The importance of heterogeneous multicore programming is increasing, and Open Computing Language (OpenCL) is an open industrial standard for parallel programming that provides a uniform programming model for programmers to write efficient, portable code for heterogeneous computing devices. However, OpenCL is not supported in the system virtualization environments that are often used to improve resource utilization. In this paper, we propose an OpenCL virtualization framework based on Kernel‐based Virtual Machine with API remoting to enable multiplexing of multiple guest virtual machines (guest VMs) over the underlying OpenCL resources. The framework comprises three major components: (i) an OpenCL library implementation in guest VMs for packing/unpacking OpenCL requests/responses; (ii) a virtual device, called virtio‐CL, that is responsible for the communication between guest VMs and the hypervisor (also called the VM monitor); and (iii) a thread, called CL thread, that is used for the OpenCL API invocation. Although the overhead of the proposed virtualization framework is directly affected by the amount of data to be transferred between the OpenCL host and devices because of the primitive nature of API remoting, experiments demonstrated that our virtualization framework has a small virtualization overhead (mean of 6.8%) for six common device‐intensive OpenCL programs and performs well when the number of guest VMs involved in the system increases. These results indirectly infer that the framework allows for effective resource utilization of OpenCL devices.Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Author(s): Bator, Melissa | Advisor(s): Flanagin, Andrew J | Abstract: The research related to what motivates member participation within peer production enterprises as a whole has not produced a reliable list of motivations present among peer production participants. Instead, motivations are often defined idiosyncratically (e.g., Butler et al., 2007; Oreg a Nov, 2009) and participation is simplified to a dichotomous variable or crudely measured by frequency (e.g., Chen a Hung, 2010). This makes it difficult to compare and contrast peer production efforts or understand the larger theoretical contribution of these studies of motivation. In an effort to rethink how member motivation is understood within peer production enterprises, this research develops and tests a model of member satisfaction within a self-organized virtual community (SVC) of professionals that conceptualizes member satisfaction as being (1) directly connected to person-community and demands-abilities fit and (2) indirectly connected to fit through the fulfillment of members' basic psychological needs for competence, relatedness, and autonomy (Deci a Ryan, 2000). Additionally, individual filtering, a cognitive heuristic members of SVCs may utilize to personalize the information environment within an SVC, is introduced as a moderator in order to understand how these direct and indirect effects are conditioned on this participation management strategy. One of the main advantages of this theoretical model is that it does not require quantifying the amount or categorizing the type of member participation in order to understand member motivations and satisfaction, making it suitable for use in most peer production contexts (Benkler, 2006), even those scattered across multiple online platforms. In order to test this model, members of the SVC KM4Dev were solicited to take part in an online survey (N = 212) from July – October 2016. KM4Dev (Knowledge Management for Development) is a SVC of international development practitioners and other professionals interested in knowledge management and knowledge sharing issues and approaches, with a membership of over 4000 people from around the world. Path analysis was employed to analyze the model.Analyses revealed the model explained approximately two-thirds of the variance in satisfaction (R2=.65) and a similarity of importance (i.e., similar sized total effect) placed on PC fit and DA fit by members, in relation to satisfaction. The strongest path to satisfaction within this community is the indirect path from person-community fit through competence fulfillment to satisfaction, even when it is conditioned upon the moderator individual filtering. The need for autonomy had the lowest amount of variance explained in the model (R2=.24). Overall, the statistical support found for this model corroborates the use of a model of satisfaction premised on the assumptions of peer production (i.e., participant self-selection, Benkler, 2006). Furthermore, it simplifies the study of motivation by conceptualizing motivation as members' ability to fulfill their basic psychological needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence, instead of any want or desire a person may identify. Finally, through the introduction of moderating variables, such as individual filtering, this model is a tool to more precisely explain differences among members' ability to fulfill their basic psychological needs and be satisfied with their overall community experience within a peer production enterprise.


To study the underlying mechanism of 20 (S)-Ginsenoside-Rh2 and 20 (R)-Ginsenoside-Rh2 inducing apoptosis of human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells. In this study, cell death rate and cell survival rate were obtained using typan blue staining cell viability assay, and transmission electron microscopy was used to detect cell apoptosis. Meanwhile, IkappaB phosphorylation expression was analysed by western blotting. Results showed that after A549 cells were treated with 30 μg/mL 20(S)-Rh2 and 20(R)-Rh2 for 48h, cell death rate increased significantly compared with the control group (P<0.05), and nuclear condensation, fragmentation, karyopycnosis and apoptotic bodies were found under transmission electron microscope. There were no significant changes of IkappaB expression after treated with 20(S)-Rh2 and 20(R)-Rh2 (P>0.05). After treated with 20(R)-Rh2, p-IkappaB expression increased obviously between 4h-6h (P<0.05). After treated with 20(S)-Rh2, p-IkappaB expression increased obviously between 1h-2h (P<0.05), back to normal over time after 3h, increased significantly again between 4h-6h (P<0.05), which indicated the activation of IkappaB participated in A549 cell apoptosis induced by Rh2. These results demonstrated that 20(S)-Rh2 and 20(R)-Rh2 both have the functions of activating I-kappaB/NF-kappaB signaling pathway, thus promoting A549 cell apoptosis.


Background. The protein encoded by PARK2 gene is a component of the ubiquitin-proteasome system that mediates targeting of proteins for the degradation pathway. Genetic variations at PARK2 gene were linked to various diseases including leprosy, typhoid and cancer. The present study investigated the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the PARK2 gene with the development of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and its progression to severe liver diseases. Material and methods. A total of 800 subjects, including 400 normal healthy subjects and 400 HCV-infected patients, were analyzed in this study. The patients were classified as chronic HCV patients (group I), patients with cirrhosis (group II) and patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the context of cirrhosis (group III). DNA was extracted and was genotyped for the SNPs rs10945859, rs2803085, rs2276201 and rs1931223. Results. Among these SNPs, CT genotype of rs10945859 was found to have a significant association towards the clinical progression of chronic HCV infection to cirrhosis alone (OR = 1.850; 95% C. I. 1.115-3.069; p = 0.016) or cirrhosis and HCC (OR = 1.768; 95% C. I. 1.090-2.867; p value = 0.020). Conclusion. SNP rs10945859 in the PARK2 gene could prove useful in predicting the clinical outcome in HCV-infected patients.


A large-scale decline in the population of an apex marine predator, the sooty shearwater Puffinus griseus, in the North Pacific was corroborated by decreased harvest rates of a muttonbirder between 1979 and 1998 in New Zealand. Between 1989 and 1998 harvest rates decreased by 47% in the nanao (burrow prospecting) period and 42% in the rama (nightly capture of emerging chicks) period. The number of muttonbirders harvesting on Poutama Island decreased over the 20 yr as chicks became scarcer, suggesting that the harvest is potentially self-regulating. Chick abundance on an unharvested island also declined over the last decade, suggesting that harvest was not a sufficient sole cause for the decline. Changes in harvest rates and burrow occupancies between successive years significantly predicted the direction and intensity of Southern Oscillation and sea-surface temperature anomalies in the following 12 mo. Climatic perturbations may affect food availability, predominant wind characteristics, direct and indirect fishery pressure and PCB/DDE redistribution in sooty shear-waters.


The Foldy-Lax hierarchy of equations for the scattering of electromagnetic waves by a monolayer of spheres was reduced to a set of algebraic equations and solved. The Percus-Yevick equation was used to describe the spatial correlation between the particles. Calculations of the optical densities of monolayers of Se spheres of diameters 0.2–0.3 μ were in good agreement with experimental results on particle-migration imaging films. The calculation also predicts an optimal particle size for such films.


BACKGROUND
Use of atypical antipsychotics for "off-label" indications, such as behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, depression, and bipolar disorder, have been frequently reported, although not systematically studied. We describe the pattern of atypical antipsychotic use among nursing home residents and identify demographic and clinical correlates.

METHOD
We conducted a cross-sectional study on 139,714 nursing home residents living in 1732 nursing homes in 5 U.S. states from Jan. 1, 1999, to Jan. 31, 2000. Data were obtained from the computerized Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessment records.

RESULTS
Behavior problems associated with cognitive impairment were manifest in 86,514 residents, and, of these, 18.2% received an antipsychotic. Approximately 11% received an atypical antipsychotic, while 6.8% received a conventional agent. Clinical correlates of atypical antipsychotic use were Parkinson's disease (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.57, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.34 to 1.84), depression (OR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.24 to 1.46), antidepressant use (OR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.27 to 1.49), Alzheimer's disease (OR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.12 to 1.32), non-Alzheimer dementia (OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.07 to 1.24), and cholinesterase inhibitor use (OR = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.52 to 1.98). Severe functional impairment was inversely related to atypical antipsychotic use (OR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.65 to 0.89).

CONCLUSION
Atypical antipsychotics are now used more than conventional antipsychotic agents in U.S. nursing homes. Indications and dosages seem appropriate relative to labeling. Clinical and demographic differences between atypical and conventional antipsychotic users tend to be relatively small, suggesting that other factors may explain the choice of prescribing physicians. The impact of facility factors, economic forces, and physician characteristics needs to be investigated.


The compulsator or compensated pulsed alternator is the name for a large family of high-energy pulsed-power rotation machinery. It covers an extensive range of currents, voltages, pulse shapes, and also frequency in the case of multipulse generators. The compulsator embodies the single-element philosophy, combining in one element the energy storage, electromechanical energy conversion, and power conditioning. However, inside the machine such functions are done in a 'staged' manner. Two examples are given to illustrate this design philosophy: the flat pulse air-core compulsator, and the high-voltage two stage uncompensated machine (uncompulsator), which is capable of reaching voltages above 100 kV. >


Surprisingly little research has investigated the particular motives that underlie choice behavior in social dilemma situations. The main aim of the present research was to ask whether behavior in take-some games (such as the multiple-person Commons Dilemma Game and the two-person Bandit Game) and give-some games (such as the multiple-person Public Goods Dilemma Game and the two-person Dictator Game) is differently affected by proself and prosocial motives. Two experimental studies were conducted. Our first experiment used a trait-based assessment of the motives, whereas in our second experiment the motives were measured as state variables. The results of both experiments revealed that proself and prosocial motives did not explain much difference between taking and giving when comparing the Commons Dilemma Game and the Public Goods Dilemma Game. Yet, our second experiment revealed that these motives did differentiate choices in the Bandit Game and the Dictator Game. More specifically, prosocial motives are more strongly related to giving behavior in the Dictator Game than to taking behavior in the Bandit Game. As such, it can be concluded that in dyadic games (but not in multiple-person games) prosocial motives (but not proself motives) predict choice behavior in a game-specific way.


Abstract : The main goal of the original MUSIQC proposal was to construct and demonstrate a modular and universally-expandable ion trap quantumcomputer. This architecture has two separate layers of scalability: the first is to increase the number of ion qubits in a single trap, with full control over the qubits, and the second is to interconnect qubits in different traps using photonic channels. The proof-of-principle demonstrations for single and two-qubit gates in a single ion chain had been carried out (on a 2-ion chain), and a creation of entanglement generation through photonic channels was also demonstrated. We had an ambitious goal of integrating all of these components and assemble an 80-qubit quantum processor, consisting of four ion chains with 20 ions in each chain, interconnected by a small photonic network. While it is true that the MUSIQC collaboration has fallen short of constructing and demonstrating our ambitious goal of 80-qubit, networked quantum processor operation, we have accomplished significant progress in the field of ion trap quantum computing that has changed the landscape of the field prior to MUSIQC project. We have developed a deep understanding of fundamental system integration challenges that led to several practical solutions we have been able to partially pursue within the later phases of the MUSIQC project, as well as new research opportunities outside the scope of the MQCO program.


Rhizobia inoculated onto legume seeds are often exposed to adverse environmental conditions, which can affect survival and subsequent effectiveness. Hence, soil-applied granular inoculants have received much attention recently. We examined the efficacy of various inoculation methods at four sites in Saskatchewan, Canada, in 1997 and 1998 using desi- and kabuli-type chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). Seed inoculation treatments (liquid or peat-based powder) were compared with soil inoculation (granular inoculant) either placed in the seed furrow or side-banded (i.e., 2.5 cm to the side) at depths of either 2.5 or 8 cm below the seed. Nodule formation in the seed inoculation treatments was restricted to the crown region of the root system, whereas soil inoculation enhanced nodulation on the lateral roots. In 1997, granular inoculant placed below the seed increased kabuli seed yield by 36 and 14% over the liquid and peat-based inoculants, respectively, whereas desi seed yield increased 17 and 5%, respectively. Seed yield responses were inconsistent in 1998. Seed protein concentration, percentage N derived from the atmosphere (%Ndfa), and amount of N 2 fixed were typically lower for the liquid inoculant than for the peat and granular inoculants, which did not differ. The dry weight of lateral-root nodules was highly correlated with yield parameters, suggesting that the lateral-root nodules contributed significantly to N 2 fixation and yield. Although the peat and granular inoculants were equally effective in establishing successful symbiosis, placing granular inoculant 2.5 to 8.0 cm below the seed may improve yield and quality.


In vivo neutron activation has opened a new era of research on the elemental composition of the human body. The techniques currently employed vary widely with respect to sources, moderators, site of activation and detection systems. Sources include cyclotrons, neutron generators and radioactive elements. Both partial body and total body neutron activation analysis (PBNAA and TBNAA, respectively) are commonly used to determine calcium levels. This review examines various aspects of the two techniques for delayed gamma neutron activation and the factors which affect the sensitivity of the measurements, uniformity of the neutron flux density, and the use of moderators. Portions of the body selected for partial body activation analysis are the hand, the arm and the trunk. Such measurement may be particularly useful for studying patients with diseases that affect various parts of the skeleton differently. However, to date, analyses based on TBNAA and PBNAA do not appear to favour one technique over the other. Comparison of the two techniques has to take into account a variety of factors: dose to the patient, cost reliability, availability of source, nature and cost of complementary facilities required, and the degree of expertise needed by the operating personnel. Neutron activation studies of body calcium have provided data useful for the diagnosis and management of a variety of metabolic disorders. Measurement of sodium, chlorine and nitrogen also appear to be useful clinically. A variety of clinical applications are discussed in this review. A recent development is prompt gamma neutron activation analysis, which can be used for the in vivo determination of cadmium in liver and kidney. Total body nitrogen (measured by prompt gamma neutron activation) and potassium measurements serve as indices of protein and muscle mass content, and hence are useful in assessing the roles of diet and nutrition in these body components.


Oxygen quenching of long lifetime fluorescent dyes takes place when the excited state of the fluorescent dye decays non-radiatively to the ground state by energy transfer to the oxygen. Thus, by monitoring the intensity of fluorescence, the oxygen dependence is seen as a decrease in intensity for an increase in oxygen concentration. The Ruthenium based fluorescent dyes used m this work have lifetimes of the order of 0 7ms which allows them to be oxygen sensitive, and two ^ I i I such dyes, Ru (bpy)3 and Ru (phen)3 , were extensively tested for use in a fibre optic oxygen sensor.

The oxygen sensitive dyes were incorporated into a fibre optic system which was used to transmit the 488nm light from an Ar ion laser to the sensor tip and also to carry the fluorescence signal back to the detector. The fibres from a 4 - port coupler were used m this sensor as follows 1) for the launching of excitation hght, 2) for housing the sensmg probe tip, 3) for the return of fluorescence signal to the detector and 4) for monitoring the stability of the Ar ion excitation source. The oxygen sensing dye is immobilised in Nafion ion exchange resin with which a cavity etched mto the fibre end was coated. A method was developed for securely attaching the Nafion polymer to the fibre surface.

The final probe was found to respond to changes in dissolved oxygen partial pressure of 0 053 bar, while the spatial resolution was estimated at 5Qwm which corresponds to the core diameter of the fibre used m the work. The sensor was found to operate equally well m both aqueous and gaseous environments without requiring separate manufacturing procedures.

The etching of graded index glass optical fibres in conc HF acid was also investigated. The resultant cavity was found to develop in a manner not predicted by the current etching models. An etching model was developed to account for the development of the etched cavity which was observed using both optical and electron microscope techniques. The etching process was also modelled on a computer.


Today, AI is increasingly being used in many high-stakes decision-making applications in which fairness is an important concern. Already, there are many examples of AI being biased and making questionable and unfair decisions. The AI research community has proposed many methods to measure and mitigate unwanted biases, but few of them involve inputs from human policy makers. We argue that because different fairness criteria sometimes cannot be simultaneously satisfied, and because achieving fairness often requires sacrificing other objectives such as model accuracy, it is key to acquire and adhere to human policy makers' preferences on how to make the tradeoff among these objectives. In this paper, we propose a framework and some exemplar methods for eliciting such preferences and for optimizing an AI model according to these preferences.


A congestion-controlled optical burst switching network that offers connection guarantees was designed to handle bursts as short as 100 ms with switching within 10 ms in networks less than 200 km long. Its optical burst switching (OBS) is based on circuit switching, and transport is by optical burst paths. Five metrics are proposed for evaluating OBS network performance. The application area to be laid and the data application were determined in accordance with the design target. Given a reasonable burst block probability requirement, design criteria are developed on the basis of wavelength switching and conversion implementation. OBS network performance is tested in field trials on the Japan Gigabit Network II testbed. Fast congestion control through the use of precalculated detour routes is demonstrated.


The well-known marks doctrine presents a conundrum in international trademark law. Although protecting foreign well-known trademarks has been a treaty obligation since 1925, courts around the world, and in the United States and China in particular, do not uniformly apply the doctrine. This lack of uniform protection leads to the question of whether these countries are complying with their international obligations. While brand owners and some commentators would answer this question in the negative, this Article provides a different perspective. This Article offers an alternative approach to answering the compliance question: Before considering the question, one must examine the perspective from which compliance is being assessed. This analysis is important because the perception of compliance depends on the theoretical perspective from which these well-known marks cases are viewed. These theoretical perspectives have thus far been unrecognized, and this Article attempts to bring them to light. In so doing, this Article provides a more nuanced approach to analyze the compliance question, which can ultimately assist in providing better answers.


This article aims to compare the geo-graphic (spatial) objects in 2D (planar objects) proposed by CON.G.O.O. and ISO standards, and the ability of a number of GIS software to handle them. The results achieved so far showed that the actual technical possibilities are not always sufficient to support the complex spatial objects proposed by CON.G.O.O.


I read with interest the editorial by Dr Bogod that considered whether medical negligence litigation is a force for good or evil [1]. The two high profile cases he quotes make fascinating reading. However, the usual humdrum of medicolegal work is much more mundane. In my experience, the cases that usually proceed do so when a doctor has done something fairly daft, for example, losing a central line wire into the circulation, leaving residual neuromuscular blocking drug in an unflushed cannula, not turning on the volatile agent, or inserting a spinal needle at the level of the spinal cord. Usually, the patient is rightly compensated, and this must be a force for good in a fair society. These common errors serve to improve my medical practice, and that of other anaesthetists whom I teach, by reminding us all of the basics, but I agree with Dr Bogod that there is no good system for widely disseminating lessons learnt from the courts. This is something we should address as a profession. Dr Bogod also makes the point that courts are not very scientific places. However, in my experience, judges and lawyers are bright, understand scientific concepts easily, and reach reasonable conclusions. Meanwhile, doctors and expert witnesses are often not entirely scientific in their actions. The Bolitho principle [2], which is that experts need to balance up the risks and benefits of a course of action, would not be required if experts could be relied upon to addresses all issues scientifically. Notwithstanding my comments above, Dr Bogod is to be congratulated on an excellent and thoughtprovoking article. I am sure it will succeed in stimulating valuable debate on these important issues.


Variant antigens are present on the surface of Plasmodium knowlesi malaria-infected erythrocytes as detected by the schizont-infected cell agglutination (SICA) assay. We found that parasitized erythrocytes passaged in splenectomized monkeys did not agglutinate with immune sera. On the first passage from intact to splenectomized monkeys, the SICA titers decreased 4- to 16-fold; after the second and subsequent passages in splenectomized monkeys, the infected cells became nonagglutinable to all sera tested, including sera from animals infected with the nonagglutinating parasites. This loss of agglutinability could have resulted from selection of a genetically distinct subpopulation of the original parasites or the ability of the original parasites to alter their phenotypic expression. We have designated the new nonagglutinable phenotype, SICA [-], and the agglutinable phenotype, SICA [+]. The loss of agglutinability indicates that the variant antigen normally expressed on the erythrocyte membrane of infected cells is altered or absent. Because SICA [-] parasites developed in the absence of the spleen, the major organ of host defense against malaria, then this organ may in some manner influence or modulate antigenic expression in P. knowlesi and possibly other malaria parasites.


A tableau inversion is a pair of entries from the same column of a row-standard tableau that lack the relative ordering necessary to make the tableau column-standard. An $i$-inverted Young tableau is a row-standard tableau with precisely $i$ inversion pairs, and may be interpreted as a generalization of (column-standard) Young tableau. Inverted Young tableau that lack repeated entries were introduced by Fresse to calculate the Betti numbers of Springer fibers in Type A, and were later developed as combinatorial objects in their own right by Beagley and Drube. This paper generalizes earlier notions of tableau inversions to row-standard tableaux with repeated entries, yielding an interesting new generalization of semistandard (as opposed to merely standard) Young tableaux. We develop a closed formula for the maximum numbers of inversion pairs for a row-standard tableau with a specific shape and content, and show that the number of $i$-inverted tableaux of a given shape is invariant under permutation of content. We then enumerate $i$-inverted Young tableaux for a variety of shapes and contents, and generalize an earlier result that places $1$-inverted Young tableaux of a general shape in bijection with $0$-inverted Young tableaux of a variety of related shapes.


Stroke elicits excessive immune activation in the injured brain tissue. This well-recognized neural inflammation in the brain is not just an intrinsic organ response but also a result of additional intricate interactions between infiltrating peripheral immune cells and the resident immune cells in the affected areas. Given that there is a finite number of immune cells in the organism at the time of stroke, the partitioned immune systems of the CNS and periphery must appropriately distribute the limited pool of immune cells between the two domains, mounting a necessary post-stroke inflammatory response by supplying a sufficient number of immune cells into the brain while maintaining peripheral immunity. Stroke pathophysiology has mainly been neurocentric in focus, but understanding the distinct roles of the CNS and peripheral immunity in their concerted action against ischemic insults is crucial. This review will discuss stroke-induced influences of the peripheral immune system on CNS injury/repair and of neural inflammation on peripheral immunity, and how comorbidity influences each.


Heightened concerns about bioterrorism are forcing changes to the traditional biosurveillance-model. Public health departments are under pressure to follow multiple, non-specific, pre-diagnostic indicators, often drawn from many data sources. As a result, there is a need for biosurveillance systems that can use a variety of analysis techniques to rapidly integrate and process multiple diverse data feeds using a variety of problem solving techniques to give timely analysis. To meet these requirements, we are developing a new system called BioSTORM (Biological Spatio-Temporal Outbreak Reasoning Module).


Abstract Nakamura, FY, Pereira, LA, Loturco, I, Rosseti, M, Moura, FA, and Bradley, PS. Repeated-sprint sequences during female soccer matches using fixed and individual speed thresholds. J Strength Cond Res 31(7): 1802–1810, 2017—The main objective of this study was to characterize the occurrence of single sprint and repeated-sprint sequences (RSS) during elite female soccer matches, using fixed (20 km·h−1) and individually based speed thresholds (>90% of the mean speed from a 20-m sprint test). Eleven elite female soccer players from the same team participated in the study. All players performed a 20-m linear sprint test, and were assessed in up to 10 official matches using Global Positioning System technology. Magnitude-based inferences were used to test for meaningful differences. Results revealed that irrespective of adopting fixed or individual speed thresholds, female players produced only a few RSS during matches (2.3 ± 2.4 sequences using the fixed threshold and 3.3 ± 3.0 sequences using the individually based threshold), with most sequences composing of just 2 sprints. Additionally, central defenders performed fewer sprints (10.2 ± 4.1) than other positions (fullbacks: 28.1 ± 5.5; midfielders: 21.9 ± 10.5; forwards: 31.9 ± 11.1; with the differences being likely to almost certainly associated with effect sizes ranging from 1.65 to 2.72), and sprinting ability declined in the second half. The data do not support the notion that RSS occurs frequently during soccer matches in female players, irrespective of using fixed or individual speed thresholds to define sprint occurrence. However, repeated-sprint ability development cannot be ruled out from soccer training programs because of its association with match-related performance.


The value of a high-tech industry no longer lies in the number of plants, equipment, and products but the intellectual property, customer confidence, capability of collaborating with business partners, telecommunication infrastructure, and the creativity potential and skills of its employees. This study is motivated by investigating the way of constructing an environmental atmosphere for employees to enjoy their works and create, learn, communicate, and share their knowledge for a high-tech industry. It is also expected to provide guidance for an employee to integrate his/her personal goal with the organization's so that he/she can keep contributing to the organization. The management levels and employees at the Weihai Huoju High-Tech Industrial Development Zone were selected as the research subjects in this study. A total of 500 questionnaire copies were dispatched and the number of valid questionnaire copies being returned was 376 with a rate of response as 75%. The results of this study are as follows. 1. The influence of a learning organization on organizational communications is positively significant. 2. The influence of organizational communications on organizational creativity is positively significant. 3. The influence of a learning organization on organizational creativity is positive. Conclusions and recommendations are proposed in study based on the research results with the expectation to turn a high tech industry into a learning organization and provide guidance for organizational communication and organizational creativity.


Separating the leading vocals from the musical accompaniment is a challenging task that appears naturally in several music processing applications. Robust principal component analysis (RPCA) has been recently employed to this problem producing very successful results. The method decomposes the signal into a low-rank component corresponding to the accompaniment with its repetitive structure, and a sparse component corresponding to the voice with its quasiharmonic structure. In this paper we first introduce a non-negative variant of RPCA, termed as robust lowrank non-negative matrix factorization (RNMF). This new framework better suits audio applications. We then propose two efficient feed-forward architectures that approximate the RPCA and RNMF with low latency and a fraction of the complexity of the original optimization method. These approximants allow incorporating elements of unsupervised, semi- and fullysupervised learning into the RPCA and RNMF frameworks. Our basic implementation shows several orders of magnitude speedup compared to the exact solvers with no performance degradation, and allows online and faster-than-real-time processing. Evaluation on the MIR-1K dataset demonstrates state-of-the-art performance.


Background: Amiodarone (AM) is a widely used anti-arrhythmic medication. Its utility is, however, limited by adverse side effects. The mechanism of amiodarone-induced toxicity (APT) in the lungs is attributed primarily to stimulation of the angiotensin enzyme system leading to lung cell apoptosis and cell death. This mechanism has been demonstrated by in vitro and in vivo experimental animal studies. To date, however, no in vivo human studies have confirmed this mechanism for APT. Purpose: This study was undertaken to determine whether angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) offer a protective effect against APT in humans. Demonstration of a protective effect of an ACE-I or ARB would suggest that stimulation of the angiotensin enzyme system may be a key process in APT. Design: An 8-year retrospective analysis of all patients on AM therapy at the James H. Quillen Veterans Affairs Medical Center was undertaken. Results: A total of 1000 patients on AM were identified. One-hundred-and-seventeen were excluded from the study. Five-hundred-and-twenty-four patients were simultaneously on an ACE-I or ARB. The remaining 359 patients were not. Pulmonary toxicity attributed to AM was identified in five and 14 patients with and without concomitant ACE-I or ARB therapy, respectively. The APT rate for the entire patient sample was 2.2%. APT occurred in 1% of patients on an ACE-I or ARB and in 3.9% of patients not taking an ACE-I or ARB. This observed difference in percentage of APT was statistically significant. Conclusion: The concomitant use of ACE-I or ARB in patients taking AM appears to offer a protective effect against APT. This observation suggests that the stimulation of the angiotensin enzyme system may play an important role in APT in humans.


We report the selective area bandgap tuning of multiple quantum well structures by an impurity free vacancy induced quantum well intermixing technique. A 3㏈ waveguide directional coupler was fabricated in the disordered section of an intermixed quantum well sample as a demonstration of photonic device applications.


The purpose of this paper is to conduct a big data analysis of public library operations and services of two cities in two countries by using the Chernoff face method.,The study is designed to evaluate library services by analyzing the Chernoff face. Big data on public libraries in London and Seoul were collected, respectively, from Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy and the Korean government's website for drawing a Chernoff face. The association of variables and human facial features was decided by survey. Although limited in its capacity to handle a large number of variables (eight were analyzed in this study) the Chernoff face method does readily allow for the comparison of a large number of instances of analysis. A total of 58 Chernoff faces were drawn from the formatted data by using the R programming language.,The study reveals that most of the local governments in London perform better than those of Seoul. This consequence is due to the fact that local governments in London operate more libraries, invest more budgets, allocate more staff and hold more collections than local governments in Seoul. This administration resulted in more use of libraries in London than Seoul. The study validates the benefit of using the Chernoff face method for big data analysis of library services.,The Chernoff face method for big data analysis offers a new evaluation technique for library services and provides insights that may not be as readily apparent and discernible using more traditional analytical methods.,This study is the first to use the Chernoff face method for big data analysis of library services in library and information research.


From the director of "Fahrenheit 9/11" and author of "Stupid White Men", Michael Moore's "Dude, Where's My Country?" is an instruction manual for taking back America from corrupt corporations and crooked politicians. He's the man everyone's talking about. He's taken on gun freaks, stupid white men and corporate crooks. Now Michael Moore is on a new mission: to get us of our behinds and kicking out the corrupt political elites who rule our lives. "Dude" gives you the ammunition: why it's time for regime change at Number Ten; the whoppers spun to wage war on Iraq and make a killing; the 'special relationship' between George of Arabia and the bin Ladens; obscene tax breaks for the rich - and how Mike's going to get everybody together to get rid of Dubya. Not to mention how to stop terrorism (stop terrorizing Third World countries!!!), talk to your conservative brother-in-law and get non-voters voting. It's time to stop bitching, get reading - and get your country back. "Michael Moore is the sand in the underpants of the Bush administration?" ("Observer"). "Washington's No.1 pain in the jacksie..." Dude" is a call to arms, a guide book on how to win the debate with right-wingers and generally a good laugh". ("Daily Mirror"). "What Moore has to say needs saying again and again. Having read this book, I would even vote for him?" ("Guardian"). "Rich with facts, gags, self-deprecation and righteous indignation ...it will rouse readers here and in the US to timely revolt?" ("Independent"). Author of international bestsellers "Stupid White Men" and "Dude, Where's My Country", Michael Moore's 2002 film "Bowling for Columbine" won the Anniversary Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and the 2002 Academy Award for Best Documentary. His 2004 film "Fahrenheit 9/11" won the 2004 Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. Released in 2007, Moore's documentary "Sicko", focused on the American healthcare system, was nominated for an Oscar.


The sequestration of carbon (C) in soil is not completely understood, and quantitative information about the amounts of organic carbon in the various fractions and their rates of turnover could improve understanding. We aimed (i) to quantify the amounts of C derived from maize at various depths in the soil in a long‐term field experiment with and without fertilization using 13C/12C analysis, (ii) to model changes in the organic C, and (iii) to compare measured and modelled pools of C. The organic C derived from the maize was measured in soil samples collected to a depth of 65 cm from four plots, two of which had been under continuous maize and two under continuous rye during long‐term field experiments with NPK and without fertilization. The fractionation procedures included particle‐size fractionation and extractions in water and in pyrophosphate solution. We used the Rothamsted Carbon Model to model the dynamics of the carbon from 13C data. The amounts of C derived from maize in the Ap horizon after 39 years of continuous maize cropping were 9.5% of the total organic C (where unfertilized) and 14.0% where NPK had been applied. Fertilization did not affect the residence time of carbon in the soil. The amounts of C derived from maize in water extracts were 21% of the total organic C (where unfertilized) and 22% where NPK had been applied. The extracts that were soluble in pyrophosphate and insoluble in acid were depleted in C from maize (the amounts were 5% and 7% of the total organic C, respectively). The results of the 13C natural abundance technique were used to model the dynamics of the organic C. Both the total organic C and the C derived from maize in the particle‐size fraction 0–63 μm agreed well with the total and maize‐derived sums of the model pools 'inert organic matter', 'humified organic matter' and 'microbial biomass'. The model suggested that 64% (unfertilized) or 53% (NPK) of the organic C in the Ap horizon were inert. Only one of three published equations to determine the size of the inert pool agreed well with these model results.


In Morocco, public procurement represents 17.4% of GDP, equivalent to 195 billion dirhams in 2018 (Maghreb Arab Press, 2018), which makes it more exposed to unhealthy practices that can be engaged both by officials and operators across all stages of the procurement process. Above all, such practices create a climate devoid of transparency and generates weaknesses in public procurement systems. It is, therefore, essential for the Moroccan administration to integrate anti-corruption measures into the procurement process. Among these anti-corruption measures, there is the " e-procurement " which all specialists in the field of public control unanimously assume that it has become key in the promotion of competition, transparency, integrity, simplification of procedures, and modernization of public expenditure execution processes. Moreover, they admit that it contributes to a large extent to reduce corruption without destroying it. To inquire about the veracity of the contribution of the e-procurement to the efficiency of public order, a questionaire was administered to four co-ordinators and four companies of different working fields in the city of Meknes. The objective is to explore the relationship between e-procurement and the fundamental principles of public control. Eventually, the results of this study revealed that eprocurement is determinant to the effectiveness of public procurement.


Urban experiments have been initiated in several locations to purposively initiate and shape transitions to more sustainable urban socio-technical systems, e.g. for energy, water, mobility. Although knowledges produced within such learning spaces are often presented as logical, technical and rational (Vanolo, 2013 ; Kitchin, 2014), the actors and mechanisms which shape decisions are far from obvious, involving cultures, power relations and multiple logics that are profoundly political (Machin, 2013).

This research presents a case study founded in a phronetic perspective (Flyvbjerg, 2001; Avelino and Grin, 2017), unpacking the epistemological politics of an urban experiment taking place within a 'smart city' programme. A 'smart transport' application for mobile phones, 'MotionMap' was developed to transform the mobility system of Milton Keynes, an expanding city located 80 km to the north of London, UK.

The case study recognises power relations and reveals how various actors engaged in the development of this application have further rendered the MK mobility socio-technical system an object of urban governance.


: Transient osteoporosis or transient bone marrow oedema is a rare cause of acute hip pain that predominantly affects adults of middle and younger age. We report on the MR image in 8 patients with transient bone marrow oedema of the hip and in one patient with affection of the knee joint. In three of these, sympathetic nerve blockade has been performed. The MR image after sympathicolysis is discussed.


Even in an age characterized by increasing virtual presence and communication, speakers still need physical places in which to exercise First Amendment liberties. This book examines the critical intersection of public speech and spatiality. Through a tour of various places on what the author calls the "expressive topography," the book considers a variety of public speech activities, including sidewalk counseling at abortion clinics, residential picketing, protesting near funerals, assembling and speaking on college campuses, and participating in public rallies and demonstrations at political conventions and other critical democratic events. This examination of public expressive liberties, or speech out of doors, shows that place can be as important to one's expressive experience as voice, sight, and auditory function. Speakers derive a host of benefits, such as proximity, immediacy, symbolic function, and solidarity, from message placement. Unfortunately, for several decades the ground beneath speakers' feet has been steadily eroding. The causes of this erosion are varied and complex; they include privatization and other loss of public space, legal restrictions on public assembly and expression, methods of policing public speech activity, and general public apathy. To counter these forces and reverse at least some of their effects will require a focused and sustained effort – by public officials, courts, and of course, the people themselves.


Purpose Experience with the endovascular treatment of middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysms by flow diverter devices (FDD) is still limited. This study examines the results and complications of FDD for small aneurysms at this location. Methods From February 2010 to December 2013, 14 patients (10 women; mean age 59 years) with 15 small MCA aneurysms were treated with FDD. All procedures were performed with the Pipeline embolization device (PED). Results Complete occlusion was obtained in 12/15 aneurysms (80%) and partial occlusion in 3 (20%). Among 13 aneurysms with a side branch, this was patent at the angiographic control in 4 cases, showed decreased filling in 6, and was occluded in 3 (with neurological deficits in 2). All PEDs were patent at follow-up. Post-procedural ischemic complications occurred in 4 (27%) procedures with permanent neurological deficit (modified Rankin score 2) in 3 (21%). No early or delayed aneurysm rupture, no subarachnoid or intraparenchymal hemorrhage and no deaths occurred. Conclusions Endovascular treatment with FDD is a relatively safe treatment for small MCA aneurysms resulting in a high occlusion rate. The findings of this study suggest that complete occlusion after endovascular treatment with FDD can be delayed (>6 months). Ischemic complications may occur as early or delayed, particularly at clopidogrel interruption.


Background: s-Triazine herbicides, such as simazine, are used in America in agriculture and forestry. This herbicide is persistent in soils, as well as in aquifers. Chemical and biological processes are involved in the dissipation of simazine in soil. However, microbial degradation is probably the main mechanism for removing s-triazine from soils. Objectives: 1. Isolation, metabolic and systematic characterization of bacterium MHP41 from herbicide-contaminated agricultural soil in Chile. Methods: Bacterial strains were isolated by enrichment in minimal medium with simazine as the sole nitrogen source. Simazine degradation was analysed by resting cell assays and analyses of atz genes were assessed by PCR and DNA sequencing. Strain MHP41 was characterised by ARDRA, using restriction endonucleases, MspI and HhaI, phenotypic characterisation, cell fatty acid profiling and multi-locus sequence analysis (MLSA), using 16S rRNA gene, IGS-1, gyrB and rpoB sequencing. Results: 1. Strain MHP41 grew in minimal medium, using simazine as the sole source of nitrogen. 2. Resting cells of strain MHP41 degraded more than 80% of simazine within 60 min. 3. The atzA, atzB, atzC, atzD, atzE and atzF degradation genes were detected by PCR and characterised by sequence analysis. 4. Strain MHP41 was identified initially as a Pseudomonas sp. and comparative MLSA determined MHP41 to be a strain of P. nitroreducens. Conclusions: 1. The isolation and characterization of a simazine-degrading bacterium MHP41, which is capable of growing with simazine as the sole nitrogen source. 2. P. nitroreducens MHP41 possesses all atz genes of the upper and lower catabolic pathways for simazine degradation. 4. MHP41 is the first known strain of P. nitroreducens capable of degrading simazine and represents an interesting bacterium for studies on the bioremediation of s-triazine-contaminated soils.


As an alternative approach to previous multisensor satellite evaluations for cloud system resolving models (CSRMs), a technique for precipitation clouds over the ocean of CSRMs is presented using combined infrared and microwave channels. This method quantitatively analyzes precipitation clouds using cloud-top temperatures and ice scatterings from infrared 11 μm and high frequency microwave (89.0 GHz) brightness temperatures (TBs). The TB threshold at low frequencies (18.7 GHz) is used to identify precipitation regions. This method extends a previous approach based on tropical rainfall measuring mission (TRMM) precipitation radar which uses a narrow coverage, by incorporating a wide passive microwave sensor swath and ice cloud sensitivity. The numerical results of the non-hydrostatic icosahedral atmospheric model, NICAM, with two cloud microphysics schemes were evaluated over the tropical open ocean using this method. The scattering intensities in both simulations at 89.0 GHz were different due to the parameterizations of the snow and graupel size distributions. A bimodal snow size distribution improved the TB underestimation at 89.0 GHz. These results exhibited similar structures to the joint histograms of cloud-top temperatures and precipitation-top heights generated using the previous method; the frequencies of overestimated scattering intensities in this study and the frequencies of high precipitation-top heights above 12 km in the previous study. It was observed that the change in the snow size distribution in the cloud microphysics scheme can lead to better agreements of simulated TBs at 89.0 GHz. Furthermore, we investigated the impacts of nonspherical snow assumptions using a satellite simulator. The effect of a nonspherical snow shape in the radiative transfer model caused a smaller change in TBs at 89.0 GHz compared to the difference between the TBs of the two simulations without nonspherical assumptions.


Bill of quantities (B/Qs) is an essential document in a construction project which provides the detail of the contract amount. Historically, the formal form of B/Qs was initiated in the United Kingdom after the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century. They were mainly used by contractors for paying their workers and claiming payments from clients by submitting it as partisan final account. Particularly, B/Qs is widely used in the traditional procurement for cost estimating and as part of tender and contract document. However, as construction industry evolved and changed technologically, economically, legally, and procedurally, similarly goes to the usage of B/Qs in the construction projects. It is not known whether B/Qs in its current format suitable to be used with the more modern procurement systems or not. Based on literature, the issue on the declining usage of B/Qs due to the non-traditional procurement system adopted in construction industry has been encountered in the UK, Australia and also Malaysia construction industry due to several factors. One of the common factors is due to complex and time consuming on the preparation of B/Qs document. Thus, this research is intentionally to develop strategies to close the gaps between B/Qs documentation in terms of format and style with system of procurement. Besides that, this research may establish the functions of B/Qs in the construction procurement system.

Keywords: Bill of quantities (B/Qs), procurement, construction project


Depending on the energy level used during mechanical alloying, the constitution of the resulting products can vary extensively. With high energy input, full transformation to the equilibrium phase, FeTi, is achieved. In contrast, for low levels of energy input, the process is akin to mixing without any phase transformation even for extended milling periods. In the present work, nanostructured FeTi powders were produced by mechanical alloying, avoiding the unfavourable agglomeration problem, by using a relatively low level of energy (e.g. 300 rpm) to mill the pure metallic constituents, Fe and Ti, followed by subsequent heat treatment at 800°C. A major achievement of this research was to show that, by modulating the milling intensity and total milling time, the high temperature synthesis reaction of FeTi (1100°C) can be partially or totally suppressed, reverting instead to a metastable reaction path at low temperature (650°C). The mechanical "activation" modifies the reactivity of the system, producing a very thin Ti /Fe layers. That in conjunction with a high level of defects induced mechanically may be responsible for the metastability. Partial substitution of Fe with Ni (10%) resulted essentially in the same phase constitution, indicating solid solution of Ni in FeTi replacing partially Fe lattice positions.


Imagine a scene sometime in the 1750s in the depths of west Wales. This was wild country. Even a century later, George Borrow called it a 'mountainous wilderness … a waste of russet-coloured hills, with here and there a black craggy summit'. Through this desolation rides the Reverend William Williams. As he rode, he read – and the book in his saddlebags on this occasion was William Derham's Astro-Theology, first published some twenty years earlier. Williams was a leading figure in the Methodist revolution that had been sweeping through Wales for the past two decades. Disenchanted with an Anglican Church that seemed increasingly disconnected – culturally and linguistically – from their everyday lives, and attracted by powerful and charismatic preachers like Williams himself, men and women across Wales turned to Methodism. They organized themselves into local groups worshipping in meeting houses rather than in their parish churches. Leaders like Williams usually had a number of such groups under their care, and spent much of their time on horseback, travelling between widely scattered communities to minister to their congregations. That Williams read in the saddle is well known. As shall become clear, he had certainly read Derham's book as well. It is not too much of an imaginative leap, therefore, to picture him reading about God's design of the cosmos as he rode through the Welsh hills – and it is a good image with which to begin a discussion about Wales, science and European peripheries.


In the article are researched peculiarities of mass celebrations setting in 60-80's of the XX century in Kyiv. There is established that mass celebrations in Kyiv had mainly state and official character of the period. In this regard the setting of celebrations (posters, banners, portraits, stands, musical accompaniment and theatrical performance) subordinated to the ideological content and had propagandistic trend. The article outlines that the Soviet past of Ukraine further largely continues to define our mentality, mode of life, pattern of behavior in society. One of those Soviet "remnants" in Ukrainian society is some mass celebrations. It is states that in general the phenomenon of mass celebrations is an important part of social and cultural realities of our time and used as a communication technology, as a method of consolidation of various communities and way of broadcasting a variety of social ideas. The aim of the article is the study of specific setting of mass celebrations in Kyiv during Soviet period in 60-80 years of the XX century. The most developed in domestic scientific researches is ethno-cultural aspect of holiday phenomenon (V. Borysenko, M. Havryluk, M. Zakovych, S. Zubkov, O. Kurochkin, P. Sokolov, I. Sukhanov). Holiday as a social phenomenon studied Y. Belousov, D. Genkin, K. Zhyhulskyy, A. Mazaev, E. Kaverina, A. Nekrylova, O. Nemyro, A. Piotrowski, V. Propp, S. Turin, D. Uhrynovych, N. Hrenov, O. Shcherbynin, and L. Shumikhina. Specificity of holiday as a symbolic form of culture reveals O. Popravko. In scientific studies of T. Gayevska and J. Slutskaya holidays analyzed as a part of Soviet culture. Some aspects of mass celebrations setting in Eastern Ukraine in the 60's and 80's of the XX century studied O. Penkova. At the beginning the article proved that mass celebrations played an important role in Soviet culture. Besides the entertainment function they had ideological significance. Soviet ideologists V. Lenin, N. Krupska, A. Lunacharsky and others emphasized the importance of consolidation official and national celebrations as a part of cultural state development and ideological activities. Since the early 60's of the XX century began a new stage in the development of mass celebrations, which were caused by profound political changes in the Soviet Union after the 20th Congress of the Communist Party. According to the O. Penkova's research in this period, "the state returns to human beings at the first time". However, mass celebrations in the USSR kept its state and political character. The state established official holidays and was trying to turn them into public tradition. According to the Decree of the USSR Supreme Soviet "About the holidays and memorable dates" from the 1st of October 1980 to the category of nationwide celebrations were included the anniversary of the October Revolution – on 7–8 November, V. Lenin's Birthday – on 22 April, International Day of Worker's Solidarity (Labour Day) – on 1–2 May, Victory Day of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945 – on 9 May, USSR Constitution Day – on 7 October, National Day of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics – on 30 December, Day of the Soviet Army and Navy – on 23 February, International Women's Day – on 8 March. Then the article passes to the statement that the state established official holidays and was trying to turn them into public tradition. The special feature of these key holidays was a clear organization that carried out by apparatus structures of the Communist Party. Commissions were engaged in preparation for the holiday, which were created in all steps of the party vertical. The trade unions, The Young Communist League (komsomol), the administrations of enterprises and institutions also carried out decisions of the party apparatus. The basic forms of the mass celebrations were meetings and demonstrations during the 60-80's of the XX century in Kyiv. Together with parades of various kinds (military, sports, etc.) they were the main forms of expression festive aesthetics of the Soviet era. Involvement to the celebration of state holidays began with early childhood. The main form of mass state holidays in Kyiv were demonstrations of workers that took place on the 7th of November and the 1st of May. The celebration of the 1500 th anniversary of Kyiv in 1982 became a significant mass celebration in Kyiv in the Soviet period as well. In the conclusions is revealed that setting of mass celebrations is closely associated with ideological content of the Soviet period (the 60-70's of the XX century). In Kyiv such mass celebrations as Victory Day, May Day, Day of the October Revolution and others necessarily were held in the form of meetings and demonstrations. At the time of the events constantly were used state symbols, portraits of leaders and senior communist party leaders, Heroes of the Great Patriotic War and the Socialist Labor. In order to ensure solemnity and emotionality in the setting of mass celebrations were applied large stands depicting the Kyiv emblem or symbols of Kyiv enterprises. Banners with slogans, posters, music of patriotic character, elements of theatrical performances involving athletics and choreographic groups were also widely used.


Manna, a very singular vegetable product derived from the spontaneous solidification of the sap of some Fraxinus species, has long been known for its mild laxative and emollient properties. In this work, a hydro-alcoholic extract of manna (HME) from Sicilian Fraxinus angustifolia Vahl was investigated using HPLC-DAD to find phenol components and using chemical and biological in vitro assays to determine its reducing, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacity. We identified elenolic acid, tyrosol, hydroxytyrosol, catechin, fraxetin, verbascoside, gallic acid, procyanidin-B1, and luteolin 3,7 glucoside, in order of abundance. Measurements of total antioxidant activity by Folin-Ciocalteu reaction and ferric reducing ability (FRAP), as well as of scavenger activity towards ABTS•+, DPPH•, and perferryl-myoglobin radicals, showed that the phytocomplex effectively reduced oxidants with different standard potentials. When compared with vitamin E, HME also behaved as an efficient chain-breaking antioxidant against lipoperoxyl radicals from methyl linoleate. In cellular models for oxidative stress, HME counteracted membrane lipid oxidation of human erythrocytes stimulated by tert-butyl hydroperoxide and prevented the generation of reactive oxygen species, as well as the GSH decay in IL-1β–activated intestinal normal-like cells. Moreover, in this in vitro intestinal bowel disease model, HME reduced the release of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-8. These findings may suggest that manna acts as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory natural product in humans, beyond its well-known effects against constipation.


Experimental research suggests that at birth infants can discriminate two languages if they belong to different rhythmic classes, and by 4 months of age they can discriminate two languages within the same class provided they have been previously exposed to at least one of them. In this paper, we present a novel application of speech technology tools to model language discrimination, which may help to understand how infants achieve high performance on this task. By combining a Gaussian Mixture Model of the acoustic space and lowdimensional representations of novel utterances with a model of a habituation paradigm, we show that brief exposure to French does not allow to discriminate between two previously unheard languages with similar phonological properties, but facilitates discrimination of two phonologically distant languages. The implications of these findings are discussed.


The Acquisition, Guiding, and Wavefront sensing System (AGWS) serves multiple active and adaptive optics functions within the GMT. The AGWS uses four identical moveable star probes that perform target acquisition, active optics wavefront control, Shack-Hartmann ground-layer wavefront sensing, segment tip/tilt sensing, and segment phasing. With the exception of segment phasing, these tasks are performed by one of three selectable optical channels feeding an e2v CCD351 EMCCD camera. The most challenging task, segment phasing, is performed by a J-band dispersed fringe sensor (DFS). The DFS uses 1.5-meter square subapertures overlaying each of twelve ~40 cm segment boundary interfaces in a re-imaged pupil plane. A doublet prism array disperses the fringes formed by each segment boundary in the direction parallel to the segment gap. An optical relay images the fringes onto a SAPHIRA eAPD array that is being read out faster than the coherence time of the atmosphere. In-phase segments produce straight fringes while out-of-phase segments produce tilted fringes. This tilt is measured with the Fourier amplitude. To validate our design, we built a DFS using the same optical design, doublet prism array, and C-RED eAPD camera as our GMT design. We tested the prototype DFS on-sky at the Magellan Clay telescope during two observing runs in May and November 2018. The first run used an AO corrected beam from the MagAO system and the second used a seeing-limited beam from the F/11 facility secondary mirror. We present our on-sky results and data analysis. The tests included guide stars of varying magnitudes, AO-corrected and seeing-limited observations, and changing the zenith angle and dispersion orientation to understand the effect of differential atmospheric refraction on the measurements.


Background Data: Synovial cysts occur most frequently in the lumbar spine (88-99%). They are viewed as regenerative changes that are associated with hypermobility and instability of a motion segment as seen with spondylolisthesis and facet joint instability and facet degeneration. There is extensive controversy regarding the definition, prevalence, pathogenesis, risk factors, and most importantly, treatment options for synovial cysts management. Purpose: To assess the outcome of various surgical procedures done for the treatment of lumbar juxtafacet cysts.Study Design: Retrospective clinical case study. Patients and Methods: The data of 26 patients (17 males and 9 females) who underwent surgery for lumbar juxtafacet cysts, during the years 2005 to 2010 was reviewed. The patients age ranged from 42 to 68 years (mean 55.9 years ± 6). The most affected level was L4–L5 (21 patients), followed by L3–L4 (3 patients), while the least affected level proved to be L5-S1 (2 patients). Five patients had in addition,spondylolisthesis of the involved segment and four patients had hypermobile segments. All patients had signs of nerve root compression that failed to respond to conservative treatment preoperatively. Various patients groups were subject of alternative surgical modalities; as Microscopic laminotomies and medial facetectomies were performed in 5 patients (laminotomy group), formal Laminectomies and medial facetectomy in 12 patients (laminectomy group), while complete facetectomy with additional fusion for spondylolisthesis and hypermobility were performed with 9 patients (fusion group).Results: Conservative treatment proved to be ineffective in all cases. The mean follow up duration was for 28 months (± 7.5) ranging from 18 to 46 months. Excellent to good outcome was achieved in 17 of 26 patients (65.4%), while 6 patients (23.1%) showed fair results and 3 (11.5%) showed poor results. Persistent low back pain was not observedat all among patients of the fusion group (0 out of 9 patients); while being more common in patients operated without fusion (laminotomy and laminectomy groups) (7 out of 17 patients). Moreover, three patients of the latter group have developed grade 1 olisthy during the follow-up duration, and hence requiring additional fusion.Conclusion: Juxtafacet cysts can be treated effectively through different surgical modalities, which should be tailored according to the anatomical and dynamic properties of the patients' spines, as well as their presenting complaints. The presence of radiological instability even in the absence of overt slippage may necessitate the need for fusion. (2013ESJ050)


Polymorphisms in the TNF-alpha (A-308G), IL-4 (C-589T), and Fcalpha RIbeta (E237G) genes have been associated with asthma and related phenotypes. To determine the predictive value of these polymorphisms we have assessed their relative risk (RR) for the development of atopy, asthma, and rhinitis in a high-risk infant population that is being followed longitudinally from birth. DNA was extracted and genotyped for 373 infants and 572 parents for each polymorphism. Phenotypic data were collected for atopy and allergic diseases in the infants at 12 mo of age. The prevalence of these phenotypes in the 281 white infants was compared in each genotypic group. There were no differences in the prevalence of any phenotype between genotypes of the TNF-alpha and Fcalpha RIbeta polymorphisms. However, we found that the IL4-589*T allele was associated with "probable" asthma (RR = 4.1) and that homozygotes for the IL4-589*T allele had an increased risk for the development of rhinitis (RR = 2.4). Using the transmission disequilibrium test, an association of IL4-589*T with atopy was found. We conclude that IL-4-589*T, but not TNF-alpha-308*2 or Fcalpha RIbeta*G, is a risk factor for the development of atopy, asthma, and rhinitis by 12 mo of age.


The purpose of this chapter is to provide a step-by-step description of the robot-assisted radical cystectomy with an intra-corporeal neo-bladder technique and a recent review of its outcomes. The procedure is also known as anterior pelvic exenteration or cysto-prostatectomy in the case of female or male respectively. Radical cystectomy (RC) is the gold standard treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer, but there are also several surgical indications for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. In the past years, minimally invasive surgery and the da Vinci system technology have played a major role in this procedure, with description of brand-new techniques and specific approaches for the creation of a continent urinary reservoir. The following chapter provides a detailed description of the robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) with Y-shaped intra-corporeal bladder as well as a literary review of distinct perioperative, functional and oncological outcomes from the available RARC randomized controlled trials. Despite its high cost and complexity, the intra-corporeal technique has become widely popular around the world and is used more frequently each time. The described data in this chapter, demonstrates that morbidity can be reduced whilst simultaneously offer non-inferior oncological results and less intraoperative blood loss in contrast to the open RC approach.


This participant-observation study explores the process of gathering and evaluating both financial and non-financial information and communication and transfer of that information within a medium-sized electrical service company in Christchurch, New Zealand. The previous literature has established the importance and the main characteristics of small and medium enterprises, mainly studying manufacturing companies. However, there has been little research done in New Zealand on the overall communication process and the financial and non-financial information usage in a small-medium enterprise. The Electrical Company has a flat structure which allows flexibility. The two owners understand the importance of financial management and use financial information extensively to ensure the business expenses are under control. The owners also gather and use non-financial information through talking to their accountant, their customers and people in the same industry and they keenly follow the news on the rebuilding of Christchurch after the recent earthquakes.


Colorectal cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers and a leading cause of death nowadays. The main method to treat colorectal cancer is the surgery. However, more than 50 % of patients relapse after surgery and die from metastatic cancer. Therefore, it is important to do research on the molecular mechanism of this disease and consequently develop effective therapies. In these studies, the colorectal cancer cell is the indispensable research model. However, cancer cell lines lose the oncogenic characteristics after prolonged culture compared to those in the body of patients. To solve this problem, the study is aimed to obtain, to primarily culture, and to maintain the colorectal cancer cells from Vietnamese patients serving as cancer research model. Colorectal cancer cells were separated from 40 tumor samples and primarily cultured in vitro. 4 of 40 populations of cancer cells were cultured successfully. These cell populations were grafted into immuno-deficient SCID mice and 2 cell populations developed to xenograft tumors on mice. Then single cell suspensions from xenograft tumors were collected and analyzed the expression of surface markers huCD133 and huEpcam using flow cytometry. The human primary cancer cells from xenograft tumors positive with huCD133 and huEpcam were identified and isolated. These 2 colorectal cancer cell populations could proliferate well in in-vitro culture condition. In conclusion, the results showed that the human colorectal cancer primary cells could be maintained and proliferated in immuno-deficient mice which will be a source to supply the cancer cells for the study of cancer.


This dissertation explores the empirical influence of domestic and foreign
factors on equity pricing in Malaysia for the period 1990-2013. In addition, this study
reviews and discusses the salient features of major bull and bear markets in Malaysia
based on past evidence. This research seeks to determine if the dynamics have
changed over time with the period of study spanning across major episodes of crisis
such as the Asian Financial Crisis, the Global Financial Crisis and the European Debt
crisis. Advanced econometric techniques namely unit root test with structural breaks,
multivariate cointegration analysis, error correction model and innovation accounting
technique are employed in the analysis. The findings show that share prices and
macroeconomic variables (inflation rate, industrial production, money supply and US
share price) are cointegrated in Malaysia for the period 1990-2013. In the long-run,
consumer price index and US share prices contribute positively to share price
movement while industrial production and money supply have a negative relations
with KLCI. As for short-run dynamic interaction, Malaysia share prices are not
significantly affected by lagged information from macroeconomic variables.
Macroeconomic activities have weak explanatory power on stock market movements
in short-run. Structural change has occurred after the Asian Financial Crisis. The
Malaysian stock market is integrated with global markets of the US, UK, Singapore
and Thailand. These stock markets do have a tendency to move together in the long
run. The increase in integration after the Asian Financial Crisis is likely due structural
change. The high degree of exogeneity prior to the Global Financial Crisis may be a
sign of decoupling. Based on stylish facts and historical evidence, the following
historical events or global circumstances surround a bullish or bearish market in
Malaysia: capital flow, political instability, global and regional development, war,
change of ratings, market sentiment and outlook, major government policies
announcement and speculative activities on corporate developments.


Multimodal imaging probes have attracted the interest of ongoing research, for example, for the surgical removal of tumors. Modular synthesis approaches allow the construction of hybrid probes consisting of a radiotracer, a fluorophore and a targeting unit. We present the synthesis of a new asymmetric bifunctional cyanine dye that can be used as a structural and functional linker for the construction of such hybrid probes. 68Ga‐DOTATATE, a well‐characterized radiopeptide targeting the overexpressed somatostatin receptor subtype 2 (SSTR2) in neuroendocrine tumors, was labeled with our cyanine dye, thus providing additional information along with the data obtained from the radiotracer. We tested the SSTR2‐targeting and imaging properties of the resulting probe 68Ga‐DOTA‐ICC‐TATE in vitro and in a tumor xenograft mouse model. Despite the close proximity between dye and pharmacophore, we observed a high binding affinity towards SSTR2 as well as elevated uptake in SSTR2‐overexpressing tumors in the positron emission tomography (PET) scan and histological examination.


X‐ray crystallographic protein structures often contain disordered regions that are observed as missing electron density. Diffraction data may give little or no direct evidence as to the specific nature of disordered regions. We have developed a weighted window‐based disorder predictor optimized using crystallographic data. Performance of a predictor is strongly influenced by chain termini. Optimized score adjustment values for amino‐ and carboxy‐terminal positions demonstrate a simple, monotonic relationship between disorder and residue distance from termini. This optimized disorder predictor performs similarly to DISOPRED2 on crystallographically disordered regions. Data‐optimized residue disorder propensities show strong linear correlation with experimentally determined amino acid transfer energies between water and hydrogen‐bonding organic solvents, which primarily reflect residue hydrophobicity (exemplified by the Nozaki‐Tanford hydrophobicity scale). Disorder propensities do not correlate as well with transfer energies between water and apolar solvents, which primarily reflect a different hydropathic property: residue hydrophilicity (also reflected by the Kyte‐Doolittle hydropathy scale). Our results suggest that while hydrophobic side‐chain interactions are primarily involved in determining stability of the folded conformation, hydrogen bonding, and similar polar interactions are primarily involved in conformational and interaction specificity.


In Tanzania, a 'civil society sector' with roles in governance and development is a recent, largely externally-driven phenomenon superimposed on previously existing social and religious organizations. Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) are imagined to be 'close to the poor' and therefore better at implementing 'development' activities and playing a role in democratization. This study examined the position and role of religious organizations within a wider range of CSOs at the local level in two rural districts (Magu, prosperous, largely Christian and Newala, remote, poor, largely Muslim), to assess whether faith-based organizations play a significant and distinctive role in development.


A well-known thought experiment has us ponder a lottery system that selects one person as the source of transplantable organs for two others. The organs are forcibly harvested and the "donor" dies, whereas the other two patients live. The Survival Lottery is supposed to get at the distinction between killing and letting die, but it is also a challenge to beliefs about moral duties: what are my obligations if my life could be used to save yours and another person's as well? A less extreme version of this thought experiment might have us imagining that officials of the public healthcare system would devise a similar lottery in the aftermath of a large-scale medical emergency. We could imagine that a natural disaster or an attack using biological weapons, for example, has so diminished the ability to provide public health care that in some communities, officials might consider implementing a lottery. To avoid the concerns about outright killing of selectees, officials might offer a wide range of participation in medical practice and research, not just organ allocation. Officials could ensure that no significant risks are involved, and selectees could in various ways be compensated. Would it be possible to ethically justify this "Healthcare Lottery" on the grounds that it was a temporary, yet necessary, infringement on autonomy?


This paper deals with the problem of modeling shadow fading for wireless links in mobile ad-hoc networks (MANET). In contrast to broadcasting or cellular applications, the links in a MANET generally cannot be analyzed indepen-dently. Thus the evaluation of routing techniques and network protocols for future systems requires a realistic modeling of the correlation of the links. In the following a novel modeling approach based on stochastic geometry will be presented. This computationally inexpensive model allows for dual mobility, the simultaneous movement of the transmitter and the receiver, and can be easily adapted for various environments. The model can be integrated in network simulators and therefore enables the analysis of the influence of shadow fading on the performance of MANET routing algorithms and protocols.


It is well established that oral sex may lead to the transmission of a wide variety of STIs, including HIV.1–4 As discussed elsewhere in this issue (see syphilis symposium, pp 309–26) oral sex appears to be important in the resurgence of early infectious syphilis in the United Kingdom. Many of these latter cases have been in HIV positive individuals and it is likely that co-infection with syphilis would increase the risk of (oral) transmission of HIV—as has been shown similarly in numerous studies of genital HIV/STI co-infection.

Despite recognising that transmission does occur, some feel that the underlying risk of HIV transmission via oral sex is so low as to be negligible. However, two recent studies (as yet unpublished in peer review journals) suggest that oral sex may be contributing to a higher proportion of new HIV infections than previously thought. In the first study, of 102 men who had recently seroconverted, eight (7.8%) were attributed to oral sex. Of these eight, unprotected oral sex was the only risk factor in four, but four had also had protected anal sex.5 A second study from my own unit was of 494 HIV positive patients (mostly homosexual) who completed a questionnaire on sexual behaviour. Six per cent believed themselves to have been infected because of oral sex alone. Further follow up of these and other patients in our unit, who believe themselves to have been infected by unprotected oral sex is ongoing and about half, where data are available, have had recurrent infections of the mouth, which could have increased their risk.6

A third report of two studies from Australia, gave contradictory results. An interview study found that a similar proportion, seven of 75 (9.3%), homosexual men gave receptive oral intercourse as the likely source …


This article explores the relationship between creativity through the arts in education and considers the development of a grounded and positive sense of identity. It acknowledges that creativity in itself does not have any particular moral value, and seeks to problematise the assumed relationship between creativity and positive development. It then examines, through four cases studies, ways in which drama has been used creatively to construct positive and effective, albeit particular, understandings of identity. Working through ways of interacting cross-culturally, and addressing personal and social issues in a colonised society, it offers a challenge for education. Through discussion and analysis of the case studies and the values they expose, it examines the implications of creativity and the value laden nature of concepts of identity for classroom teaching.


In response to cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Toxoplasma gondii antigens, T4+ cells from seropositive donors produce interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) by different mechanisms; one (T. gondii) dependent upon and the other (CMV) largely independent of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and its receptor. To determine whether IFN-gamma-generating mechanisms unrelated to IL-2 also differ, we examined the requirement for accessory cells and their expressed or secreted products. In response to both specific antigens, IFN-gamma secretion was strictly dependent upon the presence of accessory cells (monocytes), and was largely inhibited by monoclonal antibodies to class II (HLA-DR and -DQ) but not class I MHC antigens. Both CMV and T. gondii antigens stimulated monocytes to release interleukin-1 (IL-1), and IFN-gamma production in response to both antigens was abolished by pretreatment with anti-IL-1 antibody. In contrast, the secretion of tumour necrosis factor (TNF) was not stimulated by either antigen, and IFN-gamma production was not diminished by antisera directed at TNF-alpha or TNF-beta. We conclude that CMV and T. gondii antigen-induced IFN-gamma production requires a similar accessory cell mechanism, and that soluble antigen-stimulated IFN-gamma secretion by human T4+ cells is dependent on monocytes, expression of class II MHC antigens, and the presence of IL-1.


When learning a mapping from an input space to an output space, the assumption that the sample distribution of the training data is the same as that of the test data is often violated. Unsupervised domain shift methods adapt the learned function in order to correct for this shift. Previous work has focused on utilizing unlabeled samples from the target distribution. We consider the complementary problem in which the unlabeled samples are given post mapping, i.e., we are given the outputs of the mapping of unknown samples from the shifted domain. Two other variants are also studied: the two sided version, in which unlabeled samples are give from both the input and the output spaces, and the Domain Transfer problem, which was recently formalized. In all cases, we derive generalization bounds that employ discrepancy terms.


The observation that individuals tend to be friends with people who are similar to themselves, commonly known as homophily, is a prominent and well-studied feature of social networks. Many machine learning methods exploit homophily to predict attributes of individuals based on the attributes of their friends. Meanwhile, recent work has shown that gender homophily can be weak or nonexistent in practice, making gender prediction particularly challenging. In this work, we identify another useful structural feature for predicting gender, an overdispersion of gender preferences introduced by individuals who have extreme preferences for a particular gender, regardless of their own gender. We call this property monophily for "love of one," and jointly characterize the statistical structure of homophily and monophily in social networks in terms of preference bias and preference variance. For prediction, we find that this pattern of extreme gender preferences introduces friend-of-friend correlations, where individuals are similar to their friends-of-friends without necessarily being similar to their friends. We analyze a population of online friendship networks in U.S. colleges and offline friendship networks in U.S. high schools and observe a fundamental difference between the success of prediction methods based on friends, "the company you keep," compared to methods based on friends-of-friends, "the company you're kept in." These findings offer an alternative perspective on attribute prediction in general and gender in particular, complicating the already difficult task of protecting attribute privacy.


This study aims to examine several inoculation methods for pathogenisity test of BDB on banana fruit. The Results showed that injection method and smearing suspension bacteria using cotton bud on the base of fruit was capable in producing symptoms of blood disease on banana fruit. The injection method is shown to be the most effective method because it caused blood disease symptoms in the banana fruit at the first day after inoculation. Inoculums densities of 108 and 109 CFU/ml of BDB could develop disease on third and sixth day after inoculation. BDB produced unique symptoms by causing yellowing and browning on the flesh of a banana fruit as well as browning at the fruit placenta in 7 days after inoculation, the symptom is different with caused by other pathogen like as Xanthomonas oryzae, Pantoea sp dan Erwinia carotovora, dan Ralstonia solanacearum. Keywords: banana, Blood Disease Bacterium (BDB), inoculation


Summary Topical glucocorticosteroids are frequently used for the treatment of sunburn despite the scarcity of randomized, double‐blind controlled trials to support this indication. This randomized, intra‐individually controlled trial compared the efficacy and safety of two topical glucocorticosteroids, 0.1% methylprednisolone aceponate milk (MPA) and 0.1% hydrocortisone 17‐butyrate emulsion (HCB), for treatment of sunburn in 24 healthy volunteers of skin type III. After irradiation of the skin by simulated sunlight, treatments were blinded and randomly allocated to 36 cm2 test areas on both sides of the spine. Volunteers were treated twice daily for 7 days and assessed daily with 1‐day follow‐up. The untreated area was not blinded. Primary efficacy measures were sum score and sunburn reaction based on erythema, oedema, burning and itching. Secondary efficacy measures were physician's global assessment, individual signs/symptoms, colorimetry, dermatological improvement, and time to healing. Intra‐individual comparisons were made. Differences in sum score were apparent on days 3–4 and significant on days 4–5 for corticosteroids compared with nontreatment. Treated areas had significantly lower sunburn reaction than untreated areas (P = 0.1% and P = 0.5% for MPA and HCB, respectively). Differences between treatments were not significant. Secondary efficacy measures were in line with these findings. None of the three adverse events reported were considered to be related to treatment. We conclude that MPA and HCB are safe and effective in the treatment of sunburn.


The intracellular pH (pHi) of the anterior byssus retractor muscle (ABRM) of Mytilus edulis L. was estimated during rest and during a contraction-catch-relaxation cycle by the distribution of [ 14 C]DMO and by 31 P-NMR spectroscopy. The pHi of resting muscles was found to be nearly the same whether it was determined with DMO (7.41±0.06, N =5l) or by 31 P-NMR spectroscopy (7.44±0.02, N =5). During catch the pHi was not significantly different from its value at rest. Serotonin (10 −5 moll −1 ) induced a rapid relaxation and a significant increase in pHi (DMO: 7.56±0.05, N =5; 31 P-NMR: 7.57±0.02, N =5). In resting ABRM serotonin (≥10 −6 moll −1 ) also induced an alkalosis. It was shown that cyclic AMP, the second messenger of serotonin, elicited an increase of pHi. Dopamine (10 −5 moll −1 ) did not cause an increase in either cyclic AMP levels or pHi. The rates by which tonically contracted ABRM loaded at 0.1 N were stretched were significantly increased by an alkalosis elicited by the addition of 10 or 20mmoll −1 methylamine. Acidosis elicited by lO mmoll −1 DMO caused a significant decrease in the rate of relaxation.


The accurate calculation of channel electrostatics
parameters, such as charge density and potential, in ultra-thin body (UTB) devices requires self-consistent solution of the
Poisson's equation and the full band structure, which is channel
material and thickness dependent. For cubic crystals like silicon,
the semi-empirical sp3d5s* tight-binding (TB) model is preferred
in device simulations, over the density functional theory, to
obtain the full band structure because of being computationally
less intensive and equally accurate. However, the computational
time of the TB model scales non-linearly with the channel
thickness and becomes cumbersome for silicon, beyond 5 nm,
primarily because of the increasing size of the TB hamiltonian
that needs to be solved over the entire k-space, in the irreducible
Brillouin zone. In this work, we precisely identify those k-points
corresponding to the energies close to the band minima, where
the Fermi-Dirac probability significantly affects electrostatics
parameters. This enables us to demonstrate a computationally
efficient approach based on solving the hamiltonian only on those
reduced number of k-points. The rigorous benchmarking of the
channel electrostatics parameters obtained from this approach
is performed with results from accurate full band structure
simulations showing excellent agreement over a wide range of
channel thicknesses, oxide thicknesses, device temperatures and
different channel orientations. By showing that the approach
presented in this work is computationally efficient, besides
being accurate, regardless of the number of atomic layers, we
demonstrate its applicability for simulating UTB devices.


A square-type rotary ultrasonic stator using longitudinal vibration transducers is proposed. The proposed stator contains four longitudinal vibration transducers, which are located in square-type. Every longitudinal transducer includes two exponential shape horns located on each end. And the horns of adjacent transducers intersected at tip ends where located the driving feet. The longitudinal vibrations of transducers are excited by the longitudinal vibrations of PZT ceramics. Longitudinal vibrations of adjacent transducers are superimposed in the driving foot and generated elliptical trajectory. The actuating mechanism is analyzed, and the motion trajectories of driving feet are deduced. The stator is designed and analyzed by using FEM method. The vibration characteristic of stator is gained by transient analysis. Results indicate that the motion trajectories of the four driving feet have good consistency, and the proposed motor has potential good output characteristics. The results of this paper verify the theoretical feasibility and provide instructions for the development of proposed stator.


We provide a partial classification of semistable Higgs bundles over a simply connected Calabi-Yau manifold. Applications to a conjecture about a special class of semistable Higgs bundles are given. In particular, the conjecture is proved for K3 and Enriques surfaces, and some related classes of surfaces.


The Internet of Things is about introducing sensors (RFID, IR, GPS, laser scanners, and so on.) for everything, and interfacing them to the web through particular conventions for data trade and interchanges, keeping in mind the end goal to accomplish keen acknowledgment, area, following, checking and administration. With the specialized support from IoT, keen city need three components of being instrumented, interconnected and savvy. At exactly that point a Smart City can be framed by coordinating all these canny elements at its propelled phase of IOT advancement. The fundamental components of a shrewd city incorporate a high level of data innovation reconciliation and a thorough utilization of data assets. The fundamental segments of urban advancement for a brilliant city ought to incorporate shrewd innovation, keen industry, savvy administrations, brilliant administration and savvy life. The inspiration of the unique issue is to unite researchers, educators, specialists, architects and executives falling back on the best in class advances and thoughts to essentially enhance the field of Smart City in view of IoT.


A wide range of bacterial species are harbored in the oral cavity, with the resulting complex network of interactions between the microbiome and host contributing to physiological as well as pathological conditions at both local and systemic levels. Bacterial communities inhabit the oral cavity as primary niches in a symbiotic manner and form dental biofilm in a stepwise process. However, excessive formation of biofilm in combination with a corresponding deregulated immune response leads to intra-oral diseases, such as dental caries, gingivitis, and periodontitis. Moreover, oral commensal bacteria, which are classified as so-called "pathobionts" according to a now widely accepted terminology, were recently shown to be present in extra-oral lesions with distinct bacterial species found to be involved in the onset of various pathophysiological conditions, including cancer, atherosclerosis, chronic infective endocarditis, and rheumatoid arthritis. The present review focuses on oral pathobionts as commensal and healthy members of oral biofilms that can turn into initiators of disease. We will shed light on the processes involved in dental biofilm formation and also provide an overview of the interactions of P. gingivalis, as one of the most prominent oral pathobionts, with host cells, including epithelial cells, phagocytes, and dental stem cells present in dental tissues. Notably, a previously unknown interaction of P. gingivalis bacteria with human stem cells that has impact on human immune response is discussed. In addition to this very specific interaction, the present review summarizes current knowledge regarding the immunomodulatory effect of P. gingivalis and other oral pathobionts, members of the oral microbiome, that pave the way for systemic and chronic diseases, thereby showing a link between periodontitis and rheumatoid arthritis.


The different separation mechanism of fine-blanking with negative clearance and conventional blanking under different blanking process are analyzed through fine-blanking with negative clearance and conventional blanking processing experiments on AISI-1045 steel. The fractography photographs in the different deformation regions, such as rollover zone, shearing band, fracture zone and burr zone are scanned by scanning electron microscope (SEM-JSM-6360LV). The place of fracture of fine-blanking with negative clearance has emerged into the middle of work piece not the undermost of workpiece, and the width of fracture band is as tiny as 50-100 micron. The smooth surface formed by the uniform plastic flow in the process fine-blanking with negative clearance, and the full course of finally toughness fracture have been analyzed in the final phase of ejecting in fine-blanking with negative clearance. From the perspective of material meso-damage, the fracture mechanism of special blanking process with negative clearance has been illustrated in details.