The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) represents an ambitious bloc of six Arab countries in pursuit of deeper integration with the global economy. Although the members differ among themselves in terms of composition of population, natural resources or economic and military capabilities, they look relatively similar as regards conservatism and prosperity based on hydrocarbon revenues. This paper presents an international political economy perspective on the past and present labor crises in the GCC countries and makes suggestions for improving the qualities and conditions of national and foreign work force. It is concluded that the GCC would survive in the post-carbon era, provided that economic diversification went coordinately with necessary adjustments in the labor sector.


Chlorella sorokiniana Shih. et Krauss, a unicellular green alga was assayed to assess its to promotion potentials response of aqueous and ethanolic leaf extracts of Moringa oleifera Lam. C. sorokiniana grown in 200 ml aliquots of modified basal medium for two weeks: was treated with the aqueous and ethanolic extracts at 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50% concentrations, respectively. A control was set up without Moringa extract and each treatment replicated thrice. The increases in biomass (individuals/mL) were monitored at two - day intervals. Both aqueous and ethanolic leaf extracts had appreciable promoter effects (61.49 and 95.55%, increases respectively) over the control. The ethanolic exhibited more growth activity (21.09%) than the aqueous extract. The promoter effects of both extracts increased proportionally with the increase in levels of concentration with time. There were significant differences in the interactive effects of the extracts, concentration and day (duration) (p<0.05). The findings of this study indicate the potential use of the aqueous and ethanolic leaf extracts of M. oleifera as possible enrichments for C. sorokiniana growth medium. Keywords: Moringa, leaf extracts, Chlorella , medium enrichment, food supplement. African Journal of Biotechnology , Vol 13(53) 4720-4725


Gabor's (1946) signal expansion and the Gabor transform are formulated on a quincunx lattice instead of on the traditional rectangular lattice; the representation of the quincunx lattice is based on the rectangular lattice via either a shear operation or a rotation operation. A modified Zak (1972) transformation is defined with the help of which Gabor's signal expansion and the Gabor transform can be brought into product forms that are identical to the ones that are well known for the rectangular sampling geometry. The shear operation on the lattice is associated with an operation on the synthesis and the analysis window, consisting of a multiplication by a quadratic-phase function. Following this procedure, the well-known biorthogonality condition for the window functions in the rectangular sampling geometry can be directly translated to the quincunx case.


In the present world, youth and education are related phenomenon because youths are making their future with the help of education. Education is the basic requirement of the present society. With the help of education an individual can lead a good life and survive anywhere in the world. Education is the way where the young generation can achieve their goals. Education is the true alchemy that can bring world to its next golden age. Education is a form of learning in which the knowledge, skills and habits of a group of people are transferred from one generation to next generation through teaching, training and research. Youths are the assets of the country and they are the creator of the nation. The fact that, youths are the most enthusiastic creators and interpreters of innovative culture and lifestyles. Thus, Education is central to development and to the improvement of the lives of youth. The main objectives behind this study are Education is the key factor for the development, how education contributes for the development and socialization of the youth, to known the various problems of the youths. Methodology: The researcher has collected data with the help of primary method and researcher has also intended to make use of secondary data and other sources like, books, journals. Findings: Due to the education, youths are migrating from rural to city area. Education brings changes in the behaviour patterns and they mix up all with sections of the people and Education may provide the knowledge to understand the various problems faced by the younger generation and it may also possible to overcome from those problems through the various agents. Without Education it is difficult to lead a life in present society. In conclusion, Education is important in eradicating poverty, hunger and promoting sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth and sustainable development. It can be said that youth are rapidly becoming a highly visible social group throughout the developing world and rural India. Therefore above the theme is essential for the purpose of study.


We sought to determine whether metabotropic glutamate receptors contribute to frequency-dependent depression of vagal and aortic baroreceptor signal transmission in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) in vivo. In alpha-chloralose-anesthetized rabbits, we determined the number of extracellular action potentials synaptically evoked by low (1 Hz)- or high-frequency vagal (3-20 Hz) or aortic depressor nerve (ADN) (6-80 Hz) stimulation and postsynaptically evoked by the ionotropic glutamate receptor agonist alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA). The metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist (2S,1'S, 2'S)-2-(carboxycyclopropyl)glycine (L-CCG-I) attenuated NTS responses monosynaptically evoked by 1-Hz vagus stimulation by 34% (n = 25; P = 0.011), while augmenting AMPA-evoked responses by 64% (n = 17; P = 0.026). The metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonist alpha-methyl-4-phosphonophenylglycine (MPPG) did not affect NTS responses to low-frequency vagal stimulation (n = 11) or AMPA (n = 10) but augmented responses to high-frequency stimulation by 50% (n = 25; P = 0.0001). MPPG also augmented NTS responses to high-frequency ADN stimulation by 35% (n = 9; P = 0.048) but did not affect responses to low-frequency stimulation (n = 9) or AMPA (n = 7). The results suggest that metabotropic glutamate receptors, presumably at presynaptic sites, contribute to frequency-dependent depression of vagal and aortic baroreceptor signal transmission in NTS.


Purpose: Small animal irradiation provides an invaluable tool for preclinical studies to assess and optimize new treatment strategies such as SBRT. However dosimetric accuracy for beams that are clinically and geometrically scaled for the small animal model is uniquely challenged by low energies and minute field sizes. Recent experiences with GafChromic film have evinced energy dependencies that preclude standard methods of dosimetric calibration with MV beams. Characterization of such dependencies has led to comprehensive recommissioning of the small animal stereotactic beam model based on the AAPM TG‐61 protocol to maximize the accuracy required by preclinical foundational research. Method and Materials: The irradiator couples a commercial x‐ray device (XRAD 320 Precision X‐Ray Inc. N. Branford CT) with a custom collimation system to produce 1–10 mm diameter beams and a 50 mm reference beam. Absolute calibrations were performed using TG‐61 methodology. Beam HVL's and timer error were measured with an ionization chamber. PDD output factors (OF) and OAR were measured using EBT‐2 a radiochromic film from ISP diode and pinpoint ionization chamber at 19.76 and 24.76 cm SSD. Results were compared with Monte Carlo simulations.Results: Absolute calibration for irradiator reference conditions were measured as 19.95 and 19.79 Gy/min for in‐air and in‐water methods respectively agreeing within 0.8%. Beam quality at 250 kVp and 15 mAs was measured to be 0.45 mm Cu. PDD data demonstrate typical increased penetration with increasing field size. For collimators >5 mm output factors measured using film chamber and diode were within 3% agreement. For smaller collimators output factors measured with film agree well with Monte Carlo simulation results. Conclusion: Careful application of TG‐61 methodology is essential for both commissioning small animal treatment beams and mitigating Gafchromic film energy dependencies. This enables beam modeling and subsequent small animaltreatment planning with the accuracy required of preclinical studies.


Everyday pain is common during childhood and adolescence. However, pain that persists is associated with poorer functioning including missed developmental milestones, disrupted emotional functioning, and social isolation. Children and adolescents with chronic pain often report high levels of anxiety. Anxiety, the cognitive, physiological, and behavioural reaction to a threatening stimulus, is associated with disability and poor functioning within this population. Anxiety is common during childhood and adolescence beyond a context of pain. Adolescence is a time of change and autonomy and experiencing long-term pain can inhibit those goals. Youth with higher levels of anxiety also experience higher levels of social isolation and poorer coping skills. Yet psychological interventions do not typically target anxiety to improve the functioning of children and adolescents. My primary research aim is to investigate the role of anxiety within the context of pain for adolescents. Specifically, I investigate the effect of anxiety on functioning and behaviour, and determine the characteristics of anxiety between adolescents with and without chronic pain. Finally, it is important to assess whether anxiety can be reduced in children and adolescents with chronic pain through psychological interventions and I investigate the efficacy of psychological treatments for children and adolescents with chronic pain for the outcomes anxiety, pain, disability, depression, and sleep. First, in Chapter One I review the current literature with a specific focus on anxiety within a paediatric population with chronic pain, identifying the gaps in the current research. In Chapters 2-4, I present one secondary data analysis study and two empirical studies that investigate the role of anxiety. In Chapter Two, I investigate the effect of anxiety experienced during early adolescence on the development of chronic pain, pain- related anxiety, and pain- related disability in later adolescence. This study showed that higher general anxiety at 13 years of age, and higher pain-related anxiety at 17 years of age in adolescence were associated with pain-related disability. Having established the importance of anxiety in Chapter Two, I next investigate the characteristics of anxiety in adolescents, and further identify differences of anxiety characteristics between adolescents with and without chronic pain in Chapter Three. I found that adolescent's worry was predominantly 8 about personal competence: being criticised, being perceived negatively, and selfcriticism. There were no differences between adolescent with and without chronic pain. In Chapter Four, I adopt a more motivational stance, to investigate how the role of goals and anxiety promote approach and avoidance of activities when in pain. Goals promoted the approach of activities when in pain but only when high pain intensity vignettes were presented. Anxiety about pain, but not general anxiety predicted avoidance of activities due to pain. The findings from these three studies demonstrate the detrimental impact of elevated anxiety and therefore, it was next important to investigate whether anxiety can be reduced by psychological interventions in children and adolescents with chronic pain. I conduct two systematic reviews in Chapter Five that investigate how efficacious psychological therapies are at reducing anxiety within a paediatric population. Analyses revealed that psychological therapies were not beneficial at reducing anxiety in this population, but were beneficial at reducing pain and disability, particularly posttreatment. Finally, in Chapter Six, I present my discussion and conclusions. Collectively, my findings from this thesis show that anxiety is an important variable to consider when investigating and treating pain in children and adolescents. Higher levels of anxiety experienced early in life are important to identify and treat. Nevertheless, adolescents with and without chronic pain have similar worries and characteristics of worry in later adolescence, and anxiety about pain is most detrimental to functioning when in pain. Finally, psychological interventions for children and adolescents with chronic pain do not frequently target anxiety and systematic reviews do not show a reduction in anxiety after receiving psychological therapies in this population. I conclude with a new model of how anxiety contributes to disability in this population and provide implications for research and practice.


The study shows that widespread distribution and low detectability of the early stages of reduction of reserves of mental adaptation in troop echelon of aviation specialists conditions the necessity for outpatient screening and psycho-correction of violations of the state, indicating a decrease in adaptive capacity of the individual. According to the authors, the use of the complex rehabilitation measures of personality-oriented individual and group psychotherapy helps to leveling of manifestations of preneurotic violations, correction of stress-producing reduction of psycho-physiological functions in the system of professionally important qualities for pilots, and has a significant positive impact on the adaptive capacity of individual pilots in general. As a result, digestion of the psycho corrective course by pilots leads to positive dynamics of their mental state, which is confirmed by objective data.


Insulin analogue introduced to offer insulin replacement therapy mimic to normal human physiology. The aim of this study is to compare between the glycemic control of insulin analogue and conventional human insulin in a sample of type 1 diabetic Iraqi children and adolescents. Forty type 1 diabetic Iraqi children and adolescents age between (6-18) years enrolled in this study and divided into two groups. Group 1 contains 20 patients switched from human insulin to insulin analogue. Group 2 contain 20 patients continued with conventional human insulin. The results showed that both therapies reduced fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c %) but insulin analogue treated group had highly significant reduction. Both therapies did not affect on blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine. Human insulin reduced triglyceride (TG) and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) significantly. The parameters measures at baseline and after three months of treatments. In conclusion insulin analogue is superior over conventional human insulin in reducing glycemic indices in a sample of type 1 diabetic Iraqi children and adolescents.


To evaluate the aetiology, diagnostic procedures and current management of stillbirths in Qatar, 83 stillbirths with a birth weight of more than 500g were studied. The validity of the cause of death was classified as certain, probable and unexplained. Frequency and descriptive statistics were used. The stillbirth rate was 8.15 per 1000. The cause of death was certain in 29%, probable in 62% and remained entirely unexplained in 9% of the cases. The major factors that might be the causes of fetal death were intrauterine growth retardation (23%), abruptio placentae (16.3%), congenital anomalies (13.3%), gestational diabetes (9.6%) and hydrops fetalis (7.2%). The cause of death was found unavoidable in 24 cases (29%). The autopsy rate was terribly low (1/80) and far away from the recommended rate of 75%. The introduction of a stillbirth programme, that includes post-mortem autopsy, in any maternity hospital, is considered crucial to reach a specific diagnosis for almost all stillbirths and to prevent fetal death in future pregnancies. However, if the patient or her family refused autopsy, a combination of patience and learned communication can pave the way to their understanding and acceptance of the procedure. Postmortem magnetic resonance imaging may be used as alternative to autopsy if it is refused.


After approximately four decades since the beginning of the massification of ICT in education, once the massive provision of computer equipment in educational centers was promoted through government initiatives (Wellington, 2006), the efficiency of virtual education has been questioned in some countries in the time of Covid-19. For several years, the idea of improving education with the incorporation of ICTs in teaching has been energized and even thought about the consolidation of a virtual education model. Initiatives that aim at the articulation between traditional education and virtual mediation have been incorporated into educational policies. Despite the importance given to ICTs as determining factors of a new educational model, their true capacity to support pedagogical processes during the covid 19 pandemic has been tested. In the framework of the health contingency, educational institutions have been forced to move their activities to virtual scenarios, given the restriction of face-to-face activities for several months. Thus, extensive use has been made of virtual platforms and ICT tools in the provision of educational services. In the context of LatinAmerica it became evident that virtual education presents many difficulties. Restrictions on access to digital networks by large sectors of the population highlighted the deep digital divide that characterizes the local population. In this sense, many school-age students have not been able to access educational spaces during the pandemic and have been limited in guaranteeing the universal right to education. Moreover, despite the fact that the expansion of educational coverage has been celebrated on many occasions, the digital divide may represent a step backwards in terms of educational inclusion. This text reflects on experiences with virtual school education during covid-19, based on an analysis of the relationship between access to digital infrastructure and educational inclusion in public sector institutions in Bogotá. Through a qualitative approach based on surveys applied to students and teachers of three public institutions in the south of the city of Bogota, in addition to a semi-structured interview form implemented with management and administrative staff of the institutions, it was identified the existence of a deep digital divide that prevents the effective continuity of the educational process in large sectors of the population, so that many children and adolescents are excluded from the educational model proposed for the continuity of their educational processes during the pandemic. As a result, it can be affirmed that the covid-19 pandemic has shown that the digital divide is a determining factor in the educational gap.


A quasi-2-dimensional stationary spot in a disk-shaped chemical reactor is observed to bifurcate to an oscillating spot when a control parameter is increased beyond a critical value. Further increase of the control parameter leads to the collapse and disappearance of the spot. Analysis of a bistable activator-inhibitor model indicates that the observed behavior is a consequence of interaction of the front with the boundary near a parity breaking front bifurcation. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}


BaLa4Ti4O15 (BLT) is a compound with a Ti-deficient, layered perovskite-related structure. Dense BLT ceramics have been produced and their crystal structures and microstructures are investigated. The average macroscopic structure of BLT powder is considered to be hexagonal with space group , but there is some evidence in high-order x-ray diffraction peaks of asymmetry. Energy-dispersive x-ray analysis and Raman spectroscopy have illustrated that there is a heterogeneous distribution of constituent cations which may induce asymmetry as a result of the presence of two hexagonal phases of slightly different lattice parameter. Despite this inhomogeneity, BLT exhibits a microwave quality factor (Qf) of ∼44 000 GHz, a relative permittivity (εr) of ∼45, and a temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (τf) of −2 ppm °C−1. In addition, anisotropy in the properties of the ceramic has been observed, with εr found to be larger when measured normal to the pressing direction.


This paper presents simulation and experimental results regarding a new class of wind energy generators, denoted as KiteGen, which employ power kites to capture high altitude wind power. A realistic kite model, which includes the kite aerodynamic characteristics and the effects of line weight and drag forces, is used to describe the system dynamics. Nonlinear model predictive control techniques, together with an efficient implementation based on set membership function approximation theory, are employed to maximize the energy obtained by KiteGen, while satisfying input and state constraints. Two different kinds of KiteGen are investigated through numerical simulations, the yo-yo configuration and the carousel configuration, respectively. For each configuration, a generator with the same kite and nominal wind characteristics is considered. A novel control strategy for the carousel configuration, with respect to previous works, is also introduced. The simulation results show that the power generation potentials of the yo-yo and carousel configurations are very similar. Thus, the choice between these two configurations for further development of a medium-to-large scale generator will be made on the basis of technical implementation problems and of other indexes like construction costs and generated power density with respect to land occupation. Experimental data, collected using the small-scale KiteGen prototype built at Politecnico di Torino, are compared to simulation results. The good matching between simulation and real measured data increases the confidence with the presented simulation results, which show that energy generation with controlled power kites can represent a quantum leap in wind power technology, promising to obtain renewable energy from a source largely available almost everywhere, with production costs lower than those of fossil sources.


We introduce the new concept of permutation trellis codes and present a generalized construction procedure, applying our technique of distance-preserving mappings. Minimum-distance decoding follows naturally, using the Viterbi algorithm. We furthermore investigate the performance of these codes when combined with multitone frequency-shift keying modulation and noncoherent detection in a diversity scheme, to make transmissions robust against narrowband, broadband, and background noise disturbances, such as those encountered in power-line communications.


Pituitary tumors are treated by a variety of medical generalists and specialists. Those most likely to supervise the care of patients with pituitary adenomas (in the United States) are endocrinologists and neurosurgeons. In addition, family practitioners, ophthalmologists, otolaryngologists, gynecologists, and urologists all encounter such patients and should have a basic understanding of the mechanisms and categories of pituitary disease. Designed as a manual for trainees in these specialties, Management of Pituitary Tumors: The Clinician's Practical Guide, 2nd Edition, offers a relatively comprehensive accumulation of information on the different functional subtypes of pituitary tumor and on the extant modes of treatment. On the whole, the text is quite readable, and the chapters are sufficiently compact and to the point that they can be read quickly and efficiently for guidance on the specific issues they cover.

The book has both strengths and weaknesses. The range of chapters is broad, yet there is no chapter on thyrotropin-secreting adenomas, which admittedly are rare but which do complete the roster of functional types covered in other pituitary textbooks. The book starts well, first with a chapter on pathogenesis that covers the basics without being overly detailed, and then a chapter on prolactinomas that gives appropriate weight to the use of the various dopamine agonists, as well as to their interplay with surgical and radiotherapeutic approaches. In the acromegaly section, however, there is little clinical description of this disease and no graphic display of what an acromegalic patient looks like. Given this book's target audience, such information would be most helpful in future editions. Descriptions of treatment for acromegaly are well done, as is the summary of the complexities of treatment for Cushing's disease, usually the most daunting of the pituitary endocrinopathies. Here, too, a photograph of the Cushingoid state would be helpful to trainees. The chapter on nonfunctional tumors is largely devoted to describing the endocrine hypofunction that such lesions may cause, but it also gives a balanced discussion of the sticky issue of the role of radiotherapy in treating residual tumor after surgery.

The chapters on treatment are an important element in the book's strengths. Anesthetic and surgical considerations are well described, and appropriate space is given to the newer techniques of endoscopy, computer-assisted intraoperative navigation, and intraoperative MRI. Endoscopic surgery merits a chapter all to itself and gets a concise one that suffices to introduce the technique. Here again, however, the figures are inadequate; the surgeon's key to a successful endoscopic procedure is understanding what he is seeing from an unfamiliar perspective through an unfamiliar lens, and sharper images of higher quality should be provided. Radiotherapy is described in two separate chapters, one devoted to standard and conformal techniques, and one to the gamma knife. This focus on one machine gives an imprimatur to this particular instrument that is perhaps unintended by the editors, and it might have been better to discuss radiosurgery as a technique that can be performed successfully and safely on pituitary tumors with a variety of stereotactic focussing systems, including the Linac (Albuquerque, NM) and others. However, the chapter's substance is sound and cannot be faulted.

The book concludes with a quite lengthy but useful chapter on nonadenomatous lesions of the parasellar area and an excellent commentary on pituitary tumors from the patient's perspective, something that those who care for such patients all too often overlook or grow inured to. This concluding chapter is a valuable reminder of the primacy of the patient in this forest of pathological, radiological, and surgical nuances.

This book fills a small but definite niche in the library of those in training or those interested in a manageable volume addressing issues relating to pituitary tumors. It is somewhat Eurocentric in its overall tone, but its accumulation of much pituitary wisdom into a small space is well organized, well written, and compact enough not to overwhelm. I recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about this fascinating subset of intracranial tumors.


The parietal cortex is thought to represent the egocentric positions of objects in particular coordinate systems. We propose an alternative approach to spatial perception of objects in the parietal cortex from the perspective of sensorimotor transformations. The responses of single parietal neurons can be modeled as a gaussian function of retinal position multiplied by a sigmoid function of eye position, which form a set of basis functions. We show here how these basis functions can be used to generate receptive fields in either retinotopic or head-centered coordinates by simple linear transformations. This raises the possibility that the parietal cortex does not attempt to compute the positions of objects in a particular frame of reference but instead computes a general purpose representation of the retinal location and eye position from which any transformation can be synthesized by direct projection. This representation predicts that hemineglect, a neurological syndrome produced by parietal lesions, should not be confined to egocentric coordinates, but should be observed in multiple frames of reference in single patients, a prediction supported by several experiments.


A very useful whistle-stop tour of non-traditional approaches to literary criticism and their application to the Bible. Here the anxious reader will find brief information on Barthes, Culler, De Man, Fish, Foucault and every other point of the deconstructed alphabet. Somewhat breathless and not an easy read, it strikes me as the kind of thing students really do need to give them an edge in the forest of symbols constituted by modem readings of the Bible.


We are very happy to dedicate this book to Janice M. Glime, Professor Emerita at Michigan Technological University.  Her name is probably familiar to more bryologists around the world that any other.  This is largely a result of her management (since 1996) of Bryonet (firstname.lastname@example.com), a wonderful bryophyte email discussion and news blog.  Under Janice's management, Bryonet subscribers grew from about 170 in 1996 to 1,379 members as of March 2017 (http://iab-bryologists-website.blogspot.com/p/past.html).  Bryonet was originally established by Swedish bryologist Gillis Een in 1991 and then managed by Jan-Peter Frahm from 1991–1996.  Under Janice's management, Bryonet has flourished and provides a key resource to graduate students and biologists from many continents, allowing persons to find sources, identify specimens, have questions answered, and have serious conversations on a variety of questions and methods related to bryophytes.  She was also a long-time IAB Council member and its president from 2005–2009.  In addition, Janice (pronounced Janeece) has been and continues to compose a comprehensive treatise on Bryophyte Ecology, (digitalcommons.mtu.edu/bryophyte-ecology/).  Details are updated regularly with new information that anyone can download.  This is the only textbook-style treatment that is available for beginning classes in bryology and thanks to Janice is available free on the internet.


This presentation will be focused on the ISSP contributions to promoting cultural epistemology of knowledge in athlete career research and also cultural sensitivity in career assistance to athletes. The initial step was made by the ISSP Position Stand on athletes' career development and transitions (Stambulova et al., 2009) in which the authors emphasized cultural diversity in athletes' careers, identified major cultural traditions in career research, and concluded that researchers (being aware or not) internalized their objectives from socio-cultural contexts they belonged to. The next and much bigger step was the ISSP monograph "Athletes' careers across cultures" (Stambulova & Ryba, 2013) with several pioneer contributions to further promotion of culturally informed career research and assistance. First, this ISSP project allowed creating state of the art reviews of career research and assistance in 19 countries conducted by cultural insiders who (through this book) could provide international visibility to the career studies published in national languages as well as to the career assistance programs available in their countries. Second, the editors traced the evolution of incorporating cultural context into career research in sport psychology using the metaphor of waves with the cross-cultural wave, the cultural mindset wave, and the emerging cultural praxis wave under consideration (Ryba & Stambulova, 2013). Third, based on the analysis of the existing career literature and also ongoing changes in the global sport context, a new paradigm forcareer research/assistance termed cultural praxis of athletes' careers was suggested (Stambulova & Ryba, 2013; 2014). In conclusion, an impact of the new paradigm (e.g., new trends in career research) and the monograph as a whole (e.g., increased interest in career research internationally) will be discussed with the acknowledgement to the ISSP efforts to support cultural diversity and decolonizing approaches in sport psychology research and applied work. © 2015 University of Bern, Institut of Sport Science


In this article, we advocate for anticolonial media literacy as an important complement to critical race media literacy. Given the pervasive misrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in media, teachers must explicitly learn to challenge colonizing and dehumanizing representations of Indigenous life and help their students to do the same. By outlining several Native studies theories, we forward anticolonial media literacy to help teachers detect and interrupt colonial logics. After modeling anticolonial medial literacy in practice, we draw from Nambé Pueblo scholar Debbie Reese's framework of "critical Indigenous literacies" to support teachers in including and creating respectful alternatives.


Lactoferrin (Lf) may play a key role in the clearance of microorganisms from a host. To study in vitro the bactericidal mechanisms of Lf during nonlactating periods, we investigated whether the effects of Lf were influenced by bovine mammary gland secretory cells (MGSC) and fresh normal bovine serum (NBS) as a source of complement. Phagocytic killing tests demonstrated that a phagocytic mixture of unopsonized Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and MGSC in the presence of Lf reduced bacterial growth, compared with that of unopsonized S. aureus and MGSC without Lf. The opsonization with Lf and fresh NBS together resulted in more than a 95% reduction in CFU. The activation of complement induced by Lf also resulted in increased deposition of C3 on S. aureus, and the phagocytic activity of MGSC was augmented by opsonization with Lf and fresh NBS. Inhibition of C3 deposition by Lf was not induced in the presence of Mg‐EGTA, but was induced by the addition of bovine Lf antiserum. These results strongly suggest that Lf induces the activation of complement in fresh NBS mainly through an alternative pathway. The results demonstrated a Lf‐dependent, antibody‐independent and complement‐mediated phagocytic killing of S. aureus, and implied that Lf was synergistically capable of activating both the alternative pathway of the bovine complement cascade and phagocytosis by phagocytes.


In today"s digital world, technology is very advanced and we prefer things to be done automatically without any human efforts. With the increase in standard of living, there is a sense of urgency for developing circuits that would ease the complexity of life. In this paper, a smart class monitoring system is made that makes use of RFID technology to mark attendance of employees and also serves the purpose of bidirectional visitor counter with room light controller. RFID or radio frequency identification is a method in which electromagnetic waves are used for transmitting data for the purpose of identifying tags attached to objects. The ability of the system to uniquely identifying each person based on their RFID tag type of ID card makes the process easier, faster and secure as compared to conventional method. The idea is to come up with a cost effective setup that can be used installed at workplaces. In order to have more capacity and less power dissipation, a more advanced microcontroller i.e. ARM7 LPC2148 is considered.


Dissociating motoric and motivational effects of pharmacological manipulations on operant behavior is a substantial challenge. To address this problem, we applied a response-bout analysis to data from rats trained to lever press for sucrose on variable-interval (VI) schedules of reinforcement. Motoric, motivational, and schedule factors (effort requirement, deprivation level, and schedule requirements, respectively) were manipulated. Bout analysis found that interresponse times (IRTs) were described by a mixture of two exponential distributions, one characterizing IRTs within response bouts, another characterizing intervals between bouts. Increasing effort requirement lengthened the shortest IRT (the refractory period between responses). Adding a ratio requirement increased the length and density of response bouts. Both manipulations also decreased the bout-initiation rate. In contrast, food deprivation only increased the bout-initiation rate. Changes in the distribution of IRTs over time showed that responses during extinction were also emitted in bouts, and that the decrease in response rate was primarily due to progressively longer intervals between bouts. Taken together, these results suggest that changes in the refractory period indicate motoric effects, whereas selective alterations in bout initiation rate indicate incentive-motivational effects. These findings support the use of response-bout analyses to identify the influence of pharmacological manipulations on processes underlying operant performance.


Purpose
To organize a multi-institute knee MRI segmentation challenge for characterizing the semantic and clinical efficacy of automatic segmentation methods relevant for monitoring osteoarthritis progression.

Materials and Methods
A dataset partition consisting of three-dimensional knee MRI from 88 retrospective patients at two time points (baseline and 1-year follow-up) with ground truth articular (femoral, tibial, and patellar) cartilage and meniscus segmentations was standardized. Challenge submissions and a majority-vote ensemble were evaluated against ground truth segmentations using Dice score, average symmetric surface distance, volumetric overlap error, and coefficient of variation on a holdout test set. Similarities in automated segmentations were measured using pairwise Dice coefficient correlations. Articular cartilage thickness was computed longitudinally and with scans. Correlation between thickness error and segmentation metrics was measured using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Two empirical upper bounds for ensemble performance were computed using combinations of model outputs that consolidated true positives and true negatives.

Results
Six teams (T 1-T 6) submitted entries for the challenge. No differences were observed across any segmentation metrics for any tissues (P = .99) among the four top-performing networks (T 2, T 3, T 4, T 6). Dice coefficient correlations between network pairs were high (> 0.85). Per-scan thickness errors were negligible among networks T 1-T 4 (P = .99), and longitudinal changes showed minimal bias (< 0.03 mm). Low correlations (ρ < 0.41) were observed between segmentation metrics and thickness error. The majority-vote ensemble was comparable to top-performing networks (P = .99). Empirical upper-bound performances were similar for both combinations (P = .99).

Conclusion
Diverse networks learned to segment the knee similarly, where high segmentation accuracy did not correlate with cartilage thickness accuracy and voting ensembles did not exceed individual network performance.See also the commentary by Elhalawani and Mak in this issue.Keywords: Cartilage, Knee, MR-Imaging, Segmentation © RSNA, 2020Supplemental material is available for this article.


Emotion modeling has received a great attention in recent years. This paper models the online social emotions that are the online users' emotional responds when they are exposed to news articles. Specifically, we rank social emotion labels for online documents. Unlike the existing method, referred to as Pair-LR, which learns pairwise preference and adopts binary classification, we address the problem of ranking social emotions by learning listwise preference. In particular, a novel approach, referred to as List-LR, is proposed to learn a ranking model for social emotion labels of online documents by minimizing the listwise loss defined on instances. Empirical experiments show that the proposed approach outperforms Pair-LR and is also competitive to other two start-of-the-art approaches for label ranking.


Large datasets of real network flows acquired from the Internet are an invaluable resource for the research community. Unfortunately, network flows carry extremely sensitive information, and this discourages the publication of those datasets. Indeed, existing techniques for network flow sanitization are vulnerable to different kinds of attacks, and solutions proposed for micro data anonymity cannot be directly applied to network traces. In our previous research, we proposed an obfuscation technique for network flows, providing formal confidentiality guarantees under realistic assumptions about the adversary's knowledge. To identify the threats posed by the incremental release of network flows and by using SHA-3 algorithm and formally prove the achieved confidentiality guarantees. To partition hosts in homogeneous groups by Fingerprint based group creation algorithm, we use system details: OS, RAM, Processor, User, IP address.


Background: Myofascial trigger points (MTP) are palpable painful nodules in a shortened area of a given muscle. The ischemic compression technique (IC), which consists of pressing the painful nodule until the elimination of tension or pain, has been shown to be an alternative for the treatment of MTP. The objective of this study was to analyze the influence of the IC technique on the level of pain to the palpation and electrical activity of the right upper trapezius (RUT) muscle during the elevation of the shoulder girdle and abduction of the shoulder in subjects with MTP. Methods: The sample consisted of ten subjects with mean age of 25.9 ± 2.68 years, who performed scapula elevation and right shoulder abduction up to 180o before and after the IC technique on the RUT muscle. The pain level was measured before and after the application of the IC technique and the myoelectric activity during the movements. Data analysis and processing were performed using the BIOMEC-SAS software and were presented in percentage values of the maximum voluntary isometric contraction (%MVIC). Statistical analysis were performed using the Wilcoxon test (α<0.05). Results: There was a significant increase in the mean% of activation (p=0.007) and in the peak %MVIC (p=0.005) of the myoelectric activity of the RUT muscle during the elevation movement of the right scapula. There was also a significant difference in the reduction of the level of pain referred to palpation (p=0.004). There were no differences during abduction movements. The calculation of the effect size showed that the IC technique had great influence on the results found in this study. Conclusion: The IC technique is an important resource for pain modulation and alteration of the myoelectric activity in MTP patients and can be used by physiotherapists when indicated.


Objective: Admission plasma glucose (APG) is a biomarker that predicts mortality in myocardial infarction (MI) patients. Therefore, APG may improve risk stratification based on the GRACE risk score. Methods: We collected data on baseline characteristics and long-term (median 55 months) outcome of 550 MI patients who entered our hospital in 2003 and 2006. We determined the GRACE risk score at admission for each patient, which was entered in a logistic regression model, together with APG, to evaluate their prognostic value for 6-month and 5-year mortality. Results: Patients with APG ≧7.8 mmol/l had a higher mortality than those with APG levels <7.8 mmol/l; 6 months: 13.7 versus 3.6%, p value <0.001; 5 years: 20.4 versus 11.1%, p value 0.003. After adjustment for the GRACE risk score variables, APG appeared a significant predictor of 6-month and 5-year mortality, adjusted OR 1.17 (1.06-1.29) and 1.12 (1.03-1.22). The combination of the GRACE risk score and APG increased the model's performance (discrimination C-index 0.87 vs. 0.85), although the difference was not significant (p = 0.095). Combining the GRACE risk score and APG reclassified 12.9% of the patients, but the net reclassification improvement was nonsignificant (p = 0.146). Conclusion: APG is a predictor of 6-month and 5-year mortality, each mmol/l increase in APG being associated with a mortality increase of 17 and 12%, respectively, independent of the GRACE risk score. However, adding APG to the GRACE model did not result in significantly improved clinical risk stratification.


We consider a stochastic bandit problem with infinitely many arms. In this setting, the learner has no chance of trying all the arms even once and has to dedicate its limited number of samples only to a certain number of arms. All previous algorithms for this setting were designed for minimizing the cumulative regret of the learner. In this paper, we propose an algorithm aiming at minimizing the simple regret. As in the cumulative regret setting of infinitely many armed bandits, the rate of the simple regret will depend on a parameter β characterizing the distribution of the near-optimal arms. We prove that depending on β, our algorithm is minimax optimal either up to a multiplicative constant or up to a log(n) factor. We also provide extensions to several important cases: when β is unknown, in a natural setting where the near-optimal arms have a small variance, and in the case of unknown time horizon.


Passalini comprises 209 species divided into six genera. To date there is no published work that addresses the phylogenetic relationships among the genera of Passalini. Additionally, the monophyly of Passalus, the largest genus of the tribe (81% of its species) is contested. We performed a phylogenetic analysis based on morphological data and partial sequence of the 16S ribosomal subunit, to elucidate the relationships among the genera of Passalini, and test their monophyly. Of the genera for which we tested their monophyly, Passalus was the only genus found to be non-monophyletic, the same occurred for the subgenera Passalus (Passalus) and Passalus (Pertinax). The results indicated the subgenus Pertinax is divided into at least four distinct lineages, one of them corresponding to Rodocanthopus; thus, we propose the revalidation of Rhodocanthopus Kaup, 1869.


The authors investigate the design of a replica management system (RMS) which allows a programmer to specify the quality of service required for individual replicated objects in terms of availability and performance. From the quality of service specification, information about the replication protocol to be used, and data about the characteristics of the underlying distributed system, the RMS computes an initial placement and replication level for the object. As machines and communications systems are detected to have failed or recovered, the RMS can be reinvoked to compute an updated mapping of replicas which preserves the desired quality of service. Preliminary simulation of the authors RMS shows that its placement algorithm gives consistent improvements in the availability of a replicated service than simply placing replicas on nodes at random, as is done in most distributed systems.<<ETX>>


This paper analyzes union formation in a model of bargaining between a firm and several unions. We address two questions: first, the optimal configuration of unions (their number and size) and, second, the impact of the bargaining pattern (simultaneous or sequential). For workers, grouping into several unions works as a price discrimination device which, at the same time, decreases their market power. The analysis shows that optimal union configuration depends on the rules that regulate the bargaining process (monopoly union, Nash bargaining or right to manage).


The purpose of this paper is to develop an adaptive signal control strategy on isolated urban intersections. An innovative approach to defining the set of states dependent on the actual and primarily observed parameters has been introduced. Тhe Q– learning algorithm has been applied. The developed self-learning adaptive signal strategy has been tested on a reаl intersection. The intelligent agent results have been compared to those in cases of fixed-time and actuated control. Regarding the average total delay, the total number of stops and the total throughput, the best results have been obtained for unknown traffic demand and over-capacity.


Since its release in 2006, the award winning documentary film An Inconvenient Truth (AIT) has created a sea change in public awareness of the threat posed by global warming. It is based upon a slide show that former Vice President Al Gore had shown nearly a thousand times. After the film opened, increasing demand for live presentations of the slide show inspired him to found The Climate Project in 2007. I was privileged to become an early member of The Climate Project (www.theclimateproject.org).


This research is a qualitative descriptive. The collection of data obtained by interview, observation and documentation was held in Pebruary, 2012 in SMPN 1 Nglames Madiun.The result showed that : 1) curriculum development programs in the areas of character study of learning in social studies IPS as a guide in providing socio-cultural, knowledge to the community was aware of character and dignity of life, the purpose of the program curriculum in social studies teaching character is to be able to organize educational activities in accordance with the characteristics of scholl. 2) form of curriculum development in field of learning the characters in the IPS study syllabus and lesson plane aremaking through the character through content standards and basic competence. 3) succesfull development of curriculum in the areas of character study of learning IPS yet there apperas anotable change in the students in their daily lives. 4) internal and external factors that support the succesful development of the curriculum in the areas character study of learning IPS is the principal must be able to carry out all activities according to their main objectives and content of external factor that support curriculum development KTSP in the field of study IPS is the involvement of school or departement of education public awareness of the environment.


To the Editor: Bluetongue and epizootic hemorrhagic disease are caused by orbiviruses transmitted by Culicoides spp. biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). These diseases are restricted to regions where their vectors exist (1) and seem to be expanding to previously unaffected areas (2). Infection of wild and domestic ruminants is common. Bluetongue virus (BTV) causes severe clinical disease in certain breeds of sheep; BTV and epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) cause clinical disease in some species of deer (3,4).

Rusa deer (Cervus timorensis rusa), originally from Indonesia, are found in diverse countries in the Pacific region (Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, New Zealand, and Australia). Introduced to the island of Mauritius in 1639, they are commonly raised in high numbers (≈60,000) for meat production (5). Mauritius is considered free from major livestock diseases; its animal health surveillance is based mainly on clinical monitoring and inspection of carcasses at slaughter. To our knowledge, circulation of orbiviruses in Rusa deer has not been reported in detail in any country where this deer is present.

Our study was an initial screening survey of the deer population on the island. A total of 369 deer, representing 28 private farms, were chosen from a list of 42,959 deer. Blood was collected at slaughter, and serum samples were sent to Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute, South Africa, to be tested for antibodies against orbiviruses with a homemade indirect ELISA. To distinguish between BTV and EHDV, samples positive by indirect ELISA were tested for BTV antibodies with the competitive ELISA produced by the Institute for Animal Health (Pirbright, UK). Of the samples positive by competitive ELISA, 3 were tested by serum neutralization against the 24 BTV serotypes (cutoff value >16).

Simultaneously, Culicoides spp. midges were trapped in Onderstepoort-type blacklight traps at 3 deer farms in coastal areas (Figure). Trapping was conducted 1 night at each farm, during optimal weather conditions. Midges were kept at room temperature in 95% ethanol until sent to Strasbourg University, France, for identification.

Figure

Location of farms where Rusa deer were sampled (open circles), herds with orbivirus-seropositive deer (closed circles), biting midge collection sites (triangles), and main cities (crosses) in Mauritius. Most (99%) Culicoides spp. midges were trapped at ...

Of the 369 deer serum samples tested, 15 were positive for BTV and 5 for EHDV; seroprevalence was 4.1% for BTV (95% confidence interval 2.0%–6.1%) and 1.3% for EHDV (95% confidence interval 2.0%–6.1%). No significant differences were observed for sex (χ2 = 0.05, p = 0.82). Antibodies (indirect ELISA) against orbiviruses were more prevalent among adults (χ2 = 4.56, p = 0.03). The 3 samples tested by serum neutralization had high titers against BTV-2 (256, 256, and 128) and lower but positive titers against BTV-17 (32 in each), BTV-10 (16 in each), and BTV 21 (32 in 1). Despite reports of clinical signs in other deer species infected with both viruses (3,4), no signs of bluetongue or epizootic hemorrhagic disease were reported for the Rusa deer population in our survey. This absence of clinical disease might be the result of natural resistance of this species to orbiviruses or to the fact that the circulating serotypes are endemic to the area.

A total of 13,356 Culicoides spp. midges were obtained; 12% were identified as C. imicola (1,459 females, 138 males) and 88% as C. enderleini (8,800 females, 2,878 males). The former species has been reported in Mauritius (6). In our study, the positive serum came from deer on 4 farms located in the coastal area. This finding could indicate a higher abundance and activity of C. imicola midges in coastal areas, where climate and altitude are more favorable for the vector.

Serum neutralization results suggested that at least 4 serotypes could have been circulating in deer from Mauritius. During outbreaks of both viruses in neighboring Reunion Island, several serotypes of BTV were isolated from sheep (7,8) and of EHDV from cattle (9). However, BTV serotypes 17 and 21 have never been isolated from Indian Ocean countries, and serotype 21 has been detected only in Australia (2). Equally, diverse BTV serotypes circulate at different locations on the Indian Ocean and the east coast of Africa (2,5,6).

Our results provide serologic indication that EHDV and BTV circulate in Rusa deer in Mauritius. The large population of Rusa deer can represent a potential reservoir host for those viruses and a risk for transmission to other ruminants in Mauritius and neighboring countries. However, Rusa deer could be used as a sentinel population to regularly monitor the circulation of orbiviruses and the introduction of new serotypes to Mauritius. To detect and isolate circulating serotypes and genotypes of these viruses in ruminant species and in potential vectors in Mauritius, further research is needed. In addition, the extent of both viruses and the distribution of Culicoides midges over the island should be investigated in more detail.


The paper deals with an analysis of the technical and scale efficiency of farms operating in LFA. In particular, we provide an analysis of the relationship between farm size and technical and scale efficiency. The results of the fitted stochastic frontier model show that significant differences in the relationship between efficiency and farm size can only be found for technical efficiency in the group of farms with more than 1000 hectares. The paper arose within the framework of solution IGA 20131039.


Article history: Received 6 September 2013 Received in revised form 24 May 2014 Accepted 30 May 2014 Available online xxxx Since 1999, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Division of AIDS (NIAID DAIDS) has funded the Immunology Quality Assessment (IQA) Program with the goal of assessing proficiency in basic lymphocyte subset immunophenotyping for each North American laboratory supporting the NIAID DAIDS HIV clinical trial networks. Further, the purpose of this program is to facilitate an increase in the consistency of interlaboratory T-cell subset measurement (CD34/ CD38 percentages and absolute counts) and likewise, a decrease in intralaboratory variability. IQA T-cell subset measurement proficiency testing was performed over a ten-year period (January 2003–July 2012), and the resultswere analyzed via longitudinal analysis usingmixed effectsmodels. The goal of this analysis was to describe how a typical laboratory (a statistical modeling construct) participating in the IQA Program performed over time. Specifically, these models were utilized to examine trends in interlaboratory agreement, as well as successful passing of proficiency testing. Intralaboratory variability (i.e., precision) was determined by the repeated measures variance, while fixed and random effects were taken into account for changes in interlaboratory agreement (i.e., accuracy) over time. A flow cytometer (single-platform technology, SPT) or a flow cytometer/ hematology analyzer (dual-platform technology, DPT) was also examined as a factor for accuracy and precision. The principal finding of this analysiswas a significant (p b 0.001) increase in accuracy of T-cell subset measurements over time, regardless of technology type (SPT or DPT). Greater precision was found in SPT measurements of all T-cell subset measurements (p b 0.001), as well as greater accuracy of SPT on CD34% and CD38% assessments (p b 0.05 and p b 0.001, respectively). However, the interlaboratory random effects variance in DPT results indicates that for some cases DPT can have increased accuracy compared to SPT. Overall, these findings demonstrate that proficiency in and among IQA laboratories have, in general, improved over time and that platform type differences in performance do exist. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.


In this paper, we address the problem of temporal synchronization of a team of mobile agents on a set of rendezvous points defined by the nodes of a bipartite network. In particular, we assume very-low-range (VLR) wireless agents that travel along the edges of a bipartite network, and can only communicate with each other when they rendezvous at the nodes of the network. Temporal synchronization relies on distributed agreement protocols on the travel times and waiting times at the rendezvous points, and when integrated with the agents' motion, results in a hybrid multi-agent coordination scheme. We show that the resulting dynamic communication network is almost always eventually connected and, therefore, synchronous rendezvous of the agents on the nodes of the underlying path network is guaranteed. Unlike prior work on distributed agreement, where synchronization depends on communication, here dependence is both ways. Therefore, from a theoretical perspective our approach can be viewed as a way to jointly control communication and synchronization. We finally illustrate our approach in computer simulations.


A fluoroalkenylation of boronic acids with fluoroalkyl alkenes has been developed. The Pd-catalyzed oxidative Heck coupling reaction proceeds under an oxygen atmosphere at room temperature, in the absence of a base and/or a ligand, showing excellent practicality of the process. This simple transformation is highly stereoselective to provide only E-isomers. In addition to the general approach using alkenes with functionalized fluoroalkyl reagents, this method, by transferring an aromatic system to the electron-deficient fluoroalkyl alkene, provides an efficient alternative method to yield valuable organofluorines.


The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a versatile model organism that has been used in biomedical research for several decades to study a wide range of biological phenomena. There are many technical advantages of using zebrafish over other vertebrate models. They are readily available, hardy, easy, and inexpensive to maintain in the laboratory, have a short life cycle, and have excellent fecundity. Due to its optical clarity and reproducible capabilities, it has become one of the predominant models of human genetic diseases. Zebrafish research has made rapid strides in the United States and Europe, but in India the field is at an early stage and many researchers still remain unaware of the full research potential of this tiny fish. The zebrafish model system was introduced into India in the early 2000s. Up to now, more than 200 scientific referred articles have been published by Indian researchers. This review gives an overview of the current state of knowledge for zebrafish research in India, with the aim of promoting wider utilization of zebrafish for high level biological studies.


We present a Bayesian solution to the problem of multiple direction of arrival (DOA) detection/estimation from a single temporal observation of array data, where the array can be of general configuration. The proposed method consists of multiple-step likelihood marginalizations using noninformative priors selected specifically to allow valid comparison of alternative model orders. This yields a novel DOA estimation cost function and a new detection algorithm useful for the single-snapshot case.


The goal of occupational health practice is to protect the health of workers by preventing diseases and injuries from occurring. When work activities are anticipated, recognized, or found during an investigation to involve risks to workers' health, preventive measures should be taken to control hazardous exposures in the workplace. Respirators are often used to control inhalational exposures to hazardous airborne contaminants, including infectious agents. Of the three methods available for selecting a respirator, the expert opinion method is used most frequently to recommend respirators for controlling exposures to infectious agents. The size of the particles comprising an infectious aerosol has received particular attention relating to the selection of respiratory protection for healthcare workers. Conflicting meanings of the term "droplet" are central to this issue and may be partly responsible for confusion concerning the particle sizes that surgical masks are unlikely to protect against. Although workers caring for patients with contagious respiratory infections are at risk of exposure to large-particle droplets greater than 100 micrometers in diameter, their risks of inhalational exposure to infectious particles are likely to be predominantly to an aerosol consisting of a mixture of evaporating droplets and droplet nuclei that remain suspended in room air for prolonged periods. Because surgical masks are intended to be used only as barriers against large-particle droplets, only respirators certified by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health should be used as part of a strategy for protecting workers against inhalational exposures to infectious aerosols. The issues outlined in this paper are focused on workers in healthcare settings, but also apply in other settings where workers may be exposed to infectious aerosols.


Upper Palaeozoic mosses of the genus Intia (order Protosphagnales) are widespread in deposits of Angaraland. The distinction of the two especially common species is in the focus of the study. The differences concern mostly leaf areolation pattern which is quite difficult to describe. The digitized areolation can be used for cell comparison by width to length ratio, allowing species discrimination in typical cases. Another way of their distinction is based on the ontogenetically-structured data. The latter is possible in Protosphagnalean mosses due to specific areolation pattern forming in the course of last cell divisions, so most cells are arranged in easily recognizable triads or tetrads. Proportions between cell areas within triads or tetrads appear to be a useful characteristic of species.


The Latinos in Missouri occasional paper series grew out of the writing experiences of
graduate students in Rural Sociology 406: The Sociology of Globalization


BACKGROUND: This study investigated whether descriptors of breathlessness differed after participation in an 8 week pulmonary rehabilitation program and whether changes in sensory quality would be reflected in responsiveness to pulmonary rehabilitation. METHODS: People with COPD provided descriptors for their sensation of breathlessness before and after an 8 week pulmonary rehabilitation program. Primary outcomes for responsiveness to pulmonary rehabilitation were the 6 minute walk distance (6MWD) and the St George Respiratory questionnaire. Significant proportional shifts for sensory categories after rehabilitation were identified using the McNemar test. Random effects mixed modeling was used to determine significance of differences for primary outcomes between subjects modifying or not modifying descriptors of breathlessness. RESULTS: Of the 107 people referred to the pulmonary rehabilitation program, 94 met the spirometric criteria for COPD, with 58 having data for pre and post assessments (36 males, 71 ± 9 years old, percent of predicted FEV1 58 ± 24%). A significant proportion of subjects reduced descriptors of air hunger (P = .03, odds ratio 0.31, 95% CI 0.09–0.89) and depressed, regret, helpless (P = .04, odds ratio 0.36, 95% CI 0.10–1.05) following rehabilitation. Subjects reducing their use of descriptors of air hunger had greater improvements in the 6MWD after rehabilitation (P = .006, mean increase 46 m). CONCLUSIONS: The sensory quality of breathlessness was modified for approximately one third of subjects after pulmonary rehabilitation, with significant improvements in the 6MWD for subjects who reduced their use of descriptors of air hunger.


Dr ANN-LOUISE KINMONTH (Aldermoor Health Centre, Southampton SO1 6ST) writes: Dr Colin Campbell's eloquent description of Mary McDaid, dead in bed at 33 (25 July, p 265), set me thinking about where Mary and her like were represented in the evaluation of a shared diabetes care scheme reported by Dr John Day's group (20 June, p 1590)-perhaps among those for whom it was agreed that "improved control could not be achieved" or among the 40-60% of patients who do not consult specialists for diabetes care? The authors do not tell us how many patients fell into each group, nor how they fared over the next two years. The disappointing physical deterioration that occurred over the two years might have been mainly in that group where doctors had settled for poorer blood glucose control. The authors, and others (18 July, p 214), have proposed various solutions to improve the organisation of diabetic care including "greater concentration on patient advice." Attempts at blanket patient advice have not met with much success in changing patient behaviour, and it would seem rational to tailor the advice to the specific needs of different groups of patients. We should take Mary's statement, that "it was all right for doctors with their fancy talk," into account in her management. Studies of patient outcome would also be better interpreted if they classified patients by their health beliefs and health seeking behaviour as well as their blood glucose values, and took this classification into account in the analysis.


Olive trees in Albania, located in the East Shore of Mediterranean, are considered as an important point of biologic diversity. Referring to Zhukovsk and Bahtjejev, our country is included in the seventh Mediterranean climate centre, based on the origin and formation of the cultivated plants. As conclusion Albanian flora is genetically linked by the Euro-Asiatic flora of the East and West Mediterranean. For 20 years in Albania have been tried to explore, characterize and evaluation of the existent biodiversity. These kinds of researches that have had their origin since 1985 in the Olive Trees Institute, have been undertaken in order to: prevent genetic erosion in the Olea family. Taking into account: the spontaneous expansion of oleo plants by the age over 20 centuries, the diversity of the varieties, the number and exploitation of the olive trees before 1940 (1200), climate conditions and the evidence about the antic olive culture the main centers of olive trees diversity are: Antic olive trees of the Tirana region (Preze, Ndroq, Petrele, Linze, Brar, Kruje), antic olive trees of the Vlora region (Kanine, Bestrove, Narte, Panaja, Trevllazer, Dhermi, Himare, Palase, Qeparo, Borsh). Identification activity did take place in two phases: firstly: identification of the list of the autochthon cultivars, through consultations of the archive for the different varieties of the Albanian territory. Secondly: evaluation of the autochthon varieties, their origin and as well their identification, preservation and recuperation for deeper evaluation. Actually in Albania there are identified 46 genotypes. Out of which 22 have been fully analyzed in terms of morphologic character and genetic variability, 11 are accessions or synonymous. Three cultivars are widely disseminated. Today, 22 olive cultivars are the biodiversity cultivars to be used in the olive plantations of Albania. Regarding the biochemical and molecular analyses, this was able only in the last 5 years. For all the Albanian cultivars (22) was undertaken RAPD analyses, RAPD analyses of 22 cultivars hold up (support) the hypothesis of the autochthon origin of our olive trees and their limited dissemination out of their core origin areas. Have been described agronomic and technologic characteristics of the main variety and cloning list. Physic characteristics of the olive oil of the main cultivars in correlation with vermin resistant. The purpose of germ-plasma characterization was the total and actual knowledge of this biological diversity through application of a program of variety characterization: i) to have the best and proper genotype for different agronomic demands which directly influence in the productivity and the quality of the olive oil; and (ii) to supply the private farmers and other entities all the varietals asset which have contributed to the olive oil production in Albania. In Albania there are 5 olive varieties, which are considered as economically viable, because the area occupied by them is 5 % of the total olive area. The most popular variety is "Kalinjot", which cover 45 % of the total area


A NEW METHOD FOR MELT DETECTION ON ANTARCTIC ICE-SHELVES AND SCATTEROMETER CALIBRATION VERIFICATION Lukas B. Kunz Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Master of Science Ku-band dual-polarization radar backscatter measurements from the SeaWinds on QuikScat scatterometer and microwave radiometer measurements from the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) are used to determine periods of surface melt and freeze in the Antarctic ice-shelves. The normalized radar backscatter (σ) and backscatter polarization ratio (PR) are used in the maximum likelihood estimation of the ice-state. This method is used to infer the daily ice-surface conditions for 25 selected study points located on the Ronne, Ross, Larsen, Fimbul, Amery, and Shackleton Ice-shelves. The temporal and spatial variations of the radar response are also observed for various neighborhood sizes surrounding each given point during the study period. Criteria for determining the dates of melt-onset and freeze-up for each Austral summer are also presented. Validation of the ice-state and melt-onset date estimates is performed by analyzing corresponding brightness temperature (Tb) measurements from radiometers. QuikScat σ measurements from 1999 through 2003 are analyzed and it is shown that Kuband scatterometers are very useful for determining periods of melt in Antarctic ice-sheets and provide high temporal and spatial resolution ice-state estimates. These estimates can be important for long-term studies of the climatic effects of the seasonal and inter-annual melting of the Antarctic ice-sheets. The SeaWinds on QuikScat (QuikScat) and SeaWinds on ADEOS-2 (SeaWinds) scatterometers are identical radar sensors on different spaceborne platforms traversing similar orbits. QuikSCAT and SeaWinds data are used to infer near-surface wind vectors, polar sea-ice extent, polar-ice melt events, among others. In order to verify the relative calibration of these two sensors a simple cross-calibration method is implemented based on land measurements. A first-order polynomial model for the incidence angle dependence of σ is used to account for biases in the σ measurements. This model is applied to selected regions of the Amazon rainforest and the Sahara desert. It is shown that the two sensors are well calibrated. Additionally, evidence of a previously presumed diurnal cycle in the Amazon rainforest backscatter is given.


PURPOSE
To examine the detection rates, specificity, and agreement between visual field (VF) progression and Heidelberg Retina Tomograph (HRT; Heidelberg Engineering, GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany) rim area (RA) progression in subjects with ocular hypertension (OHT).

METHODS
One hundred ninety-eight OHT and 21 control subjects were examined prospectively (1994-2001) with regular Humphrey VF (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc., Dublin, CA) and HRT testing. Point-wise linear regression (PLR) of sensitivity/time was used to assess VF progression, using standard and three-omitting (less stringent and stringent) criteria. The change in HRT-detected progression was assessed by linear regression of sectoral RA/time, defined as slope>1%/year, with significance level tailored according to series variability. Less stringent and stringent criteria were tested. Specificity was estimated by the proportions of control subjects with disease progression and significantly improving subjects (all). Agreement between disc and field progression in the subjects with OHT was assessed with specificities matched for both VF and HRT.

RESULTS
Specificity for VF PLR was estimated to be 85.7% to 95.4% when standard criteria were used, and for RA/time to be 88.1% to 90.5% with the less-stringent criteria. In this comparison, 21.2% progressed by RA alone and 20.2% by VF alone, and 12.1% progressed by both RA and VF. Specificity was estimated to be 95.2% to 98.2% for both VF PLR and RA/time, using the three-omitting criteria and the stringent RA/time criteria, respectively. In this comparison, 8.6% progressed by RA alone, 15.1% by VF alone, and 3.5% by both RA and VF.

CONCLUSIONS
A relatively high frequency of detected disease progression was observed with either method, with progression by VF occurring at least as frequently as progression by RA. Poor agreement between RA and VF progression was observed regardless of the specificity of the progression criteria. The results indicate that, in patients with ocular hypertension, monitoring of both VF and optic disc is necessary, as agreement between optic disc and VF progression is the exception rather than the rule.


ObjectivesThe primary aim of this study was to test hypothesized associations between changes in psychological variables (ie, pain beliefs, catastrophizing, and coping strategies) and changes in pain intensity and related adjustment (ie, pain interference and psychological functioning) in individuals with myotonic muscular dystrophy (MMD) and facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). MethodsA sample of 107 adults with a diagnosis of MMD or FSHD, reporting pain in the past 3 months, completed assessments at 2 time points, separated by approximately 24 months. ResultsResults showed that changes in pain-related psychological variables were significantly associated with changes in psychological functioning, pain intensity, and pain interference. Specifically, increases in the belief that emotion influences pain, and catastrophizing were associated with decreases in psychological functioning. Increases in the coping strategies of asking for assistance and resting, and the increases of catastrophizing were associated with increases in pain intensity. Finally, increases in pain intensity and asking for assistance were associated with increases in pain interference. DiscussionThe results support the use of the biopsychosocial model of pain for understanding pain and its impact in individuals with MMD or FSHD. These findings may inform the design and implementation of psychosocial pain treatments for people with muscular dystrophy and chronic pain.


Synaptic transmission at chemical synapses relies on the fusion of neurotransmitter-loaded vesicles with the plasma membrane of the pre-synaptic terminal (exocytosis). The synaptic vesicle material is then retrieved from the plasma membrane (endocytosis) and new vesicles are formed, completing what has been termed synaptic vesicle recycling. Both exo- and endocytosis are tightly regulated processes, involving a plethora of specific proteins. Much is already known about the nature of these proteins and about their interplay during vesicle recycling. However, this is not sufficient for a global understanding of synaptic function. Two critical lines of evidence are still missing: we lack quantitative information on protein numbers in the synapse and we also have limited data on their locations. In other words, the molecular anatomy of the synapse is still unknown.
Here I addressed this problem by integrating several quantitative biochemistry and microscopy approaches. First, I determined the physical parameters (size, shape and organelle composition) of synapses isolated from rat brain (synaptosomes), using three-dimensional reconstructions of ultrathin electron microscopy sections. Second, I performed quantitative immunoblots to determine absolute copy numbers for 59 major proteins involved in synaptic vesicle exo- and endocytosis. Third, I determined the spatial organization of the proteins by imaging them using stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy, with a lateral precision of at least 40-50 nm. The information obtained from all of these assays was used to generate a three-dimensional graphical model of the pre-synaptic terminal, placing synaptic proteins in the appropriate locations, at their determined copy numbers.
My findings enable us for the first time to draw conclusions on how the spatio-temporal availability of proteins determines the functional regulation of the synapse. For example, my results suggest that the availability of cystein-string-protein (CSP) and Complexin controls exocytosis and that the availability of the Clathrin light chain governs endocytosis. Overall, my data imply that synaptic function is primarily regulated by the abundance of specific proteins, rather than by the function of control mechanisms. This type of regulation is much simpler than many models proposed in the past. For example, no negative feedback loops are needed to limit synaptic processes – the limited availability of key components is sufficient for their control. Finally, since most synaptic mechanisms have closely related counterparts in other cellular areas, I suggest that the type of regulation I observed is not restricted to the synapse, but is likely applicable to the entire cell.


One of TCP's key task is to react and avoid network congestion episodes which normally arise in packet switched networks. A wide literature is existed in many different scenarios concerning the behaviour of congestion control algorithms and several congestion control algorithms have been proposed in order to improve performances. WLAN links have already been studied extensively in the literature. In this paper we focus on Mobile Broadband (MBB) networks that are in use today. We used NorNet Edge node which is connected to 3 different 3g ISP's (UMTS and CDMA2000). We also use three different TCP congestion control algorithms: TCP NewReno, TCP CUBIC as loss-based algorithms and TCP Vegas as delay based algorithms and try to see the impact of each TCP congestion control algorithm on the QoS characteristics. In the other word, we want to see how each MBB provider could affect the same TCP connection with same characteristics. We present QoS characteristics (e.g. Godput, delay) and discuss our observations. Our results could be used later for improvements in multi-path congestion controls.


Tissue spaces were determined in rat heart, liver, and skeletal muscle in vivo using isotopically labeled [14C]inulin. Tracer was injected into the jugular vein of pentobarbital-anesthetized male Sprague-Dawley rats. After a 30-min equilibration period, a blood sample was taken, and heart, liver, and gastrocnemius muscle were excised and immediately freeze clamped at liquid nitrogen temperatures. The extracellular inulin space was 0.209 +/- 0.006 (n = 13), 0.203 +/- 0.080 (n = 7), and 0.124 +/- 0.006 (SE) ml/g wet wt tissue (n = 8) for heart, liver, and skeletal muscle, respectively. Total tissue water was 0.791 +/- 0.005 (n = 9), 0.732 +/- 0.002 (n = 9), and 0.755 +/- 0.005 ml/g wet wt tissue (n = 10) for heart, liver, and skeletal muscle, respectively. Expressed as a percentage of total tissue water, the intracellular space was 73.6, 72.2, and 83. 7% for heart, liver, and skeletal muscle, respectively. With use of 2,3-diphospho-D-glyceric acid as a vascular marker, the interstitial space was calculated by subtracting the counts in tissue due to whole blood from total tissue counts and dividing by plasma counts. The interstitial space was 18.8, 22.4, and 14.5% of total tissue water, with accompanying plasma spaces of 7.7, 5.3, and 1.8% for heart, liver, and gastrocnemius muscle, respectively. The tracer method used in this study provides a quantitative assessment of water distribution in tissues of nonnephrectomized rats that has applications for calculation of tissue ion and metabolite concentrations, gradients, and fluxes under normal and pathophysiological conditions.


Improving software process to achieve high quality in a software development organization is the key factor to success. Bangladeshi software firms have not experienced much in this particular area in comparison to other countries. The ISO 9001 and CMM standard has become a basic part of software development. The main objectives of our study are: 1) To understand the software development process uses by the software developer firms in Bangladesh 2) To identify the development practices based on established quality standard and 3) To establish a standardized and coherent process for the development of software for a specific project. It is revealed from this research that software industries of Bangladesh are lacking in target set for software process and improvement, involvement of quality control activities, and standardize business expertise practice. This paper investigates the Bangladeshi software industry in the light of the above challenges.


This thesis present the studies of terahertz applications including measuring water content in leaf sample and guided wave components, aimed at the development of next-generation terahertz systems. In chapter 2, a study of the methods for measuring leaf water content using terahertz time domain spectroscopy measure continuously the water content status of the sample. A few different wavelengths of a near infra-red LED as 1450 nm, 875 nm, 1050 nm, and 1200 nm also were used in this experiment to make a comparison of the method that fits best for measuring the water status. In chapter 3, a physical structure of a microstructured capillary as an optical waveguide that guides electromagnetic waves in the optical region as a function of the transport medium is discussed in term of mode profiles and attenuation. In chapter 4, perforated thin nickel films with periodic conical hole arrays were used to study the surface modes and the excitation of spoof surface plasmon polaritons is demonstrated in the terahertz transmission spectra of the periodic sub wavelength hole arrays. Surface modes can be supported by both metallic surfaces with different nonlinear dispersion curves which result in spectral interferences in a near field region when the surface modes couple out of the waveguide into free space. In this thesis; the THz waveguides is used to explore the guiding mechanism of an anti-resonant optical waveguide.


The three major forms of immune‐mediated inflammatory myopathy are dermatomyositis (DM), polymyositis (PM), and inclusion‐body myositis (IBM). They each have distinctive clinical and histopathologic features that allow the clinician to reach a specific diagnosis in most cases. Magnetic resonance imaging is sometimes helpful, particularly if the diagnosis of IBM is suspected but has not been formally evaluated. Myositis‐specific antibodies are not helpful diagnostically but may be of prognostic value; most antibodies have low sensitivity. Muscle biopsy is mandatory to confirm the diagnosis of an inflammatory myopathy and to allow unusual varieties such as eosinophilic, granulomatous, and parasitic myositis, and macrophagic myofasciitis, to be recognized. The treatment of the inflammatory myopathies remains largely empirical and relies upon the use of corticosteroids, immunosuppressive agents, and intravenous immunoglobulin, all of which have nonselective effects on the immune system. Further controlled clinical trials are required to evaluate the relative efficacy of the available therapeutic modalities particularly in combinations, and of newer immunosuppressive agents (mycophenolate mofetil and tacrolimus) and cytokine‐based therapies for the treatment of resistant cases of DM, PM, and IBM. Improved understanding of the molecular mechanisms of muscle injury in the inflammatory myopathies should lead to the development of more specific forms of immunotherapy for these conditions. Muscle Nerve 27:407–425, 2003


Abstract. A system based on incoherent broadband cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy (IBBCEAS) has been developed for simultaneous measurement of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), glyoxal (GLY) and methylglyoxal (MGLY). On this system, the absorption of light around 460 nm is spectrally resolved. The concentration of absorbers is determined from a multi-component fit. At an integration time of 100 s, the measurement sensitivity (2σ) for NO2, GLY, and MGLY can reach 18 ppt, 30 ppt, and 100 ppt, respectively. The measurement uncertainty which mainly originates from path length calibration, sampling loss, and uncertainty of absorption cross sections is estimated to be 8 % for NO2, 8 % for GLY, and 16 % for MGLY. When applying the instrument during field observations, we found significant influence of NO2 on spectra fitting for retrieving GLY and MGLY concentration, which is caused by the fact that NO2 has higher absorption cross section and higher ambient concentration. In order to minimize such an effect, a NO2 photolytic convertor (NPC) which removes sampled NO2 at an efficiency of 76 % was integrated on the IBBCEAS system. Since sampled GLY and MGLY are mostly conserved (≥ 95 %) after passing through the NPC, the quality of the spectra fitting and the measurement accuracy of ambient GLY and MGLY were largely improved.


In the summer of 2015, the International Medical Informatics Association Nursing Informatics Special Interest Group (IMIA NISIG) Student Working Group developed and distributed an international survey of current and future trends in nursing informatics. The survey was developed based on current literature on nursing informatics trends and translated into six languages. Respondents were from 31 different countries in Asia, Africa, North and Central America, South America, Europe, and Australia. This paper presents the results of responses to the survey question: "What should be done (at a country or organizational level) to advance nursing informatics in the next 5-10 years?" (n responders=272). Using thematic qualitative analysis, responses were grouped into five key themes: 1) Education and training; 2) Research; 3) Practice; 4) Visibility; and 5) Collaboration and integration. We also provide actionable recommendations for advancing nursing informatics in the next decade.


The article presents the possibilities for recognizing word order errors in Estonian, the methods used and the current results. The article concentrates on the prototype for an automatic word order error detector for Estonian developed in Tallinn University. The statistic‐based program works on a method that is similar to n‐grams and the rules used are the patterns formed with 9 compulsory parts of a sentence. The set of correct word order patterns were found from the fiction sub‐corpus of Tartu University's Corpus of Written Estonian. For the statistically reliable results and the utmost efficiency and speed of the program, the rules were placed in a tree structure. The prototype starts the searches by finding a proper initial tag and continues to find a correct compatible pattern that has the highest frequency rate. At current stage the work is focused on detecting the right/wrong position of the finite/infinite verb and the predicative (since most commonly Estonian is known as a verb second language). Prototype's efficiency was tested on Estonian learner language corpus texts. In the test described in the article 5880 sentences were analyzed with the error analyzer and 300 sentences of the output were assessed. The prototype estimated the correctitude of the word order properly in 87.82% of the cases. Although there are a number of problems that still need to be solved including the misspelled or unknown words (i.e. proper nouns) and erringly unmarked clausal border, the method and the algorithm of the prototype for an automatic word order error detector for Estonian could also be used on other languages' word order studies as well. The article is summarized with the survey of the problems occurred on word order detection and the possible ways to make the detector more efficient. Keywords morphosyntax, automatic error detection, word order errors


Objective: Borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs) are rare entities with excellent prognosis depending on tumor stage and presence of invasive implants. There are limited data regarding the intraoperative tumor pattern, the actual base of optimal treatment planning. We conducted a systematic evaluation of the macroscopic and microscopic tumor spreads in patients with BOTs with special focus on the diagnosis of invasive and noninvasive lesions. Methods: Between January 2001 and July 2008, data of patients with BOTs were evaluated using a systematic and validated documentation tool (intraoperative mapping of ovarian cancer). Surgical outcome and pathological findings were analyzed. Results: Fifty-one patients underwent surgery for BOT. Mean (SD) age was 47.76 (15.9) years. In 6 patients (11.8%), surgery was performed for recurrence. Complete tumor resection was achieved in 47 patients (92.15%), whereas mean (SD) operative time was 126.34 (73.4) minutes. Pathologic evaluation identified 12 patients (23.53%) with mucinous and 39 patients (76.47%) with serous histologic diagnoses. Twenty-nine (56.86%) and 22 patients (43.13%) were found to have unilateral and bilateral ovarian involvements, respectively. Sixteen patients (31.37%) presented extraovarian involvement into the peritoneum (23.5%), omentum (17.7%), uterus (7.84%), sigmoid (7.8%), lymph nodes (7.8%), ileum (3.9%), mesentery (5.9%), and appendix (1.96%). Twenty patients (39.2%) had implants; of those, 9 (17.64%) and 11 patients (21.6%) have invasive and noninvasive lesions, respectively. Eight of the 9 patients with positive peritoneal cytology were associated with the presence of peritoneal implants; 3 of them with invasive character. Conclusions: Borderline ovarian tumors require a systematic surgical evaluation to verify or exclude extrapelvic tumor lesions and allow further clinical relevant differentiation between invasive and noninvasive implants.


In many developing countries, stigma and discrimination together pose most significant challenges towards stemming the spread of HIV/ AIDS. Although Lesotho has one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence in the world, there is little or no research about how people living with HIV/AIDS or are suspected of living with HIV/ AIDS are perceived and treated. The paper utilised data from the Lesotho 2000 End Decade Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey and the 2004 Lesotho Demographic and Health Survey to address the three fold primary objective of the paper. The paper first compared attitudes of females aged 15-24 towards people who are HIV positive or are suspected of being HIV positive between 2000 and 2004. Secondly it assessed whether knowledge about transmission of and protection against HIV/AIDS has improved overtime. Lastly it examined the factors that are associated with HIV/AIDS-related discrimination. Using both descriptive and multivariate logistic regression to analyse the data, the findings of the paper indicate that HIV/AIDS-related discrimination declined by 12 percent overtime, knowledge about means of transmission of and protection against HIV/AIDS increased by 20 percent, while knowledge of means of transmission and protection against HIV/AIDS translated into reduced levels of HIV/AIDSrelated discrimination. Multivariate analysis confirmed that HIV/AIDS-related discrimination had declined between 2000 and 2004 while education was identified as one of the most important factors associated with HIV/ AIDS-related discrimination. The conclusion of the paper is that efforts to educate the public about HIV/AIDS are transforming the attitudes of the general population towards people who are HIV positive or are suspected of being HIV positive.


The timed concurrent constraint programming language (tccp in short) was introduced for modeling reactive systems. This language allows one to model in a very intuitive way typical ingredients of these systems such as timeouts, preemptions, etc. However, there is no natural way for modeling other desirable features such as functional computations, for example for calculating arithmetic results. In fact, although it is certainly possible to implement such kind of operations, each single step of the computation takes time in tccp, and avoiding interferences with the intended overall behavior of the (reactive) system is quite involved. In this paper, we propose an extension of tccp for modeling instantaneous computations which improves the expressiveness of the language, in the sense that operations that are cumbersome to implement in pure tccp, are executed by calling an efficient, external functional engine, while the tccp programmer can focus on the pure, and usually more complex, reactive part of the system. We also describe a case study which motivates the work, and discuss how the new capability presented here can also be used as a new tool for developers from the verification point of view.


Adhesion of solid surfaces plays a significant role in many technical fields especially at micro and nano scale. The effect of asperity shape on the adhesion hysteresis originated from surface roughness has been investigated theoretically in this paper. Based on the adhesive contact model of single asperities with axisymmetric power-law shapes, the roughness-induced adhesion hysteresis is modeled by assuming the asperity heights follow a Gaussian distribution on the rough surface. The analysis results show that the dissipation energy decreases dramatically when the surface becomes rougher for all the shape indices, and the shape index affects the adhesion hysteresis at different levels with the variance of surface roughness. A general parameter consisting of the shape index of asperities is proposed to characterize the adhesion hysteresis. These will be helpful to understand and control the adhesion hysteresis for solid-solid contact.


Semiconductor microcavities offer the possibility to enhance the interaction between cavity photons and elementary excitations of the semiconductor. The excitations considered here are excitons, bound states of electrons and holes. The coherent interaction between these excitons and photons leads to the formation of quasiparticles called exciton-polaritons. The respective interaction regime is termed strong coupling regime. Exciton-polaritons inherit properties from both their photonic and their electronic component. A typical property inherited from the excitons is the spin. The scope of this thesis is twofold. On the one hand, the general properties of exciton-polaritons are studied theoretically. On the other hand, the influence of the exciton spin is analyzed. Several effects and tools known from nonlinear dynamics such as pattern formation, cavity solitons, domain walls, perturbation theory, and bifurcation theory are used in order to highlight these properties. The findings of this thesis expand the knowledge about the theoretical foundations of polariton physics. This may pave the way to potential application of semiconductor microcavities as all-optical information processing and storage devices.


Aim of the study: This study aimed to use a statistical method to treat the images enhance the periodontist oral treatment, the idea is to use couple graphs for inspection which lead to outcome background differences.
Materials and Methods: A new procedure was adopted depends on performance of irritated linking in the incidence of area between the image and the mass of Rapid Nervous System (RNS). The numerical image deduction was applied on nearly each illness procedure which marks dental solid tissues and development affected in analytic act. The collected figures observe the individualities of unique images which were meaningfully improved afterward deduction concerning visual characteristics as clarity, difference, acuity and tenacity.
Results: Equations where developed and derived (14 Equations), Figures were collected (6 of them) were to follow the deduction concerning visual characteristics as clarity, difference, acuity and tenacity, while the other three were drawn to compare the gathered data, in addition to the tables that was collect all the measurement, all these figures and tables were the sum of totaling stages vital for the obtainable RNS which was lower than that expected by Traditional Nervous Systems (TNS). Virtual outcomes were hypothetically calculated. Some of the limits of Direct Numerical Radiography (DNR) are din.
Conclusion: A new quick process for dental illnesses recognition was obtained in addition, it reduce the assembly din remains as significant influence in precise analysis of oral pathological lesions.