In June 2016 the United Kingdom's (UK) European Union (EU) referendum resulted in 51.9% of the electorate voting to leave. Leaving the EU will have wide ranging social, legal and constitutional implications including, but not limited to, trade, business and financial services, employment, transport, immigration, police and justice, health, higher education (Miller, 2016). In relation to health, the EU has a significant role in supplementing national policies and whilst the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) has established the international standards for midwifery education; education and practice are regulated in the EU through the European Directive 2005/36/EC which includes the recognition of professional qualifications allowing free movement to practise anywhere within the EU. In relation to higher education, the UK is a full member of The Bologna Process/European Higher Education Area (EHEA) (1999), where members aim to increase compatibility between education and training systems across the EU to promote high quality learning and teaching and facilitate free movement of students, researchers and teachers across Europe. At an institutional level, The Florence Network is one of Europe's oldest nursing and midwifery networks with a membership of 40 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in 17 European countries with the shared vision of identifying and developing educational, scientific, practice and pedagogical commonalities to promote mobility between countries and institutions. The University of Northampton was invited to join the Network in 2017, with its inaugural meeting taking place in Bern, Switzerland being attended by Julie Quilter (Senior Lecturer/Programme Lead) and Hollie Townley (second year student midwife) (The University of Northampton, 2017). Whilst there is uncertainty around the future political landscape post Brexit, it is important that pre-existing professional links, providing a platform for international collaboration for professional discourse, dissemination of research findings and sharing of best practice are protected and strengthened.


Thatch-mat and organic matter (OM) accumulation near the putting green soil surface impacts soil physical properties and turf performance. Excessive thatch and OM can encumber infiltration of water and oxygen into the soil profile and slow drainage of excess water away from the putting surface. Proper sampling of thatch-mat depths and OM contents is vital for management of putting green turf; therefore, a study was performed in Knoxville, TN, to derive proper sampling procedures of these important parameters using 'TifEagle' and 'Champion' bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon · C. transvaalensis), 'SeaDwarf ' seashore paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum), and 'Diamond' zoysiagrass (Zoysia matrella). 'TifEagle' and 'Champion' accumulated thatch-mat to a greater depth than 'SeaDwarf ' and 'Diamond'. However, 'SeaDwarf ' had a higher OM content than 'Diamond' and both had higher OM contents than 'TifEagle' and 'Champion'. Data generated from sampling procedures indicate that previous studies often undersampled plots for thatch-mat depth; however, previous sampling procedures have not traditionally undersampled plots for OM. Data in this study provide a range of confidence and minimum detectable difference levels which may allow future researchers to more accurately sample 'TifEagle', 'Champion', 'SeaDwarf ', and 'Diamond' putting green plots for thatch-mat depth and OM content.


Reuters Corpus Volume I (RCV1) is an archive of over 800,000 manually categorized newswire stories recently made available by Reuters, Ltd. for research purposes. Use of this data for research on text categorization requires a detailed understanding of the real world constraints under which the data was produced. Drawing on interviews with Reuters personnel and access to Reuters documentation, we describe the coding policy and quality control procedures used in producing the RCV1 data, the intended semantics of the hierarchical category taxonomies, and the corrections necessary to remove errorful data. We refer to the original data as RCV1-v1, and the corrected data as RCV1-v2. We benchmark several widely used supervised learning methods on RCV1-v2, illustrating the collection's properties, suggesting new directions for research, and providing baseline results for future studies. We make available detailed, per-category experimental results, as well as corrected versions of the category assignments and taxonomy structures, via online appendices.


| Our study was aimed at assessing the effectiveness of autologous plasma enriched with platelets as part of the complex treatment of keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) of moderate severity in dogs. In our experiment, 20 dogs of various breeds with clinical signs of keratoconjunctivitis sicca participated. The animals were divided into the experimental group and the control group, 10 dogs in each group. The animals of the control group were treated with standard treatment: local antibiotic therapy, a topical immunosuppressant (cyclosporine), and also a lubricant. In addition to standard treatment, an autologous platelet rich plasma (PRP) was additionally subconjunctivally injected weekly to animals of the experimental group. The effectiveness of the treatment was evaluated by monitoring the changes in the hydration level of the anterior segment of the eye, the cytological picture of smears and gross anatomical appearance of the front of eye. The results in experimental group demonstrated a decrease in the number of desquamated epithelial cells, as well as a more intense decrease in segmented cells. The dynamics of the reduction of the clinical manifestations of KCS in animals that used PRP as part of complex therapy is more pronounced and was quite fast. Our observations show that autologous platelet-rich plasma is a powerful protector of corneal regeneration and therefore could be recommended to use in corneal erosion, keratitis ulcers and corneal injuries, as well as a keratoprotector after surgical interventions on the cornea and intraocular structures.


Phytoplankton blooms are natural phenomena in the ocean, which are the results of rapid cell growth of some phytoplankton species in a unique environment. However, little is known about the molecular events occurring during the bloom. Here, we compared metaproteomes of two phytoplankton Heterosigma akashiwo and Prorocentrum donghaiense in the coastal East China Sea. H. akashiwo and P. donghaiense accounted for 7.82% and 4.74% of the phytoplankton community protein abundances in the nonbloom sample, whereas they contributed to 60.13% and 78.09%, respectively, in their individual blooming samples. Compared with P. donghaiense, H. akashiwo possessed a significantly higher abundance of light-harvesting complex proteins, carbonic anhydrasem and RuBisCO. The blooming H. akashiwo cells expressed more proteins related to external nutrient acquisition, such as bicarbonate transporter SLC4, ammonium transporter, nitrite transporter, and alkaline phosphatase, while the blooming P. donghaiense cells highly expressed proteins related to extraand intracellular organic nutrient utilization, such as amino acid transporter, 5=-nucleotidase, acid phosphatase, and tripeptidyl-peptidase. The strong capabilities of light harvesting, as well as acquisition and assimilation of inorganic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, facilitated the formation of the H. akashiwo bloom under the high turbidity and inorganic nutrient-sufficient condition, whereas the competitive advantages in organic nutrient acquisition and reallocation guaranteed the occurrence of the P. donghaiense bloom under the inorganic nutrient-insufficient condition. This study highlights the power of metaproteomics for revealing the underlying molecular behaviors of different coexisting phytoplankton species and advances our knowledge on the formation of phytoplankton blooms. IMPORTANCE A deep understanding of the mechanisms driving bloom formation is a prerequisite for effective bloom management. Metaproteomics was applied in this study to reveal the adaptive and responsive strategies of two coexisting phytoplankton species, H. akashiwo and P. donghaiense, during their bloom periods. Metabolic features and niche divergence in light harvesting, as well as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus acquisition and assimilation likely promoted the bloom occurrence under different environments. The molecular behaviors of coexisting bloom-causing species will give clues for bloom monitoring and management in the oceans.


ABSTRACT Introduction Gender differences in urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) exist. Although men have a higher incidence of UCB, women tend to have poorer outcomes. We have explored and summarized the evidence for gender differences of UCB diagnosis and prognosis, together with reasons for these disparities. Areas covered The incidence of UCB is 3–4 times higher in men than women. However, women are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced disease. Women have a higher stage-for-stage mortality compared to men, and their greatest risk of death appears to be within the first 2 years of diagnosis. Survival outcomes following radical cystectomy (RC) and radiotherapy are also poorer in women. Delays in diagnosis, differences in female anatomy, as well as poorer surgical outcomes post-RC appear to contribute significantly to the disparities noted between genders. Other factors such as exposure to risk factors, differential hormone signaling, and carcinogen breakdown may also have a role. Expert opinion The gender divide in UCB outcomes has to be addressed. Improved medical and patient education and centralization of RC are recommended.


This article presents the top-level of an ontology categorizing and generalizing best practices and quality criteria or measures for Linked Data. It permits to compare these techniques and have a synthetic organized view of what can or should be done for knowledge sharing purposes. This ontology is part of a general knowledge base that can be accessed and complemented by any Web user. Thus, it can be seen as a cooperatively built library for the above cited elements. Since they permit to evaluate information objects and create better ones, these elements also permit knowledge-based tools and techniques - as well as knowledge providers - to be evaluated and categorized based on their input/output information objects. One top-level distinction permitting to organize this ontology is the one between content, medium and containers of descriptions. Various structural, ontological, syntactical and lexical distinctions are then used.


The study used the information mass containing information on 83 viruses characterized by 41 markers. The suitability of one of the variants of cluster analysis for virus classification was demonstrated. It was established that certain stages of automatic allotment of viruses into groups by the degree of similarity of their properties end the formation of groups which consist of viruses sufficiently close to each other by their properties and are sufficiently isolated. Comparison of these groups with the classification proposed by the ICVT established their correspondence to individual families. Analysis of the obtained classification system permits sufficiently grounded conclusions to be drawn with regard to the classification position of certain viruses, the classification of which has not yet been completed by the ICVT.


We complete the analysis of all 2018 prime-field microlensing planets identified by the KMTNet AnomalyFinder. Among the 10 previously unpublished events with clear planetary solutions, 8 are either unambiguously planetary or are very likely to be planetary in nature: OGLE-2018-BLG-1126, KMT-2018-BLG-2004, OGLE-2018-BLG-1647, OGLE-2018-BLG-1367, OGLE-2018-BLG-1544, OGLE-2018-BLG-0932, OGLE-2018-BLG-1212, and KMT-2018-BLG-2718. Combined with the 4 previously published new AnomalyFinder events and 12 previously published (or in preparation) planets that were discovered by eye, thismakes a total of 24 2018 prime-field planets discovered or recovered by AnomalyFinder. Together with a paper in preparation on 2018 sub-prime planets, this work lays the basis for the first statistical analysis of the planet mass-ratio function based on planets identified in KMTNet data. By systematically applying the heuristic analysis of Hwang et al. (2022) to each event, we identify the small modification in their formalism that is needed to unify the so-called close/wide and inner/outer degeneracies, as conjectured by


Overexpression of nuclear p53 and DNA ploidy were analyzed in a series of 65 colorectal adenocarcinomas and correlated with standard clinical and pathological variables (Dukes stage, tumor site, histological grade and type, and nature of the tumor margins). Immunohistochemical tests were done with the DO-7 monoclonal antibody, using formalin-fixed tissue samples and an antigen retrieval solution. Levels of p53 expression were evaluated using a semiquantitative grading system (CAS 200, BD). Nuclear staining of more than 15% of neoplastic cells was observed in 35 samples (53.8%), which were classified as p53-positive. DNA content was measured by flow cytometry in samples of fresh tissue. Tumor site had a significant direct relationship with DNA ploidy (p < 0.01) and p53 expression (p < 0.001). Proximal tumors were more frequently diploid than were distal tumors (78.6% vs 32%). Moreover, distal neoplasms showed more p53 expression than proximal tumors (64.6% vs 14.3%). However, there was no correlation between the other clinical or pathological variables and the pathological parameter p53 expression and DNA ploidy. Our data support the hypothesis that mechanisms of colorectal carcinogenesis may differ in proximal and distal neoplasms.


PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to assess the ability of PET with 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) to differentiate benign from malignant pancreatic masses in patients with indeterminate findings on CT.

METHOD
We performed FDG-PET on 12 patients with indeterminate mass lesions and 2 patients with CT findings typical for malignancy. Eight were found to have pancreatic carcinoma and six had benign lesions. The final diagnosis was histopathologically confirmed in all patients but two with a presumed diagnosis of focal pancreatitis based on stable clinical follow-up for at least 12 months. Lesion uptake of FDG was evaluated qualitatively and semiquantitatively by determination of the standardized uptake value (SUV) RESULTS: With use of a 2.5 cutoff value for SUV, all eight malignant and four of six benign lesions were correctly categorized. Qualitative evaluation gave the same results. The two false-positive lesions had elevated SUV values of 3.4 and 3.8, respectively.

CONCLUSION
Our results indicate that FDG-PET has potential value for assessing patients with CT findings that are indeterminate for pancreatic carcinoma. FDG-PET may obviate invasive diagnostic procedures in many patients with benign disease.


In this study, the antimicrobial effect of Ocimumbasilicum essential oil with different qualitative and quantitative methods (disc diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration) as well as the effects of its interactionwith tetracycline and chloramphenicol antibiotics on some pathogenic microorganisms causing infection and food poisoning were evaluated.The chemical compounds, antioxidant activity and total phenolic content of Ocimumbasilicum essential oil were measured. The results showed that Ocimumbasilicum essential oil contained 31 compounds. Estragole was the major constituent of the essential oil with a percentage of 30.75. The antioxidant activity of Ocimumbasilicum essential oil was 70% based onfree radical scavenging capacity (DPPH). The total phenolic content of the essential oil was 29.05±0.50 mg GAE/g. The most sensitive and the most resistant bacteria with diameter inhibition zone 21.95 mm and 10.00 mm were Bacillus cereus and Escherichiacoli respectively. The effects of interaction of Ocimumbasilicum essential oil with tetracycline and chloramphenicol antibiotics on gram negative bacteria showed synergistic status. The minimum inhibitory concentration of the essential oil was equal to 12.5, 6.25, 6.25, 200 and 200 mg/ml for Listeria innocua , Staphylococcus aureus , Bacillus cereus , Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichiacoli respectively. The minimum bactericidal concentration of Ocimumbasilicum essential oil was equal to 50, 12. 5, 12.5, 400 and 400 mg/ml for bacteria respectively.


Abstract A generic definition of oxidation state (OS) is formulated: "The OS of a bonded atom equals its charge after ionic approximation". In the ionic approximation, the atom that contributes more to the bonding molecular orbital (MO) becomes negative. This sign can also be estimated by comparing Allen electronegativities of the two bonded atoms, but this simplification carries an exception when the more electronegative atom is bonded as a Lewis acid. Two principal algorithms are outlined for OS determination of an atom in a compound; one based on composition, the other on topology. Both provide the same generic OS because both the ionic approximation and structural formula obey rules of stable electron configurations. A sufficiently simple empirical formula yields OS via the algorithm of direct ionic approximation (DIA) by these rules. The topological algorithm works on a Lewis formula (for a molecule) or a bond graph (for an extended solid) and has two variants. One assigns bonding electrons to more electronegative bond partners, the other sums an atom's formal charge with bond orders (or bond valences) of sign defined by the ionic approximation of each particular bond at the atom. A glossary of terms and auxiliary rules needed for determination of OS are provided, illustrated with examples, and the origins of ambiguous OS values are pointed out. An electrochemical OS is suggested with a nominal value equal to the average OS for atoms of the same element in a moiety that is charged or otherwise electrochemically relevant.


Ecstasy is a widely used recreational drug that usually consists primarily of 3,4-meth-ylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Most ecstasy users consume other substances as well, which complicates the interpretation of research in this field. The positively rated effects of MDMA consumption include euphoria, arousal, enhanced mood, increased sociability, and heightened perceptions; some common adverse reactions are nausea, headache, tachycardia, bruxism, and trismus. Lowering of mood is an aftereffect that is sometimes reported from 2 to 5 days after a session of ecstasy use. The acute effects of MDMA in ecstasy users have been attributed primarily to increased release and inhibited reuptake of serotonin (5-HT) and norepinephrine, along with possible release of the neuropeptide oxytocin. Repeated or high-dose MDMA/ecstasy use has been associated with tolerance, depressive symptomatology, and persisting cognitive deficits, particularly in memory tests. Animal studies have demonstrated that high doses of MDMA can lead to long-term decreases in forebrain 5-HT concentrations, tryptophan hydroxylase activity, serotonin transporter (SERT) expression, and visualization of axons immunoreactive for 5-HT or SERT. These neurotoxic effects may reflect either a drug-induced degeneration of serotonergic fibers or a long-lasting downregulation in 5-HT and SERT biosynthesis. Possible neurotoxicity in heavy ecstasy users has been revealed by neuroimaging studies showing reduced SERT binding and increased 5-HT 2A receptor binding in several cortical and/or subcortical areas. MDMA overdose or use with certain other drugs can also cause severe morbidity and even death. Repeated use of MDMA may lead to dose escalation and the development of dependence, although such dependence is usually not as profound as is seen with many other drugs of abuse. MDMA/ecstasy-dependent patients are treated with standard addiction programs, since there are no specific programs for this substance and no proven medications. Finally, even though MDMA is listed as a Schedule I compound by the Drug Enforcement Agency, MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for patients with chronic, treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder is currently under investigation. Initial results show efficacy for this treatment approach, although considerably more research must be performed to confirm such efficacy and to ensure that the benefits of MDMA-assisted therapy outweigh the risks to the patients.


We discuss the evolution and current status of investigations at our Graphics, Visualization, and Virtual Environments Laboratory. The progression of user interface technology has led us from display systems evaluation, to performance studies of graphics workstations, stereoscopic and head-mounted displays, user-input devices, and interactive techniques for virtual environments. We have been involved in prototyping applications for terrain visualization, situation awareness for command and control, maintenance procedures training, and interactive design. Our current emphasis is on developing techniques for rapid modeling of virtual environments, to support mission planning, rehearsal, and interactive design and visualization. We discuss in detail three examples of these applications, and we present a set of guidelines that we have found to be useful for quickly constructing effective virtual environments.


This paper analyzes the performance of the predictive current control technique in the operation of Voltage Source Inverters (VSI) used to connect renewable resources to the power grid. VSIs are commonly used to convert DC power from renewable energy sources, such as energy storage units, solar power plants and fuel cells, to AC power with constant magnitude and frequency. For this purpose, a strategy known as PWM was implemented to determine the switching sequence of the converter's power semiconductors. In addition, the current being injected into the grid must be controlled; thus, an additional control algorithm was required to operate in conjunction with the PWM technique. The main contribution of this paper is demonstrating that predictive current control presents better characteristics than current-oriented control, the most widely used strategy. The first section analyzes conventional PWM techniques and, in the second part, current control techniques are formulated. Predictive control minimizes the future error of the current by defining the best switching state in each period. The two current control techniques present good performance. However, predictive control is preferable due to its simplicity, easy implementation, low harmonic content, as well as reduced response time.


Author(s): Belin, Brittany | Advisor(s): Mullins, Dyche | Abstract: Actin is an abundant eukaryotic protein with diverse and well-characterized cytoplasmic functions. Actin is also present in the nucleus, but its roles in that compartment have long been a subject of dispute. The primary reason for this debate is that common tools for labeling actin filaments in cells have yielded little information about the distribution, dynamics and functional form (e.g. filamentous or monomeric) of nuclear actin. To provide the first visualization of actin structures in the somatic nucleus, we generated and validated nuclear-localized fluorescent actin reporters. Monomeric actin probes concentrate at nuclear speckles, where they may participate in mRNA processing. Filamentous actin probes recognize discrete, punctate filaments with submicron lengths that are excluded from chromatin-rich regions. In time-lapse movies, these actin filament structures exhibit one of two types of mobility: (1) diffusive, with an average diffusion coefficients of 0.06-0.08 um2/s or (2) subdiffusive, with a mobility coefficient of 0.015 um2/s. Individual filament trajectories exhibit features of particles moving within a viscoelastic mesh, suggesting that actin filaments form part of a large, viscoelastic structure in the nucleoplasm, and may act as scaffolds that help organize nuclear contents. Following induction of DNA damage, elongated actin filaments and actin filament aggregates form throughout the nucleoplasm and at peri- and intranucleolar regions. DNA damage-induced filaments are regulated by the poorly characterized formin-family nucleator, formin-2, and are required for efficient double-strand break signaling and nuclear oxidation during acute genotoxic stress. In addition to developing novel nuclear actin reporter constructs, we performed a systematic comparison of common actin reporters used to detect cytoplasmic filaments in vivo. Our analysis indicates that reporter binding preferences are governed largely by filament regulatory mechanisms rather than actin dynamics. We have also uncovered the previously undetected, yet often suggested, Golgi-associated actin filaments in Drosophila S2 cells.


Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.) fruit is a member of the cranberry family, which contains many bioactive components. However, because of its bitter taste, the number of products it can be processed is limited. In this study, beverages were prepared by adding five different herbal teas (linden, sage, chamomile, green tea, artichoke peel) to cranberry nectar sweetened with apple juice concentrate. Brix, pH, antioxidant capacity, (DPPH, FRAP, CUPRAC), total phenolic content, total monomeric anthocyanin, color (L*, a*, b*, C*, h°) and in vitro bioaccessibility analyzes were performed in the beverages. Results of antioxidant capacity analysis were determined between 129.00±11.85 µmol TE/g DM- 365.42±2.62 µmol TE/g DM; 56.61±16.42 µmol TE/g DM – 103.39±2.36 µmol TE/g DM; 157.97±25.35 µmol TE/g DM – 276.82±22.81 µmol TE/g DM with DPPH, CUPRAC and FRAP methods, respectively. The total phenolic content was found between 655.35±24.17 mg GAE/100 g DM and 1165.09±30.69 mg GAE/100 g DM. The beverages containing green tea infusion (4.13±1.69 mg/kg) had the lowest total monomeric anthocyanin content, while beverages containing artichoke peel infusion (6.33±0.67 mg/kg) had the highest. In the samples analyzed after in vitro gastric digestion, an increase was observed in the total monomeric anthocyanin amount compared to the pre-digested samples, while a decrease was found in the antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content, in general. By adding herbal teas to cornelian cherry nectar, not only improved sensorial and nutritional properties of the fruit nectar, but also a new functional beverage was developed.


How much credit (or blame) should an action taken in a state get for a future reward? This is the fundamental temporal credit assignment problem in Reinforcement Learning (RL). One of the earliest and still most widely used heuristics is to assign this credit based on a scalar coefficient, lambda (treated as a hyperparameter), raised to the power of the time interval between the state-action and the reward. In this empirical paper, we explore heuristics based on more general pairwise weightings that are functions of the state in which the action was taken, the state at the time of the reward, as well as the time interval between the two. Of course it isn't clear what these pairwise weight functions should be, and because they are too complex to be treated as hyperparameters we develop a metagradient procedure for learning these weight functions during the usual RL training of a policy. Our empirical work shows that it is often possible to learn these pairwise weight functions during learning of the policy to achieve better performance than competing approaches.


The use of co-twin analysis in this laboratory has shown that Functional Adaptability (FA) is set by the genotype, although it can be substantially modified by training. The present experiments are an extension of our earlier work and were conducted to establish quantitatively the heritability of FA in man. Heritability refers to the proportion of the variation in FA which is attributable to genetic predisposition, while FA refers to the upper limit of adaptional response of the organism to a metabolic stressor, and is characterised by the Maximal Aerobic Power (MAP) and Maximal Anaerobic Capacity (MAC). One hundred Monozygotic (MZ) and Dizygotic (DZ) twins ran to exhaustion on progressively increasing work loads on the motor driven treadmill, in order to determine their MAP, MAC and maximal cardiac output. Their zygosity was diagnosed on the basis of morphology, dermatoglyphics and blood groups. The contribution of heritability to FA was disclosed by variance analysis and by the equation: [Formula: see text] where H = Heritability; 6D2 = variance of FA within DZ twins and 6M2 = variance of FA within MZ twins. Findings were discussed in relation to trainability and specific attributes which limit functional adaptability.


Article history: Received October 17, 2011 Accepted 12 March 2012 Available online 16 March 2012 Competitive advantage is an important factor in boosting companies' success and is considered more emphatically in management and strategic marketing literature in recent years. There are many different ideas about effective factors in creation of competitive advantages. Also fast rate of change in business, is forcing CEOs to utilize some strategies, which have the best impact on current organizational circumstances and the future trend of investigation in organizational trades. Outsourcing is one of the best strategies, which are widely utilized by CEOs in different organizations. Many managers believe that outsourcing is the solitary way for preserving the balance of organization in 21 century. Based on Porter competitive advantage model, there are three strategies, which lead a company to reach competitive advantage. These strategies are cost leadership, differentiation strategy and segmentation strategy . In this article, we are investigating outsourcing effects on creation of competitive advantages through Porter model in an automotive factory in Iran. We design a questionnaire for gathering necessary information about the role of outsourcing in creation of different strategies as competitive advantages in managers' point of view. We analyze the questionnaires and implement a goodness of fit test to recognize the distribution of data and the statistical method. Preliminary results show that nonparametric statistic methods can be utilized for testing our hypothesis. We use a Wilcoxon test to consider the null hypothesis and a Friedman test to estimate the rank of means. Our findings verify an undeniable effect of outsourcing on creation of competitive advantage and the ranking list is presented. © 2012 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved.


Advances in the management of severe extremity trauma have allowed treatment of injuries previously resulting in amputation or death. The variety of new techniques and technologies available to the orthopedic traumatologist and the trauma team can lead to functional salvage of limbs if crucial management decisions are made correctly in the course of treatment. Accurate knowledge of the potentials and pitfalls of extremity trauma treatment can help to identify salvageable limbs, as well as those doomed to failure so that costly and painful courses of futile treatment can be avoided.


Since its discovery, the Chauvet cave elaborate artwork called into question our understanding of Palaeolithic art evolution and challenged traditional chronological benchmarks [Valladas H et al. (2001) Nature 413:419–479]. Chronological approaches revealing human presences in the cavity during the Aurignacian and the Gravettian are indeed still debated on the basis of stylistic criteria [Pettitt P (2008) J Hum Evol 55:908–917]. The presented 36Cl Cosmic Ray Exposure ages demonstrate that the cliff overhanging the Chauvet cave has collapsed several times since 29 ka until the sealing of the cavity entrance prohibited access to the cave at least 21 ka ago. Remarkably agreeing with the radiocarbon dates of the human and animal occupancy, this study confirms that the Chauvet cave paintings are the oldest and the most elaborate ever discovered, challenging our current knowledge of human cognitive evolution.


SUMMARY The Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rat is an inbred model of type 2 diabetes (T2D); GK rats are lean but have hyperglycemia and increased gluconeogenesis. However, fasting hyperglycemia in other commonly used rodent models of T2D is associated with increased corticosterone, and thus the underlying mechanism for hyperglycemia differs significantly from T2D in humans. Information regarding corticosterone in the GK rat is not readily available. We studied 14- to 16-week-old GK rats in comparison with age-matched control Wistar-Kyoto (WK) rats. GK rats had lower body weights (WK: 343±10 g vs GK: 286±9 g, P<0.01), but higher plasma glucose concentrations (WK: 132±1.5 mg/dl vs GK: 210±11.7 mg/dl, P<0.01). This was associated with an ∼twofold increase in PEPCK1 expression (P<0.05). However, these findings were also associated with elevations in plasma corticosterone and urinary corticosterone excretion. Ketoconazole (KTZ) treatment in GK rats reduced plasma corticosterone, fasting glucose (GK: 218±15 mg/dl vs GK-KTZ: 135±19 mg/dl, P<0.01) and rates of glucose production [GK: 16.5±0.6 mg/(kg-minute) vs GK-KTZ: 12.2±0.9 mg/(kg-minute), P<0.01]. This was associated with an ∼40% reduction in hepatic PEPCK1 expression as well as a 20% reduction in alanine turnover. Thus, hypercorticosteronemia might contribute to the diabetic phenotype of GK rats and should be considered as a potential confounder in rodent models of T2D.


This notice announces the inpatient hospital deductible and coinsurance amounts for calendar year 1985 under Medicare's Hospital Insurance Program. The Medicare statute specifies the formula to be used to determine these amounts. The inpatient hospital deductible will be $400. The daily coinsurance amounts will be: (a) $100 for the 61st through 90th days of hospitalization; (b) $200 for lifetime reserve days; and (c) $50 for the 21st through the 100th days of extended care services in a skilled nursing facility. Each figure represents an increase of approximately 12 percent over the corresponding 1984 figure.


Introduction: Orofacial cleft is one of the many congenital malformations that often occur in human, leaving it at the fourth level of the most common orofacial birth defect findings. The incident rate is one in 700-1000 deliveries, where without therapeutic and surgical interventions, children with an orofacial cleft may have problems with speech, nutrition intake, and growth. Bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) gene play essential roles in the migration and proliferation of neural crest cell of the early head formation and regulate mineralised tissues such as maxillary, mandible, palate and teeth. This study was aimed to analyse the BMP-2 polymorphism and its potential association with orofacial cleft in an Indonesian population. Methods: Cross-sectional study was conducted towards 128 samples, 32 samples of orofacial cleft patients and 96 samples of control. Extracted genotype and allele was determined with PCR-RFLP method using stored DNA samples from 32 orofacial cleft patients, and 96 healthy control. Results: The TT genotype was showing the p-value = 0.001, OR = 2.43% in orofacial samples (71.4%), which was significantly higher than in control groups (28.6%). The allele distribution was also considered statistically significant (p = 0.036, OR = 1.89%. Conclusion: There is a significant association of rs235768 A>T polymorphism of the BMP-2 gene on non-syndromic orofacial cleft patients in Indonesia.


Objectives Ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) has unique clinical and molecular features compared to other epithelial ovarian cancer histologies. Our objective was to describe the incidence of secondary malignancies (SM) in patients with OCCC. Methods Retrospective cohort study of patients with pure OCCC at two tertiary academic centres in Toronto, Canada between 1995–2017. Demographic and histopathologic details were obtained from chart review and confirmed with a provincial cancer registry. Results Of 209 patients with OCCC, 53 developed a SM (25.4%), of whom 7 developed 2 SM. SM included: breast (13), skin (10), gastrointestinal tract (9), other gynecologic malignancies (8), thyroid (6), lymphoma (5), head and neck (4), urologic (3) and lung malignancies. Thirty-five SM occurred before index OCCC (median 9.4 years before), 21 after OCCC (median 5.8 years after), and 4 were diagnosed concurrently. More patients with SM had a smoking history that those without SM (28.3% vs 11.5%, p=0.004). Other demographic characteristics were similar between groups (age (56 vs 54, p=0.23), body mass index (25.7 vs 25.5, p=0.70), diabetes (5.7% vs 5.8%, p=0.76), proportion of patients of Asian ethnicity (18.9% vs 23.1%, p=0.66)). The proportion presenting with stage I OCCC was comparable (66% vs 59%, p=0.46). Only one patient had documented Lynch syndrome. Survival analysis is pending. Conclusions Patients with OCCC are at increased risk of SM, most frequently non-Lynch syndrome related. This could suggest that a subset of patients with OCCC harbor mutations rendering them susceptible to SM. SM that could be associated with Lynch syndrome warrants genetic testing.


In this paper we consider a global optimization approach for solving fuzzy fractional posynomial geometric programming problems. The problem of concern involves positive trapezoidal fuzzy numbers in the objective function. For obtaining an optimal solution, Dinkelbach's algorithm which achieves the optimal solution of the optimization problem by means of solving a sequence of subproblems is extended to the proposed problem. In addition, An illustrative example is included to demonstrate the correctness of the proposed solution algorithm.


Background and Aims The advent of highly effective hepatitis C (HCV) treatments has questioned the need for a vaccine to control HCV amongst people who inject drugs (PWID). However, high treatment costs and ongoing reinfection risk suggest it could still play a role. We compared the impact of HCV vaccination amongst PWID against providing HCV treatment. Methods Dynamic HCV vaccination and treatment models among PWID were used to determine the vaccination and treatment rates required to reduce chronic HCV prevalence or incidence in the UK over 20 or 40 years. Projections considered a low (50% protection for 5 years), moderate (70% protection for 10 years) or high (90% protection for 20 years) efficacy vaccine. Sensitivities to various parameters were examined. Results To halve chronic HCV prevalence over 40 years, the low, moderate and high efficacy vaccines required annual vaccination rates (coverage after 20 years) of 162 (72%), 77 (56%) and 44 (38%) per 1000 PWID, respectively. These vaccination rates were 16, 7.6 and 4.4 times greater than corresponding treatment rates. To halve prevalence over 20 years nearly doubled these vaccination rates (moderate and high efficacy vaccines only) and the vaccination-to-treatment ratio increased by 20%. For all scenarios considered, required annual vaccination rates and vaccination-to-treatment ratios were at least a third lower to reduce incidence than prevalence. Baseline HCV prevalence had little effect on the vaccine's impact on prevalence or incidence, but substantially affected the vaccination-to-treatment ratios. Behavioural risk heterogeneity only had an effect if we assumed no transitions between high and low risk states and vaccinations were targeted or if PWID were high risk for their first year. Conclusions Achievable coverage levels of a low efficacy prophylactic HCV vaccine could greatly reduce HCV transmission amongst PWID. Current high treatment costs ensure vaccination could still be an important intervention option.


Through collecting and analyzing thermal data from on-site testing of more than 30 cement plants, combining with design indicators of production line and control parameters in practical operation, the paper has summarized 4 first level, 5 second level and 133 third level energy efficiency evaluation indicators of cement enterprises after an in-depth study on the main factors influencing coal and power consumption of cement plants. On this basis, an energy efficiency evaluation system of new suspension preheater cement enterprise is to be established in China. It is expected to provide cement enterprise the basis of mastering the level of energy management and checking questions of energy utilization, to play guiding functions in settlement of energy-saving measures, development of energy-saving potential and reduction of energy consumption.


Even though vaccination is the most effective measure against COVID-19 infections, vaccine rollout efforts have been hampered by growing anti-vaccine attitudes. Based on current knowledge, we identified three domains (beliefs, discrimination, and news) as our correlates of primary interest to examine the association with anti-vaccine attitudes. This is one of the first studies to examine key correlates of anti-vaccine attitudes during the critical early stages of vaccine implementation in the United States. An online survey was administered in May 2021 to a non-representative, nationally based sample of adults (N = 789). Using multivariable logistic regression analysis, we found that individuals who expressed worry about COVID-19 (OR = 0.34, 95% CI 0.21, 0.55) and had greater knowledge of COVID-19 (OR = 0.50, 95% CI 0.25, 0.99) were less likely to hold anti-vaccine attitudes. Conversely, individuals who held stigmatizing views of COVID-19 (OR = 2.47, 95% CI 1.53, 3.99), had experienced racial discrimination (OR = 2.14, 95% CI 1.25, 3.67) and discrimination related to COVID-19 (OR = 2.84, 95% CI 1.54, 5.24), and who had been watching Fox News (OR = 3.95, 95% CI 2.61, 5.97) were more likely to hold anti-vaccine attitudes. These findings suggest COVID-19 beliefs, experiences of discrimination, and news sources should be considered when designing targeted approaches to address the anti-vaccine movement.


Key Findings Population The South grew considerably faster (32.5 percent) in total population in the 18 years between 1990 and 2008 than the Nation as a whole (22.2 percent). The region has just over half of the country's non-Hispanic African American population (18.9 million) and is a close second to the Rocky Mountains in both the size and rate of increase of the American Indian population. Since 1990, the South (heavily influenced by Texas and Florida) surpassed the Pacific Coast (strongly influenced by California) in Hispanic population to lead the Nation, with growth especially high in North Carolina and Georgia. In the South, the baby boomer generation age groups (44-64 years old) have dominated all others in percent growth since 1990. The South and the Rocky Mountains were the only regions to outpace the national growth rate for every single age group. The greatest current density of population for the South is in Florida, in the Piedmont areas of North Carolina to Georgia, and in eastern Texas. Other high-density areas of the South include many of the coastal counties, both on the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic Ocean. The highest growth in density of population (persons per square mile) has occurred down the Piedmont and Southern Appalachians from North Carolina to Alabama, along the coasts of Florida, and around the major cities of Texas. Some of this growth was substantial and exceeded the U.S. Census Bureau definition of an urban area, 500 persons per square mile. In areas like eastern Texas, higher concentrations of people in places near public lands and bodies of water are likely to put increasing pressures on these limited resources. With moderate growth, the population of the United States is projected to exceed 447 million people by 2060, an increase of more than 47 percent. For the same period, projected growth for the South is nearly 60 percent. The Atlantic States area in the South ranks second among its nine U.S. counterparts, at 68 percent forecast increase in population, followed by the Pacific Northwest with 63 percent. Of the 13 Southern States, Florida, Virginia, and Texas are projected to grow faster than the South-wide rate of 59 percent.


The results of an integrated sedimentological and seismic stratigraphical analysis of three borehole sites on the eastern flank of the Rockall Basin, offshore western Ireland are reported. Two sites were drilled on the western slope of the Porcupine High, above the North and South Brona basins (boreholes 83/20-sb01, 83/24-sb01 and 83/24-sb02), and one on the northern flank of the Porcupine High (16/28-sb01), above the Macdara Basin. The cores establish that the half-graben basins marginal to the eastern Rockall Basin contain Jurassic deposits and that they were inverted sometime in the Late Jurassic or Early Cretaceous. An angular unconformity above the Brona basins is overlain by a condensed, tripartite Cretaceous succession ('brownsand', 'greensand', chalky micrite) that records stepwise deepening, with evidence for a Cenomanian-Turonian phase of normal faulting. Above the Macdara Basin, the unconformity is overlain by a basalt that was cored at the 16/28 site and is interpreted to represent a flow of Cretaceous age derived from the Drol Igneous Centre. At all three borehole sites, Cretaceous strata are onlapped (or downlapped) by Paleocene-Eocene strata that display evidence of a minor episode of fault reactivation above the Brona basins. Cored Eocene strata vary from clastic to carbonate-prone from north to south and smectitic clays are common at the 16/28 site. Post-Mid-Eocene westward tilting of the Rockall slope rotated the Eocene stratigraphy and the underlying Cretaceous deposits (including the lava flow in the 16/28 area) at least 3° down to the west. Slope development resulted in extensional sliding and the erosion of the C30 deep-water unconformity that is onlapped by Miocene slope deposits. C30 was cored in the 83/20 area where it cuts down into Cretaceous strata and is crusted with phosphates and the Cretaceous beneath Mn-impregnated.


Bitter taste enables the detection of potentially harmful substances and is mediated by bitter taste receptors, TAS2Rs, in vertebrates. Few antagonists and inverse agonists of TAS2Rs have been identified, especially natural compounds. TAS2R16s in humans, apes and Old World monkeys (Catarrhini, Anthropoidea) recognize β-glucoside analogues as specific agonists. Here, we investigated responses of TAS2R16 to β-glucosides in non-anthropoid primates, namely lemurs (Lemuriformes, Strepsirrhini). Salicin acted as an agonist on lemur TAS2R16. Arbutin acted as an agonist in the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) but as an inverse agonist in black lemur (Eulemur macaco) and black-and-white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata). We identified a strepsirrhine-specific amino acid substitution responsible for the inverse agonism of arbutin. In a food preference test, salicin bitterness was inhibited by arbutin in the black lemur. Structural modelling revealed this locus was important for a rearrangement of the intracellular end of transmembrane helix 7 (TM7). Accordingly, arbutin is the first known natural inverse agonist of TAS2Rs, contributing to our understanding of receptor–ligand interactions and the molecular basis of the unique feeding habit diversification in lemurs. Furthermore, the identification of a causal point mutation suggests that TAS2R can acquire functional changes according to feeding habits and environmental conditions.


At present, the demand of high cooling capacity Gifford-McMahon (GM) refrigerators is increasing to cool the high-temperature superconducting magnets in cryogenic temperature range. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance the cooling capacity of existing refrigerators, which needs a thorough understanding of related thermodynamic phenomena. In this paper, thermodynamic processes of a GM refrigerator are analyzed and its performance is compared with Carnot cycle, and Brayton cycle with and without work recovery. Subsequently, a mathematical model has been formulated for a pneumatically-driven GM refrigerator by applying the fundamental principles of thermodynamics and mechanics. The model computes the influence of geometrical and operating parameters upon its refrigeration performance. Subsequently, the impact of valve opening intervals upon internal thermodynamic and dynamic processes is evaluated. The dynamic characteristics of the displacer motion, transient variation of mass flow, and pressure distribution are studied by the model for different values of idling angles. It is found that an increase in the idling angle of the refrigerator, reduces its cooling capacity. An experimental study has also been undertaken to corroborate the mathematical results.


The overarching goal of exercise genomics is to illuminate exercise biology and behaviour in order to better understand the preventive and therapeutic values of exercise. An ancillary aim is to understand the role of genomic variation in human physical attributes and sports performance. The aim of this report is to briefly comment on the current status of exercise genetics and genomics and to suggest potential improvements to the research agenda and translational activities. First, the genomic features of interest to the biology of exercise are defined. Then, the limit of the current focus on common variants and their implications for exercise genomics is highlighted. The need for a major paradigm shift in exercise genomics research is discussed with an emphasis on study designs and appropriately powered studies as well as on more mechanistic and functional research. Finally, a summary of current practices in translational activities compared with what best practice demands is introduced. One suggestion is that the research portfolio of exercise genomics be composed of a larger fraction of experimental and mechanistic investigations and a smaller fraction of observational studies. It is also recommended that research should shift to unbiased exploration of the genome using all the power of genomics, epigenomics and transcriptomics in combination with large observational but preferably experimental study designs, including Mendelian randomisation. In all cases, emphasis on replications is of paramount importance. This represents an extraordinary challenge that can only be met with large-scale collaborative and multicentre research programmes.


Background: Prostate cancer is common in elderly men, especially in western countries, and incidences are rising in low-risk populations as well. In India, the age-standardized rates vary between registries. Under these circumstances we have estimated the survival of prostate cancer patients based on age, family history, diabetes, hypertension, tobacco habit, clinical extent of disease (risk group) and treatment received. Materials and Methods: The present retrospective study was carried out at the Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH), Mumbai, India. During years 1999-2002, some 850 prostate cancer cases, including 371 new cases, treated in TMH were considered as eligible entrants for the study. Five-year survival rates using actuarial and loss-adjusted (LAR) method were estimated. Results: The patient population was distributed uniformly over the three age groups. A larger proportion of the patients were diagnosed at 'metastatic stage' and hormone treatment was most common. 20% patients had history of diabetes and 40% with hypertension. The 5-year overall survival rate was 64%. Survival was 55%, 74% and 52% for '<59 years','60-69 years' and '>70 years' respectively. Non-diabetic (70%), hypertensive (74%), with family history (80%) of cancer, with localized-disease (91%) and treated with surgery, either alone or in combination, (91%) had better survival. Conclusions: The present study showed that prostate cancer patients with localized disease at diagnosis experience a better outcome. Local treatment with either surgery or radiation achieves a reasonable outcome in prostate cancer patients. A detailed study will help in understanding the prognostic indicators for survival especially with the newer treatment technologies available now.


An explicit density-based solver for the compressible Navier-Stokes equations able to simulate cavitating flows has been developed and utilised for the simulation of collapsing vapour bubbles. Phase-change is considered by employing the homogeneous equilibrium model (HEM). The wide variation of Mach numbers between the liquid, vapour and mixture regimes is tackled by a Mach consistent numerical flux, suitable for subsonic up to supersonic flow conditions. Time discretisation is performed using a second order low storage Runge-Kutta scheme. Thermodynamic closure is achieved by utilising the Helmholtz energy equation of state (EoS), making feasible simulation of conditions at subcritical and supercritical regions considering the variations of liquid and vapour temperatures during bubble collapse. In order to reduce the computational cost associated with the solution of the Helmholtz EoS at each time step, a tabulated data technique has been followed. The unstructured thermodynamic table, containing the thermodynamic properties derived from the Helmholtz EoS, has been constructed for n-dodecane, which has been the considered as the working fluid. The efficiency of the method is enhanced by a static linked-list algorithm for searching among the elements of the table. In addition, a finite element bilinear interpolation is used for approximating the unknown thermodynamic properties. After validating the numerical method, parametric studies considering 2-D axisymmetric vaporous bubble collapse in the proximity of a wall have been performed at conditions realised in micro-orifice flow passages. The temperature and pressure changes on the wall are estimated as function of the surrounding liquid pressure, the initial bubble radius and the location of the wall from the center of the initial bubble, revealing the expected range of variation as function on the set parameters.


The membrane-associated cytoskeleton of the cardiac muscle cell is emerging as an important element in the maintenance of normal cell functioning. Recently it was shown that when proteins (betaII-spectrin, muscle Lim-only protein, ankyrin-B, ankyrin-G) of this system are defective or deficient, cardiac malfunction ensues. It is well-established that the spectrin cytoskeleton is associated with the plasma membrane, but it was only lately demonstrated that its components also lie on internal cell membranes. This is particularly apparent in muscle cells of the heart which contain specialised intracellular membrane compartments particular to this cell type such as the sarcoplasmic reticulum and T-tubules. Cardiomyocytes are subjected to constant mechanical stress. Since their mechanics are controlled through coordination of calcium fluxes mediated via cell membrane-based assemblies, it is imperative that these essential elements withstand the displacement forces of contraction. Cardiomyocyte spectrin locates the multifunctional spectrin/actin-binding and membrane-binding component, protein 4.1, and they act together on the plasma membrane as well as on internal membranes. We have found that cardiac protein 4.1 links to the calcium handling apparatus whilst spectrins connect with the sarcomeric contractile elements of the cell. Overall this assembly fulfils roles in stabilising cardiomyocyte cell membranes and in coordinating the macromolecular protein accumulations which regulate and accomplish cardiac molecular crosstalk, whilst at the same time enabling the muscle cells to resist extreme forces of contraction.


Abstract Objective We demonstrated that it was possible to predict ALS patients' degree of future speech impairment based on past data. We used longitudinal data from two ALS studies where participants recorded their speech on a daily or weekly basis and provided ALSFRS-R speech subscores on a weekly or quarterly basis (quarter-annually). Methods Using their speech recordings, we measured articulatory precision (a measure of the crispness of pronunciation) using an algorithm that analyzed the acoustic signal of each phoneme in the words produced. First, we established the analytical and clinical validity of the measure of articulatory precision, showing that the measure correlated with perceptual ratings of articulatory precision (r = .9). Second, using articulatory precision from speech samples from each participant collected over a 45–90 day model calibration period, we showed it was possible to predict articulatory precision 30–90 days after the last day of the model calibration period. Finally, we showed that the predicted articulatory precision scores mapped onto ALSFRS-R speech subscores. Results The mean absolute error was as low as 4% for articulatory precision and 14% for ALSFRS-R speech subscores relative to the total range of their respective scales. Conclusion Our results demonstrated that a subject-specific prognostic model for speech predicts future articulatory precision and ALSFRS-R speech values accurately.


BACKGROUND
An intramuscular (IM) formulation of olanzapine has been developed because there are no rapid-acting IM atypical antipsychotic drugs currently available in the United States for treating acute agitation in patients with schizophrenia.

METHODS
Recently hospitalized acutely agitated patients with schizophrenia (N = 270) were randomized to receive 1 to 3 IM injections of olanzapine (2.5, 5.0, 7.5, or 10.0 mg), haloperidol (7.5 mg), or placebo within 24 hours. A dose-response relationship for IM olanzapine in the reduction of agitation was assessed by measuring the reduction in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale Excited Component (PANSS-EC) scores 2 hours after the first injection. Safety was assessed by recording adverse events and with extrapyramidal symptom scales and electrocardiograms at 24 hours after the first injection.

RESULTS
Olanzapine exhibited a dose-response relationship for reduction in agitation (F(1,179)= 14.4; P<.001). Mean PANSS-EC reductions 2 hours after the first injection of olanzapine (2.5 mg = -5.5; 5.0 mg = -8.1; 7.5 mg = -8.7; 10.0 mg = -9.4) were superior to those with placebo (-2.9; P =.01 vs olanzapine at 2.5 mg; P<.001 for each other olanzapine dose) but not with haloperidol (-7.5). A dose of 5.0, 7.5, or 10.0 mg of olanzapine caused a greater reduction in agitation than placebo 30 minutes after the first injection. There were no differences between treatment groups for hypotension, the most frequently reported adverse event, or for clinically relevant changes in the QTc interval. There was a greater incidence of treatment-emergent parkinsonism during treatment with IM haloperidol (16.7%) than with 2.5 (P =.03), 5.0 (P =.03), or 7.5 mg (P =.01) of IM olanzapine (0%) or with placebo (0%) (P =.01).

CONCLUSIONS
Intramuscular olanzapine at a dose of 2.5 to 10.0 mg per injection exhibits a dose-response relationship in the rapid treatment of acute agitation in patients with schizophrenia and demonstrates a favorable safety profile.


Since ages the social rights and social wrongs have been pointed out, but have always lagged behind private ethics, slavery, racism, colonial exploitation and genocide have been known to be tolerated until fairly recently, and in some parts of the world, even today. Inequity has been prevalent in societies, although for their own survival. Civilizations have had to raise some voices against it, even if half-heartedly. At the centre of these inequalities lies the most common, most prevalent, most obvious and yet most ignored of all discriminations-the gender based ones. This discrimination for a very long time was seen as something that resulted from the natural differences and was, therefore, tolerated. Even the Enlightenment philosopher Amanual Kant did not intend to include women in the ranks of people capable of attaining freedom from traditional forms of authority. Although the motto of Enlightenment was "Have courage to use your own reason", it somehow did not extend to women probably because women weren't seen as capable of having any reason at first place. They have usually been seen as a weak link and incapable of handling even their own personal issues what to talk of society's issues at large, this was a general myth far from reality. Unfortunately, this mind-set has been prevailing from the historical to contemporary times, mostly in developing countries and especially in Pakistan. While a lot has been done in the recent times towards women empowerment in Pakistan, yet rural areas seem to be lagging behind. This research article unveils the issues related to women empowerment in Pakistan aimed at enhancing gender equality and proposing rightful place for the women as enshrined in the teachings of Islam and the constitution of Pakistan. This is intellectual discourse; therefore, views expressed are author's own views.


Security is a significant problem for communications in many scenarios in Internet of Things (IoT), such as military applications, electronic payment, wireless reprogramming of smart devices and so on. To protect communications, a secret key shared by the communicating parties is often required. Authenticated key exchange (AKE) is one of the most widely used methods to provide two or more parties communicating over an open network with a shared secret key. It has been studied for many years. A large number of protocols are available by now. The majority of existing AKE protocols require the two communicating parties execute equivalent computational tasks. However, many communications take place between two devices with significantly different computational capabilities, such as a cloud center and a mobile terminal, a gateway and a sensor node, and so on. Most available AKE protocols do not perfectly match these scenarios. To further address the security problem in communications between parties with fairly unbalanced computational capabilities, this thesis studies AKE protocols with unbalanced computational requirements on the communicating parties. We firstly propose a method to unbalance computations in the Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman (ECDH) key exchange scheme. The resulting scheme is named as UECDH scheme. The method transfers one scalar multiplication from the computationally limited party to its more powerful communicating partner. It significantly reduces the computational burden on the limited party since scalar multiplication is the most time-consuming operation in the ECDH scheme. When applying the UECDH scheme to design AKE protocols, the biggest challenge is how to achieve authentication. Without authentication, two attacks (the man-in-the-middle attack and the impersonation attack) can be launched to the protocols. To achieve authentication, we introduce different measures that are suitable for a variety of use cases. Based on the authentication measures, we propose four suites of UECDH-based AKE protocols. The security of the protocols is discussed in detail. We also implement prototypes of these protocols and similar protocols in international standards including IEEE 802.15.6, Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.3 and Bluetooth 5.0. Experiments are carried out to evaluate the performance. The results show that in the same experimental platform, the proposed protocols are more friendly to the party with limited computational capability, and have better performance than similar protocols in these international standards.


In the agricultural, the activities of technologies diffusion have the purpose to provide the farmers with knowledge that can adapt, transform or maximize the found factors of production, generally, with the purpose to improve the conditions of life of these people. In this direction, the SEBRAE/SP offers a program destined to the management qualification of agricultural farmers that have a differentiated methodology, what contribution to the rural sector, and the professional behavior. Thus, the objective of this work was to develop a explore research on the "Programa CapacitaA§A£o Rural†-SEBRAE/SP that allowed to understand the development actions and to characterize its participants and farmers. Were did consults to documents of the SEBRAE/SP, and attendance in 24 actions of diffusion, applying 457 questionnaires to identify the participants. The information were tabulated, and submitted to correspondence analysis. The results indicated that the program deal directly with the change of behaviors and attitudes of the agricultural farmers. Between the participants, only 56.32% were the agricultural work in you principal occupation, and the 30.45% presented the college. Farmers, in its majority, were men (71.09%), with 31-45age. The people with less than school correspond that participants whit agricultural works in your occupation, and between agricultural farmers, those small farmers. The principal participants will be with more difficulty in knowledge the contents programmatic


Hiding data values in privacy-preserving data mining (PPDM) protects information against unauthorised attacks while maintaining analytical data properties. The most popular models are designed for constant data environments. They are usually computationally expensive for large data sizes and have poor real-time performance on frequent data growth. Considering that updates and growth of source data are becoming more and more popular in online environments, a PPDM model that has quick responses on the data updates in real-time is appealing. To increase the speed and response of the singular value decomposition (SVD) based model, we have applied an improved incremental SVD-updating algorithm. The performance and effectiveness of the improved algorithm have been examined on synthetic and real data sets. Experimental results indicate that the introduction of the incremental matrix decomposition produces a significant increase in speed for the SVD-based data value hiding method, better scalability and better real-time performance of the model, thereafter. It also provides potential support for the use of the SVD technique in the online analytical processing for business data analysis.


Recent developments in the study of animal cognition and emotion have resulted in the 'judgement bias' model of animal welfare. Judgement biases describe the way in which changes in affective state are characterized by changes in information processing. In humans, anxiety and depression are characterized by increased expectation of negative events and negative interpretation of ambiguous information. Positive wellbeing is associated with enhanced expectation of positive outcomes and more positive interpretation of ambiguous information. Mood-congruent judgement biases for ambiguous information have been demonstrated in a range of animal species, with large variation in the way tests are administered and in the robustness of analyses. We highlight and address some issues using a laboratory species not previously tested: the Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus). Hamsters were tested using a spatial judgement go/no-go task in enriched and unenriched housing. We included a number of controls and additional behavioural tests and applied a robust analytical approach using linear mixed effects models. Hamsters approached the ambiguous cues significantly more often when enriched than unenriched. There was no effect of enrichment on responses to the middle cue. We discuss these findings in light of mechanisms underlying processing cues to reward, punishment and true ambiguity, and the implications for the welfare of laboratory hamsters.


ABSTRACT The current study investigated infants' spontaneous object interactions during naturalistic observation in a daycare centre in Japan. The researcher visited the class for 49 days, once a week, for one year (in the morning for about 1.5 h). Infants' and caregivers' interactions during free play time were videotaped. Of particular interest in this study was whether changes in infants' locomotor status were functionally related to social exchanges with objects. During longitudinal one-year observation, all six infants gradually acquired locomotor skills: two infants became walkers from pre-crawlers, and another four became walkers from crawlers. Throughout the observations, the infants spent an impressive amount of time (i.e. about 50%) in contact with objects. As they acquired locomotor skills, they gained access to distal objects and carried objects frequently. Triggered by the onset of walking, infants' carrying behaviour increased dramatically. Locomotor experiences were also related to qualitative changes in how they used objects in social interactions. These quantitative and qualitative changes in infants' object experiences were not strongly connected with the infants' age in months. Taken together, this study demonstrated that the onset of walking marks a critical developmental milestone that profoundly changes the way infants access, carry, and use objects to interact with others.


We study the identification of first-price auctions with nonseparable unobserved heterogeneity. In particular, we extend Hu, McAdams, and Shum (2013) by relaxing the first-order stochastic dominance condition. Instead, we assume restricted stochastic dominance relations among the value quantile functions and show that the same relations pass to the bid quantile functions. An ordered tree summarizes these relations and provides a total ordering. Relying on the proposed restricted stochastic dominance ordering, we extend a list of identification results in the empirical auction literature.


Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of 2.5% sodium hypochlorite associated with 17% Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (NaOCl-EDTA), versus that of 1% peracetic acid (PA), in removing the smear layer, as assessed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and in exerting bactericidal action against Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis), as assessed by the real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR). Methods and Materials: Fifty-five extracted mandibular single-rooted premolars were selected, and divided into two experimental groups (NaOCl-EDTA and PA; n=25) and one control group (0.9% saline; n=5). Pre- and post-instrumentation samples were collected and assessed for the presence of E. faecalis using real-time PCR. The teeth were instrumented using hand files and the ProTaper Universal system (hybrid technique) for a standardized time of 7 min. A total of 20 mL of NaOCl followed by 5 mL of EDTA were applied during instrumentation in the NaOCl-EDTA group, whereas 20 mL of PA and 20 mL of saline were applied in the PA and control groups, respectively. An additional 5 mL of saline was applied in all the groups to neutralize the environment. A scoring system was used to conduct the SEM assessment. The results were submitted to the Kruskal-Wallis test, complemented by Dunn's test (SEM analysis) (P<0.05). Results: A significant microbial reduction was observed in both the PA and the NaOCl-EDTA groups (P<0.05). In the PA group, the presence of a smear layer in the apical third was significantly greater than in the cervical third (P<0.05); no significant differences were observed between the middle and cervical thirds, or between the middle and apical thirds (P>0.05). In the NaOCl-EDTA group, the smear layer scores were significantly higher in the apical third than in the cervical and middle thirds (P<0.05). Conclusion: This in vitro study showed that there was no significant difference between PA and NaOCl-EDTA irrigation regimens regarding either antimicrobial action against E. faecalis or removal of the smear layer, except for greater removal in the middle third by the NaOCl-EDTA group.


: Understanding the structural stability of freestanding multilayer borophene is crucial because the interlayer interaction effect can lead to a new stabilized mechanism that can play a key role in determining the probability of its experimental realization, as evidenced by two recent experimental studies (substrate-supported bilayer  - [Nat. Mater. 2021, 21, 35] and  12 -like borophene [Nat. Chem. 2022, 14, 25]). This study examines the structural stability of 1–3-layer structures of five typical borophene classes (  ,  3 ,  12 , δ 6 , and δ 3 ), and the results obtained indicate that  -borophene (BBP) exhibits the most favorable stability in the 1–3-layer series. Accordingly, the structural stabilities, electronic structures, and work functions of 1–5-layer BBP are investigated systematically. The reduced interlayer bonds, as well as increased binding and interlayer interaction energy with an increasing layer number, demonstrate that both the interlayer interaction and stability are enhanced, as confirmed by ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. Moreover, metallicity and in-plane multi-centered bonding remain in the four multilayer structures. Remarkably, the interlayer bonding shifts from the isolated covalent dominant B–B bonds (2-/3-layer) to 5- or 6-centered localized bonds with mixed covalent and ionic components (4-/5-layer) via electronic localization function and bond population analyses. The interlayer and in-plane multi-centered bonds lead to the formation of an unprecedented interconnected 2D tubular geometry (α-type boron nanotubes), which significantly enhances the interlayer bonding strength, resulting in highly stable 4- and 5-layer BBP. The work functions of 4- and 5-layer BBP, in particular, are similar to those of the frequently used Pt anode


Rotating machinery is one of the major components of industries that suffer from various faults due to the constant workload. Therefore, a fast and reliable fault diagnosis method is essential for machine condition monitoring. In this study, noise eliminated ensemble empirical mode decomposition (NEEEMD) was used for fault feature extraction. A convolution neural network (CNN) classifier was applied for classification because of its feature learning ability. A generalized CNN architecture was proposed to reduce the model training time. A sample size of 64×64×3 pixels RGB scalograms are used as the classifier input. However, CNN requires a large number of training data to achieve high accuracy and robustness. Deep convolution generative adversarial network (DCGAN) was applied for data augmentation during the training phase. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed feature extraction method, scalograms from related feature extraction methods such as ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD), complementary EEMD (CEEMD), and continuous wavelet transform (CWT) are classified. The effectiveness of scalograms is also validated by comparing the classifier performance using grayscale samples from the raw vibration signals. All the outputs from bearing and blade fault classifiers showed that scalogram samples from the proposed NEEEMD method obtained the highest accuracy, sensitivity, and robustness using CNN. DCGAN was applied with the proposed NEEEMD scalograms to further increase the CNN classifier's performance and identify the optimal number of training data. After training the classifier using augmented samples, the results showed that the classifier obtained even higher validation and test accuracy with greater robustness. The proposed method can be used as a more generalized and robust method for rotating machinery fault diagnosis.


Neopterin is an early, sensitive and non-specific marker of cellular immunity. In the present study, serum levels of neopterin were measured by ELISA in 2760 volunteer blood donors, all negative by routine screening tests. Neopterin concentrations ranged from 0.001 to 62.1 nmol/l. 141 donors (5.1%) were found to have high (≥11 nmol/l) neopterin levels, and 57 of them accepted further investigations within about 3 weeks after their donation. Six had clinical symptoms, and 7 were positive for viral markers. Retesting of neopterin revealed that 2 of 57 donors still showed elevated results, who were adenovirus IgM and HBsAg positive donors, respectively. The present detection of a HBsAg positive donor who yielded negative result initially and a patient with adenovirus infection indicates that routine screening of neopterin levels in blood banks may reduce the risk for viral transmission.


This paper descirbes the characteristics of gold films prepared by a hybrid plasma based an ion implantation/deposition (PBIID) system. The surface morphology and structure of the film were affected by the voltage applied to the target. With increasing negative voltage, the surface became thinner with a lesser number of nuclei. The grain structure varied from the continuous film at 0 kV to the channel at -1 kV, and further to the islands (mounds) at -5 kV. The ions in the sheath are believed to play an important role in the deposition of the film.


I. INTRODUCTION Why would a God concerned about justice in a matter of life and death be willing to delegate an absolute power over life and death to such fallible and morally benighted creatures?1 In the landmark Furman v. Georgia decision,2 Justice Brennan likened capital punishment to a mere game of chance: "When the punishment of death is inflicted in a trivial number of the cases in which it is legally available, the conclusion is virtually inescapable that it is being inflicted arbitrarily. Indeed, it smacks of little more than a lottery system."3 Although Brennan's argument in Furman focused primarily on disparities across racial lines in death penalty implementation,4 the notion of arbitrariness5 applies equally well to our knowledge of the processes, discussions, and maneuvers that take place behind the closed doors of many capital punishment jury rooms.6 It is practically impossible, and indeed explicitly prohibited by the Rules of Evidence,7 to delve into jurors' thoughts and considerations pertaining to a particular sentencing decision.8 This limitation assumes heightened significance when a jury delivers a death penalty sentence,9 given that it is the "ultimate punishment"10 and cannot be corrected after implementation.11 The trial of Kevin Young12 stands as one of many that illustrate the dangers13 inherent in erecting impenetrable barriers around capital punishment jury deliberations.14 In 1997, Young faced a jury trial in the District Court of Oklahoma County,15 in which the jury sentenced Young to the death penalty for the charge of murder in the first degree, to twenty years imprisonment for attempted robbery with a firearm, and to thirty years imprisonment for shooting with intent to kill.16 Following the sentencing, Young's attorney filed an "Application for Evidentiary Hearing on Extraneous Information Relied Upon By the Jury"17 with the Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma.18 Young's counsel alleged that several jurors incorporated at least one Bible into the sentencing deliberations and, as a result, prejudicially influenced the jury as a whole.19 The Court of Criminal Appeals remanded the case to the district court for an evidentiary hearing to determine whether one or more jurors physically brought extraneous material, specifically a Bible, into the deliberation room, and if so, whether jurors incorporated that extraneous material into their sentencing deliberations.20 The trial judge found that one juror "may or may not have had a New Testament inside his brief case during the second stage of trial."21 The court's uncertainty was due to inconsistencies in the testimony of a single juror discovered during the evidentiary hearing.22 In interviews with an investigator acting on Young's behalf, this juror contended that the jury foreperson brought a Bible into the jury room during the sentencing phase and, along with another juror, read verses from Psalms.23 In addition, the juror stated that she had been considering voting for lifetime imprisonment without parole, but fellow jurors swayed her to vote for a death sentence after reading aloud verses from Romans during the sentencing deliberations.24 At the evidentiary hearing, however, the juror contradicted her previous statement to the investigator and instead testified that she had read the passages from Romans alone at night during the voir dire process and that her fellow jurors did not actually read the Bible in the jury room.25 The apparent inconsistencies, taken in context with other testimony presented at the evidentiary hearing, prompted the trial judge to conclude that there was no credible evidence that a juror either brought or used a Bible in the jury room during the sentencing deliberations.26 Referring to the trial judge's findings as "clearly erroneous and/or unreasonable,"27 Young's counsel implored the Court of Criminal Appeals to review the evidentiary hearing record de novo to determine whether jurors incorporated a Bible into their sentencing deliberations. …


Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) after menopause reduces climacteric symptoms and increases the quality of life. If correct dosage is used, bone loss can be prevented and fracture frequency reduced. Epidemiological studies also suggest a decreased cardio-vascular mortality among HRT users. A high proportion of post-menopausal women should therefore be treated using long-term therapy, but currently only a small proportion of women use HRT in Belgium, (around 14%). Further their compliance is particularly low. Fear of cancer and drug-related side effects, such as unaccepted bleeding are often mentioned causes of low compliance. Education of both physicians and patients, regarding HRT seems to be a crucial issue. The physician's attitude towards HRT is often reported as negative. Osteoporosis prevention and related bone mass measurements may have a favorable effect on compliance, but this is not well established. Establishing a confidential relationship with patients and the involvement of nursing counseling are strategies which may improve compliance. The use of easy-to-take medications supported by calendar blisters or reminders, may facilitate chronic use of medication. Future research needs to investigate the physician's and the patient's decision-making process.


Different procedures of laser-induced doping of the surface region of semi-insulating CdTe semiconductor are discussed. CdTe crystals pre-coated with an In dopant film were subjected to irradiation with nanosecond laser pulses in different environments (vacuum, gas or water). The dopant self-compensation phenomenon was overcome under laser action and In impurity with high concentration was introduced in a thin surface layer of CdTe. In the case of a thick (300-400 nm) In dopant film, laser-induced shock wave action has been considered as the mechanism of solid-phase doping. Formed In/CdTe/Au diode structures showed high rectification depending on the fabrication procedure. Diodes with low leakage current were sensitive to high energy radiation.


: The mucosal immune system is concerned with host defense along the moist surfaces of the body which have contact with the external environment. These sites contain specialized lymphoid structures which contain precursors for IgA-synthesizing B lymphocytes and immunoregulatory T lymphocytes which will determine whether oral tolerance or a strong immune response develops against antigens administered orally. The key step to antigen processing in the gastrointestinal tract involves its initial uptake from the gut lumen by specialized follicle associated epithelium called 'M' cells. M cells originate from adjacent crypt epithelium and are interspersed between the absorptive epithelial cells in the follicle-associated epithelium. M cells cells have short, irregular microvilli, are closely associated with lymphocytes, do not have a prominent terminal web, and have only weak alkaline phosphatase activity but strong nonspecific esterase activity. M cells do not express surface MHC class II (HLA-DR) antigens. These cells take up macromolecules, viruses, bacteria and protozoa within 30 minutes from the initial presentation of the antigen to the intestinal lumen. After the initial uptake of antigen by M cells, the antigens are transported into the follicular areas to be processed by dendritic cells and brought into close contact with the antigen-specific precursors for IgA secreting plasma cells. The final result of M cell processing is the production of a vigorous secretory IgA response and local cell-mediated immunity with suppression of a systemic IgG, IgE and delayed-type hypersensitivity to orally-administered antigens.


Many states have invested significant resources to identify components of their Phosphorus (P) Index that reliably estimate the relative risk of P loss and incentivize conservation management. However, differences in management recommendations and manure application guidelines for similar field conditions among state P Indices, coupled with minimal reductions in the extent of P-impaired surface waters and soil test P (STP) levels, led the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to revise the 590 Nutrient Management Standard. In preparation for this revision, NRCS requested that a review of the scientific underpinnings and accuracy of current P Indices be undertaken. They also sought to standardize the interpretation and management implications of P Indices, including establishment of ratings above which P applications should be curtailed. Although some states have initiated STP thresholds above which no application of P is allowed, STP alone cannot define a site's risk of P loss. Phosphorus Indices are intended to account for all of the major factors leading to P loss. A rigorous evaluation of P Indices is needed to determine if they are directionally and magnitudinally correct. Although use of observed P loss data under various management scenarios is ideal, such data are spatially and temporally limited. Alternatively, the use of a locally validated water quality model that has been shown to provide accurate estimates of P loss may be the most expedient option to conduct Index assessments in the short time required by the newly revised 590 Standard.


Grass from the genus Brachiaria spp. predominates in pastures with low fertile soils. This scenario highlights the importance of the association with microorganisms to foster plant growth, which becomes essential to the successful establishment of this forage in such environments. This study aimed to evaluate the genetic variability and identify the mechanisms of plant growth promotion, in vitro, of bacteria associated with Brachiaria decumbens Stapf. and Brachiaria humidicola (Rendle.) Schweickerdt in Pernambuco, Brazil. We evaluated 20 isolates of diazotrophic bacteria obtained from the endophyte or rhizosphere communities. The genetic characteristics were determined via sequencing the 16S rRNA region, which allowed us to identify ten different bacterial genera:  Bacillus sp., Burkholderia sp., Enterobacter sp., Klebsiella sp., Microbacterium sp., Pantoea sp.,  Ralstonia sp., Rhizobium sp., Sinomonas sp., and Sphingomonas sp., with a specificity of the genus  Rhizobium sp. to Brachiaria decumbens Stapf.. The phenotypic and functional characteristics revealed that 100% of the bacterial strains produced indol-3-acetic acid (IAA) with the addition of L-tryptophan, and 60% presented IAA production independent of the L-tryptophan pathway. We also detected that 70% of the isolated bacteria possessed the capacity to solubilize phosphorus. The analysis of the enzymatic output revealed that 30% of the bacterial isolates produced cellulase, 60% produced pectate lyase, 15% produced polygalacturonase, and 30% produced amylase. We also detected the production of N-acyl homoserine lactones in 65% of bacterial strains. In summary, our results showed that plants of B. decumbens Stapf. and B. humidicola (Rendle.) Schweickerdt interacted with different bacterial genera capable of promoting plant growth.


The objectives to be achieved through this research are describe the Quality Assurance Model, Formulate the Quality Assurance Model, Describe the inhibiting factors and solution of the Quality assurance system at the Husada Flower Midwifery Academy, the Mahakam Pearl Midwifery Academy and the East Kalimantan Health Polytechnic. This study uses a qualitative approach to the type. Data collection techniques are carried out through in-depth interviews, participant observation and documentation. Establish procedures for preparation of implementation and required resources. Prepare human resources through the process of training, workshops and discussions. Samarinda Mahakam Pearl Midwifery Academy Samarinda. Conducted based on: Academic documents: quality standards that have been set. Quality document: as an instrument to achieve predetermined standards. Poltekkes Kemenkes East Kalimantan, The implementation of improving the quality assurance system is guided by: quality assurance principles oriented to inputs, processes and outputs. Formulation of Quality Assurance, preparation of quality improvement strategy plans is carried out systematically and structured in each midwifery academy which is oriented towards improving the quality of inputs, processes and outputs, with different strategies. Inhibiting factors and quality assurance system solutions implemented by carrying out: self-evaluation, internal academic quality audits, solutions carried out to determine the achievement of quality standards that have been set and evaluation findings used as material to improve the quality assurance improvement, which is planned, implemented and evaluated carried out implementation control and improvement in accordance with midwifery vocational education standards properly.


In 2007 the Department of Education introduced the standards-based Advanced Certificate in Education: School Management and Leadership. The standardisation of leadership and management development in South African schools has been uncritically accepted by most academics and professionals. The purpose of this article is to problematise the standardisation of leadership and management development, using the critiques of the Interstate School Leadership Licensure Consortium standards of the United States as the basis of analysis. This article indicates the following areas of concern: the lack of clarity regarding the empirical basis of the unit standards; the incorporation of certain non-empirical ideals into the programme; the generic instead of contextualised approaches to leadership and management development; the use of a generic programme for school principals, deputy principals, and heads of department in spite of their differentiated roles; and the lack of a single, generally accepted policy document containing an exposition of the role of school principals that could form the basis of leadership and management development. This emphasises the need for the unit standards to be subjected to regular scrutiny and revision to address areas of concern and to ensure relevance thereof in the face of current developments and empirical research findings.


Ethylene is a small hydrocarbon molecule (C2H4) that plays numerous roles in our daily lives. As a plant hormone, it regulates growth and can be used to promote the ripening of fruits. As a highly reactive molecule, it serves as a major building block in the chemical industry, where the molecule is often polymerized to make plastics or oxidized for the manufacture of detergents and automotive antifreeze. The underlying physics that drives ethylene's functionality is the ultrafast motions of the electrons and nuclei that constitute the molecule. A better understanding of how these motions depend on each other could allow greater control of the behavior of ethylene or any other molecule. Writing in Physical Review X, Xinhua Xie, from Vienna University of Technology in Austria, and colleagues have performed experiments that reveal the correlated electron-nuclear dynamics and the possibility of steering the breaking of the ethylene molecule by an ultrashort laser pulse [1].


Drawing on remarks scattered through his writings, I argue that Leibniz has a highly distinctive and interesting theory of color. The central feature of the theory is the way in which it combines a nuanced subjectivism about color with a reductive approach of a sort usually associated with objectivist theories of color. After reconstructing Leibniz's theory and calling attention to some of its most notable attractions, I turn to the apparent incompatibility of its subjective and reductive components. I argue that this apparent tension vanishes in light of his rejection of a widely accepted doctrine concerning the nature of bodies and their geometrical qualities.


The power potential in the waves that hit all the coasts worldwide has been estimated to be of the order of 1 TW. Each wave crest transmits 10–50 kW/m of energy, which is 15–20 times higher than wind or solar energies. The availability of wave energy is 90% compared to 30% for wind and solar energies. The oscillating water column (OWC), which is the most investigated wave energy converter consists of a partially submerged hollow structure positioned either vertically or inclined. The bidirectional airflow above the water column drives a turbine. The conventional OWCs experience flow separation at the sharp corners of the chamber. To address this issue, researchers have proposed inclining the chamber at an angle with respect to the incident waves to improve the flow characteristics. In the present work, the effect of OWC inclination on rotor performance is studied using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code ansys-cfx. The results highlight that the 55 deg inclined OWC showed improved performance compared to the conventional OWC and modified OWC (optimized in a previous work). The maximum power for the inclined OWC was 13% higher than that for the rotor in the modified OWC and 28% than that in the conventional OWC at mean wave condition. The 55 deg inclined OWC recorded peak rotor power of 23.2 kW with an efficiency of 27.6% at the mean sea state. The peak power and efficiency at maximum sea state were 26.5 kW and 21.5%, respectively.


The interpretation of in situ or remotely sensed soil moisture data for drought monitoring is challenged by the sensitivity of these observations to local soil characteristics and seasonal precipitation patterns. These challenges can be overcome by standardizing soil moisture observations. Traditional approaches require a lengthy record (usually 30 years) that most soil monitoring networks lack. Sampling techniques that combine hourly measurements over a temporal window have been used in the literature to generate historical references (i.e., climatology) from shorter-term datasets. This sampling approach was validated on select U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN) stations using a Monte Carlo analysis, which revealed that shorter-term (5+ years) hourly climatologies were similar to longer-term (10+ year) hourly means. The sampling approach was then applied to soil moisture observations from the U.S. Climate Reference Network (USCRN). The sampling method was used to generate multiple measures of soil moisture (mean and median anomalies, standardized median anomaly by interquantile range, and volumetric) that were converted to percentiles using empirical cumulative distribution functions. Overall, time series of soil moisture percentile were very similar among the differing measures; however, there were times of year at individual stations when soil moisture percentiles could have substantial deviations. The use of soil moisture percentiles and counts of threshold exceedance provided more consistent measures of hydrological conditions than observed soil moisture. These results suggest that hourly soil moisture observations can be reasonably standardized and can provide consistent measures of hydrological conditions across spatial and temporal scales.


Disease recurrence is a major problem in patients receiving bone marrow transplantation for chronic myeloid leukemia. Residual malignant cells are the most likely source of recurrence. Detection of minimal residual disease early during therapy may provide an additional prognostic value and help in identifying patients who are at high risk of relapse. PCR followed by hybridization is the most sensitive method to investigate the persistence of leukemic cells. However, more reproducible methods suitable to standardization and quantification are required in clinical practice. In this study, we describe a novel PCR assay combined with immunological and colorimetric detection of the bcr-rearrangement. Residual bcr/abl rearranged cells were observed in 7 patients. Our results show that the assay is equally sensitive as RT-PCR, more versatile in terms of standardization and easily adaptable as a diagnostic test.


The use of network analysis has increased in various fields. In particular, a lot of attention has been paid to centrality metrics using shortest paths, which require a comparatively smaller amount of computation, and the global characteristic features within the network. While theoretical and experimental progress has enabled greater control over networks, large amounts of computation required for dealing with large-scale networks is a major hurdle. This research is on high-performance network analysis considering the memory hierarchy in a computer; it targets extremely important kernel types called shortest paths and centrality. Our implementation, called NETAL (NETwork Analysis Library), can achieve high efficiency in parallel processing using many-core processors such as the AMD Opteron 6174, which has the NUMA architecture. We demonstrated through tests on real-world networks that NETAL is faster than previous implementations. In the all-pairs shortest paths for the weighted graph USA-road-d.NY.gr (n =264K, m =734K), our implementation solved the shortest path distance labels in 44.4 seconds and the shortest paths with multiple predecessors in 411.2 seconds. Compared with the 9th DIMACS benchmark solver, our implementation is, respectively, 302.7 times and 32.7 times faster. NETAL succeeded in solving the shortest path distance labels for the USA-road-d.USA.gr (n =24M, m =58M) without preprocessing in 7.75 days. Numerical results showed that our implementation performance was 432.4 times that of the ∆-stepping algorithm and 228.9 times that of the 9th DIMACS benchmark solver. Furthermore, while GraphCT took 18 hours to compute the betweenness of web-BerkStan, our implementation computed multiple centrality metrics (closeness, graph, stress, and betweenness) simultaneously within 1 hour. A performance increase of 2.4-3.7 times compared with R-MAT graph was confirmed for SSCA#2.