Understanding navigator errors can be used as a basis for preventing collisions. Here, Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) are applied to navigator errors of fishing and merchant ships in collisions. Information on navigator errors providedin accident investigation reports issued by the Korean Maritime Safety Tribunal is surveyed. The surveyed information is converted into data using the framework of slips, lapses, and mistakes proposed in this study. The results of framework data states are inferred using the unsupervised learning of HMMs, with sequences of navigator errors contained in the error data. The expected errors learned using the navigator error models for fishing and merchant ships are compared and analyzed. Results show that the proposed models can be used to define the types of navigator errors and provide an understanding of these errors in a ship collision event. Several interesting results are also discussed, including some ideas on how to alter navigator errors.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate: (i) whether a persistent increase of cAMP interferes with the proliferation of transformed thyroid cells, and (ii) whether the degree of malignancy is correlated with the sensitivity to a transient and/or sustained increase in intracellular cAMP levels.

DESIGN AND METHODS
To address these questions we used thyroid cell lines transformed with E1A oncogene from adenoviruses 5 (PC E1A cell line) or 2 (PC HE4 cell line), or infected with the polyoma murine leukemia virus (PC PyMLV cell line) carrying the middle T gene of the polyoma virus, or, finally, expressing both E1A and PyMLV. These cell lines present various degrees of malignancy: PC EIA and PC HE4 cells are not tumorigenic; PC PyMLV cells induce non-invasive tumors after a long latency period; and PC EIA+PyMLV cells are highly tumorigenic.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS
Thyroid cell proliferation required the transient increase of intracellular cAMP levels, while persistent elevation of cAMP blocked the proliferation of normal thyroid PC Cl 3 cells and of PC Cl 3 cells transformed by a variety of different oncogenes. In addition, sustained levels of cAMP induced apoptosis in cells carrying the adenovirus EIA oncogene, but not in cells transformed with other oncogenes or in the wild-type PC Cl 3 cells. Furthermore, middle T gene of the polyoma virus seemed to afford protection only from apoptosis induced by cAMP when middle T is present in thyroid cells along with the E1A gene.


Stabilizing metastable colloids such as gallium-based liquid metal nanoparticles (LM NPs) and using them in complex machining processes is a great challenge due to their simple and sensitive surface chemistry against ligand modification and solution processing. Water, a green solvent, is unfortunately not favored by LM NPs in the entire workflow from synthesis to functionalization and application. This dilemma is relieved herein by presenting a sonochemical polymer deposition technique that can produce a water-dispersible LM@polymer hybrid nanomaterial in one step. Water-soluble polymers such as poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) can be directly deposited onto eutectic gallium indium (EGaIn) as a coating shell (up to 20 nm) and prevent their rapid and continuous oxidation in aqueous solutions. EGaIn@PVP NPs are stable after preservation for 30 days in water and 60 days in ethanol, and the polymer coating shows solvent-responsive swelling/shrinking behaviors. The LM@polymer NPs can be stably composited with other materials through complex processing and perform desired functions after composition. For demonstration, EGaIn@PVP NPs are employed as active electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries by compositing with water-soluble binders, and exhibit excellent cycling performances with no obvious decay (capacity retention >95%) in more than 700 cycles at 4 A g-1. This strategy enriches the toolbox for surface engineering of LMs especially under harsh conditions, which can benefit the applications of LM NPs in various scenarios.


Abstract Most perturbation theory calculation methods for neutron transport problems are based on the assumption that the solution to the adjoint transport problem is known. Here we develop an adjoint transport solution based on the method of cyclic characteristics (MOCC) for two-dimensional fuel assembly problems with isotropic scattering. The main advantages of the MOCC method are (a) it requires lower computing time and memory spaces than the collision probability (CP) method and (b) it does not require the boundary surface currents as for the method of characteristics with isotropic tracking. In the MOCC the adjoint characteristics equations associated with a cyclic tracking line are formulated in such a way that a closed form for the adjoint angular function can be obtained. The mathematical relationship between the adjoint function obtained by CP method and the adjoint function by MOCC is also presented. In order to speed up the MOCC solution algorithm, group-reduction and group-splitting techniques based on the structure of the adjoint scattering matrix are implemented. In addition, a combined forward flux/adjoint function iteration scheme, based on the group-splitting technique and the common use of large numbers of variables storing tracking-line data and exponential values, is proposed to reduce the computing time. To demonstrate the efficiency of these algorithms, calculations are performed on a 17 × 17 pressurized water reactor lattice, a 37-pin CANDU [Canada deuterium uranium reactor] cell, and the Watanabe-Maynard benchmark. Comparisons of adjoint function and keff results obtained by the MOCC and the CP method are presented.


Fuel slosh inside an automotive fuel tank was found to generate unpleasant noise. This paper presents the analysis of several baffle designs to suppress the fuel slosh by using a commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics software, FLOW-3D®, and performing slosh experiments. Estimated mean kinetic energy and average turbulent kinetic energy of the fluid obtained from the computer simulations were used to compare with sound measurements obtained from the slosh experiments. The slosh experiments were recorded using high speed video equipment enhanced with a data acquisition system to take sound measurements. The simulation results showed that approximately 70% energy reduction from the No-baffle configuration could be achieved with the best baffle configuration. The experimental results demonstrated that at low fluid level, the performance of different baffle configurations was approximately the same. At high fluid level, the best baffle configuration can reduce the sound level by approximately 15 decibels.


Background: Latino youth are disproportionately impacted by type 2 diabetes (T2D). Prediabetes is an intermediate stage in the pathogenesis of T2D and represents a critical opportunity for prevention in adults. In youth and adults, prediabetes is identified by HbA1c, fasting glucose, and/or 2-hour glucose (2HrGluc). In youth, it is not well-characterized whether prediabetes by each criterion confers a similar metabolic profile. The objective of this study is to compare baseline characteristics of prediabetic Latino youth enrolled in a randomized, controlled diabetes prevention trial based on hyperglycemic status. Methods: Participants were selected for the following inclusion criteria: 1) Latino ancestry, 2) Age 12-16 years, 3) BMI ≥ 95th percentile for age and sex, and 4) Prediabetes defined as HbA1c ≥ 5.7% and Results: Ninety-four youth (age 13.5±1.4 years, 59 male/35 female) met inclusion criteria with 25% eligible by HbA1c, 45% by 2HrGluc, and 30% based on more than one criterion. No participant met eligibility by fasting glucose alone. Those who met eligibility by more than one criterion were more likely to be exposed to gestational diabetes in utero (19.2%) compared to 2HrGluc (7.9%) or HbA1c (0%) groups, P=0.04. The multiple eligibility group also exhibited higher hepatic fat fraction by MRI (11.9%) compared to 2HrGluc (7.6%) and HbA1c (6.6%) groups, P=0.055. There were no statistically significant differences between eligibility groups in body fat percentage, BMI percentile, diabetes family history, liver enzymes, or lipid profiles. Conclusion: These data suggest that obese Latino adolescents with prediabetes according to more than one criteria were more likely to be exposed to hyperglycemia in utero and exhibit higher liver fat content. Whether prediabetes criteria are associated with a differential response to lifestyle intervention will be tested in this clinical trial. Disclosure M. Olson: None. Y.P. Konopken: None. F.G. Castro: None. H.H. Hu: None. C. Keller: None. D.L. Patrick: None. A. Williams: None. S. Ayers: None. W.C. Knowler: None. J. Pimentel: None. A. Pena: None. E.G. Soltero: None. G.Q. Shaibi: None. Funding National Institutes of Health (R01DK107579P)


Referral programs have become a popular way to acquire customers. Yet there is no evidence to date that customers acquired through such programs are more valuable than other customers. The authors address this gap and investigate the extent to which referred customers are more profitable and more loyal. Tracking approximately 10,000 customers of a leading German bank for almost three years, the authors find that referred customers (1) have a higher contribution margin, though this difference erodes over time; (2) have a higher retention rate, and this difference persists over time; and (3) are more valuable in both the short and the long run. The average value of a referred customer is at least 16% higher than that of a nonreferred customer with similar demographics and time of acquisition. However, the size of the value differential varies across customer segments; therefore, firms should use a selective approach for their referral programs.


Nearly two-thirds of the American population is now overweight, and the rate of obesity has doubled since the early 1960s. The state of Indiana has elected to forgo Medicaid expansion available through the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA), which includes funding specific to obesity and obesity-related comorbidities. Utilizing the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 2014 Health Statistics, causative obesity factors found in current research literature is examined for Indiana's 92 counties. The variables are examined to determine significant correlation with adult levels of obesity. The significant variables (smoking, unemployment levels, physical inactivity) found in the correlation are then placed in a multivariate regression. The three combined variables explain 16 percent (R 2 = .16) of Indiana's current obesity percentage (31 percent). The only 0significant variable found in the regression matrix is the physical inactivity percentage (β = .21, t = 2.29, p < .05). Funding found within the ACA, specifically Community Transformation Grants (CTG), provide an opportunity for Indiana to address the physical inactivity found statewide. CTG grants are available to states, counties, and municipalities, provided the funds address physical inactivity, healthy living improvements, obesity reduction, or smoking-cessation efforts.


Porcine granulosa cells (GC) produce insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding protein (BP)-3 and IGFBP-2 in culture. A gonadotropin, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), dramatically inhibited GC production of these IGFBPs in control cultures and in cultures stimulated by insulin plus epidermal growth factor (EGF) or IGF-I plus EGF. Stimulators of adenylate cyclase (forskolin, cholera toxin) and a derivative of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP), 8-bromoadenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate, inhibited IGFBP synthesis in a manner similar to FSH. In contrast, the antagonist of cAMP action, (R)-p-adenosine 3',5'-cyclic phosphorothioate [(R)-p-cAMPS], significantly stimulated production of IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-2 compared with controls. This stimulatory effect of (R)-p-cAMPS was counteracted by cotreatment with FSH in a dose-dependent manner. Finally, treatment of GC cultures with FSH plus 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine resulted in a significant reduction in cellular content of mRNA coding for IGFBP-3 with no change in IGFBP-2 mRNA. In summary, agents that elevate intracellular cAMP were found to mimic the effects of FSH on IGFBP production.


This article gives an account of the overlapping biographies of Witold Gombrowicz and Bruno Schulz. It frames the events which brought the two writers together with a discussion of their literary debuts in 1933, which preceded their first meeting, and the post-war memories of Gombrowicz, who kept reminiscing about his "deceased friend". The author describes the meetings and conversations between Schulz and Gombrowicz that took place at the latter's apartment or in Zofia Nałkowska's salon, their joint undertakings, such as the publication of open letters in Studio magazine, and their battle with literary critics, whose spiteful comments and attacks were aimed at what they called "young literature". The article presents testimonies of Gombrowicz and Schulz's mutual inspirations and interpretations, and discusses texts and events which echo their vigorous correspondence, mostly lost during the Second World War. This mosaic of dispersed facts and memories depicts a great friendship between two artists, who approached each other with curiosity and respect, but also with their typical penchant for self-irony. The idea of parallel biographies was born during the author's work on the research project Calendar of the Life, Work, and Reception of Bruno Schulz.


Investors often hold foreign securities in order to diversify their portfolios. This raises the issue of whether there are unique risks associated with long-term investments in non-domestic securities. The authors investigate the empirical relationship between the Sharpe ratio and the investment horizon for portfolios of Swiss stocks and bonds and then compare these results to U.S. stock and bond portfolios. Sharpe ratios are calculated for holding periods of one to 25 years under the contrasting assumptions that returns are independent or auto-correlated. The results for Swiss securities are very similar to those for U.S. securities. Under independent returns, bonds outperform stocks for longer time horizons, while for auto-correlated returns, equities outperform bonds for all holding periods.


In this paper, we address the issue of activity scheduling of sensors in heterogeneous wireless sensor and actor networks (WSANs), thereby proposing an energy-efficient data collection scheme in such networks. In order to extend the lifetime of heterogeneous WSANs, sensors are activated and deactivated under certain constraints throughout the network operations. Here, we propose a coordination framework in which actors exchange information with each other and decide about the availability of redundant sensors that are eventually deactivated to save energy. In particular, let there be r different types of sensors with each sensor observing a particular sensing parameter. Under the initial deployment of sensors and actors within some field of observation, if an actor v receives information regarding k different sensing parameters, either directly from sensors or through other actors, then our scheme determines a small subset of sensors that are sufficient to provide information regarding the same k sensing parameters to v.


Experience has shown that money compensation payments to individual citizens are ineffective when used alone as a means to achieve the Bank's aims and World Bank for evidence on the Bank's experience]. Instead, the Bank's advice is that compensation payments should be a part of a wider, coordinated package of development assistance. It is not the purpose of this Note to describe how such a package should be developed, or indeed how the package as a whole should be evaluated. Rather, the question addressed in this Note is the narrower one: How should money compensation payments be evaluated? Section 2 begins by asking what costs the payments are intended to compensate for, and on what basis the value of compensation should be estimated. Section 3 continues to consider how institutional arrangements affect the way compensation payments are designed and channeled in practice. Section 4 turns to the benefits of resettlement compensation and Section 5 brings these strands together to consider how compensation payments should be evaluated within the economic evaluation of World Bank transport projects.


Bergmans and Cover identified the capacity region of the Gaussian degraded broadcast channel, where different receivers observe the transmitted signal to noise ratios. This paper presents a superposition turbo coding scheme that performs within 1 dB of the capacity region boundary of the degraded broadcast channel at BER of 10/sup -5/. Performance is consistent over the entire useful range of the power allocation parameter /spl alpha/. Coding for the degraded broadcast channel is equivalent to coding for unequal error protection. Adjusting /spl alpha/ changes the transmitter constellation of our encoder, and changes the degree to which error protection is unequal. When /spl alpha/ is selected to provide equal error protection, the code is essentially a multilevel turbo trellis-coded-modulation schemes with the advantage of the potential for flexible unequal error protection as /spl alpha/ is varied.


Sir, There is increasing evidence that lymphovascular invasion (LVI) is one of important prognostic indicators in upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UUT-UC) [1]. A recent report from Akao et al. [2] in the BJU Int suggested LVI status might be a better predictive marker for cancer-specific survival in patients UUT-UC and treated by radical surgery. They also reported that patients with pT3N0M0 disease without LVI had a significantly better prognosis than those who were pT3N0M0 with LVI. The presence of LVI represents a higher probability of metastasis, so many investigators who respectively evaluated the role of retroperitoneal lymph node dissection in UUT-UC concluded that lymphadenectomy has a therapeutic effect, especially for patients with advanced UUTUC [3–5]. We totally agree with the conclusion of the authors, as LVI is a good prognostic factor for predicting the outcome of pT3 disease, especially for patients who have a primary tumour in the renal pelvis. Traditionally, the prognosis of UUT-UC is strongly correlated with pathological stage, especially with invasion of the muscularis. The muscular layer of the ureter is much thinner than in the renal pelvis. Ureteric UC is associated with a greater local or distant failure rate than renal pelvic UC [6]. However, the TNM staging system combines renal pelvic and ureteric carcinomas, despite their different anatomy. However, different from the ureter and the urinary bladder, lamina propria is lacking beneath the urothelial lining, and the renal papillae in the renal pelvis, and is quite thin along the minor calyces. Moreover, within the renal sinus, the muscularis propria might be very thin or imperceptible near the calyces, and is surrounded by sinus fat. Renal sinus fat invasion is not addressed in the TNM staging system. Guinan et al. [7] suggested a modification of the TNM staging system, separating renal pelvic and ureteric tumours, and reported a significant survival difference between stage T3 and stage T4N + M + in renal pelvic tumours. They concluded that renal parenchyma is a relative anatomical barrier to the spread of renal pelvic tumours, and that stage T3 renal pelvic tumours invading the renal parenchyma are not comparable with stage T3 ureteric tumours invading peri-ureteric tissues. Wu et al. [8] evaluated 72 patients with pT3 UUT-UC and concluded that superficial renal parenchymal invasion should be considered as a lower-stage disease. They also indicated that vascular involvement is the only independent prognostic factor for pT3 disease. The concept could be supported by the findings of Akao et al. , who indicated that LVI status is the most useful independent factor for predicting cancer-specific survival by multivariate analysis using Cox proportional hazard model. We could consider LVI status for risk stratification of patients with pT3 UUT-UC, to decide whether adjuvant chemotherapy will be added [9]. PUBLIC INTEREST WARNING: SHOULD WE BAN WOODEN/ORNAMENTAL TOILET SEATS FOR MALE INFANTS?


A new type of freeze-drying microscope based upon time-domain optical coherence tomography is presented here (OCT-FDM). The microscope allows for real-time, in situ 3D imaging of pharmaceutical formulations in vials relevant for manufacturing processes with a lateral resolution of <7 μm and an axial resolution of <5 μm. Correlation of volumetric structural imaging with product temperature measured during the freeze-drying cycle allowed investigation of structural changes in the product and determination of the temperature at which the freeze-dried cake collapses. This critical temperature is the most important parameter in designing freeze-drying processes of pharmaceutical products.


Abstract The Duotoushan deposit is an important Fe–Cu deposit in the Aqishan–Yamansu metallogenic belt of eastern Tianshan, NW China. Magnetite occurs in two main habits which are common in many Fe–Cu deposits, i.e. platy (TD1 Mag) and granular magnetite (TD2 Mag) have been identified at Duotoushan. Platy magnetite shows two different zones (bright and dark) based on the observations by scanning electron microscopy. The bright part (TD1-L) is the main part of TD1 magnetite and lacks inclusions. The dark part (TD1-D) is very porous and has abundant tiny silicate inclusions. Granular magnetite is usually anhedral with obvious oscillatory zoning in back-scattered electron images. In general, the dark zones of magnetite are characterised by greater Si, Ca, Al and lesser Fe contents than the bright zones. In situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis shows that the lattice parameter of TD1 magnetite is approximately equal to that of standard magnetite and slightly higher than that of TD2 magnetite, indicating that some cations with ionic radii smaller than those of Fe2+ or Fe3+ entered the magnetite lattice by simple or coupled substitution mechanisms in TD2 magnetite. The results in the present study show that the effects of temperature and $f_{{\rm O}_ 2}$ on platy magnetite are very limited and the changing fluid composition might be the major controlling factor for the formation of Duotoushan platy magnetite. Although the possibility that mushketovite transformed from hematite cannot be excluded entirely, evidence from in situ XRD data, pore-volume ratio calculation and the growth habit of intergrown minerals indicates that platy magnetite (TD1) coexisting with amphibole was more likely to have been precipitated originally from hydrothermal fluid. This was then affected by changes in the fluid composition which consequently led to dissolution of primary magnetite (TD1-L) and re-precipitation of TD1-D magnetite (with abundant porosity and mineral inclusions). Meanwhile, granular magnetite (TD2) with oscillatory zoning, and coexisting with epidote and quartz, was precipitated from fluid with periodic variation in temperature. These oscillatory zones are characterised by bands enriched in Si, Al and Ca alternating with bands depleted in these elements. The present investigation revealed a complex evolutionary process for magnetite formation in the Duotoushan deposit. The importance of combined investigation of texture and compositional characterisation of magnetite for study of the ore genesis and evolution of Fe–Cu deposits is highlighted.


Abstract. Using laboratory measurements and numerical simulations, we studied the long-term impact of contrasting tillage and cover cropping systems on soil structure and soil hydraulic properties. Complete water retention and conductivity curves for top (0–5 cm) and subsurface (20–25 cm) samples were characterized and contrasted. Plot-level properties of water storage and retention were evaluated using numerical simulations in HYDRUS-2D software. Soils under no-till (NT) and cover cropping (CC) systems showed an improved soil structure in terms of pore size distribution (PSD) and the hydraulic conductivity (K) under these systems led to increased infiltration rate and water retention. The conventional measurement of water content at field capacity (water content at −33 kPa suction) and the associated plant available water (PAW) showed that NT and CC plots had lower water content at field capacity and lower PAW compared to standard-till (ST) and plots without cover crop (NO). The numerical simulations, however, showed that NT and CC plots have higher profile-level water storage (albeit marginal in magnitude) and water availability following irrigation. Because the numerical simulations consider retention and conductivity functions simultaneously and dynamically through time, they allow the capture of hydraulic properties that are arguably more relevant to crops. The changes in PSD, water conductivity, and water storage associated with NT and CC systems observed in this study suggest that these systems are beneficial to general soil health and improve water retention at the plot scale.


Transcription of the human insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) gene is under the control of four promoters (P1-P4) that are differentially active during growth and development. Promoter 3 (P3) is the most active promoter during fetal development as well as in most adult tissues. P3 is also the most active promoter in tumour tissues and cell lines expressing IGF-II. Transient transfections of HeLa and Hep3B cells with truncated promoter constructs revealed that the region between -289 and -183 relative to the transcription start site supports basal promoter activity in both cell lines. Footprint experiments showed that the region between positions -192 and -172 (P3-4) is the only element bound by nuclear proteins. P3-4 is bound by five proteins, of which three proteins (proteins 3, 4 and 5) bind specifically and are expressed at the same levels in HeLa and Hep3B cells. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays and differential footprint experiments revealed the presence of two protein-binding regions within the P3-4 element. Proteins 4 and 5 bind box A (-193 to -188), whereas box B (-183 to -172) is bound by protein 3. From transcription experiments in vitro it can be concluded that Box A is essential for P3 activity. Box A is part of a region 11 dG residues long and is protected by proteins 4 and 5 that bind a contiguous set of six dG residues. DNA-binding of proteins 4 and 5 to box A requires the presence of Zn2+ ions. Thus structural and functional analysis reveals that the P3-4 element is a key regulatory element of P3 that contains two separate binding sites for proteins essential for the basal activity of IGF-II P3.


INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL IS AT PRESENT TIME A VALUE-CREATING TOOL FOR COMPANIES SEEKING BETTER COMPETITIVENESS. THIS PAPER ANALYZES INTANGIBLES DISCLOSURE IN MEXICAN COMPANIES LISTED ON THE STOCK MARKET, AS WELL AS THE FACTORS INFLUENCING SUCH DISCLOSURE. FOR THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THIS STUDY ANNUAL REPORTS FROM ONE HUNDRED MEXICAN COMPANIES LISTED ON THE MEXICAN STOCK EXCHANGE WERE ANALYZED. FINDINGS SHOWED THAT IT IS MORE IMPORTANT FOR MEXICAN COMPANIES THE DISCLOSURE OF STRUCTURAL CAPITAL, FOLLOWED BY RELATIONAL CAPITAL, AND FINALLY HUMAN CAPITAL, WITH COMPANY SIZE BEING THE KEY FACTOR IN SUCH INFORMATION. LIKEWISE, IT WAS FOUND THAT ENTERPRISES IN INDUSTRY, FOOD AND BEVERAGE, AND BUILDING AND REAL ESTATE SECTORS ARE PROACTIVE WHEN DISCLOSING INFORMATION ON INTANGIBLES.


NMR studies of xenon gas dissolved in the liquid crystal ZLI 1132 confined to submicron cylindrical cavities are reported. Spectra taken as a function of temperature yield a clear indication of the nematic to isotropic phase transition of the confined liquid crystals. In the nematic phase at 21{degree}C, the resonance line of dissolved {sup 129}Xe exhibits a chemical shift anisotropy of 15 ppm due to a random distribution of director axes in the plane perpendicular to the long axis of the cylinder. The anisotropy and temperature dependence of the confined system are compared to control experiments that use the bulk liquid crystal. The quadrupolar splitting observed in the {sup 131}Xe NMR spectrum of the confined liquid crystalline solution of xenon gas is slightly greater than that found in the bulk. Two-dimensional exchange NMR demonstrates that the xenon atoms probe different average liquid crystal directors within a single cavity on a 20 ms time scale and that interpore exchange occurs on a time scale of 400 ms. The exchange data indicate that changes in the orientation of the director within individual cavities occur on a length scale of about 2 {mu}m. 37 refs., 7 figs.


We have tested whether the ability of synapses to compete for occupancy of endplates during neuromuscular synapse elimination is affected by differences in the spinal position or in the activity level of the parent motor neuron. To test the role of spinal position, the relative sizes of motor units for motor neurons from middle and extreme (rostral/caudal) positions in the rabbit soleus motor pool were determined at 3 postnatal ages: 4–5 d ("early" ages, when the soleus is heavily polyinnervated), 8–9 d ("intermediate"), and 11–s15 d ("late," when the soleus has just reached singly innervated state). Average motor unit sizes from extreme ventral roots were similar to those from middle ventral roots in early-aged soleus muscles but were significantly smaller (by 18–27%) for both intermediate and late muscles. Thus, motor neurons from extreme positions evidently compete less effectively for retention of synapses than those from middle positions. To test the role of differential activity, inactive and active synapses were pitted directly against one another by implanting Silastic plugs laden with tetrodotoxin (TTX) into one of the spinal nerves containing a minority of the soleus motor axons. Differential activity was maintained during a period of extensive synapse loss, from the time of the implant at day 4 or 5 until the intermediate age (day 8– 9). Motor unit twitch tensions were subsequently measured to determine the relative number of synapses retained by individual active and inactive motor neurons. The inactivated motor units were on average significantly larger (by more than 50%) than the corresponding group from normal and control-implanted animals. The abnormally large size of inactivated motor units persisted in animals allowed to recover from the TTX block and examined after multiple innervation had disappeared. Hence, the effect of the TTX block cannot be attributed to a simple slowing of synapse elimination specifically among the inactive motor neurons. We conclude that complete presynaptic inactivity improves the chances of survival relative to that for normal activity during synapse elimination in the neonatal rabbit soleus muscle. This difference in competitive ability may contribute to the development of an important characteristic of adult muscles, the correlation between motor unit size and recruitment threshold.


This paper outlines the results of a literature review exploring the relationship between gender and climate change in rural Australia.  Whilst the climate change debate in Australia has largely focused on environmental and economic implications, little attention has been given to the social implications of climate change.  The focus of this study is on the climate change impacts on Australian rural women and men, with particular emphasis on the disadvantage experienced by rural women. A key finding in the review was that rural women and men adapt to climatic events, such as, drought and water shortages, in different ways.  Outcomes of the review also highlight the dearth of Australian research that focuses on rural women and climate change.  We contend that social workers have an ethical responsibility to be aware of the impact of climate change on disadvantaged groups, such as, rural women.  The fact that gender equality has been largely ignored in the Australian climate change debate points to a need for social work involvement in climate change advocacy, research, and policy development, in an effort to redress the imbalance.


Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (the "Act") authorizes the Department of Energy ("DOE") to provide loan guarantees to nuclear energy projects that avoid, reduce, or sequester greenhouse gas emissions while employing new or significantly improved technology. The agency's decision to include uprates—projects that increase the amount of power an existing reactor produces—among those nuclear projects that may apply for a loan guarantee should survive a legal challenge under the deferential standard laid out in Chevron. A court should defer to the DOE's interpretation of the Act because Congress failed to express its unambiguous intent regarding which types of projects qualify for the program, and the agency's interpretation reflects a permissible construction of the statute. Consistent with Congress's goal of combating global warming and climate change, the DOE's interpretation of Title XVII encourages the growth of America's commercial nuclear capacity in an effort to reduce reliance on fossil fuels to generate electricity.


In many countries, ambitious strategies and policies have been deployed to reduce building energy consumption. The method usually advised by standards is the building energy simulation with a large choice of software as TrnSys or EnergyPlus. These dynamic simulation tools are widely used and their results are reliable. However, their major drawback is their lack of flexibility and their complexity with respect to the source code. Moreover, these tools feature exhaustive descriptions of buildings' thermal behaviour, which can be time- consuming when such a degree of accuracy is not required. In this context, we chose to introduce our in-house model. Thus, we give in this article a brief description of this model. Then, we present a comparison and a validation of this model with the numerical software EnergyPlus 011 both small and high insulation monozone buildings. Moreover, we propose to study the effect of merging walls 011 the accuracy and the computation time.


Undergraduate students in the health sciences typically perform poorly on practical exams. For example, the bell ringer is a stressful part of anatomy courses. This poor performance may be due to the fact that students often struggle with 'transferring' content from lecture (i.e., classroom) to a clinical setting (i.e., lab; Bolander et al., 2008). Although students are provided with weekly lab periods to interact with anatomical models, this learning is typically quite passive. As no assessments occur before the bell ringer, students have no early opportunities to test their knowledge. Course teaching assistants (TAs) are uniquely positioned to prepare students for the exam and to ensure they are meeting required learning outcomes. Workshop participants will explore facilitation strategies to actively involve students in the lab, thus aiding students to deepen their understanding of human anatomy and motivating reflection on these lessons. Moreover, this workshop will highlight the importance and utility of practical exams in anatomy courses and will also help increase participants' confidence in helping students apply and evaluate their lecture-based knowledge in lab.


Some classifications of anatomical impressions and the relevant terms are discussed. Methods for impression making are described in brief and their main characteristics are presented, based on which these methods are classified into groups. A new classification of impressions is suggested.


Objective: Nowadays, composite restorations have gained more popularity and are widely used due to their high esthetic properties, rapid application, ease of use and low costs. There are various composite resins of different brands available in the market and it is necessary to find the most favorable one in terms of reliability and long term prognosis. The present study aimed at evaluating and comparing the compressive strength of hybrid and nanocomposites. Methods: In this experimental in-vitro study 4 different types of composite resins were used as follows: Group 1- Filtek Z 250 (3M) (hybrid composite) Group 2- Filtek Supreme (3M) Group 3Gradia Direct X(GC) Group 4-Herculite XRV Ultra (Kerr Hawe)composite resins (groups 2, 3 and 4 are nanocomposites). Twelve samples were made in stainless steel molds of 4mm diameter and 6mm height of each composite. Following photopolymerization of cylindrical samples using Radi plus light curing unit (SDI limited), the specimens were stored in distilled water at 37°C for 48 hours. The specimens were subjected to compressive stress test using Mechanical Testing Machine (Zwick/Roell) at cross head speed of 0.5 mm/min. One way ANOVA and Tukey's Post-hoc tests were employed for statistical analyses and determining level of significance. Results: The obtained results were as follows: Group 1: 362.51 group 2: 266.70 group 3: 268.72 and group 4:275.75 N. Compressive strength of group 1 (Filtek Z 250) was higher than other three groups and it was statistically significant (P<0.05). No statistically significant difference was detected among groups 2, 3 and 4. Conclusion: Hybrid composites showed more compressive strength than nanocomposites.


Electroluminescent, EL, materials are of interest in providing high brightness for display screens found in portable electronic devices, where the battery life is limited. Currently organic luminescent materials are being used, but the lifetime is low due to the degradation of the organic material under electric field over time. Some recent work with inorganic material of zinc sulfide has indicated high brightness at very long life times. This work focuses on the thermal processing of the zinc sulfide based EL material with trinitrotoluene, TNT. The zinc sulfide based phosphor and TNT are placed in a stainless steel container that can withstand high pressure. After closing, the chamber was evacuated and subsequently heated to over 300°C. The ZnS based phosphor was heated to a high temperature as the TNT decomposed. The sample was recovered after cooling and separated by optical observation of photoluminescence with a ultraviolet lamp. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that some transformation to hexagonal wurtzite phase occurred and was retained after cooling. EL and photoluminescence, PL, measurements were performed to characterize the luminescent properties of the material. Results of SEM observations of the particle sizes are discussed. The most recent data shows that blue luminescence at 450nm can be obtained by the treatment of ZnS phosphor with TNT in this high pressure containment device.


The uses of metallic nanoparticles have gained importance as one of the therapeutic options to treat infections. Here, we synthesized stable copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) using Thiosalicylic acid and assessed their antimicrobial activities against various Gram-negative bacteria. The synthesized CuNPs had absorption maxima of 570 nM with a size range of 5-11 nM and face-centred cubic (Fcc) crystal structure. The bacterial cells in their planktonic and sessile forms were susceptible to CuNPs. The nanoparticles did not show any cytotoxicity to murine macrophages (RAW264.7) below 60 µg/mL. However, the expression of oxidative stress defence gene ahpC revealed the possibility of ROS generation upon treatment with CuNPs. Interestingly, the cell division proteins like, FtsZ and FtsI were destabilized in the presence of CuNPs which in turn inhibited bacterial cell division. In conclusion, it may be stated that the synthesized CuNPs can kill bacteria by arresting cell division and/or by ROS generation.


Studies in humans and mice have demonstrated a nonlinear pharmacokinetic behavior of paclitaxel. Because of its poor water solubility, the drug is formulated in a mixture of Cremophor EL and ethanol (1:1, v/v; Taxol). We hypothesized that the substantial amounts of concurrently administered Cremophor EL on the disposition of paclitaxel, female FVB mice received paclitazel by i.v. injection at does levels of 2, 10, and 20 mg/kg by appropriate (standard) dilution of the commercially available formulation of paclitaxel (Taxol) with saline. The drug was also given at 2 mg/kg with supplemental Cremophor EL-ethanol to achieve the same amount of vehicle as by standard administration of 10 mg/kg. Furthermore, paclitaxel formulations in Tween 80-ethanol (1:1, v/v) and dimethylacetamide were tested. Plasma samples were collected between 5 min and 48 h, and tissue specimens were sampled at 1, 4, and 8 h after drug administration. Paclitaxel and metabolites were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography. Cremophor EL levels were determined by a novel high-performance liquid chromatography procedure. For comparative reasons, Cremophor EL was also assayed in plasma samples from three patients receiving a 3-h i.v. infusion of 175 mg/m2 of paclitaxel. A marked nonlinear pharmacokinetic behavior of paclitaxel was observed when the drug was formulated in Cremophor EL-ethanol. The clearance of 2.37 L/h/kg at 2 mg/kg was reduced to 0.33 and 0.15 L/h/kg at 10 and 20 mg/kg, respectively. When 2 mg/kg were given with an amount of Cremophor EL-ethanol matching that of the 10-mg/kg dose level, the clearance was 0.56 L/h/kg. If administered at 10 mg/kg in Tween 80-ethanol or at 2 and 10 mg/kg in dimethylacetamide, the clearances were 2.66, 2.57, and 2.62 L/h/kg, respectively. Despite the fact that much higher plasma levels of paclitaxel are reached when given in the Cremophor EL-ethanol formulation, the tissue levels were essentially similar with all tested drug preparations. The Cremophor EL levels in patients were in the same order of magnitude as those observed in mice after administration of 2 and 10 mg/kg. These data demonstrate that Cremophor EL has a profound effect on the pharmacokinetics of paclitaxel im mice. Because Cremophor EL also contributes substantially to the nonlinear pharmacokinetic behavior of paclitaxel observed in humans.


Background and aims Starship Chidren's Hospital instigated a new paediatric end of life care plan which incorporates the words «Allow Natural Death» to replace«Do Not Resuscitate or «Not for Resuscitation». Due to the committment to biculturalism in New Zealand participation and advice was sought from Maori leadership who gifted the words Te Wa Aroha (a time of love) to paediatric end of life care plans. The aim of this paper is to show that the use Allow Natural Death enhances family understanding and ability to engage in end of life care planning for their children. Methods This paper will report the findings of an audit of end of life care plans for children at Starship Children's hospital. Results By doing an audit of end of life care plans the author hopes to demonstrate the importance of the language used in end of life care planning for children. Discussion Removing negative language from end of life care discussions may help families focus on end of life care that focuses on reducing suffering and the promotion of comfort, quality and dignity for their child. Effective end of life care planning may also lead to a greater number of families choosing to have their child die at home rather than in hospitals. Conclusion Te Wa Aroha/Allow Natural Death has been integrated and leads to a more open discussion about dying and death in the paediatric setting.


In an analysis of the structural stability of the coronavirus main protease (Mpro), we identified regions of the protein that could be disabled by cobalt(III)-cation binding to histidines and cysteines [1]. Here we have extended our work to include copper(II) chelates, which we have docked to HIS 41 and CYS 145 in the Mpro active-site region. We have found stable docked structures where Cu(II) could readily bond to the CYS 145 thiolate, which would be lethal to the enzyme.


Communication skills and the psychosocial dimensions of patient care are increasingly taught in medical schools and generalist residency programs. Evidence suggests they are not reinforced or optimally implemented in clinical training. The authors present the product of an iterative process that was part of a national faculty development program and involved both experts and generalist teachers concerning teaching psychosocial medicine while precepting medical students and residents in clinical settings. Using scientific evidence, educational theory, and experience, the authors developed recommendations, presented them in workshops, and revised them based on input from other experts and teachers, who gave feedback and added suggestions. The results are practical, expert consensus recommendations for clinical preceptors on how to teach and reinforce learning in this area. General skills to use in preparing the trainee for improved psychosocial care are organized into the mnemonic "CAARE MORE": Connect personally with the trainee; Ask psychosocial questions and Assess the trainee's knowledge/attitudes/skills/behaviors; Role model desired attitudes/skills/behaviors; create a safe, supportive, enjoyable learning Environment; formulate specific Management strategies regarding psychosocial issues; Observe the trainee's affect and behavior; Reflect and provide feedback on doctor–patient and preceptor-trainee interactions; and provide Educational resources and best Evidence. The preceptor–trainee teaching skills that are recommended parallel good doctor–patient interaction skills. They can be used during both preceptor–trainee and preceptor–trainee–patient encounters. Important common psychosocial situations that need to be managed in patients include substance abuse, depression, anxiety, somatoform disorder, physical and sexual abuse, and posttraumatic stress disorder. For these problems, where high-level evidence exists, specific psychosocial questions for screening and case finding are provided.


Adam Silverman is the face of a new generation of artists focused on ceramics and pottery, a medium that has not had major presence in the contemporary art world for many years. Incorporating traditional pottery techniques with his own experimental approach, Silverman creates works that are sensual, gritty, and beautiful. He uses unique glazes to give his pieces abstract lacy or gestural surfaces. Silverman has exhibited extensively and has a large, growing audience in the United States as well as in Japan, where his work is collected by Tadao Ando and Takashi Murakami, among many others. A breathtaking and informative overview of his work, Adam Silverman Ceramics is a landmark volume for all who appreciate ceramics, design, and modern sculpture as well as contemporary art.


We examine the evolution of monetary policy rules in a group of inflation-targeting countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden, and the United Kingdom), applying a moment-based estimator in a time-varying parameter model with endogenous regressors. From this novel flexible framework, our main findings are threefold. First, monetary policy rules change gradually, pointing to the importance of applying a time-varying estimation framework. Second, the interest-rate smoothing parameter is much lower than typically reported by previous time-invariant estimates of policy rules. External factors matter for all countries, although the importance of the exchange rate diminishes after the adoption of inflation targeting. Third, the response of interest rates to inflation is particularly strong during periods when central bankers want to break a record of high inflation, such as in the United Kingdom or Australia at the beginning of the 1980s. Contrary to common perceptions, the response becomes less aggressive after the adoption of inflation targeting, suggesting a positive anchoring effect of this regime on inflation expectations. This result is supported by our finding that inflation persistence typically decreased after the adoption of inflation targeting.


AIM
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anthropometric parameters and the body composition through bioelectrical impedance analysis on paediatric subjects with dental agenesis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study was conducted on 144 subjects (58.3% females and 41.7% males), aged 7-14 years (average age 10.22±2.53 years). Each patient underwent a dental check-up at the Paediatric Dentistry Unit, University of Rome Tor Vergata (Italy) and a nutritional evaluation, aimed at analysing the anthropometric characteristics and evaluating the indices of body composition through bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) at the Human Nutrition Unit, University of Rome Tor Vergata. The sample was divided into three groups: a group with single agenesis (Group 1), a group with multiple agenesis (Group 2) and a control group (Group A). Using the predictive equations, the following values were evaluated: resistance (R), reactance (Xc), phase angle (PHA), body cell mass index (BCMI), body cell mass (BCM), total body water (TBW), intracellular water (ICW), extracellular water (ECW), fat mass (FM), fat free mass (FFM).

STATISTICS
The Excel environment and the SAS System, version 9.3, were used for statistical analysis, providing a descriptive and parametric analysis of the sample. The values of the anthropometric parameters were expressed as mean ± standard deviation. For the statistical analysis of anthropometric parameters and body composition, analysis of variance (1-way ANOVA) was used, which allowed us to find differences and the Student's t-test to compare Groups 1, 2, and A.

RESULTS
There is a significant difference in the resistance R value between the case group with single agenesis (Group 1) and the control group (Group A) (R, 710.28±72.46 vs 667.4±104.16, p=0.028), and the phase angle PHA between the case group with multiple agenesis (Group 2) and the control group (Group A) (PHA, 5.18±0.48 vs 5.85±1.05, p=0.028). The BCM% value shows a significant difference between both Group 1 and Group A (BCM%, 50.53 ± 3.29 vs 52.68 ± 4.74, p=0.016) and between Group 2 and Group A (BCM%, 49.25± 2.86 vs 52.68 ± 4.74, p=0.035). The TBW, ICW, ECW, FM, FFM values showed no significant differences between the various groups analysed.

CONCLUSION
Body composition in subjects with dental agenesis presents a higher R, a consequently lower PHA and a lower BCM% compared to the control group. For the first time, the results highlighted the possible relationship between dental agenesis and body composition, measured through BIA.


This paper focuses on the process of implementing strategic information systems (SIS) by studying the radical changes it may bring to an organization's deep structure. It argues that a full understanding of the process of implementation of such systems should include not only technical aspects but also the social dynamics of an organization; specifically core values, distribution of power and mechanisms of control. A theoretical framework is formulated based on punctuated equilibrium and previous SIS literature, and is applied to an exploratory case study conducted in a Latin American public organization. The case study depicts how the initiative to implement SIS was the result of external and internal disturbances. The case analysis highlights relationships between an organization's deep structure and SIS implementation. The paper concludes by discussing the theoretical and practical implications of the study. These include (1) the role of the formal organizational structure in influencing the outcome of SIS implementations, (2) the impact of exogenous contingencies such as elections and external funding that may create a sense of crisis and (3) the influence of newcomers who may be brought in to solve the crisis.


The present paper is evaluated a new Eulerian integral associated with the product of two multivariable I-functions defined by Kumari [2] a generalized Lauricella function and a classes of multivariable polynomials with general arguments . We will study the case concerning the multivariable H-function defined by Srivastava et al [8] and Srivastava-Daoust polynomial [5].


Background:
 Recent reports suggested better outcomes associated with the drip-and-ship paradigm for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) treated with thrombolysis. Alternative hypothesis is a higher rate of stroke mimics (SM) among AIS treated in a non-specialized stroke centers and then transferred to comprehensive centers.

 Methods:
 Consecutive patients treated with thrombolysis according to the admission criteria were reviewed in a single comprehensive stroke center over one academic year. Information on the basic demographic, hospital complications, psychiatric diagnoses, and discharge information were collected. We also identified those who were treated in outside facility and then transferred to the tertiary center (i.e. drip-and-ship paradigm). Comparative and adjusted analysis to identify predictors for stroke mimics was performed.

 Results:
 120 patients were treated with thrombolysis for AIS included in this analysis; 20 (16.7%) were discharged with the final diagnosis of SM; 14 of those had conversion syndrome and 6 patients had other syndromes (seizures, migraine, and hypoglycemia). Patients with SM were younger (55.6 ± 15.0 versus 69.4 ± 14.9, P = 0.0003), had a slight female preponderance (55% versus 46%; P = 0.46); and more likely to harbor a psychiatric diagnosis (45% versus 9%; P = <0.0001). Eighteen of 20 SM patients (90%) had the drip-and-ship treatment paradigm compared to 65% of those with AIS (P= 0.02). None of SM had any hemorrhagic complications and all were discharged to home. Predictors of SM on adjusted analysis included the drip-and-ship paradigm (OR 12.8, 95% CI 1.78, 92.1) and history of any psychiatric illness (OR 12.08; 95% CI 3.14, 46.4).

 Conclusion:
 Drip-and-ship paradigm and the presence of any psychiatric history predict the diagnosis of SM. None of the SM had any thrombolysis related complication and all were discharged to home. These findings may explain the superior outcomes associated with the drip-and-ship paradigm in the treatment of AIS


Fifty years ago, a movement in Paris unleashed a profound change in customs and left deep marks on society, despite its restraint by elections, changes in the university and factories. The 'events' of May 1968, because of their breadth, their role in young people and foreigners, the new forms of action and participation that gave rise to them, and certain qualitatively new aspects of the claims presented, not only revealed the political power of the labor movement (paralyzing power and blocking institutions), but they also constituted a "subversive" experience of incalculable theoretical and practical significance in the process of developing social struggles both in France and in other European countries. It also inaugurated a new stage which has come to mean a real "historical change": "trade union power" gave way to the "workers' power" that spread throughout Europe - France, Italy, Germany and Sweden itself. The echoes of May 1968 arrived in Portugal immediately, but it is mainly in April 1969 that in Coimbra there is a university crisis that can not fail to be referenced. These events also provoked changes in the cinema that occupied the rooms with dozens of films made in the years that followed and to this day the most recent film that resumes this movement is the film by João Moreira Salles No intenso agora (2017). In Portugal so far no film has plunged deeply into these events. Because? Why is it that after 50 years cinema resumes this theme? Why did Portuguese cinema forget the Coimbra crisis of 1969?


The lack of access to clean drinking water remains one of the largest issues still facing humanity. The Pedal 4 Purification is a product that addresses this need by utilizing pre-existing bicycle infrastructure and local freshwater sources to allow people to purify their own drinking water on a daily basis. Attachable to any standard bicycle, the Pedal 4 Purification product consists of pump, purification, cart and adjustable kickstand subsystems that allow the operator to pump, purify and transport 40L of potable water. Pedaling at the reasonable rate of 60 rpm will provide the optimal flow rate of 1.54L/min through the filter. At this rate, it would take the operator 26 minutes to provide enough drinking water to satiate 20 people for the day. As a result of the drastic reduction in the time and effort it takes for individuals to obtain drinking water, target communities will have more free time allowing them to focus on other pressing issues. Use of the Pedal 4 Purification product results in a 266% increase in user time savings as well as 54 times the amount of water collected per minute of user exertion compared to traditional methods. The Pedal 4 Purification team travelled to San Andres Itzapa, Guatemala to manufacture the entire device at Maya Pedal, an NGO that creates 'bicimaquinas' to help provide its local community members with basic human resource infrastructure. After the manufacturing process was complete, the team and Maya Pedal workers drove to the highland community of Patzun to implement the design and instruct the local people about how to use it. User feedback was noted after the successful implementation in the developing community of Patzun.


The effect of epidermal hydration on skin potential and conductance measurements was investigated in young and old men. The condition of least hydration used a 0.5% KCl glycol electrolyte. Two conditions used a 0.5% aqueous KCl electrolyte differing in that the most hydrated site received a 15-min pretreatment of soaking in distilled water whereas the intermediate hydration site received no pretreatment. These hydration conditions were used in recording three channels of skin potential and three channels of skin conductance during three tasks: 1) tone presentations after rest, 2) simple reaction time, and 3) choice reaction time. There were no significant age differences in the effect of electrolyte on skin conductance level and response. There were age differences in the effect of electrolyte on skin potential level (SPL) and response (SPR). Young adult SPR was monotonically related to hydration with the largest response magnitude occurring with the least hydration. Electrolyte did not significantly affect SPR magnitude of the aged. For the young subjects, SPL was monotonically related to hydration with the most negative SPL occurring with the least hydration. For the aged subjects, the least negative SPL occurred in the condition of least hydration. We postulate that this reversal in the hydration/SPL relationship in old age reflects a reversal in the relative magnitudes of sweat gland and epidermal potentials: in old subjects the epidermal potential is greater than the sweat gland potential.


Sexual harassment has become a fact of the modern workplace—something that society laments and regrets, but that rarely shocks the conscience when it comes to light. In fact, both the least and most surprising aspect of workplace sexual harassment is the number of individuals who are aware of it occurring. For every Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer, and Louis C.K., there have been countless observers who knew about their depravity and who did nothing to stop their behavior. In this way, one obvious approach for reducing harassment at work seems clearly to involve mobilizing these bystanders—encouraging those who witness this misconduct to come forward and report the wrongdoing. Yet for a variety of reasons, bystanders often (quite rationally) choose to remain silent. This Article suggests a novel approach to overcome the forces that inhibit bystanders from speaking out. In the context of financial crimes, the law has successfully encouraged bystander reporting by applying a bounty system that provides significant financial rewards to those who report the wrongdoing that they observe. Indeed, those who have observed financial wrongdoing have reaped millions of dollars in rewards, presumably overcoming whatever reluctance they once may have felt about disclosing the misdeeds of colleagues and associates. This Article suggests applying a similar bounty system to workplace sexual harassment; it proposes awarding bystanders a piece of the recovery when their reports of observed workplace sexual harassment culminate into successful lawsuits against the perpetrators of this misconduct. Blowing the whistle on wrongdoing—harassment or otherwise—comes rife with countless concerns for those who consider speaking out. Giving such bystanders a financial incentive to come forward has worked in other contexts to override this reluctance. Perhaps the same can be true for those who observe sexual harassment at work, providing a much-needed step towards reducing this scourge in the workplace.


Conversational Task Assistants (CTAs) are conversational agents whose goal is to help humans perform real-world tasks. CTAs can help in exploring available tasks, answering task-specific questions and guiding users through step-by-step instructions. In this work, we present Wizard of Tasks, the first corpus of such conversations in two domains: Cooking and Home Improvement. We crowd-sourced a total of 549 conversations (18,077 utterances) with an asynchronous Wizard-of-Oz setup, relying on recipes from WholeFoods Market for the cooking domain, and WikiHow articles for the home improvement domain. We present a detailed data analysis and show that the collected data can be a valuable and challenging resource for CTAs in two tasks: Intent Classification (IC) and Abstractive Question Answering (AQA). While on IC we acquired a high performing model (>85% F1), on AQA the performance is far from being satisfactory (~27% BertScore-F1), suggesting that more work is needed to solve the task of low-resource AQA.


Warp yarns undergo various types of complex stress during the weaving process; namely tensile, cyclic-extension, compression, bending and abrasion. The capacity of the yarns to withstand these stresses is termed as their weavability. The prediction of weavability is exploited to extract first-hand information about the expected performance of yarns in weaving. This critical review article discusses several approaches that are adopted by the researchers for the prediction of warp breakages in weaving; namely, empirical, statistical and instrumental. The recent developments in the field of prediction of warp breakage rate in weaving are summarized. The research work that is currently being pursued in the attachment of a microprocessor based shedding device in a constant tension transport (CTT) instrument for the prediction of the weavability of spun yarns is highlighted.


when the initial minor sprain or "injury" has well and truly resolved. The use of terminology which includes the phrase "pain syndrome" implies that the cause of the pain and disability is no longer "soft tissue neck injury" or "acute muscle strain". Thus treatment by the doctor. understanding by the patient and the approach of the legal profession switch from the "injury" to dealing with a human being with a pain syndrome. Ganora and Hutchins have noted the correct use of the term impairment.'· Finally. Cousins and Ryan highlight the difficulty between the meaning of terms taken from different perspectives, the confusion between initial usage of the term, popular lay usage and popular medical usage.' We suggest such terms as sciatica be avoided altogether and nerve root impingement with the appropriate level indicated, be used in its place. We hope debate on these issues continues and that the various disciplines which interact in this area start to come together through such a process. .


The current study is descriptive and takes a look at the Saber es Poder, or SEP curriculum. The treatment groups were offered in the Portland, Oregon Metropolitan Area, at 4 outpatient mental health clinics. Data was gathered 4 times; once at baseline and at the end of each treatment phase. The Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS), the Brief Symptoms Inventory-18 Questions (BSI-18), The Trauma Recovery and Empowerment Scale (TRES), The Trauma Recovery and Empowerment Protocol (TREP) were the published measures used. Other measures were the Culture, the Participant Satisfaction, the Awareness, Coping, and Behavior Scales. A fidelity measure was also used to test adherence. Hypothesis 1 said SEP groups could be held performed to fidelity (>70%). One group exceeded the fidelity requirement at 73% or above. Three groups failed to complete the 25-session protocol and could not be ranked. Hypothesis 2 said participants would experience an increase in awareness, coping and pro-recovery behavior. The completing group (n=5) showed mixed results. Two showed overall gains in the pro-recovery direction. Three show gains on only some scales. Context factors that inform score interpretation are discussed Hypothesis 3 and 4, which related to customer satisfaction, attendance and symptom reduction, could not be adequately explored due to low n. However preliminary data does appear to support a positive relationship between attendance and satisfaction, as well as attendance and symptom relief, particularly when participation is defined as not only attendance but also by "showing up" in a cognitive sense. Further research into the qualitative experience of trauma related distress for Latinas, as well as review and clarification of scale construction should be addressed in future research. Degree Type Dissertation


We discuss a new method for the iterative computation of a portion of the spectrum
of a large sparse matrix.The matrix may be complex and non-normal.The method also delivers the
Schur vectors associated with the computed eigenvalues. The eigenvectors can easily be computed
from the Schur vectors, and for stability reasons we prefer the approach with Schur vectors.The
method is based on the recently introduced Jacobi-Davidson algorithm (16).This method improves
the Davidson method and its generalizations. We also show how the Davidson's methods, including
the new one, can be viewed as accelerated inexact Newton schemes.


When visualizing scientific data one of the current bottlenecks is the lack of interactivity. There already exist many options to build static data visualizations such as R, Matlab or Microsoft Excel among others. On the other hand, we can also find many different pieces of software with a broader or more specific aim that however must be installed locally. There is therefore a gap that is not covered by any of these latter two worlds. Here is where Biographika comes in handy since it provides scientists in general, and more specifically bioinformaticians, with a way of being able to use interactive rich visualizations on the web as part of their daily research. This first version of Biographika includes a set of charts combining diverse approaches that are thought to give users different perspectives of their research data. For the sake of interoperability and expressivity among other reasons we are using D3.js [1], the de facto standard visualization JavaScript library for manipulating documents based on data. But not only that, we incorporate new approaches as the fact of having fully interactive 3D charts that can be easily integrated with the rest of visualizations; providing the possibility of analyzing multidimensional data in a way that could otherwise be difficult to tackle. For that we use X3DOM[2], an open-source framework and runtime for 3D graphics on the Web that eases the integration of HTML5 and declarative 3D content. And last but not least, Biographika is also conceived as an effort to provide the data visualization layer for Bio4j [3] that researchers have been lacking in the past few years.


Focussing on repo specialness premia, using ISIN-specific transaction-by-transaction data of one-day maturity repos, we document a gradual shift from cash- to securities-driven transactions in euro area repo markets over the period 2010-2018. Compared to earlier studies focussing only on specific sub-periods or market segments we extend, illustrate, and validate evidence on financial frictions that are relevant in driving repo premia: controlling for a comprehensive range of bond-market specific characteristics, we show that repo premia have been systematically affected by fragmentation in the sovereign space, bank funding stress, and safe asset scarcity. These channels exhibit very strong country-specific differences, as also reflected by large discrepancies in country-specific interest rates on General Collateral. To ensure robustness of our empirical findings, we apply panel econometric and data mining approaches in a complementary and mutually informative way. JEL Classification: E52, E44, C33, C38


The HNK-1 antibody known to define a subpopulation of human lymphocytes with natural killer and killer cell activities was shown to detect a common neuroectodermal antigen. Most tumor lines and paraffin-embedded tumors and normal tissues of neuroectodermal origin were specifically stained by HNK-1. Lines and tissues of other derivations were negative except a trophoblastic tumor line and a percentage of Ewing's sarcomas, whose histogenesis is poorly understood. These data indicate that HNK-1 antibody could be of interest in clinical histopathology but cannot be considered as specific for a lymphocyte subset.


A technique for masking porous-silicon (PS) films by optical photolithography without significant film degradation is demonstrated for the first time. The chemical resistance of the PS films is achieved by low-temperature passivation via nitrogen annealing. The effect of the various photolithographic process steps is investigated by determining the changes in the optical properties of the films. The passivated PS films are shown to be resistant to strong alkaline-based solutions (dilute AZ400K developer) for up to 100 s with minimal reduction in optical thickness. Fourier transform infrared and spectral reflectance measurements show that the passivated PS films are relatively unaffected by a complete photolithography process, apart from the seepage of photoresist into the pores, which can be prevented by applying a thin protective polymer layer. Metal was deposited and patterned via the standard liftoff process on PS surface to demonstrate the feasibility of this technique.


As a response to the Norwegian authorities' requirements in 1997 of "zero discharges to sea" by the end of 2005, the operating companies on the Norwegian shelf initiated the development of the DREAM (Dose-related Risk and Effect Assessment Model) model, including the framework for calculating the Environmental Impact Factor for produced water (EIFPW). The DREAM model has successfully been used for years as a basis for calculation of EIFs for produced water discharges, assisting the oil companies in choosing among different technological produced water treatment solutions. The success of the EIFPW as an environmental management tool inspired the industry to initiate a Joint Industry Project (JIP), ERMS (Environmental Risk Management System), to develop a similar tool for drilling discharges: the Environmental Impact Factor for drilling discharges (EIFDD). Similar to the EIFPW, the EIFDD was designed to be an environmental riskbased decision support tool, to assist the oil industry in establishing cost-effective mitigation measures for reducing potential harmful discharges to the marine environment. The concept of the EIFDD is based on the PEC/PNEC ratio approach as described in the European technical Guidance Document (2003) on environmental risk assessment. Its calculation is implemented in the DREAM model. The companies involved in the development are using the EIFDD as a management tool to evaluate the risk connected to discharges and to evaluate the effects of alternate mitigation measures, for instance changing the chemical composition during drilling operations offshore.


Gastroenteritis covers a pathology that determines the inflammation of digestive tract, frequently in adults and children. The causes for this pathology can be non-infectious (intoxication with exogen toxins, autoimmune diseases, digestive tumors, drugs) or infectious (bacteria, viruses, parasites). The pharmacotherapy of gastroenteritis aims at correcting the dehydration by administering oral or parenteral rehydration salts, at counteracting the acute symptoms by administering antidiarrhoea and/or antivomiting  drugs (when it is non-infectious), at restoring the balance of intestinal flora and at eradicating the pathogen agent by administering antibiotics and antimicrobial chemotherapics (when it is infectious).


Background: Given the nature and chronicity of diabetes mellitus (DM), the role of self care and adequate patient education, in addition to the support of medical profes sional, is essential in its management. The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of positive messages and negative messages in DM education and to identify the superior method of motivation for self care behaviors. Methods: A total of 99 DM patients (50 positive message group: 49 negative message group) at Gyeongsang National University Hospital participated in the study. The collected data were analyzed by Chi square and t-test. Results: There were no significant differences in the attitude of messages and in the attitude of self care behaviors between the positive and negative message group, thou gh the negative message group had a significantly higher intention of self care behaviors than did the positive message group. Conclusion: These results suggest that the negative messages are more effective than positive messages for increasing the intention of self care behaviors in patients with DM. (Korean Diabetes J 33:344-352, 2009)


Crowdsourcing is an emerging paradigm, facilitated by the ease and scale of online connectivity, which harnesses the power of the crowds to solve problems and contribute knowledge. Crowdsourcing has been tried in practice and there are several commercial general-purpose crowdsourcing platforms on the web. Although the paradigm feasibility and impact have become evident, we still lack engineering methods and principles which aid the construction of quality crowdsourcing-based solutions. One of these aspects is the compatibility between the various configuration choices of the elements of a crowdsourcing project. In a previous work, the authors surveyed the literature and extracted a taxonomy of the various features which describes each of the four pillars of crowdsourcing: the crowd, the crowdsourcer, the crowdsourced task and the crowdsourcing platform. In this paper, the authors study the inter-relations between these features when configuring a crowdsourcing project. They start with an initial template and then confirm and enhance it by an expert study which involves 37 experts who applied crowdsourcing in practice and published research results. Their study helps crowdsourcers and crowdsourcing platform developers to better understand the several peculiarities that may arise by combining these features and thus assist them in the configuration of crowdsourcing projects with more awareness.


Trina Gulliver is indisputably the finest ladies' darts player in the world. With an amazing seven consecutive Lakeside Ladies' World Championship trophies under her belt, this inspirational woman can lay claim to being the most phenomenal player of all time.But it hasn't always been a story of victorious check-outs for this Warwickshire girl. Qualifying as a joiner at the age of eighteen, Trina soon set up her own business and had her first taste of making it in what has traditionally been a man's world. Her calm head, keen eye and steady hand proved to be useful skills in this trade - and would prove priceless when she stepped up to the oche as a professional player.Always a lover of the game, Trina held her first 'arrow' at the age of two, and after some success later in the Warwickshire County side, she went full-time as a professional player. Without any sponsorship in her first year, she struggled to make ends meet as she drove all over Europe to play. But her determination to get to the top saw her make it to number ten in the world, and she finally hit the bullseye in the form of a sponsor. Twelve months later she was world number one - where she remains to this day.Fiercely passionate about her sport, Trina has long been an outspoken critic of the prize money in the women's game compared to the men's, and has done sterling work in helping to raise the profile of the ladies' game. Professional to the core, Trina works as hard as the top male players on her game, and is a role model to women in the sport."Golden Girl" is the story of a woman whose talent, grit and determination saw her realise her dream. Heart-warming and inspirational, this book will appeal to darts lovers and anyone interested in a story of success against the odds.


Abstract The incidence of brood parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater; hereafter "cowbirds") within host species typically reflects the continental pattern in cowbird abundance across North America, where parasitism is heaviest in the Great Plains. However, we found considerable variation in cowbird parasitism on Dickcissel (Spiza americana) nests within a subregion of the Great Plains (the Flint Hills), where the highest levels of cowbird parasitism on grassland bird nests had been previously reported. Local parasitism frequencies on Dickcissel nests varied latitudinally across the Flint Hills, ranging from 0% to 92% of nests parasitized. Interestingly, we found no obvious patterns in habitat or host attributes that were associated with this steep geographic gradient in brood parasitism. Cowbird parasitism on Dickcissel nests was not correlated with the vertical density of local prairie vegetation, mean nest distance to edge, proportion of forest to grassland habitat surrounding study sites (≤5 to 10 km), geographic variation in host abundance, or Dickcissel density or nest initiation dates. Parasitism frequencies and intensities (number of cowbird eggs per parasitized nest) on Dickissel nests were only significantly related to variation in local female cowbird density. Dickcissel clutch size and apparent fledging success were negatively correlated with local cowbird parasitism levels. Geographic patterns in cowbird abundance within and among regions should be considered when establishing conservation areas for grassland birds or other cowbird hosts of concern.


This study aimed to assess the reliability of the Teacher SchoolAge Temperament Inventory (T-SATI) in a Caribbean context. A principal component analysis using varimax rotation was performed on data provided by 16 teachers who reported on 163 elementary school students. The results from the study supported four temperament dimensions which could be described as representing negative reactivity, task persistence, distractibility, and withdrawal. Cronbach alphas for the dimensions ranged from .774 to .920. The T-SATI can provide teachers with the means of recognizing the temperament of students so that teachers can better select behavioural management strategies in providing goodness-for-fit classroom context for children.


Not long ago, Xerox used 600 engineers to design a 50 page/minute $150,000 color printer in only three years, while the previous black-and-white took them over six years to complete. Here, the author describes how Xerox's financial health increasingly depends on executing "just-in-time product development", or JITPD. Lagging the market by taking too long to develop and release a product can prove disastrous, while proper execution of JITPD results in tremendous rewards. This paper gives some insight into how to accelerate engineering development times by up to 50 percent. It explains how to practice the three secrets to quality rapid product development (QRPD), a management methodology for developing products in half the time.


To meet the goal set by the Paris Agreement, greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by as much as 45% by 2030. Fossil industry advertising subverts this objective: It stimulates continued demand for fossil fuels, and creates doubts about their enormously harmful effects. Misleading advertising is prohibited under the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, as well as other regulatory instruments. This article explores under which circumstances fossil fuel advertising must be regarded as misleading, and thus prohibited. Drawing from the example of tobacco regulation it will be argued that advertising is misleading if it "normalizes" a harmful commodity, i.e., if it portrays its production and use as acceptable and normal. It will then be shown that fossil industry advertising systematically "normalizes" fossil fuel products in such a manner, and must therefore typically be understood as misleading.


The subject of light transmission through optically thin metal films perforated with arrays of subwavelength nanoholes has recently attracted significant attention. In this work, we present experimental and calculated results on optical transmission/reflection of the U-shaped nanoapertures for enhanced optical transmission and resolution. We propose different structure designs in order to prove the effect of geometry on resonance and enhanced fields. Theoretical calculations of transmission/reflection spectra and field distributions of U-shaped nano-apertures are performed by using 3-dimensional finite-difference time-domain method. The results of these numerical calculations show that transmission through the apertures is indeed concentrated in the gap region. Added to theoretical calculations we also performed a liftoff free plasmonic device fabrication technique based on positive resist electron beam lithography and reactive ion etching in order to fabricate U-shaped nanostructures. After transferring nanopattern on 80 nm thick suspended SiNx membrane using EBL followed by dry etching, a directional metal deposition processes is used to deposit 5 nm thick Ti and 30 nm thick Au layers. Theoretical calculations are supported with experimental results to prove the tunability of resonances with the geometry at the mid-infrared wavelengths which could be used for infrared detection of biomolecules.


Radiation-induced polymerization in Polymethacrylamide Gels (PMAAGs) potentially used for 3D dose verification in radiotherapy has been studied using both Raman spectroscopy and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) method. The dosimeters are composed of aqueous Methacrylamide (MAA) monomer and N, N' methyelene-bis-acrylamide (BIS) crosslinker at various concentrations from 2 to 6% (w/w) and gelatin at 6% (w/w). The dosimeters were irradiated to doses up to 30 Gy using 60Co teletherapy ?-ray source at a constant dose rate. The formation of the polymer increases with increasing dose and was followed directly by Raman spectroscopic measurement for CH3 stretching mode assigned to polymethacrylamide and indirectly by the transverse spin-echo pulse NMR R2 relaxation rate of water protons within the polymer gel network. The half dose D1/2 values of both direct and indirect methods were used to evaluate the effects of initial concentrations of monomer and crosslinker to the dose required to produce 50% of the polymer in PMAAGs. The PMAAGs containing more crosslinker than monomer show larger D1/2 values, indicating that the crosslinker has a larger effect on the increase in dose required to produce 50% of the polymer. The D1/2 value of the direct method is consistently higher than that of the indirect method, indicating that the indirect method is more sensitive to the dose response, but fundamentally does not measure the amount of polymethacrylamide formed. There is a correlation between D1/2 value and concentrations of monomer and crosslinker. The correlation factor, kC of the crosslinker is always greater than kM of monomer, for both the direct and indirect methods, suggesting the crosslinker reacts more efficiently than monomer to produce 50% of the polymer of polymethacrylamide.


textabstractThree-dimensional X-ray orientation microscopy based on X-ray full-field imaging techniques such as diffraction contrast tomography is a challenging task when it comes to materials displaying non-negligible intragranular orientation spread and/or intricate grain microstructures as a result of plastic deformation and deformation twinning. As shown in this article, the optimization of the experimental conditions and a number of modifications of the data analysis routines enable detection and three-dimensional reconstruction of twin lamellae down to micrometre thickness, as well as more accurate three-dimensional reconstruction of grains displaying intragranular orientation spreads of up to a few degrees. The reconstruction of spatially resolved orientation maps becomes possible through the use of a recently introduced six-dimensional reconstruction framework, which has been further extended in order to enable simultaneous reconstruction of parent and twin orientations and to account for the finite impulse response of the X-ray imaging detector. The simultaneous reconstruction of disjoint orientation domains requires appropriate scaling of the scattering intensities based on structure and Lorentz factors and yields three-dimensional reconstructions with comparable density values for all the grains. This in turn enables the use of a global intensity-guided assembly procedure and avoids problems related to the single-grain thresholding procedure used previously. Last but not least, carrying out a systematic search over the list of known twin variants (forward modelling) for each of the indexed parent grains, it is possible to identify additional twins which have been left undetected at the previous stage of grain indexing based on diffraction spot peak positions. The enhanced procedure has been tested on a 1% deformed specimen made from a Ti-4%Al alloy and the result has been cross-validated against a two-dimensional electron backscatter diffraction orientation map acquired on one of the lateral sample surfaces.


Over the last few years, the topic of "stranded assets" resulting from environment-related risk factors has loomed larger. These factors include the effects of physical climate change as well as societal and regulatory responses to climate change. Despite the increasing prominence of these stranded assets as a topic of significant interest to academics, governments, financial institutions, and corporations, there has been little work specifically looking at this issue in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). This is a significant omission, given the region's exposure to environment-related risk factors, the presence of extensive fossil fuel resources that may become "unburnable" given carbon budget constraints, and the particular challenges and opportunities facing lower-income and emerging economies in LAC.
This report seeks to contribute to closing this gap in the literature. We provide an in-depth summary of existing literature, exploring the key issues relating to stranded assets through an analysis of three areas:
1. Understanding systemic climate risks: implications for the financial sector and lessons for central banks and financial regulators
2. Stranded assets and development: ensuring low carbon development pathways are resilient to asset stranding
3. Investor exposure to stranded assets: managing investments and portfolios exposed to environment-related risks.


Purpose of the article: The main purpose of the paper is empirically evaluating selectivity skills and market timing ability of Polish fund managers during the period from January 2009 to November 2014. After the global financial crisis of 2008, in this period of quantitative easing (QE), thanks to an increase in the money supply, a capital flow from developed countries to developing countries was observed. In this study, we try to analyse that although the financial market in Poland made an incredible progress, whether fund managers show better or worse performance than the market.
Methodology/Methods: In order to evaluate fund manager performances, Jensen alpha (1968) is computed, which depicts selectivity skills of fund managers. For determining market timing ability of fund managers, Treynor & Mazuy (1966) regression analysis and Henriksson & Merton (1981) regression analysis are applied. Fund performances are evaluated using Warsaw Stock Exchange Index as the benchmark index.
Scientific aim: In this study, we have tried to evaluate selectivity skills and market timing ability of Polish fund managers. A total of 14 equity fund managers' performances are analysed. The study can be guiding especially for investors who are interested in Polish equity fund performances in a period where emerging stock markets outperformed with quantitative easing.
Findings: Jensen (1968) alphas indicate that over this period fund managers did not have selective ability, as none of the 14 funds had statistically significant positive alphas. Furthermore, Treynor & Mazuy (1966) and Henriksson & Merton (1981) regression analysis indicate that over the same period fund managers did not also have market timing ability, as again none of the 14 funds had statistically significant positive coefficients.
Conclusions: In this work, we can detect that in the era of quantitative easing, although the financial market in Poland made an incredible progress, the fund returns were generally lower than the stock market and Polish fund managers could not display a good performance both in selectivity skills and market timing abilities.


During the first fifteen months of the Civil War, the policies and attitudes of Union officers toward emancipation in the western theater were, at best, inconsistent and fraught with internal strains. But after Congress passed the Second Confiscation Act in 1862, army policy became mostly consistent in its support of liberating the slaves in general, in spite of Union army officers' differences of opinion. By 1863 and the final Emancipation Proclamation, the army had transformed into the key force for instituting emancipation in the West. However, Kristopher Teters argues that the guiding principles behind this development in attitudes and policy were a result of military necessity and pragmatic strategies, rather than an effort to enact racial equality. Through extensive research in the letters and diaries of western Union officers, Teters demonstrates how practical considerations drove both the attitudes and policies of Union officers regarding emancipation. Officers primarily embraced emancipation and the use of black soldiers because they believed both policies would help them win the war and save the Union, but their views on race actually changed very little. In the end, however, despite its practical bent, Teters argues, the Union army was instrumental in bringing freedom to the slaves.


Background subtraction (BS) is an efficient technique for detecting moving objects in video sequences. A simple BS process involves building a model of the background and extracting regions of the foreground (moving objects) with the assumptions that the camera remains stationary and there exist no movements in the background. These assumptions restrict the applicability of BS methods to real-time object detection in video. In this letter, we propose an extended cluster BS technique with a mixture of symmetric alpha-stable (SαS) distributions. An online self-adaptive mechanism is presented that allows automated estimation of the model parameters using the log moment method. Results over real video sequences from indoor and outdoor environments, with data from static and moving video cameras are presented. The SαS mixture model is shown to improve the detection performance compared with a cluster BS method using a Gaussian mixture model and the method of Li et al.


A study of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been performed in a particle-loaded methane/air flame and in the Diagnostic Instrumentation and Analysis Laboratory/Mississippi State University (DIAL/MSU) test stand to evaluate its application for practical environments. The LIBS spectra collected from different observational directions and spectral regions are compared. The forward LIBS technique has been chosen to characterize the upstream region of a large magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) coal-fired flow facility (CFFF). The relative concentrations of several species are inferred by fitting the observed CFFF LIBS spectra with computer-simulated spectra. This paper reports the first LIBS experiments in a harsh, turbulent, and highly luminous coal-fired MHD combustion environment.


This article studies deeply motive forces of cooperative education in our market economic condition from students, schools, businesses and community. The research believes: Students are the mainstay of cooperative education, the motive force comes from knowledge, improving their comprehensive quality and enhancing the competitiveness of society; Schools are the "stage", and its motive force comes from improving the quality of teaching and from the transformation of accelerating scientific research; Enterprise is the guide, its motive force comes from cost savings and the attraction of talent, the using of technical results of colleges and universities to update the results of scientific research; The society provides a good environment for cooperation education. The development of cooperative education needs the community's participation and support. The study results give some good advices to promote cooperative education more.


BACKGROUND
Higher physical activity (PA) is associated with lower heart failure (HF) risk; however, the effect of changes in PA on HF risk is unknown.

METHODS
We evaluated 11 351 ARIC study (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities) participants (mean age 60 years) who attended visit 3 (1993-1995) and did not have a history of cardiovascular disease. Exercise PA was assessed using a modified Baecke questionnaire and categorized according to American Heart Association guidelines as recommended, intermediate, or poor. We used Cox regression models to characterize the association of 6-year changes in PA between the first (1987-1989) and third ARIC visits and HF risk.

RESULTS
During a median of 19 years of follow-up, 1750 HF events occurred. Compared with those with poor activity at both visits, the lowest HF risk was seen for those with persistently recommended activity (hazard ratio, 0.69; 95% confidence interval, 0.60-0.80). However, those whose PA increased from poor to recommended also had reduced HF risk (hazard ratio, 0.77; 95% confidence interval 0.63-0.93). Among participants with poor baseline activity, each 1 SD higher PA at 6 years (512.5 METS*minutes/week, corresponding to ≈30 minutes of brisk walking 4 times per week) was associated with significantly lower future HF risk (hazard ratio, 0.89, 95% confidence interval, 0.82-0.96).

CONCLUSIONS
Although maintaining recommended activity levels is associated with the lowest HF risk, initiating and increasing PA, even in late middle age, are also linked to lower HF risk. Augmenting PA may be an important component of strategies to prevent HF.


Unlike single omnidirectional antennas, multiple antennas offer wireless ad-hoc networks potential increases in their achievable throughput and capacity. Due to recent advances in antenna technology, it is now affordable to build wireless devices with more than one antenna. As a result, multiple antennas are expected to be an essential part of next-generation wireless networks to support the rapidly emerging multimedia applications characterized by their high and diverse QoS needs. This paper develops an admission control framework that exploits the benefits of multiple antennas to better support applications with QoS requirements in wireless ad-hoc networks. The developed theory provides wireless ad-hoc networks with flow-level admission control capabilities while accounting for cross-layer effects between the PHY and the MAC layers. Based on the developed theory, we propose a mechanism that multiple antenna equipped nodes can use to control flows' admissibility into the network. Through simulation studies, we show that the proposed mechanism results in high flow acceptance rates and high network throughput utilization.


With the widespread use of harmonic generating devices, the control of harmonic currents to maintain a high level of power quality is becoming increasingly important. An effective way for harmonic suppression is the harmonic compensation by using active power filter. This paper presents a comprehensive survey of DSTATCOM and is aimed at providing a broad perspective on the status of DSTATCOM control methods to researchers and application engineers dealing with harmonic suppression issues. Many control techniques have been designed, developed, and realized for active filters in recent years. This paper presents different types of Synchronous reference frame methods for real time generation of compensating current for harmonic mitigation and reactive power compensation. All the techniques are analyzed mathematically and simulation results are obtained which are being compared in terms of its compensation performance with different parameters under steady state condition. Shunt compensation for medium voltage distribution systems requires higher rating for voltage source converters (VSCs). Ratings of the semiconductor devices in a VSC are always limited; therefore, for higher rated converters it is desirable to distribute the stress among the number of devices using multilevel topology. Cascaded multilevel configuration of the inverter has the advantage of its simplicity and modularity over the configurations of the diode-clamped and flying capacitor multilevel inverters. Application of cascaded multilevel converters for shunt compensation of distribution systems has been described in Literature. This paper presents an investigation of five-Level Cascaded H – bridge (CHB) Inverter as Distribution Static Compensator (DSTATCOM) in Power System (PS) for compensation of reactive power and harmonics. The advantages of CHB inverter are low harmonic distortion, reduced number of switches and suppression of switching losses. A CHB Inverter is considered for shunt compensation of a 11 kV distribution system. Finally a level shifted PWM (LSPWM) and phase shifted PWM (PSPWM) techniques are adopted to investigate the performance of CHB Inverter. The results are obtained through Matlab/Simulink software package. The proposed DSTATCOM is simulated for both linear and nonlinear loads.