BACKGROUND
Neonicotinoid insecticides are generally efficacious against many turfgrass pests, including several important phloem-feeding insects. However, inconsistencies in control of western chinch bugs, Blissus occiduus, have been documented in field efficacy studies. This research investigated the efficacy of three neonicotinoid insecticides (clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam) against B. occiduus in buffalograss under field conditions and detected statistically significant differences in B. occiduus numbers among treatments. A subsequent study documented the relative quantity and degradation rate of these insecticides in buffalograss systemic leaf tissues, using HPLC.

RESULTS
Neonicotinoid insecticides initially provided significant reductions in B. occiduus numbers, but mortality diminished over the course of the field studies. Furthermore, while all three neonicotinoids were present in the assayed buffalograss leaf tissues, imidacloprid concentrations were significantly higher than those of clothianidin and thiamethoxam. Over the course of the 28 day study, thiamethoxam concentrations declined 700-fold, whereas imidacloprid and clothianidin declined only 70-fold and 60-fold respectively.

CONCLUSIONS
Field studies continued to verify inconsistencies in B. occiduus control with neonicotinoid insecticides. This is the first study to document the relative concentrations of topically applied neonicotinoid insecticides in buffalograss systemic leaf tissues.


Plasma actuators are electrical devices that generate a wall bounded jet without the use of any moving parts. For aerodynamic applications they can be used as flow control devices to delay separation and augment lift on a wing. The aim of this project is to initially develop a system capable of generating and sustaining a plasma that generates a wall bounded jet. The next step is to investigate the effect of varying the number and distribution of encapsulated electrodes in the dielectric layer. Finally the best case design is applied at the leading edge and flap shoulder of a NACA0015 aerofoil with a 20% flap. Utilising a transformer cascade, plasma has been generated for a variety of input voltages. In the quiescent environment of a Faraday cage the velocity flow field is recorded using particle image velocimetry (PIV). Through understanding of the mechanisms involved in producing the wall jet and the importance of the encapsulated electrode a novel actuator design was investigated. The actuator design distributes the encapsulated electrode throughout the dielectric layer. The experiments have shown that actuators with shallow initial encapsulated electrodes induce velocities greater than the baseline case at the same voltage. Actuators with a deep initial electrode are able to induce the highest velocities as they can operate at higher voltages without breakdown of the dielectric. The best actuator case is applied to the aerofoil for Reynolds numbers of 1:97x10^5, 2:63x10^5 and 3:29x10^5. The lift and drag are recorded using pressure measurements around the aerofoil surface and across the aerofoil's wake. PIV is utilised to visualise the flow field. The trailing edge actuator produces a step increase in lift for pre-stall angles of attack and delays stall by 1^o at Re = 1:97x10^5. The leading edge actuator has limited impact on the flow for the no flap deflection case due to the actuator location. As the flap deflection increases the leading edge actuator is able to influence the flow. Repositioning of the leading edge actuator has the ability to reattach the flow around the fore portion of the aerofoil at a post stall angle of alpha = 18^o.


We report genomes of two species of cactophilic Drosophila: Drosophila arizonae and D. navojoa. These two are the closest relatives of D. mojavensis, forming the D. mojavensis cluster. D. mojavensis and D. arizonae diverged from D. navojoa ∼5.8 Mya, while the split between D. arizonae and D. mojavensis is more recent, at 1.5 Mya. Together the three genomes provide opportunities to examine genomic changes associated with speciation and host shifts in this ecologically defined group of flies. The three species are also separated by fixed inversion differences in three of their six chromosomes. While the levels of nucleotide divergence in the colinear chromosomes are significantly lower than in the inverted chromosomes, consistent with a past role of the inversions in preventing gene flow, the patterns differ among the inverted chromosomes when the locations of nucleotides inside or outside of the inversions are considered. For Muller element E, there is greater divergence external to the inversion breakpoints. For Muller A, the divergence is slightly higher inside the inversions, while for Muller B, the breakpoints and hence the difference in substitutions in relation to the inversions could not be determined. The differences among the inverted chromosomes, especially once the breakpoints are clearly established, could aid in dating the origins of the inversions.


In this study, we investigate the structural and electronic properties of MoS2, WS2, and WS2/MoS2 structures encapsulated within hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) monolayers with first-principles calculations based on density functional theory by using the recently developed non-local van der Waals density functional (rvv10). We find that the heterostructures are thermodynamically stable with the interlayer distance ranging from 3.425 A to 3.625 A implying van der Waals type interaction between the layers. Except for the WS2/h-BN heterostructure which exhibits direct band gap character with the value of 1.920 eV at the K point, all proposed heterostructures show indirect band gap behavior from the valence band maximum at the Γ point to the conduction band minimum at the K point with values varying from 0.907 eV to 1.710 eV. More importantly, it is found that h-BN is an excellent candidate for the protection of intrinsic properties of MoS2, WS2, and WS2/MoS2 structures.


OBJECTIVE
To observe the incidence of facial nerve dysfunction following parotidectomy and the relationship of the extent of parotid gland resection and the histopathology types.

METHODS
Clinical observation of 99 patients who underwent parotid surgery from 1996 to 2000 was studied to analyse the relation between facial nerve dysfunction and the extent of parotidectomy with House-Backmann grading system.

RESULTS
The overall incidence of facial dysfunction (HB > 1) was 36.4% for temporary and 3% for permanent dysfunction; Most of the dysfunction were partial and most concerning the marginal mandibular branch (34/99). The temporary facial dysfunction rate in total parotidectomy is higher than that of superficial and local parotidectomy.

CONCLUSION
The dysfunction of facial nerve branches is correlated with the surgical managements. The most facial never dysfunction is temporary. The size of the lesion and the histopathology types will influence the choice of surgical managements. A proper surgical managements would reduce the incidence of facial dysfunction.


Fifty-two cases of monomorphic post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (M-PTLD), developed in patients undergone solid organ or bone marrow transplantation, were studied by the application of the tissue micro-array (TMA) technology. They included 50 cases of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL) and 2 Burkitt lymphomas (BL). In order to evaluate the immune-profile a large panel of antibodies was applied including several new markers (Cyclin D2, Cyclin D3, p27, PKC-β, FOXP-1 and Survivin) identified as negative prognostic factors in DLBCL of the immunocompetent patient. Out of 50 DLBCL, 23 cases (46%) had an Activated B Cell (ABC) phenotype, 8 (16%) a Germinal Centre B-cell (GCB) phenotype, and 11 (22%) an Unclassified (UC) phenotype. In 8 cases (16%) the subtype was not demonstrable due to sub-optimal preservation or loss of the tissue core. FISH analysis detected BCL2 gene amplification and MYC rearrangement. EBV was identified in 32 cases (64%) performing immunohistochemistry (LMP-1) and in situ hybridization (EBER). Clinical data and follow-up were available in all cases of malignant lymphomas but one. Thirty-two patients died for progression of disease or complications related to transplant (bleeding, bacterial infections, and multi-organ failure); 17 patients are actually alive and disease-free.
M-PTLD are aggressive lymphomas characterized by very poor outcome. The neoplastic process is stimulated by a prolonged immunosuppressive status which is capable to induce alterations of the immune system and allow EBV reactivation in previously infected patients. Indeed EBV infection seems to be the most significant risk factor to predict the development of a PTLD while age, sex, site of involvement and type of transplant do not have significant correlation. Furthermore DLBCL arisen in a setting of immunodeficiency share phenotypic and molecular features with DLBCL of the immunocompetent patient. In particular, the former shows a high incidence of BCL2 gene amplification and this aberration typically correlates with "non-GCB" phenotype. Also M-PTLD do express prognostic markers (PKC-β, cyclin D2, FOXP-1, and Survivin): notably, in our study, PKC-β and FOXP-1 were frequently expressed and they were predictive of a shorter overall survival even in lymphomas recognized to have a good prognosis (GCB-type). Given the fact that such molecules are detectable at the time of the diagnosis, we postulate whether a "tailored" or more specific therapy might be applied in the management of the immune-compromised patient.


STUDY OBJECTIVE--The aim was to determine whether induced abortions could increase the risk of secondary infertility. DESIGN--This was a case-control study; cases were women with secondary infertility, individually matched to two controls who were currently pregnant. Each participant was interviewed by one of two medical doctors using a questionnaire that sought information on their demographic, socioeconomic, medical, and reproductive status. The data were analysed by conditional logistic regression. SETTING--The study took place in the Alexandra Maternity Hospital in Athens, Greece, in 1987-88. PARTICIPANTS--84 women consecutively admitted with secondary infertility and 168 pregnant controls took part. MAIN RESULTS--Eight cases and no controls reported a previous ectopic pregnancy, confirming that the occurrence of a pregnancy of this type dramatically increases the risk of secondary infertility. Furthermore, the occurrence of either induced abortions or spontaneous abortions independently and significantly increased the risk of subsequent development of secondary infertility. The logistic regression adjusted relative risks (and 95% confidence intervals) for secondary infertility were 2.1 (1.1-4.0) when there was one previous induced abortion and 2.3 (1.0-5.3) when there were two previous induced abortions. Tobacco smoking significantly increased the risk of secondary infertility, the adjusted relative risk being 3.0 (1.3-6.8). CONCLUSIONS--Legalised induced abortions, as currently practised in Greece, appear to increase slightly the relative risk of secondary infertility.


Recent revolutionary changes in European agricultural policies imply dramatic shifts in future land use needs. Even a superficial examination of recent trends would suggest that large parts of current agricultural land will not be needed in the future, and the idea of a land surplus in the European Union has been repeated more insistently in recent literature (Edwards, 1986; Lee, 1987; North, 1988; inter alia). However, some authors argue that, with declining profitability, the removal of inputs and resources will result in a less intensive production process and significant areas of land are unlikely to leave agricultural production (Bowers, 1988; Harvey and Whitby, 1988; Harvey, 1991; Swinbank, 1992). The importance of assessing the degree of pressure placed on agricultural land in the medium term must not be underestimated. Land is a non-renewable resource and, as a result, land use planning is long-term in nature. In addition, land use demand changes incrementally because of rigidities and inertia. There is consequently a lag between the setting and implementation of a policy and its effect. As a result, accurate predictions of land use trends have an immediate and immense value to setting good policy. This paper presents the results of forecasts for land use change in the EU-91 to the year 2020. The study addresses the need of policy makers to acquire information about the future implications of current land use trends, by developing an econometric model to forecast future land use. Because of the more appropriate methodology adopted, the forecasts of land use change estimated in this study


This paper empirically examines the extent to which the property tax liability created by financing residential infrastructure using special district bonds is capitalized in house prices. We compare house prices for single‐family detached homes built within development districts to similar properties located outside development districts. Our hedonic specification includes the usual housing characteristics and controls for the influence of spatial attributes using Census Block Group "neighborhood" fixed effects. The preferred empirical specification restricts the data to neighborhoods that have numerous sales of recently constructed single‐family detached homes located both within and outside development districts. The empirical results indicate that house prices for homes located within development districts are lower than house prices for similar homes located outside of development districts, but the amount of property tax capitalization is significantly less than full. Results depend on our Generalized Methods of Moments estimator, which instruments property tax rates using the characteristics of development districts. We identify valid instruments by restricting transactions to properties located in rapidly growing suburban developments.


When one is dealing with pediatric thyroid lesions, fine‐needle aspiration is the first diagnostic tool for the correct characterization of these nodules. Despite the apparent infrequency of thyroid cancers in children, recent data from the National Cancer Institute prove that the incidence has been increasing, especially in adolescents. With the same data, a higher prevalence of well‐differentiated cancers can be estimated, with 90% diagnosed as papillary thyroid cancer. Nonetheless, some publications have demonstrated that some specific malignant variants are more frequent in children and have a more aggressive behavior that justifies the increased number of surgical procedures. For this reason, the American Thyroid Association recommends the performance of neck ultrasonography and fine‐needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) for the evaluation of pediatric thyroid nodules. Accordingly, as reported in adult thyroid series, several authors have documented the high sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy of FNAC in pediatric series; they have also shared the same problematic issues encountered in adult populations, mostly in the diagnosis of indeterminate lesions. To provide precise clinical and/or surgical management, the correct cytological identification of specific malignant histotypes/entities should be mandatory because lymph nodes, distant metastases, and extrathyroidal infiltration are more frequent within specific histotypes. A perusal of the literature shows that their identification has not been extensively studied and investigated in cytological samples. This review focuses on the analysis of data from the literature on the evaluation of malignancies and specific morphological features in pediatric thyroid lesions. Cancer Cytopathol 2017;125:594‐603. © 2017 American Cancer Society.


Achieving phase purity and control in III-V nanowires is a necessity for future nanowire-based device applications. Many works have focused on cleaning specific crystal phases of defects such as twin planes and stacking faults, using parameters such as diameter, temperature, and impurity incorporation. Here we demonstrate an improved method for crystal phase control, where crystal structure variations in single InAs nanowires are designed with alternating wurtzite (WZ) and zinc blende (ZB) segments of precisely controlled length and perfect interfaces. We also demonstrate the inclusion of single twin planes and stacking faults with atomic precision in their placement, designed ZB quantum dots separated by thin segments of WZ, acting as tunnel barriers for electrons, and structural superlattices (polytypic and twin plane). Finally, we present electrical data to demonstrate the applicability of these designed structures to investigation of fundamental properties. From electrical measurements we observe clear signatures of controlled structural quantum dots in nanowires. This method will be directly applicable to a wide range of nanowire systems.


A 30-year-old woman was treated successfully for renal hydatid cyst disease by using the Transperitoneal Laparoscopic Technique. The peritoneal cavity was protected with the use of betadine-soaked gauze pieces, to avoid spillage. Hypertonic saline was used as the scolicidal solution to sterilize the cyst. The endocyst was removed completely and retrieved in an endobag. There were no intraoperative or early postoperative complications. This appears to be only the second reported case of renal hydatid cyst disease treated with the help of laparoscopy.


Consolidation properties of clay soils are evaluated in the laboratory using the one-dimensional consolidation test. The one-dimensional consolidation testing procedure was first suggested by Terzaghi (1925). In this procedure, the load on the specimen is applied and usually kept for 24 hours. After that, the load is doubled. Therefore, the duration of this test may continue at least 1 week and this duration is unpreferable for traditional purposes if the work is huge. In this paper, decreasing of applied loading test time has been studied through a new proposed time for applied loading. The results of a new time procedure have been compared with standard (conventional) Oedometer tests that they have been carried out on remolded samples of clay to investigate the difference percentage if quick tests are adopted instead of long tests. The comparison shows that the compression index increases with the increase test time, therefore, the compression index must be modified (use 1.1 Cc) when employed to calculate the settlement of soil. Also, the elapsed time of test is significant to the determination of swelling index. So, the test time of applied load should be not less than 2hrs. The results show that two hours are enough to reach 90 % consolidation (t90). The values of pre-consolidation pressure predicted depending on the results of quick test are always smaller than those predicted depending on the results of conventional test results. Finally, two hours LID is enough for calculating the coefficient of permeability depending on the parameters obtained from consolidation test.


The comparative method implicit in the concept of insider-outsider perspectives can be traced back to Sadler's seminal speech in 1900 on the aims of comparative education. Since then, the question of 'inside or outside what?' has become ever more complex. The dominance of economistic values in international educational research and policy institutions has been accompanied by an essentialised notion of culture. This has led to generalising cultural difference in debates on the internationalisation of higher education and a disregard for cultural context in assessments of learning produced by international policy organisations. The insider-outsider concept has limitations as an analytical tool and can end up promoting a reductive dichotomised view of culture. I compare the etic-emic construct from anthropology, which places greater emphasis on the interconnectedness of the terms as a way of exploring how knowledge is constructed through research. Through analysis of the etic-emic-etic dialectic and insights into ethnographers' experiential learning, I investigate the potential of insider-outsider as an educational tool for researchers. By drawing on three vignettes from my research in comparative and international education, I look at how insider-outsider perspectives can contribute understanding about the ways in which culture is constructed. From the common and sometimes necessary starting point of essentialising culture through polarising insider-outsider perspectives, we can use this dialogue to develop greater understanding of the processes of comparative analysis.


Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is preceded by progressive oral premalignant lesions (OPL). Therefore, therapeutic strategies that prevent malignant progression of OPLs are expected to reduce the incidence of OSCC development. Immune checkpoint inhibitors that target the interaction of programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1) on T cells with the PD-1 ligand PD-L1 on cancer cells have been shown to extend the survival of patients with advanced OSCC. Here, we used the 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4-NQO) mouse model of oral carcinogenesis to test the hypothesis that PD-1 blockade may control the progression of OPLs. Mice were exposed to 4-NQO in their drinking water and then randomly assigned to two treatment groups that received either a blocking antibody for PD-1 or a control IgG. We found that anti–PD-1 treatment significantly reduced the number of oral lesions that developed in these mice and prevented malignant progression. Low-grade dysplastic lesions responded to PD-1 blockade with a significant increase in the recruitment of CD8+ and CD4+ T cells and the accumulation of CTLA-4+ T cells in their microenvironment. Notably, PD-1 inhibition was accompanied by induction of IFNγ, STAT1 activation and the production of the T-cell effector granzyme B in infiltrating cells, and by the induction of apoptosis in the epithelial cells of the oral lesions, suggesting that T-cell activation mediates the immunopreventive effects of anti–PD-1. These results support the potential clinical benefit of PD-1 immune checkpoint blockade to prevent OSCC development and progression and suggest that CTLA-4 inhibitors may enhance the preventive effects of anti–PD-1. Cancer Prev Res; 10(12); 684–93. ©2017 AACR. See related editorial by Gutkind et al., p. 681


In recent years, focuse has moved to multiphase calcium orthophosphate scaffolds to balance the more stable calcium orthophosphate phase with another more soluble phase. This will enable the researchers to tailor the major biomedical properties to suit its intended application. In this study, beta tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP)/carbonate apatite (CO3 Ap) scaffolds were fabricated via freeze drying method. The effect of soaking time (2 h, 4 h and 6 h) on the phase transformation of β to alpha (α) phase was investigated. The scaffolds were sintered at 1300°C for respective soaking time and quenched in air to obtain biphasic β-TCP/α-TCP scaffolds. To obtain biphasic β-TCP/CO3 Ap scaffold, the obtained scaffolds were then subjected to hydrothermal treatment in 1 M of sodium bicarbonate at 200°C for 5 days for phase transformation of α-TCP phase into CO3 Ap phase via dissolution-precipitation process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis before hydrothermal treatment confirms the existence of biphasic β and α phase at all soaking time. The percentage of α phase increases as soaking time increases. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis confirms the present of carbonate ions substitution into the scaffold after hydrothermal treatment. Therefore, it is concluded that as soaking time increases, the unstable phase of α-TCP increases in the biphasic β-TCP/ α-TCP scaffolds. Thus, the phase transformation from α-TCP phase to CO3 Ap phase increases as soaking time increases.


Spraying of pesticides is a need of a farmer to protect plant,so it is important to invent multioperational technique for these so,In this project we'll take a look at solar operated mechanical boom sprayers. A sprayer of this type is a great way to cover large areas such as lawns, orange, mango farms quickly and easily. A sprayer typically consists of a tank for carrying the liquid to be sprayed, a solar panel, a motor (19 W) for pumping out this liquid, spray nozzles on a boom that automatically disperse the liquid in a downward direction over an appreciable area (say 5 or 6 feet), ball valves, a chassis with wheels on which the sprayer is mounted, and a hose attachment for spraying. Also attached grass cutter, plant cutter, etc. The device is mechanically pushed from behind and as the supply to the pump is switched on, the liquid is sprayed. This type of sprayers is typically used for spraying lawn chemicals such as pesticides including herbicides, insecticides and fungicides.


We discuss the motion-based gestural primitives. Unlike the problems in facial expressions or communicative gestures which are subjected to the agreeable interpretation of "what it means", our problems are raised in the development of a human-machine performance system. We put an emphasis on dynamics and kinetic elements among interacting entities that comprise a complex environment for Human-Machine performance. In that environment the performers actively change the sensory information by means of movements; the performance movements that are the changes of the states of the performers induce the changes in system states. The paper introduces the concepts of synthesis of interactivity, extended circularity, and tonmeister kinesthetic. Gestural primitives are classified into three classes with respect to performer's orientation; trajectory-based, force-based, and pattern-base primitives.


Government monitoring of water and sanitation services is a critical step in realising the human rights to water and sanitation (HRWS). In this study we investigated the national water and sanitation policies of 13 Pacific island countries (PICs) to understand how they envision monitoring the water and sanitation service delivery dimensions put forth by the HRWS framework. In particular, we analysed the policies for fundamental aspects of good monitoring governance and sought to learn how strongly monitoring of each service delivery dimension was represented in the policies. We found that delineation of roles and responsibilities and defined information flows are generally underdeveloped, and that the policies tend to give precedence to monitoring the service delivery dimensions of availability, quality, and sustainability over accessibility, affordability, acceptability, and equality. Donors have considerable influence on which dimensions receive the most emphasis in the policies. If realisation of the HRWS is to be effectively supported in PICs, PIC governments and supporting donors must continue to refine national policy to clarify aspects of good monitoring governance and to be more inclusive of monitoring a wider range of service delivery dimensions.


This paper studies the impact of the competition between lobbies and voters on policy outcomes under alternative legislative procedures. Lobbies and citizens have opposing interests in a public policy and offer money and votes, respectively, to legislators to obtain their preferred policy. Comparing a unicameral and a bicameral legislative procedure, we show that bicameralism improves legislators' accountability when the same party controls the two chambers but not necessarily, if the two chambers are controlled by opposite parties. We also show that bicameralism with amendment rights (open rule) is better than bicameralism without amendment rights (closed rule). Finally, the evidence from a cross-country analysis, including 43 democracies, is consistent with our theoretical findings.


This paper develops a simple model of a photovoltaic plant in order to be used in studies of power systems. First, a detailed model of a photovoltaic plant is developed. It comprises the modelling of solar panels, DC/AC power converter and control systems associated. Its dynamic behaviour for several disturbances within a simple distribution electrical network is analysed. Then, a simple and sensible model of a photovoltaic plant is proposed and simulated. The results obtained are compared with those using the detailed model, showing similar answers in the frequency range of interest.


Finishing cattle performance was evaluated using NEXT ENHANCE essential oils in finishing diets. Treatments consisted of 1) control (CON), 2) NEXT ENHANCE at 300 mg/day (NE), 3) Rumensin and Tylan at 360 and 90 mg/day, respectively (RT), or 4) NEXT ENHANCE plus Rumensin and Tylan (NERT). No NEXT ENHANCE by Rumensin /Tylan interaction was observed . Steers fed Rumensin/Tylan had decreased F:G and increased live final BW and marbling score. The prevalence of liver abscesses decreased 46% when steers were fed Rumensin/ Tylan . Including NEXT ENHANCE in finishing diets did not impact performance or carcass characteristics.


Most apology studies in the Jordanian context have investigated apologies based on a corpus of elicited data. Rarely have apologies been observed in the natural data; nor have the contextual factors that obligated these apologies been considered. This study is based on a corpus of 1100 naturally occurring apology events, collected through an ethnographic observation. Semi-structured interview was also used to examine the influence of contextual factors (social status, social distance, and severity of offence) on the choice of apology strategies. The respondents for this study were selected via convenient sampling. The naturally occurring apologies were coded using a modified version of the apology strategy typology outlined by Olshtain and Cohen (1983). There are series of findings that are worth noting; the first is that, acknowledging responsibility was the most common apology strategy in Jordanian Arabic. Second, acknowledging responsibility and swearing by God's name, formed the most frequent combination of apology strategies in this language. Third, another strategy that was high on the percentage of occurrence and deserving discussion was the non-apology strategies. Fourth, the selections of apology strategies were influenced by social status more than the degree of the severity of the offence or the social distance. Last but not least, new culture-specific apology strategies were detected in the corpus and elaborated in the paper. The findings of the study will assist material developers in preparing for resource books or modules for teaching and training of language and cultural awareness. The findings can also be used to raise the awareness about the sociocultural rules that govern the use of language functions.


The heating furnace is an essential oilfield facility for surface gathering, treatment, and transportation, so the energy consumption level of an oilfield is directly affected by its operational efficiency. In this paper, the thermal efficiency, exhaust gas temperature, external surface temperature, excess air coefficient, and load rate of a heating furnace are taken as energy efficiency evaluation indexes. By improving game theory, the objective and subjective weights are combined to determine the final weights of each index. On this basis, the grey TOPSIS method is used to establish the energy efficiency evaluation model of an oilfield heating furnace, which is to comprehensively evaluate the energy consumption of the heating furnace by calculating the closeness degree between its actual and ideal operational states. Finally, the effectiveness of the energy efficiency evaluation model is verified by taking an actual oilfield as an example, the results show that the weight sequence of the indexes is thermal efficiency, exhaust gas temperature, external surface temperature, load rate, and excess air coefficient. In addition, the relative closeness of the heating furnace is mostly concentrated between 0.5 and 0.7, which shows that the efficiency is low. The weak link of energy consumption is analyzed, and the corresponding improvement measures are put forward.


This study introduces a novel matrix determinant feature extraction approach for efficient classification of motor and mental imagery activities from electroencephalography (EEG) signals. First, the multiscale principal component analysis was utilized to obtain clean EEG signals. Second, denoised data were sequentially arranged to form a square matrix of different orders (e.g.,10, 13, 16, and 20) and determinant was computed for each order matrix. Finally, the extracted matrix determinant features were provided to several machine learning and neural network classification models for classification. All experiments were carried out using a 10-fold cross-validation approach on three publicly accessible data sets: 1) data set IV-a; 2) data set IV-b; and 3) data set V of BCI competition III. Also, this study designs a computerized automatic detection of motor and mental imagery graphical user interface that can assist physicians/experts to efficiently analyses motor and mental imagery data. The experimental results reveal that the highest average classification accuracy of 99.55% (for data set IV-a), 99.52% (for data set IV-b), and 91.80% (for data set V) was obtained for motor and mental imagery, respectively, with 20-order matrix determinant using a feedforward neural network classifier. The experimental results suggest that the proposed framework provides a robust biomarker with the least computational complexity for the development of automated brain–computer interfaces.


Oocytes, the irreplaceable gametes for generating a new organism, are matured in the ovary of living female animals. It is unknown whether any genetic manipulations can be applied to immature oocytes inside the living ovaries. As a proof-of-concept, we here demonstrate genetic amendments of zebrafish immature oocytes within the ovary. Oocyte microinjection in situ (OMIS) stimulates tissue repair responses, but some of the microinjected immature oocytes are matured, ovulated and fertilizable. By OMIS-mediated Cas9 approach, ntla and gata5 loci of oocytes arrested at prophase I of meiosis are successfully edited before fertilization. Through OMIS, high efficiency of biallelic mutations in single or multiple loci using Cas9/gRNAs allows immediate manifestation of mutant phenotypes in F0 embryos and multiple transgenes can co-express the reporters in F0 embryos with patterns similar to germline transgenic embryos. Furthermore, maternal knockdown of dnmt1 by antisense morpholino via OMIS results in a dramatic decrease of global DNA methylation level at the dome stage and causes embryonic lethality prior to segmentation period. Therefore, OMIS opens a door to efficiently modify the genome and provides a possibility to repair genetically abnormal oocytes in situ.


A FPGA-based dynamic model of three-phase induction machines is presented in this work. The model includes the effects of temperature in the stator and rotor resistances and magnetic saturation in the magnetizing and leakage inductances, according to the stator and rotor currents. Moreover, iron core losses have been properly modeled. The proposed implementation ensures high accuracy of the simulations in a wide range of operating conditions, keeping a reasonable computational burden. Experimental tests confirm the matching between the results provided by the hardware in the loop system and those coming from the experimental rig, the last including an electronic control unit used in automotive systems.


This interview explores the key themes and ideas in Daniel Chernilo's recent book Debating Humanity: Towards a Philosophical Sociology (2017). It is a hugely ambitious book that tackles a range of questions around the notion of humanity and the category of the human. Drawing on a wide range of thinkers, the book pushes at a number of far-reaching issues, problems and questions concerning humanity. It's a rich text that develops themes that are likely to be of interest across the social sciences and humanities, not least because it tackles some of the most difficult and crucial questions that face social theory today. The interview was conducted in October 2017.


Holy icons are often described as windows on heaven, as images putting the faithful in direct contact with Christ, the Mother of God, and their saints. Renaissance geographers similarly described maps as windows on the world, as telescopes allowing the observer to visualize from above what the human eye could not otherwise grasp in its entirety. In this sense, maps and holy icons share an ontological quality: their ability to make the invisible visible and the physically inaccessible accessible. But what happens when the two merge into a single image? This article examines an understudied category of rare post-Byzantine icons that incorporate maps or act as maps. Drawing on well-established Byzantine iconographies and yet embedding new, noncanonical cartographic elements, these icons, the article shows, blended spiritual and terrestrial concerns, acting as powerful tools in the formation (or reassertion) of local ecclesiastical identities in different centuries and geographical contexts.


Finger millet is one of the potential cereal crops that can contribute to the efforts of
realization of food security in the Sub-Saharan Africa. However, scientific information available
with regards to improving soil phosphorus supply and identification of P efficient varieties for the
crops potential yield is limited. In order to investigate the effects of P levels on yield components
and grain yield On-station field experiments were conducted in two sites of western Kenya during
the long and short rain seasons of 2015. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete
Block Design in factorial arrangement with four levels of P (0, 12.5, 25 and 37.5 kg P2O5 ha-1 and
three finger millet varieties (U-15, P-224 and a local check-Ikhulule) and the treatments replicated
three times. The increase of phosphorus levels significantly (P≤0.05) increased the grain yield
over the control up to 25 kg P2O5 ha-1 during the long rain seasons and 25 kg P2O5 ha-1 during the
short rain seasons in both sites. Interactions at P≤0.05 were revealed on the grain yield where
improved variety P-224 at 25 kg P2O5 ha-1 produced the highest grain yield of 4.74 t.ha-1 in Alupe
and 4.77 t.ha-1 in Kakamega and the consistent results suggest that the combination is highly
recommended. Therefore the use of judicious and proper rates of P fertilizers can markedly
increase the grain yield of finger millet in western Kenya.


ABSTRACT During virus entry, herpes simplex virus (HSV) glycoprotein D (gD) binds to one of several human cellular receptors. One of these, herpesvirus entry mediator A (HveA), is a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) superfamily, and its ectodomain contains four characteristic cysteine-rich pseudorepeat (CRP) elements. We previously showed that gD binds the ectodomain of HveA expressed as a truncated, soluble protein [HveA(200t)]. To localize the gD-binding domain of HveA, we expressed three additional soluble forms of HveA consisting of the first CRP [HveA(76t)], the second CRP [HveA(77–120t)], or the first and second CRPs [HveA(120t)]. Biosensor and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay studies showed that gD bound to HveA(120t) and HveA(200t) with the same affinity. However, gD did not bind to HveA(76t) or HveA(77–120t). Furthermore, HveA(200t) and HveA(120t), but not HveA(76t) or HveA(77–120t), blocked herpes simplex virus (HSV) entry into CHO cells expressing HveA. We also generated six monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against HveA(200t). MAbs CW1, -2, and -4 bound linear epitopes within the second CRP, while CW7 and -8 bound linear epitopes within the third or fourth CRPs. None of these MAbs blocked the binding of gD to HveA. In contrast, MAb CW3 recognized a discontinuous epitope within the first CRP of HveA, blocked the binding of gD to HveA, and exhibited a limited ability to block virus entry into cells expressing HveA, suggesting that the first domain of HveA contains at least a portion of the gD binding site. The inability of gD to bind HveA(76t) suggests that additional amino acid residues of the gD binding site may reside within the second CRP.


Lead sulphide [PbS] thin films were deposited on glass slide substrates using the chemical bath deposition [CBD] technique at room temperature for 120 minutes. Optical properties of the thin films were measured by spectrophotometer and then other optical and solid state properties were determined by simulating transmittance data in the wavelength range of 260–2000 nm using a software. The software made use of three optical models of simulation; the OJL model, the Drude model and the Kronig Kramer Relation [KKR] modelfor analysis. Complex dielectric function [ε], band gap [Eg], refractive index [n], absorbance [A], extinction [k] and absorption coefficients [α] were examined as a function of wavelength and photonenergy. Further analysis refilled that PbS thin films had a band gap of 0.88eV, optical transmittance below 55% in the near infrared range and high absorbance in the visible range of the spectrum suitable for solar cell.


A compendium of psychological therapies for preventing relapse; a sessional programme based on new developments in CBT approaches to relapse prevention for substance using clients in either group or individual sessions.

Introduction:
This gives an overview of the ten modules, the theoretical and research base to them together with training requirements. The ten modules are clustered into:
• Modules for drug users and alcohol users (1-6)
• Modules for clients with more complex needs or more chaotic drinking and drug use (7-10).

Staff logbook:
This is a log of experiences and a checklist of skills and competencies of the staff co-facilitating any of the modules described below. It records whether staff members have read the necessary information and materials for the topic, whether they have received training in the topic, observed the session delivered by someone already trained and whether or not they have co-facilitated each of the sessions before taking responsibility for leading on running a module.

Module 1: Three Ways of Managing Your Emotions:
For drug and alcohol users. This module offers three ways of managing emotions, using cognitive, behavioural or mindfulness approaches. It aims to develop a better understanding of emotions and how to cope better with painful emotions.

Module 2: Thinking Choices:
For drug and alcohol users. This module consists of six sessions:
• Blowing things out of proportion
• Jumping to conclusions
• Over-generalisation
• Inner bully
• Negative glasses
• Thinking in extremes.
The aims of the sessions are to increase understanding of how ways of thinking are important to how we feel and what we do, how unhelpful ways of thinking can be changed and how thinking choices can help us cope better.

Module 3: Mindfulness:
For drug and alcohol users. This module introduces participants to the practice of mindfulness and hopefully develop their awareness of how this could be used in dealing with painful emotions or tensions.

Module 4: Coping with Cravings and Distressing Situations
For drug and alcohol users.,This consists of four separate sessions:
• Dealing with ambivalence
• High-risk situations
• Distraction
• Individual planning
• Craving busting.
The aim of the sessions is to develop general skills to survive craving, and difficult situations and emotions. The topics include an introduction to the cycle of change model, understanding what ambivalence means in terms of recovery, working through the pros and cons of using and not using, and developing individual plans for identifying and coping with high-risk situations.

Module 5: Resources4Recovery
For drug and alcohol users. This module consists of five sessions:
• Building life enjoyment
• Building a new role
• Building meaning and life satisfaction.
The aims of the sessions are to develop an awareness of the importance of personal resources for recovery, to identify activities, relationships and skills, and to develop specific plans to build essential personal resources for recovery from dependent substance misuse.

The remaining two sessions are aimed at developing personal skills and resources for recovery:
• Building confidence without drugs or alcohol
This session aims to develop the participants' understanding of social and interpersonal situations where they may have used substances to feel more confident, and to learn coping skills in these situations so that they do not reach for drugs or alcohol
• Building sobriety
This session helps to identify essential activities and relationships to maintain sobriety and recovery, and to develop a specific plan to build at least one essential personal resource or additional resource for sobriety and recovery.

Module 6: Managing Everyday Memory Problems
For drug and alcohol users. This one-session module aims to:
• Develop an understanding of how memory works
• Develop an understanding of how drugs and alcohol can affect memory
• Be introduced to strategies to manage memory difficulties.
Additional training in memory and information processing is required for this module.

Module 7: Triggers and Risks
For alcohol or drug users with more complex problems or chaotic use. This one-session module aims to identify triggers and risks in others through the use of case examples.

For alcohol and drug users with more complex problems or chaotic use. This is similar to Module 8 but focuses on the individual's own triggers and risks through interactive exercises. It builds on existing resources as well as introducing new skills for managing triggers and risks.

Module 8: Emotion Surfing:
For alcohol and drug users with more complex problems or chaotic use. This one-session module builds on one of the strategies described in Module 1 for managing emotions (Mindfulness) and offers a different approach from those described in Module 2 (ways of thinking to help overcome negative emotions). Emotion Surfing is concerned with powerful feelings that may lead to urges to do something self-destructive. It aims to teach the client "acceptance" of the emotion and to develop an ability to step aside from the experience of negative feelings, particularly those leading to self-harm. Additional training to build experience in mindfulness medication and elements of dialectical behaviour therapy may be required, before training others.

Module 9: Safe Sensation Seeking:
For alcohol and drug users with more complex problems or chaotic use. This one-session module aims to help clients to understand what sensations they are trying to attain when using drink or drugs and to learn to reproduce this feeling themselves without having to use or increase their use of drugs and alcohol.

Module 10: Goal Planning:
For alcohol and drug users with more complex problems or chaotic use. This one-session module aims to help clients in:
• Decision making (weighing up decisions, being impulsive)
• Judgement (applying consequence from action)
• Goal planning (both short and long-term)
• Maintaining attention (easily distracted)
• Appropriate social behaviour (inhibition, doing or saying things without thinking).
• Abstract thinking (such as time, money etc understanding new ideas, seeing relationship between a new problem and existing strategies solutions)


To explain the adaptive significance of sex role partitioning and reversed sexual size dimorphism among raptors, owls and skuas, where females are usually larger than males, we combine several previous hypotheses with some new ideas.

Owing to their structural and behavioural adaptations for prey capture, predatory birds have better prospects than other birds of defending their offspring against nest predators. This makes sex role partitioning advantageous; one parent guards the offspring while the other forages for the family. Further, among predators hunting alert prey such as vertebrates, two mates because of interference may not procur much more food than would one mate hunting alone. By contrast, two mates feeding on less alert prey may together obtain almost twice as much food as one mate hunting alone. For these reasons, partitioning of breeding labours might be adaptive only in predatory birds.

An initial imbalance favours female nest guarding and male foraging: the developing eggs might be damaged if the female attacks prey; their mass might reduce her flight performance; she must visit the nest to lay; and the male feeds her before she lays ('courtship feeding'). Increased female body size should enhance egg production, incubation, ability to tear apart prey for the young, and, in particular, offspring protection in predatory birds. Efficient foraging during the breeding period then becomes most important for the male. This imposes great demands on aerial agility in males, particularly among predators of agile prey. Flight performance decreases with increasing size in five of six aspects explored. The male must therefore not be too large in relation to the most important prey. For these reasons, he should be smaller than the female.

Among predatory birds, size dimorphism increases with the proportion of birds in the diet, which may be explained as follows. Adult birds have mainly one type of predators: other predatory birds. Because almost only these specialists exploit adult birds, they carry out most of the cropping of this prey. A predator of easier prey competes with many other kinds of predators, which considerably reduce prey abundance in its territory. This is not so for predators of adult birds. Further, because birds are extremely agile, the specialized predator can hunt efficiently only within a limited size range of birds, whose flight skill it can match. Increased size dimorphism among these predators therefore should be particularly important for enlarging the combined food base of the pair. A bird specialist may consume much of the available prey in the suitable size range during the breeding period. When the predator's young are large enough to defend themselves, the female aids better by hunting than by guarding the chicks. It is advantageous among bird specialists if she hunts prey of other sizes than does the male, who has by then reduced prey abundance in his prey size class. But among predatory birds hunting easier prey the female gains little by hunting outside the male's prey spectrum, because other kinds of predators will have reduced the prey abundance outside as well as inside the male's preferred size range. Intra-pair food separation through large sexual size dimorphism therefore should be particularly advantageous among predators of birds. This may be the main reason why the degree of size dimorphism increases with the dietary proportion of birds.


The biobaler is a novel approach to cut woody crops up to 150-mm basal diameter and compress the biomass into round bales. It can be used to harvest short-rotation woody crop plantations such as willow or hybrid poplar. It can also be used to clear wild brush, forest understory, and encroaching small trees to improve land management. A commercial version of the biobaler was evaluated for the latter purpose, i.e., to harvest natural shrubs in various environments in central Canada (at three sites in Quebec and two sites in Ontario) and in mid-western United States (at seven sites in Minnesota). More than 250 bales were harvested and monitored on natural stands in 2009 and 2010 to gain information on machinery management under wide-ranging conditions of crop species, density, and soil conditions. The harvest rate ranged from 2 to 26 bales/h (average of 14 bales/h). Bale mass averaged 477 kg at 46% moisture content [260 kg dry mass (DM)/bale at a density of 166 kg DM/m³]. Diesel fuel consumption averaged 8.5 L/t DM. Harvesting cost with the biobaler was estimated at $33/t DM in high yield with rapid harvest (20 bale/h) and $64/t DM at low capacity (10 bales/h) which can be caused by lower yield or poor traction. The information will be helpful to evaluate the cost of environmental management of natural stands covered with brush and the potential biomass that may be recovered.


2-Oxo-D-gluconic acid obtained by fermentation of D-glucose was used as starting material for syntheses of amino acids. We trapped the carbohydrate in its furanoid configuration and synthesized an α- and an ω-amino acid. After deprotection of the hydroxyl groups the latter did not isomerize to the substituted piperidine (aza-sugar) as expected, but remained in the furanose form. The starting structure 2 was proven by crystal structure analysis. The conformational identification of the other substances was done by NMR measurements following known rules for furanoses.


A 68 year old female presented for elective repair of an abdominal wall hernia. Preoperative CT imaging revealed a right inguinal hernia defect with hernia contents coursing cephalad between the external and internal abdominal oblique muscles. This was consistent with an interstitial inguinal hernia, a rare entity outside of post- traumatic hernias. At operation the hernia contents were reduced laparoscopically. The hernia was then repaired by transitioning to the totally extraperitoneal (TEP) approach using a 15cm X 15cm piece of polyester mesh. The patient had an uneventful recovery. Interstitial hernias are rare, difficult to diagnose and potentially dangerous if left untreated. There is no consensus on the ideal repair of these unique hernias. This represents a minimally invasive repair of an unusual hernia, with a novel approach to diagnose and manage the hernia and its redundant sac.


From 2000 to 2014, per capita gross domestic product in Sub-Saharan Africa increased by almost 35 percent in real terms, doubling in some countries. Such progress happened while agricultural productivity growth remained low in the aggregate, despite some bright spots, and poverty reduction was steady but discouragingly slow. This paper argues that ending extreme poverty will require structural change in agriculture, and in rural African economies more broadly. Drawing on a range of recent research, the paper outlines broad priority areas for policy actions to accelerate productivity and initiate structural change in the agriculture sector and the rural nonfarm economy.


Local government services are increasingly being provided in fragmented polycentric systems where the overlapping jurisdictions draw resources from the same fiscal base. Developing optimal policies for the efficient management of fiscal resources requires a consideration of the total underlying fiscal pool. In this study, we evaluate the impact that special purpose districts have on debt ratios at the county "common pool" level in the State of Georgia (U.S.) between 2005-2014. Empirical findings suggest that inclusion of all general government and special purpose debt for each county may at times result in a greater burden on fiscal common pool than existing rules permit. These results call into question the efficacy of fiscal policies in a polycentric governance system that neglect to account for debt levels for all actors within the confines of a single fiscal common pool unit. Results also show that total debt ratios are significantly affected by special districts that operate within boundaries of a single county. We find no evidence that independent special districts have a differential impact on fiscal common pools compared to their dependent counterparts.


We monitored bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) in 2008 and 2009 as a continuation of our work in 2006 and 2007, which involved the tagging of 1,536 bull trout with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags in the East Fork Jarbidge River and West Fork Jarbidge River and their tributaries in northeastern Nevada and southern Idaho. We installed PIT tag interrogation systems (PTISs) at established locations soon after ice-out, and maintained the PTISs in order to collect information on bull trout movements through December of each year. We observed a marked increase of movement in 2008 and 2009. Bull trout tagged in the uppermost portions of the East Fork Jarbidge River at altitudes greater than 2,100 meters moved to the confluence of the East Fork Jarbidge River and West Fork Jarbidge River in summer and autumn. Ten bull trout tagged upstream of the confluence of Pine Creek and the West Fork Jarbidge River moved downstream and then upstream in the East Fork Jarbidge River, and then past the PTIS at Murphy Hot Springs (river kilometer [rkm] 4.1). Two of these fish ascended Dave Creek, a tributary of the East Fork Jarbidge River, past the PTIS at rkm 0.4. One bull trout that was tagged at rkm 11 in Dave Creek on June 28, 2007 moved downstream to the confluence of the East Fork Jarbidge River and West Fork Jarbidge River (rkm 0) on July 28, 2007, and it was then detected in the West Fork Jarbidge River moving past our PTIS at rkm 15 on May 4, 2008. Combined, the extent and types of bull trout movements observed indicated that the primarily age-1 and age-2 bull trout that we tagged in 2006 and 2007 showed increased movement with age and evidence of a substantial amount of fluvial life history. The movements suggest strong connectivity between spawning areas and downstream mainstem areas, as well as between the East Fork Jarbidge River and West Fork Jarbidge River. Introduction In 2008 and 2009, personnel from the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Columbia River Research Laboratory, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), continued to obtain information on movement of bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) previously implanted with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags in the upper Jarbidge River watershed in 2006–07. The information is intended to assist managers in making informed decisions regarding bull trout recovery. This report summarizes study findings from 2008 and 2009, and serves as a supplement to the report by Allen and others (2010) that covered findings from our 2006–07 efforts.


Background Ibandronate (Bonviva®) is effective in the treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. But, there were few datas about Ibandronate (Bonviva®) treatment in Korea. We evaluated the effect of Ibandronate (Bonviva®) therapy on bone mass and compared the effectivity on bone mineral density (BMD) in 1-year treatment group Objectives The aim of the study is to assess the effect of 1-year treatment with Ibandronate (Bonviva®) on bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women with osteopenia or osteoporosis. Methods The BMD was assessed in 118 postmenopausal women with osteopenia or osteoporosis from March 2007 to January 2011, 42 patents who treated with 2.5 mg per day of Ibandronate (Bonviva®) were enrolled to study. BMD of lumbar spine (L2-L4) and femur was assessed by dual energy absortiometry at baseline, 12 months after treatment. Results The annual BMD of the lumbar spine showed a 9.11% increase, while also positive changes were noted in the proximal femur as a 1.89% increase. The BMD changes were 11% (L: Lumbar spine) and 1.1% (F: Femur) for the T-scores <-4.0, 6.3% (L) and 0.9% (F) for the T-scores -3.0∼-4.0, and 3.8% (L) and 0.5% (F) for the T-scores >-3.0 respectively. Conclusions This study suggests that Ibandronate (Bonviva®) treatment in postmenopausal women with osteopenia or osteoposis is effective in terms of improving BMD. References Llewellyn-Jones D. Osteoporosis. In: Burger H, Boulet M editors. A portrait of the menopause: expert reports on medical and therapeutic strategies for the 1990s. Lancs: The Parthenon Publishing Group 83–103, 1991. Kanis JA, Melton LJ III, Chistiansen C, Johnston CC, KhaltaevN. The diagnosis of osteoporosis. J Bone Miner Res 9:1137–1141, 1994. Disclosure of Interest None declared


The flexibility and simplicity of stir bar sorption extraction (SBSE) have been combined with the selectivity of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP). Stir bars were coated reproducible with a 160-μm film formed from a formic acid solution of Nylon-6 polymer either nonimprinted or imprinted with L-glutamine. Time sorption profiles were measured for the extraction of L-glutamine at the concentration of 20–500 μmol L−1 levels with both types of films in order to compare sorption characteristics. The results indicated that the MIP coated layer showed remarkable high affinity towards L-glutamine and equilibrium adsorption was attained rapidly (60 min) in contrast to conventional bulk molecularly imprinted polymer in which equilibrium adsorption was normally attained after 16–24 h. The imprinted stir bar was also shown a high degree of selectivity toward L-glutamine compared to its isomer and analogues, while a reference stir bar prepared without the imprinting molecule was not shown any selectivity towards the enantiomers. Evidence was also presented by FT-IR analysis that the amide-hydrogen-bonding interaction between L-glutamine and amide groups in MIP-film was originated for L-glutamine recognition. The scanning electron microscope photographs showed that visible pores structure could be detected in the L-glutamine imprinted Nylon-6 film. Compared with traditional MIP and SBSE, the MIP-coated film showed not only the high selectivity, but also the rapid equilibrium adsorption. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008


ABSTRACT Spanish society was severely affected by the post-2008 economic recession. The country's political institutions were faced with a major crisis of legitimacy that gave birth to new social and political movements. In this context, the response of the Roman Catholic Church to the recession was threefold. Firstly, the recession had an impact on the Church itself, as it reactivated the recurring public debate on Church–State relations and the institutional benefits enjoyed by the Church. Secondly, the recession also provided a limited opportunity for the Church. On a normative level, the Catholic hierarchy used the recession to give voice to its discourse on the moralization of the economy and politics, relating it to recurrent campaigns by the Church on family policies and the territorial unity of Spain. In addition, the social sector of the Church responded to the recession through a program of social work intended to offset the failures of both the market and the public authorities. Thirdly, the social work undertaken by specific sectors of the Church unexpectedly led to forms of political advocacy, independently or alongside anti-austerity or pro-migrant social movements. All these effects sharpened previously existing dividing lines within the Catholic landscape.


Lightweight structures, such as fiber reinforced plastics (FRPs), become increasingly important due to their excellent mechanical and lightweight properties. During the manufacturing process, curing of the matrix is a dominant effect as it is highly temperature dependent and influences strongly the mechanical, thermal and chemical properties of FRPs. Variations in the manufacturing process, measurement errors and missing or incomplete information are typical causes of uncertainties. This contribution presents a framework for an uncertainty model for the curing process of transversely fiber reinforced plastics. As a key idea the overall effective properties of the cured matrix during the manufacturing process are calculated by uncertainty homogenization models.


Mutations in the human skeletal muscle Na+ channel underlie the autosomal dominant disease hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HPP). Muscle fibers from affected individuals exhibit sustained Na+ currents thought to depolarize the sarcolemma and thus inactivate normal Na+ channels. We expressed human wild-type or M1592V mutant α-subunits with the β1-subunit in Xenopus laevis oocytes and recorded Na+ currents using two-electrode and cut-open oocyte voltage-clamp techniques. The most prominent functional difference between M1592V mutant and wild-type channels is a 5- to 10-mV shift in the hyperpolarized direction of the steady-state activation curve. The shift in the activation curve for the mutant results in a larger overlap with the inactivation curve than that observed for wild-type channels. Accordingly, the current through M1592V channels displays a larger noninactivating component than does that through wild-type channels at membrane potentials near -40 mV. The functional properties of the M1592V mutant resemble those of the previously characterized HPP T704M mutant. Both clinically similar phenotypes arise from mutations located at a distance from the putative voltage sensor of the channel.


For a variety of applications remote navigation of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) along a flight trajectory is an essential task. For instance, during search and rescue missions in outdoor scenes, an important goal is to ensure safe navigation. Assessed by the remote operator, this could mean avoiding collisions with obstacles, but moreover avoiding hazardous flight areas. State of the art approaches enable navigation along trajectories, but do not allow for indirect manipulation during motion. In addition, they suggest to use egocentric views which could limit understanding of the remote scene. With this work we introduce a novel indirect manipulation method, based on gravitational law, to recover safe navigation in the presence of hazardous flight areas. The indirect character of our method supports manipulation at far distances where common direct manipulation methods typically fail. We combine it with an immersive exocentric view to improve understanding of the scene. We designed three flavors of our method and compared them during a user study in a simulated scene. While with this method we present a first step towards a more extensive navigation interface, as future work we plan experiments in dynamic real-world scenes.


If you think that being a woman in the tech industry is tough, then being a mom in the tech industry is tougher and extremely challenging. The representation of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields drops significantly at the midcareer level and one of the major reasons is that women can feel overwhelmed with managing their careers along with their family.


•  Characteristic sterols of transformed carrot (Daucus carota) and chicory (Cichorium intybus) roots colonized by different strains of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi were identified. •  Sterols were extracted, analysed and identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) from monoxenic cultures of mycorrhizal and nonmycorrhizal roots. After colonization by Glomus intraradices, Glomus proliferum and Glomus sp., carrot and chicory roots exhibited a significantly higher 24-methyl/methylene sterol content. A correlation was established between the content of the sum of 24-methyl cholesterol, 24-methylene cholesterol and 24-methyl desmosterol. •  This study clearly established that the increment of these characteristic sterols is an appropriate indicator of colonization by AM fungi of transformed roots. •  Metabolic origin and specificity of these sterols in mycorrhizal roots was researched. The 24-methyl/methylene sterol increase was observed only when the interaction between fungus and plant was completely established and the fungus was present inside the roots.


IZA DP No. 13559 JULY 2020 Short Moves and Long Stays: Homeless Family Responses to Exogenous Shelter Assignments in New York City* Using an original administrative dataset in the context of a scarcity induced-natural experiment in New York City, I find that families placed in shelters in their neighborhoods of origin remain there considerably longer than those assigned to distant shelters. Locally-placed families also access more public benefits and are more apt to work. A fixed effects model assessing multi-spell families confirms these main results. Complementary instrumental variable and regression discontinuity designs exploiting policy shocks and rules, respectively, suggest difficult-to-place families – such as those that are large, disconnected from services, or from neighborhoods where homelessness is common – are especially sensitive to proximate placements. Better targeting through improved screening at intake can enhance program efficiency. The practice of assigning shelter based on chance vacancies ought to be replaced with a system of evidence-based placements tailored to families' resources and constraints. JEL Classification: R28, I38, R20, H53, H75, D91, J22


Robots that are developed for applications which require a high stiffness-over-inertia ratio, such as pick-and-place robots, machining robots, or haptic devices, are often based on parallel manipulators. Parallel manipulators connect an end-effector to an inertial base using multiple serial kinematic chains. This architecture enables the design of robots with all actuators located at the base, which greatly reduces the effective inertia with no detrimental effect on the stiffness, thus improving the stiffness-over-inertia ratio. One of the limitations of current parallel manipulators is that gripping requires an additional, dedicated subsystem, which either degrades performance or can only handle objects with a flat surface. A promising alternative solution for future gripping robots are parallel manipulators with two end-effectors (PM2Es). These PM2Es facilitate mechanical gripping using an internal closed-loop chain, which enables gripping robots that have all their actuators located at the base. As such, PM2Es combine mechanical gripping with a favorable stiffness-over-inertia ratio. Because of the potential benefits in both cost and hygiene, the integration of compliant joints is identified as a second promising development for future gripping robots. The benefits of PM2Es and those of compliant joints can be enjoyed simultaneously if compliant PM2Es are designed. However, it is currently not possible to effectively design compliant PM2Es, because existing stiffness analyses methods do not directly apply to PM2Es. To overcome this limitation, in this thesis a stiffness analysis method is developed that is also valid for compliant PM2Es. In Chapter 2 insights from screw theory are used to develop a novel Jacobian-based stiffness analysis method for parallel manipulators, which is more general than existing methods. The stiffness analysis method takes the influence of actuators, compliant joints, as well as structural elements into account, and also considers the effect of loading. Stiffness in the constrained directions of individual serial chains is represented using virtual joints, which allows structural compliance to be considered for any parallel manipulator with non-redundant legs. This includes lower mobility parallel manipulators, which have less than six degrees of freedom. Loading is taken into account using a term that depends on the derivative of a Jacobian matrix. The developed stiffness analysis method is experimentally validated in Chapter 3. It is shown that the accuracy of a stiffness analysis improves if the effect of loading is considered and also if structural compliance is included in the analysis. The example stiffness matrices in Chapter 3 are all symmetric, which is in line with the definition of a stiffness matrix. In contrast, Griffis and Duffy (1993) found asymmetric stiffness matrices when they analyzed two mechanisms under loading. Loading cannot be part of a stiffness analysis if it can lead to asymmetric matrices, which explains the extensive discussions surrounding their work. Chapter 4 demonstrates that the asymmetry in the work by Griffis and Duffy can be explained as a modeling inconsistency. It is also shown that consistent modeling results in symmetric matrices, which supports the notion that loading is an integral part of a stiffness analysis of parallel manipulators. Chapter 5 presents a systematic approach for the Jacobian analysis of PM2Es in order to extend the Jacobian-based stiffness analysis method of Chapter 2 to PM2Es. Previously, Jacobian analyses of PM2Es have only been performed for specific examples, but this thesis introduces structure to the Jacobian analysis of PM2Es by considering each end-effector as a rigid body with its own six-dimensional motion vector, and by representing a PM2E as an organization of serial chains. In Chapter 5 it is also shown that the structural compliance of internal serial chains must be considered in order to deal with relative degrees of freedom that are constrained between the two end-effectors. In Chapter 6 the stiffness analysis method of Chapter 2 and the Jacobian analysis of Chapter 5 are integrated and the very first stiffness matrices of PM2Es are presented. An experimental verification of these stiffness matrices demonstrates that the developed stiffness analysis method also applies to compliant parallel manipulators with two end-effectors. Therefore, the method introduced in this thesis is ready to be used for the effective design of novel gripping robots.


BACKGROUND
Alpha-synuclein is a protein involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. In vitro observations have shown that specific brain-enriched polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as arachidonic acid, can give rise to a conformational change in alpha-synuclein and ultimately induce its fibrillation. Arachidonic acid is released by phospholipase A2 activity and clinical observations have shown a link between mutations in PLA2G6, the gene responsible for the production of phospholipase A2, and early-onset types of parkinsonism. It is unknown how phospholipase A2-driven release of arachidonic acid can affect the conformation of alphasynuclein.

OBJECTIVE
The main objective of this study was to investigate if phospholipase A2-induced release of arachidonic acid can induce changes in conformation and aggregation state of alpha-synuclein.

METHODS
Recombinant human alpha-synuclein was expressed and isolated and incubated in the presence of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine (PC/PS) containing liposomes. The release of free fatty acids from PC/PS liposomes by bee venom phospholipase A2 was measured with the fluorescent probe acrylodated intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (ADIFAB) and radioactive labelling by preparing liposomes in the presence of L- 3-phosphatidylcholine, 1-stearyl-2[1-14C] arachidonoyl. The effect of free fatty acid release on the conformation of alpha-synuclein was assayed by far-UV circular dichroism and resistance against V8 protease-induced limited proteolysis. Aggregation of alpha-synuclein upon exposure to phospholipase A2-induced action on PC/PS liposomes was measured using thioflavin T fluorescence, SDS-PAGE, gel filtration chromatography, and transmission electron microscopy. RAW264.7 cells were transiently transfected with human alpha-synuclein and release of arachidonic acid was quantified using radiolabeling and liquid scintillation counting.

RESULTS
Phospholipase A2 is capable of releasing arachidonic acid from biomimetic phospholipid membranes. Exposure of alpha-synuclein to phospholipase A2-induced release of arachidonic acid from PC/PS liposomes induces a conformational transition of the protein and leads to partial resistance against proteolytic cleavage by V8 protease. Prolonged incubation of alpha-synuclein with arachidonic acid, derived from PC/PS liposomes by phospholipase A2 leads to aggregate formation. In line with this, transiently transfected RAW264.7 cells with alpha-synuclein showed arachidonic acid release and punctate alpha-synuclein staining upon phospholipase A2 activation. The ability of arachidonic acid to drive alpha-synuclein to aggregate was independent of its oxidation state.

CONCLUSION
We present data that suggest a biological context for the previously reported clinical observation that linked mutations in PLA2G6, the gene responsible for the production of phospholipase A2, and early-onset types of parkinsonism. Release of arachidonic acid, independent of its oxidation state, through activation of phospholipase A2-driven hydrolysis of phospholipid membranes, leads to the structural transition and aggregation of alpha-synuclein.


The United Kingdom (UK) has triggered the mechanism to exit the European Union (EU). Such a decision was taken at a referendum held in 2016. The referendum was, however, not legally binding, and only England and Wales, but not Scotland or Northern Ireland, endorsed the option to exit the EU. UK's EU exit can be seen as the UK's withdrawal from the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and the Treaty on the Functioning of European Union (TFEU) pursuant to Article 50 TEU. But the TEU and TFEU are not ordinary treaties of public international law. They are constitutional instruments of a complex supra-national polity—the EU. Brexit is thus in many respects more than just an ordinary treaty withdrawal; it can be seen as the UK's functional secession from the EU. This creates tensions between the rules of treaty withdrawal and tenets of democratic decision-making on territorial matters in a constitutional democracy. This article analyzes such tensions and contrasts Brexit with the reasoning of the Supreme Court of Canada in the Quebec case, holding that democracy was not a simple majority rule. Yet, it is questionable whether the treaty-law logic of Article 50 allows for accommodation of the Quebec principles. The article also demonstrates how the European Convention of Human Rights could step in to protect certain already-acquired rights of EU citizens after Brexit. Given the complexity and diversity of rights stemming from EU citizenship, however, there is no complete legal certainty without either an agreement between the EU and the UK to this effect, or further development of the existing case law on the matter.


Ethics is a philosophical part of axiology and becomes an important basis in the formation of morality. Today, ethics even becomes a serious individual matter that has an impact on human social life. There are many Islamic philosophers who highlight the theme of ethics within the philosophical framework, one of them is Abu Nasr Muhammad al-Farabi. His view of human action and especially of happiness shows his different mind from the previous philosopher. His view of happiness reflects the orientation of human life in the present that overriden by the crisis of existence. In addition, some of his essays even focus exclusively on ethical discussions. Unfortunately, only a few scholars studied his ethical mind in a brief sub-section. Therefore, this paper will try to fill the void, as well as to contribute about the importance of ethics for the sustainability of individual morality and social morality.


We study a family of non-linear McKean-Vlasov SDEs driven by a Poisson measure, modelling the
mean-field asymptotic of a network of generalized Integrate-and-Fire neurons.
We give sufficient conditions to have periodic solutions through a Hopf bifurcation.
Our spectral conditions involve the location of the roots of an explicit holomorphic function. The
proof relies on two main ingredients. First, we introduce a discrete time Markov Chain
modeling the phases of the successive spikes of a neuron. The invariant measure of this
Markov Chain is related to the shape of the periodic solutions. Secondly, we use the
Lyapunov-Schmidt method to obtain self-consistent oscillations. We illustrate the
result with a toy model for which all the spectral conditions can be analytically checked.


Wall Street to Main Street, first published in 1999, focuses on the spectacularly successful career of financier Charles Merrill (1885–1956), the founder of Merrill Lynch & Co., the world's largest brokerage and investment firm. Merrill was the most innovative entrepreneur in the United States financial services sector in the twentieth century and the most important figure in promoting common stocks as a prudent long-term investment vehicle for members of the American middle class. With more than 100 branch offices across the nation, his firm solicited millions of middle-class households and became famous for bringing Wall Street to Main Street in the post-World War II era. Today, American investors hold, either directly or indirectly through mutual funds, a greater percentage of common stocks in their financial portfolios than do the citizens of any other country. Based on archival sources, this book is the first biography published about the career of this major Wall Street figure.


This paper considers real-time packet forwarding over wireless multi-hop networks with lossy and bursty links. Our objective is to maximize the probability that individual packets reach their destination before a hard deadline. The loss processes on links are modeled by finite-state Markov chains. While the parameters of the Markov chains are assumed to be known, the instantaneous channel states are not accessible but have to be estimated from observations of successes and failures of actual packet transmissions. We formulate the forwarding problem as a partially observable Markov decision process and derive the optimal forwarding policy. A novel technique, based on maximum-volume inscribed ellipsoids, for computing approximate solutions with reduced implementation complexity is proposed. We further discuss structural properties of the value function and the optimal actions. Finally, numerical examples illustrate the power of the developed techniques.


At a recent staff-postgraduate seminar hosted by the English Department at U.W.I., Cave Hill, Glyne Griffith presented an analysis of Roger Mais's fiction in which he interrogated certain traditional notions of authorial omniscience and called attention to the power inherent in representation. The omnipotent omniscient narrator, unknowable and beyond challenge, solicits the reader's absolute trust in authorial placing or definition of characters, from whom the narrator maintains a godlike distance. Within this type of literary discourse, inherited from mainstream English fiction of the nineteenth century, characters are 'written': that is, settled, solidified or, as Harris1 would have it, 'consolidated' and fixed for ever. This journal article is available in Kunapipi: https://ro.uow.edu.au/kunapipi/vol12/iss3/18


In this paper, we select some of the crucial issues for future search and rescue (SAR) operations in the Barents Sea. The different nations that are involved and the resources necessary to build emergency preparedness due to the climatic conditions are thus important factors. This paper summarizes the state of the art within these areas while also indicating future development needs. The special requirements for life saving equipment on vessels due to the climate and requirement on personal protective equipment related to accidental immersion are also essential and thus presented in this paper. In addition, safe haven designs where the vessel itself is designed to provide shelter for personnel in distress is also a topic chosen to be addressed.Copyright © 2013 by ASME


Abstract . The IPC (Interphase Power Controller) technology is a developing direction in the domain of power systems interconnections. The practical application of these devices will improve the efficiency of power systems operation and prevent the spread of undesirable phenomena in electric networks. This may result in new regimes effects that require special consideration and analysis. The paper discusses some features of IPC operation at the installation of it on the input end of transmission line. The purpose was to study the characteristics of the transmission line, when on the transmitting end was mounted uncontrolled IPC with centered characteristics. Additional ways of using the phase shifting transformers (PST) to adjust the power characteristics of IPC are considered as well. In this case the PST acts as a reactive power compensator. Favorable conditions IPC operation can be obtained by applying an additional phase-shifting element mounted IPC for power at the receiving end. It is concluded that the installation phase-shifting device (beginning or end of the line) does not matter and it can be determined based on specific conditions. Results testify the possibility of full harmonization of IPC with the line in all practical cases.


Graphene has been heralded as a promising electrode material for high energy and power density electrochemical supercapacitors. This is in spite of recent work confirming the low double-layer capacitance (CDL) of the graphene/electrolyte interface limited by graphene's low quantum capacitance (CQ), an effect known for the basal plane of graphite for over four decades. Consistent with this limit, much of the supercapacitor research implies the use of pristine graphene but, in contrast, uses a functionalized and defective graphene formed through the reduction of graphene oxide, without clarifying why reduced graphene oxide is needed to achieve high capacitance. Herein, we show that an optimal level of functionalization and lattice disorder in reduced graphene oxide yields a 4-fold increase in CDL over that of pristine graphene, suggesting graphene-based materials can indeed be tailored to engineer electrodes with significantly higher gravimetric capacitance limits exceeding 450 F/g than what has been achiev...


This study was undertaken to create an in-vitro model using granulosa cell monolayers to replace the role of the follicle in the maturation of bovine oocytes. Cumulus-oocyte complexes were co-incubated with fresh or 7-day granulosa cell cultures (with new or conditioned medium) or with conditioned medium alone, in the presence or absence of IBMX (isobutylmethylxanthine), adenosine or heparin. Progression to the metaphase-II stage was significantly affected by the co-culture of oocytes with bovine granulosa cell monolayers and to a lesser degree when cultured with supernatant alone (conditioned medium). The oocytes attached rapidly to the monolayer, suggesting that the intimate contact between the granulosa cells and the cumulus-oocyte complexes is an important signal for the maintenance of meiotic arrest. Heparin did not prevent maturation itself, but prevented attachment of cumulus-oocyte complexes to monolayers, thereby reducing their inhibitory effect. Adenosine prevented cumulus expansion and reduced maturation and IBMX was an effective inhibitor only in the presence of additional granulosa cells.


We perform an enormous number of functions while driving, and a computer trying to match a human driver must face all of them. Cornell University researchers offer an insider's perspective on the issues the DARPA Grand Challenge competitors faced in creating a humanlike driver - without the human. In preparing for the Grand Challenge, Cornell University's team divided the driving problem into three basic tasks: (i) localization - knowing where you are, (ii) sensing - seeing what's around you, and (iii) path planning etermining how to get to a destination. Creating a vehicle capable of driving itself therefore required finding computational solutions to each of these three tasks


c-Abl non-receptor tyrosine kinase is a pivotal upstream positive modulator in cellular response to DNA damage, which attributes to the activation of p53 tumor suppressor protein, hence the expression of the p53 target proteins promoting growth arrest and apoptosis. Nevertheless, the comprehensive function of c-Abl in the activation of p53 mediated by phosphorylation and acetylation is still largely elusive. Thus, in an attempt to determine the significance of tyrosine kinase activity of c-Abl in p53 activation, we examined the extent of p53 activation by exposing cells to Adriamycin (ADR). Under the presence of Abl kinase inhibitor, STI571, p53 dependent transactivation of p21 and Ser15/20 phosphorylation of p53 were markedly impaired. Furthermore, overexpression of the wild type c-Abl in ADR treated cells led to marked increase in p21 expression, whereas that of tyrosine kinase deficient c-Abl led to striking decrease. When U2OS cells were treated with increasing (0, 5, 10 & 15 μM) concentration of STI571, p21 expression gradually diminished with increasing concentration of STI571. In response to DNA damage Atm activates c-Abl, which in turn tyrosine phosphorylates and activates Atm making a positive feedback loop between Atm and c-Abl. We speculate the kinase activity of c-Abl is prerequisite to potentiate Atm activity by this feedback loop resulting in the augmented activation of p53. Preliminary experiments revealed that c-Abl abrogated deacetylation of p53 and Histone protein at p53 target genes promoter mediated by Histone deacetylases (HDACs). Detailed descriptions and significance of these observations will be discussed at the meeting. Citation Format: S. M. Nashir Udden, Masanobu Satake, Shuntaro Ikawa. Tyrosine kinase activity of c-Abl is essential for p53 dependent transactivation of p21Waf1/Cip1. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2012 Oct 16-19; Anaheim, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Prev Res 2012;5(11 Suppl):Abstract nr A52.


The environment Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis has been widely tested in the energy economics literature. However, previous studies focused only on the mean effects and have not yet examined the role of pollution levels in the income-pollution nexus. This paper uses quantile regression to reexamine the effect of economic growth and energy consumption on dioxide carbon (CO2) emissions for five panels of 59 countries. The results reveal that energy consumption increases CO2 emissions in all panels, the effect being larger in low pollution countries. They also provide evidence supporting the EKC hypothesis for Sub-Saharan, American and European countries at all quantiles, and for Asian and MENA countries at lower levels of CO2 emissions. These findings suggest that economic growth is not everywhere and always the cause and the cure of pollution. Therefore, environmental control policies should be tailored differently across low and high pollution countries.


Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between central corneal thickness (CCT) and optic disc area in patients with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG). Methods: The study was performed on patients with POAG who were being followed at Johns Hopkins Hospital. All patients underwent thorough eye examination, optic disc imaging with the Heidelberg Retina Tomograph II (HRT II), and ultrasound corneal pachymetry. Exclusion criteria were prior ocular surgery and low-quality HRT II images (HRT standard deviation> 50). SAS version 8.1 was used to generate Pearson correlation coefficients (r). Results: Of 199 eyes of 152 participants, 57 eyes met the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the study. Mean CCT was 530.7 +/35.5 microns. Black subjects had thinner corneas (blacks= 520 microns, whites= 546, others= 550, p < 0.05). White subjects had smaller discs (Whites' mean disc area= 1.84 mm2, blacks= 2.44, others= 2.38 P= 0.0003). Univariate analysis revealed that CCT is inversely correlated with optic disc area (r = -0.215, P= 0.12, n= 53). After including all HRT images with standard deviation < 100, a statistically significant correlation was observed among white subjects (r = -0.282, P= 0.02, n= 60). Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that optic nerve size might have some correlation with central corneal thickness. It may be that the protective effect of thicker corneas is not solely due to mis-measurement of IOP, but may also be an indication of more robust optic nerve head tissue.


This special issue of the journal is dedicated to tinnitus and the role of neuroplasticity in its symptomology. In western industrial countries with a steadily aging population, the number of individuals who suffer from tinnitus is immense. Approximately 50 million people in the USA and 70 million individuals in the European Union, that is, approximately 10% of the population, are affected. A fraction of those concerned individuals indicate a significant loss of quality of life. Tinnitus has two main forms: objective and subjective. Objective tinnitus, caused by sounds actually generated in the body, is rare. Subjective tinnitus, the more common form, is a phantom sensation. Tinnitus may be intermittent or constant (chronic) and its strength and its nature may vary. The causes of many forms of tinnitus are unknown and the treatments, therefore, focus on the management of symptoms.

Meanwhile, it is widely accepted that tinnitus must not be conceived as a sole dysfunction of the inner ear. It has rather been agreed that tinnitus emanates from a perplexing network that includes the ear and the auditory pathway but primarily resides in the human brain.

It is generally accepted that people with subjective tinnitus may experience two kinds of symptoms: one is the hearing of a sound that does not come from the environment and the other experience is a form of distress or suffering. These two kinds of symptoms are not directly related and an individual who experiences a weak tinnitus sound may nonetheless experience severe suffering. Others may experience a strong sound but suffer little or not at all. It seems likely that these two expressions of tinnitus have different pathologies and may engage different circuits in the brain.

The key to development of new treatments is a better understanding of the pathology of the disorder. Recent years have seen important progress in the understanding of pertinent aspects of the neuropsychology and neurobiology of subjective idiopathic tinnitus but many questions remain unanswered in that rapidly burgeoning field of neuroscience. The anatomical location of the pathology that causes the phantom sound is not completely known nor is it known what changes in the brain are directly or indirectly associated with distress or suffering. Recent advances in neuroscience and clinical medicine have introduced new models and frameworks that help elucidate the mechanisms underlying the pathology of subjective tinnitus.

Recent studies indicate that changes in connections in many parts of the brain play an important role in causing the symptoms of tinnitus mentioned above. The networks formed by these connections consist of cortical and subcortical areas that serve auditory as well as other functions. Understanding the abnormalities in these networks and their dynamic interactions (connectivity) is of utmost importance for understanding different people's experience of tinnitus. Such knowledge is naturally also important for developing effective treatments of tinnitus and of the associated symptoms of distress and suffering.

Management of idiopathic tinnitus is a challenge and effective treatment options are still limited. The main reason for these obstacles in management of the tinnitus patient is insufficient knowledge and understanding of the pathology of the many forms of tinnitus. The tinnitus patient is a challenge to the physician or neuropsychologist for several reasons. Idiopathic tinnitus is not a single well-defined disease but a series of very different disorders. There are no objective tests that can distinguish between the different forms of tinnitus. This means that the patient's own description is so far the only basis for treatment. In those few forms of tinnitus known to stem from a specific treatable disease, the treatment of that underlying cause is often the best option though tinnitus without a known treatable underlying cause must be alleviated through the management of its symptoms.

This special issue has 14 articles covering the underpinning pathology, diagnosis, and treatments of chronic tinnitus. The articles report results of experimental studies in animals and studies in persons with tinnitus using different forms of imaging and electrophysiological techniques. Psychiatric, neurological, neuropsychological, and otological facets are comprehensively covered and discussed. The papers provide novel approaches for understanding the pathology and accordingly potential treatment of many forms of tinnitus. Some of the articles discuss abnormalities in EEG-based connectivity and others discuss the changes in the brain after specific treatments for tinnitus. Several of the articles in the special issue provide critical analysis of the efficacy of different forms of treatment of tinnitus while one of the articles discusses the psychiatric comorbidity of tinnitus.

We are convinced that this compilation of inspiring papers will be evidently well received as a crucial step towards better dealing with chronic tinnitus and we are delighted to introduce this special issue to the readers.

Martin Meyer

Berthold Langguth

Tobias Kleinjung

Aage R. Moller


Teaching game development has become an accepted methodology for introducing programming concepts and capturing the interest of beginning computer science and information technology (IT) students. This study, conducted over three consecutive semesters, explores game development using a gaming engine, rather than a traditional programming language, as a means not only to introduce programming concepts, but also to promote the development of information and communications technology (ICT) literacy skills among first-year business students. The paper argues that in addition to learning programming concepts, completing the steps involved to develop and publish an original game requires students to demonstrate a variety of ICT skills. To be successful, they must be proficient at creating and editing multimedia, interacting with multiple operating systems and mobile devices, performing research online, transferring files from one machine to another, and uploading the files for their games to an app store and the web.


To satisfy the economic drive for ever more powerful computers to handle scientific and business applications, new technologies are needed to overcome the limitations of current approaches. New memory technologies will address the need for greater amounts of data in close proximity to the processors. Three-dimensional silicon integration will allow more cache and function to be integrated with the processor while allowing more than 1,000 times higher bandwidth communications at low power per channel using local interconnects between Si die layers and between die stacks. Integrated silicon nanophotonics will provide low-power and high-bandwidth optical interconnections between different parts of the system on a chip, board, and rack levels. Highly efficient power delivery and advanced liquid cooling will reduce the electrical demand and facility costs. A combination of these technologies will likely be required to build exascale systems that meet the combined challenges of a practical power constraint on the order of 20 MW with sufficient reliability and at a reasonable cost.