BACKGROUND
Intron 2 of CYP21, the functional steroid 21-hydroxylase gene contains several single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We tested the hypothesis that intron 2 of the pseudogene, CYP21P, might also be polymorphic and provide markers for segregation analysis of this region of the genome, including observable markers for segregation analysis of CYP21 gene deletions. A comparison of SNPs in both genes might provide insights into the rates of mutation in these duplicated genes.

METHODS
After amplification with PCR, we examined restriction site polymorphisms in intron 2 of CYP21P in 24 members of the parental generation of the Centre d'Etude du Polymorphisme Humain families and selected offspring.

RESULTS
Intron 2 of CYP21P contains frequent SNPs around nucleotide 398 and nucleotide 509, which can be typed by PCR/restriction enzyme digestion with HaeIII. Of the 48 CYP21P alleles examined, 44 could be characterized unambiguously. Of these 44 alleles, 4 were deleted, and the frequencies of restriction at the polymorphic HaeIII sites were 20 of 40 at nucleotide 398 and 30 of 40 at nucleotide 509. Both polymorphisms result from C-->T transitions that occur at CpG dinucleotides. The frequencies of C at these nucleotides in CYP21P are significantly higher than at the corresponding nucleotides in CYP21 of the same individuals (P <0.01).

CONCLUSION
These data suggest that these CpG dinucleotides are more frequently mutated in CYP21 than in CYP21P, and that several mutations at CpG dinucleotides in the coding regions of CYP21 might result from CpG instability rather than the more usually proposed mechanism of gene conversion. These frequent SNPs provide useful markers for studying both allelic segregation of CYP21, particularly for chromosomes with known CYP21 deletions, and for investigating the origin of these polymorphisms.


PurposePrevious literatures focus on the technology spillover from multinational companies to local companies. However, the great threats generated from spillover to subsidiaries were omitted. The purpose of this paper is to explore the variables which can help subsidiaries control the technology spillover. MethodologyFirst a conceptual model is developed, which will then be used to map out how subsidiaries can control their technology spillover. An Adidas' local representative in China is used during the case study. FindingsFindings indicate that there is a possibility to control the technology spillover by adopting certain variables. There are however, no omnipotent variables to stop the technology spillover. Thus the selection of variables employed needs to consider that products have different attributes. ValueThis paper stresses the importance and the very necessity of controlling technology spillovers. Furthermore, it maps influencing variables and tests, whether these variables work in real case.


Motivation -- In the field of cultural heritage, the need for producing fresh contents in many cases outruns the possibilities of the institution itself, while outsourcing can be too expensive to employ. The 1001 Stories authoring package that makes the object of this paper was meant to provide to cultural institutions a solution for speedy creation of interactive media, which can be easily achieved by content creators with no technical background. The package -- made of a pre-defined interactive format, a suggested workflow for creation of contents and a data-entry tool -- has been subsequently employed for tourism and corporate communication applications, as well as for educational purposes.
 Research approach -- The research assessed the use of 1001 Stories in two different contexts: (1) by professional content creators with little technical background; (2) by school children with low level of knowledge and skills in both technology and content creation. The research addresses three main issues: the time required for creating multimedia contents, the authors' response to a ready-made design format, and the suitability of the authoring workflow for professional and educational contexts.
 Findings/Design -- Data drawn from the use of the tool for building professional cultural heritage narratives indicates that the pre-defined interactive format favors the concentration on content creation, as it sets aside any preoccupation regarding the technical aspect of the application development. In the educational context, un-experienced content creators approached the authoring process using the pre-defined format in an inspiring and resourceful way. Children successfully accomplished the technological training and were fast in learning how to use the tool.
 Research limitations/Implications -- The data received so far indicates that a ready-made design format, rather than obstructing, it encourages creativity in its use for developing a storytelling application.
 Take away message -- 1001 Stories package supports the creation of multimedia narratives by providing a ready-made design format, a suggested workflow and an authoring tool that allow content creators to concentrate on the authoring process with no concern for technological constraints.
 Originality/Value -- What makes 1001 Stories innovative as compared to existing tools for fast multimedia creation is that it allows the creation of nonlinear multimedia multi-channel narratives, which support several user-navigation styles, while maintaining the authoring process -- workflow and data entry system -- simple and straightforward.


The heat and mass-transfer phenomena occurring during the calcination of limestone particles was studied by means of modeling. The applicability of two modeling methods for calcination was compared under different conditions. An unsteady numerical particle model with mass, momentum, energy balance, and shrinking core models were chosen for the study. The influence of different phenomena (chemical kinetics, advective and diffusive mass transfer, and heat transfer) in different conditions was evaluated with the aid of dimensionless parameters, and their relative importance was shown in a regime chart. Especially, the significance of advection was studied and its importance in high CO2 concentration was observed. Local temperatures inside the particle were obtained by solving a dynamic energy balance in each particle layer including calcination reaction energy and conduction heat transfer. Noticeable temperature differences between constant ambient conditions and the particle were observed. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 58: 2563–2572, 2012


Trusted Computing Group (TCG) has proposed the Trusted Computing (TC) concept. Subsequently, TC becomes a common base for many new computing platforms, called Trusted Platform (TP) architecture (hardware and software) that, practically, has a built-in trusted hardware component mounted at the hardware layer and a corresponding trusted software component installed at the operating system level. The trusted hardware component is called Trusted Platform Module (TPM) whose specification has been issued by TCG group and it is implemented by the industry as a tamper-resistant integrated circuit. In practice, the security of an IT TPM-enabled system relies on the correctness of its mounted TPM. Thus, TPM testing is urgently needed to assist in building confidence of the users on the security functionality provided by the TPM. This paper presents the state of the art of the modelling methods being used in the TPM compliance testing as well as it demonstrates some of the important attacks against TPM. Finally, the paper proposes new framework criteria for TPM Testing that aim at increasing the quality of TPM testing.


The variational method allows one to study the mixing of interpolators with different chiral transformation properties in the nonperturbatively determined physical state. It is then possible to define and calculate in a gauge-invariant manner the chiral as well as the partial wave content of the quark-antiquark component of a meson in the infrared, where mass is generated. Using a unitary transformation from the chiral basis to the ;{2S+1}L_{J} basis one may extract a partial wave content of a meson. We present results for the ground state of the rho meson using quenched simulations as well as simulations with n_{f} = 2 dynamical quarks, all for lattice spacings close to 0.15 fm. We point out that these results indicate a simple ;{3}S_{1}-wave composition of the rho meson in the infrared, like in the SU(6) flavor-spin quark model.


. Aerobiology is a branch of biology that examines biological particles found both in the outdoor and indoor air. People's daily lives are influenced by these airborne biological particles in the air. Many people in society show an allergic reaction to these allergic airborne particles. A significant portion of the world's population reacts with airborne particles inhaled in various forms. The severity of these reactions varies with the degree of exposure to these particles over time and the concentration of the inhaled particles. In this study, for two years it has been investigated that biological particles (fungal hyphal fragments, pteridophyte spores, plant hairs, insect, insect extremities, moth scales, diatom etc. except for pollen and fungal spores) of Kirsehir atmosphere by using Burkard 7-day air sampler. In total, 4674 particles in 2015, and 5262 biological particles in 2016, have been counted.


We present an implementation of one of the direct self-consistent-field (DSCF) calculation techniques, the restricted Hartree-Fock method, on a high-performance computing cluster outfitted with graphics processing units (GPUs) and demonstrate its effectiveness and scalability up to 128 cluster nodes on molecules of as many as 1,732 atoms. We discuss the overall parallel application architecture that relies on message passing interface for distributing workload among GPU cluster nodes and POSIX threads to manage the use of GPUs internal to each node. This approach of combining coarse and fine-grain parallelism on a distributed memory system allows to perform DSCF calculations on molecules that up until now have been unattainable due to the excessive computational requirements.


Objective. To examine predictors of pregnancy and infant outcomes, including maternal race/ethnicity. Design. Prospective and observational follow-up of high-risk pregnancies and births. Participants. Three hundred fifty-four mothers and their preterm and/or high-risk live-born neonates were closely followed in three tertiary care centers from the prenatal to postnatal periods for potential high-risk and/or preterm births that required neonatal resuscitations. Major Outcome Measures. Pregnancy complications, birth complications, and infant outcomes were examined in conjunction with maternal factors, including preexisting health problems, health behaviors (smoking, alcohol consumption, prenatal visits), and the birth setting (tertiary care centers or community hospitals). Results. About 22% of these infants were transferred into the tertiary care centers from the community hospitals right after birth; the rest were born in the centers. According to regression analyses, predictors of the birth setting were race (White vs. non-White), maternal health behaviors, pregnancy complications, fetal distress, and the presence of congenital defects for infants (p < .001). Predictors for fetal distress included race (Whites) and pregnancy-induced hypertension (p < .003). Predictors for lower birth weight included race (non-Whites), maternal cigarette smoking, pregnancy complications, fetal distress, and congenital defects (p < .001). Infant mortality rate was 3.9% for these high-risk infants, with the highest rate in infants born to Black mothers (8%). Conclusions. There are obvious health disparities among White and non-White women experiencing high-risk pregnancies and births. Future studies are needed to develop interventions targeted to different racial/ethnic groups during pregnancy to reduce preterm and high-risk births.


We present a detailed study of the x-ray, optical, and radio emission from the jet, lobes, and core of the quasar PKS 2101−490 as revealed by new Chandra, Hubble Space Telescope (HST), and ATCA images. We extract the radio to x-ray spectral energy distributions from seven regions of the 13′′ jet, and model the jet x-ray emission in terms of Doppler beamed inverse Compton scattering of the cosmic microwave background (IC/CMB) for a jet in a state of equipartition between particle and magnetic field energy densities. This model implies that the jet remains highly relativistic hundreds of kiloparsecs from the nucleus, with a bulk Lorentz factor Γ ∼ 6 and magnetic field of the order of 30 μG. We detect an apparent radiative cooling break in the synchrotron spectrum of one of the jet knots, and are able to interpret this in terms of a standard one-zone continuous injection model, based on jet parameters derived from the IC/CMB model. However, we note apparent substructure in the bright optical knot in one of the HST bands. We confront the IC/CMB model with independent estimates of the jet power, and find that the IC/CMB model jet power is consistent with the independent estimates, provided that the minimum electron Lorentz factor γmin 50, and the knots are significantly longer than the jet width, as implied by de-projection of the observed knot lengths.


Large number of interconnection requirement has become a major limitation to the designs using binary logic. One of the solutions for this is MultipleValued Logic (MVL). MVL proves to be advantageous as it reduces dynamic power dissipation, increases computational ability, data density and requires less number of interconnects. In this paper, the implementation of a Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) cell using a quaternary D Latch is proposed. The D Latch is built using NMAX, NMIN and quaternary inverter circuit. Using this SRAM cell a 4X4 SRAM array is constructed and is compared with 4X4 array of Quaternary Static CMOS memory cell. The spice coding is done using 0.18μm CMOS technology and verification of the design is done through HSPICE and COSMOSSCOPE Synopsis Tools. Power and delay of the circuit is analyzed. Index Terms – Multiple Valued Logic(MVL), NMAX/NMIN Quaternary. Inverter Circuit


Section one presents a systematic literature review examining the relationship between injury perceptions and persistent post-concussion symptoms (PPCS), quality of life (QoL) and psychological distress outcomes in individuals following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Four databases were systematically searched using key words and thesaurus terms related to the concepts noted above. 12 papers were included in the final review. Findings suggest that the attribution of m re symptoms to the TBI, a perception that symptoms will last a long time, have more negative consequences and a stronger emotional reaction to the TBI, are more likely to be associated with increased PPCS. The identity, timeline, consequences, concern, emotional representations and personal control subscales were significantly associated with QoL outcomes following TBI. Longitudinal studies emphasise the predictive ability of injury perceptions following TBI which gives attention to the role of clinical psychology in acute management and follow-up of those who have suffered a TBI. Clinical implications and limitations of the review are discussed. Section two reports on an empirical investigation into the relationship between selfcriticism and both symptomatic (PPCS) and post-TBI depression in a sample of 41 adults who sustained a mild to moderate TBI between 3 and 12 months previous. Significant moderate effect size correlations between both self-criticism and self-reassurance with each of the outcomes assessed (early onset PPCS, late-enduring PPCS and post-TBI depression) were found. A series of multiple regression analyses evidenced that self-criticism demonstrated significant predictive ability above previously known predictors for enduring PPCS and also post-TBI depression. Self-reassurance did not demonstrate predictive ability. Limitations and clinical implications are discussed and include the relevance of self-criticism to both preventative and therapeutic intervention for individuals following TBI. Section three includes a critical appraisal of the thesis and processes involved in undertaking the above two research papers.


Background. The small-for-size (SFS) syndrome is caused by excessive portal inflow into a small-sized liver graft. Various approaches for portal decompression have been used, but details of their impact on liver regeneration in SFS graft remain unclear. We examined the effect of prophylactic splenic artery modulation (SAM). Methods. We conducted a retrospective cohort study. The study group was 39 consecutive adult-to-adult living liver transplantation recipients, with a graft-to-recipient body weight ratio of less than 0.8. Patients were assigned into the non-SAM group (n=18, without any portal inflow attenuation) or SAM group (n=21, preoperative embolization in 15 patients and intraoperative ligation in 6 patients). Hepatic hemodynamics, graft function, liver regeneration, and outcome were evaluated. Results. In the SAM group, the excessive portal flow was significantly reduced (P<0.01) and the effect of embolization on portal decompression was equivalent to that of ligation. In the acute postoperative phase, serum transaminases, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-&agr;, were lower in the SAM group than in non-SAM group. In both groups, a negative correlation was observed between graft-to-recipient body weight ratio and liver regeneration rate at 2 weeks after living donor liver transplantation. Splenic artery modulation was advantageous for liver regeneration, and significantly improved clinical features, hyperbilirubinemia, and prolonged ascites. Small-for-size syndrome occurred in five patients of the non-SAM group, and only one of SAM group (P=0.038). Conclusion. In SFS graft with severe portal hypertension, prophylactic splenic embolization/ligation seems to relieve portal overperfusion injury and contributes in improvement of posttransplantation prognosis through liver regeneration.


Context. The innermost regions in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) have not yet been spatially resolved, but spectropolarimetry can provide insight into their hidden physics and geometry. From spectropolarimetric observations in broad emission lines and assuming equatorial scattering as a dominant polarization mechanism, it is possible to estimate the mass of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) residing at the center of AGNs.
 Aims. We explore the possibilities and limits, and put constraints on the method for determining SMBH masses using polarization in broad emission lines by providing more in-depth theoretical modeling.
 Methods. We used the Monte Carlo radiative transfer code STOKES to explore polarization properties of Type-1 AGNs. We modeled equatorial scattering using flared-disk geometry for a set of different SMBH masses assuming Thomson scattering. In addition to the Keplerian motion, which is assumed to be dominant in the broad-line region (BLR), we also considered cases of additional radial inflows and vertical outflows.
 Results. We modeled the profiles of polarization plane position angle φ, degree of polarization, and total unpolarized lines for different BLR geometries and different SMBH masses. Our model confirms that the method can be widely used for Type-1 AGNs when viewing inclinations are between 25° and 45°. We show that the distance between the BLR and scattering region (SR) has a significant impact on the mass estimates and the best mass estimates are when the SR is situated at a distance 1.5–2.5 times larger than the outer BLR radius.
 Conclusions. Our models show that if Keplerian motion can be traced through the polarized line profile, then the direct estimation of the mass of the SMBH can be performed. When radial inflows or vertical outflows are present in the BLR, this method can still be applied if velocities of the inflow/outflow are less than 500 km s−1. We also find that models for NGC 4051, NGC 4151, 3C 273, and PG0844+349 are in good agreement with observations.


This paper presents a design and optimization procedure for a dual-stator machine with a diametrically magnetized PM to improve the electromagnetic performance. First, analytical design equations are presented based on MEC analysis; they are used to design a basic dual-stator machine. Then, by applying an artificial intelligence algorithm, the machine is optimized to achieve high efficiency and torque density, and low pulsating torque for direct-drive applications. A quantitative comparison is performed between the optimized new machine and conventional dual-stator machines to evaluate the performances and improvements of the understudy machine. The machine performance, including air-gap flux density distribution, back electromotive force, electromagnetic torque, cogging torque, and torque ripple are analyzed by the finite element method. The analysis results have demonstrated that benefiting from its topology, the optimized dual-stator machine with diametrically magnetized PM has the comprehensively better performance, including higher torque density, higher efficiency, and lower torque ripple and cogging torque compared to conventional dual-stator machines.


Products which are similar to each other have three important differences. They are price of product, brand of product and length of warranty for product; because all of them create a perception to consumers. Even if they don't know detailed features of similar products, they focus on three important key concepts which are mentioned. In this study, features of products are omitted; because the study has an assumption which is related with consumption. The assumption is that a consumer firstly defines his/her needs and features for product which is useful. The other stage is to buy a product in accordance with price, brand and warranty. The study has statistical analysis such as reliability of scale, correlation analysis, and Descriptive Statistics. Surveys are applied on totally 441 consumers and it is crucial amount for a study.


The co-words analysis, as a scientometric method, helps us to discover the conceptual relationships between scientific texts and application of such relationships as a means to demonstrate important links that may be difficult to discover in other ways. This article is intended to use an analytical approach and identify research areas and to reveal the intellectual structure of knowledge in laser researches in biomedicine literature during 2009-2018. In this descriptive-analytical study with a scientometric approach, the data about laser were retrieved from PubMed in MEDINE format, including 7,682 articles with 18,227 keywords. By using co-word analysis, clustering methods, and strategic diagram; the data were analyzed with the help of SPSS 20, UcInet, and VOSviewer software. This study found that a steady growth could be seen on the laser research and 19.47% of publications are found in 5 journals. The most frequent keywords in the field of laser have been "lasers, solid-state", "laser therapy", "lasers, excimer", etc. The results of cluster analysis shaped the concepts of laser in 7 clusters. The cluster "laser, excimer" was well developed and it plays an effective role. In contrast, "Photo chemotherapy", "skin diseases with Emphasis on Lasers, gas", "Laser Effects", "Laser dentistry "and " Corneal Surgery, Laser " were relatively immature, which necessitates potential research space for future study. This research used co-word networks that indicate the important links between keywords of research areas. Disclosing the thorough context of issues which were encountered at the time of investigating, these networks will be used in locating knowledge gaps. Majority of research approaches include treatments or therapeutic aspects of laser in ophthalmology. The lack of some topics such as cardiology, oncology, optogenetics etc. shows that they have not been considered. Moreover, nevertheless of the practice site, application, or system in use, there is the goal of making and keeping a laser-safe environment for the staff, the user, and patient. These subjects have not been sufficiently considered.


Cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 1 antagonists (CysLT1RA) are frequently used as add-on medication for the treatment of asthma. Recently, these compounds have shown protective effects in cardiovascular diseases. This prompted us to investigate their influence on soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) activities, two targets known to play an important role in CVD and the metabolic syndrome. Montelukast, pranlukast and zafirlukast inhibited human sEH with IC50 values of 1.9, 14.1, and 0.8 μM, respectively. In contrast, only montelukast and zafirlukast activated PPARγ in the reporter gene assay with EC50 values of 1.17 μM (21.9% max. activation) and 2.49 μM (148% max. activation), respectively. PPARα and δ were not affected by any of the compounds. The activation of PPARγ was further investigated in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Analysis of lipid accumulation, mRNA and protein expression of target genes as well as PPARγ phosphorylation revealed that montelukast was not able to induce adipocyte differentiation. In contrast, zafirlukast triggered moderate lipid accumulation compared to rosiglitazone and upregulated PPARγ target genes. In addition, we found that montelukast and zafirlukast display antagonistic activities concerning recruitment of the PPARγ cofactor CBP upon ligand binding suggesting that both compounds act as PPARγ modulators. In addition, zafirlukast impaired the TNFα triggered phosphorylation of PPARγ2 on serine 273. Thus, zafirlukast is a novel dual sEH/PPARγ modulator representing an excellent starting point for the further development of this compound class.


The main contraindication to the anti-SARS CoV2 vaccine is an anaphylactic reaction to a vaccine component. The need to vaccinate allergic people who are at higher risk can be of public health interest and this report shows a case of an allergic reaction to PEG of a HCW who had received the first dose of anti-SARS CoV2 vaccine. For 5 h after the administration of the vaccine, she had the appearance of erythematous spots on the face and neck, and a feeling of a slurred mouth and hoarseness. In order to treat the event, she was administered 8 mg intravenous dexamethasone, 1 vial intravenous chlorphenamine maleate, 250 mL intravenous 0.9% NaCl, and conventional oxygen therapy (2 L/min) with complete resolution of the suspected adverse drug reaction. According to the contraindication to the cutaneous test for this patient, BAT was used for further investigations. The patient who suffered the adverse reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine and other five allergic patients who did not report any adverse reaction after the vaccination were tested. There was a significant activation of the vaccine-reactive patient's basophils with 14.79 CD203chigh% at the concentration of 0.2 mg/mL, while other patients were negative. People who have a confirmed reaction to a vaccine component should undergo further investigation to discover other possible cross-reactions and select the right vaccine to immunize them.


This paper described the THISL spoken document retrieval system for British and North American Broadcast News. The system is based on the ABBOT large vocabulary speech recognizer, using a recurrent network acoustic model, and a probabilistic text retrieval system. We discuss the development of a realtime British English Broadcast News system, and its integration into a spoken document retrieval system. Detailed evaluation is performed using a similar North American Broadcast News system, to take advantage of the TREC SDR evaluation methodology. We report results on this evaluation, with particular reference to the effect of query expansion and of automatic segmentation algorithms.


Community participation may be especially important for older adults, who are often at risk for unwanted declines in participation. We estimated the prevalence of community participation restriction (PR) due to perceived environmental barriers among older adults (≥50 years) and compared the impact among those with selected chronic conditions. Individuals with low-prevalence conditions reported high community PR (9.1–20.4%), while those with highly prevalent conditions (e.g., arthritis) had relatively low community PR (5.1–10.0%) but represented the greatest absolute numbers of condition-associated burden (>1 million). Across all conditions, more than half of those with community PR reported being restricted "always or often." Community PR most often resulted from modifiable environmental barriers. Promising targets to reduce community PR among adults ≥50 years with chronic conditions, particularly arthritis, include building design, sidewalks/curbs, crowd control, and interventions that improve the built environment.


Like other publications in this area, this book surveys, organizes, and explains the most important provisions of RCRA and CERCLA while providing relevant background. This publication goes beyond other publications by emphasizing the scientific, policy, and legal issues that make hazardous waste management a difficult and complex problem for Congress, EPA, and practicing lawyers. As with other areas of environmental law, the role of law is to pursue a number of distinct policies in the context of a technically challenging problem. This book explains the nature of the underlying problem that the law seeks to address, and the specific choices that the law makes in addressing it.


Abstract To elucidate pressure effects on the crystal structure of the high-P clinopyroxene (space group C2/c), the compression process of FeGeO3 clinopyroxene (C2/c) was investigated up to 8.2 GPa by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The crystal structure of FeGeO3 is close to the ideal clinopyroxene in terms of the O atom arrangement and the tetrahedral chain configuration at ambient conditions. With pressure the lattice parameters and oxygen positions move closer to the ideal cubic closest packing (CCP) and the tetrahedral chain became more kinked with increasing pressure. However, a change in compression mechanism may occur around 4.5 GPa. All the polyhedra were homogeneously compressed above 4.5 GPa, whereas the MO6 exhibited compressibilities 3-4 times greater than that of the TO4 tetrahedra below 4.5 GPa. The Ge-O-Ge angle decreased with increasing pressure to 4.5 GPa and then remained constant. The close relationship between the kink angle and the relative polyhedral size suggests that this unusual compression behavior above 4.5 GPa may be caused by suppression of the extensive decrease of the Ge-O-Ge angle. The present results show that compression of pyroxenes with highly kinked tetrahedral chains is strongly effected by the kink angle.


This paper responds to an interconfessional dialogue between an Eastern Orthodox and a Catholic professors, Zurab Kiknadze and Merab Ghaghanidze, over such important issues as filioque, autocephaly, the primacy of the Pope, etc. The dialogue has recently been published as a book called "Special in the General". It is noted that both parties to the dialogue demonstrate profound knowledge of the denominations they represent, outstanding academic reasoning and the high culture of religious belief. Some of their viewpoints, are, however, challenged. The author of this paper qualifies the book as a valuable contribution to the Georgian polemic literature. The new publication is believed to play an important role in addressing problems that have appeared in post-Soviet Georgia with respect to religion.


The mixed crop and livestock farming represents significant share in agricultural output in the Czech Republic. So, it raises questions about determinants of its production efficiency. The aim of the article is to evaluate production efficiency and its determinants of mixed crop and livestock farming among the EU regions. The DEA method with variable returns to scale (DEAVRS) reveals efficient and inefficient regions including the scale efficiency. In the next step, the two-sample t-test determines differences of economic and structural indicators between efficient and inefficient regions. The research reveals that substitution of labor by capital/ contract work positively affects income indicator Farm Net Value Added per AWU. The significant economic determinants of production efficiency in mixed type of farming are crop output per hectare, livestock output per livestock unit, productivity of energy and capital. Agricultural enterprises in inefficient regions have more extensive structure and produce more non-commodity output (public goods).


ABSTRACT Although sustainable fashion is growing in importance around the world, there is a lack of research that addresses sustainable fashion consumption in Latin America. The purpose of this study is to explore how eco-conscious women in Chile consume sustainable fashion and which are the main drivers and inhibitors. Twenty-two semi-structured interviews with female consumers of sustainable fashion were held in Santiago. The findings show that sustainable fashion brands are high-end fashion with high prices, so eco-conscious women consume sustainable fashion mostly through practices, such as buying from second-hand retail stores or by reusing their apparel, instead of purchasing sustainable fashion brands. Four drivers of sustainable fashion adoption are identified: 1) concern for the negative impacts of the fashion industry, 2) feel good for contributing to a life in a better world, 3) authenticity of sustainable fashion, 4) supporting local businesses and workers. Furthermore, three factors are found to hinder the consumption of sustainable fashion: 1) distrust of sustainable fashion brands, 2) limited assortment, and 3) higher price of sustainable fashion. The findings are useful for sustainable fashion brands, retailers and public policy makers.


Background and Purpose— Production of NO by endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) plays a protective role in cerebral ischemia. We studied the effects of transient focal ischemia on eNOS expression. Methods— Wistar rats (n=72) underwent reversible filament occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery for 75 minutes. After 6, 24, 72, or 168 hours of reperfusion, brains were removed and coronal sections cut for eNOS immunohistochemistry, eNOS–alkaline phosphatase costaining, and hematoxylin-eosin staining. Samples for eNOS immunoblots were taken from corresponding striatum and overlying parietal cortex bilaterally. Results— eNOS protein occurred in virtually all blood vessels and was consistently increased in microvessels in the ischemic striatum after 24 to 168 hours of reperfusion but not at 6 hours. eNOS upregulation in the parietal cortex was only present in animals with evidence of cortical infarcts documented on adjacent HE-stained sections. Costaining of endogenous alkaline phosphatase and eNOS demonstrated eNOS expression in all segments of cerebral microvessels. Quantitative analysis of eNOS immunostaining and immunoblots showed no attenuated increase in animals that were treated with indomethacin (5 mg/kg IP), NS398 (20 mg/kg IP), or l-arginine-methyl ester (10 mg/kg IP). In contrast to eNOS, levels of brain NOS did not increase after ischemia. Conclusion— eNOS protein is upregulated in pre- and postcapillary microvessels and upregulation appears slower after transient compared with permanent ischemia. Cyclooxygenase and NOS products do not play a major role in postischemic eNOS induction.


This article provides insight into key legal and practical aspects of the main private equity (PE) investment vehicle in Brazil, the Fundo de Investimento em Participações (FIP). First, it analyzes the historical evolution of the PE market in Brazil and looks at the investment strategies and available exits routes within this context. Second, it scrutinizes the basic features of PE fund formation in Brazil, covering areas such as structure, investment parameters, economics, governance, and documentation and marketing, comparing them wherever applicable with U.S. and U.K. PE models. In conclusion, an FIP structure provides PE players with a valuable investment vehicle for M&A activities in Brazil, with crucial tax efficiencies, fewer transaction costs associated with structuring, and enhanced governance and transparency standards.


UNLABELLED
Precise PET/CT localization of focal (18)F-FDG uptake in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) may exclude malignancy in sites of physiologic activity but may also induce false-negative reports for malignant or premalignant lesions. The purpose of the present study was to retrospectively evaluate the nature and significance of unexpected focal (18)F-FDG uptake localized by PET/CT within the GIT.

METHODS
The files of 4,390 patients referred for (18)F-FDG PET/CT were retrospectively reviewed. The incidence of studies showing unexpected focal uptake of (18)F-FDG localized by PET/CT to the GIT was determined. The position of these foci along the GIT and their intensity were recorded. The etiology of the findings was confirmed histologically or by long-term follow-up.

RESULTS
Unexpected focal (18)F-FDG uptake in the GIT was found in 58 patients (1.3%). Follow-up data were available for 34 of these patients, including 4 with sites in the stomach, 2 in the small bowel, and 28 in the colon. GIT-related disease was confirmed in 24 patients (71%). There were 11 malignant tumors, 9 premalignant lesions, and 4 benign processes including 2 benign polyps, 1 case of active gastritis, and 1 abscess of the sigmoid. Ten patients (29%) had no further evidence of GIT abnormality, and the suggestive sites were considered to be physiologic uptake. Maximal standardized uptake value was 17.3 +/- 10.2 in malignant lesions, 14.0 +/- 10.5 in premalignant lesions, 18.0 +/- 12.1 in benign lesions, and 11.1 +/- 7.4 in foci of physiologic (18)F-FDG uptake in the GIT, with no statistically significant difference among the 4 subgroups.

CONCLUSION
Incidental focal (18)F-FDG uptake localized by PET/CT within the GIT is of clinical significance in most patients. These findings should be followed up with appropriate invasive procedures guided by hybrid imaging results.


Retinal findings may change in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). The present study aims to evaluate several retinal findings, such as macula layer thickness, the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer, and the optic nerve head in patients with OSAS, using optical coherence tomography (OCT); it also aims to monitor the result of several types of treatment of OSAS with OCT. A prospective comparative study was designed. Patients were recruited at a Sleep Unit of a University Hospital and underwent comprehensive ophthalmological examinations. Following exclusion criteria, fifty-two patients with OSAS were finally included. Patients were examined by OCT twice: once before treatment, and again after six months of treatment. In mild–moderate patients, where retinal swelling had been demonstrated, retinal thicknesses decreased [fovea (p = 0.026), as did inner ring macula (p = 0.007), outer ring macula (p = 0.015), and macular volume (p = 0.015)]. In severe patients, where retinal atrophy had been observed, retinal thickness increased [fovea (p < 0.001)]. No statistically significant differences in efficacy between treatments were demonstrated. In conclusion, OCT can evaluate the retina in patients with OSAS and help to monitor results after treatment. In severe OSAS, retinal thickness increased six months after treatment.


The impact of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) on the national economy is examined using a general equilibrium model and comparing measures of the economy from 2010 to a simulation of that economy without SNAP. Without the SNAP program, the overall size of the economy hardly differs—demand for labor increases slightly. However, households that would be eligible for SNAP experience a net loss. They have 5.5 percent less disposable income while ineligible households have approximately 1 percent more income without SNAP, and output of products eligible for purchase with SNAP funds declines approximately one billion dollars.


PURPOSE: Our objective was to measure the trajectory of financial distress and to determine its relationship with quality of life (QOL) among patients with cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a longitudinal survey of patients with gynecologic cancer starting a new line of systemic therapy at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. Financial distress was measured using a Comprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity (COST) < 26, and QOL was measured using Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) with lower scores indicating worse responses. One-way repeated analysis of variances, generalized estimating equation models, and correlation coefficients were used to evaluate financial distress and QOL over time. RESULTS: There were 90 of 121 (74%) baseline participants with a 6-month follow-up. The average age was 60 years, 29% were African-American, 57% had an annual income < $40,000 in US dollars, and 6% were uninsured. At baseline, 54% of patients screened positive for financial distress, which was unchanged at 3 months (50%, P = .27) but decreased at 6 months (46%, P = .04) compared with baseline. There was no change in average COST (23.6, 25.1, 25.6; P = .33) or FACT-G (70.8, 71.0, 72.8; P = .68) over time. Less financial distress was moderately correlated with better QOL (r = 0.63, 0.61, 0.60) at each time point. The presence of financial distress was associated with a 16-point decrease in FACT-G QOL score over time. CONCLUSION: Upfront screening with COST identified 90% of patients who experienced financial distress, and COST did not change significantly over time. More severe financial distress was moderately correlated with worse QOL, and its presence was associated with a clinically meaningful 16-point decrease in QOL.


The quantum theory-of Stokes generation by stimulated Raman scattering of a multimode laser is developed and analyzed. For large laser-mode spacing, the generated Stokes intensity is found to be independent of the number of laser modes for both high and low gains. The result applies to both free-running and mode-locked lasers and is in contrast to that in the Raman amplifier, in which gain is found to depend on the number of modes. The Stokes light is generated with mode amplitudes and phases in perfect correlation with those of the laser. Also, in steady state the instantaneous Stokes intensity is found to follow exactly the rapid fluctuations of the laser intensity.


Knowle West in South Bristol has a population of about 15,000 and was mostly built in the 1920s and 1950s. Although for many Knowle West is a great place to live and there is a strong sense of community, it has high levels
of deprivation, with some parts of it being in the poorest 1% nationally. Filwood, in the heart of Knowle West, has the second lowest score under the Bristol Quality of Life Survey Liveability Index and there are significant health
challenges. Life expectancy is the second lowest in Bristol, with high levels of cancer mortality and heart disease mortality. The level of obesity is one of the
highest in Bristol, as is the level of smoking.

Work started on the Knowle West Regeneration Strategy in September 2009 and the vision for the area was agreed as "A community full of confidence and pride, skilled and healthy, living in a thriving Bristol neighbourhood that is
green and well connected and low in living costs" – known as the 'Knowle West Vision 2030'.

With major change proposed for Knowle West, the Healthy City Group of the Bristol Partnership considers it vital that health and well-being in its widest sense is integrated into the regeneration plans. Therefore the group has initiated a health impact assessment (HIA) process to review potential health impacts. This report is based on a participatory workshop for the draft Knowle West Regeneration Strategy. The workshop looked at the wider social, economic and environmental foundations for health and well-being – how housing, transport, employment, open space etc impact on people's health – rather than being limited to the provision of health services.

The workshop took place on 21 July 2010 and was attended by 36 people, including local residents, local workers, strategic policy makers, service providers and a local councillor. Marcus Grant and Hugh Barton from the
WHO Collaborating Centre for Healthy Cities and Urban Policy at the University of West of England (UWE) facilitated the process.

The workshop used the Spectrum Approach for participatory HIA. This provides a quick but holistic overview of a particular development project from a health and sustainability standpoint. It does not weight one criterion against another (which implies trade-offs), but rather identifies an acceptable bottom line in relation to each criterion. It involves a set of agreed health criteria,
systematic evaluation and a colour-coded grading system.


»Lehman fallen lassen. Kritik, sozialer Wandel und der Untergang der Lehman Brothers«. The collapse of the U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers marked the escalation point of the financial crisis of 2008. Yet, while the consequences of the collapse are widely discussed, the developments that led to Lehman Brothers' demise have yet to be dealt with from a sociological perspective. In this paper, we tackle this research gap by asking why Lehman Brothers – as opposed to other ailing banks – was not saved by the US regulators. We will show that mounting pressure from public opinion caused a shift in the risk perception on the side of the regulators. Initially oriented towards the economic risk associated with a potential failure of Lehman Brothers, the critique of the 2008 bailouts prompted regulators to weight the political risks of further bailouts over the economic risk of the bank's collapse. Thus, we argue that the social change brought about by the collapse of Lehman Brothers was critiqueinduced.


The self-tuning control of a translational flexible arm using neural networks is presented. The control scheme consists of a gain tuning neural network and a variable-gain feedback controller. This neural network is trained so as to make the error between the root shear force and the reference root shear force zero. In the process, the neural network learns the optimal gain of the feedback controller. The feedback controller is designed based on Lyapunov's direct method. The feedback control of the motion of the flexible system is derived by considering the time rate of change of the total energy of the system. This approach has the advantage over conventional methods in that it allows one to deal directly with the system's partial differential equations without resorting to approximations. Numerical and experimental results for the tracking control of a translational flexible arm are presented and verify that the proposed control system is effective at controlling flexible dynamical systems.


The case was carried out to study the variance of fiber feature, chemical composition and pulping property between heartwood and sapwood of poplar I-69. As results showed, the mean fiber length in heartwood and sapwood of poplar I-69 were 770 and 1146µm separately, with the length-to-width ratio of 42.56 vs 51.76, and the wall-to-lumen ratio of 0.40 vs 0.59, respectively. The heartwood of poplar I-69 differed from sapwood in contents of chemical compositions, with holocellulose of 82.65% vs 81.35%, α- cellulose of 42.83% vs 42.82% and lignin of 18.01% vs 21.68%, respectively. Both the heartwood and sapwood of poplar I-69were suitable for pulping material. By investigating pulp yield and Kappa number, it was proven that the caustic soda dosage and the duration of reaction temperature were major factors influencing KP pulping properties of poplar I-69 sapwood. Under the same technical conditions of pulping, the pulp of the poplar I-69 sapwood was lower in Kappa number and higher in yield and in viscosity compared with those of heartwood. The tensile index, tear index and burst index of paper made by sapwood were higher than those made by heartwood. The sapwood of poplar I-69 showed overall better pulping aptitude in comparison with heartwood.


Abstract Weedy rice is a problematic weed that infests paddy fields worldwide. Differing populations, with varying physiological and morphological traits, characterize this weed. In particular, seed dormancy makes its control difficult. The objective of this study was to evaluate the germination behavior of five Italian weedy rice populations (two awnless, two awned, and one mucronate) after exposure of seeds to different field storage conditions (flooding, burial, and dry soil surface) during winter in two sites (Grugliasco and Vercelli, Italy). Seed samples were taken from each population, storage condition, and site, every 15 d for petri dish germinability testing. The two sites displayed slightly different germination patterns, which were probably due to the differing climatic conditions. One of the awned populations showed the highest (always exceeding 80%) and fastest germination percentage in all field conditions and sites, compared with the other four populations. Although flooding promoted germination in one awnless population, it delayed germination in two others (one awned and one awnless), attaining only 20% germination after more than 100 d. In all populations, burial delayed germination, whereas seed placement on the dry soil surface enhanced it. Our study indicated that autumn tillage that promotes weedy rice seed burial should be discouraged; spring tillage that exposes seeds to the soil surface and cause their depletion should be encouraged. The tested technique of winter flooding can also improve weedy rice control, despite its varying efficacy among populations. Cycles of flooding and drying followed by spring tillage might improve weedy rice seed control. Nomenclature: Weedy rice, Oryza sativa L


The effect of pH at different temperatures was studied on the force-velocity characteristics of the sartorius muscle to estimate short-term compensation to temperature. The effect of thermal acclimation was also studied in order to estimate long-term compensation. A decrease in either pH or temperature reduced both tetanic tension and shortening velocity. There was a significant pH-temperature interaction for tetanic tension and for maximum mechanical power, but not for V max . It is shown that this pH-temperature interaction was large enough to provide a mechanism for short-term compensation only for the maximum strength (tetanic tension) in both species. Shortening velocities at small loads of the sartorius muscle of frogs and toads acclimated to 25 C were faster than those acclimated to 5 C. The difference between the two acclimation groups increased with test temperature and was almost 1 muscle length per second (m.l.s −1 ) at 25 C for both species. Acclimation temperature had no significant effect on tetanic tension or on maximum mechanical power at any of the test temperatures. It is proposed that the small capacity for long-term compensation in frog and toad sartorius muscles is related to the strategy employed during winter: frogs and toads hibernate.


Fatty acid type ionic collectors were used as an alternative to conventional oily collectors, kerosene, and pine oil mixture in the flotation of coal tailing with 46.1% ash. The conventional collectors could not reduce the ash content of the concentrate below 22%. On the other hand, ionic collectors were found to be significantly better at reducing the ash content down to 13%. It was concluded that despite their lower flotation yield and higher consumptions, certain ionic collectors could be used successfully in coal flotation where cleaner concentrates are required from coal fines with high ash content.


Magnesium chloride enhances the coagulation and complement activities of blood serum in parallel degree. These enhancing effects are inhibited by inactivated serum or by disodium phosphate.

Distortion in the results of complement-fixation tests occurs with the addition of ionized magnesium salts to the system. This is due to the antagonistic effect of the inactivated test serum. In the quantitatively standardized test, however, where the titer is expressed as the ratio of the reaction of serum and antigen to that of serum alone, the findings are the same with or without added magnesium salts.


The protease inhibitor leupeptin was shown to inhibit retrovirus infection in mouse fibroblasts at a step shortly after internalization of the virus particles. The inhibited step most likely was the passage of virus particles through the lysosomes or other acid vesicles. Leupeptin was also shown to inhibit degradation of virus particles in the lysosomes. The results are discussed with respect to the involvement of proteases in the infectious route.


In answer to the call for diversity, the American Library Association (ALA) made a commitment to recruit underrepresented minority individuals into the field oflibrarianship. However, retention and promotion of underrepresented minority librarians is still a challenge for most libraries, especially in higher education. With the increase of underrepresented minority students attending colleges and universities in the United States, the need for more underrepresented minority academic librarians, especially in leadership, is important. Using Motivation to Lead (MTL) theory, (which measures three correlated factors: Affective Identity, Non-Calculative Identity, and Social-Normative Identity), this mixed- methods study focused on understanding the motivations that help underrepresented minority academic librarians stay in the library profession and pursue leadership positions within the field. This study examined the impact of minority library leader underrepresentation in academic libraries and delved into their motivations to lead in predominately White academic library environments. A mixed -method approach using the MTL survey and semi-structured interviews with underrepresented minority academic librarians (specifically African American/Black and Hispanic/Latin@ librarians) examined individual's motivations to lead and explored how understanding those motivations can help increase the retention and promotion rates of underrepresented minority academic librarians in positions of leadership. Findings indicate that although a majority of academic librarians scored highest on a national survey on the Non-Calculative Identity scale, Social Normative Identity and Affective Identity do not score much lower. This means that participants in the national survey tend to lead others without heavily considering the cost, as opposed to those who lead based on a sense of obligation or a sense of pleasure. One-on- one interviews with African American/Black and Hispanic/ Latin@ academic librarians reveal more in-depth reasons behind why they chose to stay in the profession including their sense of obligation, their feelings of reward, and their disappointment with diversity efforts in academic libraries. Implications of the study are also discussed for academic library settings


. The existence of unstructured information that describes processes represents a challenge in organizations, mainly because this data cannot be directly referred into process-aware ecosystems due to ambiguities. Still, this information is important, since it encompasses aspects of a process that are left out when formalizing it on a particular modelling notation. This paper picks up this challenge and faces the problem of ambiguities by acknowledging its existence and mitigating it. Specifically, we propose a framework to partially automate the elicita-tion of a formal representation of a textual process description, via text annotation techniques on top of natural language processing. The result is the ATDP language, whose syntax and semantics are described in this paper. ATDP allows to explicitly cope with several interpretations of the same textual description of a process model. Moreover, we link the ATDP language to a formal reasoning engine and show several use cases. A prototype tool enabling the complete methodology has been implemented, and several examples using the tool are provided.


This paper contains a continuation of (1) the previous paper of the author, Recursive functions and intuitionistic number theory (XII 93), and (2) S. C. Kleene, On the interpreta tion of intuitionistic number theory (XII 91). Kleene gave a truth definition for arithmetic propositions with the aid of the notion realizable. In a similar way Nelson defines the syn tactical predicates P-realizable and N-realizable, corresponding to true and false proposi tions. He considers a formal system Ni which arises from the intuitionistic system Si (see (1) above, p. 309) when the axiom schema (A 3 B) ID ((A 3 nB) 3 TA) is replaced by ->(A & B) = -iA v TB and some similar equivalences. It is shown that a formula A is provable in Si , if and only if A" is provable in Ni , and that A is provable in Ni if and only if A' is provable in Si , A' and A" arising from A in a unique way. Let N and S denote systems obtained from iVi and Si respectively by the adjunction of recursion equations for recursive functions. Then the same provability relation exists between N and S. A consequence is that the consistency of N is equivalent to that of S. Further it is seen that every formula deducible from P-realizable formulas in N is P-realizable. Let N' be the formal system arising from N by adjunction of the axiom schema A = 3x x @ p A, where a ® p A means "a P-realizes A." Then the author shows that if N contains a certain elementary formula and if N' is extended to iV+ by adjunction of the formula A v -iA, the system iV + is inconsistent. formal pp. 25-32. From the system in Quine's Mathematical logic of 1940 (V 163), the Burali-Forti contra


Developing high-performance, low-cost electrocatalysts for the reduction reaction at the cathode of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) is important for their commercialization. Here, we introduce the concept of redox catalysis for improving counter-electrode (CE) kinetics in DSCs for the first time. As a proof-of-concept, we employ a catalytic system based on mesoporous indium-tin oxide electrodes modified by redox-active Os complex molecules (Os@ITO), which are fabricated by using a convenient method similar to that used for sensitizing the DSC photoanode. The adsorbed molecular catalyst displays high catalytic activity for the reduction of I3− species in aqueous solution, and dramatically increased fill factor (FF) in photovoltaic measurements. Analysis of DSC current-voltage characteristics under simulated sunlight, together with current-overpotential characteristics and electrochemical impedance spectra of various CEs, reveals that the photovoltaic performance enhancement brought about by anchoring the Os complex to the mesoporous ITO electrode can be attributed to a roughly ten-fold enhancement in exchange current density for the I−/I3− redox reaction. It is anticipated that these results will stimulate further research into redox catalysis as a new CE concept for DSCs.


Several multi-modality representation learning approaches such as LXMERT and ViLBERT have been proposed recently. Such approaches can achieve superior performance due to the high-level semantic information captured during large-scale multimodal pretraining. However, as ViLBERT and LXMERT adopt visual region regression and classification loss, they often suffer from domain gap and noisy label problems, based on the visual features having been pretrained on the Visual Genome dataset. To overcome these issues, we propose unbiased Contrastive Visual-Linguistic Pretraining (CVLP), which constructs a visual self-supervised loss built upon contrastive learning. We evaluate CVLP on several down-stream tasks, including VQA, GQA and NLVR2 to validate the superiority of contrastive learning on multi-modality representation learning. Our code is available at: this https URL.


We consider a demand response program in which a block of apartments receive a discount from their electricity supplier if they ensure that their aggregate load from air conditioning does not exceed a predetermined threshold. The goal of the participants is to obtain the discount, while ensuring that their individual temperature preferences are also satisfied. As such, the apartments need to collectively optimise their use of air conditioning so as to satisfy these constraints and minimise their costs. Given an optimal cooling profile that secures the discount, the problem that the apartments face then is to divide the total discounted cost in a fair way. To achieve this, we take a coalitional game approach and propose the use of the Shapley value from cooperative game theory, which is the normative payoff division mechanism that offers a unique set of desirable fairness properties. However, applying the Shapley value in this setting presents a novel computational challenge. This is because its calculation requires, as input, the cost of every subset of apartments, which means solving an exponential number of collective optimisations, each of which is a computationally intensive problem. To address this, we propose solving the optimisation problem of each subset suboptimally, to allow for acceptable solutions that require less computation. We show that, due to the linearity property of the Shapley value, if suboptimal costs are used rather than optimal ones, the division of the discount will be fair in the following sense: each apartment is fairly "rewarded" for its contribution to the optimal cost and, at the same time, is fairly "penalised" for its contribution to the discrepancy between the suboptimal and the optimal costs. Importantly, this is achieved without requiring the optimal solutions.


A new linear permanent-magnet (PM) motor, termed as modular linear flux-reversal PM (M-LFRPM) motor, is proposed. This is particularly attractive for high reliability urban rail transit. Its PM materials and armature windings are set in the mover (train), while the long stator (rail) is composed of irons, hence improving efficiency and reducing cost. The key of the proposed motor incorporates the concept of fault-tolerant teeth to provide the desired decoupling among phases. The structure and features of the proposed motor are presented, and an optimal design is performed. By using finite element method, the advantages and validity of the proposed motor are verified. The analysis results show that the proposed M-LFRPM motor not only retains the advantages of the conventional LFRPM motor, but also improves its fault-tolerant capability.


Future spacecraft are envisioned as autonomous, miniature, intelligent and massively distributed systems. At the Surrey Space Centre, a research project is currently under investigation, which aims to develop a picosatellite sensor network using the CubeSat platform. The proposed satellite sensor network will be used to demonstrate technology advances in space, including modified IEEE 802.11 wireless standard for inter-satellite links (ISL), distributed computing for computationally intensive onboard signal processing, and reconfigurable system-on-a-chip (SoC) design.


Aim. To investigate the mechanisms of gastrointestinal side effects of tacrine, and find treatment methods with electroacupuncture (EA). Methods. Twenty-five healthy cats were randomly divided into 5 groups: gastric-distention group (model group), tacrine group (cholinesterase inhibitor), tacrine + sham acupoint group (control group), tacrine + PC6 (neiguan) group, and tacrine + ST36 (zusanli) group, with 5 cats in each group. Saline 2mL i.p. was given 30min before gastric distention in model group. Tacrine 5.6mg/kg i.p. was given 30 minutes before gastric distention in the other groups. Tacrine + sham acupoint group (control group), tacrine + PC6 group, and tacrine + ST36 group received EA at corresponding acupoints during gastric distention.The frequency of TLESRs and LESPwere recorded by using a perfused sleeve assembly. Results. Comparedwith themodel group, tacrine significantly increased the frequency of gastric distention-induced TLESR (P < 0.05) but did not influence the rate of common cavity during TLESR. Tacrine significantly increased the LESP, which could not remain during gastric distention. EA at PC6 could decrease the frequency of TLESR and maintain the increase of LESP, but EA at ST36 did not have these effects. Conclusion. Tacrine can significantly increase the gastric distention-induced transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxations (TLESRs). Electroacupuncture (EA) at PC6 may reverse the above side effect.


The elaboration of anterior–posterior (A–P) pattern is one of the earliest events during development and requires the precisely coordinated action of several players at the level of molecules, cells and tissues. In mammals, it is controlled by a specialized population of migratory extraembryonic epithelial cells, the anterior visceral endoderm (AVE). The AVE is a signalling centre that is responsible for several important patterning events during early development, including specifying the orientation of the A–P axis and the position of the heart with respect to the brain. AVE cells undergo a characteristic stereotypical migration which is crucial to their functions.


The Civil Procedure Rules 1998 (CPR) require the parties to give advance notice to their opponents of all the material documentation in their control. This is done in two stages. At the first stage the parties send each other lists of documents, a process called 'disclosure'. The second stage is 'inspection', which is the process by which the other side can request copies of documents appearing in the list of documents, typically with photocopies being provided by the disclosing party. This chapter discusses these processes. It covers lawyers' and clients' responsibilities; the stage when disclosure takes place; disclosure orders; standard disclosure; menu option disclosure; duty to search; list of documents; privilege; inspection; orders in support of disclosure; documents referred to in statements of case, etc.; admission of authenticity; and collateral use.


Abstract Objective: Acupuncture is successfully used to alleviate vomiting in children after general anesthesia. However there is no data on treatment of vomiting in children with gastroenteritis (GE) and pneumonia (PM). Methods: Descriptive analysis of 18 cases, where acupuncture was used as an individual therapy attempt to treat vomiting in children with GE or PM before starting the conventional antiemetic therapy. Feasibility and acceptance by patients and parents as well as the incidence of vomiting and use of antiemetic drugs after acupuncture were recorded. Results: Acupuncture was feasible in all children and application of the indwelling needles was tolerated without fear. Side effects were not observed. 13 patients stopped vomiting immediately after the insertion of acupuncture needles, none of the patients required conventional antiemetic medication. Conclusion: Acupuncture for the treatment of vomiting is feasible and acceptable. Suggested antiemetic effect should be examined in a randomized multicenter controlled trial.


Our long-term goal is to find, store, update, and provide access to key facts needed to support clinical decision making. Presently, the facts are extracted automatically from clinical narrative and biomedical literature sources, primarily MEDLINE, and stored in the Repository for Informed Decision Making. We envision expert community validation of the extracted facts and peer-reviewed direct deposit of key facts in the future. The key facts reported in publications do not change and can be extracted in advance and retrieved as needed. We chose an alternative approach to building the repository: extraction of key facts for specific clinical tasks and clinical scenarios. Combined with providing extracted facts (linked to the original publications) as service at the point of care, this approach allows capturing clinicians' relevance judgments and leads to gradual, weakly-supervised construction of a collection of facts and documents pertaining to specific clinical situations and expert judgments of relevance and quality of the documents. In this paper, we demonstrate our approach to corpus construction using the clinical task of patient care plan development. We provide an overview of the process and focus on the automatic construction of PubMed queries – an essential step in finding documents containing key facts.


The most common metric for evaluating the performance of an optical communications system is the symbol error probability (SEP) versus the received optical power. In circuit-like optical systems employing binary transmission such as WDM, this SEP takes the form of the Bit Error Rate (BER) which is, in general, relatively constant. However, when considering an asynchronous multiple access Optical CDMA (OCDMA) system, the BER is not constant. Since users may enter/exit the network without coordination, the instantaneous SEP of every user can be affected by the transmissions of other users because of the non-zero cross-correlation of optical spreading codes. Therefore, the SEP of an asynchronous OCDMA system becomes time-varying and statistical in nature. In this paper, we determine how to assess the performance of such a system in terms of Average SEP (ASEP) and outage probability. When the analytical description of a problem is not available and the performance can be assessed only via simulations, we also give guidelines on how to calculate the required number of trials necessary to estimate the ASEP with a certain confidence interval.


Chronic energy surplus increases body fat, leading to obesity. Since obesity is closely associated with most metabolic complications, pathophysiological roles of adipose tissue in obesity have been intensively studied. White adipose tissue is largely divided into subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT). These two white adipose tissues are similar in their appearance and lipid storage functions. Nonetheless, emerging evidence has suggested that SAT and VAT have different characteristics and functional roles in metabolic regulation. It is likely that there are intrinsic differences between VAT and SAT. In diet-induced obese animal models, it has been reported that adipogenic progenitors in VAT rapidly proliferate and differentiate into adipocytes. In obesity, VAT exhibits elevated inflammatory responses, which are less prevalent in SAT. On the other hand, SAT has metabolically beneficial effects. In this review, we introduce recent studies that focus on cellular and molecular components modulating adipogenesis and immune responses in SAT and VAT. Given that these two fat depots show different functions and characteristics depending on the nutritional status, it is feasible to postulate that SAT and VAT have different developmental origins with distinct adipogenic progenitors, which would be a key determining factor for the response and accommodation to metabolic input for energy homeostasis.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this paper was to observe the reactive changes of epithelial cells exposed to the influence of cervicovaginitis agents that play an important role in the cytology practice and may cause an exaggerated appearance.

MATERIAL AND METHOD
378 cases with cervicovaginitis caused by a specific agent were compared with 100 control cases. It was recorded if the inflammation had concomitant cellular changes and atypia or not. After treatment, control smears were examined. The reactive and atypical situations of the cells were considered after the treatment. With the aid of the previous data, the answer to the following question was searched: Is epithelial atypia a real event or a reactive atypia that accompanies an existing cervicitis agent?

RESULTS
In the first interpretation, Candida group had the most frequent reactive and ASC-US (Atypic Squamous cells of Undetermined Significance) changes (56,4% and 59,5% respectively). The bacterial vaginosis and Trichomonas vaginalis groups showed ASC-US rates of 25% and 9,5% respectively while in control group the rate was 6,0%. After treatment, the number of cases of ASC-US decreased from 50 to 11. Similarly, the number decreased from 21 to 10 in the bacterial vaginosis group.

CONCLUSION
Cervicovaginitis agents need more attention because of their outcomes. Being aware of the cervicovaginitis agents during interpretation is essential for preventing a false positive diagnosis and unnecessary anxiety especially where cellular atypia is concerned.


This is a background paper prepared for an informal expert meeting of the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD. It discusses technical assistance on trade for the least developed and poorer countries and tries to explore alternative partnership approaches for building new trade capacity. It focuses on trade policy more than on trade promotion strategies. The paper identifies four different types of technical assistance: 1. Raising the awareness of key policy makers and actors both of how trade policy operates globally, and what the options are. 2. Help with the implementation of multilaterally or regionally agreed trade arrangements. 3. Help to deal with export related implements in foreign markets. 4. Enhancement of negotiating capability, both multilaterally and regionally. It emphasizes how a ranking across these types of assistance needs to be informed by a sense of the trade situation for these countries. The pattern of poorer country trade has been changing in recent years, with sharp export growth in countries such as Bangladesh, and also some African countries (such as Uganda). This is beginning to generate trade conflicts with OECD countries in areas such as textiles and apparel (MEA) and even antidumping. Poorer countries are also increasingly becoming involved in outsourcing trade (relocation of assembly operations to a poorer country by a large OECD company, possibly in an export processing zone); and trade between poorer countries and other developing countries is growing more rapidly. After many years of stagnant trade growth, poorer country trade is now growing at rates which compare to those of all developing countries. Special opportunities seem to be present in services trade (growing globally at rates higher than goods trade), and (in the future) electronic commerce.


A variety of symptoms that accompany migraine are mediated by the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system has long been known to play a potentially important role in the occurrence of atrial fibrillation. Clinically significant effects on cardiac rhythm are uncommon during migraine attacks. In the present case, we report a man who experienced recurrent episodes of atrial fibrillation, which were likely secondary to the vomiting component of migraine.


With the rapid development of the urbanization, the problem of city transportation has been becoming the same issue to each big city in China. As the converge points of urban traffic, the branch junctions are playing important role in the road net and traffic flow. It is true that traditional PID control algorithm is widely used in various control systems. Because its principle is simple and easy to build and has no error in the steady state, etc. However, it does not have a good adaptability towards the change of parameters. It is inferior towards interference, etc. According to the above situation, a adaptive Fuzzy-PID control algorithm is proposed which has returned the characters of regular PID control algorithm. The fuzzy control algorithm is used to realize the on-line regulating relative PID parameters. The simulation analysis indicates that the presented method is effective to improve the main road control.


Spinal cord injury (SCI) induces a pronounced neuroinflammation driven by activation and proliferation of resident microglia as well as infiltrating peripheral monocyte-derived macrophages. Depending on the time post-lesion, positive and detrimental influences of microglia/macrophages on axonal regeneration had been reported after SCI, raising the issue whether their modulation may represent an attractive therapeutic strategy. Colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF1) regulates microglia/macrophages proliferation, differentiation and survival thus, pharmacological treatments using CSF1 receptor (CSF1R) inhibitors had been used to ablate microglia. We analyzed the effect of chronic (10 weeks) food diet containing GW2580 (a CSF1R inhibitor) in mice that underwent lateral spinal cord hemisection (HS) at vertebral thoracic level 9. Treatment started 4 weeks prior to SCI and continued until 6 weeks post-lesion. We first demonstrate that GW2580 treatment did not modify microglial response in non-injured spinal cords. Conversely, a strong decrease in proliferating microglia was observed following SCI. Second, we showed that GW2580 treatment improved some parameters of motor recovery in injured animals through better paw placement. Using in and ex vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we then established that GW2580 treatment had no effect on lesion extension and volume. However, histological analyses revealed that GW2580-treated animals had reduced gliosis and microcavity formation following SCI. In conclusion, CSF1R blockade using GW2580 specifically inhibits SCI-induced microglia/macrophages proliferation, reduces gliosis and microcavity formations and improves fine motor recovery after incomplete SCI. Preventing microglial proliferation may offer therapeutic approach to limit neuroinflammation, promote tissue preservation and motor recovery following SCI.


A study was conducted to detect the presence of disease resistance genes to  infection of wheat powdery mildew ( Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici) in selected wheat cultivars from China using molecular markers. Genomic DNA of sixty cultivars was extracted and tested for the presence of selected prominent resistance genes to the fungal disease using molecular markers linked to Pm genes. Results showed that 17 cultivars were detected with Pm2 gene, 24 cultivars were detected with Pm4b gene, two cultivars were detected with Pm6 gene while 24 wheat cultivars were detected with Pm8 gene. Multiple genes were also detected in the study. Cultivars  Xinxuan2039, Lankao008 and Zhengmai366 were detected with possible multiple Pm2+Pm4b+Pm8 genes while Yumai368 was detected with possible multiple genes Pm2+Pm4b+Pm6. The results of this study provide a significant contribution to breeding for resistance to wheat powdery mildew disease since the identified cultivars detected with Pm genes will contribute to further studies on improving wheat resistance to the disease. Also, the continued resistance of cultivars with designated resistance genes demonstrates that the responsible Pm genes are still effective in overcoming powdery mildew infections. Key words : Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici, wheat powdery mildew, disease  resistance, Pm genes, Triticum aestivum, molecular marker.


Recently evidence for gamma ray lines at energies of approximately 111 and 128 GeV has been found in Fermi-LAT data from the center of the galaxy and from unassociated point sources. Many explanations in terms of dark matter particle pairs annihilating to gamma gamma and gamma Z have been suggested, but these typically require very large couplings or mysterious coincidences in the masses of several new particles to fit the signal strength. We propose a simple novel explanation in which dark matter is part of a multiplet of new states which all have mass near 260 GeV as a result of symmetry. Two dark matter particles annihilate to a pair of neutral particles in this multiplet which subsequently decay to gamma gamma and gamma Z. For example, one may have a triplet of pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone bosons, charged pions and a neutral pion, where the charged pions are stabilized by their charge under a new U(1) symmetry and the slightly lighter neutral pion state decays to gamma gamma and gamma Z. The symmetry structure of such a model explains the near degeneracy in masses needed for the resulting photons to have a line-like shape and the large observed flux. The tunable lifetime of the neutral state allows such models to go unseen at direct detection or collider experiments that can constrain most other explanations. However, nucleosynthesis constraints on the neutral pion lifetime fix a minimum necessary coupling between the new multiplet and the Standard Model. The spectrum is predicted to be not a line but a box with a width of order a few GeV, smaller than but on the order of the Fermi-LAT resolution.


Bone turnover, remodeling, is a constant process replacing old bone with new. This complex cellular event involves resorption by osteoclasts and formation of new bone by osteoblasts. The balance between osteoblastic and osteoclastic activity is under regulation by several endocrine and paracrine factors. Osteoprotegerin (OPG), a recently discovered protein is an effective inhibitor of osteociast formation and osteoclast activity. In this thesis, the regulation of OPG mRNA expression and protein secretion from human bone cells has been investigated. Also correlation between a single nucleotide polymorphism in the OPG gene and bone mass has been studied. OPG mRNA levels were affected by several endocrine and paracrine factors known to regulate bone resorption, such as prostaglandin E2, TNFs, interleukin-I and glucocorticoid. An ELISA was developed and it was established that human osteoblasts secrete OPG protein and that the secretion is regulated by the above factors. A single nucleotide polymorphism was discovered in the human OPG gene. There was no correlation between the polymorphism and measures of bone mineral density in a cohort of 1044 post-menopausal females. Surprisingly, a correlation between the polymorphism and measures of vascular function and morphology was discovered. The data in the thesis show that OPG is produced in human bone marrow and is regulated by factors affecting the bone remodeling process, suggesting a central role for OPG in human bone turnover. The finding that the polymorphism in the OPG gene correlates with vascular function opens up a new area of research aiming at understanding whether OPG might be involved also in cardiovascular diseases.


: Perampanel (2-[2-oxo-1-phenyl-5-pyridin-2-yl-1,2-dihydropyridin-3-yl] benzonitrile hydrate) is the latest in the line of new antiepileptic drugs with a novel mechanism of action. Perampanel inhibits α -amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid (AMPA)-induced increases in intracellular Ca 2 + and selectively blocks AMPA receptor-mediated synaptic transmission, thus reducing neuronal excitation. Three Phase III multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials demonstrated the efficacy and good tolerability of perampanel as adjunctive treatment in patients with refractory partial-onset seizures. The drug is approved for use in the European Union and United States, with expected release onto the American market in June–September 2013, pending US Drug Enforcement Agency classification. The pharmacology of perampanel offers potential as more than just another new antiepileptic drug. This first-in-class drug will provide another option for practitioners of rational polytherapy. As an AMPA-receptor antagonist, perampanel may possess antiepileptogenic properties in addition to its demonstrated antiseizure properties.


1. A unified model of the properties of stretch responses of mammalian spindle endings is proposed. This model encompasses the disparity between sensitivity of spindle endings to small and to large stretch of the muscle as well as the disparity in their dynamic responsiveness for different amplitudes of stretch. 2. In the model the mechanical properties of intrafusal fibers include a property akin to friction, which is hypothesized on the basis of reported observations on amphibian muscle. Transducer and encoder processes are modeled in the light of recent observations on isolated spindles. The model involves five unknown parameters whose values are selected by reference to certain reported observations on deefferented primary and secondary endings. The model can be used to predict responses to length changes of arbitrary time course. 3. Predicted responses to large ramp-and-hold stretch are quantitatively comparable to observations over a wide range of stretch velocities. The quantities compared include the increment in response during ramp stretch as well as the dynamic index, which is a measure of adaptation at stretch plateau. 4. At a fixed frequency of sinusoidal stretch, the relation between amplitudes of stretch and response is predicted in quantitative agreement with measurements. As the frequency of stretch is decreased, the predicted phase lead decreases and then increases, while the sensitivity decreases monotonically, in accord with observations. 5. In the model the high sensitivity for small stretch is not specific to any particular length of the muscle. When stretch is large, the region of high sensitivity is gradually reestablished at the new length, a phenomenon referred to as resetting. The dynamic response to a large stretch can be seen as arising, for the most part, from the dynamic process of resetting. 6. The influences of static or dynamic fusimotor activation on stretch responses of the primary ending are simulated by modifying the parameter values in the model. The modifications are such that static (dynamic) fusimotor activity speeds up (slows down) the resetting of the high-sensitivity region. The predictions mimic qualitatively the observed fusimotor effects not only on the response to large ramp stretch but also the contrasting effects seen with smaller, sinusoidal stretch.


Monitoring of the pupil's development in primary school performed in different ways. The most adequate form for the assessment of pupil's knowledge during the educational process is a Grade.
Testing as an integral and necessary part of the teaching process, appears in three basic forms, depending on which stage of the educational process is applied.
Standards are structured to follow the logic of the process of assessment, but in separate areas. They are grouped into five areas: I. Planning assessment II. Selection of assessment methods and development of instruments III. Implementation of the assessment process IV. Formation evaluation V. Information on assessment findings
Teacher in determining the numerical evaluation should take into account pupils achievement in terms of remembering and reproducing curriculum; understanding / comprehension processed content, and the student's ability to interpret them in their own words; application of content learned in specific tasks with familiar and new elements in other new situations.
The assessment as the measure of all the activities and all the actors in the instruction appears as a legal basis for the final part of the process and gives legitimacy to the inclusion in the world of work.
Evaluation functions can be analyzed in terms of students - as assessment supports the development of students,and in terms of teachers and teaching - as assessment allows teachers to enhance teaching. The assessment is part of the planning of teaching and learning. Setting certain objectives in teaching and learning is an absolute requirement for effective assessment.


Abstract. Eutrophication of water bodies has been a problem causing severe degradation of water quality in cities. To gain mechanistic understanding of the temporal dynamics of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in a groundwater-fed low-lying urban polder, we applied high-frequency monitoring in Geuzenveld, a polder in the city of Amsterdam. The high-frequency monitoring equipment was installed at the pumping station where
water leaves the polder. From March 2016 to June 2017, total phosphorus (TP), ammonium (NH4), turbidity, electrical conductivity (EC), and water temperature were measured at intervals of less than 20 min. This paper discusses the results at three timescales: annual scale, rain event scale, and single pumping event scale. Mixing of upwelling groundwater (main source of N and P) and runoff from precipitation on pavements and roofs was the dominant hydrological process governing the temporal pattern of the EC, while N and P fluxes from the polder were also regulated by primary production and iron transformations. In our groundwater-seepage controlled catchment, NH4 appeared to be the dominant form of N with surface water concentrations in the range of 2–6 mg N L−1, which stems from production in an organic-rich subsurface. The concentrations of NH4 in the surface water were governed by the mixing process in autumn and winter and were reduced down to 0.1 mg N L−1 during the algal growing season in spring. The depletion of dissolved NH4 in spring suggests uptake by primary producers, consistent with high concentrations of chlorophyll a,
O2, and suspended solids during this period. Total P and turbidity were high during winter (range 0.5–2.5 mg P L−1 and 200–1800 FNU, respectively, where FNU represents Formazin Nephelometric Unit) due to the release of P and reduced iron from anoxic sediment to the water column, where Fe2+ was rapidly oxidized and precipitated as iron oxides which contributed to turbidity. In the other seasons, P is retained in the sediment by sorption to precipitated iron oxides. Nitrogen is exported from the polder to the receiving waters throughout the whole year, mostly in the form of NH4 but in the form of organic N in spring. P leaves the polder mainly during winter, primarily associated with Fe(OH)3 colloids and as dissolved P. Based on this new understanding of the dynamics of N and P in this low-lying urban catchment, we suggested management strategies that may effectively control and reduce eutrophication in urban polders and receiving downstream waters.


This paper presents the integration of multimodal technologies to measure and transmit different variables and stimuli involved in the human motion analysis, both for the training and for the transfer of users skills achieved by means of a mechatronic rowing platform. Although the mechanical design is the core of this project, this paper describes the integration and interaction of two multimodal systems (the human being and the rowing platform). These systems works together using different sensors and methodologies directly integrated to the human body to obtain detailed information related to the synchronization and correlation among the trajectories, Proximal distance coupling, velocities, muscular activation and muscular force, transversal force in the oars and head position acquired through digital image processing and machine learning techniques. This information is evaluated and used in the rendering section through audio-tactile stimuli for the acceleration learning process


Abstract Although there are many examples of color evolution potentially driven by sensory drive, only few studies have examined whether distinct species inhabiting the same environments evolve similar body colors via shared sensory mechanisms. In this study, we tested whether two sympatric freshwater fish taxa, halfbeaks of the genus Nomorhamphus and ricefishes of the genus Oryzias in Sulawesi Island, converge in both body color and visual sensitivity. After reconstructing the phylogeny separately for Nomorhamphus and Oryzias using transcriptome‐wide sequences, we demonstrated positive correlations of body redness between these two taxa across environments, even after phylogenetic corrections, which support convergent evolution. However, substantial differences were observed in the expression profiles of opsin genes in the eyes between Nomorhamphus and Oryzias. Particularly, the expression levels of the long wavelength‐sensitive genes were negatively correlated between the taxa, indicating that they have different visual sensitivities despite living in similar light environments. Thus, the convergence of body colorations between these two freshwater fish taxa was not accompanied by convergence in opsin sensitivities. This system presents a case in which body color convergence can occur between sympatric species via different mechanisms.


CaMKIIγ, the predominant CaMKII isoform in mouse eggs, controls egg activation by regulating cell cycle resumption. In this study we further characterize the involvement and specificity of CaMKIIγ in mouse egg activation. Using exogenous expression of different cRNAs in Camk2g−/− eggs, we show that the other multifunctional CaM kinases, CaMKI, and CaMKIV, are not capable of substituting CaMKIIγ to initiate cell cycle resumption in response to a rise in intracellular Ca2+. Exogenous expression of Camk2g or Camk2d results in activation of nearly 80% of Camk2g−/− MII eggs after stimulation with SrCl2, which does not differ from the incidence of activation of wild-type eggs expressing exogenous Egfp. In contrast, none of the Camk2g−/− MII eggs expressing Camk1 or Camk4 activate in response to SrCl2 treatment. Expression of a constitutively active form of Camk4 (ca-Camk4), but not Camk1, triggers egg activation. EMI2, an APC/C repressor, is a key component in regulating egg activation downstream of CaMKII in both Xenopus laevis and mouse. We show that exogenous expression of either Camk2g, Camk2d, or ca-Camk4, but not Camk1, Camk4, or a catalytically inactive mutant form of CaMKIIγ (kinase-dead) in Camk2g−/− mouse eggs leads to almost complete degradation (~90%) of exogenously expressed EMI2 followed by cell cycle resumption. Thus, degradation of EMI2 following its phosphorylation specifically by CaMKII is mechanistically linked to and promotes cell cycle resumption in MII eggs.


Democratic deliberative theory has long emphasized the importance of citizen deliberation as a form of political participation and a centrally important component of any vital democracy. Public deliberation and discourse among citizens has been less frequently investigated as a form of political participation than more standard indicators such as voting or volunteering for political organizations. This research examines the extent to which internalized beliefs about deliberation are associated with deliberation outcome measures among a national sample of high school students participating in a year-long deliberation forum, Project 540. Using a multilevel analysis, the research specifically tested the extent to which scales of personal and normative deliberation beliefs, independently and moderated by Project 540 participation, predict key deliberative outcomes (e.g., civic skills, intention to participate in civic affairs). We find that predeliberation endorsement of both personal and normative beliefs predicts increases in certain positive deliberative outcomes, and that these effects are not moderated by participation in Project 540. The implications of these findings for deliberative democracy theory and for developing effective citizen deliberation forums are discussed.


A novel method to identify the reactive power transfer between generators and load using modified nodal equations is proposed. On the basis of the solved load flow results, the method partitions the Y-bus matrix to decompose the current of the load buses as a function of the generators' current and voltage. Then it uses the load voltages from the load flow results and decomposed load currents to determine reactive power contribution from each generator to loads. The validation of the proposed methodology is demonstrated by using a simple 3-bus system and the 25-bus equivalent system of south Malaysia. Next part here focuses on creating an appropriate artificial neural network (ANN) to solve the same problem in a simpler and faster manner. The basic idea is to use supervised learning paradigm to train the ANN. Most commonly used feedforward architecture has been chosen for the proposed ANN reactive power transfer allocation technique. Almost all system variables obtained from load flow solutions are utilised as an input to the neural network. Moreover, tan-sigmoid activation functions are incorporated in the hidden layer to realise the nonlinear nature of the reactive power transfer allocation. The targets of the ANN corresponding to the previously developed reactive power transfer allocation method. The 25-bus equivalent system of south Malaysia is utilised as a test system to illustrate the effectiveness of the ANN output compared with that of the modified nodal equations method. The ANN output provides promising results in terms of accuracy and computation time.


A mature process for the development of embedded controls and systems using Model-Based Design relies on libraries of validated models for the physical system components. These models are used throughout the design process and are readily available to the system and controls engineers for design and validation tasks. Models are created at various levels of abstraction to accommodate analysis needs at various stages of the design process. Abstract models are used early in the process for quick assessment of design tradeoffs, while higher fidelity models are used as the design progresses to account for the dynamics that affect system performance. Once acceptable system performance is achieved with desktop simulation, the models are moved to a real-time platform for final verification. Creating real-time capable plant models typically requires making assumptions and compromises to achieve acceptable performance. The end result is successful deployment of the embedded controls system with minimal reliance on expensive prototype hardware during the bulk of the design process. This paper outlines the necessary requirements and key considerations in using plant models as part of Model-Based Design.