Rather than rooting environmental education in a traditional science teaching, thus giving the illusion of an objective knowledge of nature and of the possibility of technological solutions to so called environmental problems, the author proposes a socioconstructivist environmental education. Research in science education show indeed that teachers and students from our school system have integrated a representation of sciences as unquestionable and ideologically neutral fields of knowledge. The challenge of environmental education is to help them to get a more complex representation of sciences, and of the environment, by integrating sociopolitical and ethical considerations during their reflexion and by sensitizing them to the fact that in scientific knowledge there is always uncertainty. It is thus important to clarify the students' social representations about the nature of scientific knowledge. This analysis will help to design pedagogical strategies with emancipatory goals, inspired from research in the field of sociology of science. There is a need to counter the western overvaluing of sciences and to open a reflexive debate between those who benefit from the expert status in our societies and those who do not have acces to such a privilege.


Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a devastating disease with an extremely poor life expectancy and no effective treatment. Autophagy is a process of degradation of cytoplasmic component capable of recycling cellular components or eliminate specific targets. The presence of autophagy in PDAC has been demonstrated. However, the implicated cellular pathways are not fully understood and, more importantly, the role of autophagy in PDAC is matter of intensive debate. This review summarizes recently published data in an attempt to clarify the importance of autophagy in this disease and try to reconcile apparently contradictory results.


Musical data mining covers a number of methodologies to successfully apply data mining techniques for music processing, drawing together a multidisciplinary array of top experts. The field of music data acquisition has grown through time to solve the difficulties of obtaining and engaging with enormous amounts of music and associated data, such as styles, artists, lyrics, and reviews. In order to improve the quality of music teaching, a music teaching evaluation based on data mining is proposed. Data mining is becoming more widely accepted as a viable form of inquiry for analyzing data obtained in natural settings. More and more attention is paid to music teaching. Actual data is frequently inadequate, unreliable, and/or lacking in specific behaviors or patterns, as well as including numerous inaccuracies. Preprocessing data is a tried-and-true means of resolving such problems. Music teaching data is divided into three steps after preprocessing, that is, "object and object type," "music teaching data normalization," and "data integration." A model is built with a high-dimensional characteristic distribution and essential parameters of convergent teaching capacity. The experimental results show that the data mining method can be used for music teaching evaluation and has the advantages of short evaluation time, high accuracy, and clear indicators.


Abstract Objective To outline the development of a smartphone-based tool to collect thrice-repeated 24 h dietary recall data in rural Nepal, and to describe energy intakes, common errors and researchers' experiences using the tool. Design We designed a novel tool to collect multi-pass 24 h dietary recalls in rural Nepal by combining the use of a CommCare questionnaire on smartphones, a paper form, a QR (quick response)-coded list of foods and a photographic atlas of portion sizes. Twenty interviewers collected dietary data on three non-consecutive days per respondent, with three respondents per household. Intakes were converted into nutrients using databases on nutritional composition of foods, recipes and portion sizes. Setting Dhanusha and Mahottari districts, Nepal. Subjects Pregnant women, their mothers-in-law and male household heads. Energy intakes assessed in 150 households; data corrections and our experiences reported from 805 households and 6765 individual recalls. Results Dietary intake estimates gave plausible values, with male household heads appearing to have higher energy intakes (median (25th–75th centile): 12 079 (9293–14 108) kJ/d) than female members (8979 (7234–11 042) kJ/d for pregnant women). Manual editing of data was required when interviewers mistook portions for food codes and for coding items not on the food list. Smartphones enabled quick monitoring of data and interviewer performance, but we initially faced technical challenges with CommCare forms crashing. Conclusions With sufficient time dedicated to development and pre-testing, this novel smartphone-based tool provides a useful method to collect data. Future work is needed to further validate this tool and adapt it for other contexts.


This lavishly illustrated publication is a commentary on the emotional attachment that various key fashion personalities from designers, celebrities, models, photographers, stylists and fashion editors have with the one thing that is treasured in their memory or wardrobe: their Favourite Dress. 75 designers and key industry players from around the world have described the very personal reasons behind their choice, through text, photographs by leading fashion photographers, fabric samples, original sketches and other ephemera their choices come alive on the page. The dresses selected by these individuals are intriguing and highlights the intimacy that the designer and wearer feels with their garment. This book gives the audience an opportunity to explore how a dress can be a creative statement, a symbol of celebration, power, and individuality. "My Favourite Dress" is about choice, memory and a moment; a must have for any fashionista. Designers featured include: Alber Elbaz for Lanvin, Alberta Ferretti, Alexander McQueen, Amanda Wakeley, Angela Missoni, Anna Sui, Anne Valerie Hash, Antonio Berardi, Anthony Price, Barbara Hulanicki, Bella Freud, Ben de Lisi, Bernhard Willhelm, Betsy Johnson, Betty Jackson, Boudicca, Calvin Klein, Caroline Herrera, Caroline Charles, Catherine Malandrino, Christian Lacroix, Clements Ribeiro, Daisy de Villeneuve, David Sassoon, Diane Pernet, Diane von Furstenberg, Dolce & Gabbana, Donna Karen, Dries Van Noten, Eley Kishimoto, Elie Sabb, Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein, Gianfranco Ferre, Giles Deacon, Giorgio Armani, Glenda Bailey, Hamish Morrow, Isaac Mizrahi, Isabel Toledo, Issey Miyake, Jane Bruton, Jasper Conran, Joe Casely-Hayford, John Galliano, John Rocha, Julie Verhoven, Julien McDonald, Louise Goldin, Luella Bartley, Margaret Howell, Maria Grachvogel, Markus Lupfer, Mary Quant, and Max & Lubov Azria for Herve Leger. The designers also covered include: Michiko Koshino, Naoki Takizawa, Nicole Farhi, Oriole Cullen, Oscar de la Renta, Osman Yousefzada, Paco Rabanne, Paul Smith, Pearce Fionda, Ralph Lauren, Rick Owens, Rowland Mouret, Rosella Jardini for Moschino, Sophie Albou for Paul & Joe, Stella McCartney, Stephen Jones, Thierry Mugler, Tracey Emin, Tristan Webber, Valentino, Vera Wang, Vivienne Westwood, Zac Posen, and Zandra Rhodes.


Background/aims To compare the accuracy of 13 formulas for intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation in cataract surgery. Methods In this retrospective interventional case series, optical biometry measurements were entered into these formulas: Barrett Universal II (BUII) with and without anterior chamber depth (ACD) as a predictor, EVO 2.0 with and without ACD as a predictor, Haigis, Hoffer Q, Holladay 1, Holladay 2AL, Kane, Næser 2, Pearl-DGS, RBF 2.0, SRK/T, T2 and VRF. The mean prediction error (PE), median absolute error (MedAE), mean absolute error and percentage of eyes with a PE within ±0.25, ±0.50, ±0.75 and ±1.00 diopters (D) were calculated. Results Two hundred consecutive eyes were enrolled. With all formulas, the mean PE was zero. The BUII with no ACD had the lowest standard deviation (±0.343 D), followed by the T2 (0.347 D), Kane (0.348 D), EVO 2.0 with no ACD (0.348 D) and BUII with ACD (0.353 D) formulas. The difference among the MedAEs of all formulas was statistically significant (p<0.0001); the lowest values were achieved with the Kane (0.214 D), RBF 2.0 (0.215 D), BUII with and without ACD (0.218 D) and SRK/T (0.223 D). A percentage ranging from 80% to 88.5% of eyes showed a PE within ±0.50 D and all formulas achieved more than 50% of eyes with a PE within ±0.25 D. Conclusion All investigated formulas achieved good results; there was a tendency towards better outcomes with newer formulas. Traditional formulas can still be considered an accurate option.


Wildayana, E., 2017. Challenging constraints of livelihoods for farmers in the South Sumatra Peatlands, Indonesia. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 23 (6): 894–905 One of the most important socio-economic functions of peatlands can be used for agricultural cultivation. The research aimed to analyze the challenging constraints of livelihoods for farmers on the South Sumatra peatlands. The research results can be used for the Governmental inputs in making the management policy oriented to the community. The research was conducted on peatlands in OKI district and the sampling technique has been done by multi-stage method, followed by Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and interview by questionnaire. Evaluation of land suitability was carried out by matching method between growth requirements of plants with the survey data. The research resulted that the peatlands belong generally to lebak swamps (meaning free from tidal infl uences or non-pyritic layers) with the thickness of mostly less than 2.0 m and sapric to humic maturity levels. The diversifi cation of livelihood sources can be grouped as rice farming, rubber plantation, oil palm plantations, forest extraction, and fi sheries. The challenging constraints of livelihoods for farmers are divided into constraints in agronomic, technological and management, socio-economic aspects. The general peatland limiting factors for plant growth are especially inundation, inadequate rooting systems, and low nutrient availability. Land suitability for rice, rubber and oil palm was classifi ed as "marginally suitable (S3)" with limiting factors of nr3 (nutrient availability at level 3); fh3 (danger of fl ood/inundation during planting and harvesting at level 3); rc3 (inhibited drainage at level 3). Land suitability for commodities with less human intervention is classifi ed as "very suitable (S1)" with limiting factors of nr3 (nutrient availability at level 3) for forestry and xc2 (toxicity at the level 2) for fi shery. These limiting factors (constraints) are global, comprehensive, integrated, and holistic and beyond the ability of farmers to manage them, thus it is needed proactive problems-solving by the governmental intervention to overcome.


Chagas is a parasitic endemic disease caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi . It represents a strong threat to public health due to its strong resistance against commonly available drugs. We studied the in vitro ability to inactivate the trypomastigote form of this parasite using photodynamic inactivation of microorganisms (or antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy, aPDT). For this, we chose to use the photosen-sitizer hypericin (Hyp) formulated in ethanol/water (1% v/v) and Hyp loaded in the dispersion of different aqueous nanocarrier systems. These included polymeric micelles of F-127 and P-123 (both Pluronic™ surfactants), and liposomal vesicles of phospholipid 2-dipalmitoyl-sn- glycero -3-phosphocholine (DPPC). These systems with Hyp had their activity compared against trypomastigote forms under light and in the dark. Hyp revealed a high level of effectiveness to eradicate protozoa in vitro . Samples at concentrations higher than 0.8 μmol L^−1 of Hyp in Pluronic micelles showed efficacy even in the dark, with the EC_50 around (6–8) µmol L^−1. Therefore, Hyp/Pluronics can be used also as a chemotherapeutic agent. The best result for EC_50 is at approximately 0.31 μmol L^−1 for illuminated systems of Hyp in F-127 micelles. For Hyp in P-123 micelles under light, the results also led to a low EC_50 value of 0.36 µmol L^−1. The highest value of EC_50 was 2.22 µmol L^−1, which was found for Hyp/DPPC liposomes under light. For the Hyp-free (ethanol/water, 1% v/v)/illuminated group, the EC_50 value was 0.37 µmol L^−1, which also is a value that shows effectiveness. However, in free-form, Hyp is not protected against blood components, unlike when Hyp is loaded into the nanocarriers.


Rat hepatoma cells were engineered to express, in a regulated manner, mature human insulin as an approach to the development of artificial beta-cells for insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) gene therapy. A chimeric gene obtained by linking a 2.4-kb fragment of the P-enolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) gene promoter to a human proinsulin gene (PEPCK/Insm), containing genetically engineered furin endoprotease cleavage sites, was stably transfected into FTO-2B rat hepatoma cells. The FTOInsm cells expressed high levels of insulin mRNA and protein after Northern blot or immunocytochemical analysis. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fractionation of culture medium and cell extracts revealed that about 90% of the proinsulin was processed to mature insulin. Insulin secretion was very fast, and 15 min after induction with dibutyryl cyclic AMP (Bt2cAMP) plus dexamethasone significant amounts of the hormone were released. Moreover, during the first hour, the rise in insulin concentration in the medium was 10-fold that detected in nontreated FTOInsm cells. Insulin produced by FTOInsm cells was biologically active because it blocked endogenous PEPCK gene expression and induced glucose uptake and lactate production. Thus, our results showed that genetically engineered FTOInsm hepatoma cells synthesized, processed, and secreted active insulin. The implantation of encapsulated engineered FTOInsm cells might provide a safe and practical therapeutic approach for IDDM treatment.


—Online behavioral advertising is a double-edged sword. While relevant display ads are generally considered useful, opaque tracking based on third-party cookies has reached unfettered sprawl and is deemed to be privacy-intrusive. However, existing ways to preserve privacy do not sufficiently balance the needs of both users and the ecosystem. In this work, we evaluate alternative browser controls. We leverage the idea of inferring interests on users' devices and designed novel browser controls to manage these interests. Through a mixed method approach, we studied how users feel about this approach. First, we conducted pilot interviews with 9 participants to test two design directions. Second, we ran a survey with 2,552 respondents to measure how our final design compares with current cookie settings. Respondents reported a significantly higher level of perceived privacy and feeling of control when introduced to the concept of locally inferred interests with an option for removal.


Though it is generally considered that the cytoplasmic inclusions, commonly described as 'Golgi apparatus', contain phospholipid, the routine histochemical tests for lipid do not reveal the apparatus in the neurone of vertebrates. A technique for colouring the apparatus in the neurones of vertebrates with Sudan black is described in this paper.


Abstract. For derived flood frequency analysis based on hydrological modelling long continuous precipitation time series with high temporal resolution are needed. Often, the observation network with recording rainfall gauges is poor, especially regarding the limited length of the available rainfall time series. Stochastic precipitation synthesis is a good alternative either to extend or to regionalise rainfall series to provide adequate input for long-term rainfall-runoff modelling with subsequent estimation of design floods. Here, a new two step procedure for stochastic synthesis of continuous hourly space-time rainfall is proposed and tested for the extension of short observed precipitation time series. First, a single-site alternating renewal model is presented to simulate independent hourly precipitation time series for several locations. The alternating renewal model describes wet spell durations, dry spell durations and wet spell intensities using univariate frequency distributions separately for two seasons. The dependence between wet spell intensity and duration is accounted for by 2-copulas. For disaggregation of the wet spells into hourly intensities a predefined profile is used. In the second step a multi-site resampling procedure is applied on the synthetic point rainfall event series to reproduce the spatial dependence structure of rainfall. Resampling is carried out successively on all synthetic event series using simulated annealing with an objective function considering three bivariate spatial rainfall characteristics. In a case study synthetic precipitation is generated for some locations with short observation records in two mesoscale catchments of the Bode river basin located in northern Germany. The synthetic rainfall data are then applied for derived flood frequency analysis using the hydrological model HEC-HMS. The results show good performance in reproducing average and extreme rainfall characteristics as well as in reproducing observed flood frequencies. The presented model has the potential to be used for ungauged locations through regionalisation of the model parameters.


Proteins have gained significant attention as potential therapeutic agents owing to their high specificity and reduced toxicity. Nevertheless, their clinical utility is hindered by inherent challenges associated with stability during storage and after in vivo administration. To overcome these limitations, polymeric nanogels (NGs) have emerged as promising carriers. These colloidal systems are capable of efficient encapsulation and stabilization of protein cargoes while improving their bioavailability and targeted delivery. The design of such delivery systems requires a comprehensive understanding of how the synthesis and formulation processes affect the final performance of the protein. This review highlights critical aspects involved in the development of NGs for protein delivery, with specific emphasis on loading strategies and evaluation techniques. For example, factors influencing loading efficiency and release kinetics are discussed, along with strategies to optimize protein encapsulation through protein-carrier interactions to achieve the desired therapeutic outcomes. The discussion is based on recent literature examples and aims to provide valuable insights for researchers working towards the advancement of protein-based therapeutics. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


Introduction It is widely accepted that psychological factors can greatly influence human endurance and strength performance. However, little is known about the mechanisms that underpin facilitative and even more so debilitative cause-effect relationships between psychological factors and endurance performance during competition.[1] We recently developed a three-dimensional framework of centrally-regulated and goal-directed exercise behaviour emphasizing the important role of sensory-discriminatory, affective-motivational, and cognitive-evaluative processes underpinning observed pacing behaviour and performance.[2] The proposed framework offers a more sophisticated alternative to the traditional gestalt concept of perceived exertion in the investigation of the psychophysiological determinants of pacing and performance during prolonged endurance exercise. One aim of this experimental study was to examine the delineated contributions of the perceptual sensory, affective, and cognitive processes and their dynamic responses to respectively pulling ahead or falling behind a performance matched opponent.[3]   Methods Fourteen maximal head-to-head competition time trials between well-trained performance matched cyclists (average time difference in individual time trial performance: 0.92%) over a 70 km virtual profiled course were conducted. The sensory, affective, and cognitive processes were approximated by means of scales: perceived physical (p-RPE) and mental strain (TEA), affective valence (FS) and felt arousal (FAS), and perceived action crisis (ACRISS), respectively. The dynamic changes in these constructs and their interrelationships with pacing behaviour, performance, and markers of metabolic and endocrinological distress were investigated. A five-step structural equation modelling procedure was applied to test the extent to which the observed data fit the hypothesized temporally linked cause-effect relationships unfolding in response to falling-behind a performance matched opponent. [4] Results Meaningful performance improvements of 2.24% (99.7% most likely substantially positive) and decrements 1.69% (82.4% likely substantially negative) were found in winners and losers, respectively. Perceived physical and mental strain scaled with time and according to course profile in winners and loser alike. The following significant interaction effects were found: losers showed deterioration in valence (p=0.004), experienced the development of an action crisis (p<0.001), showed increased blood cortisol concentrations (p=0.001), and performance decrement relative to individual's performance capabilities (p=0.001) (see figure 1). The dynamic change in valence was a significant mediator (p=0.011) in performance regulation as it explained 35% of the relationship between falling behind and action crisis. The shift from an implemental to a deliberative mindset associated with an action crisis was a significant predictor of exacerbated psycho-neuro-endocrinological distress response (p=0.024) and non-adaptive endocrinological distress response subsequently predicted relative performance decrement (p=0.023). The observed data fitted the hypothesized model well with excellent model fit indices throughout.   Conclusions We applied, tested, and confirmed the hypothesized debilitative psychophysiological processes that unfold in response to falling behind a performance matched opponent. The main findings were: a) perceived physical and mental strain play primary roles in the teleoanticipatory pacing algorithm necessary to align planned behaviour with current physiological state; but both can be distorted by centrally-acting affective and cognitive modifiers, b) deterioration in non-reflective valence mediated the relationship between falling behind and reflective action crisis, c) the mindset-shift associated with an action crisis predicted exacerbated blood cortisol concentrations, and d) non-adaptive blood cortisol concentrations predicted performance decrement. The findings point towards the primary and mediatory roles of core affect and mindset in perceived fatigability and the psychophysiological determinants of pacing and performance. The proposed three-dimensional framework has the potential to markedly improve our ability to explain something as complex and multi-faceted as centrally-regulated and goal-directed exercise behaviour.   Â


In terms of both production and consumption, video games and gaming are a significant phenomenon in Russia, a fact acknowledged by the authorities and mainstream media. Although internet use in Russia has been a point of academic interest over the past few years, scholars have been slower to research video games despite their increasingly popular position in the media ecology of the region. Similarly, despite the abundance of theory and data on gaming in North America and Europe, game studies researchers have hardly skimmed the surface of the cultures, preferences and activities of gamers further afield. This dissertation investigates the online gaming sphere in Russia, presenting an empirical study of the industry, providing insight into gamers themselves, and analysing the media and political discourses surrounding gaming in Russia. In this study, I draw upon survey data, forum, website, and blog posts, user comments from gaming forums and analyses of local games to construct a picture of gaming activity and identity amongst gamers. In particular, I show how Russian-speaking gamers present themselves as members of a distinct subcultural group. Online gamers who participated in this study are shown to consume and discuss games in ways that can differ from elsewhere in the world, but they still retain common beliefs about the importance of expertise, taste and self-discipline within the gaming community. They display a great deal of knowledge about the games and communities available to them locally, while also consuming foreign games in selective and critical ways. For the reader conversant with game studies work, the dissertation constitutes a challenge to West-centric theories of gaming and gamers and demonstrates the importance of cultural context in shaping gaming practice. Throughout the dissertation, interactions between global and local, media and subcultural definitions of ?gamer? are crucial to understanding how gaming plays out in a Russian context. The self-definition of gamers differs greatly from mainstream media concepts of gamers. I contextualise discourses of the gaming self within an analysis of how the Russian media presents gamers as young people in need of moral and emotional guidance. Moreover, I show how contemporary media assessments of games and gamers have much in common with earlier moral panics about Western-inflected media and subcultures, such as rock music and style. Ultimately the gaming landscape in Russia is shown to be full of tensions, and the task of this dissertation is to identify, assess and compare these disparate discourses.


A VB-groupoid is a Lie groupoid equipped with a compatible linear structure. In this paper, we describe a correspondence, up to isomorphism, between VB-groupoids and 2-term representations up to homotopy of Lie groupoids. Under this correspondence, the tangent bundle of a Lie groupoid G corresponds to the "adjoint representation" of G. The value of this point of view is that the tangent bundle is canonical, whereas the adjoint representation is not.
We define a cochain complex that is canonically associated to any VB-groupoid. The cohomology of this complex is isomorphic to the groupoid cohomology with values in the corresponding representations up to homotopy. When applied to the tangent bundle of a Lie groupoid, this construction produces a canonical complex that computes the cohomology with values in the adjoint representation.
Finally, we give a classification of regular 2-term representations up to homotopy. By considering the adjoint representation, we find a new cohomological invariant associated to regular Lie groupoids.


The long composite blades on large wind turbines experience tremendous stresses while in operation. There is an interest in implementing structural health monitoring (SHM) systems inside wind turbine blades to alert maintenance teams of damage before serious component failure occurs. This paper proposes using an energy harvesting device inside the blade of a horizontal axis wind turbine to power a SHM system. The harvester is a linear induction energy harvester placed radially along the length of the blade. The rotation of the blade causes a magnet to slide along a tube as the blade axis changes relative to the direction of gravity. The magnet induces a voltage in a coil around the tube, and this voltage powers the SHM system. This paper begins by discussing motivation for this project. Next, a harvester model is developed, which encompasses the mechanics of the magnet, the interaction between the magnet and the coil, and the current in the electrical circuit. A free fall test verifies the electromechanical coupling model, and a rotating test examines the power output of a prototype harvester. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


ii ©2014 Kaiulani Michelle Houston ALL RIGHTS RESERVED iii ABSTRACT Kaiulani Michelle Houston: Development of Protease-Resistant β-Hairpin Peptides for the Detection of Enzymatic Activity in Cancer Cells (Under the direction of Marcey L. Waters) Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable malignancy of the antibody-producing plasma cells in the bone marrow and is characterized by the targeted degradation of anti-tumor regulatory proteins by the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS). The development of proteasomal inhibitors, such as bortezomib (Velcade®), has greatly improved the median survival time of MM patients. Inappropriate activation of protein kinase B (PKB or Akt) by bortezomib has been observed leading to refractory disease. Inhibitors of PKB activity are now in clinical trials for the treatment of MM. Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), the malignancy of myeloid cells in the bone marrow, is treated predominantly with Abl kinase inhibitors. We have designed protease-resistant fluorescent peptide probes that, once optimized, can be used to determine the effectiveness of these inhibitors by direct measurement of proteasomal and Abl kinase hyperactivity and PKB activation in patient cells. Measuring intracellular UPS and kinase activity through the use of unstructured synthetic peptide substrates is limited by the vulnerability of these substrates to rapid degradation in the cell by cytosolic proteases. Unstructured peptides in the cytosol of immune cells are threaded into protease active sites at the N-terminus. We designed and synthesized short, well-folded protease resistant β-hairpin peptides through the incorporation of favorable cross-strand side chain interactions and a stabilizing turn nucleating sequence. Designing the β-hairpins to include ornithine, a noncanonical amino acid analog of lysine, and D-amino acids, produced long-lived peptides with half-lives of 2-6 hours and non-degradable peptides, in the presence of specific and nonspecific proteases in vitro. These β-hairpin peptides were covalently attached to the N-terminus of unstructured kinase substrate peptides resulting in increased stability to peptidases in vitro while maintaining efficacy as kinase substrates. Here we also show that short β-hairpin peptides, not derived from natural protein targets, adequately served as substrates of the UPS. We demonstrated that ornithine can be ubiquitinated by UPS enzymes regardless of secondary structure in a site-specific manner. Finally we show the applicability of these hairpin degrons in determining UPS activity in diseases such as MM, where UPS inhibitors are part of mainline and emerging treatments. v To the Teacher, S. D. G. To those who suffer from multiple myeloma and support medical and scientific research. To the …


Background: Sudden surge of mucormycosis cases in India needs an urgent attention as multiple factors have been implicated. However, diabetes mellitus remains to be one of the most important and modifiable factors. Methodology: We prospectively followed 11 patients with mucormycosis in May 2021 and June 2021, admitted to our hospital to study the possible etiologies. Results: Out of the 11 patients, six were males and five were females, with an average age of 52.45 years. Type 2 diabetes mellitus was the ubiquitous comorbidity, and every patient presented with uncontrolled hyperglycemia (six out of them were in diabetic ketoacidosis). Glycated hemoglobin levels ranged from 10.2% to 15.1%. Out of 11 patients, four patients were non-COVID, whereas five patients had a history of COVID-19 infection. All these five post COVID-19 patients presented approximately 20 days after recovery, out of which one patient had severe infection who was hospitalized. The remaining two patients were COVID-19-positive. Out of 11 patients, 10 patients had rhino-orbital mucormycosis at presentation, among which four patients had cerebral involvement, and one out of them later developed invasive disease. However, one patient had only pulmonary mucormycosis at presentation. Serum ferritin was raised in all the patients, and six had serum zinc levels below the reference range. Serum flow cytometry showed leukopenia with normal CD4:CD8 ratio in seven patients. In the clinical outcome, six patients expired, whereas five patients responded to the treatment and were discharged on oral posaconazole therapy. Conclusion: From our study, it is quite evident that uncontrolled diabetes and its complications such as diabetic ketoacidosis were an important risk factor for the occurrence of mucormycosis in COVID-19 patients as well as non-COVID-19 patients, even without exposure to steroids or oxygen. Thus, blood glucose levels should be kept at optimum level during the management of COVID-19 patients.


This paper addresses the intra-regional trade of the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), namely, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait. We have found that the intra-regional trade is still at a modest level, where the trade intensity index showed negative signals except the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. In addition, the study used a basic gravity model, and added six foreign countries – Malaysia, Turkey, Iran, the UK, Australia and Brazil. It confirms that the size of GDP has a significant role in determining the foreign trade. Moreover, the variable of transportation cost rate is not a concern for Saudi's foreign trade despite the increase in its level, where Saudi Arabia as a hub economy tends to trade with countries like Turkey, the UK, and Brazil more than with its nearby countries, especially Oman, and Qatar. The study concludes that the unified economic policy of the GCC countries has not achieved its target in terms of increasing the level of non-oil industries. Furthermore, the transportation cost rate variable is not an important factor to determine the trade of GCC countries.


Recognizing the vital role that a herbarium plays in instruction, research, and public service, the Cebu State College of Science and Technology College of Agriculture (CSCSTCA) in Lahug, Cebu City, the Philippines, founded a herbarium in June 1987. It is a very humble scientific project of the Agricultural Biology Laboratory of the College, and it is the second in the entire region, the USC Herbarium being the first (Seidenschwarz, 1990).
The 4 year old CSCST-CA Herbarium started with very few specimens collected by the author from Cabra Islet, Lubang Island, Occidental Mindoro, which he had made as part of his M.Sc. degree at the University of the Philippines at Los Banos (UPLB) (see also Buot, 1988). Since 1987 the Herbarium has steadily increased its collections through the help of Ecology and Biology students.


The purpose of this study is to investigate an inventory model for variable setup cost under stochastic conditions, in which the order quantity, reorder point, lead time and backorder price-discount rate are decision variables. The lead time demand is stochastic and exact distribution is unknown. Therefore, the distributionfree approach for the lead time demand with known mean and standard deviation is discussed. The proposed method is validated based on the numerical example and sensitivity analysis, and the results are compared with the existing studies in literature. The numerical results demonstrate that the proposed distribution free approach is more economical and saves significant cost.


Gordon Morgan Holmes1–6 was born in Castlebellingham, Ireland, of a Yorkshire protestant family. He was a shy, solitary child whose mother died young. He qualified at Trinity College Dublin in 1899. At Richmond Asylum in Dublin he was awarded the Stewart Scholarship, which financed a visit to Frankfurt, where he studied comparative anatomy with Weigert (1845–1904) and Edinger (1855–1918). When he returned in 1902 he became RMO to Hughlings Jackson at Queen Square. He quickly mastered clinical work, and "brought it to a state of well-nigh scientific perfection". His exhaustive yet rapid examination routine was unprecedented.1,4 He became physician to the Royal London Ophthalmic (Moorfields) and to Charing Cross Hospitals.

Myopia thwarted his volunteering for war service. Frustrated, he joined the staff of a Red Cross hospital just behind the frontline in France.7 His impressive work persuaded the War Office to renegotiate his disqualification. Holmes became consulting neurologist to the British Expeditionary Force in France. War injuries allowed him to study the …


Recent feminist literature has begun to call attention to the diverse linkages between work and family, including the extensive work married women often do for their husbands' careers. Using a longitudinal sample of American women born around 1910, this study employs quantitative and qualitative data to compare different aspects of wives' support and to develop an understanding of how women of their generation constructed their involvement. The authors begin their analysis by comparing wives' support across husbands' occupations and then examining differences in activities and the ways in which women describe their relationships to their husbands' work. They find considerable variation in the way women constructed their relationships to husbands' careers. The evidence suggests that women who provided services directly related to their husbands' work may have been the most satisfied with their involvement.


OBJECT
In this report the author presents surgery-related outcomes after application of a new technique. A posterior microendoscopic laminoforaminotomy was used for the surgical treatment of unilateral cervical radiculopathy secondary to intervertebral disc herniations and/or spondylotic foraminal stenosis. The results of this procedure are compared with those achieved using traditional laminoforaminotomy and anterior cervical discectomy with or without fusion.

METHODS
One hundred consecutive patients who experienced unilateral cervical radicular syndromes, which were refractory to conservative therapy, and in whom imaging studies had confirmed lateral canal or foraminal compression, underwent surgical treatment. An endoscopy-assisted posterior laminoforaminotomy was performed using a microendoscopic visualization system for removal of herniated disc and foraminal decompression while the patient was in the sitting position. Excellent or good results were obtained in 97 patients. who returned to their preoperative employment and baseline level of physical activity. One patient returned to work but was unable to perform at baseline level; two patients returned to prior sedentary work but continued to have some activity-related pain and paresthesias. Two patients reported experiencing intermittent paresthesias or numbness, but this did not limit their activities. There were two cases of dural punctures, one case of superficial wound infection, and no deaths.

CONCLUSIONS
The microendoscopic posterior laminoforaminotomy is an effective alternative for the treatment of unilateral cervical radiculopathy secondary to lateral or foraminal disc herniations or spondylosis. In this group of patients, it is preferable because it does not require the sacrifice of a cervical motion segment, has a low incidence of complications, and is associated with a much quicker return to unrestricted full activity than that obtained with other techniques.


In this competitive marketplace, businesses seeking to maximize profitable outcomes need to ensure their information technology (IT) systems are robust in order to deliver uninterrupted application availability. This is significant for enterprises as high performance of business appli cations is an underlying driver of business growth. Accordingly, the top priority for system administrators is to maintain the health of their servers in order to meet stringent application performance Service Level Agreements (SLAs). However, several organizations are suffering due to a reactive approach to monitoring servers and applications only in the production phase. Thus, performance issues can be addressed only after they have occurred, often impacting operations and business. To address this challenge, organizations need performance testing to detect issues before the production phase in the Systems Development Lifecycle (SDLC). However, to be effective, testing needs to be performed continuously and should consider changes in workload and performance owing to business growth and transitions. Organizations need a proactive approach that can deliver a timely and holistic view of an application's performance, thereby mitigating instances of application failure and overcoming performance issues and server downtimes. This paper discusses such a proactive approach that enables organizations to benefit from predictive and continuous performance and capacity management of their applications and infrastructure. Effective Capacity Management with Modeling and Simulation assisted Performance Testing pErSpECTIvE


Although the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 directed the expansion of Medicaid to cover all adults with incomes up to 138% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), a subsequent Supreme Court ruling in 2012 made this expansion optional. Thus far, 37 states have expanded their programs. This analysis estimates the impact of an expansion of Medicaid in Missouri on the state budget. The full report outlines the important background, sources of data, methods, and assumptions used to generate these estimates. The "best estimate" of the impact on the state budget is presented, along with some sensitivity analysis to show the impact of crucial assumptions on the estimate. There are about 18-20 assumptions made in creating this analysis for 2020, but several of them are quite minor, and most of them have very little impact on the state's overall financial obligation. The most influential assumptions are highlighted and discussed in the full report.


If we stop thinking of the poor as victims of as a burden and start recognizing them as resilient and creative entrepreneurs and value -conscious consumers, a whole new world of opportunity will open up"(Prahalad, 2005). 'Village phone' is such a weapon of social revolution in rural Bangladesh that fights against poverty by facilitating entrepreneurship , reducing transaction costs, and substituting for slow, unreliable transport and postal systems. It is a tool to empower the nation's rural women with earnings, information, dignity and status. The women are now acting as change agents in rural Bangladesh by serving the community as an umbrella of information to solve all the problems at the robust pace. This paper seeks to determine the factors that are influencing the growth of village phone in Bangladesh. Our findings suggest the role of personal characteristics and social factors as crucial determinants for playing the role of change agents in the society. Disciplines Business Publication Details Akter, S. & Hani, U. (2007). Phone ladies change agents to shape the bottom of the pyramid: experience of Bangladesh. Proceedings of the 10th International Conference of the Society for Global Business and Economic Development (SGBED) (pp. 2738-2751). Society for Global Business and Economic Developmen. This conference paper is available at Research Online: http://ro.uow.edu.au/buspapers/1022 2738 Phone LadiesChange Agents to Shape the Bottom of the Pyramid: Experience of Bangladesh Md. Shahriar Akter, email@example.com International university of Japan, Japan Umme Hani , email@example.com The University of Asia Pacific, Bangladesh


We investigate the environment of infrared-luminous galaxies [LIR(8–1000 μ m) > 1011 L☉]. We focus on the redshift range 0.7 ⩽ z⩽ 1, where these galaxies dominate the star formation activity and play a significant role in galaxy evolution. We employ MIPS 24 μm data to identify infrared galaxies in the Extended Groth Strip (EGS). We use a local density indicator to probe the environment on a few Mpc scales and a group member catalog, both of which make use of the DEEP2 spectroscopic redshift catalog, to quantify the environment of these galaxies. We find that the local environment of LIRGs and ULIRGs is intermediate between that of blue and red galaxies. LIRGs and ULIRGs avoid underdense environments and inhabit local environments that are more dense on average than those of other DEEP2 galaxies at similar redshifts. However, when the comparison sample of the non-IR DEEP2 galaxies is restricted to have the same range of stellar mass, color, or luminosity as the IR galaxies, there is no longer any significant difference in environment: the IR galaxies follow the same trends in the color-environment and luminosity-environment relations observed at z ∼ 1. We also find that about 30% of the LIRGs and ULIRGs belong to groups, associated with a minimum dark matter halo of 6 × 1012 M☉ h−1. The group members constitute 20% of the sources responsible for the IR star formation rate density and comoving energy density at z ∼ 1.


Geography academic journals published in Turkey, it is one of the important parts of the Republican period geography literature. Many scientific journals have started their publications since 1943, when the first journal was published in this field, some of which have survived to this day. However, for some, it is not possible to say the same. Among the academic geography journals, there are those who publish in a foreign language, as well as journals belonging to the sub-disciplines of geography. The publishing life has ended and an important literature has emerged in the field of geography through the journals that are still live. Numerous academic journals, whose publication still continues, continue to contribute to the geography literature. The subject of the study is the academic geography journals published in the specified Republican period. The main purpose of the study is to give literature about geography journals published in the Republican Period.


Transgenic plants have facilitated our understanding of the functional roles of genes and the metabolic processes affected in plants. Recently, the Or gene was isolated from an orange cauliflower mutant and it was shown that the Or gene could serve as a novel genetic tool to enrich carotenoid content in transgenic potato tubers. An in-depth characterization of these Or transgenic lines is presented here. It was found that the Or transgene may facilitate the identification of potential rate-limiting step(s) of the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway. The Or transgenic tubers accumulated not only increased levels of carotenoids that normally are present in the controls, but also three additional metabolite intermediates of phytoene, phytofluene, and zeta-carotene, indicating that the desaturation steps became limiting following the expression of the Or transgene. Moreover, we observed that long-term cold storage greatly enhanced carotenoid content in the Or transgenic tubers to a level of 10-fold over controls. Expression of the Or transgene in the transgenic plants caused no dramatic changes in the transcript levels of the endogenous carotenoid biosynthetic genes, which is in agreement with the Or gene not directly controlling carotenoid biosynthesis. Microscope analysis revealed that the Or transgene conferred the formation of chromoplasts containing carotenoid sequestering structures in a heterologous system. Such structures were not observed in tubers of potato cultivars that accumulate high levels of carotenoids. Collectively, these results provide direct evidence demonstrating that the Or gene indeed controls chromoplast differentiation and that regulation of chromoplast formation can have a profound effect on carotenoid accumulation in plants.


In this paper we present a plan-plan distance metric based on Kolmogorov(Algorithmic) complexity. Generating diverse sets of plans is useful for task ssuch as probing user preferences and reasoning about vulnerability to cyberattacks. Generating diverse plans, and comparing different diverse planning approaches requires a domain-independent, theoretically motivated definition of the diversity distance between plans. Previously proposed diversity measures are not theoretically motivated, and can provide inconsistent results on the sameplans. We define the diversity of plans in terms of how surprising one plan is givenanother or, its inverse, the conditional information in one plan givenanother. Kolmogorov complexity provides a domain independent theory of conditional information. While Kolmogorov complexity is not computable, a related metric, Normalized Compression Distance (NCD), provides a well-behaved approximation. In this paper we introduce NCD as an alternative diversity metric, and analyze its performance empirically, in comparison with previous diversity measures, showing strengths and weaknesses of each.We also examine the use of different compressor sin NCD. We show how NCD can be used to select a training set for HTN learning,giving an example of the utility of diversity metrics. We conclude withsuggestions for future work on improving, extending, and applying it to serve new applications.


The simultaneous control of air temperature and humidity are the main functions of an air conditioner in order to provide human thermal comfort conditions. The conventional vapor compression air conditioning system cools the air below its dew point temperature to remove the moisture from the air. In hot and humid regions, considerable amount of energy is used for moisture removal using these systems. Because of the high energy cost of conventional systems and poor control of latent load, need arises for some alternative cooling devices. In this chapter alternative and renewable based air conditioning systems are described to overcome the increasing use of primary energy by conventional air con-ditional systems. Desiccant cooling is found to be a suitable alternative to these cooling systems. The configurations of desiccant cooling systems to achieve better performance are described. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of desiccant cooling system operat- ing on ventilation and recirculation cycle has been presented. The results showed the system operating under the ventilation cycle has a better coefficient of performance as compared to the recirculation cycle because of the less input/regeneration heat required. The desiccant cooling technology is both cost-effective and environmental friendly as no refrigerant is used in these systems.


The first-principle understanding of the processes in the Scrape-Off-Layer (SOL) of a tokamak is crucial for the developement of a thermonuclear reactor. Since the plasma temperature in the SOL is rather low, the plasma is typically not fully ionized, and the neutral atoms play an important role in determining the SOL regimes. We have derived a kinetic model for neutral atoms in the SOL that contains the fundamental elements of neutral dynamics, while remaining relatively simple. The model has been implemented in GBS [1], a three-dimensional numerical code developed to simulate SOL turbulence. GBS is based on the drift-reduced Braginiskii equations and is able to study the self-consistent formation of the plasma profile as the interplay of the plasma outflowing from the core, the parallel losses, and turbulent transport. Details of the numerical implementation are given and the first GBS results of coupled plasma turbulence and neutral dynamics are presented. [1] P. Ricci, et al., Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 54 (2012) 124047


A new distributed algorithm for cooperative estimation of a slowly time-varying signal using a wireless sensor network is presented. The estimate in each node is based on a so called consensus algorithm, which weights measurements and estimates of neighboring nodes. The algorithm is therefore scalable with the number of network nodes. It requires only limited information exchange between nodes and computations in each node. The weights are locally optimized based on a minimum variance criterion. Numerical results show that the proposed algorithm exhibits good performance compared to other distributed algorithms proposed in the literature


In order to monitor the plant growth in greenhouse, a new method based on GPRS and Internet wireless communication technology was introduced in this paper. It is a system involving S3C2410 of ARM9 kernel as the microprocessor chip, which can be run in Linux operating system and takes the wireless transmission mode of GPRS+Internet as an adoption. The structure of the whole system, hardware design and image acquisition and transmission framework were introduced. A detailed explanation was given about planted method of operating system in the paper.


Preparing an agenda is an important element in conducting an effective P & T Committee meeting. A key responsibility of P & T Committee members is reviewing the rationale for formulary requests. Therefore, it is generally an agenda item. This article describes a process for planning, preparing, and distributing agenda materials for a committee meeting. A specific format and sequence for reviewing new drugs for formulary admission and criteria for selecting new drugs are discussed.


Abstract Among other zooarchaeological remains, terrestrial snails' shells from the Thaumastus and Megalobulimus genera are found in some Brazilian shellmounds, presenting a potential substitute for charcoal in radiocarbon dating analyses, as reliable representatives of the atmospheric carbon isotopic ratio. In this paper, we present statistically similar results of both charcoal and land snails samples from the same archaeological contexts in three settlements on the coast of Rio de Janeiro. The Manitiba I shellmound results range from 4.2 to 3.7 ka cal BP (95.4%), contemporary with the Saquarema shellmound, occupied during the period from 4.3 to 3.6 ka cal BP (95.4%). For the Usiminas shellmound, two groups of samples revealed different periods of time for two occupational layers from 2.3 to 2.1 ka cal BP (95.4%) and from 1.6 and 1.3 ka cal BP (95.4%). A model constraining each group of samples to within a single phase has a general agreement of 97% with only two outliers out of 22 dates, yielding minimum individual agreement of 74% and 7% posterior outlier probability for Saquarema shells. These are good examples of sites in which the occupation chronology can be successfully obtained by the radiocarbon dating of land snails.


A large family of highly related and clustered Xenopus nonclassical MHC class Ib (XNC) genes influences Xenopus laevis immunity and potentially other physiological functions. Using RNA interference (RNAi) technology, we previously demonstrated that one of XNC genes, XNC10.1, is critical for the development and function of a specialized innate T (iT) cell population. However, RNAi limitation such as a variable and unstable degree of gene silencing in F0 and F1 generations is hampering a thorough functional analysis of XNC10.1 and other XNC genes. To overcome this obstacle, we adapted the CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing technique for XNC genes. We efficiently and specifically generated single gene knockouts of XNC10.1, XNC11, and XNC1 as well as double gene knockouts of XNC10.1 and XNC11 in X. laevis. In single XNC10.1 knockout X. laevis tadpoles, the absence of XNC10.1 and V α 6-J α 1.43 invariant T cell receptor rearrangement transcripts indicated XNC10.1 loss-of-function and deficiency in V α 6-J α 1.43 iT cells. Notably, targeting XNC10.1 did not affect neighboring XNC genes exhibiting high sequence similarity. Furthermore, XNC1 gene disruption induced mortality during developmental stage 47, suggesting some non-immune but essential function of this gene. These data demonstrate that the CRISPR/Cas9 system can be successfully adapted for genetic analysis in F0 generation of X laevis.


Abstract:  Vocalizations are important for female attraction and territory delimitation in prolonged breeding anurans. Males of Hypsiboas prasinus display year-round nocturnal calling activity, using herbaceous and bushy vegetation along the margins of ponds as calling sites. We monitored the temporal pattern of calling activity from July 2011 to June 2012, and vocalizations were recorded for bioacoustical analysis. We quantified the physical parameters for four of the five types of vocalizations found in this species: an introductory advertisement call (Type A call), a chorus advertisement call (Type B call), a resuming activity advertisement call (Type C call), and an agonistic call. Calling activity was spread throughout the annual cycle and there was no correlation between air temperature and calling activity. This finding indicates that the calling pattern is controlled predominantly by behavior and not physiology. During the cold dry season, some individuals were observed to shift their calling sites to the water surface, causing vocalizations to be lower pitched and longer.


Over the course of his fifty-five-year career in the investment industry, John C. Bogle, founder and former chairman of The Vanguard Group, redefined investing for the individual investor and became known as the conscience of the mutual fund industry. Concerned since his undergraduate days at Princeton University about the impact of costs on the returns that investors receive, Mr. Bogle turned a career setback in the mid-1970s into an opportunity to put his early beliefs into action. Within the space of three years, he had established Vanguard, the first mutual fund company to be owned by its fund shareholder clients; created the first index mutual fund; and pioneered the concept of the modern no-load mutual fund. In April 2006, Mr. Bogle talked with members of the Journal of Investment Consulting Editorial Advisory Board about the experiences that shaped his philosophy, his views on the costs of financial intermediation, and his recommendations for improving corporate governance.


The dynamics of heat exchanger networks, parallel and series connections of two heat exchangers are investigated. Experiments of two steam-condensers cooled by water in tubes are performed and show intersting phenomena on both parallel- and series-heat exchanger networks. The characteristics of the parallel systems are mainly influenced by a stream splitting, i.e., the flow rate distribution and the transportation lag time in the pipe connecting each heat exchanger and a confluence point. The magnitude and phase of water (cold stream) outlet temperature change against a water flow rate change input show fluctuations in the lower frequency range. In the same manner, the magnitude and phase of the series systems also show a fluctuation in a lower frequency range. These behaviors are caused by the effect of the size ratio of the primary heat exchanger to the secondary one and the lag-time in the pipe connecting each heat exchanger. Consequently, it is clarified that both the parallel and series systems are sensitive to the transportation lag-time in the pipe. The results shows the importance of a fluid transportation model in the pipe on the dynamics of the system.


PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to use a match-mismatch paradigm to examine three psychological constructs that potentially influence children's beliefs about participation in an aerobic physical activity: exercise discomfort, self-efficacy, and enjoyment. METHODS: Thirty-four middle school females (n =18) and males (n = 16) aged 11-14 years completed the: 1) Exercise Discomfort Index (Children's OMNI Perceived Exertion (RPE) Scale x Children's OMNI Perceived Muscle Hurt (RMH) Scale; 2 Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale: Running; and, 3) Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale. Measurements were obtained prior to and following performance of the nationally standardized PACER (Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run) field test of aerobic fitness. RESULTS: Dependent t-tests for the total (p = .009) and female (p = .042) groups indicated that predicted was greater than actual exercise discomfort; while for the male (p = .057) group predicted and actual exercise discomfort did not differ. Idiographic analysis showed that overpredictors of discomfort reported less time engaged in recreational activity than underpredictors. Exercise self-efficacy was greater (p < .001) pre-, than post-exercise for both male and female children. Exercise enjoyment was the same (p = .400) pre-, and post-exercise for both male and female children. Pearson correlation coefficients for interrelations between exercise discomfort, self-efficacy and enjoyment were not significant with the exception of a significant relation (r = .302) between post-exercise self-efficacy and post-exercise enjoyment. A significant relation was observed between PACER laps completed and pre-, (r = .582) and post- (r = .703) exercise self-efficacy, but not between PACER laps completed and discomfort or enjoyment. CONCLUSION: Employing a match-mismatch experimental paradigm suggested that exercise discomfort, self-efficacy and enjoyment were psychological constructs that may influence children's beliefs about an aerobic physical activity. It is possible that one or more of these psychological constructs plays an important role in the initiation and maintenance of aerobic exercise. Such findings can in turn inform physical activity interventions and/or innovative health-fitness components of Physical Education curricula intended to promote cardiovascular health and fitness through regular participation in aerobic physical activity.


Economic sustainability reporting enhances the financial strength of the company by meeting the diverse needs of stakeholders. Whereas, financial performance covers about 25% of the economic sustainability performance indicators as indicated in the GRI-4. To this extent, the study helps to fill this gap by considering the effect of corporate governance on economic sustainability reporting in quoted companies on Nigerian Stock Exchange. This study adopted ex-post facto research design. The population of the study comprised 169 quoted companies on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) as at December 31, 2019. A sample of 42 quoted companies for the period of 10years (2010-2019) was selected. Data were extracted from published audited annual reports and accounts of the companies. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The hypotheses were tested at 0.05 significance level. The findings revealed that board size, female director and board ownership have positive and significant effect on economic sustainability reporting of selected quoted companies in Nigeria while CEO duality has negative effect on economic sustainability reporting and independent director has insignificant effect. The study concluded that corporate governance promotes economic sustainability reporting. It was recommended that the shareholders of companies should appoint experienced board members that will enhance sustainability reporting appoint more directors with shareholding interest and include more female on the board, as they boost economic sustainability reporting.

 Key words: Board independence, board ownership, board size, CEO duality, economic sustainability reporting, female directors.


Twenty male outpatients with severe-but-stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease handicapped by exertional dyspnoea (aged 69.7 +/- 5.68 yrs; forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) 1.02 +/- 0.18 L or 34.6 +/- 6.5% of the predicted value; forced vital capacity (FVC) 2.51 +/- 0.34 L; arterial oxygen tension (Pa,O2) 9.11 +/- 0.32 kPa (68.5 +/- 2.4 mmHg); arterial carbon dioxide tension (Pa,CO2) 5.20 +/- 0.23 kPa (39.1 +/- 1.7 mmHg)) completed a randomized double-blind crossover study to evaluate the effects of a 4-week regular treatment with inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate via nebulizers at a dosage of 2 mg twice daily. After active and placebo treatment, no peak expiratory flow rate variation in FEV1, FVC, rescue use of beta 2-agonists, exercise tolerance and dyspnoea was observed. In conclusion, a regular short-term treatment with nebulized beclomethasone dipropionate does not give any improvement in lung function or exercise capacity in severe-but-stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients handicapped by exertional dyspnoea.


Facing global changes and the challenge of food security, scientists are being questioned by decision-makers and stakeholders on the sustainability of agro-systems. The main difficulty in dealing with this question is to obtain enough data over long periods of time. Monitoring slow drifts and weak noises is needed to forecast tipping points that can jeopardize the present steady state. High-resolution datations by radiocarbon coupled with detailed palynological determinations in sediments, historical archives on yields and crop quality, and high-frequency field in situ measurements give information on climatic changes from multi-secular to seasonal and hourly time scales. In the long term, climatic forcing dominates agriculture performance, at that time only organic agriculture, with oscillations between prosperity and misery driven by climate and intermediated by civilization flourish-ing and collapsing; in the medium term, in modern agriculture, irrigation provides a provisional buffering effect on yield and crop quality despite present warming; in the short term, either under non-fertilized forested ecosystem or intensive rice crop-ping, the same patterns are evidenced and point to the importance of soil microflora shifting from aerobiosis to anaerobiosis. In all cases, geochemistry offers appropriate tools to decipher the climate-soil-agriculture complex interplay.


Nuno Garoupa and Tom Ginsburg have published an ambitious book that seeks to account for the great diversity of judicial systems based, in part, on how courts are designed to marshal the power of a high public opinion of the judiciary. Judges, the book posits, care deeply about their reputations both inside and outside the courts. Courts are designed to capitalize on judges' desire to maximize their reputation, and judges' existing stock of reputation can affect the design of the courts which they serve. We find much to like in this book, ranging from its intriguing and ambitious positive claims to its masterful use of comparative case studies from around the globe. However, we also have questions about the ability of the theory to hang together in a unified manner and to do the work assigned to it.


Extreme weather conditions, namely droughts, heat waves, heavy rains, floods, and landslides are becoming more frequent globally and in Serbia as a result of climate change. Generally, various parts of human society are affected by changing climate conditions. Forest ecosystems are one of the most sensitive systems to weather and climate. In that sense, small changes may lead to large disturbances including forest decline, outbreaks of insect pests and diseases and eventually mortality. In Serbia, the average temperature in forest ecosystems of the most important and abundant forest tree species has risen for more than 1°C in the last thirty years (1990-2019) in comparison to the previous period (1961-1990). During the last thirty years, the northern and western parts of Serbia experienced an increase in precipitation as opposed to the southern and eastern parts of the country. If one takes a closer look at the climate within a particular forest stands, it would seem that the effect of precipitation decrease is stronger in less humid parts of a tree species range. In this paper, we discuss various aspects of climate change impacts on forests and forestry, including forest ecology, genetics, physiology, pests and diseases, ground vegetation, monitoring, reporting and verification system, climate change litigation and perspectives of forests in the 21st century in Serbia.


The transmission network is the first link between large power generation facilities and electricity customers. It supplies energy at high voltages to substations, where the energy is distributed via the distribution network. The transmission network today operates with a high level of reliability, but presently a variety of technologies offers the possibility of great improvement in system performance. Sophisticated new monitoring systems may reduce the likelihood of system failures and disruptions that cause serious economic and social consequences. Emerging efficient technologies may also help to solve network expansion constraints, including difficulties to install new transmission lines and to incorporate growing participation of intermittent energy plants, like wind and solar. This paper starts presenting the status and perspectives of the Brazilian transmission sector showing the high level of investment planned until 2024 – 60% cumulative growth of line extensions and the same 60% rate for transformation capacity. In the second part the paper presents the emerging technologies and the potential opportunities it offer to increase, among other factors, the energy quality, O&M structure, availability and reduction of technical losses. These advantages impact not only for new assets but also for the existing ones. Considering the existing assets the paper starts a discussion about the regulatory framework ant the right economic signals to promote investment in innovation and automation. The paper then addresses the emerging regulatory of OFGEM in UK and the existing regulatory barriers that still exists internationally and in Brazil.


: While some progress has been made towards gender equality in diplomacy, women remain underrepresented in ambassadorial positions worldwide. Quotas have been effective in boosting nominal representation of women but critiques focused on quotas being tokenistic and harming meritocracy place a double burden on women. However, even the current system is not meritocratic, as men benefit from a historical advantage and assumed competence, while women must justify their presence, prove their worth and disprove gender stereotypes. Therefore, this brief suggests that focusing on overrepresentation of men instead of underrepresentation of women, as suggested by Rainbow Murray (2014), would improve representation for all and create a more fair and merit-based system.


The design of planar microwave components using multilayer configurations with potentially arbitrary numbers of dielectric layers and metallization planes is described. Analysis and design are based on a combination of a spectral domain immittance matrix approach and standard CAD methods. To verify the design procedure, three examples-microstrip-slot-line-microstrip transition, a stripline band-pass filter, and a microstrip coupler with lines on different sides of a common ground plane-are investigated theoretically and experimentally. >


The purpose of this survey is to check the concept of Interprofessional education (IPE) to continuing education among working physicians.It assessed 150 randomly selected working physicians of the Aga Khan University Hospital. One -best type questionnaire was designed and piloted to check its completion within 90 seconds.Four quick questions were dedicated at C1 & C2 level focused to check the knowledge and understanding of the physicians to IPE. The results showed 100% response rate. Majority (i.e. > 80%) of the respondents were familiar with the term IPE.The next three items tested physicians understanding regarding the IPE ability to improve communication, teamwork, healthcare coordination and quality (n=69 i.e. 46%); impact of IPE on patient-centered care and physician care (n=89 i.e. 59%); and its contextual understanding (n=40 i.e. 27%). The studyis subject to desirability bias and more overa single university setting restricts the generalizability of the results.The conclusion will alert the CME providers within Pakistan to address physicians'cognitive gaps in this innovative interdisciplinary model.There is no other study of its kind in the Pakistani contextand hence is of high interest.


The number of parameters in large transformers has been observed to grow exponentially. Despite notable performance improvements, concerns have been raised that such a growing model size will run out of data in the near future. As manifested in the neural scaling law, modern learning backbones are not data-efficient. To maintain the utility of the model capacity, training data should be increased proportionally. In this paper, we study the neural scaling law under the previously overlooked data scarcity regime, focusing on the more challenging situation where we need to train a gigantic model with a disproportionately limited supply of available training data. We find that the existing power laws underestimate the data inefficiency of large transformers. Their performance will drop significantly if the training set is insufficient. Fortunately, we discover another blessing - such a data-inefficient scaling law can be restored through a model reusing approach that warm-starts the training of a large model by initializing it using smaller models. Our empirical study shows that model reusing can effectively reproduce the power law under the data scarcity regime. When progressively applying model reusing to expand the model size, we also observe consistent performance improvement in large transformers. We release our code at: https://github.com/VITA-Group/ Data-Efficient-Scaling .


In this article I will look at Julia Kristeva's theory of subjectivity and creativity in the context of early Russian modernism, that is, Russian symbolism. My anachronistic way of "reading with Kristeva" is based on my argument that comparing Kristeva and early modernist culture and its gendered aspects will provide a deeper understanding of Kristeva's theoretical background and of how Kristeva's concepts and theoretical thinking help analyze the gendered aspects of the aesthetics and literary practices of Russian symbolism. Moreover, Kristeva's thinking enables us to distinguish the specific circumstances these practices create for women writers. Kristeva's theoretical thinking (along with that of her contemporary feminist critics) provides analytical tools and new viewpoints for reading women writers' strategies in the gendered and androcentric aesthetical discourse of Russian symbolism. I will begin by discussing Kristeva's thoughts on subject and creativity from the point of view of gender and some feminist responses to those thoughts. After that I will show the (Russian) fin-de-siecle roots of her thinking. Feminist responses to Kristeva and her theoretical background in fin-de-siecle culture lead me to the women writers of Russian symbolism. I will look at their reactions to contemporary aesthetical discourse, and, as a case study, I will analyze the strategies of two women poets, Zinaida Gippius (1869-1945) and Liudmila Vilkina (1873-1920). They developed special strategies for constructing female creative subjectivity within androcentric symbolist discourse, and, as I will show in the last part of this article, these strategies resonate with Kristeva and her feminist critics. CREATIVITY AND GENDER IN KRISTEVA Kristeva builds her understanding of creativity and the creative process by using the central concepts of the semiotic and the symbolic. In general, these concepts refer to the two orders that participate in the constitution of the subject, production of discourse, and regulation of social relations, as Elizabeth Grosz summarizes (49). In Revolution in Poetic Language, Kristeva uses the concepts of the semiotic and the symbolic to explain the creative process and especially modernist artistic practices and their political significance. The symbolic process refers to the establishment of sign and syntax and to grammatical and social constraints. The semiotic process can also be understood as a kind of pre-verbal energy at work in the text, the source of inspiration. In Kristeva's thinking, the semiotic is related to the child's pre-oedipal relationship with the mother, the mother's body, and, therefore, the feminine. In contrast, the symbolic process refers to the paternal, masculine function. While the symbolic maintains order, the semiotic includes revolutionary aspirations, which threaten order. Kristeva introduces into the formulation of the semiotic the concept of chora: a non-expressive (in the sense of non-verbal) totality underlying language, a non-spatial, non-temporal receptacle of energy and drives. Kristeva borrows the term chora from Plato, who describes it as "an invasive and formless being which receives all things and in some mysterious way partakes of the intelligible, and is most incomprehensible" (Plato qtd. in Roudiez 6). The uncertain and undetermined chora lacks thesis or position, unity or identity. Like the semiotic, the chora is qualified as feminine in the sense that it precedes any formations of subjectivity and phallic identity (Smith 21). Although Kristeva was a central thinker in the feminist discussions of the 1980s, her ideas about female subjectivity and women's creativity were controversial. Because the semiotic and the symbolic orders are so strongly marked by gender difference, Kristeva's thought has evoked many questions about the differences between the creativity and subjectivity of men and women. However, to this most important question, her theory does not give any clear answer. …


T cell migration represents a complex highly coordinated process involving participation of surface receptor/ligand interactions, cytoskeletal rearrangements, and phosphorylation-dependent signaling cascades. Members of the A-kinase anchoring protein (AKAP) family of giant scaffolding proteins can assemble and compartmentalize multiple signaling and structural molecules thereby providing a platform for their targeted positioning and efficient interactions. We characterize here the expression, intracellular distribution, and functional role of the scaffolding protein CG-NAP (centrosome and Golgi localized protein kinase N-associated protein)/AKAP450 in the process of active T cell motility induced via LFA-1 integrins. This protein is predominantly localized at the centrosome and Golgi complex. T cell locomotion triggered by LFA-1 ligation induces redistribution of CG-NAP/AKAP450 along microtubules in trailing cell extensions. Using an original in situ immunoprecipitation approach, we show that CG-NAP/AKAP450 is physically associated with LFA-1 in the multimolecular signaling complex also including tubulin and the protein kinase C β and δ isoenzymes. CG-NAP/AKAP450 recruitment to this complex was specific for the T cells migrating on LFA-1 ligands, but not on the β1 integrin ligand fibronectin. Using the GFP-tagged C-terminal CG-NAP/AKAP450 construct, we demonstrate that expression of the intact CG-NAP/AKAP450 and its recruitment to the LFA-1-associated multimolecular complex is critically important for polarization and migration of T cells induced by this integrin.


The stresses around the fillet of fillet rolled crankshaft section in bending fatigue test are quite complicated, which include the residual stresses induced by fillet rolling process and bending stresses caused by bending fatigue test loads. In this paper, the corresponding three dimensional finite element models of roller- shaft are created and the residual stresses near the fillet of crankshaft section are obtained by flexible-flexible contact computation. Then the transient analysis of bending fatigue test based on modal superposition method is carried out and the bending stresses are got. The results of stress can be used to the bending fatigue design of crankshafts.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Management strategies are unclear for late-onset cytomegalovirus infection occurring beyond 6 months of antiviral prophylaxis in cytomegalovirus high-risk (cytomegalovirus IgG positive to cytomegalovirus IgG negative) kidney transplant recipients. Hybrid strategies (prophylaxis followed by screening) have been investigated but with inconclusive results. There are clinical and potential cost benefits of preventing cytomegalovirus-related hospitalizations and associated increased risks of patient and graft failure. We used decision analysis to evaluate the utility of postprophylaxis screening for late-onset cytomegalovirus infection.

DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS
We used the Markov decision analysis model incorporating costs and utilities for various cytomegalovirus clinical states (asymptomatic cytomegalovirus, mild cytomegalovirus infection, and cytomegalovirus infection necessitating hospitalization) to estimate cost-effectiveness of postprophylaxis cytomegalovirus screening strategies. Five strategies were compared: no screening and screening at 1-, 2-, 3-, or 4-week intervals. Progression to severe cytomegalovirus infection was modeled on cytomegalovirus replication kinetics. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were calculated as a ratio of cost difference between two strategies to difference in quality-adjusted life-years starting with the low-cost strategy. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to test model's robustness.

RESULTS
There was an incremental gain in quality-adjusted life-years with increasing screening frequency. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were $783 per quality-adjusted life-year (every 4 weeks over no screening), $1861 per quality-adjusted life-year (every 3 weeks over every 4 weeks), $10,947 per quality-adjusted life-year (every 2 weeks over every 3 weeks), and $197,086 per quality-adjusted life-year (weekly over every 2 weeks). Findings were sensitive to screening cost, cost of hospitalization, postprophylaxis cytomegalovirus incidence, and graft loss after cytomegalovirus infection. No screening was favored when willingness to pay threshold was <$14,000 per quality-adjusted life-year, whereas screening weekly was favored when willingness to pay threshold was >$185,000 per quality-adjusted life-year. Screening every 2 weeks was the dominant strategy between willingness to pay range of $14,000-$185,000 per quality-adjusted life-year.

CONCLUSIONS
In cytomegalovirus high-risk kidney transplant recipients, compared with no screening, screening for postprophylactic cytomegalovirus viremia is associated with gains in quality-adjusted life-years and seems to be cost effective. A strategy of screening every 2 weeks was the most cost-effective strategy across a wide range of willingness to pay thresholds.


Background Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most prevalent malignant primary bone tumor, resulting from severe transformation of primitive mesenchymal cells, which induces osteogenesis. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) MSC-AS1 triggers osteogenic differentiation by sponging microRNA (miR)-140-5p. The present study assessed the mechanism of lncRNA MSC-AS1 in OS biological features and sensitivity to cisplatin (DDP) by binding to miR-142. Material/Methods Firstly, lncRNA MSC-AS1 expression in OS tissues and cells was analyzed. OS cells were transfected with silenced MSC-AS1 to determine its role in OS biological behaviors, and we also assessed the effect of MSC-AS1 on OS sensitivity to DDP. Then, website prediction and dual-luciferase reporter gene assay were utilized for verification of the binding site between MSC-AS1 and miR-142. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blot analysis were performed to determine the effect of MSC-AS1 on expression of miR-142, cyclin-dependent kinase 6 (CDK6), and the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Xenograft transplantation was also applied to confirm the in vitro experiments. Results Overexpressed MSC-AS1 was associated with poor prognosis of OS patients. OS cell proliferation, invasion, and migration were reduced after silencing MSC-AS1, while cell apoptosis was enhanced. Moreover, silencing MSC-AS1 made OS cells more sensitive to DDP. Interestingly, MSC-AS1 knockdown induced miR-142 expression and reduced CDK6 levels, thereby decreasing the protein expression of p-PI3K/t-PI3K and p-AKT/t-AKT. Silencing MSC-AS1 repressed OS progression in vivo. Conclusions Our study demonstrated that silencing MSC-AS1 inhibited OS biological behaviors by enhancing miR-142 to decrease CDK6 and inactivating the PI3K/AKT axis. Our results may provide new insights for OS treatment.


To apply copper alginate fibers in medical as a new alginate fiber, copper alginate fibers were researched and evaluated against Escherichia coli (E.coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus), using antibacterial zone and flash shaking method to analyze anti-bacterial mechanism by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that copper alginate fibers had antibacterial effects, the antibacterial rate against E.coli and S.aureus were 97.4% and 66.2%, respectively; SEM images indicated that bacteria obviously changed after contacting with fibers, the main reason was that copper ion had a damaging effect on pericellular and cell wall. Furthermore, bacterial osmotic pressure was changed and protein synthesis were impeded, and then the normal metabolism of bacteria was destroyed, and finally, bacteria died.


Community-associated methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) and healthcare-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA) cause different kinds of infections. HA-MRSA exhibit higher degree of antibiotic resistance compared to CA-MRSA. The objectives of the present study were to compare the antibiotic resistance and infections caused by CA-MRSA and HA-MRSA. A cross-sectional study was carried out at tertiary care hospitals. Infections were identified as community or healthcare-associated based on CDC definition. Standard conventional methods were used for the isolation and identification of S.aureus. Methicillin resistance was identified by the cefoxitin (30μg) disk diffusion method. Antibiotic susceptibility was done using Kirby – Bauer disk diffusion method. Inducible clindamycin resistance was detected by D-test. Statistical analysis was done using chi square test. A total of 103 CA-MRSA and 107 HA-MRSA were studied. CA-MRSA was significantly more in skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI). HA-MRSA showed significantly higher (P< 0.05) resistance to ciprofloxacin, clindamycin, co-trimoxazole, erythromycin and gentamicin, and multidrug resistance. Constitutive clindamycin resistance was significantly higher (P< 0.05) in HA-MRSA compared to CA-MRSA. CA-MRSA and HA-MRSA are associated with SSTI and bacteremia respectively with a varying degree of antibiotic resistance. Treatment of infection caused by CA and HA-MRSA continues to be difficult especially in the presence of inducible clindamycin resistance. Routine antibiotic resistance results should always be accompanied with results of D-test for preventing therapeutic failure. Proper selection of this antibiotic is needed for preventing therapeutic failure and emergence of constitutive clindamycin resistance.


Background Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) affects about 1 in 1,900 children born in the UK. Respiratory morbidity affects children as well as adults with SCD and the burden may have been underestimated in the past. The published literature suggests that asthma, airway hyper-reactivity and sleep disordered breathing (SDB) are common in children with SCD. Furthermore asthma and SDB have been reported to be associated with acute chest syndrome (ACS) and vaso-occlusive crises (VOC). Children with SCD are increasingly referred to our respiratory clinic in a tertiary paediatric centre in the UK. We did an analysis of a sample of these children to gain some preliminary insights into the problem. Method A retrospective observational study was carried out using data from children with SCD who had been referred to our tertiary paediatric respiratory clinic between 1st September 2009 and 31st August 2014. Data was collected from electronic patient records and electronic investigation results. Results 54 patient records were evaluated. The mean age of the children was 11 years and 54% were male. The most common reason for referral was low oxygen saturation on pulse oximetry (23/54). Surprisingly, asthma and wheeze were uncommon reasons for referrals comprising only 7/54 (Figure 1). However, of all the patients 48% were discovered to have asthma and 52% had SDB. In those patients who underwent lung function testing an abnormal result was reported in 60% (25/42). In addition 71% of children who had a sleep study had an abnormal result (35/49). No association between ACS or VOC events in those patients with asthma or SDB was noted but this could have been due to the small numbers. Abstract P177 Figure 1 Reason for referral to respiratory clinic Conclusion In this sample of children with SCD referred mainly because of low oxygen saturation, the high proportion with an abnormal sleep study and SDB might have been expected. However, the relative paucity of reported wheeze and exercise intolerance despite large numbers with abnormal lung physiology suggested that conditions such as asthma may be unrecognised in these patients.


High-power ultrafast fiber lasers operating at the 2 μm wavelength are extremely desirable for material processing, laser surgery, and nonlinear optics. Here we fabricated large-core (LC) double-cladding Tm-doped silica fiber via the sol-gel method. The sol-gel-fabricated Tm-doped silica (SGTS) fiber had a large core diameter of 30 μm with a high refractive index homogeneity (Δn=2×10−4). With the newly developed LC SGTS fiber as the gain fiber, high-power mode-locking was realized. By using a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) as a mode locker, the LC SGTS fiber oscillator generated mode-locked pulses with an average output power as high as 1.0 W and a pulse duration of 23.9 ps at the wavelength of 1955.0 nm. Our research results show that the self-developed LC Tm-doped silica fiber via the sol-gel method is a promising gain fiber for generating high-power ultrafast lasers in the 2 μm spectral region.


We deliver the realistic ab initio lattice investigations of KK̄ scattering. In the Asqtad-improved staggered dynamical fermion formulation, we carefully measure KK̄ four-point function in the I = 0 channel by moving wall sources without gauge fixing, and clearly find an attractive interaction in this channel, which is in agreement with the theoretical predictions. An essential ingredient in our lattice calculation is to properly treat the disconnected diagram. Moreover, we explain the difficulties of these lattice calculations, and discuss the way to improve the statistics. Our lattice investigations are carried out with the MILC 2 + 1 gauge configuration at lattice spacing a ≈ 0.15 fm.


p-Cycles have been proposed for preprovisioned 1 + N protection in optical mesh networks. Although the protection circuits are preconfigured, the detection of failures and the rerouting of traffic can be a time consuming operation. Another survivable mode of operation is the 1 + 1 protection mode, in which a signal is transmitted to the destination on two link disjoint circuits, hence recovery from failures is expeditious. However, this requires a large number of protection circuits. In this paper, we introduce a new concept in protection: 1 + N protection, in which a p-Cycle, similar to FIPP p-cycles, can be used to protect a number of bidirectional connections, which are mutually link disjoint, and also link disjoint from all links of the p-Cycle. However, data units from different circuits are combined using network coding, which can be implemented in a number of technologies, such as Next Generation SONET (NGS), MPLS/GMPLS, or IP-over-WDM. The maximum outage time under this protection scheme can be limited to no more than the p-Cycle propagation delay. It is also shown how to implement a hybrid 1 + N and 1 + N protection scheme, in which on-cycle links are protected using 1 + N protection, while straddling links, or paths, are protected using 1 + N protection. Extensions of this technique to protect multipoint connections are also introduced. A performance study based on optimal formulations of the 1 + 1, 1 + N and the hybrid scheme is introduced. Although 1 + N speed of recovery is comparable to that of 1 + N protection, numerical results for small networks indicate that 1 + N is about 30% more efficient than 1 + 1 protection, in terms of the amount of protection resources, especially as the network graph density increases.


This paper presents a new injection-molded holographic recording media with a threshold optical response that is specifically designed for single-bit holographic data storage. The concept of a threshold response in a holographic recording material is discussed and the benefits of such a material relative to standard linear materials are evaluated. Micro-holograms are recorded in the new material and the performance is compared to similar measurements in a linear material. The results show that the material has a threshold recording energy of approximately 1 µJ/pulse in a low-numerical-aperture (NA) test system, corresponding to 50 nJ/pulse in a high-NA system. In addition, the threshold material shows a 1000-fold improvement in continuous-wave (CW) read-out stability and a 25% reduction in hologram size as compared to the linear material.


This work presents the use of non-commercial software for the design and development of a multiphysics model for some aspects of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell's (PEMFC) operation and performance. Developing the model this way gives users greater freedom to adjust and improve upon the model than with common commercial modeling software packages. By using the non-commercial partial differential equation (PDE) solver FreeFem++, which utilizes a high-level programming language based on C++, we developed a model in which the set of equations representing the mechanisms that govern PEMFC operation and the algorithms for solving it can be freely tweaked, updated or overhauled by users.We discuss our choice of software and describe the advantages and limitations of our modeling approach, such as the flexibility provided by its open nature at the cost of added programming complexity compared to commercial packages. We also note how the geometry of the cell being modeled can easily be controlled through a set of user-defined parameters, or scripted to change for successive model runs as part of an optimization procedure or sensitivity analysis. We present results from a two-dimensional model for the cathode side in order to demonstrate the practicality of this approach.© 2014 ASME


It is increasingly the case that Public Housing Authorities are required to account for the financial performance and condition of their property portfolio on a regular basis. This is certainly the case in Australia where property and housing are largely the responsibility of State Governments rather than the Federal Government. In terms of asset values and performance, these are required annually, in market terms – not a nominal replacement value based on costs. How should such portfolio valuation and assessment tasks be undertaken to be able to make portfolio estimates to a given level of accuracy at a minimal cost? These issues will be discussed in relation to two New South Wales (NSW) State Government housing portfolios: Land and Housing Corporationwhich manages a portfolio of 150,000 public housing properties; and Teacher Housing Authoritywhich manages a portfolio of 1,500 properties to provide accommodation for school teachers in mainly remote areas of NSW. In both cases, mass appraisal methods are used but most critical is the choice of the benchmark properties on which the mass appraisal models are based.


The aim of this research was to conduct a risk assessment and management of psychological, structural, social and economic determinants (PSSED) in a suicide attempt. The sample consisted of 353 individuals who had a recorded history of suicidal attempt; and 20 professional individuals by purposive sampling method within a descriptive cross-sectional design. Worksheets for RAM and AHP were used for data collection in this study. The rate of suicide attempt was 7.21 per 100,000 population in this study. Analysis showed that depression and mental disorders; personality disorders; family problems; socio-cultural and economic problems; lack of awareness; and low level of education have a high level of risk for suicide attempts. Psychiatric and psychological services; awareness and knowledge of life skills; medical services to dysfunctional families; development of community-based planning for PSSED of suicide; and employment and entrepreneurship services may lower suicide attempt risk.


Adoption of smart meters is a major milestone on the path of European transition to smart energy. The residential sector in France represents ≈35% of electricity consumption with ≈40% (INSEE) of households using electrical heating. The number of deployed smart meters Linky is expected to reach 35M in 2021. In this manuscript we present an analysis of 676 households with an observation period of at least 6 months, for which we have metadata, such as the year of construction and the type of heating and propose a Bayesian model of the electrical consumption conditioned on temperature that allows to disaggregate the heating component from the electrical load curve in an unsupervised manner. In essence the model is a mixture of piece-wise linear models, characterised by a temperature threshold, below which we allow a mixture of two modes to represent the latent state home/away.


FR D'ARCY has given us something of more value for our immediate needs than a piece of formal apologetic. He knows that the Englishman dislikes the ' rattle of the syllogism ' and loves fair play. He has therefore chosen to compare the Christian ideal with its rivals, illustrating the latter with the finer elements in modern agnostic literature. No one is better qualified than Fr D'Arcy to do this with understanding and sympathy. Those who know his work will not expect a detailed analysis. Those who do not we urge to read this book. Although the proofs of God's existence are contained in the argument it resembles nothing so little as a philosophical thesis. The final theme develops inevitably—since God is Love and man has sinned, they can meet only on a cross. K.I.T.