In the random allocation model, balls are sequentially inserted at random into n exchangeable bins. The occupancy score of a bin denotes the number of balls inserted in this bin. The (random) distribution of occupancy scores defines the object of this paper: the empirical occupancy measure which is a probability measure over the integers. This measure-valued random variable packages many useful statistics. This paper characterizes the large deviations of the flow of empirical occupancy measures when n goes to infinity while the number of inserted balls remains proportional to n. The main result is a Sanov-like theorem for the empirical occupancy measure when the set of probability measures over the integers is endowed with metrics that are slightly stronger than the total variation distance. Thanks to a coupling argument, this result applies to the degree distribution of sparse random graphs.


AKI in septic patients is associated with increased mortality and poor outcome despite major efforts to refine the understanding of its pathophysiology. Here, an in vivo model is presented that combines a standardized septic focus to induce AKI and an intensive care (ICU) setup to provide an advanced hemodynamic monitoring and therapy comparable in human sepsis. Sepsis is induced by standardized colon ascendens stent peritonitis (sCASP). AKI is investigated functionally by measurement of blood and urine samples as well as histologically by evaluation of histopathological scores. Furthermore, the advanced hemodynamic monitoring and the possibility of repetitive blood gas sampling enable a differentiated analysis of severity of induced sepsis. The sCASP method is a standardized, reliable and reproducible method to induce septic AKI. The intensive care setup, continuous hemodynamic and gas exchange monitoring, low mortality rate as well as the opportunity of detailed analyses of kidney function and impairments are advantages of this setup. Therefore, the described method may serve as a new standard for experimental investigations of septic AKI.


This paper aims to explore the vital contributions that the field of clinical psychology is consistently giving to the citizens of Canada.  The services provided by psychologists are unique in their own right, however there is much confusion in the healthcare field regarding the specificity of their roles, and the average healthcare consumer can be overhwhelmed in trying to understand the differences between psychologists and other mental health professions.  This advocacy peice ultimately serves to clarify what it is psychologists bring to the table, including an exploration of the benefits of psychotherapy, issues around cost-effectiveness of psychological treatment and medicare coverage, differences between psychologists and other mentalhealth professionals, and the promotion and preventative role psychologists maintain concerning mental health issues.  Overall, the goal of this paper is to outline the overall worth and functionality of the field of clinical psychology.


AIMS
To compare the feasibility and accuracy of three injection techniques for entering the superior joint space of the swine temporomandibular joint (TMJ).

METHODS
Nine swine were used for this study, in which 500 μL of colored dye was injected into both TMJs of each swine. Three injection techniques were used: the posterior injection (PI), the anterosuperior injection (ASI), and the lateral injection (LI) techniques. Each injection technique was performed on six TMJs. Swine were sacrificed immediately after injection and the swine head was dissected in order to observe the dye distribution. Injection was considered successful if no dye could be observed outside the superior joint space.

RESULTS
The PI technique was successful in all six TMJs (success rate: 100%), the LI technique in three out of six TMJs (success rate: 50%), and the ASI technique in two out of six TMJs (success rate: 33%); the differences were statistically significant (chi-square test, P < .05).

CONCLUSION
The PI technique was more accurate than the LI or ASI techniques in accessing the swine superior TMJ space.


We characterize market traders at two rural fairs in Puno, Peru, based on quantitative and qualitative data gathered in 2008, to gain insight into types of traders and the information needs that influence the degree to which they use mobile phones to make decisions regarding which weekly fairs to attend. Using variables such as origin, type of goods sold, means of transportation to the market, and reliance on networks, we identify traders as full-time traders, part-time traders, or subsistence traders, that is, people trading solely to survive. We find that when traders are already familiar with the technology, regularly rely on endogenous networks to make decisions, and have more to lose from failing to trade (e.g., those selling perishable goods), they are more likely to use mobile phones to decide where to sell.


Protection measures in the administrative procedure are regulated by the Law on Administrative Procedure of the Republic of Lithuania. These measures are applied when there is a risk of aggravation of execution of future administrative court decision taken in favour of the petitioner. The law provides a fixed number and types of possible protection measures, namely: 1) temporary suspension of an administrative decision in question; 2) prohibition of certain course of action for the defendant; 3) temporary suspension of execution of a writ. Only these three types of protection measures can be legally applied in the administrative procedure in Lithuania. Nevertheless, administrative courts are more willing to construe the reasons of application of protection measures in a more detailed and not often correct way than provided by the law. In order to reveal and prove this phenomenon an analytical study has been performed of the decisions adopted by the Supreme Administrative Court during 2010 regarding the protection measures. The Article presents generalised conclusions of the study.


Objective: To present our experience of wide variety of Rectal Foreign Bodies along with the surgical interventions taken to manage them.
Methodology: It was a cross-sectional prospective case series conducted in the surgical unit of Ghulam Mohammad Mahar Medical College and Hospital, Sukkur, Pakistan from January to December 2017. Patient characteristics, clinical features and management of all patients with rectal foreign bodies were analyzed using SPSS version 21.
Results: There were 25 patients with male to female ratio 9:1 and mean age of 39.5 years. Seven (35%) of these had voluntary injuries for sexual gratification and 13 cases (65%) were of involuntary injuries. Intestinal obstruction was diagnosed in 9 (45%), rectal perforation in 2 (10%), rectal mucosal injury in 3 (15%), and perianal injury in 6 (30%). Patients with intestinal obstruction and rectal perforation were managed with laparotomy while the ones with rectal mucosal and perianal injuries were managed with rectal dilation and extraction of the FB under general anesthesia.
Conclusion: Rectal foreign body presents as a diagnostic, evaluation, and management dilemma. Its most common etiology is sexual stimulation. Most cases require rectal extraction and exploratory laparotomy. Psychological status of all these patients must be evaluated and relevant consultation should be provided.


Gestures that accompany speech are an essential part of natural and efficient embodied human communication. The automatic generation of such co‐speech gestures is a long‐standing problem in computer animation and is considered an enabling technology for creating believable characters in film, games, and virtual social spaces, as well as for interaction with social robots. The problem is made challenging by the idiosyncratic and non‐periodic nature of human co‐speech gesture motion, and by the great diversity of communicative functions that gestures encompass. The field of gesture generation has seen surging interest in the last few years, owing to the emergence of more and larger datasets of human gesture motion, combined with strides in deep‐learning‐based generative models that benefit from the growing availability of data. This review article summarizes co‐speech gesture generation research, with a particular focus on deep generative models. First, we articulate the theory describing human gesticulation and how it complements speech. Next, we briefly discuss rule‐based and classical statistical gesture synthesis, before delving into deep learning approaches. We employ the choice of input modalities as an organizing principle, examining systems that generate gestures from audio, text and non‐linguistic input. Concurrent with the exposition of deep learning approaches, we chronicle the evolution of the related training data sets in terms of size, diversity, motion quality, and collection method (e.g., optical motion capture or pose estimation from video). Finally, we identify key research challenges in gesture generation, including data availability and quality; producing human‐like motion; grounding the gesture in the co‐occurring speech in interaction with other speakers, and in the environment; performing gesture evaluation; and integration of gesture synthesis into applications. We highlight recent approaches to tackling the various key challenges, as well as the limitations of these approaches, and point toward areas of future development.


Construction of the electron quantum transport equations from Non-Equilibrium Green's Functions is presently based on Reconstruction Theorems, reducing full description of a non-equilibrium system to a dynamic theory in terms of one-particle quantities. This approach, stemming from the original Kadanoff-Baym Ansatz, and based on a suitably renormalized NGF formalism, can be brought to a close parallel with the Time Dependent Density Functional Theory. This concerns, in particular, the role of correlations at a finite initial time. A universal treatment of these initial conditions is possible for the switch-on states, while more general initial states have so far to be treated individually.


Prior research has shown that source code also exhibits naturalness, i.e. it is written by humans and is likely to be repetitive. The researchers also showed that the n-gram language model is useful in predicting the next token in a source file given a large corpus of existing source code. In this paper, we investigate how well statistical machine translation (SMT) models for natural languages could help in migrating source code from one programming language to another. We treat source code as a sequence of lexical tokens and apply a phrase-based SMT model on the lexemes of those tokens. Our empirical evaluation on migrating two Java projects into C# showed that lexical, phrase-based SMT could achieve high lexical translation accuracy (BLEU from 81.3-82.6%). Users would have to manually edit only 11.9-15.8% of the total number of tokens in the resulting code to correct it. However, a high percentage of total translation methods (49.5-58.6%) is syntactically incorrect. Therefore, our result calls for a more program-oriented SMT model that is capable of better integrating the syntactic and semantic information of a program to support language migration.


We have investigated the decays of several zinc isotopes produced by photonuclear reactions, which were induced by bremsstrahlung photon beams from a clinical e-linac. A photon beam of 18 MeV endpoint energy was directed at a target consisting of primarily zinc isotopes in their natural abundances. Subsequently, the induced decays of unstable zinc isotopes were measured with an HPGe detector twice, once shortly after irradiation and once on the following day. Decays of Zn-63, Zn-65, Zn-69m, and Cu-67 were measured and fitted. In addition, the gamma energy levels of the daughters of these decays were measured with good accuracy. All of the measurements were consistent with established data within error bars.


This paper considers access control for local area computer communication networks. We propose two distributed access control schemes for a bus network. The schemes are simple and asynchronous, and provide for collision-free communication among ports. In addition, one of the schemes provides a bounded, guaranteed time to transmisidon for each port. We also show that this scheme is efficient in the use of the bus bandwidth, in the sense that there is only a small fraction of time during which the bus is idle when there is at least one packet available for transmission.


OBJECTIVE: to describe collateral circulation in the gallbladder wall in relation with portal hypertension syndrome, and to determine whether this syndrome is frequently associated portal vein thrombosis. METHODS: images were retrospectively reviewed for 9 patients with previously diagnosed portal hypertension syndrome, in whom ultrasound results suggested the presence of varices of the cystic vein. RESULTS: four patients showed signs suggesting portal vein thrombosis. The gallbladder wall showed diffuse hypoechoic thickening in all patients, 7 of whom had intramural dilation of tubular, tortuous appearance. Ultrasound findings, however, were not very specific, and differential diagnosis with a large number of other entities is required to rule out other possible causes of focal and diffuse thickening of the gallbladder wall. The use of Doppler sonographic techniques made it possible to determine the cause of the varices, and to confirm suspicions of portal thrombosis. This method was found to be just as sensitive as ultrasound imaging, and much more specific. Angiograms obtained in 3 patients for different reasons confirmed the ultrasonographic findings in all cases. CONCLUSIONS: this study confirms the association between thromboses and varices, and analyzes the physiopathological hypotheses invoked to explain this association. We emphasize the need for correct diagnosis, given the frequency of surgical iatrogenic bleeding or misdiagnosis resulting from confusion with other possible causes of gallbladder wall thickening. Doppler ultrasound is considered the ideal diagnostic method as it is harmless, sensitive and specific.


Reflecting the latest developments from the information security field, best-selling Security+ Guide to Network Security Fundamentals, 4e provides the most current coverage available while thoroughly preparing readers for the CompTIA Security+ SY0-301 certification exam. Its comprehensive introduction to practical network and computer security covers all of the the new CompTIA Security+ exam objectives. Cutting-edge coverage of the new edition includes virtualization, mobile devices, and other trends, as well as new topics such as psychological approaches to social engineering attacks, Web application attacks, penetration testing, data loss prevention, cloud computing security, and application programming development security.


Biochars produced from thermochemical conversions of biomass were evaluated by temperature programmed oxidation (TPO). This technique, used to characterize carbon deposits on petroleum cracking catalysts, provides information on the oxidative stability of carbonaceous solids, where higher temperature reactivity indicates greater structural order, an important property for biochar applications. Differences between TPO profiles of biochars generated by fast pyrolysis of soy straw, barley straw, switchgrass, bamboo, and various woods demonstrated that the oxidative stabilities of the biochars are dependent on the starting biomass. Biochars from softwood and hardwood feedstocks were also processed by torrefaction and gasification to assess the impact of the thermoprocessing method on the TPO data. Results from these TPO analyses showed that the biochars produced under higher temperature conditions afford biochars that are more oxidation resistant. Biochars produced from pine wood (softwood) were consistently more resistant to oxidation compared to their hardwood counterparts. This exploratory study represents the first application of TPO to biochars.


NA61/SHINE (SPS Heavy Ion and Neutrino Experiment) is a fixed-target experiment operating at the CERN SPS accelerator. The main goal of the Collaboration is to study the properties of the phase transition between confined matter and quark-gluon plasma by performing a two-dimensional scan of the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter. Within this program, collisions of different systems (p+p, Be+Be, Ar+Sc, Xe+La, Pb+Pb) over a wide range of beam momenta (13A-158A GeV/c) have been recorded.
Recently, the physics program of NA61/SHINE was extended by measurements of open charm production in A+A collisions which is the main goal of NA61/SHINE beyond 2020. In order to meet the challenges of the required spatial resolution of primary and secondary vertex reconstruction, the detector was upgraded by a micro vertex detector. A Small-Acceptance version of the Vertex Detector (SAVD) was successfully commissioned in December 2016 and first pilot data were collected for Pb+Pb collisions at a beam momentum of 150A GeV/c. This data allowed to validate the measurement concept and to perform the first direct measurement of open charm hadron production in collisions of nuclei at the SPS energies. In October and November 2017, large statistics datasets for Xe+La collisions at 75A and 150A GeV/c were registered and are under analysis now. This contribution will present the motivation of open charm studies as well as the current status and details of the analysis of the collected Pb+Pb and Xe+La data.


The aim of the study is to investigate song lyrics within rap and pop music from a cultural and a gender perspective, focusing on the depiction of women. The investigation focuses on the nouns the songwriter use to refer to the concept of woman. Twenty songs from each genre are conveyed in this study. The results show that rap lyrics contain multiple nouns referring to the concept of woman that depict women in a negative way. Pop lyrics do not contain these words and thus have a more positive way of depicting women. Nouns that occur in both genres tend to be of positive value whereas nouns that are only represented in the rap genre tend to be of negative value, something that indicates these nouns to be bearers of cultural values. It is easier to distinguish hip-hop culture, of which rap is a part, due to the fact that it consists of distinctive language that is highly connected to that particular genre. Pop music however, is very broad and also more difficult to distinguish as a unique culture compared to hip-hop. The language used in pop lyrics is rather commonplace and does not stand out in the crowd as the language in rap lyrics does.


This study had the main aim to assess the food intake, the weight gain, and the muscular glucose metabolism in rats submitted to aerobic training while recovering of protean malnutrition. For this, 60 male Wistar rats were separated in two groups: normoprotean (NP) and hypoprotean (HP), according to the diet: NP (17% protein), or HP (6% protein), respectively, which was received after the ablactation (21 days) on their 90th day of life. Then, very animal received the NP diet, and they were submitted or not (trained TRA; sedentary SED) to physical training that consisted in running on a treadmill for 25 m/min., 50 min/day for 5 days a week for 30 days, compounding the NP-SED, NP-TRA, HP/NP-SED, and HP/NP-TRA groups. The glucose metabolism was assessed in slices of the soleum muscle incubated in the presence of insulin (100 mU/L), and glucose (5.5 mM containing glucose [C14], and 2-deoxyglycose [H3]). The daily food intake (g/100 g of the body weight) for the HP/NP-TRA group (24.39 ± 4.07) was larger than the HP/NP-SED group (21.62 ± 4.69). The weight gain (g) was similar in both groups HP/NP-TRA (203.80 ± 34.03) and HP/NP-SED (214.43 ± 30.54). There was no difference between both groups in relation to the following parameters: glucose uptake and oxidation, and glycogen synthesis by the soleum muscle. Thus, it can be concluded that the aerobic training did not have any impact on the nutritional recovery, as there was no metabolic or somatic differences among recovered animals in the presence or absence of the training.


The focus of this thesis is to efficiently allocate the radio resources in novel ways to achieve performance benefits in CDMA systems through proper channel access control techniques. The capacity of the integrated services with different data rates and quality of service requirements is analyzed. It is first shown that the system performance deteriorates when voice and high data rate services are integrated. To improve the system performance. a channel access control technique for deiay insensitive high data rate traffic is proposed. Resoiirce allocation and schediiling sciiemes arc! proposed and st iidietl for a systeni wi t h only high data rate Internet users. The scheduling schemes exploit the packet mode trarisniission to achieve better performance in the time-slotted systems where rates are aliocated according to the channel conditions. These schernes are compared in terms of throughput and delay. and also fairness in the allocated data rates. It is shown that the overall system performance is severely afTected by the adverse channel conditions seen by a few users. To improve the system performance. a technique is proposed that identifies and delays the transmission for stich users until the conditions improve. A tirne muse duster size of three c e b is considered tu mininrize the interference. Whcn the cluster size is Iarger than one cell, the transmission From neighboring base stations niust be coordinated. To efficient Iy reuse the t ime, aigorithms are developed for best-effort and real-t ime services. A dynamic time share allocation algorithm is proposed and studied that can uniquely coordinate the transmission time for high data rate Internet users in time reuse clusters larger than one ceI1. A time slot assignment scheme is &O proposed and studied for real-tirne high data rate services. It efficiently packs and dynamicdy ailocates the time slots so that the cal1 blocking probability is lower than various fixed and dynamic schemes in aU t r a c conditions.


The nucleation and development of dynamic recrystallization (DRX) in hot deformed superalloy Inconel 718 during uniaxial compression were investigated by optical microscopy and electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) technique. The results showed that the discontinuous dynamic recrystallization was the predominant DRX mechanism in this alloy. The variations of partial crystallographic orientations led to the individual nucleation inside the deformed grains, which implied the occurrence of local continuous dynamic recrystallization. The progressive subgrain rotation can be confirmed neither near the prior high angle grain boundaries nor within the original grains. It was found that, as the strain increased, the initial twin boundaries were gradually transformed to ordinary mobile high angle boundaries. Meanwhile, the new twin boundaries were formed inside the recrystallized grain necklaces. It was suggested that the characteristics of the twin boundaries evolution with increasing strain were associated with the transformation of initial twin boundaries as well as the generation of new ones, which resulted in the development of DRX.


The 10-Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON), also known as (XGPON), is a key technology for the next generation of optical fibre communication systems that can improve reliability data rate. However, the increment in the transmission distance and data rate will lead to increased dispersion. This paper proposes a model based on the Sub-Carrier Multiplexing/Wavelength Division Multiplexing-Radio over Fibre-10-Gigabit Passive Optical Network system (SCM/WDM-RoF-XGPON) for Radio Frequency (RF) using a conventional Optical Network Unit (ONU) with the Square Root Module (SRM) on the side of the receiver. It is connected to a central office Optical Line Terminal (OLT) via an access network for multi-channel optical fibre transfers with a distance of 80 km and at 10 Gbps data rate. The Optisystem 15 simulation software is used to evaluate the proposed system based on the Bit Error Rate (BER), Quality factor (Q-factor) and eye diagram. The proposed system of bidirectional fibre links uses 1270 nm and 1577 nm wavelengths for uplink and downlink transmissions, respectively. The performance is further enhanced by using SRM to compensate for the square law characteristics, making it suitable for broadband services. Due to the utilisation of SRM in the architecture, the reported results reveal a double enhancement in successful transition performance at an optical fibre length of 80 km distance. The BER displayed significant improvement (less than 1.00E-09) with SRM at 80 km; however, without SRM and at 50 km, the BER is less than 1.00E-09. Investigations have presented an enhancement in the Q-factor's effectiveness with the use of SRM, which helps to increase the XGPON length. When the length of the fibre is 80 km, the Q-factor is 6 with SRM, while it is 3.7 without SRM.


Utilization of the parametric down—conversion provides a unique possibility of absolute standardless brightness calibration ofhigh—temperature visible, infrared and near UV radiation. The calibration method has been suggested in Moscow State University in 1977 and then was applied there to experimental measurements of radiation spectral brightness for laser and luminiscence sources of visible range and filament lamps radiating in IR range. The method is based on the comparison between two signals: the signal p, corresponding to the measured radiation parametric up-conversion and the "noise" signal P corresponding to parametric scattering of the pump; this "noise" signal is observed both in the presence of the measured radiation at the converter's idler channel entrance and in the absence of it. The noise signal intensity is determined by the effective brightness of zero vacuum fluctuations at the idler frequency which equals to one photon per mode, or, in the energetic units, Bvac = hc2/A, where h is the Plank constant, c —the light velocity, )2 —the idler wavelength. Measuring the ratio of signals P" P' + P and P at the exit of the crystal—converter at frequency w' = wo — w (w0 being the pump frequency, and w —the frequency of the flux being calibrated), one can calculate the absolute value N of energetic brightness spectral density for the radiation which fills the idler channel of the converter: N = k[(P"/P )— 1] in the units "photon/mode" or B = BvacN in the energetic units (here icis a correction coefficient describing the non-ideal transparency of the converting crystal). No additional standard sources or detectors are required here; the method uses as a reference the effective value of zero vacuum fluctuations brightness. The reference effective brightness temperature depends on the radiation wavelegth: T0 = hc/Ak in 2, k being the Boltzmann constant, so that for A2 10 p Tvac 2000 K, and for ' 0.5 Tvac 40 000 K. In this work the accuracy of the method is analysed and the resolution for different schemes of the parametric photometer is calculated.


In lossy image compression schemes, often some distortion measure is minimized to arrive at a desired target bit rate. The distortion measure that has been most studied is the mean-squared-error (MSE). However, perceptual quality often does not agree with the notion of minimization of mean square error1 . Since MSE can not guarantee the optimality of perceptual quality, others error measures have been investigated. Others have found strong mathematical and practical perspective to choose a different error measure other than MSE, especially for image compression2. In Ref. 2 it is argued that the mean absolute error (MAE) measure is a better error measure than MSE for image compression from a perceptual standpoint. In addition, the MSE measure fails when only a small proportion of extreme observations is present3. In this paper we develop a bit allocation algorithm to minimize the MAE rather than MSE


The contents of seven toxic metals (Cu, Cr, Cd, Zn, Pb, Hg and As) in soils from Central China, including Henan Province, Hubei Province and Hunan Province, were collected from published papers from 2007 to 2017. The geoaccumulation index, health risk assessment model and statistics were adopted to study the spatial contamination pattern, to assess the human health risks and to identify the priority control pollutants. The concentrations of soil metals in Central China, especially Cd (1.31 mg/kg), Pb (44.43 mg/kg) and Hg (0.19 mg/kg), surpassed their corresponding background values, and the I geo values of Cd and Hg varied the most, ranging from the unpolluted level to the extremely polluted level. The concentrations of toxic metals were higher in the southern and northern parts of Central China, contrasting to the lowest contents in the middle parts. For non-carcinogenic risk, the hazard index (HI) values for the children in Hubei Province (1.10) and Hunan Province (1.41) exceeded the safe level of one, with higher health risks to children than adults, and the hazard quotient (HQ) values of the three exposure pathways for both children and adults in Central China decreased in the following order: ingestion > dermal contact > inhalation. For carcinogenic risk (CR), the CR values for children in Hubei Province (2.55 × 10 −4 ), Hunan Province (3.44 × 10 −4 ) and Henan Province (1.69 × 10 −4 ), and the CR for adults in Hubei Province (3.67 × 10 −5 ), Hunan Province (4.92 × 10 −5 ) and Henan Province (2.45 × 10 −5 ) exceeded the unacceptable level (10 −4 ) and acceptable level (10 −6 ), respectively. Arsenic (As) appeared to be the main metalloid for both children and adults causing the high carcinogenic risk. For sustainable development in Central China, special attention should be paid to Cd, Hg, Cr, Pb and As, identified as the priority control soil metals. Importance should also be attached to public education, source control, and the remediation of the highly contaminated soils, especially in the areas where it can endanger the groundwater. Furthermore, it is necessary to appropriately adjust the industrial structure and cooperate more to form a complete economic zone.


A combination of spectroscopies and density functional theory calculations indicate that there are large temperature-dependent absorption spectral changes present in green nitrite reductases (NiRs) due to a thermodynamic equilibrium between a green and a blue type 1 (T1) copper site. The axial methionine (Met) ligand is unconstrained in the oxidized NiRs, which results in an enthalpically favored (ΔH ≈4.6 kcal/mol) Met-bound green copper site at low temperatures, and an entropically favored (TΔS ≈4.5 kcal/mol, at room temperature) Met-elongated blue copper site at elevated temperatures. In contrast to the NiRs, the classic blue copper sites in plastocyanin and azurin show no temperature-dependent behavior, indicating that a single species is present at all temperatures. For these blue copper proteins, the polypeptide matrix opposes the gain in entropy that would be associated with the loss of the weak axial Met ligand at physiological temperatures by constraining its coordination to copper. The potential energy surfaces of Met binding indicate that it stabilizes the oxidized state more than the reduced state. This provides a mechanism to tune down the reduction potential of blue copper sites by >200 mV.


Secondary amyloidosis is a rare but serious complication of inflammatory bowel disease that may influence the prognosis even more than the underlying disease. Due to a better knowledge of the association of secondary amyloidosis to inflammatory bowel disease, early diagnosis of this complication is becoming more frequent, but its treatment continues to pose a challenge. We report 4 cases of patients with Crohn s disease and amyloidosis diagnosed in the inflammatory bowel disease Units of Toledo and Ciudad Real, which represent 0.68% of the patients with Crohn s disease of our health areas. There have been not cases of amyloidosis in patients with ulcerative colitis. In our 4 patients the secondary amyloidosis was clearly related to Crohn s disease, which was often of fistulising type. The predominant clinical picture of amyloidosis was nephrotic syndrome. The patients responded to medical and surgical treatment of Crohn s disease and colchicine, which improved renal function in all cases except in one who required kidney transplantation.


"Economic Policy provides a unique combination of facts-based analysis, state-of-the art economic theory, and insights from first-hand policy experience at the national and international levels to shed light on current domestic and international policy challenges. It is ideally suited for students, practitioners, and scholars seeking understanding both of the pragmatic constraints of real-world policy making and the analytical tools that enhance inquiry and inform debates. The authors draw on their experiences as academics and as policy makers in European and international institutions to offer a deep dive into the rationale, design, and implementation of economic policy across a range of policy domains: fiscal policy, monetary policy, international finance, financial stability, taxes, long-term growth and inequality. Highlighting the ways experience, theories, and institutions interact, each chapter starts with historical examples of dilemmas and shows how theoretical approaches can help policy makers understand what is at stake and identify solutions. The authors highlight the differences between the positive approach to economic policy (how do policies impact the economy), the normative approach (what should be policymakers' objectives and against which criteria should their action be judged), and the political-economy constraints (what are the limits and obstacles to public intervention). They rely on the most recent academic research, providing technical boxes while explaining the mechanisms in plain English in the text, with appropriate illustrations. This new edition is informed by such important recent developments as the Great Recession, the strains on the European Union and the Euro, the challenges of public and private debt, the successes and setbacks to emerging markets, changes to labor markets along with the increased attention to inequality, the debates on secular stagnation and its implications for conventional and unconventional monetary policy, the re-regulation of the financial sector, the debt overhang in both the public and the private sector."


In the pig, iron transport to the developing fetus during pregnancy involves, in part, uteroferrin (UF), a secreted progesterone-induced protein of the uterus. Neonatal pigs suffer from anemia, and the decrease in the synthesis of UF protein in late pregnancy was suggested to be partly responsible for this condition. To examine whether diminished capacity for UF uptake by pig fetuses may also contribute to neonatal anemia, binding sites for 125I-UF were examined in plasma membrane-enriched fractions of fetal liver and spleen, which are sites of fetal hematopoiesis. In addition, changes in the number of these binding sites as a function of fetal development were evaluated. Binding of 125I-UF to liver membrane fractions was displaced by intact UF greater than deglycosylated (aglyco) UF greater than ovalbumin, but not by yeast mannan. Scatchard analysis of radioligand binding showed the presence of a single class of binding sites with a dissociation constant of 10(-7) M. During fetal development and at postpartum (day 5), liver binding sites for UF remained invariant and displayed the same affinity. In contrast, the number of binding sites for UF in fetal spleen increased from midpregnancy to parturition and remained elevated in day 5 neonatal spleen. Affinity cross-linking of 125I-UF to liver membrane-associated binding sites and subsequent analysis by gel electrophoresis and autoradiography demonstrated a single labeled protein complex of Mr 58,000 and 87,000 under denaturing and nondenaturing conditions, respectively. The appearance of these bands was inhibited by intact UF, but not ovalbumin. The characteristics of the membrane-associated binding sites for UF differed from those of the mannose-related receptor previously described in reticuloendothelial cells of fetal liver. The invariant presence of UF binding components in sites of hematopoiesis during fetal development suggests that mechanism(s) unrelated to specific uptake of UF are responsible for neonatal anemia.


Multiple antenna orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) is a promising technique for the high downlink capacity in the next generation wireless systems, in which adaptive resource allocation would be an important re- search issue that can significantly improve the performance with guaranteed QoS for users. Moreover, most of the current resource allocation algorithms are limited to the unicast system. In this paper, dynamic resource allocation is studied for multiple antenna OFDMA based systems which provide multicast service. The performance of multicast system is simulated and compared with that of the unicast system. Numerical results also show that the proposed algorithms improve the system capacity significantly compared with the conventional scheme. Index Terms—Adaptive resource allocation, MIMO, multicast service, OFDM, water-filling.


Analysis of data obtained by the Institute of Marine Research, Norway, at their regular surveys of the Fugløya‐Bjørnøya section, between the northern tip of Norway and Bear Island, has allowed for an identification of the factors that control spring bloom development in the region, and their interannual variability. In the southern part of the section the bloom starts as the waters become stratified due to a northward spreading of low salinity water from the Norwegian Coastal Current. In the middle part of the section the bloom is initiated when vernal stratification develops due to heating of the ocean surface, and the bloom may develop in either of two directions throughout summer, depending on the prevailing atmospheric pressure gradient over the region. A north to south high to low pressure gradient will direct surface winds to the west. Ekman drift will then be to the north and a wedge of low salinity, low nutrient water will spread out over the region, leading to the termination of the bloom. When the pressure gradient is reversed, winds will blow to the east and intrusion of fresh water into the region will be limited. In these years the bloom appears to follow a classical Atlantic pattern, unable to fully utilize available nitrate and probably terminated due to extensive grazing. The central part of the Barents Sea Opening is thus yet another northern high latitude region where the bloom is subject to substantial interannual variations, potentially affecting higher trophic levels.


The objective is to study the nature of co-offending among individuals who have previously spent time together in prison. Are new contacts established during a prison term that then result in co-offending subsequent to release? This question is examined on the basis of register data relating to all individuals released from Swedish prisons during a 6-month period (n = 3,930). The data show that 2% of the group were suspected of co-offending subsequent to having spent time together in prison. The findings are discussed on the basis of theoretical perspectives focusing on trust, contacts with other offenders, the size of the criminal networks involved, and criminal capital.


Implanon, a single rod sub-dermal implant is a relatively new contraceptive which offers long term reversible contraception for women. This study seeks to determine the safety, efficacy and acceptor characteristics of Implanon at the family planning clinic of University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin, Nigeria. This study involves a retrospective review of 88 clients who used Implanon from January 2007 to December 2011 at the family planning clinic of the UITH, Ilorin. Of the 2,456 clients who had contraception during the period, 88 had Implanon giving a 3.6% uptake. The mean age of Implanon users in the study was 33.4 years, no teenager used the method and 72(81.8%) knew about the method from clinic staff. Women with two living children constituted 29(33%) of the total users, 78(88.6%) users had at least secondary education, all except one client were married and religion did not influence its use. Twenty two (25%) users had side effects, the commonest being menstrual irregularity in 13(59%) of the participants. Discontinuation rate was 26.1% and the commonest reason for discontinuation was the desire to get pregnant 8(35%). The Pearl Index for Implanon in the study was 0. Implanon is an effective long term hormonal contraceptive appropriate in a wide range of women with tolerable side effect profile but is currently underutilised. Wider publicity, education and access are needed to improve client uptake. Keywords: Implanon, implant, sub-dermal, contraceptive, Ilorin, Nigeria


Mutants of colicin A have been prepared in which the three tryptophan residues (Trp86, Trp130 and Trp140), localized in the C-terminal domain of the soluble wild-type protein, have been substituted by phenylalanine. The Trp140Phe single mutation had the effect of decreasing the percentage of protein that is expressed as insoluble aggregates. The created hydrophobic cavity decreased the stability of the protein during its folding, resulting in partial aggregation in the cytoplasm of the Escherichia coli-producing cells. Aggregation was increased when Trp140 was substituted by Lys, Leu or Cys, or if the Trp140 mutation was combined with the Trp86Phe and/or Trp130Phe mutations. A single mutation, Lys113Phe, however, was able to restore the solubility of the aggregated mutants in vivo. Detailed analysis of the 3-D structure of the C-terminal domain of colicin A suggests that filling of the hydrophobic cavity is responsible for this effect.


In this paper, we first show how general microgrid can be modeled as a negative feedback configuration comprising two subsystems. The first subsystem is the interconnected microgrid grid which is affected through negative feedback by the second subsystem consisting of all single-port components. This is modeled by transforming physical state variables into energy state variables and by systematically defining input and output of system components in this transformed state space. We next draw on the fact that for this basic feedback configuration there exist several types of conditions regarding subsystem properties which ensure overall system properties. In particular, we utilize dissipativity theory to propose a subsystem nonlinear control design for heterogeneous resource components comprising microgrids so that they jointly result in a closed-loop feasible and stable dynamical system for given ranges of system disturbances.


Aims: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a group of heterogeneous brain-based neurodevelopmental disorders with different levels of symptom severity. Given the challenges, the clinical diagnosis of ASD is based on information gained from interviews with patients' parents. The heterogeneous pathogenesis of this disorder appears to be driven by genetic and environmental interactions, which also plays a vital role in predisposing individuals to ASD with different commitment levels. In recent years, it has been proposed that epigenetic modifications directly contribute to the pathogenesis of several neurodevelopmental disorders, such as ASD. The microRNAs (miRNAs) comprises a species of short noncoding RNA that regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally and have an essential functional role in the brain, particularly in neuronal plasticity and neuronal development, and could be involved in ASD pathophysiology. The aim of this study is to evaluate the expression of blood miRNA in correlation with clinical findings in patients with ASD, and to find possible biomarkers for the disorder. Results: From a total of 26 miRNA studied, seven were significantly altered in ASD patients, when compared to the control group: miR34c-5p, miR92a-2-5p, miR-145-5p and miR199a-5p were up-regulated and miR27a-3p, miR19-b-1-5p and miR193a-5p were down-regulated in ASD patients. Discussion: The main targets of these miRNAs are involved in immunological developmental, immune response and protein synthesis at transcriptional and translational levels. The up-regulation of both miR-199a-5p and miR92a-2a and down-regulation of miR-193a and miR-27a was observed in AD patients, and may in turn affect the SIRT1, HDAC2, and PI3K/Akt-TSC:mTOR signaling pathways. Furthermore, MeCP2 is a target of miR-199a-5p, and is involved in Rett Syndrome (RTT), which possibly explains the autistic phenotype in male patients with this syndrome.


The idea that two vascular routes exist within, or closely associated with, skeletal
muscle (nutritive and non-nutritive blood flow) dates back to early last century
(1900's). Recent work in the past decade or two in our laboratory as well as
contributions by other researchers has shed more light on the anatomical nature and
functional role of the skeletal muscle vasculature and shown how changes to the blood
flow distribution within skeletal muscle occur during different physiological states,
e.g. exercise and insulin resistance.
Until recently, an effective and non-invasive method to measure the proportion of
nutritive to non-nutritive blood flow within muscle did not exist. Such a method
would prove invaluable as a general technique to assess the blood flow distribution
within skeletal muscle and would have definite clinical application. Recent studies
from this research group have focussed on investigating the use of 1-methylxanthine
(1-MX) metabolism as an indicator of nutritive flow, or capillary recruitment, within
skeletal muscle. It has been shown that capillary recruitment increases during insulin
infusion in vivo and this increase is blocked when acute insulin resistance is induced
by a methyl serotonin, an agent known to direct muscle blood flow to the non-nutritive
route.
This project had two main aims. Firstly, to further investigate the use of the 1-MX
method in insulin resistant rats in vivo (tumour necrosis factor a, TNF), and in hindimb
perfusion (sciatic nerve stimulation and sciatic nerve severance). Secondly, to develop
a new technique for the measurement of nutritive and non-nutritive blood flow based
on laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF), in the hope that concordance between the two
methods (1-MX and LDF) would be attained.
Under conditions of insulin resistance in vivo induced by 3 hour infusion of TNF ( +/-
insulin), 1-MX metabolism (capillary flow) and total femoral blood flow were
decreased as compared with insulin alone. In rat hindlimb perfusion, sciatic nerve
stimulated rats (causing contraction of the calf muscle group) resulted in increased 1-MX metabolism by the working muscles. Sciatic nerve severance, a rat model of
insulin resistance, did not cause any changes in 1-MX metabolism and so the insulin
resistance observed in this model did not appear to be a caused by changes in blood
flow distribution.
Changes seen in LDF signal under a number of conditions were similar to the changes
seen in 1-MX metabolism. During rat hindimb blood perfusion, vasoconstrictors
known to increase and decrease nutritive and non-nutritive blood flow in skeletal
muscle produced corresponding changes in laser Doppler signal. In addition, in vivo
where insulin is known to increase capillary recruitment as measured by 1-MX
metabolism, the LDF signal increased. Epinephrine, which produces large increases in
total blood flow to the hindlimb but does not stimulate glucose uptake, produced no
change in capillary recruitment or LDF.
Overall, the study was successful and the two main aims were accomplished.
Application of the 1-MX method was extended and concordance with LDF was
achieved. Both methods, with certain limitations and assumptions would appear to be
capable of detecting changes in capillary recruitment or nutritive blood flow in skeletal muscle.


Introduction: Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common hospitals acquired infection. The present study describes resistogram of bacterial pathogens in SSIs in the hospitals in and around Sangli, Maharashtra, India. Materials and Methods: The resistogram pattern was studied by modified Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Results: A total of 1491 pus samples from patients clinically diagnosed of SSIs were processed and 911 isolates were obtained. The most common Gram-positive isolates were Staphylococcus aureus(53.92%), coagulase-negative Staphylococci (31.17%), Enterococcus (10.58%), and Streptococcus pyogens (4.31%); while Gram-negative isolates were Escherichia coli (33.16%), Klebsiella spp. (28.92%), Citrobacter species (4.98%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (12.96%), Acinetobacter species (1.99%), Proteus mirabilis (10.97%), and Proteus vulgaris (6.98%). The frequency of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) was 28% whereas the frequency of methicillin sensitive S. aureus was 72%. The MRSA showed multidrug resistance pattern. Conclusion: Twenty-eight percent are MRSA which showed multidrug resistance pattern. While most of the Gram-positive isolates were resistance toward the amoxicillin/clavulanate, gentamicin, and ceftriaxone. Most of the Gram-negative isolates were resistant to ampicillin, ciprofloxacin and ceftriaxone.


Parallel processing architectures have been increasingly utilized due to their potential for improving performance and energy efficiency. Unfortunately, the anticipated improvement often suffers from a limitation caused by memory access latency and latency variation, which consequently impact Quality of Service (QoS). This paper presents a service-guaranteed multi-port packet memory system to boost parallelism in protocol processing architectures. In this proposed memory system, all arriving packets are guaranteed a memory space, such that, a packet memory space can be allocated in a bounded number of cycles and each of its locations is accessible in a single cycle. We consider a real-time Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) call as a case-study to evaluate our service-guaranteed memory system.


This article shows aspects captured in the research conducted at the beginning of 2021 with Roma ethnics from Iasi County and refers to the effects of the pandemic on Roma ethnics. For a start, the paper presents a short history of the Roma, their origins, their migrations around the world, the way they arrived on Romanian territory. The period of slavery of the Roma, their liberation, carried out by the ruler Alexandru Ioan Cuza around 1860, the period of the Holocaust in the Second World War, when due to a racist doctrine adopted by the Romanian State, the Roma were deported and subjected an extermination program, overcoming these unfortunate periods. The article also includes a brief description of the Roma from Iasi County and from the city of Iasi, continuing with the representation of the disease in the Roma; what does the disease mean for the Roma, how can they avoid it, what measures do they take to defend themselves against the disease, what kind of practical medicine. The article presents the research method used, the most suitable for the research group, this being the focus group. The subjects that were chosen for research are described and then the effects of the pandemic on Roma ethnics are presented, on a social, personal and psychological level. What they experienced from a social point of view during the pandemic, how social events unfolded for them, how they related socially; personally, how they managed this challenge from a personal point of view, what changes or improvements caused the pandemic; psychologically the feelings they had, the feelings they tried, the psychological struggle that took place inside them. The conclusions conclude this article by showing what the pandemic meant for the Roma ethnics and how they overcame it.


BACKGROUND
In the adult brain, migrating neuroblasts can replace damaged neurons after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Little is known about which factors determine the magnitude and amplification of neurogenesis after TBI, but there are some evidences that the nerve growth factor (NGF) and the doublecortin (DCX) can influence neurogenesis and neuronal repair.

METHODS
This study investigates the NGF and DCX levels in the cerebrospinal fluid of 12 children with severe TBI and 12 matched controls, to determine the correlation between the expression of both these factors and the patients outcome. We collected cerebrospinal fluid samples 2 hours (Time T1) and 48 hours (Time T2) after brain injury. NGF levels were measured using a two-site immunoenzymatic assay, whereas the DCX expression by a Western blot analysis.

RESULTS
At time T1 and T2, children with the best outcomes had higher levels of NGF than children with poor outcomes. Evaluating the change of NGF levels from time T1 to time T2, we found that the NGF up-regulation in the early time after injury was significantly associated with good outcomes of patients. Concomitantly, the expression of DCX increased only in patients with NGF up-regulation from time T1 to time T2. In others patients and in controls the expression of DCX remained unchanged.

CONCLUSION
Based on these results, we hypothesize that NGF and DCX contribute to the mechanisms of neuroprotection and neuronal connection reorganization after TBI, playing a key role in the outcome of these patients.


According to the experimental analysis of a 5 kW wide input voltage range three-phase three-switch buck-derived unity power factor PWM rectifier, the ideally constant DC output current does show a low-frequency distortion for open-loop control operation which is translated into low-frequency harmonics of the mains current. This distortion cannot be eliminated completely by closed-loop control since the controller bandwidth has to be limited for stability reasons and/or in order to avoid an excitation of the LC input filter. In this paper the parasitic effects being responsible for the low-frequency distortions of DC output voltage and/or current are analyzed analytically and quantified for different operating conditions. Furthermore, the minimization of the influence of the parasitic effects by proper pre-control is discussed. All theoretical considerations are confirmed by digital simulations.


Abstract. Tropical volcanic eruptions have been widely studied for their significant contribution to stratospheric aerosol loading and global climate impacts, but the impact of high-latitude volcanic eruptions on the stratospheric aerosol layer is not clear and the pathway of transporting aerosol from high latitudes to the tropical stratosphere is not well understood. In this work, we focus on the high-latitude volcano Sarychev (48.1° N, 153.2° E), which erupted in June 2009, and the influence of the Asian summer monsoon (ASM) on the equatorward dispersion of the volcanic plume. First, the sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission time series and plume height of the Sarychev eruption are estimated with SO2 observations of the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) and a backward trajectory approach using the Lagrangian particle dispersion model Massive–Parallel Trajectory Calculations (MPTRAC). Then, the transport and dispersion of the plume are simulated using the derived SO2 emission time series. The transport simulations are compared with SO2 observations from AIRS and validated with aerosol observations from the Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS). The MPTRAC simulations show that about 4 % of the sulfur emissions were transported to the tropical stratosphere within 50 days after the beginning of the eruption, and the plume dispersed towards the tropical tropopause layer (TTL) through isentropic transport above the subtropical jet. The MPTRAC simulations and MIPAS aerosol data both show that between the potential temperature levels of 360 and 400 K, the equatorward transport was primarily driven by anticyclonic Rossby wave breaking enhanced by the ASM in boreal summer. The volcanic plume was entrained along the anticyclone flows and reached the TTL as it was transported southwestwards into the deep tropics downstream of the anticyclone. Further, the ASM anticyclone influenced the pathway of aerosols by isolating an aerosol hole inside of the ASM, which was surrounded by aerosol-rich air outside. This transport barrier was best indicated using the potential vorticity gradient approach. Long-term MIPAS aerosol detections show that after entering the TTL, aerosol from the Sarychev eruption remained in the tropical stratosphere for about 10 months and ascended slowly. The ascent speed agreed well with the ascent speed of the water vapor tape recorder. Furthermore, a hypothetical MPTRAC simulation for a wintertime eruption was carried out. It is shown that under winter atmospheric circulations, the equatorward transport of the plume would be suppressed by the strong subtropical jet and weak wave breaking events. In this hypothetical scenario, a high-latitude volcanic eruption would not be able to contribute to the tropical stratospheric aerosol layer.


In the recent decade, the EU Member States have been actively implementing the regional development policy based on innovative strategies of smart specialization. However, lately, European researchers have been paying increasing attention to the issues of regions' capacity to overcome the boundaries of administrative units inside the country and abroad and to the need to consider regions in the context of their functioning among others, especially from the viewpoint of the growing role of their innovative networks in global value chains. That is why currently the EU is addressing the development of cross-border smart specialization strategies.
The paper aims to study the European experience on the functioning of cross-border innovation systems and joint strategic planning of cross-border regions' development based on smart specialization and to outline the opportunities to implement the EU experience of cross-border approach to smart specialization in cross-border regions of Ukraine with EU Member States.
The paper analyzes the views of foreign researchers on the links between innovation systems in cross-border space that constitute the theoretical basis of the study of cross-border smart specialization strategies, namely regarding the dimensions and level of their development. The research of European scientists on cross-border innovation systems in specific cross-border regions is examined, in particular on Spanish-French and German-French borders.
Directions of implementation of smart specialization projects in cross-border context under the EU programs and other EU instruments that support regions in cooperation for the elaboration of joint view of development with neighbouring economically, socially, culturally, and historically close regions are outlined.
The experience and methodology of the first cross-border smart specialization strategy for Spanish and Portuguese regions are studied in detail.
The opportunities to use the EU experience by several Western Ukrainian regions based on the joint smart specialization priorities with the neighboring EU states are outlined. For this purpose, 1) the RIS3 strategies of the regions of Poland and Romania adjoining Ukraine and Regional Development Strategies of respective Ukrainian regions were analyzed to detect similar smart specialization priorities; 2) the clusters in the mentioned regions were analyzed as main drivers of achievement of smart specialization goals to detect similar or complementary functioning areas.


Annihilation or creation of particles on a D-dimensional region with boundaries is considered. Particles can be injected or extracted at the boundary as well. Two general behaviours of this system are investigated. The stationary behaviour of this system, and the dominant way of the relaxation of the system towards its stationary state. Based on the first behaviour, static phase transitions (discontinuous changes in the stationary profiles of the system) are investigated. Based on the second behaviour, dynamical phase transitions (discontinuous changes in the relaxation-times of the system) are studied. The investigation is specialized to systems in which the evolution equation of one-point functions are closed (the autonomous system).


Texts from the 1969 American Indian Occupation
of Alcatraz and letters from supporters
propel an exploration of political yearning,
emancipatory architecture and failed
utopias. What does it mean to claim land
that has more value as a symbol than as a
potential home? And how does that symbol
function beyond the boundaries of its geographic
limits?


Purpose - This study aims to identify the factors that influence Malaysian non-Muslim consumers' perception towards buying halal food products.Design/methodology/approach - A structured close-ended questionnaire was used for data collection through a random distribution to 100 non-Muslim consumers from various states in Malaysia.Findings - Using SPSS package, the factor analysis was able to identify three main variables. Later, the hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling. This study has indicated that the perception of non-Muslim consumers about halal food products is influenced by their attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control, specifically in the context of Malaysia.Research limitations/implications - This finding will help both the academics and the industry food makers in understanding the perception of non-Muslim consumers towards the concept of halal food products.Practical implications - The outcome of the study can serve as a useful reference to relevant Malaysian statutory bodies on the current perception of the Malaysian non-Muslim consumers towards Malaysian halal agenda. This will also help the industry food makers to serve their customers better as well as maximize their profit through a well-planned marketing campaign.Social implications - It prepares a sound basis for Malaysian policymakers to promote the involvement of Malaysian non-Muslim entrepreneurs within the halal food service industry with the intent of improving the socio-economic strata of its participants and, at the same time, fulfilling their religious obligations in providing halal foods for fellow Muslims.Originality/value - Because very few researches have studied non-Muslim consumers' perception towards halal food products, the development of halal food theory will help in capitalizing the practices in non-Muslim countries.


The work describes a method of modifying the ceramic materials by introducing carbon-based nanoscopic additives into the slip composite and glaze composite in the form of water-based suspension for the production of sanitary and technical ceramics of increased quality. Physical and mechanical properties of experimental samples are researched. The results of experimental research are obtained in the form of experimentally determined properties of composite materials which were nanomodified by carbon nanostructures.


The acquisition and digital storage of analogue turbulent signals is optimized with respect to minimal data handling. A best anti-aliasing filter and optimum settings of the analogue-to-digital converter are found by simulating a turbulent signal digitally and calculation of the distortion under different circumstances.


Objectives: To evaluate the impact of thalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS) on disability and health-related quality of life in patients with essential tremor. Methods: Twenty seven consecutive patients were evaluated prospectively, before surgery and at a mean of 12 months (range 6–26) after thalamic DBS. Assessment tools included the Fahn-Tolosa-Marìn tremor rating scale (TRS), activities of daily living (ADL) taxonomy, Nottingham health profile (NHP) and the visual analogue scale (VAS) for measuring impact of disease on life. Additional information on the side effects of, and expectations from surgery was obtained by interview. Results: Thalamic DBS improved the ability of the patients in eating, drinking, writing, home maintenance, hobbies, and participation in society. Activities of daily life requiring bimanual skills were less improved. The emotional condition of the patients was positively affected and the negative impact of the disease on life as a whole, and on social life was decreased. Seventy per cent of the patients considered that the surgical treatment met their expectations. Conclusions: After thalamic DBS, health-related quality of life including disability in ADL and social life were improved in patients with essential tremor.


Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii. Ingestion of raw milk has been suggested as a risk for transmission to humans. Here the authors evaluated pre-treatment protocols for DNA extraction on T. gondii tachyzoite-spiked sheep milk with the aim of identifying the method that resulted in the most rapid and reliable polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positivity. This protocol was then used to analyse milk samples from sheep of three different farms in Southern Italy, including real time PCR for DNA quantification and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism for genotyping. The pre-treatment protocol using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and Tris-HCl to remove casein gave the best results in the least amount of time compared to the others on spiked milk samples. One sample of 21 collected from sheep farms was positive on one-step PCR, real time PCR and resulted in a Type I genotype at one locus (SAG3). Milk usually contains a low number of tachyzoites and this could be a limiting factor for molecular identification. Our preliminary data has evaluated a rapid, cost-effective and sensitive protocol to treat milk before DNA extraction. The results of the present study also confirm the possibility of T. gondii transmission through consumption of raw milk and its unpasteurised derivatives.


This report is based on my teaching experience that I taught from the classes VI –VII, during my internship at Academia with a focus on teaching grammar in ESL (English as Second Language) and creative writing classroom for young learners. During this internship, I tried to relate the theories and knowledge from ELT courses that I have studied in my graduation period and implemented them through the real life classroom experiences. This paper focuses on various methods and approaches likeGrammar Translation Method (GTM), Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), Inductive Approach and Deductive Approach. Grammar Translation Method (GTM) is a traditional method and widely used in language learning in Bangladeshi schools for beginner level learners whereas Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) has been popular and much practiced methodology in classrooms worldwide using creative activities for language learning. These methods and approaches helped me to give effective error correction in student's progression and fluency in language learning. From my internship result, I found out that with the combination of GTM and CLT students developed a lot in their academic results as well as in speaking fluency in the target language (L2). It also includes some suggestions for teaching grammar in classroom and recommendations towards solving a few problems which I have faced during my internship as a teacher at the school.


Carbon monoxide is extracted along with other blood gases, in a plexiglass syringe, at room temperature, by vacuum in the presence of phosphoric acid. The gases liberated are transferred to another plexiglass syringe where they are diluted with air. The carbon monoxide content of this gazeous mixture is determined by infrared spectrometry. This simple and rapid extraction procedure provides reliable results and is performed with robust equipment which is easy to clean and maintain.


This report presents the findings of a qualitative study of the operation and impact of the Multiple Provider Employment Zone (MPEZ) initiatives that have operated in four cities (London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Glasgow) since 20041. The study builds on earlier work by Cambridge Policy Consultants (Hirst et al. 2006), which concentrated on issues related to the early establishment of the MPEZ initiative and the initial experiences of Providers, Jobcentre Plus districts and customers. The Phase 2 research took place approximately one year on from the Phase 1 study and focused on tracking developments in the operation of MPEZ as the initiative became more established. The study involved interviews with EZ Providers (managers and Advisers), Jobcentre Plus representatives (managers and Advisers) and customers (young people (aged 18-24) claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA), who would otherwise have returned to New Deal for Young People (NDYP)2, lone parents receiving Income Support and early entrants – see section 1.6 for full details). In order to gain a wider perspective, researchers also spoke to representatives of organisations that have employed MPEZ participants and a number of stakeholder organisations with a broad interest in local labour market policies and programmes in the MPEZ areas. In total, the research involved interviews or group discussions with over 300 individuals, providing a range and depth of qualitative information that allows a detailed picture to be established of the way that MPEZs developed between mid- 2005 and mid-2006, including the experiences of employers and the labour market destinations of MPEZ participants. A central issue addressed in the research and in this report is the 'multiple' element of the initiative and the value that is added through the existence of more than one Provider in each MPEZ area. Questions of allocation, choice, specialisation, competition and innovation are considered from the perspectives of Providers, Jobcentre Plus, customers, employers and stakeholders and the final sections present some conclusions and issues for consideration in relation to these topics.


A case of nodular type lipomatosis arising from both borders of the tongue is reported. The patient was a 72-year-old man who presented with multiple nodules arising bilaterally from the margin of the tongue. The nodules were elastic and soft, and the mucosa of the tongue surface was normal. Excisional biopsy was performed on the right-side nodules. The left-side nodules were extirpated 9 months after the excisional biopsy on the right side. The histopathological diagnosis was lipomatosis. There has been no sign of recurrence as of 1 year after surgery. The patient had a history of alcoholic hepatitis, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperuricemia. Lipomatosis of both borders of the tongue was suggested to be associated with local factors (e. g., teeth, bite occlusion, trauma) and systemic disorders (e. g., alcoholism, liver dysfunction, hyperlipidemia).


The National Center for Atmospheric Research thermosphere=ionosphere=electrodynamic general circulation model (TIEGCM) is one of the few models that self-consistently solves the coupled equations for the neutral atmosphere and ionosphere. Timely questions are how well the TIEGCM currently simulates the low-latitude ionosphere and what modi9cations might bring about better predictions. Comparisons between data obtained in and around Jicamarca, Peru, near the magnetic equator, and simulations with the TIEGCM indicate good progress has been made but reveal some serious discrepancies. Good-to-excellent agreement is obtained for electron densities, electron and ion temperatures, and nmax. The agreement is fair to poor for hmax, zonal drifts, the 630 nm oxygen nightglow, and the horizontal neutral winds. The most important discrepancy is in the simulated neutral temperature, which is at least 100 K too cold relative to Fabry–Perot interferometer observations. Increasing the EUV ?uxes in the model to improve prediction of the model temperature also improves representation of airglow observations and of the ionosphere, for which the model typically underrepresents the electron densities. The disparity in neutral temperature is also present in comparisons with the empirical model MSIS which represents the largest database of thermospheric temperature measurements. Since the neutral and ionized atmospheres are tightly coupled at low latitudes, simultaneous measurements of neutral and ion parameters, preferably over an extended time period, would be invaluable to further the understanding of the region. Better knowledge of the EUV ?uxes and the high altitude O ?uxes may also help resolve some of the model=data discrepancies. c © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.


Summary The effects of replacing inorganic with lower levels of organic trace minerals of Zn, Cu and Mn on growth performance, mineral excretion and mineral concentration in tibia were investigated in broilers. One-day-old Ross-308 broiler chicks were used. Chicks were divided into 4 different groups as 1 control and 3 experimental groups consisted of 50 chicks. All groups were also divided into 5 replicates containing 10 chicks. Starter (0-21 d) and fi nisher (21-42 d) broiler diets which not included Zn, Cu and Mn were used. Specially prepared mineral premix (containing at 40 mg Zn, 80 mg Cu and 60 mg Mn levels of inorganic minerals in each kg as sulphate form) added to control diet in the level of recommended by NRC. Mineral content of the control diet was prepared using standard inorganic mineral premix that refl ects the normal supplementary levels and source of trace minerals for commercial broiler feed recommended by National Research Council. In the experimental diets, mineral premix was also prepared as inorganic forms except of Zn, Cu and Mn. Organically complexed Zn, Cu, and Mn were separately added into basal diet at 1/3, 2/3 and 3/3 proportions as BioplexTM instead of inorganic forms of those mineral recommended levels by NRC. Experiment lasted 42 days. Results showed that organically complexed trace minerals can be used at a much lower concentration than the current recommended as inorganic minerals, without a negative impact on performance, while also decreasing the excess mineral excretion. Further studies are needed to determine the proper level of organic trace minerals by taking tibia mineral levels into consideration.


Obesity and related metabolic diseases show clear sex-related differences. The growing burden of these diseases calls for better understanding of the age- and sex-related metabolic consequences. High-throughput lipidomic analyses of population-based cohorts offer an opportunity to identify disease-risk–associated biomarkers and to improve our understanding of lipid metabolism and biology at a population level. Here, we comprehensively examined the relationship between lipid classes/subclasses and molecular species with age, sex, and body mass index (BMI). Furthermore, we evaluated sex specificity in the association of the plasma lipidome with age and BMI. Some 747 targeted lipid measures, representing 706 molecular lipid species across 36 classes/subclasses, were measured using a high-performance liquid chromatography coupled mass spectrometer on a total of 10,339 participants from the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab), with 563 lipid species being validated externally on 4,207 participants of the Busselton Health Study (BHS). Heat maps were constructed to visualise the relative differences in lipidomic profile between men and women. Multivariable linear regression analyses, including sex-interaction terms, were performed to assess the associations of lipid species with cardiometabolic phenotypes. Associations with age and sex were found for 472 (66.9%) and 583 (82.6%) lipid species, respectively. We further demonstrated that age-associated lipidomic fingerprints differed by sex. Specific classes of ether-phospholipids and lysophospholipids (calculated as the sum composition of the species within the class) were inversely associated with age in men only. In analyses with women alone, higher triacylglycerol and lower lysoalkylphosphatidylcholine species were observed among postmenopausal women compared with premenopausal women. We also identified sex-specific associations of lipid species with obesity. Lysophospholipids were negatively associated with BMI in both sexes (with a larger effect size in men), whilst acylcarnitine species showed opposing associations based on sex (positive association in women and negative association in men). Finally, by utilising specific lipid ratios as a proxy for enzymatic activity, we identified stearoyl CoA desaturase (SCD-1), fatty acid desaturase 3 (FADS3), and plasmanylethanolamine Δ1-desaturase activities, as well as the sphingolipid metabolic pathway, as constituent perturbations of cardiometabolic phenotypes. Our analyses elucidate the effect of age and sex on lipid metabolism by offering a comprehensive view of the lipidomic profiles associated with common cardiometabolic risk factors. These findings have implications for age- and sex-dependent lipid metabolism in health and disease and suggest the need for sex stratification during lipid biomarker discovery, establishing biological reference intervals for assessment of disease risk.


Male circumcision is known to be one of the oldest and perhaps one of the most controversial body modification procedures in the history of humanity (Darby 2005; Gollaher 1994, 2000; Grimes 1980). Such scholars and activists, especially those who self-identify as being against the routinized procedure of male neonatal circumcision, discuss circumcision as a human rights violation. However, what is notable about the anti-circumcision movement more broadly is how they implement a Western notion of human rights in which there are contradictions between the rights of children versus the concept of cultural rights, which are both religious and secular in nature. In this article, I provide a very brief literature review of the relevant topics regarding male circumcision from a Western perspective. Second, I demonstrate how newer social movements such as the anti-circumcision/intactivist movements have attempted to reframe the procedure as a human rights violation when they compare circumcision to other body modification procedures such as female genital cutting (FGC) and surgery done on children born intersexed. However, those who feel that circumcision is a religious act believe that to deny any group of people the ability to practice their own religion freely is, in itself, a human rights violation. I conclude with a discussion of the ways in which such Western notions of human rights are not only inherently contradictory but also fail to include other conceptualizations of what human rights as a global term broadly incorporates.


Aim: Laparoscopy-assisted distal
gastrectomy (LADG) with regional lymph node dissection is a treatment option
for patient with early gastric cancer. However, LADG is a technically complex
and advanced procedure, which is challenging for inexperienced surgeons. In this report, we retrospectively
evaluated the learning curve for LADG of a single surgeon with no previous
experience in LADG and the usefulness of direct instruction by a surgeon
experienced in LADG in shortening the learning curve. Patients and Methods: This study was analyzed 80 consecutive
patients, who underwent LADG by a single surgeon (first assistant in 10 cases
and operator in 70 cases) between January 2008 and December 2012. Patients were
divided into 3 sequential groups of 10 (training period), 30 (learning period),
and 40 (operating period) cases in each group. Median operation time and
estimated blood loss for these 3 groups were determined. Other learning indicators,
including transfusion requirement, postoperative complications, number of lymph
node harvested, and rate of conversion open gastrectomy, were also evaluated. Results: During the
training period, median
operation time and estimated blood loss were 219.5 min and 83.0 ml,
respectively. During the learning period, the operation time was significantly
longer than that of training period. In the operating period, the operation
time was significantly
lesser than that during the learning period. However, the operation time was
not different from that during the training period and reached a plateau. The
estimated blood loss during the operating period was significantly lesser than
that during the learning period. The difference in the number of lymph nodes retrieved
between each group was not significant. Conclusions: Direct instructions by an experienced
surgeon can decrease the number of cases required for learning. Because LADG is
technically more complex than other laparoscopic procedures, standardization of
LADG and an effective training system for performing it should be established.


The idea of computational thinking as skills and universal competence which every child should possess emerged last decade and has been gaining traction ever since. This raises a number of questions, including how to integrate computational thinking into the curriculum, whether teachers have computational thinking pedagogical capabilities to teach children, and the important professional development and training areas for teachers. The aim of this paper is to address the strategic issues by illustrating a series of computational thinking workshops for Foundation to Year 8 teachers held at an Australian university. Data indicated that teachers' computational thinking understanding, pedagogical capabilities, technological know-how and confidence can be improved in a relatively short period of time through targeted professional learning.


Our objective is to train p-norm Multiple Kernel Learning (MKL) and, more generally, linear MKL regularised by the Bregman divergence, using the Sequential Minimal Optimization (SMO) algorithm. The SMO algorithm is simple, easy to implement and adapt, and efficiently scales to large problems. As a result, it has gained widespread acceptance and SVMs are routinely trained using SMO in diverse real world applications. Training using SMO has been a long standing goal in MKL for the very same reasons. Unfortunately, the standard MKL dual is not differentiable, and therefore can not be optimised using SMO style co-ordinate ascent. In this paper, we demonstrate that linear MKL regularised with the p-norm squared, or with certain Bregman divergences, can indeed be trained using SMO. The resulting algorithm retains both simplicity and efficiency and is significantly faster than state-of-the-art specialised p-norm MKL solvers. We show that we can train on a hundred thousand kernels in approximately seven minutes and on fifty thousand points in less than half an hour on a single core.


The exponential-input describing function technique is used to investigate the transient response of a fuzzy controller. The rule-base of this fuzzy controller is generated by fuzzy addition and the partitioning of the universes of discourse of its input and output variables is based on an exponential mapping scheme. By using the symmetric features introduced by fuzzy addition in the decision table of the fuzzy control algorithm and the new mapping scheme, the effects of the output error time sequences can be represented by independent multilevel relays and a multiplication junction. Computer simulations on a second-order system confirm the behaviour of this analysis technique. >


The article focuses on Leontief's structural interdependence theory and its recent developments and applications. Fabbrini traces out the origin of this new field of research and provides a rich review of the literature available at that time. In particular the Author discusses the relative merits and limitations of the models based on open and closed matrixes respectively and thoroughly discusses the assumption and the methodological issue involved in the two. The second part of the article is entirely devoted to a detailed comment on the first application of input-output analysis to the Italian post-1951 economic system offered by Chenery, Clark and Cao-Pinna. The author assesses the importance of the methodology undertaken by the abovementioned authors and highlights how their main findings support the possibility of a steady growth rate in the Italian economy driven by a bold program of public investments without imperiling balance of payments equilibrium and monetary stability.


Displaced fractures of the proximal femur are common in older patients. The optimal treatment is still under debate. We retrospectively reviewed the results of 53 consecutive total hip arthroplasties (THA) performed in 12 men and 41 women for treatment of an acute fracture of the proximal femur. Men had an average age of 75.1 years (range, 61 to 90) and women 78.2 years (range, 61 to 91). At time of fracture, 42 patients (79.3 %) had radiological signs of hip osteoarthritis. At time of surgery, 8 patients (15.1%) needed trochanteric reconstruction in addition to the implanted THA. Clinical and radiological follow-up was available for 39 patients (73.6 %). The average follow-up time was 55.5 months. The mean Harris Hip Score was 86.3 points (range, 68–97.7). The 4 month mortality rate was 1.9 % (1 patient). Four patients (7.5%) had had early postoperative complications, including dislocation in 3 patients (5.6%) and one (1.9%) minor reoperation (wound haematoma). One patient (1.9%) had revision surgery because of aseptic stem loosening 67 months after primary implantation. In elderly patients, THA is a safe long-term solution for treatment of displaced fractures of the proximal femur, allowing early weight bearing and assisting with rehabilitation.


In this note, we present new evidence about firm remittance in India, and discuss the remarkable similarity and prominence in the role of businesses in tax remittance in three very different tax systems – India, the United States and the United Kingdom. Previous studies of developed countries have concluded that firms remit the great majority of taxes: 83 percent of taxes in the United States, and 87 percent of taxes in the United Kingdom. A recent OECD working paper estimates the share for a sample of 24 OECD countries, and finds an unweighted average of 89.7 percent. The proximity of these estimates suggests an emerging "rule of 85," but notably absent is any evidence for developing countries, where the tax structure and administrative capacity varies substantially from developed countries. We find, somewhat remarkably, that in India firms remit about the same fraction of total revenue as in the United States and United Kingdom – 87 percent of the total tax revenue collected by the central and state governments. This is true even though the composition of tax revenue in India is very different from that of the United States and the United Kingdom.


When the Black Death struck Western Europe in late 1347, city dwellers across the region were already practising public health, in part by building, maintaining and monitoring infrastructures whose prophylactic value emerged from the experience of intensified urbanization. The demands of a new urban metabolism, evident from the twelfth century, prompted numerous cities, including Pistoia, to develop preventative health programmes in anticipation of and in response to diverse threats. The latter certainly included famine, floods, pestilence and war, but Pistoians and others were no less concerned by routine matters such as burials, food quality, travel and work safety, artisanal pollution and domestic waste disposal. All of these were recognized as impacting people's health, based on the medical and natural-philosophical theories prevalent at the time, and their management took into consideration not only climactic conditions and multi-species behaviour, but also the smooth functioning of sites such as wells, canals, bridges and roads. The political value that municipalities and other stakeholders began to place on the upkeep of these sites exceeded their economic function and thus questions the seminal role that scholars tend to attribute to the second plague pandemic in public health history. It also demonstrates how a key aspect of Euro-American modernity continues to shape interpretations of urban and health histories and suggests a broader path for historicizing community prophylactics.


Evidence-based medicine is one of the recently born explosively growing important issues, whose philosophical origins extend back to mid-19th century and remains a hot topic for clinicians, public health practioners, purchasers, planners, and the public. Evidence-based health care has extended the application of the prinicples of evidence-based medicine to all professions associated with health care, including purchasing and management. So it is important for the up and coming young doctors and clinicians, and even other health care professions, to gain knowledge of critical appraisal and experience in the practice of evidence-based health care. This article gives a brief description of what evidence-based medicine is and how to practice evidence-based medicine and enlists some useful Internet sites that can provide assistance in understanding the subject in even greater detail.


Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) have become an very important technology for many applications such as the monitor and control of physical environment in Military, Industry and civilian areas, Home automation, Disaster monitoring and control, Target detection, Target tracking, Tactical systems and so on. Since power requirement of sensor nodes is depends on range of application and its availability is limited, so that energy efficient protocols has to be design in order to extend the lifetime of the networks. In most of the applications it is very difficult to replace the battery after its expiry and in some applications tiny sensor nodes typically operate with a small size of battery power so that energy efficient operations is very important issue. Energy conservation at MAC layer is found to be the most effective one because it controls the radio operations directly. In addition to this end-to-end delay is also one of the most critical issues for WSN application. Sensor networks deployed in industrial environment have very strict timing constraints on operation and its final end-to-end delay. However, the end-to-end delay is difficult to predict and measure for event- driven sensor networks, where nodes generate and propagate data only when an event of interest occur and thereby producing unpredictable traffic load. In this paper analyses is done for the end to end delay and energy consumption in event driven wireless sensor network by using two protocols i.e. Ad-hoc On-demand Distance Vector (AODV) and Destination Sequence Distance Vector (DSDV), under IEEE 802.11 as MAC layer protocol. The simulation results shows that end to end delays by using DSDV are lesser than AODV and it also shows slightly lower energy consumption than AODV in different traffic conditions.


If detected early, oral cancer is eminently curable. However, survival rates for oral cancer patients remain low, largely due to late-stage diagnosis and subsequent difficulty of treatment. To improve clinicians' ability to detect early disease and to treat advanced cancers, we developed a multimodal optical imaging system (MMIS) to evaluate tissue in situ, at macroscopic and microscopic scales. The MMIS was used to measure 100 anatomic sites in 30 patients, correctly classifying 98% of pathologically confirmed normal tissue sites, and 95% of sites graded as moderate dysplasia, severe dysplasia, or cancer. When used alone, MMIS classification accuracy was 35% for sites determined by pathology as mild dysplasia. However, MMIS measurements correlated with expression of candidate molecular markers in 87% of sites with mild dysplasia. These findings support the ability of noninvasive multimodal optical imaging to accurately identify neoplastic tissue and premalignant lesions. This in turnmay have considerable impact on detection and treatment of patients with oral cancer and other epithelial malignancies. Cancer Prev Res; 5(6); 801–9.


. The computational complexity of naive, sampling-based uncertainty quantification for 3D partial differential equations is extremely high. Multilevel approaches, such as multilevel Monte Carlo (MLMC), can reduce the complexity significantly when they are combined with a fast multigrid solver, but to exploit them fully in a parallel environment, sophisticated scheduling strategies are needed. We optimize the concurrent execution across the three layers of the MLMC method: parallelization across levels, across samples, and across the spatial grid. In a series of numerical tests, the influence on the overall performance of the "scalability window" of the multigrid solver (i.e., the range of processor numbers over which good parallel efficiency can be maintained) is illustrated. Different homogeneous and heterogeneous scheduling strategies are proposed and discussed. Finally large 3D scaling experiments are carried out including adaptivity.


The Energy Efficiency Directive calls for EU Member States to put in place ambitious energy efficiency policies. One of the most important Articles of the Directive is Article 7 which required Member States to implement Energy Efficiency Obligations and/or alternative policy instruments in order to reach a reduction in final energy use of 1.5% per year. This paper assesses how Article 7 has been applied by Member States and what the implications are. Analysing the notifications and National Energy Efficiency Action Plans of all 28 Member States we evaluate how Article 7 is implemented across the EU. This includes an analysis of the types of policies used, the distribution of the anticipated savings across the different policy instruments, and whether or not the way Article 7 is applied meets the requirements set by the Directive. Our analysis shows that Member States take very different approaches with some using tens of policy measures and others just one. We also identify areas of concern particularly related to the additionality of the energy savings, the calculation methods, and the monitoring and verification regimes adopted by Member States. We model to what extent the projected savings are likely to materialise. Currently only 14% of all energy savings have been rated as fully eligible, fully additional, at low risk of double counting and at low risk of non-delivery. Although the policies adopted by Member States would in theory be sufficient to meet the Article 7 targets, given the total expected savings, our analysis suggests that 86% of these expected savings are at least partially at risk of not being realised. We make suggestions for modifying the Energy Efficiency Directive in order to address some of the problems encountered.


Among the many impacts of the economic crisis is reducing stresses experienced by employment. This evolution can be seen more clearly in urban areas, where they highlight the uneven spatial effects of the crisis. In this context, the aim of this paper is to analyze the evolution of employment in the Spanish towns and cities with over 20,000 inhabitants, differentiating between two phases: between 2006 and 2009, where the crisis began, and which elapses between 2009 and 2012, when the effects of the austerity policies that are contributing to a strong growth of inequality begin to be detected


Abstract Modeling communication dynamics in the brain is a key challenge in network neuroscience. We present here a framework that combines two measurements for any system where different communication processes are taking place on top of a fixed structural topology: path processing score (PPS) estimates how much the brain signal has changed or has been transformed between any two brain regions (source and target); path broadcasting strength (PBS) estimates the propagation of the signal through edges adjacent to the path being assessed. We use PPS and PBS to explore communication dynamics in large-scale brain networks. We show that brain communication dynamics can be divided into three main "communication regimes" of information transfer: absent communication (no communication happening); relay communication (information is being transferred almost intact); and transducted communication (the information is being transformed). We use PBS to categorize brain regions based on the way they broadcast information. Subcortical regions are mainly direct broadcasters to multiple receivers; Temporal and frontal nodes mainly operate as broadcast relay brain stations; visual and somatomotor cortices act as multichannel transducted broadcasters. This work paves the way toward the field of brain network information theory by providing a principled methodology to explore communication dynamics in large-scale brain networks.


The creation of large impervious surface in urban and urbanizing areas commonly leads to multiple impacts on the stream systems including higher peak runoff, reduced infiltration, and increased pollutant loads to streams. Permeable pavements made up of a matrix of concrete blocks with voids offer one solution to the problem of increased stormwater runoff and decreased stream water quality. Experiment results indicate that lower pore size pavement showed a higher runoff reduction rate compared with other pavement. Also, water absorption capability of pavement will drop the surface temperature of pavement. Compared to runoff, the turbidity and phosphorus concentration were lower than 27 [NTU] and 0.5 [mg/L], respectively. It appears that turbidity and hosphorus are concentrated in the pavement void.


With rapid development of industrialization in Zhejiang Province, surplus rural labor forces move to the secondary and tertiary industries. Farmers of Zhejiang Province are no exception. They turn to industrial workers and their income source has great changes. Wage income becomes their major source of income. Accordingly, farmers' consumption behavior has great changes. Apart from satisfying basic production and living demands, farmers start to pursue living quality and their life style tends to urbanization. Nevertheless, under the influence of rural physical environment, policies and systems, the existing consumption environment fails to follow farmers' urban lifestyle any more. In line with how to optimize rural consumption environment, improve farmers' consuming capacity, continue to expand farmers' consumption and promote urbanization development of rural areas, this paper presents pertinent countermeasures and recommendations.