The Human Resource Management (HRM) Movement emerged during the 1980s and can
be defined as a strategic approach to acquiring, developing, managing, motivating and
gaining the commitment of the organization's key resource - the people who work in and
for it. HRM may therefore be defined as a set of management initiatives which have the
specific aim of securing the organizations competitive advantage by utilizing the labour
resource more effectively. (Rainbird 2000).
This study sought to identify the factors affecting the recruitment of teachers in public
secondary schools by the Board of Governors members in Makueni District. Out of the
134 public secondary schools in the district, 64 were taken for closer observation through
simple random sampling. The research was conducted through the administration of
questionnaires to the BOG Chairmen of the selected 64 schools. 56 out of the 64 returned
their filled inn questionnaires while the rest promised to do so though they failed to
honour their promise.
Generally the research was quite a success as the responses in the returned questionnaires
revealed some of the factors that influence or affect the recruitment of teachers in public
secondary schools by the BOGs and some of the weaknesses or shortcomings facing the
same system.
The researcher hopes that the findings of the research will make useful contribution in the
recruitment process. The recommendations made after the data analysis and
interpretation are aimed at giving possible suggestions to some of the problems faced in
teacher-management by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in coordination
with TSC, the schools' BOGs and other relevant stakeholders in education.


Scalar exchange between turbulent gas and liquid streams separated by deformable and breaking interfaces is of central importance in many environmental and industrial processes. For example, ocean uptake of greenhouse gases is largely governed by liquid-side mass transfer coefficients at the atmosphere water surfaces. Because measurements and analysis of fluid motion and scalar fields very close to deforming interfaces is difficult, our understanding of the governing phenomena is still poor compared to what we know about transport processes in solid-fluid boundary layers. We will discuss recent developments in direct numerical simulations and particle imaging velocimetry that have elucidated turbulence behavior at wavy gas-liquid surfaces. The results indicate that the surface renewal and surface divergence models, which are commonly used to parameterize liquid side controlled transfer rates are inadequate when interfaces micro-break. Theoretical approaches, which combine elements of the surface renewal and divergence models, will be discussed and compared with recent experimental data. The range of applicability of existing surface renewal small models will be discussed as well in the context of the new data.


The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the processing property of Mg96Zn2Y2 of casting material. Mg96Zn2Y2 is a high strength magnesium alloy material newly developed by Mr. Kawamura in Japan. The name of this alloy is called as 'Kumadai Goukin'. For this purpose, cylinder upsetting tests were performed. In addition, the marketing community of AZ31 magnesium alloy collates the information with the new material. We examined and compared the deformation resistance and ductility of the two materials. Furthermore, the dependence of deformation resistance and ductility of these materials to processing temperature and speed was evaluated [1].


A limitation of current methods for examining neural activity over long periods of time in the fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is the need to remove the head cuticle and the underlying tissue to gain optical access to the brain, a process that damages circulation and restricts the length of imaging time. Here, we developed a non-invasive preparation for structural and functional imaging of the fly brain through the intact head cuticle. We first showed that the head cuticle transmits long-wavelength laser light with surprisingly high efficiencies. In fact, the tissue that interferes with laser light during multiphoton imaging is the air sacs underneath the head cuticle. We developed a non-invasive imaging preparation that compresses the air sacs, and used it to image the mushroom body Kenyon cells and central complex ring neurons through the cuticle at cellular resolution using both 2-and 3-photon microscopy. We also performed non-invasive short-term and long-term functional imaging (for the first time for 12 consecutive hours) of odour-evoked calcium responses from the mushroom body Kenyon cells. Our results demonstrate that the non-invasive imaging preparation developed here extends the time limits of current in vivo imaging methods used in flies that require an invasive surgery, and opens up new ways to capture neural activity from the intact fly brain.


Adaptive thermal comfort model has been widely used to evaluate the thermal comfort level of natural ventilation buildings.However, current adaptive standards offer a simple linear relationship between the outdoor temperature and the indoor comfort temperature,ignoring the influence of solar radiation. In this paper, CFD model is used to evaluate the thermal comfort of a residential building under natural ventilation conditions.Keeping the input parameters of outdoor temperature and wind speed and changing the input parameters of solar radiation to simulate the distribution of Indoor air temperature and velocity.the result are compared with adaptive thermal comfort temperatures to predict global and local indoor thermal comfort .The results show that the presence or absence of direct sunlight has a great influence on indoor thermal comfort at the same outdoor temperature; in the absence of direct sunlight, the thermal sensation is relatively more uniform, and solar radiation has a significant effect on local thermal sensation.


Introduction: In this study, the effect of age on the prognosis of testicular germ cell tumors in patients over 40 was investigated. Materials and Methods: Ninety-three patients with testicular germ cell tumor who were 40 years old and over were identified in our germ cell tumor database. Patients were grouped according to their age with those between 40 and 44, 45 and 49 and 50 and over constituting groups I, II and III, respectively. Results: Only 15% of the patients of group III had localized disease (p = 0.002). Group III patients had a significantly lower response rate to initial chemotherapy and a higher disease progression rate during therapy (complete response rate: 33.3%, progression rate: 44.4%, p = 0.035). The multivariate analysis revealed that advanced stage was the only independent prognostic factor for survival (p = 0.0011). Conclusion: Testicular germ cell tumor patients over 50 years old presented with a more advanced stage and had higher disease progression and disease mortality rates.


Toxoplasmosis is an important cause of enhancing brain lesions in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and it is typically associated with low CD4-lymphocyte counts. Extensive toxoplasma encephalitis when the CD4-lymphocyte count is above 100 cells/µl is unusual. Cavitary lung lesions are also not typically associated with toxoplasmosis. Here, we present a case of toxoplasmosis associated with extensive brain masses and cavitary lung lesions, both of which improved with directed toxoplasmosis therapy, in an AIDS patient with a CD4 cell count of 120 cells/µl.


Background Context There has been much recent discussion on the role of spirituality in higher education, and much emphasis in the past 20 years on the importance of attending to diversity and equity concerns, though for the most part these discussions have been separate. This paper takes up the suggestion of scholars such as Barbara Wallace who noted that it is time for a new approach to critical multicultural teaching in higher education, to one that emphasizes social justice, an end to oppression, and spirituality Focus of Study The purpose of this paper is two-fold: (1) to discuss the role of spirituality (and its similarities and differences to religion) in engaging the notion of "the cultural imagination"; and (2) to discuss how one can draw on spirituality and the cultural imagination in the higher education classroom in dealing with cultural or diversity and equity issues. Research Design This discussion draws on the combined insights of the following: an earlier qualitative study exploring how spirituality informs the work of 31 educators from different cultural groups teaching classes dealing with diversity and equity issues and how they draw on it in the classroom; the insights of many recent authors who discuss the importance of attending to both imagination and spirituality in higher education teaching without pushing a religious agenda; and those who draw on cultural story, image, symbol, poetry, and art as a part of their teaching about diversity and equity issues. Conclusions and Recommendations In the ongoing process of meaning-making about culture, individuals re-weave new patterns of meaning by combining new threads of cultural and other experience with the old threads. This process is engaging cultural imagination. Image, symbol, music, ritual, art, poetry, often touch off memory in conscious and unconscious ways, which sometimes connects to spirituality. This paper explores how one can combine these ways of knowing that are a part of cultural imagination, with the intellectual and critical analysis aspects of higher education to facilitate greater student learning and greater equity in society.


Little progress has been made in modern politeness studies despite mountains of publications that have been bombarding the politeness market over the past three or so decades, rendering the latter in much a mess. It is argued in this paper that (1) politeness does not necessarily entail sincerity, and sincere politeness and insincere politeness should be distinguished; (2) there is no need to develop two different frameworks to account for politeness and impoliteness respectively; any framework that can be used to examine politeness phenomena should also aim for dealing with impoliteness phenomena; (3) polite language is not necessarily equated with politeness, and impolite language is not necessarily equated with impoliteness; and (4) though there is some need to differentiate between polite behaviour and politic behaviour, between politeness1 and politeness2, Watts? (2003) work is problematic.


Using a sample of U.S. financial institutions, we exploit recent mandatory disclosures of financial instruments designated as fair value level 1, 2, and 3 to test whether greater information risk in financial instrument fair values leads to higher cost of capital. We derive an empirical model allowing asset-specific estimates of implied betas, and find evidence that firms with greater exposure to level 3 financial assets exhibit higher betas relative to those designated as level 1 or level 2. We further find that this difference in implied betas across fair value designations is more pronounced for firms with ex ante lower quality information environments: firms with lower analyst following, lower market capitalization, higher analyst forecast errors, or higher analyst forecast dispersion. Overall, the results are consistent with a higher cost of capital for more opaque financial assets, but also suggest that differences in firm's information environments can mitigate information risk across the fair value designations.


Purpose – This paper aims to propose a framework which connects perspectives on knowledge and learning to various approaches of social networks studies. The purpose is twofold: providing input for the discourse in organizational studies about the way different views on knowledge and networks drive design choices and activities of researchers, policy makers, and practitioners; providing relevant questions which can support researchers, (human resource) managers, policy makers and practitioners to reflect on their views and their endeavors to study, understand and facilitate knowledge and learning processes in organizational networks.

Design/methodology/approach – In exploring the conceptual connections the authors draw on distinctions made between views on knowledge and networked learning in the fields of organizational development, human resource development and social networks. The proposed framework is built from connections identified in the literature review.

Findings – The paper proposes a framework which identifies four different ways of studying and understanding the outcomes of learning and knowledge processes in organizational networks.

Practical implications – The framework supports researchers, policy makers, (human resource) managers and practitioners in their endeavor to study, understand and facilitate the relationship between knowledge, learning, networks and their outcomes. The four perspectives can be used in designing and evaluating interventions and policy which are intended to foster knowledge processes and learning in organizations.

Originality/value – Studies on knowledge processes and learning in organisational networks are increasingly based on a variety of knowledge theories, which are not always based on a clear academic synthesis. Often these views of knowledge remain implicit and do not fit approaches adopted for understanding or evaluating knowledge processes and learning in organisations. This paper proposes a framework which integrates different concepts of knowledge and approaches to network studies.


Limitations of existing definitions of similar and contrasting soils for soil survey interpretations relating to both inclusions in map units and landscape patterns of soils led to the development of a new procedure for characterizing soil contrast. Six classes, or levels of soil contrast, are defined based on differences in intrinsic soil properties. Soil texture, coarse fragments, depth of rooting, drainage, permeability, pH, salinity, slope, erosion, and flooding are used to define 12 parameters for comparing soils. The range of values for each parameter is divided into a small number of discrete classes to facilitate comparisons. Within a given parameter (e.g., surface texture), class comparisons are rated as very similar, similar, somewhat contrasting, contrasting, or very contrasting, depending on whether the property values are in the same class, an adjacent class, nearby classes, or remote classes. Repeating this procedure for each parameter generates a set of 12 parameter contrasts for the two soils being compared. The distribution of contrasts among contrast levels determines the overall degree of contrast between the two soils. Where one or two parameters have a higher contrast than any of the others, that contrast level becomes the overall degree of soil contrast. Where several parameters vary at the same level, the cumulative effect of multiple variation is expressed by increasing the overall contrast to the next higher level. Advantages of the new model include multiple classes, definition of contrasts in terms of soil properties, and a precise procedure that can be duplicated by any two people given the same set of data.


Abstract Neural models command state-of-the-art performance across NLP tasks, including ones involving "reasoning". Models claiming to reason about the evidence presented to them should attend to the correct parts of the input while avoiding spurious patterns therein, be self-consistent in their predictions across inputs, and be immune to biases derived from their pre-training in a nuanced, context- sensitive fashion. Do the prevalent *BERT- family of models do so? In this paper, we study this question using the problem of reasoning on tabular data. Tabular inputs are especially well-suited for the study—they admit systematic probes targeting the properties listed above. Our experiments demonstrate that a RoBERTa-based model, representative of the current state-of-the-art, fails at reasoning on the following counts: it (a) ignores relevant parts of the evidence, (b) is over- sensitive to annotation artifacts, and (c) relies on the knowledge encoded in the pre-trained language model rather than the evidence presented in its tabular inputs. Finally, through inoculation experiments, we show that fine- tuning the model on perturbed data does not help it overcome the above challenges.


The high-index Visolett magnifier (index, 1.806) is an optically designed glass paperweight magnifier. It magnifies 2.49x, is 32mm in diameter, nonfocusable, and rests on paper. All Visoletts commercially available are made of crown glass (index, 1.523). The 32mm high-index Visolett has become commercially available recently. The use of high-index material increases the image size by 39%.


Neonatal diabetes is a rare form of diabetes, characterized by onset in the first 6 months of life. A number of cases are due to pancreas agenesis. Recently, PTF1A enhancer mutations have been shown to cause neonatal diabetes associated with pancreatic agenesis. Herein, we report the clinical features of two siblings with PTF1A enhancer mutations, one of whom had neonatal diabetes, whereas the elder sister had a milder form of the disease with onset of diabetes at 9 years of age.


An audit committee chair considers how he can help his committee become more effective given the increasing regulatory demands on audit committees. He also wrestles with the lack of specificity in audit committee duties and whether his committee should take on additional responsibilities. In particular, he considers the growing concern over risk oversight and wonders what kinds of risks the audit committee should consider and whether they should be the sole repository for risk management. This case includes a historical overview of the beginnings and evolution of audit committees, and the laws and regulations that have affected its role over time.


: A case of a 53-year-old man who presented with epigastric pain and weight loss is described. Endoscopy showed a smooth antral mass with what appeared to be a central overlying ulcer. Computerized tomography and upper gastrointestinal series confirmed the presence of a gastric mass. Laparotomy and local resection showed a gastric duplication comprised of two cysts, one with communication to the stomach lumen. Gastric duplication is a rare entity, especially in the adult. Though generally benign, local ulceration or fistula formation can cause symptoms and may suggest a more malignant process that warrants investigation.


Between 1945 and 1982 a network of interlocking directorates formed at the interior of the Mexican banking system. However, little work has been done to explore its implications. This paper proves that the network among bankers served to transfer information and create a system of monitoring self-discipline within the financial system and hence to reduce idiosyncratic risks. Using social network analysis with a database of the banks' boards, this paper presents computations of the centrality of the network. Degree and Eigenvalue centrality, used as measures for interconnection among banks, are then contrasted with indicators of financial performance for individual banks using a panel regression technique. JEL CLASSIFICATION: Latin American Financial Markets History (N26), Financial Markets Information (G14), Banks (G21).


OBJECTIVE
Intracranial dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) is mainly treated with an endovascular approach. Two major treatment advances include transvenous embolization (TVE) with coils in 1989 and, more recently, transarterial embolization with Onyx. The aim of this study was to present a large monocentric series of patients with DAVF treated with TVE. This series reports more than 20 years of experience and describes the evolution of the medical management of these patients, as well as current indications for this treatment at the authors' center.

METHODS
Consecutive patients treated for intracranial DAVFs with TVE from 1995 to 2018 were included. Clinical and imaging data were systematically collected. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify factors that were significantly associated with adverse clinical course or complications.

RESULTS
In this study of 136 patients with 142 DAVFs treated with TVE, the occlusion rate was 90%. The median length of follow-up was 11 months. The rate of permanent complications was 5.1%, and the procedure-related mortality rate was 1.5%. Procedure-related mortality was associated with extension of thrombosis that was observed early in our experience. The introduction of a postoperative anticoagulation regimen has drastically decreased the occurrence of this complication. Other minor complications included cochleovestibular syndrome after embolization of lateral sinus DAVF and oculomotor nerve damage after embolization of cavernous sinus DAVF.

CONCLUSIONS
TVE allows efficient occlusion of DAVF. It remains a valid option for DAVF located on a sinus that does not participate in normal venous drainage of the brain.


The electrical and secretory activities of mouse pituitary tumor cells (AtT-20/D-16v), which contain and release the ACTH/beta-endorphin family of peptides, were studied by means of intracellular recordings and radioimmunoassays. Injection of depolarizing current pulses evoked action potentials in all cells and the majority (82%) displayed spontaneous action potential activity. Action potentials were found to be calcium-dependent. Barium increased membrane resistance, action potential amplitude and duration, and release of ACTH and beta- endorphin immunoactivity. Isoproterenol increased both action potential frequency and hormone secretion. Raising the external calcium concentration increased the frequency and amplitude of the action potentials and stimulated secretion of ACTH and beta-endorphin immunoactivity. Thus, stimulation of secretory activity in AtT-20 cells was closely correlated with increased electrical activity. However, a complete blockade of action potential activity had no effect on basal hormone secretion in these cells. These results suggest that the mechanisms underlying stimulated hormone secretion are different from those responsible for basal secretory activity. It is proposed that the increased influx of calcium due to the increased action potential frequency initiates the stimulated release of hormone from these cells.


Transgenic fish have many potential applications in aquaculture, but also raise concerns regarding the possible deleterious effects of escaped or released transgenic fish on natural ecosystems. In this review the potential applications of transgenic fish are considered, the probable benefits reviewed, the possible risks to the environment identified and the measures which might be taken to minimize these risks are evaluated. Growth trials of transgenic fish have already been carried out in outdoor facilities and some of these are discussed in the light of possible risks and benefits. Regarding the hazards associated with release or escape, whilst there is some evidence to suggest that transgenic fish may be less fit compared to their wild counterparts, there is insufficient evidence to say that this will be true in all cases. Using mathematical models, we have attempted to predict the magnitude of the genetic effects in a range of different scenarios. A number of possible containment techniques are considered, amongst which containment by sterility is probably the most promising. This can be engineered either by triploidy or by transgenic methods. The conclusions include a tabulated balance sheet of likely benefits and risks, with appropriate weighting.


Background: During the progress and resolution of a diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) episode, potassium levels are signi fi cantly affected by the extent of acidosis. However, none of the current guidelines take into account acidosis during resuscitation of potassium level in DKA management, which may increase the risk of cardiovascular adverse events. Objective: To assess literature regarding the adjustment of potassium level using pH to calculate pH-adjusted corrected potassium level, and to observe the relationship of cardiovascular outcomes with reported potassium level and pH-adjusted corrected potassium in DKA. Methodology: Seven databases were searched from inception to January 2018 for studies which had reported people with diabetes developing diabetic ketoacidosis, in relation to prevalence or incidence, fl uid resuscitation or potassium supplementation treatment, treatment or cardiovascular outcomes, and experimentation with DKA management or insulin. Quality of studies was evaluated using Cochrane Risk of Bias and Newcastle Ottawa Scale. Results: Forty-seven studies were included in qualitative synthesis out of a total of 10,292 retrieved studies. Forty-one studies discussed the potassium level and blood pH at the time of admission, ten studies discussed cardiovascular outcomes, and only four studies concurrently discussed potassium level, pH, and cardiovascular outcomes. Only two studies were graded as good on the Newcastle Ottawa Scale. The reported potassium level was well within normal range (5.8 mmol/L), whereas pH rendered patients to be moderately acidotic (7.13). Surprisingly, none of the included studies mentioned pH-adjusted corrected potassium level and, hence, this was calculated later. Although mean corrected potassium was within the normal range (3.56 mmol/L), 13 studies had corrected potassium below 3.5 mmol/L and fi ve had it below 3.0 mmol/L. Nevertheless, with the exception of one study, none discussed cardiovascular outcomes in the context of potassium or pH-adjusted potassium level. Conclusion: The evidence surrounding cardiovascular outcomes during DKA episodes in light of a pH-adjusted corrected potassium level is scarce. A prospective observational, or preferably, an experimental study in this regard will ensure we can modify and enhance safety of existing DKA treatment protocols.


The eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) provides many important functions in coastal environments, from serving a crucial role in the estuary's food web to improving water quality for beachgoers and wildlife. Oysters are also a popular food choice for people. At times the commercial industry landings value has topped $8 million annually in Florida. This 2-page fact sheet is one in a series that highlights some of the key ecological and human factors important to the long-term sustainability of this valuable fishery. Written by Erik Lovestrand and published by the Florida Sea Grant College Program, April 2017.


Bacterial infections of the lungs and abdomen are among the most common causes of sepsis. Abdominal peritonitis often results in acute lung injury (ALI). Recent reports demonstrate a potential benefit of parenteral vitamin C [ascorbic acid (AscA)] in the pathogenesis of sepsis. Therefore we examined the mechanisms of vitamin C supplementation in the setting of abdominal peritonitis-mediated ALI. We hypothesized that vitamin C supplementation would protect lungs by restoring alveolar epithelial barrier integrity and preventing sepsis-associated coagulopathy. Male C57BL/6 mice were intraperitoneally injected with a fecal stem solution to induce abdominal peritonitis (FIP) 30 min prior to receiving either AscA (200 mg/kg) or dehydroascorbic acid (200 mg/kg). Variables examined included survival, extent of ALI, pulmonary inflammatory markers (myeloperoxidase, chemokines), bronchoalveolar epithelial permeability, alveolar fluid clearance, epithelial ion channel, and pump expression (aquaporin 5, cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, epithelial sodium channel, and Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase), tight junction protein expression (claudins, occludins, zona occludens), cytoskeletal rearrangements (F-actin polymerization), and coagulation parameters (thromboelastography, pro- and anticoagulants, fibrinolysis mediators) of septic blood. FIP-mediated ALI was characterized by compromised lung epithelial permeability, reduced alveolar fluid clearance, pulmonary inflammation and neutrophil sequestration, coagulation abnormalities, and increased mortality. Parenteral vitamin C infusion protected mice from the deleterious consequences of sepsis by multiple mechanisms, including attenuation of the proinflammatory response, enhancement of epithelial barrier function, increasing alveolar fluid clearance, and prevention of sepsis-associated coagulation abnormalities. Parenteral vitamin C may potentially have a role in the management of sepsis and ALI associated with sepsis.


Previously, we cloned a full-length cDNA of human Aup1 and showed that AUP1 may represent a new cellular target for the two adenovirus oncoproteins, E1A Ad5 and E4ORF3. In this study, we generated a polyclonal anti-AUP1 antibody and examined the subcellular localization of AUP1 in MCF7 cells, HeLa cells, H1299 cells, 293 cells, BRK1 cells and transfectants expressing adenoviruse E1 genes. Double staining of AUP1 and various markers for cytoplasmic structures showed that the pattern of AUP1 distribution in the cytoplasm was puctuate and diffuse and without any colocalization with Golgi apparatus or endoplasmic reticulum. Additional studies with ectopically expressed AUP1, fused with red fluorescent protein (RFP) in H1299 and McG7 human cell lines and BRK1 rat cell line, showed cytoplasmic localization of RFP-AUP1. Western blot analysis revealed that AUP1 was expressed at similar levels in all tested cell lines and had the same molecular weight as the rat protein (45 kDa). Taken together, these results suggest that AUP1 is a cytoplasmic protein that is expressed in all cell lines we examined.


This article highlights a problem which has troubled courts in the United States in recent years, and like most equality issues arising in US litigation, it is likely to trouble Europe's courts in due course. It concerns the victimisation provisions expressed in equality legislation, such as the Civil Rights Act 1964 (US), the EU Equality Directives, or the Equality Act 2010 (UK). The problem is that none of these are expressed to prohibit the victimisation of third parties, for instance, dismissing a spouse of a worker who brought a discrimination claim. This "most ancient form of vengeance" is designed to deter the worker from pursuing the claim, and will also deter others from complaining, "the chilling effect". This article identifies a variety of scenarios where a third party could be victimised, highlights the shortcomings in the equality Directives, and searches for solutions in EU law and the European Convention of Human Rights. It concludes that the best existing solution lies in EU general principles, but for the sake of certainty, a simple amendment to the existing legislative formulas is required, which would resolve the problem without any undue side-effects.


Pitting corrosion has a major influence on aging of structural elements made of high-strength aluminium alloys as corrosion pits lead to much earlier fatigue crack initiation under tensile dynamic loading. In order to improve material resistance to corrosion fatigue, it is necessary to reduce pit-tip stresses in the corroded pits areas. Shot peening (SP) is an important and well-known cold working process, having been used in industrial applications for a long time. Shot peening as intense plastic deformation in the thin surface layer affects cold surface hardening by primary inducing favorable residual compressive stresses. It is used in order to increase fatigue strength in operation and to improve fatigue resistance of precorroded material. The paper deals with the surface integrity of shot-peened high-strength 7075-T651 aluminium alloy. The paper describes the effects of SP treatment by presenting analyses of surface roughness measurement, residual stresses, material bending fatigue resistance, fractographic analysis of fatigued specimens, and electrochemical potentiodynamic testing.


This paper proposes a control strategy of a standalone hybrid energy conversion system. The hybrid renewable energy system is the combination of wind, solar, battery, fuel cell and dump load are connected to the common dc bus. In the proposed hybrid system, control of the generator side converter is used to achieve maximum power extraction from the available wind power by the indirect field orientation control (FOC). Moreover the PV array is integrated with an Incremental Conductance (IncCond) control algorithm to track the maximum power. Control of the bidirectional buck-boost DC-DC converter is used to maintain the constant dclink voltage by charging or discharging the battery and compensating the power differences between the wind source and loads. The potential excess of power is dissipated in the damp resistor with the chopper and buck converter. The load side voltage source inverter (VSI) is used to control the output load side voltage in terms of the frequency and voltage amplitude. In order to reduce harmonic currents injected to the AC load, a passive LCL filter is integrated. Extensive simulation results using Matlab/SIMULINK to establish that the performance of the controllers is quite satisfactory under variations in wind speed, solar irradiance and load condition. Keywords—component; Stand-alone; hybrid system; Variable speed wind turbine; PMSG; PV; LCL Filter


IKEA Funabashi has overall proven itself to be successful since its establishment in Japan in 2006. They have chosen to adapt themselves to obligatory cultural aspects while still being able to standardize their products and keep what makes them special – their so-called "Swedishness". Another reason for their success may be the fact that they do not have any direct competitors. We do however recommend them to focus more on PR and marketing in order to create a strong "first mover" advantage over other potential competition. Our overall conclusion is that since Japanese consumers have several unique qualities that differ from others, one can't ignore taking them into consideration. Yet we think that a company has to find a good balance between adapting to a local culture and its consumers and being able to maintain their uniqueness to sustain a competitive advantage. (Less)


This paper reports on the theoretical development and empirical validation of a measurement instrument for three information technology (IT) core capabilities in an electronic commerce context. The instrument is based on the work of Feeny and Willcocks (1998) and includes the capabilities 'information systems (IS)/IT governance', 'business system thinking' and 'relationship building'. It was validated using a sample consisting of 179 respondents, all of whom were IT managers or chief information officers. The results demonstrate that the constructs are reliable (α coefficients > 0.8) and valid. A confirmatory factor analysis on the data set yielded a moderately acceptable model fit. The model also demonstrated highly significant factor loadings (p < 0.001). The paper shows that a respecification of a competing model in which IS/IT governance is split into 'business IT strategic thinking' and 'IT management' provides better measures of fit. The paper concludes that the core capabilities of IT departments are useful constructs for incorporating into future research. They are successfully able to predict behaviours that have relatively little overlap. Recommended further research includes the relationship between capabilities and governance structures as well as further investigation into how IT core capabilities are formed and strengthened in organizations.


This paper explores empirically the link between French equities returns Value-at-Risk (VaR) and the state of financial markets cycle. The econometric analysis is based on a simple vector autoregression setup. Using quarterly data from 1970Q4 to 2008Q3, it turns out that the k-year VaR of French equities is strongly dependent on the cycle phase: the expected losses as measured by the VaR are twice smaller in recession times than expansion periods. These results strongly suggest that the European rules regarding the solvency capital requirements for insurance companies should adapt to the state of the financial market's cycle. To this end, we propose a cycle-dependent measure of the Solvency Capital Requirement.


Over the course of the last 50 years, a large number of major technological advances have contributed to the development of higher-strength, high-performance materials that provide excellent benefits. Nevertheless, in most cases, after a very short useful life, these products become waste material and contribute to environmental degra‐ dation. This situation has created an environmental crisis that has reached global proportions. In efforts to combat this issue and to promote sustainable development and reduce environmental pollution, some investigations have focused on recycling using innovative and clean technologies, such as gamma radiation, as an alternative to conventional mechanical and chemical recycling procedures. In this context, the reuse and recycling of waste materials and the use of gamma radiation are useful tools for improving the mechanical properties of concrete; for example, the compressive strength and modulus of elasticity are improved by the addition of waste particles and application of gamma radiation. In this chapter, we propose the use of gamma radiation as a method for modifying waste materials; for instance, polyethylene terephthalate plastic bottles, automotive tire rubber, and the cellulose in Tetra Pak containers, and their reuse to enhance the properties of concrete.


Modern cosmology is interested in finding out what matter ingredients and how much of each ingredient are in the universe. According to observational data, the percentages of dark energy, dark matter and the baryonic matter are 72.8%, 22.7% and 4.53% respectively.Fritz Zwicky (1936) measured velocity dispersion of eight galaxies through Doppler redshift in Coma Cluster. He found that the velocities of the galaxies making up the cluster were about ten times larger than he expected. The observable matter alone could not accelerate the galaxies to higher velocities; in fact, the observable matter provided roughly 0.5% of the required mass. In the 1970s, Rubin, Freeman and Peebles gathered more reliable data by observation of a larger number of clusters that confirmed that luminous matter alone could not account for the high velocities of the galaxies. The amount of the light stars emits as you near the edge of a spiral galaxy decreases and assuming all matter was luminous, the rotational speed would decrease too. This, however, is not the case. Galactic rotation curves are known to be flat. These galactic dynamics, the dynamics of galaxy clusters and Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) measurements provide a compelling evidence of some sort of invisible matter, called dark matter, which does not interact electromagnetically but participates in the gravitational dynamics.


: This chapter provides a step-by-step guide for readers to perform both simple and complex analyses with PIAAC data using the IEA International Database (IDB) Analyzer. The IDB Analyzer is a Windows-based tool that generates SPSS and SAS syntax. Using this syntax, corresponding analyzes can be conducted in SPSS and SAS. The chapter will present the data-merging module as well as the analysis module. Potential analyses with the IDB Analyzer will be demonstrated, e.g., the calculation of percentages, averages, proficiency levels, linear regression, correlations, and percentiles.


The management of waste glass is of great concern worldwide due to its non-combustible and non-putrescible nature. Additionally, there is an urgent need for more sustainable alternatives and sources for aggregate, as the world is running out of quarried sand for use in construction. The Soil-less Soils Project, which is currently being run by the Philadelphia-based landscape architecture firm, OLIN, in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University, is located at the nexus of two pressing environmental issues associated with urban development: a scarcity of sand and an overabundance of post-consumer glass. To solve these problems, the research initiative aims to develop and test a low-carbon footprint, rapidly renewable manufactured soil mix for use in green infrastructure and urban planting applications. The principle components of the mix are Class A biosolids and fine-ground recycled glass cullet. While the primary goals of the Soil-less Soils Project are environmental, the use of glass, an inert material, in place of mineral aggregate may also provide benefits in terms of soil function and uniformity in designed landscapes. To assess the environmental impacts of the substitution of natural sand with glass fines in the Soil-less Soil mix, a comparative cradle-to-gate life cycle analysis (LCA) was performed on the two materials. This is the first ever LCA study on recycled aggregates from waste glass in the landscape architecture industry, which was based on both the database and the first hand data. The results reveal that compared with the conventional sand, recycled aggregates produced from waste glass reduce 67% greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission with a saving of 48% water usage. The positive outcomes of the study will provide guidance on maximizing waste glass recycling and encourage the use of waste glass in the green infrastructure application. Disciplines Environmental Sciences | Physical Sciences and Mathematics This thesis or dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/mes_capstones/78 Abstract: The management of waste glass is of great concern worldwide due to its non-combustible and non-putrescible nature. Additionally, there is an urgent need for more sustainable alternatives and sources for aggregate, as the world is running out of quarried sand for use in construction. The Soil-less Soils Project, which is currently being run by the Philadelphia-based landscape architecture firm, OLIN, in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University, is located at the nexus of two pressing environmental issues associated with urban development: a scarcity of sand and an overabundance of post-consumer glass. To solve these problems, the research initiative aims to develop and test a low-carbon footprint, rapidly renewable manufactured soil mix for use in green infrastructure and urban planting applications. The principle components of the mix are Class A biosolids and fine-ground recycled glass cullet. While the primary goals of the Soil-less Soils Project are environmental, the use of glass, an inert material, in place of mineral aggregate may also provide benefits in terms of soil function and uniformity in designed landscapes. To assess the environmental impacts of the substitution of natural sand with glass fines in the Soil-less Soil mix, a comparative cradle-to-gate life cycle analysis (LCA) was performed on the two materials. This is the first ever LCA study on recycled aggregates from waste glass in the landscape architecture industry, which was based on both the database and the first hand data. The results reveal that compared with the conventional sand, recycled aggregates produced from waste glass reduce 67% greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission with a saving of 48% water usage. The positive outcomes of the study will provide guidance on maximizing waste glass recycling and encourage the use of waste glass in the green infrastructure application. The management of waste glass is of great concern worldwide due to its non-combustible and non-putrescible nature. Additionally, there is an urgent need for more sustainable alternatives and sources for aggregate, as the world is running out of quarried sand for use in construction. The Soil-less Soils Project, which is currently being run by the Philadelphia-based landscape architecture firm, OLIN, in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University, is located at the nexus of two pressing environmental issues associated with urban development: a scarcity of sand and an overabundance of post-consumer glass. To solve these problems, the research initiative aims to develop and test a low-carbon footprint, rapidly renewable manufactured soil mix for use in green infrastructure and urban planting applications. The principle components of the mix are Class A biosolids and fine-ground recycled glass cullet. While the primary goals of the Soil-less Soils Project are environmental, the use of glass, an inert material, in place of mineral aggregate may also provide benefits in terms of soil function and uniformity in designed landscapes. To assess the environmental impacts of the substitution of natural sand with glass fines in the Soil-less Soil mix, a comparative cradle-to-gate life cycle analysis (LCA) was performed on the two materials. This is the first ever LCA study on recycled aggregates from waste glass in the landscape architecture industry, which was based on both the database and the first hand data. The results reveal that compared with the conventional sand, recycled aggregates produced from waste glass reduce 67% greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission with a saving of 48% water usage. The positive outcomes of the study will provide guidance on maximizing waste glass recycling and encourage the use of waste glass in the green infrastructure application.


Background
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been demonstrated to lower blood glucose levels in patients with diabetes. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) allows glucose monitoring in real time. Battery-operated CGM transmitters have yet to be formally tested and given safety approval for use in a hyperbaric environment.

Materials and Methods
We evaluated and tested commercially available Dexcom® G6 CGM transmitters under hyperbaric conditions. Each transmitter contains a 3V, 130-mAh (0.39 Wh) lithium manganese dioxide battery (IEC CR1632) and circuit board that are fully encapsulated in epoxy. Each transmitter is pressurized to 90 pounds per square inch (psi) in an autoclave at 40°C for up to 72 hours during manufacturing to ensure that all enclosed air spaces are eliminated from the epoxy. We compared the CGM components against section 220.127.116.11.17.5 of the 2018 National Fire Protection Association 99 (NFPA 99) Health Care Facilities Code requirements. Six CGM transmitters attached to estimated glucose value generators (EGVGs) underwent 11 pressurization cycles to 45 feet of seawater (fsw). All transmitters were returned to the manufacturer to assess post-exposure structural integrity. G6 sensors, which contain no electrical components or compressible air spaces, do not pose a risk in the hyperbaric environment.

Results
There was no observed change in preset EGVG readings during hyperbaric exposures. Post-exposure testing revealed no structural compromise after repeated hyperbaric exposures.

Conclusions
The CGM transmitter meets section 184.108.40.206.17.5 of the 2018 NFPA 99 requirements for battery-operated devices allowed for use in a hyperbaric environment. This analysis revealed no significant safety concerns with subjecting Dexcom G6 CGM transmitters to hyperbaric environments.


Morphology of the fibroblasts X-chromosomes obtained from the female field vole Microtus agrestis and cultured for 4--5 hr before fixation in 5-bromodeoxyuridine, was studied. A clear differential condensation along the lenght of the whole X-chromosome was observed. A difference between homologues in the degree of uneven condensation was noted both in the short arm (facultative heterochromatin) and in the long arm (constitutive heterochromatin).


Each series $\sum_{n=1}^\infty a_n$ of real positive terms gives rise to a topology on $\mathbb{N} = \{1,2,3,...\}$ by declaring a proper subset $A\subseteq \mathbb{N}$ to be closed if $\sum_{n\in A} a_n < \infty$. We explore the relationship between analytic properties of the series and topological properties on $\mathbb{N}$. In particular, we show that, up to homeomorphism, $|\mathbb{R}|$-many topologies are generated. We also find an uncountable family of examples $\{\mathbb{N}_\alpha\}_{\alpha \in [0,1]}$ with the property that for any $\alpha < \beta$, there is a continuous bijection $\mathbb{N}_\beta\rightarrow \mathbb{N}_\alpha$, but the only continuous functions $\mathbb{N}_\alpha\rightarrow \mathbb{N}_\beta$ are constant.


Clinical islet transplantation (CIT) is a potential therapy for type 1 diabetes. Allorejection mediated by the host CD4 T cells is a major hurdle for successful CIT, despite potent systemic immunosuppression (SI). To address these issues, we engineered PLGA microparticles (PLGA-MPs) that allow the localized delivery of TGF-β1 for regulatory T cells (TRegs) induction at the transplant site. TGF-β1 is an immunoregulatory agent that promotes the TRegs differentiation from naive CD4 cells by inducing FoxP3 expression while suppressing inflammatory Th1 and Th2 responses. To date, we have (i) fabricated TGF-β1 loaded PLGA particles by double emulsion (PVA(aq)- CH2Cl2- PVA(aq)) with characterization in size (45±26 μm), TGF-β1 encapsulation efficiency (49.1±0.1%), and release kinetics (durable biphasic release for 14 days); (ii) proved effective TRegs conversion in OVA-OTII antigen-specific murine model (Fig.1); and (iii) shown efficacy for in vivo Treg conversion by MPs in rodent islet allografts, where accepted grafts showed improved insulin production and elevated TRegs. Future studies exploring the competency of PLGA-MPs to provide durable allograft protection in rodent models is on-going. Based on these promising preliminary results, TGF-β1 PLGA-MPs could provide a translational therapeutic strategy to minimize islet graft rejection and the dependency on SI. Disclosure Y. Li: None. A. Frei: Employee; Self; Medline Industries, Inc.. S.D. Barash: None. C.L. Stabler: None.


In this paper, we describe an axiom-free Coq formalization that there does not exists a general method for solving by radicals polynomial equations of degree greater than 4. This development includes a proof of Galois' Theorem of the equivalence between solvable extensions and extensions solvable by radicals. The unsolvability of the general quintic follows from applying this theorem to a well chosen polynomial with unsolvable Galois group.


In this paper, we present solutions to Zadeh's challenge problem on calculating linguistic probabilities. First, we argue that Zadeh's solution to this problem via the Generalized Extension Principle is very difficult to implement. Then, we use a syllogism based on the entailment principle to interpret the problem so that it can be solved by calculation of pessimistic (lower) and optimistic (upper) probabilities via Linguistic Weighted Averages. We use a pessimistic and an optimistic compatibility measure to calculate such probabilities. Then, we choose vocabularies for heights and linguistic probabilities that are involved in the problem statement. The vocabularies are modeled using interval type-2 fuzzy sets. We calculate optimistic (upper) and pessimistic (lower) probabilities, which naturally would be interval type-2 fuzzy sets. Finally, we map the pessimistic and optimistic probabilities into linguistic probabilities present in the vocabularies, so that the results can be comprehended by a human. We investigate viable alternatives for the pessimistic and optimistic compatibility measures, and also solve a similar problem with a different hypothesis.


Abstract Building on a narrative approach to identify episodes of fiscal consolidation, data for a group of seventeen industrial countries over the period 1978–2009, and continuous-time duration models, we find evidence suggesting that the likelihood of a fiscal consolidation ending increases over time, but only for programmes that last fewer than six years. Additionally, fiscal consolidations tend to last longer in non-European than in European countries. Our results emphasize that chronic fiscal imbalances might lead to a vicious austerity cycle, while discipline in the behaviour of fiscal authorities is a means of achieving credible and shorter adjustment measures. Therefore, fiscal fatigue is likely to compromise the implementation and successfulness of fiscal consolidation programmes.


This paper is concerned with artificial evolution of neuro-controllers with adaptive synapses for autonomous mobile robots. The method consists of encoding on the genotype a set of local modification rules that synapses obey while the robot freely moves in the environment [2]. The synaptic weights are not encoded on the genotype. In the experiments presented here, a "behavior-based fitness" function gives reproductive advantage to robots that can solve a sequential task. The results show that evolutionary adaptive controllers solve the task much faster and better than evolutionary standard (non-adaptive) controllers, that the method scales up well to large architectures whereas standard controllers do not, and that evolved adaptive controllers are not trivial and cannot be reduced to a fixed-weight network.


The key claims of this strongly comparative study, which according to Lewis's own ambiguous formulation attempts to write Lacan's thought over Derrida's, are that a critical re-examination of Derridean deconstruction may be effected via the alternative vision of the place of language in Lacan, and that Lacanian criticism, if successful in this endeavour, may thus legitimately be applied to all transcendental thought, if Derridean philosophy is accepted as the most advanced formulation to date of a Western transcendental tradition. While the second of these claims can hardly be proved, the first forms the basis for the work's re-readings, in which deconstruction is shown to be susceptible to criticism, and that Lacanian analysis is the alternative approach to the real that inter alia opens up deconstruction to further enquiry. This claim in itself involves a large distinction, amounting to a self-deconstruction, being established between an early Lacan associated above all with the name-of-the-father, and a later Lacan, whose work presents the phallus as a re-examination of the position of the real and therefore of the imaginary. In four large chapters the book develops this slightly progressivist and oppositional reading. The first chapter therefore postulates the Lacanian presentation of the phallus as a moment of resistance to deconstruction, in contrast to the still-deconstructible earlier opposition of the symbolic and the real evinced in the name-of-the-father. Explication of this opposition, in which early Lacan is really synonymous with structuralism, is the second chapter; while the third chapter then argues at length that Lacanian development of the real, and the transformed position that this in turn gave to the imaginary, thereby lent to the phallus the power among other things to resist the deconstruction of a transcendental approach. Lewis thus returns a certain analytic thrust, as it were, in announcing a residual transcendentalism in Derridean deconstruction, which can be detected via Lacan's revisions of the real that produce an imaginative archi-writing that differs significantly from that of Derrida. The shorter final chapter presents the reasonable view that if Lacan deconstructs otherwise than Derrida and in a manner beyond the analytic scope of the latter, this nonetheless represents less a criticism than a prolongation of Derridean deconstruction. While it can be difficult on occasion to follow (or even to wish to follow) the author through all of his enthusiastic and involved adherence to certain Lacanian obfuscations that once upon a time held so much criticism in thrall, the key analytic mechanism of the book produces a persuasive and properly comparative reading of two dominating late twentieth-century transcendental philosophies.


A high-level simulator is presented for the design and analysis of dynamically organizational Networks-on-Chip (DoNoCs). The DoNoC is able to organize statically or dynamically different network nodes for run-time coarse and fine grained reconfiguration, in particular power management. As an important step in the design flow, a simulator for early-stage design exploration is the focus of the paper. Built upon classic wormhole-based NoC architecture, the simulator is capable of experimenting diverse run-time monitoring and reconfiguration methods. In particular, dynamic clusterization can be performed with inter-cluster interfaces properly configured at the run-time. The simulator is flit-level accurate, trace-driven, and easy-to-reconfigure. It supports both synchronous and ratiochronous timing, and can provide the communication performance and power/energy consumption. The paper demonstrates the usage of the simulator in the design of various cluster-based power management schemes.


Pd(0)-catalyzed, non-chain-walking Mizoroki-Heck reactions exhibit poor reactivity with polysubsti- tuted, unbiased alkenes. Intermolecular reactions with simple, all-carbon tetrasubstituted alkenes are unprecedented. Here we report that pendant carboxylic acids, combined with bulky monophospine ligands on palladium, can direct the arylation of tri- and tetrasubstituted olefins. Quaternary carbons are established at high Fsp3 attached-ring junctures and the carboxylate directing group can be removed after coupling. Carboxylate directivity prevents over-arylation of the new, less hindered alkene, which can be diversified in subsequent reactions.


The paper proposes an integrated location management scheme, based on our previously proposed novel rule-based paging scheme (RBPS) for reducing the cost of terminal paging in a cellular wireless environment. We extend that scheme to propose a complete location management scheme. This requires application of RBPS together with a judicious movement based location update (LU) scheme. Numerical results show that the proposed integrated location management scheme, called RBPS*, not only attempts to resolve the issue of inherent tradeoff between the cost components, comprised of paging and LU cost, but also does reduce the total cost for location management compared to the other schemes. RBPS* significantly outperforms RBPS and the GSM-adopted blanket paging scheme along with movement based LU. When compared with the popular shortest distance first (SDF) scheme, results are again encouraging. The proposed scheme, RBPS*, is a generic one and can be deployed on-line. It has the potential for use in next generation wireless networks, irrespective of any standards.


[1] Stratigraphic evidence is found for two coseismic subsidence events that underlie a floodplain 20 km south of Padang, West Sumatra along the Mentawai segment (0.5°S–0.3°S) of the Sunda subduction zone. Each earthquake is marked by a sharp soil-mud contact that represents a sudden change from mangrove to tidal flat. The earthquakes occurred about 4000 and 3000 cal years B.P. based on radiocarbon ages of detrital plant fragments and seeds. The absence of younger paleoseismic evidence suggests that late Holocene relative sea level fall left the floodplain too high for an earthquake to lower it into the intertidal zone. Our results point to a brief, few thousand year window of preservation of subsidence events in tidal-wetland stratigraphic sequences, a result that is generally applicable to other emergent coastlines of West Sumatra.


Subclavian and axillary arterial injuries are uncommon and in the setting of scapulothoracic dissociation present difficulties in diagnosis, assessment, and reconstruction. We present a case of subclavian artery disruption in such a setting, in which palmar duplex identified the need for reperfusion and provided assessment of an extra-anatomic bypass. Palmar arterial duplex may provide a useful tool in select cases of upper extremity arterial trauma.


Background The presence of acute kidney injury in the setting of acute heart failure (AHF) or acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is a very common occurrence and was termed cardiorenal syndrome 1 (CRS1). Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in the blood and urine is one of the earliest biomarkers of acute kidney injury due to ischemia or renal toxicity. This study was aimed to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of plasma NGAL in the diagnosis of CRS1. Methods There were 139 patients with AHF or ADHF in the department of Cardiovascular Resuscitation and Interventional Cardiology at Ho Chi Minh City 115 People Hospital from September 2018 to March 2019. This was a prospective cohort study. Results There were 48 cases (rate 34.5%) with CRS1, mean age was 66.12 ± 15.77 and men accounted for 50.4%. There were no significant differences of vital signs at admission, diagnosis, and EF-based heart failure between CRS1 and non-CRS1 groups. The urea, creatinine on first day (creatinine D1) and third day (creatinine D3), NT-proBNP, and NGAL levels were higher in the CRS1 group than the non-CRS1 group, p < 0.05. The optimal cutoff plasma NGAL for diagnosing CRS1 was >353.23 ng/ml, area under curve (AUC) 0.732 (95% CI 0.65–0.80, p < 0.001), sensitivity 74.47%, specificity 68.48%, positive predictive value 54.7%, and negative predictive value 84%. Multivariable logistic regression analysis eGFRCKDEPID1 remained the strongest independent predictor of CRS1. Building the optimal regression model (without eGFRCKDEPID1) by the BMA (Bayesian model average) method with two variables NGAL and Creatinine D1, we had the equation: odds ratio = ey while y = −2.39 + 0.0037 × NGAL + 0.17 × Creatinine D1. The nomogram (without eGFRCKDEPID1) was designed to predict the likelihood of CRS1 with AUC 0.79. Conclusions The combination of plasma NGAL and creatinine D1 on the first day at admission had a high accuracy of predictive model for CRS1.


We describe a new Zome-like system that exhibits octahedral rather than icosahedral symmetry, and illustrate its application to 3-dimensional projections of 4-dimensional regular polychora. Furthermore, we explain the existence of that system, as well as an infinite family of related systems, in terms of Hamilton's quaternions and the binary icosahedral group. Finally, we describe a remarkably tenacious aspect of H4 symmetry that "survives" projection down to three dimensions, reappearing only in 2-dimensional projections.


This handbook provides a detailed, down-to-earth introduction to regression diagnostic analysis, a technique of growing importance for work in applied statistics. Heavily illustrated, with numerous examples to illuminate the discussion, this timely volume outlines methods for regression models, stressing detection of outliers and inadequate models; describes the transformation of variables in an equation, particularly the response; and considers such advanced topics as generalized linear models. A useful guide that combines lucid explanations with up-to-date research findings.


1593 Objective: Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are known to be impaired in anti-tumor immune responses. We hypothesized that this suppression could be related to accumulation and activation of regulatory T cells Type 1 (Tr1 cells) in the tumor. Therefore, we evaluated TIL for the presence and characteristics of Tr1 cells and compared them to Tr1 cells in the peripheral blood of HNSCC patients. Methods: To generate Tr1 cells, an in vitro culture system containing MACS-separated CD4+CD25- T cells, which were obtained either from TIL or the peripheral blood of 15 HNSCC patients, was used. Lymphocytes were cultured in AIM V medium supplemented with low doses of IL-2, IL-10, IL-15 and 10% FBS for 10 days. In parallel, CD4+CD25- T cells isolated from the peripheral blood of 10 normal donors were cultured in the presence of irradiated HLA-A2+ HNSCC cells, autologous immature dendritic cells and the same cytokines to simulate tumor microenvironment and serve as controls. Multi-color flow cytometry was used to phenotype freshly isolated and outgrowing cells stained for CD25, CD122, CD132, FoxP3, CTLA-4, IL-10 and IL-4. Their suppressor activity was measured in CFSE inhibition assays using autologous OKT3-stimulated CD4+CD25- responders. Culture supernatants (SN) were tested for levels of cytokines in ELISA. Results: In HNSCC patients, freshly isolated CD4+CD25- TIL contained 67% IL-4+, 25% IL-10+ and 20% each Foxp3+ and CTLA-4+ T cells. After culture the phenotype of outgrowing T cells corresponded to that of Tr1 cells: low expression of Foxp3 (2.5% ± 3, MFI: 3.8 ± 1) and CTLA-4 (2.1% ± 1, 2.4 ± 1.4) and high expression of IL-10 (88.4% ± 5.1, MFI: 13.5 ± 2.6) and IL-2Rγ (56.2% ± 12, MFI: 195.9 ± 33.1). Tr1 cells outgrowing from PBMC had lower MFI for IL-10 and IL2R γ (p=0.0001). The suppressor activity of Tr1 cells obtained from TIL was higher than that of Tr1 cells expanded from PBMC (85.1% ± 9.7 vs. 64.8% ± 14.5). Levels of IL-10 and TGF-β1 in culture SN of TIL was significantly higher compared to levels in SN of PBMC cultures (median: 1429pg/mL vs. 1023 pg/mL and median: 3721pg/mL vs. 3006pg/mL, respectively). In normal control cultures, outgrowing Tr1 cells were fewer and had lower suppressor activity. Conclusion: Phenotypically and functionally, Tr1 cells in TIL are different from circulating Tr1 cells in HNSCC patients. Tr1 cells with high suppressor activity are enriched in the tumor microenvironment and may contribute to the impairment of anti-tumor immune responses.


Abstract Context/objective: Previous studies have illustrated the association of the ApaI and TaqI polymorphisms of the vitamin D receptor gene, located in non-coding and coding regions, respectively, with diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease; however, investigating such association in Egyptian patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) has never been formerly attempted. Materials and methods: Male patients (n = 137), 35–50 years of age, with verified CAD, were recruited alongside age- and sex-matched controls (n = 58). Genotyping and 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] measurement were performed by polymerase chain reaction RFLP and HPLC, respectively. Results: Comparison of the genotypic distribution of both the TaqI and ApaI polymorphisms between patients and controls yielded insignificant results (p = 0.55 and 0.7, respectively). Comparison of the allelic distribution of both polymorphisms also yielded insignificant results. The TaqI polymorphism was not found to predict 25(OH)D levels, whereas the wild-type genotype of the ApaI polymorphism was associated with greater levels of 25(OH)D (p = 0.02), taking all subjects into consideration. Discussion/conclusion: This study presents the ApaI and TaqI polymorphisms as non-influencing players in the pathogenesis of CAD in Egyptian males and the ability of only the ApaI polymorphism to predict 25(OH)D levels, thus warranting further investigations of the triangular relationship between the polymorphisms, 25(OH)D and CAD incidence.


Infection of the genital tract with Neisseria gonorrhoeae is typically associated with an influx of neutrophils, but the mechanisms underlying this influx are not well understood. The importance of the newly defined lineage of Th17 cells in inflammatory immune responses to infection, including the recruitment of neutrophils, has become increasingly recognized. We have previously shown that N. gonorrhoeae elicits production of IL-17 and other Th17-associated cytokines in vitro and hypothesized that IL-17 plays a role in the induction of chemokines and cytokines which lead to the recruitment of neutrophils to the site of infection. We tested this using a mouse vaginal gonococcal infection model to compare neutrophil recruitment in wild type and IL-17 receptor (IL-17R) knockout mice. The IL-17RKO mice were severely deficient in recruitment of neutrophils to the genital tract. Mouse genital explants were incubated ex vivo with either N. gonorrhoeae or a control antigen and assayed for production of cytokines and chemokines. Genital explants from IL-17RKO mice incubated with N. gonorrhoeae showed decreased production of IL-6 and the neutrophil-attractant chemokines LIX and MIP2α compared to those from wild type mice. These results indicate that N. gonorrhoeae elicits a Th17 response which drives the production of neutrophil-attractant chemokines, resulting in the influx of neutrophils into the genital tract.


We describe a new operating system scheduling algorithm that improves performance isolation on chip multiprocessors (CMP). Poor performance isolation occurs when an application's performance is determined by the behaviour of its co-runners, i.e., other applications simultaneously running with it. This performance dependency is caused by unfair, co- runner-dependent cache allocation on CMPs. Poor performance isolation interferes with the operating system 's control over priority enforcement and hinders QoS provisioning. Previous solutions required modifications to the hardware. We present a new software solution. Our cache-fair algorithm ensures that the application runs as quickly as it would under fair cache allocation, regardless of how the cache is actually allocated. If the thread executes fewer instructions per cycle than it would under fair cache allocation, the scheduler increases that thread's CPU time slice. This way, the thread's overall performance does not suffer because it is allowed to use the CPU longer. We describe our implementation of the algorithm in Solaristrade 10, and show that it significantly improves performance isolation for SPEC CPU, SPEC JBB and TPC-C.


The recent morphological and experimental data concerning the involvement of flagellated cells in sponge larvae are contradictory and testify to or against the germinal layers inversion. A study of morphogenetic processes in sponges, in particular larval metamorphosis, is complicated by difficulties in identification and succession of certain cell types. It is possible to trace the destiny of flagellated and other larval cells by marking them with antibodies (AB) specified for each cell type. We separated larval and adult sponge cells of Halisarca dujardini in percoll density gradient and obtained polyclonal AB for the majority of these cell types. The protein pattern of larval flagellated cells differed significantly from that of other cell types. The major proteins of flagellated, collencyte-like and spherulous cells were used to raise the corresponding AB. Immunoblot showed all AB to be specific for certain proteins and suitable for immunofluorescence. The AB for flagellated cells reacted with the apical cytoplasm, but not with the flagellum, the AB for major protein of collencyte-like cells stained cytoplasm granules. The AB for spherulous cells of the adult sponge reacted with larval spherulous cells supposed to be of maternal origin. So, the method of cell marking with specific polyclonal AB can facilitate analysis of the layers inversion problem, as well as elucidate the degree of cell differentiation in larvae, their conformity to cells of the adult sponge or their provisional destiny.


Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a hereditary multisystem disease caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene, characterized by proximal muscle weakness in early childhood, generally resulting in death before the age of 20 years. Cognitive and neurobehavioral changes are prevalent in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Furthermore, psychiatric disorders have been reported. Here we present 12 cases with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, aiming to address psychiatric comorbidities and to examine anxiety and depression levels as well as the quality of life in these cases. Twelve inpatients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy were followed, according to their ages, by an adult psychiatrist or a child and adolescent psychiatrist. Psychiatric examination and detailed psychiatric and medical history-taking were performed. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the KINDL Questionnaire were administered and family interviews conducted. In 5 cases, comorbid psychiatric diagnoses were present, including depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. Anxiety levels according to the HADS were higher than threshold level in two cases. Alongside cognitive and neurobehavioral changes, psychiatric comorbidities such as depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, or generalized anxiety disorder might be seen in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, as was the case with our patients. At the same time, due to the chronic illness process and disability involved, psychosocial support is needed both for the patient and the family. Therefore, it is important that psychiatry should be part of a holistic treatment approach and that psychiatric support should be provided right from the first years in these cases.


Background/Objectives: This study tried to investigate the effects of 'Physics, Let's Dance', as an integrated dance art education program, on the personality and creative thinking ability of elementary school students. Methods/Statistical Analysis: This study selected a total of 30 elementary school students in the 1st and 2nd grade in Seoul Special Metropolitan City. Dance art group (experimental) attended Saturday Culture School 'Physics, Let's Dance' and the control group attended afterschool science experiment class. Both experimental and control group took creative personality test and creative thinking ability test before and after the treatment. Findings: As the study results, first, there was significant difference in both creative personality and creative thinking ability between the art dance group (that attended the integrated subject program of science and art of dance 'Physics, Let's Dance') and the science class group that didn't 'Physics, Let's Dance'. The experimental group that attended 'Physics, Let's Dance' showed significant improvement in creative personality and creative thinking ability than the control group. Second, The experimental group had significantly higher post-test scores than pre-test scores in all the sub-scales of creative thinking ability and creative thinking ability after treatment. Application/Improvements: It should continue to develop various convergence education programs to cultivate the creative abilities and personality of children.


Over the past few years, a consensus has grown among European policy specialists that kinship should play a larger role in the welfare state. "Family, Kinship and State in Contemporary Europe" examines the fundamental questions about such kinship ties and seeks to understand how and why family members help each other and in what circumstances they might withhold their aid. The editors and their collaborators have gathered here three volumes of historical, sociological, and ethnographic studies that inform readers about the diversity of kin relationships in contemporary Europe, the strengths and weaknesses of the various systems, and the extent to which each can be influenced - for better or worse - by the state. Historical and comparative analyses track the impact of political and economic change and show how marriage, cohabitation, fertility rates, and population aging affects the performance and structure of these kinship networks.


Recent advances in natural language processing have enabled automation of a wide range of tasks, including machine translation, named entity recognition, and sentiment analysis. Automated summarization of documents, or groups of documents, however, has remained elusive, with many efforts limited to extraction of keywords, key phrases, or key sentences. Accurate abstractive summarization has yet to be achieved due to the inherent difficulty of the problem, and limited availability of training data. In this paper, we propose a topic-centric unsupervised multi-document summarization framework to generate extractive and abstractive summaries for groups of scientific articles across 20 Fields of Study (FoS) in Microsoft Academic Graph (MAG) and news articles from DUC-2004 Task 2. The proposed algorithm generates an abstractive summary by developing salient language unit selection and text generation techniques. Our approach matches the state-of-the-art when evaluated on automated extractive evaluation metrics and performs better for abstractive summarization on five human evaluation metrics (entailment, coherence, conciseness, readability, and grammar). We achieve a kappa score of 0.68 between two co-author linguists who evaluated our results. We plan to publicly share MAG- 20, a human-validated gold standard dataset of topic-clustered research articles and their summaries to promote research in abstractive summarization.


Study Design Two studies evaluated the West Haven-Yale Multidimensional pain lnventory. This 52-item inventory contains 12 scales divided into 3 parts: 1) interference, support, pain severity, self-control, and negative mood;2) punishing responses, solicitous responses, and distracting responses; and 3) household chores, outdoor work, activities away from home, and social activities Objectives The objective of study 1 was to investigate the internal structure of the Multidimensional Pain Inventory and its demographic correlates. The objective of study 2 was to explore its external correlates (construct validity). Summary of Background Data The Multidimensional Pain inventory appears promising because of its brevity, scope, ease of administration, and initial results. Despite this, it has attracted very little attention in the orthopedic literature since its introduction nearly a decade ago. Method The internal structure was examined using oblique multiple group confirmatory factor analysis. Demographic correlates were examined using discriminant analysis. The external correlates were examined using multiple regression and discriminant analysis. Results The items' proposed structure fit well except that two paris of scales are poorly separated: (1) activities away from home and social activities, and (2) Solicitous responses and distracting responses, Correlations with external criteria are meaningful. Conclusions The Multidimensional Pain lnventory meets standerds of reliability and convergent validity, and it may be an improvement over current psychometric devices used to this same end.


Participants (N=40) occupied a glare-free, daylit office laboratory for 1 day, and were prompted every 30 min to use dimming control over electric lighting to choose their preferred light level. Illuminances and luminances were recorded before and after each control opportunity; luminance maps were generated using a calibrated, high-dynamic range digital camera. Although there was a wide variation in chosen light levels between individuals, results showed a significant negative correlation between prevailing desktop illuminance and change in dimmer setting. This indicates that, from the perspective of occupants, daylight does displace electric lighting. Surprisingly, we did not find any luminance-based measure that was as good a predictor of participant dimmer choice as illuminance measured on the desktop. On average, manual dimming control in this situation reduced energy use for lighting by 25% compared to a fixed system delivering 500lx of electric lighting on the desktop.