This paper first focuses on deriving an alternative approach for proving an extremal entropy inequality (EEI), originally presented in [11]. The proposed approach does not rely on the channel enhancement technique, and has the advantage that it yields an explicit description of the optimal solution as opposed to the implicit approach of [11]. Compared with the proofs in [11], the proposed alternative proof is also simpler, more direct, more information-theoretic, and has the additional advantage that it offers a new perspective for establishing novel as well as known challenging results such the capacity of the vector Gaussian broadcast channel, the lower bound of the achievable rate for distributed source coding with a single quadratic distortion constraint, and the secrecy capacity of the Gaussian wire-tap channel. The second part of this paper is devoted to some novel applications of the proposed mathematical results. The proposed mathematical techniques are further exploited to obtain a more simplified proof of the EEI without using the entropy power inequality (EPI), to build the optimal solution for a special class of broadcasting channels with private messages and to obtain a mutual information-based performance bound for the mean square-error of a linear Bayesian estimator of a Gaussian source embedded in an additive noise channel.


Statistical testing of null hypotheses recently has come under fire in wildlife sciences (Cherry 1998; Johnson 1999; Anderson et al. 2000, 2001). In response to this criticism, Robinson and Wainer (2002) provide some further background information on significance testing; they argue that significance testing in fact is useful in certain situations. I counter by suggesting that such situations rarely arise in our field. I agree with Robinson and Wainer that replication is the key to scientific advancement. I believe, however, that significance testing and resulting P-values frequently are confused with issues of replication. Any single study can yield a P-value, but only consistent results from truly replicated studies will advance our understanding of the natural world.


I nterest in the concepts of masculinity and femininity, which was an outgrowth of the women's movement, has focused on sex role stereotypes and the potential adverse effect they have on personality development. It is well documented that sex role definitions of a society are learned through the process of socialization. According to the social learning theory, sextyped behavior is mostly acquired through 'observational learning' or 'identification'. Mischel (1970: 29) reports that "observational learning behavior may result from watching what others (models) do, or from attending to symbols such as words and pictures." Mischel goes on to say: "Undoubtedly, T.v., movies, books, stories and other symbolic media play an important part in transmission of information about stereotyped behavior ... " (1970: 45). Based on the assumption that books are influential in introducing models to children, it becomes necessary to familiarize ourselves with the type of models that are being advocated in their story books through the symbols of words and illustrations.


This study aimed to investigate the effect of nomadic community's attitudes to access to education in Mkalama District. The purpose was attained through three objectives: to explore the influence of the attitudes of nomadic community towards access to education; to investigate challenges facing nomadic community's access to quality education and to establish ways that would enhance access to quality education of nomadic communities. Cross-sectional survey design was used to accomplish the objectives. Quantitative and qualitative approaches were used for data analysis and interpretation. The sample size of the study included 74 participants who were purposely and randomly selected. The data were collected through questionnaires, interviews and documentary reviews. The results indicated that the nomadic community's attitudes to education affect access to education through rigid cultures such as early marriages, genital mutilation, traditional dances and unsettled life style that prevent access to education of school age children; girl children are marginalized to accessing education; there were early marriages, pregnancies and practices of genital mutilation that affects girl's education. The data also owned that the barriers to nomadic access to education included remoteness and scattered nature of nomadic population, long distance from home to school, high truancy and dropout rate, poor performance, mobile life style, hard teaching and learning environment and unmotivated teachers affected by the school attendance. Moreover, the data establishes that there is a need of building boarding schools and introducing mobile schools in the nomadic community; enough teachers should be employed and motivated; in order to maintain school attendance, corporal punishment should be abolished; and students should be allowed to attend in schools in their local dressing (lubega).


One-third of the global population is aged under 20 years. For children with life-limiting conditions, palliative care services are required. However, despite 80% of global need occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the majority of children's palliative care (CPC) is provided in high-income countries. This paper reviews the status of CPC services in LMICs—highlighting examples of best practice among service models in Malawi, Indonesia and Belarus—before reviewing the status of the extant research in this field. It concludes that while much has been achieved in palliative care for adults, less attention has been devoted to the education, clinical practice, funding and research needed to ensure children and young people receive the palliative care they need.


In this research, a comparative analysis of the gender inequalities between Turkey the member, candidate and potential candidate economies of the European Union is tried to be examined. To ensure equality and justice and to reach the level of the EU Member states in this regard, it is a necessity to reduce the gender inequality in society. Rather than comparing Turkey with all transition economies within the frame of the EU standards of gender inequality, it was decided to compare Turkey with the transition economies like itself that are EU Members, Member candidates and potential candidates. The Gender Inequality Index that was developed by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) was used in the aforementioned comparisons. Research results show proof that there are unfavorable differences in Turkey in regards to the comparison of gender inequality with transition economies that are EU members, member candidates and potential candidates. This result shows that Turkey has omissions in all components of gender inequality, categorized as health care, participation in political life, access to education and participation in working life. Therefore Turkey needs to reconsider all these categories and their indicators.


The spectrum of terahertz (THz) emission in gases via ionizing two-color femtosecond pulses is analyzed by means of a semi-analytic model and numerical simulations in 1D, 2D and 3D geometries taking into account propagation effects of both pump and THz fields. We show that produced THz signals interact with free electron trajectories and thus significantly influence further THz generation upon propagation, i.e., make the process inherently nonlocal. This self-action contributes to the observed strong spectral broadening of the generated THz field. We show that diffraction of the generated THz radiation is the limiting factor for the co-propagating low frequency amplitudes and thus for the self-action mechanism in 2D and 3D geometries.


Mammalian GRP78/BiP is a stress-inducible 78-kDa endoplasmic reticulum (ER) protein with molecular chaperone and calcium-binding properties. The transactivation of grp78 by the calcium ionophore A23187 provides a model system with which to study the signal transduction that allows mammalian cells to sense calcium depletion in intracellular stores and activate transcription of specific genes. Linker-scanning mutation analysis of the grp78 promoter reveals that the single most important regulatory element is C1, which contains a CCAAT motif most proximal to the TATA sequence. The C1 element is crucial for mediating the stimulatory effects by the upstream regulatory elements under normal and stress conditions. In this report, we establish that the heteromeric CCAAT-binding factor CBF is the major component of the C1-binding factor (C1F) in human cells. A GGAGG motif flanking the CCAAT sequence also contributes to high-affinity C1F/CBF binding. We show here that the binding of C1F in vitro is sensitive to the concentration of calcium ions. At high calcium ion concentrations, the C1F-binding activity is lower because of a higher dissociation rate. This binding characteristic correlates with the induction of grp78 transcription in response to the depletion of intracellular calcium stores. The strikingly similar behavior of C1F from nuclear extracts of control and A23187-treated cells further suggests that C1F itself does not undergo any major inherent changes after calium depletion stress. Rather, its binding property could be modulated by the immediate calcium ionic environment in stressed and nonstressed cells. On the basis of the in vitro and in vivo site occupancies of C1F and other stress-inducible changes of upstream regulatory complexes, we present a model to explain how C1F and other upstream factors can synergistically activate grp78 transcription in calcium-depleted cells.


Toxic marine dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum is widely associated with
paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) in the Asia Pacific region. This species have been
reported for PSP cases at east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. In this study, a powerful
and advanced method was demonstrated for the detection of A. minutum using SYBR
Green I-based quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and investigates the life cycle of A.
minutum in natural bloom using flow cytometry. For qPCR detection, species specific
primers were designed from second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) region of
ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) which had been showed to be the excellent molecular
signature for species identification and discrimination. The qPCR assay showed high
specificity and sensitivity in detecting A. minutum from the environmental samples.
This assay allow quantification of target cells by convert total extractable gene copies
into cell number based on the extractable gene copy number per cell estimated in the
studies. Gene-based calibration curve with AE 97.6% was served as an alternative
calibrator in A. minutum qPCR quantification. Based on the calibration curve, the assay
estimated 7,584 ± 1,139 extractable gene copies per cell of A. minutum. However, the
gene copy number per cell determined is only an estimate to convert the total
extractable gene copies in a sample to cell estimates. In addition, SYBR Green I-based
qPCR assay was applied to the A. minutum bloom samples. However, overestimation
and underestimation in some samples were observed due to different DNA content at
different stage of life cycle. Specificity and sensitivity of the assay provide an effective
method for A. minutum monitoring especially in the site with different Alexanderium
spp. coexist. In early September 2015, a remarkably high density of A. minutum
occurred in Sungai Geting, Tumpat, a semi-enclosed lagoon at north-eastern Peninsular
Malaysia, causing severe discoloration and contaminated the benthic clam, Polymesoda similis. Samplings were undertaken over the duration of four months between the bloom
periods from September to December 2015. Plankton samples were collected and used
to investigate the mechanisms of blooms initiation, development and termination by
flow cytometry based detection. A 48-h sampling was conducted in March 2016 when
the bloom recurred to investigate the life cycle stage. Results from flow cytometric
analysis showed that planomyocetes (4C) were observed (88%) in the early bloom,
suggesting that the bloom was initiated by cyst excystment. Increase in planozygotes
(2C) was signified in the middle of the bloom, coincided with an abrupt decrease in
salinity and elevated N:P ratio. Gamate expression and mating process were induced
among the population under phosphorous limitation. The results also confirmed that the
bloom was initiated at the inner part of the lagoon and slowly dispersed to the river
mouth. The blooms were sustained for four months by 72 92% of vegetative cells (1C)
although 36% of planozygotes (2C) were observed in the early of the bloom. Results
from the 48-h diurnal sampling confirmed that cells undergo consistent cell cycle in
natural environment. Increase of precipitation and freshwater intrusion from the Golok
River might cause the bloom to terminate. This event provides a fundamental
understanding of the life cycle of this tropical toxic dinoflagellate.


It is crucial for a steel making production system to operate at the lowest possible production cost, while satisfying stability and reliability conditions. To plan future production strategies, it is therefore important to be able to model the system behaviour when internal and external parameters are changed. In this study the sensitivity and stability of an optimised solution, of an integrated steel plant, have been investigated. The solution's sensitivity has been analysed taking both internal process changes and external price variations into account, through applying both simulation and optimisation. The analysis also includes both costs and environmental issues such as carbon dioxide and sulphur emissions. Based on the methodology suggested, it is possible to determine the stability of the system solution, including both economic and environmental performance.


Résumé Research Application Summary Most vulnerable groups in countries in Sub Saharan Africa including Kenya are the poor who have least capacity for coping with the adverse impacts of the current climate extremes, and adapting to future climate changes. Lack of suitable coping and adaptation strategies coupled with limited institutional, economic, and technological capacity to support the required actions increases the vulnerability of the country to adverse climatic impacts. This project aims at exploring ways of enhancing Kenya's capacity through training to adequately respond to the devastating climatic extremes such as droughts, floods and other weather related disasters that have impacted negatively to its socio-economic development and community livelihoods. This was addressed through four supervised projects by postgraduate meteorology and agrometeorology students of the university of Nairobi. Both field work and desk top studies involving analysis of secondary data of various project concerns were carried out. Decision on-farm experiments covering potential adaptation strategies targeting both crop (pigeon pea and sugarcane) and livestock (pasture) production systems were conducted in selected study districts of the country. Preliminary results of the project show great potential for using remote sensing data for rainfall estimation and identification of pasture availability and management by ASAL communities as well as policy makers. With regard to sugarcane-based livelihoods, climate variability as determined by rainfall variability during the grand growth stage of sugarcane was identified as exerting greater influence on sugarcane productivity. The study also showed that the use of basal phosphorus fertilizer in pigeon pea growing area of Makueni district resulted into tremendous crop yield increase.


Human trafficking, also regarded as modern day slavery, is an international human rights problem. This problem has been acknowledged by 154 countries through their ratification of the UN Trafficking Protocol. The Protocol calls for a comprehensive response to human trafficking including a non-binding or 'soft' obligation of
member states to provide post-trafficking protection and assistance. One aspect of protection and assistance is the provision of mental health and psychosocial support.
Due to the non-binding nature of the obligation, the development of these services has been relegated to a lower priority and remains largely under-researched. This
state of affairs is more pronounced in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) which lacks a strong mental health sector resulting in services predominately being provided by non-professional workers.

Research literature has documented high rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety in trafficked populations. Findings have
recommended the adaptation of evidence-based approaches to treating trauma as a means of developing high quality mental health and psychosocial support services.
Furthermore, past research has recommended that these services be culturally relevant. Thus a thorough understanding of how cultural values affect the way
trafficking trauma is experienced by the women and communities is required. This extends to the way affected women and communities respond and cope. A review of
current training curriculums also reflects a gap in resources addressing the mental health and psychosocial support needs of trafficked women in the GMS, especially in
addressing the core elements of trauma counseling.

The purpose of this study was to respond to the mental health and psychosocial aftercare needs of trafficking victims by evaluating their needs and the current
services available in the GMS (excluding China). This study sought to obtain compelling evidence-based insights into the experiences, challenges, and needs of trafficking victims. It further investigated the training and professional development needs of non-professional aftercare workers within this context. This study was
designed to conduct rigorous practice-based research that determined the extent to which there is a need to enhance training curricula for the professional development
of trafficking aftercare workers in the GMS.

A number of aspects related to mental health and psychosocial support needed investigation to support the development of a culturally relevant mental health and
psychosocial training curriculum. This study sought to answer the following research questions related to the experiences of trafficked women in the GMS (excluding
China):

Research Question 1: What are the experiences and challenges affecting trafficked and sexually exploited women from the GMS?
Research Question 2: What cultural contexts and characteristics are related to the trauma experience of trafficked women in GMS?

The following questions were related to the application of the results of Research Questions 1 and 2 to the training of aftercare workers:

Research Question 3: What are aftercare workers presently doing to support the mental health and psychosocial needs of trafficked women from GMS?
Research Question 4: What training have aftercare workers who are providing services to those in and from the GMS already received?
Research Question 5: What needs do aftercare workers who are providing services to those in and from the GMS have for further skill development in providing mental
health and psychosocial support?
Research Question 6: What are the preferred learning methods and approaches of aftercare workers who are providing services to those in and from the GMS?

In order to address the research questions, an exploratory, sequential mixed methods design using a pragmatic approach was adopted. The research consisted of two phases: 1) a structured, but open-ended interview, which, in addition to developing a deep understanding of the experiences and challenges of trafficked women, provided data for the development of the next phase; 2) an online survey translated into the five languages of the GMS. The samples included professionals with experience in aftercare settings who would have been in positions to observe the experiences, challenges, and aftercare of sexually exploited trafficked women.

A Causal Layered Analysis and a thematic analysis were applied to the qualitative data, and descriptive frequency and correlation analyses were applied to the quantitative data. The results of the research phases were applied to the development of a practice-based solution in the third phase. This involved the development of an enhanced, evidence-based, culturally relevant training curriculum and a concept note.

Research findings included the development of a conceptual understanding of the cultural contradictions inherent in the GMS that make women vulnerable to sex trafficking and affect their experiences post-trafficking. The contradictions include the 'push factors' of poverty; the obligation of children, especially daughters, to support the family; and the monetary value of sex that make women more vulnerable to trafficking. The 'rejection factors' that cause a trafficked woman to be stigmatized
by family and community post-trafficking include their having broken social mores, being viewed as 'bad' or 'contagious,' and being viewed as a failure for not
successfully supporting their families. Finally, the cultural 'repression/isolation factors,' that result in isolating a trafficked woman and preventing her from getting
support, include not talking about her experiences to avoid shaming her family, not talking because it is a cultural norm to remain silent about feelings and bad experiences, and talking about these would reveal that the woman had done
something 'bad' to have brought this experience upon themselves.

Research findings related to the experiences and challenges as well as related to cultural dimensions included:

• how trafficked women understand their trafficking experiences and the accompanying violence in terms of 'meaning making';
• the role of coercive violence, and the concept of willingness and choice (or lack thereof), on the part of the women in the trafficking experience as it applies to the cultural context of the GMS;
• the networks of cumulative harm, relationships of trust, and attachment affected by the trafficking experience;
• the impact on developing learned helplessness through repeated violence (pre-, during, and post-trafficking), male entitlement and female submission, as well as beliefs about karma, fate, and destiny; and
• the exploration of culturally relevant means of expressing the emotional and psychological impact of trauma in GMS cultures, based on the reactions to trauma developed by the National Organization for Victim Assistance in its
Community Crisis Response Team Training curriculum.

Research results related to aftercare workers and their training indicated that while many aftercare workers have regular training and supervision, most have been
trained informally. Results were mixed as to whether services are currently meeting needs, but there was consensus that training is needed. Training interests include: counseling; mental health and psychosocial support for individuals and groups; supervision and mentoring; and cultural relevance. Contradictory to the expectations
of the collective culture of the GMS, respondents indicated an interest in expert-led training strongly balanced with facilitated learning among participants.

This study contributed to methodological development of the Causal Layered Analysis (CLA) beyond the futures discipline by applying it to understanding the current context of human trafficking. It increased the reliablity of the CLA
framework by utilizing a five-step process to systematically analyze the data. The need for further clarification of the CLA terminology was identified relating to the fourth layer, myths and metaphors. The results of this study proposes that in an Asian
context identifying 'proverbs and sayings' better described the 'myths and metaphors layer.' Assessing whether culturally embedded sayings are myths after the proverbs
and sayings have been elicited made methodological sense. It might be a more effective approach to identifying the stories and narratives connected to the worldviews and transformational influence.

Methodologically, the use of a mixed methods design advanced its use in the exploratory research of complex problems and firthered a systematic approach to
analysis. The utilization of mixed methods research designs in resolving practicebased issues better informs proposed solutions. This is due to the resulting ability to
triangulate findings and the depth and breadth of research insights associated with qualitative and quantitative strategies of enquiry.

This study contributed to professional practice through the development of a conceptual framework for the cultural transposition of practice from one cultural
context to another. It further contributed through the development of an enhanced training curriculum for the training of aftercare workers and through the formulation
of a concept note for prospective donor agencies.

Future research is needed in a number of areas related to: a) studies located in associated disciplines related to 'idioms of distress,' b) evaluations of mental health
and psychosocial methods, c) assessment of what training non-professionals need, and d) research building on the results of this study related to cultural dimensions
that include the cultural transposition process, the exploration of the myths and metaphor layers of the CLA, and questions specific to the experiences of trafficked
women as mediated by culture.


During the second half of the last century and the first years of this century, the Region of Valencia has experienced major economic growth. The processes of urbanisation, industrialisation and tourism have led to 77% of the region's population living on the coast, with significant repercussions on land and water resources. As a result of ecological factors and historical land occupation, the region's main irrigated areas are in the coastal plains. Urban and tourist expansion in these areas will bring about a major reduction in irrigated land, not only in areas of historic irrigated farmland, but also now in new areas. This competition between the two also affects water resources. The sharp increase in water consumption is the result of, among other reasons, the qualitative and quantitative changes that have occurred due to different demands. The dominant dynamic can be expressed as a drop in agricultural consumption and an increase in urban use. This paper aims to analyse the causes of the conflicts that arise over land and water resources between farming and urban and tourist activities, with particular emphasis on certain factors that have become accentuated in the past decade. This analysis includes an explanation of the actions taken to cope with these growing demands, particularly the initiatives aimed at minimising the conflicts that arise between farming and urban and tourist activities.


TiO 2 nanoparticles are prepared via sol-gel method using titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) as a precursor under refluxing and controlled pH. It is found that pure anatase phase is obtained with pH 10. Further characterization studies are carried out on pure nanoparticle anatase phase by XRD, SEM, and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Their electrochemical performances as anode material in lithium-ion batteries are investigated by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic cycling, and rate capability measurements. A high discharge capacity of 321 mAh/g (vs. 335 mAh/g theoretical) is achieved at 1C rate. After the first galvanostatic charge/discharge cycle, voltage profiles show plateaus at 1.75 and 1.95 V versus Li at discharge and charge, respectively. High Coulombic efficiency (>99%) is maintained after 300 cycles, which makes anatase TiO 2 nanoparticles prepared by sol-gel method, a very promising material for anode application in lithium rechargeable batteries.


Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) produce toxins that may present a hazard for drinking water safety. These toxins (microcystins, nodularins, saxitoxins, anatoxin-a, anatoxin-a(s), cylindrospermopsin) are structurally diverse and their effects range from liver damage, including liver cancer, to neurotoxicity. The occurrence of cyanobacteria and their toxins in water bodies used for the production of drinking water poses a technical challenge for water utility managers. With respect to their removal in water treatment procedures, of the more than 60 microcystin congeners, microcystin-LR (L, L-leucine; R, L-arginine) is the best studied cyanobacterial toxin, whereas information for the other toxins is largely lacking. In response to the growing concern about nonlethal acute and chronic effects of microcystins, the World Health Organization has recently set a new provisional guideline value for microcystin-LR of 1.0 microg/L drinking water. This will lead to further efforts by water suppliers to develop effective treatment procedures to remove these toxins. Of the water treatment procedures discussed in this review, chlorination, possibly micro-/ultrafiltration, but especially ozonation are the most effective in destroying cyanobacteria and in removing microcystins. However, these treatments may not be sufficient during bloom situations or when a high organic load is present, and toxin levels should therefore be monitored during the water treatment process. In order to perform an adequate human risk assessment of microcystin exposure via drinking water, the issue of water treatment byproducts will have to be addressed in the future.


Purpose: To improve immobilization and setup accuracy of patients undergoing extracranial radiosurgery(SBRT therapy). Make possible SBRTtreatments of oversized patients. Method and Materials: Advantages of frame based extracranial therapy are: (i) Reduction of the imprecision of positioning. (ii) Reduction of the geometrical treatment error in case frameless delivery tools malfunction. (iii) Efficient and reliable method of abdomen pressure for decreasing tissue motion effects. (iv) Comfort positioning that diminishes body movements caused by fatigue or pain manifest for an extended period of treatment. To utilize advantages of frame based approach to extracranial radiotherapy, and to also address some of the shortcomings of the existing immobilization devices, the new stereotactic body frame (SBF) has been constructed. The frame has been designed to be light, strong and rigid. The frame allows minimizing the disturbance of the penetrating radiation and facilitates its easy handling by therapists/physicists/physicians. The frame displays necessary rigidity to minimize errors associated with potential deformation. For these reasons the frame, as well as all accessories, have been all built from carbon fiber. The system is additionally equipped with the multimodal marker sources allowing synchronizing images of frame and patient body from a variety of imaging platforms. In summary, the new SBF frame allows dealing effectively with: (i) patient size limitations, (ii) abdominal pressure adjustments and pressure monitoring, (iii) stability and positioning accuracy of the measuring arc, (iv) fixation mechanism connecting frame to the couch (to utilize automatic couch motion capability), (v) facilitating extended distance SAD treatments.Results: The device satisfying considerations discussed above have been constructed. The device's parameters and accessories have been evaluated and its clinical applications defined and verified. Conclusion: The new carbon fiber immobilization frame for SBRTtreatments is ready for clinical evaluation. Conflict of Interest: Research supported by a grant from Varian Medical Systems.


PURPOSE
To evaluate the Eclipse Acuros XB (AXB) dose calculation engine for Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SAbR) of the thoracic spine using step-and-shoot IMRT and RapidArc.

METHODS
The accuracy of the AXB dose calculation engine was first verified by comparing with film and ion chamber measurements for open beams with field sizes from 2×2cm2-10×10cm2, delivered to a heterogeneous phantom of a slab-geometry. Acquired images of an anthropomorphic thoracic phantom, composed of tissue equivalent lungs, vertebrae, and soft tissue, were then used to create step-and-shoot IMRT and RapidArc treatment plans. Point dose measurements in vertebral bone and spinal cord were compared to Acuros calculations. Finally, step-and-shoot IMRT and dual-arc RapidArc plans were created using the Analytical Anisotropic Algorithm (AAA) for five patients with thoracic spinal metastases following our institutional protocol. All treatment plans were then recalculated with AXB while keeping beam parameters the same. Clinically significant dosimetric parameters, such as GTV coverage and spinal cord dose were compared.

RESULTS
Excellent agreement was achieved between point dose and planar dose measurements and the AXB calculations in the heterogeneous slab and anthropomorphic phantoms. Patient IMRT and RapidArc plans had GTV D90 and mean dose values 0.2%-2.6% and 0.2%-2.1% lower, respectively, for AXB calculations compared with AAA. The maximum cord dose was also lower for AXB compared with AAA (-2.7%±2.4% for IMRT; -2.6%±1.2% for RapidArc). AXB dose calculations were 4-6 times faster than AAA for RapidArc plans, but 7-9 times slower for IMRT plans.

CONCLUSION
AXB calculations were shown to be dosimetrically accurate for heterogeneous media. This work demonstrates that AXB calculates a reduced dose compared with AAA in both the target and spinal cord for thoracic spine SAbR. The dosimetric differences should be considered when using AAA for thoracic spine treatment planning.


MANET (Mobile Ad-Hoc Network) a unique network which provides communication between mobile nodes available outside or within the radio range. This unique feature migrated from wired network to wireless network and resulted in the security issues. So, there is need to secure the MANETs. As compared to other types of networks, MANETs are more vulnerable to different attacks such as black hole attack, gray hole attack, wormhole attack, etc. MANET decides a radio range within which node can move and can feasibly transmit the data. And if any of the nodes migrates from one radio range to another, it relays the messages to their neighbors. This means that two communicating nodes are notable to exchange messages if those nodes exceed the radio range. To avoid these types of attacks, different Intrusion Detection System (IDS) in MANETs are introduced to follow secure data transmission. In this paper, a secure IDS plays an important role and gives the system which improves the efficiency of EAACK (Enhanced Adaptive Acknowledge) and is compared with different IDS in MANETs using RSA, AES and ZRP algorithms. RSA algorithm is used for encryption and decryption of the message to securely transmit data using mathematical model. AES algorithm is combinely


This article addresses issues in developing cognitive architectures--generic computational models of cognition. Cognitive architectures are believed to be essential in advancing understanding of the mind, and therefore, developing cognitive architectures is an extremely important enterprise in cognitive science. The article proposes a set of essential desiderata for developing cognitive architectures. It then moves on to discuss in detail some of these desiderata and their associated concepts and ideas relevant to developing better cognitive architectures. It argues for the importance of taking into full consideration these desiderata in developing future architectures that are more cognitively and ecologically realistic. A brief and preliminary evaluation of existing cognitive architectures is attempted on the basis of these ideas.


A novel actinomycete, designated strain NEAU-A-2T, was isolated from the rhizosphere soil of Sansevieria trifasciata Prain collected from Heilongjiang province, north-east China. The taxonomic status of this organism was established using a polyphasic approach. The isolate formed irregular sporangia containing motile spores on the substrate mycelium. The whole-cell sugars were xylose and galactose. The predominant menaquinones were MK-9(H10), MK-9(H2), MK-10(H2) and MK-10(H4). The major fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0, iso-C16 : 0 and anteiso-C15 : 0. The polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, three unidentified phospholipids and an unidentified glycolipid. 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity studies showed that strain NEAU-A-2T belongs to the genus Actinoplanes with the highest sequence similarities to Actinoplanes globisporus NBRC 13912T (97.7 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity), Actinoplanes ferrugineus IMSNU 22125T (97.5 %), Actinoplanes toevensis MN07-A0368T (97.2 %) and Actinoplanes rishiriensis NBRC 108556T (97.2 %); similarities to type strains of other species of this genus were < 97 %. Two tree-making algorithms showed that strain NEAU-A-2T formed a distinct clade with A. globisporus NBRC 13912T and A. rishiriensis NBRC 108556T. However, low DNA-DNA relatedness values allowed the isolate to be differentiated from the above-mentioned two species of the genus Actinoplanes. Moreover, strain NEAU-A-2T could also be distinguished from the most closely related species by morphological and physiological characteristics. Therefore, in conclusion, isolate NEAU-A-2T represents a novel species of the genus Actinoplanes, for which the name Actinoplanes rhizophilus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is NEAU-A-2T ( = CGMCC 4.7133T = DSM 46672T).


In order to overcome the uneven distribution of coir fiber density in the materials and the poor forming of the outer surface, a new type of coir fiber hybrid laminated composites has been developed. The non-woven needle felts of coir fiber are added as the core material, wood veneers are as the surface material, and E-type glass fiber felts are as the reinforcement material, the preparation of hybrid laminated composites has been carried out. Through the performance testing and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis, a new type of biomass composite with excellent performance has been successfully developed. The application of coir fiber to obtain good impact toughness of composites has been effectively verified.


To make cached data consistent, the server periodically broadcasts an invalidation report to all mobile clients in its cell so that each can invalidate obsolete data items from its local cache. In this paper, we present two hybrid cache invalidation schemes: Hybrid cache invalidation with Simple Broadcasting (HSB), and Hybrid cache invalidation with Attribute Bit Sequence Broadcasting (HABSB). In these schemes the server is stateful as it stores the caching information of each mobile client in its cell to allow for long disconnections. However, the server periodically broadcasts an invalidation report similar to a stateless server. In HABSB, attribute bit sequences are added in each broadcasted invalidation report to maximize the cache-hit ratio and to reduce the data transmission of queried data items. The simulation results show that HSB and HABSB can significantly reduce the bandwidth requirement, and HABSB is very efficient in improving mobile caching.


: A small molecular weight substance from human seminal plasma has been further purified by chromatography. The fertility promoting action of this factor on epididymal sperm has been confirmed in mouse in vitro and in vivo. Experimental evidence indicates that the factor acts on the sperm and not on the eggs. Its possible mode of action is by improving the motility and survival of the epididymal sperm.


A nitrosoguanidine-induced mutant of Escherichia coli K-12 strain JC12 was absolutely dependent on erythromycin or related macrolide antibiotics for growth. The only other drugs which permitted growth (lincomycin and chloramphenicol) are, like the macrolides, inhibitors of the 50S ribosome. The order of relative effectiveness of these drugs was macrolides > lincomycin > chloramphenicol. Rates of growth with all drugs were concentration dependent. Erythromycin starvation was followed by normal rates of increase in cell mass and macromolecular synthesis for approximately one mass-doubling time, after which macromolecular synthesis abruptly ceased and cell lysis and death occurred. The dependent mutant gave rise spontaneously to revertants to independence with very high frequency (10−4). The gene (mac) for macrolide dependence is located near minute 25 on the E. coli chromosome; it does not result in increased resistance to these drugs. A separate gene for erythromycin resistance (eryA) is located in the cluster of ribosomal structural genes near spc, close to minute 63. Dependence on macrolides was most clearly evident in strains carrying mutations at both eryA and mac.


The FimH adhesin of type 1 fimbriae has been tested as a display system for heterologous protein segments on the surface of Escherichia coli. This was carried out by introduction of restriction site handles (BglII sites) in two different positions in the fimH gene, followed by in-frame insertion of heterologous DNA segments encoding two reporter sequences. In the selected positions such insertions did not significantly alter the function of the FimH protein with regard to surface location and adhesive ability. The system seemed to be quite flexible, since chimeric versions of the FimH adhesin containing as many as 56 foreign amino acids were transported to the bacterial surface as components of the fimbrial organelles. Furthermore, the foreign protein segments were recognized by insert-specific antibodies when expressed within chimeric proteins on the surface of the bacteria. The results from this feasibility study point to the possibility of using the FimH adhesin as a general surface display system for sizeable protein segments.


Metabolic responses are highly individual upon ingestions of different types of foods. Within the JPI-funded FOODBALL-consortium, we performed a well-controlled human cross-over intervention in which 12 volunteers (6m/6f) consumed defined doses of chicken breast (0g, 100g and 200g) and were followed during the subsequent 24 hours. Using our targeted liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method, we measured plasma and urine samples and analysed a broad panel of acylcarnitine species, ranging from C2 to C18 including various isomeric compounds derived from different pathways of fatty acid and amino acid breakdown. In plasma, a dose-dependent increase in acylcarnitine species derived from amino acid breakdown (propionyl-, isovaleryl-, 2-methylbutyryl-, methylcrotonoyl-, hydroxyisovalerylcarnitine, derived from branched-chain amino acids) could be observed. In contrast, no changes in rates of appearance and disappearance between the different doses of meat were seen for fatty acid-derived acylcarnitine species. The collection and analysis of plasma concentrations at seven time points within the 24 hours after meat consumption allowed performing kinetic analysis of metabolite concentrations. For the highest meat dose, increased plasma concentrations of amino acid-derived acylcarnitines were observed up to 12 hours after chicken meat consumption. Moreover, the appearance and disappearance of acylcarnitine species more downstream in breakdown pathways (especially for tiglylcarnitine and 3-methylcrotonylcarnitine) seemed to be retarded compared to more upstream metabolites in the breakdown pathway. Analysis of urine showed similar dose-dependent increases of amino acid-derived acylcarnitines. Here, especially metabolites upstream of carboxylases (propionyl-CoA carboxylase and methylcrotonoyl-CoA carboxylase) seemed to accumulate. In conclusion, the intake of meat caused a dose-dependent increase in amino acid-derived acylcarnitines. The use of different doses and the analysis of different time points allowed kinetic analysis. Increased plasma concentrations of amino acid-derived acylcarnitine species at high doses were seen 12 hours after consumption and changes in plasma concentration largely mirrored changes in urine. Acknowledgements :  JPI-funded FOODBALL-consortium


This paper investigates the effects of horizontal acquisitions on the productive efficiency of target firms in the 1990s. Using French manufacturing firm-level data, we implement appropriate difference-in-difference estimation techniques associated to a matching propensity score procedure. We found that foreign takeovers increase the total factor productivity of French target firms. This effect is similar, but more important for non-European operations. Going one step further, we show that the performance of acquisition is related to the cultural, institutional, geographic and economic distance between the foreign owner and its newly French affiliate. It is stated that operating in remote cultural and institutional environments lead to performance-enhancing synergies to the greatest benefit of the acquired firm. But, geographic distance seems to have a negative impact. It is true for both European and non-European mergers. As for the economic distance, our results suggest that a higher gap in sectorial TFP enhances the post-acquisition productivity of target firms especially for European acquisitions. However, distance in market size does not look to matter. These findings put forward the importance of remoteness as a key factor in explaining the performance of international acquisitions.


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Objective: Loss of pleasure or interest in activities (i.e., anhedonia) is a risk factor for suicidality, treatment nonresponse, and relapse. Extant treatments that focus on reducing negative affect have limited effects upon positive affect (a core feature of anhedonia). We investigated whether a novel intervention aimed at increasing reward sensitivity was more efficacious for positive affect than a cognitive–behavior treatment aimed at reducing threat sensitivity, in individuals with clinically severe symptoms of depression or anxiety, and functional impairment. Method: The Treatment for Affective Dimensions trial was offered in a 2-site randomized study at outpatient treatment centers in Los Angeles and Dallas. Ninety-six patients were randomized to 15 weekly, individual sessions of Positive Affect Treatment (PAT) or Negative Affect Treatment (NAT). The primary outcome was improvement in positive affect (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule–Positive) from pretreatment to 6-month follow-up (6MFU). Secondary outcomes were improvements in negative affect (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule–Negative), suicidal ideation, and symptoms (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales). Results: PAT resulted in greater improvements in positive affect, p = .009, d = .52, and higher positive affect at 6MFU, p = .002, d = .67, than NAT. Participants in PAT also reported lower negative affect, p = .033, d = .52, and lower symptoms of depression, p = .035, d = .34, anxiety, p < .018, d = .30, and stress, p = .006, d = .43 at 6MFU. Finally, probability of suicidal ideation at 6MFU was lower in PAT than NAT (1.7% vs. 12.0%), p < .001. Conclusions: Compared to NAT, PAT demonstrated better outcomes (at 6MFU) on positive affect, depression, anxiety, stress, and suicidal ideation, for patients with symptomatic pretreatment levels of these outcomes.


Abstract. DOC concentrations have increased in many surface waters in Europe and North America over the past few decades. As DOC exudes a strong influence on pH this DOC increase could have detrimental effects on acid sensitive biota in many streams and lakes. To investigate the potential implications of changes in the DOC concentration on stream water biota, we have used a mesoscale boreal stream network in northern Sweden as a case study. The network was sampled for stream water chemistry at 60 locations during both winter base flow and spring flood periods, representing the extremes experienced annually in these streams both in terms of discharge and acidity. The effect of changing DOC on pH was modeled for all sampling locations using an organic acid model, with input DOC concentrations for different scenarios adjusted by between −30% and +50% from measured present concentrations. The resulting effect on pH was then used to quantify the proportion of stream length in the catchment with pH below the acid thresholds of pH 5.5 and pH 5.0. The results suggest that a change in stream water DOC during base flow would have only a limited effect on pH and hence on the stream length with pH below the acid thresholds. During the spring flood on the other hand a change in DOC would strongly influence pH and the stream length with pH below the acid thresholds. For example an increase in DOC concentration of 30% at all sites would increase the proportion of stream length with pH below 5.5 from 37% to 65%, and the proportion of stream length with pH below 5.0 would increase from 18% to 27%. The results suggest that in high DOC waters, even a marginal change in the DOC concentration could impact acid sensitive biota in a large portion of the aquatic landscape.


We provide, for the first time to our knowledge, an analysis of the influence of nonlinear photon mixing on the end to end quantum bit error rate (QBER) performance of subcarrier multiplexed quantum key distribution systems. The results show that negligible impact is to be expected for modulation indexes in the range of 2%.


The advent of quantitative approaches that enable interrogation of transcription at single nucleotide resolution has allowed a novel understanding of transcriptional regulation previously undefined. To better map transcription genome-wide at base pair resolution and with transcription/elongation factor dependency we developed an adapted NET-seq protocol called NET-prism (Native Elongating Transcription by Polymerase-Regulated Immunoprecipitants in the Mammalian genome). NET-prism introduces an immunoprecipitation to capture RNA Pol II – associated proteins, which reveals the interaction of these proteins with active RNA Pol II. Application of NET-prism on different Pol II subunits (Pol II S2ph, Pol II S5ph), elongation factors (Spt6, Ssrp1), and components of the pre-initiation complex (PIC) (TFIID, TBP, and Mediator) reveals diverse Pol II signals, at a single nucleotide resolution, with regards to directionality and intensity over promoters, splice sites, and enhancers/super-enhancers. NET-prism will be broadly applicable as it exposes transcription factor/Pol II dependent topographic specificity and thus, a new degree of regulatory complexity.


ABSTRACT Prediction-based theories posit that interlocutors use prediction to process language efficiently and to coordinate dialogue. The present study evaluated whether listeners can use spatial deixis (i.e., this, that, these, and those) to predict the plurality and proximity of a speaker's upcoming referent. In two eye-tracking experiments with varying referential complexity (N = 168), native English-speaking adults, native English-learning 5-year-olds, and nonnative English-learning adults viewed images while listening to sentences with or without informative deictic determiners, e.g., Look at the/this/that/these/those wonderful cookie(s). Results showed that all groups successfully exploited plurality information. However, they varied in using deixis to anticipate the proximity of the referent; specifically, L1 adults showed more robust prediction than L2 adults, and L1 children did not show evidence of prediction. By evaluating listeners with varied language experiences, this investigation helps refine proposed mechanisms of prediction and suggests that linguistic experience is key to the development of such mechanisms.


ABSTRACT Two-year institutions educate a sizeable proportion of college students; however, many of these institutions lack the variety of student support resources available at four-year institutions. An extensive body of scholarship has documented the positive influence of student services resources for diverse student populations at two-year colleges; yet, few studies have examined resources for students marginalized on the basis of gender identity and/or sexual orientation. Utilizing concurrent, mixed-methods data from the National Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) Student Success, guided by Bronfenbrenner's (1993) ecological systems theory, we examine the availability of LGBTQ+-specific resources and how they support student success. Specifically, utilizing data from 936 survey respondents, we compare the availability of LGBTQ+ resource centers, LGBTQ+ counseling services, LGBTQ+ career planning, and LGBTQ+ student organizations (Gay/Straight Alliance and LGBTQ+-student organizations) at two-year institutions to bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree-granting institutions. We also draw on 12 semi-structured interviews conducted with current or former community college students to explore the significance of the availability of identity-specific resources. The findings suggest that LGBTQ+-specific resources facilitated student-defined notions of academic and social success, yet a scarcity of such resources exists. We conclude with implications for practice and future research.


Mindfulness is defined as intentional and non-judgmental observation of all experiences in the present moment. Metacognition is similar to mindfulness. Thoughts, emotions and behavior are observed from a meta-perspective. Thus, the metacognitive subject is separated from the observed object (e.g., one's thoughts). Thoughts and emotions are attenuated by detached observation. Although the influence of dysfunctional cognitions and emotions are reduced through mindfulness-based interventions, from a metaregulative perspective it should be possible to affect one's thoughts, emotions and behavior. Thus, mindfulness-based metaregulative intervention goes one step further: thoughts, emotions and behavior should not only be observed from a meta-perspective, but also directly influenced, regulated and controlled. In addition to mindfulness-based and metacognitive techniques, people will learn to influence and modify positive cognitions and emotions. It is assumed that the mindfulness-based metaregulative intervention has positive effects on well-being and reduces depression and anxiety. The discussion is based on psychoanalytic assumptions and cognitive behavioral therapeutic approaches.


This study aims to analyze the management of licensing service reform in Yogyakarta, Indonesia and the factor that inhibitant the reforming process. Mixed method approach in sought to determine the management of public service reform in the licensing service. Data collection was conducted through a study of literature, review previous research, in-depth interviews and focus group discussion which refers to the thirteen indicators in the chain of service licensing procedures, the power of innovation, decentralization of services, an understanding of the policies, work service flexibility, communication, customer research, the pressure from above, the issue of cooperation, commitment, culture, and understanding of bureaucratic reform. This study enrich previous research about license service which using SERVQUAL and Important Performance Analysis conducted by Rahayu, Fitriati, and Kurniawan (2012). Previous research finds a low assessment of the licensing services. Licensing service provider is less responsive to public expectations. Further, this study finds that there is a demand for growing public expectations dynamically along with the high quality of services provided. Recommendations for subsequent research are the importance of public service reform management an ongoing basis, in accordance with local knowledge and the development of society is always dynamic.


A general formula is given for the conditional mean in terms of higher order statistics. Using this formula, a general scheme for nonlinear system identification is introduced including a broad range of nonlinearities which depends on the probability density function of the input. As a special case of that general scheme, the polynomial system identification problem is treated. It is shown that our general scheme yields straightforward theoretical results in the case of polynomial discrete-time system identification.


Title: Framing Terrorism in Nordic News Media Author: Mick Bolland Supervisor: Linus Andersson Examiner: Sara Helmersson Pages: 60, excluding appendices School of Health and Welfare Halmstad University The overall aim of this study was to investigate what common trends are within the communication of acts of terror towards the public within the Nordic countries. This was done by positioning the portrayal of terrorism within the theory of framing by Entman (1993) and the model of framing terrorism by Norris, Kern and Just (2003), which provided the following sub-topics to analyze during the research in regards to terrorism: (1) problem definitions, (2) diagnoses, (3) moral evaluations, (4) treatment recommendations, and (5) political messages. The method was based on quantitative content analysis, which made use of physical, categorical, and thematic distinctions surrounding the framing of terrorism. The sample size consisted out of 138 articles which were analyzed based on these distinctions. The included articles originated from the following online editorials of publisher The Local: The Local Denmark, The Local Sweden, and The Local Norway. Results indicated an overall more objective approach from the tabloid in regards to terrorism, meaning that mostly only facts were provided but no political messages. Biases within the articles were not directly found, though a focus on male and Muslim perpetrators in regards to acts of terror was apparent. Conclusions surrounding the analysis include that the editorials generally appear to be protecting the public by not mentioning too many details surrounding acts of terror. The editorials also seemingly contribute to the avoidance of radicalizing potential actors in regards to acts of terror by leaving out details such as diagnoses and moral evaluations. The editorials were furthermore found to hold an objective tone and did not subject to sensationalism.


The aim of this study was to identify the challenges faced by the learners in virtual learning in mathematics. A qualitative case study was conducted in Mid-western University, Nepal. Altogether ten participants from different districts of Karnali Province were chosen purposively. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were the tools of data collection. Collected data were transcribed, coded and categorized to develop themes. The method of data analysis is thematic with quotations and block quotes. The study revealed that virtual learning is an opportunity in higher education for job holders and married women as well as others who could not join face to face classes, although it has many challenges. The finding indicates that the learners have faced pedagogical challenges, technological challenges, challenges of time management, environmental challenges and psychological challenges.


Iran served as a bridge in the ancient Silk Road, connecting the East and the West. It also has great potential to play an important role in the new Silk Road. The present study analyzes the factors affecting Iran–China cooperation in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative at the strategic and operational levels. This article shows that, at the strategic level, Iran defines this project as an opportunity to improve its status in the world economy, expanding its room to manoeuvre in the international arena and developing its ties with China, a rising great power. At the operational level, the opportunities and challenges for Iran–China cooperation could be summarized as pertaining to five realms within the Silk Road Economic Belt Initiative: policy coordination, facilitation of connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration and people-to-people bonds. The present study asserts that the main opportunity for cooperation between the two countries lies in facilitating connectivity and that the key challenge is financial integration.


The classic profile of the chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patient is a white, middle-age female. Characterized by profound fatigue, CFS often starts with an acute viral infection. While today's medicine provides symptomatic relief, research is offering innovative insights. With this research, is a cure for these patients just around the corner?


Investi~rl(i()ns wcrc lIndel'wkcn in somhern haly from September to the following March on t.11~ epidemiology of rill Apuli:m ,md a Siciiinn population of DilY/Nlehus d;pmei, on Cllfrot lInd~r field conditions. The host Sl!\IL!~ of various plants to the Sicilirlll populution of tile l1cl11<1tode was also as~st."(1. In Apulia, nematode infection 011 cnrrOl sown in early September staffed :II (:lld o( Octoi:x:r 011 the 1(',lVcs and in early December on rhe tap roots. L(:af death rmd lap rOOl rot \verc (lbserved the {ollowing ) .\Iluary on ll1anIr(:: plants. On c!rro! $()wn one month 1:lIer, nematode infection occurred by the beginning of November and ,l:r~:lIly sl!ppr("Ss~""(! plant growth. In Sicily, on carrot sown in (."';1 riy Ol10bcr. infection was observeJ on ;lerial plant parts at end o{ November .1l1d 011 tap roots ill mid Deccmber. Leuf death and tap root rot occurred a.t the end of January. Early symptoms of ncm;lIodc a!t:Kk w\.'re stnlddkxlle:lvcs. multj-bud phuu crowns and discolo ration of the tops o{ tap rOOL '111C portion of the plant most :It'fl~ct~~d by D. dijlJ'lId w"s [hat 2--1 em helow and above ground. '111c Sicilian population of the nCnl<ltode reproduced on car· rot . brond beall . oats. rye. italiall rye grass, celery, A,,,,,,; m(Jjus and Gilli/(III II/Illrilll'.


In this article, we describe the development of an autonomous robot, Cherry the Little Red Robot, whose functionality we designed so that she could socially interact with humans on a daily basis in the context of an office suite environment. Cherry has a given set of office-tasks to accomplish, from giving tours of our computer science faculty suite to visitors, to serving beverages to those faculty and staff, and to engaging them in social interaction. We describe (1) our motivation for social informatics in human-robot interaction, (2) the hardware additions that we implemented for ActivMedia robot for our purposes, as well as (3) the Cherry's multi-modal anthropomorphic interface that we developed capable of combining speech, face recognition, and emotional facial displays, and finally (4) our future research efforts.


Ventilatory responses to hypoxia vary widely depending on the pattern and length of hypoxic exposure. Acute, prolonged, or intermittent hypoxic episodes can increase or decrease breathing for seconds to years, both during the hypoxic stimulus, and also after its removal. These myriad effects are the result of a complicated web of molecular interactions that underlie plasticity in the respiratory control reflex circuits and ultimately control the physiology of breathing in hypoxia. Since the time domains of the physiological hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR) were identified, considerable research effort has gone toward elucidating the underlying molecular mechanisms that mediate these varied responses. This research has begun to describe complicated and plastic interactions in the relay circuits between the peripheral chemoreceptors and the ventilatory control circuits within the central nervous system. Intriguingly, many of these molecular pathways seem to share key components between the different time domains, suggesting that varied physiological HVRs are the result of specific modifications to overlapping pathways. This review highlights what has been discovered regarding the cell and molecular level control of the time domains of the HVR, and highlights key areas where further research is required. Understanding the molecular control of ventilation in hypoxia has important implications for basic physiology and is emerging as an important component of several clinical fields. © 2016 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 6:1345-1385, 2016.


We study the problem of dynamic spectrum sensing and access in cognitive radio systems as a partially observed Markov decision process (POMDP). A group of cognitive users cooperatively tries to exploit vacancies in primary (licensed) channels whose occupancies follow a Markovian evolution. We first consider the scenario where the cognitive users have perfect knowledge of the distribution of the signals they receive from the primary users. For this problem, we obtain a greedy channel selection and access policy that maximizes the instantaneous reward, while satisfying a constraint on the probability of interfering with licensed transmissions. We also derive an analytical universal upper bound on the performance of the optimal policy. Through simulation, we show that our scheme achieves good performance relative to the upper bound and improved performance relative to an existing scheme. We then consider the more practical scenario where the exact distribution of the signal from the primary is unknown. We assume a parametric model for the distribution and develop an algorithm that can learn the true distribution, still guaranteeing the constraint on the interference probability. We show that this algorithm outperforms the naive design that assumes a worst case value for the parameter. We also provide a proof for the convergence of the learning algorithm.


BACKGROUND
 Individuals experiencing psychosis are at a disproportionate risk for premature disengagement from clinical treatment. Barriers to clinical engagement typically result from funding constraints causing limited access to and flexibility in services. Digital strategies, such as SMS text messaging, offer a low-cost alternative to potentially improve engagement. However, little is known about the efficacy of SMS text messaging in psychosis.

 OBJECTIVE
 This review aimed to address this gap, providing insights into the relationship between SMS text messaging and clinical engagement in the treatment of psychosis.

 METHODS
 Studies examining SMS text messaging as an engagement strategy in the treatment of psychosis were reviewed. Included studies were published from the year 2000 onward in the English language, with no methodological restrictions, and were identified using 3 core databases and gray literature sources.

 RESULTS
 Of the 233 studies extracted, 15 were eligible for inclusion. Most studies demonstrated the positive effects of SMS text messaging on dimensions of engagement such as medication adherence, clinic attendance, and therapeutic alliance. Studies examining the feasibility of SMS text messaging interventions found that they are safe, easy to use, and positively received.

 CONCLUSIONS
 Overall, SMS text messaging is a low-cost, practical method of improving engagement in the treatment of psychosis, although efficacy may vary by symptomology and personal characteristics. Cost-effectiveness and safety considerations were not adequately examined in the studies included. Future studies should consider personalizing SMS text messaging interventions and include cost and safety analyses to appraise readiness for implementation.

 CLINICALTRIAL


Abstract It is well known that oriented iron and titanium oxide inclusions occur in pyroxenes and plagioclase of anorthosites and granulites, and they are attributed to exsolution at subsolidus conditions. The oxides occur as needles or platelets. In this study, we determine the morphology of oxide needles as well as their orientation in plagioclase (An 30-35) in anorthosite gneiss from the Adirondack mountains (New York). The investigation was done with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) in a scanning electron microscope, as well as Laue diffraction with a microfocus synchrotron X‑ray beam at the Advanced Light Source in Berkeley. It was observed that the needle direction is [110] in magnetite and [101̅0] in ilmenite. The needle direction is consistently parallel to [001] of plagioclase. Furthermore, (111) of magnetite and (0001) of ilmenite are sub-parallel to (1̅20) and (120) of plagioclase. We note that for directions [110] in the magnetite structure and [101̅0] in ilmenite, O atoms are close-packed, and (111) and (0001) are close-packed planes, correspondingly. In plagioclase, [001] is a direction with open channels as well as approximate alignment of Si tetrahedral edges, thus providing nucleation sites with a coincidence lattice relationship. (120) and (1̅20) in this triclinic mineral are planes with approximate tetrahedral sides so that the relationship is structurally plausible. From Laue diffraction, we can determine that the magnetite needle axis is subject to an extensional stress, most likely attained during cooling of the inclusions within the plagioclase host.


Realizing the promise and managing the success of organ transplantation requires the creation of unique institutions. An Organ Procurement and Transplant Network (OPTN) must be capable of increasing the supply of cadaver donor organs, of allocating those organs properly to recipients with due consideration for equity and utility, and of using scientific data to improve the system for the good of society. The OPTN should answer to the public and should expect public support. Both in the United States and in Korea major changes in deceased donor organ procurement and allocation are in progress. In the United States change takes the form of a renewed emphasis on achieving equity in kidney allocation without significantly sacrificing transplant graft or patient survival and the first ever use of purely objective, statistically evaluated criteria for liver allocation. In Korea where the OPTN is only four years old, change takes the form of a new brain death law and the creation of that country's first organ procurement organizations. In both countries, success in meeting the transplant needs of their populations will ultimately depend on the support of society and the cooperation of the entire medical community.


Vibrations of plate and plate type structures made up of composite materials have a significant role in various industrial mechanical structures, aerospace industries and other engineering applications. The main aim of the present paper is to study the two dimensional thermal effect on the vibration of non-homogeneous square plate of variable thickness having clamped boundary. It is assumed that temperature varies bi-parabolic i.e. parabolic in x-direction & parabolic in y-direction and thickness is considered to vary exponentially in x direction. Also, density is taken as the function of "x" due to nonhomogeneity present in the plate's material. Rayleigh Ritz technique is used to calculate the natural frequency for both the modes of vibration for the various values of taper parameter, non-homogeneity constant and thermal gradient. All the calculations are carried out for an alloy of Aluminum, Duralumin, by using mathematica. © 2015 IAU, Arak Branch.All rights reserved.


1. Fragments (2-20 mg wet wt.) of closed needle-biopsy specimens from human liver were disrupted in iso-osmotic sucrose and subjected to low-speed centrifugation. The supernatant was layered on a linear sucrose-density gradient in the Beaufay small-volume automatic zonal rotor. The following organelles, with equilibrium densities (g/ml) and principal marker enzyme shown in parentheses, were resolved: plasma membrane (1.12-1.14; 5'-nucleotidase); lysosomes (1.15-1.20; N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase); mitochondria (1.20; malate dehydrogenase); endoplasmic reticulum (1.17-1.21; neutral alpha-glucosidase); peroxisomes (1.22-1.24; catalase). 2. The distribution of particulate alkaline phosphatase and, to a lesser degree, leucine 2-naphthylamidase followed that of 5'-nucleotidase. gamma-Glutamyltransferase was associated with membranes of significantly higher equilibrium density than was 5'-nucleotidase. 3. The distribution of 12 acid hydrolases was determined in the density-gradient fractions. beta-Glucosidase had a predominantly cytosolic localization, but the other enzymes showed a broad distribution of activity throughout the gradient. Evidence was presented for two populations of lysosomes with equilibrium densities of 1.15 and 1.20 g/ml, but containing differing amounts of each enzyme. Further evidence of lysosomal heterogeneity was demonstrated by studying the distribution of isoenzymes of hexosaminidase and of acid phosphatase. 4. The resolving power of the centrifugation procedure can be further enhanced with membrane perturbants. Digitonin (0.12 mM) selectively disrupted lysosomes, markedly increased the equilibrium density of plasma-membrane components and lowered the density of the endoplasmic reticulum, but did not affect the mitochondria or peroxisomes. Pyrophosphate (15 mM) selectively lowered the equilibrium density of the endoplasmic reticulum.


textabstractOn 17 September 2010, the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), Leiden University and ICCO organised an expert meeting at the ISS on universal jurisdiction (UJ). The meeting was chaired in the morning by Professor John Dugard and in the afternoon by Professor Karin Arts. The aim of the meeting was to analyse the possibilities and challenges faced in universal jurisdiction cases, and more broadly, the capacity of national legal jurisdictions to prosecute and/or otherwise hold accountable individuals and companies for (complicity in) international crimes. To that end, the meeting brought together academics and practitioners who have been working in the area of international criminal law and individual and corporate accountability.
This policy paper is a report of the September 2010 meeting, which consisted of two sessions. The morning session covered Dutch jurisprudence concerning universal jurisdiction and focussed on specific cases. The afternoon session highlighted political and social themes and took a more comparative approach. Although the outcomes of the meeting were embedded in the Dutch context, they also reached out to other jurisdictions.
We wish to add a caveat that this policy paper is very much work-inprogress and draws on our personal reflections and impressions from this meeting. It is by no means intended as a verbatim record of the meeting. This policy brief is intended to stimulate critical discussion on this important issue and therefore no attribution should be implied or assumed on the part of any contributor to this report or the institutions they are affiliated with, including the principal contributors. We nevertheless welcome your feedback and further contributions.


In March–May 1982, a local expedition worked in the Arctic, in the east of Wrangel Island (WI) and Herald Island (HI), to carry out a survey of polar bear dens. The results of that expedition have not been published. The author has found a copy manuscript of the expedition diary and has highlighted the key results. For two months, five ex-plorers had been surveying the area and found 139 dens and sighted 57 bears (♀ad + juv). The average number of offspring (ANO) was 1.43 on WI and 1.86 on HI. The number of successful offspring on WI usually was one or two cubs, or even three on HI. Based on the available sample (n=44) it was shown that when taking into account the survey data of cub traces in calculations of ANO (on WI), the obtained results do not differ notable. The time that lasted from the date of the opening of the den to the date of the final leave of the den by females (with or without the young) was 4 to 14 days, but most often 6 days. The highest frequency of den opening was noted on 27–28 March. Four cases of death of cubs, including a newborn, were recorded. The fate of 43 dens was monitored and measurements of 11 dens were taken. Two unusual dens were found: one with a very complex corridor and another one with a 4.5 m long vertical tunnel. Simplified 3D models of dens were given in the article for the first time proving that linear measurements practiced by researchers give a primitive picture of the den structure. After leaving the maternity den, the female can build temporary, simple shelter for herself and the young. During 1964–2020, dens were found on these islands only on the ground, and in 1980 the author found several dens on the sea, among ridges of pressured ice. The article is amended by the author's estimations regarding the place of the polar bear in ecologi-cal pyramid of those islands. Recommendations are given for the improvement of polar bear survey techniques. The publication of a Ukrainian language article on the biology of U. maritimus is rare for the school of Ukrainian mammalogists and is of clear enlightening importance for scientists, lecturers, students, Wikipedia editors, and oth-ers, as well as a contribution of the author to the Ukrainian body of literature on the animal world of the Arctic.


CDC23 is required in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for cell cycle progression through the G2/M transition. The CDC23 gene product contains tandem, imperfect repeats, termed tetratricopeptide repeats, (TPR) units common to a protein family that includes several other nuclear division CDC genes. In this report we have used mutagenesis to probe the functional significance of the TPR units within CDC23. Analysis of truncated derivatives indicates that the TPR block of CDC23 is necessary for the function or stability of the polypeptide. In-frame deletion of a single TPR unit within the repeat block proved sufficient to inactivate CDC23 in vivo, though this allele could rescue the temperature-sensitive defect of a cdc23 point mutant by intragenic complementation. By both in vitro and in vivo mutagenesis techniques, 17 thermolabile cdc23 alleles were produced and examined. Fourteen alleles contained single amino acid changes that were found to cluster within two distinct mutable domains, one of which encompasses the most canonical TPR unit found in CDC23. In addition, we have characterized CDC23 as a 62-kDa protein (p62cdc23) that is localized to the yeast nucleus. Our mutagenesis results suggest that TPR blocks form an essential domain within members of the TPR family.


The problem of producing reliable thennocomprassion gold ball bonds to aluminum metallization has been discussed by many authors. In most of these discussions, little information is provided to relate bond reliability to process parameters-cleanliness and bonder settings. The influence of bond and capillary temperatures upon bond integrity is discussed. The use of beryllia capillaries to achieve the high capillary temperatures achievable with pulse tip bonding without sacrificing production throughput is discussed. An accelerated life test for ascertaining bond reliability is discussed and shown to be an effective tool for process prove-in. Finally, a bonding technique is discussed that not only meets the requirements of MIL STD 883A, but also will withstand temperature stresses equivalent to 300°C storage for 4 h, 2000 h of accelerated operating life, and 1300 temperature cycles.


This paper describes the Arabic handwriting recognition competition held at ICDAR 2007. This second competition (the first was at ICDAR 2005) again uses the IFN/ENITdatabase with Arabic handwritten Tunisian town names. Today, more than 54 research groups from universities, research centers, and industry are working with this database worldwide. This year, 8 groups with 14 systems are participating in the competition. The systems were tested on known data and on two datasets which are unknown to the participants. The systems are compared on the most important characteristic, the recognition rate. Additionally, the relative speed of the different systems were compared. A short description of the participating groups, their systems, and the results achieved are finally presented.


This report documents notable practices in urban goods movement. Washington, DC is one of four urban areas selected for study. The other areas are Los Angeles, New York City, and Orlando. The case studies provide information on freight-related initiatives that mitigate congestion and improve the safety and efficiency of commercial vehicle travel in urban areas. To develop the most useful case studies, FHWA conducted an extensive review of freight-related projects and strategies that provide practical information and transferable solutions to the challenges that confront urban goods movement. FHWA also conducted site visits and interviews with organizations involved in project implementation, including state departments of transportation, metropolitan planning organizations, city governments, and businesses.


The X-ray and gamma-ray emission from solar flares provides important information about high-energy particles in solar flares. Energetic protons and ions interact with the solar atmosphere, giving rise to nuclear line emission at MeV energies and higher energy photons from the decay of neutral and charged pions. Electrons interact with the solar atmosphere producing a bremsstrahlung continuum. The solar flare spectrum is generally a superposition of these spectra with nuclear line emission dominating from ∼1--8 MeV and the bremsstrahlung at lower and higher energies. The main goal of this thesis has been to explain a small part of a gamma-ray flare observed by COMPTEL in June 1991. A difficult interval to explain in the 11 June 1991 solar flare is the Intermediate (Rank 1997) or Interphase (Murphy and Share 1999; Dunphy et al. 1999) immediately following the peak of the impulsive phase. All three analyses of this flare using COMPTEL, OSSE and EGRET data yielded a hard proton spectrum with a power law index around 2 using the 2.2 to 4.44 MeV fluence ratio. This hard of a spectrum would indicate the presence of a high-energy component above eight MeV and emission due to spallation products. However, none of the three instruments observed such a component. We discuss the standard techniques used in solar flare spectral deconvolution and introduce a new technique we use with the COMPTEL observations. This work presented the explanation that the proton spectrum is soft during this interval of the 11 June 1991 solar flare based on this new analysis of the COMPTEL observations. This means that the region of 2.223/ 4--7 MeV fluence space is largely unexplored for soft proton spectra. The use of this ratio must be reexamined for proton spectra with indices greater than 5 or 6. We then applied a model we developed for the transport of neutrons created from a soft proton spectrum to determine the photospheric 3He abundance during this flare. We calculated a 3He/H ratio of 8.7e-05 with a 1 a range of 1.96e-04 to 1.75e-05 for this flare using this new model. This is larger than all previous values reported. In addition, we presented an additional flare observation from COMPTEL. In response to a BACODINE cosmic gamma-ray burst alert, COMPTEL on the CGRO recorded gamma rays above 1 MeV from the C4 flare at 0221 UT 20 January 2000. This event, though at the limits of COMPTEL's sensitivity, clearly shows a nuclear line excess above the continuum. Using new spectroscopy techniques we were able to resolve individual lines. This allowed us to make a basic comparison of this event with the GRL (gamma ray line) flare distribution from SMM and also compare this flare with a well-observed large GRL flare seen by OSSE. We showed this flare is normal, i.e., it is a natural extension of the SMM distribution of flares. The analysis of this flare means there is no evidence for a lower flare size for proton acceleration. Protons even in small flares contain a large part of the accelerated particle energy.


A rationale for testing the efficacy of active specific immunotherapy is based on recent compelling evidence indicating that increased frequency of CD8+ tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) is associated with improved survival in several cancers including melanoma, colorectal, breast, prostate, renal-cell, esophageal and ovarian carcinomas. In particular, we recently investigated the relationship between subpopulations of TILs and overall survival in ovarian cancer. We found that patients with higher frequencies of intraepithelial CD8+ T cells demonstrated improved survival compared with patients with lower frequencies (median 55 versus 26 months; Hazard Ratio = 0.33, CI 0.18-0.60, P = 0.0003). Subgroups with high versus low intraepithelial CD8+/CD4+ TILs ratios had median survival of 74 and 25 months respectively (Hazard Ratio = 0.30; CI 0.16-0.55; P = 0.0001), indicating that CD4+ TILs influence the beneficial effects of CD8+ TILs. This unfavorable effect of CD4+ T cells on prognosis was found to be due to CD25+FOXP3+ Tregs, as indicated by survival of patients with high versus low CD8+/Treg ratios (median 58 versus 23 months; Hazard ratio 0.31, CI 0.17-0.58, P = 0.0002). Therefore, the development of strategies to enhance the potential of tumorantigen specific CD8+ T cells may extend remission rates in ovarian and other malignancies. These strategies should attempt to prime robust CD8+ T cell expansion, promote durable antitumor immunity and counteract the immunosuppressive conditions produced by Tregs in order to reveal greater anti-tumor immunity. In this regard, the NY-ESO-1 antigen, initially defined by SEREX in esophageal cancer, has been analyzed extensively in several malignancies. NY-ESO-1 is a member of the cancer/ testis antigen family and one of the most spontaneously immunogenic tumor antigens described so far. Frequent expression of NY-ESO-1 has been reported in several tumors including hepatocellular, ovarian, prostate, esophageal, bladder, breast and non-small cell lung carcinomas. Parallel single variable clinical trials assessing NY-ESO-1-based immunogens are currently underway at several institutions around the world under the sponsorship of the Cancer Vaccine Collaborative (CVC, http://www.cancerresearch.org). The aim of these early phase trials is primarily to assess the immunogenic potential of different antigenic variants and formulations. The immunogens tested include NY-ESO-1-derived peptides with different adjuvants (e.g. montanide, GMCSF, CHP), recombinant NY-ESO-1 encoding viruses, recombinant proteins formulated with ISCOMATRIX or CHP, and others. The clinical and immunologic results, and lessons from these trials will be summarized. To illustrate lessons learned from NY-ESO-1 vaccine therapy, two clinical trials in ovarian cancer patients will be presented. The goal of the first clinical trial was to test whether providing cognate helper CD4+ T cells would enhance the anti-tumor immune response by immunizing with NY-ESO-1 peptide ESO:157-170, that is recognized by HLA-DP4 restricted CD4+ T cells, and HLA-A2 and A24 restricted CD8+ T cells. Specific HLA-DP4-restricted CD4+ T-cell responses were elicited after vaccination with NY-ESO-1157-170 peptide (emulsified in incomplete Freund's adjuvant) in patients with NY-ESO-1expressing epithelial ovarian cancer. These vaccine-induced CD4+ T cells were detectable from effector/memory populations without requirement for in vitro Treg depletion. However, they were only able to recognize peptide but not naturally processed NY-ESO-1 protein and had much lower avidity compared to NY-ESO-1-specific naive CD4+CD25T cell precursors or to naturally-occurring CD4+ T cells of cancer patients with NY-ESO-1 antibody. In a second on-going clinical trial, ovarian cancer patients are receiving heterologous primeboost vaccines consisting of recombinant vaccinia-NY-ESO-1 (rV-NYESO1) and recombinant fowlpox-NY-ESO-1 (rF-NYESO-1). Lessons from this and other CVC trials will also be discussed.


A graph homomorphism between two graphs is a map from the vertex set of one graph to the vertex set of the other graph, that maps edges to edges. In this note we study the range of a uniformly chosen homomorphism from a graph $G$ to the infinite line $Z$. It is shown that if the maximal degree of $G$ is `sub-logarithmic', then the range of such a homomorphism is super-constant. Furthermore, some examples are provided, suggesting that perhaps for graphs with super-logarithmic degree, the range of a typical homomorphism is bounded. In particular, a sharp transition is shown for a specific family of graphs $C_{n,k}$ (which is the tensor product of the $n$-cycle and a complete graph, with self-loops, of size $k$). That is, given any function $\psi(n)$ tending to infinity, the range of a typical homomorphism of $C_{n,k}$ is super-constant for $k= 2\log(n) - \psi(n)$, and is $3$ for $k= 2\log(n) + \psi(n)$.


This study evaluates the relative contributions of envelope and fine structure cues in both temporal and spectral domains to Mandarin tone recognition in quiet and in noise. Four sets of stimuli were created. Noise-excited vocoder speech was used to evaluate the temporal envelope. Frequency modulation was then added to evaluate the temporal fine structure. Whispered speech was used to evaluate the spectral envelope. Finally, equal-amplitude harmonics were used to evaluate the spectral fine structure. Results showed that normal-hearing listeners achieved nearly perfect tone recognition with either spectral or temporal fine structure in quiet, but only 70%-80% correct with the envelope cues. With the temporal envelope, 32 spectral bands were needed to achieve performance similar to that obtained with the original stimuli, but only four bands were necessary with the additional temporal fine structure. Envelope cues were more susceptible to noise than fine structure cues, with the envelope cues producing significantly lower performance in noise. These findings suggest that tonal pattern recognition is a robust process that can make use of both spectral and temporal cues. Unlike speech recognition, the fine structure is more important than the envelope for tone recognition in both temporal and spectral domains, particularly in noise.


Existing markerless motion capture methods often assume known backgrounds, static cameras, and sequence specific motion priors, limiting their application scenarios. Here we present a fully automatic method that, given multi-view videos, estimates 3D human pose and body shape. We take the recently proposed SMPLify method \cite{bogo2016keep} as the base method and extend it in several ways. First we fit a 3D human body model to 2D features detected in multi-view images. Second, we use a CNN method to segment the person in each image and fit the 3D body model to the contours, further improving accuracy. Third we utilize a generic and robust DCT temporal prior to handle the left and right side swapping issue sometimes introduced by the 2D pose estimator. Validation on standard benchmarks shows our results are comparable to the state of the art and also provide a realistic 3D shape avatar. We also demonstrate accurate results on HumanEva and on challenging monocular sequences of dancing from YouTube.


Intuitionistic Fuzzy Sets with Ordered Pairs (IFSOP) are the recent extension of intuitionistic fuzzy sets by incorporating functional and dysfunctional points of view into the definition of membership functions. This paper extends the Technique of Order Preference Similarity to the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method to the Intuitionistic Fuzzy TOPSIS (IF TOPSIS) with ordered pairs method and applies it to a multi-criteria risk-based supplier selection problem under fuzziness. IF TOPSIS with ordered pairs involves finding a positive ideal solution and a negative ideal solution, and measuring the distance between each alternative and these solutions. The final ranking of the alternatives is obtained based on the proportion of distances between the positive and negative ideal solutions. By asking functional and dysfunctional questions in this ranking process, the developed IF TOPSIS with ordered pairs method incorporates the accuracy and consistency of expert judgments, enhancing the decision-making process. A sensitivity analysis is also presented in order to show the robustness of the rankings obtained by IF TOPSIS with ordered pairs.


Background. The enactment of the Universal Healthcare (UHC) Act affirms the commitment of the State to safeguard the health of all Filipinos. One of the objectives of the Act is to integrate the different local health systems at the provincial level in order to minimize fragmentation in the delivery of health services. This significant undertaking needs effective inter-sectoral collaborations of various stakeholders both at the local and national levels.
Methods. A systematic review of literature was conducted to generate evidence-based policy tools. A roundtable discussion (RTD) was organized in collaboration with the Department of Health (DOH) to frame the current issues of the devolved health system and the anticipated challenges surrounding the integration to the provincial level. Policy discussion was guided by specific operational concerns put forth by the DOH such as the roles and functions of key local actors, organizational models, and metrics of integration.
Results. Inputs in the proposed organogram for the province-level integrated health system and assessment tool for identifying readiness of provinces were discussed and agreed upon. Critical issues in the composition of the members of the Provincial Health Board (PHB) and the line of command among constituents were raised.
Conclusion and Recommendations. Eight consensus key policy recommendations have been identified. These could be translated into operational guidelines for the DOH, local government units (LGUs), and other related national government agencies (NGAs) in implementing the local health systems integration as prescribed in the UHC Act.