Background: Endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms has seen significant advances. One major limitation of the endovascular approach is durability of treatment and aneurysm recanalization. To address this issue, one approach was the development of hydrogel-coated coils. Hydrogel expands upon exposure to blood and thus enhances coil packing density. Higher initial coil packing density may potentially result in lower rates of recurrence. Hypothesis: The 2nd Generation HydroCoil Embolic System allows for a higher packing density, higher initial occlusion, lower recanalization, and lower retreatment rates compared to bare platinum coils. Objective: To compare clinical and angiographic outcomes (initial complete occlusion, recanalization, retreatment, and adverse event rates) in patients receiving the 2nd Generation HydroCoil Embolic System versus patients receiving bare platinum coils. Methods: This is a randomized, controlled, multicenter, post-market clinical trial. Subjects between 18 and 75 years of age with ruptured or unruptured intracranial aneurysms (3-14 mm in size) who are amenable to endovascular treatment are randomly assigned 1:1 to one of two treatment arms: 1) the HydroCoil Embolic System (HES), or 2) bare platinum coils. No bioactive coils, 1st generation HydroCoils or liquid embolics are allowed in the study. In the HES arm, up to 10% of total coil length using bare platinum is allowed if deemed necessary by the investigator. Any type of bare platinum coil may be utilized in the bare platinum arm. Assist-devices can be used at the discretion of the investigator. The duration of the open enrollment phase will be 24 months or until the required number of subjects are enrolled (n = 600). Each subject will have a post-procedure follow-up of at least 18 months. Subjects will be recruited from up to 50 national and international centers. Each Investigational Site will be expected to enroll at least 20 Subjects. Results: A total of 368 patients have been enrolled to date in the study. The study is still ongoing. Conclusions: A limitation of endovascular aneurysm treatment is recurrence. This trial aims to answer the question of whether the new generation hydrogel coil reduces recurrence rates when compared to bare platinum coils.


Nerve growth factor (NGF) binds to the TrkA receptor tyrosine kinase at the cell surface, leading to receptor autophosphorylation and activation of intracellular signaling pathways. However, ligand binding to some G protein (heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding protein)-coupled receptors (GPCRs), such as the adenosine A2A receptor or the pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) PAC1 receptor, can independently stimulate TrkA phosphorylation and activation of TrkA signaling pathways. Rajagopal et al. used phosphotyrosine-specific antibodies on pan-Trk immunoprecipitates of PC12-615 cells to investigate TrkA phosphorylation in response to adenosine and observed that forms of the TrkA receptor that are not targeted to the plasma membrane were phosphorylated first. Inhibitors of transcription or translation blocked phosphorylation in response to the adenosine agonist CGS 21680 but not phosphorylation induced by NGF; reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) indicated that CGS 21680 treatment did not elicit NGF production. Cell surface biotinylation experiments indicated that CGS 21680 activated an intracellular pool of Trk receptors. Immunofluorescence analysis in combination with confocal microscopy revealed that, whereas NGF treatment stimulated TrkA phosphorylation at the plasma membrane, CGS 21680 activated perinuclear TrkA associated with the Golgi apparatus. Moreover, pharmacological inhibition of Golgi vesicle fusion abolished perinuclear TrkA immunoreactivity and blocked CGS 21680-dependent TrkA phosphorylation and the downstream phosphorylation of Akt. PACAP stimulated a similar pattern of perinuclear immunofluorescence in primary cultures of basal forebrain neurons. Thus, GPCR-dependent activation of TrkA appears to take place in an intracellular compartment, a finding the authors discuss in the context of retrograde signaling from internalized TrkA receptors. R. Rajagopal, Z.-Y. Chen, F. S. Lee, M. V. Chao, Transactivation of Trk neurotrophin receptors by G-protein-coupled receptor ligands occurs on intracellular membranes. J. Neurosci. 24, 6650-6658 (2004). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Digital agriculture is currently the main technological paradigm in agribusiness, in which one of the main challenges is the convergence of new monitoring technologies with the management of the volume of information generated to increase productivity. This research analyzes the economic viability of a monitoring system deployed on eight tractors and two trucks used for spraying operations in a citrus farm. The operations covered an area of 2,236 ha and were performed during the 2016/2017 harvest. The economic results of the investment were examined using the discounted cash flow method associated with the Monte Carlo simulation. The monitoring system provided greater availability and quality of information, which improved the quality of operations management. The results pointed to 23.67% lower costs per hectare in monitored compared to unmonitored areas. Economic analysis demonstrated the viability of the investment with 99.5% confidence, whose gain in Net Present Value per machine represents 15% of the machine acquisition cost. The results of this study are pioneering for mechanized citrus operations and denote the importance of investments in automated digital monitoring systems that allow better monitoring of management activities in orange production.


The implementation of a new European policy based on integrated rural development is an entirely new experiment in the Central European countries, which formerly belonged to the communist system. This paper explores the conditions and the context in which the Local Development Model is being transferred from former member states to new ones, and the way it has been implemented. To examine this issue, we consider the European Union's Leader programme (an acronym of Liaisons Entre Actions de Developpement de l'Economie Rurale), which became the fourth axis of the European Rural Policy (2007–2013). The Leader approach is usually presented as an original way of supporting local development, especially through a Local action group (LAG), which is a local body constituted of public and private stakeholders. We focus on how this approach is put into effects in five post-communist states, four of which are new EU members. (Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, eastern Germany and Poland). Downloading policy to the local communities takes place via various hierarchical modes of governance. Domestic authorities (or transfer operators) transpose and implement European rules and norms, which are more flexible than the former development policies. Looking at the main differences between the countries we explore how the original model is being distorted by domestic institutional factors. Policy transfer processes are not restricted to ministries of agriculture but involve a wide variety of nongovernmental actors mediating the policy transfer to the local stakeholders, who are the acting receivers. The Leader model is experimented in various territorial and social contexts, some more and some less receptive to this new way of thinking and managing local development. This paper is based on the relevant academic literature, on official national sources, and a field research survey. It is a cross-national comparative work that takes into account national and local variations in order to highlight similarities and differences in the transfer of a policy model.


Many group I introns encode endonucleases that promote intron homing by initiating a double-stranded break-mediated homologous recombination event. In this work we describe intron homing in Bacillus subtilis phages SPO1 and SP82. The introns encode the DNA endonucleases I-HmuI and I-HmuII, respectively, which belong to the H-N-H endonuclease family and possess nicking activity in vitro. Coinfections of B. subtilis with intron-minus and intron-plus phages indicate that I-HmuI and I-HmuII are required for homing of the SPO1 and SP82 introns, respectively. The homing process is a gene conversion event that does not require the major B. subtilis recombination pathways, suggesting that the necessary functions are provided by phage-encoded factors. Our results provide the first examples of H-N-H endonuclease-mediated intron homing and the first demonstration of intron homing initiated by a nicking endonuclease.


Recent trends in wafer fabrication techniques have produced devices with smaller feature dimensions, increasing gate count and increased chip I/Os. This trend has placed increased emphasis on microelectronic packaging. Surface-mountable packages such as the ceramic quad-flat-pack (CQFP) have provided solutions for many high I/O package issues. As the I/O count increases, the pitch has been driven down to the point where other solutions become attractive. Surface-mountable ceramic-ball-grid array (CBGA) packages have proven to be good solutions in a variety of applications as designers seek to maximize electrical performance, reduce PCB real estate, and improve manufacturing process yields. In support of the PowerPC 603 and PowerPC 604 microprocessors, 21 mm CBGA (255 I/Os) and 32 mm (240 I/Os) and 30 mm (304 I/Os) CQFPs are being used. Both package types successfully meet computer environment applications. This paper describes test board assembly processes, accelerated thermal stress test set-up, and solder joint failure criteria. Failure mechanisms for both packaging technologies are also presented. The packages discussed in this paper were subjected to two accelerated thermal cycling conditions: 0 to 100/spl deg/C and -40 to 125/spl deg/C. The failure data are plotted using Weibull distributions. The accelerated failure distributions were used to predict failure distributions in application space for typical PowerPC 603 and PowerPC 604 microprocessor computer environments.


The Euclidean space notion of convex sets (and functions) generalizes to Riemannian manifolds in a natural sense and is called geodesic convexity. Extensively studied computational problems such as convex optimization and sampling in convex sets also have meaningful counterparts in the manifold setting. Geodesically convex optimization is a well-studied problem with ongoing research and considerable recent interest in machine learning and theoretical computer science. In this paper, we study sampling and convex optimization problems over manifolds of non-negative curvature proving polynomial running time in the dimension and other relevant parameters. Our algorithms assume a warm start. We first present a random walk based sampling algorithm and then combine it with simulated annealing for solving convex optimization problems. To our knowledge, these are the first algorithms in the general setting of positively curved manifolds with provable polynomial guarantees under reasonable assumptions, and the first study of the connection between sampling and optimization in this setting.


Machine learning methods are often applied to the problem of learning a map from a robot's sensor data, but they are rarely applied to the problem of learning a robot's motion model. The motion model, which can be influenced by robot idiosyncrasies and terrain properties, is a crucial aspect of current algorithms for Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM). In this paper we concentrate on generating the correct motion model for a robot by applying EM methods in conjunction with a current SLAM algorithm. In contrast to previous calibration approaches, we not only estimate the mean of the motion, but also the interdependencies between motion terms, and the variances in these terms. This can be used to provide a more focused proposal distribution to a particle filter used in a SLAM algorithm, which can reduce the resources needed for localization while decreasing the chance of losing track of the robot's position. We validate this approach by recovering a good motion model despite initialization with a poor one. Further experiments validate the generality of the learned model in similar circumstances.


u = a(x) +B(x)v, (3) where B(x) is a nonsingular matrix, and v ∈ Rp is a transformed or virtual input, so that the inputoutput response between v and y is linear. This requirement is called input-output linearization because only the input-output map h is made linear. On the other hand, full state linearization refers to the case when the whole state x must be "linearized". Linearization of the form (3) is called static feedback. In some cases one could accomplish the linearization only with the help of extra variables which evolve dynamically. This is the case of dynamic feedback which takes the form


International Survey in Eight Countries about Teachers and Teaching Profession An international team of experts from Belgium, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Turkey and the USA employed a questionnaire to identify the deontology of teachers from infant to secondary school in eight countries. The survey was implemented between 2004 and 2007. The socio-cultural concept of Verstehen (understanding) as described in the work of Max Weber, points to the clear significance of being a teacher at this time in history. Qualitative and quantitative analysis allow for an understanding that the teacher is exactly that, in any context. The ideal typology of the teacher is the result of training at a university level and working in the school system. Phenomenal differentiations characterise the various situations and broaden the perspective of the study, including an identification of the shared features of the profession. The strong, common core is the responsibility towards fellow teachers balanced out by a weak, yet common note of regret regarding the scant social prestige of being a teacher. There seems to be a lack of communication between the personal and social aspects involved in shaping the professional identity. The social image of teachers weighs heavily on their professional status due to the inevitable political implications it results in and the considerable effect on institutional behaviour. Teachers listen, but they are not heard; teachers are committed, but remain unrecognised; teachers evaluate, but are evaluated in turn. The issue of the social importance of the profession of teachers in our societies emerges as a crucial point in the perspective of educating young generations.


We argue that, notwithstanding the importance of national industrial relations systems in shaping employment outcomes in situations of company restructuring, differences within countries also exist that cannot be explained by the influence of national institutions. Local union activity can affect corporate restructuring and influence how companies manage restructuring within the EU. The capacity of local unions to use company-based resources and the unions' internal and external social relationships shape the variations in local union responses. In addition, our research suggests that the interplay of these factors in the socio-economic context of restructuring is crucial in explaining variations within countries. The article argues for the need to focus on these company-level developments as a crucial step in undertaking comparative industrial relations research.


We experimentally demonstrate the use of saw-tooth optical pulses, which are shaped using a fiber Bragg grating, to achieve robust and high performance time-domain add-drop multiplexing in a scheme based on cross-phase (XPM) modulation in an optical fiber, with subsequent offset filtering. As compared to the use of more conventional pulse shapes, such as Gaussian pulses of a similar pulse width, the purpose-shaped saw-tooth pulses allow higher extinction ratios for the add and drop windows and significant improvements in the receiver sensitivity for the dropped and added channels.


Writing is a fundamental task in our daily life. Existing writing improvement tools mostly focus on low-level grammar error correction, rather than enhancing users' writing styles at the cognitive level. In this work, we present a computational approach that allows learners to have fast but effective learning experience with the help of automatic style transfer, visual stylometry analytics, machine teaching and practice. Our system provides a perfect fusion of vividly visualized style features and principles along with informative examples, which together can shape and drive personalized cognitive learning experience. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our system in a scenario of learning from William Shakespeare.


A new joint venture operator, established to take over an existing strategic producing field with ongoing drilling operations, took the opportunity to design a new collision avoidance standard, based on the latest WPTS (Wellbore Positioning Technical Section) probability method collision avoidance rules. This has been combined with an innovative execution approach to safely and successfully unlock slots on congested platforms and drill some of the most difficult well trajectories in this complex field from the very first well.
 Al Shaheen field, offshore Qatar, is one of the most challenging fields worldwide in terms of collision avoidance. When drilling extended-reach wells from the last-remaining and most challenging slots, with top-hole separation as low as three feet centre-to-centre at the conductor pipe shoe, close collaboration with all parties is required to manage collision risk, minimise production loss, and ensure all well objectives are achieved. The execution strategy includes simple jetting and rotating BHA designs for 3D-profile trajectories, remote real-time monitoring including 24/7 survey QA/QC and validation, and mitigation through a decision-making matrix customised for the specific drilling challenges.
 The platform configuration and challenges in the drilling environment are discussed, together with the theory of the selected collision avoidance rule and the resulting risk matrix. A brief review of why jetting is selected as the only allowable drilling technique in major risk situations plus the story of the evolution of Al Shaheen jetting BHAs follows. Finally, three case studies of top-hole operations describe the practical application of the techniques discussed. The selected case studies describe the jetting operation from the deepest CP (Conductor pipe), the deepest well jetted, and the first 23-in jetting operation carried out by the operator.
 The combination of risk analysis through genuine probabilistic considerations, jetting operations, and appropriate oversight has been used successfully for more than two years and has allowed over twenty of the remaining, most challenging, slots to be saved, ensuring the assets are optimised in the ongoing economically-constrained environment.
 The WPTS have now published their proposed industry-standard probability-based collision-avoidance rule. These case-history examples of a similar rule from extreme close-approach drilling will assist other operators considering uptake of the new guidelines, as will the risk matrix developed by the operator. In addition, the jetting technique used as a major mitigation factor is seldom used today in the industry and the lessons learned in jetting BHA design have already benefited another operator in the region.


A novel ultrafiltration membrane is developed by incorporating in situ self-assembled polymeric nanoparticles into the membrane matrix. The chemical stability of the nanoparticles in regard to pH and temperature is explored via a rational method. The result indicates that the electrostatic interaction strength between the two polyelectrolytes can withstand a broad pH range (pH 1–11) and a relatively high temperature (80 °C). Meanwhile, the nanoparticle size and distribution in the membranes are investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which are proved to be affected by the polyelectrolyte concentration and molecular weight. The contact angle values of the prepared membranes show that the membrane hydrophilicity is improved by adding polymeric nanoparticles. Furthermore, the molecular weight cut-off and pore size of the membranes are increased with added nanoparticle loading. More importantly, the mixed matrix membranes exhibit simultaneous increases in permeability and rejection of contaminants compared with the pristine PES membrane, which is ascribed to the appropriate pore size and enhanced hydrophilicity of the membranes. Especially, the composite membrane mixed with 3 wt% polymeric nanoparticles displays the highest pure water flux (460 L m−2 h−1), which is 3 times that of the pristine PES membrane, and 97.6% rejection of BSA. This work provides a new strategy for preparing flexible polymeric nanoparticles and developing high-performance mixed matrix membranes for water treatment.


By using the sol-gel method, TiO2 thin films and Ge doped TiO2 composite thin films were fabricated onto quartz substrates. XRD, XPS and UV-vis were used to characterize the phase structure, the atomic chemical states and optical absorption of these composite TiO2 thin films. XRD results indicate that diffraction peak of anatase is observed in samples. XPS result reveals that there is Ge crystal in Ge doped films which were prepared by sol-gel method, and Ge exists as elemental Ge and GeO2 in the films. The composite TiO2 thin films by sol-gel method exhibits the absorption shift to visible region due to Ge doped TiO2 thin films.


Safety is critical in robotic tasks. Energy function based methods have been introduced to address the problem. To ensure safety in the presence of control limits, we need to design an energy function that results in persistently feasible safe control at all system states. However, designing such an energy function for high-dimensional nonlinear systems remains challenging. Considering the fact that there are redundant dynamics in high dimensional systems with respect to the safety specifications, this paper proposes a novel approach called abstract safe control. We propose a system abstraction method that enables the design of energy functions on a low-dimensional model. Then we can synthesize the energy function with respect to the low-dimensional model to ensure persistent feasibility. The resulting safe controller can be directly transferred to other systems with the same abstraction, e.g., when a robot arm holds different tools. The proposed approach is demonstrated on a 7-DoF robot arm (14 states) both in simulation and real-world. Our method always finds feasible control and achieves zero safety violations in 500 trials on 5 different systems.


Background: The result of Basic Health Research (Riskesdas 2010) showed that the coverage of exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months were lower than the exclusive breastfeeding coverage target in Indonesia that is 80%. One of the factor that assumed can affect the continuity of exclusive breastfeeding is social economy condition. Methods: This study was a descriptive research with cross sectional design. Samples were taken from population who were mothers with 6-12 months old children within the area of Puskesmas Tanah Kali Kedinding on 2011. Closed quistionnaire was used to collect data and analyzed with Chi Square. The aim of the study was described the correlation between social economy factors and exclusive breastfeeding on babies. Result: Only a small portion of respondents that had good knowledge of exclusive breastfeeding. There was a significant correlation between good knowledge of exclusive breastfeeding with exclusive breastfeeding practice. There was a significant correlation between vocational status of mother and knowledge about exclusive breastfeeding with exclusive breastfeeding practice. There was no significant correlation between education level and family income with exclusive breastfeeding practice. Conclusions: The scope of exclusive breastfeeding must be enhanced. Poor of knowledge about exclusive breastfeeding and working mothers influence the low level of exclusive breastfeeding practice. Recomendation: Increasing knowledge of mothers and families about the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding, preparation and technical, as well as how storage and giving stored breastfeeding to the baby. Working mothers should try to give the exclusive breastfeeding which it must be facilitated by the company.


PM01183 is a novel marine-derived covalent DNA binder in clinical development. PM01183 is structurally similar to trabectedin (yondelis, ecteinascidin-743) except for the C subunit, and this modification is accompanied by different pharmacokinetics in cancer patients. We here characterize the interaction of PM01183 with the nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway in comparison with trabectedin. Our results show for the first time that although neither PM01183 nor trabectedin is repaired by NER, both compounds are able to interfere with the NER machinery thereby attenuating the repair of specific NER substrates. We further show that the NER activity is increased in 3 of 4 cellular models with acquired resistance to cisplatin or oxaliplatin, confirming the involvement of NER in the resistance to platinum derivatives. Importantly, both PM01183 and trabectedin show unchanged or even enhanced activity toward all 4 cisplatin- and oxaliplatin-resistant cell lines. We finally show that combinations of PM01183 and cisplatin were mostly synergistic toward both parental and cisplatin-resistant ovarian carcinoma cells as indicated by Chou and Talalay analysis. These data show that the C subunit of trabectedin can be subjected to at least some structural modifications without loss of activity or NER interaction. While PM01183 and trabectedin appear functionally similar in cellular models, it is likely that the differences in pharmacokinetics may allow different dosing and scheduling of PM01183 in the clinic that could lead to novel and/or increased antitumor activity. Taken together, our results provide a mechanistic basis to support clinical trials of PM01183 alone or in combination with cisplatin. Mol Cancer Ther; 10(8); 1481–9. ©2011 AACR.


This paper explores assumptions about the drivers of forest cover change in a Payments for Environmental Services (PES) and Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) context in the Lam Dong Province in Vietnam. In policy discourses, deforestation is often linked to 'poor' and 'ethnic minority' households and their unsustainable practices such as the expansion of coffee production (and other agricultural activities) into forest areas. This paper applies a livelihood framework to discuss the links between livelihoods and land use amongst small-scale farmers in two communities. The findings of the livelihood survey demonstrate no clear linkages between poverty levels and unsustainable practices. In fact, the poorest segments were found to deforest the least. The ways in which current PES and REDD+ approaches are designed, do not provide appropriate solutions to address the underlying dimensions of issues at stake. The paper criticizes one-dimensional perspectives of the drivers behind deforestation and forest degradation often found in public policies and discourses. We suggest more comprehensive analyses of underlying factors encompassing the entire coffee production and land use system in this region. Addressing issues of land tenure and the scarcity of productive lands, and generating viable off-farm income alternatives seem to be crucial. Sustainable approaches for reducing deforestation and degradation could be possible through engaging with multiple stakeholders, including the business-oriented households in control of the coffee trade and of land transactions.


The properties of foamed concrete as a variable density concrete, is now being tapped for effective application in the global construction industry. This study presents the properties and applications of this type of concrete at varying densities highlighting the advantages and circumstances for its use. Economic and Other Considerations together with its multipurpose applications were also presented. Comparative study of the involvement levels in the use of foamed concrete technology economy by the various continents was undertaken. Results indicated that Asia and Europe alone accounted for 50% and 33.3% respectively, totalling 83%. Africa's exposure level to foamed concrete technology is only 5.6% which is grossly non-commensurable to the population on the Continent compared with shares from other parts. Some research and development efforts were presented to show that there are opportunities for groundbreaking research works in this field.


The East African Rift System has many of the geophysical characteristics of a mid-ocean ridge and is laterally continuous with the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden spreading centres. Although all three were initiated simultaneously on continental crust in pre-Miocene times, that in East Africa did not evolve oceanic crust. Seismic, thermal and geochemical evidence suggest that the lithosphere under much of Africa is about 300 km thick, whereas under the rift it is today 40–50 km. Thin lithosphere can result either from mechanical necking or from the upward migration of the isotherm defining the lithosphere/asthenosphere boundary. Both processes are important in the evolution of a continental rift into a spreading ocean, but the limited extension in East Africa indicates that here the latter must dominate. It is, however, difficult to transfer sufficient heat into the lithosphere from below in the time available; conductive processes are too slow, and transfer by magma, although fast enough, requires more mass addition to the lithosphere than is compatible with the limited surface extension. Hot volatiles might transfer heat to the lithosphere from below and depress melting temperatures without adding significantly to its mass. Rifts have been attributed to convective mantle plumes or to membrane stresses in the lithosphere. If the lithosphere is thick, mantle plumes are unlikely to generate rifts in the time available.


The purpose of the study was to examine air-traffic controllers attending the automated air-traffic management system called Start. The data revealed that during the night shift air-traffic controllers experienced significant changes in body functioning in comparison with morning and day shifts (deterioration of self-appraisal indices and elevation of catecholamin excretion). The correlation analysis demonstrated that activation of sympathoardrenal chains (primarily of the mediator chain) had a negative influence on the indices of health state, activity and attitude of mind of air-traffic controllers. Language: ru


Relative biological effectiveness (RBE) coefficient of 0.85 MeV neutrons was 1.87 in comparison with 0.66 MeV gamma radiation (137Cs) when estimated by the death rate of guinea pigs with intestinal form of radiation sickness. LD50/5 was 5.9 and 11.06 respectively. Features of the mortality rate dynamics, clinical picture and pathoanatomical changes are discussed.


Looking beyond broad theories of globalization, this volume examines the specific effects of globalizing forces on the southern United States. Eighteen essays approach globalization from a variety of perspectives, addressing such topics as relations between global and local communities; immigration, particularly of Latinos and Asians; local industry in a time of globalization; power and confrontation between rural and urban worlds; race, ethnicity, and organizing for social justice; and the assimilation of foreign-born professionals. From portraits of the political and economic positions of Latinos in Miami and Houston to the effects of mountaintop removal on West Virginia communities, these snapshots of globalization across a broad southern ground help redirect the study of the South in response to how the South itself is being reshaped by globalization in the twenty-first century.


Analyses of observational data can provide insights into relationships between environmental conditions and biological responses across a broader range of natural conditions than experimental studies, potentially complementing insights gained from experiments. However, observational data must be analyzed carefully to minimize the likelihood that confounding variables bias observed relationships. Propensity scores provide a robust approach for controlling for the effects of measured confounding variables when analyzing observational data. Here, we use propensity scores to estimate changes in mean invertebrate taxon richness in streams that have experienced insecticide concentrations that exceed aquatic life use benchmark concentrations. A simple comparison of richness in sites exposed to elevated insecticides with those that were not exposed suggests that exposed sites had on average 6.8 fewer taxa compared to unexposed sites. The presence of potential confounding variables makes it difficult to assert a causal relationship from this simple comparison. After controlling for confounding factors using propensity scores, the difference in richness between exposed and unexposed sites was reduced to 4.1 taxa, a difference that was still statistically significant. Because the propensity score analysis controlled for the effects of a wide variety of possible confounding variables, we infer that the change in richness observed in the propensity score analysis was likely caused by insecticide exposure.


Abstract The influence of the low-order rational surface (n,m) = (5, 3) on ion viscosity and radial electric field formation were investigated by electrode current sweep biasing with a hot cathode at the Tohoku University Heliac. In the improved mode, the position of the maximum electric field remained on the n/m = 5/3 rational surface. After the H-L transition, the local maxima shifted outward to the plasma periphery of ρ ~ 0.8. The low-order magnetic islands were formed resonating the magnetic Fourier components of (n,m) = (5, 3) by external perturbation coils. As the widths of the magnetic islands were increased, the biasing electrode current required for the improved mode transition increased. It was suggested that the ion viscosity increased according to the increase in magnetic island width. The increase in the biasing electrode current is equivalent to the increase in the driving force for the poloidal rotation. This suggests the possibility of an active viscosity control assisted by externally controlled island width and magnetic island rotation.


Peno-scrotal transposition is a rare condition of variable severity, often associated with the Caudal Regression Syndrome. A case of incomplete peno-scrotal transposition, with a perineal anorectal duplication, vesico-ureteric reflux and thoracic hemivertebrae is presented. The literature is reviewed.


BACKGROUND
The effect of dietary patterns on sleep disorders and mental illness has previously been investigated. However, these studies have reported contradictory findings, and thus, the present study aimed to assess the association of the MIND diet on the sleep pattern and mental health in obese women.

METHODS
This is a cross-sectional study in which 282 women, aged 18-56 years with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2.with no underlying diseases and malignancies, and participated. We used a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to collect participant's dietary intake. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) were used to measure the status of sleep disturbance and psychological disorders, including depression, anxiety, and stress respectively.

RESULTS
A decreasing trend for psychological stress was observed in the highest quartiles of MIND diet score vs. the lowest quartiles (OR = 0.6 CI: 0.23-1.5 vs. 1.16 CI: 0.55-2.47). No significant difference was observed between severity of depression (OR = 0.87 95%, CI: 0.7-1.09, P = 0.23), anxiety (OR = 1.02, 95% CI: 0.81-1.27, P = 0.86), stress (OR = 0.99 95%, CI: 0.79-1.23, P = 0.92), and MIND diet adherence in the crude and adjusted models.

CONCLUSION
The main finding from this study was that there is no significant association between adherence to the MIND diet and studied psychological disorders.


Quoting parts of a document is a very common task when writing
scientific papers. Usually an author cut-and-pastes a source quote to a
new document, which inherently causes problems. Transclusions – invented
in 1960 by Ted Nelson – are a possible solution: they are a kind of function
which returns the data to be included in a new document and also adds
some links to and from the original context of the quote.
This paper presents some ideas and problems when using transclusions in an
existing digital journal environment. The creation process of transclusions
with LATEX-macros is described and tools supporting this task are listed in
this paper. After uploading a special 'markuped' document to the server,
a serverprocess is responsible for assembling the content. This includes the
transfer of up-to-date content to the client, management of changes etc.
Additional navigation (i.e. hyperlinks) is also generated on the server side,
therefore users are not forced to use a dedicated browser for the journal
articles. Authors and readers of a document using transclusions profit from
this architecture and the original context of a quote is just a mouse-click
away.
The paradigm of transclusions is useful for all participants involved in the
creation and reading of articles.


Web content management (WCM) systems, as a branch of content management (CM) gained importance during the Web explosion in the mid 1990s. More and more Web administrators came to the same conclusion: the Web content needs to be managed all over the content life cycle, static HTML pages are time consuming to maintain, and a lot of Web content from our faculty website can be recreated effectively. Content management solutions try to make web content more usable to the user community of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration Iasi, thereby simplify the process of creation and publication of personal Web pages along with reducing the time and cost of content management. The critical objective of publishing Web content through the use of this WCM system is to automate the entire process of writing and publishing content. This can be done by integrating easy to use Web authoring tools with a large database of information resources, while ensuring that users receive well-managed and current information with a consistent look and feel.


PURPOSE
The objectives of this study were to describe oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and its associated factors in an Indian adult population.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Four hundred and fourteen general dental patients completed the Indian translations of the oral health impact profile (OHIP)-14 and the general health questionnaire (GHQ)-12 through personal interviews. A clinical examination was also performed for dental caries, gingivitis and plaque levels.

RESULTS
Sufficient reliability (infinity = 0.85) and construct validity were demonstrated for the questionnaire. The mean decayed, missing or filled teeth of the study population was 6.93 and the mean gingival index and plaque index scores were 1.07 and 1.06, respectively. Caries status and the number of missing teeth were found to be significantly correlated with most of the subdomains of the OHIP-14. The GHQ-12 scores were also significantly correlated with the 'functional limitation' and 'psychological disability' domains of the OHIP-14. Higher OHIP-14 scores were associated with higher dental anxiety. Females perceived a higher sense of 'social handicap' and 'handicap' due to their oral status than males. It was also found that patients with caries and missing teeth had higher GHQ-12 scores.

CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study showed that caries status, psychological distress and dental anxiety had an important effect on the OHRQoL.


Objective. The research goal is to estimate prognostic and diagnostic possibilities of markers of endothelial dysfunction, deciduation, apoptosis and cellular proliferation concerning realization of placental insufficiency. Material. 154 women of high risk group of severe placental insufficiency development have been examined in dynamics of the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. 30 healthy pregnant women have made the control group. Research methods are clinical, immunological, instrumental. Results. It is established that prognosis and early diagnostics for severe placental insufficiency can be carried out with application of monitoring of the maintenance of endothelial dysfunction markers, placental fibers of a mother placenta membrane, apoptosis and cellular proliferation in blood. In the second trimester of pregnancy prognostically significant criteria have included an increase of an index of cytotoxicity of antien-dothelial antibodies, the general IgE, lymphocytes, expressing Fas/APO-1/CD 95-receptor, TNFb and decrease of FGP. Conclusion. Therefore the forms of realization and severity level of placental insufficiency have been caused by the beginning and degree of damages in adaptation of endothelial systems, activation of the immunopathological reactions in the placenta manifested by trophoblastoma programmed cellular destruction of lymphocytes


Business Intelligence approaches such as process mining can be applied to the healthcare domain in order to gain insight into the complex processes taking place. Disclosing as- is processes helps identify room for improvement and answers questions from medical professionals. Existing approaches are based on proprietary log data as input for mining algorithms. Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) defines in its Audit Trail and Node Authentication (ATNA) profile how real-world events must be recorded. Since IHE is used by many healthcare providers throughout the world, an extensive amount of log data is produced. In our research we investigate if audit trails, generated from an IHE test system, carry enough content to successfully apply process mining techniques. Furthermore we assess the quality of the recorded events in accordance with the maturity level scoring system. A simplified simulation of the organizational workflow in a radiological practice is presented. Based on this simulation a process miing task is conducted. Keywords—audit trail and node authentication, extensible event stream, integrating the healthcare enterprise, process min- ing, RFC-3881, digital imaging and communications in medicine


In this paper, we discuss the importance of modeling the potential bother to the user, when reasoning about interaction in a mixed-initiative setting. We summarize our previous work on modeling bother as one of the costs of interaction, clarifying how to incorporate this estimated cost when reasoning about whether to initiate interaction. We then present a new method for modeling bother that appeals to classifications of users according to their willingness and attentional state and attaches a level of bother to the kind of task being asked of the user, when interacting. We demonstrate the usefulness of this model in the context of a multiagent system, where each agent faces the challenge of estimating the bother incurred by a user as a result of interactions from other agents. This is accomplished by the introduction of proxy agents for each user, to track the requests for interaction from multiple parties. We discuss the tradeoff between more accurate bother cost information and higher communication overhead, when reasoning about whether to initiate interactions with users, as part of the collaborative problem solving. Our conclusion is that bother is indeed important to model and that it is in fact possible to effectively integrate consideration of bother cost into methods for reasoning about interaction with users.


The aim of this paper is to present a preliminary validation of an Italian adaptation of the HSE Management Standards Work-Related Stress Indicator Tool (IT), an instrument for assessing work-related stress at the organizational level, originally developed in Britain by the Health and Safety Executive. A scale that assesses the physical work environment has been added to the original version of the IT. 190 employees of the University of Trieste have been enrolled in the study. A confirmatory analysis showed a satisfactory fit of the eight-factors structure of the instrument. Further psychometric analysis showed adequate internal consistency of the IT scales and good criterion validity, as evidenced by the correlations with self-perception of stress, work satisfaction and motivation. In conclusion, the Indicator Tool proved to be a valid and reliable instrument for the assessment of work-related stress at the organizational level, and it is also compatible with the instructions provided by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (Circular letter 18/11/2010).


A precise knowledge of nuclear parton distribution functions (nPDFs) is — among other things — important for the unambiguous interpretation of hard process data taken in pA and AA collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) and the LHC. The available fixed target data for deep inelastic scattering (DIS) and Drell-Yan (DY) lepton pair production mainly constrain the light quark distributions. It is hence crucial to include more and more collider data in global analyses of nPDFs in order to better pin down the different parton flavors, in particular the gluon distribution at small x . To help constrain the nuclear gluon PDF, we extend the nCTEQ15 analysis by including single inclusive hadron (SIH) production data from RHIC (PHENIX and STAR) and LHC (ALICE). In addition to the DIS, DY, and SIH datasets, we will also include LHC W=Z production data. As the SIH calculation is dependent on hadronic fragmentation functions (FFs), we use a variety of FFs available in the literature to properly estimate this source of uncertainty. We study the impact of these data on the PDFs and compare with both the nCTEQ15 and nCTEQ15WZ sets. The calculations are performed using a new implementation of the nCTEQ code ( n CTEQ ++ ) including a modified version of INCNLO , which allows faster calculations using precomputed grids. The extension of the nCTEQ15 analysis to include the SIH data represents an important step toward the next generation of PDFs.


Homeschooling is increasingly popular, but little is known about how homeschooling affects physical activity patterns or fitness levels. This study compares patterns of physical fitness, physical activity, and psychosocial correlates of physical activity in homeschooled youth and youth attending public school. Fitness levels were obtained using the PACER aerobic fitness test, physical activity levels were assessed with 3 days of accelerometry, and psychosocial correlates were assessed with the Children's Physical Activity Correlates scale. There were no significant main effects for fitness comparisons, but significant age and gender interactions indicate that variability exists within these samples for fitness. No school type effects were evident for the physical activity measures or the psychosocial correlate measures, but trends in the data suggest the possibility of age-related interactions for the psychosocial measures. Additional research on possible differences between homeschooled youth and youth a...


A previously unknown photograph of the east side (rear elevation) of Henry Hobson Richardson9s Sherman House, in Newport, Rhode Island, provides additional evidence for the influence of Richard Norman Shaw on the initial design of the house. The photograph reinforces the argument that the distinctive west-facing front gable was grafted onto the body of a largely Shaw-inspired house. This further demonstrates that the front gable must have resulted from Richardson9s late intervention in the design process.


Measles virus (MV) infections have been almost eradicated in some industrialized nations. However, MV continues to cause severe disease and mortality in the world and is responsible for clusters of exogenous-borne disease in essentially disease-free countries. Because of the ebb and flow of immunization campaigns, especially in the poverty-stricken and war-torn Third World, and the ominous potential for severe disease and mortality, it is vital that research for discovery of therapeutic countermeasures should continue. To that end, a number of compounds have been evaluated for efficacy in vitro and in animal models, and several therapeutic modalities have been tested in the clinic. The only current therapies used in the clinic include ribavirin administered orally or intravenously, alone or in combination with immune serum globulin; these therapies have demonstrated variable efficacy. Therefore, drug discovery efforts have been launched to supplement the existing treatments for MV infections. Antisense molecules, adenosine and guanosine nucleosides, including ring-expanded 'fat' nucleoside analogues, brassinosteroids, coumarins, peptide inhibitors, modulators of cholesterol synthesis and a variety of natural products have been screened for efficacy and toxicity both in vitro and in animals. However, none of these agents has gone into human clinical trials and most will not merit further development due to toxicity concerns and/or low potency. Thus, further research is needed to develop more potent and less toxic drugs that could be used for treating MV infections to supplement the existing MV vaccine campaigns.


Importance
Alcohol flushing syndrome (AFS, also known as Asian glow and Asian flush) affects 20% to 47% of East Asians and causes significant psychosocial distress. There are no approved treatments for this condition.

Objective
To determine whether brimonidine gel, 0.33%, decreases facial erythema in patients with AFS after consumption of alcohol.

Design, Setting, and Participants
In this randomized clinical trial, 20 healthy volunteers of East Asian descent with a self-reported history of AFS were recruited between April 2018 and March 2019.

Interventions
Participants were randomized to application of brimonidine gel to either the left or right half of their face. Placebo control was applied to the opposite side. After 30 minutes, participants ingested alcohol.

Main Outcomes and Measures
Outcomes were specified before data collection. The difference in erythema between the treated and placebo side of each participant's face was measured 60 minutes after drug application (primary outcome) and at 90 and 120 minutes after drug application (secondary outcomes). Participants were asked to rate their likelihood of using the medication again and their likelihood of recommending the medication to a friend on a scale of 0 to 10.

Results
The mean (SD) age of the 20 individuals enrolled in the study was 30.5 (8.4) years, and there were 10 women (50%). There was a significant difference in erythema at 60 minutes after drug application as measured by the difference in Clinician Erythema Assessment score (2.1; 95% CI, 1.5-2.71; P < .001) and by the difference in Subject Self-Assessment score (1.7; 95% CI, 1.1- 2.3; P < .001). This effect persisted at 90 and 120 minutes. Individuals were likely to use the medication again (7.2; 95% CI, 6.0-8.3) and would also recommend it to a friend (7.6; 95% CI, 6.5-8.6).

Conclusions and Relevance
This study demonstrates that brimonidine gel is effective in reducing the facial erythema of AFS. Patients with psychosocial distress due to AFS may benefit from treatment with brimonidine.

Trial Registration
ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03497442.


Sparsity in R^m has been widely explored in machine learning. We study sparsity on a statistical simplex consisting of all categorical distributions. This is different from the case in R^m because such a simplex is a Riemannian manifold, a curved space. A learner with sparse constraints should be likely to fall to its low-dimensional boundaries. We present a novel analysis on the statistical simplex as a manifold with boundary. The main contribution is an explicit view of the learning dynamics in between high-dimensional models in the interior of the simplex and low-dimensional models on its boundaries. We prove the differentiability of the cost function, the natural gradient with respect to the Riemannian structure, and convexity around the singular regions. We uncover an interesting relationship with L1 regularization. We apply the proposed technique to social network analysis. Given a directed graph, the task is to rank a subset of influencer nodes. Here, sparsity means that the top-ranked nodes should present diversity in the sense of minimizing influence overlap. We present a ranking algorithm based on the natural gradient. It can scale up to graph datasets with millions of nodes. On real large networks, the top-ranked nodes are the most informative among several commonly-used techniques.


Stabilizing high-valent redox couples and exotic electronic states necessitate an understanding of the stabilization mechanism. In oxides, whether they are being considered for energy storage or computing, highly oxidized oxide-anion species rehybridize to form short covalent bonds and are related to significant local structural distortions. In intercalation oxide electrodes for batteries, while such reorganization partially stabilizes oxygen redox, it also gives rise to substantial hysteresis. In this work, we investigate oxygen redox in layered Na2-XMn3O7, a positive electrode material with ordered Mn vacancies. We prove that coulombic interactions between oxidized oxideanions and the interlayer Na vacancies can disfavor rehybridization and stabilize hole polarons on oxygen (O-) at 4.2 V vs. Na/Na+. These coulombic interactions provide thermodynamic energy saving as large as O-O covalent bonding and enable ~ 40 mV voltage hysteresis over multiple electrochemical cycles with negligible voltage fade. Our results establish a complete picture of redox energetics by highlighting the role of coulombic interactions across several atomic distances and suggest avenues to stabilize highly oxidized oxygen for applications in energy storage and beyond.


This study aims to determine the effect of learning activities conducted in accordance with the phenomenon-based learning approach on the metacognitive awareness level of students. Pre-test and post-test control group design of the experimental method was used. The application of the study was carried out in a sample of 60 students studying in the 7th grade of middle school in the 2019-2020 academic year. While "phenomenon-based learning approach" was implemented in the experimental group, traditional teaching was used in the control group. In this research, as data collection tool "metacognitive awareness" scale was used. The scores of the experimental and control groups obtained from the scale were compared to the dependent groups with the t-test, and when there was a significant difference between the students' pre-test scores and post-test scores, the effect size of the difference was found by looking at the Cohen's d value. In addition, when the pre-test scores of the students in the experimental group and the control group were taken under control, covariance analysis was conducted to determine whether there was a significant difference according to the post-test scores. According to the indications obtained at the end of the research teaching activities conducted in accordance with the phenomenon-based learning approach provided significant differences in the metacognitive awareness levels of the students in favor of the experimental group.

 Key words: Phenomenon-based learning, metacognition, metacognitive awareness.


In this toolkit, we focus on both human (socioeconomic) and biophysical (ecological) aspects of monitoring. Socioeconomic monitoring normally focuses on people's knowledge and attitude towards an ecosystem as well as their natural resource use and dependence. Ecological monitoring on the other hand will generally focus on a specific species or ecosystem, using supporting information on environmental conditions and associated organisms. Together, they provide us with a picture of the human and environmental changes which take place over time in a particular place, how they are interlinked and how we might improve management in order to address socioeconomic and ecological changes and threats. This toolkit brings together a simple range of methodologies to carry out regular, joint socioeconomic and ecological monitoring in Huraa Mangrove Nature Reserve (HMNR). It outlines the techniques that can be used to collect data and provides a framework for monitoring and analysis that can be used by individuals with no prior training in the field of socioeconomic and ecological monitoring.


5 Abstract: Productivity of ruminant animals during the dry season, on smallholder farms in Kenya, is constraint by low availability and poor quality of the feeds (crop residues). The current study was conducted on smallholder farms in Nakuru, Koibatek and Trans Nzoia Districts in 2003 over 2-year period preceded by a 6 - week feed survey. The objective of the feed survey was to inventorize feed resources available on smallholder resource - poor farms and delineate factors limiting their optimization for enhanced dairy production. Other farm bio-data including livestock population (ruminants and poultry) and structure per farm were also collected. This paper confines its discussion on both qualitative and quantitative information gathered during the survey with special focus on poultry manure vis a vis litter and compares the results with reports other research works. During the survey, composite samples of feed resources being utilized at farm level (including poultry manure) were collected for dry matter (DM) determination and proximate analysis at the National Animal Husbandry Research Centre (NAHRC/Naivasha/Kenya. Results obtained, strongly indicated that, poultry manure has great potential for use during the dry season as a source of rume n degradable protein or non-protein nitrogen (NPN) in ruminant nutrition. Though heterogeneity was observed in the many reports reviewed and compared with the current study, the general consensus was that poultry manure/litter contains high level of crude protein (15 to 38%), fiber (11 - 52%), and rich in minerals (Ca: 0.81 - 6.13%; P: 0.56 - 3.92; K: 0.73 - 5.17), dry matter (61 - 95%). It is because of these nutrients that poultry manure has been deliberately mixed into ruminant livestock diets. Its Organic matter digestibility (OMD) ranges from 60 to 65, crude protein (CP) - 69.9, crude fibre (CF) - 29.9 and nitrogen-free extract (NFE) - 71.4%. Past research studies recorded in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) and IVOMD of 76.1 and 72.7%, respectively. Other reports also showed that, beef cattle fed poultry manure based diets recorded body weight gains ranging from 0.91 to 1.31 kg/d. Dairy goats supplemented with poultry manure registered 10.15% higher milk production compared to those on barley based diets (621 and 558 kg, respectively). Based on the available research information, it is conclude in this study that poultry manure can be successfull y included in ruminant diets. The constraint, as revealed in the current study is that smallholder farmers do not own large chicken flock sizes (majority own less 30 birds) to guarantee sufficient supply of manure for ruminant feeding. It is this particular factor that is being attributed to the low poultry manure reported in the current study (regular users - 19%; occasional users - 17% and none users - 64%). Where available, poultry manure is very cheap. Since it is cheaply available (not readily) at farm level, poultry manure offers a cost effective option for meeting dairy cattle protein requirements. However, some precaution must be taken to minimize nitrogen loss (which occurs in the form of NH , N O and N) and accumulation of pathogen s 3 2 2 (Salmonella and E. coli).


Goldmann tonometer tips were inoculated with 5 X 10(5) IU of cell-free or cell-associated human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (lymphadenopathy virus type 1 isolate) or 10(4) plaque-forming units of herpes simplex virus type 1 (McKrae strain) or type 2 (Hicks strain). In an effort to mimic a "worst case" clinical scenario, each respective virus was allowed to air dry on the tonometer tip for 10 minutes. Inoculated tonometers were then (1) not treated, (2) wiped with a disposable (Kim-wipe) tissue or sterile gauze; (3) wiped with sterile gauze soaked with 3% hydrogen peroxide; or (4) wiped with a 70% isopropyl alcohol swab. The hydrogen peroxide treatment and the alcohol wipes both completely disinfected the tonometer tips for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 and herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2, whereas wiping with a sterile gauze or tissue was not effective. Wiping the Goldmann tonometer tip with an isopropyl alcohol swab and then allowing the alcohol to evaporate provides a ready and efficient means of inactivating these three enveloped viruses.


A number of interconnected scholarly publications discussing the phenomenon of the so-called sacred triangles have appeared lately. The authors who believe in the existence of this phenomenon argue that such triangles are based on a precisely determined value of the obliquity of the ecliptic. However, a detailed analysis of some of the key tenets discussed in their publications has revealed the gratuitous nature of this hypothesis, as well as its fundamentally unscientific character and the methodological flaws inherent in its overall development. Especially worrying is the falling into the pitfall of circular argumentation (circulus vitiosus) by the authors adhering to this hypothesis, their avoidance of any dialogue with relevant scholarly literature and their questionable understanding of fundamental phenomena upon which their hypothesis is built. A glaring example of the lattermost is the misunderstanding of the obliquity of the ecliptic on the part of the adherents of the so-called sacred triangles hypothesis.


W. C. Handy's blues--"Memphis Blues," "Beale Street Blues," "St. Louis Blues"--changed America's music forever. In Father of the Blues, Handy presents his own story: a vivid picture of American life now vanished. W. C. Handy (1873--1958) was a sensitive child who loved nature and music; but not until he had won a reputation did his father, a preacher of stern Calvinist faith, forgive him for following the "devilish" calling of black music and theater. Here Handy tells of this and other struggles: the lot of a black musician with entertainment groups in the turn-of-the-century South; his days in minstrel shows, and then in his own band; how he made his first $100 from "Memphis Blues"; how his orchestra came to grief with the First World War; his successful career in New York as publisher and song writer; his association with the literati of the Harlem Renaissance.Handy's remarkable tale--pervaded with his unique personality and humor--reveals not only the career of the man who brought the blues to the world's attention, but the whole scope of American music, from the days of the old popular songs of the South, through ragtime to the great era of jazz.


The increasing demand for local products is forcing farmers to expand their production, which also increases the waste generated by the animal husbandry process. The utilization of organic waste from livestock farms is a serious task for farmers, and they need to look for alternative methods of treatment. In this paper, we consider the possibility of applying sludge from a pigs farm for fattening. Samples of dried to room humidity sludge taken from a pig manure metal lagoon were examined. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the prospect of sludge as an alternative fuel for the pig farm. A thermogravimetric (TD) and differential thermal (DTG) analysis method was used to investigate the sediment. These methods of analysis were used because of the wide range of information provided and the possibility of qualitative and quantitative analysis. The types of phase transitions in the processes of heating and cooling, the temperature interval, the time for their flow and the amount of heat absorbed or released are investigated


In the pulse charging and discharging of energy storage inductors, the influence of I2R heating, magnetic diffusion skin depth, and eddy current losses must be evaluated. These effects are not easily treated analytically. To address these problems, the system can be constructed according to governing scaling laws. The performance of the model can then be evaluated and scaled up to predict actual system performance. The scaling laws as applied to a 1O-MJ homopolar generator charging a 2-MJ cryogenic aluminum Brooks coil are presented in this paper. System parameters measured on the scale model are compared to parameters subsequently measured on the full-size equipment.


Limited emphasis is placed on understanding the gendered pathways that influence mental health, especially long-term cumulative impacts of gender-based inequalities. Exposure to early child marriage (marriage by age 15) may exaggerate exposure to gender-based mental health risk-factors, providing an opportunity to understand the multi-layered gendered pathways that impact mental health overtime. We used nationally representative cross-sectional data from Ethiopia to examine the relationship between early child marriage and psychological well-being and assessed if intimate partner violence mediates this relationship among young women. We implemented three separate multivariate regression models to assess these relationships. Our results suggest that the relationship between early child marriage and psychological well-being is influenced by higher levels of violence experienced by women in early child marriages as compared to their counterparts who married later. Investments in longitudinal data are needed to rigorously parse out the relationship between early child marriage, intimate partner violence, and psychological well-being.


The robust control of a linear ultrasonic motor based X-Y-thetas motion control stage to track various contours is achieved by using an adaptive interval type-2 fuzzy neural network (AIT2FNN) control system in this study. In the proposed AIT2FNN control system, an IT2FNN, which combines the merits of an interval type-2 fuzzy logic system and a neural network, is developed to approximate an unknown dynamic function. Moreover, adaptive learning algorithms are derived using the Lyapunov stability theorem to train the parameters of the IT2FNN online. Furthermore, a robust compensator is proposed to confront the uncertainties including the approximation error, optimal parameter vectors, and higher order terms in Taylor series. To relax the requirement for the value of lumped uncertainty in the robust compensator, an adaptive lumped uncertainty estimation law is also investigated. In addition, the circle and butterfly contours are planned using a nonuniform rational B-spline curve interpolator. The experimental results show that the contour tracking performance of the proposed AIT2FNN is significantly improved compared with the adaptive type-1 FNN. Additionally, the robustness to parameter variations, external disturbances, cross-coupled interference, and frictional force can also be obtained using the proposed AIT2FNN.


The purpose of this study was to estimate the economic value of the Lope National Park in Gabon. The creation of the Lope National Park (LNP) in 2002 aimed at answering international engagements of Gabon as regards conservation of the biodiversity. To be able to value this protected area, an economic valuation technique called the Total Economic Value was applied. Total economic value (TEV) is a valuation method which attempts to estimate monetarily some tangible and intangible environmental benefits. After a brief presentation and an overview of legal aspects of the LNP, two management scenarios were considered: a scenario "with the Lope National Park" and a scenario "without the Lope National Park". The former scenario takes in account the establishment of the park whereas the latter suggests the non-establishment of the park. A set of hypotheses was set to perform the valuation. Furthermore, the data used in this study was based on primary research and various telephone interviews to confirm their validity. Based on various valuation techniques, selected tangible and intangible ecosystem benefits classified as direct use values, indirect use values, option values and existence values were quantified. The result of this study shows that the economic value of the scenario with the Lope National Park produces a higher economic value than the scenario without the Lope National Park. In other words, the decision to establish a protected area is a justifiably sound economic decision as it creates social welfare at local, national and international level. It is important to note that this valuation exercise is incomplete as this study does not take into account all the environmental benefits generated by any forest ecosystem due to the difficulty in valuing its intangible nature.


Academic Phrasebank is an online, open-access compendium of formulaic phrases for academic writers, created and continuously developed at the University of Manchester. Originally developed for student writers whose first language is not English, data suggests that over half of the many users are in fact native speakers of English. Underpinned by current approaches to academic text analysis and to understanding the phraseological nature of language, the Academic Phrasebank has become a well-known and widely-used resource which many learning support teachers recommend to students at all levels of study, mainly as a self-study or quick reference tool. In order to explore ways to facilitate learning about academic phraseology, this paper seeks to demonstrate how exercises developed from Academic Phrasebank can be used to help student writers to better understand the nature and role of academic phrases and to improve their academic writing. The usefulness of different exercise types is discussed, drawing on comments from learning developers. The implication of the study is that such teaching activities can facilitate student engagement with academic phrases and help them to write more effectively.


This article examines the techno-cultural process of accommodating, training, and qualifying the Japanese as pilots responsible for Pacific flights in the decade after the end of the allied occupation of Japan in 1952. There were two related modes of qualifying Japanese pilots, both of which created traffic of people, knowledge, and machines across the Pacific: One was the slow, politicized process of permitting Japanese pilots to fly again and training them with reference to American models of flying. Another mode of qualification consisted of measuring and recording the bodily differences between Japanese and American pilots, so that Japanese bodies could fit into American-designed cockpits and flying garments. Under the postwar technopolitical regime and given lingering racial perceptions, the terms and norms of the flying body and practice were mostly set by the American system, to which the Japanese worked hard to adapt. In this process, the cockpit and the Pacific served as crucial frames of reference for the Japanese. With its focus on pilot training and qualification, this article aims to bring together the histories of aviation, science, and U.S.-Japan relations and to situate them in the Pacific as a physical, imaginary, and technopolitical space.


Undoped CoSb3 powders were synthesized by mechanical alloying of elemental powders using a nominal stoichiometric composition. Nanostructured, single-phase skutterudite CoSb3 was successfully produced by vacuum hot pressing using as-milled powders without subsequent annealing. Phase transformations during synthesis were investigated using XRD, and microstructure was observed using SEM and TEM. Thermoelectric properties in terms of Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and figure of merit were systematically measured and compared with the results of analogous studies. Lattice thermal conductivity was reduced owing to increasing phonon scattering in nanostructured CoSb3, leading to enhancement in the thermoelectric figure of merit. Mechanical Alloying associated with vacuum hot pressing technique offers an alternative potential processing route for the production of skutterudites.


The present study aims to investigate the efficiency of integrated effective microorganisms (EM) and membrane bioreactor (MBR) for eliminating pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs) from urine. Natural urine was separated using a 'diversion toilet'. The toilet users were under medication with some pharmaceuticals, namely levofloxacine (LEF), ibuprofen (IBP) and atorvastatin (ATV). For correlation, three MBR pilot-scale sequences were examined. In Sequence 1, the MBR was used without pre-treatment. In Sequence 2, EM was added as pre-treatment in the mixing tank. The effluent was further treated with the MBR. In Sequence 3, EM was added directly to the activated sludge of the MBR. The results showed that Sequence 1 could decrease the PhACs from 10 mg/L to 1.5 mg/L, 0.5 mg/L and 0.9 mg/L for LEF, IBP and ATV, respectively. Sequence 2 exhibited remarkable improvement in PhACs removal. The overall residual concentration reached 0.7, 0.13 and 0.28 mg/L for LEF, IBP and ATV, successively. Applying Sequence 3 gives higher removal efficiency, where the residual concentration of LEF, IBP and ATV decreased to 0.50 mg/L, 0.10 mg/L and 0.22 mg/L, respectively. It was concluded that the contaminated urine was efficiently treated by adding EM directly to the activated sludge of the MBR, and the treated urine can be safely used as fertilizer.


Collaborative robots are increasingly used in domestic, public, and industrial settings. This study investigated the human user ' s safety perception and acceptance of robots that use different modalities to communicate with users. A survey study was conducted to compare potential robot users' perceived safety and acceptance of three robot-to-human communication modalities, including visual display, visual light, and auditory beep. The results showed that the perceived safety of a robot is associated with the user's acceptance of the robot, suggesting that if human users feel safer around a robot, they are more likely to use it. Among the three interface modalities, participants showed higher perceived safety and acceptance for the robots using visual modalities than the auditory modality. Furthermore, this study examined whether the perceived safety and acceptance of the three modalities differ when human users interact with robots in different contexts. Our results also showed that perceived safety and acceptance for visual display were lower for an industrial robot than a home service robot. The levels of robot autonomy and severity of risks involving a robot did not have significant impacts on the perceived safety and acceptance of the three modalities. Our findings suggest that the design of robot-to-human communication is vital as it is related to users' perceived safety and acceptance, and the users' perception and acceptance of a robot communication modality may vary when interactions with a robot change.


The operational semantics of the simply typed (or untyped) λ-calculus discussed so far hinges on substitutions in reducing such expressions as applications, case expressions, and the fixed point construct. Since the definition of a substitution [e /x]e analyzes the structure of e to find all occurrences of x, a naive implementation of substitutions can be extremely inefficient in terms of time, especially because of the potential size of e. Even worse, x may not appear at all in e, in which case all the work put into the analysis of e is wasted. This chapter presents another form of operational semantics, called environment semantics, which overcomes the inefficiency of the naive implementation of substitutions. The environment semantics does not entirely eliminate the need for substitutions, but it performs substitutions only if necessary by postponing them as much as possible. The development of the environment semantics also leads to the introduction of another important concept called closures, which are compact representations of closed λ-abstractions (i.e., those containing no free variables) generated during evaluations. Before presenting the environment semantics, we develop a new form of judgment for " evaluating " expressions (as opposed to " reducing " expressions). In comparison with the reduction judgment, the new judgment lends itself better to explaining the key idea behind the environment semantics.


Recently, the group of symptoms known as "subjective experiences" of schizophrenia has raised a growing interest. These phenomena have been shaped through concepts like depersonalization-derealization, mental automatism, disorders of the self and autism. The authors propose to review these syndromes, as well as their relationship with subjectivity understood as consciousness of the self (or self-awareness) and the shortcomings due to such a relationship. To finish, we will provide some hints into psychopathology understood as a technique of production of intelligibility which will hopefully help to provide a better grasp of the process described above.


Over the years, different operational definitions have been elaborated to identify frail older persons, but none of them has received unanimous consensus. This, in turn, has hampered the clinical implementation of frailty as well as the design of targeted interventions. To overcome the current limitations in the field, a novel operationalization of physical frailty (PF) is proposed which grounds its roots in the recognition of sarcopenia as its central biological substrate. This conceptualization is based on the fact that the clinical picture of PF overlaps substantially with that of sarcopenia. The two conditions may therefore be merged into a new clinical entity, the PF & sarcopenia (PF&S) syndrome, in which muscle loss represents both the biological substrate for the development of PF and a major pathway whereby the negative health outcomes of PF occur. All of the components defining the PF&S syndrome are measurable in an objective manner, which will facilitate its incorporation into standard practice. The recognition of a precise biological substratum for PF&S (i.e., skeletal muscle decline) also opens new venues for the development of preventive and therapeutic interventions.


Autocomplete is a common workspace feature that is used to recommend code snippets as developers type in their IDEs. Users of autocomplete features no longer need to remember programming syntax and the names and details of the API methods that are needed to accomplish tasks. Moreover, autocompletion of code snippets may have an accelerating effect, lowering the number of keystrokes that are needed to type the code. However, like any tool, implicit tendencies of users may emerge. Knowledge of how developers in different roles use autocompletion features may help to guide future autocompletion development, research, and training material. In this paper, we set out to better understand how usage of autocompletion varies among software engineers and other developers (i.e., academic researchers, industry researchers, hobby programmers, and students). Analysis of autocompletion events in the Mining Software Repositories (MSR) challenge dataset reveals that: (1) rates of autocompletion usage among software engineers and other developers are not significantly different; and (2) although several non-negligible effect sizes of autocompletion targets (e.g., local variables, method names) are detected between the two groups, the rates at which these targets appear do not vary to a significant degree. These inconclusive results are likely due to the small sample size (n = 35); however, they do provide an interesting insight for future studies to build upon.


The presence of an electron beam in a quasioptical gyrotron cavity alters the structure of the fields from that of the empty cavity. A computer code has been written that calculates this alteration for either an electron beam or a thin dielectric tube placed in the cavity. Experiments measuring the quality factor of such a cavity were performed for the case of a dielectric tube and the results agree with the predictions of the code. Simulations of the case of an electron beam indicate that self‐consistent effects can be made small, in that almost all the power leaves the cavity in a symmetric Gaussian‐like mode, provided the resonator parameters are chosen carefully.


The main emphasis of the present work is the experimental and numerical analysis of the impact of the swirling multi-jet system on a flat plate. To carry out this study, it was necessary at first to design and achieve an original experimental a test bench with three diffusers arranged in line. The diameter between the axes of their centers is fixed at 2D. The experiments were conducted with four different jet distances to impinging plate (H=2D, 4D, 6D and 8D).  The swirling jet is obtained by a generator consists of 12 arranged vanes at 60 ° from the vertical placed just the diffuser exit. The current study is carried out under uniform heat flux condition for each diffuser at Reynolds number of 30·10 3 , the air being the working fluid. Experiences concerning the fusion of several jets show that the resulting jet is clearly more homogenized under swirling influence. In this perspective, the paper discusses influence of different factors such as the multi swirling jets, the impact height, the conditions for entries temperatures and velocities, and the swirl direction of the central jet on the effectiveness of ventilation performance and optimizing the best configuration. The CFD investigations are carried out by an unstructured mesh to discretize the computational domain. In this work, the simulations have been performed using the finite volume method, in which the standard k - e , is used for turbulence computations. The validation shows that the K - e model can be used to simulate this case successfully. The results show that the examined parameters have a significant effect on the flow characteristics and behavior of multi swirling impinging jet. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.mech.23.2.13900


A growing number of studies reveal that oxidative stress is associated with viral infections or cancer development. However, there are few reports assessing the relationships between oxidative stress, viral infection, and carcinogenesis. The present study analyzed the level of total antioxidant status (TAS) as well as the activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in patients with oropharyngeal cancer both Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive and EBV-negative in comparison with the control group. The correlations between these parameters and EBV type (wild-type LMP1 (wt-LMP1) or LMP1 with deletion (del-LMP1)), level of antibodies against EBV, the degree of tumor differentiation, and TNM classification were also investigated. Fresh frozen tumor tissue samples collected from 66 patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma were tested using nested PCR assay for EBV DNA detection. Spectrophotometric methods were used to measure TAS values as well as SOD and GPx activities in homogenates of tissue, using diagnostic kits produced by Randox Laboratories. Sera from all individuals were investigated using ELISA method to detect the presence of Epstein-Barr virus capsid antigen (EBVCA) IgM and IgG, Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen (EBNA) IgG, and early antigen (EA) IgG antibodies. The level of TAS and activities of antioxidant enzymes (GPx and SOD) were significantly decreased in tissues with oropharyngeal cancer, particularly in EBV-positive cases. In 82.3% of patients, wt-LMP1 was detected. Significantly lower TAS, GPx, and SOD values were stated in patients infected with wild-type EBV. The presence of antibodies against early antigen (anti-EA) was detected in over 80% of patients, which suggests reactivation of EBV infection. The correlation between the degree of tumor differentiation and TN classification, especially in EBV-positive patients, was also observed. Determination of these parameters may be useful in evaluating tumor burden in patients with various stages of oropharyngeal cancer and could be an important prognostic factor. Future studies are needed to understand the role of EBV lytic reactivation induced by oxidative stress.


Due to the limitations of the existing strength theories or criteria, the phenomenon of material failure cannot be not fully explained, which makes material strength criterion to always be an important direction to study. Reference [1] found that there was a certain relationship between elastic strain and plastic strain, and a preliminary summing-up of this relationship had been done.Based on the relationship, the dominant factor of material failure has been analyzed, and a new strength criterion has been established with plastic strain as the control value. The new criterion is of simple expression, and can be used to explain very well some experiment phenomena.


Digital Services – Culture, Information & Communication In the autumn of 2009, the Swedish School of Library and Information Science at the University of Boras will launch a new master's programme: Digital Services – Culture, Information & Communication. The programme is focused on services and tools in digital environments. This article describes the aims and direction of the programme as well as how it has been developed.


This study was designed to generate a deeper understanding of data sharing by targeting faculty members who had already made data publicly available. During interviews, crop scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign were asked why they decided to share data, why they chose a data sharing method (e. g., supplementary file, repository), what were the benefits and drawbacks of the method(s) used, and what role they saw for the library to help facilitate data sharing. This article summarizes the participants' reasons for making data publicly available but also describes the challenges that they faced when sharing data. Most participants had not previously thought of the library for assistance with their data, but when asked how the library could help facilitate data sharing, they had a variety of ideas, which are presented in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]


The crystal structure of biotin synthase from Escherichia coli in complex with S-adenosyl-L-methionine and dethiobiotin has been determined to 3.4 angstrom resolution. This structure addresses how "AdoMet radical" or "radical SAM" enzymes use Fe4S4 clusters and S-adenosyl-L-methionine to generate organic radicals. Biotin synthase catalyzes the radical-mediated insertion of sulfur into dethiobiotin to form biotin. The structure places the substrates between the Fe4S4 cluster, essential for radical generation, and the Fe2S2 cluster, postulated to be the source of sulfur, with both clusters in unprecedented coordination environments.


The yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti has been the subject of extensive genetic research due to its medical importance and the ease with which it can be manipulated in laboratory. A molecular genetic linkage map was constructed using 148 amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and six single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) markers. Eighteen AFLP primer combinations were used to genotype two reciprocal F2 segregating populations. Each primer combination generated an average of 8.2 AFLP markers eligible for linkage mapping. The length of the integrated map was 180.9 cM, giving an average marker resolution of 1.2 cM. Composite interval mapping revealed a total of six QTL significantly affecting Plasmodium susceptibility in the two reciprocal crosses of Ae. aegypti. Two common QTL on linkage group 2 were identified in both crosses that had similar effects on the phenotype, and four QTL were unique to each cross. In one cross, the four main QTL accounted for 64% of the total phenotypic variance, and digenic epistasis explained 11.8% of the variance. In the second cross, the four main QTL explained 66% of the variance, and digenic epistasis accounted for 16% of the variance. The actions of these QTL were either dominance or under-dominance. Our results indicated that at least three new QTL were mapped on chromosomes 1 and 3. The polygenic nature of susceptibility to P. gallinaceum and epistasis are important factors for significant variation within or among mosquito strains. The new map provides additional information useful for further genetic investigation, such as identification of new genes and positional cloning.


This paper explores experiences as being and becoming of entertainment Worker in Nepal. Entertainment sectors, conceptualized here, a place where girls and Women are kept for sexual purposes. In doing so, the timing of events model, and narrative theory were applied to explore how events timing changes the life experiences of former entertainment Workers. Twelve former entertainment Workers were selected from NGO's who were rescued and helped by Youth for Transformation. The oral narration was taken as an interviewing method. Their problems and narratives as being Workers, and the process of becoming, off timing stages of entertainment workers intertwined in family system/sub-system or outside inter-personal system, were recorded, transcribed, analyzed, and discussed as informed by thematic techniques, and off timing stage model.
Following timing of events model and narrative theory, five off timing events led sequential patterns in clients' life were identified: a) chronic poverty and bigger family size led-sequences; b) single mother led-sequences; c) early child marriage led-sequences; d) love marriage led- sequences, and d) parent's death led-sequences. Likewise, research generates the client's construction of the four dominant themes were: a) stigmatization; b) enactment of social expectations; c) role mediation and feminization, and d) health condition.


Abstract. Usually several deformation mechanisms interact to accommodate plastic deformation. Quantifying the contribution of each to the total strain is necessary to bridge the gaps from observations of microstructures, to geomechanical descriptions, to extrapolating from laboratory data to field observations. Here, we describe the experimental and computational techniques involved in microscale strain mapping (MSSM), which allows strain produced during high-pressure, high-temperature deformation experiments to be tracked with high resolution. MSSM relies on the analysis of the relative displacement of initially regularly spaced markers after deformation. We present two lithography techniques used to pattern rock substrates at different scales: photolithography and electron-beam lithography. Further, we discuss the challenges of applying the MSSM technique to samples used in high-temperature and high-pressure experiments. We applied the MSSM technique to a study of strain partitioning during creep of Carrara marble and grain boundary sliding in San Carlos olivine, synthetic forsterite, and Solnhofen limestone at a confining pressure, Pc, of 300 MPa and homologous temperatures, T∕Tm, of 0.3 to 0.6. The MSSM technique works very well up to temperatures of 700 °C. The experimental developments described here show promising results for higher-temperature applications.


Ichnology is the study of trace fossils, which preserve the activity of animals as recorded by their tracks, trails, burrows and borings. Rather than giving information about the taxonomic affinities of a given type of organism, trace fossils yield information about an animal's behaviour in response to its environment. Trace fossils are almost always in situ, are commonly specific to a particular suite of environmental conditions, can be readily studied in core and may be common in strata devoid of body fossils. They are invaluable in thorough sedimentological analysis and are thus of great utility to petroleum geologists, sedimentologists and palaeontologists alike. Over the last 30 years or so, ichnology has been a rapidly developing branch of palaeontology that not only has important applications in classical palaeobiology (e.g. Donovan 1994; Bromley 1996), but is also of great value in the more applied disciplines of palaeoenvironmental and stratigraphical analysis. Much progress has been made in the development of this discipline, but there remain many fascinating and challenging issues, particularly in combining ichnology and sedimentology. This book aims to provide a summary of recent progress, with an up-to-date summary of most themes in modern ichnology. The volume stems from the 2003 Lyell Meeting sponsored by The Geological Society, The Palaeontological Association, BP, Shell, Exxon Mobil, Statoil, Total and Amerada Hess. The introductory paper by McIlroy (a) provides a condensed summary of some ichnological themes and frontiers, and outlines a practical approach for the description of trace fossils and identification of key stratigraphic


Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) is a complex genetic disorder with different manifestations in infancy and childhood including obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, mild to moderate intellectual impairment and learning disabilities. In this syndrome, growth hormone therapy improves outcomes. For the first time, here we report a 11-year-old boy with PWS who presented with three episodes of unilateral facial palsy after starting growth hormone therapy.


Background: Coronary heart disease (CHD) poses a serious threat to public health, and the current medical management still faces significant challenges. Reliable evidence on the efficacy of Shuxuening injection (SXNI) in CHD is still lacking, even though it is widely used in China. Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of SXNI combination therapy in treating CHD. Methods: A systematic search of eight databases was conducted to identify relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from the inception of each database until June 2023. ROB 2.0, RevMan 5.4, and Stata 15.1 were used for quality evaluation and data analysis. The Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach was used to evaluate the quality of evidence. Results: A total of 3,779 participants from 39 studies were included. The results showed SXNI combination therapy increased the clinical efficacy and decreased the frequency and duration of angina. Furthermore, SXNI combination therapy improved cardiac function of patients by decreasing LVEDD, and increased CI, CO, and LVEF. It also improved blood lipid profiles by increasing HDL, decreasing TC, TG, and LDL. The thrombosis factors of patients were also improved by decreasing FIB, PV, HCT, and HS. Moreover, SXNI combination therapy was superior to the conventional treatment in improving CRP levels, increasing ECG efficacy and BNP. However, due to the limited safety information, reliable safety conclusions could not be drawn. Furthermore, the levels of evidence ranged from very low to moderate due to publication bias and heterogeneity. Conclusion: SXNI can effectively improve angina symptoms, clinical efficacy, cardiac function, blood lipid indicators, and thrombosis factors of patients with CHD. However, more multi-center and large-sample studies are needed to confirm the conclusions due to the limitations of this study. Registration https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=399606; Identifier: CRD42023433292.