Objectives: There is ongoing concern that psychiatric medication management appointments add little value to care. The present study attempted to address this concern by capturing depressed patients' views and opinions about the value of psychiatric medication management appointments. Methods: Seventy-eight semi-structured interviews were performed with white and African American depressed patients post medication management appointments. These interviews tapped patients' views and opinions about the value of attending medication management appointments. Analysis: An iterative thematic analysis was performed. Findings: Patients reported greater appointment value when appointments included obtaining medications, discussing the need for medication changes or dose adjustments, and discussing the impact of medications on their illness. Additionally, greater appointment value was perceived by patients when there were non-medical conversations about life issues, immediate outcomes from the appointment such as motivation to continue in care, and specific qualities of providers that were appealing to patients. Conclusions: Patients' perceived value of psychiatric medication management appointments is complex. Though important patient outcomes are obtaining medicine and perceiving improvement in their mental health, there are other valued appointment and provider factors. Some of these other valued factors embedded within medication management appointments could have therapeutic properties. These findings have implications for future clinical research and service delivery.


The cost of food involved food consumed whereas labor costs and overhead costs were excluded. Both excluded costs were charged to various department. The value of the cost-of-food-sold shown in the food cost report, can be used as a reference to improve operational efficiency and take corrective actions. The value of the cost of foods consumed can be directly obtained from the inventory card using the First In First Out (FIFO) Method. The FIFO method calculated the actual cost of goods from the value of the goods themselves. In a foodservice industry, control of food supplies was an important activity, because inventory is one of the current assets nonetheless it is perishable. Moreover, inventory related transactions that had huge volume daily recorded unsystematically, can cause trouble with different amount between physical inventory checking and reports. Based on the weaknesses of the recording process, document flow analysis was carried out. Document flow analysis was used as a reference for developing web-based applications. This application was able to handle purchasing, delivery of food items from the purchasing department to the kitchen section, pick up of food ingredients for kitchen/meeting/promotion purposes, physical adjustment of inventory and displaying inventory cards and cost of food report.


Spray and wait protocol, which is a typical routing protocol in delay/disruption/disconnection tolerant network (DTN), sets a maximum number of replications per message for restricting a number of replications. However, it is difficult to set a maximum number of appropriate replications in advance. Moreover, there is possibility to replicate to nodes that do not contribute to the data arrival, because appropriate replicated nodes are not selected. In this paper, we propose a routing method to dynamically set the maximum number of appropriate replications depending on network states and to select appropriate relay nodes. We verified by simulation that the proposed method has high packet delivery rate compared with conventional methods.


Fatty acid synthase 1 (FAS I) from Mycobacterium. tuberculosis (Mtb) is an essential protein and a promising drug target. FAS I is a multi-functional, multi-domain protein that is organized as a large (1.9 MDa) homohexameric complex. Acyl intermediates produced during fatty acid elongation are attached covalently to an acyl carrier protein (ACP) domain. This domain is activated by the transfer of a 4'-Phosphopantetheine (4'-PP, also termed P-pant) group from CoA to ACP catalyzed by a 4'-PP transferase, termed acyl carrier protein synthase (AcpS). In order to obtain an activated FAS I in E. coli, we transformed E. coli with tagged Mtb fas1 and acpS genes encoded by a separate plasmid. We induced the expression of Mtb FAS I following induction of AcpS expression. FAS I was purified by Strep-Tactin affinity chromatography. Activation of Mtb FAS I was confirmed by the identification of a bound P-pant group on serine at position 1808 by mass spectrometry. The purified FAS I displayed biochemical activity shown by spectrophotometric analysis of NADPH oxidation and by CoA production, using the Ellman reaction. The purified Mtb FAS I forms a hexameric complex shown by negative staining and cryo-EM. Purified hexameric and active Mtb FAS I is required for binding and drug inhibition studies and for structurefunction analysis of this enzyme. This relatively simple and short procedure for Mtb FAS I production should facilitate studies of this enzyme.


Functional characterization of the noncoding genome is essential for the biological understanding of gene regulation and disease. Here, we introduce the computational framework PINES (Phenotype-Informed Noncoding Element Scoring) which evaluates the functional impact of noncoding variants in an unsupervised setting by integrating epigenetic annotations from diverse sources in a phenotype-dependent manner. A unique feature of PINES is that analyses may be customized towards genomic annotations of the highest relevance to phenotypes of interest. We show that PINES identifies functional noncoding variation more accurately than methods that do not use phenotype-weighted knowledge. To demonstrate its versatility, we show how PINES can be applied to systematically distinguish variants in enhancer regions from background variation, to delineate high-penetrance noncoding variants leading to Mendelian phenotypes, or to pinpoint epigenetic signals underlying noncoding alleles at GWAS loci. We further show how PINES can help interpret the results of fine-mapping approaches and predict novel causal alleles from GWAS on Parkinson's and inflammatory bowel disease. Its flexibility and ease of use through a dedicated web portal establish PINES as a powerful new in silico method to prioritize and assign functions to noncoding genetic variants.


Automatic transmission is the main part of the vehicle driving system, so it has much influence on the performance of the vehicle. Control system detects the throttle valve opening and vehicle speed signal, according with certain shift schedule it sends electronic signals, which control shift valve and realize automatic shift. In order to insure the smooth shift,pressure regulating and flow control system is adapted to control oil pressure changing curve of the applying elements. The transmission system with electronic systems control can achieve automatic control of power transmission, give full play to the characteristics of the engine to achieve optimal control of powertrain.


Organizing for Sustainable Effectiveness highlights research and practice aimed at understanding how organizations and more inclusive systems of actors develop a continuous, unfaltering focus on sustainability. It will examine how they organize to achieve expanded purposes, the associated changes in purpose and governance, relationships among various stakeholders, boundaries between organizations and other elements of the environment in which they operate, organizational systems and processes, leadership, competencies and capabilities. Thus 'sustainability' is seen as entailing a continuous dynamic adaptive process in people, organizations and systems, striving to be as proactive as possible, moving 'upstream' in improving and developing organizational processes and issues.


Preprocessing model counting instances can reduce their size considerably and decrease the solving time. In this paper we present a preprocessing algorithm Preprocess, which combines many advanced techniques, such as the unit propagation, and the hyper-binary resolution. In particular, it also combines (1) clause elimination by subsumption, and (2) variable elimination by equivalence reasoning. It has proved that these excellent technologies not only reduce the size of the model counting formulae, but also improve the ability of the model counters to solve model counting problems.


The extent of water pollution on some rivers and lagoons within Badagry and its environs in Lagos State Nigeria has been critical analyzedwith respect to the physico-chemical properties of the surface and underground waters and the results show that total dissolved solids for sea water ranged from 4523-4408 ppm, lagoon water 622-1471 ppm and borehole water 250-61 ppm. Total suspended solid for sea water ranged from 422-231 ppm, lagoon water 129-133 ppm and borehole water 41-146 ppm. Salinity values for sea water ranged from 0.3-0.3 ppm, lagoon 0.5-0.3 ppm and borehole water 0.1-0.3 ppm. Methyl orange alkalinity for sea water ranged from 3.5-3.0 ppm, lagoon water 1.1-1.0 ppm and borehole water 0.5-0.8 ppm. Phenolphthalein alkalinity for sea water ranged from 0.4-0.2 ppm, lagoon water 0.2-0.3 ppm and borehole water 0.1-0.2 ppm. Specific gravity for sea water ranged from 16.371-16.407 ppm, lagoon water 15.878-15.673 ppm and borehole water 15.554-15.839 ppm. Heavy metals such as Ca2+ for sea water ranged from 436-427, lagoon water 497-488 and borehole water 345-336. Mg2+ for sea water ranged from 128-136, lagoon water 133-189 and borehole water 112-116. Fe2+ for sea water ranged from 2.546-2.512, lagoon water 2,786-2.869 and borehole water 1.465-1.354. Cu2+ for sea water ranged from 2.84-2.62, lagoon water 3.86-3.86 and borehole water 0.84-0.93. Mn2+ for sea water ranged from 0.756-0.726, lagoon water 1.026-1.022 and borehole water 0.450-0.470. Cr2+ for sea water ranged from 1.07-1.248, lagoon water 1.897-1.957 and borehole water 0.026-0.028. Bio-chemical analysis such as temperature for sea water ranged from 27.5-28.5 ˚C, lagoon water 29.8-28.7 ˚C and borehole water 27.6-27.8 ˚C. pH for sea water ranged from 6.8-6.8, lagoon water 6.9-7.0 and borehole 7.3-7.2. BOD and COD in see water ranged from 754-766; 1876-1833 mg/l respectively, lagoon water 978-986; 1943-1982 mg/l respectively whereas the dissolved oxygen for borehole water ranged from 5.54-5.66 mg/l


One of the critical steps to developing curative and tumor-specific immunotherapy is the identification and selection of antigens with tumor-restricted expression in order to avoid undesirable immune responses against normal tissues. Tumor neoantigens are analogous to non-self foreign proteins, therefore bypassing central tolerance and are also exquisitely tumor-specific. Seminal studies have provided compelling evidence suggesting their immunogenicity. However, the comprehensive identification of such neoantigens has only become feasible recently using next-generation massively-parallel sequencing technologies, providing unprecedented genetic information about cancer cells. In addition, refinements in class I HLA prediction algorithms, particularly NetMHCpan, have enabled the reliable prediction of peptide binding for a broad range of class I HLA alleles. Recent studies by us and others in humans and mice have leveraged these tools to demonstrate evidence of protective immunity when targeting tumor neoantigens. We have developed pipelines that leverage WES to systematically identify personal tumor mutations with immunogenic potential, which can be incorporated as antigen targets in a multi-epitope personalized therapeutic vaccine. We are pioneering this approach in a first-in-man clinical trial in melanoma. Citation Format: Catherine J. Wu. Fighting fire with fire: Developing a personalized neoantigen cancer vaccine. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy: A New Chapter; December 1-4, 2014; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2015;3(10 Suppl):Abstract nr IA18.


Using firm-level data for Japan, this paper examines the determinants of the export and foreign direct investment (FDI) decision. We contribute to the literature by employing a mixed logit model, i.e. a multinomial logit model with random intercepts and random coefficients, to incorporate any unobserved firm heterogeneity and by paying special attention to the quantitative significance of the determinants. We find that while the impact of productivity on the export and FDI decision is positive and statistically significant, it is economically negligible. The effect of firm size, credit constraints and information spillovers from experienced firms is also small in magnitude. A quantitatively dominant determinant of the export and FDI decision is instead the prior status of firms in terms of internationalisation. In addition, the use of the mixed logit model enables us to find a substantial role of unobserved firm characteristics in internationalisation of the firm. These findings suggest that entry costs to foreign markets, which substantially vary in size across firms, play an important role in the export and FDI decision. In addition, given that the negligible effect of productivity and the dominant effect of prior status appear to be more prominent in Japan than in some other countries, this study helps highlight the uniqueness of Japanese firms.


The appropriate use of acetazolamide in examining physiological function is based on the following: 1) the dissociation constant of the drug-carbonic anhydrase complex (10(-8) M); 2) the concentration needed to eliminate the catalyzed reaction (10(-4) M can be achieved readily in tissues by giving 20 mg/kg at no toxicity; and 4) the lack of known effects on any other systems at concentrations below 10(-3) M. Several problems have been identified and are analyzed concerning the use of acetazolamide and allied drugs. Concentrations greater than 10(-3) M have been used in vitro and occasionally in vivo, generating nonspecific effects. Experiments in which the substrate (CO2) is varied over a large range have been interpreted without regard to alteration in both the catalyzed and uncatalyzed rates, leading to conclusions that acetazolamide acts on a transport system other than carbonic anhydrase, while in reality the drug is acting on carbonic anhydrase at different levels of its catalytic rate. Since calculation of the uncatalyzed hydration of CO2 or dehydration of HCO3-in tissues involves some uncertainty, these rates are generally best defined by studying the dose-response curves of inhibitors and observing the residual activity after full inhibition. The kidney is an exception, since here the residual rate also involves an entirely separate process. Inhibitors other than acetazolamide are useful in ruling out nonspecific effects, and in gaining certainty of access to cells. Compounds closely akin to the inhibitors, but lacking action upon carbonic anhydrase, are also available as controls. It is emphasized that acetazolamide and other carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, when properly used, are highly specific probes of a single enzyme that has a wide variety of physiological functions.


The great majority of renal injuries are minor, are treated conservatively and are adequately assessed by clinical examination and high dose intravenous urography. When severe renal injury is suspected and surgery is being considered, angiography is of great value in accurately defining the extent of injury and rationalising management. During the past four years we have carried out angiography for the assessment of renal trauma in 21 patients admitted to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. Four of these cases have been described.


Hempcrete is touted as a carbon-negative building material and can reduce the constructionindustry's vast share of global carbon emissions. However, conventional hempcrete constructionis underutilised due to its laborious, time-consuming construction process. In response to theseissues, Green Meets Machine uses design science research to explore how robotic fabricationcan increase architectural expression in hempcrete construction while maintaining net negativeembodied carbon in order to accelerate carbon-negative construction.
Direct extrusion and the design of an internal timber structure with parametric formwork aimed toto increase geometric variation in hempcrete construction. Evaluation of the designed artefactsrevealed that, while direct extrusion requires further research before it is deemed a viablehempcrete construction method, the plywood structure and formwork module successfullyincreases architectural expression through its hybrid workflow. Combining the efficiency andmass-customisation ability of robots with the adaptability and problem-solving skills of humanworkers led to a streamlined construction workflow where robots and humans work togetherto realise a geometrically expressive, carbon-conscious architecture greater than what eithercould achieve alone.


In this paper, we present a method to generate fashion product images those are consistent with a given set of fashion attributes. Since distinct fashion attributes are related to different local sub-regions of a product image, we propose to use generative adversarial network with attentional discriminator. The attribute-attended loss signal from discriminator leads generator to generate more consistent images with given attributes. In addition, we present a generator based on Product-of-Gaussian to encode the composition of fashion attributes in effective way. To verify the proposed model whether it generates consistent image, an oracle attribute classifier is trained and judge the consistency of given attributes and the generated images. Our model significantly outperforms the baseline model in terms of correctness measured by the pre-trained oracle classifier. We show not only qualitative performance but also synthesized images with various combinations of attributes, so we can compare them with baseline model.


Introduction: Mediastinal lesions include a wide spectrum of pathology, ranging from tumors (benign and malignant), cysts, vascular anomalies, and lymph node masses to diffuse lesions such as pneumomediastinum, mediastinitis, mediastinal fibrosis and encysted pleural effusion. Aims and objectives: The basic aim of the study is to analyse the diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography scan in mediastinal masses assuming histopathological findings as gold standard. Material and methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Lahore from October 2019 to April 2020. After taking informed consent, computed Tomography was performed on Toshiba Aquilion Multislice CT scanner before and after intravenous contrast administration. Results: Age range in this study was from 25-65 years with mean age of 48.57 ± 10.53 years. Majority of the patients 58.78% were between 46-65 years of age as shown in Table 1. Out of these 148 patients, 82 (55.41%) were males and 66 (44.59%) were females with ratio of 1.2:1. Mean duration of disease was 8.39 ± 4.78 months (Table 2). Mean size of mass was 5.21 ± 2.45 cm. Conclusion: It is concluded that computed tomography is a highly sensitive and accurate non-invasive modality for differentiating malignant and benign mediastinal masses, and has not only dramatically improved our ability of accurate diagnosis of mediastinal masses but also improved patient care by timely and proper treatment.


The intensive care unit (ICU) embodies an environment of advanced technology and care, collaborative decision making and life-threatening emergencies. Critically ill patients are central to this unique milieu and culture, cared for by knowledgeable and skilful nurses who manage each patient's intensive care journey. Highly developed decision making skills become essential as life and death are often finely balanced. In the United Kingdom, once the decision to withdraw life-sustaining treatment has been made by the medical team, further decision making relevant to the actual withdrawal of treatment is conducted by nurses. The aim of this study was to explore critical care nurses' experiences following the decision to withdraw treatment from patients in a UK intensive care cultural setting.
An ethnographic lens of enquiry was the chosen methodology, and methods employed included 144 hours of observation and eight semi-structured interviews (using two vignettes) developed from the ICU experience. The research was conducted in a large 20 bed ICU in the North West of England. The participants were qualified nurses who met the main inclusion criteria of the study in that they had all experienced caring for a patient following the decision to withdraw treatment. Data analysis was undertaken using Ricoeur's analytical framework.
Three central themes emerged from the data analysis, namely: the decision to withdraw treatment; nurses' actions following the withdrawal of treatment decision; and shared experiences in the journey towards death. The findings suggested that nurses' created a private space for the dying patient and discovered a parallel journey towards death experienced by the patient, the nurse and the family. The nurse's adaptation from a curative focus of care to palliative care also emerged, where the desire was to offer positive and meaningful experiences for the family during this emotive phase of 'end-of-life care'.
Recommendations for clinical practice include the recognition of the value and benefits of formal and informal support for nurses during the patient's withdrawal of treatment and subsequent dying trajectory. Recognition of the importance of the intensive care environment as a whole for dying patients, their families and their care cannot be undervalued. In addition, given the palliative nature of care required of critical care nurses, a recommended of the inclusion of a palliative care specialist nurse in the multi-disciplinary team could enhance the patients' quality of end-of-life care.


A robust and flexible wireless video multicast system with the H.264 scalable video coding (SVC) coding format and network coding (NC) is proposed in this work. The system enables efficient video streaming to heterogeneous receivers in packet erasure channels. NC is used to simplify erasure protection as well as the complexity of multicast tree construction and maintenance. It is shown by simulation results that the proposed solution improves PSNR over the traditional video multicast with error correction codes (ECC) in store-and-forward networks.


Arecent source data meta-analysis of randomized trials in adults assessing the immunoconjugate gemtuzumab ozogamicin combined with standard chemotherapy in acute myeloid leukemia showed a significant survival benefit in patients without an adverse karyotype. It is not clear whether the optimal dose should be 3 mg/m2 or 6 mg/m2. In this study, we randomized 788 patients to a single dose of gemtuzumab ozogamicin 3 mg/m2 or 6 mg/m2 with the first course of induction therapy. We found that the rate of complete remission was higher with 3 mg/m2 [82% vs. 76%; odds ratio 1.46 (1.04–2.06); P=0.03], but this was balanced by a higher rate of complete remission with incomplete peripheral blood count recovery in the 6 mg/m2 treatment (10% vs. 7%) resulting in similar overall response rate [89% vs. 86%; hazard ratio 1.34 (0.88–2.04); P=0.17]. There was no overall difference in relapse or survival at four years between the arms: 46% vs. 54%; hazard ratio 1.17 (0.94–1.45), P=0.5, and 50% versus 47%; hazard ratio 1.10 (0.90–1.34), P=0.3, respectively. The 30- and 60-day mortality was significantly higher in the 6 mg/m2 recipients: 7% versus 3%; hazard ratio 2.07 (1.11–3.87), P=0.02, and 9% versus 5%; hazard ratio 1.99 (1.17–3.39), P=0.01, respectively, which in addition was associated with a higher rate of veno-occlusive disease (5.6% vs. 0.5%; P<0.0001). Our conclusion from this trial is that there is no advantage in using a single dose of 6 mg/m2 of gemtuzumab ozogamicin in combination with induction chemotherapy when compared with a 3 mg/m2 dose, with respect to response, disease-free and overall survival, either overall, or in any disease subgroup. (AML17 was registered as ISRCTN55675535.)


The Lairg Gravity Low may represent a buried impact crater c. 40 km across that was the source of the 1.2 Ga Stac Fada Member ejecta deposit but the gravity anomaly is too large to represent a simple crater and there is no evidence of a central peak. Reanalysis of the point Bouguer gravity data reveals a ring of positive anomalies around the central low, suggesting that it might represent the eroded central part of a larger complex crater. The inner or peak rings of complex craters show a broadly consistent 2:1 relationship between ring diameter and total crater diameter, implying that the putative Lairg crater may be as much as 100 km across. This would place the crater rim within a few kilometres of the Stac Fada Member outcrop, a location inconsistent with the thickness and clast size of the ejecta deposit. We propose that the putative impact crater originally lay further east, substantially further from the Stac Fada Member than today, and was translocated westwards to its present location beneath Lairg during the Caledonian Orogeny. This model requires that a deep-seated thrust fault, analogous to the Flannan and Outer Isles thrusts, exists beneath the Moine Thrust in north–central Scotland.


Abstract We performed phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences of three chloroplast markers: rbcL, rps16, and trnT-F, to rigorously test the monophyly of competing circumscriptions of the tribe Ixoreae. Several genera traditionally or currently associated with the type genus Ixora L. were included in the analyses. Ixora as currently circumscribed appears paraphyletic, as many other genera are nested within it with strong support: Captaincookia N. Hallé, Doricera Verdc., Hitoa Nadeaud, Myonima Comm. ex Juss., Sideroxyloides Jacq., Thouarsiora Homolle ex Arènes, and Versteegia Valeton. Further, Aleisanthia Ridl., Aleisanthiopsis Tange, and Greenea Wight & Arn. are more closely related to Ixora and allies than the monotypic genus Scyphiphora C. F. Gaertn. Consequently, Ixoreae fide Andreasen and Bremer (2000) is not monophyletic without an exclusion of Scyphiphora. Ixoreae fide Robbrecht and Manen (2006) is not monophyletic unless Captaincookia and Doricera are included. The monophyly of a morphologically heterogeneous Ixoreae alliance consisting of Ixora and its relatives Aleisanthia, Aleisanthiopsis, and Greenea is, however, strongly supported. In order to recognize monophyletic and morphologically consistent groups, we adopt a narrow circumscription of Ixoreae (including Bemsetia Raf., Captaincookia, Charpentiera Vieill., Doricera, Hitoa, Ixora, Myonima, Pancheria Montrouz., Sideroxyloides, Thouarsiora, Tsiangia But, H. H. Hsue & P. T. Li, and Versteegia), and two new tribes are erected for Aleisanthia + Aleisanthiopsis and Greenea, respectively. The Indo-Malesian Aleisanthieae and the pantropical Ixoreae s. str. are sister groups, and the Southeast Asian Greeneeae is sister to the Ixoreae–Aleisanthieae clade.


Self-compacting concrete is a fluid mixture suitable for placing in structures with congested reinforcement without vibration. Self-compacting concrete development must ensure a good balance between deformability and stability. Also, compactibility is affected by the characteristics of materials and the mix proportions; it becomes necessary to evolve a procedure for mix design of SCC. The paper presents an experimental procedure for the design of selfcompacting concrete mixes. The test results for acceptance characteristics of self-compacting concrete such as slump flow; J-ring, V-funnel and L-Box are presented. Further, compressive strength at the ages of 7, 28, and 90 days was also determined and results are included here.


The reservoir models generated by geostatistical techniques, but unconstrained to production history, provide equally probable reservoir descriptions that honour observed geology. However, flow simulation results on these models may vary widely where there is geological uncertainty. Constraining geostatistical models to known production history reduces this uncertainty. To this end, a streamline-based algorithm is proposed for ranking geostatistical realizations with regard to production history. First, a rapid, streamline-based inversion method is applied to obtain a history-matched reservoir model. Then the streamline geometries and properties, such as the time-of-flight, are computed without full flow simulation for the history-matched model and the geostatistical models examined. Each model is compared to the history-matched model with regard to streamline properties. In this way, reservoir models that match production history and honour known geological information are obtained. Synthetic examples using up to 600 distinct reservoir models demonstrate computational efficiency and also show that the method readily selects the most appropriate permeability fields. Flow simulations confirm that the selected permeability fields are satisfactory. The technique also appears to be appropriate for downscaling history-matched reservoir models from coarse to fine grids.


A general model of insect-pathogen dynamics is presented which includes explicit host and pathogen dispersal. Four distinctive, wave-like, patterns of dispersal are produced which can be categorised by two universal parameters – the speed of advance, and the position of the leading edge, of the wave of dispersal of the host relative to that of the disease. These patterns are (1) the pathogen becomes extinct, allowing the host to disperse at the carrying capacity across the land surface, (2) the host disperses more rapidly than the pathogen, producing host densities at the carrying capacity in a region behind the leading edge of the wave, with these densities reduced due to interaction with the pathogen in the wave interior, (3) the host and pathogen disperse at the same speed but the leading edge of the host extends beyond that of the pathogen, allowing the host to reach 'high' density at the leading edge only, and (4) the host and pathogen disperse at the same speed but the leading edge of the pathogen extends beyond that of the host, producing 'low' density host dispersal across the land surface. A biological description explaining the causes of these patterns has important consequences regarding the use of pathogens for biological control of insect pests. The model is modified to represent a specific insect-pathogen system, the winter moth, Operophtera brumata, and its nuclear polyhedrosis virus. The same patterns, categorised by the same universal parameters, are observed. Thus, it is suggested that the strength of infection and the relative dispersal rates of the host and pathogen are influential in determining the patterns of host outbreaks observed in this insect.


Spiral coil membrane oxygenators made from either standard silicone rubber or silica-free silicone rubber were compared using three priming techniques. Standard priming, carbon dioxide priming, and denucleation priming were employed with each type of device. Four-hour venovenous membrane oxygenator perfusions were carried out on awake sheep anticoagulated with heparin. Virtually no differences were observed in any parameters measured between standard silicone rubber and filler-free silicone rubber membranes. Significantly greater platelet losses occurred during the first hour of perfusion with standard priming and with carbon dioxide priming than with denucleation priming, using either type of membrane. These experiments demonstrate that denucleation priming reduces platelet losses during extracorporeal membrane oxygenator perfusion, but that the use of filler-free silicone rubber does not improve the biocompatibility of the membrane.


Proponents of justice for animals often argue that non-human animals have an interest in liberty. Furthermore, they usually claim that this animal interest in liberty is intrinsic rather than instrumental; that is to say, liberty is regarded to be good for animals in itself, irrespective of its contribution to the achievement of other goods, such as pleasure. For this reason they argue that legislating to improve welfare standards in zoos, circuses, laboratories and agriculture is inadequate. Instead, they claim that such practices are analogous to human slavery, necessarily harmful and must be abolished. In this article I refute this assertion and claim that for most animals, their interest in liberty can only ever be instrumental. In doing so I outline and reject two different arguments in favour of an intrinsic animal interest in liberty: first, that liberty is an intrinsic interest of animals because they possess preference autonomy; and second, that it is good for animals to be free, where freedom is defined as the ability to exercise one's natural functionings. I conclude that most animals do not possess an intrinsic interest in liberty because they are not autonomous in the relevant sense; that is, they cannot frame, revise and pursue their own conception of the good. If my conclusion is correct, this would have important effects on our obligations to non-human animals. I end the article by introducing some of these possible implications. Specifically, I propose that for most animals, our obligations do not consist of liberating them, and that it might be permissible to use and interfere with animals more often than other proponents of justice for animals have suggested. If this is the case, not all of the ways we keep and use animals need to be abolished. Nevertheless, many need to be reformed to improve welfare standards.


Nanoparticle development and manufacturing require appropriate particle characterization techniques to determine if design or quality goals are being met. One important aspect of many nanoparticle systems is the zeta potential, a measure of surface charge. Particle charge is typically measured by a technique known as electrophoretic light scattering. In this measurement, light scattering is used to probe the motion of a particle due to an applied electric field. The effective application of electric field is a critical part of the zeta potential measurement. Therefore, the choice of electrode material has a profound effect on the measurement results. An Uzgiris type cell with graphite electrodes was tested for longevity, that is, the number of zeta potential measurements that could be performed with the cell before the measurement results degraded. It was shown that graphite can be used for over 800 measurements and therefore it lasts longer than other electrode systems.


Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has become an important tool for the accurate and noninvasive assessment of congenital heart disease. Because more precise delineation of anatomy and evaluation of function can be obtained with MR imaging than with either echocardiography or angiography, MR imaging is frequently used to evaluate cardiovascular shunt lesions. It is essential that imaging specialists be able to recognize the MR imaging features of various kinds of shunts, including supracristal ventricular septal defect, atrioventricular septal defect, and partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection. MR imaging is particularly useful for evaluating shunt severity, which can be expressed quantitatively as the ratio of pulmonary flow to systemic flow. This ratio can be estimated accurately with the use of either volumetric cine MR imaging or velocity-encoded cine MR imaging.


Spectral measurements are commonly applied for the nondestructive estimation of leaf parameters, such as the concentrations of chlorophyll a and b, carotenoid, anthocyanin, brown pigment, leaf water content, and leaf mass per area for the quantification of vegetation physiology. The most popular way to estimate these parameters is by using spectral vegetation indices. The use of biochemical models allows us to use the full wavelength range (400–2500 nm) and to physically interpret the result. However, their performance is usually lower than that of supervised machine learning regression techniques. Machine learning regression techniques, on the other hand, have the disadvantage that the relationship between estimated parameters and the reflectance/transmission spectra is unclear. In this article, a hybrid between a supervised learning method and physical modeling for the estimation of leaf parameters is proposed. In this method, a machine learning regression technique is applied to learn a mapping from the true hyperspectral data set to a data set that follows the PROSPECT model. The PROSPECT model then reveals the actual leaf parameters. Two mapping methods, based on Gaussian processes (GPs) and kernel ridge regression (KRR) are proposed. As an alternative, mapping onto the leaf absorption spectra is proposed as well. The proposed methodology not only estimates the leaf parameters with a lower error but also solves the interpretation problem of the parameters estimated by the advanced machine learning regression techniques. This method is validated on the ANGERS and LOPEX data set.


The peculiarities of sleep in water and on land were investigated in four adult Northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) of both sexes. The electrocorticogram of both hemispheres, the neck electromyogram, the electrooculogram and electrocardiogram were recorded with implanted electrodes. The interhemispheric asymmetry of EEG during slow wave sleep was observed in all the animals sleeping in water and on land. The relative amount of interhemispheric slow wave asymmetry was higher during the sleep in water comparing to that on land. The fur seals maintain their special sleep posture on the water surface by moving only one of their front flippers. The asymmetric EEG in fur seals sleeping in the water may be attributed to the asymmetric motor activity of their flippers.


A biomaterial with both antithrombin and antiplatelet properties is the ideal surface for use in extracorporeal circulation (ECC) as it targets both fibrin generation and platelet adhesion. A hemocompatible surface coating avoids the need for systemic anticoagulation by providing a local anticoagulant effect at the polymer-blood interface. Previous work has demonstrated the potential use of argatroban, a direct thrombin inhibitor, as a nonthrombogenic material for extracorporeal devices. The work reported here focuses on the characterization of argatroban linked to a polyurethane-silicone polymer, CarboSil®. Chemical immobilization, the amount of argatroban, incubation times, and saturation point were evaluated to achieve maximal antithrombin activity at the polymer surface. Cross-linked polymer coatings reacted with 10 and 30 µmole of argatroban were prepared and tested. These coatings resulted in argatroban activity levels of 0.131 µM and 0.446 µM, respectively. After refining the cross-linking process, argatroban activity increased by approximately 3.6 fold. Maintenance of activity and leaching from the polymer surface were also evaluated. Using the refined process for linking argatroban to polymer, the resulting polymer was applied as a surface coating to the inner lumen of poly(vinyl chloride) ECC circuit tubing and its antithrombin effect evaluated using a 4 h rabbit ECC model. Following 4 h of blood exposure, the argatroban circuit demonstrated significantly less thrombus formation compared to the control CarboSil® coating with a 4.1 cm2 thrombus average area for the control coating compared to 1.2 cm2 for the argatroban coating (n=4). There was no significant change in thrombin time from baseline in plasma from animals in which the argatroban coated circuit was used, with a thrombin time of 16.2 s at t=0 and 14.5 s after 4 h. These results demonstrate the potential efficacy of immobilized argatroban as a hemocompatible biomaterial for extracorporeal life support devices.


Japanese encephalitis (JE) is one of the most severe viral infections of the central nervous system. No effective treatment for JE currently exists, because its pathogenesis remains largely unknown. The present study was designed to screen the potential microRNAs (miRNAs) involved in JE. Glioblastoma cells were collected, after being infected with the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). Total miRNAs were extracted and analyzed using an miRNA chip. One of the most severely affected miRNAs was selected, and the role of miR-370 in JEV infection was investigated. Cell viability and apoptosis of the host cells were evaluated. JEV replication was detected via analysis of gene E expression. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to determine the levels of endogenous miR-370 and expression of innate immunity-related genes. Following JEV infection, 114 miRNAs were affected, as evidenced by the miRNA chip. Among them, 30 miRNAs were upregulated and 84 were downregulated. The changes observed in five miRNAs were confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. One of the significantly downregulated miRNAs was miR-370. Therefore, miR-370 mimic was transfected into the cells, following which the levels of endogenous miR-370 were significantly elevated. Concurrently, JEV replication was significantly reduced 24 hours after transfection of miR-370 mimic. Functionally, miR-370 mimic mitigated both JEV-induced apoptosis and the inhibition of host cell proliferation. Following JEV infection, interferon-β and nuclear factor-kappa B were upregulated, whereas miR-370 mimic prevented the upregulation of the genes induced by JEV infection. The present study demonstrated that miR-370 expression in host cells is downregulated following JEV infection, which further mediates innate immunity-related gene expression. Taken together, miR-370 mimic might be useful to prevent viral replication and infection-induced host cell injury.


Using a sample of over 5300 tweets from top global brands, this study investigated how different types of users can influence brand content diffusion via retweets. Twitter users who influenced followers to retweet brand content were categorized as (1) influentials, because of their above average ability to influence others to retweet their tweets (in general), (2) information brokers, because of their position connecting groups of users or (3) having strong ties, because of their high percentage of friends in common and a mutual friend–follower relationship with the influenced follower. The results indicate that influentials and information brokers are associated with larger number of retweets for brand content. In addition, although information brokers have a larger overall influence on retweeting, they are more prone to do so when influentials are mentioned in the brand tweet, providing support for the strategy that aims to associate the brand with influential users.


To recognize the clinical characteristics and outcomes of neonatal diabetes mellitus (NDM), the authors retrospectively reviewed 1 NDM baby in their department and compared their data with 39 NDM cases reported in the available Chinese literature between January 1986 and December 2010. Most of the cases were located near the eastern and southern coasts of China, and clinical manifestation of 72.5% of the cases occurred in 4-week-old infants. Hyperglycemia and glycosuria findings were seen in all the patients and in 47.5% with intrauterine growth retardation. Moreover, 30.0% of the cases had polyuria, 52.5% had dehydration, and 47.5% had ketoacidosis. Cases with hyperglycemia, dehydration, and ketoacidosis recovered mostly. Ten NDM cases had persisted after 1 to 11 years of follow-up, 3 cases maintained normal blood sugar, and 7 cases had poor sugar control. NDM is a rare condition and early management includes fluid and insulin and later management depends on the transient or permanent nature of the condition.


This simulation work discusses the impact of direct gate tunneling on effective mobility extraction methods, particularly the Inversion Charge Pumping (ICP) method proposed recently for transistors with high-k gate dielectrics. The valence-band electron gate tunneling (VBET)-induced substrate current is found to be critical to correctly reconstructing the drain current at high gate biases. The ICP technique is shown to be error-prone in the presence of non-negligible gate tunneling currents. The importance of the compact modeling of the charge pumping effect is also discussed for transistors operating in the large signal, non-quasi-static (NQS) regime. The channel segmentation approach is demonstrated to be suitable for such a purpose.


Upon treatment with organolithium compds., 2-alkyl-4,5-dihydrofurans underwent ring opening through b-elimination to give the corresponding 3,4-dien-1-ol. 3-Chloro-2-methyl-4,5-dihydrofuran gave 3-chloro-3,4-dien-1-ol as a reaction intermediate, but it could not be isolated. Its formation was slow compared to subsequent replacement of halogen by the org. moiety of the alkyllithium reagent. Under certain reaction conditions, the 3,4-pentadien-1-ol which formed isomerized to terminal acetylenes, which, as well as their allene precursors, could be converted with Na-NH3 into 4-penten-1-ol or 3-penten-1-ol derivs. [on SciFinder (R)]


Diabetic retinopathy (DR)is a complication of diabetes characterized by vascular permeability, increased tissue ischemia, and angiogenesis. One of the most important proteins involved in angiogenesis is vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF, also known as VEGFA). A previous study demonstrated that two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), rs6921438 and rs10738760, account for nearly half the variation in circulating VEGF levels. The aim of our study was to assess the association between rs6921438 and rs10738760 and DR in Slovenian patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This case-control study enrolled 1037 unrelated Slovenian individuals (Caucasians)with T2DM. DR group included 415 T2DM patients with DR, while control group included 622 T2DM patients with no clinical signs of DR. The clinical and laboratory data were obtained from the medical records of the patients. The genotyping of rs6921438 and rs10738760 SNPs was carried out with real-time PCR assays. Significant differences were observed between patients with DR and controls in the duration of diabetes ( p < 0.001), insulin therapy ( p < 0.001), glycated hemoglobin ( p = 0.001), body mass index ( p = 0.002), total cholesterol ( p = 0.002), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( p < 0.001). However, we did not observe significant differences in the genotype and allele distribution of the two SNPs, between DR and control group ( p < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that rs6921438 and rs10738760 were not independent genetic risk factors for DR in the co-dominant model adjusted for the above-mentioned clinical and laboratory data. In conclusion, VEGF-related SNPs rs10738760 and rs6921438 are not associated with DR in our group of Slovenian patients (Caucasians)with T2DM.


In the least developed countries, unequal access to infrastructure is a major form of inequality. We examine the conditions under which unequal electricity access causes dissatisfaction. The question is important because grievances could prompt demands for policy change. We argue that feelings of relative deprivation both cause dissatisfaction and create hope for improvement. Empirically, we analyze household survey data from five East African countries. All else constant, households living close to a power line are less satisfied with their lighting solution but also have more hope for improvement. Because household lighting is the most important use for electricity in a poor household, this supports the relative deprivation hypothesis. Households that are reminded of their deprivation by the power line are both less satisfied and believe something can be done to solve the problem. To inform policy, we also show that the proximity of a power line decreases the household's interest in solar home systems as an alternative to grid electrification, whereas valuation for solar lanterns seems to be increasing. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


In recent analyses of multiuser MIMO systems and their capacity achieving transmit strategies, Gaussian codebooks are usually used. For the case in which the input signals are constrained to belong to a finite constellation, we study and explain two effects, namely multiuser Gaussianity (MuG) and constellation randomization (CoRa). MuG means that the more users transmit simultaneously, the higher is the similarity of the received density to the optimal Gaussian one. Hence, the instantaneous mutual information is increased by MuG. This leads to a tradeoff between multiuser diversity and MuG. On the other hand, CoRa is done by linear precoding by random unitary matrices. Based on the observations from MuG, we explain why the outage capacity is increased by CoRa. The effects are illustrated by various numerical simulations.


Effectively, two-dimensional (2D) closed films exhibiting in-plane orientational ordering (ordered shells) might be instrumental for the realization of scaled crystals. In them, ordered shells are expected to play the role of atoms. Furthermore, topological defects (TDs) within them would determine their valence. Namely, bonding among shells within an isotropic liquid matrix could be established via appropriate nano-binders (i.e., linkers) which tend to be attached to the cores of TDs exploiting the defect core replacement mechanism. Consequently, by varying configurations of TDs one could nucleate growth of scaled crystals displaying different symmetries. For this purpose, it is of interest to develop a simple and robust mechanism via which one could control the position and number of TDs in such atoms. In this paper, we use a minimal mesoscopic model, where variational parameters are the 2D curvature tensor and the 2D orientational tensor order parameter. We demonstrate numerically the efficiency of the effective topological defect cancellation mechanism to predict positional assembling of TDs in ordered films characterized by spatially nonhomogeneous Gaussian curvature. Furthermore, we show how one could efficiently switch among qualitatively different structures by using a relative volume v of ordered shells, which represents a relatively simple naturally accessible control parameter.


BACKGROUND
: The objective was to evaluate the newly developed Radiographic Union Score for Tibial fractures (RUST). Because there is no "gold standard," it was hypothesized that the RUST score would provide substantial improvements compared with previous scores presented in the literature.

METHODS
: Forty-five sets of X-rays of tibial shaft fractures treated with intramedullary fixation were selected. Seven orthopedic reviewers independently scored bony union using RUST. Radiographs were reassessed at 9 weeks. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) measured agreement.

RESULTS
: Overall agreement was substantial (ICC, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.79-0.91). There was improved reliability among traumatologists compared with others (ICC = 0.86, 0.81, and 0.83, respectively). Overall intraobserver reliability was also substantial (ICC, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.80-0.96).

CONCLUSIONS
: The RUST score exhibits substantial improvements in reliability from previously published scores and produces equally reproducible results among a variety of orthopedic specialties and experience levels. Because no "gold standards" currently exist against which RUST can be compared, this study provides only the initial step in the score's full validation for use in a clinical context.


A free air CO2 enrichment (FACE) facility has recently been constructed in a tropical savanna in north-eastern Queensland, Australia. The system has a novel and cost-effective design and uses an industrial source of pure CO2 piped directly to the site. We describe the design details of this facility and assess the likely contribution it will make towards advancing our understanding of the direct impacts of rising atmospheric CO2 on savannas. These include addressing uncertainties about future shifts in the tree–grass balance and associated changes in carbon stocks, responses of C4 grasses in dry tropical environments, potential sequestration of soil carbon, and the modifications of CO2 responses by moisture and nutrient interactions. Tropical regions have been poorly represented in climate change research, and the work at the OzFACE facility will complement existing and ongoing FACE studies at temperate latitudes.


As Sierra Leone approaches self-sufficiency in rice, against a backdrop of agricultural commercialization, the dynamics of the rice grain production and consumption will increasingly be driven by the quality of grains demanded by consumers to be produced by farmers and marketed by traders in the open market. The present study was a national perception survey aimed at establishing the current status of rice grain quality based on the perspectives of traders and consumers interviewed at selected market places in four major cities across the country. In separate interviews conducted with315 consumers and traders selected at random from 45 markets around the country, individual responses were solicited on the general interests of consumers and traders, as well as the marketing practices and aspirations for the improvement of rice grain quality in the country. Results obtained from the two surveys suggest that the priorities of rice consumers for grain quality were generally similar to those of the traders. For example, between to 63 to 100 per cent (84 %all cities) of consumers and 69 to 100 percent (88% all cities) of traders interviewed indicated preference for imported rice, with a significant positive correlation (r = 0.78) between the two groups. Among rice products found in the market, the imported high swelling, long grain rice was shown to be preferred by both traders and consumers, due mostly to the high swelling power and non-seasonal market availability of that grain type. Other results suggest that both traders and consumers desire further improvement in grain quality, even though they do not consider this to be of high priority. The study leads to the conclusion that imported rice products are more popular than local rice products among rice traders and consumers in Sierra Leone. It is speculated that such preference might have been driven directly by the priorities of household food decisions and indirectly by the general socio-economics of food production and consumption in the country.


The  essence  of  work  of  the  soil  ripping  machine  ЩР-4-5  is  that  the  soil  is worked  with  the  poles,  which  are  located  in  the  distance  of  0,5  meter  from  each other in alternate order. In this way horizontal ruptures and displacements of soil in vertical and horizontal direction ensures ripping of slotted space. During  the  dry  years,  like  during  the  summers  of  2007  and  2008  in  the  re-gion  of Turgaisk,  working  of  fields in the depth  of  more than  25  centimeters  was 102 impossible neither with more commonly used aggregate ПГ-3-5, nor slotted ripper ЩР-4-5.Tractor К-701 could not unitize because it's wheels stalled on the dry soil when the operative parts were in the depth of more than 25 centimeters because in the whole depth of work the soil was resisting to operative parts (although ЩР-4-5 had 9 operative parts of the factory assembly). This is the reason of waste of fuels and  lubricants,  early  deterioration  and  breakdown  of  tractor  and  operative  parts, low productivity of the aggregate, insufficient depth of work, what is influential to development of assemblage of rootlets and, of course, to the crop-producing power, moreover, generation of big clods.  Changes made to the construction of the slotted ripper ЩР-4-5 would help to eliminate this bug, reduce the resistance of the soil while it is unitized by the trac-tor, and improve economic factors. Moreover, the productivity of the aggregate and the quality of the work would increase.


Physiological noise artifacts, especially those originating from cardiac pulsation and subject motion, are common in clinical Diffusion tensor‐MRI acquisitions. Previous works show that signal perturbations produced by artifacts can be severe and neglecting to account for their contribution can result in erroneous diffusion tensor values. The Robust Estimation of Tensors by Outlier Rejection (RESTORE) method has been shown to be an effective strategy for improving tensor estimation on a voxel‐by‐voxel basis in the presence of artifactual data points in diffusion‐weighted images. In this article, we address potential instabilities that may arise when using RESTORE and propose practical constraints to improve its usability. Moreover, we introduce a method, called informed RESTORE designed to remove physiological noise artifacts in datasets acquired with low redundancy (less than 30–40 diffusion‐weighted image volumes)—a condition in which the original RESTORE algorithm may converge to an incorrect solution. This new method is based on the notion that physiological noise is more likely to result in signal dropouts than signal increases. Results from both Monte Carlo simulation and clinical diffusion data indicate that informed RESTORE performs very well in removing physiological noise artifacts for low redundancy diffusion‐weighted image datasets. Magn Reson Med, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


This paper elucidates the mathematical modeling of ice build-up, analysis of performance and projected economic impact of a custom-designed external-melt ice thermal energy storage (TES) that was constructed in the Philippines. Custom-designed TES evaporator coil at compressor-aided, partial storage mode with maximum design ice thickness of 2.95 in (74.93 mm) was used for the TES facility with computed maximum cooling demand of 326.2 TR (1,147 kW).The model was developed for ice formation rates based on relevant and validated researches. The governing equations for freezing were formed to solve for the weight of water converted to ice and prevailing TES bulk water temperature. All the thermophysical properties of ice expressed as a function of bulk ice temperature with correlated compressor capacity based on actual refrigeration system operating parameters was used.Performance and cost analyses showed that the custom-designed TES cooling coil requires an increase in initial investment by about 14.26% compared to conventional water chiller of similar capacity by only considering the addition of TES tank, excluding electrical and piping requirements of the chiller and TES systems. Benefits from time-of-use (TOU) rates, wherein electricity is cheaper at night, and coefficient of performance (COP) improvement due to lower ambient temperature at night translate to 31.88% internal rate of return (IRR) at 5-year cash flow or simple payback period of 2.55 years.Copyright © 2013 by ASME


A scheme is proposed for preparing a quantum vortex state with a coupled waveguide, in which a single-mode odd cat state with weak intensity and a single-mode coherent state are inserted in the input ports, respectively. The analytical wavefunction of the resulting state in the quadrature space is derived, and the vortex structure of the output state is analyzed. It is found that the obtained states, which may carry a vortex with topological charge index one, are entangled and nonclassical, depending only on the scaled propagation time and the weak intensity of the input odd cat state instead of the displacement parameter of the input coherent state. The phase distribution, however, in the quadrature space, depends on the displacement parameter of the input coherent state


Abstract. Data on Secchi disc depth (the depth at which a standard white disc lowered into the water just becomes invisible to a surface observer) show that water clarity in the North Sea declined during the 20th century, with likely consequences for marine primary production. However, the causes of this trend remain unknown. Here we analyse the hypothesis that changes in the North Sea's wave climate were largely responsible by causing an increase in the concentrations of suspended particulate matter (SPM) in the water column through the resuspension of seabed sediments. First, we analysed the broad-scale statistical relationships between SPM and bed shear stress due to waves and tides. We used hindcasts of wave and current data to construct a space–time dataset of bed shear stress between 1997 and 2017 across the northwest European Continental Shelf and compared the results with satellite-derived SPM concentrations. Bed shear stress was found to drive most of the inter-annual variation in SPM in the hydrographically mixed waters of the central and southern North Sea. We then used a long-term wave reanalysis to construct a time series of bed shear stress from 1900 to 2010. This shows that bed shear stress increased significantly across much of the shelf during this period, with increases of over 20 % in the southeastern North Sea. An increase in bed shear stress of this magnitude would have resulted in a large reduction in water clarity. Wave-driven processes are rarely included in projections of climate change impacts on marine ecosystems, but our analysis indicates that this should be reconsidered for shelf sea regions.


For the past fifty years, The New York Review of Books has covered virtually every international revolution and movement of consequence by dispatching the world's most brilliant writers to write eyewitness accounts. The New York Review Abroad not only brings together twenty-eight of the most riveting of these pieces but includes epilogues that update and reassess the political situation (by either the original authors or by Ian Buruma). Among the pieces included are: * Susan Sontag's personal narrative of staging Waiting for Godot in war-torn Sarajevo * Alma Guillermoprieto's report from inside Colombia's guerrilla headquarters and her disturbing encounter with young female fighters * Ryszard Kapuscinski's terrifying description of being set on fire while running roadblocks in Nigeria * Nobel laureate Andrei Sakharov's somber autobiographical account of one man's attempt to live morally under a totalitarian regime * Caroline Blackwood's coverage of the 1979 gravediggers' strike in Liverpool-a noir mini-masterpiece * Timothy Garton Ash's minute-by-minute account from the Magic Lantern theater in Prague in 1989, where the subterranean stage, auditorium, foyers, and dressing rooms had become the headquarters of the revolution Among other writers whose New York Review pieces will be included are Tim Judah, Amos Elon, Joan Didion, William Shawcross, Christopher de Bellaigue, and Mark Danner. A tour de force of vivid and enlightening writing from the front lines, this volume is indeed the first rough draft of the history of the past fifty years.


Received: May 24, 2019 Accepted: June 27, 2019 Published: July 31, 2019 Volume: 2 Issue: 4 DOI: 10.32996/ijllt.2019.2.4.6 The Visual-Poem is considered one of the most daring experimental poetry that has penetrated the borders of traditional Arabic poetry. The visual-poem is based on integration of linguistic poetic aspects and non-linguistic visual aspects. Therefore, the visual-poem is considered a hybrid literary genre that is based on integration of several arts, which makes the reader raise questions regarding its essence and identity, and whether it is poetry or artistic drawing or painting. The objective of the study is to confirm that the visual-poem is a special trans-generic literary type, which is an independent phenomenon that cannot be classified under any other literary genre. The study also seeks to highlight the aspect of penetration of the visual-poem to everything that is traditional and definite, starting with the various names that have been given to it, and ending with its various forms that appeared in classical poetry and modern Arabic poetry. To achieve its goals, the study adopts the methodology of analytical comparisons between classical Arabic texts, modern Arabic texts and European modern texts written in English and French. The fundamental landmarks of the visual poem are the same landmarks that are specific to poetry in general. The visual poem does not marginalize the language, the poetic rhythm or music but turns its language into a drawing and makes its music something visible that stems from words that are seen scattered on a white page. In addition, it keeps the components on which the poems are based such as: ambiguity, association, and other elements but it adopts them, not only in the language, but in everything that we see, too. The main conclusion of the study is that the visual poem is not a poetic school that has its own followers, concepts, and characteristics, but a poetic phenomenon that is too broad to be limited by a school or a specific tradition. KEYWORDS


While establishing a system for genetic transformation of South African cotton cultivars, a method of regeneration and transformation of the shoot apical meristem of seedlings was developed. Shoot apices from young cotton seedlings (Gossypium hirsutum cvs Sabie, Jassid, Palala and 107/1) were placed onto Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium (pH 5.8) containing MS vitamins, 2% sucrose, 0.7% agar and 0.1 mg/L kinetin. Within two weeks of culture, the shoot meristems differentiated into multiple green shoots and spontaneous root regeneration occurred two months later. Plantlets were placed in soil and hardened off in the growth chamber. Four months later the plants had grown to maturity and cotton bolls had formed. This regeneration protocol demonstrated a successful technique for the recovery of cotton plants from tissue culture using the shoot apical meristem. Shoot apical meristems of seedlings were used for transformation and were co-cultivated with Agrobacterium tumefaciens containing the phosphinothricin acetyltransferase (pat) and the neomycin phosphotransferase (npt II) genes. After co-cultivation, selection was carried out on regeneration medium containing 100 mg/L kanamycin and 1 mg/L glufosinate ammonium (PPT). Control explants were completely inhibited from growing on the selection medium, whereas transformed explants gave rise to multiple shoots resistant to PPT and kanamycin after four weeks. The integration of the pat gene in the transformed plant DNA was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction.


Current paper presents new alternatives for accelerating the task of fault simulation for sequential circuits by hardware emulation on FPGA. Fault simulation is an important subtask in test pattern generation and it is frequently used throughout the test generation process. The problems associated to fault emulation for sequential circuits are explained and alternative implementations are discussed. An environment for hardware emulation of fault simulation is presented. It incorporates hardware support for fault dropping. The proposed approach allows simulation speed-up of 40 to 500 times as compared to the state-of-the-art in fault simulation. Average speedup provided by the method is 250 that is about an order of magnitude higher than previously cited in the literature. Based on the experiments, we can conclude that it is beneficial to use emulation when large numbers of test vectors is required.


Active and open identi cation with animals and the creation of anthropomorphic (or zoomorphic) fursonas have become infamous on the internet, yet published research on the subculture is lacking. This ethnographic study explores this under-examined subculture by considering how individuals who identify as LGBT+ and as furry nd and experience community online in ways that contribute to feelings of belonging, inclusion, and overall well-being. Through a series of semi-structured interviews, it was found that participating LGBT+ furries experienced an increase in self-reported emotional well-being when allowed to engage with online furry fandom. Given that furry identity is inherently non-normative, the fandom becomes an accepting space for other non-normative identities, like LGBT+ identities. By creating accepting online communities, those without access to supportive communities in their o -line lives can learn about and explore non-normative identity without judgement. These spaces may allow for the accumulation of multiple non-normative identities, all of which are in relative harmony within online furry fandom, which serves as a "catch-all" identity. Existing within this space had positive a ects on the well-being of the participants.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the prevalence in HIV-infected patients of the metabolic syndrome as defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program, i.e., three or more of the following components: abdominal obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, low HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure, and high fasting glucose.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
In this cross-sectional study, 710 HIV-infected patients managed at the outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital during 2003 completed the study protocol consisting of a medical examination and laboratory analysis after a 12-h overnight fast.

RESULTS
Metabolic syndrome prevalence was 17% and increased from 5.1% among HIV-infected patients under age 30 years to 27.0% for those aged 50-59 years. Age (per 10-year increment) (odds ratio [OR] 1.41 [95% CI 1.12-1.77]), BMI (1.27 [1.19-1.36]), past and present protease inhibitor exposure (2.96 [1.03-3.55] and 4.18 [1.4-12.5], respectively) were independently associated with the metabolic syndrome on logistic regression analysis. Furthermore, only stavudine (d4T) (1.74 [1.01-2.98]) and lopinavir/ritonavir (2.46 [1.28-4.71]) were associated with the metabolic syndrome after adjustment for age and BMI.

CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of metabolic syndrome among these HIV-infected patients is similar to that previously reported in uninfected individuals. Of specific concern is the association of protease inhibitor exposure with the metabolic syndrome and, more specifically, with exposure to stavudine and lopinavir/ritonavir when individual antiretroviral drugs were analyzed.


Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of simultaneous and delayed implantation of kidney grafts in combined liver-kidney transplantation (CLKT). Background Data: Delayed function of the renal graft (DGF), which can result from hypotension and pressor use related to the liver transplantation (LT), may cause worse outcomes in CLKT. Methods: A total of 130 CLKTs were performed at Indiana University between 2002 and 2015 and studied in an observational cohort study. All kidneys underwent continuous hypothermic pulsatile machine perfusion until transplant: 69 with simultaneous kidney transplantation (KT) (at time of LT, group 1) and 61 with delayed KT (performed at a later time as a second operation, group 2). All patients received continuous veno-venous hemodialysis during the LT. Propensity score match analysis in a 1:1 case-match was performed. Results: Mean kidney cold ischemia time was 10 ± 3 and 50 ± 15 hours, for groups 1 and 2 (P < 0.0001), respectively. The rate of DGF was 7.3% in group 1, but no DGF was seen in group 2 (P = 0.0600). Kidney function was significantly better in group 2, if the implantation of kidneys was delayed >48 hours (P < 0.01). Patient survival was greater in group 2 at 1 year (91%), and 5 year (87%) post-transplantation (P = 0.0019). On multivariate analysis, DGF [hazard ratio (HR), 165.7; 95% confidence interval (CI), 9.4–2926], extended criteria donor kidneys (HR, 15.9; 95% CI 1.8–145.2), and recipient hepatitis C (HR, 5.5; 95% CI 1.7–17.8) were significant independent risk factors for patient survival. Conclusions: Delayed KT in CLKT (especially if delayed >48 h) is associated with improved kidney function with no DGF post-KT, and improved patient and graft survival.


Knowledge Management (KM) is considered as a major driving factor of innovation, a key component of building companies' competitive advantage. Although knowledge management is gaining recognition in large companies, there is little evidence on both the prerequisites and outcome of it, in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). Understanding both contributors of efficient KM and in turn its impact in innovation, is of vital importance for the survival and success of SMEs; this holds especially true for Greek SMEs suffering from the recent economic recession. The purpose of this study is to provide valuable insights to SMEs on this area, through identifying the key contributing factors towards establishing effective knowledge management and subsequently validating its impact on innovation enhancement. More specifically, this thesis is initially providing evidence on the theoretical positive contribution of the six -most commonly met in literature- enablers of effective knowledge management and its subsequent impact on innovation. These evidences are used as hypothesis and are evaluated following a quantitative methodology. The results of a survey conducted among 136 Greek SMEs are analyzed through structural equation modeling via which the weights of these hypotheses are calculated. The results of the study in Greek SMEs, reveal that the key contributors of effective knowledge management are Culture and Measurement, followed by some moderate contribution of Leadership, Knowledge Strategy and People Management, while Technology's impact is not statistically proved. Additionally the significant impact of effective knowledge management to innovation is proved. The aspects investigated in this thesis and results of our work will hopefully empower the decision makers in taking informed decisions towards innovation enhancement, through striving towards establishing effective knowledge management by focusing on the suggested key contributors.


Patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) experience, on average, 2 to 3 hypoglycemic episodes per week. This study investigated the effect of hypoglycemia on cerebral glucose metabolism in patients with uncomplicated T1DM. For this purpose, hyperinsulinemic euglycemic and hypoglycemic glucose clamps were performed on separate days, using [1-13C]glucose infusion to increase plasma 13C enrichment. In vivo brain 13C magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to measure the time course of 13C label incorporation into different metabolites and to calculate the tricarboxylic acid cycle flux (VTCA) by a one-compartment metabolic model. We found that cerebral glucose metabolism, as reflected by the VTCA, was not significantly different comparing euglycemic and hypoglycemic conditions in patients with T1DM. However, the VTCA was inversely related to the HbA1C and was, under hypoglycemic conditions, approximately 45% higher than that in a previously investigated group of healthy subjects. These data suggest that the brains of patients with T1DM are better able to endure moderate hypoglycemia than those of subjects without diabetes.


A micromechanical constitutive model for responding the macroscopic behavior of porous shape memory alloys (SMA) has been proposed in this work. According to the micromechanical method, the stiffness tensor of the porous SMA is obtained. The critical stresses are calculated by elastic mechanics. Based on the general concept of secant moduli method, the effective secant moduli of the porous SMA is given in terms of the secant moduli of dense SMA and the volume fraction of pores. The model takes account of the tensile-compressive asymmetry of SMA materials and the effect of the hydrostatic stress. Only the material parameters of dense SMA are needed for numerical calculation, and can degenerate to dense material. Examples for the uniaxial response of porous SMA materials at constant temperature are then used to illustrate one possible application of the constitutive model. The numerical results have been compared with the experiment data for porous SMA, which show that the modeling results are in good agreement with the experiments.


Analytical literature review on nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) and Mycobacteriosis (MB) issue has been carried out. The problem was considered from different perspectives. Identification methods of NTM, clinical features and treatment of MB, the combination of MB with HIV were paid attention to. Current studies of NTM and MB have been assessed based on scientific publications. Current studies of NTM and MB are stressed to be carried out mostly in such directions: MB and HIV-infections, effective medication development, NTM antigenic profile study. NTM and MB are of current importance and should be considered consequently.


A cytotoxic monoclonal antibody, CALL1, produced against a human schwannoma tumor was found to react with human platelets, common acute lymphocytic cells (cALL), and lymphoblasts from lymphoid blast crisis of chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML). The hybridoma was repeatedly cloned, and the antibody was considered reactive to a single antigen by absorption tests demonstrating that platelets remove cALL activity and cALL cells absorb platelet activity from the antibody. In addition, chromatofocusing showed that the antibody against platelets and cALL had the same isoelectric point. The CALL1 antibody bound to megakaryocytes but inhibited neither myeloid (CFU-C) nor erythroid (BFU-E) colony formation from bone marrow stem cells. Immunoprecipitation and SDS-gel electrophoresis indicated that CALL1 reacts with a polypeptide of 26,000 daltons.


This PhD study concerns the development and validation of the dynamical wetland extent scheme (DWES) as well as its application under projected past and future climate conditions. The DWES is designed for global scale hydrological simulations. It solves the water balance of wetlands and derives their extent dynamically. Currently the scheme is embedded into the Max Planck Institute – Hydrology Model (MPI-HM), which was used as testbed for the scheme's development. The DWES might be applied to generate hydrological boundary data for the biogeochemical modeling of the wetland carbon cycle or to simulate the response of wetlands to changes in climatic conditions. The core component of the DWES is the water flux equilibrium approach. The idea underlying this approach is that wetland water flows depend differently on water volume, depth and extent of the wetland. The wetland extent can then be adapted until the overall water inflows and outflows are balanced, resulting in a wetland which is stable under these hydrological conditions. The approach is further modified by the subgrid slope distribution of the respective model grid cell. This distribution determines how fast the wetland extent may adapt to changes in the water balance. For present climate, the model validation reveals a good agreement between the occurrence of simulated and observed wetlands on the global scale. The best result is achieved for the northern hemisphere where not only the wetland distribution pattern but also their extent is simulated reasonably well by the DWES. However, the wetland fraction in the tropical parts of South America and Central Africa is strongly overestimated. The validation on monthly basis demonstrates a good correlation between observed and simulated wetland extent variations. Large scale processes like the influence of northern snow melt on wetland extent as well as its reaction to the rainy and dry seasons in the tropics are successfully reproduced by the DWES. Simulations under past and future climate conditions yield plausible wetland distributions in respect to the forcing data. For the Mid-Holocene period, the DWES demonstrates its ability to represent realistic water level changes in accordance to Mid-Holocene lake level reconstructions for most regions. Discrepancies can mostly be attributed to the climate forcing data and to missing feedbacks between the DWES and the atmosphere. Likewise, the wetland simulations for the future time period are strongly influenced by the climate forcing. Their results reveal wetland growth in regions where precipitation exceeds evaporation while they desiccate in areas with reduced precipitation. Exceptions occur locally where processes like lateral water flow modify the direct climate forcing influence. Here, rivers efficiently drain the land surface in spite of a moisture surplus or transport water into an otherwise dry region. In summary, the validation analysis and the model applications demonstrate the DWES' ability to simulate the global distribution of wetlands and their seasonal variations. Thus, it can provide hydrological boundary conditions for methane modeling as well as for paleoclimate studies. In future applications, the DWES should be implemented into an earth system model to study feedbacks between wetlands and climate. 1


The expand trend of cloud data mobility led to malicious data threats that necessitate using data protection techniques. Most cloud system applications contain valuable and confidential data, such as personal, trade, or health information. Threats on such data may put the cloud systems that hold these data at high risk. However, traditional security solutions are not capable of handling the security of big data mobility. The current security mechanisms are insufficient for big data due to their shortage of determining the data that should be protected or due to their intractable time complexity. Therefore, the demand for securing mobile big data has been increasing rapidly to avoid any potential risks. This paper proposes an integrated methodology to classify and secure big data before executing data mobility, duplication, and analysis. The necessity of securing big data mobility is determined by classifying the data according to the risk impact level of their contents into two categories; confidential and public. Based on the classification category, the impact of data security is studied and substantiated on the confidential data in the scope of Hadoop Distributed File System. It is revealed that the proposed approach can significantly improve the cloud systems data mobility.


: Should employment agreements (EAs) be the deciding factor in considering a new position? EAs are details--important details, but background just the same--to the key issue: Do you want the job? And because of the way many health care organizations create their EAs, there really is little room for negotiation. Perceptions persist that this is an entirely open area, a blank canvas upon which each physician executive, in each situation, must don his or her battle gear and fight fiercely for the best possible deal. And yet, this is an area in which you are unlikely to have control.


This thesis examines the cult of Tudi Gong, the 'spirit of the place,' both as a religio-social phenomenon of intrinsic interest, but also as an 'appropriate vehicle' and a 'fixed reference point' for exploring and analysing the dynamic social changes which have been occurring in contemporary Taiwan, and people's strategic adaptations to these changes. Despite the prevalence and popularity of the 'spirit of the place' among the people of Taiwan, there is a dearth of discursive attention to the figure of Tudi Gong in anthropological literature. In the six substantive chapters of the thesis, particular attention is given to the changing Taiwanese senses of place, community and identity, in addition, reflecting upon his ethnographic fieldwork, the author also engages in a theoretical discussion on ethnographic writing as well as on a number of key concepts related to the notions of place and space. In the first section of the thesis, the initial chapter presents the ethnographic data from Datong district in Taibei city with an emphasis on the various Tudi Gong temples and their connections with the local historical development of the places in which they are sited. The second chapter focuses on the small rural village of Yongxing in Nantou county. In particular, it dwells upon the place of Tudi Gong cults in the village and the villagers' senses of attachment to place/community. In the third chapter the author speculates on the extent to which the previous two chapters, although belonging to the same research topic, seem to show a substantial variation in the form of writing and in the way knowledge, understanding and senses of the places in question have been presented in an ethnographic account. The author notes that although anthropologists have discussed issues regarding the extent to which their writings may represent and shape places and cultures, the question of whether the places and cultures they study may shape and dictate the style and tenor of their ethnographic writing does not seem to have been coherently addressed in anthropological literature. The second section starts with a comprehensive as well as ethnographically detailed fourth chapter on the 'functions' and connotations of Tudi Gong in contemporary Taiwan. The following chapter draws on a wide variety of oral and textual materials as well as iconographies and representations of Tudi Gong in the various mass media (e.g. television, newspapers, etc.). By these means, the author hopes to give the reader a flavour of the ways the Taiwanese talk of, experience, represent and write about Tudi Gong in the practice of everyday life. It also seeks to make a contribution to the debate about representation in anthropology. Chapter six argues that the study of Tudi Gong in contemporary Taiwan is a relevant locus from which to understand and discuss local senses of place, community and identity as well as informing, from an unorthodox perspective, the analysis of Chinese religion in Taiwan's changing society. The conclusion combines the findings of both sections and challenges anthropology to reassess the position of an anthropology of place in the discipline.


Wheat cultivar VL Gehun 892 has shown a high level of resistance against Australian Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst) pathotypes. In this study, it was crossed with Westonia, a susceptible wheat cultivar, and digenic segregation was observed in the derived population against Pst pathotype 134 E16A+Yr17+Yr27+. Single-gene recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations were developed from F3 families (VL Gehun 892/Westonia#1 and VLGehun 892/Westonia#4) that showed monogenic segregations with two distinct phenotypes. Single-gene segregation against Pst pathotype 134 E16A+Yr17+Yr27+ was confirmed in both F6 RIL populations. Bulked segregant analysis using a 90K Infinium SNP array placed YrVL1 in the short arm of chromosome 3D and YrVL2 in the long arm of chromosome 7B. Kompetitive allele specific polymerase chain reaction (KASP) assays were developed for the SNPs linked with YrVL1 and YrVL2 and were mapped onto the respective populations. KASP_48179 (0.6 cM proximal) and KASP_18087 (2.1 cM distal) flanked YrVL1, whereas YrVL2 was mapped between KASP_37096 (1.2 cM proximal) and KASP_2239 (3.6 cM distal). Based on their pathotypic specificities, map locations, and stages of expression, YrVL1 and YrVL2 were demonstrated to be unique loci and named Yr66 and Yr67, respectively. Markers linked with these genes showed more than 85% polymorphism when tested on a set of 89 Australian cultivars and hence could be used for the marker-assisted selection of these genes in wheat breeding programs, following checks of parental polymorphisms.


Endometrial or uterine glands secrete substances essential for uterine receptivity to the embryo, implantation, conceptus survival, development, and growth. Adenogenesis is the process of gland formation within the stroma of the uterus that occurs after birth. In the mouse, uterine gland formation initiates at postnatal day (P) 5. Subsequently, the developing uterine glands invade into the adjacent stroma. Mouse uterine gland morphology is poorly understood because it is based on two-dimensional (2D) histological observations. To more fully describe uterine gland morphogenesis, we generated three-dimensional (3D) models of postnatal uterine glands from P0 to P21, using light sheet microscopy. At birth (P0), there were no glands. At P8, we found bud- and teardrop-shaped epithelial invaginations. By P11, the forming glands were elongated epithelial tubes. By P21, the elongated tubes had a sinuous morphology. These morphologies are homogeneously distributed along the anterior-posterior axis of the uterus. To facilitate uterine gland analyses, we propose a novel 3D staging system of uterine gland morphology during postnatal development in the mouse. We define 6 stages: Stage 0: Aglandular, Stage 1: Bud, Stage 2: Teardrop, Stage 3: Elongated, Stage 4: Sinuous, and Stage 5: Primary Branches. This staging system provides a standardized key to assess and quantify uterine gland morphology that can be used for studies of uterine gland development and pathology. In addition, our studies suggest that gland formation initiation occurs during P8 and P11. However, between P11 and P21 gland formation initiation stops and all glands elongate and become sinuous.


Simultaneous bilateral recordings (C3 to A1 and C4 to A2) of brain stem auditory evoked responses have been studied in 67 supratentorial lesions, nine midbrain lesions, 21 intrinsic pontine lesions, and 23 extrinsic compressions of the pons. The responses in supratentorial lesions showed completely normal records. In midbrain lesions, wave V was specifically altered. As wave 1 has been shown to be a far-field seventh nerve potential, and wave V the midbrain potential, waves II to IV can be inferred to originate in the central auditory pathway between the seventh nerve and the midbrain. Alterations of waves II to IV correlated well with localization of pontine lesions, and asymmetric alterations of the bilaterally recorded responses were associated with unilateral lesions of the brain stem auditory pathway and/or lesions of the crossed auditory projections.


The flexible engineering of superconducting circuits, together with the nonlinearity available from Josephson junctions, have made microwave quantum optics a blooming research field in the past decade. Key experiments originally performed in the optical domain have become very accessible on this microwave-frequency, such that strong atomfield interactions and optical parametric interactions in microwave. From the latter, one example is the implementation of spontaneous parametric downconversion (SPDC). This process is particularly interesting as it can act as a nonclassical radiation source which give a number of potential applications in quantum information processing. We will focus on studying SPDC in microwave throughout this thesis. In the first half of this thesis, from designs to measurements, we will explore the wellknown two-photon parametric processes, SPDC and coherent coupling, which are generated by quadratic Hamiltonians. Using three resonant modes of a SQUID-terminated parametric cavity, we proceeded to combine different two-photon processes in an effort to demonstrate a multipartite nonclassical radiation source. With detailed system gain and noise calibration of our cryogenic microwave network, we confirmed our implementation by experimentally verifying that the generated states contain genuine tripartite entanglement. This multimode entangled radiation source can be an important resource for future experiments on quantum networking. While two-photon parametric processes have found numerous important applications, they have also been the limit of experiments for over three decades, with higher-order parametric processes seemingly out of reach. In the second half of this thesis, we explore the potential of parametric resonators for achieving such higher-order processes. To do this, we first studied the necessary conditions for accessing cubic Hamiltonians through our SQUID-based interactions. We then fabricated a device dedicated to performing threephoton processes through these cubic Hamiltonians. For the first time, we observed a direct generation of photon triplets by a single SPDC process in microwave . The generation rate can exceed a photon flux density of 60 photon per second per Hertz at the device output, far surpassing any record to date for photon triplets. We studied various pump configurations corresponding to different three-photon SPDC processes starting from a cold vacuum state. Pumping at triple the frequency of a single mode, we observed a phase-space distribution with a non-Gaussian profile which shows strong skewness (third moment) in the quadrature amplitude distribution. We reconstruct the Wigner function of the propagating states from the directly measured moment matrix, demonstrating Wigner negativity. Pumping at the sum frequency of three modes, we observed non-zero coskewness between the quadrature amplitudes of the modes. By analysing the output signals and


The Pasquotank River Watershed in Northeast North Carolina is fed by multiple tributaries surrounded by varying landforms such as swamp, farmlands, and urban development. Each of these landforms contributes both negatively and positively to the waters they surround. The watershed itself provides an intermediate between spawning grounds at the headwaters and the more open waters of the Albemarle Sound, which serves as a nursery area for many fish species, and s home to several commercial species. The Pasquotank River Watershed begins in the Great Dismal Swamp along the Virginia, North Carolina border where acid and significant color from dissolved organic matter is contributed. The 2011 UREOMPS Pasquotank River Watershed Team performed an assessment of the water quality in the watershed area. Assessments took place in several areas including the main channel of the river from Elizabeth City up to the Dismal Swamp Canal. Tributaries tested on the south side of the watershed were Newbegun Creek and Knobbs Creek. The tributaries on the north side were Areneuse Creek, Mill Dam Creek, and Sawyers Creek. Samples were taken at predetermined intervals and returned to the University for testing. Tests included pH, salt, total dissolved solids, and conductivity. Field readings recorded were air and water temperature, dissolved oxygen, wind speed and direction, and turbidity measurements using the Secchi disk. All measurements were placed on-line and correlated to the location of the sample utilizing Google Maps®. Readings were then compared to the landforms around the sample and their distance away from the river to determine if any correlations could be formed. Keywords-water quality; dissolved oxygen; watershed; tributaries; Pasquotank Watershed; Biology; pH; salt; conductivity


Web caching and Web prefetching are two important techniques used to reduce the noticeable response time perceived by users. Note that by integrating Web caching and Web prefetching, these two techniques can complement each other since the Web caching technique exploits the temporal locality, whereas Web prefetching technique utilizes the spatial locality of Web objects. However, without circumspect design, the integration of these two techniques might cause significant performance degradation to each other. In view of this, we propose in this paper an innovative cache replacement algorithm, which not only considers the caching effect in the Web environment, but also evaluates the prefetching rules provided by various prefetching schemes. Specifically, we formulate a normalized profit function to evaluate the profit from caching an object (i.e., either a nonimplied object or an implied object according to some prefetching rule). Based on the normalized profit function devised, we devise an innovative Web cache replacement algorithm, referred to as Algorithm IWCP (standing for the Integration of Web Caching and Prefetching). Using an event-driven simulation, we evaluate the performance of Algorithm IWCP under several circumstances. The experimental results show that Algorithm IWCP consistently outperforms the companion schemes in various performance metrics.


as currently obtains in Africa, China and India. Most of the debates were valuable with real practical applications, a few were rather academic. The dilemma facing developing countries in their search for health and the difficulties besetting them in the organization of health services were ably presented. The fallacy of introducing into, even imposing upon, such countries ready-made plans for health services patterned on effluent countries might have been more strongly emphasized. Since only a small area of this vast subject of medicine and culture could necessarily be discussed at such a symposium, the appetite for more was merely whetted by reading this book. It is to be hoped that further similar symposia may be arranged and the fruits of such discussions made available to a wider reading audience. A good index completes a volume ably edited by Dr. Poynter. H.P.T.


This investigation held concurrent visual feedback frequency at 50% in the acquisition phase and manipulated three different feedback schedules while comparing those to a 0% feedback frequency. In an assessment of dynamic postural stability, young, healthy adults performed 20 acquisition trials and four retention trials 48-hr later on a circular platform that moved in the anterior/posterior and medial/lateral axes simultaneously. Three concurrent feedback schedules were manipulated: a fade schedule consisting of high relative frequency of concurrent feedback early in the acquisition phase which was systematically reduced throughout acquisition (e.g., 100%, 75%, 50%, 25%, 0%), a constant schedule consisting of a uniform scheduling of concurrent feedback on every other acquisition trial, and a reverse fade group consisting of a schedule exactly opposite to that of the fade group. A no concurrent feedback group was also utilized to determine if feedback was necessary to learn the balance task. Acquisition and retention results revealed the concurrent groups performed with significantly greater accuracy and stability than the no concurrent feedback group. There were no significant differences between the three concurrent feedback schedules. Results indicate that manipulating concurrent feedback scheduling did not produce similar results to those investigations manipulating knowledge of results scheduling.