Synthesis of an olefin containing two functional groups, a hydroxy and an acid functionality has been successfully achieved. A methodology for highly selective cyclizations with phenylselenenyl electrophiles has been developed. The exclusive formation of substituted tetrahydrofurans can be achieved using triflate as the counterion and with the addition of acetic acid, whereas cyclizations can also be directed towards complete formation of lactones using hexafluorophosphate or sulfate as the counterion and methanol as an additive. A series of chiral diselenides were synthesized and employed in cyclization of bifunctional olefins. Highest selectivity was obtained with a chiral methoxy substituted alcohol diselenide. A comparison of endo- versus exo-cyclization was estimated using dihydroxy olefins with selenium and iodine electrophiles. The obtained results showed highest diastereomeric ratios in the endo-cyclization compared to exo-cyclization. Cyclization reactions of olefins can lead to heterocycles, which serve as essential building blocks for the synthesis of useful natural products. The most common building blocks are based on lactone and substituted tetrahydrofuran structures and are commonly obtained from individual substrates. The aim was to synthesize an olefin that contained two functional groups: a hydroxy and an acid functional group. 5-exo-cyclization via the hydroxy group of this olefin with an electrophile resulted in substituted tetrahydrofurans while the cyclization via the acid functionality resulted in the formation of lactones. A series of reactions using different additives and a variety of counterions with selenium electrophiles led to the discovery of selective cyclization conditions of each cyclized product. Using phenylselenenyl triflate in the presence of acetic acid the reaction led exclusively to the formation of substituted tetrahydrofurans while lactones could be obtained using hexafluorophosphate or sulfate as a counterion and methanol as an additive. The selective synthesis of each cyclized product indicated the influence of additives on the course of cyclization. The additives (alcohol and the acid) were than incorporated into the selenium reagents. The expected coordination of the selenium electrophile to internal heteroatoms or to the substrate led to independent cyclization and there was no influence of additives on the course of cyclization. As expected, these modified achiral selenium reagents produced a 1:1 mixture of substituted tetrahydrofurans and lactones. The enantioselectivity of known chiral selenium electrophiles containing the heteroatom in a 1,3-relation to the selenium was studied in the reaction with this olefin and the highest selectivity was found with the methoxy substituted alcohol diselenide. To increase the selectivity the synthesis of new chiral selenium reagents were attempted. The synthesis of modified sulfur selenium reagents was carried out according to the reference of Tiecco et al. but showed a lower selectivity in reaction with this substrate. To investigate the results between 5-endo and 5-exo -cyclization other bifunctional olefins containing a dihydroxy functionality were synthesized. The reaction of these olefins with selenium and iodine electrophiles gave a comparison of endo- versus exo-cyclization. The major isomer from exo-cyclization was the cis isomer while in endo-cyclization it was the trans isomer.


For software quality estimation, software development practitioners typically construct quality-classification or fault prediction models using software metrics and fault data from a previous system release or a similar software project. Engineers then use these models to predict the fault proneness of software modules in development. Software quality estimation using supervised-learning approaches is difficult without software fault measurement data from similar projects or earlier system releases. Cluster analysis with expert input is a viable unsupervised-learning solution for predicting software modules' fault proneness and potential noisy modules. Data analysts and software engineering experts can collaborate more closely to construct and collect more informative software metrics.


Autonomous and semi-autonomous mobile multirobot systems require a wireless communication network in order to communicate with each other and collaboratively accomplish a given task. A multihop communications network that is self-forming, self-healing, and self-organizing is ideally suited for such mobile robot systems that exist in unpredictable and constantly changing environments. However, since every node in a multihop (or ad hoc) network is responsible for forwarding packets to other nodes, the failure of a critical node can result in a network partition. Hence, it is ideal to have an ad hoc network configuration that can tolerate temporary failures while allowing recovery. Since movement of the robot nodes is controllable, it is possible to achieve such fault-tolerant configurations by moving a subset of robots to new locations. In this article we propose a few simple algorithms for achieving the baseline graph theoretic metric of tolerance to node failures, namely, biconnectivity. We formulate an optimization problem for the creation of a movement plan while minimizing the total distance moved by the robots. For one-dimensional networks, we show that the problem of achieving a biconnected network topology can be formulated as a linear program; the latter lends itself to an optimal polynomial time solution. For two-dimensional networks the problem is much harder, and we propose efficient heuristic approaches for achieving biconnectivity. We compare the performance of the proposed algorithms with each other with respect to the total distance moved metric using simulations.


We study the formation of primordial black holes when they are generated by the collapse of large overdensities in the early universe. Since the density contrast is related to the comoving curvature perturbation by a nonlinear relation, the overdensity statistics is unavoidably non-Gaussian. We show that the abundance of primordial black holes at formation may not be captured by a perturbative approach which retains the first few cumulants of the non-Gaussian probability distribution. We provide two techniques to calculate the non-Gaussian abundance of primordial black holes at formation, one based on peak theory and the other on threshold statistics. Our results show that the unavoidable non-Gaussian nature of the inhomogeneities in the energy density makes it harder to generate PBHs. We provide simple (semi-)analytical expressions to calculate the non-Gaussian abundances of the primordial black holes and show that for both narrow and broad power spectra the gaussian case from threshold statistics is reproduced by increasing the amplitude of the power spectrum by a factor 𝒪(2÷ 3).


Objectives: While it is generally understood that large sections of the population in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) lack access to medicines, the concept of access is difficult to define and measure.Data on medicine prices and availability obtained through national facility-based surveys were examined through a variety of approaches to determine their usefulness in informing a global understanding of access to medicines. Methods: National and sub-national data on medicine price and availability were obtained from a database containing results of surveys conducted using a standard methodology (developed through a collaboration between the World Health Organization (WHO) and Health Action International (HAI)). In the surveys, the prices and availability of approximately 50 medicines are collected in a sample of facilities in the public and private sectors. Data are also collected on public procurement prices as well as the add-on costs applied through the supply and distribution chain. WHO/HAI data for 15 commonly-surveyed medicines were aggregated on a global level, taking several steps to improve the comparability of results. Similar analyses were also conducted for individual disease areas, namely cardiovascular disease and epilepsy. The availability of medicines used for acute and chronic conditions, respectively, were then compared. To further explore treatment affordability, medicine price data was used to quantify the impoverishment effects of medicine purchases in a subset of 17 countries. Finally, medicine prices were used in combination with consumption data to estimate potential savings which could arise from switching consumption from originator brands to generics. Findings: The secondary analysis of survey results for commonly-available medicines showed that medicine availability is generally low: 38.4% and 64.2% in the public and private sectors, respectively. Analyses for individual disease areas showed similar results: availability of generics medicines was only 26.3% for cardiovascular medicines and <50% for nearly all antiepileptics. When the availability of medicines for acute and chronic conditions was compared, it was found that medicines for chronic conditions were substantially less available than those for acute conditions (36.0% availability versus 53.5% in the public sector). Overall, private sector patient prices ranged from 9-25 times international reference prices for lowest-priced generic medicines. This was found to translate into poor affordability: for example, purchasing a month's supply of the antidiabetic glibenclamide in generic form would push an additional 6% of populations below the international poverty line (US $1.25/day). Originator brand medicines were found to be consistently less affordable than their lowest-priced generic equivalents, which was illustrated in an analysis which showed that approximately 60% of private sector spending on medicines could be achieved by switching consumption from originators to lowest-priced generics. Conclusions: These analyses show that national-level data on medicine price and availability can be used to improve our understanding of access to medicines in low- and middle-income countries. While results vary across countries, global and regional trends raise concerns regarding access to medicines in these contexts. Given their role in informing advocacy efforts, investments, and policy and programmatic support related to access to medicines, ongoing efforts are needed to collect and report on medicine prices and availability.


Project finance appears to lag in adoption of e-commerce techniques. Aside from e-mail, the telephone and in-person meeting still seem to be the primary mechanisms used for communication and deal-doing. E-commerce has evolved several new formats that portend an end to the dominance of these "old economy" communication methods. From vertical exchanges to secure web-based communication to virtual private placement activities, project finance activities are on the verge of entering the "new economy." This article explores areas of project finance that will be early entrants in e-commerce and those that may take longer.


Identifying movement abnormalities from raw Electromyography (EMG) data requires three steps that are the data pre-processing, the feature extraction and training a classifier. As EMG data shows large variation (even for consecutive trials in a single subject) probabilistic classifiers like naive Bayes or probabilistic support vector machines have been proposed. The used feature representations (e.g., PCA, NMF, wavelet transformation) however, can not capture the variation. Here, we propose a fully Bayesian approach where both, the features and the classifier, are probabilistic models. The generative model reproduces the observed variance in the EMG data, provides an estimate of the reliability of the predictions and can be applied in combination with dimensionality reduction techniques such as PCA and NMF. We found the optimal number of components and Gaussians for each model and tuned their metaparameters. Besides the the focus on the four EMG channels, we tested the knee angle alone and EMG channels with the knee angle. We found that these probabilistic extensions outperforms classical approaches in terms of the prediction of knee abnormalities from few samples. We also show that the robustness against noise of the proposed probabilist model is superior than classical methods.


Introduction Antibiotic misuse is widespread and contributes to antibiotic resistance, especially in less regulated health systems such as India. Although informal providers are involved with substantial segments of primary healthcare, their level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices is not well documented in the literature. Objectives This quantitative study systematically examines the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of informal and formal providers with respect to antibiotic use. Methods We surveyed a convenience sample of 384 participants (96 allopathic doctors, 96 nurses, 96 informal providers, and 96 pharmacy shopkeepers) over a period of 8 weeks from December to February using a validated questionnaire developed in Italy. Our team created an equivalent, composite KAP score for each respondent in the survey, which was subsequently compared between providers. We then performed a multivariate logistic regression analysis to estimate the odds of having a low composite score (<80) based on occupation by comparing allopathic doctors (referent category) with all other study participants. The model was adjusted for age (included as a continuous variable) and gender. Results Doctors scored highest in questions assessing knowledge (77.3%) and attitudes (87.3%), but performed poorly in practices (67.6%). Many doctors knew that antibiotics were not indicated for viral infections, but over 87% (n = 82) reported prescribing them in this situation. Nurses, pharmacy shopkeepers, and informal providers were more likely to perform poorly on the survey compared to allopathic doctors (OR: 10.4, 95% CI 5.4, 20.0, p<0.01). 30.8% (n = 118) of all providers relied on pharmaceutical company representatives as a major source of information about antibiotics. Conclusions Our findings indicate poor knowledge and awareness of antibiotic use and functions among informal health providers, and dissonance between knowledge and practices among allopathic doctors. The nexus between allopathic doctors, pharmaceutical company representatives, and informal health providers present promising avenues for future research and intervention.


In the context of Dewey's account of habits and conduct, we understand will to refer not to the subjective agency of an autonomous person or to any kind of a priori capacity of human reason or spirit but to habitual interactions in the interdependence of people with their social and natural environments. For Dewey, this claim suggests that in the absence of transcendental guidance or a socially independent inner and given moral conscience, human natures are grounded in indeterminate freedom. People's defining qualities and characters are formed in particular histories of social and environmental interdependence and the habitual conduct that develops in these embodiments. We may say that human predispositions and sensibilities form specific commonalities that are fluid in the sense that they are always available for transformation and "transvaluation" and constitute only finite, mortal interconnections with multiple lineages of temporal formation. I accept these claims by Dewey as I develop the thought of this article in two sections on differences, fusions, and borders. I want to show the ways differences and fusions happen compatibly. As we come to understand them they allow us to see dimensions of borders in contexts of interdependence, interaction, and intersection. In this understanding we will be predisposed to think of commonalities and identifying characteristics as thoroughly social.


I. INTRODUCTION The ability of Congress to delegate authority1 in this country has existed for nearly two-hundred years.2 However, it was not until J.W. Hampton, Jr. & Co. v. United States3 that any official edict developed to regulate congressional delegation. In Hampton, the Supreme Court mandated that Congress could indeed delegate authority, but that there were limitations.4 Writing for a unanimous Court, Chief Justice Taft stated, "[i]f Congress shall lay down by legislative act an intelligible principle to which the person or body authorized to fix such rates is directed to conform, such legislative action is not a forbidden delegation of legislative power."5 Hence, the birth of the nondelegation doctrine; Congress could delegate power as long as it provided a reasonable standard by which to judge the abrogation. In the 1930s, the Supreme Court used the nondelegation doctrine to strike down two provisions of power, because Congress failed to state any standards by which the delegation of authority could be judged.6 It has now been over sixty-five years since any delegation of authority has been declared unconstitutional.7 In fact, many scholars have debated the existence or viability of the nondelegation doctrine. Erwin Chemerinsky notes: Although the Court says that when Congress delegates its legislative power it must provide criteria to guide the agency's exercise of discretion, all delegations, even without any criteria, have been upheld. Undoubtedly, this reflects a judicial judgment that broad delegations are necessary in the complex world of the late twentieth century and that the judiciary is ill-equipped to draw meaningful lines.8 Given this habitual deference to congressional allocation, the Court's ruling to bypass judicial review of agency decision-making is unsurprising. In Citizens to Preserve Overton Park, Inc. v. Volpe,9 the Court interpreted § 701(a)(2) of the Administrative Procedure Act10 (APA) to indicate that judicial review was precluded "in those rare instances where 'statutes are drawn in such broad terms that in a given case there is no law to apply.'"11 Interestingly enough, the principle of the "no law to apply" doctrine was pure dicta in Overton Park as the Court recognized that "[p]lainly, there is 'law to apply' and thus the exemption for action 'committed to agency discretion' is inapplicable."12 The Supreme Court has been true to its word in the past three decades, applying the doctrine in the rare circumstances where the Court found no reviewing boundaries. Even though its use has been rare, the "no law to apply" doctrine, oftentimes referred to as "committed to agency discretion,"13 has caused some to worry that the Court wrongly abdicated judicial authority that gives a green light to Congress to violate the nondelegation standard.14 However, these worries are unfounded. The "no law to apply" doctrine is in all actuality a charade. Concerns that the Supreme Court may have renounced judicial control fail on two levels. First, these concerns presume the doctrine is truly being used in substance; however, the doctrine is more of an apparition-a nonexistent specter-and should not be a cause for worry. Second, any fear of loopholes in judicial review must focus on the forlorn and nonexistent state of the nondelegation doctrine. Its obsolete condition generates well-founded doubts concerning separation of powers and the abandonment of judicial authority. Therefore, heavy scrutiny of the "no law to apply" doctrine must be redirected to the real culprit of unconstitutional appropriation-the nondelegation doctrine. Part II of this comment will examine the "no law to apply" doctrine from its inception in dicta to the rare situations where the Court has used it, or more appropriately, fallen back on it. Through a detailed examination of case law, the Supreme Court's logic and reasoning will be called into serious question because of its meandering applications, which present a confusing doctrine not only to the reader, but also to many of the Justices. …


In 1988, BrazilAEs Constitution marked the formal establishment of a new democratic regime. In the ensuing two and a half decades, Brazilian citizens, civil society organizations, and public officials have undertaken the slow, arduous task of building new institutions to ensure that Brazilian citizens have access to rights that improve their quality of life, expand their voice and vote, change the distribution of public goods, and deepen the quality of democracy. Civil society activists and ordinary citizens now participate in a multitude of state-sanctioned institutions, including public policy management councils, public policy conferences, participatory budgeting programs, and legislative hearings. Activating Democracy in Brazil examines how the proliferation of democratic institutions in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, has transformed the way in which citizens, CSOs, and political parties work together to change the existing state. According to Wampler, the 1988 Constitution marks the formal start of the participatory citizenship regime, but there has been tremendous variation in how citizens and public officials have carried it out. This book demonstrates that the variation results from the interplay of five factors: state formation, the development of civil society, government support for citizensAE use of their voice and vote, the degree of public resources available for spending on services and public goods, and the rules that regulate forms of participation, representation, and deliberation within participatory venues. By focusing on multiple democratic institutions over a twenty-year period, this book illustrates how the participatory citizenship regime generates political and social change.


"Lucky's book...makes me laugh again and again..." --Bill Moyers, Public Affairs Television, Inc. Bob Lucky, author of the widely acclaimed "Reflections" column in Spectrum magazine, provides a humorous, nostalgic collection of ten years worth of his own reflections on typical situations engineers encounter during their careers. Spiced with 20% new anecdotes and personal experiences, LUCKY STRIKES...AGAIN takes good-natured gibes at corporate bureaucrats while offering some not-so-subtle advice on ways to circumvent the bureaucracy and gives the bureaucrats some hints on when to look the other way.


This chapter presents a broad overview of the current advancements in bioplastics and bioinspired nanocomposites with nanoscale reinforcements that are being applied for a broad range of applications, that is, biomedical, electronics, durable goods and packaging materials. The production of nanocomposites by completely and/or partially renewable and biodegradable materials has helped in a range of different applications. Several drawbacks of conventional materials such as hydrophilicity, low-heat deflection, poor conductivity, and barrier properties can be efficiently overcome using biohybrid nanomaterials. Nano-reinforcements in composite materials deliver remarkably improved properties such as decrease in hydrophilicity and increase in mechanical properties as compared with neat biopolymer, which fails to exhibit these properties on its own. This approach can be used for other natural polymers to induce desired functionalities. This chapter covers the recent trends in nano-functional materials, renewable materials that are being applied for the production of nanobiocomposites and their applications especially in biomedical and healthcare sectors, which are discussed in detail. This emerging concept will definitely enhance the scope of nanohybrid materials for sustainable products development with improved properties than previously applied synthetic polymer-based or natural polymer-based materials.


Short days are thought to alter dry matter (DM) partitioning in rhizoma peanut (Arachis glabrata Benth.). Under controlled environmental conditions, six lines of rhizoma peanut germplasm (cultivars Florigraze and Arbrook; Florida lines Ecoturf, Arbrook Select, and Arblick; and PI 262826) were exposed to natural and extended photoperiod regimes (15 or 18 h). The study started 21 Sept. 2000 and ran until the following May; aboveground DM was harvested five times. The following year the same lines were transplanted into the field, where they received either natural light or 15 h extended photoperiod conditions between 20 Sept. 2001 and 19 Apr. 2002 and again during the winter of 2002-2003. In the field, cover and DM was determined on approximately 9 wk intervals. In the controlled environment study, both extended photoperiod treatments increased DM yield, but the 18 h treatment was most consistent across selections and dates. The February response was greatest when there was greater than fivefold increase across selections for the 18 h treatment above natural photoperiod (2.80 vs. 0.52 g/pot, respectively). In the field, percent cover was enhanced by extended photoperiod for all selections except Ecoturf by the second sampling date after the lights were turned on (avg. 90 vs. 38% cover, respectively, for extended and natural photoperiod). Cover differences persisted until June 2002. Dry matter yield also was increased by treatment during the fall of both years. These studies suggest that selection for late and early season DM production in rhizoma peanut will select for photoperiod insensitivity.


Abstract Clopidogrel resistance in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is one of the key causes of recurrent cardiovascular disease (CVD) events after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Clopidogrel targets the platelet membrane receptor P2RY12 to inhibit platelet aggregation via adenosine diphosphate (ADP). This study aimed to investigate the relationships between P2RY12 polymorphisms and the risk of clopidogrel resistance and adverse CVD events after PCI. From January 2015 to December 2014, patients who had been diagnosed with ACS undergoing PCI and treated with clopidogrel were recruited for this prospective cohort study (N = 498). Data regarding demographics, medication intake, and ACS lesion were recorded, and whole blood samples were collected for biochemical tests, ADP-induced platelet aggregation ratio detection, and P2RY12 genotyping. P2RY12 genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction. The left ventricular ejection fraction was calculated by echocardiography. After 3 to 12 months of follow-up, data regarding any adverse CVD event or death were recorded. The allele frequencies for the T variation alleles in C34T and G52T of P2RY12 were 20.3% and 11.6%, respectively. Patients with T variations at C34T or G52T of P2RY12 had a significantly higher risk of clopidogrel resistance (C34T: P < 0.001; G52T: P = 0.003) and total cardiovascular events (C34T: P = 0.013; G52T: P = 0.018) compared to those with the wild-type genotype. Moreover, multivariable logistic regression showed that patients with the T variations in C34T (odds ratio [OR]: 2.89 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.48–5.64), P = 0.002) and G52T (OR: 3.68 [95% CI: 1.71–7.92], P = 0.001) also had a significantly higher risk of clopidogrel resistance. Also, the T variations in C34T (OR: 2.68 [95% CI: 1.07–6.73], P = 0.035) and G52T (OR: 5.64 [95% CI: 1.52–20.88], P = 0.010) significantly increased the risk of post-PCI CVD events after accounting for confounding factors. The P2RY12 gene polymorphisms C34T and G52T were significantly associated with a higher risk of clopidogrel resistance and sequential cardiovascular events in Chinese ACS patients after PCI.


In the southwest of the Algerian Sahara, Taguelzi is one of the fortified settlement oases forming the network of the Gourara defensive structures situated on the southern edge of the Ouled Aïssa Hmada. It is a large and long flat limestone area, which borders, from north to south, the west side of the Timimoun sebkha. Despite its position on the periphery of Charouine, one of the Gourara sub-region main human settlement, Taguelzi is exactly situated at the crossroads of ancient caravan routes linking sub-Saharan Africa to the Atlantic shores and the Mediterranean world through both the Messaoura wadi and the shortcut to Figuig in Morocco, across the Great Western Erg. Taguelzi strategic position, on the southern cornice of the Ouled Aïssa hamada facing the north of Moulay Mohemmed Erg, an arm of the Great Western Erg, allows to reach the Aougrout, the main sub region of the Gourara, through the Deldoul sub region in few hours, and eventually from there to get to the Gourara main cities. By using a space anthropological approach based on spatiality vocabulary, we have tried to understand this Saharan settlement formed by twelve distinct defensive inhabited structures and why some of them are considered as "dead ruins" and others as still "alive ruins". Taguelzi twelve fortified inhabited structures reported through "the spatiality living word" reveals the living space organization complexity at the territory scale and may explain the morphogenesis of those defensive structures which gave birth to troglodyte habitat, to stone defensive towers and double walled fortifications with gardens, wells, water system irrigation and wide-open cemeteries. Today, despite unsuccessful state rehabilitation projects and the fortifications advanced state of ruins after the 2008 devastating floods, the inhabitants still clearly identify and refer to them as the twelve "i𝛾amawen of Taguelzi".


Copper has some excellent performances in anti-erosion and high thermal conductivity. It is applicable in many important fields. In the paper, two methods of preparing Ni-Cr alloy cladding layer on the surface of copper are proposed, including the spray welding and YAG pulse laser cladding .Then the Ni-Cr alloy layer prepared on the copper is investigated by optical microscopy, there is no hole and crack in the cladding layer. The experimental results show the coating is metallurgically bonded with the substrate. In comparison to the prepared cladding layers, the Ni-Cr cladding layer prepared by YAG pulse laser is the better, the size of copper is not restricted, and the copper substrate isn't preheated.


Objectives: Hip fracture is common orthopedic problems for patients aged 80 years and older. Because of their decreased cardiopulmonary capacity, an optimal anesthetic technique should be chosen by anesthesiologists. The purpose of the present study is to analyze anesthetic techniques and related postoperative mortality in octogenarians and older who underwent hip fractures surgery.
Patients and Methods: We analyzed hip fracture surgeries and identified patients aged 80 years and older between January 2012 and December 2013. Patient age, gender, coexisting diseases, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Physical Status classification, anesthetic technique, hematocrit, hemoglobin, total lymphocyte count (TLC), the length of surgery, intraoperative blood transfusion requirements, postoperative discharge ward, the length of postoperative hospital stay, and postoperative status were recorded.
Results: We retrospectively identified 106 patients aged 80 years and older underwent hip fracture surgeries. Six (5.6%), 36 (34.0%), 2 (1.9%), 53 (50.0%), and 9 (8.5%) of procedures were performed under general anesthesia (GA), spinal anesthesia (SA), epidural anesthesia, combined spinal-epidural anesthesia (CSEA), and peripheral nerve block (PNB), respectively. The postoperative 7 and 30-day mortality were 6.6% and 10.4%, respectively. Age, gender, ASA, hematocrit, hemoglobin, TLC, discharge to the ward, the length of postoperative hospital stay, and the postoperative mortality rates were similar between the GA, SA, CSEA, and PNB. There was no relationship between postoperative mortality and anesthetic technique.
Conclusion: In octogenarians and older, the postoperative mortality is higher after hip fracture and is not associated with the anesthetic technique.


Abstract Objective: To determine whether the 'Read for Nutrition' programme would increase liking and consumption of broccoli (a target vegetable) in preschool children and test acceptability and practicality of the programme. Design: Pilot pre-post intervention study, where childcare teachers received training and coaching followed by reading the book 'Monsters Don't Eat Broccoli' multiple times with the children during a three-week intervention. Setting: Five classrooms of Educare, Lincoln, Nebraska in 2018. Participants: Sixty-nine (11 to 16 children per classroom) preschool-aged children and sixteen teachers (minimum, three per classroom). Results: Average total consumption of broccoli increased 35 % (0·14 ounces or 0·05th cup) after the 'Read for Nutrition' programme (t = 2·66; P = 0·01; 95 % CIs (0·035, 0·246)) for all children. Proportional consumption increased for children who received ≥ five exposures to the book (t46 = 2·77; P = 0·008). Exposures to the book predicted proportional consumption (β = 0·365; P = 0·002). Liking of broccoli increased (W69 = 2·2, P = 0·03) as well. Teachers rated the programme as acceptable, practical and enjoyable to children and to themselves. Conclusions: Programmes such as 'Read for Nutrition' have the potential to improve children's vegetable liking and consumption in early care and education settings with only book readings and no exposure to a real vegetable.


The hydrological characteristics of biological soil crusts (BSCs) are not well understood. In particular the relationship between runoff and BSC surfaces at relatively large (>1 m2) scales is ambiguous. Further, there is a dearth of information on small scale (mm to cm) hydrological characterization of crust types which severely limits any interpretation of trends at larger scales. Site differences and broad classifications of BSCs as one soil surface type rather than into functional form exacerbate the problem. This study examines, for the first time, some hydrological characteristics and related surface variables of a range of crust types at one site and at a small scale (sub mm to mm). X-ray tomography and fine scale hydrological measurements were made on intact BSCs, followed by C and C isotopic analyses. A 'hump' shaped relationship was found between the successional stage/sensitivity to physical disturbance classification of BSCs and their hydrophobicity, and a similar but 'inverse hump' relationship exists with hydraulic conductivity. Several bivariate relationships were found between hydrological variables. Hydraulic conductivity and hydrophobicity of BSCs were closely related but this association was confounded by crust type. The surface coverage of crust and the microporosity 0.5 mm below the crust surface were closely associated irrespective of crust type. The δ 13C signatures of the BSCs were also related to hydraulic conductivity, suggesting that the hydrological characteristics of BSCs alter the chemical processes of their immediate surroundings via the physiological response (C acquisition) of the crust itself. These small scale results illustrate the wide range of hydrological properties associated with BSCs, and suggest associations between the ecological successional stage/functional form of BSCs and their ecohydrological role that needs further examination.


Normalization is an important but understudied challenge in privacy-related application domains such as federated learning (FL), differential privacy (DP), and differentially private federated learning (DP-FL). While the unsuitability of batch normalization for these domains has already been shown, the impact of other normalization methods on the performance of federated or differentially private models is not well-known. To address this, we draw a performance comparison among layer normalization (LayerNorm), group normalization (GroupNorm), and the recently proposed kernel normalization (KernelNorm) in FL, DP, and DP-FL settings. Our results indicate LayerNorm and GroupNorm provide no performance gain compared to the baseline (i.e. no normalization) for shallow models in FL and DP. They, on the other hand, considerably enhance the performance of shallow models in DP-FL and deeper models in FL and DP. KernelNorm, moreover, significantly outperforms its competitors in terms of accuracy and convergence rate (or communication efficiency) for both shallow and deeper models in all considered learning environments. Given these key observations, we propose a kernel normalized ResNet architecture called KNResNet-13 for differentially private learning. Using the proposed architecture, we provide new state-of-the-art accuracy values on the CIFAR-10 and Imagenette datasets, when trained from scratch.


The interactions between pressure and volume overload that occur in hypertension lead to different patterns of cardiac hypertrophy and to increase in natriuretic peptides (NPs). The profiles of ANP and BNP synthesis and secretion have been investigated in models of hypertension; however, the different evolution of these profiles during the acute and chronic periods of pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy is still unknown. For this reason, we studied DOCA-salt treated Sprague-Dawley rats at weeks 2, 4, 6 and 12 and correlated the evolution of these profiles with cardiac hypertrophy and hypertension. Cardiac hypertrophy had a positive correlation with ANP expression in the left ventricle and with ANP plasma levels. BNP expression increased after 4 weeks of treatment while ANP increased significantly after 6 weeks. In addition, BNP plasma levels increased only in the group treated for 12 weeks, while ANP plasma levels increased from week 2. NP secretion has a differential response in the early stages of the development of cardiac hypertrophy induced by the DOCA-salt model, with an early increase in ANP. As ANP levels were exceeded to those of BNP in all the DOCA-salt groups, ANP might be considered a more specific marker of volume overload.


The analysis of a feature space that exhibits multiscale patterns often requires kernel estimation techniques with locally adaptive bandwidths, such as the variable-bandwidth mean shift. Proper selection of the kernel bandwidth is, however, a critical step for superior space analysis and partitioning. This paper presents a mean shift-based approach for local bandwidth selection in the multimodal, multivariate case. The method is based on a fundamental property of normal distributions regarding the bias of the normalized density gradient. This paper demonstrates that, within the large sample approximation, the local covariance is estimated by the matrix that maximizes the magnitude of the normalized mean shift vector. Using this property, the paper develops a reliable algorithm which takes into account the stability of local bandwidth estimates across scales. The validity of the theoretical results is proven in various space partitioning experiments involving the variable-bandwidth mean shift.


Introduction and purpose Surgical resection of hypervascular paraganglioma can be difficult due to intraoperative blood loss. Preoperative endovascular embolization with particulate material facilitates safe and complete surgical resection. However, complete devascularization is often impossible due to an inability to selectively catherize tiny feeding arteries or short pedicles arising from the carotid bifurcation with concerns for embolic reflux. We present our initial angiographic and clinical outcomes using only Onyx (ethylene vinyl alcohol) for percutaneous embolization of paragangliomas at the carotid bifurcation. Materials and methods A consecutive series of five patients with five paragangliomas (carotid body tumors) located at the carotid bifurcation were treated solely with percutaneous Onyx embolization. Fluoroscopic roadmap and ultrasound guided access was utilized for percutaneous needle placement. Onyx 18 and Onyx 34 were infused under constant negative roadmap fluoroscopy. Onyx embolization was continued until devascularization was achieved by angiography or reflux occurred into the feeding arterial pedicles or draining veins. Results Complete devascularization of the five paragangliomas was achieved using a percutaneous embolization technique with Onyx as the sole agent without complications. An average of 2.5 needles (range 2–4) were placed into each carotid body tumor under fluoroscopic and ultrasound guidance. An average of 6.9 ml (range 5–8.5 ml) of Onyx was injected in each tumor. Complete devascularization was achieved in each case by angiography. Surgical resection was subjectively reported to be less intensive with a decreased need for cauterization and reduced intraoperative blood loss. Intraoperative blood loss averaged 80 ml (range 10–200 ml). Conclusion Our preliminary experience suggests that percutaneous Onyx embolization may offer a higher degree of devascularization compared with other embolic agents, allowing safe and complete surgical resection as well as reducing intraoperative blood loss. Onyx appears to be a safe embolic agent when injected percutaneously due to its inherent cohesive nature allowing controlled extended injections, ability to intermittently pause and redirect its flow into the tumor vascular bed.


Measurements of soil water storage are hard to obtain on scales relevant for water management and policy making. Therefore, this research develops a new measurement methodology for soil water storage estimation in clay containing soils. The proposed methodology relies on the specific property of clay soils to shrink when drying and to swell when (re-)wetted, and the capabilities of a remote sensing technique called satellite based radar interferometry (InSAR) to measure centimetre to millimetre scale displacements of the soil surface. The objective of this thesis was to develop the application of InSAR for soil water storage change estimation on the field scale to regional scale. Two relations are investigated: 1) the relation between water storage change and surface elevation change as a result of swelling and shrinkage of a clayey soil; and 2) the relation between these surface elevation changes and InSAR phase observations. The shrinkage potential of the soil is very important for successful application of radar interferometry to measure vertical deformation as a result of swelling and shrinkage of clay. Therefore, the shrinkage potential and the water storage change-volume change relation (called the soil shrinkage characteristic, SSC) have been quantified in the laboratory for clay aggregates from the study area in the Purmer, the Netherlands. The clay content of the sampled soil ranged from 3.4 to 23.6%. The aggregates had moderate shrinkage potential over the soil moisture content range from saturation to air-dryness. Shrinkage phases were distinguished based on the portion of water content change that was compensated by volume change. Approximately 40-50% of water was released in the normal shrinkage phase, where loss of water is fully compensated by volume change. However, the residual shrinkage phase, where volume change is smaller than water content change, started at approx. 50% normalized soil moisture content (actual moisture content with respect to the moisture content at saturation). In case of normal shrinkage, soil water storage change can be directly derived from soil volume change. If additionally, clay shrinkage is isotropic, the soil water storage change can be derived from vertical shrinkage measurements. The range of normal and isotropic shrinkage has been assessed in a drying field soil in the study area. To do so, soil water storage change was derived from soil moisture content sensors and groundwater level, and volume change estimates were obtained from soil layer thickness change measurements by ground anchors. Unlike for the aggregates, normal shrinkage was not observed for the field soil, but rather a large degree of linear (basic) shrinkage was observed. In the upper soil layers in the field, normalized soil moisture content below 50% has been observed when drying out. Based on the aggregate SSC, this indicates the occurrence of residual and zero shrinkage in this situation, resulting in less than normal shrinkage when the total unsaturated zone is considered. The water content change-volume change relation thus depends on the scale considered. It was also found that the relation depends on drying intensity, from comparison between shrinkage in a period with prolonged drying and shrinkage in a period with alternating drying end re-wetting. For the field soil, volume change larger than soil water storage change was observed when assuming isotropic shrinkage. This unrealistic result made clear that the assumption of isotropic shrinkage is invalid. Therefore a correction of the shrinkage geometry factor rs, including dependence of shrinkage geometry on soil moisture content, has been proposed. This correction yielded rs-values between 1.38 and 3. Dynamics of subsidence porosity (i.e. vertical shrinkage) calculated from the aggregate SSC, and comparison with surface elevation change data from the field study also indicated rs-values smaller than 3. Values of rs below 3, indicate that vertical shrinkage (subsidence) is dominant over horizontal shrinkage (cracking). Satellite based radar interferometry was applied to measure vertical deformation resulting from clay shrinkage, and evaluate the potential for soil water storage change estimation on the field scale to regional scale. Phase differences between adjacent fields were observed in interferograms over the Purmer area which were hypothesised to be caused by relative motion of the surface level. The combination of a sequence of interferograms covering short time intervals and measurements of soil surface elevation changes in time from ground anchors, indeed revealed similar dynamics in both data. Relative changes between fields in winter were explained by a different effect of frost heave in a bare soil and in a soil permanently covered by grass. Noise in interferograms over agricultural fields was successfully reduced, by multilooking over entire fields. The effect of soil type and land use on phase observation was qualitatively assessed, indicating that agricultural crop fields offer the best phase estimates in winter, while grass fields are more coherent in summer. The results underline the need for careful selection of agricultural fields or areas to base InSAR analysis on. The differential analysis between fields was extended to time series analysis of phase, to obtain deformation estimates with respect to a stable reference, including correction for unwanted phase contributions and temporal phase unwrapping. The correction of unwanted phase contributions specifically included the soil moisture dielectric effect. This effect was considered by predicting interferometric phase based on in situ measured soil moisture contents. The soil moisture dielectric effect was shown to be much smaller than shrinkage phase in our case study. A simple model was developed to estimate vertical shrinkage, using assumption on shrinkage behaviour (normal and isotropic shrinkage) and an approximation of water storage change from precipitation and evapotranspiration data. Using this model, temporal phase unwrapping results were corrected. The corrections for soil moisture dielectric phase and the correction of phase unwrapping both improved vertical shrinkage measurements from InSAR. The results in this thesis make clear that vertical clay shrinkage can be estimated from InSAR. At the same time, these results show that clay shrinkage is a considerable phase contribution to interferometric phase and can therefore cause unwrapping and interpretation errors when not accounted for. To estimate vertical clay shrinkage from InSAR, a shrinkage model including assumptions of normal and isotropic shrinkage, proved useful in the phase unwrapping procedure in this case study. However, using the same assumptions to compute water storage change from these InSAR estimates, will in many cases produce inaccurate results. Therefore, in order to use InSAR for estimating soil water storage change in clay soils, the soil shrinkage characteristic, soil moisture dependency of the shrinkage geometry factor, and the effect of variable drying and wetting conditions, need to be considered.