Summary.  Coagulation serine proteases signal through protease‐activated receptors (PARs). Thrombin‐dependent PAR signaling on platelets is essential for the hemostatic response and vascular thrombosis, but regulation of inflammation by PAR signaling is now recognized as an important aspect of the pro‐ and anti‐coagulant pathways. In tissue factor (TF)‐dependent initiation of coagulation, factor (F) Xa is the PAR‐1 or PAR‐2‐activating protease when associated with the transient TF–FVIIa–FXa complex. In the anticoagulant protein C (PC) pathway, the thrombin–thrombomodulin complex activates PC bound to the endothelial cell PC receptor (EPCR), which functions as a required coreceptor for activated PC‐mediated signaling through endothelial cell PAR‐1. Thus, the pro‐ and anti‐inflammatory receptor cascades are mechanistically coupled to immediate cell signaling, which precedes systemic coagulant or anticoagulant effects. In contrast to the substrate‐like recognition of PARs by thrombin, TF‐ or EPCR‐targeted activation of PARs generates cell‐type specificity, PAR selectivity and protease receptor cosignaling with the G‐protein‐coupled PAR response. Protease receptors are thus major determinants of the biological outcome of coagulation factor signaling on vascular cells.


Abstract
Purpose
There is extensive evidence that decision-makers, faced with increasing information load, may simplify their choice by reducing the amount of information to process. One simplification, commonly referred to as attribute non-attendance (ANA), is a reduction of the number of attributes of the choice alternatives. Several previous studies have identified relationships between varying information load and ANA using self-reported measures of ANA. This chapter revisits this link, motivated by recognition in the literature that such self-reported measures are vulnerable to reporting error.

Methodology
This chapter employs a recently developed modelling approach that has been shown to effectively infer ANA, the random parameters attribute non-attendance (RPANA) model. The empirical setting systematically varies the information load across respondents, on a number of dimensions.

Findings
Confirming earlier findings, ANA is accentuated by an increase in the number of attribute levels, and a decrease in the number of alternatives. Additionally, specific attributes are more likely to not be attended to as the total number of attributes increases. Willingness to pay (WTP) under inferred ANA differs notably from when ANA is self-reported. Additionally accounting for varying information load, when inferring ANA, has little impact on the WTP distribution of those that do attend. However, due to varying rates of non-attendance, the overall WTP distribution varies to a large extent.

Originality and value
This is the first examination of the impact of varying information load on inferred ANA that is identified with the RPANA model. The value lies in the confirmation of earlier findings despite the evolution of methodologies in the interim.


Effective transmission expansion planning is necessary to ensure a power system can satisfy all demand both reliably and economically. However, at the time reinforcement decisions are made many elements of the future power system background are uncertain, such as demand level, type and location of installed generators, and plant availability statistics. In the current power system planning literature, making decisions which account for such uncertainties is usually done by considering a small set of plausible scenarios, and the resulting limited coverage of parameter space limits confidence that the resulting decision will be a good one with respect to the real world.

This thesis will consider a Bayesian approach to transmission expansion planning under uncertainty, which uses statistical emulators to approximate how input affects output of expensive simulators using a small number of training runs (evaluations from the simulator), as well as quantifying uncertainty in the simulator output for all points at which it has not been evaluated. In addition, expert judgement is used to formulate probability density functions to describe the uncertainties which exist in the power system, which can then be used alongside the emulator to estimate expected costs under uncertainty whilst also giving credible intervals for the resulting estimate.

Further, the methodology will be expanded to consider multi-stage transmission expansion problems under uncertainty, where uncertainty can be reduced in various aspects of the power system between decisions. In the existing power system planning literature, multi-stage decisions under uncertainty are handled by considering a small number of possible projections of the future power system, which gives a very limited coverage of the space of all possible projections of the future power system. This thesis will consider how emulation can be used alongside backwards induction to calculate costs across all stages as a function of the first stage decision only, whilst also accounting for the uncertainties which exists in the future power system. As part of this, the future state of the power system is modelled using continuous variables which effectively allows for an infinite number of possible projections to be considered.

Throughout this thesis, the methodology used is detailed in quite general terms, which should allow for the methodology to be applied to problems of interest other than the transmission expansion planning problem considered in this thesis with relative ease.


Previous studies have shown that LPS and cytokines modulate the binding of glucocorticoids (GCs) in the CNS, and therefore may affect the negative feedback exerted by GCs. In this study, we investigated the effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the inhibitory action of GCs upon the adrenocortical response to a neural stressful stimulus. Male rats were treated with either LPS (50 micrograms/kg) or saline for 5 consecutive days. Two days later, the LPS- and saline-treated rats were injected intraperitoneally with either dexamethasone (20 micrograms/kg) or saline and sacrificed 3.5 h later, after exposure to acute stressful photic stimulation. In saline-pretreated rats, photic stimulation caused a 5-fold increase in serum corticosterone levels compared to basal levels, and pretreatment with dexamethasone completely abolished this response. In LPS-pretreated rats, corticosterone levels following photic stimulation increased 20-fold, and dexamethasone was ineffective. Additional experiments were conducted to examine whether the impairment in the negative feedback was specific to the prolonged LPS treatment, rather than to LPS-induced hypersecretion of GCs. In groups of rats which were exposed to either daily acoustic stress or daily administration of corticosterone (5 mg, twice daily) for 5 days, the pattern of corticosterone secretion mimicked the corticosterone secretion induced by LPS. In these groups, the adrenocortical response to acute photic stimulation and the effect of dexamethasone were similar to saline-pretreated controls. These results suggest that LPS impairs the negative feedback of either endogenous or exogenous GC upon the adrenocortical response to stress. This finding may be relevant to the enhanced adrenocortical activity associated with sepsis and major depression.


PURPOSE
To evaluate success, histologic accuracy, patient acceptance and BI-RADS TM-correlated malignancy rate of stereotactic vacuum-assisted breast biopsies in order to optimize the indication.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
In 132 patients with mammographically detected breast lesions 166 stereotactic vacuum- assisted 11 gauge core biopsies were performed. All lesions were classified according to the BI-RADS TM categories of the ACR. Removal of the lesion was radiographically assessed as complete, representative or not representative. Patient acceptance was evaluated.

RESULTS
Of the 166 lesions, 54 (32.5 %) lesions were judged completely removed, 110 (66.3 %) representatively removed and 2 (1.2 %) not representatively removed. Malignancy was found in 38 (22.9 %) lesions. The rate of malignancy increased from 6.3 % (2/32) for BI-RADS TM category 3 to 16.7 % (19/114) for BI-RADS TM category 4 and increased further to 85 % (17/20) for BI-RADS TM category 5 (p < 0.001). The histology of a sufficient vacuum-assisted biopsy was underestimated in 6 (15 %) of the 40 lesions that were subsequently excised surgically. Most patients (98.5 %; 130/132) stated they would undergo a vacuum-assisted biopsy again.

CONCLUSION
Vacuum-assisted breast biopsy is accurate, has a justifiable rate of histologic underestimation and is well accepted by patients. Patients with BI-RADS TM category 4 microcalcification benefit the most. Lesions of BI-RADS TM category 3 and BI-RADS TM category 5 should be biopsied only under special circumstances (family risk of breast cancer; assessment of lesions extension).


The development within wind power energy has gone from a small scale production to a large industry. I this phase of development it does not seem motivated to repeat all arguments for reducing carbon monoxide sources. Rather, the focus in this study is directed towards processes of implementation of visions to planning in practice, where environmental goals are to be fulfilled and lead to a sustainable development for a local community.The aim of this study is to follow the processes involved in the wind power projects in Laholm municipality, by investigating the wind power discourses in the view of landscape theories concerned with the relation between man, nature and society, and to put concepts and arguments into action by dropping them to actors and networks, through action research.The study will answer the following questions:1. What actors are in foreground and in background when issues regarding wind power plants are discussed?2. In what ways can we understand the relations between man, nature and society in this case?3. What does the arguments concerning wind power consist of and how can they be explained towards the use of resources?4. What social and economical consequences may the wind power projects have for the community?5. What are of concerns for the researcher who is intervening through action research?6. How did the collaborative and deliberative processes succeed in the planning implementation process?The study shows that when resources are at stake in a local community, it will activate and accentuate the boundaries between different groups. Arguments describe these boundaries related to land owners and others, between those who primarily see the landscape as a landscape for production and those who see it as a landscape for recreation. The activated boundaries make it difficult for some actors to openly state their position in the wind power issue. Processes of change take time, and it is also concluded that early local involvement and slow processes may facilitate acceptance of these landscape changes. The study shows the importance of considering the relations between humans and their landscapes and that the key to managing change goes through this understanding. Management of implementation processes are ideally strategically planned for as involving the complex relations between man and nature, rather than presupposing NIMBY explanations. Processes of change takes time and therefore the aim of leading processes should work cautiously with establishing local participation and encouragement.It is likely that the wind power projects will produce possibilities for local companies if the plants are put into place, and if they produce the estimated power planned for. However, these changes are also dependent on the local community, the municipality, the region and the state, through willingness to support with knowledge, information, strategic plans, economic support for entrepreneurs, and general capacity building processes. It is also likely that some people will chose other places to live in, but that new people will chose to move to the community. It is therefore important to map and make use of these new builders in the process of capacity building for a sustainable community.Researchers have an important role to play as intervener in the processes between local communities, authorities and companies. The researcher can help as collector analyzing opinions and values regarding natural resource projects. The researcher can also analyze and present experiences from other similar projects to local community as well as to authorities and companies involved in the process. The researcher can also contribute as leader of processes by staging learning processes in groups, handling conflicts and managing creative development processes.The most evident problem in this study was the difficulties in reaching out to the local actors. Efforts were instead made to visit them in other forums where they met of other reasons. An action research strategy was therefore to be where things is happening and to make room for issues of development in these contexts, for instance on Internet, in school, on local meetings, and in interviews.Although the interest for wind power in Laholm seems to have reached a stage where the loudest land owner voices claim to want more of the benefits from wind power energy, it is important to produce plans for action, knowledge and to lead the processes of local development in Sweden.


The selection of herd bulls is important in determining profitability of commercial ranchers and cow-calf operators as well as purebred producers. In this research, the key attributes of bulls – based on visual, performance, and ultrasound data – are valued using a traditional hedonic pricing model. The data are collected from the annual bull test trial and sale at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The results suggest that buyers at the SIUC Beef Evaluation Station are willing to pay more for bull characteristics associated with calving ease and weaning weights. For instance bulls with a combination of both lower birth weight Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs) and high yearling weight EPDs than average can command premiums of over $1,150 per head or 67 percent above the average sale price. Farm managers can use this information in the selection of herd bulls while purebred operators can attempt to select for the most valuable traits.


Many wild bee species are declining globally. To design efficient mitigation strategies to slow down or reverse these trends, we urgently need to better understand their basic ecological requirements. In this context, we studied two specialist species for which ecological data are scarce: Dasypoda visnaga and Dasypoda maura. We provide for the first-time detailed information on their phenologies, morphological traits, floral preferences, and nesting behaviours based on historical data and new samples from Morocco. The flight season of both species extends from late spring to late summer but D. maura emerges earlier than D. visnaga. Though the two species show different morphological traits, palynological analyses show that D. visnaga and D. maura females collect almost exclusively pollen from Scolymus sp. (Asteraceae). Concerning their nesting behaviour, D. visnaga seems to be more gregarious than D. maura. Both species build nests in sandy soil that can reach a depth of 80 cm. These ecological observations show that the differences between D. visnaga and D. maura are minor with regards to habitat requirements.


This paper examines the prevention of the exponential growth of aflatoxin occurring in multi-month, postharvest storage in tropical countries, with examples from field experience and scientific data. Four approaches to modern, safe, postharvest storage methods are described, the most successful being the use of flexible, UltraHermetic™ airtight structures that create an unbreatheable atmosphere (low oxygen, high carbon dioxide) through insect and microorganism respiration alone, without use of chemicals, fumigants, vacuum, or refrigeration. The increase in aflatoxin levels during multi-month, postharvest storage is a serious health hazard affecting several major crops. During postharvest crop storage by conventional methods in tropical conditions, molds existing within crops can produce aflatoxin levels many times greater than at harvest, often vastly exceeding the international safety standards of 20 ppb (parts per billion). For example, field data from Mali documents that during just two months of conventional peanut storage, average aflatoxin levels rose 200%. In Uganda, aflatoxin levels in conventionally stored maize rose 300% in three months. By contrast, laboratory and field data from Mali and Uganda show that the organically modified atmosphere created using various forms of sufficiently hermetic (airtight) storage containers (ranging from 25kg to 1000-tonne capacity) prevents the exponential growth of aflatoxin-producing molds in various grains, peanuts, and seeds.


SUMMARY: Increasing concentrations of ammonium ions in the medium of nitrogen-fixing, sulphate-limited continuous cultures of Azotobacter chroococcum caused a proportionate repression of nitrogenase activity; free NH4
+ could be detected in the extracellular culture fluid only when nitrogenase activity was wholly repressed. The NH4
+ concentrations giving 50% or 100% repression were proportional to the population density. Nitrate ions repressed with similar stoichiometry; glutamate, glutamine and aspartate did not repress and were not metabolized; repressed and derepressed populations contained equal amounts and proportions of glutamate-forming enzymes. Repressed populations lacked both enzymatic components of nitrogenase. The intracellular free amino acid pools were typical of Gram-negative bacteria; an increase in the degree of repression was associated with an increase in the pool levels of ammonia, aspartate and glutamate. Nitrogen-fixing populations possessed a convoluted intracytoplasmic membrane system which was absent from ammonia-assimilating organisms, but the phospholipid contents of the two types of population were similar. All members of a half-repressed population possessed these membranes, but to a lesser extent that fully derepressed populations.
When N2-fixing chemostat populations were abruptly exposed to repressive concentrations of ammonium succinate. repression occurred exponentially and nitrogenase activity disappeared from the culture faster than wash-out of stable enzyme. Repression was not alleviated by exogenous cyclic AMP. Derepression was complete, according to the acetylene test, within half a doubling time of disappearance of free ammonium ions from the culture.


In this paper, we propose an interpolation-based method for simulating rigid needles in B-mode ultrasound images in real time. We parameterize the needle B-mode image as a function of needle position and orientation. We collect needle images under various spatial configurations in a water-tank using a needle guidance robot. Then we use multidimensional tensor-product interpolation to simulate images of needles with arbitrary poses and positions using collected images. After further processing, the interpolated needle and seed images are superimposed on top of phantom or tissue image backgrounds. The similarity between the simulated and the real images is measured using a correlation metric. A comparison is also performed with in vivo images obtained during prostate brachytherapy. Our results, carried out for both the convex (transverse plane) and linear (sagittal/para-sagittal plane) arrays of a trans-rectal transducer indicate that our interpolation method produces good results while requiring modest computing resources. The needle simulation method we present can be extended to the simulation of ultrasound images of other wire-like objects. In particular, we have shown that the proposed approach can be used to simulate brachytherapy seeds.


Background: Cognitive impairment in primary Sjogren's syndrome (PSS) has been identified in several small studies using self-reported measures.

Objectives: To quantify cognitive impairment symptoms in a large cohort of 150 PSS patients compared with controls and to explore the relationship between cognitive impairment with fatigue, pain and mood symptoms.

Methods: PSS patients fulfilling the American European Consensus Criteria were recruited from 12 sites in England. They completed the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) as well as measures of mood (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), fatigue (visual analogue scale (VAS)), dryness (VAS) and pain (VAS). CFQ scores were compared with data from controls. Completion of the CFQ yields a possible score between 0 and 100. The higher the score the greater the impairment.

Results: One hundred and fifty PSS patients and 198 controls completed the CFQ. Cognitive symptoms were worse in the PSS group (43.7 ± 17.8 vs 35.9 ± 12.9; P < 0.001). This difference persisted (P < 0.001) following analysis of covariance adjusting for age and gender. There were significant correlations with pain, fatigue, anxiety, depression and subjective dryness scores with CFQ scores. In order to partition the variability in CFQ scores into its component parts, we performed a multiple regression analysis. This confirmed that anxiety was the most important predictor of CFQ scores (P = 0.004).

Conclusion: Cognitive symptoms are common in PSS and independently associate with anxiety. Clinicians should give consideration to cognitive failure and anxiety in the management of PSS patients.


Ten cases of Skeletal III jaw deformity were treated surgically. The specific criteria used in the clinical assessment are emphasised. Preoperative workup consisting of clinical assessment, cephalometric studies, model surgeries and photographic slides are presented. The rationale for selecting the type of osteotomy in each case is given. Preoperative and post operative patient management is discussed. Results are presented and the management of complications encountered are discussed.


The Stereotype Content model (SCM) states that we tend to perceive minority groups as cold, incompetent or both. In this paper we adapt existing work to demonstrate that the Stereotype Content model holds for contextualised word embeddings, then use these results to evaluate a fine-tuning process designed to drive a language model away from stereotyped portrayals of minority groups. We find the SCM terms are better able to capture bias than demographic agnostic terms related to pleasantness. Further, we were able to reduce the presence of stereotypes in the model through a simple fine-tuning procedure that required minimal human and computer resources, without harming downstream performance. We present this work as a prototype of a debiasing procedure that aims to remove the need for a priori knowledge of the specifics of bias in the model.


Despite growing social acceptance, many young people who are LGBT experience harassment and bullying, family rejection, and social stigmatization putting them at high risk for depression and other mental health challenges. How should the mental health community best respond? Answers can be found in this book, which provides a road map to practices, interventions, and policies that will make a positive difference for LGBT youth and their families. Offering clear and practical information not available in any other volume, this book gives readers the research-based knowledge and recommended practices they need to work toward a stronger system of care and services and supports for LGBT youth and their families. Mental health administrators, policy makers, program developers, and school psychologists will discover 10 guiding principles of knowledgeable, sensitive, and responsive systems of care for LGBT youth deepen their understanding of the development and expression of sexual identity provide culturally and linguistically responsive services and supports (includes a helpful self-assessment checklist) develop interventions that foster resilience, increase assets and strengths, and mitigate risk factors reduce the incidence of suicide-related and self-harming behavior address the needs of LGBT youth who are homeless involve young people and families in the planning and implementation of services and supports successfully blend formal mental health services and natural supports provide effective support for LGBT youth and their families in schools and out-of-home care settings use social marketing as a tool to reduce discrimination and promote social inclusion This book equips readers with the very latest research findings, specific practice and policy recommendations, and reliable Internet resources to help professionals support young people who are LGBT and their families as they achieve positive mental health and become increasingly resilient. With this urgently needed guide to evidence-based, family-driven, youth-guided, and culturally and linguistically competent practices and policies, mental health and other professionals will advance systems of care that improve outcomes for LGBT youth and their families. Learn more about the "Systems of Care for Children's Mental Health" series."


The paper presents a concept of Statistical Mechanics for observation-based adaptation in autonomous systems, which is typically exhibited by simple biological systems. Time-critical operations of autonomous systems (e.g., unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs)), require in situ adaptation in the original plan of action and rapid response to evolving contextual changes and situation awareness for enhanced autonomy. In this regard, a concept of dynamic plan adaptation (DPA) is formulated in the setting of a generalized Ising model (e.g., the Potts model) over a discretized configuration space, where the targets (e.g., undersea mines) are distributed. An exogenous time-dependent potential field is defined that controls the movements of the autonomous system in the configuration space, while the decision-theoretic tool for dynamic plan adaptation is built upon local neighborhood interactions. The efficacy of the DPA algorithm has been evaluated by simulation experiments that demonstrate early detection of localized neighborhood targets as compared to a conventional search method involving back and forth motions.


To determine the seroprevalence of maternal and neonatal toxoplasmosis and cytomegalovirus (CMV) antibodies and hepatitis-B (HB) antigenaemia in a rural Egyptian area, a prospective serological study was done on a randomly selected sample of pregnant women (n = 150) and their newborn infants (n = 150). Sera were collected from the mothers during the first antenatal visit, and at the time of delivery and cord blood specimens (paired samples) taken from their infants to be tested for toxoplasma-IgG and IgM antibodies, CMV-IgG and IgM antibodies surface antigen (HBsAg) and HBe antigen (HBeAg). Maternal infection was indicated in cases where specific IgM antibody was present or where an initial maternal specimen gave negative result for IgG antibody, but the second blood specimen gave positive result. Specific IgM antibody in a cord blood specimen indicated fetal infection. Out of the 150 pregnant women, 64 (43 percent) were toxoplasma immune at their first antenatal visit and their newborns were toxoplasma IgG positive. Toxoplasma specific IgM antibody was detected in only three mothers at the time of deliver. The rate of maternal infection in susceptible pregnancies was 4 percent and the maternal-fetal transmission rate was estimated to be 33 percent, as only one newborn infant had toxoplasma-IgM antibody at birth. This denoted a prevalence of congenital toxoplasma infection = < 1.0 percent to non-immune mothers. There were no clinical features of congenital infection in the infant with toxoplasma-IgM antibody, but he will require long-term follow-up. All the mothers infected during pregnancy had known risk factors for toxoplasma infection. One-hundred-and-forty-three (96 percent) of the pregnant women were CMV-IgG seropositive at their first antenatal visit. At the time of delivery 143 (96 percent) of the mothers and their newborn infants were CMV-IgG seropositive. None of the mothers or their infants was CMV-IgM seropositive. HBsAg was detected in 8 per cent of pregnant mothers (n = 12) and in two (17 percent) of their newborn infants. None of the mothers was HBeAg positive. In conclusion, the prevalence of toxoplasma infection during pregnancy and its transplacental transmission rate in a rural Egyptian area are high compared to other countries. A toxoplasmosis antenatal screening and public education programmes for pregnant mothers is justifiable in rural Egypt. However, it appears that an antenatal screening programme for CMV is, at present, not warranted.


This paper examines the suitability of the proposed monetary union among the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). To do so, we identify the underlying structural shocks that these economies are subject to and assess the extent to which the shocks are symmetric. Additionally, we test for common trends and common business cycles among the GCC economies. We find that while the transitory demand shocks are typically symmetric, the permanent supply shocks are asymmetric. Furthermore, we do not find synchronous long-run and short-run movements in output. Despite the progress that has been made in terms of integration, our findings indicate that the conditions for forming a GCC monetary union have not as yet been met.


This paper considers thermal modeling of a 2 MW permanent magnet machine designed and manufactured for marine applications. The main focus is placed on the winding made of the Litz wire, and a practical approach to model heat transfer is presented. The proposed thermal modeling method, named segment-layer, is compared to traditional thermal models used mainly for standard winding configurations. In order to evaluate the accuracy of the developed thermal model, both simulation and experimental results are presented. In the simulation study, the proposed and traditional modeling methods are compared to a detailed finite element model of the Litz wire. Temperature measurements are carried out on the 2 MW machine prototype and a good agreement between the measurements and corresponding thermal model results is achieved. The suggested method is user-friendly and enables both analytical and numerical modeling of the Litz wire. Also, the parameters that play an important role in the winding heat transfer, e.g. impregnation goodness, can be easily implemented in the model developed in this paper.


We present a technique for jointly denoising bursts of images taken from a handheld camera. In particular, we propose a convolutional neural network architecture for predicting spatially varying kernels that can both align and denoise frames, a synthetic data generation approach based on a realistic noise formation model, and an optimization guided by an annealed loss function to avoid undesirable local minima. Our model matches or outperforms the state-of-the-art across a wide range of noise levels on both real and synthetic data.


Abstract This paper deals with the use of semantic knowledge to improve the intelligence and autonomous behavior of a mobile robot. A robot can exploit the semantics of its environment to infer new, implicit information. Another interesting possibility is to use semantics for detecting deviations between the real world and what is supposed to be "normal". For instance, normative semantic knowledge may state that towels should stay in the bathroom. If a robot detects a towel in the kitchen, it can react and decide to solve this inconsistency by bringing it to the bathroom. However not all ways to solve an inconsistency are acceptable: for instance, if the robot put the towel temporarily on a dirty sink in order to re-grasp it with the other arm, it would violate another norm – namely, that towels should always stay on a clean surface. In this work we present an algorithm that detects and recovers from norm violations, according to a semantic representation of norms, and ensures the normative acceptability of the robot actions throughout execution.


Eliciting the preferences and needs of tourists is challenging, since people often have difficulties to explicitly express them -- especially in the initial phase of travel planning. Recommender systems employed at the early stage of planning can therefore be very beneficial to the general satisfaction of a user. Previous studies have explored pictures as a tool of communication and as a way to implicitly deduce a traveller's preferences and needs. In this paper, we conduct a user study to verify previous claims and conceptual work on the feasibility of modelling travel interests from a selection of a user's pictures. We utilize fine-tuned convolutional neural networks to compute a vector representation of a picture, where each dimension corresponds to a travel behavioural pattern from the traditional Seven-Factor model. In our study, we followed strict privacy principles and did not save uploaded pictures after computing their vector representation. We aggregate the representations of the pictures of a user into a single user representation, i.e., touristic profile, using different strategies. In our user study with 81 participants, we let users adjust the predicted touristic profile and confirm the usefulness of our approach. Our results show that given a collection of pictures the touristic profile of a user can be determined.


Abstract The essay examines the condition of foreigners in an old regime society by focusing on judicial practices and jurisdictional conflicts. For the Bourbon monarchy the juridical definition of foreigners and their subordination under the kingdom's laws represented an important moment in the implementation of its territorial sovereignty against the extensive privileges acquired by the foreign nations during the Spanish period. By refusing to recognize any jurisdictional power of the consuls and by abolishing the particularistic judge-delegates, the foreigners were put under the unifying jurisdiction of the Supreme Magistracy of Commerce. Nevertheless, by mobilizing the consuls' protection and taking advantage of international power disparities, the foreigners adapted themselves to these institutional changes and managed even to influence them. Finally, discussing the social actors' manipulating capacities, the author stresses the instability of belongings and the corresponding categories of classification.


In our article, "Rating the Presidents: A Tracking Study," published in the 1997 summer issue of Presidential Studies Quarterly, we reported the results and analysis of the Siena Research Institute's first three presidential tracking studies and promised to conduct the fourth in 2002 after a new president had been in office for a year. We now have those results, and this article will continue the analysis with those results added. The first poll was conducted after President Reagan had been in office for one year. The second was conducted after G.H.W. Bush was in office one year, and hence Reagan was out of office one year. The third and fourth followed the same pattern. It is our intention to continue these tracking surveys, at the same intervals, with each change of administration. The next Siena Research Institute study is scheduled for either January 2006 or 2010, depending on whether G.W. Bush is reelected. The four surveys are based on expert opinion, solicited from academic historians and political scientists throughout the United States. (1) Rather than solicit their views on which president was "great" or a "failure" as has become the custom, we created, in 1980, what we believe to be a more objective rating scale. We established twenty separate categories (2) ranging from foreign policy to party leadership (see Table 1), and asked our responding experts to rank each president in each category on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being poor and 5 outstanding. The resulting responses thus form a matrix of numbers--currently 20 by 42. We then averaged all of the responses, converted the 1-5 scale to percentages, and produced the final rankings (3) (see Table 2). We thus create an overall ranking for each president, from Franklin D. Roosevelt as first to Andrew Johnson as last in 2002. In addition, we have rankings that are question specific in each category (e.g., "luck" with Teddy Roosevelt first and Herbert Hoover last, in 2002). Our approach differs from traditional, subjective ratings in two ways. First, if a respondent has a negative/positive overall view of a president, they may give him a good/bad rating in certain categories (Nixon is 26th overall but 11th in foreign policy; Lincoln is 2nd overall but 29th in background). Second, if a president's rating changes over time, because of the twenty categories, we will be able to analyze why the change took place. The "great," "near failure," and "failure" system cannot do this. It is our judgment that this system not only allows us to track the ranking of presidents, especially recent presidents, over time--testing the idea that the passage of time dilutes passion and increases objectivity--but also permits us to attempt rational explanations as to why those rankings changed. Our objectives in creating this type of tracking study include the following: 1. To discover whether there is any correlation between the views held of a president early in his administration, almost immediately after he leaves office, and after a longer period of time; might high marks early in the first term bode well for the future or vice versa? Clearly, conventional wisdom and logic would argue against such a correlation, but time and survey data might well alter our view. 2. To determine whether there is a pattern to such rankings as they change over time. We know, for example, that in the 1962 Schlesinger poll of presidential ability, Dwight D. Eisenhower was ranked 22nd of 31 presidents, below Herbert Hoover and Benjamin Harrison, and just above Andrew Johnson. We also know that in recent surveys (including ours), he has risen to the top ten. Is that, then, a pattern or even the pattern? Do we, even as scholars, tend to be more critical when our judgments are about our contemporaries? Conversely, might some presidents get a "honeymoon" when they leave office, and decline later? 3. Can we explain, if a president's ranking does change well after his term is over, why it changes? …


We report a case of a 55-year-old man who presented with a 6-month history of a fungating ulcer on the right hand at the site of a previously healed ulcer that had been present for 40 years. Histopathological examination of four-quadrant biopsy specimens showed a moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). A transradiocarpal amputation with stump closure using radial flap was performed as it was not possible to achieve a functionally and cosmetically acceptable hand after a wide excision with 2 cm tumour-free margin. It is our intention to highlight this rare condition as reminder to consider this entity as a differential diagnosis of chronic non-healing skin ulcer.


The potential of biodiesel fuels from various vegetable oil sources such as sunflower (SFME), safflower (SAFME), peanut (PME) and canola (CME) as well as from low-cost chicken fat (CFME) to supplement increasing biodiesel demands must be evaluated in terms of the corresponding engine performance and exhaust emissions. In this study, two diesel engines rated at 14.2 kW (small) and 60 kW (large) were operated by using the different biodiesel fuels and a reference diesel. Results showed that both the small and large engines delivered similar power when using biodiesel fuels in the expense of higher brake-specific fuel consumptions (BSFC). Higher exhaust concentrations of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon dioxide (CO2) while lower carbon dioxide (CO) and negligible sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions were observed in both engines. Total hydrocarbon emissions (THC) were higher in both engines when using SME, SFME and CME but comparable when using CFME, SAFME and PME in the large engine. Thus, with the increasing demand for biodiesel, alternative feedstock sources such as those used in this study may be utilized to take advantage of their availability, renewability and environmental benefits.


An analysis was carried out to provide policy and investment recommendations for improving the quality and frequency of short sea shipping (SSS) networks in the Caribbean. The methodology used a combination of stakeholder consultations; data-gathering on port infrastructure, trade, and shipping route patterns in the region; investigation of case studies of SSS experiences; identification of intervention scenarios; and formulation of a financial model to select the scenarios with the greatest potential for implementation, based in inter-island connectivity and time performance. Finally, the study presents governance and organizational considerations, as well as an action plan and schedule for the implementation of the selected networks. It is recommended that a "Direction Reversal Scenario" and a "Port Handling Tariff Reductions for Less-than-Container-Load (LCL) Containers" Scenario should be developed, preferably to a Ferry Service model.


2 Abstract: Since the current demand for high-resolution and fast analog to digital converters (ADC) is driving the need for track and hold amplifiers (T&H) operating at RF frequencies. A very fast and linear T & H circuit is the key element in any modern wideband data acquisition system. Applications like a cable-TV or a broad variety of different radio standards require high processing speeds with high resolution. The track-and-hold (T&H) circuit is a fundamental block for analog-to-digital (A/D) converters. Its use allows most dynamic errors of A/D converters to be reduced, especially those showing up when using high frequency input signals. Having a wideband and precise acquisition system is a prerequisite for today's trend towards multi-standard flexible radios, with as much signal processing as possible in digital domain. This project is proposed to find the effect of various design schemes and circuit topology for track- and-hold circuit to achieve acceptable linearly, high speed, low power consumption, low chip area and low noise for high speed data communication. Proposed work will convert analog track and hold circuit into VLSI using mixed signal VLSI design.


Word embeddings are traditionally trained on a large corpus in an unsupervised setting, with no specific design for incorporating domain knowledge. This can lead to unsatisfactory performances when training data originate from heterogeneous domains. In this paper, we propose two novel mechanisms for domain-aware word embedding training, namely domain indicator and domain attention, which integrate domain-specific knowledge into the widely used SG and CBOW models, respectively. The two methods are based on a joint learning paradigm and ensure that words in a target domain are intensively focused when trained on a source domain corpus. Qualitative and quantitative evaluation confirm the validity and effectiveness of our models. Compared to baseline methods, our method is particularly effective in near-cold-start scenarios.


Abstract Accurate topographic information is critical for a number of applications in science and engineering. In recent years, airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) has become a standard tool for acquiring high quality topographic information. The assessment of airborne LiDAR derived DEMs is typically based on (i) independent ground control points and (ii) forward error propagation utilizing the LiDAR geo-referencing equation. The latter approach is dependent on the stochastic model information of the LiDAR observation components. In this paper, the well-known statistical tool of variance component estimation (VCE) is implemented for a dataset in Houston, Texas, in order to refine the initial stochastic information. Simulations demonstrate the impact of stochastic-model refinement for two practical applications, namely coastal inundation mapping and surface displacement estimation. Results highlight scenarios where erroneous stochastic information is detrimental. Furthermore, the refined stochastic information provides insights on the effect of each LiDAR measurement in the airborne LiDAR error budget. The latter is important for targeting future advancements in order to improve point cloud accuracy.


Human activities that lead to fragmentation and habitat loss are big problems in the world. Due to global climate change the negative effects of fragmented habitats can be catastrophic for many organisms. In the Amazon rainforest, that is most sensitive to human impact, stands a big risk to lose its species diversity. Fragmentation and climate change together seems to escalate the death rate of rainforest plants and that will change the whole ecosystem. Birds and insects are depending on the trees and the trees faces big challenges now. Many of the rainforest organisms have been noticed to emigrate further up to northern altitudes due to the warmer climate and maybe also because of deforestation. Many of the lowland forest birds are predicted to distribute from their origin habitats. The national reserve Allpahuayo Mishana in the Peruvian Amazon is known for its diversity of birds. It is a big challenge for the reserve to maintain the origin forest composition from climate change, which will lead to losses of species. The reserve allows the local community to utilize the land for small-scale uses inside the protected zone. Many of the birds are sensitive for external disturbance. Most human activities are resulting in that the forest becomes less dense, which can lead to that the territory for the birds decreases. This makes it important for the reserve to improve the human land use not to restrict the birds' habitat inside the reserve. This project will investigate if the small-scale land uses affects the understory birds' diversity and habitat negative. The purpose is to see if the fragmented forests in the reserve, closest to the utilized land, can functioning as a secondary forest for the understory birds, or are the understory birds limited by the small-scale land use, in the national reserve Allpahuayo Mishana? Four sites with various human activities were chosen to investigate if the sites contain any understory birds. The result showed that the most disturbed sites had poor bird diversity compare to the sites with no human disturbance.


Summary

1. The monthly game counts of Nairobi National Park in 1966 are compared with those of 1961 to 1983 inclusive. It appears that the mean an-nual population of wild ungulates has remained constant at about 4000 animais after a severe decline during the drought of 1961.

2. Wildebeest have continued to decline since the drought and there is no evidence of the former migration to the Athi-Kapiti plains. Reasons for these phenomena are proposed.

3. Kongoni have continued to in-crease since their decline in 1961 and little migration to the plains could be detected in 1966.

4. The mean yearly population of zebra has remained constant since their decline in 1961. At present this is the only species to migrate in large num-bers to and from the plains with the onset and cessation of the rains.

5. Other ungulates were less affected by the drought and their numbers in 1966 appear to have changed relatively little since the beginning of 1961.

6. Females predomInate in the adult populations of all the common plains ungulates.

7. In 1966 lions killed wildebeest at a rate four times greater than would be expected from the percentage of wildebeest in the population. Reasons for this are suggested. As the wildebeest have declined in numbers, the lion have included higher percentages of zebra, warthog, kongoni and eland in their diets.


The generation of continuous random processes with jointly specified probability density and covariation functions is considered. The proposed approach is based on the interpretation of the simulated process as a stationary output of a nonlinear dynamic system, excited by white Gaussian noise and described by a system of a first-order stochastic differential equations (SDE). The authors explore how the statistical characteristics of the equation's solution depends on the form of its operator and on the intensity of the input noise. Some aspects of the approximate synthesis of stochastic differential equations and examples of their application to the generation of non-Gaussian continuous processes are considered. The approach should be useful in signal processing when it is necessary to translate the available a priori information on the real random process into the language of its Markov model as well as in simulation of continuous correlated processes with the known probability density function. >


Subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a well established treatment for patients with advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) with medically intractable levodopa induced motor fluctuations and dyskinesias.1 Its practical limitations include cost, availability and need for specialised training, postoperative programming and periodic pulse generator replacement. Safety and hardware issues include infection, haemorrhage, lead breakage, skin erosions, pulse generator failure and cosmetic effects of the hardware. Complications and hardware issues have required temporary or permanent discontinuation of treatment in as many as 5–10% of patients.1

The efficacy of surgical intervention in STN was first demonstrated by placing subthalamic lesions in primates with MPTP induced parkinsonism.2 3 Parkinsonism was reversed but variable transient or persistent hemichorea resulted.3 Because of concerns that STN lesioning would cause hemiballismus in humans, STN DBS was introduced first in nearly all centres. This effectively alleviated tremor, bradykinesia and rigidity while levodopa dosage and levodopa induced dyskinesias were both reduced.1 However, because of limited availability of DBS in some regions, subthalamotomy has also been explored as a surgical option in PD.4 5 6 7

Alvarez and colleagues8 confirm and update their previous published experience4 5 with subthalamotomy in PD (see page 979) . Eighty-nine patients underwent unilateral subthalamotomy, 68 of whom were assessed in an unblinded fashion for 12–36 months following surgery. STN was targeted using semi-microrecording and microstimulation. A thermolytic lesion was placed in the dorsolateral region of the STN with a volume of 40–60 mm3 although postoperative MRI lesion analysis was not provided in this paper. Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) motor scores while off medication improved by 50% at 12 months but improvement declined to 18% by 36 months. This magnitude of improvement at 12 months compares favourably with results …


Movements and group structure of giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis were studied in Lake Manyara National Park, northern Tanzania. The giraffe population in Manyara had increased from 60 to 85 individuals between the early 1980s and 1991. This increase may have been the result of an increase in browse availability as a result of a dramatic decline in elephant numbers, and bush encroachment following a series of anthrax epidemics that killed impala. Giraffe densities in Manyara are high compared to other areas within the Masai ecosystem, and Manyara probably serves as a dry season refuge. Females were found in small, yet unstable groups, while males associated randomly with each other. Neither males nor females were confined to single localities, although home ranges were small compared with studies in areas with low giraffe densities. In one area within the park a more stable group was found, and resident males who were probably defending a temporary harem, engaged in necking contests with immigrant males. A comparison with other studies showed that giraffe density, home-range size, mobility and group stability differ across different habitats. The tendency that more stable groups are found in high density areas might be taken as evidence for the occurrence of resource defence polygyny in such areas.


Impacts of extreme weather events are relevant for cities in many aspects. Cities are the cores of economic activity and the amount of people and assets endangered by extreme weather events is large, even under the current climate. A changing climate with changing extreme weather patterns and the process of urbanization will make the whole issue even more relevant in the future. In this paper, definitions and terminology in the field of extreme weather events are discussed. Possible impacts of extreme weather events on cities are collected and the human influences are emphasized. Economic impacts are discusses along a temporal and a sectoral dimension. Finally, common economic impact models are compared, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses.


Noise can be unavoidable in communication networks, and its presence can have disastrous effects upon the data being sent. The main approach is to detect different type of noise in corrupted images. There are two steps in this process that has the ability to handle the real time applications due to its computational simplicity. The algorithm detects the type of noise in the first stage and handles error correction efficiently in the second stage. This algorithm can accurately detect and compensate for various noise sources common in multimedia applications, such as impulse, Gaussian, and uniform noise, with minimal loss to the integrity of the original digital image.


We consider a cloud-based control framework in which individual clients own their local plants that must be controlled by a public authority. Individual clients desire to keep the local state information as private as possible, as long as the cloud-based controller can provide a given level of quality of service. Based on an axiomatic argument, we show that Kramer's notion of causally conditioned directed information from the state random variable to a random variable disclosed to the public authority is an appropriate measure of privacy loss. For a special case with the Linear-Quadratic-Gaussian (LQG) setting, we provide a procedure to construct a "privacy filter" that attains the optimal trade-off between privacy loss and control quality.


This essay reviews Perino's timely, well-written, and meticulously researched book on Ferdinand Pecora's 1933 investigative hearings into the malfeasance of Wall Street banks and securities dealers preceding the Great Crash. The essay, after summarizing Perino's main contributions, argues that the Pecora Commission enjoyed extraordinary measures of luck and casting that captured the attention of the American public in a way that the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, its 2008 successor, has failed to do. The essay argues that the unfavorable comparisons drawn between the FCIC and the Pecora Commission -- always to the former's detriment -- are too hard on the FCIC, too complimentary to Pecora. While Gibbon may be right that "the wind and the waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators," the fact remains that the Pecora Commission enjoyed a great deal more favorable wind and waves than the FCIC, at every juncture. The role of luck in the success of such Commissions can be easily forgotten, but shouldn't be if we are to take fullest advantage of value of Congressional inquiries in general, the FCIC in particular.


A major issue associated with functional electrical stimulation (FES) of a paralyzed limb is the decay with time of the muscle force as a result of fatigue. A possible means to reduce fatigue during FES is by using interrupted stimulation, in which fatigue and recovery occur in sequence. In this study, we present a model which enables us to evaluate the temporal force generation capacity within the electrically activated muscle during first stimulation fatigue, i.e., when the muscle is activated from unfatigued initial conditions, and during postrest stimulation, i.e., after different given rest durations. The force history of the muscle is determined by the activation as derived from actually measured electromyogram (EMG) data, and by the metabolic fatigue function expressing the temporal changes of muscle metabolites, from existing data acquired by in vivo 31P MR spectroscopy in terms of the inorganic phosphorus variables, Pi or H2PO4-, and by the intracellular pH. The model was solved for supra-maximal stimulation in isometric contractions separated by rest periods, and compared to experimentally obtained measurements. EMG data were fundamental for prediction of the ascending force during its posttetanic response. On the other hand, prediction of the decaying phase of the force was possible only by means of the metabolite-based fatigue function. The prediction capability of the model was assessed by means of the error between predicted and measured force profiles. The predicted force obtained from the model in first stimulation fatigue fits well with the experimental one. In postrest stimulation fatigue, the different metabolites provided different prediction capabilities of the force, depending on the duration of the rest period. Following rest duration of 1 min, Pi provided the best prediction of force; H2PO4- extended the prediction capacity of the model to up to 6 min and pH provided a reliable prediction for rest durations longer than 12 min. The results presented shed light on the roles of EMG and of metabolites in prediction of the force history of a paralyzed muscle under conditions where fatigue and recovery occur in sequence.


This law review note, forthcoming in The Cleveland State Law Review, provides an in-depth analysis of the Ohio Legacy Trust Act and explores the potential effects the Act will have on Ohio. This note also explores the requirements to establish a Legacy Trust and the potential federal income and estate tax consequences. In the latter portion of the note, the possible ethical implications for Ohio attorneys is examined, as well as the arguments creditors will make when attempting to void a disposition to a Legacy Trust.


The ordered lamellar nanostructured zirconias were prepared via atmospheric reflux and hydrothermal hybrid method in ethanol-water system by using zirconium oxychloride as zirconium source and sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS) as template agent, which were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that the ordered lamellar nanostructured zirconias were composed of tetragonal phase for 110 and 125°C and tetragonal/monoclinic phase for 140 and 155°C. As the hydrothermal temperature raised, the monoclinic phase began to appear, and the crystallization is promoted, but the ordered lamellar nanostructure was shrinking prior to expanding in size, ranged from 1.33 to 1.55 nm, and tended to decrease in amount gradually. For the sample prepared at 110°C, the Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) pattern demonstrated that the inorganic phase is tetragonal zirconia and there remain small amount of template SDS. And the calcined lamellar nanostructure with a 1.2 nm periodicity was observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This indicates the lamellar structure shrunk from 1.51 to 1.2 nm and was preserved after calcination at 500°C, showing good thermal stability.


This paper investigates whether the Chinese RMB has become more influential (than the U.S. dollar) in determining the exchange rates of East Asian currencies in recent years. We use a regression method with time-varying coefficients to trace changes in coefficients over time. The empirical results show that the RMB's effects on East Asian currencies were near zero before 2008, but since then have significantly increased and taken over the role of the U.S. dollar in some countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines). In Singapore and Thailand, the RMB is still a non-factor. South Korea shows an interesting pattern, in that the role of the RMB swings over time, with an increase in the past couple of years. We conjecture that the trade share with China has a positive influence on the role of the RMB. In conclusion, given the small absolute value of the regression coefficient on RMB, although the RMB has attained a more significant status in the currency market, it is too early to talk about the creation of an RMB bloc in East Asia.


Abstract. An improved algorithm for
the retrieval of total and tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
columns from the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 (GOME-2) is presented.
The refined retrieval will be implemented in a future version of the GOME
Data Processor (GDP) as used by the EUMETSAT Satellite Application Facility
on Atmospheric Composition and UV Radiation (AC-SAF). The first main
improvement is the application of an extended 425–497 nm wavelength fitting
window in the differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) retrieval
of the NO2 slant column density, based on which initial total
NO2 columns are computed using stratospheric air mass factors (AMFs).
Updated absorption cross sections and a linear offset correction are used for
the large fitting window. An improved slit function treatment is applied to
compensate for both long-term and in-orbit drift of the GOME-2 slit function.
Compared to the current operational (GDP 4.8) dataset, the use of these new
features increases the NO2 columns by
∼1–3×1014 molec cm2 and reduces the slant column error
by ∼24 %. In addition, the bias between GOME-2A and GOME-2B
measurements is largely reduced by adopting a new level 1b data version in
the DOAS retrieval. The retrieved NO2 slant columns show good
consistency with the Quality Assurance for Essential Climate Variables
(QA4ECV) retrieval with a good overall quality. Second, the STRatospheric
Estimation Algorithm from Mainz (STREAM), which was originally developed for
the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) instrument, was optimised
for GOME-2 measurements to determine the stratospheric NO2 column
density. Applied to synthetic GOME-2 data, the estimated stratospheric
NO2 columns from STREAM shows good agreement with the a priori truth.
An improved latitudinal correction is introduced in STREAM to reduce the
biases over the subtropics. Applied to GOME-2 measurements, STREAM
largely reduces the overestimation of stratospheric NO2 columns over
polluted regions in the GDP 4.8 dataset. Third, the calculation of AMF
applies an updated box-air-mass factor (box-AMF) look-up table (LUT)
calculated using the latest version 2.7 of the Vector-LInearized Discrete
Ordinate Radiative Transfer (VLIDORT) model with an increased number of
reference points and vertical layers, a new GOME-2 surface albedo
climatology, and improved a priori NO2 profiles obtained from the
TM5-MP chemistry transport model. A large effect (mainly enhancement in
summer and reduction in winter) on the retrieved tropospheric NO2
columns by more than 10 % is found over polluted regions. To evaluate the
GOME-2 tropospheric NO2 columns, an end-to-end validation is
performed using ground-based multiple-axis DOAS (MAXDOAS) measurements. The
validation is illustrated for six stations covering urban, suburban, and
background situations. Compared to the GDP 4.8 product, the new dataset
presents improved agreement with the MAXDOAS measurements for all the
stations.


Introduction: FLT3-ITD mutations are among the most common molecular abnormalities in AML, occurring in ≈ 25% of pts. These driver mutations are associated with high leukemic burden and poor prognosis, eg, high risk of relapse, decreased response to salvage therapy, and shorter overall survival (OS). Pts with R/R FLT3-ITD AML have a worse prognosis and represent a population with high unmet medical need. Q is a once-daily, oral, highly potent and selective FLT3i shown in phase 2 trials to have promising single-agent antileukemic activity and a manageable safety profile. QuANTUM-R was the first global, phase 3, randomized controlled trial (NCT02039726) to show that an FLT3i prolonged OS compared with salvage chemotherapy (SC) in pts with R/R FLT3-ITD AML. Final efficacy and safety data from this pivotal phase 3 trial are reported.
 Methods: Pts aged ≥ 18 years with FLT3-ITD AML refractory to or relapsed (duration of first remission
 ≤ 6 mo) after standard AML therapy, w/wo hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) were randomized 2:1 to receive Q (60 mg [30-mg lead-in]) or 1 of 3 preselected investigator's choice (IC) SC: low-dose cytarabine (LoDAC); mitoxantrone, etoposide, and intermediate-dose cytarabine (MEC); or fludarabine, cytarabine, and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) with idarubicin (FLAG-IDA). Up to 2 cycles of MEC or FLAG-IDA were permitted; Q and LoDAC were given until lack of benefit, unacceptable toxicity, or HSCT. Prior therapy with midostaurin was allowed, but all other FLT3i were not. Pts receiving HSCT in the Q arm could resume Q after HSCT. Primary and secondary endpoints were OS and event-free survival (EFS), respectively. Sensitivity analyses for OS and EFS were conducted: (1) using the per-protocol set (randomized and treated patients without major protocol deviations), (2) censoring at HSCT, (3) censoring at the use of other postbaseline FLT3i (for OS only). Predefined subgroup analyses of OS were also performed. Exploratory endpoints included response rates, duration of CRc, and transplant rate.
 Results: 367 pts were randomized; 245 to Q and 122 to IC SC (LoDAC, n=29; MEC, n=40; FLAG-IDA, n=53). Four pts randomized to Q and 28 pts randomized to SC did not receive therapy. Median follow-up was 23.5 mo. Six pts were still on initial Q treatment at data cutoff vs 0 in the SC arm. Treatment groups were well balanced for baseline characteristics, including age, response to prior therapy, transplant history, and FLT3-ITD allelic burden.
 OS hazard ratio (HR) of Q relative to SC was 0.76 (95% CI, 0.58-0.98; stratified log-rank test, 1-sided P=0.0177). Median OS was 6.2 (95% CI, 5.3-7.2) vs 4.7 (95% CI, 4.0-5.5) mo, with an estimated 12-mo OS probability of 27% vs 20% in Q and SC arms, respectively. EFS HR was 0.90 (95% CI, 0.70-1.16; stratified log-rank test, 1-sided P=0.1071); median EFS was 6.0 (95% CI, 0.1-8.3) vs 3.7 (95% CI, 0.4-5.9) wk, respectively. Sensitivity analyses of OS and EFS all supported benefit of quizartinib compared with SC, as did OS analyses across subgroups, including varying allelic ratio, prior HSCT, AML risk score, and response to prior therapy (Tables 1 and 2, Figure).
 CRc was 48% (95% CI, 42%-55%) and 27% (95% CI, 19%-36%) in Q and SC arms (nominal P=0.0001), respectively. Duration of CRc was 12.1 (95% CI, 10.4-27.1) vs 5.0 (95% CI, 3.3-12.6) wk. Transplant rate was 32% and 12% in Q and SC arms (nominal P<0.0001), respectively; of 79 eligible pts, 49 (62%) resumed single-agent Q after HSCT (15 ongoing Q treatment at data cutoff). Median duration of post-HSCT Q was 129 d.
 Rates of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were comparable between the 2 arms, despite higher total drug exposure in Q vs SC arms (101.9 vs 3.7 patient-years [pt-y], respectively). Exposure-adjusted TEAEs were 2.3 vs 25.2 per pt-y, respectively. Most common grade ≥ 3 TEAEs in both arms were infections and those associated with cytopenia. Only 2 pts discontinued Q due to QTcF prolongation. QTcF >500 ms (grade 3) by central laboratory was 3% in the Q arm; no grade 4 QTcF occurred. Q-treated pts post-HSCT had a similar AE profile to those overall.
 Conclusions: This report confirms the survival benefit observed with single-agent Q compared with SC in pts with R/R FLT3-ITD AML and the favorable Q safety profile, providing evidence of meaningful clinical benefit in pts who have few options. These results are paradigm changing in the R/R FLT3-ITD AML treatment setting.

 Cortes: Pfizer: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy, Research Funding; Astellas Pharma: Consultancy, Research Funding; Arog: Research Funding. Khaled:Juno: Other: Travel Funding; Daiichi: Consultancy; Alexion: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau. Perl:Arog: Consultancy; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astellas: Consultancy; NewLink Genetics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Actinium Pharmaceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Ganguly:Amgen: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; Daiichi Sankyo: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Speakers Bureau. Russell:Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy; Jazz Pharma: Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Kramer:Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy; Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bayer: Research Funding. Dombret:Daiichi Sankyo: Honoraria; Roche/Genentech: Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Pfizer: Honoraria; Ariad: Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Jazz Pharma: Honoraria, Research Funding; Agios: Honoraria; Sunesis: Honoraria; Karyopharm: Honoraria; Kite Pharma: Honoraria, Research Funding; Menarini: Honoraria; Astellas: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria; Servier: Honoraria; Seattle Genetics: Honoraria. Jonas:Accelerated Medical Diagnostics: Research Funding; Incyte: Research Funding; Esanex: Research Funding; LP Therapeutics: Research Funding; AbbVie: Consultancy, Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo: Research Funding; Kalobios: Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Genentech/Roche: Research Funding; Glycomimetics: Research Funding; Tolero: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; Forma: Research Funding. Leung:Novartis: Speakers Bureau; Daiichi: Research Funding. Mehta:Daiichi Sankyo: Honoraria. Montesinos:Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Radsak:Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Other: Travel grant; TEVA: Consultancy; Daiichi Sankyo: Honoraria, Other: Travel grant; Gilead: Other: Travel grant; Celgene: Honoraria, Other: Travel grant; Takeda: Consultancy. Arunachalam:Daiichi Sankyo: Employment. Holmes:Daiichi Sankyo: Employment. Kobayashi:Daiichi Sankyo: Employment. Namuyinga:Daiichi Sankyo: Employment. Ge:Daiichi Sankyo: Employment. Yver:Daiichi Sankyo: Employment. Zhang:Daiichi Sankyo: Employment.


The "systemic acquis" wording revalorises the concepts used in building the European Union. By similarity with these, the public administration's systemic acquis will include the concepts, theories and fundamental results belonging to the General Theory of Systems and applying to the administrative systems. For the public administration, their systemic acquis will also grasp a specific of their evolution and manifestation. The social systemic, mainly developed by the French specialised schools, the organisational theories and the cybernetics will form adjacent theories that will complete the domain and content of the systemic acquis wording. The present manuscript is, in fact, an introduction to this complex issue and it can be completed by new contributions that shape a science of the public administration's systems


A new idea, using chirplet as the staff to define fractal dimension, is proposed in this paper, based on self- similitude of knowing essence of things from collectivity to part, from macroscopy to microcosm, in fractal theory and chirplet transformation. Chirplet fractal dimension is defined as the sum of high-frequency values of decomposed signals. The edge of infrared image is detected through chirplet fractal dimension, experimental results show that this new algorithm is simple and effective to detect whole contour and detail information, and is better than other traditional operators.


Introduction: Despite the improved survival of patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), therapy-resistant or refractory T-ALL remains a major clinical challenge. Recently, we and others reported promising therapeutic activity for ABT-199, a highly specific inhibitor of the anti-apoptotic protein B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2), especially in immature T-ALL. Nevertheless, the occurrence of dose-limiting toxicities and the emergence of therapy resistance provides a rationale for the evaluation of ABT-199 as part of combination therapies. Indeed, previous studies have shown that ABT-199 can synergize with conventional chemotherapeutic agents in human T-ALL. BRD4 is an important bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) protein that facilitates the recruitment of the transcriptional apparatus to acetylated chromatin. Small molecule inhibitors that target BET-bromodomain proteins, such as JQ1, can broadly affect oncogenic gene transcription and have recently emerged as powerful anti-cancer agents in a variety of hematological malignancies, including T-ALL. Here, we evaluated JQ1 and ABT-199 combination therapy and provide in vitro and in vivo evidence that combined BCL-2 and BRD4 inhibition synergistically affects leukemic tumor growth in T-ALL. Experimental Procedures: In vitro synergism between ABT-199 and JQ1 in a panel of T-ALL cell lines was determined by the combination index (CI) based on cell viability 48h after compound administration. For in vivo evaluation of the ABT-199/JQ1 combination therapy, luciferase-labeled T-ALL cells were administered by tail vein injection in immune compromised NOD scid gamma mice. Upon engraftment of leukemic cells, mice were divided into four groups and treated daily with 50mg ABT-199/kg body weight and/or 50mg JQ1/kg body weight for 13 days. The percentage of leukemic cells in the blood and bone marrow after treatment was analyzed using FACS analysis upon staining with an anti-human CD45 antibody. Results: In vitro evaluation of ABT-199 and JQ1 combination therapy revealed strong synergism (CI 0.5) were observed in other T-ALL lines, including KOPTK1, JURKAT, PEER and HPB-ALL. Notably, the degree of synergism was not defined by the IC50 values for ABT-199 or JQ1, but was significantly correlated with BCL-2 expression levels. Next, in vivo drug treatment experiments using luciferase-positive LOUCY T-ALL cells confirmed the synergistic activity of the JQ1/ABT-199 combination therapy as evaluated by bioluminescence, percentage of leukemic blasts in blood or bone marrow and spleen size. Interestingly, although ABT-199 strongly reduced the leukemic burden during the first days of treatment, the therapeutic response of single ABT-199 therapy was not durable. In contrast, JQ1/ABT-199 combination therapy resulted in a sustained therapeutic response associated with tumor regression. As expected, combination therapy resulted in enhanced levels of cleaved PARP and increased caspase activity in synergistic T-ALL cell lines, in line with induction of cellular apoptosis upon ABT-199/JQ1 treatment. To better understand the molecular mechanism by which JQ1 enhances the anti-leukemic properties of ABT-199, we defined its effect on gene expression in T-ALL cell lines. Notably, this analysis showed that the balance of pro- and anti-apoptotic BCL2 family factors was affected by JQ1 treatment. For example, JQ1 treatment caused a significant reduction in BCL2 levels, but also induced a concomitant increase in anti-apoptotic MCL1. In addition, pro-apoptotic factors, such as BIM, were also upregulated upon JQ1 treatment. Conclusions: Here, we show that BET-bromodomain inhibition can sensitize BCL2-positive human T-ALL to ABT-199 treatment by interfering with the balance of pro- and anti-apoptotic BCL2 family members. Citation Format: Sofie Peirs, Filip Matthijssens, Tim Pieters, Niels Vandamme, Geert Berx, Bruce Poppe, Pieter Van Vlierberghe. BRD4 inhibition improves the efficacy of ABT-199 in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Pediatric Cancer Research: From Mechanisms and Models to Treatment and Survivorship; 2015 Nov 9-12; Fort Lauderdale, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(5 Suppl):Abstract nr B25.


This paper studied the effect of Mg-Nd alloys on the ignition-proof performance of AZ91D magnesium alloy. The results showed that 0.5%Nd decreased the ignition point of alloy for about 20°C, but the ignition point could been multiplied with the adding of Nd element. When the content of Nd reached 5%, the ignition point increased about 40°C compared with AZ91D alloy. The ignition point reduced after the addition of 0.5%Nd can be attributed to the decrease of the solidus temperature and liquidus temperature. The further analysis indicated Nd and Al formed Al3Nd first, which consumed the content of Nd, so that the alloy didn't have enough Nd to form Nd2O3 to protecting the alloy. The EDS analysis indicated when the addition of Nd reached 5%, competent Nd2O3 could be formed and compact oxide film which consisted of Nd2O3, MgO and Al2O3 was formed to prevent alloys from oxidation and combustion.


IBM has deployed its Predictive Analytics for Server Incident Reduction (PASIR) solution to more than 360 information technology (IT) environments worldwide since 2013. These environments, covering sectors from banking to travel to e-commerce, are serviced by IBM support groups. Incidents occurring on servers, including problem descriptions and resolutions, are documented in client account-specific ticket management systems. PASIR uses machine learning to classify the incident tickets within an IT environment and identify high-impact incidents that involve server outages by using the respective ticket descriptions and resolutions. It then correlates these high-impact tickets with server properties and utilization measurements to identify problematic server configurations. Finally, for such configurations, PASIR uses statistical multivariate analysis and simulation methods to prescribe improvement and modernization actions. In this paper, we present the results achieved from deploying this solution. We describe the PASIR approach, from ticket classification to the recommendations of remediation actions (e.g., hardware and software upgrades). We demonstrate the model's effectiveness by comparing predictions on the impact of prescriptive actions with actual system improvements. Since 2013, we have applied PASIR to more than 840,000 client servers, resulting in more precise upgrade spending and environmental stability, thus saving our clients an estimated $7 billion.


Jupiter's moon Europa could have primitive life existing beneath its surface of ice. The book 2010: Odyssey Two by Arthur C. Clarke proposes that transforming Jupiter into a star would melt the ice on Europa, providing conditions suitable for advanced life forms. This paper assesses the effects on Europa should Jupiter's mass increase suitably to cause ignition. It is found that igniting Jupiter would cause orbital problems which would need to be managed, if these problems could be solved the radiation output of the new star would be more than sufficient to thaw Europa. Additional changes would need to be made to the moon for conditions to be fully suitable for advanced life, these are also discussed.


Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNT) uniformly dispersed in stretchable materials, such as poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), could create the next generation of composites with augmented mechanical, thermal, and piezoelectric characteristics. This work reports tunable piezoelectricity of multifunctional BNNT/PDMS stretchable composites prepared via co‐solvent blending with tetrahydrofuran (THF) to disperse BNNTs in PDMS while avoiding sonication or functionalization. The resultant stretchable BNNT/PDMS composites demonstrate augmented Young's modulus (200% increase at 9 wt% BNNT) and thermal conductivity (120% increase at 9 wt% BNNT) without losing stretchability. Furthermore, BNNT/PDMS composites demonstrate piezoelectric responses that are linearly proportional to BNNT wt%, achieving a piezoelectric constant (|d33|) of 18 pmV−1 at 9 wt% BNNT without poling, which is competitive with commercial piezoelectric polymers. Uniquely, BNNT/PDMS accommodates tensile strains up to 60% without plastic deformation by aligning BNNTs, which enhances the composites' piezoelectric response approximately five times. Finally, the combined stretchable and piezoelectric nature of the composite was exploited to produce a vibration sensor sensitive to low‐frequency (≈1 kHz) excitation. This is the first demonstration of multifunctional, stretchable BNNT/PDMS composites with enhanced mechanical strength and thermal conductivity and furthermore tunable piezoelectric response by varying BNNT wt% and applied strain, permitting applications in soft actuators and vibration sensors.


Land degradation – defined by the Economics of Land Degradation (ELD) initiative as a "reduction in the economic value of ecosystem services and goods derived from land" – is a serious impediment to improving rural livelihoods and food security of millions of people in the Eastern Africa region. The objectives of this paper are three fold; to identify the state, extent and patterns of land degradation, to estimate the costs of land degradation, and to compares the costs of action against inaction against land degradation using the Total Economic Value approach in four countries – Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania. Results show that land degradation hotspots cover about 51%, 41%, 23% and 22% of the terrestrial areas in Tanzania, Malawi, Ethiopia and Kenya respectively. Following the Total Economic Value (TEV) framework, the cost of land degradation between 2001-2009 periods is about 2 billion USD in Malawi, 11 billion USD in Kenya, 18 billion USD in Tanzania and 35 billion USD in Ethiopia. These represents about 5%, 7%, 14% and 23%, of GDP in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania and Ethiopia respectively. Taking action against land degradation is more favorable than inaction in both short-term (6 year) and a long-term (30 year) periods. During the 30-year period, for every dollar spent on taking action against land degradation users will expect a return of about $ 4.2 in Ethiopia, $ 4.1 in Kenya, $ 3.8 in Tanzania, and $ 3.7 in Malawi.


The L1 adhesion molecule functions in axon growth and guidance, but a role in synaptic development of cortical inhibitory interneurons is largely unexplored. L1 mediates adhesion by engaging the actin cytoskeleton through binding the actin/spectrin adapter protein ankyrin. Loss of L1-ankyrin interaction impaired process elaboration/branching by GABAergic interneurons, including basket cells, and reduced the number of perisomatic synapses in the cingulate cortex as shown in L1 mutant mice (L1YH) with a mutation in the ankyrin-binding site, either alone or intercrossed with GAD67-enhanced green fluorescence protein reporter mice. Electron microscopy revealed that perisomatic inhibitory synapses but not excitatory synapses in the neuropil were specifically affected. In wild-type cingulate cortex, L1 colocalized with perisomatic synaptic markers, whereas L1 phosphorylation on Tyr(1229) decreased postnatally, correlating with increased ankyrin binding and synaptic development. These results suggest a novel role for L1 engagement with the actin cytoskeleton in development of inhibitory connectivity within the cingulate cortex.


A broadband amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) generation in 1880-nm region is demonstrated by employing a newly developed single-mode Tm-Bi codoped fiber (TBF) in conjunction with 793-nm pumping for the first time. The TBF was obtained by drawing a preform, which was fabricated using a deposition of porous layer by the modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) process in conjunction with solution doping technique. The highest Bi3+ and Tm3+ concentrations of 0.35 wt.% and 0.9 wt.%, respectively, were successfully achieved to generate ASE centered at 1880-nm region. The ASE peaked at - 47.2 dBm with 3-dB spectral width ranging from 1817 to 1984 nm with 1.0-m-long TBF and 200-mW 793-nm pump power, which was generated due to the transition of thulium ions from 3 F4 to 3H6 with some assistance from bismuth to thulium ion energy transfer. The use of a secondary pump of 1550 nm is also shown to improve the ASE generation.


Thunder Horse and Mensa are two of the largest fields of oil or gas, respectively, in the northern deep-water Gulf of Mexico. The fields are present in adjacent intraslope minibasins, located approximately 12 mi (19 km) apart in Mississippi Canyon. Both fields illustrate important complexities of deep-water sedimentation. Analysis is based on the integration of wire-line logs, biostratigraphy, and a 378-mi2 (979-km2), three-dimensional seismic data set. Thunder Horse and Mensa reservoirs were deposited during themiddle to lateMiocene.Changes in paleobathymetry controlled the reservoir deposition, initially as salt withdrawal and later as turtle structures. From 125 to 24 Ma, the lithologies in both intraslope basins are interpreted as dominantly deep-water marls with interbedded shales. From 24 to 14.35 Ma, major input of deep-water siliciclastic sediments began. Sands were deposited in amalgamated sheets and amalgamated channel-fill units within the two major paleobathymetric lows; by contrast, shales were deposited across paleobathymetric highs. Between 14.35 and 13.05 Ma, the Thunder Horse turtle formed, creating a paleobathymetric high. Channelized sands were diverted around and deposited on the flanks of the structure. Meanwhile, to the north at Mensa, thick channelfill sediments continued to be deposited. From 12.2 to 8.2 Ma, the lithologies throughout the entire area are dominantly overbank shales with thin channel-fill sands, suggesting that large volumes of sand bypassed the study area farther downslope to the south. Finally, at 9.0 Ma, Mensa's sheet-sand reservoir represents a different setting; sands were deposited near the crest of the Mensa turtle, which had subtle bathymetric expression. Copyright © 2017 The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved.


Author(s): Mead, Alex R. | Advisor(s): Mosalam, Khalid M | Abstract: This dissertation introduces hardware-in-the-loop modeling and simulation techniques to the daylighting community, with specific application to complex fenestration systems. No such application of this class of techniques, optimally combining mathematical-modeling and physical-modeling experimentation, is known to the author previously in the literature.Daylighting systems in buildings have a large impact on both the energy usage of a building as well as the occupant experience within a space. As such, a renewed interest has been placed on designing and constructing buildings with an emphasis on daylighting in recent times as part of the ``green movement.''Within daylighting systems, a specific subclass of building envelope is receiving much attention: complex fenestration systems (CFSs). CFSs are unique as compared to regular fenestration systems (e.g. glazing) in the regard that they allow for non-specular transmission of daylight into a space. This non-specular nature can be leveraged by designers to ``optimize'' the times of the day and the days of the year that daylight enters a space. Examples of CFSs include: Venetian blinds, woven fabric shades, and prismatic window coatings. In order to leverage the non-specular transmission properties of CFSs, however, engineering analysis techniques capable of faithfully representing the physics of these systems are needed.Traditionally, the analysis techniques available to the daylighting community fall broadly into three classes: simplified techniques, mathematical-modeling and simulation, and physical-modeling and experimentation. Simplified techniques use ``rules-of-thumb'' heuristics to provide insights for simple daylighting systems. Mathematical-modeling and simulation use complex numerical models to provide more detailed insights into system performance. Finally, physical-models can be instrumented and excited using artificial and natural light sources to provide performance insight into a daylighting system. Each class of techniques, broadly speaking however, has advantages and disadvantages with respect to the cost of execution (e.g. money, time, expertise) and the fidelity of the provided insight into the performance of the daylighting system. This varying tradeoff of cost and insight between the techniques determines which techniques are employed for which projects.Daylighting systems with CFS components, however, when considered for simulation with respect to these traditional technique classes, defy high fidelity analysis. Simplified techniques are clearly not applicable. Mathematical-models must have great complexity in order to capture the non-specular transmission accurately, which greatly limit their applicability. This leaves physical modeling, the most costly, as the preferred method for CFS. While mathematical-modeling and simulation methods do exist, they are in general costly and and still approximations of the underlying CFS behavior. Meaning in fact, measurements of CFSs are currently the only practical method to capture the behavior of CFSs. Traditional measurements of CFSs transmission and reflection properties are conducted using an instrument called a goniophotometer and produce a measurement in the form of a Bidirectional Scatter Distribution Function (BSDF) based on the Klems Basis. This measurement must be executed for each possible state of the CFS, hence only a subset of the possible behaviors can be captured for CFSs with continuously varying configurations. In the current era of rapid prototyping (e.g. 3D printing) and automated control of buildings including daylighting systems, a new analysis technique is needed which can faithfully represent these CFSs which are being designed and constructed at an increasing rate.Hardware-in-the-loop modeling and simulation is a perfect fit to the current need of analyzing daylighting systems with CFSs. In the proposed hardware-in-the-loop modeling and simulation approach of this dissertation, physical-models of real CFSs are excited using either natural or artificial light. The exiting luminance distribution from these CFSs is measured and used as inputs to a Radiance mathematical-model of the interior of the space, which is proposed to be lit by the CFS containing daylighting system. Hence, the components of the total daylighting and building system which are not mathematically-modeled well, the CFS, are physically excited and measured, while the components which are modeled properly, namely the interior building space, are mathematically-modeled. In order to excite and measure CFSs behavior, a novel parallel goniophotometer, referred to as the CUBE 2.0, is developed in this dissertation. The CUBE 2.0 measures the input illuminance distribution and the output luminance distribution with respect to a CFS under test. Further, the process is fully automated allowing for deployable experiments on proposed building sites, as well as in laboratory based experiments.In this dissertation, three CFSs, two commercially available and one novel - Twitchell's Textilene 80 Black, Twitchell's Shade View Ebony, and Translucent Concrete Panels (TCP) - are simulated on the CUBE 2.0 system for daylong deployments at one minute time steps. These CFSs are assumed to be placed in the glazing space within the Reference Office Radiance model, for which horizontal illuminance on a work plane of 0.8 m height is calculated for each time step. While Shade View Ebony and TCPs are unmeasured CFSs with respect to BSDF, Textilene 80 Black has been previously measured. As such a validation of the CUBE 2.0 using the goniophotometer measured BSDF is presented, with measurement errors of the horizontal illuminance between +3% and -10%. These error levels are considered to be valid within experimental daylighting investigations. Non-validated results are also presented in full for both Shade View Ebony as well as TCP.Concluding remarks and future directions for HWiL simulation close the dissertation.


The Pap smear has been used to test women for cervical cancer since its invention in 1928. With a simple swipe and smear, doctors have been able to use microscopic observation to detect cancerous activity. Because cervical cancer is one of the most preventable forms of cancer, the Pap smear revolutionized how we deal with the disease. Yet, worldwide, 275 000 women (1) still die from cervical cancer each year. That's because although the Pap is an efficient test, it requires elements such as facilities, follow-up visits, and trained cytology technicians, making it difficult to use in low- to middle-income neighborhoods. In these areas, some of which are right here in the US, visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA)3 has become the norm in cervical cancer screening. In this procedure, the cervix is washed with acetic acid, and a physician scans the cervix with his or her own eyes, without any magnification, looking for white spots, which might possibly be a clump of cancerous cells. The problem with VIA, however, is that it can offer an often imprecise and delayed picture. If a physician can actually see the cancer on the surface of the cervix, that would indicate the tumor has become large enough to burst through the skin's surface, from the deeper tissues below, meaning it is very advanced. And, white doesn't always mean cancer. So, although VIA has reduced cervical cancer mortality rates by some 30% (2), it has a false-positive rate that can hover near 83%. What would be ideal, says David Levitz, cofounder of MobileOCT, a technology company, is a different type of screening test that can enhance a physician's vision beyond 20/20. MobileOCT is working on just such an optical cervical cancer screening technology, optical coherence tomography (OCT). The team plans to start a …


Clandestine migration is the catch-all expression for the efforts of refugees and economic migrants to breach the rich world. The author has followed migrants and refugees in Morocco, Spain, Italy, Kosovo and Albania. In this evocative documentary journalism, he asks how much longer exclusionary immigration policies can work.


We report an investigation of face processing impairments in D.R., a 51-year-old woman with a partial bilateral amygdalotomy. D.R. was able to recognize pre-operatively familiar faces, but she showed generalized problems of name retrieval and a more circumscribed deficit affecting the recognition of faces learnt post-operatively. In contrast to her poor memory for new faces, D.R.'s ability to match simultaneously presented photographs of unfamiliar faces was unimpaired. However, D.R. also experienced deficits in expression processing which compromised the recognition of emotion from people's faces; she was poor both at matching and at identifying photographs of emotional facial expressions. In addition, her interpretation of eye gaze direction was defective, showing a more general problem in reading social signals from the face. The presence of impairments affecting the learning of new faces and the comprehension of gaze direction and facial expressions of emotion is consistent with the hypothesis of a role for the amygdala in learning and social behaviour.


In wireless transmissions the communication is often degraded by random fades, noise and other performance reducing phenomena. One way of improving the stability and reducing the error rates is to use relaying techniques where several nodes cooperate in a transmission between two of them. This thesis analyzes some of the available Decode-and-Forward relaying schemes for wireless transmission. The investigated schemes are conventional repetition coding, partial repetition coding and non-collaborative direct transmission. I have developed a three-node communication system using an audio channel to test the performance of repetition coding and direct transmission. This audio communication system can also be used to demonstrate some basic phenomena in wireless transmissions and how different scenarios change the performance of the communication. A theoretical performance analysis and computer simulations of the schemes performance over a Rayleigh fading channel are done as a basis for comparison. As a result we see that in the audio communication system repetition coding actually degrades the performance, compared to direct transmission, when using a relatively slow data rate in comparison to the speed of the fading in the audio channel.


This work presents a novel signal processing method for high-speed 3D body measurements using millimeter waves with a general processing unit (GPU) and zero-padding fast Fourier transform (ZPFFT). The proposed measurement system consists of a radio-frequency (RF) antenna array for a penetrable measurement, a high-speed analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for significant data acquisition, and a general processing unit for fast signal processing. The RF waves of the transmitter and the receiver are converted to real and imaginary signals that are sampled by a high-speed ADC and synchronized with the kinematic positions of the scanner. Because the distance between the surface and the antenna is related to the peak frequency of the conjugate signals, a fast Fourier transform (FFT) is applied to the signal processing after the sampling. The sampling time is finite owing to a short scanning time, and the physical resolution needs to be increased; further, zero-padding is applied to interpolate the spectra of the sampled signals to consider a 1/m floating point frequency. The GPU and parallel algorithm are applied to accelerate the speed of the ZPFFT because of the large number of additional mathematical operations of the ZPFFT. 3D body images are finally obtained by spectrograms that are the arrangement of the ZPFFT in a 3D space.