Image categorization is an important issue in computer vision. The bag-of-visual words(BOV) model which ignores spatial restriction of local features has gained state-of-the-art performance in recent years. The basic BOV model uses k-means to form codebook. As sparse codes can better represent local features, we use sparse codes of SIFT features instead of k-means to form codebook. Additional, as local features in most categories have spatial dependence in real world, this paper proposed to use visual word pairs to represent the spatial information between words. To reduce the complexity both in time and storage, we add word pairs dynamically. Our experiments show that our algorithm can improve the categorization performance.


Growing currency mismatches in the emerging market economies (EMEs) since 2010 have been driven by non‐financial companies. Their financing conditions were greatly eased by lower policy rates and a huge expansion in central bank balance sheets in major advanced economies. This has allowed these companies to increase their gearing, notably by greater foreign currency borrowing, thereby greatly increased the risk of currency mismatches. Microeconomic data show that it was not only companies providing tradable goods and services but also those producing non‐tradable goods which have increased their foreign currency borrowing. The across‐the‐board decline in EME companies' profitability from mid‐2010 to mid‐2015 brought to light significant vulnerabilities and appeared to have constrained business fixed investment, and therefore growth, in the near term. But the strong external asset positions of the official sector in most EMEs will help the authorities cope with these challenges.


Investigation of the intake performance is one of the most important topics in the aerodynamic design of the aerial vehicles. In this study, the performance of a supersonic axisymmetric mixed compression intake, which was designed for the free stream Mach number of 2, has been investigated at zero degrees angle of attack. Then by applying a heat source and changing its position, the effects of this source on the intake performance have been studied. The flow has been simulated by a computational fluid dynamics code. The experimental results which were achieved in the wind tunnel at Imam Hossein University have been used to validate the numerical simulation. Results show that a heat source located at the proper location could have desirable effects on the total pressure recovery, mass flow ratio and drag coefficient of the intake. The critical back pressure ratio also increases, which widens the intake operating region. However, the flow distortion will increase a bit. At the design Mach number and critical condition, 9.68% increase in total pressure recovery, 26.6% decrease in drag coefficient, 16.16% increase in mass flow ratio, 8.7% increase in critical back pressure ratio and 17.13% increase in flow distortion have been observed. Review History:


Four metallo (zinc, copper, vanadyl, and indium) phthalocyanine derivatives bearing four aliphatic (hexylthio) groups were prepared from corresponding phthalonitrile compounds. The metallophthalocyanines were characterized with ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and mass and elemental analyses techniques. Aggregation properties of metallophthalocyanines in solution were studied in varied concentration ranges. Thin films of metallophthalocyanines were obtained by spin coating technique. Optical measurements showed that transmittance values of metallophthalocyanine thin films obviously changed with respect to the metal ion in the phthalocyanines. Transmittance spectra of the phthalocyanines synthesized using different metal ions showed a variation of about 8% and 15% in transmittance spectra of the Q band region was obtained by mixing the two metal phthalocyanine (indium and zinc) solutions.


Pluralistic approaches to education for sustainable development (ESD) that acknowledge complexity, value conflicts and uncertainty in learning about sustainable development have become popular in recent years. In implementing these, educational researchers have been inspired by deliberative communication models. Deliberative approaches can, however, be criticized for lacking sufficient insight into how emotions influence deliberation and learning. The first aim of this article is thus to review theories and earlier research, mainly in psychology, that demonstrate the importance of taking emotional aspects seriously in ESD. The second aim is to show that since emotions sometimes can be difficult to bear, it is also important to be aware of emotion regulation strategies in order to promote pluralistic learning. The third aim is to discuss practical implications for ESD, with an emphasis on the importance of allowing articulation of emotional reactions and the need to consider emotion regulation strategies at individual, group and cultural levels.


Pronounced cyclic variations in pressure and in flow into opposing laterals from a common pipe or conduit have been observed in several widely different and independent pipe systems. In one instance, noise operation of two centrifugal pumps was encountered where the suction pipes were joined in a common intake line. Unsteady flow also has been observed in the last two ports of a symmetrical manifold on a lock filling system. In one interesting case, fluctuations in the heights of flames on a pair of gas burners operating from a common supply pipe were reported. Unsatisfactory registration of two flow meters operating in parallel on a cross-county pipeline is believed to be a result of the same phenomenon of fluctation of flow. The only published reference found on the unstable flow in laterals was in a report of extensive experiments on manifold flows conducted under the direction of John S. McNown at the Iowa Institute of Hydraulic Research. A great difference in loss through single and double laterals was observed, and the presence of fluctuations was noted but not investigated. Lastly, intensive vibrations of loading rigs delivering gasoline to more than noe barge at a waterfront header supplied by one central pipe can be cited as an undesirable consequence of the pulsations generated at symmetrical laterals on pipelines. The question of the cause of pulsations appeared to be of sufficient practical importance to warrant its study as graduate thesis projects at the University of Kansas.


apart, and of the many frustrating attempts to bring them together again. Fr Nichols does not think history can solve the problems, but that it can do much to illuminate what the problems really are. To the West the Orthodox churches are impressive by their tenacity to their tradition. They do not need the Pope to help them withstand the secularizing pressures stemming from the radical liberals of the Enlightenment. They would like to see Rome working as a true primacy and first see of Christendom, without making claims for universal jurisdiction (in practice a centralized bureaucracy) or for immunity from error when exclusive authenticity is compromised by the western addition of the Filinguo to the creed. Fr Nichols is a model of conciliation, without at any point saying a word that


The ventral surface of the brain stem is anatomically surrounded by the clivus anteriorly, brain stem posteriorly and by the petrous pyramid and cranial nerves from IIIrd to XIIth laterally in the deep posterior cranial fossa. Neurosurgical extra-axial pathologies arising from the area are aneurysms on the vertebro-basilar artery, benign tumors such as clival meningiomas, chordomas, chondromas, trigeminal neurinomas and prepontine epidermoid tumors. Surgical access to the area had been difficult for long years since the neurosurgery was established, because located deeply in such a surgical blindness, so-called "no-man's land". However, recent technical development of "skull base surgery" is opening new doors to light up the surgical darkness of the "no-man's land". This paper reviews the history, development, technique and future prospect of the skull base surgery to open the "no-man's land".


State accountability systems and the federal No Child Left Behind Act have put additional demands on schools and teachers to improve teacher quality and improve student achievement. Many researchers (e.g., Cohen, 1996; Corcoran & Goertz, 1995; Floden, 1997; Newman, King, & Rigdon, 1997) have argued that such improvements will require a substantial increase in the instructional capacity of schools and teachers. One strategy for capacity building is to provide teachers with incentives to improve their performance, knowledge, or skills. The incentive strategy requires the design and implementation of alternative teacher compensation systems that depart from the single salary schedule (Odden, 2000; Odden & Kelley, 2002). Though slow to take hold, the incentive strategy is currently being pursued by several states (Peterson, 2006). Most of these new or proposed plans link pay to combinations of assessments of teacher performance, acquisition of new knowledge and skills, and student test score gains. Denver's widely followed Pro Comp plan also contains these components. The Teacher Compensation Group of the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE) has been studying the design and effectiveness of such systems for nearly a decade. We initially focused on school-based performance award programs, in which each teacher in a school receives a bonus for meeting or exceeding schoolwide student achievement goals (Heneman, 1998; Heneman & Milanowski, 1999; Kelley, Heneman, & Milanowski, 2002; Kelly, Odden, Milanowski, & Heneman, 2000). We then shifted our attention to knowledgeand skill-based pay (KSBP) plans, an approach that provides teachers with base pay increases for the acquisition and demonstration of specific knowledge and skills thought to be necessary for improving student achievement. Our initial research described a variety of experiments with KSBP plans (see Odden, Kelley, Heneman, & Milanowski, 2001). We found plans that were rewarding numerous knowledge and skills, including (a) additional licensure or certification, (b) participation in specific professional development activities, (c) National Board Certification, (d) mastery of specific skill blocks such as technology or authentic assessment, (e) leadership activities, and (f) teacher performance as measured by a standards-based teacher evaluation system. We also found districts experimenting with standards-based teacher evaluation without an intended pay link. As described below, in standards-based teacher evaluation systems, teachers' performance is evaluated against a set of standards that define a competency model of effective teaching. Such systems replace the traditional teacher evaluation system and seek to provide a more thorough description and accurate assessment of teacher performance. Findings from our research on some of these systems are the focus of this issue of CPRE Policy Briefs.


Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurological disorder and the second most common age-related neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's disease. The primary symptoms of the disease are associated with the loss of motor skills affecting patients' movement and coordination and disrupting their daily life. Unfortunately, such motor symptoms cannot be fully relieved by therapeutic options. On the other hand, studies have shown that regular training and exercising can prove neuroprotective in PD patients helping them maintain independent longer. Based on recent studies stating that computer-based physical therapy games can be used as an option for facilitating PD rehabilitation exercise programs, we present the development of a body motion based videogame, using the Kinect sensor, targeted for PD patients. We tested twelve patients with advanced forms of PD motor symptoms (UPDRS motor score>20) and six initial stage PD patients (UPDRS motor score<20). All participants underwent an (UPDRS) motor skills pretest and afterwards performed three training sessions. In this paper, we will present part of our research aiming to analyze the movement patterns of PD patients in order to detect statistical significant differences between groups of different impairment level based on their UPDRS motor score and their performance. Consequently, we adopt a deep learning approach by analyzing the recorded human skeleton sequences for predicting the players' level of motor skills decline. Such methods and data can serve as preliminary evidence for further larger and controlled studies to propose such an exergame that can independently detect and adapt its difficulty level to better match players' ability providing a more targeted and personalized rehabilitation option.


A technology for automatically assembling large software libraries which promote software reuse by helping the user locate the components closest to her/his needs is described. Software libraries are automatically assembled from a set of unorganized components by using information retrieval techniques. The construction of the library is done in two steps. First, attributes are automatically extracted from natural language documentation by using an indexing scheme based on the notions of lexical affinities and quantity of information. Then a hierarchy for browsing is automatically generated using a clustering technique which draws only on the information provided by the attributes. Due to the free-text indexing scheme, tools following this approach can accept free-style natural language queries. >


This paper investigates the problem of optimization method for coupling parametrization design of complex space system. The objective is to develop an integrated optimization framework to design complex space system. An improved collaborative optimization (ICO) strategy for complex design using hybrid optimization algorithm is proposed, which associates genetic algorithm (GA) with tabu search (TS). A multi-objective function with penalty terms for the system-level optimization and a relax factor for the subsystem optimization are adopted, which can avoid unsolvability or converging difficulty. The results demonstrate the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed design methodology.


The current study focuses on the necessity of using strategic planning in supply chain management of an organization in order to apply the opportunities and face the threats through formulating the appropriate strategy by means of game theory and system dynamics. It also studies the Automotive Industry in Iran from four main aspects to implement different strategies. At first, the main variables of supply chain are identified, then causal diagrams are created in the form of feedback relationships. In the next stage, the variables of surface and rate are identified to draw the model of surface and flow; finally, simulation equations for 10 years are presented. Selecting the best mixed strategy as a game with four players has been considered and each player (aspect) can select three strategies. At the end, through the concept of Shapley, the effectiveness of each player in providing utility is measured and by means of decision tree, the best mixed strategy is selected. The results indicated that manufacturers will play the greatest role in the future of Automotive Industry in Iran.


In model predictive control an optimization problem has to be solved at each sampling instant. The objective in this article is to derive efficient methods to solve this optimization problem. The approach taken is to use interior point optimization methods. The model predictive control problem considered here has a quadratic objective and constraints which can be both linear and quadratic. The key to an efficient implementation is to rewrite the optimization problem as a second order cone program. To solve this optimization problem a feasible primal-dual interior point method is employed. By using a feasible method it is possible to determine when the problem is feasible or not by formalizing the search for strictly feasible initial points as yet another primal-dual interior point problem. There are several different ways to rewrite the optimization problem as a second order cone program. However, done carefully, it is possible to use very efficient scalings as well as Riccati recursions for computing the search directions. The use of Riccati recursions makes the computational complexity grow at most as with the time horizon, compared to for more standard implementations.


Idiomatic expressions are generally manifested as lexically fixed. Yet some expressions allow lexical variations in their open slots and thus show certain degree of productivity in actual use. How young children acquire the productive use of idiomatic expressions, however, has rarely been addressed in current literature. The present study explores the developmental trajectory in learning idiom productivity by targeting the quadra-syllabic schematic idioms in Chinese. Results of two Graded Acceptability Judgment tests showed that acquisition of the selective productivity of schematic idioms may undergo an interactive process shaped by its token frequency, structural complexity, inherent semantic relation and the chunk effect of its open morphemes at different age levels. Findings in the studies are further discussed in relation to the emergentist model in idiom learning.


The Tejano-Anglo Alliance: Tejanos, Ethnicity, and Politics in Texas, 1832-1865. (August 2008) Ralph Edward Morales III, B.A., Texas A&M University Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Joseph G. Dawson This thesis discusses the alliance between Tejanos and Anglos in Texas politics in the years before and during the Civil War. To examine this era, original documents and correspondence from prominent Tejano and Anglo politicians are used, as well as military correspondence between Confederate officers during the Civil War. A number of secondary sources dealing with Texas politics, the Civil War, ethnicity, and national identity were also consulted. This project begins with an examination of the antebellum conditions in Texas, and the political crisis which necessitated the convergence of Tejano and southern Democratic interests. Following this, the Civil War career of Colonel Santos Benavides, the most important Tejano to serve the Confederacy is discussed. Next, the Tejanos are placed in context with German and Irish immigrants during the antebellum and Civil War era. The major conclusion reached by this thesis is that the Tejanos fought for the Confederacy out of a sense of duty to their home, but also possibly because of patronage and pressure to assimilate into Anglo society.


The Baltic is a large, brackish sea (4 x 105 km2) extending from 54N to ~66N, with a fourfold larger drainage area (population 8 x 107). Surface salinity (2 to 8 PSU) and hence biodiversity is low. In the last century, annual nutrient loads increased to 10 metric tons N and 5 x10 ton P. Eutrophication is evident in the N-limited south, where cyanobacteria fix 2 to 4 x 10 ton N each summer, Secchi depths have been halved, and O2-deficient bottom areas have spread. Production remains low in the P-limited north. In nutrient-enriched coastal areas, phytoplankton blooms, toxic at times, and filamentous macroalgae reduce amenity values. Loads need to be reduced of both N, to reduce production, and P, to limit N-fixing cyanobacterial blooms. When large N-load reductions have been achieved locally, algal biomass has declined. So far, P loads have been reduced more than N loads. If this continues, a P-limited Baltic proper may result, very different from previous N-limited conditions. Reaching the management goal of halved anthropogenic N and P loads at minimum cost will require better understanding of biogeochemical nutrient cycles, economic evaluation of proposed measures, and improved stakeholder participation.


BACKGROUND
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic disabling disease, which leads to joint destruction and functional limitations. It diminishes health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and life expectancy. Frailty is a chronic inflammatory process related to aging that causes disability and affects HRQoL. The presence of comorbidity and polypharmacy are both related to RA severity. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of frailty and comorbidities in patients with RA.

METHODS
Based on the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria, we studied patients with RA that were seen at the outpatient clinic of the Rheumatology Department of a third level hospital. We applied the frailty criteria according to the Cardiovascular Health Study. We registered demographic data along with comorbidities and polypharmacy, using a cross-sectional, observational, and descriptive study design.

RESULTS
Five hundred consecutive RA patients were included, 453 (90.6 %) were female.Mean age was 51.3 years and mean disease duration was 13.2 years; 23.4 % met frailty criteria. Mean number of comorbidities was 1.59, with systemic hypertension and obesity as the most frequent ones (25.2 % and 18.2 %, respectively). Polypharmacy was found in 99.6 % and 69.6 % received more than five drugs simultaneously.

CONCLUSIONS
Prevalence of frailty in this study was unexpectedly high and so were comorbidities and multiple drug usage. Clinicians should make an early detection of signs of frailty and comorbidity in RA patients.


The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has been responsible for the supervision of Australia's licensed financial markets, such as the Australian Securities Exchange, since August 2010. As part of this responsibility, ASIC has developed market integrity rules (MIRs) with which market participants are obliged to comply. This article reports the results of an empirical study of the enforcement of the MIRs between 1 August 2010 and 30 June 2014. Although ASIC has available to it a range of enforcement options when it believes there has been a contravention of a MIR, our research finds that enforcement of the MIRs has been undertaken solely by means of infringement notices. We therefore examine all infringement notices issued in the relevant period, investigating matters such as the issuance of infringement notices over time; the recipient of the infringement notice; the MIR allegedly breached; the quantum of the penalty and how the quantum of the penalty compares to the maximum penalty available; how long the matter took; details of the alleged breach; whether the entity self-reported the breach; other remedial measures; and relevant factors taken into consideration in making the decision to issue an infringement notice. We compare our findings with the stated objectives of the infringement notice regime as it applies to the MIRs and locate our findings in the broader literature documenting the growth in the use of infringement notices by regulators.


Herein, we report the
metal-free direct C–H arylation of enones mediated by hypervalent iodine
reagents. The reaction proceeds via a reductive iodonium Claisen rearrangement of
in situ b-pyridinium silyl enol ethers. The aryl groups are
derived from ArI(O2CCF3)2 reagents, which are
readily accessed from the parent iodoarenes. It is tolerant of a wide range of
substitution patterns and the incorporated arenes maintain the valuable iodine
functional handle. Mechanistic investigations implicate arylation via an
umpoled "enolonium" species and that the presence of a b-pyridinium moiety is critical for desired C–C bond formation.


Melting summer snow in the Austrian Alps exhibited a yellowish bloom that was mainly comprised of an unidentified unicellular chrysophyte. Molecular data (18S rRNA and rbcL genes) showed a close relationship to published sequences from an American pond alga formerly identified as Kremastochrysis sp. The genera Kremastochrysis and Kremastochrysopsis are morphologically distinguished by the number of flagella observed with the light microscope, and therefore we assigned the Austrian snow alga and an American pond alga to the genus Kremastochrysopsis. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy revealed that swimming cells had two flagella oriented in opposite directions, typical for the Hibberdiales. Molecular phylogenetic analyses showed that both new species were closely related to Hibberdia. Kremastochrysopsis ocellata, the type species and only known species, has two chloroplasts per cell and the zoospores have red eyespots. Our two organisms had only a single chloroplast and no zoospore eyespot, but their gene sequences differed substantially. Therefore, we described two new species, Kremastochrysopsis austriaca sp. nov and Kremstochrysopsis americana sp. nov. When grown in culture, both taxa showed a characteristic hyponeustonic growth (hanging below the water surface), whereas older immotile cells grew at the bottom of the culture vessel. Ecologically, Kremastochrysopsis austriaca sp. nov., which caused snow discolorations, had no close phylogenetic relationships to other psychrophilic chrysophytes, for example, Chromulina chionophilia, Hydrurus sp., and Ochromonas‐like flagellates.


Purpose
The composition and corrosion behaviors of recycled and virgin Pb anode were investigated in industrial zinc electrowinning solution with different methods. The purpose of this study is the illustration of good anticorrosion activity of virgin Pb anodes compared to recycled one in industrial operation, while the compositions of both of them are the same which obtained from quantmetry method.

Design/methodology/approach
Its corrosion properties and electrocatalytic activity toward oxygen evolution reaction were appraised using potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, galvanostatic polarization and ionic equilibrium methods. In addition, composition of anodes investigated with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) method. The surface composition of samples was studied via X-ray diffractogram (XRD).

Findings
The results indicate that the anodes display different anodic behaviors during the galvanostatic polarization. Virgin Pb anode shows a "potential reduction" about 320 mV lower than recycled Pb anode after 6 h of polarization; also, the stable potential after 72 h for virgin Pb anode is 100 mV lower than recycled Pb anode. Also, The XPS results show a trace amount of Cl in recycled anodes which cause the more corrosion activity. XRD results indicate that virgin Pb anodes have been covered by more oxides than recycled anodes after 72 h of electrowinning.

Originality/value
The treatment of corrosion behavior by virginity has not been detected by any researchers yet. Therefore, it is imperative to study the corrosion behavior and exact composition analysis of virgin and recycled Pb anodes to comprehension of them. This paper fulfills this need.


We are no longer satisfied with rapid prototyping machines! The new frontier in digital fabrication is the rapid prototyping of rapid prototyping machines. Using modular electronics and robotic parts, the essence of machine making now lies in part assembly. With the advancement of online education, how will schools teach part assembly? How will Makers share the knowledge of putting things together? Traditional assembly instructions designed with text, diagrams and images are often not effective in showing complex assembly motions, and are poorly adapted to large complex machines. Demonstration videos are expensive to produce, and they are limited to a single camera view. Put It Together is a new digital workflow that consists of two parts: (1) A CAD plugin that allows machine designers to easily create assembly animations, and (2) an interactive web player that allows novices to view the animation. Starting with a CAD model, designers can easily create and edit an animation using a visual graph. The software interprets the graph and creates a step-by-step 3D animation. Novices can view the animation using a web browser, interact with the viewing angle, and progress at their own pace. The web player was tested, developed, and evaluated through multiple workshops in which students learned machine assembly with successive versions of the player, and proved its value in an educational environment. Other potential applications of the Put It Together approach, beyond machine assembly, include self-assembled furniture, DIY projects and toys. Thesis Supervisor: Terry Knight Title: Professor of Design and Computation Put It Together Animating Machine Assembly Instructions for Novices


The food and feeding ecology of the 2 closely related and sympatric species of diving petrels Pelecanoides georgicus and P. urinatrix was investigated over 3 consecutive summers at Iles Kerguelen, southern Indian Ocean, where they breed in large numbers. The 2 species fed consistently on different crustacean prey during the 3 yr, the diet of P. georgicus being dominated by the euphausiid Thysanoessa sp. (50% of the number of prey and 81% of the reconstituted mass) and the copepod Calanoides acutus (45 and 10%, respectively), and that of P. urinatrix by the hyperiid Themisto gaudichaudii (61 and 91%, respectively) and the copepod Paraeuchaeta antarctica (21 and 9%, respectively). Chicks of P. georgicus were fed less frequently (on 81 vs 97% of nights, respec- tively) with more digested prey items than chicks of P. urinatrix. This, together with visual observa- tions at sea and the known biogeography of their prey, shows a complete horizontal spatial segrega- tion between the 2 species of diving petrels, with P. urinatrix foraging in coastal waters in the close vicinity of their colonies and P. georgicus in more offshore waters. Maximum depth gauges indicate an incomplete vertical segregation in the water, P. georgicus reaching on average depths closer to the surface than P. urinatrix (26 vs 33 m, respectively). The stable-carbon and -nitrogen isotopic composi- tion of chick food and chick feathers differed between the 2 species, thus emphasising the segregation at sea during the breeding period when adult birds are central-place foragers. The stable isotopic com- position (δ 13 C and δ 15 N) of adult feathers were, however, identical in both species, indicating no trophic segregation during the moulting (inter-breeding) period when birds feed in offshore waters.


Background For patients who present with advanced pancreatic cancer, prognosis is poor irrespective of treatment. Good end of life care is therefore essential. Aim To examine specific elements of care given to patients at a tertiary hepatobiliary centre, to inform service improvement. Method The Hepatobiliary MDT identified 78 patients presenting with advanced pancreatic cancer who died between July and December 2010. Data was drawn from hospital and hospice notes using a proforma. Results Mean survival time from diagnosis was 6.6 months. 59% had jaundice, 67% of whom underwent biliary drainage procedures. The majority required repeated attempts, prolonging admission and sometimes precluding a patient from dying elsewhere. 65% were referred to hospital palliative care teams, most commonly for symptom control; pain being predominant. There was evidence of limited advance care planning. Prognosis was discussed with 55%. No patients had an Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment or Advance Statement of wishes documented in their notes. 24% died in local acute hospitals. Of these, preferred place of death (PPD) was discussed with 32%, of whom 50% indicated it was home. PPD was only discussed following palliative care team involvement. DNA-CPR forms were completed for all patients except one, who had a sudden, unexpected death. 47% died on the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP). 12% died in the hospice. PPD was discussed with all except one confused patient for whom it was considered with the family. In all hospice deaths, the PPD was the hospice. All had DNA-CPR forms completed, and 8 of 9 patients utilised the LCP. Conclusion Although biliary drainage may improve symptom control, these patients needed complicated procedures, often prolonging hospital admission at a time when they were deteriorating. Despite opportunities for discussion of end of life preferences during these admissions, there was evidence of little advance care planning for hospital inpatients.


The popularity of Yunus Emre, who is often referred to as the Turkish national poet, has endured for six centuries. Yunus is the most important representative of early Turkish mysticism; he can be considered the founder of Alevi-Bektasi literature, and his influence on later tekke poetry was enormous. His ilahis (hymns) have played an important role in sufi ceremonies. Grace Martin Smith's translation of Yunus' poetry will acquaint the non-Turkish reader with the art and thinking of one of Turkey's most significant poets and will be helpful to students of both modern and Ottoman Turkish and to all those interested in Islamic poetry and piety.


The aging population in the U.S. and other developed countries has led to a large increase in the number of patients suffering from degenerative diseases. Transplantation surgery has been a successful therapeutic option for certain patients; however, the availability of suitable donor organs and tissues significantly limits the number of patients who can benefit from this approach. Regenerative medicine has witnessed numerous recent and spectacular advances, making the repair or replacement of dysfunctional organs and tissues an achievable goal. Public‐private partnerships and government policies and incentives would further catalyze the development of universally available donor tissues, resulting in broad medical and economic benefits. This article describes a Regenerative Medicine Grand Challenge that the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine recently shared with the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy in response to a White House call to action in scientific disciplines suggesting that the development of "universal donor tissues" should be designated as a Regenerative Medicine Grand Challenge. Such a designation would raise national awareness of the potential of regenerative medicine to address the unmet needs of many diseases and would stimulate the scientific partnerships and investments in technology needed to expedite this goal. Here we outline key policy changes and technological challenges that must be addressed to achieve the promise of a major breakthrough in the treatment of degenerative disease. A nationalized effort and commitment to develop universal donor tissues could realize this goal within 10 years and along the way result in significant innovation in manufacturing technologies.


Introduction: Epidemiology is defined as study of the distribution and determinants of health related states or events in specified populations, and application of this study to the control of health problems. The process of care varies in different ICU's, and this could affect final outcome. This study was conducted to know epidemiological profile and outcome of patients admitted at RNT Medical College, Udaipur. Result: A total of 380 children were enrolled. There were 14.8% deaths in our study. Mortality rate was found to be slightly higher in males than females, although this was not statistically significant. 32.9% of admitted children had severe (grade 3 and 4) malnutrition and 22.37% had grade 2 malnutrition. Vaccine preventable diseases such as Diphtheria and Tetanus contributed to mortality indicating vaccine coverage in rural parts of Rajasthan. Pyogenic Meningitis is found to be the single most important cause of mortality. Area under ROC curve was 0.895, indicating good caliberation for the population. However, it was found that though PRISM score was accurate in predicting mortality of study population, it could not be used for predicting mortality of the given subject as primary organ system involved was found to affect final outcome.


We show that the language of atom interferometry provides a unified picture for microwave and optical atomic clocks as well as for gravito-inertial sensors. The sensitivity and accuracy of these devices is now such that a new theoretical framework common to all these interferometers is required that includes: (a) a fully quantum mechanical treatment of the atomic motion in free space and in the presence of a gravitational field (most cold-atom interferometric devices use atoms in ``free fall'' in a fountain geometry); (b) an account of simultaneous actions of gravitational and electromagnetic fields in the interaction zones; (c) a second quantization of the matter fields to take into account their fermionic or bosonic character in order to discuss the role of coherent sources and their noise properties; (d) a covariant treatment including spin to evaluate general relativistic effects. A theoretical description of atomic clocks revisited along these lines is presented, using both an exact propagator of atom waves in gravito-inertial fields and a covariant Dirac equation in the presence of weak gravitational fields. Using this framework, recoil effects, spin-related effects, beam curvature effects, the sensitivity to gravito-inertial fields and the influence of the coherence of the atom source are discussed in the context of present and future atomic clocks and gravito-inertial sensors.


Abstract: In Bali, the enforcement of Halal Product Guarantee which is a product of law and applicable throughout the territory of NKRI, has gained "resistance" from some Hindu Balinese people. Since 2014, they have demonstrated "resistance" by inflating the Gerakan Ekonomi Satyagraha, as an attitude of rejection of the law that they value is unfair, discriminatory and benefits only one religious community (Islam).Gerakan Ekonomi Satyagraha can be viewed from two sides, as a militant rise of militancy and as threat of seed of intolerance. At the level of life, this movement is a manifestation of the phenomenon of social conflict that is inherent in a heterogeneous society. If not properly managed will bear prejudice, discrimination, until the form of physical violence and death.Conversely, if managed properly it will give birth to peace. The role of religion against the Gerakan Ekonomi Satyagraha can be done through three ways, namely the internal mechanisms of religious communities, inter-religious mechanisms, and mechanisms at the systemic level.If social conflicts are understood as an inherent part of a heterogeneous society, then efforts to manage the positive potential of social conflict must be perpetuated.Moreover, if social conflict is seen as a source of change, then efforts to manage differences must be done continuously, and peace is not something static, silent and silent without dynamism.Keywords:Gerakan Ekonomi Satyagraha, Hindu, Bali


Regular distribution of auditory stimuli over time can facilitate perception and attention. However, such effects have to date only been observed in separate studies using either linguistic or non‐linguistic materials. This has made it difficult to compare the effects of rhythmic regularity on attention across domains. The current study was designed to provide an explicit within‐subject comparison of reaction times and accuracy in an auditory target‐detection task using sequences of regularly and irregularly distributed syllables (linguistic material) and environmental sounds (non‐linguistic material). We explored how reaction times and accuracy were modulated by regular and irregular rhythms in a sound‐ (non‐linguistic) and syllable‐monitoring (linguistic) task performed by native Spanish speakers (N = 25). Surprisingly, we did not observe that regular rhythm exerted a facilitatory effect on reaction times or accuracy. Further exploratory analysis showed that targets that appear later in sequences of syllables and sounds are identified more quickly. In late targets, reaction times in stimuli with a regular rhythm were lower than in stimuli with irregular rhythm for linguistic material, but not for non‐linguistic material. The difference in reaction times on stimuli with regular and irregular rhythm for late targets was also larger for linguistic than for non‐linguistic material. This suggests a modulatory effect of rhythm on linguistic stimuli only once the percept of temporal isochrony has been established. We suggest that temporal isochrony modulates attention to linguistic more than to non‐linguistic stimuli because the human auditory system is tuned to process speech. The results, however, need to be further tested in confirmatory studies.


Affecting 1% of the general population, stuttering impairs the normally effortless process of speech production, which requires precise coordination of sequential movement occurring among the articulatory, respiratory, and resonance systems, all within millisecond time scales. Those afflicted experience frequent disfluencies during ongoing speech, often leading to negative psychosocial consequences. The aetiology of stuttering remains unclear; compared to other neurodevelopmental disorders, few studies to date have examined the neural bases of childhood stuttering. Here we report, for the first time, results from functional (resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging) and structural connectivity analyses (probabilistic tractography) of multimodal neuroimaging data examining neural networks in children who stutter. We examined how synchronized brain activity occurring among brain areas associated with speech production, and white matter tracts that interconnect them, differ in young children who stutter (aged 3-9 years) compared with age-matched peers. Results showed that children who stutter have attenuated connectivity in neural networks that support timing of self-paced movement control. The results suggest that auditory-motor and basal ganglia-thalamocortical networks develop differently in stuttering children, which may in turn affect speech planning and execution processes needed to achieve fluent speech motor control. These results provide important initial evidence of neurological differences in the early phases of symptom onset in children who stutter.


Exchange rate management is a salient macroeconomic issue, especially in developing countries. In this paper, we study political economy factors that may affect the real exchange rate (RER) process and the real economic effects of the RER. We review recent literature on the effects of elections on the exchange rate, and adapt Ball's (1992) model to show that uncertainty about the future course of policy may make more appreciated RER's less predictable. We also review the literature on the real effect of RER appreciations and of RER uncertainty. We then construct a simultaneous GARCH-M model of the joint determination of the RER and output capable of testing our hypotheses simultaneously in a single model. We estimate the model using data first from Mexico, a developing country, and the US. In Mexico we find that elections significantly affect the evolution of the RER, that more appreciated RERs are less predictable, that RER depreciations lower output growth and that RER uncertainty lowers output growth, even when controlling for its well-studied effect on trade. By contrast, none of these effects are found in the US data.


An investigation of epiphytic algae on the leaves of the bryophyte Cratoneuron commutatum var. commutatum from a thermal travertine-depositing spring revealed 18 species of diatoms and two cyanobacteria. Algae and calcite were detected on leaves immediately after their expansion, with diatoms Achnanthes minutissima aggr., Denticula tenuis and Navicula cari var. cincta the most numerous. In terms of biomass (as biovolume) and surface area, Rhopalodia gibba was the most important epiphyte. The algal epiphytes attained maximum numbers 20-30 mm below the moss cushion surface and thereafter declined due to lack of light. Travertine (calcite) deposition increased in a linear fashion with cushion depth over the first 80 mm but with a lag in deposition at the stem apex. About 1 μg calcite was deposited per mm 2 leaf/day. A significant association was found between the presence of the large diatom Rhopalodia gibba and calcite deposition but no associations were found with the remaining algae. The results suggest that Rhopalodia exerts a positive effect on calcite deposition by presenting a favourable physico-chemical microenvironment through biochemical (including photosynthetically-driven) processes. Travertine deposition continued well below the level where the moss leaves were photosynthetically active and below the level where the algae attained maximum abundance. Although diatoms have been shown to influence calcite precipitation, the deposition of travertine was considered to be controlled mainly by inorganic processes.


As wolf populations expand across Europe, many countries face challenges in finding ways to address the concerns of some elements among the rural stakeholders who are being asked to share their landscapes with wolves for the first time in several generations. In these recovery landscapes, wolves are associated with a wide range of conflicts that include economic, psychological, perceptional, social, cultural and political dimensions. A recurring demand concerns the desire to introduce the use of carefully regulated lethal control of wolves, through either culling by state employees or hunting conducted by rural hunters. Introducing such measures can be very controversial, and many critics challenge their legality under the international wildlife conservation instruments that have nurtured wolf recovery. We evaluate this issue for the case of wolves in Norway, which are strictly protected under the Bern Convention. Drawing on the latest results of social science research, we present the multiple lines of argumentation that are often used to justify killing wolves and relate these to the criteria for exceptions that exist under the Bern Convention. We conclude that while the Convention provides apparent scope for allowing the killing of wolves as a means to address conflicts, this must be clearly justified and proportional to the conservation status of wolves so as to not endanger their recovery.


The rapid advancement in vaccine development represents a critical milestone that will help humanity tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the success of these efforts is not guaranteed, as it relies on the outcomes of national and international vaccination strategies. In this article, we highlight some of the challenges that Romania will face and propose a set of solutions to overcome them. With this in mind, we discuss issues such as the infrastructure of vaccine storage and delivery, the deployment and administration of immunisations, and the public acceptance of vaccines. The ways in which Romanian society will respond to a national COVID-19 vaccination campaign will be contingent on appropriate and timely actions. As many of the problems encountered in Romania are not unique, the proposed recommendations could be adapted and implemented in other countries that face similar issues, thereby informing better practices in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic.


CLINICAL QUESTION
Compared with oral corticosteroids alone, are oral antiviral drugs associated with improved outcomes when combined with oral corticosteroids in patients presenting within 72 hours of the onset of Bell palsy?

BOTTOM LINE
Compared with oral corticosteroids alone, the addition of acyclovir, valacyclovir, or famcyclovir to oral corticosteroids for treatment of Bell palsy was associated with a higher proportion of people who recovered at 3- to 12-month follow-up. The quality of evidence is limited by heterogeneity, imprecision of the result estimates, and risk of bias.


To understand auditory cortical processing, the effective connectivity between 15 auditory cortical regions and 360 cortical regions was measured in 171 Human Connectome Project participants, and complemented with functional connectivity and diffusion tractography. 1. A hierarchy of auditory cortical processing was identified from Core regions (including A1) to Belt regions LBelt, MBelt, and 52; then to PBelt; and then to HCP A4. 2. A4 has connectivity to anterior temporal lobe TA2, and to HCP A5, which connects to dorsal-bank superior temporal sulcus (STS) regions STGa, STSda, and STSdp. These STS regions also receive visual inputs about moving faces and objects, which are combined with auditory information to help implement multimodal object identification, such as who is speaking, and what is being said. Consistent with this being a "what" ventral auditory stream, these STS regions then have effective connectivity to TPOJ1, STV, PSL, TGv, TGd, and PGi, which are language-related semantic regions connecting to Broca's area, especially BA45. 3. A4 and A5 also have effective connectivity to MT and MST, which connect to superior parietal regions forming a dorsal auditory "where" stream involved in actions in space. Connections of PBelt, A4, and A5 with BA44 may form a language-related dorsal stream.


Several epidemiological studies have demonstrated a link between chronic B virus infection and primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC). HBV DNA sequence integrations into the host cell genome have often been observed in hepatocarcinoma tissues. However, since only in a few cases of PHC the target of HBV-DNA insertion has been identified, alternative mechanisms for HBV-induced hepatocyte transformation have been investigated. Like many other DNA viruses, the hepatitis B virus bears a transactivational potential. Both full length and truncated versions of HBV X protein are able to influence the expression of cellular nuclear protooncogenes c-fos and c-myc. A second transcriptional activator is encoded by the PreS/S region of HBV, but its activity on viral and cellular genes become evident only after dislocations from its downstream sequences. Thus, HBV is able to influence infected cell growth and differentiation using both native proteins, newly generated truncated proteins and virus-cell fusion polypeptides.


The use of weight loss surgery is progressively increasing, and in recent years, restrictive bariatric surgery procedures have been more often used. Although thought to be associated with a lower incidence of post-operative side effects than malabsorpitive surgery, some cases of micronutrients deficiency have been reported because of an acquired thiamine deficiency; in this clinical setting, some cases of Wernicke encephalopathy (WE) have been described. Major determinants and predictors of this major neurological complication are currently unknown. The aim of this systematic review was to analyse literature data in order to address this issue. The main result of our systematic review was that persistent vomiting is the major determinant of WE in patients undergoing restrictive weight loss surgery. In addition, early thiamine supplementation can rapidly improve the clinical conditions, avoiding permanent deficiencies. On the other hand, given the wide variability of clinical and demographic characteristics, definite prognostic factors of WE occurrence and of clinical outcome cannot be identified. In conclusion, although our results are suggestive, further ad hoc prospective studies evaluating changes in micronutrients levels according to different types of surgery are needed.


For future burning plasma experiments, all diagnostics must be re‐evaluated in terms of their measurement capabilities and robustness to the new environment. This is certainly true for interferometry measurements where conventional approaches may not be ideal and interpretation may require modification due to high plasma temperatures. Optimizing these systems to provide maximum information will be crucial to understanding burning plasma dynamics. This paper will explore a variety of phase measurement techniques for the main body and divertor regions that can be utilized on burning plasma experiments like ITER and beyond.


Based on 3 short time performance measurements, 4 visits together with user-interviews, 3 involvements in Ventilative Cooling (VC)-building-design, 2 long-term case studies and 11 expert interviews the paper presents a list of key performance-indicators of successful Ventilative-Cooling solutions as well as challenges together with examples of their successful overcoming. Information has been collected from projects located in Austria, using Ventilative Cooling, both natural and mechanical ventilation, in both residential and office buildings, mainly in urban surroundings. The list of key-performance indicators is: 1. Design for very low pressure drop in the VC-system. 2. Design for significant air change rates in the VC-system. 3. Limit the operating time of automated VC to periods that physically make sense. 4. Keep the VC-System free from Influences from AC-Components. 5. Enhance VC-effects by heat transmission from adjacent rooms 6. Design the VC-system for summer comfort at elevated air temperatures 7. Strictly emphasise Operability and Reliability of VC Components because the challenges hide behind details:  Safety & security aspects dealing with injury, burglary and vandalism  Thermal Performance limitations  Comfort aspects dealing with noise, dust and humidity  Operational aspects dealing with (mis)adjustments in the control systems  Economic aspects dealing with investment and maintenance


Photoperiod impacts feeding behavior, health, growth and milk production of dairy cattle. In humans behaviors that are asynchronous with the natural light-dark cycle, such as shift work or jet lag, are strongly associated with metabolic disorders as well as impaired reproductive performance. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of exposing mid-lactation dairy cows to chronically shifting 8h light (L)-8h dark (D) cycles on feed intake, milk yield, milk composition and mammary gene expression. Six first lactation Holsteins ∼90d in milk were maintained on a 16 h L: 8 h D cycle and milked at 5AM and 4PM for 7d (control, Period 1). During Period 2, 7 d immediately following Period 1, cows were exposed to  continuous cycles of 8 h L: 8 h D, but maintained on the same milking and feeding schedule. Exposure to chronic 8 h LD cycles significantly depressed milk yield (P<0.05), but did not affect daily feed intake.  Percent milk fat, protein and lactose were not different, but milk urea nitrogen (MUN) significantly increased. On the last day of each period mammary gene expression was measured by Q-PCR of total RNA isolated from the cytosolic components of milk fat globules. Expression of the core clock gene BMAL1 in addition to
Beta-casein, Alpha-lactalbumin, Fatty acid synthase and Acetyl CoA-carboxylase were all decreased (P < 0.05) after 7 d of chronic 8 h LD cycles. The results from this study show for the first time that exposing lactating cows to chronic light shifts decreases milk production and may alter metabolism. Further, experimental design may provide a paradigm to study the effects of changing lighting schedules on milk production and a potential model to study effects of disrupting circadian system on production efficiency.


Deep reinforcement learning has recently shown many impressive successes. However, one major obstacle towards applying such methods to real-world problems is their lack of data-efficiency. To this end, we propose the Bottleneck Simulator: a model-based reinforcement learning method which combines a learned, factorized transition model of the environment with rollout simulations to learn an effective policy from few examples. The learned transition model employs an abstract, discrete (bottleneck) state, which increases sample efficiency by reducing the number of model parameters and by exploiting structural properties of the environment. We provide a mathematical analysis of the Bottleneck Simulator in terms of fixed points of the learned policy, which reveals how performance is affected by four distinct sources of error: an error related to the abstract space structure, an error related to the transition model estimation variance, an error related to the transition model estimation bias, and an error related to the transition model class bias. Finally, we evaluate the Bottleneck Simulator on two natural language processing tasks: a text adventure game and a real-world, complex dialogue response selection task. On both tasks, the Bottleneck Simulator yields excellent performance beating competing approaches.


The present study considers the right versus the left ovarian responses to the different doses of eCG treatment in ewe. The estrous cycles of 32 adult Shall Iranian ewes were synchronized by CIDR during breeding period. At the time of CIDR removal, 0 (n = 8), 450 (n = 8), 550 (n = 8) and 650 (n = 8) IU of eCG (Intervet, Booxmer, Netherlands) was administered to ewes. The number of large follicles (> 3 mm, LF) and CL in the right and left ovaries was monitored by transrectal ultrasonography on the day of estrus and 6 days later. In another analysing view, all ewes (n = 32) were set into 3 groups. Following superovulation, groups A and D ewes had at least one extra large follicle and CL, respectively, in their right ovary than that of the left one. Group B and E had the opposite position and group C and F had equal LF in their ovaries. The data were analysed by GLM procedure of SAS. The mean number of LF in the right (2.35 ± 0.14) was higher (P < 0.001) in comparison to the left (1.42 ± 0.14) ovaries in all treatment groups. Also, the mean number of LF in the right was higher (P < 0.05) than that in the left ovaries between every treatment group. In addition, the mean number of CL in the right (1.92 ± 0.47) was higher (P < 0.05) in comparison to the left (1.33 ± 0.25) ovaries in all treatment groups. Furthermore, in the other analysis, we observed 62.5% of the ewes were in group A (n = 20) which was a higher (P < 0.001) percentage compared to group B (n = 4, 12.5%) and group C (n = 8, 25%). Also, it is observed that 44% of the ewes were set into group D (n = 16) (the right ovary had at least one CL extra in comparison with the left ovary) which was a higher (P < 0.05) percentage compared to groups E and F; and that both groups had equal number of ewes. The results suggest that the greater responses of follicular development occur in the right ovaries after eCG treatment in Shall Iranian ewes.


Mannitol metabolism in Lactococcus lactis MG1363 and in a derivative strain deficient in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH(d)) was characterized. Both strains had the ability to grow on mannitol as an energy source, although this polyol was a poorer substrate for growth than glucose. When compared to glucose, the metabolism of mannitol caused an NADH burden due to formation of an additional NADH molecule at the reaction catalysed by mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase (Mtl1PDH). This resulted in a prominent accumulation of mannitol 1-phosphate (Mtl1P) both in growing and resting cells, suggesting the existence of a severe bottleneck at Mtl1PDH. Growth on mannitol induced the activity of Mtl1PDH in both the LDH(d) and MG1363 strains. The lower accumulation of Mtl1P in mannitol-grown cells when compared to glucose-grown LDH(d) cells, as monitored by in vivo (13)C-NMR, reflects this induction. A clear shift towards the production of ethanol was observed on mannitol, indicating pressure to regenerate NAD(+) when this substrate was used. A strategy to obtain a mannitol-overproducing strain is proposed.


The rapid expansion of genome sequence data is increasing the discovery of protein-coding genes across all domains of life. Annotating these genes with reliable functional information is necessary to understand evolution, to define the full biochemical space accessed by nature, and to identify target genes for biotechnology improvements. The vast majority of proteins are annotated based on sequence conservation with no specific biological, biochemical, genetic, or cellular function identified. Recent technical advances throughout the biological sciences enable experimental research on these understudied protein-coding genes in a broader collection of species. However, scientists have incentives and biases to continue focusing on well documented genes within their preferred model organism. This perspective suggests a research model that seeks to break historic silos of research bias by enabling interdisciplinary teams to accelerate biological functional annotation. We propose an initiative to develop coordinated projects of collaborating evolutionary biologists, cell biologists, geneticists, and biochemists that will focus on subsets of target genes in multiple model organisms. Concurrent analysis in multiple organisms takes advantage of evolutionary divergence and selection, which causes individual species to be better suited as experimental models for specific genes. Most importantly, multisystem approaches would encourage transdisciplinary critical thinking and hypothesis testing that is inherently slow in current biological research.


The process of turning a hand-written HPSG theory into a working computational grammar requires
complex considerations. Two leading platforms are available for implementing HPSG grammars:
The LKB and
TRALE.
These platforms are based on different approaches, distinct in their underlying logics and
implementation details. This paper adopts the perspective of a computational linguist whose goal is
to implement an HPSG theory. It focuses on ten different dimensions, relevant to HPSG grammar
implementation, and examines, compares, and evaluates the different means which the two approaches
provide for implementing them. The paper concludes that the approaches occupy opposite positions on
two axes: faithfulness to the hand-written theory and computational accessibility. The choice
between them depends largely on the grammar writer's preferences regarding those properties.


Problem-solving criminal justice is the court-based approach developed in efforts to tackle social, health and lifestyle problems linked to repeat patterns of criminal offending. Typically, these cover drug and alcohol dependence issues, mental disorder and youth and early independence vulnerabilities. This paper presents a critical analysis of three specific forms of problem-solving practiced in the English and Welsh court system – youth sentence review panels, the Family Drug and Alcohol courts and adult drugs courts. Empirical research is used to discuss the effectiveness and outcomes of these court approaches and argues realistic expectations in terms of what is considered 'success' for those attempting to become drug free, or establish conventional pathways and desist from crime, is essential. The barriers and obstacles preventing a more extensive application of problem-solving criminal justice is also discussed, drawing on points connected to sentencing parameters, 'political will' and legal cultural impediments. It is suggested if problem-solving justice is to become more widely established in local and geographical areas of need, alterations are needed to the way court innovation is enabled. Specifically, closer working relations between the professional judiciary and the large body of volunteer 'lay' magistrates who preside over much lower criminal court judging in England and Wales is necessary.


Photoinduced clustering of polystyrene microbeads and photocontrol of their diffusion was achieved in water with the assistance of photoinduced transformation of supramolecular architecture of amphiphilic diarylethene between sphere and fiber states. When a suspension of polystyrene beads containing the sphere state of diarylethene was UV-irradiated from beneath, clustering of the polystyrene beads by thermal convection was observed. The velocity of clustering was dependent on the amount of photogenerated nanofibers that determines the viscosity of the water. Diffusion of the clustered polymer beads was suppressed by the surrounding fibers, but was restored to regular Brownian motion upon irradiation with visible light. It was suggested that the diffusion of the microbeads was controlled by the transformation of aggregates between the more viscous fiber state and the less viscous sphere state. These results provide new insight into the photocontrol of particle motion in fluidic media.


Background/aim The patient's perspective on the healthcare that they receive has become increasingly important in the assessment of healthcare quality, especially in chronic diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In this context, the questionnaire QUOTE-IBD (Quality of Care Through the Patient's Eyes with Inflammatory Bowel Disease) was created to assess the healthcare quality from the point of view of a patient with IBD. This questionnaire does not yet have a validated Portuguese version (PT-QUOTE-IBD). We aimed to assess the acceptability, validity, and reliability of PT-QUOTE-IBD. Patients and methods This was an observational longitudinal unicentric study with three sequential phases: (a) translation and cultural adaptation of QUOTE-IBD that explores the Importance, Performance and Quality Impact of several dimensions of healthcare; (b) assessment of validity by correlation of the results of PT-QUOTE-IBD and visual analogue scales (VAS); and (c) assessment of the reliability of PT-QUOTE-IBD through a second administration of the questionnaire, with a minimum interval of 4 weeks. Results We included 114 patients with IBD (77 Crohn's disease and 37 ulcerative colitis). Fifty-nine percent of the patients completed all the questions of QUOTE-IBD and VAS. We obtained positive and significant Pearson's correlation coefficients between QUOTE-IBD scores and VAS for Performance and Quality Impact of Total Care and dimensions Accessibility and Information. Thirty-four (30%) patients completed the second questionnaire adequately. We obtained positive and significant Pearson's correlation coefficients between the two questionnaires for Performance and Quality Impact of Total Care, Accessibility, Continuity of Care, Courtesy and Information, and for Performance of Cost. Conclusion PT-QUOTE-IBD is acceptable, valid, and reliable in the assessment of Performance and Quality Impact of Total Care, but not of all dimensions of healthcare.


: Enteric bacteria isolated from feedlot heifers treated with tetracyclines (TET) were examined for resistance to TET and ampicillin. The effects of feeding (45 days) therapeutic and subtherapeutic quantities of chlortetracycline (CTC) and the injection of therapeutic doses of oxytetracycline (3 daily doses) were compared. Performance data from the 45-day trial did not identify an antibiotic effect on average daily gain, although cattle fed subtherapeutic quantities of CTC showed improved feed efficiency. Bacterial resistance to TET was increased in the heifers given the therapeutic and subtherapeutic quantities of CTC in the ration. However, an increase in resistance to ampicillin did not occur. Oxytetracycline injections had a short-term effect, increasing the number of resistant organisms only during the week of drug administration.


The Article 3 of the Agrarian Laws consists of the regulation about one aspect of the most important communal rights related to the scope of life, namely the "ulayat" rights. These laws themselves, do not define the meaning of the "ulayat" lands. Therefore, the admission of the existence of the "ulayat" rights included in the Article 3 of the Agrarian Laws still considered as the ambivalent by the consideration of the policy board. The absence of the deep concepts on the "ulayat" lands in the agrarian laws, affected the establishment of the other regulation, in this case, called the "waqf" regulation. By the entire series of the "waqf" regulations, there are not Articles cite that the land object along with the "ulayat" right can pass into the "waqf" land. Therefore, it needed the study about the development of the "ulayat" institution of society in West Sumatera, that becomes the transformation and the interaction processes among the culture and tradition of Minang Kabau based on the Islamic aspects. Moreover, as the enthusiasm of the "waqf" development to become the social welfare. Therefore, the "waqf" and the "ulayat" lands in West Sumatera are the assets of the local communities to take care of them continually and expands the "waqf" properties to aim the future social welfare.


A direct time-domain finite-difference method is used to recharacterize the microstrip. Maxwell's equations are discretized both in time and space and a Gaussian pulse is used to excite the microstrip. The frequency-domain data are obtained from the Fourier transform of the calculated time-domain field values. Since this method is completely independent of all the above-mentioned investigations, the results can be considered as an impartial verification of the published results. The comparison of the time-domain results and those from the frequency-domain methods has shown the integrity of the time-domain computations. This method is very general and can be applied to model many other microwave components. >


On planar graphs, many classic algorithmic problems enjoy a certain ``square root phenomenon'' and can be solved significantly faster than what is known to be possible on general graphs: for example, Independent Set , 3-Coloring , Hamiltonian Cycle , Dominating Set can be solved in time $2^{O(\sqrt{n})}$ on an $n$-vertex planar graph, while no $2^{o(n)}$ algorithms exist for general graphs, assuming the Exponential Time Hypothesis (ETH). The square root in the exponent seems to be best possible for planar graphs: assuming the ETH, the running time for these problems cannot be improved to $2^{o(\sqrt{n})}$. In some cases, a similar speedup can be obtained for 2-dimensional geometric problems, for example, there are $2^{O(\sqrt{n}\log n)}$ time algorithms for Independent Set on unit disk graphs or for TSP on 2-dimensional point sets. In this paper, we explore whether such a speedup is possible for geometric coloring problems. On the one hand, geometric objects can behave similarly to planar graphs: 3-Coloring can be solved in time $2^{O(\sqrt{n})}$ on the intersection graph of $n$ disks in the plane and, assuming the ETH, there is no such algorithm with running time $2^{o(\sqrt{n})}$. On the other hand, if the number $\ell$ of colors is part of the input, then no such speedup is possible: Coloring the intersection graph of $n$ unit disks with $\ell$ colors cannot be solved in time $2^{o(n)}$, assuming the ETH. More precisely, we exhibit a smooth increase of complexity as the number $\ell$ of colors increases: If we restrict the number of colors to $\ell=\Theta(n^{\alpha})$ for some $0\le \alpha\le 1$, then the problem of coloring the intersection graph of $n$ disks with $\ell$ colors can be solved in time $\exp \left( O(n^{\frac{1+\alpha}{2}}\log n) \right)=\exp \left( O(\sqrt{n\ell}\log n) \right)$, and cannot be solved in time $\exp \left ( o(n^{\frac{1+\alpha}{2}})\right )=\exp \left( o(\sqrt{n\ell}) \right)$, even on unit disks, unless the ETH fails. More generally, we consider the problem of coloring $d$-dimensional balls in the Euclidean space and obtain analogous results showing that the problem can be solved in time $\exp \left( O(n^{\frac{d-1+\alpha}{d}}\log n) \right)$ $=\exp \left( O(n^{1-1/d}\ell^{1/d}\log n) \right)$, and cannot be solved in time $\exp \left(O(n^{\frac{d-1+\alpha}{d}-\epsilon})\right)= \exp \left(O(n^{1-1/d-\epsilon}\ell^{1/d})\right)$ for any $\epsilon>0$, even for unit balls, unless the ETH fails. Finally, we prove that fatness is crucial to  obtain subexponential algorithms for coloring. We show that existence of an algorithm coloring an intersection graph of segments using a constant number of colors in time $2^{o(n)}$ already refutes the ETH.


The world of microfinance is changing. More and more people are turning to microfinance as neoliberal reforms shape the world, diminishing welfare across the globe. Microfinance has in turn been debased by the same process driving people to seek microfinance. Through privatization, state redistribution, and financialization, (three of the processes of accumulation by dispossession) microfinance, is becoming increasingly profitable. As the poor populations of the world are coming to rely on microfinance, they are opening themselves up to exploitation by global investors and microfinance institutions alike. Twice, microfinance crises have ravaged Andhra Pradesh, bringing with them coercive loan collection, rural distress and a diminished capacity for fulfilling consumption needs. These stem from neoliberal reforms undertaken by India in the 1980s and the increased accumulation by dispossession (David Harvey's take on Marx's primitive accumulation) that followed. Regulation of microfinance will do little to stop another crisis if the root causes of the crisis are not addressed. This paper presents the Andhra Pradesh crises as a method where by capitalist are exploiting the people of Andhra Pradesh for profitability at the expense of the poor through accumulation by dispossession.


Previous studies indicate that sinusoidal endothelial cells bind and internalize hyaluronic acid at much greater rates than do other liver cells. Thus hepatic hyaluronic acid removal rate may be indicative of sinusoidal endothelial cell function. In these studies the uptake of hyaluronic acid (molecular weight 1.3 × 106) was measured in isolated perfused rat liver under a variety of conditions. Uptake was dependent on hyaluronic acid concentration. At all concentrations tested, the rate of hyaluronic acid uptake stabilized at a steady‐state level 2 to 3 min after development of a high rate of apparent uptake. At saturating hyaluronic acid concentration (150 ng · ml−1), the steady‐state uptake rate was 10.4 ± 1.0 μg · gm−1 liver wet wt · hr−1 which is as high as or higher than the rates reported for isolated rat liver sinusoidal endothelial cells. The half‐maximal rate of uptake was attained at a hyaluronic acid concentration of 80 ng · ml−1. Hyaluronic acid uptake was inhibited by heparin (80%), a competitive ligand for the hyaluronic acid receptor on sinusoidal endothelial cells; 4β‐phorbol 12β‐O‐myristoyl 13α‐acetate (25% to 50%), a tumor promoter and activator of protein kinase C; prostaglandin F2α (24% to 52%), an eicosanoid secreted in the liver by Kupffer cells; A23187 (33% to 66%), a Ca2+ ionophore; and Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (16% to 43%). Platelet activating factor did not affect hyaluronic acid uptake by the perfused liver. Hyaluronic acid uptake was increased by 50% after a 24‐hr fast. Because previous studies indicate that the hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells are almost exclusively responsible for the hepatic clearance of circulating hyaluronic acid, this study suggests that measurement of hyaluronic acid uptake by the perfused liver may allow assessment of sinusoidal endothelial cell function under the conditions in which the in vivo architecture of the liver remains intact. (HEPATOLOGY 1993;17:266–272.)


This paper proposes a guidance method for gliding aircraft by using onboard computers to calculate a near-optimal trajectory in real-time, and thereby expanding the reachable domain. The results are applicable to advanced aircraft and future space transportation systems that require high safety. The calculation load of the optimal control problem that is used to maximize the reachable domain is too large for current computers to calculate in real-time. Thus the optimal control problem is divided into two problems: a gliding distance maximization problem in which the aircraft motion is limited to a vertical plane, and an optimal turning flight problem in a horizontal direction. First, the former problem is solved using a shooting method. It can be solved easily because its scale is smaller than that of the original problem, and because some of the features of the optimal solution are obtained in the first part of this paper. Next, in the latter problem, the optimal bank angle is computed from the solution of the former; this is an analytical computation, rather than an iterative computation. Finally, the reachable domain obtained from the proposed near-optimal guidance method is compared with that obtained from the original optimal control problem.


Research on Wiener type spaces was initiated by N.Wiener in [15]. A number of authors worked on these spaces or some special cases of these spaces. A kind of generalization of the Wiener's definition was given by H.Feichtinger in [2] as a Banach spaces of functions (or measures, distributions) on locally compact groups that are defined by means of the global behaviour of certain local properties of their elements. In the present paper we discussed Wiener type spaces using the spaces Aw,ωp,q(G) and Fw,ωp,q(G) (c. f. [8]) as a local component, and Lνr(G) as a global component, where w and ν are Beurling weights on G and ω is a Beurling weight on Gˆ (c. f. [13]).


Pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) is an essential cofactor for nearly 60 Escherichia coli enzymes but is a highly reactive molecule that is toxic in its free form. How PLP levels are regulated and how PLP is delivered to target enzymes are still open questions. The COG0325 protein family belongs to the fold-type III class of PLP enzymes and binds PLP but has no known biochemical activity although it occurs in all kingdoms of life. Various pleiotropic phenotypes of the Escherichia coli COG0325 (yggS) mutant have been reported, some of which were reproduced and extended in this study. Comparative genomic, genetic and metabolic analyses suggest that these phenotypes reflect an imbalance in pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) homeostasis. The E. coli yggS mutant accumulates the PLP precursor pyridoxine 5'-phosphate (PNP), and is sensitive to an excess of pyridoxine but not of pyridoxal. The pyridoxine toxicity phenotype is complemented by the expression of eukaryotic yggS orthologs. It is also suppressed by the presence of amino acids specifically isoleucine, threonine and leucine suggesting the PLP dependent enzyme transaminase B (IlvE) is affected. These genetic results lay a foundation for future biochemical studies of the role of COG0325 proteins in PLP homeostasis.


The current study addresses the critical need for research on the therapeutic involvement among adolescent substance users in treatment. Although therapeutic involvement (TI) and the services that clients receive during treatment are among the best predictors of treatment retention and through retention associated with better posttreatment outcomes, there are relatively few empirical studies of therapeutic involvement among adolescents in drug treatment. Using data on N=185 adolescent clients in five adolescent residential drug-treatment programs in New Jersey, factor analyses used maximum likelihood extraction and oblique rotation. Pearson's correlation coefficients and multivariate linear regression were used to explore the utility of using existing measures of TI developed on adult populations to examine the correlates of therapeutic involvement among adolescents. The majority of subjects (85%) were between 16 and 18 years of age, with an average age of 17 years. Seventy-nine percent were male, 20% were Hispanic, 36% were African-American, and 46% were Caucasian. Working alliance, self-esteem, spirituality, deviance, and substance use problem severity were associated with therapeutic involvement and there is evidence that there may be important subgroup differences associated with gender and ethnicity. Further research on the interplay between these factors, therapeutic involvement, and recovery among adolescents can inform the development of strategies to enhance the engagement and retention of adolescents in drug treatment.


Article history: Received March 5, 2015 Received in revised format August 16 2015 Accepted September 31 2015 Available online October 6 2015 The primary objective of this paper is to study the present status of organizational adaptability in Iranian broadcasting system against environmental changes and present possible suggestions to empower the organization to cope with future changes. The study uses the method developed by Denison (1990) [Denison, D. R. (1990). Corporate culture and organizational effectiveness. John Wiley & Sons.] to study the organizational changes. Using a sample of 354 randomly selected employees who worked for this organization, the study has determined that the level of organizational adaptability was less than desirable level and the firm needs to make necessary actions to better cope with environmental change. Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved. 5 © 201


In tie cliet of time convalescent mnuch depen(ds upon the ovay in which time foo(d is served, and an .appetite believed to be non-existent will often return at the sightl of a dainty an(d well-coolked umeal set out on a prettily arranged Iray. Miss ALYS LOWTH, in her Invalid and Convalescent CQokerys 4ook,4 lays especial stress utpon the need for care and good taste in the arrangement and serving of mieals in a sickroom, as well as upon the necessity for the most s2ruLipulous attention to cleanliness in every detail of their preparation. Her book contains much excellent advice to those who find tliemselves called upon to prepare and supervise the lpatient's meals, and lher numerous recipes are well calenlated to tempt the appetite of the most capricious invalid.


The edge shape of milling insert has important influence on the heat loading and mechanical loading during metal cutting. The optimization of edge-shape parameter for curve-edge milling insert based on evaluation criteria of thermal-mechanic coupling field was carried out in order to improve the thermal-mechanic coupling field and to raise lifetime and production rate of milling insert. A new edge shape function was obtained. The curve-edge milling insert was designed driven by the edge function. The coupling field of milling insert has obvious improvement by finite element analysis (FEM). The maximal equivalent stress and displacement in cutting deformation area decreased by 17.2% and 15.7% respectively.


Measuring the quality of city life (QCL) is important for city marketing given that QCL influences the city brand image and resident‐ city relationship. Despite its importance, most previous measures of community well‐being were developed in the context of small towns, and limited attention has been given to a subjective mea sure of QCL in the context of a large city. This study develops and tests a subjective measure of quality of city life (QCL) in the context of a large metropolitan city. Quality of c ity life (QCL) refers to the degree of need satisfaction and feelings of happiness one experiences during the course of city life. The results from a survey of 507 residents from 25 major districts in Seoul indicate that the QCL measure has convergent and discriminate validity. The results also indicate that QCL has predictive validity in relation to satisf action with city services, trust in the city government, word ‐of‐ mouth communication, and a sense of citizen pride. The managerial and policy implications of this study are discussed.


Ideally, Internet service providers' (ISP) should not be responsible for the contents that transit through their services, as they have no editorial control over them. The U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) contains safe harbor provisions to limit ISP's liability on the ground of copyright infringement, unless they received a notice and takedown request from a copyright holder. This model has been transposed into other jurisdictions through the recently signed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement between the United States of America and 11 other countries in Asia and Pacific Region. This in effect will mandate ISPs to expeditiously remove or disable access to alleged infringing material upon acquiring actual or constructive knowledge of the infringement. This TPP obligation apparently goes beyond the normal standards in the international treaties and national standards in the US as well as in Malaysia. For Malaysia, notice and takedown procedure was already in place since 2012, that i.e. few years before the signing of TPP Agreement. Set on this background, the objective of this paper is to analyze and draw some significant comparisons between TPP obligations in Malaysia with other eleven (11) TPP member countries in relation to ISP's liabilities. The discussion embraces notice and takedown requirements and other related matters such as 'safe harbour' provisions and incentives which are made available to ISPs. The paper concludes with the forthcoming effect of TPP on relevant Malaysian legislations and the inherent need of striking a balance between the different interests at stake namely the ISP, the copyright owner and the public net-users at large.


Supporting reuse of existing pieces of code is one of the main goals of software engineering. In the name of reuse, modulebased programming languages came to be, only to be surpassed by object-oriented technology. With the same motivation component-based solutions are overtaking objectoriented solutions. However, the delegation-only focus of component-based programming risks of resulting in the same problems that modular-based approaches ran into. To counter this, we claim that one of the important problems that should be addressed by component languages is the composition of components. More specifically, we see component languages where components are black-box abstractions, and with (one or more) composition languages to glue them together. As an example we show a functional (Piccola) and a logic (QSoul) composition approach.


This paper systematically reviews the state of the art of the literature and practices of enhancing learning and teaching through crowdsourcing. We refer to these emerging phenomena as "crowdsourcing for education" (CfE). Based on 51 relevant initiatives in practice, which we identified, we develop a definition and a taxonomy of CfE, and analysed CfE following the structure of what, who, why and how. We find that crowdsourcing has been used and benefits education in four ways: creating educational contents, providing practical experience, facilitating the exchange of complementary knowledge, and augmenting feedback. Eight principal motivations are reported to have led people to participate in CfE systems according to existing studies. This paper supports future research by developing a framework for CfE and providing a research agenda.


Camouflage is perhaps the most widespread anti-predator strategy in nature, found in numerous animal groups. A long-standing prediction is that individuals should have camouflage tuned to the visual backgrounds where they live. However, while several studies have demonstrated phenotype–environment associations, few have directly shown that this confers an improvement in camouflage, particularly with respect to predator vision. Here, we show that an intertidal crustacean, the sand flea (Hippa testudinaria), has coloration tuned to the different substrates on which it occurs when viewed by potential avian predators. Individual sand fleas from a small, oceanic island (Ascension) matched the colour and luminance of their own beaches more closely than neighbouring beaches to a model of avian vision. Based on past work, this phenotype–environment matching is likely to be driven through ontogenetic changes rather than genetic adaptation. Our work provides some of the first direct evidence that animal coloration is tuned to provide camouflage to prospective predators against a range of visual backgrounds, in a population of animals occurring over a small geographical range.


Initially, Banten was blessed with the abundance of blackpepper plants that became the attraction for foreign Nations, particularly the Europeans. Banten, is located strategically in the west of Java island. Banten is known to have numerous interesting stages of cultural development; Hinduism cultural before 1525, then became the important part of the dissemination of Islam in West Java and the Islamic Sultanate of Banten was established in 1527 in Banten Lama. In 1832, the centre of Banten government was moved to Serang from Banten Lama by the Dutch, since their power have been raised in Banten. The Banten Great Mosque complex is an icon with great historical significance, an important evidence of the Banten Sultanate's presence in Banten Lama. In 1945 the Indonesian government decided to 'reactivate' the Mosque by providing more colours in the changes and development surrounding the complex, especially the architecture, interior design, and social circumstances which affected one another. The research will employ qualitative method and intended to review the changing of the Banten Great Mosque Complex as the concrete evidence of the development of society and environment in particular and the development of Banten in general. In conclusion, the influence of social-culture which are two basic support elements of heritage buildings--Banten Great Mosque complex is impossible to be separated, because they are identity of civilization in Banten. Secondly is the social-culture issue has changes the component of Banten Great Mosque complex, both in function and meaning.


This paper pioneers the identification of artificial intelligence (AI) enablers like technology feasibility, sophistication, data integrity, interoperability and per ceived benefits that can boost operational efficiency of firms in Indian food processing industry. With the food processing industry contributing significantly to domestic gross value added and generating an export earning of close to USD 40 billion from agricultural and processed food exports, the study examines the role of AI in overcoming the existing inefficiencies of firms, particularly the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) involved in food processing. For this, questionnaire wascirculated to 500 respondents comprising of IT and supply chain professionals, managers of food processing companies and academicians working in this do main, of which 341 complete responses were received. These responses were then analysed using PLS-SEM modeling, through which the relationship between AI adoption and operational efficiency of firm was established. The study found a significant relationship between AI adoption and operational efficiency. The R square and Q square values substantiate the predictive power of the model used in the study. The research has significant implications for supply chain professionals as technology adoption would boost resilience, integration and transparency of these firms. The study is also relevant for addressing issues pertaining to food security, employment generation, enhancing industrial output and export growth. Policy makers can also get perspectives on harnessing the benefits of AI technology while creating an enabling environment for different supply chain partners.


Evaluating the potential involvement of wild avifauna in the emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 (hereafter H5N1) requires detailed analyses of temporal and spatial relationships between wild bird movements and disease emergence. The death of wild swans (Cygnus spp.) has been the first indicator of the presence of H5N1 in various Asian and European countries; however their role in the geographic spread of the disease remains poorly understood. We marked 10 whooper swans (Cygnus cygnus) with GPS transmitters in northeastern Mongolia during autumn 2006 and tracked their migratory movements in relation to H5N1 outbreaks. The prevalence of H5N1 outbreaks among poultry in eastern Asia during 2003–2007 peaked during winter, concurrent with whooper swan movements into regions of high poultry density. However outbreaks involving poultry were detected year round, indicating disease perpetuation independent of migratory waterbird presence. In contrast, H5N1 outbreaks involving whooper swans, as well as other migratory waterbirds that succumbed to the disease in eastern Asia, tended to occur during seasons (late spring and summer) and in habitats (areas of natural vegetation) where their potential for contact with poultry is very low to nonexistent. Given what is known about the susceptibility of swans to H5N1, and on the basis of the chronology and rates of whooper swan migration movements, we conclude that although there is broad spatial overlap between whooper swan distributions and H5N1 outbreak locations in eastern Asia, the likelihood of direct transmission between these groups is extremely low. Thus, our data support the hypothesis that swans are best viewed as sentinel species, and moreover, that in eastern Asia, it is most likely that their infections occurred through contact with asymptomatic migratory hosts (e.g., wild ducks) at or near their breeding grounds.


ObjectiveTo report the first case of the use of asynchronous independent lung high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (AIL-HFOV) in the management of acute hypoxemic respiratory failure in a large pediatric patient with markedly asymmetric lung disease. DesignCase study. SettingTertiary pediatric intensive care unit in a pediatric teaching hospital. PatientA 17-yr-old, 87-kg male patient with trisomy 21 and with respiratory failure and progressive hypoxemia because of pneumonia. InterventionsIntubation with a 37-Fr double-lumen endobronchial tube and ventilation with two oscillatory ventilators for a total of 16 days. Measurements and Main ResultsHemodynamic data were obtained using a pulmonary artery catheter. Adequate oxygenation and ventilation were readily achieved after institution of AIL-HFOV. The Fio2/Pao2 ratio increased from 52 to 224, and the shunt fraction decreased from 40 to 9 after 30 mins of AIL-HFOV. Fio2 was rapidly reduced from 1.0 to 0.4 on the right lung and to 0.6 on the left lung. Mean arterial pressure was maintained, the cardiac index increased from 3.5 to 5.4 L/min/m2, the systemic vascular resistance index decreased from 1513 to 1225 dyne·sec/cm5·m2, and the pulmonary vascular resistance index decreased from 723 to 428 dyne·sec/cm5·m2 without the need for additional fluid boluses or increases in inotropic support. No airleaks developed during the entire hospital stay. ConclusionsAIL-HFOV improved oxygenation and hemodynamic performance in this large patient. This case demonstrates that it is feasible to use two high-frequency oscillatory ventilators to independently ventilate the lungs of a large patient with markedly asymmetric lung disease. We believe that AIL-HFOV deserves future study and development for the treatment of large patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure and asymmetric lung disease when other choices are limited.


Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) was domesticated from wild barley (Hordeum spontaneum L.) around 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent. It has been widely used as a model organism to research plant adaptive evolutionary processes as well as a vital genetic repository to explore plant abiotic and biotic stress tolerance. This thesis used the recent barley genome sequence as a reference to characterise the genomic evolution of wild barley, explore genomic diversity, and created a database of barley genomic variation.

Wild barley accessions from oppos ite slopes of the 'Evolution Canyon' in Israel, separated by only 250 m but with drastically different microclimates, were sequenced at the transcriptome and whole-genome levels. Sympatric speciation was identified between the wild barleys from the two slopes, and the distance between them was even greater than that between cultivated barley and Tibetan wild barley. About 243 Mb genomic regions were identified under environmental selection. The number of upregulated genes from the south-facing slope wild barley was about eight times that of the north-facing slope under drought stress.

To explore genomic diversity in cultivated barley germplasm from Australia , wholegenome sequencing was conducted on eleven cultivated barley varieties. In total, 29,550,641 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 1,592,034 short insertions and deletions (InDels) were identified. These SNPs and InDels can be used to develop Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR (KASP) and InDel markers for genome-assisted breeding.

To facilitate access to and use of the genomic resources exploited in this study, a database of barley genomic variations, BarleyVarDB, was created. This database provides three main sets of information: (1) SNPs and InDels, (2) barley genome reference and its annotation, and (3) 522,212 whole genome-wide simple sequence repeats (SSRs).

Using the resources developed in this study, I characterised the mutation pattern of a barley mutant derived from gamma radiation. The results indicate that mutations induced by gamma radiation are not evenly distributed in the whole genome but occur in several concentrated regions in chromosomes. Besides, I narrowed down the candidate genes for high-tillering mutant phenotype from 139 to 15 by comparing the sequence difference in the 10 Mb target region between a pair of near isogenic lines using transcriptome sequencing.


Existing corrosion assessment models were developed and validated under the assumption that internal pressure was the principal driver for burst failure and that longitudinal strain levels were low. The impact of moderate to high levels of longitudinal strain on burst capacity had not been explicitly considered.
 This paper summarizes work performed as part of a major effort funded by the US Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (DOT PHMSA) aimed at examining the impact of longitudinal strain on the integrity of pipelines with corrosion anomalies. This paper focuses on the burst pressure of corroded pipes under high longitudinal strains. It is known that longitudinal tensile strain does not reduce the burst pressure relative to that of pipes subjected to low longitudinal strains. Therefore, existing burst pressure models can be considered adequate when the longitudinal strain is tensile. However, longitudinal compressive strain was found to lead to a moderate reduction in burst pressure. Numerical analyses were conducted to study the effect of longitudinal compressive strain on the burst pressure of corroded pipes. A burst pressure reduction formula was developed as a function of the longitudinal compressive strain.
 Full-scale tests were conducted to confirm the findings of the numerical analysis. Guidelines for assessing the burst pressure of corroded pipes under high longitudinal compressive strains were developed from the outcome of numerical analysis and experimental tests. The guidelines are applicable to different types of corrosion anomalies, including circumferential grooves, longitudinal grooves and general corrosion.