Even if it is not possible to reproduce a target input-output relation, a learning machine should be able to minimize the probability of making errors. A practical learning algorithm should also be simple enough to go without memorizing example data, if possible. Incremental algorithms such as error backpropagation satisfy this requirement. We propose incremental algorithms that provide fast convergence of the machine parameter to its optimal choice o with respect to the number of examples t. We will consider the binary choice model whose target relation has a blurred boundary and the machine whose parameter specifies a decision boundary to make the output prediction. The question we wish to address here is how fast can approach o, depending upon whether in the learning stage the machine can specify inputs as queries to the target relation, or the inputs are drawn from a certain distribution. If queries are permitted, the machine can achieve the fastest convergence, ( - o)2 O(t1). If not, O(t1) convergence is generally not attainable. For learning without queries, we showed in a previous paper that the error minimum algorithm exhibits a slow convergence ( - o)2 O(t2/3). We propose here a practical algorithm that provides a rather fast convergence, O(t4/5). It is possible to further accelerate the convergence by using more elaborate algorithms. The fastest convergence turned out to be O[(lnt)2 t1]. This scaling is considered optimal among possible algorithms, and is not due to the incremental nature of our algorithm.


Queer and feminist visual activism has various origins across the globe and has emerged in a fluid cultural field of visual arts, popular culture, and protest aesthetics. Given the current context of gender backlash, these forms of activism have become urgent, and so too has scholarship that engages with global queer and feminist visual activism. In this special issue, we engage with the richness of activist aesthetics at the intersections of popular culture, subculture, art and activism, and other forms of visual political communication, not by attempting to contain these manifestations, but by offering a set of navigational tools. We conceive of three primary forms of queer and feminist visual practice – protest, process and product – each with its own histories and epistemologies. Each of these forms offers the capacity for resistance and collaboration. By opening up cross- and inter-disciplinary perspectives, and conversations across diverse global contexts, struggles and possibilities, we aim to expand on existing scholarship both geographically and conceptually. A central motivation for this work has been to think beyond the image; to be able to capture and engage with the activist communities (and the activism) behind and alongside the image and produced through the image. Taking the notion of social practice as an integral part of the 'process' of visual activism, we identify three emerging themes across the articles in this special issue: refusal, care, and thriving.


We investigate characteristic edge- and substrate-based effects for watercolor stylization. These two fundamental elements of painted art play a significant role in traditional watercolors and highly influence the pigment's behavior and application. Yet a detailed consideration of these specific elements for the stylization of 3D scenes has not been attempted before. Through this investigation, we contribute to the field by presenting ways to emulate two novel effects: dry-brush and gaps & overlaps. By doing so, we also found ways to improve upon well-studied watercolor effects such as edge-darkening and substrate granulation. Finally, we integrated controllable external lighting influences over the watercolorized result, together with other previously researched watercolor effects. These effects are combined through a direct stylization pipeline to produce sophisticated watercolor imagery, which retains spatial coherence in object-space and is locally controllable in real-time.


Purpose: To verify the correlation between the electrophysiological thresholds in Auditory Evoked Potential Steady State (ASSR) and behavioral thresholds obtained with pure tone audiometry in children and adolescents with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss and steeply sloping hearing loss. Methods: Twenty subjects from both gender aged between five and 15 years-old were evaluated and divided into the following groups: 10 subjects with steeply sloping sensorineural hearing loss and 10 subjects with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss. The subjects underwent pure tone audiometry, speech audiometry (SRT and SDT), acoustic immittance measures and ASSR. Results: In the group with steeply sloping hearing loss, the correlation was 0.68 and 0.94. In the group with severe to profound hearing loss, the correlation was 0.59 to 0.86. Mean differences between ASSR and audiometry threshold were 1.4 and 7.5 dB in the group with steeply sloping hearing loss and -0.40 e-8.5 dB in the group with severe to profound hearing loss. Conclusion: There was a positive correlation between the electrophysiological and behavioral thresholds in children and adolescents with severe to profound hearing loss and steeply sloping hearing loss.


For the binding of peptides to wild-type HIV-1 and BIV TAR RNA and to mutants with bulges of various sizes, changes in the DeltaDelta G values of binding were determined from experimental K d values. The corresponding entropies of these bulges are estimated by enumerating all possible RNA bulge conformations on a lattice and then applying the Boltzmann relationship. Independent calculations of entropies from fluctuations are also carried out using the Gaussian network model (GNM) recently introduced for analyzing folded structures. Strong correlations are seen between the changes in free energy determined for binding and the two different unbound entropy calculations. The fact that the calculated entropy increase with larger bulge size is correlated with the enhanced experimental binding free energy is unusual. This system exhibits a dependence on the entropy of the unbound form that is opposite to usual binding models. Instead of a large initial entropy being unfavorable since it would be reduced upon binding, here the larger entropies actually favor binding. Several interpretations are possible: (i) the higher conformational freedom implies a higher competence for binding with a minimal strain, by suitable selection amongst the set of already accessible conformations; (ii) larger bulge entropies enhance the probability of the specific favorable conformation of the bound state; (iii) the increased freedom of the larger bulges contri-butes more to the bound state than to the unbound state; (iv) indirectly the large entropy of the bound state might have an unfavorable effect on the solvent structure. Nonetheless, this unusual effect is interesting.


The author first reported that the vocal cords adduct during sniff. This movement was observed both in normal and in anosmic subjects. In this paper four cases of dysosmia with no adduction of vocal cords during sniff was reported. The pattern of their olfactometry showed same tendencies, normal detective thresholds and inability of recognition and/or very low recognition threshold. With the observations and referenced articles, the author concluded that the vocal cord's adduction during sniff is a specific movement when the larynx concern with olfaction, and that the adductory movements is related to olfactory recognition. It was thought that the orbital cortex integrates the afferent stimulations from the larynx during sniff and olfaction from the nose. The author concluded also there exists these reported kind of dysosmia with no vocal cord adductory movement.


We study the labor market outcomes of a deregulation reform in Germany that removed licensing requirements to become self-employed in some occupations. Using longitudinal social security data, we implement a matched difference-in-differences design with entropy balancing to account for observable characteristics and unobserved individual heterogeneity. The reform tripled the number of businesses within ten years and led to slower earnings growth and higher unemployment for incumbent workers in deregulated occupations. However, the reform effect seems rather small, which we attribute to the relatively low competitiveness of new businesses. Supporting this view, the reform did not lead to overall employment growth.


Holocaust denial has long been ignored by much of the academic community to prevent directing much attention toward it. To try and garner legitimacy, the leaders of the Holocaust denial movement constructed a pseudoacademic framework to promote Holocaust denial as an alternative yet viable view. In the last twenty years Holocaust denial has spread this framework on the Internet with success, as antisemitic works like the Journal for Historical Review are now accessible by an exponentially larger audience at a fraction of the cost. Shortly following the appearance of Holocaust denial online, websites specifically devoted to responding to and refuting Holocaust denial followed in their wake. These websites, while useful archives of material, lack the necessary structure and design to engage with the new mass of Holocaust deniers that have growth out of the deniers' "colonization" of the Internet. Ultimately, a new strategy must be devised to properly challenge the rise of Holocaust denial online, especially as younger generations are coming online earlier and social media allows for the virtually effortless spread of information. Keywords: 1977 Human Rights Act, 1975 Racial Discrimination Act, antisemitism, Deborah Lipstadt, Ernst Zundel, Frederick Toben, Hate Speech Laws, Holocaust denial, Internet, Nizkor


Based on a large material collected during the last two decades in 43 sites covering a wide range of habitats (fresh and brackish water) we delimited four ecological zones, which extend between sea level and high mountain areas located above 1000 m. The four ecological zones are: Zone 1 (Estuarine zone including pools, ponds, lagoons and wet meadows, altitude 0-10 m); Zone 2 (Potamal, alt. 10-350 m); Zone 3 (Lower basin of streams and wadis (alt. 350-1000 m); Zone 4 (Upper basin of streams, wadis, springs and peat bogs, alt. > 1000 m). An updated list of 256 species/taxa belonging to Chironomidae (Diptera) has been established which complements previous data for the chironomid fauna of Morocco. The list includes 72 (28%) new records for the fauna of Morocco, 21 (8%) undescribed species and probably 2 new genera (1 Orthocladiinae and 1 Tanytarsini). Spatial distribution of species by subfamilies is highlighted in the four ecological zones where faunal comparative results are: Buchonomyinae (1 species); Tanypodinae (21); Diamesinae (8); Orthocladiinae (143); Chironominae (82, including 40 Chironomini and 42 Tanytarsini). Currently, a total of 410 valid species are reported from Morocco. The low frequency of both listed and undescribed species in Mediterranean coastal ecosystems is linked to the limited faunal knowledge of wetland coastal areas and fragility of lowland habitats, which are regarded as true hotspots.


Women have for centuries suffered different forms of oppression and arguably continue to suffer in subtle forms in the 21st century. Marion Young points to five types of oppression, namely, violence, exploitation, marginalisation, powerlessness and cultural imperialism. For South African black women, all of these types of oppression have manifested three times more as they have suffered triple oppression of race, class and gender to employ the widely used notion of triple jeopardy in the womanist discourses and Black Theology of Liberation. The struggle of women to challenge the patriarchal culture of subordination is still pertinent for our context today. Patriarchy is a reality that has been inscribed in the minds, souls and bodies of these women. It arguably continues to be inscribed in subtle forms. Patriarchy and the oppression of women have been justified and perpetuated by a complex interplay of Christian teachings and practices fused with culture and the use of the Bible. Yet, for these women, church and the Bible continue to be central in their lives. This article looks at the cries of African women in juxtaposition to their prayers, faith and thus spirituality, and to argue that theirs is a pseudo-spirituality. This article is thus a womanist exposition of the pseudo-spirituality of an African woman in a quest for liberation of her spirituality.


Purified guinea pig T lymphocytes cannot be induced to proliferate by plant lectins in vitro unless they are reconstituted with either macrophages or a macrophagederived soluble factor. The effects of phorbol myristic acetate (PMA) on the activation of this purified T lymphocyte population were studied. Although PMA by itself was nonmitogenic for guinea pig T cells, at very low concentrations (10-5 µg/ml) it enabled purified T cells to respond to the lectins, PHA or Con A. However, it could not induce primed T cells to respond to a soluble antigen in the absence of macrophages. On the basis of several criteria, PMA appeared to be acting independently of macrophages. Its effect was unrelated to the number of macrophages in a lymphocyte preparation and it did not increase the accessory capability of additional macrophages.
 Analysis of the kinetics of the interaction between PMA, lectins, and T cells revealed that these compounds could be added to the T cells independently and in any order and still induce activation. However, maximal T cell proliferation required that PMA and lectin be added within the first 4 hr of culture. In addition, both agents were capable of exerting their effects after a brief (1 hr) exposure. The results of this study indicate that PMA can replace macrophages as a source of the second signal that is required to induce T cell proliferation in vitro. This agent may prove to be extremely valuable in the analysis of both the biochemical alterations involved in the process of T cell activation, and the mechanism by which macrophages induce these alterations.


Objectives: To increase the numbers of lung transplants, and possibly reduce effects of brain stem death, we commenced transplants from non-heart-beating donors (NHBD) in 2002. Previous work had suggested the inflated lung was resistant to ischaemia after death.

Methods: All donors died after elective withdrawal of treatment (Maastricht III) and no pretreatment was permitted. Lungs were inflated after bronchial toilet and assessed at sternotomy. Thrombus, if present, was removed from PA, followed by antegrade and retrograde pulmoplegia. Implantation and postoperative management was as our standard protocol. Data was collected prospectively.

Results: Since 2002, there were 6 recipients, 2 cystic fibrosis, 2 COPD and 2 fibrosing alveolitis, mean age 52, (range 38 to 64.4) Donors, mean age 29.6 years (range 15–47) died of cerebral trauma in 3, miscellaneous causes in 3. Mean time to asystole after withdrawal of treatment was 36 min (range 16–88). Mean inflated warm ischaemic time was 27 min (range 15–52); with mean total warm ischaemic time of 59 min (range 39–86). Total ischaemic time was 326 min (range 280–389). Early function was excellent in 5 patients. One died on 8th POD with primary graft failure, 1 died on 47th POD of colonic perforation but good early graft function and 1 died at 4 months related to non-compliance. Three surviving patients have excellent lung function and quality of life.

Conclusions: These excellent early results demonstrate the safety of NHBD lung transplantation in the absence of any donor pre-treatment. Simple inflation of lungs gives adequate protection against warm ischaemia for up to an hour.


Bedload is notoriously challenging to measure and model; its dynamics, therefore, remains largely unknown in most fluvial systems worldwide. We present results from a global scale bedload flux model as part of the WBMsed modeling framework that well predict the distribution of water discharge, suspended sediment and bedload. The sensitivity of bedload predictions to river slope, particle size, discharge, river width, and suspended sediment were analyzed, showing the model to be most responsive to spatial dynamics in river discharge and slope. The relationship between bedload and total sediment flux is analyzed globally, and for representative longitudinal river profiles (Amazon, Mississippi, and Lena Rivers). The results show that while the proportion of bedload decreases from headwaters to the coasts, there is considerable variability between basins and along river corridors. The topographic and hydrological longitudinal profiles of rivers are shown to be the key drivers of bedload trends, with fluctuations in slope controlling its more local dynamics. Estimates of water and sediment fluxes to global oceans from 2,067 largest river outlets (draining 67% of the global continental area) are provided. Estimated water discharge at 30,579 km3/y corresponds well to past estimates; however, sediment flux is higher. Total global particulate load of 17.8 Gt/y is delivered to global oceans, 14.8 Gt/y as washload, 1.1 Gt/y as bedload, and 2.6 Gt/y as suspended bed material. The largest 25 rivers are predicted to transport more than half of the total sediment flux to global oceans.


Background: Early detection of adverse effects of novel therapies and understanding of their mechanisms could improve the safety and efficiency of drug development. We have retrospectively applied large-scale proteomics to blood samples from ILLUMINATE (Investigation of Lipid Level Management to Understand its Impact in Atherosclerotic Events), a trial of torcetrapib (a cholesterol ester transfer protein inhibitor), that involved 15 067 participants at high cardiovascular risk. ILLUMINATE was terminated at a median of 550 days because of significant absolute increases of 1.2% in cardiovascular events and 0.4% in mortality with torcetrapib. The aims of our analysis were to determine whether a proteomic analysis might reveal biological mechanisms responsible for these harmful effects and whether harmful effects of torcetrapib could have been detected early in the ILLUMINATE trial with proteomics. Methods: A nested case-control analysis of paired plasma samples at baseline and at 3 months was performed in 249 participants assigned to torcetrapib plus atorvastatin and 223 participants assigned to atorvastatin only. Within each treatment arm, cases with events were matched to controls 1:1. Main outcomes were a survey of 1129 proteins for discovery of biological pathways altered by torcetrapib and a 9-protein risk score validated to predict myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, or death. Results: Plasma concentrations of 200 proteins changed significantly with torcetrapib. Their pathway analysis revealed unexpected and widespread changes in immune and inflammatory functions, as well as changes in endocrine systems, including in aldosterone function and glycemic control. At baseline, 9-protein risk scores were similar in the 2 treatment arms and higher in participants with subsequent events. At 3 months, the absolute 9-protein derived risk increased in the torcetrapib plus atorvastatin arm compared with the atorvastatin-only arm by 1.08% (P=0.0004). Thirty-seven proteins changed in the direction of increased risk of 49 proteins previously associated with cardiovascular and mortality risk. Conclusions: Heretofore unknown effects of torcetrapib were revealed in immune and inflammatory functions. A protein-based risk score predicted harm from torcetrapib within just 3 months. A protein-based risk assessment embedded within a large proteomic survey may prove to be useful in the evaluation of therapies to prevent harm to patients. Clinical Trial Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00134264.


Oxygen isotopic compositions of rubies and sapphires from 106 deposits worldwide, as well as heated natural corundum, have been measured in this study. Artificially heated corundums have the same oxygen isotopic composition as unheated material. The 18O/16O ratio of natural corundum is a good indicator of its geological environment of formation. The consistently restricted δ18O range found for each type of deposit is explained by host-rock buffering during fluid-rock interaction. The δ18O constrains the geological source of the major type of gem-quality rubies sold on the market and brings new insight to gems found in placers. High-quality blue sapphires from Kashmir, Andranondambo, and Sri Lanka have specific oxygen isotopic ranges, but they overlap those of Mogok in Myanmar. Combined with traditional gemology techniques, oxygen isotope analysis will contribute toward defining the origin of some commercial high-value blue sapphires, especially from Kashmir.


Objectives: To determine whether absent flow during atrial contraction in the Doppler velocimetry of the ductus venosus can improve the predictive capacity of this method in the detection of Down syndrome at 11–14 weeks of gestation. Methods: Ductus venosus Doppler ultrasound blood velocity waveforms were obtained prospectively at 11–14 weeks of gestation in 2495 consecutive singleton pregnancies. In the first group waveforms were classified either as normal in the presence of a positive A-wave, or as abnormal if the A-wave was absent or negative. In the second group, waveforms were classified as abnormal if only A-wave was negative (reverse flow). All cases were screened for chromosomal defects by a combination of maternal age and fetal nuchal translucency thickness. Results: Down syndrome was found in 39 cases. In the first group the flow was abnormal in 30 cases, the overall detection rate, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and likelihood ratio for trissomy 21 were 76.9%, 99.0%, 54.5%, 99.6% and 75.5 respectively. On basis in the ductus venosus blood flow during atrial contraction as positive marker only A-wave was negative (24 cases) the sensitivity, specificity, the positive and negative predictive values and likelihood ratio were 61.5%, 99.1%, 53.3%, 99.4%, 71.9 respectively. Conclusions: Abnormal ductus venosus blood flow is an useful marker of Down syndrome in the first trimester ultrasound screening. We could improve the predictive for the detection of trisomy 21, and consequently becoming an excellent marker, by considering absent flow during atrial contraction as a positive marker (abnormal). Screening for Down syndrome in Brazil presents comparable results to those in other countries. It is a method of clinical applicability in any part of the world.


Market economy has existed in Poland for almost thirty years. While a new economy was being formed, new laws were established. However, the issue of collecting data on real property has not been properly solved, as there is no nationwide database referring to real property. Information on real property in Poland is collected in the Residential Property Price Register in county offices. Different computer programs are used to create regional databases, however these databases are not compatible and the information gathered in the databases is incomplete.The obstacles in access to full information on real property hamper the work of valuers, particularly in defining trends in property price changes. For the purpose of a comparative approach to property valuation, the Real Estate Management Act requires that time changes in the price of similar property should be taken into account. For the last 20 years, the President of the Central Statistical Office of Poland has had to publish the real property price change index, however the lack of real property information was the reason why the work on defining the index has not been fully completed. For three years, there have been published the GUS President's announcements concerning the change in market prices of properties purchased by household in a quarter of a year under research compared to their prices in the preceding quarter according to the Regions. For these reasons valuers in Poland use transaction prices and property description from notarial acts and they determine the price change rate themselves.Purpose: The purpose is to present the practices of price change factor determination followed by valuers in Poland, especially the degree to which they are known to valuers and applied.Design/methodology/approach:Results of a survey among property valuers in order to recognise their knowledge of identified methods and their application in practice; The appraisal of possible utilisation of the methods of stipulating price change rates, illustrated with an example of the local real property market (quantitative methods).FindingsMethods of stipulating the property price change ate identified so far are subdivided into simple methods (e.g. average, median, method of tracing representative price of the property) and methods which also include its characteristics (e.g. repeat-sales regression method, hedonic methods, mixed methods). Appraisers in Poland usually use simple methods."


Media access control (MAC) protocol design is a challenging problem in wireless ad hoc networks. Network resource management like battery life and bandwidth are two design factors in these networks. Some power control MAC protocols try to increase throughput or decrease energy consumption or both of them. We propose a power control scheme based on number of neighbor in mobile ad hoc network and consider both physical and connectivity design issues. There is a trade off between physical and network connectivity when transmission power is selected. With knowledge of local information on network, we can influence global network statistics. If the number of one-hop neighbors increase, then the transmission power will decrease, and vice versa. Simulation results show better performance of our protocol in energy consumption and throughput in various scenarios and mobility models.


A direct fluorescent-antibody test for smallpox is described which utilizes a conjugated antivaccinia serum that was purified by diethylaminoethyl fractionation. The purity of the conjugate was analyzed by density gradient centrifugation, and specific staining of smallpox and nonsmallpox specimens was measured quantitatively by a photovoltmeter. Variola elementary bodies were identified in all of the specimens of vesicular and pustular fluid collected from 50 smallpox patients, and no false-positive diagnoses were made on specimens from 27 patients with varicella or other nonpox viral exanthems. However, 63.8% of the specimens of vesicular and pustular fluid smeared on slides in the field were unusable because of bright nonspecific fluorescence. For this reason, the fluorescent-antibody test does not compare favorably with other routine laboratory tests for smallpox.


Privacy and memory are two recurring themes in a broad conversation about the societal impact of AI. These con-cerns arise from the need for huge amounts of data to train deep neural networks. A promise of Generalized Few-shot Object Detection (G-FSOD), a learning paradigm in AI, is to alleviate the need for collecting abundant training samples of novel classes we wish to detect by leveraging prior knowledge from old classes (i.e., base classes). G-FSOD strives to learn these novel classes while alleviating catas-trophic forgetting of the base classes. However, existing approaches assume that the base images are accessible, an assumption that does not hold when sharing and storing data is problematic. In this work, we propose the first data-free knowledge distillation (DFKD) approach for G-FSOD that leverages the statistics of the region of interest (RoI) features from the base model to forge instance-level features without accessing the base images. Our contribution is three-fold: (1) we design a standalone lightweight generator with (2) class-wise heads (3) to generate and replay diverse instance-level base features to the RoI head while finetuning on the novel data. This stands in contrast to standard DFKD approaches in image classification, which invert the entire network to generate base images. Moreover, we make careful design choices in the novel finetuning pipeline to regularize the model. We show that our approach can dramatically reduce the base memory requirements, all while setting a new standard for G-FSOD on the challenging MS-COCO and PASCAL-VOC benchmarks.


In this thesis the impact of R&D expenditures on firm market value and stock returns is examined. This is performed in a sample of European listed firms for the period 2000-2009. I apply different linear and GMM econometric estimations for testing the impact of R&D on market prices and construct country portfolios based on firms' R&D expenditure to market capitalization ratio for studying the effect of R&D on stock returns. The results confirm that more innovative firms have a better market valuation,investors consider R&D as an asset that produces long-term benefits for corporations. The impact of R&D on firm value differs across countries. It is significantly modulated by the financial and legal environment where firms operate. Other firm and industry characteristics seem to play a determinant role when investors value R&D. First, only larger firms with lower financial leverage that operate in highly innovative sectors decide to disclose their R&D investment. Second, the markets assign a premium to small firms, which operate in hi-tech sectors compared to larger enterprises for low-tech industries.
On the other hand, I provide empirical evidence indicating that generally highly R&D-intensive firms may enhance mispricing problems related to firm valuation. As R&D
contributes to the estimation of future stock returns, portfolios that comprise high R&D-intensive stocks may earn significant excess returns compared to the less innovative after controlling for size and book-to-market risk. Further, the most innovative firms are generally more risky in terms of stock volatility but not systematically more risky than low-tech firms. Firms that operate in Continental Europe suffer more mispricing compared
to Anglo-Saxon peers but the former are less volatile, other things being equal. The sectors where firms operate are determinant even for the impact of RD this effect is much stronger in hi-tech industries.


Wetlands are ecologically valuable and complex systems that both link and buffer aquatic and terrestrial systems. Spatial aspects and metacommunity concepts help explain community structure and dynamics, but metacommunity dynamics have not been applied to multiple interacting classes of organisms in temperate wetlands. The aim of this study was to 1) quantify significant patterns of wetland community structure within a large wetland in Central New York, USA at a variety of scales and on several trophic levels in relation to key elements of the physical and biological environment, and 2) evaluate four paradigms of metacommunity dynamics that may explain that community structure. Data on assemblages of three major interacting community components, having different dispersal abilities (birds, fish, and invertebrates), and environmental conditions were collected from aquatic habitats of different size and connectivity. Analysis of diversity and composition in relation to a size-connectivity index (SCI) showed clear evidence of spatial or environmental influences, or both for all major taxa. Aquatic organisms formed distinct assemblages whose spatial arrangement and associated environmental conditions were consistent with one of the two spatially explicit metacommunity paradigms, Mass Effect, Species Sorting, or both. The study wetland was a relatively productive, metacommunity, populated by members of a post-glacial species pool, and maintained within three major habitat types, large pools connected to small ditch-like habitats, and isolated pools. Metacommunity dynamics differed by organism class, but habitat was clearly heterogeneous, eliminating Patch Dynamics and Neutral Models. Aerial insects showed little metacommunity dynamics, with a weak habitat condition link to the Species Sorting mechanism. Aquatic invertebrates and aquatic vertebrates showed evidence of both Mass Effect and Species Sorting, with strong environment influences emphasizing the latter; social behavior modified Species Sorting for aquatic birds. The multi-taxon approach revealed important couplings among wetland community components; active management of wetland habitat via altered water supply and connectivity may allow aquatic organisms to escape disturbance and recolonize habitat, but will likely change community structure. Controlled experiments on organism demographics and movements would help clarify the processes of community maintenance in this and other wetlands.


Biochemical studies of chromatin have typically used either artificial DNA templates with unnaturally high affinity for histones, or small genomic DNA fragments deprived of their cognate physical environment. It has thus been difficult to dissect chromatin structure and function within fully native DNA substrates. Here, we circumvent these limitations by exploiting the minimalist genome of the eukaryote Oxytricha trifallax, whose notably small ~3kb chromosomes mainly encode single genes. Guided by high-resolution epigenomic maps of nucleosome organization, transcription, and DNA N6-methyladenine (m6dA) locations, we reconstruct full-length Oxytricha chromosomes in vitro and use these synthetic facsimiles to dissect the influence of m6dA and histone post-translational modifications on nucleosome organization. We show that m6dA directly disfavors nucleosomes in a quantitative manner, leading to local decreases in nucleosome occupancy that are synergistic with histone acetylation. The effect of m6dA can be partially reversed by the action of an ATP-dependent chromatin remodeler. Furthermore, erasing m6dA marks from Oxytricha chromosomes leads to proportional increases in nucleosome occupancy across the genome. This work showcases Oxytricha chromosomes as powerful yet practical models for studying eukaryotic chromatin and transcription in the context of biologically relevant DNA substrates. Highlights De novo synthesis of complete, epigenetically defined Oxytricha chromosomes Epigenomic profiles of chromatin organization in Oxytricha's miniature chromosomes m6dA directly disfavors nucleosome occupancy in natural and synthetic chromosomes Histone acetylation and chromatin remodelers temper the impact of m6dA on chromatin


Rural urban migration in Ethiopia has historically been characterized by complex flows arising from a combination of root causes. The most common push factors for rural–urban migration in Ethiopia are lack of sufficient food, shortage of rural farmland, existence of landlessness and unemployment. It is evident that extreme poverty has been and continues to be key driving forces for migration. Seasonal rural-urban migration is not limited to the poor rural community members. Middle income and even 'rich' peasants take part in seasonal migration during agricultural as a means of maximizing income opportunities. Both young and adult men practice seasonal migration to offset their rural distress and earn income to augment their agricultural income. Migration is attributed to have both negative and positive consequences at community, household and individual levels. Migration in rural areas served as a safety net mechanism for poor individuals. Without increased food security, infrastructure, and employment opportunities, it can be anticipated that migration flows from rural to urban will be continue.


A Novel high step-up converter is proposed for a frontend photo voltaic system. Through a voltage multiplier module, an asymmetrical interleaved high stepup converter usually high step up gain without act as a function at an extreme duty ratio. The voltage multiplier module is creating of a conventional boost converter and coupled inductors. An extra conventional boost converter is combine into the first phase to achieve a considerably higher voltage conversion ratio. The two-phase configurations not only decreases the current stress through each power switch, but also force to do something the input current ripple, which decreases the conduction losses of metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs). In addition, the proposed converter functions as an active clamp circuit, which moderate large voltage spikes across the power switches. Thus, the low-voltage-rated MOSFETs can be adopted for reduces of conduction losses and cost. Efficiency improves because the energy stored in leakage inductances is energized to the output terminal. Finally, the prototype circuit with a 40-V input voltage, 380-V output, and 1000W output power is operated to verify its performance. The highest efficiency is 96.8%.


In this work, CCCW (cementitious capillary crystalline waterproofing materials) was added in CFRC (carbon fiber reinforced cement paste). Variations of electrical conductivity of CFRC with fiber contents (0.2%~2.0% by the weight of cement) and CCCW (3% by the weight of cement) were studied. The results showed that the resistivity of CFRC containing CCCW versus the concentration of carbon fiber curves had typical features of percolation phenomena. The percolation threshold was 1.2 wt.%. The relationship between resistance and compressive stress was repeatable in CFRC with carbon fiber content of 1.2 wt.%. The resistance decreased in nearly linearity to the compression stress during loading, and increased during unloading.


Despite decades of effort, most disseminated cancers remain incurable, and progression from localized to metastatic disease is largely responsible for cancer-related mortality. In metastatic disease, an ongoing battle between tumor and host occurs at each site; tumor-associated antigens, stress proteins, and danger-associated molecular patterns can both initiate and continually stimulate an immune response against a tumor. Adding an additional layer of complexity, locally activated cytotoxic T cells traffic through the host circulatory system to also surveil metastasis elsewhere in the body. Thus, metastatic tumors are highly interdependent; changes in the nonlinear tumor-immune interactions in one tumor can perturb the systemic antitumor immune response, potentially facilitating spontaneous regression or aggressive outgrowth in distant sites. This can additionally influence the clinical outcome of therapeutic intervention, which depends on therapy-induced changes in tumor-immune dynamics both locally and systemically, as well as patient-specific initial conditions of the global disease. Using the tools of mathematical oncology we gain insights into this complex interconnectivity between metastatic sites. ODE models have been developed which incorporate both local tumor-immune interactions in each tumor site and the trafficking of activated T cells systemically, and can be parameterized by experimental and clinical investigations. Using four primary tumor sites (lung, liver, breast, kidney) we simulate the growth behavior of a primary site upon both seeding, growth, and treatment of a secondary (or several) metastatic site(s). In the presence of several metastatic sites, the dissemination of activated T cells is not necessarily intuitive and depends on many factors including the blood flow fraction to each organ and the tumor volume to organ size ratio. Certain sites may experience inhibition of growth, and other sites may be promoted upon seeding of an additional site. We computationally analyze all combinations of metastatic sites, and predict which sites are likely to benefit (tumor growth) and which to suffer (tumor shrinkage) in each combination based upon known properties of physiological blood flow and tumor volume at initial presentation. This allows the identification of which sites in each combination would be the optimal target for surgical therapy in order to induce the maximum reduction in overall tumor burden. Furthermore, we can simulate local radiation at each respective site, quantifying the difference in model-predicted decrease in overall tumor burden between individual targets. The results facilitate an improved understanding of general disease kinetics in the metastatic setting, emphasize that "local" therapy is highly likely to have systemic effects, and support the case for a paradigm shift in treatment target selection for metastatic disease. Citation Format: Rachel Walker, Jan Poleszczuk, Heiko Enderling. Local and systemic tumor-immune dynamics in metastatic cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4543. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-4543


Distributed energy resources DERs, which are characterized by small-scale power generation technologies to provide an enhancement of the traditional power system, have been strongly encouraged to be integrated into the smart grid, and numerous trading strategies have recently been proposed to support the energy auction in the emerging smart grid marketing. However, few of them consider the security aspects of energy trading, such as privacy preservation, bid integrity, and pre-filtering ability. In this paper, we propose an efficient searchable encryption scheme for auction SESA in emerging smart grid marketing. Specifically, SESA uses a public key encryption with keyword search technique to enable the energy sellers e.g., DERs to inquire suitable bids while preserving the privacy of the energy buyers. Additionally, to facilitate the seller to search for detailed information of the bids, we also propose an extension of SESA to support conjunctive keywords search. Security analysis demonstrates that the proposed SESA and its extension can achieve data and keyword privacy, bid integrity and trapdoor unforgeability. Simulation results also show that both SESA and its extension have less computation and communication overhead than the existing searchable encryption approaches. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


CO2 sequestration (capture, separation, and long term storage) in various geologic media including depleted oil reservoirs, saline aquifers, and oceanic sediments is being considered as a possible solution to reduce green house gas emissions. Dissolution of supercritical CO2 in formation brines is considered an important storage mechanism to prevent possible leakage. Accurate prediction of the plume dissolution rate and migration is essential. Analytical analysis and numerical experiments have demonstrated that convective instability (Rayleigh instability) has a crucial effect on the dissolution behavior and subsequent mineralization reactions. Global stability analysis indicates that a certain grid resolution is needed to capture the features of density-driven fingering phenomena. For 3-D field scale simulations, high resolution leads to large numbers of grid nodes, unfeasible for a single workstation. In this study, we investigate the effects of convective instability on geologic sequestration of CO2 by taking advantage of parallel computing using the code PFLOTRAN, a massively parallel 3-D reservoir simulator for modeling subsurface multiphase, multicomponent reactive flow and transport based on continuum scale mass and energy conservation equations. The onset, development and long-term fate of a supercritical CO2 plume will be resolved with high resolution numerical simulations to investigate the rate of plume dissolution caused by fingering phenomena.


1 Abstract Oxidative stress is a common occurrence in red blood cell (RBC) storage in blood banks throughout the world. Typically RBC units stored under routine standard protocol (stored in SAGM-CPD additive solution) can only be kept up to forty-two days for transfusion usage before being discarded. I am studying the effects of Ascorbic Acid (AA), N-acetylcysteine amide (AD4), and Serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT) as additives in blood bank storage to find out if these additives can reduce storageinduced oxidative stress on red blood cells (RBCs), as well as to understand how potential blood storage additives can affect the shelf life of blood and post-transfusion recovery in patients. I conducted a literature review by studying various journal articles that examined metabolism to proteomics and the synergy of the different additives. These various additives significantly alleviated a range of signs of oxidative stress on RBCs including but not limited to replenishing glutathione (GSH), decreasing percent hemolysis, inhibiting the phospholipid rearrangement, and encouraging ATP production. By reducing these symptoms of oxidative stress, RBCs are able to last longer without any significant changes biochemically, and decrease the chances of post-transfusion complications such as Graft vs Host Disease (GVHD). The new additive solution could potentially increase the patient's post-transfusion recovery rates as well as increase the shelf life of RBC storage units past the standard forty-two days.


Staff training is one of the ten principles for sustainable tourism development. This study assesses the level of staff education in graded hotels, staff training situations, challenges encountered in offering of staff training and possible solutions with regard to staff training in graded hotels in Tanzania. Three theories which are Operant Conditioning, Cognitive Learning Theory and Andragogy Theory are used in this study with Andragogy Theory the leading or guiding theory in this study. The study gathered information through questionnaires and interviews as well as observations and documentation reviews. This study therefore, explores and assesses staff training in graded hotels in Dar es Salaam, whereby 90 respondents from 10 graded hotels ranked one to five stars form part of this study. This includes two 5 stars hotels, two 4 stars hotels, three 3 stars hotels, one 2 stars hotels and two 1 star hotel. In chapter four, the researcher makes presentation of the study findings. The findings in the study shows that most staffs in hotels are basically form four leavers with division IV passes and their motives to join the industry are not palatable to the growth of the industry. The study revealed that, training period is shorter in relations to mastery of the required skills for the betterment of hospitality and tourism industry. Surprisingly, even failures and school drop outs secure employments in the key areas of hotels industry such as front office, guest relations as well as F & B and most of top jobs are in the hands of foreigners. The study concludes that, there is a need of looking at education profiles of locals in hotels sector. Recommendations include special scholarships. Online and distance learning programmes provided for hoteliers as it is a feasible mode for upgrading as well as ensuring sound career development mechanism among staff in hotels and tourism sectors.


The numerical simulation of the crash front in composite structures is up to now still difficult. To improve the numerical results a so called 'stacked shell' model for laminated composites which is typically used for impact modelling was also used to simulate tube 'segment' specimens and generic components under crushing loads. Static and dynamic experimental investigations (tension and compression coupon tests) were performed to measure the elastic and failure properties of the basic ply materials in the laminates. Material model parameters for stacked shell representations were derived from numerical studies on tube segment crushing tests. These parameters were appropriate to model the energy absorption and average crushing force of different laminate set-ups. In a next step the parameters were used for pretest simulations of generic composite components under a variety of crash (crushing) and impact (dynamic bending) loading conditions. The pre-test results were later compared to the real dynamic test results. In this paper the experimental and numerical results of the investigations on the generic components with one specific CFRP laminate are presented. In general, the stacked shell models led to good results but the quality depends on the mesh size and other mesh parameters. The use of a single set of material model parameters for crash and impact load cases led to a good representation of the initial peak load (first failure) but the subsequent damage propagation up to complete failure is significantly delayed.


Is it appropriate to claim that population growth is caused by improvements in people's standards of living? How can we explain the evolution and growth of the complexity of human societies? The book The Evolution of Human Societies: From Foraging Group to Agrarian State seeks to illuminate these and other questions. The authors have an ambitious aim to formulate integral evolutionary theory suitable to account for the diversity of modern societies. Drawing upon archeological and historical evidence with a rich body of ethnographic data, including their own fieldwork, Т. Earle and А. Johnson present 19 case studies that range widely over time and space. The primary engine for sociocultural evolution is population growth and the associated economic and social changes. The authors argue that society development can be understood through the examination of three connected processes-intensification, integration, and stratification. Journal of Economic Sociology has published the introductory chapter of the book. In this part of the book, the authors critically revise anthropological theories that explain society development. They reconstruct the logic and point out the limitations of two dominant research lines: linear evolutionary theories and cultural relativism. Other authors describe the Doomsday equation and suggest their interpretation of drastic population growth within a short period. Combining the social evolutionism approach and economic anthropology, Т. Earle and А. Johnson explicate why sociocultural evolution is rooted in the social and political organization of the economy.


Objectives: Health as a positive reason for drinking wine (eg, antioxidant content) has scant empirical data to inform policy. This study attempted to examine that motive by including health as one of six motives for drinking, along with measures of problem drinking (the Cut-down, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-opener [CAGE] questionnaire) in an older adult population.
Design: Four drinking motives (enhancement, coping, social, and conformity), plus taste and health were included within a larger national telephone survey on drinking behaviors. We also recorded beverage preference.
Results: In this analysis, 705 participants drank a preferred beverage. Taste was the most highly endorsed motive. Just under one quarter of the sample endorsed health as a positive reason for drinking. After controlling for age, sex, and preferred alcoholic beverage, the internal psychological motives of enhancement and coping predicted CAGE scores, but external motives did not. Believing that alcohol is healthy was a negative predictor of CAGE scores. Our results showed a different pattern to those with younger drinkers reported in previous research. Our older group was less likely to drink for social reasons and internal motives were predictive of CAGE scores.
Conclusion: A motives-based approach to managing problem drinking will need to take account of a wider range of age-related motives. Based on the current data, there is little reason to suspect drinking wine for health reasons is associated with potential problem drinking.


Much academic research shows that the spreads at which corporate bonds trade above a similar default-free asset are too large compared with what is predicted by a standard structural model. This finding has given rise to the so-called Credit Spread Puzzle. Recent research points to a few statistical biases in the previous findings and conclude that the puzzle is not as strong as previous papers have indicated. In this article, the author controls for these biases and shows that the puzzle is highly present in a sample from the Norwegian fixed-income market in the 2008–2013 period. On average, only 28% of the spreads are explained by the structural model. The question is not whether the puzzle exists but rather, is it correct to call this a puzzle?


Vortex shedding behind a porous square cylinder is studied by a semi‐implicit projection finite element method in this paper. Flow fields over the porous square cylinder with various porosity and Darcy number were calculated to investigate the effects of porous media on Strouhal number, lift and drag coefficients at Re=100, 200 and 250. The global quantities of the shedding flow appear evident variation for Da varied from 10−5 to 10−4. In particular, Strouhal number displays an obvious jump for Da=10−4 at Re=250, due to the variation in flow structure near the cylinder. Larger Darcy number postpones the occurrence of flow fluctuation, and the oscillation flow presents stronger amplitude. However, the flow field and the characteristic values of vortex shedding for Da≤10−6 are almost not changed. For different porosity, time histories of CD and CL look similar. In conclusion, Darcy number demonstrates more influence on the flow field than porosity does.


We develop a computational model to explore how ethnic geography shapes the distribution of violence in civil war. We seed the model with disaggregated data on ethnic settlement patterns in Afghanistan and calibrate the model parameters to fit empirically observed locations of violence against civilians. Our simulation suggests that (i) political actors are more likely to attack civilians in heterogeneous areas where members of one ethnic group are exposed to members of a rival group; (ii) violence directed at civilians occurs with greater frequency in locations where one political actor exercises hegemonic but incomplete territorial control (relative to areas of complete or mixed control); and (iii) geographically concentrated ethnic minorities face a higher risk of violence. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity, 2012 © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


With the surge of human population, the need for transportation of goods and people also concomitantly increases, resulting in urban air pollution through emission from motorized traffic especially in developing countries. The extent of environmental pollution in an urban setting is significantly influenced by the pollutants of vehicular fuel combustion. Many effective measures are required in cities to sequester carbon thereby helping to reduce automobile pollution. Roadside greeneries can serve as ecological elements which reduce the concentration of pollutants from vehicular emissions by their direct involvement in absorbing vehicular emitted carbon. In this context, in this study an attempt has been taken to assess contribution of roadside greeneries in absorbing vehicular carbon dioxide emission. A case study has been conducted on arterial roads of mega city Dhaka to quantify the vehicular carbon emission and correlate it with roadside trees to absorb the emitted carbon dioxide. It is noted that in Dhaka city, carbon dioxide is accounted for more than ninety percent of air pollution. To achieve our goals, two busiest arterial roads (namely Mirpur Road and Rokeya Shoroni Road) were taken into account to quantify vehicular carbon emission as well as assess carbon absorption by roadside greeneries. Carbon absorption by different sizes of trees has been quantified using the amount of woody biomass. In addition, absorption by grass-shrubs-herbs has been quantified by the area they cover. The results thus obtained show that indeed the road with more side greeneries absorbs more vehicular emitted carbon dioxide. It is therefore evident that plantation of more roadside trees is an effective measure of reducing air pollution and consequently turning a city to become healthier and more suitable for living.


: Complexes of polyenic antibiotics with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) can be used for preparing effective pharmaceutical forms soluble in water and consisting of fine dispersions. Studies were carried out; they are of great importance for revealing the mechanism of polyen interaction with neutral polymers, as well as for development of the technological processes for production of the pharmaceutical forms. The sorption isoterms of PVP with the molecular weight of 10 000 and 35 000 on nystatin and amphotericin B were obtained in the process of precipitation in the system of dimethylformamide-ethylacetate. The constants of the strength of the antibiotic binding with the polymer in a complex were calculated. It was shown that the complex strength increased with a rise in the relative amount of the precipitant in the system. The temperature dependence of the binding strength constant was studied. The process of the complex forming was shown to be exothermic, the activation energy of the complex being 26-30 kcal per a mole of the antibiotic. No significant differences in the binding strength of nystatin and amphotericin B were observed. On the basis of the experimental data, a scheme of the complex structure explaining the binding process by formation of a number of hydrogen bonds between the antibiotic hydroxyl groups and the PVP tertiaryamide groups is proposed.


Phase diagrams of mixed crystal systems exhibiting the cooperative Jahn–Teller effect are investigated. The competition of Jahn–Teller interaction with a) the preference energy of cation distribution over nonequivalent sublattices or b) stabilization energy of 3d-ion valence configuration is considered. The developed model enables to explain the nature of equilibrium and metastable states, the variety of phase diagrams and its special features in crystals with the competing interactions.


The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (Roman) will perform a Galactic Exoplanet Survey (RGES) to discover bound exoplanets with semimajor axes greater than 1 au using gravitational microlensing. Roman will even be sensitive to planetary-mass objects that are not gravitationally bound to any host star. Such free-floating planetary-mass objects (FFPs) will be detected as isolated microlensing events with timescales shorter than a few days. A measurement of the abundance and mass function of FFPs is a powerful diagnostic of the formation and evolution of planetary systems, as well as the physics of the formation of isolated objects via direct collapse. We show that Roman will be sensitive to FFP lenses that have masses from that of Mars (0.1 M⊕) to gas giants (M ≳ 100 M⊕) as isolated lensing events with timescales from a few hours to several tens of days, respectively. We investigate the impact of the detection criteria on the survey, especially in the presence of finite-source effects for low-mass lenses. The number of detections will depend on the abundance of such FFPs as a function of mass, which is at present poorly constrained. Assuming that FFPs follow the fiducial mass function of cold, bound planets adapted from Cassan et al., we estimate that Roman will detect ∼250 FFPs with masses down to that of Mars (including ∼60 with masses ≤ M⊕). We also predict that Roman will improve the upper limits on FFP populations by at least an order of magnitude compared to currently existing constraints.


This is a short, true story about the Green Bag versus the New York Times, two periodicals doing their best according to their respective lights to serve their respective readerships. The story is told for the most part through recent email correspondence between, on one side, a variety of Times editors and, on the other side, one Green Bag editor. Reasonable minds might differ about the relative merits of the positions taken and the practices followed by the two periodicals and their spokespeople, but no reasonable person could deny the entertainment value of some of their exchanges. Those exchanges are reproduced in chronological order, starting on the next page. But first, a small dose of background...


ABSTRACT Pancreatic cancer (PC) remains a deadly disease and early detection through screening is likely to be our best hope to improve survival. Considering the low incidence of PC, population-based screening is not feasible, but is advisable for high-risk patients. Screening individuals at high risk for developing PC leads to the detection of premalignant lesions. High-grade pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia and intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm are the targets for early detection of PC. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and magnetic resonance imaging are considered the most accurate techniques for pancreatic imaging; in particular EUS has emerged as a promising imaging test given its potential for tissue sampling to obtain diagnosis and to provide material for molecular profiling of PC. At the moment, screening should be performed within research protocols at experienced centers with a specific clinical and research interest, where a multidisciplinary team of specialists is available.


Every discipline has an existing canon – seen in textbooks, scholarly journals, conference proceedings, etc. – that explicitly outlines existing practice and thought. Recognizing the inadequacy of these canons, the current paper outlines an approach to classroom instruction that helps students move beyond these texts as they create and discover noncanonical knowledge. This noncanonical approach focuses on turning classrooms into Communities of Practice (CoP). There is myriad literature on the utility of such groups for knowledge creation and learning in organizations, yet this paper is unique in introducing it to classroom instruction. By turning classrooms into an adapted CoP, instructors are situated to move beyond the texts or canons of their disciplines. This occurs as they a) invite unique student contributions to create ideas and knowledge that go beyond existing texts, b) develop trust and community among students that goes beyond simple icebreakers and standard group work, and c) engage consistently in action that recognizes the practical utility of what is learned. This is essential to any discipline, yet it has a special place in the field of Library and Information Science (LIS) which – long a discipline of the text – is itself moving outside of this as it focuses on knowledge creation [1]. In addition to its theoretical foundation, the paper provides practical steps instructors can take to turn their classrooms into CoPs that move beyond the existing text.


Following Jackendoff's Representational Modularity (1996, 1997), if we take conceptual structure (CS) and spatial representation (SR) to be what constitute the 'concept' of a word,  then we can take phonological structure (PS) and syntactic structure (SS) to  be what  are "tacked onto this knowledge to make it linguistically expressible" (Jackendoff, 1996, p. 12). According to Representational Modularity, the lexicon is a learned mapping between levels of representation (such as CS or SS) within the language faculty. For those of us interested in second language acquisition (SLA), this notion, at least in terms of spatial prepositions. provides a very specific means of investigating what learners acquire and transfer  when learning L2 spatial prepositions. The ways that SRs and CSs combine to form relational schemata for particular spatial prepositions vary from language to language. This paper argues that learning a new L2 spatial preposition means learning how to combine particular SRs with particular CSs in ways that perhaps. have never been done before in the  Ll. This paper provides a fine-grained analysis of CS-SR mappings for the English polysemic spatial preposition over and its Chinese counterparts. Distinctions between several CS-SR mappings for the various relational schemata of English and Chinese OVER1 are identified. Based on these distinctions, a hypothesis is made, addressing what, exactly, Chinese learners of L2 English both transfer and acquire when learning the various shades of meaning for over.


Drought is a recurring feature in the arid regions and prediction of droughts has got great relevance with respect to planning for afforestation, sand dune stabilisation, establishment of grasslands etc. Some attempts have been made at the Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur to develop techniques for prognostication of droughts in the Indian arid region on the basis of climatic fluctuation., and variability.

The climatic spectrum of the Indian arid region extends from extremely arid to semi-arid conditions. Through application of the theory of conditional probabilities based on first order Markov chain model, the climatic fluctuations during the years 1901-1970 were studied. It was observed that the occurrence of extreme arid conditions in the succeeding year could be predicted with 92 per cent confidence while climatic types can be predicted with 83 per cent confidence.

Drought incidence may not be affecting whole of the region simultaneously and some parts might experience localised droughts. However, in some years the whole region experienced drought conditions and studies reveal that even In such years the drought intensity and its time of occurrence varied from region to region. Studies on the incidence and spread of droughts over western Rajasthan indicate that drought condition originate first in the northeastern region, during the month of July spread in a south-westerly direction during the month of August and dissipate with an easterly movement in the month of September. This pattern is observed to repeat during the years of. severe drought. In the present paper, the applicability of the above techniques have been discussed.

Long range prediction of droughts is not yet possible with 100 per cent confidence. Therefore, a combination approach using different techniques might provide the necessary confidence in prediction of droughts.


A previous universal model of ¿combined¿ frequency-amplitude nonlinear modulation has been used to describe the spin-wave dynamics observed in spin-transfer oscillators. In that case, it was shown that it is not possible to obtain a pure frequency modulation process because the strict nonlinear relationship existing between the characteristic parameters of the oscillator yields a non-negligible amplitude modulation process to take place simultaneously. Here, we demonstrate that there exists a particular configuration in which a spin-torque oscillator behaves as a ¿pure¿ nonlinear amplitude modulator. For the case of a nano-contact geometry, for example, such a condition implies the usage of an external out-of-plane bias field directed along the critical angle at which the frequency tunability coefficient T = ¿f/¿I vanishes. In all those cases in which this coefficient is not zero, the previous combined process takes place. The phenomenon is first analyzed by developing an analytical model which describes the structure of the frequency spectrum of a nonlinearly amplitude modulated signal. Results of this approach are finally compared with those of micromagnetic investigations, carried out in time and frequency domains, deriving an excellent agreement.


The hybrid AC-DC microgrid (HMG) architecture has the merits of both DC and AC coupled structures. Microgrids are subject to intermittence when the renewable sources are used. In the HMG, since power fluctuations occur on both subgrids due to varying load and unpredictable power generation from renewable sources, proper voltage and frequency regulation is the critical issue. This article proposes a unique method for operating a microgrid (MG) comprising of PV array, wind energy system (WES), fuel cell (FC), and battery in HMG configuration. The control scheme of the interlinking converter (ILC) regulates frequency, voltage, and power flow amongst the subgrids. Power management in the HMG is investigated under different scenarios. Proper power management is accomplished within the individual subgrids and among the subgrids by the control techniques adopted in the HMG. The system voltage and frequency deviations are found to be minimized when the FC system acts as the backup source for DC subgrid, reducing the power flow through the ILC.


Tourism has been one of the fastest growing industries and it makes important contributions on economies. Based on this, the literature aims to determine the factors affecting tourism demand behavior. In this paper, we analyze the effect of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on both total and personal outbound travel expenditures in the panel data of 17 developed and developing countries. This is the first paper to examine the impact of EPU on travel expenditures within a tourism demand framework. By using the fixed-effects and the Least Square Dummy Variable (LSDV) estimation techniques, we find that an increase in the level of uncertainty decreases travel expenditures. Our findings imply that when people experience an increase in uncertaintyrelated economic policies, they tend to decrease their expenditures abroad. On average, a one standard deviation rise in EPU leads to a 3% and a 6% decrease in the total and personal travel expenditures. We also find that the effect of EPU on travel expenditures is higher in developing economies compared to developed countries. The empirical results in this paper suggest that governments should realize the suppressing effect of uncertainties about their economic policies on tourism demand.


Positron Emission Tomography (PET) field and, in particular utilization of (68)Ga radiometal is getting momentum. The development of new imaging agents for targeted, pre-targeted, non-targeted imaging and their clinical applications is accelerating worldwide. The pharmacopoeia monographs regarding generator produced (68)Ga radionuclide and (68)Ga-labeled somatostatin (SST) analogues are in progress. The number of commercial generators and automated synthesizers for (68)Ga-labeling chemistry is increasing constantly. Development of a molecular imaging agent is a complex process including identification of the biological target, respective lead compound, synthesis of the imaging agent, its chemical characterization, pre-clinical, and clinical evaluation. The introduction of new radiopharmaceuticals and their accessibility are important factors determining the expansion of clinical nuclear medicine for early disease detection and personalized medicine with higher therapeutic efficiency. Further, the availability of the technology for GMP compliant automated tracer production can facilitate the introduction of new radiopharmaceuticals due to the ability to conduct standardized and harmonized multi-center studies for regulatory approval. This review reflects on the current status of (68)Ga in PET field with the focus on the achievements in the chemistry as well as diversity and potential of the resulting tracers.


The first three years of operation of the new Russian personal bankruptcy procedure reveal a troubling flaw common to such new regimes: While the law on the books suggests a permissive and effective relief delivery procedure, the law in action has seen the vast majority of debtors barred from accessing that relief due to explicit and implicit financing burdens. Those few debtors admitted to the procedure in the first few years have proceeded relatively quickly to a discharge, which is good news, but the bad news of debtors being too cash-poor to seek bankruptcy relief is an ironic fatal flaw. Not only must debtors bear the substantial unofficial market costs of private professional guidance, as well as the official statutory costs of a trustee to administer the case, these trustees are privately regulated in Russia and have frequently simply refused to take on low-value cases, even for debtors able to pay the official fee. Comparative exploration of this problem reveals surprising parallels with system structure, trustee regulation, and debtor-access financing challenges in Europe and North America. Solutions to these problems implemented in Europe, the US, and particularly in Canada may well work for Russia and other countries launching new personal bankruptcy regimes, but these problems and potential solutions need to be carefully considered to avoid setting up such systems for failure.


Abstract The narrow media framing of indigenous health as an intractable policy problem and a bureaucracy increasingly orientated towards media agendas have contributed to significant changes in the nature and direction of Australian indigenous health policy. The article takes as its case study the decade of conservative leadership of Prime Minister John Howard (1996–2007), that saw indigenous health policy shift from a self-determinist philosophy of community control of primary healthcare, towards neoliberal policies emphasising individual responsibility and the 'mainstreaming' of indigenous primary healthcare services. It reports on an intertextual examination of news media reporting and professional talk about the media's role in the development of indigenous health policy between 2002 and 2007. A content and frame analysis found that imagery and stories of remote indigenous communities and a disproportionate emphasis on the frame of indigenous health crisis created the discursive context for the enactment of radical policy solutions to address indigenous health. Interviews with indigenous health policy actors identified that policy practices were entwined with and responsive to news media discourse. This article calls for a greater recognition of the intimacy between media reporting and the development of policy in highly politicised and mediatised fields such as indigenous health. It contends that through an examination of both news media representation and the media practices of policy professionals one can begin to understand the complex relationships between news media and policymaking processes.


In May 2019, scholars in management and organization of health care organizations and systems met. The opening plenary was a moderated discussion with five distinguished scholars who have exemplified pushing the frontier of organizational theory and practice throughout their careers: Ann Barry Flood of Dartmouth College, John Kimberly of the University of Pennsylvania, Anthony (Tony) Kovner of New York University, Stephen (Steve) Shortell of University of California at Berkeley, and Jacqueline (Jackie) Zinn of Temple University. The discussion was moderated by Ingrid Nembhard of the University of Pennsylvania. The goal of the plenary was to provide an opportunity to hear from senior members of the health care management community how they think about organizational behavior and theory, changes that they have observed, research gaps that they see, and lessons for research and practice that they have learned. This article is the transcript of that plenary discussion. It is shared to capture the intellectual history of the field and help surface the critical advancements still needed in organizational theory and practice in health care. The closing remarks of the panelists summarize recommendations for both practice and scholarship in health care organization management.


The following article is a study of optically induced birefringence in an azopolymer Hema – HDR13. Generating anisotropy in the material through the photo-isomerization process for azo – compounds, chromophores are reoriented in the material through an external electric field, from an Nd: YAG laser, emitting with a wavelength of 532.8nm Based on an absorption spectrum on an azopolímero samples was determined that the wavelength at which the phenomenon is given. Measurements were obtained for samples birefringence how efficient are able to observe the samples so that they can be used as raw material for optical storage devices. Varying the excitation laser power (Nd: YAG) were observed variations in signal strength, making observe a maximum saturation power chromophores which are reoriented in the sample. Also analyzed the theoretical models of photo – molecular orientation, and succeeded in identifying which of them corresponds to the results and establishing the characteristic times appearing in each for Hema – DR13.


Increasing cerebral oxygenation, more precisely the overactivation of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), reflects cortical control of gait in stroke disease. Studies about the relationship between brain activation and the functional status in stroke patients remain scarce. The aim of this study was to compare brain activation, gait parameters, and cognitive performances in single and dual tasks according to the functional status in subacute stroke patients. Twenty-one subacute stroke patients were divided in two groups according to Barthel Index ("low Barthel" and "high Barthel") and randomly performed ordered walking, cognitive task (n-back task), and dual tasks (walking + n-back task). We assessed gait performances (speed, variability) using an electronic walkway system and cerebral oxygenation (ΔO2Hb) by functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Patients with better functional status (high Barthel) showed a lower PFC activation (ΔO2Hb) and better gait parameters in single and dual tasks compared to low-Barthel patients, who exhibited decreased gait performances despite a higher PFC activation, especially in the unaffected side (P < 0.001). PFC overactivation in less functional subacute stroke patients may be due to the loss of stepping automaticity. Our results underline the interest of proposing rehabilitation programs focused on walking, especially for patients with low functional capacity.


During the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, Twitter served as an important platform for the spread of news articles, which have significant influence on public opinion. Yet the sharing of stories is often based on innate emotional triggers, seldom rational. In our research, we seek to examine whether the emotional vocabulary of political news stories can lead to their popularity. To explore these questions, we construct a corpus of 2,650 articles from 12 different news publications over 5 months, connected with the 123,113 tweets by 20,964 Twitter users that share them. Using the Harvard Inquirer lexicons, we automatically code stories for emotionality and positivity. We then run regressions between the independent variables of story length, emotionality, and positivity and the dependent variable of number of shares across 7 different political divisions of Twitter users, as well as the collective dataset. On the whole, we find Twitter users to favor stories that are Hobbesian in nature: nasty (negative in positivity), brutish (high in emotionality), and short (low in word count). However, differences emerge when considering different levels of political engagement among users.


Abstract For the last two decades, significant and dramatic progress has been made in understanding astrophysical jet sources, particularly in the X-ray and gamma-ray energy bands. For example, the Chandra X-ray observatory reveals a number of AGN jets extending from kpc to Mpc scales. More recently, the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescopes launched in 2008 started monitoring the gamma-ray sky with excellent sensitivity of about ten times greater than that of EGRET onboard CGRO, and has detected more than 2,000 sources (mostly AGNs) as of 2014. Moreover, Fermi-LAT has discovered gamma-ray emissions not only from blazars but from a dozen radio galaxies not previously known to emit gamma-rays. Closer to home, the Fermi-bubbles were discovered to extend 50 degrees above and below the Galactic center. These large scale diffuse gamma-ray structures are similar in structure to AGN lobes such as those seen in Cen A and provide evidence for past activity in our Galactic center. In this review, I will first summarize recent highlights of large scale jets in radio galaxies, specifically resolved by the Chandra X-ray observatory. Next I will move on to the gamma-ray sky to present some highlights from Fermi-LAT observations of "misaligned" blazars, namely radio galaxies. I will discuss a unification scheme connecting blazars and misaligned radio galaxies. In the last part, I will also briefly comment on recent multiband observations of the Fermi-bubble and possible impacts on the AGN jet physics in the near future.


An unstaffed library is much the same as a staffed one, with some key differences. First, 'unstaffed' does not mean 'never staffed.' It means that patrons can complete all the parts of their visit without staff being present, including: entering the building, locating materials, checking them out, and checking them in again. Patrons can access the internet via library computers or wifi. Patrons can connect with staff remotely via phone or online chat. To make all these aspects of library service available and useful in a mostly self-service library, a lot of little things need to be in place. Each aspect presents its own puzzles to solve, and some things will prove more difficult than others to implement. The Yacolt Library Express has been very successful so far, circulating as many materials each year as some of our fully staffed libraries in larger towns. While the people of Yacolt haven't given up on having a larger, fully staffed library of their own, there is one thing they can get with an unstaffed library that would be very hard for the library district to deliver in Yacolt with a fully staffed library: 68 open hours per week over seven days.


The analyses below compare the career histories and personal characteristics of the executives in the top ranks of the world's largest and most stable business operations, the Fortune 100, between 1980 and 2001. To our knowledge, there have been no prior studies of contemporary changes in the experience or attributes of executives beyond CEOs. In 2001, these executives were younger, more likely to be women, and less likely to have been Ivy League educated. Most important, they got to the executive suite about four years faster than in 1980 and did so by holding fewer jobs on the way to the top. (In particular, women in 2001 got to their executive jobs faster than their male counterparts --there were no women executives in the Fortune 100 in 1980). Executives in 2001 also spent about five years less in their current organization and were more likely to be hired from the outside than in 1980. Interestingly, the most stable firms the 26 that were in the Fortune 100 in both periods had just as much lifetime employment among executives in 2001 as in 1980, although changes in other aspects of careers were similar. Overall, the path to the executive suite and the attributes of the individuals who get there appear to have changed even in the largest and most stable business operations.


In the job market for entry-level assistant professors in marketing, hiring departments and job candidates jointly determine the final market outcome - who matches with whom. In this work, we investigate the effects of research field, research productivity and ranking status on these matching outcomes. This is accomplished by estimating a structural two-sided matching model that uncovers the joint productivity, or matching value, of the matches between departments and candidates. Our results show that a match between a candidate trained in a particular research field and a department with similarly trained faculty does not always generate the highest value. Moreover, publications in top marketing journals are most valuable in matches that involve top-ranked departments. However, this effect is moderated by the candidate's field of research as well as the ranking of his or her degree-granting department. Finally, matches between top-ranked hiring departments and candidates from top-ranked degree-granting departments generate especially high matching value, suggesting that academic stratification exists within marketing academia. These insights are useful for candidates and departments in improving their matching outcomes in the entry-level job market.


PURPOSE OF REVIEW
The entity of new daily persistent headache is a recognized form of chronic daily headache with a unique clinical presentation. This review will discuss the clinical characteristics, triggering factors, possible underlying pathogenesis and treatment options for this syndrome. It will also discuss the issues with the current International Classification of Headache Disorders criteria for new daily persistent headache and suggest revised criteria. The medical literature relating to new daily persistent headache is scant so most of what is presented is a personal view by the author who has extensive clinical experience with this syndrome.

RECENT FINDINGS
There is recent interest in the possible role of tumor necrosis factor α in new daily persistent headache pathogenesis and how a history of cervical spine hypermobility may be a needed predisposing physical characteristic for the development of this condition.

SUMMARY
New daily persistent headache is a recognized form of primary headache. It is unique in its presentation and course. Many new daily persistent headache patients can state the exact date their headache began. New daily persistent headache is marked by a continuous daily head pain of varying intensity, which can be associated with migrainous symptoms. At present, prognosis for new daily persistent headache is recognized as poor with very few available effective treatment options. The current International Classification of Headache Disorders 2 criteria for new daily persistent headache is inadequate and needs to be revised to capture a significant number of patients with this condition that would not meet the current published criteria.


Pollen can be transported great distances. Van de Water et. al., 2003 reported Juniperus spp. pollen was transported 200-600 km. Hence local observations of plant phenology may not be consistent with the timing and source of pollen collected by pollen sampling instruments. The DREAM (Dust REgional Atmospheric Model, Nickovic et al. 2001) is a verified model for atmospheric dust transport modeling using MODIS data products to identify source regions and quantities of dust. We are modified the DREAM model to incorporate pollen transport. Pollen release is estimated based on MODIS derived phenology of Juniperus spp. communities. Ground based observational records of pollen release timing and quantities are used as verification. This information will be used to support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program and the State of New Mexico environmental public health decision support for asthma and allergies alerts.


The notion of environmental space, based on the principles of environmental limits and sharing environmental resources equitably, offers a starting point for a positive approach to the global return of scarcity challenge, notably by providing a basis legitimating and strengthening the global governance of environmental and resource limits. First, it provides a cognitive framework for determining limits and for dealing with these more comprehensively and effectively, at all levels of government. Second, the environmental space approach supports, notably at the global level, a more equitable distribution of access to, and/or the benefits from, increasingly scarce resources. Third, it can be used as a basis for designing and introducing institutions and processes that enhance democracy and community control over the use of resources. Although the adoption of the environmental space approach at the national, international and global levels faces formidable obstacles, more people stand to gain from it, materially, socially, and politically, than from the nationally based environmental security approach. The basis of support and agency for the environmental space approach is most likely to be strengthened by the development of institutional designs that enhance economic democracy, giving all people a material and political stake in the management of resources.


The effect of a binary surfactant on the luminance efficiency of a green phosphor was investigated with an emphasis on the chemical control of interactions between the suspension components. The dispersion system of the green phosphor paste was designed by an evaluation of the acid and base properties of the green phosphor and the surface active organic molecules by a non-aqueous titration method. Oleyl amine and 4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl) phenyl-polyethylene phosphoric acid (hereafter SAIT7) were added into the green phosphor paste taking into account the ratio between the acid and base sites of the green phosphor particle's surface. This resulted in a higher maximum solid loading and a further decrease in the viscosity of the green phosphor paste compared to a single addition of SAIT7 and oleyl amine. The green phosphor paste with the binary surfactant exhibited a much improved photoluminescence intensity and homogeneity of the emission properties than a single addition of the dispersant.


The purpose of this study was to compare the fracture strength and mode of teeth restored with fiber/titanium post, polyethylene fiber, and adhesive composite. The mesial, distal, and palatal walls of human maxillary molar teeth were removed, so that only the buccal wall remained. Group 1, with caries-free maxillary molars, was used as a positive control group and the remaining groups were restored as follows: group 2, with only adhesive composite; group 3, with polyethylene fiber and adhesive composite; group 4, with fiber post and adhesive composite; group 5, with fiber post, polyethylene fiber, and adhesive composite; group 6, with titanium post and adhesive composite; and group 7, with titanium post, polyethylene fiber, and adhesive composite. A universal testing machine was used for fracture tests. Compressive loads were applied at an angle of 90 degrees on the occlusal surface of the specimens at crosshead speed of 1 mm/min until fracture occurred. Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney U tests were adopted for statistical analysis. The study shows that, based on the fracture strength, the group of teeth that were restored with glass fiber post, polyethylene fiber, and adhesive composite has the most significant improvement over all the other teeth groups. Based on the fracture mode, the teeth groups restored with only glass fiber post, adhesive composite, polyethylene fiber, and adhesive composite have relatively more restorable fractures observed.


The research aims to determine the effect of type of compost, and know the kind of good compost for the growth and production of sweet corn (Zea mays saccharata Sturt). This research was conducted at the experimental farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Riau in May to August 2015. This study used a completely randomized design (CRD), which consists of six treatments, each treatment was repeated 4 times to obtain 24 units of the experiment, while the treatment is given is Ko (without compost), K1 (10 ton / ha compost cassava peel), (10 tons / ha of compost PEFB), (10 tons / ha of rice straw compost), and (10 ton / ha maize straw compostg). Parameters measured were plant height, leaf length, leaf width, stem diameter, while the male flowers appear, while the female flowers appear, cob length, cob diameter, number of rows / ear, seed number / line, and the weight of variance followed cob.The reanlted by Duncan test New Multiple Range test at 5% level. The results showed that the administration of the various types of compost (cassava peel, PEFB, rice straw, water hyacinth and corn straw) significant effect on all parameters (plant height, leaf length, leaf width, stem diameter, time appears the male flowers, time appears flower female, cob length, cob diameter, heavy cob without husks, seed number per line and number of lines per cob) on the growth and yield of sweet corn. Giving compost cassava peel with a dose of 10 ton / ha gives better results on the growth and yield of sweet corn. It can be seen from all the parameters observed.


This paper presents a holistic approach to saliency-guided visual attention modeling (SVAM) for use by autonomous underwater robots. Our proposed model, named SVAM-Net, integrates deep visual features at various scales and semantics for effective salient object detection (SOD) in natural underwater images. The SVAM-Net architecture is configured in a unique way to jointly accommodate bottom-up and top-down learning within two separate branches of the network while sharing the same encoding layers. We design dedicated spatial attention modules (SAMs) along these learning pathways to exploit the coarse-level and fine-level semantic features for SOD at four stages of abstractions. The bottom-up branch performs a rough yet reasonably accurate saliency estimation at a fast rate, whereas the deeper top-down branch incorporates a residual refinement module (RRM) that provides fine-grained localization of the salient objects. Extensive performance evaluation of SVAM-Net on benchmark datasets clearly demonstrates its effectiveness for underwater SOD. We also validate its generalization performance by several ocean trials' data that include test images of diverse underwater scenes and waterbodies, and also images with unseen natural objects. Moreover, we analyze its computational feasibility for robotic deployments and demonstrate its utility in several important use cases of visual attention modeling.


Disruptive technologies arrive with regularity. Whether it is the first industrial revolution with steam powered factories and transportation, or subsequent revolutions which brought about chemical engineering, communications revolutions, aviation and eventually biotechnology and digitisation. We stand at the edge of the next revolution the AI revolution where methods of artificial intelligence and machine learning offer possibilities hitherto unimagined. How this revolution develops and how our society absorbs the potential of this new technology will be largely determined by the models of regulation and governance applied to the nascent technology. In this paper the authors examine lessons from history and propose a framework for identifying and analysing the key elements of regulatory regimes and their interactions which can form the basis for developing a new model for AI regulatory systems.  Furthermore, it argues that the goals of such systems should be to manage the risks different models and uses of AI pose, not just the ethical issues they create.


UNLABELLED
In vitro studies have demonstrated that (99m)Tc-methoxyisobutylisonitrile ((99m)Tc-MIBI) is a transport substrate of multidrug resistance (MDR)-related proteins. The aim of this clinical study was to evaluate whether (99m)Tc-MIBI scintigraphy was a functional imaging tool for in vivo detection of multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP) expression in osteosarcoma and to investigate the role of MRP and (99m)Tc-MIBI imaging to predict the clinical outcome. We also examined whether the scintigraphic parameters would help to distinguish the functional capacity of P-glycoprotein (Pgp) and MRP.

METHODS
Twenty-four patients with a diagnosis of osteosarcoma were studied before neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Tumor-to-background ratios of both early (10 min) and delayed (1 h) images and the percentage washout rate (WR%) of (99m)Tc-MIBI were calculated. Immunohistochemical analysis of MRP and Pgp was performed on biopsy specimens, and the response to preoperative chemotherapy was assessed by histopathologic examination.

RESULTS
Fifteen of 24 osteosarcoma samples in our series (62.5%) showed significant expression of MRP. The level of MRP expression was significantly correlated with the WR% of (99m)Tc-MIBI (r = 0.58, P = 0.003), and the WR% of (99m)Tc-MIBI was significantly faster in patients with high MRP expression than in those with a low MRP score (P = 0.007). The clearance rate of (99m)Tc-MIBI was significantly slower in tumor samples with negative or low expression of both Pgp and MRP (16% +/- 6.2%) when compared with osteosarcomas with high expression of both proteins (31.7% +/- 8.7%) (P = 0.001). There was not a significant difference between the WR% of (99m)Tc-MIBI in tumors with coexpression of both proteins and in tumors with high expression of either Pgp or MRP. Both the rate of MRP expression and the WR% of (99m)Tc-MIBI were significantly correlated with response rate.

CONCLUSION
Our results suggest that the WR% of (99m)Tc-MIBI is correlated with MRP expression. Both the WR% of (99m)Tc-MIBI and MRP expression are correlated with therapy response. (99m)Tc-MIBI can be used as a general probe for functional imaging of both Pgp and MRP; however, it is not capable of differentiating the functional status of either MDR-related glycoprotein.


Obesity is associated with a number of pathological disorders such as non-insulin-dependent diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and cardiovascular diseases. α-Lipoic acid (LA) has been demonstrated to activate the insulin signaling pathway and to exert insulin-like actions in adipose and muscle cells. Based on this similarity LA is expected to promote adipogenesis in pre-adipocytes. Here, however, we report that LA inhibited differentiation of 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes induced by a hormonal mixture or troglitazone. Northern blot analysis of cells demonstrated that this inhibition was accompanied with attenuated expression of adipocyte-specific fatty acid-binding protein and lipoprotein lipase. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay and Western blot analysis of cells demonstrated that LA modulates transcriptional activity and/or expression of a set of anti- or pro-adipogenic transcription factors. LA treatment of 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes also resulted in prolonged activation of major mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways but showed little or no effect on the activity of the insulin receptor/Akt signaling pathway. These findings suggest that LA inhibits insulin or the hormonal mixture-induced differentiation of 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes by modulating activity and/or expression of pro- or anti-adipogenic transcription factors mainly through activating the MAPK pathways.


Entitlements are programs that require payments to persons, state or local governments, or other entities if specific eligibility criteria established in the authorizing law are met. Entitlement payments are legal obligations of the federal government, and eligible beneficiaries may have legal recourse if full payment under the law is not provided. This report provides a brief explanation of spending for entitlements, including so-called appropriated entitlements, and discusses the congressional procedural constraints on legislation affecting such entitlement spending.