Objective: To investigate the spatial pattern of lesion dispersion in posterior interosseous neuropathy syndrome (PINS) by high-resolution magnetic resonance neurography. Methods: This prospective study was approved by the local ethics committee and written informed consent was obtained from all patients. In 19 patients with PINS and 20 healthy controls, a standardized magnetic resonance neurography protocol at 3-tesla was performed with coverage of the upper arm and elbow (T2-weighted fat-saturated: echo time/repetition time 52/7,020 milliseconds, in-plane resolution 0.27 × 0.27 mm2). Lesion classification of the radial nerve trunk and its deep branch (which becomes the posterior interosseous nerve) was performed by visual rating and additional quantitative analysis of normalized T2 signal of radial nerve voxels. Results: Of 19 patients with PINS, only 3 (16%) had a focal neuropathy at the entry of the radial nerve deep branch into the supinator muscle at elbow/forearm level. The other 16 (84%) had proximal radial nerve lesions at the upper arm level with a predominant lesion focus 8.3 ± 4.6 cm proximal to the humeroradial joint. Most of these lesions (75%) followed a specific somatotopic pattern, involving only those fascicles that would form the posterior interosseous nerve more distally. Conclusions: PINS is not necessarily caused by focal compression at the supinator muscle but is instead frequently a consequence of partial fascicular lesions of the radial nerve trunk at the upper arm level. Neuroimaging should be considered as a complementary diagnostic method in PINS.


Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) is known to be up-regulated in both glomeruli and tubules in patients with diabetic kidney disease (DKD), but its role remains unclear. Previous studies show that PTHrP-induced hypertrophic response in mesangial cells (MCs) and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in tubuloepithelial cells can be mediated by TGF-β1. In the present study, although long-term PHTrP (1–34) treatment increased the mRNA and protein level of TGF-β1 in primary rat MCs, fibronectin up-regulation occurred earlier, suggesting that fibronectin induction is independent of TGF-β1/Smad signaling. We thus evaluated the involvement of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling and found that nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase-derived reactive oxygen species mediates PTHrP (1–34)-induced Src kinase activation. Src phosphorylates EGFR at tyrosine 845 and then transactive EGFR. Subsequent PI3K activation mediates Akt and ERK1/2 activation. Akt and ERK1/2 discretely lead to excessive protein synthesis of fibronectin. Our study thus demonstrates the new role of PTHrP in fibronectin up-regulation for the first time in glomerular MCs. These data also provided new insights to guide development of therapy for glomerular sclerosis.


Prognostics is the process of predicting the future reliability of a product by assessing the extent of deviation or degradation of a product from its expected normal operating conditions. Health monitoring is a process of measuring and recording the extent of deviation and degradation from a normal operating condition. Traditional reliability engineering has attempted to quantify reliability as a failure probability and physics of failure based reliability assessment determines a range of possible times to failure. However, each product experiences its own unique life cycle that impacts its rate of degradation. With sensors as the eyes and ears to determine the actual environment, on board or off site computational platforms, and algorithms to process the information give us the ability to assess the reliability of each product and make operations, maintenance, and support decisions in an individualized manner. This talk with introduce the science and mathematics of prognostics and provide examples of use of the tools and techniques as applied in various applications such as batteries, fans, power electronics, and computers. It will also provide information on the development process of the IEEE standard on prognostics for electronics.


Elderly Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), commonly defined as occuring in patients over 60 to 65 years of age, is an uncommon disease. In population-based studies, the proportion of HL patients over age 60 years has rangedfrom 15% to 30%. However, the proportion of patients over age 60 years in clinical trials has been considerably lower, typically constituting < 5% to 10% of participants. Elderly HL patients commonly present with mixed cellularity histology, B symptoms, advanced stage, and Epstein-Barr virus-positive disease. Progression-free and overall survival rates for elderly HL patients are disproportionately inferior to those of younger patients. Generally, treatment of elderly HL for all disease stages should be given with curative intent, but more effective, tolerable therapeutic regimens are needed. No standard treatment recommendations exist for elderly HL Bleomycin-containing regimens including ABVD (doxorubicin [Adriamycin], bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine) are associated with pulmonary toxicity, and intensive therapy such as BEACOPP (bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine [Oncovin], procarbazine [Matulane], prednisone) is poorly tolerated, whereas less-intensive regimens such as CVP/CEB (chlorambucil [Leukeran], vinblastine, procarbazine, prednisone, cyclophosphamide, etoposide, bleomycin) and ChlVPP (chlorambucil, vinblastine, procarbazine, prednisolone) appear to be less effective than anthracycline-based regimens. Recent data using CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone) in this population merit further investigation. In addition, further evaluation of the prognostic value of early PET in elderly HL is warranted. Continued multicenter collaborations with prospective clinical trials, including formal assessment of comorbidity and functional status, will be critical to the successful study of elderly HL.


The early Holocene is characterised by rapid climate change events, which in the North Atlantic region are often associated with changes in thermohaline circulation. Superimposed on this in northwest Europe is localised evidence for human impact on the landscape, although separating climatic and anthropogenic mechanisms for environmental change is often difficult. Biotic and sedimentological evidence from a lacustrine sequence from the Inner Hebrides, Scotland, shows a considerable reduction in inferred local woodland centred upon 8250 cal. yr BP. These data correlate precisely with a distinctive rise in the charcoal:pollen ratio and hence suggest a possible Mesolithic human impact upon the vegetation around this time. A quantitative temperature reconstruction from chironomid analyses from the same sequence, supported by sedimentological data, indicates that the fall in arboreal pollen taxa occurred as climate warmed significantly during the early Holocene. This warming was followed by a significant cold event, with mean July temperatures reduced by 2°C, that lasted for at least 320 years ca. 7790–7470 cal. yr BP. Woodland recovered during this phase suggesting that the vegetation during the 8250 cal. yr BP interval was likely to have been responding to human activity, and not climate, and hence it is possible at specific sites to separate the influence of these key drivers of environmental change. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The immune response to microfilarial antigen in malayan filariasis was found more prominent in ami-crofilaremic individuals than in the micro filaremics. It has been shown that in amicrofilaremic individuals antibody plays a role in reducing micro filaremiae. The targets antigens of antibody (IgG) were shown to be protein components of microfilariae with molecular weight of 75, 70 and 25 Kd. This prospective study was aimed at detecting IgG against microfilariae in transmigrats, who had settled into an filarial endemic area. Sera of 10 individuals at 8, 13, 26, 39 and 52 moths after settling, were examined by ELISA and Western Blott against microfilaria of B. malayi. Four out of 10 transmigrants showed IgG that recognized the protein components of 77, 70 and 31 Kd and were shown at 39, 52 and 8 months after settling respectively, The IgG against components of 77 and 70 Kd were revealed later than the one against 31 Kd.


Sharpen your Spanish grammar with skill-building exercises If you want to be proficient in Spanish, you eventually have to clear the bothersome hurdle of grammar. The best way to conquer this obstacle is through hands-on experience. Covering all facets of Spanish grammar--from prepositions and pronouns to verbal forms and tenses--Spanish Grammar Drills helps you learn often-perplexing topics with fun and engaging exercises. This comprehensive book features: 200 drills that demonstrate how the Spanish grammar system works, including review exercises to reinforce your learning An answer key to give you immediate clarification on any concept Quick reviews bring you up to speed on grammar Topics include: Reflexive verbs * Infinitives and gerunds * Possessive pronouns * Adverbs of frequency * Imperfecto versus indefinido * Comparatives and superlatives * and more


The most extensively studied class of phytoestrogens, isoflavones, occur in soybeans and other legumes. Six systematic reviews have assessed the effects of soy isoflavones on lipid levels, and suggested that a diet supplemented with soy protein isolate (ISP) containing isoflavones reduces low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by around 0.15 mmol/L, but without clear effects on triglycerides or high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. However, no review has suggested that purified soy isoflavones or soy protein without isoflavones (where the isoflavones have been removed by an alcohol wash) have statistically significant effects. It remains unclear which are the active components of soy. They may include soy protein which has not been denatured by alcohol wash, interaction of isoflavones within the intact soy matrix, or other compounds removed in the alcohol-extracted fraction. The reduction in total cholesterol may be greater in men than in postmenopausal women. There is little evidence that the effectiveness of soy varies with baseline serum lipid levels, or the amount of isoflavone or soy protein consumed. However, changes in triglycerides may be related to baseline levels. While there is no evidence of beneficial effects of phytoestrogens on blood pressure, arterial compliance or oxidation of LDL cholesterol, there may be beneficial effects on endothelial function in postmenopausal women, and on homocysteine concentrations. There is little suggestion of adverse effects of soy or isoflavones at physiological doses, although those taking soy isoflavone supplements do appear to have higher levels of gastro intestinal and menstrual complaints. There have been no published trials on the effects of phytoestrogens on mortality or cardiovascular events, so studies currently rely on the above bio markers of risk. Most evidence relates to soy isoflavones, but there is some evidence for lignans. Further robust studies assessing the effects of whole soy foods on cardiovascular outcomes are needed.


In the present work, an experimental study on how to increase the heat transfer coefficient (HTC) in double pipe heat exchanger (DPHE) use of a variety of Al2O3 Nano-dispersion concentrations mixed in water as base fluid with air bubble injection for counter flow arrangement under turbulent flow conditions with (Re) Reynold number range from (6000 t0 45000) . The thermal performance of (DPHE) has been enhanced with the use of two techniques. The first, is represented by adding nanoparticles to hot water (inner pipe) raising the (HTC) inside the inner tube. Increase the volume concentration cause increase in the viscosity of the nanofluid leading to increase in friction factor .Secondly is represented by Air bubble injection in outer pipe with cold water to enhance the (HTC). The mobility of air bubbles inside the water from down to up by the force of the buoyancy, and the movement of these air bubbles results in significant mixture and turbulence within the water. The variations of number of thermal units (NTU), exergy loss, dimensionless exergy and (Nu) are evaluated. The investigated parameters were cold water volume flow rates (8, 10, 12 and14) l/min, flow in outer tube. Also, three different volume flow rates of air (12, 16 and 20) l/min mixed with water in outer tube. The volume flow rates of hot water remains constant at (8 l/min) flow in inner pipe with three volumetric concentrations of given nanofluid. The results showed that the air bubble injection throughout the tube gave maximum enhancement in heat transfer characteristics followed by the no air bubble injection. Since the enhancement in heat transfer characteristics varies linearly with the volumetric concentration of Nanofluids, Nanofluids with 0.3% of Al2O3 nanoparticles gave more enhancements in (HTC) than the case without nanofluid. The Nusselt number increased about (8% 45%).


In the past, and still in some centres, patients with clinical stage I and II squamous cell vulvar cancer were treated by radical vulvectomy and bilateral inguinal-femoral lymphadenectomy. Modern management of vulvar cancer during the last 20 years has developed towards more conservative procedures in the therapy of early stage disease. At the Royal Hospital for Women, Sydney, women with invasive tumours < 20 mm (T1), are treated by a radical local excision. The lesion should be unifocal and the rest of the vulva healthy. A surgical margin of at least 10 mm should be obtained. If no focus with greater than 1 mm of stromal invasion is present, lymph node dissection may be omitted. Lateral lesions with a depth of invasion > 1 mm may undergo unilateral inguinal-femoral lymphadenectomy. Midline lesions and those involving the labia minora require bilateral groin dissection. In selected cases radical local excision of the primary lesion may also be performed in T2 lesions > 20 mm but should always be combined with a bilateral inguino-femoral lymphadenectomy. Adjuvant pelvic and groin irradiation should be given if at least one large node has undergone a tumorous change of if there are multiple nodes containing micrometastases. Careful patient selection is necessary to successfully achieve high cure rates, acceptable cosmetic results and psychosexual wellbeing.


By means of improved ligand-field theory, the "pure electronic" presure-induced shifts (PS's) and the PS's due to electron-phonon interaction (EPI) of the R1, R2, B1, B2, B3, and R'3 lines and the ground-state zero-field-splitting of ruby have been uniformly calculated. The calculation results are in very good agreement with all the experimental data. At normal pressure, ruby is a crystal with very strong crystal field. Thus, the admixture of |t22 (3T1)e4T2> and |t3 2 2 E> bases in the wavefunction of R1 level of ruby is small at normal pressure, and it gradually decreases with increasing pressure, which causes the R1-line PS of ruby to monotonously red shift with approximate linearity. The combined effect of the pure electronic PS of R1 line and the PS of R1 line due to EPI gives rise to the total PS of R1 line. The analyses and comparisons among the features of R1-line PS's of three laser crystals (ruby, GSGG:Cr3+ and GGG:Cr3+ ) have been made, and the origin of their difference has been revealed.


A simple analysis to determine the dimensionality of magnetotelluric resistivity variations, to separate the near-surface resistivity variation from the variations at depth, and to find the relative resistivity variations with depth is described. Parameters derived from the magnetotelluric impedance tensor are mapped in pseudo-section and planar view for two- dimensional (2-D) model data and for survey data from Montana. These data illustrate procedures that can qualitatively map complex resistivity structures in the lateral distance-frequency domain or, equivalently, the lateral distance-scaled vertical distance domain. Phase-dependent parameters have better vertical resolution than parameters related to scalar apparent resistivity, but the latter allow estimates of the resistivities encountered. Phase parameters for the Montana data provide a semiquantitatively accurate cross-section of a geologically known anticlinal structure. This suggests a means of subsurface structural mapping with magnetotelluric data. The use of these parameters with sufficiently dense and accurate data provides a first-order indication of structure for subsequent quantitative modeling.


Hydrothermal method was used to synthesize the Na(TaxNb1-x)O3 (x = 0.1-0.5) powders with the addition of isopropanol. The phases of the obtained powders were confirmed by XRD. The morphology and particle size were observed by FE-SEM. The specific surface areas were measured by multipoint BET technique. The presence of water and organic group were determined by (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The results indicate that the pure Na(TaxNb1-x)O3 (x = 0.1-0.5) powders with perovskite structure and fine particles were successfully synthesized by hydrothermal method at 240 °C for 8 hours with the addition of isopropanol.


This thesis mainly consists of three empirical chapters related to understanding the characteristics, economic impact and the demand for gambling in Thailand. Beginning with a review of the theoretical and empirical literature, this confirms that socio-economic and demographic data are important determinants of the level of gambling participation and gambling expenditure. A Logit model is then used to estimate the participation of gambling. The results suggest that the number games, such as the government lottery, the underground lottery, are popular among old gamblers whereas football betting is popular for adolescents. In the past, most casino customers were old gamblers, but at present the number of young gamblers who participate in casino has considerably increased. A Tobit model is employed to estimate the level of gambling frequency and gambling expenditure. The estimations reveal that there is a "supplementation effect" of casino on other gambling types and the effect also appears among the number games. The gambling expenditures on the number games are high in the group of gamblers who have undergraduate degree or lower while the expenditures on casino and football betting are high in the group of gamblers who have undergraduate degree. However, a higher education level leads to a lower level of gambling expenditures. The focus is then centred on the 2-3 digit lottery. The rational addiction model is tested for the case of the 2-3 digit lottery. In the addiction framework, the 2-3 digit lottery is found to be an addictive goods and the addiction is "myopic addiction". This finding is confirmed by Instrumental Variable estimation.


The application of a multilayer perceptron artificial neural network model (ANN) to detect the QRS complex in ECG (electrocardiography) signal processing is presented. The objective is to improve the heart beat detection rate in the presence of severe background noise. An adaptively tuned multilayer perceptron structure is used to model the nonlinear, time-varying background noise. The noise is removed by subtracting the predicted noise from the original signal. Preliminary experimental results indicate that the ANN based approach consistently outperforms the conventional bandpass filtering approach and the linear adaptive filtering approach. Such performance enhancement is most critical toward the development of a practical automated online ECG arrhythmia monitoring system.<<ETX>>


In Singapore, at the end of 2015, the smartphone penetration stood at 148.4% while the total wireless broadband population penetration rate was 184.8% (Inforcomm Development Authority of Singapore, 2015). Mobile and digital technology, in tandem with the extensive WiFi networks available in all parts of the country, provide opportunities to implement collaborative learning via cloud drives in adult training classes. The author, who specializes in training adult instructors and trainers, implemented computer-mediated collaborative learning for her workshops. The teaching strategy focused on cooperative learning structures underpinned by Vygotsky's sociocultural theory of learning, and the facilitative nature of learning in Knowles theory of adult learning. She introduced Google Drive as the online platform in her workshops, eschewing paper handouts in favour of softcopy handouts available to all participants on the cloud drive. She guided the participants to access Google Docs, Google Slides and Google Sheets on their laptops, tablets and smartphones for collaborative learning purposes. Reading and discussion activities were designed with Google Drive as the platform for mediating instruction and learning. She started by having participants, in cooperative learning groups access softcopy handouts for reading and discussion, with the discussion points put up on group Google Slides for presentation. Participants moved from merely accessing softcopy handouts to searching for information online for solving problems related to the specific workshop content to discussing and putting together group reports and presentations, all via Google Drive. Participants experienced both face-to-face and online discussion via Google Drive. Almost all participants were new to the online collaborative learning processes experienced in the workshops. However, familiarity with the personal digital equipment brought by each participant to the workshops enabled the participants to overcome the initial disruption of the newness of the learning strategy. Participants appreciated the personal autonomy the collaborative learning process gave to their learning journey.


During November and December 2014, Oxford Archaeology East (OA East) carried out an archaeological excavation on 0.3ha of land at Norman Way Industrial Estate, Over, Cambridgeshire (TL 3790 6930). Iron Age activity was located in the southern half of the site in the form of two ditches, presumably forming part of a field system. After this period, relatively dense Roman archaeological activity was recorded in the north area of the site, where numerous sub-circular pits, a possible tank relating to brewing, a number of boundary ditches and two watering holes were excavated. The features relating to this period all had extensive amounts of crop processing waste in their backfills. These backfills comprised dark organic material, with large quantities of charred grain and chaff recovered from environmental samples. The fact that a significant number of the pits were intercutting and often shared the same backfill suggests intensive activity over a short period of time, where features were dug and backfilled in quick succession. These features are probably industrial activities undertaken as part of a larger settlement complex located to the north-east of the excavation area, where cropmarks of a presumed Roman settlement are known.
No significant post-Roman archaeology was found. Medieval or post-medieval furrows on a north-north-east to south-south-west alignment were recorded across site, along with post-medieval plough scarring.
A moderate finds assemblage was recovered from the excavation, including pottery dating from mid 1st through to the 4th century AD and a number of quern fragments. Other finds include two Roman coins, two pins (one bone, the other copper), a moderate amount of slag and a small assemblage of animal bone.
Environmental remains prove to be excellent, with a large quantity of charred chaff and spelt grain being recovered from the flots. Much of the charred grain shows evidence of germination – indicative of malting the grain for brewing. It is possible malting was taking place on site or in the near vicinity, and any waste from this process was being used a fuel source for other industrial activities nearby. Environmental evidence of this quality and scale is rarely seen in the archaeological record, and may be nationally significant evidence of a settlement focused on the cultivation and malting of spelt wheat on an industrial scale, the waste of which was used as fuel for other industrial activities.
The environmental and pottery assemblages are both similar to those recovered from Langdale Hale and The Camp Ground, excavated at Colne Fen near Earith, suggesting a possible economic link between the settlements.


This paper investigates the applicability of the proposed digital image correlation (DIC) system instead of traditional method by microscope to measure the strains in forward extrusion process, which conducted for rectangular section with plane strain condition by using taper die at angle (2 =90 the proportion of reduction in area is (42.85 %). Commercial pure lead (99.99% Pb) was chosen as a typical pattern to measure the strain and strain rate for the forward extrusion process by a visio-plasticity technique and the proposed digital image correlation system. The obtained results indicate that the proposed digital image correlation (DIC) system is an accurate and reliable for measuring the strains using inexpensive equipments.


This article presents a case report with presumed diagnosis of idiopathic carotidynia (clinical, radiological and laboratory findings). Serial imaging exams (Doppler ultrasonography, MRI and angio-MRI) and laboratory follow-up documented the patient response to corticotherapy and its complete resolution. Within a longstanding discussion in the literature about the definition of carotidynia, our findings corroborate with its existence as a pathological disease.


This manuscript describes the development of an efficient process for the recovery of rare earth elements from materials mixtures such as in motors with a recovery rate of >80%. While heat treatment is required for processing, all other steps can be performed at room temperature, thus resulting in a process designed for energy efficiency. Selective dissolution enables efficient separation of steel and copper by taking advantage of the different reduction potentials of the materials in the mixture, while selective precipitation of RE salts is the key for obtaining pure RE products. Overall, the established process applies green chemistry principles for designing a hydrometallurgical process.


Background: In recent years, a somatic point mutation in the Janus Kinase 2 (JAK2) gene (1849 G→T, V617F) has been reported to occur in over 90% of patients with polycythemia vera (PV). Another JAK2 mutation in exon 12 had been described and shown capable of activating erythropoietin signaling pathways. Objective: In this study, we aimed to determine the frequency of Jak2 mutations (JAK2V617F and JAK2 exon 12) as well as their relationships with hematological parameters in Sudanese patients with myeloproliferative disorders (MPD). A comparison with findings of published studies from other geographic regions was included. Materials and Methods: From each of a total of 83 polycythaemia patients, six milliliters (ml) of venous blood were collected and processed for molecular analysis and measurement of serum erythropoietin level by enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA). The JAK2 V617F mutation was determined using an allele-specific competitive blocker (ACB) -PCR assay and High Resolution Melting (HRM) analysis was applied for the JAK2 exon 12 mutation. Results According to patients' history and the results for EPO levels, nine (10.7 %) out of 83 patients were found to have secondary polycythaemia and 74 (89.3%) PV. The overall frequency of the 2 JAK2 mutations was 94.6% in our Sudanese PV patients, JAK2V617F being found in 91% and JAK2 exon 12 mutations in 8.1%. Conclusion In summary JAK2 V617F and JAK2 exon 12 mutations are very common in Sudanese PC cases.


The objective of the experiments described in this thesis was to optimise transplantation protocols to improve the outcome of striatal mouse-to-mouse grafts in lesion models of Huntington's Disease. There is a need to develop the model since the results observed, both in published studies and from within the lab, show typically small and pencil-like grafts, with little integration into the host compared to the widely-used rat model.
The starting point was current practice – procedures based on the efficacious rat model - with studies designed to probe the effect of altering key components of the protocol. These are grouped into three experimental chapters;
• Exploring the effect of host
These experiments examine potential reasons a poorer outcome is seen in mice. By comparing the mouse and rat quinolinic acid lesion models it was shown that mice maintain a greater inflammatory response. This result prompted studies into the effect of delaying grafting until beyond peak post-lesion inflammation, and if the inflammatory response was strain-specific. Whilst no differences were detected, it was concluded that group sizes were not adequate to make a definitive conclusion.
• Exploring the effect of donor
The first experiment focussing on donor parameters compared different methods of cell preparation and identified that E14 single-cell suspension yielded the best results. However, all groups demonstrated large variance in the graft outcome. This led to the exploration of the cell suspension and cell viability, finding that the trypan blue method may not be ideal for measuring the health of cell suspensions.
• Functional outcome measures
These experiments demonstrated a variety of graft outcomes; however, none could describe which were 'best' in terms of functional efficacy, a fundamental outcome for cell transplantation therapies. A field-wide lack of systematic behavioural testing of the mouse quinolinic acid models was identified, and the final experiments describe a comprehensive motor and cognitive characterisation of the model, culminating in recommendations for appropriate test batteries to identify functional recovery.


OBJECTIVE
We aimed to find out the distribution of etiological factors in patients who had total hip replacement for coxarthrosis.

METHODS
The medical records of the 965 hips of 886 patients operated with total hip replacement between 2001 and 2012 in two separate arthroplasty clinics were analyzed by two separate senior surgeons. Each patient's pre- and postoperative X-rays and demographic data such as gender, age, side and probable etiologic factors were noted.

RESULTS
Six hundred and eighty-four patients were women and 202 were men. The mean age were 62.7±14.3 (range: 16 to 91) in women, 58.8±17.1 (range: 25 to 91) in men. 52.1% of the surgeries were performed on the right side, 39% on the left, and 8.9% bilaterally. In women 36.2% of the cases were primary coxarthrosis, while the etiology was developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) in 43.5% of the cases, avascular necrosis in 10%, romatoid diseases in 7%, slipped capital femoral epiphysis in 5%, posttraumatic coxarthrosis in 3.9%, pathologic coxarthrosis in 1.9%, and Perthes sequel in 1.7%. In men, 24.4% of the cases were primary coxarthrosis, while the etiology was avascular necrosis in 21% of the cases, DDH in 17.6%, posttraumatic coxarthrosis in 16.8%, romatoid diseases in 10.9%, Perthes sequel in 4.2%, slipped capital femoral epiphysis in 2.5%, and pathologic coxarthrosis in 2.5%. The most common etiologic factor was DDH with a rate of 37.1%.

CONCLUSION
Despite the heterogeneity of our study population, our results may reflect the distribution of coxarthrosis etiologies in Turkey. Developmental dysplasia of the hip appears to be the most frequent cause of coxarthrosis among the patients undergoing total hip replacement.


Few topics can provoke as strong and emotive a response as the unfortunate, negative experiences that can happen to a child. The issue of adversity features regularly in literature, sociology, political discourse and in the media. The impact of adverse events on children and the understanding of how adversity happens has been a very influential area of work in psychology and health, and has generated a major body of research and theory. This report reviews the evidence and research on adversity in childhood, and considers some implications for front line practitioners who work with children and young people.

This report begins with an overview of what is meant by adversity, and describes different types of adversity. It then looks at how single and multiple adverse experiences affect children differently; it examines the consequences of adversity and it considers how adverse events affect children throughout their lives. Some key facts and figures on different types of adversity are included. The report discusses the concept of resilience and considers how it can be promoted among children. While adversity may be caused by external structural factors that pose considerable challenges from a policy perspective (e.g. poverty), practitioners have a key role to play in promoting resilience. As it is challenging to make generalisations about different forms of adversity, the report focuses on three different examples in some detail. These examples are featured in this report as 'Spotlights'. A short glossary of terms is included at the end of the report.

This report contains a rapid review of the literature in the area of childhood adversity and how it affects children during their lives. It does not claim to be a systematic review or an exhaustive account, or indeed a review that covers all of the types of adversities that children, young people and families may experience. As this is an area of the literature that is both incredibly expansive and diverse, the report focuses on existing summaries, large-scale longitudinal studies and a smaller number of individual studies, where relevant.

The appendices to the report include helpful frameworks, assessments, online resources and evidence-based and evidence-informed programmes which may be of interest to practitioners working with families, children and young people facing some form of adversity.


Estrogen-based hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may be associated with deceleration of cellular aging. We investigated whether long-term HRT has effects on leukocyte (LTL) or mean and minimum skeletal muscle telomere length (SMTL) in a design that controls for genotype and childhood environment. Associations between telomeres, body composition, and physical performance were also examined. Eleven monozygotic twin pairs (age 57.6 ± 1.8 years) discordant for HRT were studied. Mean duration of HRT use was 7.3 ± 3.7 years in the user sister, while their co-twins had never used HRT. LTL was measured by qPCR and SMTLs by southern blot. Body and muscle composition were estimated by bioimpedance and computed tomography, respectively. Physical performance was measured by jumping height and grip strength. HRT users and non-users did not differ in LTL or mean or minimum SMTL. Within-pair correlations were high in LTL (r = 0.69, p = .020) and in mean (r = 0.74, p = .014) and minimum SMTL (r = 0.88, p = .001). Body composition and performance were better in users than non-users. In analyses of individuals, LTL was associated with BMI (r 2 = 0.30, p = .030), percentage total body (r 2 = 0.43, p = .014), and thigh (r 2 = 0.55, p = .004) fat, while minimum SMTL was associated with fat-free mass (r 2 = 0.27, p = .020) and thigh muscle area (r 2 = 0.42, p = .016). We found no associations between HRT use and telomere length. Longer LTLs were associated with lower total and regional fat, while longer minimum SMTLs were associated with higher fat-free mass and greater thigh muscle area. This suggests that telomeres measured from different tissues may have different associations with measures of body composition.


Main Drain virus, which is thought to be transmitted normally among rabbits and various rodents by its natural vector, Culicoides variipennis, was isolated repeatedly from brain tissue of a sick horse from Sacramento County, California, and was implicated as the causative agent. Signs of illness were incoordination and ataxia, stiff neck, head pressing, inability to swallow, fever, and tachycardia.


Abstract We report on real-time observations of the aggregation of gold nanoparticles using a custom-made liquid cell that allows for in situ electron microscopy. Process kinetics and fractal dimension of the aggregates are consistent with three-dimensional cluster-cluster diffusion-limited aggregation, even for large aggregates, for which confinement effects are expected. This apparent paradox was resolved through in situ observations of the interactions between individual particles as well as clusters at various stages of the aggregation process that yielded the large aggregates. The liquid cell described herein facilitates real-time observations of various processes in liquid media with the high resolution of the electron microscope. We report on real-time observations of the aggregation of gold nanoparticles using a custom-made liquid cell that allows for in situ electron microscopy. Process kinetics and fractal dimension of the aggregates are consistent with three-dimensional cluster-cluster diffusion-limited aggregation, even for large aggregates, for which confinement effects are expected. This apparent paradox was resolved through in situ observations of the interactions between individual particles as well as clusters at various stages of the aggregation process that yielded the large aggregates. The liquid cell described herein facilitates real-time observations of various processes in liquid media with the high resolution of the electron microscope.


The Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller structure is the most widely used one in industrial applications. However, PID controller cannot stabilize any plant. In order to overcome this problem, Yamada and Hagiwara proposed a design method for modified PID controllers such that the modified PID controller makes the control system for unstable plants stable and the admissible sets of P-parameter, I-parameter and D-parameter are independent from each other. When modified PID control systems are applied to real plants, the influence of disturbance in the plant must be considered. In many cases, the disturbance in the plant is unknown. It is comparatively easy to attenuate known disturbances, but it is difficult to attenuate unknown disturbances. From a practical viewpoint, it is desirable to design a modified PID control system to attenuate unknown disturbances. Recently, a design method for modified PID control systems for to attenuate unknown disturbances was proposed. However, no paper examines a design method for modified PID control systems for multiple-input/multiple-output plants to attenuate unknown disturbances. In this paper, we propose a design method for modified PID control systems for multiple-input/multiple-output plants to attenuate unknown disturbances.


Primary hyperoxaluria results from the overproduction of a substance called oxalate. Oxalate is filtered through the kidneys and excreted as a waste product in urine, leading to abnormally high levels of this substance in urine (hyperoxaluria). During its excretion, oxalate can combine with calcium to form calcium oxalate, a hard compound that is the main component of kidney and bladder stones. Deposits of calcium oxalate can damage the kidneys and other organs and lead to blood in the urine (hematuria), urinary tract infections, kidney damage, ESRD, and injury to other organs. Over time, kidney function decreases such that the kidneys can no longer excrete as much oxalate as they receive. As a result oxalate levels in the blood rise, and the substance gets deposited in tissues throughout the body (systemic oxalosis), particularly in bones and the walls of blood vessels. Oxalosis in bones can cause fractures.


Cosponsored by Korea Ocean Research & Development Institute (Korea, Republic of) Korea Ocean Satellite Center (Korea, Republic of) Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs (Korea, Republic of) Incheon Metropolitan City (Korea, Republic of) Incheon Tourism Organization (Korea, Republic of) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (United States) National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (Japan) Science Technology Corporation (United States) Indian Space Research Organization (India) Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (India)


We consider the problem of amplifying uniform average-case hardness of languages in NP, where hardness is with respect to BPP algorithms. We introduce the notion of monotone errorcorrecting codes, and show that hardness amplification for NP is essentially equivalent to constructing efficientlylocally encodable and locally list-decodable monotone codes. The previous hardness amplification results for NP [Tre03, Tre05] focused on giving a direct construction of some locally encodable/decodable monotone codes, running into the problem of large amounts of nonuniformity used by the decoding algorithm. In contrast, we propose the indirect approach to constructing locally encodable/decodable monotone codes, combining the uniform Direct Product Lemma of [IJK06] and arbitrary, not necessarily locally encodable, monotone codes. The latter codes have fewer restrictions, and so may be easier to construct. We study what parameters are achievable by monotone codes in general, giving negative and positive results. We present two constructions of monotone codes. Our first code is a uniquely decodable code based on the Majority function, and has an efficient decoding algorithm. Our second code is combinatorially list-decodable, but we do not have an efficient decoding algorithm. In conjunction with an appropriate Direct Product Lemma, our first code yields uniform hardness amplification for NP from inverse polynomial to constant average-case hardness. Our second code, even with a brute-force decoding algorithm, yields further hardness amplification to 1/2 −log (1) n. Together, these give an alternative proof of Trevisan's result [Tre03, Tre05]. Getting any non-brute-force decoding algorithm for our second code would imply improved parameters for the problem of hardness amplification in NP.


Time-frequency analysis techniques are used for buried plastic landmine detection with a forward-looking ground penetration radar (GPR) system. Several time-frequency distributions are considered to characterise and interpret the scattering phenomena of both targets and clutter. An ambiguity function based detector is also presented, which employs principal component analysis and feature selection for data dimensionality reduction and linear discriminant analysis for signal classification. Experimental results based on the SRI (Stanford Research Institute) experimentally measured forward-looking GPR data are presented, showing a significant detection performance improvement over the conventional detector


Abstract:Discussing his 1971 urban art installation, Les Gisants de la Commune de Paris, Ernest Pignon-Ernest stated he felt it necessary for art dedicated to the Paris Commune to be created in the street. Only there could it do justice to a movement built on popular seizure of urban space. In recent years, as 'street art' has emerged as a significant artistic movement, the affinity Pignon-Ernest asserted between art in the street and the Commune has continued to make itself felt. This article discusses three Paris-based street artists who have referenced the Commune: A2, Morèje, and Rue Meurt d'Art. Their work resists the Commune's erasure from collective memory. However, their strategies sometimes risk relegating it to the past, stripping it of its political radicalism. This, combined with street art's growing commercialization and institutionalization, poses questions about urban art's capacity to engage the Commune on an ideological—not just iconographic—level.


Natural hazard services include a wide range of activities, many of which are allied with public safety, but can also be taken to include natural resource management, land-use planning, and other related activities. These activities are considered to be part of emergency management, and have come to be seen as a public sector responsibility even though they are often carried out by contractors. They take place across all of the phases of the emergency management cycle: response, recovery, mitigation, and preparedness.
 The prevalence of private sector utilization is such that many services, such as hazard mitigation planning, grants administration, and various components of recovery, can be argued to be largely privatized due to the extent of market penetration and control from the private sector, including in the creation of policy and its implementation. However, there are unique challenges that arise when private-sector provision of services, and not just products, is utilized. Partnerships and other collaborative models are utilized frequently, including not just private sector firms, but also non-profit organizations, academic institutions, community organizations, and other groups to help overcome these challenges.


The mechanism of sizing with soluble rosin soap size differs from the sizing mechanism of dispersed rosin acid size . Cationic fixing agent has to be used with the latter size to assure proper attachment of the size to furnish components . The problem of size attachment is not unl .i l{e that for the alkaline AKD size emulsion . The relative extent of attachment is assessed by a high shear stirring test . Sizing involves a complex array of interactions in which surface reactions play an important role . The large surface area fines and fillers in the furnish reduce sizing efficacy . Size accumulates on fillers/fines to a higher. extent than expected from surface area alone . On the basis of experimentally determined adsorptivities, size distribution in a furnish can be estimated . Size on fiber appears to be more efficient than on fillers/fines, compared at equal surface coverage . This requires that we minimize the amount of fine particulates in the furnish . Fillers/fines capture a significant amount of applied size ; thus, first pass fillers/fines retention has to be maximized to retain size in the sheet . Size distribution also can be affected by the proper choice of process conditions .


A distributed system's allocation of software components to hardware nodes (i.e., deployment architecture) can have a significant impact on its quality of service (QoS). For a given system, there may be many deployment architectures that provide the same functionality, but with different levels of QoS. The parameters that influence the quality of a system's deployment architecture are often not known before the system's initial deployment and may change at runtime. This means that redeployment of the software system may be necessary to improve the system's QoS properties. This paper presents and evaluates a framework aimed at finding the most appropriate deployment architecture for a distributed software system with respect to multiple, possibly conflicting QoS dimensions. The framework supports formal modeling of the problem and provides a set of tailorable algorithms for improving a system's deployment. We have realized the framework on top of a visual deployment architecture modeling and analysis environment. The framework has been evaluated for precision and execution-time complexity on a large number of simulated distributed system scenarios, as well as in the context of two third-party families of distributed applications.


Background Although Th2 immune activation is predominant in allergic diseases, neopterinlevels and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO)-1 activity (kynurenine:tryptophan ratio), which reflect Th1 immune activity, increase with interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) stimulation. We investigated neopterin, tryptophan, and kynurenine levels as biomarkersof the Th1 immune system activation and changes in IDO-1 activityin children with asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis, as well as the relationship between these biomarkers and the total IgE level, age, and disease severity. Methods We divided 205 children (80 girls and 125 boys, four months to 17 years old) into four groups: controls, patients with asthma, patients with allergic rhinitis, and patients with atopic dermatitis. Peripheral venous blood samples were collected. Neopterin levels were determined by an enzyme immunoassay. Tryptophan and kynurenine levels were analyzed using HPLC. IDO-1 enzyme activity was calculated using tryptophan and kynurenine levels. IgE levels were measured. The Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Conover post-hoc method were used for statistical analysis. Results Neopterin, tryptophan, and kynurenine levels were higher and IgE levels and IDO-1 enzyme activity were lower in patients with asthma and allergic rhinitis than in controls (P<0.05). Patients with atopic dermatitis showed higher neopterin, tryptophan, and kynurenine levels, higher IDO-1 activity, and lower IgE levels thancontrols (P<0.05). Conclusions The Th1/Th2 balance is disrupted in children with allergic diseases, concomitant with increased Th1-mediated immune response activation and reduced IgEproduction, which is promoted by Th2-type cytokines.


3D printing technology can produce complex objects directly from computer aided digital designs. The technology has traditionally been used by large companies to produce fit and form concept prototypes ('rapid prototyping') before production. In recent years however there has been a move to adopt the technology as full-scale manufacturing solution. The advent of low-cost, desktop 3D printers such as the RepRap and Fab@Home has meant a wider user base are now able to have access to desktop manufacturing platforms enabling them to produce highly customised products for personal use and sale. This uptake in usage has been coupled with a demand for printing technology and materials able to print functional elements such as electronic sensors. Here we present formulation of a simple conductive thermoplastic composite we term 'carbomorph' and demonstrate how it can be used in an unmodified low-cost 3D printer to print electronic sensors able to sense mechanical flexing and capacitance changes. We show how this capability can be used to produce custom sensing devices and user interface devices along with printed objects with embedded sensing capability. This advance in low-cost 3D printing with offer a new paradigm in the 3D printing field with printed sensors and electronics embedded inside 3D printed objects in a single build process without requiring complex or expensive materials incorporating additives such as carbon nanotubes.


Background Morbidity, use of healthcare and medication use have been reported to vary across groups of migrants and according to the different phases of migration, but little is known about children with immigrant background. In this study, we investigate whether the immigrant children's age of arrival predicts differences in usage of primary healthcare (PHC) and in use of prescribed medication. Methods This nationwide, population-based study used information for children under 18 years of age in 2008 from three linked registers in Norway. Use of medication was assessed with logistic regression analyses presented with ORs with 95% CIs. Results Of 1 168 365 children, 119 251 had immigrant background. The mean number of PHC visits among children aged 10–18 years, was 1.19 for non-immigrants, 1.17 among second generation immigrants, 1.12, 1.05 and 0.83 among first immigrant children who were <5, 5–9 and ≥10 years at arrival in Norway, respectively. Patterns were similar for younger immigrants, and were confirmed with regression models adjusting for age and sex. First generation immigrant children used less of nearly all groups of prescribed medication compared to non-immigrants when adjusting for age and sex (overall OR 0.48 (0.47 to 0.49)), and medication was also generally less used among second generation immigrant children (overall OR 0.92 (0.91 to 0.94)). Conclusions Age of arrival predicted PHC usage among children among first-generation children. First-generation immigrant children, particularly those arriving later in adolescence, used PHC less than age corresponding non-immigrant children. Immigrant children used less prescribed medication compared to non-immigrants after adjustment for age and sex.


PURPOSE OF REVIEW Electron beam computed tomography is a non-invasive investigation that can quantify calcification within the walls of coronary arteries. Coronary arteries remodel to maintain luminal integrity, so that significant plaque may be present before the development of luminal stenoses. This has led to interest in techniques that assess the coronary artery wall, rather than the lumen. This review examines the power of coronary calcification detected by electron beam computed tomography to predict coronary heart disease events, and outlines recent studies in which it has been used as a surrogate marker for coronary heart disease. RECENT FINDINGS The predictive power of coronary calcification has been shown to exceed that of traditional coronary heart disease risk factors and possibly also coronary angiography. This may justify the use of coronary calcification as a surrogate marker for coronary heart disease, and studies have thus examined cross-sectional associations between coronary calcification and potential risk factors in healthy individuals and patients with diabetes, end-stage renal failure and familial hypercholesterolaemia. Intervention studies can use the rate of change of coronary calcification detected by serial electron beam computed tomography imaging as an end-point, rather than relying on coronary heart disease events. As every participant reaches an end-point, sufficient power can be attained with smaller numbers at substantially less cost. SUMMARY Coronary calcification detected by electron beam computed tomography may prove an invaluable tool in the selection of at-risk individuals suitable for primary prevention, and a useful surrogate marker for coronary heart disease in clinical trials.


Most of the molecular mechanisms underlying plant partial resistance QTLs are still unknown. Two
competing hypothesis are generally invoked to link observed field resistance with actual molecular
gene function. An older hypothesis links partial resistance QTLs with overcome typical R genes
encoding classical NBS-LRR or LRR-TM type proteins. In a recent paper (Hu et al., 2008), partial plant
resistance was linked with defense mechanisms. These results led us to develop a candidate gene
approach to study partial plant resistance of carrot (Daucus carota) towards its main foliar fungal
pathogen, Alternaria dauci. Since carrot is a non-model plant, little sequence data is available on
public databases. We thus chose to develop a homology-based cloning strategy in order to detect
and sequence defense-related genes in carrot. Since A. dauci is a necrotrophic pathogen, we focused
this strategy on Jasmonic acid (JA) signaling pathway and JA controlled defense genes (such as JAZ3
or PR4). Since the degenerate primer strategy is not known to be effective on each and every gene,
we chose to apply it in a parallel fashion on a rather large set of genes. Alignments of sequence data
from eight already sequenced dicotyledonous plant species were performed for 15 genes.
Degenerate primers were defined for 10 genes involved in this JA pathway. Additionally, we defined
degenerate primers for two defense genes that are not mainly JA- regulated: the SA-regulated
defense gene PR1, and the non host defense gene PAL1. Five out of 12 genes were partially cloned
and sequenced. Two strategies are currently deployed to link these defense related genes with
partial resistance QTLs observed in the carrot-A. dauci interaction (Le Clerc et al., 2009). SNPs are
being found between the resistant and susceptible parents of our mapping populations. They will
help us to find potential QTL-candidate co-localizations. Absence of such a co-localization does not
mean that a potential candidate is not involved in defense. It is also possible that the QTL influences
defense-related genes activation rather than the efficiency of the cognate PR proteins. For this
reason, we also plan to study the induction of these genes by A. dauci in both susceptible and
resistant backgrounds.


Author Posting. © The Authors, 2018. This article is posted here by permission of The Royal Astronomical Society for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geophysical Journal International 215 (2018): 460–473, doi:10.1093/gji/ggy152.


This paper argues that the practice and discipline of international relations (IR) shrouds the many ways through which colonial power is institutionalized within the structure of the modern nation-state and the system of states in which nation-states are embedded. By over-valuing modernist assumptions in research and practice, IR ignores the colonial constitution of modernity. This is more than an intellectual blind spot. It has led to universalizing Eurocentric assumptions about 'natural' human development culminating in the acquisition of a nation-state, which has effectively depoliticized the colonial project of state-making in the context of formerly colonized territories. I argue for re-politicizing postcolonial territory by discussing a decolonial approach calling for 'pluriversal' (rather than universal) thinking that chooses to address the continuities of colonialism within the structure of the state and work towards collective decolonization.


Jamun (Syzygium cuminii L.) is one of the important indigenous minor fruit with high medicinal value. The jamun cultivation is unorganized and there is huge loss of this fruit every year. The perishable nature of the fruit makes its postharvest management further difficult. Due to the strong cell wall structure of pectin-protein bonds and hard seeds, extraction of juice becomes difficult. Enzymatic treatment has been commercially used for improvement of juice quality with high yield. The objective of the study was to optimize the best treatment method for juice extraction. Enzymes (Pectinase and Tannase) from different stains had been used and for each enzyme, best result obtained by using response surface methodology. Optimization had been done on the basis of physicochemical property, nutritional property, sensory quality and cost estimation. According to quality aspect, cost analysis and sensory evaluation, the optimizing enzymatic treatment was obtained by Pectinase from Aspergillus aculeatus strain. The optimum condition for the treatment was 44 C with 80 minute with a concentration of 0.05% (w/w). At these conditions, 75% of yield with turbidity of 32.21NTU, clarity of 74.39%T, polyphenol content of 115.31 mg GAE/g, protein content of 102.43 mg/g have been obtained with a significant difference in overall acceptability. Keywords—Jamun, enzymatic treatment, physicochemical property, sensory analysis, optimization.


The first group to build artificial general intelligence or AGI stands to gain a significant strategic and market advantage over competitors, so companies, universities, militaries, and other actors have strong incentives to race to build AGI first. An AGI race would be dangerous, though, because it would prioritize capabilities over safety and increase the risk of existential catastrophe. A self-regulatory organization (SRO) for AGI may be able to change incentives to favor safety over capabilities and encourage cooperation rather than racing.


Background: Lac is traditionally used as a dye because of its coloring properties and it is obtained from Laccifer lacca Kerr. Now a days, it is widely used in food and coloring industry. Purpose: To evaluate the antioxidant, antimicrobial activity of different extracts along with identification of active constituents present in it. Methods: Antioxidant activity was performed by DPPH, reducing power and hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity, whereas antimicrobial activity was performed by well diffusion method to evaluate the antimicrobial potential of chloroform, ethyl acetate, methanol and water extracts. Based on the most potent activity of the extracts were run in LC-MS/MS to identify the active constituent from it. Results: Ethyl acetate and methanol extracts were found to have most potent antioxidant activity with more than 50% inhibition at a concentration of 16 μg/ml where all the three methods when compared with ascorbic acid as standard. Antimicrobial activity was also found to be potent for ethyl acetate and methanol extract having a zone of inhibition of 15 mm and 18 mm for E. coli and S. aureus respectively. Finally, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts were processed for an effective LC-MS/MS run to identify the active constituent as laccaic acid-A in both the extract. Conclusion: Laccaic acid A is identified as the main constituent present in ethyl acetate and methanol fractions responsible for the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity.


The two Global Compacts on Migration and on Refugees, adopted in December 2018, reflect public and policy discourse and international legal norms in differentiating between "refugees" and "migrants". Yet, in a context of mixed migration flows, where migrants and refugees move along the same routes and are, for all but legal purposes, indistinguishable, it can be questioned to what extent distinctions in law are adequate. This essay challenges the dichotomy between "refugees" and "migrants" and instead refers to "people on the move" as an overarching category including a wider range of human mobility for whom there needs to be a basic standard of protection. More specifically, the essay argues we should broaden our analysis to include the rights of people on the move. We thus make an attempt at conceptualizing and delineating the rights of people on the move, anchored in a human rights approach, and pay particular attention to those rights that are the most relevant, namely their mobility rights, safety and dignity rights, and legal protection rights.


Meningeal melanocytoma is a rare benign CNS tumor derived from the leptomeningeal melanocytes. Although unusual, malignant transformation with leptomeningeal seeding into the brain or spinal cord may occur years after the initial diagnosis. The authors report a unique case of multifocal benign meningeal melanocytoma involving both cerebellopontine angles and the thoracic spinal cord, with associated diffuse leptomeningeal hyperpigmentation. They review the literature relevant to this topic and discuss the radiological and pathological features of this disease as well as its treatment options.


This paper explore the problem of unsupervised hierarchical segmentation for hyperspectral images using a multivariate version of the structure tensor [1] and morphological segmentation methods based on a pixel dissimilarity measures [2]. This spatial structure tensor fusions the edge information along the spectral dimension of the gradient by using weights based on the heat kernel. The unsupervised morphological segmentation uses a graph-based model where the pixels are the nodes. A dissimilarity function based on the eccentricity of the local structure tensor at each node is proposed to define the weights of the edges. With a global threshold, α, applied to the distances between nodes an α-connectivity is defined. As α increases its value, it can be proved that a hierarchy, i.e an ordered sequence of α-connected components is formed, producing a hierarchy of connective segmentations. Segmentation maps using the proposed tensor-based dissimilarity function, the Euclidean distance and the Spectral Angle Distance were performed and tested with the Endmember Extraction Problem. The comparison of the endmembers produced using the proposed segmentation with each of the above measures and the endmembers from the original image shows that the endmembers produced using the tensor-based dissimilarity function have the smallest averaged SAD than using the other measures.


The Dutch residential sector is locked-in into natural gas for the supply of heat. The expected depletion of national reserves and induced earthquakes in the production area are reasons to aim to escape this lock-in. The Dutch government and key players in the natural gas sector have expressed large green gas ambitions. This paper explores the opportunities and barriers of biomass gasification for green gas production and application in the residential sector. The Technological Innovation Systems and Multi-Level Perspective were applied as sustainability transition frameworks to explore the current technological state of biomass gasification and the developments in the residential sector. Four limitations were observed from a supply perspective; little financial space for demonstration plants, absence of technology specific policy, lagging market developments and insecurities related to biomass availability. On the demand side, clear barriers hampering change are observed, providing large opportunities for green gas. Key players in the natural gas regime take no substantial responsibility, despite their potential ability to contribute to overcoming systemic barriers. Therefore, this research concludes that the current green gas ambitions set by the Dutch government are not feasible and that the government may address this with technology specific policy, substantial research and development subsidies and funding.


In the post-World War Two era, political decolonisation swept across Africa. In the wake of decolonisation a wide variety of political leadership outcomes have emerged. In many national contexts indigenous political stakeholders were required to wrest political control from colonial powers. This study will compare the progress of the post-colonial political leadership experiences in Kenya and Tanzania - in order to ascertain the nature of the unique pressures and constraints placed upon first generation post-colonial political leaders. This will be framed and informed through the lens of contemporary and historical theories of leadership. Developing a greater understanding of the leadership experiences of these first-generation post decolonisation leaders will provide greater insight into the nature of post decolonisation leadership in sub-Saharan Africa.


Charisma is a social phenomenon, not an individual trait, but using the concept loosely (as we all do) as a catch-all description for magnetism, fame, heroism, or celebrity is both misleading and confusing; all of these terms are analytically distinct from charisma as well as from each other. Loose usage obscures the significance of the interactions between genuinely charismatic men or women—usually political and organizational leaders and gifted mobilizers rather than movie stars and athletic giants—and their believers and followers. Adulation is not necessarily indicative of charisma, nor is popular appeal. Charismatic leaders and their devotees together move barriers and overcome obstacles in order to achieve transformative goals. Charisma is best understood as the inspirational component of the bond between leaders and their followers that allows them to act as if they are genuinely moved to maximize what they presume, or are led to believe, are their own interests.


In this paper we describe our experiences designing a voice interface in rural India. We outline our design process from initial contextual inquiry to a formal user evaluation, and use this discussion to motivate research guidelines for others designing voice interfaces in developing regions. Our three guidelines are to build around existing information systems, to iterate on the design through user testing, and to explore design alternatives through empirical analysis. We also share some practical lessons learned in designing, implementing, and evaluating information systems for developing regions in general.


ObjectiveTo find out the prevalence of Entamoeba species in rural community of Nepal.The purpose of the study is to evaluate Nested PCR, microscopic examination and Elisa assay for detection and differentiation of Entamoeba species.IntroductionNepal being a developing country has many health problems, which escalate in intensity at different times of the year or in epidemic form.Amebiasis is one of the infectious diseases that is highly seen in rural area of Nepal caused by Entamoeba species ((1, 2). Recent reports show that open defecation, drinking untreated water, unsanitary habits and lack of basic health knowledge cause higher mortality and morbidity in our country.E. histolytica is an anaerobic pathogenic parasitic. However, E. dispar and E.moshkovskii exits as non-pathogenic. Likewise, E. histolytica, E. dispar and E. moshkovskii are morphologically identical but genetically distinct species (3).MethodsA total of 270 faecal sample were collected from south eastern terai region of Nepal after the informed consent form. The samples were processed by direct wet smear and formalin ethyl acetate concentration technique (4). Eventually, microscopic examination were performed for the detection of Entamoeba species along with other intestinal parasites. Furthermore, enzyme immunoassay were executed to detect antigens of E. histolytica through ELISA. Additionally, microscopically positive samples for Entamoeba species cysts were further characterized using a Nested- PCR targeting 16S-like ribosomal RNA gene (5). The PCR generate amplicons which was subjected to 2% agarose gels electrophoresis and visualized under UV transilluminator.Results8.52% of the total collected samples were microscopically positive for Entamoeba cysts either singly or in combination with other intestinal parasites. Likewise, among 270 stool sample, viral diarrheal was most significant form of diarrhoea found in 76.67% of patients. Among different organisms, As. Lumbricoids and E. histolytica, G. lambia and H. nana were identified in most of the patients accounting for 11.11%, 8.52%, 2.59% and 1.11% respectively. However, Lumbricoids, G. lambia, Tenia solium and E. histolytica were present in an individual patient while two patient was found with both As. Lumbricoids and G. lambia. Among several symptoms, diarrhoea seems to be the common symptoms infecting all of the patients which is followed by fever and vomiting which accounts for 55.1 % and 46.2% correspondingly. Whereas, nausea appears to be the least common symptoms infecting only 14.4% of patients.Subsequently, 56 cases were PCR positive, 51 cases were ELISA positive whereas 47 were found to be positive by microscopy.ConclusionsMolecular techniques are indeed promising tools for epidemiological studies, particularly in discriminating the pathogenic from the non-pathogenic species of the Entamoeba species. This study reports a new nested multiplex PCR strategy for detection and differentiation of E. histolytica, E. dispar and E. moshkovskii which is highly rapid, specific and sensitive which is useful for proper diagnosis, immunological assay and drug testing.References1. Chaudhary M, Maharjan M. ( 2014). Association of Anaemia with Parasitic Infection in Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinic at Koshi Zonal Hospital. Neplalese Journal of Zoology, 2(1):1-7.2. Tandukar S, Ansari S, Adhikari N, Shrestha A, Gautam J, Sharma B, et al (2013). Intestinal parasitosis in school children of Lalitpur district of Nepal. BMC research notes, 6(1):449.3. Clark C, Espinosa Cantellano M, Bhattacharya A. Entamoeba histolytica: an overview of the biology of the organism (2013). Amebiasis: World Scientific, 1-45.4. Dhanabal J, Selvadoss PP, Muthuswamy K(2014). Comparative study of the prevalence of intestinal parasites in low socioeconomic areas from South Chennai, India. Journal of parasitology research.5. Van den Bossche, D., Cnops, L., Verschueren, J., & Van Esbroeck, M. (2015). Comparison of four rapid diagnostic tests, ELISA, microscopy and PCR for the detection of Giardia lamblia, Cryptosporidium spp. and Entamoeba histolytica in feces. Journal of microbiological methods, 110, 78-84.


Abnormal expression of the low‐affinity receptor for inter‐leukin‐2 (IL‐2R) is a characteristic of the HTLV‐I (+) leukemic T cells in adult T‐cell leukemia (ATL). Despite the expression of IL‐2R bearing Tac antigen (IL‐2R/pSS), leukemic cells of the majority of ATL patients do not proliferate in response to IL‐2. In the human NK cell line, YT, as well as in ATL‐derived T cells, the co‐expression of IL‐2R/p55 and the second IL‐2R without the Tac epitope (IL‐2R/p70) is required to produce high‐affinity IL‐2R. To study the effect of HTLV‐I on both of the IL‐2Rs, we transferred a fragment of HTLV‐I containing the p40X gene into YT cells. One of the 2 transfected YT clones (YT/pX‐5.1) had an increased level of expression of IL‐2R/p55. In contrast, expression of (L‐2R/p70 was unaffected, as determined by Scatchard analysis and the cross‐linking study using 125‐IL‐2. Our results show that the T‐cell phenotype is not required for induction of IL‐2R/p55 by p40X. We suggest that HTLV‐I infection induces a disproportionate induction of IL‐2R/pSS without significant enhancement of IL‐2R/p70 expression, resulting in the predominant expression of low‐affintty IL‐2R in ATL. IL‐2R/p70 may be a critical parameter determining the IL‐2 reactivity of HTLV‐I‐infected T cells as well as of normal lymphocytes.


This paper presents a novel active snubber recovery circuit for series-connected insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs). The proposed technique allows turnon and turnoff switching of the series IGBTs to be controlled and balanced through conventional snubber effects, but the configuration includes active circuitry to recover into the dc supply, the stored snubber energy. Detailed waveform analysis and associated mathematical equations are presented, supported by PSpice simulations. The proposed technique is practically demonstrated, at a scaled power level, on a single IGBT to illustrate the control concept and on three series-connected IGBTs to demonstrate dynamic voltage sharing.


The objective of this study is to develop a real-time strategy that results in higher precision than any real-time solutions currently available for GPS satellite clock monitoring. A real-time time transfer methodology was employed for satellite clock monitoring, composed of carrier phase smoothed code measurements and IGS ultra-rapid products to obtain precise satellite positions. The performance of the time transfer method was assessed by comparison with the results based on the all-in-view method using the broadcasting ephemeredes. The results showed that the stability of satellite clock monitoring for a short-term period was improved by the proposed method.


In this technical note, a thin circular plate resting on a two-parameter (Pasternak-type) foundation is studied under concentrated central and distributed loads. The governing equations of the plate are derived for static loading case considering the lift off (uplift) of the plate from the foundation. For the approximate solution, a Galerkin technique is adopted and the free vibration mode shapes of the completely free plate are chosen as the displacement functions. The technique yields a system of algebraic nonlinear equations, and its solution is accomplished by using an iterative method. The numerical results are obtained for evaluation of the behavior of the plate and then given comparatively in figures. Although in the case of a tensionless Winkler foundation, the lift off of the plate from the foundation takes place, when the displacement of plate is negative, while in case of the two-parameter foundation the lift off appears when the slopes of the foundation surface and that of the plate are not equal.


INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this study is to review our contemporary experience with autologous fascia pubovaginal slings (AF-PVS) in the era of the midurethral sling.

METHODS
A retrospective review was completed to identify all patients who underwent an AF-PVS between 2002 and 2009. A cross-sectional questionnaire was used to assess postoperative urinary-specific quality of life (consisting of the Urogenital Distress Inventory [UDI-6] and the Incontinence Impact Questionnaires [IIQ-7]).

RESULTS
We identified 33 patients. They had failed a median of two previous incontinence treatments. Of these patients, 16 (48%) had failed a previous midurethral sling, and of these half had experienced a significant mesh erosion necessitating mesh removal. Preoperative median incontinence pad usage was 5/day. After a median follow-up of 16 months from the time of AF-PVS, the median pad usage had decreased to 1/day (p = 0.003). A third of the patients had postoperative urgency, and only 1 patient continues to use intermittent catheterization. The median IIQ-7 score was 19/100, and the median UDI-6 score was 44/100. Overall quality of life was mixed-to-delighted in 62% of patients.

CONCLUSIONS
The AF-PVS has reasonable outcomes in a diverse population of patients, despite failure of other treatment modalities.


Discussions of the initiation of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in man and in experimental models have centered around intimal and medial proliferation in medium-sized pulmonary arteries. The histologic events are thought to include disordered proliferation of enlarged, vacuolated endothelial cells, neo-muscularization of the affected blood vessels, and vascular pruning. The discovery of the association of familial and sporadic PAH with mutations in BMPR2 has generated intense interest in cytokine receptor trafficking and function in the endothelial cell and how this might be disrupted to yield an enlarged proliferative cell phenotype. Nevertheless, considerations of the subcellular machinery of membrane trafficking in the endothelial cell and consequences of the disruption of this outward and inward membrane trafficking are largely absent from discussions of the pathobiology of PAH. Long-standing electron microscopy data in the PAH field has demonstrated marked disruptions of intracellular membrane trafficking in human and experimental PAH. Further, a role of the membrane-trafficking regulator Nef in simian HIV-induced PAH in macaques and in HIV-induced PAH in man is now evident. Additionally, monocrotaline and hypoxia are known to disrupt the function of Golgi tethers, SNAREs, SNAPs, and N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor ("the Golgi blockade hypothesis"). These results, along with recent reports demonstrating the trapping of PAH-associated human BMPR2 mutants in the Golgi, highlight the implications of disrupted intracellular membrane trafficking in the pathobiology of PAH. The purpose of this review is to present a brief overview of the molecular basis of intracellular trafficking and relate these considerations to the pathobiology of PAH.


Deforestation and fragmentation of mangrove forests in Indonesia are widespread that resulted in losing biodiversity including genetic variation. Rhizophora mucronata Lamk. is a common mangrove species in Secanggang, Langkat, North Sumatra and have been degrading due to anthropogenic disturbance. The aim of this study is to determine the genetic variation in natural population of R. mucronata in Secanggang, North Sumatra using isozyme markers. From five enzymes systems used namely aspartate aminotransferase (AAT), alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), esterase (EST), malate dehydrogenase (MDH), and peroksidase (PER); eleven loci was found and five polymorphic loci were detected.The estimate value of genetic variation parameters i.e. observed and expected heterozygosity, average alel per loci, and average polymorphic (95% criteria) were 0.1386, 0.1724, 1.5455, and 45.45 % respectively.The low genetic variation of R. mucronata found in this study suggested that genetic variation may be influenced by anthropogenic activities such as illegal logging, conversion into shrimp pond and agricultural farm.


Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-1 (IL-1), cytokines with multiple, overlapping biologic activities, have been shown to interact synergistically in nonocular tissues. To test the hypothesis that coinjection of TNF and IL-1 interact synergistically in the eye, low, marginally inflammatory doses of human recombinant TNF-alpha (4000 U), IL-1 beta (40 U), and TNF-alpha+IL-1 beta (TNF-alpha/IL-1 beta) were injected into the vitreal chamber of the rabbit eye, and inflammation was assessed at 6, 24, 48, and 168 hr post-cytokine injection. TNF-alpha/IL-1 beta induced an anterior uveitis that was barely detectable at 6 hr, increased at 24 hr, peaked at 48 hr, and largely resolved by 168 hr. Synergy was observed for infiltration of inflammatory leukocytes into aqueous humor at 24 and 48 hr and for protein and prostaglandin E levels in aqueous humor at 48 hr. Based upon protein levels in vitreous humor, TNF-alpha/IL-1 beta also induced a posterior uveitis. This posterior uveitis was not apparent until 48 hr and then increased significantly at 168 hr. At 48 and 168 hr, the effects of TNF-alpha/IL-1 beta on protein levels in vitreous humor were consistent with a synergistic interaction. Results of separate experiments using higher dose combinations of TNF-alpha/IL-1 beta and a longer time course suggested that the effects of TNF-alpha/IL-1 beta on the blood vitreous barrier persisted beyond 168 hr. The results of this study support the hypothesis that TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta interact synergistically when injected into the rabbit eye.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


A 59-year-old patient suffered during three months from depressive episode. Thereafter he developed depressive attacks of 30 to 60 minutes duration, reoccurring weekly to every third week. The patient could be treated successfully with Carbamacepine.


Since their discovery in 1845, tetrahedrites, a class of minerals composed of relatively earth‐abundant and nontoxic elements, have been extensively studied in mineralogy and geology. Despite a large body of publications on this subject, their transport properties had not been explored in detail. The discovery of their interesting high‐temperature ther‐ moelectric properties and peculiar thermal transport has led to numerous experimental and theoretical studies over the last 4 years with the aim of better understanding the rela‐ tionships between the crystal, electronic, and thermal properties. Tetrahedrites provide a remarkable example of anharmonic system giving rise to a temperature dependence of the lattice thermal conductivity that mirrors that of amorphous compounds. Here, we review the progress of research on the transport properties of tetrahedrites, highlight‐ ing the main experimental and theoretical results that have been obtained so far and the important issues and questions that remain to be investigated.


The photoreduction of CO2 on inorganic semiconductors has been researched for several decades, but the conversion efficiency is still low due to the recombination of photo-generated electron–hole pairs, low utilization efficiency of solar energy and weak adsorption of CO2. Here we for the first time demonstrate that metal–organic frameworks such as ZIF-8 can effectively adsorb CO2 dissolved in water, and promote photocatalytic activity of a semiconductor catalyst in CO2 reduction into liquid fuels in an aqueous medium. In particular, Zn2GeO4/ZIF-8 hybrid nanorods were successfully synthesized by growing ZIF-8 nanoparticles on Zn2GeO4 nanorods. The Zn2GeO4/ZIF-8 nanocomposite inherits both high CO2 adsorption capacity of ZIF-8 nanoparticles and high crystallinity of Zn2GeO4 nanorods. The Zn2GeO4/ZIF-8 hybrid nanorods containing 25 wt% ZIF-8 exhibit 3.8 times higher dissolved CO2 adsorption capacity than the bare Zn2GeO4 nanorods, resulting in a 62% enhancement in photocatalytic conversion of CO2 into liquid CH3OH fuel. The strategy reported here is promising for developing more active photocatalysts for improving CO2 conversion efficiency by taking advantage of excellent adsorption property of metal–organic frameworks in aqueous media.


This paper presents an `Accent Group' based intonation model for statistical parametric speech synthesis. We propose an approach to automatically model phonetic realizations of fundamental frequency(F0) contours as a sequence of intonational events anchored to a group of syllables (an Accent Group). We train an accent grouping model specific to that of the speaker, using a stochastic context free grammar and contextual decision trees on the syllables. This model is used to `parse' an unseen text into its constituent accent groups over each of which appropriate intonation is predicted. The performance of the model is shown objectively and subjectively on a variety of prosodically diverse tasks- read speech, news broadcast and audio books.


In tropospheric layer, radio waves can propagate in a number of different physical mechanisms such as free-space propagation or line-of-sight propagation, reflection, transmission, diffraction, scattering and wave guiding. The constituents in weather such as the wind, air temperature and atmospheric water content may combine in many ways. Certain combinations can cause radio signals to be heard hundreds of miles beyond the ordinary range of radio communications. This study investigates the effect of weather (temperature) on radio wave propagation up to 9GHz. Continuous-wave (CW) envelope fading waveforms were recorded over a period of the one-hour using patch antenna. The observations were conducted at KUSZA Observatory, East Coast Environmental Research Institute (ESERI), UniSZA which is situated in Merang, Terengganu. Spectrum Analyser was used for RFI measurement and weather station for weather effect. The graphs of radio signal attenuation for weather parameter (temperature) against time were plotted. The findings indicate that there is a relationship between radio signals with the change of temperature. The correlation between RFI frequencies and temperature give negative effect for frequency 945 MHz, was r = -0.085, while for 383 MHz (r = 0.249), 1800 MHz (r = 0.268) and 2160 MHz (r = 0.134). These findings will benefit radio wave propagation research field which includes radio astronomy observations, space science, wireless communication, satellite, antenna and mobile communication and also electromagnetic radiation (EMR) research for health.


In this paper the problem of high performance software engineering is addressed in the context of image processing regarding productivity and optimized exploitation of hardware resources. Therefore, we introduce the functional array processing language Single Assignment C (SaC), which relies on a hardware virtualization concept for automated, parallel machine code generation. An illustrative benchmarking example proves both utility and adequacy of SaC for image processing.


Antiferromagnets could form a stable and robust platform for future spintronic technology [Also see Report by Wadley et al.] Spintronics (1) is one of the most commercially successful nanotechnologies. The invention of the giant-magnetoresistance spin valve (2) revolutionized the magnetic recording industry, enabling the immensely cheap, high-density disk drive storage on which the data centers that support our insatiable demand for cloud computing, social networking, and video sharing technologies rely. The combination of magnetic tunneling junctions (3) and spin-transfer torque (STT) (4) has brought about the prospect of magnetic random-access memory (MRAM), written using STT, as a way to provide nonvolatile storage that can be written and operated using extremely low power. Such technologies have just entered the marketplace. Even more energy-efficient writing is possible using the recently discovered spin-orbit torque (SOT) (5). All of these technologies use ferromagnets—the type of magnetic materials that "stick to the fridge" because they possess a magnetic moment—to store the data; the direction of that magnetic moment ("north" or "south") represents the 0 or 1 of a digital bit. In both STT and SOT, the flow of a spin-polarized electrical current exerts torques on the magnetic moments to affect the change in magnetization direction that writes this bit. On page 587 of this issue, Wadley et al. (6) show that a hitherto exotic class of magnetic materials, antiferromagnets, are candidates for an entirely new type of spintronic memory.


We give some sufficient conditions to guarantee convergence of solutions to a nonlinear vector differential equation of third order. We prove a new result on the convergence of solutions. An example is given to illustrate the theoretical analysis made in this paper. Our result improves and generalizes some earlier results in the literature.


Recording dynamic information for only a subset of program entities can reduce monitoring overhead and can facilitate efficient monitoring of deployed software. Program entities, such as statements, can be monitored using probes that track the execution of those entities. Monitoring more complicated entities, such as paths or definition-use associations, requires more sophisticated techniques that track not only the execution of the desired entities but also the execution of other entities with which they interact. This paper presents an approach for monitoring subsets of one such program entity---acyclic paths in procedures. Our selective path profiling algorithm computes values for probes that guarantee that the sum of the assigned value along each acyclic path (path sum) in the subset is unique; acyclic paths not in the subset may or may not have unique path sums. The paper also presents the results of studies that compare the number of probes required for subsets of various sizes with the number of probes required for profiling all paths, computed using Ball and Larus' path profiling algorithm. Our results indicate that the algorithm performs well on many procedures by requiring only a small percentage of probes for monitoring the subset.


The availability and quality of irrigation water has become an issue limiting productivity in many Australian vegetable regions. Production is also under competitive pressure from supply chain forces. Producers look to new technologies, including changing irrigation infrastructure, exploring new water sources, and more complex irrigation management, to survive these stresses. Often there is little objective information investigating which improvements could improve outcomes for vegetable producers, and external communities (e.g. meeting NRM targets). This has led to investment in inappropriate technologies, and costly repetition of errors, as business independently discover the worth of technologies by personal experience.

In our project, we investigated technology improvements for vegetable irrigation. Through engagement with industry and other researchers, we identified technologies most applicable to growers, particularly those that addressed priority issues. We developed analytical tools for 'what if' scenario testing of technologies.

We conducted nine detailed experiments in the Lockyer Valley and Riverina vegetable growing districts, as well as case studies on grower properties in southern Queensland. We investigated root zone monitoring tools (FullStop™ wetting front detectors and Soil Solution Extraction
Tubes - SSET), drip system layout, fertigation equipment, and altering planting arrangements. Our project team developed and validated models for broccoli, sweet corn, green beans and lettuce, and spreadsheets for evaluating economic risks associated with new technologies. We presented project outcomes at over 100 extension events, including irrigation showcases, conferences, field days, farm walks and workshops.

The FullStops™ were excellent for monitoring root zone conditions (EC, nitrate levels), and managing irrigation with poor quality water. They were easier to interpret than the SSET. The SSET were simpler to install, but required wet soil to be reliable. SSET were an option for monitoring deeper soil zones, unsuitable for FullStop™ installations. Because these root zone tools require expertise, and are labour intensive, we recommend they be used to address specific problems, or as a periodic auditing strategy, not for routine monitoring. In our research, we routinely found high residual N in horticultural soils, with subsequently little crop yield response to additional nitrogen fertiliser. With improved irrigation efficiency (and less leaching), it may be timely to re-examine nitrogen budgets and recommendations for vegetable crops.

Where the drip irrigation tube was located close to the crop row (i.e. within 5-8 cm), management of irrigation was easier. It improved nitrogen uptake, water use efficiency, and reduced the risk of poor crop performance through moisture stress, particularly in the early crop establishment phases. Close proximity of the drip tube to the crop row gives the producer more options for managing salty water, and more flexibility in taking risks with forecast rain. In many vegetable crops, proximate drip systems may not be cost-effective. The next best alternative is to push crop rows closer to the drip tube (leading to an asymmetric row structure).

The vegetable crop models are good at predicting crop phenology (development stages, time to harvest), input use (water, fertiliser), environmental impacts (nutrient, salt movement) and total yields. The two immediate applications for the models are understanding/predicting/manipulating harvest dates and nitrogen movements in vegetable cropping systems.

From the economic tools, the major influences on accumulated profit are price and yield. In doing 'what if' analyses, it is very important to be as accurate as possible in ascertaining what the assumed yield and price ranges are. In most vegetable production systems, lowering the required inputs (e.g. irrigation requirement, fertiliser requirement) is unlikely to have a major influence on accumulated profit. However, if a resource is constraining (e.g. available irrigation water), it is usually most profitable to maximise return per unit of that resource.


Computer aided visualisation and simulation enables earlyevaluation of important design parameters of future products and productionsystems. Typically, humans affect the system performance, and in order toachieve the expected system efficiency ergonomics needs to be considered inthe design process in addition to the more technical or logistical matters.Hence, there is a call for ergonomics to be a natural part of the product andproduction development process, also at virtual stages. Three examples of thedevelopment of Digital Human Modelling-(DHM)-based company-specific


The mechanism of the allylic oxidation of 2-methyl-2-butene with selenium dioxide was explored by a combination of experimental and theoretical studies. A comparison of the experimental (13)C and (2)H kinetic isotope effects with predicted values shows that the observed isotope effects are consistent with an initial concerted ene step mediated by SeO(2). However, this comparison also does not rule out the involvement of a selenous ester in the ene reaction or a stepwise reaction involving reversible electrophilic addition of HSeO(2)(+) followed by rate-limiting proton abstraction. Becke3LYP calculations strongly favor SeO(2) over a selenous ester as the active oxidant, with the predicted barrier for reaction of 2-methyl-2-butene with SeO(2) being 21-24 kcal/mol lower than that for reaction with H(2)SeO(3). The possibility of a selenous ester being the active oxidant is also disfavored by the observation of oxidations in non-hydroxylic solvents. The involvement of HSeO(2)(+) does not appear consistent with a lack of dependence of the reaction on the basicity of the reaction mixture. A concerted ene reaction with SeO(2) as the active oxidant appears to be the major mechanistic pathway operative in these reactions.


We analytically calculate the spin-dependent electronic conductance through a one-dimensional ballistic ring in the presence of an inhomogeneous magnetic field and identify signatures of geometric and Berry phases in the general nonadiabatic situation. For an in-plane magnetic field, we rigorously prove the spin-flip effect presented by Frustaglia et al. @Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 256602~2001!#, which allows us to control and switch the polarization of outgoing electrons by means of an Aharonov-Bohm flux, and derive analytical expressions for the energy-averaged magnetoconductance. Our results support numerical calculations for two-dimensional ballistic rings presented in the second paper @Frustagliaet al., following paper, Phys. Rev. B69, 155327 ~2004!# of this series.


Warming of the Arctic can stimulate microbial decomposition and release of permafrost soil carbon (C) as greenhouse gases, and thus has the potential to influence climate change. At the same time, plant growth can be stimulated and offset C release. This study presents a 15‐year time series comprising chamber and eddy covariance measurements of net ecosystem C exchange in a tundra ecosystem in Alaska where permafrost has been degrading due to regional warming. The site was a carbon dioxide source to the atmosphere with a cumulative total loss of 781.6 g C m−2 over the study period. Both gross primary productivity (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (Reco) were already likely higher than historical levels such that increases in Reco losses overwhelmed GPP gains in most years. This shift to a net C source to the atmosphere likely started in the early 1990s when permafrost was observed to warm and thaw at the site. Shifts in the plant community occur more slowly and are likely to constrain future GPP increases as compared to more rapid shifts in the microbial community that contribute to increased Reco. Observed rates suggest that cumulative net soil C loss of 4.18–10.00 kg C m−2—8%–20% of the current active layer soil C pool—could occur from 2020 to the end of the century. This amount of permafrost C loss to the atmosphere represents a significant accelerating feedback to climate change if it were to occur at a similar magnitude across the permafrost region.


Recently, direction-of-arrival (DOA) and position estimation for acoustic signals has been studied intensively and many different algorithms have been proposed. Among different solutions for multiple sources, blind source separation (BSS) methods have drawn much attention due to their good performance. In this paper, we present a localization algorithm using the results from a frequency domain independent component analysis (ICA) algorithm combined with an extended version of the state coherence transform (SCT). We motivate the SCT as an approximated maximum likelihood (ML) approach and compare our localization algorithm with the steeredresponse power with phase transform (SRP-PHAT) and the averaged directivity pattern (BSS-ADP) algorithm. 2D localization results show superior performance of our algorithm.