Relevance scoring and estimation deals with both finding the relevant set of answers and ordering them according to the degree of their relevance to the user-intent. The traditional information retrieval (IR) systems successfully find and order the relevant documents and leave them to the users, who then have to locate the relevant information embedded somewhere within the document. In contrast, estimating relevance in semi-structured retrieval means not only retrieving and ordering the relevant documents but also locating the relevant information within the document as well. When it comes to semi-structured retrieval, the traditional IR style retrieval is simply insufficient. The main focus of this thesis is estimating relevance in a schema-agnostic environment. Here, "schema-agnostic" means that the schema or the structure exists explicitly within the documents but the user does not or need not know that schema. In such an environment, the structure is generally defined loosely, which means: (a) it can evolve over time, (b) it can constitute a large part of the data, and (c) it might exist seamlessly within the document. The natural question that comes into mind is, why is such a structure there at all? The structure in a schemaagnostic environment is there to be used by retrieval systems for several useful tasks. This thesis is about unveiling the capabilities of the structural constructs within semi-structured documents in schema-agnostic settings. Structural constructs can form what we call the structural context of the relevant item. A structural context builds up the internal and external contextual features of a semi-structured document. These contextual features help with a series of tasks. The work presented in this thesis contributes towards understanding and utilizing the contextual features in the retrieval of focused information in schema-agnostic settings. During the course of this study we have identified, implemented and experimented with several intuitive types of contextual features in semi-structured retrieval settings. Contextualization is the generic process of utilizing features in the structural context of the retrievable units in relevance scoring. The proposed retrieval approaches, based mainly on contextual features, exhibited notable improvements in retrieval effectiveness, during empirical analyses. The evaluations and empirical analyses are performed in several tasks, spread across different phases of this study. The tasks are performed by looking at different aspects and challenges of the semi-structured retrieval domain. The following tasks are performed at different phases of this study: ad-hoc tasks, granulation tasks, and standard tasks offered by INitiative for the Evaluation of Xml retrieval (INEX). The contributions of this thesis are also grouped by these tasks.


Understanding how farmers respond to premium subsidies and other incentives to purchase crop insurance is fundamental to evaluating how changes in these incentives affect the use of federal crop insurance and thus the Federal savings that can be expected. We use contract-level data for corn enterprise units in 2008 and 2009 to examine how modifications to the out-of-pocket cost of crop insurance affect farmers' insurance coverage level decisions and government expenditures. Unlike previous studies that have examined this question, we use a specialized discrete choice framework, an ordered generalized extreme value (OGEV) model. This approach explicitly accounts for the natural ordering of the choice set from low to high coverage. Our results suggest a significant difference in the response to changes in the unit price of federal crop insurance for farmers that are observed to choose a low coverage level versus those that are observed to choose a high coverage level. This has significant implications for the potential government cost savings and change in average farmer coverage level that can be expected from a change in the structure of premium subsidies.


The paper reports on bulk and layered multiferroic composites based on cobalt ferrite and lead iron tantalate-lead titanate solid solution. Syntheses of CoFe2O4 and Pb(Fe1/2Ta1/2)O3 were performed by conventional solid state reactions. 0.5CoFe2O4–0.425Pb(Fe1/2Ta1/2)O3-0.075PbTiO3 bulk composites were prepared by sintering at 900°C. Multilayer composites were fabricated by tape casting, stacking and lamination of alternate ferrite and relaxor layers, followed by cosintering at 950°C. X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopic observations confirm that the obtained ceramic samples are composed of ferrite spinel and relaxor perovskite phases. Impedance spectroscopic studies carried out in the temperature range 218-623 K at frequencies 10 Hz–2 MHz show high and broad maxima of dielectric permittivity. On the basis of investigations of magnetization versus magnetic field (up to 85 kOe) and temperature (4-400 K), the behavior typical of hard magnetic materials was found for CF-PFT-PT composites. The measurements carried out at room temperature as a function of the external dc magnetic field and frequency of the sinusoidal ac modulation field, reveal a distinct magnetoelectric effect of the investigated bulk and layered composites.


The system switching speed or bit rate and signal beam tolerances of optical processing systems comprised of cascaded symmetric self-electrooptic effect devices (S-SEEDs) are calculated as a function of the absorption characteristics of the devices. It is shown that the optimum design is not characterized simply by best transmission contrast ratio or by largest absolute difference between the low and high absorption states. Because the same diodes are used as detectors and modulators simultaneously, the optimum design for a S-SEED for best system performance is a compromise. The authors find that devices made by maximizing the ratio of the absorption coefficients in the high and low states while minimizing the change in the applied electric field will give nearly optimum system performance. >


In 1837 the Trondheim-based Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences puzzled about the freedom of the human will, and to overcome its perplexity, the Society decided to sponsor a prize-essay contest. In April the same year, Arthur Schopenhauer came across an announcement for the contest in the Halle Literary Journal. The philosopher was immediately intrigued by the question for the contest, «Can the freedom of the human will be deduced from self-consciousness?», and he felt compelled to answer it. It came in three dissertations. One of these was written by a virtually unknown German philosopher who had previously published a book titled «The World as will and idea», and in March 1820 attempted to gain entry to the University of Berlin by challenging Hegel; namely Arthur Schopenhauer. While the King (Carl Johan) birthday was celebrated in the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences in Trondheim 26. January 1839, Schopenhauer was awarded the great gold medal for his thesis with the motto «La liberte est un Mystere», a work which later was titled «The freedom of the will.» In addition to the gold medal, which the philosopher valued highly, he was also named a member of the Society. Some months later Schopenhauer decided to resolve the perplexity of the Royal Danish Society for Scientific Studies priceessay competition on the question of the foundation for morality. He sent his entry «On the Foundation of Morality» to the Royal Danish Society 26. July 1839. The essay was deemed not worthy of wearing the crown because its author (according to the evaluation committee) had misunderstood the question. Schopenhauer was disappointed and extremely furious.


Thermoelectric power (TEP) properties of graphite nanotubule bundles were measured in the range 80–280 K. It was found that the TEP is positive and the magnitude at 280 K reaches about an order of +15 μV/K, far larger than that in highly oriented pyrolytic graphite. Moreover, in the studied range, the TEP can be approximately described by the formula S(μV)=0.167T−(70.2+0.085T)e−302.5/T derived based on a two-band model. The experimental results support such an idea that in the buckybundles both kinds of nanotubes, i.e., metallic tubes with a highly mobile velocity and semiconductive tubes with a narrow energy gap are included. The Fermi energy of the valence band for the metallic tubes is about −0.22 eV, and the average effective energy gap of the semiconductive tubes is estimated at about 52.2 meV. This conclusion is in good agreement with the theoretical predictions.


Phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K) regulates several vital cellular processes, including signal transduction and membrane trafficking. In order to study the intracellular localization of the PI3K product, phosphatidylinositol 3‐phosphate [PI(3)P], we constructed a probe consisting of two PI(3)P‐binding FYVE domains. The probe was found to bind specifically, and with high affinity, to PI(3)P both in vitro and in vivo. When expressed in fibroblasts, a tagged probe localized to endosomes, as detected by fluorescence microscopy. Electron microscopy of untransfected fibroblasts showed that PI(3)P is highly enriched on early endosomes and in the internal vesicles of multivesicular endosomes. While yeast cells deficient in PI3K activity (vps15 and vps34 mutants) were not labelled, PI(3)P was found on intralumenal vesicles of endosomes and vacuoles of wild‐type yeast. vps27Δ yeast cells, which have impaired endosome to vacuole trafficking, showed a decreased vacuolar labelling and increased endosome labelling. Thus PI(3)P follows a conserved intralumenal degradation pathway, and its generation, accessibility and turnover are likely to play a crucial role in defining the early endosome and the subsequent steps leading to multivesicular endosome formation.


Public opinion in Britain influenced the government's policy of retreat in response to
Chinese nationalism in the 1920s. The foreigners' rights to live, preach, work and trade
in China extracted by the 'unequal treaties' in the nineteenth century were challenged
by an increasingly powerful nationalist movement, led by the Kuomintang, which was
bolstered by Soviet support. The Chinese began a major attack on British interests in
June 1925 in South China and continued the attack as the Kuomintang marched upward
to the Yangtze River, where much of British trade was centred. Policymakers in Britain
struggled to come up with a workable policy that could meet the new challenge of
Chinese nationalism and satisfy its own interests in East Asia. The result was a
complete renunciation of the traditional gunboat policy for a policy of friendship and
conciliation. Why then did Britain begin its retreat from China? Why, in the face of the
contrasting forces of Chinese nationalism and strong opposition from the British
community in China, did Britain decide to relinquish its traditional treaty rights?
Political, strategic and economic issues determined, to an extent, Britain's China policy,
but historians have neglected to see the vital influence of domestic opinion in Britain
and to take into account the cultural context within which policy was made. In a time
when mass audiences read the news and actively engaged in debates over policy, policy
needed not only to be pragmatic and profitable, but also persuasive. An entire section of
British thought about China has been neglected in the existing literature. This thesis
argues that the confluence of liberal, Labour, business, pacifist and missionary opinion
in Britain after the First World War and the victory of its narrative of China provided
critical support for a policy of imperial retreat from China.


This paper proposes a methodology for proactive event-driven decision making. Proper decisions are made by forecasting events prior to their occurrence. Motivation for proactive decision making stems from social and economic factors, and is based on the fact that prevention is often more effective than the cure. The decisions are made in real time and require swift and immediate processing of Big Data, that is, extremely large amounts of noisy data flooding in from various locations, as well as historical data. The methodology will recognize and forecast opportunities and threats, making the decision to capitalize on the opportunities and mitigate the threats. This will be explained through user-interaction and the decisions of human operators, in order to ultimately facilitate proactive decision making.


Police officers and emergency personnel are on the frontlines of the opioid crisis. This research examines police officer attitudes about naloxone administration, drug treatment, and their role in handling drug-related incidents through an online survey. Although officers view themselves as adequately trained in administering naloxone/Narcan, almost half (43%) believe there should be a limit on how often someone who overdoses receives Narcan and the majority (83%) view naloxone/Narcan as providing an excuse to continue drug use. Officers also view drug treatment as ineffective. Negative attitudes differed as a function of frequency of overdose responses; officers who responded to more overdose calls and administered naloxone more frequently demonstrate more pessimistic attitudes toward drug treatment and the use of naloxone/Narcan. Officers more frequently exposed to drug overdoses need education and training about drug addiction issues to decrease stigma and elicit greater empathy toward people struggling with addiction.


A physical model is presented describing the backscatter from coniferous boreal forests in the lower VHF-band in terms of stem volume. By using measurements of mean amplitude in high-resolution SAR images (rather than intensity), a linear dependence on stem volume can be obtained. The model fits well with the measurements made using the coherent all radio band sensing (CARABAS) SAR in the southern boreal forest, indicating the possibility of retrieving stem volume, and hence biomass, with an accuracy similar to that reached by standard ground-based measurements. No saturation of the scattering is seen up to biomasses of 550 m/sup 3//ha.


To put briefly the pattern of the weakening competitiveness of Japanese science-based industries, they can no longer effectively respond to the frequently occurring systems-of-systems competition beyond the existing business competition level and have fallen behind their rivals in the world, facing a discontinuous enhancement of systemic abstraction level of products and services and/or their connotating systems due to the digitization, automation, and accurate visualization of everything realized by information and communications technology (ICT). This is the pattern with which they cannot keep pace in the rapid expansion of the range of consideration caused by the systems' complification and dropping behind the systems-of-systems competition (so-called multi-level competition). This paper tries to ascribe such failing patterns not only to firms' or organizations' business and/or personnel strategies but also to the unexpected change and deterioration of the firm- or organization-specific human capital (HP) embodied in their employees caused by ICT together with artificial intelligence (AI)/ Internet of Things (IoT). Furthermore, it maintains that, to cope with never-ending frequent phase changes in the age of AI/IoT, highly self-evolvable human capital (Se-HP) endowed with both progressiveness and conservativeness is indispensable, and, beyond the limit of the phenomenon-dependent Beckerian HP theory, tries to clarify the main characteristics of Se-HP from modularity and their formation processes, the root causes of HP to acquire firm- or organization- specific natures, the dynamic features of specific layers of HP to change from specific to general, and their root causes, etc.


Local site effects have an enormous influence on the character of ground motions. Currently, soil categories and site factors used in building codes for seismic design are generally based on, or at least correlated with, the seismic velocity of the surface layer. We note, however, that the upper 30 m (a typical depth of investigation) would almost never represent more than 1% of the distance from the source; 0.1% to 0.2% would be more typical of situations where motion is damaging. We investigate the influence of this thin skin on the high-frequency properties of seismograms. We examine properties of seismograms consisting of vertically propagating S waves through an arbitrarily complex stack of flat, solid, elastic layers, where the properties of the lowermost layer (taken at 5 km depth) and a surface layer (thickness 30 m) are constrained. Input at the bottom of the stack is an impulse. We find that the character of the seismograms, and the peak spectral frequencies, are strongly influenced by the properties of the intervening layers. However, for infinite Q, the integral of amplitude squared at the surface (which determines energy if the input and output are regarded as velocity, or Arias intensity if the input and output are regarded as acceleration) is independent of the intervening layers. Also, the peak amplitude of the seismogram at the surface is relatively independent of the intervening properties. For finite, frequency-independent Q, the integral of amplitude squared and peak amplitude decrease as t* increases. There is some scatter that depends on the intervening layers, but it is surprisingly small.
 These calculations suggest that the surficial geology has a greater influence on ground motions than might be expected based on its thickness alone. They suggest that variable influences of Q along the entire path have a comparable importance for predictions of ground motions. Finally, they suggest that detailed characterization of deeper velocity structure in regions where a 1D model is appropriate gives only a limited amount of added information. Based on our 1D numerical results, we propose a new method to characterize these properties as site factors that could be used in building codes. Full three-dimensional synthetics are tested and give a similar conclusion.


The use of chitosan in complexation with alginate appears to be a promising strategy for cell microencapsulation, due to the biocompatibility of both polymers and the high mechanical properties attributed by the use of chitosan. The present work focuses on the optimization and characterization of the alginate–chitosan system to achieve long‐term cell encapsulation. Microcapsules were prepared from four types of chitosan using one‐ and two‐stage encapsulation procedures. The effect of reaction time and pH on long‐term cell viability and mechanical properties of the microcapsules was evaluated. Using the single‐stage encapsulation procedure led to increase of at least fourfold in viability compared with the two‐stage procedure. Among the four types of chitosan, the use of high molecular weight (MW) chitosan glutamate and low MW chitosan chloride provided high viability levels as well as good mechanical properties, i.e., more than 93% intact capsules. The high viability levels were found to be independent of the reaction conditions when using high MW chitosan. However, when using low MW chitosan, better viability levels (195%) were obtained when using a pH of 6 and a reaction time of 30 min. An alginate–chitosan cell encapsulation system was devised to achieve high cell viability levels as well as to improve mechanical properties, thus holding great potential for future clinical application. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 82:570–579, 2006


This article presents an approach for a network equivalent calculation for the analysis of electromagnetic transients in power systems. It is based on time-domain fitting and enforces some degree of sparsity while preserving the accuracy of the equivalent. The calculated equivalent is appropriate for direct interface with the rest of the system in time domain. A constrained least squares solution of the time-domain fitting equations is used to ensure accuracy at zero and 60 Hz. Results demonstrating the accuracy and computational efficiency of the method are presented.


Eight wheat fields from the Karnal bunt-regulated regions within Texas were grid sampled to gain a better understanding of the ecology and epidemiology of teliospores produced by the causal agent, Tilletia indica. Teliospores from 25-g aliquots of soil from each grid point were extracted using a size-selective sieving sucrose-centrifugation procedure. Teliospores were recovered from all eight fields and, in some cases, from every grid point within a field. Total teliospore numbers ranged from 0 to 1,305 per 25 g of soil. Over 70% of the total grid sampled points contained one or more teliospores. The relation between soil chemical and physical characteristics and teliospore numbers from each field was evaluated. In general, no consistent, significant trend could be made between soil factors and teliospore numbers. Geostatistics were used to analyze data from grid points and create contour maps. Teliospore distribution was aggregated in four of the fields, random in three of the fields, and discontinuous (neither random nor aggregated) in a single field. This is the first report of widespread distribution and high teliospore numbers from wheat field soils in the United States.


Floodplain meadow grassland is a diverse habitat which has become increasingly rare throughout Europe. Meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria, is a characteristic species of its plant community, however it can become overly dominant in the sward resulting in detrimental effects on the community as a whole. High abundance can reduce both the diversity of the sward, by shading out low growing species, and the quality of the hay crop. An eight-year management trial (2011-2019) was undertaken at Fancott Woods and Meadows SSSI by the BCN Wildlife Trust and the Floodplain Meadows Partnership, to test whether it was possible to reduce the dominance of meadowsweet through an annual hay cut with aftermath grazing instead of grazing management only, across three blocks of experimental treatments. A secondary aim of the trial was to investigate whether a change in management could also increase the plant-species diversity. Three plots were cut in June and then aftermath grazed, compared to three control plots that were only grazed from July onwards. The study found that cover of meadowsweet decreased from 55% to 6% under the annual cut and aftermath grazing treatment compared to a decrease from 58% to 35% in the control (grazed only) areas. This was accompanied by an increase in plant-species diversity in the cut areas compared to control plots. The study concluded that annual cutting can be used to control coarse and dominant meadowsweet effectively, and that cutting followed by aftermath grazing in a floodplain meadow delivers greater botanical diversity compared to grazing alone.


In the Italian context, buying a house is considered one of the most important social, economic, and cultural investment in people's lives. Local, regional and national policies tend to transmit and reinforce the idea that house represents a source of economic and psychological stability and it offers the possibility to project a "good future". Nevertheless, the recent economic crisis has not only brought down the housing market, but also made it more difficult to be able to support the economic weight of rent. The article, through the reconstruction of lives and working stories of some Milanese peripheral inhabitants, shows, on the one hand, the creativity in the production of new tactics to housing access; on the other, it shows the sense of nostalgia of the marginal inhabitants of the city. We identified in "wait" a useful key to understanding the various biographies and experiences analyzed. Moreover, we point out that "wait" in its meanings of pause, suspension and break, but also of expectation, hope and prospect, represents a recurring element that gives a structural dimension to the risk of dispersion emerging from biographical narratives. The article, through ethnographic analysis, shows possible paths that people create from the moment they find themselves without a home to when they critically reflect on their experiences. The aim of our analysis is to show how wait produces a structured and structuring feature into recent Italian housing policies and how it creates imaginaries and strategies in the context of the Milanese outskirts.


The scope of this work was to study the physical metallurgical behaviour of the microstructure and the texture of ultra low carbon (ULC) steel during cold rolling and subsequent thermally activated phenomena. It was the intention to contribute to the scientific search for the answer to many open questions raised in recent literature. The powerful tool of quantitative texture analysis, together with modern measurement equipment was used for this purpose. At first, a ULC steel was cold rolled to two different rolling reductions and the local strain heterogeneities after the cold rolling were studied. Secondly, crystallographic orientation selection during primary recrystallization was considered both for cold rolled ULC steel and for a Fe-2.8%Si single crystal. The latter was a re-evaluation of the historic growth selection experiment by Ibe and Lücke. Finally, secondary recrystallization in ULC steels was evaluated in terms of oriented nucleation and selective growth.


The agricultural sector is the most important economic component in Afghanistan, as 80% of the population is involved. The improvement of cereal production is an urgent task to meet the nation's demand for the staple within the limited arable land. To promote a sustainable crop production system, this study examined the soil quality to learn the basic knowledge of soil fertility and the environmental impact of different rice–wheat cropping systems in Khost, Afghanistan by using the life cycle assessment (LCA) method. The economic analysis of each farming system was conducted by the data gathered by the farmers' interviews along with LCA data collection. The analysis considered the on-farm activities, which were required to produce 1 kg of wheat and rice. It included energy use, production, and farming inputs such as fertilizer and agrochemicals. Conventional farming with organic fertilizer application (CF+OF) was compared with conventional farming (CF). The LCA results showed the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emission was higher in rice production compared to wheat production. However, CO2 absorption by the crops was far greater than the total GHG emission in both systems and showed great potential for soil carbon sequestration for mitigation of global warming. The soil examination revealed the CF+OF system increased soil total carbon (TC), active C (AC), total N (TN), soil organic carbon storage (SCS), P, and K+ after four years of organic fertilizer application. The yield of each crop was slightly higher in the CF system; however, the CF+OF system increased net income by reducing the cost for fertilizer. The study concluded the CF+OF system can improve soil fertility in the long term while saving the farming operation cost. Further research is required to determine the best combination of practices to improve cattle manure characteristics and farm management for soil carbon sequestration to promote a sustainable farming system in the country.


A "double perturbation" theory is presented in the framework of the kinetic theory of quark-gluon plasma.A solvable set of equations from the double perturbation are derived and proven to be gauge invariant.The Landau damping rate for the plasmon at zero momentum is shown to be a convergent series in correlators.


We will define two ways to assign cohomology groups to effect algebras, which occur in the algebraic study of quantum logic. The first way is based on Connes' cyclic cohomology. The resulting cohomology groups are related to the state space of the effect algebra, and can be computed using variations on the Kunneth and Mayer-Vietoris sequences. The second way involves a chain complex of ordered abelian groups, and gives rise to a cohomological characterization of state extensions on effect algebras. This has applications to no-go theorems in quantum foundations, such as Bell's theorem.


SHORT SUMMARY What happens when you let the students collectively decide together what's meant by "good quality" for example in a lab report? Will this adequately guide their own learning as shown by their written lab reports and peer feedback comments? Or is it better to just tell them what you expect? ABSTRACT Intended audience: This presentation will likely mostly interest teachers who use or want to start using peer review in their courses (at bachelor or master level). Teachers of courses with lab report assignments may also be interested in my example of use of peer feedback in this learning context. Problem statement: Many students, at the onset of advanced level studies at Chalmers, lack the ability to produce a good quality lab report. Such generic skills are expected to be in place before students leave Chalmers with their master's degree. Experience has shown that "just" telling the students how to write a good report is not sufficient. Might they listen more to each other than to the teacher? Suggested solution: If students are collectively given the chance to spell out what they mean by a "good quality" lab report, agreeing upon a list of criteria in class, this list can be used to guide their learning through applying their own criteria. This list of criteria can support their individual first draft writing process, as well as their individual feedback given to each other in a structured peer review process. Finally, the feedback given by the teacher can reference the students' own list of criteria when making the final assessment of the revised report. Chosen learning scenarios: This method has been applied for two consecutive years in an introductory course within the MPWPS program. An introductory lecture before labs start includes a collective exercise where students provide their take on quality criteria for lab reports. The teacher takes the role of secretary, creating their collective list on the whiteboard, and making the list available in PingPong after the lecture. (See Ref. 1.) If key aspects are being forgotten by the students collectively during the process, the teacher can drop gentle hints in order to have the final quality criteria list quality assured. Seven obligatory short labs are performed in pairs, but only one of these labs is individually and randomly assigned to each student for writing a formal lab report. Students are then assigned peer review roles, and apply these quality criteria to a report on a different lab by another student. Revised lab reports are then submitted, along with a short text on how the peer feedback was incorporated into the final version. With peer review of first drafts, the reviewer as well as the author of the report will be learning during the process, while carefully applying the quality criteria. During the two most recent years, when the above system was in place in this course, the teaching differed in one significant way: the most recent year included a lecture dedicated to academic honesty and the avoidance of plagiarism. (See Ref. 2.) In previous years, quality criteria were provided by the teacher, not by the collective group of students. (See Ref. 3.) Student achievement measures: We analyze the student achievements (lab report quality) as a measure of their learning in three different aspects: core subject content learning, generic written communication skills, and academic honesty. The latter analysis is reported in a separate presentation (Ref. 2.) The generic written communication skills will be the focus of my presentation, with an attempt at measuring the degree to which the student's own quality criteria list was actually successfully applied in their lab report and peer review writing. It will however not be possible to make a "fair and scientific" comparison to previous years' student lab reports, since other factors were also changed at the same time. Comparison of resulting achievement for different scenarios: Student learning connected to similar quality criteria will be compared for the "student collectively generated" criteria (the latest two years of the course) and the "teacher generated" criteria (provided previously). The two different years this student generated criteria scenario was used had slightly different criteria lists – which may or may not be evident in the outcome of the students' writing. This course has just finished, and the analysis will be performed during the coming study period before the KUL conference, so results are pending. Alternative solutions: In a more traditional scenario, the teacher informs the students of the quality criteria, set by the teacher, and the teacher applies the criteria when grading the assignment. Both comments and grades are usually provided by the teacher to individual students, who sometimes resubmit assignments after taking into account the teacher-provided feedback. However, in many cases, the feedback comes without any further requirement posed, and therefore without strong incentives for further learning. Much research has been done on criteria based assessment including negotiating criteria with students, (see e.g. Ref. 4.) Here, however, I have just given my suggestion of one way of assessing, which I have found to work well References: 1. "Lab report quality criteria", available on PingPong at the following link: https://pingpong.chalmers.se/courseId/7038/content.do?id=3366624 2. KUL 2017, Undervisa och examinera akademisk hederlighet, submitted "short presentation" 3. KUL 2012, Systematisk feedback och progression som stod for studenters larande inom generella kompetenser. 4. Biggs, J. "Teaching for quality Learning at University", 2003, chapters 8 and 9.


During exercise skeletal muscle glucose utilization is higher than at rest. This is due to the combined effect of an increase in glucose supply, increased surface membrane glucose transport capacity and increased muscle glucose metabolism during exercise. The kinetics of glucose utilization in skeletal muscle during exercise in humans show an apparent Km of approximately 10 mM, indicating that changes in the blood glucose concentration around the physiological level of approximately 5 mM almost linearly translate into changes in muscle glucose utilization. The signalling events responsible for increased glucose transport in contracting muscle are not well understood, although calcium seems to be involved. Contractions do not utilize the proximal part of the insulin signalling cascade to activate glucose transport, because contractions do not cause phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate 1 or activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. Endurance training leads to a decrease in glucose utilization during submaximal exercise of a given absolute submaximal power output in spite of a large increase in the total muscle GLUT4 content. The molecular mechanism behind this decrease in glucose utilization seems to be blunted exercise-induced translocation of GLUT4 protein to the sarcolemma, in turn blunting the exercise-induced increase in sarcolemmal glucose transport capacity.


Modern nuclear physics has already given much to the medical profession. This is reflected in the enormous increase in isotope use over the past 10 years made possible by the Atomic Energy Commission (Fig. 1). In the last five years, this rate of increase has almost doubled each year so that by the end of 1954 over 50,000 c. (curies) had been shipped to users that year, and 70% of the dollar value of these shipments represented medical use. 1 With the development of experienced and qualified workers and a broad background of medical research, techniques and procedures for use of isotopes in diagnosis and therapy are now in wide use in laboratories, in hospitals, and in individual physician's offices. All of us are familiar with the use of I 131 in the diagnosis and treatment of Grave's disease and thyroid cancer; P 32 and other isotopes in the measurement of


Wheat straw is a low-cost feedstock for production of biofuels as a viable alternative to fossil -based fuels. Pretreatment process is an important stage in producing biofuels. Pretreated wheat straw slurries (PWS) are non-Newtonian fluids with yield stress. In mixing operations, the presence of yield stress creates a region of active motion (cavern) around the impeller and stagnant zones elsewhere which causes difficulties in the production of biofuels. In this study, for the first time electrical resistance tomography (ERT) was utilized to measure the cavern dimensions as a function of the impeller type (A200, A100, and A315), impeller speed (20 to 110 rpm), fiber size (≤ 2 and ≤ 6 mm), and PWS concentration (6, 8, and 10 wt%). The cavern sizes were used to measure the yield stress of PWS slurries as a function of fiber size and fiber concentration. The average yield stresses of 6, 8, and 10 wt% PWS slurries with the fiber sizes of ≤ 2 mm were 2.00, 5.43, and 8.51 Pa, respectively, and 4.26, 9.30, and 13.84 Pa for the fiber sizes of ≤ 6 mm.


This paper presents the first single-chip direct-conversion 77-85 GHz transceiver fabricated in SiGe HBT technology, intended for Doppler radar and millimeter-wave imaging, particularly within the automotive radar band of 77-81 GHz. A 1.3 mm times 0.9 mm 86-96 GHz receiver is also presented. The transceiver, fabricated in a 130 nm SiGe HBT technology with fT/fMAX of 230/300 GHz, consumes 780 mW, and occupies 1.3 mm times 0.9 mm of die area. Furthermore, it achieves 40 dB conversion gain in the receiver at 82 GHz, a 3 dB bandwidth extending from 77 to 85 GHz at 25degC, and covering the entire 77-81 GHz band up to 100degC, record 3.85 dB DSB noise figure measured at 82 GHz LO and 1 GHz IF, and an IP1dB of -35 dBm. The transmitter provides + 11.5 dBm of saturated output power at 77 GHz, and a divide64 static frequency divider is included on-die. Successful detection of a Doppler shift of 30 Hz at a range of 6 m is shown. The 86-96 GHz receiver achieves 31 dB conversion gain, a 3 dB bandwidth of 10 GHz, and 5.2 dB DSB noise figure at 96 GHz LO and 1 GHz IF, and -99 dBc/Hz phase noise at 1 MHz offset. System-level layout and integration techniques that address the challenges of low-voltage transceiver implementation are also discussed.


During the last decades multimedia processing has emerged as an important technology to retrieve content based on similar data. Moreover, recent developments in the fields of high definition (HD) multimedia content and personal content collections (personal camcorders and digital still image cameras) tend to generate a huge volume of multimedia data everyday. Thus, the need for a meaningful, quick organization and access to generated content is now more than necessary; however, it still remains a rather difficult problem to be tackled both by humans and computers. In this paper we propose an intelligent extension of traditional image analysis methodologies towards more efficient digital content retrieval. The main idea is to extend local feature extraction methodologies by introducing additional geometrical constraints in the process. The proposed approach is tested and evaluated on a number of publicly available image datasets and results are very promising.


IP lookup is a key packet processing task in IP routers. To achieve high performance, it has been proposed to use TCAMs to implement IP-lookup accelerators. In this paper, in addition to the state-of-art MSMB-LPT scheme for TCAM-based IP lookup, M-MSMB-LPT and MSMB-LPT-I schemes are proposed and studied. Using realistic Internet packet traces, it is shown that MSMB-LPT, M-MSMB-LPT and MSMB-LPT-I schemes with different parameters constitute a solution space for constructing a wide-range of high-performance TCAM-based IP lookup engines. Under cost, performance and scalability constraints best IP lookup engine can be selected from this solution space.


It is important to further improve the strength properties of alkaline peroxide mechanical pulp (APMP) in order to extend its applications in more paper grades. In this work, aspen APMP was pretreated by xylanase, and its effect on the improvement of paper strength properties was investigated. The results showed that, for xylanase-pretreated pulp, the tensile, tear and burst indexes were respectively about 14%, 23%, and 18% greater than those of untreated pulp. Meanwhile, the fines content and kink index decreased to some extent with the enzyme treatment. The total carboxyl content, crystallinity index, and water retention value of the pulp was increased significantly, and a higher porosity was observed on the fiber surface. Further investigation revealed that the lignin coverage of the fiber surface decreased from 59.2% to 55.2% after enzyme treatment, and the C1/C2 ratio decreased from 24.4 to 14.4. The improvement of strength properties can be ascribed to the increase in carboxyl groups and crystallinity, and a decrease in fines content and kink index, as well as to the removal of a portion of xylan and lignins from the fiber surfaces.


In this paper, we report a technique that uses piezoelectric polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) microbelts to convert the energy from low-speed air flow to electricity via their resonant oscillation. The micrometre thick PVDF thin films were fabricated by a top-down reactive ion etching process, where the thickness was controlled by etching time and the piezoelectric phase was well preserved. The thickness, air flow speed and electrical output relationship was predicted theoretically and characterized experimentally. The PVDF microbelts were able to generate sufficient electrical energy from low speed air flow for the sustained operation of small electronic devices. Their capability for harvesting energy from simulated respiration was also demonstrated.


Knowledge on the different ways of transmitting PRDC pathogens (PRRSV, influenza virus A, PCV 2, M. hyopneumoniae, A. pleuropneumoniae) between swine herds is of special interest for the development of biosecurity measures or the retrospective risk analysis in the framework of activities of the consulting veterinarian. In this literature review the current knowledge of the transmission of PRDC-pathogens is summarized. Since the assessment of investigations into pathogen detection in detail is influenced considerably by the chosen test for the diagnosis, the standard methods of routine diagnostic procedures are described. In this context the limits of the interpretation of the diagnostic findings are especially described in detail. Finally, the transmission caused by pig movement is summarized in this first part of the review.


Aim: Described in this manuscript is the first ever reported, new, simple, highperformance thin-layer chromatographic method for the determination of mycophenolate mofetil in bulk and tablet dosage form. Materials and Methods: The drug was separated on aluminum plates precoated with silica gel 60 F 254 with toluene, acetone, and methanol in the ratio of 6:2:2 (v/v/v) as the mobile phase. Quantitative analysis was performed by densitometric scanning at 254 nm. Results: The method was validated for linearity, accuracy, precision, and robustness. The calibration plot was linear in the range of 100–500 ng band -1 for mycophenolate mofetil. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of the drug in a pharmaceutical dosage form.


This essay, a contribution to a fall symposium at the Oklahoma City University law school, examines the Supreme Court's Commerce Clause jurisprudence in light of the Supreme Court's decision last Term in United States v. Morrison. Morrison found unconstitutional the Violence Against Women Act because its reach exceeded that permitted to the federal government under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. We argue that the Court's restrictions on the commerce power, while certainly a departure from previous directions in the federalism area, alone present no drastic or revolutionary limitations on the federal government's ability to achieve its policies. Some might fear that Morrison will prevent Congress from using the Commerce Clause to reach noncommercial, intrastate activity. Other powers, however, such as the Spending and Taxing Clauses, provide Congress with alternative opportunities to reach beyond the new restrictions on the Commerce Clause. Even the Court's current pronouncements on the Commerce Clause provide Congress with ample power to reach a great deal of conduct. Due to the national integration of the economy and society, the channels and instrumentalities prongs of the Commerce Clause provide substantial authority to establish uniform federal rules over a vast amount of noncommercial conduct. Even if Congress wishes to intrude even further into intrastate activity, the Court's effort to impose the barrier at economic activity may prove sufficiently permeable to allow federal jurisdiction over most things that Congress would want to regulate. If the Court intends to impose serious restraints on Congress, its recent efforts in the Commerce Clause area can only be the early steps.


Carbon nanotubes (CNT) and their derivatives with different structure and compositions have unique features. In the present study, cell proliferation was performed on various nanotubes such as single walled CNTs, multiwalled CNTs and imogolite which is nanotubes of aluminosilicate. SEM observation of the growth of osteoblast-like cells cultured on CNTs showed the morphology fully developed for the whole direction, which was different from that extended to the one direction on the usual scaffold. Numerous filopodia were grown from cell edge, extended far long and combined with CNT meshwork. Apatite precipitation in simulated body fluid, affinity for proteins and saccharides, and nanosize meshwork structure with large porosity would be the properties responsible for these cell adhesion and growth. Imogolite showed the similar properties to CNTs. Nanotubes could be the favorable materials for biomedical applications.


Thin wafer/chip stacking with vertical interconnect by a Cu through-silicon via (TSV) and a Cu/Sn microjoint is one of the candidates for 3-D integration. The insertion loss of the two-chip stack was evaluated with different TSV pitches, microbump diameters, and chip thicknesses to realize the signal transmission effects in high-speed digital signaling via TSV and microjoint interconnection. In addition, a wafer-level 3-D integration scheme with Cu TSVs based on Cu/Sn microbump and BCB adhesive hybrid bonding was demonstrated. Key technologies, including TSV interconnection, microbumping, hybrid bonding, wafer thinning, and backside RDL formation, were well developed and integrated to realize 3-D integration. This paper presents a complete study of the structure design, the process condition, and the electrical and reliability assessment of the wafer-level 3-D integration scheme. This 3-D integration scheme with excellent electrical performance and reliability provides a promising solution for 3-D memory application.


The effect of disperse phase volume fraction on the turbulence in a scale model of a high-pressure homogenizer was studied experimentally. Velocity fields of the continuous phase were measured using particle image velocimetry. Refractive index matching combined with digital filtering enabled measurement with disperse phase present. Geometry and physical properties were carefully scaled in order to ensure turbulent flow and disperse phase modulation comparable to that of a technical high-pressure homogenizer. The results show a widening of the jet downstream of the gap and increased Reynolds stresses in the region of high turbulence intensity. This is consistent with previous experiments under similar conditions. Furthermore, the spectra of turbulent kinetic energy were investigated, indicating that the increase in turbulent kinetic energy is mainly due to an increase in energy of eddies of large length scales.


ABSTRACT
Priyono, Anto. "Nilai-nilai moral yang terdapat dalam cerpen Shinyuu karya Sato Koyo". Thesis. Departement of Japanese Studies Faculty of Humanities. Diponegoro University. The first advisor. Budi Mulyadi, S.Pd.,M.Hum. The second advisor. Nur Hastuti, S.S., M.Hum.
The sequence of this thesis are: first the writer collects the references and analyzes the data. Then, she obtained the data from Anthology of Japanese children's literature's book. The problems that will be studied in this thesis are intrinsic, extrinsic elements and the moral values contained in Sato Shinyuu Koyo's short story.
This study uses structural method. The method is used to analyze the intrinsic and extrinsic elements that lead to moral values of the story. It makes the writer easier to analyze the moral values of story. The intrinsic elements that will be discussed in this thesis are theme, character, plot, setting, point of view, and the message of story. And the extrinsic elements that will be analyzed is the author's environment.
Keywords : Shinyuu, Sato Koyo, Antology Kesusastraan Anak Jepang


In the article the technologies of transformation of a perfect polyhedron (tetrahedron) into semi-perfect one, starlike and imperfect polyhedrons by the methods of computer graphics are presented. The authors have concluded that such transformations of solid models of polyhedrons are most expedient from the known ones in descriptive geometry and engineering graphics.


In this article, we discuss the penalized least squares problem which has many advantageous computational properties. This method based on penalized spline (P-spline) smoothing can be formulated to fit into a linear mixed effects model framework. The most important issue in the implementation of this method is to specify the amount of smoothing. In an attempt to address the strategy of optimum amount of smoothing, this article provides a comparative study for different methods (or criteria) of choosing the optimum smoothing parameter: an improved version of the Akaike information criterion (AICc); generalized cross-validation (GCV); cross-validation (CV); Mallows' C p criterion; risk estimation using classical pilots (RECP) and restricted maximum likelihood (REML). In order to explore and compare the performance of these methods, a simulation study is performed for data sets with different sample sizes. As a result of simulation, the appropriate selection criteria are provided for a suitable smoothing parameter selection.


Flory, Christopher M. MA, Purdue University, May 2015. Digital Forensics and Community Supervision: Making a Case for Field Based Digital Forensics Training. Major Professor: Eugene Spafford. In this paper I will review the literature concerning investigator digital forensics models and how they apply to field investigators. A brief history of community supervision and how offenders are supervised will be established. I will also cover the difference between community supervision standards and police standards concerning searches, evidence, standards of proof, and the difference between parole boards and courts. Currently, the burden for digital forensics for community supervision officers is placed on local or state law enforcement offices, with personnel trained in forensics, but may not place a high priority on outside cases. Forensic field training for community supervision officers could ease the caseloads of outside forensic specialists, and increase fiscal responsible by increasing efficiency and public safety in the field of community supervision.


Machine learning techniques have long been used for various purposes in software engineering. This paper provides a brief overview of the state of the art and reports on a number of novel applications I was involved with in the area of software testing. Reflecting on this personal experience, I draw lessons learned and argue that more research should be performed in that direction as machine learning has the potential to significantly help in addressing some of the long-standing software testing problems.


To integrate large scale renewable energy sources in the power grid, the battery energy storage performs an important role for smoothing their natural intermittency and ensuring grid-wide frequency stability. Electric vehicles have not only large introduction potential but also much available time for control because they are almost plugged in the home outlets as distributed battery energy storages. Therefore, vehicle-to-grid (V2G) is expected to be one of the key technologies in smart grid strategies. This paper proposes an autonomous distributed V2G control scheme. A grid-connected electric vehicle supplies a distributed spinning reserve according to the frequency deviation at the plug-in terminal, which is a signal of supply and demand imbalance in the power grid. As a style of EV utilization, it is assumed that vehicle use set next plug-out timing in advance. In such assumption, user convenience is satisfied by performing a scheduled charging for the plug-out, and plug-in idle time is available for the V2G control. Therefore a smart charging control is considered in the proposed scheme. Satisfaction of vehicle user convenience and effect to the load frequency control is evaluated through a simulation by using a typical two area interconnected power grid model and an automotive lithium-ion battery model.


Objectives: The goals of this study were to understand: 1) what makes an effective teacher in each level of the baccalaureate nursing program, 2) what are the skills, attributes and strategies of an effective teacher in both theory and clinical courses, and 3) how does this impact student learning and the student experience in each level of the curriculum? Methods: A qualitative description approach was used. All BScN students at two sites (1000 students) were emailed an invitation to participate in an online survey to identify what makes an effective teacher in the baccalaureate nursing program. Students were also invited to participate in focus groups to discuss what makes an effective teacher and the impact on their learning. It is anticipated that six focus groups of 10 to 12 students will be conducted. Survey and focus group data are analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Findings: A preliminary finding emergent from the data is that students perceive whole person teaching, that is understanding the learner as a whole person, makes an effective teacher. This study has the potential for important impact on students and faculty in baccalaureate nursing programs. The results will be used to plan faculty development initiatives throughout all levels within relevant programs. Findings, conclusions and recommendations will be shared at the conference. Conclusions: Will be available at the time of the conference. Faculty members are learning how to optimally facilitate learning in a new context that embraces a person-centered, problem based, self-directed and small group learning approach. Students are in the best position to articulate what makes an effective teacher in each year of the four year program. Students were eager and empowered to share their perceptions and faculty eager to learn from student voices to optimize student experiences and learning.


As CPU caches have become a performance bottleneck for main memory databases, optimizing the cache performance is essential for high-performance query processing on relational databases. Cache-oblivious techniques, proposed by the theory community, have optimal asymptotic bounds on the amount of data transferred between any two adjacent levels of an arbitrary memory hierarchy. Moreover, this optimal performance is achieved without any hardware platform specific tuning. These properties are highly attractive to autonomous databases, especially because the hardware architectures are becoming increasingly complex and diverse.
In this thesis, we present the design, implementation, and evaluation of the first cache-oblivious, in-memory query processor, EaseDB. All query processing algorithms in EaseDB are designed to be cache-oblivious and match the performance of their cache-conscious counterparts. Moreover, we discuss the inherent limitations of the cache-oblivious approach as well as the opportunities given by the upcoming hardware architectures. Specifically, a cache-oblivious technique usually requires sophisticated algorithm design to achieve a comparable performance to its cache-conscious counterpart. Nevertheless, this development-time effort is compensated by the automaticity of performance achievement and the reduced ownership cost. We evaluate EaseDB in comparison with its cache-conscious counterparts on different architectures including Intel, AMD and Ultra-Sparc processors. Our results, with homegrown workloads and micro benchmarks, show that our cache-oblivious algorithms achieve a performance comparable to their fine-tuned cache-conscious counterparts. Moreover, cache-oblivious techniques can outperform their cache-conscious counterparts in multi-threading processors.


The clinical course of grave forms of leptospirosis presents with disorders in the fluid and electrolyte balance and acid-base condition (ABC) which fact necessitates taking prompt action for the condition to be corrected. Correction of disorders in the fluid and electrolyte balance involves employment of glucose and salt solutions, dextrans, and in most severe cases albumin drugs under control of hematocrit values, plasma osmolarity, and 24-h diuresis monitoring. Correction of disorders in the ABC is primarily aimed at alleviating the metabolic acidosis through detoxication by applying specific therapy together with oral and parenteral administration of sodium hydrogen carbonate.


In Vietnam, researsch on the landsnails fauna has begun since the middle of the XIX Century, with the first publication of Souleyet (1841) on the landsnails of the Indochina Region, including some new species, described from central part of Vietnam (Tourane). In the following period, during 60's years, other important study results on the landsnails fauna of the southern part of Vietnam (Annam, Cochinchine) has been published: Crosse et Fischer (1863, 1854, 1869); Mabille et Le Mesle (1866); Crosse (1867, 1868). Publications on the landsnails species of the northern part of Vietnam occured later, with many very known research works of different authors: Morlet (1855, 1891, 1892); Dautzenberg et Hamonville (1897): Dautzenberg (1893); Bavay et Dautzenberg (1891, 1900, 1901, 1903); Fischer (1848); Mollendorff (1901); Dautzenberg et Fischer (1905). During the war time in Vietnam until 1975, research on the landsnails were almost interrupted, except a few works of Saurin (1955, 1960); Jaeckel (1950); Varga (1963). It continued only after the war, with some recent publications realized in northern part of Vietnam (Vermeulen et Maassen, 2003). Based on the aboved mentioned research results on the landsnails fauna of Vietnam until now, some preliminary remarks could be noted. 1. The species composition of the landsnails fauna of Vietnam, although far to be considered as full, is rather rich and diverse. Until now, totally 776 species has been recorded, essentially from mountain regions of the northern and southern parts of the country. 2. Landsnails fauna of Vietnam is rich of Prosobranchia species, among them, the genera Cyclophorus, (30 species), Alycaeus (11), Pupina (15) are the most high species number groups, living in limestone caves of high humidity of mountain region. 3. The species composition of landsnails of Vietnam, especially of the northern part, is clearly different in comparison with the fauna of the southern part of the indochinese region (Laos, Cambodge, Thailand). 4. Because of the great change in the classification of landsnails in malacology at present times in comparison with the past, it needs a total revision on the taxonomy of published landsnails species composition of Vietnam.


Fluorescent nanoparticles have been attracting more and more interest from scientists in chemistry, materials, medical and biology fields. Among them, fluorescent nanoparticles with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) character stand out as the most promising candidates for different applications especially in the biomedical field. In this work, we reported for the first time that amphiphilic polymers containing a hydrophobic AIE dye and a hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) segment can be facilely fabricated based on a Mannich reaction, which could conjugate the phenol hydroxyl-containing AIE dye (PhE-OH), paraformaldehyde and 4-arm poly(ethylene glycol)amine (4-arm PEG-NH2) in one pot. The obtained PEG-PhE fluorescent polymeric nanoparticles (FPNs) were ascertained by a series of characterization techniques. Moreover, the cell viability and cell uptake behavior of PEG-PhE FPNs were also investigated to evaluate their potential for biomedical applications. The results suggest that the PEG-PhE FPNs show great potential application in the field of biomedical science. More importantly, the strategy used in this work can also be extended for the preparation of many other various AIE-active FPNs with different functional polymers.


Background: Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease that affects joint-prone joints. Gingerisanherbalplantthatcanbeusedtowarmcompresses, gingerol content found in ginger can reduce osteoarthritis pain.
Objectives: The study aimed to determine the influence of red ginger compress on the intensity of osteoarthritis pain in elderly with age 60 years and over.
Methods: This study was conducted using Quasi time-series design experiment. The total sample included in this study was 16 subjects that selected using purposive sampling techniques. The inclusion criteria were elderly aged60 yearsand overhead osteoarthritis pain and not under medication analgetic for 4 hour last. The red ginger compress is intervention was done 30 minutes and carried out as many as 3 times in 3 days, interval 1 day. Data were analyzed using Friedman test.
 Results: Of total subjects joined in this study, the median scale of pain on the 1st day before was given red ginger compress that is 5.00 (SD = 5.00), on day 3 is 4.00 (SD = 0.793), on the 5th day that is 3.00 (SD = 0.885) and on day 7 that is 2.00 (SD = 0.845). The results of the Friedman test found significant difference of intensity of osteoarthritis pain before and after intervention (p<0.001). Conclusion: Therapy of red ginger compress (Zingiber Officinalle Linn Var.Rubrum) was useful to reduce intensity of osteoarthritis pain among patients with osteoarthritis. A promotion such of intervention to all people in the community is essential.


Current events related to energy policy – skyrocketing gasoline prices, the 2003 Northeast Blackout, the Kyoto Protocol's enactment, passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and the influence of recent Gulf Coast hurricanes on energy supplies and prices – demand innovative approaches towards conceptualizing the relationship between energy and American society.
This book takes on a central quandary in the study of energy and environmental policy: What myths continue to exist in American culture concerning energy, the environment, and society? It enrolls twenty-four of the nation's top experts working on energy policy in industry, government laboratories, utilities, nonprofit organizations, and universities to debunk and contextualize thirteen energy myths relating to electric power, renewable energy, energy efficiency, transportation, and climate change.
While the book focuses on the American experience, it will be of interest to those working in the fields of energy policy, energy and the environment, and technology assessment worldwide.


The science and practice of military hygiene, not so many years ago, in the field at least and on a large scale, was in a somewhat unsatisfactory state. It is true that we had ideas on the subject—many of them good ones—but some very important things were not known even so recently as the Spanish-American War. For instance, our ideas were comparatively hazy as to the methods of transference of typhoid fever; we did not know that flies act as vectors, and we had but crude notions as to the effect of contact in spreading the disease. The average physician knew little about the microscopic diagnosis of malaria. Much of the typhoid fever in our army camps was erroneously called malaria—to the considerable detriment of the sanitary situation. Again, we did not appreciate the great importance of what we now call "carriers" in the propagation of infectious disease, and consequently


The thesis is a comparative study of administrative law and risk regulation in the European Union and the United States. The analysis proceeds from the premise that the main objective of administrative law is to reconcile the exercise of bureaucratic power with liberal democratic values. In this way, administrative law constructs the legal legitimacy of administrative regulation, including administrative risk regulation. As such, administrative law systems are expressions of legal culture. The thesis argues that the most important differences between European and American risk regulation are better explained as expressions of the normative commitments of the two constitutional systems rather than as the product of different attitudes toward technological risk. Methodologically, the thesis is a comparative study of legal doctrine and, thus its goal is to understand the unique contribution of law as a discourse to the social phenomenon of risk regulation. After setting out the theoretical framework in chapter 1, the thesis compares three major aspects of EU and US administrative law in the context of risk regulation. Chapter 2 addresses the institutional structures of the two administrations, as well as European and American theories of delegation. Chapter 3 considers legal approaches to defining the public interest in risk regulation through a study of the roles of the precautionary principle and cost-benefit analysis in the two jurisdictions. Chapter 4 considers the concept of administrative rationality in the EU and the US, with a focus on the role of science in risk regulation. In chapter 5, the thesis pulls together the various strands of doctrine discussed in the earlier chapters and synthesises them into general reconciliations of administrative risk regulation with EU and US constitutional values. The final chapter, chapter 6, reflects on the normative visions of administration implied in the two jurisdictions' administrative law doctrines.


Introduction: Indolent B-Cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas (NHL) represent a heterogeneous group of lymphoproliferative malignancies, that remain largely incurable. Marginal zone lymphomas (MZL) are the second most common subtype of indolent NHL, and lack a unique cytogenetic identifying abnormality. The B-cell receptor signaling pathway is activated in B-cell malignancy and mediates its activity mainly through the Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway. Furthermore, novel PI3K inhibitors, such as copanlisib and parsaclisib, have shown impressive clinical activity in several indolent lymphomas including MZL. This further supports the important role of the PI3K pathway in the pathogenesis of this tumor. Therefore, we hypothesized that the PI3K-mTOR pathway is sufficient for driving the pathogenesis of MZL.
 Methods: In order to test our hypothesis, we generated a genetically engineered mouse model carrying heterozygous global knockout alleles of both the tumor suppressor genes Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog (PTEN) and Liver Kinase B1 (LKB1). This led to over-activation of the PI3K-mTOR pathway in all mouse tissues. We closely monitored these mice for tumor formation via weekly physical examinations for several months. Upon tumor detection, the mouse was sacrificed, and tumors were sectioned for histological characterization. In order to generate a more specific model of B cells, and more accurately mimic the underlying human disease, we used the Cre-LoxP system to create the CD19-Cre-PTENfl/fl-LKB1fl/fl.
 Results: Thirty mice of global KO PTEN+/- LKB1 +/- died or were sacrificed due to disease progression, defined as either lymph node enlargement and/or splenomegaly. All mice showed either abnormal lymphadenopathy or splenomegaly. By Kaplan-Meier analysis, we saw a steady decrease in both tumor-free and overall survival after 3 months of age. Utilizing the product limit method, the median survival time was 6 months (95% CI: 6, 8). A total of 51 lymph nodes were sent for immunohistochemistry and pathological characterization. Of the 51 nodes, 61.5% (N=32) showed indolent Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, 25% (N=13) were atypical, and 11.5% (N=6) were reactive. All lymph nodes with indolent NHL were of MZL subtype. Compared to wild type (n=3), the new CD19-Cre-PTENfl/fl -LKB1fl/fl (n=3) showed an overall increase in spleen mass (120 vs 196 mg, p=0.0564), % B1 cells (4% vs 59%, p= 0.0075), % MZ cells (5% vs 30%, p=0.0547), % plasma cells (1% vs 12%, p=0.0729), and decrease in % FO cells (80% vs 12%, p=0.0003) by flowcytometry. Further characterization of the new model is currently underway.
 Conclusion: Marginal zone lymphoma remains an incurable lymphoma that lacks reliable preclinical models. Our data provides, for the first time, a proof of concept on the role of the PI3K-mTOR pathway in the pathogenesis of marginal zone lymphoma and paves the way for future studies understanding the biology of this disease, and developing rational therapies for this incurable malignancy.

 Yazbeck: Celgene: Consultancy; AstraZeneca: Consultancy; Gilead: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy; Verastem: Speakers Bureau.


Background: Limited information exists on therapeutic drug monitoring of neurology patients. Although multiple reviews on anticoagulation clinics have shown good outcomes, the therapeutic endpoints achieved in patients enrolled in a pharmacotherapy clinic serving only those with a history of stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) have not been noted previously. Objective: To illustrate the drug therapy management role of a pharmacotherapist in a neurology clinic and provide evidence on the quality of the service by presenting data on therapeutic endpoints in the subset of patients who are on anticoagulant therapy for stroke prevention. Methods: Reported therapeutic endpoints included recurrent stroke/TIA, bleeding, time in therapeutic range (international normalized ratio [INR] range 2–3), adherence, and patient satisfaction with pharmaceutical care. Patients completed the Morisky self-report compliance questionnaire and the Pharmaceutical Care Satisfaction Questionnaire. Other information included medical history, medications, anticoagulation rationale, referring service, and therapeutic endpoints. Results: There were few adverse outcomes of bleeding or stroke. Time in therapeutic range for an INR of 2–3 was 59.67%. Of 251 INRs, 2 (0.8%) were greater than 5. Patient satisfaction with pharmaceutical care was high, as was adherence. Conclusions: The incidence of recurrent stroke/TIA and bleeding was rare, despite the inherently higher bleeding risk for stroke patients. Times in range of INRs were equivalent to those of other anticoagulation clinics. Patient satisfaction and adherence were good despite polypharmacy. Pharmacotherapists can be valuable additions to neurology clinics by helping neurologists in the management of the pharmacotherapy of their patients, including those on anticoagulation therapy for stroke/TIA.


Background The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic takes variable shapes and forms in different regions and countries. This variability is explained by several factors, including the governance of the epidemic. We aimed to identify the key attributes of governance in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and gain lessons for an effective response to public health emergencies. Methods We employed a mixed-methods design. We mapped the attributes of governance from well-established governance frameworks. A negative binomial regression was conducted to identify the effect of the established governance measures on the epidemiology of the COVID-19 pandemic. We used publicly available data on COVID-19 cases and deaths in countries around the world. Document review was conducted to identify the key approaches and attributes of governance during the pre-vaccine era of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a thematic analysis to identify key attributes for effective governance. Results The established governance measures, including generation of intelligence, strategic direction, regulation, partnership, accountability, transparency, rule of law, control of corruption, responsiveness, effectiveness, efficiency, equity, ethics, and inclusiveness, are necessary but not sufficient to effectively respond to and contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional attributes of national governance were identified: 1) agile, adaptive, and transformative governance; 2) collective (collaborative, inclusive, cooperative, accountable, and transparent) governance; 3) multi-level governance; 4) smart and ethical governance: sensible, pragmatic, evidence-based, political, learner, and ethical. Conclusions The current governance frameworks and their attributes are not adequate to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. We argue that countries need agile, adaptable, and transformational, collaborative, multi-level, smart and ethical governance to effectively respond to emerging and re-emerging public health threats. In addition, an effective response to public health emergencies depends not only on national governance but also on global governance. Hence, global health governance should be urgently renewed through a paradigm shift towards universal health coverage and health security to all populations and in all countries. This requires enhanced and consistent global health diplomacy based on knowledge, solidarity, and negotiation.


Research indicates that power elicits promotion focus, a motivational tendency towards attaining desired end states, but not prevention focus, a motivational tendency towards avoiding undesired end states (Higgins, 1997; Willis, 2009). Little research has examined the mechanisms behind this relationship. Power also elicits success expectancies (Anderson & Galinsky, 2006) and success expectancies can intensify a promotion focus (van-Dijk & Kluger, 2004). This suggests a mediational role for success expectations in the relationship between power and promotion focus. Five studies tested this prediction. The first study measured power and motivational tendencies. The three following studies manipulated power and then measured success expectancies and motivational tendencies. The final study measured power, success expectancies, and motivational tendencies. Evidence for the relationship between power and promotion focus, and for the mediating role of success expectancies, was obtained only when power was measured. The results indicate that relative levels of prevention and promotion may be more important in the relationship between power and motivation than their absolute levels, and that promotion and prevention focus may have distinct aspects (i.e., they may not be unitary phenomena) that are affected differently by feelings of power. Results also suggest an explanation for the greater goal focus of powerful individuals.


The work generalizes the experience of 57 decompression osteoperforations with the through drainage in acute hematogenic osteomyelitis of long tubular bones in children. The authors believe that this operation as a method of choice in the complex treatment of patients gives comparatively better near and late results, considerably shortens the duration of the disease; practically escaping the chronic stage such children have real possibilities to escape the period of long invalizidation. The early operation in the complex of intensive therapy, to the authors' mind, provides also a considerable economic effect of the treatment.


Measurements of colloid osmotic pressure and refractive index of five species of teleost fishes are recorded. A number of observations were made on eels which had been starved for two months. With the exception of the eel, the colloid osmotic pressures were less than half the characteristic level for mammals, the average being about 100 mm. H 2 O. Normal eels showed serum colloid osmotic pressures within the mammalian range, the starved eels showed values less than half as great but showed no signs of oedema. A comparative table of colloid osmotic pressures for the vertebrates studied so far is presented. The relation between refractive index and the colloid osmotic pressure is discussed briefly.


To a virtual prototype technology for tools,to a movement stationary of the carrier robot for goal, studied on the parametric optimization method based on virtual prototype technology. The paper designed the carrier robot mechanical structure and established the robot parameterization model in Solid Works, divided the robot into twelve rigid bodies, sixteen hinges and two elementary forces. Transferred the rigid bodies models into Universal Mechanism, added the bound hinges and the elementary forces, set the track irregularity model and path model. By computer simulations technology, took the wheelbase for example, introduced the selection method of the best value. The method can be applied to make certain the other parameters of the robot.


Petrelli et al. (2013) propose a movement that would empower curators, artists and designers in the creation, installation, maintenance and alteration of exhibits that are meant to bring materiality and physical interaction to the forefront of visitors' experience, while simultaneously expressing the values of the cultural institution. While many cultural heritage professionals would welcome this ability to create and integrate interactive exhibits into the design of exhibitions, for the majority there is a significant technical knowledge gap and the tools required to create these exhibits are still out of reach. In order to understand what methods and technologies could be suitable, we first need to ascertain the existing challenges and opportunities faced by cultural heritage professionals in designing interactive exhibits. The research focuses specifically on the working perspective of cultural heritage professionals, complementing existing studies on the design and implementation of interactive exhibits at cultural heritage sites. Based on interviews with professionals from a range of cultural heritage institutions across Europe, we investigate the existing curatorial practices, revealing the challenges faced when creating interactive exhibits, as well as the difficulties in relation to access, authorship, participation, creativity and control of such exhibits. We examine two aspects of the cultural heritage professionals' work practices in relation to interactive exhibits: 1) the attitudes and perspectives of curators and designers highlighting the values, goals and aspirations that are considered when creating exhibitions, and 2) current resources and methods used to create and implement interactive digital exhibits indicating the advantages and disadvantages of these. In conclusion, we outline the potential avenues that we are currently investigating that could aid cultural heritage professionals in the design and development of interactive exhibits. We discuss design implications to be considered in the creation of a hardware and software platform that would allow these professionals to bridge this knowledge gap.


Dynamic measurement aims to improve the speed and accuracy characteristics of measurement devices by signal processing. State-of-the-art dynamic measurement methods are model-based adaptive methods, i.e., 1) they estimate model parameters in real-time and 2) based on the identified model perform model-based signal processing. The proposed model-free method belongs to the class of the subspace identification methods. It computes directly the quantity of interest without an explicit parameter estimation. This allows efficient computation as well as applicability to general high order multivariable processes.


ROTARY drum sugar drying is the last important unit operation used in the manufacture of raw sugar. In order to improve their de sign, operation and control, it is helpful to model their dynamic behaviour. One important aspect involves predicting the rate at which solids are conveyed through the dryer, so that hold-up of crystalline material can be better predicted. It is also important to accurately predict the amount of sugar presented to the oncoming air stream in the falling curtain, so that meaningful heat and mass transfer relations can be developed. This paper presents a dynamic model of solids transport through a rotary sugar dryer. The model is developed by assuming a tanks-in- series/parallel arrangement, akin to chemical reaction engineering systems. The use of two tanks connected in parallel allows the separation of sugar undergoing drying from the sugar particles at rest in the flights. This approach allows the prediction of air phase and rolling sugar hold-up, and residence time distribution within the dryer. Correlations to account for overloaded dryers and the imp act of airflow are included. The model is based on a tracer study performed on a 100 t/h industrial dryer.


The performance degradation of an offset reflector antenna with off-axis scanning feed and distorted reflector surface can be improved by using a phased array feed. Generally, both analog attenuators and phase shifters are used in phased array feed. Yet, it seems to make the feed system very complicated. In this paper, a phase-only gradient search (POGS) algorithm is developed to optimize the performance of offset reflector antenna systems using phased array feed that is equipped with phase shifters only. This technique not only can greatly simplify the complexity of phased array feed, but also can provide the reflector antenna with better antenna gain and sidelobe level control capability. Simulation and experimental results are presented to illustrate the excellent performance of offset reflector, with limited beam scanning capability, can be obtained by using this less complicated phased array feed. >


Abstract. Gaseous amines have attracted increasing attention due to their potential role in enhancing particle nucleation and growth and affecting secondary organic aerosol formation. Here we study with a chemistry transport model the global distributions of the most common and abundant amines in the air: monomethylamine (MMA), dimethylamine (DMA), and trimethylamine (TMA). We show that gas phase oxidation and aerosol uptakes are dominant sinks for these methylamines. The oxidation alone (i.e., no aerosol uptake) leads to methylamine lifetimes of 5–10 h in most parts of low and middle latitude regions. The uptake by secondary species with uptake coefficient (γ) of 0.03 (corresponding to the uptake by sulfuric acid particles) reduces the lifetime by ~30% over oceans and much more over the major continents, resulting in a methylamine lifetime of less than 1–2 h over central Europe, eastern Asia, and eastern US. With the estimated global emission flux, from the literature, our simulations indicate that [DMA] in the model surface layer over major continents is generally in the range of 0.1–2 ppt (parts per trillion) when γ = 0.03 and 0.2–10 ppt when γ = 0, and decreases quickly with altitude. [DMA] over oceans is below 0.05 ppt and over polar regions it is below 0.01 ppt. The simulated [MMA] is about a factor of ~2.5 higher while [TMA] is a factor of ~8 higher than [DMA]. The modeled concentrations of methylamines are substantially lower than the limited observed values available, with normalized mean bias ranging from −57 (γ = 0) to −88% (γ = 0.03) for MMA and TMA, and from −78 (γ = 0) to −93% (γ = 0.03) for DMA.


Electrode designs based on sheet racks and blocks with multidiffuse groove spaces and enriched active sites and scales would promote the commercial applications of electroactive materials. A facile one‐pot hydrothermal approach is reported to synthesize mesoscopic porous Co3O4 or hybrid graphene (GO)/Co3O4 sheet‐on‐sheet racks and blocks. Three basic types of sheet scalability racks can be built in vertical and nonstacked edge orientations, such as neat micro/nanogroove rooms, butterfly wing scales, and wall groves, leading to highly exposed surface converges and sites. In particular, the stacked GO/Co3O4 sheet‐on‐sheet blocks (GO/Co3O4 blocks) can be oriented in vertical tower buildings. The atomic structures of the developed Co3O4 catalysts are dominant along the highly dense {112/111} interfaces and single crystal {111} and {112} facets. The electrochemical performance of the mesoscopic porous Co3O4 catalyst toward methanol and ethanol electrooxidation is evaluated in alkaline conditions. The mesoscopic hybrid GO/Co3O4 racks reveal superior catalytic activity in terms of oxidation currents and onset potentials, indicating the effect of the synergetic role of active Co3+ sites along the densely exposed {112} facets, graphene counterparts, and hierarchically nonstacked sheet racks on the electroactive functionality. Results indicate that the mesoscopic GO/Co3O4 sheet catalyst is suitable for highly efficient electrochemical reactions.


Background Significantly reduced plasma 24OHC was found in HD patients compared with healthy subjects. The reduction of plasma 24OHC parallelled the shrinking of caudate volumes at MRI, suggesting that the observed reduction of plasma 24OHC might reflect the progressive loss of metabolically active neurons in the grey matter. In a small group of prodromal subjects, plasma concentration of 24OHC was similar to controls. However, the subjects closer to motor onset and with smaller striatum presented lower levels of 24OHC, similar to the concentrations of the HD patients (Leoni et al, 2008). Methods By isotope dilution Mass Spectrometry we measured plasma 24OHC in 30 Controls individuals, 90 pre manifest gene positive for HD individuals (Far from Onset (Far, n=21), mid term form onset (Mid, n=36), Near to Onset (Near, n=33), and in 30 gene clinically manifesting individuals (manifest HD) from the PREDICT-HD project. Results The levels of 24OHC in plasma were significantly reduced in the clinically manifest patients compared to Controls (ANOVA, p<0.001) and compared to the Far group (p<0.001). No significant differences were found between Near and manifest individuals, as well no significant differences were found between Controls and Far individuals. Both Controls and Far from onset groups were significantly higher compared to Near individuals (<0.001). The individuals described as Mid have slightly but not significantly lower levels compared to Controls and Far from onset individuals, while higher compared to Near to onset (NS) and clinically manifest individuals (0.003). Levels of 24OHC were significantly correlated to disease burden with a significant trend towards reduction along the progression of the disease. Statistically significant correlations were also found between plasma 24OHC and MRI, and 24OHC selected and functional, motorial and psychological parameters.


Accurate measurements and simulations of Green- land Ice Sheet (GrIS) surface albedo are essential, given the role of surface albedo in modulating the amount of absorbed solar radiation and meltwater production. In this study, we assess the spatio-temporal variability of GrIS albedo dur- ing June, July, and August (JJA) for the period 2000-2013. We use two remote sensing products derived from data col- lected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiome- ter (MODIS), as well as outputs from the Modele Atmo- spherique Regionale (MAR) regional climate model (RCM) and data from in situ automatic weather stations. Our results point to an overall consistency in spatio-temporal variabil- ity between remote sensing and RCM albedo, but reveal a difference in mean albedo of up to 0:08 between the two remote sensing products north of 70 N. At low elevations, albedo values simulated by the RCM are positively biased with respect to remote sensing products by up to 0:1 and exhibit low variability compared with observations. We infer that these differences are the result of a positive bias in sim- ulated bare ice albedo. MODIS albedo, RCM outputs, and in situ observations consistently indicate a decrease in albedo of 0:03 to 0:06 per decade over the period 2003-2013 for the GrIS ablation area. Nevertheless, satellite products show a decline in JJA albedo of 0:03 to 0:04 per decade for re- gions within the accumulation area that is not confirmed by either the model or in situ observations. These findings ap- pear to contradict a previous study that found an agreement between in situ and MODIS trends for individual months. The results indicate a need for further evaluation of high ele- vation albedo trends, a reconciliation of MODIS mean albedo at high latitudes, and the importance of accurately simulating bare ice albedo in RCMs.


The electoral cycle brings us periodically in the presence of new electoral ballots. Their importance is overwhelming in how the interests of local or national communities will be managed for a good period of time. Stagnation, prosperity, or economic, social or political regression depend on those who temporarily occupy the representative functions as they result from the establishment and validation of the election result. As far as the European Parliament elections are concerned, they took place in 2014, the next being in 2018. The question we raise is related to the electoral threshold and its necessity, given the existence of a proportional electoral system. The electoral law sets a 5% electoral threshold in Romania, and independent candidates can be assigned mandates if they each have a valid number of votes at least equal to the national electoral coefficient. The national electoral coefficient represents the full part of the ratio between the total number of votes validly expressed and the number of European parliamentary mandates belonging to Romania. Abolishing the electoral threshold would create a better representation in the European Parliament and smaller parties, and this would bring about a balance. We do not opt for its annulment, but we believe that a diminution of this electoral threshold may be a welcome legislative measure.


Objective To summarize current understanding of the roles of anti-inflammatory and proinflammatory mechanisms in the development of atherosclerosis and acute coronary syndrome and to postulate the novel concept of inflammation stress as the most important factor triggering acute coronary syndrome. Moreover, markers of inflammation stress and ways to block involved pathways are elucidated.Data sources A literature search (MEDLINE 1997 to 2002) was performed using the key words "inflammation and cardiovascular disease". Relevant book chapters were also reviewed.Study selection Well-controlled, prospective landmark studies and review articles on inflammation and acute coronary syndrome were selected.Data extraction Data and conclusions from the selected articles providing solid evidence to elucidate the mechanisms of inflammation and acute coronary syndrome were extracted and interpreted in the light of our own clinical and basic research.Data synthesis Inflammation is closely linked to atherosclerosis and acute coronary syndrome. Chronic and long-lasting inflammation stress, present both systemically or in the vascular walls, can trigger acute coronary syndrome.Conclusions Inflammation stress plays an important role in the process of acute coronary syndrome. Drugs which can modulate the balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory processes and attenuate inflammation stress, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors/angiotensin Ⅱ receptor blockers, statins, and cytokine antagonists may play active roles in the prevention and treatment of acute coronary syndrome when used in addition to conventional therapies (glycoprotein Ⅱb/Ⅲa receptor antagonists, mechanical intervention strategies, etc).


In this study, in situ modified cyclohexanone formaldehyde resin (CFR) was prepared from clay (montmorillonite) and polydimethylsiloxane with diamine chain ends (a,x-diamine poly(dimethyl siloxane) (DA.PDMS)) in the presence of a base catalyst. Different clay contents (from 0.5 to 3 wt %) were used to produce clay-modified nanocomposite ketonic resins (layered clay (LC)- CFR) and clay- and DA.PDMS-modified nanocomposite ketonic resins (DA.PDMS-LC-CFR). The polymeric nanocomposite material prepared by this method was directly synthesized in one step. These nanocomposites were confirmed from X-ray diffraction to have a layered structure with a folded or penetrated CFR, and they were further characterized via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy- attenuated total reflectance and NMR spectroscopy. The thermal properties of all of the resins were studied with differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. All of the resins showed higher thermal stability than their precursor CFR resin. The obtained samples were also characterized morphologically by scanning electron microscopy. V C 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2013, 000, 39918.


In this paper we discuss the use of multiagent systems to assist the design task of engineering artifacts. We augmented the active design document approach to assist the design activity when done by a group. Task division, information flow and conflict management are the main issues when working in a group. This paper reports initial results on applying our multiagent active design document system (MultiADD) to support conflict mitigation in group design. The discussion focuses mainly on the questions related to information flow: what, when and to whom to inform while in a conflict situation. We present our model and an example taken from our implemented system, which uses this technology to support process plant design of offshore oil platform. The system has been used by the Brazilian Oil Company. In addition to speeding up the process due to the design support tool, meetings and scheduling times have been greatly reduced. Consistency among the design pieces and an increase of alternative checking have also been noticed. Most importantly we expect that the environment encourages cooperation among design participants.


Background: Arterial calcification (AC) is frequent in patients with end stage renal disease and is also considered a risk factor for later morbidity and mortality. However, long-term factors associated with the process are not well known. We analyzed the trends over time of biomarkers related with development and progression of AC in incident patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD). Methods: We performed a prospective study with 186 patients on PD followed up for 1 year. We analyzed the progression of AC in the abdominal aorta and pelvic vessels by calcification score (CaSc), using16-cut computerized multidetector tomography at baseline and 1 year. Variables related with PD treatment, inflammation, and mineral metabolism were measured at baseline, 6, and 12 months of follow-up. Changes in biochemical variables were analyzed for their relationship with changes in AC. Results: Over 1 year, the number of patients with AC increased from 47 to 56%, and CaSc from 355 (interquartile range [IQR] 75-792) to 529 (IQR 185-1632). A total of 43.5% of patients remained free of calcification, 11.7% had new calcifications, and 44.8% had progression of calcification. Older age, diabetes, high systolic blood pressure, body mass index, cholesterol, and osteoprotegerin (OPG), as well as lower levels of albumin, serum creatinine, and osteocalcin, were associated with development of new, and rapid progression of, calcification. In multivariate logistic analysis, OPG remained the most significant (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.11-1.47, p < 0.001). Conclusion: OPG was the strongest risk factor associated with new development and rapid progression of AC in incident PD patients.


The Pacific Rim is a geographical region made up of all areas bordered by the Pacific Ocean, its span reaching countries as diverse as the Canada, Korea, China, Mexico, and Australia. Tracing vectors of appropriation, migration, and exchange, Pacific Rim Modernisms explores the complex ways that writers, artists, and intellectuals of the Pacific Rim have contributed to modernist culture, literature, and identity. Appropriately, given their wide geographical and temporal sweep, the fourteen essays gathered in this volume reflect a range of scholarly perspectives and methodologies, expressing varied viewpoints, divergent voices, and even contradictory definitions of Modernism itself. By placing geographical rather than political boundaries at the centre of academic inquiry, Pacific Rim Modernisms seeks not only to redraw old boundaries but to open up the modernist landscape to new mappings and new debates.


The authors evaluated whether self-reported trait anhedonia in schizophrenia reflects faulty memory, such that patients are capable of experiencing pleasure while engaged in enjoyable activities but underestimate their pleasure in recalling these experiences. Thirty schizophrenia patients and 31 nonpatient control participants rated their emotional responses to pleasant and neutral foods and film clips and completed a surprise recall task for their emotions after a 4-hr delay. Despite reporting elevated trait anhedonia, patients did not significantly differ from control participants in immediate pleasant emotional responses to the stimuli or in delayed recall for these experiences. In-the-moment pleasure and short-term retention for emotional experiences thus appear to be relatively intact in schizophrenia. Alternative explanations for the hedonic deficit in this disorder are discussed.


Abstract Existing methods for land surface form characterisation often focus on relatively simple landform element classifications and do not evaluate results with large scale participant experiments. This piece of research takes a semantics-grounded approach to characterising the landform valley. Based on definitions three algorithms to characterise valleys in a fuzzy way are introduced. Comparison of the results to assessments regarding the degree of being in a valley gained from over 800 participants in a questionnaire survey yields significant amounts of explained variance (R 2 = 0.35–0.37). Furthermore, accounting for very ambiguously perceived stimuli showing vast low places leads to markedly improved regressions (R 2 = 0.45–0.49), weighting of the data with a measure of uncertainty in judgment even more so (R 2 = 0.50–0.55).