Background: Improper Biomedical Waste (BMW) management by healthcare facilities can pose severe hazardous effects on the larger population, the environment, and its resources. Due to resurgence in number of clinics in urban areas, there is need to understand the practices and compliance to BMW management. It can be understood by studying and observing their practices and processes of BMW management and understanding the knowledge, attitude, and practice among the staff in the clinics. Aim: The objective of the study was to analyze the BMW management process across the healthcare clinics in Udupi taluk. Methods: A cross-sectional, observational study was conducted using self-administered questionnaires and checklists across 15 clinics in Udupi taluk. The sample size is 130 out of which Doctors, Nurses, housekeeping staff and descriptive Statistics were reported. Results: Of the 15 clinics only eight of them had basic requirements of BMW management; lack of trained workforce, non-compliance to segregation of waste, and non-compliance to collection and storage of waste are seen among majority of the clinics. Other findings during our study are 73.3% had inadequate transportation facility, while only 13.3% had adequate storage space. Doctors and nurses had 100% knowledge and positive attitude, environmental health workforce (housekeeping staff) had poor knowledge and attitude.


Abstract This paper seeks to pinpoint the consequences of the core principles of flat ontology for so-called expanded urban planning, on the basis of four case studies at the local level in the Nordic countries. However, these not only represent the local realms, as they are embedded in glocal networks. Urban development takes place in them through different forms of self-organisation, primarily outside the formal planning processes and official institutions, varying in terms of temporality and stages of emergence. We argue that expanded urban planning, which is based on pluralist realism, opens up methodological opportunities for a more agile and responsive planning system, potentially leading to more inclusive urban development. The comparative analyses indicate that the application of flat ontology comprises an expansion of the extent of planning, the importance of temporal dynamics in all stages of planning, the adoption of a variety of digital and non-digital methods and tools, as well as skilful deliberation of complex relations between assemblages. Thus, flat ontology should be called fat, as it makes the conceptualisation of planning manifold and deliberative instead of linear and hierarchical.


A robust and easy to handle 3D porous platinum structure was created via replicating the 3D channel system of an ordered mesoporous silica material using atomic layer deposition (ALD) over micrometer distances. After ALD of Pt in the silica material, the host template was digested using hydrogen fluoride (HF). A fully connected ordered Pt nanostructure was obtained with morphology and sizes corresponding to that of the pores of the host matrix, as revealed with high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron tomography. The Pt nanostructure consisted of hexagonal Pt rods originating from the straight mesopores (11 nm) of the host structure and linking features resulting from Pt replication of the interconnecting mesopore segments (2–4 nm) present in the silica host structure. Electron tomography of partial replicas, made by incomplete infilling of Zeotile-4 material with Pt, provided insight in the connectivity and formation mechanism of the Pt nanostructure by ALD. The Pt replica was evaluated for its potential use as electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction, one of the half-reactions of water electrolysis, and as microelectrode for biomedical sensing. The Pt replica showed high activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction and electrochemical characterization revealed a large impedance improvement in comparison with reference Pt electrodes.


The Atlantis Massif (Mid‐Atlantic Ridge, 30°N) is an example of an oceanic core complex (OCC) exposed by a major fault system. Our integrated field and analytical study of mafic and ultramafic rocks exposed on the south wall of the massif demonstrates the complex interplay of fluids, mass transfer, and metamorphism in strain localization associated with the evolution of a major detachment shear zone and development of this OCC. Extensive talc‐amphibole‐chlorite metasomatism as well as heterogeneous, crystal‐plastic to cataclastic deformation characterize a strongly foliated, 100‐m‐thick zone of detachment faulting. The metasomatic fault rocks are key elements of this OCC and record a deformation and metamorphic history that is distinct from the underlying basement rocks. Talc‐rich fault rocks preserve textural and geochemical characteristics of their ultramafic protoliths. Although primary textures and mineral parageneses are commonly obliterated in rocks dominated by amphibole, bulk rock data point to a mafic protolith. Major and trace elements indicate a complex mutual interaction between gabbroic and ultramafic rocks during metasomatism, which together with microstructures suggest localized circulation of oxidizing, Si‐Al‐Ca‐rich fluids and mass transfer in high strain deformation zones. This type of flow was distinct from the more pervasive circulation that led to strongly serpentinized domains in the south wall. In contrast, cataclastic microfracturing is associated with a dominantly static metasomatism in less deformed domains, suggesting that a significant amount of metasomatism was controlled by diffuse flow and mass transfer associated with fractures that lack a strong preferred orientation. Distinct differences in lithologies, metamorphic overprinting, and degree of deformation between the south wall and central dome of the Atlantis Massif demonstrate the complex lateral and vertical heterogeneity in composition, alteration, and structure of this OCC.


From May 1988, an endoscopically controlled endonasal orbital decompression was performed in 17 patients with malignant ophthalmopathy. Indications were exclusively acute loss of visual acuity or visual field defects, when medical and radiation therapy had failed. The new minimal invasive technique proceeds in three steps. First, an endonasal, endoscopically controlled ethmoidectomy with resection of the middle turbinate is done and the medial wall of the maxillary sinus is widely opened. Second, the medial and inferior orbital walls are removed, preserving the infraorbital nerve. In the last step, the periorbita is incised and the orbital fat herniates. The advantages of this procedure consist of the absence of exterior scars, the avoidance of lacrimal duct stenosis and bony defects in the maxilla and the prevention of the known morbidity of a Caldwell-Luc antrotomy with hypesthesia, dysesthesia and oro-antral fistula. The results were documented by computerized tomographic scans (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Hertel measurements, evaluation of ocular motility and ophthalmoscopy. All patients had a postoperative improvement of visual acuity. An average of 3-4 mm improvement in Hertel measurements was reached. Four patients who had a diplopia before the interventions developed a more significant diplopia postoperatively, whereas in all other patients ocular motility either improved (five patients) or remained the same. In conclusion, the endoscopically controlled endonasal procedure enables greater preservation of normal structures and provides results comparable with the common extranasal and transantral procedures without the disadvantages of the latter.


Background Telemedicine innovations are rarely adopted into routine health care, the reasons for which are not well understood. Teleguidance, a promising service for remote surgical guidance during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) was due to be scaled up, but there were concerns that user attitudes might influence adoption. Objective Our objective was to gain a deeper understanding of ERCP practitioners' attitudes toward teleguidance. These findings could inform the implementation process and future evaluations. Methods We conducted semistructured interviews with ERCP staff about challenges during work and beliefs about teleguidance. Theoretical constructs from the technology acceptance model (TAM) guided the thematic analysis. Our findings became input to a 16-item questionnaire, investigating surgeons' beliefs about teleguidance's contribution to performance and factors that might interact with implementation. Results Results from 20 interviews with ERCP staff from 5 hospitals were used to adapt a TAM questionnaire, exchanging the standard "Ease of Use" items for "Compatibility and Implementation Climate." In total, 23 ERCP specialists from 15 ERCP clinics responded to the questionnaire: 9 novices (<500 ERCP procedures) and 14 experts (>500 ERCP procedures). The average agreement ratings for usefulness items were 64% (~9/14) among experts and 75% (~7/9) among novices. The average agreement ratings for compatibility items were somewhat lower (experts 64% [~9/14], novices 69% [~6/9]). The averages have been calculated from the sum of several items and therefore, they only approximate the actual values. While 11 of the 14 experts (79%) and 8 of the 9 novices (89%) agreed that teleguidance could improve overall quality and patient safety during ERCP procedures, only 8 of the 14 experts (57%) and 6 of the 9 novices (67%) agreed that teleguidance would not create new patient safety risks. Only 5 of the 14 experts (36%) and 3 of the 9 novices (33%) were convinced that video and image transmission would function well. Similarly, only 6 of the 14 experts (43%) and 6 of the 9 novices (67%) agreed that administration would work smoothly. There were no statistically significant differences between the experts and novices on any of the 16 items (P<.05). Conclusions Both novices and experts in ERCP procedures had concerns that teleguidance might disrupt existing work practices. However, novices were generally more positive toward teleguidance than experts, especially with regard to the possibility of developing technical skills and work practices. While newly trained specialists were the main target for teleguidance, the experts were also intended users. As experts are more likely to be key decision makers, their attitudes may have a greater relative impact on adoption. We present suggestions to address these concerns. We conclude that using the TAM as a conceptual framework can support user-centered inquiry into telemedicine design and implementation by connecting qualitative findings to well-known analytical themes.


Although location-based reminder applications have been widely prototyped, there are few results regarding their impact on people: how are they used, do they change people's behavior and what features influence usefulness the most. Cell phones provide a compelling platform for the delivery of location-based reminders within a user's everyday natural context. We present requirements for location-based reminders resulting from a qualitative study performed at small area in the city, and elaborate how these results are influencing ongoing design of a more comprehensive location-based reminder system. In this paper we propose an architecture of location based services which uses GPS. Within the architecture, we discuss the challenges for context management, service trigger mechanism and preference-based services.


Polycomb group proteins play essential roles in the epigenetic control of gene expression in plants and animals. Although some components of Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1)-like complexes have recently been reported in the model plant Arabidopsis, how they contribute to gene repression remains largely unknown. Here we show that a putative PRC1 RING-finger protein, AtRING1A, plays a hitherto unknown role in mediating the transition from vegetative to reproductive development in Arabidopsis. Loss of function of AtRING1A results in the late-flowering phenotype, which is attributed to derepression of two floral repressors, MADS AFFECTING FLOWERING 4/5 (MAF4/5), which in turn downregulate two floral pathway integrators, FLOWERING LOCUS T and SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS 1. Levels of the H3K27me3 repressive mark at MAF4 and MAF5 loci, which is deposited by CURLY LEAF (CLF)-containing PRC2-like complexes and bound by LIKE HETEROCHROMATIN PROTEIN 1 (LHP1), are affected by AtRING1A, which interacts with both CLF and LHP1. Levels of the H3K4me3 activation mark correlate inversely with H3K27me3 levels at MAF4 and MAF5 loci. Our results suggest that AtRING1A suppresses the expression of MAF4 and MAF5 through affecting H3K27me3 levels at these loci to regulate the floral transition in Arabidopsis.


One-dimensional comprehensive mathematical model coupling particle movement and thermal conduction in the casting mould system is developed. A formula for pressure in liquid metal during the centrifuge process is derived. The model takes into consideration the propagation of solidification front and movement of particles due to centrifugal acceleration which takes place either in the same or in opposite direction to that of the solidification front depending on the relative density difference between the particles and melts. In the force balance expression, repulsive force term is incorporated for the particles that are at the vicinity of the solid/liquid interface to calculate the particle segregation pattern in the casting region The effects of various process parameters such as, rotational speed of the mold, size of the reinforcing material, relative density difference between the particle and melt, initial pouring temperature of the liquid melt, mold pre-heating temperature, heat transfer coefficient between the casting/mold interface are studied. It is noted that for a given set of operating conditions, the thickness of the particle rich region in the composite decreases with increase in rotational speed, particle size, relative density difference between the particle and melt, initial pouring temperature and initial mold temperature. With decrease in the heat transfer coefficient between the casting/mold interface, the solidification time increases which, in turn, results in more intense segregation of solid particulates. Again, with increase in the initial volume fraction of the solid particulates, both the solidification time as well as the final thickness of the particulate rich region increase.


Objective: To compare levels of motor coordination difficulties in a cohort of extremely low birth weight (ELBW; <1000 g) survivors and normal birth weight (NBW) controls from childhood until age 36. The stability of motor coordination in ELBW and NBW adults from their 20s to their 30s was also assessed. Methods: This study uses a prospectively followed population-based birth cohort of ELBW survivors born between 1977 and 1982 in Ontario, Canada, to compare motor coordination at age 8, age 22 to 26, and age 29 to 36 in ELBW survivors relative to a matched group of NBW controls across a number of different measures. Results: After adjusting for neurosensory impairment, ELBW survivors had significantly higher levels of motor coordination difficulties than their NBW counterparts at age 8, 22 to 26, and 29 to 36. Self-reported motor coordination remained relatively stable from age 22 to 26 to age 29 to 36 in both groups. Conclusions: ELBW survivors display higher levels of motor coordination difficulties than NBW controls in childhood through their mid 30s. Motor coordination seems to be stable from age 22 to 36 in both groups, suggesting that the presence of motor problems in ELBW survivors can have important implications for functional outcomes in adulthood.


In May 2012 a survey of the land snails of Rotuma was undertaken. The last previous survey that included land snails collections on Rotuma was conducted over seventy years ago but no dedicated report of that survey seems to exist. The current survey was carried out to: record the number and type of 'introduced' snails present and provide information on the potential risk to human, crop and livestock health of any introductions found, and investigate if any previously recorded native and endemic land snail fauna was still alive. Provision of land snail sampling and identification training to targeted community members was also undertaken. We found 70% of the living snail species identified during the survey were introduced and that 91% of the native snail fauna found was recorded only as dead shells. Unexpectedly we also found the notorious land snail predator, Platydemus manokwari, a well-documented invasive flatworm native to Papua New Guinea. To our knoweldge this introduced invasive species is not yet found in other parts of Fiji. These results mean that an evaluation of existing quarantine measures is required to address the potential spread of the flatworm Platydemus manokwari to other parts of Fiji, that relatively simple education programs on non-cooked food preparation would be beneficial to the community in respect to the potential for introduced snails to act as disease vectors, and that sampling to further search for living endemic snail fauna, in less accessible areas, is urgently needed.

This report contributes to several different objectives of Fiji's National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan (DoE 2007) particularly Objective 2.6 - the establishment of specific research programmes on Rotuma.


Estuarine tidal creeks are an important conduit for freshwater run-off into the coastal ocean. In Long Bay, South Carolina, tidal creeks terminate in swashes—broad sandy fields constantly reworked by discharged creek water. We examined the role of a highly permeable sandy column in altering the nutrient loading of the passing water at Singleton Swash, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Seasonal transects along the swash's primary channel documented gradients in physical and biogeochemical parameters. The nutrient and chlorophyll a concentrations were higher in the sediment than in the overlying water, consistent with coastal sediments as a major site of organic matter degradation, nutrient regeneration, and benthic primary productivity. Oxygen, nutrient, and chlorophyll concentrations exhibited a strong seasonal component, explained by a photosynthesis–respiration balance shift between summer and winter. The conservative mixing model approach to elucidate the sink–source patterns was moderately informative due to the lack of a gradual salinity gradient from land to ocean, due to substantial tidal flushing and observable nutrient-rich surface freshwater discharges along the channel that fueled substantial submerged aquatic macroalgal growth. Future studies should focus on the role of benthic photosynthesizers, both microbial and macroalgal, in retaining land-derived nutrients in irrigation freshwater inputs prior to them reaching the coastal ocean.


To study the potential of inflammatory mediators to alter colonic motility, we characterized the response of distal colonic smooth muscle to antigen challenge. Addition of ovalbumin to isolated segments of circular smooth muscle obtained from sensitized guinea pigs produced a biphasic contraction. The initial response consisted of a rapid contraction followed by a late response, which was a more sustained but smaller increase in tone and phasic activity. Interestingly, these two responses could be antagonized differentially. Pretreatment with mepyramine (10 microM) inhibited the initial response, whereas the leukotriene antagonist WY 48252 (10 microM) inhibited the late response. The mast cell stabilizer doxantrazole (0.1 microM) reduced only the late response. Inhibition of cyclooxygenase with meclofenamic acid (1 microM) potentiated both responses, whereas blocking neuronal activity with tetrodotoxin (1 microM) only enhanced the initial response. These data indicate clear differences between the inflammatory mediators important in the initial vs. the late response. The initial response is probably mediated by the release of histamine, with enteric neuronal interactions important in attenuating the magnitude of this response. In contrast, the late response appears to be mediated by the release of peptidyl leukotrienes. In this system, cyclooxygenase products apparently function to decrease the response of the smooth muscle to these mediators. These results suggest that release of mediators during an inflammatory response could profoundly alter colonic motility and that these alterations may be important in the pathophysiological manifestations associated with colonic inflammation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


AbstractTitle: Internal communication at IKEA – A functional analysis of IKEA Uppsalas internalcommunication (Intern kommunikation pa IKEA – En funktionsanalys av IKEA Uppsalas interna kommunikation)Author: Fredrik JohanssonAim: The purpose of this study is to analyze the internal communication at IKEA Uppsala.Are the channels of communication working efficiently? How is the information received by the employees? Finally I will make a few suggestions on how the internal communication can be improved.Method/Material: The method used in this study is quantitative. The internal communication at IKEA Uppsala is analyzed based on the results of a questionnaire. 75 employees at three different divisions were given questions on how they appreciate the communication channels at IKEA in Uppsala. 50 answers were received.Main results: The results clearly show that even though the internal communication at IKEA seems to work well in general, a few of the channel needs to be improved. A major difference between the channels has been observed and firstly, the internal e-mail is not used as it could be. Secondly, the Intranet is also used by very few of the respondents. However the verbal communication from the nearest manager is regarded by over 50 per cent of the respondents as very much practical indeed. Also the IKEA staff paper, Arosposten is read by many and is regarded as a useful source of information.Number of pages: 63Course: Media and Communication Studies CUniversity: Division of Media and Communication, Department of Information Science,Uppsala UniversityPeriod: Autumn 2006Tutor: Goran SvenssonKeywords: Information, communication,internal communication, information channels


The reality of healthcare delivery in emerging societies are not good enough for most of its population. This article aims to explore how the analytical and monitoring capabilities of information systems know as BPMS (Business Process Management Systems) could improve the quality of services provided in Brazil. We propose that the adoption of a service science and process-centric view will be of great value to help the public health manager evaluate its quality gaps while fostering better comprehension of the system dynamics and making clear points for policy changes.


This thesis analyses the legitimacy of the WTO dispute settlement system, especially in the context of disputes involving questions concerning environmental protection. It argues that since the early 1990s, such disputes have posed important challenges to the legitimacy of the WTO. From the legal point of view, they have fuelled a lively doctrinal debate on fragmentation of international law and the role of non-WTO norms in the WTO dispute resolution mechanism. The thesis conceives legitimacy as a notion consisting of various interlinked components, including social, substantive, formal and procedural ones, and analyses the operation of the WTO dispute settlement system in light of these criteria. It shows that the compulsory but materially restricted jurisdiction of the WTO dispute settlement limits its ability to solve disputes involving non-trade interests and legal norms. The dissertation argues, however, that some of the ensuing problems could be remedied if the WTO dispute settlement system approached international environmental law in a more constructive, consistent and transparent manner. Turning to the formal and procedural elements of legitimacy, the thesis conceives the situation of the WTO dispute settlement system as a dilemma between the pressure to improve substantive legitimacy by considering environmental norms and interests, and the need to observe the limits of its judicial function. It explores tensions at the boundary between the WTO and its Member States, arguing that only limited potential exists to enhance the authority of the WTO dispute settlement through 'importing' substantive legitimacy. Finally, the dissertation highlights institutional and systemic problems arising from fragmentation of international law. Using the relationship between the WTO and the international climate change regime as an example, it concludes that the WTO dispute settlement system's legitimacy challenge involves two dimensions. Certain unexploited potential exists to improve the situation through the judicial techniques at the disposal of the WTO dispute settlement system. However, the more profound and systemic problems are incapable of solution by the WTO dispute settlement system or even by WTO negotiators alone. Instead, they would require broader international efforts.


ABSTRACT Patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) have a grim prognosis despite complete surgical resection and intense systemic therapies. While immunotherapies have been beneficial with many different types of solid tumors, they have almost uniformly failed in the treatment of PDAC. Understanding how therapies affect the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) can provide insights for the development of strategies to treat PDAC. We used quantitative multiplexed immunofluorescence (qmIF) quantitative spatial analysis (qSA), and immunogenomic (IG) analysis to analyze formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) primary tumor specimens from 44 patients with PDAC including 18 treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation (CRT) and 26 patients receiving no treatment (NT) and compared them with tissues from 40 treatment-naïve melanoma patients. We find that relative to NT tumors, CD3+ T cell infiltration was increased in CRT treated tumors (p = .0006), including increases in CD3+CD8+ cytotoxic T cells (CTLs, p = .0079), CD3+CD4+FOXP3− T helper cells (Th, p = .0010), and CD3+CD4+FOXP3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs, p = .0089) with no difference in CD68+ macrophages. IG analysis from micro-dissected tissues indicated overexpression of genes involved in antigen presentation, T cell activation, and inflammation in CRT treated tumors. Among treated patients, a higher ratio of Tregs to total T cells was associated with shorter survival time (p = .0121). Despite comparable levels of infiltrating T cells in CRT PDACs to melanoma, PDACs displayed distinct spatial profiles with less T cell clustering as defined by nearest neighbor analysis (p < .001). These findings demonstrate that, while CRT can achieve high T cell densities in PDAC compared to melanoma, phenotype and spatial organization of T cells may limit benefit of T cell infiltration in this immunotherapy-resistant tumor.


Many established nuclear power programmes have learned to their dismay that waste management and disposal are not tasks that can be postponed at will if public and political acceptance is a prerequisite for progress. In fact, some programmes that recognised this back in the 1970s and 1980s moved into leading positions in repository development. This happened, for example, in Sweden and Switzerland where already in the 1970s Laws were passed specifying that safe disposal must be demonstarted before new nuclear plants could opersate. In recent years, it has become recognised that, in order to ensure that the radioactive wastes in any country are managed safely, it is necessary to have an established legislative and regulatory framework and also to create the necessary organizations for implementation and for oversight of waste management operations and facility development. Guidance on these issues is given in the Joint Convention and a number of other IAEA documents. The IAEA, and also the EC, have in addition published key overarching advisory documents for new nuclear programmes. These are useful for strategic planning but, when it comes to actual implementation projects, the advice tends to imply that all nuclear programmes, however large or small, should be pressing ahead urgently towards early operation of geological repositories. In practice, however, in small programmes there are neither economic nor technical drivers for early implementation of deep geological repositories. Constructing simpler facilities for the disposal of the larger volume of low-level wstes has higher priority. Nevertheless, in all countries political decisions have to be taken and policies set in place to ensure that geological disposal will implemented without unjustified delay. This paper distils out a set of key messages for new programmes. Amongst the most critical are the following. Even if disposal is far off, planning and organization should begin at the initiation of the programme; this can help with technical and economic optimization and (importantly) also with public and political acceptance. Important lessons can be learned from advanced programmes — but these must be adapted to allow for the different boundary conditions of new and small programmes. The key differences relate to the timescales involved, and the resources available. There is a range of waste management and waste disposal options open to new programmes. It is not necessary to choose definitive solutions at the outset; options can be kept open, but a minimum level of engagement is required for all open options.Copyright © 2011 by ASME


This report describes a new Pd-catalyzed oxidation reaction for the stereospecific conversion of enynes into cyclopropyl ketones. Unlike related PdII/0, Au, and Pt-catalyzed cyclopropane-forming reactions, these transformations proceed with net inversion of geometry with respect to the starting olefin. This result is consistent with a PdII/IV mechanism in which the key cyclopropane-forming step involves nucleophilic attack of a tethered olefin onto the PdIV−C bond.


Antipsychotic drugs are widely used in older patients to reduce psychotic and behavioral symptoms in delirium. It has been suggested that cardiometabolic adverse effects of antipsychotic drugs contribute to the increased mortality risk seen in older patients using these drugs. Both delirium and antipsychotic drug use have been associated with disturbances in glucose levels, but the interplay between antipsychotic treatment, delirium, and glucose has not been clarified. This thesis aimed to answer whether antipsychotic treatment is associated with alterations in glucose levels, whether glucose variability is associated with the onset of delirium and whether glucose variability is altered during delirium in older patients. We have shown that antipsychotic drug use was associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for hypoglycemia in older patients with diabetes, especially in the first 30 days of treatment and with higher doses. We showed that haloperidol use was not associated with an increased risk of hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia in hospitalized older patients. However, hospital initiated haloperidol was associated with hyperglycemia. Our results suggest that closer monitoring of blood glucose levels may be indicated after starting antipsychotic drugs in diabetic older patients or after starting haloperidol in a hospital setting. Furthermore, we showed in a prospective, observational cohort study, which was prematurely ended due to recruitment problems, that one of the two non-diabetic patients with delirium in our study had the highest measured glucose variability and the most hyperglycemia episodes. Our investigation supports the hypothesis that delirium is associated with high glucose variability. But it also illustrates the difficulties encountered when conducting research involving older patients. We have shown that diabetes was not associated with Intensive Care Unit (ICU) delirium. Hypoglycemia did not significantly increase the risk of transition to ICU delirium. Only in patients without diabetes the occurrence of hyperglycemia and the occurrence of both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia on the same day was associated with transition to ICU delirium. Finally, we have demonstrated that mean glucose concentrations, its standard deviation, mean absolute glucose change, daily delta and the risk of hyperglycemia were unaltered during delirious days compared to non-delirious days in non-diabetic and diabetic patients at the ICU. Furthermore, delirium was associated with hypoglycemia in patients with diabetes. The investigations conducted in this thesis increased our knowledge of the interplay between antipsychotic drugs, delirium, and glucose homeostasis in older outpatients, hospitalized older patients admitted to non-ICU wards, and ICU patients. The findings for ICU patients described in this thesis support the hypothesis that delirium acts on glucose homeostasis and vice versa. The interplay between delirium and glucose was different for patients with and without diabetes, indicating another underlying mechanism. Glucose dysregulation should be added to the list of adverse events associated with antipsychotic treatment in older patients. While the absolute risk of glucose dysregulation during antipsychotic use seems small, its impact in the frail older population may be huge.


Mood disorders largely comprise major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder, with treatment-resistant forms of both being common. MDD is a highly prevalent and frequently disabling illness, which requires adequate detection followed by effective treatment to reduce symptoms and improve quality of life. Although psychological treatment approaches are commonly employed, all extant national and international clinical guidelines recommend the use of antidepressant medication for the treatment of moderate to severe MDD. However, perhaps as many as 50% of patients fail to obtain an optimal outcome after both firstand second-line treatments; although definitions vary, these individuals are commonly described as suffering from treatment-resistant depression (TRD). TRD is a common problem and, compared with MDD in general, is associated with a generally poorer prognosis, higher mortality and higher healthcare utilisation costs. Many patients with depression are undertreated, but adequate treatment of TRD has been shown to improve the individual's prognosis, highlighting the importance of appropriate therapy for this condition. Treatment algorithms for patients with TRD include the options of increasing the dose of the antidepressant which the patient is taking, switching to another antidepressant, or augmenting the first antidepressant with a second agent. Increasing the dose of medicationmay be associated with a statistically significantly increase in efficacy for some antidepressants, but not for many. Switching to an alternative antidepressant is recommended in cases where a patient has either made no response or is not tolerating their current drug. However, large-scale studies have shown that remission rates for thirdor fourth-line antidepressant treatments are in the order of just 10–15%. For patients with TRD, where there is a partial response to the antidepressant they are currently receiving, augmentation with another pharmacological agent is recommended. The efficacy of combinations of multiple antidepressants has been brought into question by the largest clinical trial that examined this, which showed antidepressant monotherapy to be as effective as antidepressant combinations, although there is meta-analytic evidence to support some other particular antidepressant combinations. However, the efficacy of lithium augmentation of antidepressants is supported by robust evidence, which has been confirmed in a methodologically rigorous meta-analysis. This meta-analysis examined the efficacy of lithium in ten randomised controlled trials and found that lithium augmentation had significant benefits compared with placebo, with an odds ratio of 3.11 corresponding to a number needed to treat of 5 and a mean response rate of 41.2% (versus 14.4% in the placebo group). Recent guidance has emphasised that add-on alternative treatments are a standard treatment pathway for TRD. The first-line options include lithium and the atypical antipsychotic quetiapine. For example, lithium was recommended as the first-choice add-on treatment for treating patients with TRD by the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry Task Force, and lithium augmentation of antidepressants is a first-line treatment option recommended by both the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the current British Association for Psychopharmacology (BAP) guidelines for treating depression non-responsive to antidepressants. It should also be noted that although lithium has been most often associated with the treatment of bipolar disorder, it has a good evidence base showing clear-cut benefits to the patient when used in unipolar depression. Bipolar disorder has a lifetime prevalence of 2.5% and is associated with an 8–12-year reduction in life expectancy. Patients with bipolar disorder are symptomatic around 50% of the time, the vast majority of which involves depression. There are three agents whose evidence base has led to their recommendation by NICE for the treatment of bipolar depression: namely, lamotrigine, quetiapine and olanzapine (with or without fluoxetine). The value of these drugs is reduced by the need for slow upward dose titration (lamotrigine), or by metabolic side-effects and sedation (quetiapine and olanzapine). The evidence of efficacy for a fourth agent, lurasidone, has been made available after publication of the NICE guidance. There is an absence of convincing evidence of efficacy for standard antidepressants in bipolar depression; despite this, around 70% of currently depressed bipolar patients in the UK are on at least one antidepressant. Cognitive therapy and early warning sign identification (and other aspects of psychoeducation), delivered to those at risk or during remission, have been shown by some but not all studies to reduce the likelihood of the development of depression. During bipolar depression, the benefit of psychological treatments is greater in those earlier in their illness histories, with a shorter duration of current episode and fewer previous episodes. Nonetheless, overall, the Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder data suggest the value in bipolar depression of augmenting pharmacological treatments with cognitive therapy and other intensive psychotherapies. There is not an established consensus definition for TRD in people with bipolar disorder; however, it has been shown that around 50% of patients remain depressed at six months, and 30% at a year, because of treatment non-response, intolerance or nonadherence. Therefore, with respect to bipolar disorder, TRD is a major contributor to the burden of disease, including estimated annual UK costs of £5.2 billion, with direct National Health Service costs of £342 million at 2010 prices. There are also all the costs, personal and financial, associated with a greater suicide risk. Current developments in the treatment of resistant bipolar depression, such as pramipexole, ketamine and vagal nerve stimulation, are therefore particularly welcomed. As this special edition illustrates, there is a range of possible approaches to understanding and treating TRD. A number of 'high-tech' strategies including 'multi-omics', neuroimaging and 'big data' are being applied to answer this challenge. Multi-omics offers the opportunity to understand the flow of information that underlies disease – a great unmet need in psychiatry. Various neuroimaging approaches are already paying dividends in understanding mood disorders, and big data is being applied to depression. However, it is also important to remember the 'basics' and revisit the diagnosis by comprehensively assessing any contributing factors, as well as noting which approaches have been tried and their relative success or failure. For instance, alcohol use disorders are among the most common comorbidities of depression or bipolar disorder, and the risk of depression or bipolar disorder is heightened in those with an alcohol use disorder. However, routine screening for alcohol or other drug use, or adequate assessment when there may be a problem, generally remains woefully lacking. In bipolar disorder, comorbid alcohol use disorder is associated with a delay in diagnosis of bipolar disorder and the likelihood of greater morbidity. From a specialist addiction service perspective, it is not uncommon for referred individuals to have 'tried' several different antidepressants without much improvement in their mood. Then, their excessive drinking comes to light, resulting in a switch of The British Journal of Psychiatry (2019) 214, A3–A5. doi: 10.1192/bjp.2018.266


abstract:This article explores the relationship between gender and modern nation building in Qatar, with attention to how Qatari women negotiate the challenges of modern development and social change. The article analyzes Qatarʾs strategic use of gendered nation-building initiatives, founded on representations of women as both symbols of tradition and markers of modernity, to facilitate modern development and construct a national identity. In addition, the article uncovers the myriad ways Qatari women respond to the stateʾs gendered initiatives and dualistic expectations, engage with state conceptualizations of modernity and tradition, and negotiate social and religious gender norms. The article argues that Qatari women's views reflect their strategic negotiation, rather than uncritical submission or acceptance, of social and religious norms alongside increased expectations for participation in the workforce and higher education. The study, derived from fifteen qualitative interviews with Qatari women aged twenty-six to fifty-six, unearths certain trends in participant views on gender roles, modern development, and tradition. The participants express satisfaction with and a desire to maintain established gender paradigms. They simultaneously emphasize the positive aspects of modernization and express concern about a loss of traditional values.


The study examines the status of adoption of improved rice varieties and its impact on rice production among smallholder farmers in southwestern Nigeria. Data for this study were generated from a farm survey of rice farmers selected by multi-stage sampling technique in two of the rice producing states of the region. The study employed adoption index, logit model and stochastic frontier model to assess the adoption status, its determinants and impact on farmers' productivity respectively. The results show that farmers have responded appreciably to intervention programme that promote the use of improved rice varieties with an adoption rate of 68.7% which has resulted in an estimated proportional production increase of 19.4%. The mean yield of improved rice varieties (1.601 tons/ha) was significantly higher than the yield of the local varieties (1.154 tons/ha) with a yield advantage of 38.7%. In addition, rice yield for adopters of improved rice varieties (1.90 tons/ha) was significantly higher than that of non adopters (1.07 tons/ha). However, land area cultivated to rice, frequency of extension contact and the yield rating of the improved rice varieties were significant determinants of farmers' decision to adopt improved rice varieties while with an average technical efficiency score of 78.4%, rice farmers have room to increase their productivity by increasing their farm size, quantity of improved seed and fertilizer.


Psychological and ethical criteria are to date not systematically covered in the system design process. We suggest to extend existing model-based system engineering approaches by new elements that are capable to capture these criteria and, in particular, allow for an implementation of psychological risk analysis and ethical evaluation of work systems already in the design phase.
 The need for a systematic integration of not only safety but also ethical and psychological criteria in the system design is strengthened by the growing complexity of work systems and the increasing use of artificial intelligence-based algorithms, which have the potential to replace distinctive human capabilities and are associated with a shift of responsibility from humans to machines.
 We identify essentially two factors impeding the development of an innovative integrative system design approach. First, at present, there is no legally predefined iterative process including an open feedback loop between the operator and the system designer that enables continuous risk assessment.
 Second, available methods do not provide a framework to integrate ethical and psychological criteria.
 We propose four steps for the development of an integrative system design approach: (1) an in-depth investigation of current methods suitable for holistic system design processes, (2) the development of a transdisciplinary terminology, (3) the development of a procedure which allows to identify ethical criteria meeting both individual and societal requirements and (4) testing of the developed approach in a digital system model by using a suitable use case.


The effects of the damage induced during ion implantation on the surface roughening and oxide growth rate were investigated. Using several scheme of doses and acceleration energies, it is found that the amount of the dose predominantly produce damage rather than the acceleration energy, especially near the surface region. It was also found that the damage affects not only the oxide growth rate but also the surface roughening during high temperature annealing. The edge of highly implanted area may have higher doping concentration due to the vicinal side wall effect of the thick oxide mask for ion implantation. It was confirmed by the trench formation after thermal oxide remove.


Ascribing land value solely to productive capacity does not accurately capture the impact environmental amenities provide on western land prices. Agricultural land prices in Wyoming are estimated using a hedonic price model and Geographic Information Sciences (GIS) data. These GIS measurements include on-parcel wildlife and fish habitat, viewscape attributes and distance to protected federal lands. A feasible generalized least squares (FGLS) approach is used to address both spatial autocorrelation and heteroscedasticity. The estimation is robust and highly significant. Results indicate that amenities as well as productivity are significant in explaining land values for the sample analyzed. Such information is useful for landscape management in the face of amenity threatening parcel fragmentation.


In this paper, we investigated a speech augmentation based unsupervised learning approach for keyword spotting (KWS) task. KWS is a useful speech application, yet also heavily depends on the labeled data. We designed a CNN-Attention architecture to conduct the KWS task. CNN layers focus on the local acoustic features, and attention layers model the long-time dependency. To improve the robustness of KWS model, we also proposed an unsupervised learning method. The unsupervised loss is based on the similarity between the original and augmented speech features, as well as the audio reconstructing information. Two speech augmentation methods are explored in the unsupervised learning: speed and intensity. The experiments on Google Speech Commands V2 Dataset demonstrated that our CNN-Attention model has competitive results. Moreover, the augmentation based unsupervised learning could further improve the classification accuracy of KWS task. In our experiments, with augmentation based unsupervised learning, our KWS model achieves better performance than other unsupervised methods, such as CPC, APC, and MPC.


Shed-tunnel is one of common prevention measures along the highway. First, denoised the rockfall impact signal when the rock impact the ordinary shed-tunnel and the energy dissipation shed-tunnel by the wavelet theory. The calculation result indicated that the wavelet theory's denoise effect is very good. Then, pick-up each frequency band's the rockfall impact signal, and analysed the energy for each frequency band's impact signal. The result indicated that the energy dissipation shed-tunnel's impact energy concentrate in the low frequency part. There are only 0.4% impact energy in the high frequency part. Besides, the energy dissipation shed-tunnel's impact energy in the low frequency part is higher than the the ordinary shed-tunnel, and the energy dissipation shed-tunnel's impact energy depressed velocity when the impact frequency increase is fast than the ordinary shed-tunnel. So the energy dissipation shed-tunnel's design must consider the low frequency impact,and could ignore the high frequency impact.


This research was conducted to compare physicochemical characteristics of germinated soybean tempe flour (GST flour) and soybean tempe flour (ST flour). Soybean was germinated within 28 hours and then processed into tempe. Germinated soybean tempe and soybean tempe were freeze-dried for 26 hours, and then milled into GST flour and ST flour. The GST flour and ST flour were used for physical and chemical analysis. The used of germinated soybean was proven to affect the quality of flour. GST flour had 53.37 % db protein, 24.97 mg AEAC antioxidant capacity/100 g tempe, 5.08 mg tocopherol/100 g db, 81.75 mg isoflavone/100 g db, and minerals (Ca, P, Fe, Zn) which were higher than that of the ST flour. GST flour also had better quality than that of ST flour, in term of: higher bulk density (0.42 g/ml), lower water activity (0.63), and lower repose angle (39.94 o ).


Since installation of the new accelerator at INFN-LABEC in Florence in 2004, the workload has progressively increased in the radiocarbon dating laboratory, requiring a faster sample preparation throughput and greater versatility to allow for a larger variety of treated materials. The "standard" sample preparation line is based on an elemental analyzer (EA) for the combustion of the pretreated samples, and a vacuum line where the CO2 is collected and then converted to graphite. This line has been recently redesigned while maintaining the EA, since this instrument provides us reliable and fast sample combustion and separation of gases. The volumes were optimized and all the mechanical parts (e.g. the fittings) were changed in order to improve the vacuum level, thus decreasing the possibility of contamination; finally, the number of graphitization reactors was doubled (from 4 to 8). In those rare cases involving samples characterized by a complex nearly graphitic structure (e.g. burnt residues), the EA might not guarantee a complete combustion. For these samples, we successfully tested the new sample preparation line that has been recently installed at LABEC and especially dedicated to aerosol samples. This line is equipped with a custom-made combustion oven able to heat to 1000 °C. The subsequent gas separation is accomplished by chemical and thermal traps. As an example, the dating of organic matter collected from an Etruscan bronze statue will be presented and discussed.


In Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, a majority of the Supreme Court conceived the United States to be an oligarchy and ruled accordingly. What this decision might come to mean for political economy in the United States is explored through three interrelated responses to the decision. In the first, Citizens United is a turning point for constitutional law scholarship, and by extension, for what is expected from our legal system. After Citizens United, legal scholars may abandon the idea that the Court takes legal argument seriously, and that law thereby constrains, as well as expresses, social privilege. In a second interpretation, Citizens United marks the end of the traditional conception of the United States as a "commercial republic," that is, a polity characterized by the mutually reinforcing interaction of three separate spheres of social life – markets, the legal system, and democratic government. Instead, Citizens United expresses a simpler dualistic vision, in which "the government" is opposed to a "civil society" dominated by marketplace interactions, including elections. In the third interpretation, the Citizens United Court moves away from traditional, competitive notions of markets founded on business law, and moves toward a less legalistic capitalism, managed for the benefit of the wealthy. The Citizens United majority may be wrong in thinking of the United States in terms of oligarchy. It is possible that the nation is better conceived as a commercial republic. In that case, the article provides a number of ways that the Court's decision may be corrected. It is also possible, however, that Citizens United correctly characterizes the United States as an oligarchy. In that case, the legal academy should rethink law and institutions on the basis of non-republican, presumably aristocratic, virtues.


Background: P450c17 has two distinct activities: 17α-hydroxylase activity and 17,20-lyase activity. Combined 17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase deficiency leads to a severe defect in the production of cortisol and sex steroids. In affected males this results in impaired masculinization with ambiguous or female external genitalia. Female patients have normal genitalia but show a lack of pubertal development in adolescence. An increased production of mineralocorticoids often leads to hypertension and hypokalemia in both sexes. Methods: To better understand the mechanisms of P450c17 deficiency, we studied 2 patients (both 46,XY) with combined 17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase deficiency of different severity: one with complete lack of masculinization and one with ambiguous genitalia. Results: Four mutations were identified by sequencing of the CYP17A1 gene: I332T and A355T in the less severely affected patient; G111S and R440H in the patient with complete lack of masculinization. The three novel mutations were expressed in COS1 cells and all mutant proteins except I332T showed a complete loss of both enzymatic activities. I332T retained some residual 17α-hydroxylase as well as 17,20-lyase activity. Conclusion: We identified 2 patients with the phenotypical spectrum of P450c17 deficiency. Three novel mutations in the CYP17A1 gene were identified and their functional characterization provided a good phenotype-genotype correlation. The location of the mutated residues in the three-dimensional model of P450c17 gave some additional insights into its structure-function relationship.


Using the data from six oceanic archipelagos, we investigated the species richness patterns on islands for all natives, archipelagic endemics and single-island endemics of pteridophytes and spermatophytes. We tested the hypothesis that the descriptive ability of biogeographical factors for species is reduced as we move from native species, to archipelagic endemics and to single island endemics, because of the increasing importance of island 'idiosyncrasies' (i.e. unique features of each island shaping its biota, such as catastrophic volcanic eruptions, random colonization events, mega-landslides) in controlling the species richness of endemic species. This hypothesis was addressed using two approaches: (1) the island species–area relationships (ISARs), and (2) a multiple regression approach with variable selection based on permutation, to test the combined effects of island area with other biogeographical factors. Area was an effective predictor of species richness for all native species (R 2 = 0.568 and R 2 = 0.624 for pteridophytes and spermatophytes respectively), but its predictive capacity decreased for archipelagic endemics (R 2 = 0.261 and R 2 = 0.531) and single-island endemics (R 2 = 0.084 and R 2 = 0.438). The reduction of R 2 from all native species, to archipelagic endemics and to single-island endemics was attributed to the increasing effects of the 'idiosyncrasies' of each island. The predictive capacity of multiple regression models increased with respect to ISARs, ranging from 27.3% (for single-island endemic pteridophytes) to 83.3% (all native pteridophytes), and included three to five predictors. Island area remained the most important variable for spermatophytes but was less important for pteridophytes. For pteridophytes, elevation was the most important predictor for native species, while isolation-related variables were the most important predictors for archipelagic endemics and single-island endemics. Our results support the hypothesis that as we move from native, to archipelagic endemic and to single-island endemic species the predictive ability of models is reduced, indicating an increased effect of the 'idiosyncratic' character of islands.


The historical roots of the marketing concept are traceable to the early 1950s (Drucker, 1954). However, the field of strategic marketing did not begin to bloom until late 1980s and begin 1990s. In this period various scholars begin to develop a better and more precise understanding of the marketing concept, its antecedents and consequences (Kohli and Jaworski, 1990; Narver and Slater, 1990). Some even suggest that the intellectual foundation for today's strategic marketing starts early 1980s with the writings of Day and Wensley (1983, 1988). During the late 1990s and early 2000s, various critics begin to rebel at the widespread use of present conceptualizations of market orientation.1 In this thesis, we argue that the present market orientation conceptualizations are becoming outdated (after more than 15 years). We use herebyWeiner's (2000, p. 382) philosophical words, that a marketing: "theory, like a cat or a dog, has a life of about 10-12 years, which is the equivalent of around 70-84 years of human existence. Longevity in part depends on the size of the pet (the bigger the theory, the earlier the demise), its level of activity, breed, and so on. At around the age of 10, the theory begins to weaken, does not see things too well, and is unable to adapt to the new circumstances and to the many obstacles in life. It can remember and account for the distant past better than recent events, and it acts with rigidity." The diminishing attractiveness of the present conceptualizations of the marketing concept lead some researchers to look for or move off into new directions, such as (1) the market-based capabilities perspective, where market orientation only represents one of the components (Day, 1994), and (2) the strategic orientation construct, where market orientation is also incorporated as a dimension (Gatignon and Xuereb, 1997). The first perspective deals with the classification of market-based capabilities, which suggests a balanced perspective of inside-out and outside-in capabilities (e.g., Day 1994; Mizik and Jacobson 2003; Noble, Sinha and Kumar 2002; Slack and Lewis 2003; Srivastava, Fahey and Christensen 2001; Vargo and Lusch 2004; Zwart and Postma, 1998). Although a number of classifications exists, these models 1 Especially the Nordic Schools (i.e., Gummesson and Gr¨onroos) go rather far in their criticism. largely incorporate market-driven, relationship-driven and supply-chain capabilities as relevant market-based resources. Another perspective that gains popularity in recent years is the strategic orientation model. The strategic orientation direction incorporates variables like customer orientation, competitor orientation, technology orientation and relational orientation. This perspective integrates the classical strategic management literature with that of market orientation. Although we do not claim that the classical market orientation movement begins to fully lose its early enthusiasm, energy and adherents, we believe it is a good time to explore, synthesize, integrate and extend the previously mentioned directions. By doing so, we also provide evidence whether firms with (several) strong marketing capabilities are in a better position to satisfy the needs of their customers and shareholders. To investigate the propositions we use a dyadic approach, data generated from both customers of wholesalers and suppliers/wholesalers. Furthermore, we investigate, using several statistical methods, the effectiveness of attempting to develop several marketing capabilities simultaneously. In short, the primary purpose of this study is theory building, extension of previous research in the field of market orientation and applying several recently proposed statistical methods to further explore the developed frameworks. However, this study is not only useful from the point of view of advancement of science in marketing, but also from the point of view of advancing managerial decision making. The results derived from the developed models and proposed methods form an essential piece of information to improve marketing decisions. This enables (top) managers faced with the problem of how to trade off competing strategic marketing initiatives to further optimize their decision-making process.


Criteria Malcolm Baldrige has a focus on superior performance for the entire organization in a managerial framework that is comprehensive, identify and track all the results of the organization that is the customer, product or service, finance, human resources and organizational effectiveness. The research objective is to analyze the performance of RSUD Dr. Iskak Tulungagung based on criteria Malcolm Baldrige post determination plenary level accreditation.
The study design used in the study was cross-sectional. The population is all in addition to the Board of Directors Structural RSUD Dr. Iskak Tulungagung. The sample size was 44 respondents using technique. proportionate stratified random sampling Independent research variables are Leadership, Strategic Planning, Customer Focus or Patient, Measurement, Analysis and Knowledge Management, focus on human resources, focus on the process and results. Data was collected using a questionnaire, then the data were analyzed.
The results showed that the majority of respondents have good leadership category as many as 40 respondents (90.9%), the Strategic Planning Category well as much as 42 respondents (95.5%), Customer Focus category patient good or as many as 41 respondents (93.2 %), Category Measurement, Analysis and Knowledge Management was good as much as 40 respondents (90.9%), Category Focus On Human Resource good as much as 34 respondents (77.3%), Category Focus On good process as many as 40 respondents ( 90.9%), research found criteria organizational criteria based on organizations the Baldrige assessment with 887.4 points as a Word Leader.
Conclusion of the study was hospital has a good performance and criteria for the organization based on the Baldrige assessment as Word Leader.


The literature on umbilical hernias in adults remains less extensive compared to other types of hernias. Adult umbilical hernias are frequently asymptomatic. The most frequent reasons for consultation are pain and esthetic discomfort. The diagnosis is most often evident on physical examination of the abdomen with tumefaction in the umbilicus. Despite the recent advances in terms of mesh varieties and minimally invasive surgery (laparoscopic and robotic surgery), there is still no real consensus on the optimal method for repair of umbilical hernia. Based on the patient characteristics and the context, "tailored and optimized surgery" should always be used to have the best results.


Perceptual illusions—discrepancies between what exists externally and what we actually see—reveal a great deal about how the perceptual system functions. Rather than failures of perception, illusions expose automatic computations and biases in visual processing that help make better decisions from visual information to achieve our perceptual goals. Recognizing objects is one such perceptual goal that is shared between humans and certain Deep Convolutional Neural Networks, which can reach human-level performance. Do neural networks trained exclusively for object recognition "perceive" visual illusions, simply as a result of solving this one perceptual problem? Here, I showed four classic illusions to humans and a pre-trained neural network to see if the network exhibits similar perceptual biases. I found that deep neural networks trained exclusively for object recognition exhibit the Müller-Lyer illusion, but not other illusions. This result shows that some perceptual computations that are similar to humans' may come "for free" in a system with perceptual goals similar to humans'.


Solid waste management is one of the major responsibilities of local governments world over. The responsibility is complex and depends very much on organization and cooperation between households, private enterprises and municipal authorities. Successful solid waste management also depends on wise identification and application of appropriate technical solutions in waste collection at generation points, transfer, recycling and disposal. Yet still, waste management is an essential task which must be performed, but at the same time expose those involved to causes of ill health. The first goal of solid waste management is to promote the health of urban population, especially low-income groups. Second, solid waste management aims at promoting environmental quality by controlling pollution. Third, it supports urban economic development by creating demand for waste management services and ensuring the efficient use and conservation of valuable materials and resources. Finally, it aims at creating employment and incomes for those engaged in the sector. In all informal settlements within Eldoret Municipality, solid waste management is inadequate. The insufficient collection and inappropriate disposal of solid wastes represent a source of pollution and a risk to human health in these settlements. The study is set to investigate the factors limiting an effective domestic and commercial solid waste management in the informal settlements within the municipality, with Langas as a case study. It utilizes both primary and secondary sources of data. Methodological approach adopted for primary data collection involved the administration of questionnaires to the officials of the council as well as sampled households and business operators in Langas. To find out the factors limiting a sustainable solid waste management in the informal settlements within the municipality, the study begins by systematically investigating the role of Eldoret Municipal Council towards the service delivery. It equally explores the extent of community participation in solid waste management in Langas as undertaken by households and business operators.


This research project concerns itself with the three disputed passages of Christian import as preserved in extant manuscripts of the AJ (Ἰουδαϊκὴ Ἀρχαιολογία a.k.a. Antiquitates Judaicae), viz.: AJ, XVIII , 3, 3 / 63 (i.e. the so-called Testimonium Flavianum), AJ, XVIII, 5, 2 / 116 -119 (i.e. the references to John the Baptist) and AJ, XX, 9, 1 / 200 203 (i.e. the references to James the brother of Jesus). Within the context of contemporary historicity research outcomes, and employing an interpretist/constructivist episteme, a series of critical analyses was undertaken aimed at verifying to what degree the three passages in question may be deemed to be in any way authentic and/or historically reliable. The result of the investigation proves beyond reasonable doubt that no reliable extra-biblical/scriptural accounts exist to support the historical existence of, inter alia, Jesus of Nazareth, James the Just or John the Baptist. Certainly, no such accounts ever appeared in Josephus' original texts. Furthermore, and most importantly, the three passages are confirmed to be total forgeries initiated in the first four centuries of the Common Era most likely by Origen and Eusebius respectively.


Russian Abstract: Предмет исследования данной статьи – объекты интеллектуальной собственности и их защита и охрана. Цель работы – изучение способов защиты права на объекты интеллектуальной собственности. English Abstract: The article of research of this article is objects of intellectual property and their defence and guard. A purpose of work is a study of methods of defence of right on the objects of intellectual property.


We examine the phenomenon of shifting production bottlenecks from an analytic perspective. We quantify the propensity of a work center to be a bottleneck, defined as maximal queue length, using a simple Jackson production network model. Comparison of the analytic model against an empirical simulation-based model shows that the two are in good agreement. A scalar measure of bottleneck shiftiness is proposed and used to investigate several policies for mitigating shiftiness. Simulation experiments show that several commonly observed managerial policies for coping with shifting bottlenecks actually increase shiftiness, but that shiftiness declines when the capacity of nonbottleneck resources is increased.


Objective: To determine whether certain patterns of pelvic ring injury are associated with more frequent intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD). Design: Retrospective review. Setting: Level 1 trauma center. Patients/Participants: Of 44 pregnant patients with pelvic and/or acetabular fractures, 40 had complete records that allowed determination of fetal viability. &khgr;2 tests were used for categorical variables (Fisher exact tests when expected cell counts were fewer than 5), and t tests were used for continuous variables. Main Outcome Measurements: Fetal or maternal death. Results: Sixteen patients had isolated acetabular fractures, 25 had isolated pelvic ring injuries, and 3 had acetabular fractures with concomitant pelvic ring injuries. Maternal and fetal mortality were 2% and 40%, respectively. No patients with isolated acetabular fractures experienced IUFD, compared with 68% (15/22) of those with isolated pelvic ring injuries (P < 0.0001). Eight (53%) of 15 IUFDs were associated with lateral compression (LC)-I pelvic ring injuries (Orthopaedic Trauma Association/Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen 61-B2). Of the 13 LC-I pelvic ring injuries, 8 (62%) resulted in IUFD. Pelvic ring stability, Young–Burgess classification, and operative treatment were not associated with IUFD. Maternal Glasgow Coma Scale (average 13.2) and Injury Severity Score (average 18.2) at admission were predictive of IUFD. Conclusions: The most frequent pelvic fractures in gravid trauma patients are LC-I. Although the rate of maternal mortality was low, the risk of IUFD was quite high (40%). LC-I pelvic ring injuries often had catastrophic outcomes, with IUFD in 62% of cases. Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.


Background: Epidemiological research has shown that mortality increases during hot weather and heat waves, but little is known about the effect on non-fatal outcomes in the UK. Aims and Methods: The effects of hot weather and heat waves on emergency hospital admissions were investigated in Greater London, UK, for a range of causes and age groups. Time series analyses were conducted of daily emergency hospital admissions, 1 April 1994 to 31 March 2000, using autoregressive Poisson models with adjustment for long term trend, season, day of week, public holidays, the Christmas period, influenza, relative humidity, air pollution (ozone, PM10), and overdispersion. The effects of heat were modelled using the average of the daily mean temperature over the index and previous two days. Results: There was no clear evidence of a relation between total emergency hospital admissions and high ambient temperatures, although there was evidence for heat related increases in emergency admissions for respiratory and renal disease, in children under 5, and for respiratory disease in the 75+ age group. During the heat wave of 29 July to 3 August 1995, hospital admissions showed a small non-significant increase: 2.6% (95% CI −2.2 to 7.6), while daily mortality rose by 10.8% (95% CI 2.8 to 19.3) after adjusting for time varying confounders. Conclusions: The impact of hot weather on mortality is not paralleled by similar magnitude increases in hospital admissions in the UK, which supports the hypothesis that many heat related deaths occur in people before they come to medical attention. This has evident implications for public health, and merits further enquiry.


We will describe the role of holographic memory in a current research effort(1) that seeks to combine various advanced technologies to achieve petaflops scale computing within the next decade. In addition to holographic memory, the petaflop architecture combines superconductor Rapid Single Flux Quantum (RSFQ) logic, which can operate at 100 GHz within a cryogenic environment with power consumption less than 50 watts, a packer-switching optical network with a multi-level structure capable of providing interconnection among tens of thousands of ports with latencies of only 10 to 30 nanoseconds, Processor-in-Memory (PIM) technology, and a multithreaded hierarchical structure (see Figure 1) to allow the processors to access a high capacity memory while compensating for the latency problem inherent in such a system.


This paper presents the method used to write a detailed history of the digital distribution of media. Working from a timeframe of a decade of internet time, the research sought to understand and describe the individuals, structures and events that brought about a fundamental shift in the way media is distributed and sold today. The research required the development of documentary analysis to draw upon the internet as an archive of archives, tracing the histories across a wide variety of unconventional sources. This flexible method of documentary analysis allowed for the production of a highly detailed intricate history of digital distribution. However this method also illuminated the challenges that utilizing internet based information brings to historiography and wider research practices. Traditionally relied upon concepts of authority, authenticity, validity and proof are undermined by the volatile nature of the internet document and bring challenges to the historian that wishes to document a history that has a significant existence online.The paper is a substantive attempt to deal with these issues and offers an insight into possible remediation for the difficulties of internet documents. This is achieved by addressing the necessity of flexibility in the definition of the document; how large amounts of historical digital data were organized and interpreted through visual presentation; how the researcher dealt with anonymity of authorship; and authenticity and the digital document. It is not a how-to guide, but an illustration of the issues and affordances brought by the realm of digital documents and internet archives.Paper to be given at the ICS-OII Symposium, A Decade in Internet Time, September 2011


Acute ischemic stroke remains a leading cause of death and disability. Endogenous neurogenesis enhanced via activation of neural stem cells (NSCs) could be a promising method for stroke treatment. In vivo targeted tracking is highly desirable for monitoring the dynamics of endogenous NSCs in stroke. Previously, we have successfully realized in vivo targeted MR imaging of endogenous NSCs in normal adult mice brains by using anti-CD15 antibody-conjugated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (anti-CD15-SPIONs) as the molecular probe. Herein, we explore the performance of this molecular probe in targeted in vivo tracking of activated endogenous NSCs in ischemic stroke. Our study showed that intraventricular injection of anti-CD15-SPIONs could label activated endogenous NSCs in situ seven days after ischemic stroke, which were detected as enlarged areas of hypo-intense signals on MR imaging at 7.0 T. The treatment of cytosine arabinosine could inhibit the activation of endogenous NSCs, which was featured by the disappearance of areas of hypo-intense signals on MR imaging. Using anti-CD15-SPIONs as imaging probes, the dynamic process of activation of endogenous NSCs could be readily monitored by in vivo MR imaging. This targeted imaging strategy would be of great benefit to develop a new therapeutic strategy utilizing endogenous NSCs for ischemic stroke.


A blackout is the worst end result of a significant difference between generation and absorption of power. Therefore, distribution network operators (DNO) need to know and control the load and generation profiles in advance to run an electric power network well, especially when distributed generation is present, as in the smart grid of the future. The combination of distributed interruptible load shedding and dispatched microgenerators provides the DNO with an interesting opportunity for power network emergency management. In this paper, a proposal to approach this problem and some test results are presented using probabilistic methods for a small low-voltage network with interruptible loads and combined heat and power (μCHP) generators.


Abstract Three-month-old fingerling channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus were fed purified diets supplemented with ∝-tocopherol acetate to provide 0, 60, and 2,500 mg vitamin E/kg for 180 d. A 30-s immersion bath and an oral booster were used to deliver a bacterin of formalin-killed Edwardsiella ictaluri to half of the fish from each dietary treatment. Resistance of red blood cells to peroxidation was used as an index of antioxidant status. The susceptibility of red blood cells to oxidative hemolysis decreased with increasing levels of dietary vitamin E. Vaccinated and nonvaccinated fish were evaluated for agglutinating antibody titers and macrophage activity. Humoral antibody titers in response to E. ictaluri were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher in vaccinated fish than in nonvaccinated fish; however, no such differences in agglutinating antibody titers were detected among any of the dietary treatment groups. Both vaccination and vitamin E significantly enhanced the ability of macrophages to phagocytize vi...


Knowledge sharing between scientists and nonscientist stakeholders is necessary to implement research findings in an appropriate and effective manner within the context of the environment and conservation sectors. Yet scientific ecological knowledge is rarely shared and transferred effectively. This special section has addressed a number of opportunities and barriers to the improvement of scientific communication and knowledge transfer with respect to environmental management in tropical settings. A main challenge is seen in creating a research 'impact‐metric' system, which is fundamental to foster knowledge sharing with institutional research incentives. Partnering with local institutions and research centers as well as participatory research methods will promote effective knowledge exchange. Research relevance and impact will be improved by matching interdisciplinary research with local capacity building and support through research activities. We conclude that training the next generation of tropical biologists through more effective knowledge sharing will be crucial to the long term success of scientifically based environmental management in tropical regions.


Abstract Ethnicity remains one of the most salient layers of individuals' social identities, and information about the distribution of ethnic identities turns out to be crucial for many studies that investigate political or social processes in divided societies. In the aftermath of civil wars, however, censuses providing such data are controversial and often delayed. Where census data are lacking, researchers can make use of the multiplier method to infer the distribution of ethnic identities based on indirect observations from sub-samples of the population. However, due to the selective nature of their data, the sub-samples might not be representative of the population. This paper proposes a method, which corrects for such selection effects. Based on the ethnic identity of birth-giving parents, the authors estimate the distribution of ethnic identities in the municipalities of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2008–2010. They correct for possible selection biases by including economic, demographic and war-related variables. Multiple tests of validity show that this estimation appears to be the most accurate procedure currently available for the distribution of ethnic identities in municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.


Productivity of old-growth beech forests in the Mediterranean Basin was measured by average stem basal area increment (BAI) of dominant trees at two mountain sites in the Italian Apennines. Both forests could be ascribed to the old-growth stage, but they differed markedly with regard to elevation (1000 vs. 1725 m a.s.l.), soil parent material (volcanic vs. calcareous), mean tree age (less than 200 years vs. 300 years), and stand structure (secondary old-growth vs. primary old-growth forest). Drought at the two sites was quantified by the self-calibrated Palmer Moisture Anomaly Index (Z-index), and by the self-calibrating Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) for summer (June through August) and the growing season (May through September). Dendroclimatological analyses revealed a moisture limitation of beech BAI at interannual (water availability measured by Z-index) and decadal scales (water availability measured by PDSI). Both BAI and water availability increased from 1950 to 1970, and decreased afterwards. Trees were grouped according to their BAI trends in auxological groups (growth-type chronologies), which confirmed that growth of most trees at both sites declined in recent decades, in agreement with increased drought. Because BAI is not expected to decrease without an external forcing, the patterns we uncovered suggest that long-term drought stress has reduced the productivity of beech forests in the central Apennines, in agreement with similar trends identified in other Mediterranean mountains, but opposite to growth trends reported for many forests in central Europe.


The concept of systematic inequalities in social and health outcomes has come to form part of contemporary policy discourse. This rhetoric is deployed even in the face of policy decisions widely viewed as iniquitous. Moreover, there is a widespread view, expressed across the political spectrum, that those in more deprived circumstances are less likely than their more affluent counterparts to be in receipt of optimal public services. Such individuals and communities are variously described as excluded, disadvantaged, underserved or hard to reach. Across countries and policy domains the term 'hard to reach' is used to refer to those deemed not to be in optimal receipt of public sector services which are intended to increase some aspect of material, social or physical wellbeing. It is increasingly used in health policy documents which aim to address health inequalities. However, it is an ill-defined and contested term. The purpose of this paper is two-fold. First, it offers a critical commentary on the concept of hard-to-reachness and asks: who are viewed as hard to reach and why? Second, using a case-study of a Scottish health improvement programme that explicitly aims to reach and engage the 'hard to reach' in preventive approaches to cardiovascular disease, it tests the policy and practice implications of the concept. It finds that a lack of conceptual clarity leads to ambiguous policy and practice and argues for possible theoretical refinements.


Evolution of CMOS circuits has been leveraged by continuous scaling of the feature size. Scaling has enabled integration of several billions of transistors in a single die with lower power consumption and throughput increase for the last two decades. However, the increasing process variability over die-to-die and within-die becomes an issue for the system reliability. The device model for the most advanced technology is becoming too complicated due to diverse physical effects arising from short channel length and high field, and makes it hard to rely on the model accuracy to precise estimate the productivity and reliability of a large-scale system. Therefore, the need to generate an accurate yield estimation model (or tool) based on the measurement data is required.This work presents simple and fast reliability estimation techniques for two of the most widely used systems: digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and SRAM. The DAC is exclusively adopted by most mixed-signal systems such as high performance transceivers, digital phase-locked loop, clock-data recovery, and successive approximation. Depending on their purpose, the DAC design may demand different design targets. While many of the systematic performance degradations (especially dynamic linearity) can be handled by careful layout, circuit architecture, segmentation, and switching algorithm, the nonlinearity caused by unit element mismatch can only be handled by sizing up the device or by calibration. In any case, the achievable minimum nonlinearity should becarefully considered from a yield estimation model. This model must be based on measurable mismatch information of the unit element, such as unit current in a currentsteering DAC, and it should be applicable to arbitrarily segmented structure. From the survey of existing models and their limitations, this work proposes two general models for the differential nonlinearity (DNL) and integral nonlinearity (INL) yield. The validity of the model is verified by measurement data from an 8-bit current-steering DAC fabricated in 90nm CMOS.The second case study is for SRAM. Most microprocessors have various cache memories that are usually built by SRAM for its robust data retention and high access speed for both read and write. With the recent trend of multi-core processors in a single die in association with the decreasing feature size, the number of SRAM blocks and increasing density of the SRAM cell generate serious reliability issues. As an old tradition of SRAM design, the size of the cell is generally determined by yield from static stability margin or from dynamic perspectives that rely on the accuracy of the device model. Rapid yield estimation techniques such as importance sampling or response surface model present extreme cases, as their predictability of failure depends on the assumed variability of the few major parameters such as threshold level and mobility. For better estimation of SRAM yield, built-in self-test (BIST) circuits are suggested in numerous publications that can improve the predictability of failure conditions. This failure condition is particularly useful for gauging time-dependent stability variation of the memory cell due to diverse effects such as NBTI and aging. The estimated failure condition found in BIST circuits can be used to counteract the failure mechanism to decrease the fail bit count such as controlling the cell supply. Such varying failure condition cannot be detected by traditional pass/fail based test. In addition, knowing the analog level of stability distribution greatly helps in reducing the power of the entire memory array by exploring the optimum lower supply level without failing read/write operation. Another particular utilization of the stability information is in correlation to the device model. SRAM designers face countless combinations of the device parameters to satisfy a specific stability margin. With large stability measurement data, their designstrategy can be more reliably verified.However, none of the proposed techniques can be applied to a large memory array because of the speed issue and relatively incorrect estimation result. This work proposes a rapid yield estimation technique for discerning static stability. By using a small size onchipADC and direct bit-line access technique, the static read stability and write-ability of 6T SRAM cells are characterized. From the definitions of the new dynamic stability, the close correlation between the static estimation and the dynamic characteristics are demonstrated. The estimation results matched very well to the measured stability from a test chip in 65nm CMOS.


Child maltreatment (CM) lies on an extreme end of the continuum of parenting-at-risk, and while CM has been linked with a variety of behavioral indicators of dysregulation in children, less is known about how physiological markers of regulatory capacity contribute to this association. The present study examined patterns of mother and child physiological regulation and their relations with observed differences in parenting processes during a structured interaction. Abusing, neglecting, and non-CM mothers and their 3- to 5-year-old children completed a resting baseline and moderately challenging joint task. The structural analysis of social behavior was used to code mother-child interactions while simultaneous measures of respiratory sinus arrhythmia were obtained. Results indicated that physically abusive mothers were more likely to react to children's positive bids for autonomy with strict and hostile control, than either neglecting or non-CM mothers. CM exposure and quality of maternal responding to children's autonomous bids were uniquely associated with lower parasympathetic tone in children. Results provide evidence of neurodevelopmental associations between early CM exposure, the immediate interactive context of parenting, and children's autonomic physiology.


In the United States, concentrating solar power (CSP) is one of the most promising renewable energy (RE) technologies for reduction of electric sector greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and for rapid capacity expansion. It is also one of the most price-competitive RE technologies, thanks in large measure to decades of field experience and consistent improvements in design. One of the key design features that makes CSP more attractive than many other RE technologies, like solar photovoltaics and wind, is the potential for including relatively low-cost and efficient thermal energy storage (TES), which can smooth the daily fluctuation of electricity production and extend its duration into the evening peak hours or longer. Because operational environmental burdens are typically small for RE technologies, life cycle assessment (LCA) is recognized as the most appropriate analytical approach for determining their environmental impacts of these technologies, including CSP. An LCA accounts for impacts from all stages in the development, operation, and decommissioning of a CSP plant, including such upstream stages as the extraction of raw materials used in system components, manufacturing of those components, and construction of the plant. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is undertaking an LCA of modern CSP plants, starting with those of parabolic trough design. Our LCA follows the guidelines described in the international standard series ISO 14040-44 [1]. To support this effort, we are comparing the life-cycle environmental impacts of two TES designs: two-tank, indirect molten salt and indirect thermocline. To put the environmental burden of the TES system in perspective, one recent LCA that considered a two-tank, indirect molten salt TES system on a parabolic trough CSP plant found that the TES component can account for approximately 40% of the plant's non-operational GHG emissions [2]. As emissions associated with plant construction, operation and decommissioning are generally small for RE technologies, this analysis focuses on estimating the emissions embodied in the production of the materials used in the TES system. A CSP plant that utilizes an indirect, molten salt, TES system transfers heat from the solar field's heat transfer fluid (HTF) to the binary molten salts of the TES system via several heat exchangers. The "cold tank" receives the heat from the solar field HTF and conveys it to the "hot tank" via another series of heat exchangers. The hot tank stores the thermal energy for power generation later in the day. A thermocline TES system is a potentially attractive alternative because it replaces the hot and cold tanks with a thermal gradient within a single tank that significantly reduces the quantity of materials required for the same amount of thermal storage. An additional advantage is that the thermocline design can replace much of the expensive molten salt with a low-cost quartzite rock or sand filler material. This LCA is based on a detailed cost specification for a 50 MWe CSP plant with six hours of molten salt thermal storage, which utilizes an indirect, two-tank configuration [3]. This cost specification, and subsequent conversations with the author, revealed enough information to estimate weights of materials (reinforcing steel, concrete, etc.) used in all components of the specified two-tank TES system. To estimate embodied GHG emissions per kilogram of each material, two life cycle inventory (LCI) databases were consulted: EcoInvent v2.0 [4], which requires materials mass data as input, and the US Economic Input-Output LCA database [5], which requires cost data as input. IPCC default global warming potentials (GWPs) give the greenhouse potential of each gas relative to that of carbon dioxide [6]. Where certain materials specified in Kelly [3] were not available in the LCI databases, the closest available proxy for those materials was selected based on such factors as peak process temperature, and similar input materials and process technology. The thermocline system was modeled using the two-tank system design as the foundation, from which materials were subtracted or substituted based on the differences and similarities of design [7]. Table 1 summarizes the results of our evaluation. Embodied emissions of GHGs from the materials used in the 6-hour, 50 MWe two-tank system are estimated to be 17,100 MTCO2e . Analogous emissions for the thermocline system are less than half of those for the two-tank: 7890 MTCO2e . The reduction of salt inventory associated with a thermocline design thus reduces both storage cost and life cycle greenhouse gas emissions. While construction-, operation- and decommissioning-related emissions are not included in this assessment, we do not expect any differences between the two system designs to significantly affect the relative results reported here. Sensitivity analysis on choices of proxy materials for the nitrate salts and calcium silicate insulation also do not significantly affect the relative results.Copyright © 2009 by ASME


Doubts about the contribution of cult-prophetic speech to psalmody remain in debate. Psalms containing first-person divine speech exhibit numerous features and suggest life settings that conform to actual prophetic speech. Alternative explanations lack comparable examples external to psalms. On the other hand, Assyrian cultic prophecies parallel the characteristics of prophetic speech found in psalms. The Assyrian sources support possible composition and performance scenarios that overcome objections raised against the compatibility of genuine prophecy with psalmody. A model of cultic prophecy remains the best explanation for the origin of psalms containing first-person divine speech.


ABSTRACT We use petrography combined with fission-track mapping to evaluate qualitatively the phases that concentrate uranium in caliche paleosols from late Paleozoic cyclothems of Texas and New Mexico. We also discuss geochemical analyses of U and Pb concentrations and Pb isotopic compositions. Uranium concentrations in brown caliche calcite range from 1 to 9 ppm. Lead concentrations in the same calcites range from 0.5 to 1 ppm. Lead-isotope compositions range from common (no apparent radiogenic component) to lead with a substantial radiogenic component. Caliches with brown calcite most likely developed near the vadose-phreatic interface--often a redox boundary where organic material (and uranium) is expected to be concentrated. In contrast, uranium concentrations in light-colored caliche nodules from the vadose zone have uranium concentrations that are 1 ppm or less. Fifteen of forty-five samples from this study have a range in U/Pb that would permit precise dating of the rocks, but only the data from three give precise ages. Some of the samples have hematite, which has high concentrations of U and Pb. For one of the precisely dated samples, the two-sigma uncertainty was improved from 10 to 2.6 Ma by avoiding hematite when sampling.


Nautilids do not occur throughout the Upper Cretaceous succession in northern Cantabria. Although relatively rare, they preferentially occur in condensed transgressive horizons. Nine species belonging to the genera  Angulithes MONTFORT, 1808, Eutrephoceras HYATT, 1894, and Pseudocenoceras SPATH, 1927 are recorded.  A. westphalicus (SCHLUTER, 1872) and E . cf. justum (BLANFORD, 1861) are reported for the first time from the Iberian Peninsula. The diagnosis of A. vascogoticus WIEDMANN, 1960 is emended. The Cenomanian was characterized by a relative abundance of nautilids of the genus Angulithes which display a major radiative event, evolving relatively short-lived species. This development was probably related to the "Cenomanian transgression". Compared to co-occurring ammonite faunas, Angulithes inhabited deeper and more distal environments. A possible transitional form, connecting the two genera Angulithes and  Deltocymatoceras KUMMEL, 1956 (?Turonian, Coniacian - Santonian), is recorded from the Mid-/Late Cenomanian. The Turonian to Campanian succession is dominated by long-ranging nautilids of the genus  Eutrephoceras .


This paper addresses the problem of object counting, which is to estimate the number of objects of interest from an input observation. We formalize the problem as a posterior inference of the count by introducing a particular type of Gaussian mixture for the input observation, whose mixture indexes correspond to the count. Unlike existing approaches in image analysis, which typically perform explicit object detection using labeled training images, our approach does not need any labeled training data. Our idea is to use the stick-breaking process as a constraint to make it possible to interpret the mixture indexes as the count. We apply our method to the problem of counting vehicles in real-world web camera images and demonstrate that the accuracy and robustness of the proposed approach without any labeled training data are comparable to those of supervised alternatives.