The reality of suffering in today's world, in our personal lives, is for many especially Western Christians an obstacle for entering into a relationship of faith with the One who bears the name "Almighty". Touched by this crisis the author inquires whether the theology of Thomas Aquinas (1224/5 - 1274) can help us find a way out. In this book some distance is taken from the crisis itself, in order to take a closer look at our faith regarding Christ's sufferings and how God almighty is related to these "nexus mysteriorum". For what is more obvious for a Christian thinking about suffering and God's relation to it, to start with the consideration of the sufferings of Christ and how God is related to them? Questions like "Did and/or does God suffer too?", "How are we to understand 'God is love' (1 Jn 4,8, 16) in view of this?" and "What do Christians actually mean by the word 'almighty'?" are dealt with.Thomas' questions and associations may often not be ours. And yet it turns out that his approach opens up new, or rather (almost) forgotten and therefore to us surprising, and hopeful perspectives.Mark-Robin Hoogland C.P. (1969) is a Passionist priest. At the time of preparation for this dissertation he lived and worked in the Passionist Inner City Mission at East End London (U.K.) and he was active in youth work there and in The Hague (the Netherlands). While he was a resaerch-fellow at the Catholic Theological University (KTU) at Utrecht, he also worked for three years at Mesos Medical Centre at Utrecht as a hospital chaplain and after that in several parishes where for a shorter or longer time no priest was available.At present he is preparing a study on Thomas Aquinas regarding God and human suffering, in the context of Stauros International, a Passionist Institute.


Photoluminescent (PL) carbon dots (CDs) as a new type of carbon nanomaterial have attracted increasing attention owing to their fascinating properties. Herein, we develop a facile, energy-efficient, large-scale route to prepare highly PL CDs with a quantum yield of up to 35.3% at room temperature. These PL CDs can be further separated out into green-emissive amorphous carbon nanodots (CNDs) and yellow-emissive crystalline graphene quantum dots (GQDs) through a silica gel column. Both the as-prepared CNDs and GQDs, even when having the same particle-size distribution and chemical groups, have different degrees of surface oxidation. As characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the yellow-emissive crystalline GQDs have a much higher surface oxidation degree than that of the green-emissive amorphous CNDs. A further finding is that the characteristic emission peaks of the CDs show an obvious red shift from 518 nm to 543 nm with the increase in the surface oxidation degree, which can be attributed to the decrease in their band gap between the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) and the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO). That is, the difference in band gap is closely related to the oxidation degree of the CDs, rather than the particle size or chemical groups. Moreover, the amorphous CNDs are very easily photobleached under 140 W xenon lamp irradiation as compared to the crystalline GQDs, indicating that the photostability is dependent on the crystalline structure of the CDs, which is beneficial for the top-down design and development of suitable CDs for different application purposes.


Using proton and phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy, we evaluated the metabolic effects of preischemic administration of the iV-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist dextromethorphan (50 mg/kg i.p.) during global forebrain ischemia and subsequent reperfusion in rats. Dextromethorphan-treated animals (n=10) showed less lactate formation during ischemia than untreated animals (n = ll,/?<0.001). During reperfusion, the lactate level in the treated group was reduced (/?<0.05). Tissue pH declined less in the treated group during ischemia (p<0.01). There was no difference in the phosphocreatine/inorganic phosphate peak height ratio between groups. During ischemia, the iV-acetylaspartate resonance peaks decreased in both groups. Histologic damage assessed in the hippocampal CA1 region 7 days after the ischemic insult was more severe in the untreated group (/?<0.05). There was a significant correlation between end-ischemic tissue pH and hippocampal damage (r=-0.73,/?<0.05). In the dextromethorphan-treated animals, 90% of the rats survived compared with 47% of the untreated animals (p<0.05). These results support findings in previous studies that dextromethorphan attenuates ischemic damage. (Stroke 1991^22^43-350)


Existing low-level vision algorithms (e.g., those for superresolution, denoising, and deblurring) were primarily motivated and optimized for precision in spatial domain. However, high precision in spectral domain is of importance for many applications in scientific and technical fields, such as spectral analysis, recognition, and classification. In quest for both high spectral and spatial fidelity, we introduce previously unexplored, physically induced, and joint spatiospectral sparsities to improve existing methods for multispectral image restoration. The bidirectional image formation model is used to reveal that the discontinuities of a multispectral image tend to align spatially across different spectral bands; in other words, the 2D Laplacians of different bands are not only sparse each, but they also agree with one the other in significance positions. Such strongly structured sparsities give rise to a new inter- and intra-block sparse estimation approach. The estimation is performed on 3D spatiospectral sample blocks, rather than on separate 2D patches, per spectral band or per luminance and chrominance component as in current practice. Moreover, intra-block and inter-block sparsity priors are combined via an intra-block  $\ell _{1,2}$ -norm minimization term and an inter-block low-rank term, strengthening the regularization of the underlying inverse problem. The new approach is tested and evaluated on two concrete applications. The superresolving and denoising multispectral images; its validity and advantages over the current state-of-the-art are established by empirical results.


We develop a PyTorch-based Graph Network Simulator (GNS) that learns physics and predicts the flow behavior of particulate and fluid systems. GNS discretizes the domain with nodes representing a collection of material points and the links connecting the nodes representing the local interaction between particles or clusters of particles. The GNS learns the interaction laws through message passing on the graph. GNS has three components: (a) Encoder, which embeds particle information to a latent graph, the edges are learned functions; (b) Processor, which allows data propagation and computes the nodal interactions across steps; and (c) Decoder, which extracts the relevant dynamics (e.g., particle acceleration) from the graph. We introduce physics-inspired simple inductive biases, such as an inertial frame that allows learning algorithms to prioritize one solution (constant gravitational acceleration) over another, reducing learning time. The GNS implementation uses semi-implicit Euler integration to update the next state based on the predicted accelerations. GNS trained on trajectory data is generalizable to predict particle kinematics in complex boundary conditions not seen during training. The trained model accurately predicts within a 5\% error of its associated material point method (MPM) simulation. The predictions are 5,000x faster than traditional MPM simulations (2.5 hours for MPM simulations versus 20 s for GNS simulation of granular flow). GNS surrogates are popular for solving optimization, control, critical-region prediction for in situ viz, and inverse-type problems. The GNS code is available under the open-source MIT license at https://github.com/geoelements/gns.


Sovereign wealth funds – state-controlled transnational portfolio investment vehicles – began as an externally imposed category in search of a definition. SWFs from different countries had little in common and no particular desire to collaborate. But SWFs as a group implicated the triple challenge of securing cooperation between deficit and surplus states, designing a legal framework for global capital flows, and integrating state actors in the transnational marketplace. This Article describes how an apparently artificial grouping of investors, made salient by the historical and political circumstances of their host states in the mid-2000s, became a vehicle for addressing some of the hardest policy problems of the past century and a site for innovation in international law-making and institution-building. I suggest that the funds' hybrid public-private and transnational character makes them hard to define and govern, but also makes them exceptionally apt reflections of contemporary global finance and its multiple constituents. I elaborate this character in a four-part accountability matrix. The task of governing SWFs, just like the task of governing global finance, is about negotiating among public, private, internal and external demands for accountability in the absence of a stable hierarchy among them.


RFamide-related peptide-3 (RFRP-3) and neuropeptide FF (NPFF) target two different receptor subtypes called neuropeptide FF1 (NPFF1R) and neuropeptide FF2 (NPFF2R) that modulate several functions. However, the study of their respective role is severely limited by the absence of selective blockers. We describe here the design of a highly selective NPFF1R antagonist called RF3286, which potently blocks RFRP-3-induced hyperalgesia in mice and luteinizing hormone release in hamsters. We then showed that the pharmacological blockade of NPFF1R in mice prevents the development of fentanyl-induced hyperalgesia while preserving its analgesic effect. Altogether, our data indicate that RF3286 represents a useful pharmacological tool to study the involvement of the NPFF1R/RFRP-3 system in different functions and different species. Thanks to this compound, we showed that this system is critically involved in the development of opioid-induced hyperalgesia, suggesting that NPFF1R antagonists might represent promising therapeutic tools to improve the use of opioids in the treatment of chronic pain.


laser drilling play an important role in special applications with high accuracy dimensions, this paper was focused on two types of ceramics; aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ) and zinc oxide (ZnO) of 4 mm thick have been drilled by using continuous wave (CW) CO 2 laser. the exposure times applied were (20, 40, 50) sec and the other laser parameters were kept constant and to avoid large distortion, A comparison between the two kinds of ceramic are carried out to determine the effect of laser parameters on them. It founds that ZnO holes are cleaner than Al 2 O 3 holes. Experiments proved that Exposure time at 50 sec resulting in similar penetration depth of 1.5 mm for both materials. Also for exposure time 41 sec gives the same taper angle.


We recently reported a placenta-specific enhancer in the human leukemia inhibitory factor receptor (LIFR) gene and now show detailed characterization of the 226-base pair enhancer (−4625/−4400 nucleotides). Four of twenty-two mutants in linker analysis showed reduced promoter activities to 45, 30, 10, and 10%, respectively. Specific binding of region A (−4617/−4602) with nuclear extract was competed by a known Oct-1 oligo and supershifted by Oct-1 antibody. Specific binding of region B (−4549/−4535) was competed by a GATA oligo, but could not be supershifted by four GATA antibodies. Nevertheless, mutagenesis showed that critical bases in region B were identical to the GATA core motif, indicating that region B may bind to a novel GATA family transcription factor. The other two adjacent regions designated as region C (−4464/−4445) showed no known consensus binding sites, and their specific placental JEG-3 nuclear extract binding was not evident in nonplacental nuclear extracts and was not competed by a trophoblast specific element (TSE), indicating that region C is a novel placenta-specific element (PSE, CATTTCCTGAACTAGTTTTT). Footprinting localized the binding boundary of PSE-binding protein (PSEB), and three Gs were found to be important for specific PSE binding. UV cross-linking showed that PSEB had a molecular mass of ∼160 kDa, substituting the PSE with two previously reported placenta elements TSE or chorionic somatomammotropin enhancer factor 1 (CSEF-1) motifs resulted in markedly different promoter activities, indicating that PSEB is indeed different from TSE binding protein or CSEF-1. These results are the first demonstration that a novel PSE is the major element for placenta-specific enhancer activity in humanLIFR gene.


This paper investigates how the efficiency of Weighted Least Squares (WLS) State Estimation changes according to both the uncertainty of network parameters and the uncertainty of measurements. Performance of State Estimator based mainly on the accuracy of its inputs and it is very important for the power system planners to improve the state estimation by determining whether to invest on increasing the measurement preciseness or improve the power network model. For this purpose, an algorithm for simulation of the uncertainty effects on the state estimator is proposed and tested on IEEE 14-Bus power network test case. The implementation of this algorithm enables us to analyze how much the state estimator's output is affected according to the network parameters uncertainty by means of state errors distribution versus the network parameters uncertainty. On the other hand, a serious defect in an estimator is the lack of unbiasedness. Hence a new prominent analysis is performed to find how network parameters uncertainty can affect the state estimator's bias by using distribution of the ratio between the absolute value of state errors mean and the related standard deviations versus the network parameters uncertainty and comparing it with a predefined threshold. Moreover, this analysis is also performed considering correlation in the network parameters, to investigate the effect of parameters correlation on the state estimator.


This engineering brief describes HULTI-GEN (Huddersfield Universal Listening Test Interface Generator), a Cycling '74 Max-based tool. HULTI-GEN is a user-customisable environment, which takes user-defined parameters (e.g. the number of trials, stimuli and scale settings) and automatically constructs an interface for comparing auditory stimuli, whilst also randomising the stimuli and trial order. To assist the user, templates based on ITU-R recommended methods have been included. As the recommended methods are often adjusted for different test requirements, HULTI-GEN also supports flexible editing of these presets. Furthermore, some existing techniques have been summarised within this brief, including their restrictions and how they might be altered through using HULTI-GEN.


GIS-based multicriteria analysis (GIS-MCA) is a procedure for transforming and combining geographic data and value judgments (preferences) to evaluate a set of alternatives with respect to relevant criteria. Ideal Point Method (IPM) is one of the most often used GIS-MCA techniques. It has been applied in many research/planning areas including environmental planning, urban/regional planning, waste management, water resource management and agriculture. One of the limitations of IPM is that it has conventionally been used as a global approach based on the implicit assumption that its parameters do not vary as a function of geographic space. The conventional IPM assumes a spatial homogeneity of its parameters within the whole study area. This thesis proposes a new IPM called local IPM. The local version of IPM is developed by localizing two parameters (criterion weights and ideal/nadir points) based on the range-sensitivity principle. The IPM methods are used to evaluate and analyse the spatial patterns of the quality of employment in London, Ontario. The case study shows that there are significant differences between the spatial patterns generated by the local and conventional IPM. The local IPM not only can display the general 'spatial trend' of the quality of employment in London, but also is able to highlight the areas with relatively high quality of employment in different neighborhoods. Furthermore, the local IPM provides a tool for visualizing and exploring spatial patterns. The parameters influencing the local IPM results can be mapped and further examined with GIS.


Compared with older adults, sexually active individuals aged 15–24 years are at a higher risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs) for a combination of behavioral, biological, and social reasons. Because of this, nearly half of the 20 million newly transmitted diseases diagnosed each year are among young people aged 15-24 years old. Unfortunately, the consequences of STIs are especially severe for young people due to undiagnosed cases. Nevertheless, STIs are a problem often disregarded by the public. In 2013 the CDC reported the rates of STIs in Travis County on the rise. Therefore, as a city looking to better the health of our community, it is imperative to propose a solution to reduce the spread of STIs in Austin. Our research takes one approach to solving this problem by focusing on the population of young adults and comparing STI rates at across the national, state, and county level. Through our findings we will propose our own solution to reduce rates of STIs on campus.


There has been a tremendous change in the pest spectrum and the pest
management practices over the past five decades. Several insect species
have attained the status of a major pest, while insect resistance to
insecticid,es and pest resurgence have been observed on a large scale as a
result of indiscriminate use of pesticides. Over the past five decades, there
has been a qualitative shift in pest management tactics from cultural and
mechanical control and use of synthetic insecticides to greater use of
microbials, natural plant products, selective insecticides, and genetically
modified insect-resistant crops. Strategies for pest management, in general,
have been dominated by the search for a 'silver bullet' products /
interventions to minimize the losses due to insect pests. However,
therapeutic interventions into biological and ecological systems provide
only a short-term relief, and the effects of such interventions are neutralized
by the countermoves within the biological and ecological systems. Longterm
answers to pest problems can on(y be sought by re-structuring and
managing ecosystems in a way that enhance the ability of in-built
mechanisms to resist insect damage, while the therapeutic tactics serve as
a back up to the natural regulatory processes. There is a need to exploit the
modern tools ofbiotechnology for pest management to increase the efficacy
of biopesticides and natural enemies, and increase the levels of host plant
resistance to insects through genetic engineering and gene pyramiding for
sustainable crop protection and environment conservation.


: Partial inhibition (p.i.) of anti-Rg (Rodgers) and anti-Ch (Chido) has been detected by antisera considered to be polyspecific. By using cells and C4 from individuals that are p.i. of Rg and Ch in absorption and elution experiments with selected antisera, it has been possible to separate several specificities. 2 Rg determinants, Rg1 and Rg2, and 3 Ch determinants, Ch1, Ch2, and Ch3, are defined by specific antisera. Partial inhibitors for Rg lack Rg2 and for Ch lack Ch2 or Ch3. The results are discussed in relation to other complexities of C4 polymorphism.


Objective Using fMRI, we have identified lower coupling between anterior temporal (AT) and subgenual cingulate (SC) cortex while patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) experience guilt. This neural signature was detected despite symptom remission which suggests its role in MDD vulnerability. This double-blind, controlled, randomised and pre-registered clinical trial aimed at determining whether patients with MDD are able to voluntarily modulate this neural signature. To this end we developed an fMRI neurofeedback software tool (FRIEND), which measures AT-SC coupling and displays its levels to patients during fMRI in real time. Method Twenty-eight patients with remitted MDD were randomised to two groups each receiving one session of fMRI neurofeedback whilst retrieving guilt and indignation-related autobiographical memories. They were instructed to feel the emotion whilst trying to increase the level of a thermometer-like display on a screen. Active intervention group: The thermometer levels increased with increasing levels of AT-SC correlations in the guilt condition. Control intervention group: The thermometer levels decreased when correlation levels deviated from the previous baseline level in the guilt condition thus reinforcing stable correlations. Both groups also received feedback during the indignation condition reinforcing stable correlations. Results We confirmed our predictions that patients in the active intervention group are indeed able to increase the level of their AT-SC correlation for guilt vs. indignation after training compared to before training and that this differed significantly from the control intervention group. Conclusion This provides the proof-of-concept for a novel MDD treatment approach. Future studies need to probe its efficacy when applied repeatedly.


Objective: We sought to characterize differences in pancreatectomy recommendation rates to surgically eligible patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head across age and racial groups. Background: Pancreatectomy is not recommended in almost half of otherwise healthy patients with stage I/II pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma lacking a surgical contraindication. We characterized differences in pancreatectomy recommendation among surgically eligible patients across age and racial groups. Methods: Non-Hispanic White (NHW) and Non-Hispanic Black (NHB) patients were identified in the National Cancer Database with clinical stage I/II pancreatic head adenocarcinoma, Charlson Comorbidity Index of 0 to 1, and age 40 to 89 years. Rates of surgery recommendation and overall survival (OS) by age and race were compared. A Pancreatectomy Recommendation Equivalence Point (PREP) was defined as the age at which the rate of not recommending surgery matched the rate of recommending and completing surgery. Marginal standardization was used to identify association of age and race with recommendation. OS was compared using Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression models. Results: Among 40,866 patients, 36,133 (88%) were NHW and 4733 (12%) were NHB. For the entire cohort, PREP was 79 years. PREP was 5 years younger in NHB patients than in NHW patients (75 vs 80 years). Adjusted rates of not recommending surgery were significantly higher for NHB than for NHW patients in each age group. After adjusting for surgery recommendation, we found no difference in OS between NHW and NHB patients (hazard ratio 0.98 [95% CI 0.94–1.02]). Conclusions: PREP of NHB patients was 5 years younger than NHW patients, and in every age group, the rate of not recommending pancreatectomy was higher in NHB patients. Age and race disparities in treatment recommendations may contribute to shorter longevity of NHB patients.


A great deal of effort has been devoted to develop easy-to-use fluorescent probes for detecting analytes due to their advantages in the field of chemo- and bio-sensing. Herein, two novel 2,2′-biindenyl-based derivatives BDM and BDBM containing dicyanovinyl groups have been designed and synthesized, and are shown to possess the remarkable dual properties of solvatochromism and aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AIEE). Importantly, both of them are found to serve as fluorescent indicators for the qualitative and quantitative detection of low-level water in organic solvents. Meanwhile, both BDM and BDBM emit yellowish orange and orange fluorescence, respectively, in their aggregated states. Furthermore, with dicyanovinyl groups as the recognition sites, both compounds can act as colourimetric and fluorescent sensors for highly sensitive and selective detection of cyanide in aqueous media, and the apparent response signals can be observed by the naked eye even in the presence of various interference anions, promising practical applications for detecting cyanide in drinking water. Besides, optical spectroscopic techniques, NMR titration measurements, and density functional theory calculations are conducted to rationalize the sensing mechanisms of the two probes.


The search for new ways to recycling of rubber waste has been the aim of many studies conducted by research centers and companies worldwide. The results of our investigations on the process of continuous thermomechanical devulcanization of ground tire rubber using a twin screw extruder are presented. We used a co-rotating twin screw extruder with a special configuration of plasticizing unit, enabling generation of considerable shear forces. Various properties were characterized, such as the influence of the ground tire rubber feed rate and screw speed (shear forces) on the screw torque, acetone extract, sol fraction, and the degree of devulcanization in the resulting products. The effect of a secondary vulcanization on the vulcametric curves was determined, and the mechanical properties (tensile strength, elongation at break, hardness, resilience and abrasion resistance) of the revulcanized material were studied. It has been determined that the devulcanization process depends on the values of shear force and residence time acting on ground tire rubber. The devulcanization degree increases with increasing screw speed and feed rate. The results of repeatability of continuous devulcanization process of ground tire rubber were also determined. Obtained products possess the quality comparable to that of reclaim rubber available on the market.


Carbon blacks were used as catalysts for hydrogen production through hydrocarbon decomposition. The aim of this work is to find suitable conditions for decomposition reaction to cut down the net cost of hydrogen production. Carbon blacks after hydrocarbon decomposition under different operation conditions were mixed with NBR rubber. The surface area of carbon black increased with low weight gain in methane decomposition caused by carbon deposits on the surface of carbon black aggregates, and the decrease of surface area with further weight gain might be due to the carbon deposits adhering to each other and forming bigger aggregates. The same results were gotten from decomposition of mixture gas of methane and propane. The surface area of carbon black always decreased with the development of propane decomposition reaction. With the same carbon black loading, the composites filled by carbon blacks with low weight gain in methane and methane-propane mixture gas decompositions showed higher tensile strength than those mixed with raw carbon blacks, but there were no significant differences in 300% modulus. With the increase of carbon blacks loading in all composites, 300% modulus and tensile strength always increased. The surface resistivity of composites showed that it was much easier for carbon blacks with low weight gain in methane and methane-propane mixture gas decompositions to dissipate well in the in rubber system.


Individual body mass often positively correlates with survival and reproductive success, whereas fitness costs of growing large are rarely detected in vertebrates in the wild. Evidence that adult body mass progressively declines with increasing age is accumulating across mammalian populations. Growing fast to a large body can increase the cellular damage accumulated throughout life, leading body growth in early life to be negatively associated with the rate of body mass senescence. Moreover, the onset of mass senescence may strongly depend on both sex-specific reproductive tactics and environmental conditions. Assessing the timing and the rate of body mass decline with increasing age thus offers an opportunity to look for costs of having grown fast, especially after a poor start during early life, in both sexes and in different environments. Using a unique dataset including 30 years of longitudinal data on age-specific body mass collected in two roe deer Capreolus capreolus populations subjected to contrasted environmental conditions, we looked for potential costs of high post-weaning growth rate in terms of steeper rate of body mass senescence. Our analyses of body mass senescence accounted for the potential variation in the onset of senescence and allowed explicit comparisons of this variable between sexes and populations. Higher growth rates late in the growing period (after weaning) were associated with a steeper rate of body mass senescence, regardless of early mass (gained before weaning), but at different extents depending on sex and environmental conditions. Body mass senescence occurred earlier in males than in females, especially in the population facing limiting resources. In the wild, although heavy individuals generally survive better than small ones, the costs of growing large late in the growing period only became apparent late in life through mass senescence.

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ABSTRACT In the last decade the consumer demand for organic food has grown. Proponents of organic foods claim that it is better tasting and fresher. The aim of this study was to examine if there are differences in the taste, texture and appearance of Irish grown organic and conventional tomatoes ( cv Amoroso ). Three batches were tested, one of organic and one of conventional, each week for three weeks using sensory, chemical and physical analysis. Sensory analysis trials (taste, texture and appearance) were carried out using 14 semi-trained panellists. pH (n=8), Instron (n=8) and Colorflex (n=32) measurements were also recorded. A comparison between both types of tomato found no significant differences (P<0.05) for the sensory attributes of taste, texture and appearance. Acidity values of 4.22 +/- .01 and 4.24 +/- .012, Instron values (puncture probe 7mm) of .017KN +/-.002 and .027 KN +/- .005 and Hunter a*/b* values of 1.39 +/- .034 and 1.35 +/-.034 were recorded for organic and conventional tomato samples respectively.


Planktivorous bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) are known to consume large prey preferentially. Disagreement exists in the literature over whether this size—selectivity reflects optimal foraging behavior by the fish or relative prey encounter probability as predicted by a model in which apparent size of the prey determines foraging preferences. As bluegills grow larger, their visual resolution increases, and this should affect prey choice under the apparent size model. In laboratory experiments, three sizes or fish were fed identical diets made up of three sizes of Daphnia magna. Large and medium—size fish consumed relatively more large prey than predicted by the apparent size model, whereas the diet of small fish deviated only sightly from the apparent size model. For fish to be more selective than allowed by the apparent size model, they must be able to estimate absolute prey size. To do this requires good vision. Since diet selectivity was highly significantly correlated with the fishes' visual resolution in our experiments, we suggest that visual capability imposes a constraint on the ability of small bluegills to choose prey.


With the publication of The Divided Self in 1960, R. D. Laing initiated the British 'anti-psychiatry' movement which was to challenge the hegemony of conventional medical and psychoanalytical models of madness during that decade and beyond. Anti-psychiatric thinking coincided with the beginning of the second wave of feminism and the two movements coalesced within a number of literary texts, most notably Doris Lessing's The Golden Notebook. However, whilst Lessing appears to agree with Laing's account of schizophrenia and, indeed, largely bases her own representations of madness on his understanding of that experience, her texts nevertheless struggle to fully realise the potential of his theories for women. With reference to The Golden Notebook and her later novels The Four-Gated City and Briefing for a Descent into Hell, I argue that Lessing's fiction complicates Laing's theories by demonstrating the significance of the sex/gender system, so conspicuously absent in his works, to women's experiences of schizophrenia. Lessing's 'madness novels' suggest that Laing's ultimate aim to deconstruct the sanity/madness binary remains unrealised for the madwoman because of his inattention to that binary's associative opposition: male/female. This thesis examines Lessing's engagement with Laing and argues that any straightforward relationship between his theory and her fiction is complicated by the discourses of gendered embodiment he fails to account for but which continues to define and bind Lessing's female characters. Using contemporary feminist body theory, I read the female body as a site of contention in and between Lessing's and Laing's texts and, finally, as (an) irresolvable 'matter' in anti-psychiatry's understanding of the experience of madness.


Presentation types are used in the CLIM interface library to tag graphical output with a type and establish an input type context in which the user may use the keyboard to type input, accepted by a parser associated with that presentation type, or click on the graphical representation of an object that has an appropriate presentation type. Presentation types are defined using a syntax reminiscent of the deftype syntax of Common Lisp; the input and output actions of the types, as well as aspects of their inheritance, are implemented using a system of generic functions and methods directly based on CLOS. The presentation type system is different enough from the Common Lisp type system that its types, generic functions and methods do not map directly to those of Common Lisp. We describe the presentation type implemention in McCLIM which uses the CLOS Metaobject Protocol to implement presentation type inheritance, method dispatch and method combination without implementing an entire parallel object system next to CLOS. Our implementation supports all types of method combination in the presentation methods, including user-defined method combination.


This study uses both qualitative and quantitative research methods in a mixed-methods approach to investigate whether the principled use of author-devised cover letters (CLs) within doctorate writing groups can result in more useful reviewer feedback comments than would be attained through the use of instructor-devised writing assessment rubrics. In this context, CLs are self-devised written documents that help the reviewers give the author useful and critical written feedback comments. Twenty participants in different discipline-specific writing groups were given explicit instruction about the importance and content of CLs during the peer feedback process. Their perceptions of a useful CL were obtained from post-course questionnaires and analysed qualitatively. In addition, their CLs at various stages of the feedback process were analysed quantitatively for genre, social presence, and evidence of teaching instruction, and compared to the CLs produced by 20 PhD students in similar writing groups who received minimal CL instruction. The study found that author-devised CLs, as opposed to instructor-devised rubrics, can allow the authors the flexibility of providing text-specific background details, requesting reviewer help on specific textual aspects, using social presence to develop a sense of writing community, and provide reflection upon their own writing.


Fluids have an important role in grinding. Correct fluid application results in enhanced process stability, better work piece quality, and tool life. This paper shows that Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models can be used to simulate the fluid flow and heat transfer in a grinding process, replacing numerous experiments that are expensive, time-consuming, and have limited capabilities. The most important properties of created 3-D model are described, along with results obtained. The results show very detailed distributions of temperatures, pressures, and flow rates in and around the grinding region. The data obtained is essential in studying the influence of the grinding fluid on the grinding process, as well as in determining the best fluid composition and supply parameters for a given application. The results agree well with experimental global flow rates and temperature values and show the feasibility of 3-D CFD-based simulations in grinding applications. The parametric studies of influence of several fluid physical properties on useful flow rates and temperatures were presented as well.


Linearizability is a well-known consistency condition for shared objects in concurrent systems. We focus on the problem of implementing linearizable objects of arbitrary data types in message-passing systems with bounded, but uncertain, message delay and bounded, but non-zero, clock skew. We present an algorithm that exploits axiomatic properties of different operations to reduce the running time of each operation below that obtainable with previously known algorithms. We also prove lower bounds on the time complexity of various kinds of operations, specified by the axioms they satisfy, resulting in reduced gaps in some cases and tight bounds in others.


Continuous Integration (CI) is the practice of automating and improving the frequency of code integration (e.g., daily builds). CI is often considered one of the key elements involved to support agile software teams. It helps to reduce the risks in software development by automatically building and testing a project codebase,
which allows the team to fix broken builds immediately. The adoption of CI can
help development teams to assess the quality of software systems. The potential
benefits of adopting CI have brought the attention of researchers to study its advantages empirically. Previous research has studied the impact of adopting CI on diverse aspects of software development. Despite the valuable advancements, there are still many assumptions in the community that remains empirically unexplored. Our work empirically investigates the software quality outcomes and their relationship with the adoption of CI. This thesis provides a systematic literature
mapping that presents a broad knowledge of how practitioners and researchers
recognize the CI practice to affect software product-related aspects. Additionally,
we improve some assumptions by performing two empirical studies that aim to answer the following open questions: (i) Does the adoption of CI share a relationship with the evolution of test code? (ii) The adherence to CI best practices is related to
the degree of code quality? Finally, we present a pioneering study that goes beyond
the correlation tests to investigate the estimated causal effect of CI adoption and
its impact on automated tests. Thereby, we apply a causal inference using directed
acyclic graphs and probabilistic methods to determine the causal effect of CI in
automated tests. Our results suggest that, despite the CI adoption trade-offs, it
is likely to be associated with improvements in software quality. Additionally, it
employs a considerable positive causal effect on the volume of automated tests.


Cover temperatures were measured at four MSW landfills located in different climatic regions in North America: Michigan, New Mexico, Alaska, and British Columbia. Temperature measurements were made on a weekly basis throughout the depth of the cover profiles extending from the surface into the top layers of the underlying wastes. Bias was produced in the surface temperature data due to the combined effects of the time of day that weekly surface measurements were taken and the high diurnal variations at the surface. Analytical methods were used to obtain representative surface temperature functions for the covers from experimental data. Mean cover surface temperatures were estimated by extrapolating near-surface temperatures using exponential functions and by interpolating between air and below- surface cover temperatures using weighting factors. Surface temperature amplitudes were estimated by extrapolating near-surface amplitudes using conventional earth temperature theory. Analysis of data indicated that mean cover surface temperatures and cover temperature amplitudes can also be obtained directly from temperature measurements at 150 to 300 mm depth, when such data are available. Surface parameters obtained in this study can be used at other sites with similar climatic conditions for thermal analysis of cover systems.


This paper assesses data consumers' perspectives on the interoperable and re-usable aspects of the FAIR Data Principles. Taking a domain-specific informatics approach, ten oceanographers were asked to think of a recent search for data and describe their process of discovery, evaluation, and use. The interview schedule, derived from the FAIR Data Principles, included questions about the interoperability and re-usability of data. Through this critical incident technique, findings on data interoperability and re-usability give data curators valuable insights into how real-world users access, evaluate, and use data. Results from this study show that oceanographers utilize tools that make re-use simple, with interoperability seamless within the systems used. The processes employed by oceanographers present a good baseline for other domains adopting the FAIR Data Principles.


BACKGROUND
Branched-chain amino acids (BCAA: leucine, isoleucine, and valine) are essential amino acids involved in biological functions of brain development and recently linked with autism. However, their role in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is not well-studied. We investigated individual and combined relationships of maternal plasma and newborn cord plasma BCAAs with childhood development of ADHD.

METHODS
We utilized the Boston Birth Cohort, a predominantly urban, low-income, US minority population. Child developmental outcomes were defined in three mutually exclusive groups - ADHD, neurotypical (NT), or other developmental disabilities based on physician diagnoses per ICD-9 or 10 in medical records. The final sample included 626 children (299 ADHD, 327 NT) excluding other developmental disabilities. BCAAs were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. We used factor analysis to create composite scores of maternal and cord BCAA, which we divided into tertiles. Logistic regressions analyzed relationships between maternal or cord BCAA tertiles with child ADHD risk, controlling for maternal race, age, parity, smoking, education, low birth weight, preterm birth, and child sex. Additionally, we analyzed maternal and cord plasma BCAAs jointly on child ADHD risk.

RESULTS
Adjusted logistic regression found significantly increased odds of child ADHD diagnosis for the second (OR 1.63, 95% CI: 1.04, 2.54, p = .032) and third tertiles (OR 2.01, 95% CI: 1.28, 3.15, p = .002) of cord BCAA scores compared to the first tertile. This finding held for the third tertile when further adjusting for maternal BCAA score. There was no significant association between maternal BCAA score and child ADHD risk, nor a significant interaction between maternal and cord BCAA scores.

CONCLUSIONS
In this prospective US birth cohort, higher cord BCAA levels were associated with a greater risk of developing ADHD in childhood. These results have implications for further research into mechanisms of ADHD development and possible early life screening and interventions.


Tissue engineering, in the fields of skin regeneration, seeks to overcome the limitations associated with the use of immediate auto-grafts, since choosing the donor region of the patient constitutes a risk for the patient himself and is insufficient if the injury that has to be repaired is very large. The use of the pig's small intestine submucosa (SIS) has being proved as a filling biomaterial to treat injuries, because of its special composition, it lowers pain and inflammation since its first application and it favours early mobility to the wounded area. The present study developed a protocol for the primary culture of human keratinocytes from infant foreskins, and used small intestinal submucosa (SIS) like culture substrate. Cellular adherence potential and proliferation capability of the keratinocytes over this substrate was evaluated.


Latosol soil has low fertility and widely spread out in Indonesia. The successful   of planting activity on latosol soil can be supported by appropiate species selection and seedling good quality. The use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and  coconut shell charcoal  for improving sengon  (Falcataria moluccana (Miq) Barneby & JW Grimes) and trembesi (Samanea saman ( Jacq) Merr growth is one alternative to support planting activities in latosol soil . This research was conducted in green house and used Split-Plot design of Complete Randomized Design (CRD) with AMF as  a main plot and coconut shell charcoal as a sub-plot. Percentage of FMA colonisation, height, diameter, crown dry weight, root dry weight, ratio of crown root and quality index of seedlings were recorded. Results showed that interaction between AMF and coconut shell charcoal increased parameters growth  for both seedling.   Single factor from both AMF  species (Glomus sp. and Gigaspora sp.) gives similar effect on growth of both seedling species.


In this study the psychological contract effects of skills development expectations and obligations of municipal employees in the South African province of the North West were explored. The participants were 547 municipal employees (females = 46%) of all levels. Data were collected on their expectations regarding skills development and training, capacity building, education, policies and procedures and infrastructure to be provided by the employer. Data were analysed through a data reduction process (exploratory factor analysis with Varimax rotation) and descriptive statistics (means, standard. The results reflected that participants perceived their psychological contract with the employer as unfulfilled and unbalanced.


1. Surface movement of the dividing spermatocyte of the grasshopper, Acrida lata , was followed by a marking method. 2. Throughout the division process of the spermatocytes, incipient daughter cells maintain spherical contours. 3. By direct observation of markers and calculation using the condition given in item 2, the following points are established. ( a ) As in the sea-urchin egg, there are a pair of circular zones on a grasshopper spermatocyte surface which retain their respective radii unchanged while the cell undergoes a division. ( b ) In the grasshopper spermatocyte, unlike the sea-urchin egg, the surfaces of these circular zones do change their positions and move towards the poles during division. ( c ) As a spherical cell goes through a constricted form to become two daughter cells, not only is the radius of curvature of the surface everywhere uniform (item 2), but both axial length and surface area increase uniformly everywhere except in the region of the furrow. 4. From the findings of item 3 it is inferred that the prevailing surface stress is uniform and isotropic, like surface tension, and that the force causing division must be derived from some other parts of the cell such as the furrow cortex or the endoplasm. 5. Basically, the nature of the surface of sea-urchin eggs is similar to that of the spermatocyte. That the circular zones of the former are stationary while those of the latter move steadily during cleavage is tentatively explained in terms of the speed of advance of the furrow in relation to the relaxation time of the cortex.


Students studying in university contexts often find learning to write English for academic purposes especially challenging. Some of the challenges reside in acquiring the necessary skills and strategies to be successful academic writers. A less tangible consideration which has received recent attention from first and second language writing researchers is the relationship between writing and identity. How do student writers become part of a situated community in which some discourses may be privileged over others? While all writing can be a potential site of struggle, this may have particular significance for second language students who bring their own unique backgrounds and literacy histories to their academic writing and may find becoming part of a new and heterogeneous discourse community profoundly unsettling. Using case study methods, this dissertation explores the experiences of four undergraduate students as they become academic writers in a second language. It also carries out an analysis of some of the linguistic features one particular student essay to examine how writers simultaneously construct their texts and are constructed by them.


Up to now there have been no published results of therapy of paraphilia (for example, pedophilia or sadism) and sexual aggressive impulsiveness with luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonists in the German-speaking countries. After a short introduction about physiologic features and the present state of investigations in treatment of paraphilia with LHRH agonists we describe 11 patients who were treated with the LHRH agonist Leuprolide Acetate over a period of 12 months. The patients showed no tendency toward sexually aggressive behavior and reported an evident reduction of penile erection, ejaculation, masturbation, sexually deviant impulsiveness, and fantasies. One patient died from suicide. In combination with other treatments, LHRH Agonists seem to be a very promising alternative to cyproterone acetate and its possible carcinogene effects.


Multiple targets tracking is one of the challenging applications in a wireless sensor network due to targets' movement in different directions, targets' speed variations and frequent connectivity failures of low powered sensor nodes. If all the low-powered sensor nodes are kept active in tracking multiple targets' coming from different directions of the network, there is high probability of network failure due to the wastage of power. It would be more realistic, if, according to the priority of service, sensor nodes are classified and are kept active. Then, it is possible to reduce energy consumption. In our paper, we propose a distributed tracking framework incorporating sensor network properties which results into a novel service priority based dynamic tracking framework. We simulate our method by a sensor network simulator OMNeT++. We find that our architecture saves energy significantly.


The origin of mammalian endothermy has long been held to reside within the early therapsid groups. However, shared histological characteristics have been observed in the bone matrix and vascularity between Ophiacodontidae and the later therapsids (Synapsida). Historically, this coincidence has been explained as simply a reflection of the presumed aquatic lifestyle of Ophiacodon or even a sign of immaturity. Here we show, by histologically sampling an ontogenetic series of Ophiacodon humeri, as well as additional material, the existence of true fibrolamellar bone in the postcranial bones of a member of 'Pelycosauria'. Our findings have reaffirmed what previous studies first described as fast growing tissue, and by proxy, have disproven that the highly vascularized cortex is simply a reflection of young age. This tissue demonstrates the classic histological characteristics of true fibrolamellar bone (FLB). The cortex consists of primary osteons in a woven bone matrix and remains highly vascularized throughout ontogeny providing evidence to fast skeletal growth. Overall, the FLB tissue we have described in Ophiacodon is more derived or "mammal-like" in terms of the osteonal development, bone matrix, and skeletal growth then what has been described thus far for any other pelycosaur taxa. Ophioacodon bone histology does not show well-developed Haversian tissue. With regards to the histological record, our results remain inconclusive as to the preferred ecology of Ophiacodon, but support the growing evidence for an aquatic lifestyle. Our findings have set the evolutionary origins of modern mammalian endothermy and high skeletal growth rates back approximately 20 M.Y. to the Early Permian, and by phylogenetic extension perhaps the Late Carboniferous.


Due to the increasing cost of fruit production in traditional agriculture (400-500 trees/Ha) and in order to raise the productivity per unit area, the global horticulture businesses had gone towards intensive farming adapting high density and later Super High-density planting (1000-1660 trees/ha). As per the strategic plan of Tabuk Agriculture Development Co. (TADCO), a field trial was conducted in 2009 and 2010 on six plums cultivars, three apricots cultivars, three round type shape and two flat type shape nectarines cultivars; and one flat type peaches cultivar. Most of these stone fruit cultivars originated from South Africa, three apricots cultivars from France and one plums cultivar from USA.
Field observations of the research unit on the trial during the period 2010 to 2013 had shown vigorous trees growth, high yield and high quality of some cultivars under the influence of the selected rootstocks, good soil preparation with the deep ripping and reclamation of the soil after the addition of gypsum and sulfuric acid before planting. It had been noted that the selected rootstocks for the stone fruits cultivars were suitable in the calcareous alkaline salty soil except Mariana rootstock as we observed loss of the cultivars budded on this rootstock: 40% of Black Splendor plum, and 16% of Alba plum cultivar. All the rootstocks encouraged vigorous trees growth and did not reduce the size of the trees of the different cultivars to fit the intensive super high density planting system with the central leading system in plums, peaches and nectarines or the open center system (Vas shape) in apricots.
The obtained results shown two plums cultivars Black Splendor, Pioneer and two nectarines cultivars Crimson Blaze, Royal Gem were suitable for Tabuk area. None of the tested apricots cultivars were suitable to this area.


Background Migraine is associated with activation of the trigeminovascular system, release of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and dilation of dural arteries. Novel treatments target calcitonin gene-related peptide or its receptor, which are present in all vascular beds, raising cardiovascular concerns. Erenumab is a human CGRP-receptor antibody approved for the prophylactic treatment of migraine. Methods We characterised the relaxant responses to CGRP in the absence and presence of erenumab (1 μM) in isolated human middle meningeal, internal mammary and (proximal and distal) coronary arteries. Furthermore, in human internal mammary arteries from cardiovascularly-compromised patients, we assessed the pharmacological specificity of erenumab by investigating whether the vasodilatory responses to acetylcholine, sodium nitroprusside, pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide-38 (PACAP), vasoactive intestinal peptide and nicardipine, along with the vasoconstrictor responses to dihydroergotamine, were modified by erenumab. Results Calcitonin gene-related peptide induced concentration-dependent vasodilatory responses in all vessels studied that were significantly antagonised by erenumab. In human internal mammary arteries from cardiovascularly-compromised patients, the responses to acetylcholine, sodium nitroprusside, PACAP, vasoactive intestinal peptide, nicardipine and dihydroergotamine were unaffected by erenumab. Conclusion Erenumab inhibits calcitonin gene-related peptide-induced vasodilatory responses in human middle meningeal arteries, human internal mammary arteries and human coronary arteries. Moreover, erenumab shows functional specificity as no interaction was observed with the relaxant responses to several vasodilators, nor the dihydroergotamine-dependent vasoconstrictor responses.


Considers how family and professional carers can work together more effectively in order to provide the highest quality of care to people who need support in order to remain in their own homes. Adopting a temporal perspective, this book looks at key transitions in caregiving and is useful for health care students and professionals


ABSTRACT The type strain of Vibrio owensii (DY05) was isolated during an epizootic of aquaculture-reared larvae (phyllosomas) of the ornate spiny lobster (Panulirus ornatus). V. owensii DY05 was formally demonstrated to be the etiological agent of a disease causing rapid and reproducible larval mortality with pathologies similar to those seen during disease epizootics. Vectored challenge via the aquaculture live feed organism Artemia (brine shrimp) caused consistent cumulative mortality rates of 84 to 89% after 72 h, in contrast to variable mortality rates seen after immersion challenge. Histopathological examination of vector-challenged phyllosomas revealed bacterial proliferation in the midgut gland (hepatopancreas) concomitant with epithelial cell necrosis. A fluorescent-protein-labeled V. owensii DY05 transconjugant showed dispersal of single cells in the foregut and hepatopancreas 6 h postexposure, leading to colonization of the entire hepatopancreas within 18 h and eventually systemic infection. V. owensii DY05 is a marine enteropathogen highly virulent to P. ornatus phyllosoma that uses vector-mediated transmission and release from host association to a planktonic existence to perpetuate transfer. This understanding of the infection process will improve targeted biocontrol strategies and enhance the prospects of commercially viable larviculture for this valuable spiny lobster species.


Primary
healthcare a survival strategy strengthens survival. 102 patient visitors 34
each visiting allopathic, homeopathic and herbal clinics having different
treatment approach with different expense tested on Satisfaction with Life Scale
and Scale of Positive and Negative
Experience. It was assumed that scores might provide hint about the role of
satisfaction and emotion in survival. Correlation between positive
affect and life satisfaction, r(100) = .494, p < 0.05 emerged, inverse
correlation found between positive affect and negative effect, r100) = -.224. p
< 0.01, as well as between positive
affect and life satisfaction, r(100) = -.252. p < 0.01. Some visible
findings about the relationship of economic status of participants' and gender
differences noted. Present day survival resemblance with ancient survival
discussed.


Dementia is a clinical syndrome with the development of impairment in multiple cognitive functions (including memory), severe enough to interfere with activities of daily living, as the main symptom. There are a large number of disorders that can lead to dementia, and neuropathological examination after death is necessary to determine the underlying cause with certainty. The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate neuropathological findings in patients with dementia and neuropathological staging of dementia disorders, the main potential gain being increased epidemiological knowledge and improved neuropathological dementia diagnostics. We could confirm the generally accepted opinion that on a neuropathological basis, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common dementia disorder, followed by vascular dementia (VaD) and mixed AD+VaD. Also, in a significant number of patients, the clinical dementia subtype diagnosis does not correspond with the neuropathological findings. Furthermore, degeneration of the nucleus locus coeruleus, often seen already macroscopically, generally indicates the diagnoses Lewy body disease (LBD) or AD among the demented, while a preserved locus coeruleus occurs mainly in VaD and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). Moreover, various neuropathological staging systems for AD differ in procedure and targeted pathology, and the choice of system affects the judgement of Alzheimer pathology and hence the final diagnosis. Also, various neuropathological LBD staging systems differ in applicability and to some extent in the judgment of Lewy-related pathology. (Less)


When US Government drawings, specifications or other data are used for any purpose other than a definitely related Government procurement operation, the Government thereby incurs no responsibility nor any obligation whatsoever, and the fact that the Government may have formulated, famished, or in any way supplied the said drawings, specifications, or other data is not to be regarded by implication or otherwise, as in any manner licensing the holder or any other person or corporation, or conveying any rights or permission to manufacture, use, or sell any patented invention that may in any way be related thereto. Please do not request copies of this report from the Air Force Armstrong Laboratory. Additional copies may be purchased from: National Technical Information Service 5285 Port Royal Road Springfield, Virginia 22161 Federal Government agencies and their contractors registered with the Defense Technical Information Center should direct requests for copies of this report to: Defense Technical Information Service 8725 John J. Kingman Rd., Ste 0944 Ft. Belvoir, Virginia 22060-6218


Objective : Main objective of this study was to find the reference value of Central Corneal Thickness (CCT) in normal Pakistani population and its use in clinical practice.  Method: Ultrasound based pachymeter and topical anesthesia was used to measure the central corneal thickness of adults more than 22 years of age and compared with a standard age matched population.  Results: CCT was recorded of all 55 persons, and 110 eyes excluding people with other refractive errors and ocular problems. Central corneal thickness was recorded of these people according to their age groups. CCT of left eye is more than the CCT of right eye, and the mean central corneal thickness of all age groups is 543±14 microns.  Conclusion: Mean CCT in normal Pakistani population is very close to the international value of CCT that is 545±12 microns. If it is less or more than this range then the people may be of high risk for other problems such as glaucoma. In these cases measuring the CCT can prove to be an important parameter in critical decisions especially for accurate measurement of IOP.


Near field communication (NFC) is a standard-based, radio frequency (RF), wireless communication technology that allows data to be exchanged between devices that are less than 10 cm apart. NFC security protocols require formal security analysis before massive adoptions, in order to check whether these protocols meet its requirements and goals. In this paper we formally analyse NFC-based mobile coupon protocols using formal methods (Casper/FDR). We find an attack against the advanced protocol, and then we provide a solution that addresses the vulnerability formally.


To ensure the safety of steel structures, it is important to evaluate the time-dependent corrosion behavior. The purpose of this research is to develop a method of predicting time-dependence of the corrosion surfaces of uncoated weathering steel plates in various corrosive environments. Atmospheric exposure tests were carried out on the uncoated steel plates for 0.5, 1, 2 and 4-years in Okinawa Island, Japan. Spatial statistical analyses were carried out on the corrosion surfaces of the tested specimens. In addition to this, the time-dependence of the corrosion surfaces were simulated by the spatial statistical technique.


The New Jersey passive continental margin records the interaction of sequences and sea-level, although previous studies linking seismically defined sequences, borehole control, and global d O records were hindered by a seismic data gap on the inner-shelf. We describe new seismic data from the innermost New Jersey shelf that tie offshore seismic stratigraphy directly to onshore boreholes. These data link the onshore boreholes to existing seismic grids across the outer margin and to boreholes on the continental slope. Surfaces defined by age; facies, and log signature in the onshore boreholes at the base of sequences Kw2b, Kw2a, Kw1c, and Kw0 are now tied to seismic sequence boundaries m5s, m5.2s, m5.4s, and m6s, respectively, defined beneath the inner shelf. Sequence boundaries recognized in onshore boreholes and inner shelf seismic profiles apparently correlate with reflections m5, m5.2, m5.4, and m6, respectively, that were dated at slope boreholes during ODP Leg 150. We now recognize an additional sequence boundary beneath the shelf that we name m5.5s and correlate to the base of the onshore sequence Kw1b. The new seismic data image prograding Oligocene clinoforms beneath the inner shelf, consistent with the results from onshore boreholes. A land-based seismic profile crossing the Island Beach borehole reveals reflector geometries that we tie to Lower Miocene lithoand bio-facies in this borehole. These land-based seismic profiles image well-defined sequence boundaries, onlap and downlap truncations that correlate to Transgressive Systems Tracts (TST) and Highstand Systems Tracts (HST) identified in boreholes. Preliminary analysis of CH0698 data continues these system tract delineations across the inner shelf. The CH0698 seismic profiles tie seismically defined sequence boundaries with sequences identified by lithiologic and paleontologic criteria. Both can now be related to global d O increases and attendant glacioeustatic lowerings. This integration of core, log, and seismic character of mid-Tertiary sediments across the width of the New Jersey margin is a major step in the longstanding effort to evaluate the impact of glacioeustasy on siliciclastic sediments of a passive continental margin. q 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.


The human and environmental consequences of big development projects such as large dams have been a focus of increasing attention in many countries. Large-scale involuntary resettlement caused by such projects has become particularly contentious in a number of situations. In India where many large dams have been and are being built, the Sardar Sarovar dam on the Narmada river has been at the centre of a storm for over a decade. The latest development in the history of this project is the judgment given by the Supreme Court of India on 18 October 2000 adjudicating a public interest litigation petition filed by the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA—Save the Narmada Movement). This decision is of great significance not only for the project itself but also from a broader perspective.


High nitrate concentrations in streams have become a widespread problem throughout Europe in recent decades, damaging surface water and groundwater quality. The European Nitrate Directive fixed a potability threshold of 50 mg L for European rivers. The performance of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool model was assessed in the 1110-km Save catchment in southwestern France for predicting water discharge and nitrate loads and concentrations at the catchment outlet, considering observed data set uncertainty. Simulated values were compared with intensive and extensive measurement data sets. Daily discharge fitted observations (Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient = 0.61, = 0.7, and PBIAS = -22%). Nitrate simulation (1998-2010) was within the observed range (PBIAS = 10-21%, considering observed data set uncertainty). Annual nitrate load at the catchment outlet was correlated to the annual water yield at the outlet ( = 0.63). Simulated annual catchment nitrate exportation ranged from 21 to 49 kg ha depending on annual hydrological conditions (average, 36 kg ha). Exportation rates ranged from 3 to 8% of nitrogen inputs. During floods, 34% of the nitrate load was exported, which represented 18% of the 1998-2010 period. Average daily nitrate concentration at the outlet was 29 mg L (1998-2010), ranging from 0 to 270 mg L. Nitrate concentration exceeded the European 50 mg L potability threshold during 244 d between 1998 and 2010. A 20% reduction of nitrogen input reduced crop yield by between 5 and 9% and reduced by 62% the days when the 50 mg L threshold was exceeded.


The design and performance of musical instruments is a course which is designed to: (a) motivate first‐year students to select engineering through hands‐on learning, and (b) provide students in music and the liberal arts with an appreciation for its role in the enhancement of both music making and music listening. This course may be viewed as an alternative to traditional science courses. The mechanisms of sound generation illustrate the interdisciplinary factors involved in instrument design: materials and structures, aero and structural dynamics, vibration, mechanical systems and controls, and signal analysis. Most importantly, musical acoustics serves to demonstrate the significance of human factors in engineering design and performance. The core of the course is in the students' laboratory experience in which they investigate instruments of their own choosing and which is augmented by field trips and lecture demonstrations by noted musicians. This paper includes the course outline and structure, examp...


In many models of physical systems, structural changes are common. Such structural changes may cause a variable to change from a differential variable to an algebraic variable, or to a variable that is not defined by an equation at all. Most hybrid modelling languages either restrict the kind of structural changes that may be modelled, or they require several different language elements to model the different kinds of structural changes. This paper proposes a new language element that can be used in combination with conditional equations to model structural changes. The language element is used to declare unknowns in equations, and thus makes a distinction between variables that are unknown in the equations and variables that are not determined by the equations. Examples are given in which unknown declarations are used for modelling steady state initialization, multi-body collision, and higher index systems. Unknown declarations can also be used to clarify the structure of the system of equations, and they can help the modeller detect structurally singular systems of equations.


Interpersonal relationships among employees in the global workplace are facing challenges that could adversely affect employee performance. The retail sector of the South African economy is one of the largest employer of labour in the country. Employees in the South African retail sector found in a 'rainbow' environment are not excused from arduous interpersonal relationships, which positions them to be in need of social support. Although organizations realise that employees need social support, few studies have examined the role that supervisor/subordinate social support plays on an employee's performance in the South African retail sector. This article investigates the presence or otherwise of interpersonal relationships through available support among categorized employees and its effect on their performance at work. A non-experimental research design was adopted and concurrent transformative mixed method research approach was used to examine bivariate connections among the variables. 163 supervisors and 147 subordinate employees in 4retail companies in South Africa were sampled. The findings of the quantitative data revealed that there was no significant connection between social support and employee performance, but the qualitative data findings unveiled the reasons for the dissociation between support and performance. The findings further indicated that supervisors' and subordinate workers' relationships were at low levels of relational attachment and social interaction. This validates the position of previous studies on social support. Participants purported that communication, training, teamwork, friendliness, respect for individuals, and information sharing were important factors that should assist employees to improve interpersonal relationships at work. The understanding of the knowledge of social support has been deepened by this study as it points to the possibility of mediation in future studies. Corresponding author: Abe Ethel Ndidiamaka Email addresses for corresponding author: email@example.com First submission received: 21st June 2017 Revised submission received: 11th September 2017 Accepted: 2nd October 2017


It was established that derivatives of mercaptobenzimidazole (bemitil, methoxybemitil, 5-ethoxy-2-ethylmercaptobenzimidazole hydrochloride) in a dose of 25 mg/kg stimulate the mouse peritoneal macrophages by increasing their phagocytic activity and phagocytosis index. Among the studied agents 5-ethoxy-2-ethylmercaptobenzimidazole hydrochloride possesses the greatest effect. The increase of phagocytosis processes was shown to be accompanied with a growth of the number of macrophages reducing nitroblue tetrazolium in diphormazan and with an enhancement of secretion of lysosomal enzymes.


: The mechanism of antiherpetic action of bonaphthon was studied in experimental herpetic keratitis of rabbits infected with herpes simplex type I virus (Koptev and IC strains). Electron microscopy demonstrated that the drug inhibits herpes virus production and proliferation of virus infection because of partial impairment of the nucleocapsid "assembly" in the cell nucleus. It is assumed that the action of bonaphthon may be consequent on the inhibition of the cell synthesis of cytoplasmatic proteins incorporated into the capsids and on the derangement of the transport of virus capsid components to the cell nucleus, where these components are assembled. It has been shown that the intensity of virus reproduction in the cells decreases threefold under the effect of bonaphthon as compared to control.


: Changes in the thyroid were studied of 34 patients who had died of heroin overdosing. Antibodies against hepatitic C virus were found in the serum of all the deceased. Alterations in thyroid tissue detected by morphological, histochemical and morphometric examinations correlated with serum content of hormones cT4, oT3 and TSH. The degree of structural changes in the thyroid correlated with duration of heroin use, its dose and its combination with other pharmacological drugs.


Background Topical treatment with vitamin C has been used to treat photoaged skin and as a skin whitener, but no standard procedure exists for percutaneous delivery. Objective To compare skin histology and the permeation of ascorbic acid 2‐glucoside (AA2G) after fractional and conventional carbon dioxide (CO2) laser pretreatment. Methods The effect on porcine skin of treatment with different strengths of fractional and conventional CO2 laser treatment was examined using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Permeation of AA2G through porcine skin was tested in vitro using a Franz diffusion chamber. In vivo changes in fluorescein thiocyanate permeability in nude mice were examined using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Results Fractional CO2 laser treatment with four or fewer passes caused less disruption than conventional laser treatment at the same fluence. AA2G permeation using four passes of fractional laser treatment was similar to that seen with conventional CO2 laser treatment of the same fluence. Changes in permeability and in depth of permeation were higher with conventional than fractional laser treatment. Conclusion Fractional CO2 laser treatment can cause similar transdermal delivery of AA2G to conventional laser treatment with less skin disruption and a different pattern of histologic change.


Objective Clinical and immunological evaluation of 'incomplete' Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis (BBE). Methods We studied two patients with postinfectious brainstem syndromes who presented at National University Hospital Singapore. Laboratory work-up included measurement of antiganglioside antibodies. Results Both patients displayed hypersomnolence and cerebellar-like ataxia in the absence of external ophthalmoplegia and carried high serum titres of IgG anti-GQ1b antibodies, strongly indicative of BBE. Conclusions Ophthalmoplegia can be absent or incomplete in BBE, and the absence of this clinical feature should not exclude BBE from the clinicians' differential. Such cases of incomplete BBE could be defined as 'ataxic hypersomnolence without ophthalmoplegia'.


The selective advantage of avoiding lethal predation typically outweighs the benefits of obtaining food. Many aquatic organisms reduce their foraging activity after detecting the presence of injured conspecifics, but responses of cannibalistic animals are less obvious because injury-related cues might attract rather than deter alerted consumers. We investigated the effect of injured con- specifics on the foraging responses of blue crabs Callinectes sapidus, which are ecologically impor- tant consumers known for their aggressive behavior and cannibalistic tendencies. In estuarine tidal channels, we presented natural foragers with a choice between baited control traps and baited treat- ment traps that included an additional odor source. Traps containing an injured blue crab captured significantly fewer blue crabs than paired control traps deployed for periods of up to 18 h. Injured blue crabs that were aged prior to trap deployment confirmed that deterrent cues related to the injury had dissipated within 22 h. Traps containing chemical solutions derived from injured blue crabs elicited avoidance by conspecifics, but neither uninjured blue crabs nor injured stone crabs Menippe mercenaria were deterrent. Together these data demonstrate that blue crabs reduce foraging activ- ity in the presence of odors released from freshly injured conspecifics. Not only should such avoid- ance responses facilitate survival by distancing unharmed individuals from areas of intense conflict, but the associated changes in blue crab foraging behavior could also have broader ecological conse- quences through impacts on other trophic levels.


We discuss the potential for automatically prioritizing accessibility issues found by automated test tools in an application, based on 'accessibility impact' to the end user. We examine three influential factors in assessing the severity of an issue: criticality of the affected component, impact of the type of issue, and mitigating effect of the application context. We describe how these factors could be quantified and combined to yield severity measures consistent with those of a human expert, illustrating with a set of accessibility issues found in a real online web task.


In this talk, we will discuss the work set forth by the Boise Language Project (BLP), working with members of the refugee community in Southwest Idaho. The BLP was founded on the Boise State University campus in 2010 as a way to not only integrate teaching and research opportunities for linguistics students and faculty, but to also reach out to the local refugee community in the Boise area. One of the main tenets of the BLP is instilling in refugees a sense of self-worth and confidence, as well as pride in their heritage and their native tongue.

Participants in the BLP are introduced to the process of language documentation through consultation for a field methods course, but can opt to continue work on their language with students and faculty after the semester's end. During the first two years, faculty worked closely with leaders of the two Somali-Bantu organizations in Boise to assist them in determining which community member would best represent the community for a language documentation project. Projects currently under way include a grammar sketch and dictionary of Mushungulu (Bantu, G30), and the compilation and translation of a children's story book in Maay (Afro-Asiatic).

In addition to recruitment among refugee community leadership, in January 2012, the first BLP consultant and the director of the BLP co-facilitated a workshop on language documentation at the Idaho Conference on Refugees. During the workshop, speakers of 18 different languages learned about issues concerning language endangerment and the need for language documentation, heard about the consultant's experience in documenting his native language, and were given the option to partake in a mini elicitation session with students in the linguistic field methods course. After the workshop, participants were given the choice to be included in the consultant pool for the BLP, and all participants opted to do so.

One of the most fundamental ways in which faculty in the BLP has been able to forge and maintain relationships with leaders of the various refugee groups has been through participation in interest groups consisting of staff and administrators from local refugee agencies, as well as other faculty members working with refugees on different projects. To that end, I will outline helpful resources found in many resettlement cities and universities around the United States.


Four-wave mixing (FWM) is the most serious fiber nonlinearity associated with low-input optical power levels in long-haul multichannel optical systems employing dispersionshifted fiber. To reduce the crosstalk due to FWM, a generalized suboptimum unequally spaced channel allocation (S-USCA) technique is proposed and investigated in this paper. Even though the developed technique is useful in combating FWM crosstalk in wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) lightwave systems up to 12 channels, its main virtue is in designing multichannel WDM lightwave systems with more than 12 channels . Comparisons of power penalty due to FWM between equal channel spacing (ECS) systems and the S-USCA systems are presented. It is shown that for an intensity modulation/direct detection (IM/DD) transmission system operating in an optical bandwidth of 16 nm with 0 dBm (1 mW) peak optical input power per channel, while a conventional ECS WDM system with 0.84-nm channel spacing cannot even achieve bit-error rate(BER) = 10 9, the suboptimum technique developed in this paper, for the same minimum channel spacing, can achieveBER = 10 9 with an FWM crosstalk power of less than 1 dB at the worst channel in a 20-channel WDM system.


In the English prose he published over a period of two decades, John Milton frequently uses the term 'reformation' to identify the age in which he was living and the causes for which he was fighting. In so doing, he reveals his support for the magisterial Reformation and his rejection of the radical Reformation. He expresses his desire not for religious diversity but for union with the Scottish and Continental Reformed Churches. He constructs a complex discourse that is self-serving, misleading in some ways, prophetic, and calculated to win a range of polemical contests. In supporting the magisterial Reformation, he also displays his support for theologians who participate in government, and magistrates who participate in determining religious belief and conduct. Milton thus repudiates many aspects of modernity and is, as he insists, a man who lived during, and promoted what he called, 'times of reformation'.


Abstract. We have analysed MIPAS (Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmopheric Sounding) infrared measurements of PMCs for the summer seasons in the Northern (NH) and Southern (SH) hemispheres from 2005 to 2012. Measurements of PMCs using this technique are very useful because they are sensitive to the total ice volume and independent of particle size. For the first time, MIPAS has provided coverage of the PMC total ice volume from midlatitudes to the poles. MIPAS measurements indicate the existence of a continuous layer of mesospheric ice, extending from about  ∼ 81 km up to about 88–89 km on average and from the poles to about 50–60° in each hemisphere, increasing in concentration with proximity to the poles. We have found that the ice concentration is larger in the Northern Hemisphere than in the Southern Hemisphere. The ratio between the ice water content (IWC) in both hemispheres is also latitude-dependent, varying from a NH ∕ SH ratio of 1.4 close to the poles to a factor of 2.1 around 60°. This also implies that PMCs extend to lower latitudes in the NH. A very clear feature of the MIPAS observations is that PMCs tend to be at higher altitudes with increasing distance from the polar region (in both hemispheres), particularly equatorwards of 70°, and that they are about 1 km higher in the SH than in the NH. The difference between the mean altitude of the PMC layer and the mesopause altitude increases towards the poles and is larger in the NH than in the SH. The PMC layers are denser and wider when the frost-point temperature occurs at lower altitudes. The layered water vapour structure caused by sequestration and sublimation of PMCs is present at latitudes northwards of 70° N and more pronounced towards the pole. Finally, MIPAS observations have also shown a clear impact of the migrating diurnal tide on the diurnal variation of the PMC volume ice density.


Radar is a useful remote sensing tool for studying planetary geology because it is sensitive to the composition, structure, and roughness of the surface and can penetrate some materials to reveal buried terrain. The Arecibo Observatory radar system transmits a single sense of circular polarization, and both senses of circular polarization are received, which allows for the construction of the Stokes polarization vector. From the Stokes vector, daughter products such as the circular polarization ratio, the degree of linear polarization, and linear polarization angle are obtained. Recent polarimetric imaging using Arecibo has included Venus and the Moon. These observations can be compared to radar data for terrestrial surfaces to better understand surface physical properties and regional geologic evolution. For example, polarimetric radar studies of volcanic settings on Venus, the Moon, and Earth display some similarities, but also illustrate a variety of different emplacement and erosion mechanisms. Polarimetric radar data provide important information about surface properties beyond what can be obtained from single-polarization radar. Future observations using polarimetric synthetic aperture radar will provide information on roughness, composition, and stratigraphy that will support a broader interpretation of surface evolution.


Vortex generator (VG) is one of the passive techniques which could improve the heat transfer with relatively low pressure drop. Vortex generators create streamwise longitudinal vortices which does not decay until far downstream that leads to have higher heat transfer with a lower pressure drop. The objectives of this experiment were to study the heat transfer and flow characteristics of fully developed turbulent flow due to different arrangement of VGs in a tube. The experiments were performed by using delta winglet vortex generators in a 52 mm circular copper tube. The flow regime varied from 6000 to 27000 Reynolds number. Four vortex generators with 45° angle of attack were used inside the circular tube. Different parameters of the VGs studied in this experiment such as lengths (L = 10, 15, and 20 mm) and arrangements (R = 0° to −15°). The results indicate that the length affected friction factor (f) and Nusselt number (Nu) significantly. L20 reached the highest f and Nu. The staggered arrangement concludes a significant drop on friction factor and a significant increase on Nusselt number. Consequently, the thermal performance of all staggered arrangement cases could reach a significant rise compared to the inline arrangement. The oil flow visualization could track down the trace of vortex behind the VG. The inline arrangement showed a strong vortex formed as a result of VG which was related to higher f while the staggered arrangement indicated a weak vortex.


Herba Cynomorii (Cynomorium songaricum Rupr., Cynomoriaceae) is one of the most commonly used 'Yang-invigorating' tonic herbs in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). An earlier study in our laboratory has demonstrated that HCY2, an ursolic acid-enriched fraction derived from Herba Cynomorii, increased mitochondrial ATP generation capacity (ATP-GC) and induced mitochondrial uncoupling as well as a cellular glutathione response, thereby protecting against oxidant injury in H9c2 cells. In this study, we demonstrated that pre-incubation of H9c2 cells with HCY2 increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in these cells, which is likely an event secondary to the stimulation of the mitochondrial electron transport chain. The suppression of mitochondrial ROS by the antioxidant dimethylthiourea abrogated the HCY2-induced enhancement of mitochondrial uncoupling and glutathione reductase (GR)-mediated glutathione redox cycling, and also protected against menadione-induced cytotoxicity. Studies using specific inhibitors of uncoupling protein and GR suggested that the HCY2-induced mitochondrial uncoupling and glutathione redox cycling play a determining role in the cytoprotection against menadione-induced oxidant injury in H9c2 cells. Experimental evidence obtained thus far supports the causal role of HCY2-induced mitochondrial ROS production in eliciting mitochondrial uncoupling and glutathione antioxidant responses, which offer cytoprotection against oxidant injury in H9c2 cells.


: The role of the clinical nurse specialist (CNS) has been established and described in some detail. The majority of these specialists practice in academic centers or large hospitals, often in concert with a group of their peers and with strong administrative support for the advanced practice role. Changes in the healthcare system, particularly the recent trend toward the establishment of freestanding cancer centers, have opened new practice opportunities for advanced nursing practitioners. This article describes the transition of a radiation oncology CNS from a university hospital to a collaborative practice in a private radiation oncology setting. The CNS describes important steps in this process, including negotiation of role functions and benefits, maintenance of professional commitments, and collaborative practice issues. Comments from the radiation oncologist, along with speculation on the future of the practice, also are included.


Nowadays in the digital world, organizations or enterprises like banks, hospitals, telecommunications or retail shops etc. has an information manufacturing system (IMS) for storing the organization's data in digital format. Every day, a large quantity of data is manipulated (inserted, deleted and updated) to the information manufacturing system of those enterprises or organizations.
To be successful, the IMS must maintain the data and transform it into useful information for decision makers or users. Much of the value will rest in the quality of the data, which may be divided into two classes; objective and time related. In seeking to maintain quality both these classes the completeness, accuracy and consistency of the data and the timeliness of the information generation may be required. As a further complication, Objective data quality class may not be independent. It could be dependent on timeliness of time related class.
The main purpose of this research is the improvement of data quality with timeliness in IMS. This starts with observing the reasons for the change of objective data quality over time by using both theoretical and experimental data quality measurements. Novel approaches to ensuring the best possible information quality is developed and evaluated by observing the change of objective data quality scenario with timeliness in a purpose built IMS.


Understanding and predicting the popularity of online itemsis an important open problem in social media analysis. Considerable progress has been made recently in data-driven predictions, and in linking popularity to external promotions. However, the existing methods typically focus on a single source of external influence, whereas for many types of online content such as YouTube videos or news articles, attention is driven by multiple heterogeneous sources simultaneously – e.g. microblogs or traditional media coverage. Here, we propose RNN-MAS, a recurrent neural network for modeling asynchronous streams. It is a sequence generator that connects multiple streams of different granularity via joint inference. We show RNN-MAS not only outperforms the current state-of-the-art Youtube popularity prediction system by 17%, but also captures complex dynamics, such as seasonal trends of unseen influence. We define two new metrics: the promotion score quantifies the gain in popularity from one unit of promotion for a Youtube video; the loudness level captures the effects of a particular user tweeting about the video. We use the loudness level to compare the effects of a video being promoted by a single highly-followed user (in the top 1% most followed users) against being promoted by a group of mid-followed users. We find that results depend on the type of content being promoted: superusers are more successful in promoting Howto and Gaming videos, whereas the cohort of regular users are more influential for Activism videos. This work provides more accurate and explainable popularity predictions, as well as computational tools for content producers and marketers to allocate resources for promotion campaigns.


SIR,-In your leading article (24 May, p. 465) you state: " Asparaginase is now known also to affect normal cells, particularly those of the thymus and lymphoreticular system. Whether this effect, which has so far been seen only in animals, will prove an added hazard to therapy in man is not yet known." I recently treated a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia who developed a profound leucopenia following asparaginase treatment. The findings in life and the postmortem examination strongly suggested that the normal cellular elements of the bone marrow, as well as leukaemric cells, had been depressed. A detailed report on this patient by Dr. M. J. Oehlers, Dr. W. Fetwadjieff, and myself will be published elsewhere.-I am, etc., H. J. WOODLIFF. Department of Pathology, Brompton Hospital, London S.W.3.


Inductance simulator is a useful component in the circuit synthesis theory especially for analog signal processing applications such as filter, chaotic oscillator design, analog phase shifters and cancellation of parasitic element. In this study, new four inductance simulator topologies employing a single current feedback operational amplifier are presented. The presented topologies require few passive components. The first topology is intended for negative inductance simulation, the second topology is for lossy series inductance, the third one is for negative lossy parallel inductance (-R) (-L) and the fourth topology is for negative parallel (-R) (-L) (-C) simulation. The per- formance of the proposed CFOA based inductance simula- tors is demonstrated on both a second-order low-pass filter and inductance cancellation circuit. PSPICE simulations are given to verify the theoretical analysis.


ABSTRACT Alterations in glucose metabolism have been demonstrated for diverse disorders ranging from heart disease to cancer. The first step in glucose metabolism is carried out by the hexokinase (HK) family of enzymes. HKI and II can bind to mitochondria through their N-terminal hydrophobic regions, and their overexpression in tissue culture protects against cell death. In order to determine the relative contributions of mitochondrial binding and glucose-phosphorylating activities of HKs to their overall protective effects, we expressed full-length HKI and HKII, their truncated proteins lacking the mitochondrial binding domains, and catalytically inactive proteins in tissue culture. The overexpression of full-length proteins resulted in protection against cell death, decreased levels of reactive oxygen species, and possibly inhibited mitochondrial permeability transition in response to H2O2. However, the truncated and mutant proteins exerted only partial effects. Similar results were obtained with primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. The HK proteins also resulted in an increase in the phosphorylation of voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) through a protein kinase Cε (PKCε)-dependent pathway. These results suggest that both glucose phosphorylation and mitochondrial binding contribute to the protective effects of HKI and HKII, possibly through VDAC phosphorylation by PKCε.


In image classification, region detection is an effective approach to reducing the dimensionality of the image data but requires human intervention. Genetic Programming (GP) as an evolutionary computation technique can automatically identify important regions, and conduct feature extraction, feature construction and classification simultaneously. In this paper, an automatic region detection and processing approach in GP (GP-RDP) method is proposed for image classification. This approach is able to evolve important image operators to deal with detected regions for facilitating feature extraction and construction. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method, five recent GP methods and seven non-GP methods based on three types of image features are used for comparison on four image data sets. The results reveal that the proposed method can achieve comparable performance on easy data sets and significantly better performance on difficult data sets than the other comparable methods. To further demonstrate the interpretability and understandability of the proposed method, two evolved programs are analysed. The analysis shows the good interpretability of the GP-RDP method and proves that the GP-RDP method is able to identify prominent regions, evolve effective image operators to process these regions, extract and construct good features for efficient image classification.