SETTING
Macha, Zambia.

OBJECTIVE
To assess the benefits of auramine-O staining fluorescence microscopy and Mycobacterial Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT) liquid culture with molecular identification in tuberculosis (TB) diagnostics.

DESIGN
One hundred patients suspected of TB were subjected to three sputum sample examinations applying Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) and auramine-O staining and MGIT culture. Positive cultures were identified using the GenoType CM assay; cultures identified as Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex were the gold standard for a diagnosis of TB.

RESULTS
The 100 patients produced 271 sputum samples; of these, 30 patients had positive cultures. M. tuberculosis complex bacilli were isolated in 17 (56.7%) patients, non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in 11 (36.7%) and other acid-fast bacilli in two. Forty-eight samples (17.7%) were contaminated. Auramine-O detected 16 (57.1%) patients culture-positive for mycobacteria and 12 patients with culture-proven TB, vs. respectively 8 (28.6%, P = 0.008) and 7 (41.2%, P = 0.044) for ZN. Three of eight auramine-positive/ZN-negative patients were culture-positive for NTM only.

CONCLUSION
The auramine-O method significantly increases sensitivity, although the higher NTM detection rate implies that this does not in itself lead to a more accurate diagnosis of TB. MGIT culture is highly sensitive, although contamination rates were a drawback; the high frequency of NTM isolation warrants a robust identification method.


Despite the emphasis of primary care on preventive services over the past decade, and the reminder systems that are available to promote the provision of these services, many patients still do not receive needed services. This study describes the preventive services that the primary care practices of the Practice Partner Research Network (PPRNet) monitors, and documents adherence to them. Preventive services monitored in PPRNet practices and the levels of adherence to them vary by practice and service. The lower-than-desired levels of adherence offer opportunities for improvement interventions.


The education of young people with mastery of appropriate mathematical skills is crucial to the future prosperity of every country. The gap between rich and poor countries will get wider if young people in underdeveloped countries continue to get a poor mathematical education. This paper presents the initial stages of a systemic effort to improve the mathematical education of young people in a developing nation. Kids, teachers, parents and researchers from quite different socio-economic backgrounds form part of a collaborative learning effort that integrates them using information technology in order to work together to improve their mathematical problem solving skills. Systems methodologies, social network theory, mathematical tests, and qualitative analysis are used to explore how to improve the students' beliefs and attitudes towards mathematical problem solving, their collaborative work, and their mathematical skills. In this project we are making a difference in the lives of young people by taking advantage of their different socio-economic backgrounds, the different contexts in which they live, and their different languages.


Statistical experimental design was used to explore the effects of the HEMT channel growth parameters on device performance. A 2/sup 2/ full-factorial central composite circumscribed Box-Wilson design with three center points was implemented. The growth parameters under investigation were the channel growth temperature and interface formation, both of which greatly impact device operation. Interface formation was defined as the method used to form the InAs/AlSb interface.


This paper approaches some pedagogical strategies to guide children in listening to music, namely (a) the activities of playing rhythms and (b) the activities of telling, miming and imagining stories along with recorded music, which might function as possible ways of preparing children's minds for attending musical concerts. It has been argued that the acts of listening, performing and composing can nourish each other when working in articulation. The present paper combines the notions of articulation and simultaneity, by arguing that listening to music can be enhanced by simultaneous performance. It discusses some theories that describe musical thinking and understanding as complex operations dealing with different types of information, perceived through different modes (aural, visual, kinaesthetic, etc.). Listening to music with simultaneous multimodal activities gives origin to mental activations whose complexity can have benefits on the analytical capacity and, consequently, on meaningful musical understanding, mental representation and memory. Some empirical studies show that children exposed to the multimodal experiences of miming stories and playing rhythms while listening to music demonstrate stronger musical memory and higher levels of understanding of the musical pieces than they would do if they would listen in more passive ways. Children categorise different sections of the music, refer to their expected or surprising sequential interaction and show awareness of the whole musical form by comparing sections and identifying recurrence, transformation and contrast. In terms of memory, children tend to preserve stronger and more detailed mental images that allow them to be more successful in future identification of fragments from the musical pieces. There is also some evidence that children tend to judge more positively the musical pieces they listen to, when they mime or play. The results might inspire teachers and musical performers in adopting preparatory listening schemes to be developed with children before attending musical concerts.


This article proposes a framework for understanding large-scale individualized collective action that is often coordinated through digital media technologies. Social fragmentation and the decline of group loyalties have given rise to an era of personalized politics in which individually expressive personal action frames displace collective action frames in many protest causes. This trend can be spotted in the rise of large-scale, rapidly forming political participation aimed at a variety of targets, ranging from parties and candidates, to corporations, brands, and transnational organizations. The group-based "identity politics" of the "new social movements" that arose after the 1960s still exist, but the recent period has seen more diverse mobilizations in which individuals are mobilized around personal lifestyle values to engage with multiple causes such as economic justice (fair trade, inequality, and development policies), environmental protection, and worker and human rights.


In the era of widespread telecommunication systems, with the consequent crowding of the frequency spectrum, microwave filters and multiplexers play a key role in the development of most communication devices. Their design and tuning can rely on some well-established techniques, but miniaturization, wide frequency ranges and the other challenges of modern engineering relentlessly push these to their limits; the present book is meant to provide theoretical advances and insights addressing some of the common issues in this field. Filters design is here examined in a way alternative to classical approaches, in an effort to extend applicability cases and allow for a synthesis outcome closer to the real-world behavior. Diagnosis and tuning are moreover typical bottlenecks in the development of diplexers; the problem is here studied to introduce techniques aimed at obtaining models of the device under test for a quicker identification of faults and mismatched elements. Basic definitions, derivation of equations and easy-to-use algorithms are among the covered topics, alongside useful circuital transformations and computational tools for application by microwave engineers and researchers.


Dermatan sulfate (DS) and autoantigen (autoAg) complexes are capable of stimulating autoreactive CD5+ B-1 cells. We examined the activity of DS on CD5+ pre-B lymphoblast NFS-25 cells. CD19, CD5, CD72, PI3K, and Fas possess varying degrees of DS affinity. The three pre-BCR components, Ig heavy chain mu (IgH), VpreB, and lambda 5, display differential DS affinities, with IgH having the strongest affinity. DS attaches to NFS-25 cells, gradually accumulates in the ER, and eventually localizes to the nucleus. DS and IgH co-localize on the cell surface and in the ER. DS associates strongly with 17 ER proteins (e.g., BiP/Grp78, Grp94, Hsp90ab1, Ganab, Vcp, Canx, Kpnb1, Prkcsh, Pdia3), which points to an IgH-associated multiprotein complex in the ER. In addition, DS interacts with nuclear proteins (Ncl, Xrcc6, Prmt5, Eftud2, Supt16h) and Lck. We also discovered that DS binds GTF2I, a required gene transcription factor at the IgH locus. These findings support DS as a potential master regulator of IgH in pre-B cells at protein and gene levels. We propose a (DS•autoAg)-autoBCR dual signal model in which an autoBCR is engaged by both autoAg and DS, and, once internalized, DS recruits a cascade of molecules that may help avert apoptosis and steer autoreactive B cell fate. Through its affinity with autoAgs and its control of IgH, DS emerges as a potential key player in the development of autoreactive B cells and autoimmunity.


The self-assembly synthesis of Cu(II)-silsesquioxane involving 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (neocuproine) as an additional N ligand at copper atoms was performed. The reaction revealed an unprecedented aerobic hydroxylation of only one of the two methyl groups in neocuproine to afford the corresponding geminal diol. The produced derivative of oxidized neocuproine acts as a two-centered N,O ligand in the assembly of the hexacopper cage product [Cu6(Ph5Si5O10)2·(C14H11N2O2)2] (1), coordinating two of the six copper centers in the product. Two siloxanolate ligands [PhSi(O)O]5 in the cis configuration coordinate to the rest of the copper(II) ions. Compound 1 is a highly efficient homogeneous precatalyst in the oxidation of alkanes and alcohols with peroxides.


We have used differential display polymerase chain reaction to identify genes that are upregulated after retinoic acid (RA) treatment of human myeloblastic HL-60 cells. Three of the cDNAs cloned hybridized to RA- inducible transcripts on Northern blots, one of which was shown to encode sequences for monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), a recently described cytokine that is chemotactic for monocytes but not for neutrophils. Nuclear run-on analysis indicated that the upregulation of the MCP-1 gene occurs at the transcriptional level in HL-60 cells. MCP-1 transcript levels also increased after RA treatment of the NB4 acute promyelocytic cell line. MCP-1 transcripts were undetectable in freshly isolated neutrophils by Northern analysis or reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction but were readily detectable in neutrophils after incubation in media at 37 degrees C for 20 hours, suggesting that an activation event can lead to MCP-1 expression in neutrophils. Immunocytochemistry confirmed the presence of MCP-1 protein in activated neutrophils. This is the first report that the MCP-1 gene is RA-responsive in myeloid cell lines and is expressed in neutrophils. MCP-1 expression by activated neutrophils may play an important role in attracting monocytes to the site of tissue damage or infection.


In this thesis I have undertaken a close reading of texts by William Walwyn, Abiezer Coppe and James Nayler. In reading Nayler, I have also engaged with texts by Richard Farnsworth and Richard Baxter. My approach has been to consider these writings in their own terms and right, rather than merely as contextual sidelights on literary or social matters. I believe that all writing expresses aesthetic concerns and social attitudes. I hope my study will contribute to a necessary and continuing project of recovering such voices, so often marginalised and considered either as symptoms of mental disorder, or simply of no literary value. I have applied Bakhtinian perspectives and Discourse Analysis in my readings, although I hope not to the detriment of the writers' own understanding of their work, as I am reluctant to impose ahistorical interpretations on the writings of a previous era. I believe many misunderstandings arise from such procedures. I have not wished to apply a strategic reading to these texts, but rather to recover what they meant for their writers and readers at the extraordinary moment which produced them. I have attempted to integrate them in their own historical context, to explain difficulties arising in their interpretation, to explore their theology and social message, and as far as possible to relate them to the literary history from which they have been largely divorced. The thesis is not intended as a general review of pamphlet literature, of which there are several valuable examples, but as exploration and explanation of specific writings by representatives of the 'Radical Protestant' movements known as Levellers, Ranters and Quakers.


The first Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) was designed and tested at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in the 1960's, but recent technological advancements now allow for new components, such as heat exchangers, to be created for the next generation of MSR's and molten salt-cooled reactors. The primary (fuel salt-to-secondary salt) heat exchanger (PHX) design has been largely ignored up to this point; however, it is shown here that modern compact heat exchangers have the potential to make dramatic improvements over traditional shell-and-tube designs. Compact heat exchangers provide a higher effectiveness and more efficient use of material that offer a more cost-effective alternative to the massive, more expensive heat exchangers planned for the MSR. While this paper focuses on the application of compact heat exchangers on a Molten Salt Reactor, many of the analyses and results are similarly applicable to other fluid-to-fluid heat exchangers. The heat exchanger design in this study seeks to find a middle-ground between the dependable shell-and-tube design and the ultra-efficient, ultra-compact designs such as the Printed Circuit Heat Exchanger being developed today. Complex channel geometries and micro-scale dimensions in modern compact heat exchangers do not allow routine maintenance to be performed by standard procedures, so extended surfaces will be omitted and hydraulic diameters will be kept in the minichannel regime (minimum channel dimension between 200 μm and 3 mm) to allow for high-frequency eddy current inspection methods to be developed. Rather than using a "checkerboard" channel pattern, which requires complex header designs among other design challenges, row composition is homogeneous, and the borders between adjoining channels are removed to provide high aspect ratio rectangular channel cross-sections. Various plant layouts of smaller heat exchanger banks in a "modular" design are introduced, and the feasibility of casting such modules is assumed to be possible for the purposes of this research. FLUENT was used within ANSYS Workbench to find optimized heat transfer and hydrodynamic performance for straight-channel designs with two molten salts acting in pure counter-flow. Limiting the pressure drop to roughly that of ORNL's Molten Salt Breeder Reactor's shell-and-tube design, the compact heat exchanger design of interest in this study will lessen volume requirements, lower fuel salt volume, and decrease material usage. Compact heat exchangers have shown commercial feasibility in several industries but have yet to be assimilated into the nuclear industry. This intermediately-sized compact minichannel heat exchanger demonstrates that such a heat exchanger is viable for further testing. The original design of the MSR was an engineering marvel over 60 years ago, but several of its key components, namely the intermediate heat exchanger, must be updated in order for the MSR to reach its full potential.Copyright © 2011 by ASME


The Raytheon Common Operating Environment (RTN-COE) is a TRL-9 level integrated real-time operating environment that has been utilized in 40 plus Army, Navy, and Air Force programs. RTN-COE was created in 2000-2001 as an open architecture instantiation of the US Army's Weapons Systems Technical Architecture Working Group (WSTAWG) Operating Environment API and has since been propagated throughout the company. This paper will describe the evolution RTN-COE and specifically how RTN-COE is a key enabler of the Raytheon Tactical Plug-and-Play Framework that meets the low latency requirements associated with closed-loop operations with sensors, while also providing a gateway to the C2 applications within this framework. Finally this paper will elaborate upon the design considerations addressed by RTNCOE that have enabled it to: facilitate digital backbone integration, maximize scalability, enable multicompany software integration to shared processors, and promote software reuse and portability.


Design is a conceptive activity which is usually presented as a sensible, sequential process and action. This book claims that design cannot be reduced to the rational, effective planning and organization that most models (such as design thinking) present. The author suggests another type of rationality which is based on what the humanities call aesthetics, writing, composition, and style: a rationality based in imaginary elaboration and coherence. The chapters, therefore, demonstrate that design practice is about creating not only functional tools, but planes of reflections that challenge norms.
To support this claim, this book analyzes research programs, art works, and design projects that produced new information and communication technologies (ICT). This is detailed using examples in each chapter. From these examples, two types of conclusions are derived: a first level considers the lessons that we can draw from these examples in terms of design practice while the second level starts a theoretical discussion based on these analyses of use cases.

The goal is to develop an understanding of conception in its different forms. This book brings the use of these neglected methods to the foreground as a way to explicate the design process. Taking into consideration the humanities within design contributes to the discussion on pluridisciplinarity. The book posits that design as a historical and situated activity is a truly multidisciplinary endeavor that bridges the gap between engineering sciences and the humanities.


The molecular variability of ten genotypes of Celosia argentea seeds collected from National Institute of Horticultural Research (NIHORT) and National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB) germplasms were evaluated using the Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) marker. The polymorphism of C. argentea was detected within the population using primer mix of AFLP EcoRI + MseI adaptors type in three primer combinations. Powermarker software V3.25 was statistically used to analyse the fragments from extracted DNA region. The highest concentrations of genomic DNA of 13.30 u/L and volume of 2217.59 u/L for total genomic DNA were recorded for NG/TO/MAY/09/015 and NG/MA/MAY/09/015 genotypes respectively. Variations were observed in the number of fragments amplified by each of the three AFLP primers combinations. The Polymorphic Information Content (PIC) of the amplified fragment of the genomic DNA was diverse at 89.1% for DNA size of 100 base pairs, while the percentage gene diversity was 90%. The primer sequence combination of AAC + CAG produced the highest number of bands, amplified fragments, and number of polymorphic bands of 400, 40, and 156.000 respectively. A dendrogram constructed revealed three cluster groups, in which clusters 1 and 3 were delineated into 4 genotypes each, while cluster 2 had the least with two genotypes. This study revealed variability among the genome of C. argentea using AFLP marker. This could promote improvement and conservation of C. argentea germplasm for broaden genetic basis of breeding program.


Primary ventricular fibrillation (VF) complicating acute myocardial infarction is associated with occluded infarction-related arteries. The relationship between VF during ischemia and spontaneous coronary reocclusion was analyzed in 48 anesthetized pigs submitted to 48 min of coronary ligation and 6 h of reflow. Reocclusion was associated with ischemic VF (6 of 11 animals with VF but only 6 of 37 without it had reocclusion) but not with reperfusion arrhythmias, the size of the ischemic area, the magnitude of electrocardiogram changes or contractile dysfunction during ischemia, or the severity of intimal injury at the occlusion site. The increase in end-diastolic length in the ischemic region during coronary occlusion was associated with ischemic VF (15 min after occlusion, end-diastolic length was 116 +/- 2 and 111 +/- 1% of baseline in animals with or without presenting subsequent VF, respectively) and was retained by multiple logistic regression analysis as the only independent predictor of ischemic VF and reocclusion. Thus ischemic VF is strongly associated with an increased rate of spontaneous coronary reocclusion during subsequent reperfusion. Acute expansion of ischemic myocardium appears as a prominent determinant of both ischemic VF and reocclusion.


Artificial Intelligence (AI) has a huge scope in automating, streamlining, and increasing productivity of Music Industry. Here, we look upon AI based techniques for classifying a piece of music into multiple genres and then later converting it into another user-specified genre. Plenty of work has been done in classification, but using traditional machine learning models which are limited in term of accuracy and rely heavily on features to train the model. The novelty of this work lies in its attempt to covert genre of music from one type to another. This paper focuses on classification achieved by using a model trained via Convolutional Neural Networks. Conversion of music genre, a relatively less worked upon field has been discussed in this paper along with details of implementation. For Conversion, we initially convert the input file to spectrogram. A database of all genre is maintained at all times and a random file from user selected genre is also converted to spectrogram. Later, these spectrograms are processed and converted back to signals. Finally the user can listen to the converted audio file. Validation of the conversion was performed via a survey with the help of end users. Thus, a novel idea of doing Music Genre Conversion was put forth and was validated with positive outcomes.


The University of Brighton commissioned a university-wide study to identify some of the factors contributing to the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic degree awarding gap at UK Higher Education Institutions from the perspective of the students that it impacts. An Action Research focus-group
 approach was used to inform the planning for the institutional 2020–2025 Access and Participation Plan and an application for the Advance HE Race Equality Charter. This project focused on students who were identified as British and/or qualified for home (UK-resident) tuition fees. This
 paper presents the positive and negative factors identified from the focus groups as having a potential impact on the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic student experience. Findings are separated into two categories, the academic student experience and the non-academic student experience, and
 the paper highlights those factors which were consistent across the institution's provision. The paper also discusses the multifaceted, whole-institution approach which has been taken in response to these findings and the principles underpinning the actions and interventions. Final remarks
 share reflections on the learning, both at an institutional and sector-level, and next steps that the University of Brighton intends to take to improve the student experience and address degree awarding gaps.


Exploratory factor analysis is a widely used statistical technique in the social sciences. It attempts to identify underlying factors that explain the pattern of correlations within a set of observed variables. A statistical software package is needed to perform the calculations. However, there are some limitations with popular statistical software packages, like SPSS. The R programming language is a free software package for statistical and graphical computing. It offers many packages written by contributors from all over the world and programming resources that allow it to overcome the dialog limitations of SPSS. This paper offers an SPSS dialog written in the R programming language with the help of some packages, so that researchers with little or no knowledge in programming, or those who are accustomed to making their calculations based on statistical dialogs, have more options when applying factor analysis to their data and hence can adopt a better approach when dealing with ordinal, Likert-type data.


A ground beef patty processor detected Escherichia coli O157:H7 in five production lots during routine testing with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology. This finding stimulated research to determine the incidence and potential entry points of the pathogen during processing. One of these lots (53,960 kg) was divided into 71 pallets (760 kg each) of food service ground beef patties. Ten cartons (19 kg each) were removed from each pallet, for a total of 710 cartons. Four patties were taken from each carton and subdivided to provide comparable samples for E. coli O157:H7 analyses by three different laboratories. Two laboratories employed different immunoassay tests, and one used PCR to screen samples. One sample set was analyzed for aerobic plate, coliform, and E coli Biotype I counts to determine if any relationship existed between these microbial groups and the incidence of E. coli O157:H7. For 73 samples, presumptive positive results for E. coli O157:H7 were obtained by one or more methods. For 48 of these 73 samples, positive results for the pathogen were culture confirmed. The largest number (29) of culture-confirmed positive E. coli O157:H7 results were detected by PCR. Most positive results were obtained during a short segment of processing. All culture-confirmed E. coli O157:H7 strains were further characterized by two genetic subtyping techniques, resulting in two to four different patterns, depending on the subtyping procedure employed. For any sample tested, the aerobic plate count was < 3.0 log CFU/g, and coliform and E. coli Biotype I counts were < or = 1.00 log CFU/g. The results of this study suggest that most positive samples were associated with a contaminated batch of raw material introduced just before the 1725- to 1844-h processing segment. These results also indicate that more aggressive sampling plans and genetic screening technologies such as PCR may be used to better detect low levels of E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef products.


Magnetic nanoparticles, which are unique because of both structural and functional elements, have various novel applications. The popularity and practicality of nanoparticle materials create a need for a synthesis method that produces quality particles in sizable quantities. This paper describes such a method, one that uses bacterial synthesis to create nanoparticles of magnetite. The thermophilic bacterial strain Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus TOR-39 was incubated under anaerobic conditions at 65 C for two weeks in aqueous solution containing Fe ions from a magnetite precursor (akaganeite). Magnetite particles formed outside of bacterial cells. We verified particle size and morphology by using dynamic light scattering, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. Average crystallite size was 45 nm. We characterized the magnetic properties by using a superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer; a saturation magnetization of 77 emu/g was observed at 5 K. These results are comparable to those for chemically synthesized magnetite nanoparticles.


The probabilistic (or quantitative) modal mu-calculus is a fixed-point logic de- signed for expressing properties of probabilistic labeled transition systems (PLTS). Two semantics have been studied for this logic, both assigning to every process state a value in the interval [0,1] representing the probability that the property expressed by the formula holds at the state. One semantics is denotational and the other is a game semantics, specified in terms of two-player stochastic games. The two semantics have been proved to coincide on all finite PLTS's, but the equivalence of the two semantics on arbitrary models has been open in literature. In this paper we prove that the equivalence indeed holds for arbitrary infinite models, and thus our result strengthens the fruitful connection between denotational and game semantics. Our proof adapts the unraveling or unfolding method, a general proof technique for proving result of parity games by induction on their complexity.


phenomenon than previous observations would have indicated. Although stocks behave in a rather simple way when the analysis given by the authors is comprehended, the recombination of the allelomorphs that have been discovered in this plant yields in the second generation 243 distinct types, and it is plain that in still more complex cases a perfectly typical Mendelian behavior would easily exceed the keenest human power of analysis to unravel.-GEo. H. SHULL.


The electronic structures of the Sn/Si(111)-$2\sqrt{3}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}2\sqrt{3}$ surface and deposited 3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) have been studied by use of high-resolution photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy. On deposition, PTCDA molecules form a $4\sqrt{3}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}2\sqrt{3}$ periodicity superposed on the substrate. The new reconstruction is caused by a charge transfer between the Sn/Si(111)-$2\sqrt{3}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}2\sqrt{3}$ surface and the molecules, as indicated by a new component of the Sn 4$d$ core level that is shifted toward higher binding energy. In contrast to earlier reports, the charge provided by Sn is given to carbonyl C atoms instead of O atoms. This is evidenced by a new component in the C $1s$ core-level spectra, which is shifted toward lower binding energy. The charge transfer also induces a splitting in the highest occupied molecular orbital level of PTCDA seen in the valence band structure.


The EUROVOLC project aims to promote an integrated and harmonised European volcanological community, with one of its main themes focusing on understanding sub-surface processes. Early identification of magma moving towards the surface is very important for the mitigation of risks from volcanic hazards, and joint research activities within the project aim to develop and improve schemes for detecting pre-eruptive unrest. Volcanic tremor is a sustained seismic signal that is often associated with such volcanic unrest, and has been linked to the movement of magmatic fluids in the subsurface. However, signals with similar spectral content can be generated by other surface processes such as flooding, rockfalls or lahars. Hence, one of the best ways of distinguishing between different possible mechanisms for generating tremor is by tracking the location of its source, which is also important for mitigating volcanic risk. Due to its emergent nature, tremor cannot be located using travel-time based methods, and therefore alternatives such as amplitude-based techniques or array analysis must be used. Dense, small-aperture arrays are particularly suited for analyzing volcanic tremor, yet costs associated with installation and maintenance have meant few long-term or permanent seismic arrays in use for routine monitoring.

Given the potential for wider usage of arrays, this work presents a freely available python-based software tool, developed as part of the EUROVOLC project, that uses array data and array processing techniques to analyze and locate volcanic tremor signals. RETREAT utilizes existing routines from the open-source ObsPy framework to carry out analysis of array data in real-time and performs either f-k (frequency-wavenumber) analysis, or alternatively Least-Squares beamforming, to calculate the backazimuth and slowness in overlapping time windows, which can help track the location of volcanic tremor sources. A graphical, or web-based, interface is used to configure a set of input parameters, before fetching chunks of waveform data and performing the array analysis. On each update the tool returns several plots, including timeseries of the backazimuth and slowness, a polar representation of the relative power and a map of the array with the dominant backazimuth overlaid.

The tool has been tested using real-time seismic data from the small-aperture SPITS array in Spitsbergen, as well as on data from a small aperture seismic array deployed during the 2014 eruption of Bárðarbunga volcano, Iceland. Although designed specifically for seismic array data (with a particular focus on volcanic tremor), RETREAT can also be used with infrasound sensors and has been successfully tested on infrasonic array data of explosive activity recorded at Mt. Etna, Italy, in 2019.

Although RETREAT has been designed for deployment as part of volcano monitoring systems and provides the ability to track tremor sources in real-time, it also has the capability to analyse existing datasets for testing, comparison and research purposes. However, RETREAT is primarily intended for use in real-time monitoring settings and it is hoped that it will facilitate wider use of arrays in tracking volcanic tremor or infrasonic sources in real-time, thereby enhancing monitoring capabilities.


Neuroplasticity takes place when acquiring new skills, after damage to the nervous system, and as a result of sensory deprivation (5). It can also take place due to exercise (11)(22). Few studies exist that look at the effects of anaerobic/resistance training and its effects on Neuroplasticity in humans, as the majority of research found delves into how resistance training can help at the subcortical and spinal level of the body, not in the brain (1). The aim of this study was to determine whether resistance training is as effective as aerobic training at improving neuroplasticity. Five competitive Weightlifters (3 females, 2 males, age 34±9) were recruited to complete a control, aerobic, and resistance acute protocol. The subjects completed the TrailMaking Test (TMT) before and immediately after the cessation of each 20-minute protocol separated by multiple days. A repeated measures ANOVA for part A revealed a significant effect of time (pre-post p=0.004) and condition (control, aerobic, and resistance, p=0.004) for part A, but there was not a statistically significant interaction between timepoint and condition (p=0.429). A separate ANOVA revealed a significant effect of time (pre-post p=0.033) but not condition (control, aerobic, and resistance p=0.054) for part B, but there was not a statistically significant interaction between timepoint and condition (p=0.164). Our results are in agreeance with prior research, but show promise that resistance exercise may be as beneficial as aerobic exercise and needs further research.


Focusing on the fact that the collection of independent tasks to be scheduled onto the grid is always on a large-scale, a conception of task partition is proposed to group tasks exclusively according to the machine that gives the earliest completion time. As a result, several tasks in different task partitions can be scheduled at the same time, which reduces the range of task searching and eliminates the re-assignment of tasks completely. Furthermore, a Task Partition-Based Heuristic (TPBH) is presented with sufferage as the first heuristic and minimum completion time as the second one. Simulation results confirm that this dual heuristic scheduling strategy can reduce both makespan and the runtime; and the larger the task set is, the better performance the algorithm shows.


In the past decade medical education has witnessed a significant increase in the use of simulation-based technology to facilitate learning of technical/procedural and behavioural skills in a medical context. Contributing factors include changes in healthcare delivery, technological advances, an increased focus on patient outcomes and safety, reduced patient availability for learning opportunities and a paradigm shift to outcomes-based education, with its requirements for assessment and demonstration of competence.1 Scenarios written for simulation-based resuscitation courses often follow a generic narrative structure in which a simulated patient's condition deteriorates from baseline and then improves with appropriate treatment. In non-military simulation practice, the patient usually survives the critical incident. What is less well understood is how well simulated-based teaching methodologies prepare medical students and newly qualified doctors (interns) to manage unexpected and potentially distressing events. We assert that scenarios including unexpected events may not be congruent with 'normative' simulated patient outcome expectations. We report observations from a simulated Not For Resuscitation (NFR) …


The natural hydrologic cycle is severely disrupted by development because the water that used to infiltrate into the ground is now running off into nearby streams. The negative impact of development on streams includes increased stream bank erosion, pollutant levels, and decreased base flow. Best management practices (BMPs) are recommended by regulatory agencies because they can mitigate peak flow, provide treatment, and partially restore the natural hydrologic cycle. BMP is a broad term used to describe a host of structures and activities; they are classified as structural (e.g. infiltration basin) or non structural (e.g. street cleaning). While infiltration BMPs are gaining acceptance, there is a concern that infiltrating stormwater has solved one problem by improving stream quality, but has caused another by contaminating the groundwater. To date, there have not been many opportunities to study the long term effects of infiltration. However, two 85 to 100 year old infiltration pits were discovered on the campus of Villanova University. Soil samples were collected from these pits and were tested for copper. Copper was selected based on the contaminants seen in the stormwater at other Villanova BMP sites. One of the pits has low infiltration rates and a plan to restore its infiltration capacity is described. This restored infiltration pit will serve as a permanent demonstration and research site, joining a collection of BMPs at Villanova University.


of epilepsy now past?' Now, he can find the answers to these and similar questions in this monograph, answers based not on anecdotal evidence but upon a large series of cases carefully studied and assessed. The importance of information of this kind is known by some of the results. For instance, if a patient with a closed head injury does not have epilepsy within the first week, is not unconscious for more than 24 hours and,does not have a depressed fracture or a h}matoma, the chances of him developing late epilepsy are only about i %. But if epilepsy occurs within the first week the chances rise to 28%, and if the early epilepsy is associated with a depressed fracture the chances became 50%. An overall figure for the chances of late epilepsy after closed head injury is, therefore, of little value. Prognosis for medical or legal purposes must be based on an accurate assessment of the factors involved in the injury, and the weight to be given to the various factors can be found in this book. The author has done a great service in producing this monograph.


Financial service providers are moving many services online reducing their costs and facilitating customers¿ interaction. Unfortunately criminals have quickly found several ways to avoid most security measures applied to browsers and banking sites. The use of highly dangerous malware has become the most significant threat and traditional signature-detection methods are nowadays easily circumvented due to the amount of new samples and the use of sophisticated evasion techniques. Antivirus vendors and malware experts are pushed to seek for new methodologies to improve the identification and understanding of malicious applications behavior and their targets. Financial institutions are now playing an important role by deploying their own detection tools against malware that specifically affect their customers.
However, most detection approaches tend to base on sequence of bytes in order to create new signatures. This thesis approach is based on new sources of information: the web logs generated from each banking session, the normal browser execution and customers mobile phone behavior.

The thesis can be divided in four parts:
The first part involves the introduction of the thesis along with the presentation of the problems and the methodology used to perform the experimentation.
The second part describes our contributions to the research, which are based in two areas:
*Server side: Weblogs analysis. We first focus on the real time detection of anomalies through the analysis of web logs and the challenges introduced due to the amount of information generated daily. We propose different techniques to detect multiple threats by deploying per user and global models in a graph based environment that will allow increase performance of a set of highly related data.
*Customer side: Browser analysis. We deal with the detection of malicious behaviors from the other side of a banking session: the browser. Malware samples must interact with the browser in order to retrieve or add information. Such relation interferes with the normal behavior of the browser. We propose to develop models capable of detecting unusual patterns of function calls in order to detect if a given sample is targeting an specific financial entity.
In the third part, we propose to adapt our approaches to mobile phones and Critical Infrastructures environments. The latest online banking attack techniques circumvent protection schemes such password verification systems send via SMS. Man in the Mobile attacks are capable of compromising mobile devices and gaining access to SMS traffic. Once the Transaction Authentication Number is obtained, criminals are free to make fraudulent transfers. We propose to model the behavior of the applications related messaging services to automatically detect suspicious actions. Real time detection of unwanted SMS forwarding can improve the effectiveness of second channel authentication and build on detection techniques applied to browsers and Web servers. Finally, we describe possible adaptations of our techniques to another area outside the scope of online banking: critical infrastructures, an environment with similar features since the applications involved can also be profiled. Just as financial entities, critical infrastructures are experiencing an increase in the number of cyber attacks, but the sophistication of the malware samples utilized forces to new detection approaches. The aim of the last proposal is to demonstrate the validity of out approach in different scenarios.

Conclusions. Finally, we conclude with a summary of our findings and the directions for future work.


Correspondence establishment is a key step in statistical shape model building. There are several automated methods for solving this problem in 3D, but they usually can only handle objects with simple topology, like that of a sphere or a disc. We propose an extension to correspondence establishment over a population based on the optimization of the minimal description length function, allowing considering objects with arbitrary topology. Instead of using a fixed structure of kernel placement on a sphere for the systematic manipulation of point landmark positions, we rely on an adaptive, hierarchical organization of surface patches. This hierarchy can be built on surfaces of arbitrary topology and the resulting patches are used as a basis for a consistent, multi-scale modification of the surfaces' parameterization, based on point distribution models. The feasibility of the approach is demonstrated on synthetic models with different topologies.


Autonomous learning and effective self-regulatory strategies are becoming increasingly important in foreign language learning as, without these, students might not be able to exploit the learning opportunities outside language classrooms. In our study we investigated the influence of motivational factors and self-regulatory strategies on autonomous learning behavior with the help of structural equation modelling. We developed a new questionnaire for Hungarian learners, which we administered to 638 students in three groups: secondary school students, university students, and adult language learners. Our structural equation models show that strong instrumental goals and international posture, together with positive future self-guides, are prerequisites for the use of effective self-regulatory strategies, which in turn play an important role in influencing students' autonomous use of traditional and computer-assisted learning resources. The findings reveal no major structural differences between the groups, which suggests that our model is applicable to the most important language learner populations in the context investigated. Efficient management of time and boredom, as well as pro-activity in seeking out learning opportunities, were found to be necessary to promote the autonomous use of traditional learning resources. In contrast, the self-regulatory strategies of satiation- and time-management control were not important determiners of independent use of modern learning technology. The results indicate that in order to exploit the affordances of learning technology, a pro-active approach to locating and using these learning resources is necessary.


Theory suggests that predators of soil-improving, plant-facilitating detritivores (e.g. earthworms) should suppress plant growth via a negative tri-trophic cascade, but the empirical evidence is still largely lacking. We tested this prediction in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau by manipulating predatory beetles (presence/absence) and quantifying (i) direct effects on the density and behaviour of earthworms; and (ii) indirect effects on soil properties and above-ground plant biomass. In the absence of predators, earthworms improved soil properties, but did not significantly affect plant biomass. Surprisingly, the presence of predators strengthened the positive effect of earthworms on soil properties leading to the emergence of a positive indirect effect of predators on plant biomass. We attribute this counterintuitive result to: (i) the inability of predators to suppress overall earthworm density; and (ii) the predator-induced earthworm habitat shift from the upper to lower soil layer that enhanced their soil-modifying, plant-facilitating, effects. Our results reveal that plant-level consequences of predators as transmitted through detritivores can hinge on behaviour-mediated indirect interactions that have the potential to overturn predictions based solely on trophic interactions. This work calls for a closer examination of the effects of predators in detritus food webs and the development of spatially explicit theory capable of predicting the occurrence and consequences of predator-induced detritivore behavioural shifts.


With cloud computing and storage services, data is not only stored in the cloud, but routinely shared among a large number of users in a group. It remains elusive, however, to design an efficient mechanism to audit the integrity of such shared data, while still preserving identity privacy. In this paper, we propose Knox, a privacy-preserving auditing mechanism for data stored in the cloud and shared among a large number of users in a group. In particular, we utilize group signatures to construct homomorphic authenticators, so that a third party auditor (TPA) is able to verify the integrity of shared data for users without retrieving the entire data. Meanwhile, the identity of the signer on each block in shared data is kept private from the TPA. With Knox, the amount of information used for verification, as well as the time it takes to audit with it, are not affected by the number of users in the group. In addition, Knox exploits homomorphic MACs to reduce the space used to store such verification information. Our experimental results show that Knox is able to efficiently audit the correctness of data, shared among a large number of users.


sated by the rarity with which emergency visits are necessary. Status asthmaticus must be one of the more common causes of emergency admission to hospital, yet in this general practice of over 4,000 patients there have been only nine occasions in the last six years when an adult asthmatic patient has been admitted as an emergency. Analysis of these nine emergency admissions shows that in four cases the episode which necessitated admission was apparently the first overt manifestation of asthma which the patient had experienced. Three emergency admissions were not for status asthmaticus (two being for spontaneous pneumothorax and one for complete obstruction of the main bronchus by a plug of aspergillus). Thus, in six years there have been only two occasions when a patient, who was already known to have severe asthma, has required emergency admission for status asthmaticus. During the last six years a prospective study of all patients with asthma has been in progress. Twenty-eight patients have required treatment with steroids. All patients are followed up regularly and the dosage of steroid is carefully controlled by measurement of peak expiratory flow. At least one attempt is made to discontinue steroid therapy and this has been possible in nine patients. In the other 19 patients relapse occurred, despite very gradual reduction of dosage and, in several cases, injections of corticotrophin. In those patients who require continuous steroids the dose is kept as low as possible, the aim being not to achieve complete reversal of their airway obstruction but rather to find that dose which just suppresses their symptoms of asthma. In many patients the maintenance dose of prednisone is 4-7 mg. per day, apart from temporary increases for exacerbations, and only five patients required a dose greater than 10 mg. per day. It is important to recognize that chronic asthma may become unaccountably refractory to a dose of steroid which previously has suppressed it satisfactorily. Usually such refractory periods are of short duration, but in some patients it proves impossible to revert to the previous maintenance dose. Although Dr. Maunsell and her colleagues found that in general there was no tendency for the effect of steroids to diminish with prolonged treatment, this certainly does occur in some individual patients.-I am, etc.,


On the one hand, the contemporary world is a place of sheer abundance; on the other, it is a place where the poverty is widespread, people's needs are unsatisfied, and the natural and socioeconomic systems remain unstable. The negligence/absence of human rights and basic political needs pose a direct threat to development. One of the most effective answers to such a threat is the idea of sustainable development, which works towards the goal of satisfying the needs of present generations without depriving the future generations of their options and basic needs. Amartya Sen's concept of development, understood as a process of extending basic civil rights and freedoms as well as improving the effectiveness of social security networks is crucial for intellectual reflection on the idea of sustainable development.


The presence of sulphur in coals is a major obstacle to their use in coal-fired power plants because of the restrictions placed on sulphur dioxide em itted from such plants. In this study, it has been found that the recently imposed sulphur dioxide emission standards in the U nited States are unrealistic because they are not consonant with the reserve base of U.S. coals by total and pyritic sulphur contents, and with factors in fluencing the removal of pyrite by physical methods. Since cleaning of coal by physical means is inexpensive com pared with converting coals into clean-burning fuels before burning them in the boilers or reverting to stack-gas clean-up, and since direct firing of coal conserves the coal if the end product is electricity, it is recommended that the standards to be imposed should be consonant with the reserve base and the potential of physical methods.


Hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia in critically ill patients have been considered as being closely tied to mortality. However, clinical researchers and physicians have suspected that this relationship may be confounded by other time-updated biomarkers such as the acute physiology and the chronic health evaluation (APACHE) score which is a measurement of disease severity. To investigate the effect of dysglycemia on mortality while adjusting for time-dependent biomarkers, we first need to ensure that these time-updated biomarkers are associated with the main exposure variable, i.e., the time-dependent glucose levels.

Several researchers have proposed methods to estimate the true correlation coefficient between two repeatedly measured continuous variables using the maximum likelihood method via the mixed effects modeling with an assumption that these two variables are measured at the same time points. In this study, we further extend the methods proposed by these researchers, and proposed a method that can be used to examine the correlation coefficients among multiple (two or more) variables measured repeatedly. The method we proposed can be applied to linked cases where repeated measurements are linked over time and to unlinked cases where measurements are not necessarily measured concurrently.

The dataset we used for demonstration is the HighDensity ICU dataset, an electronic dataset from an eight-year observational cohort of more than 54,000 admissions recorded in twelve Intensive care units (ICUs) of a large tertiary care center. Several risk factors of mortality were recorded daily for the ICU admissions including glucose level, disease severity score, organ dysfunction scores, cumulative daily insulin doses, and caloric intake.

Simulation studies were conducted to examine the empirical features of our proposed method under different underlying scenarios. In application, we compared our method with the methods proposed by previous researchers on correlation coefficients between any two risk factors.

Public Health Significance: One of the objectives of the current on-going study is to find the relationship between the glucose level and the APACHE III score, both measured repeatedly, while controlling for other repeatedly measured biomarkers. Findings in this study not only can provide helpful information for physicians in the ICUs to optimize treatments in critically ill patients with septic shock, but also can provide biostatisticians a better statistical tool to estimate correlation between two longitudinally measured biomarkers that are adjusted for within-subject correlation while controlling for repeatedly measured confounding factors.


Due to the typically large sizes of many stormwater ponds, numerically modeling the bacteria fate and transport within these ponds is more practical than in situ monitoring. However, bacteria fate and transport models lack proper verification and rely on numerous assumptions without proper validation of these assumptions. In this paper, a sophisticated hydrodynamic model is developed for estimating bacteria levels in the Inverness stormwater pond, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and is verified in two ways. First, the bacteria concentrations predicted by the developed model for several locations within the pond were compared to data collected during two separate field campaigns at the pond. Good agreement was observed and while it was found that contamination increased over time between the two field campaigns, the most contaminated location was consistently in the west wing. Second, fluid flow velocity vectors in numerous locations were measured and compared with the modeled results. The impacts of model assumptions and inputs on the bacteria distribution in the pond were also assessed. The model was run for various particle-attachment rate and sizes, various rain hyetographs and various wind conditions. It was found that synthetic hyetographs can be used for design purposes to find the optimal location for withdrawal. The effect of wind direction was found to be event specific and location specific. In general, wind was found to play a crucial role in the bacteria distribution in the pond.


The Gaborone Granite is a mushroom-shaped intrusion with a surface area of over 5000 km2. The intrusion is layered, consisting of a central core of rapakivi granite (Thamaga Granite) surrounded by successive shells of an equigranular leucocratic granite (Kgale Granite), a porphyritic granophyre or microgranite (Ntlhantlhe Microgranite) and an outermost zone of massive felsite (Kanye Volcanics). The whole lithological sequence is deduced to have been derived from a single, highly viscous magma body emplaced into the crust at a high level. The genesis is proposed as follows. The outer felsites represent quenched primary magma with the underlying porphyritic granophyres having formed during a subsequent tranquil period after emplacement. The rapakivi granite core was also of early crystallization above the floor but with significant textural characters impressed during updoming in the late crystallization stage. Residual liquid rich in SiO2 , K2O and volatiles migrated upwards to form the Kgale Granite. The Gaborone Granite was emplaced in the Kaapvaal Craton at about 2400 Ma and its morphology was controlled by pre-existing structures in the crust. The country rock consists of Archaean gneisses, Lobatse Volcanic Group supracrustals and locally Transvaal Supergroup strata. Chemically the Gaborone Granite is identical to other early Proterozoic non-orogenic granites of the Kaapvaal Craton. It is also similar in many respects to the Fennoscandian rapakivi granites


Numerous studies have been reported on the roles of the terminal portion of biliary duct in the mechanism of bile excretion. There is as yet no generally agreed conclusion as to functional independence of terminal biliary duct, however, .The present study has been performed in rabbits to investigate the effects of prostaglandins and a few other drugs on the terminal portion of common bile duct, with the results leading to the following conclusions:1) The group of muscles comprising the terminal biliary duct of rabbit intercommunicate with the duodenal longitudinal muscle and no histologic evidence has been observed for the presence of any independent sphincter in this portion.2) The terminal biliary duct and the adjoining segment of the duodenum display nractically the same attitudes on electromyograms.3) The internal pressures of the duodenum and common bile duct were noted to show changes coinciding with electric discharges in the duodenum or terminal biliary duct, respectively, and not to affect each other.4) The interrelations observed between discharge and flow rate or internal pressure of the terminal biliary duct indicate that the muscles of this portion possess the function as sphincter. It is suggested, therefore, that bile excretion into the duodenal lumen is effected primarily by relaxation of the terminal biliary duct.5) Prostaglandin E2 has proven to behave differently toward discharges in the duodenum and terminal biliary duct, viz., facilitation in the former and inhibition in the latter. It would follow that these structures serve mutually independent functions.6) The effects of prostaglandins on the duodenum and the terminal portion of common bile duct are considered to stem from their direct actions on the musculatures of these regions.7) The findings stress importance of observations with biologically active substances in tissues in the study aimed at clarification of the biliary excretory function.


Primary spinal extradural Ewing's sarcoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) is rare malignant tumor of childhood and early adulthood. The World Health Organization classifies PNET as an undifferentiated round cell tumor arising from primitive neuroepithelial cell. It can be central or peripheral PNET depending on site of presentation. Usually, the presenting symptoms are chronic back pain and myelopathy. Overall prognosis and survival are dismal in spite of total surgical resection and adjuvant therapy. Because of the rarity and malignant behavior, definite management of spinal PNET has never been described. After review of medical record at Acharaya Vinoba Bhave Rural Hospital, Sawangi, India, we identified four patients of spinal PNET and were included in our study. Age at diagnosis ranging from 15 to 26 years old with mean age of 20 years old. All four cases were epidural in location, two of which were of Askin type tumor with spinal cord compression. Rural population with low literacy and financial constraints were the key reasons of late presentations at our hospital. Counseling and proper education regarding the disease are a must for early case detection and early treatment of those living in rural areas and suffers from financial constraints. Due to rarity of the disease and its poor prognosis, a well-organized multicentric controlled trial is required to formulate a standard guidelines in the management of this disease.


Palladium catalysis has emerged as an outstanding tool in synthetic organic chemistry for the mild and selective formation of carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds. This thesis has been directed towards the extension of palladium(II)-catalyzed carbocyclization chemistry under oxidative conditions. An oxidative carbocyclization/functionalization methodology utilizing boron-containing transmetalation reagents was exploited to convert 1,5-allenynes into either arylated or borylated carbocycles. Two protocols were developed that use minimal amounts of Pd(OAc)2, stoichiometric para-benzoquinone as the oxidant and either bis(pinacolato)diboron or different arylboronic acids under mild conditions. A wide substrate scope is applicable to both methods. When the allenyne substrate bears a propargylic hydrogen, two isomeric functionalized carbocycles can be formed. By controlling the reaction conditions the reaction can be directed towards either of these two isomeric products. Kinetic isotope effect studies suggest that the mechanism leading to the different products proceeds through allylic or propargylic C-H bond cleavage, respectively. Moreover, it was observed that water has an interesting effect on the product selectivity when arylboronic acids are used in the oxidative carbocyclization of allenynes.


The emergence of Boko Haram as a terrorist group in Nigeria considerably changed the country's security milieu. From a quiet religious group in the early 2000s, the group had risen in 2015 to become the deadliest terrorist group. As a security challenge, however, the Government's counter terrorism policy appears unsuccessful. This article reveals flaws in the policy directions, noting that Government's military-centric approach was not guided by any documented national strategy until the release of National Counter Terrorism Strategy (NACTEST) in 2014 ostensibly coordinated by the Office of the National Security Advisor (ONSA). Even at this, NACTEST is observed to be fraught with gaps that question its suitability as a counter-terrorism policy document for Nigeria. Among the observed policy gaps include the animosity between and among Nigeria's security agencies and their unwillingness to share intelligence hampering effort at effectively combating the Boko Haram insurgency in the country's North-east. This is an exploratory study aimed at probing the seeming perennial conflicts between and amongst the various security agencies in Nigeria with a view to creating a new path to inculcating tolerance for enhanced synergy towards optimal service delivery and national security. To this end, data were generated from both primary and secondary sources. The study concluded by recommending that there is the need for intensive collaboration amongst the relevant security agencies in Nigeria, as a tonic for achieving national security.


This paper adopts agent-based simulation to study the horizontal competition among homogenous price-setting retailers in a one-to-many supply chain (one supplier and multiple retailers). We model the supplier and retailers as agents, and design their behavioral rules respectively. The results show that although the agents learn individually based on their own experiences, the system shows an asymptotic convergence, which approaches Nash equilibrium. Based on these results, we discuss the effects of the retailers' horizontal competition on the retail price, retailers' and supplier's profits.


Abstract : This thesis investigates a cross range smear phenomenon seen in far field, frequency domain Xpatch calculations. The phenomenon is very subtle, manifesting itself in 2-D ISAR images as a low-level scatterer response smeared in the cross range direction. This cross range smear occurs only using complex target models with certain characteristics. It is also a mathematical construct, not occurring in physical SAR systems. Using a carefully constructed scattering target set, Xpatch-generated ISAR images are used to characterize cross range smear in terms of its input parameters. The characterization is done as a DOE-based polynomial approximation to the observed smear levels. Frequency extent and bandwidth have the highest effect on cross range smear, consistently increasing smear with parameter value. Ray density is slightly less important, having primarily squared and second order influence. The choice of diffraction and first bounce algorithm has very little effect on cross range smear. In addition, the performance of a proposed smear reduction technique is analyzed against Xpatch-generated ISAR images. The algorithm generally reduces smear, but the smear reduction magnitude is not a linear function of smear value.


The Working Group on Pathology and Diseases of Marine Organisms (WGPDMO) investigates diseases and pathology in wild and farmed finfish, shellfish and crustaceans. This report describes new disease trends in wild and farmed fish and shellfish in the ICES area, based on national reports from fourteen member countries. Notable reports for wild fish included a widening geographic scope of the enigmatic "red skin disease" in wild Atlantic salmon, with reports now from Norway, Scotland and Ireland as well as the Baltic Sea countries where it was origi-nally observed; increased prevalences of Ichthyophonus sp. infection in herring from Iceland and mackerel from Norway, suggesting potentially increased affects of this pathogen on wild fish in the north; and the first detection of eel rhabdovirus (EVEX) in England and Wales since the 1980s. Detection of piscine orthoreovirus (PRV) in exotic pink salmon straying from cultivation in Russian rivers to Norway raised questions about potential disease interactions between pink salmon and farmed Atlantic salmon that deserve further attention. Reports of diseases in farmed fish included the first detections of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV, pathogenic genogroup 5 )and Parvicapsula pseudobranchicolain Atlantic salmon from Iceland, increased detection of Pasteurella skyensis in Atlantic salmon in Scotland, and increased detection of furunculosis caused by Aeromonas salmonicidain Atlantic salmon from Ireland. Sea lice parasitism and complex gill disease (CGD) remain highly significant concerns for Atlantic salmon aquaculture, with reports for 2019 noting increasing prevalences and impacts of both. Notable reports of diseases for shellfish included an outbreak of Haplosporidium costale in cultured Pacific oysters in France; mortality caused by Vibrio aestuarianusin cultured Pacific oysters in Scotland and Ireland, with additional and unusual detection of bacteria belonging to the Vibrio splendidus clade in association with Pacific oyster mortality in Ireland; mortality caused by a coccidian parasite in wild bay scallops in the USA; and documented expansions of the distributions of Bonamia ostreae in flat oysters in Scotland and Marteilia refringens in blue mussels in Norway. The group also summarized work on the role of Vibrio pathogens in contributing to mortalities in shellfish aquaculture as well as seafood-associated disease risks in humans, on the contemporary status of oyster pathogen Bonamia ostreae, on complex gill disease in salmon, on emerging health issues affecting wild salmonids of the Baltic region, and on disease considerations related to cleaner-fish use in salmon culture. The group additionally discussed the status and future directions of the ICES Identification Leaflets for Diseases and Parasites of Fish and Shellfish, and priorities for their work from 2021, potentially including health threats to endangered pen shells in the Mediterranean; eel diseases; and a consideration of which host-pathogen systems might be most promising for management through selective breeding. Group members published two new ICES Identification Leaflets for Diseases and Parasites in Fish and Shellfish in 2019 and five new leaflets are planned for completion in 2020.


In higher education there seems to be a 'gap' between the levels of undergraduate student expectation of being confronted by ethical issues in engineering work, and the amount of effective ethics education. Within this context, the purpose of this empirical research is to investigate engineering students' views on two issues: a) How vital professional ethics are in their field, and b) whether they believe that professional ethics must be a part of the syllabus in their School. Findings indicate that teachers should make special reference to and strongly emphasize in class the value of an engineer's ethical responsibility. Furthermore, they need to spend a number of teaching hours on tackling problems in professional ethics as well as organize conferences, workshops, lectures and discussions, where the main speakers would be experienced engineers and academics. This way the technical and technological education incorporates more the responsibility of building professional integrity that can guarantee the much needed social goods of progress and prosperity, along with safety.


Summary Introduction: Osteoporosis is a chronic metabolic disease with multifactorial etiology. One of possible osteoporosis causes may be impairment of osteoclasts function which leads to increased bone resorption. This may be a result of many metabolic changes. It is believed that changes of folate-methionine metabolism in osteoporosis play an essential role in the etiology of this disease. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine how polymorphisms of SLC19A1 and FOLR3 genes may play the key role in folate-methionine pathway and influence on the etiology of osteoporosis. Results: The statistically overrepresentation of mutated GG genotype of FOLR3 (rs11235449) was observed in the control group compared to the osteopenia (34.9% in osteopenia vs. 37.8% in controls, p=0.025, OR=0.61). As to the SLC19A1 (rs3788200) polymorphism we have noted the statistically significant over-representation of wild-type GG genotype (35.8% vs. 26.2%, p=0.046, OR=1.57) and overrepresentation of wild-type G allele (56.9% vs. 50.2%, p=0.061, OR=1.31) in osteopenia group if compared to the controls. Conclusions: In our study we shown the protective role of mutated GG genotype of FOLR3 (rs11235449) polymorphism to osteopenia progress and possible role of wild-type GG genotype and wild-type G allele of SLC19A1 (rs3788200) polymorphism in osteopenia development.


Mouse hepatitis viruses (MHV) diversely affect immune responses, depending on the viral strain and the mouse genetic background. Here, we studied the effect of MHV-A59 infection on B cell responses of 129/Sv and CBA mice. Our results indicate that in these strains, MHV-A59 induces spleen cell activation that leads to enlargement of the spleen without structural alteration. Infection triggers production by B lymphocytes of large amounts of immunoglobulin G2a, mostly without viral specificity. This polyclonal immunoglobulin production is dependent on the presence of functional T helper cells. This polyclonal B lymphocyte activation induced by MHV-A59 infection can have pathological implications, such as the enhancement of concomitant autoimmune reactions.


The T. C. Osborn tenant site was located in Bastrop, Bastrop County, about 1,300 ft. (410 m) east of the juncture of Gills Branch Creek and the Colorado River, along the path of present-day Lovers Lane, and just south of State Highway 71. This site was determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and investigated in February and March 1987 by John W. Clark of the Texas Department of Transportation, prior to being impacted by the construction of Lovers Lane. A total of 32 units were excavated, and the recovered artifacts include ceramic sherds, glass fragments, beads and marbles, cut and wire nails, assorted metal objects, buttons, and bone fragments. This site also underwent Historic American Building Survey, Level 3 documentation, so that a series of measured drawings of the demolished four-room board-and-batten home are also available. A site history of the property discovered that the board-and-batten home was constructed ca. 1906 by T. C. Osborn for the use of tenant farm families. The artifactual, archival, and oral history data indicates that this site was occupied by at least two Mexican and Mexican-American families between ca. 1906 and 1941. The matriarch of one of these tenant families, 93-year-old Louise García, resides within four blocks of the original site, and contributed an oral history to this inquiry. The personal narratives furnished by former Osborn Farm tenant families were critical to achieving a synthesis of the data. All cultural materials, field notes, forms, and photographs were retained at the Center for Archaeological Research at The University of Texas at San Antonio for permanent curation.


In this paper I empirically investigate economic and non-economic determinants of migration inflows into fourteen OECD countries by country of origin, between 1980 and 1995. The annual panel data set used makes it possible to exploit both the time-series and cross-country variation in immigrant inflows. I focus on both supply and demand determinants of migration patterns and find results broadly consistent with the theoretical predictions of a standard international-migration model. Both first and second moments of the income distribution in the destination and origin countries shape international migration movements. In particular, I find evidence of robust and significant pull effects, that is the positive impact on immigrant inflows of improvements in the mean income opportunities in the host country. Inequality in the origin and destination economies affects the size of migration rates as predicted by Borjas (1987) selection model. Finally, among the non-economic determinants, I investigate the impact on emigration rates of geographical, cultural, and demographic factors as well as the role played by changes in destination countries' migration policies.


During this work we detected 5 species of pathogenic fungi that damage seedlings and saplings of the Tiang—Shang spruce fir, which cause a perceptible damage to the coniferous nurseries of Northern Kyrgyzstan and require activities to protect the woods. The biological activity of Streptomyces metabolites for raising the resistance of seedlings to phytopathogenic fungi was tested in laboratory and field conditions during three seasons. In order to evaluate the biological activity of Streptomyces preparations as biological agents, we have soaked the seeds in the suspension of Streptomyces metabolites with the concentrations of 50, 100, 500 mg per liter. In other variant, the seeds were at first processed in the culture of pathogenic fungi as infectious drowning of sprouts (Fusarium, Alternaria), crown rot of sprouts (Sclerotinia graminearum Elen.) and grey dew of needles (Hypodermella sulsigena Tub.), then they were treated in the suspension of Streptomyces. Also we have used a spraying treatment with the suspension of Streptomyces metabolites of the one-year-old seedlings of Tiang—Shang spruce fir already staggered and dying from infectious drowning. The best results against the Alternaria culture were demonstrated by the use of preparation S. griseogromogenes 24-8 at the concentration of 500 mgs per liter, which provided the safety of sprouts to 80.2%. Preparations of S. rubrogriseus TK2-5, S. wistariopsis CI73-13 and S. griseogromogenes 24-8 were effective in protection of sprouts from Fusarium sp. cultures. They provided safety of sprouts to 80% on average.


This book is of great interest and value to nurses and student nurses who are learning and using physical appraisal skills in the clinical assessment of their clients. As intended by the authors, a broad reference base is provided in a well-organized manner with extensive illustrations. The book comprises three sections. The first section considers such issues as expanded nursing practice, the nursing process, physical appraisal as an aspect of nursing assessment, problem-oriented documentation of nursing care (with charts to demonstrate its applicability in the clinical setting), and the use of computers and decision theory to enhance and to measure the effectiveness of nursing appraisal. Discussion of the latter issue and its use probably will be more appealing to individuals in large university-affiliated teaching hospitals rather than to those in small, general nonteaching hospitals. Realizing the importance of communication skills and the nurse-client relationship in the physical appraisal process, the


The relationship between mild-to-moderate renal dysfunction and cardiac diastolic dysfunction and cardiac events in patients with nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NDCM) has not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between renal and cardiac function, as well as clinical outcome in patients with NDCM.We measured plasma BNP and eGFR, and performed cardiac catheterization in 135 patients with NDCM. LV dP/dt(max)and T(1/2) were determined as indexes of LV contractility and isovolumic relaxation, respectively. During a mean follow-up of 4.8 years, we monitored all patients for the occurrence of cardiac events, which were defined as cardiac death (from worsening HF or sudden death) and unscheduled admission for decompensated HF. Patients were classified into 3 groups on the basis of eGFR (mL min(-1) 1.73 m(-2)): eGFR ≥ 90 (n = 23, group A), 60 ≤ eGFR < 90 (n = 70, group B), and 30 ≤ eGFR < 60 (n = 42, group C). Whereas LV dP/dt(max) did not significantly differ among the 3 groups, T(1/2) was significantly longer in groups B and C than in group A (P < 0.01). Event-free survival in group C was significantly lower than that in groups A and B (P = 0.014, log-rank test). These results suggest that even mild renal dysfunction is associated with LV isovolumic relaxation impairment. In addition, moderate impairment of renal function is independently associated with cardiac events in patients with NDCM.


If the "Description and Natural History" of Staffa, by Faujas de St. Fond, or the various other descriptions which have been published of this island by naturalists and by tourists, had exhausted the subject, I should have forborn to have troubled the Society with any remarks on a place which ought now to be well known. But a visit to this celebrated island having given me an opportunity of remarking a circumstance before unnoticed, and of some importance in its natural history, I think it my duty to lay it before the Society. In so doing, I find it difficult to avoid entering rather minutely into the general description of the island, particularly since a second examination, besides confirming the remarkable fact I at first noticed, has enabled me to investigate its structure more completely. I shall doubtless still leave something to be corrected by those who may come after me. A multiplicity of objects pressing at once for regard, a visit always necessarily hurried from the impossibility of remaining long on the island, a boisterous sea, and a stormy atmosphere, are hostile to that accuracy of observation which may preclude future corrections. The circumference of Staffa is estimated at about two miles. It forms a sort of table land of an irregular surface, bounded on all sides by perpendicular cliffs, varying in altitude and broken into numerous recesses and promontories. It is intersected by one deep cut, scarcely to be called a valley, which divides the higher and more


An investigation involving raccoons (Procyon lotor) as a sentinel species at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP) in Western Kentucky (USA) delineated the extent of exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and PCB spatial distribution. Raccoon exposure to PCBs was demonstrated through analysis of subcutaneous fat, abdominal fat, liver, and brain tissues from raccoons collected at the PGDP but also was clearly evident in raccoons from a reference area situated along the Ohio River (USA). Raccoons with the highest tissue PCB concentrations appeared to be those inhabiting areas nearest the plant itself and most likely those that ventured into the plants interior. Male raccoons at the PGDP had similar concentrations of total PCBs in subcutaneous fat (1.86 ± 0.64 μg/g) as males from the reference site (1.41 ± 0.35 μg/g), but females had higher PCB body burdens than those at the reference site (9.90 ± 6.13 μg/g vs 0.75 ± 0.40 μg/g). Gross measurements of exposure to radiation‐producing materials revealed that counts per minute exceeded background in 61% of PGDP raccoons compared with 27% at the reference site and five raccoons at the PGDP had beta counts that were more than twice the background. Differences among trapping success, growth rates, and serum chemistry parameters were noted but may have been related to habitat and other environmental and population density factors.


Background There is an increased risk of sleep apnea in patients using opioids for chronic pain. We hypothesized that a simple model comprizing of: (1) STOP-Bang questionnaire and resting daytime oxyhemoglobin saturation (SpO2); and (2) overnight oximetry will identify those at risk of moderate-to-severe sleep apnea in patients with chronic pain. Method Adults on opioids for chronic pain were recruited from pain clinics. Participants completed the STOP-Bang questionnaire, resting daytime SpO2, and in-laboratory polysomnography. Overnight oximetry was performed at home to derive the Oxygen Desaturation Index. A STOP-Bang score ≥3 or resting daytime SpO2 ≤95% were used as thresholds for the first step, and for those identified at risk, overnight oximetry was used for further screening. The Oxygen Desaturation Index from overnight oximetry was validated against the Apnea-Hypopnea Index (≥15 events/hour) from polysomnography. Results Of 199 participants (52.5±12.8 years, 58% women), 159 (79.9%) had a STOP-Bang score ≥3 or resting SpO2 ≤95% and entered the second step (overnight oximetry). Using an Oxygen Desaturation Index ≥5 events/hour, the model had a sensitivity of 86.4% and specificity of 52% for identifying moderate-to-severe sleep apnea. The number of participants who would require diagnostic sleep studies was decreased by 38% from Step 1 to Step 2 of the model. Conclusion A simple model using STOP-Bang questionnaire and resting daytime SpO2, followed by overnight oximetry, can identify those at high risk of moderate-to-severe sleep apnea in patients using opioids for chronic pain. Trial registration number NCT02513836.


The results of the UK Child Dental Health Survey of 1993 indicated that dental erosion was a problem in children, with acidic dietary components thought to be the main etiological factor. The aim of this study was to compare, in the form of a case control study, the diets of children with dental erosion with those who were caries-active or caries-free. Structured dietary histories were taken from 309 age and gender matched children to determine the type and frequency of intake of acidic foods and drinks, together with any drinking habits that prolonged exposure of the teeth to dietary acids. Results showed that the children with erosion drank acidic beverages significantly more frequently than children who either had caries or were caries-free. Children with erosion also drank milk or water significantly less often than the control groups, and were more likely to have a swishing or holding habit associated with drinking. Fruit and vinegar consumption was higher in the erosion group, as was the taking of vitamin C supplements. The results of this study suggest that the increased consumption of acidic foods and drinks, particularly when associated with a swishing or holding habit, may contribute to the development of erosion in some children. Dietary advice should emphasize the dangers of a highly acidic as well as that of a cariogenic diet.


The lacZ gene from Streptococcus thermophilus A054, a commercial yogurt strain, was cloned on a 7.2 kb PstI fragment in Escherichia coli and compared with the previously cloned lacZ gene from S. thermophilus ATCC 19258. Using the dideoxy chain termination method, the DNA sequences of both lacZ structural genes were determined and found to be 3071 bp in length. When the two sequences were more closely analysed, 21 nucleotide differences were detected, of which only nine resulted in amino acid changes in the proteins, the remainder occurring in wobble positions of the respective codons. Only three bases separated the termination codon for the lacS gene from the initiation codon for lacZ, suggesting that the lactose utilization genes are organized as an operon. The amino acid sequence of the beta-galactosidase, derived from the DNA sequence, corresponds to a protein with a molecular mass of 116860 Da. Comparison of the S. thermophilus amino acid sequences with those from Lactobacillus bulgaricus, E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae showed 48, 35 and 32.5% identity respectively. Although little sequence homology was observed at the DNA level, many regions conserved in the amino acid sequence were identified when the beta-galactosidase proteins from S. thermophilus, E. coli and L. bulgaricus were compared.


The aim of this study was to explore the effects of preoperative and postoperative lateralized mesial temporal damage on three measures of spatial learning: navigation, object location and plan drawing, and to determine the relationship between volumetry of the hippocampus and memory performance. Fifteen patients with well-characterized unilateral hippocampal sclerosis, 15 patients who had undergone unilateral anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL), and a comparison group consisting of 15 patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy and 25 neurologically healthy participants explored a novel virtual environment. Volumetric analyses of both hippocampi were conducted on unilateral hippocampal sclerosis and idiopathic generalized epilepsy patients' T(1)-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans. Performance of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients (either unilateral hippocampal sclerosis or anterior temporal lobectomy) on the different spatial memory variables, namely navigation, object location and plan drawing, was significantly worse relative to the comparison groups (either idiopathic generalized epilepsy or controls). Patients with right TLE did not differ from patients with left TLE on any of the spatial memory measures. An index of absolute hippocampal asymmetry did not correlate with any of the spatial memory measures. Together, our lesion and volumetry findings suggest that the domain of spatial memory is systematically related to the integrity of both right and left mesial temporal lobe, and is unlikely to be a strongly lateralized function. From the standpoint of cerebral organization (lateralization), the notion of material-specificity, which postulates that all components of verbal and spatial memory are lateralized in their entirety to the left and right hemispheres, respectively, requires modification. Instead it would appear that the notion of task-specificity is a more accurate description of patterns of lateralization of spatial memory.


Anoxic to hypoxic fluid muds are accumulating at average rates of 10 cm/yr in the central basin of Cape Lookout Bight, despite low suspended-sediment concentrations in the water column and periodically-energetic currents at the bed. Physical properties of the sediments, which are classified as "highly plastic inorganic clays" on the Casagrande Plasticity Chart, are remarkably uniform: median particle size ranges narrowly between 13 and 18 microns, organic contents between 9 and 15%, and silt/clay ratios between 3 and 6. The rheological behavior of the muds, i.e., low density yield stress development and, in particular, shear thickening (dilatant) behavior, act in such a way as to inhibit particle resuspension and retain sediment on the bed. XRD analysis of the clay sized fraction indicates the presence of illite and kaolinite; however, SEM studies reveal that muds in the bight are not dominated by these clay minerals, but include significant quantities of silt-sized particles of quartz, feldspar, and mica with stepped surfaces and angular corners. A mechanically interlocking fabric, together with an abundance of bacterial mucilage (which serves as a biological glue for macroaggregates in the water column), provide an explanation for the unusual rheological behavior and the retention of muds on the seabed.


Herein, a single-phase dc permanent magnet motor (PMM) operated at direct current (dc) was proposed, affected by a type of alternating current (ac) signal >5% and frequency between 50 and 3000 Hz to explore characteristics such as noise, vibration, and motor power efficiency. The finite-element method (FEA) was used to model the motor and the transient results of the core flux and current were simulated. The noise level of the motor was experimentally determined for the motor under normal dc power operation subjected to higher hybrid power supply. This indicates that the vibration displacement (mm) and velocity (mm/s) vary, while acceleration $({\mathrm {mm/s}}^{2})$ is linearly stable. From the experimental results, the vibration is inversely proportional to the noise. The lower noise level is only observed under medium frequency, similar to a bathtub curve. In addition, when the motor is operated at a low frequency of 50–500 Hz, the characteristics of the power performance were increased more than 1.5 times, including real power P (real power, Watt), apparent power S (apparent power, VA), and reactive power Q (reactive power, VAR), which is much higher than the high-frequency power signal at frequency >500 Hz, gradually stabilizing the motor power. Moreover, a hybrid ac signal of up to 15% was added to the motor system at a frequency between 50 and 500 Hz, drastically changing the displacement and vibration by up to 1.36 times. However, at high frequencies of >1 kHz, the power and noise increase slightly before reaching the steady state.


Cloud computing is an emerging paradigm for provisioning computing and IT services. Migration from traditional systems setting up to cloud computing is a strategic organisational decision that can affect organisations' performance, productivity, and growth as well as competitiveness. Organisations wishing to migrate their legacy systems to the cloud often need to go through a difficult and complicated decision-making process. This can be due to multiple factors including restructuring IT resources, the still evolving nature of the cloud environment, and the continuous expansion of the cloud services, configurations and providers. This research explores the factors that would influence decision making for migration to the cloud, its impact on IT management, and the main tasks that organisations should consider to ensure successful migration projects. The sequential exploratory strategy is followed for the exploration. This strategy is implemented through the utilisation of a two-stage survey for collecting the primary data. The analysis of the two-stage survey as well as the literature identified eleven determinants that increase the complexity in the decisions to migrate to the cloud. In the literature some of those determinants were realised, accordingly, there have been many proposed methods for supporting migration to the cloud. However, no systematic decision making process exists that clearly identifies the main steps and explicitly describes the tasks to be performed within each step. This research aims to fill this need by proposing a model to support the decision process for migrating to cloud. The model provides a structure which covers the whole process of migration decisions. It guides decision makers through a step-by-step approach aiding organisations with their decision making. The model was evaluated by exploring the views of a group of the cloud practitioners on it. The analysis of the views demonstrated a high level of acceptance by the practitioners with regard to the structure, tasks, and issues addressed by the model. The model offers an encouraging preliminary structure for developing a cloud Knowledge-Based Decision Support System.


: The preparation of plasmonic metal-based substrates has been a hot research topic during the past decades in the area of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The localized surface plasmon resonance effect of plasmonic metal nanostructures enhances the electromagnetic field for SERS analysis, thereby making SERS an extremely sensitive detection technique. However, commonly developed plasmonic metal substrates exhibit poor stability and reproducibility. Since the separation of graphene from graphite, graphene has been widely used in various fields because of its unique physical, chemical, electronic, and optical properties. In the field of SERS, graphene has been used for graphene-enhanced Raman scattering, which makes use of the chemical enhancement mechanism in SERS. In addition, it has capabilities of surface molecular enrichment, quenching fluorescence, surface homogenization, and has strong chemical stability. Due to these characteristics of graphene, SERS substrates based on graphene-metal nanocapsules have attracted the attention of researchers. In this work, a small size gold-graphitic nanocapsules (Au@G) was prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The material exhibits a core-shell structure consisting of a graphitized carbon layer coated on Au nanoparticles (Au NPs). The Au NP core of the Au@G provides a major enhancement factor for Raman analysis, and the external graphitized carbon shell ensures strong chemical stability of the material. The Au@G exhibits a uniform particle size with diameter ~17 nm. In order to control the size of the Au@G, tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and tetraethylorthotrimethylammonium bromide were used as the raw material and template, respectively, a 45 nm-thick layer of mesoporous silica was coated on the synthesized Au NPs. The presence of the mesoporous silica capping layer prevented aggregation and particle size growth of the Au NPs during high-temperature CVD. At the same time, we studied the effect of TEOS concentration on the growth of the graphitized carbon layer during CVD. The results revealed that a decrease of the TEOS concentration is conducive for obtaining a high graphitic Au@G, and the concentration of TEOS does not affect the particle size of the Au@G. Raman detection of crystal violet molecules using Au@G demonstrated the latter's good Raman enhancement effect. The Au@G prepared by high-temperature CVD exhibits a clean surface with no impurities. It is an SERS substrate with both physical and chemical enhancement. The unique Raman spectral peaks and small size of Au@G ensure its great potential for use in the fields of molecular detection and cell imaging analysis.


This article investigates a distributed fuzzy adaptive formation control for quadrotor multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) under unmodeled dynamics and switching topologies. The UAVs dynamics model is described by the Newton–Euler formula, and the actuator faults are considered in the system model in the form of multiplicative factors and additive factors. Due to the underactuated characteristics of the UAVs, two objective attitude commands are generated by designing a virtual control signal, which are transmitted to the attitude subsystem, and then the position controller is solved. By constructing a distributed communication mechanism between UAVs, an adaptive formation control strategy is proposed, which can enable UAVs to update their position and speed online according to their neighbor information, and then achieve the required formation. In addition, a fuzzy adaptive sliding mode controller is designed to ensure that the tracking errors of UAVs converge to the neighborhood of the origin. Finally, the simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.


In the setting of stochastic Volterra equations, and in particular rough volatility models, we show that conditional expectations are the unique classical solutions to path-dependent PDEs. The latter arise from the functional It\^o formula developed by [Viens, F.,&Zhang, J. (2019). A martingale approach for fractional Brownian motions and related path dependent PDEs. Ann. Appl. Probab.]. We then leverage these tools to study weak rates of convergence for discretised stochastic integrals of smooth functions of a Riemann-Liouville fractional Brownian motion with Hurst parameter $H \in (0,1/2)$. These integrals approximate log-stock prices in rough volatility models. We obtain weak error rates of order 1 if the test function is quadratic and of order $H+1/2$ for smooth test functions.