Bone is a hard biological tissue and a precious reservoir of information in forensic investigations as it retains key biomolecules commonly used for identification purposes. Bone proteins have recently attracted significant interest for their potential in estimating post-mortem interval (PMI) and age at death (AAD). However, the preservation of such proteins is highly dependent on intrinsic and extrinsic factors that can hinder the potential application of molecular techniques to forensic sciences. The present study aims at investigating the effects that two commonly used types of burial practices (entombment and inhumation) have on bone protein survival. The sample consists of 14 exhumed individuals from cemeteries in Southern Italy with different AADs (29–85 years) and PMIs (1–37 years). LC-MS/MS analyses show that 16 proteins are better preserved under the entombed conditions and 4 proteins are better preserved under the inhumed conditions, whereas no clear differences are detected for post-translational protein modifications. Furthermore, several potential "stable" protein markers (i.e., proteins not affected by the burial environment) are identified for PMI and AAD estimation. Overall, these results show that the two burial environments play a role in the differential preservation of noncollagenous proteins, confirming the potential of LC-MS/MS-based proteomics in forensic sciences.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In reviewing MR images of patients with spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH), we found an accentuated decrease in the subcortical white matter on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images. Our aim was to determine whether the signal intensity of the subcortical white matter decreases on FLAIR and T2-weighted images in SIH. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively examined pretreatment MR images including 7 FLAIR and 10 T2-weighted images obtained from 10 patients with SIH and follow-up images (5 FLAIR and 7 T2-weighted images). Two observers measured the signal intensities in the subcortical white matter on MR images at the level of the centrum semiovale and, to calculate the signal intensity ratios, measured those of the adjacent cortex and corpus callosum. Furthermore, 4 observers performed visual evaluation for accentuated signal intensity decreases for receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. RESULTS: The intensity ratios of the subcortical white matter, both to the adjacent cortex and corpus callosum, were significantly different between the control and pretreatment images in SIH and between pretreatment and follow-up images in SIH on FLAIR images, whereas these showed no significant differences between the control and follow-up images in SIH. On visual inspection, an accentuated decrease in signal intensity in the subcortical white matter was shown on pretreatment FLAIR images, which returned to the control level on follow-up images. However, on the T2-weighted images we could hardly recognize the decrease in the signal intensity. CONCLUSIONS: Awareness of the decreased signal intensity of the subcortical white matter on FLAIR images could help in the diagnosis of SIH.


Corn rootworm larval feeding on corn roots can significantly reduce grain yield by interfering with photosynthetic rates, limiting the uptake of water and nutrients, and by increasing the plant's susceptibility to lodging. Of the techniques developed to measure the efficacy of corn rootworm larval control tactics, root damage ratings have generally been adopted as the standard because sampling roots is relatively efficient. Historically, the primary scales used for scoring root injury from corn rootworm larval feeding have been the 1-6 and 1-9 scales. A critical deficiency of those scales, however, is that each increase in a root-rating score does not reflect a linear increase in the actual amount of injury to the root system. This results in injury scores that are expressed qualitatively. We developed the node-injury scale to more accurately quantify corn rootworm larval injury based on the proportion of nodal roots that contain feeding injury. With the node-injury scale, the relationship between the numerical scale and the amount of root injury is linear and intuitive. In this article, we describe the node-injury scale, discuss sampling issues to consider when using the scale, and suggest the minimum node-injury score that causes economic damage under varying degrees of environmental stress.


The 2017 edition of the IAS-USA drug resistance mutations list updates the figures last published in November 2015. The mutations listed are those that have been identified by specific criteria for evidence and drugs described. The figures are designed to assist practitioners in identifying key mutations associated with resistance to antiretroviral drugs and, therefore, in making clinical decisions regarding antiretroviral therapy.


Since decoupling of the CAP, many Scottish suckler cow farms are facing financial difficulties. In response, many farmers are out-wintering extensively managed suckler cows to minimise production costs. These systems are of animal welfare concern. A range of trade-offs between animal welfare indicators and between animal welfare and farm profitability can be identified. A Dynamic Programming (DP) model was developed to study these trade-offs. Two herds were modelled assuming their feeding regimes were either low (LHERD) or high (HHERD). The objective of the DP was to maximise the expected net margin from a current cow and its successors over an infinite time horizon. Preliminary results showed that the rate of voluntary culling was higher in HHERD than in LHERD. Animals in HHERD had shorter life expectancy. The expected net present value was 58% lower in LHERD than HHERD (-£41.5 and -£24.3 respectively). These results suggest a heavier culling rate and shorter longevity for animals in HHERD that compromises animal welfare. Also HHERD had a greater implied stocking density than LHERD. This increase of the cows' population may adversely affect the environment. The presented model provides some of the basic information required to explore some of the trade-offs between farm profit, animal welfare and the environment.


Siversson, M., Cook, T.D., Ryan, H.E., Watkins, D.K., Tatarnic, N.J., Downes, P.J. & Newbrey, M.G. 5 June 2018. Anacoracid sharks and calcareous nannofossil stratigraphy of the mid-Cretaceous Gearle Siltstone and Haycock Marl in the lower Murchison River area, Western Australia. Alcheringa 43, 85–113. Extensive bulk sampling over the past 20 years and greatly improved stratigraphic control permitted a meaningful revision of previously described anacoracid sharks from the 'upper' Gearle Siltstone and lower Haycock Marl in the lower Murchison River area, Western Australia. Isolated teeth of anacoracids are rare in the lower three (Beds 1–3) of four stratigraphic units of the 'upper' Gearle Siltstone but relatively common in the uppermost layer (Bed 4) and in the lower part of the overlying Haycock Marl. On the basis of calcareous nannofossils, Beds 1 and 2 of the 'upper' Gearle Siltstone can be placed in the uppermost upper Albian calcareous nannofossil Subzone CC9b whereas Bed 3 can be referred to the lowermost Cenomanian CC9c Subzone. Bed 1 yielded fragments of strongly serrated anacoracid teeth as well as a single, smooth-edged tooth. The samples from Beds 2 and 3 contained a few small fragments of serrated anacoracid teeth. Bed 4 is barren of calcareous nannofossils but the presence of a dentally advanced tooth of the cosmopolitan lamniform genus Cretoxyrhina in combination with the age of the overlying Haycock Marl indicate deposition within the younger half of the Cenomanian. The unit produced teeth of two anacoracids; Squalicorax acutus sp. nov. and S. bazzii sp. nov. The basal, laminated part of the Haycock Marl is placed in the uppermost upper Cenomanian part of CC10b. It yielded Squalicorax mutabilis sp. nov. and S. aff. S. bernardezi. Exceptionally well-preserved teeth of the former species span a 5:1 size ratio range for teeth of comparable jaw position. The teeth reveal strong ontogenetic heterodonty with a large increase in the relative size of the main cusp with age and the transition from a vertical distal heel of the crown in very young juveniles to a sub-horizontal, well demarcated heel in 'adult' teeth. An isolated phosphatic lens in the lower part of the Haycock Marl produced calcareous nannofossils indicative of the CC10b SubZone, most likely the lowermost lower Turonian part. It contains teeth of Squalicorax mutabilis sp. nov., S. aff. S. bernardezi, and S. sp. C. Mikael Siversson* [email@example.com], Helen E. Ryan [email@example.com] and Peter Downes [email@example.com] Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Western Australian Museum, 49 Kew Street, Welshpool, Western Australia 6106, Australia; David K. Watkins [firstname.lastname@example.com] Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA; Todd D. Cook [firstname.lastname@example.com] School of Science, Penn State Behrend, 4205 College Drive, Erie, PA 16563, USA; Nikolai J. Tatarnic† [firstname.lastname@example.com] Department of Terrestrial Zoology, Western Australian Museum, 49 Kew Street, Welshpool, Western Australia 6106, Australia; Michael G. Newbrey‡ [email@example.com] Department of Biology, Columbus State University, Columbus, GA 31907-5645, USA. *Also affiliated with: School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia. †Also affiliated with: Centre for Evolutionary Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009. ‡Also affiliated with: Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre, 111-B Gilmour Street, Morden, Manitoba R6 M 1N9, Canada. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:97D5131F-C0D5-4A7E-9C9A-0FDF13BFCBBB http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:5977DCC2-355C-4732-8B0A-4BD0EABBA8DE http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:2D7C4147-B756-4434-847A-B0C1C6D167DF http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:33F3B55E-41E0-45B3-8296-A3B95C17B41D


Biomass based energy production has attained a significant market share within the developing renewable energy market. In comparison to alternative renewable energy sources, biomass has several special features: it is not inexhaustible in the short term (limitation of arable land) and it is not only an energy source. Other usages like food or feed compete with energy production for this resource. A number of problems arise which have a direct impact on the fulfillment of policy objectives which are connected with its promotion. Primarily, the production of bioenergy has significant impacts on coupled biomass markets. Further, a change in production intensity or arable land use increases the use of nutrient loads and agro - chemicals. When evaluating renewable energy production, the wide range of political objectives has to be considered. Therefore, the focus of the overall study will be on three objective areas: promotion of the agricultural sector, environmental protection (reduction of GHG emissions) and maintenance of food supply security. The objective of this study is to combine an analysis of selected economic and ecological impacts of an increased biomass based energy production (primarily biofuels) under the assumption of European and international quantity targets by adjusting and applying the agricultural sector model CAPRI (Common Agricultural Policy Regional Impact Analysis). This poster intends to display the methodical approach of the intended analysis.


Although task-switching has been investigated extensively, its interaction with emotionally salient task content remains unclear. Prioritized processing of affective stimulus content may enhance accessibility of affective task-sets and generate increased interference when switching between affective and non-affective task-sets. Previous research has demonstrated that more dominant task-sets experience greater switch costs, as they necessitate active inhibition during performance of less entrenched tasks. Extending this logic to the affective domain, the present experiment examined (a) whether affective task-sets are more dominant than non-affective ones, and (b) what neural mechanisms regulate affective task-sets, so that weaker, non-affective task-sets can be executed. While undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging, participants categorized face stimuli according to either their gender (non-affective task) or their emotional expression (affective task). Behavioral results were consistent with the affective task dominance hypothesis: participants were slower to switch to the affective task, and cross-task interference was strongest when participants tried to switch from the affective to the non-affective task. These behavioral costs of controlling the affective task-set were mirrored in the activation of a right-lateralized frontostriatal network previously implicated in task-set updating and response inhibition. Connectivity between amygdala and right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex was especially pronounced during cross-task interference from affective features.


Assuring the microbiological safety of biological therapeutics remains an important concern. Our group has recently reported small trimeric peptides that have the ability to bind and remove a model nonenveloped virus, porcine parvovirus (PPV), from complex solutions containing human blood plasma. In an effort to improve the removal efficiency of these small peptides, we created a biased library of hexamer peptides that contains two previously reported trimeric peptides designated WRW and KYY. This library was screened and several hexamer peptides were discovered that also removed PPV from solution, but there was no marked improvement in removal efficiency when compared to the trimeric peptides. Based on simulated docking experiments, it appeared that hexamer peptide binding is dictated more by secondary structure, whereas the binding of trimeric peptides is dominated by charge and hydrophobicity. This study demonstrates that trimeric and hexameric peptides may have different, matrix‐specific roles to play in virus removal applications. In general, the hexamer ligand may perform better for binding of specific viruses, whereas the trimer ligand may have more broadly reactive virus‐binding properties.


In this dissertation I examine processes that cause Earth's surface warming to deviate from what we might expect. Using frameworks that incorporate regional and global energy exchange, I scrutinise previous theories for why these deviations occur.
The first part of this thesis examines the 1998–2012 surface-warming hiatus, in which the surface warmed more slowly than might be expected from examining model simulations or the long-term trend in observations. The preferred explanation for the hiatus is that internal variability in regional ocean heat uptake caused the surface warming to slow. However, observational analyses disagree about the ocean basin in which the definitive heat uptake occurred. Energy budgeting for the ocean surface layer, over a 100-member historical ensemble of simulations, reveals that variability in the top-of-atmosphere balance could also have caused the hiatus. Although previous studies have attributed the hiatus to fluctuations as large as 0.5 Wm−2, I show that as little as 0.08 Wm−2 could be necessary. The sensitivity of these flux deviations to the observational dataset and to energy budget choices helps explain why previous studies conflict, and suggests that the origin of the recent hiatus may never be identified.
The second part of this thesis examines how climate sensitivity in model simulations grows with surface warming. The 'pattern effect' theory attributes this phenomenon to changing spatial patterns of warming, but previous accounts of the pattern effect disagree. I propose a new framework to unite theories about how regional processes affect climate sensitivity, and apply the framework to 1000-year simulations with a coupled climate model, exposed to abrupt CO2 increases up to sixteen-times pre-industrial concentrations. Applying the assumptions of previous studies to the model output leads to misdiagnosis of radiative forcing. Furthermore, the fact that past studies find different critical regions for the pattern effect may result from their assumptions and not divergent model behaviour. The pattern effect in the four simulations depends partly on the time elapsed since the forcing increase, and not merely the surface temperature, suggesting that current observations could underestimate climate sensitivity.
Both parts of this thesis represent areas of tension in climate science between different perspectives and tools. Normative understandings may presume the superiority of empirical measurement over model simulation, or the superiority of the detailed regional perspective over the general global perspective. However, the findings presented in this thesis serve to highlight the pitfalls of restricting ourselves to one tool or view in the endeavour to understand climate.


We investigated levels of pollinator dependency and pollinator visitation rates to flowers of six vegetable crops: brinjal (aubergine), tomato, chilli pepper (Solanaceae), okra (Malvaceae), bitter and snake gourds (Cucurbitaceae) in six small family farms in the Coimbatore region of southern India. We tested the null hypothesis that fruit set in these crops would be independent of pollinators. We assessed fruit set through self and cross pollination by pollen augmentation, by pollinator exclusion and open pollination. We evaluated pollen limitation by comparing percentage fruit set by hand outcrossed pollen with open pollination; pollinator dependency by differences in percentage fruit set by open pollination and autogamous pollination; and visitation rates to flowers by pollinating insects. Tomato, chilli and okra produced self-compatible hermaphrodite flowers, with higher levels of autogamous fruit set (32-76%) and significantly lower levels of pollinator dependency (0-37%), whereas andro-monoecious brinjal and monoecious gourds had significantly lower levels of fruit set through autogamy, and higher levels of pollinator dependency. Pollen limitation was not evident in any crop. Diverse pollinating insects visited the flowers, and the frequency of visits by different pollinator taxa differed with crop type. Native vegetation and uncultivated land may enhance pollinator diversity in small farms.


A control flow fault occurs when a processor fetches and executes an incorrect next instruction. Executable assertions, i.e., special instructions that check some invariant properties of a program, provide a powerful and low-cost method for on-line detection of hardware-induced control flow faults. We propose a technique called ACFC (Assertions for Control Flow Checking) that assigns an execution parity to a basic block, and uses the parity bit to detect faults. Using a graph model of a program, we classify control flow faults into skip, re-execute and multi-path faults. We derive some necessary conditions for these faults to manifest themselves as execution parity errors. To force a control flow fault to excite a parity error, the target program is instrumented with additional instructions. Special assertions are inserted to detect such parity errors. We have a developed a preprocessor that takes a C program as input and inserts ACFC assertions automatically. We have implemented a software-based fault injection tool SFIG which takes advantage of the GNU debugger. Fault injection experiments show that ACFC incurs less performance overhead (around 47%) and memory overhead (around 30%) than previous techniques, with no significant loss in fault coverage.


The aim of this paper is to obtain quantitative bounds for solutions to the optimal matching problem in dimension two. These bounds show that up to a logarithmically divergent shift, the optimal transport maps are close to be the identity at every scale. These bounds allow us to pass to the limit as the system size goes to infinity and construct a locally optimal coupling between the Lebesgue measure and the Poisson point process which retains the stationarity properties of the Poisson point process only at the level of second-order differences. Our quantitative bounds are obtained through a Campanato iteration scheme based on a deterministic and a stochastic ingredient. The deterministic part, which can be seen as our main contribution, is a regularity result for Monge-Ampere equations with rough right-hand side. Since we believe that it could be useful in other contexts, we prove it for general space dimensions. The stochastic part is a concentration result for the optimal matching problem which builds on previous work by Ambrosio, Stra and Trevisan.


We prove the following hardness result for a natural promise variant of the classical CNF-satisfiability problem: Given a CNF-formula where each clause has width w and the guarantee that there exists an assignment satisfying at least g = d2 e − 1 literals in each clause, it is NP-hard to find a satisfying assignment to the formula (that sets at least one literal to true in each clause). On the other hand, when g = d2 e, it is easy to find a satisfying assignment via simple generalizations of the algorithms for 2-SAT. Viewing 2-SAT ∈ P as easiness of SAT when 1-in-2 literals are true in every clause, and NP-hardness of 3-SAT as intractability of SAT when 1-in-3 literals are true, our result shows, for any fixed ε > 0, the hardness of finding a satisfying assignment to instances of "(2 + ε)-SAT" where the density of satisfied literals in each clause is promised to exceed 1 2+ε . We also strengthen the results to prove that given a (2k + 1)-uniform hypergraph that can be 2-colored such that each edge has perfect balance (at most k + 1 vertices of either color), it is NP-hard to find a 2-coloring that avoids a monochromatic edge. In other words, a set system with discrepancy 1 is hard to distinguish from a set system with worst possible discrepancy. Finally, we prove a general result showing intractability of promise CSPs based on the paucity of certain "weak polymorphisms." The core of the above hardness results is the claim that the only weak polymorphisms in these particular cases are juntas depending on few variables.


The machinery that underpins much of Victorian civilization receives scant mention or else contempt in most novels and poetry of the age. Charles Kingsley in The Water-Babies (1863) is an exception, in trying to identify the principles of the machine with those of organic and spiritual life, and Dickens in Hard Times (1854) gives considerable if negative attention to the dehumanizing consequences of mechanized factories. Each explores two terms, the organic and the technical, that are the basis of discourse concerning the machine of the period. The new genre of scientific romance, however, gives more attention to the machine, and finds its apogee in H. G. Wells. In The Time Machine (1895) mechanized advance has produced biological decline: it is even possible that the time machine has created the degenerated future it finds; and the machine and the Traveller have tenuous relation to probability and the world. In The War of the Worlds (1898) the Martians have so developed their intelligence at the expense of other bodily organs that they have become largely dependent on mechanical aids; moreover, their degraded bodies fall easy victim to bacteria, the lowest form of life in what may be seen as the "Earth-machine," Gaia. Wells, in common with most earlier writers of the genre (though with more admiration for the machine), shows technology and biology at war. This dualistic strain, marked in the Victorian period, is also one that often distinguishes British from American attitudes toward the machine.


The authors examine how adolescent friendship networks are linked to binge drinking trajectories into young adulthood using Add Health. They add to the literature by examining whether an individual's structural position (group member, liaison or isolate) in friendship networks is linked to longitudinal alcohol use, above and beyond number of drinking friends. Trajectories of "binge drinking episodes per month" are first modeled using semi-parametric longitudinal mixture models. Individuals are assigned to trajectory groups based on posterior probabilities of membership. Friendship network structural characteristics are modeled using NEGOPY. Multinomial logit models of trajectory group membership are then estimated, and include information on network position, number of drinking friends, as well as a range of controls. They identify five trajectories of binge drinking. Structural position is associated with use trajectories: bingeing group membership and liaison to bingeing groups predicts higher trajectories. Network effects are strongly associated with bingeing in school, but not after.


Objective:Aneurysms arising from the trunk of the supraclinoid internal carotid artery(ICA) unrelated to the branching are rare and treatment of these aneurysm is well known as difficult due to intraoperative premature rupture and postoperative bleeding. The authors report an analysis of 12 cases of ICA trunk aneurysms treated with transcranial or endovascular methods. Methods:Between Mar. 1999 and Apr., 2001, 12 patients were treate for the ICA trunk aneurysms. The medical records and neuroimaging studies of the patients were reviewed retrospectively. Results:These 11(92%) presented with symptoms related to intracranial hemorrhage. All aneurysms were small in size. Eleven patients(92%) were in good neurological status(Hunt Hess grade 0-III), one (8%) in poor grade(H-H grade IV). Eight patients were treated with transcranial surgery, operated on by the ipsilateral pterional approach and 4 patients were treated with endovascular surgery. Intraoperative premature rupture of the aneurysm occured in 6 cases(75%) with transcranial surgery and these were managed with ICA trapping in 4 cases, wrapping using temporalis fascia and clip in 1 and clipping with Sundt-Kee encircling clip in 1. The management outcome of the transcranial surgery was:3(38%) Glasgow outcome scale(GOS)I, 1(12.5%) GOSII, 2(25%) GOS IV and 2(25%) GOS V(death). The major causes of morbidity and mortality related to transcranial surgery were cerebral infarction and brain swelling due to intraoperative rupture and vasospasm. Four cases underwent endovascular surgery using Guglielmi detachable coils. The management outcome of the endovascular surgery was:3(75%) GOSIand one GOSV 1(25%). The cause of mortality related to endosaccular coiling was brain swelling due to vasospasm. Conclusion:Treatment of the ICA trunk aneurysm, especially with blister-like nature, has high risk of the intraoperative rupture. Prevention and successful management of the intraoperative bleeding can be made by careful preoperative diagnosis of the aneurysm and preparation for the intraoperative rupture.


This chapter is written with an emphasis on the biomechanical role of collagen in normal and diseased arterial walls, its structural quantification and its consideration in material models including phenomena such as growth and remodeling. Collagen is the ubiquitous load-bearing and reinforcing element in arterial walls and thus forms an important structural basis. The structural arrangement of collagen leads to the characteristic anisotropic behavior of the arterial wall and its respective layers. The organization of collagen fibers, and the tension within, maintains the function, integrity and strength of arteries. This chapter starts by reviewing the structure of the arterial wall and the biomechanical properties of the individual wall layers. Subsequently, structural quantifications of the collagen fabric are discussed with focus on polarized light microscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering and computer vision analysis. A basic building block for soft collagenous tissues in which the material is reinforced by one family of collagen fibers is next presented. On this basis, a structural model for arteries with an ideal alignment of collagen fibers is reviewed, and subsequently extended to consider collagen crimping and the dispersion of collagen fiber orientations. In order to capture structural modifications such as collagen reorientation, phenomenologically based microstructural and continuum models are presented which consider stress-modulated collagen remodeling. Finally, a constitutive model in which continuous remodeling of collagen is responsible for the growth of saccular cerebral aneurysms is outlined. All of the provided models have been implemented in finite element codes, and have proven to be efficient in the computational analysis of clinically relevant problems. This chapter is by no means complete, but it might help to grasp the most important biomechanical aspects of collagen in arterial tissues, and may serve as the basis for a more intense study of this fascinating topic.


We used reovirus reassortant genetics and severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice to define viral genes important for organ tropism and virulence in the absence of antigen-specific immunity. Adult SCID mice infected with reovirus serotype 1 strain Lang (T1L) died after 20 +/- 6 days, while infection with serotype 3 strain Dearing (T3D) was lethal after 77 +/- 22 days. One hundred forty-five adult SCID mice were infected with T1L, T3D, and 25 different T1L x T3D reassortant reoviruses, and gene segments associated with the increased virulence of T1L were identified. Gene segments S1, L2, M1, and L1 accounted for > 90% of the genetically determined increase in T1L virulence. Gene segment M1 was independently important for virulence, with S1, L2, and L1 alone or in combination also playing a role. T1L grew to higher titers in multiple organs and caused more severe hepatitis than T3D. Seventy adult SCID mice, T1L, T3D, and 15 T1L x T3D reassortant viruses were used to map genetic determinants of viral titers in the brain, intestines, and liver, as well as the severity of hepatitis. Different sets of gene segments were important for determining viral titers in different organs. Gene segments L1 (encoding a core protein) and L2 (encoding the core spike of the virion) were important in all of the organs analyzed. The M1 gene segment (encoding a core protein), but not the S1 gene segment, was a critical determinant of reovirus titer in the liver and severity of hepatitis. The S1 gene segment (encoding the viral cell attachment protein and a nonstructural protein), but not the M1 gene segment, was a critical determinant of titers in intestines and brains. These studies demonstrate that viral growth in different organs is dependent on different subsets of the genes important for virulence. The virion-associated protein products of the four gene segments (L1, L2, M1, and S1) important for virulence and organ tropism in SCID mice likely form a structural unit, the reovirus vertex. Organs (the brain and intestines versus the liver) differ in properties that determine which virulence genes, and thus which parts of this structural unit, are important.


OBJECTIVES Operationalized psychodynamic diagnostics OPD-2 is a diagnostic procedure that has proven to be valuable for psychotherapy. However, to date there has been only little discussion about the application context and any necessary adaptations to various clinical fields. METHODS AND RESULTS The working group "Implementation of OPD in Clinical Practice" proposes an algorithm for the sequential and adapted use of OPD depending on the clinical context. CONCLUSION Especially for patients who are primarily not open to receiving psychotherapy, e.g., in psychiatric hospitals or general hospitals, OPD can be an important basis for structuring motivating interventions. A stepwise procedure is proposed which is adapted to the usage of OPD in such contexts. Furthermore, also for these contexts, simplified ratings are proposed and discussed for the axes relationships, conflicts and structure. However, complete OPD remains recommended when determining the focus of a psychotherapeutic treatment.


In order to accurately simulate the diffusion of chloride ion in the existing concrete bridge and acquire the precise concentration of chloride ion at any time, a Cellular Automata(CA)-based model is proposed. Firstly, the process of chloride ion diffusion is analyzed by the CA method and a nonlinear solution to the Fick's second law is obtained. Secondly, considering the impact of various factors such as stress states, temporal and spatial variability of diffusion parameters and water-cement ratio on the process of chloride ion diffusion, the model of chloride ion diffusion under multifactor coupling is presented. Finally, a chloride ion penetrating experiment is used to prove the effectiveness and reasonability of this present method. A T-type beam is taken as an illustrative example to analyze the process of chloride ion diffusion.


Introduction: Obesity-related diseases (ORD) are associated with a decrease in the quality of life and life expectancy of patients. The remission of these pathologies after bariatric surgery is not the same in all patients. Objectives: To evaluate the remission of the principal ORD in patients who underwent bariatric surgery. Materials and methods: Retrospective analysis of patients with morbid obesity and ORD (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia or obstructive sleep apnea and hypoapnea syndrome) who received bariatric surgery between January 2014 and January 2016. Patients had two surgical options: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) or laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB). Follow-up was performed after 1, 6, and 12 months per the first year after surgery, recording data, such as percentage of excess weight lost (%EWL), percentage of total body weight lost, and partial or total ORD remission. Results: Out of a total of 23 patients, 52% (12) were females and the average age was 44 ± 13 years, 17 (74%) received LSG and 6 (26%) LRYGB. The average initial body mass index was 43 ± 4.3 kg/m2, the %EWL at 1, 6, and 12 months was 35.4 ± 15.2, 62.5 ± 17.5, and 79.1 ± 20.2 respectively. Comorbidities remission was found in 95.6% of patients (22), partial resolution in 32%, and complete in 68%. A total of 52.1% of remissions were reported in the first month postsurgery. Conclusion: Bariatric surgery has proved to be the most effective method for reducing and sustaining weight loss in the long-term and comorbidities remission. A decrease of 50% of EWL has a positive impact in terms of discontinuing medications and normalizing the patient's biochemical profile.


The main function of the vehicle suspension is to improve ride and handling performance. In vehicle active suspension, better ride comfort is usually required larger control input and larger suspension deflection. However, the actuator that deliver the control signal have a limitation which is commonly known as actuator saturation. There is also a structural constraint that limits the suspension deflection. In this study, an alternative approach to the vehicle active suspension system is proposed. In this approach, some separation in the controller such that one part is devoted to achieve nominal performance and the other part is devoted to constraint handling is performed. In addition, the actuator power consumption of the proposed control strategy is further investigated numerically. The simulation results show that the proposed control strategy can manage the trade-off between performance and the actuator power consumption.


A simplified geometric‐optical model (SGM) was inverted using red band reflectance data acquired at 275 m in nine viewing angles from the Multiangle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) flown on NASA's Terra satellite, to provide estimates of fractional woody plant cover for large areas (over 3519 km2) in parts of the Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico, USA. The use of the model in these semi‐arid environments was enabled by the derivation of a priori estimates of the soil/understory background reflectance response. This was made possible by determining relationships between the kernel weights from a LiSparse‐RossThin model adjusted against the same MISR data – together with spectral reflectance data derived from MISR's nadir‐viewing camera – and the parameters of the Walthall model used to represent the background. Spatial distributions of retrieved fractional woody plant cover match those of % tree cover in the global MODIS Vegetation Continuous Fields product but also include shrubs. Good relationships were obtained with fractional shrub cover measured in pastures in the USDA, ARS Jornada Experimental Range but tree cover in higher elevation and riparian zones was dramatically over‐estimated as a result of the fixing of crown height and shape parameters.


Acknowledgements Preface 1. Places That Have Doubled Student Performance Rural Districts and Schools that have Doubled Perfo Rosalia, Washington Abbotsford, Wisconsin Doubling Student Performance at the Advanced Level: Monroe, Wisconsin Monroe school district improvement process Other Rural Examples Medium Sized Districts The Madison, Wisconsin Story Kennewick, Washington LaCrosse, Wisconsin Columbus School in Appleton, Wisconsin Doubling Performance in High Minority, High Poverty Schools 2. The Stimulus for Change and the Educational Change Process Pressure from Multiple Sources to Improve Student Achievement Pressure from State-Standards Based Reform Pressure from District Administrators Pressure from Within the School Pressure from the Federal Government The Large-Scale Organizational Change Process Laying the Foundation for Change Creating a New Educational Strategy Implementation, Monitoring and Continuous Improvement 3. Ten Steps to Double Student Performance Step 1: Understanding the Performance Problem and Challenge Step 2: Set Ambitious Goals Step 3: Change the Curriculum Program and Create a New Instructional Vision Step 4: Formative Assessments and Data-Based Decision-Making Step 5: Ongoing, Intensive Professional Development Step 6: Using Time Efficiently and Effectively Step 7: Extending Learning Time for Struggling Students Step 8: Collaborative, Professional Culture Step 9: Widespread and Distributed Instructional Leadership Step 10: Professional and Best Practices Summary and Conclusions 4. Reducing Class Size Resources at School Sites Reallocating Resources to Reduce Elementary Class Size School-Wide Strategies to Reduce Class Sizes A District wide Strategy to Reduce Class Size in Early Elementary Grades Summary 5. Finding Resources for Professional Development Resources Needed for an Effective Professional Development Program A Professional Development Fiscal and Program Audit Doubling Performance Districts Using Extant Professional Development Days Effectively Planning and Professional Development Time Summary 6. Funding Extra-Help Strategies Individual and Small-Group Tutoring for Struggling Students Extended Time for Struggling Students to Learn the Core Curriculum Summer School Program Focused on Core Instruction 7. Linking Resources Needed to Double Performance Finance Adequacy Approaches to School Finance Adequacy Evidence-Based Approach to School Finance Adequacy References Index


Introduction
Research shows that abstinence from tobacco leads to a withdrawal-related decrement in responsivity to nondrug rewards (ie, anhedonia). However, it remains unclear how anhedonia relates to other key withdrawal symptoms and withdrawal-related constructs over time. We analyzed ecological momentary assessment data to examine whether a decrement in response to rewards during a 10-day period following quitting shows a pattern of associations with other variables (ie, treatment, tobacco dependence, negative affect, and craving) that is consistent with anhedonia being a tobacco withdrawal symptom.

Methods
As part of a randomized controlled trial of smoking cessation therapies, 1122 adults (58% female) were assigned to: placebo (n = 131), bupropion (alone or with nicotine lozenge; n = 401), or nicotine replacement therapy (NRT; lozenge, patch, both; n = 590). Participants completed 4 ecological momentary assessments per day for 10 days postquit, resulting in 22 575 assessments.

Results
Time-varying effect modeling showed that anhedonia was significantly greater among those high in dependence relative to lower dependent smokers out to day 9 postquit. The placebo group showed elevated anhedonia immediately postquit, which fell to levels similar to the treatment groups by day 7. NRT effectively reduced anhedonia and its time-varying association with craving early in the quit attempt. The positive association between negative affect and anhedonia was moderate and stable over time for both active treatment groups.

Conclusions
These results provide additional support that anhedonia following quitting smoking is a manifestation of the tobacco withdrawal syndrome.

Implications
This study supported the hypothesis that diminished responsivity to nondrug rewards (ie, anhedonia) is a symptom of the tobacco withdrawal syndrome. Results showed that anhedonia: (1) was significantly associated with dependence, especially during the early postquit period when withdrawal was at its peak intensity; (2) showed significant time-varying associations with other withdrawal symptoms, especially craving; and (3) was significantly suppressed by agonist administration as was its association with craving over time.


This paper analyzes postexilic prescriptions of the Torah that refer to foreigners. It looks at whether regulations constrain or ensure the religious freedom granted to them. The law makes a distinction among several types of foreigners and is concerned mostly with resident aliens, whose religious freedom used to be conditioned. Some constraints were imposed by the majority, in an attempt to protect the development of its normal religious life (Ex 12:19; Lv 16:29). It was thought that the religious offence committed by the aliens might trigger negative outcomes for the Israelite community (Lv 20:2-5). Foreigners were not compelled to accept the religion of the majority Israelite community. In case they wanted to take part to the cultic life of the community, they were called to obey the same prescriptions as the Israelites (Ex 12:49; Nm 15:14-15). The integration of aliens in the Israelite cultic community was practically limited by the compulsoriness of circumcision (Ex 12:48).


Researchers are often interested in studying how the timing of a specific event affects concurrent and future development. When faced with such research questions there are multiple statistical models to consider and those models are the focus of this paper as well as their theoretical underpinnings and assumptions regarding the nature of the effect of the event on the developmental process. We discuss three models, all variants of growth models specified within the multilevel modeling framework, which conceptualize the developmental process and the effect of the event in different ways. These models include the growth model with a time-invariant covariate, the growth model with a time-varying covariate, and the spline growth model. After discussing the models in detail, we applied these models to longitudinal data from the Berkeley Growth Study to examine cognitive changes during infancy and the effect of independent sitting on those changes. Results suggest that research conclusions depend on the model chosen and how certain results can be misconstrued unless the model accurately reflects the research questions. Recommendations and additional non-traditional models are discussed.


This study investigates the reliability of commercially available pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) tapes used for electronic component-to-heat sink attachment. It is found that creep can affect the PSA reliability. Therefore, creep is experimentally characterized using isothermal, constant load, double lap shear measurements in conditions representative of vertically oriented heat sink applications. PSA joint life predictions are derived from the accelerated creep characteristics using a secondary creep model. The creep resistance of a laminated silicone/aluminum/acrylic PSA tape is found to be significantly lower than that of a single-layer acrylic tape. This suggests that the potential impact of tape creep on joint reliability should be carefully evaluated as a function of tape chemistry/construction and application environment. Furthermore, the sensitivity of PSA creep characteristics to both operating temperature and heat sink weight highlights the need for thermally optimized, least-weight heat sink designs.


: We treated 23 patients with bladder neck sclerosis following treatment of prostatic adenoma by TUR (20 patients, 87%) and adenomectomy (3 patients, 14%). All patients entered a protocol for bilateral longitudinal bladder neck incision (cervicotomy) and injection of orgotein in the area of incision. Of these, 21 patients were evaluable; 18 (85%) had no recurrence, symptoms remained unchanged without ring in 2 (10%) and there was 1 (5%) recurrence. The results achieved by this simple technique combined with local antiinflammatory therapy make it the treatment of choice for this pathological condition.


With the experiments of dynamic shear rheometer(DSR), bending beam rheometer(BBR) and Brookfield rotary viscometer, the rheological performance of Buton Rock Asphalt (BRA) modified asphalt is tested and analyzed. The results indicate that the high temperature PG grades, the anti-rutting indicator and the viscosity are all increased, the high temperature stability is enhanced greatly and the temperature sensitivity is reduced after the addition of BRA modifier. Furthermore, the change rate increases with the increase of the additive; the creep stiffness modulus increases and low-temperature performance decreases at a low temperature, so the dosage of BRA should be appropriately considered in the process of application.


The lung-kidney syndrome is characterized by the coexistence of glomerulonephritis and pulmonary hemorrhage. However these manifestations can define different pathologies. The association of diffuse pulmonary hemorrhage, glomerulonephritis and circulating anti-glomerular basement membrane antibodies define Goodpasture syndrome. We report a case of Goodpasture syndrome with review of the literature.


Zermatt macular dystrophy is a dominantly inherited pattern dystrophy caused by the R172W mutation of the RDS/peripherin gene and named after the Zermatt area of Switzerland.1 It shows small and round macular drusen early in life which are characterised by a very bright and early hyperfluorescent pattern suggestive of basal laminar drusen.1 Geographical atrophy occurs during the end stage of the disease. Stargardt dystrophy is a common recessively inherited disease caused by mutations in the ABCA4 gene2 with yellow-white, irregularly shaped flecks at the level of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and atrophy occurring later as the disease progresses.3

### Case 1

A 45-year-old woman with a 10-year history of a retinal dystrophy resulting from an R172W mutation in the RDS/peripherin gene (Zermatt dystrophy) presented with a 6-week history of visual loss in the left eye. On presentation, the Snellen best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.3 in both eyes. Eight weeks before the described symptoms, visual acuity was recorded as 0.3 in the right and 0.8 in the left eye, and a normal foveal depression was observed on optical coherence tomography (OCT) (right eye: 128 μm; left eye: 148 μm) (Zeiss-Meditec, Dublin, California). Complete ophthalmic examination, autofluorescence, fluorescein angiography and OCT were performed (fig 1).

Figure 1
Case 1: 45-year-old woman with Zermatt dystrophy. Left eye. (A) Fundus autofluorescence, HRA. (B) Fluorescein angiography. (C) Optical coherence tomography (OCT) 3. Before treatment. (D) OCT 3. Five weeks after treatment.

### Case 2

A 43-year-old man, who was diagnosed 2 months previously with Stargardt …


The aim of this study was to analyze discursive patterns in publications and attitude researches on bullying published by The Swedish National Agency for Education. The focus was largely on whether there is a pattern in the narration of how teachers and pupils are portrayed as perpetrators in a situation where bullying occurs. The empirical material of the study was acquired by use of a qualitative method where publications published between the years of 2002 and 2014 were selected. Dictums concerning teachers and pupils as bullies have been compared and surveyed where differences in how they were depicted was the object of analysis. To enable such a study, Foucault's theories on discourse and power were applied on the empirical material in the analysis.The result shows that bullying in general almost always refers to the pupil as the perpetrator while teachers are under-represented in the same context. Pupils as perpetrators are described through qualities such as aggression and lack of empathy,whereas teachers are described through external factors such as stress and extensive workload.


The mediastinal gastroenteric cyst is a rare developmental cyst. In general, the majority of mediastinal gastroenteric cysts are recognized in infancy and are commonly located in the posterior mediastinum. In addition, gastroenteric cysts occasionally contain pancreatic tissue; however, no studies have reported that these cysts influenced the diabetes mellitus status of the patient. We report here an extremely rare case of an adult gastroenteric cyst with pancreatic tissue originating from the anterior mediastinum, influencing the severity of diabetes mellitus in a patient. This case report presents two remarkable findings. First, the location of the gastroenteric cyst (anterior mediastinum) and the patient's age at the time of detection (adulthood) were extremely rare. Secondly, the present case is also unusual in terms of glycometabolism. As this tumour decreased in size, the glycosylated haemoglobin value increased, which suggested a worsening of the patient's diabetes mellitus. The diabetes mellitus further worsened after removal of the tumour.


This paper investigates the kinematical behavior of a polymer based star-shaped actuator, able to produce mechanical work through the shape memory effect, that allows a significant shape variations on the application of an external stimulus. The adopted material is a semicrystalline network based on poly(e-caprolactone) crosslinked by thermal curing; the material was adopted due to its fast recovery process when heated close to the melting temperature and the high recovery degree, and, due to its good biocompatibility, it may suitable for biomedical application. The original, or "permanent", material shape is that of a cylindrical annulus, which is set in a "temporary" configuration as a six spikes star. The temporary shape is fixed through a thermo-mechanical program, involving deformation above melting temperature and cooling under fixed strain and carried out by means of an ad-hoc designed fixture. By heating the deformed specimen above the melting temperature, the system is able to recover the original cylindrical shape realizing a motion and a mechanical power. This peculiar response, consisting in a progressive radial expansion activated by temperature, may be considered for application as self-expanding stenting device triggered by the human body temperature.The shape of the system, that changes during the transformation, can be described as a two dimensional temporal function that represents the mean line of the section of the cylindrical annulus (perpendicular to the height of the annulus). This temporal function is a combination of a circular function and of a modified rhodoneal function and, after a proper calibration through experimental tests, is used to evaluate the kinematics of the system. The function is able to describe adequately the shape evolution experimentally displayed by the samples, with a very good agreement at the starting and final instants of the transformation, while the accuracy during the transformation is acceptable for the proposed application.Copyright © 2014 by ASME


The effect of substituents on the surface adsorption equilibria of thiophenols and isoquinolines on gold substrates was studied using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) in order to determine the effects of the localized dipole moments and charge donating/withdrawing properties on the binding affinity. Two common classes of molecules used in SERS studies were examined, which included substituted aromatic thiols and nitrogen heterocyclic aromatic molecules (azaarenes), due to their strong affinity for gold surfaces. Unsubstituted thiophenol in aqueous solution binds strongly to gold surfaces. Therefore, it is difficult to measure an equilibrium constant, since even at concentrations of 10-8 M nearly a complete self-assembled monolayer (SAM) forms. In contrast, substituted thiophenols with electron-withdrawing groups, such as halogenated thiophenols, bind much less strongly, allowing equilibrium constants to be obtained. It is believed that the substituent withdrawing charge away from the sulfur atom affects the adsorption/binding between the analyte and surface. Thiophenols substituted with electron donating groups behaved similar to unsubstituted thiophenol, where a SAM was observed at concentrations as low as 10-8 M. These functional groups did not hinder the ability of the sulfur groups to bind with gold. In addition, a series of bromine-substituted isoquinolines, a group of azaarene compounds, were measured to determine the effects that the bromine substituent has when it is bound to the two different rings and if position on the rings has an effect. The azaarene class of molecules, including isoquinoline, adsorbs less strongly than thiophenols, and a dual Langmuir isotherm phenomenon is observed where protonated and neutral bromoisoquinoline molecules occupy two different types of sites on Klarite substrates, which consist of inverted micro-pyramids on Si wafers with rough/nanostructured Au coatings. Protonated isoquinolines bind to nucleophilic sites on the substrates which tend to occur on flatter regions of the substrate. By contrast, neutral isoquinolines bind to electrophilic sites which are predominant near microscopic edges on the substrate. The presence of the bromine substituent and its position in the fused ring structure changes the Gibbs free energies of adsorption, depending on which ring the substituent is in. These results can help to guide the development of SERS for analytical applications by demonstrating how changes in functional groups can affect the equilibrium constants, which are critical for determining the effectiveness of SERS as a tool for trace detection of analytes.


The study estimates the supply response of cotton crops at regional level in Punjab. To analyse the supply response, three acreage response models were developed separately on the basis of Nerlovian lagged adjustment model. A fast increase in area under cotton American in South- western region took place mainly due to the forces of substantial increase in the price, yield and in turn value productivity per hectare of this crop as compared to its competing crops. Cotton American occupied very small percentage of gross cropped area of the central region and therefore does not occupy an important place in the cropping pattern of the region. Due to this fact the farmers in central region have not responded significantly to various price and yield factors.


During the last ten years much has been written on the subject of blood-pressure and hypertension. Most of the work has been based on clinical findings; comparatively little has been done in the way of following cases to the autopsy table. There are, of course, grave objections to drawing deductions from a comparative study of blood-pressure determinations taken shortly before death and the pathologic lesions found at autopsy. At the same time it seemed that the study of a group of cases which had been followed to the autopsy table might be of interest. All observers are agreed in regard to the frequent occurrence of hypertension in nephritis. Cushing1and others2, 3have shown that high blood-pressure occurs in cases with increased intracranial pressure. The chief discussion has been directed toward the question of the occurrence of hypertension in arteriosclerosis independent of a nephritis. Sawada4has never seen


This paper presents a miniaturized broadband Yagi antenna design for GSM, WLAN, and WiMax applications. This antenna is comprised of an inverted-F and two inverted-L shaped wires as active and parasitic elements in the array configuration. The realizable gain of the antenna is over 4 dBi and the front to back ratio of the radiation is over 6 dB. The measured return loss of the antenna shows the good broadband characteristics. The radiation patterns of the antenna are close to the omni-directional characteristics in the half-hemi sphere.


Background: A study was conducted to evaluate and to evolve a system of standardizing the oxygen concentration inside the oxygen hood and to develop guidelines for controlled FiO2 administration by changing size of the hood, lid position on the hood and the oxygen flow rate, without an oxygen analyzer. The effect of low flow rates on carbon dioxide (CO2) retention inside the head box was also studied. Methods: A dummy patient and thirty neonates, requiring oxygen to be delivered through head box, constituted the material for the study group. Oxygen content in the head box was measured using a standard oxygen analyzer while the size of head box; flow rate and lid position were changed independently and in combination. The head boxes were tested on a dummy patient. These results were analyzed, and a general guideline derived was applied to thirty neonates requiring oxygen therapy using head box. Multiple readings were taken. Data thus collected was tabulated, statistically analyzed, and appropriate conclusions drawn. Results: Volume of headbox had an inverse relation with the oxygen concentration inside the headbox. A smaller sized headbox achieved better & more predictable oxygen concentration at all flow rates. Maximum difference in oxygen concentration by varying the lid position was observed in the large headbox. Keeping the variables constant, oxygen concentration was lower in babies as compared to dummy, which is statistically significant. No significant CO2 retention was found at flow rate of 4 L/pm in a small & 3 L/pm in a medium & large head box respectively. Conclusions: It is possible to predict the oxygen concentration inside the head box depending upon various variables without the use of oxygen analyzer. Larger the size of the head box and higher the lid position, lesser the oxygen concentration achieved at a given oxygen flow rate. Oxygen concentration achieved in babies is lesser than the concentration achieved in a dummy. Flow rates of less than 4 L/pm in small & 3 L/pm in medium & large sized head boxes are associated with CO2 retention.


: This double-blind controlled study examines the impact of clomipramine when taken by an anorexia nervosa population, refeeding in hospital, over and above that generated by the established treatment programme. Of the 16 patients studied, all reached their target weights including three who asked to leave the study. Clomipramine was significantly associated with increased hunger, appetite and energy intake. It tended, though, to be associated with a reduced rate of weight gain, possibly because activity was increased. Patients receiving clomipramine were more stable in their eating habits and maintained body weight better than those on placebo after leaving the trial. These findings indicate the sensitivity of the hypothalamus to changes in body weight. Clomipramine, which is known to act at a hypothalamic level, seems to influence hunger, appetite and dietary intake according to the body weight of the patient. The threshold weights which have been shown to trigger hypothalamic sexual responses, may also influence hunger, appetite, motility and voluntary energy intake.


INTERACCT is a project where two universities in Vienna (University of Applied Arts Vienna: Institute of Art Sciences and Art Education, Department of Design, Architecture and Environment for Education; University of Vienna: Faculty of Informatics, Computer Science Didactics and Learning Research, and Research Group Entertainment Computing), CCRI (Childrens ́ Cancer Research Institute), children of an Austrian high school (Schulschiff Bertha von Suttner) and Tsystems (a division of Deutsche Telekom, systems integration, computing and network services and e-business) have been involved within the Applied Design Thinking LAB Vienna from 2009 until today. Aim of the project is to enhance interdisciplinary and participatory approaches in design and technology education. Case study is design of an interactive web based communication platform for improving quality of life for the patients of the stemcell-lab department (SCT-INTERACT) and to improve medical communication and education in outpatient care after pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT). Spin-off is design of a serious game where healthy and malignant children are participatory involved as well as the students of different teaching subjects (informatics, art and design education), the caring medical staff and the industry partner.


The formation of 3,6-di-O-acetyl-1,2,4-O-orthoacetyl-alpha-D-glucopyranose was observed in the gold(I)-catalyzed glycosidation of peracetyl glucopyranosyl ortho-hexynylbenzoate; experiments with substrates bearing deuterium labeled 2-O-acetyl or 4-O-acetyl groups indicated that the orthoacetate was derived from the 4-O-acetyl group, which provided a direct evidence for the remote participation of the 4-O-acyl group in glycosylation.


Raganas AFM, Hadsall AS, Pampolina NM, Hotes S, Magcale-Macandog DB. 2020. Regeneration capacity and threats to mangrove areas on the southern coast of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines: Implications to mangrove ecosystem rehabilitation. Biodiversitas 21: 3625-3636. Regeneration capacity is important as it determines the fate of an ecosystem. This study assessed six mangrove areas in the southern coast of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines to evaluate their regeneration capacity status. Four mangrove ecotypes were delineated namely seaward, middle, landward and riverine zones at each mangrove ecosystem, where dominant mangrove species were identified and selected for regeneration capacity study. Three subplots measuring 1 x 1 m were laid within the five 10 x 10 m survey plots established per zone. The juveniles were counted and categorized according to their height classes, using linear regeneration sampling method; where: RCI (≤40 cm) considered seedlings; RCII (41-150 cm) as saplings; and RCIII (151-≤300 cm) as small trees. Potential threats both anthropogenic and natural were determined through key informant interviews. Seven dominant species were identified across ecotypes in all mangrove sites, namely Avicennia marina, Avicennia rumphiana, Ceriops decandra, Rhizophora apiculata, Rhizophora mucronata, Sonneratia alba, and Xylocarpus granatum. RCI (seedlings) is the most abundant across mangrove sites irrespective of the dominant species. Fishpond operation within the mangrove stand is considered a major threat to the juveniles and most mangrove ecosystems. Therefore, protection and constant monitoring of these mangrove ecosystems are necessary to ensure regeneration success in the future.


The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, non-governmental organisations and donor-funded projects have been promoting tree planting in Malawi for several years. Despite these efforts, it is difficult to trace the out-planted seedlings after a year or more due to the low survival rate. Socio-economic research studies have only addressed factors affecting adoption of agroforestry among farmers and little is known about why the survival of planted seedlings is low. This study was conducted to understand the factors that affect the survival of agroforestry trees in Malawi. The study was carried out in the Lilongwe District. It is one of the many places in Malawi where agroforestry is being promoted. Data was collected from a sample of selected farmers through the administration of a questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised closedand openended questions which were developed by the researcher based on personal knowledge of the field and work expertise. Farmer contact with the extension worker was found to have a significant positive correlation with the survival of agroforestry trees. Planting with the first rains, protecting the seedlings from livestock, and planting mature and healthy seedlings were found to be the main mechanisms the farmers used to improve the survival of trees. Destruction by livestock, attack by termites and dry spells were major challenges affecting the survival of the seedlings. The need for formulation of by-laws on animals to control damage and encouragement of farmers to plant trees with the first rains to reduce the loss caused by the dry spell were some of the study Land Restoration Training Programme Keldnaholt, 112 Reykjavik, Iceland UNU Land Restoration Training Programme ii recommendations. Considering that farmer contact with the extension worker had a positive relationship with the survival of agroforestry trees it is important the government recruits more extension staff and provides mobility to increase contact with farmers. The study needs to be replicated in other areas as farmers in other areas operate under different socio-economic and ecological conditions. This paper should be cited as: Mlamba S (2018) Factors affecting the survival of agroforestry trees in Malawi. United Nations University Land Restoration Training Programme [final project] http://www.unulrt.is/static/fellows/document/mlamba2018.pdf UNU Land Restoration Training Programme iii TABLE OF CONTENTS


OBJECTIVE
An accurate epidemiological profile is a crucial component of any cancer strategy. The ongoing development of population-based cancer registries provides an invaluable information resource in this regard. Examination of international incidence levels indicates substantial geographical variation. This study assesses the precise extent of such variation.

BASIC RESEARCH DESIGN
The age-standardised rates (ASRs) for oral and pharyngeal cancer (OPC) were analysed for 183 registries in the IARC/WHO publication CIFC-Volume VII.

RESULTS
The median annual age-standardised incidence rates were mouth (2.3 per 100,000), tongue (2.0), lip (1.2), and salivary gland (0.6); the corresponding female rates were mouth (0.8), tongue (0.7), salivary gland (0.4) and lip (0.2). A substantial level of heterogeneity existed between registries in most instances. In the case of males, the highest ASR and the inter-quartile range of ASRs were as follows--mouth (highest rate of 12.4 per 100,000; IQR 1.4 to 3.6), tongue (max. 8.0; IQR 1.1 to 2.9), lip (max. 13.5; IQR 0.3 to 2.4) and salivary gland (max. 4.2; IQR 0.4 to 0.8). Corresponding statistics for females were also recorded. Comb graphs are used to highlight the significance of specific geographical-based trends and putative aetiological factors explored.

CONCLUSIONS
This study reveals substantial international variation in the incidence rates of OPC, with up to 20-fold variation between countries in annual incidence rates for individual sites. The novel presentational technique makes this information readily accessible to non-specialists and highlights the need for disaggregation in future OPC studies.


Background and Aim: Treatment and management of the symptoms of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are very important. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological measures have been used for the relief of symptoms in these patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of local heat therapy on physiologic parameters in the patients with ACS. Methods and Materials: In this randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial we randomly allocated 50 patients with acute coronary syndrome to either placebo or experimental groups. Patients in the experimental group received chest local heat therapy by using a hot pack warmed to 50°C, and the control group received the same therapy by a hot pack warmed to 37°C. Local heat therapy was administered for four 23-minute sessions for two consecutive days. Heart rate, respiratory rate, arterial blood pressure and blood oxygen saturation were measured before and after the study. We used a questionnaire for demographic data and a data sheet for recording physiologic parameters. Using SPSS v. 16, data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and statistical tests such as paired and independent t-test, Mann-Whitney U-test and Wilcoxon signed rank test. Results: Before and after the study, the groups did not differ significantly in terms of diastolic blood pressure and heart rate. There were no significant differences between the groups in relation to systolic blood pressure, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation before the intervention. However, after intervention, systolic blood pressure (p<0/001) and respiratory rate (p=0/027) decreased and oxygen saturation increased significantly (p=0/003) in the experimental group compared to those in the control group. Conclusion: The study findings confirmed the effectiveness of local heat therapy in improving physiologic parameters in the patients with ACS.


BACKGROUND
Observational studies report a relationship between anticholinergic drug scale (ADS) score and cognitive function. This study investigated whether a reduced ADS score improved cognitive function in a frail elderly population.

METHODS
This randomized, controlled, single-blinded trial, recruited long-term residents with an ADS score of greater than or equal to 3 from 22 nursing homes in Norway. The participants were randomly allocated (1:1) to intervention or control. The intervention was a pharmacist-initiated reduction of ADS score after multidisciplinary drug reviews. Primary end point was Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease 10-wordlist test for immediate recall. Secondary end points were Mini-Mental Sate Examination, delayed recall and recognition of words, saliva flow, and serum anticholinergic activity (SAA).The participants were retested after 4 and 8 weeks, and the study groups were compared after adjusting for baseline differences.

RESULTS
Eighty-seven patients were included. The median ADS score was reduced by 2 units (p < .0001) in the intervention group and remained unchanged in the control group. After 8 weeks, the adjusted mean difference in immediate recall was 0.54 words between the intervention and control group (95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.91, 2.05; p = .48). The study groups did not differ significantly in any of the other cognitive end points, salvia flow, or SAA at either follow-up (p > .18).

CONCLUSION
Pharmacist-initiated drug changes significantly reduced ADS score but did not improve cognitive function in nursing home residents. Moreover, the drug changes did not reduce SAA or mouth dryness significantly, which might indicate limited applicability of the ADS score to prevent prescription risks in this population.


Background Acute bronchitis is a leading cause of ambulatory care visits within the United States. Despite the well-established prevalence of viral etiologies among young adults, over-prescribing of antibiotics persists. This prescribing pattern is concerning because of microbial antibiotic resistance and adverse drug reactions. Therefore, we initiated a QI-study to drive antibiotic stewardship for acute uncomplicated bronchitis (AUB) within a university-based healthcare setting. Objectives Apply common prescribing guidelines in an effort to reduce our antibiotic prescription rate for AUB to a level of 10% or less. Methods The following QI-interventions were implemented, consistent with the IHI-Model for Improvement: (1) clinicians provided education to patients on viral respiratory infections, including a care plan and information on the potential harm from antibiotics; (2) clinicians employed the term "chest cold" for AUB in the absence of criteria indicating bacterial infection; and (3) antibiotic stewardship for AUB was included in peer chart reviews, including follow-up education to providers as needed. Results The QI-interventions significantly reduced our antibiotic prescription rate from a baseline of 80% to a level of 5% (5 out of 91 charts) within one cycle of Plan-Do-Study-Act, Chi-square (1)=4.07, p<.05. Conclusions Antibiotic stewardship related to AUB improved to 95% compliance with clinical guidelines through staff and patient education, and regular peer chart review. This effort is of particular importance in college health as this represents a unique opportunity to educate young adults, often novice consumers of healthcare, on the appropriate use of antibiotics.


The objectives of this paper are to investigate the effects of surfactant and surface roughness on absorption performance, to apply binary nanofluid to the absorption system, and to compare the effects of three technologies on absorption performance. In order to compare the effect of surface roughness and that of surfactant, two micro-scale hatched tubes and a bare tube are tested on the H2O/LiBr falling film absorber with the addition of n-Octanol 400 ppm in the first experiment. The effect of binary nanofluid is compared with that of surfactant on NH3/H2O bubble absorption performance in the second experiment. The results show that the absorption performance for the micro-scale hatched tubes with surfactant becomes up to 4.5 times higher than that for the bare tube without additive, the addition of 2-Ethyl-1-Hexanol 700 ppm can enhance the NH3 absorption rate 4.8 times, and the addition of Cu nano-particles 0.1 wt% can enhance it 3.2 times. It is concluded that the absorption enhancement by the surfactant is more significant than that by the micro-scale hatched tubes in the H2O/LiBr falling film absorber, and the effect of nano-particles on the absorption performance is comparable to that of surfactant in the NH3/H2O bubble absorber.


Religious faith can make a unique contribution to environmental policy. Typically, legislators might expect to formulate a science-based environmental policy. But scientific reasoning is able to offer only partial and value-free guidance. Science, by its very nature, cannot offer enough guidance for the challenges of contemporary environmental policy. Religious faith and religious communities can, and already have begun to, offer precisely what science lacks: a value-laden, unified understanding ofcreation, humankind, and our obligations as stewards of the Earth. I make this case here by assessing the religious traditions in the United States and Europe, particularly Western monotheism, especially Christianity.


ABSTRACT Micro-interaction dynamics of affective sanctioning have received insufficient attention when exploring the emergence of masculine identities and practices among gang members. We provide an analytical approach that places affective sanctioning at the heart of explanations of local masculine subjectivities. Affective sanctioning is a key method through which gang members facilitate successful face-to-face interaction via the constitution of shared group status markers as collective 'goods'. Using empirical data contrasting two types of Glasgow gang groups, sharing contexts in which similar structural determinants operate, each embodies idiosyncratic modes of masculine identity, characterised by distinct hyper-masculine traits, which in turn constitute the group's boundaries. Group markers emerge and are maintained by the constitutive force of individuals' mutual susceptibility to affective inter-valuation practices. Here the acts of recognition and honouring, and dishonouring are the most socially significant affective sanctioning mechanisms. Our methodological investigation rests on an 'intrinsic' structuralist approach which prioritises micro-situational data over wider structural arrangements. We contrast this with 'extrinsic' models which dominate current gang scholarship and which tacitly view individuals as socialised 'from the outside'. Our methodology and findings have profound implications for practitioners who must start from a recognition that individuals operate within the constraints of their emotionally bound group.


In a global scope, many countries give big efforts to capture universal specifications by strengthening their cooperations in the field of education with other countries in order to develop a global position on the international level just like in many areas. However, it is considered that raising the quality of education at the international level of these countries are known to be a long way they should take. Therefore, in this study, the Quality Function Deployment as a systematic quality improvement tool addressing the education system in its entirety is discussed and it is intended to contribute to improving the quality of education in terms of its importance to countries. This study is based on the demands of the course students carried out at universities and reveals the quality of the education services. According to this target, the Quality Function Deployment method is utilized to determine whether there is an education service pointed out by the needs and expectations of students or not and also the policies that should be followed by the universities is discussed. Keywords: Education Quality, Quality Function Deployment, Universities. JEL Classifications: I21, I23


Exercise is integral in the treatment of debilitating conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, back pain, and arthritic conditions. This new book presents succinct summaries of the evidence underpinning the use of exercise as therapy, and highlights through case studies the current challenges and complexities of clinical practice. This highly readable text also includes more than 30 comprehensive clinical cases exploring client presentations in the areas of cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, respiratory, neurological, metabolic and occupational rehabilitation. Clinical Exercise: a case-based approach will appeal to students and practitioners committed to evidence-based and reflective practice. [Book Synopsis]


This study aimed at preparing and optimizing an activated carbon (OAC) obtained from dry okra wastes by chemical activation with zinc chloride. Also, Rhodamine B removal performance from aqueous solution was analyzed by using this optimized activated carbon. The characterization of the resultant activated carbon, with a high surface area of 1044 m2/g, was carried out using thermogravimetric analysis, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller model, t-plot, N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms, density functional theory, elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and the point of zero charge. Furthermore, the effects of operating conditions (contact time, initial concentration, adsorbent dosage, temperature, and pH) on Rhodamine B adsorption onto OAC were investigated. Langmuir model was determined to be the best adsorption process, and the maximum adsorption capacity was calculated to be 321.50 mg/g at 25°C. Also, the intraparticle diffusion and boundary layer diffusion were involved in RhB adsorption onto OAC. Moreover, OAC adsorption curves of Rhodamine B followed pseudo second-order model. At 25°C, Gibbs free energy, enthalpy, and entropy obtained from thermodynamic studies were determined to be −27.87 kJ/mol, 13.03 kJ/mol, and 0.15 kJ/mol K, respectively. These thermodynamic values revealed that Rhodamine B adsorption onto OAC was feasible, endothermic, physical, and spontaneous.


The randomized k-number partitioning problem is the task to distribute N i.i.d. random variables into k groups in such a way that the sums of the variables in each group are as similar as possible. The restricted k-partitioning problem refers to the case where the number of elements in each group is fixed to N/k. In the case k = 2 it has been shown that the properly rescaled differences of the two sums in the close to optimal partitions converge to a Poisson point process, as if they were independent random variables. We generalize this result to the case k > 2 in the restricted problem and show that the vector of differences between the k sums converges to a k − 1-dimensional Poisson point process.


Performance of optical asynchronous code-division multiple-access (CDMA) systems with double optical hard-limiters is analyzed in the presence of avalanche photodiode (APD) noise and thermal noise. The following effects on the optimal thresholds of double optical hard-limiters and on-off keying (OOK) decoder are clarified: sequence codes, the number of users, the received laser power, and the modulation extinction ratio. The results show that the optical asynchronous CDMA systems with double optical hard-limiters have good performance in the presence of the APD noise and the thermal noise even when the number of simultaneous users is large. Moreover the optical asynchronous CDMA systems with double optical hard-limiters are shown to be practical in the respect of setting optimal thresholds.


The paper presents comparative statics of organizational modes of natural monopoly in public utilities with a focus on co-ownership and co-governance. Private monopoly lowers output and increases price to maximize profit; public monopoly incurs higher costs due to the lack of know-how; and a regulated monopoly results in regulation costs to overcome informational asymmetries. A public-private partnership arises as an efficient organization mode when it enables the internalization of private know-how and saves regulation costs due to correspondingly sufficient private and public residual and control rights. Public-private monopoly supports higher prices than marginal costs due to rent sharing, with its upper price frontier decreasing in private residual rights.


We took advantage of a high‐density seismic array deployed coincident with USArray to study small‐magnitude seismicity patterns in northern Wyoming. We detected and located a total of 89 earthquakes ranging in magnitude from −0.5 to 2.4 during the six‐month period of April to September 2010. Most events were located shallower than 25 km in the crust, with a few events as deep as 39 km and one very deep earthquake below the Moho, at 63 km. We also detected and recorded 1563 mining explosions in the area. We computed focal mechanism solutions for 14 earthquakes and observed dominantly normal faulting. Stress inversions obtained from these focal mechanisms show extension oriented ∼N20° E that matches borehole breakout data collected in the area. Though wastewater injection wells were active in the region, we see no evidence of induced seismicity in this catalog. The seismicity pattern shows earthquakes occurring beneath areas of high topography in the Bighorn and Owl Creek Mountain ranges. This may indicate a preference to slip on pre‐existing weaknesses created during mountain building. The absence of earthquakes between 39 and 63 km depths represents an aseismic zone in the lower crust that may indicate a rheological change between brittle and ductile behavior in the crust, and a strong mantle capable of brittle failure.

Online Material: Maps of earthquake catalogs, figures of depth versus misfit, time of day histograms for earthquakes and mine explosions, earthquake density, and location of class II disposal wells relative to earthquakes.


Abstract A rapid and sensitive competitive receptor binding assay for β-1 and β-2 adrenergic binding for adrenergic agents has been developed. The steps that are critical for the success of the assay are given in detail so that the assay can be set up in any routine laboratory with relative ease. The rationale behind the use of specific reagents is discussed. The assay requires microgram quantities of test compound, a radiolabeled specific β adrenergic antagonist [3H]dihydroalprenolol (DHA), and turkey erythrocyte β-1 and rat erythrocyte β-2 receptor membranes. Serial dilutions of sample are incubated with appropriate receptor membranes and DHA for 1 hr at room temperature. After equilibrium is attained, the bound radioligand is separated by rapid filtration under vacuum through Whatman GF/B filters. The amount of bound DHA trapped on the filter is inversely proportional to the degree of β-1 or β-2 adrenergic binding of the sample. Separation of bound from free radioligand by filtration permits rapid determination of a large number of samples. This assay quantitates and differentiates β-1 and β-2 adrenergic binding of synthetic adrenergic agents.


The paper proposes to reconsider radically the methodology and history of economics, whether present day mainstream or heterodox versions of it. The profession of economists must definitely abandon Cartesian dualism and adopt Vygotskian constructivism. In fact constructivist economics already existed in the past and was cognitively very successful and socially very useful. It was the economics of Gustav Schmoller's historico-ethical school and the institutionalist economics of John R. Commons, traditions of which are totally ignored by the contemporary community of economists. The former tradition was based on Dilthey's hermeneutics and the latter on Peirce's pragmatism. It is worth to underline that hermeneutics and pragmatism are both predecessors of Vygotskian constructivism. During the last two decades a lot was written by economists on pragmatist, constructivist and discursive approaches to the methodology and history of economics, but those who wrote on these topics viewed them from the dualistic point of view. My paper is an appeal to economists to reconsider Methodenstreit. The dispute of methods between Schmoller and Menger can be considered as a repetition of a similar dispute taking place more than two hundred years earlier between Robert Boyle and Thomas Hobbes. Schmoller-Menger dispute started soon after the beginning of the institutionalisation of experimentally-oriented economics which happened with the creation in 1873 of the Verein fur Sozialpolitik. Boyle-Hobbes dispute started in 1660, when the Royal Society of London had been founded, the cradle of the institution of science. Schmoller was one of the creators of the Verein and Boyle was one of the founders of the Royal Society. The activities of both societies were similar in several respects: they represented efforts to collect data, working out of detailed reports and collective evaluation of obtained results. For Hobbes, as for Menger, the model of 'science' was geometry. Boyle and Schmoller privileged collecting and analysing data. Boyle did win the dispute, Schmoller did loose. It happened because of different attitudes of powerful groups in societies towards natural scientific experimental research and experimental social research. They were interested in the former and they saw much more danger than benefit for them in the latter. On the contrary they were interested in abstract theoretical constructions justifying the market vision of society and laissez-faire. This kind of constructions corresponded to deeply enrooted scholastic traditions of European universities to teach theology and linked with it philosophy. In the framework of these traditions mathematics was considered as a summit of the scientific approach. On the one hand the adoption of constructivism by economists would turn their discipline into a science functionally close to natural sciences. On the other hand the Vygotskian constructivism, as a social and political philosophy, once accepted by economists, may lead them to become preachers of the communitarian liberalism with its emphasis on social responsibility, deliberative democracy, and discourse ethics.


IS 2010- Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Information Systems has been compiled under the auspices of the Association for Computing Machinery and the Association for Information Systems. As stated in its executive summary, "This curriculum revision represents an effort to re-evaluate the core principles of the discipline through a very careful specification of the degree learning outcomes." Indeed, the curriculum has outlined a substantial redirection of the information systems degree. It focuses much more heavily on improving organizational processes and viewing information systems in an enterprise interpretation. Technical knowledge and skills are still present but receive far less emphasis. Other topics, such as enterprise architecture, are introduced for which no current text is available. Implementing the 2010 core course curriculum could well change the learning objectives of a school's information systems degree. The panelists will briefly describe the 2010 curriculum and compare it to the 2002 curriculum. Core classes will be evaluated using Bloom's taxonomy for levels of knowledge. The 2010 curriculum will be evaluated for how it supports the IS major, specializations within the major, and an IS minor. The second half of the panel will be devoted to questions and answers between the panelists and the audience.


Last month's editorial "Tools of the Plague" discussed the means that the editors and SPIE's journals staff use to prevent plagiarism and other violations of professional ethics in archival publishing. But what if a plagiarized paper slips through our defenses and then is identified after publication? When papers only existed in printed form, a correction or other notice was placed in the journal. While this provided a notice that the paper contained duplicated or copied material, there was no way to retrieve the paper or expunge the work. Another author that found the paper might still reference it, unaware that the paper was fraudulent. With the advent of electronic publication, this has changed. I have no hard evidence that most authors rely on internet search to find relevant papers and obtain electronic copies through their libraries or the publisher. But consider the time saved and more complete coverage that modern journal searches provide compared to the days when we trudged through the stacks seeking potentially interesting papers. Few of us have the inclination or time to regress to those earlier days. I would venture to say that most papers are now acquired electronically. And because the publisher's digital library represents the primary source of the papers these days in some cases, the only source , an ethics violation can be effectively revealed and redressed on the citation page for the paper. But how should the violation be redressed? Should the paper remain posted online with a notice of violation or retraction, but still allow downloading, which is how some publishers handle these circumstances? Or should a notification be posted and the paper removed and replaced instead with an explanation and references to the original sources? My colleague, Karolyn Labes, Optical Engineerings's Managing Editor, asked the staff of a publisher of scientific journals how they handled such a publication violation. They responded: "In cases where we've identified plagiarism in published articles, we have generally either published an erratum if the extent of plagiarism is small or a retraction if the plagiarism is extensive and includes the main points of the paper .... In general, though, even if a retraction has been published the original article has been left intact online, but with clear links in the Tables of Content entry and abstract to the retraction." The publisher indicated that they would remove a published article only if legally compelled to do so e.g., by a court . Their view is that although these articles are flawed, they "have become part of the literature and are important at least as examples of what not to do." Eric Pepper, SPIE's Director of Publications, posed the same question to an engineering publisher and was told that they, like the scientific publisher, do not remove the offending paper. "We feel strongly that the paper must remain online..., not only because we don't want to alter the official archive but mostly because we want the paper to be marked as illicit.... We place a Notice of Violation that points the user to the original paper that was plagiarized so the user may examine the nature of the misconduct." After considerable deliberation, we decided to take a different approach. We took the corrective actions of removing the published paper from the online version of Optical Engineering and inserting a notice stating the reason for its removal. For the print version we will publish a note with the same information. This modifies the record of SPIE publications, not as a matter of tidying up the record, but rather to direct the reader and researcher to the actual source of the work. In addition, it keeps faith with those who published the original work. In the case of the publishers we queried, a disclaimer may have been added to the record of a plagiarized paper, but the paper is still available to be quoted, referenced, and linked by those who are not diligent in their work. To my mind, that approach seems to be more punitive than helpful. The very fact that the paper is pulled and the citation replaced by references to the original sources serves both to keep faith with the authors of the original work and to publicly reprimand the plagiarizer. What do you think?


Spin-transfer torque magnetic random access memory (STT-MRAM) based computation-in-memory (CIM) architectures have shown great prospects for an energy-efficient computing. However, device variations and non-idealities narrow down the sensing margin that severely impacts the computing accuracy. In this work, we propose an adaptive referencing mechanism to improve the sensing margin of a CIM architecture for boolean binary logic (BBL) operations. We generate reference signals using multiple STT-MRAM devices and place them strategically into the array such that these signals can address the variations and trace the wire parasitics effectively. We have demonstrated this behavior using an STT-MRAM model, which is calibrated using 1Mbit characterized array. Results show that our proposed architecture for binary neural networks (BNN) achieves up to 17.8 TOPS/W on the MNIST dataset and 130× performance improvement for the text encryption compared to the software implementation on Intel Haswell processor.


In this letter, we present a conditional generative adversarial network-based model for real-time underwater image enhancement. To supervise the adversarial training, we formulate an objective function that evaluates the perceptual image quality based on its global content, color, local texture, and style information. We also present EUVP, a large-scale dataset of a paired and an unpaired collection of underwater images (of 'poor' and 'good' quality) that are captured using seven different cameras over various visibility conditions during oceanic explorations and human-robot collaborative experiments. In addition, we perform several qualitative and quantitative evaluations which suggest that the proposed model can learn to enhance underwater image quality from both paired and unpaired training. More importantly, the enhanced images provide improved performances of standard models for underwater object detection, human pose estimation, and saliency prediction. These results validate that it is suitable for real-time preprocessing in the autonomy pipeline by visually-guided underwater robots. The model and associated training pipelines are available at https://github.com/xahidbuffon/funie-gan.


The 2012 Emilia seismic sequence in central Italy represents an illustrative example of quasi‐consecutive triggering with several mainshocks occurring within a few hours or a few days. The sequence was characterized by seven earthquakes of moment magnitude M w>5, rupturing adjacent fault segments of the buried fold arc of the northern Apennines, for a total length of about 50 km (Scognamiglio et al. , 2012; Fig. 1). The occurrence of so many large earthquakes, in such a short time window, suggests a possible interpretation in terms of mutual, static (Ganas et al. , 2012), or dynamic (Convertito et al. , 2013) triggering. In this article, we discuss the consequences of a consecutive succession of earthquakes, that is, a succession of close earthquakes that occur almost simultaneously.

Figure 1.
Geographic representation of the area interested by the Emilia sequence. The figure shows the epicenters and magnitudes of the seven major events analyzed in this study (black stars). Gray stars represent the aftershocks of the whole sequence, whereas the black triangles identify the stations used to compute the response spectra.

Multiple triggering—with variable time delays—has been observed in several damaging earthquake sequences of the Italian Apennine belt. In the central Apennines, the 2009 L'Aquila M w 6.3 earthquake was followed, the day after, by an M w 5.6 event occurred at the southeast edge of the main fault. This seismic sequence has been the deadliest one in Italy, with almost 300 victims, since 1980. The seismicity of the whole sequence spread over a 40 km long fault system (Chiarabba et al. , 2009). The 2002 Molise seismic sequence is remembered for two major shocks M w 5.8 and 5.7 that occurred within a few hours causing severe damage and destroying a school populated by children (Vallee and Di Luccio, 2005). The 1997–1998 Umbria–Marche seismic sequence was characterized by …


The tendency to overestimate immigrant population sizes has garnered considerable scholarly attention for its potential link to anti-immigrant policy support. However, this existing innumeracy research has neglected other forms of ignorance, namely underestimation and nonresponse. Using the 2002 European Social Survey, the current study examines the full scope of innumeracy for the first time. Results indicate that underestimation and nonresponse occur commonly across twenty-one countries and that overestimation is far from ubiquitous. Nonresponders in particular are found to represent a distinct innumeracy form associated with low cognitive availability and high negative affect. Multilevel models indicate that underestimation associates with greater opposition to anti-immigrant policy, while overestimation and nonresponse associate with greater support. Much of these associations are explained by affective factors. However, significant under- and overestimation coefficients remain net of controls, suggesting that innumeracy may be more important than initially thought. Overall, the results highlight the multifaceted character of innumeracy.