Seckel syndrome is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by prenatal and postnatal growth retardation, bird-headed face and mild mental retardation. It is a disorder involving the DNA damage-response genes. Failure in the DNA damage response and repair process can cause chromosomal instability. In addition, it is possible that there are several loci responsible for this syndrome, and variety in the molecular pathogenesis is the cause of phenotypic heterogeneity. Three different loci have been reported thus far. The effect of the locus with mutation on phenotype may be used in the subgrouping of Seckel syndrome. We report a case with Seckel syndrome having spontaneous chromosomal instability. The patient had no hematologic or malignant disease although there was a severe chromosomal instability. To date, spontaneous chromosomal instability has been reported in two cases with Seckel syndrome.


Mitochondrial dysfunction is both a cause and target of reactive oxygen species during ischemia-reperfusion, drug, and toxicant injury. After injury, renal proximal tubular cells (RPTC) recover mitochondrial function by increasing the expression of the master regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis, peroxisome-proliferator-activated-receptor-γ-coactivator-1α (PGC-1α). The goal of this study was to determine whether 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptor agonists increase mitochondrial biogenesis and accelerate the recovery of mitochondrial function. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis confirmed the presence of 5-HT2A, 5-HT2B, and 5-HT2C receptor mRNA in RPTC. The 5-HT2 receptor agonist 1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane hydrochloride (DOI; 3–10 μM) increased PGC-1α levels, expression of mitochondrial proteins ATP synthase β and NADH dehydrogenase (ubiquinone) 1β subcomplex 8 (NDUFB8), MitoTracker Red staining intensity, cellular respiration, and ATP levels through a 5-HT receptor and PGC-1α-dependent pathway. Similar effects were observed with the 5-HT2 agonist m-chlorophenylpiperazine and were blocked by the 5-HT2 antagonist 8-[3-(4-fluorophenoxy) propyl]-1-phenyl-1,3,8-triazaspiro[4,5]decan-4-one (AMI-193). In addition, DOI accelerated the recovery of mitochondrial function after oxidant-induced injury in RPTC. This is the first report to demonstrate 5-HT receptor-mediated mitochondrial biogenesis, and we suggest that 5-HT-agonists may be effective in the treatment of mitochondrial and cell injury.


: The present study investigated the effect of nutrient composition and pH on the lipopeptide production by Bacillus subtilis GY19. The maximum lipopeptide production (2.2 g / l) was achieved when the strain was grown in productive medium containing glycerol (4 g / l) and palm oil (0.75%, v / v) as substrates, sodium nitrate (0.5%, w / v) as nitrogen source, and glucose (1 g / l) and beef extract (0.5 g / l) as co-substrates with pH 7.5. In addition, the lipopeptide of B. subtilis GY19 could be applied for removal of slideway oil covered on metallic surface. Taguchi method was employed to evaluate the factors affecting the cleaning process. The results indicated that the presence of high levels of crude lipopeptide concentration positively affected surface washing efficacy. Further removal of slideway oil from the washing water could be achieved by the addition of immobilized oil-degrading bacterium, Acinetobacter sp. R2. The presence of lipopeptide increased the removal efficiency of slideway oil from 70% to 82% and did not show toxic effect on bacterial cells. This study shows promising ability of the lipopeptide from B. subtilis GY19 as a cleaning agent for oil-contaminated surface. In addition, it could subsequently enhance biodegradation of residual oil in the washing water.


Tests of an 8-blade contra-propeller of 32-inch diameter in combination with a 4-inch, 36-inch diameter adjustable pitch, metal propeller at pitch setting of 15, 25, 35, and 45 degrees at 0.75 R were made. The tests showed a significant increase in effective thrust of the combination over that of the propeller alone for value V/nD somewhat below those for maximum efficiency and without a corresponding increase of power absorbed. From 1/2 percent to 2-1/2 percent in propulsive efficiency was thus gained in this range. In all but one case, however, the peak propulsive efficiency of the combination was found to be from 1 to 2 percent less than that of the propeller alone. Counter torque on the contra-propeller amounted to about 50 percent of the propeller torque.


This paper reports the findings of a survey aimed at understanding the dimensions of process oriented technological developments (TDs) in different phases of the product life cycle (PLC). The study is based on a survey done in a sample of Indian machinery manufacturing organisations in the context of the economic liberalisation in India, which has allowed free imports of technology and goods. This has brought about a greater need for continuous TDs to obtain sustainable competitive benefits throughout the PLC. Various dimensions of process-TDs were obtained through a factor analysis and the results suggested the relative importance of the dimensions of TDs varied according to the phase of the PLC.


Available from Radcliffe publishing - http://www.radcliffe-oxford.com/books/bookdetail.aspx?ISBN=1846191718 Published in association with the Office of Health Economics Applied Econometrics for Help Economists introduces readers to the appropriate econometric techniques for use with different forms of survey data, known collectively as microeconomics. The book provides a complete illustration of the steps involved in doing micro econometric research. The only study to deal with practical analysis of qualitative and categorical variables, it also emphasizes applied work, illustrating the use of relevant computer software applied to large-scale survey data sets. This is a comprehensive reference guide – it contains a glossary of terms, a technical appendix, software appendix, references, and suggestions for further reading. It is concise and easy to read – technical details are avoided in the main text and key terms are highlighted. Given the extensive use of individual-level survey data in health economics, it is important to understand the econometric techniques available to applied researchers. Moreover, it is just as important to be aware of their limitations and pitfalls. The purpose of this book is to introduce readers to the appropriate econometric techniques for use with different forms of survey data – known collectively as microeconomics. -- Andrew Jones in the Preface Contents -- Introduction - the evaluation problem and linear regression; The health and lifestyle survey; Binary dependent variable; The ordered probit model; The selection problem; Endogenous regressors - the evaluation problem revisited; Count data regression; Duration analysis; Panel data 2007 128 pages paperback ISBN-10 1 84619 171 8 ISBN-13 9781846191718


Low forage quality of sericea lespedeza [Lespedeza cuneata (Dum.- Cours.) G. Don] herbage is associated with the presence of condensed tannins in the leaves, and tannin-protein complexes that render digestive enzymes inactive. Experiments were conducted to (i) determine the type of inhibition of the cellulase complex caused by tannins, (ii) evaluate N-containing supplements that preferentially bind to tannins and restore cellulase activity, (iii) determine the effect of such supplements on the in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) of cellulose, and (iv) determine their effect on IVDMD of high- and low-tannin sericea herbage. The type of enzyme inhibition was determined by Michaelis-Menten kinetics; a double-reciprocal plot of the data revealed that tannins inhibited cellulase enzymes noncompetitively. Cellulase activity in tannin-containing solutions increased with increasing amounts of N-containing supplements, except for urea. Ovalbumin, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and gelatin resulted in greatest saccharification: hemoglobin and β-casein were less effective. Gelatin, hemoglobin, PVP, and ovalbumin partially overcame the effects of exogenous tannins on IVDMD of cellulose, but the proteins were more effective than PVP. The IVDMD of herbage from high- and low-tannin cultivars was greatest when PVP or ovalbumin were added; less supplement was needed in the low-tannin cultivar. We conclude that N-containing supplements improve digestibility and, consequently, may improve the performance of animals consuming sericea lespedeza forage.


REPORT OF A CASE A 55-year-old Indian man presented to the dermatology service at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Md, with a chief complaint of discoloration and thickening of the skin of his axillae, popliteal fossae, the dorsal surface of his toes, and the posterior aspect of his neck. He also complained of a generalized darkening of his complexion. These changes began 12 weeks after starting nicotinic acid, at an oral dose of 500 mg three times a day, for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. After 16 weeks of treatment with nicotinic acid, his total serum cholesterol value had dropped from 7.24 to 6.10 mmol/L; however, the skin changes were cosmetically unacceptable. His medical history was significant for myocardial infarction and three-vessel coronary artery bypass surgery. He was otherwise in good health, and consultation with his internist revealed no evidence of malignancy or endocrine dysfunction. On physical examination, he had symmetrically


Age and growth dynamics of Conomurex luhuanus were investigated to determine the population structure. Age-specific change in shell shape determined with geometric morphometrics revealed discrimination of shape between 0-3 years old at 99–100% while 3–4 years old can be separated with 81% certainty. Using the age discrimination data, K and L∞ were estimated at 1.00 year-1 and 7.28 cm, respectively. Recruitment is bimodal with natural mortality (M) of 0.71 and fishing mortality (F) approximated at 3.92 year-1. The exploitation rate (E) is 0.85 year-1, indicating probable overharvesting of the population under study. The presence of a deep-water population, age-specific burying behavior, and bimodal recruitment pattern are possible resilience factors.


Impressive advances in the studies of human genome, identification of mutant genes of hereditary diseases and candidate genes of many chronic multifactorial diseases (MFD) laid the foundation of molecular medicine. Its characteristic features, such as the focus on individual prophylactic care, give reason to consider it as personalized predictive medicine (PPM). The fundamental concept behind PPM comprises the notion of genetic passport and its methodological basis is genetic testing (GT). Recent progress in PPM has been achieved due to the introduction of comprehensive genomic screening of associations. At the same time, the contribution of known individual genes to the development of MFD appears to be relatively insignificant which does not allow to identify the main causes of MFD. It gave rise to some scepsis as regards the value of genome as a source of information for practical medicine. Possibilities for the improvement of GT and conditions for the introduction of the available data into clinical practice are discussed. The necessity to attract clinicians to the work on PPM is emphasized. The development of unified MFD gene panels for clinical application and software for the evaluation and interpretation of GT results for doctors and patients is an indispensable condition for the use of PPM knowledge in the healthcare practice. The importance of solution of relevant ethical, juridical, and social issues is underscored.


Abstract. Black carbon (BC) and mineral dust are among the most abundant insoluble aerosol components in the atmosphere. When released, most BC and dust particles are externally mixed with other aerosol species. Through coagulation with particles containing soluble material and condensation of gases, the externally mixed particles may obtain a liquid coating and be transferred into an internal mixture. The mixing state of BC and dust aerosol particles influences their radiative and hygroscopic properties, as well as their ability of forming ice crystals. We introduce the new aerosol microphysics submodel MADE-in, implemented within the ECHAM/MESSy Atmospheric Chemistry global model (EMAC). MADE-in is able to track mass and number concentrations of BC and dust particles in their different mixing states, as well as particles free of BC and dust. MADE-in describes these three classes of particles through a superposition of seven log-normally distributed modes, and predicts the evolution of their size distribution and chemical composition. Six out of the seven modes are mutually interacting, allowing for the transfer of mass and number among them. Separate modes for the different mixing states of BC and dust particles in EMAC/MADE-in allow for explicit simulations of the relevant aging processes, i.e. condensation, coagulation and cloud processing. EMAC/MADE-in has been evaluated with surface and airborne measurements and mostly performs well both in the planetary boundary layer and in the upper troposphere and lowermost stratosphere.


BACKGROUND
Although the benefits of amplification for persons with impaired hearing are well established, many potential candidates do not obtain and use hearing aids. In some cases, this is because the individual is not convinced that amplification will be of sufficient benefit in those everyday listening situations where he or she is experiencing difficulties.

PURPOSE
To describe the development of a naturalistic approach to assessing hearing aid candidacy and motivating hearing aid use based on patient preferences for unamplified and amplified sound samples typical of those encountered in everyday living and to assess the validity of these preference ratings to predict hearing aid candidacy.

RESEARCH DESIGN
Prospective experimental study comparing preference ratings for unamplified and amplified sound samples of patients with a clinical recommendation for hearing aid use and patients for whom amplification was not prescribed.

STUDY SAMPLE
Forty-eight adults self-referred to the Army Audiology and Speech Center for a hearing evaluation.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Unamplified and amplified sound samples were presented to potential hearing aid candidates using a three-alternative forced-choice paradigm. Participants were free to switch at will among the three processing options (no gain, mild gain, moderate gain) until the preferred option was determined. Following this task, each participant was seen for a diagnostic hearing evaluation by one of eight staff audiologists with no knowledge of the preference data. Patient preferences for the three processing options were used to predict the attending audiologists' recommendations for amplification based on traditional audiometric measures.

RESULTS
Hearing aid candidacy was predicted with moderate accuracy from the patients' preferences for amplified sounds typical of those encountered in everyday living, although the predictive validity of the various sound samples varied widely.

CONCLUSIONS
Preferences for amplified sounds were generally predictive of hearing aid candidacy. However, the predictive validity of the preference ratings was not sufficient to replace traditional clinical determinations of hearing aid candidacy in individual patients. Because the sound samples are common to patients' everyday listening experiences, they provide a quick and intuitive method of demonstrating the potential benefit of amplification to patients who might otherwise not accept a prescription for hearing aids.


The aquaculture market is projected to grow from USD 30.1 billion in 2018 to USD 42.6 billion by 2023, recording a CAGR of 7.2% during the forecast period. This is attributed to the growing consumption of fish for its nutritional value. Furthermore, the rising trend of smart fishing and the increase in seafood trade is also propelling the demand for aquaculture products. The equipment segment is estimated to dominate the aquaculture market in 2018 due to their high demand in marine culture. The different methods of marine aquaculture include sea ranching, intensive aquaculture, and rack & line farming. Furthermore, advancements in feed systems are also growing to meet the rising demand for the inclusion of nutrients at an optimum level in the diets of aquatic animals. These equipment are vital for the production of aquatic plants and animals. With the growing demand for seafood and the decline in the volume of captured fishes, the demand for such equipment is expected to rise. Owing to the growing demand for aquaproducts for their proteinrich content, small-scale farming is adopted by developing regions such as Asia Pacific, South America, and Africa. Furthermore, the governments of these countries are taking various initiatives to support aquafarming in these regions, as it is one of the major sources of employment.


In most countries in Latin America, rural areas remain as populated as, or more populated than, in 1950. People continue to live in rural areas despite the declining economic viability of agriculture and the availability of work elsewhere. Through an application of the production of nature argument, enriched by explicit attention to the production of culture and the agency of nature, I attempt to resolve that apparent paradox. In a case study illustrating the argument, agriculture has declined in importance over several decades, while craft production and temporary, cyclical emigration has increased. Remaining agricultural activities and craft production utilize natural stocks and processes through the application of family labour, with minimal recourse to a money economy. Cyclical emigration and remittances from relatives also support the economic maintenance of rural lives. Together, these activities permit the social reproduction of households that send members to find work elsewhere. At the scale of North America, therefore, Mexican nature subsidizes the cheap reproduction of labourers working in cities and commercial agriculture in both Mexico and the United States. At the scale of the village, nature enables people to cobble together livelihoods that support households and villages. But more fundamentally, people produce culture through everyday activities of production and consumption; and so nature provides the necessary context for the productive activities that define and give meaning to what households and village communities are, and what it means to be an individual member.


Plasma-enhanced ion beams are used for the surface modification of 2024 Al and 7075 Al alloy samples. The morphology of the treated surface of the samples is examined. The corrosion resistance and bending fatigue properties were measured on the treated and untreated samples. The effects of ion beam parameters are discussed. It is indicated that during the ion bombardment, craters are formed and surface melting is produced on the treated surfaces. The effects of ion beam bombardment are limited to the surface layer of samples. With the ion beam energies used in this study, improved corrosion resistance was obtained from the treated surfaces of the samples.


Outlook for pork, poultry and beef markets are examined at global level and also for selected Southeast Asian countries. Data are derived from a number simulation forecasting models. The 2007-2008 price hikes for some commodities have significantly changed some of the earlier projections. It is projected that demand for meat will continue to grow especially in the emerging developing countries and prices will remain at a high level, though at a lower level than the recent hikes. Most increased consumption will come from increased domestic production but trade volume will also increase significantly. Export market will remain limited to a few countries but market share of some exporters will change, the most important change is the significantly increased export share of Brazil and a sizeable reduction of some of the traditional exporters like USA and EU. In case of import also there will be significant changes, the main feature is increase in the number importers due to small but steady increase in the import volume in a number emerging countries. In Southeast Asia, production in all the countries will increase in response to rapidly increasing demand but net trade will also increase in a number of countries. In Vietnam, the projected net trade from the global and regional simulation models are much smaller than the one projected by the government. Several policy issues need to be addressed for development of the livestock sector in Vietnam. With respect to the export expansion strategy of the government, some of the main questions that need to be carefully analyzed and addressed are related to the equity (both inter-regional and inter-farm size), efficiency and environmental consequences of industrialization, geographic concentration and zoning of production, the mechanism for ensuring food quality, safety standards, and the implications of high feed prices on organization, efficiency of production for domestic as well as export market.


All of the major themes of Edmund Husserl's phenomenology, from the Logical Investigations to The Crisis of the European Sciences, are investigated from a critical point of view by James M. Edie. The philosophy of logic is considered insofar as it relates to the phenomenological and transcendental foundation of logic itself. Transcendental logic is studied with reference to both the formal logic of Aristotle and Leibniz and the dialectical logic of Hegel. Edie considers Husserl's theories of meaning and reference, intentionality, the distinction between perceptual and eidetic intuition, the notion of the ideality of meaning, the laws of objectivity in general, and formal and material ontology, as well as Husserl's reinterpretation of the apriori.


Compliant mechanisms fulfil a desired force and displacement characteristic. The development of such structures having a defined kinematical motion and subjected to several constraints, like deformability, stiffness and activation force is highly challenging. The present work deals with a methodology for analysing compliant mechanisms considering geometrically nonlinear deformations. By assembling pre-calculated nonlinear beam elements a new beam truss approach is introduced. The accuracy and quality of the mechanical model are verified by selected examples and compared to existing methods.


Pulmonary hemorrhage (PH) is rarely seen in neonates and generally occurs based on the pathological process as perinatal asphyxia. Additionally, hypothermia treatment can be associated with thrombocytopenia and hemorrhage in term infants. Generally, PH is severe and persistant hemorrhage can related to neonatal mortality. Sometimes, supportive therapies such as positive-end expiratory pressure (PEEP), antibiotherapy, and fresh frozen plasma may not affect PE in neonates. Tranexamic acid (TXA) is an antifibrinolytic agent that can reduce bleeding and decrease blood transfusions in pediatric surgery. In this study, a 5-year-old girl was reorted that who was presented with a 4 month history of pelvic and right lower limb pain and limping to the pediatric outpatient clinic in August 2016 at Shahid sadoughi Hospital,Yazd,Iran. In this case report, a severe PH was presented and treated with TXA. PH was reduced after administering first dose of TXA and full recovery was achieved on 3th day of therapy. No bacterial agent was observed in hemoculture result during first 72 hours and hemocoagulation was not affected with TXA administration.


Abstract. A central component of the web-based map application AustrianVineyards.com is the communication of the climatic conditions prevailing in the individual wine-growing regions. To accomplish this, it is necessary to obtain the relevant data and process it so that it can be converted into high-quality visualisations. Therefore, the goal is to develop a climate communication tool that is as flexible as possible, so that it is possible to display several meteorological parameters. Moreover, this visualisation should be appealing to experts as well as to laypersons. This paper shows how the data preparation and visualisation is managed so that these demands can be met. The result of the workflow are versatile climate and weather charts that are easy to interpret thanks to the inclusion of historical data. Furthermore, geocommunicative aspects are a central part of the concept through their assignment to wine origins from AustrianVineyards.com and visual properties that make the diagrams comparable with one another.


. Image inpainting is an essential task for multiple practical applications like object removal and image editing. Deep GAN-based models greatly improve the inpainting performance in structures and textures within the hole, but might also generate unexpected artifacts like broken structures or color blobs. Users perceive these artifacts to judge the effectiveness of inpainting models, and retouch these imperfect areas to inpaint again in a typical retouching workflow. Inspired by this workflow, we propose a new learning task of automatic segmentation of inpainting perceptual artifacts, and apply the model for inpainting model evaluation and iterative refinement. Specifically, we first construct a new inpainting artifacts dataset by manually annotating perceptual artifacts in the results of state-of-the-art inpainting models. Then we train advanced segmentation networks on this dataset to reliably localize inpainting artifacts within inpainted images. Second, we propose a new interpretable evaluation metric called Perceptual Artifact Ratio (PAR), which is the ratio of objectionable inpainted regions to the entire inpainted area. PAR demonstrates a strong correlation with real user preference. Finally, we further apply the generated masks for iterative image inpainting by combining our approach with multiple recent inpainting methods. Extensive experiments demonstrate the consistent decrease


The article titled "Molecular Mechanism of MART-1þ/A 0201þ Human Melanoma Resistance to Specific CTL-Killing Despite Functional Tumor–CTL Interaction," which was published in the February 15, 2011, issue of Cancer Research (1), is being retracted at the request of the University of California, Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA). Following an institutional review, it was determined that data used in some of the figures cannot be supported; specifically, the 3and 6-hour bands in Fig. 4C are duplicates of the M329-actin bands in Fig. 4A. To ensure that the research record is correct, the institution has requested that the article be retracted. The authors have been made aware of this retraction.


Recently the use of laser to various kinds of app lications has been applied. Therefore, to obtain be tter results in the development of a cutting machine of materials using low power laser, cutting system should be analyzed , both in simulation and experiment. In this experiment, low power laser diode and laser CO 2 were used. The gypsum and polymer materials were used in this experiment. For the simulation of cutt ing process, software was used while the experiment al process used CNC milling machine as a manipulator. From the research it is shown that parameters such as speed, current , voltage, number of pass, number of layer and compressed air influence the depth of cut in the process of cutting. By usin g Response Surface Method (RSM), in laser CO 2 cutting for gypsum it is found that power and numb er of layer have significant effect to make depth of cut deeper, while the speed has no signifi ca t effect to increase the depth of cut.


As a scientist develops, a referencing system (linking results/hypotheses to sources) evolves in the mind. This mind-map is an essential working tool that uses indexing features—such as author names—as reference points. The Harvard style (HS), in which citations in the text are made of names and years of publication and the references are listed in alphabetical order, actively helps to establish this mind-map. In our view, the Vancouver style (VS), in which citations in the text are numbers and the references are listed in order of appearance within the text, does not enhance the formation of a mind-map in a similar way and makes detections of incongruity between the reader's mind-map and the text more difficult. In an ideal academic world, HS would be used because of these two effects: constant education of and easy quality control by the scientific reader. Although VS reduces printing space and allows easier reading for less academically trained readers, scientific readers may find this style difficult when trying to check and verify sources. For reviewers, who cannot opt not to make such checks, VS is even more tedious. We advocate that journals using VS in print should use HS for the reviewing process; further, in the final printed version, the references should be numbered and listed alphabetically rather than according to the order in which they are cited. Especially for maturing scientists, reading texts with HS referencing is essential.


A multicarrier based cognitive radio (CR) network is considered in this paper. The goal is to maximize the total sum rate of the CR system while ensuring that no excessive interference is induced to the primary system. The optimal scheme adopts the dual decomposition technique and in order to reduce the computational complexity of the optimal scheme, a greedy suboptimal algorithm is proposed. Selected numerical results is discussed to reveal the near-optimal performance of the suboptimal scheme and the superiority of the proposed algorithm over the random and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) based schemes. This paper highlights the advantages of using filter bank multicarrier (FBMC) instead of OFDM in the physical layer of the future CR systems.


This research was based on the phenomenon of the criminal news presentation development on the television, which motivated the planner of the television broadcasting program to provide the criminal news presentation that could attract audiences' attention and to be able to compete with other similar program on the other television stations.
Even, recently the development of the criminal news experience good progress by being packaged in much better specifications in the form of both hard news and feature. Television is a means of information which could be used until now by keeping on providing and implementing
the breakthrough that is kept on conducting in the Sapu Lidi program which could be included as one of the top program in the Agropolitan Television in presenting the news presentation around Malang Raya. Therefore, the formulation of the problems researched is the news theme which dominates the program presentation of ATV Sapu Lidi.
This research used the quantitative descriptive research type, that is the research that describes the facts or population characteristics or certain field systematically, factually, and accurately.
The research used the contents analysis which is generally by making the measurement or coding that is based on the determined categories. The data presentation is conducted by arranging and mentioning each frequency in a series.
Based on the research results which was conducted as per problems formulation presented by the writer, it could be concluded, as following :
1. The themes of the criminal news in the Sapu Lidi Program in ATV – Batu which was conducted within 3 ( three ) months were as following :
a. Robbery News, which consists of : thieves, looting / plundering, snatching. In this criminal news presentation, the robbery occupies the top position, that is : presentation level of 56.7 % from total entire themes. The robbery happens so many times because life necessities which are getting pressed the poor and the jobless people.
b. Economy News, which consists of : smuggling, illegal trading, gambling. The kinds of economy crime occupies the second position, that is : 23.3 % from the total entire
themes.


We analyzed case histories of 495 patients with oral cancer treated in the Head and Neck Tumor Clinic of the Russian Cancer Research Center RAMS from 1985 to 1998. 88 patients were included in the study out of which 50 reserved combined (radiotherapy + surgery) and 38--complex (chemotherapy + radiotherapy + surgery) treatment. On assessing the clinical results we got the following results: after combined treatment 5-year survival was 45.9 +/- 7.0%, while after the complex method--37.2 +/- 7.8%. The inclusion of chemotherapy to the treatment does not significantly influence long-term results.


nudeosomes ABSTRI A DNA topoisomerase activity is found to be associated with the nucloosomes released by the Staphylococcal nuclease digestion of HeLa nuclei. Such an association is found to be salt dependent. A number of criteria have established that this DNA topoisomerase activity is due to HoLa topo I(Liu, L. F. and Miller, K. G.(1980) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 78, 3489-3491). A similar association has been demonstrated from the in vitro studies using purified mononucloosomes and oukaryotic DNA topoisomerase I. Nonhistone HIG proteins and histone Hl are found to stimulate topoisomerase activity in vitro and form tight complexes with eukaryotic DNA topoisomerase I. The intimate interactions of topoisomerase I with chromosomal proteins and nucleosomes may be an essential feature of the topoisomerase function in vivo.


An elevated urinary albumin excretion (UAE) in non-diabetic subjects without renal or cardiovascular disease has been shown to be predictive of ischaemic heart disease. An insertion (I)/deletion (D) polymorphism in the angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) gene has been identified and the D allele may be associated with cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to find a potential linkage between this polymorphism and elevated UAE. For studies of UAE and cardiovascular pathophysiology, a highly selected population sample has been identified comprising all clinically healthy subjects aged 40-65 years with elevated UAE in a dipstick negative urinary sample (n = 27) from The Copenhagen City Heart Study. Neither the ACE genotype distribution (p = 0.12) nor the D and I allele frequencies (p = 0.69) differed significantly between subjects with elevated UAE and a matched normoalbuminuric control group (n = 46). Elevated UAE in clinically healthy subjects is not linked to the ACE gene polymorphism.


We present herein a comprehensive study of how the equation of state affects laser imprinting by nonuniform laser irradiation of an inertial fusion target. It has been suggested that a stiffer and denser material would reduce laser imprinting based on the equation of motion with pressure perturbation. We examine the detailed temporal evolution of the imprint amplitude by using the two-dimensional radiation hydrodynamic simulation PINOCO-2D for diamond, which is a candidate stiff-ablator material for inertial fusion targets. The simulated laser imprinting amplitude is compared with experimental measurements of areal-density perturbations obtained by using face-on x-ray backlighting for diamond and polystyrene (PS) (the latter as a reference). The experimental results are well reproduced by the results of the PINOCO-2D simulation, which indicates that the imprinting amplitude due to nonuniform irradiation (average intensity, 4.0 × 1012 to 5.0 × 1013) differs by a factor of two to three between diamond and PS. The difference in laser imprinting is mainly related to the material density and compressibility. These parameters are key factors that determine the laser imprinting amplitude.We present herein a comprehensive study of how the equation of state affects laser imprinting by nonuniform laser irradiation of an inertial fusion target. It has been suggested that a stiffer and denser material would reduce laser imprinting based on the equation of motion with pressure perturbation. We examine the detailed temporal evolution of the imprint amplitude by using the two-dimensional radiation hydrodynamic simulation PINOCO-2D for diamond, which is a candidate stiff-ablator material for inertial fusion targets. The simulated laser imprinting amplitude is compared with experimental measurements of areal-density perturbations obtained by using face-on x-ray backlighting for diamond and polystyrene (PS) (the latter as a reference). The experimental results are well reproduced by the results of the PINOCO-2D simulation, which indicates that the imprinting amplitude due to nonuniform irradiation (average intensity, 4.0 × 1012 to 5.0 × 1013) differs by a factor of two to three between diamond and P...


Abstract Two isostructural metal-organic frameworks based on cobalt(II) and nickel(II) metalloporphyrin linkers, Co-PCN222 and Ni-PCN222, are investigated using resonance Raman and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The spectroscopic consequences of framework formation and host–guest interaction with weakly and strongly coordinating guest molecules (acetone and pyridine) are assessed. Structure sensitive vibrational modes of the resonance Raman spectra provide insights on the electronic and structural changes of the porphyrin linkers upon framework formation. XANES and EXAFS measurements reveal axial binding behavior of the metalloporphyrin units in Co-PCN222, but almost no axial interaction with guest molecules at the Ni porphyrin sites in Ni-PCN222.


Global change calls for more active approaches to forest risk management. To avoid unforeseen backlashes, it is necessary to examine the general public's acceptance of the risk management strategies. By drawing on different theoretical approaches (threat and prevention, performance evaluations, and forest cognitions), the present study examines predictors of acceptability in the general public in three counties in Sweden (N = 1,026). As expected, appraisals of threat mediated the effect of threat awareness on belief in risk prevention, and when examining performance evaluations, trust in responsible actors influenced acceptability via procedural satisfaction. However, the threat and prevention approach and the performance evaluation approach only explained low levels of the variance in acceptability of the examined strategies. Nevertheless, stronger ecological forest values, and favoring broadleaved forests, were found to be important to the acceptability of proactively implementing a more diverse forest to meet the expected challenges associated with global climate change.


CONTEXT
Testosterone and estradiol levels decline with age in men. This change may affect multiple clinical outcomes, but there have been few reports of the distribution and correlates of testosterone and estradiol concentrations in elderly men.

OBJECTIVE
The purpose of these studies was to assess sex steroid levels in a large cohort of older men.

DESIGN
We conducted a cross-sectional cohort evaluation.

SETTING
Community-dwelling men were studied at six academic medical centers in the United States.

PARTICIPANTS
The Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study is a prospective cohort of men aged at least 65 yr. In these studies, a randomly selected stratified subsample of 2623 participants was analyzed.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
We assessed levels of total and free testosterone and estradiol and SHBG.

RESULTS
Age was inversely associated with free testosterone and free estradiol levels (P for trend = 0.001 for both). Notably, at any age, there was substantial variation in levels of each hormone. Free testosterone levels were lower in men with greater body mass index, lower SHBG, and poorer self-reported health status and in those of Asian race. Free estradiol concentrations were lower in men with lower body mass index and higher SHBG levels. Free estradiol and free testosterone were modestly correlated (r = 0.20; P < 0.001), but at any level of free testosterone, there was considerable variation in free estradiol levels.

CONCLUSIONS
This is the largest cohort of older men in which sex steroid levels are available, and it demonstrates that testosterone and estradiol, and their free fractions, tend to decline with age even among older men. However, substantial variation is also present. The relationships between sex steroid levels and their consequences in aging are likely to be complex.


Supplying safe, appropriate and effective non-prescription medicines for customers in community pharmacies is a key role of pharmacists and pharmacy assistants in every country. However, in low and middle-income countries, including Vietnam, the quality of professional services from pharmacies is limited, unclear and has often been questioned. There is limited research about the real situation surrounding non-prescription medicine supply in community pharmacies in Vietnam. The factors that influence the supply of non-prescription medicines to customers and to what extent the service provision could be improved for the benefit of pharmacy customers needs to be explored. This study aimed to investigate non-prescription medicines supply in community pharmacies in Hanoi, Vietnam in order to provide scientific evidence about the situation.

A mixed method approach was used in this study to provide valuable insights into what occurs during pharmacy staff-customer transactions. Following ethical approval, fieldwork observations were undertaken in five community pharmacies over a five week period from March to May 2011, this was followed by 22 semi-structured interviews with eight pharmacists and 14 pharmacy assistants who had been observed. The interviews enabled participants to express their perceptions and experiences regarding the supply of non-prescription medicines to customers in community pharmacies. Survey research, using a structured questionnaire, was conducted with 505 pharmacy customers who were asked to evaluate the pharmacy service that they had just received. Results from the three sources were triangulated and validated by comparing, contrasting, complementing and confirming in order to provide a better understanding of non-prescription medicines supply and make recommendations for improving the service provision in community pharmacies in Vietnam.

The findings from this study indicate that factors influencing the supply of non-prescription medicines in community pharmacies include attitudes of pharmacy staff, their medical and pharmaceutical knowledge and their communication skills. The influence of the pharmacy settings, customer factors such as customers' complex and diverse demands, the irrational use of medicines, using medicines following the suggestions of others, and tough customers were all factors that impacted on staff-customer transactions. Being conveniently located, the pharmacy offering reasonably priced medicines and being a large pharmacy with a good reputation were also considered important impacting on customer selection of community pharmacy.

The results of this research show that there are limitations in pharmacy service provision and there is a discrepancy between pharmacy staff perceptions and actual practice in terms of attitudes. Poor performance, in many situations, did not come from a lack of knowledge; rather it appeared to result from the negative attitudes of pharmacy staff. Such negative attitudes of pharmacy staff are likely to be related to their focus on just short-term profit rather than focusing on a balance between short-term and long-term benefits for both customers and pharmacies. Positive attitudes, taking greater responsibility, customer loyalty and long-term benefits were ignored. Poor performance of pharmacy staff, to some extent, was also affected by their education and training. Some educational organisations have commercialised their training activities and paid too much attention to the quantity of graduated students rather than the quality of their education and training.

This study has important implications for the improvement of the responsible supply of non-prescription medicines in community pharmacies in Vietnam including the identified needs for attitude interventions and training. New subjects should be added to the pharmacy students' curricula and training should be developed for pharmacy assistants in areas such as communication skills, customer psychology, selling skills and patient safety. For pharmacists and pharmacy assistants, gaining treatment experience from customers' feedback and keeping up to date with new information should be a continuous activity. Close co-operation between health authorities, policy makers and researchers needs to be developed in conducting further research and implementing appropriate policies, in order to improve the service provision in community pharmacies in Vietnam.


: Background & Aim: Pain relief is an integral part of nursing care and an appreciated outcome of nursing actions. Pain is one of the most common problems in postoperative period. This article is part of a larger study which aimed to explore patients' perspective of pain and pain management. Annually, more than hundreds of million people undergo surgical operations experiencing postoperative pain. Although a number of researches and discussion papers have explored the issue, the current study has explored patients' perspective about postoperative pain management, a subject that have rarely been studied. Material & Method: A qualitative approach was adopted. Data was collected via semi- structured interviews and participations' observations. A purposive sample of ten surgical patients and four companions (relatives) were selected from two educational health centers. Data analysis uncovered a number of themes. The themes related to patients' perspective about pain management is subject of this paper. Results: The other five themes of pain management were: watching over by personnel and availability, humanistic approach, presenting information and patient education, communication and patient's participation, considering patient integrity, and ambivalence between expression of pain and reluctance. Conclusion: The findings of this study help personnel to know the patients and their needs better and to find what pain management means to them. Consequently, nurses can plan, imply and evaluate nursing interventions most appropriately


Mobile mapping systems (MMS) are becoming used in standard geodetic tasks more common in the last years. This paper deals with the accuracy evaluation of two types of data acquired by MMS RIEGL VMX-450, and their comparison. The first type is data from mobile laser scanning (MLS). The second type is mobile photogrammetry data. The new high accurate test point field was built in area of Advanced Materials, Structures and Technologies (AdMaS) research centre that is part of Brno University of Technology. Geodetic network and test point field were measured by Trimble R8s GNSS system and Trimble S8 HP total station. The estimate of the 3D standard deviation determined by an adjustment is 2 mm. The accuracy of MLS and mobile photogrammetry data was tested based on the differences between the coordinates of the points determined from the MMS data and determined by before mentioned high precise measurement. The resulting coordinates from photogrammetric data were determined by manual detection of targets in the images. The estimate of the 3D standard deviation is 0.017 m from the MLS data, and 0.061 m from the mobile photogrammetry data. As we supposed, the mobile laser scanning data are significantly more accurate than mobile photogrammetry data. Achieved accuracy of MLS exceeds the original expectations with respect to the GNSS/IMU positioning accuracy, which is according to the manufacturer RIEGL between 0.02-0.05 m. The same scene is often scanned with multiple scanning passes to ensure high quality of the scanned point cloud, therefore we tested the relative accuracy of mobile laser scanning data from two MMS vehicle passes in the same locality of interest. Two different data sets were evaluated, first data set contains points on roads, second data set on buildings. The standard deviation estimate does not exceed 0.008 m and the maximum absolute deviation does not exceed 0.030 m for both data sets. The difference between the two passes is not significant in comparison with the accuracy criteria required for standard mapping purposes. We also compared automatic point cloud production from photogrammetry data processed in Bentley ContextCapture to the point cloud from laser scanning. The MLS data has been used as a reference because it is significantly more accurate as mentioned before. This comparison was done only on the second data set (buildings). The standard deviation estimate is 0.16 m and the maximum absolute deviation is 0.25 m. Our evaluation contains also statistical testing of outliers and stragglers. In contrast to many authors, we don't use the simplified approach 3σ rule, and in 1D. We use more exact approach using critical values of the statistics for significance levels α = 5 % and α = 1 % to stragglers and outliers test in 3D.


Objectives
Body adiposity is an important risk factor for the development of chronic non-communicable diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of açai seed extract (ASE) on adipogenesis.

Methods
We investigated the effects of ASE in a mouse model of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity. We also evaluated the effects of ASE as a pre-treatment and treatment on 3T3-L1 adipocytes cell proliferation, cell differentiation and expression of proteins involved in lipid metabolism, such as PPARɣ, SREBP-1 and FAS, using westernbloting.

Results
In our work high-fat diet-fed mice treated with ASE (HFD-ASE) showed a lower adipose index (-32.63%, p < 0.001) than the high-fat diet-fed mice group (HFD) and the adipocytes from the HFD group were considerably enlarged (p < 0.001) compared to those in the control group (CG) and HFD-ASE group (+175% and +123%, respectively). We also evaluated the effects of ASE on the modulation of adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells. ASE exposure led to a decrease of 26.6 (P < 0.05) in proliferation and also inhibited preadipocyte differentiation through the decreasing expression (P < 0.05) of transcription factors and adipogenic proteins such as PPARɣ, SREBP-1 and FAS.

Conclusions
These results show that the ASE reduce adipogenesis and suppress lipid accumulation in in vivo model and in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and reinforce the potential ASE as a potential strategy to modulate adipogenesis.

Funding Sources
The financial support of Brazilian funding agencies: FAPERJ, E-26/202.829/2015 and E-26/010.002632/2014; Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, 472711/2013-0; and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pesssoal de Nível Superior-Brazil (CAPES) - Finance code 001.

Supporting Tables Images and/or Graphs


BACKGROUND
High intake of whole grains has been associated with lower risk of coronary heart disease; however, the research that has been used to evaluate different effects of different whole-grain cereals (e.g., wheat, rye, and oats) has been sparse.

OBJECTIVE
We investigated the association between whole-grain intake in terms of total intake and intakes of different cereals and myocardial infarction.

DESIGN
This prospective study included 54,871 Danish adults aged 50-64 y, of whom 2329 individuals developed myocardial infarction (13.6 y of follow-up). Detailed information on daily intake of whole-grain products was available from a self-administered food-frequency questionnaire, and intakes of total whole grain and whole-grain species (wheat, rye, and oats) were estimated. The association between intake of whole grains and risk of myocardial infarction was examined with the use of a Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for potential confounders.

RESULTS
For both men and women with total whole-grain intake in the highest quartile, lower risks of myocardial infarction were shown [HRs: 0.75 (95% CI: 0.65, 0.86) and 0.73 (95% CI: 0.58, 0.91), respectively] than for individuals with intake in the lowest quartile. When the specific cereal species were considered, rye and oats, but not wheat, were associated with lower myocardial infarction risk in men. No significant associations were seen in women. For total whole-grain products, significantly lower myocardial infarction risks were seen with higher intakes in both men and women. Rye bread (in men and women) and oatmeal (in men) were associated with significantly lower risk of myocardial infarction, whereas no significant association was shown for whole-grain bread, crispbread, and wheat.

CONCLUSION
In this study, we provide support for the hypothesis that whole-grain intake is related to lower risk of myocardial infarction and suggest that the cereals rye and oats might especially hold a beneficial effect.


Many coastal problems require the calculation of wave-generated oscillatory (orbital) velocities at the sea-bed for applications such as sediment mobility, transport and suspension, bed protection measures, and forces on structures. This is most commonly performed by using linear wave theory to transform the wave height and period to the orbital velocity in a given water depth as described by e.g. Sleath (1984). Only nonbreaking waves are considered in this report. The use of linear wave theory to obtain orbital velocities is justified by the experimental work of Kirkgoz (1986), who found that linear theory gave reasonable agreement with observed orbital velocities under wave crests over his entire range of parameter settings, even at the transformation point of plunging breakers where higher-order theories might be expected to give significantly better results. The velocity under wave troughs was significantly smaller than the predicted linear-theory value. Depending on the complexity of the problem, either a regular (monochromatic) wave or irregular (spectral) waves may be considered. However, the expression for the orbital velocity amplitude cannot be written explicitly in terms of depth, wave height and period, so indirect methods must be used. This report extends earlier work by Soulsby and Smallman (1986) and Soulsby (1987) to give calculation methods which are simple enough to be written in a single cell of a spreadsheet, for ease of use in practical applications using spreadsheet methods. It is less accurate than some methods, but is adequate to give at least a reasonable estimate for many desk-study applications. Despite enormous increases in computer speed and power since 1986, it is still often a limitation when using fine grids, long-term simulations, multiple sensitivity tests, or stochastic simulations in present day studies. Efficiency of repeated computations is thus still a desirable goal, especially when wave orbital velocities need to be calculated at every grid point and every time-step of a numerical model. The simple methods may therefore sometimes be preferred to more accurate methods even in numerical models.


In this paper we present a multifunctional combined CNC machine that integrates the technology of USM, EDM and grinding. For non-conductive hard and brittle materials, the machine tool could perform ultrasonic machining and grinding machining combined ultrasonic vibration; for conductive hard and brittle materials, electrical discharge with or without ultrasonic vibration could be implemented. Conductive engineering ceramics have been used for elementary experiments, the results show that it is more efficient and more stable for processing this kind of materials by using the multifunctional combined CNC machine. On the basis of brief introduction about the structure of the machine tool, this paper emphasizes the form of control system, the gap state inspection that can be used to ensure the stability in processing and the principle for servo control.


Contrary to expectations, the Arab League has emerged as an active player in the Middle East region over the past decade. The League's roles in negotiations to end the 2006 Israel–Lebanon War and in the brokering of the 2008 Doha Agreement between warring Lebanese factions present two instances of 'partial' and 'direct' contributions to success in resolving major extra-systemic and minor internal conflicts. These developments are part of a global trend of the regionalization or decentralization of security in the post-Cold-War context.


Over the last years, the issue of reducing energy consumption in hard real-time embedded systems has received considerable attention from the scientific community, since responsiveness and low energy consumption are often conflicting requirements. In this context, several techniques have been proposed, mostly, adopting DVS (dynamic voltage scaling) for reducing energy consumption in conjunction with runtime scheduling policies for dealing with stringent timing constraints. Nevertheless, those approaches generally disregard inter-task relations and runtime overheads (e.g. voltage switching) as well as adopt specialized operating systems. This paper presents a software synthesis method for hard real-time systems with energy constraints, taking into account DVS, inter-task relations and runtime overheads. The proposed method adopts a formal model based on time Petri nets in order to provide a basis for precise pre-runtime schedule generation.


This article draws on a multi-year Australian collaborative study of mental health review tribunals in three jurisdictions (Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory) undertaken in conjunction with the NSW Law and Justice Foundation, using qualitative and quantitative methods to examine the role of mental health tribunals in advancing goals such as fairness, legality and access to treatment. In recognition of shrinkage of state resources available for treatment and care of the mentally ill in many jurisdictions, and limited time and resources for review bodies, the article reflects on stakeholder and client concerns about access to quality treatment and associated support services, review of treatment adequacy and drug regimes, and their 'participation' or dignity of engagement in review processes. Building on earlier arguments in favour of equipping tribunals to adequately engage the clinical and social domains in addition to the domain of 'legal rectitude', and for 'flexibility' of process more characteristic of case-conferencing modes, this article examines the implications of such findings for the interests of clients and overall 'governance' in mental health.


The paper proposes an energy-aware contention-based protocol for the medium access control (MAC) sub-layer for wireless sensor networks. The innovative approach with frequent sleeps proactively and aggressively reduces the wasted energy while increasing the throughput and decreasing the latency. The proposed MAC protocol solves the energy inefficiency caused by idle listening, control-packet overhead, and overhearing. Simulation experiments have been performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, especially compared to the S-MAC and T-MAC protocols.


With the CMOS transistors being scaled to sub 45nm and lower, Negative Bias Temperature Instability (NBTI) has become a major concern due to its impact on PMOS transistor aging process and the corresponding reduction in the long-term reliability of CMOS circuits. This paper investigates the effect of NBTI phenomenon on the setup and hold times of flip-flops. First, it is shown that NBTI tightens the setup and hold timing constraints imposed on the flip-flops in the design. Second, an efficient algorithm is introduced for characterizing the codependent setup and hold time (CSHT) contours. Third, we introduce a multi- corner optimization problem to minimize the energy-delay product of the flip-flops. The optimization relies on mathematical programming to find the best transistor sizes. Finally, we apply our proposed optimization formulation on True Single-Phase Clock (TSPC) flip-flops and show the simulation results.1


During construction of a tunnel in TriassicMercia Mudstone near Leicester a full face tunnel boring machine did not behave asexpected on the basis of the pre-construction ground investigation. When the machine was operated in open mode the spoil often reduced to a slurry as anticipated. However, when it was operated in closed mode the spoil changed to a plastic clay which clogged the machine. Further investigations were carried out after the tunnel had been constructed. Mineralogical analyses revealed that the Mercia Mudstone formation through which the tunnel was driven contained highly plastic swelling smectite clays which had not been identified in the pre-construction ground investigations. Samples from the tunnel and from elsewhere in the Mercia Mudstone Group were examined in special laboratory tests designed to replicate the conditions during construction. These tests demonstrated that under the influence of the tunnel boring machine in closed mode the spoil could have disaggregated releasing swelling smectite-rich clay. The results of these tests provided explanations for the behaviour of the tunnel boring machine.


A total of 478 patients, mean age 15.5 (3.6‐25.3) years, suffering from Turner's syndrome, were studied in order to determine the frequency of autoimmune thyroiditis, which is defined as the presence of antithyroid antibodies (AT‐Ab) and typical ultrasound findings. We found 106 (22.2%) patients positive for AT‐Ab and of those 49 (10%) also had positive ultrasound findings, and were therefore considered to be affected by thyroiditis. This frequency is significantly higher (p < 0.001) than that seen in the normal population. Goitre was detected on clinical examination in only 16 (33%) and by ultrasound in 19 (39%) patients. Hormonal evaluation showed that 17 patients were euthyroid, 27 had compensated hypothyroidism, 2 were hypothyroid and 3 were in a hyperthyroid phase. Clinical signs or symptoms of hypothyroidism were absent in all hypothyroid patients. In patients with thyroiditis, neither a higher frequency of malformations and autoimmune diseases nor a correlation with karyotype, oestrogens or growth hormone therapy was found.Antithyroid antibodies, thyroiditis, thyroid hormones, thyroid ultrasound, Turner's syndrome


This paper considers the problem of robust st& bilization for stochastic time-delay systems with convex polytopic uncertainties. Sufficient conditions for the solvability of the problem are obtained by using parameter-independent and parameterdependent Lyapunov functionals, respectively. It is shown that the result derived by a parameterdependent Lyapunov functional is less conservative. A desired state feedback controller can be designed by solving a set-of linear matrix inequalities.


We present a new framework to reconstruct holistic 3D indoor scenes including both room background and indoor objects from single-view images. Existing methods can only produce 3D shapes of indoor objects with limited geometry quality because of the heavy occlusion of indoor scenes. To solve this, we propose an instance-aligned implicit function (InstPIFu) for detailed object reconstruction. Combining with instance-aligned attention module, our method is empowered to decouple mixed local features toward the occluded instances. Additionally, unlike previous methods that simply represents the room background as a 3D bounding box, depth map or a set of planes, we recover the fine geometry of the background via implicit representation. Extensive experiments on the SUN RGB-D, Pix3D, 3D-FUTURE, and 3D-FRONT datasets demonstrate that our method outperforms existing approaches in both background and foreground object reconstruction. Our code and model will be made publicly available.


The authors investigate the recently suggested fast Newton family for adaptive filtering in the context of acoustic echo cancellation, with emphasis on the mobile radio case. A distinctive advantage of the fast Newton transversal filter (FNTF) is that it can offer high performance with speech inputs at low computational cost. They discuss possible implementations and compare the FNTF with classical schemes in terms of complexity. A complete numerically stabilized version is presented, and additional features for proper real-time operation with speech are discussed. Experimental comparisons using various signals and real situations show that in all cases, the FNTF behaves similarly to the standard fast RLS transversal filter (FTF) algorithm, whereas its complexity is only slightly higher than that of the normalized LMS (NLMS). Compared with the NLMS, the experiments show that in the context investigated, the latter exhibits inferior performance with respect to convergence and tracking. Thus, they demonstrate that the FNTF is an efficient scheme for acoustic echo cancellation in mobile radio. >


Background. Although the value of surgeon-performed neck ultrasound (SPUS) for thyroid nodules has been validated, the utility of intraoperative ultrasound (US) in modified radical neck dissection (MRND) has not been reported in the literature. The aim of this study was to analyze the utility of intraoperative SPUS in assessing the completeness of MRND for thyroid cancer. Methods. Between 2007 and 2011, a total of 25 patients underwent MRND by 1 surgeon for thyroid cancer. All patients underwent intraoperative SPUS, which was repeated at the end of the neck dissection (completion US) to look for missed lymph nodes (LNs). Results. There were 10 male and 15 female patients. Pathology included 23 papillary and 2 medullary carcinomas. The number of LNs removed per case was 23 ± 2, and the number of positive was LNs 5 ± 1. In 4 (16%) cases, intraoperative US detected 7 residual LNs, which would have been missed, if completion US were not done. These missed LNs were located in low-level IV (3 nodes), high-level II (2 nodes), and posterior level V (2 nodes) and measured 1.4 ± 0.2 cm. At follow-up, recurrence was seen in 2 (8%) patients, including a superior mediastinal recurrence in a patient with tall cell cancer and a jugular LN recurrence at level II in another patient with papillary thyroid cancer. Conclusion. This pilot study shows that intraoperative SPUS can help assess the completeness of MRND. According to our results, intraoperative completion US identifies LNs missed by palpation 16% of the time.


Part of the placenta was left in situ. Estimated blood loss was 2500mls. Postpartumly the patient had minimal bleeding for about a week and was discharged. The patient returned with increasing brownish vaginal discharge at 5 weeks postnatally. On ultrasound examination, the retained portion of placenta was confirmed to be in the uterine cavity with no vascularity observed between the placenta and the uterine wall on Doppler imaging. Vaginal misoprostol was given followed by manual removal of the retained placental tissue. There was minimal bleeding associated with the procedure. In conclusion, ultrasound is useful in guiding the management of morbidly adherent placenta. When there is no or little vascularity between the placenta and the uterine wall demonstrable postnatally, it may be safe to remove the placenta.


This research engages with critical realism to reassess the meaning of the dwelling for physically disabled individuals. Much of the existing literature on experiences of the dwelling for physically disabled individuals has explored functional design issues. In doing so a homogenous view of the meaning of the dwelling has been presented, one that has largely neglected the influences of both agency and physiology. To remedy this neglect this research seeks to explore the possibility for difference in the meaning of the dwelling and in doing so move beyond the explanations presented in the past. Drawing on the data generated through life history interviews with nineteen individuals with a wide range of physically disabilities, this thesis explores the range of events that can affect the meaning of the dwelling for physically disabled individuals. Moreover, by developing a critical understanding of critical realism, over the course of the thesis an analytical framework will be developed; a framework that can help explain the experiences of the nineteen participants in a non-reductionist fashion. Principally, this framework will highlight the impossibility of reducing experiences to just one cause and assert the need to recognise that a combination of structures, mechanisms and events co-determine the meaning of the dwelling. By taking an epistemological position influenced by critical realism it becomes possible to acknowledge experiential diversity in the form of: episodic issues; type of impairment; biographical accomplishment; emotional attachments; impact of care services etc. without disregarding all important issues of design or homogenising experiences. In doing so this research not only makes a contribution to the meaning of the home literature, but to disability and housing studies in general.


The recruitment of tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factors (TRAFs) 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 to the CD40 cytoplasmic tail upon CD40 trimerization results in downstream signaling events that ultimately lead to CD40-dependent, thymus-dependent (TD) humoral immune responses. Previously, we have shown signaling through the C-terminal tail of CD40 in the absence of canonical TRAF-binding sites is capable of signaling through an alternative TRAF2-binding site. Here, we demonstrate that B cells from mice harboring CD40 with only the C-terminal tail can activate both canonical and noncanonical NFkappaB signaling pathways. Moreover, while lacking germinal center formation, several hallmarks of humoral immune responses including clonal B-cell activation/expansion, antibody isotype switching, and affinity maturation remain normal. This study demonstrates a new functional domain in CD40 that controls critical aspects of B-cell immunity in an in vivo setting.


Anthracofibrosis, which was defined as a luminal narrowing associated with overlying anthracotic mucosa on bronchoscopy, has been infrequently reported. Recently, we have identified a case of patient who had a history of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), manifested left main bronchial stenosis and hyperpigmentation. Despite repeated and multiple cryotherapy, the condition was still progressing. Given to the potential relationship between active endobronchial tuberculosis (EBTB) and anthracofibrosis, the patient received a diagnostic anti-tuberculosis (anti-TB) treatment due to initial failed cryotherapy, resulting in improvement of hyperpigmentation and stenosis of the left main bronchus. Eventually, the patient recovered well with regular anti-TB combined with intermittent cryotherapy. Our study suggests that even without etiological evidence, there might be an indication of therapeutic trial of anti-TB medication in case of repeated bronchial stenosis due to anthracofibrosis in patients with past history of TB and other causes are excluded. Yet, the recommendation of aggressive treatment should reply on the effect of diagnostic treatment and further research.


OBJECTIVE
To study the association between type 1 diabetes risk and previous intake of energy, accounting for body size and previous intake of nutrients and foods, accounting for the energy intake.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
We conducted an incident population-based case-referent study in Stockholm, Sweden, including 99 of 100 eligible 7- to 14-year-old diabetic children and 180 of 200 age-, sex-, and area-matched referent children identified through the Swedish population register. Average daily energy and nutrient intake 1 year before diabetes diagnosis/interview was estimated using the food frequency questionnaire with assessment of consumed food amounts. Mean SD scores of growth measurements taken during the last 4 years before the diagnosis were used. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated by conditional logistic regression.

RESULTS
Average intake of energy, carbohydrate, fat, and protein was significantly higher among the case subjects as well as mean weight-for-age SD score. Higher energy intake and weight-for-age were both associated with increased diabetes risk after adjustment for each other: OR (95% CI) for medium and high levels of energy intake were 1.33 (0.52-3.42) and 5.23 (1.67-16.38), respectively, and for weight-for-age were 3.20 (1.30-7.88) and 3.09 (1.16-8.22), respectively. High intake of carbohydrates, especially disaccharides and sucrose, increased diabetes risk.

CONCLUSIONS
Higher energy intake and larger body size were independently associated with increased diabetes risk. Of the different nutrients, higher intake of carbohydrates, particularly disaccharides and sucrose, increased the risk. Lifestyle habits leading to higher energy intake and more rapid growth in childhood may contribute to the increase of childhood-onset type 1 diabetes by different mechanisms.


This book, finance for all, presents first efforts at developing indicators illustrating that financial access is quite limited around the world and identifies barriers that may be preventing small firms and poor households from using financial services. Based on this research, the report derives principles for effective government policy on broadening access. The report's conclusions confirm some traditional views and challenge others. For example, recent research provides additional evidence to support the widely-held belief that financial development promotes growth and illustrates the role of access in this process. Improved access to finance creates an environment conducive to new firm entry, innovation, and growth. However, research also shows that small firms benefit the most from financial development and greater access-both in terms of entry and seeing their growth constraints relaxed. Hence, inclusive financial systems also have consequences for the composition and competition in the enterprise sector. This report reviews and synthesizes a large body of research, and provides the basis for sound policy advice in the area of financial access. The findings in this report also underline the importance of investing in data collection: continued work on measuring and evaluating the impact of access requires detailed micro data both at the household and enterprise level.


Two major trends in large-scale computing are the rapid growth in HPC with in particular an international exascale initiative, and the dramatic expansion of Cloud infrastructures accompanied by the Big Data passion. To satisfy the continuous demands for increasing computing capacity, future extreme-scale systems will embrace a multi-fold increase in the number of computing, storage, and communication components, in order to support an unprecedented level of parallelism. Despite the capacity and economies benefits, making the upward transformation to extreme-scale poses numerous scientific and technological challenges, two of which are the power consumption and fault tolerance. With the increase in system scale, failure would become a norm rather than an exception, driving the system to significantly lower efficiency with unforeseen power consumption.

This thesis aims at simultaneously addressing the above two challenges by introducing a novel fault-tolerant computational model, referred to as \textit{Leaping Shadows}. Based on Shadow Replication, Leaping Shadows associates with each main process a suite of coordinated shadow processes, which execute in parallel but at differential rates, to deal with failures and meet the QoS requirements of the underlying application under strict power/energy constraints. In failure-prone extreme-scale computing environments, this new model addresses the limitations of the basic Shadow Replication model, and achieves adaptive and power-aware fault tolerance that is more time and energy efficient than existing techniques.

In this thesis, we first present an analytical model based optimization framework that demonstrates Shadow Replication's adaptivity and flexibility in achieving multi-dimensional QoS requirements. Then, we introduce Leaping Shadows as a novel power-aware fault tolerance model, which tolerates multiple types of failures, guarantees forward progress, and maintains a consistent level of resilience. Lastly, the details of a Leaping Shadows implementation in MPI is discussed, along with extensive performance evaluation that includes comparison to checkpoint/restart. Collectively, these efforts advocate an adaptive and power-aware fault tolerance alternative for future extreme-scale computing.


We propose a method for fault isolation in discrete event systems such as object oriented control systems, where the observations are the logged error messages. The method is based on automatic abstraction that preserves only the behavior relevant to fault isolation. In this way we avoid the state space explosion, and a model checker can be used to reason about the temporal properties of the system. The result is a fault isolation table that maps possible error logs to isolated faults, and fault isolation thus reduces to table lookup. The fault isolation table can also be used as an analysis tool at the design level to find both faults that cannot be isolated as well as redundant error messages.


Visual Abstract In oscillatory circuits, some actions of neuromodulators depend on the oscillation frequency. However, the mechanisms are poorly understood. We explored this problem by characterizing neuromodulation of the lateral pyloric (LP) neuron of the crab stomatogastric ganglion (STG). Many peptide modulators, including proctolin, activate the same ionic current (IMI) in STG neurons. Because IMI is fast and non-inactivating, its peak level does not depend on the temporal properties of neuronal activity. We found, however, that the amplitude and peak time of the proctolin-activated current in LP is frequency dependent. Because frequency affects the rate of voltage change, we measured these currents with voltage ramps of different slopes and found that proctolin activated two kinetically distinct ionic currents: the known IMI, whose amplitude is independent of ramp slope or direction, and an inactivating current (IMI-T), which was only activated by positive ramps and whose amplitude increased with increasing ramp slope. Using a conductance-based model we found that IMI and IMI-T make distinct contributions to the bursting activity, with IMI increasing the excitability, and IMI-T regulating the burst onset by modifying the postinhibitory rebound in a frequency-dependent manner. The voltage dependence and partial calcium permeability of IMI-T is similar to other characterized neuromodulator-activated currents in this system, suggesting that these are isoforms of the same channel. Our computational model suggests that calcium permeability may allow this current to also activate the large calcium-dependent potassium current in LP, providing an additional mechanism to regulate burst termination. These results demonstrate a mechanism for frequency-dependent actions of neuromodulators.


Extensive outcrops and 14 measured sections of the Upper Jurassic Entrada Sandstone and overlying Todilto Formation in the southern Chama basin Echo Amphitheater-Ghost Ranch area show long, parallel, eolian transverse dune buildups in the upper Entrada perpendicular to the dominant wind direction as shown by cross-bed foresets. Some bevelling of the buildups occurred prior to the evaporitic deposition of limestone and gypsum of the Todilto Formation and this deposition preserved the buildups, filling in the low interdune areas. The subsurface Entrada-Todilto of the southeastern San Juan basin was mapped over an area including 20 townships. An isopach of the Todilto Formation shows that essentially the same trend of Entrada dune buildups is present here as in the outcrop area. Support for the mechanism of trapping in Entrada oil fields as proposed earlier by Bryant is present both in the surface and subsurface where relief created by eolian buildup of sand is preserved by the infilling of the Todilto. However, structural dip counter to regional dip along the axis of dune buildups is needed to trap oil. This dip can be provided by syndepositional faults cutting across the buildup axis as in the outcrop area where there is sudden thickening of the Todilto and of the Entrada downthrown to the fault. End_of_Article - Last_Page 567------------


Virus-transformed pre-B cells undergo ordered immunoglobulin (Ig) gene rearrangements during culture. We devised a series of highly sensitive polymerase chain reaction assays for Ig gene rearrangement and unrearranged Ig gene segment transcription to study both the possible relationship between these processes in cultured pre-B cells and the role played by heavy (H) chain (mu) protein in regulating gene rearrangement. Our analysis of pre-B cell cultures representing various stages of maturity revealed that transcription of each germline Ig locus precedes or is coincident with its rearrangement. Cell lines containing one functional rearranged H chain allele, however, continue to transcribe and to rearrange the allelic, unrearranged H chain locus. These cell lines appear to initiate but not terminate rearrangement events and therefore provide information about the requirements for activating rearrangement but not about allelic exclusion mechanisms.


AnisaQordonKhasanah, 1411131009. An Analysis of Gender Biased of Students'
Interaction in Speaking English Classroom.
As far as the gender factor and interaction between teachers and students is
concerned, various studies indicate that males and females are treated differently
by their teachers.As researcher interviewed some peoples recently, it seems that
formulatedgender biased which still occurredin learning process in the classroom
activity.Regarding such phenomenon, the researcher interested and challenged to
make an analysisof gender biased in the classroom. This research to get the result
the factors cause gender biased occur in the speaking English class interaction.
The aim of the research are to find out how student in different gender
participate in thespeaking English class interaction, to find out who are most
dominant in the speaking English class interaction between male and female and
also to find out the factors cause one of gender (male or female) students most
dominant in the speaking English class interaction.
The researcher takes from observation in speaking English classroom
males and females student who learn English as a foreign language in English
department at the college of education IAIN Syekh Nurjati Cirebon.This research
observation in speaking and conversation 4 in one of 4th semester class, the class
is PBI-B include to 29 students which consists of 9 males and 20 females
student.This research applied descriptive qualitative method, to describe the
situation, phenomenon depend on fact. Methods and techniques in three categories:
observations, interviews and study of documents.
The result takes a finding that The most of students participation through
interaction in speaking English classroom with non-verbal interaction and the
reason students willingness to participate because having knowledge, interestingin
the topic, lack of confidence and condition of the mood. All of males and females
student doparticipation with equal way.Then, researcher found that female
students are more dominant than male students.Female students moredominant
because many female studentsask and answer question and female students
always have chance to take part in discussion. Researcher also found gender
biased occurs in this class because male and female student a judgment one of
gender is low. Gender biased looks through perspective between male and female
student. Here, male and female students equal underestimated each other. And the
factors are caused student more be dominant in the classroom has two factors
there are student factors and social factors. Besides that, the lecturers said factor
student can be dominant in their class have a four factors there arecritical
thinking, confident, having a knowledge and motivation.


Motivation: Several tools exist to identify cancer driver genes based on somatic mutation data. However, these tools do not account for subclasses of cancer genes: oncogenes, which undergo gain-of-function events, and tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) which undergo loss-of-function. A method which accounts for these subclasses could improve performance while also suggesting a mechanism of action for new putative cancer genes. Results: We develop a panel of five complementary statistical tests and assess their performance against a curated set of 99 HiConf cancer genes using a pan-cancer dataset of 1.7 million mutations. We identify patient bias as a novel signal for cancer gene discovery, and use it to significantly improve detection of oncogenes over existing methods (AUROC1⁄4 0.894). Additionally, our test of truncation event rate separates oncogenes and TSGs from one another (AUROC1⁄4 0.922). Finally, a random forest integrating the five tests further improves performance and identifies new cancer genes, including CACNG3, HDAC2, HIST1H1E, NXF1, GPS2 and HLA-DRB1. Availability and implementation: All mutation data, instructions, functions for computing the statistics and integrating them, as well as the HiConf gene panel, are available at www.github.com/ Bose-Lab/Improved-Detection-of-Cancer-Genes. Contact: firstname.lastname@example.com Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


Abstract. We investigate the pore space of rock samples with respect to different petrophysical parameters using various methods, which provide data on pore size distributions, including micro computed tomography (μ-CT), mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and spectral-induced polarization (SIP). The resulting cumulative distributions of pore volume as a function of pore size are compared. Considering that the methods differ with regard to their limits of resolution, a multiple-length-scale characterization of the pore space is proposed, that is based on a combination of the results from all of these methods. The approach is demonstrated using samples of Bentheimer and Röttbacher sandstone. Additionally, we compare the potential of SIP to provide a pore size distribution with other commonly used methods (MIP, NMR). The limits of resolution of SIP depend on the usable frequency range (between 0.002 and 100 Hz). The methods with similar resolution show a similar behavior of the cumulative pore volume distribution in the overlapping pore size range. We assume that μ-CT and NMR provide the pore body size while MIP and SIP characterize the pore throat size. Our study shows that a good agreement between the pore radius distributions can only be achieved if the curves are adjusted considering the resolution and pore volume in the relevant range of pore radii. The MIP curve with the widest range in resolution should be used as reference.


This study investigates whether gender differences in adolescents' advertising judgments and purchase intentions are due to their level of involvement with the advertised product, and with the claim made in the ad, i.e. whether evaluative versus factual message claims are used. Male (n = 115) and female adolescents (n = 127) were randomly assigned to a mixed design. They read either factual or evaluative ads (between-subjects variable) about a product within and about a product outside their area of interests (within-subjects variable). Results show that when an ad contained a description of a high involvement product (i.e. the youth magazine), adolescent females were persuaded most by factual information, whereas when the ad contained a description of a low involvement product (the sports magazine), they were persuaded more by evaluative information. Adolescent males overall indicated a more positive attitude towards a high involvement product, but were equally persuaded by evaluative and factual information. We conclude that gendered advertising responses do exist, and that the level of involvement with the product advertised determines which type of message claim—factual versus evaluative—is most effective for each gender. Discussion focuses on theoretical and practical implications of these results.


A novel energy efficient method for the Pfitzinger reaction is demonstrated, which is catalysed using a surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium hydroxide. The surfactant nature of the catalyst caused the substrate to be soluble in aqueous media, which enhanced the interaction of the catalyst with the substrate. An increase in the rate of reaction and more than 78% of energy saving were observed under ultrasonic irradiation.


An orthogonal subspace projection (OSP) method using linear mixture modeling was recently explored in hyperspectral image classification and has shown promise in signature detection, discrimination, and classification. In this paper, the OSP is revisited and extended by three unconstrained least squares subspace projection approaches, called signature space OSP, target signature space OSP, and oblique subspace projection, where the abundances of spectral signatures are not known a priori but need to be estimated, a situation to which the OSP cannot be directly applied. The proposed three subspace projection methods can be used not only to estimate signature abundance, but also to classify a target signature at subpixel scale so as to achieve subpixel detection. As a result, they can be viewed as a posteriori OSP as opposed to OSP, which can be thought of as a priori OSP. In order to evaluate these three approaches, their associated least squares estimation errors are cast as a signal detection problem ill the framework of the Neyman-Pearson detection theory so that the effectiveness of their generated classifiers can be measured by receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis. All results are demonstrated by computer simulations and Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data.


Every year, 13,000 new cases of colon cancer are diagnosed in the Netherlands. A third of all these tumors are in the rectum. This number will only increase due to the introduction of national screening programs. Total mesorectal excision (TME) is the preferred treatment for rectal cancer, but unfortunately, this surgery is very drastic for the patient. The first part of the thesis describes a new minimally invasive technique to remove the tumor and heal the patient through the patient's anus. Many of the patients have a stoma, a temporary outlet for stool on the abdomen. In many of these patients, this stoma is never replaced because it is considered a tricky and dangerous operation. Part two of this thesis uses the knowledge and technical skills gained in the first part to place the stoma back through the old stoma hole. A new technique that reduces complications and ensures that patients only have to stay in the hospital for a short time.


Two types of conversational narratives are examined in a corpus of interviews with Salvadoran immigrants who live in Washington, D.C. On the one hand, narrative sequences of counterfactual or hypothetical events position the virtual as opposed to or in comparison with the actual and, in doing so, they convey the narrator's commentary and perspective. On the other hand, narrative sequences of repeated or habitual events create the effect of a static, self-contained picture of the past and can be used to present experience as generalized and common. Both types of sequences are characterized as resources for argumentation. It is shown how recourse to irreality takes place to back a claim and how looking at the past from the past makes the storyteller's perspective relatively immune to challenge. The sociohistorical conditions of the events recounted in the data provide the basis for the view of the immigration and integration experiences presented in this paper. (Discourse Analysis, Linguistic Anthropology)


The paper is devoted to the role of the head of state in initiating and implementing constitutional reforms in Senegal. This country can legitimately be regarded as one of the few examples of a relatively successful democratization process in Africa, as evidenced, among other things, by the lack of military coups leading to the loss of power by civilian governments, as well as by two democratic transfers of power (in 2000–2001 and 2012), after which the main opposition parties gained the presidency and the majority of parliamentary seats. Both these fundamental political transformations generated important constitutional changes (for example, the adoption of the current Constitution of 2001, or the constitutional modifications of 2016 and 2019) that have influenced, to a greater or lesser extent, the position of the presidency in Senegalese systems of government. The author analyses their significance for the functioning of contemporary political institutions in the broader context set by the politics of constitutional amendment which was conducted by previous presidents of this country. The main goal of the paper is to examine to what extent the constitutional modifications introduced before and after the adoption of the 2001 Constitution were designed to contribute to the beginning or consolidation of pro-democratic trends, and to what extent they were created to strengthen the position of an incumbent president himself, leading to a political imbalance and regress in the democratization process. The author argues that the constitutional modifications adopted over the years have often gone in two opposite directions, influencing the efficiency and durability of Senegalese institutional structures.


Phospholipids in the lung fractions, i.e. alveolar free cells, extracellular pulmonary surfactant, intracellular pulmonary surfactant (lamellar bodies) and microsomal fractions, of rats were examined 28 days after intratracheal injection of silica (40 mg/kg). Significant accumulations of phospholipids were observed in the extracellular- and intracellular-surfactant fractions of rats exposed to silica. The prominent phospholipid accumulated was phosphatidylcholine (PC), consisting mainly of the dipalmitoyl species. However, a compositional change in acidic phospholipids of surfactant fractions was produced by the silica treatment. The percentage of phosphatidylglycerol (PG) was significantly decreased; in contrast, that of phosphatidylinositol (PI) was increased. Thus the ratio PG/PI in the surfactant fractions was markedly decreased in response to silica. This compositional change in both acidic phospholipids occurred even in the early stages, i.e. before appreciable accumulations of alveolar phospholipids were noticed. The molecular-species profiles of both acidic phospholipids in the surfactant fractions were distinctly different from each other. The dipalmitoyl species accounted for more than 30% of PG and less than 6% of PI, respectively. These species patterns of PG and PI were similar in control and silica-treated rats. These findings suggest two possibilities that (1) PG and PI destined for pulmonary surfactant are synthesized from each specific CDP-diacylglycerol (DG) pool having different molecular species in the lung, or (2) individual enzymes responsible for synthesis of surfactant PG and PI have substrate specificities for molecular species of CDP-DG, thereby producing PG and PI having different molecular species in surfactant compartments.


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual framework based on an understanding of the principles of popular mobile-enabled games, indicating how organisations in the tourism sector could meet the needs of Millennials and Generation Z through engaging with the existing gamified location-based practice of geocaching as an information and communication technology enabled gamified enhancement to the destination experience.

Design/methodology/approach

As a primarily conceptual paper, the authors take an inductive qualitative approach to theory building based on the understanding of an existing practice (geocaching) that is undertaken among a community of practitioners (geocachers), which results in the presentation of a conceptual framework, which is the theory itself that the authors have constructed from the understanding of what is going on and which principles can then be applied across other tourism practices.

Findings

Findings indicate that through engaging with geocaching, smaller entrepreneurial businesses even in non-urban destinations that fall outside of the remit of smart city developments, and in tourism destinations on the less technologically enabled or resource-rich side of the digital divide, can reap the benefits associated with employing the principles and practices associated with smart tourism to meet the needs of this new generation of tourism consumers who seek richer digital and often gamified tourism experiences.

Originality/value

This paper fills a gap in the literature regarding the way many different types of tourism destinations could meet the needs of Millennials and Generation Z tourists.