This paper reports the development of a biodosimetry device suitable for rapidly measuring expression levels of a low-density gene set that can define radiation exposure, dose and injury in a public health emergency. The platform comprises a set of 14 genes selected on the basis of their abundance and differential expression level in response to radiation from an expression profiling series measuring 41,000 transcripts. Gene expression is analyzed through direct signal amplification using a quantitative Nuclease Protection Assay (qNPA). This assay can be configured as either a high-throughput microplate assay or as a handheld detection device for individual point-of-care assays. Recently, we were able to successfully develop the qNPA platform to measure gene expression levels directly from human whole blood samples. The assay can be performed with volumes as small as 30 &mgr;L of whole blood, which is compatible with collection from a fingerstick. We analyzed in vitro irradiated blood samples with qNPA. The results revealed statistically significant discrimination between irradiated and non-irradiated samples. These results indicate that the qNPA platform combined with a gene profile based on a small number of genes is a valid test to measure biological radiation exposure. The scalability characteristics of the assay make it appropriate for population triage. This biodosimetry platform could also be used for personalized monitoring of radiotherapy treatments received by patients.


Background As part of the WHO's High 5s project, the Standard Operating Protocol "Medicines Reconciliation" has been used in our hospital centre since 2010. Medicines reconciliation at the time of admission detects medicines errors (ME), called unintended discrepancies (UDs). These MEs are particularly worthy of attention because they are not detected by the computerised physician order entry system (CPOES). Purpose To analyse the type and the potential seriousness of MEs, to identify the cause of the loss of information and to determine the ATC groups of the drugs most involved. Material and methods Prospective observational and interventional study. From July to September 2014 In patients older than 65 years of age hospitalised in short stay units after admission through the Emergency Department: Within 48 h of admission, patients' regularly used medicines are compared with computerised prescriptions at admission. Every UD identified is corrected at reconciliation, and recorded in an Excel file. Results 191 lines of UDs were identified among 532 reconciled patients (30% from eligible patients): Type of ME: omission (70%), incorrect dose (20%) Potential seriousness: minor (32%), significant (48%), major+ (20%) Identified cause: inattention (60%), regular prescriptions non-available (26%), resumption of an old prescription (7%) Most involved ATC groups: C (35%) particularly subgroups C09 (30%) and C10 (30%). Conclusion Most MEs are omissions, and information is most frequently lost due to inattention; this is easily corrected by reconciliation. Almost half of MEs might have significant consequences for patients if not rectified. Concerning errors in the C09 subgroup, we must improve the equivalence database of our CPOES. Working within a multidisciplinary team in hospitalisation units, the pharmacist contributes to increasing patient safety. Medicines reconciliation is a time-consuming activity; to keep it steady in our hospital after the end of the WHO project and to be exhaustive, we have to identify which patients are the most important to reconcile. References and/or acknowledgements No conflict of interest.


Statistics New Zealand estimates that by 2031, one in four Canterbury residents will be aged 65+ (Canterbury City Council). Accelerated 'baby boomer' population growth has shifted Christchurch's current age distribution into a period of demographic transition. The implications of this shift means a likely increase in demand for "future proof" housing as dependency ratios accelerate beyond historic records (Davey 1). The term "future proof" factors in the rise in demand for accessible housing and potential for social isolation once an individual is widowed or physically impaired.  Housing suitability is equally problematic for today's millennial cohort. Rising rental prices and limited choice have also become a problem for Christchurch's student population. Within this group, students at Christchurch's main polytechnic (ARA) are of greatest concern due to a severe shortage of student accommodation. The institute currently offers 192 beds, a 267 per cent increase than what was available a year ago but an overflow of demand remains (Lee A1).  This research proposes the establishment of an aged care facility, which incorporates student accommodation. Following a design-led research approach, this body of work has been developed by first identifying the problems faced by the client cohorts and then actively exploring possible solutions through design. These solutions are supplemented by a process of participatory observation. This involved moving in with my Nan for a period of 6 months. I actively recorded our experiences including the challenges and benefits found within this form of living.  Designing an alternative that recognises the needs and wants of the baby boomer generation, could delay the need for social welfare intervention, while providing an option for students facing the harsh reality of New Zealand's housing market.


To improve material flow of sheet metal, draw beads are used to prevent wrinkling and springback during deep drawing process. Firstly, taking BenchMark2 "S-Rail-08" of NUMSIHEET'2008 as a study case, based on the orthogonal tests of finite element simulation of stamping process, a springback prediction model which adopts response surface method (RSM) was proposed to predict the springback influenced by draw beads parameters approximately. Then, in order to reduce springback, non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II), is implemented to inverse and optimize both geometry and layout parameters of draw beads cost-efficiently. Finally, the validation of optimal parameters set and the feasible of this optimize approach are confirmed by finite element simulation of S-Rail springback.


Hemidiaphragms removed from fasted rats which were treated with the fatty acid oxidation inhibitor, alpha-bromopalmitate (125-250 mg/kg, i.p.) oxidized less glucose to CO2 than vehicle-treated rats. Hypoglycemia was noted and was preceded by reduction of muscle palmitate oxidation and by increased plasma free fatty acids (FFA). However, phenformin (100 mg/kg, i.p.) lowered plasma FFA and diaphragm oxidation of both palmitic acid and glucose, without altering glucose levels. These results fail to support the hypothesis that phenformin lowers blood glucose secondary to inhibiton of fatty acid oxidation.


We study how owners trade off the costs and benefits of establishing a board in a historical setting, where boards are optional and authority over corporate decisions can be freely allocated across the general meeting, the board, and management. We find that large owners and boards are substitutes and that boards exist in firms most prone to collective action problems. Boards monitor, advise, and mediate among shareholders, and these different roles entail different allocations of authority. Boards also arise to balance the need for small shareholder protection with the need to curb managerial discretion.


BACKGROUND
Integrated care has the potential to deliver efficiencies and improvements in patient experiences and health outcomes. Efforts towards integrated care, especially at the primary and community health levels, have increasingly been under focus, both nationally and internationally. In Australia, regional integration is a priority, and integration of care is a task for meso-level organisations such as Primary Health Networks (PHNs).

OBJECTIVE
This paper seeks to provide a list of elements and questions for consideration by organisations working across primary healthcare settings, looking to enact and improve the delivery of integrated care.

DISCUSSION
Six elements that consistently emerged during the development of a series of rapid reviews on integrated primary healthcare in Australia are presented in this paper. The elements identified are context, governance and leadership, infrastructure, financing, engagement, and communication. They offer a starting point for reflection in the planning and practices of organisations in their drive for continuous improvements in integrated care.


We revisit Rahimi and Recht (2007)'s kernel random Fourier features (RFF) method through the lens of the PAC-Bayesian theory. While the primary goal of RFF is to approximate a kernel, we look at the Fourier transform as a prior distribution over trigonometric hypotheses. It naturally suggests learning a posterior on these hypotheses. We derive generalization bounds that are optimized by learning a pseudo-posterior obtained from a closed-form expression. Based on this study, we consider two learning strategies: The first one finds a compact landmarks-based representation of the data where each landmark is given by a distribution-tailored similarity measure, while the second one provides a PAC-Bayesian justification to the kernel alignment method of Sinha and Duchi (2016).


Web 2.0 platforms promise to act as public fora, connecting people from all over the globe so that they can discuss the issues that matter to them. Yet the commercial imperatives immanent to contemporary networked sociality have been increasingly enforced by Terms of Service contracts that circumscribe users' rights. In this way, Web 2.0 services have become quasi-regulators, with contract law outpacing state legislation around issues such as informational privacy and intellectual property. In attempting to balance this regulatory aspect of their commercial role and gain social acceptance, Web 2.0 companies often invoke the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

For instance, Twitter.com frames its mandate in benevolent terms, according to the logic of CSR, in statements such as: 'We believe that the open exchange of information can have a positive global impact'.1 Since internet corporations like Twitter often do have such a far-reaching social impact online, CSR policies work to reassure users that their rights as citizens, and not just as consumers, will retain some degree of institutional protection. Much of the time, however, CSR works as a mere marketing tool. This can be seen across a range of popular Web 2.0 platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, Second Life and Twitter, that profit from offering users free access to their services. Political trends toward deregulation and privatization enable such platforms to integrate user-generated content without much constraint from state legislation, and thus Terms of Service contracts regulate the appropriation of users' free labor, the collection and use of their personal information, and the licensing of their intellectual property.

This paper uses the example of Twitter to highlight how a Web 2.0 platform, initially praised for its promise to bolster democratic speech by offering users a free 'real-time information network,' has mobilized the CSR ethos as part of developing its market share. An examination of Twitter's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy indicates how the site's positioning of itself as a benevolent social service has not precluded it from retaining a license over all posted content and from collecting and using personal information. In fact, Twitter's seeming benevolence has rendered the site hugely successful in terms of accumulating the critical mass of users necessary to contribute their free labor toward the site's growing value. Twitter thus presents a classic example of what business ethics literature calls the "business case for CSR": the theoretical assumption that a company will 'do well by doing good', meaning that there is an economic incentive to ethically sound behavior. The problem with this over-simplified approach is that it only takes into account economic self-interest. It thus fails to properly reflect on the rights and responsibilities of corporate actors with regards to their stakeholders and society at large (Ulrich 2008).

From an ethical perspective, a more adequate approach to corporate responsibility is the language of rights (Wettstein 2008). In this context, we ask, what might be the role of business ethics or other normative frames around the protection of user rights in Web 2.0? And if Web 2.0 sites like Twitter have become the new regulators, what mechanisms could be put in place to increase user autonomy and control over their labor time, personal information and intellectual property? While answers might be speculative here, these questions are important to ask in terms of realizing something of what is at least a democratic potential of participatory Web 2.0 platforms.


A coiled stainless steel wire clip was made that allowed us to chronically reduce cerebral blood flow in Mongolian gerbils. After 6 weeks of reduced cerebral blood flow in 15 experimental gerbils, we evaluated their learning ability and found it to be impaired relative to that in 15 control gerbils. Eight weeks after surgery, regional cerebral blood flow in the parietal cortex measured by the hydrogen clearance method in the experimental gerbils was 73-76% of that in the control gerbils. Light microscopy showed minimal histologic changes in the brains of the experimental gerbils. Concentrations of brain proteins analyzed using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that among water-soluble brain proteins, the concentrations of cytoskeletal proteins (microtubule-associated protein 2, calspectin, and clathrin) declined in the experimental gerbils. In particular, the concentration of microtubule-associated protein 2 declined significantly. Our findings show that the reduction of cerebral blood flow via carotid stenosis impairs the learning behavior in gerbils, with an associated decrease in the concentration of microtubule-associated protein 2. We believe that Mongolian gerbils with chronically reduced cerebral blood flow are a useful animal model of chronic brain hypoperfusion.


This paper examines inflation expectations of the World Economic Survey for ten inflation targeting countries. First, by a Self Organizing Maps methodology, we cluster the trajectory of agents inflation expectations using the beginning of the oil price shock occurred in June of 2014 as a benchmark in order to discriminate between those countries that anticipated the shock smoothly and those with brisk changes in expectations. Then, the expectations are modeled by artificial neural networks forecasting models. Second, for each country we investigate the information content of the quantitative survey forecast by comparing it to the average annual inflation based on national consumer price indices. The results indicate the presence of heterogeneity among countries to anticipate inflation under the oil shock and, also different patterns of accuracy to predict average annual inflation were found depending on the observed inflation trend. Classification JEL: C02, C222, C45, C63, E27


Individuals, who spend an important part of their lives on education, are inevitably exposed to stress when they begin undertaking more responsibilities and getting anxious about their future lives after ending their education lives. In other words, one can easily observe the symptoms of stress in individuals' personal lives as soon as their school lives come to an end. In this respect, in order to obtain information about students' thoughts regarding stress and about the mechanisms they use to cope with stress, the present study was conducted with students attending Anadolu University. In the study, a questionnaire was applied to a total of 600 students from such faculties of Anadolu University Faculty of Communication Sciences, Literature Faculty, Education Faculty, School of Physical Education and Sports, and Faculty of Pharmacy in the academic year of 2016-2017. Among all these students, 587 of them responded to the questionnaire. In the study, the purpose was to determine the students' views about the mechanisms they use or avoid using under stress, about their coping with stress and about the causes of their stress. In line with their responses, the findings were examined under related dimensions, and the relationship between the most frequent defense mechanisms and the response categories was tested using Pearson Correlation. In addition, Cochran Q test was applied whether there was a significant relationship between the most frequent defense mechanisms of reaction formation and spoilt reaction, the rationalist approach and the fanciful approach. Consequently, there were significant relationships between the response categories, and significant relationships were found between certain defense mechanisms.


Three naturally inspired meta-heuristic algorithms—the genetic algorithm (GA), simulated annealing (SA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO)—were used to invert some of the self-potential (SP) anomalies originated by some polarized bodies with simple geometries. Both synthetic and field data sets were considered. The tests with the synthetic data comprised of the solutions with both noise-free and noisy data; in the tests with the field data some SP anomalies observed over a copper belt (India), graphite deposits (Germany) and metallic sulfide (Turkey) were inverted. The model parameters included the electric dipole moment, polarization angle, depth, shape factor and origin of the anomaly. The estimated parameters were compared with those from previous studies using various optimization algorithms, mainly least-squares approaches, on the same data sets. During the test studies the solutions by GA, PSO and SA were characterized as being consistent with each other; a good starting model was not a requirement to reach the global minimum. It can be concluded that the global optimization algorithms considered in this study were able to yield compatible solutions with those from widely used local optimization algorithms.


Insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) plays an important role in proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and tumor invasion. The expression level of IGF1R is related to resistance to several targeted therapies. The goal of this study was to develop an immunoPET tracer for imaging of IGF1R in prostate cancer. Murine antibodies against human IGF1R were generated in BALB/c mice, which were screened in IGF1R-positive MCF-7 cells using flow cytometry as well as biodistribution studies with multiple 64Cu-labeled antibody clones. The antibody production method we adopted could readily produce milligram quantities of anti-IGF1R antibodies for in vivo studies. One antibody clone (1A2G11) with the highest affinity for IGF1R was selected and conjugated to NOTA for 64Cu-labeling. NOTA-1A2G11 maintained IGF1R specificity/avidity based on flow cytometry. 64Cu-labeling was achieved with good yield (>50%) and high specific activity (>1 Ci/μmol). Serial PET imaging revealed that uptake of 64Cu-NOTA-1A2G11 was 2.8 ± 0.7, 10.2 ± 2.6, and 9.6 ± 1.7 %ID/g in IGF1R-positive DU-145 tumors at 4, 24, and 48 h postinjection, respectively (n = 3), significantly higher than that in IGF1R-negative LNCaP tumors (<3 %ID/g at each time point) except at 4 h postinjection. Histology studies showed strong correlations between IGF1R expression level in the prostate cancer tumor tissues and tumor uptake of 64Cu-NOTA-1A2G11. Prominent, persistent, and IGF1R-specific uptake of 64Cu-NOTA-1A2G11 in IGF1R-positive prostate tumors holds strong potential for future cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy using this antibody.


Previous studies have shown that disruption of cyclic nucleotide metabolism by phosphodiesterase inhibitors and cyclic nucleotide analogues damages photoreceptors in rod-enriched retinae. In these studies the cone photoreceptors appeared damaged only after the surrounding rods had begun to degenerate. Our aim was to test if cone photoreceptors were susceptible to similar treatments in the absence of rod photoreceptors. We treated pure-cone lizard retinae in an in vitro eyecup preparation. Degeneration of the cones was induced by 10(-3) M, but not 10(-5) M, of the phosphodiesterase inhibitor, isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX). Changes in the morphology of the cone outer segments were first evident after 10 hr at 24 degrees C. After longer exposures, other retinal cells were also affected. Before morphology was affected, synthesis of proteins of all molecular weights was inhibited throughout the retina. In addition, both retinal cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP levels were elevated, particularly after 2-10 hr. The effects of 10(-3) M IBMX on all of these parameters were still reversible by removal from IBMX after 10 hr. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP at 10(-2) M also inhibited protein synthesis. It also induced degeneration, but less rapidly than 10(-3) M IBMX. Dibutyryl cyclic GMP (10(-2) M) or butyric acid did not significantly affect morphology, or inhibit uptake or incorporation of 3H-leucine by retinae. The concentration of puromycin or cycloheximide that inhibited retinal protein synthesis by the same amount as 10(-3) M IBMX did not affect retinal morphology or cyclic nucleotide levels. One hundred times this concentration induced pyknosis in the nuclear layers of the retina before disturbing cone outer segment organization. In conclusion, millimolar IBMX and dibutyryl cyclic AMP damage cones even without neighboring rods, indicating that elevated cyclic nucleotide levels are toxic to cones per se. Retinal protein synthesis is also inhibited by damaging levels of cyclic nucleotides, but it does not seem to be responsible for the deterioration of cone structure.


The concept of an intelligent steerable surgical instrument system has been described by various authors. Since 1998, telesurgical minimally invasive procedures have been performed with the da Vinci system, mainly for cardiac bypass surgery. We present our initial experience using the device for robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. The intuitive surgical system consists of two main components: the surgeon's viewing and control console with 3D-imaging, and the surgical arm unit that positions and manoeuvres detachable surgical instruments. These instruments are introduced via two 8 mm trocars and allow movements in all six degrees of freedom (DoF). The surgeon performs the procedure while seated at the console holding specially designed instruments. Highly specialised computer software and mechanics transmit the surgeon's hand movements exactly to the microsurgical movements of the manipulators at the operative site. The system used is a W-shaped five trocar arrangement, with the robot's arms at the lateral trocars (8 mm) and two assistant trocars medially (10 mm). A sixth trocar was used in the right suprapubic area for retraction of the gland (Foley catheter). The left assistant used different instruments, such as bipolar forceps, Ultracision, and Endoclip, wheras the right assistant mainly used the suction–irrigation device. The Intuitive System was attached after trocar placement and exposure of Retzius' space. We treated six patients (two pT2, four pT3, median Gleason score 6). The operating room time averaged 315 (range 242–480) min, including pelvic lymph-node dissection. No intra-operative complications occured, one patient required transfusions. There were no positive margins, median catheter time was 5 days. Three patients were completely continent after 1 month. Telerobotic laparoscopic radical prostatectomy is feasible. There is a learning curve with the device, mainly due to the magnification, 3D image and lack of tactile feedback. However, the experienced surgeon can become familiar with the device after a short time. There is still a need for further development of instruments for urological procedures.


Abstract. We describe development of the 2006–2007 El Nino, which started late, ended early and was below average strength. Emphasis is on the interplay between large scale, low frequency (i.e., seasonal-to-interannual time scale) deterministic dynamics and episodic intraseasonal wind forcing in the evolution of the event. Efforts to forecast the El Nino are reviewed, with discussion of factors affecting its predictability. Perspectives on the contemporaneous development of an Indian Ocean Dipole Zonal Mode event in 2006 and possible influences of global warming on the ENSO cycle, which exhibited unusual behavior in the first decade of the 21st century, will also be presented.


Biases toward treating robots as intentional agents or mechanical artifacts show a distinct neural activation pattern at rest. The increasing presence of robots in society necessitates a deeper understanding into what attitudes people have toward robots. People may treat robots as mechanistic artifacts or may consider them to be intentional agents. This might result in explaining robots' behavior as stemming from operations of the mind (intentional interpretation) or as a result of mechanistic design (mechanistic interpretation). Here, we examined whether individual attitudes toward robots can be differentiated on the basis of default neural activity pattern during resting state, measured with electroencephalogram (EEG). Participants observed scenarios in which a humanoid robot was depicted performing various actions embedded in daily contexts. Before they were introduced to the task, we measured their resting state EEG activity. We found that resting state EEG beta activity differentiated people who were later inclined toward interpreting robot behaviors as either mechanistic or intentional. This pattern is similar to the pattern of activity in the default mode network, which was previously demonstrated to have a social role. In addition, gamma activity observed when participants were making decisions about a robot's behavior indicates a relationship between theory of mind and said attitudes. Thus, we provide evidence that individual biases toward treating robots as either intentional agents or mechanistic artifacts can be detected at the neural level, already in a resting state EEG signal.


Electrochemotherapy is a local anticancer treatment in which non-permeant chemotherapeutic drugs are associated with electric pulses of well-established parameters. The electric pulses cause pores to open on the plasma membrane and facilitate drug transport, enhancing cytotoxicity and reducing side effects. Assessment of electrochemotherapy effects on Ehrlich solid tumor development in this work aims to evaluate in vivo usage of the electroporator device developed by the Department of Electrical Engineering of Engineering School of UFMG. Therefore, 40 Swiss mice were inoculated with Ehrlich tumor cells, and developed the tumor in solid form. After 21 days, mice were subjected to specific treatment protocols (control, bleomycin, electric pulses and electrochemotherapy); 17 days later they were euthanized and the tumors collected for histopathology analysis. Electrochemotherapy induced discrete weight loss and an inflammatory response in the tumor, which was not seen on the other treatment groups. Bleomycin alone induced necrosis. Both groups showed lower cellular proliferation rates. From this study, it was concluded that the animals tolerated electrochemotherapy treatment under anesthesia and the electroporator device developed by the Engineering School of UFMG was adequate when used in an electrochemotherapy protocol.


Experimental and clinical investigations enabled the authors to develop a method of hernioplasty using a pi-shaped flap from aponeurosis of the external oblique abdominal muscle on the feeding pedicle. In this case the anatomo-functional interrelations of the tissues in the ilio-inguinal area get minimum injuries. It does not make a substantial obstacle for the following regeneration and restitution and so the method is rather efficient and can be used in the everyday practice.


A randomized evaluation of the effectiveness and toxicity of the combination of doxorubicin and cisplatin and of doxorubicin alone in patients with advanced thyroid carcinoma was carried out. Ninety‐two patients were entered and 84 were evaluable. They were stratified according to histological classification, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, and metastatic sites. Forty‐one patients received doxorubicin as a single agent and seven had partial response (17%). Forty‐three patients received the combination, and there were five complete and six partial responses (combined response rate of 26%). This difference for overall response rate is not significant (P > 0.1). However, five complete responses were seen in the combination‐treatment group, whereas none were observed in the single‐agent treatment group; a significant difference was obtained (P = 0.03). Four of these five complete responders survived for more than 2 years, and two patients remained in a complete response after the discontinuation of therapy and are still alive. None of the partial responses exceeded 2 years in duration. The life‐threatening toxicities from chemotherapy occurred in five patients treated with the combination of drugs and two treated with doxorubicin alone. However, none of the toxicities were fatal. The study has shown clearly that the quality of response achieved by the combination of drugs is far superior to that achieved by single‐agent chemotherapy.


What does differentiate service systems from traditional subjects of systems engineering such as manufacturing, and software? We address this issue by defining customer-intensive systems, based on ideas by Sampson (2001), and show how customer-intensive systems encompass almost all service systems. After proposing a new form of visualization for customer-intensive processes and discussing its merits and shortcomings, we argue how in customer-intensive systems the presence of human beings and organizations inside the production process radically modifies fundamental tenants of systems engineering. We then describe four fundamental changes in traditional science and engineering system methodologies to adapt them to the realities of customer-intensive systems. We conclude by arguing whether the complexity often observed in service systems is, in fact, a reflection of the complexity of human beings and organizations that are input to them.


We report laser action from conical polymeric microcavities. A thin film of the organic semiconductor tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq3) doped with the laser dye 4-dicyanmethylene-2-methyl-6-(p-dimethylaminostyryl)-4H-pyran (DCM) on top of the microcones enables low-threshold lasing when pumped with a conventional blu-ray laser diode. This combination might pave the way towards compact, low-cost integrated laser-based sensing systems.


Despite their enormous assets and contribution to society, indigenous women still suffer from multiple discrimination, both as women and as indigenous individuals. They are subjected to extreme poverty, trafficking, illiteracy, lack of access to ancestral lands, non-existent or poor health care and to violence in the private and the public sphere. The present publication contains cases submitted by the different UN agencies about their work with indigenous women in Africa, Asia and Latin America.


BACKGROUND
Identification of genetic changes in CNS tumors is important for the appropriate clinical management of patients. Our objective was to develop a next-generation sequencing (NGS) assay for simultaneously detecting the various types of genetic alterations characteristic for adult and pediatric CNS tumors that can be applied to small brain biopsies.

METHODS
We report an amplification-based targeted NGS assay (GlioSeq) that analyzes 30 genes for single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and indels, 24 genes for copy number variations (CNVs), and 14 types of structural alterations in BRAF, EGFR, and FGFR3 genes in a single workflow. GlioSeq performance was evaluated in 54 adult and pediatric CNS tumors, and the results were compared with fluorescence in-situ hybridization, Sanger sequencing, and reverse transcription PCR.

RESULTS
GlioSeq correctly identified 71/71 (100%) genetic alterations known to be present by conventional techniques, including 56 SNVs/indels, 9 CNVs, 3 EGFRvIII, and 3 KIAA1549-BRAF fusions. Only 20 ng of DNA and 10 ng of RNA were required for successful sequencing of 100% frozen and 96% formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue specimens. The assay sensitivity was 3%-5% of mutant alleles for SNVs and 1%-5% for gene fusions. The most commonly detected alterations were IDH1, TP53, TERT, ATRX. CDKN2A, and PTEN in high-grade gliomas, followed by BRAF fusions in low-grade gliomas and H3F3A mutations in pediatric gliomas.

CONCLUSIONS
GlioSeq NGS assay offers accurate and sensitive detection of a wide range of genetic alterations in a single workflow. It allows rapid and cost-effective profiling of brain tumor specimens and thus provides valuable information for patient management.


Multiple vendors are now offering real-time MRI-guided radiotherapy systems. Quality assurance of small fields delivered with an MR-RT system requires detectors with high spatiotemporal resolution, and magnetic insensitivity. High spatial resolution is required to characterise the asymmetric penumbra that transverse designs demonstrate. In this work the authors describe the characterisation of the dosimetric performance of a monolithic silicon strip detector mounted to a flexible polymide (Kapton) printed circuit board intended for use in MRI-linac dosimetry.


Successful xenografting of first trimester human fetal CNS tissue and retina has been reported in the literature. We wished to test the feasibility ofusing the anterior chamber ofthe rat eye to support the development of more mature human fetal xenografts. Here we report on the successful outcome of human brain and retinal transplants. Adult host rats immunosuppressed with cyclosporin A accepted these xenografts and supported their further development. Periodic examination of the host eyes using a direct ophthalmoscope or an ophthalmic slit lamp permitted direct visual monitoring of the health and growth of the transplants. Histologically it was possible to identify neuronal, macroglial, and microglial (macrophage) cell types within the grafts. Mitotic activity and histogenetic differentiation took place. Blood vessels filled with hematic cells were commonly present within the grafts. The walls of these vessels prevented the leakageofhorseradish peroxidase, suggesting the presence of a functional brain-blood barrier in the graft. These results indicate that it is possible to use a small animal model to study normal and pathological phenomena oniate fetal human neural tissues. Our group has already taken advantage of the model to achieve HIV infectivity offetal human brain outside the human body.


We consider the convergence characteristics of a perceptron learning algorithm, taking into account the decay of photorefractive holograms during the process of interconnection weight changes. As a result of the hologram erasure, the convergence of the learning process is dependent on the exposure time during the weight changes. A mathematical proof of the conditional convergence, as well as computer simulations of the photorefractive perceptrons, is presented and discussed.


BACKGROUND
In the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, aberrant connectivity between brain regions may be a central feature. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies have shown altered fractional anisotropy (FA) in white brain matter in schizophrenia. Focal reductions in myelin have been suggested in patients using magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) imaging but to what extent schizophrenia may be related to changes in MTR measured along entire fiber bundles is still unknown.

METHODS
DTI and MTR images were acquired with a 1.5-T scanner in 40 schizophrenia patients and compared with those of 40 healthy participants. The mean FA and mean MTR were measured along the genu of the corpus callosum and the left and right uncinate fasciculus.

RESULTS
A higher mean MTR of 1% was found in the right uncinate fasciculus in patients compared with healthy participants. A significant negative correlation between age and mean FA in the left uncinate fasciculus was found in schizophrenia patients but not in healthy participants.

CONCLUSIONS
Decreased FA in the left uncinate fasciculus may be more prominent in patients with longer illness duration. The increased mean MTR in the right uncinate fasciculus could reflect a compensatory role for myelin in these fibers or possibly represent aberrant frontotemporal connectivity.


Constitutional psychology, the theory put forth by Sheldon, refers to "the study of the psychological aspects of human behaviour as they are related to the morphology and physiology of the body." In the face of indifference or hostility to the possibility of important associations between structural and behavioural characteristics, the work of William H. Sheldon stands as a unique contribution on the contemporary scene. In general, it seems fair to say that African psychologists have tacitly less attention to the study of this important class of variables having to do with the physical description of the body. Now, it is adapted to the African Culture and environment; thus this forms the significant basis of this study. So, it is the purpose of this study to specifically ascertain the culture - environmental applicability of Sheldon's theory on personality traits in Africa. Two hypotheses drawn as follows were tested to measure relationships and differences between the body types and personality traits of individuals in the African culturally influenced community or environment. In this study we shall attempt to place Sheldon's work in brief historical perspective and then describe his formulations and investigations. A quantitative survey design was applied, with a validated 36 - item questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered to 242 (two hundred and forty two) University of The Gambia students by stratified sampling technique based on body types (whether endomorph, mesomorph or ectomorph). The physical body type an individual possesses has an influence on the behaviour or personality of that individual, as posited by Sheldon's constitutional theory. This was confirmed, even when applied in the African society specifically in The Gambia, by this study. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n7p85


The SPICE platform simplifies the creation, testing and deployment of customized, personalized and context-aware mobile services. This opens up new prospects for E-tourism services, which give business travellers and tourists a more flexible access to booking services, information and other tourist support. E-tourism services allow for more flexibility and an improved travelling experience. This master's thesis presents a modified scenario based on a study of the E-tourism scenario defined in the SPICE project. It also presents service ontologies, which can be used by a service discovery facility to create complex service components based on a search through the service's parameters. The scenario provides the foundation for a description of two new E-tourism services, a restaurant service and a train service. The restaurant example service has been implemented and demonstrated. This service was based on SPICE principles, and it demonstrates a SPICE E-tourism service based on service platforms that exist today. The development of the service was carried out following the scenario-based approach defined in the SPICE project. Much work remains before the service serves as a complete SPICE E-tourism service, and this thesis has suggested several possible extensions and future areas of work. The train service is thoroughly described through an overview of the system specification and through an outline of needed components and enablers. This description can be used in a future implementation of the service.


In all historical periods oceans and seas perform very important role in state political and economical development. The most advanced states and nations were situated by the sea. The major way to travel was by sea, also it was a way to change goods and ideas between people and to takeover the inventions of other nations. Lithuania is one of the last states, which began to develop sea transport. The major reason for this is complicated geopolitical situation of Lithuanian state. Our state is located in the most important European peace and war crossroad. After Lithuania regained the independence, the express development in Klaipėda state seaport was seen. The coverage of cargo was magnified and international relations were improved too. However, even today in the global trade and international competition context, Klaipėda state seaport is influenced by wide spectrum of forces, which determine the seaport and sea transport sectors fluent behaviour. The results of the research indicate that Klaipėda state seaport is one of the most important components of Lithuanian transport system. The development of sea transport sector takes one of the major roles in the programme of current Lithuanian government. Lithuanian maritime state future status and effective use of having the seaport by the Baltic sea depend on how effectively the basic issues of Klaipeda city, Klaipėda state seaport and sea transport development will be resolved. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ppaa.11.3.2499


In most countries of Latin America, where disenfranchised majorities are the norm, riots and revolutions fuel chronic instability, which, in many cases, leads to weak governments and short-lived national constitutions. In this context, fostering systemic inclusion and citizen participation is essential to build a foundation for what I call a more sustainable rule of law. Reform measures such as improving the judiciary, providing access to justice through alternative or appropriate dispute resolution (ADR) and ensuring transparent elections have proven to be insufficient to achieve this goal. For rule of law to be sustainable, it is essential for citizens to have participatory experiences in private conflict resolution, and to engage in collaborative governance, which includes public conflict resolution, as well as the other stages in the policy continuum – deliberative democracy and collaborative public management. This experience of participatory decision making could begin to challenge the reigning caudillo (political "strongman") mentality, in which one citizen acts as the sole decision maker. In order to establish this foundation for a more sustainable rule of law, it is not sufficient to mainly utilize ADR as a means of providing access to justice for the poor. The implementation of ADR would have to be broadened to foster conflict resolution capacities for all citizens, and promote systemic inclusion and participation. If private conflict resolution were consistent with procedural justice values, it could create the social capital necessary for rule of law. If collaborative governance, through public conflict resolution and the design and implementation of policy, were to empower, engage, and ultimately include the traditionally marginalized, this majority would have a greater stake in the system and would therefore be more likely to uphold it.Tapping into the potential of the multi-door courthouse model in the form of casas de justicia could be one of the steps necessary to unleash the potential of citizens, promoting systemic inclusion and participation in several ways. First, the expanded casas de justicia could offer a framework that would encompass all citizens, making the invisible marginalized communities and practices visible, and integrating them into best mainstream practices. The enforcement of rights could also be strengthened, by extending the reach of the judicial system. Second, while the adapted model would remain a vehicle for delivery of integrated dispute resolution services, it would transform the role of conflict assessors, enabling them to identify the root causes of systemic issues and empower citizens to select the most appropriate forum for the resolution of their disputes, thus fostering self-determination, enhancing decision making capacity, and, when facilitative processes are chosen, enhancing problem solving capacity as well. The root cause identification, through the inclusion of an organizational ombuds function, could provide the starting point for setting up an agenda for collaborative governance efforts, in order to address systemic issues. Third, casas de justicia are strategically located to bring members of the community together and address the public issues that affect them, as well as to participate in the development of public policy that impacts the community. In this regard, the capacities that citizens develop in the context of private conflict resolution could eventually be applied to interactions in the public realm, making their participation in public conflict resolution and other stages of collaborative governance in the policy continuum, including the design and implementation of policy, more effective.Finally, this Article articulates the need for this or any proposal aimed at promoting ADR in the region to be developed and owned by the stakeholders; to this end, it argues that Dispute System Design (DSD) can provide a participatory framework in guiding the development and ongoing evaluation of conflict resolution systems. By engaging in local DSD efforts, stakeholders can adapt and diverge from this proposal to address their specific contextual reality and enhance citizen participation through private conflict management and resolution, as well as through experiences of collaborative governance that meet the needs of each country.


Apple orchards are highly diversified and complex ecological and economic systems. Production is affected by a wide range of insect, disease, weed, and mammalian pests, and is subject to the same economic and social constraints as any business enterprise. A computer technology, expert systems (ES), is being used to assist fruit growers, county extension agents, and private consultants in making better decisions about the complex horticultural, entomological, and pathological orchard problems.


Glycerol is a major by-product of the biodiesel production and is therefore produced in high quantities. While currently there are limited possible applications for this highly functionalized molecule, glycerol can be a cheap and abundant feedstock for value-added products that are accessible by selective oxidation. Usually, the selective oxidation of glycerol utilizes expensive noble metal catalysts, such as Au, Pt, and Pd. Here we report the selective oxidation of glycerol in basic media, using ordered mesoporous Cu–Al2O3 catalysts with various Cu loadings prepared by a facile soft-templating method. The materials were characterized in detail by nitrogen physisorption, vis-NIR spectroscopy, EDX, low- and wide-angle XRD, XPS, and TEM. Subsequently the reaction conditions for glycerol oxidation were optimized. The catalytic oxidation of glycerol yields C3 products, such as glyceric acid and tartronic acid, and also C2 and C1 products, such as glycolic acid, oxalic acid, and formic acid. Moreover, the role of the solvent on the catalytic reaction was investigated, and the addition of various co-solvents to the aqueous reaction mixture was found to increase the initial reaction rate up to a factor of three. The trends of the initial reaction rates correlate well with the polarity of the water/co-solvent mixtures. The prepared Cu–Al2O3 catalysts are a more cost-efficient and environmentally viable alternative to the reported noble metal catalysts.


In many signal processing satellite applications, it is necessary to pack as many bit-time unsynchronized, power imbalanced digital FDM users as possible into the available bandwidth. In certain important cases the on-board demodulator (which simultaneously detects each user bit-stream individually) is not able to maintain phase reference. Phase comparison sinusoidal frequency shift keying (PCSFSK), a phase incoherent demodulation method with low adjacent-channel crosstalk properties, has been proposed as one way of meeting the requirements mentioned above. This paper describes a mathematical model and computer simulation which have been used to analyze the effects of adjacent-channel crosstalk on bit-error rates for a PCSFSK demodulator. Both the model and the simulation are flexible enough to incorporate many users of various strengths and center frequency separations and may be modified to yield results for any phase comparison MSK-type modulation. The results of this work show very close agreement between the model's prediction and the simulation. User scenarios of interest involve from two to eight users both with and without additive white Gaussian channel noise. Of particular interest is the performance of one weak user among many stronger users. A typical example involves eight users, seven of which are 20-dB stronger in power than the user whose probability of error was monitored. In this case, a bit-error rate of 10-3requires that adjacent users be separated in frequency by two times the data rate. If, however, all users are of equal strength, the minimum frequency separation need only be equal to the data rate. The above results indicate that close packing of signals is possible when incoherent detection (PCSFSK) is used, and that optimum user spacings can be determined if the relative power ratio between users is known.


Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) convened its 19th Annual Scientific Retreat October 25-27, 2012, in Carlsbad, CA. Each year, this event brings together diverse researchers in a collaborative forum to present and discuss new and largely unpublished findings for prostate cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment and defines the challenges to ending this disease as a threat to life and well-being. Several themes resonated at the multidisciplinary meeting, notably (i) the roles of field cancerization, tumor microenvironment, epithelial plasticity, signal transduction pathways in cancer progression, and disease resistance; (ii) intratumoral heterogeneity and consequences for precision medicine; (iii) resistance mechanisms to androgen axis inhibitors; and (iv) advances in molecular imaging and therapeutics for better detection and treatment.


Aqua planet experiments are performed in order to investigate the effects of an equatorial warm sea surface temperature (SST) area on the tropical large-scale precipitation patterns. The numerical model utilized is a spherical three-dimensional primitive system with resolution of T42L16 and with simplified hydrological processes. The warm SST area is placed at the equator of an aqua planet whose basic SST distribution is zonally uniform and symmetric about the equator. The calculated tropical precipitation distributions are characterized by the appearance of an east-west asymmetry; precipitation decreases to the west of the warm SST area, while it increases in the longitudinally wide area to the east. The east-west asymmetry appears regardless of the cumulus parameterization schemes utilized (the convective adjustment scheme and the Kuo scheme). In the western region to the warm SST area, an increase of the stability due to a temperature rise in the middle layer is observed and correspondingly downward flow is recognized. These are consistent with the decrease of precipitation. In the eastern region, although a temperature rise appears in the middle layer, the stability decreases due to the increase of water vapor in the lower layer caused by the meridional moisture convergence. This destabilization is consistent with the increase of precipitation. Experiments in which the wind velocity used in the evaluation of the surface evaporation is fixed are performed to show that WISHE (Wind Induced Surface Heat Exchange) mechanism is not a principal cause for the generation of the east-west asymmetry of the precipitation pattern.


We have performed a detailed adsorption isotherm study of Ar on BN for temperatures between 65 and 80 K. The isothermal compressibility of the films was obtained from adsorption data. At monolayer coverages, a small isotherm substep is present at melting. We found two isothermal compressibility peaks in the first layer: a sharp peak, corresponding to the melting substep, and a smaller, broader peak that occurs at lower pressures. At multilayer coverages we found reentrant layering occurring in the third and fourth layers of the film. We compare our layering results with predictions for the preroughening transition. We also found a series of small steps in the isotherms between the second and third layers and between the third and fourth layers of the film. These small steps are evidence of individual layer melting for the second and third layers. Our results at monolayer and at multilayer coverages are extensively compared to those found for Ar on graphite. We have also performed calculations of the rare-gas--BN interaction potentials. Our calculations indicate the substrate corrugation is smaller for the rare-gas--BN systems than it is for the same rare gases on graphite. The implications of this result for the possible existence of monolayer-commensuratemore » solids on BN are discussed.« less


This paper introduces several important methods to design the embedded external memory interface (EMIF) for a high performance DSP (digital signal processor). Starting with the design specification of the EMIF, this paper introduces four important new design methods, i.e. width-scalable accessing, data buffers based on asynchronous FIFOs, token cycle method for priority arbitration, and preferential reading based on cache-line offset, and give simulation and tape out result. At the end of the paper, we analyze the performance improvements by use of these methods vs. classical methods. The whole design of the interface is proven to be not only functional and reliable, but also programmable, reusable and scalable by simulation verification and tape out.


Objectives Due to the randomness and uncertainty of city medical rescue vehicles, the scheduling of vehicles need to be dynamically optimized. Based on time window constraints and big data technology, we propose a method to reduce the running time of emergency vehicles and improve punctuality. Methods Big data technology is used to implement unified management and classify the heterogeneous distributed data. The symbolic method is then introduced for encoding and decoding based on the greedy method. In order to improve the convergence, the adaptive mechanism of quantum crossover probability and mutation probability is proposed. Results Experiment contrast analysis shows that the quantum genetic algorithm can quickly converge to the optimal solution compared with other existing intelligent algorithms. Big data technology can manage and analyze complex traffic conditions, which helps to improve emergency vehicle routing, save time, improve journey accuracy and ensure time delays do not affect timely treatment. Conclusions This method can meet the real-time requirements of the dynamic scheduling of medical rescue vehicles using the quantum genetic algorithm and big data technology. It can solve the problem of dynamic scheduling of medical rescue vehicles effectively. Acknowledgments This research was financially supported by Liaoning Social Planning Fund, China (Grant No. L16BGL008), National Natural Science Foundation, China (Grant No. 51579024), and Dr scientific research fund of Liaoning Province (Grant No. 201601244).


Background: Malaria officinalis, a Homoeopathic preparation used against malaria, was prepared from decomposed vegetable matter from a marshy area by G. W. Bowen in 1862. No scientific published material is available on the source of any malaria-related nosode. There is a need to develop the new nosode using the organisms. The author has developed the nosode from Plasmodium falciparum parasites, and the detailed method of preparation is described in this manuscript. Objective: Preparation and standardisation of Homoeopathic nosode prepared from P. falciparum parasites, which could be explored for further research and therapeutic efficacy. Materials and Methods: The most widely cultivated strain of malaria parasite P. falciparum was collected from Indian Institute of Technology-B (Mumbai). This parasite was triturated with nine parts of Saccharum lactis powder to achieve 1X potency. One part of 1X potency and nine parts of Saccharum lactis powder were taken to make subsequent 2X potency. Likewise, potencies till 6X were prepared by trituration method, prescribed in Homoeopathy pharmacopeia of India (HPI). Results: Nosode from P. falciparum strain was prepared by trituration method as prescribed in HPI and standardised for future research and clinical exploration. Conclusion: The nosode sourced from P. falciparum parasites will be one such addition, which will call for further exploration for its effect against malaria (and other diseases) as a prophylactic and therapeutic measure.


Research on poverty in rich countries relies primarily on household income to capture living standards and distinguish those in poverty, and this is also true of official poverty measurement and monitoring. However, awareness of the limitations of income has been heightening interest in the role that non-monetary measures of deprivation can play. This book takes as its starting-point that research on poverty and social exclusion has been undergoing a fundamental shift towards a multidimensional approach; that researchers and policy-makers alike have struggled to develop concepts and indicators that do this approach justice; and that this is highly salient not only within individual countries (including both Britain and the USA) but also for the European Union post-enlargement. The difficulties encountered in applying a multidimensional approach reflect limitations in the information available but also in the conceptual and empirical underpinnings provided by existing research. The central aim of this book is to contribute to the development of those underpinnings and to productive ways of employing non-monetary indicators of deprivation. It will appeal to readers from diverse disciplinary perspectives, especially those concerned with substantive issues and policy implications. In addressing this audience it also provides a non-technical account of recent developments in the rapidly expanding academic literature, serving as a guide to those who wish to explore it in greater depth. The book maps out the current landscape and the best way forward, concluding by offering a critical evaluation of the EU's 2020 poverty reduction target.


We report hard X-ray and gamma-ray observations of the impulsive phase of the SOL2017-09-06T11:55 X9.3 solar flare. We focus on a high-energy part of the spectrum, >100 keV, and perform time resolved spectral analysis for a portion of the impulsive phase, recorded by the Konus-Wind experiment, that displayed prominent gamma-ray emission. Given a variety of possible emission components contributing to the gamma-ray emission, we employ a Bayesian inference to build the most probable fitting model. The analysis confidently revealed contributions from nuclear deexcitation lines, electron–positron annihilation line at 511 keV, and a neutron capture line at 2.223 MeV along with two components of the bremsstrahlung continuum. The revealed time evolution of the spectral components is particularly interesting. The low-energy bremsstrahlung continuum shows a soft–hard–soft pattern typical for impulsive flares, while the high-energy one shows a persistent hardening at the course of the flare. The neutron capture line emission shows an unusually short time delay relative to the nuclear deexcitation line component, which implies that the production of neutrons was significantly reduced soon after the event onset. This in turn may imply a prominent softening of the accelerated proton spectrum at the course of the flare, similar to the observed softening of the low-energy component of the accelerated electrons responsible for the low-energy bremsstrahlung continuum. We discuss possible physical scenarios, which might result in the obtained relationships between these gamma-ray components.


Otitis media (OM)—or middle-ear inflammation—is the most widely diagnosed childhood illness, with evidence implicating OM in a range of distal problems (e.g., language delays, attention problems). Polyvagal theory (Porges, 1995, 2007) posits that there also are likely important connections between middle-ear functioning and children's developing parasympathetic nervous systems (PNS). Using prospective longitudinal data from the Family Life Project (n = 748), we tested within- and between-person relations between indicators of OM (middle-ear spectral gradient angle; SGA) and children's trajectories of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA)—a marker of parasympathetic control of the heart—between the ages of 7 and 35 months. The results suggested that, irrespective of age, children with indications of chronic OM (low cumulative SGA) tended to show atypical RSA reactivity to moderate cognitive challenge, compared with the reactivity patterns of their low-OM-risk peers (mid-to-high cumulative SGA). Specifically, on average, low-OM-risk children showed RSA decreases in the context of challenge in infancy, with the magnitude of the decline weakening and eventually changing direction (i.e., RSA increase) by 35 months. In contrast, those with indicators of chronic OM evinced blunted RSA responses to challenge, irrespective of age. Within-person, temporal bouts of OM-risk were not predictive of within-person changes in RSA reactivity across early childhood.


The purpose of the present program is to develop soluble analogs of surface confined catalysts that can be impregnated directly into the coal structure at low temperatures. This approach should avoid problems related to surface area dependence, a two phase (surface-liquid) reaction system and, mass transport limitations. Heteropolyanions (HPAs) offer the opportunity to develop soluble forms of surface confined catalysts. HPAs are multi-functional catalysts that could be used to promote both hydroliquefaction and hydrotreating. In theory, these functions could be employed sequentially or simultaneously and could permit exceptional control of liquefaction reactions and reaction conditions. Thus, the current research program involves efforts to evaluate HPAs as soluble liquefaction nd hydrotreating catalysts, with the goal of developing soluble analogs of surface confined catalysts.


Several theories were formulated to explain the process of aging. Now they often appeared out of date. The free radical theory is a rather recent one that is based on the production of free radicals during normal physiological respiration. A lot of data indicate their role in the progress of aging. Clearly also other factors play a role in this process: the toxicity of free radicals may for instance depend on the availability of free iron. So on the one hand we need oxygen for existence and free radicals may destroy infectious bacteria; on the other hand oxygen appears to be toxic and may be supposed to underly the process of aging.


Morphological variation was analyzed in the endangeredBetula uber and sympatric dark-barked tree birches,B. lenta andB. alleghaniensis, to determine the extent of differences among the three taxa. Univariate and multivariate analyses of leaf and fruit characters indicated that the three taxa are morphologically distinct, thatB. uber is more similar toB. lenta than toB. alleghaniensis, that intermediates betweenB. uber andB. lenta do not occur, and that leaves are necessary for absolute separation ofB. uber fromB. lenta because of overlap of fruit characters. Field observations of the bark indicate no differences betweenB. uber andB. lenta while those of growth form suggest thatB. uber may have a more compact crown thanB. lenta. The evidence presented here supports an alliance ofB. uber with the dark-barked tree birches (seriesCostatae).


The paper mentions that coupled with the expected growth in bandwidth through the next decade, cloud computing will change the face of TV. The Internet brought the potential to completely reinvent TV. First, it let users see what they wanted, when they wanted, while suppressing the need for additional hardware. Second, and more importantly, the Net removes the barrier that separates producers, distributors, and consumers.Third, the Internet allows mixing and matching of multisource content. It has become commonplace for networks to mix their own footage with user-generated content to provide a more holistic experience.From a technical viewpoint, huge challenges remain, however, including the ability to process, index, store, and distribute nearly limitless amounts of data. This is why cloud computing will play a major role in redefining TV in the next few years.


The article presents an overview of what is possible nowadays in the field of laser materials processing. The state of the art in the complete process chain is shown, starting with the generation of a specific components CAD data and continuing with the automated motion path generation for the laser head carried by a CNC or robot system. Application examples from laser welding, laser cladding and additive laser manufacturing are given.


OBJECTIVE: To establish whether the choice of the placebo treatment used may influence the outcomes of clinical trials on acupuncture or not. DESIGN: A meta-analysis of outcomes according to the choice of the placebo. Attention was focused on the placebo design of 117 clinical, controlled trials found after an extensive search. Studies comparing acupuncture to no treatment or a reference treatment were discarded from the analysis. A set of 90 publications could be classified into one of two groups: i) Clinical studies with sham acupuncture as placebo, which consists of needling outside the meridian, but near to classical acupoints. This group of 45 trials was classified as energetic placebo model (EPM). ii) 45 studies using a placebo treatment consisting of needling within a segmental zone far enough away from the active points were classified as neurophysiological or metameric placebo model (MPM). In both groups of studies the proportions of significant results and the distribution of outcomes characterized by nonsignificant results with improvements greater than 35% in both groups of patients were assessed by the chi-square test. RESULTS: The proportion of meaningful results was significantly higher in the MPM group [73.33% (33/45)], while only 33.33% (15/45) of such results were found in the EPM group (p < 0.03). In the EPM group 24/30 studies showed nonsignificant results with improvements greater than 35% in both groups of patients, while in the MPM group only 20% (6/30) of studies with this outcome could be observed (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Studies using EPM as placebo failed more frequently to show any differences between real acupuncture and placebo treatment than those using MPM as placebo. On the other hand, sham acupuncture appears almost as active as 'real' acupuncture. These results suggest that the design and the way of performing the placebo procedure determine the outcome, i. e. success or failure of a clinical trial in obtaining differences among the patients groups, in case they actually exist.


Being a Thesis submitted to the School of postgraduate
studies, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in partial
fulfillment of the Requirements for the award of Master of
science (M.sc) Degree in Accounting and Finance.
Department of Accounting
Faculty of Administration
Ahmadu Bello University
Zaria - Nigeria
January, 2014


This article challenges the widely held view in legal education and in practice that what lawyers should be doing in providing legal advice consists solely of engaging in legal research and analytic reasoning. This article suggests that ethical intuition — i.e., the unconscious recognition that a specific action is good, evil, or morally neutral — may have a useful role to play in making legal compliance decisions for business entities.Although largely ignored by the legal academy, scholars in numerous disciplines have acknowledged the role that intuition plays in decision making. Philosophers and religious scholars initially recognized the role of intuition in moral decision making centuries ago. Within the past few decades, neuroscientists have validated these theories through the use of various brain scan technologies, which show that humans often resort to intuition first when making moral decisions. Moral psychologists, behavioral economists, and other scholars have employed the work of neuroscientists to develop sophisticated models of moral decision making that better reflect how people behave when making moral decisions.This article argues that ethical intuition can provide insights into the foundations of law, assist in discovering the law, and help to protect business entities because intuition can give insight into the legal and extra-legal punishments that may be visited upon a business entity as a result of its legal compliance decisions. This is not to claim that legal research and analytic reasoning should play no role in making legal compliance decisions for business entities. Exhaustive legal research should be at the heart of any legal compliance decision. Lessons from philosophy, neuroscience, moral psychology, behavioral economics, however, demonstrate that a dual process approach that incorporates both intuition and analytic reason is best for considering issues relating to a business entity's compliance with the law. This article argues for such a dual process model approach to legal decision making and offers various methods for incorporating intuition into the legal compliance decision making process.


The most successful model of aspect-oriented modularity to date is that embodied in the AspectJ language. We have shown that the AspectJ notions of aspect and class can be unified in a new module construct that we called the classpect, and that this new model is significantly simpler and able to accommodate a broader set of requirements for modular solutions to complex integration problems. We embodied our unified model in the Eos language design, in which the basic unit of modularity is a classpect; and we realized the model in a concrete and usable form in the Eos compiler. The main contribution of this paper is a fairly demanding experimental evaluation of the Eos component model, language, and compiler in terms of their application to two significant systems: ConcernCov, a tool for concernbased code coverage analysis of test suites (20K LOC), and the Eos compiler, a near-industrial strength classpectoriented extension to the C# language (50K LOC). Our assessments of the resulting designs provides evidence for the potential design structuring benefits of the Eos model, the usability of the Eos language, and the practical utility of our language implementation in the Eos compiler. In a nutshell, we contribute a demonstration of the immediate practical value of our conceptual work.


The use of electronic documents is constantly growing and the necessity to implement an ad-hoc eCertificate which manages access to private information is not only required but also necessary. This paper presents a protocol for the management of electronic identities (eIDs), meant as a substitute for the paper-based IDs, in a mobile environment with a user-centric approach. Mobile devices have been chosen because they provide mobility, personal use and high computational complexity. The inherent user-centricity also allows the user to personally manage the ID information and to display only what is required. The chosen path to develop the protocol is to migrate the existing eCert technologies implemented by the Learning Societies Laboratory in Southampton. By comparing this protocol with the analysis of the eID problem domain, a new solution has been derived which is compatible with both systems without loss of features.


The computer-based CERES-maize model for simulating maize growth and development was used to
simulate maize yield in a semi-arid region of Harran Plain of Southeastern Turkey in 2005 and 2006.
Irrigation water was applied with the water pillow (WP) method at three rates: full (WP1.0); and two deficit
irrigation treatments, WP0.75 and WP0.50, which were 75 and 50% of WP1.0, respectively. Measured yields
values ranged from 5600 to 9450 kg ha-1 and 5040 to 8565 kg ha-1 in 2005 and 2006, respectively,
whereas measured biomass values for the same years varied from 11020 to 17965 kg ha-1 and 10985 to
17025 kg ha-1. Statistical analysis of the measured yield and biomass values indicated that there was a
significant difference between irrigation treatments for both years (P <0.05). Simulated results for 2005
and 2006 varied from 5072 to 8991 kg ha-1 and from 4924 to 8168 kg ha-1, while biomass values for the
same years ranged from 10098 and 16906 kg ha-1 and from 10105 to 15985 kg ha-1. For all treatments,
yield and biomass were adequately simulated by the model: differences between simulated and
measured values were less than 6%. Comparison of the model data with the measured values showed
that there was a satisfactory agreement between the measured and simulated values and the model
performed well for both, yield and biomass. Overall, it could be suggested that full irrigation is required
for optimum yield and biomass and CERES-maize model satisfactorily simulated maize yields and
biomass in semi-arid conditions.


Thanks to improvements in wireless communication technologies and increasing computing power in hand-held devices, mobile ad hoc networks are becoming an ever-more present reality. Coordination languages are expected to become important means in supporting this type of interaction. To this extent we argue the interest of the Bach coordination language as a middleware that can handle and react to context changes as well as cope with unpredictable physical interruptions that occur in opportunistic network connections. More concretely, our proposal is based on blackboard rules that model declaratively the actions to be taken once the blackboard content reaches a predefined state, but also that manage the engagement and disengagement of hosts and transient sharing of blackboards. The idea of reactiveness has already been introduced in previous work, but as will be appreciated by the reader, this article presents a new perspective, more focused on a declarative setting.


Background Huntington's disease (HD) has a complex pathogenesis, including protein aggregation and the dysregulation of neuronal transcription and metabolism. Aims We assessed whether inhibition of sirtuin 2 (SIRT2) could achieve neuroprotection in models of HD and defined the mechanism(s) by which this modality acts at the cellular level. Methods/techniques Genetic or pharmacologic inhibition of SIRT2 was assessed for neuroprotective effects in cellular and invertebrate models of HD, and the molecular mechanism of the SIRT2 inhibition was defined in rat striatal neurons. Results/outcome SIRT2 inhibition resulted in neuroprotection in fly, worm and primary striatal cell models of HD. Microarray gene expression profiling further revealed correlated expression changes including significant downregulation of RNAs responsible for sterol biosynthesis. Whereas mutant huntingtin fragments increased sterols in neuronal cells, SIRT2 inhibition reduced sterol levels via decreased nuclear trafficking of SREBP-2. Importantly, manipulation of sterol biosynthesis at the transcriptional level mimicked SIRT2 inhibition, demonstrating that the metabolic effects of SIRT2 inhibition are sufficient to diminish mutant huntingtin toxicity. Conclusions These data identify SIRT2 inhibition as a promising avenue for HD therapy and elucidate an important and novel mechanism of SIRT2–inhibitor mediated neuroprotection. Furthermore, the ascertainment of SIRT2's role in regulating cellular metabolism demonstrates a central function shared with other sirtuin proteins.


Photo by Tiffany Tertipes on Unsplash
I. Introduction
Citizen Change, a celebrity-led, nonpartisan voter engagement campaign popularized the slogan "Vote or Die." This coarse directive was intended to evoke an urgent sense of duty for democratic participation.[1] The phrase represents deontological (or duty-based) ethics applied to democracy, and it is poorly suited for application during a deadly pandemic. This paper argues that deontological appeals for democratic participation are inappropriate during the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, voters should consider consequentialist rationales for voting.
II. COVID-19's effect on American democracy
From March 2020, many primary voters in the United States faced an unforeseen dilemma: to risk exposure and transmit a potentially fatal virus or eschew participation in the democratic process. Due to the rapid spread, some states were unequipped or unwilling to postpone primaries and provide alternatives to traditional in-person voting.[2] Contact tracing research  shows that polling places can significantly spread the virus.[3] In the run-up to the 2020 general election, some states have expanded access to mail-in voting. Still, significant challenges persist. Nearly a quarter of the American population is ineligible to use COVID-19 as a reason for voting by mail, meaning they will have to vote in person.[4] Of those who are eligible to vote by mail, various barriers exist such as the need to request an absentee ballot and the uncertainty of safe and on-time delivery.[5] Politicization of the push for mail-in voting has led to an erosion of trust in the United States Postal Service (USPS) and its ability to protect voting integrity .[6]
III. Voting as a categorical imperative
The use of deontology as a guide to ethical decision-making derives in large part from the categorical imperative articulated by Immanuel Kant. The categorical imperative is a moral obligation that can be universally applied, independent of outcome.[7] Thus, participants in a democracy vote not because they are convinced that it will have a particular effect, but because it is a universal duty. It is the right thing to do. Further, an action deemed necessary as a categorical imperative would encourage others to do the same. A deontological argument for voting concludes that accepting the duty of democratic participation is important because it would be immoral to abstain, yet expect others to uphold the democracy.[8] To this end, American democracy has a history of deontological efforts to instill the duty of voting, from nonpartisan voter engagement campaigns to lobbying efforts for compulsory voting.[9] Defining voting as a civic duty may also solve the rational choice conundrum that questions why people vote believing their vote may be insignificant.[10]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, public health efforts have sought to instill a duty to halt its spread through directives to stay home and avoid contact with others.[11] This competing deontology may in some cases be mutually exclusive with that of democratic duties, and alternative frameworks can provide decisional clarity.
IV. Consequentialism as an alternative to democratic deontology
Opposite duty-based arguments for decision-making are those based on consequentialism, the theory that the intended or actual results of an action are what determines whether or not the action is ethical.[12] Given the competing and in some cases, mutually exclusive interests of health versus participation in a functioning democracy during the COVID-19 pandemic, consequentialist reasoning offers voters a more flexible approach to decision-making.
Voters have the option to vote in person, to vote absentee by mail, or not to vote. The deontological argument for voting removes the third option so a voter is left with    options that could expose the voter, fellow citizens, and those handling ballots to the virus. Consequentialist reasoning considers factors that deontological arguments ignore: whether voting is worth potentially sacrificing health, how likely voting is to affect an outcome or produce change, how significant the health risks are in a particular setting, and how risk is mitigated.
A consequentialist approach to democratic engagement also allows a voter to evaluate the utility of potential results. If voters are highly vulnerable to COVID-19 and lack access to a safe polling place, arguably they should consider not voting, especially if their only concern is the presidential election and if their state's electoral college history demonstrates entrenchment that would either already lead to their candidate winning or disenfranchise them as voters. States like Mississippi, Louisiana, and South Carolina have unhealthy populations and election commissions that have not widely instituted safe voting measures.[13] Absent any widespread vaccination, a duty-based approach to voting may lead voters to take an undue risk of harm with little benefit or influence over the outcome of the election. Because of its asymptomatic spread, even voters thought to be low-risk may need to consider the possibility of spreading the virus to those that are more vulnerable. A nursing home worker must evaluate a different set of consequences than a graphic designer.
Conversely, individuals may find that the consequences of abstention are greater than the perceived risks of voting. Voters may consider the potential political harm from inaction or the possibility that their vote could help decide a close race or ballot measure. In swing states, the harm of not voting could outweigh the risks. Consequentialism allows individuals to distinguish varying degrees of significance a course of action may have.
Arguments for a deontological approach to voting may rightly point out that few elections are without flaw or susceptibility to risk of some kind. Even those voting electronically may be vulnerable to hacking. However, the challenges incurred due to the magnitude and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic require layers of reasoning more suited for consequentialism than duty-based ethics.
Even a consequentialist approach that assesses voting as too risky does not necessitate political inaction. Abstaining voters in states that have not made mail-in voting widely available can participate in other forms of democratic participation, including mobilizing fellow citizens through phone or email and petitioning the government for safer electoral measures. Such action could have positive outcomes that extend beyond the immediate push for a more accessible democracy. In swing states, greater political consequences demand prioritizing participation.
V. Conclusion
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unforeseen complications to democracy, resulting in practical challenges and moral dilemmas. In many states, potential voters face a decision that could affect not only their own health but the health of their community and democracy. Voters should be able to consider each factor and the respective risks involved alongside their own values before making a decision. The blanket rigidity of a "Vote or Die" mentality or any such deontological democratic command is unsuitable in the time of a deadly pandemic. Consequentialist approaches that consider the potential outcomes of a voter's preferences, circumstances, health, and risk assessment offer more flexible guidance for ethical decision making.
[1] Drake, Latoya. "Commodification of Voting: Celebrity, Spectacle and Social Movements." Master's thesis, Georgetown University, 2006. https://repository.library.georgetown.edu/bitstream/handle/10822/551593/etd_lfd.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y
[2] Rakich, Nathaniel. "There have been 38 statewide elections since the pandemic. Here's how they went." Fivethirtyeight. August 3, 2020. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/there-have-been-38-statewide-elections-during-the-pandemic-heres-how-they-went/
[3] Cotti, Chad D., Bryan Engelhardt, Joshua Foster, Erik T. Nesson, and Paul S. Niekamp. The relationship between in-person voting, consolidated polling locations, and absentee voting on covid-19: evidence from the Wisconsin primary. No. w27187. National Bureau of Economic Research, 2020. https://www.nber.org/papers/w27187
[4] Love, Juliette, Matt Stevens, and Lazaro Gamio. "Where Americans Can Vote By Mail in the 2020 Elections." The New York Times. August 14, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/11/us/politics/vote-by-mail-us-states.html
[5] Love, et al.
[6] Levine, Sam. "Trump's USPS attacks are already undermining confidence in vote by mail. The Guardian. August 20, 2020.
[7] Kant, Immanuel. Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals. Translated by Allen W. Wood. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002.
[8] "Is it irrational to vote?" The Economist. October 23, 2012. https://www.economist.com/democracy-in-america/2012/10/23/is-it-irrational-to-vote
[9] Working Group on Universal Voting. "Lift Every Voice: The Urgency of Universal Civic Duty Voting." Brookings Institute. (2020). https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Br_LIFT_Every_Voice_final.pdf
[10] Goldfarb, Robert S., and Lee Sigelman. "Does 'civic duty' 'solve' the rational choice voter turnout puzzle?" Journal of Theoretical Politics 22, no. 3 (2010): 275-300.
[11] Nixon, Nicole. "California May Be Flattening Its Coronavirus Curve, But Officials Say Social Distancing Still a 'Civic Duty." CapRadio. April 1, 2020. https://www.capradio.org/articles/2020/04/01/watch-live-gov-gavin-newsom-update-on-covid-19/
[12] Sinnott-Armstrong, Walter. "Consequentialism." In Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Revised June 3, 2019. https://stanford.library.sydney.edu.au/entries/consequentialism/
[13] America's Health Rankings Annual Report 2019. United Health Foundation in partnership with the American Public Health Association. (2019). https://assets.americashealthrankings.org/app/uploads/ahr_2019annualreport.pdf


Porous materials have played a major role in several applications such as catalysis, adsorption, gas storage, electronics and molecular separation. Henceforth, the design of porous materials has always been an essential field of research. Recently, covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs) have emerged as a versatile platform for such applications owing to their chemical tunability, high surface areas, permanent microporosities and high stability. CTFs have shown great potential for tackling important energy and environmental based challenges. This review summarizes the development of CTFs and its application in gas storage and separation, pollutant removal and catalysis. A critical outlook from a sustainable perspective on its design as well as application is provided focusing on its practical implementation.


The idea of departmental select committees in the House of Commons was floated as long ago as the Haldane Report in 1918 and periodically mooted by figures from both left and right as varied as Amery and Laski in the inter‐war years. It was raised again during the wartime investigations of the Machinery of Government committee, only to be shot down by the then Cabinet Secretary, Sir Edward Bridges, on the grounds that it would constrain the frankness with which the Civil Service could advise ministers. Departmental select committees were not to be introduced until 1979. Ten years ago the Institute of Contemporary British History organised a symposium to review their progress. On 31 January 1996 in committee room 10 at the House of Commons the ICBH, in conjunction with the Hansard Society, held another seminar to re‐examine the development of the departmental select committee system, its successes and failings. It was chaired by George Cunningham (Labour MP 1970–82, SDP MP 1982–83). The principal participants were Sir Peter Kemp (Deputy Secretary, Treasury 1983–88, Next Steps Project Manager, Cabinet Office, 1988–92), Douglas Millar (Clerk of Select Committees, House of Commons since 1994), Dr Ann Robinson (author of Parliament and Public Spending, head of the policy unit at the Institute of Directors [IOD], 1989–95 and Director‐General of the National Association of Pension Funds Ltd since 1995), Robert Sheldon (Labour MP since 1964, Financial Secretary to the Treasury 1974–75, member of the Public Accounts Committee [PAC] 1965–70 and 1975–79 and chairman since 1983, member, Public Expenditure Committee 1972–74, and member of the Treasury and Civil Service Committee [TCSC] 1979–81) and Sandy Walkington (head of corporate affairs at BT [British Telecom] plc), with further contributions from Peter Riddell (assistant editor: politics, The Times, since 1993), Chloe Miller, Sean McDougall, Tim King and Chris Stevens.


Xian, C. J., G. S. Howarth, C. E. Mardell, J. C. Cool, M. Familari, L. C. Read, and A. S. Giraud. Temporal changes in TFF3 expression and jejunal morphology during methotrexate-induced damage and repair. Am. J. Physiol. 277 (Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 40): G785–G795, 1999.—Trefoil factor TFF3 has been implicated in intestinal protection and repair. This study investigated the spatiotemporal relationship between TFF3 expression and morphological changes during intestinal damage and repair in a rat model of methotrexateinduced small intestinal mucositis. Intestinal tissues from rats with mucositis were collected daily for 10 days. Mucosal damage was characterized by an initial decrease in cell proliferation resulting in crypt loss, villus atrophy, and depletion of goblet cells, followed by hyperproliferation that lead to crypt and villus regeneration and mucous cell repopulation. TFF3 mRNA levels increased marginally during histological damage, and the cell population expressing TFF3 mRNA expanded from the usual goblet cells to include some nongoblet epithelial cells before goblet cell repopulation. TFF3 peptide, however, was depleted during histological damage and normalized during repair, mirroring the disappearance and repopulation of goblet cells. Although there is no temporal relationship between TFF3 levels and crypt hyperproliferation, confirming the nonmitogenic nature of TFF3, the coincidental normalization of TFF3 peptide with repopulation of goblet cells and mucin production after proliferative overshoot suggests that TFF3 may play a role in the remodeling phase of repair.


We consider stabilization and performance optimization of nonlinear controlled systems, where the nonlinearity satisfies a sector constraint asymptotically. This leads to optimization of the closed loop peak‐to‐peak system norm subject to H∞ ‐performance constraints. Nonlinear controlled systems tuned successfully by this novel approach are locally exponentially stable and globally BIBO‐stable.


A graph is said to be $I$-eigenvalue free if it has no eigenvalues in the interval $I$ with respect to the adjacency matrix $A$. In this paper we present twoalgorithms for generating $I$-eigenvalue free threshold graphs.


Dimethyl ether (DME) is a useful reagent gas for the characterization of a variety of diverse biologically important or environmentally significant classes of compounds. In this work the gas-phase ion-molecule reactions of DME with 23 alpha-amino acids were investigated and the collision-induced dissociation (CID) fragmentations of the protonated molecules and their most prominent adduct ions were studied. The identities and relative abundances of the adduct ions varied widely and, not unexpectedly, were dependent on the nature of the R substituent in H2NCH(R)CO2H. With a few exceptions, notably serine and threonine, protonated molecules and [M + 13]+ adduct ions were highly abundant, and in most cases methoxymethylene cations [M + 45]+ were also prominent. The solvated methoxymethylene cation [M + 91]+ was seen in very modest abundance or not at all, except for serine and threonine, when it was the most abundant. CID fragmentations of the protonated molecules generated in the DME plasma showed similar characteristics to those generated by fast atom bombardment in that sequential elimination of H2O and CO to the iminium ion was the predominant process in the majority of cases, and was also accompanied by the loss of NH3 in the cases of cysteine, glutamine, ornithine and lysine. Loss of NH3 alone was the predominant process for tryptophan, and for arginine and methionine the fragmentations were dominated by the guanidino and methylthio substituents, respectively.


Summary: The developing immune system in the embryo is programmed to accept all its own tissues as self‐products and not react against them. It has been the aim of transplantation research for the past 40 years to try and manipulate the developed immune system temporarily to a similar status to that in the embryo at the time of an organ graft, so that the organ graft is accepted but immunity generally is not interfered with. Such a state is known as immunological tolerance and can be produced in the laboratory by a number of special techniques, none of which is appropriate for clinical use in organ grafting. In pigs and rats, an allografted liver can sometimes survive permanently without any immunosuppressive treatment in immunologically mature animals.


The current study re-examined Chickering's (1967) Student Development theory, which suggests student development decreases as academic conditions become constant and the novelty of the academic environment fades. Additionally, the researchers examined whether the need to present a GPA after graduation could be associated with academic motivation, importance, or effort (the academic variables). Through the lens of positive psychology, the researchers also investigated whether a decrease in academic motivation, importance, and effort was detrimental to student happiness and well-being. Major findings among the 43 total participants were: 1, an overall difference in academic variables between freshmen and seniors did not exist; 2, a positive correlation exists between the likelihood of needing to present a GPA and the academic variables; 3, motivation was positively correlated with positive affect, while both motivation and effort were negatively correlated with negative affect. For exploratory purposes, the study also surveyed students on their opinions of the "senioritis" phenomenon and summarized those results according to class year finding few class differences in opinion.


The availability of the phosphorus of fused tricalcium phosphates of 10and 40-mesh sizes was compared with that of the phosphorus of dicalcium phosphate, basic slag, and of rock phosphates ground so that 85% for one lot and 50% of the other passed the 200-mesh sieve. The experiments were conducted in lysimeters and in the greenhouse. Growth of millet on Leon fine sand, limed to pH 5.8, was decidedly better for the fused tricalcium and the dicalcium phosphates than for the rock phosphate. Onethird of the phosphorus of the dicalcium and 40-mesh tricalcium phosphates, 1/8 of the phosphorus of the 10mesh tricalcium phosphate, and less than 1/100 of the phosphorus of rock phosphate was found in the leachates. Growth of corn on limed Leon fine sand was significantly better for the 40-mesh than for the 10-mesh tricalcium phosphates. Growth of corn in limed Tifton fine sandy loam was about the same for both phosphates and for basic slag. Corn growth on non-phosphated portions of these soils exhibited a marked phosphorus deficiency. Phosphorus deficiency symptoms were also present on the phosphated Tifton fine sandy loam and the phosphorus content of the corn leaves was less than 0.1%. Radioactive superphosphate was used to compare the availability of the phosphorus of 10and 40-mesh fused tricalcium phosphates and triple superphosphate. Uptake of the labelled phosphorus by oats on Leon fine sand was less where superphosphate had been used. The reverse was true for Red Bay fine sandy loam. This indicates that the phosphorus of the superphosphate went into solution quicker than that of the tricalcium phosphates and was more quickly immobilized by the fixation activities of the soil. The phosphorus of the 40-mesh tricalcium phosphate was somewhat more available than that of the 10-mesh but not significantly (LSD 0.05). View complete article To view this complete article, insert Disc 2 then click button8


Urban layout has a significant impact on the outdoor microclimate in the city. The urban fabric can limit solar access, but also has the ability to store and trap heat. This may lead to uncomfortable or even unhealthy situations outdoors. The indoor thermal environment can be controlled independent of dynamic outdoor conditions. However, this is undesirable from a comfortable and sustainable point of view. It is therefore preferable to find passive building strategies to support a comfortable thermal environment outdoors as well as indoors. In temperate climates, buildings facing south are preferable, as they yield the largest solar gain in the heating season and the smallest in summer. However, south facing row houses imply east-west running streets, which have larger street irradiance in summer – possibly leading to heat stress – and a smaller street irradiance in winter compared to north-south running streets. In addition to orientation, the height to width ratio of streets is also of great importance since it defines the obstruction angle; buildings may cast shadows on the street or on the opposite building facade resulting in reduced solar gains. The full paper discusses the viability of passive solar heating strategies in residential buildings in The Netherlands under the influence of typical urban density and layout. In addition, the paper gives some guidelines for the integration of passive solar heating strategies for dwellings in different urban situations. The effects of orientation and street width of an urban canyon on the percentage of irradiated street and facade areas, for different seasons in The Netherlands, will be discussed in another paper by the authors.


Detecting ellipses is an important computer vision task. In order to overcome the excessive time and storage requirements associated with the Hough transform, some techniques decompose the required parameter space into several sub-spaces. The decomposition is achieved by using geometric constraints which define relative positions between a set of points. This paper shows how positional constraints can be avoided by using the local properties of the position function to decompose the parameter space. This decomposition requires the combination of a pair of edge points and their gradient direction. The decomposition is used to extract ellipses in synthetic and real images.