Spectrin molecules are distributed uniformly throughout the submembranous regions of intact human erythrocytes. Spectrin does not appear to extend into the red blood cell cytoplasm to any significant extent. Thus, it does not form a recognizable internal scaffolding nor does it seem to connect distant segments of the cell membrane. Spectrin retains its submembranous location in the spiny processes of echinocytes produced by ATP depletion. Thus, these processes do not seem to form by a simple extrusion mechanism powered by contraction of the spectrin network. Spectrin seems to be important for the stability of the lipid bilayer of the red cell membrane, and it probably also plays a role in regulating red cell shape. How it performs either function is still unknown.


Although board games and video games have been studied for decades in artificial intelligence research, challenging word games remain relatively unexplored. Word games are not as constrained as games like chess or poker. Instead, word game strategy is defined by the players' understanding of the way words relate to each other. The word game Codenames provides a unique opportunity to investigate common sense understanding of relationships between words, an important open challenge. We propose an algorithm that can generate Codenames clues from the language graph BabelNet or from any of several embedding methods – word2vec, GloVe, fastText or BERT. We introduce a new scoring function that measures the quality of clues, and we propose a weighting term called DETECT that incorporates dictionary-based word representations and document frequency to improve clue selection. We develop BabelNet-Word Selection Framework (BabelNetWSF) to improve BabelNet clue quality and overcome the computational barriers that previously prevented leveraging language graphs for Codenames. Extensive experiments with human evaluators demonstrate that our proposed innovations yield state-of-the-art performance, with up to 102.8% improvement in precision@2 in some cases. Overall, this work advances the formal study of word games and approaches for common sense language understanding.


Rothschild's editorial (p 26) directly identifies the generally poor training and limited interest of primary care practitioners toward the complaints of their patients about arthritis. The problem is not a new one. It dates back to the time of Osler, who reportedly claimed "when the arthritic comes in the front door, the doctor wants to go out the back door." Despite the nihilistic attitude reflected, paradoxically, it is now rheumatoid arthritis and related crippling disorders that are the chief cause of disability and work time loss in the United States. Is the answer then, as Rothschild suggests, to train a corps of practicing practitioners by bringing them back to educational institutions for six months to a year to correct this problem? I think not. Although Stross and Bole 1 have described a four-month program at the University of Michigan Arthritis Center, Ann Arbor, for such a purpose, they realistically have


H-D exchange at the formyl residue of the natural product malonganenone B was investigated. Models of the system were synthesised and displayed the same exchange. Kinetic studies, performed using NMR spectroscopy, found the exchange was first order with respect to base whilst displaying acid inhibition, in opposition to existing research. Cyclic species, including an N-heterocyclic carbene precursor, were formed that, in conjunction with the previous findings, suggested a carbene-based mechanism was in operation. Further synthetic studies were performed to demonstrate the existence of a carbene. With use of silver oxide, a fulvalene dimer and an organopalladium complex of this carbene were obtained, which provide further support towards a carbene-based mechanism being involved in the H-D exchange of malonganenone B.


The aim of this thesis was to develop and analyse optimisation strategies for commercial buildings with integrated microgrids, in order to find optimal trade-offs between maximising profitability and facilitating renewable energy from the national power grid. The continued proliferation of microgrids, as well as the increase in electricity produced by renewable energy sources on the Irish national grid has necessitated the requirement for these strategies. Models to simulate the performance of a photovoltaic system, wind turbine and battery bank were developed and validated. The most suitable optimisation algorithm to generate an optimal charge/discharge rate schedule for a battery bank was selected and developed in order to minimise operating costs for building with an integrated photovoltaic system, wind turbine and battery bank. Furthermore, a comprehensive analysis was carried out using multi-objective optimization to investigate trade-offs between optimising the building operating costs while simultaneously facilitating high levels of wind generation the national power grid to reduce curtailment. The results showed that battery charge/discharge scheduling using multiple charge/discharge rates produced superior results (24% reduction in building operating costs) in comparison to a standard controller using a single charge/discharge rate. A Genetic Algorithm was chosen as the most suitable optimisation algorithm due to its superior optimization performance in comparison to other algorithms tested. The results demonstrated that the building operating costs decreased as the number of available charge and discharge rates was increased, with the most suitable number of potential charge/discharge rates being 12. Multi-objective XXII optimisation was then implemented with a priority weighting factor (α) being applied to the objectives of minimising electricity costs (building operating cost) whilst also maximizing the facilitation of wind generation on the grid. The trade-offs between the two objectives were then assessed for varying conditions. Upon evaluating 96 scenarios with varying weather conditions, building electricity demand, electricity pricing, microgrid output and wind penetration on the national grid. It was observed, that when α was 20% or higher (whereby the objective function was gradually weighted away from minimising costs and towards wind generation facilitation), the amount of extra wind energy facilitated from the grid was negligible while building operating costs continued to increase. Moreover, the results indicated that large gains in wind energy facilitation could be achieved for very small increases in building operating costs (€0.06 per 1% increase in wind energy facilitation), demonstrating the efficacy of the optimization strategy under all 96 scenarios. The analyses carried out in this thesis produced interesting and pertinent, results which could be used as a comprehensive means of optimising battery utilisation in microgrids to help facilitate increased wind penetration. The outputs of the thesis may be used to provide information to end users, electricity suppliers and government bodies to aid in cost saving and wind energy facilitation for commercial buildings.


A new filler material, SCAN, silica-coated aluminum nitride, has been developed by The Dow Chemical Company for microelectronic plastic packaging. SCAN is a hydrolytically stable aluminum nitride material with appropriate particle size distribution and thermal conductivity to be used as a filler material for molding compounds or glob-tops where power dissipation is required. The patented silica coating process imparts hydrolytic stability to the powder and modifies the surface chemistry to make it more compatible with resin formulations that have traditionally used fused silica.


Significant advances have been made in time-varying data analysis and visualization, mainly in improving our ability to identify temporal trends and classify the underlying data. However, the ability to perform cost-effective data querying and indexing is often not incorporated, which posts a serious limitation as the size of time-varying data continue to grow. In this paper, we present a new approach that unifies data compacting, indexing and classification into a single framework. We achieve this by transforming the time-activity curve representation of a time-varying data set into a hierarchical symbolic representation. We further build an indexable version of the data hierarchy, from which we create the iTree for visual representation of the time-varying data. A hyperbolic layout algorithm is employed to draw the iTree with a large number of nodes and provide focus+context visualization for interaction. We achieve effective querying, searching and tracking of time-varying data sets by enabling multiple coordinated views consisting of the iTree, the symbolic view and the spatial view.


Cu-Mo-Si alloys with different Cu contents were prepared by self-propagation high-temperature synthesis (SHS). The microstructure and the worn surface morphology were observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) together with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. Phase composition was determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The wear behavior of the Cu-Mo-Si alloys was characterized by pin-on-disc wear tester. The results showed that most of Si atoms dissolved in Cu matrix or resulted in formation of compound with Cu, while only small amount of Si atoms reacted with Mo atoms to form Mo5Si3 particles in the Cu-Ni-Si alloys with 80% Cu content. The wear rate of Cu-Mo-Si alloys descended with a decrease of Cu content, and the predominant wear mechanism could be identified as abrasive wear for Cu content less than 90% and plastic deformation for Cu content higher than 90%.


We analyzed the effects of hypoxic vasoconstriction and total flow on the distribution of pulmonary perfusion in 38 isolated left rabbit lungs perfused under zone 3 conditions. Lungs were suspended in an upright position, oriented to the apicobasal line. Distributions of regional perfusion rates (RPR) along the vertical and horizontal axes were determined using nonradioactive microspheres labeled with heavy metal elements, which were detectable with X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Changing the O2 concentration of a respirator and an extracorporeal membrane oxygenator independently, respective influences of active vasoconstriction induced by alveolar hypoxia and pulmonary artery hypoxia (PA hypoxia) on the RPR distribution were examined at a flow rate of 0.4 ml x min(-1) x g wet lung tissue(-1). To analyze the effects of changes in total flow, we investigated the RPR distribution at a perfusion rate of 1.2 ml x min(-1) x g wet lung tissue(-1). The RPR distribution in the absence of hypoxia was inhomogeneous and was augmented in the lower lung fields, whereas alveolar hypoxia shifted the RPR upward and significantly diminished the RPR in the lung base. RPR distributions along the horizontal axes under alveolar hypoxia conditions demonstrated that remarkable hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) takes place in medial regions at the lung base. PA hypoxia altered the RPR distribution in qualitatively the same manner as alveolar hypoxia. Increased flow rate augmented the RPR in the lung, except in the dorsobasal region. These results suggest that the occurrence of HPV and the vascular conductance are not uniform throughout the lung.


HLA (Human Leucocyte Antigen) class I molecules present a variable but limited repertoire of antigenic peptides for T-cell recognition. Identification of specific antigenic peptides is essential for the development of immunotherapy. High polymorphism of HLA genes and a large number of possible peptides to be evaluated, however, have made the identification by experiments costly and time-consuming. Computational methods have been proposed to address this problem. In cases where plenty number of binding affinity data of peptides are available, various QSAR and machine learning approaches efficiently evaluate the affinity of test peptides, while in the cases where just a little data are available, structure-based approaches like elaborate docking have been proposed. We have developed a software named HLABAP that is designed to predict the binding affinities for a set of peptides against a particular HLA class I allele. By the combination of homology modeling for posing instead of docking and geometry optimization of the complex structures between the HLA molecule and peptides, HLABAP well predicts the binding affinities for the peptides. The results have shown that HLABAP should be applicable to identify possible antigenic peptides against a particular allele of HLA class I prior to the experiments far efficiently than the ordinary docking methods.


Preantral follicles which were enzymatically or mechanically isolated from mouse ovaries were exposed either to 2-mole ethylene glycol (EG) for 2 or 5 min or to ascending concentration (0.15 then 0.3 mole) of raffinose for 2 and 5 min each before exposure to the vitrification solution (VS) for 0.5,1, or 2 min and then vitrified. After warming, the mechanically isolated follicles showed higher survival than enzymatically isolated follicles, regardless of the periods of exposure to EG or raffinose and exposure to VS. Mechanically isolated follicles exposed to 2-mole EG for 5 min and then to VS for 0.5 or 1 min showed the highest survival. They were then treated with collagenase and cultured in vitro for 10 days. After culture in vitro, the proportion of viable oocyte-ganulosa cell complexes from vitrified follicles was 10% lower than that of the fresh preantral follicles. There was no difference in the rates of maturation, fertilization, and subsequent development to blastocysts between the oocytes derived from vitrified preantral follicles and fresh preantral follicles. One of the 5 recipients which received 20 blastocysts derived from vitrified preantral follicles gave birth to 6 live pups. The results of the present study demonstrate for the first time that mouse preantral follicles can be vitrified and that some of the embryos derived from vitrified preantral follicles can develop to live pups.


Background Orthostatic tremor is one of the few tremor conditions requiring an electromyogram for definitive diagnosis since leg tremor might not be visible to the naked eye. Phenomenology Shown An iOS application (iSeismometer, ObjectGraph LLC, New York) using an Apple iPhone 5 (Cupertino, CA, USA) inserted into the patient's sock detected a tremor with a frequency of 16.4 Hz on both legs. Educational Value The rapid and straightforward accelerometer-based recordings accomplished in this patient demonstrate the ease with which quantitative analysis of orthostatic tremor can be conducted and, importantly, demonstrates the potential application of this approach in the assessment of any lower limb tremor.


The Bispectral Index (BIS) is an EEG-derived value that measures the
sedative and hypnotic component of the anesthetic state. The effects of age on the
bispectral index have not been well documented. The objective of the present study
was to determine the influence of age on hypnotic requirement and bispectral index in
awake and in patients with sedation induced by midazolam.
Methods: Eighty patients were enrolled in this prospective observational study. The
patients in study group were aged more than 70 years, and the age in control group
ranged 20-40 years. Baseline recording of BIS was taken in awake patients in two
groups for few minutes. Five minutes after administration of 0.02 mg/kg IV midazolam
the BIS value also was taken and recorded.
Results: In the study group, patients had a mean base BIS 94±3 compared with 97.3±1
in the control group (p< 0.0001). Five minutes after administration of 0.02 mg/kg
midazolam the value were 80.9±6 and 90.4±3 respectively (p< 0.0001).
Conclusion: When BIS is used as a monitor of hypnosis in the elderly, we recommend
that a baseline recording be taken before induction for a few minutes to alert the
anesthesia provider to the possibility of low initial values. Further studies are needed to
verify if the recommended range of 50-60 of BIS during clinical anesthesia is also
adequate in the elderly with low initial baseline BIS or if this range needs adjusting in
view of reduced initial BIS value.


During the injection molding procedure of plastics, the gear pumps in their work are exposed to the effect of elevated pressure and temperature. On one of these pump there has been frequent downtime due to breakage of the driven gear. Gears which were installed as standard spare parts had stood out in operation for three months. On a sample of a broken gear were perfomed laboratory examinations (metallographic examinations, hardness control on cross-section and surface of the fracture was examined). Conclusion was that it was high quench hardening of a steel of which a part is made, the most likely cause of the fracture of a standard gear. In order to extend the useful life, two test gear are made from steel for cementation 20MnCr5. By applying the appropriate parameters of thermal chemical treatment useful life of the gear is significantly extended, after which the test gears have worked for nine months from the moment of installation.


Background: Propofol is the most popular induction agent for laryngeal mask airway (LMA) insertion in current anaesthesia practice however associated hypotension has been reported as its major disadvantage. Etomidate, which produces less hypotension, can be considered as an alternative agent for LMA insertion. Objectives: The objective of this study was to compare the hemodynamic effects of etomidate with propofol for induction of general anaesthesia (GA) for LMA. Ease of inserting LMA was also looked at. Material and Methods: It was a prospective randomized double blinded study. All ASA I and II patients of 15 - 60 years of age undergoing general anaesthesia with LMA for elective surgeries were included. Patients were induced with intravenous (I/V) fentanyl and induction agent either etomidate or propofol according to group randomization. LMA was inserted after 30 seconds. Intra-operative heart rate (HR), sys tolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), number of attempts and duration of LMA insertion were monitored. Results: There was no difference in the heart rate between the two groups. A significant drop was found for systolic blood pressure (SBP) in propofol group while diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was decreased in both the groups. In propofol group, successful insertion of LMA was achieved on the first attempt in 93.3% of patient as compared to 36.7% in etomidate group. Conclusion: Use of etomidate for induction of laryngeal mask anesthesia can prevent the hypotension following induction; however it may delay the insertion of laryngeal mask airway.


This paper addresses the problem of segmenting audio data recorded with embedded devices for the purpose of intelligent sensing in the context of multi-modal interactions. We propose a real-time method for robust speech detection in natural, noisy environments. It is based on a fusion of high order statistics of the LPC residual and autocorrelation, and adopts an on-line version of Expectation Maximization algorithm for the classification. Experimental evaluations show that the proposed method provides better detection performance under different types of natural noises, working robustly against other voices in the context of multi-speaker interactive situations. As the proposed method is based on features which have a low computational cost, and has a small latency, it is suitable for real-time tracking applications.


There is increasing evidence linking breast cancer and diabetes; however, few studies have explored the association between cancer treatments and risk of diabetes. Tamoxifen may increase diabetes incidence through its estrogen‐inhibiting effects. This study assessed whether tamoxifen treatment in older breast cancer survivors is associated with an increased risk of diabetes.


Itraconazole for pulmonary mycetoma To the Editor: We wish to report a 57-year-old woman who presented with cough and haemoptysis. She had smoked up to 30 cigarettes daily until two years before presentation. In 1959 she had tuberculosis treated with streptomycin, isoniazid and PAS followed by a right upper lobectomy in 1961. In 1986she suffered a severe subarachnoid haemorrhage resulting in bilateral frontal lobe infarction with residual mild lower limb spasticity and minor frontal lobe defects. In August 1988 she presented with a three-month history of persistent productive cough with copious amounts of yellow-green sputum and approximately 12 episodes of haemoptysis (1-2 mL in volume). She was constitutionally well with no weight loss. Physical examination showed the old right-sided thoracotomy scar and a reduction in breath sounds over the right upper zone. A chest x-rayshowed changes consistent with a previous right upper lobectomy. Pulmonary embolism or malignancy were considered the most likely diagnoses and the patient was admitted to hospital. Results of a full blood examination were normal but the ESR was 50 mm in one hour. Ventilation and perfusion scans excluded pulmonary embolism and a bronchoscopy showed only narrowing of the right main bronchus. Bronchial washings showed inflammatory cells, but no organisms or fungi were seen or cultured. Results of cytological examination of the bronchial washings were negative. A computed tomography (CT)scan of the chest showed a cavity in the right apex (apex of right lower lobe) containing a solid ball of tissue (3 cm in diameter). Surgical opinion for the treatment of the presumed mycetoma was sought. It was considered that percutaneous instillation of the cavity with an antifungal agent would be unlikely to be helpful or curative and that an open procedure would be very difficult and risky because of the past surgery. It was therefore decided to treat the patient with oral itraconazole, a relatively new triazole antifungal agent with minimal toxicity, aiming to deal with local tissue invasion in the cavity walls to reduce inflammation and prevent future potential life-threatening haemorrhage. A course of itraconazole (100 mg twice daily) was commenced in December 1988. In February 1989 the patient had improved and a CT scan showed that the mycetoma was smaller. Subsequently there was a progressive improvement in her clinical condition with reduction in severity of cough and no further haemoptyses. Treatment was continued until September 1989 with clinical reviews and quarterly CT scans of the chest. These scans showed a gradual and progressive reduction in the size of the mycetoma. In September 1989 the patient was symptom free and her ESR was 7 mm in one hour. At that time the mycetoma could not be identified on CT scanning. Twelve months after cessation of treatment the mycetoma remains unidentifiable. Aspergillus precipitins were unfortunately not sought on presentation; they were not found 12 months after cessation of treatment. The patient continues to be well. Regular routine haematological and biochemical tests were performed and monitored throughout the period of itraconazole treatment. It was well tolerated and no side effects were experienced. Itraconazole is a relatively new triazole antifungal agent with low toxicity. It has previously been shown to be effective in treating patients with Aspergillus infections. t -a The diagnosis of a mycetoma in our patient is a presumptive one as at no time were fungal elements identified despite diligent examination. However, the clinical and radiological manifestations were characteristic of a mycetoma. The complete radiological resolution was a surprising finding as it is difficult to understand how an agent delivered by the blood stream to the lung could result in the disappearance of a mycetoma, which is by definition a free mass of fungal elements within a cavity. It is likely that the mycetoma was not actually "free standing" but was in continuity with host tissue. Similar experiences have been previously reported.' An alternative explanation is that the mycetoma underwent spontaneous lysis during the period of antifungal therapy, as previously reported.' However the chronological sequence of events supports the contention that the use of itraconazole was responsible for the disappearance of the mycetoma in this case. Our experience confirms that of others':' and suggests that a prolonged course of itraconazole should be considered in patients requiring therapy for pulmonary mycetoma. Maree Barnes, MB BS Clinical Assistant Jonathan Burdon, MD, FRACP Director, Department of Respiratory Medicine Alan Harris, MB BS, FRCR Radiologist, Department of Radiology St Vincent's Hospital 41 Victoria Parade. Fitzroy. VIC 3065 1. De Beule K, De Doncker P, Cauwenbergh G, et al. The treatment of aspergillosis and aspergilloma with itraconazole. clinical results of an open international study (1982-87). Mycoses 1988: 31: 476-485. 2 Elliott JA. Milne LJR. Cumming D. Chronic necrotismq aspergillOSIS treated with itraconazole. Thorax 1989; 44: 820-821. 3, Armstrong RH. Chronic necrotising aspergillosis and its treatment with itraconazole a case report Aust NZ J Med 1990; 19: 670 4 Hammerman KJ, Christianson CS, Huntington I. et at. Spontaneous lySIS of aspergillomata. Chest 1973; 64: 697·699


The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) gefitinib, erlotinib and afatinib are currently recommended for first-line treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring EGFR-TKI-sensitizing mutations ( EGFRm ) (1,2). However, after a period of 9 to 11 months of treatment, acquired resistance to these first- and secondgeneration EGFR-TKIs inevitably develops. In 50–60% of the cases, acquired resistance is due to EGFR T790M mutation, which is the substitution of threonine with methionine at amino acid position 790, EGFR T790M (3,4).


This report presents an evaluation of the Workplace Challenge, a County Sport Partnership led physical activity programme which utilises a website designed to engage people from workplaces in physical activity. The Workplace Challenge operated within the geographical boundary of Lincolnshire and thus targeted workplaces within this region. The overarching aim of the Workplace Challenge was to enact culture change within organisations in terms of employees' physical activity habits.

Methods
A methods-driven, Programme Evaluation model was adopted which utilised qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. Qualitative data was obtained from three case studies of different groups engaged in the Workplace Challenge: A workplace from the private sector, a workplace from the public sector, and individual participants who took part in the programme but were either not associated to a workplace or were the sole representative from their workplace. Purposive samples of participants were selected from each case study who completed a semi structured interview regarding the programme, with results analysed via thematic analysis to highlight common themes. Quantitative analysis was conducted utilising the information stored on the Workplace Challenge website and using a computer script developed with MATLAB®, (MathWorks, Massachusetts, USA).

Key Findings
Key qualitative findings related to the social networks and relationships which operated during the programme and how these influenced programme delivery and uptake. The presence of a key programme driver within a workplace appeared crucial to the successful delivery of the programme; ensuring employees were informed, motivated and connected throughout the programme. Team bonding and intra-workplace competition were prominent outcomes of the programme, with competition motivating increases in physical activity levels amongst many individuals. Feelings of isolation were also apparent from individuals engaged in the programme who felt unconnected to a wider team, as well as negative feelings which stemmed from an individual comparing their physical captivity levels to a more active peer. With reference to the Workplace Challenge programme, responses indicated that the active transport element of the programme was unknown by many individuals, as well as the fact the programme website was staying live after the completion of the challenge. There also existed ambiguity over how to classify exercise intensity on the Workplace Challenge website. Key quantitative findings indicated the varied level of engagement which was apparent from individuals involved in the programme, with a large range of website activity entries being recorded and significant variations in durations of activity completed. The average number of modes of activity completed per participant was low indicating that individuals preferred to undertake a few chosen activities as opposed to the programme encouraging new activity forms.


While the main concern in mobile networks was increasing network capacity and expanding coverage in the past, green operation have recently become a major concern. To conserve energy in mobile networks, we employ mobile edge computing to access real-time data and offload processing tasks to the edges for reducing complexity and latency. An edge cloud has a larger view of the network than a base station. Therefore, it can evaluate the probability of coverage by considering the density of base stations to enhance the overall system throughput while preventing coverage holes. This may enhance user experience and decrease response time in the network. We propose a density-adaptive power control algorithm that reduces energy consumption in an LTE network and improves the mean throughput. We show how power allocation and interference may affect system performance. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can reduce the energy wastage up to 67% in comparison with the basic model (without any power allocation model) and 28% in comparison with a recent work while the mean throughput can be improved by 22%.


A new tunnel-recombination junction model was proposed to increase the recombination of n/p junctions in tandem solar cells. According to the model, we fabricated a new tunnel junction with a nanostructured amorphous silicon p+ (na-Si p+) layer inserted between the n layer and the p layer. To compare with the conventional method, we fabricated another tunnel junction with an amorphous p+ (a-Si p+) insertion layer. Both devices were characterized by their dark current-voltage behavior (I-V), activation energy (Ea) and quantum efficiency (QE). The result shows that the tunnel junction with a na-Si p+ insertion layer has higher recombination rates with higher density of defect states of about 2.7×1019cm-3 , lower resistance with activation energy of 22meV. The tunnel junction with a na-Si p+ insertion layer could be easily integrated into the tandem solar cell deposition process.


This research paper will explore the impact that the federal financing structure has on the child welfare system in the United States. First, a historical policy analysis of the changing goals of child welfare and an overview of the current federal funding structure will be provided. Subsequently, the consequences of having a changing system with an unchanging funding structure will be explored. Finally, proposed solutions will be explored in terms of their impact on the field of child welfare as well as society as a whole. Unfortunately, antiquated federal programs are being used to fund progressive and innovative child welfare policies. Children and families alike are negatively impacted when funding is not available for the most vital child welfare goal: family preservation. Federal funds undeniably shape the implementation of child welfare policies in local agencies across the country. This research reveals that the field of child welfare needs to advocate for funding streams that can meet its new goals. Future research should continue to explore possible solutions for allowing the federal funding structure to fully support the goals of child welfare.


Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is considered the most common neurodevelopmental disorder of childhood and can continue through adolescence and adulthood. Global impairment in children with ADHD increases with increasing number of concurrent disorders. The presence of ADHD in childhood increases the likelihood of additional difficulties in academic performance, social interactions, and low self-esteem developing into adolescents and young adults. Aims: The study aims to (i) to determine the prevalence of ADHD among schoolchildren at selected schools in Kancheepuram district, (ii) to find the agreement between parent and teacher reports, and (iii) to associate the prevalence of ADHD among schoolchildren with their selected demographic variables. Settings and Design: A quantitative research approach with cross-sectional research design was adopted for the study. The study focused on primary schoolchildren from the selected schools in Kancheepuram district. Materials and Methods: Totally 3253 children aged between 8 and 11 years were enumerated from the selected six schools in Kancheepuram district after obtaining informed consent from their caregivers. The presence of ADHD was assessed using Conners' Teacher–Parent Rating Scale given to caregivers and teachers and confirmed with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 criteria for ADHD. Results: The analysis revealed the overall prevalence of ADHD to be 8.8%. The subtypes of ADHD were categorized as 124 (43.3%) for inattentive type, 124 (43.3%) for hyperactive type, and 38 (13.2%) for combined type of ADHD. Conclusion: The present study shows a high prevalence of ADHD among primary schoolchildren.


This study describes the calculation of updated ratings that measure the relative safety of vehicles in preventing severe injury to people involved in crashes. Three different aspects of secondary safety are examined: crashworthiness which focuses on drivers of the rated vehicle, aggressivity which focuses on drivers of other vehicles and unprotected road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists colliding with the rated vehicle and total secondary safety which examines the combined crashworthiness and aggressivity performance of the rated vehicle. Updated ratings for 1982-2012 model vehicles were estimated based on data on crashes in Victoria and New South Wales during 1987-2012, in Queensland, Western Australia and New Zealand during 1991-2012 and in South Australia during 1995-2012. Each rating is measured as a combination of injury severity (the risk of death or serious injury given an injury was sustained) and injury risk (the risk of injury given crash involvement). Crashworthiness estimates and their associated confidence limits were obtained for 562 vehicle models classified into 10 market groups. Aggressivity rating estimates and their associated confidence limits were obtained for 500 vehicle models. The total secondary safety index estimates and their associated confidence limits were obtained for 617 vehicle models classified into 10 market groups. A method for presenting the ratings for consumer information is also described. The rating presentation classifies vehicles according to where their rating lies in relation to a best performance benchmark. The relationship between vehicle crashworthiness and the year of manufacture of Australian passenger and light commercial vehicles manufactured from 1964 to 2012 was also investigated. Trends were examined by year of manufacture both for the fleet as a whole and by market group for vehicles manufactured from 1982 to 2012.


With the rapid economic development of loess area, engineering loess landslides have become a serious danger to loess area people. It is an important engineering geological problem. Through making classify narrate to the harmful of engineering loess landslides. The main effects of engineering loess landslides are divided into four types. First type is human water activity cause loess landslides. Second is load and unload activities cause the loess landslides. Third is mechanical vibration effect inducing loess landslide. Fourth, loess landslides are induced by underground mining activities. Presents the performance characteristics and take conceive of engineering loess landslides to further research advances.


BACKGROUND
Conjugation to clinical-grade tumor penetrating iRGD peptide is a widely used strategy to improve tumor homing, extravasation, and penetration of cancer drugs and tumor imaging agents. The C domain of extracellular matrix molecule Tenascin-C (TNC-C) is upregulated in solid tumors and represents an attractive target for clinical-grade single-chain antibody-based vehicles for tumor delivery drugs and imaging agents.

OBJECTIVE
To study the effect of C-terminal genetic fusion of the iRGD peptide to recombinant anti-TNC-C single-chain antibody clone G11 on systemic tumor homing and extravasation.

METHODS
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to study the interaction of parental and iRGD-fused anti-TNC-C single-chain antibodies with C domain of tenascin-C and αVβ3 integrins. For systemic homing studies, fluorescein-labeled ScFV G11-iRGD and ScFV G11 antibodies were administered in U87-MG glioblastoma xenograft mice, and their biodistribution was studied by confocal imaging of tissue sections stained with markers of blood vessels and Tenascin C immunoreactivity.

RESULTS
In a cell-free system, iRGD fusion to ScFV G11 conferred the antibody a robust ability to bind αVβ3 integrins. The fluorescein labeling of ScFV G11-iRGD did not affect its target binding activity. In U87-MG mice, iRGD fusion to ScFV G11 antibodies improved their homing to tumor blood vessels, extravasation, and penetration of tumor parenchyma.

CONCLUSION
The genetic fusion of iRGD tumor penetrating peptide to non-internalizing affinity targeting ligands may improve their tumor tropism and parenchymal penetration for more efficient delivery of imaging and therapeutic agents into solid tumor lesions.


Abstract Speed is one of the most important factors that can significantly change the severity of accidents. Providing a model with predictive factors leads to designing traffic plans to promote safety. This study aims to create statistical models for accidents occurred on Firuzkuh highway, Iran. Moreover, the probability of each type of accident was determined using the logit model. Various modeling methods, such as backward, forward, and entering methods, were evaluated to find the best method. Finally, since the backward method had the best performance in terms of R2 and goodness of fit, the logit model of accidents was created. According to the model, the independent variables of the 12-24 hours, rainy weather, a speed of 81-95 and 96-110 km/h, the lack of attention ahead and the Pride brand of vehicle increased the severity of accidents, while the variables with negative coefficients of Tuesdays, the summer and spring seasons, sunny weather, a male driver, and daylight, reduced the severity of accidents.


Euphorbia mosaic virus (EuMV), a tentative species within the genus Begomovirus , was isolated from Euphorbia heterophylla plants growing in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. The complete bipartite genome was cloned from total DNA extracts and the nucleotide (nt) sequence was determined. The DNA-A sequence of the EuMV-Yucatan Peninsula (EuMV-YP) isolate shared 95% nt identity with the partially characterized type EuMV isolate from Puerto Rico. The EuMV-YP genome organization was like that of other New World, bipartite begomoviruses. The DNA-A component was 2613 nt in size, while the DNA-B component was 2602 nt long. The 165-nt common region (CR) sequence for the DNA-A and DNA-B components shared a lower than expected nt identity of 86%. The organization and iterons of the putative AC1 binding site of EuMV-YP were similar to those of begomoviruses in the Squash leaf curl virus (SLCV) clade. Characteristic disease symptoms were reproduced in E. heterophylla plants inoculated at the seedling stage using the cloned viral DNA-A and DNA-B components, confirming disease aetiology. Results of an experimental host-range study for EuMV-YP indicated that it infected at least five species in three plant families, including the Euphorbiaceae ( E. heterophylla ), Solanaceae ( Datura stramonium , pepper, tomato) and Fabaceae (bean). Phylogenetic analysis of the DNA-A and DNA-B components indicated that EuMV-YP is a New World begomovirus and that it is a new member of the SLCV clade.


PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of five nights' sleep under normobaric hypoxia on ventilatory acclimatization and sleep quality.

METHODS
Seven men initially slept for six nights under normoxia and then for five nights under normobaric hypoxia equivalent to a 2000-m altitude. Nocturnal polysomnograms (PSGs), arterial blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), and respiratory events were recorded on the first and fifth nights under both conditions.

RESULTS
The hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR), hypercapnic ventilatory response (HCVR), and resting end-tidal CO2 (resting PETCO2) were measured three times during the experimental period. The duration of slow-wave sleep (SWS: stage N3) and the whole-night delta (1-3 Hz) power of nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep EEG decreased on the first night under hypoxia. This hypoxia-induced sleep quality deterioration on the first night was accompanied by a lower mean and minimum SpO2, a longer time spent with SpO2 below 90% (<90% SpO2 time), and more episodes of respiratory disturbance. On the fifth night, the SWS duration and whole-night delta power did not differ between the conditions. Although the mean SpO2 under hypoxia was still lower than under normoxia, the minimum SpO2 increased, and the <90% SpO2 time and number of episodes of respiratory disturbance decreased during the five nights under hypoxia. The HVR increased and resting PETCO2 decreased after five nights under hypoxia.

CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that five nights under hypoxia improves the sleep quality. This may be derived from improvements of respiratory disturbances, the minimum SpO2, and <90% SpO2 time.


In this thesis the effect of the strain which is present in a lattice mismatched quantum well (QW) on the properties of the device is investigated. The k.p method is used within the envelope function framework to obtain the bandstructure and the wave functions of bound and unbound states in both lattice matched and strained quantum wells. The model includes spin and interband mixing effects. We show that the mixing of wave function character between adjacent subbands which occurs in a QW can be reduced in a strained structure, and that this can result in the ground state subband having a reduced effective mass. The effect of the reduction in mixing on the optical matrix elements for transitions between the conduction and valence bands is also investigated. A model is developed which enables the calculation of the gain and spontaneous emission spectra and threshold properties of a multiple quantum well (MQW) laser device. The model includes a full description of the non- parabolic subband dispersion and the variation of the optical matrix elements along the subbands, together with an energy dependent lifetime broadening of the spectrum. The model is used to compare the performance of strained and unstrained InGaAs/InP MQW devices operating at 1.3/µm and 1.55µm. The reduced valence band edge effective mass of the strained devices is shown to lead to a reduced threshold current, temperature dependence and linewidth enhancement factor and an enhanced gains lope. The unbound states of the well are used to investigate the bound- unbound intervalence band absorption rate in the above devices. The absorption coefficient for this process is found to be small (<2cm(^1)) in all the cases considered.


Environmental stresses, such as drought, salinity, extreme temperatures and nutrient deficiencies affect plant productivity adversely. Calcineurin B-like proteins (CBLs) and CBL-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs) are components of calcium mediated stress response pathways in many plants. In the present study, TaCBL4 gene homologous to salt stress responsive Arabidopsis CBL4 (AtSOS3) was cloned from wheat and sequence characterized. The predicted protein of TaCBL4 showed 95, 83, 70 and 61% similarity with amino acid sequences of barley, rice, maize and Arabidopsis CBL4, respectively, demonstrating that CBL4 genes are conserved between dicots and monocots. TaCBL4 protein consists of three EF-hand calcium binding motifs, a characteristic feature of calcium sensor proteins. The modelled image of TaCBL4 protein was highly identical to the already resolved structure of the AtCBL4 protein. In addition to salinity stress, the expression of TaCBL4 gene was also up-regulated by deficiency of major nutrients, namely, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. This suggests that TaCBL4 may serve as node for signaling crosstalk between salinity and nutrient deficiency stress signaling pathways and nutrient homeostasis under salinity stress. The present study lays foundation for functional studies on role of TaCBL4 gene in nutrient use efficiency and for its further utilization in breeding new wheat varieties with enhanced nutrient use efficiency and salinity tolerance.


The problem here is the 3D object recognition by registering a given 3D point data to stored models. In our research, we generate a smooth and continuous surface from the point set to avoid the resolution difference. In this paper, we describe details of the generation of the surface and the ICP (iterative closest point) matching.


This thesis studied environmental factors in relation to asthma and respiratory symptoms among schoolchildren in two countries. In Sweden, 1014 pupils (5-14 year) in 8 schools participated. Wheeze was reported by 7.8%, current asthma by 5.9%, doctor-diagnosed asthma by 7.7%, cat allergy by 6.8% and dog allergy by 4.8%. Current asthma was less common among those consuming more fresh milk and fish. Doctor-diagnosed asthma was less common among those consuming olive oil. Cat, dog and horse allergens were common in settled dust and related to respiratory symptoms. Pupils consuming butter and fresh milk had less respiratory symptoms in relation to allergen exposure. In schools with increased levels of microbial volatile organic compounds and selected plasticizers (Texanol and TXIB) asthma and respiratory symptoms were more common.In Korea, 2365 pupils (9-11 year) in 12 schools participated (96%). In total, wheeze was reported by 8.0%, current asthma by 5.7%, doctor-diagnosed asthma by 5.4%, cat allergy by 2.6% and dog allergy by 4.9%. Contamination of dog and mite (Dermatophagoides farinae) allergen was common while cat allergen was uncommon. Remodelling, changing floor and building dampness at home were positively associated with asthma and respiratory symptoms. The strongest associations were found for floor dampness. Indoor/outdoor concentration of NO2, formaldehyde and ultrafine particles (UFP) at schools were positively associated with asthma and respiratory symptoms. When comparing Sweden and Korea, Korean pupils had more breathlessness and asthma but reported less cat and pollen allergy. Swedish schools had CO2-levels below 1000 ppm, while most Korean schools exceeded this standard. Since both home and school environment may affect pupil's asthma and respiratory symptoms, air quality should be an important health issue. Moreover, changes in dietary habits may be beneficial to decrease asthma and allergies. Furthermore, interaction between diet and environment needs to be further investigated.


Mental health needs of people with mental retardation have become increasingly recognized in recent years, both in the United States and other parts of the world, as demonstrated by a proliferation of professional journal articles, books, conferences and newsletters reporting both relevant practical studies and conceptual issues (MacLean, 1993). These persons are often referred to as being "dually diagnosed." This current interest in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness in people with mental retardation is spearheaded by the National Association for the Dually Diagnosed (N.A.D.D.), founded in 1982 as a multidisciplinary and parent association specifically concerned with these issues. Most N.A.D.D. members reside in the United States or Canada. N.A.D.D. has been instrumental in directing national and international attention to clinical, programmatic, and policy issues concerning persons who have mental illness and mental retardation. Other organizations with similar interests include the American Association on Mental Retardation, which has organized a special interest group on mental health services, the American Psychiatric Association, which has a committee on developmental disabilities, and the European Association for Mental Health in Mental Retardation. Prevalence Results of recent studies (Benson, 1985; Jacobson, 1990; Reiss, 1994) have shown that twenty to sixty percent of persons with mental retardation have symptoms which appear to meet criteria for a psychiatric diagnosis as outlined in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition, Revised (DSM-III-R) (American Psychiatric Press, 1987). Since each of these studies surveyed a particular group of persons with mental retardation, living in a particular setting, at least some of the variance in prevalence rates probably reflects particular demographic differences in the groups (King, et al. 1994), as well as significant differences in the research methodology employed. No general prevalence study has yet been reported for persons with mental retardation comparable to the widely cited National Institute of Mental Health Epidemiologic Catchment Area program, which assesses prevalence rates in the general population (Burke & Regier, 1988). While many experts feel that psychiatric disorders are more prevalent in people with mental retardation as compared with a nonretarded population (Menolascino & Fleisher, 1993), Reiss noted in 1994 that no research had at that time been reported directly comparing the rates of mental disorders in people with mental retardation versus the general population. Diagnostic Challenges Although most experts feel that the types of psychiatric disorders experienced by persons with mental retardation generally represent the full range of diagnostic classifications (Popper, 1988; Sovner & Hurley, 1989), the assessment of psychopathology in this population is clinically challenging. Mental disorders in individuals with mental retardation are often unrecognized, undiagnosed, and untreated. Some of the underestimation probably results from a phenomenon called "diagnostic overshadowing," where the presence of mental retardation decreases the diagnostic significance of an accompanying mental health disorder (Reiss et al. 1982). Sovner listed in 1986 four non-specific factors associated with mental retardation that influence the diagnostic process: intellectual distortion, the effects of the mentally retarded person's diminished ability to think abstractly and communicate independently; psychosocial masking, the effect of disabilities on the content of psychiatric symptoms; cognitive disintegration, the tendency of mentally retarded people to become disorganized under emotional stress; and baseline exaggeration, the fact that during a period of emotional stress, deficits in maladaptive behavior may significantly increase in severity. Although the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders series was designed primarily to assess psychopathology in persons with relatively normal intelligence and psychosocial functioning, earlier versions (Third Edition, Revised, 1987) listed an advisory subcommittee on mental retardation. …


The region immediately surrounding an actively accreting supermassive black hole at the centre of a massive galaxy, the accretion disk, produces an enormous amount of radiation resulting in a luminous, short-lived phenomenon called a quasar. About 20% of quasars show broad, blue-shifted absorption features in their UV spectra, indicative of an outflowing wind from the accretion disk. These winds can remove angular momentum from the accretion disk, thereby contributing to the growth of the central black hole. Understanding these winds will help us to better constrain the details of how black holes grow during the quasar phase. The structures of the absorption features are sensitive to the properties (ionization state, velocity profile, and thickness) of the winds. Consequently, the broad absorption line profiles of these objects show great diversity in depth and velocity width. Using a sample of 1, 084 broad absorption line quasar spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, we apply an agglomerative hierarchical clustering algorithm to group spectra by similar C iv absorption line shapes. For each cluster, we compose median spectra and compare the shapes of the C iv broad absorption lines with the properties of prominent, broad emission lines. In agreement with results in the literature, low-velocity, deep troughs are found preferentially in objects for which the radiation from the accretion disk is more energetic. The link between broad absorption line properties and those of emission lines holds promise for allowing us to constrain the structure and dynamics of the outflowing winds.


In this study, we pay attention to novel explicit closed-form solutions of optimal control problems in economic growth models described by Hamiltonian formalism by utilizing mathematical approaches based on the theory of Lie groups. For this analysis, the Hamiltonian functions, which are used to define an optimal control problem, are considered in two different types, namely, the current and present value Hamiltonians. Furthermore, the first-order conditions (FOCs) that deal with Pontrygain maximum principle satisfying both Hamiltonian functions are considered. FOCs for optimal control in the problem are studied here to deal with the first-order coupled systems. This study mainly focuses on the analysis of these systems concerning for to the theory of symmetry groups and related analytical approaches. First, Lie point symmetries of the first-order coupled systems are derived, and then by using the relationships between symmetries and Jacobi last multiplier method, the first integrals and corresponding invariant solutions for two different economic models are investigated. Additionally, the solutions of initial-value problems based on the transversality conditions in the optimal control theory of economic growth models are analyzed.


Procedures have been developed for the plant regeneration through callus culture. Seeds of Pistacia vera Linn. (pistachio) producing aseptic seedlings were effectively sterilized by dipping in 0.1% ( w Iv ) mercuric chloride solution containing few drops of Tween-20 for 15 minutes. Explants were obtained from aseptically grown seedlings. The cotyledons with intact seed-coats had a beneficial effect on proper sterilization as well as germination rate. Chilling of the seeds at 4 °C for 48 h given before sterilization was found helpful in breaking down. dormancy which in turn improved the rate of germination. MS medium in the semi-solid form was found to be superior to all other salt mixtures in terms of seed survival and germination rate. Cotyledonary explants in the presence of 2.0 mg/L each of 2,4-D and KIN and 3% sucrose produced maximum amount of callus with desired characteristics. NH4CI and L-glutamine could not improve callus growth. Reduction of macro-nutrients of full strength MS medium to ½ or ¼ strength showed no beneficial effect on growth of cotyledonary calli. Reduction in vitamin contents of MS medium to ½ improved calli characteristics (colour and texture) and growth. But reduction of Fe-EDTA to half or zero strength had deterious effect on P. vera L. callus. Addition of 2.0 mg/L of 2,4-D and KIN each in the medium was the most suitable combination of growth regulators for callogenesis of cotyledonary explants. Addition of 10% (v/v) coconut milk delayed browning of the calli and improved growth of healthy calli. Morphogenesis was induced in calli grown on medium containing NAA (0.25 mg/L) and BA (2.0 mg/L).Development of regenerated shoot buds into plantlets was achieved on medium containing NAA (0.25 mg/L), BA (2.0 mg/L) and L-glutamine (250 mg/L). from cotyledonary calli Shoot proliferation of the regenerated buds was achieved on medium containing 2.0 mg/L of KIN and 4.0 mg/L of BA.-GA3 could not improve the growth of regenerated shoots. Rhizogenesis of regenerated shoots was not achieved.


The widespread use of multimedia services on the World Wide Web and the advances
in end-user portable devices have recently increased the user demands for better quality.
Moreover, providing these services seamlessly and ubiquitously on wireless networks and
with user mobility poses hard challenges. To meet these challenges and fulfill the end-user
requirements, suitable strategies need to be adopted at both application level and network
level. At the application level rate and quality have to be adapted to time-varying bandwidth
limitations, whereas on the network side a mechanism for efficient use of the network
resources has to be implemented, to provide a better end-user Quality of Experience (QoE)
through better Quality of Service (QoS). The work in this thesis addresses these issues by
first investigating multi-stream rate adaptation techniques for Scalable Video Coding (SVC)
applications aimed at a fair provision of QoE to end-users. Rate Distortion (R-D) models
for real-time and non real-time video streaming have been proposed and a rate adaptation
technique is also developed to minimize with fairness the distortion of multiple videos
with difference complexities. To provide resiliency against errors, the effect of Unequal
Error protection (UXP) based on Reed Solomon (RS) encoding with erasure correction has
been also included in the proposed R-D modelling. Moreover, to improve the support of
QoE at the network level for multimedia applications sensitive to delays, jitters and packet
drops, a technique to prioritise different traffic flows using specific QoS classes within an
intermediate DiffServ network integrated with a WiMAX access system is investigated.
Simulations were performed to test the network under different congestion scenarios.


In this paper, we address distributed target tracking for mobile sensor networks using the extension of a distributed Kalman filtering (DKF) algorithm introduced by the author in [11]. It is shown that improvement of the quality of tracking by mobile sensors (or agents) leads to the emergence of flocking behavior. We discuss the benefits of a flocking-based mobility model for distributed Kalman filtering over mobile networks. This mobility model uses author's flocking algorithm with a natural choice of a moving rendezvous point that is the target itself. As the agents "flock" towards the target, the information value of their sensor measurements improves in time. During this process, smaller flocks merge and form larger flocks and eventually a single flock with a connected topology emerges. This allows the agents to perform cooperative filtering using the DKF algorithm which considerably improves their tracking performance. We show that this flocking algorithm is in fact an information-driven mobility that acts as a cooperative control strategy that enhances the aggregate information value of all sensor measurements. A metric for information value is given that has close connections to Fisher information. Simulation results are provided for a group of UAVs with embedded sensors tracking a mobile target using cooperative filtering.


A notorious problem that has recently received increased attention in axiology, normative theory and population ethics is the apparent ubiquity of what can be generally called nondeterminacy. This paper illustrates how nondeterminacy can spawn cyclical rankings. So, accepting that practical reasons can admit of nondeterminacy challenges the widely held idea that 'better than' is transitive. As a result, standard approaches to rational choice under nondeterminacy fail to be action-guiding, since in some situations all options are dominated, that is, impermissible according to standard rational choice criteria.


There is increasing evidence that the extent to which managed forests can sequester carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere is influenced by changes in forest area, age class structure and management practice. Signatory parties to the Kyoto Protocol can elect to account for CO2 removals associated with Forest Management (confined to pre-1990 forest) under Article 3.4. A premise in formulating accounting rules under the Protocol was that forest sinks should be directly linked to direct human-induced activities. However, carbon (C) stock change in forests is also due to indirect human-induced activities. Indirect factors include increases in atmospheric CO2 concentration, nitrogen deposition, and age class legacy effects resulting from historic forest management and afforestation activities. Current accounting frameworks attempt to factor out indirect human induced activities by setting a limit (cap) on accountable CO2 removals or by setting a historic time series baseline (reference level), from which accountable annual removals/emissions can be derived. However, it is argued that these proxies do not factor out historic Forest Management effects (age-class legacies), which disincentivise parties from electing article 3.4 accounting. It is proposed that the use of a projected reference level, which considers age-class structure, can factor out dynamic age-class effects. Effects of indirect human induced activities are considered to be approximately the same in the projected reference level period and in the estimated period (i.e. the commitment period), and therefore they can be assumed to be factored out. However, election of Forest Management under article 3.4 using these newly proposed accounting rules requires development of national systems for forecasting future forest emissions and removals, as well as a methodology to characterise the effects of age class structure on the C balance of managed forests. In this paper, we outline methodologies used to derive a national C stock change reference level for Forest Management activity under Article 3.4 of the Kyoto Protocol for the period 1990 to 2020. We characterise the effects of age class and management legacy on C stock change over historic and projected time series. Different accounting frameworks are compared in relation to compliance with the Marrakesh Accords and ability to provide incentives to enhance sink capacity through Forest Management. We suggest that a projected reference level is best suited to accounting, factoring out legacy effects, and for providing an incentive framework to encourage additional mitigation activities under the Forest Management activity of Article 3.4 of the Kyoto Protocol. It is suggested that the projected reference level approach also factors out indirect human induced effects provided, that the same methodological approaches are used for both the projected reference level and the reported time series.


Dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) can yield significant energy savings in processor SoCs. New integrated voltage regulator technologies enable fine-grained DVFS, in which many independent voltage domains switch voltage levels at nanosecond timescales to save energy. This work presents an overview of DVFS techniques and an energy model by which to evaluate them. Applying the energy model to traces of a cycle-accurate processor system simulation predicts energy savings of up to 53% from the application of fine-grained DVFS techniques. Further exploration and implementation of these technologies has the potential to dramatically reduce energy consumption in future systems.


Finding frequent itemsets is one of the most investigated fields of data mining. The Apriori algorithm is the most established algorithm for frequent itemsets mining (FIM). Several implementations of the Apriori algorithm have been reported and evaluated. One of the implementations optimizing the data structure with a trie by Bodon catches our attention. The results of the Bodon's implementation for finding frequent itemsets appear to be faster than the ones by Borgelt and Goethals. In this paper, we revised Bodon's implementation into a parallel one where input transactions are read by a parallel computer. The effect a parallel computer on this modified implementation is presented


Reviewed existing practices of factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA), a major analytic tool used in clinical child and adolescent psychology, in the Journal of Clinical Child Psychology (JCCP) and noted several suboptimal strategies. Issues surrounding the analysis of multiple outcome variables, omnibus F tests, and single degree of freedom contrasts, simple main effects analysis, and single degree of freedom interaction contrasts were considered and recommendations were made about analytic strategies. Among the practices questioned were the use of multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs) as a means of controlling Type I errors across multiple outcome variables and the use of simple main effects analysis to elucidate the nature of interaction effects.


This work presents a workspace solving approach for a tomato harvesting manipulator with seven degrees of freedom (7 DOF) based on a special envelope method. In this method, the joints of the manipulator was categoried into two groups, and the workspace boundary of each group was formulated according to the envelope equation by MATLAB and AutoCAD by considering the joint limits. To analyze the reachable and dexterous workspace, the position and orientation of the last link was plotted. The results show that the width and height of the wrist workspace of the tomato harvesting manipulator are 1.5 and 1.2m respectively, which can satisfy the tomato picking requirements. The reachable workspace and the dexterous workspace are affected by the length of the last link and the end-effector. In order to minimize the hollow in the workspace, it is necessary to choose the rational length of the 5th link and the 3rd link and the angle range of the 5th joint. The algorithm can make the workspace visualized and be applicable to all practical manipulator configurations.


Modern arms in combat tend to increase sanitary losses, change their structure and make combat traumas more severe. Blood transfusion therapy became a necessity in the wounds treatment. The recent armed conflicts made military medics move the blood transfusion service to the front lines. The authors present some data obtained in Afghanistan and Chechnya.


We present basic theoretical constraints on the effects of destruction by supernovae (SNe) and growth of dust grains in the interstellar medium (ISM) on the radial distribution of dust in late-type galaxies. The radial gradient of the dust-to-metals ratio is shown to be essentially flat (zero) if interstellar dust is not destroyed by SN shock waves and all dust is produced in stars. If there is net dust destruction by SN shock waves, the dust-to-metals gradient is flatter than or equal to the metallicity gradient (assuming the gradients have the same sign). Similarly, if there is net dust growth in the ISM, then the dust-to-metals gradient is steeper than or equal to the metallicity gradient. The latter result implies that if dust gradients are steeper than metallicity gradients, that is, the dust-to-metals gradients are not flat, then it is unlikely dust destruction by SN shock waves is an efficient process, while dust growth must be a significant mechanism for dust production. Moreover, we conclude that dust-to-metals gradients can be used as a diagnostic for interstellar dust growth in galaxy discs, where a negative slope indicates dust growth.


Abstract The post-main sequence evolutionary path of massive stars comprises various transition phases, in which the stars shed large amounts of material into their environments. Our studies focus on two of them: B[e] supergiants and yellow hypergiants, for which we investigate the structure and dynamics within their environments. We find that each B[e] supergiant is surrounded by a unique set of rings or arc-like structures. These structures are either stable over time or they display high variability, including expansion and dilution. In contrast, yellow hypergiants are embedded in multiple shells of gas and dust. These objects are famous for their outburst activity. Moreover, the dynamics in their extended atmospheres imply an enhanced pulsation activity prior to outburst. The physical mechanism(s) leading to episodic mass ejections in these two types of stars is still uncertain. We propose that strange-mode instabilities, excited in the inflated envelopes of these objects, play a significant role.


. Agricultural expansion threatens biodiversity due to habitat loss and fragmentation. In the Gran Chaco, a global deforestation hotspot, rampant cropland and pasture expansion raise concerns about the sustainability of these land-use changes. Zoning policies were recently enacted in the Argentine Chaco to balance agriculture and conservation, yet the environmental outcomes of implementing these policies remain unclear. Here, we focused on the province of Formosa (Argentina) to evaluate how fully implementing zoning there would affect forest loss and connectivity, and how multiscale landscape planning could enhance environmental outcomes. Specifically, we simulated potential future forest cover for different spatial planning scenarios to assess the effect of (a) implementing regional corridors and (b) enacting additional policies to minimize forest fragmentation at the plot level, under both high and low deforestation rates. We then quantified forest connectivity and fragmentation using morphological image segmentation and landscape indices. Our results show that implementing regional corridors reduced the extent of potential deforestation by 650,000 ha (43%), and this alone strongly increased forest connectivity compared with scenarios without corridors. However, how deforestation would be carried out at the plot level was critically important. Plot-level spatial planning could have a strong and positive effect on mitigating fragmentation and on maintaining connectivity, even in scenarios with high deforestation rates (i.e., reducing the number of forest fragments by up to 35%, increasing the core forest by up to 6%). Moreover, under high deforestation rates, implementing regional corridors and plot-level design had a strong complementary effect on mitigating forest fragmentation (17% less forest fragments than when implementing either of the two strategies alone). Our analyses clearly highlight the opportunities of multiscale spatial planning and the need to complement broad-scale zoning with plot-level landscape design in order to mitigate the negative impacts of deforestation in the Chaco and other active agricultural frontiers.


The methyltransferase, Enhancer of Zeste homology 2 (EZH2), trimethylates histone 3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3) on chromatin and this repressive mark is removed by lysine demethylase 6A (KDM6A). Loss of these epigenetic modifiers results in developmental defects. We demonstrate that Ezh2 and Kdm6a transcript levels change during differentiation of multipotential human bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). Enforced expression of Ezh2 in MSC promoted adipogenic in vitro and inhibited osteogenic differentiation potential in vitro and in vivo, whereas Kdm6a inhibited adipogenesis in vitro and promoted osteogenic differentiation in vitro and in vivo. Inhibition of EZH2 activity and knockdown of Ezh2 gene expression in human MSC resulted in decreased adipogenesis and increased osteogenesis. Conversely, knockdown of Kdm6a gene expression in MSC leads to increased adipogenesis and decreased osteogenesis. Both Ezh2 and Kdm6a were shown to affect expression of master regulatory genes involved in adipogenesis and osteogenesis and H3K27me3 on the promoters of master regulatory genes. These findings demonstrate an important epigenetic switch centered on H3K27me3 which dictates MSC lineage determination. Stem Cells 2014;32:802–815


SUMMARY
The purchasing function for some time now has been receiving increasing importance as a critical supply chain management component. This is mainly due to the significant impact of material costs on profits, increased investments in advanced manufacturing and information technologies, and a growing emphasis on Just-In-Time GIT) production. The critical objectives of purchasing departments include obtaining the product at the right cost in the right quantity with the right quality at the right time from the right source. This requires executing effective decisions concerning supplier selection and evaluation. This article addresses the supplier selection process. This model for evaluation and selection of suppliers considers multiple factors that include strategic, operational, tangible, and intangible measures. The model also allows for input from a variety of managerial decisionmaking levels and considers the dynamic aspects of the competitive environment in evaluating suppliers. An empirical case illustration demonstrates the efficacy of the model. The results provide interesting managerial implications.


In current peer-to-peer applications content is generally static, i.e. it does not change over time. In the case of content that is modified over time, peers that host such dynamic content are required to have a mechanism that refreshes content hosted by them. In unstructured peer-to- peer networks this is challenging because of its decentralized nature. In this paper we develop a model that captures for dynamic content in a peer-to-peer network the impact of its refreshing rate and its popularity to the bandwidth required from the network. We compare four simple mechanisms for updating peers that can be used in a protocol devised to work in this kind of scenario. We find that there is an optimal number of updates to proactively push into the network in order to minimize the bandwidth consumption. Since unstructured peer-to-peer networks offer little guarantees of reliability, the use of one of the mechanisms studied here is highly recommended.


As a number of different document image analysis (DIA) algorithms start to mature, there is a significant need for objective evaluation and analysis of their performance. Significant activity has so far concentrated on evaluating OCR results, in which case, the nature of the ground truth data (ASCII characters) lends itself to elaborate analysis using string matching theory to calculate errors and associated costs. Consequently, it has already been possible to automate OCR evaluation using large-scale test-databases. Large-scale testing and evaluation is essential not only for OCR but for each of the subsystems involved in DIA also. This paper presents a new performance analysis framework that focuses on subsystems comprising the layout analysis stage of DIA. The most significant subsystems in this stage are page segmentation and classification. A critical overview of previous approaches to performance analysis for these subsystems is presented. Subsequently, the concept and current state of work towards a new framework for performance analysis developed at the University of Liverpool are presented.


Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) testing is a frequent encounter in allergology and clinical immunology. It can be "positive" in about 1 out of 6 healthy individuals. Its positivity may sometimes be misunderstood and misleading. Although a sine qua non condition for systemic lupus erythematosus according to the latest classification criteria, it is not rarely requested merely as a screening method, rather than following a proper history taking and full physical exam. This leads to unnecessary investigations, trauma and anxiety, and may even divert attention from the real diagnosis, sometimes more severe than lupus or scleroderma. This test should be seen as a diagnostic method only for cases where suspicion of ANA‑related autoimmune disease has been already raised, based on history, full physical exam and basic lab tests.


Social prescribing is increasingly viewed as a non-pharmacological option to address psychosocial consequences of social isolation, loneliness and bereavement; key contributors to poor mental health and wellbeing. Our study explored experiences and attitudes of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to social prescribing in England, Scotland, and Wales, using an on-line survey. (Ethical approval, University of Bath, November 2017). The electronic survey was distributed to pharmacists registered with Royal Pharmaceutical Society local practice forum network groups in England, Scotland, and Wales, and pharmacy technicians via social media platforms. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and free text by thematic analysis. One hundred and twenty respondents took part in the survey; (94.6% pharmacists and 5.4% pharmacy technicians). Responses indicated a lack of knowledge and experience with social prescribing; however, there was enthusiasm for pharmacists and the wider pharmacy team to be involved in local social prescribing pathways. Respondents believed they were well positioned within the community and consequently able to be involved in identifying individuals that may benefit. Barriers to involvement, included time, funding and training while enablers were pharmacist skills and the need within the community for social prescribing. There is a willingness in pharmacy, to be involved in social prescribing, however further research is required to enable the pharmacy team to be full participants in social prescribing pathways.


Mechanisms of occurrence of thoracic lesions as well as characteristic features of repeated rib trauma in children with repeated blunt trauma were studied. Experimental data were compared with expert observations. It was stated that morphological features of repeated rib trauma in children are localized within the limits of substantia compacta or its superficial layers. There is also possibility for straightening primary incomplete fracture in repeated exposure and for forming secondary fracture, which depends on the type of force applied, its application area and direction of force action. Language: ru


Novel approaches to learning such as student-centered learning, self-directed learning, hybrid learning, and flipped classrooms were not just theories but imperatives for engaging students in education in distance mode during the pandemic, but teachers were not fully prepared to take advantage of the opportunity. For those who tried, evaluating student learning as expected by parents and school authorities proved to be difficult because traditional summative tests do not capture the extent of learning through these new approaches. // Abridging the curricula too was a necessity during the pandemic but most education systems could not respond to this need in time. // The present paper describes the development and application of a toolkit for middle school students in Sri Lanka which allows teachers to develop lesson plans covering the full array of learning outcomes defined in the national curriculum but focusing on the essential learning outcomes, and include (1) pre-activities that guide students to read the textbooks on their own and learn in flipped-classroom mode, (2) activities that can be carried out at home or at school in hybrid mode, and (3) assessments that are authentic because they assess students' knowledge, skills, and attitudes in reference to the activities they carried out.


Transparency and accountability in sector governance are basic and essential requirements to leverage the extractives (oil, gas, and mining) sector as an engine of economic growth in fragility, conflict, and violence (FCV) affected settings. Enabling them involves two vital steps. Transparency requires obtaining or publishing relevant and actionable data about sector governance. Accountability involves having the data to support responsible, efficient, and informed sector governance. Although several mechanisms exist to facilitate transparent data disclosures, the extractive industries transparency initiative (EITI) is the preeminent global standard to promote the open and accountable management of oil, gas, and mineral resources. This governance note presents a case study about how data disclosed through EITI has been effectively leveraged to support more transparent and accountable fiscal governance in two FCV countries - Afghanistan and Iraq.


Forty-six patients presenting typical or non-typical angina pectoris were all submitted to analysis of effort angina, traditional or automatic, and to analysis of the amplitude of the R wave and to an effort myocardial scan using thallium 201 (taken as reference substance) during maximal muscle exercise. The following conclusions may be drawn from this study. 1) Autoanalysis of the ECG improves considerably the sensitivity without changing the specificity of the method (92 and 82 p. cent for 79 and 82 p. cent). Analysis of the variations in amplitude of the R wave gave no further information. It should be reserved for patients whose effort ECG was difficult to interpret: e.g. left or right bundle branch block, digitalis effect, very abnormal resting ECG, or average age female population.


: Medical staffs are finding they must make do with less--less administrative support from financially strapped hospitals, and less volunteer physician member time from physicians who are distracted by managed care and by managing their changing practices. All too often the medical staff tries to do what they have always done, only faster, and with less help. This just frustrates those who were already working hard. The better alternative? Re-engineer the medical staff with the goal of simplifying operations. A critical look at the tasks undertaken by the medical staff often reveals that far too much time is spent doing unnecessary things. When asked, "Why do you do all this?" the answer is often, "because we are required to do it!" Yet scrutiny reveals that it is not required and that the task could be eliminated. Just because something "has always been done that way" does not mean it still must. It is time to look at the medical staff structure and procedures with a new set of questions: What is really required? What has great value for us? What can be jettisoned without affecting our operations?


Despite surging interests in analyzing business processes, there are few scientific approaches to analysis and redesign of organizational structures which can greatly affect the performance of business processes. This paper presents a method for deriving and analyzing organizational relations from process models using social network analysis techniques. Process models contain information on who performs which processes and activities, along with the assignment of organizational units such as departments and roles to related activities. To derive social relations between organizational units from process models, three types of metrics are formally defined: transfer of work metrics, subcontracting metrics, and cooperation metrics. By applying these metrics, various relations among organizational units can be derived and analyzed. To verify the proposed method and metrics, they are applied to standard process models of the semiconductor and electronic, and automotive industry in Korea. This paper presents a taxonomy for diagnosing organization structure based on the presented approach. The paper also discusses how to combine analyses in the taxonomy for redesign of organizational structures.


Natural regeneration ensures the survival of forest stands and sustainable forest development. The present study was conducted to investigate the natural regeneration of Persian oak (Quercus macranthera fisch. & C.A.Mey. Ex Hohen) stands in Arasbaran protected forest. Measurement of the frequency of standard and coppice regenerations was carried out in onehectare square plots ( × m) in the habitat of this species in three levels of elevation including , and m above sea level ( sampling plot in each altitude). The frequency classes were recorded in three groups: seedling (height≤ cm), small sapling with a height between cm and large sapling with a height more than cm differentiated by regeneration source, including standard and coppice regeneration and species name. The results showed that the both of standard and coppice regenerations were the most frequency in large sapling with a height of more than cm. The altitude of m a.s.l had the most frequency percentage in all species regeneration. In addition, with increasing altitude, the amount of coppice regeneration decreased and the frequency of standard regeneration increased. The frequencies of standard and coppice regenerations have significant difference according to two-way ANOVA at different altitudes, different groups and different species. Based on the results of this study, the access to the forest stands and the increase in the destruction by humans and livestock reduces the frequency of species regeneration and expands the coppice regeneration. As the altitude increases and the access reduce, the amount of standard regeneration will increase. Therefore, conservation activities can help to reduce the degradation of the natural regeneration area.


The influences of Ca addition (<1.2wt %) on structure and tensile fracture behavior of AZ91D alloy were investigated in this article. These results indicated that Ca addition can both form Al2Ca phase on interdendritic boundary and refine grain size. Ca addition evidently increases the yield strength but decreases the elongation of AZ91D alloy. The crack initiations of the AZ91D alloy and Ca-contained alloy both occur at the edges between the interdendritic eutectics and the α-Mg matrix. Failure of AZ91D alloy is brittle quasi-cleavage fracture, while Ca addition makes the failure tend to be cleavage.


Background. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs of 20-22 nucleotides, involved in transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression and involved in Parkinson's disease.
Objective. Identification of a suitable gene set to use as normalizers in expression analysis in PBMCs PD study. Assessment of the potential role as PD biomarker of miR-29a-3p, miR-29b-3p, miR-30a-5p, miR-30b-5p, and miR-103a-3p in PBMCs and plasma samples from L-dopa treated PD and drug-naive PD patients. MiRNAs discovering through deep sequencing analysis and creation of in silico miRNAs target prediction.
Methods. Plasma and PBMCs miRNAs from L-dopa treated PD, drug-naive PD patients, and controls were analyzed (qRT-PCR), data normalized using RNU24/Z30 for PBMCs, and synthetic spike-in for plasma. Statistical significance of miRNA expression differences calculated by computing a two-tailed paired t-test. Illumina MiSeq NGS platform analysis was performed. MiRNA resources were combined to detect putative miRNA targets.
Results. RNU24/Z30 as reliable normalizer for expression analysis in PBMCs PD study were identified. An over-expression of miR-103a-3p, miR-29a-3p and miR-30b-5p in PBMCs PD samples were found. Over-expression trend of miR-30a-5p in plasma PD samples and over-expression trend of miR-30b-5p in plasma drug-naїve PD samples were detected. NGS analysis data were not sufficient to generate meaningful biological results. A sophisticated in silico target prediction model were elaborated.
Discussion. We showed for the first time an over-expression of miR-103a-3p in PD patients and replicated a documented deregulation in PD, albeit opposite to published data, of miR-29a-3p and miR-30b-5p. The trend of higher expression of miR-30b-5p in plasma drug-naive PD samples suggested an involvement of the treatment in the plasma miRNA expression.
The in silico analysis identified putative candidate target genes, including genes related to neurodegeneration and PD, such as LRRK2 for miR-30b-5p and miR-103a-3p, PARK7/DJ-1 for miR-29a-3p, Bcl-2 as common target for all miRNAs.


Djamaluddin R, Brown B, Lewis III RR. 2019. The practice of hydrological restoration to rehabilitate abandoned shrimp ponds in Bunaken National Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 20: 160-170. The world has lost a large extent of mangroves, while rates of recovery of these ecosystems from natural re-growth and restoration are slow. We developed a hydrological restoration technique to investigate the importance of hydrological modification in mangrove restoration success. Ecological Mangrove Restoration was adopted to restore abandoned shrimp ponds at Tiwoho, Bunaken National Park, North Sulawesi. Hydrological modification resulted in the creation of various mangrove sub-habitat conditions. These conditions remained unstable within the first three years and became relatively stable after seven years. Tidal inundation and soil surface salinity appeared to be the major factors controlling mangrove establishment and growth. All natural recruits and planted trees grew faster and produced more propagules/fruits within a short period of time after the normal physical conditions achieved. The restored site was covered by approximately 91.3 % of vegetation with the same canopy species composition as the natural stands. The practiced hydrological restoration method was simple, cost-effective and can help other practitioners in improving their mangrove restoration techniques.


A new asterisk-shaped matrix composed of stainless-steel mesh and cotton cloth was emloyed for immobilizing Rhizopus oryzae As3.3462 cells. The ability of the immobilized cells to produce L-lactic acid was evaluated by using corn starch hydrolysate as carbon sources. The cells were attached onto the matrix with nearly 100% efficiency within 5 h and demonstrated asterisk mycelia morphology rather than a pellet-like cake as exhibited by the free-cells. Consequently, the immobilization fermentation resulted in higher L-lactic acid concentration (82.79 g.L-1 vs 48.23 g.L-1) within a shorter time (60 h vs 72 h) than the free fermentation. In addition, the stability of the immobilized cells for a long-term fermentation was investigated in 8 consecutive fermentation batches for 30 days. The maximum variation of L-lactic acid concentration among these batches was less than 10%. These results imply that the proposed asterisk matrix is good for Rhizopus oryzae immobilization and provids a simple and feasible fermentation strategy for L-lactic acid production.


SUMMARY: A wild strain of the multinucleate plasmodial myxomycete Physarum polycephalum was isolated in pure culture and grown on a medium consisting of 1% (w/v) Tryptone, 1% (w/v) glucose, 0.15% (w/v) yeast extract, 0.3% (w/v) CaCO3, inorganic salts and a small amount of chick embryo extract. The organism may be grown with this medium either as a single large plasmodium on surface culture, or as a suspension of tiny plasmodia in submerged culture. From an initial inoculum of 1 ml. of a 3-day culture, the average plasmodial yield in a submerged culture was about 80 mg. dry weight/20 ml. medium at 72 hr. Growth occurred only in the presence of small amounts of an unidentified factor which was present particularly in chick embryo extract and foetal calf serum. An isolate of P. polycephalum was grown continuously on this medium for over four years without an appreciable decrease in growth rate. Under proper conditions a suspension of tiny plasmodia from shaken culture will fuse to form a single large surface plasmodium which exhibits synchronous mitosis.


The following study is a comparativ discourse analysis of three swedish newspapers, with different political tendencies, depiction of refugees in the 1990's and the 2010's. The study is based on the theory of discourse and discourse analysis and the method is an adapted form of Ulf Morkenstam's analysis of the description of the samis in swedish law texts. This method is formed from the conclusion that by identifying what the author mediate as a problem, the cause of the problem, and the solution of the problem, you can form an percetion of the subjects discourse. To help create an estimation of the subjects he uses so called chains of analogy, or as the famous discourse theorists Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe calles them, chains of equivalence. In this case the term "refugee" is connected to other phrases within the same text and together with the context of the problem – cause – solution it forms the discourse. The subject of the discourse is then compared between two different points in times to see if it has been a change within the last 23 years.The study showed that the discourse have indeed changed. While the characters within the discourse have remained the same and the subject is connected to similair problems in 2015, the fact that the newspapers do not write about the resistance against the countrys refugee intake in an atempt to act as an opposition against the xenophobia, as they did in 1992, the result of this study shows that xenophobia has been more accepted in the swedish media during the last decades. This is also shown through the chains of analogy where the phrase "refuge" is related to words with more negative association in 2015 than in 1992.


The digital transformation of the economy pressures companies to come up with convincing value propositions for investors and customers and to defend a competitive position in an environment of start-ups. While the need for creativity abounds in this environment, innovation needs to accommodate not only hyped technical advancements, but also ethically relevant values that support a sustainable future. In a two-study mixedmethod research project covering three IT products––a digital toy, a food-delivery app and a telemedicine system––we show that the value-based product planning approach, which is inspired by utilitarianism, virtue ethics, and deontology, significantly increases creative output and ethical foresight, especially when compared to traditional product roadmapping practices. In the value-based approach, participants considered a diverse set of stakeholders and took potential adverse effects into account, while at the same time acknowledging values linked to several sustainability. While instrumental values with a technical and economic focus (e.g., IT security or efficiency) dominated ideas from the traditional product roadmapping approach, participants acknowledged higher principles with intrinsic value (e.g., freedom or personal growth) when employing value-based product planning. This paper presents results on the creative power that can be unleashed by taking different ethical perspectives in a value-based approach. With this, we hope to inspire future value-oriented research and innovation projects. We conclude with implications for both traditional product innovation practices and value-oriented frameworks. Working Paper [not peer-reviewed] 19-07-2021


In 1989 at the Hospital Civil of Guadalajara we make a study with 100 patients with a term pregnancy, initial labor and alive fetus. At all women we practiced interrogatory about subjective intensity of fetal movements, amnioscopy and cardiotocographic registry and we compare results with Apgar score of the newborns at minute and five minutes. The fetal movements were normal in 91% of which 95.7% had Apgar score > or = 7 at minute and 98.9% Apgar score > or = 8 at five minutes; clear amniotic fluid in 75% of which 94.6% had Apgar score > or = 7 at minute and 100% had Apgar > or = 8 at five minutes and 94% with normal cardiotocographic registry of which 95.7% had Apgar score > or = 7 at minute and 100% had Apgar score > or = 8 at five minutes. In the distress fetal prediction, the best method was the cardiotocography and the worse was the meconial amniotic fluid. We conclude that the subjective intensity of fetal movements are similar in the well-being fetal prediction to the amnioscopy and cardiotocography and the physicians must use it in the obstetric care.


This paper describes the INRIA videoconferencing system (IVS), a low bandwidth tool for real-time video between workstations on the Internet using UDP datagrams and the IP multicast extension. The video coder-decoder (codec) is a software implementation of the ITU-T recommendation H.261 originally developed for the integrated services digital network (ISDN). Our focus is on adapting this codec for the Internet environment. We propose a packetization scheme, an error control scheme and an output rate control scheme that adapts the image coding process based on network conditions. This work shows that it is possible to maintain videoconferences with reasonable quality across packet-switched networks without requiring special support from the network such as resource reservation or admission control.


Several characteristics of Arbutus andrachne L. fruit harvested at four maturation stages (green, green-orange, orange-red and red) have been examined. Soluble solids, pH, acidity, organic acids, specific sugars, and several nutrient element concentrations (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu) have been determined. The total phenolic content along with antioxidant activity, determined by FRAP and TEAC methods, were also measured. There were significant differences among most of the traits tested. The average soluble solids increased from 16.0 to 20.6% going from the green to the red stages, while the acidity decreased from 0.54 to 0.45%. All of the element concentrations were statistically different among the various stages, with N and Ca being the most variable. The total acidity was found to be the highest in the orange-red and red stages (0.52 and 0.50 g/100 g, respectively). The main organic acid was malic acid (0.32 g/100 g) followed by ascorbic and citric acids (0.09 and 0.03 g/100 g) respectively. The red (17.84 g/100 g) and orange-red (16.25 g/100 g) stages had the highest total sugar values. Fructose was the main sugar in the fruit with an overall average of 8.91 g/100 g. The total phenolic content was highest at the red stage (3,904 mg gallic acid (GA)/kg fresh weight (fw)), followed by the green stage (3,589 mg GA/kg fw). The antioxidant activities were highest at the red stage as determined by both the TEAC and FRAP methods (26.5 and 21.8 μmol TE/g fw).