Dynamic languages enable rapid prototyping, but are generally not viewed as providing the best performance. As a result, software developers generally build a prototype in a dynamic language and then rewrite the application in C or Fortran for high performance. This costly rewriting step can be avoided by improving the performance of dynamic languages. Dynamic languages are usually interpreted for easier implementation. The traditional approach to improve their performance is to build an optimizing compiler. However, building a compiler from scratch is much more time-consuming than implementing an interpreter. Our thesis is that we can build effective compilers for dynamic languages by translating them into statically typed functional languages which have good compilers and automatic memory management. In particular, we believe that modern statically typed languages provide precise control over data representations, and come with runtime systems that have competitive performance.
To investigate the viability of this approach, we have built a compiler for the dynamic language Python by translating it into the statically typed functional language OCaml. An interesting practical advantage of using modern statically typed functional languages is that they use Hindley-Milner type systems, which means that there is no need for the translation to construct type terms.
We compare the performance of our implementation, Monty, with that of CPython, the reference Python implementation, and with Jython, a Java implementation of Python, using a suite of 370 benchmarks. Our experiments show that some programs compiled using our approach run up to 4.6 times faster than CPython. However, due to a number of engineering reasons, some programs also run significantly slower than CPython. We pinpoint the specific causes of performance degradation and assess the potential for removing these causes in future work. Our implementation is significantly faster than Jython, up to a factor of 100 in some cases.
A by product of our research is a proposal for an improved array copying implementation in OCaml.


Ce0.67Zr0.33O2 (CZ) nanorods are successfully synthesized by glycol-assisted hydrothermal method using zirconium oxychloride, cerium nitrate and urea, with the presence of sodium hypochlorite. The products are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectra. The catalytic oxidation characters about Pd/CZ three-way catalyst (TWC) prepared with different loads of Pd are also investigated. The results show that the as-prepared Pd/CZ has excellent catalytic oxidation character to CO.


Background/Aims: The CFTR gene has been shown to be involved in sporadic idiopathic pancreatitis (IP) and neonatal hypertrypsinemia with normal sweat chloride test (NHNST). The cationic trypsinogen gene (Try4) is responsible for hereditary pancreatitis. The aim of the present study was to find a correlation between mutations in the two genes and the two phenotypes. Methods: Analysis of some known gene mutations and complete gene screening by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and DNA sequencing were undertaken. Thirtytwo sporadic IP patients were investigated for the CFTR study, while 13 sporadic IP patients plus 4 hereditary pancreatitis families (24 tested individuals) were examined for the Try4 study. Fifty neonates with NHNST were investigated for the study of both genes. Results: CFTR mutations were more frequently observed in sporadic IP cases with a common cystic fibrosis mutation or borderline sweat chloride than in cases with a negative sweat test. Try4 mutations were found in 1 out of the 13 sporadic IP cases tested. Conclusions: The CFTR gene may be involved in IP and NHNST, while the Try4 gene may be involved in IP, but not in NHNST, in this limited series of


This project is about exploring a textile surface with the design elements of sound, physical contact and tactility. It is interesting to analyse how audio and physical elements can help stimulate the human senses. The aim is to bring these elements into a design context and create a textile surface that can give people a sensory and spatial experience. Through tufting it is possible to work with long and short pile, which adds tactile values in the material. The outcome of this exploration is a vast tufted landscape that partly covers the wall and continues out on the floor. The surface has an abstract visual appearance with irregular shapes that defines the different material. The large scale has an overwhelming effect and invites people to interact and explore the surface. This challenges the fundamental structures of architecture and increases the importance of tactile and human senses, such as curiosity in spatial environments


The slow nucleation of clathrate hydrates is a central challenge for their use in the storage and transportation of natural gas. Molecules that strongly adsorb to the clathrate-water interface decrease the crystal-water surface tension, lowering the barrier for clathrate nucleation. Surfactants are widely used to promote the nucleation and growth of clathrate hydrates. It has been proposed that these amphiphilic molecules bind to the clathrate surface via hydrogen bonding. However, recent studies reveal that PVCap, an amphiphilic polymer, binds to clathrates through hydrophobic moieties. Here we use molecular dynamic simulations and theory to investigate the mode and strength of binding of surfactants to the clathrate-water interface and their effect on the nucleation rate. We find that the surfactants bind to the clathrate-water interface exclusively through their hydrophobic tails. The binding is strong, driven by the entropy of dehydration of the alkyl chain, as it penetrates empty cavities at the hydrate surface. The hydrophobic attraction of alkyl groups to the clathrate surface also results in strong adsorption of alkanes. We identify two regimes for the binding of surfactants as a function of their density at the hydrate surface, which we interpret to correspond to the two steps of the Langmuir adsorption isotherm observed in experiments. Our results indicate that hydrophobic attraction to the clathrate-water interface is key for the design of soluble additives that promote the nucleation of hydrates. We use the calculated adsorption coefficients to estimate the concentration of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) required to reach nucleation rates for methane hydrate consistent with those measured in experiments. To our knowledge, this study is the first to quantify the effect of surfactant concentration in the nucleation rate of clathrate hydrates.


OBJECTIVES
Acute retinal detachments (RD) can be difficult to diagnose and may require emergent intervention. This study was designed to assess the performance of emergency department ocular ultrasound (EOUS) for the diagnosis of RD.

METHODS
This was a prospective, observational study using a convenience sample of emergency department (ED) patients. Physicians performed EOUS for the diagnosis of RD prior to evaluation by an ophthalmologist. The criterion standard was the diagnosis of a RD by the ophthalmologist who was blinded to the results of EOUS.

RESULTS
Fifteen physicians evaluated 48 patients with acute visual changes. Eighteen patients (38%) had RDs and all were correctly identified (true positives). Of the 30 patients (62%) without RD, 25 patients were correctly identified (true negatives), and five patients with vitreous hemorrhages were misidentified as having RDs (false positives). Therefore, the sensitivity and specificity of EOUS for RD were 100% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 78% to 100%) and 83% (95% CI = 65% to 94%), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS
Emergency department ocular ultrasound is sensitive for the diagnosis of RD and may have a role in excluding RD in patients presenting to the ED.


This is the second part of a two-part series on the seismic energy based fatigue damage analysis of bridge piers. This second part deals with the determination of energy and fatigue demands on bridge columns. A smooth asymmetric degrading hysteretic model is presented, capable of accurately simulating the behavior of bridge piers. The model parameters are determined automatically by using a system identification routine integrated into a computer program OPTIMA. The program can use either real experimental data or simulated experiment results from a reversed cyclic loading fiber element analysis. A SDOF inelastic dynamic analysis program was implemented capable of using different hysteretic models. Spectral results were produced by using the smooth model presented which had been calibrated with full-size bridge column experimental data to determine global parameters to simulate column behavior. Design recommendations regarding the assessment of fatigue energy are made based on the results obtained through the nonlinear dynamic analysis. A complete methodology of seismic evaluation of existing bridge structures is proposed, which incorporated the traditional strength and ductility aspects plus the fatigue energy demand. The relevance of fatigue aspects for the seismic design of new bridge structures is also demonstrated. It is shown that the present code use of force reduction factors, that are independent of natural period, are unconservative for short period stiff structures. Recommendations are made for force reduction factors to be used in fatigue resistant design.


All-optical transduction of ultrasound provides high-frequency (>20 MHz) operation in the absence of electrical noise and distortion that hinders small-scale piezoelectric probes. Although fabrication of an all-optical 2-D array suitable for in vivo imaging remains incomplete, a thin-film structure integrating a polyimide film with a Fabry-Perot (etalon) receiver has been shown to be a viable candidate. We present here incremental improvements in the performance of a polyimide-etalon transducer and demonstrate imaging with an array configuration alternative to our previous study. We first show that a gain of more than 30% in output pressure is achieved when increasing the thickness of a bare polyimide film from 3 to 15 μm. This motivated the choice of polyimide as the etalon medium-a configuration made possible by utilizing a dielectric mirror that transmits wavelengths used for generation of ultrasound (ultraviolet) and reflects those for detection (near infrared). The increased reflectivity of the dielectric mirror resulted in a 2-fold decrease in noise-equivalent pressure to 3.3 kPa over a bandwidth of 47.5 MHz (0.48 Pa/ Hz). The transmit/receive center frequency increased from 37 to 49 MHz with a -6-dB bandwidth of 126%, and a maximum pressure of 213 kPa was produced using a 43 μm UV spot. A 2 x 2 mm synthetic array of 957 transmitters centered on a 1 x 1 mm synthetic array of four receivers was used to image two wire targets. Offline reconstruction indicated lateral resolutions of 70 and 114 μm at depths of 2.4 and 5.8 mm, respectively, with an average axial resolution of 35 μm. Finally, we explore the challenges of imaging in this configuration, which provides the best opportunity for real-time performance pending further development.


Analyses were done on a human type-IV cyclic AMP (cAMP) phosphodiesterase (hPDE-IVA-h6.1) expressed in an engineered strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This strain (YMS6) expressed soluble PDE activity, together with an insoluble activity which was not released by re-homogenization, treatment with high-ionic-strength solutions or with the detergent Triton X-100. Pellet and soluble PDE activities were typical of type-IV PDE. They were cAMP-specific, insensitive to the addition of either cGMP (1 microM) or Ca2+/calmodulin, and inhibited by rolipram. Thermostability studies showed both activities to decay as single exponentials, indicating the presence of homogeneous PDE protein species in each fraction. Pellet PDE activity was more thermostable than the soluble enzyme. Mg2+ and Mn2+ dose-dependently increased PDE activity and reversed the inactivating effect of EDTA.h6.1 was engineered to express a C-terminal five-histidine motif (h6.1his5). This allowed purification of the PDE to apparent homogeneity in a simple two-step process involving a rolipram affinity column and a Ni2(+)-chelate column. A single monomeric protein of subunit molecular mass approximately 73 kDa and native molecular mass approximately 74 kDa resulted after a approximately 53000-fold purification. This exhibited a Km for cAMP of 8 microM, a true Vmax. of 0.8 mumol of cAMP hydrolysed/min per mg of PDE protein, a kcat. of 3702 s-1, and a value of the specificity constant kcat/Km of 4.6 x 10(8) M-1.s-1, the last implying a diffusion controlled reaction. Rolipram (Ki 0.4 soluble; 0.7 microM pellet) and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (Ki 15 soluble; 19 microM pellet) served as simple competitive inhibitors for both soluble and pellet forms of h6.1, respectively.


ABSTRACT We engineered a strain of the bacterium Caulobacter crescentus to fluoresce in the presence of micromolar levels of uranium at ambient temperatures when it is exposed to a hand-held UV lamp. Previous microarray experiments revealed that several Caulobacter genes are significantly upregulated in response to uranium but not in response to other heavy metals. We designated one of these genes urcA (for uranium response in caulobacter). We constructed a reporter that utilizes the urcA promoter to produce a UV-excitable green fluorescent protein in the presence of the uranyl cation, a soluble form of uranium. This reporter is specific for uranium and has little cross specificity for nitrate (<400 μM), lead (<150 μM), cadmium (<48 μM), or chromium (<41.6 μM). The uranium reporter construct was effective for discriminating contaminated groundwater samples (4.2 μM uranium) from uncontaminated groundwater samples (<0.1 μM uranium) collected at the Oak Ridge Field Research Center. In contrast to other uranium detection methodologies, the Caulobacter reporter strain can provide on-demand usability in the field; it requires minimal sample processing and no equipment other than a hand-held UV lamp, and it may be sprayed directly on soil, groundwater, or industrial surfaces.


Assimilation of Earth Observation (EO) data into Dynamic Vegetation Models (DVMs) can either be via derived products (e.g., LAI or fAPAR) or through radiances. Successful assimilation generally requires that the distribution of errors in an observed variable is well known. Radiance measurements conform to this requirement more strongly than derived products which have undergone more complex processing and whose relation to the true value of the estimated variable is poorly understood. To enable radiances to be assimilated a DVM must be able to predict canopy leaving radiation. To do this it is necessary to couple it with a Canopy Reflectance Model (CRM). As DVMs require some concept of intercepted radiation to drive photosynthesis and ultimately plant growth, there is a common framework between DVMs and CRMs which may be exploited for this purpose. This paper describes the mechanisms by which a simple radiative transfer CRM can be coupled with a DVM and discusses the disparities in the assumptions made by each concerning photon-vegetation interactions. Results of forward modelled canopy reflectances are presented and compared with EO estimates of reflectance


Background: Radiation therapy using electron beams is a promising method due to its physical dose distribution. Monte Carlo (MC) code is the best and most accurate technique for forespeaking the distribution of dose in radiation treatment of patients. Material and Methods: We report an MC simulation of a linac head and depth dose on central axis, along with profile calculations. The purpose of the present research is to carefully analyze the application of MC methods for the calculation of dosimetric parameters for electron beams with energies of 8-14 MeV at a Siemens Primus linac. The principal components of the linac head were simulated using MCNPX code for different applicators. Results: The consequences of measurements and simulations revealed a good agreement. Gamma index values were below 1 for most points, for all energy values and all applicators in percent depth dose and dose profile computations. A number of states exhibited rather large gamma indices; these points were located at the tail of the percent depth dose graph; these points were less used in in radiotherapy. In the dose profile graph, gamma indices of most parts were below 1. The discrepancies between the simulation results and measurements in terms of Zmax, R90, R80 and R50 were insignificant. The results of Monte Carlo simulations showed a good agreement with the measurements. Conclusion: The software can be used for simulating electron modes of a Siemens Primus linac when direct experimental measurements are not feasible.


Compression precracking has been used in a renewed effort to generate fatigue-crack growth rates in the threshold and near-threshold regimes, as an alternative to the traditional load-reduction procedure. But concerns have been expressed on the influence of tensile residual stresses resulting from compressive yielding at the crack-starter notch. This paper uses elastic-plastic, finite-element analyses to study the influence of the tensile residual stresses induced by compression precracking on simulated crack growth under constant-amplitude loading. High-fidelity finite-element models (60 000 to 160 000 DOF) using two-dimensional plane-stress analyses were used to model plastic yielding during compressive loading and simulated fatigue-crack growth through the tensile residual-stress field. The finite-element code was ZIP2D and the course mesh had an element size of 2 μm. A refined mesh had an element size four times smaller (0.5 μm) than the course mesh. Fatigue-crack growth and crack-closure effects were simulated over a wide range in stress ratios (R=0 to 0.8) and load levels, after compression precracking. The crack-tip-opening displacement (CTOD) concept was used to judge the extent of the influence on the tensile residual stresses and the stabilization of the crack-opening loads. It was found that the tensile residual stress field decayed as the crack grew under cyclic loading. Once the crack had reached one compressive plastic-zone size, the tensile residual-stress field had dissipated. However, the stabilization of the crack-opening loads and merging of the CTOD values with and without compression precracking was found to be about 1.5 to 2 times the compressive plastic-zone size at R=0 loading. The effects dissipated at smaller distances from the notch tip for the higher stress ratios. The present results have validated the crack-extension criterion that had been proposed for use in the compressive precracking threshold test method, beyond which, cracks are growing under constant-amplitude (steady-state) behavior.


The direct torque control (DTC) was proposed as an alternative to the vector control in the middle of 1980s for AC machine control. This strategy bases on the direct determination of inverter switching states and offers a simpler scheme and less sensitivity to machine parameters. However, the variable switching frequency of DTC causes high flux and torque ripples which lead to an acoustical noise and degrade the performance of the control technique, especially at low-speed regions. In the objective of improving the performance of DTC for the induction motor, this work addresses the most important points concerning this issue. The reduction of high ripples, which are the major drawbacks, by applying a constant switching frequency using the space vector modulation (SVM) has been done firstly. Then, fuzzy DTC-SVM strategy with adaptive fuzzy-PI speed controller has been proposed. The results of all the discussed aspects of this chapter have been obtained by numerical simulation using MATLAB/Simulink software.


IntroductionWorkplace conditions and exposures are important determinants of health. However, identifying and monitoring population-level trends in work-related disease is challenged by existing data limitations. Administrative health databases capture timely and accurate information about disease diagnoses among the Ontario population, but these data do not include work history.
Objectives and ApproachThe Occupational Disease Surveillance System (ODSS), launched in 2017, captures and reports trends in work-related disease in Ontario. A cohort of 2+ million workers was identified from compensation claims (1983-2014). Records were linked through probabilistic and deterministic methods to the Registered Persons Database (1990-2015), and administrative health databases including the Ontario Cancer Registry (1964-2016), hospitalization (2006-2016), ambulatory care (2006-2016) and provincial health insurance plan billing data (1999-2016). Preliminary applications of ODSS have examined risks of 28 cancer sites and 11 non-cancer health conditions. Risks are estimated with Cox proportional hazards models for thousands of industry and occupation groups.
ResultsLinkage of existing administrative databases is an efficient approach for examining risk factors for work-related disease at the population level. ODSS can identify groups of workers by industry or occupation that are at increased risk of disease due to known or suspected workplace conditions and risk factors. For example, ODSS detected elevated risk of lung cancer among known at-risk workers employed in mining and quarrying (HR 1.47, 95% CI 1.33-1.61), transport equipment operating (HR 1.39, 95% CI 1.34-1.44), and construction (HR 1.09, 95% CI 1.06-1.13). Exploratory analyses can also detect previously unknown associations between work-related risk factors and disease. For example, although dermatitis and asthma are common occupational diseases, many causative exposures remain unclear. ODSS is currently being used to further explore potential risk factors.
Conclusion/ImplicationsTimely information about work-related disease is crucial to support prevention initiatives to protect workers. This novel linkage identifies existing and emerging trends in occupational disease in Ontario. By capturing work-related risk factors, ODSS serves as a model for other provinces to overcome existing gaps in disease surveillance.


Brown tumors, focal bony lesions of hyperparathyroidism, result from the direct effect of parathyroid hormone on bone. While such lesions are not uncommon in primary hyperparathyroidism, brown tumors have been associated less frequently with secondary hyperparathyroidism and have rarely been described as involving the orbital bones. We have found only four such cases previously reported in the ophthalmic literature. We report a case of orbital involvement by brown tumor in a child with chronic renal failure and secondary hyperparathyroidism. Use of long-term hemodialysis has increased the life span of individuals with chronic renal failure and produced an increased population of patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism and resultant bony changes. The ophthalmologist should consider brown tumor in the differential diagnosis of a patient with chronic renal failure and ocular symptomatology.


The focus of this degree work is on material interaction within the field of knitwear. Material combinations are often seen in fashion as a decorative effect to add shine, transparency or blocks of colour. The materials are put together as one flat material. This work embraces the different qualities and explores the possibilities to use material interaction as a way of creating form on the body. To achieve this, material experiments have been made to find combinations that had a big impact on each other. The materials that were found to be most suitable for this were the combination of metal and lycra yarn. This combination showed contrast in both volume and in density. The result is a collection of seven examples that is based from square knitted pieces where the interaction changes the form of the material and the garment. Creating form from material combination could lead to a new method of creating garments with larger form possibilities than is seen today in ready to wear knitted garments.


The relief of suffering is at the heart of palliative care practice. Yet there has been little exploration of how palliative care doctors, working in different countries and cultures, recognise and respond to their patients' suffering. This research sought to develop a deeper understanding of suffering in the palliative care context, as witnessed by doctors in India and Australia. Through narrative interviews, 18 doctors spoke of how they recognised suffering, and what it meant to them to respond to suffering. The narratives chosen for analysis spoke to the dialogical encounter in which doctors sought to connect with their patients in common humanity, to recognise the particular nature of suffering and to meet in an intersubjective, relational space. The concept of intersubjectivity provided a lens for analysis of these narratives. Here, 'intersubjective' is used to describe the interhuman experience in which the subjectivities of 'I' and 'Thou', described in Martin Buber's dialogical ontology, are brought to the encounter. I use the term 'dialogical encounter' to describe the meaningful connection between doctor and patient, as experienced by the doctor, where there is a sense of recognition of the 'other' and possible emergence of the 'in-between' realm (Buber, 1970). A key finding is that the relief of suffering in palliative care involves dialogical encounter between doctor and patient. In this in-between realm of interhuman encounter, suffering is transformed or relieved through the recognition and confirmation of the person who is suffering. Rather than being unidirectional, dialogical encounter is mutual, with the doctor also receiving from the patient, within the normative limits of the therapeutic relationship. The cultural differences apparent in suffering between India and Australia were unified in the experience of dialogical encounter by doctors in both countries. This thesis reinforces the primacy of the doctor–patient relationship in the relief of suffering and encourages renewed attention to preserving the conditions for the flourishing of this relationship in modern medical practice. Key words: narrative, palliative care, suffering, physician-patient relationship, encounter, intersubjective


An enhanced version of a previously presented geometrical ray‐tracing program for the Macintosh [M. Rieffel and E. C. Everbach, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 91, 2373(A) (1992)] will be demonstrated. The program accepts input files of auditoria created in any of several popular CAD programs that export standard DXF formats, displaying the auditorium in 3‐D projection. The user specifies the surface absorption coefficients of all internal surfaces and the placement and characteristics of sound sources. The user also specifies an arbitrary ''monitor'' plane passing through the hall, each point of which will be a receiving location in the subsequent simulation. When the simulation is run, rays are propagated between source and receiver, allowing the computation of an echogram for each point in the monitor plane. In this way users can discover focusing, dead spots, or late reflections at specific locations in a proposed hall design. The program is available for consultant or instructor use, and will be demonstrated dur...


Blood flow in 49 patients suffering from stenosing lesions of the supraaortic trunks was measured using an ultrasonic volume flow metre (VFM) before and after operation. Results showed a statistically significant increase in the values of carotid flow, after operation. This non-invasive quantitative determination of blood flow provides the surgeon with often essential information for correct operation and subsequent follow-up.


ABSTRACT Introduction Historically chocolate has been reported to exert several effects on human sexuality, mainly acting as an effective aphrodisiac, increasing sexual desire, and improving sexual pleasure. Aim The aim of our study was to assess whether there is an association between daily chocolate intake and sexual function in a convenience sample of Northern Italian women. Methods A convenience sample of 163 women (mean ± SD age: 35.3 ± 9.2 years; body mass index [BMI]: 22.5 ± 3.5 kg/m 2 ), recruited through advertising, completed an anonymous semistructured interview on recreational habits and questionnaires to assess sexual function (Female Sexual Function Index [FSFI]), sexual distress (Female Sexual Distress Scale), and depression (Beck Depression Inventory and Center for Epidemiological Survey Depression Scale). Results Complete data were available for 153/163 (93.8%) women. Participants who reported daily chocolate intake (Group 1: 120 women) were significantly younger than those (Group 2: 33 women) who did not report to eat chocolate (33.9 ± 0.8 years vs. 40.4 ± 1.6 years, respectively) ( P  = 0.0003), despite a similar BMI. Participants in Group 1 had significantly higher total ( P  = 0.002) and desire domain ( P  = 0.01) FSFI scores than participants in Group 2. No differences between the two groups were observed concerning sexual arousal and satisfaction, sexual distress and depression. Our data also confirm that aging has a high statistically significant impact on women's sexual function. Conclusions It is alluring to hypothesize that chocolate can have either a psychological or a biological positive impact on women's sexuality. In our sample women reporting chocolate consumption have higher FSFI scores than women who do not eat chocolate. However, when data are adjusted for age FSFI scores are similar, regardless of chocolate consumption. Salonia A, Fabbri F, Zanni G, Scavini M, Fantini GV, Briganti A, Naspro R, Parazzini F, Gori E, Rigatti P, and Montorsi F. Chocolate and women's sexual health: An intriguing correlation. J Sex Med 2006;3:476–482.


textabstractMigrant communities' homeland-oriented political campaigns are always related to, but often different from, the activism in which local people engage in their homeland setting. In seeking to understand the observed disparities between migrant campaigns and homeland activism, several studies have demonstrated the influence of contextual factors like political opportunity structures on homeland-oriented migrant politics. Complementing these studies are works that focus on changes to identity and belonging associated with migration and resettlement. In this article, I build on these debates by offering a combined analysis of the intersections between, and interplay of, contextual and identity-based factors. I use this analytical approach to examine the case of Sudanese political activists resident in the UK. I demonstrate how forms of belonging emerge here as part of – and not in isolation from – the strategic navigations of multiple political contexts and opportunities. In doing so, I contribute to our understanding of how belonging can be contextualized to serve as an analytical lens for understanding homeland-oriented migrant activism.


ABSTRACT Objectives In the evaluation of children with Kawasaki disease (KD), the age of onset is important and complications may occur if the distinctive features are not assessed accordingly. The objective of the study is to define the clinical and laboratory presentations and treatment outcomes of KD in infants ≤6 months of age compared to those >6 months multicentrically. Methods This retrospective study reviewed the medical records of the patients diagnosed with KD and followed up between January 2009 and January 2019. Results A total of 204 KD patients were enrolled and grouped according to age as Group I (≤6 months, n = 31) and Group II (>6 months, n = 173). Except for cervical adenopathy (19.3% vs. 47.4%, p = 0.03), the major clinical manifestations of KD were similar between groups I and II. However, the frequency of incomplete and atypical KD was higher in Group I (38.7% vs. 24.8%, p = 0.04, 38.7% vs. 8.1% p < 0.001, respectively). Clinical features such as vomiting/diarrhea (19.3% vs. 1.1% p < 0.001), aseptic meningitis (19.3% vs. 2.3%, p = 0.001) were more common in Group I. Percentage of neutrophils (45.5 vs. 36, p = 0.004) and hemoglobin levels (8 vs. 10.5 gr/dL, p = 0.02) were statistically lower and platelet count (737,000 vs 400,000/mm3, p = 0.004) was statistically higher in group I. Coronary artery lesions (CALs) were more common in Group I (48% vs. 20%, p < 0.001). Harada and Kobayashi scores appear to be effective in predicting coronary artery lesions (CALs) and IVIG resistance in the entire cohort. There was no diagnostic delay in group I (5.5 vs 6.5 days, p = 0.88). Conclusions Since clinical presentations and laboratory features of KD may vary with age, and the frequency of atypical and incomplete presentations is high, awareness of KD in young children should be raised among pediatricians.


Ascorbic acid- polyethylene glycol- ascorbic acid (AA-PEG-AA) triblock dendrimer as biocompatible compound containing G1, G2 and G3 were applied as a drug- delivery system. The syntheses of novel liner- dendritic copolymers were achieved via tow procedures. In the first procedure synthesis of the copolymers carried out through an esteri fication reaction using thionyl chloride and pyridine. In the second procedure copolymers was prepared using dicyclohexylcarbodimide (DCC) and pyridine. The ascorbic acid as the monomer unit was used for the preparation of ester-globular fragments. Diacid poly (ethylene glycol) was chlorinated and diacyl halide poly (ethylene glycol) prepared and used as the core. The structure definition and analysis of the new resulted triblock copolymers and their complexes were carried out using NMR, opticalmicroscopy, FT- IR methods.


One of the North American bat species most impacted by white-nose syndrome (WNS) is the northern long-eared bat Myotis septentrionalis, which as a result has been listed under the Endangered Species Act. WNS was first detected in Wisconsin in 2014. Unfortunately, little is known regarding the ecology of M. septentrionalis in this state pre-WNS to guide management supporting post-WNS recovery efforts. The objectives of our research were to (1) assess characteristics of trees that are associated with roost tree selection and (2) investigate how characteristics of maternity colony networks compare to colonies in the eastern USA. We mist-netted at 3 sites in Wisconsin in 2015 and 2016, and affixed radio transmitters to 39 female M. septentrio nalis. We tracked bats to 53 confirmed day roosts. We found that roost trees were larger, more decayed, and more likely to be in dominant canopy closure areas than random trees. Oaks Quercus spp. were used most frequently and in proportion to their availability in the landscape at 2 field sites, whereas invasive black locust Robinia pseudoacacia was used more than expected based on availability at another site. Overall, minimum convex polygon sizes for maternity roosts were variable (5.2 to 8.9 ha) but similar to values reported for other regions. However, network centrality was low, indicating equitable use of day roosts and more frequent roost switching compared to other regions. Our findings provide information that increasing availability of potential day roosts in the landscape during the reproductive period may improve recruitment, which may in turn mitigate some of the detrimental population effects from WNS.


Straipsnyje susipažindinama su 2011 m. atlikto paveldo ir lituanistinių mokslo duomenų skaitmeninimo situacijos Lietuvoje tyrimo svarbiausiais rezultatais: apžvelgiamos, palyginamos esamos sistemos ir skaitmeninancos institucijos; aptariami skaitmeninimą lemiantys aplinkos veiksniai, istekliai. Straipsnio pabaigoje pateikiamos svarbiausios esamos problemos, diskutuojami jų sprendimo būdai. Tyrimą atliko Vilniaus universiteto Komunikacijos fakultetas, kartu su UAB "IO Projects" vykdydamas Lietuvos mokslo tarybos finansuojamą projektą "Lituanistinių mokslo tyrimų ir paveldo infrastruktūrų tinklo kūrimas: projektavimo fazė". Reiksminiai žodžiai: paveldas, lituanistiniai mokslo duomenys, skaitmeninimas Lietuvoje. Digitization of c ultural h eritage and s cientific d ata of Lithuanian s tudies in L ithuania: the 2011 s ituation Rimvydas Laužikas, Ingrida Vosyliūtė Summary The article presents the main data on the situation with the digitization of heritage and Lithuanian studies scientific data in Lithuania in 2011. The study was carried out at the Faculty of Communication of Vilnius University when implementing the project Development of the National Network of Infrastructure of Lithuanian Studies Scientific Research and Heritage: the Design Phase financed by the Research Council of Lithuania. The digitization of cultural heritage and Lithuanian studies scientific data has been going on in Lithuania for already more than 15 years. During that time, near 100 different information infrastructures have been developed. Most of scientific data are digitized by the Institute of the Lithuanian Language, Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore, Vilnius University, Vytautas Magnus University and Kaunas University of Technology. From the quantitative point of view, the number of IS controlled by a memory institution is less, but this is determined by a higher concentration and level of strategic management in this sector, which is supervised by the Ministry of Culture. The environmental analysis has shown that the strategic priority given to the scientific research of Lithuanian studies, digitization of their scientific data, heritage data and the legal, political, financial, technological, institutional environment in Lithuania are favourable. There is no factor or reason to be singled out for its strongest influence on the development of infrastructures in Lithuania, because their development is determined by the totality of interrelated factors. When assessing systematically, it was established that the creation and development of the network of Lithuanian studies infrastructure would be most greatly influenced by institutional, technological and function distribution factors; legal and administrative factors would influence them less, while the influence of economic and social factors would be the least. An important source of problems in the digitization of heritage and scientific data of Lithuanian studies in Lithuania is the fact that these sciences, scientific institutions and their infrastructures are supervised by the Ministry of Culture and Science, whereas the memory institutions and information infrastructures of the most important sources (heritage) are in the competence of the Ministry of Culture. Therefore, the creation of specialized information systems and databases in research and memory institutions is almost non-coordinated, and the interoperability of created infrastructures is not ensured. In the existing infrastructures of Lithuanian studies scientific research and heritage, the accumulated digital and digitized content has a great social and cultural significance, but it could be accessed and used much more efficiently upon merging the resources stored in different infrastructures into one single network and upon implementing the strategic management tools in the sphere of digitization of scientific data and creation of research infrastructures. Based on the study results, the following prospects for infrastructure development should be singled out: the further development of the created infrastructures in the technological sense as well as in the sense of contents; creation of inter-institutional infrastructures by optimising the resources and avoiding the duplication of activities; promotion of cooperation and networking by decreasing decentralization and the use of general standards. 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">


Indemnification refers to the financial protection provided by the corporation for its directors. It shields directors from expenses and liability of legal proceedings alleging breaches of their duty to the corporation. The author argues that although Canada's current federal statutory indemnification scheme, s.124 of the Canada Business Corporations Act ("CBCA") was intended to provide a comprehensive scheme for dealing with indemnification, it does not encompass actions brought directly by a corporation against its directors for a breach of duty to the corporation. Although direct actions would seem to fall naturally into subsection 124(4), which authorizes indemnification for actions "by...the corporation" this was intended to apply only to derivative actions. Nor can direct actions be appropriately accommodated by subsection 124(1), which is intended to deal with indemnification in actions brought by third parties. Derivative suits brought by corporate stakeholders, and direct suits brought by the corporation itself, are not the same; in direct suits the corporation and its management are truly adverse. It is contended that advancement in such cases is inappropriate and judicial inclination to interpret direct actions as falling within the purview of the section should be avoided. This article reviews policy issues raised by advancement of defence costs to directors incurred in both derivative actions and direct actions by the corporation. This article begins with s. 124. The historical development of the section is canvassed to demonstrate that direct actions were never considered within its purview. Canadian federal indemnity laws have been heavily influenced by American corporation law, particularly that of Delaware, New York, and the Model Business Corporations Act. The impact of these statutes on the development of s. 124 is considered, concluding with a discussion of the merits of interpreting this section to encompass direct actions.


The formation and wiring of the vertebrate nervous system involves the spatially and temporally ordered production of diverse neuronal and glial subtypes that are molecularly and functionally distinct. The chick embryo has been the experimental model of choice for many of the studies that have led to our current understanding of this process, and has presaged and informed a wide range of complementary genetic studies, in particular in the mouse. The versatility and tractability of chick embryos means that it remains an important model system for many investigators in the field. Here we will focus on the role of Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling in coordinating the diversification, patterning, growth and differentiation of the vertebrate nervous system. We highlight how studies in chick led to the identification of the role Shh plays in the developing neural tube and how subsequent work, including studies in the chick and the mouse revealed details of the cell intrinsic programs controlling cell fate determination. We compare these mechanisms at different rostral-caudal positions along the neuraxis and discuss the particular experimental attributes of the chick that facilitated this work.


The method of infrared thermovision was used to study 22 patients with Raynaud's syndrome: 9 patients with sclerodermia, 8 with the primary Raynaud's syndrome and 5 patients with various rheumatic diseases. Patients with recurrent Raynaud's syndrome exhibited adaptation disorders, anomalous distribution of temperature--warming up began not from the distal regions of the bones, as it happens in the norm and with the primary Raynaud's syndrome, but from the proximal regions. Functional tests for sympathetic activation showed the absence of excess reaction in all the groups under examination. Direct cooling of the hand in patients with recurrent Raynaud's syndrome was accompanied by a considerable delay in restoration of the initial temperature. Sublingual administration of nifedipine did not induce a rise in skin temperature in 6 out of 9 patients with sclerodermia. Marked disorders in microcirculation in patients with recurrent Raynaud's syndrome were observed. The role of injury inflicted to arteriovenous anastomoses in pathogenesis of the mentioned syndrome are discussed.


ABSTRACT The importance of individuals' social environment as an explanation for the 'happiness-income paradox', but also accounting for the negative relationship between income inequality and subjective well-being in macro-comparative perspective is now widely recognized. At the same time, however, debates are still ongoing about the specific role local communities play in moderating the relationship between personal income and subjective well-being. This article adds to this literature by examining cross-level interactions between individual- and district-level determinants of self-rated happiness using multilevel mixed regression techniques. Our findings suggest that living in wealthier districts in Hong Kong is a 'positive' for individuals on lower personal incomes, whereas the effect on those with higher incomes is more in line with arguments underlining the role of local communities as a 'negative'. While the overall effect of district-level poverty on self-reported happiness in Hong Kong is benign, this is not the case for individuals on low incomes who are most negatively affected if they live in districts featuring higher levels of deprivation. Governments across contemporary Asian global cities should recognize the important role of citizens' social environment and tackle existing structural barriers to greater self-reported happiness accordingly.


Condition monitoring of wind turbines with only operational data has received more attention in the last decade due to the advantage of freely available data without extra equipment needed. Although the operational data recorded by the Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) system are intended for performance monitoring and typically stored only every 10 minutes, information on the turbine's health can be extracted. A major focus is here on the temperature signals of mechanical parts such as drivetrain bearings. Despite the fact that absolute temperatures rise very late in the case of a failure, the temperature behaviour might change well in advance. Model-based monitoring is a tool to detect these small changes in the temperature signal affected by varying load and operation. Data-driven models are trained in a period where the turbine can be assumed to be healthy and represent the normal operation thereafter. Degradation and imminent failures can be detected by analysing the residual of modelled and measured temperatures. However, detecting failures in the residual is not always straightforward due to possibly unrepresentative training data and limited capabilities of this approach. A different way of using SCADA data lies in the estimation of damage accumulation with performance parameters based on the Physics of Failure methodology. A combination of model-based monitoring with damage calculation based on a Physics of Failure approach is proposed to strengthen the failure detection capabilities. The monitoring performance is evaluated in a case study with SCADA data from a wind farm.


The CEFR-J project was launched in Japan in 2008. The CEFR-J gives a set of Can Do descriptors for 10 CEFR sub- levels (Pre-A1 to B2.2) and related Reference Level Description (RLD) work, whilst including developed profiling for vocabulary, grammar, and textual features were developed. In this article, the English resources created for the CEFR-J are applied in preparing teaching resources for other major European languages as well as Asian languages. To achieve this, a series of teaching/learning resources including the CEFR-J Wordlist and Phrase List initially developed for English were translated into 27 other languages using neural machine translation. These translated word and phrase lists were then manually corrected by a team of language experts. The automatic conversion of English to other languages was evaluated against human judgments as well as frequency analysis referencing web corpora. Three types of e-learning resources were created, taking into consideration the wordlists and the phrase lists for teaching those languages to undergraduate students: (1) a flash-card app for learning vocabulary, which allows for classification by both thematic topic and CEFR level, (2) an online syntax writing tool for the study of grammar and vocabulary, and (3) an online spoken and written production corpus collection tool.
Keywords: CEFR-J, multilingual resources, e-learning, machine translation, automatic conversion, NLP, multilingual corpora, web-based, writing tool, spoken production


Dengue fever is a re-emergent and challenging public health problem in the world. Here, we assess retrospectively the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of the 2002 dengue epidemic in the state of Colima, Mexico. This study is carried out by analysing a database containing demographic, epidemiological and clinical information. Of the 4040 clinical dengue cases diagnosed in the hospitals of the Mexican Institute of Public Health in the state of Colima, 548 cases were confirmed by laboratory tests, and 495 cases presented at least one haemorrhagic manifestation. Of the total clinically diagnosed cases, the most common symptoms observed were: fever (99.6%), headache (92.4%), myalgia (89.4%) and arthalgia (88.6%). The most common haemorrhagic manifestations were: petechiae (7.1%), gingivitis (3.4%) and epistaxis (3.6%). The median time between the onset of illness and visit to the health care clinic (diagnostic delay) was 1 day (interquartile range [IQR]: 0-3). For cases presenting haemorrhagic manifestations, the diagnostic delay was higher (median: 2 days, IQR: 0-4) than for non-haemorrhagic cases (median: 1 day, IQR: 0-3). The proportion of males presenting haemorrhagic manifestations was higher than females (Fisher Exact test; p<0.01). Moreover, the age group 0-5 years presented a lower proportion of cases with haemorrhagic manifestations compared with the age group of 6 years and older (p=0.0281). No significant differences were found between the diagnostic delays in the case of males and females.


We introduce a novel semantic representation formalism, Almost Flat Functional semantics (AFF), which is designed as an intelligent compromise between linguistically motivated predicate/argument semantics and ad hoc engineering solutions based on flat feature/value lists; the central idea is to tag each semantic element with the functional marking which most closely surrounds it. We argue that AFF is well-suited for medium-vocabulary speech translation applications, and describe simple and general algorithms for parsing, generating and performing transfer using AFF representations. The formalism has been fully implemented within a medium-vocabulary interlingua-based Open Source speech translation system which translates between English, French, Japanese and Arabic.


Polyphyletic origin of the genus Cephalozia shown by recent molecular studies excludes aceptance of traditional concept of the genus and presumes its splitting into Cephalozia s.str. (C. bicuspidata and related species, C. macounii) and Fuscocephaloziopsis (incl. Pleurocladula, Schofieldia, Metahygrobiella), which morphological distinctions are unclear, or circumscription of Cephalozia sensu lato, including all abovementioned genera and Nowellia. Recently established the Jurrasic age of the family Cephaloziaceae s. l., monophyletic origin of all investigated species of Cephalozia, Fuscocephaloziopsis, Metahygrobiella, Nowellia, Pleurocladula, Schofieldia and common morphology support such a broad circumscription of Cephalozia. Two new nomenclature combinations – C. monticola (J.D. Godfrey) Potemkin & Sofronova, comb. nov. и C. albula (Steph.) Potemkin & Sofronova, comb. nov. – are suggested. Seventeen species of Cephalozia sensu lato are recognized for Russia. The key to them, their descriptions, known distribution in Russia, world distribution, ecology, citation of selected illustrations and specimens, description of variability and differentiation as well as original illustrations of principal taxonomic characters are provided for every species. Integrity of Cephalozia sensu lato is confirmed by SEM images of spore surface of C. affinis, C. albescens, C. bicuspidata, C. catenulata, C. connivens, C. curvifolia, C. leucantha, C. loitlesbergeri, C. macounii, C. monticola and C. pleniceps that demonstrate ± common pattern of outgrowths and are distinct in their density, length, thickness and development of secondary outgrowths.


A significant part of current attacks on the Internet comes from compromised hosts that, usually, take part in botnets. Even though bots themselves can be distributed all over the world, there is evidence that most of the malicious hosts are, in fact, concentrated in small fractions of the IP address space, on certain networks. Based on that, the Bad Neighborhood concept was introduced. The general idea of Bad Neighborhoods is to rate a subnetwork by the number of malicious hosts that have been observed in that subnetwork. Even though Bad Neighborhoods were successfully employed in mail filtering, the very concept was not investigated in further details. Therefore, in this work we provide a closer look on it, by proposing four definitions for spam-based Bad Neighborhoods that take into account the way spammers operate. We apply the definitions to real world data sets and show that they provide valuable insight into the behavior of spammers and the networks hosting them. Among our findings, we show that 10% of the Bad Neighborhoods are responsible for the majority of spam.


Background:
 Approximately 70% of all patients presenting with transient ischemic attack (TIA) are admitted to the hospital in United States. The duration and cost of hospitalization and associated factors are poorly understood. We performed this analysis to identify the proportion and determinants of prolonged hospitalization and to determine the impact on hospital charges using nationally representative data.

 Methods:
 We determined the national estimates of length of stay, mortality, and charges incurred in patients admitted with TIA (Diagnosis related code 524) using Nationwide Inpatient Survey (NIS) data from 2002 to 2010. NIS is the largest all-payer inpatient care database in the United States and contains data from 986 hospitals approximating a 20-percent stratified sample of U.S. community hospitals. All the variables pertaining to hospitalization were compared in three groups based on length of hospital stay (<1 day, 2-6 days, and ≥7 days).

 Results:
 A total of 949,558 patients were admitted with the diagnosis of TIA during the study period. The length of hospitalization was <1 day, 2-6 days, and ≥7 days in 232732 (24.4%), 662909 (70) %), and 53917 (5.6%) patients respectively. The mean hospitalization charges (95% confidence interval) were $ 8,348 (8123-8572), $14,471(14030-14911), and $34,035 (32280-35790) for patients hospitalized for <1 day, 2-6 days, and ≥7 days, respectively. The rates of atrial fibrillation (8.3%, 13.1%, and 22.6%, p<.0001), congestive heart failure (1.1%, 1.9%, and 3.7%, p<.0001), chronic lung disease (11.4%, 14.7%, and 20.0%, p<.0001), coagulopathy (0.8%, 1.3%, and 2.7%, p<.0001) and renal failure (3.1%, 5.1%, and 11.7%, p<.0001) were associated with length of hospitalization. The use of thrombolytics (0.03%, 0.09%, and 0.1%, p<.0001) for ischemic stroke was very low among the three strata defined by length of hospitalization.

 Conclusions:
 Approximately 75% of patients admitted with TIA stay in the hospital for 2 or more days with the most important determinants being pre-existing medical co-morbidities. Longer duration of hospital stay is associated with 2-5 fold greater hospitalization cost.


Background: Patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) have a higher incidence of hip bone loss and non-spinal fractures independent of their cardiovascular risk or degree of claudication. The mechanisms explaining this excess risk of osteoporosis are poorly understood. N-telopeptide (NTX) is an amino-terminal cross-linked type I collagen peptide that is released during fibrillogenesis, reflecting both the derivative products of bone collagen and bone resorption. When elevated, it serves as an early marker for osteoporosis and predictor of therapeutic response. We hypothesized that patients with PAD have reduced bone mineral content and that PAD is associated with biomarkers of accelerated bone mineral resorption. Methods: We analyzed data from 4354 participants ages 40 years or older with measured ankle-brachial indexes (ABI) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2002, defining PAD as an ABI Results: The overall prevalence of PAD was 4.4 % (S.E, 0.3). The geometric mean of NTX was 248.3 nmol (S.E, 7.0). NTX decreased with age. Women, non-Hispanic blacks and obese individuals had significantly higher NTX levels, whereas diabetics had reduced NTX levels. Current smokers, chronic kidney disease and PAD patients tended to have higher levels as well. In an age, gender, and race adjusted multivariate analysis, one standard deviation increase in NTX level was associated with a three-fold increase in the odds of having reduced total bone mineral density (OR 3.22, p Conclusion: Peripheral arterial disease is associated with reduced levels of bone mineral content and density. PAD is independently associated with N-telopeptides, suggesting abnormal type I collagen metabolism abnormalities. Further prospective studies will determine the role of NTX as a marker of osteoporosis found in PAD and their relationship with walking activity.


Microtubules are the major part of the cytoskeleton. They are involved in nuclear and cell division and serve as a network for motor proteins. The first model that describes nonlinear dynamics of microtubules was introduced in 1993. Three nonlinear models are described in this chapter. They are longitudinal U-model, representing an improved version of the first model, radial φ-model and new general model. Also, two mathematical procedures are explained. These are continuum and semi-discrete approximations. Continuum approximation yields to either kink-type or bell-type solitons, while semidiscrete one predicts localized modulated waves moving along microtubules. Some possible improvements and suggestions for future research are discussed.


the sphincters length and subjects were grouped into ''uninjured'' < 25% defect along the length and ''injured'' > 25% defect. Vaginal and anal manometry was performed at rest and during squeeze. The catheter was mounted on progressively larger probes to evaluate the pressure tension relationship. Statistical analysis was performed with factorial ANOVA (fANOVA) tests. Results: 45 women, mean age 50 (range 24–68) were evaluated and 44 had adequate PRM images. In the uninjured group of 30 women, 22 had no PRM defects and 8 had < 25% PRM defects. The 14 (32%) of women with injured PRM had significantly lower vaginal pressures compared with women with uninjured PRM but only at larger probe sizes (fANOVA P = 0.001). Only 4/45 (9%) had EAS and IAS anatomic defects. The anal pressures at rest and with squeeze were lower in women with defects, but this trend did not reach statistical significance. (fANOVA P = 0.45). Conclusions: In asymptomatic parous women, PRM defects are more common than EAS and IAS defects. The vaginal pressure is a predictor of PRM injury.


Odorant molecules stimulate olfactory receptor neurons, and axons of these neurons project into the main olfactory bulb where they synapse onto mitral and tufted cells. These project to the primary olfactory cortex including the anterior olfactory nucleus (AON), the piriform cortex, amygdala, and the entorhinal cortex. The properties of mitral cells have been investigated extensively, but how odor information is processed in subsequent brain regions is less well known. In the present study, we recorded the electrical activity of AON neurons in anesthetized rats. Most AON cells fired in bursts of 2–10 spikes separated by very short intervals (<20 ms), in a period linked to the respiratory rhythm. Simultaneous recordings from adjacent neurons revealed that the rhythms of adjacent cells, while locked to the same underlying rhythm, showed marked differences in phase. We studied the responses of AON cells to brief high‐frequency stimulation of the lateral olfactory tract, mimicking brief activation of mitral cells by odor. In different cells, such stimuli evoked transient or sustained bursts during stimulation or, more commonly, post‐stimulation bursts after inhibition during stimulation. This suggests that, in AON cells, phase shifts occur as a result of post‐inhibitory rebound firing, following inhibition by mitral cell input, and we discuss how this supports processing of odor information in the olfactory pathway. Cells were tested for their responsiveness to a social odor (the bedding of a strange male) among other simple and complex odors tested. In total, 11 cells responded strongly and repeatedly to bedding odor, and these responses were diverse, including excitation (transient or sustained), inhibition, and activation after odor presentation, indicating that AON neurons respond not only to the type of complex odor but also to temporal features of odor application.


Recent studies indicate that grassroots organizations are adopting new communication technologies (specifically the Internet) with greater frequency in order to increase their effectiveness. The Internet was a critical innovation for the business community in the 1990s. For over a decade, the corporate realm's zeal for adopting information and communication technology (ICT) had a powerful influence on the managerial practices of other types of organizations, such as governmental and notfor-profits (NFP). Many social and environmental groups, special interest advocates, grassroots organizations, activists, and civic networks are gradually expanding their Internet use and related online applications (e.g. e-mail) for civic engagement purposes. Despite the potential benefits of adopting the Internet as a means of boosting civic participation, diffusion and utilization of this, or any other, innovative technology does not happen automatically. This study examined the effects of social influences on the use of e-mail in a notfor-profit (NFP) grassroots organization in an urban community. The social influence model of technology use (SIMTU) was applied to examine self-reported attitudes toward, and perceptions of the usage of e-mail in the studied organization. The study explored social context's and opinion leadership's influence on members' media choices and beliefs, using ethnographic qualitative research methods in the form of indepth interviews and observations. The present research is unique in its approach because it considers NFP community-based organizations to be different from business-like NFP (e.g. universities and museums), as well as other corporate organizations. Building on past research and following the SIMTU framework, this case study explored how social influence in NFT grassroots organization is different from social influence in other types of organizations. In addition, the study explored who the opinion leaders are in such an organization, and to what extent do these leaders impact members' e-mail use. 72% of the target population participated in the study. The data included 26 indepth interviews, along with questionnaires, as well as 10 participant observations onsite. The study examines the social context within and around the organization. Findings indicate low levels of e-mail use among organization members; participants reported being influenced by norm behaviour and a preference for alternative, traditional, communication media (e.g. face-to-face interactions and phone conversation). Qualitative data provided evidence of social influences, e.g., direct social pressures, organizational norms, and the use of stories to emphasize beliefs and actions that were considered appropriate in this organization. Furthermore, the present research found modest but pervasive social influence from constituents and community norms on members' media attitudes and usage. All of this suggests that the uses and perceptions of communication technology can be better understood in NFP grassroots community-based organizations if the social environment is explicitly considered. The thesis ends with a discussion of possible theoretical expansion of the SIMTU, practical implications, and suggestions for further research.


Cloud is a pool of computing resources which are distributed among cloud users. Cloud computing has many benefits like scalability, flexibility, cost savings, reliability, maintenance and mobile accessibility. Since cloud-computing technology is growing day by day, it comes with many security problems. Securing the data in the cloud environment is most critical challenges which act as a barrier when implementing the cloud. There are many new concepts that cloud introduces, such as resource sharing, multi-tenancy, and outsourcing, create new challenges for the security community. In this work, we provide a comparable study of cloud computing privacy and security concerns. We identify and classify known security threats, cloud vulnerabilities, and attacks.


Sir: I read with interest the brief report by Schofield et al.' on this topic. However, it raises a number of important points which warrant further consideration. First, the Histiocyte Society recalmmends that the term 'eosinophilic granuloma' be superseded by the generic term 'Langerhans' cell histiocytosis' and this is now the almost universally accepted terminology. The authors appear unaware of this recommendation since Langerhans' cell histiocytosis is nowhere mentioned in their report. Secondly, the criteria on which they make the diagnosis of eosinophilic granuloma (sinusoidal nature of the infiltrate, cellular morphology, presence of moderate numbers of eosinophils, and positive immunostaining for S-100 protein and HLA-DK) are not those suggested by the Writing Group of the Histiocyte Society'. At most, the criteria the authors use would qualify for a so-called presumptive diagnosis only. The authors claim their case is the first example of eosinophilic granuloma in association with metastatic carcinoma in lymph nodes. It is therefore of paramount importance that the internationally accepted criteria for making a diagnosis of Langerhans' cell histiocytosis be applied rigorously. In this example, one would have wished to see, in addition to the features described by the authors, characteristic membrane staining with peanut agglutinin, and the ultrastructural demonstration of Rirbeck granules. Since both these features are readily demonstrable in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded material, it would be quite possible to verify their presence or absence in the case reported.


Two studies shed light on construals (i.e., attributions of responsibility and perceived severity of harm) of extreme intergroup violence and the relationship between in-group identification and these construals. An investigation of Turkish construals of Armenian massacres at the beginning of the 20th century (Study 1) and Hutus' and Tutsis' construals of the ethnic conflict in Burundi (Study 2) showed that each group attributed less responsibility to the in-group relative to the out-group and third parties. Furthermore, respondents attributed less responsibility to the in-group for the instigation of the conflict than for the consequences of the conflict and viewed respective out-groups and third parties as the instigators of the violent conflict. Stronger Turkish identification was related to (a) attributing more out-group responsibility but less in-group responsibility, and (b) greater perceptions of harm inflicted on the in-group and less harm inflicted on the out-group and third parties. Stronger in-group identification among Hutus and Tutsis also predicted more out-group responsibility for the conflict.


A new species of Viola L., Viola yildirimlii M. Dinc & Y. Bagcisp. nov. from South Anatolia is described and illustrated. It is found on the rocky slopes of Aladag National Park, in the county of Adana, south Turkey, at an elevation of 1800 m. It belongs to Viola, subsect. Viola, and is similar to the Turkish endemics Viola isaurica Contandr. & Quezel and V. kizildaghensis M. Dinc & Ş. Yildirimli. Diagnostic morphologic characters for a detailed discrimination from two similar taxa and other Turkish Eflagellatae species are discussed. © 2003 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2003, 141, 477–482.


The complexity of digital media technologies requires artists to form teams of specialized experts integrating their contributions. Studies on interdisciplinary collaborations in organizational and scientific research-and-development teams have revealed that three processescommunication, coordination and knowledge-sharingsignificantly influence their efficiency and effectiveness. This model was applied to an international and interdisciplinary digital media art production team to analyze the effects of team members' geographical dispersion, differing nationalities and heterogeneity of disciplines. The results are in accordance with previous studies of teams in corporate and scientific settings but also reveal differences between artistic and industrial product development processes.


Introduction: The presence of a recurrent proximal penile hypospadius represents a surgical challenge to the urologist due to the presence of excessive scarring and fibrosis of the tissues. This problem is more pronounced in circumcised patients, in whom there is no enough skin for one stage procedures. Buccal mucosal grafts represent a good surgical option. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of two stages buccal mucosal urethroplasty in pediatric & adolescent patients, presenting with recurrent proximal penile hypospadias who are circumcised. Methods: Thirty seven pediatric & adolescent patients underwent two stages buccal mucosal urethroplasty for recurrent proximal penile hypospadius. In all cases the buccal graft was placed dorsally followed by the second stage closure after 6 months. Results: The mean age was 17.7 (14-20) years. With a mean follow-up of 28.3 months, 33 patients (89.2%) had a final successful outcome. Of the 4 cases that were considered as failure, 3 patients (8.1%) developed urethra-cutaneous fistula that required closure after 3 months. The remaining patient developed meatal stenosis. Conclusion: Although buccal mucosal urethroplasty is a two staged procedure, it is feasible option for pediatric & adolescent patients presenting with recurrent proximal penile hypospadius, who had no skin available for penile flaps, with a success rate approaching 89.2%.


We review the notion of a linearity‐generating (LG) process introduced by Gabaix and relate LG processes to linear‐rational (LR) models studied by Filipović et al. We show that every LR model can be represented as an LG process and vice versa. We find that LR models have two basic properties that make them an important representation of LG processes. First, LR models can be easily specified and made consistent with nonnegative interest rates. Second, LR models go naturally with the long‐term risk factorization due to Alvarez and Jermann, Hansen and Scheinkman, and Qin and Linetsky. Every LG process under the long forward measure can be represented as a lower dimensional LR model.


Fluorescent probe N-phenyl-1-amino-8-sulfonaphthalene (ANS) was used for studying pH-dependent structural N-F-transition in human serum albumin of two kinds: in commercial albumin and in natural blood serum. The kinetics of ANS fluorescence decay in albumin solutions was measured. There were found two types of the sites occupied by ANS in albumin under physiological conditions (pH 7.4). In the first binding site ANS fluorescence decay time was 16.6 +/- 0.3 nsec and it was not significantly changed at N-F transition (pH 4.0). In the second binding site the decay time was dependent on pH in commercial albumin and was not significantly changed in serum. In the second binding site there were individual differences of ANS decay time (4.3 +/- 0.6 nsec). The observed ANS fluorescence intensity enhancing (about 40-50%) in N-F transition may be explained by an increase of albumin binding sites capacity for ANS.


The probability of developing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) increases in children with epilepsy. The two disorders may have common causative factors. A bidirectional association between ADHD and epilepsy has been suggested in previous studies. Causative factors, such as those that are genetics and environmental, may be common in both disorders and cause several transcriptional changes in the brain, thus, altering behavior or cognition prior to seizures.


Life‐saving mechanical ventilation can also cause lung injury through the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD)‐like symptoms in preterm infants. It is reported that the autophagic protein microtubule‐associated protein‐1 light chain (LC)‐3B can confer protection against hyperoxia‐induced DNA damage in lung alveolar epithelium. However, its role in the transdifferentiation of type II alveolar epithelial cells (AECIIs) to type I cells (AECIs) is unclear and requires further investigation. In this study, newborn Sprague‐Dawley rats were exposed to 90% oxygen for up to 14 days to mimic BPD in human infants, with neonatal pups exposed to room air (21% oxygen) as controls. Primary rat AECIIs were cultured under hyperoxic conditions for up to 24 hours to further investigate the underlying mechanisms. This study found that hyperoxia promoted a significant and time‐dependent increase of AECII marker surfactant protein (SP)‐C in the lung. The increase of AECI marker T1α was repressed by hyperoxia during lung development. These results indicated an impaired AECII transdifferentiation. Pulmonary ROS concentration and expression of autophagic protein LC‐3B were increased gradually in response to hyperoxia exposure. Furthermore, AECIIs produced more ROS when cultured under hyperoxic conditions in vitro. Both the LC3B expression and the conversion from LC3BI to LC3BII were enhanced in hyperoxic AECs. Interestingly, inhibition of LC3B either by ROS inhibitor N‐acetyl‐l‐cysteine (NAC) or adenovirus‐mediated LC3B shRNA could partly restore AECII transdifferentiation under hyperoxia condition. In summary, the current study reveals a novel role of activated LC3B induced by hyperoxia in AECII transdifferentiation.


Supplemental irrigation with the runoff from agricultural fields (runoff irrigation) not only has the potential to reuse nutrients in agricultural runoff but could potentially reduce fertilizer input to farms, leading to reduced nutrient export from agricultural fields. A three-year field study designed to evaluate the impact of runoff irrigation on corn (Zea mays) yield and nutrient uptake was conducted in a farmer-operated field at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) site in Fulton County, Illinois. The study comprised three treatments: (1) 50% agronomic nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilizer rates with no irrigation (control), (2) 50% agronomic N and P fertilizer rates with irrigation, and (3) 100% agronomic N and P fertilizer with no irrigation. Each treatment was assigned to a 76 m by 18 m plot, planted with corn in 2016, 2017, and 2018. Runoff irrigation increased grain, stover, and total dry matter yields by an average of 38%, 45%, and 27%, respectively, as compared to the control. On average, 50% agronomic fertilizer rate, coupled with runoff irrigation, produced similar grain yields as 100% agronomic fertilizer rate. At the 50% agronomic fertilizer rate, N uptake averaged 231 ± 37 kg N ha–1 in 2017 and 290 ± 54 kg N ha–1 in 2018 with irrigation, as compared to 162 ± 36 kg N ha–1 in 2017 and 179 ± 34 kg N ha–1 in 2018 without irrigation. Similarly, P uptake was greater with irrigation than without irrigation for the same P fertilizer rate. The fertilizer replacement value (FRV) of the runoff irrigation was estimated to be 73 kg N ha–1 and 6 kg P ha–1 in 2018. This represents a potential of reducing N and P fertilizer application rate by 30% and 8%, respectively, by supplemental irrigation without reducing corn yield. The runoff irrigation is a potential best management practice that can be further explored for adoption in Illinois for contributing to the statewide Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy.


Injecting low-salinity water has proved to be an efficient displacement process in oil reservoirs, owing to its ability to modify the properties at the fluid-rock and fluid-fluid interfaces in favor of mobilizing more oil. In this regard, reduction of interfacial tension (IFT) between oil and water is one of the key controlling parameters. It is suspected that the asphaltene constituents of the oil and type of water ions are responsible for such a reduction in IFT. In this study, systematic experimental investigations were carried out to scrutinize the influence of brine salinity, asphaltene concentration and temperature on IFT. Single and multi-component brines, which in particular compose of NaCl, CaCl2, and MgCl2 salts, and two synthetic oils with 1 and 10 wt% asphaltene content were used at temperatures ranging from 25 to 80°C. The results showed that the presence of salt in the solution can alter the distribution of polar components at the oil-brine interface due to the electrostatic effects, which in turn would change IFT of the system. IFT also decreased when temperature increased from 25 to 80°C, however the level of changes was strongly depended on the brine type, salinity level and asphaltene content. The results also demonstrated that the crude oil with the higher asphaltene concentration experiences higher IFT reduction when is contacted with the low-salinity water. The new findings from this study will improve the understanding of the underlying mechanisms for low salinity water flooding in oil reservoirs.


The prevention and control of bridge scour is a challenging element in bridge-pier foundation design. Sediment scour from around the piers has been a main cause of all bridge failures. For the cost-effective and reliable design of pier foundations, one needs accurate prediction of flow-inducing scour. Such prediction can be obtained from numerical modelling, as a good extension of experimental results. General CFD software packages are incapable to simulate sediment transport (bedload) and bed-level change (scour/deposition). Some numerical models have been developed for bedload and scour simulations, but there are two major limitations: (1) the bed sediments are assumed to have uniform grain size which is not true in natural river channels; (2) the modelling techniques are not computationally efficient for applications at the field scale. Thus, new modelling techniques for scour prediction are needed.
The objectives of this research are: (1) to modify an existing shallow-water hydrodynamics model to allow for non-hydrostatic pressure corrections; (2) to improve the prediction of bed shear stress, a key parameter for bedload prediction; (3) to incorporate a new module for calculating bedload of mixed sediment-grain sizes; (4) to verify the model's prediction with existing experimental data.
For pressure corrections, a seven-diagonal linear system is added to the model, which is symmetric and positively defined. This system is numerically solved for non-hydrostatic pressure through preconditioned conjugate gradient iterations. Then, corrections to velocity and water surface elevation due to non-hydrostatic pressure are obtained. Fractional bedload calculations are based on a surface-based transport function, which depends on a particle-hiding factor, bed shear stress, and grain size distribution. Bed level change caused by bedload is calculated using the Exner equation added to the model.
 The new model successfully predicts 3-D velocities around a circular pier in a fixed scour-hole and scour development on a mobile bed with uniform and non-uniform sediments. We improve bed shear stress prediction by using near-bottom velocities, as opposed to the widely used bottom-layer velocity, in the wall function method. Velocity and scour depth predictions agree well with experimental data. We show that scour emerges from the lateral sides of a pier, and scour patterns move toward its upstream nose. On the upstream side, relative to the pier's centre, scour depth increases until the bed slope reaches the angle of repose of sediments. On the downstream side, scour continues until equilibrium is reached. Scour is deeper on the upstream than downstream side. Non-uniformity in grain sizes tends to reduce the magnitude of scour. The presence of the pier causes a strong vortex at its foot on the upstream side, which effectively moves sediments toward downstream. On the upstream side, the scour-hole's outer shape is almost half a cone, true for both uniform and non-uniform sediments. These findings have implications to foundation design. The modelling techniques presented in this study are computationally efficient and are practical for applications at the field scale, which have been difficult so far.


White rot, caused by Sclerotium cepivorum, is a serious disease that causes significant yield losses in Allium production. The pathogen persists in soil as sclerotia, which germinate in response to sulfur compounds in Allium root exudates. This study was aimed at investigating the potential of early-terminated Allium bait crops to reduce densities of S. cepivorum sclerotia in soil. In growth chamber experiments with white onion (A. cepa cv. 'Southport White Globe'), red onion (A. cepa cv. 'Marenge'), sweet onion (A. cepa cv. 'Walla Walla'), and bunching onion (A. fistulosum cv. 'Parade'), termination of all four Alliums at the first and second leaf stages reduced soil sclerotia populations by up to 62% and 76%, respectively. Examination of soil samples collected four weeks after crop termination indicated that sclerotia populations in bait crop treatments remained low when seedlings were terminated at the first and second leaf stages. In contrast, crop termination at the third leaf stage resulted in an increase in sclerotia counts due to the pathogen reproduction on the bait crops. The reduction in sclerotia populations in soil due to early crop termination was also observed in replicated field trials. Greater reductions in sclerotia counts were observed when plants in these experiments were terminated chemically as opposed to mechanically. In-furrow fungicides did not reduce sclerotia numbers under the conditions tested. This study demonstrates the potential for early termination of Allium bait crops to help reduce white rot inoculum in soil.


Deep learning excels at learning task information from large amounts of data, but struggles with learning from declarative high-level knowledge that can be more succinctly expressed directly. In this work, we introduce PYLON, a neuro-symbolic training framework that builds on PyTorch to augment procedurally trained models with declaratively specified knowledge. PYLON lets users programmatically specify constraints as Python functions and compiles them into a differentiable loss, thus training predictive models that fit the data whilst satisfying the specified constraints. PYLON includes both exact as well as approximate compilers to efficiently compute the loss, employing fuzzy logic, sampling methods, and circuits, ensuring scalability even to complex models and constraints. Crucially, a guiding principle in designing PYLON is the ease with which any existing deep learning codebase can be extended to learn from constraints in a few lines code: a function that expresses the constraint, and a single line to compile it into a loss. Our demo comprises of models in NLP, computer vision, logical games, and knowledge graphs that can be interactively trained using constraints as supervision.


This paper presents a probabilistic method for foreground segmentation that distinguishes moving objects from their cast shadows in monocular indoor image sequences. The models of background, shadow, and edge information are set up and adaptively updated. A Bayesian framework is proposed to describe the relationships among the segmentation label, background, intensity, and edge information. A Markov random field is used to boost the spatial connectivity of the segmented regions. The solution is obtained by maximizing the posterior probability density of the segmentation field.


Identification of gene expression traits unique to the human brain sheds light on the mechanisms of human cognition. Here we searched for gene expression traits separating humans from other primates by analyzing 88,047 cell nuclei and 422 tissue samples representing 33 brain regions of humans, chimpanzees, bonobos, and macaques. We show that gene expression evolves rapidly within cell types, with more than two-thirds of cell type-specific differences not detected using conventional RNA sequencing of tissue samples. Neurons tend to evolve faster in all hominids, but non-neuronal cell types, such as astrocytes and oligodendrocyte progenitors, show more differences on the human lineage, including alterations of spatial distribution across neocortical layers.


Recent advances in osseointegrated prosthetics highlight the need for monitoring physical phenomena within the human body. Wireless, in vivo strain sensing could be an impactful way to address the practical challenges faced by medical professionals in determining the health and healing state of prosthetics in the body. A biocompatible, wireless strain sensor is presented here based on a thin film inductor-capacitor circuit fabricated with gold and polyimide. Strain sensitive capacitors are designed and tested to confirm functionality as sensing elements. Inductors are designed for wireless readout and tested to confirm that a careful design avoided a strain response in the inductor. The components are integrated in a thin film sensor assembly with a simple but effective process flow. The wireless strain sensors are fabricated and strain tested in a laboratory environment. This provides the basis for addressing additional challenges of in vivo sensing using the described design and exploring similar thin film approaches to sensing biological phenomena.


Over the past thirty years, lesbians and gay men have increasingly challenged conventional definitions of marriage and the family. In this brief article, the authors tell the story of gay people and family law in the United States across this period. They divide their discussion into two sections: issues regarding the recognition of the same-sex couple relationship and issues regarding gay men and lesbians as parents. These issues overlap, of course, but since family law discussions commonly treat adult-adult issues of all sorts separately from parent-child issues, the authors believe it convenient and helpful to do so as well.


Abstract The purpose of the study was to explore how students on two related work-based degree courses with limited opportunities for face to face interaction used social media platforms to support their experiences and learning. The students involved work as teaching assistants in a range of mainstream and special schools in the East Midlands and attend classes one day a week. It was noted by tutors that students made frequent references to using various social media platforms for sharing student-to-student information relating to the taught sessions or assignments in preference to the university's virtual learning environment. To investigate this phenomenon, a case study approach, using focus groups and a paired interview, was adopted. The entire student population on the courses was invited to participate, so the sample was self-selecting and a total of 11% of the students volunteered, participating in either a focus group discussion or paired interview. The study found that students made extensive use of social media platforms, mainly Facebook and Whatsapp, for academic and affective support. Students found this to be an effective way to keep in touch with one another away from university, to share resources and experiences and felt that it helped with their identity as a higher education student.


The old security, defined by the Cold War, was based on containment of communism. It was almost always described in military terms — the size of the defense budget, the range of nuclear missiles, the numbers of planes, ships, and tanks. And during that period, that definition made some sense…


A special hook and plate can be used to adapt small central fragments in the open reduction of Bennett's fracture-dislocation. The hook is positioned behind the small central fragment and compression exerted between the hook and a plate attached to the opposite side of the base of the first metacarpal bone using an adjustable nut, thus holding the fragments together. The reduction device simplifies X-ray controls and internal fixation with Kirschner wires.


Distributed generation (DG) systems as local power sources have great potential to contribute toward energy sustainability, energy efficiency and supply reliability. This thesis deals with DGs that use solar as primary energy input, hydrogen energy storage and conversion technologies (fuel cells and water electrolyzers) as long term backup and energy storage batteries and supercapacitors as short term backup. Standalone power systems isolated from the grid such as those used to power remote area off-grid loads and grid connected systems running in parallel with the main utility grid or a microgrid for local grid support are treated. As cost is the key challenge to the implementation of PV-hydrogen DGs, the main focus is developing sound control methods and operating strategies to help expedite their viability in the near future. The first part of the thesis deals with modeling of system components such as PV generator, fuel cell, lead acid/Li-ion storage batteries, electrolyzer, supercapacitor, power electronic converters and auxiliaries such as hydrogen storage tank and gas compressor. The subsystems are modeled as masked blocks with connectable terminals in Matlab®/Simulink® enabling easy interconnection with other subsystems. The models of main subsystems are fully/partially validated using measurement data or data obtained from data sheets and literature. The second part deals with control and operating strategies in PV hybrid standalone power systems. The models developed in the first part are used to simulate integrated systems. An attempt is made to provide some answers on how the different power sources and energy storages can be integrated and controlled using power electronics and feedback control to enhance improved performance, longer life time, increased supply reliability and minimize fuel use. To this end, new control methods and operating strategies are proposed to mediate near optimal intersubsystem power flows. The third part of the thesis concerns grid connected PV-Fuel cell power systems. Control schemes and operating strategies for integrating PV and fuel cell hybrids into the grid to serve both local demand and weak grids are investigated. How hydrogen energy storage and conversion technologies can be controlled to suppress PV fluctuations in future utility grids are also explored. A smoothing algorithm enhanced by a stepwise constant forecast is developed to enable more smooth and subhourly dispatchable power to be fed to the grid. The proposed methods were verified through longtime simulation based on realistic irradiance data over a number of typical days/weeks using suitably defined performance indices. It was learned that using power electronics and sound control methods, PV-hydrogen DGs can be flexibly controlled to solve lifetime and performance issues which are generally considered economic bottle necks. For example, conventionally in PV-hydrogen hybrids, to improve performance and life time, more battery capacity is added to operate fuel cell and electrolyzer under more stable power conditions in the face of highly fluctuating PV generation to prevent low state of charge (SOC) operation of the battery. Contrarily, in this thesis a sound control method is proposed to achieve the same objectives without oversizing the battery. It is shown that the proposed method can give up to 20% higher battery mean state of charge than conventional operation while PV fluctuation suppression rates up to 40% for the fuel cell and 85% for the electrolyzer are found for three typical days. It is also established that by predictively controlling battery SOC instead of conventional SOC setpoint control, substantial improvements can be obtained (up to 20-30% increase in PV energy utilization and ca. 25% reduction in fuel usage for considered days). Concerning use of hydrogen storage and conversion technologies in PV fluctuation suppression, results obtained from the developed smoothing mechanism and performance indices show that a trade-off should be made between smoothing performance and dispatchability. It was concluded that the right size of fuel cell and electrolyzer needs to be selected to optimize the dispatch interval and smoothing performance. Finally, a PV-hydrogen test facility which can act as show case for standalone, grid-connected and UPS applications was designed and built. The test facility was used to characterize key subsystems from which component models developed were experimentally validated. The facility also acted as a reference system for most of the investigations made in this thesis.


This study examines the possible mechanisms found on hobs used in gear cutting by using a single insert face milling test. Cutting inserts are used to represent hob teeth.The two types of inserts used in this thesis, namely surface-prepared and edge-prepared insert, have been considered as inputs for the experiments. The basic objective of this work is to find out the behavioural patterns shown by the above-mentioned inserts during milling operations.After going through this thesis paper, one can comprehend various information during milling operation with the help of the illustrated graphs and diagrams, which have been inferred after extensive analysis. The output from this thesis would be the information assemblage of cutting force, vibration, chip thickness, engagement energy, tool losing edge volume and machined surface on work piece.


Various self-concepts constitute major keywords in both psychological science and liberal political discourse. They have been central to psychology's public-facing, policy-oriented role in the United States, dating back to the mid-19th century. Psychologists' articulations of self-concept include an understanding of the individual, society, and the interventions needed to augment them both. Psychologists' early enthusiasm for self-esteem has given way to competing concepts of the individual, namely self-regulation and self-control. Self-esteem in a modern sense coalesced out of the deprivation of the Great Depression and the political crises it provoked. The fate of self-esteem became tied to the capacities of the liberal welfare state to improve the psychic capacities of its citizens, in order to render them both more equal under the law and more productive in their daily existence. Western democracies, especially the United States, hit peak self-esteem in early 1990s. Since then, psychologists lost faith in the capacity of giving away self-worth to improve society. Instead, psychologists in the 21st century preached a neo-Victorian gospel of self-reliance. At the very historical juncture when social mobility became more difficult, when inherited social inequality became more entrenched, psychologists abandoned their Keynesian model of human capital and embraced its neoliberal counterpart.


Auditor-client negotiations are a common and critical part of the financial reporting process, yet we know little about contextual factors that influence negotiation judgments from the manager's perspective. Managers have incentives to act aggressively since outcomes often materially impact financial reports and managerial compensation. However, managers also have incentives to behave less aggressively since unresolved issues may result in audit delay, qualification or auditor resignation, all of which may damage firm and/or managerial reputation. These two opposing incentives are particularly prominent during the initial public offering (IPO) planning period when information asymmetry between managers and outsiders is arguably at its highest, and scrutiny from a variety of IPO monitors begins to heighten. We examine the impact of two pervasive IPO monitoring parties – auditors and audit committees – on the pre-negotiation judgments of 137 experienced CFO/controllers. Prior audit negotiations research suggests that a contentious past relationship with the auditor compels managers to be less aggressive, while a stronger audit committee curbs managerial opportunism. We thus expect that relative to other conditions, managers faced with a contentious past auditor relationship and a stronger audit committee will be least aggressive in an audit negotiation during the IPO planning period. To test our hypothesis, we use a 2 x 2 experimental factorial design with past auditor relationship (contentious or cooperative) and audit committee strength (stronger or weaker) manipulated between-subjects. The results support our expectations. Further, additional analysis indicates that these strong monitoring mechanisms have a sustained impact on managers' judgments in the IPO offer year.