Agile methods focus on high quality, frequent deliveries, and customer and development team communication. Despite emphasizing customer involvement, in practice end users commonly do not participate in the early stages of these methods; instead, other business-related customers represent them in defining end-user needs. As a result, the produced software often does not satisfy the actual users' needs, and the User Experience (UX) suffers. User-centered design, Design Thinking, and Lean Startup have been combined with agile methods to support defining the problem focused on user needs and producing effective software. Lean Inception (LI) represents a workshop that combines Design Thinking and Lean Startup. However, the effectiveness of problem definition and end-user participation in LIs is little explored. This paper presents a case study addressing this gap, investigating the use of LIs to define the problem and how the participation of end users in this context contributes to the resulting UX. We conducted ten semi-structured interviews with customers and end-users of an agile software project using LI. Our analysis suggests that, while LI supports the identification of business goals, more details about user needs and software requirements are needed to support designers and developers in understanding the problem and evaluating its feasibility. We also identified a mischaracterization of user journeys and personas in LIs due to the short time dedicated to their creation, hampering the discussion of relevant UX issues. Finally, we observed that, when end users were present in the early stages, they helped the development team to design software that fits into their routine, improving the UX and increasing its adoption. We qualitatively discuss these issues and gains of directly involving end users and not "proxy" stakeholders in LI's.


We define zero-error list capacities for discrete memoryless channels. We find lower bounds to, and a characterization of, these capacities. As is usual for such zero-error problems in information theory, the characterization is not generally a single-letter one. Nonetheless, we exhibit a class of channels for which a single letter characterization exists. We also show how the computational cutoff rate relates to the capacities we have defined.


The effect of UV radiation on the spectral characteristics of human nitrosohemoglobin in a wide dose range (151-4530 J/m2) was studied. It was shown that the irradiation of hemoprotein solutions with low doses of UV light (151-453 J/m2) led to local conformational rearrangements of the iron porphyrin moiety of the molecule. The apoprotein exhibited a high photostability under the conditions of the experiment. High doses of UV radiation (1359-4530 J/m2) induced the accumulation of methemoglobin in the protein sample. A scheme of the photoinduced formation of methemoglobin was elaborated.


In this paper, the strength characteristics of magnesium phosphate cement (MPC) under the sub-zero temperature environment had been researched, the main factors of the strength development had been analyzed. The results show that: the MPC has high early strength under the sub-zero temperature environment, but the compressive strength dropped as the temperature decreased. The way of pre-curing the MPC for 30min at 20 could improve the strength of the MPC significantly. The strength of the MPC is influenced greatly by water-cement ratio under the sub-zero temperature environment, and the amount of the mixing water should be controlled strictly.


The research results for polynomial tensor interpolation of tribological wear of austenitic 316L steel are analyzed for the first time in this paper. A tribological study was carried out on the tester T-05, both for samples after the process of glow discharge nitriding and for samples of 316L steel in the initial state [1, 2]. The influence of the nitriding parameters on the weight loss of the samples during the abrasion test and the friction coefficient of the abrasion pair were determined. In this paper the actual results which were obtained so far during the research of tribological wear in an interpolative area were put together with the theoretically determined and experimentally verified real research results for tribological wear in the area beyond the scope of interpolation. It was determined that each of the selected nitriding parameters significantly affects abrasive wear resistance of 316L steel, at the same time, in the nitriding process, as time and temperature increase the resistance to wear abrasion becomes better. The mathematical model for planning of experiments with different glow discharge nitriding processes combined with polynomial interpolation of the obtained research results of many variable functions will enable to choose the nitriding process parameters to obtain the assumed and required property of useful nitrified elements. The developed computer program enables multidimensional interpolation of the research results and is a universal tool which can be used in any research field.


Researches on bending property of the AZ31B magnesium alloy sheet have been focusing on the loading methods and their own performance, while the temperature is less concerned in the past. In this paper, the law of the springback with the temperature changing was especially studied. In addition, the forming characteristics of the microstructure at various temperatures were researched. The experimental results indicated a nearly linear relationship existing between temperature and springback owing to the changing characteristics of the microstructure. A formula for calculating the bending springback by temperature of 0.8mm magnesium alloy sheet was obtained, which was according to the data obtained on the basis of physical experiments.


Conventional methods for the control of invasive pests are generally effective only on small-space scales or short-time frames. For most well established pest populations, longer-term efforts to manage the problem have been largely abandoned. I examine the potential of using "autocidal" genetic techniques to control terrestrial vertebrate pests, based on the inheritance through males of transgenes that either sterilise females or convert them into functional males ("daughterless"). Simulation analysis of two high profile pest species, the cane toad (Bufo marinus) in Australia and brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) in an urban environment, using realistic parameters, suggests that virtual eradication could be achieved at apparently realistic stocking rates within 100 years for toads, and in less than 20 years for rats. The essential genetic requirements for autocidal technology (the ability to genetically transform the pest, genes that when blocked cause sex-specific infertility or sex change, and a means of shutting off the construct for breeding purposes) have already been demonstrated in rodents and are likely to be available in other pests, based on broad conservatism of genetic mechanisms of sex differentiation in vertebrates. Hence, there appear to be no major logistical or technical impediments to developing a genetic control program against many pest species. However, the models also indicate that a recombinant pest control program would be difficult against species whose populations are under strong density dependent regulation or are so large that absolutely high numbers of carriers need to be stocked to achieve control. More potent genetic options than those modelled could be feasible, but their use needs to be tested against public acceptability, due to the apparently higher risk they pose for non-target populations and species.


Energy efficient systems and environmentally friendly solutions are the focus of many commercial development projects. Current refrigeration technology carries a significant share of global energy consumption and exploring alternative refrigeration principles has become increasingly important. Shape memory alloys (SMA's), especially Nickel-Titanium (NiTi) alloys, generate a large amount of latent heat during solid-state phase transformations, which can lead to a significant cooling effect in the material. These materials not only provide the potential for an energy efficient cooling process, they also minimize the impact on the environment by reducing the need for conventional ozone-depleting refrigerants.This paper presents the first experimental results obtained in a project within the DFG Priority Programme SPP 1599 "Ferroic Cooling". It focuses on the performance of a control-dependent process of a NiTi-based cooling system. First, a suitable cooling process is introduced and the underlying mechanisms of the process are explained. Then different process variations are developed, which influence the efficiency of the cooling process. These process variations are systematically analyzed with a novel, experimental testing system capable of tuning process parameters independently. The testing system is able to measure force, displacement, temperature distribution and heat simultaneously. The coefficient of performance (of the cooling process) can then be determined by which the influence of the control process on the efficiency can be observed.Copyright © 2014 by ASME


Fast similarity search in high dimensional feature spaces is crucial in today's applications. Since the performance of traditional index structures degrades with increasing dimensionality, concepts were developed to cope with this curse of dimensionality. Most of the existing concepts exploit global correlations between dimensions to reduce the dimensionality of the feature space. In high dimensional data, however, correlations are often locally constrained to a subset of the data and every object can participate in several of these correlations. Accordingly, discarding the same set of dimensions for each object based on global correlations and ignoring the different correlations of single objects leads to significant loss of information. These aspects are relevant due to the direct correspondence between the degree of information preserved and the achievable query performance.
 We introduce a novel main memory index structure with increased information content for each single object compared to a global approach. This is achieved by using individual dimensions for each data object by applying the method of subspace clustering. The structure of our index is based on a multi-representation of objects reflecting their multiple correlations; that is, besides the general increase of information per object, we provide several individual representations for each single data object. These multiple views correspond to different local reductions per object and enable more effective pruning. In thorough experiments on real and synthetic data, we demonstrate that our novel solution achieves low query times and outperforms existing approaches designed for high dimensional data.


Haloperidol (HP), a dopamine receptor antagonist, is cytotoxic to mouse clonal hippocampal HT22 cells in a concentration-dependent manner and causes cell death by oxidative stress. The addition of HP to HT22 cells led to an increase in intracellular peroxides and a time-dependent drop in the intracellular glutathione levels. HP-induced oxidative cell death was prevented by the pineal hormone melatonin, its precursor N-acetyl serotonin, and most effectively by vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol). These antioxidants inhibited the intracellular peroxide accumulation and stabilized the glutathione content of HT22 cells after the challenge with HP. At the molecular level, HP specifically induced the DNA binding activity and the transcriptional activity of the redox-sensitive transcription factor NF-kappaB. This enhanced NF-kappaB activity could be blocked by the neuroprotective antioxidants. The specific suppression of NF-kappaB by its inhibitor IkappaBalpha partially protected the cells against HP, indicating that the activation of NF-kappaB may be involved in HP-induced oxidative cell death in vitro.


In addition to the major fusion gene PML-RARα, the t(15; 17) in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) produces the reciprocal fusion gene RARα-PML. To determine the scope of RARα-containing mRNA expression in APL cells, we tested PML-RARα–positive APL cells for the presence of mRNAs initiated from two distinct RARα gene promoters, α1 and α2. From the normal allele, both RARα1 and RARα2 mRNAs were expressed in all APL cases (N = 24). From the translocated allele, RARα1-PML mRNA was expressed in 77% and RARα2-PML mRNA in 28% of cases (N = 98). RARα2-PML mRNA was not observed in the absence of RARα1-PML mRNA. There was no association between RARα1-PML or RARα2-PML mRNA expression and the type of PML-RARα mRNA formed by either 5′ or 3′ breaksites in the PML gene. RARα1-PML mRNAs and RARα2-PML mRNAs from 5′ PML breaksite cases coded for full-length RARα-PML proteins but RARα2-PML mRNAs from 3′ PML breaksite cases encoded a truncated RARα2 peptide. RARα1/α2-PML mRNA expression was not associated with differences in APL cell sensitivity to all- trans retinoic acid(tRA)-induced differentiation in vitro or in clinical outcome after tRA or chemotherapy induction therapy (protocol E2491). Our analysis indicated that RARα1/α2-PML mRNA expression markedly differs from normal RARα1/α2 mRNA expression, that the difference in RARα1-PML and RARα2-PML mRNA expression frequency is primarily related to the genomic separation of the RARα1 and RARα2 coding exons, and that variations in RARα1/α2-PML mRNA expression likely have no clinically relevant function in APL cells.


Why are law schools not named schools of justice, or, at least, schools of law and justice? Of course, virtually every law school will reply that this is nit-picking; all claim to be devoted to the study of justice. But our concern is not so easily dismissed. The names of institutions carry great significance; they deliver a political, social, or economic message. This Article contends that not only do law schools virtually ignore justice – a concept that is supposed to be the goal of all legal systems – they go so far as to denigrate it and turn students away from a concern with justice. This Article argues that justice-based advocacy is superior to that traditionally taught in law school; and further asserts that lawyers because of their disproportionate influence in society have a particular need and responsibility to understand and confront fundamental issues of social justice. This Article also discusses what a proposed school of justice would look like, and discusses curriculum which embrace a justice perspective. New pedagogy is proposed, that takes the emphasis off the lawgiver-professor, and puts it onto the student, who must do her work by continually confronting her own concept of what is just. Lastly, the article acknowledges the concern that teaching justice will be time consuming and suggests, that there be a reduction in the case method which will give law professors the necessary time to turn their attention to matters of justice.


This paper describes the clinical and histopathological features of an outbreak of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas in a flock of Berrichon du Cher sheep in south-western Spain. The outbreak was unusual because of the high prevalence recorded (15 to 18 per cent over the last two years) and because the majority of the lesions involved the eyelids. Adult and old sheep were the most commonly affected, and the largest numbers of cases were recorded in summer and autumn. The initial lesions were non-specific and consisted of erythema, hyperkeratosis, actinic keratosis, periocular dermatitis and conjunctivitis. The tumours grew slowly but progressively over a period of one to two years, with frequent complications by bacterial infections or secondary myiasis. Histopathological examination of the tumours revealed well-differentiated squamous cell carcinomas, surrounded by a moderate to abundant infiltrate of lymphocytes, plasma cells and macrophages. The overlying epidermis was frequently ulcerated and inflamed. The possible relationships between the high prevalence of the condition and the poorly pigmented skin of this breed, the extensive farming system employed and the exposure of the animals to ultraviolet radiation were analysed.


How can we explain that in 2008/2009 the global stock markets plummeted –50% in nine months only to rebound by 60% over the following nine months? Why did investors price in the future earnings of the global stock market at 35 times the market price at the height of the TMT bubble, while the same multiple reached a low of 10 in March 2009? Can these swings be reconciled with the theory of the rational investor or are the global stock market and its participants irrational? Market participants and academics alike have struggled with finding answers to such questions. Over the years numerous potential explanations have been propagated. In this white paper we attempt to disentangle the most prevalent theories used to account for the ups and downs on the global stock market. Which theories (or maybe rather ideas) are most commonly brought forward, what is their core message, and which practical implications do they entail for the investment community? And last, but crucially, do any of these theories stand the test of reality?


The University of Oklahoma summer geology field camp in Colorado gives junior and senior undergraduate geology majors an opportunity to apply principles learned in class to actual mapping challenges. From 1947 to 1948, the camp was located near Crested Butte, Colorado, but it moved to a new location northeast of Canon City in 1949 (Huffman, 1990). Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma jointly used this location along 8-Mile Creek until 1986 when the OU students began staying at the Holy Cross Abbey in Canon City (Figure 1). Accommodation and working space in the new location were in the residence hall of the former Abbey boys' school.


Broadcast television viewership is traditionally measured using a demographically optimised sample, whereby a technological installation at the viewer's home, monitors the channels being watched, when and for how long. Such an approach is used to inform broadcasters of viewing share and in the case of channels carrying advertising, a means to gauge revenue. However, these methods reveal little about the engagement of the viewer in the programmes. At the outset, there is no data collected as to what the viewer might be doing whilst the television set is on, whether they are for instance looking at other platforms on smart phones, or simply the television is on in the background, or emotional company for the lonely. It is not a true reflection of broadcast television consumption.Sensory technology can be used to monitor and understand viewership more accurately. For instance, cameras can be used to gauge the amount of time viewers are watching the screen, their pupil dilation, emotional response in facial expressions. Sensors can monitor the sweat response on the skin. Body language can be monitored via a combination of sensors and cameras.It is argued that an enhanced sensory approach to monitoring viewership gives a truer representation of engagement. It is a first quantitative step to then fully appreciate whether viewers are 'hooked' on particular television programmes, how they relate to them personally and how they influence interactions with family, friends, and colleagues. Coupled with an understanding of the psychological factors surround viewership, such an approach it is suggested can give broadcasters and producers a much better rating of the success of televisual content, which in turn may result in a better commercial and economic model of broadcast. Sustainability of broadcast channels can be better gauged.


Database outsourcing requires that a query server constructs a proof of result correctness, which can be verified by the client using the data owner's signature. Previous authentication techniques deal with range queries on a single relation using an authenticated data structure (ADS). On the other hand, authenticated join processing is inherently more complex than ranges since only the base relations (but not their combination) are signed by the owner. In this paper, we present three novel join algorithms depending on the ADS availability: (i) Authenticated Indexed Sort Merge Join (AISM), which utilizes a single ADS on the join attribute, (ii) Authenticated Index Merge Join (AIM) that requires an ADS (on the join attribute) for both relations, and (iii) Authenticated Sort Merge Join (ASM), which does not rely on any ADS. We experimentally demonstrate that the proposed methods outperform two benchmark algorithms, often by several orders of magnitude, on all performance metrics, and effectively shift the workload to the outsourcing service. Finally, we extend our techniques to complex queries that combine multi-way joins with selections and projections.


Alzheimer's disease (AD) and familial Danish dementia (FDD) are degenerative neurological diseases characterized by amyloid pathology. Normal human sera contain IgG antibodies that specifically bind diverse preamyloid and amyloid proteins and have shown therapeutic potential in vitro and in vivo. We cloned one of these antibodies, 3H3, from memory B cells of a healthy individual using a hybridoma method. 3H3 is an affinity-matured IgG that binds a pan-amyloid epitope, recognizing both Aβ and λ Ig light chain (LC) amyloids, which are associated with AD and primary amyloidosis, respectively. The pan-amyloid-binding properties of 3H3 were demonstrated using ELISA, immunohistochemical studies, and competition binding assays. Functional studies showed that 3H3 inhibits both Aβ and LC amyloid formation in vitro and abrogates disruption of hippocampal synaptic plasticity by AD-patient-derived soluble Aβ in vivo. A 3H3 single-chain variable fragment (scFv) retained the binding specificity of the 3H3 IgG and, when expressed in the brains of transgenic mice using an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector, decreased parenchymal Aβ amyloid deposition in TgCRND8 mice and ADan (Danish Amyloid) cerebral amyloid angiopathy in the mouse model of FDD. These data indicate that naturally occurring human IgGs can recognize a conformational, amyloid-specific epitope and have potent anti-amyloid activities, providing a rationale to test their potential as antibody therapeutics for diverse neurological and other amyloid diseases.


Drawing upon panel data estimations, we have analysed the relationships among agricultural productivity, employment, technology, openness of the economy, inequality in land distribution and poverty. First, we have identified a number of important factors affecting agricultural productivity, such as agricultural R&D expenditure, irrigation, fertilizer use, agricultural tractor/machinery use, reduction in inequality of land distributions, or reduction in gender inequality. Second, while agricultural wage rate is negatively associated with agricultural productivity and food price in levels, the growth in agricultural wage rate is positively correlated with the growth in agricultural land or labour productivity as well as with the growth in food price, particularly after 2000. Contrary to the ILO's (2012) claim that the gap has widened recently, this suggests the narrowing gap between wage and labour productivity once we focus on the conditional relationship between the two. Third, agricultural employment per hectare tends to increase agricultural productivity after taking account of the endogeneity of the former, while the growth in agricultural employment per hectare tends to increase the growth in non-agricultural employment over time with adjustment for endogeneity of the former. In this context, we have reviewed the recent literature and emphasised the importance of enhancing agricultural productivity and employment. Fourth, both agricultural growth and non-agricultural growth tend to lead to reduction in overall inequality. Finally, increase in agricultural productivity which is treated as endogenous will reduce poverty significantly through the overall economic growth. Overall, policies to increase agricultural productivity and agricultural employment are likely to increase non-agricultural growth, overall growth and reduce poverty, where guaranteeing gender inequality is likely to be one of the key factors.


This study demonstrates that body mass in middle and late adulthood is a consequence of the complex interplay among individuals' genes, lifetime socioeconomic experiences, and the historical context in which they live. Drawing on approximately 9,000 genetic samples from the Health and Retirement Study, we first investigate how socioeconomic status (SES) over the life course moderates the impact of 32 established obesity-related genetic variants on body mass index (BMI) in middle and late adulthood. We then consider differences across birth cohorts in the genetic influence on BMI, and cohort variations in the moderating effects of life-course SES on the genetic influence. Our analyses suggest that persistently low SES over the life course or downward mobility (e.g., high SES in childhood but low SES in adulthood) amplify the genetic influence on BMI, and persistently high SES or upward mobility (e.g., low SES in childhood but high SES in adulthood) compensate for such influence. For more recent birth cohorts, the genetic influence on BMI becomes stronger, but the moderating effects of lifetime SES on the genetic influence are weaker compared to earlier cohorts. We discuss these findings in light of social changes during the obesity epidemic in the United States.


Context. Previous X-ray studies of the Perseus Cluster, consisting of 85 Suzaku pointings along eight azimuthal directions, revealed a particularly steep decrease in the projected temperature profile near the virial radius (∼r200) towards the northwest (NW).
Aims. To further explore this shock candidate, another 4 Suzaku observations on the NW edge of the Perseus Cluster have been obtained. These deeper data were designed to provide the best possible control of systematic uncertainties in the spectral analysis.
Methods. Using the combined Suzaku observations, we have carefully investigated this interesting region by analyzing the spectra of various annuli and extracting projected thermodynamic profiles.
Results. We find that the projected temperature profile shows a break near r200, indicating a shock with ℳ = 1.9 ± 0.3. Corresponding discontinuities are also found in the projected emission measure and the density profiles at the same location. This evidence of a shock front so far away from the cluster center is unprecedented, and may provide a first insight into the properties of large-scale virial shocks which shape the process of galaxy cluster growth.


Oklahoma Mesonetwork data are used to illustrate important atmospheric features that are not well shown by the usual synoptic data. For example, some shifts of wind from south to north that are shown as cold fronts on synoptic charts are not cold fronts by any plausible definition. As previously discussed by Fred Sanders and others, such errors in analysis can be reduced by knowledge of the wide variety of weather phenomena that actually exists, and by more attention to temperatures at the earth's surface as revealed by conventional synoptic data. Mesoscale data for four cases reinforce previous discussions of the ephemeral nature of fronts and deficiencies in the usual analyses of cold fronts. One type of misanalyzed case involves post-cold-frontal boundary layer air that is warmer than the prefrontal air. A second type is usually nocturnal, with a rise of local temperature during disruption of an inversion and a wind shift with later cooling that accompanies advection of a climatological gradient of temperature.


Carabids are of special interest as environmental quality assessment indicators of exposure to xenobiotic and for pest control. In agroecosystems, they can be exposed to a wide range of pathogens and environmental pollution exerting a stronger selection on their innate immune systems. Therefore, information on species-specific immunocompetence is necessary to complete the ecological framework of ground beetles. In this study, cellular and humoral responses were characterized in adults of Harpalus (Pseudoophonus) rufipes (De Geer, 1774) to define a baseline knowledge for future ecotoxicological studies. The circulating hemocytes were characterized by light and transmission electron microscopy and in vivo assay performed by injecting latex beads to identify phagocytizing hemocytes. Ultrastructural analyses revealed four morphologically distinct types of circulating hemocytes: prohemocytes, plasmatocytes, granular cells and oenocytoids. Differential hemocyte counts showed that plasmatocytes and granular cells were the most abundant circulating cell types and granular cells exhibited phagocytic activity following immune challenge with latex beads. Mitotic figures and non-differentiated hemocytes observed under light microscopy indicate a continuous cell turnover in the hemolymph. Melanotic nodules found 2h after the immune challenge were formed to immobilize the latex beads. Phenoloxidase (PO) assays revealed an increase of basal PO activity in hemolymph after immune system activation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). However, the LPS-stimulated adults showed no significant variation in the lysozyme-like enzyme activity in hemolymph. Based on these results, H. rufipes displays a rapid, non-specific immune response involving cellular and humoral effectors that both sequester and clear pathogens.


This paper describes a method for the diagnosis and correction of logic design errors in an erroneous gate-level implementation. Our method is robust and covers more types of design errors than previous work. Our major contribution is providing significant improvement in efficiency, which is most crucial for practical applications. The notion of immediate dominator set is introduced for efficient error diagnosis. Implicit enumeration of the function space is developed for achieving fast error correction. Experimental results for a set of ISCAS and MCNC benchmark circuits demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed techniques. Circuits with thousands of gates can be corrected in minutes.


The "Nouvelle Vague" is one of the main stages in the history of cinema. Despite this importance, there are unknown aspects to make known, a situation that affects most of the short films made by the great masters of the film movement. For this reason, we take advantage of the 60th anniversary of its existence to define its stylistic limits conveniently. An approach that will focus much of your attention on the magazine "Cahiers du Cinéma", the starting point for most of the creations in short format. This will lead us to carry out a precise chronology that will reveal important conclusions about the scope of the «French New Wave».


In this paper we have studied the behaviour of quantum cascade laser at different wavelengths in Free Space Optics Line of Sight links under different environmental conditions including fog, haze, and under different visibility conditions. Today there is growing demand for high speed data transmission in which FSO is one of the promising technologies which can serve as an alternative but it is severely affected by atmospheric effects. We have found that it is advantageous to use quantum cascade laser (λ=10micron) in moderate fog conditions as scattering coefficient is reduced by approximately 70%. Keywords—Quantum Cascade Laser, Mie Scattering, Aerosol Particle, Scattering Coefficient


The adoption of administrative procedures in global governance has the potential to foster proper consideration of marginalized actors' interests, yet risks entrenching the dominance of the well-resourced and powerful. Accordingly, this book proposes a new framework for evaluating the extent to which administrative procedures in the compliance systems of multilateral environmental agreements constrain power and promote regard for the interests of affected states, which are frequently developing and transition countries. This framework is applied to the compliance systems under the Montreal Protocol, the Kyoto Protocol and CITES, which address critical global environmental issues of ozone-layer depletion, climate change and trade in endangered species, respectively. The analysis shows that, under certain conditions, administrative procedures limit the influence of states' asymmetric power on compliance deliberations. Furthermore, systematic adoption of these procedures increases the opportunities for affected states' interests to be voiced and considered in compliance decision-making processes.


Most MEMS devices are currently based on silicon because of the available surface machining technology. However, Si has poor mechanical and tribological properties which makes it difficult to produce high performance Si based MEMS devices that could work reliably, particularly in harsh environments; diamond, as a superhard material with high mechanical strength, exceptional chemical inertness, outstanding thermal stability and superior tribological performance, could be an ideal material for MEMS. A key challenge for diamond MEMS is the integration of diamond films with other materials. Conventional CVD thin film deposition methods produce diamond films with large grains, high internal stress, poor intergranular adhesion and very rough surfaces, and are consequently ill-suited for MEMS applications. Diamond-like films offer an alternative, but are deposited using physical vapour deposition methods unsuitable for conformal deposition on high aspect ratio features, and generally they do not exhibit the outstanding mechanical properties of diamond. We describe a new ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) film technology based on a microwave plasma technique using argon plasma chemistries that produce UNCD films with morphological and mechanical properties that are ideally suited for producing reliable MEMS devices. We have developed lithographic techniques for the fabrication of UNCD MEMS components, including cantilevers and multilevel devices, acting as precursors to micro-bearings and gears, making UNCD a promising material for the development of high performance MEMS devices. We also review the mechanical, tribological, electronic transport, chemical and biocompatibility properties of UNCD, which make this an ideal material for reliable, long endurance MEMS device use.


Focusing on the everyday lives of middle-class English families in a medium size town situated in the Midlands, this doctoral thesis contributes to anthropological debates on the topics of human agency, time, domesticity, mothering, and kinship. Organized upon the idea that cultural models of time are inextricably linked to understandings of agency (Greenhouse 1996), the thesis links Moore s (2011) post-vitalist theoretical framework and the work of Foucault (1990, 2000) on ethical practices, with Gershon s (2011) critique of neoliberal agency . The concept of ordinary agency is proposed for situating everyday actions as significant actions that contribute to social transformation. Three cultural models of time are identified spontaneity, anticipation and family time and the types of ordinary agencies that they engage are described in three dedicated chapters.
The first chapter discusses the theoretical framework of the thesis. The second chapter addresses methodological issues, and discusses the methods that the author developed during her ethnographic fieldwork for looking at people s relationships with time. The third chapter addresses the time mode of spontaneity, presenting ethnographic examples of digital media use at home, and introducing theoretical tools for situating the forms of agency engendered by spontaneity. The fourth chapter looks at the time mode of anticipation in relation to mothering, motherhood and care. This chapter is accompanied by a video component, titled Mum s Cup and situated in the appendix of the thesis. Based on material that the participants filmed in solitude, for a self-interviewing with video task, Mum s Cup is a visual point of departure for theorising the Mother-Multiple ontological position that is described in chapter IV. Alongside providing a visual ethnographic lever for endorsing a theoretical concept, the video project also reflects on the relationship between the researcher and the participants, a relationship that, for various reasons (some related to length limitations), is not fully described in the textual corpus of the thesis. Discussing two types of domestic sociality, the fifth chapter looks at family time and at the forms of agency engendered by the idea and by the experience of having a family-style lifestyle (Strathern 1992), and it draws on, and contributes to, bodies of literature on English kinship. The last chapter addresses the context of the research which is an interdisciplinary project looking at domestic energy consumption ; it situates the position of the author in relation to the domestic sustainability agenda and to debates on interdisciplinarity, and it formulates ideas about possible applications that the anthropological knowledge gained by the author through her research could have in relation to the context that originally framed and facilitated the research.


Clinical manifestations and immunological characteristics in a series of 15 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and renal involvement are presented. These findings have been correlated to different pathologic lesions and compared to another series of patients without renal involvement. The overall rate of renal involvement was 25 percent, with ages ranging from 14 to 47 years. A female predominance was noticed. Histopathologic findings were as follows: focal glomerulonephritis (five cases), and minimal changes (one case). Under a histological glomerulonephritis (two cases); membranous glomerulonephritis (one case), and minimal change (one case). Under a histological standpoint the earliest lesions had the worse prognosis. Patients with diffuse glomerulonephritis showed a high degree of renal function impairment. Urinary infection was present in half of the cases. A significant hyperlipidemia was found in patients with nephrosis. Proteinuria and abnormal urinary sediment were common findings in all histologic types. Antinuclear antibodies, were positive in 14 cases, with statistical significant high titres in diffuse glomerulonephritis. Serum immunoglobulins IgG and IgA were elevated. Decrease of serum complement levels (C3, C4, C3PA and C5) were found in patients with renal involvement.


This article discusses the Lipizzaner horses, now a part of the natural and cultural heritage of the Slovenian nation, claimed also by the Austrians, and in the past an imperial heritage of the Habsburg Empire. Lipizzaner horses are typically perceived as a national cultural monument (trained stallions) owned by the human community, and not as non-human animals that were, only by way of domestication and (even worse) the way they were raised genetically, destined to serve people, first at a feudal imperial court. Based on the interactions of zoofolkloristics, anthropology and philosophical and legal discourses, this article reflects the role and importance of Lipizzaner horses through folklore and literature, and reconsiders the human/animal relationship by establishing non-hierarchy between the animal and the human on the basis of ecocritical analysis. The focus of the analysis is on folkloristic materials (texts), customs and traditions associated with the horse/human community, as well as the literary works that discuss the Lipizzaner horses.


XAFS measurements of the Cu, Ni and Zr K-edges for the melt-quenched Zr67Cu33 and Zr67Ni33 metallic glasses were curried out using synchrotron radiation at 20K. Fitting calculations for the EXAFS results reveal that local structure around Ni and Zr in Zr67Ni33 is well represented by those for the crystalline Zr2Ni, while local structure around Zr in Zr67Cu33 is better fitted by an icosahedron rather than crystalline Zr2Cu. Such differences of the local structure attribute to the differences of the stability of super-cooled liquid state and glass formability between Zr67Cu33 and Zr67Ni33 metallic glasses.


Three-dimensional (3-D) digital filters find applications in a variety of image and video signal processing problems. This paper presents a coefficient-sensitivity analysis for a wide class of 3-D digital filters with separable denominators in local state space that leads to an analytic formulation for sensitivity minimization, and to present two solution techniques for the sensitivity minimization problem at hand. To this end, a vector-matrix-vector decomposition of a given 3-D transfer function that separates the three variables and leads to a state-space realization in a form convenient for subsequent analysis. An l2-sensitivity analysis is then performed. The result is a computationally tractable formula of the overall l2-sensitivity for 3-D digital filters. The l2-sensitivity is minimized subject to l2-scaling constraints by using one of the two solution methods proposed-one relaxes the constraints into a single trace constraint and solves the relaxed problem with an effective matrix iteration scheme; while the other converts the contained optimization problem at hand into an unconstrained problem and solves it using a quasi-Newton algorithm. A case study is presented to illustrate the validity and effectiveness of the proposed techniques.


An analytical solution for the electrohydrodynamic induction pumping of a stratified liquid/vapor medium is presented. A group of nondimensional parameters is being introduced. Four sets of boundary conditions representing four different cases are considered. Results for the interfacial velocity are provided in nondimensional form. Nondimensional electric wave angular velocity, liquid height, and conductivity as well as dielectric constant are varied over a wide range and the influences of the various parameters on the interfacial velocity are presented and analyzed.


Although it is well understood that in flotation collection zone and froth zone are deeply interconnected, and reagents (and in particular collectors and frothers) cannot be selected without considering their synergistic effect, this concept is rarely applied in plant practice. The feed mineralogy also has an important role in how particles and reagents interact in flotation, which is sometimes overlooked by operators. In this work, a combination of batch flotation tests and froth stability measurements was used to optimise the collector and frother scheme for the flotation of a copper ore. The methodology was applied to an Australian copper plant which was experiencing high variability in froth stability in the roughers when the feed ore mineralogy was changing. It was hypothesised that chalcopyrite in the feed in combination with isobutyl-xanthate had a destabilising effect on the froth phase under the reagents scheme used. Froth stability was restored if a shorter chain length, less hydrophobic, xanthate was employed. It is apparent that the hydrophobicity of adsorbed films at the solid/liquid/ air interfaces has a critical role in enhancing or reducing froth stability. Unstable froth causes a reduction in copper recovery in spite of a high collection zone flotation rate. The case study suggests that collection zone and froth zone can rarely be optimised independently of each other. With the laboratory procedure adopted, a more suitable reagents scheme was determined to respond to changes in the feed mineralogy, avoiding fluctuations in plant performance due to unexpected froth instability.


An interdisciplinary group has developed a left ventricular assist pump system composed of a modified sac type pump, a pneumatic power unit, and a synchronizer. The pump fills from the left ventricle and discharges into the aorta. The system was employed for left ventricular assistance in a series of 12 normal calves, with an average pumping period of 70 ± 8 days. The system was then evaluated in a series of calves in whom profound left ventricular failure had been produced. These studies indicate that the assist pump is effective in supporting the circulation and completely unloading the left ventricle. The assist system has now been employed in four patients who could not be weaned from cardiopulmonary bypass following cardiac valve replacement. The assist pump supported the circulation in three instances. In one patient, the assist pump was employed for 8 days until left ventricular function had improved sufficiently to permit pump removal; the patient was subsequently discharged from the hospital.


We employ p, q-binomial coefficients, a generalisation of the binomial coefficients, to describe the magnetisation distributions of the Ising model. For the complete graph this distribution corresponds exactly to the limit case p = q. We apply our investigation to the simple d-dimensional lattices for d = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and fit p, q-binomial distributions to our data, some of which are exact but most are sampled. For d = 1 and d = 5, the magnetisation distributions are remarkably well-fitted by p,q-binomial distributions. For d = 4 we are only slightly less successful, while for d = 2, 3 we see some deviations (with exceptions!) between the p, q-binomial and the Ising distribution. However, at certain temperatures near T c the statistical moments of the fitted distribution agree with the moments of the sampled data within the precision of sampling. We begin the paper by giving results of the behaviour of the p, q-distribution and its moment growth exponents given a certain parameterisation of p, q. Since the moment exponents are known for the Ising model (or at least approximately for d = 3) we can predict how p, q should behave and compare this to our measured p, q. The results speak in favour of the p, q-binomial distribution's correctness regarding its general behaviour in comparison to the Ising model. The full extent to which they correctly model the Ising distribution, however, is not settled.


Abstract Miniaturized light-level geolocators allow year-round tracking of small migratory birds, but most studies use calibration only at breeding sites to estimate geographic positions. Ground-truthing of positions in tropical habitat is needed to determine how accurate breeding site calibrations (i.e. sun elevations) are for estimating location of winter sites. We tested the accuracy of geographic assignments using geolocator data collected from Wood Thrushes (Hylocichla mustelina) in Central America. For a given light threshold, sun elevation angle was higher in the tropics than at breeding sites and also varied significantly at tropical winter sites between wet (Oct- Dec) and dry (Jan-Mar) seasons. However, estimation of Wood Thrush territory latitude did not differ significantly when using breeding or tropical dry season sun elevation. Average error in assignment to tropical sites was 365 ± 97 km (0.2-4.4°) in latitude. To obtain the best latitude estimates in the tropics with geolocators, we recommend using locations during the dry season where sun elevations are closer to those measured at breeding sites. We emphasize the importance of longitude in assigning forest birds to unknown sites; longitude estimates for Wood Thrushes in the tropics were, on average, within 66 ± 13 km (0-0.6°) of actual longitude. Latitude estimates were more accurate (180 ± 48 km) when assigning birds to breeding sites using deployments of geolocators in the tropics. Studies of species that are territorial in winter could collect more accurate migratory connectivity data by deploying geolocators at tropical wintering sites.


We demonstrate the existence of unconventional rheological and memory properties in systems of soft-deformable particles whose energy depends on their shape, via numerical simulations. At large strains, these systems experience an unconventional shear weakening transition characterized by an increase in the mechanical energy and a drastic drop in shear stress, which stems from the emergence of short-ranged tetratic order. In these weakened states, the contact network evolves reversibly under strain reversal, keeping memory of its initial state, while the microscopic dynamics is irreversible.


We study the problem of off-policy evaluation (OPE) in Reinforcement Learning (RL), where the aim is to estimate the performance of a new policy given historical data that may have been generated by a different policy, or policies. In particular, we introduce a novel doubly-robust estimator for the OPE problem in RL, based on the Targeted Maximum Likelihood Estimation principle from the statistical causal inference literature. We also introduce several variance reduction techniques that lead to impressive performance gains in off-policy evaluation. We show empirically that our estimator uniformly wins over existing off-policy evaluation methods across multiple RL environments and various levels of model misspecification. Finally, we further the existing theoretical analysis of estimators for the RL off-policy estimation problem by showing their $O_P(1/\sqrt{n})$ rate of convergence and characterizing their asymptotic distribution.


We genotyped and identified the asthma and atopic status and related phenotypes of 154 nuclear families (453 individuals) each containing at least two affected children with physician-diagnosed asthma (PDA) in order to confirm or refute the possible relevance of known single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the gene coding for the CCR3 receptor. Allelic quantification for each SNP by DNA pooling identified -17/TC as the only allele with a clinically relevant frequency in this population with a frequencies of 0.142 in cases of PDA and 0.035 in asymptomatic controls. The whole population frequency of the -17/TC polymorphism was 13.9% and the functional binding site analyses by MatInd and MatInspector programs found that it belonged to the same family as activating transcription factor 6 (ATF-6). The pedigree disequilibrium test (PDT) was applied in 34 informative families and the mutant allele was preferentially transmitted with PDA (P = 0.0001) with methacholine bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) (0.002) but not with markers of atopy as assessed by allergen skin prick tests (SPT) or elevated serum IgE. Case-control analyses in 303 unrelated parents (34-61y [median 43y]) revealed a significant association with both atopic and non atopic asthma (P = 0.001), and in 150 unrelated child probands for non-atopic asthma (P = 0.001). The mutant allele was associated with BHR, with baseline Forced Expiratory Volume in the first second (FEV1) below the population median value but not with atopy defined SPT or elevated serum IgE (>100 IU/ml). The T17C chemokine receptor 3 polymorphism appears to be associated with asthma BHR and disease severity but not with atopy.


Larvae of the chironomid midges (blood worms) are known as use ful live food for cultured aquatics. There are endemic blood worms in sediments of the earthponds of Bafgh area at center of Iran. This tended to identification of two chironomid species, Chironomus aprilinus Meigen, 1830 and Dicroten cus Freeman, 1959 & 1961, from Iran as a new record. Culture of blood worms was successful in glass thanks with 16h. light, at 24-26°C temperature. Eggs were incubated after 14 days. Suitable concentration of harvesting is 12 egg masses (1250eggs/m 2 ). Enrichment of earthponds or plastis thanks including sedime is offered for culture of chironomid larvae. Collectors prepared with low cost materials are useful for collection of egg masses. May, June and July are the best time for egg collection. Large blood worms are mainly av ble in winter. Results of body analysis of the larvae indicated high dry matter with good quality.


In previous reports, it was indicated that measurement of activity of Interferon-tau Stimulated Genes (ISGs) in Peripheral Blood Leucocytes (PBLs) may be used as an alternative early pregnancy detection method in dairy cows. However, there are no data showing the expression profiles of ISGs in other body fluids containing leucocytes such as milk. In the present study, it was hypothesized that leucocytes in milk samples may reflect the increases in expression profiles of ISGs as shown in PBLs. For this purpose, nine pregnant lactating Holstein cows were used. Insemination day was accepted as day zero (day 0). Blood and milk samples were collected on day 0 and 18 after insemination for cell isolation. Total RNA was extracted from isolated cells and converted to cDNA. Steady state levels of Interferon-tau Stimulated Gene 15 (ISG15), Myxovirus (influenza virus) resistance 1 (MX1) and 2 (MX2) mRNA transcripts were assayed by using realtime reverse transcriptase PCR. Relative Expression Software Tool (REST2009) was used for statistical analyses. There was no statistical significant difference for expression levels of ISG15, MX1 and MX2 mRNAs between days 0 and 18 in milk samples. However, when compared to day 0, levels of ISG15 and MX2 transcripts were increased 6.97±0.68 fold and 5.84±1.27 fold on day 18 in PBLs in pregnant cows, respectively (P<0.05). According to this result, it may be suggested that milk cells are not suitable measurement of expression profiles of ISGs to detect early pregnancy in lactating dairy cows.


The instrumented indentation technique is being widely used for the determination of elasto-plastic properties of metallic materials by analyzing located atomic force microscopy (AFM) image area and loading-displacement data of indentation imprints after testing. This data analysis is highly dependent on the method followed for interpretation the loading and unloading curves. We have detailed the two common methods, the Oliver&Pharr method based on a power law and the energetic approach method based on finite elements, in order of understanding the nano-indentation unloading behavior to determine the closer hardness and Young's modulus of metallic materials..


Glucocorticoids appear to play an integral role in stimulating surfactant synthesis by activating the rate-regulatory enzyme for phosphatidylcholine synthesis, CTP:cholinephosphate cytidylyltransferase (CT). The activity of liver CT, in vitro, has been shown to be inhibited by the sphingomyelin hydrolysis product, sphingosine. In order to investigate the mechanisms by which glucocorticoids alter CT activity, in vivo, we administered betamethasone (1 mg/kg intraperitoneally) sequentially to adult male rats for 5 days. Betamethasone increased CT activity 2-fold relative to control in whole lung. The hormone also increased membrane-bound activity, but did not affect cytosolic enzyme activity. Betamethasone modestly increased CT mRNA as determined by the reverse-transcription PCR and Southern analysis of PCR products, but did not alter the levels of immunoreactive enzyme in lung membranes as demonstrated by Western blotting. The hormone did, however, produce a nearly 3-fold increase in membrane-associated sphingomyelin, and co-ordinately a substantial decrease in the levels of sphingosine in lung membranes. Sphingosine, but not sphinganine, was a competitive, reversible inhibitor of lung CT with respect to the enzyme activator, phosphatidylglycerol. Betamethasone decreased the activities of the sphingomyelin hydrolases: acid sphingomyelinase by 33% and of alkaline ceramidase by 21%. The hormone also inhibited the generation of sphingosine from lysosphingomyelin in lung membranes. There was no significant effect of the hormone on serine palmitoyltransferase activity, the first committed enzyme for sphingolipid biosynthesis. Further, administration of L-cycloserine, an inhibitor of sphingosine formation, was shown to stimulate CT activity by 74% and increase disaturated phosphatidylcholine in alveolar lavage by 52% relative to control. These observations suggest that glucocorticoids up-regulate surfactant synthesis at the level of a key regulatory enzyme by significantly altering the availability of inhibitory metabolites resulting from sphingomyelin hydrolysis.


The associating factors of hiring domestic help have not been thoroughly studied in a non-Western context. Using household survey data (N = 974), this article investigates the interactive role of gender attitude and women's income on the decision to hire domestic help in Hong Kong. Some previous studies fall short in finding a significant association between respondents' gender attitudes and the hiring of domestic help, while wives' income is a consistent factor in the hiring of domestic help across a number of studies. In this study, we found that husbands' traditional gender attitudes and wives' high income sharply increase the likelihood of hiring domestic help. However, their associations with the hiring of domestic help are conditional on each other. In addition to women's socioeconomic status, ideational factors should be taken into account in projecting local demand for domestic help and in understanding the increasing trend of domestic outsourcing.


This report is the product of research activity within the EC Seventh Framework Programme "Monitoring Developments for Safe Repository Operation and Staged Closure" (MoDeRn) Project. This project aims to further develop understanding of the role of monitoring in staged implementation of geological disposal to a level of description that is closer to the actual implementation of monitoring. It focuses on monitoring conducted to confirm the basis of the long term safety case and on monitoring conducted to inform on options available to manage the stepwise disposal process from construction to closure (including e.g. the option of waste retrieval). This report investigates the potential of citizen stakeholder engagement in the identification of monitoring objectives and the development of monitoring strategies for geological disposal of high level waste (HLW) or spent nuclear fuel (SNF). It builds on an earlier MoDeRn report describing monitoring the safe disposal of radioactive waste as a socio-technical activity (Bergmans, Elam, Simmons and Sundqvist 2012).


At the turn of the twentieth century, an emerging consumer culture in the United States promoted constant spending to meet material needs and develop social identity and self-cultivation. In "Sold American", Charles F. McGovern examines the key players active in shaping this cultural evolution: advertisers and consumer advocates. McGovern argues that even though these two professional groups invented radically different models for proper spending, both groups propagated mass consumption as a specifically American social practice and an important element of nationality and citizenship. Advertisers, McGovern shows, used nationalist ideals, icons, and political language to define consumption as the foundation of the pursuit of happiness. Consumer advocates, on the other hand, viewed the market with a republican-inspired skepticism and fought commercial incursions on consumer independence. The result, says McGovern, was a redefinition of the citizen as consumer. The articulation of an "American Way of Life" in the Depression and World War II ratified consumer abundance as the basis of a distinct American culture and history.


BACKGROUND
The aim of the present study is to describe the development in the use of breast-conserving surgery and sentinel node procedures in Norway from 1993 to 2001, with special emphasis on geographical variations and possible relationships with the mammography screening programme.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
The Cancer Registry of Norway registers diagnosis and treatment of all cases of cancer in Norway. All women diagnosed with breast cancer in the period 1993-2001 who received surgical treatment were included in the study except those with distant metastases at diagnosis.

RESULTS
During the period, there were 18,564 surgically treated female breast cancer patients without evidence of distant metastases. Breast-conserving surgery was applied in 4203 (22%) out of 19,408 cases. The proportion increased from 14% in 1993 to 36% in 2001. In most counties with mammography screening, the proportion of breast-conserving surgery in women aged 50-69 rose to 40% or more in 2001. Utilisation of sentinel node biopsy in breast-conserving surgery increased from 2% in 1998 to 55% in 2001.

INTERPRETATION
Over the 1993-2001 period, there was a strong increase in the extent of utilisation of breast-conserving surgery and sentinel node biopsy in breast cancer in Norway.


KillerRed is known to be a unique red fluorescent protein displaying strong phototoxic properties. Its effectiveness has been shown previously for killing bacterial and cancer cells in vitro. Here, we investigated the photototoxicity of the protein on tumor xenografts in mice. HeLa Kyoto cell line stably expressing KillerRed in mitochondria and in fusion with histone H2B was used. Irradiation of the tumors with 593 nm laser led to photobleaching of KillerRed indicating photosensitization reaction and caused significant destruction of the cells and activation of apoptosis. The portion of the dystrophically changed cells increased from 9.9% to 63.7%, and the cells with apoptosis hallmarks from 6.3% to 14%. The results of this study suggest KillerRed as a potential genetically encoded photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy of cancer. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


Stringent energy constraint is one of the most critical issues in wireless sensor networks. To address this issue, this paper proposes an ant colony-based energy-aware multipath routing algorithm. The algorithm, which considers the available power of nodes and the energy consumption of each path as the reliance of routing selection, utilizes the self-organization, self-adaptability and dynamic optimization capability of ant colony system to find the optimal path and multiple candidate paths from source nodes to sink nodes. It can avoid using up the energy of nodes on the optimal path and prolong the network lifetime while preserving network connectivity. Extensive simulations validate that the algorithm has a better performance in energy consumption and load-balancing with respect to traditional routing methods.


Collaboration is a complex and essential process for organizations. Ontologies can provide a way to promote software tool integration, by serving as a common conceptualization among these tools. This integration may ultimately lead to lower costs and improved flexibility and revenue in business. This paper presents a collaboration ontology based on the structure defined by the 3C Model and shows how it can be used to promote integration among collaborative software tools.


The gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota plays a key role in health and disease. It also has a longdistance effect influencing the brain through the gut–brain axis. The establishment of an effective GI microbiota is associated with human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). In animal studies there is evidence that HMOs can influence brain activity and cognitive development. This further suggests that management of the GI microbiota by dietary means could impact upon a wide range of diseases. Autism, which is the familiar name for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), comprises a group of heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by social deficits, repetitive and stereotypical behaviours, insistence on routines and communication impairments. GI abnormalities are a characteristic of a substantial number of children with ASD. These children possess a lower overall abundance of beneficial taxa, such as Bifidobacteria and Akkermansia, in the GI microbiota. Many children with ASD have higher counts of potentially pathogenic Clostridia than normally developing children. The underlying pathophysiology of ASD remains unknown although sub-optimal breast-feeding practices are associated with ASD. HMOs selectively promote the growth of Bifidobacteria in the GI tract, which is associated with numerous beneficial health outcomes. There are two potential benefits of HMOs in alleviating autism. Firstly, supplying HMOs to infants though breast-feeding can help establish a functional GI microbiota and thus avoid GI dysbiosis which is commonly related to the onset of autism. Secondly, administration of HMOs may alleviate the symptoms of autism through an effect on the gut–brain axis.


Since its first report on March 08, 2020, COVID-19 positive cases and number of deaths have increased which reached the peak in late June and started to decline slowly in late August in Bangladesh. COVID-19 transmission and disease progression depends on multifaceted determinants e.g. virus genetics, host immunity, social distancing, co-morbidity, socio-demographic and environmental parameters. Therefore observed epidemiological trend may not follow predicted models and thus warrant detail investigation of the contributing factors. In this perspective, in the light of literature we hypothesize that preventive intervention strategies, socioeconomic limitations, climatic and meteorological indexes, acquired immunity of Bangladeshi population, demographic characteristics, health indicators and food habits contributed toward the observed COVID-19 trend. The key limiting factor was number of diagnostic tests in getting real epidemic scenario. Strong immunity of young people compared to the elderly and low prevalence of non-communicable diseases might have kept most of them asymptomatic, less severe with silent recovery. Climatic parameters, less population density in rural areas and certain food habits perhaps helped to restrict and combat the infection up to a level. Genetic polymorphism can also be driving factor in disease progression. Despite several helpful determinants in Bangladesh, person to person contact is still the leading risk factor for COVID-19 transmission. Infection may increase rapidly if safe distance and preventive measures are not strictly followed especially in the coming winter. Expansion of test capacity, intelligent work and vacation planning and public awareness should continue to reduce the infection rate and disease catastrophe.
Bangladesh Journal of Infectious Diseases June 2021;8(1): 36-41


Methods of scientific imaging and image analysis have become pervasive in a great variety of fields, including the properties of porous media. To study the large-scale morphological properties of porous media, high resolution random (Monte Carlo) samples are required. The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel approach for the statistical synthesis of scientific images, based on the concept of Conditional Random Fields. We explore two different sets of potential functions are used to model the pore-structure characteristics, and Monte Carlo Markov chain methods are also used to sample the high resolution images from the trained model. The resulting images are of high quality, and show the performance of the proposed framework.


The aviation sector has reached an extremely high level and development has an almost asymptotic trend. To make this possible, simulations are carried out to provide more details of the physical knowledge about flows, bringing to the design engineers additional awareness about aerodynamic phenomena. It is of fundamental importance to have processes and software that allow you to predict performance in the best possible way during the design and analysis phases. This will lead to savings in development time and costs and performance improvement. The main objective of this thesis is to create a set of models, from one-dimensional to full 3D, of the turbines of an existing turboprop engine using more recent methodologies in a sort of reverse engineering. Small turboprop engine has various types of missions and multiple and widely spread operative points. For this reason, a flexible model is fundamental from the designer point of view in order to quickly evaluate performances in different off-design conditions and component robustness. Initially, a simple "flowpath-only" model has been created, considering the main flow working in an ideal streamtube, neglecting any interaction with a real turbine mechanical arrangement. This ideal condition has been modeled in a 1D simplified setup and in a more complex 3D CFD environment. Subsequently, the models have been refined inserting in the simulation the main interaction effects of the secondary air system on the main flow. Once model are available, it is possible to leverage on them in order to access performance derivatives to main design parameters. One of the most impacting parameters on turbines performances is the Rotor Tip Clearance (RTC). Unfortunately, RTC are usually associated with an high level of uncertainties, since is very difficult to quantify them in real operative condition and, in any case, they will widely vary during engine mission and lifespan. For this reasons, it is particularly important to characterize turbine performances as function of RTC. The mono and three-dimensional turbine models built in the first part of this thesis will be used in the second part to perform the above mentioned study of RTC. In particular, obtained results will be presented highlighting main effects of the interaction between main and bypass flows, while varying RTC gaps. Different RTC mechanical arrangements and modeling will be presented and compared.


Maize-meal porridge is commonly consumed meal for the adults as breakfast food and for the children as complementary food. Food-to-food fortification was employed in order to improve the protein content of maize-meal porridge using soy flour and local groundnut paste. The study was aimed at evaluating the nutritional properties and consumer preference of the attributes of the unfortified porridge, legume-fortified porridge, and powdered milk-fortified porridge. The influence of consumers' knowledge of the type of fortificant added to the porridge was also investigated. Soy-fortified porridges provide comparable ash, crude fibre and fat contents to powdered milk- fortified porridge but with higher protein than powdered milk-fortified porridge. Soy flour raised the protein and ash content of the porridge by 90% and 63% respectively, the groundnut paste raised the protein and ash content by 88% and 41% and the powdered milk by 87% and 65% respectively. The unfortified porridge was the least preferred while the milk-fortified porridge was the most preferred. There was no significant difference between preference for some of the attributes of the groundnut paste fortified-porridge and the soy flour-fortified. There was no significant difference between consumption intent for the soy flour and groundnut paste -fortified porridge. Soy-fortified porridges provide comparable ash, crude fibre and fat contents to powdered milk- fortified porridge but with higher protein than powdered milk-fortified porridge. Soy-flour has shown to be a good substitute for powdered milk as a protein-fortificant for porridge and soy-fortified porridge could be a possible means of alleviating Protein-energy malnutrition among low income populations.


Annual mean returns and certainty equivalent returns for 1983-2003 were calculated for specified non-Bt cotton (refuge) percentages for a cotton farm of average size in the Mississippi Delta. Certainty equivalents indicate sprays influence mean profits more than the percentage of refuge in a cotton producer's portfolio. This supports an earlier study where returns calculated from both observed and simulated yields indicated, for any given refuge percentage, mean returns were higher with less risk when insecticides were sprayed compared to no insecticide sprays.


The purpose of the Avaluator Avalanche Accident Prevention Card, designed by Haegeli and McCammon (2006) and published by the Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA), was to reduce the number of avalanche accidents in Canada. Speaking to the ISSW 2006 audience, McCammon (October 3, 2006) announced an experiment on the Avaluator's effectiveness: "This is an experiment. This is an experiment with people's lives, with their loved ones." Subsequently, we (Uttl et al., 2008a,b; 2009a,b,c,d) have shown that (1) the data behind the Avaluator are not available for inspection, (2) Haegeli and McCammon inappropriately excluded 1,148 avalanche records (82% of their sample) due to missing data, (3) the Obvious Clues prevention values in the Avaluator are grossly inflated, and (4) the number of accidents in Canada doubled following the introduction of the Avaluator. The two new disclaimers in the latest printing of the Avaluator (2009) advise that the Avaluator's Obvious Clues Method is not suitable for "any particular purpose" and that the Canadian Avalanche Center (CAC) is not responsible for any "injuries or death" or other damages caused by the Avaluator. Inexplicably, the CAA and CAC continue to claim that the Avaluator is "the best tool" and have not recalled it. We asked over 100 individuals how ethical various actions taken by the developers, CAA, and CAC (e.g., not recalling it) are. The participants rated the actions as nearly extremely unethical and believed that the developers, CAA and CAC should "tell the truth" and recall the Avaluator.


Oil field produced water contains substantial quantity of oil and grease and other suspended particles and therefore, it cannot be disposed off directly or cannot be injected to the sub surface for secondary recovery purposes keeping in view of the environmental concerns. The water therefore has to be treated suitably. This article summarizes the various advanced available technologies that can be used for treating the produced water of Assam keeping in mind not only the safe disposal norms but also if the produced water has to be used as a source of fresh water. Keywords: Produced water, advanced treatment technology, fresh water, membrane technology, electrochemistry


Purpose – The need to make a "theoretical contribution" is a presumed mandate that permeates any researcher's career in the Social Sciences, yet all too often this remains a source of confusion and frustration. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on, and further develops, the principal themes discussed in the "OM Theory" workshop in Dublin in 2011 and the special sessions at the 2011 and the 2013 EurOMA Conferences in Cambridge and Dublin. Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents six short essays that explore the role and use of theory in management research, and specifically ask what is a good or meaningful contribution to theory. The authors comment on the current state of theory in OperationsManagement (OM) (Harry Boer), the type of theories the authors have in OM (Chris Voss), the role of theory in increasing the general understanding of OM problems (Roger Schmenner), whether the authors can borrow theories from other fields or actually have theory "of our own" (Matthias Holweg), the different ways in which a contribution to theory can be made (Martin Kilduff), and how to construct a theoretical argument (Mark Pagell). Findings – The authors argue that theory is fundamental to OM research, but that it is not the inevitable starting point; discovery and observation are equally important and often neglected avenues to contributing to theory. Also, there is no one right way to making a contribution, yet consistency between ontology, epistemology, and claimed contribution is what matters. The authors further argue that the choice of theory is critical, as a common mistake is trying to contribute to high-level theories borrowed from other fields. Finally, the authors recommend using theory parsimoniously, yet with confidence. Originality/value – The paper presents a collection of viewpoints of senior scholars on the need for, and use of, theory in OM research.


Background: Acute bloody diarrhea (dysentery) is a medical emergency that warrants serious medical investigation for patients of all ages. It is also among weekly reportable disease in Ethiopia. However, studies related to its determinants have been limited.
Objective: To identify determinants of acute bloody diarrhea among adult outpatient visits in Bibugn district, northern Ethiopia.

Methods: We conducted a case-control study with 222 participants (56 cases and 166 controls) in Bibugn district governmental health facilities. A case was defined as a person of age ≥ 18 years, who attends adult outpatient department in selected governmental health facilities of Bibugn district with acute diarrhea containing visible blood in the stool between February and April, 2017. A control was defined as, non- diarrheal outpatient visitors of age ≥ 18 years who attends adult outpatient departments in the selected governmental health facilities of the district. Face to face interview with consecutive sampling method was used to collect data. Epi Data version 3.1 and SPSS version 22 were used for data entry and analysis respectively. Bivariate analysis was done and all covariates with p-value <0.25 were entered into multivariable logistic regression analysis. AOR with 95% CI were calculated to identify independent variables which were significantly associated with acute bloody diarrhea, p-value <0.05 were considered as determinants of acute bloody diarrhea.

Results: Storage of drinking water not separate from water for others uses (AOR=3.00 (1.39-6.48)), dipping use to draw drinking water from the storage container (AOR=2.49 (1.21- 5.14)), refuse disposal in open fields (AOR=2.71 (1.37-5.38)) and using less than 20 L daily water consumption per capita (AOR=2.89 (1.28-6.49)) were independently associated with acute bloody diarrhea.

Conclusion: Daily water consumption per capita use of <20 L, storage of drinking water not separate from water for others uses, dipping use to draw water from storage container and open field refuse disposal practice were found to be associated with an increased riskof adult acute bloody diarrheal diseases.


Neutralinos arise as natural dark matter candidates in many supersymmetric extensions of the Standard Model. We present a novel calculation of the neutralino relic abundance in which we include all so-called coannihilation processes between neutralinos, charginos and sfermions, and, at the same time, we apply the state of the art technique to trace the freeze-out of a species in the early Universe. As a first application, we discuss here results valid in the mSUGRA framework; we describe general trends as well as performing a detailed study of the neutralino relic densities in the mSUGRA parameter space. The emerging picture is fair agreement with previous analyses in the same framework, however we have the power to discuss it in much more detail than previously done. For example, we find that the cosmological bound on the neutralino mass is pushed up to ~565 GeV in the stau coannihilation region and to ~1500 GeV in the chargino coannihilation region.


Objectives The purpose of this study was to evaluate in vitro cytotoxicity of the pozzolan cement and other root-end filling materials using human periodontal ligament cell. Materials and Methods Endocem (Maruchi), white ProRoot MTA (Dentsply), white Angelus MTA (Angelus), and Super EBA (Bosworth Co.) were tested after set completely in an incubator at 37℃ for 7 days, Endocem was tested in two ways: 1) immediately after mixing (fresh specimens) and 2) after setting completely like other experimental materials. The methods for assessment included light microscopic examination, cell counting and WST-1 assay on human periodontal ligament cell. Results In the results of microscopic examination and cell counting, Super EBA showed significantly lower viable cell than any other groups (p < 0.05). As the results of WST-1 assay, compared with untreated control group, there was no significant cell viability of the Endocem group. However, the fresh mixed Endocem group had significantly less cell viability. The cells exposed to ProRoot MTA and Angelus MTA showed the highest viability, whereas the cells exposed to Super EBA displayed the lowest viability (p < 0.05). Conclusions The cytotoxicity of the pozzolan cement (Endocem) was comparable with ProRoot MTA and Angelus MTA. Considering the difficult manipulation and long setting time of ProRoot MTA and Angelus MTA, Endocem can be used as the alternative of retrofilling material.


State of the art optoelectronic applications such as thin film solar cells, flat panel displays, and light emitting diodes suffer from the non-availability of p-type oxide materials on the industrial scale. Novel technologies such as transparent electronics, UV light emitting diodes, and improved thin film solar cells using wide band gap p-type oxide layers as front contact will be available once p-type oxide layers with proper layer and interface properties can be obtained on an industrial scale. In this paper, we report on our progress towards p-type oxide layers for industrial applications. We address the first principles density functional theory modeling of ZnO based layers where a pathway towards p-conductivity is seen taking the nitrogen doping of grain boundaries into account. The second part of the paper is on the synthesis of p-type Delafossite layers such as CuCr1-xAlxO2:Mg by Sol-Gel and CuCrO2 by hollow cathodes gas flow sputtering. We report on the deposition processes and film properties obtained. Both methods reveal p-type conductivity by means of Seebeck-coefficient measurements.


While marginalized as a juvenile medium, comics serve as an archive of our collective experience. Emerging with the modern city and deeply affected by race, class, and gender norms, comics are a means to understand the changes linked to identity and power in the United States. For further investigation, we turn to one such collective archive: the MSU Library Comics Art Collection (CAC), which contains over 300,000 comics and comic artifacts dating as far back as 1840. As noted on the MSU Special Collections' website, "the focus of the collection is on published work in an effort to present a complete picture of what the American comics readership has seen, especially since the middle of the 20th century". As one of the world's largest publicly accessible comics archives, a community of scholars and practitioners created the Comics as Data North America (CaDNA) dataset, which comprises library metadata from the CAC to explore the production, content, and creative communities linked to comics in North America. This essay will draw on the Comics as Data North America (CaDNA) dataset at Michigan State University to visualize patterns of racial depiction in North American comics from 1890–2018. Our visualizations highlight how comics serve as a visual record of representation and serve as a powerful marker of marginalization central to popular cultural narratives in the United States. By utilizing data visualization to explore the ways we codify and describe identity, we seek to call attention to the constructed nature of race in North America and the continuing work needed to imagine race beyond the confines of the established cultural legacy.


Overestimated forecasts of the impact of new policy, which over-predict policy success, are a well-known problem. Studying the effects of forecasting methods on potential biases may help modelers, planners and policy makers better use the forecasting tools. This paper addresses overestimation of telecommuting as a travel demand management (TDM) policy. The research hypothesis underlying this study posits that overestimates are virtually inevitable in forecasting the effect of new policies that aim to change travel behavior, but these biases eventually decline over time. The sources of overestimated forecast are the prediction tools used, and the ways in which modelers use these tools. The sources of the reduction in overestimation are the changes made to the modeling tools results from knowledge and data gained over time.


ABSTRACT Using a vector-error-correction model (VECM) with total factor productivity (TFP), domestic and foreign research and development investment (R&D) as well as GDP, we find that for the Netherlands for the period 1968–2014, extra investment in public and private R&D has a clear positive effect on TFP growth and GDP. Taking into account the costs of these extra investments, we find that the rate of return to such a policy is positive and high. We also find dynamic complementarity of public and private stocks of R&D for a long period after the initial shock. However, our results also show that the productivity effects on the Dutch economy are weaker when they are part of an internationally concerted policy effort, i.e. when other OECD countries implement policies with the same effects on R&D stocks in their countries. While complements in the long run equations of the model, in the adjustment process Dutch domestic private R&D appears to consider foreign public R&D as a substitute, i.e. when foreign public R&D rises, Dutch private R&D tends to shrink.


In this paper, we theoretically deduce the expressions of half-wave voltage and 3-dB modulation bandwidth in which conductor loss is taken into account. The results suggest that it will affect the theoretical values of half-wave voltage and bandwidth as well as the optimized electrode's dimension whether considering the conductor loss or not. As an example, we present a Mach-Zehnder (MZ) type polymer waveguide amplitude modulator. The half-wave voltage increases by 1 V and the 3-dB bandwidth decreases by 30% when the conductor loss is taken into account. Besides, the effects of impedance mismatching and velocity mismatching between microwave and light wave on the half-wave voltage, and 3-dB bandwidth are discussed.


A mutant of Bacillus subtilis 168 has been isolated in which the defective phage PBSX was heat inducible, whereas another phage, phi105, was not so induced. A culture of the mutant grown at 30 degrees C, when shifted to 45 degrees C, began to lyse after 45 min; cell viability began to decrease after 10 min. Heat-induced lysis of the mutant was prevented by chloramphenicol. DNA, RNA, protein, and peptidoglycan synthesis were normal at the nonpermissive temperature up to the time of lysis. The site of xhi-1479 mutation causing this phenotype was linked (50%) in phage PBS1-mediated transduction to the host marker metC and to another PBSX marker xtl and was thus thought to map within the PBSX prophage. The order of markers was argC-thiB-metA-xhi-metC. The xhi mutation was thus distinct from another mutation, tsi-23, causing a similar heat inducibility of PBSX (Siegel and Marmur, 1969), which was unlinked to the metC marker. tsi-23 is therefore thought to be a host mutation, and the available evidence for a scattered phage genome being the cause of the defective nature of PBSX is thus less tenable. It was shown that the mutant, besides carrying the xhi mutation, also carried another closely linked mutation, xki-1479, which caused the PBSX produced to have no killing activity on the sensitive strain W23. The xki mutation was separated from xhi by recombination.


Discussions about the early films of Humphrey Jennings refer to his artistic and intellectual background to explain the nature and scope of his film work. Such discussions, however, tend to rely on highly selective and partial information from existing accounts. This tendency has over time created a form of orthodox opinion, an opinion which tends to regard Jennings as an artist and intellectual who, prior to full-time involvement with film, collaborated and worked on a diverse series of artistic and intellectual projects spread across a wide range of subjects and disciplines. These activities are seen as symptomatic of a mind which could not remain focussed on one particular endeavour. However Jennings` early wartime films express in quintessential form many of his ideas, and through a distinctive form of poetic expression celebrate both the civilian response to and the need for national unity under the threat of invasion. The aim of this thesis is to revise the existing understanding of Jennings' artistic and intellectual background and challenge the prevailing interpretations of his early propaganda films between 1939 and 1942. It is hoped to reveal how his artistic and intellectual pursuits and his film work represent a sustained and coherent intellectual and artistic exercise focussed on the nature of artistic technique. This focus dates from the activities of his parents and continues through his educational experiences at school and university. Simultaneously this engagement with the arts was informed and influenced by contemporary economic, social, cultural and political events. It is these factors which inform the nature and scope of his filmwork. In artistic, intellectual and political terms the series of films Jennings produced and directed between 1939 and 1942 represent in style and form a fundamental challenge to John Grierson's understanding of the meaning, nature and role of the documentary and propaganda film. Jennings' challenge to the Griersonian ideal of documentary film also contests the political meaning behind both pre-war documentary and wartime propaganda notions of national unity and the future post war settlement.


Purpose: Educational leadership is key to addressing the persistent inequities in low-income urban schools, but most principals struggle to work with parents and communities around those schools to create socially just learning environments. This article describes the conditions and experiences that enabled principals to share leadership with teachers and low-income Latino parents to improve student learning. Methods: This study used interviews, observations, and documents to examine the perceptions and experiences of the principals of three small autonomous schools initiated by a community organizing group in California. Data analysis was conducted in iterative phases using shared leadership, social capital, and role theories as lenses to identify themes, triangulate across data sources, and examine alternative hypotheses. Findings: Findings illuminate how a design team process initiated principals into a model of shared leadership with teachers and empowered parents that focused on deep relationships and capacity building. Principals enacted this model of the "principal as organizer" in the newly-opened schools, but they struggled to navigate conflicting leadership role expectations from district administration. Implications: Organizing approaches to education reform can cultivate shared leadership in principals and the capacity to partner with empowered, low-income Latino parents. District expectations and principals' broader social networks may be critical in navigating and sustaining such leadership. Further research on districts that collaborate with community organizing groups may provide promising insights into the development of a new generation of educational leaders.


The RenderMan interface has been proposed as a general interface to rendering systems, yet only a few implementations of the interface exist. In this paper we describe the implementation of the RenderMan interface on a general rendering architecture that supports various rendering algorithms. Specifically we discuss the implementation of the RenderMan Shading Language and its integration into our rendering architecture. Special attention is focused on the problems that we have encountered and how they can be solved. Additionally, we suggest extensions and enhancements to the current interface definition, which would make RenderMan easier to implement and more flexible to use.


OBJECTIVES
While recent studies have demonstrated an overall increase in psychiatric visits in the emergency department (ED), none have focused on a nationally representative pediatric population. Understanding trends in pediatric psychiatric ED visits is important because of limited outpatient availability of pediatric specialists, as well as long wait times for psychiatric appointments. The study aim was to evaluate the trends in ED psychiatric visits for children between 2001 and 2010 with comparison by sociodemographic characteristics.

METHODS
This was a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of ED psychiatric visits for children < 18 years of age using the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS). Visits were identified by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9), codes. Outcome measures included frequency of visits for children with psychiatric diagnosis codes and odds and adjusted odds of psychiatric visits controlling for temporal, demographic, and geographic factors.

RESULTS
From 2001 to 2010, an average of 28.3 million pediatric visits to EDs occurred annually. Among those, an approximately 560,000 (2% of ED visits) were psychiatric visits each year. Pediatric psychiatric ED visits increased from an estimated 491,000 in 2001 to 619,000 in 2010 (p = 0.01). Teenagers (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 3.92, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.37 to 4.57) and publicly insured patient visits (AOR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.25 to 1.74) had increased odds of psychiatric ED visits.

CONCLUSIONS
Pediatric ED psychiatric visits are increasing. Teenagers and children with public insurance appear to be at increased risk. Further investigation is needed to determine what the causative factors are.


The Kohn-Sham density functional theory (DFT) formalism has been used to investigate the influence of the stationary behavior of the electron density (ρ(r⃗;s)) along a minimum energy path on the corresponding stationary conditions observed in the total potential energy of the reactive system, information theory measures (Shannon information entropy and Onicescu information energy), and chemical reactivity indexes (the chemical hardness). The theoretical treatment presented in this work, combined with DFT calculations on 3 different test reactions: Ḣ' + H2, Ḣ' + CH4 and H- + CH4, suggest that for any reactive system, properties that can be cast as a functional of the electron density, must exhibit stationary points along the IRC path modulated by the corresponding stationary behavior of the electron density.


Trombiculid mites are known to parasitize a variety of amphibian species, yet few comparisons of mite parasitism among amphibian species have been made. In this study, we investigated patterns of trombiculid mite parasitism among 3 plethodontid salamanders (Desmognathus fuscus, Eurycea cirrigera, and Plethodon cylindraceus) in the western Piedmont of North Carolina. All 3 salamander species were parasitized by a single species, Hannemania dunni. Desmognathus fuscus harbored mites more frequently (60.4% of individuals) than E. cirrigera (11.1%) or P. cylindraceus (14.6%). Desmognathus fuscus also had higher parasite loads than E. cirrigera or P. cylindraceus (P < 0.001). Mites on D. fuscus were found more frequently on the limbs than other body locations (P < 0.001). We found no correlation between salamander size and mite abundance (P = 0.689), but salamander collection sites influenced the abundance of mites on D. fuscus (P = 0.002). We found no effect of season on mite abundance in D. fuscus (P = 0.952). Salamander habitat preferences and edaphic or climatic differences among study sites may influence patterns of Hannemania sp. parasitism of salamanders.