Marine aquaculture is in its infant stage in South Africa and its development is of priority to the government. Involvement of the public in the development of the sector is essential and a holistic approach to its management is crucial. This study looked at public awareness of marine aquaculture and how it is perceived. The public perception in terms of environmental and socio-economic impact was assessed. Hermanus community was used as a pilot site. A survey was conducted, which included a variety of groups that represent different interests. The outcomes of the study indicated that majority of participants are aware of marine aquaculture and they perceive it to have a positive impact. It is perceived that the negative environmental impacts are exceeded by the positive socio-economic impacts. For the full implementation of the study, it is recommended that focus should be placed on sub-sector perception and awareness. Focus of the awareness programmes should be on young people as they demonstrated to be less aware of marine aquaculture. In addition, promotion of the sector should be in areas where there is less marine aquaculture activities.


Note for post-qualified workers and students: Some of the element labels in the materials, such as on the element cards and personal construct grid, may need to be slightly amended. Please be creative to change these to reflect your own needs. These tools provide essential staged processes but the actual elements are open for your own use. See Fransella (2005) in the further references section (http://www.open.ac.uk/pbpl/activities/details/projectpage.php?itemId=4832deec92f3e&pageId=4832e68f3a92c) for more discussions about the creative use of Personal Construct Psychology techniques.


The accelerator-driven system (ADS) is recognized as a promising system for the purpose of nuclear waste transmutation and minimization of spent fuel radiotoxicity. The primary cause for this derives from its accelerator-driven, sub-critical operating state, which introduces beneficial safety-related features allowing for application of cores employing fuel systems containing pure transuranics or minor actinides, thereby offering increased incineration rate of waste products and minimal deployment of advanced (and expensive) partitioning and transmutation technologies. The main theme of the thesis is safety and kinetics performance of accelerator-driven nuclear reactors. The studies are confined to the examination of ADS design proposals employing fast neutron spectrum, uranium-free lattice fuels, and liquid-metal cooling, with emphasis on lead-bismuth coolant. The thesis consists of computational studies under normal operation and hypothetical accidents, and of evaluation and identification of safety design features. By itself, subcritical operation provides a distinct safety advantage over critical reactor operation, distinguished by high operational stability and additional margins for positive reactivity insertion. For a uranium-free minor actinide based fuel important safety parameters deteriorate. Specific analyses suggest that operation of such cores in a critical state would be very difficult. The studies of unprotected transients indicate that lead-bismuth cooled accelerator-driven reactors can be effective in addressing the low effective delayed neutron fraction and the high coolant void reactivity that comes with the minor actinide fuel, but some supportive prompt negative feedback mechanism might be considered necessary to compensate for a weak Doppler effect in case of a prompt critical transient. Although lead-bismuth features a high boiling point, the work underlines the importance of maintaining a low coolant void reactivity value. The transient design studies identified a molybdenum-based Ceramic-Metal (CerMet) fuel with favourable inherent safety features. A higher lattice pitch is suggested to avoid mechanical failure during unprotected loss-of-flow. Detailed coupled neutron kinetics and thermal hydraulic analyses demonstrated that the point kinetics approximation is capable of providing highly accurate transient calculations of subcritical systems. The results suggest better precision at lower keff levels, which is an effect of the reduced sensitivity to system reactivity perturbations in a subcritical state resulting in small spatial distortions. In the course of a beam reliability study, the accelerator was identified as responsible for frequent beam interruptions. It is clear that extensive improvement in the mean-time between beam failures is required.


Lipid peroxidation inhibition capacity and antiradical activity were evaluated in HPLC fractions of different polarity obtained from two cranberry juices and three extracts isolated from frozen cranberries and pomace containing antho-cyanins, water-soluble and apolar phenolic compounds, respectively. Compounds with close polarities were collected to obtain between three and four fractions from each juice or extract. The cranberry phenols are good free radi-cal-scavengers, but they were less efficient at inhibiting the lipid peroxidation. Of all the samples tested, the intermediate polarity fraction of extract rich in apolar phenolic compounds of fruit presented the highest antiradical activity while the most hydrophobic fractions of the anthocyanin-rich extract from fruit and pomace appeared to be the most efficient at inhibiting the lipid peroxidation. The antioxidant or pro-oxidant activity of fractions increased with the con-centration. The phenol polarity and the technological process to manufacture cranberry juice can influence the antioxidant and antiradical activities of fractions.


ABSTRACT Laser beak trimming is a promising alternative to conventional hot-blade beak trimming as it is less painful and provides better beak uniformity and better animal welfare. In this study, laser vs. hot-blade beak trimming were compared in 400 Hy-line Brown pullets between 2-16 weeks of age. At 7 days of age, birds were distributed according to a completely randomized design into two treatments, with 10 replicates (pens) of 20 birds each. Birds and feed offer and residues were weekly weighed to determine weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio. In weeks 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks, one bird per experimental unit was sacrificed to measure the development of the heart development, liver, proventriculus, gizzard, small intestine, and bursa. And of the oviduct in week 16. Pullers submitted to laser beak trimming presented higher weight gain and weekly feed intake, and better feed conversion ratio during the evaluated period. There was no influence of beak trimming methods on the development of the digestive organs, bursa or oviduct. Laser beak trimming can be used as an alternative to hot-blade beak trimming of commercial brown layers.


We propose a novel attention gate (AG) model for medical imaging that automatically learns to focus on target structures of varying shapes and sizes. Models trained with AGs implicitly learn to suppress irrelevant regions in an input image while highlighting salient features useful for a specific task. This enables us to eliminate the necessity of using explicit external tissue/organ localisation modules of cascaded convolutional neural networks (CNNs). AGs can be easily integrated into standard CNN architectures such as the U-Net model with minimal computational overhead while increasing the model sensitivity and prediction accuracy. The proposed Attention U-Net architecture is evaluated on two large CT abdominal datasets for multi-class image segmentation. Experimental results show that AGs consistently improve the prediction performance of U-Net across different datasets and training sizes while preserving computational efficiency. The code for the proposed architecture is publicly available.


A multitude of issues affect the broader adoption of Cloud computing, with the perceived lack of trust on the Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) often listed as a significant concern. To address this, CSPs typically set up Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that contractually list what the CSP is obligated to provide to meet the customer requirements. While SLAs are promising as a concept, the inadequacy of schemes to actually monitor and validate the run-time compliance of SLAs limits the customer's capability to evaluate the offered services to assess the actual trust to put in the CSPs. In this paper, we propose a methodology to validate SLAs and detect service violations over the life of the service. The SLA consists of a list of service attributes that are required by the customer and committed by the CSP. In order to validate an SLA, we evaluate each SLA attribute either qualitatively or quantitatively as relevant. The evaluation provides reproducible assurance to a customer for trusting the CSP based on its fulfillment of the customer's requirements. We classify requirement violations into "trust states" according to the customer defined preferences and the CSP can be in varied trust states depending on the severity level of the violations. We demonstrate assessing the trust state of a CSP based on the services involved in launching and migrating a virtual machine in Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) offering.


This article's purpose was to report the effects of a formalized patient education program in reducing implications and healthcare expenditures. In our current healthcare environment, caregivers must evaluate each service or treatment rendered in light of its impact or outcome. Impact or outcome must refer to a positive influence on the person receiving the service or treatment. In addition, in our era of extreme pressures to contain healthcare expenditures, the resultant benefit should be that of economic as well as therapeutic yield. The regulation of hospitals by a prospective payment system compels healthcare administrators to scrutinize available resources with a commitment to offer quality programs in patient care. How much healthcare can the consumer afford? Responsible cost benefit analysis will give healthcare providers a strong stance to justify programs. Using a study of pediatric patients with the same diagnosis and initial treatment, the authors evaluate the cost/benefit of a patient-education intervention. Two groups of patients, one with the patient education and the other without, are evaluated as to their utilization of healthcare services resulting from noncompliant behavior. There is less of an incidence of complications with the formalized patient-education program. In deriving a benefit to cost ratio of over seven to one, the effectiveness of the program was demonstrated. People assuming responsibility for their own health are a benefit to society at large.


Samples of the pharmacosiderite group were synthesized either directly, from aqueous solutions at 160 °C, or by ion exchange over extended periods of time at 100 °C. In more than 200 experiments, no pure pharmacosiderite sample was obtained, and a protocol was developed to remove scorodite and arsenical iron oxides from the samples. In this way, K-, Na-, Ba-, and Sr-dominant pharmacosiderite samples were prepared. The chemical compositions of the two samples used for further experiments were Ba0.702Fe4[(AsO4)0.953(SO4)0.047]3(OH)3.455O0.545·5.647H2O and K1.086Fe4[(AsO4)0.953(SO4)0.047]3 (OH)3.772O0.228·4.432H2O. The Ba-dominant pharmacosiderite is tetragonal at room temperature, and the K-dominant pharmacosiderite is cubic. Upon heating, both samples lose zeolitic H2O (shown by thermogravimetry), and this loss is accompanied by unit-cell contraction. In Ba-dominant pharmacosiderite, this loss also seems to be responsible for a symmetry change from tetragonal to cubic. The slight unit-cell contraction in Ba-dominant pharmacosiderite at <100 °C might be attributed to either negative thermal expansion or minor H2O loss; our data cannot differentiate between these two possibilities. Both samples persisted in a crystalline state up to 320 °C (the highest temperature of the powder XRD experiment), showing that pharmacosiderite is able to tolerate almost complete removal of the zeolitic H2O molecules. Low-temperature heat capacity measurements show a diffuse magnetic anomaly for K-dominant pharmacosiderite at ≈5 K and a sharp lambda transition for Ba-dominant pharmacosiderite at 15.2 K. The calculated standard entropy at T = 298.15 is 816.9 ± 5.7 J/molK for K-dominant pharmacosiderite (molecular mass 824.2076 g/mol, see formula above) and 814.1 ± 5.5 J/molK for Ba-dominant pharmacosiderite (899.7194 g/mol).


Due to their frictionless operation active magnetic bearings (AMBs) are essential components in high-speed rotating machinery. Active magnetic control of a high speed rotating rotor requires precise knowledge of its position. Self-sensing endeavours to eliminate the required position sensors by deducing the rotor's position from the voltages and currents with which it is levitated. For self-sensing AMBs to be of practical worth, they have to be robust. Robustness analysis aims to quantify a control system's tolerance for uncertainty. In this study the stability margin of a two degree-of-freedom self-sensing AMB is estimated by means of μ-analysis. Detailed black-box models are developed for the main subsystems in the AMB by means of discrete-time system identification. Suitable excitation signals are generated for system identification in cognisance of frequency induced nonlinear behaviour of the AMB. Novel graphs that characterize an AMB's behaviour for input signals of different amplitudes and frequency content are quite useful in this regard. In order to obtain models for dynamic uncertainty in the various subsystems (namely the power amplifier, self-sensing module and AMB plant), the identified models are combined to form a closed-loop model for the self-sensing AMB. The response of this closed-loop model is compared to the original AMB's response and models for the dynamic uncertainty are empirically deduced. Finally, the system's stability margin for the modelled uncertainty is estimated by means of μ-analysis. The potentially destabilizing effects of parametric uncertainty in the controller coefficients as well as dynamic uncertainty in the AMB plant and self-sensing module are examined. The resultant μ-analyses show that selfsensing AMBs are much less robust for parametric uncertainty in the controller than AMBs equipped with sensors. The μ-analyses for dynamic uncertainty confirm that self-sensing AMBs are rather sensitive for variations in the plant or the self-sensing algorithm. Validation of the stability margins estimated by μ-analysis reveal that μ-analysis is overoptimistic for parametric uncertainty on the controller and conservative for dynamic uncertainty. (Validation is performed by means of Monte Carlo simulations.) The accuracy of μ-analysis is critically dependent on the accuracy of the uncertainty model and the degree to which the system is linear or not. If either of these conditions are violated, μ-analysis is essentially worthless.


The preservation of heritage school buildings requires special maintenance management practices. A thorough understanding of the maintenance management process is essential in ensuring effective maintenance practices can be instituted. The aim of this research was to develop a generic process model that will promote the understanding of an effective management of maintenance process for heritage school buildings. A process model for the Maintenance Management of Heritage School Buildings (MMHSB) was developed using the Integration Definition for Function Modelling (IDEF0) system through an iterative process. The initial MMHSB process model was submitted to a team of management experts from the Malaysian Ministry of Arts and Heritage and the Ministry of Education Malaysia for verifications. Based on their feedback the initial model was refined and a proposed model was developed and sent to them for a second verification. The feedback received from the second verification formed the basis for the final model that was also validated by the same experts. The final model elucidates the items for the input, mechanism, control and output elements that are critical in the maintenance management of heritage school buildings. The model also redefines the existing scope of responsibilities of the Headmasters' and Senior Assistants' in the management of maintenance. The perceived effectiveness of the model by potential users was surveyed using a selected number of administrators from about to be recognised heritage schools. The results indicated that the process model is perceived as being helpful in clarifying the maintenance management process of heritage school buildings and is potentially useful in changing the current reactive management practices to that of a more proactive practice. In conclusion, the MMHSB Process Model is potentially helpful in promoting understanding of the maintenance management process, which would lead to improve preservation practices of heritage school buildings.


Abstract There is a paradox that lies at the heart of every investigation of normality, namely, its dependence on its other (e.g., deviation, break, difference). In this paper, I want to show that this paradox is the reason for the dynamism as well as fragility of normality. In this regard, I will not only argue that every normality is fragile, but also that normality can only be established because it is fragile. In the first part of this paper, I will present and re-visit Husserl's account of normality as concordant and optimal with regard to its dynamic or fragile aspects. In the second part of this paper, I will apply this account to recent findings in phenomenological pathology regarding schizophrenia and depression to show how Husserl's account could be helpful for differentiating between different aspects (such as concordance and optimality) as well as genetic levels of (disturbances of) normality.


This paper presents a new measurement system based on heterodyne receiver to characterize the impact of irregular pulsed signals on the pulse-to-pulse (P2P) stability of microwave power amplifiers. The aim of this work is to provide a way of identifying the key design parameters and specifications of power amplifiers, such as thermal management, which have a critical impact on P2P stability. This paper is focused on the impact of thermal effects by applying a worst-case radar waveform that integrates a long silence (i.e. off-time) between each sequence of periodic bursts of pulses. Time-domain envelope measurements and simulations of P2P stability are compared for a 10W S-band GaN HEMT amplifier, with particular regard to thermal time constants of the nonlinear electro-thermal model.


In the adult human brain, six isoforms of the microtubule-associated protein TAU are expressed, which result from alternative splicing of exons 2, 3 and 10 of the MAPT gene. These isoforms differ in the number of N-terminal inserts (0N, 1N, 2N) and C-terminal repeat domains (3R or 4R) and are differentially expressed depending on the brain region and developmental stage. Although all TAU isoforms can aggregate and form neurofibrillary tangles, some tauopathies, such as Pick's Disease and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, are characterized by the accumulation of specific TAU isoforms. The influence of the individual TAU isoforms in a cellular context, however, is understudied. In this report, we investigated the subcellular localization of the human-specific TAU isoforms in primary neurons, and analyzed TAU isoform-specific effects on cell area and microtubule dynamics in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. Our results show that 2N-TAU isoforms are particularly retained from axonal sorting and that axonal enrichment is independent from the number of repeat domains, but that the additional repeat domain of 4R-TAU isoform results in a general reduction of cell size and an increase of microtubule counts in cells expressing 4R-TAU isoforms. Our study points out that individual TAU isoforms may influence microtubule dynamics differentially both by different sorting patterns as well as by direct effects on microtubule dynamics.


This article evaluates the impact of an extension programme that financially rewards farmers for participation. The evaluation focuses on programme participants who joined after a financial reward was introduced and compares their farm performance to farmers who chose not to join the programme. Farmers are assessed in relation to improvements in financial, grassland and breeding management over an observation period from 2008 and 2012. The results, based on a modified difference-in-difference estimator, reveal no significant impact of the programme, albeit programme participants seem to have improved their farm performance. Reasons for this finding are discussed and, given this rather unique policy move, the study offers policy recommendations of broad relevance.


The effect of disruptions has been studied extensively in surgery and emergency medicine, and a number of solutions-such as preoperative checklists-have been implemented to enforce the integrity of critical safety-related workflows. Disruptions of the highly complex and cognitively demanding workflow of modern clinical radiology have only recently attracted attention as a potential safety hazard. In this article, we describe the variety of disruptions that arise in the reading room environment, review approaches that other specialties have taken to mitigate workflow disruption, and suggest possible solutions for workflow improvement in radiology.


This study explored the reflective capability of nine Hungarian teachers of English with differing levels of experience to uncover how beginner teachers can be helped to reflect more effectively. Reflective capability was explored by examining eight cognitive and metacognitive skills teachers used in their anticipatory and retrospective reflections. The beginner teachers" reflections were initially simpler and more descriptive than the experienced teachers". However, during the study they started to reflect in more complex, analytical ways, a development they attributed to co-planning lessons with an experienced practitioner. One main conclusion was that beginner teachers from traditional learning contexts such as in Hungary, may need very structured assistance in developing the strategic thinking skills underpinning reflection before effective reflection can occur. Co-planning was suggested as a framework within which such assistance could be provided.


Author(s): Wong, Derek Tak-Lai | Advisor(s): Taunton, Jack; Fletcher, Daniel A | Abstract: Actin polymerization provides the physical force for membrane protrusion and determines the directionality of membrane movement in a variety of cellular processes, such as cell migration, establishment of cell polarity, podosome and invadopodia assembly, and endosome motility. To ensure proper directionality is achieved, actin assembly occurs at distinct regions along the membrane surface. Actin nucleation promoting factors, which include members of the WASP/WAVE family, must first be recruited to the membrane from the cytoplasm and activated at the surface in a localized fashion; the specific location of their activation precisely dictates where along the membrane the actin network is produced. Theoretical studies suggest that positive feedback mechanisms play an essential role in the spatial regulation of signaling events at the membrane. Furthermore, experimental observations demonstrate that the actin cytoskeleton is involved in feedback loops that locally cluster and amplify signaling components that regulate actin assembly. However, despite our extensive knowledge in the biochemistry of actin polymerization, it remains unclear how molecular interactions between F-actin, actin-binding proteins, membrane-bound proteins, and lipids produce the micron-scale spatial organization of clustered signaling complexes observed in cells. To dissect the molecular mechanisms of actin-dependent feedback loops, I have reconstituted N-WASP-driven actin assembly at a model membrane using purified components. I find that during actin polymerization along the surface of lipid-coated microspheres, the local surface density of membrane-bound N-WASP is increased in an actin-dependent manner. While initial localization and activation of N-WASP requires first binding to Cdc42 at the membrane, this interaction is not required to maintain N-WASP at the interface between the actin network and the membrane. N-WASP is released from Cdc42 and remains tethered at the membrane by the actin network, thus allowing Cdc42 to undergo subsequent cycles of N-WASP activation. Catalytic activation by Cdc42 and local amplification by the product of N-WASP's nucleation promoting factor activity, i.e. F-actin, together provide the mechanism for spontaneous clustering of N-WASP and localized actin assembly along the membrane, even in the absence of any asymmetric cues at the surface. This work provides mechanistic insights into how dendritic actin networks are organized into spatially distinct regions, and in turn, how they may exert feedback control on signaling transduction events at the membrane.


In the increasingly frequent global financial turmoil, investors prefer to invest in stable assets to hedge risks. Crude oil naturally has dual use value as a general commodity and as a financial asset, which has attracted wide attention. In this paper, we adopt a wavelet coherence analysis to study the standard of crude oil as a hedging asset and analyze the dynamic correlation of crude oil and stock market price fluctuations in the four economies of the United States, Japan, China and Hong Kong at different frequencies. The empirical evidence shows that crude oil can be conditionally used as a hedging asset for underlying securities. From the perspective of space, crude oil is suitable for investors in China's stock market as a hedging asset, while for stock markets in the US, Japan and Hong Kong, the ability of crude oil to hedge risk has been greatly weakened. From the perspective of investment term, although crude oil cannot be regarded as a hedging asset for long-term investment, it can still play a hedging role in the short term. When the market is in a state of panic, the ability of oil to hedge risk is stronger.


The ductile behavior of crystalline polymers between liquid nitrogen and room temperatures is primarily due to enhancement of crazing by the presence of gases (N2, A2, O2, CO2) of high thermodynamic activity, i.e., close to their condensation point. Without the presence of such a gas, at temperatures sufficiently above its condensation point so that its activity has dropped to a few percent, the crystalline material is rather brittle although some very limited crazing can be detected. As expected, the ductility and the amount of crazing are very nearly the same in helium as under vacuum. The crazes in smectic PP are extremely long, often traversing the entire width (0.5 cm) of the sample, and generally very similar to crazes in glassy amorphous polymers. They are thin and become thicker at higher temperatures. In monoclinic PP with well developed spherulitic structure, crazing occurs along spherulite diameters that are perpendicular to the stress direction but not along the boundaries between spherulites. In general, the length of a craze equals the spherulite diameter. At low temperatures all crazes originate on the outer surface of the sample which is in direct contact with the gas.

The action of the gas is due to two mechanisms. First, the adsorbed gas reduces the surface energy of the polymer, facilitating the creation of a new surface in the holes and voids of the craze. Second, the gas becomes highly absorbed at the tip of an incidental flaw or of an existing craze, since these are regions of high dilatant stress. The locally absorbed gas acts as a plasticizer easing the flow involved in the nucleation and growth of the craze, i.e., in the formation of fibrillar material of the craze.


Origami is rapidly gaining prominence in the research of metamaterials as it allows for tuning the properties of interest by change in the folded state. Origami-based lattices that allow low-frequency wave-propagation can potentially find use as acoustic metamaterials. Rigid panel origami tessellations have lattice modes which are exclusively due to the low-energy folding deformations at creases and hence will be suitable for low-frequency wave-propagation applications. Modeling frameworks like bar-and-hinge that are typically used to study origami lattice mechanics allow for panel stretching behavior which is forbidden and redundant in rigid panel origami lattices. This drives the necessity for an efficient analysis framework dealing exclusively with folding-angles for study of origami lattices with rigid panels. As a first step in this direction, in this paper, we propose a folding-angle-based analytical framework for structural modeling of infinite lattices of triangulated Miura-ori with rigid panels. We assign rotational stiffness to the creases and analytically derive the stiffness matrix for the lattices based on a minimal number of folding-angle degrees of freedom. Finally, we study the influence of the equilibrium folded state and the relative crease stiffness on the modal energies, to demonstrate the tunable and programmable nature of the structure. The framework proposed in our work could enable the study of wave dynamics in rigid panel Miura-ori-based lattices and our findings show significant promise for the future use of 1D origami with rigid panels as acoustic metamaterials.


Abstract. Hurricanes cause extensive harm to local economies, and in some
cases the recovery may take years. As an adequate, skilled, and trained
workforce is a prerequisite for economic development and capacity building,
employment plays an important role in disaster reduction and mitigation
efforts. The statistical relationship between hurricane landfalls and
observed changes in employment at the county level is investigated.
Hurricane impact is classified into temporary and permanent categories. In
the former category, the level of economic activities is lowered following a
hurricane landfall but quickly recovers to the pre-storm norm. In contrast,
the permanent shift alters the mean value of the data and results in lasting
losses in future years. The results show that Hurricane Katrina produced
significant permanent impact on Orleans County, Louisiana. Chambers and Fort
Bend counties experienced a significant temporary impact due to the landfall
of Hurricane Ike. The results are further discussed through a qualitative
analysis of various social, economic, and engineering factors in these
affected communities. The findings support the notion that a higher resilience
level leads to quicker recovery after a disaster. However, the underlying
data-generating processes are characterized and tested in a more detailed
manner.


The QTc dispersion reflects the underlying regional heterogeneity of the recovery of the ventricular excitability, thereby it is considered as a novel marker of risk of ventricular arrhythmias. Because a higher incidence of ventricular arrhythmias is described during and after hemodialysis, the aim of this study has been to evaluate the QTc dispersion before and after uncomplicated hemodialysis session. Twenty chronic uremics without heart failure, ischemic heart disease or dialysis hypotension were selected. The QTc dispersion was determined as the difference between the longer and the shorter QTc interval measured on a 12-lead electrocardiogram. Following the hemodialysis session, the QTc dispersion increased from 30 ± 9 to 54 ± 17 ms (p < 0.001) associated with the expected reduction of potassium and magnesium and with the increase of extracellular calcium concentration. However, no correlation has been observed between the QTc dispersion increase and the degree of the intradialytic changes of plasma electrolytes, blood pressure or body weight. In summary, the hemodialysis treatment per se does induce an increase of the QTc dispersion, likely due to the rapid changes of electrolyte plasma concentrations. This can potentially contribute to the arrhythmogenic effect of the hemodialysis procedure, reflecting an enhanced regional heterogeneity of ventricular repolarization. The clinical importance of the increase of QTc dispersion as risk factor of ventricular arrhythmias, particularly in hemodialyzed patients suffering from ischemic or hypertrophic heart diseases, should be the matter of further investigations.


Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is verified on the basis of complex assessment of clinical, laboratory, endoscopic and morphological data. However, due to the lack of a 'golden' standard and similarity of the clinical picture, it usually takes more than 1 year to diagnose ulcerative colitis (UC) and more than 2 years for Crohn`s disease (CD). The aim of the study is to optimize the existing methods in diagnosis of IBD with an application of an artificial neural network (ANN).

 216 patients with verified IBD (163 – UC, 53 – CD of large bowel) and 34 patients without endoscopic findings underwent colonoscopy in the Peter the Great Clinic of Mechnikov North-Western State Medical University (Saint-Petersburg, Russia). During the endoscopic examination 856 images were obtained: 268 images of "normal mucosa", 194 ones of CD of large bowel and 394 ones of UC. The study included images of mild, moderate and severe activity of IBD. Mayo endoscopic score was used to assess endoscopic activity of UC. For CD the scoring scales were not provided, the activity of the disease was based on the length of the affected segment, presence of erosions, ulcers and complications such as strictures, fistulae and stenosis. All images were captured in high-resolution with the same endoscope (Olympus) and stored in a jpeg format. Poor-quality images resulting from blurs, defocus and poor air insufflation were excluded. We also created the ANN using the Neural Network Toolbox application from the MATLAB application package. The ANN consisted of 2 models: the first one was multilayer perceptron which determined a presence of pathology, the second was convolutional neural network which differentiated the types of IBD (UC or CD).

 All the endoscopic images were downloaded to the created ANN. It was trained 3 times due to the decrease of its accuracy. The average accuracy of the developed model in differentiation of pathology was 77%. This result could be associated with an insufficient number of CD images or ANN training on continuous data set of images with UC and CD features without clustering them to particular patient.

 We conclude that the developed ANN shows moderate accuracy in recognition of different forms of IBD. This study has a limitation as the images were taken only with endoscope Olympus. Enlarged sample size and inclusion of morphologic images are needed in order to improve the accuracy of ANN.


Abstract The new housing growth programme planned for England and Wales between now and 2016 could provide the government with an opportunity to build housing to significantly higher environmental performance (EP) standards. Equally, if the government continues with its current strategy a great opportunity could be missed. This paper considers and critically analyses the government's approach to ensuring higher EP standards in new housing. Using Greenwich Millennium Village as a case study it assesses the likely outcomes of the approach. It suggests how regulation, fiscal incentives and educational programmes could help to deliver better EP amongst housing and households in the growth region.


To accurately assess the association between the use of EHR systems and the quality of healthcare we need (composite) measures for quality of healthcare, and a model to measure the maturity of the EHR. This Medline-based literature study therefore focussed on three topics; (1) methods to compose a measure for quality of care based on individual quality indicators (QI), (2) models to measure EHR maturity, and (3) the association between the former two. Composite quality is most often measured using opportunity-based scores, maturity is measured in functionalities or levels. EHR maturity measures are not used extensively in biomedical literature. Most studies found a positive association between EHR use and the quality of care but almost none of them differentiate in maturity of EHR which hampers firm conclusions about this relation.


The stimulus for this investigation of manuscript variants in one of Blake's Notebook poems arises from an unlikely quarter: Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (1965). Vonnegut's use of Blake is purposeful. In Slaughterhouse-Five the narrator states (by way of Kilgore Trout) that "William Blake" was "[Eliot] Rosewater's favorite poet" (99), and in a 1977 interview in the Paris Review Vonnegut specifically notes, "I was thirty-five before I went crazy about Blake." In Rosewater, Eliot Rosewater, traumatized by his experience in World War II, dedicates his life and extraordinary wealth to a compensatory form of philanthropy for the population of Rosewater, Indiana. Eliot has written his personal manifesto on the step risers leading up to his office to remind himself and his clients of his life's purpose and personal vision. His manifesto is identified in Vonnegut's text only as "a poem by William Blake" (65). The poem is traditionally referred to by its first line, "The Angel that presided o'er my birth," as rendered in Keynes's Nonesuch edition, almost certainly Vonnegut's source. Obscuring Blake's rhyme scheme, Vonnegut separates the three-line poem into twelve sections, one for each riser.


One important issue in moral psychology concerns the proper characterisation of the folk understanding of the relationship between harmful transgressions and moral transgressions. Psychologist Elliot Turiel and associates have claimed with a broad range of supporting evidence that harmful transgressions are understood as transgressions that are authority independent and general in scope which, according to them, characterises these transgressions as moral transgressions. Recently many researchers questioned the position advocated by the Turiel tradition with some new evidence. We entered this debate proposing an original, deflationary view in which perceptions of basic-rights violation and injustice are fundamental for the folk understanding of harmful transgressions as moral transgressions in Turiel's sense. In this article we elaborate and refine our deflationary view, while reviewing the debate, addressing various criticisms raised against our perspective, showing how our perspective explains the existent evidence, and suggesting new lines of inquiry.


Temperature is one of the most relevant physical quantities that affects almost all processes in nature. However, the realization of accurate temperature standards using current temperature references, like the triple point of water, is difficult due to the requirements on material purity and stability of the environment. In addition, in harsh environments, current temperature sensors with electrical readout, like platinum resistors, are difficult to implement, urging the development of optical temperature sensors. In 2018, the European consortium Photoquant, consisting of metrological institutes and academic partners, started investigating new temperature standards for self-calibrated, embedded optomechanical sensor applications, as well as optimised high resolution and high reliability photonic sensors, to measure temperature at the nano and meso-scales and as a possible replacement for the standard platinum resistant thermometers. This article presents an overview of the results obtained with sensor prototypes that exploit photonic and optomechanical techniques for sensing temperatures over a large temperature range (5 K to 300 K). Different concepts are demonstrated, including ring resonators, ladder-like resonators and suspended membrane optomechanical thermometers, highlighting initial performance and challenges, like self-heating that need to be overcome to realize photonic and optomechanical thermometry applications.


The classic Fatou lemma states that the lower limit of a sequence of integrals of functions is greater or equal than the integral of the lower limit. It is known that Fatou's lemma for a sequence of weakly converging measures states a weaker inequality because the integral of the lower limit is replaced with the integral of the lower limit in two parameters, where the second parameter is the argument of the functions. This paper provides sufficient conditions when Fatou's lemma holds in its classic form for a sequence of weakly converging measures. The functions can take both positive and negative values. The paper also provides similar results for sequences of setwise converging measures. It also provides Lebesgue's and monotone convergence theorems for sequences of weakly and setwise converging measures. The obtained results are used to prove broad sufficient conditions for the validity of optimality equations for average-cost Markov decision processes.


Most technical standards-development organizations (SDOs) have adopted internal policies embodying "due process" criteria such as openness, balance of interests, consensus decision making and appeals. These requirements arise from numerous sources including antitrust law, international trade law, public procurement requirements and institutional norms. Yet balance criteria lack a generally-accepted definition and the manner in which they are implemented varies, sometimes dramatically, among SDOs. Recently, there has been a renewed interest in the principle that SDOs should ensure a balance of interests among their stakeholders, including in the development of intellectual property rights policies. This article explores the origins and meaning of the balance requirement in the U.S. and EU, and identifies distinct legal, administrative and institutional modalities in which balance requirements are imposed, as well as existing antitrust and competition law requirements surrounding SDO balance.


—Electricity prices have sophisticated features such as high volatility, nonlinearity and high frequency that make forecasting quite difficult. Electricity price has a volatile and non-random character so that, it is possible to identify the patterns based on the historical data. Intelligent decision-making requires accurate price forecasting for market traders, retailers, and generation companies. So far, many shallow-ANN (artificial neural networks) models have been published in the literature and showed adequate forecasting results. During the last years, neural networks with many hidden layers, which are referred to as DNN (deep neural networks) have been using in the machine learning community. The goal of this study is to investigate electricity price forecasting performance of the shallow-ANN and DNN models for the Turkish day-ahead electricity market. The forecasting accuracy of the models has been evaluated with publicly available data from the Turkish day-ahead electricity market. Both shallow-ANN and DNN approach would give successful result in forecasting problems. Historical load, price and weather temperature data are used as the input variables for the models. The data set includes power consumption measurements gathered between January 2016 and December 2017 with one-hour resolution. In this regard, forecasting studies have been carried out comparatively with shallow-ANN and DNN models for Turkish electricity markets in the related time period. The main contribution of this study is the investigation of different shallow-ANN and DNN models in the field of electricity price forecast. All models are compared regarding their MAE (Mean Absolute Error) and MSE (Mean Square) results. DNN models give better forecasting performance compare to shallow-ANN. Best five MAE results for DNN models are 0.346, 0.372, 0.392, 0,402 and 0.409.


We present as a case study the evolution of a series of participant-centered workshops designed to meet a need in the life sciences education community-the incorporation of best practices in the assessment of student learning. Initially, the ICABL (Inclusive Community for the Assessment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology/BMB Learning) project arose from a grass-roots effort to develop material for a national exam in biochemistry and molecular biology. ICABL has since evolved into a community of practice in which participants themselves-through extensive peer review and reflection-become integral stakeholders in the workshops. To examine this evolution, this case study begins with a pilot workshop supported by seed funding and thoughtful programmatic assessment, the results of which informed evidence-based changes that, in turn, led to an improved experience for the community. Using participant response data, the case study also reveals critical features for successful workshops, including participant-centered activities and the value of frequent peer review of participants' products. Furthermore, we outline a train-the-trainer model for creating a self-renewing community by bringing new perspectives and voices into an existing core leadership team. This case study, then, offers a blueprint for building a thriving, evolving community of practice that not only serves the needs of individual scientist-educators as they seek to enhance student learning, but also provides a pathway for elevating members to positions of leadership.


Previous studies have indicated that Ca2+-dependent Cl- secretion across monolayers of T84 epithelial cells is subject to a variety of negative influences that serve to limit the overall extent of secretion. However, the downstream membrane target(s) of these inhibitory influences had not been elucidated. In this study, nuclide efflux techniques were used to determine whether inhibition of Ca2+-dependent Cl- secretion induced by carbachol, inositol 3,4,5,6-tetrakisphosphate, epidermal growth factor, or insulin reflected actions at an apical Cl- conductance, a basolateral K+ conductance, or both. Pretreatment of T84 cell monolayers with carbachol or a cell-permeant analog of inositol 3,4,5,6-tetrakisphosphate reduced the ability of subsequently added thapsigargin to stimulate apical125I-, but not basolateral86Rb+, efflux. These data suggested an effect on an apical Cl- channel. Conversely, epidermal growth factor reduced Ca2+-stimulated86Rb+but not125I-efflux, suggesting an effect of the growth factor on a K+ channel. Finally, insulin inhibited125I-and86Rb+effluxes. Thus effects of agents that inhibit transepithelial Cl- secretion are also manifest at the level of transmembrane transport pathways. However, the precise nature of the membrane conductances targeted are agonist specific.


Abstract The Early Miocene rise of the grass-dominated ecosystem is a plausible trigger for a sharp Miocene increase in accumulation of nonmarine diatomaceous sediment as well as diversification of nonmarine diatoms. This grassland radiation introduced a biogeochemical mechanism for enhancing widespread and sustained mobilization of usable silica and other nutrients. Volcanism was probably responsible for episodic nonmarine diatomaceous sediments from the advent of the oldest known nonmarine diatoms in the Late Cretaceous through the Oligocene. Although prolific Miocene volcanism was undoubtedly still important in the development of many diatomites, feedback from grassland colonization of volcanic soils may explain why diatomaceous sedimentation surged in the Miocene following a more sparse pre-Miocene record. The initial rise of the grass-dominated ecosystem, increased nonmarine diatomite accumulation, and Early Miocene evolutionary radiations of nonmarine diatom taxa are at least approximately coeval. Although the earliest known grass is Paleocene, multiple lines of evidence, including mollic-epipedon paleosols, fossil occurrences of hypsodontic ungulate grazers, and fossil phytoliths, suggest that the grass-dominated ecosystem did not expand significantly until Early Miocene. The grassland radiation apparently was delayed until Middle Miocene in parts of Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. If that delay is real, the diatom/diatomite record in those regions should coincide with it. The onset of increased Miocene diatomite accumulation is as yet imprecisely dated, but coincidence with the rise of the grass-dominated ecosystem is predicted herein. Early Miocene diversifications of Actinocyclus and Thalassiosira diatoms are consistent temporally with grassland expansion where it is Early Miocene. Subsequent adjustments in the silica cycle also may be attributed to grasslands. Nonmarine diatom radiations in the Late Miocene and Pliocene coincide with sharp regressions that may have released nutrients and soluble phytolith opal stored in Miocene soils and paleosols as well as dissolved silica in soil pore waters. Regressional erosive pulses of phytoliths provide a new explanation for low Ge/ Si ratios in marine diatoms during Pleistocene glacial intervals. Nonmarine diatoms from regressive intervals should record lower Ge/Si ratios than before and after those regressions because of phytolith contributions with low Ge/Si ratios. Late Miocene radiations of C4 and moist tall-grass ecosystems may have mobilized even more silica than the short, dry-climate Early Miocene grasses. Abundance of diatomite may have fluctuated in concert with changes in degree of volcanism, even after grassland expansion, but at substantially higher levels than before this new terrestrial ecosystem arose.


Background: Mydriatics are essentially used in routine ophthalmoscopic examinations and before various eye surgeries. Because pupil is under the control of autonomic nervous system, a combination of parasympatholytic drug (tropicamide) and sympathomimetic agent (phenylephrine) causes greater pupillary dilatation. In postdacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) patients, the nasolacrimal passage becomes wider and shortened, so the chances of absorption of topical drugs as well as the diminished local effects such as mydriasis are higher than normal. Hence, there are more chances of systemic adverse reactions. Materials and Methods: Data were collected and compared between fifty patients with unilateral nasolacrimal duct obstruction scheduled for DCR. Normal eye served as the control group, whereas affected post-DCR eye was considered the study group. Local (mydriasis) and systemic effects of the combination drop of tropicamide 0.8% (w/v) and phenylephrine 5% (w/v) were assessed. Results: Mydriasis was lesser in the post-DCR eyes (P < 0.001 for both vertical and horizontal papillary diameters). There were no statistically significant changes in systemic vital parameters when measured before and after the application of the combination drop in both the groups. Conclusions: The combination of tropicamide and phenylephrine can be safely used in post-DCR eyes as mydriatics, although mydriasis is lesser due to rapid drainage.


This paper deals with an efficient implementation of an H∞ multi-variable controller on the three degrees of freedom (DOF) parallel robot namely the 'Delta robot'. The H∞ controller is designed by the mixed sensitivity approach in which the sensitivity function matrix S and the complementary sensitivity function matrix T are taken into account. For this purpose, a nonlinear analytical dynamic state model is developed and a tangent linearization procedure is used to obtain a multi-variable linear model around a functional point. Real-time experiments were performed to compare the centralized H∞ controller with a classical decentralized Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) controller. Experimental tracking results show that the performances of the PID compared to those of the H∞ decrease when the movement dynamic is increased. At high dynamic (12 Ge), it is shown that the maximum tracking error and the error around the stop positions of the H∞ are, respectively, 80 and 60% of the PID. The experiments of the load variation have proven that the H∞ is more robust than the PID. The steady-state root mean square error of the H∞ is less than 60% of the one obtained using the PID controller. Graphical abstract


In this article, we present interHist, a compact visualization for the interactive exploration of results to complex corpus queries. Integrated with a search interface to the PAISA corpus of Italian web texts, interHist aims at facilitating the exploration of large results sets to linguistic corpus searches. This objective is approached by providing an interactive visual overview of the data, which supports the user-steered navigation by means of interactive filtering. It allows to dynamically switch between an overview on the data and a detailed view on results in their immediate textual context, thus helping to detect and inspect relevant hits more efficiently. We provide background information on corpus linguistics and related work on visualizations for language and linguistic data. We introduce the architecture of interHist, by detailing the data structure it relies on, describing the visualization design and providing technical details of the implementation and its integration with the corpus querying environment. Finally, we illustrate its usage by presenting a use case for the analysis of the composition of Italian noun phrases.


The title compound. C15H14N2O4, (I), has a gauche–gauche (O/C/C/C—O/C/C/C or GG) conformation and is a positional isomer of propane-1,3-diyl bis(pyridine-3-carboxylate), (II). The molecule of (I) lies on a twofold rotation axis, which passes through the central C atom of the aliphatic chain, giving one half-molecule per asymmetric unit. There is excellent agreement of the geometric parameters of (I) and (II). The most obvious differences between them are the O/C/C/C—O/C/C/C torsion angles [56.6 (2)° in (I) and 174.0 (3)/70.2 (3)° in (II) for GG and TG conformations, respectively] and the dihedral angle between the planes of the aromatic rings [80.3 (10)° in (I) and 76.5 (3)° in (II)]. The crystal structure is stabilized by weak C—H⋯ N and C—H⋯ O hydrogen bonding.


Children are the sensitive population to fine particulate matter (PM2.5 ) exposure and spend most of their time in bedroom. Infiltration factor (Finf ) can be used to calculate the fraction of total indoor PM2.5 with outdoor origin to increase the accuracy of exposure assessment. However, studies have ignored the diurnal variations of PM2.5 Finf values, and a few studies have estimated Finf values for heavy metals in PM2.5 in children's bedrooms. To calculate the PM2.5 Finf , real-time indoor and outdoor PM2.5 concentrations and occupants' activities were collected in 56 study bedrooms. At 22 of the 56 study bedrooms, PM2.5 samples were also collected for heavy metals analysis. We noted the PM2.5 Finf was higher during the daytime (0.70 ± 0.23) than nighttime (0.54 ± 0.27) during the hot season, and the time of air conditioner use was longer at nighttime. The largest Finf value of heavy metal was V (0.88 ± 0.25), followed by Pb (0.85 ± 0.28), Mn (0.72 ± 0.26), Cr (0.69 ± 0.35), and Zn (0.61 ± 0.32), with a larger variation. Our findings suggest that the estimations of diurnal PM2.5 and heavy metals Finf values are necessary to increase the accuracy of exposure assessment.


OBJECTIVE: To study cause specific mortality and cancer morbidity in workers exposed to the dust of grinding materials, grinding agents, and stainless steel, especially with regard to a possibly increased risk of respiratory, stomach, and colorectal cancer. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study, using reference cohorts of blue collar workers and population rates for comparison. The exposed cohort comprises workers with at least 12 months employment time at two plants, producing stainless steel sinks and saucepans (n = 727). Also, reference cohorts of other industrial workers (n = 3965) and fishermen (n = 8092) were analysed. The observation period began 15 years after the start of employment. Standardised mortality or incidence ratios (SMRs, SIRs; county reference rates) were calculated for cause-specific mortality between 1952 and 1993, and for cancer morbidity between 1958 and 1992. RESULTS: In the exposed cohort, overall mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and all malignant mortality and morbidity were slightly lower than expected. Also, the risk estimates for cancer in the upper and lower respiratory tracts and for stomach cancer were lower than expected. There was an increase in morbidity from colon cancer, which was explained by an excess of tumours in the sigmoid part only. Here, the risk estimates were higher in workers with long employment time (1-14 years: four observed cases, SIR 1.7, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.4 to 4.5; > or = 15 years: three observed cases, SIR 4.3, 95% CI 0.9 to 13) and the increased risk was especially pronounced among those first employed before 1942. A slight nominal excess of rectal cancers (nine observed cases, SIR 1.4, 95% CI 0.6 to 2.6), and a significant excess of prostate cancer morbidity (36 observed cases, SIR 1.7, 95% CI 1.2 to 2.4) were found. These risk estimates did not, however, increase with employment time. CONCLUSIONS: The finding of an increased risk of cancer in the sigmoid part of the colon, which was not found in the reference cohorts, and with indication of a relation between duration of employment and response, is consistent with a causal relation. The limited size of the exposed cohort makes a detailed exposure-response analysis unstable, and the confidence limits are wide. Albeit slightly raised, the risk estimate for rectal cancer in the exposed cohort was not different from the estimate among the other industrial workers.


BACKGROUND
We thought that the application of Kinesio Tape (KT) on the foot and ankle in stroke patients may improve the quality of somatosensory information and may activate ankle muscles which have an important role in postural control and that ultimately balance could be improved in stroke patients.

OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of KT on balance in stroke patients.

METHODS
Nineteen stroke patients and 16 healthy controls were included in the study. The study group was evaluated with and without KT. Balance of the all subjects was evaluated Sensory Organization Tests (SOT) by using the Computerized Dynamic Posturography. Equilibrium, Strategy Analysis and Composite Equilibrium Scores were investigated in SOT.

RESULTS
Statistically significant differences were observed in all of the SOT parameters between stroke patients and healthy controls (p <  0.05). When the results with and without KT application were compared, the Equilibrium Scores in the conditions 3, 4, 6, Strategy Analysis Score in the conditions 2, 4, 6 and the Composite Equilibrium Score of the SOT were found to be improved in stroke patents (p <  0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
The results obtained from KT application are promising in improving balance in stroke patients.


The design of mobile satellite broadcast architectures requires complex tradeoffs involving technical, economical, and regulatory aspects. A satisfactory quality of service in terms of the number of receivers successfully receiving the broadcasted services can be ensured using space, terrestrial, and time diversity techniques. The amount of applied diversity affects the system's spectral efficiency and performance. In addition, dedicated satellite and terrestrial networks represent significant investments, and regulatory limitations on terrestrial deployment may further complicate the system design. Herein, we provide insights into the technical aspects of the aforementioned tradeoffs by deriving an efficient method to estimate what system resources in terms of spectrum and delay are required to provide a satisfactory number of end users with mobile broadcast services using space, terrestrial, and time diversity techniques. The presented results are based on statistical models of the mobile satellite channel for which efficient analytical design and error rate estimation methods are derived. To provide a coded space and time diversity, a generalized approach is taken that includes most transmission schemes in use, or considered for use, for mobile satellite broadcast as special cases. As a side result, it is shown that for optimal error rate performance, the provided time diversity should be designed by taking into account channel statistics. An efficient yet simple method of enumerating time-varying Markov chains is also included. The proposed techniques and results are illustrated with numerical examples using temporal Ku-band channel statistics. The examples include a wide range of possible transmission schemes in system configurations with and without space and terrestrial diversity and, thus, demonstrate how different transmission schemes and infrastructure configurations can be compared.


Radiation effects are dependent of linear energy transfer (LET), but it is still obscure whether the daughter cells (DCs) derived from irradiated population are radioresistance and much less the underlying mechanism. With the measurements of survival, proliferation and γH2AX foci, this study shows that the DCs from γ-ray irradiated cells (DCs-γ) became more radioresistant than its parent control without irradiation, but the radiosensitivity of DCs from α-particle irradiated cells (DCs-α) was not altered. After irradiation with equivalent doses of γ-rays and α-particles, the foci number of histone H3 lysine 9 dimethylation (H3K9me3) and the activity of histone deacetylase (HDAC) in DCs-γ was extensively higher than these in DCs-α and its parent control, indicating that a higher level of heterochromatin was formed in DCs-γ but not in DCs-α. Treatment of cells with SAHA (an inhibitor of HDAC) decreased the level of heterochromatin domains by inhibiting the expressions of H3K9m3 and HP-1a proteins and triggering the expression of acetylated core histone H3 (Ac-H3). When cells were treated with SAHA, the radioresistance phenotype of DCs-γ was eliminated so that the radiosensitivities of DCs-γ, DCs-α and their parent cells approached to same levels. Our current results reveal that γ-rays but not α-particles could induce chromatin remodeling and heterochromatinization which results in the occurrence of radioresistance of DCs, indicating that the combination treatment of irradiation and HDAC inhibitor could serve as a potential cancer therapy strategy, especially for the fraction radiotherapy of low-LET irradiation.


Abstract : Security modeling is the foundation to formal verification which is a core requirement for high assurance systems. This thesis explores how security models can be built in a simple and expressive manner using the Metaslang specification language in Specware. The models are subsequently translated, via the Specware to Isabelle Interface, to be proven for correctness in Isabelle which is a generic, interactive theorem proving environment. It is found that the translation between Specware and Isabelle is almost seamless and there is much potential in the use of Isabelle/HOL to discharge proof obligations that arise in developing Specware specifications although the actual proving requires substantial knowledge and experience in logical calculus.


A 60-year-old female presented with mild cerebellar dysfunction due to a calcified tumor attached to the undersurface of the tentorium cerebelli demonstrated by cranial computed tomography, and a lung mass on a chest x-ray film. The calcified nature and location made preoperative differentiation between metastatic brain tumor and meningioma difficult. Operation subsequently revealed that the brain tumor was a metastasis from lung adenocarcinoma. Metastatic brain tumors can be calcified, and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of calcified intracranial lesions.


Using Dutch time-diary data from 1975-2005 covering over 10,000 respondents for 7 consecutive days each, we show that individuals' sleep time exhibits both variability and volatility characterized by stationary autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity: The absolute values of deviations from a person's average sleep on one day are positively correlated with those on the next day. Sleep is more variable on weekends and among people with less education, who are younger and who do not have young children at home. Volatility is greater among parents with young children, slightly greater among men than women, but independent of other demographics. A theory of economic incentives to minimize the dispersion of sleep predicts that higher-wage workers will exhibit less dispersion, a result demonstrated using extraneous estimates of earnings equations to impute wage rates. Volatility in sleep spills over onto volatility in other personal activities, with no reverse causation onto sleep. The results illustrate a novel dimension of economic inequality and could be applied to a wide variety of human behavior and biological processes.


This study explored the connections between teacher leadership and a professional development model focused on problem-solving, Math Teachers' Circles (MTC). Surveys were completed by 213 MTC participants resulting in three years of data across multiple sites. A mathematics education leadership framework provided a data analysis tool. Findings suggested MTCs did impact participant teacher leadership, as survey results attended to all three areas of leadership from the analysis framework.


The article aims to introduce a gold-standard Pashto dataset and a segmentation app. The Pashto dataset consists of 300 line images and corresponding Pashto text from three selected books. A line image is simply an image consisting of one text line from a scanned page. To our knowledge, this is one of the first open access datasets which directly maps line images to their corresponding text in the Pashto language. We also introduce the development of a segmentation app using textbox expanding algorithms, a different approach to OCR segmentation.
The authors discuss the steps to build a Pashto dataset and develop our unique approach to segmentation. The article starts with the nature of the Pashto alphabet and its unique diacritics which require special considerations for segmentation. Needs for datasets and a few available Pashto datasets are reviewed. Criteria of selection of data sources are discussed and three books were selected by our language specialist from the Afghan Digital Repository. The authors review previous segmentation methods and introduce a new approach to segmentation for Pashto content. The segmentation app and results are discussed to show readers how to adjust variables for different books. Our unique segmentation approach uses an expanding textbox method which performs very well given the nature of the Pashto scripts.
The app can also be used for Persian and other languages using the Arabic writing system. The dataset can be used for OCR training, OCR testing, and machine learning applications related to content in Pashto.


BACKGROUND
Successful surgical management of primary hyperparathyroidism (1 degree HPT) historically has required bilateral neck exploration. The intraoperative parathyroid hormone (IO-PTH) assay allows a more limited procedure by confirming complete removal of hypersecreting tissue.

METHODS
Plasma samples were obtained from 130 consecutive patients both before (preincision and preexcision baselines) and at approximately 5 and 10 minutes (and additional times) after removal of abnormal parathyroid tissue. Samples were assayed for IO-PTH by a rapid, two-site immunochemiluminescent assay (ICMA) with a 7-minute incubation at 45 degrees C.

RESULTS
Plasma IO-PTH decreased by at least 50% in 126 of 130 cases; however, three of these cases were false positives. The four cases in which IO-PTH fell < 50% were classified as two true negatives and two false negatives. A single adenoma was removed in 125 cases, and two or three hyperplastic glands were removed in five cases.

CONCLUSIONS
IO-PTH predicted the postoperative outcome in 125 of 130 cases (96.2%), including two of five cases in which multiple hyperplastic glands were removed, and 1 degree HPT was successfully treated in 97.7% (127/130) of the cases. The IO-PTH procedure can provide valuable confirmation to the endocrine surgeon; however, other sources of information must also be used to ensure that all hyperplastic glands are identified.


Adult autologous bone marrow-derived cells contribute to the healing of myocardial infarction. At the author's institution patients after acute myocardial infarction and patients with chronic coronary heart disease and old infarction were treated. In both patient groups a significant decrease of the infarct area, an improvement of regional contractility and global left ventricular function could be demonstrated. Additional tests with SPECT and positron emission tomography could show an improved myocardial perfusion and an increased glucose uptake in the infarcted area after intracoronary bone marrow cell transplantation. Long-term controls of both patient groups could demonstrate, that the left ventricular pump function was not only increased after 3 months, but also after 12 and 24 (-36) months, respectively. These results demonstrate that functional and metabolic regeneration of infarcted and chronically avital tissue can be released in humans by bone marrow-derived cell transplantation.


Drought is an extreme and frequent event in the north-west region of Bangladesh and it adversely affects the livelihood of the farming community. Identifying the coping strategies that farmers use in the face of drought is crucial in order to understand how farmers minimize the effects of drought on their production, especially in the face of climatic changes that may impact the occurrence of extreme weather events. The purpose of this study was to assess farmers' coping strategies for droughts by identifying which strategies are used and the influencing factors. A mixed methods approach using qualitative and quantitative data was employed. Preliminary data were collected using structured interviews and focus group discussions in which the findings were triangulated in order to design a questionnaire. The study respondents were 100 farmers operating in north-west Bangladesh. The findings were analyzed using descriptive statistics, coefficient of correlation, multiple linear and step-wise regressions. The results reveal that the respondents have limited drought coping strategies, even though the region is prone to frequent droughts. Among the fourteen identified drought coping strategies, the use of deep tube wells for irrigation water was the most widely reported and the farmers perceived it as the most important coping strategy. Shallow tube wells closely followed as the second most commonly used coping strategy reported by the respondents. Among the identified coping strategies, the least practiced was the use of treadle pumps. The findings from the study showed that age, education, farm size, annual family income, extension media contact, and organization participation were significantly associated with the choice of coping strategy that the farmers employed. Additionally, farm size, age, and education were identified as influential factors that affected the farmers' choice of which drought coping strategies to use. The study identified important issues for policy makers engaged with governmental programs that aim to enhance the farmers' drought coping mechanisms. The methods employed and the results of this study could be usefully applied in other districts of Bangladesh, or other areas of the world suffering from the negative effects of drought on agricultural production.


We present a calculation of the effective rate constant for three-body recombination, taking rearrangement into account. We find a pronounced resonance structure as a function of magnetic field due to long-range rovibrational states of H3 in an almost equilateral configuration. This structure is superposed on a rather flat background with a slow decrease below 10 T. The results are compared with experiment.


Qualitative and quantitative analyses were made of the benthic and planktonic
foraminiferal associations derived from about 400 samples of the Cretan
and Sicilian Upper Miocene (Tortonian and Messinian). The quantitative data
were analyzed by means ofR- and Q-mode computer programs, which resulted
in clusterings of benthic and of planktonic foraminiferal species and the grouping
of the samples.
Oxygen and carbon isotope data were collected from the foraminiferal
carbonate of some 150 samples. The combination of these data with the data
from sedimentological analyses and with paleogeographic reconstructions
made it possible to arrive at fairly refined estimates of the Late Miocene
Mediterranean paleo-oceanography. The foraminiferal distribution and abundance
patterns were compared with the paleo-oceanographic interpretation
in order to trace the Late Miocene preference and tolerance patterns of the
foraminiferal species. Nutrient abundance and, to a lesser extent, salinity
were probably the main parameters controlling the Late Miocene distribution
patterns. Temperature, type of substrate, depth and pH apparently played
only a subordinate role.
The various existing models of the Messinian salinity crisis are discussed.
The roles of structural evolution, climate and oceanographic factors are considered.
Special attention is paid to the genesis of the laminated and diatomaceous
sediments. It is concluded that the laminated sediments are the result
of changes in the inflow-outflow balance of the Atlantic and Mediterranean
waters. The diatomites are ascribed to the same processes but with the additional
characteristic that they were formed in the western Mediterranean,
against shoals and landmasses, during periods of upwelling. It is suggested that
the laminated sediments were deposited during eustatic sea-levellowerings.
The ecology and paleoecology of planktonic and benthic foraminifera are
discussed extensively. It is concluded that the distribution of both groups of
foraminifera is mainly dependent on the distribution of water-masses; each
water-mass contains a characteristic faunal association. The abundance of
both groups of foraminifera is mainly linked to nutrient abundance, whereas
physical/chemical factors are of lesser importance.
A calibration of the Late Miocene distribution and abundance patterns
and those described from Recent environments suggests that the niches of
many foraminiferal species, in particular benthic taxa, changed considerably
during the last 5 to 6 m.y. This implies that the Recent distribution patterns
cannot simply be applied for the interpretation of fossil associations and for
the reconstruction of paleo-environmental conditions. A tentative model is
presented which might account for the inferred changes in habitats.


We have developed an improved 4 kA/cm/sup 2/ process technology that allows a significant increase in circuit speed and density. Improved photoresist and dry etch processes have reduced critical dimension (CD) variation and improved CD linearity to below 1 /spl mu/m. These improvements have enabled a substantial reduction in feature size and full utilization of existing photolithography and etch tools. We have demonstrated mire pitch of 2.0 /spl mu/m with less than 0.1 /spl mu/m CD loss. Minimum junction diameter and contact are 1.75 /spl mu/m and 1.0 /spl mu/m, respectively. Junctions, fabricated using a new barrier oxidation method with improved pressure control, have excellent I-V characteristics and array I/sub c/ nonuniformity less than 1.6% (1/spl sigma/). We have demonstrated a 200 GHz, 12-stage divider circuit that is the fastest complex digital superconductor integrated circuit fabricated to date. With the present process tools, defects are the limiting factor to further increases in circuit density and yield. In this paper, we discuss process improvements, electrical performance, defect reduction, and circuit performance.


Often, solutions to complex problems are found in nature. Swarm algorithms are capable of solving such complex problems by implementing patterns from nature. This patterns are found in a variety of scientific fields. In this paper, we discuss two swarm algorithms extracted from Biology and Physics, namely: Multiobjective Artificial Bee Colony (MOABC) and Multiobjective Gravitational Search Algorithm (MOGSA). The first one is based on bees behavior and the other follows the gravity between masses. These algorithms are implemented to solve the grid scheduling problem. Optimization of job scheduling is one of the most challenging tasks in Grid environments because it severely affects the execution time of an experiment (set of jobs). Experiments often are tied up to fulfill deadlines and budgets. One of the main contributions of this work is adding multiobjective processes to these swarm algorithms to minimize those conflictive objectives. Results show that MOABC clearly improves the MOGSA approach when solving the problem. MOABC is also compared with real grid meta-schedulers as Deadline Budget Constraint (DBC) and Workload Management System (WMS) by using the simulator GridSim to prove the improvement that offers this new algorithm.


Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is a blistering skin disease in which the patient develops autoantibodies to the epidermal basement membrane zone. Using postembedding immunogold electron microscopy, we previously demonstrated that autoantibodies against the 230‐kDa BP antigen (BPAG1) bind to the intracellular hemidesmosomal component of normal skin, whereas those against the 180‐kDa BP antigen (BPAG2) bind only along the plasma membrane of hemidesmosomes. The purpose of the present study was to elucidate the precise localization of the in vivo deposited IgG antibodies in fresh perilesional skin of patients with BP. Samples of fresh perilesional skin were obtained from three patients with BP whose sera reacted only with BPAG1, only with BPAG2, and with both BPAG1 and BPAG2 upon immunoblotting using epidermal extracts. Cryofixed and cryosubstituted skin samples were used as a substrate for on‐surface immunolabelling. In all three cases, most of the gold particles were observed close to the plasma membrane of the basal keratinocytes. A quantitative analysis revealed that most (> 80%) of the in vivo deposited IgG antibodies in the three cases were localized within 10 nm inside to 50 nm outside of the cell membrane, with a single peak observed 0–10 nm outside of the cells (> 50%). This distribution corresponded to the location of BPAG2, but not to that of BPAG1. These findings suggest that most, if not all, of the in vivo deposited IgG antibodies in the perilesional skin of BP are directed against BPAG2, rather than against BPAG1, thus further supporting the crucial role of anti‐BPAG2 autoantibody in the initial stage of blister formation in BP.


EDITOR,-The interesting finding by Holloway et al is their pH findings of patients on omeprazole 20 mg compared with 40 mg (Gut 1996; 38: 649-54). There seems to be a paradoxical rise in acid exposure in the face of an increased omeprazole dose. Their findings are not logical and have three possible explanations: firstly, a typographical error in their Table; secondly, unreliable pH recordings and thirdly, a genuine increase in acid exposure with higher doses of omeprazole. The actual numbers are not given and are likely to be small, making statistical significance dubious but the supine acid exposure rises from 24-9% on omeprazole 20 mg to 33.0% on the 40 mg dose. This is likely to represent 'rebound acid secretion' at night after the suppressive effects of the morning dose of omeprazole have worn off. This 'rebound acid secretion' effect is shown in their study with H2 antagonists, which show higher pretreatment acid exposure. The 'rebound acid secretion' phenomenon is clinically important as it implies that 24 hour acid suppression is necessary to attain healing in severe oesophagitis. Cardiologists are aware that blood pressure control needs to be maintained over the complete 24 hours to be effective and gastroenterologists need to become aware that complete 24 hour control of acid suppression is important in reflux oesophagitis. Developments in proton pump inhibitors need to be towards increasing the half life and duration of action.


The study of annoying tourist behaviors is timely as key destinations in Asia welcome large waves of new arrivals. In this study in Macao, 728 respondents—half of whom were tourists and the other half local residents—provided ratings of the perceived frequency and levels of annoyance of 40 potentially problematic behaviors. The behaviors studied were identified by a two-step, inclusive, emic and conceptually driven process and classified with a new framework. The results provided evidence that a few select behaviors (smoking in public, spitting and littering, not flushing toilets, abusing service personnel) were both highly annoying and frequent. An action grid was developed to illustrate the behaviors across these two measurements. Most undesirable behaviors studied are not yet widely prevailing in Macao but these annoying behaviors could pose potential threat to stakeholders as the number of tourist arrivals continued to increase. The authors also linked the findings with numerous theories in the literature including those of cultural convergence, personal relevance, and self-serving biases in attribution. Communities seeking to manage less desirable behaviors can build their strategies based on these kinds of empirical findings.


Stomata, microscopic pores in leaf surfaces through which water loss and carbon dioxide uptake occur, are closed in response to drought by the phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA). This process is vital for drought tolerance and has been the topic of extensive experimental investigation in the last decades. Although a core signaling chain has been elucidated consisting of ABA binding to receptors, which alleviates negative regulation by protein phosphatases 2C (PP2Cs) of the protein kinase OPEN STOMATA 1 (OST1) and ultimately results in activation of anion channels, osmotic water loss, and stomatal closure, over 70 additional components have been identified, yet their relationships with each other and the core components are poorly elucidated. We integrated and processed hundreds of disparate observations regarding ABA signal transduction responses underlying stomatal closure into a network of 84 nodes and 156 edges and, as a result, established those relationships, including identification of a 36-node, strongly connected (feedback-rich) component as well as its in- and out-components. The network's domination by a feedback-rich component may reflect a general feature of rapid signaling events. We developed a discrete dynamic model of this network and elucidated the effects of ABA plus knockout or constitutive activity of 79 nodes on both the outcome of the system (closure) and the status of all internal nodes. The model, with more than 1024 system states, is far from fully determined by the available data, yet model results agree with existing experiments in 82 cases and disagree in only 17 cases, a validation rate of 75%. Our results reveal nodes that could be engineered to impact stomatal closure in a controlled fashion and also provide over 140 novel predictions for which experimental data are currently lacking. Noting the paucity of wet-bench data regarding combinatorial effects of ABA and internal node activation, we experimentally confirmed several predictions of the model with regard to reactive oxygen species, cytosolic Ca2+ (Ca2+c), and heterotrimeric G-protein signaling. We analyzed dynamics-determining positive and negative feedback loops, thereby elucidating the attractor (dynamic behavior) repertoire of the system and the groups of nodes that determine each attractor. Based on this analysis, we predict the likely presence of a previously unrecognized feedback mechanism dependent on Ca2+c. This mechanism would provide model agreement with 10 additional experimental observations, for a validation rate of 85%. Our research underscores the importance of feedback regulation in generating robust and adaptable biological responses. The high validation rate of our model illustrates the advantages of discrete dynamic modeling for complex, nonlinear systems common in biology.


A number of lesions, etiologically obscure but with certain characteristics in common, have been described in various bones. The onset and clinical progress are insidious and may or may not be associated with trauma. In these lesions there is a gradual and progressive destruction of the tissues of the bone, as demonstrated in roentgen films and by examination of tissue. The parts involved are almost always in an epiphysis or in epiphyseal cartilage, and ultimately a deformity of the bone results. These various lesions have been designated osteochondritis, anemic infarction, epiphysitis or aseptic necrosis of bone, terms which imply some vascular or nonspecific disorder not clearly understood. Among the more important specifically named disturbances of this group are: aseptic or anemic necrosis of the head of the femur, radius or humerus or distal epiphysis of the femur; Konig's osteochondritis dissecans of the medial condyle of the femur; osteochondritis deformans juvenilis


This Birds-of-Feather paper presents an interesting use case for networked sensor nodes as part of a tangible user interface (TUI) in the context of a learning appliance. The software called "Fear Not!" shows different bulling scenarios to children. At the end of each scenario, the spectators are asked for advice to the victim of the story how to cope with situations. Our objective is to investigate how different input devices and interaction techniques affect social learning. The display cube (Terrenghi et al., 2005 and Kranz et al., 2005) is an appropriate sensor-node based user interface to present different options on each side of the cube and to select an option by turning the preferred option on the top and simply shaking the cube. The display cube is a networked sensing system that is connected via RF and UDP to the application logic. In this paper we describe both the technical implementation of the cube as well as information about our social learning software and the integration of the display cube as interaction and presentation device.


In this paper, we have extracted Silica from rice husk ash (RHA) by sodium hydroxide to produce sodium silicate. 3-(chloropropyl)triethoxysilane (CPTES) functionalized with sodium silicate via a sol-gel method in one pot synthesis to prepare RHACCl. Chloro group in compound RHACCl replacement in iodo group to prepere RHACI. The FT-IR clearly showed absorption band of C-I at 580 cm-1. Functionalized silica RHACI has high surface area (410 m2/g) and average pore diameter (3.8 nm) within mesoporous range. X-ray diffraction pattern showed that functionalized silica RHACI has amorphous phase .Thermogravemitric analysis (TGA) showed two decomposition stages and SEM morphology of RHACI showed that the particles have irregular shape. Atomic force microscope (AFM) technique was proved that the RHACI  has a nanostructure The XPS spectra of I 3d for all the studied surfaces are presented in the peak located at 618.5 eV binding energy was associated with C–I bond.


This letter describes an algorithm development for the production of a large-scale fully polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) (PolSAR) mosaic using multitemporal Advanced Land Observing Satellite Phased Array type L-band SAR acquisitions. The PolSAR data were collected during the snow-melting season in 2007 over Finnish Lapland, resulting in considerable radiometric differences between mosaiced scenes originating at different dates. Several variants of polarimetric seam hiding between the original PolSAR images were proposed and evaluated in order to effectively eliminate stripes in the mosaic. The impact of such seam-hiding procedure on PolSAR classification performance was studied, along with the technical aspects of producing the PolSAR mosaic. The obtained results indicate the advantages of the considered seam-hiding procedures for producing homogeneous mosaics and obtaining consistent classification results in a single classification step.


Software reliability has become one of the main issues for software developers. Aggregating software components into software is a perfect approach to construct software with the maturity of component market. How to analyze software reliability from the reliabilities of its software components and architecture should be answered. However, software in most of the proposed reliability analysis methods is static, while software development is a dynamic process, especially for component-based software, where pervasive process is iterative and incremental. Based on functional abstractions, this paper presents a general model for estimating the reliability of Component Based Software Systems using Role's of Software Components with Test Suite.


Treatment of cells with genotoxic chemicals is expected to set into motion a series of events including gene expression changes to cope with the damage. We have investigated gene expression changes in L5178Y TK(+/-) mouse lymphoma cells in culture following treatment with methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), a direct acting genotoxin, and sodium chloride (NaCl), which induces mutations in these cells through indirect mechanisms at high concentrations. The mouse lymphoma cells were treated for 4 or 24 h and the cells were harvested for RNA isolation at the end of the treatment. Analysis of the transcriptome was performed using Clontech Mouse 1.2K cDNA microarrays (1185 genes) and hybridized using 32P-labeled cDNA. The microwell methodology was used to quantify the mutagenic response. Of the genes examined, MMS altered the expression (1.5-fold or more) of only five (four at 4 h and one after 24 h treatment). NaCl altered two genes after 4 h treatment, but after 24 h it altered 19 genes (13 down- and six up-regulated). Both compounds altered the expression of several genes associated with apoptosis and NaCl altered genes involved in DNA damage/response and GTP-related proteins. This, along with other data, indicates that the widely used L5178Y TK(+/-) mouse lymphoma cells in culture are relatively recalcitrant in terms of modulating gene expression to deal with genotoxic insult.


The design and production of high temperature superconducting (HTS) power transmission cables was studied. In the production of HTS cable, difficulties are mainly caused by the poor mechanical properties of HTS tapes, because critical currents of the HTS tapes deteriorate due to the strains applied during cable production and usage. Therefore, two basic characteristics of HTS cables were experimentally analyzed to improve HTS cable design and production: (1) the mechanical-electrical properties of the HTS cable; and (2) the properties of electrical insulation. The analysis results indicate that the most important technology is the control of the strains applied to the tape in the cable. Based on the results, the design of the HTS cable was then improved, and the machines at Furukawa Electric fabricated a three-phase prototype HTS cable of 30 m in length. The results of the performance test of the cable demonstrated the proposed design and the production method are appropriate.


The precipitation of copper in the non-oriental electrical steel was studied in this article. These precipitation particles, which influenced both the texture development and the magnetic properties of the steel sheets, appeared in the hot-rolling strips and grew up in the later normalization process. Their composition, morphology and crystallography had been investigated using TEM. Differed from the MnS and AlN that studied in the previous papers, these precipitate particles were found to be CuAl2. It suggested that these particles might stimulate the recrystallization nucleation of the {110} oriented grains and restrain the development of {111} oriented grains in the sheet of non-oriented electrical steel. This might be another explanation to the improvement on magnetic properties of the non-oriental electrical steel containing copper addition.


New York City-based NTUSA uses a census-based creation process to develop vaudevillian spectacles that investigate the construction of local and national histories. Their performances expose tensions between art as a commercial enterprise and a community-building effort, testing the boundary between esoteric avantgarde and purely entertaining, popular performance.


The abundance of the Mid-Continent Population of Sandhill Cranes has been relatively stable since the early 1980s, compared to the increases that were recorded in the 1970s. The Central Platte River Valley, Nebraska spring index for 2004, uncorrected for visibility bias, was 356,850. The photo-corrected 3-year average for 2001-2003 was 370,300, which is within the established populationobjective range of 343,000-465,000 cranes. All Central Flyway states, except Nebraska, allowed crane hunting in portions of their respective states during 200304. About 7,700 hunters participated in these seasons, which was similar to the number that participated in the previous year's seasons. Hunters harvested 18,527 in the Central Flyway during the 2003-04 seasons, which was 42% higher than the harvest for the previous year. The retrieved harvest in the Pacific Flyway, Canada, and Mexico combined was estimated at 13,109 during 2003-04. The preliminary estimate for the North American sport harvest, including crippling losses, was 35,706, which is 28% higher than the previous year's estimate of 27,839 and the second highest harvest recorded. The long-term (1982-2000) trends for the MidContinent Population indicate that harvests have been increasing at a higher rate than population growth. The fall 2003 pre-migration survey estimate for the Rocky Mountain Population was 19,523, which was similar to the previous year's estimate of 18,803. The 3-year average for 2001-2003 is 18,295, which is within established population objectives of 17,000 21,000. Hunting seasons during 2003-04 in portions of Arizona, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, resulted in a harvest of 528 cranes, a 17% decrease from the harvest of 639 the year before. POPULATION STATUS AND HARVESTS OF MCP AND RMP SANDHILL CRANES 2004 • Sharp et al.


This paper presents the best performing Named Entity Recognition system in the GermEval 2014 Shared Task. Our approach combines semi-automatically created lexical resources with an ensemble of binary classifiers which extract the most likely tag sequence. Out-of-vocabulary words are tackled with semantic generalization extracted from a large corpus and an ensemble of part-of-speech taggers, one of which is unsupervised. Unknown candidate sequences are resolved using a look-up with the Wikipedia API.


Fourier transform spectra of the four-membered heterocycle silacyclobutane (c-C3H8Si) were recorded in the far infrared region from 100 to 500 cm(-1) with a maximum resolution of 0.000959 cm(-1) using synchrotron radiation from the Canadian Light Source. The two fundamental bands observed in this region correspond to motions best described as the out-of-plane modes related to ring puckering (ν30) at ~158 cm(-1) and SiH2 rocking (ν29) at ~410 cm(-1). Both bands exhibit complex, dense spectral patterns that arise from ring inversion tunneling of the puckered SCB ring through a planar (C(2v)) intermediate configuration. Analysis of these patterns revealed rotation-vibration transitions between states of the same inversion symmetry as well as rotation-vibration-inversion transitions that connect states of different inversion symmetry. Infrared ground state combination differences from 1871 pairs of P and R branch transitions were used to accurately determine the spectroscopic parameters for the tunneling-doubled ground state based on a broad range of quantum levels. With the ground state energy levels well-determined, 8255 infrared transitions were assigned and analyzed to derive the band centers, rotational and centrifugal distortion constants for the inversion split ν29 and ν30 vibrational states. Comparison with the band centers predicted via DFT (B3LYP) and MP2 calculations [6-311++G(2d,2p)] suggests that anharmonic corrections found via perturbation theory typically agree within 2% when compared with the observed spectrum of SCB.


The experimentally determined performance characteristics of an axial-flow turbojet engine have been used to estimate the effects of inlet total-pressure losses on net thrust and specific fuel consumption at a constant engine speed. At low altitudes and flight Mach numbers, inlet pressure losses cause an increase in engine discharge temperature and it is possible that the maximum allowable turbine temperature maybe exceeded. An inlet absolute total-pressure loss of 10 percent will result in a thrust loss of 14 percent and a 15-percent increase in specific fuel consumption based on net thrust. At high altitudes and flight Mach numbers, choking conditions exist in the exhaust nozzle and the inlet pressure losses do not affect the discharge temperatures. Under these conditions, a 10-percent loss in inlet absolute total pressure produces a 22-percent loss in net thrust and a 16-percent increase in specific fuel consumption. If the exhaust-nozzle-outlet area is adjusted to compensate for the effect of inlet losses on discharge temperature in the nonchoking cases (low altitude and Mach numbers), the thrust and fuel consumption will be changed in a manner similar to the results obtained in the choking cases.