Development of new modalities for breast cancer detection have been a research interest due to the drawbacks of existing diagnostic technologies such as imaging with ionizing waves. In particular, microwave imaging has been investigated in the literature as a new modality for breast cancer detection. Microwave imaging is a promising technique due to the high dielectric contrast between benign and malignant lesions. With this motivation, the dielectric properties of the benign and malignant breast tissues were measured and such measurements have been performed with the open ended contact probes. The open ended contact probe technique widely used in laboratory environment to characterize the dielectric properties of materials with high permittivity and conductivity due to the advantages such as broad band measurement capabilities and limited sample size requirements. The utilization of the open ended contact probe technique as a breast cancer diagnostic technology have been previously envisioned in the literature. One such application is integration of these probes to biopsy guides to diagnose whether the breast lesions are benign or malignant. However, due to the poor measurement accuracy and repeatability the utilization of the technique as a diagnostic technology was not realized. The drawbacks of the technology mostly stem from the mathematical approaches and the deviations from the initial calibration conditions. In this work, to increase the accuracy of the open ended contact probe measurement technique, the probe structure is redesigned by removing the microwave connections and integrating the probe with the RF cable. Probe simulations are performed with Computer Simulation Technology (CST). The probe is tested with both known materials and more complex environments such as methanol and phantom experiments. Oil-in-gelatine dispersion phantom materials are composed and measured with the designed probe. Probes with small aperture diameters were also evaluated to investigate the potential practical utilization of such probes. Dielectric properties are calculated with in-house dielectric property retrieval algorithm. A good agreement is obtained with the reference data.


: Purpose: This article presents the results of research that set out to identify and characterise the model of strategic impact of the Russian Federation on the states of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and its consequences for security. Design/Methodology/Approach: In the research process historical, case study and systemic approach was used. The praxeological interpretation of the main research problem was included in the process of recognition, identification and characterization of instruments, forms and methods of strategic impact and their effects on security. The theoretical framework on which this article was based is embedded in the essence of political war presented by George F. Kennan. Findings: The article describes the evolution of Russian strategic thinking about international competition and presents the contemporary conditions for achieving political goals. It is explained that the challenges to Central and Eastern Europe are a direct consequence of the operationalization of policy, and the strategy is expressed in the concept of new generation of war. It has been established that the Russian Federation achieves its own strategic objectives using the so-called soft influence, avoiding direct military confrontation. The threats to the states of Central and Eastern Europe is a consequence of the pressure and use of aggression through all instruments held by the Russian Federation. The forms and methods of influence have a non-kinetic dimension, but they are not limited to the non-military sphere. Practical Implications: The results of the research have utilitarian values, as they allow to identify threats created by the Russian Federation. On this basis it is possible to take measures to counter the threats and limit their consequences. Originality/value: The evaluation of the operationalization of the new generation of war applied by the Russian Federation in the conducting of international competition through the prism of the theory of political warfare allowed to obtain original research results.


Black tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon post larvae were challenged with Vibrio harveyi  and butanol extract of selected marine sponge Aaptos aaptos to determine its antibacterial bioactive potential in vibriosis treatment. Based on the preliminary toxicity study, the A. aaptos  butanol extract with concentrations of 31.25, 62.5, and 125 mg/L were selected in the study. Black tiger shrimp post larvae were challenged with V. harveyi at 107 cfu/mL and immersed A. aaptos  butanol extract with the concentration of 125 mg/L showed significantly in (P<0.05) decrease mortality of the post larvae treated. Besides at this concentration, V. harveyi population in the rearing water and the post larvae treated decreased compared to control (untreated post larvae). Histological observation indicated that there was no changing on hepatopancreas of the black tiger shrimp post larvae. Based on this result, it is suggested that the butanol extract of A. aaptos is a potential bioactive compounds source in the treatment of vibriosis which may replaced the current antibiotics application.


AIM
To investigate the plasma levels and prevalence of the most common antiphospholipid antibodies, as well as their relationships with several plasma markers of inflammation, in order to characterize some aspects of cancer thrombophilia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Eighty-three cancer patients with non-metastatic colorectal solid tumors and 94 control subjects were tested for the presence of IgG/IgM/IgA anti-cardiolipin and anti-Beta2-glycoprotein I antibodies and of several acutephase reactants, i.e., fibrinogen, factor VIII:C and C4b-binding protein.

RESULTS
In cancer patients the plasma levels of the acute-phase reactants and the IgA/IgG anti-cardiolipin and IgA anti-Beta2- glycoprotein I antibodies were significantly higher; the acute-phase reactants were significantly correlated with anti-cardiolipin antibodies; the prevalence of antiphospholipid antibodies was not significantly higher.

CONCLUSIONS
In patients with non-metastatic colorectal cancer the acute-phase response is associated with antiphospholipid generation. This could represent a further pathogenetic mechanism for the short-term post-surgery thrombotic complications of patients with colorectal cancer.


The elemental composition of the presynaptic nerve terminals in rapidly frozen synapses of the cerebellar molecular layer was determined by electron probe x-ray microanalysis and elemental imaging of characteristic x-rays. Elemental imaging of thin freeze-dried cryosections from fresh cerebellar slices frozen within 20 sec of removal from the brain showed normal concentrations of potassium (95 ? 6 mmol/liter wet tissue ? SEM) and calcium (0.8 ? 0.4 mmol/liter) in whole presynaptic terminals, even though mitochondrial and nonmi- tochondrial sites containing up to 30 mmol of calcium per liter were present elsewhere in the neuropil. Quantitative electron probe analysis of synaptic vesicle clusters and intraterminal mitochondria indicated that their calcium concentrations were 0.4 ? 0.1 and 1.2 ? 0.2 mmol/liter, respectively. The low calcium content of presynaptic organelles was confirmed by the absence of detectable deposits in preparations freeze-substitut- ed so as to stabilize calcium content. Similar experiments were carried out on cerebellar slices rapidly frozen after incubation in vitro. The distribution of potassium and calcium in presyn- aptic terminals of resting and depolarized (55 mM potassium) slices was qualitatively and quantitatively similar to that in freshly excised cortex, although resting slices lacked the few calcium-rich sites that appeared in other areas of the neuropil after stimulation. The calcium concentrations in whole termi- nals, synaptic vesicles, and mitochondria of resting slices were 1.4 ? 0.7, 0.7 ? 0.2, and 0.9 ? 0.2 mmol/liter, respectively. Thus, amounts of calcium typical of storage organelles in other tissues are not present within cerebellar synaptic vesicles, suggesting that they have a limited role in calcium storage and release.


Hypoxia factor (HIF-1): new insight into its physiological role and regulation in marine fish and snailsDoris Abele, Alfred-Wegener-Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Section: Shelf Sea Ecology, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven; email@example.com the animal kingdom, hypoxia inducible factor has been recognized as a central regulator of gene transcription under severe oxygen deprivation. Discovered in 1995 by Wang & Semenza as the protein inducing erythropoietin expression under hypoxia, HIFs are now recognized as a highly conserved basic-helix-loop-helix (bHLH)/PAS1 transcription factor family that confers multifaceted adaptive responses to cellular oxygen shortage on the level of gene expression. HIF is a heterodimer, composed of a HIF-α and a HIF-s (=ARNT) subunit. HIF-α is degraded in an oxygen dependent manner in mammalian cells above 1 kPa (1% oxygen) tissue po2. Interestingly, in fish HIF-expression seems to be constitutive in various tissues, and in isolated trout hepatocytes HIF-α stabilized at po2 levels as high as 5 kPa, i.e. way into the normoxic range for liver cells. Therefore, fish-HIF-researchers are now discussing alternative roles for hypoxia factor in fish, and generally for marine ectotherms, which involve response to cooling and cobalt. In my talk I will present results from recent studies of hypoxia inducible factor in polar and Antarctic eelpout (Aalmuttern) exposed in vivo to acute and prolonged cooling and warming. I will talk about the biochemical changes occurring in the liver of the fish under conditions of HIF induction and under conditions in which the response is abrogated during acute heat stress. A main focus in our work was on whether or not reactive oxygen species are involved in HIF-α subunit regulation in fish, and I will give my current view of possible HIF-ROS interactions. Further, I will present conspicuous changes in HIF-1α sequences in eurythermal, stenothermal and high Antarctic fish on a latitudinal cline and summarize methods and tools available in our lab for the investigation of HIF expression and function in ectotherms. I should like to shortly present our on-going research on HIF function in Antarctic limpets.


Understanding and addressing conflict between farmers and wildlife due to crop raiding is of increasing conservation concern. Raiding impacts farmers' livelihoods, reduces tolerance to wildlife and often results in lethal methods of retaliation. Although crop raiding occurs on commercial as well as subsistence farms, there are very few quantitative accounts of on-farm primate behaviour or techniques to deter primates from raiding commercial farms. Working in partnership with commercial crop farmers, this study was conducted in Blouberg Municipality, South Africa. Using systematic behavioural observations, camera trapping techniques, vegetation transects, interviews and a workshop, this research adopts an interdisciplinary approach to examine farmers' perceptions of nature, behaviour of primates, and crop damage by other wildlife to understand the nature and extent of crop raiding. This information was used to develop and evaluate effective and locally appropriate deterrents to wildlife crop raiding.
The farmer-baboon relationship is complicated and filled with ambiguity. Farmers are happy to see baboons in the wild, but on the farm baboons are not welcome. High population numbers and the inability to control baboons are particular concerns for commercial farmers. Baboons were the dominant raiders, whose rates of raiding were influenced most by natural food availability. Vervet monkey raiding was also frequent and was influenced by the presence of baboons on the farm. In addition to primates, 18 other wildlife species were observed within crop fields. Farmers' perceptions were influenced by duration of raiding, average group size and overlap between farmer activity and crop raiding. Farmers underestimated crop loss to wildlife, but were able to accurately estimate where most damage occurs. The use of bells as an alarm system was not effective at alerting field guards to the presence of vervet raiders. Motion-activated sounds were effective at reducing baboon raiding for a short time, but baboons soon habituated. Electric fencing was effective at keeping most wildlife out of crop fields. The information obtained throughout the thesis was used to provide recommendations to commercial crop farmers to reduce crop raiding by wildlife.


The debate between Arianism and Christian orthodoxy, the authors maintain, turned on competing conceptual schemes and competing notions of salvation. Orthodox theologians worked within the framework of being and essence; the Arians stressed the language of becoming, willing and electing. Grace in Arian theology meant not so much transference into a stabilized order of redeemed creation, as that which empowers the believer for a process of moral advance. Christology, therefore, is also viewed within a framework of process rather than being. One special point of interest for New Testament studies is the authors' attempt to show how readily certain New Testament


India is consisting of 29 states and 7 union territories, including a national capital, Delhi. Elevated concentrations (>10 g l ) of arsenic (As) in ground water (GW) ? -1 of many states of India have become a major concern in recent years. Up to now about 0.2 million GW samples have been analyzed for As contamination from all over India by various researchers and Government agencies. About 90% of these cover only the Eastern part of India while several states and UTs are still unexplored. However, from the available data, GW of eighteen Indian states and three union territories has been found to be As contaminated to different extents through natural or anthropogenic origin. Among these, As >300 ?g l has been reported from at least one locality from fourteen states. The -1 maximum level of As (7350 ?g l ) in GW has been reported from a highly industrialized -1 area, Patancheru in Medak district of Andhra Pradesh. However, the gravity of problem is more in West Bengal followed by Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Five out of eight North-Eastern states are also affected by As contamination. Manipur is ranked first and Assam as second followed by Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Nagaland. The GW in these regions is naturally As enriched, and therefore wide spatial distribution of As has been found in these areas. In North India, Punjab and Haryana and in South India, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are suffering with GW As contamination. Low level of As (up to 17 ?g l ) has also -1 been reported in Tamil Nadu from South India. Many of the states like Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Gujrat, Kerala, Telengana, Goa etc. are still unexplored for GW As contamination. Thus, according to current reports out of 640 districts in India, 141 are As affected (As >10 ?g l-1), among them 120 are above 50 ?g l-1. Considering its severity, the issue of As contamination in drinking water has been taken up by the Government of India and mitigation efforts are being initiated. In order to provide safe drinking water, different agencies/ organizations have developed eco-friendly, cost effective devices/ filtration techniques having higher As removal capacity. Here we elucidated the current status of GWAs contamination in different states of India and the new developments of mitigation options.


This paper focuses on company-based welfare in small and mediumsized enterprises. After providing a definition of the phenomenon, the authors briefly discuss the reasons behind the expansion of these practices, and illustrate some local experiences generated by local-level agreements among small and medium-sized enterprises. Such arrangements, which have not yet been studied in depth, display a different governance system than the one present in large companies. The authors test the hypothesis under which these localized experiences can contribute to the generation of collective goods oriented to the development of local welfare. The research questions that drive this contribution are therefore the following: which forms of regulation favour the provision of welfare benefits in small and medium enterprises through local-level agreements? Can these services be considered as local collective goods that both businesses and citizens can benefit from? If compared to what large companies are able to achieve through welfare in terms of increased social cohesion and local development, can company-based welfare in SMEs stemming from multi-stakeholder agreements lead to better results?


Planar metalenses are regarded as promising functional nanodevices because of their lightweight, nano-resolution properties, and, therefore, they can serve as versatile platforms for imaging and Fourier transforming. Here, we demonstrate a meta-device that functions as an isotropic bifocal all-dielectric Huygens' metalens to realize nanoscale real-time coaxial digital hologram generation. We design an isotropic bifocal metalens for micro/nano hologram recording, and the metalens utilizes the complete region compared to a previously reported interleaved multifocal metalens scheme. In addition, the hologram generation does not depend on complex polarization conversion, thereby improving the practical efficiency. For high-fidelity reconstruction, compressive reconstruction is utilized to remove twin-image and zero-order items and to suppress noise. Such concept would be extended to white-light achromatic meta-holography and three-dimensional micro/nano in vivo incoherent super-resolution imaging under subwavelength modulation.


This paper analyses the performance of a coded orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (COFDM) based system for digital audio broadcasting using a highly inclined orbit satellite constellation. The sources of performance degradation considered are nonlinear amplification in the satellite transponder and multipath propagation for mobile reception. Despite its strong peak-to-mean amplitude variation, COFDM has been found to be very robust against nonlinear amplification. In the multipath channel, practical cases demonstrate low performance losses even in urban areas, when highly inclined elliptical orbits (HEO) are utilised.


A study of five major basaltic provinces, including oceanic plateaus, volcanic passive margins, and continental flood basalts, shows that they are voluminous constructions of extrusive igneous rock underlain by intrusive rock. Crustal thickness ranges from 20 to 40 km, and lower crust is characterized by high (7.0-7.6 km/s) seismic velocities. Volumes and emplacement rates derived for two oceanic plateaus, the Ontong Java and Kerguelen-Broken Ridge, reveal short-lived pulses of increased global crustal production and suggest an origin involving the lower mantle. The Ontong Java rate of emplacement may have exceeded the contemporaneous global production rate of the entire mid-ocean ridge system. Despite the importance off large igneous provinces in studies of mantle dynamics and the global environment, scarce age and deep crustal data necessitate intensified efforts in seismic imaging and scientific drilling in a range of such features.


Panel data analysis is becoming increasingly popular in shipping markets since it enables the employment of a wider source of variation which allows a more efficient estimation of a model's parameters. This study applies an econometric analysis on a balanced panel data set of tankers' second-hand prices for five different vessel types as cross-section identifiers. Empirical analysis investigates the existence of second-hand prices' differentiation according to the vessel size using monthly observations for over a forty years time period. The key question concerns relationships among second-hand prices, spot rates and newbuilding prices and their dependence on whether vessel sizes experience low or higher rates of interdependence. Analysis focuses on the aspect of heterogeneity among variables, which is due to the effects of unobserved variables. The models estimate fixed and random effects and examine both cross section and time effects. Unit root and cointegration tests are performed in order to check for stationarity and for the existence of any longrun equilibrium relationships among variables. Also, Hausman test is adopted to test the existence of correlated random effects. Empirical results lead to conclusions and implications regarding the use of spot rates and newbuilding prices as intermediate means for the prediction of second-hand prices.

JEL Classification: C01, C33, C51


Cerebellar pathology is associated with impairments on a range of motor learning tasks including sequence learning. However, various lines of evidence are at odds with the idea that the cerebellum plays a central role in the associative processes underlying sequence learning. Behavioral studies indicate that sequence learning, at least with short periods of practice, involves the establishment of effector-independent, abstract spatial associations, a form of representation not associated with cerebellar function. Moreover, neuroimaging studies have failed to identify learning-related changes within the cerebellum. We hypothesize that the cerebellar contribution to sequence learning may be indirect, related to the maintenance of stimulus–response associations in working memory, rather than through processes directly involved in the formation of sequential predictions. Consistent with this hypothesis, individuals with cerebellar pathology were impaired in learning movement sequences when the task involved a demanding stimulus–response translation. When this translation process was eliminated by having the stimuli directly indicate the response location, the cerebellar ataxia group demonstrated normal sequence learning. This dissociation provides an important constraint on the functional domain of the cerebellum in motor learning.


Existing audio-haptic coupling strategies mainly enable the display of information with complementary features. For example, the rendering of spatial and local features of targets in 3D space. This paper presents the design of haptic stimuli for a new audio-haptic coupling strategy that utilizes the concurrent use of the two modal channels. This coupling strategy should assist in the intermodal comparison of values simultaneously presented on the audio and haptic channels. The proposed haptic signal includes a tempo parameter which can be shared, under some conditions, with the audio channel. This paper presents a detailed experimental study to design haptic stimuli according to the audio-haptic coupling strategy specifications. This study is presented in the context of an ongoing project concerning the exploitation of this parametric haptic signal for the comparison of values during a search task.


Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) defense is still a difficult problem though it has been extensively studied. The existing approaches are not capable of detecting various types of DDoS attacks. In particular, new emerging sophisticated DDoS attacks (e.g., Crossfire) constructed by low-rate and short-lived benign traffic are even more challenging to capture. Moreover, it is difficult to enforce realtime defense to throttle these detected attacks since the attack traffic can be concealed in benign traffic. Software defined networking (SDN) opens a new door to address these issues. In this paper, we propose Reinforcing Anti-DDoS Actions in Realtime (RADAR) to detect and throttle DDoS attacks via adaptive correlation analysis built upon unmodified commercial off-the-shelf SDN switches. It is a practical system to defend against a wide range of flooding-based DDoS attacks, e.g., link flooding (including Crossfire), SYN flooding, and UDP-based amplification attacks, while requiring neither modifications in SDN switches/protocols nor extra appliances. It accurately detects attacks by identifying attack features in suspicious flows, and locates attackers (or victims) to throttle the attack traffic by adaptive correlation analysis. We implement RADAR prototype using open source Floodlight controller, and evaluate its performance under various DDoS attacks by real hardware testbed based experiments. We observe that our scheme can successfully detect and effectively defend against various DDoS attacks with acceptable overhead.


ABSTRACT Traditional practical work for higher education in STEM subjects is under pressure from rising student numbers and adesired increase in active learning. Investing in more buildings and staff is financially challenging, while stretching existing resources affects outcomes, health, and participation. A more pragmatic approach is to embrace a less instrumentalist view of practical work in physical spaces and instead adopt a critical post-humanist approach which mixes both humanity and technology to achieve a sum greater than the parts, not bound by the limits of either. We share the experiences of leading UK exponents of non-traditional laboratories in the four main categories of simulation, virtual laboratories, real-asynchronous, and real-synchronous activities, as well as experts in scaling digital education initiatives for university-wide adoption. We foreshadow opportunities, challenges and potential solutions to increasing the opportunity for active learning by students studying at traditional campuses, via the complementary addition of non-traditional practical work.


Protein sequence motifs information is crucial to the analysis of biologically significant regions. The conserved regions have the potential to determine the role of the proteins. Many algorithms or techniques to discover motifs require a predefined fixed window size in advance. Due to the fixed size, these approaches often deliver a number of similar motifs simply shifted by some bases or including mismatches. To confront the mismatched motifs problem, we use the super-rule concept to construct a Super-Rule-Tree (SRT) by a modified HHK clustering which requires no parameter setup to identify the similarities and dissimilarities between the motifs. By analyzing the motifs results generated by our approach, they are not only significant in sequence area but secondary structure similarity. We believe new proposed HHK clustering algorithm and SRT can play an important role in similar researches which requires predefined fixed window size.


The Müllerian duct gives rise to female reproductive organs, such as the oviduct and uterus. During gestation, the Wolffian duct, which generates male reproductive organs and the kidney, is formed, and the Müllerian duct then elongates caudally along the preformed Wolffian duct. Anatomical separation of these two ducts in chick embryos demonstrated that the Wolffian duct is required for Müllerian duct formation. Likewise, a few reports supported this notion in mice, including studies on Wnt9b mutant mice and Wolffian duct-specific Lhx1 deletion. However, anatomical ablation of the Wolffian duct has not been established in mice. In this study, we addressed the importance of the interaction between these two reproductive ducts, by generating mice that specifically expressed a diphtheria toxin subunit in the Wolffian duct. While this genetic ablation of the Wolffian duct resulted in kidney hypoplasia/agenesis in both male and female mutant mice, the female mutant mice lacked the uterus, which is derived from the Müllerian duct. At mid-gestation, the Müllerian duct was truncated at the level where the mutant Wolffian duct was prematurely terminated, meaning that Müllerian duct elongation was dependent on the preformed Wolffian duct. However, Wnt9b expression in the Wolffian duct and the resultant canonical Wnt activity, as well as Lhx1 expression, were not affected in the mutant mice. These results suggest that the Wolffian duct regulates Müllerian duct elongation by currently unidentified mechanisms that are independent of canonical Wnt signaling or Lhx1 expression.


This paper studies the impact of immigration to the United States on the vote share for the Republican Party using county-level data from 1990 to 2016. Our main contribution is to show that an increase in high-skilled immigrants decreases the share of Republican votes, while an inflow of low-skilled immigrants increases it. These effects are mainly due to the indirect impact on existing citizens' votes, and this is independent of the origin country and race of immigrants. We find that the political effect of immigration is heterogeneous across counties and depends on their skill level, public spending, and noneconomic characteristics. (JEL D72, J15, J24, J61, R23)


Due to their special physicochemical properties, iron nanoparticles offer new promising possibilities for biomedical applications. For bench to bedside translation of super-paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs), safety issues have to be comprehensively clarified. To understand concentration-dependent nanoparticle-mediated toxicity, the exact quantification of intracellular SPIONs by reliable methods is of great importance. In the present study, we compared three different SPION quantification methods (ultraviolet spectrophotometry, magnetic particle spectroscopy, atomic adsorption spectroscopy) and discussed the shortcomings and advantages of each method. Moreover, we used those results to evaluate the possibility to use flow cytometric technique to determine the cellular SPION content. For this purpose, we correlated the side scatter data received from flow cytometry with the actual cellular SPION amount. We showed that flow cytometry provides a rapid and reliable method to assess the cellular SPION content. Our data also demonstrate that internalization of iron oxide nanoparticles in human umbilical vein endothelial cells is strongly dependent to the SPION type and results in a dose-dependent increase of toxicity. Thus, treatment with lauric acid-coated SPIONs (SEONLA) resulted in a significant increase in the intensity of side scatter and toxicity, whereas SEONLA with an additional protein corona formed by bovine serum albumin (SEONLA-BSA) and commercially available Rienso® particles showed only a minimal increase in both side scatter intensity and cellular toxicity. The increase in side scatter was in accordance with the measurements for SPION content by the atomic adsorption spectroscopy reference method. In summary, our data show that flow cytometry analysis can be used for estimation of uptake of SPIONs by mammalian cells and provides a fast tool for scientists to evaluate the safety of nanoparticle products.


We have developed a versatile near-field microscopy platform that can operate at high magnetic fields and below liquid-helium temperatures. We use this platform to demonstrate an extreme terahertz (THz) nanoscope operation and to obtain the first cryogenic magneto-THz time-domain nano-spectroscopy/imaging at temperatures as low as 1.8 K, magnetic fields of up to 5 T, and with operation of 0–2 THz. Our Cryogenic Magneto-Terahertz Scattering-type Scanning Near-field Optical Microscope (or cm-THz-sSNOM) instrument is comprised of three main equipment: (i) a 5 T split pair magnetic cryostat with a custom made insert, (ii) a custom sSNOM instrument capable of accepting ultrafast THz excitation, and (iii) a MHz repetition rate, femtosecond laser amplifier for broadband THz pulse generation and sensitive detection. We apply the cm-THz-sSNOM to obtain proof of principle measurements of superconductors and topological semimetals. The new capabilities demonstrated break grounds for studying quantum materials that require an extreme environment of cryogenic operation and/or applied magnetic fields in nanometer space, femtosecond time, and THz energy scales.


In an electrical power system frequency is an important parameter. The frequency of operation is not constant but it varies depending upon the load conditions. In the operating, monitoring and controlling of electric device power system parameters are having great contribution. So it is very important to accurately measure this slowly varying frequency. Under steady state conditions the total power generated by power stations is equal to system load and losses. Frequency can deviate from its nominal value due to sudden appearance of generation-load mismatches. Frequency is a vital parameter which influences different relay functionality of power system. This study was made to estimate the frequency of measuring voltage or current signal in presence of random noise and distortion. Here we are first using linear techniques such as complex least mean square (LMS), least square (LS) and recursive least square (RLS) algorithm for measuring the frequency from the distorted voltage signal. Then comparing these results with nonlinear techniques such as nonlinear least mean square (NLMS), nonlinear least square (NLS), nonlinear recursive least square (NRLS) algorithms. The performances of these algorithms are studied through simulation.


Methylated free amino acids are an important class of targets for host-guest chemistry that have recognition properties distinct from those of methylated peptides and proteins. We present comparative binding studies for three different host classes that are each studied with multiple methylated arginines and lysines to determine fundamental structure-function relationships. The hosts studied are all anionic and include three calixarenes, two acyclic cucurbiturils, and two cleft-like hosts. We determined the binding association constants for a panel of methylated amino acids using indicator displacement assays. The calixarene hosts show weak binding that favours the higher methylation states, with the strongest binding observed for trimethyllysine. The acyclic cucurbiturils display stronger binding to the methylated amino acids, and some unique patterns of selectivity. The cleft-like hosts follow two different trends, one shallow host following similar trends to the calixarenes, and the other more closed host binding certain less-methylated amino acids stronger than their per-methylated counterparts. Molecular modeling sheds some light on the different preferences of different hosts. The results identify hosts with selectivities that will be useful for certain biomedical applications. The overall selectivity patterns are explained by a common framework that considers the topology, depth of binding pockets, and functional group participation across all host classes.


Detecting and selecting proper landmarks is a key issue to solve Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM). In this work, we present a novel approach to perform this landmark detection. Our approach is based on using three sources of information: 1) three-dimensional topological information from SLAM; 2) context information to characterize regions of interest (RoI); and 3) features extracted from these RoIs. Topological information is taken from the SLAM algorithm, i.e. the three-dimensional approximate position of the landmark with a certain level of uncertainty. Contextual information is obtained by segmenting the image into background and RoIs. Features extracted from points of interest are then computed by using common feature extractors such as SIFT and SURF. This information is used to associate new observations with known landmarks obtained from previous observations. The proposed approach is tested under a real unstructured underwater environment using the SPARUS AUV. Results demonstrate the validity of our approach, improving map consistency.


In this thesis I present my research on nano-scale light control using several novel approaches. I have demonstrated a planar metal nano-structure with cylindrical symmetry that is designed to create a super-oscillation of electromagnetic waves to focus light down to sizes smaller than the Abbe diffraction limit. For the first time this super-oscillatory lens was experimentally used for imaging of nano-structures. A pair of 0.3 lambda diameter nano-holes with 0.16 lambda edge-to-edge separation were resolved. I have demonstrated a novel type of super-oscillatory lens which produces a continuous distribution of sub-wavelength light localisations extending over several wavelengths along the optical axis. This 'optical needle' is also characterised by a large field of view. I have experimentally demonstrated a optical-needle-lens with 7µm depth of focus and 16% narrower than a diffraction-limited focal spot. I have characterised the point spread function of the above-mentioned super-oscillatory lenses, i.e., their ability to accurately image a point source. The images of the point source generated by these super-oscillatory lenses are at least 24% smaller than that produced by an ideal glass lens restrained by the Abbe diffraction limit. I have experimentally verified the imaging characteristics of the optical-needle-lens and demonstrated its ability to detect the off-axis placement of a point-like source. I have developed the nano-fabrication processes for manufacturing the super-oscillatory lenses on thin films of metals (Au, Al, Ti) using gallium focused-ion-beam milling technology. The focusing characteristics of the fabricated structures showed very good agreement with computational predictions. I have computationally shown that objects placed within the field of viewfocfocus of the optical-needle-lens can be imaged with super-resolution quality. This is a significant improvement over the sub-wavelength-step scanning imaging technique reported in this thesis for the other kind of super-oscillatory lens. For example, a super-oscillatory lens can resolve a 'random' cluster of 0.15 lambda diameter nano-holes with the smallest edge-to-edge separation of 0.28 lambda. I have experimentally demonstrated the first prototype of a solid-immersion superoscillatory lens that promises to achieve a 50 nm hotspot with 405 nm illumination for applications in heat-assisted magnetic recording technology. I have demonstrated for the first time a planar diffraction grating for visible light designed by arranging meta-molecules to produce a periodic phase ramp. I have also demonstrated the first ever metamaterial-based planar lens-array that produced a 2D array of sub-wavelength foci. Finally, I have provided the first experimental evidence that photoluminescence of gold can be substantially enhanced by patterning the film with designed 2D nano-structured array (or, metamaterials). When resonant two-photon excitation is used the metamaterial enhances the photoluminescence by more than 76 times. I have also observed that the photoluminescence emission peaks are linked to the frequencies of absorption resonances in the metamaterials.


The WHO Global Database on Body Mass Index (BMI) is now available on line at http://www.who.int/bmi/index. jsp (directly) or http://www.who.int/nutrition/en/ (through the WHO Nutrition homepage). The Database provides both national and sub-national adult underweight, overweight and obesity prevalence rates by country, year of survey and gender. The information is presented interactively as maps, tables, graphs and downloadable documents. It was initiated as part of WHO's commitment to implementing the recommendations of the WHO Expert Consultation on Obesity: Preventing and Managing the Global Epidemic (Geneva, 3–5 June 1997), which identified the lack of nationally representative cross-sectional data as an obstacle for facilitating international comparisons of adulthood obesity rates, monitoring the magnitude of the current and future obesity problems, and evaluating the effectiveness of intervention strategies. During the last four years, the Database has evolved, in close collaboration with FAO, as a global interactive surveillance tool to monitor nutrition transition, covering and reporting on the entire spectrum of adult nutritional status. This unique surveillance system also incorporates food availability data from the FAOSTAT Database, thereby providing a valuable contribution to an ongoing interagency work on monitoring food insecurity and vulnerability which was developed as follow-up to the World Food Summit (Rome, 1996). The Dietary Energy Supply (DES) data are displayed in conjunction with the BMI data on the maps and in the charts. DES figures are produced by FAO based on Food Balance Sheets (FBS). The further development of the Database is underway. These include:


Higher efficiency and optimal utilization of low-temperature heat sources, such as geothermal energy, re-quires a careful selection of working fluid and improving organic Rankine cycle (ORC). This article concerns with analyzing a new reheating-regenerative ORC. Present study considers selection of optimal working fluid and evaluation of the optimal reheating pressure ratio. It inves-tigates the influence of the turbine inlet temperature on thermal and exergy efficiencies. Results show that reheat-ing process can improve thermal performance of ORC. Derived curves for thermal and exergy efficiencies show that optimal reheating pressure ratio does not depend on turbine inlet temperature, but slightly increases with the critical temperature of the working fluid. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.mech.21.1.10127


Volume three, the last of a three-volume work on natural science for secondary school students, consists of three chapters. CHAPTER 1 carries the theme "management of the environment, balance, sustainability and the continuity of life". It starts with an elaboration of biodiversity followed by the nature of interdependence among living things and the environment. What naturally follow are matters of concern in regards to the preservation and conversation of the environment, which are of great importance and pivotal concern in the qur'anic worldview. The world around us is visualised through our senses. Since our daily living depends on them, the matter of nutrition and production of food is dealt with. The physiological functions of living things on which life depends so much, such as circulation, reproduction, coordination and heredity are elaborated upon.

CHAPTER 2 discusses broad aspects of "technology and development". These include the physics of strength and stability, machine, information and communication technology, chemicals in industry, food production, food technology, biotechnology and the developments of various synthetic material used in industries. Technological knowhow, awareness, accountability and responsibility are the key elements stressed.

"Astronomy and space exploration" being the theme of CHAPTER 3, the last chapter of this work, looks at the bigger picture of the universe. It traverses the inner and outer regions of our solar system and into space with a glimpse of the star and galaxies that litter the vastness of the universe with their beautiful twinkling lights that have been the subject of intrigue, awe and wonder; guiding caravans of travellers, ships and scientists since ancient time. Thus N.S.W.V.Q. concludes with a gesture that welcomes learners of all to unlock their hearts and read the signs of Allah the most gracious in his two books - the Qur'an and the cosmos...


BACKGROUND
Some research suggests that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience diverse motor difficulties that appear closely related to the severity of symptomatology, including repetitive behaviors. Therefore, motor assessment in ASD has crucial relevance in order to plan a specific intervention. The aim of this study is to assess and describe the motor functioning in school-aged children with ASD and to evaluate the relationship between their motor profile and clinical features.

METHOD
The Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2nd edition (M-ABC2) Checklist was administered to twenty children with ASD, aged between 5 and 13.5 years. The motor profile of the sample was analyzed and then the relationship between the motor functioning and the clinical characteristics of subjects (age, treatment duration, intellectual functioning and repetitive behaviors) was investigated.

RESULTS
70% of our sample has motor difficulties, especially in aiming and catching skills, balance and manual dexterity. Poorer performance was related to a higher frequency and intensity of repetitive and stereotyped behaviors.

CONCLUSIONS
Motor difficulties in children with ASD affect specific skills that imply the ability to integrate the perception with the action for anticipating and controlling the movement in a well-coordinated way. This result, along with the finding of an increased severity of repetitive and stereotyped behaviors in these children, emphasizes the close link between motor and "core" symptoms in ASD.


OBJECTIVE To characterize polymorphisms of the gene for cytochrome P450 isozyme 2D50 (CYP2D50) and the disposition of 2 CYP2D50 probe drugs, dextromethorphan and debrisoquine, in horses. ANIMALS 23 healthy horses (22 Thoroughbreds and 1 Standardbred). PROCEDURES Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CYP2D50 were identified. Disposition of dextromethorphan (2 mg/kg) and debrisoquine (0.2 mg/kg) were determined after oral (dextromethorphan) or nasogastric (debrisoquine) administration to the horses. Metabolic ratios of plasma dextromethorphan and total dextrorphan (dextrorphan plus dextrorphan-O-β-glucuronide) and 4-hydroxydebrisoquine concentrations were calculated on the basis of the area under the plasma concentration-versus-time curve extrapolated to infinity for the parent drug divided by that for the corresponding metabolite. Pharmacokinetic data were used to categorize horses into the phenotypic drug-metabolism categories poor, extensive, and ultrarapid. Disposition patterns were compared among categories, and relationships between SNPs and metabolism categories were explored. RESULTS Gene sequencing identified 51 SNPs, including 27 nonsynonymous SNPs. Debrisoquine was minimally detected after oral administration. Disposition of dextromethorphan varied markedly among horses. Metabolic ratios for dextromethorphan ranged from 0.03 to 0.46 (mean, 0.12). On the basis of these data, 1 horse was characterized as a poor metabolizer, 18 were characterized as extensive metabolizers, and 3 were characterized as ultrarapid metabolizers. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Findings suggested that CYP2D50 is polymorphic and that the disposition of the probe drug varies markedly in horses. The polymorphisms may be related to rates of drug metabolism. Additional research involving more horses of various breeds is needed to fully explore the functional implication of polymorphisms in CYP2D50.


Subsurface physical barriers have been recognized as effective in mitigating seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers, although mainly 2D (cross‐sectional) barrier effects have been considered. In this study, impermeable barriers with finite shore‐parallel lengths are investigated through 3D numerical simulation, thereby extending previous analyses. Two scenarios are considered: (a) barrier‐only and (b) barrier‐well systems; and three available barrier types are analyzed and compared: (1) subsurface dam, (2) cutoff wall, and (3) fully penetrating barrier. Barrier location, length, and height are investigated, and barrier effectiveness is evaluated from seawater volumes, seawater wedge toe positions, and maximum safe pumping rates. In the barrier‐only system, a better performance in preventing seawater intrusion was achieved by cutoff walls rather than subsurface dams. Finite‐length subsurface dams may slightly enhance seawater extent along parts of the coastline that are beyond the dam's length. Cutoff walls performed best when located at relatively small distances from the coast in the barrier‐only system, whereas with a well at 450 m from the shoreline, the subsurface dam located at a critical distance from the sea (i.e., 300 m in the current study) performed optimally (from the tested cases) and was superior to cutoff walls in terms of the maximum safe pumping rate. A fully penetrating barrier outperformed cutoff walls and subsurface dams, as expected. Our investigation indicates that subsurface barrier design should consider the effect of the shore‐parallel length, because barrier benefits may otherwise be significantly overestimated.


Light is an environmental factor that regulates pivotal processes in living organisms, and appropriate perception is key to adaptation to the environment. Blue light activates asexual reproduction in Trichoderma atroviride through transcription factors BLR-1 and BLR-2 which regulate light-responsive genes. Here, we show that blr-2 expression is a limiting factor for photo-perception and photo-transduction. Overexpression of blr-2 resulted in increased photoconidiation and stronger expression of light-induced genes. In contrast, overexpression of blr-1 resulted in reduced photoconidiaton and weaker expression of light-induced genes. blr-2 overexpression caused a marked reduction of growth when the fungus was grown under defined photoperiods, including a period of strong sensitivity to light, followed by a period of insensitivity. Long periods of incubation under this condition permitted recovery of a rhythmic growth similar to that of the wild-type. In addition, blr-2 expression is apparently regulated at the post-transcriptional level through the BLR proteins and its expression level is BLR-1-dependent even in the dark. Finally, we demonstrated that blr-2 overexpression caused higher sensitivity to blue light and we therefore propose that the preformation of BLR-1/BLR-2 complexes is key to adequate light perception in T. atroviride.


Background & Aim: Despite the growing statistics of people with HIV-positive in Iran, little attention has been paid to the poor quality of their life and the adverse psychological status of these patients. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of group Hope Therapy on the improvement of Dysfunctional Attitudes and the increase of hope in HIV positive patients. Methods: the research method of the present study was semi-experimental with pretest-posttest and control group. The study population included HIV-positive patients from Robat Karim city referring to behavioral health counseling centers. 28 patients were selected by simple randomized sampling and were assigned to the two groups. The experimental group received eight sessions of group hope-therapy. This research was a semi experimental study that included pretest-posttest and control group. The information was collected through the Snyder Hope Questionnaire and Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale. The obtained data were analyzed using ANCOVA and MANCOVA and via SPSS version 21. Results: Analysis of the data showed that the group hope therapy was effective in increasing hope of HIV-positive patients (Psuccess/perfectionism attitudes and need to keep others satisfied attitudes (P Conclusion: The findings revealed that more attention must be paid to the psychological health and quality of life of the HIV-positive patients. Group therapy and especially hope therapy could increase hope and inversely decrease dysfunctional attitudes among such patients.


BACKGROUND
An experimental study of rabbit calvaria evaluated the suitability of porous beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP) block as a biomaterial for onlay bone grafting and determined whether the addition of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) can accelerate bone formation inside the pores of the beta-TCP block.

METHODS
In eight rabbits, the calvarium was exposed, and the marrow was penetrated. The beta-TCP blocks were made of Ca3(CO4)3 (porosity, 75%; diameter, 8 mm; thickness, 5 mm). For the experimental group, the blocks were treated with PRP; for the control group, the blocks were treated with venous blood only. Each block was placed in the bone, attached with a titanium screw, and covered with a cutaneous flap. The animals were sacrificed after 3 months, and the tissue ingrowth into the blocks was euthanized.

RESULTS
Histologic and histomorphometric measurements demonstrated that there was no inflammatory infiltration around the blocks in either group. New bone formation inside the blocks originated from the parent bone in both groups. The mineralized bone generated tended to climb along the inner walls of the block. In addition, mineralized bone formation was noted around the titanium screw. Furthermore, there was no significant difference between the experimental and control groups in the relative amounts of newly generated tissue and mineralized bone generated in the blocks.

CONCLUSION
Porous beta-TCP block is a promising biomaterial for clinical situations requiring bone augmentation; however, the addition of PRP did not induce significantly more new bone formation.


Growth curves in the Chiapas sheep breed were assessed for males and females, comprising a wide age range of animals (3 to 156 months). Animals encompass 4 different phenotypes (white n=30, black n=77, tan n=28 and paint n=10). They were from different local communities in Chiapas (South Mexico). The goodness of fit for four different models (logistic, von Bertalanffy, Michaelis-Menten and Gompertz) was assessed for 66 males and 79 females. The best model was the Michaelis-Menten one, which can be useful in order to study the growth kinetics for this breed. The paint phenotype is the most distinct variety and it has the highest final weight for the age range studied.


The philosophical journal Krisis has been around for 40 years this year. The editorial board wanted to celebrate this by asking four editors from the past and the current editor-in-chief to shed light on the past, present and future of Krisis. In this introduction, some of the developments of the journal are briefly mentioned. Despite all kinds of changes that have taken place since Krisis was founded in 1980, the journal has remained true to itself.


The Philippines has been on a continuing decentralisation project since independence in 1946. The country's 1987 Constitution has a local autonomy prescription which sets the standard of "maximum decentralization, short of federalization". However, the present decentralisation system established by the Local Government Code (LGC) of 1991 has failed to meet this constitutional benchmark. Proposals to shift to a federal system remain a part of this ongoing decentralisation mission, but its perceived connection to constitutional change has effectively stymied the federalism advocacy because Filipinos do not support constitutional reform. Nevertheless, the goal to deepen decentralisation in the Philippines still stands. Hence, amending or replacing the LGC to reflect the constitutional standard of "maximum decentralization, short of federalization" must still be pursued. The rethinking of federalism as being part of a menu of decentralisation arrangements is an alternative approach to consider. Corollary to this, a deliberate resort to federalism studies can significantly assist legislative efforts to reach the "maximum decentralization" standard. Rethinking Federalism in the Philippines | 2


In this study, 79 Chinese and non-Chinese working professionals responded to an employabilityskills survey. They were asked to identify key language and intercultural proficiencies that would allow non-Chinese professionals to work more effectively with Chinese colleagues and clients. All participants work or worked in multilingual and multicultural settings from a limited set of business sectors and job positions in mainland China. Quantitative data suggest that the participants consider intercultural competence to be the most valuable skill in global work settings. Intercultural competence includes the ability to collaborate with colleagues and clients of different nationalities, the ability to adapt to Chinese problem-solving norms when conflicts arise, and the flexibility to apply Chinese cultural practices inside and outside the workplace. Notably, a significant mean difference exists between the Chinese and non-Chinese participants concerning adaptability to Chinese norms around conflict. Regarding language proficiency, the participants identified conversational competence as the most important skill for interpersonal communication at work and beyond, placing less emphasis on the ability to read formal documents and correspondence in Chinese. This analysis attempts to suggest pedagogical guidance for Chinese and other business language educators seeking to develop sustainable business language curricula that meet the demand for a globally competent workforce.


Purpose - The aim of this study was to measure the strain ratio of supraspinatus tendon, and assess the accuracy of sonoelastography when compared with grey-scale ultrasound in the diagnosis of supraspinatus tendinopathy in patients with shoulder pain. The findings were compared with clinical diagnosis and strain ratio results.

Materials and Methods - The study was undertaken in three phases. In phase 1, 284 asymptomatic supraspinatus tendons of healthy volunteers were assessed by grey-scale ultrasound and sonoelastography to obtain baseline results which included strain ratio.
In phase 2, 204 consecutive patients clinically diagnosed with supraspinatus tendinopathy, results of sonoelastography (index test) were compared with grey-scale ultrasound and clinical diagnosis (reference test). Strain ratio is proposed as a new reference standard and was used to test the accuracy of diagnosis. Supraspinatus tendons abnormalities detectable by grey-scale ultrasound were defined as swelling, hypoechoic or hyperechoic intratendinous lesions, while supraspinatus pathological alterations detectable by sonoelastography were defined as intratendinous tissue softening shown as experimentally proven colour changes and strain ratio values below cut-off value of 4.0 (p ≤ 0.0001).
In phase 3, intra-observer and inter-observer variability evaluation was done to assess the supraspinatus tendons of healthy volunteers.

Results - The overall mean strain ratio value in healthy supraspinatus tendons was 5.6 (± 1.24 SD). In healthy supraspinatus tendons, 9.9% showed evidence of softening suggesting subclinical tendinopathy which was not evident on grey-scale ultrasound. The correlation (kappa) between sonoelastography and grey-scale ultrasound in healthy volunteers was 0.42 showing moderate agreement (p < 0.001). In patients with tendinopathy, the mean strain ratio value was smaller and measured 3.59 (± 5.16 SD) with a significant statistical difference from those without tendinopathy (p = 0.001). When clinical diagnosis was used as the reference standard, sonoelastography showed better accuracy than grey-scale ultrasound {65% (CI: 59 - 70%) compared to 59% (CI: 59 - 70%)}, sensitivity {75% (CI: 60 - 86% compared to 65% (CI: 50 – 78%)} and specificity {63% (CI: 59 - 66%) compared to 57% (CI: 54 – 61%)} (p < 0.001). When strain ratio was used as the reference standard, sonoelastography also showed better accuracy than grey-scale ultrasound {92% (CI: 88 - 94%) compared to 68% (CI: 62 - 72%)}, sensitivity {98% (CI: 92 - 100%) compared to 73% (CI: 58 – 84%)} and specificity {88% (CI: 85 - 90%) compared to 67% (CI: 63 – 69%)} (p < 0.001). There was a statistically good agreement in the symptomatic group between sonoelastography and strain ratio (k = 0.84; p < 0.0005). The kappa measure of agreement between grey-scale ultrasound and sonoelastography was fair with a value of k = 0.35 (p < 0.0005). There was significant statistical difference in the mean score for the asymptomatic and symptomatic groups (p = 0.001). The kappa values for the intra-observer agreement showed very good level of agreement within each observer. Comparison of the inter-rater agreements between the two groups showed good and reproducible kappa values of 0.715 (Group 1) and 0.750 (Group 2).

Conclusion - Sonoelastography has been shown to be a valuable imaging modality in the detection of intratendinous tendinopathy. It improved the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of detection of tendinopathy when compared with grey-scale ultrasound. Strain ratio colour grading is proposed as new reference standard for supraspinatus tendinopathy.


We study the extent of political homophily—the tendency to form connections with others who are politically similar—in local governments' decisions to participate in an important form of intergovernmental collaboration: regional planning networks. Using data from a recent survey of California planners and government officials, we develop and test hypotheses about the factors that lead local governments to collaborate within regional planning networks. We find that local governments whose constituents are similar politically, in terms of partisanship and voting behavior, are more likely to collaborate with one another in regional planning efforts than those whose constituents are politically diverse. We conclude that political homophily reduces the transaction costs associated with institutional collective action, even in settings where we expect political considerations to be minimal.


Information technology (IT) plays an important role in development of business, boosting economic growth and employment by energising higher education sector. Software sector is a major component of IT industry. Development of indigenous software products is necessary for nation's economy through development in software industry. Under 'Digital India' and 'Make In India programmes major institutions are involved in policies and initiative programmes, R&D and innovation for growth of software industry. The paper attempts to highlight the crucial contribution of key stakeholders such as universities, technical research institute and private-public software firms, STPI and industrial association for development of software products and services. The Indian Government has taken many initiatives for promotion and adoption of Free & Open Source Software for increasing foreign exchanges, developing indigenous products and achieving vendor's independence. The paper raise question about unavailability of indigenous software products as compared to Microsoft and other foreign vendor's products in Indian market. Various institutions are still working on creation of indigenous software and in upcoming time novel products and technologies will be provided by India to domestic and global IT market.


The aim of this work was to evaluate factors associated with arterial blood pressure in a sample of older Mediterranean people without known cardiovascular disease. During 2005 to 2011, 2813 older (aged 65–100 years) individuals from 22 Mediterranean islands and the rural Mani region (Peloponnesus) voluntarily enrolled. Standard procedures were used to determine arterial BP and pulse pressure and for the evaluation of dietary habits (including tea and alcoholic beverages consumption), lifestyle, and anthropometric and clinical characteristics of the participants. Participants who reported low alcohol consumption (ie, 0–1 glasses per day) were less likely to have hypertension (odds ratio, 0.34; 95% confidence interval, 0.14–0.84) as compared with those who reported high alcohol consumption (ie, 5+ glasses per day). Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was inversely associated with mean arterial pressure (β coefficient, −0.18; 95% confidence interval, −0.33 to −0.16). Alcohol drinking remains an important modifiable risk factor for hypertension. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with decreased arterial peripheral resistance.


This study aims to analyze the affect of industry type, company size, and profitability on thecorporate social responsibility in annual reports. Collecting data using a purposive samplingmethod to non-financial companies listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2009. There are 92companies are used as research samples. Hypothesis testing is done with multiple regressionanalysis. This study used independent variable like: industry type, company size, profitability;and so the dependent variable used is corporate social responsibility. The results ofregression models indicate industry type and firm size affect to corporate socialresponsibility. However, company profitability doesn't affect to corporate socialresponsibility. By the way, that profitability doesn't have association with the corporatesocial responsibility disclosure. Keywords:corporate social responsibility, industry type, company size, profitability.


A rapid, safe, and reliable method for insertion of Swan-Ganz flow-directed, balloon-tipped catheters using the left subclavian vein is described. Experience with this method in 24 consecutive patients indicates a distinct advantage over the antecubital fossa approach: A venous cutdown is not necessary, the pulmonary artery is readily entered, fluoroscopy is not required, the patient is free to move both arms, and thrombophlebitis and infection occur infrequently. With proper attention to landmarks such as the clavicular tubercle, the procedure may be performed with facility. The major complication, pneumothorax, is minimized if mechanical ventilators are briefly disconnected during the subclavian puncture.


Neural signatures of humans' movement intention can be exploited by future neuroprosthesis. We propose a method for detecting self-paced upper limb movement intention from brain signals acquired with both invasive and non-invasive methods. In the first study with scalp electroencephalograph (EEG) signals from healthy controls, we report single trial detection of movement intention using movement-related potentials (MRPs) in a frequency range between 0.1 to 1 Hz. Movement intention can be detected above chance level (p<;0.05) on average 460 ms before the movement onset with low detection rate during the non-movement intention period. Using intracranial EEG (iEEG) from one epileptic subject, we detect movement intention as early as 1500 ms before movement onset with accuracy above 90% using electrodes implanted in the bilateral supplementary motor area (SMA). The coherent results obtained with non-invasive and invasive method and its generalization capabilities across different days of recording, strengthened the theory that self-paced movement intention can be detected before movement initiation for the advancement in robot-assisted neurorehabilitation.


Sex tourism among men who have sex with men (MSM) has been associated with increased risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) due to sexually scripted environments characterized by multiple sexual partners, increased availability of alcohol and drugs, and limited availability of HIV-prevention services. The current study examined the knowledge of and likelihood of using different modalities of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), an important biomedical HIV-prevention strategy, among MSM in Paris who have engaged in sex tourism. A sample of 580 MSM from a highly popular geosocial-networking smartphone application in Paris, France, participated in the survey. Of the 580 MSM, 444 participants reported an HIV-negative status and represent the analytic sample for this study. Approximately 27% reported engaging in sexual tourism. MSM who engaged in sex tourism were more likely to aware of on-demand PrEP and more likely to express interest in using on-demand PrEP (adjusted risk ratio [aRR] = 1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.03–1.53, aRR = 1.29; 95% CI = 1.04–1.61, respectively) than MSM who never engaged in sex tourism. Moreover, participants who engaged in sex tourism were more likely to express interest in rectal microbicides or both rectal and penile microbicides (aRR = 1.34; 95% CI = 1.13–1.59, aRR = 1.26; 95% CI = 1.03–1.55, respectively) than participants who had not engaged in sex tourism. With the high likelihood of interest in using alternative forms of PrEP in MSM who engage in sex tourism, this study suggests potential benefits for these alternative forms of PrEP for this specific population and underscores the importance of their continued development.


Summary

The suspensory apparatus is composed of the third interosseous muscle (TIOM) or suspensory ligament, the proximal sesamoid bones, palmar ligament and distal sesamoidean ligaments (DSL). Of these structures, the suspensory ligament is the most frequently implicated in conditions seen in race and sport horses; nevertheless, DSL lesions are not rare and often associated with other injuries that can modify patient prognosis and management. Ultrasonography has been shown to be valuable in the assessment of DSL desmitis. In contrast to the metacarpal area, the pastern region has been considered technically more difficult to scan because of the small and irregular contact surface and frequent artefacts. Advances in imaging techniques with adapted ultrasound probes and the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for equine lameness evaluation have revealed that distal sesamoidean ligament injuries are more frequently implicated in lameness than previously suspected.


Objective: Analyzing, in vitro, the pH of six endodontic pastes based on calcium hydroxide [Ca (OH) 2]. Methods: Six groups were formed (n = 5 pastes/group) and a control group (distilled water): GI – Ca(OH) 2 , propylene glycol 400 (PEG 400) and camphorated paramonochlorophenol (PMCC); GII Ca(OH) 2 , iodoform 1:1, PEG 400 and PMCC; GIII – Ca(OH) 2 , iodoform 4:1, PEG 400 and PMCC; GIV Ca(OH) 2 and Otosporim; GV – Ca(OH) 2 and olive oil; GVI Ca(OH) 2 and chlorhexidine gel 2%. The pastes were previously placed in distilled water and stored at 37° C, and the pH of each sample was measured at seven different time intervals. The assay was performed in two steps, whereas in the second stage the distilled water was replaced after each reading. Results: In both phases, there was no statistically significant difference between the pH values of GI, GII, GIII and GIV (p > 0.05) in the 7 time intervals evaluated. All groups showed higher pH compared to the GV and the control group (p < 0.05), which were statistically similar to each other (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The pastes presented alkaline pH, with variations according to their composition, having a greater dissociation when a viscous substance was present in the composition.


A stretched particle-in-cell (PIC) code was used to carry out dynamic simulations of a mode-selective extended-in- teraction gyrotron oscillator. Simulation results show that using the same interaction length, increasing the number of coupled cavities tends to force the peak of the electric-field profile closer to the output plane. As a result, the radiation becomes easier to leak out and the cavity is reduced. Using three coupled cavities (TE /TE /TE ) with 10.6-cm total interaction length, the cavity of 260% and 25% efficiency can be attained in a second harmonic (34 GHz) gyrotron oscillator. Using the proposed cavity as the output cavity of an inverted gyrotwystron, the bandwidth without resistive loading attains 0.6%.


Poverty and violence crisscross ethnographies of the African city. This is especially pronounced in anthropological research from South Africa, where considerable efforts are made to describe and document poverty and violence across segregated cityscapes. Correlations between poverty and vulnerability are often asserted in the literature: the "poorest of the poor" are presented repeatedly as the persons most susceptible to violence and harm. In this paper I aim to complicate how poverty and vulnerability are conventionally linked. Drawing from fieldwork on young African migrants' informal work in Cape Town, I show how hazardous slight gains in prosperity can prove. Once the migrants' entrepreneurial ventures took off, the youths were recast quickly as persons of suspicion and acceptable targeting. I present an episode in counterpoint of other migrants losing their property and means of livelihood. Countering expectations, these migrants' descent into poverty's inconspicuousness protected them during an outbreak of anti-immigrant violence. The ethnography shows poverty and vulnerability to be closely connected facets of urban life but more dynamically than assumed and not associable in predictable ways. I argue that anthropology's disproportionately narrow focus on the most economically and socially disadvantaged members of society risks eclipsing small yet significant fluctuations in wealth and well-being among the urban poor as a whole. Such a politics understates their diversity.


Traditional authentication technologies usually perform identity authentication based on user information verification (e.g., entering the password) or biometric information (e.g., fingerprints). However, there are security risks when applying only these authentication methods. For example, if the password is compromised, it is unlikely to determine whether the user entering the password is legitimate. In this paper, we subdivide biometric information into physiological and behavioral information, and we propose a novel user authentication system, RF-Ubia, which utilizes the low-cost radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to capture unique biological or behavioral information rooted in the user and can be used in two schemes for user authentication. Consisting of an array of nine passive tags and a commercial RFID reader, RF-Ubia provides double assurance for security of identity authentication by combining user information and biometric characteristics. It first verifies the user's password, and then identifies the biometric characteristics of the legitimate user. Due to the coupling effect among tags, any change in tag signal caused by the user's touch will affect other tag signals at the same time. Since each user has different fingertip impedance, their touch will cause unique tag signal changes. Therefore, by combining biometric information, the tag array will uniquely identify users. The evaluation results show that RF-Ubia achieves excellent authentication performance with an average recognition rate of 93.8%.


The central aim of Organic Farming is to maintain and improve soil fertility as a means of supporting animal health by species-adapted animal keeping and feeding. These two aims have developed from the basic desire of many human beings to live in harmony with nature, ultimately emanating from a wish to sustain their own health. In industrialised countries of temperate humid climate, diseases of modern civilisation have been developing at an alarming rate. One of the main reasons is excessive and incorrect nutrition, resulting from alienation in preparing and making our own foodstuffs. In this respect, food procurement today looks at qualitative aspects, i.e. at changes in nutritional habits, especially at a reduction of excessive meat consumption, but also at taking precautionary action to ensure that foodstuffs are free of pathogenic agents and harmful substances. In many tropical and subtropical regions, man is not supplied with sufficient amounts of food. In this context food procurement means protection against hunger and help in the daily fight for survival. This means that the main focus is on quantitative aspects of food production. However, the risks of intensive farming also have a completely different magnitude in tropical and subtropical regions due to the much more frequent occurrence of acute poisoning after the improper use of pesticides (Castillo, X., 2000). Organic Farming tries to meet the demands of man in temperate humid as well as in tropical and subtropical regions and to provide something of a unifying element. The tension between these different demands and the resulting exciting discussion is a specific feature of our faculty "Ecological Agricultural Sciences" in Witzenhausen, with its strong roots in both Sustainable Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture and in Organic Farming. In the view of a soil biologist, who tends to consider the aspects of soil fertility, the basic principles of Organic Farming mainly rely on the efficient and careful use of natural resources in all climatic regions (Paoletti, M.C. et al., 1993; Lavelle, P. et al., 1999). Under temperate humid climatic conditions, Organic Farming is especially devoted to protection against environmental pollution. Under tropical and subtropical climates, the possibilities of human intervention are enormously restricted due to the environmental conditions, e.g. nutrient deficiency of many soils or the drought of the climate, even if sufficient mineral fertilizers were available (Prasad, R. and Power, J.F., 1997). A characteristic feature of Organic Farming is the attempt to integrate problems into a systematic approach, to resist the temptation of simple solutions in mono-causal reason-effect-relationships, e.g. in finding a soil biological reference number that gives a fertilizer recommendation with a constant value. The euphoria in the use of molecular biological methods in the area of gene technology generates the suspicion that scientists search with complex methods for apparently simple solutions. This leads to the expectation that crop yields can be miraculously increased, for example, by introducing and switching on a gene. Problems are dealt with by taking immediate action, leading to fast and furious campaigns. Tackling problems in a systematic way, often called a holistic approach, entails the inherent risk that a specific topic will be dealt with very superficially. It is a major problem that the transfer of knowledge from temperate humid to tropical/ subtropical regions is impossible or seriously restricted. The use of easily-soluble mineral P-fertilizers is n ot really useful in P-fixing soils regularly occurring in large areas of tropical and subtropical regions (Castillo, X., 2000). Through promotion of soil microorganisms, e.g. by suitable soil organic matter management, P is much better held in biological cycles. However, knowledge about the control mechanisms of biological processes in tropical and subtropical soil is very sparse, especially considering the observation that the composition of the microbial decomposer community differs enormously in tropical and subtropical soils from those in humid temperate regions (Rees, R.M. et al., 1999). Not only is available knowledge regarding the large diversity of the tropical and subtropical regions restricted, but the realization of the farmers themselves is also hampered by quite different problems to those experienced in industrialised temperate humid regions. The cultural and political conditions, for instance with regard to property rights and the level of education, mean that the transfer of scientific knowledge can often only take place within very close limits (Bolanos, M.F., 2000). While the profession of a farmer requires an academic education in some countries of the European Union, land-using persons in tropical and subtropical regions are often very poorly educated, often lacking the most basic reading and writing skills. This problem is becoming increasingly serious with the increasing disappearance of rural traditions. A special advantage of Organic Farming is the fact that it always takes the social and political environment of human beings into consideration and not only the production of foodstuffs. Even more important for the development of sustainable agriculture in the tropics and the subtropics is the future oriented character of Organic Farming. In setting itself current limits in the means of production, its outlook into the future is unlimited.


Rural towns are especially susceptible to the effects of drought because their economies are dependent on natural resources. However, they are also resilient in many ways to natural hazards because they are rich in civic engagement and social capital. Because of the diverse nature of drought's impacts, understanding its complex dynamics and its effects requires a multidisciplinary approach. To study these dynamics, this research combines appreciative inquiry, the Community Capitals Framework, and a range of climatological monitoring data to assess the 2012–14 Great Plains drought's effect on McCook, Nebraska. Community coping measures, such as water-use reduction and public health programs, were designed to address the immediate effects of heat and scant rainfall during the initial summer and the subsequent years. Residents generally reported the community was better prepared than in previous droughts, including the persistent multiyear early-2000s drought. However, the results highlight wide variation in community perspectives about the drought's severity and impacts, as well as divergent experiences and coping responses. Despite these factors, we find evidence of the transformative potential of moving from drought coping to drought mitigation. We attribute the city's resilience to the ability to draw upon prior experience with droughts, having a formal municipal plan, and strong human and social capital to coordinate individual knowledge and expertise across agencies. We suggest that droughts have served a catalytic function, prompting the community to transform land-use practices, water conservation planning, and built infrastructure in lasting ways.


When manufacturing die casting mold, generally, the casting layout design should be considered based on the relation among injection system, casting...


Sulfite (SO2) plays an important role in flavour stability in alcoholic beverages, whereas hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has an undesirable aroma. To discover the cellular processes that control SO2 and H2S production, we screened a library of Saccharomyces cerevisiae deletion mutants. Deletion of 12 genes led to increased H2S productivity. Ten of these genes are known to be involved in sulfur‐containing amino acid metabolism, whereas UBI4 functions in the ubiquitin‐proteasome system and SKP2 encodes an F‐box‐containing protein whose function is unknown. We found that the skp2 mutant accumulated H2S and SO2, because the adenosylphophosulfate kinase Met14p is a substrate of SCFSkp2 and more stable in the skp2 mutant than in the wild‐type strain. Furthermore, the skp2 mutant grew more slowly than the wild‐type strain under nutrient‐limited conditions. Metabolome analysis showed that the concentration of intracellular cysteine is lower in the skp2 mutant than in the wild‐type strain. The slow growth of the skp2 mutant was due to a lower concentration of intracellular cysteine, because the addition of cysteine suppressed the slow growth. In the skp2 mutant, the cysteine biosynthesis proteins Str2p, Str3p and Str4p are more stable than in the wild‐type strain. Moreover, supplementation with methionine, S‐adenosylmethionine, S‐adenosylhomocysteine and homocysteine also suppressed the slow growth. Overexpression of STR1 or STR4 caused a more severe defect in the skp2 mutant. These results suggest that the balance of methionine and cysteine biosynthesis is important for yeast cell growth. Thus, Skp2p is one of the key components regulating this balance and H2S/SO2 production. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the most important ligaments in stabilizing the knee and injury of the ACL is one of the most common athletic injuries. The ACL has limited ability to heal due to its avascular environment; therefore, the primary treatment is to replace the ACL with a tissue graft. There is debate among clinicians on appropriate reconstruction techniques, such as the position and orientation of the graft. Improper graft placement may result in elevated forces and stresses which could lead to graft failure. This study examines the forces and stresses present in grafts when placed in five common tunnel positions, four anatomic and one non-anatomic. This was accomplished using computational models and experimental testing. Through the use of the finite element (FE) method a computational model was developed. Three-dimensional solid models of the tibia and femur were obtained through medical imaging in order to obtain the actual geometry of the bones and precise location of tunnel positions. An isotropic hyperelastic material was used to model the cylindrical grafts, placed in their respective positions. Three-dimensional joint kinematics were obtained via a six degree-of-freedom robotic manipulator and were used for input into the computational model. Graft stress and tension were calculated after the kinematics were applied for two initial conditions: stress-free and pre-stress that resulted from a 40N initial tension. Graft tension for each case was compared to experimentally determined graft force, obtained from a separate study of 16 cadaveric knee specimens. Results suggest that the FE estimation of graft tension in the 40 N tension initial condition more closely resembled experimental data and the non-anatomic graft placement resulted in elevated graft tension and stress.


Our purpose in this study was to investigate the perivasculary space under the myocardial bridges (MB) in dog, sheep, goat and human hearts. A total of 160 hearts were studied, and perivasculary space under the myocardial bridges was examined under microscope. The specimens belonged to 25 dogs, 100 sheep, 25 goats and 10 humans. Special attention was paid to evaluate the distance between the MB and coronary arteries (CA), CA and underlying myocardium (UM) and to find the relation of concomitant vein number accompanying the CA and MB. 219 myocardial bridges were found in total of hearts, and specimens from these bridges were examined under microscope. There were large variations in distance between the MB and CA (0–714 µm) and distance between CA and UM (0–309 µm). The myocardial bridges were classified into three groups in terms of the number of veins accompanying CA, the bridges with no concomitant veins with one concomitant vein and with two concomitant veins. This suggests that the distance between the MB and CA is crucial to determine how much force is on the CA. The environment surrounding the CA may be a crucial factor in determining whether the MB influences the induction of heart disorders or not.


Robinson, Jeffrey C., Cheryl Abbott, Christina A. Meadows, Robert C. Roach, Benjamin Honigman, and Todd M. Bull. Long-term health outcomes in high-altitude pulmonary hypertension. High Alt Med Biol. 18:61-66, 2017.

BACKGROUND
High-altitude pulmonary hypertension (HAPH) is one of several known comorbidities that effect populations living at high altitude, but there have been no studies looking at long-term health consequences of HAPH. We aimed to determine whether HAPH during adolescence predisposes to significant pulmonary hypertension (PH) later in life, as well as identify how altitude exposure and HAPH correlate with functional class and medical comorbidities.

METHODS
We utilized a previously published cohort of 28 adolescents from Leadville, Colorado, that underwent right heart catheterization at 10,150 ft (3094 m) in 1962, with many demonstrating PH as defined by resting mean pulmonary arterial pressure ≥25 mmHg. We located participants of the original study and had living subjects complete demographic and health surveys to assess for the presence of PH and other medical comorbidities, along with current functional status.

RESULTS
Seventy-five percent of the individuals who participated in the original study were located. Those with HAPH in the past were more prone to have exertional limitation corresponding to WHO functional class >1. Fifty-five years following the original study, we found no significant differences in prevalence of medical comorbidities, including PH, among those with and without HAPH in their youth.

CONCLUSIONS
Surveyed individuals did not report significant PH, but those with HAPH in their youth were more likely to report functional limitation. With a significant worldwide population living at moderate and high altitudes, further study of long-term health consequences is warranted.


We conduct an analysis of Exchange-traded Funds (ETFs), Index and Equity mutual funds and their respective benchmark during the 2010-2015 period for the Portuguese fund industry. For the period 2010-2017, we test ETFs for price inefficiency (existence of deviations between prices and the Net Asset Value) and persistence. We find that the studied ETF does not always outperform index funds in replicating the variations of the PSI 20 index, despite exhibiting better tracking ability when facing downside deviations of the benchmark and a better capacity of smoothing tracking deviations. Regarding ETFs price efficiency and its persistence, the study reveals that the examined ETF is priced at a low average discount with evidence of deviations persistence of at least two days. The investment schemes with the highest ability to track the PSI 20 Index were PSI20 (ETF), BBVA PPA Índice PSI20, and the equity mutual fund BPI Portugal.


Host associated systems are of particular interest to many microbiologists because invasion of these systems can lead to disease. One important host-associated systems is the intestinal microbiome, but in many studies, including those on pathogenesis, this system is represented by samples from one location (generally the feces or cecum). This body of work was initiated in part because I wondered why a large and diverse ecosystem was being was being represented by samples from only one habitat. The biogeography of living organisms has an impact on landscape ecology studies, including those in the field of invasion ecology. Despite several studies that specifically investigate the biogeography of the intestinal microbiome, there has been a general failure to describe the luminal biogeography of the lower intestinal tract, primarily due to "noise" introduced by inter-subject variation. Herein, the biogeography of the mouse lower intestinal tract was mapped using novel techniques to overcome problems caused by inter-subject variance. These techniques were then used to reveal nuances of invasion in the lower intestine by Clostridium difficile. C. difficile is an invader of the intestinal microbiome that is well-known for its ability to cause disease following antibiotic treatment. I observed large changes with the introduction of antibiotics to this system, resulting in a series of "blooms" of various taxa, most likely an indication of successional changes due to the effects of antibiotics. I also found that without antibiotic treatment, C. difficile, is still associated with changes in the intestinal microbiome. This is an important development, as it suggests that small changes associated with normal colonization by introduced species may be compared with range expansion by the same species. This body of work was primarily done in order to apply ecological theory to microbiome studies and in doing so gave rise to new techniques and new methods of looking at systems. It is my hope that these advances will result in contributions both to investigations of the intestinal microbiome as an ecological system as well as how as it relates to disease.


Dynamic environments are commonplace in the natural world, from fluctuations in nutrient sources that control metabolic rates, to radiative cycling that drives circadian rhythms, to mechanical stresses that reform vasculature. So, intuitively one would assume that the regulatory systems that control cellular behavior are acutely adapted to respond to such variable conditions in a robust and appropriate fashion. Yet, despite their potential to provide increased quantitative detail and insight to the natural behavior of cells, highly dynamic perturbations are rarely utilized in the analysis of cellular gene expression and regulation. Part of this stems from the lack of technologies that enable such studies. However, recent advances in microfluidic devices designed to address biologically relevant questions promise to fill this void. Moreover, recently discovered knowledge that the galactose metabolism in S. cerevisiae and possibly similar pathways, are in fact rudimentary memory systems, strengthens the need for the ability to examine gene regulation under complex and dynamic stimulation. In this project, microfluidic technology was developed specifically for isolating, observing, and dynamically probing colonies of model host microbes. The devices created not only sustain cells under ideal growth conditions, but do so in a way that allows for long duration acquisition of highly resolved time evolved gene expression within single cells. Furthermore, these imaging capabilities were coupled to a novel microfluidic system that was able to produce precise and continuous concentration waveforms. The microfluidic platform was then utilized to explore the dynamic response profile of the galactose utilization pathway in S. cerevisiae under fluctuating nutrient conditions. Using experimental data, this study revealed that the pathway kinetics lead to low- pass information filtration. Further experimental investigation coupled with computational model simulations uncovered coupling to glucose metabolism that provides a globally robust response, despite galactose utilization impairment. These results emphasize both the utility of microfluidic device platforms in quantitative biological studies, and the importance of studies conducted in more natural environments for gaining a more detailed understanding of how gene systems result in complex behavior


Summary Uncertainty in the tomographic inversion of near-surface seismic refraction data can be separated into aleatory variability, which describes the misfit errors and epistemic uncertainty, which describes the suite of acceptable models. Common implementations of refraction tomography usually focus on reducing aleatory variability and frequently disregard epistemic uncertainty. In this study, the tomograms generated with three models of the seismic velocities in both the weathering and in the sub-weathering, using the generalized reciprocal method (GRM), are consistent with the traveltime data. However, only one tomogram is consistent with the optimum XY value and the attributes derived from the head wave amplitudes and seismic velocities. This study demonstrates that epistemic uncertainty can be explicitly addressed with the GRM, because the most probable tomogram can be selected objectively from a number of acceptable alternatives. The GRM-based tomogram successfully detects, defines and differentiates narrow regions with low seismic velocities which represent shear zones and a massive sulphide ore body. None of these zones is detected with the tomogram generated with the default starting model using smooth vertical velocity gradients. It is concluded that minimizing epistemic uncertainty through the use of the most appropriate starting model is more important than minimizing aleatory variability.


Work quality in crowdsourcing task sessions can change over time due to both internal factors, such as learning and boredom, and external factors like the provision of monetary interventions. Prior studies on crowd work quality have focused on characterizing the temporal behavior pattern as a result of the internal factors. In this paper, we propose to explicitly take the impact of external factors into consideration for modeling crowd work quality. We present a series of seven models from three categories (supervised learning models, autoregressive models and Markov models) and conduct an empirical comparison on how well these models can predict crowd work quality under monetary interventions on three datasets that are collected from Amazon Mechanical Turk. Our results show that all these models outperform the baseline models that don't consider the impact of monetary interventions. Our empirical comparison further identifies the random forests model as an excellent model to use in practice as it consistently provides accurate predictions with high confidence across different datasets, and it also demonstrates robustness against limited training data and limited access to the ground truth.


We investigate the ground-state Riemannian metric and the cyclic quantum distance of an inhomogeneous quantum spin-1/2 chain in a transverse field. This model can be diagonalized by using a general canonical transformation to the fermionic Hamiltonian mapped from the spin system. The ground-state Riemannian metric is derived exactly on a parameter manifold ring S1, which is introduced by performing a gauge transformation to the spin Hamiltonian through a twist operator. The cyclic ground-state quantum distance and the second derivative of the ground-state energy are studied in different exchange coupling parameter regions. Particularly, we show that, in the case of exchange coupling parameter Ja = Jb, the quantum ferromagnetic phase can be characterized by an invariant quantum distance and this distance will decay to zero rapidly in the paramagnetic phase.


This article focuses on the topic of Shuilong Hui held in late-Qing Shanghai. Centering on issues regarding visuality and visual culture, this article investigates the urban scenery and cultural meaning which Shuilong Hui presents and demonstrates by means of analyzing words and pictures from late-Qing newspapers and illustrated magazines. The section two briefly describes the historic background and context of Shuilong Hui. The main text discusses Shen Bao and Dianshi Zhai Huabao's description and records of Shuilong Hui, and develops the main argument from the angle of "seeing" and "vision". From fire-fighting exercises to activities in celebration of western authority, the host of Shuilong Hui made use of visual display so as to establish and reinforce a concept that the West is a paradigm to late-Qing China. In addition, by seeing the elaborately decorated parade of technological objects, Shuilong Hui's audience's experience of visual modernity was also a manifestation of Shanghai's advanced material civilization. Referring to a report written by a western spectator of Shuilong Hui, it clearly demonstrates that the intention of Shuilong Hui was to manifest the influence of western authority and civilization on Shanghai through visual stimulation. Therefore, the historical value and significance of Shuilong Hui lies in its representation of western characteristics and urban imagination of late-Qing Shanghai.


Abstract Although individuals may engage in several topographies of aberrant behavior, each with different functions, it is not uncommon for researchers to conduct one functional analysis. We conducted two functional analyses for a child with autism, one with and one without consequences for stereotypic vocalizations. Only the analysis without consequences for stereotypic vocalizations differentiated the function of the primary target behavior, disruption. The data suggest that in some cases high-rate behaviors may serve as establishing operations that mask the function of lower rate behaviors and warrant separate functional analyses.