The Quantum Communications Hub is one of four Hubs comprising the research and development end of the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme. This programme is now in its second phase (2019-2024), following a successful first phase that ran 2014-2019. Our Hub provides the UK focus for the quantum communications sector. In this talk I'll provide a brief overview of the Hub's phase 1 developments, which mainly concentrated on progressing quantum key distribution (QKD) towards wider application. The grand vision of the phase 2 Hub is integrated secure quantum communications at all distance scales. For practicality and flexibility, this involves free-space communications at the shortest distance scales, fibre-based communications at the metrolpolitan and inter-city distance scales covered by current fibre networking, and free-space communications to support the very longest distances required for global reach. I'll outline the Hub activities on short-range consumer QKD, fibre networking and long distance satellite-to-ground QKD. I'll also cover our work on new protocols, hybrid secure communications, standards and components. http://www.quantumcommshub.net/


Social media texts are written in an informal style, which hinders other natural language processing (NLP) applications such as machine translation. Text normalization is thus important for processing of social media text. Previous work mostly focused on normalizing words by replacing an informal word with its formal form. In this paper, to further improve other downstream NLP applications, we argue that other normalization operations should also be performed, e.g., missing word recovery and punctuation correction. A novel beam-search decoder is proposed to effectively integrate various normalization operations. Empirical results show that our system obtains statistically significant improvements over two strong baselines in both normalization and translation tasks, for both Chinese and English.


Automatic categorization of documents into pre-defined taxonomies is a crucial step in data mining and knowledge discovery. Standard machine learning techniques like support vector machines(SVM) and related large margin methods have been successfully applied for this task. Unfortunately, the high dimensionality of input feature vectors impacts on the classification speed. The kernel parameters setting for SVM in a training process impacts on the classification accuracy. Feature selection is another factor that impacts classification accuracy. The objective of this work is to reduce the dimension of feature vectors, optimizing the parameters to improve the SVM classification accuracy and speed. In order to improve classification speed we spent rough sets theory to reduce the feature vector space. We present a genetic algorithm approach for feature selection and parameters optimization to improve classification accuracy. Experimental results indicate our method is more effective than traditional SVM methods and other traditional methods.


Introduction: The role of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) on the association obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and resistant hypertension (RH) is unclear. Aim: To analyze the effect of CPAP on 24-h blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) and on serum aldosterone in RH patients. Methods: 102 patients with an OSA15 and office-RH were randomized to CPAP (n=50) or to conventional treatment (n=52) for 3 months. 24-h ABPM and serum aldosterone were measured. 78 patients completed the follow-up (36 CPAP, 42 conventional treatment). Results: 66.7% were male, aged 58.27±9.3yrs and AHI 50.1±21.6, without significant differences between both groups. Serum aldosterone and AHI correlated significantly in patients with ABPM-confirmed RH (r= 0.25, p=0.02). CPAP achieved a significant decrease in serum aldosterone and 24-h BP decreased especially in those with ABPM-confirmed RH. Conclusion: The association between OSA and RH could be mediated at least in part by an effect on the RAAS.


Artificial microswimmers have gained significant attention recently for use in biomedical applications, such as drug delivery, and microfluidic applications, such as mixing. The small scale of the swimmers requires external actuation mechanisms, such as magnetic fields. Acoustic actuation, due to its biocompatible nature, can be used alongside magnetic fields to improve swimming performance. Several experimental studies have already shown the propulsion of both non-helical and helical swimmers with acoustic fields. Here, we present a simple model to evaluate the acoustic radiation force on helices. The methodology can be applied to solve for the force on other complicated structures as well, reducing the high computational cost required with other methods, such as the finite-element method. The approach is coupled with a resistive force theory-based model of slender magnetized helices to evaluate the complete three-dimensional trajectories of the swimmers under acoustic and magnetic fields. Traveling waves are shown to reduce swimmer wobbling significantly while also generating a significant push. Standing waves, on the other hand, are observed to place the swimmer in a unique position and orientation, which can be exploited for accurate positioning or micro-mixing.


The integrated navigation system, consisting of barometric altimeter (Baro) and GPS, is presented. The integration is achieved by using a Kalman filtering type data fusion algorithm. The proposed data fusion algorithm utilizes the barometric altimeter and GPS measurements in the estimation procedure in order to increase the altitude estimation accuracy. The performance of the proposed Baro/GPS integrated system is evaluated by the simulations for altitude estimation of an aircraft.


For harmonic-trapped atomic systems, we report system-independent nonadiabatic features in the response to interaction ramps. We provide results for several different systems in one, two, and three dimensions: bosonic and fermionic Hubbard models realized through optical lattices, a Bose-Einstein condensate, a fermionic superfluid, and a Fermi liquid. The deviation from adiabaticity is characterized through the heating or excitation energy produced during the ramp. We find that the dependence of the heat on the ramp time is sensitive to the ramp protocol but has aspects common to all systems considered. We explain these common features in terms of universal dynamics of the system size or cloud radius.


Purpose Routine outcome measures are now being designed for session-by-session use, with emphasis on clinically meaningful items and sensitivity to change. Despite an increasing mental health service focus for young people aged 12–25 years, there is a lack of outcome measures that are designed to be used across this age group. Consequently, MyLifeTracker (MLT) was developed as a brief mental health outcome measure designed for young people for routine use. It consists of the following five items targeting areas of importance to young people: general well-being, day-to-day activities, relationships with friends, relationships with family, and general coping. Participants and methods The measure was tested with 75,893 young people aged 12–25 years attending headspace centers across Australia for mental health-related issues. Results MLT showed a robust unidimensional factor structure and appropriate reliability. It exhibited good concurrent validity against well-validated measures of psychological distress, well-being, functioning, and life satisfaction. The measure was further demonstrated to be sensitive to change. Conclusion MLT provides a psychometrically sound mental health outcome measure for young people. The measure taps into items that are meaningful to young people and provides an additional clinical support tool for clinicians and clients during therapy. The measure is brief and easy to use and has been incorporated into an electronic system that routinely tracks session-by-session change and produces time-series charts for the ease of use and interpretation.


New paradigms for brain–computer interfacing (BCI), such as based on imagination of task characteristics, require long training periods, have limited accuracy, and lack adaptation to the changes in the users' conditions. Error potentials generated in response to an error made by the translation algorithm can be used to improve the performance of a BCI, as a feedback extracted from the user and fed into the BCI system. The present study addresses the inclusion of error potentials in a BCI system based on the decoding of movement-related cortical potentials (MRCPs) associated to the speed of a task. First, we theoretically quantified the improvement in accuracy of a BCI system when using error potentials for correcting the output decision, in the general case of multiclass BCI. The derived theoretical expressions can be used during the design phase of any BCI system. They were applied to experimentally estimated accuracies in decoding MRCPs and error potentials. Second we studied in simulation the performance of the closed-loop system in order to evaluate its ability to adapt to the changes in the mental states of the user. By setting the parameters of the simulator to experimentally determined values, we showed that updating the learning set with the examples estimated as correct based on the decoding of error potentials leads to convergence to the optimal solution.


Arterial insufficiency is the most common organic cause of impotence. The diagnosis can be established on a clinical basis through the use of Doppler probe evaluation of the penile pulses, penile blood pressure measuring, and nocturnal penile tumescence monitoring. The diagnosis may be confirmed by internal pudendal arteriography. Through microsurgical arterial revascularization, a 60 percent long-term success rate has been achieved. Two early and two late failures suggest the need for improved patient selection and confirm the progressive nature of the arteriosclerotic process.


Cross-cultural psychology attempts to understand the development and expression of human behavior in relation to the cultural contexts in which it occurs. It adopts the perspective of "universalism," which assumes that all human beings share basic psychological processes, but which are then shaped by cultural influences. This perspective allows for the comparison of individuals from different cultures (based on the process commonality), but also accepts behavioral variability (based on the cultural shaping). In the case of behavior that takes place during interactions between individuals coming from two (or more) cultures, the task is more complex; we now need to understand at least two sets of culture-behavior phenomena, as well as a third set--those that arise at the intersection of their relationships. In cross-cultural psychology, we have adopted concepts and methods from sociology and political science to inform work on "ethnic relations," and from cultural anthropology we have been informed in our work on the process and outcomes of "acculturation." In the former domain are phenomena such as prejudice and discrimination; in the latter are the strategies people use when in daily contact with people from other cultures (such as assimilation, integration, separation, and marginalization). These phenomena take place in cultural contexts, which need to be understood in terms of the core dimensions of cultural difference (such as diversity, equality, and conformity). During prolonged and intimate contact between persons of different cultural backgrounds, all these psychological concepts and processes, and cultural influences need to be taken into account when selecting, training, and monitoring individuals during their intercultural interactions.


Although the capacity of 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (AZT) triphosphate, an active metabolite of the antiviral agent zidovudine (AZT), to inhibit polymerization by a variety of purified DNA polymerases has been described, it is important to understand its effect on replication by the more complex protein assemblies responsible for DNA replication in human cells. In the present study, we have determined the effects of AZT metabolites on the efficiency of simian virus 40 origin-dependent bidirectional replication of double-stranded DNA in extracts of human HeLa cells. Replication was inhibited by AZT diphosphate and AZT triphosphate, but only at concentrations exceeding those thought to be present in vivo. However, replication was inhibited by AZT monophosphate at concentrations previously reported to accumulate in human cells cultured in the presence of AZT, suggesting that AZT monophosphate may contribute to cytotoxicity by inhibiting chromosomal replication. In an attempt to determine whether AZT treatment could have longer term mutagenic effects on cells, we also determined the effects of these AZT derivatives on replication fidelity and on the efficiency of repair of DNA substrates containing single-base mismatches. Despite the ability of a normal deoxynucleoside monophosphate to reduce the fidelity of DNA replication, presumably by reducing exonucleolytic proofreading of errors, neither the mono-, di-, nor triphosphate form of AZT reduced base substitution fidelity when present in replication reactions. Similarly, the efficiency of repair of DNA substrates containing single-base mismatches was unaffected by these compounds. However, replication fidelity was affected by perturbations in relative and absolute concentrations of deoxynucleoside triphosphate substrates similar to those reported to occur in AZT-treated cells. Thus, AZT treatment could potentially be mutagenic in vivo via reduced replication fidelity resulting from alterations in deoxynucleoside triphosphate pools.


Grayscale error diffusion introduces nonlinear distortion (directional artifacts and false textures), linear distortion (sharpening), and additive noise. Tone-dependent error diffusion (TDED) reduces these artifacts by controlling the diffusion of quantization errors based on the input graylevel. We present an extension of TDED to color. In color-error diffusion, which color to render becomes a major concern in addition to finding optimal dot patterns. We propose a visually meaningful scheme to train input-level (or tone-) dependent color-error filters. Our design approach employs a Neugebauer printer model and a color human visual system model that takes into account spatial considerations in color reproduction. The resulting halftones overcome several traditional error-diffusion artifacts and achieve significantly greater accuracy in color rendition


same families of chemoattractant and chemorepulsive factors. Integrin heterodimers are primary ECM receptors, which can exist in different functional states with respect to their affinity or avidity for ECM proteins (11, 35), and directed cell motility on ECM is promoted by targeted localiza-tion of high-affinity integrins at the leading edge of migrating cells (40). There is now mounting evidence that both chemoattractant and chemorepul-sive factors exert their control over cell migration by respectively activating and inhibiting the activity of integrin-adhesive receptors. Ephrins are membrane-bound ligands of Eph receptor tyrosine kinases. In general, glycosyl-phosphatydilinositol (GPI)-anchored A-subclass ephrins (ephrinA1–ephrinA5) promiscuously bind A-subclass Eph (EphA1–EphA8) and trans-membrane B-subclass ephrins (ephrinB1– ephrinB3) bind B-subclass Eph (EphB1–EphB4, EphB6). Eph/ephrin interaction at the cell surface triggers bidirectional signals both in receptor-and ligand-expressing cells, now referred to, respectively, as forward and reverse signaling (43, 56). In the developing nervous system, ephrins and Eph receptors have been shown to regulate topo-graphic mapping among neuronal populations, axon guidance at the midline, and migration of cerebellar granule neurons; in the adult organism they control synaptic plasticity and nerve regener-ation (56). Eph/ephrin activation generally causes repulsion of neighboring cells or neuronal GCs, and in some cases it results in attraction. Paradigmatic examples are represented by topo-graphic map formation in visual (55) and vomeronasal (41, 42) systems; expression of either A-subclass ligands or receptors on the surface of navigating GCs seems to regulate such an opposite migratory behavior. Although in the visual system EphA-bearing retinal axons are repelled, in the vomeronasal system ephrinA5-expressing axons are attracted. Notably, integrins are primary effec-tor targets of the Eph/ephrin system (FIGURE 1).


We introduce a new approach for exploring how humans learn and represent functional relationships based on limited observations. We focus on a problem called superspace extrapolation, where learners observe training examples drawn from an n-dimensional space and must extrapolate to an n+ 1dimensional superspace of the training examples. Many existing psychological models predict that superspace extrapolation should be fundamentally underdetermined, but we show that humans are able to extrapolate both linear and non-linear functions under these conditions. We also show that a Bayesian model can account for our results given a hypothesis space that includes families of simple functional relationships.


: Obstructive jaundice, pruritus, and malabsorption developed in twin brothers in infancy. Early liver biopsy specimens showed intracellular and canalicular cholestasis with normal bile ducts. By the age of 3 years, both had cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Each died during the teen years from hepatocellular carcinoma. These brothers represent the tenth reported family with familial cholestatic cirrhosis, and they are the first patients with this syndrome in whom hepatoma developed.


Abstract. Temperature is a key factor controlling plant growth and vitality in the temperate climates of the mid-latitudes like in vast parts of the European continent. Beyond the effect of average conditions, the timings and magnitudes of temperature extremes play a particularly crucial role, which needs to be better understood in the context of projected future rises in the frequency and/or intensity of such events. In this work, we employ event coincidence analysis (ECA) to quantify the likelihood of simultaneous occurrences of extremes in daytime land surface temperature anomalies (LSTAD) and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). We perform this analysis for entire Europe based upon remote sensing data, differentiating between three periods corresponding to different stages of plant development during the growing season. In addition, we analyze the typical elevation and land cover type of the regions showing significantly large event coincidences rates to identify the most severely affected vegetation types. Our results reveal distinct spatio-temporal impact patterns in terms of extraordinarily large co-occurrence rates between several combinations of temperature and NDVI extremes. Croplands are among the most frequently affected land cover types, while elevation is found to have only a minor effect on the spatial distribution of corresponding extreme weather impacts. These findings provide important insights into the vulnerability of European terrestrial ecosystems to extreme temperature events and demonstrate how event-based statistics like ECA can provide a valuable perspective on environmental nexuses.


The Universe on scales 10–100 h−1Mpc is dominated by a cosmic web of voids, filaments, sheets and knots of galaxy clusters. These structures participate differently in the global expansion of the Universe: from non-expanding clusters to the above average expansion rate of voids. In this paper we characterize Hubble expansion anisotropies in the COMPOSITE sample of 4534 galaxies and clusters. We concentrate on the dipole and quadrupole in the rest frame of the Local Group. These both have statistically significant amplitudes. These anisotropies, and their redshift dependence, cannot be explained solely by a boost of the Local Group in the Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) model which expands isotropically in the rest frame of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation. We simulate the local expansion of the Universe with inhomogeneous Szekeres solutions, which match the standard FLRW model on ≳ 100 h−1Mpc scales but exhibit nonkinematic relativistic differential expansion on small scales. We restrict models to be consistent with observed CMB temperature anisotropies, while simultaneously fitting the redshift variation of the Hubble expansion dipole. We include features to account for both the Local Void and the "Great Attractor". While this naturally accounts for the Hubble expansion and CMB dipoles, the simulated quadrupoles are smaller than observed. Further refinement to incorporate additional structures may improve this. This would enable a test of the hypothesis that some large angle CMB anomalies result from failing to treat the relativistic differential expansion of the background geometry; a natural feature of solutions to Einstein's equations not included in the current standard model of cosmology.


In this study, two different natural chromite ores and iron oxide waste from the steel rolling industry were used as less expensive alternative raw materials for the synthesis of black ceramic pigments to be used in porcelain tile bodies. The effects of chromite ore-iron oxide waste ratios and calcination temperature on the pigment properties were investigated. It was found that chromite ore with a higher Cr2O3/FeO ratio can be used to synthesise black ceramic pigments when combined with the iron oxide waste. However, their color intensity was not as strong as commercial black pigments due to the presence of other phases and impurities coming from the chromite ores. When these pigments were used in combination with commercial black pigments, the consumption of the commercial pigments can be reduced, providing cost savings for coloration of porcelain tile bodies.


The inevitable need of new infrastructures for encouraging plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) penetration into the system has drawn various attentions towards the required studies. In this regard, the PEVs parking lot (PL) has shown to have proper potentials. Other than providing a charging place for the PEVs, PLs can be considered as an integrated form of PEV batteries and act as storage in the system. However, the accuracy of PL's operation can be enhanced through detailed modeling of various affecting factors such as PEV's preferences on using the charging capability of the PL. In this study, a new model to add the PEVs' preferences in the PL's market participation problem is proposed. Various categories of PEVs are considering based on their arrival/departure pattern, duration of stay in the PL, and charging requirements. The results showed a considerable difference in PL's strategy in market participation, with and without considering PEVs' preferences.


Introduction: The metabolic energy cost of human walking has been extensively studied. However, whether men and women require the same amount of energy (per kg of body mass) to walk at the same speed or cover the same distance remains unresolved. While most predictive algorithms incorporate only body mass and walking speed, we have recently found that mass-specific walking metabolic rates are inversely related to stature. Objective: We tested the specific hypothesis that walking economy does not differ between males and females when stature is controlled. We evaluated our hypothesis by comparing stature-matched adult males vs. females in each of three categories: short, medium and tall, at their respective most economical walking speeds. We predicted that minimum transport costs (COTmin, ml O2·kg-1·m1) would not vary between gender groups of each stature. Methods: 30 subjects (15 male, 15 female) walked on a level treadmill at speeds ranging from 0.4 m·s-1 to 1.9 m·s-1. Indirect calorimetry was used to measure rates of oxygen uptake under steady-state conditions (Parvo Medics TrueOne 2400, Sandy, UT). Analysis: Minimum net transport cost, or net transport cost at the most economical walking speed, was determined for each subject by: 1) subtracting resting rates of oxygen uptake from the gross rates measured (VO2net, ml O2·kg-1·min-1), and 2) dividing VO2net by walking speed to identify the minimum COT. Unpaired t-tests were used to compare males and females within each stature group. Results: Transport costs were essentially identical for male and female groups of all three statures: short, medium and tall, and were inversely related to stature as expected. Conclusion: We conclude that men and women are equally cheap and gender does not influence walking energy expenditure. The mass-specific energy cost of transport does not differ in males and females of the same stature.


This article suggests that attempts to date to unravel the paradox of the Chinese learner are incomplete and inadequately modeled, and that the complexities of the paradox have not yet been fittingly operationalized or alternative explanations of research data investigated. It contends that attempts either to state or to unravel the paradox are chimerical, as they risk oversimplifying a complex phenomenon, the extent and nature of which are insufficiently understood to date. The article argues that investigating the phenomenon of Chinese learners' strong performance in international measures of achievement requires researchers to operate more rigorously in their search for alternative and multiple explanations of results in terms of causality, sampling, and representing heterogeneity. Several explanations of data on the paradox are presented, and alternative explanations which might be more usefully explored are provided. The article also questions the extent to which research on the Chinese learner, with a search for a unitary set of characteristics, is not, itself, prey to totalizing, collectivist ideologies cast in unrealistic meta-narratives. Recommendations are made for further research.


PURPOSE
To analyze the expansion of CTG18.1 allele associated with Fuchs' corneal dystrophy (FCD) in our large cohort of late-onset FCD cases.

METHODS
CTG repeats within the CTG18.1 allele were estimated by short tandem repeat (STR) and triplet primed PCR (TP-PCR) assays in our large cohort of 574 late-onset FCD cases and 354 controls and large multigeneration familial cases. The age versus severity relationships were analyzed in FCD genotypes, namely, nonexpanded (N/N), monoallelic expansion (N/X), and biallelic expansion (X/X) with N ≤ 40 CTG monomers. The threshold for causality conferred by an expansion of CTG18.1 was identified by excluding the population of FCD cases who harbored an allele length equivalent to the maximum CTG monomers observed in the controls.

RESULTS
The expanded CTG18.1 for (CTG)n>40 showed a strong association (P = 1.56 × 10(-82)) with FCD. Importantly, we delineated the threshold of expansion to 103 CTG repeats above which the allele confers causality in 17.8% of FCD cases. Regression analyses demonstrated a significant correlation between disease severity and age in individuals who harbor either a monoallelic expansion or a biallelic expansion at (CTG) n > 40. These analyses helped predict FCD in two previously unaffected individuals based on their CTG18.1 expansion genotype.

CONCLUSIONS
A monoallelic expansion of CTG18.1 contributes to increased disease severity and is causal at (CTG)n>103, whereas a biallelic expansion is sufficient to be causal for FCD at (CTG)n>40. This study highlights the largest contributory causal allele for FCD.


Dry gas–lubricated noncontacting mechanical seals (DGSs), most commonly found in centrifugal compressors, prevent the process of gas flow into the atmosphere. Especially when high speed is combined with high pressure, DGS is the preferred choice over other sealing alternatives. Even though the noncontacting seal is proved reliable, the ultrathin gas film can still lead to a host of potential problems due to possible contact. In order to investigate the flow field in the sealing gap and to facilitate the numerical prediction of the seal performance, a dedicated test facility is developed to carry out the measurement of key parameters in the gas film. Gas in the sealing film varies according to the seal inlet pressure, and the thickness of gas film depends on this fluctuated pressure. In this paper, the test facility, measurement methods, and the first results of static pressure measurements in the sealing gap of the DGS obtained in the described test facility are presented. An industry DGS with three-dimensional grooves on the surface of the rotating ring, where experimental investigations take place, is used. The static pressure in the gas film is measured, up to 20 bar and 8100 rpm, by several high-frequency ultraminiature pressure transducers embedded into the stationary ring. The experimental results are discussed and compared with the numerical model programed in matlab (Luo, J., Dohmen, H. J., and Benra, F. K., 2018, "Coupled Thermal-Structural-Fluid Numerical Analysis of Gas Lubricated Mechanical Seals," ASME Paper No. GT2018-75458), the characteristic and magnitude of which have a good agreement with the numerical simulations. It suggests the feasibility of measuring pressure profiles of the standard industry DGS under pressurized dynamic operating conditions without altering the key components of the seal, and thereby affecting the seal performance.


Rice is staple food for half of the world. With a population of almost 9.6 billion by the year 2050, there is a dire need of developing techniques to improve the crop plants, not only in terms of better yield but also to withstand harsh environmental conditions and stresses like drought, temperature, flood and salinity. Salinity is second to drought stress and hence it is very important to develop crops tolerant to salinity stress. This review discusses the mechanisms of salt tolerance and the recent developments in understanding the complex tolerance phenomena. One way to address the salinity issue is to develop tolerant rice varieties using conventional and modern breeding techniques for which screening the rice germplasm for the varieties with desired traits is critical. Conventional methods to develop tolerant rice varieties are discussed along with modern biotechnology techniques are also discussed. Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) and Marker Assisted Selection (MAS) are promising techniques. In addition to these modern techniques, some recent developments in the fields of transgenic plants, haploid breeding and Somaclonal variations have also been discussed. The limited knowledge about molecular and genetic mechanisms to tolerate abiotic stresses, however is a barrier to efficiently develop tolerant cultivars. A combination of conventional and modern biotechnology techniques could possibly open up the new ways.


Better understanding about the drivers of aggregate productivity and wage inequality requires data that offer a representative picture of the underlying firm-level heterogeneity but are, at the same time, able to reproduce patterns observed in aggregate data. The OECD MultiProd project aims to generate such data by collaborating with a network of national experts who apply a harmonised statistical code to representative business microdata across a large number of countries. This paper compares the project's output to the OECD STAN database to test to what extent MultiProd data can be taken as reflecting the aggregate economies in question, and if they are able to reproduce patterns observed in aggregate data across years, industries and countries. The results suggest that (1) MultiProd captures a major part of gross output, value added and employment in most of the countries covered; and (2) MultiProd reproduces aggregate patterns relatively well, with median correlations over time, across industries and across countries between 0.75.


Intestinal diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), short bowel syndrome (SBS) and colorectal cancer (CRC) are challenging prevalent diseases, which have an unmet requirement of innovative and effective treatments. Tissue engineering has been proposed as a desirable cure, which needs two specific components in order to fulfil the growing therapeutic demands: cell sources and an environment for cell growth. Despite the variability of cell sources, intestinal stem cells (ISCs) represent appropriate characteristics, such as rapid cell proliferation and full-lineage differentiation into the intestinal epithelium, to be applied as a promising cell source. ISCs are capable of regenerating intestinal tissue and act as mini guts ex vivo and therefore have been selected for most of the intestinal research projects. ISCs need an environment that can fully grow and differentiate. Thus, favorable chemical and mechanical environments should be provided. Mechanical environments or scaffolds for cell residency such as PGA, PGA/PLLA and collagen etc. have been investigated. Furthermore, growth factors like GLP-2, EGF and VEGF have been tested in order to prepare a chemical environment that biomimics the intestinal tissue that allows the cells to have natural functionality. A combination of these three factors makes a thorough tissue-engineered intestine that can replace the injured organ. Each aspect of ISC-based tissue engineering needs to be focused in the future in order to improve its functionality and applicability in the human body.


Yalkaparidon coheni and Yalkaparidon jonesi are described here as the first-known members of the marsupial family Yalkaparidontidae and order Yalkaparidontia. Before discovery of these zalambdodont marsupials in unnamed Tertiary sediments from northwestern Queensland, only five orders of australidelphian marsupials were known. Dental and basicranial morphology suggest that notoryctids and yalkaparidontids, which both have highly specialized zalambdodont molars, are dentally convergent. Yalkaparidontids lived in lowland rainforests of northern Australia and appear to have vanished, with the rainforests, sometime in the middle to late Tertiary. Discovery of yalkaparidontids demonstrates a significantly greater breadth of diversity for Australian marsupials.


This report is a review of off-flavors encountered in fluid milk. It includes sections on transmitted, microbial, lipolyzed, heated, light-activated, oxidized, and miscellaneous flavors. Finally, the flavor of ultrahigh temperature (UHT) milk is reviewed. Most of the literature cited for different off-flavors covers the period since a comprehensive review was done of milk flavors by Strobel et al. (1953). In addition to causative agents and volatile materials associated with off-flavors, methods for control of each of the off-flavors are presented. This report is designed to serve the dairy production and processing industry, students and faculty of food science curricula, dairy product evaluation students, regulatory people, and fieldmen.


In this paper, it is presented a new scheme of adaptive-neuro control system to implement real-time control of robot hand joints. Unlike the well-established theory for the adaptive control of linear systems, there exists relatively little general theory for the adaptive control of nonlinear systems. Adaptive control technique is essential for providing a stable and robust performance for application of robot control. The proposed neuro control algorithm is one of learning a model based error back-propagation scheme using Lyapunov stability analysis method. Through simulation, the proposed adaptive-neuno control scheme is proved to be a efficient control technique for real-time control of robot system using DSPs.


Strong-field phenomena driven by an intense infrared (IR) laser depend on during what part of the field cycle they are initiated. By changing the sub-cycle character of the laser electric field it is possible to control such phenomena. For long pulses, sub-cycle shaping of the field can be done by adding a relatively weak, second harmonic of the driving field to the pulse. Through constructive and destructive interference, the combination of strong and weak fields can be used to change the probability of a strong-field process being initiated at any given part of the cycle. In order to control sub-cycle phenomena with optimal accuracy, it is necessary to know the phase difference of the strong and the weak fields precisely. If the weaker field is an even harmonic of the driving field, electrons ionized by the field will be asymmetrically distributed between the positive and negative directions of the combined fields. Information about the asymmetry can yield information about the phase difference. A technique to measure asymmetry for few-cycle pulses, called stereo-ATI (above threshold ionization), has been developed by Paulus et al (2003 Phys. Rev. Lett. 91 253004). This paper outlines an extension of this method to measure the phase difference between a strong IR and its second harmonic.


The present paper analyses competition in the crowdfunding market in the light of the theory of two-sided markets, with the objective to understand the strategies used by platforms in this nascent industry. It also discusses the experience of policymakers in selected countries in trying to address concerns related to information asymmetries in this new environment.


We construct a Riemannian metric $g$ on $\mathbb{R}^4$ (arbitrarily close to the euclidean one) and a smooth simple closed curve $\Gamma\subset \mathbb R^4$ such that the unique area minimizing surface spanned by $\Gamma$ has infinite topology. Furthermore the metric is almost Kahler and the area minimizing surface is calibrated.


1. Parasitic diseases represent one of the greatest challenges for aquaculture worldwide and there is an increasing emphasis on ecological solutions to prevent infections. One proposed solution is enriched rearing, where traditional stimulus-poor rearing tanks are equipped with different types of structures to increase habitat complexity. Such spatial enrichment is A cc ep te d A rt ic le This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. known to increase survival of fish during parasite epidemics, but the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. 2. We studied whether enriched rearing affected infection of an important fish pathogen Flavobacterium columnare in young Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and sea-migrating brown trout (Salmo trutta). First, we used natural bacterial exposures and multiple fish populations in a common garden experiment to address the role of host genetic background in effects of enriched rearing. Second, fish from standard and enriched rearing were experimentally exposed to controlled bacterial doses in standard and enriched environments in a full factorial design to explore the relative roles of rearing background and environment of exposure on survival of fish. 3. Enriched rearing significantly increased survival of fish during the natural bacterial outbreak. This effect was also fairly consistent and observed in eight of the ten fish populations. In the controlled exposure, fish exposed in enriched environment had higher survival regardless of their rearing background, suggesting a stronger impact of the environment on the disease progression. Additionally, the survival in the enriched environment was highest among the fish of enriched rearing background, supporting the idea of their higher resistance. 4. Synthesis and applications. Our result suggests that the enhanced survival of fish in enriched rearing results from a combined effect of the environment and improved fish condition, and to a lesser degree from host genetic background. This has important implications for when and how environmental enrichment should be applied. Overall, these results indicate that environmental enrichment has the potential to improve survival of fish during parasitic epidemics and thus reduce use of antibiotics in aquaculture. A cc ep te d A rt ic le This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


This paper shows a step forward in the development of a stabilized method for solving the Reynolds equations (RANSE) including free surface effects. The starting point of this method is the modified governing differential equations for an incompressible turbulent viscous flow and the free surface condition, incorporating necessary stabilization terms via a Finite Increment Calculus (FIC) procedure. Time integration scheme of the method is based on an implicit monolithic second order method. Implementation of the algorithm, based on the Finite Element Method (FEM) using unstructured grids of linear tetrahedra, allows us to take into account dynamic sinkage and trim, being especially adequate for hydrodynamic analysis of racing boats. This paper also presents a validation study of numerical results obtained for America's Cup boats.


In addition to binding DNA in a sequence-specific manner, p53 can interact with nucleic acids in a sequence-independent manner. p53 can bind short single-stranded DNA and double-stranded DNA containing nucleotide loops; these diverse associations may be critical for p53 signal transduction. In this study, we analyzed p53 binding to DNA fragments containing insertion/deletion mismatches (IDLs). p53 required an intact central domain and dimerization domain for high affinity complex formation with IDLs. In fact, the C terminus of p53 (amino acids 293–393) was functionally replaceable with a foreign dimerization domain in IDL binding assays. From saturation binding studies we determined that the K D of p53 binding to IDLs was 45 pm as compared with a K D of 31 pm for p53 binding to DNA fragments containing a consensus binding site. Consistent with these dissociation constants, p53-IDL complexes were dissociated with relatively low concentrations of competitor consensus site-containing DNA. Although p53 has a higher affinity for DNA with a consensus site as compared with IDLs, the relative number and availability of each form of DNA in a cell immediately after DNA damage may promote p53 interaction with DNA lesions. Understanding how the sequence-specific and nonspecific DNA binding activities of p53 are integrated will contribute to our knowledge of how signaling cascades are initiated after DNA damage.


It is important and informative to compare and contrast major economic crises in order to confront novel and unknown cases such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2006 Great Recession and then the 2019 pandemic have a lot to share in terms of unemployment rate, consumption expenditures, and interest rates set by Federal Reserve. In addition to quantitative historical data, it is also interesting to compare the contents of Federal Reserve statements for the period of these two crises and find out whether Federal Reserve cares about similar concerns or there are some other issues that demand separate and unique monetary policies. This paper conducts an analysis to explore the Federal Reserve concerns as expressed in their statements for the period of 2005 to 2020. The concern analysis is performed using natural language processing (NLP) algorithms and a trend analysis of concern is also presented. We observe that there are some similarities between the Federal Reserve statements issued during the Great Recession with those issued for the 2019 COVID-19 pandemic.


Increased nitrogen (N) inputs are widely recognised to reduce soil respiration (Rs), but how N deposition affects the temporal dynamics of Rs remains unclear. Using a decade-long fertilisation experiment in a boreal larch forest (Larix gmelini) in northeast China, we found that the effects of N additions on Rs showed a temporal shift from a positive effect in the short-term (increased by 8% on average in the first year) to a negative effect over the longer term (decreased by 21% on average in the 11th year). The rates of decrease in Rs for the higher N levels were almost twice as high as those of the low N level. Our results suggest that the reduction in Rs in response to increased N input is accelerated by high-level N additions, and experimental high N applications are likely to overestimate the contribution of N deposition to soil carbon sequestration in a boreal forest.


The purpose of this study was to discover some of the factors causing men teachers of Kansas to leave the teaching profession. No previous study or survey was located which dealt with this problem in Kansas. The procedure employed in this study was to contact several hundred teachers who had recently left the profession in Kansas. This was accomplished with the help of M. M. Rose, executive secretary of the Kansas State School Retirement System. Under the direction of Mr. Rose and his staff, the names and last known addresses of 366 men teachers who had withdrawn from the retirement fund during or at the end of the 1956-57 school year were obtained. This study was confined to men because of the effect that marriage and maternity had upon the loss of women teachers. Questionnaires were sent to these 366 men inviting them to participate in the study. Usable responses were obtained from 209 or 57 per cent of the men contacted. It was believed that the information revealed by this study should be of significance to all who are interested in the future of teaching. The enrollment in the public elementary and secondary schools of Kansas has been and still is increasing. The number of teachers remaining in and entering into the teaching profession is not keeping up with the increase in enrollment. As a result, schools of Kansas are in need of teachers, particularly men. The findings of this study revealed salary as the greatest single factor causing men teachers to leave the teaching profession. Salary was checked 156 times as a reason while the second factor in number of times selected, movement needed for advancement, was checked 96 times. Other factors checked influencing men to leave the teaching profession in order of frequency were: teaching load, extra class activities, feeling of being in a "rut", insecurity of position, social status of teachers, employment for only nine months, working conditions, pressure groups, nervous tension from teaching, living in small towns, community gossip, lack of teaching freedom, friction among teachers, and health. The last nine indicated that they were of minor importance. Probably the most significant information obtained were the statements volunteered by respondents. Salary, tenure, and improved retirement were mentioned most frequently with explanation as to why these factors caused the respondents to withdraw from teaching in Kansas. It was found that 41 per cent of the 209 leaving the teaching profession were under the age of thirty, and a total of 86 percent were under the age of forty. This seems to indicate that not enough is being done to make the teaching profession appeal to young men. It is significant to note that 105 or 50 per cent of the teachers who left the profession in Kansas are still teaching in some location other than Kansas. It would appear as if those leaving were not unhappy with the profession, but were dissatisfied with the economic factors connected with the teaching situation in Kansas. An analysis of the findings prompted the following conclusions: (1) low salary is a major reason for men teachers leaving the teaching profession in Kansas; (2) the lack of a strong tenure law in Kansas causes many men to leave the teaching profession in Kansas; and (3) the Kansas State Retirement System does not offer sufficient remuneration to the retired teacher.


We explore the determinants of market regulation with an analysis of the policy-making process in which the legislature delegates authority to an executive agency and special interests can lobby the executive agency. We discuss how the mere threat of administrative lobbying by the industry may be sufficient to induce the agency to set policies preferred by the industry. Our analysis also shows that policy conflict, the difference between the legislature's preferred policy and the agency's implemented policy, is increasing in the agency's vulnerability to lobbying but decreasing in the interest group's lobbying cost when the legislature prefers more extreme policies. Administrative lobbying either amplifies or mitigates the conflict between the legislature and the agency. Relatedly, our analysis shows that the "ally principle" does not hold and the legislature prefers an agency that is slightly more biased against the industry. The legislature delegates greater discretion to the agency when policy uncertainty is higher, when policy conflict between the legislature and the agency is a lower, and when administrative lobbying mitigates the policy conflict between legislature and agency.


The purpose of the current study is to investigate the contribution of teacher training programs to the development of reflective thinking in pre-service teachers and the state of their using reflective thinking skills according to the ALACT model. Although the study carried out is quantitatively-focused research, the methods of qualitative research were used to show how the participants used the examined variable. Therefore, the study was conducted using an exploratory mixed design. The study participants are 277 first-year and fourth-year pre-service teachers (211 females and 66 males) attending a state university. The participants of the qualitative dimension of the study are 20 fourth-year pre-service teachers selected through the convenience sampling method. As data collection tools, the "Reflective Thinking Tendency Scale (RTTS)", reflective thinking writings, and teacher training programs were used. According to the ANCOVA results, there is no significant difference between the pre-service teachers who are in the first year of their undergraduate education and the pre-service teachers who are in the last year of their undergraduate education. It was also concluded that the fourth-year pre-service teachers did not experience any reflective thinking process in the majority of their applications, and the ones who experienced such a process experienced it at the basic level (1st-3rd level). In light of the findings of the current study, it can be suggested that reflective thinking skills should be emphasized more clearly and that teacher training programs should be structured according to various reflective thinking models such as ALACT.


Jesper Brandt Andersen: Curious case reports in the works of the Danish physician and anatomist Thomas Bartholin
Scattered through the voluminous authorship of the Danish physician and anatomist Thomas Bartholin (1616–1680), famous for his discovery of the lymph vessels in the early 1650s, case reports can be found, for which Bartholin was criticized and accused for verbosity and lack of scientific judgment by contemporary scholars and later medical historians. In this article 15 such case reports, mainly from the work Historiarum Anatomicarum Rariorum 1654–1661, are presented, analyzed and perspectivated. It is concluded, that much of the criticism, especially the one submitted by the posteriority and especially during the era of positivism by the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century and the one concerning observations made by Bartholin himself, is unjustified. When practising science himself Bartholin felt responsible for reproducing his observations correctly and trustworthy, and he was not satisfied by making conclusions on the basis of knowledge handed over by others. The author of this article has not succeded in finding one single example indicating that Bartholin doesn't reproduce his own observations correctly and truthfully. On the other hand there are in his authorship numerous examples of case reports originating from others, which he either didn't believe himself or at least doubted. When he published case reports originating from other people, he didn't feel responsible for the truthfulness. His purpose bringing these case reports was to present his reader for new and interesting matter, to entertain his reader, to arouse his reader's curiosity and to challenge his reader's own judgment. Thomas Bartholin was one of the most excellent, diligent and passionate intermediaries of scientific matter of his time, and as a scientist he was characterized by openness. Often he was among the first to recognize, verify and publish new knowledge.


The GTPase elongation factor G (EF-G) is an important player in the complex process of protein synthesis by bacterial ribosomes. Although extensively studied much remains to be learned about this fascinating protein. In the elongation phase, after incorporation of each amino acid into the growing peptide chain, EF-G translocates the ribosome along the mRNA template. In the recycling phase, when the synthesis of a protein has been completed, EF-G, together with ribosome recycling factor (RRF), splits the ribosome into its subunits. We developed the first in vitro assay for measuring the average time of a complete translocation step at any position along the mRNA. Inside the open reading frame, at saturating EF-G concentration and low magnesium ion concentration, translocation rates were fast and compatible with elongation rates observed in vivo. We also determined the complete kinetic mechanism for EF-G- and RRF-dependent splitting of the post-termination ribosome. We showed that splitting occurs only when RRF binds before EF-G and that the rate and GTP consumption of the reaction varies greatly with the factor concentrations.The antibiotic fusidic acid (FA) inhibits bacterial protein synthesis by binding to EF-G when the factor is ribosome bound, during translocation and ribosome recycling. We developed experimental methods and a theoretical framework for analyzing the effect of tight-binding inhibitors like FA on protein synthesis. We found that FA targets three different states during each elongation cycle and that it binds to EF-G on the post-termination ribosome both in the presence and absence of RRF. The stalling time of an FA-inhibited ribosome is about hundred-fold longer than the time of an uninhibited elongation cycle and therefore each binding event has a large impact on the protein synthesis rate and may induce queuing of ribosomes on the mRNA. Although ribosomes in the elongation and the recycling phases are targeted with similar efficiency, we showed that the main effect of FA in vivo is on elongation. Our results may serve as a basis for modelling of EF-G function and FA inhibition inside the living cell and for structure determination of mechanistically important intermediate states in translocation and ribosome recycling.


Charles Darwin and Victorian Visual Culture. By Jonathan Smith. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2006. 374 pp. $100, £60. ISBN 9780521856904. Cambridge Studies in Nineteenth-Century Literature and Culture. Smith explores how Darwin used images to support his scientific claims as well as the cultural influence of his evolutionary explanation for beauty.


: Changes in left diastolic filling which had been caused by treatment with the beta-adrenoblocker atenolol given in a dose of 50-100 mg/day were studied in 66 patients with Functional Class I-II exercise-induced angina pectoris. Echocardiography was performed during isometric exercise tests before and 7-9 days after drug administration. It was ascertained that not only ino- and chronotropic mechanisms, but redistribution in diastole patterns in the direction of increasing atrial systole were involved to adequately maintain cardiac output during exercise. Ejection fraction became higher in response to exercise with predominant myocardial mass, whereas atrial systolic fraction, with predominant dilatation. The drug produced its negative inotropic effect in the patients with predominant left ventricular dilation; a decrease in the rapid filling fraction was not followed by an increase in the atrial systolic fraction, which may be regarded as an early sign of myocardial failure.


The pipeline optimization problem in machine learning requires simultaneous optimization of pipeline structures and parameter adaptation of their elements. Having an elegant way to express these structures can help lessen the complexity in the management and analysis of their performances together with the different choices of optimization strategies. With these issues in mind, we created the AutoMLPipeline (AMLP) toolkit which facilitates the creation and evaluation of complex machine learning pipeline structures using simple expressions. We use AMLP to find optimal pipeline signatures, datamine them, and use these datamined features to speed-up learning and prediction. We formulated a two-stage pipeline optimization with surrogate modeling in AMLP which outperforms other AutoML approaches with a 4-hour time budget in less than 5 minutes of AMLP computation time.


People are generally unaware of the operation of the system of cognitive mechanisms that ameliorate their experience of negative affect (the psychological immune system), and thus they tend to overestimate the duration of their affective reactions to negative events. This tendency was demonstrated in 6 studies in which participants overestimated the duration of their affective reactions to the dissolution of a romantic relationship, the failure to achieve tenure, an electoral defeat, negative personality feedback, an account of a child's death, and rejection by a prospective employer. Participants failed to distinguish between situations in which their psychological immune systems would and would not be likely to operate and mistakenly predicted overly and equally enduring affective reactions in both instances. The present experiments suggest that people neglect the psychological immune system when making affective forecasts.


Different types of multinucleated giant cells (MGC) have been documented in tumors with osteoclast-like appearance, with trophoblastic differentiation or as tumoral malignant giant cells. A new variety of MGC has been described in renal cell carcinoma. In order to study the frequency, nature and significance of this cellular type, we have reviewed our files. To assess the presence, nature and significance of these MGC in renal cell carcinomas and associated histologic subtype. To review all malignant renal tumors diagnosed in the last 5 years in our hospital and to carry out a morphologic and immunohistochemical study in renal cell carcinomas with syncytial type MGC. 55 renal cell carcinomas were reviewed. Clear cell (conventional) renal cell carcinoma was the most common type encountered (40 cases); two of these cases showed syncytial type MGC and low grade malignancy. Microscopically the MGC contained from 5 to 40 nuclei. Immunohistochemically, mononucleated and multinucleated cells were positive for cytokeratin CAM 5.2, cytokeratin AE1/AE3 and weakly positive for vimentin. Histiocytic, muscular, neural markers, beta- HCG and alpha-fetoprotein were negative. The presence of syncytial type MGC in renal cell carcinomas is an exceptional event. Among 55 renal cell carcinomas we found two cases, both of which were of clear cell subtype and low grade malignancy. The MGC proved positive for epithelial markers and probably are the result of mononucleated tumoral cell fusion. We are unaware of the impact of this MGC in the outcome of patients; such cells appear in low grade carcinomas and do not seem to be of dismal prognosis.


Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common abdominal cancer. The existing therapeutic approaches often fail to achieve satisfactory results. Pyroptosis, an inflammatory form of programmed cell death, provides new ideas for anticancer treatment. However, the roles of pyroptosis-related (PR) genes (PRGs) in HCC remain elusive. Methods: Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (n = 22) were screened out using TCGA and GTEx databases. A novel PR risk signature was constructed through Lasso regression analysis. Its prognostic value was evaluated through a series of survival analyses and was tested in ICGC and GSE14520 cohorts. CIBERSORT, ssGSEA, and ESTIMATE methods were employed to determine the effects of the PR risk score on the tumor immune microenvironment (TIM). The TIDE scoring system, IMvigor210 cohort, GSE109211 dataset, and GSDC database were applied to explore the associations of the PR risk score with therapeutic effects. The biofunctions of WNK1 in hepatocellular cancer (HC) cells were confirmed through qPCR, colony formation, and Transwell assays. Results: Overall, 22 of 45 PRGs (48.9%) were abnormally expressed in HCC samples. Then, a PR risk signature consisting of eight PRGs was constructed. A high PR risk score led to an unfavorable prognosis. The PR risk score was identified as an independent prognostic factor of HCC and could increase the decision-making benefit of the traditional TNM model. In addition, we established a nomogram containing the clinical stage and PR risk score to predict the survival rates of HCC patients. The prognostic value of the PR model was successfully validated in ICGC and GSE14520 cohorts. Moreover, high PR risk conferred the decreased infiltration level of CD8+ T cells and weakened the activities of "cytolytic activity" pathways. As for therapeutic correlation, a high PR risk score seemed to imply a poor efficacy of PD-1/L1 inhibitors and sorafenib. Finally, the overexpression of WNK1 could promote the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HC cells. Conclusions: The PR risk score was closely related to the prognosis, antitumor immune process, therapeutic outcomes, and malignant progression of HCC. WNK1, the core regulator of pyroptosis, possesses pro-oncogenic abilities, showing promise as a novel treatment target.


Introduction
Eleven patients with Gustilo IIIC fractures with a medial wound and vascular injury were included in this series from 2003- 2009. Seven of these patients had the vascular repair done by the surgeon doing the bone fixation.
Method
The patients are positioned supine and the involved side is brought to the edge of the table with a sand bag placed deep under the ipsilateral buttock. A fasciotomy is undertaken. The original wound on the medial side is debrided and vascular control is obtained. The Vastus medialis is lifted off the medial inter-muscular septum and the bone ends are delivered, irrigated and retrograde insertion of the K- nail is done. When the nail is protruding, the leg is adducted and the nail driven in fully. The fracture is reduced and the antegrade insertion of the K-nail is done. The vascular repair with a reverse saphenous vein graft is done thereafter.
Results
Of the 11 patients, one developed non-union and one developed a superficial wound infection. Sixteen patients who had external fixation of Gustilo IIIC fractures of the femur during the same period of time in the same unit, all needed subsequent ORIF and six developed pin site infection.
Conclusions
This technique is quick and gives stability for a vascular repair. When the wound is on the medial side, this prevents an additional incision and allows vascular access through the same. Harvesting of the venous graft is made easy as the patient is supine.


This paper introduces a method for regularization of HMM systems that avoids parameter overfitting caused by insufficient training data. Regularization is done by augmenting the EM training method by a penalty term that favors simple and smooth HMM systems. The penalty term is constructed as a mixture model of negative exponential distributions that is assumed to generate the state dependent emission probabilities of the HMMs. This new method is the successful transfer of a well known regularization approach in neural networks to the HMM domain and can be interpreted as a generalization of traditional state-tying for HMM systems. The effect of regularization is demonstrated for continuous speech recognition tasks by improving overfitted triphone models and by speaker adaptation with limited training data.


Half-sandwich complexes of iridium(III) are currently being developed as anticancer drug candidates. In this context, we introduce IrBDP for which the C^N chelating phenyloxazoline ligand carries a fluorescent and lipophilic BODIPY reporter group, designed for intracellular tracking and hydrophobic compartment tropism. High-resolution analysis of cells cultured with IrBDP showed that it quickly permeates the plasma membrane and accumulates in the mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum (ER), generating ER stress, dispersal of the Golgi apparatus, cell proliferation arrest and apoptotic cell death. Moreover, IrBDP forms fluorescent adducts with a subset of amino acids, namely histidine and cysteine, via coordination of N or S donor atoms of their side chains. Consistently, in vivo formation of covalent adducts with specific proteins is demonstrated, providing a molecular basis for the observed cytotoxicity and cellular response. Collectively, these results provide a new entry to the development of half-sandwich iridium-based anticancer drugs.


Generally, it is relatively easy to obtain a high joint strength with most modern bonding systems if these are cured under ideal factory conditions. However, civil engineering construction joints are cured on site and are required to last the lifetime of the structural member in harsh environmental conditions. This implies that site joints might not be constructed and cured as well as those fabricated in the factory. The paper compares two possible methods for bonding an FRP composite patch/plate to a steel adherend suitable for construction sites. The first method utilises the accepted technique of bonding two dissimilar materials using a two-part cold cure adhesive. The second method employs a pre-impregnated FRP composite plate in conjunction with a compatible film adhesive; these comparisons are undertaken by examining the results of double-strap butt joint tests. A possible site technique using the pre-impregnated FRP composite to upgrade a steel beam whilst it is under a low frequency vibration load is investigated; this represents the repair of a steel bridge constantly under traversing traffic. The butt joint test results show that on average, the pre-impregnated composite in conjunction with the film adhesive leads to a failure load which is 15% higher than that of the cold setting adhesive technique. The results of the rehabilitated beam tests show that the bonded joint between the pre-impregnated CFRP composite and the steel adherend did not suffer any significant damage from the low frequency vibrations imposed upon the steel beam during the cure period.


Paratesticular tumors are uncommon tumors, most being found incidentally at autopsy. The most common benign paratesticular tumor is the adenomatoid tumor. A somewhat less frequent benign paratesticular tumor, papillary cystadenoma, accounts for approximately 33 percent of all the primary epididymal tumors and is frequently seen in patients with Von Hippel-Lindau disease. Malignant tumors are rare. Of these, rhabdomyosarcoma is the most frequent. Seen almost exclusively in the pediatric population, paratesticular rhabdomyosarcomas account for 7 percent of childhood rhabdomyosarcomas. We describe two cases of paratesticular tumors in adults: a papillary cystadenoma of the epididymis in a 72-year old male, and an incidental rhabdomyosarcoma in a 49-year old male.


We find that in a quartz/clay system, P- and S-wave impedances (IP and IS, respectively) each uniquely depend on a different linear combination of the total porosity and clay content. This implies that if the pore fluid is known, we can resolve these two seismically derived impedances for porosity and clay content. Key to such interpretation is rock-physics diagnostics that provide a theoretical rock-physics model to quantitatively explain well data by relating IP and IS to porosity, clay content, and pore fluid. The well data conditioned according to this model serve as input to simultaneous impedance inversion. Poisson's or the IP/IS ratio serves as the pore-fluid identifier. We give an example of such rock-physics-based interpretation of seismically derived impedances for rock properties based on well and seismic data from an offshore oil field.


Recognized risk factors for metrizamide myelography are seizure disorder, seizure-threshold-lowering drugs, dehydration, and possibly age. After observing serious neurologic complications in diabetic patients after routine metrizamide myelography, a retrospective study was conducted to determine if diabetes should be considered another independent and important risk factor. Forty-one diabetic patients who had lumbar metrizamide myelograms were compared with a control group of 110 nondiabetic patients. A significantly higher incidence was found of severe vomiting (15% vs. 3%, p less than 0.01) and neurologic complications (20% vs. 2%, p less than 0.001) in the diabetic population. Neurologic complications included one case each of seizure, severe encephalopathy, auditory and visual hallucinations, and prolonged somnolence and four cases of confusion-anxiety. Four of the diabetic patients had major transient elevations of blood pressure. These findings suggest that diabetics are a high-risk population for metrizamide myelography. The dose of metrizamide should be minimized, whenever possible. The new nonionic myelographic agents may prove to be safer in this population, but caution and careful follow-up should be exercised in the initial trials with these patients.


Non-market values were estimated with energy analysis under four land cover scenarios in the Ebro Delta, Spain. The market value of agriculture, the primary use value, is compared. Conversion of the natural landscape to agricultural fields has resulted in a drop in total annual non-market value from $721 million in the pristine scenario to $11 million in the present scenario. The market value of the agricultural crops has risen over time, from $10 million to almost $52 million, contributing the major portion of the total value of the Delta. However, the rate of return has decreased from the pristine to the present delta, indicating that more energy is required to produce a smaller output. Energy analyses reveal that one form of value—non-market value—is being traded for another—market value.


The aim of this thesis is to further develop a narrative psychological research
methodology that is specifically suited for the study of healthy living. The title The development
of narrative competence has a twofold meaning which mirrors the methodological and the
substantive orientation of the study. First, narrative competence refers to the competence of a
researcher to do narrative research. Second, this competence refers to the ability of people to
understand and constitute themselves and the world – and importantly their healthy lives –
through storytelling. The development of narrative psychology as a research methodology is
presented in ten chapters distributed among four parts: 1) preparing, 2) exploring, 3) shaping and
4) harvesting. The last part Harvesting consists of one concluding chapter in which I evaluate the
developmental process in this thesis. First, I describe what each part of the thesis has brought
forth. I reflect on the original aims of narrative psychology, and on how my research relates to and
contributes to these aims. I also reflect on how the methodology developed in this study fits in
with recent developments in narrative research in the human sciences, and in a narrative
approach to health promotion in the Netherlands. Furthermore, I reflect on the implications of a
shift in research to a more active involvement from the researcher as interviewer, analyst and
author in the construction of healthy living practices. Finally, I suggest directions for the further
development and use of both small and large variants of analysis to enhance the practical value of
the research methodology that is the focus of this thesis. Then, I reflect on how the
methodological quality criteria (see chapter three) played a role in the specific demonstrations
of research methodology in my study, and could play in further methodology development.
I conclude with an open invitation to critically refine the developed dialogical narrative
psychological methodology in future cooperation between (health) practitioners and researchers.


Objective Fluid overload is common among critically ill patients and is associated with worse outcomes. We aimed to assess the effect of diuretics on urine output, vasopressor dose, acute kidney injury (AKI) incidence, and need for renal replacement therapies (RRT) among patients who receive vasopressors. Patients and methods This is a single-center retrospective study of all adult patients admitted to the intensive care unit between January 2006 and December 2016 and received >6 hours of vasopressor therapy and at least one concomitant dose of diuretic. We excluded patients from cardiac care units. Hourly urine output and vasopressor dose for 6 hours before and after the first dose of diuretic therapy was compared. Rates of AKI development and RRT initiation were assessed with a propensity-matched cohort of patients who received vasopressors but did not receive diuretics. Results There was an increasing trend of prescribing diuretics in patients receiving vasopressors over the course of the study. We included 939 patients with median (IQR) age of 68(57, 78) years old and 400 (43%) female. The average hourly urine output during the first six hours following time zero in comparison with average hourly urine output during the six hours prior to time zero was significantly higher in diuretic group in comparison with patients who did not receive diuretics [81 (95% CI 73–89) ml/h vs. 42 (95% CI 39–45) ml/h, respectively; p<0.001]. After propensity matching, the rate of AKI within 7 days of exposure and the need for RRT were similar between the study and matched control patients (66 (15.6%) vs. 83 (19.6%), p = 0.11, and 34 (8.0%) vs. 37 (8.7%), p = 0.69, respectively). Mortality, however, was higher in the group that received diuretics. Ninety-day mortality was 191 (45.2%) in the exposed group VS 156 (36.9%) p = .009. Conclusions While the use of diuretic therapy in critically ill patients receiving vasopressor infusions augmented urine output, it was not associated with higher vasopressor requirements, AKI incidence, and need for renal replacement therapy.


We investigate a disaggregated version of the abnormal earnings growth (AEG) model of Ohlson and Juettner-Nauroth (2005). The value of the firm then becomes discounted free cash flows minus initial debt. Discounted free cash flows are equal to capitalized operating earnings from the initial stock of operating assets plus the present value of an infinite sequence of growth projects, where each growth project is valued by discounted economic value added. Sufficient conditions for the present value of the free cash flows to be equal to the sum of these two components are investigated. The Gordon growth formula is found to be one special case. Another case concerns lumpy growth projects with depreciation according to the annuity method. We then allow for three different interest rates, the required rate of return on equity under all-equity financing, the borrowing rate, and the required rate of return on equity under partial debt financing (the latter given by MM's Proposition 2). In the model of Ohlson and Juettner-Nauroth, these rates are the same. A firm-level model is developed that focuses on operating earnings and free cash flows with discounting at the required rate of return under all-equity financing. An equity-level model is then developed that focuses on bottom-line earnings and dividends with discounting at the required rate of return under partial debt financing. Relationships between the two models are explored. Dividend policy irrelevance holds only in a limited sense for the equity-level model.


Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV) and Beet soilborne mosaic virus (BSBMV) are members of the genus Benyvirus, and Burdock mottle virus (BdMV) is a tentative member. BNYVV and BSBMV are vectored by the plasmodiophorid Polymyxa betae, which has a worldwide distribution. Polymyxa betae is morphologically indistinguishable from P. graminis, but recent molecular studies support separation of the two species. The geographic distribution of BNYVV is also worldwide, but BSBMV has been identified only in the United States. In Europe and Japan, several genotypic strains of BNYVV have been identified, and those with a fifth RNA appear to be more aggressive. No thorough survey of genotypic variability of BNYVV or BSBMV has been conducted in the United States. However, both viruses are widespread and frequently found in the same field, infecting the same beet plant. The implications of this close proximity, with regard to disease incidence and severity, and for recombination, are uncertain. Recent technological advances that permit improved detection and quantification of these viruses and their vector offer tremendous research opportunities.


Abstract Automated planning is the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that focuses on identifying sequences of actions allowing to reach a goal state from a given initial state. The need of using such techniques in real-world applications has brought popular languages for expressing automated planning problems to provide direct support for continuous and discrete state variables, along with changes that can be either instantaneous or durative. PDDL+ (Planning Domain Definition Language +) models support the encoding of such representations, but the resulting planning problems are notoriously difficult for AI planners to cope with due to non-linear dependencies arising from the variables and infinite search spaces. This difficulty is exacerbated by the potentially huge fully ground representations used by modern planners in order to effectively explore the search space, which can make some problems impossible to tackle. This paper investigates two grounding techniques for PDDL+ problems, both aimed at reducing the size of the full ground representation by reasoning over the lifted, more abstract problem structure. The first method extends the simple mechanism of invariant analysis to limit the groundings of operators upfront. The second method proposes to tackle the grounding process through a PDDL+ to classical planning abstraction; this allows us to leverage the amount of research done in the classical planning area. Our empirical analysis studies the effect of these novel approaches over both real-world hybrid applications and synthetic PDDL+ problems took from standard benchmarks of the planning community; our results reveal that not only the techniques improve the running time of previous grounding mechanisms but also let the planner extend the reach to problems that were not solvable before.


Of the many strategies for precise tumor treatment, near-infrared (NIR) light-activated "one-for-all" theranostic modality with real-time diagnosis and therapy has attracted extensive attention from researchers. Herein, a brand-new theranostic nanoplatform was established on versatile vanadium nitride (VN) nanosheets, which show significant NIR optical absorption, and resultant photothermal effect and reactive oxygen species activity under NIR excitation, thereby realizing the synergistic action of photothermal/photodynamic co-therapy. As expected, systematic in vitro and in vivo antitumor evaluations demonstrated efficient cancer cell killing and solid tumor removal without recurrence. Meanwhile, the surface modification of VN nanosheets with poly(allylamine hydrochloride) and bovine serum albumin enhanced the biocompatibility of VN and made it more suitable for in vivo delivery. Moreover, VN has been ascertained as a potential photoacoustic imaging contrast for in vivo tumor depiction. Thus, this work highlights the potential of VN nanosheets as a single-component theranostic nanoplatform.


An in vivo K x-ray fluorescence system, based on 109Cd source, for the detection of gadolinium has been investigated. Gd is of interest because of the extensive use of Gd-based contrast agents in MR imaging. A human simulating bone phantom set has been developed. The phantoms were doped with seven concentrations of Gd. Additional elements important for in vivo x-ray fluorescence, Na, Cl and Ca, were also included to create an overall elemental composition consistent with the Reference Man. A new 5 GBq 109Cd source was purchased to improve the source activity in comparison to the previous study (0.17 GBq). The previously published minimum detection limit (MDL) for Gd phantom measurements using KXRF system was 3.3 ppm. In this study the minimum detection limit for bare bone phantoms was found to reduce the MDL to 0.8, a factor of 4.1. The previous published data used only three layers of plastic as soft tissue equivalent materials and found the MDL of 4–4.8 ppm. In this study we have used the plastic with more realistic thicknesses to simulate a soft tissue at tibia. The detection limits for phantoms with Lucite as a tissue equivalent, using a new source, was determined to be 1.81 to 3.47 ppm (μg Gd per gram phantom). Our next study would be testing an in vivo K x-ray fluorescence system, based on 109Cd source on human volunteers who went through MR imaging and were injected by Gd.


To support new teachers in their training to adopt and use ICT in an "informed way" (Towndrow & Vallance, 2004), it was decided to utilise a networking technology that facilitated real-time (synchronous) document development and communication. This decision was influenced by the uniqueness of the technology, its anticipated future utilisation in the work space (Digital Workstyle, 2005) and, more importantly, by the opportunity to provide all participants with a new experience upon which to consider a more informed integration of ICT in their teaching and their pupils' learning. In order to discover the impact of synchronous networking technology on pre-service teachers, a case study approach was considered most appropriate in order to gain a rich, thick description of the data (Merriam, 1988). The case study was conducted in four phases: Planning action and research; Taking action: monitoring, reflecting and documenting; (Re)constructing and evaluating; and Theorising and disseminating (Levy, 2003). The participants, pre-service teachers at Singapore's National Institute of Education, (n = 16) took part in a 12-week undergraduate course entitled 'Computer Applications in Language and Literature'.

This course explored how various aspects of language, learning and literature could be utilized to make effective educational use of technology. The topics included: the development of computer assisted language learning; educational policy-making and IT; task design and production; literacy in the digital age; the roles of teachers, students and computers; language testing and assessment using IT; and young learners and computers (Towndrow & Vallance, 2004). The course adopted a blended learning approach in order "to help the students experience the critical patterns of variation in topics" (Oliver & Trigwell, 2005, p. 23). Some caution is needed in the use of the term "blended learning", however, which has been criticised on the grounds of being ill-defined; because it has often been used in contexts which focus on manipulating the blend from the point of view of the teacher, rather than from that of the learner; and because of a lack of analysis from the perspective of the learner (Oliver & Trigwell, 2005). The current study sought to overcome such concerns by developing blended learning from the perspective of the learner and, in particular, by providing an active role for participants (learners) as producers and managers of content and, more importantly, of experience. The course was implemented in response to the desired outcomes set out in Singapore's Masterplan for IT in Education (Teo, 1997) and the lack of existing guidance on how such outcomes were to be achieved (Deng & Gopinathan, 1999).

Case study research design is commonly employed to obtain, "an in-depth understanding of the situation and its meaning to those involved" (Merriam, 1988, p. xii) and is most often used in order to test theory or build theory, incorporate random sampling or purposive sampling, or involve collecting quantitative data or qualitative data. Guba and Lincoln (1981) suggest that qualitative and quantitative techniques employed in case study research can be used in combination and that such 'triangulation' enhances the validity and reliability of such work. It is recognised, however, that problems can arise if one is trying to reach consensus across studies conducted from the naturalistic and traditional research paradigms. Quantitative study must follow strict procedures in terms of data collection and analysis whereas a qualitative study needs to provide enough detail to illustrate how a conclusion makes sense. Merriam (1988) asserts that academic rigour is attainable in case study research:

"Unlike experimental designs where validity and reliability are accounted for before the investigation, rigour in a qualitative case study derives from the researcher's presence, the nature of the interaction between researcher and participants, the triangulation of data, the interpretations of perceptions, and rich, thick description." (p. 120).

In effect, data needs to be presented as it emerges and be related to the participants' perspectives. Moreover, a case study approach does not privilege any particular method for data collection and analysis and has thus been defined as, "interpretation in context" (Cronbach, 1975). As such, a case study attempts to uncover the interaction of significant factors characteristic of the case (Merriam, 1988).

A case study is also particularly appropriate when the goal is to represent interaction, describe its context and explain the complex linkages involved in the interaction (Yin, 2003). Consequently, case study research design is particularly suited for studying educational innovations (Merriam, 1988) such as that examined in this research.

Case study research must, however, allow for external judgements about its trustworthiness to be made regarding its procedures and outcomes. Credibility in research is about ensuring that the data and resultant findings are accurately identified and described (Guba & Lincoln, 1981). In the present study, the participants' discussions and physical actions were recorded by a small digital camera (Apple's iSight) attached to the top of the computer they were using. In addition, all user-defined computed actions displayed on the monitor were also digitally recorded. The video and screen recordings were then synchronised into one digital movie format. Immediately after each task, the participants discussed their activities and learning with the researcher. A summary of the discussion was then written and posted online within 1 week for verification and/or clarification by each participant. By involving the participants in this way, the interview transcriptions were able to be checked and any misinterpretations of meaning corrected. As the study progressed the researcher looked back at previous transcripts of task processes and interviews in order to identify recurring issues and seek clarification from participants at later interviews. This cross-referencing of the digital capture, the post-task interviews, the researcher's interpretation and confirmatory follow up discussions lend credibility to the recorded data.


Permafrost and seasonally frozen ground regions occupy approximately 24% and 55%, respectively, of the exposed land surface in the Northern Hemisphere. The areal extent, timing, duration, and depth of the near-surface soil freeze and thaw have a significant impact on plant growth, energy, and water and trace gas exchanges between the atmosphere and the soils in cold seasons/cold regions. Satellite remote sensing combined with ground "truth" measurements have been used to investigate seasonally frozen ground and permafrost at local to regional scales with some success. The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of satellite remote sensing techniques applied to study seasonally frozen ground and permafrost over the last few decades. Remote sensing of permafrost terrain and surface freeze/thaw cycles typically uses a combination of imaging in optical and thermal wavelengths, passive microwave sensing, and active microwave remote sensing using scatterometer and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). No single sensor is capable of providing the range of observations needed. SAR imaging provides information on the timing, duration, and regional progression of the near-surface soil freeze/thaw status in cold seasons/regions with a relatively high spatial resolution, but repeat times of existing satellites are relatively long compared to the rate of change of the soil freeze/thaw cycle in fall and spring. Spaceborne passive microwave sensors offer more frequent coverage at several wavelengths, but with substantially lower spatial resolution. Optical and thermal sensors provide a middle ground in spatial resolution and temporal sampling between SAR and passive microwave satellites, but a known relationship between permafrost (and freeze/thaw depth) and corresponding environmental factors needs to be provided. Overall, microwave remote sensing is a promising technique for detecting near-surface soil freeze/thaw cycles over snow-free land. The potential for using land surface temperature derived from satellite visible and near-infrared sensors to study soil freezing and thawing processes is substantial. Satellite remote sensing data products—such as for snow cover extent, snow depth, snowmelt, land surface type, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), surface albedo, surface wetness, and soil moisture—can be very helpful for frozen ground studies at local, regional, and global scales.


The purpose of the article is to establish and assess the significance of the federal legacy of the Schuman Declaration (9 May 1950) in the evolution of postwar European integration. To this end it provides a sharp focus upon the political strategy of Jean Monnet and his active role in promoting the cause of a federal Europe. His approach to the building of Europe is outlined and its direct relationship to the Schuman Declaration, which he wrote, is explored. Monnet's conception of Europe is confirmed as federal and the author draws upon the theoretical concepts of supranationalism and intergovernmentalism in order to demonstrate precisely how Europe's first construction, the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) created in 1951, was illustrative of a distinctly new and unprecedented form of European integration. The conclusion confirms this to be incremental federalization.


Four genetic assays, 16S rRNA restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), 16S rRNA sequencing, 16S-23S rRNA intergenetic spacer (IGS) RFLP, and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), were conducted to determine the genotypic characteristics of 44 indigenous strains of Bradyrhizobium from soybean (Glycine max L.) cropping zones of China. The results generated from different assays showed that soybean bradyrhizobial isolates comprised four genomic groups. Group I was composed of strains mainly isolated from the North and Northeast plains of China. All four assays confirmed this group as phylogenetically divergent from all the reference strains. Strains of the group may represent a new species. Strains in Group II isolated from a variety of geographic regions were ascribed to B. liaoningense. Strains in Group III, mainly isolated from Central and East China, were closely related to the reference strains of B. japonicum. Strains in Group IV belonged to B. elkanii.


Analyzing the rise and subsequent fall of international piracy from the perspective of colonial hinterlands, Mark G. Hanna explores the often overt support of sea marauders in maritime communities from the inception of England's burgeoning empire in the 1570s to its administrative consolidation by the 1740s. Although traditionally depicted as swashbuckling adventurers on the high seas, pirates played a crucial role on land. Far from a hindrance to trade, their enterprises contributed to commercial development and to the economic infrastructure of port towns. English piracy and unregulated privateering flourished in the Pacific, the Caribbean, and the Indian Ocean because of merchant elites' active support in the North American colonies. Sea marauders represented a real as well as a symbolic challenge to legal and commercial policies formulated by distant and ineffectual administrative bodies that undermined the financial prosperity and defense of the colonies. Departing from previous understandings of deep-sea marauding, this study reveals the full scope of pirates' activities in relation to the landed communities that they serviced and their impact on patterns of development that formed early America and the British Empire. Published for the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture, Williamsburg, Virginia, USA.


We conduct a randomized field experiment to study the effects of two financial education interventions offered to small-scale retailers in Uganda. The treatments contrast "active learning" with "traditional lecturing" within standardized lesson-plans. We find that active learning has a positive and economically meaningful impact on savings and investment outcomes, in contrast to insignificant impacts of lecturing. These results are not conditional on prior education or financial literacy. Tentative evidence suggests that only active learning stimulates several cognitive and non-cognitive mechanisms; moreover, a social mechanism may be at play as treated individuals join social groups discussing financial matters. JEL-Classification: I21 (analysis of education), A20 (general), D14 (personal finance), O16 (savings)


European food safety legislation allows for a new type of meat inspection in swine. This 'risk-based meat inspection without incision' or 'supply chain meat inspection' (SCMI) uses food chain information to derive a veterinary prognosis on the pigs' health prior to delivery to the slaughterhouse and allows for visual inspection of pig carcasses. Slaughter companies who want to implement SCMI must develop their risk-based system and have it approved by the competent authority. In the Dutch-German border region, slaughter companies implementing SCMI and suppliers delivering pigs in such a system have to consider the prerequisites of a number of competent authorities. In turn competent authorities have to cope with the special conditions and requirements of a cross border economic region. Within the INTERREG-IV-A project SAFEGUARD issues were addressed that arise from the conduct of SCMI in a cross border context. The main objective was to elaborate an up-to-date comparison between Germany and the Netherlands. We used an iterative approach of collecting information from project partners, external experts and scientific literature and providing feedback to the project group during a number of meetings and workshops. We discovered, among others, important differences in 'involvement of private parties', 'data exchange and communication' and 'use of epidemiological data'. We conclude that the existence of SCMI systems using different 'epidemiological data' from the holding is a barrier to inter-company acceptance of finishing pigs for slaughter. Further, current systems of data exchange fail to give a complete picture of a farm's health if farms switch deliveries between slaughterhouses. We suggest, that data exchange of food chain information and meat inspection results should be reorganized and harmonized. Further research is needed to assess economic consequences of these issues.


We obtain 3D Q P and Q S models for the Delta region of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, a large fluvial–agricultural portion of the Great Valley located between the Sierra Nevada batholith and the San Francisco Bay–Coast Ranges region of active faulting. Path attenuation t * values have been obtained for P and S data from 124 distributed earthquakes, with a longer variable window for S based on the energy integral. We use frequency dependence with an exponent of 0.5, consistent with other studies and weakly favored by the t * S data. A regional initial model was obtained by solving for Q as a function of seismic velocity. In the final model, the Great Valley basin has low Q , with very low Q (<50) for the shallowest portion of the Delta. There is an underlying strong Q contrast to the ophiolite basement, which is thickest with highest Q under the Sacramento basin, and a change in structure is apparent across the Suisun Bay as a transition to thinner ophiolite. Moderately low Q is found in the upper crust west of the Delta region along the faults in the eastern North Bay area, whereas moderately high Q is found south of the Delta, implying potentially stronger ground motion for earthquake sources to the south. Very low Q values in the shallow crust along parts of the major fault zones may relate to sediment and abundant microfractures. In the lower crust below the San Andreas and Calaveras–Hayward–Rodgers Creek fault zones, the observed low Q is consistent with grain‐size reduction in ductile shear zones and is lowest under the San Andreas, which has large cumulative strain. Similarly, moderately low Q in the ductile lower crust of the Bay area block between the major fault zones implies a broad distributed shear zone.

Online Material: Distribution of earthquake magnitude, figures of t * values, 3D initial regional velocity and Q models, station terms, and Q P inversion with 1D initial Q P model.