The delamination cracks and its effects on the fracture of pipeline steel are investigated experimentally by using of Drop-Weight Tear Test (DWTT). The delamination cracks are produced by the stress perpendicular to the weak interfaces before main crack beginning or accelerating, no new delamination crack is produced during the stabile propagation of fracture. The quantity, splay degree of delamination crack and the space between two delamination cracks are influenced by the stress state of the crack tip at beginning or accelerating point of main crack and the length of delamination crack is influenced by the stress state of the crack tip during the propagation of fracture. The surface of delamination crack is cleavage fracture appearance with large cleavage facet. There is no delamination crack on the brittle fracture surface below the brittle-to-ductile temperature or on the brittle fracture region of mix-mode fracture surface with ductile and brittle region. The part of fracture surfaces with delamination crack ought to be evaluated as the shear area because the delamination cracks are produced only on the ductile fracture surface or on the ductile part of fracture surface.


Creating a differential diagnosis and rationalising a treatment plan is a challenging task for medical students and young doctors at the early stage of their training. This process will also expose deficiencies in core knowledge and problems in applying certain components of their knowledge to varied clinical situations. Guided by experienced teachers, students and doctors in training best learn these skills at the bedside. Patients do not always present with classic textbook descriptions and clinical scenarios can often be varied. During the limited period of clinical training allocated in the surgical curriculum, students may not receive sufficient exposure to an evidence-based approach and decision making in clinical surgery. There is evidence that problem-based learning (PBL) stimulates critical thinking; frequent patient encounters, focused reading, commitment and enthusiasm to acquire the essential core knowledge are all necessary prerequisites in achieving the best outcome from problem-based learning. This book addresses the essentials; common clinical encounters, a clinical decision-making approach, care pathways, the essential core knowledge of clinical anatomy, pathophysiology pertinent to the topic and a concise discussion of management pathways based on the most up-to-date guidelines (e.g. NICE, SIGN, BASO, BSG) are presented in a student friendly style which makes it easier to retain facts. Frequently asked questions at examinations are emphasised during the discussion. This approach will guide and stimulate the reader to recognise, recall and apply the relevant facts to given clinical situations. Also included are self-assessment questions: EMQs (Extended Matching Questions), SBAs (Single Best Answers) and True/False types with relevant explanatory notes. The questions are created to reinforce the concepts and to try to inspire the student's thirst for knowledge. The book is primarily aimed at undergraduates and junior doctors.


Abstract Objective: To determine whether first and second births among teenagers are associated with increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes after confounding variables have been taken into account. Design: Population based retrospective cohort study using routine discharge data for 1992-8. Setting: Scotland. Main outcome measures: Stillbirth, preterm delivery, emergency caesarean section, and small for gestational age baby among non-smoking mothers aged 15-19 and 20-29. Results: The 110 233 eligible deliveries were stratified into first and second births. Among first births, the only significant difference in adverse outcomes by age group was for emergency caesarean section, which was less likely among younger mothers (odds ratio 0.5, 95% confidence interval 0.5 to 0.6). Second births in women aged 15-19 were associated with an increased risk of moderate (1.6, 1.2 to 2.1) and extreme prematurity (2.5, 1.5 to 4.3) and stillbirth (2.6, 1.3 to 5.3) but a reduced risk of emergency caesarean section (0.7, 0.5 to 1.0). Conclusions: First teenage births are not independently associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcome and are at decreased risk of delivery by emergency caesarean section. However, second teenage births are associated with an almost threefold risk of preterm delivery and stillbirth. What is already known on this topic Teenage mothers are more likely to deliver prematurely and to have a perinatal death than older women Teenage mothers are also more likely to smoke, be having a first baby, and live in adverse social circumstances What this study adds Non-smoking women aged 15-19 having a first birth were not at increased risk of adverse obstetric outcomes compared with women aged 20-29 after potential confounding variables were adjusted for Non-smoking women aged 15-19 having a second birth were at significantly increased risk of both premature delivery and stillbirth compared with women aged 20-29


The enormous success of the Chinese economy has caused remarkable urban spatial expansion, resulting in new urban forms and reshaped city profiles. This article assesses emerging urban spatial forms that are prevalent and sizable enough to have a substantial impact on transportation, the environment, and urban sustainability. Special economic zones (SEZs), university towns, central business districts (CBDs), and mixed land development in terms of urban agglomeration, transportation, and land use externality are examined. It is concluded that efficient gains would be significant if SEZs are integrated with each other as well as with the city proper, university towns are developed to accommodate no more than a couple of colleges, and CBDs are concentrated with high-value activities. It is further concluded that mixed land use may not be an appropriate policy instrument to promote smart growth in Chinese cities because of the high degree of existing mixed land-use patterns.


Introduction The Japanese Ministry of the Environment has begun a birth cohort study, Japan Eco & Child Study, to clarify the influence environmental risks on children (http://www.env.go.jp/chemi/ceh/index.html). This study will be conducted on 100 000 pregnant mothers and their children from across Japan from 2011. Twenty-six areas across Japan offered to participate in this project, and 15 sites, including Fukushima Medical University, were chosen. The purpose of this birth cohort study is to elucidate an important hypothesis: that environmental factors, including the exposure of children from the fetal period to early childhood to chemical compounds, affects pregnancy/reproduction, the incidence of congenital anomalies, mental development, immunology/allergy, and metabolism/endocrine systems. If environmental agents affecting the growth/development of children can be clarified and reported to a risk management bureau, appropriate risk management steps, such as self-imposed restraints, examination chemical compound control, and the implementation of environmental quality standards in water and soil, can be applied. Methods Investigation scale: 100 000 pregnant mothers and their children from across Japan (we plan to enrol 6840 pregnant mothers from Fukushima City, South Soma City, and Futaba County). Investigation period: 16 years (3 for recruitment, 13 for tracking) commencing 31 January 2011. Results and Conclusion Recruitment number and rate in a half year will be presented. The prospects of Japan Eco & Child Study in Fukushima will be also described in presentation. It is important to discuss the problems on long term study.


Our Nephrology and Dialysis Unit includes three Haemodialysis Centres based in Savona, Albenga and Cairo Montenotte. These provide assistance to 150 patients. We have a Peritoneal Dialysis Clinic with 35 patients, two Post-Transplant Clinics with about 120 patients in follow-up in Savona and Albenga, and three Pre-Dialysis Clinics across the three locations. Finally, there is an autonomous hospital ward with 15 beds that has continued its activity, even if at reduced regimes. With this report we intend to share the strategy we used to prevent the spread of the SARS CoV-2 virus among the patients and the staff at our Unit, following the National, Regional and Corporate guidelines published during "Phase 1". We decided that the Haemodialysis Centres needed to remain a safe place. To insure this, medical and nursing staff and patients had to behave conscientiously and collaboratively, and according to the official Hospital guidance. Our main concern was to protect patients who, despite suffering complications and being at high risk because of their age, immunodepression and multiple comorbidities, were forced to leave their house three times a week to be treated with dialysis. The results of this strategy have ensured that, of the 150 patients undergoing haemodialysis, only 3 have been tested positive: no patients in Albenga, 2 in Savona and 1 in Cairo Montenotte, all of them lived and were infected in their nursing homes. Also, there was no positivity among any of the staff members across the three locations. Our results are extremely positive and confirm the validity that prevention and protection procedures had in the earlier stages of the pandemic.


Background: Adherence to therapies is a corner stone of treatment success. Medication non adherence in geriatric patients leads to substantial worsening of disease, increased health care costs and death. A variety of factors are likely to affect adherence. Barriers to adherence could be addressed for each patient to deal with. Objective: To assess the determinant factors of medication adherence in old patients living in their own houses. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of random sample of 438 geriatric patients where aged 70-85 years -old , living in their own homes in Serse Elian City , Menoufia Governorate . Patients' information were collected from the prescriptions in the file of the patient and home visits were done to examine their daily drug consumption. Results: Male geriatric patient were found to be more adherent to their medications than female (63.9 % versus 36.1%). Functional complain, living alone, low perceived health, cognitive impairment and patients satisfaction of their management plan were found to be significant factors in restrict following their prescribed drugs. Conclusions: Medication non adherence is not a rare event in elderly patients and is associated with functional complains and cognitive impairment.


E-Government services make government operations and processes more transparent and more effective for citizens and businesses. They also provide a variety of benefits for the community at large such as reducing services` time and connecting businesses and citizens to government information at anytime. However, the use of e-Government services depends on the citizens' readiness and attitudes towards these services. This paper identifies the degree of the citizens' readiness for e-Government services in Tanzania. The factors which influence the citizens' readiness for e-Government services were identified. The primary data were collected using questionnaires. Then the data were processed and analyzed using the SPSS. The results show that the majority of citizens are not yet ready to adopt e-Government services, mostly because of the anticipated security threats. More time and efforts are needed to create an enabling environment for citizens' readiness to adopt e-Government services in Tanzania. The paper proposes the activities to this effect.


ABSTRACT We investigate an early nineteenth‐century earthquake that has been previously cataloged but not previously investigated in detail or recognized as a significant event. The earthquake struck at approximately 4:30 a.m. LT on 8 January 1817 and was widely felt throughout the southeastern and mid‐Atlantic United States. Around 11:00 a.m. the same day, an eyewitness described a 12‐inch tide that rose abruptly and agitated boats on the Delaware River near Philadelphia. We show that the timing of this tide is consistent with the predicted travel time for a tsunami generated by an offshore earthquake 6–7 hours earlier. By combining constraints provided by the shaking intensity distribution and the tsunami observation, we conclude that the 1817 earthquake had a magnitude of low‐ to mid‐ M  7 and a location 800–1000 km offshore of South Carolina. Our results suggest that poorly understood offshore source zones might represent a previously unrecognized hazard to the southern and mid‐Atlantic coast. Both observational and modeling results indicate that potential tsunami hazard within Delaware Bay merits consideration: the simple geometry of the bay appears to catch and focus tsunami waves. Our preferred location for the 1817 earthquake is along a diffuse northeast‐trending zone defined by instrumentally recorded and historical earthquakes. The seismotectonic framework for this region remains enigmatic.


The interaction of human serum albumin (HSA) with liposomes made of saturated and unsaturated phosphocholines having distinctly different phase transition temperatures has been studied using circular dichroism (CD), steady state and time resolved fluorescence spectroscopic techniques. We used 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC), 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) as the saturated lipid and 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC), 2-oleoyl-1-palmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) as the unsaturated lipid to prepare liposomes. The CD measurement reveals that the liposomes induce some kind of stabilization in HSA. The steady state and time resolved fluorescence spectra of PRODAN (6-propionyl 1,2-dimethylaminonaphthalene) were monitored to unravel the interaction between liposome and HSA. We observed that HSA partially penetrates the liposomes due to hydrophobic interaction and destabilizes the packing order of the lipid bilayer leading to leakage of the probe molecules from the liposome. It was found that HSA preferably penetrates into the liposomes, which are less prehydrated at room temperature. Thus penetration is higher in DPPC and DMPC liposomes as these liposomes are less prehydrated due to higher phase temperature (43 °C and 23 °C respectively). On the other hand HSA has less penetration in DOPC and POPC liposomes because these liposomes are more hydrated owing to lower phase transition temperature (−20 °C and −2 °C respectively). The time resolved fluorescence measurements revealed that penetration of HSA into liposomes brings about release of PRODAN molecules. Incorporation of HSA in all the liposomes results in a significant increase in the rotational relaxation time of PRODAN. This fact confirms that HSA penetrates into the liposome and forms a bigger complex.


In order to improve the wear resistance of debris-ejecting blade of driller, cemented carbide welding coatings were prepared by arc-welding technology. The abrasive wear behavior and wear mechanisms of cemented carbide welding coatings were researched under both dry and water friction conditions. The research results show that the wear rates of the coatings increase with the increase of loads and sliding speeds. The influence of sliding speeds on wear rates of the coatings becomes intense as the increase of loads. The wear rates of the coatings under water friction conditions are bigger than those under dry friction conditions. The main wear mechanisms of the coatings are micro-cutting and multi-plastic deformation wear of matrix metal, and micro-cracking and brittle fracture as well as spalling of WC particles.


The emergence of massive open online courses (MOOCs) has caused a major impact on online education. However, learning analytics support for MOOCs still needs to improve to fulfill requirements of instructors and students. In addition, MOOCs pose challenges for learning analytics tools due to the number of learners, such as scalability in terms of computing time and visualizations. In this work, we present different visualizations of our "Add-on of the learNing AnaLYtics Support for open Edx" (ANALYSE), which is a learning analytics tool that we have designed and implemented for Open edX, based on MOOC features, teacher feedback, and pedagogical foundations. In addition, we provide a technical solution that addresses scalability at two levels: first, in terms of performance scalability, where we propose an architecture for handling massive amounts of data within educational settings; and, second, regarding the representation of visualizations under massiveness conditions, as well as advice on color usage and plot types. Finally, we provide some examples on how to use these visualizations to evaluate student performance and detect problems in resources.


Enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) is widely used to remove phosphorus from wastewater. The process relies on polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs) that are able to take up phosphorus in excess of what is needed for growth, whereby phosphorus can be removed from the wastewater by wasting the biomass. However, glycogen accumulating organisms (GAOs) may reduce the EBPR efficiency as they compete for substrates with PAOs, but do not store excessive amounts of polyphosphate. PAOs and GAOs are thought to be phylogenetically unrelated, with the model PAO being the betaproteobacterial "Candidatus Accumulibacter phosphatis" (Accumulibacter) and the model GAO being the gammaproteobacterial "Candidatus Competibacter phosphatis". Here, we report the discovery of a GAO from the genus Propionivibrio, which is closely related to Accumulibacter. Propionivibrio sp. are targeted by the canonical fluorescence in situ hybridization probes used to target Accumulibacter (PAOmix), but do not store excessive amounts of polyphosphate in situ. A laboratory scale reactor, operated to enrich for PAOs, surprisingly contained co-dominant populations of Propionivibrio and Accumulibacter. Metagenomic sequencing of multiple time-points enabled recovery of near complete population genomes from both genera. Annotation of the Propionivibrio genome confirmed their potential for the GAO phenotype and a basic metabolic model is proposed for their metabolism in the EBPR environment. Using newly designed fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) probes, analyses of full-scale EBPR plants revealed that Propionivibrio is a common member of the community, constituting up to 3% of the biovolume. To avoid overestimation of Accumulibacter abundance in situ, we recommend the use of the FISH probe PAO651 instead of the commonly applied PAOmix probe set.


The omega network has various attractive topological properties. It supports both one-to-one message routing and broadcast routing. Independent of the system size, every node in the network has a fixed size; therefore, it is used intensively in large-sized systems. In this paper, we examine a reliable omega-based multiprocessor system that preserves its full rigid omega configuration even in the presence of faults. The proposed omega interconnection network can tolerate any single and many multiple node failures, giving rise to significantly improved reliability. Reconfiguration in response to a single or multiple faults in the new design is easy and may be performed in a distributed manner. Unlike the reliable butterfly network, in the proposed reliable omega network, if a node at stage zero fails, the system will not lose a connection to one of its input/output ports. Reliability results show that our design compares favorably with an earlier one.


Abstract The late Aptian to early Albian Bluesky Formation of Alberta is characterized by complex vertical and lateral associations of siliciclastic sediments deposited during overall transgression of the Boreal sea. As the Bluesky Formation is host to substantial subsurface bitumen deposits of the Peace River oil sands, a refined understanding of vertical and lateral facies distributions is essential for exploration and exploitation activity. To aid in achieving this goal, high-resolution core logging was completed on a 40 core dataset within Ranges 16–17W5M, and Townships 82–84 (approximately 215 km2). We identify 16 distinct facies comprising 5 facies associations (FA1–FA5). These facies associations include: 1) FA1 – Wave-dominated, fluvially influenced embayment delta; 2) FA2 – Fluvially-dominated, tidally-influenced distributary channel; 3) FA3 – Fluvially and tidally influenced delta; 4) FA4 – Marine-embayment shoreface to offshore; and, 5) FA5 – Mixed energy estuary. The evolution of these facies associations suggest periodic progradation within an overall back-stepping, transgressive, marine-embayment system. Through combination of sedimentary and ichnological characteristics, this research has led to the identification of wave-influenced deltaic and marine-embayment sedimentary environments previously un-documented within the Peace River oil sands. Additionally, proximal-distal depositional trends obscured by the complex facies distributions were identifiable using ichnological criteria. It is intended that the sedimentological and ichnological characteristics identified herein will aid in the recognition of similar embayment-type settings in other ancient datasets.


1. Penicillium chrysogenum and Aspergillus flavus degraded benzylpenicillin in the same way. 2. Degradation of the antibiotic was initiated by the cleavage of phenylacetic acid from 6-aminopenicillanic acid. 3. Phenylacetic acid was left unchanged whereas 6-aminopenicillanic acid was degraded into cysteine and valine. This reaction is probably complex. 4. Cysteine was not utilized but valine was cleaved into acetone and glycine. Catabolism of valine by the preformed mats of the two moulds confirms this result. This step probably involves the formation of propan-2-ol. 5. Cleavage of benzylpenicillin into phenylacetic acid and 6-aminopenicillanic acid was performed through the activity of a cellular-bound enzyme.


Borrowing an approach from the literature on the economics of discrimination, we estimate the impact of nonvoters on the outcome of presidential elections from 1952–2000 using data from the National Election Study (NES). Our estimates indicate that nonvoters are, on average, slightly more likely to support the Democratic Party. Of the 13 presidential elections between 1952 and 2000 we find no change in the eventual outcome of the election with two possible exceptions: 1980 and 2000. Thus our results are not all that dissimilar from other research on participation. Higher turnout in the form of compulsory voting would not radically change the partisan distribution of the vote. When elections are sufficiently close, however, a two percentage point increase may suffice to affect the outcome. Limitations of the NES data we use suggest that our estimates underestimate the impact of nonparticipation. We also compare our method with other econometric techniques. Finally, using our findings we speculate as to why the Democratic Party fails to undertake widespread "get out the vote" or registration drives.


Abstract: Saturable low‐affinity binding sites for [3H]mazin‐dol have been demonstrated in crude synaptosomal membranes from rat brain using both a centrifugation and a fil‐tion assay. Studies on the regional distribution of these binding sites revealed that the hypothalamus and brainstem had the highest density of sites. Kinetic analysis of the binding of [3H]mazindol to hypothalamic membranes demonstrated a single class of noninteracting binding sites with an apparent affinity constant (KD) of 10.2 ± 0.7 μM and maximal number of binding sites (Bmax) of 786 ± 94 pmol/mg of protein. Specific [3H]mazindol binding was rapidly reversible, temperature sensitive, labile to pretreatment with proteolytic enzymes, and inhibited by physiological concentrations of sodium. In most peripheral tissues, such as the liver and kidney, very low levels of binding were observed; however, the adrenal gland had a relatively high density of sites. The potency of a series of anorectic drugs in inhibiting specific [3H]mazindol binding to hypothalamic membranes was highly correlated with their anorectic potencies in rats, but not with their motor stimulatory effects. These results suggest the presence of a specific drug recognition site in the hypothalamus that may mediate the anorectic activity of mazindol and related phenylethylamines.


We have studied the structural, energetic, and electronic properties of crystalline cellulose I using first-principles density functional theory (DFT) with semiempirical dispersion corrections. The predicted crystal structures of both Iα and Iβ phases agree well with experiments and are greatly improved over those predicted by DFT within the local and semilocal density approximations. The cohesive energy is analyzed in terms of interchain and intersheet interactions, which are calculated to be of similar magnitude. Both hydrogen bonding and van der Waals (vdW) dispersion forces are found to be responsible for binding cellulose chains together. In particular, dispersion corrections prove to be indispensable in reproducing the equilibrium intersheet distance and binding strength; however, they do not improve the underestimated hydrogen bond length from DFT. The computed energy gaps of crystalline cellulose are 5.7 eV (Iα) and 5.4 eV (Iβ), whereas localized surface states appear within the gap for surfaces. The interaction of cellulose with water is studied by investigating the adsorption of a single water molecule on the hydrophobic Iβ(100) surface. The formation of hydrogen bond at the water/cellulose interface is shown to depend sensitively on the adsorption site for example above the equatorial hydroxyls or the CH moieties pointing out of the cellulose sheets. VdW dispersion interactions also contribute significantly to the adsorption energy.


Human beings are designed to interpret and provide meaning to phenomena in our surroundings. When an action is met with a positive reaction, it becomes difficult not to believe that a similar outcome will result with the same input. In the field of conflict resolution, it is sometimes inadvertently believed that an action carried out to stabilise the conflict dynamics in one case should have similar results in another case that appears similar.
Amidst the developments of the Arab Spring, it would be incorrect to say that the measures that brought a multilateral intervention force in Libya would be equally effective in the present-day conflict in Syria. While this argument stresses the urgency for international support to stop violence in Syria, it fails to account for the local, regional and international dynamics that have thus far thwarted such action. Essential to these dynamics are individual states' national interests, which govern the extent and depth of their international relations. Furthermore, the actions taken by the international community in Libya, as Totten argues, have led the country to a political trajectory that is still unclear, and to a political environment rife with tribal strife.


We present a case of congenital multiple fibromatosis to illustrate its characteristic clinical and histopathologic features. The importance of recognizing this disorder is emphasized because of its special clinical behavior and prognosis.


The paper presents a coupled electrical aerodynamic model for a three blade wind-turbine dynamic analysis. The model is based on a blade element representation of the aerodynamic load part combined with an aeroelastic beam element for the dynamic analysis of a real rotor blade, including top tower acceleration. The model involves reduced computation time enabling to be applied in control system hardware. Such an analysis is very promising for obtaining controllers involving compromises among contradictory targets such as energy capture maximization and mechanical stresses reduction in the aerodynamic part.


Given a repeated computation, part of whose input context remains invariant across all repetitions, program staging improves performance by separating the computation into two phases. An early phase executes only once, performing computations depending only on invariant inputs, while a late phase repeatedly performs the remainder of the work given the varying inputs and the results of the early computations. Common staging techniques based on dynamic compilation statically construct an early phase that dynamically generates object code customized for a particular input context. In e ect, the results of the invariant computations are encoded as the compiled code for the late phase. This paper describes an alternative approach in which the results of early computations are encoded as a data structure, allowing both the early and late phases to be generated statically. By avoiding dynamic code manipulation, we give up some optimization opportunities in exchange for signi cantly lower dynamic space/time overhead and reduced implementation complexity.


OBJECTIVES
The purpose of the study was to examine differences in social network characteristics and their relationship to depressive symptoms among two groups of older Asian Indian immigrants: those with limited English proficiency and those proficient in English.

METHODS
Telephone surveys were conducted with 226 English-speaking (Sample 1) and 114 Gujarati-speaking (Sample 2) immigrants in Atlanta.

RESULTS
The samples differed significantly in demographics and patterns of social integration. Sample 2 had shorter residence in the United States, a more traditional ethnic identity, greater reliance on family for social activities, greater participation in religious events, lower likelihood of having good friends nearby, and less frequent interactions with friends. Rates of depressive symptoms did not differ, and network composition was unrelated to symptoms. For both samples, poorer health and a more traditional ethnic identity were related to depressive symptoms. Quality of relationship with children was predictive of symptoms for Sample 2.

DISCUSSION
I found no differences in depressive symptoms despite differing social network structures. This may be due to the differing expectations of social ties among older immigrants. Interventions to improve well-being should focus on issues that generate acculturative stress. Cognitive and social support interventions may help individuals develop the adaptive coping strategies needed to live in a different culture.


Background: Dry Eye Disease (DED) is a multifactorial disease, with a high that can have a great impact on the quality of of patients. The first step of treatment includes the use of lacrimal substitutes composed of polymers, possible to associate osmoprotectant agents to the lacrimal substitutes. The aim of this article is to analyze the properties of the combination of hyaluronic acid (HA), carmellose, and osmoprotectors (Optava Fusion ® ; Allergan, Inc., Irvine, CA, USA) on DED. General considerations on the use of artificial tears are also proposed. Methods: A group of ophthalmologists, experts in the management of the ocular surface, analyzed different aspects related to DED; among them, the use of artificial tears in general and the properties of the combination of HA, carmellose, and osmoprotectors, in particular, were discussed. A review of the literature was carried out, which included different articles published in Spanish, English, and French until April 2017. Conclusions: DED is a common chronic pathology that usually requires sustained treatment. In addition, the combination of HA, carmellose, and osmoprotectors has proven to be effective in the treatment of symptoms and signs of dry eye by the synergistic action of all its components. This review provides key elements to help ophthalmologists who begin in the management of DED.


burn Group of Hospitals for 10 years. The number of cases investigated is over 1,000 a year. In an illness which might possibly be the result of a virus infection samples are taken on admission. As a routine, throat swabs are inoculated into tissue cultures which are incubated on the wards and paired specimens of serum are collected. Other samples such as stools, CSF etc., are collected when indicated. Thus respiratory infections, aseptic meningitis, exanthemata, and other 'infectious' disease, gastro-enteritis, etc., are included in the series. The results 1962-69 inclusive are analysed. The times of the year when the various illnesses occur is clearly demonstrated. The types of illness caused by various respiratory and enteroviruses are described and the rashes which may occur are shown. It has not been possible to investigate rhinoviruses and certain other viruses, but between 200 and 300 cases per annum with positive results have been obtained. A positive result, however, is not necessarily the same as a positive diagnosis of the illness.


Human food intake is driven by necessity, but modern industrialized societies are characterized by food surfeit and an increasingly 'obesogenic' environment. This environment tends to discourage energy expenditure and to facilitate energy intake. The amount eaten in any given eating episode depends less on internal need state and more on environmental contextual factors such as the availability of highly-palatable energy-dense foods. In addition, the process of satiation can easily be disrupted by the introduction within a meal of different foods (variety effect), the presence of others (social context) and competing tasks (distraction). Properties of ingestants such as alcohol promote food intake and characteristics of individuals make them more or less susceptible to situational cues to overeat. In the present review the role of each of these environmental factors in promoting overconsumption is considered and the extent to which these factors might contribute to long-term weight regulation is discussed.


Many stone masonry structures that were constructed in the past centuries are now counted towards the cultural heritage. The low strength and brittle behavior make these heterogeneous structures very vulnerable to various natural or man-made disasters such as earthquakes. In order to ensure their structural safety and to implement appropriate interventions, engineers need to understand the failure mechanism and to estimate the force and deformation capacity. Since it is difficult to obtain detailed material properties and simulate strong discontinuities, advanced simulation techniques have only been applied recently to masonry structures. In this paper, we simulate stones and mortar separately on a meso level and use cohesive zone modeling for simulating dynamic crack propagation. With this approach, cracks are modelled explicitly and the properties of the crack interface can be easily reflected. We apply the extrinsic cohesive zone model developed by Snozzi and Molinari, 2013. In the extrinsic method, the cohesive element will not be inserted until the stress on the corresponding element edge meets a certain criterion. The finite element analysis is developed using the open source software Akantu, newly developed by LSMS, EPFL. The available cohesive element is enhanced to consider the transfer of friction across interfaces and the added code is parallelized to make use of the high performance computing capacities of Akantu. We conduct parametric studies to investigate the influence of several variables on the force-deformation characteristics of stone masonry (e.g., strength ratio between mortar and interface, the friction coefficient). The influence of the randomness of the material properties on the masonry mechanical behavior is also examined and the effect of different assumptions with regard to the correlation of variables explored


Expanding the genetic code by unnatural amino acid (UAA) incorporation allows for control of protein structure and function in cells and animals. Genetic incorporations of several UAAs, including dithiolane lysine, azidoethyl and azidomethyl lysine, photocaged tyrosine/thiotyrosine/azatorysine, alkene lysine, and bipyridine lysine, were achieved through the pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase (PylRS). The UAA mutagenesis system was further studied, including optimization of the incorporation efficiency in mammalian cells, library selection of UAA in E. coli, and genetic incorporation of photocaged cysteine through E. coli Leu synthetase. UAA mutagenesis provides a versatile method for protein activity control and protein conjugation. As one application, optical control of protein activities (intein, TEV protease, Src kinase, HRP) was studied, with the genetic incorporation of photocaged or photoisomerizable UAAs. Optical deactivation of protein function was studied with degron or genetic incorporation of nitrophenylalanine. Besides, small molecule control of protein activity was studied with the genetic incorporation of a propargyl carbamate or an allyloxy carbonyl functional group. As another application, an aminooxy functional group was genetically incorporated for protein labeling. Next, the zebrafish with the expanded genetic code was developed, and was applied to the optical control of cell signaling (MEK/ERK pathway). Optical control of other proteins (Alk5 kinase, Cas9, Cre recombination) and small molecule control of luciferase function in zebrafish were studied. Efforts were also made to generate stable fishlines for genetic code expansion. Lastly, optical control of other biomolecules (morpholino, peptide nucleic acid) was pursued in zebrafish.


PURPOSE
This review aimed to determine (1) performance and training characteristics such as training intensity distribution (TID), volume, periodization, and methods in highly trained/elite distance runners and (2) differences in training volume and TID between event distances in highly trained/elite distance runners.

METHODS
A systematic review of the literature was carried out using the PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science databases.

RESULTS
Ten articles met the inclusion criteria. Highly trained/elite distance runners typically follow a pyramidal TID approach, characterized by a decreasing training volume from zone 1 (at or below speed at first ventilatory/lactate threshold [LT]) to zone 2 (between speeds associated with either both ventilatory thresholds or 2 and 4 mmol·L-1 LTs [vLT1 and vLT2, respectively]) and zone 3 (speed above vVT2/vLT2). Continuous-tempo runs or interval training sessions at vLT2 in zone 2 (ie, medium and long aerobic intervals) and those in zone 3 (ie, anaerobic or short-interval training) were both used at least once per week each in elite runners, and they were used to increase the number of either vLT2 or z3 sessions to adopt either a pyramidal or a polarized approach, respectively. More pyramidal- and polarized-oriented approaches were used by marathoners and 1500-m runners, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS
Highly trained and elite middle- and long-distance runners are encouraged to adopt a traditional periodization pattern with a hard day-easy day basis, consisting in a shift from a pyramidal TID used during the preparatory and precompetitive periods toward a polarized TID during the competitive period.


The study of project success and the critical success factors (CSFs) is considered to be a mean for improving the effectiveness of project. Performance can be assured by identifying and eliminating the factors that cause poor project outcomes. Thus, project managers need better understanding of critical success/failure factors and how to measure them. The purpose of this study is to systematically investigate the causes of project failure and how these can be prevented, managed, or controlled. Constructions projects are frequently influenced by success factors' which can help project parties reach their intended goals with greater efficiency. The aim of this study is to investigate the critical factors leading to construction company success. Many critical success factors such as factors related to project manager's performance, factors related to organization, factors related to project, factors related to external environment became apparent from this study. This study will helpful to identify factors that influence project success.


This research produced a Predictive Anomaly Detector (PAD). It is an adaptive prediction-based approach to detecting unexpected events in data streams drawn from staring continuous-dwell sensors. The underlying technology is spectrum independent and does not depend on correlated data (neither temporal nor spatial) to achieve improved detection and extraction in highly robust environments. ("robust environment" refers to the data stream's control law being variable and the spectral content covering a wide range of wavelengths.) The resulting approach uses a network of simple building-block equations (basis functions) to predict the non-event data and thereby present subtle sub-streams to a detection model as potential events of interest. The prediction model is automatically created from sequential observations of the data stream. Once model construction is complete, it continues to evolve as new samples arrive. Each sample value that is sufficiently different from the model's predicted value is postulated as an unexpected event. A subsequent detection model uses a set of rules to confirm unexpected events while ignoring outliers. Intruder detection in robust video scenes is the main focus, although one demonstration achieved voice detection in a noisy audio signal. These demonstrations are coupled to a concept of operations that emphasizes the spectrum-independence of this approach and its integration with other processing requirements such as target recognition and tracking. Primary benefits delivered by this work include the ability to process large data volumes for obscured or buried information within highly active environments. The fully automated nature of this technique helps mitigate manning shortfalls typically associated with sorting through large volumes of surveillance data using trained analysts. This approach enables an organization to perform automated cueing for these analysts so that they spend less time examining data where nothing of interest exists. This maximizes the value of skilled personnel by using them to assess data with true potential. In this way, larger data volumes can be processed in a shorter period of time leading to a higher likelihood that important events and signals will be found, analyzed, and acted upon.


Within the research field of wind-induced tall building movement and occupant comfort there is a lack of naturalistic based study on the significant and potentially negative impact of motion sickness on occupants of wind-moved buildings. Recently a wealth of data has become available through a PHD students work of over 250 surveys that asked a "random" selection of people in Hong Kong about their experience of wind-induced tall building movement. This study will statistically analyse the resultant full-scale wind-induced tall building movement database (Hong Kong database) to investigate 1) what can be seen to affect the motion sickness cases reported by respondents within the data from the Hong Kong Database? And 2) what is the severity is of the motion sickness cases reported in the full-scale database? This study has found that the reported cases of motion sickness within the population of the Hong Kong database range in severity depending on motion sickness sensitivity; number of symptoms suffered and the nausea rank of these symptoms. Additionally the study found that despite 13 different independent variables being tested, only 3 factors had a statistical association to the 3 motion sickness indicators; Gender, How often people complained and Acceptability. Conference theme: Construction Technology


This work describes a strained germanium on insulator (GeOI) fabrication process using wafer bonding and etch-back techniques. The strained Ge layer is fabricated epitaxially using reduced pressure chemical vapor deposition (RPCVD). The strained Ge is grown pseudomorphic on top of a partially relaxed Si0.66Ge0.34 layer. Wafer bonding is performed at room temperature without post-anneal processes and the etch-back steps are performed without mechanical grinding and chemical mechanical polishing (CMP).


Abstract Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have advanced to the forefront of multifunctional nanoparticulate systems in nanomedicine, owing to this highly fexible materials platform enabling a multitude of design options, often in a modular fashion. Drug delivery ability, detectability via diferent imaging modalities, and stimuliresponsiveness are often combined into one particle system. Very sophisticated and versatile designs along with impressive demonstrations of applicability have been reported to date, but a common ground when it comes to some critical considerations valid for any nanoparticle intended for biomedical purposes is lacking to some degree. In this study, we attempt to take a glance at some of the most crucial aspects of biomedical nanoparticulate design and relate how they apply specifically toMSNs. These considerations include fuorophore labeling and leaching with respect to immobilization to MSNs, the surrounding conditions, carrier biodegradability, and surface coating. Surface modifcation strategies and surface charge tuning are further considered in conjunction to the relative amount of cellular uptake and serum protein adsorption. Cellular internalization routes and biological techniques used to evaluate especially in vitro biobehavior are discussed. Our attempt is hereby to draw attention to some of the most frequently occurring issues to be considered in the design of MSN systems for biomedical applications


Along with breast and cervical cancer, esophageal adenocarcinoma is one of the most common types of cancers. The characteristic features of pre-cancerous tissues are the increase in cell proliferation rate and cell nuclei enlargement, which both take place in the epithelium of human body surfaces. However, in the early stages of cancer these changes are very small and difficult to detect, even for expert pathologists. The aim of our research is to develop an optical probe for in vivo detection of nuclear size changes using white light scattering from cell nuclei. The probe will be employed through an endoscope and will be used for the medical examination of the esophagus. The proposed method of examination will be noninvasive, cheap, and specific, compared to a biopsy. Before the construction of this probe, we have developed theory to determine the nuclei size from the reflection data. In this first stage of our research, we compare experimental and theoretical scattered light intensities. Our theoretical model includes the values of scatterer size from which we can extract the nuclei size value. We first performed the study of polystyrene microspheres, acting as a tissue phantom. Spectral and angular distributions of scattered white light from tissue phantoms were studied. Experimental results show significant differences between the spectra of microspheres of different sizes and demonstrate almost linear relation between the number of spectral oscillations and the size of microspheres. Best results were achieved when the scattered light spectrum was collected at 30° to the normal of the sample surface. We present these research results in this paper. In ongoing work, normal and cancerous mammalian cell studies are being performed in order to determine cell nuclei size correlation with the size of microspheres through the light scattering spectrum observation.


In this paper, we describe the design for a co-processor for whole-genome phylogenetic reconstruction. Our current design performs a parallelized breakpoint median computation, which is an expensive component of the overall application. When implemented on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), our hardware breakpoint median achieves a maximum speedup of 1005times over software. When the coprocessor is used to accelerate the entire reconstruction procedure, we achieve a maximum application speedup of 417times. The results in this paper suggest that FPGA-based acceleration is a promising approach for computationally expensive phylogenetic problems, in spite of the fact that the involved algorithms are based on complex, control-dependent combinatorial optimization.


Author(s): Friscia, Bronwyn Lewis | Advisor(s): Ross, Michael L. | Abstract: This dissertation consists of three essays that explore the political consequences of confronting the role that developed-world consumption plays in driving climate pollution worldwide. Using underutilized data on the annual consumption of greenhouse gas emissions by country and two original randomized survey experiments, I show that the implications of pollution-as-consumption are consequential for political action to reduce climate change at the international, domestic, and individual levels. The first essay challenges the notion that international climate agreements can effectively reduce emissions by getting countries to pledge to decrease their emissions production. Using historical data on the annual production and consumption of emissions by country, I show that as countries become wealthier, wealth tends to drive emissions pollution via consumption channels significantly more than via production channels. If these patterns persist, international efforts to curb emissions production will be undermined as long as consumption is left unchecked. The second essay, co-authored with Robert Trager, explores whether highlighting the role of developed-world consumers in driving global emissions improves domestic support for costly climate policies. We conduct an original large-N survey experiment to show that framing an international climate agreement as a response to this pattern increases the agreement's perceived fairness among U.S. citizens. This has a far greater impact on agreement approval than cost, particularly among Republicans. We also find approval is increased by bipartisan support and information on the future financial cost of uncontrolled climate change. The final essay, co-authored with J.R. DeShazo and Tamara Sheldon, considers U.S. consumers themselves and the role that political identity plays in shaping willingness to pay for sustainable products. Using an innovative large-N experiment involving actual consumer purchases, we show that while liberal consumers are more willing to pay for an energy-efficient product when it is marketed as good for reducing climate change or saving money, conservative consumers can be induced to a similar willingness to pay for the same product when it is marketed as good for U.S. energy independence, a cause that better reflects conservative values. Our findings suggest that political identity shapes consumer behavior and can be leveraged to promote more sustainable consumption.


The objective of this meta-analysis was to estimate quantitatively the associations between intake of a-linolenic acid [ALA, the (n-3) fatty acid in vegetable oils], mortality from heart disease, and the occurrence of prostate cancer in observational studies. We identified 5 prospective cohort studies that reported intake of ALA and mortality from heart disease. We also reviewed data from 3 clinical trials on ALA intake and heart disease. In addition, we identified 9 cohort and case-control studies that reported on the association between ALA intake or blood levels and incidence or prevalence of prostate cancer. We combined risk estimates across studies using a random-effects model. High ALA intake was associated with reduced risk of fatal heart disease in prospective cohort studies (combined relative risk 0.79, 95% CI 0.60-1.04). Three open-label trials also indicated that ALA may protect against heart disease. However, epidemiologic studies also showed an increased risk of prostate cancer in men with a high intake or blood level of ALA (combined relative risk 1.70; 95% CI 1.12-2.58). This meta-analysis shows that consumption of ALA might reduce heart disease mortality. However, the association between high intake of ALA and prostate cancer is of concern and warrants further study.


The Ba+ ion is well suited for investigating effects of atomic parity violation (APV). Furthermore it can be exploited to build an atomic clock in the optical frequency range. Optical spectroscopy of the 6s2S1/2 - 6p2P1/2, 5d2D3/2 - 6p2P1/2 and 6s2S1/2 - 5d2D3/2 transition is employed in the work towards measurement of APV on a single trapped Ba+ ion. In preparation to this, experimental parameters affecting the 5d2D3/2 - 6p2P1/2 transition are investigated. The magnitude and direction of the magnetic field B as a function of current I through sets of Helmholtz coils at the position of the ion was estimated by measuring the field at two locations close to a vacuum chamber. A non-linear dependence of Bz on I was observed. This effect is not yet fully explained. Laser light polarisation was controlled using a half-waveplate. This waveplate is inserted in a motorised rotation optical mount. The polarisation direction of this waveplate was found to be in the vertical direction when the rotation mount was put at an angle of 18(1) degrees. The polarisation angles of blue and red laser light w.r.t. the vertical direction are determined to be theta_Blue = 0.5110(19) degrees and theta_Red = 56.41(80) degrees. The degree of circularity of the blue and red laser light is found to be phi_Blue = 1.158(38) degrees and phi_Red = 43.8(4.2) degrees. An uncertainty in these values may be present as a consequence of the light passing through a dichroic beamsplitter. The transmittance and reflectance through this beamsplitter might depend on the polarisation of the light. This would result in a systematic error. Spectroscopy measurements have been conducted for two polarisation angles. One in the direction of a PMT to observe atomic transitions and one in the vertical direction. Two more measurements were performed for a different direction of the magnetic field, which is equivalent to rotating the polarisation. Matlab code was used to fit the recorded spectrum to a lineshape. The values obtained for polarisation and circularity are yet insufficiently precise to draw an unambiguous conclusion on the polarisation and circularity that the ion 'sees'. Deviations of the model from previous measurements may be caused by a differing choice of coordinates. The polarisation was determined relative to the lab vertical axis, defined as the z-axis. The z-axis for the ion is defined by the quantisation axis, which is in the direction of the magnetic field. This direction does not in general correspond to the lab vertical axis. Suggestions for improved measurements are given. More measurements can be made to arrive at a distribution of polarisations, which is expected to peak at the value closest to the values the ion `sees'. Some improvements to the model may include accounting for motion of the ion or improving knowledge of the magnetic field or light field intensity.


Context: Hair restoration surgery for androgenetic alopecia (AGA) essentially involves various forms of hair transplantation. There is paucity of studies assessing donor area in Indian men and also no simplified guidelines are available for the safe donor area for follicular unit extraction (FUE). Our study is an attempt to study the donor area in Indian men. Aims: To assess the density of follicular units (FUs) in the donor area, that is, both scalp and beard in Indian men, and to propose simplified guidelines for FUE. Materials and Methods: The study design was cross-sectional and was carried out for 2 years. All the consenting male patients with male pattern hair loss Hamilton Norwood grading III or more who consulted for a hair restoration surgery were recruited. FU density was assessed in the donor area of scalp by drawing a rectangle with its lower border being a straight line joining two points, which are 27–28mm from the line drawn perpendicular to tragus, passing through external occipital protuberance. Three squares of area 1cm2 were drawn within the rectangle. Average of the FUs and follicles in the three squares was calculated to obtain mean density in the donor area of the scalp. Total number of FU was assessed, considering 25% extraction, total average number of extractable follicles was assessed. Total donor area was divided into three areas (areas 1, 2, and 3) and average number of extractable FU was assessed in each. Donor area in the beard, below the jawline, was divided into a triangle and rectangle. Average number of FU, total number of extractable FU was calculated similarly. Results: A total of 580 male patients were recruited in the study. Mean FU density in the scalp and beard was 78.2/cm2 and 49.7/cm2, respectively. The total available number of FUs for extraction in the areas 1, 2, and 3 and beard considering 25% extraction was 2064, 3097, 3612, and 824, respectively. We propose three types of donor areas in the scalp, namely, limited, standard, and extended donor area.


In this paper, an innovative design methodology is proposed to simultaneously optimize the size, layout, and number of stiffeners of a stiffened panel using a gradient-based optimizer. In the proposed method, CAD-based parameterization is used to parameterize the layout of the stiffeners. The location and orientation of each stiffener are controlled with only two layout variables. The geometric constraints to avoid overlapping and crossing of stiffeners are implicitly applied through the layout parameterization scheme, therefore no additional constraints on the grid point coordinates are required. Moreover, the CAD model is maintained throughout the optimization process therefore the additional step of converting the optimal design back to CAD is eliminated. The layout changes are accommodated in the finite element mesh through the re-meshing technique. The number of stiffeners is controlled by allowing an optimizer to transform an existing stiffener into a ghost stiffener. Every stiffener is assigned a topology variable that can be optimized to a value of either 0 or 1 using a penalization constraint. In case the optimal value is 0 then the contribution of that stiffener in determining the mass and the stiffness of the panel is lost and it is considered an inactive or ghost stiffener. The stiffener is considered fully active when the optimal value is 1. The sensitivities of grid point coordinates relative to layout variables are calculated analytically. The sensitivities of the structural responses relative to size, layout, and topology variables are achieved through Nastran. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is evident from the obtained results.


The paper presents the issue of boiling heat transfer enhancement with the use of different passive techniques, namely the application of wire mesh coatings, capillary porous layers, pin – fins and laser treatment. Enhanced boiling heat transfer has been described as well as the research data of the authors that deals with microstructural coatings. The conducted experimental tests confirm the possibility of increasing heat fluxes transferred at the same superheat value due to the use of heat transfer enhancing techniques.


Despite epidemiological evidence that tea consumption is associated with the reduced risk of coronary heart disease, experimental studies designed to show that tea affects oxidative stress or blood cholesterol concentration have been unsuccessful. We assessed the effects of black tea consumption on lipid and lipoprotein concentrations in mildly hypercholesterolemic adults. Tea and other beverages were included in a carefully controlled weight-maintaining diet. Five servings/d of tea were compared with a placebo beverage in a blinded randomized crossover study (7 men and 8 women, consuming a controlled diet for 3 wk/treatment). The caffeine-free placebo was prepared to match the tea in color and taste. In a third period, caffeine was added to the placebo in an amount equal to that in the tea. Five servings/d of tea reduced total cholesterol 6.5%, LDL cholesterol 11.1%, apolipoprotein B 5% and lipoprotein(a) 16.4% compared with the placebo with added caffeine. Compared with the placebo without added caffeine, total cholesterol was reduced 3.8% and LDL cholesterol was reduced 7.5% whereas apolipoprotein B, Lp(a), HDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein A-I and triglycerides were unchanged. Plasma oxidized LDL, F2-isoprostanes, urinary 8-hydroxy-2 -deoxyguanosine, ex vivo ferric ion reducing capacity and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances in LDL were not affected by tea consumption compared with either placebo. Thus, inclusion of tea in a diet moderately low in fat reduces total and LDL cholesterol by significant amounts and may, therefore, reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Tea consumption did not affect antioxidant status in this study. J. Nutr. 133: 3298S–3302S, 2003.


This paper presents simulations of discharges from pressure vessels that consistently account for non-ideal fluid behavior in all the required thermodynamic properties and individually considers all the chemical components present. The underlying assumption is that phase equilibrium occurs instantaneously inside the vessel and, thus, the dynamics of the fluid in the vessel comprises a sequence of equilibrium states. The formulation leads to a system of differential-algebraic equations in which the component mass balances and the energy balance are ordinary differential equations. The algebraic equations account for the phase equilibrium conditions inside the vessel and at the discharge point, and for sound speed calculations. The simulator allows detailed predictions of the condition inside the vessel and at the discharge point as a function of time, including the flow rate and composition of the discharge. The paper presents conceptual applications of the simulator to predict the effect of leaks from vessels containing mixtures of light gases and/or hydrocarbons and comparisons to experimental data.


Do you ever feel overwhelmed by a constant stream of information? It can seem like there is a barrage of new email and text messages arriving, phone calls, articles to read, and knocks on the door. Putting these pieces together to keep track of what's important can be a real challenge. The same information overload is of concern in many computational settings. For example, telecommunications companies want to keep track of the activity on their network, to identify the overall network health, and spot anomalies or changes in behavior. Yet, the scale of events occurring is huge: many millions of network events per hour, per network element. And while new technologies allow the scale and granularity of events being monitored to increase by orders of magnitude, the capacity of computing elements to make sense of these (processors, memory and disks) is barely increasing. Even on a small scale, the amount of information may be too large to store in an impoverished setting (say, an embedded device), or be too big to conveniently keep in fast storage. In response to this challenge, the model of streaming data processing has grown in popularity. In this setting, the aim is no longer to capture, store and index every minute event, but rather to quickly process each observation to create some summary of the current state. Following its processing, an event is dropped, and is no longer accessible. The summary that is retained is often referred to as sketch of the data. Coping with the vast scale of information means making a number of compromises: the description of the world is approximate, rather than exact; the nature of queries to be answered must be decided in advance, rather than after the fact; and some questions are now insoluble. However, the ability to process vast quantities of data at blinding speeds with modest resources can more than make up for these limitations. As a consequence, streaming methods have been adopted in a number of domains, starting with telecommunications, but spreading to search engines, social networks, finance, and time-series analysis. These ideas are also finding application in areas where traditional approaches are applicable, but the rough and ready sketching approach is more cost-effective. Successful applications of sketching involve a mixture of algorithmic tricks, systems know-how, and mathematical insight, and have led to new research contributions in each of these areas. In this article, we introduce the ideas behind, and applications, of sketching, with a focus on the algorithmic innovations. That is, we describe some algorithmic developments in the abstract, and then indicate the subsequent steps needed to put them into practice, with examples. We will see four novel algorithmic ideas, and discuss some emerging areas.


Background and objectives: Due to the high cancer mortality rates and side effects of different types of cancer treatments, discovering effective treatments without or with fewer side effects is the main purpose of many researchers all around the world. Plants play an important role in the discovery of new drugs. Iran owns rich and varied vegetation but the majority of these plants have not yet undergone chemical, pharmacological and toxicological studies. In the present study, some species from East Azarbaijan province of Iran were evaluated for cytotoxicity effects. Methods: Total methanol extract of 29 plants from 18 families were screened for their cytotoxic activities. The inhibition of cell growth for these extracts was evaluated against MCF-7, A-549, Hep-G2, HT-29 and MDBK cell lines. Their 50% inhibitions of growth (IC50) were determined by MTT assay. Moreover, cytotoxic evaluation of different fractions (ether de petrol, chloroform and methanol) of the most potent species was performed. Results: Total extracts and fractions of Bryonia aspera, Centaurea salicifolia, Cuscuta chinensis, Ecbalium elaterium, Gypsophila ruscifolia, Ononis spinosa exhibited potent cytotoxic activity against one or more of the cell lines. Three of the mentioned total extracts presented cytotoxicity effects exclusively against HT-29 cells. Also three fractions (one ether de petrol and two chloroform fractions) demonstrated selective cytotoxicity effects against MCF-7cells. Conclusion: It was concluded that these 6 potent species were proper candidates for identification and isolation of active ingredients with cytotoxic effects  and further studies about these species are recommended.


This paper proposes a new power allocation scheme to jointly optimize energy efficiency (EE) and spectral efficiency (SE) of a point-to-point communication system in which the transmitter is equipped with fixed as well as energy harvesting batteries. Time switching protocol is used such that in each time frame the node either harvests energy or transmits information. Firstly, a multi-objective optimization problem which jointly optimizes EE and SE is formulated. An importance weight parameter is introduced to control the priority level between EE and SE. Secondly, the multi-objective problem is transformed into a single-objective optimization problem by using importance weight, and then solved through fractional programming. Using the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker conditions, the optimum power allocation scheme without input power constraint is developed. The ensuing solution is then generalized for system operation with average input power constraint. Closed-form expressions are derived and tested through simulations. Numerical results results are provided, and show the impact of the harvested power in improving the overall rate of the system. Also investigation is done to analyze the effect of system parameters on the achievable trade-off performance of the energy-harvesting based system.


The earlier research on electricity supply to rural areas has tended to address the technical and financial performance of both grid connected and decentralised power systems and the socio-economic impact of electrification. However, this study has chosen to examine the impact of the developments and trends on the approach to rural electrification and its implications for developing countries in particular.
The study includes a comprehensive historical analysis of rural electrification programmes implemented in both industrialised and developing countries. A general conclusion is that rural electricity supply has always been considerably more expensive than the supply to urban areas and, as a consequence, utilities have been reluctant to extend the service to rural areas. In most cases government subsidies were needed to make rural electrification programmes feasible. In many industrialised countries, and some developing countries, separate organisations were made responsible for the implementation of these programmes. These organisations have met with varying degrees of success in reaching customers. In particular small-scale private rural utilities have seldom proved to be successful. Evidence suggests that, from a development point of view, electrification should preferably be a component of an integrated rural development programme.
The electrification of rural areas has traditionally been based on electricity supply from a central grid. However in the future, the electrification of rural areas in developing countries will be increasingly based on decentralised power facilities. In this respect it is also emphasised that small-scale independent power producers should be seen as fully fledged suppliers of electricity to the public grid.
The all-round unsatisfactory performance of the electricity sector of several developing countries calls for urgent reforms. However the results of the historical analysis and recent experiences in industrialised countries with privatisation in the power sector suggest that developing countries should ask themselves the questions what is the minimum amount of power sector reform that is needed.
The study reveals that political stability, autonomy, and an appropriate utility organisation which is based on an analysis of the business environment and contemporary management, are needed to successfully implement future rural electrification programmes.


Dead Run is a 14.3 km2 urban drainage basin, which is a tributary to the Gwynns Falls, the principal study watershed of the Baltimore Ecosystem Study. Hydrologic response in urban watersheds is examined through analyses of rainfall and discharge observations from the Dead Run watershed during a 6 month period beginning in June of 2003. Rainfall variability for flash flood–producing storms in Dead Run can be quite large when viewed from a Euclidean perspective. When viewed from the perspective of a distance metric imposed by the drainage network of Dead Run, however, the spatial variability of rainfall is small. The drainage network structure diminishes the effects of spatial rainfall variability for storm event hydrologic response, resulting in Dead Run exhibiting striking uniformity of response to storms with contrasting spatial distribution of rainfall. There is large storm‐to‐storm variation in the event water balance of Dead Run. Variation is linked to antecedent soil moisture (from the pervious portion of the watershed underlain by urban soils), rainfall variability, and spatial heterogeneity of runoff production.


When supporting source-specific heterogeneous-receiver multimedia applications, a multicast tree is built among a source and the receivers such that the path from the source to each receiver satisfies the delay and bandwidth constraints. To optimize the network usage, it is desirable to find a multicast tree that minimizes the total bandwidth used while satisfying the different delay and bandwidth requirements of the receivers. For scalability reasons, the desired protocol should require little or minimum storage in the sender and other on-tree routers. Moreover, to allow dynamic member joining or leaving, a receiver-initiated approach is more appropriate. We describe our receiver-initiated QoS multicast protocol that aims at reducing the bandwidth used in building a multicast tree for heterogeneous receivers by actively identifying better sub-optimal paths. Our protocol does not require additional information to be stored in the on-tree routers, and it is able to construct a better sub-optimal tree than existing protocols.


Hypotheses about deservingness and affect were tested in the context of an achievement situation in two studies that involved either a success outcome or a failure outcome. The degree to which a person deserved the outcome and affective reactions relating to the outcome were assumed to be related to attributions of responsibility for the outcome and also to whether positively (or negatively) valued behaviours led to positively (or negatively) valued outcomes. The two studies involved a total of 689 high school students, each of whom responded to a hypothetical scenario that contained information about the causes of a stimulus person's initial achievement status, whether the stimulus person was usually a high or average performer, and whether the stimulus person maintained performance or obtained a very low grade in a final important examination. The results were consistent with hypotheses and they provided new information supporting an attributional and value interpretation of deservingness and affect.


The process of neurogenesis is continuous throughout the life of most mammals, specifically in the vertebrate brain. It also plays a major role in the initial growth of the nervous system. In birds neurons are generated from neural stem cells throughout the telencephalon into adulthood. This neurogenesis can be upregulated by fatty acids and other dietary supplements. Strenuous exercise has also been associated with having a strong effect on neuroproliferation. In European Starlings, HVC, a nucleus involved in learning and production of birdsong, can be used to analyze neuronal recruitment because HVC is associated with song modification that has a resulting growth in volume. This neuron recruitment and neuron migration is significantly influenced by dietary fatty acids. In this study four diet groups were used, each group consisted of 15 individuals who experienced flight training in a wind tunnel and 10 who did not. The four diet groups were defined by two factors, polyunsaturated fatty acid content either high or low (32% vs. 13%), and endogenous antioxidants (high or low). The brain samples of sacrificed birds were then analyzed for fatty acid composition. This consisted of a total lipid extraction from the brain tissue, followed by a separation of the fatty acid classes (neutral and phospholipids; NL & PL), and lastly transesterification of the separated lipids prior to gas chromatographic analysis. Preliminary results suggest that there is a correlation between diet, fatty acid composition of brain tissue, and neural genesis.


Distributed learning has become a hot research topic due to its wide application in clusterbased large-scale learning, federated learning, edge computing and so on. Most traditional distributed learning methods typically assume no failure or attack. However, many unexpected cases, such as communication failure and even malicious attack, may happen in real applications. Hence, Byzantine learning (BL), which refers to distributed learning with failure or attack, has recently attracted much attention. Most existing BL methods are synchronous, which are impractical in some applications due to heterogeneous or offline workers. In these cases, asynchronous BL (ABL) is usually preferred. In this paper, we propose a novel method, called buffered asynchronous stochastic gradient descent (BASGD), for ABL. To the best of our knowledge, BASGD is the first ABL method that can resist non-omniscient attacks without storing any instances on server. Furthermore, we also propose an improved variant of BASGD, called BASGD with momentum (BASGDm), by introducing momentum into BASGD. BASGDm can resist both non-omniscient and omniscient attacks. Compared with those methods which need to store instances on server, BASGD and BASGDm have a wider scope of application. Both BASGD and BASGDm are compatible with various aggregation rules. Moreover, both BASGD and BASGDm are proved to be convergent and be able to resist failure or attack. Empirical results show that our methods significantly outperform existing ABL baselines when there exists failure or attack on workers.


With the availability of exogenous surfactant therapy, distinguishing between surfactant deficiency and other causes of respiratory distress soon after birth is critical. Of 149 very low-birthweight (VLBW) infants of 24 to 30 weeks' gestation, 107 (72%) had both clinical and radiographic features of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Analysis of amniotic fluid obtained within 24 hours before birth or of the initial tracheal aspirate after birth for phosphatidylglycerol (PG) showed that absence of PG had a positive predictive value (PPV) of 80% for predicting RDS, while an immature lecithin/sphingomyelin (L/S) ratio had a PPV of 86% with a 68% specificity. When PG was absent and the L/S ratio was immature, the PPV for RDS increased to 89% (97% specificity). Phospholipid analysis was superior to gestational age alone in predicting RDS (P less than or equal to .02). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis detected different thresholds for immature L/S ratios for amniotic fluid (2.0) and initial tracheal aspirate (3.0) for predicting RDS. A tracheal aspirate L/S ratio less than or equal to 3.0 predicted RDS with 91% accuracy, while an amniotic fluid L/S ratio less than or equal to 2.0 predicted RDS with 90% accuracy. ROC curve thresholds for either tracheal aspirate or amniotic fluid permit selection of VLBW infants most likely to benefit from surfactant treatment. These analyses improve the accuracy of diagnosing surfactant-deficiency-associated RDS using only clinical and radiographic diagnoses, and may permit a more focused approach for rescue surfactant therapy in infants presenting with clinical symptoms of respiratory distress.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


In dealing with electromagnetic phenomena and in particular the phenomena of optics, despite the recognition of the quanta of light people tend to talk of the amplitudes and field strengths, as if the electromagnetic field were a classical field. For example we measure the wavelength of light by studying interference fringes. In this paper we study the inter- relationship of three ways of looking at the problem: in terms of classical wave fields, wave function of the photon; and the quantized wave field. The comparison and contrasts of these three modes of description are carefully analyzed in this paper. The ways in which these different modes complement our intuition and insight are also discussed.


Introduction Indigestible fermentable carbohydrates, grouped as FODMAPs, have been proposed to induce gastrointestinal symptoms. Some, such as oligofructose (OF), are prebiotics and modify the microbiota. The metabolic activity of the microbiota affected transit time in a mouse model.1 This study hypothesised that dietary supplementation with OF would shorten whole gut transit time (WGTT) and improve the capacity of the microbiota to metabolise a FODMAP challenge. Methods The study was an open-label case series. 16 healthy volunteers underwent fasting MRI to assess colonic volume [2] and the position of 5 transit markers ingested 24 h earlier from which WGTT could be calculated.3 Breath hydrogen (H2) and methane (CH4) were also measured. Subjects then consumed an inulin challenge drink (ICD): 500 ml water containing 40 g inulin. Inulin is fermented in the colon and known to increase H2 and colonic volume.4 After ICD subjects could sip water and were given a low FODMAP lunch but no other food was allowed. 8 h post-ICD MRI was repeated. Breath measurements were repeated 4 and 8 h post-ICD. Subjects then supplemented their usual diet with OF (gift from BENEO, Germany), 5 g twice daily, for a week. Fasting and post-ICD measurements were then repeated. Dietary questionnaires were completed for the weeks preceding MRIs to assess dietary fructan intake. Abstract OC-070 Figure 1 Results Median [IQR] given unless stated as mean [95% CI]. Fasting colonic volumes (510 ml [400–710]) increased by mean 94 ml [12 – 177, p = 0.03] after OF. Fasting H2 (33 ppm [9–87]) increased by mean 39 ppm [6 – 71, p = 0.02]. WGTT (34 h [10 – 45]) increased by 19 h [-9 – 42] but this increase did not reach significance (p = 0.09, Wilcoxon). Colonic volumes post-ICD were similar across weeks (mean 726 ml [667–785]). The change from baseline was significant in week 1 but not week 2 due to the difference in fasting volumes. There was no difference between weeks 1 and 2 in H2 at 4 or 8 h after ICD. CH4 did not change. Dietary fructan intake was similar in both weeks (mean < 8 g/ day). Conclusion OF increased fasting colonic volumes by 18%. H2 also rose. This may reflect increased bacterial mass with increased capacity for fermentation. The suggestion that OF slows WGTT is surprising and warrants further investigation. MRI can complement research on the microbiota to describe its impact on gut physiology. References 1 Kashyap P et al. Gastroenterology 2013;144(5):967–77 2 Chaddock G et al. Neurogastroenterology and Motility 2013 3 Pritchard S et al. Neurogastroenterol Motil 2013 4 Murray K et al. Am J Gastroenterol 2013 Disclosure of Interest None Declared.


The instability of convection patterns representing a combination of vertical Rayleigh rolls and horizontal rolls resulting from longitudinal horizontal magnetic field is investigated in an inclined layer of magnetic colloid by experiments and numerical simulations. Visualization of convection patterns is provided by a temperature-sensitive liquid crystal film. The rich spectrum of convection structures is observed against different values of inclination angles and uniform magnetic fields. If the horizontal longitudinal magnetic field is strong enough it extinguishes the convection perturbations along the field direction and stabilizes Rayleigh flows. Observed patterns at about two supercriticalities and with small inclination angles show mostly spatially and temporally chaotic structures.


This paper propose a novel approach to utilize the network to store data in form of floating IP packets. Network could play the role of temporary storage in certain applications and packets could be retained in the network in a closed routing loop. This approach which is called Data Storage Technique on IP Networks (DSTN) could be considered as one of the new applications of future IP networks. With applying this technique, data could be accessed with least delay by intermediate forwarding nodes. This is a preliminary work to investigate the feasibility of the technique. Simulation results achieved by OpNet Modeller simulation tool and show that the generated traffic retained in the network for the complete simulation time. As the feasibility is tested, this technique can be implemented and tested on the real networks in the future.


ABSTRACT The carnivores preserved in the late Pleistocene Rancho La Brea tar seep deposits display a remarkably high incidence of teeth broken in life as compared with modern species. In a previous study examining tooth breakage, tooth wear and individual age of Canis dirus over different periods in time, we found that Pit 13 C. dirus (about 15,000 years before present [ybp]) exhibited heavier tooth wear and fractured their teeth about three times more often than those of the younger Pit 61/67 (about 12,000 ybp). No significant difference was found in the age structure of the population, suggesting this came from differences in feeding behavior, likely bone consumption, at these two times. In this study, we extend this work to the Rancho La Brea sabertooth cat, Smilodon fatalis, a hypercamivore with more specialized teeth and feeding behavior. We looked at tooth breakage, tooth wear, and individual age of S. fatalis compared with C. dirus from similar time intervals. As in the previous study, the age structure of the Smilodon samples did not differ between different time intervals. Interestingly, S. fatalis had consistent and higher levels of tooth breakage and apparent average age than C. dirus in either location, and tooth wear was similar to that observed in the more worn Pit 13 sample of C. dirus. This may demonstrate that S. fatalis was consuming more bone, and/or that S. fatalis individuals were older, had different relative dentine deposition rates, or might reflect the greater vulnerability of the sabercats' narrow teeth to wear and fracture.


A packet pre-classification MAC (media access control) protocol based on carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) scheme has been investigated for supporting IP packet over the all-optical WDM ring networks. The intention of the protocol is to increase throughput of IP over optical networks in metropolitan area network (MAN). This protocol avoids both packet collision and packet fragmentation. In order to improve the utilization of network, the packets transmitted from local area network (LAN) are pre-classified into various class queues of access point (AP) according their length. Simulations had been done to evaluate the performance of the protocol, and the simulation results show extraordinarily good network efficiency.


In the present work we suggest new and more generalized parameterizations for the Equation of State, EoS, of dark energy, maintaining the basic structure of two-parameters CPL-model, but covering both the past and the future of the cosmic history, without divergences and consistently with the current observational data. We propose two generalizations, starting from the extended MZp-model by Ma and Zhang, 2011, the $\xi$MZp-model and the DFp-model. The potential advantages of using these new formulations is their extended range of validity, mainly in the future, to determine possible future scenarios of the cosmic evolution.


There are two reasons to reflect upon the possibility of doing therapy over the Internet. The first is the dearth of therapists in some regions. The second invites us to think about the setting Freud imagined as a particular instance of a general theory and to explore other variants that could be adjusted to fit new psychopathologies. In any case, online therapy requires a protocol involving spatial and temporal references, as well as financial agreement and confidentiality.


Activity-related incontinence is a problem for women, many with limited access to specialty clinics and practitioners. Incontinence inhibits participation in health-promoting levels of physical activity. Vaginal weights are a treatment option available without a prescription for home use that may help some of these women. This multiple baseline across-participant case study investigated the use of weights in a 'hands-off' pelvic floor exercise program for pre-menopausal women. Three of four participants improved, but did not cure, their incontinence with use of the weights. A fourth participant was unable to successfully use the weights. Referral to a women's health physical therapist was suggested for her. Poor adherence was noted at follow-up in two of three participants, with the one who maintained practice demonstrating continued improvement and increased physical activity. Weights provide a low-cost exercise adjunct to women interested in a flexible and independent incontinence management program. For continued improvement, behavioral factors promoting adherence should also be addressed. Weights are one of the options for women wanting a low-cost solution for activity-related urinary leakage. Problems using the weights or failure to benefit from their use may be indicators of a need for more advanced evaluation by women's health specialists.


Feeling tired? More than 30 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders. Nevertheless, as a society we remain largely ignorant of the significance of sleep in determining the quality of our waking lives. Dr. William Dement, Stanford Professor and one of the world's foremost experts on sleep and sleep deprivation, joins SLAC's Colloquium Series to present exciting new findings in the field of sleep research. You'll never sleep the same again!


In the paper, we suggest one of the possible schemes of a cross-correlation optical spectroscopicdevice for investigation of turbid colloidal solutions and suspensions. This devise is designed fordeterminationof the hydrodynamic radii of nanoparticles. The cross-correlation function is constructed for two signals of light intensity scattered on a cuvette with the investigated dispersion medium. The construction of crosscorrelation optical spectroscopicdevice makes it possible to detect single scattered light by suppressing multiple scattering. We carried out an analysis of literature containing theory of light scattering and results of applying cross-correlation method for investigation of solutions and suspensions. Based on the analytical review, the scheme of cross-correlation optical spectroscopicdevice was developed and constructed.


ABSTRACT Henrik Bang's concept of the Everyday Maker as a new type of political identity has been increasingly utilised in empirical research across a wide range of settings. In an age with numerous accounts of the changing nature of political participation, Bang's framework enables a critical investigation of contemporary participation. Although one of the key defining characteristics of the Everyday Maker is that their activity often occurs outside the formal political sphere, there is no empirical work to date which uses Bang's frame to examine gendered activities which appear private and social, with no obvious connections to the 'political'. To address this omission, this article explores women's participation in an Australian community group, MamaBake using the Everyday Maker framework to provide an alternative reading of what might be termed personalised politics. The article argues that the new type of political identity, is also prevalent in the social context, and demonstrates why this is relevant to the study of political participation. It also challenges the idea that the new forms are increasingly characterised by 'engagement norms'. The data for the case study research is drawn from a survey of the MamaBake members, and interviews with the real life participants.


During the 2007 ANtarctic geological DRILLing (ANDRILL) campaign in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, the AND‐2A core was recovered through a stratigraphic succession spanning 1,138.54 m of Neogene sedimentary rocks that include an expanded early to middle Miocene sequence. The study reported here focuses on the magnetic properties of the interval from 778.63 m below sea floor (mbsf) to 1,138.54 mbsf, which comprises a time interval spanning 1.5 Myr, from ~18.7 to ~20.2 Ma. We recognize three main pulses of increased input of magnetic materials to the drill site between 778.34–903.06, 950.55–995.78, and 1,040–1,103.96 mbsf. Trends in the magnetic mineral concentration dependent parameters mirror changes in the proportion of sediments derived from McMurdo Volcanic Group rocks. We suggest that these pulses in magnetic mineral concentration reflect changes in sediment transport processes associated with changing glacial conditions at the drill site that included (1) subglacial and grounding zone proximal settings, (2) hemipelagic and neritic conditions with abundant sediment‐rich icebergs, and (3) grounding zone‐distal environment that was covered by land‐fast multiyear sea ice or a fringing ice shelf. The magnetic minerals record preserved in the AND‐2A core supports other data that indicate a highly dynamic and variable coastal environment during the early Miocene, where glaciers retreated inland under warm climatic conditions and advanced beyond the drill site across the continental shelf when cold climate prevailed.


As teachers of English as a second language (L2) in web communication, our aim is to help L2 students improve their spoken and written English language skills. Teacher feedback has been shown to do this in some cases. However, only using teacher feedback can put huge pressure on the teacher, both in terms of time and resources. This paper describes and discusses our attempt at introducing peer feedback as an additional way of providing students with feedback on their English writing. Before conducting this study, we did not know if peer feedback would be feasible in our teaching environment or whether it would benefit the students and teachers. Our aim was to establish a status quo of our students' abilities in providing and implementing peer feedback. We introduced peer-feedback tasks and focused on the types of feedback provided by the students, the phrasing of the feedback, both when implemented and not implemented by the students, and the types of revisions made by the students. Our findings allowed us to develop peer-feedback process guidelines for web communication as a way towards improving written feedback processes in higher education, and hopefully for others to adapt and implement in their own communication classrooms.


The sponge Haliclona sp. contains secondary metabolites belong to alkaloids which are cytotoxic to the human tumor. The following research was conducted to study the effect of a graded level of Haliclona sp. extract on mammary adenocarcinoma in C3H mice. Haliclona sp. was obtained from Bandengan water in Jepara, and the crude extract was prepared by maceration with ethanol. Fifteen C3H mice with an initial weight of 20-25 gram were assigned into control, H-1, and H-2 groups. Control, H1, and H2 groups each received the ethanol extract of 0, 0.15, and 1.5 mg per mouse per day respectively for two weeks. Cancer cells were introduced to all groups from a cancerous donor mouse. The donor cancer cells were injected into each mouse via left or right axilla and allowed to grow. The cancer mass was removed and processed for histological examination, and the cancer growth was determined according to Elston and Ellis criteria. The result showed that histological grade of cancer mass from control group was in grade 2 or differentiated moderately. The histological grade of cancer mass from H-1 and H-2 groups were in grade 1 or similar to a normal cell. Analyses of the data by Kruskal-Wallis showed a significant difference (p<0,05) between control and treated groups. No significant difference was found between H-1 and H-2 groups. The results suggest the potential of active substances in the ethanol extract of Haliclona sp as an anti-cancer drug.


Recent studies show that a universal relation between black-hole (BH) growth and stellar mass ($M_\bigstar$) or star formation rate (SFR) is an oversimplification of BH-galaxy co-evolution, and that morphological and structural properties of host galaxies must also be considered. Particularly, a possible connection between BH growth and host-galaxy compactness was identified among star-forming (SF) galaxies. Utilizing $\approx 6300$ massive galaxies with $I_{\rm 814W}~<~24$ at $z$ $<$ 1.2 in the COSMOS field, we perform systematic partial-correlation analyses to investigate how sample-averaged BH accretion rate ($\rm \overline{BHAR}$) depends on host-galaxy compactness among SF galaxies, when controlling for morphology and $M_\bigstar$ (or SFR). The projected central surface-mass density within 1 kpc, $\Sigma_{1}$, is utilized to represent host-galaxy compactness in our study. We find that the $\rm \overline{BHAR}$-$\Sigma_{1}$ relation is stronger than either the $\rm \overline{BHAR}$-$M_\bigstar$ or $\rm \overline{BHAR}$-SFR relation among SF galaxies, and this $\rm \overline{BHAR}$-$\Sigma_{1}$ relation applies to both bulge-dominated galaxies and galaxies that are not dominated by bulges. This $\rm \overline{BHAR}$-$\Sigma_{1}$ relation among SF galaxies suggests a link between BH growth and the central gas density of host galaxies on the kpc scale, which may further imply a common origin of the gas in the vicinity of the BH and in the central $\sim$ kpc of the galaxy. This $\rm \overline{BHAR}$-$\Sigma_{1}$ relation can also be interpreted as the relation between BH growth and the central velocity dispersion of host galaxies at a given gas content, indicating the role of the host-galaxy potential well in feeding BHs.


This paper focuses on the Multi-Target Multi-Camera Tracking (MTMCT) task in a city-scale multi-camera network. As the trajectory of each target is naturally split into multiple sub-trajectories (namely local tracklets) in different cameras, the key issue of MTMCT is how to match local tracklets belonging to the same target across different cameras. To this end, we propose an efficient two-step MTMCT approach to robustly track vehicles in a camera network. It first generates all local tracklets and then matches the ones belonging to the same target across different cameras. More specifically, in the local tracklet generation phase, we follow the tracking-by-detection paradigm and link the detections to local tracklets by graph clustering. In the cross-camera tracklet matching phase, we first develop a spatial-temporal attention mechanism to produce robust tracklet representations. We then prune false matching candidates by traffic topology reasoning and match tracklets across cameras using the recently proposed TRACklet-to-Target Assignment (TRACTA) algorithm. The proposed method is evaluated on the City-Scale Multi-Camera Vehicle Tracking task at the 2020 AI City Challenge and achieves the second-best results.


Care of the elderly is typified by the relationship: elderly client/patient--younger helper/therapist. In Balint groups, relationships in interpersonal interactions are examined. This leads to a "patient-oriente" view and enables the participants to formulate a "comprehensive diagnosis". Multi-professional "gerontological"-Balint groups reduce reciprocal prejudices and value-judgements and promote cooperation between professional groups, further the understanding of the elderly in need of care, as well as the formulation of a patient-oriented "comprehensive treatment plan". By including creative productions in the Balint-group process, unconscious determinants of disturbed interpersonal relationships can be made "visible".