Introduced in the early stages of software development, the Charmy framework assists the software architect in making and evaluating architectural choices. Rarely, the software architecture of a system can be established once and forever. Most likely poorly defined and understood architectural constraints and requirements force the software architect to accept ambiguities and move forward to the construction of a suboptimal software architecture. Charmy aims to provide an easy and practical tool for supporting the iterative modeling and evaluation of software architectures. From an UML-based architectural design, an executable prototype is automatically created. Charmy simulation and model checking features help in understanding the functioning of the system and discovering potential inconsistencies of the design. When a satisfactory and stable software architecture is reached, Java code conforming to structural software architecture constraints is automatically generated through suitable transformations. The overall approach is tool supported.


Introduction: In the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the determination of the serum antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 is highly relevant, although the reliability of the results delivered is sometimes questionable. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the performances of a rapid immunochromatography test for IgG and IgM antibodies, comparing them with an immunochemiluminescence method. Methods: we analyzed 357 sera for the presence of IgG anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins S1/S2 with an automated immunochemiluminescent test (DiaSorin®) and the presence of IgG and IgM anti-SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapside protein with an immunochromatography method (LEPU®) based on lateral flow technology. Results: with Diasorin® method, 248 subjects resulted to be negative and 109 positives, whereas LEPU® test was positive (IgM+ and/or IgG+) in 98 subjects. The overall concordance between LEPU® and DiaSorin®, was 94.1% (95% CI 91.0-96.2). Cohen's kappa was 0.86 (95% CI 0.80-0.92), indicating good agreement. 21 out of 357 (5.9%) samples had a discordant result and were re-analyzed with a third method (Roche Diagnostics Electrochemiluminescence®): 4 out of 5 DiaSorin® negative/LEPU® positive samples were confirmed as negative by Roche®;conversely, among the 16 DiaSorin® positive/LEPU® negative samples, 5 were confirmed as positive by Roche®, 6 as negative and 5 were not retested due to insufficient sample volume. Conclusions: Despite the methods were designed to detect different antibodies an overall high agreement between techniques was found. Discrepant results were found and were likely due to different antigen targets recognized by methods. The observation that only 6 out of 11 DiaSorin® positive samples were not confirmed by ROCHE®, supports the antigen-dependent hypothesis.


This investigation aimed to review the prescribing trends of fixed dose combinations, to assess their rationality and inclusion in essential medicines list and national list of essential medicines. Medication charts of 1000 in-patients from general medicine department were reviewed for 12 months excluding casualty and ICUs. The data on morbidities and drugs prescribed were documented and assessed for fixed dose combinations prescribed, their inclusion in WHO essential medicines list and national list of essential medicines and approval by regulatory bodies such as US FDA and DCGI. Rationality of the prescribed fixed dose combinations were determined based on WHO guidelines. The drug-drug interactions with fixed dose combinations were analyzed. Descriptive statistics was used to express results in numbers and percentages. Out of 1000 case sheets studied a total of 435 fixed dose combinations were prescribed, all by their brand names during hospitalization. Fixed dose combinations given for infectious diseases were 29.57 % and for respiratory disorders 20.82 %. Those included in WHO essential medicines list 2017 were 11.72 %, while 10.57 % were in the national list of essential medicines 2015 and 17.7% were approved by the US FDA, 56.78 % by DCGI. Rational fixed dose combinations were 38.62 % and 61.37 % were irrational. In the discharge medication chart, miscellaneous agents (19.72 %) and drugs for infectious disorders (15.80 %) were the commonly prescribed fixed dose combinations. Among these 8.25 % were listed in WHO essential medicines list 2017, 6.78 % in the national list of essential medicines 2015 and 15.04 % fixed dose combinations were approved by the US FDA, 53.98 % by the DCGI. Rational combinations were 36.87 % and 63.12% were irrational. Rationality in combining drugs as fixed dose combinations and their appropriate use can reduce pill burden, cost and improve patient adherence.


This contribution describes a Web-based system developed for control engineering education. Simulation and visualisation of dynamical systems in the environment of a standard Web-browser are made possible by extending its capabilities. The communication with a powerful computation/simulation engine is realised. Virtual Reality Modelling Language (VRML) is used to animate the virtual 3D models of dynamical systems. Tools for online graphical representation of simulated signals and live mathematical relationships are developed using Java. The courseware is classified into tutorials, exercises and virtual experiments.


It is widely believed that the heating of the chromosphere in quiet-Sun internetwork regions is provided by dissipation of acoustic waves that are excited by the convective motions close to the top of the convection zone and in the photospheric overshoot layer. This view lately became challenged by observations suggesting that the acoustic energy flux into the chromosphere is too low, by a factor of at least ten. Based on a comparison of TRACE data with synthetic image sequences for a three-dimensional simulation extending from the top layers of the convection zone to the middle chromosphere, we come to the contradicting conclusion that the acoustic flux in the model provides sufficient energy for heating the solar chromosphere of internetwork regions. The role of a weak magnetic field and associated electric current sheets is also discussed.


Production of livestock and dairy products in Sub-Saharan Africa struggles to keep pace with growing demand. The potential exists to close this gap in a climate-friendly way through the introduction of improved forage varieties of the Brachiaria genus. We assess the potential economic impact of the development and release of such varieties in 6 Eastern African countries using an economic surplus model. Results are presented across a range of potential scenarios involving different adoption rates and percentage increases in production. For all but the lowest levels of adoption and production increases, improved forages have the potential for positive return on investment. Using these results, we present formulae that help readers calculate the adoption rate or percentage increase in production necessary to achieve specific desired levels of net benefit. Overall, the model output suggests that investment in a forages research program related to the qualities of the forage itself as well as programs to enhance dissemination and adoption of new materials would be low risk and have high likelihood for positive outcomes, generating discounted net benefits in the order of multiple tens of millions of dollars over a 30-year time horizon.


This study proposes DeepWriteSYN, a novel on-line handwriting synthesis approach via deep short-term representations. It comprises two modules: i) an optional and interchangeable temporal segmentation, which divides the handwriting into short-time segments consisting of individual or multiple concatenated strokes; and ii) the on-line synthesis of those short-time handwriting segments, which is based on a sequence-to-sequence Variational Autoencoder (VAE). The main advantages of the proposed approach are that the synthesis is carried out in short-time segments (that can run from a character fraction to full characters) and that the VAE can be trained on a configurable handwriting dataset. These two properties give a lot of flexibility to our synthesiser, e.g., as shown in our experiments, DeepWriteSYN can generate realistic handwriting variations of a given handwritten structure corresponding to the natural variation within a given population or a given subject. These two cases are developed experimentally for individual digits and handwriting signatures, respectively, achieving in both cases remarkable results.

Also, we provide experimental results for the task of on-line signature verification showing the high potential of DeepWriteSYN to improve significantly one-shot learning scenarios. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first synthesis approach capable of generating realistic on-line handwriting in the short term (including handwritten signatures) via deep learning. This can be very useful as a module toward long-term realistic handwriting generation either completely synthetic or as natural variation of given handwriting samples.


Computer Science (CS) enrolments at higher education institutions across the globe remain low in comparison to other disciplines. The low interest in CS is often attributed to students' misconceptions about the discipline, such as CS being construed as complex, asocial, and only for computer wizards. Consequently, hackathons, which are self-organised programmes that bring together different stakeholders to collaborate in rapidly building software prototypes, are emerging as one potential solution to address some of the students' misconceptions about the CS field. Using an exploratory case study and activity theory for data analysis; this research article presents substantive research findings that posit hackathons as an approach that could stimulate and maintain students' interest in CS. The key elements of the hackathon model are collaborations, networking, mentoring, hands-on engagement in socially-relevant computing projects, and community involvement. The model was evaluated using expert reviews in terms of its relevance, impact, complexity, and sustainability.


The movement for same-sex marriage has triggered an unprecedented crisis in the social norms and laws governing marriage. All great civilizations have sought to unite, in the institution of marriage, the goods of sexual intimacy, childbearing and childrearing, and life-long love between adults. But the last five decades have witnessed the erosion of marriage as a public institution in the developed world. The separation of the goods previously united in marriage has led thoughtful people to question why marriage should be denied to homosexuals. This volume brings together the best of contemporary scholarship on marriage from a variety of disciplines—history, ethics, economics, law and public policy, philosophy, sociology, psychiatry, political science—to inform, and reform, public debate. Rigorous yet accessible, these studies aim to rethink and re-present the case for marriage as a positive institution and ideal that is in the public interest and serves the common good. The essays in this volume were presented to an audience of scholars, journalists, public policy experts, and other professionals, at a conference sponsored by the Witherspoon Institute. The authors are among the most eminent authorities on marriage and public policy in the English-speaking world.


Virtual microscopy is the terminology used to indicate the use of digitized images of whole slides for inspection of cells and tissue sections on computer screens as an add‐on or replacement for conventional microscopy using bright field or other types of illumination in combination with a wide variety of microscope brands. Although technically there is no longer a limit in the size and colour composition of the images, the logistics of embedding virtual microscopy in daily routine of a diagnostic process are still a relatively open area where new pitfalls and opportunities can be found. In this article, we described various aspects in the process. None of them had been planned in advance, but mostly originated from observations done during the different steps towards implementation of virtual microscopy in daily routine, for example, the choice between the different scanner types and their (dis)advantages, issues on storing and retrieval and at last, the effect of digitalization on the diagnostic process. This approach resulted in a manuscript that in a way has more the appearance of a story than of a scientific study with strict protocols, with a clear cut question in advance, a research plan and expected outcome. Depending on the purpose of the virtual slides in a given situation, different solutions must be found locally.


Resistive switching materials are promising candidates for nonvolatile data storage and reconfiguration of electronic applications. Intensive studies have been carried out on sandwiched metal-insulator-metal structures to achieve high density on-chip circuitry and non-volatile memory storage. Here, we provide insight into the mechanisms that govern highly reproducible controlled resistive switching via a nanofilament by using an asymmetric metal-insulator-semiconductor structure. In-situ transmission electron microscopy is used to study in real-time the physical structure and analyze the chemical composition of the nanofilament dynamically during resistive switching. Electrical stressing using an external voltage was applied by a tungsten tip to the nanosized devices having hafnium oxide (HfO2) as the insulator layer. The formation and rupture of the nanofilaments result in up to three orders of magnitude change in the current flowing through the dielectric during the switching event. Oxygen vacancies and metal atoms from the anode constitute the chemistry of the nanofilament.Resistive switching materials are promising candidates for nonvolatile data storage and reconfiguration of electronic applications. Intensive studies have been carried out on sandwiched metal-insulator-metal structures to achieve high density on-chip circuitry and non-volatile memory storage. Here, we provide insight into the mechanisms that govern highly reproducible controlled resistive switching via a nanofilament by using an asymmetric metal-insulator-semiconductor structure. In-situ transmission electron microscopy is used to study in real-time the physical structure and analyze the chemical composition of the nanofilament dynamically during resistive switching. Electrical stressing using an external voltage was applied by a tungsten tip to the nanosized devices having hafnium oxide (HfO2) as the insulator layer. The formation and rupture of the nanofilaments result in up to three orders of magnitude change in the current flowing through the dielectric during the switching event. Oxygen vacancies and...


Materials Science
Many cardiac conditions require the implantation of a pacemaker or defibrillator to help regulate the contractions of the heart. While these devices are extremely helpful in extending and improving the quality of a person's life, they need to be replaced every few years, primarily because of the limited life span of the batteries. One potential solution may come from energy-harvesting materials that can convert small mechanical motions into electrical energy, and thus could exploit cardiac motion, muscle contractions, and relaxation, or blood circulation as the driving source for power generation. Hwang et al. created a self-powered artificial pacemaker using single, crystalline PMNPT [(1-x) Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 − x PbTiO3] placed on a thin plastic substrate. Through low-frequency flexing of the substrate back and forth, a current of more than 100 microamperes at 8 volts was generated, enough to power a string of commercial LED lights or recharge a coin battery. A sample device was implanted into the cardiac muscle of an anesthetized rat and enabled real-time electrical stimulation. The next step for the authors is to test a stack of devices to see if they can harvest energy from the heart of a larger animal such as a pig.

Adv. Mat. 10.1002/adma.201400562 (2014).


: Twelve experiments on intraspecific crossbreeding of channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, for improvement of body weight are compared and reviewed. Crossbred fingerlings resulting from matings of unrelated F1 crossbred populations did not show heterotic growth. Crossbreds resulting from pure strain P1 showed an average increase of 10.3 percent in growth above the fastest growing parent strain. Marion female X Kansas male, a crossbred from two rapidly growing domestic strains, was the fastest growing to fingerling size. Average increase in body weight (fingerling to harvest size) by crossbreds was 1.5 percent greater than the fastest growing parent strain. Marion X Kansas, Auburn X Kansas, and Auburn X Uvalde were the fastest growing crossbreds to harvest size (8-13 percent increase in growth rate). Six of nine crossbreds made from Pi generations expressed heterosis above both parent strains for body weight. Eight of nine crossbreds grew better than at least one of their parents. Reciprocal crossbreds did not grow at the same rate. Males and females of a specific strain had different combining abilities with other strains. There was a maternal effect for combining ability. All crossbreds made with Auburn females exhibited heterosis.


The article investigates the theory of non-figurative painting developed by Mikhail Larionov (Rayonism) and its connection to parascientific theories of the early twentieth century. One of the central scientific and parascientific mythologies of the time regarded the shift in the understanding of the idea of matter. The notion of 'radiant matter' had a prominent place in these mythologies. The article analyses a range of frameworks, within which the idea of 'radiant matter' was interpreted (from a scientific research of different phenomena provoked by invisible waves to spiritualist and occultist experiments). The iconography of these waves and the theories of the dissociation of matter represent an essential input to understand how abstract art emerged in early-twentieth-century Russian painting.


A component of a water filtration unit failed while being used in service for approximately eight months. The filter system had been installed in a commercial laboratory, where it was stated to have been used exclusively in conjunction with deionized water. The failed part had been injection molded from a 30% glass-fiber and mineral-reinforced nylon 12 resin. Investigation, including visual inspection, 118x SEM images, 9x micrographs, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, micro-FTIR in the ATR mode, and TGA, supported the conclusion that the filter component failed as a result of molecular degradation caused by the service conditions. Specifically, the part material had undergone severe chemical attack, including oxidation and hydrolysis, through contact with silver chloride. The source of the silver chloride was not established, but one potential source was photographic silver recovery.


The quantum spin Hall effect (QSHE) in three-dimensional topological insulators (3D-TIs) is an important hallmark of realization of ultralow dissipative electrical transport originating from nontrivial topological surface Dirac states (TSDSs). The observation of QSHE, however, had been limited at low temperatures for thin film crystals prepared by epitaxial growth or ultrathin (nanometer-level) flakes, and the finite Fermi energy tuning was required using field effect transistor (FET) construction. Here, we show that a clear observation of QSHE with a quantized level of e 2 / h can be possible for high quality single crystal flakes of Sn-(Bi,Sb)2(Te,S)3 (Sn-BSTS) prepared by an exfoliation method without any gate control under FET construction. The QSHE is observed in an extremely large sample area of millimeter square at the largest thickness of micrometer and up to the highest temperature of 20 K, which is greatly superior to those reported for other 3D-TIs so far. The accurate band picture of both top and bottom topological surface states of Sn-BSTS is determined from both the QSHE and the Shubnikov-de Hass (SdH) oscillations. High quality Sn-BSTS of 3D-TIs will effectively be used for experiments targeting on science as well as many technological applications expected in the future.The quantum spin Hall effect (QSHE) in three-dimensional topological insulators (3D-TIs) is an important hallmark of realization of ultralow dissipative electrical transport originating from nontrivial topological surface Dirac states (TSDSs). The observation of QSHE, however, had been limited at low temperatures for thin film crystals prepared by epitaxial growth or ultrathin (nanometer-level) flakes, and the finite Fermi energy tuning was required using field effect transistor (FET) construction. Here, we show that a clear observation of QSHE with a quantized level of e 2 / h can be possible for high quality single crystal flakes of Sn-(Bi,Sb)2(Te,S)3 (Sn-BSTS) prepared by an exfoliation method without any gate control under FET construction. The QSHE is observed in an extremely large sample area of millimeter square at the largest thickness of micrometer and up to the highest temperature of 20 K, which is greatly superior to those reported for other 3D-TIs so far. The accurate band picture of b...


Proper operation of a multilevel flying capacitor converter (FCC) necessitates a closed-loop voltage balancing strategy. This paper proposes a space vector modulation (SVM)-based approach that benefits from the switching state redundancy of an n-level FCC to implicitly carry out the voltage balancing task within the switching strategy. Based on the voltage deviations of the capacitor voltages, a cost function is defined and minimized to choose the proper redundant switching states among the available switching states. The performance of a grid-connected four-level FCC under the proposed SVM strategy for various operating conditions is studied and evaluated based on time-domain simulations in the PSCAD/EMTDC environment, and experimentally verified. The studies demonstrate the capability of the proposed SVM strategy to regulate the capacitor voltages at their nominal reference values.


LH*RS is a high-availability scalable distributed data structure (SDDS). An LH*RS file is hash partitioned over the distributed RAM of a multicomputer, for example, a network of PCs, and supports the unavailability of any k ≥ 1 of its server nodes. The value of k transparently grows with the file to offset the reliability decline. Only the number of the storage nodes potentially limits the file growth. The high-availability management uses a novel parity calculus that we have developed, based on Reed-Salomon erasure correcting coding. The resulting parity storage overhead is about the lowest possible. The parity encoding and decoding are faster than for any other candidate coding we are aware of. We present our scheme and its performance analysis, including experiments with a prototype implementation on Wintel PCs. The capabilities of LH*RS offer new perspectives to data intensive applications, including the emerging ones of grids and of P2P computing.


In the near future the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will initiate a review of the listed species under the current U.S. Endangered Species Act (USESA). Following this review, additions of species of birds may be proposed for listing under the USESA. Changes in listing could have an impact on the keeping, breeding and transportation of exotic bird species in the U.S. In order to prepare for this review, last year the A.FA. CITES. Committee designed a short breeder survey to try and determine something about the number of CITES Appendix I listed species that were being kept and bred in the avicultural community in the U.S. This data is of importance because it will provide information that will assist in making determinations about the listing of species. When species are known to be bred in captivity in certain numbers, and this number constitutes a "self-sustaining captive population,'' that data may preclude the listing of those birds under the USESA. Some commonly kept and bred parrot species are already listed under the USESA. This listing requires the breeders to obtain Captive-bred Wildlife (CBW) permits for sales or barter that takes place across a state line. This means that many transactions with these listed birds across a state line requires a permit. Penalties for violation of this statute are stiff Furthermore, the USESA specifically prohibits the issuance of this permit for "pet trade" purposes. The sale or trade of these listed birds within a state does not require the CBW permit. These regulatory requirements have a profound effect on several avicultural aspects on the listed species: the gene pools, bird breeders' interest in breeding the birds, and the breeder's ability to sell, trade or place the listed birds. Therefore, it is the contention of many leading aviculturists that this CBW requirement actually discourages aviculturists from breeding the listed species. First, when restrictions are placed on the sale, trade or transportation of a specific species, that automatically places severe limits on the placement of youngsters produced because it shrinks the pool of potential buyers or owners. Many serious bird breeders are basically hobby breeders; they do not earn their living raising birds. They raise birds for the enjoyment of the species and their interest in conserving the species. Thus, these individuals do not want to be bothered with applying for government permits and waiting for weeks to pass before they can complete their transactions. The CBW permit regulation regarding selling or transacting across state lines is a definite deterrent to the breeding of listed species. Additionally, the requirement that the USESA listed species will not be issued a permit for a sale that is essentially a "pet trade" purpose. This is an unreasonable requirement because it does not address the fact that a specific pair of birds may 'over-produce' in terms of the need for their offspring for maintaining a viable gene pool of these birds in the US. When a specific pair is highly productive, it makes sense to hold back two or four offspring for the gene pool and to distribute the rest of their offspring into the pet trade. This achieves two goals: 1) it provides income for the aviculturist to be able to continue to work with the producing pair, rather than stop their production and simply hold them in the facility; and 2) it sends the extra youngsters out to the general public where they become ambassadors for the species. As the general public becomes acquainted with a species, their interest is aroused and can translate into conservation efforts on behalf of that species. Another problem that is caused by the CBW permit requirement is the resulting inbreeding of these rare species by breeders and holders that refuse to participate in the CBW registration system. Because these individuals do not want to deal with the permit process, they will only sell to other breeders within their own state. Eventually, most of the birds of that species within that state become related, thus reducing the viability of the overall gene pool for that species within the United States. When there is no permit requirement, most breeders are willing to ship birds throughout the U.S. Thus, it is our contention that the USESA CBW permit requirement results in three serious problems for aviculturists: 1) the creation of inbreed gene pools within states, 2) a reduced interest in breeding USESA listed species, thus reducing the long term preservation of the species in captivity, and 3) the potential for making felons out of honest parrot breeders due to lack of information or expertise in following USESA requirements. We have serious concerns about the efforts of certain high-profile powerful organizations that will provide input to the review process. These efforts may result in more commonly kept and bred parrot species being added to the list of birds that would be required to have a CBW permit or an Interstate commerce permit for sales across state lines. During the review process, the AFA may send out information about the review so that individual breeders can provide their comments to USFWS. Surveys such as this one are extremely important to the future welfare of aviculture in the U.S. Virtually all law-making bodies now rely on this type of census data during their decision-making concerning legislation and regulation. Without sound statistics, laws are often made using mere assumptions or estimates. These estimates and assumptions may be happily provided by groups that oppose aviculture in principle and the keeping of birds for any reason. Unless and until the members of the avicultural community recognize this situation fully and contribute data to these types of surveys, we will be at a distinct disadvantage in the legislative arena. Although it may appear that this survey was a success, please note that ONLY 3 % of all AFA members even bothered to respond. There are some very large breeding facilities in Florida, Texas and California whose data is obviously missing from this survey. The AFA CITES Committee offered all respondents anonymity in answering the survey.


While the trade statistics of Myanmar show surpluses for 2007 through 2010, the corresponding statistics of trade partner countries indicate deficits. Such discrepancies in mirror trade statistics are analysed in connection with the "export-first and import-second" policy provisioning import permissions on permission applicants possessing a sufficient amount of the export-tax-deducted export earnings. Under this policy, the recorded imports and exports of the private sector have been maintaining equilibrium, whereas discrepancies in the mirror statistics have fluctuated. This suggests that traders adjusted misreporting in accordance with the supply and demand of the export earnings.


Recently discovered material has yielded new information on the pectoral girdle and fin endoskeleton of Gogonasusandrewsae (Frasnian Gogo Formation, Kimberley Region, Western Australia). These elements permit the first comprehensive description of the anocleithrum, cleithrum, scapulocoracoid, and lepidotrichia. New autapomorphies of Gogonasus include a square exposed region on the supracleithrum, an unusual knob‐like process on the scapulocoracoid, a relatively small entepicondyle, and lepidotrichia with I‐beam‐shaped cross sections. Several poorly ossified regions on the scapulocoracoid and humerus indicate an early ontogenetic state, as with other immature tetrapodomorph fish specimens. A phylogenetic analysis indicates a more stemward position for Gogonasus in a weakly supported clade with other "osteolepidid" taxa, compared to other recent studies placing Gogonasus crownward of osteolepidid fishes and the Tristichopteridae, as the sister taxon to the "Elpistosteglia" + Tetrapoda. A phylogenetic position among megalichthyid fishes is suggested for Sterropterygion, while radiographs of the megalichthyid Cladarosymblema show a scythe‐like radius terminating distally with that of the intermedium. New data on the scapulocoracoid of the rhizodontid Barameda reveals a coroacoid crest and small supraglenoid foramen. J. Morphol. 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Access to the French drug market is being impacted by an ongoing dramatic shift in practice as well as by two laws that came into force in December 2011. This new environment has been described and analyzed in two separate articles. This second article analyzes how this new environment will actually impact the access to French drug market. French drug market access will be increasingly driven by comparative-effectiveness and cost-effectiveness data, and an increased role of postmarketing studies in the years to come. This access is evolving in a more complex environment for stakeholders due to the uncertainties surrounding these changes and it will be more complex and difficult for the pharmaceutical industry to address. The main issue faced by the pharmaceutical companies will be to minimize uncertainty at the time of a drug's launch to narrow the decision window. This is a major change of paradigm for the pharmaceutical business, in which pre- and postlaunch risks are directed toward the pharmaceutical industry.


EnglishThis paper contains the statistics of the Equity Premium or Market Risk Premium (MRP) used in 2016 for 71 countries. We got answers for more countries, but we only report the results for 71 countries with more than 8 answers. 54% of the MRP used in 2016 decreased (vs. 2015) and 38% increased. Most previous surveys have been interested in the Expected MRp, but this survey asks about the Required MRP. The paper also contains the references used to justify the MRP, and comments from 46 persons. Englishequity premium; required equity premium; expected equity premium; historical equity premium.


: From a study on the interrelationship between electroshock-induced convulsions, autonomic function, catecholamines, and cardiovascular homeostasis in dogs, the authors found that: (1) the asystole of electroshock (ES) was significnatly prolonged by high spinal anesthesia but not by relative alpha- or beta-adrenergic blockade; (2) increased levels of circulating catecholamines were solely responsible for the marked hypertensive response to ES, since the pressor effect could be blocked by preventing the release of catecholamines with high spinal anesthesia or by inhibiting alpha-adrenergic receptors with phenoxybenzamine; (3) the adrenal medulla appeared to be the source of most of the ES-induced increase in circulating catecholamines; (4) the asystole and arrhythmias of ES were a cholinergic effect, since they were blocked by atropine; (5) there was a dose-response relationship between the coulombs of electricity administered and the catecholamine and cardiovascular responses; and (6) that the adverse cardiovascular effects of ES therapy could be ameliorated pharmacologically.


Monte Carlo simulation is ideally suited for solving Boltzmann neutron transport equation in inhomogeneous media. However, routine applications require the computation time to be reduced to hours and even minutes in a desktop system. The interest in adopting GPUs for Monte Carlo acceleration is rapidly mounting, fueled partially by the parallelism afforded by the latest GPU technologies and the challenge to perform full-size reactor core analysis on a routine basis. In this study, Monte Carlo codes for a fixed-source neutron transport problem and an eigenvalue/criticality problem were developed for CPU and GPU environments, respectively, to evaluate issues associated with computational speedup afforded by the use of GPUs. The results suggest that a speedup factor of 30 in Monte Carlo radiation transport of neutrons is within reach using the state-of-the-art GPU technologies. However, for the eigenvalue/criticality problem, the speedup was 8.5. In comparison, for a task of voxelizing unstructured mesh geometry that is more parallel in nature, the speedup of 45 was obtained. It was observed that, to date, most attempts to adopt GPUs for Monte Carlo acceleration were based on naive implementations and have not yielded the level of anticipated gains. Successful implementation of Monte Carlo schemes for GPUs will likely require the development of an entirely new code. Given the prediction that future-generation GPU products will likely bring exponentially improved computing power and performances, innovative hardware and software solutions may make it possible to achieve full-core Monte Carlo calculation within one hour using a desktop computer system in a few years.


This journal suppl. entitled: Special Issue: Abstracts of the 8th International Conference on Early Psychosis: From Neurobiology to Public Policy ... 2012


In this work the three dimensional compressible moist atmospheric model ASAMgpu is presented. The calculations are done using graphics processing units (GPUs). To ensure platform independence OpenGL and GLSL are used, with that the model runs on any hardware supporting fragment shaders. The MPICH2 library enables interprocess communication allowing the usage of more than one GPU through domain decomposition. Time integration is done with an explicit three step Runge-Kutta scheme with a timesplitting algorithm for the acoustic waves. The results for four test cases are shown in this paper. A rising dry heat bubble, a cold bubble induced density flow, a rising moist heat bubble in a saturated environment, and a DYCOMS-II case.


In this paper, we study ability peer effects in secondary schools in England and identify which segments of the peer ability distribution drive the impact of peer quality on students" achievements. To do so, we use census data for four cohorts of pupils taking their age-14 national tests, and measure students" ability by their prior achievements at age-11. We employ a new identification strategy based on within-pupil regressions that exploit variation in achievements across the three compulsory subjects (English, Mathematics and Science) tested both at age-14 and age-11. We find significant and sizeable negative peer effects arising from bad peers at the very bottom of the ability distribution, but little evidence that average peer quality and very good peers significantly affect pupils" academic achievements. However, these results mask some significant heterogeneity along the gender dimension, with girls significantly benefiting from the presence of very academically bright peers, and boys marginally losing out.


Aims: : To compare the effect of low level laser therapy ( LLLT), submucosal lornoxicam, and sub- mucosal dexamethasone to control postoperative pain after periapical surgery of upper anterior teeth. Materials and Methods: This randomized, double- blind, controlled trial was performed on patients who required surgical endodontics of single upper anterior tooth under local anesthesia. A case form was used. Standardized surgical procedure was followed. Patients were categorized into 6 groups; LLLT, lornoxicam, LLLT+ lornoxicam , dexamethasone, placebo, and control groups. Measurements of pain were undertaken at days 1-7. Results: : Pain on Visual Analog Scale (VAS) also reached it's peak on 6 hours and faded away by day 7. With respect to pain (on VAS), dexamethasone treated group continued to be the best at all intervals (P<0.05) followed by LLLT+lornoxicam group, Placebo group, lornoxicam group, LLLT group, and control group in a descending order. There were significant differences for all treated groups on (6 hours) post operatively as compared with control group. Laser treated group showed significant reduction in pain at 6 hours, lornoxicam group showed significant reduction in pain at day 2 as compared with other tereated groups. Dexamethasone and placebo groups showed significant reduction in pain at day 3 as compared with other tereated groups. Up to the end of follow up period, no cases of wound infection were reported. No side effects of drugs and treatments used in the trial were demonstrated. Conclusion: Submucosal dexamethasone 4mg injection is an ef- fective therapy for reducing postoperative pain after periapical surgery. The treatment offers a simple, safe, painless, noninvasive and cost therapeutic option for moderate and severe cases. LLLT and sub- mucosal lornoxicam seem to have little effect in this regard and found to be associated with some dis- comfort and inconvenience in many cases.


New late Tremadoc—early Arenig palaeomagnetic results from SW Wales imply that S Britain (part of Eastern Avalonia) occupied a southerly latitude of c. 60°S in early Ordovician times. When combined with Scottish Ordoviaan palaneomagnetic data, which indicate a 15°S latitude, the results indicate that the British sector of the Iapetus Ocean reached n latitudinal width of c. 5000 km in Tremadoc—Arenig times, which was reduced to c. 3000 km by Llanvirn—Llandeilo (mid-Ordovician) times. The new data resolve two previous controversies in Palaeozoic palaeogeography. First, the high southerly palaeolatitude links Avdonia to Gondwana, marginal to W Africa, thus reconciling codlicting reconstructions based upon either palaeomagnetic or faunal/facies evidence alone. Second, reliable Llanvim palaeomagnetic data imply that Avlonia had rifted northwards by Arenig time, whereas Armorica remained proximal to northern Africa throughout the Ordovician. The combined data therefore establish that Avdonia and Armorica formed separate micro-continents when rifting from Gondwana.


Although analgetic treatment, based on modifications of the three-step approach recommended by the WHO, remains the cornerstone of cancer pain control, other treatment options are also needed to improve pain relief in severe cases. The article consists in a discussion of such treatment alternatives, a guiding principle being that, where causal treatment is possible, symptomatic effects are likely to be more manifest and more enduring than if treatment is confined to symptom management. The tumour biological basis of the analgesic or anti-inflammatory potential of steroids, palliative radiotherapy, bisphosphonates, and even such modalities as hormonal manipulation in metastatic prostate cancer, or chemotherapy are also discussed, as are calcitonin and stabilising orthopaedic measures.


La2CuO4-y ceramics containing a few percent of Ca2+, Sr2+, and Ba2+ ions have been prepared. Resistivity and susceptibility measurements exhibit superconductive onsets (as in earlier Ba2+-containing samples). The onset temperature La2CuO4-y with Sr2+ is higher and its superconductivity-induced diamagnetism larger than that found with Ba2+ and Ca2+. This is proof that the electronic change resulting from alkaline earthdoping, rather than the size effect, is responsible for superconductivity. The ionic radius of Sr2+ is close to that of La3+ for which it presumably substitutes.


This degree can offer healthcare professionals the opportunity to expand clinical roles, or career advancement into supervisory, management, or educational positions.


Twenty-one multiplex bipolar (BP) families, consisting of 365 informative persons (of whom 153 have BPI, schizoaffective, BPII with major depression or recurrent unipolar diagnoses) were studied in a systematic screening of chromosomes 1, 10q, 11q, 13, 15 and 17 for linkage, using DNA markers. Simulation research has indicated that this pedigree series has greater than 50% power to detect linkage when only 25% of families are linked (1% recombination) to the marker. Two and three-point linkage analysis (using the diagnoses mentioned above as affected and an autosomal dominant disease mode1) did not reveal any evidence for linkage (total lod scores less than - 2) under the hypothesis of homogeneity. Inspection of two-point lod scores by family did not reveal evidence for heterogeneity in nearly all cases. Heterogeneity analyses using the admixture test were conducted for a region of 11q13 (where inspection of 2-point analyses for individual families revealed several weakly positive lod scores) which yielded a maximum lod score of 1.5 when the fraction of linked families was estimated at 25%. These results indicate that a gene responsible for BP disease in a majority of the families studied is unlikely to originate within the chromosomal regions covered by the DNA markers used.


The present paper, following the philosophical work of Robert Nozick, intends to develop the approach of simplicity in the economic investigation. This purpose contributes to structure a heuristic for projects of investigation that can serve like mark of discussion of grade projects in the departments of economy. The objective is the philosophy of the economy. We develop the following aspects basically: (1) An elucidation of the approach of simplicity in the academic investigation (2) Arguments in favor of the simplicity in the classic tradition from Adam Smith (3) An illustration of the pattern of explanation economic type invisible hand (4) We argue in favor of continuing with this focus


As social influence plays a key role in the diffusion of new product, a customer's value goes beyond her own product purchase. Building on the two-segment Influential-Imitator asymmetric influence model by Van den Bulte and Joshi (2007), our model posits that a customer's value (CV) comes not only from her purchase value (PV) but also from her influence value (IV) (i.e., CV = PV+IV). Therefore, a customer's value can be far greater than her purchase value if she exerts considerable influence on others as an early adopter. Using the CV = PV + IV framework, our model provides microscopic insights into individual customer values. Specifically, we develop closed-form expressions for PV, IV, and CV by customer segment and by time of adoption, and examine their comparative statics with respect to the diffusion parameters. Our framework allows us to investigate how a firm might implement purchase acceleration to maximize its profit by speeding up the diffusion process via introductory discount offers. Our results suggest that the firm often gains more from increased IV of early adopters than it loses from their PV due to the discounts. Depending on the diffusion parameters, the firm may invite either segment to give discount offers.<br>


Abstract. High Resolution Limited Area Model (HIRLAM), used for operational numerical weather prediction in the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), includes prognostic treatment of lake surface state since 2012. Forecast is based on the Freshwater Lake (FLake) model integrated to HIRLAM. Additionally, an independent objective analysis of lake surface water temperature (LSWT) combines the short forecast of FLake to observations from the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE). The resulting description of lake surface state – forecast FLake variables and analysed LSWT – was compared to SYKE observations of lake water temperature, freezing and melting dates as well as the ice and snow thickness for 2012–2018 over 45 lakes in Finland. During the ice-free period, the predicted LSWT corresponded to the observations with a slight overestimation, with a systematic error of +0.91 K. The colder temperatures were underrepresented and the maximum temperatures were too high. The objective analysis of LSWT was able to reduce the bias to +0.35 K. The predicted freezing dates corresponded well the observed dates, mostly within the accuracy of a week. The forecast melting dates were far too early, typically several weeks ahead of the observed dates. The growth of ice thickness after freezing was generally overestimated. However, practically no predicted snow appeared on lake ice. The absence of snow, found to be due to a technical error in HIRLAM, is suggested to be also the reason of the inaccurate simulation of the ice melt in spring.


In aged mice the population of mature peripheral B cells is maintained despite a severalfold decrease in the population of bone marrow B cell progenitors. The analysis of the rate of accumulation of 5'-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU)-labeled splenic B cells in mice fed BrdU for 8 days to 8 wk demonstrated a severalfold increase in the half-life of mature B cells in aged mice. Consistent with a role for decreased B cell turnover in maintaining the mature B cell population of aged mice, several findings indicate that fewer newly generated B cells enter the spleen from the bone marrow in aged vs young adult mice. These include 1) a fourfold decrease in the population of relatively immature splenic B cells, defined as cells that express high levels of heat-stable Ag and accumulate BrdU within 8 wk of labeling; and 2) an equivalent decrease in the population of bone marrow cells representative of later stages of B cell maturation (sIgD-sIgM(int-high)). Surprisingly, despite a four- to sixfold decrease in pre-B cells, the population of least mature bone marrow B cells (IgD-sIgM(very low)) remains intact. Because this population accumulates BrdU-labeled cells more slowly in aged mice than in younger mice, and bone marrow B cells at more mature developmental stages are diminished, it appears that in aged mice B cell development beyond the sIgM(very low) stage may be retarded and that cells, therefore, accumulate within this population.


Ventilation requirement of apartment was mandated according to building equipment standards in 2006, When ventilation unit was considering for indoor air quality maintenance, we needed energy saving and efficiency ventilation control methods. This study carried out experiment of ventilation rate 0.7 adequacy. When we lived in apartment, we assumed that sleeping time was long stayed time in unconsciousness. Experiments carried out ventilation rate 0, 0.1, 0.4 and 0.7 in environment chamber from 22 o'clock to 06 o'clock, the concentration of CO₂, temperature and humidity rate measured. Analyzing the results, conclusions are as follows. 1) When we sleep in bedroom, ventilation rate 0.4 meet the requirements of domestic legal standards. Conform fan of similarity law, ventilation rate 0.4 reduced power cost about 80% than 0.7. 2) In generally sleeping time 8 hours, peak point control reduced running time of ventilation unit about 43% than normal control.


Background: Traumatic lesions, whether chemical, physical, or thermal in nature, are among the most common lesion in the mouth. Wound healing is essential for the maintenance of normal structure, function, and survival of organisms. Experiments of Robusta coffee powder on rat-induced alloxan incision wound, clinically demonstrated similar healing rate with the povidone iodine 10%. No studies that look directly the effect of coffee extract in ointment form when viewed in terms of histopathology. Robusta coffee bean (Coffea canephora) consists of chlorogenic acid (CGA) and caffeic acid which are belived to act as antioxidant and take part in wound healing process. Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify the enhancement of healing process of full-thickness skin wound after Robusta coffee beans extract ointment application. Methods: Sample consisted of 20 Cavia cabaya treated with full-thickness with wounds and was given Robusta coffee beans extract ointment concentration range of 22.5%, 45%, and 90% except the control group which was given ointment base material. Animals were then harvested on the fourth day and made for histopathological preparations. Data were calculated and compared by one-way ANOVA test and LSD test. Results: The study showed that Robusta coffee bean extract ointment can increase the number of lymphocytes, plasma cells, macrophages, fibroblasts, and blood vessels by the presence of chlorogenic acid (CGA) and Caffeic acid. Conclusion: In conclusion Robusta coffee bean extract ointment enhance the healing process of fullthickness skin wound of Cavia cabaya.


New lower and upper bounds on the reliability function of typewriter channels are given. Our lower bounds improve upon the (multiletter) expurgated bound of Gallager, furnishing a new and simple counterexample to a conjecture made in 1967 by Shannon, Gallager and Berlekamp on its tightness. The only other known counter example is due to Katsman, Tsfasman and Vlăduţ who used algebraic-geometric codes on a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$q$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-ary symmetric channels, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$q\geq 49$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. Here we prove, by introducing dependence between codewords of a random ensemble, that the conjecture is false even for a typewriter channel with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$q=4$ </tex-math></inline-formula> inputs. In the process, we also demonstrate that Lovász's proof of the capacity of the pentagon was implicitly contained (but unnoticed!) in the works of Jelinek and Gallager on the expurgated bound done at least ten years before Lovász. In the opposite direction, new upper bounds on the reliability function are derived for channels with an odd number of inputs by using an adaptation of Delsarte's linear programming bound. First, we derive a bound based on the minimum distance, which combines Lovász's construction for bounding the graph capacity with the McEliece-Rodemich-Rumsey-Welch construction for bounding the minimum distance of codes in the Hamming space. Then, for the particular case of cross-over probability 1/2, we derive an improved bound by also using the method of Kalai and Linial to study the spectrum distribution of codes.


Indoor air can be much more toxic than the air we experience outdoors, but outside of industrial workplaces isn't regulated by any agency. Where do these toxic pollutants come from? How well do air filters or ozone generators clean indoor air? Dr. Corsi will answer these questions and show us how some very common (and presumably safe) products that we use in our homes present challenges to maintaining healthy indoor air quality.


In anesthetized cats, under perfusion and with constant volume of the hemodynamically isolated brain, hypercapnia and hypoxia led to a decrease of cerebral vessels resistance and to a reduction of the brain blood flow, whereas a decrease in the PCO2 and an increase in the PO2 in the blood exerted on opposite effect. The different responses of the vessels had some similar features in respect to threshold changes of the PCO2 and PO2, to potentiation of effects of both parts of the brain vascular system on increased shifts of the blood gas tension, to greater sensitivity of both parts to PCO2 changes, to effect of the blood gas tension on reactivity of both parts to noradrenaline. The authors suggest a possibility of alterations of the filter-absorption interrelationships in the brain due to different responses of arterial and venous vessels to changes of the blood gas tension.


This article examines the feasibility of using role identity as an independent variable to explain the direction of a state's national security policy. Focusing on the response of the Japanese government to the Gulf War (January-March 1991) and the U.S. War in Iraq (March-May 2003), the article correlates articulations of their preferred role made in the Japanese Diet, with these policy outcomes. It finds that the different balance of role conceptions held by Japanese politicians in the two periods under study can explain the difference in policy outcomes. The study also finds, however, that the salience of these role identities is directly affected by contextual factors. Under circumstances of heightened threat perception, Japanese policy makers were less inclined to articulate any sort of value-based role identity for Japan in favor of role statements that were characterized by pragmatism.


ALTHOUGH a great deal has been written about the microscopic anatomy of the skin of man, relatively little is known about that of the chin, lips, nose, eyelids, eyebrows, and auricula for the obvious reason that its removal would cause disfigurement and mutilation. Histologists and dermatologists have assumed that the skin covering these structures is similar to that found elsewhere, and, in general, it is. Yet, as we explore the various areas of the human body, we learn more about topographic differences and about skin in general Survey studies of human skin, although not particularly fashionable, need no justification, since we owe it to ourselves to be fully informed about every detail of the body's structure and function. In this and other articles to follow, we describe the histology of very familiar organs, about which there is virtually no information in old or new textbooks of human histology. We have


This chapter presents one of the ways of solving a problem ensuring reliability reducing instability and emergence of the power generators during its work. Its way use hybrid electro-optic sensors (HFOS) with capacitive mechanical sensors at their structure of the fault diagnosis system of hydro generators for measurement parameters of machine mechanical defects as quality parameters of air gap, shaft out, core compression ratio and other. So this chapter also contains: principle of measurement of the sensor, which based on measuring the mutual displacement of the flatness of the generator structural element relative to coplanar sensor electrodes surface; the design principle for developing HFOS with capacitive mechanical sensor which combines the benefits of microelectronic and fiber-optic technology; determination response characteristics of the sensitive sensor (capacitive sensors with coplanar electrodes) of HFOS for monitoring air gap defects and power accumulators of core clamping system and system of control; analytical calculations and experimental studies of air gap HFOS with the AD7746 at its operating excitation frequency using; optimum geometry calculation of air gap sensor electrodes for bulb hydro generators type SGK 538/160-70?; analyze application the air gap HFOS for the control system in the bulb hydro generators type SGK 538/160-70?.


TITLE: Usability of Information in Battle Management Operations [1'Exploitation de l'information dans les operations de gestion du champ de bataille] To order the complete compilation report, use: ADA389629 The component part is provided here to allow users access to individually authored sections f proceedings, annals, symposia, ect. However, the component should be considered within he context of the overall compilation report and not as a stand-alone technical report.


Abstract Background: Our research group recently reported that aorto-radial (radial) and aorto-dorsalis-pedis (foot) pulse wave velocity (PWV) as proxies of arterial stiffness are substantially heritable in healthy youth. This article aimed at uncovering the genetic contributions of adhesion molecules, key members in the inflammatory process, to PWV in these young individuals. Methods: Radial and foot PWV were noninvasively measured with applanation tonometry in 702 black and white subjects (42% blacks, mean age 17.7 ± 3.3 years) from the Georgia Cardio vascular Twin Study. Eight functional polymorphisms from genes for E-selectin (SELE), P-selectin (SELP), intercellular adhesion molecules-1 (ICAM1), and vascular cell adhesion molecules-1 (VCAM1) were genotyped. Results: Youth with Ser290Asn or Asn290Asn genotype (SELP) compared to those with Ser290Ser had an increase in both radial and foot PWV (6.61 ± 0.07 vs. 6.41 ± 0.05 m/s, p = .026; 7.22 ± 0.05 vs. 7.04 ± 0.04 m/s, p = .007). TT homozygotes of rs2244529 (SELP) had higher foot PWV (7.28 ± 0.07 vs. 7.06 ± 0.03 m/s, p = .002) than CT heterozygotes and CC homozygotes. There appeared to be a decrease in foot PWV in youth with the 241Arg allele (ICAM1) as compared to those without (6.96 ± 0.08 vs. 7.14 ± 0.03 m/s, p = .005). For the Asp693Asp (C to T) polymorphism (VCAM1), CC genotype had higher foot PWV than CT and TT genotypes (7.18 ± 0.04 vs. 6.95 ± 0.06 m/s, p < .0001). There was an epistatic interaction between Ser290Asn, Gly241Arg, and Asp693Asp on foot PWV (p = .017), explaining 3.6% variance of the foot PWV. Conclusion: Genetic variation of adhesion molecules may be implicated in the development of arterial stiffness. Screening for adhesion molecule polymorphisms may help identify high-risk youth.


In this study, Camphor leaves for the experimental materials, the activated composition was extracted by water, its consistency was 10%, and so the water extract was namely reagent A. The reagent B was obtained from added 5% MUF resins in reagent A, and the reagent C was obtained from added 10% MUF resins in reagent A. The Moso bamboo was treated respective by reagent A, reagent B, reagent C through vacuum/pressure process and the ability of resisted mould and mildew was tested. The results showed: The decay resistance of treated was stronger clearly than control, the weight lost rate was between 4% and 7%, it was up to the high anti-decay level. The decay resistance of treated by reagent B was strongest, so the appropriate MUF resins had function of fixation agent. The MOE and MOR of treated bamboo was almost equation to control. And the MOE and MOR of B and C was higher than control and A. It was feasible methods that the water extract of Camphor leaves was used to be a natural preservative. It was safe to human, animal, environment and the treated bamboo was an environmental friendly material.


We use a method of investigation based on employing adequate variational calculus techniques in the study of some generalized Dieudonne-Rashevski problems. This approach allows us to state and prove optimality conditions for such kind of vector multitime variational problems, with mixed isoperimetric constraints. We state and prove efficiency conditions and develop a duality theory.


Hydraulic, reciprocating, polymeric seals are met in many engineering applications and are critical components for mechanism and machine reliability in industries including the automotive, marine, and aerospace industries. A parametric and optimization study of rectangular-rounded, hydraulic, reciprocating, elastomeric rod seals at −54, +23, and +135 °C is presented, which is particularly relevant to hydraulic actuators in aircraft landing gear. Parametric optimization not only improves performance, but also helps avoid sealing failures. The calculations were based on a physically based, deterministic mathematical model of such seals, experimentally validated at the aforementioned temperatures and recently published by the author. The parameters varied were the seal axial width and corner radius, seal elastic modulus, sealed pressure, stroking velocity, operating temperature, rod surface roughness, seal radial interference, and seal swelling by fluid uptake. Their influence was established based on the following performance variables: leakage rate, frictional force, coefficient of friction, temperature rise in the sealing contact, lambda ratio (proportional to the average film thickness in the contact), and ratio of the asperity friction force to the total friction force. The parametric study greatly facilitates the selection of optimal values of the analyzed parameters to minimize leakage, friction, and wear, either concurrently as a set or individually, depending on application priorities.


Neutrinos are massless as proposed in the Standard Model of particle physics. However, neutrino experiments in the last few decades have revealed that neutrinos flavour oscillate, a scenario possible only if they have mass and mixing. Existence of neutrino mass was the first conclusive evidence of physics beyond the Standard Model, and explaining the smallness of the neutrino masses and peculiar mixing angles still remains a challenge for model-builders proposing beyond Standard Model scenarios. We give a brief introduction to the phenomenon of neutrino oscillations and showcase some recent work where we look for physics beyond the three-generation neutrino oscillation paradigm and its impact on future experiments.


The relationship between academia and industry is old. However, a twist is necessary to move from the traditional exchange of funding for research to the creation of long-term strategic partnerships of mutual benefit. The purpose of this study is to explore the effort made in Lebanon to forge the industry-academia link and to highlight the challenges faced. The researcher relied on both secondary and primary data. A review of the literature is made to set the theoretical framework regarding the need for creating strategic partnerships between academia and industry and its impact on sustainable economic growth. The researcher distinguished strategic partnership from the conventional exchange of research for funding approach. Moreover, she described the lessons learned from international experiences. Primary data are collected about Lebanon through interviewing key actors both in the industry and in academia. The study revealed that Lebanon realized several years ago the need to link academia to industry, several actors took measures to facilitate the collaboration. However, some measures did not reach their full potential yet due to some challenges. The author suggests few recommendations to overcome these challenges and strengthen the academia-industry collaboration.


Societies are engaged in establishing systems by setting various rules in order to be able to maintain and develop their continuity. Education is one of the most important factors for society. With education, new generations are trained in terms of the characteristics and needs of the society. The future of this education is starting in the family environment and continuing in the state institutions. Throughout this process the learning's realized by individuals are different and the achievements and failures are emerging. The surplus of individuals who are successful for the society is important. The reasons for the differences in success will undoubtedly vary for children. However, it can be seen that there are children who cannot learn in a positive environment as well as individuals who achieve great success despite being in a negative environment. This lead us to the idea that more important factors for the individual than environment and possibilities may be sufficient for success alone or together. Apart from the facilities and environment, the common elements of the children are teacher and the family. Is the teacher the main factor or the parents for the child succeed? In line with this question, "Parents Attitude Scale" was applied to the 4th grade students for the attitudes of the parents. Scale results indicated that the attitudes of parents of successful students were more positive than that of parents of unsuccessful students.


Meiosis is thought to require the protein kinase Ime2 early for DNA replication and the cyclin-dependent kinase Cdc28 late for chromosome segregation. To elucidate the roles of these kinases, we inhibited their activities early and late using conditional mutants that are sensitive to chemical inhibitors. Our studies reveal that both Cdc28 and Ime2 have critical roles in meiotic S phase and M phase. Early inhibition of analog-sensitive cdc28-as1 blocked DNA replication, revealing a previously undetected role for Cdc28. Yet Cdc28 was dispensable for one of its functions in the mitotic cell cycle, degradation of Sic1. Late addition of inhibitor to ime2-as1 revealed unexpected roles of Ime2 in the initiation and execution of chromosome segregation. The requirement of Ime2 for M phase is partially explained by its stimulation of the key meiotic transcription factor Ndt80, which is needed in turn for high Cdc28 activity. In accordance with a late role for Ime2, we observed an increase in its activity during M phase that depended on Cdc28 and Ndt80. We speculate that several unique features of the meiotic cell division reflect a division of labor and regulatory coordination between Ime2 and Cdc28.


The Direct Metal Laser Sintering process (DMLS) is a Rapid Manufacturing (RM) technique. A 3D object is built layer by layer through laser consolidation of metallic powders. Several industrial DMLS stations are commercialised. The current performances of the parts manufactured by this process remain insufficient. Hybrid processes were developed. The DMLS process is then coupled to other technologies in order to post-process DMLS parts. The quality of the parts is improved but the post-processing stage slows down the manufacture. The main goal of this Ph.D. work was to increase the understanding of this laser manufacturing process in order to be able to make DMLS parts that could be used without post-processing. The powder used in this work is a 316L grade Stainless Steel powder. Particles are spherical and have a diameter between 11 and 45 µm. The powder has a good flowability, leading to good powder layer quality after deposition (before laser consolidation). Many monolayer samples were built, using more than seventy sets of process parameters. For each set of parameter, a specific microstructure is obtained. A microstructural index η was defined. The index is an adimensional number between 0 and 1 and represents the degree of sintering (η is close to 0 if the sintering process just began, η tends towards 1 if the sample's density is close to full density). This index allows us to characterize quantitatively the microstructure of all the parts we built. Three key parameters were identified : the pulse duration τP, the energy density of the laser Eρ and the powder bed density ρlit. Thanks to the relation η = η(τP, Eρ, ρlit) established, we estimate quantitatively that Eρ is the process parameter which has the largest influence. Qualitatively we developed phenomenological models predicting locally that the microstructure of a monolayer is becoming finer if the pulse duration as well as the powder bed density increase and if the energy density of the laser decreases.


Real estate professionals who practice globally need to understand what is the same and what is different when they enter a new market. Denmanis contribution to real estate education is to provide a means for analysing the legal and political frameworks within which property markets operate. His contribution is in danger of being forgotten and this paper seeks to remind todayis academics and practitioners of his unique scholarship and insights.


We investigate atomic collapse in pseudospin-1 Dirac material systems whose energy band structure constitutes a pair of Dirac cones and a flat band through the conic intersecting point. We obtain analytic solutions of the Dirac-Weyl equation for the three-component spinor in the presence of a Coulomb impurity and derive a general criterion for the occurrence of atomic collapse in terms of the normalized strength of Coulomb interaction and the angular momentum quantum number. In particular, for the lowest angular momentum state, the solution coincides with that for pseudospin-1/2 systems, but with a reduction in the density of resonance peaks. For higher angular momentum states, the underlying pseudospin-1 wave functions exhibit a singularity at the point of zero kinetic energy. Divergence of the local density of states associated with the flat band leads to an inverse square type of singularity in the conductivity. These results provide insights into the physics of the two-body problem for relativistic quantum pseudospin-1 quasiparticle systems.


Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most commonly diagnosed and lethal cancers worldwide. It is a multistep process that requires the accumulation of genetic/epigenetic aberrations. There are several issues concerning colorectal carcinogenesis that remain unanswered, such as the cell of origin and the type of cells that propagate the tumor after its initiation. There are two models of carcinogenesis: the stochastic and the cancer stem cell (CSC) model. According to the stochastic model, any kind of cell is capable of initiating and promoting cancer development, whereas the CSC model suggests that tumors are hierarchically organized and only CSCs possess cancer-promoting potential. Moreover, various molecular pathways, such as Wingless/Int (Wnt) and Notch, as well as the complex crosstalk network between microenvironment and CSCs, are involved in CRC. Identification of CSCs remains controversial due to the lack of widely accepted specific molecular markers. CSCs are responsible for tumor relapse, because conventional drugs fail to eliminate the CSC reservoir. Therefore, the design of CSC-targeted interventions is a rational target, which will enhance responsiveness to traditional therapeutic strategies and reduce local recurrence and metastasis. This review discusses the implications of the newly introduced CSC model in CRC, the markers used up to now for CSC identification, and its potential implications in the design of novel therapeutic approaches. STEM CELLS 2012;30:363–371


Osteoimmunology is an interdisciplinary research field focused on the molecular understanding of the interplay between the skeletal and immune systems. Recent reports suggest that a large number of molecules affect both bone and immune cells. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that immune cells express molecules modulating bone cell development and bone is known to provide important signal to the hematopoietic and immune cells, which develop in the bone marrow and then migrate to peripheral organs.

All these concepts are well represented in this special issue, starting from a large overview of bone cell differentiation, followed by the general mechanisms highlighting the interaction between bone and immune cells described by G. Mori et al. The effect of the numerous T-cell subsets on bone cells is very complex. In particular, a clear overview on Th17 and Treg and their involvement in bone diseases is presented by M. Wang et al., whereas a more detailed description of the negative regulatory feedback loop between osteoclasts and CD8+ T cells that contributes to homeostasis of both the skeletal and immune systems is provided by Z. S. Buchwald and R. Aurora.

The first identified pioneer cytokine regulating both bone and immune systems is RANKL, revised by N. Lo Iacono et al. The authors also report that a genetic defect impairing RANKL function leads to a peculiar form of an invalidating rare bone disease, named autosomal recessive osteopetrosis. In addition to RANKL, TNF-alpha is another cytokine known to play a fundamental role during osteoclastogenesis in the context of inflammatory arthritis, as described by H. Kitaura et al. Comprehensive reports detailing the interaction between bone and immune cells in the periodontal diseases and postmenopausal osteoporosis are reported, respectively, by A. Di Benedetto et al. and M. F. Faienza et al. The involvement of T cells in bone metastatic solid tumors has been carefully reviewed by I. Roato. Immune cell contribution in multiple myeloma bone disease is well described by A. Oranger et al. Understanding how bone and immune cells mutually interact with each other can give rise to new therapeutical targets as described by A. Corrado et al. in the context of rheumatoid arthritis. Moreover, T. Fujimura et al. demonstrated that, in invasive extramammary Paget's disease, the administration of bisphosphonates, privileged antiresorptive drugs, has also an immunosuppressive role in addition to blocking osteoclast activity.

Recent findings suggested that immune cells are critical mediators of the effect of different hormones on bone cells. In particular, G. Colaianni et al. analyzed the Pituitary/Immune/Bone Axis, highlighting the effect immune cell-mediated of hormones such as FSH and TSH on bone remodeling. Finally, further sustaining the role of bone cells on the regulation of haematopoiesis, C. L. Sesler and M. Zayzafoon demonstrated that the inhibition of NFAT activation in osteoblasts increases bone formation while decreasing B-cell development in the bone marrow microenvironment.

These manuscripts represent an exciting and insightful snapshot of current research on osteoimmunology. State-of-the-art and emerging future topics are highlighted in this special issue, which may help to advance the present research on the crosstalk between bone and immune cells.

Giacomina  Brunetti

Giorgio  Mori

Patrizia  D'Amelio

Roberta  Faccio


This study addressed the role of reading motivation as a potential determinant of losses or gains in reading competence over six weeks of summer vacation (SV). Based on a sample of 223 third-grade elementary students, structural equation analyses showed that intrinsic reading motivation before SV contributed positively to both word and sentence comprehension after SV when controlling for comprehension performance before SV. These effects were mediated by reading amount. Extrinsic reading motivation did not show significant associations with end-of-summer comprehension scores. Taken together, the findings suggest that intrinsic reading motivation facilitates students' development of reading comprehension over SV.


UNLABELLED
Second malignant neoplasms are a major cause of late morbidity and mortality following treatment for Hodgkin's disease. Gastric carcinoma belong to the rare secondary malignancies induced by radiation-therapy and it is associated with a poor prognosis. We report a patient treated for Hodgkin's disease by 6 ABVD and total lymphoid radiation therapy, who developed a gastric carcinoma 9 years after completing treatment. Our case fits the criteria for radiation induced malignancies reported from the literature:

IN CONCLUSION
recommendations are presented for both prevention and early detection of the tumours we recommend a strict follow-up for patients treated for HD to detect second cancers.


The aim of this exploratory study was to investigate the correlation between cultural and psychological factors in relation to predicting eating disorders in two different non-clinical Italian (n = 61) and Swedish (n = 31) female populations, thought to have different cultures and lifestyles. The Swedish sample would reflect an emancipated model of women pursuing autonomy and freedom but also an ideal of thinness, while the Italian sample would reflect a difficult transition from traditional submissiveness to modern autonomy. Both groups completed self-report instruments assessing cultural values (e.g., collectivism and individualism) and features of eating disorders (e.g., drive for thinness, bulimia, body dissatisfaction, self-esteem, parental criticism and perfectionism). Swedish women were found to display higher levels of bulimia, perfectionism, and individualism than Italian women, while regression analysis showed that in the Italian sample high levels of collectivism were correlated with measures of EDs. The results support the hypothesis that EDs are linked with both modern values of autonomy, independence and emancipation, and situations of cultural transition in which women are simultaneously exposed to traditional models of submission and opportunities for emancipation and autonomy.


This policy paper deals with the phenomena of dollarization and prospects of de-dollarization policies in Belarus. During last two decades Belarus has been a highly dollarized economy. Recently, the authorities declared a campaign of de-dollarization, which, however, focuses mainly on de-dollarization of payments. Such a policy is unlikely to become effective. We show that Belarus suffers from all possible forms of dollarization that interact with each other, forming a kind of vicious circle. Through this, de-dollarization policies, if needed in general, must be systemic and consider different forms of dollarization. We show that strategically Belarus is situated in 'boarder-line' area between the options of autonomous monetary policy and official dollarization. If deferring to autonomous monetary policy, a sequence of systemic de-dollarization policies is crucial for its effectiveness. The mix of the policies depends on the scope of different forms of dollarization. However, there is no precise assessment for real dollarization in Belarus (which is the direction for future research). Hence, we formulate a number of scenarios of such policies for cases with different intensity of real dollarization.


Abstract The existence of experts raises a host of interesting questions in social, legal, and political epistemology. This article introduces and discusses interested experts – people who are experts on some topic, but who also have a distinct set of values and preferences regarding that topic, so that they are not well-described as "disinterested" parties. Interested experts raise several distinct problems in social, legal, and political epistemology. Some general questions arise: can we rationally or justifiably form beliefs relying on interested expert testimony? Do they constitute knowledge? Under what circumstances? This article focuses on a specific question in legal epistemology: should interested experts be allowed to serve on juries and, if so, should it be permissible for lawyers to strike them from the pool of potential jurors? My hope is that concentrating on this question will provide insight into the more general questions concerning the epistemology of testimony with respect to interested experts, while also providing concrete recommendations for jury reform to improve the epistemic performance of juries.


To reduce bearing loads in centrifugal pumps hydraulic axial thrust balancing methods are commonly used. Their disadvantage is the causing of significant flow losses, which result in a decline of the pump's efficiency. Within this investigation the balancing methods casing ribs and J-Grooves are compared. The objective is to determine the potential for improvement of J-Grooves concerning the pump efficiency in contrast to previously examined casing ribs. The study is carried out on the basis of a CFD model of an industrial magnetic drive pump, which is validated by transient local static pressure measurements at different operating points. The geometry of the J-Grooves is parameterized. A stochastically based sensitivity analysis is performed, whereby the importance and correlations of the parameters are evaluated. An automatic optimization is subsequently carried out and leads to an efficiency improvement of up to 1.14 percentage points for a J-Groove design.


One-dimensional (1D) nanostructures are believed to play a significant role on the horizon of material science, and are a promising class of ideal high performance candidates for energy storage and conversion owing to their unique optical, structural and electronic properties. In particular, 1D nanostructure-based photocatalysts have been attracting ever-growing research attention. In this review article, we mainly focus on systematically summarizing the applications of 1D-based nanocomposites in photocatalysis, including nonselective processes for the degradation of pollutants, direct solar energy conversion to storable fuels and selective transformations for organic synthesis. Particularly, we explore the new directions for boosting the photocatalytic performances of 1D nanostructures, including graphene-1D nanocomposites, surface modification, 1D core–shell nanostructures and different exposed facet effects. It is hoped that this article will promote the efficient harnessing and rational development of the outstanding structural and electronic properties of 1D nanostructures to design more efficient 1D-based photocatalysts towards numerous applications in the field of solar energy conversion.


IntroductionSocietal and individual benefits of data-intensive science are substantial but raise challenges of balancing individual privacy and public good, while building appropriate governance and socio-technical systems to support data-intensive science. We set out to define a new field of inquiry to move collective interests forward.
Objectives and ApproachOur objectives were: 1. To create a concise definition of the emerging field of Population Data Science; 2. To highlight the characteristics and challenges of Population Data Science; 3. To differentiate Population Data Science from existing fields of data science and informatics; and 4. To discuss the implications and future opportunities for Population Data Science. Objectives 1 and 2 were met largely through International Population Data Linkage Network (IPDLN) member engagement, Objective 3 was evaluated via literature review, and Objective 4 was achieved through iterative and collective work on a peer-reviewed position paper.
ResultsWe define Population Data Science succinctly as the science of data about people. It is related to, but distinct from, the fields of data science and informatics. A broader definition includes four characteristics of: i) data use for positive impact on individuals and populations; ii) bringing together and analyzing data from multiple sources; iii) identifying population-level insights; and iv) developing safe, privacy-sensitive and ethical infrastructure to support research. One implication of these characteristics is that few individuals or organisations possess all of the requisite knowledge and skills comprising Population Data Science, so this is by nature a multi-disciplinary "team science" field. There is a need to advance various aspects of science, such as data linkage technology, various forms of analytics, and methods of public engagement.
Conclusion/ImplicationsThese implications are the beginnings of a research agenda for Population Data Science, which if approached as a collective field, will catalyze significant advances in our understanding of society, health, and human behavior and increase the impact of our research.


In Deepwater environment, cementing the surface casing properly is critical to ensure support of the BOP stack, and allow drilling subsequent hole sections. The riserless tophole sections are prone to lost circulation while drilling through the unconsolidated formation and geological fault zones. After switching the well fluid from seawater to heavier pad mud, no drilling fluid returns or very little is observed at sea bed. This scenario makes the cementing operations challenging, as any fluid heavier than seawater may cause lost circulation and compromise the well structural support. Failure to cement the riserless casing properly has been the root cause of many NPT events and one of the top contributors to incidents where the well has been re-spudded. This paper will present the solution to the lost circulation encountered in deepwater wells in Southeast Asia. The solution uses engineered dual fibers technology to regain circulation through the thief zones and achieve structural integrity of the riserless casing. The dual fiber technology with optimized solids package together with high solid-content cement has been effectively applied to overcome losses in the deepwater riserless section. This technology can also be used on any cementing operation where lost circulation is expected, as a pill or spacer ahead of the cement slurry, given that proper assessment of the well geometry and thorough engineered design have been performed. It was absolutely critical for the operator to get cement returns to sea bed. The dual fibers technology and high solid-content cement were synergically utilized, helping to achieve circulation through the unconsolidated and faulty zones and achieve proper cementation of the surface casing. Circulation of fluids to the sea bed was verified by ROV. The job pressure profile shows that the final displacement pressure was as expected and the top of cement reached the planned depth, despite the lost circulation scenario prior to the cementing operation. The methodology presented in this paper provides solution to effectively cement the tophole in deepwater, overcoming lost circulation, helping to achieve structural integrity of the casing that will support the BOP stack and to minimize potential NPT events associated with lost circulation.


Formal methods apply algorithms based on mathematical principles to enhance the reliability of systems. It would only be natural to try to progress from verification, model checking or testing a system against its formal specification into constructing it automatically. Classical algorithmic synthesis theory provides interesting algorithms but also alarming high complexity and undecidability results. The use of genetic programming, in combination with model checking and testing, provides a powerful heuristic to synthesize programs. The method is not completely automatic, as it is fine tuned by a user that sets up the specification and parameters. It also does not guarantee to always succeed and converge towards a solution that satisfies all the required properties. However, we applied it successfully on quite nontrivial examples and managed to find solutions to hard programming challenges, as well as to improve and to correct code. We describe here several versions of our method for synthesizing sequential and concurrent systems.


The genetically‐controlled, distinct sensitivity of different rat strains to N‐methyl‐N′‐nitro‐N‐nitrosoguanidine (MNNG)‐induced cancer of the glandular stomach and duodenum was investigated. MNNG is activated through thiols, and the thiol content of the glandular stomach, duodenum, and liver of the BN rat tended to be slightly, but not significantly higher than that of the Wistar, Sprague‐Dawley, Lewis, and Buffalo rats. The levels of the DNA repair system, O6‐alkylguanine transferase (AGT), in sensitive Wistar strain rats had values similar to those in resistant Buffalo strain rats. Administration of 80 mg/liter of MNNG in the drinking water for six weeks up to the time of tissue collection yielded the same AGT levels. Of all the parameters examined to account for genetically‐mediated sensitivity to gastrointestinal cancer induction, namely, N‐denitrosation, thiol activation, AGT‐related DNA repair, and cell duplication rates, the latter yielded the best association, although these factors acting together may be involved.


Wheat was sown in a phosphorus (P) deficient soil. Plants at low levels of applied P had lower growth rates and lower concentrations of phosphate in the shoots than plants grown with 'high P'. Activities of both insoluble and soluble phosphatase increased with P deficiency in the mature leaves. Soluble phosphatase activities increased 2.5–3.0 fold as the concentration of phosphate in the leaves fell from 0.4% to 0.1% dry weight This increase was not a consequence of reduced growth, as severe nitrogen deficiency had no effect on phosphatase activity.

Soluble phosphatase activities were higher in young than in mature leaves, and also increased 3–4 fold with severe water deficit. However these increases in activity were not accompanied by low concentrations of phosphate. Moreover, soluble phosphatase activities in mature leaves of plants grown under conditions of water deficit rapidly decreased after rewatering. In contrast, the high soluble phosphatase activities in mature leaves of P deficient wheat persisted for up to 12 d after the resupply of P to adequate levels.


A "basophilic method" for phenolic hydroxyl bridged lanthanide coordination polymers (CPs) was developed. With this method, eleven CPs with the general formula of [Ln(HL1)L1·H(2)O](n) (Ln = Tb (1), Nd (2), Eu (3), Gd (4), La (5), Er (6), Y (7), H(2)L1 = 4-methyl salicylic acid) and [Ln(HL2)L2·2MeOH](n) (Ln = Eu (8), Tb (9), Gd (10), La (11), H(2)L2 = 3-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid) were synthesized based on two ligands, and five of them (1-4 and 8) were characterised by X-ray single crystal diffraction. The powder X-ray diffraction patterns (PXRD) of complexes showed that 1-7 are isostructural, 8-11 are isostructural. Furthermore, 1 was characterised by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential thermal analysis (DTA), elemental analysis (EA), one and two photon luminescence were investigated in detail.


A field strain of Culex quinquefasciatus resistant to pyrethroid lambda-cyhalothrin insecticide was selected to be used as a reference strain in the laboratory for conducting studies of biochemistry and genetics of resistance, to evaluate the utility of this insecticide for the control of mosquitoes in Cuba, and to determine the cross resistance to organophosphate insecticides, pyrethroids and a carbamate. A high resistance to lambdacyhalothrin was obtained after 6 generations of selective pressure. Lowe or no cross resistance to other pyrethroids (deltamethrin and cypermethrin), to a carbamate (propoxur) and to the organophosphate insecticides (clorpirifos and methyl-pyrimifos) was observed. A high cross resistance to malathion (organophosphate) was detected.


Currently, most profile control agents would be degraded in strong alkaline condition. They could not be applied in ASP (alkaline, surfactant and partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide) flooding. To solve this problem, a new kind of alkali-resistant gel for deep profile has been studied. Based on the profile control mechanism of profile agent and the crosslinking mechanism of the polymer, the selection of the chemical agent with different type and concentration was carried out in strong alkaline (pH=12), using ordinary polymer as the main agent, organic and inorganic chemical crosslinking agent. The performance evaluation, residual resistance factor and displacement experiment for the prepared profile agent were carried out. The results show that the profile agent weakly affected the interfacial tension of the ASP flooding. The gelation time could be tuned by adjusting the concentration of the delayed coagulant. The alkali-resistant profile agent with good plugging performance was suitable for deep profile control. When this profile agent was applied in the process of ASP flooding, it could adjust the liquid producing profile and improve the oil displacement efficiency, the recovery ratio was about 4% higher than ASP flooding. The field test of alkali-resistant gel-type profile agent shows that, this alkali-resistant profile agent can achieve good effect, it can enhance oil recovery by 3%.


Government agencies, globally, often strive to minimize the risk of human death and serious injury on road transport systems. Multi-national projects like Vision Zero have been developed with this objective in mind. Therefore, from an engineering design standpoint, the minimization of these road impact effects on occupants becomes a major design goal. This necessitates a need to quantify and manage injury risks on the human body in terms of different vehicular impact variables and their associated uncertainties for different crash scenarios.
 In this paper, we present a decision-based robust design framework to quantify and manage the impact-based injury risks on occupants for different computational model-based car crash scenarios. The key functionality offered is the designer's capability to carry out robust design studies with a focus on managing the selected impact variables and associated uncertainties, such that injury risks are controlled within acceptable levels. The efficacy of the framework is tested for near side impact scenarios with impact velocity and angle of impact as the critical variables of interest. Two injury criteria, namely, Head Injury Criterion (HIC) and Lateral Neck Injury Criteria (Lateral Nij) are selected to quantitatively measure the head and neck injury risks in crash simulations. Using the framework, a robust design problem is formulated to explore the combination of impact variables that best satisfice the injury goals defined. The framework and associated design constructs are generic and support the formulation and decision-based robust design of vehicle impact scenarios for managing injury risks.


Clearwing moths (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) are day-flying hornet and wasp mimics that can be found visiting flowers for nectar. Larvae bore in the roots, branches and trunks of woody and some herbaceous plants. Some of these larvae are pests in orchards, nurseries and commercial forestry operations. For example, Synanthedon exitiosa (Say) and Synanthedon pictipes (Grote & Robinson) are major pests of peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch; Rosaceae] (Johnson et al. 2005), and Synanthedon scitula (Harris) is a major pest of apple (Malus domestica Borkh.; Rosaceae) (Bergh & Leskey 2003). These species, and Podosesia syringae (Harris), Podosesia aureocincta Purrington & Nielsen and Paranthrene simulans (Grote) are pests of ornamental trees (Brown and Mizell 1993, Braxton & Raupp 1995, Held 2019). About 135 sesiid species in 20 genera occur in North America (Pühringer & Kallies 2004, Pohl et al. 2016). Forty-four species are likely to occur in South Carolina based on collection records from South Carolina and neighboring states documented in Eichlin & Duckworth (1988). This species richness has not been validated with a comprehensive survey of sesiid diversity in the state. As a first step to better understand sesiid species diversity in South Carolina, a survey was conducted in three counties (Darlington, Georgetown and Pickens) from March 2011 to December 2013. A mixed pine-hardwood forest, an ornamental plant nursery and a botanical garden were surveyed in each of Darlington and Georgetown Counties to diversify the habitats and outcome of this exploratory survey. In Pickens County, a single ornamental plant nursery was surveyed. Surveyed locations in Georgetown County lay within the Sea Island and Coastal Marsh Ecoregion, those in Darlington County within the Atlantic Southern Loam Plain Ecoregion, and that in Pickens County within the Southern Outer Piedmont Ecoregion (Griffith et al. 2002). Locations within a county were separated by at least 20 km.


We present extensive multiconfiguration Dirac-Hartree-Fock and relativistic configuration interaction calculations including 106 states in doubly ionized silicon (Si III) and 45 states in triply ionized silicon (Si IV), which are important for astrophysical determination of plasma properties in different objects. These calculations represents an important extension and improvement of earlier calculations especially for Si III. The calculations are in good agreement with available experiments for excitation energies, transition properties, and lifetimes. Important deviations from the NIST-database for a selection of perturbed Rydberg series are discussed in detail.