary prevention practices. The purpose of this study was to assess readiness among dentists and dental hygienists pertaining to secondary prevention of disordered eating among their patients. Methods.This study employed a randomized cross-sectional study. Data were collected from 207 dentists and 369 dental hygienists using a self-administered paper and pencil questionnaire. The questionnaire included items derived from constructs from the Transtheoretical Model in addition to demographic information. Five criterion-specific secondary prevention behaviors were assessed with regard to eating disorders: identification of oral manifestations, addressing concerns, prescribing oral treatment, patient referral, and case management. Results.Generally speaking, the majority of responding dentists and dental hygienists were observed to be in a low state of readiness with regard to the five criterion-specific behaviors. Less than 33% of responding dentists and 43% of dental hygienists reported that they assessed patients for disordered eating, and only 42% of dentists and 44% of dental hygienists prescribed specific home oral health care instructions for patients suspected of eating disorders. Less than 21% of dentists and 20% of dental hygienists currently arranged a more frequent recall program, while less than 20% of dentists and 17% of dental hygienists reported that they referred patients with oral manifestations of eating disorders for treatment. Only 13% of responding dentists and 7% of dental hygienists reported communicating with the patient9s primary care provider. Statistically significant differences were observed among oral health providers with regard to assessing their patients for disordered eating (p = .006) and communicating with the patients9 primary care providers (p Conclusions. Engaging the oral health care provider in secondary prevention of eating disorders is important for decreasing the potential for further damage to the teeth and oral tissue, as well as improving the patient9s overall health and quality of life. Although both dentists and dental hygienists play important roles in secondary prevention of eating disorders, increasing the number who engage in consistent secondary prevention practices is essential. Increasing the involvement of oral health care providers in secondary prevention behaviors will involve movement along the continuum of stages (pre-contemplation to contemplation to action to maintenance), while also understanding that movement may take time and involve regression along the way.


Abstract Hydrogen power sources are expected to be the main power source for a sustainable society in the future. Therefore, the development of mechanical parts or systems to adapt to the usage of hydrogen is a key issue. Ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) actuators are composed of an electrolyte polymer membrane coated with electrodes. Owing to their light weight, flexibility, and ease of miniaturization, IPMC actuators are promising candidates for use as micro-actuators in small robots, microvalves, or artificial muscles. In this study, a hydrogen-assisted IPMC actuator is developed, and its deformation mechanism is investigated. The hydrogen absorption produced by water splitting and the hydrated cation movement in the electrolyte are the driving forces involved in this actuator. The effects of applied voltage, thickness of palladium electrodes, and length of the actuators are studied. Moreover, the contributions of bending moments by a hydrated cation movement and those by hydrogen absorption to the bending deformation are separately clarified. The results indicate that the deformation mechanism of the hydrogen-assisted IPMC actuator depends on the applied voltage, palladium-electrode thickness, and actuator length. The contribution of the hydrogen assistance decreases with the applied voltage, while that of the hydrated cation movement increases. In addition, the specimen with a shorter length exhibits a larger hydrogen-induced moment ratio. These results suggest that the hydrogen assistance to the bending deformation is more effective in IPMC actuators with a shorter and thinner palladium electrode.


This thesis will argue that sustenance, opportunity, and substantive civil equality can, for the most part, be achieved through a correct interpretation of Robert Nozick's libertarian entitlement theory. Where sustenance, opportunity, and civil equality cannot be derived from Nozick, supplemental considerations will be put forward. Chapter 1, Sustenance, will consider Nozick's interpretation of the Lockean proviso, his Wilt Chamberlain argument, and his conception of the Kantian injunction. It will be argued that Nozick's underlying principles, properly interpreted, may not rule out the universal provision of sustenance and may not establish the libertarian property rights that Nozick generally wishes to establish. Chapter 2, Opportunity, will assess Nozick's refusal to endorse state mechanisms to provide universal opportunity in the form of education and his failure to be able to counter discrimination. Equality of opportunity will be prescribed as a policy goal. Chapter 3, Civil Equality, will consider the legal and political bodies of the minimal state. It will be argued that Nozick must address complexities associated with his principles of rectification and compensation. In addition, Nozick must safeguard his legal process from the effects of flows of money. With regard to the state, it must be justified by its actions. It must also safeguard against the effects of flows of money. The concluding chapter will assess charity as a means of providing for the provisions advocated. The role of the liberal state that I develop in this thesis will be assessed. It will be argued that the provisions and safeguards espoused in this thesis provide a framework for utopia. Following the implementation of a system that ensures sustenance, opportunity, and civil equality, there will be a political system that considers bargaining by citizens for other roles of the state. The thesis will end with some brief considerations regarding paths for future study.


Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have become the dominant neural network architecture for solving many state-of-the-art (SOA) visual processing tasks. Even though graphical processing units are most often used in training and deploying CNNs, their power efficiency is less than 10 GOp/s/W for single-frame runtime inference. We propose a flexible and efficient CNN accelerator architecture called NullHop that implements SOA CNNs useful for low-power and low-latency application scenarios. NullHop exploits the sparsity of neuron activations in CNNs to accelerate the computation and reduce memory requirements. The flexible architecture allows high utilization of available computing resources across kernel sizes ranging from  $1\times 1$  to  $7\times 7$ . NullHop can process up to 128 input and 128 output feature maps per layer in a single pass. We implemented the proposed architecture on a Xilinx Zynq field-programmable gate array (FPGA) platform and presented the results showing how our implementation reduces external memory transfers and compute time in five different CNNs ranging from small ones up to the widely known large VGG16 and VGG19 CNNs. Postsynthesis simulations using Mentor Modelsim in a 28-nm process with a clock frequency of 500 MHz show that the VGG19 network achieves over 450 GOp/s. By exploiting sparsity, NullHop achieves an efficiency of 368%, maintains over 98% utilization of the multiply–accumulate units, and achieves a power efficiency of over 3 TOp/s/W in a core area of 6.3 mm2. As further proof of NullHop's usability, we interfaced its FPGA implementation with a neuromorphic event camera for real-time interactive demonstrations.


All births and perinatal deaths from Mitchell's Plain, Cape Town, during the first 8 months of 1985 were analysed. Out of a total of 4,228 liveborn infants 66.4% were delivered by the Peninsula Maternity and Neonatal Service (PMNS), while the remaining 33.6% were born to private patients. There was an overall preterm rate of 11.0%, while 13.8% of infants had a birth weight of less than 2,500 g. Only 16.1% of mothers booked early. The perinatal mortality rate was 22.2/1,000 and the stillbirth rate 12.6/1,000. The stillbirth rate for private patients was more than 6 times lower than that for their PMNS counterparts (2.8 v. 17.5/1,000).


In preparing for a trip to Mexico in 1983 and writing a paper about Pre-Columbian art, I discovered an art that was mysterious, spiritual, yet possessed an honesty I admired. The Pre-Columbian approach to art can best be felt in these lines from an Aztec language Nahua poem: The artist: disciple, abundant, multiple, restless, the true artist, capable, practicing, skillful, maintains dialogue with his heart, meets things with his mind. The true artist draws out all from his heart: works with delight, makes things with calm, with sagacity works like a true Toltec; composes his objects; works dexterously; invents; arranges material; adorns them; makes them adjust. He who gives life to clay his eye is keen, he molds and kneads the clay. The good potter; he takes great pains with his work; he teaches the clay to lie; he converses with his heart; he makes things live, he creates them; he knows all, as though he were a Toltec; he trains himself to be skillful. This attitude towards art appealed to me and I felt pulled to explore the power of this ancient civilization, its mythology, and its art. Here was an art of universal images, one that showed an interaction between clay, poetry, and the whole of their culture. A sense of mystery, ritual, and mythology permeates these pieces. Although their clay was left Unglazed and decorated only in slips and cold pigments, their craft was technically precise and creative within a set cultural style. This art fascinated me, and I began to internalize its powerful symbolism and mystical approach to life. The first major pieces to emerge out of this study were my Embracing Couples. Modeled after a burial ocarina or flute from Peru, these interlocking double figures expressed my concept of male- female unity, two combining to create a unified whole. In the back the couples cross arms in an embrace. Both heads face forward, but I incorporated a profile on the side of each face to symbolize the \true heart\ or true personality which the ancients felt could more readily be seen in this view. To them a straight forward face could be a mask behind which one could hide his true feelings. I began working with these couples in stoneware with inlaid colored clays, this time-consuming process lead to a use of clay slips colored with Mason stains, and eventually to raku firing techniques. For the next couple of years I continued to experiment with raku on a variety of forms, but the Couples were my main focus. In my thesis, I attempted to combine my interest in the power and mystery of Pre- Columbian images with the organic forms of nature to create a unique personal vocabulary from which I could express my own private mythologies dealing with birth, death, and the range of living, both physical and spiritual in between. I included human figures into this format to bring the act closer to the viewer and to draw a connection between the past and present while stressing our kinship to these ancient people. To create this vocabulary I isolated patterns and images from the Codex Nuttal, a screenfold book made of animal skins coated with lime and paint containing Mixtec genealogical and historical information. To these symbols and images I assigned personal meaning. For instance, the jaguar half flesh- half bone depicted death, while the feathered serpent represented creativity, art, and civilization to me. These images might stir different emotions in other viewers, as art is subjective and each person reacts out of his own experiences. In these mystic settings I placed realistic female figures to interact and respond and create their own reality. I carved these images of forms which I felt would enhance the impact of the subject. Many were organic shapes based on rough slab stone monuments or stelae, others were free-form vessel shapes. Yet others had a particular significance to the burial I created inside a structure resembling a Pre-Columbian temple. I chose raku as the firing method most appropriate for my intimate myths. Raku allows me some control over decoration, yet provides a spontaneous, rich variety of surfaces for the backgrounds. I learned a great deal while working on this thesis, mostly about myself on an emotional, psychological and spiritual level. Since the female figures are self-portraits I traveled into the worlds they entered: I faced the Jaguar Death god, I worshipped, I experienced the metamorphosis of creativity, I gave birth, I danced with joy, and enjoyed the peace of contemplation. I also grew deeper in my relationship with clay and raku. The majority of my pieces are slabs, some draped over mounds, joined and paddled. After the shape is formed I usually carve a design to suit that particular form and create interesting negative space. The piece is then bisqued and carefully glazed with colored engobes or clear crackle glazes in the design areas. The design is then blocked out with liquid latex and a background surface is sponged or sprayed on, the latex is then removed and the piece can be fired. I raku from an electric kiln and reduce in cans lined with newspaper. I like pieces that take chances and raku gives me that opportunity to create a piece better than myself. The journey I traveled to achieve the colors seen in my thesis has had many bumps, curves, and surprises. Clear Crackle was the first glaze to fit into my work. As it is clear, I began by placing it over colored clay slips. When smoked twice, it produced a lovely delicate crackle over beautiful soft color and the carved lines of my design, left unglazed, were smoked black. One big problem emerged when this glaze covered slip had a tendency to pop off the body during firing. After some experimenting I began adding 10 to 20 percent Mason stains directly into the clear crackle glaze. Now I had bright colors and the crackle I needed to create a feeling of age. Next I began working with low fire engobes in much the same method as the clear crackle. To the basic white Walter's engobe I added enough Mason stain to produce the desired matt color. These engobes are very dry and stable at cone 07 or 08 and seem to unify with the body, but do not crackle unless fired higher, where the Mason stains are less predictable. When dabbed on thickly with a sponge, the engobe leaves a rough surface similar to volcanic stone, yet when thinly applied through an air brush it resembles a smooth stone. Engobe colors are much duller and more subtle than their clear crackle cousins, but are quite effective in producing a softer, quieter, more intimate statement. Of all the raku surfaces I used Matt Copper was the least predictable. When fired between cones 07 - 08 and quickly reduced in an air tight can, the surface was a dry soft orange. When fired slightly higher, left in the kiln to cool down, and reduced in an atmosphere that was definitely not air tight, the surface created areas of color and an organic patina that is strikingly rich. Intimacy, excitement, and interaction with the firing and the piece, all make raku the firing method most effective for my artistic vision. It offers both control and spontaneity and I will continue to explore the possibilities of this and other low fire surfaces. I also want the development of my personal mythology to continue to grow and develop so I can more effectively communicate through my art. I look forward to a future in which I can continue my relationship with earth baked in a fire of love.


This research investigates the problems and challenges
facing high-technology female entrepreneurs in Canada. After an
extensive literature review on entrepreneurial challenges and means
to overcome them, five Ottawa-based women technology entrepreneurs
were interviewed to find out how they perceive these challenges.
The findings show that they considered the most important
challenges as the lack of technologically innovative business
ideas, the lack of sufficient business network, and the lack of
business and management skills. The study contributes to the
entrepreneurship literature by suggesting that these external
challenges to female technology entrepreneurship are more essential
than internal factors including family obligations, the lack of
motivation, or the difficulty of overcoming previous bad
experiences. The findings suggest that aspiring female technology
entrepreneurs should partner with entrepreneurial support
organizations such as 'Lead to Win for Women' and academic
educational programs such as Carleton University's TIM program to
get better technological ideas and business advice


Background: TRPM8 is a member of TRP channels family known for its sensitivity to cool temperature, increased osmotic pressure, particulate matter, cigarette smoke and products of oxidative stress. This cation channel is widely expressed in the respiratory tract including airway epithelium and vagal nerve endings where it can mediate inflammatory and secretory responses. Previous studies have reported the increased expression of TRPM8 in the respiratory tract of COPD patients. Objective: To investigate TRPM8 expression in nasal epithelium and induced sputum of asthma patients and to estimate its relation to airway hyperresponsiveness induced by cold air. Methods: The study enrolled 43 subjects with mean age of (39.8±1.76) years including 35 patients with mild-to-moderate asthma and 8 patients with chronic bronchitis. Among the asthma patients 43% were steroid-naïve. Lung function was measured by standard spirometry before and after bronchoprovocation challenge with 3 min isocapnic cold air (-20 °C) hyperventilation. Cold air hyperresponsiveness was diagnosed in case of FEV1 falling by 10% from baseline. TRPM8 expression was measured by indirect flow cytometry in nasal brushings and induced sputum. Nasal epithelium cells were gated after exclusion of dead cells and staining with anti- cytokeratin 19 antibodies. Induced sputum was processed with dithiothreitol, filtered and stained for CD45 and cell viability. Extracellular expression of TRPM8 was detected by staining with primary unconjugated anti-TRPM8 antibodies (Alomone Labs) and secondary antibodies labeled with Alexa Fluor 488 (Abcam). Expression level was calculated as normalized median fluorescence intensity (nMFI) and percent of positively stained cells (%Pos). The data are presented as median, lower and upper quartiles (Me (Q1; Q3)). Results: TRPM8 protein was detected on the epithelial cells and sputum macrophages. The expression levels of TRPM8 were significantly correlated in these cells (nMFI R=0.41, P=0.04; %Pos R=0.53, P=0.008). Expression of TRPM8 was increased both in nasal epithelium and macrophages of steroid-naïve asthma patients as compared to the patients receiving maintenance therapy or patients with chronic bronchitis. nMFI values for macrophages were 2.1 (1.95; 2.79), 1.3 (1.10; 1.91) and 1.2 (1.06; 1.35), respectively (P=0.001). %Pos values for macrophages were 38.5 (13.1; 51.1)%, 11.6 (2.55; 20.1)% and 8.0 (3.20; 9.20)%, respectively (P=0.01). nMFI and %Pos values for the epithelium kept the same trend but the differences were mostly insignificant. In addition, we found a correlation between FEV1 in response to cold air hyperventilation challenge and TRPM8 expression (macrophages %Pos R=-0.43, P=0.02; epithelium %Pos R=- 0.43, P=0.08). Cold airway hyperresponsiveness was accompanied by higher TRPM8 expression on macrophages (21.6 (17.1; 40.7)% vs. 11.6 (7.45; 16.55)%, P=0.03) and nasal epithelium (4.2 (3.30; 5.40)% vs. 2.8 (1.10; 4.30)%, P=0.2). Cold airway hyperresponsiveness was not affected by maintenance therapy in our patients. Conclusions: TRPM8 is overexpressed in steroid-naïve asthma patients as well as in asthma patients with cold airway hyperresponsiveness and may be implicated in asthma pathogenesis. The utility of TRPM8 as a diagnostic biomarker or therapeutic target in chronic obstructive airway diseases is of great interest.


The process of the evolution trajectory of the management logistics function is tracked in the context of the theory and practice of a networked approach to supply chain management (SCM). Issues around the main competitive forces are driving reforms in deregulation, globalisation, and technological innovation resulting in fundamental changes in the way SCM is conceived and practiced. Emerging trends, such as the increasing need for strong interfirm networks, are identified as shaping the next generation of logistics management services. Important shifts are evident in purchasing and customer service functions, resulting in new management methods, business contexts, and transportation modes. Fundamental advances in SCM are largely
attributable to the widespread adoption of electronic commerce in all business arenas, especially transportation and distribution. These developments have stimulated a focus on the service of
logistics management as the basis of businesses cost competitiveness. Current issues and future trends are identified which are prompting firms to adopt Fourth Party Logistics (4PL) service outsourcing. Competitive pressures are leading to speculation about the future form of potential . 5PL. services. Economic imperatives, technological innovation and managerial competence in the provision advanced logistics services are likely to succeed in environments capable of engendering high levels of commercial and social trust between the firms and their partner SCM service providers.


Groups Generated by Bounded Automata and Their Schreier Graphs. (December 2007) Ievgen Bondarenko, B.S., National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv, Ukraine; M.S., National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv, Ukraine Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Rostislav Grigorchuk This dissertation is devoted to groups generated by bounded automata and geometric objects related to these groups (limit spaces, Schreier graphs, etc.). It is shown that groups generated by bounded automata are contracting. We introduce the notion of a post-critical set of a finite automaton and prove that the limit space of a contracting self-similar group generated by a finite automaton is post-critically finite (finitely-ramified) if and only if the automaton is bounded. We show that the Schreier graphs on levels of automaton groups can be constructed by an iterative procedure of inflation of graphs. This was used to associate a piecewise linear map of the form fK(v) = minA∈KAv, where K is a finite set of nonnegative matrices, with every bounded automaton. We give an effective criterium for the existence of a strictly positive eigenvector of fK. The existence of nonnegative generalized eigenvectors of fK is proved and used to give an algorithmic way for finding the exponents λmax and λmin of the maximal and minimal growth of the components of f (n) K (v). We prove that the growth exponent of diameters of the Schreier graphs is equal to λmax and the orbital contracting coefficient of the group is equal to 1 λmin . We prove that the simple random walks on orbital Schreier graphs are recurrent. A number of examples are presented to illustrate the developed methods with special attention to iterated monodromy groups of quadratic polynomials. We present the first example of a group whose coefficients λmin and λmax have different values.


Visual Abstract Background and objectives Moderate coffee consumption has been associated with lower risk of CKD; however, the exact biologic mechanisms underlying this association are unknown. Metabolomic profiling may identify metabolic pathways that explain the association between coffee and CKD. The goal of this study was to identify serum metabolites associated with coffee consumption and examine the association between these coffee-associated metabolites and incident CKD. Design, setting, participants, & measurements Using multivariable linear regression, we identified coffee-associated metabolites among 372 serum metabolites available in two subsamples of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study (ARIC; n=3811). Fixed effects meta-analysis was used to pool the results from the two ARIC study subsamples. Associations between coffee and metabolites were replicated in the Bogalusa Heart Study (n=1043). Metabolites with significant associations with coffee in both cohorts were then evaluated for their prospective associations with incident CKD in the ARIC study using Cox proportional hazards regression. Results In the ARIC study, mean (SD) age was 54 (6) years, 56% were daily coffee drinkers, and 32% drank >2 cups per day. In the Bogalusa Heart Study, mean (SD) age was 48 (5) years, 57% were daily coffee drinkers, and 38% drank >2 cups per day. In a meta-analysis of two subsamples of the ARIC study, 41 metabolites were associated with coffee consumption, of which 20 metabolites replicated in the Bogalusa Heart Study. Three of these 20 coffee-associated metabolites were associated with incident CKD in the ARIC study. Conclusions We detected 20 unique serum metabolites associated with coffee consumption in both the ARIC study and the Bogalusa Heart Study, and three of these 20 candidate biomarkers of coffee consumption were associated with incident CKD. One metabolite (glycochenodeoxycholate), a lipid involved in primary bile acid metabolism, may contribute to the favorable kidney health outcomes associated with coffee consumption. Two metabolites (O-methylcatechol sulfate and 3-methyl catechol sulfate), both of which are xenobiotics involved in benzoate metabolism, may represent potential harmful aspects of coffee on kidney health.


Despite the prevalent and natural use of metaphor in everyday language, the neural basis of this powerful communication device remains poorly understood. Early studies of brain-injured patients suggested the right hemisphere plays a critical role in metaphor comprehension, but more recent patient and neuroimaging studies do not consistently support this hypothesis. One explanation for this discrepancy is the challenge in designing optimal tasks for brain-injured populations. As traditional aphasia assessments do not assess figurative language comprehension, we designed a new metaphor comprehension task to consider whether impaired metaphor processing is missed by standard clinical assessments. Stimuli consisted of 60 pairs of moderately familiar metaphors and closely matched literal sentences. Sentences were presented visually in a randomized order, followed by four adjective-noun answer choices (target + three foil types). Participants were instructed to select the phrase that best matched the meaning of the sentence. We report the performance of three focal lesion patients and a group of 12 healthy, older controls. Controls performed near ceiling in both conditions, with slightly more accurate performance on literal than metaphoric sentences. While the Western Aphasia Battery (Kertesz, 1982) and the objects and actions naming battery (Druks and Masterson, 2000) indicated minimal to no language difficulty, our metaphor comprehension task indicated three different profiles of metaphor comprehension impairment in the patients' performance. Single case statistics revealed comparable impairment on metaphoric and literal sentences, disproportionately greater impairment on metaphors than literal sentences, and selective impairment on metaphors. We conclude our task reveals that patients can have selective metaphor comprehension deficits. These deficits are not captured by traditional neuropsychological language assessments, suggesting overlooked communication difficulties.


Sequential multi-chart detection procedures for detecting changes in multichannel sensor systems are developed. In the case of complete information on pre-change and post-change distributions, the detection algorithm represents a likelihood ratio-based multichannel generalization of Page's cumulative sum (CUSUM) test that is applied to general stochastic models that may include correlated and nonstationary observations. There are many potential application areas where it is necessary to consider multichannel generalizations and general statistical models. In this paper our main motivation for doing so is network security: rapid anomaly detection for an early detection of attacks in computer networks that lead to changes in network traffic. Moreover, this kind of application encourages the development of a nonparametric multichannel detection test that does not use exact pre-change (legitimate) and post-change (attack) traffic models. The proposed nonparametric method can be effectively applied to detect a wide variety of attacks such as denial-of-service attacks, worm-based attacks, port-scanning, and man-in-the-middle attacks. In addition, we propose a multichannel CUSUM procedure that is based on binary quantized data; this procedure turns out to be more efficient than the previous two algorithms in certain scenarios. All proposed detection algorithms are based on the change-point detection theory. They utilize the thresholding of test statistics to achieve a fixed rate of false alarms, while allowing changes in statistical models to be detected " as soon as possible ". Theoretical frameworks for the performance analysis of detection procedures, as well as results of Monte Carlo simulations for a Poisson example and results of detecting real flooding attacks, are presented. c 2005 Published by Elsevier B.V.


The magnetic phase transitions in the FeMnP 1− x As x compounds with x = 0.25, 0.35, 0.45, 0.50, and 0.55, have been studied by iron-57 Mössbauer spectroscopy. The ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic spectra have been analyzed with a model that takes into account the random distribution of the P and As near-neighbor anions of a given iron site. This distribution is a binomial distribution of the contributions to the spectra of each iron with n As near neighbors. A magnetostriction model has been used to characterize the temperature induced paramagnetic to ferromagnetic first-order phase transition and order parameters, h F =2.6, 2.3, 2.0, 1.57, and 1.43 have been obtained for x =0.25, 0.35, 0.45, 0.50, and 0.55, respectively. A detailed phase diagram has been derived from the Mössbauer spectral analysis and reveals a magnetic triple point at x = , 0.35 and , 210 K. A model that takes into account the random binomial P and As distribution and the contribution from the iron and manganese magnetic sublattices yields excellent fits of the spectral components assigned to the ferromagnetic and incommensurate antiferromagnetic components for the x =0.25 and 0.35 compounds at all temperatures.


Abstract—Information and communication technology in this era it's very rapid development. The impact of this information technology is very large felt in supporting the performance and activities ranging from schools, businesses and government agencies. Government agencies have used a lot of information systems that help the performance of these agencies to support the speed of the government process, but this information system has not been used as a whole in the government process especially in the sub-district office that still uses manual methods in recording inventory data owned by the agency. This research was made with the waterfall method that begins with the planning process of the system in which in this process a system of planning will be made related to the problems that exist in the camat petang office, then the modeling process where the system in the form of system design will be made, then the process is carried out implementation and testing of systems that have been made. Based on the problems and data obtained, an asset management information system and inventory were made using QR-Code, this system is useful for recording assets, providing information related to assets in a complete and fast way and providing convenience in bleaching items that are damaged or cannot be used anymore.

Keywords: simanis, information systems, management, assets, inventory, QR-Code


In the last decade, object-based image analysis (OBIA) has been extensively recognized as an effective classification method for very high spatial resolution images or integrated data from different sources. In this study, a two-stage optimization strategy for fuzzy object-based analysis using airborne LiDAR was proposed for urban road extraction. The method optimizes the two basic steps of OBIA, namely, segmentation and classification, to realize accurate land cover mapping and urban road extraction. This objective was achieved by selecting the optimum scale parameter to maximize class separability and the optimum shape and compactness parameters to optimize the final image segments. Class separability was maximized using the Bhattacharyya distance algorithm, whereas image segmentation was optimized using the Taguchi method. The proposed fuzzy rules were created based on integrated data and expert knowledge. Spectral, spatial, and texture features were used under fuzzy rules by implementing the particle swarm optimization technique. The proposed fuzzy rules were easy to implement and were transferable to other areas. An overall accuracy of 82% and a kappa index of agreement (KIA) of 0.79 were achieved on the studied area when results were compared with reference objects created via manual digitization in a geographic information system. The accuracy of road extraction using the developed fuzzy rules was 0.76 (producer), 0.85 (user), and 0.72 (KIA). Meanwhile, overall accuracy was decreased by approximately 6% when the rules were applied on a test site. A KIA of 0.70 was achieved on the test site using the same rules without any changes. The accuracy of the extracted urban roads from the test site was 0.72 (KIA), which decreased to approximately 0.16. Spatial information (i.e., elongation) and intensity from LiDAR were the most interesting properties for urban road extraction. The proposed method can be applied to a wide range of real applications through remote sensing by transferring object-based rules to other areas using optimization techniques.


Using satellite ice water path (IWP) retrieval as an example, two types of systematic errors when using a Bayesian algorithm are documented. These errors arise from the discontinuous and heavily skewed data distributions of IWP in the supporting database. Discontinuity in the data distribution occurs at IWP ¼ 0 since there are no negative IWPs, which causes a positive bias in the IWP retrievals near icefree conditions. On the other hand, since clouds with small IWPs occur more often than clouds with large IWPs in nature, data points in the database are heavily populated in the low IWP range if we build the supporting database based on observed data. This skewed data distribution leads to a negative bias. A number of remedies, while some are ad hoc, to reduce these errors are also suggested.


We reconsidered the composition of the longiceps species group within Columbicola. Based primarily on head shape, the group is divided into the longiceps and the cavifrons groups, with 7 species in the former and 5 in the latter. Two new species are described: Columbicola claytoni (type host: Ducula rufigaster [Quoy and Gaimard]) and Columbicola malenkeae (type host: D. pacifica [J. F. Gmelin]). Columbicola wolffhuegeli (Eichler) is removed from synonymy with Columbicola longiceps (Rudow) and is recognized as a valid species. The true host for Columbicola paradoxus Tendeiro has been determined as Lopholaimus antarcticus (Shaw).