Interpersonal Evidentiality (IE): The Mandarin v-过 guo construction and other evidential functions of 'shared knowledge' This study is based on the recently established pragmatic and grammatical category of interpersonal evidentiality (IE) (Tantucci 2013). IE grounds the illocutionary force of a statement in a form of intersubjective knowledge shared by the SP/W and a 3rd party – i.e. other assumed member(s) of society – regardless of whatever the source of information is. Drawing on Nuyts's (1992, 2001a,b, 2012) work on the evidential application of the notion of intersubjectivity (Traugott 1999, 2002, 2003, 2010, 2012; Nuyts 2001a, 2012; Verhagen 2005; Narrog 2010, 2012) this paper argues that the perfect v-过 guo evolved in Modern Mandarin into a new IE construction. I provide a targeted analysis on the grammaticalized status of IE in Spoken and Written Mandarin through a quantitative and qualitative corpus survey from the Linguistic Data Consortium (LDC) CALLHOME Mandarin Chinese Speech corpus, the Lancaster Corpus of Mandarin Chinese (LCMC) and the diachronic section of the Beijing University corpus (CLL). In (Tantucci 2013) it is suggested that v-过 guo in Mandarin has grammaticalized into a SP/W's oriented IE construction from an older experiential perfect meaning, originally merely profiling the past experience of the syntactic subject (cf. Comrie 1976: 58; Li, Thomson & Thomson 1981; Dahl 1985: 141; Carey 1995; Yeh 1996; Dai 1996; Smith 1997; Wu 2003; Hedin & Dahl 2000; Xiao & McEnery 2004; Lin 2004; Lin 2006; Lin 2007; Chen 2008; Wu 2008). The present work is thus centered on the semasiological IE reanalysis of 过 guo towards the end of the 清 Qīng (1644-1911) and after the 民国 Min Guo period (1912-1949). As shown in (1a-b), the grammatical status of this construction is proved by the non-acceptability of the perfective 了 le in contexts referring to interpersonally shared knowledge such as the one below: (1) a. 地球 上 存在 过 恐龙。 diqiu shang cunzai guo kǒnglong earth on exist IE dinosaur 'The earth was populated by dinosaurs.' *b. 地球上 存在 了 恐龙 。 diqiu shang cunzai le kǒnglong earth on exist PF dinosaur ''. (Tantucci 2013: 225) IE can be seen as a proper typological category characterized by specifically grammaticalized items displaying similar features in many languages of the world: i.e. Turkic, Megleno Romanian, other Sinitic Languages, the Balkan group Iranian and neighbouring languages (cf. Lazard 1996, 1999, 2001; Guentcheva 1996, 2007; Chappell 2001, Smirnova 2012; Tantucci 2013). The theoretical implications of the establishment of IE as a typologically attested domain must lead us to redefine the primary semantics of evidentiality. The secondary claim of this paper is thus to reconsider evidentiality as a non-modal domain primarily marking different types of 'acquired knowledge' rather than 'specific sources of information'. Evidential constructions encoding particular sources of evidence should be considered as a sub-class of the broader semantic scope of 'acquired knowledge' (AK). AK is here regarded as the primary pragmatic and semantic connotation of any type of evidential construction or strategy. (word count: 492) References Carey, Kathleen. 1995. Subjectification and the development of the English perfect. In D. Steinand & S. Wright (eds.), 83–102. Cambridge Cambridge University Press. Chappell, Hilary. 2001. A Typology of Evidential Markers in Sinitic Languages. In H. Chappell (ed.), Chinese grammar: synchronic and diachronic perspectives, 56–85. New York: Oxford University Press. Chen, Qian Rui. 2008. Hanyu timao yanjiu de leixingxue shiye [A study on the Aspectual System of Mandarin from a Typological Perspective]. Beijing: The Commercial Press. Comrie, Bernard. 1976. Apect. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Dahl, Ӧsten. 1985. Tense and aspect systems. Blackwell: Oxford. Dahl, Ӧsten & Eva Hedin. 2000. Current Relevance and Event Reference. In Ӧ. Dahl (ed.), Tense and aspect in the languages of Europe, 385–402. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. Dai, Yao Jing. 1997. Xiandai hanyu shiti xitong yanjiu [A study of Aspect in Modern Chinese]. Hangzou: Zhejiang Educational Press. Guentcheva, Zlatka. 1996. Le mediatif en bulgare. In Z. Guentcheva (ed.), L'enonciation mediatisee, 47–70. Louvain: Peeters. Guentcheva, Zlatka & Jon Londaburu (eds.). 2007. L'enonciation mediatisee, vol. II. Louvain: Peeters. Lazard, Gilbert. 1996. Le mediatif en persan. In Z. Guentcheva (ed.), L'enonciation mediatisee, 21–30. Louvain: Peeters. Lazard, Gilbert. 1999. Mirativity, evidentiality, mediativity, or other? Linguistic Typology 3.1, 91–109. Lazard, Gilbert. 2001. On the grammaticalization of evidentiality. Journal of Pragmatics 33, 359–67. Li, Charles & Sandra A. Thompson. 1981. Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar. Berkeley: University of California Press. Lin, Jo Wang. 2007. Predicate restriction, discontinuity property and the meaning of the perfective marker Guo in Mandarin Chinese. Journal of East Asian Linguistics 16, 237–57. Lin, Xin Nian. 2004. Shixi Tang Song shiqi de "guo" yufahua jincheng chihuan de yuanyin [An analysis of the slowdown in the grammaticalization process of guo during the Tang and Song periods]. Yuyan Kexue 6, 42–52. Narrog, Heiko. 2010. Modality and Speech-act orientation. Paper presented at Grammaticalization and (inter-)subjectification, Brussel. Narrog, Heiko. 2012. Beyond intersubjectification: Textual usages of modality and mood in subordinate clauses as part of speech orientation. English Text Construction 5.1, 29–52. Nuyts, Jan. 1992. Subjective vs. objective modality: what is the difference? In M. Fortescue, P. Harder & L. Kristoffersen (eds.), Layered Structure and Reference in a Functional Perspective, 73–98. Amsterdam: Benjamins. Nuyts, Jan. 2001a. Subjectivity as an evidential dimension in epistemic modal expressions. Journal of Pragmatics 33, 383–400. Nuyts, Jan. 2001b. Epistemic modality, language, and conceptualization: a cognitive-pragmatic perspective. Amsterdam: Benjamins. Nuyts, Jan. 2012. Notions of (inter) subjectivity. English Text Construction 5.1, 53-76. Smirnova, Anastasia. 2012. Evidentiality in Bulgarian: Temporality, Epistemic Modality, and Information Source. Journal of Semantics.0, 1–54. Smith, Carlota. 1997. The Parameter of Aspect, 2nd edn. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers. Tantucci, Vittorio. 2013. Interpersonal Evidentiality: The Mandarin V-过 guo construction and other evidential systems beyond the 'source of information'. Journal of Pragmatics 57, 210–30. Traugott, Elizabeth C. 1999. From subjectification to intersubjectification. Paper presented at Fourteenth International Conference on Historical Linguistics, Vancouver, Canada. Traugott, Elizabeth Closs & Richard B. Dasher. 2002. Regularity in semantic change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Traugott, Elizabeth C. 2003. From subjectification to intersubjectification. In R. Hickey (ed.), Motives for Language Change, 124–39. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Traugott, Elizabeth C. 2010. Revisiting subjectification and intersubjectification. In K. Davidse & L. Vandelanotte (eds.), Subjectification, Intersubjectification and grammaticalization, 29–70. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. Verhagen, Arie. 2005. Constructions of Intersubjectivity: Discourse, Syntax and Cognition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Wu, Hsiao Ching. 2003. A case study on the Grammaticalization of Guo in Mandarin Chinese - Polysemy of the motion verb with respect to semantic changes. Language and Linguistics 4.4, 857–85. Wu, Jiun Shiung. 2008. Terminability, wholeness and semantics of experiential guo. Journal of East Asian Linguistics 17, 1–32. Xiao, Richard & Tony McEnery. 2004. Aspect in Mandarin Chinese: A Corpus-based Study. Amsterdam: Benjamins. Yeh, Meng. 1996. Experiential -guo in Mandarin. Journal of East Asian Linguistics 5, 183–215.


OBJECTIVES
To define the validity of fecal blood as a marker for colorectal neoplasia in the screening setting and to compare yields by Hemoccult and HemoQuant fecal occult blood screening tests.

DESIGN
A multicenter masked comparison of fecal blood test results against structural colorectal evaluations and longitudinal follow-up, serving as criterion standards, in nonreferred subjects at risk for colorectal neoplasia.

SETTING
Communities, primary care centers, referral centers.

PARTICIPANTS
Two groups: (1) 1217 patients aged at least 18 years undergoing routine structural surveillance evaluations following curative resection of a colorectal tumor and (2) 12312 relatives of colorectal cancer patients aged at least 50 years.

INTERVENTIONS
Blinded Hemoccult II and HemoQuant testing on three mailed-in stool samples per subject.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE
Sensitivity of fecal blood tests for colorectal neoplasia.

RESULTS
In the postresection group, surveillance evaluations revealed 46 malignant colorectal neoplasms and 402 polyps. At matched specificity, sensitivity of either test for cancer was 26% (95% confidence interval, 13% to 39%). Hemoccult was positive in 21% of intraluminal recurrences, 33% of all new primary tumors, and 29% of Dukes A or B cancers; HemoQuant was elevated in 24%, 28%, and 29%, respectively. Sensitivity for polyps 1.0 cm or larger was 13% by Hemoccult and 11% by HemoQuant. In the group of relatives, estimated sensitivity for cancer at 1 to 3 years of follow-up was 25% to 33% by Hemoccult, not significantly different from the 29% to 43% by HemoQuant.

CONCLUSIONS
Based on our observations in the screening setting, fecal blood appears to be a poor marker for colorectal neoplasia. Most cancers and the vast majority of polyps will be missed. Hemoccult and HemoQuant are similarly insensitive.


This thesis consists of three parts. We begin our investigation with a brief introduction into open quantum systems. Then we explain different measures of distinguishability of density operators, especially the Uhlmann Fidelity, which will be the basis for the model function we investigate in this work.
We continue by explaining the time evolution of open quantum systems in more detail, and introducing the important notion of quantum channels as a concept in quantum information theory. This allows us to state a central problem of quantum information theory: the characterization of the quantum information capacity of a given quantum channel. The major challenge is the maximization of the coherent information, a function defined on a n-fold tensor product of a Hilbert space, which is non-additive and thus has to be considered in the limit as n→∞.

To gain an insight into this unsolved problem, we study the channel fidelity of a quantum channel, which is a simpler function, also defined on n-fold tensor product spaces. It shares an essential feature with the coherent information in being non-additive. However, in contrast to the coherent information it is mathematically accessible. We establish the channel fidelity as a model for the coherent information and study its properties.

In the second part, a short introduction to the representation theory of symmetric and unitary groups is followed by concrete instructions for Collins' and \'{S}niady's formula for the integration of functions of matrix elements of unitary groups with respect to the Haar measure. This exposition culminates in a simplification of the general formula that is optimal for investigating the channel fidelity.

In the third part, we calculate channel fidelity moments for arbitrary n. In order to obtain more concrete results, we restrict ourselves to the study of Pauli channels. For these we discuss the transition of the average and variance from small n to the limit n→∞ and give an explicit formula for both in this limit. In particular, we find that for a large number n of Pauli channels, the channel fidelity distribution is peaked very strongly. Additionally, under certain restrictions, the simplified formula from part two also allows us to give concrete expressions for higher moments in the limit n→∞.

We conclude by comparing our new results with results from a former work, where, in the search for maximizing states of the channel fidelity, we found states that maximize the channel fidelity of Pauli channels, at least locally. Because these local maxima have a much higher fidelity than the average of the very strongly peaked distribution, we infer that these states would not be found by a standard numerical maximization procedure. If the channel fidelity models the coherent information accurately in this regard, its maximization thus poses a very hard problem.


The rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) is perhaps the most widely distributed nonhuman primate, is used more extensively than any other primate species as animal models for the study of biomedicine. In this study, we sequenced and analysed a fragment of 491 bp of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) partial control region in 230 individuals belonging to 8 populations of Sichuan province of China. Among the 230 individuals, we observed 56 different haplotypes defined by 110 polymorphic sites. The average number of nucleotide differences (k) was 18.844, indicating that very high genetic differentiation and the extant Sichuan wild rhesus macaques population consists of diverse genetic groups in their maternal lineage. The mtDNA haplotypes of these Sichuan wild rhesus macaques clustered into two main clades (CladeⅠand Clade Ⅱ), may correspond to M. m. vestitus and M.m.lasiotis.


Objective: To evaluate effects of atypical antipsychotics on the serum lipid contents of inpatients suffering from psychosis at Psychiatry Hospital Hyderabad, Pakistan. Methods: Total 160 patients suffering from psychosis were randomly selected from psychiatry hospital Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan during October 2014 to September 2015 along with 188 control subjects and they were followed from baseline (drug naïve-first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients); on admission to 3rd month of their treatment with three different antipsychotic drugs (i.e. risperidone, olanzapine and clozapine). Blood samples were collected on admission and after completion of each month for analysis of serum lipid contents. Results: Concentration of serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL–C), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TGs), very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL–C) as well as total lipids (TL) were significantly reduced in baseline psychotic patients when compared with controls. When 2nd and 3rd months risperidone treated psychotic patients were compared with baseline psychotic patients, TC, TG, VLDL–C and TL were significantly increased. Serum lipid contents in Olanzapine and Clozapine treated psychotic patients were significantly increased in 2nd and 3rd months as compared to baseline psychotic patients, whereas, reverse was true for HDL–C. The low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL–C)was increased in 2nd month treated psychotic patients as compared to baseline psychotic patients. When all three drugs were compared, clozapine was found highly associated with dyslipidemia. Conclusion: Atypical Antipsychotics may play a role in developing dyslipidemia. Among three psychotic drugs Clozapine is the most significant in causing dyslipidemia to the psychotic patients in Pakistan. Received | 30-03-2017: Accepted | 20-08-2018 Corresponding Author | Naseem Aslam Channa, Professor at Institute of Biochemistry, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Pakistan Email: email@example.com


Markowitz model considers what is termed as standard portfolio optimization. The portfolio optimization problem is a problem which based on asset allocation and diversification for maximum return with minimum risk. Thus, the standard portfolio optimization problem happens when the constraints considered are budget and no-short selling. In reality however, portfolio optimization has realistic constraints to be incorporated such as holding sizes, cardinality and transaction cost. When realistic constraints are added into portfolio optimization problem, it becomes too complex to be solved by standard optimization methods which in this case turns to be an extended portfolio optimization problem. Markowitz solution and the standard methods like quadratic programming become inapplicable. With such limitation, heuristic methods are usually used to deal with this extended portfolio optimization problem. Therefore, this paper proposes a heuristic algorithm for the extended portfolio optimization problem. It is a hill climbing algorithm named Hill Climbing Simple (HC-S) which is then validated by solving the standard Markowitz model. In fact, the proposed algorithm is benchmarked with the quadratic programming (QP), which is a standard method. By benchmarking HC-S with QP, it showed that HC-S can attains similar accurate solutions. Also, HC-S demonstrated to be more effective and efficient than threshold accepting (TA), an established algorithm for portfolio optimization since HC-S find solutions with significant higher objective value and require less computing time as compared to standard methods.


THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL Society awards program is one of the means by which the society meets its obligation "to encourage ... the advancement of chemistry in all its branches, the promotion of research in chemical science and industry, [ and ] the improvement of the qualifications and usefulness of chemists." The continuing excellence of the ACS awards program requires that a number of highly qualified chemistry professionals be nominated and that great care be taken in preparing the nominations . ACS Award for Achievement in Research for the Teaching & Learning of Chemistry sponsored by Pearson Education. This award recognizes outstanding contributions to research that have increased the understanding of chemical pedagogy and led to improved teaching and learning of chemistry. This award recognizes research contributions involving a significant body of work rather than a single project or contribution. ACS Award for Affordable Green Chemistry sponsored and supported through an endowment by Rohm and Haas. ...


Abstract This article aims to clarify the notion of community such as it is perceived by the singularly modern outlook of Georges Bataille, especially in it's illustration in his story Madame Edwarda. The absence or loss of community seems to represent the very condition of its existence. The lovers in MadameEdwarda simultaneously illustrate the birth as well as the death of such an unusual kind of community. While offering one's self to the other in a sacrificial attempt to surpass oneself, each of them conveys to the other a sense of shared immoderation, and goes exceptionally beyond the completeness of a homogeneous enclosure in and on oneself. However, at the very moment when it seems to succeed, community is lost, and the being returns to its initial loneliness, which seems to have never been surpassed.


A dynamic labor market model is used to motivate the inclusion of population characteristics and industrial structure as determinants of regional employment instability. We examine how these factors influence regional employment instability using data from both metropolitan and nonmetropolitan regions in the United States. We find that population characteristics are important determinants of employment volatility and that increased industrial specialization (reduced diversification) increases employment volatility, but the magnitude of that influence drops substantially once population characteristics are considered. We also find that the influence of population characteristics and industrial specialization varies significantly across metropolitan and nonmetropolitan regions. Copyright Blackwell Publishers, 2004


literature proves the importance of the process role in the effectiveness of virtual research and development (R&D) teams for new product development (NPD). However, the factors that make process construct in a virtual R&D team are still unclear. The manager of virtual R&D teams for NPD does not know which items of process should be used. To address the gap and answer the question, the study presents a set of factors that make a process construct. The proposed construct modified by finding of the field survey. We empirically examine the relationship between construct, dimensions and its factors by employing the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). A measurement model built based on the 13 preliminary factors that extracted from the literature review. The result shows 9 factors out of 13 factors maintaining to make process construct. These factors can be grouped into two dimensions namely generating report and collaborative system. The findings can help new product development managers of enterprises to concentrate on the main factors for leading an effective virtual R&D team. In addition, it provides a guideline for future research.


This paper reviews paleoclimate data from around the Japanese Alps in the late Quaternary period. The major data sources are total organic carbon content (TOC) of lake deposits and pollen composition from various sediments covering more than several thousand years. TOC reflects air temperature through the biological productivity of lake water. Pollen composition can show paleovegetation, and can be transformed into climate parameters using a modern analog method. The paleoclimate was reconstructed as follows under assumed conditions of altitude of 600– 700 m and latitude of around 36°N. Subarctic conifer forests were predominant and TOC was constantly low in the late MIS 6 (160–130 ka). It was cold as in MIS 2, the last glacial maximum. Vegetation changed significantly around 130 ka, and deciduous broadleaf trees of the cooltemperate zone became dominant in MIS 5e. TOC content in MIS 5e was also high, and temperature was as high as, or slightly cooler than, in MIS 1. Vegetation in MIS 5d to 5a comprised mixed forests of conifer trees and deciduous broadleaf trees, and their ratio changed substage by substage. TOC also fluctuated in periodicities of several thousand years, suggesting frequent temperature change. Climate in MIS 5d to 5a was a little colder than in MIS 5e and warmer than in MIS 3. The subarctic conifer forest was predominant and deciduous broadleaf trees were almost absent in MIS 4. TOC was also constantly low and temperature was much lower, as in MIS 2. Deciduous broadleaf trees flourished in MIS 3, and the ratio changed frequently in short periods of several hundreds of years to thousands of years, which corresponded to the D-O cycle. Although the annual mean temperature in MIS 3 was 5.0°C on average, that of a warm interstadial was 7.2°C and that of a cold stadial was 4.4°C. The vegetation in MIS 2 was characterized by the predominance of subarctic conifer forests and by the lowest TOC content. The reconstructed annual mean temperature was constantly around 3°C. Deciduous broadleaf trees increased abruptly from 14 to 12 ka and simultaneously TOC also increased sharply. Deciduous broadleaf trees became predominant in the Holocene (MIS 1), occupying more than 90% of arboreal pollen. TOC contents were also high, and reconstructed annual temperature was as high as 12°C in the early Holocene, a little higher than recent temperatures. 571 — — 地学雑誌 Journal of Geography(Chigaku Zasshi) 122(4)571–59


Sex hormones influence the hemolytic of one or more of the late-acting components of complement measured in the presence of trisodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate. The titers of the serums of male mice, normally tenfold higher than those of females, fell after castration, becoming about the same as those of females. The titers of the serums from females rose after these mice were castrated, but castration did not affect the activities of the first, second, and fourth components of complement. Serums of normal and castrated mice of both sexes treated with testosterone showed increased late-acting component activity, whereas the estrogen caused decreased activity. Treatment in vitro of mouse serum with these hormones had no effect on the activity of late-acting components.


. Cloud Computing is increasingly becoming important in the generation, storage and transmission of information worldwide. In this paper, we discuss the potential of Cloud Computing in terms of how it can strengthen health information systems in developing countries. Like any new technology, Cloud Computing is no silver bullet; it solves certain challenges while bringing new ones to the table. Based on a case study of the innovative use of Cloud Computing for the national health information system in Kenya, we discuss how Cloud Computing can enable the integration and harmonization of fragmented systems and provide real-time information to health managers for evidence based decision making. The key contribution of the paper is to provide an understanding of how Cloud Computing can enhance health management by acting as a catalyst for the integration of health information systems.


Nickel(II) complexes containing a Schiff base (L) derived from 2-pyridinecarboxyldehyde and 2-furoic hydrazide [Ni(HL)(L)]NO3 (1) and [Ni(L)2]4H2O (2) where HL = N'-[(E)-pyridin-2-yl-methylidene]furan-2-carbohydrazide, have been synthesized and comprehensively characterized via physico-chemical techniques as well as by single crystal X-ray structural analysis. In both the complexes, the ligand behaves as mono-anionic tridentate and binds to the nickel(II) ion via deprotonated carbonyl-oxygen, pyridine-nitrogen and azomethine-nitrogen. Magnetic moments and electronic studies suggest an octahedral geometry around nickel(II) ion in both the complexes. The supramolecular architecture in both (1) and (2) are shown by C-H...π and π...π interactions. The molecular structures and spectral properties of the complexes have been explained by DFT and TD-DFT calculations. The electronic excitation energies of these complexes, calculated at TD-DFT levels, are in agreement with values deduced from the experimental UV-visible spectra.


We address the problem of detecting and recognizing the text embedded in online images that are circulated over the Web. Our idea is to leverage context information for both text detection and recognition. For detection, we use local image context around the text region, based on that the text often sequentially appear in online images. For recognition, we exploit the metadata associated with the input online image, including tags, comments, and title, which are used as a topic prior for the word candidates in the image. To infuse such two sets of context information, we propose a contextual text spotting network (CTSN). We perform comparative evaluation with five state-of-the-art text spotting methods on newly collected Instagram and Flickr datasets. We show that our approach that benefits from context information is more successful for text spotting in online images.


Two kinds of parental behaviors—psychological control and emotional warmth—have been linked with children's shy behaviors. The questions we addressed are whether this applies to adolescent shyness, and whether shyness in itself might also affect perceptions of parental behaviors. The participants were 916 seventh to ninth graders in a longitudinal project. We used a cross-lagged panel model with three time points in MPlus with adolescents' self-reports of shyness and perceptions of parents' psychological control (intrusive control and rejection) and warmth. Shyness predicted an increase in perceptions of intrusive control by parents at Time 2, which then predicted an increase in shyness at Time 3. Shyness also predicted an increase in perceived rejection by parents at Time 2. Finally, shyness predicted decreases in parental warmth at both time points. The effects did not differ for boys and girls. These results show that adolescent shyness predicts parental behaviors, though perhaps less strongly than in childhood. They also suggest some bidirectional effects in which perceived parental responses to shy youths might serve to strengthen the shyness.


Out-patient sclerotherapy: 40 volunteers wore compression bandages on the leg for periods of up to eight hours of normal activity. The pressure under the bandage was measured every two hours and after eight hours the pressure had fallen to zero. Therefore 112 patients undergoing out-patient compression sclerotherapy were randomly allocated into one of two groups: the bandages were worn for eight hours or three weeks. There was no difference in the short term results between the two groups. Following surgery: 34 patients undergoing stripping of unilateral varicose veins were studied. The pressure under the bandage applied at the end of the operation was measured. The haematoma in the leg was also measured. The results showed that variations in the bandaging pressure did not affect the size of the haematomas which averaged about 50 ml.


Using prior information about the road network will improve the estimation performance for a road constrained target significantly. Several estimation methods have been proposed to handle the multi-modality that arise in a road target tracking application. One popular filter suitable for this kind of non-linear problems is the Particle Filter, but a major drawback is that the Particle filter requires a large amount of particles as the state dimension increases to maintain a good approximation of the filtering distribution. In this paper a Rao-Blackwellized Particle Filter based approach is proposed to reduce the dimension of the state space in road target tracking applications. Furthermore, it is also shown how prior information about the probability of detection can be used to improve the estimation performance further.


Stress Analysis. Recent developments in numerical and experimental methods. Edited by O. C. Zienkiewicz and G. W. Holister. John Wiley, London. 1965. 469 pp. Diagrams. Tables. 95s. This book is the outcome of a course held at the University of Wales, Swansea, the chapters being contributed by fourteen authors who gave lectures during the course. The two main aims of the book are to provide a survey of modern developments in stress analysis, and also to serve as a textbook. As a survey, the book succeeds admirably, most of the chapters being in themselves surveys of a limited part of the field, each supplemented by a good list of references. As a textbook, it is less successful, primarily owing to the non-uniformity implicit in the diversity of authors and the fact that the material of the book is not self-contained, so that, to learn and understand, a would-be student would need to look up many of the original papers to which reference is made. The first part of the book is concerned mainly with the impact of computers on stress analysis and with theoretical stress analysis. Professor D. N. de G. Allen was concerned with five of the chapters contributing, in collaboration with D. W. Windle, an introductory chapter on the finite difference method and, in collaboration with G. M. Birtwhistle, four short chapters on the basic theory of plates and shells. In an interesting and clear analysis of the basic assumptions of the theory of flexure of plates attention is drawn to the difference between the usual assumptions for shells and those for p l a t e s it is usually assumed that linear elements normal to the midsurface remain unextended in one case and untensioned in the other. Theories of each type (plane strain and plane stress) are developed for plates and shells. Professor O. C. Zienkiewicz emphasises the need of removing, as in classical potential theory, any known singularities by using standard analytical solutions, e.g. for isolated forces, so that the resulting problem is more suitable for the finite difference method. There are two chapters on the finite element method, one by Professor Zienkiewicz and the other by Professor R. W. Clough, in which inter alia the difficulties inherent in using triangular elements in plate flexure problems are discussed. Professor B. F. de Veubeke, in a very interesting chapter, analyses the relationship between the method of finite elements and the basic variational principles of elasticity theory, and develops tha equilibrium or stress analysis of finite elements which lead to upper bands for influence coefficients (the usual displacement analysis giving only lower bounds). Professor C. E. Massonnet deals with numerical methods of solution based on the formulation of a problem in terms of integral equations instead of differential equations and also summarises the work of the Russian school. The second half of the book is concerned with modern developments in experimental methods of stress analysis. Chapters by V. M. Hickson, I. Hawkes and G. S. Holister, C. Snell, Professor J. P. Duncan, Professor S. C. Redshaw and M. Rocha describe and illustrate the use of many techniques and devices such as semiconductor strain gauges, photoelasticity, grid methods, structural models and in situ measurements, although the field of applications is restricted largely to civil engineering. The book is well illustrated and up to the usual high typographical standard of the publishers.—I. T. COOK.


This thesis analyses the growth of regulation in the National Health Service (NHS) between 1985 and 2004. It argues that the development of the NHS over this period conforms to the pattern, asserted more generally in existing scholarship, of a rise of the regulatory state in Western European countries. One conventional explanation for the pattern of development-the increasing importance placed on establishing credible policy commitments-is shown to be compatible with observed patterns of development in the NHS. Building on earlier work, which argued that the organisation of the NHS was underpinned by an implicit concordat between politicians and the medical profession, it is argued that regulatory state type institutions potentially reconcile the imperative of credible commitment to the concordat with demands for greater governmental intervention in the provision of health services. Adapting an analytical framework developed by Brian Levy and Pablo Spiller, this thesis argues that regulatory reforms in the NHS are unlikely to achieve their publicly pronounced objectives if the legal and administrative framework for regulation does not demonstrate credible commitment to the implicit concordat. This is labelled the 'regulatory commitment hypothesis'. In order to assess the plausibility of this hypothesis, three episodes of regulatory reform are examined which, on the basis of the modified Levy and Spiller framework, can be said to engender varying degrees of commitment. The three episodes are: (1) the Limited List of NHS Drugs; (2) The National Institute for Clinical Excellence; and (3) the Commission for Health Improvement. Overall, an examination of these three episodes of regulatory reform provides grounds for cautious support for the regulatory commitment hypothesis.


A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements of the
University Honors Program
University of South Florida St. Petersburg


In June 2015 the United States Supreme Court completed what was hailed as its most 'liberal term of the ages', issuing major decisions on controversial issues, such as same-sex marriage, affirmative action and the Affordable Care Act. The Court's free press jurisprudence, however, remained largely unchanged after its last term. The Court did not decide any significant press cases. Instead, the Court sidestepped the opportunity to resolve important questions about the constitutional limits on the prosecution of threats made via social media in one notable case, and set a new, more speech-protective standard for determining when a law is content-based and thus subject to the highest level of constitutional scrutiny. Meanwhile, lower courts began addressing other important topics ranging from the surveillance practices of the Department of Justice to the proper balance between privacy interests and the free flow of public information.


The analysis of single or multiple metal ions in trace
amounts in environmental matrices is a general problem. As a result methods for the selective preconcentration of trace metals are continually investigated. Successful development and application of four novel preconcentration techniques for the determination of trace metal ions are described in the bulk of this thesis.

In chapter 1 traditional and novel preconcentration
approaches including their inherent advantages and disadvantages are described.

column switching RPHPLC technique coupled with
UV/VIS detection for trace level determination of Cu(II), Fe(III) and Al(III) in waste water and beer samples is described in chapter 2. Metal precomplexation with 8-hydroxyquinoline enabled spectrophotometric detection at 400 nm. Limits of detection of 5 ppb for Al(III) and 40 ppb for Cu(II) and Fe(III) were obtained.

The use of ligand coated stationary phases incorporating a
novel CTAB/DTC ion pair for copper determination in mine waste water is described in chapter 3. The CTAB-DTC precolumn has been used for on-site sample loading. Direct incorporation of the loaded precolumn back into the switching system decreased overall sample analysis time considerably. Precolumn preparation was extremely reproducible with < 3 % variation for a batch size of 50.

Preconcentration of Cu(II) using microbial biomass is described in chapter 4. Off-line copper determination using FAAS and on-line determination using HPLC coupled to a UV/VIS spectrophotometer was possible using this novel stationary phase. Rhizopus arrhizus (unlyophilized) packing material, particle size 90 % recovery was achieved.

Surfactant enhanced adsorptive stripping voltammetry for
trace level determination of aluminium in water and soil samples is reported in chapter 5. This electroanalytical preconcentration method allowed the determination of aluminium as its Solochrome Violet RS (SVRS) complex in the presence of a cationic surfactant, CTAB.


Copper phthalocyanine films have been deposited by glow-discharge-induced sublimation. The films have undergone postdeposition heat treatments in air at 250 and 290 °C for different times, ranging from 30 min to 14 h. The properties of as-deposited and heated films have been investigated by different techniques in order to determine the effects of heat treatments on the film properties. Fourier transform infrared analysis and UV−visible optical absorption analysis point out a gradual evolution of the film structure from a mixture of α and β polymorphs to the only β polymorph in the sample heated at 290 °C for 14 h. A pronounced decrease of carbon and nitrogen atomic percentages against an oxygen increase in the heated films are shown by ion beam analyses (Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and nuclear reaction analysis) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). X-ray absorption spectroscopy and XPS indicate that part of the copper phthalocyanine molecules decompose during heat treatments and the for...


The paper aims to identify and rank the factors influencing Romanian business and administration students' career choice. The main assumptions refer to: (a) good university education is critical factors influencing career choice; (b) business and administration students' career choices are influenced by extrinsic factors; (c) students' early exposure to profession contribute to successful careers. The paper findings are based on data collected from 496 undergraduate and master programs students enrolled in business and administration university education programs at Bucharest University of Economic Studies (BUES) during 2014/2015 academic year. BUES undergraduate and graduate students were distributed a questionnaire with 17 questions. Cross-tabulation, frequency analysis and descriptive statistics were used for processing data collected. The survey conducted had broader objectives; therefore, there will be presented only results obtained after processing some of the questions of the survey which considered relevant for the aim of this paper. The findings indicate that extrinsic and interpersonal factors are significantly influencing career choice of business and administration students. Results are relevant for the university management: successful integration of graduates is becoming part of the quality assurance for any university. Accurate knowledge about factors influencing students' career choice is needed to university staff so that to design and implement tools to support students to make the "right" career choice and to contribute to sustainable insertion of its graduates to the labor market. Thus, university staff has to identify perceptions and factors influencing students' career choice so that to design and implement tools to support students' career development.


. This paper addresses a cornerstone of Automated Machine Learning: the problem of rapidly uncovering which machine learning algorithm performs best on a new dataset. Our approach leverages performances of such algorithms on datasets to which they have been previously exposed, i.e., implementing a form of meta-learning . More specifically, the problem is cast as a REVEAL Reinforcement Learning (RL) game: the meta-learning problem is wrapped into a RL environment in which an agent can start, pause, or resume training various machine learning algorithms to progressively "reveal" their learning curves. The learned policy is then applied to quickly uncover the best algorithm on a new dataset. While other similar approaches, such as Freeze-Thaw, were proposed in the past, using Bayesian optimization, our methodology is, to the best of our knowledge, the first that trains a RL agent to do this task on previous datasets. Using real and artificial data, we show that our new RL-based meta-learning paradigm outperforms Free-Thaw and other baseline methods, with respect to the Area under the Learning curve metric, a form of evaluation of Any-time learning (i.e., the capability of interrupting the algorithm at any time while obtaining good performance).


The use of poor-quality antimalarials has devastating consequences, including increased morbidity, mortality, and drug resistance. Unfortunately, this issue appears to be widespread, especially in parts of Africa and Asia, jeopardizing the progress and investments already made in global malaria control in these regions. In developing countries, inadequate laws and regulatory oversight, along with the lack of human, technical, and financial resources, do not encourage the manufacture and distribution of high-quality medicines. The problem of poor-quality medicines can only be addressed by a multipronged approach that includes tackling poor regulation and ineffective/poorly implemented laws at national and international levels. In addition, pharmaceutical companies must be responsible for ensuring that the quality of antimalarials meets the stringent guidelines established by regulatory authorities, for testing their medicines accordingly and for releasing to market only medicines that pass these requirements. The chapter also discusses how the implementation of strategies such as the WHO Prequalification Program, the African Medicine Registration Harmonization initiative, and the ethical production of medicines by pharmaceutical companies help to ensure that antimalarial therapies marketed in low-income, malaria-endemic countries are quality assured. the of poor-quality antimalarials. recent study used shoppers and surveys identify


A simple model is constructed which allows to compute modified dispersion relations with effects from loop quantum gravity. Different quantization choices can be realized and their effects on the order of corrections studied explicitly. A comparison with more involved semiclassical techniques shows that there is agreement even at a quantitative level. Furthermore, by contrasting Hamiltonian and Lagrangian descriptions we show that possible Lorentz symmetry violations may be blurred as an artifact of the approximation scheme. Whether this is the case in a purely Hamiltonian analysis can be resolved by an improvement in the effective semiclassical analysis.


LDPC codes are typically decoded by running a synchronous message passing algorithm over the corresponding bipartite factor graph (made of variable and check nodes). More specifically, each synchronous round consists of 1) updating all variable nodes based on the information received from the check nodes in the previous round, and then 2) updating all the check nodes based on the information sent from variable nodes in the current round. However, in many applications, ranging from message passing in neural networks to hardware implementation of LDPC codes, assuming that all messages are sent and received at the same time is far from realistic. In this paper, we investigate the effect of asynchronous message passing on the decoding of LDPC codes over a Binary Erasure Channel (BEC). We effectively assume that there is a random delay assigned to each edge of the factor graph that models the random propagation delay of a message along the edge. As a result, the output messages of a check/variable node are also asynchronously updated upon arrival of a new message in its input. We show, for the first time for BEC, that the asymptotic performance of the asynchronous message passing is fully characterized by a fixed point integral equation that takes into account both the temporal and the spatial features of the factor graph. Our theoretical result is reminiscent of the fixed point equation in traditional BP decoding. Also, our simulation results show that asynchronous scheduling reduces decoding time compared to the traditional BP in certain cases in the finite block-length regime.


In this paper we present a robotic head designed for interaction with humans, endowed with mechanisms to make the robot respond to social interaction with emotional expressions, allowing the emotional expression of the robot to be directly influenced by the social interaction process. We look into how emotionally expressive visual feedback from the robot can enrich the interaction process and provide the participant with additional information regarding the interaction, allowing the user to better understand the intentions of the robot. We discuss some of the interactions that are possible with ERWIN and how this can effect the response of the system. We show experimental scenarios where the interaction processes influences the emotional expressions and how the participants interpret this. We draw our conclusions from the feedback from experiments, showing that indeed emotional expression can have an influence on the social interaction between a robot and human.


Although RNA modifications were discovered decades ago, the identification of enzymes that write, read, and erase RNA modifications enabled their functional study and spawned the field of epitranscriptomics. Coupling that knowledge to new methods has enabled the precise pinpointing of epitranscriptomic modifications across the transcriptome plus the elucidation of their functional consequences. PCIF1 (Phosphorylated CTD Interacting Factor 1) was shown to add N6, 2'-O-dimethyladenosine (m6Am) marks at the first nucleotide after the 5' N7-methylguanosine (m7G) cap. In this review, we discuss the epitranscriptomic regulation of mRNA in general, and focus on m7G cap-adjacent m6Am in particular. m6Am positions can now be distinguished from N6-methyladenosine (m6A) using new techniques leveraging PCIF1-knockout cells. Although m6Am modification sites can be detected precisely, conflicting data have been published regarding how cap-adjacent m6Am marks affect their host mRNA. Discrepancies in the data mean that the effects of cap-adjacent m6Am on mRNA stability, decapping, and translation continue to be debated. Finally, while PCIF1 is predominantly nuclear, a subset of results suggest a possible cytoplasmic role as well. Taken together, these contradictory results which employed different methodologies and cell lines means that further experiments are required to determine the ultimate biological function(s) of m7G cap-adjacent m6Am.


This paper examines optimal control problems governed by elliptic variational inequalities of the second kind with bounded and unbounded operators. To tackle the bounded case, we exploit the dual formulation of the governing variational inequality, which turns out to be an obstacle-type variational inequality featuring a polyhedric structure. Based on the polyhedricity, we are able to prove the directional differentiability of the associated solution operator, which leads to a strong stationary optimality system. These results correspond to the ones obtained recently by De los Reyes and Meyer [JOTA, 2016]. Differently from their work, our results benefit from the L²-boundedness property such that we do not require any additional regularity or structural assumption on the unknown solution and the slack variable. The second part of the paper deals with the unbounded case. Due to the non-smoothness of the variational inequality and the unboundedness of the governing elliptic operator, the directional differentiability of the solution operator becomes highly difficult to tackle. Our strategy is to apply the Yosida approximation to the unbounded operator, while the non-smoothness of the variational inequality is still preserved. Based on the developed strong stationary result for the bounded case, we are able to derive optimality conditions for the unbounded case by passing to the limit in the Yosida approximation. As an application, we apply the developed results to Maxwell-type variational inequalities arising in superconductivity.


In this paper we show some very interesting properties of weak Chebyshev subspaces and use them to simplify Pinkus's characterization of Asubspaces of C[a, b]. As a consequence we obtain that if the metric projection PG from C[a, b] onto a finite-dimensional subspace G has a continuous selection and elements of G have no common zeros on (a, b), then G is an /4-subspace.


BACKGROUND: Trypanosoma cruzi infection is endemic in Northern/Central Chile. AIM: To perform a clinical assessment of patients infected with Trypanosoma cruzi. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two hundred sixty three subjects with a positive serology for Trypanosoma cruzi, were invited by mail to a clinical assessment in a Regional Hospital. In a subsample of these, a polymerase chain reaction for Trypanosoma cruzi, was done. RESULTS: Of all the invited subjects, 183 responded and were assessed at the hospital. Of these, 60 had cardiac affections, 52 had colon problems and 17, esophageal disease. Seventy four were asymptomatic. Of the 64 patients in whom polymerase chain reaction was done, 35 had a positive result. CONCLUSIONS: A high percentage of subjects infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, had clinical consequences of the infection. Polymerase chain reaction showed persistency of the parasite in more than half of the infected patients.


Abstract Prisoners have long been recognised as a disenfranchised group. This paper positions non-religious prisoners as further excluded from pastoral care. While chaplaincies aim to serve prisoners of all faiths and none, this paper suggests a hierarchy of access in which the benefits of chaplaincy are more available to some prisoners than others. Shortcomings in secular care mean that non-religious offenders are often the only group unable to connect with like-minded people and it is argued that they are disadvantaged as a result. The paper also explores the challenges for pastoral carers seeking to support inmates equally. It considers the barriers on both sides of the care relationship, specifically the disincentives to chaplaincy engagement faced by prisoners of no faith and the obstacles encountered by the Non-Religious Pastoral Support Network in accessing service users and delivering care. Finally, recommendations are made to narrow the gaps between religious and non-religious prisoners.


Using diamond saw wire could cut the seabed oil compound pipes. There are different advancing velocities according to the material of pipes; it makes the cutting and advancing velocities under the condition of harmony at the time of cutting the compound pipes underwater. First of all, the experiment system of diamond saw wire was set up by test cistern, equipment of diamond wire saw underwater, hydraulic pressure system, measuring and controlling system, diamond saw wire and single layer seabed oil compound pipes so on. Next, the cutting parameters, which include pipe sizing, working pressure, tensioning force of diamond saw wire, cutting velocity and advancing velocity were initialized and the first experimentation was done. Then, after adjusting the cutting parameters according to the analysis of cutting test, the next cutting experimentation underwater was done. In the end, the wearing capacity of diamond beads was measured and got the optimal advancing velocity which can minish the wearing capacity and prolong the cutting time of diamond beads. So, using these cutting parameters to cut the seabed oil compound pipes validated the feasibility of engineering application.


We report on spectral reflectance measurements of basaltic lava flows on Tenerife Island, Spain. Lava flow surfaces of different ages, surface roughness and elevations were systematically measured using a field spectroradiometer operating in the range of 350–2500 nm. Surface roughness, oxidation and lichen coverage were documented at each measured site. Spectral properties vary with age and morphology of lava. Pre-historical lavas with no biological coverage show a prominent increase in spectral reflectance in the 400–760 nm range and a decrease in the 2140–2210 nm range. Pāhoehoe surfaces have higher reflectance values than ʻaʻā ones and attain a maximum reflectance at wavelengths < 760 nm. Lichen-covered lavas are characterized by multiple lichen-related absorption and reflection features. We demonstrate that oxidation and lichen growth are two major factors controlling spectra of Tenerife lava surfaces and, therefore, propose an oxidation index and a lichen index to quantify surface alterations of lava flows: (1) the oxidation index is based on the increase of the slope of the spectral profile from blue to red as the field-observed oxidation level strengthens; and (2) the lichen index is based on the spectral reflectance in the 1660–1725 nm range, which proves to be highly correlated with lichen coverage documented in the field. The two spectral indices are applied to Landsat ETM+ and Hyperion imagery of the study area for mapping oxidation and lichen coverage on lava surfaces, respectively. Hyperion is shown to be capable of discriminating different volcanic surfaces, i.e., tephra vs. lava and oxidized lava vs. lichen-covered lava. Our study highlights the value of field spectroscopic measurements to aid interpretation of lava flow characterization using satellite images and of the effects of environmental factors on lava surface evolution over time, and, therefore, has the potential to contribute to the mapping as well as dating of lava surfaces.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Patients with pneumonia resistant to treatment are a common problem in chest hospitals. Pneumocystis jiroveci (Pc) should always be considered as an opportunistic pathogen in case of potential, especially T cell-related immunodeficiency, even if AIDS is not obvious. We report on cases of Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (PcP) (n = 1921) without associated AIDS in a chest hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We assessed 1921 inpatients presenting with pneumonia during January 1 (st) 1996 and September 30 (th) 2005 in our hospital. Identification of the cases with PcP was based on discharge diagnosis as well as on our microbiological database (detection of Pc by immunofluorescence-test (IFT) and/or PCR). RESULTS: The diagnosis of PcP was made in 14 patients (11 males, 3 females) without associated AIDS. All patients were treated with immunosuppressive medication before admission. CD4 cell-counts were substantially decreased (CD4 cells < 200/microl) in 11 patients. To establish the diagnosis of PcP a Pc-PCR (using broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) as the best material) was necessary in 8 patients, since the Pc-IFT proved positive only in 6 patients. Severe hypoxemia had to be managed by noninvasive ventilation in 3 patients, while another 4 patients had to be ventilated invasively. The mortality rate was 2 out of 14 patients. CONCLUSIONS: PcP is an important disease in the differential diagnosis of pneumonia and at the same time constitutes a severe pulmonary complication in immunodeficient patients. If immunodeficiency is suspected, a CD4 cell-count as well as bronchoscopy with BAL should be performed to diagnose PcP. As expected, Pc-PCR was superior to Pc-IFT and should therefore be used on a routine basis for diagnosing PcP.


In the acidic oral environments containing fluoride ions, hydrofluoric acid (HF) would form and affect the color of Titanium porcelain crown, but there is a lack of information on how color is affected by this oral fluid. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of various artificial saliva simulating oral environments in the presence of fluoride ions with different pH value on the color of self-made dental opaque, body porcelain, belonging to the Na2O-K2O–MgO–CaO–Al2O3–SiO2 glass system. Disc-shaped specimens, 5 mm diameter and a 2-mm thickness, were made by firing. Specimens were immersed in artificial saliva in the presence of fluoride ions with different pH value for 7, 14, 21 days, and then the color of the specimens was compared with the color of the initial specimen. The interactions were present in L*a*b* values between pH value and the day of immersion. The changes in L*a*b* color data as the day of immersion and pH value increased were revealed, which can resulted in perceptual color changes in L*a*b* color parameters.


Foregut cystic developmental malformation(FCDM) is a very rare lesion of the alimentary tract, especially in the stomach. We discuss the concepts of gastric duplication cyst, bronchogenic cysts, and FCDM. Nomenclature has been inconsistent and confusing, but, by some definitions, gastric duplication cysts involve gastric mucosa and submucosal glands, bronchogenic cysts involve respiratory mucosa with underlying cartilage and glands, and FCDM lacks gastric mucosa or underlying glands or cartilage but has pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium(PCCE). We searched our departmental case files from the past 15 years and identified 12 cases of FCDM in the alimentary tract. We summarize the features of these 12 cases including a report in detail on a 52-year-old man with a submucosal cyst lined with simple PCCE and irregular and stratified circular muscle layers that merged with gastric smooth muscle bundles near the lesser curvature of the gastric cardia. A literature review of cases with this histology yielded 25 cases. We propose the term gastric-FCDM for such cases. Our own series of 12 cases confirms that preoperative recognition of the entity is infrequent and problematic. The rarity of this developmental disorder, as well as a lack of understanding of its embryologic origins, may contribute to missing the diagnosis. Not appreciating the diagnosis preoperatively can lead to an inappropriate surgical approach. In contrast, presurgical recognition of the entity will contribute to a good outcome and reduced risk of complications.


This article presents the fabrication of 3D shapes of alumina nanofibril sheets using origami‐inspired manufacturing. The fabrication process includes electrospinning of a composite precursor material for obtaining a nanofibril mat, which is shaped into 3D origami shapes using a sandwich method during a stabilization process. The 3D origami‐shaped precursor nanofibril sheet is calcinated at a high temperature to obtain the 3D origami shapes of alumina nanofibers. It is found that the pre‐calcination stabilization process plays a major role in determining the morphology of the resulting alumina nanofibers. A hot plate stabilization process leads to the formation of hollow alumina nanofibers during the calcination step, whereas oven stabilization results in a porous morphology of the alumina nanofibers. The oven stabilization is favorable for the origami alumina structures, as it allows uniform stabilization conditions. The alumina nanofibers are majorly mesoporous and feature a surface area ranging from 118 to 505 m2g−1. The compressive modulus of the alumina nanofibers exhibits a dependence on the precursor concentration and calcination temperature. The 3D origami structures of alumina nanofibers exhibit excellent structural stability at high temperatures. The high porosity and high‐temperature stability position alumina origami shapes as suitable candidates in many high‐temperature applications.


This study investigates an analytics approach to improving clinical outcomes, which is to utilize EHR data to identify and exploit variety of successful treatments that physicians deliver for different types of patients. A simulated environment was used to develop and test the proposed approach that assigns patients to physicians for better treatment of type-2 diabetes in a clinic setting. Results from this study demonstrate a 30% increase in patients being successfully brought to A1c goal, a 30-fold decrease in treatment errors, and a 12% decrease in outpatient costs to treat patients compared to traditional treatment procedures in diabetes clinic. These techniques can be integrated with EHR systems, thus helping hospitals meet Stage 3 meaningful-use requirements for improving patient outcomes.


Introduction: dermatophytoses or "tineas" are characterized by being mycoses caused by fungi of the genera Epidermophyton, Trichophyton and Microsporum. These mycotic infections can present themselves as a form of lesions that affect the skin, hair and ails of individuals of both genders and all ages. Objective: to elucidate the epidemiological profile of dermatophytoses in patients examined by a private clinical analysis laboratory in João Pessoa-PB, between 2015 and 2019. Methodology: this is an epidemiological, analytical, retrospective and documentary study, in which data collection took place at the Clinical Pathology Laboratory – "HEMATO", located in João Pessoa – PB. Results: the profile of those affected was predominantly female (58.5%), 18 to 59 years old (38.4%), white (53.6%) and with lesions, mainly in skin glabrous (38.5%), feet (33.3%) and nails (12.8%). When relating the age group to the injury site, it was noticed that injuries on glabrous skin, feet and nails, were more frequent in individuals aged 18 to 59 years, while injuries to the scalp were mostly found in individuals younger than 18 years old. The most prevalent species were M. canis (31.9%) and T.rubrum (31.9%). When correlating the fungal species with the lesion site, it was noted that M. canis was the main agent responsible for lesions in glabrous skin, scalp and hands, while T. rubrum was predominantly observed in nails and T. mentagrophytes in feet. Conclusion: it is concluded that the data present in this research can promote the development of indicators and public policies for the population most susceptible to dermatophytosis.


It is necessary to study the dynamic responses of simple-continuous bridges under traveling vehicles action, which may benefit the improvement of their dynamic performances. According to "Standard Design Drawings" issued by Ministry of Communications of PRC, this paper considers the alterations of span length, decking width and sectional style and the differences of vehicle model and traveling speed, and calculates separately dynamic response of these structures with the "vehicle-bridge coupled vibration program". As two key influential factors, vibration amplitude and acceleration are applied for the evaluation of structural dynamic performance. The results show that dynamic performance of simple-continuous cored slab bridge is deficiency in some degree.


ABSTRACT Clostridium difficile is the leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis, which have significant morbidity and mortality. Accurate and timely diagnosis is critical. Repeat enzyme immunoassay testing for C. difficile toxin has been recommended because of <100% sensitivity. All C. difficile tests between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2006 were retrospectively analyzed for results and testing patterns. The Wampole C. difficile Tox A/B II enzyme immunoassay kit was used. There were a total of 8,256 tests from 3,112 patients; 49% of tests were repeated. Of the 3,749 initially negative patient tests, 96 were positive upon repeat testing within 10 days of the first test. Of repeat tests, 0.9% repeated on day 0 (same day as the first test), 1.8% on day 1, 3.8% on day 2, 2.6% on day 3, 5.4% on days 4 to 6, and 10.6% on days 7 to 10 were positive. Thirty-eight patients had a positive test within 48 h of an initial negative test, and based on chart review, 18 patients were treated empirically while 16 were treated following the new result. None had evidence of medical complications. Of initially positive patients, 91% were positive upon repeat testing on day 0, 75% on day 1, and 58% on day 2, to a low of 14% on days 7 to 10. Depending on the clinical setting, these data support not repeating C. difficile tests within 2 days of a negative result and limiting repeat testing to ≥1 week of a positive result.


aim of the present work is to study the removal of Ni (II) in model Solution by adsorption technique using biopolymer composite of chitosan and activated coconut shell adsorbent. Coconut shell Carbon (CSC) was modified with chitosan to produce biopolymer adsorbent. Biopolymer composite absorption [Chitosan Coated Coconut Shell Carbon (CACSC)] was prepared by mixing chitosan get and activated coconut shell carbon. The physicochemical properties of Activated Coconut Shell (ACSC) and Chitosan coated Activated Coconut Shell Carbon were bulk density value 3.3. and 5.0 g ml, moisture content 24.1 and 25.8% , ash content 11.2 and 8.2%, pH value 7.4 and 7.2 and fixed carbon percent 64.7 and 66.0% respectively. The characteristics of ACSC and CACSC samples were conducted by using FT IR and SEM Techniques. The adsorption efficiency of Activated Coconut Shell Carbon (ACSC) and Chitosan Coated Activated Coconut Shell Carbon (CACSC) adsorbents were evaluated by measuring the extent of adsorption in synthesis Ni (II) model. The optimum removal efficiency of operational parameters such as pH value was 7 ± 0.2, agitation time was 150 min, adsorbent concentration was 0.1 g and initial Ni (II) ion concentration was 100 ppm. The CACSC exhibited more effective than ACSC in the removal of Ni (II) from aqueous solutions. Adsorption data's were fitted well with Langmuir model. Langmuir isotherm refers to homogeneous monolayer adsorption. Keywords: CSC, ACSC, CACSC, Chitosan, biopolymer composite, model solution, adsorption isotherms.


Energy states of proteins are divided into configurational states, electronic states and vibrational/rotational states. The configurations of proteins in solution are described. A simple single configuration is not observed in general. Spectroscopic observations on the electronic ground states of groups in folded proteins shows that some are unusual. The rotational/vibrational energies of internal protein side chains are limited by packing but this is a highly selective property of different classes of protein. External side chains are very flexible. States of proteins in membranes are influenced by the energization of the membrane. Furthermore, owing to restrictions upon diffusion within the membrane, especially of charged groups, it is possible to energize proteins differentially within this phase. All the different energy states have been put to special functional use, for example in enzymic catalysis and within membranes in energy conversion from charge separation to ATP formation.


Steel flexible tracks (SFT) are regularly installed on bogie axles of forwarders to improve traction and extend trafficability by increasing the contact area between machines and operating surface. The study quantified dynamic peak loads exerted by a forwarder driving either on wheels or using additional SFT on its rear bogie axle. To examine load distribution of a full-scale forwarder, a load test platform was designed and constructed. Three scenarios were tested with the forwarder unloaded and loaded to quantify load distribution between wheels driven directly over the steel load test platform (Scenario 1) and SFT when either driven directly over the steel load test platform (Scenario 2) or when driven over a 20 cm layer of sand placed over the platform (Scenario 3). The platform proved to be an appropriate measuring device for full-scale tests. Results indicate that, when operated on the sand layer, SFT (installed on the forwarder's rear unloaded axle) decreased dynamic peak loads by about 30% compared to wheels. The use of SFT on bogie axles of forest machines is recommended to lower soil disturbances, especially through a reduction of peak loads often responsible for negatively altering soil physical properties.


Since December 2013, the Zaire Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic has ravaged West Africa. In collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada, healthcare workers (HCWs) and support staff from the Royal Canadian Medical Services (RCMS) of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) were deployed to Kerry Town, Sierra Leone. A total of 79 RCMS personnel deployed over the course of the 6-month mission in collaboration with the British Armed Forces to support efforts in West Africa. The treatment centre was mandated to treat international and local HCWs exposed to the infection. The goal of the Ebola virus disease treatment unit (EVDTU) was to provide care to affected HCWs and a beacon to attract and engage foreign HCWs to work in one of the international non-governmental organisation Ebola treatment centres in Sierra Leone. We focus on the CAF experience at the Kerry Town Ebola treatment unit in Sierra Leone in particular on the various clinical skill sets demonstrated in physicians, nurses and medical technicians deployed to the EVDTU. We outline some of the staffing challenges that arose and suggest that the necessary clinical skills needed to effectively manage patients with EVD in an austere environment can be shared across a small and diverse team of healthcare providers.


This study was intended to examine the influence of "On-the-Job" Training on Performance in Yumbe District – Uganda. The study adopted a Case Study Design to allow in-depth study. Quantitative and Qualitative approaches were employed. A total of 218 questionnaires were administered to the respondents and 179 questionnaires were received back, registering a response rate of 82%. Descriptive statistics were computed. Inferential statistical analysis including correlation and multiple regressions were used to test the hypotheses. The correlation coefficient (r) was used to determine the strength of the relationship. The significance of the coefficient (p) was used to test the relationship between the independent and the dependent variables. Regressions were used. ANOVA determined which of the independent variables accounted for most of the variation in the dependent variable. Qualitative data were analyzed under themes. The analysis of both the quantitative and qualitative data established that there was a weak positive correlation between 'Onthe-Job' Training (mentoring and job rotation) and Performance. The combined effects accounted for 34% variation in performance. Specifically, the results showed that there was a moderate positive relationship between mentoring and performance and a weak positive relationship between job rotation and performance. It was concluded that "On-the-Job" Training has influence on Performance.


The incidence of transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)–guided prostate biopsy associated infection is reportedly increasing, particularly antimicrobial resistant (AMR) infections. To inform development of an inaugural national policy on prevention and management of infection post TRUS biopsy, we conducted a national survey of ten prostate cancer centres that perform approximately 90% of public prostate biopsies in Ireland. An on-line questionnaire regarding prostate biopsy pathways, pre-biopsy AMR risk assessment and antimicrobial prophylaxis regimens, and post-biopsy infection surveillance and management was circulated to all centres. Data from 1st January 2011 to 30th June 2013 were collected retrospectively from July to September 2013. Data were analysed using Microsoft Excel® software. The results of this survey demonstrated marked variation of practices nationally. Three centres reported risk assessing for AMR colonisation pre-biopsy. AMR screening was not conducted routinely in any centre. Antimicrobial prophylaxis regimens, surveillance programmes and empiric therapy guidelines for sepsis also varied between centres. A range of infectious complications were reported, both bloodstream infection (BSI) and non-BSI, however, due to use of non-standardised case definitions, national infection rates could not be generated. At the time of the survey, there were no Irish guidelines and centres followed American and/or European guidelines. Following our survey the National Cancer Control Programme published a "National Policy on the Prevention and Management of Infection post Transrectal Ultrasound-guided Prostate Biopsy" in June 2014 to assist in standardising practice and reducing risk of infectious complications.


Abstract Background: Older adults manifest difficulties in speech perception, especially when speech is accompanied by noise or when speech is rapid. Several explanations have been suggested to account for age-related changes in speech perception, such as changes in hearing sensitivity or a more general decline in cognitive functioning. The purpose of the present study was to directly examine the relative contribution of hearing sensitivity and perceptual and cognitive factors in the understanding of age-related differences in speech perception under difficult conditions. Methods: Eighty-nine healthy participants with normal hearing thresholds, age 21–82 years, were tested for speech perception under four conditions: quiet, speech noise, white noise, and time-compressed speech at 60% compression rate. As all participants had age-normal hearing, absolute thresholds were tested for click trains, 1 kHz 15-ms duration pure tone, 1 kHz 50-ms duration pure tone, and 1.8 kHz 15-ms duration pure tone, which are relatively short and discriminative for hearing ability. Cognitive ability was examined using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (Third Edition) matrices and digit span. Results: When words were presented against a quiet background or against white noise, speech perception was not significantly affected by aging, although in the latter case, increased thresholds predicted poorer speech perception. However, when words were presented against a background of speech noise or when speech was time-compressed at a 60% rate, age significantly predicted a decline in speech perception, even after controlling for hearing thresholds and cognitive functioning. Conclusions: Hearing threshold for short sounds is the major factor for predicting speech perception in background noise, across age, due to changes in hearing sensitivity or in temporal resolution. For the adult and aging population with preserved cognitive ability, cognitive functioning does not predict decline in speech perception.


The purpose of this study was to examine whether the insertion (I) or deletion (D) polymorphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene (ACE) is associated with susceptibility to systemic sclerosis (SSc). A meta-analysis examining the associations between the ACE I/D polymorphism and SSc was conducted in overall and European populations using 1) allelic contrast (D vs I); 2) recessive (DD vs ID + II); 3) dominant (DD + ID vs II); and 4) additive (DD vs ID vs II) models. A total of 7 studies consisting of 837 cases and 754 controls were available for meta-analysis. The meta-analysis revealed no association between the D allele and SSc in any study subjects [odds ratio (OR) = 0.956, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.733-1.246, P = 0.737]. Stratification by ethnicity indicated no association between the D allele of the ACE I/D polymorphism and SSc in Europeans (OR = 1.117, 95%CI = 0.776-1.607, P = 0.551). Meta-analysis using all other genetic models showed the same D allele pattern in the overall and European groups. This meta-analysis showed that the ACE I/D polymorphism was not associated with susceptibility to SSc in the study subjects and in Europeans.


Prostitution is a large and multifaceted subject. In this study, the purpose is to gain an insight into how the police officers work and act when they get in contact with young prostitutes. The study contains answers and opinions from five police officers which were conducted through semi-structured interviews in this qualitative study. The results were analysed based on a social constructive perspective and Goffman's stigma theory. According to our result the police work differs depending on which city it is, even though all police stations should be working the same way. All five respondents defined young prostitution similar; they used the legal definition of it. Right now there is a restructuring going on in which 21 police districts are becoming one. When this is through, the respondents think that it will result in more equivalent work, and more room for action.


Although foreign body (FB) ingestion is common in childhood, most cases do not have any clinical significance. Radiologic evaluation is crucial to determine the exact location of a persistent foreign body because it dictates the therapeutic approach. In this case report, we present a child with appendiceal perforation caused by a FB and emphasize pitfalls in preoperative imaging assessment. A 3-year-old boy presented with subtle abdominal pain duration for three months. The preoperative imaging examinations were consistent with an intraluminal metallic pin. However, the operative findings and postoperative pathological examination showed that the pin perforated the appendiceal wall, causing chronic inflammatory changes with an omental reaction around the extraluminal part of the pin. The patient underwent appendectomy with an uneventful course. Foreign body is a rare cause of appendiceal perforation with resultant appendicitis. Imaging may reveal some clues regarding the location, but the interpretation of radiologic data could be quite challenging.


Manures need the addition of carbon-rich bulking agents to conserve N during 28 composting, which increases the cost of the composting process. The recommended 29 proportion of manure / sawdust, based on a carbon (C): nitrogen (N) ratio, is approximately 30 3:2. Two composting experiments were conducted to determine the impact of varying the 31 proportion of sawdust to either separated raw, or separated anaerobically digested pig 32 manures. To determine stability and maturity of the final compost, oxygen uptake rate (OUR) 33 and germination index (GI) tests were conducted. For both experiments, three treatments were 34 employed: manure-only (Treatment A), manure / sawdust mixed 4:1, fresh weight (Treatment 35 B), and manure / sawdust mixed 3:2, fresh weight (Treatment C). The mixtures were 36 composted in tumblers for 56 d with regular turning. The composting material was tested over 37 the study duration for temperature, pH, water content, organic matter, C:N ratio and bulk 38 density. For both Treatments B and C, the GI indicated low levels of phytotoxicity, and OUR 39 values were lower than the recommended Irish threshold of 13 mmol O 2 kg OM -1 h -1 , 40 indicating that a high quality compost was produced. The proportion of sawdust to separated 41 manure used can be reduced to make a cost saving, while still producing a stable end-product: 42 60 % less sawdust is required to compost at a manure-to-sawdust ratio of 4:1 compared to the 43 previously recommended ratio of 3:2.


BACKGROUND
For the Dutch psychiatrist in training 50 sessions of personal psychotherapy are required. The Netherlands are unique in this measure. Currently there is no discussion about this requirement. AIM: To describe different aspects and arguments of supporters and opponents of the requirement of a personal psychotherapy. METHOD: Review of the research literature and personal observations. RESULTS: In the past there has been discussion regarding this requirement. Arguments to support the requirement of a personal psychotherapy as a good base to learn psychotherapy are: 1. the resident experiences what it means to be dependent in a clinical relationship; 2. the resident learns the essential competencies (empathy, reflective functioning, etc.); 3. personal therapy contributes to the deepening of feeling; and 4. personal therapy is a measure against stress and burn-out. Opponents of the requirement of a personal psychotherapy point at the lack of evidence demonstrating its effectiveness on the treatment results of the resident. CONCLUSION: Personal psychotherapy is often viewed as an 'island' within the training programme, a private spot where everything can be discussed, but which also forms a logical conclusion between supervision and mentoring.


The population of African descent in Brazil has always maintained vibrant associative communities, whether in the form of mutual aid societies, confraternities, and religious brotherhoods that existed since the time of slavery or in the form of other voluntary associations that appeared later, such as recreational societies, civic centers, literary guilds, musical groups, carnival blocos, and the black press. For Afro-Brazilians, the associative experience throughout the 20th century contributed to a sense of group belonging and a consciousness of a shared identity and experience of racial discrimination. Furthermore, these relationships enabled Afro-Brazilians to begin claiming rights as citizens, protesting against what afflicted them as a community. These joint efforts fueled collective acts of resistance and self-determination that, while evident for centuries, acquired new meanings and manifestations following the abolition of slavery in 1888. Black associations did not limit themselves to denouncing problems or detecting their causes and consequences. They tried to point out ways to overcome them by proposing several solutions: the moral elevation of Afro-Brazilians, which implied a preoccupation with their image in the various sectors where they acted; improving their educational and instructional level; valorizing their race and, by extension, black identity; and emphasizing the need to react to injustices, and even to act politically. However, the main solution was the union of black Brazilians, a sine qua non for this segment of the population to strengthen and thus be able to claim and gain space in society, improve living conditions, and even overcome persistent challenges. Understanding the history of black associative life in Brazil during the 20th century is necessary in order to grasp the struggles and challenges Afro-Brazilians have faced around common interests, particularly since these collective actions are an integral part of the black experience and, in some respects, overlap with it.


In this paper, we show that processor events like instruction counts or cache misses can be used to accurately estimate the processing energy of software video decoders. Therefore, we perform energy measurements on an ARM-based evaluation platform and count processor level events using a dedicated profiling software. Measurements are performed for various codecs and decoder implementations to prove the general viability of our observations. Using the estimation method proposed in this paper, the true decoding energy for various recent video coding standards including HEVC and VP9 can be estimated with a mean estimation error that is smaller than 6%.


The clinical and autopsy findings documented in 216 patients with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) are summarized. The respiratory system was most often involved with opportunistic infections and neoplasms diagnostic of AIDS, accounting for one-fourth of all such occurrences. Respiratory failure was the most frequent terminal event, leading to death in two-thirds of AIDS patients. The most common immediate cause of death was Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, seen in one-third of cases. Autopsy findings modified the clinical impression of the cause of death in 55% of cases. The most common diagnostic disease entity in all organ sites was cytomegalovirus. The total clinical course of AIDS from diagnosis to death averaged 7 months, while the mean terminal hospital course was 20 days, and these courses did not vary substantially over the period of the study. Strategies for diagnosis, therapy, and management in patients with AIDS may be aided by these findings.


Oxygen transport properties of perovskite-type SrCe1-xYxO3-δ (x = 0.05–0.10), exhibiting protonic transport in hydrogen-containing reducing atmospheres and mixed oxygen-ionic and ptype electronic conductivity at oxygen partial pressures close to atmospheric, were studied at 973– 1223 K under oxidizing conditions. The oxygen transference numbers of SrCe(Y)O3-δ in air vary in the range 0.37–0.80, decreasing when temperature increases. The oxygen permeability is significantly affected by the hole conduction, which influences both bulk ambipolar conductivity and surface exchange kinetics. The average thermal expansion coefficients of SrCe1-xYxO3-δ ceramics, calculated from dilatometric data in air, are (11.1–11.3)×10-6 K-1 at 373–1373 K.


To the Editor.— It has come to our attention that one of the photographs (Fig 3) chosen to illustrate the prominence of skin markings in an area of regressed melanoma in our recent article 1 is from a case of Dr Y. Miki's. It had been published previously in Iconographia Dermatologica in 19642 and had become a part of our teaching collection courtesy of Dr Miki's having graciously provided a slide to one of us (T.B.F.). This figure should have been clearly labeled as distinct from the Melanoma Clinical Cooperative Group cases upon which the analyses in the article were based, and its origin should have been credited to Dr Miki. We regret any confusion that may have occurred in this matter.


: Terminal phase of human life must be regarded as one of the critical life phases as well for the dying himself as for his relatives.--Psychohygienic accompanying should start not just in the latest phase but from the first knowledge of incurable illness. We must regard herewith an important ethical task that on the one hand should be taught psychotherapeutically. On the other hand must not left alone to psychotherapeutic specialists. All our health professions must be familiar with it. We see this as integrative part of a holistic schooling for communication that should run from our medical studies on through postgraduate education. We do not consider "death-accompanying" an isolated territory, however even think it contraproductive if it is treated too isolated. It would support tendencies existing in medicine and in society, to segregate incurable and old people, our endevour should be counterbalancing.


A simulation model is composed of inputs and logic; the inputs represent the uncertainty or randomness in the system, while the logic determines how the system reacts to the uncertain elements. Simple input models, consisting of independent and identically distributed sequences of random variates from standard probability distributions, are included in every commercial simulation language. Software to fit these distributions to data is also available. In this tutorial we describe input models that are useful when simple models are not.


The World Trade Center attack, September 11, 2001 represents an unprecedented tragedy in America. There is general consensus that a memorial should be built on site. Memorials are a way our society assigns significance to events and collectively provides a place for mourning. However, the nature of this memorial is highly disputed. Pressures, aside from those to build a memorial to victims, exist. The site may be required to re-establish the economy, revitalize Lower Manhattan, recreate a symbol of New York, and reassert American values. My thesis explores the precedent for integrating functional and sacred spaces to satisfy these demands. Four critical design elements: height, architecture, circulation, and activity can be used to preserve memory while re-establishing an urban environment. By integrating memorial with new uses it may be possible to recognize the past, facilitate healing through both remembrance and responsive action, and provide for a vibrant future.


Context Biogenic amines such as 5-hydroxy-indole acetic acid (5HIAA) the main metabolite of serotonin or metanephrines (catecholamines metabolites) are used as biomarkers of neuroendocrine tumours. Objective To re-evaluate the recommendations for urinary sampling (preservatives, diet, drugs, etc.) as many of the reported analytical interferences supporting these recommendations are related to obsolete assays. Methods Bibliographic analysis of old and modern assays concerning preservation, extraction, assay and interferences. Results 5HIAA may degrade as soon as urine is excreted. Thus, acids as preservatives (hydrochloric or acetic acid) have to be immediately added. Care should be taken not to decrease the pH under 2. Urine preservative for metanephrine assays is not mandatory. Diets including serotonin-, tryptophan- and dopamine-rich foods have to be avoided depending on the biomarkers investigated (bananas, plantain, nuts, etc.). Tryptophan-rich over-the-counter formulas have to be prohibited when 5HIAA has to be assayed. Acetaminophen may interfere with electrochemical detection depending on high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) parameters. No interference is known with mass spectrometric assays but with the one described for metanephrines determination. Some drugs interfere however with serotonin and catecholamines secretion and/or metabolism (monoamine oxidase inhibitors, serotonin or dopamine recapture inhibitors, etc.). Conclusion Revisited recommendations are provided for the diet, the drugs and the preservatives before HPLC coupled with electrochemical and mass spectrometry assays.


The nonlinear responses of deefferented primary muscle spindle afferent fibers to muscle stretching consisted of a train of action potentials which was analyzed when random changes in muscle length (band-limited gaussian white noise) were applied in cats. The upper cutoff frequency of the applied noise (the source stimulus) was varied between 1.6 and 570 Hz; the amplitude of the random input was varied between 0.002 and 1.2 mm. In a previous report the reverse correlation of 1st and 2nd order was studied for its ability to analyze data of a continuous input signal and pulsatile events in the output. Computations of the Wiener kernels hi and h2 o r their equivalents, the perispike averages of the 1st and 2nd order, were computed from the random stretch responses of muscle-spindle afferents. Then the lstand the 2ndorder predictions and the summation of both to random muscle stretch was estimated. A general finding was that the lst-order component was approximately 10 times that of the 2nd-order component, when both were combined in approximation procedures to give the closest prediction of observed responses to random test stimuli. The approximation was poor when the source stimulus was less than 0.03 mm and improved when it was greater. With the increase in the upper cutoff frequency of the random source input, the approximation worsened continuously. Predictions to ramp-and-hold stimuli were computed, as well as responses to random stimulation. Limiting the upper cutoff frequency did not diminish the value of the techniques applied.


This qualitative case study investigates how the manipulation of distancing as a basis for the choice of action-oriented drama therapy interventions used in a clinical setting can help facilitate communication between a mother and her at-risk adolescent daughter. The therapy incorporates two phases where the mother and daughter work individually, before reconnecting for dyadic therapy. R. Landy's (1983) concept of distancing is manipulated to give the mother and daughter opportunities to experience communication at a level of aesthetic distance so as to promote change in communications both inside and outside of their therapy. Y. Silverman's (2004) Story Within Process is one of the drama therapy approaches utilized, the clients explore the metaphors in their stories at a safe distance and eventually connect the challenges in their stories with personal issues and communication problems. Strength-based and resiliency approaches are embedded in the principles and philosophies of drama therapy and are used to empower strength and foster resiliency in the dyad. The developmental stages of adolescence and motherhood are explored with a particular focus on separation anxiety, relationships, identity, self-concept, and communication. The adolescent's at-risk behaviours of self-harm, depression, suicidal ideation, and post traumatic stress are specifically addressed. Changes in mother-daughter communications and at-risk behaviours are highlighted.


Our understanding of the relationship between housing and health will improve with closer attention to the characteristics of residents, their activities in relation to their housing, and social ecological factors that set the boundaries for those activities. To highlight these aspects of the subject area, we propose recharacterizing the housing and health field as one of inquiry into the residential context of health. In introducing this issue of the journal, we first elaborate on this proposal in conceptual and practical terms. We then overview the individual articles, each of which helps us develop a more nuanced view of the subject area. Finally, we comment on two themes running through multiple articles—stress and coping, and social ecological influences on residence.


A central argument for early childhood nutrition is that it improves health, educational, and economic outcomes in later life. Our understanding of the long-term relationship between nutrition and educational attainment in low- and middle-income countries is based on a few small-scale trials that may lack validity in contexts such as India, because the underlying socioeconomic and demographic conditions are different. In this study, we evaluate the effect of India's Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), a national program of supplementary nutrition and other health services for children and new mothers, on future educational attainment. Using data from a large national household survey, we determine exposure to the program based on the year ICDS centers were established in villages or city wards. We employ household fixed-effect regression models to find that 15- to 54-year-old men and 15- to 49-year-old women who were fully exposed to an ICDS center during the first three years of life complete on average up to 0.65 additional grades of schooling than those with no exposure. If we also consider partial exposure to ICDS, the effect of the treatment is 0.52 extra grades of schooling . For ICDS centers that are known to provide supplementary nutrition, individuals in the above age groups with full exposure during the first three years of life complete 1.08 additional grades of schooling (0.93 extra years if we also consider partial exposure). Effect size varies by population subgroups, with women and members of Hindu and female-headed households gaining 1.19, 1.17, and 1.16 extra grades of schooling , respectively.


Analogy between an approximate version of Feigenbaum renormalization group analysis in complex domain and the phase transition theory of Yang-Lee (based on consideration of formally complexified thermodynamic values) is discussed. It is shown that the Julia sets of the renormalization transformation correspond to the approximation of Mandelbrot set of the original map. New aspects of analogy between the theory of dynamical systems and the phase transition theory are uncovered.


The signal subspace approach for speech enhancement is extended to colored-noise processes. Explicit forms for the linear time-domain- and spectral-domain-constrained estimators are presented. These estimators minimize the average signal distortion power for given constraints on the residual noise power in the time and spectral domains, respectively. Equivalent implementations of the two estimators using the whitening approach are described.


An extensive, almost overwhelming number of publications attest to the importance of beta-blockers and emphasize their role in a variety of clinical disorders. Despite uncertainty regarding the precise mechanism by which beta-adrenergic blocking drugs lower blood pressure, it is well established that these agents are fairly effective when used alone and are highly effective when combined with diuretics and/or vasodilators. Despite remarkably comparable efficacy, the available beta-blockers possess a variety of properties that may influence the frequency and type of untoward reactions. An approach to individualized choice of beta-blockers is outlined. It must be emphasized that our approach is in large part based on theoretical considerations, and further studies are needed to clearly define the relative likelihood of unwanted effects with each available agent.


A hybrid recurrent neural network is shown to learn small initial mealy machines (that can be thought of as translation machines translating input strings to corresponding output strings, as opposed to recognition automata that classify strings as either grammatical or nongrammatical) from positive training samples. A well-trained neural net is then presented once again with the training set and a Kohonen self-organizing map with the "star" topology of neurons is used to quantize recurrent network state space into distinct regions representing corresponding states of a mealy machine being learned. This enables us to extract the learned mealy machine from the trained recurrent network. One neural network (Kohonen self-organizing map) is used to extract meaningful information from another network (recurrent neural network).