We are in a world of thinly disguised aesthetic visual markers. How do people know of their presence is the initial step into this augmented world. This thesis is concerned with such special aesthetic markers — Artcodes, which are topological markers that implement and extend the d-touch system. While current Artcode applications focus on the activities after decoding, this thesis examines the activities before decoding, investigating the question of how to discover such "invisible" visual markers as Artcodes. Interacting with an invisible sensing system (vision-based AR system here) is a longstanding question in the HCI community. This question is proposed as a formal computer vision problem — Artcode detection, including two dependent subproblems: Artcode classification (classifying an input image or image patch as either containing an Artcode or not) and Artcode localisation (predicting the locations of Artcodes in an image), and addressed using machine learning methods.

ARTCODEPRESENCE and ARTCODEGUIDE approaches are proposed in this thesis to deal with Artcode detection proposal. ARTCODEPRESENCE is a machine learning-based Artcode proposal generator for dealing with Artcode classification, incorporating the classification methods (Random forests or SVM) and the Shape of the Orientation Histogram (SOH) feature vector. SOH is an Artcode prediction feature vector proposed by this thesis to describe such topological object classes as Artcodes. Based on ARTCODEPRESENCE, ARTCODEGUIDE has been developed to deal with the localisation of Artcodes, guiding people to Artcodes by cues such as a heat map showing where Artcodes can appear. The two systems are evaluated using new collected datasets: True and Extended Artcode datasets and a 'Simulated-in-the-Wild' Artcode dataset. Experimental results have shown their effectiveness in addressing Artcode detection problem.

This thesis also proposes a framework for evaluating Artcode binarisation and decoding. This framework will evaluate how the preprocessing binarisation affects Artcode decoding, by quantitatively measuring the performance of a binarisation method, and guiding people to select an appropriate binarisation method in the context of an Artcode application.

Metamorphic relations (MRs), from the metamorphic software testing field, are adopted to enhance the performance of Artcode classification. An MR augmented classification framework is proposed in this thesis. Experimental evaluation shows MR-augmented classifiers achieve much better performance than non-augmented classifiers, showing the potential for MRs to be used in enhancing machine learning tasks. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time that MRs have been used beyond the context of software testing.


Early drug development for cancer requires broad collaboration and skilled clinical investigators to enable enrollment of patients whose tumors have defined molecular profiles. To respond to these challenges, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) transformed its 60-year-old early-phase drug development program in 2014 into the Experimental Therapeutics Clinical Trials Network (ETCTN). The ETCTN is a consolidated, national network of 40+ academic institutions responsible for conducting more than 100 early-phase clinical trials. It promotes team science coordinated among basic, translational, and clinical investigators, emphasizing the inclusion of early career trialists. This perspective provides a brief overview of the ETCTN, summarizes its successes and challenges over its first grant funding cycle, and discusses the program's future directions. Measures indicated strong connectivity across the institutions, significant increases in investigator approval of the ETCTN scientific portfolio from years 1 to 4, and substantial research activity over 5 years, with 334 letters of intent submitted, 102 trials activated, and 3,570 patients accrued. The ETCTN's successful adoption relied heavily on the inclusion of senior investigators who have long-standing interactions with the NCI and a willingness to participate in a team science approach and to mentor early career investigators. In addition, NCI invested substantial resources in a centralized infrastructure to conduct trials and to support the inclusion of biomarkers in its studies. The ETCTN provides evidence that a collaborative national clinical trial network for early drug development is feasible and can address the demands of precision medicine approaches to oncologic clinical trials.


Subtype C HIV-1 is currently responsible for the majority of new infections in the
world, particularly in parts of Africa where the adult prevalence rate is as high as
15%. In the absence of a viable vaccine in the near future, the study of new
neutralising antibodies that can inhibit virus entry is urgently needed. To understand
the subtype C HIV-1 envelopes, the env gene was cloned directly from 15 patient
plasma samples obtained from a few countries in Africa and in the UK, and 18
replication-competent chimeric viruses were created. These envelopes were then
characterised and compared with other envelopes in standard reference panels. We
then exploited the unique properties of llama heavy-chain antibodies to create
antibody fragments (VHH) that can recognise HIV-1 envelopes and prevent
infection. Four VHH that recognise a conformation dependent epitope on gp41 were
isolated from a llama that was immunised with recombinant gp140 derived from a
subtype B'/C isolate after panning of the phage libraries on recombinant gp41. These
VHH were more potent in neutralising subtype C isolates than subtype B isolates.
Based on the success of an earlier study on VHH that recognise an epitope
overlapping the CD4 binding site on gp120, a novel strategy was used to isolate
variants of the VHH to create a family-specific VHH library. Thirty-one new VHH
were characterised and grouped according to their neutralisation breadth against 3
subtype C viruses. The neutralisation breadth of the VHH correlated with its
dissociation rate with gp120, and was found to be dependent on 3 amino acid
residues in the third complementarity determining region of the VHH. These VHH
may have further use in applications such as HIV-1 microbicides development and
immunogen design through reverse immunology.


Robotization has become common in modern factories due to its efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Lots of robots and manipulators share their workspaces with humans what could lead to hazardous situations causing health damage or even death. This article presents a real-time safety system applying the distributed computing paradigm for a collaborative robot. The system consists of detection/sensing modules connected with a server working as decision-making system. Each configurable sensing module pre-processes vision information and then sends to the server the images cropped to new objects extracted from a background. After identifying persons from the images, the decision-making system sends a request to the robot to perform pre-defined action. In the proposed solution, there are indicated three safety zones defined by three different actions on a robot motion. As identification method, state-of-the-art of Machine Learning algorithms, the Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG), Viola-Jones, and You Only Look Once (YOLO), have been examined and presented. The industrial environment tests indicated that YOLOv3 algorithm outperformed other solutions in terms of identification capabilities, false positive rate and maximum latency.


The market for credit default swaps (CDS) represents an interesting venue to study if and how public and private information is incorporated in market prices. This OTC market is neither regulated nor supervised and exclusively made up by institutional traders that buy and sell credit risk. Considering the key importance of rating announcements for market participants, this paper investigates announcement and anticipation effects, conditioning on public information and using proxies for private information about CDS underlyings. Analyzing an international sample of frequently traded firms during the period 2000-2005 on a daily basis yields the following results. First, CDS markets significantly react to rating downgrades and, even stronger, to reviews for downgrade, while the magnitude of anticipation effects is the other way round. Second, the CDS market response is stronger for firms with high general media coverage. Moreover, rating-related wire news prior to rating events significantly explain the anticipation of CDS markets when general media coverage is high. Third, the run up is more pronounced the higher a firm's number of major bank lenders and there is a signifcantly higher number of days with large positive abnormal price changes and no news (or no negative news) before rating events than in the full sample. These findings are consistent with the view that private information of banks spills over to these markets through their CDS trading.


Several studies have indicated that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in fish oil have protective effects on cardiovascular disease by reducing vascular endothelial inflammation in atherosclerosis. In a recent study, supplementation of patients with fish oil following coronary angioplasty elevated levels of lipid peroxides and two adhesion molecules in plasma suggesting a proinflammatory action of fish oil. However, decreases in several plasma markers of endothelial hemostatic activity indicated a healthier and better vasculature associated with fish oil supplementation.


The purpose of this paper is to determine how gender, party affiliation, political views, age, race, education, income, attendance at religious services, and other such variables affected public opinions of President Clinton shortly after the release of the Starr report (and before the impeachment vote in the House of Representatives). Using data from a CBS NEWS / NEW YORK TIMES poll taken from September 12 to September 15, 1998, this study found the following: 1) Age had an effect on opinions concerning the Clinton scandal with younger individuals more likely to want the impeachment process to begin. This information provides some support for the Life-experience hypothesis. 2) Women were more likely to want Clinton to resign and less likely to want impeachment, which is perhaps consistent with the strong support Clinton had from women voters in the 1996 election. 3) Those with more education and income were more likely to want Clinton to resign and less likely to want impeachment, which is consistent with the resource hypothesis. 4) The combination of all attributes and individual characteristics determine how final opinions are established concerning resignation, impeachment, and dropping the matter.


An estimate of permafrost extent and thickness in the northern hemisphere during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, ~ 21 ka) has been produced using the VU University Amsterdam Permafrost Snow (VAMPERS) model, forced by iLOVECLIM, an Earth System Model of Intermediate Complexity. We present model results that give both permafrost thickness and extent. In the northern hemisphere, permafrost is estimated to have extended southwards to approximately 50°N in Asia and have achieved 1500 m thickness in Russia. The simulated distribution is compared with a reconstruction of northern hemisphere permafrost extent (Vandenberghe et al., ). We contend that the areas which agree with Vandenberghe et al. ( ) are the approximate areas of continuous permafrost during the LGM. In Asia, the model results agree well until approximately 50°N, which is also the approximate 0°C mean annual ground temperature isotherm estimated by iLOVECLIM. South of this limit, therefore, were likely the areas of discontinuous, sporadic and isolated permafrost during the LGM. However, it becomes difficult to model these more sensitive areas of permafrost extent since formation is dependent on local factors that are too fine for our grid's spatial resolution. In Europe, the model results disagree with the reconstruction but this was to be expected since iLOVECLIM is known to carry a warm bias in this region. For permafrost thickness, we compare our estimates with previous research and find that we have reasonably close approximations but there is a wide range of uncertainty since the subsurface parameters of lithology and water content are generalised. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Perceptions of image surface are very challenging work for computer vision. Human can amazingly expert at recognizing the reflective properties of surfaces of various materials which a robot can not do easily so far. Smoothly we can differentiate a shiny metallic sphere from the plastic sphere of similar dimensions and structure. In this paper, various image surfaces are analyzed according to various image statistics for robot vision systems. Identification of synonymous objects under various real-world illumination or other environments are very daunting task. However, this is very challenging and crucial for machine vision systems. Both statistical analyses and human evaluation by various subjects under rigorous illumination conditions, we find significant improvement in our analysis and emphasis the importance of statistical evaluation of surfaces for computer vision. Our findings clearly demonstrate that skewness has direct resemblance with the surface glossiness-level. Intensity histogram also shows crucial clue for surface analysis.


Background and aims Very small pigmented lesions may represent an extreme diagnostic challenge to the clinician. Our aim was to describe the clinical and dermoscopic features in a series of cutaneous melanomas with a maximum clinical diameter of 3 mm. Methods We conducted a retrospective study of the 924 primary melanomas seen and treated during a period of five years at the Unit for Melanoma Detection of the Istituto Nazionale Tumori of Milan, Italy. The size characteristics of the considered lesions allowed the identification of 22 (2.4%) cases of micro-melanoma (clinical diameter of 3 mm or less). Sixteen of these cases were subjected to dermoscopy. The clinical and dermoscopic features as well as the corresponding diagnoses were recorded. Results The typical lesion presents as a small, dark, often black macule, generally evenly colored, with well-defined borders; it may be asymmetric or symmetric in shape. These features prompted a correct clinical diagnosis in nearly half of the cases. Dermoscopy lead to a correct diagnosis in all cases subjected to the technique. Conclusion Dermoscopy appears to be an efficient aid to the diagnosis of micro-melanomas, provided that clinicians are aware of this type of lesion and maintain the index of suspicion at a high level.


Peer victimization during high school is a common experience associated with engagement in risky health behaviors and elevated depressive symptoms. Mechanisms linking peer victimization to health outcomes remain inadequately understood. in the current study, latent class analysis was used to identify latent subclasses of college students who display similar patterns of responses to frequent peer victimization experiences during high school. We also examined moderating and mediating effects of coping (approach/avoidance) on relationships between victimization class and health outcomes (i.e., binge drinking, current smoking, depressive symptoms). college students completed questionnaire measures of peer victimization, approach and avoidance coping, binge drinking, smoking, and depressive symptoms. Four distinct patterns of peer victimization were identified among college students (low, high, Moderate, and social/Verbal). Moderation models revealed significant interactions of moderate victimization x approach coping on depressive symptoms and high victimization x avoidance coping on binge drinking. Mediation models revealed a significant indirect effect of avoidance coping on depressive symptoms for those in the high victimization class. Findings provide a greater understanding of the complex patterns of peer victimization. coping efforts among varying peer victimization classes had different relationships with health outcomes during the college years. interventions aimed at reducing health-risk and depressive symptoms among college student might benefit from increased attention to high school victimization experiences and current coping processes.


Protection and control systems play important roles in power system operation and for the reliability and security of supply. This paper presents main results from a study of incorrect operations of protection and control systems on the voltage levels 1 - 420 kV in Norway, comprising mainly false and missing operations. The statistics for the period 1999 - 2003 show that false or unwanted operation is the major fault type and that the relative number of faults and the contribution to energy not supplied (ENS) increase by increasing voltage level. Incorrect operations of protection and control systems at the transmission levels 33 - 420 kV contribute to 34 % of the total number of power system faults and 17 % of ENOL at these levels. Human related causes dominate by roughly 40-50 %, technical causes count for 20-30 %, while there are large portions of faults where the cause is not identified.


Legal interpretation has recently enjoyed much theoretical attention. The received theory of law's open texture implies, however, that legal interpretation (in the sense of ascertaining the actual meaning of a law) is impossible when language gives rise to reasonable uncertainty or disagreement about the law's meaning and proper application. Ideas surrounding the received theory imply that interpretation is impossible whenever there is reasonable uncertainty or disagreement, from any source, about the law's meaning or proper application. The theory thus indicates that there is little scope for a theory of legal interpretation. This paper argues that the received theory misconstrues the legal implications of the open texture of language and provides an untenable basis for rejecting the possibility of legal interpretation.


For the adequate protection of karst springs it is important to understand the functioning of karst systems in their recharge areas. Besides tracer tests with artificial tracers, tracings with natural tracers, such as temperature, are a very useful research tool, especially in complex karst systems with various types and sources of recharge. Detailed monitoring of water levels and temperatures of the Malenscica karst spring, as well as of the intermittent Cerknica Lake and Kotlici spring in its recharge area, indicated that temperature is a good tracer in winter and summer periods, especially when the Cerknica karst polje is flooded. High or low air temperatures influence the temperature of water, which sinks at the Cerknica polje and flows rapidly through karst channels toward the springs. Detailed analysis of selected events enabled calculation of the velocity of groundwater flow toward the Malenscica spring under different hydrological conditions. The estimated values are in accordance with the velocities previously defined in this area, based on several tracer tests with artifi cial tracers. From the results, it is possible to assess the transport velocities of contaminants under different hydrological conditions. This is important information for the protection of the Malenscica spring, which is captured for the public water supply.


We explore attitudes toward internal and foreign migration in China using an original survey experiment. If labor-market competition drives attitudes, then residents will be opposed to migrants with comparable skill levels, regardless of migrant origin. If residents fear a dilution of national identity, then they will be more opposed to foreign than internal migration. We conduct a national survey in Mainland China, where we randomly assign respondents to answer questions about migrants with different skill levels and from either foreign countries or other provinces in China. We find that attitudes cleave over skill level, but the foreign-internal dimension is, on its own, not a salient cleavage in preferences. However, when considering high-skilled migrants, respondents are more supportive of foreign than internal migration; when considering low-skilled migrants, they are more opposed to foreign than internal migration. The results cast doubt on material explanations for attitudes toward migration and suggest a reevaluation of cultural threat arguments that privilege national borders.


Turkish migration movement to the United States started early 1890's. The total Turkish population in the US is estimated to be 300 - 400 thousand. Turks who dispersed in the vast geography of America couldn't be able to form an organized community because of geographical distances for many years. In addition to this, Turkish immigrants like the other immigrant communities living in America had to face different kinds of difficulties and lived some painful experiences, too. They had to bear othering efforts of established communities of America. Turkish community has overcome these difficulties through the help of ethnic media. Turkish people living in the United States, with the support of media, managed to form Turkish diaspora. The main purpose of this study was to find out the importance of the role of Turkish ethnic media played in the construction process of Turkish diaspora in America and make an assessment by reviewing all phases of this process.


We investigate droplet impact on a solid substrate in order to understand the influence of the gas in the splashing dynamics. We use numerical simulations where both the liquid and the gas phases are considered incompressible in order to focus on the gas inertial and viscous contributions. We first confirm that the dominant gas effect on the dynamics is due to its viscosity through the cushioning of the gas layer beneath the droplet. We then describe an additional inertial effect that is directly related to the gas density. The two different splashing mechanisms initially suggested theoretically are observed numerically, depending on whether a jet is created before or after the impacting droplet wets the substrate. Finally, we provide a phase diagram of the drop impact outputs as the gas viscosity and density vary, emphasizing the dominant effect of the gas viscosity with a small correction due to the gas density. Our results also suggest that gas inertia influences the splashing formation through a Kelvin–Helmholtz-like instability of the surface of the impacting droplet, in agreement with former theoretical works.


Influence of noradrenaline, or isoprenaline injected into the dorsal hippocampus on electroencephalogram and behavior of rabbit was studied. The injections increased the participation of slow waves and spindles in cortical EEG, suppressed hippocampal theta rhythm and blocked the spontaneous locomotor activity. The inhibitory effect of isoprenaline was reduced by intrahippocampal pretreatment with propranolol or sotalol; the beta-blockers injected intrahippocampal induced EEG arousal and behavioral excitation. These results indicate an inhibitory role of noradrenaline and isoprenaline in the hippocampus of rabbit.


There is a need for an accounting paradigm that properly illustrates the value that nonprofits generate. Much of that value comes from volunteer contributions, which are significant but for the most part are not included in financial accounting statements, even though our research indicates that they account for almost a third of the value added by these organizations. This article reports the results of two studies related to measuring volunteer value in the accounting of nonprofits and then draws some policy implications from the research. The first study, a survey of 156 nonprofits in Canada, found that although about one-third of the sample kept records of volunteer hours, only 3 percent included a value for them in their accounting statements. The second study, of nonprofit accountants, found that they did not feel that financial accounting statements properly represented the contribution of their organizations. A series of policy recommendations are presented, including suggestions for revising the regulations of accounting bodies for imputing volunteer value and creating accounting statements that better represent the contribution of nonprofits.


The pre-B-cell receptor (pre-BCR) is thought to signal transcriptional activation of the immunoglobulin light (L) chain gene locus, proceeding to its V-J rearrangement. The pre-BCR signaling pathway for this process is largely unknown but may involve the adaptor protein BASH (BLNK/SLP-65). Here we report that the pre-B leukemia cell lines established from affected BASH-deficient mice rearrange kappaL-chain gene locus and down-regulate pre-BCR upon PMA treatment or BASH reconstitution. Analyses with specific inhibitors revealed that activation of novel PKC (nPKC) and MEK, but not Ras, is necessary for the rearrangement. Accordingly, retroviral transduction of active PKCeta, PKCepsilon, or Raf-1, but not Ras, induced the kappa gene rearrangement and expression in the pre-B-cell line. Tamoxifen-mediated BASH reconstitution resulted in the translocation of PKCeta to the plasma membrane and kappa chain expression. These data make evident that the Ras-independent BASH-nPKC-Raf-1 pathway of pre-BCR signaling induces the L-chain gene rearrangement and expression.


OBJECTIVE
This experimental research study evaluated the impact of an 8-week psychosocial occupational therapy intervention program for mothers who have children with disabilities.

METHOD
Thirty-eight mothers of children with disabilities were randomly assigned to participate either in the treatment or the control group (19 in each). The occupational therapy intervention was designed to facilitate increased perceptions of satisfaction with time use and occupational performance, thereby positively affecting maternal and family well-being. The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) was administered to measure self-perceptions of occupational performance and satisfaction over time.

RESULTS
No significant differences were found between the two groups on time use perceptions. Although no significant differences were found between the two groups on the COPM Performance subscale, the treatment group demonstrated significantly greater score increases (p < .05) on the COPM Satisfaction subscale.

CONCLUSION
This preliminary study suggests that attending to the time use and occupational concerns of mothers of children with disabilities can have a positive impact on their satisfaction with occupational performance.


Coal resources occurring in thick seams1 in India account for 70 percent of the total workable coal reserves. Evaluation of suitable techniques to extract thick seams has been the main concern of the mining engineers in this country, perhaps, since the coal mining began in India around 200 years ago and more seriously since 1930s. Thick coal seams with a higher concentration of coal reserve, economically a boon, have posed a serious problem of exploitation due to their low level of recovery, difficult strata control, problem of heating and fire, gradient and nature of strata and coal seam. The convenient working height by the conventional method was 3 to 3.5m due to restricted maneuverability in loosening of coal. The resistance of the conventional props/chocks also decreases with height due to high slenderness ratio. The problem is more acute in Raniganj and Jharia Coalfields, where a number of good quality coal seams were developed on pillars leaving a coal band mainly along the roof horizone. A cable bolting based semi-mechanised depillaring method has been developed at Central Mining Research Institute (CMRI) to tackle the problem of thick seam mining. This method was successfully experimented at NCPH mine of M/s South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL). Upper Kajora seam of 6.5 to 7.5m thickness developed on pillars in Madhusudanpur 7 pit & Incline colliery of M/s Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) was selected for further trial of this method. This paper presents the field trial of this method at Madhussudanpur colliery along with the results of strata behaviour study done in a panel under shallow depth of cover.


Background The DSM-IV symptomatic criteria for major depression (MD) derive primarily from clinical experience with modest empirical support. Method The sample studied included 1015 (518 males, 497 females) Caucasian twins from a population-based registry who met criteria for MD in the year prior to the interview. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to compare the associations of: (1) single symptomatic criterion, (2) two groups of criteria reflecting cognitive and neurovegetative symptoms, with a wide range of potential validators including demographic factors, risk for future episodes, risk of MD in the co-twin, characteristics of the depressive episode, the pattern of co-morbidity and personality traits. Results The individual symptomatic criteria showed widely varying associations with the pattern of co-morbidity, personality traits, features of the depressive episode and demographic characteristics. When examined separately, these two criteria groups showed robust differences in their patterns of association, with the validators with the cognitive criteria generally producing stronger associations than the neurovegetative. Conclusions Among depressed individuals, individual DSM-IV symptomatic criteria differ substantially in their predictive relationship with a range of clinical validators. These results challenge the equivalence assumption for the symptomatic criteria for MD and suggest a more than expected degree of 'covert' heterogeneity among these criteria. Part of this heterogeneity is captured by the distinction between cognitive versus neurovegetative symptoms, with cognitive symptoms being more strongly associated with most clinically relevant characteristics. Detailed psychometric evaluation of DSM-IV criteria is overdue.


Tetracycline and its derivatives (hydroxytetracycline and chlortetracycline) exert an inhibitory action, within a concentration range of 50-1000 microM on the basic functions of human platelets: aggregation, adhesion, retraction, hypotonic shock response, and release reaction. After resuspending and transfer of the inhibited platelets into plasma not containing tetracycline derivatives the functional activity of platelets partially or completely recovered. The evidence obtained suggests that the reversible inhibitory action of tetracycline results from its ability to easily penetrate the cell membranes and to bind intracellular calcium without substantial damage to the cells.


We give an analytical result for the quantum Fisher information of entangled coherent States in a lossy Mach-Zehnder Interferometer recently proposed by J. Joo et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 083601(2011)]. For small loss of photons, we find that the entangled coherent state can surpass the Heisenberg limit. Furthermore, The formalism developed here is applicable to the study of phase sensitivity of multipartite entangled coherent states.


Land use conflicts are the typical example of spatial conflicts. They are intrinsically complex and require a comprehensive approach to their solutions. It is necessary to come to grips with the nature of their complexity to provide adequate support to deal with them. Development of land management plans through the participation of stakeholders is being appreciated and accepted as a requirement for sustainable land use. However, the involvement of stakeholders (participatory approach) gives rise to many questions. Who are the stakeholders? How to identify them? How to empower them? How to lead them through the process of negotiation? How to collate their interests to resolve the conflicts? How to facilitate this process? etc. This is an endeavour to answer the questions relevant to the support and facility that can be provided for conflict resolution by using the suitable techniques and technology. This paper introduces the concept of GIS-based collaborative decision-making and presents a general model that is developed on the basis of decision theory to support the process of conflict resolution in the context of sustainable land use.


This study investigates the effect of drinking magnetically treated water (MTW) on animal's immune response against bacterial infection to see whether MTW improve the health and the immune response of the body, as MTW producers claimed. 32 female rabbits were housed for 58 days and divided into two groups (treated group and control group) where treated group drank magnetized water with 3500 Guse while control group drank tap water. In the twenty three day, they injected with Salmonella typhi somatic antigen (O-Ag) according to immunization schedule for bacteria. Coulter counter was used for measurement of innate immunity (White blood cell, lymphocyte, monocyte and granulocyte) and Architect system was used for detection of adaptive immune system (immunoglobulin M-IgM titer). No significant difference among treated group and control group was observed in innate immunity before and after vaccination with Sallmonella typhi (O-Ag). However, hemoglobin concentrations show significant decrease (p=0.027) in treated animals after vaccination with salmonella typhi O-Ag. Additionally no immunoglobulin G (IgG) was detected after 7 days from the immunization schedule, while IgM was detected and shows a significant elevation (p=0.030) in control group compared with treated group. For this reason magnetically treated water not only has no effect on hematological parameter but also has adverse effect on immune response to bacterial infection in rabbit.


Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the (1) role of gender, age, and education in the evaluation of multidimensional criteria of the purchase of functional products, which were (a) quality and organoleptic attributes, (b) attributes of packaging and labeling, (c) healthful properties, (d) functional components, (e) base product (carrier) and (2) most important motives for the purchase and consumption of functional food among consumers of different sociodemographic profiles. Design: The data were collected in direct interviews. The sample (n = 200) consisted of 137 women and 63 men age 18–60 years. The research tool was a questionnaire divided into 4 sections. The first one included quality attributes. The second one included healthful properties, functional components, and carriers. The third one concerned the motives for purchasing functional food and included the consequences and values. In the fourth section the participants were asked about gender, age, and education. Results: Gender, age, and education differentiated the criteria influencing the decision to purchase functional food. Women, older people (35–60 years), and those with university education attach the greatest importance to naturalness, nutritional value, freshness, food safety, and quality guarantee. Clear differences between men and women appear in the field of functional components, which are significantly more important for women than for men. Gender, age, and education essentially differentiate the preferences for base product (carrier). Young men prefer meat products in the role of functional carriers. In turn, women and older men prefer cereal products as basic functional carriers. Young consumers are more open to high-technology food processing. Motivations are differentiated by age and gender. Young men, as opposed to women and older men, attach less importance to functional and psychological consequences: improvement of health, healthy eating, conscious choice, and health promotion. Women and older men are more interested in health safety and are more responsible for their health. Among young men, lower self-esteem can be found. Conclusion: The analysis conducted revealed that groups of consumers are significantly different from each other in the evaluation of the significance of each of the variables in the selection of functional food. Sociodemographic factors differentiate the motivations for consumption of functional food.


Opsonophagocytic killing assays (OPAs) are essential for developing and improving pneumococcal vaccines. There is a need for a high-throughput, reliable, standardized, and fully characterized OPA for pneumococcal antibodies. To meet the need, we have developed and characterized a fourfold multiplexed OPA (MOPA4) against 13 serotypes (1, 3, 4, 5, 6A, 6B, 7F, 9V, 14, 18C, 19A, 19F, and 23F) of pneumococci. Thirteen target bacteria were made resistant to only one of the following antibiotics: optochin, streptomycin, spectinomycin, and trimethoprim. Following optimization of assay conditions, accuracy of MOPA4 was determined by testing 30 sera from old adults in the MOPA4 and the single-serotype assays. The opsonization titers obtained with both assays agreed well (r > 0.95). Although 22 (out of 390; 6%) results differed more than twofold, the differences were not reproducible. The assay was specific: preabsorbing test sera with homologous polysaccharide (PS) completely abrogated opsonic activity, but a pool of unrelated PS (5 g/ml of each) had no effect. Intraand interassay coefficients of variation were 10 and 22%, respectively. MOPA4 results were unaffected by having different target pneumococcal serotypes in each assay group. Also, HL60 cell-to-bacteria ratios could be varied twofold without affecting the results. We conclude that MOPA4 is sensitive, accurate, specific, precise, and robust enough for large-scale clinical studies. Furthermore, MOPA4 should allow evaluation of multivalent pneumococcal vaccines with the limited volume of serum typically available from young children.


The present paper proposes the presentation through a modern e-learning method, in the discipline of Mechanics, determining the speeds and accelerations at different types of mechanisms. We use visual presentation methods, combined with explanations in the form of text. This determination of speeds and accelerations is performed using the graph-analytical method of Euler. PowerPoint was used to present the lab work. Hyperlinks have been created between different slides, creating references to other slides to provide sufficient information about the lab work. There is an interconnection between the chapters of the paper, to facilitate the development of the laboratory without losing the student's attention. The present paper can be accessed from the University's SUMS platform (https://core.uav.ro), each student having access using their own username and password. AutoCAD Mechanical Desktop was used to create the graphical part. In the paper it is assumed that the mechanism is a desmodrome, the movements of all kinematic elements and couples are known. The driving kinematic torque is materialized by a three-phase asynchronous electric motor, the students will determine the speeds and accelerations of the elements of the mechanism in different positions. The velocity vectors will be constructed, for each element separately, thus obtaining the center of the instantaneous rotation, by means of which the instantaneous speeds of the elements of the mechanism can be determined. General competences pursued are: identifying the data that intervenes in the problem and the relationships between them, elaborating the algorithms for solving problems and implementing the algorithms in a programming language.
Specific competences: description of a succession of operations that are obtained from the input data and the output data, the analysis of the problem statement and the establishment of the steps to solve the problem, the representation of the algorithms in the word and the final drawing. observing the principles of structured programming in the process of elaborating algorithms, identifying the need for structured data and processing structured data.


Intrabursal pressures were studied with a water manometer in 7 patients with olecranon bursitis and in 1 with prepatella bursitis. Baseline pressures in the olecranon bursa occurred from maximal extension to approximately 60 degrees of elbow flexion. Further degrees of flexion led to an exponential rise in pressure. In the prepatellar bursa a linear pressure rise was observed throughout the range of knee flexion.


AIM
To investigate the relationship between primary afferent neurons, endothelin (ET) and the role of its receptors on ethanol-induced gastric damage in cirrhotic rats.

METHODS
Cirrhosis and portal hypertension were induced in rats by bile duct ligation (BDL) while controls had a sham operation. The association between ET and afferent neurons on the gastric mucosa was evaluated by capsaicin treatment in newborn rats, the use of ET agonists or antagonists, gastric ET-1 and -3 mRNA and synthetic capacity. Ethanol-induced damage was assessed using ex vivo gastric chamber experiments. Gastric blood flow was measured by laser-Doppler flowmetry.

RESULTS
ET-3 and an ET(B) receptor antagonist significantly reduced the extent of ethanol-induced gastric damage in BDL rats. Gastric ET-1 and -3 levels were 30% higher in BDL rats compared to control rats. Capsaicin treatment restored the gastric resistance and blood flow responses to topical application of ethanol in BDL rats and ET-1 and -3 production to levels observed in controls.

CONCLUSION
Our results suggest that the reduced resistance of the gastric mucosa of cirrhotic rats to ethanol-induced injury is a phenomenon modulated by ET through the ET(B) receptor and by sensory afferent neurons.


We explore the structure of multipartite quantum systems which are entangled in multiple degrees of freedom. We find necessary and sufficient conditions for the characterization of tripartite systems and necessary conditions for any number of parties. Furthermore we develop a framework of multilevel witnesses for efficient discrimination and quantification of multidimensional entanglement that is applicable for an arbitrary number of systems and dimensions.


Colloidal humic acid (HA) acts as a vector that can facilitate the transport of contaminants in groundwater. However, investigations of factors that enhance the transport of sulfa antibiotics when there colloids are present remain incomplete to date. In this study, column experiments were performed under different conditions (particle size, pH, ionic strength, cation valence, colloidal concentration) using 0.25 mg/L sulfamerazine (SM) with or without colloids. The results showed that antibiotics were more easily deposited on the surface of porous media with a diameter of 0.22 mm than 0.45 mm. As the pH increased from 6 to 8, adding colloidal HA increased the maximum breakthrough concentration from 0.94 to 1 for SM. Adding colloidal HA at different NaCl concentrations decreased the maximum C/C 0 ratio from 0.97 to 0.92. However, adding colloidal HA changed the C/C 0 ratio more when the divalent cation (Ca 2+ ) was present. Overall, increasing the colloidal HA concentration clearly caused the effluent sulfamerazine concentration to increase.


The increased deposition of trace metals from vehicle exhausts on plants has raised concerns about the risks of the quality of food consumed by humans since the heavy metals emitted through the exhaust by vehicles can enter food chain through deposition on grass grazed by animals. Grass ( Paspalum Orbiculare ) and soil samples were collected from four major highways in Kano, at distance interval of 1,2,3,4 and 5 meters away from the edge of the road. The samples were analyzed for Cd, Fe and Pb using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The levels of Fe, Pb and Cd in grass were found to be 5.80±3.11 – 12.60±5.53μg/g, 8.60±4.16 – 12.00±8.19μg/g and 0.12±0.06 – 0.19±0.07μg/g dry weight respectively. The ranges of concentrations in soil were from 5.40±2.51 – 8.20±4.66μg/g, 7.80±3.96 – 13.80±4.60μg/g and 0.18±0.08.25±0.08μg/g dry weight for Fe, Pb and Cd respectively. Heavy metals in the four major roads were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those on the reference site. The results showed that the levels of Cd and Pb exceeded the limit levels (0.01 – 0.03μg/g for Cd, <7.00μg/g for Pb) and signifies that metal dynamics up the food chain is highly possible. Keywords : Food chain, Grass, Heavy metals, Paspalum orbiculare, Soil.


of Otago Act of 1961 gave autonomy back to the University of Otago, which it had lost to the University of New Zealand in 1869. The MB ChB(Otago) dates from 1962. Professor Morrell describes how "the university celebrated its recovered autonomy by a degree-giving ceremony on 27 July 1962," not, as stated by Dr Hocken, in 1972.2 In the last paragraph of the first column on p 325 Dr Hocken says that "the first 120 students from the self-sufficient school at Auckland graduated in 1974." It was on 23 November 1973 that 40 students graduated from an initial intake of 60 students.3


The widespread deployment of sensor networks is on the horizon. One of the main challenges in sensor networks is to process and aggregate data in the network rather than wasting energy by sending large amounts of raw data to reply to a query. Some efficient data dissemination methods, particularly data-centric storage and information aggregation, rely on efficient routing from one node to another. In this paper we introduce GEM (Graph EMbedding for sensor networks), an infrastructure for node-to-node routing and data-centric storage and information processing in sensor networks. Unlike previous approaches, it does not depend on geographic information, and it works well even in the face of physical obstacles. In GEM, we construct a labeled graph that can be embedded in the original network topology in an efficient and distributed fashion. In that graph, each node is given a label that encodes its position in the original network topology. This allows messages to be efficiently routed through the network, while each node only needs to know the labels of its neighbors.To demonstrate how GEM can be applied, we have developed a concrete graph embedding method, VPCS (Virtual Polar Coordinate Space). In VPCS, we embed a ringed tree into the network topology, and label the nodes in such a manner as to create a virtual polar coordinate space. We have also developed VPCR, an efficient routing algorithm that uses VPCS. VPCR is the first algorithm for node-to-node routing that guarantees reachability, requires each node to keep state only about its immediate neighbors, and requires no geographic information. Our simulation results show that VPCR is robust on dynamic networks, works well in the face of voids and obstacles, and scales well with network size and density.


This paper presents the development and evaluation of a web-based lesson-Lesson Rainbow. This lesson features multiple representations (MRs), which purposefully deliver concepts in relation to distinctive disciplinary subject areas through story-based animations that are closely related to learners' life experiences. The researchers selected 58 2nd-year junior high school students as the participants (32 males and 26 females). A quasi-experimental method together with semi-structured interviews was utilised. This research project was intended to investigate students' conceptual progress, and to evaluate the use of MRs and of situated learning components in the design of Lesson Rainbow. The statistical results indicated that: (1) students' science concepts significantly increased (t = 3.84, p < 0.01) through the use of Lesson Rainbow, and (2) students thought that the use of MRs in this web-based lesson was an effective pedagogical tool inasmuch as it allows for the learning of specific theoretical viewpoints in addition to the necessary background information. Lesson Rainbow employing MRs helps learners to understand the meanings of, and interrelationships between, different kinds of external representations. This kind of design facilitates their understanding of the correspondence between abstract symbolic expressions and real-world situations.


Rapid urbanisation coupled with a changing climate is increasing surface run-off in many cities in low-income countries. Badly managed run-off has a disproportionate impact on the poor. In a series of ten research projects the state of storm-water management in Vietnam, Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Pakistan and India has been examined, including issues of management, maintenance, health impacts (such as malaria) and design standards. The findings show that institutional issues such as urban planning, financing, management responsibility and skills levels are areas that require attention if storm-water is to be controlled effectively. Integrated approaches are required, making institutional coordination critical. Technical issues also need to be addressed, with silt and solid waste being a significant design problem.


While graphene and other carbonaceous nanomaterials have shown promise in a variety of electrochemical applications, measurement of their intrinsic performance is often confounded with effects related to the complexities due to diffusion in a porous medium. To by-pass this limitation, we use effectively non-porous tiled monolayers of reduced graphene oxide as a model platform to study how rates of heterogeneous electron transfer evolve as a function of graphene structure/chemistry. A variety of electrochemical systems are investigated including the standard ferri/ferrocyanide redox probe, several common biomolecular redox systems as well as copper electrodeposition. We show that the rates of heterogeneous electron transfer can vary by as much as 3 orders of magnitude depending on the reduction or annealing conditions used and the redox system investigated. Performance changes are linked to graphene chemistry, and we show that the graphene oxide reduction procedure must be chosen judiciously to maximize the electrochemical


This study introduces singular spectrum decomposition (SSD), a new adaptive method for decomposing nonlinear and nonstationary time series in narrow-banded components. The method takes its origin from singular spectrum analysis (SSA), a nonparametric spectral estimation method used for analysis and prediction of time series. Unlike SSA, SSD is a decomposition method in which the choice of fundamental parameters has been completely automated. This is achieved by focusing on the frequency content of the signal. In particular, this holds for the choice of the window length used to generate the trajectory matrix of the data and for the selection of its principal components for the reconstruction of a specific component series. Moreover, a new definition of the trajectory matrix with respect to the standard SSA allows the oscillatory content in the data to be enhanced and guarantees decrease of energy of the residual. Through the numerical examples and simulations, the SSD method is shown to be able to accurately retrieve different components concealed in the data, minimizing at the same time the generation of spurious components. Applications on time series from both the biological and the physical domain are also presented highlighting the capability of SSD to yield physically meaningful components.


Despite increased social awareness, marketing restraints, tobacco taxation, and available smoking cessation rehab programs, active and passive smoking remain a worldwide challenging epidemic and a key risk factor for cardiovascular diseases development. Although cardiovascular (CV) protection is more pronounced in women than in men due to estrogenic effects, tobacco cigarette smoking exposure seems to alter this protection by modulating estrogen actions via undefined mechanisms. Premenopausal cigarette smoking women are at higher risk of adverse CV effects than non‐smokers. In this study, we investigated the impact of cigarette smoking on early CV injury after myocardial infarction (MI) in non‐menopausal female mice. Aortic arch calcification, fibrosis, reactive oxygen species, and gene expression of inflammatory and calcification genes were exaggerated in mice exposed to cigarette smoke (CS). These findings suggest that aortic injury following MI, characterized by vascular smooth muscle cells transdifferentiation, calcification, inflammation, and collagen deposition but not cardiac dysfunction is exacerbated with CS exposure. The novel findings of this study highlight the importance of aortic injury on short and long‐term prognosis in CS‐exposed MI females. Linking those findings to estrogen alteration is probable and entails investigation.


The existence of the quantum vacuum is well established in the Standard Model of Particles and Fields but completely neglected in contemporary Astrophysics and Cosmology. It is a major and absolutely urgent task to reveal if and how quantum vacuum contributes to the gravitational field of baryonic matter in the Universe. We point out that a first signature of the gravitational impact of the quantum vacuum might be seen in the perihelion precession of orbits of satellites of minor planets in outer part of the Solar System. As an example we consider the minor planet 2002 UX25 and its satellite.


The oxygenase component of biphenyl dioxygenase (BPDO) from Comamonas testosteroni B-356 dihydroxylates biphenyl and some polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), thereby initiating their degradation. Identification of molecular determinants for BPDO substrate selectivity and activity should allow engineering it to accept a range of chlorinated biphenyls for bioremediation. Highly active BPDO has been purified, and crystallized under anaerobic conditions. The first crystal structures of BPDO, and its substrate-bound and product-bound binary complexes, have been solved. Steady-state kinetics assays monitoring O 2 consumption demonstrated that BPDO transformed biphenyl and dichlorobiphenyls with the following order of apparent specificities: biphenyl > 3,3 ' - > 2,2 ' - > 4,4 ' -dichlorobiphenyl, but with specificity constants all within a factor of 3. The ability of the enzyme to utilize O 2 depended strongly on the biphenyl substrate, with specificity constants for oxygen over one order of magnitude smaller in the presence of the dichlorinated biphenyls compared to biphenyl. Moreover, the selected dichlorobiphenyls were found to be partial uncouplers of the reaction, reducing O 2 to H 2 O 2 . Based on the high-resolution crystal structure of BPDO and its binary complexes, the roles of some specific residues were investigated by site-directed mutagenesis. Moreover, three BPDOs sharing between 70-95% sequence identity were overexpressed, purified in highly active forms, and compared in terms of steady-state kinetic parameters for biphenyls, as well as uncoupling behaviour. BPDO comprises two metal centers required for enzymatic activity: a catalytic mononuclear iron and a [2Fe-2S] Rieske-type cluster for electron transfer. To overexpress holo-BPDOs, the iron-sulfur cluster ( isc ) assembly genes from Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA01 were cloned and used for coexpression. The Fe-S cluster of BPDO was shown to be sensitive to reactive oxygen species such as superoxide, but the isc gene products appeared to have the ability to repair damaged clusters in crude extract reconstitution assays. The experimental approaches and results described in this thesis contribute to the identification of structural features important for substrate selectivity, and ultimately may be useful for construction of modified BPDOs with enhanced activity on chlorinated biphenyls


Modern populations rely heavily on the worldwide web in searching information because it is the largest human repository of knowledge. However, finding relevant information on the web is often challenging. In the current work, we review analyses and optimize the performance of exploratory and faceted search techniques. Search behavior that is characterized by a large amount of uncertainty about the goals of the search is common in exploratory search. On the other hand, faceted search technique refines search results by a faceted taxonomy in an iterative manner. In addition, facets provide an efficient way to analyze and navigate the search result space. However, we believe that facet selection has been guided by the properties of suboptimal facet and facet term. As a consequence, users may need technical support while searching information. Thus, this paper suggests a natural way of extending the current paradigm employed by traditional search systems, the exploratory search. Our main objective is to provide a framework or a platform which is extensible with plugins and able to provide instances tunable to a particular document collection of choice. In addition, this paper presents a research model based on the prototype that will be developed.


The goal of pattern classification can be approached from two points of view: informative - where the classifier learns the class densities, or discriminative - where the focus is on learning the class boundaries without regard to the underlying class densities. We review and synthesize the tradeoffs between these two approaches for simple classifiers, and extend the results to modern techniques such as Naive Bayes and Generalized Additive Models. Data mining applications often operate in the domain of high dimensional features where the tradeoffs between informative and discriminative classifiers are especially relevant. Experimental results are provided for simulated and real data.


In rereading the initial publications1-3in which my colleagues and I first began to formulate our ideas and used consequently imprecise terminology, I can certainly appreciate the suggestion by Ryalls that some confusion could, and obviously did, arise regarding whether we endorsed a "strong" or a "weak" version of prosodic lateralization. However, if one follows carefully the evolution of the clinical studies, it is quite clear that our intention was never to endorse a strong theory, especially since Monrad-Krohn4had described dysprosody ("foreign accent" syndrome) as a disorder encountered in the recovery phases of a Broca-type aphasia following left anterior sylvian injury and emphasized that the disorder did not affect his patient's ability to carry a tune or project emotion in the voice, which was in distinct contrast to the patients we had described. It should also be pointed out that in the original article I coauthored


We address the bene ts and challenges of using an arts-informed response in an undergraduate teacher education course from the perspective of a teacher and two students. Feminist pedagogies provide the theoretical lens through which our experiences are analyzed. From the teacher's perspective, this arts-informed approach modeled to pre-service teachers how they could use arts-informed inquiry in their future classrooms, to engage in conscious raising about inequality, while meeting di erent learning styles in their classrooms. From the students' perspective, it was surprising to be invited to do an arts-informed reading response. Acceptance depended on the perception of risk. Our conclusion is that more space should be created for arts-informed approaches in undergraduate teacher education programs.


Posttraumatic inflammatory processes contribute to pathological and reparative processes observed after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Recent findings have emphasized that these divergent effects result from subsets of proinflammatory (M1) or anti-inflammatory (M2) microglia and macrophages. Therapeutic hypothermia has been tested in preclinical and clinical models of TBI to limit secondary injury mechanisms including proinflammatory processes. This study evaluated the effects of posttraumatic hypothermia (PTH) on phenotype patterns of microglia/macrophages. Sprague-Dawley rats underwent moderate fluid percussion brain injury with normothermia (37℃) or hypothermia (33℃). Cortical and hippocampal regions were analyzed using flow cytometry and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) at several periods after injury. Compared to normothermia, PTH attenuated infiltrating cortical macrophages positive for CD11b+ and CD45high. At 24 h, the ratio of iNOS+ (M1) to arginase+ (M2) cells after hypothermia showed a decrease compared to normothermia. RT-PCR of M1-associated genes including iNOS and IL-1β was significantly reduced with hypothermia while M2-associated genes including arginase and CD163 were significantly increased compared to normothermic conditions. The injury-induced increased expression of the chemokine Ccl2 was also reduced with PTH. These studies provide a link between temperature-sensitive alterations in macrophage/microglia activation and polarization toward a M2 phenotype that could be permissive for cell survival and repair.


Summary form only given. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have been considered as a promising nanostructured material for the realization of future nanoelectronic devices because of their unique electrical properties such as the ballistic transportation of electrons or holes in SWCNTs. In this paper, we report the fabrication of single-walled carbon nanotube field- effect transistors (CNTFETs) with metal and semiconductor materials as the source and drain materials. Ultra-purified HiPCO-grown single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) from Carbon Nanotechnologies, Inc. (CNI) were used for the fabrication of CNTFETs. N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP), dimethyl formamide (DMF), toluene and trifluoroacetic acid were used to disperse SWCNTs in solutions. The dispersion of SWCNTs in the solvents were ultrasonically assisted, and then centrifuged at 14000 rpm. The solubility of SWCNTs in the solvents was finally compared, and the degree of dispersion was examined by SEM. Dielectrophoresis (DEP) method was used to deposit, align, and assemble carbon nanotubes (CNTs) across the source and drain of CNTFETs to form the channel. Microfabrication techniques such as UV lithography and e-beam lithography were used to fabricate the CNTFETs. The gap between the source and drain varied from 800 nm to 3 um. Both metals such as gold and semiconductors such as bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) were used as the source and drain materials for the CNTFETs. The fabricated CNTFET has a backside gate with the substrate as the gate contact. Silicon dioxide was used as the gate oxide. Electron-beam evaporation and sputtering deposition were used for the deposition of the thin film layers in this research.The drain-source current (IDS) versus drain-source voltage (VDS) and gate voltage (VG) was characterized for the fabricated CNTFETs. It was found that the I-V behavior of metal electrode-based CNTFETs is dependent on the type (metallic or semiconducting) of aligned carbon nanotubes across the electrodes and the I-V behavior of semiconductor electrode-based CNTFETs is independent of the type of carbon nanotubes. This property makes the semiconductor electrode-based CNTFETs more promising than the metal electrode-based CNTFETs. The developed carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (CNTFETs) can be a good candidate for the application of nanoelectronics and integrated circuits with a high mobility and fast switching.


Purified pea (Pisum sativum) cotyledon F1-ATPase contains six subunits rather than the five usually reported for F1-ATPases. The additional 26.5 kDa (delta) subunit is shown by immunoblotting and N-terminal amino acid sequencing to be similar to bovine oligomycin-sensitivity-conferring protein (OSCP). It is concluded that the delta subunit of plant mitochondrial F1-ATPase is the plant OSCP. This OSCP subunit occurs in all mono- and di-cotyledonous species of plants tested (maize, oats, peas, potatoes, sweet potatoes and turnips).


We previously reported [Xie, Li, Mechin and van de Werve (1999) Biochem. J. 343, 393-396] that dietary phosphate deprivation for 2 days up-regulated both the catalytic subunit and the putative glucose-6-phosphate translocase of the rat liver microsomal glucose-6-phosphatase system, suggesting that increased hepatic glucose production might be responsible for the frequent clinical association of hypophosphataemia and glucose intolerance. We now show that liver cAMP was increased in rats fed with a diet deficient in P(i) compared with rats fed with a control diet. Accordingly, in the P(i)-deficient group pyruvate kinase was inactivated, the concentration of phosphoenolpyruvate was increased and fructose 2, 6-bisphosphate concentration was decreased. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase activity was marginally increased and glucokinase activity was unchanged by P(i) deprivation. The liver glycogen concentration decreased in the P(i)-deficient group. In the fed state, plasma glucose concentration was increased and plasma P(i) and insulin concentrations were substantially decreased in the P(i)-deficient group. All of these changes, except decreased plasma P(i), were cancelled in the overnight fasted P(i)-deficient group. In the fasted P(i)-deficient group, immediately after a glucose bolus, the plasma glucose level was elevated and the inhibition of endogenous glucose production was decreased. However, this mild glucose intolerance was not sufficient to affect the rate of fall of the glucose level after the glucose bolus. Taken together, these changes are compatible with a stimulation of liver gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis by the P(i)-deficient diet and further indicate that the liver might contribute to impaired glucose homeostasis in P(i)-deficient states.


The aim of the extended essay is to investigate the memory of fishes, especially a special kind, Poecilia reticulate. So it is an extended essay about fish behavior and ability to memorize. Additionally, this experiment investigates the relation between the obstacles and the time for Poecilia reticulate to reach the source of food.
 My research question for this extended essay was: 'Is Poecilia reticulate memory powerful enough to reuse acquired knowledge when the distance between obstacles increase through the way to source of food?'
 My hypothesis for the essay is: 'Poecilia reticulate will be able to swim faster as they adapt the environment, although the distances between obstacles increase, so they have ability to learn and memorize what they learnt for finding their food.'
 In order to answer the research question I have designed my own method. In this experiment, I have used two obstacles with wholes, one of them is in the top, and one of them is in the bottom of the plates. The path was designed and the distance between the obstacles increased in every 5 days. There are also varieties in every species. So, I have used 5 Poecilia reticulate to obtain more precise data. In addition, a video camera is placed to obtain most accurate and precise data. So, I was able to watch step by step, which Poecilia reticulate swim across the obstacles. At the end of the experiment, these data have compared to each other. The experiment was successful to end up a conclusion.
 Results show that as the distance between obstacles increase, the time for Poecilia reticulate to reach their food also increases. Moreover, according to ANOVA test there was a significant mean difference between the increasing distances between obstacles.
 In this extended essay, I have used fishes, and it was important to keep up their life standards. It was also important to design an environment, which they can live in good conditions. I have done many researches about this in the beginning of the experiment. And in the end, all Poecilia reticulate was able to survive and still they are healthy.


Within the udder, neutrophil polymorphonuclear (PMN) leukocytes are capable of phagocytosing a wide variety of particles (microorganisms, milk fat globules, casein). Studies of PMN leukocyte function indicate that milk fat globules and casein are perhaps significant deterrents to phagocytosis and destruction of Staphylococcus aureus by PMN leukocytes in milk. These deterrents could be a major factor in establishment of intramammary infections by invading mastitis pathogens. Elimination of fat and casein from milk during clinical or subclinical mastitis may free PMN leukocytes to function properly and may remove infection from the mammary gland. Further observations on PMN leukocyte function indicate that considerable variation exists among cows in the ability of whole milk and skimmed milk to support phagocytosis and in the ability of PMN leukocytes to phagocytose. Variation in this basic defense mechanism could account for the differences that exist in susceptibility to infection by mastitis pathogens.


Twenty-three infants with clinically proven bacterial meningitis were studied with real-time cranial sonography at the time of initial diagnosis and in several cases subsequently. A spectrum of sonographic abnormalities was observed, including bright convolutional markings, focal or diffuse increased and/or decreased parenchymal echoes, ventricular debris, and hydrocephalus. In three infants with virulent Gram-negative meningitis serial sonographic studies showed the development of encephalomalacia. Because clinical neurologic assessment of the infant is limited, a diagnostic imaging method that is sensitive to early structural change and suitable for serial observations is advantageous. Transfontanelle real-time sonographic examination of the brain was found to be a reliable, informative, and relatively inexpensive method of documenting and monitoring complicated bacterial meningitis.


BACKGROUND & AIMS
Several lines of evidence support a role for Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling to protect the intestine from pathogenic infection. We hypothesized that TLR signaling at the level of the intestinal epithelium is critical for mucosal immune responses.

METHODS
We generated transgenic mice that express a constitutively active form of TLR4 in the intestinal epithelium (V-TLR4 mice). Lamina propria cellularity was evaluated by immunostaining and flow cytometry. Immunoglobulin (Ig) A levels in the stool and serum were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Chemokine and cytokine expression were analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTS
V-TLR4 transgenic mice reproduced normally and had a normal life span. Constitutive activity of TLR4 in the intestinal epithelium promoted recruitment of B cells and an increase in fecal IgA levels. Intestinal epithelial cells of V-TLR4 mice expressed higher levels of CCL20 and CCL28, chemokines known to be involved in B-cell recruitment, and of a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL), a cytokine that promotes T-cell-independent class switching of B cells to IgA. The changes in B-cell numbers and IgA levels were blocked by simultaneous expression in intestinal epithelial cells of M3, a herpes virus protein that binds and inhibits multiple chemokines.

CONCLUSIONS
TLR signaling in the intestinal epithelial cells significantly elevated the production of IgA in the intestine. This effect was mediated by TLR-induced expression of a specific set of chemokines and cytokines that promoted both recruitment of B cells into the lamina propria and IgA class switching of B cells.


Perception of synthetic speech in noise conditions has certain specific features which largely determine noise resistance of synthetic verbal communication. On the one hand, noise resistance of synthetic speech is lower than that of natural speech. This has been demonstrated by the study of the masking effect of 90 and 100 dB noise on natural and synthetic speech. On the other hand, there are methods of speech synthesis that seem very promising. Phonetic analysis of natural and synthetic syllables has shown that noise resistance of synthetic syllables is higher than that of natural syllables but perception of blended speech displays an inverse correlation. This demonstrates the fact that perception of verbal signals under noise conditions is based on the sensory relations that differ from those simulated by synthetic communication. Language: ru


The two neighbouring countries, Libera and Sierra Leone, are situated in the heart of the Upper Guinea forest region. This region is one of the earth's most biologically diverse and was originally covered by a continuous block of dense tropical rainforest, ranging from Guinea south through Sierra Leone, and Liberia to Ivory Coast and Ghana. Much of this forest cover has already been lost and what little remains is under serious threat from commercial activities, such as logging, mineral mining and the subsistence activities of an ever growing population. Civil conflicts are also taking their toll. The status of nature in the two countries is depicted using case studies and pictures


AIM: To study the efficacy of clonazepam in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) with reference to their psychovegetative status. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 50 patients with PAF of non-rheumatic origin entered the study group, 20 healthy examinees served control. All of them were examined using a clinicocardiological, cliniconeurological tests; their autonomic nervous system, emotional sphere, sleep disorders were studied before and after clonazepam treatment in a dose 0.5 mg 2 times a day for 30 days. RESULTS: A positive effect of clonazepam was noted in 20 (80%) patients with PAF, less frequent paroxysms occurred in 12 (48%) patients, in 5 patients they stopped, 12 (48%) patients tolerated the paraxysms better. The paraxysms became shorter in 10 (40%) patients, 10 (40%) patients felt better in the postparoxysmal period. A marked relief of psychovegetative syndrome, improvement of activity, mood and quality of sleep were noted in all the patients. CONCLUSION: Clonazepam is recommended for patients with PAF to improve antiarrhythmia therapy.


Human Resource Management is e key instrument in today business activity. Human Resource Management ( HRM ) is a significant function in a  company. Today in the world, global competition is the basic element to define firms strategies as a result industrial economy has been experienced to pass toward to knowledge economy. At an age where total quality is of primary importance, efficiency can only be achieved by the successful utilization of human resources. Human resource management is one of the necessary needs of today's business. Human resource management department has a very important role for supply of the human being to main resources of companies. Human resource management department has fundamental role for personnel recruiting, orientation and performance appraisal and so on. Human resource management issues to be addressed at the highest level in the organization and management of strategic decisions are required. This research will inform human resource management, scope and affecting factors on human resource management, human resource management functions and relationship between organizational effectiveness and human resources management. Keywords: Human Resources Management, Management, Management Functions, Organizational Effectiveness


From violating his own body in highly controversial performance works during the 1970s to a series of breathtaking installations over recent years, American artist Chris Burden has been driven by the desire to explain and reconstruct experiences and ideas we normally take for granted. He is interested in the political, institutional, and technological, and in all these areas he is concerned to demystify symbols of authority and explain hidden processes.At the end of the 20th century ordinary people have little or no understanding of how the world we live in functions, how the food we eat is grown, or how the objects we use are manufactured. This volume documents Chris Burden's project showing at the Tate Gallery in February 1999, where he will set up a factory-like assembly line which will manufacture model airplanes from tissue paper, plastic, and balsa wood parts. He lays bare the principles of mass production in a way that is entertaining, ingenious, and provocative. The book reproduces many of Burden's original working drawings and documents the functioning assembly line.


In this paper, we extend psychosocial research methodology by integrating a breaching experiment, influenced by ethnomethodological sociology, with aspects of mindfulness practice, influenced by Buddhist traditions. We offer an empirical investigation of what happens when researcher-participants subtly 'swim against the stream' of normative public social conduct in a capital city setting. Our qualitative analysis explores a single case from a corpus of 172 first-person retrospective accounts of standing still and 'doing nothing' in a busy, public place. We investigate the qualitative aspects of how one researcher-participant arguably adopted a mindful, 'beginner's mind' orientation toward the flow of psychosocial consciousness. We empirically investigate this psychosocial orientation of mindfulness by integrating Wetherell's concept of affective-discursive practice with James' stream of consciousness. Mindfulness offers a specific, embodied reorientation toward psychosocial flows. We discuss the methodological implications and limitations of this reorientation for psychosocial research.


Here we demonstrate a novel and facile strategy of highly luminescent water-soluble Zn-doped AgIn5S8 (ZAIS) nanocrystals and ZAIS/ZnS core/shell structures, which were based on hydrothermal reaction between the acetate salts of the corresponding metals and sulfide precursor in the presence of l-cysteine at 110 °C in a Teflon-lined autoclave. The photoluminescent (PL) emission wavelength can be conveniently tuned from 560 to 650 nm by tailoring the stoichiometric ratio of [Ag]/[Zn]. The as prepared nanocrystals were characterized systematically and exhibit long PL lifetimes more than 100 ns. The influence of experimental conditions, including concentration of l-cysteine and reaction temperature, was investigated. In addition, we performed a coating procedure with the ZnS shell outside the ZAIS core and showed excellent PL quantum yields up to 35%. The in vitro experiment exhibited quite low cytotoxicity and marvelous biocompatibility, revealing their promising prospect in bioscience. Furthermore, the obtained ZAIS/ZnS nanocompounds (NCs) were covalently conjugated to alpha-fetoprotein antibodies and targeted fluorescent imaging for hepatocellular carcinoma cells was realized.


We assess if and how motherhood wage penalties change in response to the design of parental leave regulations. Focusing on Germany, we compare sweeps of reforms inspired by opposite principles. One allowed for longer periods out of paid work in the 1990s, the other prompted quicker re-entry in the labour market in the late 2000s. These reforms may have first exacerbated and later mitigated wage losses for new mothers, albeit each component of leave schemes may trigger separate, and at times zero-sum, mechanisms. We rely on Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) data and a difference-in-differences design. Focusing on first-time mothers, we find that motherhood wage penalties were substantial (around 20–30 per cent of pre-birth wages) and also changed little during the 1990s. As parental leave reform triggered longer time spent on leave coupled with better tenure accumulation, wage losses for mothers remained stable in this first period. Following parental leave reform in the late 2000s, instead, the wage prospects of first-time mothers improved, thanks in part to shorter work interruptions and increased work hours. We suggest that the nuts and bolts of leave schemes can be fine-tuned to reduce child penalties and, thus, gender wage disparities.


Telomerase is considered a universal tumor-associated antigen (TAA) due to its high rate of expression by cancers (approximately 90%), and clinical trials are in progress to test the immunotherapeutical efficacy of antitelomerase immunization in patients with cancer. However, the data concerning frequency and functional activity of telomerase-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in patients with cancer are few and conflicting, although their knowledge would be mandatory to predict the efficacy of telomerase-specific immunotherapy in selected patients. We performed this study to analyze frequency and cytolytic function of circulating CD8+ T lymphocytes specific for the p540 telomerase peptide in a series of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A2+ cancer patients. The results show that most patients with cancer have circulating telomerase-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes, but a high frequency of telomerase-specific CTLs are present only in a fraction of them. Furthermore, CTL lines able to kill telomerase-positive tumor cells, including autologous cancer cells, can be expanded ex vivo from some, but not all, patients with cancer. In conclusion, the results of the study support the development of clinical protocols using telomerase peptides as an immunizing agent. However, they underline the necessity to study single patients immunologically before undergoing vaccination, to select the patients adequately, and to eventually adapt the immunization schedule to the patient's immunologic status.


The LexA repressor of Escherichia coli modulates the expression of the SOS regulon. In the presence of DNA damaging agents in vivo, the 202-amino acid LexA repressor is inactivated by specific RecA-mediated cleavage of the Ala-84/Gly-85 peptide bond. In vitro, LexA cleavage requires activated RecA at neutral pH, and proceeds spontaneously at high pH in an intramolecular reaction termed autodigestion. A model has been proposed for the mechanism of autodigestion in which serine 119 serves as the reactive nucleophile that attacks the Ala-84/Gly-85 peptide bond in a manner analogous to a serine protease, while uncharged lysine 156 activates the serine 119 hydroxyl group. In this work, we have tested this model by examining the effect of the serine protease inhibitor diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP) on autodigestion. We found that DFP inhibited autodigestion and that serine 119 was the only serine residue to react with DFP. We also examined [3H]DFP incorporation by a number of cleavage-impaired LexA mutant proteins and found that mutations in the proposed active site, but not in the cleavage site, significantly reduced the rate of [3H]DFP incorporation. Finally, we showed that the purified carboxyl-terminal domain, which contains the proposed catalytic residues, incorporated [3H]DFP at a rate indistinguishable from the intact protein. These data further support our current model for the mechanism of autodigestion and the organization of LexA.


Microwave sintering behaviors of four different compositions of YSZ electrolyte materials were investigated. The samples were sintered in 2.45GHz microwave furnace. For comparison, conventional sintering was performed at 1821K.The densities of sintered samples showed considerable enhancement in the densification process under the influence of microwave fields. The samples with lower Y2O3 content are easy to sinter. The influence of the composition and sintering methods on the final phase composition and microstructure were investigated by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microcopy. Finer and more uniform microstructures were observed in the microwave sintered samples comparing to the conventionally sintered samples.


The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (ASFA) established a goal of one year from removal to permanence for all children taken into protective custody. When the Family Court of Mecklenburg County (Charlotte), N.C., opened its doors in 1999, more than half of the children in the protective

custody of the Department of Social Services had been in custody for 12 months or more. Innovative approaches were needed to provide children in Mecklenburg County with a safe and permanent home in a more timely manner. The Child Abuse, Neglect, and Dependency Mediation Pilot Project was one approach selected by the Mecklenburg County Family Court to help achieve ASFA's goal of one year to permanence. This article details the court's two-year journey to make dependency mediation a reality.


As the demand for higher data rates is growing exponentially, homogeneous cellular networks have been facing limitations when handling data traffic. These limitations are related to the available spectrum and the capacity of the network. Heterogeneous networks (HetNets), composed of macro cells (MCs) and small cells (SCs), are seen as the key solution to improve spectral efficiency per unit area and to eliminate coverage holes. Due to the large imbalance in transmit power between MCs and SCs in HetNets, intelligent user association (UA) is required to perform load balancing and to favor some SCs attraction against MCs. As long term evolution (LTE) cellular networks use the same frequency sub-bands, user equipment may experience strong intercell interference (ICI), especially at cell edge. Therefore, there is a need to coordinate the resource allocation (RA) among the cells and to minimize the ICI. In this paper, we propose a generic algorithm to optimize UA and RA in LTE networks. Our solution, based on game theory, permits to compute cell individual offset and a pattern of power transmission over frequency and time domain for each cell. Simulation results show significant benefits in the average throughput and also cell edge user throughput of 40% and 55% gains respectively. Furthermore, we also obtain a meaningful improvement in energy efficiency.


Titanate aqueous solution (TTIP-Lac) prepared by direct reaction of titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) with lactic acid (Lac) in water shows characteristics of a polyanion and acts as a dispersant for preparing titanate suspension. Electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of aqueous titania suspensions was investigated with TTIP-Lac as a dispersant and hydroquinone (HQ) as an effective additive for bubble-free EPD of the aqueous system. The oxygen produced electrolytically by the EPD process at basic pH would be consumed by the chemical oxidation of HQ to quinone (Q). Bubble-free titania depositions were fabricated on anodes by EPD. A fired density with 99% theoretical density was obtained.


indicates that diacylglycerol kinases (DGK) are promising targets for the optimization of T cell activity, for example in the setting of adoptive cell therapy (ACT). The (TME) of human (RCC) is an immunosuppressive setting where T and NK cell functionality is blocked. DGK – a is a negative regulator of TCR signaling, functioning by metabolizing diacylglycerol to phosphatidic acid and thereby limiting the activation of MAPK/ERK1/2 signaling pathway. DGK- a is found increased in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) from RCC patients and also in adoptively transferred T cells after infil-trating into the TME. 1 We previously reported that inhibition of DGK- a restored functionality of unresponsive CD8 T cells and NK cells from RCC-TIL. Other studies demonstrated that knockdown or pharmacologic inhibition of DGK- a and DGK-z alone or together increased target cell killing and cytokine production, and protected T cells from inhibitory factors in the TME. 2 However, there are no inhibitors for


Diversity is a well-known means to counter the detrimental effect of fading. Against this background, space-time codes have been designed to facilitate transmit diversity with a suitable receiver. Furthermore, space-time codes combined with OFDM allow for the utilization of frequency selective channels. However, a general assumption underlying the design of space-time codes is the time-invariance of the channel, which is violated in a high mobility environment. Large Doppler spread causing rapidly time-varying channels can be compensated at the receiver by sectorized antennas, which restrict the angle of incidence of imping waves to a finite range. Compared to an omnidirectional antenna, the resulting Doppler spread of a sector antenna and the channels time-variance are reduced. In this paper, we demonstrate the benefits of Doppler compensating sectorized antennas for space-time coded OFDM.


Burgeoning deer populations in urban and suburban areas, along with the inherent problems stemming from this increase, are becoming increasingly widespread. To address these problems, wildlife biologists need quality baseline data of herd composition for harvest and treatment forecasts for management and fertility control research programs. In this study, we provide white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) population data from 4 areas where localized suburban white-tailed deer populations were substantially reduced utilizing sharpshooting as a management tool. In each area, legal hunting was nonexistent for >10 years preceding the sharpshooting program. The areas ranged in size from 300 ha to 3,000 ha. We annually culled from 124 to 566 deer per area and reduced herds by 35% to 90% in a given year. Biological traits were gathered from harvested deer (n = 3,242) at each site to ascertain herd demographics and fi tness. The results from these harvest programs indicate that sex and age structure of non-hunted deer populations are fairly uniform and predictable. There were consistently 60% females and 40% males in these environments. Also, these deer populations were comprised of ~40% yearling and adult females, ~20% yearling and adult males, and ~40% fawns.


The 21st century geological time scale (GTS) will comprise an internationally agreed chronologic hierarchy. Correlation of events into the GTS will be undertaken using a wide variety of methods, including numeric dating, fossil occurrence, physical and chemical properties, tephrochronology and astrochronologic retrodictions. Chronostratigraphic subdivision of the sedimentary rock record should proceed in a bottom up hierarchical manner with lower units defining the boundaries of stratigraphically higher units. A moderate amount of work is required to improve the basis of the hierarchical subdivision of some Cenozoic series boundary subdivisions and to bring them in line with recommendations by the Stratigraphic Guide and recommendations by the International Committee of Stratigraphy (ICS).


irrefutable proof of the validity of his medical opinion-a point occasionally so difficult that practitioners have been known to hesitate to give consent in cases where their clinical judgment would have favoured termination. These matters are clearly of importance to the medical profession, and we trust you will make them available to your readers. The Abortion Law Reform Association possesses a few copies of the summing-up of Mr. Justice Morris which could be borrowed by interested readers.-I am, etc.,


The preparation of proteins for structural and functional analysis using the Escherichia coli expression system is often hampered by the formation of insoluble intracellular protein aggregates (inclusion bodies). Transferring those proteins into their native states by in vitro protein folding requires screening for the best buffer conditions and suitable additives. However, it is difficult to assess the success of such a screen if no biological assay is available. We established a fully automated folding screen and a system to detect folded protein that is based on analytical hydrophobic interaction chromatography and tryptophan fluorescence spectroscopy. The system was evaluated with two model enzymes (carbonic anhydrase II and malate dehydrogenase), and was successfully applied to the folding of the p22 subunit of human dynactin, which is expressed in inclusion bodies in E. coli. The described screen allows for high‐throughput folding analysis of inclusion body proteins for structural and functional analyses.


The importance of type I insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-IR) overexpression in mammary tumorigenesis was recently shown in two separate transgenic models. One of these models, the MTB-IGFIR transgenics, was generated in our lab to overexpress IGF-IR in mammary epithelial cells in a doxycycline (Dox)-inducible manner. To complement this transgenic model, primary cells that retained Dox-inducible expression of IGF-IR were isolated from a transgenic mammary tumor. This cell line, RM11A, expressed high levels of IGF-IR, phosphorylated Akt, and phosphorylated extracellular signal–regulated kinase 1/2 in the presence of Dox. IGF-IR overexpression provided the primary tumor cells with a survival advantage in serum-free media and seemed to induce ligand-independent activation of the IGF-IR because RM11A cells cultured in the presence of Dox were largely nonresponsive to exogenous IGFs. IGF-IR overexpression also augmented the growth of RM11A cells in vivo because injection of these cells into mammary glands of wild-type mice produced palpable tumors in 15.8 ± 3.4 days when the mice were administered Dox, compared with 57.8 ± 6.3 days in the absence of Dox. DNA microarray analysis revealed a number of genes regulated by IGF-IR, one of which was cyclin D1. Suppression of IGF-IR expression in vitro or in vivo was associated with a decrease in cyclin D1 protein, suggesting that at least some of the proliferative actions of IGF-IR are mediated through cyclin D1. Therefore, this article characterizes the first primary murine mammary tumor cell line with inducible IGF-IR expression. These cells provide a powerful in vitro/in vivo model to examine the function of IGF-IR in mammary tumorigenesis. (Mol Cancer Res 2008;6(5):819–28)


We explored the potential of science to facilitate social inclusion with teenagers who had interrupted their studies before the terms set for compulsory education. The project was carried out from 2014 to 2018 within SISSA (International School for Advanced Studies), a scientific and higher education institution in physics, mathematics and neurosciences, and was focused on the production of video games using Scratch. The outcomes are encouraging: through active engagement, the participants have succeeded in completing complex projects, taking responsibilities and interacting with people outside their usual entourage, within a background in which they have been valued and respected.


We develop a method for computing policies in Markov decision processes with risk-sensitive measures subject to temporal logic constraints. Specifically, we use a particular risk-sensitive measure from cumulative prospect theory, which has been previously adopted in psychology and economics. The nonlinear transformation of the probabilities and utility functions yields a nonlinear programming problem, which makes computation of optimal policies typically challenging. We show that this nonlinear weighting function can be accurately approximated by the difference of two convex functions. This observation enables efficient policy computation using convex-concave programming. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach on several scenarios.


The purpose of the study was a biodynamic analysis of the kinematic, dynamic and EMG parameters of two types of drop jumps (heights of 25 cm and 45 cm). The sample of measured subjects included four female elite triple jump athletes, with their best results varying from 13.33 to 15.06 meters. The kinematic and dynamic parameters were calculated with the use of a bipedal tensiometric force plate, which was synchronized with nine CCD cameras. A 16-channel electromyography (BTS Pocket, Myolab) was used to analyze the EMG activation of the following muscles: m. erector spinae, m. gluteus, m. rectus femoris, m. vastus medialis, m. vastus lateralis, m. biceps femoris, m. soleus and m. gastrocnemius medialis. In the drop jump from a 25 cm height, the measured subjects achieved the following results: height of jump 43.37 ± 5.39 cm and ground reaction force 2770 ± 411 N. In comparison, results for the drop jump from a 45 cm height were: height of jump 45.22 ± 4.65 cm and ground reaction force 2947 ± 366 N. Vertical velocity of the take-off in the 25 cm drop jump was 2.77 ± 0.19 ms(-1) and in the 45 cm drop jump it was 2.86 ± 0.15 ms(-1). Observation of the EMG activation revealed the proximal to distal principle of muscle activation at work in both types of drop jumps. In the first phase of the concentric phase the most active muscles were m. gluteus maximus and m. rectus femoris. The greatest activity of m. gastrocnemius medialis and m. soleus was noticed in the last third of the take-off action. Significantly high EMG activation of m. vastus medialis and m. vastus lateralis was already shown in the flight phase prior to the feet making contact with the ground.


Morphological characteristics of stone aggregates, including particle shape, angularity, and surface texture, have a significant impact on the performance of hot-mix asphalt materials. To accurately identify and quantify these critical aggregate characteristics, well-defined particle descriptors are essential. Moreover, because a large number of irregular particles must be assessed to adequately characterize an aggregate material, descriptors that can be quantified with automated machines are preferred. In processing true three-dimensional (3-D) data from a laser scanner, wavelet-based 3-D particle descriptors are proposed as a way to characterize individual stone particles. Aided by the multiresolution analysis feature of the wavelet transform, these descriptors provide a generalized, comprehensive, and objective way of describing aggregates. This approach was implemented in conjunction with an automated laser-profiling device built for rapidly characterizing the size and shape properties of aggregate samples. Tests with this equipment have produced data that show strong correlations between the wavelet-based particle descriptors and visual perceptions of the aggregate morphological properties. These results demonstrate that the wavelet-based approach is a promising method for quantifying these important aggregate properties.