This work presents an experimental investigation for effective thermal properties of open cell ceramic foam (80.13 Al 2 O 3 , 17.79 SiO 2 , 1.57 MgO, and 0.51 Na 2 O. % weight),which were measured using the Transient Plane Source (TPS) technique, and the parameters, which influenced them, and the influence of foam structure. Three types of pore per inch (ppi) were tested (10, 30 and 50). Three sensors were used, K5599 (of 60 mmdiameter), K4922 (of 30 mmdiameter) and K5501 (of 13 mmdiameter).The percentage difference between the highest and lowest results for each sensor and ppi are: for K5501 sensor were 34% in 10 ppi, 15% in 30 ppi and 18% in 50 ppi, for sensor K4922 were 19%, 11% and 13%, respectively, and for K5599 were 17%, 14% and 16%, respectively. The results show that the sensor K4922 is the more suitable sensor to test such material especially which has high ppi.


Kinetic models applied to oxygen bleaching of paper pulp focus on the degradation of polymers, either lignin or carbohydrates. Traditionally, they separately model different moieties that degrade at three different rates: rapid, medium, and slow. These models were successfully applied to lignin and carbohydrate degradation of poplar wood submitted to oxidative pretreatment with lime at the following conditions: temperature 110–180°C, total pressure 7.9–21.7 bar, and excess lime loading of 0.5 g Ca(OH)2 per gram dry biomass. These conditions were held constant for 1–6 h. The models properly fit experimental data and were used to determine pretreatment selectivity in two fashions: differential and integral. By assessing selectivity, the detrimental effect of pretreatment on carbohydrates at high temperatures and at low lignin content was determined. The models can be used to identify pretreatment conditions that selectively remove lignin while preserving carbohydrates. Lignin removal ≥50% with glucan preservation ≥90% was observed for differential glucan selectivities between ∼10 and ∼30 g lignin degraded per gram glucan degraded. Pretreatment conditions complying with these reference values were preferably observed at 140°C, total pressure ≥14.7 bars, and for pretreatment times between 2 and 6 h depending on the total pressure (the higher the pressure, the less time). They were also observed at 160°C, total pressure of 14.7 and 21.7 bars, and pretreatment time of 2 h. Generally, at 110°C lignin removal is insufficient and at 180°C carbohydrates do not preserve well. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2011


Out-of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) is a condition when heart stops beating in out of the hospital. The majority of OHCA leads to death because of the delay response. Emergency Medical Service (EMS) system is needed to take care of the patients carefully. The development of Internet-based EMS is one of the best solutions, which is not only to improve the response time, but also to help patients to get the ambulance immediately. The aim of this paper was to understand how the Internet -based EMS can be used and how it will affect the patients with OHCA. Our findings indicated that the Internet-based EMS with mobile web service is critically needed for immediate response of cardiac arrest and accident situation in pre-hospital condition. However, the Internet-based EMS development needs to involve inter-sectoral agencies, such as fire fighter, police, and National Search and Rescue (SAR) Agent.


Experimental and prevalent case-control studies suggest an association between biomarkers of inflammation, endothelial function, and adiposity and cancer risk, but results from prospective studies have been limited. The authors' objective was to prospectively examine the relations between these biomarkers and cancer risk. A nested case-control study was designed within the Supplémentation en Vitamines et Minéraux Antioxydants (SU.VI.MAX) Study, a nationwide French cohort study, to include all first primary incident cancers diagnosed between 1994 and 2007 (n = 512). Cases were matched with randomly selected controls (n = 1,024) on sex, age (in 2-year strata), body mass index (weight (kg)/height (m)(2); <25 vs. ≥25), and SU.VI.MAX intervention group. Conditional logistic regression was used to study the associations between prediagnostic levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), adiponectin, leptin, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1), soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1, soluble E-selectin, and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 and cancer risk. All statistical tests were 2-sided. Plasma sICAM-1 level was positively associated with breast cancer risk (for quartile 4 vs. quartile 1, multivariate odds ratio (OR) = 1.86, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06, 3.26; P(trend) = 0.048). Plasma hs-CRP level was positively associated with prostate cancer risk (for quartile 4 vs. quartile 1, multivariate OR = 3.04, 95% CI: 1.28, 7.23; P(trend) = 0.03). These results suggest that prediagnostic hs-CRP and sICAM-1 levels are associated with increased prostate and breast cancer risk, respectively.


A new optical Fourier domain filtering scheme that combines the conventional optical space-invariant linear filtering with a self-pumped nonlinear-optical phase-conjugation technique is proposed. The new method is used for a real-time detection and channel evaluation of the multipath information needed in radar, sonar, and communication signal-processing applications. Preliminary experimental demonstrations are included.


This is an interview with Professor Lynda Birke (University of Chester, UK), one of the key figures of feminist science studies. She is a pioneer of feminist biology and of materialist feminist thought, as well as of the new and emerging field of hum-animal studies (HAS). This interview was conducted over email in two time periods, in the spring of 2008 and 2010. The format allowed for comments on previous writings and an engagement in an open-ended dialogue. Professor Birke talks about her key arguments and outlooks on a changing field of research. The work of this English biologist is typical of a long and continuous feminist engagement with biology and ontological matters that reaches well beyond the more recently articulated 'material turn' of feminist theory. It touches upon feminist issues beyond the usual comfort zones of gender constructionism and human-centred research. Perhaps less recognized than for instance the names of Donna Haraway or Karen Barad, Lynda Birke's oeuvre is part of the same long-standing and twofold critique from feminist scholars qua trained natural scientists. On the one hand, theirs is a powerful critique of biological determinism; on the other, an acutely observed contemporary critique of how merely cultural or socially reductionist approaches to the effervescently lively and biological might leave the corporeal, environmental or non-human animal critically undertheorized within feminist scholarship. In highlighting the work and arguments of Lynda Birke, it is hoped here to provide an accessible introduction to the critical questions and challenges that circumvent contemporary discussions within feminist technoscience as theory and political practice.


The project examines the control of downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola) in organic viticulture based on copper replacement and copper reduction strategies, respectively. The replacement agents or the new copper formulations with minimised copper dose will be integrated into the "organic standard" strategy, which additionally aims at the control of other pests and diseases. The following agents were tested: plant strengtheners, plant extracts and stone meals. Despite unclear situations regarding commercialisation and registration purposes, respectively, bacterial antagonists and phosphoric acid were also included. After a screening on potted vines, agents were tested in the test-vineyards of six different research stations for viticulture and plant protection. The last step should be the application on four pilot sites under practical conditions. Based on the results of the first growing period (2004), agents and strategies could be selected for large scale and practical use by organic vinegrowers. Algae products and new copper formulations have been proven to be highly effective against P. viticola in the greenhouse as well as in the field.


Pulmonary surfactant has been looked for and found in 11 representatives of four vertebrate classes. The amount of surfactant, estimated by quantitative spreading as a surface film, correlates well with alveolar surface area and with the amount of saturated, mainly dipalmitoyl, phosphatidylcholine in the lung parenchyma. The quantities of other phospholipids do not correlate well with alveolar surface area.


We have developed several cancer vaccine strategies and translated them from mice to humans. We used "epitope enhancement" to modify an epitope of the TARP prostate cancer antigen to increase affinity for HLA-A2 and immunogenicity in HLA-A2-transgenic mice. This and another high affinity TARP epitope elicited human T cells killing human tumor cells. We translated these into a vaccine trial in stage D0 prostate cancer, in which patients after primary disease treatment have rising PSA. Patients received TARP peptides either in montanide or pulsed onto autologous DCs. No difference was seen between arms. 72% of vaccinees at 24 wks and 74% at 48 wks had a decreased PSA velocity (p= 0.0004), a validated measure of tumor growth. 77% of vaccinees made a specific IFNγ ELISpot response, but there was no correlation with clinical effect, suggesting that the quality of the T cells is critical. Accordingly, a phase II randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial is being opened. We also developed an adenovirus vaccine expressing the extracellular & transmembrane domains of HER2, which cured almost all mice with large (up to 2 cm) established tumors and lung metastases. The protection in mice is purely antibody-dependent. We translated this to a clinical trial with autologous DCs transduced with an adenovirus expressing human HER2 domains. The first part is a dose-escalation in patients with any type of cancer expressing 1+ to 3+ HER2 by IHC who are naive to HER2-targeted therapies. In 1 of 2 patients so far at the 2nd dose level for which we have data, we have an indication of a partial response. Thus, translation of cancer vaccine strategies from mice to humans is beginning to show promising results. Citation Format: Jay A. Berzofsky, Masaki Terabe, Lauren V. Wood. Translation of cancer vaccine strategies from mice to clinical trials. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy: A New Chapter; December 1-4, 2014; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2015;3(10 Suppl):Abstract nr B26.


Food waste has been a major barrier to achieving global food security and environmental sustainability for many decades. Unfortunately, food waste has become an even bigger problem in many countries because of supply chain disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic and African Swine Fever epidemic. Although Japan and South Korea have been leaders in recycling food waste into animal feed, countries that produce much greater amounts of food waste, such as the United States and the European Union, have lagged far behind. Concerns about the risk of transmission of bacteria, prions, parasites, and viruses have been the main obstacles limiting the recycling of food waste streams containing animal-derived tissues into animal feed and have led to government regulations restricting this practice in the U.S. and EU. However, adequate thermal processing is effective for inactivating all biological agents of concern, perhaps except for prions from infected ruminant tissues. The tremendous opportunity for nitrogen and phosphorus resource recovery along with several other environmental benefits from recycling food waste streams and rendered animal by-products into animal feed have not been fully appreciated for their substantial contribution toward solving our climate crisis. It is time to revisit our global approach to improving economic and environmental sustainability by more efficiently utilizing the abundant supply of food waste and animal tissues to a greater extent in animal feed while protecting human and animal health in food animal production systems.


Quantum mechanics is a cornerstone of modern physics and at the very basis of the Standard Model. However, decades-old open questions at its foundations, such as the "measurement problem" is still with us. Moreover, theories beyond the Standard Model often include extra-dimensions and violation of the Lorentz/Poincaré symmetries which could entail a departure from the predictions of the standard quantum mechanics. At the Gran Sasso underground laboratory in Italy, we search for small, beyond the quantum theory signals using radiation detectors. In particular, emission of spontaneous radiation is predicted by gravity-related and continuous spontaneous localization (CSL) collapse models. We have ruled out the natural parameter-free version of the Diósi-Penrose (DP) model, and put stringent limits on the CSL model. In addition, with the VIP-2 experiment we are searching for possible violations of the Pauli Exclusion Principle (PEP) in forbidden atomic transitions. The impact of this research on quantum gravity models, as well as its experimental upgrade VIP-3 is also discussed.


Introduction: In this study, we aimed to determine the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with pressure ulcers who received home health care in Kutahya city and to investigate the relationship between the factors related to nutrition and pressure ulcer grades. Methods: This study is designed as a retrospective and cross-sectional. The files of 500 patients who were registered at home health services unit of Kutahya Health Sciences University Training and Research Hospital between December 2016 and May 2017 were reviewed retrospectively. Of these, sixty-three patients with pressure ulcers were included in the study. Results: In this study, 26 (41.3%) were male and 37 (58.7%) were female. The mean age of the patients with pressure ulcers was 74.41 ± 12.30 (years). 36 patients (57.1%) had cerebrovascular disease, 5 patients (7.9%) had dementia, 9 patients (14.3%) had malignancy, 8 patients (12.7%) had osteoarthritis, 4 patients 6.3%) had peripheral vascular disease, and 1 patient (1.6%) had previous traffic accident. The majority (62.1%) were neurological disease-sequenced and nursing-care group. When all the patients were examined, the region with the most pressure was the sacrum (35.3%). Hemoglobin level was found to be related to pressure ulcer grade (One-way ANOVA, p = 0.019). There was no significant relationship between other nutrition-related parameters and pressure ulcer stage. Conclusion: Patients with cerebrovascular disease constitute a significant proportion of patients receiving home care services. Low hemoglobin increases the severity of the pressure ulcer. Therefore, determining risk factors that contribute to pressure ulcer formation and efforts to prevent them should be the primary target of the home health care unit.


A staining method for the identification and the functional characteristics of mast cells in semithin section is described. Transmission electron microscopy in the conditions of an experimental anaphylactic shock (EASh) was used to measure microplanimetrically the longest diameters of the non-secreting (NG) and the secreting (SG) granules. Determined was also the percent ratio between these 2 types of granules of the mast cells. Under normal conditions (control animals) 96.2% of the granules were NG, and nearly half of them (48.7%) had a diameter (mast cell granule diameter--McGD) shorter than 1.0 micron (1,000 nm). In the conditions of a lethal EASh 87.7% of the granules were SG, and most of them (54.4%) had McGD longer than 1.5 micron (1,500 nm). In EASh a considerable part of NG (6.2%) also had McGD longer than 1.5 micron (1,500 nm). In mast cell degranulation the electron dense or fine lamellar structure of the granular matrix was often disturbed. Tiny, oval, and randomly dispersed particles appeared. It was admitted that if the areas among the particles of a size lower than 0.2 micron (200 nm) were prevailing the granular matrix disorganization (GMD) was of type (SG1); if most of the areas were larger than 0.2 micron (200 nm) GMD was of type II (SG2) and preceded the complete fusion of the granules.


The government has announced a new drive to reduce the rate of child mortality in the United Kingdom, which is currently one of the worst in Europe.1

Doctors will be able to look at colour coded maps showing local health trends for conditions such as asthma and diabetes, while GPs may be offered more training in children's health, under proposals from the government.

The Department of Health published its official response2 on 19 February to the Children and Young People's Health Outcomes Forum, a body set up by the government last year to identify health issues important to young people, which reported back in July3 4 that there was a pressing need for improvement.

The new "pledge" by the Department of Health to cut child deaths is being described as part of …


This paper contains projections of owner-occupation rates, house values, income and financial assets among people aged 85+ in the UK covering the period 2002 to 2022. The projections have been produced by the microsimulation model CARESIM. CARESIM is a model which simulates the amounts that current and future older people would be required to pay towards residential or home care, should they need that care, under different charging regimes. The projections presented here are produced as an input to those simulations. CARESIM uses a sample of people aged 65 years and over drawn from the Family Resources Survey and projections involve ageing this sample. The sample is not 'refreshed' i.e. people under the age of 65 in the base year (2002) are not brought into the sample as they reach 65. By 2022, therefore, CARESIM projections apply only to those aged 85 and over. For this reason results for 2022 are given only for those aged 85 and over. Results for years between 2002 and 2022 are shown only for those age groups for which CARESIM projections apply.


The pandemic COVID-19 has spread to all over the world and greatly threatens safety and health of people. COVID-19 is highly infectious and with high mortality rate. As no effective antiviral treatment is currently available, new drugs are urgently needed. We employed transcriptional analysis to uncover potential antiviral drugs from natural products or FDA approved drugs. We found liquiritin significantly inhibit replication of SARS-CoV-2 in Vero E6 cells with EC50 = 2.39 μM. Mechanistically, we found liquiritin exerts anti-viral function by mimicking type I interferon. Upregulated genes induced by liquiritin are enriched in GO categories including type I interferon signaling pathway, negative regulation of viral genome replication and etc. In toxicity experiment, no death was observed when treated at dose of 300 mg/kg for a week in ICR mice. All the organ indexes but liver and serum biochemical indexes were normal after treatment. Liquiritin is abundant in licorice tablet (~0.2% by mass), a traditional Chinese medicine. Together, we recommend liquiritin as a competitive candidate for treating COVID-19. We also expect liquiritin to have a broad and potent antiviral function to other viral pathogens, like HBV, HIV and etc.


The aim of this thesis is to investigate which criteria that can be used to locate execution sites on the island of Gotland, Sweden. The execution sites, which are used to test the criteria against, range in date from early medieval period to 1876 when the last public execution in Sweden took place. Why these criteria can be used will be discussed along with attempts to explain why they have been used frequently or not so frequent. The results show that the execution sites are most commonly located in clear view, near roads, on heights and on unfertile soil. Other criteria that appears less frequent, but that still can be used in the process of locating execution sites, are graves, crossroads and boarders.


This chapter locates and integrates contemporary rampant urbanization with two other macro features of our times, intensive corporate globalization and anthropogenic climate change. Corporate globalization is derived as the latest of three global economic integrations. Each globalization has been characterized by urbanizations previously unparalleled in scale but that have been underestimated in importance. In the contemporary case, the world city network is described as the edifice of corporate globalization. This is described in terms of both the top 20 leading cities and shifts since 2000. A mixture of stability and change is found with the most important cities, notably London and New York, remaining dominant while a West–East shift has occurred, especially featuring Chinese cities. A broader vista is presented as planetary urbanization in which beyond the world city network all planetary spaces are shown to be changed by contemporary urbanization. This is extended historically to provide a long-term approach to anthropogenic climate change indicting urban demand. The conclusion is that urbanization, globalization, and climate should be understood in unison.


Estimated Cost for Risk Based Management of Cardiovascular Diseases in Primary Health Care in Nepal by Using Total Risk Approach Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Prof. Rachel Nugent Department of Global Health Background: We estimated the direct medical cost of primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in the primary health care center (PHCC) using the GLOBAL HEARTS treatment protocols for risk based management of CVD. Method: We took the Ministry of Health's perspective, and used a one-year time horizon. Cost for human resources and laboratory tests were estimated in the context of Nepal, while international drug prices obtained from Management Sciences of Health (MSH) and local prices for non study related drugs from Nepal's Logistic Management division (LMD) were used in estimating local drug prices. The cost estimates are presented in both current Nepali rupees (NPR) and current US dollars (2017). Results: The estimated cost to provide CVD primary prevention for each patient was $3.05 for the first visit and an additional $0.09 for patients with risk <10%, $4.35 for patients with risk 1020% with high blood pressure (HBP), $25.46 for patients with risk 10-20% with high cholesterol, $33.04 for patients with risk 20-30%, $37.35 for patients with risk >30% and an additional $38.04 cost for management of those with diabetes. For a primary health care center with a population of 10,000, the estimated cost to screen and treat 50% of eligible patients was $12 per case and $1 per capita. The total annual cost varied from $5,000 at 25% coverage to as high as $15,000 at 75% coverage. Conclusion: Providing CVD prevention services at PHCCs is inexpensive. Along with the financial resources, health facilities will also need higher capacity for human resource, logistic management and laboratory services.


To provide a computational framework for simulating fluid-sediment-seabed interactions, a three-dimensional coupled fluid-sediment-seabed interaction model is developed and applied to seabed response under regular waves and local scouring from tsunami run-up. For the seabed response under regular waves, the computational capability of the model is demonstrated from comparison with analytical solutions in terms of pore-water pressure and the displacement of the seabed skeleton. For the local scouring from tsunami run-up, numerical results show that the model can compute the seabed response during the onset of the local scouring, and suggest that the model is a useful tool for analyzing and evaluating a general complex fluid-sediment-seabed interaction phenomenon in the marine environment.


Need answers quickly? Adobe Illustrator CS6 on Demand provides those answers in a visual step-by-step format. We will show you exactly what to do through lots of full color illustrations and easy-to-follow instructions. Numbered Steps guide you through each task See Also points you to related information in the book Did You Know alerts you to tips and techniques Illustrations with matching steps Tasks are presented on one or two pages Inside the Book Improve publishing and productivity with the CS6 interface Browse, organize, and process files using Adobe Bridge Transform and reshape objects to create a new look Use Live Paint to create, recolor, and modify images Use Live Color to create color harmony in a design Create complex shapes, patterns, and perspective objects Create text and apply style to display artistic text Apply appearances and graphic styles for a unique design Create eye-catching special effects and filters Bonus Online Content Register your book at queondemand.com to gain access to: Workshops and related files Keyboard shortcuts Visit the author site: perspection.com


In addition to redox regulation, protein phosphorylation has gained increasing importance as a regulatory principle in chloroplasts in recent years. However, only very few chloroplast-localized protein kinases have been identified to date. Protein phosphorylation regulates important chloroplast processes such as photosynthesis or transcription. In order to better understand chloroplast function, it is therefore crucial to obtain a complete picture of the chloroplast kinome, which is currently constrained by two effects: first, recent observations showed that the bioinformatics-based prediction of chloroplast-localized protein kinases from available sequence data is strongly biased; and, secondly, protein kinases are of very low abundance, which makes their identification by proteomics approaches extremely difficult. Therefore, the aim of this study was to obtain a complete list of chloroplast-localized protein kinases from different species. Evaluation of protein kinases which were either highly predicted to be chloroplast localized or have been identified in different chloroplast proteomic studies resulted in the confirmation of only three new kinases. Considering also all reports of experimentally verified chloroplast protein kinases to date, compelling evidence was found for a total set of 15 chloroplast-localized protein kinases in different species. This is in contrast to a much higher number that would be expected based on targeting prediction or on the general abundance of protein kinases in relation to the entire proteome. Moreover, it is shown that unusual protein kinases with differing ATP-binding sites or catalytic centres seem to occur frequently within the chloroplast kinome, thus making their identification by mass spectrometry-based approaches even more difficult due to a different annotation.


The problem of migrating sensitive information between systems in dynamic environments is increasingly important as distributed computing expands. A proposed policy-based approach provides controlled and secure transfer of user credentials and data across platforms. We propose a policy-driven data-protection system to address the inadequacies of current technological solutions in preserving the confidentiality and privacy of data while it migrates between platforms. More specifically, we describe our solution for securing credential migration that we're developing for productization.


More efficient enforcement of environmental regulations would enhance environmental conditions around the globe by improving compliance to existing regulations and by allowing regulatory agencies to broaden their scope without increasing their budgets. This research analyzes comply-evade decisions by regulated firms in the context of their relationships with environmental agencies, and determines which enforcement policies effectively encourage voluntary compliance. More specifically, the enforcement conflict is modeled as a 2/spl times/2 non-cooperative game called the Enforcement Dilemma. This game is examined as a simultaneous game, and also as a more realistic sequential game with asymmetric information. Then a supergame based on the Enforcement Dilemma is developed and analyzed. An effective long-term policy called the review strategy is proposed to overcome the dilemma in this context. >


The objective of this study was to investigate the nutritional compositions and antioxidant activities (AA) of non-polar and polar extracts of germinated brown rice (GBR). Nutritional compositions such as moisture, ash, carbohydrate, fat, protein and fibre were determined. Energy and minerals content were determined by using bomb calorimetry and Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS), respectively. Total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) of the extracts were determined by Folin-Ciocalteu method and aluminium chloride colorimetric method. The AA was determined using 2,2-diphenyl1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and [2,2'-Azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)] diammonium salt (ABTS) radical scavenging capacity assay, ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) assay, and β-carotene bleaching assay. Total energy content of GBR sample was 390.95±11.31 kcal/100g and carbohydrate (54.30±1.04 g/100 g) was the most abundant nutrient. The predominant minerals in the GBR sample were sodium, potassium and magnesium. The polar extract showed significantly higher (p<0.05) level in TPC, TFC and AA than non-polar extract except in β-carotene bleaching assay. Positive and strong correlations (r>0.90, p<0.001) existed between antioxidants (TPC and TFC) and AA. Therefore, polar extract was better than non-polar extract. The nutritional composition of GBR also provided an update for food composition database.


Since prehistoric time man has used wood to build their environment. The material's availabilitycombined with its good mechanical properties has often made it the material of choice. Like allmaterials exposed to natures degradative processes the properties of wood decreases over time.Rot, UV radiation and attacks by insects and pests damage wood if not protected. Since we wantwhat we build to consist, optimizing our building materials durability is of great interest.Techniques and methods for increasing the endurance of wood have been developed in severaldifferent places and for a long time. Three reinvented methods to modify wood and its propertiesare heat treatment, acetylation and furfurylation. This work examines the durability problems thatoccur to wood used as facade material, and methods for increasing the durability are identified.By conducting a literature review three, in Sweden only small-scale established, methods ofmodifying wood are being examined. Most of the treatment methods increase the biologicalresistance in exchange for weakened mechanical properties. Modified wood often has similarcharacteristics as conventional pressure-treated wood, why a transition from environmentallyhazardous pressure-treatment to wood modification would be an environmental benefit. Inconnection with the work the design of a single family home was made. By applying the resultsencountered in the work of wood treatments, we found that the most appropriate choice offacade material for the single family home is furfurylated wood. There is currently no large-scalecommercial production of modified wood in Sweden. Since we have a good access to forests inSweden, there is a strong tradition of timber construction and there are environmental benefits inreducing the use of pressure-treated wood, we see great potential in developing a Swedishproduction of modified wood.


More than 20,000,000 people now have Internet access. In addition to regular folks like you and your boss, countless movers, shakers, programmers, celebrities and politicians are using the net to stay in touch.Now for the first time, it's easy to find the addresses of the most important people in cyberspace. Bill Clinton is online, and so are key congressmen, government organizations and archives. You can find the right person in no time using this handy new book.Includes e-mail addresses for: * Dave Barry * Al Gore * Bob West (The voice of Barney) * Paula Poundstone * Ross Perot * Marvin Minsky * Billy Idol * Roger Ebert * Adam Curry * Robyn Griggs (star of Another World) Also includes hundreds of reporters, editors, programmers, actors, producers, directors, CIA ex-spies, millionaires, entrepreneurs and much more.With more than 1,000 contacts across the country, E-Mail Addresses of the Rich and Famous is the first book that lets you get directly in touch with people who make a difference. Compiled by Seth Godin,creator of The Smiley Dictionary and The Internet White Pages.Every address in this book is accessible from: Prodigy, CompuServe, America Online, Delphi, Genie, MCI Mail and the Internet. 0201408937B04062001


The use of primary effects of operators in planning is an effective approach to reduce search costs. However, the characterization of "good" primary effects has remained at an informal level. In this paper we present a formal criterion for selecting useful primary effects, which guarantees planning efficiency, completeness, and optimality. We also describe an inductive learning algorithm based on this criterion that automatically selects primary effects of operators. Both the sample complexity and the time complexity of our learning algorithm are polynomial in the size of the domain.


In this study we address the problem of an image quality trade-off that can be observed when dealing with content reconstruction schemes based on self-embedding. We derive two models for the estimation of optimal system parameters and the optimization of the overall image quality. This goal is achieved by balancing the distortions of a different nature that affect the resulting images. The performance of the derived models is verified with an accurate reference model and compared to traditional parameter selection strategies. The models are based on basic image features only and allow for rapid prediction of the best values for system parameters in a fully automatic manner.


: One of the main motivations for the implementation of public administration reform in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe is the entry into the European Union, such a thing is true for the Republic of Kosovo. Public administration of any state that will approach the European Union should reach the level of confidence in the implementation of the acquis communautaire and the quality level of the administration which exists within the European Administrative space. Public administration refers to the work that perform governmental institutions and includes the development and implementation of public policies. Political parties adopt inclusive models of policy development for a number of different reasons. Some parties mention values or ideological basis reason for the involvement of citizens in policy-making. Others are practical, emphasizing the fact that consultation often brings stronger policy opportunities, and most important. For example, policies for the development of the central and local budgets that include views of economic experts together with users of public goods, are more likely to be realistic, meaningful and applicable. Public consultation on public policy making is becoming a universal standard in European governance. Under EC rules, using public consultation to develop policies and legislation ensure that policy proposals are technically possible and practically feasible. In other words, such consultation dual purpose shall be applied in Kosovo by assisting in the improvement of the quality of the policy outcome as a condition for European integration. Economic and social development of any country can not be understood without a treatment and concrete achievements in the development and implementation of anti-discrimination policies by central and local government institutions.


Supplemental hand scintigrams with abnormal features were obtained from 29% of patients (134 of 463) who were referred for routine, minified bone imaging with /sup 99m/Tc-Sn-polyphosphate. A wide spectrum of normal activity distribution ranging from well-defined to ''wash-out'' images is described in 329 cases (71%). In the abnormal images of the joints and individual bones, the changes, although not always characteristic of some particular disease, may often suggest a diagnosis and/or its pathophysiologic status. The joints with heavy uptake correlate well with the presence of active clinical findings, e.g., in the arthritides. The bone features associated with metabolic disease, especially when full-blown, may be fairly characteristic. A potential application is in the assessment of digital circulation, particularly in obliterative vascular diseases such as scleroderma, Buerger's disease, chronic neuropathies, and possibly other collagen or vascular diseases that involve the hands. Interesting images, probably of somewhat limited usefulness, are observed in some congenital anomalies, fractures, camptodactyly, contracture deformities, unilateral lymphedema after mastectomy, etc.


Objectives: To investigate caregiver burden in dementia and explore factors associated with different types of burden in a country without formal caregiver support using a province in China as a case.Method: Cross-sectional questionnaire survey was used to collect data. One hundred and fifty-two family caregivers of people with dementia in community settings were recruited from 2012 to 2013 using convenience sampling. Objective burden was measured by caregiving hours and dementia-related financial burden. Subjective burden was measured and analysed using the Caregiver Burden Inventory and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Questionnaire. Multivariate regression models were employed to analyse factors associated with each type of subjective burden.Results: Five types of subjective burden were measured by the Caregiver Burden Inventory, namely, physical burden, emotional burden, time-dependence burden, developmental burden, and social burden. Caregiver distress, as a subjective burden, was measured by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Questionnaire and reported by relating to the severity of care recipients' behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. This caregiver cohort showed a high level of physical, time-dependence, and developmental burdens, but a low level of emotional and social burdens. Factors contributing to each type of subjective burden measured by the Caregiver Burden Inventory differed from each other.Conclusion: The high level of objective and subjective burdens identified in this study suggests that government-funded formal caregiver support should be established and services should be designed to target different types of burdens and factors contributing to these burdens.


The purpose of this study is to investigate how processes of subjectification constitute the empowered citizen/patient in the discourses on smart cities. Descriptions of smartphone apps which use environmental sensor data are analysed through discourse analytic approach to governmentality. More specifically the thesis investigates the empowered citizen in relation to responsibilisation and relations to knowledge and power. The study finds that the citizen-subject is responsibilised and the relations knowledge are reformulated and redistribute responsibility. Data and the derived knowledge is represented as a form of empowerment. The citizen-subject is constituted as a manager of their own health, and a catalysts for changing the environment. Emphasising the importance of data and putting the user at the heart of data collecting further contributes to the responsibilisation. However, as the information from the data streams is transferable it also redistributes responsibility in the network of individuals who have access to it. The way of knowing the self and the environment is augmented to include a codified interface, which conditions the relationship. A distributed network of sensors allows the citizen-subject is able to simultaneously read the environment in multiple locations. Relations in knowledge production are also found to be altered.


In order to understand the current state of data sharing in observational research studies, we reviewed data sharing statements of observational studies published in a general medical journal, the British Medical Journal. We found that the majority (63%) of observational studies published between 2015 and 2017 included a statement that implied that data used in the study could not be shared. If the findings of our exploratory study are confirmed, room for improvement in the sharing of real-world or observational research data exists.


In this paper we introduce mechanisms for automated mapping of urban areas that provide a virtual sensor abstraction to the applications. We envision a participatory system that exploits widely available devices as mobile phones to cooperatively read environmental conditions as air quality or noise pollution, and map these measurements to stationary virtual sensors. We propose spatial and temporal coverage metrics for measuring the quality of acquired sensor data that reflect the conditions of urban areas and the uncontrolled movement of nodes. To achieve quality requirements and efficiency in terms of energy consumption, this paper presents two algorithms for coordinating sensing. The first is based on a central control instance, which assigns sensing tasks to mobile nodes based on movement predictions. The second algorithm is based on coordination of mobile nodes in an ad-hoc network. By extensive simulations, we show that these algorithms achieve a high quality of readings, which is about 95% of the maximum possible. Moreover, the algorithms achieve a very high energy efficiency allowing for drastic savings compared to uncoordinated sensing.


Detecting out-of-distribution (OOD) samples for trusted medical image segmentation remains a significant challenge. The critical issue here is the lack of a strict definition of abnormal data, which often results in artificial problem settings without measurable clinical impact. In this paper, we redesign the OOD detection problem according to the specifics of volumetric medical imaging and related downstream tasks (e.g., segmentation). We propose using the downstream model's performance as a pseudometric between images to define abnormal samples. This approach enables us to weigh different samples based on their performance impact without an explicit ID/OOD distinction. We incorporate this weighting in a new metric called Expected Performance Drop (EPD). EPD is our core contribution to the new problem design, allowing us to rank methods based on their clinical impact. We demonstrate the effectiveness of EPD-based evaluation in 11 CT and MRI OOD detection challenges.


One central issue in the generative lexicon approach is how to account for the context dependence of certain aspects of the meanings of lexical items. Pustejovsky (1995, 2005), Ginzburg (to appear) and Ginzburg and Cooper (2004) exemplify how the interpretation of lexical items is influenced by the context of use. An interesting source of data comes from conversations in which the participants spontaneously comment on the appropriateness, or lack of appropriateness, of a particular word or phrase in the given situation. These comments are often introduced by locutions like It depends on what you mean by X or Qu'est-ce que vous entendez par X? In Swedish there is a lexicalized grammatical construction which functions as a cue to this kind of negotiation about the meaning of lexical items, the x-och-x construction. In this paper we show how the xoch-x construction is used in spontaneous conversations and informal writing as a means for questioning and clarifying aspects of meaning. The conventionalized x-och-x construction thus provides us with a tool to investigate which aspects of meaning language users are aware of and tend to negotiate about. One hypothesis that we will explore is that logical terms like negation and grammatical function words like complementizers are less likely to give rise to negotiations. However, when they are used in the x-och-x construction, the negotiation may reveal important aspects of their use in ordinary language.


Bony changes in the form of facets and imprints due to squatting are more often seen at the lower end of femur than at the upper end. Because of a particular lifestyle and behaviour of various population groups, incidences of these traits differ. Such morphological traits should be understood as they could be a contributing risk factor for osteoarthritis and other rotational malalignment dysfunction of knee joint. Charles' facet, tibial imprint and osteochondritic imprint are known to occur at the distal end of femur as a sequelae of squatting posture. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of these facets and imprints on 152 adult femur of Indian origin in the Department of Anatomy, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India. The significance of correlation between their occurrence with the side and gender of bone was determined using Chi-square test. The analysis of data indicated that Charles' facet and medial tibial imprint occurred more often on right side with 100% incidence. Lateral tibial imprint showed a significant result with 84.2% incidence on the right side and 68.4% on the left side. Osteochondritic imprint also had a predominant occurrence on the right side. Charles' facet was equally present in both male and female femora, however, imprints had a higher predominance in male femora with no significant results notified for gender variation.


Inspired by modeling approaches from the ecosystems literature, in this paper, we expand the network approach to psychopathology with risk and protective factors to arrive at an integrated analysis of resilience. We take a complexity approach to investigate the multifactorial nature of resilience and present a system in which a network of interacting psychiatric symptoms is targeted by risk and protective factors. These risk and protective factors influence symptom development patterns and thereby increase or decrease the probability that the symptom network is pulled toward a healthy or disorder state. In this way, risk and protective factors influence the resilience of the network. We take a step forward in formalizing the proposed system by implementing it in a statistical model and translating different influences from risk and protective factors to specific targets on the node and edge parameters of the symptom network. To analyze the behavior of the system under different targets, we present two novel network resilience metrics: Expected Symptom Activity (ESA, which indicates how many symptoms are active or inactive) and Symptom Activity Stability (SAS, which indicates how stable the symptom activity patterns are). These metrics follow standard practices in the resilience literature, combined with ideas from ecology and physics, and characterize resilience in terms of the stability of the system's healthy state. By discussing the advantages and limitations of our proposed system and metrics, we provide concrete suggestions for the further development of a comprehensive modeling approach to study the complex relationship between risk and protective factors and resilience.


This study is a close examination of the importance of three topics: social media, celebrity endorsements and nonprofit organizations. Extensive secondary research was conducted to better understand the relationship between nonprofits and celebrity endorsements, nonprofits and social media, and social media and celebrity endorsements. Primary research was conducted using a content analysis approach to understand how nonprofit organizations use social media. Two nonprofits were chosen: the LiveStrong Foundation and UNHCR. The Twitter and Facebook feeds of the two organizations were analyzed for two consecutive months, in order to determine the relationship between the amount of engagement of posts and the type of post. The research showed that the majority of posts had a neutral tone and were informational in nature. An engagement variable was then created to look at the relationship between the amount of engagement of posts and characteristics such as the tone, topic area and nonprofit strategy. Posts including a visual aspect such as a photo or video gained higher levels of engagement, as did posts with a positive tone and those that included a reference to a celebrity. Although the majority of posts were informational, posts that were categorized as community-based received the most engagement, while action-based posts received the least amount of engagement.


Vasopressin (AVP stimulated immunoreactive E (iPGE) synthesis and the release of [3H]arachidonate (AA) from prelabeled slices of rat inner medulla (IM) in the presence but not in the absence of Ca2+ (plus 2 mM EGTA). Urea (700-1,200 mosM) inhibited these actions. By contrast Ca2+ deprivation or urea did not suppress AVP-induced increases in cAMP or stimulation of iPGE by exogenous AA. At 10-50 microM, trifluoperazine (TFP) suppressed AVP-induced increases in [3H]AA release and iPGE accumulation, but not increases in cAMP. Basal acyl hydrolase activity (AH) of 2,000 g particulate fractions of IM was suppressed by EGTA. Ca2+, but not Mg2+ or AVP, restored AH to levels observed in the absence of EGTA. Ca2+-induced increases in particulate AH were inhibited by urea (700-1,200 mosM) or TFP (10-50 microM), but not 1,000 mosM NaCl. Partial depletion of particulate calmodulin-like activity suppressed Ca2+-induced increases in AH. The latter was restored with 1 microM purified exogenous calmodulin but not troponin C. The results demonstrate that AVP stimulation of AA and PGE release in IM are Ca2+-dependent processes suppressed by urea. They also suggest a role for Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent AH in the control of PG synthesis in IM.


Introduction: Currently, urban ecosystems have become increasingly conducive to pigeons, and the population of these birds has increased significantly in several parts of the world, including Brazil; this increase has become an environmental and public health problem. Materials and Methods: The objective of this research was to describe the occurrence of Cryptococcus neoformans in the excreta of pigeons in public places in the municipality of Redencao, Para, Brazil. It is a cross-sectional, quantitative, and descriptive study. Ten neighborhoods were selected, where 5 samples from each were collected, for a total of 50 units of material. Fungus was identified through suspended excreta with a sterile 0.9% sodium chloride solution, followed by seeding on Sabouraud Dextrose agar plus chloramphenicol. A direct examination of the colonies with Chinese ink was done in triplicate to observe the suggestive micromorphology of C. neoformans. A confirmatory identification test was performed by the urease production test. Results: Of the 50 samples examined, 16.0% (n = 8) were positive for C. neoformans , and in the 10 neighborhoods studied, 60.0% (n = 6) were positive for the fungus. Conclusions: The results showed that half of the positive samples were found in only two neighborhoods, suggesting that the presence of C. neoformans in a public place in the studied city can be considered a potential source of infection for humans and animals. Keywords: Pigeons; Excreta; Cryptococcus neoformans ; Environmental microbiology.


This paper describes a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) done to evaluate the relative environmental performance of magnesium (Mg) and aluminum (Al) automatic transmission cases. Magnesium is considered a lighter weight substitute for aluminum in this application. Light weighting of vehicles increases fuel economy and is an important vehicle design metric. The objective of this LCA is to quantify energy and other environmental trade-offs associated with each alternative for material production, manufacturing, use, and end-oflife management stages. Key features of the inventory modeling and the data collection and analysis methods are included in this paper along with life cycle inventory profiles of aluminum and magnesium alternatives. The life cycle inventory (LCI) was interpreted using a set of environmental metrics and areas needing further research were identified. A qualitative cost assessment was done in conjunction with this LCA to highlight potential cost drivers.


The aim in this study was to measure the effectiveness of a psychoeducation program with inpatients who had chronic mental illness and a history of repeat hospitalization for this. A questionnaire was developed to evaluate the program content was completed by 46 patients before and after they took part in the program. The questionnaire assessed patients' management of the illness, medication effects and side effects, warning signs of relapse, and ways of developing an emergency plan. With the exception of 1 question, there was a significant difference in the number of patients who responded to the items of the questionnaire between the pre- and posttests. The results of the study showed that the patients were able to learn about complex material presented in a short but well-structured training program during a brief typical inpatient stay.


The Identification and Establishment of Reinforcement for Collaboration in Elementary Students Laura Darcy In Experiment 1, I conducted a functional analysis of student rate of learning with and without a peer-yoked contingency for 12 students in Kindergarten through 2 grade in order to determine if they had conditioned reinforcement for collaboration. Using an ABAB reversal design, I compared rate of learning as measured by learn units to criterion under two conditions: (A) rotated learn units between 2 peers with a peer-yoked contingency game board (collaborative reinforcement), and (B) rotated learn units between 2 peers without a peer-yoked contingency game board (individual reinforcement). In these conditions, 2 students sat side by side and learn units were delivered in a rotated fashion. A peer-yoked contingency game board in which two characters competed to reach the top and access a predetermined backup reinforcer was present in the (A) condition only. The participants were yoked together on a "team," and if they emitted a correct response, their character moved up on the game board. Seven of twelve participants learned faster in the collaborative reinforcement condition, suggesting that they each had reinforcement for collaboration with a peer. These data demonstrated how yoked contingencies can be utilized to increase rate of learning in the classroom when reinforcement for collaboration is present. The other participants learned slower in the collaborative reinforcement condition, suggesting that reinforcement for collaboration was not present for these participants. Additionally, participants who demonstrated reinforcement for collaboration emitted higher levels of vocal verbal operants when yoked with a peer than the participants who did not demonstrate reinforcement for collaboration. In Experiment 2, the participants who did not demonstrate reinforcement for collaboration were placed into a collaborative intervention, in order to determine if this potential developmental cusp could be established. In a delayed multiple probe design across dyads, four participants engaged in peer tutoring with a confederate peer, and a yoked contingency game board was utilized to reinforce their effective collaboration. Following this intervention, all four participants demonstrated a faster rate of learning when yoked with a peer, as well as increased levels of vocal verbal operants with their peers. These findings suggest that an intervention that specifically targets reinforcement for collaboration through a peer-yoked contingency may be effective in inducing reinforcement for collaboration. The educational significance and implications of this potential developmental cusp are discussed.


Reinforcement learning (RL) allows to solve complex tasks such as Go often with a stronger performance than humans. However, the learned behaviors are usually fixed to specific tasks and unable to adapt to different contexts. Here we consider the case of adapting RL agents to different time restrictions, such as finishing a task with a given time limit that might change from one task execution to the next. We define such problems as Time Adaptive Markov Decision Processes and introduce two model-free, value-based algorithms: the Independent Gamma-Ensemble and the n-Step Ensemble. In difference to classical approaches, they allow a zero-shot adaptation between different time restrictions. The proposed approaches represent general mechanisms to handle time adaptive tasks making them compatible with many existing RL methods, algorithms, and scenarios.


While the use of ballistics data and principles to clarify historical experience of firearms is to be encouraged, their application is not always straightforward. This paper emphasizes the need for care. An example is given of too sanguine reliance on period studies, specifically of muzzle velocity, and of inadequate appreciation of the physics, in particular of the Magnus force.


In this study, we compare different valuation functions for a noise abatement measure in an exploitive train commuting suburb in Sweden. The benefits are estimated with different functions focusing on Swedish guidelines and recent WHO recommendations. The results show that the willingness-to-pay-based estimates of the Swedish guidelines are much lower than the estimates based on WHO guidelines. The main reason for the higher benefit estimates with WHO recommendations is the discontinuous valuation function that leaps from 0 to about 5000 SEK at 49 dB, whereas the Swedish guidelines does not include any corresponding discontinuity in its valuation function. Furthermore, the WHO recommendations are sensitive to night exposure as the cost of sleep disturbance is dominating. These different results of the monetary benefits illustrate the importance of including only established impact functions and valuation functions, and carefully apply them when noise-abatement benefits are calculated.


Objective: To retrospectively outline findings of testicular exploration in patients with suspicious acute scrotum and to compare the outcomes between exploration with and without US as a preoperative diagnostic tool.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients underwent scrotal exploration from Jan2014 till Dec 2018 in our hospital was conducted. The data were divided into exploration with preoperative ultrasound (US group) and exploration without preoperative US (non-US group).

Results: 47 patients (mean age 14-years) were explored during the 5-year period. The most common finding was torsion Cyst of Morgagni (34%, 16/47). True torsion was found in 27.6% (13/47) with 3 unsalvageable testes. Torsion rates were higher in patients who underwent US (7/14, 50%) than exploration without US (6/33, 18.1%). Time delay between two groups showed no statistical difference (p-value >.05). Also, US showed 70% sensitivity and 100% Specificity regarding torsion testis.

Conclusion: Based on our numbers, negative exploration can be reduced with the help of US as a diagnostic tool for torsion. However, until further studies with larger populations and definitive pathway regarding ultrasound are commenced, we recommend urgent exploration as the standard intervention in dealing with suspicious acute scrotum.


Quantitative radioimmunological demonstration of carbohydrate antigen CA-50 in serum achieved a sensitivity of 62.3% for colorectal carcinoma (n = 53), of 64.7% for gastric carcinoma (n = 34), of 33.9% for lung carcinoma (n = 56), and 19.8% for lymphoproliferative diseases (n = 91). The positive results for the latter probably correspond to the immunohistological demonstration of the antigen in dendritic reticulum cells. Occasionally an increased CA-50 level in inflammatory disease presents difficulties in differential diagnosis, but it returns to normal when the inflammatory process has subsided. Methodological scatter of the CA-50 system is satisfactory, with a coefficient of variation of +/- 11%, but unsatisfactory at low values (less than or equal to 10 U/ml) and high ones (greater than or equal to 50 U/ml) with a coefficient of variation of +/- 19%. Further development with the IMRA technique may significantly reduce methodological scatter (coefficient of variation +/- 5%).


This study was conducted by the Coalition Against Trafficking Women to examine trends in the trafficking both international and domestic women in the United States. The study developed a research framework to track the experiences of trafficked women from their background, recruitment and entrance into trafficking, experiences in the industry, ways in which they were controlled, how they coped with their experience, and the consequences of trafficking from multiple perspectives.


Monitoring and controlling the user's perceived quality, in modern video services is a challenging proposition, mainly due to the limitations of current Image Quality Assessment (IQA) algorithms. Subjective Quality of Experience (QoE) is widely used to get a right impression, but unfortunately this can not be used in real world scenarios. In general, objective QoE algorithms represent a good substitution for the subjective ones, and they are split in three main directions: Full Reference (FR), Reduced Reference (RR), and No Reference (NR). From these three, the RR IQA approach offers a practical solution to assess the quality of an impaired image due to the fact that just a small amount of information is needed from the original image. At the same time, keeping in mind that we need automated QoE algorithms which are context independent, in this paper we introduce a novel stochastic RR IQA metric to assess the quality of an image based on Deep Learning, namely Restricted Boltzmann Machine Similarity Measure (RBMSim). RBMSim was evaluated on two benchmarked image databases with subjective studies, against objective IQA algorithms. The results show that its performance is comparable, or even better in some cases, with widely known FR IQA methods.


Hydroxyl magnesium silicate powders were prepared by planetary-milling machine and a certain amount of No.46 mechanical oil was canned into the stainless steel vial in order to investigate its influence on the size of particles. The tribological properties of the powders in the oil were investigated on a four-ball machine. The morphologies and the chemical components of the worn surfaces were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The ball milling results showed that the adding of mechanical oil decreased the cold welding and agglomeration, finally, fine silicate powders of 2μm in mean size were made. The tribological test results showed that the extreme pressure and antiwear properties of No.46 mechanical oil were improved by the additive obviously. The lubrication mechanism is inferred that a boundary lubrication film is formed and the tribochemical reactions occur on the friction surfaces due to the active agents in the silicate crystal, thus it can be seen that the silicate powders is a new and enviroment friendly lube additive.


This paper demonstrates a 16-element phased-array transmitter in a standard 0.18-mum SiGe BiCMOS technology for Q-band satellite applications. The transmitter array is based on the all-RF architecture with 4-bit RF phase shifters and a corporate-feed network. A 1:2 active divider and two 1:8 passive tee-junction dividers constitute the corporate-feed network, and three-dimensional shielded transmission-lines are used for the passive divider to minimize area. All signals are processed differentially inside the chip except for the input and output interfaces. The phased-array transmitter results in a 12.5 dB of average power gain per channel at 42.5 GHz with a 3-dB gain bandwidth of 39.9-45.6 GHz. The RMS gain variation is < 1.3 dB and the RMS phase variation is < for all 4-bit phase states at 35-50 GHz. The measured input and output return losses are < -10 dB at 36.6-50 GHz, and <-10 dB at 37.6-50 GHz, respectively. The measured peak-to-peak group delay variation is plusmn 20 ps at 40-45 GHz. The output P-1dB is -5plusmn1.5 dBm and the maximum saturated output power is - 2.5plusmn1.5 dBm per channel at 42.5 GHz. The transmitter shows <1.8 dB of RMS gain mismatch and < 7deg of RMS phase mismatch between the 16 different channels over all phase states. A - 30 dB worst-case port-to-port coupling is measured between adjacent channels at 30-50 GHz, and the measured RMS gain and phase disturbances due to the inter-channel coupling are < 0.15 dB and < 1deg, respectively, at 35-50 GHz. All measurements are obtained without any on-chip calibration. The chip consumes 720 mA from a 5 V supply voltage and the chip size is 2.6times3.2 mm2.


Complement activation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of human rheumatoid arthritis. We sought to determine whether inhibition of complement (C) using sCR1 could influence the development and progression of antigen arthritis in the rat, a recognized model of human chronic synovitis. The effect of C inhibition, systemically and locally, on three different stages of disease was examined: (i) prophylaxis, (ii) treatment of established inflammation, and (iii) prevention of antigen‐induced flares of disease. Arthritis was assessed by knee swelling and by histological examination. Our results show that intra‐articular injection of sCR1 prior to disease onset reduced joint swelling and development of arthritis, whereas systemic administration was ineffective. Treatment of established arthritis with intra‐articular sCR1 3 days after disease onset caused a transient reduction in swelling, but treatment 7 days after disease onset had no effect on disease. An intra‐articular dose of sCR1 given at the time of disease flares had a small, yet significant effect on knee swelling. We conclude that complement activation is important in the initiation and maintenance of inflammation in antigen arthritis. The potent effect of local C inhibition suggests that C biosynthesis and activation within the joint contributes to inflammation in this model of arthritis.


The membrane fouling mechanism used during the nanofiltration (NF) of chitin alkali effluent was investigated. Tests were carried out in three large-scale chitin-processing plants with three kinds of wastewater. An alkali resistant NF membrane with molecular weight cut-off of 250 Da was employed. The reflection coefficient ( σ ) and diffusion coefficient ( P s ) of total proteins were deduced, assuming that the proteins were single entities in the feed. Viscosity and osmosis pressure were measured to evaluate their influences on the permeate flux. Furthermore, the fraction of the protein fouling was extracted and qualitatively analyzed by mass spectrometry. Results showed that the NF permeate flux of alkali wastewater with the highest protein concentration (4.00%) was the lowest, and that σ and penetration P s decreased with protein content growth. Over 60% of the peptides in the permeate were hydrophobic, whereas 70% of the peptides in the adsorption cake were hydrophilic. Irreversible resistance was the predominant resistance during NF processing, and the fouling behaviour of hydrophilic fractions was dominant.


In this paper, we introduce the "Plug" sensor network, a ubiquitous networked sensing platform ideally suited to broad deployment in environments where people work and live. The backbone of the Plug sensor network is a set of 35 sensor-, radio-, and computation-enabled power strips distributed throughout the third floor of the MIT Media Lab. A single Plug device fulfills all the functional requirements of a normal power strip (i.e., four 120 V, 60 Hz electrical outlets; surge protector circuit; standard electrical connector to a US-style wall socket), and can be used without special training. Additionally, each Plug has a wide range of sensing modalities (e.g., sound, light, electrical current and voltage, vibration, motion, and temperature) for gathering data about how it is being used and its nearby environment. To our knowledge, the Plug sensor network is the first to embody the idea of designing sensor nodes to seamlessly become a part of their environment, rather than play the role of alien, if unobtrusive, observers. We argue this design principle is essential for sensor networks to succeed in the realm of ubiquitous computing. In this paper, we present an overview of the Plug hardware and software architectures, look at specific usage scenarios of a single Plug, and show example data taken across the entire Plug network to give a sense of the pulse of the building over a span of days. Finally, we present ongoing work interfacing heterogeneous devices with the Plug network for a variety of applications and discuss possible future work.


Objective.Gradient-based optimization using algorithmic derivatives can be a useful technique to improve engineering designs with respect to a computer-implemented objective function. Likewise, uncertainty quantification through computer simulations can be carried out by means of derivatives of the computer simulation. However, the effectiveness of these techniques depends on how "well-linearizable" the software is. In this study, we assess how promising derivative information of a typical proton computed tomography (pCT) scan computer simulation is for the aforementioned applications.Approach.This study is mainly based on numerical experiments, in which we repeatedly evaluate three representative computational steps with perturbed input values. We support our observations with a review of the algorithmic steps and arithmetic operations performed by the software, using debugging techniques.Main results.The model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) subprocedure (at the end of the software pipeline) and the Monte Carlo (MC) simulation (at the beginning) were piecewise differentiable. However, the observed high density and magnitude of jumps was likely to preclude most meaningful uses of the derivatives. Jumps in the MBIR function arose from the discrete computation of the set of voxels intersected by a proton path, and could be reduced in magnitude by a "fuzzy voxels" approach. The investigated jumps in the MC function arose from local changes in the control flow that affected the amount of consumed random numbers. The tracking algorithm solves an inherently non-differentiable problem.Significance.Besides the technical challenges of merely applying AD to existing software projects, the MC and MBIR codes must be adapted to compute smoother functions. For the MBIR code, we presented one possible approach for this while for the MC code, this will be subject to further research. For the tracking subprocedure, further research on surrogate models is necessary. .


The purpose of this study was to determine the efficiency of inventory management of raw material using an algorithm Wagner-Within the PT ABC. This study uses a descriptive qualitative approach. The analysis technique used in this study is to calculate how the number and frequency of purchases, as well as inventory costs (Ordering Cost, Ordering Cost and Total Inventory Cost) according to the actual concept of the company and according to the calculation of the Wagner-Within (AWW) Algorithm method. The results of this study are F ordering of raw materials according to the calculation of the Wagner-Within Algorithm method (AWW), ordering raw materials carried out 5 times in 1 year, while according to the calculation of the existing conditions of the company, ordering raw materials made 7 times in 1 year. Wagner-Within (AWW) Algorithm Method this still results in a more efficient and optimal ordering fee than the order cost according to existing conditions company. For storage costs according to existing conditions, the company is still more efficient than the storage costs of the Wagner-Within (AWW) Algorithm method. For the total cost of raw material inventory, the Wagner- Within (AWW) Algorithm method is a method that produces the optimal and efficient total cost of raw material inventory.


Cancers develop through somatic mutagenesis, however germline genetic variation can markedly contribute to tumorigenesis via diverse mechanisms. We discovered and phased 88 million germline single nucleotide variants, short insertions/deletions, and large structural variants in whole genomes from 2,642 cancer patients, and employed this genomic resource to study genetic determinants of somatic mutagenesis across 39 cancer types. Our analyses implicate damaging germline variants in a variety of cancer predisposition and DNA damage response genes with specific somatic mutation patterns. Mutations in the MBD4 DNA glycosylase gene showed association with elevated C>T mutagenesis at CpG dinucleotides, a ubiquitous mutational process acting across tissues. Analysis of somatic structural variation exposed complex rearrangement patterns, involving cycles of templated insertions and tandem duplications, in BRCA1-deficient tumours. Genome-wide association analysis implicated common genetic variation at the APOBEC3 gene cluster with reduced basal levels of somatic mutagenesis attributable to APOBEC cytidine deaminases across cancer types. We further inferred over a hundred polymorphic L1/LINE elements with somatic retrotransposition activity in cancer. Our study highlights the major impact of rare and common germline variants on mutational landscapes in cancer.


The paper studies the problem of simultaneous design of reliable filter and fault detector for a class of linear continuous-time systems with bounded disturbances and nonzero constant reference inputs. An Hinfin filter and two detection weighting matrices are designed simultaneously. The filter is designed for both fault free and faulty cases, and by manipulating the steady-state values of the filter states and the measured outputs with the detection weighting matrices, a residual is then generated, through which the sensor outage faults can be detected effectively. A convergent iterative algorithm based on linear matrix inequality (LMI) is given to obtain the solutions. A numerical example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.


Two nonsteriodal antiinflammatory agents, indomethacin and meclofenamate, were found to produce a marked decrease in mesenteric blood flow, an increase in blood presure and no significant change in celiac blood flow. The initial effect of indomethacin on mesenteric blood flow differed from that seen with meclofenamate. Whereas meclofenamate induced a fall in mesenteric blood flow that was gradual in onset, indomethacin induced a marked vasoconstriction of the mesenteric bed that was immediate in onset and of short duration, which was followed by a decrease of slower onset similar to that seen with meclofenamate.


Although empirical studies have indicated that parents have an important role in preventing Internet gaming disorder in adolescents, longitudinal research on the parental predictors of Internet gaming disorder is lacking. We used a three-wave cross-lagged panel model to explore the reciprocal association between parental monitoring and Internet gaming disorder, and examined the different impacts of mother– and father–child relationships on this association. A sample of 1490 adolescents aged 10–15 years (M = 12.03, SD = 1.59; 45.4% female) completed assessments at all three points. The cross-lagged model revealed that (a) parental monitoring at T1 predicted lower Internet gaming disorder at T2, and greater Internet gaming disorder at T2 predicted lower parental monitoring at T3; (b) father–child relationship had a reciprocal, indirect effect on the relationship between parental monitoring and Internet gaming disorder, while mother–child relationship did not. These findings suggest that the parental effects (e.g., higher parental monitoring and better father–child relationship) might play a vital role in preventing Internet gaming disorder in adolescents.


'Serenut 5R' (Reg. No. CV-129, PI 676092) is a new highyielding, spanish-type groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L. subsp. fastigiata var. vulgaris) with two seeds per pod. Serenut 5R was released in 2010 by the National Semi-Arid Resources Research Institute, Soroti, Uganda. It was a selection from the ICRISAT advanced line ICGV-SM 93535. Serenut 5R originated from a cross made between ICGM 522 and 'RG 1'. ICGV-SM 93535 was developed by using repeated bulk selections for groundnut rosette disease resistance, using the infector row technique at the ICRISAT-Malawi research station. Performance tests in replicated trials were performed in Uganda in 2008 and 2009. Trials were performed in two seasons each year and averaged over 10 rainfed locations in Uganda. Serenut 5R matures in 100 to 110 d, similar to the widely grown control cultivar Serenut 3R. Serenut 5R resulted in significantly higher pod yields (16%) than Serenut 3R, and the shellout percentage for Serenut 5R was 4.8% higher than Serenut 3R. Seed testa is red, and the seeds are slightly larger than those of Serenut 3R. The sound mature kernel count for Serenut 5R was 38.7 g 100-1 compared with 32.38 g 100-1 for Serenut 3R, an increase of 19.51%. The dormancy period for Serenut 5R was significantly less than Serenut 3R.


This study evaluated possible neuronal mechanisms responsible for the transition from normal breathing (eupnea) to gasping. We hypothesized that a blockade of both inhibitory glycinergic synaptic transmission and potassium channels, combined with an increase in extracellular concentration of potassium, would induce a switch from an eupneic respiratory pattern to gasping. Efferent activities of the phrenic, vagal, and hypoglossal nerves were recorded during eupnea and ischemia-induced gasping in a perfused in situ preparation of the juvenile rat (4-6 wk of age). To block potassium channels, 4-aminopyridine (4-AP, 1-10 microM) was administered. Strychnine (0.2-0.6 microM) was used to block glycinergic neurotransmission. After administrations of 4-AP, excess extracellular potassium (10.25-17.25 mM), and strychnine, the incrementing pattern of eupneic phrenic activity was altered to a decrementing discharge. Hypoglossal and vagal activities became concentrated to the period of the phrenic burst with expiratory activity being reduced or eliminated. These changes in neural activities were similar to those in ischemia-induced gasping. Results are consistent with the concept that the elicitation of gasping represents a switch from a network-based rhythmogenesis for eupnea to a pacemaker-driven mechanism.


We report the finding of nanodiamonds, coexisting with amorphous carbon, in carbonaceous-chondrite (CC) material from the Kapoeta achondritic meteorite by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and micro-Raman spectroscopy. In the C–H stretching region (3100–2600 cm−1), the FTIR spectrum of the Kapoeta CC material (KBr pellet) shows bands attributable to aliphatic CH2 and CH3 groups, and is very similar to IR spectra of organic matter in carbonaceous chondrites and the diffuse interstellar medium. Nanodiamonds, as evidenced by micro-Raman spectroscopy, were found in a dark region (∼400 μm in size) in the KBr pellet. Micro-FTIR spectra collected from this region are dramatically different from the KBr-pellet spectrum, and their C–H stretching region is dominated by a strong and broad absorption band centered at ∼2886 cm−1 (3.47 μm), very similar to that observed in IR absorption spectra of hydrocarbon dust in dense interstellar clouds. Micro-FTIR spectroscopy also indicates the presence of an aldehyde and a nitrile, and both of the molecules are ubiquitous in dense interstellar clouds. In addition, IR peaks in the 1500–800 cm−1 region are also observed, which may be attributed to different levels of nitrogen aggregation in diamonds. This is the first evidence for the presence of the 3.47 μm interstellar IR band in meteorites. Our results further support the assignment of this band to tertiary CH groups on the surfaces of nanodiamonds. The presence of the above interstellar bands and the absence of shock features in the Kapoeta nanodiamonds, as indicated by Raman spectroscopy, suggest formation by a nebular-condensation process similar to chemical-vapor deposition.


It is a national imperative to increase the percentage of Latinas and Latinos who earn doctorate degrees in the social sciences and who enter into faculty positions. For the purposes of this study, I focus on whether Latinas and Latinos earned their doctorates at the nation's most research-intensive universities because those schools are uniquely equipped to prepare doctoral students for careers in academia. I find that more than 40% of Latinas and Latinos who earned social science doctorates did so at universities with lower research profiles. I also test whether there are relationships between Latinas' and Latino's undergraduate institutions (e.g., community colleges and Hispanic Serving Institutions) and doctoral universities (classified by research-intensity). I did not find a relationship between attending community college and the type of university where a Latina or Latino social scientist earned the PhD. However, I found that Latinas and Latinos who earned baccalaureate degrees from Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) had higher relative risk of earning doctorates from less research-intensive universities. This institutional pathway may be beneficial for increasing the number of Latinas and Latinos who earn social science doctorate degrees; however, it may be problematic for preparing future faculty members. I discuss implications for supporting the Latina-Latino pathway to the PhD.


Nowadays, single event upsets (SEUs) altering digital circuits are becoming a bigger concern for memory applications. This paper presents an error-detection method for difference- set cyclic codes with majority logic decoding. Majority logic decodable codes are suitable for memory applications due to their capability to correct a large number of errors. However, they require a large decoding time that impacts memory performance. The proposed fault-detection method significantly reduces memory access time when there is no error in the data read. The technique uses the majority logic decoder itself to detect failures, which makes the area overhead minimal and keeps the extra power consumption low.


We consider coordinate descent methods on convex quadratic problems, in which exact line searches are performed at each iteration. (This algorithm is identical to Gauss-Seidel on the equivalent symmetric positive definite linear system.) We describe a class of convex quadratic problems for which the random-permutations version of cyclic coordinate descent (RPCD) outperforms the standard cyclic coordinate descent (CCD) approach, yielding convergence behavior similar to the fully-random variant (RCD). A convergence analysis is developed to explain the empirical observations.


Objectives: This semi-experimental study was conducted, to determine the effects of low fidelity simulation on blood pressure knowledge scores and hearing Korotkoff sounds. Individuals/Materials and Methods: The sample of the study consisted of a University Health High School (experimental/ study group = 37; control group = 35) nursing, first-year students. Data that were collected: sociodemographic data, blood pressure tests and measurement results. The application of the research includes lectures, knowledge test application (pre-post test), laboratory application, additional simulation training for the experimental/study group, blood pressure measurement evaluation in a simulator and healthy volunteer. Numbers, percentages, mean, chi-square analysis, paired-samples t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, McNemar Test, Kruskal Wallis Variance Analysis, independent samples t-test were used in the data assessment. Results: The experimental group post knowledge test mean was 9.45±2.51; the control group was 10.31±2.75. Skill training using low reality simulations did not make a significant difference between students' knowledge scores. More than half of the students in the experimental group was heard in the simulator sound at 1st and 2nd measurement, control group students was heard mainly at the 4th measurement. There is no statistically significant difference between experimental and control groups in the assessment of simulator and healthy volunteers. Conclusion: Since low fidelity simulators are not very effective in hearing Korotkoff sound in this study, it is thought that skill training made with high fidelity simulator or healthy volunteer individuals can be effective.


We present the observation and the detailed investigation of coherent Cherenkov diffraction radiation (CChDR) in terms of spectral-angular characteristics. Electromagnetic simulations have been performed to optimize the design of a prismatic dielectric radiator and the performance of a detection system with the aim of providing longitudinal beam diagnostics. Successful experimental validations have been organized on the CLEAR and the CLARA facilities based at CERN and Daresbury laboratory respectively. With ps to sub-ps long electron bunches, the emitted radiation spectra extend up to the THz frequency range. Bunch length measurements based on CChDR have been compared to longitudinal bunch profiles obtained using a radio frequency deflecting cavity or coherent transition radiation (CTR). The retrieval of the temporal profile of both Gaussian and non-Gaussian bunches has also been demonstrated. The proposed detection scheme paves the way to a new kind of beam instrumentation, simple and compact for monitoring short bunches of charged particles, particularly well-adapted to novel accelerator technologies, such as dielectric and plasma accelerators. Finally, CChDR could be used for generating intense THz radiation pulses at the MW level in existing radiation facilities, providing broader opportunities for the user community.


H2 production using nanoscale semiconductors via photocatalytic water splitting is a much sought-after technology to curb carbon dioxide emission. Among the many challenges found to date is the search for a stable semiconductor photocatalyst responding to visible and preferably visible and IR light. Ag2S is a narrow bandgap semiconductor with a bulk electronic gap smaller than that needed to split water. In this work, using a solvent thermal strategy, we have increased its bandgap energy by shifting up the conduction band edge to make it suitable for the electron transfer reaction to hydrogen ions. The Ag2S quantum dots (QDs) were tested as both electrocatalysts and photocatalysts. As electrocatalysts, Ag2S QDs with an absorption peak at 800 nm (QD800) showed the highest H2 evolution activity with a Tafel slope of 89 mV/dec with an overpotential of 0.32 V. As photocatalysts, H2 was produced at a rate of 858 μmol h–1 gcatal–1 under a white light flux of 100 mW cm–2. Moreover, QD800 was also found to be act...


Wnt proteins and β-catenin signaling regulate major processes during embryonic development, and we hypothesized that they regulate cranial base synchondrosis development and growth. To address this issue, we analyzed cartilage-specific β-catenin-deficient mice. Mutant synchondroses lacked typical growth plate zones, and endochondral ossification was delayed. In reciprocal transgenic experiments, cartilage overexpression of a constitutive active Lef1, a transcriptional mediator of Wnt/β-catenin signaling, caused precocious chondrocyte hypertrophy and intermingling of immature and mature chondrocytes. The developmental changes seen in β-catenin-deficient synchondroses were accompanied by marked reductions in Ihh and PTHrP as well as sFRP-1, an endogenous Wnt signaling antagonist and a potential Ihh signaling target. Thus, Wnt/β-catenin signaling is essential for cranial base development and synchondrosis growth plate function. This pathway promotes chondrocyte maturation and ossification events, and may exert this important role by dampening the effects of Ihh-PTHrP together with sFRP-1.


This special issue of Genesis focuses on Model Organism Databases (MODs) and provides an overview of the contents and technologies these resources provide to the biomedical research community. MODs started, when internet technologies became widely available back in the 1990's, as specialized web sites and evolved over the following 2 decades into web portals to sophisticated databases. Rather than growing as isolated specialists, the MODs have become more integrated, and the combined power of their contents can now be leveraged by researchers in a variety of biomedical fields. Their contents are not simply enormous collections of specialized data, but rather the data within each MOD are connected to many other types of data and via ontologies to a large proportion of biomedical knowledge. Genes are linked not just to proteins, but also to functions, genetic phenotypes, experimental results, gene expression and human congenital diseases. Papers in this special issue cover a broad range of issues regarding MODs, everything from user guides to sophisticated data querying interfaces aimed at guiding MOD users to leverage MOD content better to discussions that explain how data are gathered and validated. This assists users to grasp content quality and assists other resources that may want to learn from extant systems and perhaps adopt the technologies developed by the MODs. MODs have evolved significantly during the past 20 years, and over the next decade these databases will become more integrated and interoperable via specialized tools for querying multiple MOD based content such as InterMine. Their content has recently been used to predict gene to disease associations and also gene changes associated with evolution.


Background During the year 2013, the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) issued a series of alerts related to medicines containing tetrazepam: 1- Communication of start of the review process by the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) as a result of new data about a higher frequency of cutaneous adverse reactions to tetrazepam, without any specific recommendation (January). 2- Recommendation not to exceed seven days when starting new treatment and to review prolonged treatment (April). 3- Decision to suspend the marketing, to not allow initiation of new treatments and to look for alternative drugs (June). Tetrazepam has been widely used in Spain since 1978. These alerts have forced a change in prescribing habits for indications of tetrazepam. Purpose To analyse prescribing trends for tetrazepam and therapeutic alternatives in response to safety alerts issued by AEMPS. Materials and methods Retrospective study of tetrazepam prescriptions and alternative treatment (AT) in the outpatients department of a 650-bed hospital that serves a population of 220,000 inhabitants. AT was defined as drugs in the tetrazepam therapeutic group (tizanidine, baclofen, cyclobenzaprine and methocarbamol) and benzodiazepines that shared indications (ketazolam and diazepam). We recorded the number of Defined Daily Doses (DDDs) of the drugs prescribed each month during two different periods: No Alerts Period (NAP), from January to August 2012, and Alerts Period (PA), from January to August 2013. To evaluate the influence of different alerts on prescribing, periods of a month either side of each notification were compared to 2012 (First period (FP): January, February and March, Second Period (SP): April and May and Third Period (TP): June, July and August). The global influence was analysed by comparing mean DDD/month between the NAP and the AP of each drug. Prescription data were obtained from the application for the registration and use of prescription-dispensing data of the Public Health System of Andalucia (Mycrostrategy). The Chi-squared test was applied to data. Results In the FP DDD of tetrazepam decreased from an average of 2247 DDD/month in 2012 to 1607 DDD/month, the sum of DDD of AT increased from 4028 DDD/month to 6028 DDD/month. During the SP tetrazepam prescribing decreased from 2090 DDD/month to 725 DDD/month and AT increased from 3988 DDD/month to 8303 DDD/month. In the TP tetrazepam use fell from 2197 DDD/month to 67 DDD/month and the AT increased from 3999 DDD/month to 9655 DDD/month. Globally tetrazepam DDD decreased from 2189 month in NAP to 809 DDD/month in the PA, 63% reduction (p Conclusions The publication of alerts has reduced the use of tetrazepam by our doctors in a phased manner. Prescriptions were diverted to their AT, causing a significant increase in their use. Diazepam was the most used AT. No conflict of interest.


The use of unconventional biological materials as biomarkers in trace element studies has increased in terms of published research studies. In this study, human scalp hair and fingernails were used to be a possible biomarker for arsenic in the human body as no study has been published in Karbala yet. Samples were obtained from 56 healthy individuals resident in Karbala, Iraq. The level of arsenic was determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The validity, precision and accuracy of the methodology were evaluated using a "pooled" sample for each media and certified reference materials. The validation methods provided acceptable levels of precision and accuracy with lower range of RSD (1.1%) and acceptable range of elemental recoveries (98.09 %), respectively. The results show that the arsenic levels of study sample are in general agreement with the literature ranges for scalp hair with exception reported for fingernails. It was found that there was no significant difference for arsenic between the two tissues (at P < 0.05). In addition, the value of correlation coefficient (r = 0.804, P = 0.05) was indicated that there is a significant positive correlations for arsenic level between scalp hair and fingernails.


This thesis explores the commentary on humanity that is described throughout Hideaki Anno's Neon Genesis Evangelion. Close examination of the patterns of behavior, speech, and respective traumas of the main characters in the series was utilized to decipher the regenerative themes presented through each character's ongoing struggle to overcome their psychological wounds. This thesis introduces ideas about what it means to be human and how one can bear the weight of such an existence. It is my greatest hope that this work influences individuals to reflect on their own experiences in an effort to become more at peace with themselves. By extension, I hope to increase the level of interest in Japanese animation by depicting the degree of intricacy of which this medium


Abstract In response to environmental stressors such as blast fungal infections, rice produces phytoalexins, an antimicrobial diterpenoid compound. Together with momilactones, phytocassanes are among the major diterpenoid phytoalexins. The biosynthetic genes of diterpenoid phytoalexin are organized on the chromosome in functional gene clusters, comprising diterpene cyclase, dehydrogenase, and cytochrome P450 monooxygenase genes. Their functions have been studied extensively using in vitro enzyme assay systems. Specifically, P450 genes (CYP71Z6, Z7; CYP76M5, M6, M7, M8) on rice chromosome 2 have multifunctional activities associated with ent-copalyl diphosphate-related diterpene hydrocarbons, but the in planta contribution of these genes to diterpenoid phytoalexin production remains unknown. Here, we characterized cyp71z7 T-DNA mutant and CYP76M7/M8 RNAi lines to find that potential phytoalexin intermediates accumulated in these P450-suppressed rice plants. The results suggested that in planta, CYP71Z7 is responsible for C2-hydroxylation of phytocassanes and that CYP76M7/M8 is involved in C11α-hydroxylation of 3-hydroxy-cassadiene. Based on these results, we proposed potential routes of phytocassane biosynthesis in planta. Graphical abstract C2-hydoroxylation and C11-hydorxylation are active in planta catalyzed by CYP71Z7 and CYP76M7/M8 leading to phytocassanes. New intermediates are found in this study.


Abstract Clamp loaders load ring-shaped sliding clamps onto DNA where the clamps serve as processivity factors for DNA polymerases. In the first stage of clamp loading, clamp loaders bind and stabilize clamps in an open conformation, and in the second stage, clamp loaders place the open clamps around DNA so that the clamps encircle DNA. Here, the mechanism of the initial clamp opening stage is investigated. Mutations were introduced into the Escherichia coli β-sliding clamp that destabilize the dimer interface to determine whether the formation of an open clamp loader–clamp complex is dependent on spontaneous clamp opening events. In other work, we showed that mutation of a positively charged Arg residue at the β-dimer interface and high NaCl concentrations destabilize the clamp, but neither facilitates the formation of an open clamp loader–clamp complex in experiments presented here. Clamp opening reactions could be fit to a minimal three-step 'bind-open-lock' model in which the clamp loader binds a closed clamp, the clamp opens, and subsequent conformational rearrangements 'lock' the clamp loader–clamp complex in a stable open conformation. Our results support a model in which the E. coli clamp loader actively opens the β-sliding clamp.