We develop a dynamic general equilibrium monetary model where a shortage of collateral and incomplete markets motivate the formation of credit relationships and the rehypothecation of assets. Rehypothecation improves resource allocation because it permits liquidity to flow where it is most needed. The liquidity benefits associated with rehypothecation are shown to be more important in high-inflation (high interest rate) regimes. Regulations restricting the practice are shown to have very different consequences depending on how they are designed. Assigning collateral to segregated accounts, as prescribed in the Dodd-Frank Act, is generally welfare-reducing. In contrast, an SEC15c3-3 type regulation can improve welfare through the regulatory premium it confers on cash holdings, which are inefficiently low when interest rates and inflation are high.


This thesis is a theoretical review of the effects of an unexpected negative outcome on a decision-maker that may occur in spite of prior decisions supported by normative rules or probability estimates such as expected value. The main research question focuses on whether the decision-maker becomes risk-averse (similar to a flight response) or risk-taking (similar to a fight response) following an unexpected negative outcome of a prior decision. The hypothesis, influenced by Prospect Theory, is that a person in such a situation would be inclined to take risks rather than avoid risks. The "tilt" reaction due to a "bad beat," an incident observed in the monetary game of poker, is used as an example of the reviewed phenomena. The literature selected to investigate the hypothesis involves theories of emotions, moods, feelings or affects as well as aspects of cognitive processing. It is assumed that the interaction between emotional experience and logical thinking is the key to understanding the effects on decision-making of an unexpected negative outcome. The thesis suggests that a decision-maker's behavior is influenced by the degree of experience of a similar outcome, the degree of violation of an expected outcome, the significance of the investment, and the personal ability to process information in a rational manner. The thesis concludes that an experienced decision-maker who experiences a possible but not probable negative outcome loses both monetary value and personal utility (reputation as an experienced decision-maker), will feel derived of a probable outcome, and show risk-taking behavior. The thesis further concludes that a novice decision-maker who experiences an unexpected negative outcome, and loses monetary value, will feel disappointed, and show risk-aversive behavior. Violations of an expected outcome create varied degrees of arousal and negative mental states, e.g. anger, surprise and disappointment, basically because the outcome violates (false) expectations of fairness. Such a violation might in some cases result in strong physical reactions such as violent behavior. It is suggested that extreme reactions, or "hot tilts," would be more likely among experienced players because they are expected to experience greater surprise or violation and have higher personal investments at stake. The less experienced player, however, would more probably display a "cold tilt" and risk-averse behavior. The interpretations are discussed in relation to theories available in the literature.


This paper describes the detailed design of a singlephase multi-level single-phase shunt current injection converter based on cascaded H-bridge topology. The shunt current injection converter can inject an arbitrary current perturbation at three-phase power system interfaces, in order to identify small-signal dq impedances. Special attention is given toward the selection of inductors and capacitors, trying to optimize the selected component values. The proposed control is extensively treated and inner current and outer voltage loops are completely analyzed. Furthermore, voltage balancing is included into the control to assure dc voltage control for each H-bridge module. Analytical expressions, which describe the design procedure, are derived and verified to be accurate. The designed converter is simulated using detailed switching simulation model and excellent agreement between theory and simulation results are obtained. The proposed multi-level single-phase converter is a natural solution for single-phase shunt current injection with the following properties: modular design, capacitor energy distribution, reactive element minimization, higher equivalent switching frequency, capability to inject higher frequency signals, suitable to perturb higher voltage power systems and capable of generating cleaner injection signals.


Research Goal was to study features of psychoemotional status of pregnant women with chronic fetoplacental insuffciency. Materials. 112 pregnant women with chronic fetoplacental insuffciency; 73 women with physiological course of pregnancy and delivery. Research of personal psychological characteristics was carried out by Minnesota multidimensional personal index (MMPI), adapted by F. B. Berezina and V. P Miroshnikova (1989). Personal and reactive anxiety was defned by method of self-appraisal according to D. Spilberger and Yu. L. Khalin. Results. Psychoveg-etative changes lead to unequal mobilization of various visceral systems, which can promote development of different complications of pregnancy course along with other factors, including fetoplacental insuffciency. Pregnant women with increased level of reactive anxiety more often have isolated decrease of uteroplacental blood fow; at hyperdepression combined disturbance of uteroplacental and fetoplacental blood fow was revealed; at hypochondria disturbance of uteroplacental and fetoplacental blood fow was also marked. Conclusion. Pregnant women with fetoplacental insuf-fciency demonstrated increase of anxiety and psychasthenia. As gestation period extended, patients with fetoplacental insuffciency marked high level of lability and reactivity of vegetative nervous system in combination with increased anxiety and presence of depression. Taking into consideration psychovegetative basis of occurrence of functional disturbances in the system mother-placenta-fetus, determination of personal psychoemotional features and state of vegetative nervous system, with future correction of reveled disturbances, should be obligatory.


María Belén Díez-Bedmar, University of Jaen Pascual Pérez-Paredes, University of Murcia Online collaborative writing tasks are frequently undertaken in forums and wikis. Variation between these two communication modes has yet to be examined, particularly type of feedback and its effects. We investigated the type of feedback and the impact of English native-speakers' feedback on Spanish peers' discourse restructuring in the context of an online collaborative writing task involving tertiary level students of English and Spanish as foreign languages. The collaborative task was to develop a tourist brochure in the foreign language in a Moodle e-learning environment. Two corpora were compiled of learner exchanges. The communication formats of both forums and wikis determined the type of feedback provided by peers in online communication tasks. Regarding the effect of such feedback, we can conclude that, although morphosyntactic and lexical feedback is largely acknowledged and incorporated, the Spanish peers seemed to accept it without further follow-up or discussion. Affective feedback, in the main, provoked no languagebased reaction. These effects vary, however, by forums and the wiki sub-tasks.


Performance and fitness monitoring in Rugby Union often include jumping, sprinting and strength tests, but repeatability of, and relationships between, these measures are unclear. The level of inter-individual variability in these relationships and their sprint time predictive capabilities are also unknown. This study examined the reliability of, and relationship between, countermovement (CMJJH), squat (SJJH), and rebound (RBJJH) jump heights, rebound jump contact time (RBJCT), estimated 1RM back squat relative to body mass (SQBM), and Reactive Strength Index (RSI) to 30 m sprint time of sub-elite, semi-professional Rugby Union players. Measurement reliability was very good, with high average intra-class correlation coefficients (≥ 0.9) and low coefficient of variation (<10.1%). All variables were significantly (p < 0.01) correlated to each other (r > .575), except for SQBM (only related to CMJJH, r = .621) and RBJCT (only related to RSI, r = -.727). SJJH and SQBM were the strongest and most consistent predictors of time to 30 m (R = .754 ± .081; SEE = .166 ± .025), but variability in SEE magnitude was observed across the group during bootstrapping. Crossvalidation showed a mean difference between actual and predicted 30 m times equivalent to 0.22% of the group average time to 30 m. These results support the importance of multiple aspects of fitness training in Rugby Union players for improving performance in short duration sprinting activities, but highlight the individual nature of their relative importance. Measures of strength and power can be used to predict short sprint performance by the strength and conditioning professional.


Currently available models of thiopental disposition kinetics using only plasma concentration-time data neglect the influence of intratissue diffusion and provide no direct information on tissue partitioning in individual subjects. Our approach was based on a lumped-organ recirculatory model that has recently been applied to unbound compounds. The goal was to find the simplest model that accounts for the heterogeneity in tissue partition coefficients and accurately describes initial distribution kinetics of thiopental in dogs. To ensure identifiability of the underlying axially distributed capillary-tissue exchange model, simultaneously measured disposition data of the vascular indicator, indocyanine green, and the marker of whole body water, antipyrine, were analyzed together with those of thiopental. A model obtained by grouping the systemic organs in two subsystems containing fat and nonfat tissues, successfully described all data and allowed an accurate estimation of model parameters. The estimated tissue partition coefficients were in accordance with those measured in rats. Because of the effect of tissue binding, the diffusional equilibration time characterizing intratissue distribution of thiopental is longer than that of antipyrine. The approach could potentially be used in clinical pharmacokinetics and could increase our understanding of the effect of obesity on the disposition kinetics of lipid-soluble drugs.


This article explores nurse-led sedation of children in preparation for investigations such as magnetic resonance imaging or minor surgical procedures. The importance of the multidisciplinary team in setting up, implementing and evaluating this new nurse-led initiative is described. Effective planning, involvement, agreement and training are key to a successful change in practice, with responsibility being delegated to competent nursing staff. Evaluation has shown all-round benefits. Trained nurse-led sedation is safe, effective and efficient and nurses are motivated to undertake this extended role.


ABSTRACT Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors are promising vehicles for achieving stable liver transduction in vivo. However, the mechanisms of liver transduction are not fully understood, and furthermore, the relationships between rAAV dose and levels of transgene expression, total number of hepatocytes transduced, and proportion of integrated vector genomes have not been well established. To begin to elucidate the liver transduction dose response with rAAV vectors, we injected mice with two different human factor IX or Escherichia coli lacZ-expressing AAV serotype 2-based vectors at doses ranging between 4.0 × 108 and 1.1 × 1013 vector genomes (vg)/mouse, in three- to sixfold increments. A 2-log-range linear dose-response curve of transgene expression was obtained from 3.7 × 109 to 3.0 × 1011 vg/mouse. Vector doses above 3.0 × 1011 vg/mouse resulted in disproportionately smaller increases in both the number of transduced hepatocytes and levels of transgene expression, followed by saturation at doses above 1.8 × 1012 vg/mouse. In contrast, a linear increase in the number of vector genomes per hepatocyte was observed up to 1.8 × 1012 vg/mouse concomitantly with enhanced vector genome concatemerization, while the proportion of integrated vector genomes was independent of the vector dose. Thus, the mechanisms that restrict a wide-range linear dose response at high doses likely involve decreased functionality of vector genomes and restriction of transduction to fewer than 10% of total hepatocytes. Such information may be useful to determine appropriate vector doses for in vivo administration and provides further insights into the mechanisms of rAAV transduction in the liver.


The Gallup World Poll, the first representative sample of planet Earth, was used to explore the reasons why happiness is associated with higher income, including the meeting of basic needs, fulfillment of psychological needs, increasing satisfaction with one's standard of living, and public goods. Across the globe, the association of log income with subjective well-being was linear but convex with raw income, indicating the declining marginal effects of income on subjective well-being. Income was a moderately strong predictor of life evaluation but a much weaker predictor of positive and negative feelings. Possessing luxury conveniences and satisfaction with standard of living were also strong predictors of life evaluation. Although the meeting of basic and psychological needs mediated the effects of income on life evaluation to some degree, the strongest mediation was provided by standard of living and ownership of conveniences. In contrast, feelings were most associated with the fulfillment of psychological needs: learning, autonomy, using one's skills, respect, and the ability to count on others in an emergency. Thus, two separate types of prosperity—economic and social psychological—best predict different types of well-being.


The discovery of the anticancer properties of cisplatin in 1965 heralded the development of metallopharmaceuticals and founded a revolution in cancer therapy. Platinum drugs are believed to induce cytotoxicity by cross-linking DNA, causing changes to the DNA structure that inhibit replication and protein synthesis. Many current inorganic drugs such as cisplatin and related compounds are successfully used in the treatment of many cancer types. However there are problems associated with their use, in particular, cisplatin is highly toxic, leading to side effects and limiting the dose that can be administered. Complexes based on other metals have been investigated for their possible application as antitumour drugs. One of the most promising metals is ruthenium, and a number of ruthenium complexes show high in vitro and in vivo antitumour activity and some compounds are currently undergoing clinical trials. Organometallic ruthenium(II)-arene PTA complexes (PTA = 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane) with the general formula, RuCl2(η6-arene)(PTA) abbreviated RAPTA, were developed as part of this PhD thesis. These new compounds were characterised and evaluated for their in vitro anticancer activity towards the TS/A mouse adenocarcinoma and the healthy HBL-100 human mammary cell lines. Selective activity of RAPTA compounds towards tumour cells was observed. The p-cymene and benzene compounds RAPTA-C and RAPTA-B respectively, were selected for in vivo evaluation of their anticancer and antimetastatic activity and they were shown to be able to reduce the growth of lung metastases in CBA mice bearing the MCa mammary carcinoma. Moreover, a pharmacokinetic study of RAPTA-C was carried out to examine the fate of the compound in vivo after administration. Extending the series of RAPTA anticancer drugs, novel structurally modified RAPTA compounds were developed exploiting different strategies for establishing structure-activity relationships. The efficacy on enhancing the activity, the uptake and the biomolecular interactions of the novel drugs was evaluated and the effectiveness was compared to the non-functionalised RAPTA series of complexes.


Theoretical and empirical research on the traditional credit market finds strong evidence that investors and lenders are sensitive to their distance from the borrower, especially early on in a venture. This is due to the cost of information gathering and monitoring. However, new online platforms could overcome the geographical constraints on investing. Recent empirical work, across many types of crowdfunding, has found mixed results. In this paper, using transaction data from a peer-to-peer lending site, I find that local lenders tend to bid earlier, both chronologically and relatively to other bidders in the auction, and bid larger amounts than nonlocal lenders. Additionally, local lenders are more informed in the sense that they are better able to evaluate the underlying risk of borrowers. This is demonstrated by the fact that they bid significantly higher interest rates on loans that ex-post default and lower rates on loans that ex-post pay back in full. Lastly, I develop a simple model of social learning with heterogeneous agents that provides testable predictions. My results are consistent with this model; a listing with more early local bidding activity will attract more lenders, leading to a higher probability of funding and a lower final interest rate, if funded. This work suggests that the behavioral differences between local and nonlocal lenders are driven mostly by informational frictions and not merely preferences. Local lenders are better informed because they have easier and cheaper access to information, and this asymmetry contributes to explaining why geographic-based frictions are still present and relevant in online lending markets.


 Abstract — In order to design a cooperative e-learning platform, we observed teams of Teacher [T], Computer Scientist [CS] and exerciser's programmer-designer [ED] cooperating for the conception of a self-correcting exercise, but without the use of such a device in order to catch the kind of interactions a useful platform might provide. To do so, we first run a task analysis on how T, CS and ED should be cooperating in order to achieve, at best, the task of creating and implementing self-directed, self-paced, repeatable self-correcting exercises (RSE) in the context of open educational resources. The formalization of the whole process was based on the "objectives, activities and evaluations" theory of educational task analysis. Second, using the resulting frame as a "how-to-do it" guide, we run a series of three contrasted Hackathon of RSE-production to collect data about the cooperative process that could be later used to design the collaborative e-learning platform. Third, we used two complementary methods to collect, to code and to analyze the adequate survey data: the directional flow of interaction among T-CS-ED experts holding a functional role, and the Means-End Problem Solving analysis. Fourth, we listed the set of derived recommendations useful for the design of the exerciser as a cooperative e-learning platform. Final recommendations underline the necessity of building (i) an ecosystem that allows to sustain teams of T-CS-ED experts, (ii) a data safety platform although offering accessibility and open discussion about the production of exercises with their resources and (iii) a good architecture allowing the inheritance of parts of the coding of any exercise already in the data base as well as fast implementation of new kinds of exercises along with their associated learning activities.


Due to the phenomenon of "posterior collapse," current latent variable generative models pose a challenging design choice that either weakens the capacity of the decoder or requires augmenting the objective so it does not only maximize the likelihood of the data. In this paper, we propose an alternative that utilizes the most powerful generative models as decoders, whilst optimising the variational lower bound all while ensuring that the latent variables preserve and encode useful information. Our proposed $\delta$-VAEs achieve this by constraining the variational family for the posterior to have a minimum distance to the prior. For sequential latent variable models, our approach resembles the classic representation learning approach of slow feature analysis. We demonstrate the efficacy of our approach at modeling text on LM1B and modeling images: learning representations, improving sample quality, and achieving state of the art log-likelihood on CIFAR-10 and ImageNet $32\times 32$.


Plasma ion values and mortality rates were compared for 450 rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) of three sizes following direct transfer from fresh water to Black Sea water of about 18 ppt. In fish of 14.29±0.30 g, plasma Na+, Cl- and K+ levels significantly (p<0.05) rose above initial values five days after the transfer and peaked at 178.6±5.66, 153.9±0.14 and 1.14±0.04 mM/l, respectively. In 20.45±0.48 g fish, these values also rose significantly, reaching 172.4±4.24, 151.8±6.65 and 0.98±0.04 mM/l by day 5. In fish of 29.91±0.99 g, however, plasma Na+ and Cl- concentrations peaked 19 days after transfer, reaching only 165.5±6.43 and 142.9±8.34 mM/l, while plasma K+ reached its highest concentration of 1.02±0.06 mM/l on day 12, All three concentrations dropped to near initial values on day 26. In all groups, the plasma Ca2+ level rose significantly (p<0.05) above the initial value five days after transfer and then declined while the plasma P5+ concentration dropped on day 5, reaching a minimum on day 12 and recovering the initial level on day 26. The lowest mortality (8.0±1.89%) was recorded in the 30 g group, followed by 19.3±0.94% and 24.7±0.94% in the 20 g and 14 g groups. The failure of the smallest fish to adapt after direct transfer to sea water was likely due to excessively high plasma Na+ and Cl- concentrations and tissue dehydration, indicating that fish of 30 g best adapt


In some population‐based studies, a shorter median survival was observed in peritoneal as compared with pleural, malignant mesothelioma, but in others, longer median survival times or higher proportions of long‐term survivors were reported. Statistical instability could have caused these differences. We analyzed survival in peritoneal mesothelioma in a large and unselected population‐based case series. Cases (338) registered from 1990 to 2001 by 9 Italian regional mesothelioma registries contributing to the network of the National Mesothelioma Registry were followed until December 31, 2005. Univariate (Kaplan‐Meier) and multivariate (Cox proportional hazards regression) analyses of survival were performed according to selected individual characteristics, including limited treatment information in a subset of 194 cases. The results were compared with those obtained in a parallel study on pleural mesothelioma cases. Epithelioid histotype, younger age at diagnosis and, to a lesser degree, gender (women), and being diagnosed in a hospital with a thoracic surgery unit positively and significantly affected survival. The effect of treatment was positive but not statistically significant. No trend in the risk of death according to calendar period of diagnosis was present. Peritoneal mesothelioma cases had shorter median survival time than pleural cases, but a larger proportion of long‐term survivors. Survival patterns after peritoneal and pleural mesothelioma differed markedly. Treatment was not associated with a statistically significant improvement in survival, but our study included cases first diagnosed before the introduction of the most recent therapeutic approaches. This provides a large historical comparison for future studies on survival trends at the population level. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


In this work the H2 adsorption at a Cu(i)-SSZ-13 exchanged zeolite was theoretically investigated. A systematic cluster approach was used and different density functionals (B3LYP, B3LYP-D3(BJ), M06L, PBE, PBE-D3(BJ) and ωB97XD) and a def2-SVP basis set were benchmarked. In order to select the best approach to the H2 adsorption over a Cu(i)-SSZ-13 cluster with 78 atoms (16 T-sites), two main tasks were performed: (1) a comparison between theoretical and experimental structures and (2) a comparison between theoretical and experimental adsorption enthalpies. By employing the most suitable functional - the ωB97X-D - the H2 interaction with the zeolite structure was studied by means of NBO, NCI, AIM and DLPNO-CCSD(T)/LED analyses.


A label-free hyperbranched rolling circle amplification (HRCA) based fluorescent sensor has been developed for Hg(2+) detection. The fluorescence intensity has a linear relationship with the concentration of the target in the range of 0.425 pmol L(-1) to 42.5 nmol L(-1), and the detection limit is as low as 0.14 pmol L(-1) (S/N = 3). The proposed sensor had been applied to detect Hg(2+) in water samples with satisfying results.


Responses of both modern and ancient fluvial depositional systems to growing folds can be interpreted in terms of interactions among competing controlling variables which can be incorporated into simple conceptual models. The ratio of the rate of sediment accumulation to the rate of structural uplift determines whether a fold develops a topographic expression above local base level. The balance between (a) stream power and rates of upstream deposition vs. (b) bedrock resistance and rates of crestal uplift and of fold widening determines whether an antecedent stream maintains its course or is defeated by a growing structure. Modern drainage configurations in actively folding landscapes can often be interpreted in terms of these competing variables, and through analysis of digital topography, detailed topographic characteristics of these folds can be quantified. Modern examples of growing folds display both defeated and persistent antecedent rivers, deflected drainages and laterally propagating structures. The topography associated with a defeated antecedent river at Wheeler Ridge, California, is consistent with a model in which defeat results from forced aggradation in the piggyback basin, without the need to vary discharge or uplift rate.

Reconstruction of the long-term interplay between a depositional system and evolving folds requires a stratigraphic perspective, such as that provided by syntectonic strata which are directly juxtaposed with ancient folds and faults. Analysis of Palaeogene growth strata bounding the Catalan Coastal Ranges of NE Spain demonstrates the synchronous growth and the kinematic history of multiple folds and faults in the proximal foreland basin. Although dominated by transverse rivers which crossed fold crests, palaeovalleys, interfan lows, structural re-entrants and saddles, and rising anticlines diverted flow and influenced local deposition. In the ancient record, drainage-network events, such as avulsion or defeat of a transverse stream, usually cannot be unambiguously attributed to a single cause. Examination of ancient syntectonic strata from a geomorphological perspective, however, permits successive reconstructions of synorogenic topography, landscapes and depositional systems.


It is very important to detect singularities (core and delta) accurately and reliably for classification and matching of fingerprints. In this paper, a method for singularity detection in fingerprint images is presented to improve accuracy of the position and reliability of the singularity. Firstly, the singularities are detected based on block images through shifting position of the whole image time after time at the same block size and the concentrative region of singularities detected under different positions is got and the centroid of the region is computed to gain the accurate position of singularities. Then, the reliability of singularities detected above is determined with multilevel block sizes. In this method, the characteristics of the relative concentration of the position of singularities detected through image shift and of the corresponding relationship of the singularities detected with multilevel block sizes are used and the singularities are detected accurately and reliably. Experimental results show that the method performs well and it is robust to poor quality images.


Thin-body self-aligned InGaAs MOSFETs are fabricated on a III-V-On-Insulator structure on a silicon active substrate (III-V-OIAS). The p-type Si active substrate acts as a back gate that can modulate the threshold voltage and other electrical characteristics of the device. This paper explores the physics behind this effect through 2-D simulations and comparison with experiments. In the off-state, we find that the application of a positive body-to-source (Vbs) voltage increases the subthreshold swing but reduces drain-induced barrier lowering. The first effect is related to the electron profile and the location of the centroid of electron charge in the channel while the second is closely associated with the modulation of a depletion region in the silicon substrate. In the on-state, the series resistance is observed to improve under positive Vbs due to the increased accumulation of electrons in the extrinsic portion of the device. In addition, the channel mobility exhibits a two-branch behavior in its dependence on the average vertical electric field in the channel. This is explained by the different interfacial scattering that takes place at the front and back channel surfaces. This paper highlights the tradeoffs involved in attempting to exploit the body bias in the operation of QW-MOSFETs in III-V-On-Insulator with active substrate.


This article discusses the role of the African diaspora in democracybuilding processes in the African diaspora. The contribution presents a general overview of the sources and causes of the present-day situation of people of African descent in the diaspora and how they impact on their participation in democracy-building processes in the diaspora. The article underscores the critical role which the African diaspora plays and notes the challenges it faces due to the continuing social ills of racism, racial discrimination, Afrophobia, xenophobia and related intolerance. These social ills prevent the African diaspora from effectively exercising their rights to take part in the conduct of public affairs; to vote and to be elected in genuine periodic elections, and to have access, on general term of equality, to public services in their country. A quick scan of what obtains in the African diaspora shows that political participation remains a challenge for people of African descent and there is a need for a concerted effort to address this challenge both at the international and state levels. The contribution also underscores the need for the implementation of the International Decade for People of African Descent as a tool for changing for the better the situation of the African diaspora, particularly in their participation in democracy-building processes. Owing to the historical facts and contemporary migration, the African diaspora is not homogeneous. This presupposes the need to contextualise any strategy aimed at addressing the challenges faced by the African diaspora in democracy building.


Herbivore disturbance can affect the grassland ecosystem services though
creating extensive disturbances vegetation and soil. This study focused
on plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) disturbance to investigate the
effect of disturbance by small burrowing herbivores on ecosystem
services of alpine grasslands though five sites. In this study, the
palatable plant biomass, plant species richness, soil water storage,
soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium stocks
were used to estimate the forage availability, biodiversity
conservation, water conservation, carbon sequestration and soil nutrient
maintenance. This study showed that plateau pika disturbance was related
to higher plant species richness and soil organic carbon stock,
associated with lower palatable plant biomass and soil water storage,
and had no effect on total potassium stock, whereas the responses of
soil total nitrogen and phosphorus stocks to plateau pika disturbance
were different among sites. The palatable plant biomass, plant species
richness, soil organic carbon, total nitrogen and phosphorus stocks
showed downward parabolas, whereas the soil water storage showed a
decreasing trend with increasing plateau pika disturbance intensity.
These results indicated that the role of plateau pikas is dependent not
only on the management target of alpine grasslands but also on the
plateau pika disturbance intensity.


Corneal cross-linking (CXL) has potential to decrease corneal steepness, reduce topographic irregularity indices, improve uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) and/or best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), or change in the refractive error in patients of any age. Positive effect of CXL ranges from halting disease progression to improving K values. Mean k values post-CXL can remain similar but equally could be flattened by a mean of 2.0 D. One study observed extreme flattening effect in approximately 0.5% of patients (up to 11.0 D). BCVA post-operatively ranges from "no significant differences" to improvement by 1.6 lines. The visual benefits of CXL varies from individual to another possibly due to the cornea biomechanics and configuration of the cone. Many studies looked at variables that might influence the visual outcomes of CXL, like keratometric apex centricity. Despite the expanding range of refractive procedures to improve visual functions in stable keratoconus patients, CXL alone could offer some improvement in optical and topographic parameters of the cornea and hence an improvement in UCVA and/or BCVA. The degree of the improvement is difficult to predict and depends on various parameters of the cornea as well as its biomechanics.


In order to answer the challenge of pervasive computing, we propose a new process calculus, whose aim is to describe dynamic systems composed of agents able to move and react differently depending on their location. This Context-Aware Calculus features a hierarchical structure similar to mobile ambients, and a generic multi-agent synchronization mechanism, inspired from the join-calculus. After general ideas and introduction, we review the full calculus' syntax and semantics, as well as some motivating examples, study its expressiveness, and show how the notion of computation itself can be made context-dependent.


We studied the vulnerability and risks of pollution of the alluvial aquifer of Tebessa-Morsott that ranks amongst the major groundwater reservoirs of the region. The method used to asses groundwater vulnerability was the DRASTIC method, based on seven parameters that affect and control the groundwater flow: Depth to groundwater, Impact of the unsaturated zone, net recharge, aquifer media, hydraulic conductivity, soil media, topography. These parameters were obtained from data field, synthetic maps relative to the area considered and then identified within each cell after discretization of the studied area in regular square cells. For each cell, DRASTIC rating for each parameter was multiplied by the DRASTIC weight for that cell and summed to determine the DRASTIC index. A detailed vulnerability map was obtained, showing four classes of potential pollution of the aquifer. Check analysis of the quality of groundwater within these zones are carried out in order to assess the risks of contamination. Pollution by nitrates occurs especially in the wells of low depth, but also in certain drillings for drinking water, whereas bacteriological pollution is observed only in the domestic wells.


A real time analytical orbit determination method has been developed for precision national time synchronization. The one-way time transfer technique via a geostationary TV satellite standard time and frequency signal (STFS) dissemination system was considered. The differential method was also applied for mitigating errors in geostationary satellite STFS dissemination system. Analytical dynamic orbit determination with extended Kalman filter (EKF) was implemented to improve differential mode STFS (DSTFS) service accuracy by acquiring better accuracy of a geostationary satellite position. The perturbation force models applied for satellite dynamics include the geopotential perturbation up to fifth degree and order harmonics, luni-solar perturbations, and solar radiation pressure. All of the perturbation effects were analyzed by secular, short, and long period variations for equinoctial orbit elements such as semimajor axis, eccentricity vector, inclination vector, and mean right ascension of the geostationary satellite. The reference stations for orbit determination were composed of four calibrated stations. Simulations were performed to evaluate the performance of real time analytical orbit determination in Korea. The simulation results demonstrated that it is possible to determine real time position of geostationary satellite with the accuracy of 300 m rms. This performance implies that the time accuracy is better than 25 ns all over the Korean peninsula. The real time analytical orbit determination method developed in this research can provide a reliable, extremely high accurate time synchronization service through setting up domestic-only benchmarks.


SHORT SUMMARY There are a number of persistent myths about learning and education that could be important to be aware of as a student or teacher at Chalmers. For example, "learning styles" reflect preferences but not what really works best for learners. We will explore a few myths together in this workshop. ABSTRACT Introduction to the workshop topic The title of this presentation is a question, to which we ought to be able to answer an emphatic "no – of course not!"  However, a more reasonable answer might be "probably now and then, but let's systematically reduce the probability!" The purpose of this workshop is to relate and explore a few myths about learning and education taking our starting point from a recent book by de Bruyckere, Kirschner and Hulshof (2015). I have made a selection of three groups of myths I deem relevant for students and teachers at Chalmers to be aware of, and have designed a set of workshop activities to highlight and discuss. For each group of myths, the original (false) statements and the debunking of the myths will be followed by a structured group discussion. After the completion of the workshop, participants will hopefully have a nuanced view of the relevance of these myths for teaching and learning at Chalmers, and an understanding of suggested replacements for these myths using recommendations from evidence-based research. Relevance for quality of education Students and teachers have a tacit understanding that the most effective learning and teaching methods will be used in designing a high quality education at Chalmers. Allowing myths rather than evidence-based recommendations to guide choices is not going to provide the best possible educational quality, even though those involved are earnest in their belief in such myths. Workshop activities For each of the myth groups in the table below, the participants will explore the material in plenum and then small groups according to the following steps: 1. Plenum introduction to the pair of myths in the myth group at hand. 2. Small group discussion of examples where this might be relevant to teaching and learning at Chalmers. 3. Group discussion of what needs to be investigated in order to make an informed choice as to teaching and learning methods that work. 4. Plenum discussion of points 2 and 3 above, followed by a short overview of relevant evidence–based research results. Points 1-4 will be repeated for each of the three myth groups. In a concluding small group discussion, participants will be invited to articulate their own standpoints and how they intend to apply the insights they may have gained in the workshop. Documentation of a summary of discussions and personal standpoints will be collected electronically and anonymously after permission from the participants. Selected groups of myths for this workshop The following list covers the most important myths which participants will explore during the workshop. Each myth is described and debunked in the book by Bruyckere, Kirschner and Hulshof (2015).  The phrasing of the myths as a postulation is used as subchapter headings in this book, and tabulated below for reference, along with the relevant page number in the book. I have also included a keyword phrase for each, and a short note on the debunking of the myth. Table headings (Note that table formatting is not available here.) Myth keywords Postulation of myth Page Debunking of myth Myth group 1: Myths about learning styles and quantitative learning pyramids Learning styles People have different styles of learning. 20 People may prefer different ways of learning, but this does not correlate with what works best. No evidence supports the grouping of people in learning styles. Learning pyramid The effectiveness of learning can be shown in a pyramid. 28 The even percentages attributed to activities such as 30% retention from demonstration is a tell-tale sign of a myth. Origin not based on sound evidence. Myth group 2: Myths about discovery and problem-based learning Discovery learning You learn better if you discover things for yourself rather than having them explained to you by others. 48 This is often ineffective, especially for the novice without prior knowledge of the subject matter. Low ability students enjoy it but learn very little. With the right guidance and support the method works better. Problem-based learning You can learn effectively through problem-based education. 54 This is not effective for learning new content, but rather for applying previous knowledge. Myth group 3: Myths about ICT in education and reading of course literature Digital natives Today's digital natives are a new generation who want a new style of education. 139 Neither educational content nor learning methods need be changed for the generation who grew up with the internet. Reading habits Young people don't read any more. 149 This is not true, although reading for pleasure is declining. REFERENCE de Bruyckere, P., Kirschner, P. and Hulshof, C. (2015). Urban myths about learning and education. London: Academic Press.


Purpose: To determine the effect of breast CT-derived fibroglandular distributions on glandular dose in mammography. Methods: Previously-reported 3D glandular distributions, obtained from a large cohort of breast CT (bCT) data sets (N=219), were fit to bi-Gaussian functions and used as probability density maps to assign glandular distributions within compressed breast models. Using a conventional mammography geometry, MCNPX was used to simulate monoenergetic normalized glandular dose "DgN(E)" values in compressed phantoms composed of either a homogeneous mixture of glandular and adipose tissue or heterogeneously distributed glandular tissue. The DgN(E) values were weighted by mammographic x-ray spectra to produce polyenergetic DgN (pDgN) values for the homogeneous (pDgNhomo) and heterogeneous (pDgNhetero) tissue compositions. This work quantified the effect of permutations in glandular fraction, phantom size, x-ray technique, and location of glandular distributions on pDgN values. Results: Averaged across all phantom sizes and glandular fractions, pDgNhetero values were 30.1% and 21.6% lower than the pDgNhomo values for the Mo and W x-ray spectra, respectively, when the heterogeneous distributions were centered within the breast phantom. Displacement of the glandular distributions in the superior and inferior directions resulted in pDgNhetero values 5.7% and 49.4% lower than pDgNhomo values, respectively, for Mo x-ray spectra. Lateral displacement of the glandular distributions resulted in no notable difference in pDgN values. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that glandular dose values in mammography are 20 to 30% lower than assumed using the homogeneous approximation resulting from overestimation of glandular tissue at the breast entrance where the dose deposition is higher. The sensitivity analysis also demonstrates that the differences depend on likely perturbations in the glandular distributions. While these results are robust because the glandular distributions are modeled from a large cohort of bCT data sets, future work will focus on improved quantification of the glandular distributions based on breast size and glandular fraction.


ABSTRACT The extraction of tectonic lineaments from digital satellite data is a fundamental application in remote sensing. The location of tectonic lineaments such as faults and dykes are of interest for a range of applications, particularly because of their association with hydrothermal mineralization. Although a wide range of applications have utilized computer vision techniques, a standard workflow for application of these techniques to tectonic lineament extraction is lacking. We present a framework for extracting tectonic lineaments using computer vision techniques. The proposed framework is a combination of edge detection and line extraction algorithms for extracting tectonic lineaments using optical remote sensing data. It features ancillary computer vision techniques for reducing data dimensionality, removing noise and enhancing the expression of lineaments. The efficiency of two convolutional filters are compared in terms of enhancing the lineaments. We test the proposed framework on Landsat 8 data of a mineral-rich portion of the Gascoyne Province in Western Australia. To validate the results, the extracted lineaments are compared to geologically mapped structures by the Geological Survey of Western Australia (GSWA). The results show that the best correlation between our extracted tectonic lineaments and the GSWA tectonic lineament map is achieved by applying a minimum noise fraction transformation and a Laplacian filter. Application of a directional filter shows a strong correlation with known sites of hydrothermal mineralization. Hence, our method using either filter can be used for mineral prospectivity mapping in other regions where faults are exposed and observable in optical remote sensing data.


Heusler materials have aroused great scientific research interest during recent years due to their special electronic and magnetic properties. Especially for the equiatomic quaternary Heusler compounds, they exhibit very high composition flexibility and structure tunability. In this work, we have carried out a systematic study on the structural configuration and tetragonal stability for the Heusler compound TiZnMnSi by first-principles calculations. Results reveal the type-A structure with ferromagnetic state possesses the lowest total energy and thus should be the ground state configuration. Based on the equilibrium lattice constant, the electronic band structures and magnetic moments have been computed. The tetragonal phase transformation is then investigated by using the total energy variation under different tetragonal strains, and the stability analysis of the mechanical and dynamic properties indicates that TiZnMnSi exhibits a strong tendency for the tetragonal phase. These findings could provide reference data for relative experiments as well as a very helpful theoretical reference for this fascinating class of materials.


We study individual portfolio choice in a laboratory experiment and find strong evidence for heuristic behavior. The subjects tend to focus on the marginal distribution of an asset, while largely ignoring its diversification benefits. They follow a conditional 1/n diversification heuristic as they exclude the assets with an "unattractive" marginal distribution and divide the available funds equally between the remaining, "attractive" assets. This strategy is applied even if it leads to allocations that are dominated in terms of first-order stochastic dominance and is clearly irrational. In line with these findings, we find that framing and problem presentation have substantial influence on portfolio decisions.


NFAT plays a crucial role in the immune system by regulating the transcription of inducible genes during immune responses. In T cells, NFAT proteins govern various cellular events related to T cell development, activation, tolerance induction, and differentiation. We previously reported the NFAT1-dependent enhancer activity of conserved noncoding sequence (CNS)-9, a distal cis-acting element, in the regulation of IL-10 transcription in T cells. In this study, we developed a T cell–based reporter system to identify compounds that modulate the regulatory activity of CNS-9. Among the identified candidates, 6-methoxyflavone (6-MF) significantly inhibited the enhancer activity of CNS-9, thereby reducing IL-10 expression in T cells without affecting cell viability. 6-MF also downregulated the transcription of NFAT1 target genes such as IL-4, IL-13, and IFN-γ. Treatment of 6-MF inhibited the translocation of NFAT1 into the nucleus, which consequently interrupted NFAT1 binding to the target loci, without affecting the expression or dephosphorylation of NFAT1. Treatment of 6-MF to CD4+ T cells or B cells isolated from mice with atopic dermatitis significantly reduced disease-associated cytokine production, as well as the levels of IgE. In addition, oral administration of 6-MF to atopic dermatitis mice ameliorated disease symptoms by reducing serum IgE levels and infiltrating lymphocytes. Conclusively, our results suggest that 6-MF can be a potential candidate for the development of an effective immunomodulator via the suppression of NFAT-mediated T cell activation.


Oxytocin is a hormone, which is released into the circulation in response to acute or chronic stress stimuli. One of the important targets of oxytocin is cardiovascular system. Present studies were aimed at testing the hypothesis that prolonged treatment with oxytocin (simulation of stress-induced rise in circulating oxytocin) activates intracellular signaling pathways playing a role in ischemia/reperfusion injury. Furthermore, we tested protective effects of oxytocin treatment in vivo against cardiac injury induced by ischemia/reperfusion of isolated hearts. Male Wistar rats were treated with oxytocin or vehicle continuously via osmotic minipumps for 2 weeks. The hearts were used for biochemical measurements or isolated for Langendorff perfusion. Treatment with oxytocin resulted in a significant increase in specific phosphorylation (activation) of p38-MAPK and Akt kinase, an increase in phosphorylated Hsp27 and an elevation in atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) levels in left ventricular heart tissue. There were no significant changes in the activation of MMP-2 and ERK in the left heart ventricle of oxytocin-treated rats. Postischemic recovery of functional parameters LVDP, RPP, +dP/dtmax and -dP/dtmax was better in the hearts of oxytocin-treated rats compared to that in the controls. Oxytocin treatment significantly reduced infarct size to 15.1 + 3.2% as compared to 32.4 + 3.5% in vehicle-treated rats (p < 0.01). This is the first evidence for cardioprotective effects of oxytocin administered in vivo simulating chronic stress-induced elevation in plasma oxytocin. The present results show that positive effects of oxytocin that may ameliorate negative consequences of stress on the heart are, at least in part, mediated through p38-MAPK and Akt kinase pathways.


This thesis is concerned with the study of the noise sensitivity of boolean functions and its applications in theoretical computer science. Noise sensitivity is defined as follows: Let f be a boolean function and let e ∈ (0, h) be a parameter. Suppose a uniformly random string x is picked, and y is formed by flipping each bit of x independently with probability e. Then the noise sensitivity of f at e is defined to be the probability that f(x) and f (y) differ.
In this thesis we investigate the noise sensitivity of various classes of boolean functions, including majorities and recursive majorities, boolean threshold functions, and monotone functions. Following this we give new complexity-theoretic and algorithmic applications of noise sensitivity: (1) Regarding computational hardness amplification, we prove a general direct product theorem that tightly characterizes the hardness of a composite function g ⊗ f in terms of an assumed hardness of f and the noise sensitivity of g. The theorem lets us prove a new result about the hardness on average of NP: If NP is (1 − poly(n))-hard for circuits of polynomial size, then it is in fact (h + o(1))-hard for circuits of polynomial size. (2) In the field of computational learning theory, we show that any class whose functions have low noise sensitivity is efficiently learnable. Using our noise sensitivity estimates for functions of boolean halfspaces we obtain new polynomial and quasipolynomial time algorithms for learning intersections, thresholds, and other functions of halfspaces. From noise sensitivity considerations we also give a polynomial time algorithm for learning polynomial-sized DNFs under the "Random Walk" model; we also give the first algorithm that learns the class of "junta" functions with efficiency better than that of the brute force algorithm. (3) Finally, we introduce a new collective coin-flipping problem whose study is equivalent to the study of "higher moments" of the noise sensitivity problem. We prove several results about this extension, and find optimal or near-optimal choices for the coin-flipping function for all asymptotic limits of the parameters. Our techniques include a novel application of the reverse Bonami-Beckner inequality. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)


Nanoporous solids characterized by a narrow pore size distribution such as zeolites (aluminosilicates) and related materials (other silica-based materials, phosphate-based materials,...) have a large range of application. These solids and in particular the pure silica zeolites (named zeosils) which display a non-charged framework are very promising solids for the trapping of air pollutants (odors, VOCs,...) but also, thanks to their strong hydrophobic character, they can be used in the field of energetics. After some generalities on these solids, this latter application is illustrated by few examples.


In revising the New World representatives of the genus Lindsaea, the author came across a fern specimen from Borneo preserved in the Rijksherbarium, Leiden, that did not seem to fit into any described genus. It had been described as Schizoloma stortii v. A. v. R., but in the author's opinion the genus Schizoloma Gaud., typified by Lindsaea ensifolia Sw., cannot be maintained (Kramer, 1957). Almost all species that in modern works have been left in it (e.g. HOLTTUM, 1954; ALSTON, 1956, as Schizolegnia) should be put back in Lindsaea. This, however, cannot be done with Sch. stortii, as this species possesses a peculiar combination of characters unlike anything found in Lindsaea. Its pinnae have a median main vein as in L. ensifolia, but are freeveined, and they have a large basal acroscopic auricle as in Isoloma, but are non-articulate. There is a remote resemblance to Lindsaea walkerae Hook., which may be its closest relative, as stipulated by van ALDERWEREKT van ROSENBURGH in his original description; the natural place of that species too would perhaps be in a separate genus. Sch. stortii differs from it, a.o., by its pale axes and alternate auriculate pinnae. Because of its apparently rather isolated position, it seems indicated to create a separate genus for this fern. Xyropteris Kramer, genus novum. — Ex affinitate Lindsaeae et Isolomae, exstat petiolo rhachideque pallida, pinnis alternis exarticulatis praeter auriculam basalim acroscopicam aequilateralibus, venis liberis, soris continuis. (Name derived from Greek ξνρόν, razor-blade).


Packet based Network-on-Chip (NoC) connect tens to hundreds of components in a multi-core system. The routing and arbitration policies employed in traditional NoCs treat all application packets equally. However, some packets are critical as they stall application execution whereas others are not. We differentiate packets based on a metric called slack that captures a packet's criticality. We observe that majority of NoC packets generated by standard application based benchmarks do not have slack and hence are critical. Prioritising these critical packets during routing and arbitration will reduce application stall and improve performance. We study the diversity and interference of packets to propose a policy that prioritises critical packets in NoC. This paper presents a slack-aware re-routing (SAR) technique that prioritises lower slack packets over higher slack packets and explores alternate minimal path when two no-slack packets compete for same output port. Experimental evaluation on a 64-core Tiled Chip Multi-Processor (TCMP) with 8×8 2D mesh NoC using both multiprogrammed and multithreaded workloads show that our proposed policy reduces application stall time by upto 22% over traditional round-robin policy and 18% over state-of-the-art slack-aware policy.


OBJECTIVE
To create gross motor function growth curves for children with Down syndrome (DS) and to estimate the probability that motor functions are achieved by different ages.

DESIGN
Nonlinear growth curve analysis by using a 2-parameter (rate, upper limit) model.

SETTING
Early intervention programs, schools, and children's homes.

PARTICIPANTS
One hundred twenty-one children with DS, ages 1 month to 6 years.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) and severity of motor impairment.

RESULTS
The curves for children with mild (n = 51) and moderate/severe (n = 70) impairment were characterized by a greater increase in GMFM scores during infancy and smaller increases as the children approached the predicted maximum score of 85.9 or 87.9. The estimated probability that a child would roll by 6 months was 51%; sit by 12 months, 78%; crawl by 18 months, 34%; walk by 24 months, 40%; and run, walk up stairs, and jump by 5 years, 45% to 52%.

CONCLUSIONS
Children with DS require more time to learn movements as movement complexity increases. Impairment severity affected the rate but not the upper limit of motor function. The results have implications for counseling parents, making decisions about motor interventions, and anticipating the time frame for achievement of motor functions.


This experiment estimated the selection responses for egg production of Fayoumi (Fay) and Rhode Island Red (RIR) breeds. A total of 3000; belonging Fay 2000 & RIR 1000 day old chicks were collected from Egypt and Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI), Savar, Dhaka respectively, considered as foundation stock. The chicks were brooded for 5 weeks and reared up to 14 weeks of age providing standard feeding and management. After brooding, 640 Fay and 504 RIR pullets were reared in 40 and 36 individual pens respectively, considering as a family. Finally, 30 and 24 best families of Fay and RIR respectively were selected with 420 Fay and 288 RIR pullets at 15 weeks of age, on the basis of age at 1 st egg lay, egg production and fertility. Salmonella and mycoplasma free eggs were collected on the basis of blood test (agglutinate test) from the selected families of both the breeds and hatched out for next generation. The experiment was continued up to 40 weeks of age for each generation. The study revealed that hen day egg production of Fay and RIR was higher in Foundation stock (64.39% in Fay and 68.54% in RIR) than that of F 1 generation (58.6% in Fay and 46.8% in RIR) but no significant difference (P > 0.05) was observed for livability between Foundation stock and F 1 generation. Reasons for lower productivity in F 1 generation may be the poor management practices during growing period. In F 2 generation, egg production was higher in both the breeds (64.09% in Fay and 62.05% in RIR) than in F 1 generation. Egg production of RIR was not recorded for F 3 generation, as their ability to adopt under farmers condition was very poor. However, in F 3 generation, egg production of Fay was higher (65.82%) than in F 2 generation. Genetic gain in Fay was 0.06%, 0.11% and 0.12% for F 1 , F 2 and F 3 generation, respectively. In case of RIR genetic gain was 0.07% in F 1 and 0.18% in F 2 generation. Due to selection slight genetic gain for egg production was obtained in Fay and RIR but further research with larger stock is needed for better understanding of selection responses of these breeds. Bangladesh J. of Livestock Res. 19(1-2): 66-73, Jan-Dec 2012


OBJECTIVE
To study the usefulness of the Second Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II) scoring system for prognostication of in-hospital mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction treated with thrombolysis.

DESIGN
A prospective validation study was conducted at a medical intensive care unit at a university hospital. Over a 3-year period, 1714 patients with acute myocardial infarction were studied (mean age 72+/-10 years). Thrombolytic therapy was the prescribed treatment for 316 patients and total hospital mortality was 16%.

RESULTS
The patients who received thrombolysis were younger, had higher blood pressure, lower heart and respiratory rates and higher Glasgow Coma Scale scores. Total in-hospital mortality was 9.5% in patients treated with thrombolysis and 17.1% in untreated patients (p < 0.01). Corresponding APACHE II predictions of mortality were 11.8 and 15.8% (p < 0.01). There was no significant difference between observed and predicted mortality. When a decision rule of 50% predicted risk of death was employed, sensitivity was 20% and specificity 99% in the thrombolytic group, while the corresponding figures in the nonthrombolytic group were 31% and 97%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS
In-hospital mortality in groups of patients treated with or without thrombolysis for acute myocardial infarction could be predicted with the APACHE II scoring system. Prognostication in individual patients is not possible with the APACHE II system.


New religions in Japan claim millions of members, while simultaneously provoking criticism and fulfilling social functions. Written by an international range of scholarly experts, this book serves as a handbook about these new Japanese religions on the basis of recent research. The introductory chapters offer general analyses of the historical, doctrinal, social, and economic aspects, and facilitate the understanding of these new religions within their overall contexts. Ten religions of major importance are introduced in detail as to their founder, circumstances of foundation, history, doctrine, present situation, and activities. These include: Omoto * Seicho no Ie * Sekai Kyuseikyo * Shinnyo-en * Soka Gakkai * Rissho Kosei-kai * Mahikari * Kofuku no Kagaku * Aum Shinrikyo/Aleph/Hikari no Wa * Chino Shoho/Pana-Wave Laboratory. Other important religious organizations are covered in encyclopedic references. (Series: BUNKA - WENHUA. Tubinger Ostasiatische Forschungen. Tuebingen East Asian Studies - Vol. 20)


The Shuaiba reservoir of the Al Shaheen Field (Block 5 and Block 5 Extension, offshore Qatar) can be subdivided into a larger carbonate platform area located in the NE of Block 5 and an intra-platform basin (southern part of Block 5) that was filled in by a forced regressive wedge (FRW) system during the Upper Aptian regression. The FRW is characterized by clinoforms with a marly base that act as intraformational baffles or seals. Capturing these 3D geometries in detail, and specifically the exact location and nature of the platform-basin transition, is essential to developing the next generation geomodels for field development. Hence, an integrated study of core and log analysis, seismic forward modelling and seismic interpretation of a re-processed data cube was conducted. As a start, a field-wide correlation grid of available core and log data allowed for an initial coarse understanding of the depositional geometries and defined an approximate location of the platform-basin transition. As a second step, the expected depositional geometries were forward-modelled in order to better understand possible seismic responses within the bandwidth of the available 3D seismic survey. A complication is the relatively small thickness of the examined reservoir elements that are close to the limit of vertical seismic resolution. Finally, seismic interpretation picked up on this groundwork and it was possible to clearly map the platform margin, as well as the onset of the FRW in 3D. The obtained result was a detailed 3D seismic interpretation of the Shuaiba reservoir geometries, where the interpreted elements are tied with a grid of core and log interpretations. The key elements in the successful Shuaiba interpretation was early adaption of fully integrated and iterative geological and geophysical workflows where forward modelling of seismic responses was important for hypothesis testing.


Targeted therapies are emerging as a preferred strategy for treatment of cancer and other diseases. To evaluate the effect of high affinity receptors on the rate and extent of tumor penetration of receptor-targeted drugs, we have characterized the kinetics of folate-rhodamine uptake by folate receptor (FR)-expressing tumors in live mice. Folate-rhodamine was selected to model receptor-targeted drugs, because (i) it has high affinity (K(d) = 10(-9) M) for FR-rich tumors, (ii) its uptake can be monitored in vivo by multiphoton microscopy, and (iii) five folate-targeted drugs of similar size are currently undergoing clinical trials. We demonstrate that (1) folate-rhodamine saturates tumor FR in <5 min, <30 min, and <100 min following intravenous, paraorbital, and intraperitoneal injection, respectively; (2) complete clearance of folate-rhodamine from receptor-negative tissues requires > or =50 min, and (3) a "binding site barrier" may retard, but does not prevent, penetration of the ligand-targeted drug. We conclude that low molecular weight ligand-targeted drugs have appropriate pharmacokinetic properties for tumor-selective delivery.


The possibility to replicate and reproduce published research results is one of the biggest challenges in all areas of science. In computational neuroscience, there are thousands of models available. However, it is rarely possible to reimplement the models based on the information in the original publication, let alone rerun the models just because the model implementations have not been made publicly available. We evaluate and discuss the comparability of a versatile choice of simulation tools: tools for biochemical reactions and spiking neuronal networks, and relatively new tools for growth in cell cultures. The replicability and reproducibility issues are considered for computational models that are equally diverse, including the models for intracellular signal transduction of neurons and glial cells, in addition to single glial cells, neuron-glia interactions, and selected examples of spiking neuronal networks. We also address the comparability of the simulation results with one another to comprehend if the studied models can be used to answer similar research questions. In addition to presenting the challenges in reproducibility and replicability of published results in computational neuroscience, we highlight the need for developing recommendations and good practices for publishing simulation tools and computational models. Model validation and flexible model description must be an integral part of the tool used to simulate and develop computational models. Constant improvement on experimental techniques and recording protocols leads to increasing knowledge about the biophysical mechanisms in neural systems. This poses new challenges for computational neuroscience: extended or completely new computational methods and models may be required. Careful evaluation and categorization of the existing models and tools provide a foundation for these future needs, for constructing multiscale models or extending the models to incorporate additional or more detailed biophysical mechanisms. Improving the quality of publications in computational neuroscience, enabling progressive building of advanced computational models and tools, can be achieved only through adopting publishing standards which underline replicability and reproducibility of research results.


"Science is a first-rate piece of furniture for a man's upper chamber, if he has common sense on the ground-floor." (1) INTRODUCTION I. WHAT ARE STEM CELLS? II. THE STEM CELL PATENTS III. REEXAMINATION IV. SHOULD THE PATENTS REMAIN VALID? A. Obviousness B. The Validity of the Stem Cell Patents Is Consistent with the Purpose of Patent Law C. Disclosure D. Not Research but Profit-Making Is Limited by the Patents E. The Upstream Technology Argument F. WARF Is Not "Keeping It All to Itself" G. The Cost Is More Than Reasonable H. California v. Wisconsin? I. Scientists Are Not Moving Abroad to Conduct Their Research CONCLUSION INTRODUCTION On July 17, 2006, the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR) filed a request for reexamination of the three stem cell patents owned by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) through the Public Patent Foundation. The consumer groups argue that the patents hinder the progression of research. (2) The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted the request in September 2006. Such reexamination could result in narrowing or canceling of some or all of the claims. This Comment will outline why the USPTO should not invalidate or significantly narrow the patents. Specifically, this Comment will explain that the patents should remain valid. First, this Comment will outline what stem cells are and what the patents at issue cover. This Comment will then briefly explain the applicable law and policy considerations. Finally, this Comment discusses why the patents should withstand their current challenge. I. WHAT ARE STEM CELLS? There is no single definition of what a stem cell is or what its characteristics are. (3) However, there are a number of properties the scientific community agrees upon being innate to stem cells. Stem cells are undifferentiated precursor cells to other cells of the body. (4) They have the ability to propagate themselves, through proliferation, essentially indefinitely without loosing their undifferentiated character. (5) This key characteristic significantly distinguishes stem cells from somatic cells. (6) Somatic cells undergo only a finite number of replications in culture because of a sequential shortening of the chromosome ends (telomeres) during each cell division. (7) Stem cells, in contrast to human somatic cells, express a protein (telomerase) that permits for the maintenance of chromosome ends and thereby allows for indefinite replication. (8) Embryonic stem cells (ES cells) retain the ability to form "all three embryonic germ layers even after prolonged culture." (9) Adult stem cells, those that are found in an individual's tissues, are typically limited in their ability to differentiate into only those cells inherent to the tissue in which they reside. (10) For example, adult stem cells in the brain (neural stem cells) can differentiate into nerve cells, astrocytes, and oligoddendrocytes, all of which reside in brain tissue. (11) However, adult stem cells that can differentiate into cells of tissues other than the one in which they reside have been isolated and are currently under investigation. (12) The great hope for ES cells rests in their use as replacements for human tissues and organs that failed as a result of accidents, disease, or age. (13) For example, scientists speculate that ES cells could alleviate or cure the insulin insufficiency in individuals suffering from diabetes. (14) If the ES cells could integrate into the pancreatic islets and become insulin-producing cells, they would effectively ameliorate or even completely cure the diseased phenotype. (15) Similar hope exists in the field of degenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. (16) In addition, stem cells are important study objects to discern the human developmental process as well as biological processes. …


The criminal-law doctrine of deliberate ignorance, or "willful blindness," is an area that raises both legal and philosophical issues concerning the level of subjective conviction and objective evidence that constitutes knowledge. Professor Glanville Williams described willful blindness in the following terms:A court can properly find wilful blindness only where it can almost be said that the defendant actually knew. He suspected the fact; he realized its probability; but he refrained from obtaining the final confirmation because he wanted in the event to be able to deny knowledge. This, and this alone, is wilful blindness. A common example is the traveler who accepts a large sum of money from a stranger to transport a suitcase but chooses not to examine the contents for fear of discovering contraband. This tactic appears to preserve the defense of ignorance when knowledge is an element of an offense. By refraining from inquiry or investigation, most defendants can deny actual knowledge of the pertinent facts and presumably escape conviction. Deeming deliberate ignorance to be a culpable attempt to cheat justice, the federal courts have sought to eliminate the defense by expanding the definition of knowledge. Traditionally, knowledge requires an actual awareness of the existence of a particular fact. The federal courts have rejected his positive-knowledge standard in favor of the Model Penal Code approach: knowledge of a fact is established "if a person is aware of a high probability of its existence, unless he actually believes that it does not exist." Thus, the prosecution need only show that the defendant recognized the likelihood of a particular fact. This approach reaches many defendants who would otherwise avoid conviction simply by ignoring their suspicions.The central legal question raised by this approach is whether a conviction based on a deliberate ignorance, or "ostrich," jury instruction is compatible with the constitutional requirement that the prosecution prove each element of the crime, including knowledge, beyond a reasonable doubt. The corresponding philosophical question is whether knowledge of a fact can exist in the absence ofsubjective certainty or objective confirmation. These questions implicate both the relationship between the individual and the state and the relationship between the judiciary and the legislature. If neither question can be answered in the affirmative, then a conviction that is obtained would violate the defendant's constitutional rights because the state had not met its burden of proving knowledge. Furthermore, if the judiciary substitutes a lesser mental state for statutorily prescribed knowledge, then it encroaches on the legislative prerogative of defining criminal conduct. This Article explores the deliberate-ignorance doctrine and recognizes that, through the loophole provided by the defense, the defendant may escape conviction by maintaining his or her ignorance despite indications that he or she is involved in criminal activity. The Article concludes, however, that the high-probability/unless definitional approach of the Model Penal Code is an unacceptable solution.


AuPd alloyed nanoparticles are regarded as very active catalysts for oxidation of alcohols. However we found that their catalytic activity can be further improved after calcination in air, which lead to the restructuring of alloyed AuPd nanoparticles and PdO segregation on the surface. The alloyed character was partially recovered upon reduction with H2 atmosphere, but the yet Pd‐rich surface was less active in the oxidation of the model molecule benzyl alcohol.


The behaviors of isovalent impurities doped in Czochralski (CZ) silicon crystal have attracted considerable attention in recent years. In this article, a review concerning recent processes in the study about germanium in CZ silicon is presented. The disturbance of silicon crystal lattice in and the influence on the mechanical strength due to germanium doping is described. Oxygen related donors, oxygen precipitation and voids defects in germanium doped Czochralski (GCZ) silicon has been demonstrated in detail. In addition, the denuded zone formation and the internal gettering technology of GCZ silicon is also discussed.


Religious anthropology and ritual studies have increasingly acknowledged
that ritual and religion are subject to criticism. There is still a tendency, however, to
argue that doubt, skepticism, and forms of 'critical reflexivity' develop somewhere outside
the ritual 'frame', in connection with external processes. In presenting this special
section of Religion and Society, this introduction harks back to past research arising
out of structural and performative approaches to rite, introduces the notion of critical
reflexivity, and outlines the ways it is used to shed light on overlooked formal aspects
of religious rituals. In order to stress the subtle connection between ritual action and
(local) reflection on this action as evidenced in situ in the course of performance,
linked with internal features of ritual activity, the article evokes two lines of empirical
inquiry: institutionalized episodes of ritual assessment and ritual 'accidents' that do not
necessarily imply ritual 'failure'.


The following paper is based on the field of web science. More precisely, it builds upon a web-native research method created by Richard Rogers, called "search as research". This paper explains how to gather data "born" in the web, via web search engines. It aims to show, that culture is reflected in the use of the web, particularly employing Google, to develop various methods, in regard to gather the relevant data. With these different appraoches of the method, data representative for 20 European countries are generated, explored and evaluted. Therefore representative studies of European Institutions (European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction – "European Drug Report 2015", European Values Project – "European Values Study", World Health Organisation – "Global status report on alcohol and health") are used to compare the outcomes and evaluate the reliability and validity of the data generated via Google. Further it aims to show, that based on this data, it is possible to conduct a cultural comparison of countries. While the comparisson of the representative studies with the Google data shows, that Google does not necessarily reflect a culture in line with the above mentioned studies, it yet clearly can be shown, that with the use of different methods, cultural differences between countries can be gathered and evaluated. Therefore some of the methods provide a possibility to uplift a first glimps when comparing different countries on a cultural basis and may for instance be helpful to enhance the quality when constructing questionnaires. Nevertheless it is also shown, that further research is needed to improve the developed methods, especially in regards to improve the data quality on basis of reliability and validity.


This paper presents three case studies illustrating the range and scope of the clinical applications of the SCID-D, a semi-structured interview for the assessment and diagnosis of dissociative symptoms and disorders according to DSM IV criteria. The studies indicate the effectiveness of the SCID-D in differential diagnosis between medical and psychiatric conditions, in symptom documentation for forensic cases, and in treatment planning for patients previously diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder (DID), formerly multiple personality disorder (MPD), who are experiencing impasses in therapy. Although the SCID-D is not a trauma questionnaire, its ability to elicit spontaneous descriptions of trauma from patients without the use of leading or intrusive questions makes it a valuable instrument for diagnosis and assessment as well as treatment planning and implementation. Early diagnosis of dissociative disorders with the SCID-D can lead to timely and effective treatment for those suffering from DID and the dissociative disorders.


We present an experimental study of the main modes involved in the emission properties of InGaAs-GaAs quantum-well oxide-confined long wavelength vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers. Lasing properties are dominated by the so-called "oxide modes" and by aperture modes, respectively, for small and large driving currents. We present complementary investigations of the laser emission including far-field angular distribution and spectroscopic near-field optical microscopy to a better understanding of the nature of the "oxide modes".


The present study aimed to examine the possible influence of writing-to-learn activities on students' academic performance and achievement in social studies course and to collect student opinions in this regard. This study was carried out with a total of 83 (43 in the experimental group and 40 in the control group) 5th grade students studying in a middle school affiliated to the Turkish Ministry of National Education in Erzurum in the 2021/22 academic year. A test consisting of 20 questions was administered to the control and experimental groups in order to measure academic achievement prior to carrying out the activities. The experimental group was being instructed through the use of writing-to-learn activities, while the control group, in line with the curriculum in-use. Following the activities, the control and experimental groups were both administered the post-tests. At the end of the implementation part of the study, a focus group interview was conducted with 8 randomly selected students from the classes involved in the experimental group. Quantitative data were analysed with descriptive statistics, and qualitative data with content analysis. The results obtained indicated a statistically significance in favour of the experimental group when the average post-test scores of the experimental group students and those of the control group students were compared. Furthermore, the rest of the data revealed that the writing-to-learn activities were favoured by the majority of the students, and regarded as having positive aspects.


A number of distinct difficulties beset writers on posters and their history. These books reveal different approaches to tackling the problem. The History of the Poster is in itself a small marvel of design and its viewpoint is closer to that of the designer than to that of the historian. It is the only one of the three books to attempt working definitions of the inside processes of poster designing; the other two are closer to a stylistic history that deals with posters as documents of stylistic developments rather than examples that in a clear way reveal the disciplines involved in their design. Perhaps more than in the case with books on the history of art as such, texts on the history of posters bear the characteristics of visual anthologies. In this respect The History of the Poster is entirely devoted to major figures but nevertheless fascinating. Very glossy paper is employed and no attempt is made to recapture the physical surface or texture of the posters illustrated; on the other hand, the colour printing is of such exceptional quality that much of the visual impact of the original posters is retained on a small scale-perhaps at the risk of translating the blandness of many of the posters into the preciousness of miniatures. In the trilingual parallel texts, of which the English version is the least successful, Josef and Shizuko Miiller-Brockmann attempt to categorize the major developments in poster design in terms of the construction of the poster and the projection of the message or product. Sadly, for much of this is original and penetrating, the authors restrict themselves to posters proper and ignore completely related design in film, television and magazine advertisement, as well as kinetic, neon-lit or three-dimensional displays. They maintain that posters should spring an ambush on the attention of the passer-by and constitute what Cassandre called 'an optical incident'. They consider this within the context of a dazzling array of examples and are probably at their most perceptive when discussing the rise of the large simplified image of the advertised object against a coloured ground and the manufacturer's name (as employed by the Berlin designers Julius Gipkens, Lucien Bernhard and Julius Klinger). As a result of their design-oriented approach, the reader is invited inside the processes of poster making and some clarification of criteria becomes possible. The danger of trying to force the history of poster design into the categories accepted by contemporary art historians is avoided. Neither do the authors discuss posters within the context of the history of taste. Within their limits, this only is regrettable to the extent that they attempt no discussion of the poster within its urban surroundings. No comparable critical definitions emerge from either Hillier's 100 Years of Posters or Barnicoat's A Concise History of Posters. The latter struggles valiantly but ineffectively to relate poster-designs to contemporary art movements such as Expressionism and Surrealism. This proves an unconvincing and unenlightening exercise. Barnicoat opens with a lengthy comparison of Jules Cheret and Tiepolo, which is as unnecessary an apology for Cheret's art as it is unflattering to his work visually. Amidst the long lists of new and familiar names in the loose commentary upon the illustrations, it is with added relief that the book's most original passages are encountered where the author presents illustrations and an inadequately brief discussion of posters in situ on theatre hoardings, shop fronts or the end wall of houses or flats. It is here that one suddenly gains direct information about the kind of impact made by posters, their place within the visual dynamics of the city and their contribution to it. The author could have found in this subject, together with shopwindow displays and advertising tableaux (he illustrates a splendid pair of legs designed by Artur Gumitsch to advertise shoes) vehicles for his enthusiasm less daunting and more forthcoming than his present approach has permitted. Hillier's book is again an anthology first and foremost. It approaches the physical scale and format of small posters with one large reproduction per page, following an introductory essay that is more substantial than the giant pages suggest. As an essay, the text is discursive and perceptive; it is not a list of facts and names but is informative in its own way, presenting crisp portrayals of some of the leading figures of each decade. The impression he gives is one of delight and fascination as an observer rather than a professional designer. Only Hillier allows himself to be fascinated by bad drawing or curiously inventive image or technique employed by an unknown or second-rate designer, as well as works by the most renowned ones. As a result only he approaches the poster on the level that i t must have entered into the daily visual life of the passer-by in 1912 or 1932, unsorted and immensely inventive.


: Misdiagnosis of primary hypothyroidism may be due to its running under the mask of myocardiodystrophy, coronary heart disease, bacterial and allergic myocarditis, arterial hypertension. It may underlie edema or accompany malignancy (thyroid cancer, in particular). Accurate diagnosis is complicated by primary damage to one organ or system.


Good governance and decentralisation are now generally accepted as the best form of political, administrative and institutional organisation for the success of sustainable
development. In pursuit of the promotion of good governance and decentralisation
for sustainable development planning, the Government of Lesotho formulated the
Local Government Act of 1997 to regulate local government structures, functions
and planning, and promulgated it in 2001. This paper provides a critical appraisal of
efforts to put local government planning into practice in Lesotho through the use of
the 'Quick and SMART' local government planning model. This article uses the SWOT
analysis technique to undertake a critical appraisal of this planning model, and
concludes that while the model has some strengths, it also has potentially fatal fl aws
that are likely to result in unsustainable local government planning in Lesotho. Africa Insight Vol. 38 (1) 2008: pp. 95-104


Background and aim With the increasing demand to publish due to 'publish or perish' culture among research and academic institutions, the choice of a journal for publishing scientific articles becomes very important. A publication with many citations and high impact factor can propel researchers in their academic careers. The aim of this study is to explore the perceptions of medical and dental researchers in India about the important criteria to consider while selecting scientific journals for publishing their research. Methods 206 faculty staff members from three medical and five dental institutions were selected through convenience sampling. The study participants completed a questionnaire with 24 closed ended questions on various factors related to journal selection for publication. Factors such as publication frequency, journal citation, indexing, peer-review, impact factor, publication fees, acceptance or rejection rate, publishing house, previous submission and online submission process were considered. The responses were recorded using a Likert scale. Cronbach's alpha as a measure of internal consistency or homogeneity was 0.909. Descriptive statistics and Mann-Whitney U test were employed for comparison of responses among study participants. Results The mean weight of 24 criteria on a scale of 0 to 4 varied between 2.13 and 3.45. The results showed that indexing of journal (3.45±0.74), online submission (3.24±0.83), impact factor (3.11±0.91), peer-review process (3.0±1.02) and publication fees (2.99±1.11) were among the most important criteria to consider in journal selection. Conclusions Of the 24 factors considered by health researchers for journal selection, the most important were Journal indexing, online submission, impact factor, peer-review and publication fees. Compared to dental researchers, medical researchers perceived open access and peer-review process as significantly more important criteria.


Based on the previous studies, this paper uses questionnaire to investigate the current situation of College English grammar teaching in English major of Ankang University. The results suggest that both teachers and students have a similar attitude: English grammar is an indispensable part in college English teaching; English grammar should be taught in a context. The statistics from students' final exam of English grammar course also show that traditional grammar teaching brings no positive influence to English grammar ability of college students. The problems are that the students fail to apply grammatical rules into practical use. Based on Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG), this paper tries to construct a teaching model of college English grammar in intensive reading course, which aims to explain pragmatic function of grammatical form in context.


This paper proposes an agent-based adaptive Architecture to extend Moodle in order to support instructional decisions and adaptive behaviour in engineering education. The paper describes the characteristics, functions, and interactions of the agents which take part in each module of the adaptive architecture. In addition, we describe the origin and function of ToDei, the proposed intelligent agent for Instructional Decisions Making. This agent is in charge of collecting information generated by the rest of agents and deciding what is best for the final users, tutors and students, taking into account their attitudes towards the learning environment.


Graphene-based hybrid nanostructures have attracted increasing interest worldwide. Benefiting from their remarkable electrochemical catalytic properties derived from chemical compositions and synergetic effects of multi-functionalities, these graphene-based hybrid nanomaterials will play a significant role in cutting-edge innovation for novel electrocatalysts. In this review, we summarize recent progress in the design and synthesis of graphene-based hybrid nanomaterials with controlled shape, size, composition and structure, and their application as efficient electrocatalysts for energy related systems. We conclude this article with some future trends and prospects which are highlighted for further investigations on graphene-based nanomaterials as advanced electrocatalysts.


Jabon  that is known  as  Anthocephalus cadamba, is one species of species and that has high prospects for industrial tree plantations because growth is very fast and has the ability to adapt onvarious site conditions. Jabon to improve the growth of jabon that can grow succesfully, so this plant need help to be introduced by  biological agents one of which is the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. The purpose of this study was to known study 1  The number of spores and genus AMF associated with jabon, level of association that occur between the AMF with jabon age of 1, 1½ and 2years. Research was carried out for 2 months, starting with the taking of 3 samples jabon age of 1, 1½ and 2 years randomized rural in village Semberang districts Sambas Counties Sambas West Kalimantan. Observation of soil and root samples was carried out in the laboratory of Faculty of Forestry Silviculture Uvinersity Tanjungpura. This  method of isolate spores was been trough a gradual process of wet screening on the ground, them it the coloring on the roots and determine the characteristics of the spores to the genus level and calculate the percentage of infected root AMF. The results of this study were found 6 genus Glomus ang 1 genus Gigaspora and the rage percentage of root infection was 60 % (high) – 97 % (very high) included in the classifications of root infection grades 4 and 5. Keyword: association, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), Jabon (Anthocephalus cadamba)


Fostering agencies face increasing challenges recruiting and retaining foster carers while the number of children requiring foster placements continues to rise annually. This Northern Ireland study used qualitative methods with 11 foster carers to understand: if they had any expectation of support from family and friends in the role; and where this was available, whether it promoted their resilience in continuing as foster carers. Most foster carers in the study reported experiencing positive input from family, with a few exceptions. Carers' adult children were considered particularly helpful, with some becoming advocates for fostering. While a number of the carers experienced good support from friends, a clear understanding of the fostering role at critical times, including during the carers' life stages, was key to the experience of support from both family or friends. All participating foster carers were female. Implications for practice include examining opportunities for developing and facilitating the support potential of adult children, extended family and friends. These could include focused information and tailored training, together with creative user-led approaches for organisations to harness this under-utilised yet fundamental support.


To survive a fire, occupants of a building have to be able to evacuate the structure before the situation becomes unsustainable. Evacuation time is thus a critical factor, but lack of knowledge about the basics of fire safety can dangerously increase this time and also result in various forms of unsafe behavior. In this paper, we propose serious games as a tool to acquire personal fire safety skills, also discussing a specific game we have developed.