The production of Greek-style natural black table olives remains an empirical process relying on spontaneous fermentation despite its economic significance. For this reason producers often resort to increased NaCl concentration of the brine to secure quality of the product. In this study we employ two lactic acid bacteria Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides Lm139 and Lactobacillus pentosus DSM 16366 as starters in separate laboratory low salinity fermentations of "Kalamon" cultivar olives, processed according to the Greek-style method. L. mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides Lm139 was previously isolated from Kalamon olives laboratory spontaneous fermentations, while L. pentosus DSM 16366 was isolated from fermenting green olives prepared according to the Spanish-style method. Spontaneous olives fermentation was also performed as a control. Microbiological and physicochemical analyses of the brines revealed that the use of the starters had a significant effect on the olives fermentation, leading to a faster acidification due to the more efficient consumption of soluble sugars in the brines. The final pH value reached by each starter culture used indicates a successful lactic fermentation. The production of lactic acid by the starters and the concomitant drop of the pH value proved to inhibit enterobacteria in a shorter period of time compared to the spontaneous fermentation. Concluding, the use of either of the two lactic acid bacteria as starters in Greek-style Kalamon olives fermentation could lead to a more controllable fermentation at lower salinities. The resulting product could be of higher quality with extended shelf-life while being at the same time safer for the consumer.


Analysis of the 3D structure of a biological sample is an important step to model cell and tissue dynamics. As a model system, we set up to determine the number of nuclei in a follicular papilla using confocal imaging and 3D computer reconstruction. The follicular papilla is a small mesenchymal ovalshape structure localized at the basis of the hair follicle that is particularly important for hair follicle morphogenesis, and the size of which varies during hair growth. However, little is known on the influence of the hair cycle on the number of cells in a follicular papilla. Fgf5 -/- mice have long hairs (angora phenotype) due to an extended hair cycle, and small dermal papilla. There are several hypotheses to explain the latter observation : there are less cells in Fgf5 -/- dermal papilla than in wild type papilla mutant papilla produces less extra cellular matrix than wild type papilla it is a combination of both To discriminate between these hypotheses, dermal papilla were microdissected from vibrissal follicles occupying the same position on the mystacial pad of same age Fgf5 -/- and wild type mice. Nuclei were stained with a fluorescent dye and the papilla examined under a confocal microscope. Because of dermal papilla thickness, two stacks of images were acquired for each sample (recto and verso acquisitions), registrated using especially implemented computer science program and analyzed. This whole process turned out to be far more complex and cumbersome than anticipated. First, we had to design a special setup in order to be able to make two side scans of samples, second the acquisition time of two stacks of images to cover the entire dermal papilla was rather long, third repositioning and analysis of the images were complex. Nonetheless, the number of nuclei in a dermal papilla was determined with precision. Analysis of dermal papilla obtained at different time of the hair cycle is ongoing. Our work paves the way to the analysis of other biological structures important during skin morphogenesis or regeneration, i.e. the ectodermal placodes. An important lesson of our work is that there is no straightforward imaging and computer science approach when it comes to the biology of complex structures and that the technology needs to be customized to the biological question.


Model specification is an integral part of any statistical inference problem. Several model selection techniques have been developed in order to determine which model is the best one among a list of possible candidates. Another way to deal with this question is the so-called model averaging, and in particular the frequentist approach. An estimation of the parameters of interest is obtained by constructing a weighted average of the estimates of these quantities under each candidate model. We develop compromise frequentist strategies for the estimation of regression parameters, as well as for the probabilistic clustering problem. In the regression context, we construct compromise strategies based on the Pitman estimators associated with various underlying errors distributions. The weight given to each model is equal to its profile likelihood, which gives a measure of the goodness-of-fit. Asymptotic properties of both Pitman estimators and profile likelihood allow us to define a minimax strategy for choosing the distributions of the compromise, involving a notion of distance between distributions. Performances of such estimators are then compared to other usual and robust procedures. In the second part of the thesis, we develop compromise strategies in the probabilistic clustering context. Although this clustering method is based on mixtures of distributions, our compromise strategies are not applied directly to the estimates of the parameters, but on the posterior probabilities of membership. Two types of compromise are presented, and the performances of resulting classification rules are investigated.


In organizational and commercial settings, people often have clear roles and workflows against which functional and non-functional requirements can be extracted. However, in more social settings, such as platforms for enhancing social interaction, successful applications are driven more by user emotional engagement than functionality, the drivers of user engagement are difficult to identify. A key challenge is to understand people's emotional goals so that they can be incorporated into the design. This paper proposes a novel framework called the Emotional Attachment Framework that is based on existing models and theories of emotional attachment. Its aim is to facilitate the process of capturing emotional goals in software engineering. To demonstrate the framework in use, emotional goals are elicited for a software application that aims to provide help for homeless people. The outcomes are evaluated by domain experts and compared with an alternative approach. The results indicate that the Emotional Attachment Framework has the potential to help system analysts uncover additional emotional goals as well as provide valuable insights into these emotional goals.


58 women with raised serum prolactin levels and normal hypophyseal X-ray parameters were subdivided into three groups according to the serum prolactin level (16 to 40, 41 to 80, greater than 80 ng/ml). In addition to the determination of LH, FSH, oestradiol, progesterone and testosterone in the serum and thyroid diagnostic procedures the following hormonal tests were performed: 1. response to gestagen; 2. response to clomiphene; 3. Gn-RH-test for hypophyseal function; 4. ovarian response to administered gonadotropins (only in cases with prolactin levels administered gonadotropins (only in cases with prolactin levels greater than 80 ng/ml). The grade of menstrual cycle disorders depends on the severity of the observed hyperprolactinaemia. Slight disorders like luteal phase insufficiency, anovulatory cycle and oligomenorrhoea are associated with low- or medium-grade hyperprolactinaemia. Mainly secondary, but also primary amenorrhoea is found in cases with higher serum prolactin levels (greater than 80 ng/ml). In these cases the hypophyseal response to Gn-RH is frequently found (61%) to be negative and, moreover, the ovarian response to administered gonadotropins seems to be diminished. Increasing HPRL levels often appear to be associated with a negative response to the other above-mentioned tests.


Summary Team-based learning (TBL) is a well-established instructional strategy that provides students with the chance to apply conceptual knowledge through a series of actions, including pre-class, individual, team class activity, and immediate feedback. The purpose of the present study was to introduce a course of teaching the evidence-based medicine (EBM) to all first-year medical residents in different disciplines at Shiraz Medical School in Iran country using the TBL instructional strategy. The sample included 86 medical residents at Shiraz Medical School. This study had a quasi-experimental design and was conducted in 12 sessions of evidence-based medicine (EBM) based on team-based learning (TBL) strategy. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS software. In all sections, the results of Individual Readiness Assurance Tests (IRATs) and Group Readiness Assurance Tests (GRATs) were added and calculated. Cronbach's alpha test was implemented to evaluate the reliability of the questionnaires. For the descriptive analysis of data, descriptive statistics were used. ANOVA and T-test were used for analytic analysis. There was a significant difference in answering the questions between individual (3.73 ± 2.33) and group (4.71 ± 2.29) stages. Residents gained higher average grades on working in the team (P-value < 0.02). Results of residents' response about satisfaction questionnaire are shown that the best scores belong to group activities in TBL. The results of this study showed that TBL could be used as an effective method for residents' education in different disciplines.


We present in this paper an intuitive Bayesian approach to modeling the distribution of discounted ultimate recoveries on defaulted debt using mixtures of distributions. We show that the technique is flexible enough to accommodate important idiosyncratic features of recovery distributions and how to adapt the results to target portfolios whose characteristics do not match that of the estimation sample. These applications do not require strong assumptions about the form of the relation between the characteristics of the borrower, the defaulted debt and recovery outcomes. Our empirical results provide insights to the attributes of debt and conditions at the time of default that are associated with economically important variation in the shape of recovery distributions. Expectations of industry level default conditions at the time of default, in conjunction with the Debt Cushion (an economic measure of debt subordination), prove to be of particular value in modeling portfolio-level recoveries. We benchmark the performance of our model against commonly used alternatives in estimating recoveries on portfolios of defaulted debt. Our simple "mixture-based estimates", adapted to reflect the Debt Cushion and industry-specific distress conditions at the time of default, substantially out-perform competing alternatives. JEL Classification: G10, G20, G21, & G29


Integrating the concept of place meanings into protected area management has been difficult. Across a diverse body of social science literature, challenges in the conceptualization and application of place meanings continue to exist. However, focusing on relationships in the context of participatory planning and management allows protected area managers to bring place meanings into professional judgment and practice. This paper builds on work that has outlined objectives and recommendations for bringing place meanings, relationships, and lived experiences to the forefront of land-use planning and management. It proposes the next steps in accounting for people's relationships with protected areas and their relationships with protected area managers. Our goals are to 1) conceptualize this relationship framework; 2) present a structure for application of the framework; and 3) demonstrate the application in a specific protected area context, using an example from Alaska. We identify three key target areas of information and knowledge that managers will need to sustain quality relationship outcomes at protected areas. These targets are recording stories or narratives, monitoring public trust in management, and identifying and prioritizing threats to relationships. The structure needed to apply this relationship-focused approach requires documenting and following individual relationships with protected areas in multiple ways. The goal of this application is not to predict relationships, but instead to gain a deeper understanding of how and why relationships develop and change over time. By documenting narratives of individuals, managers can understand how relationships evolve over time and the role they play in individual's lives. By understanding public trust, the shared values and goals of individuals and managers can be observed. By identifying and prioritizing threats, managers can pursue efforts that steward relationships while allowing for the protection of experiences and meanings. The collection and interpretation of these three information targets can then be integrated and implemented within planning and management strategies to achieve outcomes that are beneficial for resource protection, visitor experiences, and stakeholder engagement. By investing in this approach, agencies will gain greater understanding and usable knowledge towards the achievement of quality relationships. It represents an investment in both place relationships and public relations. By integrating such an approach into planning and management, protected area managers can represent the greatest diversity of individual place meanings and connections.


BaTiO3 powders were prepared hydrothermally using TiCl4, Ba(OH)2.8H2O and NH4OH as starting materials at 150°C for 2h. The structure of the prepared nanocystalline BT powders were a metastable cubic perovskite according to XRD and HRTEM analysis, while FT Raman spectra showed that BT powders have a tetragonal structure. Hydroxyl and carbonate groups were observed in all prepared powders that showed in FTIR spectroscopy as vibrational bands. The tetragonal phase of BT powder was identified clearly by slow scan XRD at 2θ between 44.6 to 46°. The crystallite size of BT powders have increased with the increase of annealing temperature from 19 nm at room temperature to 70 nm at 1000°C.


Language, with a capital initial, indicates the human system of verbal communication, which has a lot of variations represented by various languages spoken in the world. All languages involve the same mechanisms that govern their patterning because all humans have the same architecture of the cognitive system and follow the same cognitive learning principles in acquiring knowledge. While the cognitive processing mechanisms are unconscious and automatic in first language acquisition, they are effortful and can impose load on the cognitive system of the EFL learners due to factors internal to the texture of languages and some other external factors related to the cultures of individuals; which commits the learner to process multiple resources of information simultaneously before being able to schematize the new knowledge related to the target language. Accordingly, this paper discusses foreign language learning in light of cognitive learning theory with the aim of explaining why it can be hard on the EFL learners' part to acquire the target language perfectly.


To whom reprint requests should be addressed. Paramecium bursaria shows phototaxis by accumulating in a lighted region. Intracellular recordings from both chlorella-containing and chlorella-free cells showed that a step-increase in the light intensity induced a steady depolarization of membrane potential, and a step-down caused recovery to the original level. The action spectrum of the depolarization corresponded to that for phototaxis, and showed two peaks at 420 and 560 nm. The amplitude of the depolarization became larger as light intensity was increased. Cells which accumulated in a lighted spot decreased their swimming velocity or stayed in the same place. As the light intensity was increased from dark, swimming velocity decreased and became zero at the intensity at which the cell showed the most noticeable photoaccumulation. Further increase in light intensity produced an increase in swimming velocity. The degree of photoaccumulation was inversely proportional to the swimming velocity. These results suggest that a step-increase in light intensity induces the steady depolarization and causes the decrease in swimming velocity, resulting in accumulation of cells in the lighted region.


We study the Majorana equation from the point of view of the de Broglie-Bohm pilot-wave theory (according to which a quantum ensemble of fermions is not only described by a spinor but also by a distribution of position configurations). Although the Majorana equation involves a mass parameter, we show that the positions undergo luminal motion. In the case of free systems, we also show that the trajectory can be strongly helical (the diameter of the helix being the Compton wavelength). On a coarse-grained level (coarse-graining with respect to the Compton wavelength), these trajectories appear subluminal. The peculiar nature of the Majorana trajectory suggests a study of the temporal evolution of quantum non-equilibrium distributions, which are distributions allowed in the pilot-wave theory, in which the configurations are not distributed according to Born's law. We do such simulations for Dirac and Majorana systems, and we investigate whether quantum non-equilibrium might survive at the sub-Compton scale in systems described by Majorana spinors.


ABSTRACT In this study, we examine the Vietnamese population of the United States as a case study in the integration of a refugee group. We first offer a brief review of Vietnamese refugee resettlement in the US and the making of a new ethnic community. We then provide a quantitative analysis of socioeconomic mobility among Vietnamese refugees using American Community Survey data from 1980 to 2015 and other national-level data. We examine how this ethnic population has changed over time by focusing on key socioeconomic indicators, such as levels of education, occupation, and income, as well as poverty rates. Third, we seek to explain what enables Vietnamese refugees and their children to overcome initial disadvantage and move up in society based on our own work over the span of 20 years with qualitative data. We consider how policies, institutions (government, civil society, and ethnic), and patterns of social relations in the Vietnamese American community have interacted with individual agency to shape mobility.


Abstract. To obtain a thorough knowledge of PM2. 5 chemical composition and its impact on aerosol optical properties across China, existing field studies conducted after the year 2000 are reviewed and summarized in terms of geographical, interannual and seasonal distributions. Annual PM2. 5 was up to 6 times the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) in some megacities in northern China. Annual PM2. 5 was higher in northern than southern cities, and higher in inland than coastal cities. In a few cities with data longer than a decade, PM2. 5 showed a slight decrease only in the second half of the past decade, while carbonaceous aerosols decreased, sulfate (SO42−) and ammonium (NH4+) remained at high levels, and nitrate (NO3−) increased. The highest seasonal averages of PM2. 5 and its major chemical components were typically observed in the cold seasons. Annual average contributions of secondary inorganic aerosols to PM2. 5 ranged from 25 to 48 %, and those of carbonaceous aerosols ranged from 23 to 47 %, both with higher contributions in southern regions due to the frequent dust events in northern China. Source apportionment analysis identified secondary inorganic aerosols, coal combustion and traffic emission as the top three source factors contributing to PM2. 5 mass in most Chinese cities, and the sum of these three source factors explained 44 to 82 % of PM2. 5 mass on annual average across China. Biomass emission in most cities, industrial emission in industrial cities, dust emission in northern cities and ship emission in coastal cities are other major source factors, each of which contributed 7–27 % to PM2. 5 mass in applicable cities. The geographical pattern of scattering coefficient (bsp) was similar to that of PM2. 5, and that of aerosol absorption coefficient (bap) was determined by elemental carbon (EC) mass concentration and its coating. bsp in ambient condition of relative humidity (RH)  =  80 % can be amplified by about 1.8 times that under dry conditions. Secondary inorganic aerosols accounted for about 60 % of aerosol extinction coefficient (bext) at RH greater than 70 %. The mass scattering efficiency (MSE) of PM2. 5 ranged from 3.0 to 5.0 m2 g−1 for aerosols produced from anthropogenic emissions and from 0.7 to 1.0 m2 g−1 for natural dust aerosols. The mass absorption efficiency (MAE) of EC ranged from 6.5 to 12.4 m2 g−1 in urban environments, but the MAE of water-soluble organic carbon was only 0.05 to 0.11 m2 g−1. Historical emission control policies in China and their effectiveness were discussed based on available chemically resolved PM2. 5 data, which provides the much needed knowledge for guiding future studies and emissions policies.


This article analyses the theories of two methods of matrix displacement and finite element, and the application of calculation in the actual structure. Then it explores the subtle differences between them: Matrix displacement method can only be used for analysis with known unit nodes force-unit nodes of the relationship between the displacement of the truss structure, and not the continuous body structure. The major differences between both are the establishment of the basic principle and solution of the emphasis. Establishing total stiffness matrix according to the geometric property of the structure and then forming integral force vector via loading conditions when matrix displacement method is used to solve the unit fixed-end force. It's necessary to stack fixed end force; While finite element method mainly bases on the known load and the material nature of structure after structure discretization. Node force or node stress is directly got by the derivation of displacement, but the fixed end force is lost, which dropping the accuracy of the stress. To solve plane frame structure and get structural internal force, the distinguish is checked on the example.


In the past two decades, organizational scholars have focused significant attention on how organizations manage crises. While most of these studies concentrate on crisis prevention, there is a growing emphasis on crisis response. Because information that is critical to crisis response may become outdated as crisis conditions change, crisis response research recognizes that the management of information flows and networks is critical to crisis response. Yet despite its importance, little is known about the various types of crisis information networks and the role of IT in enabling these information networks. Employing concepts from information flow and social network theories, this paper contributes to crisis management research by developing four crisis response information network prototypes. These networks are based on two main dimensions: (1) information flow intensity and (2) network density. We describe how considerations of these two dimensions with supporting case evidence yield four prototypical crisis information response networks: Information Star, Information Pyramid, Information Forest, and Information Black-out. In addition, we examine the role of IT within each information network structure. We conclude with guidelines for managers to deploy appropriate information networks during crisis response and with suggestions for future research related to IT and crisis management.


PTK (Post and Telecommunication of Kosovo) is incumbent telecommunication operator, still as a public owned company providing fixed, mobile and internet services in Kosovo. Mobile operator has around 850.000 customers. On the fixed side is not done too much on penetration increment (currently is around 6%), but very good steps on technological level are taken. The complete network structure is digitalized, based on TDM and NGN concept. Both these structures today are operational providing services for voice and data through ADSL fixed lines. The transmission infrastructure is based on MW and F.O, always aiming toward building the strong fiber optic based structure. Although the main optical fiber back bone is still under implementation, the existing operational switching and routing infrastructure of main centers of Kosovo are interconnected to transmission structure on SDH hierarchy or on dark fiber concept through gigabit Ethernet level. Through this paper the future aspects of network development toward IPTV implementation in Kosovo's network are presented.


There are surgical methods called Interventional Radiology (IVR) using CT equipments in medical treatments of lung cancers, a blood vessels, and so on. IVR has an advantage that invasiveness is low and medical treatments with local anesthesia are possible as compare with the fact that laparotomy surgeries require general one. Therefore the number of IVR surgery has been increasing in recent years. However, radiation exposure to doctors has been concerned in the current IVR, since medical doctors conduct the treatment using CT equipment. Thus, the IVR robot should be developed in order to avoid the radioactive exposure to doctors. In this research, a robot using a parallel link mechanism is developed from the viewpoints that hand accuracy and hand rigidity are high and motors can be arranged far from CT scanning plane. The dual delta-type parallel link is proposed. It has the structure which is arranged the delta-type parallel link mechanism with three degrees of freedom (DOF). First, the arm which has offset of the axis in consideration of interference was designed. Secondly, inverse kinematics of parallel link was analyzed. Next, Delta-type parallel link mechanism with three DOF was manufactured. Finally, basic motion of parallel link robot was confirmed.


In this study, the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of cyclic trimer N3P3Cl6 catalyzed by [Et3Si(N3 P3Cl6)][CHB11H5Br6] (3) obtained from the reaction of N3P3Cl6 (1) and Et3Si(CHB11H5Br6) (2) at room temperature was investigated. This provided a unique opportunity to explore the polymerization mechanism. The coordinatively unsaturated cation [N3P3Cl5]+ is responsible for the ROP of N3P3Cl6, and is formed by the intramolecular elimination of Et3SiCl from 3. The detection of Et3SiCl by 1H-NMR as the catalysis proceeded offers new evidence for the formation of [N3P3Cl5]+. The progress of the catalysis was followed using 31 P-NMR and revealed the build-up of a polymer. Cyclic phosphazenes with rings larger than that of N3P3Cl6 [(Cl2P=N)n (n = 4-7)] were observed fairly early in the course of the ROP. The propagation of that polymerization at room temperature proceeded via a living cationic mechanism.


Alice and Bob want to share a secret key and to communicate an independent message, both of which they desire to be kept secret from an eavesdropper Eve. We study this problem of secret communication and secret key generation when two resources are available - correlated sources at Alice, Bob, and Eve, and a noisy broadcast channel from Alice to Bob and Eve. No other resource, in particular, no other channel is available. We are interested in characterizing the fundamental trade-off between the rates of the secret message and secret key. We present an achievable solution based on a separation architecture and prove its optimality under three settings: when Eve's source and channel are degraded versions of Bob's, and either Bob's source or channel is by itself useless in generating a secret key.


We characterize spinning dust emission in the warm ionized medium (WIM) by comparing templates of Galactic dust and Hα with the five-year maps from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP). The Hα-correlated microwave emission deviates from the thermal bremsstrahlung (free–free) spectrum expected for ionized gas, exhibiting an additional broad bump peaked at ∼40 GHz which provides ∼20% of the peak intensity. We confirm that the bump is consistent with a modified Draine and Lazarian spinning dust model, though the peak frequency of the emission is somewhat lower than the 50 GHz previously claimed. This frequency shift results from systematic errors in the large-scale modes of the three-year WMAP data which have been corrected in the five-year data release. We show that the bump is not the result of errors in the Hα template by analyzing regions of high free–free intensity, where the WMAP K-band map may be used as the free–free template. We rule out a pure free–free spectrum for the Hα-correlated emission at high confidence: ∼27σ for the nearly full-sky fit, even after marginalizing over the cosmic microwave background cross-correlation bias. We also extend the previous analysis by searching the parameter space of the Draine and Lazarian model but letting the amplitude float. The best fit for reasonable values of the characteristic electric dipole moment and density requires an amplitude factor of ∼0.3. This suggests that small polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the WIM are depleted by a factor of ∼3.


Aims To identify and ensure that neonates with high gentamicin levels were referred for hearing assessment at 8 months. To compare practice in two tertiary level neonatal units against national guidelines. Background There is good evidence that aminoglycosides are associated with cochlear ototoxicity. Gentamicin used in conjunction with furosemide is dangerous. National Guidelines (Newborn Hearing Screening Programme) recommend babies with high levels of ototoxic drugs (outside the therapeutic range) should be referred for audiological assessment around 8 months or sooner irrespective of newborn hearing screen outcome. Methodology We retrospectively reviewed all gentamicin levels done between 7 April to 7 May and 8 July to 8 Dec across two tertiary neonatal units (Unit 1 and Unit 2). Gentamicin levels done were identified by microbiology database and high levels were defined as Trough (pre dose) >2 mg/l and Post dose >10 mg/l. Results We found 33 high gentamicin levels from both the units (17 levels from Unit 1 and 16 levels from Unit 2). There were 11 Trough and 6 post dose high levels in Unit 1, 11 Trough and 5 post dose high levels in Unit 2. Unit 1 had no referrals out of 17 (0%) and Unit 2 referred only 6 (37.5%). Conclusion As a result of this audit, both units have changed practice and there is a system in place to identify and refer neonates with high gentamicin levels for audiology assessment. Paediatricians should be aware that all neonates with high gentamicin levels should be identified and promptly referred for audiology assessment at 8 months to pick up sensorineural deafness.


This report describes an embedded system designed to support the development of embedded augmented reality applications. It includes an integrated camera and builtin graphics acceleration hardware. An example augmented reality application serves as a demonstration of how these features are accessed, as well as providing an indication of the performance of the device. The embedded augmented reality development platform consists of the Gumstix Overo computer-on-module paired with the custom-built Overocam camera board. This device offers an ARM Cortex-A8 CPU running at 600 MHZ and 256 MB of RAM, along with the ability to capture VGA video at 30 frames per second. The device runs an operating system based on version 2.6.33 of the Linux kernel. The main feature of the device is the OMAP3530 multimedia applications processor from Texas Instruments. In addition to the ARM CPU, it provides an on-board 2D/3D graphics accelerator and a digital signal processor. It also includes a built-in camera peripheral interface, reducing the complexity of the camera board design. A working example of an augmented reality application is included as a demonstration of the device's capabilities. The application was designed to represent a basic augmented reality task: tracking a single marker and rendering a simple virtual object. It runs at around 8 frames per second when a marker is visible and 13 frames per second otherwise. The result of the project is a self-contained computing platform for vision-based augmented reality. It may either be used as-is or customised with additional hardware peripherals, depending on the requirements of the developer.


The authors present three cases of retroperitoneal fibrosis. Two of which were induced by bromocriptine (PARLODEL). These three cases followed up for three years without recurrence were treated with corticoids and internal derivations (double J catheters) in two of the three cases.


AIM
The aim was to assess the methodological quality and describe recommendations for pain management in local clinical practice guidelines about induced second-trimester medical abortions at Swedish university and county hospitals.

METHODS
In 2017, Swedish university and county hospitals that provided abortion care in the second trimester of pregnancy were contacted (n = 29), and guidelines from 25 were received (university: n = 6, county: n = 19). Guideline quality was assessed according to two systematic instruments. Recommendations were systematically assessed regarding frequency and tools for pain measurement, prophylactic pharmacologic treatment, as needed pharmacologic treatment and nonpharmacologic treatment.

RESULTS
Overall methodological quality was poor across both instruments, as the majority of the guidelines did not fulfil the investigated quality criteria. For pain measurements, no guideline recommended measurement frequency and four recommended specific measurement tools. Prophylactic pharmacologic treatment, described in 23 (92%) guidelines, included paracetamol (n = 23, 92%), anti-inflammatory drugs (n = 23, 92%) and opioids (n = 18, 72%). As needed pharmacologic treatment, described in 23 (92%) guidelines, included anaesthetics (n = 21, 84%), opioids (n = 21, 84%) and paracetamol (n = 1, 4%). Recommendations for as needed anaesthetics included paracervical block (n = 21, 84%), epidural analgesia (n = 16, 64%) and inhalation of nitrous oxide (n = 5, 20%). Nonpharmacologic treatments were recommended in nine (36%) guidelines.

CONCLUSIONS
The findings indicate that local clinical practice guidelines about induced second-trimester medical abortions are of inadequate methodological quality and that a large majority lack recommendations concerning systematic pain measurements. Although most recommend prophylactic and as needed pharmacologic management, national inconsistencies exist in Sweden with regard to recommendations of epidural analgesia, nitrous oxide and nonpharmacologic methods. In Sweden, there is room for improvement in the development of these guidelines.


Purpose During a sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) for breast cancer, the appropriate number of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) to be removed for accurate axillary staging is still controversial. We hypothesized that there might be an optimal threshold number of SLNs. We investigated how many SLNs should be removed to achieve an acceptable accuracy and ensure minimal morbidity. Methods We reviewed data of 328 patients with invasive breast cancer who underwent SLNB followed by complete level I and II axillary dissection between January 2004 and December 2005. The false negative rate (FNR) and accuracy of SLNB according to the number of removed SLNs were evaluated. Results The mean number of SLNs removed was 3.0 (range, 1-14), and that of total retrieved axillary lymph nodes was 17.5 (range, 10-40). In total, 111 (33.8%) patients had positive nodes on the permanent pathological report. Among them, 12 patients had negative SLNs; thus, the overall FNR of SLNB was 10.8% (12/111) and the accuracy was 96.3% (316/328). The FNR was 26.6% for a single SLN, 8.0% for two, and 11.1% for three. In cases where four or more SLNs were removed, the FNR decreased to 0% and accuracy reached 100%. Conclusion Our data suggest that a SLNB should not only remove one or two of the hottest node(s) when other hot nodes exist. We also suggest that four might be an optimal threshold number of SLNs to be removed and that removal of more than four SLNs does not improve axillary staging accuracy.


Infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) is a common pathogen of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Turkey. We found that 455 of 1,676 sample pools tested were IPNV positive. Positive samples were found in all geographical regions where sampling was conducted. Sequence and phylogenetic analyses of VP2 from 30 isolates representing all regions showed that the viruses were highly similar in sequence and grouped within Genogroup 5 (serotype Sp-A2). No correlations between sequences, sampling sites or geographical origins were identified. Although clinical disease was evident in several farms, analyses of the amino acid sequence of VP2 showed that all virus strains harboured the P217 T221 motif, assumed to be associated with low virulence. We conclude that IPNV is prevalent in Turkish rainbow trout farms and that the viruses are very homogenous and likely to be of European origin. Frequent exchange of eggs and live fish within the farming industry may explain the homogeneity of the IPNV.


OBJECTIVE: To examine whether being pregnant or postpartum was associated with excess risk for homicide among females in Illinois and to describe the association between pregnancy status and homicide by race, ethnicity, and age group. METHODS: This is a retrospective, multicohort, ecologic study of females of reproductive age in Illinois between 2002 and 2011 using Illinois Department of Public Health maternal mortality data and vital records data. We compared pregnancy-associated homicides with live births using &khgr;2 tests. Among maternal deaths in the state, we calculated mortality rates per 100,000 live births for homicide and other violent causes and the leading direct obstetric causes. We calculated aggregate, pregnancy-associated, and nonpregnancy associated homicide rates stratified by race or ethnicity and age group. RESULTS: There were 636 pregnancy-associated deaths in Illinois from 2002 to 2011. Of these, 82 (13%) were the result of homicide (5.0 [95% confidence interval (CI) 4.0–6.2]/100,000 live births). There were 931 homicides among females of reproductive age not associated with pregnancy (2.88 [95% CI 2.70–3.07]/100,000 population). More than half of the homicides were women aged 20–29 years (n=53 [64.6%]), non-Hispanic black women (n=43 [52.4%]), women residing in Cook County (n=47 [57.3%]), and unmarried women (n=57 [69.5%]). Pregnant and postpartum females aged 10–29 years were at twice the risk of homicide compared with their nonpregnant or postpartum counterparts (relative risk 2.20 [95% CI 1.70–2.85]). Non-Hispanic black and Hispanic females experienced higher rates of homicide than non-Hispanic white females irrespective of pregnancy or age. CONCLUSION: Although all violence against women must be addressed, we recommend that state maternal mortality review committees, in addition to reviewing deaths resulting from obstetric and clinical causes, should conduct in-depth reviews of pregnancy-associated homicides and other violent deaths.


In recent years, there has been increased interest in the development and use of quantitative structure‐activity/property relationship (QSAR/QSPR) models. For the most part, this is due to the fact that experimental data is sparse and obtaining such data is costly, while theoretical structural descriptors can be obtained quickly and inexpensively. In this study, three linear regression methods, viz. principal component regression (PCR), partial least squares (PLS), and ridge regression (RR), were used to develop QSPR models for the estimation of human blood:air partition coefficient (logPblood:air) for a group of 31 diverse low‐molecular weight volatile chemicals from their computed molecular descriptors. In general, RR was found to be superior to PCR or PLS. Comparisons were made between models developed using parameters based solely on molecular structure and linear regression (LR) models developed using experimental properties, including saline:air partition coefficient (logPsaline:air) and olive oil:air partition coefficient (logPolive  oil:air), as independent variables, indicating that the structure‐property correlations are comparable to the property‐property correlations. The best models, however, were those that used rat logPblood:air as the independent variable. Haloalkane subgroups were modeled separately for comparative purposes and, although models based on the congeneric compounds were superior, the models developed on the complete set of diverse compounds were of acceptable quality. The structural descriptors were placed into one of three classes based on level of complexity: topostructural (TS), topochemical (TC), or three‐dimensional/geometrical (3D). Modeling was performed using the structural descriptor classes both in a hierarchical fashion and separately. The results indicate that highest quality structure‐based models, in terms of descriptor classes, were those derived using TC descriptors.


The use of dermoscopy in general dermatological practice has recently increased. Its non-invasive nature means it is being practiced frequently by dermatologists to diagnose various skin conditions. Dermoscopy, also known as dermatoscopy, allows dermatologists to quickly visualise skin structures up to the papillary dermis level. The skin patterns seen under dermoscopy are usually due to pigment and vascular structures; melanin and haemoglobin play major roles and give different patterns depending on the skin condition and pathological changes. Many inflammatory diseases are encountered by clinicians in daily practice; at times they are indistinguishable to the naked eye and a biopsy is required to confirm the diagnosis. Dermoscopy is a useful tool in the diagnosis and differentiation of inflammatory skin conditions and is aptly termed inflammoscopy when used in these situations. Inflammoscopy demonstrates the distinct characteristic patterns of many conditions and aids accurate diagnoses. In this article, the importance of dermoscopy in the diagnosis of relatively common inflammatory conditions, such as eczema, psoriasis, lichen planus, pityriasis rosea, pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta, pityriasis lichenoides chronica, and discoid lupus erythematosus, is highlighted. Here, an overview of dermoscopic patterns in each of these conditions is emphasised.


Recommender systems provide personalized suggestions to users and are critical to the success of many e-commerce sites, such as Netflix and Amazon. Outside of e-commerce, recommender systems can be deployed in fields such as intelligence analysis, for recommending high-quality information source to analysts for further examination. In this work, we present the square counting method for rating predictions in recommender systems. Our method is based on analyzing the bipartite rating network with score-labeled edges representing user nodes' ratings to item nodes. Edges are denoted as an I-love-it or I-hate-it edge based on whether the rating score on the edge is above or below a threshold. For a target user-item pair, we count the number for each configuration of love-hate squares that involve the target pair, where the sequence of I-love-it or I-hate-it edges determine the particular configuration. The counts are used as features in a supervised machine learning framework for training and rating prediction. The method is implemented and empirically evaluated on a large-scale Yahoo! music user-item rating dataset. Results show that the square counting method is fast, simple to parallelize, scalable to massive datasets and makes highly accurate predictions. Finally, we report an interesting empirical finding that configurations with consecutive I-hate-it edges seem to provide the most powerful signal in predicting a user's love for an item.1


BACKGROUND
Estimations of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) obtained either by the modification of diet in renal disease study equation (MDRD-GFR) or by classic 24-hour urine collection-based methods (mean of creatinine and urea clearance (Ccr-ur)) are considered to be equivalent in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF). However, the agreement between both methods has been insufficiently studied in patients during the most advanced stages of CRF.

METHODS
We compared 615 estimations of GFR performed by both methods simultaneously in adult (> 18 years) patients with advanced (aCRF) (15 - 30 ml/min/1.73m2) and preterminal (tCRF) (< 15 ml/min/1.73m2) chronic renal failure. We also analyzed the influence of some relevant covariables (demographic characteristics, inflammatory and nutritional markers) with respect to the concordance between both methods.

RESULTS
In aCRF, mean GFR were 19.7 +/- 5.5 (MDRD-GFR) and 19.3 +/- 3.7 ml/min/1.73m2 (Ccr-ur) (mean difference 0.4 ml/min/1.73m2, 95% confidence interval CI -0.3/1.1, p = 0.26), with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.46. In tCRF, mean GFR was 12.5 +/- 4.2 and 10.4 +/- 2.7 ml/min/1.73m2, respectively (mean difference 2.1 ml/min/1.73m2, 95% CI 1.7/2.4, p < 0.0005), with an intraclass correlation co-efficient of 0.43. Multivariate analysis identified lean body mass, body mass index, protein nitrogen appearance, proteinuria, gender, age, albumin (aCRF) and prealbumin (tCRF) as variables independently correlated with the difference MDRD-GFR minus Ccr-ur. Lean body mass was by far the strongest predictor of deviations between both methods, both in aCRF (R2 = 0.66, p < 0.0005) and tCRF (R2 = 0.49, p < 0.0005).

CONCLUSIONS
MDRD-GFR and Ccr-ur show an acceptable agreement in advanced stages of chronic renal failure. However, MDRD-GFR produces estimations of GFR systematically higher than those given by the Ccr-ur method, in patients with tCRF. Moreover, this overestimation is particularly marked in some high risk subsets, including elderly patients and those presenting markers of a poor nutritional condition. Until this issue is further clarified, GFR should be estimated using Ccr-ur rather than MDRD-GFR in patients with tCRF, as also in older and malnourished patients with aCRF, as this may represent a more conservative and safer approach at the time of planning initiation of renal replacement therapy.


This Editorial outlines two Registered Report (RR) formats offered by Addiction Research and Theory (ART): the 'traditional' RR route and the new 'Peer Community in RR' initiative. In the former, authors submit their study protocol for pre-study peer-review, allowing for assessment and peer feedback regarding the validity of the research questions and the study methodology prior to data collection (or in the case of secondary data, data analysis). High quality proposals then receive In Principle Acceptance (IPA), meaning that the journal commits to publishing the study regardless of its findings, so long as the protocol is followed appropriately, and an evidence-based interpretation of the results is undertaken. In the latter, authors follow a similar workflow, but submit their study protocol through PCI RR; a community driven initiative that reviews and recommends RRs across the full spectrum of STEM, medicine, social sciences, and the humanities. As a 'PCI RR friendly journal', ART commits to publishing any recommended articles which receive acceptance via this route, without the need for additional peer review. We hope that these developments will contribute to addiction science more actively adopting open science principles and help mitigate reproducibility concerns within the published literature.


We present deep Ks < 21.5 (Vega) identifications, redshifts, and stellar masses for most of the sources composing the bulk of the 24 μm background in the GOODS/CDFS. Our identified sample consists of 747 Spitzer MIPS 24 μm objects and includes ~94% of all the 24 μm sources in the GOODS-South field that have fluxes Sν(24 μm) > 83 μJy (the ~80% completeness limit of the Spitzer/GTO 24 μm catalog); 36% of our galaxies have spectroscopic redshifts (mostly at z < 1.5), and the remaining ones have photometric redshifts of very good quality, with a median of |dz| = |zspec - zphot|/(1 + zspec) = 0.02. We find that MIPS 24 μm galaxies span the redshift range z ~ 0-4 and that a substantial fraction (28%) lie at high redshifts z ≳ 1.5. We determine the existence of a bump in the redshift distribution at z ~ 1.9, indicating the presence of a significant population of galaxies with PAH emission at these redshifts. The 24 μm galaxy population ranges from sources with intermediate luminosities (1010 L☉ < LIR < 1011 L☉) and low-to-intermediate assembled stellar masses (109 M☉ ≲ M ≲ 1011 M☉) at z ≲ 0.8, to massive (M ≳ 1011 M☉) hyperluminous galaxies (LIR > 1012 L☉) at redshifts z ~ 2-3. Massive star-forming galaxies at redshifts 2 ≲ z ≲ 3 are characterized by very high star formation rates (SFR > 500 M☉ yr-1), and some of them are able to construct a mass of ≈1010-1011 M☉ in a single burst lifetime (~0.01-0.1 Gyr). At lower redshifts z ≲ 2, massive star-forming galaxies are also present but appear to be building their stars on long timescales, either quiescently or in multiple modest burstlike episodes. At redshifts z ~ 1-2, the ability of the burstlike mode to produce entire galaxies in a single event is limited to some lower (M ≲ 7 × 1010 M☉) mass systems, and it is basically negligible at z ≲ 1. Our results support a scenario in which star formation activity is differential with assembled stellar mass and redshift, and where the relative importance of the burstlike mode proceeds in a downsizing way from high to low redshifts.


Fourth generation superalloys are characterised by the addition of Ru which contributes to improved creep resistance whilst improving the microstructural stability. However, Ru additions have a negative effect on coated Ni-base superalloys, promoting Secondary Reaction Zone (SRZ) formation. Formation of a layer of SRZ beneath an aluminised or Pt-aluminised coating has the potential to reduce the effective cross section of a blade by in excess of 100 μm or 10% of the wall thickness. In this paper the effects of alloy composition on the formation of the SRZ in Pt-Aluminised fourth generation alloys were investigated systematically. A series of experimental fourth generation alloys was used having two distinct compositions of Co, Mo, W and Ru and conforming to a four factorial 'Design of Experiments' model. These alloys showed significant and consistent changes in the SRZ depending on alloy composition. These were in distinct contrast to the effects of these elements on stability in the bulk. Mo was demonstrated to be by far the most effective element suppressing SRZ formation, followed by Co. In contrast, both W and Ru enhance SRZ formation.


This paper reports on laboratory experiments on the formation of partnerships in social networks. Agents randomly request favors and turn to their neighbors to form a partnership where they commit to provide the favor when requested. The formation of a partnership is modeled as a sequential game, which admits a unique subgame perfect equilibrium resulting in the formation of the maximum number of partnerships. Experimental results show that a large fraction of the subjects (75%) play according to their subgame perfect equilibrium strategy and reveals that the ei¬ƒcient maximum matching is formed over 78% of the times. When subjects deviate from their best responses, they accept to form partnerships too early. The incentive to accept when it is optimal to reject is positively correlated with subjects' risk aversion, and players employ simple heuristics – like the presence of a captive partner – to decide whether they should accept or reject the formation of a partnership.


On Black Bartholomew's Day 1662, the Presbyterian Samuel Clarke was one of over two thousand ministers and teachers ejected from their positions by the Restoration government. From the outside, puritans in general, and Presbyterians in particular, were regarded as divisive and censorious. Their dissent was characterised as emanating from zealotry and unreasonable passion that placed them beyond the bounds of a moderate middle way. But for those who counted themselves as godly, intense emotional experience was the essence of rationality and an essential part of their piety.

Historians have debated the emotional impact of Calvinist theology and how feeling was central to religious experience. They have exhaustively scrutinised the place of puritanism more generally. However, the role of affect as articulated in public discourse, and the dynamics of emotion in shaping the interface between individual and collective identity has been neglected. Yet, feeling was a fundamental component of politico-religious identities that reflected cultural habituations and determined the nature of the interaction between those of different persuasions.

This thesis proposes that a concept of affective culture helps to locate Clarke's Presbyterianism within these multifarious identities as they developed in the mid-seventeenth century. It draws upon concepts and methodologies from the field of emotions history to explore the relationship between cultures, published text and affect. In his published anthologies Samuel Clarke presented patterns of affect, mobilising a construction of unruly passions and rational affections to underpin his purpose of representing his confessional community as an orthodoxy at the centre of the English Church. This account begins with a macro view that establishes the place of Clarke's work in the affective context of mid-seventeenth-century politico-religious conflict. It goes on to develop an analysis of how Clarke fashioned a template of pious emotion, before considering how affective culture shaped personal and collective identities.


In this study, the IMRT and VMAT boost plans for 10 left-sided breast cancer patients were analysed using DVH parameters and treatment delivery parameters. Before treatments, IMRT and VMAT plans were made for every patient and they were evaluated qualitatively by noting the dose distributions slice-by-slice and then quantitatively by analysing various DVH parameters. The results were noted and statistically analysed for the significant differences in the mean values. It was noted that the VMAT plans resulted in significantly higher mean doses as well as higher near-maximum doses. The doses to the Heart, contralateral breast, contralateral lung, were found to be statistically similar in both techniques. However, the mean doses to the ipsilateral lung were significantly lesser in IMRT techniques. Similarly, the IMRT technique gave lesser low dose volume V5%(%) than that of VMAT. In contrast, VMAT plans required significantly less MUs per fraction as compared to IMRT plansIt is concluded that both IMRT and VMAT plans resulted in good conformation of dose with homogenous dose distribution, depending on dose-volume tolerance of the ipsilateral lung being exceeded or not, and on compliance issues of the patient during treatment, the final decision of choosing the technique is to be made.


In Due Process and Victims' Rights Kent Roach critically examines dramatic changes in criminal justice in the last two decades. He argues that increasing concern by courts about the rights of those accused of crime and by legislatures about the rights of crime victims and groups who are disproportionately subject to some crimes, such as women and children, has transformed debates about criminal justice. He examines recent cases in which due process and victims' rights have clashed and concludes that, in most instances, victims' rights claims have ultimately prevailed. He concludes that the future of criminal justice will depend on whether victims' rights continue to develop in a punitive fashion or whether they inspire increased emphasis on crime prevention and restorative justice. This is the first full-length study of the law and politics of criminal justice in the era of the Charter and victims' rights. It examines changing discourse in the courts, legislatures, and media, and the role of women, young people, minorities, Aboriginal people, and crime victims in criminal justice reform. It builds new models of criminal justice based on victims' rights as alternatives to Herbert Packer's famous due process and crime control models. Roach draws on criminology literature about the growth of a 'risk society,' in which the risk of crime is more easily calculated and controlled, as well as writings concerned with restorative and Aboriginal justice.


Abstract Metabolites of polyunsaturated fatty acids, primarily arachidonic acid, are important physiological regulators of blood coagulation. In contrast to many other substances involved in coagulation, eicosanoids affect virtually all links of hemostasis; they are responsible for blood vessel wall thromboresistance and its acquisition of procoagulant properties in response to various agonists, regulate the extent of cell-to-cell interactions, modulate reactions of plasma hemostasis and blood fibrinolytic activity, and change hemodynamic parameters. Such complex effects of eicosanoids on thrombogenesis suggest that they are unique and extremely important biologically active substances that strongly determine the balance of anticoagulant and procoagulant factors.


In this paper, we study the principle of equal probability (i.e., unless we have sufficient reason to regard one possible case as more probable than another, we treat them as equally probable) in measurement theory (i.e., the theory of quantum mechanical world view), which is characterized as the linguistic turn of quantum mechanics with the Copenhagen interpretation. This turn from physics to language does not only realize theremarkable extensionof quantum mechanicsbut alsoestablish the method of science. Our study will be executed in the easy example of the Monty Hall problem. Although our argument is simple, we believe that it is worth pointing out the fact that the principle of equal probability can be, for the first time, clarified in measurement theory (based on the dualism) and not the conventional statistics (based on Kolmogorov's probability theory).


Abstract
Background: Foodborne diseases are commonly found in developing countries like Ethiopia because of the prevailing poor food handling and sanitation practices. Food prepared in large quantities is liable to contamination and to the rise of foodborne diseases if the strictest principles of hygiene are not maintained.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the sanitary conditions of food establishments in Mekelle town, Tigray region, North Ethiopia.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2004 to January 2005. Four hundred and twenty establishments were enrolled through a simple random selection technique after a list of all food establishments was obtained through a census. Trained enumerators used standard and structured pre-tested questionnaires to collect data. Bacteriological tests were conducted on food utensils using standard laboratory procedures. Data entry, cleaning, and analysis were performed using Epi Info Version 6.04d.
Results: This study found that latrines, hand washing basins, proper types of solid waste receptacles, and privately owned tap water were available in 96.9%, 57.1%, 39.2% and 93.6% of the food establishments, respectively. Proper dish washing and food storage practices were observed in 46%, and 52% of the establishments, respectively. Poor practices in personal hygiene among food handlers were commonly observed. Of all bacteriologically tested food utensils, 44.3% were found with aerobic mesophilic bacteria above the accepted level (> 100 colonies per plate) and 45.5% were grossly contaminated (>50 fecal coliform per 100ml). Staphylococcus aurous and Escherichia coli were also isolated.
Conclusion and Recommendation: Overall findings of this study indicate the high likelihood of food contamination in food establishments in Mekelle. The study recommends that regulatory activities should be strengthened to ensure basic food sanitation practices in public food vending establishments in this town. [Ethiop.J.Health Dev.
2007;21(1):3-11]


Introduction Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a yet not fully understood disease, which is more commonly encountered in obese, young age women. The presence of venous hypertension is often implicated as the pathophysiological origin of IIH, which is postulated to arise as a squeal to intracranial venous stenosis or intrathoracic origin (such as obesity and elevated central venous hypertension). Intracranial venous stenosis has been described in up to 90% of IIH patients. Recently, a case series examined the effect of conscious sedation (CS) and general anesthesia (GA) on endovascular venous pressure gradient measurements. Their results suggest that there is a sizable difference between measurements taken under CS and those under GA, which has an effect on the selection process of IIH patients by either overestimating or underestimating the pressure gradient. In this report, we aim to examine effect of GA of endovascular pressure gradient measurements in IIH patients as well as the decision to go on with stenting. Methods We performed a retrospective chart review of all patients, who received endovascular transverse sinus stenting due to medical treatment refractory IIH between August 2013 and March 2017 in our institution was performed. Patients who received an endovascular venous pressure measurement during conscious sedation and under general anesthesia in the same setting were then identified. Chart analysis included: patients' demographics; anesthetic agents used in CS and GA; endovenous pressure measurements during CS, GA and after stent placement; stent type and size; and whether the decision to place the stent was revised based on the change in pressure measurements. The threshold for stenting was a pressure gradient across the transverse sinus stenosis of >8 mm Hg. Results We identified 12 patients who received endovascular pressure gradient measurements under CS and GA. All patients (100%) were female. The mean age was 30.7 years (SD 8.8 and rage 15–42) and the mean BMI was 40.7 (SD 10.1, range 28–63.7). Anesthetic agents used during CS were;; midazolam, fentanyl and propofol and during GA;; propofol and vapor anesthetic (Sevoflurane in 6 patients, Desflurane in 4 patients, and Isoflurane in 2 patients). Mean pressure gradient under CS was 21.7 mmHg (SD 8.5) and 15.8 mmHg (SD 7.9) under GA. Eight (66%) patients showed a pressure gradient reduction after initiation of GA (average 10 mmHg, range 1–20), 2 (18%) patients showed an increase of pressure gradient under GA (2 and 9 mmHg) and 2 (18%) patients had a stable gradient. Post-stenting the pressure gradient was successfully reduced to an average of 2.1 mmHg (SD 2.6). Conclusion When performed in the same setting, endovascular pressure gradient across transverse stenosis in IIH patients performed under GA shows a sizable reduction (6 mmHg) compared with measurements taken under CS. Further studies are needed to examine the role anesthetic agents and different accompanying factors in regard to the optimal pressure gradient threshold for transverse sinus stenting in IIH patients. Disclosures A. El Mekabaty: None. E. Obusez: None. C. Chung: None. M. Luciano: None. F. Hui: None.


Abstract Beneficial effects of foliar N application to cereal crops have been widely believed to rely on subsequent rainfall or irrigation in the semi-arid region where in-crop rain is insufficient and unreliable. To verify this, factors contributing to the effects of foliar N application were assessed by implementing foliar N application in trials on three farmers' properties in central Queensland, Australia. Solutions of CRN35 (30 kg N ha−1 at 1.94 N % w v_1), urea and UAN (both 26, 2.25%), and urea (20, 20%; 40, 20%) and UAN (20, 20%; 40, 40%), were applied to wheat at anthesis respectively at the three properties (sites). Adjuvant chemical agents were also applied in mixture form with the N at the latter two sites. At the first site, with foliar N (CRN35) application, grain protein content on average increased by 1.07 percentage points, and by 1.6 in the presence of basal superphosphate. Superphosphate alone also increased grain yield. At the second site, while the applications of UAN and urea increased grain protein content by 1.3 and 0.9 percentage points, respectively, UAN showed superiority to urea in N recovery. At the third site, foliar N applications with or without chemical adjuvant did not affect grain protein content, but due to the higher concentration in the N solution, some of them (excluding UAN40) had negative effects on grain yield, compared to the water only control. Based on our data and supporting literature, to ensure the positive effect on wheat grain protein content, subsequent irrigation or rainfall may not be critical provided that foliar N concentration is lower than 5%. It is also suggested that UAN is superior to urea as an N source for foliar application. For alkaline/sodic soils, while the application of basal superphosphate increased grain yield, the added foliar N ensured an increase of grain protein content.


This paper has been written in the context of the clamour for reform in the property tax systems in Indian municipalities. Recent attempts at reform have been based on shifting away from the age-old rental value based system of property taxation. The authors explore the possibility of an alternative capital value based system for a metropolitan city and address the intricacies of a smooth shift-over to the alternative, taking into consideration the pre-reform utility positions of both the property owners and the local government.


AIM
To determine activities and outcomes of intensive care unit Liaison Nurse/Outreach services. The review comprised two stages: (1) integrative review of qualitative and quantitative studies examining intensive care liaison/outreach services in the UK and Australia and (2) meta-synthesis using the Nursing Role Effectiveness Model as an a priori model.

BACKGROUND
Acute ward patients are at risk of adverse events and patients recovering from critical illness are vulnerable to deterioration. Proactive and reactive strategies have been implemented to facilitate timely identification of patients at risk.

DESIGN
Systematic review.

METHODS
A range of data bases was searched from 2000-2008. Studies were eligible for review if they included adults in any setting where intensive care unit Liaison Nurse or Outreach services were provided. From 1423 citations and 65 abstracts, 20 studies met the inclusion criteria.

RESULTS
Intensive care liaison/outreach services had a beneficial impact on intensive care mortality, hospital mortality, unplanned intensive care admissions/re-admissions, discharge delay and rates of adverse events. A range of research methods were used; however, it was not possible to conclude unequivocally that the intensive care liaison/outreach service had resulted in improved outcomes. The major unmeasured benefit across all studies was improved communication pathways between critical care and ward staff. Outcomes for nurses in the form of improved confidence, knowledge and critical care skills were identified in qualitative studies but not measured.

CONCLUSION
The varied nature of the intensive care liaison/outreach services reviewed in these studies suggests that they should be treated as bundled interventions, delivering a treatment package of care. Further studies should examine the impact of critical care support on the confidence and skills of ward nurses.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE
Advanced nursing roles can improve outcomes for patients who are vulnerable to deterioration. The Nursing Role Effectiveness Model provides a useful framework for evaluating the impact of these roles.


Recently deep generative models (DGMs) have been highly successful in novel protein design and could enable an unprecedented level of control in therapeu-tic and industrial applications. One DGM approach is variational autoencoders (VAEs), which can infer higher-order amino acid dependencies for useful prediction of fitness effects of mutation. Additionally, the model infers a latent space distribution, which can learn biologically meaningful representations. Another example of a DGM approach is autoregressive models, commonly implemented in language or audio tasks that have been intensively explored in protein generation of unaligned sequences. Combining these two distinct DGM approaches for protein design and fitness prediction has not been extensively studied because VAEs are prone to posterior collapse when implemented by an expressive decoder. We explore and benchmark the use of VAEs with a WaveNet-based decoder. The advantage of WaveNet-based generators is the inexpensive training time and com-putation cost relative to recurrent neural networks (RNNs) and avoids vanishing gradients because WaveNets leverage dilated causal convolutions. To avoid posterior collapse, we implemented and adapted an Information Maximizing VAE (InfoVAE) loss objective instead of a standard ELBO training objective to a semi-supervised setting with an autoregressive reconstruction loss. We extend our model from unsupervised to a semi-supervised learning paradigm for fitness prediction tasks and benchmark our model's performance on FLIP and TAPE datasets for protein function prediction. To illustrate our model's performance for protein design, we have trained our models on unaligned homologous sequence libraries of the SH3 domain and AroQ Chorismate mutase enzymes. Then we deployed it to generate novel (variable-length) sequences that are computationally predicted to fold into native structures and possess natural function. Our results demonstrate that combining a semi-supervised InfoVAE model with a WaveNet-based generator provides a robust framework for functional prediction and generative protein design without requiring multiple sequence alignments.


The Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) was created by a coalition of fresh produce industry leaders as a voluntary industry effort to improve supply chain traceability, expedite tracebacks and recalls, and isolate food safety problems when they occur. In this paper we assess the ability of the PTI to meet broad traceability goals and make recommendations for guidelines that should be followed for an effective traceback system. Our recommendations include principles for system-wide uniformity, standardization of product reference numbers, creation of a reporting mechanism, and open and transparent communication.


Background Black patients and underinsured patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) present with more advanced disease and experience worse outcomes. The study aim was to evaluate the interaction of health insurance status and race with treatment and survival in metastatic CRC. Materials and methods Patients diagnosed with metastatic CRC within NCDB from 2006–2016 were included. Primary outcomes included receipt of chemotherapy and 3-year all-cause mortality. Multivariable logistic regression and Cox-regression (MVR) including a two-way interaction term of race and insurance were performed to evaluate the differential association of race and insurance with receipt of chemotherapy and mortality, respectively. Results 128,031 patients were identified; 70.6% White, 14.4% Black, 5.7% Hispanic, and 9.3% Other race. Chemotherapy use was higher among White compared to Black patients. 3-year mortality rate was higher for Blacks and lower for Hispanics, in comparison with White patients. By MVR, Black patients were less likely to receive chemotherapy. When stratified by insurance status, Black patients with private and Medicare insurance were less likely to receive chemotherapy than White patients. All-cause mortality was higher in Black patients and lower in Hispanic patients, and these differences persisted after controlling for insurance and receipt of chemotherapy. Conclusion Black patients and uninsured or under-insured patients with metastatic CRC are less likely to receive chemotherapy and have increased mortality. The effect of health insurance among Blacks and Whites differs, however, and improving insurance alone does not appear to fully mitigate racial disparities in treatment and outcomes.


BACKGROUND
Induction of anesthesia can be distressing both for children and their parents. Nonpharmacological behavioral interventions can reduce the anxiety of children without significant adverse effects as seen with sedative medications. We hypothesized that the use of incentive-based game therapy in conjunction with parental involvement would be a simple and cost-effective intervention in reducing the preoperative anxiety in children.

METHODS
Eighty children between the age group of 4 and 8 years scheduled to undergo surgery were randomly assigned to a control group (n = 40) and intervention group (n = 40). Children in the intervention group participated in an incentive-based game in the preoperative room. Anesthesia was induced with parental presence in both the groups. The modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS) score to measure the anxiety of the children during induction was taken as the primary outcome. Induction Compliance Checklist score and parental satisfaction were assessed as secondary outcomes.

RESULTS
The mYPAS score of children in the intervention group was significantly less than the control group during anesthesia induction. The mean difference (95% confidence interval [CI]) of the mYPAS at induction between the 2 groups was 20 (95% CI, 16-24; P < .001). Fourteen (35%) children in the intervention group and 2 (5%) children in control group displayed no anxiety (mYPAS score <30) (difference of -30%; 95% CI, -11% to -49%; P < .001). Children in the intervention group were more compliant with mask induction and had a significantly less Induction Compliance Checklist score compared to the control (P < .001). Thirty (75%) parents in the intervention group were satisfied at the end of surgery compared to 6 (15%) in the control group (difference of -60%; 95% CI, -39% to -73%; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS
The use of incentive-based game therapy reduces the anxiety scores during induction of anesthesia and improves the compliance to facemask induction in children undergoing surgery. It can form a simple, cost-effective, and easy-to-administer technique that can be easily applied in low-income settings.


An attempt has been made to correlate respiration rate, cytochrome oxidase activity and mitochondrial structure in coleoptiles of rice, Oryza sativa L., germinated under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The rice coleoptiles emerge from the grain and elongate considerably even under complete anaerobiosis, which totally suppresses root and leaf growth. Cell number, dry weight and nitrogen content per coleoptile are all lowered, although some cell division and translocation of reserves into the coleoptile does take place under anaerobiosis. Compared with coleoptiles from air-grown seedlings, anaerobically grown coleoptiles have a much lower capacity for respiratory oxygen uptake and their cytochrome oxidase activity is depressed even more. Mitochondria, however, are still abundant in 4-day-old anaerobic coleoptiles, with a crista density only slightly lower than in cells of aerobically grown coleoptiles. Since, in the embryonic coleoptile of the ungerminated grain, mitochondria show very little internal structure, a considerable amount of elaboration of mitochondrial structure must occur in the rice coleoptile under anaerobiosis, contrasting with the situation in yeast, where mitochondria of normal structure are formed only in aerobic conditions. Since a high crista density develops in rice coleoptile mitochondria with a very much depressed cytochrome oxidase activity, there is no obligate correlation between crista density and cytochrome oxidase activity in this tissue.


SIR,-Dr. J. R. Turtle's study of glucose and insulin secretory response patterns following diet and tolazamide therapy in diabetes (12 September, p. 606) confirms our own findings' 2 in respect of the effects of long-term acetohexamide in non-obese, maturity-onset diabetes-namely, that after three months of treatment with acetohexamide (0.5g. b.d.) the effectiveness of endogenous insulin is enhanced. Our patients differed from Dr. Turtle's in that their diabetes was more severe in terms of blood glucose levels. During treatment only 13 of our patients achieved a reduction in the area under the blood glucose curve of 16%0/, or more of that at the initial test, before treatment, and the mean reduction after three months' treatment was by 40'%',. Also, in contrast to his patients, the mean area under the insulin curve at the time of our initial tests was significantly less than in our non-obese, non-diabetic controls. After two months' treatment the mean area under our glucose curves had fallen by 35°/, but the mean area under the insulin curves had risen by 46"%,. After three months' treatment, however, although the mean area under the glucose curves was reduced further, by 40%, of the initial value, the mean area under the insulin curves had declined, though it was still 31 'X, above the initial value. The differences between the results of our two studies appear to be due largely to differences in the severity of the diabetes. It is known that the insulin response to glucose in diabetics declines as blood glucose levels rise,3 which may explain the differences in the initial insulin responses with respect to controls in our two series. During the first month or two of treatment in our patients insulin output increased as glucose tolerance improved, but by three months sustained or progressive improvement in glucose tolerance was accompanied by a decline in insulin output towards, or even below initial levels. Thus at this time, in both Dr. Turtle's and our patients, there appeared to be less antagonism to insulin. Dr. Turtle has also shown that with diet alone though relative insulin deficiency persisted insulin effectiveness increased. It appears, therefore, that reduction in blood glucose levels, whether by diet, sulphonylureas, or indeed by exogenous insulin, is a common factor, possibly allowing initially for improved [3-cell function. Prolonged hyperglycaemia may cause islet cell degeneration, and persistent diabetes in cats4 and the insulin secretory mechanism in man becomes exhausted in the face ol prolonged hyperglycaemia.5 It is reasonable to suppose that recovery of islet cell function might take place when long-standing hyperglycaemia is reduced by any means The subsequent reduction of insulin antagonism may possibly be a direct consequence of the initial rise in circulating insulin, as it is known that diminished insulin sensitivity in alloxan-diabetic animals may be counteracted by insulin.6-I am, etc.,


The simplicity of multicast as a communication primitive belies its broad utility as a building block for distributed applications. Nevertheless, creating and maintaining multicast structures can be challenging, particularly when networks are transient and/or dynamic. We introduce a new unstructured multi-source multicast (UMM) overlay approach that we argue is less complex than, but as efficient as, current state-of-the-art solutions based either on structured overlays or on running full routing protocols at the overlay level. UMM builds a base overlay independently from the routing mechanisms employed to route messages. On top of this base overlay, it selects distribution trees for each multicast source by first flooding the base overlay and then using the implicit information contained in duplicated messages to select and filter out redundant tunnels. Simple heuristics are used to maintain and evolve both the base overlay and the multicast distribution trees in response to changes in the set of overlay participants or in underlying network conditions. We experiment on a 65-node PlanetLab deployment and on ModelNet emulated distributed platforms to quantify the overheads associated with UMM operation and to explore its performance and adaptability to changes in the underlying network conditions.


The measurement techniques employed to obtain the shielding effectiveness (SE) of enclosures using the current version of IEEE 299.1 only apply to enclosures of side dimension greater than 0.1m, and are also lacking in a full analysis of the field distributions within the enclosure. The work presented here uses the IEEE 299.1 draft standard as a base and investigates different methods of obtaining the SE, as well as looking at making the measurement more applicable to physically small and electrically large enclosures, and hoping to inform future versions of shielding effectiveness standards for small enclosures.

The first part of this thesis investigates the use of a comb generator as a source in an enclosure under test (EUT), which provides a statistically uniform electric field inside the EUT when combined with a small mechanical stirrer. The EUT used here is an equivalent size to a 19 inch rack unit used in many equipment rigs; therefore investigations using it are of relevance to the real world.

It becomes apparent that it is important to be sure that statistical field uniformity is achieved within the EUT as well as in the test chamber. The chamber at the University of York is compared with the chamber used in Ancona, Italy. Meanwhile, it is found that the presence of a direct path or unstirred component distribution in an enclosure or chamber can change the measured SE.

A study of aperture dominated EUTs reveals that it is possible to obtain an indication of the SE of an enclosure using the Q−factor. This test method has the advantage that it can be applied to enclosures that have a low SE or have many apertures, as is the case in some real enclosures. Continuing the development into testing physically small enclosures that are outside the scope of IEEE 299:1997, it is shown that a physically small enclosure can be represented by an electrically equivalent larger enclosure. This is also of use when considering IEEE 299.1.


AIM
We describe the technique and our results in managing lower eyelid involutional medial ectropion using a combination of lateral tarsal strip to address horizontal eyelid laxity, and transconjunctival inferior retractor plication to address inferior retractor dehiscence.

METHODS
Patients with symptoms of epiphora or signs of medial ectropion were offered this procedure. All had the following characteristics: medial lower eyelid eversion, punctal eversion >3 mm, medial canthal tendon laxity <4 mm, significant horizontal eyelid laxity and lacrimal systems that were patent to syringing.

RESULTS
A total of 24 eyelids of 17 patients underwent this procedure over a 12-month period. The mean age of the patients was 79.7 years; 11 were male and six were female. The mean follow-up time was 18 months. Two eyes had undergone previous surgery. All patients had restoration of the eyelid margin to the globe and relief of symptoms. No complications were noted.

DISCUSSION
These results suggest that excision of posterior lamellar tissue is not necessary for correction of involutional medial ectropion. Transconjunctival plication or reattachment of retractors is easy to perform and allows for the repair of more than the medial portion of the retractors if required.


Background: B. carterii (Frankincense) and B. sacra (Sacred) essential oils (EOs) have been used for many centuries in several medicinal applications. More recently, those EOs were investigated for their anticancer properties and used in combination with other natural compounds resulting in enhanced biological activities. To that extend, yeast-derived β-glucan have shown remarkable anticancer and chemo-preventive potential in the past decades whether tested alone or in combination. In this context, the in vitro chemo-preventive, antiradical and antiproliferative effects of B. carterii (Frankincense) and B. sacra (Sacred) EOs used alone and in combination with Insoluble β-glucan from Saccharomyces boulardii on colorectal cancer (CRC) were investigated.
Methods and findings: Essential oils and insoluble β-glucan from Saccharomyces boulardii cell wall were assayed for their capacity to increase the specific activity of NAD(P)H: quinone reductase (QR), scavenge radicals and inhibit growth of human CRC cells (CHO-K1 and HT-29 cells). Results demonstrated that B. carterii (Frankincense) and B. sacra (Sacred) scavenged superoxide anions and similarly inhibited growth of two human CRC cell lines. This study also reported the increase of QR activity as a novel mechanism of action of these EOs in cancer prevention and demonstrated that insoluble β-glucan from S. boulardii cell wall enhanced the capacity of B. carterii (Frankincense) EO to increase QR specific activity as oppose to Sacred oil. Finally, Sacred oil efficiently scavenged superoxide anions and expressed cancerous cell-specific cytotoxicity when opposed to B. carterii (Frankincense) EO.
Conclusion: Results obtained in this study represents the first evidence thatBoswellia EOs can enhance QR activity when used alone or in combination with insoluble β-glucan from S. boulardii cell wall, hence suggesting a novel combination to investigate in future investigations. Complete characterization ofBoswellia EOs and further biological analyses will be required to identify component(s) that potentially responsible for such chemoprevention activities.


Contractual liability in a CGL policy is an exclusion that bars coverage for breach of contract and breach of warranty claims. The purpose of this exclusion is to eliminate coverage for claims arising under all contracts, except claims arising under an incidental or insured contract. In order to fully understand contractual liability and its application re-read my articles, Additional Insured Endorsement, Construction Defect Claims as Occurrences and Part II posted herein on May 13, 2011, May 13, 2011 and August 23, 2011, respectively.The contractual liability exclusion bars coverage for breach of contact claims, except for "insured contracts" for bodily injury or property damage, arising after the execution of the agreement.The contractual liability exclusion does cover the named insured's hold hamless or indemnification agreements in a construction contract. It does not cover the named for its own liability arising out of faulty workmanship, breach of contract or breach of warranty claims.In sum, contractual liability in a CGL policy is an exclusion, unless the liability assumed in a underlying contract or agreement is an "insured contract."


Natural gas is increasingly being viewed as one of the most viable alternatives to gasoline. Its vehicular application however will only be widespread if safe and high-capacity methane stores are developed. In this work report an over 33% increase in methane uptake on a post-synthetically modified metal-organic framework. The underlying mechanism for this dramatic increase is due to lattice defects formed upon post-synthetic modification. This method may open new approaches to natural gas storage.


Abstract : An amended six-degree-of-freedom helicopter stability and control derivative model was developed in which body acceleration and control-rate derivatives were included in the Taylor series expansion. These additional derivatives were derived from consideration of the effects of the higher-order rotor-flapping dynamics, which are known to be inadequately represented in the conventional six-degree-of-freedom, quasi-static stability-derivative model. The amended model was found to be a substantial improvement over the conventional model, effectively doubling the usable bandwidth and providing a more accurate representation of the short-period and cross-axis characteristics. Further investigations assessed the applicability of the two stability-derivative model structures for flight-test parameter identification. Parameters were identified using simulation data generated from a higher-order base-line model having sixth-order rotor tip-path-plane dynamics. Three lower-order models were identified: one using the conventional stability-derivative model structure, a second using the amended six-degree-of-freedom model structure, and a third model having eight degrees of freedom that included a simplified rotor tip-path-plane tilt representation. (Author)


In the introduction to their excellent survey of the First World War in Central Europe, Our War (Nasza wojna), Polish historians Włodzimierz Borodziej and Maciej Górny begin by wondering why the name of Przasnysz, a small Polish town north of Warsaw, carries today no connotations of misery or horror. In late 1914 and early 1915, they note, the Germans and Russians fought several ferocious battles in its vicinity, battles that ultimately claimed hundreds of thousands of casualties. And yet its name never became a part of the shared historical memory of the First World War. Przasnysz and its battles are long forgotten, not only, as might be expected, in Belgium, France and Great Britain, but also in Germany, Russia and the rest of Poland. This, Borodziej and Górny note, is symptomatic of the hold that the war's Western Front has exercised for generations on the imaginations of scholars and the wider public alike – even within the states that now occupy the territory on which the titanic clashes of the Russian, Austrian and German empires claimed millions of lives. To schoolchildren in Warsaw no less than to scholars in Great Britain and the United States, the First World War is synonymous with the trenches of Belgium and France, and with the haunted names of Ypres, Passchendaele and Verdun. But the evidence of Nasza wojna and the other three books under review here suggests that the Eastern Front is finally emerging as a subject of scholarly and popular interest. Moreover, these books illustrate that careful study of that Front has the potential to deepen our understanding of the war's complex dynamics and their impact on the states and societies that grappled with them. The sweeping conquests and extended occupations of ethnically, linguistically and religiously diverse populations; the migration of ethnic hostilities from the front lines to the home fronts of multinational states; the profound divide between urban and rural experiences of the war; the ways in which military institutions adapted to the industrialised brutality of modern warfare and the ways that venerable but sprawling imperial state systems tried to come to grips with the war's demands are just a few of the themes addressed by the books under review here. The history of the period, and of modern European history in general, stands to be greatly enriched by a renewed interest in 'the forgotten Great War'.


Deposits within the Caltanissetta basin of central Sicily have been important for developing the desiccating deep basin model for the Messinian salinity crisis in the Mediterranean. Linked structural and stratigraphic studies show that the Sicilian depocenters are synclines related to underlying thrust structures of the frontal part of the Maghrebian chain. Prior to the salinity crisis these basins were hydrodynamically linked through the foredeep to the Mediterranean. The precursor sediments (Terravecchia Formation) formed a delta, sourced from the north. Early Messinian regression acted on a range of paleobathymetries, shallow in the north and progressively deeper in the south, locally complicated by active thrust structures. Initial draw-down of Mediterranean base level is marked across the thrust belt by first cycle carbonates and evaporites on the structural highs and lows, respectively. Vast accumulations of halite and potassium salts (up to 1200 m) are restricted to growing thrust synclines. The different evaporite signatures may be related to different water conditions reflecting various meteoric and marine circulations across various subbasins, with cyclicity reflecting high-frequency variations in sea level. A sequence stratigraphic model is developed to explain fractionation of evaporite facies between different paleobathymetric settings and to predict the temporal evolution of the successions in different subbasins. Thrusting provides accommodation space for evaporites and also controls the water pathways into the desiccating basins. The intra-Messinian unconformity separating first and second cycle evaporites is a "type 1 sequence boundary" related to the forced regression associated with the acme of Mediterranean desiccation, an interpretation supported by local ravinement and incised valley fills. The overlying second cycle evaporites are a combination of detrital, reworked first cycle material and primary gypsum formed under brackish water. Regional onlap relationships and bed continuity suggest that this water body was of regional extent with a systematically rising base level. These interpretations have several implications for Messinian correlations in the Mediterranean: The deep basin evaporites correlate with an intra-Messinian unconformity that separates the two cycles on Sicily and postdate the first cycle deposits; regional base level was largely restored before the end of the salinity crisis.


Configuring enterprise database management systems is a notoriously hard problem. The combinatorial parameter space makes it intractable to run and observe the DBMS behavior in all scenarios. Thus, the database administrator has the difficult task of choosing DBMS configurations that potentially lead to critical incidents, thus hindering its availability or performance. We propose using machine learning to understand how configuring a DBMS can lead to such high risk incidents. We collect historical data from three IT environments that run both IBM DB2 and Oracle DBMS. Then, we implement several linear and non-linear multivariate models to identify and learn from high risk configurations. We analyze their performance, in terms of accuracy, cost, generalization and interpretability. Results show that high risk configurations can be identified with extremely high accuracy and that the database administrator can potentially benefit from the rules extracted to reconfigure in order to prevent incidents.


Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally with more than one million adults overweight and at least 300 million of them are clinically obese. It pose a major risk for diseases like type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, coronary heart diseases, stroke, obstructive sleep apnea, asthma, orthopedic disorders and certain forms of cancer. Siddha medicine is one of the oldest Indian system of medicine which is believed to be originated more than 10,000 years ago. It takes human and nature as a part of closed system. In siddha, obesity has been dealt by various siddhas regarding its causes, signs and symptoms. Siddha being a medical science constitutes both preventive aspects as well as treatment aspects. This article reviews about the siddha medicinal herbs possessing hypolipidemic and anti-obesity property.


The language of economic policy is as familiar as the daily newspaper tax cuts, the prime rate, monetarism, deregulation, the balance of payments but how well do we understand it? Too often, the reasoning and the difficult choices that lead to economic policies are hidden from nonexperts in a fog of statistics and jargon. "Striking a Balance" sets forth in clear, nontechnical language the principal goals of national economic policy, the instruments used to achieve these goals, and the political and economic problems arising from conflicting goals and the choice of inappropriate instruments. It is written not for economics studentsbut for the general public and for students in the related fields of public policy, journalism, and law. Unlike economics textbooks, it is not organized according to theoretical categories such as supply and demand, but around issues such as full employment and inflation. It has no ideological axe to grind and tries to present different views of controversial issues fairly. "Striking a Balance" benefits from the wisdom and experience of a mature economist. Albert Rees achieves the rare feat of explicating complex issues without oversimplification or trivialization."


This study tests for a structural shift in the relationship between revenues of ski lift operators and natural snow conditions. The analysis is based on time series data for the Swedish ski lift industry spanning from 1980 to 2017. Since 1970, snow depth in winter sport destinations has decreased markedly by about 5 cm per decade. Estimations based on the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model show that revenues (in constant prices) of ski lift operators are significantly positively related to natural snow conditions, given the impact of relative prices and real GDP. However, ARDL estimations with rolling windows reveal that the sensitivity of revenues from ski lift ticket sales to variations in snow depth is declining over time. For the subsamples starting at the end of 1980s onward, revenues no longer significantly depend on natural snow depth. This is likely due to the implementation of adaptation measures such as investments in snowmaking facilities.


Recent years have seen rapid growth in the area of map-based mobile application
system for tourist information services. Current map-based application for tourist
used Global Positioning System (GPS) technologies that make it possible to track
user movements and determine a user's current location. However, using this
technology have some restricted because of the limited capabilities which it can not
work properly inside buildings or in narrow path and light-based systems such as
infrared beacon require a tight infrastructure. Therefore, there is a need for a
development of this system where map navigation mobile tourist guides should be
able to cope with positional information of varying quality. This system is used an
rule base algorithm to get an output. The result of this system is come out with the
prototype system that adapts the rule base algorithm. Because of some constraint, so
this system is not exploring more on the development of algorithm and representation
of map. Future work may be can used a digital map on map representation and other
technique on searching algorithm.