This thesis focuses on the construction of optimum designs for the estimation of the variance components in multistage variability models. Variance components are the model parameters that represent the different sources of variability that affect the response of a system.A general and highly detailed way to define the linear mixed effects model is proposed. The extension considers the explicit definition of all the elements needed to construct a model. One key aspect of this formulation is that the random part is stated as a functional that individually determines the form of the design matrices for each random regressor, which gives significant flexibility. Further, the model is strictly divided into the treatment structure and the variability structure. This allows separate definitions of each structure but using the single rationale of combining, with little restrictions, simple design arrangements called factor layouts.To provide flexibility for considering different models, methodology to find and select optimum designs for variance components is presented using MLE and REML estimators and an alternative method known as the dispersion-mean model. Different forms of information matrices for variance components were obtained. This was mainly done for the cases when the information matrix is a function of the ratios of variances. Closed form expressions for balanced designs for random models with 3-stage variability structure, in crossed and nested layouts were found. The nested case was obtained when the information matrix is a function of the variance components. A general expression for the information matrix for the ratios using REML is presented. An approach to using unbalanced models, which requires the use of general formulae, is discussed. Additionally, D-optimality and A-optimality criteria of design optimality are restated for the case of variance components, and a specific version of pseudo-Bayesian criteria is introduced.Algorithms to construct optimum designs for the variance components based on the aforementioned methodologies were defined. These algorithms have been implemented in the R language. The results are communicated using a simple, but highly informative, graphical approach not seen before in this context. The proposed plots convey enough details for the experimenter to make an informed decision about the design to use in practice. An industrial internship allowed some the results herein to be put into practice, although no new research outcomes originated. Nonetheless, this is evidence of the potential for applications. Equally valuable is the experience of providing statistical advice and reporting conclusions to a non statistical audience.


Background: Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2 Virus). It was reported for the first time in Wuhan city, Hubei province of China. The first cases of COVID-19 in Burundi were identified on 31st March 2020. Several signs and symptoms, including mainly; fever, dry cough, fatigue, myalgia, and dyspnea are the most prominent characteristics of the disease. The aim of this study was to provide description of the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 cases identified during the mass screening campaign conducted between July and October, 2020 in Burundi. Methods: We conducted a retrospective secondary analysis of data of clients to the mass screening campaign in Bujumbura city that was run between July and October 2020. Clients with complete data and tested for COVID-19 with Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) were included in the study. Epi-Info 220.127.116.11 was used to perform descriptive and analytical statistics and Quantum Geographic Information System (QGIS) was used for cases mapping. Association between positive cases and independent variables such as sex, history of contact with confirmed COVID-19 case was measured using chi-square statistical test at a p-value of .05. Results: The study included 20,114 participants. 243 (1.2%) were tested positive for COVID-19. The mean age for confirmed cases was 33 (±15) years. The majority of cases (72.8%) were between 20 and 59 years of age and they were predominantly males (67.9%). 164 (67.5%) were symptomatic and cough was the most frequent symptom observed 109 (66.5%), followed by rhinorrhea 69 (42.1%). Fever was present in only 18 (11.0%) of symptomatic patients. Participants with a history of contact with a COVID-19 confirmed case (aOR=2.2; 95%CI [1.6-3.0]; p-value <.001), were more likely to be positive for COVID-19. Also, those who were coughing (aOR=1.47; 95%CI [1.06-2.05]; p-value=.023) and having sore throat (aOR=2.4; 95%CI [1.1-4.9]; p-value=.02) were more likely to test positive for COVID-19. Conclusion: This study revealed that a significant proportion (32.5%) of COVID-19 patients were silent carriers of the virus. Data highlighted that high proportion of cases were among the active age group and contacts with confirmed cases, and noted high proportion of asymptomatic cases at diagnosis. Measures including routine testing of asymptomatic contacts could contribute to tackling corona virus in Burundi.


The invasion phenotype of shigellae is subject to thermoregulation that is known to be expressed through activation of some invasion (inv) genes such as ipaB, ipaC, and ipaD encoded by the large virulence plasmid of Shigella flexneri. The expression of ipa genes is regulated positively by virF through the activation of virB on the plasmid. To identify the mediator for the thermoregulation of the large plasmid, we have studied the effect of temperature on the transcription of virF and virB genes and ipa and the other two inv operons. The results showed that transcription of virB was affected by temperature more strictly than that of virF. Analysis of the mRNA level of virB at different levels of virF transcription indicated that virB transcription depended upon both temperature and virF. On the other hand, transcriptions of ipa and the other two inv operons depended on the activation of virB transcription but not on temperature. By inducing virB transcription from a tac promoter fused with the virB region, invasion ability was restored to a virF-deletion mutant at 30 degrees C as well as at 37 degrees C. By using conditions in which the temperature-dependent expression of the invasion phenotype was circumvented by the induction of virB transcription, intercellular spreading ability in a virF+, virB::Tn5 strain was shown to be expressed even at 30 degrees C. These results suggest that the virB transcription stage is the main target for the thermoregulation.


The dynamics of populations inhabiting range margins are likely to be critically important in determining the response of species to climate change. Despite this, there is a lack of both empirical and theoretical work that examines the behaviour of these populations. Populations living on the edge of a species' range frequently inhabit a more patchily distributed habitat than those that live closer to the centre of the range. This difference is likely to play an important role in determining the dynamics of range margin populations, both when the range is static and when it is dynamic, for example shifting in response to climate change. Here, we present a simple method that simulates the distribution of suitable habitat sites at the edge of a range. Habitat availability is determined as a function of both latitudinal and local environmental variability, and the relative importance of the two can be adjusted. The method is readily extended to describe shifting habitat availability during a period of climate change. We suggest that there is a need for a greater effort to examine the ecology of range margin populations, and believe that the method presented here could be of considerable use in future theoretical studies.


In bid evaluation, the regular grade method on the grade items is that the grade message is composed of average value after throwing away the highest and lowest value, which essence is considered that the expert's weight is zeroed. It is pointed the processing is too simple and unable to deal with all kinds of problems effectively in the match. Basing on numerical statistics, referencing multiple attributes and comprehensive decision theory, a grade method is put forward to empower expert weight. The method according to the results consistence of the expert grade determines the grade weight, then correcting their grade weight to each specific bid, fully using all grade message coming from the bid evaluation team. Its computation is simple and easy to computer processing. So it has larger practical value. Last, the new method is used in bid evaluation on excavation support project located in Wenchang Garden, Yantai Development Zone. It shows the practical value of this method.


OF DISSERTATION BIOMECHANICAL EFFECTS OF TREES AND SOIL THICKNESS IN THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU Previous research in the Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas suggests that, on relatively thin soils overlying bedrock, individual trees locally thicken the regolith by root penetration into bedrock. However, that work was conducted mainly in areas of strongly dipping and contorted rock, where joints and bedding planes susceptible to root penetration are more common and accessible. This project extended this concept to the Cumberland Plateau, Kentucky, with flat, level-bedded sedimentary rocks. Spatial variability of soil thickness was quantified at three nested spatial scales, and statistical relationships with other potential influences of thickness were examined. In addition, soil depth beneath trees was compared to that of non-tree sites by measuring depth to bedrock of stumps and immediately adjacent sites. While soil thickness beneath stumps was greater in the Ouachita Mountains compared to the Kentucky sites, there were no statistically significant differences in the difference between stump and adjacent sites between the two regions. In both regions, however, soils beneath stumps are significantly deeper than adjacent soils. This suggests the local deepening effects of trees occur in flat-bedded as well as steeply dipping lithologies. Regression results at the Cumberland Plateau sites showed no statistically significant relationship between soil depth and geomorphic or stand-level ecological variables, consistent with a major role for individual tree effects. Nested analysis of variance between 10 ha stands, 1.0 ha plots, and 0.1 ha subplots indicates that about 67 percent of total depth variance occurs at, or below, the subplot level of organization. This highly localized variability is consistent with, and most plausibly explained by, individual tree effects. The effects of biomechanical weathering by trees are not limited to areas with strongly dipping and contorted bedrock. Variability of soil depth in the Cumberland Plateau is likely influenced by positive feedbacks from tree root growth, that these interactions occur over multiple generations of growth, and that the effects of trees are the dominant control of local soil thickness. Since lateral lithological variation was minimal, this study also provides evidence that the positive feedback from biomechanical weathering by trees leads to divergent development of soil thickness.


Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are small molecule anticancer therapeutics that exhibit limiting cardiotoxicities including QT interval prolongation and life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias. Because the molecular mechanisms for HDAC inhibitor-induced cardiotoxicity are poorly understood, we performed whole cell patch voltage-clamp experiments to measure cardiac sodium currents (INa) from wild-type neonatal mouse ventricular or human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes treated with trichostatin A (TSA), vorinostat (VOR), or romidepsin (FK228). All three pan-HDAC inhibitors dose dependently decreased peak INa density and shifted the voltage activation curve 3- to 8-mV positive. Increases in late INa were not observed despite a moderate slowing of the inactivation rate at low activating potentials (<-40 mV). Scn5a mRNA levels were not significantly altered but NaV1.5 protein levels were significantly reduced. Immunoprecipitation with anti-NaV1.5 and Western blotting with anti-acetyl-lysine antibodies indicated that NaV1.5 acetylation is increased in vivo after HDAC inhibition. FK228 inhibited total cardiac HDAC activity with two apparent IC50s of 5 nM and 1.75 μM, consistent with previous findings with TSA and VOR. FK228 also decreased ventricular gap junction conductance (gj), again consistent with previous findings. We conclude that pan-HDAC inhibition reduces cardiac INa density and NaV1.5 protein levels without affecting late INa amplitude and, thus, probably does not contribute to the reported QT interval prolongation and arrhythmias associated with pan-HDAC inhibitor therapies. Conversely, reductions in gj may enhance the occurrence of triggered activity by limiting electrotonic inhibition and, combined with reduced INa, slow myocardial conduction and increase vulnerability to reentrant arrhythmias.


RATIONALE
Patients with a clinicopathological diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) may have typical findings of usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) on computed tomography (CT) or nonspecific or atypical findings, including those often seen in nonspecific interstitial pneumonia.

OBJECTIVES
The aims of this study were to revisit the high-resolution CT findings of IPF and to clarify the correlation between the CT findings and mortality.

METHODS
The study included 98 patients with a histologic diagnosis of UIP and a clinical diagnosis of IPF. Two observers evaluated the CT findings independently and classified each case into one of the following three categories: (1) definite UIP, (2) consistent with UIP, or (3) suggestive of alternative diagnosis. The correlation between the CT categories and mortality was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test, as well as Cox proportional hazards regression models.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
Thirty-three of the 98 CT scans were classified as definite UIP, 36 as consistent with UIP, 29 as suggestive of an alternative diagnosis. The mean survival was 45.7, 57.9, and 76.9 months, respectively. There was no significant difference in survival among the three categories (all P > 0.05). Traction bronchiectasis and fibrosis scores were significant predictors of outcome (hazard ratios: 1.30 and 1.10, respectively; 95% confidence intervals: 1.18-14.2 and 1.03-1.19, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS
In patients with IPF and UIP pattern on the biopsy, the pattern of abnormality on thin-section CT, whether characteristic of UIP or suggestive of alternative diagnosis, does not influence prognosis. Prognosis is influenced by traction bronchiectasis and fibrosis scores.


The paper compares opposite approaches to the study of spatial order in contemporary societies. On the one hand, theories of globalization and world society argue that states and their borders are not relevant anymore. Globalization means world without borders, therefore contemporary global cities, being located within state borders, do not belong to their territories. In a global city, there is no room for common solidarity among citizens-those who go beyond state borders cannot become integrated to world society. On the other hand, there is much empirical evidence that states do not disappear. They still play a significant role. The state border deliniates a part of space which people can feel emotional attachment with. The states can use legitimate violence against those who reside within its borders as well as enforce feelings of solidarity with those who live on this territory. This logic brings two notions of nation and nationalism. In a more traditional understanding of these notions based on kinship ("consanguinity"), culture and language, the state is defined as a tool for the constitution of nation, which needs territory with clear borders for survival. In contrast, the civic understanding of nation suggests flexibility of any identities, including the national one. Those who follow the second definition usually do not recognize its implications. On the one hand, a territorially located group can demand statehood to assert and guarantee its identity. On the other hand, a group, which has freely chosen its identity, also can demand spatial borders and, in the same vein, a state. These demands are connected with each other. Spatial definition of any group, which can proclaim itself as a nation and demand a state, contradicts contemporary organization of global cities. In this respect, sociology may be interested in how these two modes of space intersect, i.e. how the world society with its fluids and networks interacts with new states, being constituted within new borders.


It is well-known that at least two forms of genetic instability have been observed in CRC: chromosomal instability (CIN), that is present in 85% cases and is characterized by structural and numerical chromosomal abnormalities (aneuploidy); and microsatellite instability (MSI), characterized by a deficiency of the mismatch repair system that leads to slippage in microsatellites, and associated to a normal or quasi-normal karyotype (euploidy). It is clear that such molecular classification has a clinical impact both in prognostic and therapeutic terms, but there is a substantial delay between novel molecular insights and established clinical practice. Recent advances in molecular cytogenetics techniques are likely to introduce a revolution in the field. In the present study we analysed a series of 42 colorectal cancer by high resolution genomic arrays (Affymetrix SNP 6.0 arrays) that allow the determination of an accurate genome-wide molecular karyotype using only 500 ng of DNA extracted from the tumor mass after colectomy. Moreover, all samples have been tested for microsatellite instability, by a specific PCR test followed by capillary gel electrophoresis according to NHI guidelines. MSI tumors represented 19% of our CRC series and showed a median values of copy number abnormalities (CNAs, DNA segments gains and losses) of 2.5 (range 0-6), while microsatellite stable (MSS) tumors showed a median value of 17 (range 0-35). Therefore all MSI tumors were below a threshold of 6 CNAs, while only 10% of MSS were below this threshold, representing a group of microsatellite and chromosomal stable tumors. No correlation was observed between the number of tumor associated CNAs and the number of somatic copy neutral-loss of heterozygosities (CNLOH) regions, suggesting that different mechanisms may underlie such chromosomal abnormalities. Interestingly, a relatively high proportion of individuals bearing a high level of germ-line CN-LOH regions (a phenomenon called autozygosity) was observed in our CRC series, thus confirming recent data (Bacolod et al. 2009). These long homozygous chromosomal segments may be explained by the common ancestry of the individual's parents, suggesting that consanguinity may be a factor in colorectal cancer predisposition.


The study was concerned with the way in which television messages are received. It was an exploration into the actual processes of production and reception of television messages. A detailed description of these processes is presented. There are basically two parts of the study. The introduction explains the rationale for the study. It also describes the research design. Part I begins with a history of the television industry with emphasis on the evolution of the present structure and how this directs the service. It reviews the processes of production and scheduling of television programmes. From this part, we can begin to understand the philosophy, objectives and constraints underlying the messages which the viewers receive. Part II, which is the larger of the two parts, is the report of the observation of viewing parctices in the 12 selected locations. Each location has been treated as a separate case, with a day-by-day report. There are many fascinating and stimulating details in these reports. The discussion which follows is only an overview of the highlights in each location. The concluding chapter - The making of Meaning - presents the findings of the study in a nutshell. It covers the significant contribution which this study purposes to make to the body of knowledge. It highlights the striking images which viewers had taken from the screen, but more importantly, it re-examines the otherwise mundane act of viewing itself. On the whole, the study made a case for i) the appropriate methodology for understanding the role television society ii) raised issues which research should be concerned about, and iii) those which programmers need to be mindful of.


During my PhD I worked with the group of Professor Severo Salvadori, I have investigated opiod system involved in the pain transmission, in particular MOP and NOP receptors. Presently various external opiates are administered like morphine for analgesic therapy, but they have a limit for clinical usefulness, because their tendency is to produce tolerance and dependence. The main project aim is to synthetize peptides bivalent ligands characterized by a NOP and MOP substrate with the deal to reduce the typical side effects of the current therapy.
In order to obtain this peptide bivalent ligand was planned chemical strategies able to give them, in particular it was used Thio-Michael reaction and Thiol-ene reaction. Each reaction allows the introduction of the specific features into MOP pharmacophore and NOP pharmacophore involved in the reaction.
Thio-Michael has allowed to obtain two peptides bivalent ligands: the first is characterized by a MOP pharmacophore as dermorphin functionalized with a Lysin with a maleimide function in lateral chain in C-terminal portion able to interact with a NOP pharmacophore as N/OFQ functionalized with a Cysteine in position 18 in order to afford the bivalent ligand. The second one is represented by a MOP pharmacophore as hexapeptide N-terminal of dinorphin with a Lysin with a maleimide function in lateral chain in position 8 able to react with a NOP pharmacophore as N/OFQ functionalized like previously seen in order to yield the bivalent ligand. The requirement to afford a good bivalent ligand is to maintain in vivo an equipotency between the substrate MOP and NOP. Both are been tested in vitro through the analysis of the intracellular calcium mobilization, compared to standard endogenous ligands, to observe the activity of the two pharmacophores inside the ligand with receptors transfected in CHO cells. Currently studies are underway in vitro tissues. The tests are performed from the group of Dr Girolamo Calo of Ferrara University.
Thiol-ene reaction has not been successful to obtain peptide bivalent ligand, for these reasons it is decided to start an initial methodological study about Thiol-ene reaction. The aim was to understand the influence of the side chains of the aminoacids adjacent to the Cysteine, which aminoacid involved in the reaction.
It was synthetized pentapeptades prototype with the introduction in position 3 and 4 different aminoacids with side chains variable to assess whether some of these are involved in side reactions sequence dependent. As alkene substrate it was
used an olefin, such as the allyl-glucose. The peptides were analyzed by NMR in order to evaluate any changes of the chemical shift in the case of no success of reaction. Variable aminoacids are been investigated with characteristics hydrophilic, acidic and aromatic. All reactions tested have given the product of Thiol-ene and its byproduct sulfoxide.
I spent 11 months of my PhD at Aberdeen University in the group of Professor Matteo Zanda and I worked in collaboration with Dr John Barrow in a study regarding the analysis of change of conformation of particular promoters through gel-based assay (EMSA). In particular the attention was focused on insulin-linked polymorphic region (ILPR) that is a regulatory sequence located upstream of the human insulin gene. It is characterized by multiple repeats of consensus sequence rich in guanine residues able to assume a particular conformation called G-quadruplex. DNA complex is stabilized by some cations and small molecules. This peculiar structure is very important in the complex system of the activation of insulin gene expression.
Since insulin is directly related to the pathogenesis of diabetes, the potential regulatory role of the G-quadruplex in the insulin expression has received close attention.
The main project aim is to alter the functionality of the ILPR, and subsequently alter INS gene expression using small molecules as ligands that will bind to and regulate the ILPR.
The project was developed in different steps:
-- Analysis of the appropriate concentration of oligonucleotides to proceed with the EMSA assay;
-- Investigation of molecules known in literature and commercially available to have a good ability to stabilize G-quadruplex;
-- Synthesis of a new compound triazine derivate to enhance the binding and stabilize the DNA complex.
The small molecules chosen have shown a stabilization of G-quadruplexes in line with the data in literature. These data are also confirmed by CD analysis did from Glasgow University. The new triazine synthetized was only tested with EMSA assay and it has shown a slight ability to interact with the G-quadruplex. CD analysis of the new compound are under study.


While the managerial reforms of the public sector have been extremely important in shaping the public sector, other strands of reform and innovation have continued with perhaps less fanfare. In this paper I will be looking at the development of means through which governments manage information, and especially how they use that information for public policy-making. Even though I do recognize the importance of improving the technology available within the public sector, and especially the value of information and communication technology, these technological "fixes" are not necessarily the answer to all our governance problems. Technologies still do not enable us to overcome both human inadequacies in making policy, not the organizational politics in the public sector that tend to at times twist the manner in which information is gathered, processed, and utilized in making decisions. The basic argument therefore is that even if ICT makes information more readily available, it must still be sifted, evaluated, and then utilized by public sector decision-makers whose individual capacities may not have been altered by the technology. Therefore, human judgment remains crucial to the processes of effective policy-making within the public sector, and the question becomes whether the technological advances have made major contributions to that policymaking capacity. The basic question therefore is whether the use of ICT in the public sector provides major contributions to governing, or whether this is just another fad like so many others that have been implemented in the past.


Much of the "big data" generated today is received in near real-time and requires quick analysis. In Internet of Things (IoT) [1, 9], for instance, continuous data streams produced by multiple sources must be handled under very short delays. As a result, several stream processing engines have been proposed. Under several engines, a stream processing application is a directed graph or dataflow whose vertices are operators that execute a function over the incoming data and edges that define how data flows between them. A dataflow has one or multiple sources (i.e., sensors, gateways or actuators), operators that perform transformations on the data (e.g., filtering, mapping, and aggregation) and sinks (i.e., queries that consume or store the data). In a traditional cloud deployment, the whole application is placed in the cloud computing to benefit from virtually unlimited resources. However, processing all the data in the cloud can introduce latency due to data transfer, which makes near real-time processing difficult to achieve. In contrast, edge computing has become an attractive solution for performing certain stream processing operators, as many edge devices have non-trivial compute capacity. The deployment of data stream processing applications onto heterogeneous infrastructure has been proved to be NP-hard [2]. Moving operators from cloud to edge devices is challenging due to limitations of edge devices [5]. Existing work often proposes placements strategies considering user intervention [8]. Many models do not support memory and communication constraints [6, 4] while others consider all data sinks to be located in the cloud, with no feedback loop to actua-tors located at the edge of the network [3, 7]. There is a lack of solutions covering scenarios involving smart cities, precision agriculture, and smart homes comprising various heterogeneous sensors and actuators, as well as, time-constraint applications. We model the data stream processing placement problem considering heterogeneous computational and network resources, and computing and communication as M/M/1 queues (i.e., Poisson arrival distribution, exponential service time and single server). Events are handled in a First-Come, First-Served fashion both by the computation and communication services, guaranteeing the time order of events; an important requirement in many data stream processing applications. The model allows us to calculate the waiting and service times for each message in computation and communication queues allowing for estimating the response time. We then propose two strategies to minimize the application response time by splitting the dataflow graph dynamically and distributing the operators across cloud and edge infrastructure. We focus on real-time analytics applications with multiple sources and sinks distributed across resources. In particular, we first decompose the application graph by considering behaviors such as forks and joins (i.e., split points), and by identifying the operator dependencies recursively. The Response Time Rate (RTR) strategy takes the decomposed graph and organizes the deployment sequence and consecutively calculates the response time for each operator by considering the previous mappings, resource capabilities, and operator requirements. RTR with Region Patterns (RTR+RP) strategy extends RTR by exploiting the split points to first find candidate operators for edge or cloud and then estimates the response time for the edge operators. Comprehensive simulations considering multiple application configurations demonstrate that our approach can improve the response time up to 50%. For future work, we will investigate further techniques to deal with CPU-intensive operators and their energy consumption.


Most people participate in meetings almost every day, multiple times a day. The study of meetings is important, but also challenging, as it requires an understanding of social signals and complex interpersonal dynamics. Our aim this work is to use a data-driven approach to the science of meetings. We provide tentative evidence that: i) there are common macro-patterns in the way social dialogue acts are interspersed throughout a meeting, and ii) it is often possible to predict whether a proposal during a meeting will be accepted or rejected based entirely on the language (the set of persuasive words) used by the speaker.


The use of nanodiamonds in studies with living systems generally involves the modification of their surfaces with functional groups. Fluorescent molecules can be attached to these groups, so that one can know the exact position of the particles in each moment of the interaction with the cells. Here we modify the surface of detonation nanodiamonds and nitrogen-vacancy center nanodiamonds using carboxylation and hydroxylation procedures. Subsequent reactions with silicates and cysteine, before addition of fluorescein allow to obtain fluorescent nano-conjugates. We used confocal microscopy to observe the position of nanodiamonds interacting with HeLa cells. At 3 h post-incubation the green fluorescence is localized in extracellular rounded like-vesicles assemblies while at 24 h the conjugates can be observed inside the cells. The measurement of the fluorescence emitted by both conjugates allowed to find an enhanced emission of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) when the nitrogen-vacancy center is present. We propose the existence of a fluorescence enhancement by electron transference process. The procedure described in this work allows the functionalization of nanodiamonds with FITC and other molecules using functional surface groups and small size mediators. Also, as was proved in our work, the nanodiamond-fluorescein conjugates can be used to track nanoparticles position within the cell. Localization studies are particularly important for drug delivery applications of nanodiamonds.


Prototyping and verification of complex power electronics (PE) systems and control algorithms is a laborious and time-consuming process. Even when a low-power hardware model is assembled, it enables only a limited insight into the large number of operating points; changes in system parameters regularly demand hardware modifications and always there is the risk of hardware damage. The ultralow-latency Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) platform proposed in this paper combines the flexibility, accuracy, and ease of use of state-of-the-art-simulation packages, with the response speed of small power-hardware models. In this way, PE systems-optimization, code-development, and laboratory-testing can be combined into one step, which dramatically accelerates the pace of product prototyping. Low-power hardware-models also suffer from nonscalability, because some parameters such as electrical machine inertia cannot be properly scaled. However, HIL enables control prototyping that covers all operational conditions. In order to demonstrate HIL-based rapid development, the verification of an active damping algorithm for a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) cascade is performed. Two goals are set in this paper: to verify the developed HIL platform by means of comparison with a low-power hardware setup and then to emulate the real, high-power system in order to test the active damping algorithm.


Marine biodiversity is generally higher in benthic than in pelagic systems, and in coastal than in open sea systems. Sediments are the most human-impacted domain and therefore represent the target zone for both the study and actions needed for the preservation of biodiversity. Losses of marine diversity, higher (or simply more evident) in coastal areas, are generally the result of conflicting uses of coastal habitats. Large difficulties arise from the analysis and evaluation of the actual biodiversity, especially when different environments are compared, as often studies on biodiversity are dependent upon the distribution of the specialists. On the other hand, losses of marine biodiversity might be underestimated, due to the limited knowledge of the ecosystems' functioning, of the species inhabiting various habitats and of the still limited capacity to assess microbial biodiversity, which represents the largest fraction of the global marine biodiversity. Finally, claimed losses of biodiversity might be just apparent, as the sea floor is a bank of resting stages of various plankton species that are likely to spend even decades in the sediment before reactivating and inducing unattended blooms in the water column. The Mediterranean Sea displays high species diversity, but might reach the highest values in terms of adaptive strategies and functional diversity. Moreover, the Mediterranean Sea represents also a key area for the study of the relative influences of the natural and anthropogenic changes on biodiversity and its consequences on ecosystem functioning. Habitat destruction, over-fishing, contaminants, eutrophication, introduction of alien species, and climate changes are producing increasingly evident changes in community structure and biodiversity of this warm and miniature ocean. We summarized the main effects of different disruptive agents on the marine biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea, with special attention on the biodiversity relevance in ecosystem functioning and possible implications in bio-geochemical cycles. The present overview aims at focusing and synthesizing the most important factors potentially affecting the interactions between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in the Mediterranean in order to better define possible strategies of conservation and eco-management.


This paper deals with an improvement of a power efficiency of a multi-oscillated current resonant type DC-DC converter. The current resonant type converter employs generally the pulse frequency modulation and its magnetizing inductance is set relatively low. For this reason, the magnetizing current through the converter causes a power loss under a light load. In order to solve this problem, a multi-oscillated current resonant type DC-DC converter has been proposed, and revealed the advantage of its control method which can reduce power loss under light load and keep low switching noise. In this topology, output power is controlled by duty ratio and operating frequency is determined by resonant condition. In this paper, an analysis of power loss by focusing on switching devices in this converter to improve power efficiency was given. As a result, it was confirmed that the loss of diodes in secondary side occupies main loss. Adopting the synchronous rectifier in the secondary side, the maximum power efficiency is improved to 96.3%, and the average efficiency, which is averaged efficiency at 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of the rated load, reached 95.5%.


Mapping localized spectral features in complex scenes demands sensitive and robust detection algorithms. This letter investigates two aspects of large images that can harm matched filter (MF) detection performance. First, multimodal backgrounds may violate normality assumptions. Second, outlier features can trigger false detections due to large projections onto the target vector. We review two state-of-the-art methods designed to resolve these issues. The background clustering of Funk models multimodal backgrounds, and the mixture-tuned (MT) MF of Boardman and Kruse addresses outliers. We demonstrate that combining the two methods has additional performance benefits. An MT cluster MF shows effective performance on simulated and airborne data sets. We demonstrate target detection scenarios that evidence multimodality, outliers, and their combination. These experiments explore the performance of the component algorithms and the practical circumstances that can favor a combined approach.


We study data-driven representations for three-dimensional triangle meshes, which are one of the prevalent objects used to represent 3D geometry. Recent works have developed models that exploit the intrinsic geometry of manifolds and graphs, namely the Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) and its spectral variants, which learn from the local metric tensor via the Laplacian operator. Despite offering excellent sample complexity and built-in invariances, intrinsic geometry alone is invariant to isometric deformations, making it unsuitable for many applications. To overcome this limitation, we propose several upgrades to GNNs to leverage extrinsic differential geometry properties of three-dimensional surfaces, increasing its modeling power. In particular, we propose to exploit the Dirac operator, whose spectrum detects principal curvature directions - this is in stark contrast with the classical Laplace operator, which directly measures mean curvature. We coin the resulting models Surface Networks (SN). We prove that these models define shape representations that are stable to deformation and to discretization, and we demonstrate the efficiency and versatility of SNs on two challenging tasks: temporal prediction of mesh deformations under non-linear dynamics and generative models using a variational autoencoder framework with encoders/decoders given by SNs.


How do non-Han populations in China navigate the paradoxical expectations to become "proper" Chinese citizens, like the majority Han, while retaining pride in cultural practices and traditions that mark their differences? This article examines how Mosuo (otherwise known as Na) people in Southwest China have constructed the moral legitimacy of their ethnic traditions and identity through redirecting the Orientalizing gaze toward their Yi neighbors, another ethnic minority in the region. This argument, which displaces the analytical focus from the majority Han and the political state in analyses of the maintenance of ethnic boundaries, delineates how prejudice against a third-party ethnic other can serve as an important pathway for establishing cultural citizenship in the People's Republic of China. The article ends with a discussion of the methodological significance of this lens for understanding interethnic relationships, while recognizing the challenges of examining ethnic prejudice as a site for negotiating identity and citizenship.


We consider the volumes of classical supermanifolds (such as the supersphere, complex projective superspace, Stiefel and Grassmann supermanifolds) with respect to natural metrics or symplectic structures. We show that the formulae for the volumes of these supermanifolds can be obtained from the formulae for the volumes of the corresponding ordinary manifolds (under some universal normalization of the volume) by analytic continuation with respect to parameters. The volumes of nontrivial supermanifolds may be identically equal to zero. In the 1970s Berezin showed that the total Haar measure of the unitary supergroup vanishes except in the cases and , when the supergroup is the ordinary unitary group or . Some time ago Witten conjectured that the Liouville volume of a compact even symplectic supermanifold is always equal to zero (except for ordinary manifolds). We give counterexamples to this conjecture, present a simple explanation of Berezin's theorem, and generalize this theorem to the Stiefel supermanifold . We mention a connection with recent work of Mkrtchyan and Veselov on universal formulae in Lie algebra theory. Bibliography: 32 titles.


We consider a recent hierarchy of upper approximations proposed by Lasserre (arXiv:1907.097784, 2019) for the minimization of a polynomial $f$ over a compact set $K \subseteq \mathbb{R}^n$. This hierarchy relies on using the push-forward measure of the Lebesgue measure on $K$ by the polynomial $f$ and involves univariate sums of squares of polynomials with growing degrees $2r$. Hence it is weaker, but cheaper to compute, than an earlier hierarchy by Lasserre (SIAM Journal on Optimization 21(3), 864--885, 2011), which uses multivariate sums of squares. We show that this new hierarchy converges to the global minimum of $f$ at a rate in $O(\log^2 r / r^2)$ whenever $K$ satisfies a mild geometric condition, which holds, e.g., for convex bodies. As an application this rate of convergence also applies to the stronger hierarchy based on multivariate sums of squares, which extends earlier convergence results to a wider class of compact sets. Furthermore, we show that our analysis is near-optimal by proving a lower bound on the convergence rate in $\Omega(1/r^2)$ for a class of polynomials on $K=[-1,1]$, obtained by exploiting a connection to orthogonal polynomials.


The developmental changes in the capacity for D-glucose transport of guinea pig erythrocyte membranes were compared to alterations in the electrophoretic pattern of erythrocyte membrane components. Guinea pig erythrocytes lose their D-glucose carrier functions during development. Good correlation was observed between the loss of glucose uptake and apparent decrease of the zone 4.5 of Coomassie Blue-stained membrane proteins on electrophoresis. Reconstitution of membrane preparations in liposomes resulted in a parallel change in the D-glucose uptake and D-glucose penetration of intact erythrocytes. This suggests that the decrease of D-glucose transport capacity during development is caused by the loss of one or more protein components from the erythrocyte membranes.


Far too many Indians today do not seem to appreciate the idea of pluralist tolerance, which forms the structural framework of Indian democracy. They see pluralism as phony and tolerant secularism as hypocritical or irrelevant to an existence centered on narrow religious, regional or ethnic identities. Extremist religious ideologies as well as violent politics of mindless forces on the right and the left have often overshadowed the idea of a tolerant society that our founding fathers dreamed of, where many views would compete for public attention and where the motto 'live and let live' would be the nation's guiding philosophy. This essay is a plea for the restoration of reason in public life. It is written from the point of view of a liberal-secular democrat, who also happens to be an agnostic.


The current study investigated the influence of age-related constructs on the psychological contract and its relationships with continuance and normative commitment. It was proposed that as people age, their future time perspective (FTP) decreases. Consequently, it was expected that contract fulfilment would be positively related to continuance commitment for workers with short FTP, while it would be positively related to normative commitment for workers with long FTP. Conversely, it was argued that, with age, workers' perceived work-related expertise increases, resulting in stronger reactions to obligation fulfilment on normative commitment. A study among 334 employees showed that FTP and work-related expertise indeed moderated the relationships between contract fulfilment and organizational commitment. The results showed that the influence of age on the relations between contract fulfilment with outcomes is dependent upon FTP and occupational expertise. The study shows the value of a lifespan perspective on psychological contracts and their relations with organizational commitment.


SUMMARY In order to improve and better coordinate the knowledge and information available for bycatch species, the ICCAT Meta-database was developed in 2010. The Meta-database was populated with information regarding bycatch species contained within the ICCAT collected volumes as well as the ASFA database. The information in the database can be extracted in a variety of ways of use in different analyses. The database contains a wide variety of information on bycatch species within the Atlantic region. Although the database is well designed and very useful, it has several limitations. These limitations could largely be overcome by migrating the Metadata base from its current format to an open source platform and made available online. In particular, the online reference management solution Zotero, is a promising candidate for the migration of this database. RESUME


SummaryThe paper compares broad focus, narrow focus and contrastive focus in English and Italian. It concludes that a focus cannot have a contrastive meaning unless some precise syntactic and discourse features "preliminarly" make it a narrow focus. The comparison between broad and narrow focus should be made on a syntactic and discourse level, whereas the relationship between narrow and contrastive focus is better described in semantic terms. In particular, a narrow focus arises when the intonational prominence is in a marked position, i.e. not only a position which is marked for the intonational prominence as such, but also any position that is marked for the constituent that bears the prominence. One difference in this respect between order in English (more fixed) and in Italian (less fixed) is analysed, leading to the conclusion that some relationships with narrow focus usually attributed to specific syntactic roles are better seen as a matter of simple position of the constituents. The different factors that cause contrastive focus (such as words belonging to closed paradigms, focus on given information, etc.) are analysed comparatively and a classification is suggested in terms of paradigmatic vs. syntagmatic contrast.


The cyclometalated platinum(II) complex [Pt(L)Cl], where HL is a new cyclometalating ligand 2-phenyl-6-(1H-pyrazol-3-yl)pyridine containing C(phenyl), N(pyridyl), and N(pyrazolyl) donor moieties, was found to possess two-photon-induced luminescent properties. The two-photon-absorption cross section of the complex in N,N-dimethylformamide at room temperature was measured to be 20.8 GM. Upon two-photon excitation at 730 nm from a Ti:sapphire laser, bright-green emission was observed. Besides its two-photon-induced luminescent properties, [Pt(L)Cl] was able to be rapidly accumulated in live HeLa and NIH3T3 cells. The two-photon-induced luminescence of the complex was retained after live cell internalization and can be observed by two-photon confocal microscopy. Its bioaccumulation properties enabled time-lapse imaging of the internalization process of the dye into living cells. Cytotoxicity of [Pt(L)Cl] to both tested cell lines was low, according to MTT assays, even at loadings as high as 20 times the dose concentration for imaging for 6 h.


Study Objectives: Growing evidence suggests that sleep disturbances precede by years the clinical onset of Alzheimer disease (AD). The goal of the current study is to determine whether changes in polysomnographic (PSG) sleep patterns accompany subjective sleep complaints in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We further examine whether meaningful changes in objective sleep physiology are predicted by self-reported sleep measures in MCI patients, and whether incipient neurodegeneration contributes to exacerbate sleep misperception. Design, Setting, and Participants: Overnight PSG recordings and self-reported sleep measures were obtained from 25 healthy elderly (HE) subjects and 25 patients with MCI at the sleep laboratory. Results: Both PSG and self-reported sleep measures confirmed that sleep is altered in patients with MCI. Whereas subjective sleep responses predicted fragmentation of slow wave sleep (SWS) in HE individuals, this relationship was not evident in MCI patients. Furthermore, patients with MCI showed significant discrepancies in the estimation of sleep onset latency when compared with HE subjects. Conclusions: Sleep is significantly impaired in patients with mild cognitive impairment at both the objective and subjective level, which may be used as a surrogate marker of preclinical Alzheimer disease. Taken together, these findings aid in the development of novel therapeutic strategies devoted to improve sleep in the elderly population at risk of developing Alzheimer disease.


Patients with noncardiac chest pain frequently have some evidence of gastroesophageal reflux. Yet there are few formal studies on the treatment of what appears to be reflux-related chest pain. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of intensive antireflux therapy in patients with noncardiac chest pain and gastroesophageal reflux and to determine whether patients who will respond to this therapy can be identified through routine esophageal testing. Thirteen patients with noncardiac chest pain and evidence of gastroesophageal reflux were treated with intensive antireflux therapy featuring high-dose ranitidine. Chest pain symptoms were scored from 0 (none) to 4 (severe) at entry into the study and at 8 weeks. Mean symptom scores were 2.9 ± 0.3 at entry and 0.7 ± 0.3 at 8 weeks. All patients had improvement, including those with a normal endoscopic or barium study (nine patients) and those for whom earlier standard antireflux therapy had failed (seven patients). Only one patient had a positive acid perfusion test, and only seven had any correlation of chest pain and reflux episodes during ambulatory monitoring. We concluded that many patients with noncardiac chest pain have gastroesophageal reflux, including those for whom an empiric trial of standard antireflux therapy fails. More aggressive antireflux therapy often leads to improvement in symptoms. Diagnostic studies requiring strict correlation of chest pain symptoms and reflux episodes are insensitive methods of determining which patients will respond to antireflux therapy.


alpha-Methyl-3,4-dihydroxy-DLphenylalanine has been found to be an effective inhibitor of aromatic amino acid decarboxylation in man. This was shown by decreased formation of serotonin, tryptamine, and tyramine from the precursor amino acids. Reduction of amine biosynthesis is associated with lowering of blood pressure in hypertensive patients and a transient sedative effect.


In order to solve lubricating problem of circular tilting pad thrust bearing in the heavy equipment, lubricating characteristics mathematical model is established based on the Computational Fluid Dynamics and lubricating theory, the Finite Element Method is used to compute the lubricating characteristics of a circular tilting pad thrust bearing, and figure out thickness distribution of oil film, pressure distribution of oil film, temperature distribution of oil film, power loss and fluid flow, etc. lubricating characteristics parameters by self-compiling software program. Experiments testify the validity of the lubricating characteristics mathematical model. Through this method, the safety of a circular tilting pad thrust bearing can be forecasted, and the optimal design of such products can be achieved, and provides reasonable data for actual design and experiment, and decreases economy loss.


Microbial eukaryotes are key components of the ocean plankton. Yet, our understanding of their community composition and activity in different water layers of the ocean is limited, particularly for picoeukaryotes (0.2-3µm cell size). Here we examined the picoeukaryotic communities inhabiting different vertical zones of the tropical and subtropical global ocean: surface, deep chlorophyll maximum, mesopelagic (including the deep scattering layer and minimum oxygen zone) and bathypelagic. Communities were analysed by high-throughput sequencing of the 18S rRNA gene, as represented by DNA (community structure) and RNA (metabolic expression), followed by delineation of Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs). We found a clear stratification of the picoeukaryotic communities along the water column, with two differentiated assemblages corresponding to the sunlit and dark ocean. Specific taxonomic groups either increased or decreased their abundances with depth. We used the rRNA:rDNA ratio of each individual OTU as a proxy of its metabolic activity. The highest relative activity was found in the mesopelagic layer for most taxonomic groups, and the lowest in the bathypelagic. Overall, our results characterize the change in community structure and activity of picoeukaryotes in the global-ocean water column, suggesting that the mesopeagic layer is a hot-spot of picoeukaryotic activity.


This paper applies a control method based on current control and sum-capacitor-voltage estimation to the direct ac/ac modular multilevel converter. As capacitor voltages are estimated, their measurements are not needed in the high-level control, which simplifies the communication between the main controller and the submodules of the converter. The stability of the internal dynamics of the converter, using the aforementioned control method, is studied using Lyapunov stability theory, proving that the system is globally asymptotically stable. The behavior of the converter is simulated focusing on three-phase 50 Hz to single-phase 16 2/3 Hz conversion, which is typical for railway power supply systems of some European countries. Simulation results are in agreement with the expected behavior of the converter, both in steady-state and dynamic situations.


Social media has become an everyday means of interaction and information sharing on the Internet. However, posts on social networks are often aggressive and toxic, especially when the topic is controversial or politically charged. Radicalization, extreme speech, and in particular online misogyny against women in the public eye have become alarmingly negative features of online discussions. The present study proposes a methodological approach to contribute to ongoing discussions about the multiple ways in which women, their experiences, and their choices are attacked in polarized social media responses. Based on a review of theories on and detection methods for misogyny, we present a classification scheme that incorporates eleven different explicit as well as implicit layers of online misogyny. We also apply our classes to a case study related to online aggression against Amber Heard in the context of her allegations of domestic violence against Johnny Depp. We finally evaluate the reliability of Google's Perspective API -- a standard for detecting toxic language -- for determining gender discrimination as toxicity. We show that a large part of online misogyny, especially when verbalized without expletive terms but instead more implicitly is not captured automatically.


This paper presents a new hybrid network architecture including different transport technologies to support a wide range of services. In particular the proposed hybrid network provides three service levels, and a possible set of foreseeable services with different QoS needs is mapped into these levels to show the effectiveness of the hybrid networking in managing multi-service requests. In the switching nodes of the network, each service level is associated to a different switching technology, thus optimizing the switch implementation. In the nodes of the network, the service levels are distinguished based on optical encoding techniques, while an output collision stage manages the access to the output wavelengths. Performance studies show the effectiveness of the output collision mechanism.


The Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) is an application-level protocol
for distributed printing using Internet tools and technologies. This
document describes a simplified model consisting of abstract objects,
attributes, and operations that is independent of encoding and
transport. The model consists of several objects, including Printers
and Jobs. Jobs optionally support multiple Documents. IPP semantics
allow End Users and Operators to query Printer capabilities; submit
Print Jobs; inquire about the status of Print Jobs and Printers; and
cancel, hold, and release Print Jobs. IPP semantics also allow
Operators to pause and resume Jobs and Printers. Security,
internationalization, and directory issues are also addressed by the
model and semantics. The IPP message encoding and transport are
described in "Internet Printing Protocol/1.1: Encoding and Transport"
(RFC 8010). This document obsoletes RFCs 2911, 3381, and 3382.


Research has shown that social media is a particularly well-suited channel for distributing populist messages. However, it has hardly been explored what type of audience reactions populist communication triggers on social media and whether populist political leaders garner more support online than political leaders who do not represent populist views or communicate in a populist way. In this chapter, we address these open questions. We define populist communication, review recent research on populist online communication, and describe what we learned when we analyzed the tweets and Facebook posts of 36 diverse political leaders in six countries over a three-month period.


Hamid Khan uses the tools of foregrounding (deviation and parallelism) to project war and its devastating effects on society. This paper aims at searching for the projection of the theme of war through deviation and parallelism in the two poetic collections of Khan, i.e. "Velvet of Loss" and "Pale Leaf (Three Voices)". The data are analysed on the basis of the theory of foregrounding. Apart from the apparent reference to war zones, the implications of the horrors of war, at global level, are found. These devastating effects include hopelessness, insecurity, homelessness, losing of the near and dear for ever leaving behind orphans, widows, and patrons.


BACKGROUND
The physical risk factors leading to distal radial fractures are poorly understood. The goal of this study was to compare postural stability between older adults with and without a prior distal radial fragility fracture.

METHODS
This case-control evaluation was performed at a single tertiary institution. The fracture cohort comprised 23 patients treated for a low-energy distal radial fracture within 6 to 24 months prior to this study. Twenty-three age and sex-matched control participants, without a prior fragility fracture, were selected from an outpatient clinic population. All participants completed a balance assessment with a computerized balance platform device. Dynamic motion analysis (DMA) scores ranging from 0 to 1,440 points are produced, with lower scores indicating better postural stability. Participants also completed validated questionnaires for general health quality (EuroQol-5D-3L [EQ-5D-3L]) and physical activity (Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly [PASE]) and comprehensive health and demographic information including treatment for compromised balance or osteoporosis. Statistical analysis compared data between cases and controls using either the Student t test or the Mann-Whitney U test.

RESULTS
There were no significant differences (p > 0.05) in age, sex, body mass index, physical activity score, or EQ-5D-3L general health visual analog scale score between participants with or without prior distal radial fracture. The fracture cohort demonstrated poorer balance, with higher DMA scores at 933 points compared with 790 points for the control cohort (p = 0.008). Nineteen patients (83%) in the fracture cohort reported having dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans within 5 years prior to this study, but only 2 patients (9%) had ever been referred for balance training with physical therapy.

CONCLUSIONS
Older adults who sustain low-energy distal radial fractures demonstrate impaired postural stability compared with individuals of a similar age who have not sustained such fractures. Following a distal radial fracture, these patients may benefit from interventions to improve postural stability.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.


The reproductive biology, age, growth, food and habitat of Nannoperca australis are described from samples collected from fringing macrophyte beds of the Macquarie River, Tasmania. Comparisons are made with the same species at Narrandera in New South Wales and other nannopercids, mainly in south-western Australia. Nannoperca australis spawned at the end of its first year, predominantly between October and December, inclusive. The peak mean gonadosomatic index of males occurred in August at 8.0 and that of females two months later at 11.5. The largest oocytes, of running-ripe females collected in October and December, were 1.15 mm in diameter. Fecundities ranged from 78 for a 1-year-old 37-mm fish to 679 for a 2-year-old 63-mm fish. Spawning is presumed to occur in the macrophyte habitat, since adults did not emigrate from these areas at this time. Otoliths and length-frequency histograms indicated that populations were dominated by 0+ fish. Amphipods and ostracods predominated in the guts of N. australis and prey items were mostly either benthic invertebrates or plant epifauna. Plankton was consumed by small fish in greater quantities than by larger fish, whereas the opposite was true for benthic and epifaunal prey. Fish were virtually always associated with aquatic macrophytes and almost always with shallow, still water.


Different methods for the renal cancer diagnosis: roentgenological, vasographic, radioisotopic, cytological, immunological and others are assessed comparatively. Among the routine roentgenological methods excretory and infusion urography, retropneumoperitoneum associated with tomography and excretory urography, retrograde pyelography proved to be effective. Kidney scanning with neohydrine is a simple and safe technic of examination. Selective arteriography is the most effective method for recognizing renal cancer, however in 7.2% of patients the response was negative. Cytological and immunological methods are of a secondary value. The scheme of examining patients suspected of renal cancer is recommended.


Federal legislation for educating students with disabilities guides the selection of educational placements on the basis of the least restrictive environment, which must encourage the promotion of social interaction between students with disabilities and their nondisabled peers and must provide students an appropriate education. Some advocacy groups believe that social interaction is, itself, the appropriate education for students with disabilities, and reject the idea of special education placements. These full inclusionists believe that special education placements are inherently unequal and that their elimination will result in transformation of regular classrooms into more responsible, resourceful, and humane systems. However, the "separate is unequal" position fails to recognize that special education programs can be nurturing, demanding, and empowering in a way that mainstream education is not. Good special education is individualized, in contrast to regular education's "one size fits all" approach. The full inclusionists presume to speak for everyone despite the fact that several advocacy groups have issued public statements strongly endorsing special education placement options. Full inclusionists, who generally advocate for children with mental retardation, cannot seek their policy agenda only for children with mental retardation, as such a qualification would be construed as support for special education placements and their children may be the ones so placed. (Contains 24 references.) (JDD) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * from the original document. * ***********************************************************************


Installation of OffshoreWind Turbine structural components need to be executed in sea states for which their dynamic responses are expected to remain within a safe domain or perform a limited number of outcrossings from the safe boundary beyond which the responses may lead to unsafe working conditions, large impact loads or even structural failure. A critical installation activity limiting the installation of a Transition Piece TP is often the motion monitoring phase of the mating points until its landing on the foundation. The operational limit is normally given by the horizontal displacement and the safe domain could conveniently be defined by a circle of radius r in the horizontal plane. This paper presents an existing general accurate method and its solution to estimate the outcrossing rate of dynamic responses for a circular safe boundary in short crested seas which is applicable for the motion monitoring phase of offshore wind turbine components prior to mating. The required input is calculated from spectral analysis in the frequency domain and the solution is derived for Gaussian processes. It is found that both 1st and 2nd order responses have to be included and that the Gaussian assumption for the slow drift motions is not valid so that its real PDF is required. Also wave spreading has large influence in the outcrossing rate and should realistically be applied. The suggested approach is in agreement with real offshore practice, and is efficient when compared with time domain simulations. Then, the outcrossing rate method could help on Marine Operations decision making during critical installation activities.Copyright © 2015 by ASME


My diploma thesis focuses on the social integration of a hard-of-hearing Roma pupil within three groups of other pupils, on the second level of a special needs programme, in the 3rd year of elementary school with a lower educational standard and also in handicraft classes. In the theoretical part the Roma people, their ethnic origin, history and development are presented. Moreover, a group of children with special needs is presented and a group of the deaf and hearing- impaired is analysed.
In addition the thesis defines what communication and communication among the deaf are, discusses the social development of a child with the emphasis on a deaf or hard-of-hearing child. Furthermore the concept of inclusion and integration is analysed in detail with a focus on the advantages and disadvantages of the integration of a deaf or hard-of-hearing child among the hearing peers.
In the empirical part an analysis of an actual case of the social integration of a hard-of-hearing pupil and her social acceptance in different classes is presented. Through the interviews with the class teacher, the teacher in the third year of elementary school with a lower educational standard, the extra-curricular activities teacher and also with the documantation of a pupil, the results of the questionnaire for her schoolfriends and peers in other two groups as well as the sociogram the social integration of a hearing-impared Roma pupil is established.
The findings of the empirical part show that the hearing-impaired Roma girl is well socially integrated only in the 3rd year of elementary school with a lower educational standard whereas other pupils in other groups do not accept her which results in her low social status.
The main reason for the girl's low integration is, according to her teachers, unsuccessful communication between the hard-of-hearing girl and her peers. The teachers believe that inclusion is not suitable for every deaf or hard-of-hearing pupil. The key factor for a successful integration is well-prepared and trained teachers and adaptability of a learning process to a deaf or hearing-impaired pupil.


Abstract Seafood production governance, primarily and traditionally a governmental activity, is increasingly designed and performed by private actors, such as business organizations and/or Non-Governmental Organization. This is often seen as complementary to public regulation in handling collective problems, but there are few studies within the aquaculture sector which investigate the extent and potential of such arrangements. The aim of this paper is to study self-regulation among groups of fish farmers as a means to solve collective challenges in the commons and to derive lessons for future cooperative arrangements. Using data from the Norwegian salmon industry, we investigate the extent of private self-regulated collaborations, the motivation for collaboration, and the self-reported obstacles. We further elucidate the strengths and weaknesses of such arrangements, both regarding day-to-day operations and in times of crisis. The findings show that private self-regulation plays an important role in increasing available resources in addressing common challenges and coordinating the production to limit negative externalities. However, such arrangements cannot work in isolation and need to be aligned with the role and functioning of public authorities. In fact, the looming shadow of the state is an important prerequisite for the successful role of such arrangements.


We show how symmetry properties can be used to greatly increase the accuracy and efficiency in auxiliary-field quantum Monte Carlo (AFQMC) calculations of electronic systems. With the Hubbard model as an example, we study symmetry preservation in two aspects of ground-state AFQMC calculations, the Hubbard-Straonovich transformation and the form of the trial wave function. It is shown that significant improvement over state-of-the-art calculations can be achieved. In unconstrained calculations, the implementation of symmetry often leads to shorter convergence time and much smaller statistical errors, thereby a substantial reduction of the sign problem. Moreover, certain excited states become possible to calculate which are otherwise beyond reach. In calculations with constraints, the use of symmetry can reduce the systematic error from the constraint. It also allows release-constraint calculations, leading to essentially exact results in many cases. Detailed comparisons are made with exact diagonalization results. Accurate ground-state energies are then presented for larger system sizes in the two-dimensional repulsive Hubbard model.


Mucosal IgA is the most abundantly produced Ig upon colonization of the intestinal tract with commensal organisms in the majority of mammals. The repertoire of these IgA molecules is still largely unknown; a large amount of the mucosal IgA cannot be shown to react with the inducing microorganisms. Analysis of the repertoire of used H chain Ig (VH) genes by H-CDR3 spectrotyping, cloning, and sequencing of VH genes from murine intestinal IgA-producing plasma cells reveals a very restricted usage of VH genes and multiple clonally related sequences. The restricted usage of VH genes is a very consistent observation, and is observed for IgA plasma cells derived from B-1 or conventional B-2 cells from different mouse strains. Clonal patterns from all analyzed VH gene sequences show mainly independently acquired somatic mutations in contrast to the clonal evolution patterns often observed as a consequence of affinity maturation in germinal center reactions in peripheral lymphoid organs and Peyer's patches. Our data suggest a model of clonal expansion in which many mucosal IgA-producing B cells develop in the absence of affinity maturation. The affinity of most produced IgA might not be the most critical factor for its possible function to control the commensal organisms, but simply the abundance of large amounts of IgA that can bind with relatively unselected affinity to redundant epitopes on such organisms.


Impact behaviors of Aluminum Honeycombs Sandwich Panel (AHSP) by drop weight test were investigated in this study. Two types of specimens with l/2" and l/4" cell size were tested by two impactors with the weight of 5.25kgf and 11.9kgf respectively. Transient, contact and elastic-plastic analyses were performed by finite element method. Impact behavior of AHSP about impact sites appeared nearly the same in low impact energy, but it was different in high impact energy. Face was the strongest about impact and short-edge was the weakest. The damaged area of AHSP was enlarged with the increase of impactor weight that is corresponding to impact energy. After 3-point bending test, fracture modes of AHSP were analyzed with AE counts, lower face sheet was fractured in the long-edge direction first, and then separation between face sheet and core happened. In the short-edge direction after core wrinkled, lower face sheet was torn, impact behavior by FE analysis were increased localized damage in high velocity because the faster velocity of the impact was, the smaller the stress of core was. Consequently, impactor weight had an effect on widely damaged area, while the impact velocity gave rise to localized damaged area.


Objective ImPACT® (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) is a computerized neuropsychological screening battery, which is widely used to measure the acute effects of sport-related concussion and to monitor recovery from injury. This study examined the factor structure of ImPACT® in several samples of high school student athletes. We hypothesized that a 2-factor structure would be present in all samples. Method A sample of 4,809 adolescent student athletes was included, and subgroups with a history of treatment for headaches or a self-reported history of learning problems or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder were analyzed separately. Exploratory principal axis factor analyses with Promax rotations were used. Results As hypothesized, both the combination of Verbal Memory and Visual Memory Composite scores loaded on one (Memory) factor, while Visual Motor Speed and Reaction Time loaded on a different (Speed) factor, in the total sample and in all subgroups. Conclusion These results provide reasonably compelling evidence, across multiple samples, which ImPACT® measures 2 distinct factors: memory and speed.


In this paper, a gas-to-power (GtoP) system for power outages is digitally modeled and experimentally developed. The design includes a solid-state hydrogen storage system composed of TiFeMn as a hydride forming alloy (6.7 kg of alloy in five tanks) and an air-cooled fuel cell (maximum power: 1.6 kW). The hydrogen storage system is charged under room temperature and 40 bar of hydrogen pressure, reaching about 110 g of hydrogen capacity. In an emergency use case of the system, hydrogen is supplied to the fuel cell, and the waste heat coming from the exhaust air of the fuel cell is used for the endothermic dehydrogenation reaction of the metal hydride. This GtoP system demonstrates fast, stable, and reliable responses, providing from 149 W to 596 W under different constant as well as dynamic conditions. A comprehensive and novel simulation approach based on a network model is also applied. The developed model is validated under static and dynamic power load scenarios, demonstrating excellent agreement with the experimental results.


This paper studies a function fitting problem which we coin first-order convex fitting (FCF): given any two vector sequences x1, ..., xT and p1, ..., pT, when is it possible to efficiently construct a convex function f(x) that ``fits'' the two sequences in the first-order sense, i.e, the (sub)gradient of f(xi) equals precisely pi, for all i = 1, ..., T? Despite a basic question of convex analysis, FCF has surprisingly been overlooked in the past literature. With an efficient constructive proof, we provide a clean answer to this question: FCF is possible if and only if the two sequences are permutation stable: p1 * x1 + ... + pT * xT is greater than or equal to p1 * x'1 + ... + pT * x'T where x'1, ..., x'T is any permutation of x1, ..., xT.

We demonstrate the usefulness of FCF in two applications. First, we study how it can be used as an empirical risk minimization procedure to learn the original convex function. We provide efficient PAC-learnability bounds for special classes of convex functions learned via FCF, and demonstrate its application to multiple economic problems where only function gradients (as opposed to function values) can be observed. Second, we empirically show how it can be used as a surrogate to significantly accelerate the minimization of the original convex function.


A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Science and Engineering of the Nelson Mandela
African Institution of Science and Technology


The nature of the Great Valley basement, whether oceanic or continental, has long been a source of controversy. A velocity model (derived from a 200-km-long east-west reflection-refraction profile collected south of the Mendocino triple junction, northern California, in 1993), further constrained by density and magnetic models, reveals an ophiolite underlying the Great Valley (Great Valley ophiolite), which in turn is underlain by a westward extension of lower-density continental crust (Sierran affinity material). We used an integrated modeling philosophy, first modeling the seismic-refraction data to obtain a final velocity model, and then modeling the long-wavelength features of the gravity data to obtain a final density model that is constrained in the upper crust by our velocity model. The crustal section of Great Valley ophiolite is 7–8 km thick, and the Great Valley ophiolite relict oceanic Moho is at 11–16 km depth. The Great Valley ophiolite does not extend west beneath the Coast Ranges, but only as far as the western margin of the Great Valley, where the 5–7-km-thick Great Valley ophiolite mantle section dips west into the present-day mantle. There are 16–18 km of lower-density Sierran affinity material beneath the Great Valley ophiolite mantle section, such that a second, deeper, "present-day" continental Moho is at about 34 km depth. At mid-crustal depths, the boundary between the eastern extent of the Great Valley ophiolite and the western extent of Sierran affinity material is a near-vertical velocity and density discontinuity about 80 km east of the western margin of the Great Valley. Our model has important implications for crustal growth at the North American continental margin. We suggest that a thick ophiolite sequence was obducted onto continental material, probably during the Jurassic Nevadan orogeny, so that the Great Valley basement is oceanic crust above oceanic mantle vertically stacked above continental crust and continental mantle.


We are interested in modelling Darwinian evolution, resulting from the interplay of phenotypic variation and natural selection through ecological interactions. Our models are rooted in the microscopic, stochastic description of a population of discrete individuals characterized by one or several adaptive traits. The population is modelled as a stochastic point process whose generator captures the probabilistic dynamics over continuous time of birth, mutation, and death, as in uenced by each individual's trait values, and interactions between individuals. An o spring usually inherits the trait values of her progenitor, except when a mutation causes the o spring to take an instantaneous mutation step at birth to new trait values. We look for tractable large population approximations. By combining various scalings on population size, birth and death rates, mutation rate, mutation step, or time, a single microscopic model is shown to lead to contrasting macroscopic limits, of di erent nature: deterministic, in the form of ordinary, integro-, or partial di erential equations, or probabilistic, like stochastic partial di erential equations or superprocesses. In the limit of rare mutations, we show that a possible approximation is a jump process, justifying rigorously the so-called trait substitution sequence. We thus unify di erent points of view concerning mutation-selection evolutionary models. Key-words: Darwinian evolution, birth-death-mutation-competition point process, mutationselection dynamics, nonlinear integro-di erential equations, nonlinear partial di erential equations, nonlinear superprocesses, tness, adaptive dynamics, trait substitution sequence.


The aim of the present work is to investigate the development of counterfactual emotions in children aged 3 to 10. More specifically, this work deals with the development of the emotions of regret and relief. Five studies were conducted to determine at which age children start to understand, to feel and to attribute to others counterfactual emotions, as well as to experience the comparison with others during a choice. Study 1 aims to replicate Weisberg and Beck's paradigm, developed in 2010; and its results point out that children are able to feel regret at 5 years of age and relief at 7. Study 2 introduces some methodological changes and shows that children are able to report regret and relief starting at 6. The importance of the responsibility for the choice in the experience of regret is supported by the results concerning the manipulation of sense of agency (Study 3), with an effect on the experience of counterfactual emotions starting at 6 years old. To investigate the relationship between the ability to attribute to others emotions and to feel an emotion, study 4 aims to test whether children attribute to others regret and relief before experiencing them. The last study (Study 5: participants aged 3-11) concerns the development of social comparison and the experience of envy or gloating compared with the experience of regret and relief. The results reveal an effect of social comparison that precedes the effects of the two counterfactual emotions.


This paper continues the investigation of methods for computing exact bounds on the path metric diierences in maximum-likelihood sequence detectors based upon the Viterbi algorithm. New upper and lower estimates for these bounds are presented and recast in terms of a collection of linear programming problems. These estimates improve upon previously proposed linear programming bounds. The estimates are applied to derive exact bounds or provably close to exact bounds for several Viterbi detectors corresponding to coded and uncoded partial-response channels of practical interest in digital magnetic and optical recording.


ABSTRACT Bullying or harassment are a part of the everyday experience of many school children in the U.S. Bullying can take many forms and, while not acceptable, is considered almost inevitable. Despite exposure to various anti-bullying programs instituted in the schools, bullying persists and students must figure out how to deal with this phenomenon. This exploratory study investigated the views of secondary school students on bullying and harassment as well as their strategies for handling this form of peer interaction. One hundred twenty-two students (N = 122) from three rural high schools participated in this action research inquiry. The data were gathered from five focus groups and 52 individual interviews. The study found that students in these schools used cognitive coping mechanisms and strategies to manage the impact of bullying when it was directed toward them. The article describes students' reactions to being victimized as well as their interpretations of their peers' actions. Findings inform violence prevention programs by providing the students' perspective on dealing with this pervasive issue.


Multi-purpose recreation facilities (MPRFs) are a popular setting for physical activity and it is therefore important that they are safe for all patrons. However, the attitudes of MPRF users towards safety are a potential barrier to the success of injury prevention programmes implemented within MPRFs. This article reports a survey of the safety attitudes of over 700 users of four indoor MPRFs. Factor analysis of 12 five-point Likert scale statements showed that the attitudes clustered around three major dimensions – the importance of safety, the benefits of safety and the perceptions of injury risk. Together, these three dimensions accounted for 49% of the variability in the attitudes. More than 85% of respondents agreed/strongly agreed that: safety was an important aspect of physical activity participation; being injured affected enjoyment of physical activity; people should adopt appropriate safety measures for all physical activity; and individuals were responsible for their own safety. The MPRF users, particularly women and older people, were generally safety conscious, believed in adopting safety measures, and were willing to take responsibility for their own safety. Facility managers can be confident that if they provide evidence-based injury prevention interventions in these settings, then users will respond appropriately and adopt the promoted behaviours.


The absorption of anthropogenic carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by oceans generates rapid changes in seawater carbonate system and pH, a process termed ocean acidification. Exposure to acidified water can impact the allostatic load of marine organism as the acclimation to suboptimal environments requires physiological adaptive responses that are energetically costly. As a consequence, fish facing ocean acidification may experience alterations of their stress response and a compromised ability to cope with additional stress, which may impact individuals' life traits and ultimately their fitness. In this context, we carried out an integrative study investigating the impact of ocean acidification on the physiological and behavioral stress responses to an acute stress in juvenile European sea bass. Fish were long term (11 months) exposed to present day pH/CO2 condition or acidified water as predicted by IPCC "business as usual" (RCP8.5) scenario for 2100 and subjected to netting stress (fish transfer and confinement test). Fish acclimated to acidified condition showed slower post stress return to plasma basal concentrations of cortisol and glucose. We found no clear indication of regulation in the central and interrenal tissues of the expression levels of gluco- and mineralocorticoid receptors and corticoid releasing factor. At 120 min post stress, sea bass acclimated to acidified water had divergent neurotransmitters concentrations pattern in the hypothalamus (higher serotonin levels and lower GABA and dopamine levels) and a reduction in motor activity. Our experimental data indicate that ocean acidification alters the physiological response to acute stress in European sea bass via the neuroendocrine regulation of the corticotropic axis, a response associated to an alteration of the motor behavioral profile. Overall, this study suggests that behavioral and physiological adaptive response to climate changes related constraints may impact fish resilience to further stressful events.


The structural changes in an economy that accompany its growth to high-income status have been predictable in Europe, the United States, and Asia, characterized by declining employment in agriculture and rising levels of urbanization driven by jobs in the modern industrial sector. As agricultural productivity rises, the share of people employed in agriculture declines, and both urbanization and employment in manufacturing increase. Food prices fall relative to wages, causing the share of income spent on food to decline to very low levels. Asian countries have followed a similar path, although at a much faster pace. Africa, however, is different. Despite a high share of the population in urban areas, most African countries have yet to see significant increases in agricultural productivity that might drive industrial growth and jobs. The rising share of urban population has not been matched by increases in agricultural productivity, falling food prices, or the emergence of a viable industrial sector. Available evidence shows that agricultural yields in Africa are low and food is costly, while the share of employment in agriculture remains high. For the process of structural transformation to get underway, African countries must invest in the manufacture of fertilizer, develop better methods of water control, improve transportation, and invest in cold storage. Each of these interventions requires significant amounts of energy, including energy from fossil fuels, and they are not replaceable—countries have managed structural transformation in different ways but to date none have leapfrogged the process.


The Pierre Auger Observatory (Auger) and the Telescope Array Project (TA) are the two largest ultra-high-energy cosmic ray observatories in the world. They operate in the Southern and Northern hemispheres, respectively, at similar latitudes but with different surface detector (SD) designs. This difference in detector design changes their sensitivity to the various components of extensive air showers. The over-arching goal of the Auger@TA working group is to cross-calibrate the SD arrays of the two observatories in order to identify or rule out systematic causes for the apparent differences in the flux measured at Auger and TA. The project itself is divided into two phases. Phase-I finished in 2020 and consisted of a station-level comparison facilitated by the deployment of two Auger stations, one prototype station with a single central PMT and a standard Auger station, in the middle of the TA SD near the Central Laser Facility, along with a modified TA station to provide external triggers from the TA SD. This provided the opportunity to observe the same extensive air showers with both Auger and TA detectors to directly compare their measurements. Phase-II of Auger@TA is currently underway and aims at building a self-triggering micro-Auger-array inside the TA array. This micro-array consists of eight Auger stations, seven of which use a 1-PMT prototype configuration and form a single hexagon with a traditional 1.5 km Auger spacing. The 8th station is of the standard Auger 3-PMT configuration and is placed at the center of the hexagon, along with a TA station to form a triplet. Each Auger station will also be outfitted with an AugerPrime Surface Scintillator Detector. A custom communication system using readily available components will be used to provide communication between the stations and remote access to each station via a central communications station. The deployment of the micro-array took place at the end of September 2022. A simulation study was carried out to gauge the expected performance of the Auger@TA micro-array and to derive trigger effi ciencies and event rates.


We administer during 6 months in randomised way dihydroergotamine or flunarizine to 50 children affects of classical or common migraine. A significative improvement was estimated in frequency, intensity and duration of their crisis in 87% with dihydroergotamine and 79% with flunarizine, without significative differences from one to other. Dihydroergotamine was specially effective in children with vegetative lability. The secondary effects, 12% with dihydroergotamine and 20% with flunarizine, were trivial and advantageous even, without the necessity of stop the treatment in not any case.


BACKGROUND
Thiazolidinediones (rosiglitazone, pioglitazone) influence insulin sensitivity and are used for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. Rosiglitazone achieves sustained improvements in glycaemic control, whilst having pleiotropic effects on cardiovascular risk factors. However, analysis of cardiovascular outcomes has been controversial.

OBJECTIVES
Review the cardiovascular safety of rosiglitazone by conducting a literature search.

METHODS
We conducted a PubMed search and critically reviewed published work on cardiovascular outcome of rosiglitazone, including clinical studies and meta-analyses.

RESULTS/CONCLUSION
The meta-analysis by Nissen and Wolski suggested increased cardiovascular risk in users of rosiglitazone, but this was not supported by an interim analysis of the RECORD trial designed to evaluate this, and several other reports failed to shed conclusive light on this issue. The cardiovascular benefits of pioglitazone have also been in doubt due to the failure of the PROactive trial to reach the primary cardiovascular end points, although this study reported a significant reduction in secondary end points. All of this has left diabetes care in some disarray, with weak evidence for adverse cardiovascular effects driving the reduced use of rosiglitazone, an agent that has important sustained effects on glycaemic control.


The performance of the marketing system of benniseed in Nasarawa State was determined by using marketing margin models, Analysis of Variance and Duncan multiple range test. Primary data used for analysis were generated through random sampling of 90 farmers and 270 regular middlemen. The results showed that the mean marketing margin was 18.2%, marketing costs 12.8%, net profit 8.3% and farmer's share 78.9% of the retail price. These values indicated efficient and competitive trends under the prevailing circumstances. ANOVA results showed that marketing margins at the three main market centers were significant at 0.05 level of probability while the multiple range tests showed that marketing margin was highest in Doma and Nassarawa central markets. Keywords: Marketing Margins; Benniseed; Nigeria.


Six VA-mycorrhizal fungi were tested for their ability to increase the biomass by colonization of roots and phosphatase activity in three varieties of papaya (Carica papaya L)_ Among the six VA- mycorrhizal fungi, Glomus mosseae was most effective in increasing the shoot and root dry weight over control. The per cent increase of shoot and root dry weight varied from 30.2 and 49.34 in CO 2 variety, 46.51 and 40.43 in CO 5 variety and 62.45 and 26.68 in 9-1 D variety on 90 days after sowing (DAS). The root colonization per cent was high in Glomus mosseae inoculated plants followed by G. fasciculatum, Acaulospora longula, G. claroideum, G. geosporum and A. laevis irrespective of the varieties of papaya. Among the varieties of papaya, CO 5 recorded maximum root colonization followed by CO 2 and 9-ID varieties irrespective of VAM fungi. Phosphatase activity due to mycorrhizal colonization showed that both the acid and alkali phosphatase activity increased significantly in all the three varieties of papaya. Acid phosphatase activity was higher than alkali phosphatase activity. Nutrient content of N,P and K and also of Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu increased due to VAM inoculation. Among the VAM species, G. mosseae recorded maximum N,P and K content of 1.84, 0.35 and 1.95 per cent in CO 5, 1.75,0.33 and 1.80 per cent in CO 2 and 1.75, 0.29 and 1.70 per cent in 9-1 D variety respectively.


Background: Vitamin D deficiency is associated with diabetes in many observational studies. However, the causality between them has not been established. We used bi-directional mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to explore the causal relationship between 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and glycemic status and indices. Methods: Participants were included from a survey in East China from 2014-2016 (10,338 and 10,655 participants having diabetes and vitamin D related genotyping information). We calculated weighted genetic risk scores (GRS) as the instrumental variables for 25(OH)D concentration and diabetes based on related single nucleotide polymorphisms. Fasting plasma glucose and HbA1c were measured. Diagnosis of diabetes and prediabetes was based on American Diabetes Association criteria. Results: The MR-derived odds ratios of genetically determined 25(OH)D for risk of diabetes and prediabetes was 0.985 (95% CI 0.940, 1.032) and 0.982 (95% CI 0.948, 1.016), respectively. The MR-derived estimates for fasting plasma glucose and HbA1c were also not significant. Conversely, the MR-derived regression coefficients of genetically determined diabetes and prediabetes for 25(OH)D was 0.448 (95% CI -0.395, 1.291) and 1.303 (95% CI -1.210, 3.816). Conclusion: Our results support the conclusion that there is no causal association between vitamin D and diabetes and prediabetes using a bi-directional MR approach in a Chinese population. MR studies using 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D and large intervention trials are needed to further validate the findings. Disclosure N. Wang: None. L. Zhao: None. C. Chen: None. Y. Chen: None. Y. Lu: None.