For a spacelike 2-surface in spacetime, we propose a new definition of quasi-local angular momentum and quasi-local center of mass, as an element in the dual space of the Lie algebra of the Lorentz group. Together with previous defined quasi-local energy-momentum, this completes the definition of conserved quantities in general relativity at the quasi-local level. We justify this definition by showing the consistency with the theory of special relativity and expectations on an axially symmetric spacetime. The limits at spatial infinity provide new definitions for total conserved quantities of an isolated system, which do not depend on any asymptotically flat coordinate system or asymptotic Killing field. The new proposal is free of ambiguities found in existing definitions and presents the first definition that precisely describes the dynamics of the Einstein equation.


The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether the Campylobacter jejuni strains causing two clinically distinct form of diarrhoea i.e. cholera-like watery diarrhoea (Group C strains) and dysentery-like mucoid diarrhoea (Group D strains) possess unique sets of virulence characteristics. For this purpose C. jejuni strains were assayed for a number of putative virulence factors and the results of the Group C strains were compared with those of Group D strains to assess whether these candidate virulence markers show any significant association with any particular group of strains. Initially, a comperative study of the enterotoxigenicity of Group C and D of strains was conducted The infant chicken model of Sanyal et al (1984a) proved unsatisfactory as convincing evidence of diarrhoea was not obtained. Subsequently, the new-borne chick diarrhoea model of Welkos (1984) was adopted which proved useful for this purpose. Attention was then turned to determine whether plasmids were involved in the enterotoxin production by C. jejuni strains. This aspect of study stemed from the preliminary report by Lee et al (1985) that the production of enterotoxin detectable by Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell assay was mediated by a 46.5 Kilo-base transmissible plasmid. No correlation between plasmid profile and enterotoxigenicity was noted in this study. The in vitro assays, GM1 ganglioside ELISA and CHO cell assay were found to suitable for quantitation of enterotoxin produced by the C. jejuni strains and the assays correlated well with each other. Enterotoxigenicity was predominantly associated with the Group C strains. Lines of partial identity were obtained between cholera toxin and C. jejuni enterotoxin in immunodiffusion experiments. No hybridization was however noted between Hind III digested chromosomal DNA of 4 enterotoxigenic C.jejuni strains and the E. coli LT B subunit gene probe. After successfully demonstrating the enterotoxigenic nature of C. Jejuni strains in the new-born chick model and in vitro assays (GM1 ganglioside ELISA and CHO cell assay), it was decided to explore whether the ligated ileal loop for fluid accumulation could be performed in infant chicks. Reproducible positive results were obtained in 5-day-old chicks, both with whole cells and cell- free culture supernates. This is the first report of accumulation of fluid in the ligated ileal loop of chickens by C. jejuni. C. jejuni strains produced an extracellular haemolysin active against a range of erythrocytes but not against chicken erythrocytes. The haemolytic factor lost its activity partially upon heat-treatment and was trypsin sensitive. The haemolysin which was also cytotoxic towards HeLa cells was predominantly produced by Group D strains. Adherence and invasion potentials of the C. jejuni strains were evaluated in the HeLa cell model by quantitative bacterial counts. The C. jejuni strains differentially adhered to and invaded HeLa cells. The Group D strains were significantly more invasive than the Group D strains, but the adherence of the strains belonging to the two groups did not differ significantly. However, the individual strains belonging to the two groups exhibited widely overlapping adherence and invasion potentials. Adherence and invasion of representative strains from both groups were significantly inhibited by L-fucose, cytochalasin B, chicken intestinal mucus and antiserum raised against formalinized bacterial cells. The results of this study have established the importance of working with a range of clinical isolates because they revel a spectrum of virulence. It seems probable that the degree of virulence of a particular strain is influenced by the expression of a number of virulence factors.


We use biquaternion to construct SL(2,C) ADHM Yang-Mills instantons. The solutions contain 16k-6 moduli parameters for the kth homotopy class, and include as a subset the SL(2,C) (M,N) instanton solutions constructed previously. In constrast to the SU(2) instantons, the SL(2,C) instantons inhereit jumping lines or singulariries which are not gauge artifacts and can not be gauged away.


Employing Fermi-LAT gamma ray observations, several independent groups have found excess extended gamma ray emission at the Galactic center (GC). Both, annihilating dark matter (DM) or a population of $\sim 10^3$ unresolved millisecond pulsars (MSPs) are regarded as well motivated possible explanations. However, there is significant uncertainties in the diffuse galactic background at the GC. We have performed a revaluation of these two models for the extended gamma ray source at the GC by accounting for the systematic uncertainties of the Galactic diffuse emission model. We also marginalize over point source and diffuse background parameters in the region of interest. We show that the excess emission is significantly more extended than a point source. We find that the DM (or pulsars population) signal is larger than the systematic errors and therefore proceed to determine the sectors of parameter space that provide an acceptable fit to the data. We found that a population of order a 1000 MSPs with parameters consistent with the average spectral shape of Fermi-LAT measured MSPs was able to fit the GC excess emission. For DM, we found that a pure $\tau^+\tau^-$ annihilation channel is not a good fit to the data. But a mixture of $\tau^+\tau^-$ and $b\bar{b}$ with a $\left $ of order the thermal relic value and a DM mass of around 20 to 60 GeV provides an adequate fit.


This article presents a brief review of the literature on the effect of supermarkets on productivity, employment, the survival of small retailers, prices, and competition in retailing. The following stylized facts emerge: (1) the retail sector has undergone a major concentration around the world, (2) the entry of supermarkets tends to expel small competing groceries, and encourage the entry or conversion of others; (3) supermarkets are a source of productivity gains in the sector, (4) they generates a net increase in employment, and (5) has the effect of reducing the level of prices in markets where entry occurs. Some qualifications to these general conclusions are discussed.


The main purpose of this paper is to provide a critical review of the alternative solutions of the dynamic Input-Output model; the advantages and disadvantages of each one; and to present a modified model based on an econometric approach. The discussion of the alternative solutions indicates that the use of the forward-in-time-integration approach is necessary since it is based on initial (actual) information. The problem with the backward-in-time-integration approach is that it does not prevent the determination of initial (actual) year output level and it is likely to result in inconsistent projections. On the other hand, the main problem of the modified model is data collection, which restricts its use in applied analysis.


Fly ash produced as a by-product of subbituminous coal combustion can potentially serve as an alternative liming material without negatively affecting corn (Zea mays L.) production in areas where use of conventional liming materials can be uneconomical due to transportation costs. A study was conducted to determine if fly ash produced from the Nebraska Public Power District Gerald Gentleman Power Station located in Sutherland, NE could be used as an alternative liming material. This study had the following objectives: 1) compare the effects of fly ash on soil pH with other common agricultural lime materials; 2) determine the effects of fly ash on percent Al saturation in selected soils; and 3) determine the effects of fly ash on corn grain yields. Combinations of dry fly ash (DFA), wet fly ash (WFA), beet lime (by-product of sugar beet [Beta vulgaris L.] processing) (BL), and agricultural lime (AGL) were applied at rates ranging from 0.43 to 1.62 times the recommended lime rate to plots on four acidic soils (Anselmo fine sandy loam, Hord fine sandy loam, Holdrege sandy loam, and Valentine fine sand). Soil samples were collected to a depth of 0.2 m from plots and analyzed for pH before lime applications and twice periodically after lime application. The Hord and Valentine soils were analyzed for exchangeable Ca, Mg, K, Na, and Al for determination of percent Al saturation on selected treatments and sampling dates. Corn grain yields were determined annually. Depending on the lime source, soil pH increased in the upper 0.2 m of soil the year after application compared with the pre-application soil pH values for some sites and years, whereas in others there were no significant increases in pH. However, all lime materials at each site failed to raise the soil pH in the upper 0.2 m of all the treatments and soil types to the target pH of 6.5. Fly ash and AGL treatments did not significantly increase corn grain yields compared with the control on the Anselmo, Hord, and Holdrege soils. At the Hord site, AGL and DFA significantly reduced percent Al saturation by 3.1% and 3.7% compared with the control 5 years after application, respectively. Fly ash did not negatively affect corn grain yields compared with AGL. Yields were 12,472, 12,233, and 12,177 kg ha−1 for the Anselmo, Holdrege, and Hord sites averaged over all treatments and years. The lack of yield response to lime additions was potentially a result of lime materials not raising the soil pH to sufficient levels, higher subsoil pH values, or the exchangeable Al not being high enough prior to lime material application to reduce grain yields in these soils. We conclude that the fly ash utilized in this study and applied at rates in this study, increases soil pH comparable to agricultural lime and is an appropriate alternative liming material.


ABSTRACT During the Furongian (late Cambrian) and Early Ordovician, maze-like (maceriate) microbialites flourished in both Laurentia and Gondwana. The maze-like microbialites are characterized by centimeter- to decimeter-scale branching, complex structures. However, organisms responsible for the formation of maze-like structures are poorly known. In order to understand formational processes of maze-like microbialites, this study focuses on the Furongian microbialites of the North China Platform in which microbial components and siliceous sponges co-occur. The maze-like structures consist of microbial components such as microstromatolites, Girvanella, and Renalcis-like forms, as well as sponge spicule networks, whereas lime mud and bioclasts occupy the space between the structures. The maze-like structures developed on a relatively flat seafloor, forming low synoptic relief (<1 cm) above the sediment surface. Continuous growth of maze-like structures with balanced deposition of sediments led to meter-scale bioherms and biostromes, under the control of both microbes and siliceous sponges. This study suggests that siliceous sponges may have played an important role in the construction of maze-like structures between the end-Cambrian Series 2 extinction and the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event.


Abstract Fibrous erionite is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as carcinogenic substance to humans (Group 1). In the areas where it is present in the bedrock, it may cause environmental exposure, and both professional and environmental exposures are possible when the bedrock is used for industrial applications (e.g., building materials). For health and environment protection, prevention is a priority action. In this framework, the recent guidelines of the Consensus Report of the Weinman International Conference on Mesothelioma suggest identifying locations where potentially hazardous mineral fibers (like erionite) are found in the environment, to prevent environmental exposure. The present study will show that one such potentially hazardous mineral fiber might be fibrous ferrierite. Here, the mineralogy, chemical-physical properties, and surface activity of a hydrothermal fibrous ferrierite from Monte Lake British Columbia (Canada) and a diagenetic fibrous ferrierite from Lovelock, Nevada (U.S.A.), were investigated using a combination of "state of the art" experimental methods including optical microscopy, electron microscopy and microprobe analysis, laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (for the trace elements), vibrational spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance, and synchrotron powder diffraction. The chemical-physical properties of these fibrous ferrierites (morphometric parameters, specific surface area, chemical composition with special attention to metals, mainly iron) that prompted adverse effects in vivo were compared to those of the positive carcinogenic standard fibrous erionite-Na from Jersey, Nevada (U.S.A.). The results of our study have demonstrated that, although there are differences in the crystal chemistry and genetic environment, ferrierite samples exhibit outstanding similarities with fibrous erionite samples: both fibrous erionite and fibrous ferrierite may occur in large amounts as microcrystalline fibrous–asbestiform phases in diagenetic rocks with fibers of breathable sizes. For both zeolites, iron is not structural but is associated with impurities lying at the surface of the fibers. Moreover, data useful to understand the surface activity of these fibrous ferrierites were collected. As far as hydrothermal sample is concerned, the EPR data indicate the presence of hydrophilic (SiO-, AlO-, SiOH) and hydrophobic (Si-O-Si) interacting surface groups able to bind the charged CAT1 probes at close sites and attract the probes in the water pools formed into the fiber aggregates. A high percentage of CAT1 probes weakly interacting with the surface due to competition with metal ions were observed for surface of the diagenetic sample. CAT8 probes were less adsorbed by its surface if compared to the diagenetic sample but the more charged surface provided a stronger binding strength for the diagenetic sample compared to the hydrothermal one. In summary, the results of this study indicate that fibrous ferrierite may represent a potential health hazard and, applying the precautionary principle, it should undergo a procedure of toxicity testing.


Of 44 children with clinical pertussis 29 (66%) had serological evidence of concurrent infection with respiratory viruses or Mycoplasma pneumoniae. The commonest superinfection was by mycoplasma (32%), followed by respiratory syncytial virus (27%) and adenoviruses (16%). The high prevalence of viral infections, many being multiple, supports the theory that pertussis predisposes to such infections or vice versa.


Understanding what a character observes in a game as they move through the space is useful for game analysis and design. In this work we describe a tool that generates visibility manifolds given a game terrain and game agent path. Our tool accommodates multiple kinds of game agent motion and considers the impact of visual occlusion in order to efficiently generate a closed 3D mesh representation of the area seen over time. The resulting shape demonstrates unintuitive properties of game agent observations, and an efficient Unity implementation allows the constructed shape to be used in interactive game design.


UNLABELLED
There has been legitimate criticism with regard to the quality and the transparency of health economic modelling studies. For that reason, the aim of the PROSIT Disease Modelling Community is to develop transparent open source health economic disease models for diabetes mellitus.

RESULTS
Markov type models were developed in the open source spread sheet software OpenOffice Calc for myocardial infarction, stroke, retinopathy, nephropathy, diabetic foot syndrome, and hypoglycemia. The basic concept is to describe a disease as a cascade of disease states with transitions between them. The transition probability is based on time, gender, age, disease related risks and medical interventions. An internet platform hosts the models and the documentation for public download. Incidence rates of complications were derived from population data and clinical studies. The models have to be adapted according to the specific needs and type of health economic analysis. The software is prepared to allow validation and model testing. The PROSIT Disease Modelling Community with its Markov models for diabetes mellitus suggests a new approach and methodology for developing health economic disease models in a transparent and sustainable manner. Going open source with disease models could overcome the lack in credibility that hampers modelling based health economic studies.


This paper describes a distributive serial multi-bit parallel test scheme suitable for large capacity DRAMs. It achieves a high parallel test bit number and, with regard to cells and sense amplifiers, the same operational margin as normal mode. Further, it imposes little restriction on test patterns. The scheme has successfully achieved a 512 bit parallel test on an experimental 256Mb DRAM.


PURPOSE
To elucidate the profile of cytokine-producing T cells in patients with active or inactive Behçet's disease (BD), the frequencies of type 1 (Interleukin- [IL] 2, interferon-gamma [IFN-gamma]) and type 2 (IL-4) cytokine-producing CD4+ and CD8+ cells in peripheral blood were investigated, and the effect of immunosuppressive drugs on the profile of cytokine-producing cells was evaluated.

METHODS
Fifty-two patients with BD (32 with active and 20 with inactive BD) and 33 healthy control subjects were the subjects in this study. Patients were or were not treated with immunosuppressive drugs. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were fixed, permeabilized, and stained for intracellular cytokines in combination with cell surface markers CD4 and CD8 for flow cytometric analysis.

RESULTS
In nontreated patients with BD, the frequencies of IL-2- and IFN-gamma-producing CD4 and CD8+ cells in active patients were significantly higher than those in inactive patients. Conversely, the frequencies of IL-4 producing CD4+ and CD8+ cells in nontreated patients with active BD were comparable with those in patients with inactive disease and in control subjects. Patients with inactive BD who were treated with immunosuppressive drugs showed significantly lower frequencies of IL-2- and IFN-gamma-producing CD4+ and CD8+ cells than did treated patients with active BD.

CONCLUSIONS
The frequencies of type 1 cytokine-producing CD4+ and CD8+ cells increased in patients with active BD. Effective immunosuppressive treatments decreased the population of type 1 cytokine-producing CD4+ and CD8+ cells. These results suggest that type 1 cytokine-producing cells play an important role in the immunopathogenesis of the inflammation in BD.


The carob tree Ceratonia siliqua is abundant in the Mediterranean countries, thrives in dry climates and its fruit contains important essential oils with antioxidant properties. In the present work, various methods of extraction have been applied on carob powder in order to recover the essential oils. The results of the experiments help in to optimize the appropriate method of recovery, among ultrasonic bath, Soxtec extraction, and conventional (hexane) extraction and hydrodistillation.. Key-words: antioxidant activity, Carob tree, Carobs, essential oils, extraction, hydrodistillation, Soxtec


Launched in 1960, the European Banking Federation is the voice of the European banking sector from the European Union and European Free Trade Association countries. The EBF represents the interests of almost 5000 banks, large and small, wholesale and retail, local and cross-border financial institutions. Together, these banks account for over 80% of the total assets and deposits and some 80% of all bank loans in the EU only.


In addition to the choice of the surgical approach, the respective place of the mini-incisions and mini-invasive surgery for total hip arthroplasty (THA) remains a controversial topic. The purpose of this study was to specify the advantages and disadvantages of these different approaches by a systematic review of the orthopedic literature and by our experience of the first 100 THA implanted by mini-invasive direct anterior approach (DAA) on orthopedic table. Selecting 15 orthopedic journals, we found 252 articles among which 65 are particularly relevant; 25 correspond to randomized studies. Mini-invasive approaches permit to obtain results at least equivalent to standard approaches with regard to operative time, general complications and adequate component positioning. Contrarily to posterior approach, DAA is associated to a low dislocation rate, even in so-called "at risks patients". Recent randomized studies highlight an earlier functional recovery in patients treated by mini-invasive approaches and particularly by DAA. This advantage seems to persist only the first six weeks but it could be interesting to patients avid to resume quickly their activities. Nevertheless, further studies are mandatory to confirm the observed results and to specify the place of the mini-invasive approaches with regard to early recovery as long-term results.


Objectives To evaluate the clinical outcome and complications in the pediatric population who had splenectomy at our institution, emphasizing the incidence of postplenectomy reactive thrombocytosis (RT) and its clinical significance in children without underlying hematological malignancies. Materials and methods The medical records of pediatric patients undergoing splenectomy were retrospectively reviewed for the period 1999–2018. The following variables were analyzed: Demographic parameters (age, sex), indications for surgery, operative procedures, preoperative and postoperative platelet count (postplenectomy RT), the use of anticoagulant therapy, and postoperative complications. The patients were divided into two groups according to indications for splenectomy: The non-neoplastic hematology group and the non-hematology group (splenectomy for trauma or other spleen non-hematological pathology). Results Fifty-two pediatric (37 male and 15 female) patients who underwent splenectomy at our institution were reviewed. Thirty-four patients (65%) were in the non-hematological group (splenic rupture, cysts, and abscess) and 18 patients (35%) in the non-neoplastic hematological group (hereditary spherocytosis and immune thrombocytopenia). The two groups did not differ significantly in regards to the patients' age, sex, and preoperative platelet count (P>0.05 for all variables). Forty-nine patients (94.2%) developed postplenectomy RT. The percentages of mild, moderate and extreme thrombocytosis were 48.9%, 30.7%, and 20.4%, respectively. The comparisons of RT patients between the non-neoplastic hematology and the non-hematology group revealed no significant differences in regards to the patients' age, sex, preoperative and postoperative platelet counts, preoperative and postoperative leukocyte counts, and the average length of hospital stay (P>0.05 for all variables). None of the patients from the cohort was affected by any thrombotic or hemorrhagic complications. Conclusions We confirm that RT is a very common event following splenectomy, but in this study it was not associated with clinically evident thrombotic or hemorrhagic complications in children undergoing splenectomy for trauma, structural lesions or non-neoplastic hematological disorders.


In this article we present a technique for static analysis, correct with respect to complexity-theoretic definitions of security, of cryptographic protocols for checking whether these protocols satisfy confidentiality properties. The approach is similar to Abadi and Rogaway - we define patterns for cryptographic protocols (they did it for formal expressions), such that the protocol is secure iff the patterns are. We then statically analyse the patterns, they should be easier to analyse than the protocols themselves. We consider symmetric encryption as the cryptographic primitive in protocols. Handling this primitive has so far received comparatively less attention in approaches striving to unite the formal and computational models of cryptography.


Blood protein binding by the food-borne carcinogen 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ) was investigated using male Sprague-Dawley rats. Among the many blood proteins modified in rats dosed intragastrically with [3H(G)]IQ, hemoglobin and albumin were modified in a dose dependent fashion. Albumin bound 3-5 times more IQ than hemoglobin at doses from 2 to 150 mumol. IQ-modified serum albumin was enzymatically digested using Pronase and analyzed by h.p.l.c. Many peptide fragments containing radioactivity were detected but the low level of protein modification (0.01-0.04% of dose) prevented spectroscopic analyses of these adducts. An in vitro system containing hepatic microsomes metabolized IQ to a reactive species which could bind to serum albumin. One major adduct was formed at the cysteine residue using this activation system and was identical to an adduct isolated from in vivo-modified albumin. Chemical and spectroscopic analyses of the Pronase fragment proved the adduct was a tripeptide containing N2-cysteinesulfinyl-IQ. A chemically identical adduct was formed in vitro when N-hydroxy-IQ was incubated with serum albumin. As much as 10% of the IQ bound to serum albumin in vivo was present as this sulfur-linked adduct based on h.p.l.c. analysis of the Pronase digest fragments and on the acid-labile activity which could be recovered as IQ.


Beyond dollarization in financial systems and business transactions, foreign currency is widely used in domestic transactions by households in several dollarized economies. Based on data from a nationally representative household survey in Cambodia, we examined the key factors that affect household preferences in relation to currency choice in those transactions where they accept money when selling some assets. We found that size of transaction is negatively correlated to household choice of local currency. In addition, we found that having a bank account mitigates the negative effect of size of transaction on local currency choice, suggesting that availability of financial services could reduce the transaction costs for households when accepting local currency. We also found that our measures of the extent of the network externalities of foreign currency are significantly correlated to household choice of foreign currency. Our findings suggest that improvement in the usability of local currency gained by reducing the transaction costs of local currency relative to foreign currency, particularly for large transactions, can have a positive impact on household use of the local currency in domestic transactions.


We study the potential employment of improper Gaussian signaling (IGS) in full-duplex cooperative settings with residual self-interference (RSI). IGS is recently shown to outperform traditional proper Gaussian signaling (PGS) in several interference-limited channel settings. In this work, IGS is employed in an attempt to alleviate the RSI adverse effect in full-duplex relaying (FDR). To this end, we derive a tight upper bound expression for the end-to-end outage probability in terms of the relay signal parameters represented in its power and circularity coefficient. We further show that the derived upper bound is either monotonic or unimodal in the relay's circularity coefficient. This result allows for easily locating the global optimal point using known numerical methods. Based on the analysis, IGS allows FDR systems to operate even with high RSI. It is shown that, while the communication totally fails with PGS as the RSI increases, the IGS outage probability approaches a fixed value that depends on the channel statistics and target rate. The obtained results show that IGS can leverage higher relay power budgets than PGS to improve the performance, meanwhile it relieves its RSI impact via tuning the signal impropriety.


This thesis focuses on the redefinition of conditionality away from finance for the promise of policy reform to disbursement of funds conditional on what has already been achieved, 'selectivity'. This has dovetailed with a self-assigned knowledge role for the donor community, especially the World Bank. These shifts are set in the political, economic and financial realities bearing upon aid in general, and around the World Bank in particular, and against the backdrop of a projected move away from the Washington Consensus towards a more 'holistic' approach to development associated with the post-Washington Consensus and the Comprehensive Development Framework. The study closely examines how aid, development and knowledge are understood in the economic propositions drawn upon to support the new aid paradigm. The implications for the realities of development - particularly in those countries that remain dependent on aid for their access to external finance - are explored. Special attention is given to the World Bank's assessment tool at the core of its aid allocation mechanism, the Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA), and how this sits within the evolving understanding of development projected by the World Bank. This reveals the persistence of the Washington Consensus agenda at the core of World Bank practices, often at variance with its rhetoric. Recent shifts in the CPIA indicate how these imperatives have become more entrenched and less visible in World Bank practices, veiling the contradictions resulting from the conjunction of its discursive shifts and the persistence of a set of economic and financial imperatives. Through both CPIA-steered selectivity and the exercise of the World Bank's knowledge role, a much tighter, yet less visible web of control has been spun over policymaking in low income countries despite the oft-reiterated commitment to 'ownership' and 'partnership' principles.


This study presents the effect of iodine doping on optical and surface properties of polyterpenol thin films deposited from non-synthetic precursor by means of plasma polymerisation. Spectroscopic ellipsometry studies showed iodine doping reduced the optical band gap from 2.82 eV to 1.50 eV for pristine and doped samples respectively. Higher levels of doping notably reduced the transparency of films, an issue if material is considered for applications that require high transparency. Contact angle studies demonstrated higher hydrophilicity for films deposited at increased doping levels, results confirmed by XPS Spectroscopy and FTIR. Doping had no significant effect on the surface profile or roughness of the film.


Comparative study was carried out on characteristics of model NbTi superconducting strands and (6+1) cables with copper-nickel (up to 29 wt.% nickel) and copper-manganese (up to 13.5 wt.% manganese) matrices. Hysteresis losses per cycle are presented for 0.2 mm strands at field amplitude from /spl plusmn/0.5 up to /spl plusmn/3 T. The contribution of own hysteresis of magnetization of copper-manganese matrix into integrated losses appreciably increases at fields above 1 T, while at fields below 1 T losses are comparable for both copper-nickel and copper-manganese strands. Losses at frequency up to 45 Hz and field amplitude up to 1 T for the CuMn cable without transport current are identical to those at slowly varying field. Rate dependencies of critical current in the cables are presented at linear build up of transport current. Critical currents in the CuMn cable at linear current building up and sweep rate exceeding that required for commercial frequency are not less than DC (/spl ges/260 A at 1 T).


Photovoltaic (PV) generation is increasingly common throughout power distribution systems. The real power injections and cloud-induced power output fluctuations of this variable resource can cause adverse impacts to the system. These adverse impacts limit PV capacity additions and introduce the need for more advanced distribution system models and mitigation efforts. The IEEE P1547a standard for interconnecting distributed generation has been amended to allow inverter-based generation to actively participate in voltage regulation.

However, there is currently no method of choosing the appropriate reactive power response for the PV inverters to prevent voltage issues and benefit distribution system performance. The performance of these smart inverter settings vary based on the objective and system conditions such as load level and solar conditions. This difficulty in choosing a single "out of the box" setting presents the need for more adaptive control functionalities.

This thesis assesses the impact of different smart inverter settings on the performance of a distribution feeder in the United States. The use of simulation software to identify relationships between the chosen objective, appropriate settings, and feeder conditions help determine an approach to choosing settings that realize the potential benefits. Due to the limitations of existing reactive power control functions, a new smart inverter capability is proposed that adjusts to changing feeder conditions and offers improved performance.


The present research reported the findings of the study which investigated the relationship between the ideal L2 self and intercultural communicative competence (ICC). A total of 216 undergraduate English majors at a major state university in Ankara, Turkey were included in the study and were asked to anonymously complete the ideal L2 self and the ICC questionnaires. The findings revealed a significant positive relationship between the ideal L2 self and ICC. Further, the ideal L2 self was a significant predictor of ICC and its three components, and gender had the potential to moderate between the ideal L2 self and ICC. Thus, it was concluded that these findings contributed to promoting intercultural awareness among undergraduate English majors and that the integration of cultural contents into the existing pedagogical paradigm and fostering self-evident tendency among language learners and directing their-self guides to develop ICC can lead to success in L2 learning. Address for correspondence:


An important phase of human resource management is project manager selection, which is concerned with identifying an individual from a pool of candidates suitable for a vacant position. As in many decision problems, project manager selection problem is very complex in real life. Some of the techniques in decision making are multi criteria decision making (MCDM) can be used for project manager selection
process. Although many studies have investigated this problem, there are three missing links in existing studies: Firstly, based on literature review, there is no
systematic and valid method for specifying the jobs requirements criteria have been presented. Secondly, group decision making (GDM) is a very important factor for
solving the problem comprehensively. However, it has not been considered in the majority of the reviewed studies. Thirdly, possible dependencies between the criteria in the project manager selection model have not been considered in the existing studies.
The main objective of this research is to develop an analytical hybrid methodology for project manager selection problem in order to identify criteria for project manager selection by an extension of Delphi method, to evaluate a candidate by a new group multi criteria decision making (GMCDM) model based on fuzzy set theory, and develop a model based on linguistic extension of fuzzy measures and
fuzzy integrals for ranking candidates. The methodology of this research includes four stages. The objective of the first stage is to eliciting criteria hierarchy for project
manager selection. In this stage, after reviewing pertinent literature, the Delphi based method was used to seek the criteria from managers and experts. The objective of the
second stage is project manager evaluation based on new group fuzzy linguistic modeling for determining criteria importance and candidate ratings. The objective of
the third stage is fuzzy aggregating and the objective of fourth stage is ranking the candidates based on new linguistic fuzzy measure and fuzzy integral model.
The models were validated using three case studies of project manager selection in three project based companies for a project manager position. The effectiveness of
the three new methods was demonstrated in these three case studies. The results showed that the proposed models are appropriate for selecting project manager considering dependency between criteria. Firstly, this study developed a structured method for criteria selection. The use of a structured criteria selection method encourages experts to focus on explicit and functional criteria, rather than to use inappropriate criteria. As a contribution to the knowledge, this study extended the classical Delphi technique through using the results of relevant literature review and discussion with experts to identify the selection criteria. Secondly, this study developed a linguistic extension for evaluation. Decision makers cannot express judgment in accurate numerical terms and use of linguistic labels makes decision judgment more reliable and informative for decision making. Thirdly, this study
developed non additive method for aggregating stage in project manager selection. In the real world, in dealing with the multiple criteria decision making problems, the
criteria are not independent. So they cannot be evaluated by conventional additive measures and there must be better methods to distinguish the preferences by applying a new nonlinear and non additive model, in which it is not necessary to assume independence.


Battery life remains to be a critical competitive metric for today's mobile platforms that offer ubiquitous connectivity through their wireless communication interfaces. With most usage models being driven by always-on communication activities, e.g, Internet video streaming, web browsing, etc., it is imperative to understand the impact of network activities on the overall platform power, and optimize power consumption for such activities. As shown by our investigation, various real-world network-driven workloads exhibit bursty and random behavior, which motivates our work on regulating and coalescing incoming packets to reduce platform wake events. To understand the performance impact of packet coalescing, we conduct an extensive investigation to study how coalescing may affect the throughput and user experience. Armed with the deep understandings, we propose, implement and evaluate an Adaptive Traffic Coalescing (ATC) scheme that monitors the incoming traffic at the Network Interface Card (NIC), and adaptively coalesces the packets for a limited duration in the NIC buffer, thus requiring no network or eco-system support. The proposed ATC scheme effectively reduces platform wake events, and enables the platform to enter and stay in the low-power state longer for energy efficiency. We have implemented the scheme in commercial wireless NICs. Using various mobile platforms, we evaluate the power savings and performance impact of the proposed ATC scheme. Experiments show that ATC achieves significant power saving for major platform components, around 20% for real-world Internet workloads, without impacting performance and user experience.


Plasma membrane tension functions as a global physical organizer of cellular activities. Technical limitations of current membrane tension measurement techniques have hampered in-depth investigation of cellular membrane biophysics and the role of plasma membrane tension in regulating cellular processes. Here, we develop an optical membrane tension biosensor by repurposing an E. coli mechanosensitive channel via insertion of circularly permuted GFP (cpGFP), which undergoes a large conformational rearrangement associated with channel activation and thus fluorescence intensity changes under increased membrane tension.


In this paper, we study the performance of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) with incremental redundancy over double Rayleigh channels, a common model for the fading amplitude of vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems. We investigate the performance of HARQ from an information theoretic perspective. Analytical expressions are derived for the e-outage capacity, the average number of transmissions, and the average transmission rate of HARQ with incremental redundancy assuming a maximum number of HARQ rounds. Moreover, we evaluate the delay experienced by Poisson arriving packets for HARQ with incremental redundancy. We provide analytical expressions for the expected waiting time, the packet's sojourn time in the queue, the average consumed power, and the energy efficiency. In our study, the communication rate per HARQ round is adjusted to the average signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) such that a target outage probability is not exceeded. This setting conforms with communication systems in which a quality of service is expected regardless of the channel conditions. Our analysis underscores the importance of HARQ in improving the spectral efficiency and reliability of communication systems. We demonstrate as well that the explored HARQ scheme achieves full diversity. Additionally, we investigate the tradeoff between energy efficiency and spectral efficiency.


The graphite nanofiber (GNF) and carbon black filled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) hybrid nanocomposites were prepared by solution mixing and melt blending techniques. The effect of addition of GNF on the positive temperature coefficient (PTC) behavior of the nanocomposites was investigated. The incorporation of small amount of GNF into HDPE/CB composites showed a significant improvement in PTC intensity and repeatability of the hybrid nanocomposites. The maximum PTC intensity was observed for the HDPE/CB/GNF (80/20/0.25) nanocomposite with a relatively low room temperature resistivity.


Road tunnels are critical transportation infrastructures that provide underground passageways for motorists and commuters. Fire in road tunnels in combination with tunnel safety provisions failure may lead to catastrophic consequences, and thus, necessitates a robust and reliable approach to assess tunnel risks. This article proposes a quantitative risk assessment model for fire in road tunnel by taking into consideration two types of uncertainties. A Monte Carlo-based estimation method is developed to propagate parameter uncertainty in quantitative risk assessment model consisting of event tree analysis as well as consequence estimation models. The percentile-based individual risks and α-cut-based societal risks are put up and the risk indices are proven to be very useful for tunnel operators with distinct risk attitudes to assess the safety level of a road tunnel. Finally, the proposed research methodology is applied to Singapore KPE road tunnels.


Evoking the spirit of Toni Morrison, we were moved to view the work of the scholars in this special issue through the lens we used to frame a class we taught last spring— Black Lives Matter: A Multimodal Journey. The course was centered around Morrison's notion of the Black Gaze and was designed to specifically ask the question: What becomes possible with regard to Black liberation when we center the Black Gaze? Our approach to the course purposely centered the beauty and brilliance of the Black experience through the work of Black artists, scholars, writers, entrepreneurs, and media producers. Furthermore, we organized our course by what one of our students, Sharina Gordon, called the "pillars" of Blackness (Gordon, 2021): Black Gaze, Black Genius, Black Joy, Black Healing, and Black Love. We found the Pillars of Blackness to be a useful construct as we read the articles in this special issue. In doing so, we highlight how the authors featured in such a timely issue center these pillars and offer them as a guide as we think about where we go next in our collective journey toward Black liberation.


Linear programming LP is the most widely used optimization technique for solving real-life problems because of its simplicity and efficiency. Although LP models require well-suited information and precise data, managers and decision makers dealing with optimization problems often have a lack of information on the exact values of some parameters used in their models. Fuzzy sets provide a powerful tool for dealing with this kind of imprecise, vague, uncertain or incomplete data. In this paper, the authors propose a two-fold model which consists of two new methods for solving fuzzy LP FLP problems in which the variables and the coefficients of the constraints are characterized by fuzzy numbers. In the first method, the authors transform their FLP model into a conventional LP model by using a new fuzzy ranking method and introducing a new supplementary variable to obtain the fuzzy and crisp optimal solutions simultaneously with a single LP model. In the second method, the authors propose a LP model with crisp variables for identifying the crisp optimal solutions. The authors demonstrate the details of the proposed method with two numerical examples.


This ambitious study presents the findings of a ten-year collaborative effort by the author and his co-workers to evaluate the effectiveness of five commonly used modalities of treatment for hospitalized patients suffering from schizophrenic disorders. A total of 228 patients, in what the author terms the middle third prognostic range, were treated either by ataractic drugs, psychotherapy, ECT, milieu, or a combination of drugs and psychotherapy at the Camarillo State Hospital in California, in an effort to evaluate these modalities. Criteria used in evaluating patient status included length of hospital stay, release rate, numerous clinical rating scales applied by nurses, psychotherapists, and an independent team of psychoanalysts, as well as a variety of psychological tests. The statistics of these results are presented liberally throughout the text and an honest effort to discuss various pitfalls of evaluation is made. The author's basically practical orientation as a hospital administrator is reflected by


A case of cystic hygroma will manifest itself as a mild or serious situation, depending upon the geographical extent of the lesion. The natural history of this disease is usually one of progressive growth. As described by Goetsch, 1 the lesion tends to spread by a pseudopodic mechanism, pushing solid columns of endothelial cells around and through large and small structures, followed by channel formation resulting in a plexiform network formation of elongated and spheroidal cysts of various sizes. It is this progressive and insinuating growth with envelopment of vital structures that increases the hazard of surgery with the passage of time. Some of the commoner clinical complications are obstruction to the upper respiratory and alimentary passages. This occurs not by compression alone but often, in addition, by formation of grape-like polypoid masses in the laryngopharynx and hypopharynx which obstruct these inlets. With macroglossia, food-taking is impaired or impossible, necessitating


Preformulation is a group of studies that focus on the physicochemical properties of a new drug candidate that could affect the drug performance and the development of a dosage form. This could provide important information for formulation design or support the need for molecular modification. Every drug has intrinsic chemical and physical properties which has been consider before development of pharmaceutical formulation. This property provides the framework for drugs combination with pharmaceutical ingredients in the fabrication of dosage form. Objective of preformulation study is to develop the elegant, stable, effective and safe dosage form by establishing kinetic rate profile, compatibility with the other ingredients and establish Physico-chemical parameter of new drug substances. Among these properties, drug solubility, partition coefficient, dissolution rate, polymorphic forms and stability are plays important role in preformulation study. Polymorphism having crystal and amorphous forms shows different chemical physical and therapeutic description of the drug molecule. This article explains some properties and techniques for preformulation evaluation parameters & production of


In order to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the particle swarm optimization algorithm in optimization, the parallel CUDA-based particle swarm algorithm is proposed and developed. With the Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) technology, the parallel data structure is defined, and the mechanism of computing tasks mapping to CUDA is described. From the optimization experiments results of 4 benchmark functions it shows that the CUDA-based parallel algorithm can greatly save computing time and improve computing accuracy. This new¿@PSO algorithm is more suitable for the relevant application of the particle swarm algorithm.


Dental erosion is a multifactorial condition. The consideration of chemical, biological and behavioral factors is fundamental for its prevention and therapy. Among the biological factors, saliva is one of the most important parameters in the protection against erosive wear. Objective This review discusses the role of salivary factors on the development of dental erosion. Material and Methods A search was undertaken on MEDLINE website for papers from 1969 to 2010. The keywords used in the research were "saliva", "acquired pellicle", "salivary flow", "salivary buffering capacity" and "dental erosion". Inclusion of studies, data extraction and quality assessment were undertaken independently and in duplicate by two members of the review team. Disagreements were solved by discussion and consensus or by a third party. Results Several characteristics and properties of saliva play an important role in dental erosion. Salivary clearance gradually eliminates the acids through swallowing and saliva presents buffering capacity causing neutralization and buffering of dietary acids. Salivary flow allows dilution of the acids. In addition, saliva is supersaturated with respect to tooth mineral, providing calcium, phosphate and fluoride necessary for remineralization after an erosive challenge. Furthermore, many proteins present in saliva and acquired pellicle play an important role in dental erosion. Conclusions Saliva is the most important biological factor affecting the progression of dental erosion. Knowledge of its components and properties involved in this protective role can drive the development of preventive measures targeting to enhance its known beneficial effects.


Filamentous hyphae of the human pathogen, Candida albicans, invade mucosal layers and medical silicones. In vitro, hyphal tips reorient thigmotropically on contact with small obstacles. It is not known how surface topography is sensed but hyphae lacking the cortical marker, Rsr1/Bud1, are unresponsive. We show that, on surfaces, the morphology of hyphal tips and the position of internal polarity protein complexes are asymmetrically skewed towards the substratum and biased towards the softer of two surfaces. In nano‐fabricated chambers, the Spitzenkörper (Spk) responded to touch by translocating across the apex towards the point of contact, where its stable maintenance correlated with contour‐following growth. In the rsr1Δ mutant, the position of the Spk meandered and these responses were attenuated. Perpendicular collision caused lateral Spk oscillation within the tip until after establishment of a new growth axis, suggesting Spk position does not predict the direction of growth in C. albicans. Acute tip reorientation occurred only in cells where forward growth was countered by hyphal friction sufficient to generate a tip force of ∼ 8.7 μN (1.2 MPa), more than that required to penetrate host cell membranes. These findings suggest mechanisms through which the organization of hyphal tip growth in C. albicans facilitates the probing, penetration and invasion of host tissue.


Replacement of the hypopharynx and cervical portion of the esophagus after resection for a malignant lesion has presented sufficient problems to justify a search for better methods. It has been more than 80 years since Czerny in 1877 first successfully resected a carcinoma from the cervical portion of the esophagus. Since then many ingenious methods of replacement have been devised, but no single method has found general acceptance. Impetus for the use of transplants of isolated segments of hollow viscera to accomplish replacement has been provided by reports of encouraging success with anastomoses of small vessels. Jacobson and Suarez described excellent results with microsuturing techniques and demonstrated the feasibility of successfully anastomosing vessels as small as 1.4 mm in outside diameter. Good results have recently been reported3,19,24from use of the nonsuture method of Blakemore and Lord with cylinder prostheses. Holt and Lewis have devised a successful method using


The reported case describes a mismanaged extensive recurrent plunging ranula that occupied a large portion of the neck. The ranula is usually clinically diagnosed. However, absence of visible intra-oral signs may mislead the diagnosis and leads to improper surgical management. Presence of amylase in the aspirated fluids is an important aid in the differential diagnosis. Thereby confirming the salivary origin of the fluids and thus avoiding extensive investigations. The recurrence rate varies according to the procedure performed. Diverse methods of treating ranula have been reported in the literature with variable results. These include marsuplization, excision of the ranula, incision of the ranula and drainage of the contents, excision of the sublingual gland and drainage. The successful procedure to treat plunging ranula depends on complete excision of the affected sublingual gland and drainage of its contents. In this paper, the useful diagnostic investigations and the recommended surgical intervention procedure were described.


In this work, a new drive concept for brushless direct current (BLDC) motors is introduced. Energy regeneration is optimally managed with the aim of improving the energy efficiency of robot motion controls. The proposed scheme has three independent regenerative drives interconnected in a wye configuration. An augmented model of the robot, joint mechanisms, and BLDC motors is formed, and then a voltage-based control scheme is developed. The control law is obtained by specifying an outer-loop torque controller followed by minimization of power consumption via online constrained quadratic optimization. An experiment is conducted to assess the performance of the proposed concept against an off-the-shelf driver. It is shown that, in terms of energy regeneration and consumption, the developed driver has better performance. Furthermore, the proposed concept showed a reduction of 15% energy consumption for the conditions of the study.


Background: Physical fitness and overweight are both important health-related parameters. Reference data from a population are important for comparisons with children with impairments, different diseases, in habilitation or rehabilitation after injuries. Objective: The aim of the survey was to obtain reference data on physical performance in Swedish children and adolescents aged 10, 13 and 16 years. In addition, height and body mass were assessed and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Design: In total, 2118 children and adolescents in 48 randomly selected schools in Sweden were invited and 1737 subjects participated. Testing procedures were similar to the Eurofit tests, but with some modifications. Results : Results show generally better performance in boys than in girls and increasing performance with age. BMI increased with age with only small differences between genders. Large variations were found within age and gender groups. Conclusions: The present study
 provides reference data on physical performance and body size in Swedish children and adolescents. The results from the present study may be used to compare performance and anthropometric data over time or between countries, to evaluate performance in different patient groups or to set goals for athletes. Keywords: cardiovascular; neuromuscular; paediatric; physical fitness; Sweden


The aim of this systematic review was to identify animal preclinical studies and randomized controlled trials that looked at the effects of R. damascena in any form on different mental diseases. Up to September 2021, the online databases of PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane trials, as well as SID and MagIran, were searched. This study included 10 animal studies. Except for one research, the rest of the studies confirmed the positive effects of the plant in treatment of mental disorders. A total of 38 studies met the criteria for inclusion. Individuals who have encountered various sorts of mental problems, such as anxiety, sleep disturbance, and depressive disorder, were studied. R. damascena essential oil (EO), essence, extract, and dried plant were used in aromatherapy and oral administration. A decrease in sympathetic nervous system activity, induction of neurotransmitters, induction of nerve growth factors by neurogenesis and synaptogenesis mechanisms, a decrease in prolactin and an increase in noradrenaline, estradiol, and progesterone secretion are some of the mechanisms of action. In general, R. damascena is an effective herb for the treatment of mental disorders. However, further research timing and duration of intervention are needed to extrapolate the findings.


For the past 4 years (1986 to 1989), there has been virtually no change in the number of organ donors, despite significant efforts targeted toward increasing supply. The number of donors has plateaued at about 4,000 annually. Meanwhile, the number of people awaiting transplants continues to increase at a remarkable rate. Between December 1987 and December 1990, the number of people awaiting a kidney, heart, liver, heart-lung or pancreas transplant increased by 65%. This demand/supply disparity has led to much interest in the assessment of the organ procurement system. Such an assessment must endeavor to compare the supply of potential donors with actual donor procurements. Numerous studies have been conducted to estimate potential donor supply. Some relied upon the review of in-hospital death records, whereas others attempted to search and identify potential donors in large mortality databases. Regardless of their source, patient records are examined and databases searched to exclude those deaths where contraindications to organ donation are present. Due to the severe shortage of donors, exclusion criteria have been relaxed to include deaths of marginal potential donors. Six major studies, all conducted between 1975 and 1991, indicate that the number of potential donors per million population is between 28.5 and 104. The most realistic estimates of supply place the number of donors between 43 and 55 per million population. The range of potential donors is, therefore, somewhere between 7,088 and 25,865. The most realistic range is between 10,694 and 13,679. These estimates must be adjusted further based upon public attitudes toward donation. Between 53% and 68% of the public is willing to donate the organs of relatives under appropriate circumstances. Thus, between 5,700 and 9,300 donors may be available annually. Whereas the demand for extrarenal organ transplantation could conceivably be met, the need for kidney donors is likely to continue to exceed supply. The situation could be improved by encouraging both living-related and living-unrelated kidney donation. Also, further consideration might be given to the possible use of nonheart-beating cadaveric donors.


This article describes an innovation in an elementary mathematics education course called SEE Math (Support and Enrichment Experiences in Mathematics), which aims to support teacher candidates (TCs) as they learn to teach mathematics through problem solving while promoting equity during multiple experiences with a child. During this 8-week program, TCs craft and implement tasks that promote problem solving in the context of a case study of a child's thinking while collecting and analyzing student data to support future instructional decisions. The program culminates in a mock parent–teacher conference. Data samples show how SEE Math offers TCs an opportunity to focus on the nuances of children's strengths rather than traditional measures of achievement and skill.


The role of Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) factor Zeb1 is well defined in metastasis and cancer progression but it's importance in dendritic cells (DCs) is unexplored until now. For the first time we report here that Zeb1 controls immunogenic responses of CD8α+ conventional Type-I (cDC1) DCs. We found that ZEB1 expression increases significantly after TLR9 stimulation and its depletion impairs activation, co-stimulation and secretion of important cytokines like IL-6, IL-10 and IL-12 in cDC1 MutuDC line. We further confirmed our findings in primary cDC1 DCs derived from bone marrow. Co-culture of these Zeb1 knock down (KD) DCs with OT-II CD4+ T helper cells skewed their differentiation toward Th2 subtype. Moreover, adoptive transfer of activated Zeb1 KD DCs cleared intestinal worms in helminth infected mice by increasing Th2 responses in vivo. Integrative genomic analysis showed Zeb1 as an activator of immune response genes in cDC1 MutuDCs as compared to other pathway genes. In addition, differentially regulated genes in Zeb1 KD RNA-seq showed significant enrichment of Th2 activation pathways supporting our in vitro findings. Mechanistically, we showed that decreased IL-12 secreted by Zeb1 KD DCs is the plausible mechanism for increased Th2 differentiation. Collectively our data demonstrate that Zeb1 could be targeted in DCs to modulate T-cell mediated adaptive immune responses.


Studies and reports on uptake of health services in Nepal and other low-income countries often focus on limitations due to physical factors, such as travel distance to health facility, or lack of medical facilities or electricity at the health care centre or focus on resources, such as lack of service providers, or lack of appropriately trained staff.
In this editorial article, we highlight the importance of discrimination as a reason for people not seeking available health care. Discrimination is particularly a barrier to service usage among the most deprived people in society, such as the Dalit community in Nepal and South Asia more generally. We discuss the caste-based discrimination in Nepal and its effects on health outcomes of those groups who experience such discrimination.


We propose a new approach to conditional probability estimation for ordinal labels. First, we present a specialized hierarchical softmax variant inspired by k-d trees that leverages the inherent spatial structure of (potentially-multivariate) ordinal labels. We then adapt ideas from signal processing on noisy graphs to develop a novel regularizer for such hierarchical softmax models. Both our tree structure and regularizer independently boost the sample efficiency of a deep learning model across a series of simulation studies. Furthermore, the combination of these two techniques produces additive gains and the model does not suffer from the pathologies of other approaches in the literature. We validate our approach empirically on a suite of real-world datasets, in some cases reducing the error by nearly half in comparison to other popular methods in the literature. Our results demonstrate that our method is a powerful new modeling technique for conditional probability estimation of ordinal labels, especially in the low-to-mid sample size regimes such as those often found in biological and other physical sciences.


The Pb-Zn-Ag Pinnacles deposit lies in the Proterozoic rocks of the Willyama Supergroup of western New South Wales and consists of a series of stacked strata-bound sulfide lenses, hosted in a mixed suite of pelites, psammopelites, and inferred meta-exhalites. Sulfur isotope data for the orebodies have delta 34 S values close to zero, but show some variation between sulfide lenses. Meta-exhalites include garnetites, quartz-gahnite rocks, and quartz-garnet rocks in immediate association with the mineralized rocks and the quartz-magnetite rocks as country rocks nearby. The deposit has been subject to granulite facies prograde metamorphism and kyanite-grade retrograde metamorphism, and is associated with four phases of folding (D (sub 1-4) ) and crosscutting retrograde shear zones (D 5 ).The Pinnacles and Broken Hill deposits have many features in common, e.g., associated rock types and geochemical trends (including isotopic composition and REE concentrations). However, there are also several important differences including lithological associations, Fe/Mn ratios, inferredf (sub O 2 ) during sulfide precipitation, and size. These similarities and differences have direct bearing on genetic models for the formation of Broken Hill-type deposits. The geologic setting of the Pinnacles deposit is discussed in terms of temporal and/or spatial facies changes. The implications of these findings and observations are significant for the exploration of Broken Hill-type deposits.


We provide an analysis of the $x$ dependence of the bare unpolarized, helicity, and transversity isovector parton distribution functions (PDFs) from lattice calculations employing (maximally) twisted mass fermions. The $x$ dependence of the calculated PDFs resembles the one of the phenomenological parameterizations, a feature that makes this approach very promising. Furthermore, we apply momentum smearing for the relevant matrix elements to compute the lattice PDFs and find a large improvement factor when compared to conventional Gaussian smearing. This allows us to extend the lattice computation of the distributions to higher values of the nucleon momentum, which is essential for the prospects of a reliable extraction of the PDFs in the future.


Sixty-eight patients (mean age 60,5+/-2,8 years) in the early rehabilitation period of ischemic stroke were included in the study. Thirty-five patients of the main group received peptide cortexin in dose of 10 mg daily intramuscular in the complex therapy, 33 patients of the control group received only the basic therapy. Treatment duration was 10 days. Changes in neurological status (the Orgogozo scale, the modified Ashworth scale and the Barthel index) and cognitive deficit (the Mini-Mental State Examination, verbal associations, the Schulte test and the 10 words test) were assessed. Patients underwent electroencephalography. To the end of treatment, the improvement in global state was seen in 27 (77,1%) of patients of the main group and 18 (54,5%) patients of the control group. The significantly better rehabilitation (p<0,05) of motor and cognitive functions after stroke damage, improvement in the brain bioelectric activity (the increase of alpha-activity and the decrease of slow-wave activity and sharp waves in the projection of ischemic zone) were found in patients treated with cortexin. No side-effects of the treatment were observed.


Analysis of milk by Fourier transform mid-infrared (FT-MIR) spectrometry provides a large amount of information on the physico-chemical composition of individual milk samples. Hence, it has been used for decades to predict fat, protein and lactose contents, and more recently fine milk composition, milk processing qualities and status of cows. This fast and cost-effective technology is a perfect candidate to provide new information for the management of individual cows. However, its concrete use by field organizations is still suboptimal given the difficulty of sharing data and models among spectrometers. The aim of this research was to optimize the use of FT-MIR analysis of milk with the final purpose of enabling the development of new management tools for dairy farmers. In order to harmonize spectral responses among instruments and allow sharing of data and models, the first objective was to test a standardization method, well known from the NIR sector, in the frame of FT-MIR spectrometers dedicated to milk analysis. The possibility of standardizing such instruments was assessed by using the Piecewise Direct Standardization (PDS) method and common raw milk samples constituted from the IDF norm (ISO 9622:2013 | IDF 141:2013). The performances of spectral harmonization were assessed by the transfer of a robust fat model from a master instrument into 21 slave instruments. Regressions were performed between master and each slave fat predictions, before and after PDS. The biases and the root mean square errors between the predictions decreased after PDS from 0.378 to 0.000 and from 0.461 to 0.016 (g of fat/100 mL of milk), respectively. These preliminary results showed that the PDS method permits a reduction of the inherent spectral variability between instruments and the use of common robust models by all the spectrometers included in the constituted network. The second objective was to ensure that models of interest with low precision could also be transferred from instrument to instrument. The effect of standardization on network spectral reproducibility was assessed on 66 instruments from 3 different brands by comparing the spectral variability of the slave instruments with and without standardization. With standardization, the standardized Mahalanobis distance (GH) between the slaves and master spectra was reduced on average from 2,656 to 14. The transfer of models from instrument to instrument was then tested using 3 FT-MIR models predicting the quantity of daily methane emitted by dairy cows, the concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids in milk, and the fresh cheese yield. The differences, in terms of root mean squared error, between master and slaves predictions were reduced after standardization on average from 103 to 17 g/d for methane, from 0.032 to 0.005 g/100 mL of milk for polyunsaturated fatty acids, and from 2.55 to 0.49 g of curd/100 g of milk for fresh cheese yield. For all models, an improvement of prediction reproducibility within the network has also been observed. Concretely, the spectral standardization allows the transfer and use of multiple models on all instruments as well as the improvement of spectral and prediction reproducibility within the network. The method offers opportunities for data exchange as well as the creation and use of common database and models, at an international level, to provide more information for the management of dairy herds. After ensuring the possibility of using spectral data under optimal conditions, the third objective was to concretize the development of models providing information on cow status to be used as management tools by dairy farmers. This work aimed to develop models to predict milk citrate, reflecting early energy imbalance, and milk acetone and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) as indicators of (sub)clinical ketosis. Milk samples were collected in commercial and experimental farms in Luxembourg, France, and Germany. Milk mid-infrared spectra were recorded locally and standardized. Prediction equations were developed using partial least square regression. The coefficient of determination (R2) of cross-validation was 0.73 for acetone, 0.71 for BHB, and 0.90 for citrate with root mean square error of 0.248, 0.109, and 0.70 mmol/L, respectively. Finally, an external validation was performed and R2 obtained were 0.67 for acetone, 0.63 for BHB, and 0.86 for citrate, with a root mean square error of validation of 0.196, 0.083, and 0.76 mmol/L, respectively. The results demonstrated the potential of FT-MIR spectrometry to predict citrate content with good accuracy and to supply indicative contents of BHB and acetone in milk, thereby providing rapid and cost-effective tools to manage ketosis and negative energy balance in dairy farms. This research highlights new knowledge and possibilities regarding the harmonization of spectral format from different instruments in order to create, share and use FT-MIR models providing information for the management of dairy cows. More concretely, it contributes outputs as procedures to standardize instruments in routine and models to predict indicators of negative energy balance and ketosis to help farmers in the management of early lactation period.


Background In spite of the major breakthroughs in the second-generation sequencing technologies and the developments of a plethora of assemblers over the last ten years, the resulting genome assemblies may still be fragmented and contain errors. It is typical in genome projects with second-generation reads involved to run multiple assemblers with different parameters and choose the best assembly. However, such an approach is always a trade-off between the strengths and weaknesses of the assemblies. To exploit the advantages of different assemblers, an alternative approach that combines the best parts of several assemblies into one may be applied. The existing tools based on such an approach assist in elongation of assembly fragments and/or improvement of assembly accuracy. Though there has been progress with such a strategy, there is still room for improvement of the existing tools. Results We present NucMerge, a tool for improving genome assembly accuracy by incorporating information derived from an alternative assembly and paired-end Illumina reads from the same genome. The tool corrects insertion, deletion, substitution, and inversion errors and locates different inter- and intra-chromosomal rearrangement errors. NucMerge was compared to two existing alternatives, namely Metassembler and GAM-NGS. Conclusions The benchmarking results show that NucMerge has generally better performance than the other tools tested, providing accuracy improvement of more assemblies. NucMerge is freely available at https://github.com/uio-bmi/NucMerge under the MPL license.


We address the longstanding challenge of producing flexible, realistic humanoid character controllers that can perform diverse whole-body tasks involving object interactions. This challenge is central to a variety of fields, from graphics and animation to robotics and motor neuroscience. Our physics-based environment uses realistic actuation and first-person perception - including touch sensors and egocentric vision - with a view to producing active-sensing behaviors (e.g. gaze direction), transferability to real robots, and comparisons to the biology. We develop an integrated neural-network based approach consisting of a motor primitive module, human demonstrations, and an instructed reinforcement learning regime with curricula and task variations. We demonstrate the utility of our approach for several tasks, including goal-conditioned box carrying and ball catching, and we characterize its behavioral robustness. The resulting controllers can be deployed in real-time on a standard PC.1


The transverse momentum ($p_\mathrm{T}$) distributions of $\Lambda$, $\Xi^-$, and $\Omega^-$ baryons, their antiparticles, and K$^0_\mathrm{S}$ mesons are measured in proton-proton (pp) and proton-lead (pPb) collisions at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV over a broad rapidity range. The data, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 40.2 nb$^{-1}$ and 15.6 $\mu$b$^{-1}$ for pp and pPb collisions, respectively, were collected by the CMS experiment. The nuclear modification factor $R_\mathrm{pPb}$, defined as the ratio of the particle yield in pPb collisions and a scaled pp reference, is measured for each particle. A strong dependence on particle species is observed in the $p_\mathrm{T}$ range from 2 to 7 GeV, where $R_\mathrm{pPb}$ for K$^0_\mathrm{S}$ is consistent with unity, while an enhancement ordered by strangeness content and/or particle mass is observed for the three baryons. In pPb collisions, the strange hadron production is asymmetric about the nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass rapidity. Enhancements, which depend on the particle type, are observed in the direction of the Pb beam. The results are compared to predictions from EPOS LHC, which includes parametrized radial flow. The model is in qualitative agreement with the $R_\mathrm{pPb}$ data, but fails to describe the dependence on particle species in the yield asymmetries measured away from mid-rapidity in pPb collisions.


Brugada Syndrome (BS) was described as a clinical entity in 1992. The diagnosis is made by ECG and is defined by the presence of an atypical right bundle branch block pattern with a characteristic cove-shaped ST elevation in leads V1 to V3, in the absence of obvious structural heart disease, electrolyte disturbances or ischaemia [1]. This condition is genetically transmitted as an autosomal dominant syndrome with incomplete penetrance. The ECG changes of BS are dynamic, transient [2] and can vary spontaneously which also makes it difficult to assess its exact incidence. Three subtypes have been recognised, based on different ECG features.
A 59-year-old male presented to the ED after an episode of palpitations that began 60 minutes earlier. He was resuscitated outside for ventricular tachycardia, referred to our hospital in view of Electrocardiographic changes. He had no prior medical problems and was not on any medications. The electrocardiogram (ECG) showed subtle downsloping ST-segment elevation in leads V1,to V3 suggestive diagnostic of Brugada syndrome (Figure 1). Results of laboratory investigations and chest x-ray were normal. Later next day patients ECG showed type II pattern of BS (Figure 2) followed by type III ECG pattern (Figure 3) spontaneously .This case is an example demonstrating the dynamic ECG changes of all three subtypes in a single individual spontaneously.


Polyomavirus late mRNAs contain at their 5' ends multiple, tandem repeats of a 57-base noncoding sequence, the late leader, whose sequence appears only once in the viral genome. Pre-mRNA molecules are processed by a pathway that includes the splicing of late leader exons to each other in giant, multigenome-length precursors which are the result of inefficient transcription termination. We have devised a method involving reverse transcription and the polymerase chain reaction to determine the number of tandem late leader units on polyomavirus late RNA molecules. Using this technique, we have shown that each class of late viral mRNA (mVP1, mVP2, and mVP3) consists of molecules with between 1 and 12 tandem leader units at their 5' ends. Importantly, single-leader RNAs are underrepresented in both the cytoplasm and the nucleus, suggesting that single-leader primary transcripts are preferentially degraded in the nucleus. In addition, the average number of leaders on late RNAs increases in the presence of DNA replication. Taken together with previous work from our laboratory, the results presented here are consistent with a model for the control of late gene expression at the level of RNA splicing and stability which is in turn controlled by the efficiency of transcription termination.


Abstract BACKGROUND The loss of efficiency and performance of bioprocesses on scale‐up is well known, but not fully understood. This work addresses this problem, by studying the effect of some fermentation gradients (pH, glucose and oxygen) that occur at the larger scale in a bench‐scale two‐compartment reactor [plug flow reactor (PFR) + stirred tank reactor (STR)] using the cadaverine‐producing recombinant Corynebacterium glutamicum DM1945 Δact3 Ptuf‐ldcC_OPT. The new scale‐down strategy developed here studied the effect of increasing the magnitude of fermentation gradients by considering not only the average cell residence time in the PFR (τPFR), but also the mean frequency at which the bacterial cells entered the PFR (fm) section of the two‐compartment reactor. RESULTS On implementing this strategy the cadaverine production decreased on average by 26%, 49% and 59% when the τPFR was increased from 1 to 2 min and then 5 min respectively compared to the control fermentation. The carbon dioxide productivity was highest (3.1‐fold that of the control) at a τPFR of 5 min, but no losses were observed in biomass production. However, the population of viable but non‐culturable cells increased as the magnitude of fermentation gradients was increased. The new scale‐down approach was also shown to have a bigger impact on fermentation performance than the traditional one. CONCLUSION This study demonstrated that C. glutamicum DM1945 Δact3 Ptuf‐ldcC_OPT physiological response was a function of the magnitude of fermentation gradients simulated. The adaptations of a bacterial cell within a heterogeneous environment ultimately result in losses in fermentation productivity as observed here. © 2019 The Authors. Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.


The primary aim of this thesis is to detail and evaluate the appraisal frameworks and techniques employed on river restoration projects in the UK. This research evaluates the extent to which restoration projects have implemented the appraisal frameworks and techniques proposed in the practical restoration literature, and examines barriers to the incorporation of appraisal into river restoration projects. An ideal type appraisal framework is developed in this thesis and is used as a tool against which to evaluate the nature and extent of UK river restoration project appraisal. This research was undertaken through a national and a regional investigation of appraisal procedures. The national investigation is designed to be extensive and aims to draw out the basic dimensions of river restoration projects and appraisal. The regional investigation, in contrast, intensive adopting a case study approach which examines in detail how appraisal has and has not been implemented. The national investigation involved a questionnaire survey, sent to 161 people involved in 440 river restoration projects (80% response rate achieved). The regional investigation of the Thames region of the Environment Agency (EA) focused in detail on three case study sites (River Ravensbourne, River Cole and Upper River Kennet) undertaking twenty-five in-depth interviews with restoration practitioners. This enabled the appraisal and decision-making structures of these three projects to be evaluated. This thesis argues that it is not only the structure of a project's appraisal which influences a project's trajectory but also the nature and composition of the decision-making structure. The influence of scientific and lay knowledge in decision making is also explored. This thesis concludes by drawing together key empirical, theoretical and practical findings from these investigations. The results of this research are discussed and evaluated against how effectively UK river restoration projects incorporate the ideal type appraisal framework proposed in Chapter 2. The results of this research are further evaluated in the light of a workshop on river restoration appraisal (undertaken in November 2002) where appraisal frameworks are discussed and ways of including appraisals in river restoration projects are put forward.


Aims Tourette syndrome is known to be usually familial (if the wider phenotype is considered) but the underlying genetic mechanism is still unknown while putative environmental factors increasing vulnerability are unknown or unproven. Hypotheses include perinatal difficulties and infection with Group A Streptococcus. There are examples of seasonality of birth as a proxy for early life environmental factors being relevant to disease causation. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the month of birth of patients with Tourette syndrome varies from the expected distribution. Methods Data on month of birth were collected as part of a database of 240 Tourette syndrome patients attending a specialist clinic for children and adults. A data set of all recorded births in the UK from 1941 to 2000 was used for comparison with the expected seasonality of births. The number of births for each month was compared with the total of the other 11 months for cases and controls using a 2×2 χ2 test. Outcomes for months that appeared significantly different from the expected number were tested using a p-value adjusted for multiple comparisons with a Bonferroni correction. Results A degree of variation from the expected numbers for each predicted birth compared to national birth figures was observed, with peaks occurring in February and August and troughs in March and September. However, there did not appear to be an obvious seasonal trend and the observed variation in the sample was statistically insignificant for all months. Conclusions No significant variation from the fluctuations seen in national birth data was observed for the month of birth of patients with Tourette syndrome. This suggests that seasonal environmental factors during foetal development or early life are unlikely to contribute to an increased risk of Tourette syndrome.


Unpleasant odour originating in or localised to the genital area is a not an uncommon symptom that brings a woman to her practitioner's office. In reality, women are frequently too embarrassed to discuss this symptom and only a fraction with this distressing complaint seek treatment. Not all malodour is persistent and when seeking medical help, frequently, the complaint of malodour only emerges well into a discussion of her other complaints of discharge, irritation, etc. Women reporting long-standing genital malodour are usually mortified, especially if another individual(s) has mentioned the odour to the patient. This may be a sexual partner, family member or most horrifically an associate or co-worker. When the complaint eventually emerges, the clinician faces anything but an easy task in tracking down causation. The practitioner cannot …


Background:Esophageal Crohn's disease (CD) is challenging and often a disabling phenotype of disease. We aimed to report the clinical, endoscopic, histologic features, and treatment outcomes of esophageal patients with CD. Methods:Esophageal patients with CD evaluated at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, between January, 1998, and December, 2012, were identified. Results:Twenty-four cases of esophageal CD were identified. The median age of diagnosis was 23 years (range, 12–60). Twenty-one patients (88%) had extraesophageal CD and 8 patients (33%) had oral ulcers at the time of esophageal CD symptom onset. The majority of patients had esophageal-specific symptoms. Mid (29%) or distal (29%) esophagus was the most common site of involvement. Inflammatory esophageal CD (75%) was marked by superficial ulcerations (58%), erythema and/or erosions (50%), deep ulcerations (13%), and pseudopolyps (4%) on endoscopy. Four patients (17%) were found to have esophageal strictures and 2 patients (8%) had fistulizing disease. Chronic inflammation (83%) was seen on biopsy in the majority of cases with 5 patients having associated granulomas. In our series, inflammatory esophageal CD responded to prednisone, topical budesonide, or biologics. Stricturing esophageal CD was successfully treated with a combination of biologic therapy, immunomodulators, and serial dilations with/without steroid injections. Aggressive medical therapy with biologics and endoscopic therapy was used for fistulizing esophageal CD, however, was not universally effective. Conclusions:Esophageal CD should be considered in all patients with CD with upper gastrointestinal symptoms. Early recognition, diagnosis, and aggressive medical and/or endoscopic treatment are needed for successful outcomes.


Introduction The reliable detection and, ultimately, prediction of hypotensive events in post-operative settings remains an unsolved problem, as patients are currently only monitored intermittently because of the lack of validated, non-invasive/non-intrusive and continuous physiological monitoring technologies. With this goal in mind, the aim of this study was to validate a next-generation platform version of the currently FDA-cleared non-invasive Caretaker (CT) physiological monitor in the hemodynamically challenging environment of abdominal surgeries in comparison with blood pressures obtained from arterial catheters, evaluated against ANSI/AAMI/ISO 81060–2:2019 standards as well as against current non-invasive standard of care measurements provided by clinical-grade automatic oscillometric cuffs. Methods Comparison data from 41 major abdominal surgery patients at Cooper Hospital (Camden NJ) were analyzed in this IRB approved study. Each patient was monitored with a radial arterial catheter and CT using a finger cuff applied to the contralateral middle finger. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures continuously collected from the arterial catheter and CT were compared using Pearson correlation coefficients and Bland-Altman analysis. In addition, a trend analysis using 4Q plots was performed. Both the CT's continuous BP tracking and the CT's self-calibration capability were analyzed. Results The continuous data comparisons were performed with and without taking the CT recalibrations into account. With the recalibrations the mean differences and standard deviations (STDs) for systole and diastole were, respectively, -1.14 mmHg (13.82 mmHg) and -2.49 mmHg (9.42 mmHg), while the correlations were 0.80 and 0.78. Mean differences and STDs for an initial calibration and no subsequent recalibrations were, respectively for systole and diastole, -0.42 mmHg (16.73 mmHg) and -2.57 mmHg (10.36 mmHg), while the correlations were 0.64 and 0.67. For the CT's self-calibrations alone, correlations for systole and diastole were, respectively, 0.83 and 0.75, while corresponding mean differences (STD) were -3.19 mmHg (10.86 mmHg) and -2.41 mmHg (8.18 mmHg). For 41% of total surgery time, both systole and diastole were within 8 mmHg of the arterial catheter Gold Standard. The concordances for systolic and diastolic blood pressure changes on a 30-second time scale were 0.87 and 0.86. The same comparison analysis for the automatic cuff and the arterial catheter data yielded: correlations for systole and diastole: 0.69 and 0.61, mean differences and STDs: 2.48 mmHg (15.82 mmHg) and 0.65 mmHg (10.68 mmHg). Conclusions The results of this study are significant in that they validate the future use of the CT physiological monitor, which utilizes Pulse Decomposition Analysis (PDA), in the post-operative monitoring scenario both as a monitor to detect hypotensive events to facilitate clinical intervention as well as provide signal inputs that could enable anticipatory measures.


The thesis first introduces a new adaptive technique of finger upright reorientation by using the Principle of Coordinate System Rotation . The empirical results demonstrate that reorienting the images of fingers of a hand prior to any feature extraction consistently leads to more stable feature values, regardless of the features measured. Hand shape analysis included Central Moments, Fourier Descriptors and Zernike Moments is characterized based on I-D contour transformation. The main contribution of the thesis is the first to use a genetic algorithm to simultaneously achieve dimensionality reduction and object (hand image) clustering. A novel Cooperative Coevolutionary Clustering Algorithm (COCA) with dynamic clustering and feature selection has been developed to search for a proper number (without prior knowledge of it) of clusters of hand images into these clusters based on a smaller set of new features. In addition to the main contribution of the study, an MSE Extended Fitness Function is presented which is particularly suited to an integrated dynamic clustering space. The proposed design and experimental implementation show that the dimensionality of the clustering space can be cut in half, and the GA evolves an average of 4 clusters with a very low standard deviation of 0.4714. Average hand image misplacement number is 5.8 out of 100 hand images. These results open a new way towards other cooperative co-evolutionary applications, in which 3 or more populations are used to co-evolve solutions and designs consisting of 3 or more loosely coupled subsolutions or modules.


Abstract Data are accumulating to demonstrate that pH regulation in the male reproductive tract has a vital role in modulating sperm cell fertilizing capacity, and therefore male fertility. Bicarbonate uptake by sperm cells is required for the achievement of motility levels required for fertilization. Vas deferens epithelial cells can carry out measurable bicarbonate secretion, but the available literature to date reports that the vas deferens luminal content is typically acidic. This study aimed to determine pH in the boar vas deferens lumen and whether modulatory mechanisms exist for regulation of pH in this compartment of the male reproductive tract. A fiberoptic pH probe was used to assess pH in the vas deferens of anesthetized adult boars. The mean pH, derived from multiple measurements at variable positions along the vas deferens lumen, was 7.39 ± 0.09. Furthermore, administration of xylazine, an alpha-2 adrenergic receptor agonist rapidly (<10 min) alkalinized the vas deferens lumen in most cases. Because the duct was transected proximal to the site of measurements, the observations rule out the possibility that alkalinization resulted from secretion in more proximal portions of the duct. These results indicate that the boar vas deferens lumen can be alkaline, and they suggest that porcine vas deferens epithelia increase net bicarbonate secretion in vivo after systemic alpha-2 adrenergic stimulation. This secretory response greatly changes the luminal environment to which sperm cells are exposed, which will initiate or enhance motility, and is expected to modulate male fertility.


To the Editor: —The remarkably good work, from the standpoint of science as well as philanthropy, which is being conducted by the St. Louis Barnard Free Skin and Cancer Hospitals, should be called to the attention of the medical profession through the columns ofThe Journal. It will not be devoid of interest to the readers to learn that in the Middle West opportunities are presented to physicians for the observation and study, at the bedside and in the laboratory, of cancerous disease to an extent not equaled anywhere in this country. The large wards and well-attended outdoor services are supplemented by laboratories equipped for every phase of cancer work which might suggest itself. The pathologic and research work is in charge of a full-time director, aided by competent assistants. From the standpoint of philanthropy the hospital is unique. Sufferers from cancerous disease unable to purchase elsewhere accommodations and services


Though not as well known as the U.S. military campaigns against the Apache, the ethnic warfare conducted against indigenous people of the Southern Colorado River Basin was equally devastating. In less than twenty-five years after first encountering Anglos, the Hualapais had lost more than half their population and nearly all their land and found themselves consigned to a reservation. This book focuses on the historical construction of the Hualapai Nation in the face of modern American colonialism. Drawing on archival research, interviews, and participant observation, Jeffrey Shepherd describes how thirteen bands of extended families known as The Pai confronted American colonialism and in the process recast themselves as a modern Indigenous nation. Shepherd shows that Hualapai nation-building was a complex process shaped by band identities, competing visions of the past, creative reactions to modernity, and resistance to state power. He analyzes how the Hualapais transformed an externally imposed tribal identity through nationalist discourses of protecting aboriginal territory; and he examines how that discourse strengthened the Hualapais' claim to land and water while simultaneously reifying a politicized version of their own history. Along the way, he sheds new light on familiar topics--Indian-white conflict, the creation of tribal government, wage labor, federal policy, and Native activism--by applying theories of race, space, historical memory, and decolonization. Drawing on recent work in American Indian history and Native American studies, Shepherd shows how the Hualapai have strived to reclaim a distinct identity and culture in the face of ongoing colonialism. We Are an Indian Nation is grounded in Hualapai voices and agendas while simultaneously situating their history into the larger tapestry of Native peoples' confrontations with colonialism and modernity.


Intracellular targeting of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa toxins exoenzyme S (ExoS) and exoenzyme T (ExoT) initially results in disruption of the actin microfilament structure of eukaryotic cells. ExoS and ExoT are bifunctional cytotoxins, with N-terminal GTPase-activating protein (GAP) and C-terminal ADP-ribosyltransferase activities. We show that ExoS can modify multiple GTPases of the Ras superfamily in vivo. In contrast, ExoT shows no ADP-ribosylation activity towards any of the GTPases tested in vivo. We further examined ExoS targets in vivo and observed that ExoS modulates the activity of several of these small GTP-binding proteins, such as Ras, Rap1, Rap2, Ral, Rac1, RhoA and Cdc42. We suggest that ExoS is the major ADP-ribosyltransferase protein modulating small GTPase function encoded by P. aeruginosa. Furthermore, we show that the GAP activity of ExoS abrogates the activation of RhoA, Cdc42 and Rap1.


Analysis and design techniques for designing a lumped-element 3-dB quadrature coupler with wide-band flat coupling are proposed for microwave integrated-circuit/monolithic-microwave integrated-circuit applications. The proposed design technique can produce a coupler with flat coupling over 50% fractional bandwidth, which is wider than the conventional lumped-element design methods. A prototype consisting of a capacitive coupled high-pass network is designed and fabricated to verify the design concept. Measurement and simulation results closely correspond to each other.