Background With the change in climate, storms are increasing in many parts of the world. One of the most challenging tasks in terms on occupational safety in these situations is removing storm fallen trees that have tensions. This work has more risks than usual and is also rather difficult to train. At the same time, it is often done by rescue workers or power company employees using a chain saw. Methods We surveyed the types of situations in which chain saw work leads to injuries and how often these situations are affected by the trees been damaged or having abnormal tensions. Very often such conditions are met by Fire & Rescue crews clearing roads and other areas from trees that a storm has fallen. A number of workshops were arranged to collect the knowledge from a group of experienced experts. Results Based on the workshops a two part training program was developed. To make the training effective, two simulators were designed. The other one is based on a commercial product, while the other one was designed and drawn by engineers in close cooperation with the research team. In the first simulator, cutting trees under tension is trained in a safe environment. The other simulator is used in further training and can be used to train removing trees fallen on power lines, houses, cars and other similar places. Conclusions Fire and Rescue services, as well as others can improve their level of occupational safety in removing difficult trees. Using a chain saw to remove a tree with abnormal tensions requires both knowledge and adequate practice. This can be achieved through training and the simulators make training both safe and productive.


Atmospheric quality assessment is an important research subject. In order to control the air pollution and to attract more and more attention for the air quality. This paper has proposed an improved immune clone algorithm and applied to atmospheric quality evaluation. The method constructs the function of atmosphere quality evaluation and optimizes the parameters of the evaluation functions. It can ensure the population diversity and improve the algorithm convergence. Experimental results show that the proposed model is effective and feasible for assessing atmospheric quality. It could provide a new reference basis and approach in the field of environment. Therefore it has great potential in the field of assessment the atmospheric quality.


Lingha chendooram-1, a widely used Siddha drug was evaluated for acute, sub-acute and chronic toxicity in rats with reference to histopathological, haematolo'gical, parameters and detection of mercury from the tissues of liver and kidney, The drug showed acute toxicity from 100 mg onwards. But it produced sub-acute and chronic toxic effects from 50 mg onwards and elevation In blood urea level. Feed and water intake failed to reveal any marked changes in sub-acute and chronic toxicity studies. Mercury was detected from 75 mg with concurrent increase in dose in both sub-acute and chronic toxicity studies. The histopathological lesions were non-specific when compared to microscopic changes along with the drug dosages. In the present study the drug possessed no toxic effect below 20 mg.


A decrease in total activity of ATPase and in specific activity of Na+,K+-ATPase as well as less rapid and distinct decrease in specific activity of acetylcholinesterase were observed in synaptosomal membrane after binding of bilirubin in vitro. Irradiation with blue light of the bilirubin-containing membrane particles caused a more distinct decrease in activity of these enzymes. Blood serum albumin, added to the suspension of bilirubin-containing particles of synaptosomal membrane, affected significantly the alterations in activity of membrane-bound enzymes caused by the irradiation. Character of the effect depended on pH of the medium and presence of organophilic ligands in blood serum albumin molecule.


Mutations in the gene encoding the ATP binding cassette transporter member A3 (ABCA3) are associated with fatal surfactant deficiency. ABCA3 lines the limiting membrane of lamellar bodies within alveolar type-II cells, suggesting a role in surfactant metabolism. The objective of this study was to determine the surfactant phospholipid composition and function in patients with mutations in the ABCA3 gene. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid was analyzed from three groups of infants: 1) Infants with ABCA3 mutations, 2) infants with inherited surfactant protein-B deficiency (SP-B), and 3) patients without parenchymal lung disease (CON). Surfactant phospholipid profile was determined using two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography, and surface tension was measured with a pulsating bubble surfactometer. Phosphatidylcholine comprised 41 ± 19% of the total phospholipid in the BAL fluid of the ABCA3 group compared with 78 ± 3% and 68 ± 18%, p = 0.008 and 0.05, of the CON and SP-B groups, respectively. Surface tension was 31.5 ± 9.3 mN/m and was significantly greater than CON but no different from SP-B. We conclude that mutations in ABCA3 are associated with surfactant that is deficient in phosphatidylcholine and has decreased function, suggesting that ABCA3 plays an important role in pulmonary surfactant phospholipid homeostasis.


Abstract:  The lack of concrete instances in which conservation and development have been successfully merged has strengthened arguments for strict exclusionist conservation policies. Research has focused more on social cooperation and conflict of different management regimes and less on how these factors actually affect the natural environments they seek to conserve. Consequently, it is still unknown which strategies yield better conservation outcomes? We conducted a meta‐analysis of 116 published case studies on common resource management regimes from Africa, south and central America, and southern and Southeast Asia. Using ranked sociodemographic, political, and ecological data, we analyzed the effect of land tenure, population size, social heterogeneity, as well as internally devised resource‐management rules and regulations (institutions) on conservation outcome. Although land tenure, population size, and social heterogeneity did not significantly affect conservation outcome, institutions were positively associated with better conservation outcomes. There was also a significant interaction effect between population size and institutions, which implies complex relationships between population size and conservation outcome. Our results suggest that communities managing a common resource can play a significant role in conservation and that institutions lead to management regimes with lower environmental impacts.


In the second volume of her memoirs, the prize-winning author Janice Galloway reveals how the awkward child introduced in This is Not About Me evolved through her teenage years, living with her stoical mother and domineering older sister. In visceral descriptions of puberty, sex and school-room politics, Galloway casts her extraordinary gaze on the morals and ambitions of one small-town through the stories of three generations of women. When she entered secondary school, Galloway was still sharing a bed with her mother. Her awareness of the opposite sex was limited; she was more excited by Latin and the school orchestra than make-up or boys. Under the wing of one exceptional teacher, music was her passion. But as she struggled to make sense of the physical and emotional changes of adolescence, almost everything she thought she knew began to change. By turns absurd and tender, this is the story of a family's secrets brought to light, revealing the bonds beneath. Now one of our most celebrated writers, Galloway is here at her most personal, defiant and eloquent.


OF DISSERTATION AN EXPLORATION OF TEACHER RETENTION IN RURAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN EASTERN KENTUCKY Teacher retention rates are staggeringly low across the United States. Nearly 20% of public school teachers leave their position from one year to the next, a majority of schools have a turnover rate of 50% every three years, and over 50% of teachers leave the education field within the first five years of employment. This retention problem impacts all type of public school systems—urban, suburban, and rural school districts. This study examined teacher retention in elementary and secondary schools in three rural school districts in eastern Kentucky. Review of district and school documents about teacher retention informed the selection of participants. School districts and specific schools in rural eastern Kentucky with higher retention rates than the average teacher retention of public schools in Kentucky were study sites. Data were collected through individual interviews with superintendents and principals and through focusgroup interviews with teachers to gain their perspectives about what influenced the higher teacher retention. Analysis of data identified themes for high teacher retention. The findings suggest that a strong familial school culture among teachers and with school administrators positively impacts teacher retention. High teacher retention is also influenced by Appalachian culture and teachers' desires to contribute to the local community beyond the school building and have a positive impact on the future of the local community's youth.


This study provides insights about the activities, challenges, and options SBTs face when confronted with rapidly advancing information technology.Although much of the discussion of innovation focuses on new products and technologies, all innovation is based on challenging existing assumptions and ways of thinking. The tourism sector has experienced rapid technological development. In this new tourism environment innovation and knowledge creation are important for establishing a competitive advantage. This advantage can be accomplished by integrating marketing information systems and organizational knowledge creation methodologies. Management information systems (MISs) are generally described as sets of data that are analyzed through statistical programs and models. It is a unified scheme that brings together all of the components being used (raw data, information, reports, and models) in order to meet specific management objectives.This paper argues that one option to develop new ways of thinking and innovation in business tourism is to argue that there is no such thing as sustainable tourism. If we begin with the assumption that tourism cannot be sustainable in its own right but may contribute to the sustainable development of some regions under some circumstances, then a number of new approaches to tourism development emerge. In particular, it is argued that stronger links may emerge between tourism and other economic activities and development options. These potential synergies are described and illustrated with a range of examples. In addition, the paper sets out a series of additional criteria that could be used to evaluate different potential tourism developments and makes suggestions about the development of sustainability performance indicators. Finally, the paper highlights the importance of better knowledge management systems to support innovation in tourism.


This paper is to study free vibration of a rotating disk/spindle system with hydrodynamic bearings (HDB). The disk/spindle system consists of multiple circular disks clamped on a rigid spindle, which allows infinitesimal rigid-body translation and rotation (rocking). Also, the spindle is mounted on a stationary, flexible, cantilever shaft through two identical radial HDB and a thrust HDB. Equations of motion were first derived in terms of the rigid-body translation and rocking of the spindle, the shaft bending, and the disk vibration. Then an eigenvalue analysis was performed to obtain natural frequencies, modal damping factors, and mode shapes of the rotating disk/spindle system. For a special case of rigid shaft and decoupled translation/rocking spindle, one pair of transverse modes and two pairs of rocking modes were observed. For the transverse modes, the disk/spindle system whirls transversely as a rigid body at half of the rotational speed (i.e., half-speed whirl). In addition, the backward whirl is heavily damped while the forward whirl is lightly damped. The first pair of rocking modes is similar to those found in disk/spindle systems with ball bearings and is lightly damped. The second pair of rocking modes occurs at low frequency. One of these modes is lightly damped and has natural frequency very close to half of the rotational speed. For the general case of a flexible shaft and coupled translation/rocking motion, eight coupled modes were obtained. Three of them occur at the half-speed frequency. Compared with systems with rigid shaft, the other five modes have significantly lower natural frequencies because of the shaft flexibility.


This letter presents two bandpass filters with wide out-of-band suppression using multiple different resonators and discriminating coupling. By utilizing half- and quarter-wavelength resonators, the second harmonic can be eliminated. Discriminating coupling is used to obtain zero coupling coefficient at the third harmonic, whereas the coupling in the passband can be tuned to desired values. The proposed filter could obtain 30 dB rejection level in the stopband from 1.2f0 to 3.8f0. Meanwhile, the filter is simple to design and easy to fabricate. The theoretical analysis of the proposed filter is given and two demonstration filters are fabricated and measured. The simulated and measured results are presented and good agreements are observed, which confirm the proposed method.


The most frequent encephalographic abnormality in children, and perhaps also in adults, is enlargement of the lateral ventricles. My associates and I have felt the need of a quantitative expression to describe more accurately the degree of enlargement and to define with some precision, if possible, the normal limits of ventricular size. It is assumed, in spite of a few scattered observations reported in the literature to the contrary, that the cerebral ventricles are of a relatively fixed size and shape and, in the absence of disease, do not vary significantly from day to day. Further systematic study is desirable to establish this point. The simplest measurement to make, and at the same time one of the most significant, is the transverse diameter of the anterior horns on a film exposed in the anteroposterior projection with the posterior part of the skull down. This allows filling of the anterior horns


Background: Patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) without obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) are often managed differently than those with obstructive CAD, therefore we aimed in this study to examine the long-term prognosis of patients with NSTEMI according to the degree of CAD on coronary angiography (CAG). Methods: We examined 8.889 consecutive patients admitted for first time NSTEMI during 2000–2011, to whom CAG was performed. Patients were classified by CAG into: 0-vessel disease (0VD), diffuse atherosclerosis (DA) (0% < stenosis <50%), 1-vessel disease (1VD), 2VD, and 3VD with stenosis ≥50%. Follow-up period: 13 years (median 4.5). Results: One-year mortality for NSTEMI patients with 0VD was 3.7%, DA 5.7%, 1VD 2.5%, 2VD 4.8%, and 3VD 11. 5%. Non-diabetic 0VD patients had higher risk of mortality than 1VD patients (HR:1.59; 95% CI:1.21–2.02; P < 0.001), while those with diabetes mellitus (DM) had not significantly different risk. In addition 0VD group had higher risk of heart failure (HF) (HR 1.61; 95% CI: 1.39–1.88; P < 0.001), and lower risk of recurrent MI (HR:0.55; 95% CI:0.39–0. 77; P < 0.001) compared with 1VD. For patients with DA; mortality and HF risks were higher than 1VD and not different than 2VD, while recurrent MI risk was not different than 1VD and lower than 2VD. Finally, the DA group had higher risk of mortality if they had DM, higher risk of recurrent MI, and not different risk of HF and stroke compared with the 0VD group patients. Conclusion: Patients with NSTEMI and non-obstructive CAD (both normal coronaries and diffuse atherosclerosis) have a comparable prognosis to patients with oneor two-vessel disease. Patients with diffuse atherosclerosis have worse prognosis than those with angiographically normal coronary arteries.


Background: We investigated the effects of an acute exercise bout (AEB) on urges to consume sweets, affect and responses to stress and a sweet cue. Potential long-term effects on physical activity (PA) were assessed 12 months later. Methods: Following 3 days of chocolate-abstinence 47 overweight, sweet consumers were assessed, on separate days, in 2 randomly ordered conditions, in a within-subject design: 15-min brisk walk or passive control. Following each, participants completed 2 tasks: Stroop color–word interference task, and handling sweets. Urges for sweets, affective activation and valence were assessed. 30 of the 47 participants completed questionnaires about their exercise behaviour 12 months later. Findings: ANOVAs revealed sig. condition x time interaction effects for: urges for sweets (p<0.01, eta2 =0,245), valence (p<0.01, eta2 =0,183), and activation (p<0.01, eta2 =0,130). 65.6 percent of those surveyed reported more PA since study participation. Discussion: Obtained data show a potential of AEB in reducing food craving in overweight people; participating in an AEB study may increase PA – levels. The potential of AEB in weight reduction programs should be explored.


On December 12-13 2012, CAIDA and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) hosted the (invitation-only) 3rd interdisciplinary Workshop on Internet Economics (WIE) at the University of California's San Diego Supercomputer Center. The goal of this workshop series is to provide a forum for researchers, commercial Internet facilities and service providers, technologists, economists, theorists, policy makers, and other stakeholders to empirically inform current and emerging regulatory and policy debates. The theme for this year's workshop was "Definitions and Data". This report describes the discussions and presents relevant open research questions identified by participants. Slides presented at the workshop and a copy of this final report are available at [2]


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to individually examine the findings from eight case studies presented in this special issue and comparatively identify the findings regarding local learning and action.

Design/methodology/approach
Underlying research questions regarding power and powerlessness in regard to addressing underlying risk factors affecting local populations form the basis for the discussion. Proceedings of a collaborative workshop conducted with the contributing authors are analysed qualitatively to identify learning relating to the research questions emerging from the case studies individually and collectively.

Findings
A number of strategies and tactics for addressing underlying risk factors affecting local populations were identified from the case studies, including collaboration and cohesion. Campaigning, lobbying, communications and social mobilisation in an attempt to bridge the gap between local concerns and the decision-making of government and other powerful actors. Innovation and local mobilisation to address shortcomings in government support for disaster reduction and development. Communications as a first base to influence behaviour of both communities and government. Social change through empowerment of women to act in disaster reduction and development.

Research limitations/implications
The outcomes of the action research conducted by the authors individually and collectively highlight the necessity for bridging different scales of action through a range of strategies and tactics to move beyond local self-reliance to influence on underlying risk factors. The action research process employed may have wider applications in gathering and formalising local-level experience and knowledge.

Practical implications
The case studies and their analysis present a range of practical strategies and tactics to strengthen local resilience and address underlying risk factors which are replicable in other contexts.

Originality/value
Practitioners are activists and do not often engage in critical reflection and analysis. The method presented here offers a means of achieving this in order to generate learning from local-level experience. The findings contribute to the consideration of cross-scale action to address underlying risk factors which impact local communities.


Introduction: The cervical cancer takes many years to develop and precursor lesions that can trigger cancer are discovered in the screening test (Papanicolaou) , which can be done at stations or units of public health care that have qualified professionals. The Papanicolau is painless, simple and fast. Every woman who has or had sex life and who are between 25 and 64 years should perform the screening. Objective: The objective of this study was to analyze the demand of Papanicolau test and its realization in a team of the Primary Care Unit from Eastern Sector Universitario in Goiânia, Goias, Brazil. Methodology or experience description: In a group of five people we manually harvest data from the notebook of SISCOLO of four family health teams from the Primary Care Unit of Eastern University, Goiânia, Goias. Team One of the Primary Care Unit is the target of this project. We expect to be able to get enough data to analyse the realization of Papanicolau test at this Primary Care Unit to know if this test was well done at most of the women who needed - that is, were in the age range recommended by inca. We also expected to get information about how many women attended the unit, however we were unable to access this information. Results: At this team that we analysed among the 764 women who took the test in the two-year period that we analysed we identified 111 women outside the age range recommended by INCA performing the scan. It was found that family health team conducted tests in women 11-78 years in their area of coverage, for the period December 2009 to December 2012 . Thus, we observe that tests out the needs advocated by INCA are performed in a percentage of 14,53%. We aren't able to to analyze if the test has good coverage in this area due to lack of information that we did not get in conjunction to unit health. Conclusions or Hypothesis: We identified that staff are performing Papanicolau in women out the age recommended by INCA, this fact can be explained cause in this health unit there is no demand of residents or staff interest in searching patients, so every opportunity to perform examination should be used because this woman can not come to a health service in satisfactory time for the diagnosis of cervical cancer.


A traditional transfer system in machine translation maps between language structures and an intermediate representation. Our con-nectionist transfer system maps from f-structures of one language to f-structures of another language. It encodes the intermediate representation implicitly in neural networks' activation patterns. The system is learnable, therefore it does not need any eeort in hand-crafting the representation and mapping rules. Experiments show the system has good scalability and generalizability performance.


Alaska's Arctic and boreal regions, largely dominated by tundra and boreal forest, are witnessing unprecedented changes in response to climate warming. However, the intensity of feedbacks between the hydrosphere and vegetation changes are not yet well quantified in Arctic regions. This lends considerable uncertainty to the prediction of how much, how fast, and where Arctic and boreal hydrology and ecology will change. With a very sparse network of observations (meteorological, flux towers, etc.) in the Alaskan Arctic and boreal regions, remote sensing is the only technology capable of providing the necessary quantitative measurements of land–atmosphere exchanges of water and energy at regional scales in an economically feasible way. Over the last decades, the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) has become the research hub for high-latitude research. UAF's newly-established Hyperspectral Imaging Laboratory (HyLab) currently provides multiplatform data acquisition, processing, and analysis capabilities spanning microscale laboratory measurements to macroscale analysis of satellite imagery. The specific emphasis is on acquiring and processing satellite and airborne thermal imagery, one of the most important sources of input data in models for the derivation of surface energy fluxes. In this work, we present a synergistic modeling framework that combines multiplatform remote sensing data and calibration/validation (CAL/VAL) activities for the retrieval of land surface temperature (LST). The LST Arctic Dataset will contribute to ecological modeling efforts to help unravel seasonal and spatio-temporal variability in land surface processes and vegetation biophysical properties in Alaska's Arctic and boreal regions. This dataset will be expanded to other Alaskan Arctic regions, and is expected to have more than 500 images spanning from 1984 to 2012.


: An accurate, rapid and repeatable technique of volume measurement is described; the equipment comprises a linear array scanner, a support gantry, a video tape recorder and an inexpensive microcomputer. The technique is being used to study gastric emptying but applications to other viscera, soft tissue masses and the fetus are possible.


Reverse-time migration (RTM), based on the full two-way wave equation, has gained interest and become a popular imaging tool for complex structures in the last few years. The method is well-known for its ability to better image the steeply dipping and overturned structures than the migration methods based on the one-way wave equation extrapolation. However, the RTM image often contains low frequency and backscattering noise, and the imaging quality is sensitive to the migration velocity. In order to improve the RTM imaging quality and make the RTM image less sensitive to the velocity model, we developed an RTM de-blending technique which separates upgoing and downgoing source and receiver wavefields, and then use them to construct final RTM images. Test results show that decomposed images obtained from only the downgoing source and receiver wavefields are less sensitive to velocity. It removes unwanted noise and migration artifacts from conventional RTM, and the imaging quality is greatly improved compared with a conventional RTM image.


Introduction. Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD) has been clearly associated with the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics worldwide. However, information about CDAD is scarce in Mexico and Latin America. Material and methods. We studied clinical characteristics, associated factors and outcomes of all cases of CDAD diagnosed by toxin A fecal detection in a tertiary care hospital in Mexico City from 2003 to 2007. Cases were paired with controls by date of hospital discharge. Results. A total of 3170 tests were performed; we evaluated 113 cases and 226 controls, with an incidence of 5.04 cases x 1000 hospital discharges during the study period. There was no difference in gender or primary diagnosis. After multivariate analysis, we found as significant risks the following: use of H2 blockers (OR 21.73, 95% CI 7.14-66.67, p < 0.001), age < 65 y (OR 10.21, IC95% 2.74-38.00, p < 0.001), prior hospitalization within 12 weeks of diagnosis (OR 4.39, IC95% 1.81-40.64, p < 0.001), prior use of cephalosporins (OR 3.41, CI 95% 1.56-7.46, p = 0.002), and fluoroquinolones (OR 3.11, IC95% 1.12-8.62, p = 0.029), stay at the intensive care unit (ICU) (OR 2.76, IC95% 1.38-5.49, p = 0.004); and, extended hospital stay (OR 1.10, IC95% 1.05-1.16, p < 0.001) or antimicrobial use before diagnosis (OR 1.05, IC95% 1.01-1.09, p = 0.010). We described an outbreak of 12 cases occurred in August of 2005 (29.5 cases per 1,000 discharges). We also observed a higher seasonal incidence of disease during the summer in the study period. Conclusions. The use of H2 blockers, age < 65 years, prior hospitalization or earlier use of


Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithms represent a new approach for optimization. In this paper image enhancement is considered as an optimization problem and PSO is used to solve it. Image enhancement is mainly done by maximizing the information content of the enhanced image with intensity transformation function. In the present work a parameterized transformation function is used, which uses local and global information of the image. Here an objective criterion for measuring image enhancement is used which considers entropy and edge information of the image. We tried to achieve the best enhanced image according to the objective criterion by optimizing the parameters used in the transformation function with the help of PSO. Results are compared with other enhancement techniques, viz. histogram equalization, contrast stretching and genetic algorithm based image enhancement.


Two-hundred-and-twenty-six patients, aged 26 to 80, had 238 malignant polyps removed. According to the WHO classification, only those lesions in which invasive growth is detected, are termed malignant polyps. Immediately after receiving the histological report, eight patients were operated on. Later, over periods of up to 18 months following the removal of polyps, eight more patients were operated upon for recurrences. The results of follow-up over periods of up to 10 years indicate the efficiency of endoscopic removal of malignant polyps irrespective of the grade of the invasive growth. Taking their experience as a basis, the authors suggest that the plan of approach to further stages of treatment should be based not on the pathological findings in the removed polyps, but on the results of regular follow-up of the patients.


Multi-objective optimization of the life-cycle costs and reliability of offshore wind turbines (WTs) is an area of immense interest due to the widespread increase in wind power generation across the world. Though there has been significant research done in this field for structures such as bridges and offshore oil and gas platforms, less research has been conducted for the costs and reliability optimization of offshore WTs. Most of the existing studies have addressed the conjunction of structural reliability and the Bayesian preposterior analysis for multi-objective optimization. This paper proposes and extension of the previous approaches as a novel framework for multi-objective probabilistic optimization of the total life-cycle costs and reliability of WTs by combining the elements of structural reliability analysis, Bayesian pre-posterior analysis with neuro-fuzzy and evolutionary algorithms. The output of this framework would determine the optimal inspection, monitoring and maintenance schedules to be conducted during the life span of the offshore WTs while maintaining a trade-off between the life-cycle costs and reliability of the structure.


The deterioration of operating margin and increasing leakage current in SRAM are becoming critical problems with the advance of process scaling. To solve these problems, we propose a low-power SRAM circuit using thin buried-oxide fully depleted silicon-on-insulator transistors. The back-gate bias is introduced to the SRAM circuits and acquires high operating margin and high-speed operation under low supply voltage. The leakage current in stand-by state is reduced. This SRAM achieves 30% faster writing time under low-voltage operation and 90% less stand-by power


We have previously described the cloning of a group of novel cellular immediate-early response genes whose expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells is induced by tumor necrosis factor alpha in the presence of cycloheximide. These genes are likely to participate in mediating the response of the vascular endothelium to proinflammatory cytokines. In this study, we further characterized one of these novel gene products named B61. Sequence analysis of cDNA clones encoding B61 revealed that its protein product has no significant homology to previously described proteins. Southern analysis suggested that B61 is an evolutionarily conserved single-copy gene. B61 is primarily a hydrophilic molecule but contains both a hydrophobic N-terminal and a hydrophobic C-terminal region. The N-terminal region is typical of a signal peptide, which is consistent with the secreted nature of the protein. The mature form of the predicted protein consists of 187 amino acid residues and has a molecular weight of 22,000. Immunoprecipitation of metabolically labeled human umbilical vein endothelial cell preparations revealed that B61 is a 25-kilodalton secreted protein which is markedly induced by tumor necrosis factor.


Purpose: In the United Kingdom (UK), The NHS Diabetic Eye Screening Program offers an annual eye examination to all people with diabetes aged 12 or over, aiming at the early detection of people at high risk of visual loss due to diabetic retinopathy. The purpose of this study was the design of a model to predict patients at risk of developing retinopathy with the use of patient characteristics and clinical measures.  Methods: We investigated data from 2011 to 2016 from the population-based Diabetic Eye Screening Program in East Anglia. The data comprised retinal eye screening results, patient characteristics, and routine biochemical measures of HbA1c, blood pressure, Albumin to Creatinine ratio (ACR), estimated Glomerular Filtration rate (eGFR), serum creatinine, cholesterol and Body Mass Index (BMI). Individuals were classified according to the presence or absence of retinopathy as indicated by their retinal eye examinations. A lasso regression, random forest, gradient boosting machine and regularized gradient boosting model were built and cross-validated for their predictive ability.  Results: A total of 6,375 subjects with recorded information for all available biochemical measures were identified from the cohorts. Of these, 5,969 individuals had no signs of diabetic retinopathy. Of the remainder 406 individuals with signs of diabetic retinopathy, 352 had background diabetic retinopathy and 54 had referable diabetic retinopathy. The highest value of the10-fold cross-validated Area under the Curve (AUC) was achieved by the gradient boosting machine 0.73 ± 0.03 and the minimum required set of variables to yield this performance included 4 variables: duration of diabetes, HbA1c, ACR and age. A subsequent analysis on the predictive power of the biochemical measures showed that when HbA1c and ACR measurements were available for longer time periods, the performance of the models was greatly enhanced. When HbA1c and ACR measurements for a 5-year period prior to the event of study were available, gradient boosting machine cross-validated AUC was 0.77 ± 0.04 in comparison to the cross-validated AUC of 0.68 ± 0.04 when only information for the 1-year period for these variables was available. Similarly, an increment from 0.70 ± 0.02 to 0.75 ± 0.04 was observed with random forest. The dataset with the 1-year measurements comprised 4,857 subjects, of whom, 4,572 had no retinopathy and the remainder 285 had signs of retinopathy. The dataset with the 5-year measurements comprised 757 subjects, of whom, 696 had no retinopathy and the remainder 51 had signs of retinopathy.  Conclusions: The utilization of patient information and routine biochemical measures can be used to identify patients at risk of developing retinopathy. The effective differentiation between patients with and without retinopathy could significantly reduce the number of screening visits without compromising patients' health.


In attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a multifactorial and clinically heterogeneous disorder that is the result of the combination of environmental, genetic and biological factors. Its high prevalence, added to the high level of maladaptation occurring in the children affected and the elevated comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders have lead to new scientific interest in this disorder. Especially in recent years, there has been a considerable increase in its study using neuroimaging techniques. Structural and functional imaging studies suggest that the ADHD pathophysiology would be conditioned by a dysfunction in the fronto-subcortical pathways, as well as imbalances in the dopaminergic and noradrenergic systems.


Electronics advancement demands integration of large number of transistors /capacitors in a very small chip area. Thus, small feature size fabrication is a critical issue and precise fabrications of features under nano scale require advanced lithographic and etching techniques. In this paper, MOS capacitor with TiN metal-gate and HfO2 dielectric layer was fabricated in a world class clean-room lab in KTH. There, state-of-the art lithography stepper, advanced etching machines and all important clean-room fabrication facilities were used for successful fabrication of the nano-dimension MOS capacitor, whose detailed experimental procedures and results are exhaustively dealt in this report.


One of the substances with high potential to cause damage that is used widely in chemical plants is liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). The aim of the present study is to model the consequences of leakage from a storage tank containing LPG using different scenarios. ALOHA software was used as one of the best modeling programs for identification of emergency responses required at the time of the gas leakage based on modeling results. According to ALOHA program modeling results, the area called TEEL‐3 was located within a distance of 187 m from the tank, and the threat to people in this area was determined. In case of LPG leakage from the storage tank, the concentration of LPG was about 2100 ppm which is equal to the lower explosive limit at the distance of 187 m. The consequences of combustion and explosion of LPG gas at a distance of 65 m from the storage tank were the most serious danger that threatens humans. This paper has an important role in modeling the harmful effects of the release of LPG and hazardous substances in different scenarios.


Abstract: The Matrix Converter (MC) is capable of synthesizing variable magnitude and frequency output voltage while maintaining desired input power factor and it eliminates the need for DC link capacitors. This has led to the broad classification of matrix converters as indirect matrix converter (IMC) on the presence of a DC link and Direct MC(DMC) based on the absence of a DC link. In this paper, a three phase IMC is used to drive the three phase BLDC motor, which consists of a Current Source Rectifier (CSR) and a Voltage Source Inverter(VSI) connected via a fictitious DC link. Space-vector modulation is used to generate the gate pulses for the CSR and the gate pulses for the VSI are generated based on the rotor position of the BLDC rotor. The PI speed controller is used hereto improve the speed response of the motor and a PI current controller is used to minimize the torque ripples. The IMC fed BLDC motor is simulated using Matlab software package and the results of open loop and closed loop systems are compared and validated.


OBJECTIVE To examine the controversial issue of whether islet cell antibodies (ICAs) have a higher predictive value for progression to clinical IDDM in first-degree relatives of patients with diabetes than in the general population. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS ICAs were analyzed with standard immunofluorescence in two population-based groups: 765 sibs of children with recent-onset diabetes and 1,212 unaffected Finnish children <20 years of age at initial screening. Those positive for ICAs were additionally tested for antibodies to GAD (GADAs) and the protein tyrosine phosphatase-related 1A-2 antigen (IA-2As). Subsequently, these subjects were observed for the manifestation of clinical IDDM over the next 7 years. RESULTS The frequency of both detectable ICAs and ICA levels ≥20 Juvenile Diabetes Foundation units (JDF U) was significantly higher among the sibs than in the general population (7.8 vs. 4.1% and 4.8 vs. 2.0%, respectively; P < 0.001). The prevalence of GADAs (37/60 vs. 3/48; P < 0.001) and IA-2As (31/60 vs. 0/48; P < 0.001) was increased among ICA-positive sibs compared with ICA-positive individuals from the background population. Over the next 7 years, 24 sibs (3.1%) and 3 unrelated children positive for ICAs (0.3%) progressed to clinical diabetes. The positive predictive value of ICAs was thus 6% in the general population and 40% among the sibs (P < 0.001), or 13 and 59%, respectively (P < 0.001), with an antibody cutoff level of 20 JDF U. The positive predictive value was related to the number of positive autoantibodies in sibs, which was 57% in those with three antibodies, 50% in those with two antibodies, and only 6% in those with ICAs alone. CONCLUSIONS These data show that the frequency of multiple autoantibodies is substantially lower in ICA-positive children representing the general population than in ICA-positive sibs of children with IDDM. As a consequence, the predictive value of ICAs for IDDM is higher in sibs of affected children than in the general population. This finding must be taken into account when planning intervention trials aimed at preventing or delaying the manifestation of clinical diabetes in individuals from the general population who test positive for ICAs.


The thermodynamic and kinetic properties of interactions of antibiotics with the aminoglycoside acetyltransferase (3)-IIIb (AAC) are determined with several experimental methods. These data represent the first such characterization of an enzyme that modifies the 2-deoxystreptamine ring common to all aminoglycoside antibiotics. Antibiotic substrates for AAC include kanamycin A, kanamycin B, tobramycin, sisomicin, neomycin B, paromomycin, lividomycin A, and ribostamycin. Kinetic studies show that kanamycin group aminoglycosides have higher k(cat) values than members of the neomycin group. Only small aminoglycosides without intraring constraints show substrate inhibition. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and fluorescence measurements are consistent with a molecular size-dependent stoichiometry where binding stoichiometries are 1.5-2.0 for small antibiotics and 1.0 for larger. Antibiotic-enzyme interaction occurs with a favorable enthalpy (DeltaH < 0) and a compensating unfavorable entropy (TDeltaS < 0). The presence of coenzyme A significantly increases the affinity of the antibiotic for AAC. However, the thermodynamic properties of its ternary complexes distinguish this enzyme from other aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes (AGMEs). Unlike other AGMEs, the enthalpy of binding becomes more favored by 1.7-10.0-fold in the presence of the cosubstrate CoASH, while the entropy becomes 2.0-22.5-fold less favored. The overall free energy change is still only 1.0-1.9 kcal/mol from binary to ternary for all antibiotics tested, which is similar to those for other aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes. A computationally derived homology model provides structural support for these conclusions and further indicates that AAC is likely a member of the GCN5-related acetyltransferase family of proteins.


Computer generated three dimensional architectural modeling is a fundamental transformation of the traditional architectural design process.

Viewing a three dimensional computer model from many vantage points and through animation sequences, presents buildings and their surrounding environments as a sequence of spaces and events, rather than as static objects or graphic abstractions. Three dimensional modeling at the earliest stages of design tends to increase the spatial and formal properties of early building design studies, and diminishes the dominance of plan as the form giver.

The following paper is based upon the work of second, third and fifth year architectural students who have engaged in architectural design through the use of microcomputer graphics. In each case they entered the architectural studio with virtually no computer experience. Although the assigned architectural projects were identical to those of other "conventional" architectural studios, their design work was accomplished, almost solely, using four different types of graphic software: Computer-Aided Drafting, 3-Dimensional Modeling, Painting and Animation programs. Information presented is based upon student surveys, semester logs, interviews, impressions of external design critics, and the comparison of computer based and conventional studio final presentations.


One key to success for high quality enterprise information systems development is to validate the customers' requirements sufficiently at the early stage. Scenarios are an effective means to an end because they make it possible to represent various situations of system usage. Most scenarios are defined by using a natural language or such a formal language as Unified Modeling Language (UML) and describe normal, alternative, and exceptional service flows from the point of view of system usage. As a result, scenarios make it easy for the customers to confirm their requirements intuitively because of the concreteness. On the other hand, based on the V-model, which is well-known software development process and denotes the correspondence of requirement analysis stage to integration test stage, it is desirable that the testers should test the system by using the test cases derived from the validated scenarios. We have proposed a UML-based requirements analysis (RA) model with automatic prototype system generation for enterprise Web application development. This paper proposes a way to efficiently create reliable test cases from the scenarios that have been validated by the customers using the prototype system which was generated by the RA model.


There is about 80 percent heat passing from roof into storehouse. A contrastive test is carried through on improvement of the heat insulation of grain storehouse's roof, adopting aluminum foil with large reflection coefficient and low radiant coefficient and hard-forth urethane with low heat transfer coefficient. The result indicates both of the two materials have a better effect, especially combination with them. It can not only decrease 4~5°C in storehouses and 3~4°C in grains at the highest temperature, but also delay aging of grain. However the aluminum foil will crack in more than two years. It shows superiority both in effect and natural life, according to the test which is conducted using sun proof paint as substitute for aluminum foil. The conclusion is that it is a preferable technical measure of improvement of the heat insulation to sprinkle paint of heat insulation and sun proof and forth urethane on roof of storehouses built.


The role of three genetically distinct collagen types in the formation of endochondral bone and in calcification and resorption of cartilage has been assessed. Using antibodies specific to types I, II and III collagen we have demonstrated in the embryonic chick tibia that endochondral bone formation began with deposition of type III collagen in lacunae of hypertropic chondrocytes by invading bone-marrow-derived cells. This was followed by the deposition of type I collagen, which is the collagenous constituent of endochondral osteoid. At later stages of development endochondral osteoid was found in the epiphysial growth plate in apparently intact lacunae of hypertrophic chondrocytes; this indicated that the latter might contribute to the synthesis of osteoid type I collagen. Immuno-histological staining for collagen types, and von Kossa staining for calcium phosphate on parallel sections, demonstrated that type I and type II collagen matrices were substrates for calcification. Endochondral bone (with type I collagen) was found on scaffolding of both uncalcified and calcified cartilage (with type II collagen), indicating that calcification of endochondral osteoid and of the underlying cartilage occurred independentyl. Spicules of endochondral cancellous bone of a four-week-old chick contained a core of calcified type II collagen.


Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are capable of converting carbohydrate substrates into organic acids (mainly lactic acid) and producing a wide range of metabolites. Due to their interesting beneficial properties, LAB are widely used as starter cultures, as probiotics, and as microbial cell factories. Exploring LAB present in unknown niches may lead to the isolation of unique species or strains with relevant technological properties. Autochthonous rather than allochthonous starter cultures are preferred in the current industry of fermented food products, due to better adaptation and performance of autochthonous strains to the matrix they originate from. In this work, the lactic microbiota of eight different wild tropical types of fruits and four types of flowers were studied. The ability of the isolated strains to produce metabolites of interest to the food industry was evaluated. The presence of 21 species belonging to the genera Enterococcus, Fructobacillus, Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, and Weissella was evidenced by using culture-dependent techniques. The isolated LAB corresponded to 95 genotypically differentiated strains by applying rep-PCR and sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene; subsequently, representative strains of the different isolated species were studied for technological properties, such as fast growth rate and acidifying capacity; pectinolytic and cinnamoyl esterase activities, and absence of biogenic amine biosynthesis. Additionally, the strains' capacity to produce ethyl esters as well as mannitol was evaluated. The isolated fruit- and flower-origin LAB displayed functional properties that validate their potential use in the manufacture of fermented fruit-based products setting the background for the design of novel functional foods.


An algorithm for computer tomography has been developed that is applicable to reconstruction from data having incomplete projections because an opaque object blocks some of the probing radiation as it passes through the object field. The algorithm is based on iteration between the object domain and the projection (Radon transform) domain. Reconstructions are computed during each iteration by the well-known convolution method. Although it is demonstrated that this algorithm does not converge, an empirically justified criterion for terminating the iteration when the most accurate estimate has been computed is presented. The algorithm has been studied by using it to reconstruct several different object fields with several different opaque regions. It also has been used to reconstruct aerodynamic density fields from interferometric data recorded in wind tunnel tests.


To evaluate the potential application of somatostatin (SST) analogs as an adjuvant treatment for prostate cancer, we characterized the binding sites for SST octapeptide analogs on prostate cancers in patients treated with radical prostatectomy. The affinity and density of binding sites for SST analog RC-160 on 80 surgical specimens of prostate cancers were determined by ligand competition assays. The expression of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) for SST receptor subtype 1 (SSTR1), subtype 2 (SSTR2), and subtype 5 (SSTR5) was also investigated in 22 samples by RT-PCR. Fifty-two of 80 specimens (65%), showed a single class of specific binding sites for RC-160 with a mean dissociation constant (K(d)) of 9.44 nmol/L and a mean maximal binding capacity of 754.8 fmol/mg membrane protein. The mRNA for SSTR1 was detected in 86% of samples, whereas the incidences of mRNA for SSTR2 and SSTR5 were 14% and 64%, respectively. The expression of SSTR2 and/or SSTR5 was 100%, consistent with the presence of RC-160 binding. In patients at high risk of cancer recurrence (stage pT3 and/or Gleason score of 8-10), the incidence of RC-160 binding (65.7%) was similar to that observed in the low risk group (64.3%). The demonstration of the high incidence of octapeptide-preferring SSTRs in organ-confined and locally advanced prostate cancers supports the merit of further investigations of the application of SST analogs and their radionuclide and cytotoxic derivatives for adjuvant treatment of patients at high risk of cancer recurrence after radical prostatectomy. Such approaches could be also considered for patients with advanced prostate cancer at the time of relapse.


This study introduces a critical analytical reading of Rawiya Jarjoura Burbara's collection of short stories, L? ?Ur?d? ?an ?A?t?da A?laika / I Don't Want to Get Used to You, published in 2020, a year after the outbreak of the Coronavirus in November 2020. The collection consists of 23 narrative texts that are classified into three chapters. The first chapter is called, A?la -al- ?ar?q– M?a al-N?s/ On the Road-With People, which is the largest chapter and includes 10 short stories; the second chapter is called, A?n al-N?s – Habl al-Kadib/ With People-the Rope of Lies, which consists of 7 short stories, and the third chapter, which is called Ma?ahu-Tuffa?at Adam/ With Him – Adam's Apple, which consists of 6 short stories. The study attempts to highlight the theme of the 'Question' in the collection, as the texts, in general, fall in the genre of 'Literature of Question'. Throughout the collection, the writer raises daily life human questions that express her refusal acceptance of matters as they are and getting used to for granted matters as if the possibility of changing them does not exist anymore. The writer introduces questions that are likely to awaken the reader from his hibernation and wake the human beings, in general, to start thinking, questioning, changing, and getting out of the circle of accepting things as for granted and getting used to them. The writer, represented by the Narrators of her stories, refuses to get used to several social, psychological, political, and human life matters.


A new method for visualizing the relatedness of scientific areas is developed that is based on measuring the overlap of researchers between areas. It is found that closely related areas have a high propensity to share a larger number of common authors. A methodology for comparing areas of vastly different sizes and to handle name homonymy is constructed, allowing for the robust deployment of this method on real data sets. A statistical analysis of the probability distributions of the common author overlap that accounts for noise is carried out along with the production of network maps with weighted links proportional to the overlap strength. This is demonstrated on two case studies, complexity science and neutrino physics, where the level of relatedness of areas within each area is expected to vary greatly. It is found that the results returned by this method closely match the intuitive expectation that the broad, multidisciplinary area of complexity science possesses areas that are weakly related to each other while the much narrower area of neutrino physics shows very strongly related areas.


Retinal detachment sometimes extends beyond the retina proper, through the region of the ora serrata to involve the pars plana ciliaris. This clinical feature has previously been reported by Schepens (1950,519574) in relation to retinal detachment, and by Grignolo, Schepens, and Heath (19571) in relation to cysts of the pars plana ciliaris. An extension of these cysts posteriorly may cause detachment of the ora serrata; however, this mechanism did not appear significant in the cases reported here. Klien (19412) and Samuels and Fuchs (19523) have reported a series of pathological specimens with detachment of the pars ciliaris retinae, but all of Klien's cases were associated with intraocular neoplasm or severe injury. This communication concerns the clinical features, incidence, and distribution of detachment of the ora serrata and epithelium of the pars plana ciliaris in cases of "idiopathic" retinal detachment. Clinical Features The phenomenon is


The IBM zEnterprise® Data Compression (zEDC) feature provides integrated high-performance data compression to the IBM z13™ and zEnterprise EC12 and BC12 processors. zEDC is a combined hardware feature (zEDC Express) and z/OS® software solution that provides high-performance, industry-standard-compliant compression and decompression. The zEDC Express device and the z/OS device support have been designed to provide compatibility with the zlib open source library for both compression and decompression. The base z/OS operating system and z/OS middleware significantly exploit the zEDC technology to provide access to this compression technology across a wide range of applications. This paper provides an overview of the zEDC Express hardware feature, the different z/OS device driver interfaces for using zEDC, including zlib, and discusses how this support was integrated into different aspects of the z/OS software stack.


Author(s): Viola, Michael Joseph | Advisor(s): Harding, Sandra; McLaren, Peter | Abstract: Through a qualitative study fusing participatory action methods with a focus group, testimonio, individual interviews, and cultural analysis, this project examines U.S. educational exposure programs to the Philippines. Organized and united by a social movement that traverses a Philippine diaspora, exposure programs enable participants to visit the Philippines for a short-term immersion where they are hosted by sectors of interest. This study explores the pedagogy that exposure programs enable as participants learn about the everyday realities challenging a Philippine polity and how systems of knowledge are being reframed and transformed. Placing Filipino/a American transnational activism at the center of analysis contributes to the field as this particular community group is sparsely examined in critical educational discourses. Of interest is how their praxis in exposure programs to the Philippines offers insight to critical theories, research methodologies, and educative social practices that seek the transformation of oppressive global relations of class, race, and gender.The manuscript is divided into two sections: 1) Research Process and 2) Research Findings. Research Process consists of: an introduction; a description of the theoretical frameworks (critical pedagogy, feminist standpoint theory, critical theories of race, and Filipina critical theory) that the study builds upon in examination of Filipino/a American transnational praxis; an overview of the qualitative tools utilized to document experiences of research participants; and a historical genealogy exploring the social conditions that have cultivated historical forms of Filipino/a American counter-consciousness.The Research Findings section is divided into four chapters. Beginning with Chapter Five, which utilizes the testimonio of an exposure participant as a point of departure to conceptualize how such programs cultivate what I term a "diasporic counter-consciousness." Nascent in a new generation of Filipino/a Americans, a "diasporic counter-consciousness" links Filipino/a American identity as contingent upon: 1) the fate of a population dispersed throughout the globe and; 2) the eradication of neocolonial conditions in the Philippines. Chapter Six explores the transnational praxis of participants and its implications for the theorizing of race (drawing explicitly from the cultural media created in a hip hop exposure and in generative conversation with the writings of W.E.B. Du Bois). Chapter Seven demonstrates how the interaction of feminist standpoint theory with the experiences of Filipina American exposure participants can point to a "Filipina diasporic standpoint." Such a standpoint provides a uniting positionality where the labor, land, and lives of Filipina women across the diaspora are not alienated from them but rather channeled in the service of their own needs and the potentials of a greater humanity. Chapter Eight is a coda to the research project, summarizing the central themes outlined for Filipino/a Critical Pedagogy.


Bone being a hierarchical composite material has a structure varying from macro to nano scale. The arrangement of the components of bone material and the bonding between fibers and matrix gives rise to its unique material properties. In the present study, the micro-mechanisms of cortical bone failure were examined under different loading conditions using scanning electron microscopy. The experimental tests were conducted in longitudinal and transverse directions of bone diaphysis under tensile as well as compressive loadings. The results show that bone material has maximum stiffness under longitudinal tensile loading, while the strength is higher under transverse compressive loading. A reverse trend of compressive mechanical properties of bone is observed for longitudinal and transverse loading as compared to trends reported in the previous studies. Therefore, micro-mechanisms of cortical bone failure were analyzed for different loading conditions to reveal such type of behavior of cortical bone and to correlate bone microstructure with mechanical response of bone.


Epidemiologic studies suggest that nutritional phytoestrogens contained in soy are causally related to protection against hormone-dependent cancers. The incidence of colorectal cancer is at least 30% lower in women than in men in the United States. This suggests that estrogen and, conceivably, nutritional phytoestrogens are protective compounds against colorectal cancer for both sexes. Prevention of colorectal, mammary, and prostate cancer may also depend on optimal synthesis of the antimitotic prodifferentiating vitamin D hormonal metabolite 1,25-(OH) 2 -cholecalciferol (1,25-D3). Cytochrome-P450-hydroxylases responsible for synthesis (CYP27B1; 25-D3–1 (cid:1) -hydroxylase) and catabolism (CYP24; 1,25-D3–24-hydroxylase) of 1,25-D3 are not only present in the kidney but are also expressed in human colonocytes, prostate cells, and mammary cells. In addition, levels of CYP27B1, vitamin D receptor, and estrogen receptor- (cid:2) (the high-affinity receptor for phytoestrogens) are enhanced early during human colorectal cancer, which suggests an interactive physiological defense against tumor progression. We demonstrate in human mammary and prostate cells concentration-dependent regulation of CYP27B1 and of CYP24 by genistein at 0.05–50 (cid:3) mol/L. The high concentration of 50 (cid:3) mol/L is very effective in eliminating CYP24 expression in prostate cancer cells. This high concentration can be achieved in vivo in the prostate by an as-yet-unknown concentrative mechanism. Soy feeding, or more effectively genistein feeding, elevates CYP27B1 and reduces CYP24 expression in the mouse colon. In mice fed low nutritional calcium, CYP24 rises in parallel to enhanced colonic proliferation, and genistein counteracts both. We suggest that nutritional soy or genistein can optimize extrarenal 1,25-D3 synthesis, which could result in growth control and, conceivably, in inhibition of tumor progression. J. Nutr. 134: 1207S–1212S, 2004.


The stability and dispersion performance of the recently developed Battle-Lemarie multiresolution time-domain schemes is investigated for different stencil sizes. The contribution of wavelets is enhanced and analytical expressions for the maximum allowable time step are derived. It is observed that larger stencils decrease the numerical phase error, making it significantly lower than finite-difference time domain for low and medium discretizations. The addition of wavelets further improves the dispersion performance for discretizations close to the Nyquist limit, though it decreases the value of the maximum time step, guaranteeing the stability of the scheme.


Empirical natural language processing (NLP) systems in application domains (e.g., healthcare, finance, education) involve interoperation among multiple components, ranging from data ingestion, human annotation, to text retrieval, analysis, generation, and visualization. We establish a unified open-source framework to support fast development of such sophisticated NLP workflows in a composable manner. The framework introduces a uniform data representation to encode heterogeneous results by a wide range of NLP tasks. It offers a large repository of processors for NLP tasks, visualization, and annotation, which can be easily assembled with full interoperability under the unified representation. The highly extensible framework allows plugging in custom processors from external off-the-shelf NLP and deep learning libraries. The whole framework is delivered through two modularized yet integratable open-source projects, namely Forte (for workflow infrastructure and NLP function processors) and Stave (for user interaction, visualization, and annotation).


3D seismic acquisition for Petroleum Exploration in the Artic Region is typically restricted to four operational months during the winter season. The area of the survey and the acquisition parameters need to be optimized and constrained to match the narrow time frame. Seismic operations must follow environmental regulations to avoid adverse impacts to the wildlife and sensitive terrains, including lakes, rivers, abandoned meanders, and the flora able to grow in the region. No vehicles or seismic equipment is allowed to operate above them in winter regardless of their protection by the snow cover. Furthermore, only vehicles and machinery are allowed to work on the frozen tundra or over frozen lakes and rivers with grounded ice. However, the ice thickness in the frozen lakes and rivers is not capable of supporting the heavy seismic vibrator. Therefore, many source points must be relocated which finally results in irregular source point distribution over the survey acquisition area.
 The conventional method to recover source points around obstructions causes a concentrated redistribution of source points in the vicinity around the obstructions. An alternative operational method to recover source positions is presented in this paper. We used different types of geophysical analysis to evaluate the proposed optimized method for source recovery including traditional geophysical attribute analysis, illumination studies and attribute analysis of seismic data acquired in the Horse Shoe 3D project.
 The proposed method can be implemented in areas with significant surface obstructions, either due to environmental restrictions, population, industrial or oilfield areas, or natural obstructions, etc.
 An important conclusion is that the improvement in S/N and attributes obtained by the implementation of the proposed method for source recovery did require only a marginal increase in the work volume or resources for the project and so the cost and time of execution were not affected.


First steps in brain research progress were made during the early 19th century, whose swift progress was accompanied by the discovery of monoamines and their localization in the brain. Since the discovery of polarography in 1924, several variations of electrochemical techniques for in vitro and in vivo determination of monoamines have been developed, with the most prevalent being microdialysis and voltammetry. Voltammetry takes advantage of the chemical property of certain species to oxidize, videlicet to produce a current that can be measured and subsequently interpreted to concentration gradient. Voltammetric techniques require a three-electrode system and operate under the application of a potential at the working electrode, responsible to evoke the oxidation processes. Methodological variations include, among others, amperometry, cyclic voltammetry, differential pulse voltammetry, etc. In the present work we attempted to review the available knowledge on voltammetry, its uses and future endeavors since voltammetry is a promising method towards the investigation of brain and central nervous system physiology and pathophysiology.


Recently, empirical industrial organization economists have proposed estimators for dynamic games of incomplete information. In these models, agents choose from a finite number actions and maximize expected discounted utility in a Markov perfect equilibrium. Previous econometric methods estimate the probability distribution of agents%u2019 actions in a first stage. In a second step, a finite vector of parameters of the period return function are estimated. In this paper, we develop semiparametric estimators for dynamic games allowing for continuous state variables and a nonparametric first stage. The estimates of the structural parameters are T1/2 consistent (where T is the sample size) and asymptotically normal even though the first stage is estimated nonparametrically. We also propose sufficient conditions for identification of the model.


— In this paper we focus on modelling formations of non-holonomic mobile robots using non-linear attractor dynamics (see video). The benefit is that the behavior of each robot is generated by time series of asymptotically stable states which therefore contribute to the robustness against environmental perturbations. This study extends our previous work [10]. Here we develop a set of decentralized and distributed basic control architectures that allows each robot to maintain a desired pose within a formation and to enable changes in the shape of the formation which are necessary to avoid obstacles. Simulation results, for teams of four and six mobile robots driving in cluttered and unknown environments, while simultaneously trying to drive in line, column, square, diamond and hexagon are presented. We explain how this approach naturally extends to larger teams of robots.


The past 10 years or so have seen the development of a new class of models that are proving useful for monetary policy: dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) models. Many central banks around the world, including the Swedish central bank, the European Central Bank, the Norwegian central bank, and the Federal Reserve, use these models in formulating monetary policy. In this article, Mike Dotsey discusses the major features of DSGE models and why these models are useful to monetary policymakers. He outlines the general way in which they are used in conjunction with other tools commonly employed by monetary policymakers and points out the promise of using these models as well as the pitfalls.


The properties of the interface between solid and melt are key to solidification and melting, as the interfacial free energy introduces a kinetic barrier to phase transitions. This makes solidification happen below the melting temperature, in out-of-equilibrium conditions at which the interfacial free energy is ill defined. Here we draw a connection between the atomistic description of a diffuse solid-liquid interface and its thermodynamic characterization. This framework resolves the ambiguities in defining the solid-liquid interfacial free energy above and below the melting temperature. In addition, we introduce a simulation protocol that allows solid-liquid interfaces to be reversibly created and destroyed at conditions relevant for experiments. We directly evaluate the value of the interfacial free energy away from the melting point for a simple but realistic atomic potential, and find a more complex temperature dependence than the constant positive slope that has been generally assumed based on phenomenological considerations and that has been used to interpret experiments. This methodology could be easily extended to the study of other phase transitions, from condensation to precipitation. Our analysis can help reconcile the textbook picture of classical nucleation theory with the growing body of atomistic studies and mesoscale models of solidification.


When a potential Russian defendant is not present and cannot be served within the United States, U.S. litigants may be faced with the necessity of carrying out service of process in Russia. If the suit is brought in a U.S. district court, Rule 4(f) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure will govem service of process. Although Rule 4(f) provides a number of options for service of process abroad, only two of these options can be used to serve process in Russia. First, service may be done through a letter of request. In fact, Russian law requires foreign service of process to arrive in Russia only by means of letters of request through diplomatic channels. Despite delays caused by the cumbersome procedure for passing letters of request to the appropriate court, experience shows that it can be done. Second, U.S. plaintiffs can ask a federal court to direct service in Russia by other means, which are open to the discretion of the court. This method is highly useful if the defendant has assets in the United States and subsequent enforcement of the judgment in Russia will not be required. If, however, enforcement is necessary, service by means of a letter of request is a better alternative because Russian courts can refuse to enforce a judgment where service did not comply with Russian law.


An area of debate among dispensationalists has involved continuity and discontinuity of Spirit baptism from dispensation to dispensation. Classic Dispensationalism as a whole endorsed the position of discontinuity. Revised Dispensationalism did the same with even more emphasis, a few of its spokesmen doing so by proposing two New Covenants, one for Israel and one for the church. With the abandonment of the two-New Covenants view by revised dispensationalists came the introduction of Progressive Dispensationalism. Progressive dispensationalists have proposed continuity of the doctrine of Spirit baptism from the OT through the church age into the future millennium. They likewise have suggested that the "body" metaphor for the church applies to all New Covenant believers, even those on earth after the church's rapture. An alternative dispensational view defends the continuity of Spirit baptism by allowing that OT prophets foresaw its occurrence as did John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. In the book of Acts, Peter connected earliest instances of Spirit baptism with previous predictions too. Yet the alternative proposal does not go so far as to indicate continuity of the body of Christ metaphor, but rather limits it to church believers of this dispensation.


Childhood obesity is a becoming growing epidemic in the United States, and screen time has been noted as a correlate. Obesity disproportionally affects Latino children, and Latino children may be more susceptible to engaging in greater screen time. Screen time behaviors established in youth are likely to carry over and have been shown to track into adulthood,1 predisposing them to life-long unhealthy lifestyle habits. Furthermore, sedentary behavior, which is primarily comprised of screen-based activities,2 has been linked to overweight and obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all-cause mortality.3-5 With the growing Latino population in the United States, the overall purpose of this study is to identify the effect of acculturation proxies (generational status and language use) on screen time in 6-11 year old Latino children mediated by parental limit setting of screen time. Data was extracted from the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH), providing a final sample of 3127 children. The relationships between generational status and language use with screen time mediated by parental limit setting were investigated using a mediation analysis as proposed by Baron and Kenny's steps for mediation. We did not find support that parental limit setting mediated the relationship between generational status and screen time. However, parental limit setting was responsible for an average of 1.6 minutes/day less screen time accounting for 11% of the relationship between language use and screen time. Although the mediation effect of parental limit setting contributed minimally to this association, parental limit setting had a significant effect on reducing child screen time by approximately an hour. Future research should further explore the protective role of parent limit setting in reducing excessive screen time in Latino children, and how this relationship may vary by generational status or language use.


Based on an expansive study of Irish university learners of French, this paper aims to illuminate the specificity of the role played by 'learning context' on the learners' language development. Following discussion of the concept of 'learning context' in language learning, the paper compares the language development of classroom instructed learners in Ireland and 'study abroad' learners who are also instructed learners, but who have resided in France thanks to an international exchange programme. Given the differences in the type of intercultural encounter which each learning context permits, the paper collates results of a study which attempts to capture how such encounters might transform the learners' language use on a particular aspect of their linguistic repertoire in French, namely the expression of past time reference. Whilst the results detail the highly beneficial effect of the study abroad context on the learners'language development, they none the less point to a number of similarities in the past time systems of both the study abroad learners and the instructed learners. The results are discussed in relation to previous findings and areas for future research.


Climate change is a global problem. However, between the global forces of climate change and the individual challenges of meeting basic needs, communities are the context in which people experience the effects of climate change and seek to adapt to its impact on their livelihoods. Such adaptation may include permanent migration, and this has certainly been one of the foci of international relations and security politics related to climate change. Of course, such migration will have human rights consequences; and there are also human rights causes of some of this migration, particularly as parts of the planet where people have made their homes and livelihoods become uninhabitable. Of equal importance are the problems related to climate change effects that do not cause mass migration but also have human rights causes and consequences. In this chaopter, we use a study in rural Bangladesh to demonstrate the import of the human rights considerations of this second, community-level, impact of climate change on human rights.


The rate of anaerobic production of CO2 by germinating seeds of Lupinus albus was studied as a function of temperature between 7.5° and 18°C. The mean value for the temperature characteristic was found to be 21,500± calories, which is slightly lower than that for the same process under aerobic conditions (23,500± calories). The values for the individual µ's in the two cases overlap considerably. The possible identity of the processes underlying the production of CO2 aerobically and anaerobically is discussed.


In this paper we examine how graphic hardware can be used for real-time FIR filtering. We implement uniformly-partitioned fast convolution in the frequency-domain and evaluate its performance on a NVIDIA GTX 285 graphics card. Motivated by audio rendering for virtual reality, our focus lies on large-scale realtime filtering with a multitude of channels, long impulse responses and low latencies. Graphics hardware has already been used for audio signal processing — including FIR and IIR filtering with respect to offline and real-time processing. However, the combination of GPU computing and real-time conditions leads to a number of challenges that have not been reviewed in detail. The new contribution of this paper is an implementation and detailled analysis of a frequency-domain fast convolution method on GPUs. We discuss specific problems that emerge under real-time conditions. Our method allows to achieve an outstanding real-time filtering performance. In this work, we do not only regard a timeinvariant filtering, but also time-varying filtering, where filters are exchanged during runtime. Furthermore, we examine the opportunities of distributed computation — using CPU and GPU — in order to maximize the performance. Finally, we identify bottlenecks and explain their impact on filter exchange latencies and update rates.


Protein aggregation into amyloid fibrils is a key feature of a multitude of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Prion disease. To detect amyloid fibrils, fluorophores with high sensitivity and better efficiency coupled with the low toxicity are in high demand even to date. In this pursuit, we have unveiled two benzimidazole‐based fluorescence sensors ([C15H15N3] (C1) and [C16H16N3O2] (C2), which possess exceptional affinity toward different amyloid fibrils in its submicromolar concentration (8 × 10–9 M), whereas under a similar concentration, the gold standard Thioflavin‐T (ThT) fails to bind with amyloid fibrils. These fluorescent markers bind to α‐Syn amyloid fibrils as well as amyloid fibrils forming other proteins/peptides including Aβ42 amyloid fibrils. The 1H‐15N heteronuclear quantum correlation spectroscopy nuclear magnetic resonance data collected on wild‐type α‐Syn monomer with and without the fluorophores (C1 and C2) reveal that there is weak or no interactions between C1 or C2 with residues in α‐Syn monomer, which indirectly reflects the specific binding ability of C1 and C2 to the α‐Syn amyloid fibrils. Detailed studies further suggest that C1 and C2 can detect/bind with the α‐Syn amyloid fibril as low as 100 × 10–9 M. Extremely low or no cytotoxicity is observed for C1 and C2 and they do not interfere with α‐Syn fibrillation kinetics, unlike ThT. Both C1/C2 not only shows selective binding with amyloid fibrils forming various proteins/peptides but also displays excellent affinity and selectivity toward α‐Syn amyloid aggregates in SH‐SY5Y cells and Aβ42 amyloid plaques in animal brain tissues. Overall, our data show that the developed dyes could be used for the detection of amyloid fibrils including α‐Syn and Aβ42 amyloids with higher sensitivity as compared to currently used ThT.


This paper will examine the FCC's March, 2015 Open Internet Order with an eye to assessing whether and how the Commission can successfully defend its decision in an appellate court. On two prior occasions, the FCC failed to convince a reviewing court that proposed regulatory safeguards do not unlawfully impose common carrier duties on private carriers. The Commission now has opted to reclassify broadband Internet access as common carriage, a decision sure to trigger a third court appeal. The FCC Open Internet Order offers several, possibly contradictory, justifications for its decision to apply Title II of the Communications Act, subject to extensive culling of the available common carrier regulatory safeguards. On one hand, the FCC invokes the so-called Chevron Doctrine, 467 U.S. 837 (1984), where courts defer to the expertise on a regulatory agency when the applicable statute lacks clarity and the agency reasonable acted to remedy ambiguities. However, elsewhere in its decision, FCC evidences no difficulty in applying the existing statutory service definitions and confidently asserting that Internet Service Providers ("ISPs") clearly provide essential telecommunications services. The FCC appears able to interpret and apply existing service definitions created by Congress. Rather than have to act based on ambiguity, the Commission makes the case that ISP services, once deemed to fit within the information service classification, now unambiguously fit within the telecommunications service category. The paper notes that the FCC has acknowledged its mistakes in eliminating common carrier regulation of Internet access and in attempting to impose such safeguards without an explicit reclassification of what ISPs offer. However, at the very time the Commission seeks to invoke lawful and sufficiently expansive statutory authority, ISPs need substantial flexibility to customize services meeting specific customer requirements, particularly demand for bandwidth intensive video services. The paper concludes that the FCC's best appellate court strategy lies in emphasizing changed circumstances in the Internet ecosystem, rather than ambiguity in the service definitions created by Congress. While stating its clear intent to forbear and streamline as never before, the FCC will have to convince the reviewing court that a complete evidentiary record clearly shows the Commission acted rationally in its decision to reclassify ISP service based on significant change in the how ISPs operate and what consumers require.


Abstract Several indicators point to a crisis at the heart of the emerging area of international cyber security law. First, proposals for binding international treaties by leading stakeholders, including China and Russia, have been met with little enthusiasm by other states, and are generally seen as having limited prospects of success. Second, states are extremely reluctant to commit themselves to specific interpretations of controversial legal questions and thus to express their cyber opinio juris. Third, instead of interpreting or developing rules, state representatives seek refuge in the more ambiguous term 'norms'. This article argues that the reluctance of states to engage in international law-making has left a power vacuum, lending credence to claims that international law fails in addressing modern challenges posed by rapid technological development. In response, several non-state-driven norm-making initiatives have sought to fill the void, including Microsoft's cyber norms proposals and the Tallinn Manual project. The article then contends that this emerging body of non-binding norms presents states with a critical window of opportunity to reclaim a central law-making position, similar to historical precedents including the development of legal regimes for Antarctica and nuclear safety. Whether the supposed crisis will lead to the demise of inter-state cyberspace governance or a recalibration of legal approaches will thus be decided in the near future. States should assume a central role if they want to ensure that the existing power vacuum is not exploited in a way that would upset their ability to achieve strategic and political goals.


This study attempts to determine if a significant difference in relative ear length exists between two neighboring populations of Peromyscus maniculatus on the central coast of California. Data was collected from individuals trapped at two plots in the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes National Wildlife Refuge and two plots near Black Lake, under the supervision of Francis X. Villablanca, Ph. D. of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. A total of 98 individuals were captured over the course of three nights of trapping. A regression analysis was performed comparing the ear lengths of each population relative to body size. The analysis of the data showed that there was no significant difference in ear length between the two populations.


AbstractThe integral transport method, which has been used in the early calculation of a beam hole tube in an experimental reactor and many reactor parameters of a power reactor, has been reviewed. The Generalized First-Flight Collision Probability (GFFCP) method, based on the integral transport equation, and the discrete ordinates method, based on the differential transport equation, are compared in the context of the deep penetration problem. The direct integral method derived from the partial integral transport equation, which eliminates many of the drawbacks of the GFFCP method, is discussed. A method similar to the GFFCP method, which needs spherical harmonics expansion instead of the discrete ordinates scheme, is presented. The future of these analytical methods is discussed in the comparison with the straight numerical method based on the differential transport calculation and the Monte Carlo calculation.


Family accommodation has been studied in obsessive compulsive disorder using the Family Accommodation Scale (FAS) and predicts greater symptom severity, more impairment, and poorer treatment outcomes. However, family accommodation has yet to be systematically studied among families of children with other anxiety disorders. We developed the Family Accommodation Scale—Anxiety (FASA) that includes modified questions from the FAS to study accommodation across childhood anxiety disorders. The objectives of this study were to report on the first study of family accommodation across childhood anxiety disorders and to test the utility of the FASA for assessing the phenomenon.


This review summarizes the recent developments in chiral quaternary ammonium aryloxides as flexible organocatalysts that are able to act as both a Brønsted and Lewis base. A particular class of ammonium aryloxides, namely betaines, has emerged as an efficient class of catalysts. The performance of betaines stems mainly from the intramolecular nature of these ammonium ion pairs, leading to highly reactive catalytic species with a high level of organization. The above‐mentioned catalysts have been successfully applied to a wide range of asymmetric chemical transformations, including Mukaiyama aldol reactions, tandem Michael addition/lactonization sequences, trifluoromethylation reactions, aza‐Henry reactions, silyl enolates protonation reactions, and Steglich‐type rearrangements, with a high level of enantioselectivity.


In this study, a residual soil moisture prediction model was developed using the stepwise cluster analysis (SCA) and model prediction approach in the Upper Blue Nile basin. The SCA has the advantage of capturing the nonlinear relationships between remote sensing variables and volumetric soil moisture. The principle of SCA is to generate a set of prediction cluster trees based on a series of cutting and merging process according to a given statistical criterion. The proposed model incorporates the combinations of dual-polarized Sentinel-1 SAR data, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and digital elevation model as input parameters. In this regard, two separate stepwise cluster models were developed using volumetric soil moisture obtained from automatic weather stations (AWS) and Noah model simulation as response variables. The performance of the SCA models have been verified for different significance levels (i.e., α = 0.01 , α = 0.05 , and α = 0.1 ). Thus, the AWS based SCA model with α = 0.05 was found to be an optimal model for predicting volumetric residual soil moisture, with correlation coefficient (r) values of 0. 95 and 0.87 and root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.032 and 0.097 m3/m3 during the training and testing periods, respectively. While in the case of the Noah SCA model an optimal prediction performance was observed when α value was set to 0.01, with r being 0.93 and 0.87 and RMSE of 0.043 and 0.058 m3/m3 using the training and testing datasets, respectively. In addition, our result indicated that the combined use of Sentinel-SAR data and ancillary remote sensing products such as NDVI could allow for better soil moisture prediction. Compared to the support vector regression (SVR) method, SCA shows better fitting and prediction accuracy of soil moisture. Generally, this study asserts that the SCA can be used as an alternative method for remote sensing based soil moisture predictions.


Large shear deformation was successfully introduced in 5182 aluminum alloy sheets by 2-pass differential speed warm rolling under a high friction condition. The roll speed ratio was varied from 1.0 to 2.0. When the roll speed ratio was smaller than 1.4, shear strain increased near the surface, but the strain decreased to zero at the mid-thickness. At a roll speed ratio larger than 1.4, shear strain was introduced even at the mid-thickness, and it increased near the surface. Thus the shear strain increased with the roll speed ratio. After 2-pass differential speed rolling, a large shear strain prevailed throughout the thickness. The rolling direction of the second pass was so selected that the direction of shear deformation introduced in the second pass was similar to (unidirectional shear rolling) or opposite (reverse shear rolling) that in the first pass. A shear texture with main components of {111}<110>, {112}<110> and {001}<110> prevailed throughout the thickness, and conventional rolling textures such as {112}<111> or {123}<634> orientation were not detected in any part of thickness. The rolling direction of the second pass had little effect on the deformation texture. After recrystallization annealing, the shear texture components were retained. The intensity of the shear texture components after recrystallization was almost similar to the deformation texture. The r-value of the annealed sheet was slightly increased and the planar anisotropy of the r-value was decreased by differential speed rolling. Differential speed rolling, by which shear deformation can be introduced throughout the thickness, was thus shown to be a promising process for improving the physical and mechanical properties of rolled and annealed aluminum alloy sheets by texture control.


Abstract : Closed-loop systems have been developed for controlling the flow above a three-dimensional turret. The top of the turret is hemispherical, houses a flat optical aperture, and can rotate about two axes (pitch and yaw). The extent of separation and concomitant turbulence levels in the flow above the aperture change as the turret rotates. The control objective is to minimize the separation and turbulence in the dynamic environment created by the articulating turret. The closed-loop control systems include dynamical and measurement-based estimators, regulators, filters, and compensators. These components are developed using both computational data from CFD simulations and experimental data from wind tunnel runs within the common framework of SMARTflow - engineering software for flow control system design. The control systems are evaluated through a series of control-in-the-loop CFD simulations and wind tunnel runs, demonstrating the merits of feedback control through robustness in the presence of measurement noise, modeling errors, and highly unsteady conditions and through reductions in actuation energy below levels required by open-loop systems. Controller designs and computational tests are described here; wind tunnel tests are described in the companion paper.


Summary Propolis has a long history of use in traditional medicine dating back to at least 300 BC, and has been reported to have a broad spectrum of biological activities. Since most studies have to date focused on medical uses of propolis, its antimicrobial activity against honey bee diseases has been little studied. One of the aims of this study was therefore to investigate the potential use of propolis in honey bee health, especially against American foulbrood, which causes much damage in the beekeeping industry. The second aim was to reveal the different antimicrobial activities of propolis collected from different geographical areas from the neighbouring countries of Greece and Turkey. Propolis samples collected from several regions of Greece and Turkey were investigated for their in vitro antimicrobial activities against Paenibacillus larvae. Eighteen ethanol extracts of propolis (EEP), (nine from Greece and nine from Turkey) were tested for antimicrobial activities against ten P. larvae isolates. The results showed that all P. larvae strains were susceptible to propolis extracts from both Greece and Turkey Furthermore 50% concentrations of EEP caused significantly wider inhibition zones (P≤0.05) around the discs. Comparisons of the content, and locations and botanical origins of EEPs from Greece and Turkey showed that the kind of vegetation is more important factor than geographic location for their antimicrobial activity. This is the first comprehensive study concerning the antimicrobial activity of propolis samples collected from a wide area around the Aegean Sea.


During the course of her fieldwork in Paris, anthropologist Kimberly Arkin heard what she thought was a surprising admission. A French-born, North African Jewish (Sephardi) teenage girl laughingly told Arkin she was a racist. When asked what she meant by that, the girl responded, "It means I hate Arabs."

This girl was not unique. She and other Sephardi youth in Paris insisted, again and again, that they were not French, though born in France, and that they could not imagine their Jewish future in France. Fueled by her candid and compelling informants, Arkin's analysis delves into the connections and disjunctures between Jews and Muslims, religion and secular Republicanism, race and national community, and identity and culture in post-colonial France. Rhinestones argues that Sephardi youth, as both "Arabs" and "Jews," fall between categories of class, religion, and culture. Many reacted to this liminality by going beyond religion and culture to categorize their Jewishness as race, distinguishing Sephardi Jews from "Arab" Muslims, regardless of similarities they shared, while linking them to "European" Jews (Ashkenazim), regardless of their differences. But while racializing Jewishness might have made Sephardi Frenchness possible, it produced the opposite result: it re-grounded national community in religion-as-race, thereby making pluri-religious community appear threatening. Rhinestones thus sheds light on the production of race, alienation, and intolerance within marginalized French and European populations.


A new 2D hyperspectral frame camera system has been developed by VTT (Technical Research Center of Finland) and Rikola Ltd. It contains frame based and very light camera with RGB-NIR sensor and it is suitable for light weight and cost effective UAV planes. MosaicMill Ltd. has converted the camera data into proper format for photogrammetric processing, and camera's geometrical accuracy and stability are evaluated to guarantee required accuracies for end user applications. MosaicMill Ltd. has also applied its' EnsoMOSAIC technology to process hyperspectral data into orthomosaics. This article describes the main steps and results on applying hyperspectral sensor in orthomosaicking. The most promising results as well as challenges in agriculture and forestry are also described.