The therapeutic application of functional electrical stimulation (FES) has shown promising clinical results in the rehabilitation of post‐stroke hemiplegia. It appears that the effect is optimal when the patterned electrical stimulation is used in close synchrony with voluntary movement, although the neural mechanisms that underlie the clinical successes reported with therapeutic FES are unknown. One possibility is that therapeutic FES takes advantage of the sensory consequences of an internal model. Here, we investigate fMRI cortical activity when FES is combined with voluntary effort (FESVOL) and we compare this activity to that produced when FES and voluntary activity (VOL) are performed alone. FESVOL revealed greater cerebellar activity compared with FES alone and reduced activity bilaterally in secondary somatosensory areas (SII) compared with VOL alone. Reduced activity was also observed for FESVOL compared with FES alone in the angular gyrus, middle frontal gyrus and inferior frontal gyrus. These findings indicate that during the VOL condition the cerebellum predicts the sensory consequences of the movement and this reduces the subsequent activation in SII. The decreased SII activity may reflect a better match between the internal model and the actual sensory feedback. The greater cerebellar activity coupled with reduced angular gyrus activity in FESVOL compared with FES suggests that the cortex may interpret sensory information during the FES condition as an error‐like signal due to the lack of a voluntary component in the movement. Hum Brain Mapp, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Sexual harassment has been studies as a mechanism reproducing inequality between sexes, as gender based discrimination, and more recently, as a public health problem. The role of family-related factors for subjection to sexual harassment in adolescent has been little studied. Our aim was to study the role of socio-demographic family factors and parental involvement in adolescent's persona life for experiences of sexual harassment among 14–18-year-old population girls and boys. An anonymous cross-sectional classroom survey was carried out in comprehensive and secondary schools in Finland. 90 953 boys and 91 746 girls aged 14–18 participated. Sexual harassment was elicited with five questions. Family structure, parental education, parental unemployment and parental involvement as perceived by the adolescent were elicited. The data were analyzed using cross-tabulations with chi-square statistics and logistic regressions. All types of sexual harassment experiences elicited were more common among girls than among boys. Parental unemployment, not living with both parents and low parental education were associated with higher likelihood of reporting experiences of sexual harassment, and parental involvement in the adolescent's personal life was associated with less reported sexual harassment. Parental involvement in an adolescent's life may be protective of perceived sexual harassment. Adolescents from socio-economically disadvantaged families are more vulnerable to sexual harassment than their more advantaged peers. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


: Vegetables are most important constituents of Indian agriculture and nutritional security due to their short duration, nutritional richness, high yield, economic viability and ability to generate on-farm and off-farm employment. Our country is blessed with diverse agro-climates with distinct seasons, making it possible to grow wide array of vegetables. Pruning can encourage faster growth of new shoots, which has the potential to bloom. Training and Pruning technique deserve attention in yield and quality enhancement of vegetable crops. Through its effect on improved photosynthetic efficiency, plant growth, and optimization of vegetative and reproductive balance. Research works has been conducted on this aspect to improve the growth, yield and quality of vegetable crops. The literature available on pruning in vegetable crops are collected under the following heads: Response of pruning on the vegetative growth and yield, Response of pruning on quality characters, Economic studies.


In this paper we present a simple and effective method for doing non-linear feature adaptation using Maxout networks. The technique overcomes the need to sample the partition function during training, and overcomes the need to compute the Jacobian term and its gradient for each training case. Results on the Switchboard 1 task demonstrate that the approach can improve a state-of-the-art hybrid ASR system that utilizes i-vectors.


This thesis studies an international trade game modelled as a coordination game, where countries interact by following a simple behavioural rule of trying to reduce the gap between the maximal payoff and their own payoff. Countries are allowed to choose from one of two strategies – E (integrate into the world economy) or A (remain in autarky). D'Artigues and Vignolo [33] find that in this coordination game, the desire to imitate the leading country is frustrated by the impossibility of doing so. Hence, paradoxically, the desire of convergence into the world economy may lead to a more partitioned world economy. Envy is found to be the central motive behind developing countries opting for rejection of globalisation, and with sufficiently large heterogeneity in payoffs, spiteful behaviour overcomes imitation. The presence of envious people in a class of symmetric coordination games helps players to coordinate on a particular strict Nash equilibrium, which is always risk-dominant. This thesis first analyses the trade dynamics for a simple 2-country and a 3-country model and then derives conclusions on the more general n-country model. Results for the first trade model are based on the model output obtained for strict equilibria and strictly stable states of the trade game via numerical computations. This model is then extended by allowing countries to choose intermediate strategies, so that they can choose the level of integration with the world economy by a small strategy size δ>0. The trade dynamics for this continuous strategy trade game model are then derived for the 2-country scenario, which suggest that the lagging country can catch up with the leading country, leading to non-existence of any long-term equilibria.


The cellular mechanisms underlying beta-adrenergic potentiation in the CA1 region of the rat hippocampus were examined. A 10 min treatment with isoproterenol (ISO) induced a long-term depolarization of the pyramidal neurons that persisted for at least 30 min of washout; the ISO-induced decrease in the calcium-activated potassium conductance (afterhyperpolarization, or AHP) was similarly prolonged. The long-term excitability changes induced by ISO did not depend upon the calcium concentration of the medium and could be elicited in medium containing as little as 240 microM calcium. The persistent increase in population spike induced by ISO was mimicked by superfusion with several cAMP analogs and by forskolin (which directly activates adenylate cyclase), but not by the inactive dideoxyforskolin. Forskolin and cAMP analogs also induced decreases in AHPs that could be quite prolonged, but did not depolarize pyramidal neurons as consistently as did ISO. We hypothesize that activation of beta-adrenergic receptors in the CA1 region of hippocampus may induce an alteration of the hippocampal "state" that can persist for as long as several hours, during which the induction of other forms of plasticity may be enhanced.


Background Young people living with HIV (YPWH) poorly manage their health and disproportionately experience negative health and social outcomes. Poverty, isolation, stigma, and low social capital contribute to health inequality in YPWH. Young people affected by HIV (have a HIV positive sibling or parent) are often equally affected by these factors and have an increased chance of becoming HIV-positive themselves compared to their peers. Service providers working with HIV infected and affected adolescents must understand the kinds of behaviours the group are exhibiting and their everyday life experience in order to provide the most appropriate and relevant support. Methods YPLWAH accessing a third sector support service completed a modified version of the YRBS (Youth Risk Behaviour Survey) over two days in September 2013. Participation was voluntary, anonymous and the young people were given a clear explanation of the uses of the survey data. Results 54 YPLWAH completed the survey, of whom 70% were HIV positive (30% were affected). The median age was 16 and 57% of participants were female. Selected results include: 80% of participants regularly take care of family members and 27% of respondents spend 3+ hours a day caring for family members. 55% of participants never talk to their family about HIV and only 2% can talk to their friends about HIV. 20% had been admitted to hospital because of HIV related reasons. 31.5% had thought about attempting suicide and 41% had experienced feeling so sad and hopeless that they stopped doing their usual activities for more than 2 weeks in a row. 52% have had a sibling or parent die. 48% have had sex by choice, 11% were aged 12 or younger at sexual debut, median age was 14. 16.5% have had sex against their will. 51% of those who were sexually active used a condom every time, 41% sometimes used a condom, 8% never used a condom. Conclusion This study further highlights the extensive practical and psychosocial support needs of HIV+ and HIV affected adolescents. The results of this survey have guided future programming of interventions and support at a third sector service for this group.


BACKGROUND
Tardive dyskinesia is a serious adverse event, which is associated mainly with the use of the first-generation antipsychotic agents. Convergent data from clinical trials suggest that second-generation antipsychotic agents are less likely to cause tardive dyskinesia. However, the data with regard to the effect of switching from first- to second-generation antipsychotic agents on pre-existing dyskinetic symptoms during routine clinical care is sparse.

METHODS
Sixty-three patients with DSM-IV schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (n = 61) or bipolar I disorder (n = 2) consecutively admitted to a state hospital, who were treated either with olanzapine (n = 35) or conventional antipsychotic agents (n = 28) by physician choice, were enrolled in the study. The severity and frequency of tardive dyskinetic symptoms using the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale were assessed in the two medication groups at baseline, 8 weeks, and 6 months.

RESULTS
There were statistically significant reductions in the prevalence and severity of dyskinetic symptoms at 8 weeks and 6 months for the group treated with olanzapine but not for those treated with conventional agents.

CONCLUSIONS
These preliminary data suggest that olanzapine may be a treatment option for subjects with tardive dyskinesia. However, the question whether olanzapine treats, ameliorates, or masks preexisting tardive dyskinesia was difficult to answer, as no dosage reduction or withdrawal was undertaken.


This article argues that in spite of its benefits and value, there appears to be little attention given to the use of readers theatre or to its connection to theories of learning or reading. The author takes a "second look" at readers theatre and highlights its value in an attempt to reignite the excitement that it brings to reading. Social constructivism, Cambourne's (1988) conditions for learning, and reader response theory are examined as the theoretical underpinnings. Using readers theatre increases comprehension, literature appreciation, and student engagement. Evidence is provided to support the claim that readers theatre is not only enjoyable for students, but it is also a sound pedagogy that results in more than improved fluency as reflected in the sample of student thoughts prefacing the next section.


Animal models show that developmental compensatory mechanisms may promote neural and functional plasticity

Preterm birth results in considerable disability, yet several reports suggest recovery from injury in developing brain. Developmental compensatory mechanisms may promote neural and functional plasticity, and numerous experimental studies have documented the brain's ability to engage in regenerative mechanisms to potentially replace injured cells. We review available evidence for recovery from injury in models for the preterm brain and offer hypotheses for targeting time dependent molecular and cellular repair mechanisms that have been recently gathered from animal studies. A better understanding of these adaptive cellular and molecular mechanisms will help clinicians apply knowledge derived from animal models to clinical situations.

The many neurodevelopmental handicaps that very low birthweight infants experience suggest that preterm birth disrupts the genetically programmed pattern of brain genesis. To develop a clinically relevant model of the effect of preterm birth on developing brain, one must use an animal model that shows that the injury imposed results in neuropathological changes similar to those found in preterm infants and correlate these changes with behavioural outcomes. As in the preterm infant at the end of the second trimester, neuronal generation in the newborn rodent is complete in most regions, axonal and dendritic branching is robust, and synaptogenesis is just beginning.1

Review of the literature suggests that oxygen deprivation is a major cause of neurodevelopmental disability in preterm infants.2 Although intraventricular haemorrhage, periventricular leucomalacia, and ventriculomegaly are the most commonly recognised and best studied of these circulatory disturbances,2 hypoxia is particularly prevalent among very low birthweight infants and is a common denominator of these abnormalities.3

Models of both hypoxia-ischaemia and hypoxia have been studied in newborn rodents, and the former results in focal injury to developing brain.4 In contrast, the exposure of …


Background : Anemia disease is the most common hematological disorder which most often occurs in women. Knowledge discovery from large volumes of data associated with records of the disease can improve medical services quality by data mining The goal of this study was to determining and evaluating the status of anemia using data mining algorithms. Methods : In this applied study, laboratory and clinical data of the patients with anemia were studied in the population of women. The data have been gathered during a year in the laboratory of Imam Hossein and Shohada-ye Haft-e Tir Hospitals which contains 690 records and 15 laboratory and clinical features of anemia. To discover hidden relationships and structures using k-medoids algorithm the patients were clustered. The Silhouette index was used to determine clustering quality. Results : The features of red blood cell (RBC), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), ferritin, gastrointestinal cancer (GI cancer), gastrointestinal surgery (GI surgery) and gastrointestinal infection (GI infection) by clustering have been determined as the most important patients' features. These patients according to their features have been seg-mented to three clusters. First, the patients were clustered according to all features. The results showed that clustering with all features is not suitable because of weak structure of clustering. Then, each time the clustering was performed with different number of features. The silhouette index average is 80 percent that shows clustering quality. Therefore clustering is acceptable and has a strong structure. Conclusion: The results showed that clustering with all features is not suitable because of weak structure. Then, each time the clustering was performed with different number of features. The first cluster contains mild iron deficiency anemia, the second cluster contains severe iron deficiency anemia patients and the third cluster contains patients with other anemia cause. Abstract w


The potential for an infectious disease outbreak that is much worse than those which have been observed in human history, whether engineered or natural, has been the focus of significant concern in biosecurity. Fundamental dynamics of disease spread make such outbreaks much less likely than they first appear. Here we present a slightly modified formulation of the typical SEIR model that illustrates these dynamics more clearly, and shows the unlikely cases where concern may still be warranted. This is then applied to an extreme version of proposed pandemic risk, multi-disease syndemics, to show that (absent much clearer reasons for concern) the suggested dangers are overstated. The models used in this paper are available here: https://github.com/davidmanheim/Infectious-Disease-Models


FASHION: A Timeline in Photographs is a definitive and beautifully illustrated visual history of fashion from one of America s premiere fashion historians, Caroline Rennolds Milbank. This unrivaled and exceptional fashion resource is an immersive 150-year visual odyssey which tracks year-by-year, decade-by-decade, the ever-changing fashion landscape from 1850 to the present. With over 1400 photographs, almost all of which are rare either never before published or rarely seen we see fashion transform from the crinoline-supported billowing skirts and enormous ballooning sleeves of the late 19th century to the hemlines that fell along with the crashing stock market in 1929; through the shocking pants styles of the '30s and short A-line shifts of the '60s; through the designer-driven styles of the '80s, '90s, and today. In her introduction, Milbank explains the importance of photographs in that they show what fashion illustrations cannot; what people actually wore, what exaggeration they adopted and the actual prevalence of style. While the focus is not on specific designers, notable designers are included, such as Charles Frederick Worth, Chanel, Poiret, Charles James, Karl Lagerfeld, Halston, Ungaro, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Lanvin, Rudi Gernreich, Celine, Geoffrey Beene, John Galliano, Issey Miyake, Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Prada, and Dior. As the decades progress, photographs of designer fashion predominate, and many notable personalities are included like Princess Pauline de Metternich, considered the chicest woman in Europe in the 1860s; members of Queen Victoria's family, including her impeccably dressed daughter-in-law, Alexandra, Princess of Wales; opera stars renowned for their wardrobes, Christina Nillson, Adelina Patti; working women, athletes, dancers, actresses, courtesans, royal mistresses; feminists who chose to dress outside the fashion system like Civil War surgeon Dr. Mary Walker. Milbank states that photographs show women courageous enough in their convictions to flout convention. As the book travels primarily through North America and Europe, presenting multiple images for each year, Milbank keenly illustrates how a certain style of dressing was ubiquitous--the same silhouette worn not only in France and the U.S. but also in India and Hungary. Along with tracking every major change in fashion, readers also see evolutions in hairstyles, jewelry, hat styles, outerwear, and footwear. The photographers range from the earliest well-known professionals like Disderi, to charming amateur works as well as to the very beginning of street photography. Photographs of stylish women seen out and about span over 100 years, with recent examples from Mary Hilliard and Scott Schuman. FASHION: A Timeline in Photographs will be a welcome addition to the library of any fashion or costume designer as well as students of fashion, history, art history and photography, and is sure to become an instant classic!"


Accessibility to homeownership in western countries, especially for middle to low income earners has decreased over time due to several factors such as stringent covenants, pressure of rental growth on household income expenditure and a negative gap between wage and house price growth. Moreover, young households face higher accumulated student loans and, in a steadily rising and strong rental market, they are not able to generate enough savings to cover the initial deposit necessary to become homeowners. We design an income sharing mortgage product where borrowers accept to pledge a portion of their future income to anticipate the time necessary to become homeowners by obtaining a higher LTV (up to 100%). Our analysis nds that this mortgage may be useful for lower income households in periods of higher uncertainty and that it may become less expensive in a high interest rate environment. Finally, this product also embeds an incentive to save, with potential benefits for the overall systemic risk of the banking sector. As a consequence we find that the defaultrisk is not higher than a plain vanilla mortgage with lower LTV.


Analysis of registry data has provided key insights into the changing demographics, outcomes and treatments in cystic fibrosis (CF), but few studies have made use of the great potential for cross-country comparisons. The linked study by Goss and colleagues1 in Thorax does just this, using registry data collected in the UK and the USA to compare CF outcomes and use of treatments on opposite sides of the Atlantic. The study certainly makes for uncomfortable reading from a UK perspective, but raises more questions than it addresses. The analysis suggests that the USA does better in terms of lung function in children, and the authors conclude this is due to more intensive treatment in the early years. But is this interpretation correct?

One of the most important findings of the study is the striking gap in mean % predicted FEV1 between the UK and the USA at around 6 years, the age at which lung function can be consistently collected and measured reliably at all care centres. The gap subsequently narrows and disappears by age 30. Overall, children under 12 years of age in the UK had significantly lower lung function by 7.6 percentage points compared with children in the USA. This is a big difference in a study where the large sample sizes mean that the estimations of population level differences are quite precise, even for imprecisely measured outcomes such as % predicted FEV1.2

In these initial attempts to compare data collected in slightly different ways in different countries, it is important to ensure that the comparisons are valid. For example, we must ensure that the findings of this analysis are not biased by the possibility that the samples used in the study are not fully representative of the entire CF populations in their respective countries. Ascertainment …


The young adult chronic patient is one of the most rapidly growing populations of psychiatric patients in the United States. These patients often lack internal controls, exhibit suicidal or assaultive behavior, or suffer from substance abuse, and they frequently require inpatient care. This paper describes a comprehensive inpatient program for this population which emphasizes an integration of psychotherapy, vocational rehabilitation, socialization, and unit structure. A blend of psychodynamic and behavioral principles is employed to assist the young adult in achieving viable adult autonomy.


Starting from "scratch," this development director was able to expand her hospital's annual giving program from $1 to $100,000 last year. It took ten years to reach that goal, but the success of this program has lessons for all institutions starting a fund raising department.


The earth's magnetic field at any point on or near the earth's surface is the vector sum of the contributions from two main sources; the primary field due to the dynamo in the earth's liquid core and the crustal field from the magnetic mineral content of local rocks. This vector has both an orientation and an amplitude. Move slightly in any direction and this orientation and amplitude will vary. Introduce a highly magnetic rock formation into an otherwise homogenous host, and the local magnetic vector will change. In a three-dimensional world, there are nine (3×3) spatial gradients forming a tensor which defines the anomalous field.


Contemporary secular Switzerland has been polarised by more than two decades of anti-Muslim sentiments, conveyed through misrepresentative narratives by some politicians and media, 'otherising' Islam and Muslim-related issues. This polarised environment may have triggered ambivalent impacts on the personal development of Swiss-born Muslims Consequently, I suggest that they live in an ambivalent position, where their status as Muslim is not fully acknowledged and their belonging to Switzerland still questioned. Indeed, this article will explore the following research question: How do some young Swiss-born Muslim adults construct their subjectivities and experiences linked to Islam in their daily lives in contemporary Switzerland? The research methodology of this focused ethnography draws on various semi-structured interviews and informal conversations with several young Swiss Muslim men and women. The paper focuses on (a) Switzerland's socio-cultural and political context and (b) the various ways this study's research partners construct their ambivalent subjectivities through the analysis of their individual trajectories and narratives. It concludes that young Swiss Muslim adults formulate and produce alternative narratives, in order to make sense of their lives and accommodate various layers of identification in contemporary Switzerland. Eventually some recommendations for further research are formulated.


SK2- and KV4.2-containing K+ channels modulate evoked synaptic potentials in CA1 pyramidal neurons. Each is coupled to a distinct Ca2+ source that provides Ca2+-dependent feedback regulation to limit AMPA receptor (AMPAR)- and NMDA receptor (NMDAR)-mediated postsynaptic depolarization. SK2-containing channels are activated by Ca2+ entry through NMDARs, whereas KV4.2-containing channel availability is increased by Ca2+ entry through SNX-482 (SNX) sensitive CaV2.3 R-type Ca2+ channels. Recent studies have challenged the functional coupling between NMDARs and SK2-containing channels, suggesting that synaptic SK2-containing channels are instead activated by Ca2+ entry through R-type Ca2+ channels. Furthermore, SNX has been implicated to have off target affects, which would challenge the proposed coupling between R-type Ca2+ channels and KV4.2-containing K+ channels. To reconcile these conflicting results, we evaluated the effect of SK channel blocker apamin and R-type Ca2+ channel blocker SNX on evoked excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) in CA1 pyramidal neurons from CaV2.3 null mice. The results show that in the absence of CaV2.3 channels, apamin application still boosted EPSPs. The boosting effect of CaV2.3 channel blockers on EPSPs observed in neurons from wild type mice was not observed in neurons from CaV2.3 null mice. These data are consistent with a model in which SK2-containing channels are functionally coupled to NMDARs and KV4.2-containing channels to CaV2.3 channels to provide negative feedback regulation of EPSPs in the spines of CA1 pyramidal neurons.


ABSTRACT The state of Qatar is experiencing tremendous economic growth, and traffic loading has increased rapidly as a consequence of the need to increase road transport efficiency. This study was initiated to evaluate the properties of asphalt pavement materials and make recommendations for materials and test methods that can be used to build long-lasting roads that are necessary to support economic growth. Many tests were conducted to evaluate the physical, chemical, and mechanical properties of asphalt pavement materials. Some of these results will be valuable as the state of Qatar moves toward mechanistic-empirical design. The imported aggregates referred to as gabbro were found to have better resistance to degradation under mechanical forces and better skid resistance in comparison to the local limestone aggregates. However, the surface energy results reveal that gabbro has less resistance to moisture damage than the limestone aggregate. The dynamic mechanical analysis of the mixtures demonstrates the benefits of using modified asphalt binders instead of the current unmodified binders used in the country. The results of the mechanical tests that were conducted on extracted field cores show that good resistance to permanent deformation can be expected under traffic; however, these mixtures could be prone to fatigue cracking, given the low asphalt binder used in these mixtures.


Deep Bay is a shallow embayment [l 12 km2) In the eastern Pearl River Estuary, China, and con~prises 4 major wetland components: (1) a shallow brackish water body of 2.9 m average depth, ( 2 ) 2700 ha of Intertidal mudflat, (3) 200 ha of tidal mangroves and (4) 300 ha of traditional tidal aquaculture ponds excavated In the mid-to-high intertidal region. A carbon budget is proposed for Deep Bay based on published informati.on on the 4 major landscape components. Despite the usual emphasis placed on the role of mangroves as nvt carbon exporters In support of consumer (such as shorebird) populations, the carbon budget suggests that about 50% of all carbon available in Deep Bay originates from anthropogenic input from rapidly urbanising, as well as agricultural, areas in the local catchments. Mangrove production only contributes about l.8"& of the total carbon available in Deep Bay. Calculations based on the basal metabolic demands of the bird assemblage in winter suggest that the Deep Bay mudflats are close to carrying capacity. The annual carbon requirements of the shorebirds and availability (as demonstrated by the supply/demand ratio for the curlew) are lowest in the winter months, when bird numbers are large but production low. Considering the shorebird assemblage foraging on the mudflat, the total carbon consumption in January 1994 amounted to 16.9 t, while the carbon product~on during the same period was 27.8 t. These figures suggest that Deep Bay is near carrying capacity unless 250% of the invertebrate resources are made available to the birds. The results of this study also argue that organic enrichment in Deep Bay, which has usually been regarded as a 'pollutant', forms the basls of the major beneficial use of carbon (shoreb~rd conservation), although further enrichment may result in negative impacts. This study highl~ghts the inlportance of incorporating human influences Into the study of the structure and function of ecosystems in urban settings.


Coastal pastures provide supplementary foraging habitats for migratory shorebirds that rely on intertidal areas outside the breeding season. However, their role as foraging grounds for shorebirds is poorly understood. Here, we assessed the food supply, prey size selection, foraging behaviour and estimated consumption of a migratory shorebird, the near-threatened Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata, at two temperate coastal pastures in northern Spain. Wintering Curlews only fed on earthworms (Oligochaeta), the main food available at coastal pastures. Average density and biomass were 102.3 ± 22.2 earthworms/m2 and 5.8 ± 1.3 g AFDW/m2, respectively, and only the density of surface living (i.e. epigeic) earthworms declined at the end of the winter. This food supply was comparatively high with respect to the biomass available in other man-made coastal habitats used by shorebirds wintering in temperate regions. Unexpectedly, the density of Curlews was higher at the pasture with the lowest food availability, though it declined significantly throughout the season at this site. Interestingly, Curlews preferentially selected the smallest size class (<32.5 mm) of epigeic earthworms, implying that a trade-off between energy intake rate and other fitness components could exist. Estimated consumption by Curlews was consistent with observed reductions in earthworm densities at both sites, thus reflecting a robust interaction between Curlews and epigeic earthworms at these agroecosystems throughout the non-breeding season. Our results highlight the potential role of earthworm communities at coastal pastures as food supply for declining migratory shorebirds.


order). A consequence is that the whole ISPRS cycle will be shifted by two years, with the next Mid-term Symposia to be held in 2024 and the next Congress in 2026. This change was agreed by ISPRS Council and announced on 10th February 2021. The proposal is thus to have a (physical) Congress in 2022 in Nice, France, six years after the Prague Congress of 2016. The alternative of retaining the existing cycle and hosting the next Congress in 2024 has been rejected on the basis that an eight-year gap is too great.


With the growing adoption of machine learning techniques, there is a surge of research interest towards making machine learning systems more transparent and interpretable. Various visualizations have been developed to help model developers understand, diagnose, and refine machine learning models. However, a large number of potential but neglected users are the domain experts with little knowledge of machine learning but are expected to work with machine learning systems. In this paper, we present an interactive visualization technique to help users with little expertise in machine learning to understand, explore and validate predictive models. By viewing the model as a black box, we extract a standardized rule-based knowledge representation from its input-output behavior. Then, we design RuleMatrix, a matrix-based visualization of rules to help users navigate and verify the rules and the black-box model. We evaluate the effectiveness of RuleMatrix via two use cases and a usability study.


Abstract. Water infrastructure development is considered necessary to drive economic
growth in the Mekong region of mainland Southeast Asia. Yet the current
understanding of hydrological and flood pattern changes associated with
infrastructural development still contains several knowledge gaps, such as
the interactions between multiple drivers, which may have serious
implications for water management, agricultural production, and ecosystem
services. This research attempts to conduct a cumulative assessment
of basin-wide hydropower dam construction and irrigation expansion, as well
as climate change, implications on discharge, and flood changes in the
Cambodian Mekong floodplain. These floodplains offer important
livelihoods for a considerable part of the 6.4 million people living on
them, as they are among the most productive ecosystems in the world –
driven by the annual flood pulse. To assess the potential future impacts, we
used an innovative combination of three models: Mekong basin-wide
distributed hydrological model IWRM-VMod, with the Mekong delta 1D flood
propagation model MIKE-11 and 2D flood duration and extent model IWRM-Sub
enabling detail floodplain modelling. We then ran scenarios to approximate
possible conditions expected by around 2050. Our results show that the
monthly and seasonal hydrological regimes (discharges, water levels, and
flood dynamics) will be subject to substantial alterations under future
development scenarios. Projected climate change impacts are expected to
decrease dry season flows and increase wet season flows, which is in
opposition to the expected alterations under development scenarios that
consider both hydropower and irrigation. The likely impact of decreasing
water discharge in the early wet season (up to −30 %) will pose a
critical challenge to rice production, whereas the likely increase in water
discharge in the mid-dry season (up to +140 %) indicates improved water
availability for coping with drought stresses and sustaining environmental
flows. At the same time, these changes would have drastic impacts on total
flood extent, which is projected to decline by around 20 %, having
potentially negative impacts on floodplain productivity and aquaculture,
whilst reducing the flood risk to more densely populated areas. Our findings
demonstrate the substantial changes that planned infrastructural development
will have on the area, potentially impacting important ecosystems and
people's livelihoods, calling for actions to mitigate these changes as well
as planning potential adaptation strategies.


Aims: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of different surface treatments on the tensile retentive force of fiber reinforced posts (FRPs) to composite core material buildup. Materials and methods: A total of fifty FRPs were randomly divided into five groups (n = 10), the first group was the untreated control group, second group immersion in 24% hydrogen peroxide; third group immersion in 4% hydrofluoric acid gel; fourth group sandblasting with 50um Al2O3 powder, fifth group surface preparation with an Er:YAG laser under power setting (300m), at 2 Hz and 100 uS) for 10 seconds. A cylindrical polyethylene mold was used to surround the treated posts, and the mold was filled with dual cure composite core material buildup. All samples were light cured for 40 seconds through the top of the mold. After 24 hours of storage in water, the post was then grasped with Jacobs chuck attached to the upper member of testing machine and produced tensile loading. Tensile tests were performed at a cross, head speed of 0.5 mm/minute using a universal testing machine. Data were analyzed by One-Way Analysis of Variance followed by Duncan Multiple Range Test at significant difference (p < 0.05). Results: The post core tensile retentive force achieved following pretreatment with hydrogen peroxide and sandblast (Groups 2 and 4) were comparable to each other, and significantly higher than those of other groups in which the post surface had been treated with hydrofluoric acid gel, control group and laser, respectively. Conclusions: surface pretreatment of FRP has significance effect on the tensile retentive force. Sandblasting and hydrogen peroxide are increasing tensile retentive force of FRPs to composite core material buildup greater than those of hydrofluoric acid gel, control and laser group, respectively.


Recently, trigonal layered GeTe was exfoliated from the rhombohedral germanium telluride using a sonication-assisted liquid-phase method in experiments. We identify the blue phosphorene-like MTe (M = Ge, Sn, and Pb) monolayers and bilayers as two-dimensional semiconductors with a large Rashba-type spin–orbit coupling effect that can be modulated by the external electric field. It is found that Rashba-type spin splitting occurs around the Γ point for both monolayer and bilayer MTe. For the bilayer MTe, we predict that the Rashba effect induced spin and momentum mismatch will give rise to a low recombination rate and long carrier lifetimes. We also obtain Rashba parameters and band gap values that are tunable with the perpendicular external electric field. In general, the low-dimensional MTe materials exhibit excellent functional characteristics, thus being promising for designing spin field-effect transistors and optoelectronic applications.


In 2004, Szalanski et al. developed PCR method based on 2 pairs of specific primers to amplify 2 DNA fragments of 428 bps and 151 bps located in the mitochondrial 16S rRNA for identifying C. formosanus from other Coptotermes species. According to the study, a Coptotermes species is C. formosanus if PCR products were composed of two DNA fragments of 428 bps and 151 bps observed in agarose gel. In this study, using the primers, 2 DNA fragments of 248 bps and 160 bps were amplified from genome of Coptotermes HN1 collected from Ling Quang pagoda. In agarose gel, these DNA fragments looked the same sizes with the DNA amplified from genome of C. formosanus by Szalanski et al. (2004). However, multialigment showed that the sequences were most homologous with the sequences of C. gestroi . Phylogenetic trees were built, based on 40 homologous genes (for each DNA fragment) in GenBank. Coptotermes HN1 belonged to C. gestroi branch, and was far to the branch of C. formosanus in the phylogenetic tree. So the Coptotermes HN1 collected from Linh Quang pagoda, Ha Dong, Hanoi was designated as C. gestroi HN1. From this study, the identification of C. formosanus by PCR developed by Szalanski et al. should have more consideration.


The external wave drag of bodies of revolution moving at supersonic speeds can be expressed either in terms of the geometry of the body, or in terms of the body-simulating axial source distribution. For purposes of deriving optimum bodies under various given conditions, it is found that the second of the methods mentioned is the more tractable. By use of a quasi-cylindrical theory, that is, the boundary conditions are applied on the surface of a cylinder rather than on the body itself, the variational problems of the optimum bodies having prescribed volume or caliber are solved. The streamline variations of cross-sectional area and drags of the bodies are exhibited, and some numerical results are given.


We tested the clinical efficacy of a biologically active dose (BAD) of interferon (IFN)-gamma for treatment of progressive renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Twenty-two RCC patients with disease progression subsequent to nephrectomy were entered on a phase II clinical trial. During an initial dose-finding phase, biochemical responses to repeated once-weekly subcutaneous injections of 10, 100, or 500 micrograms of recombinant IFN-gamma were tested in 16 patients. Results indicated that 100 micrograms IFN-gamma applied once weekly was biologically active with induction of serum beta 2-microglobulin and neopterin. Such a dose induced a nearly maximum response of both markers lasting more than 4 days. This dose was also associated with minimal side effects. A dose of 100 micrograms IFN-gamma given once weekly was, therefore, subsequently given weekly for long-term treatment. During a median time of therapy of 10 months (range, 2 to 32 months) two complete (CR; 20+, 20+ months) and four partial tumor responses (PR; 6+, 7+, 8+, 24+ months) were seen (30% CR plus PR; 95% confidence limits, 12% to 54%) among 20 patients evaluable for response. Patients with refractory disease had significantly lower IFN-gamma-induced increments of serum beta 2-microglobulin than those who achieved clinical remission or stable disease.


This research is dedicated to the study of the feasibility of surface wind downscaling from 925 or 850 hPa winds according to synoptic class, season and hour.Two aspects are examined: low tropospheric wind veering and wind speed correlation and verification of the ERA-Interim analysis wind by comparison to radiosonde data at Beit Dagan, a station on the Israeli coast.Relatively small (< 60°) cross angles between the 1000 hPa wind vector and the 925 hPa or 850 hPa wind vector at 12Z and high correlation (0.6-0.8) between the wind speed at the two levels were found only under winter lows. Relatively small cross angles and small wind speed correlation were found under highs to the west and Persian troughs.The verification of ERA-Interim analysis in comparison with radiosonde data has shown good prediction of wind direction at 12Z at 1000, 925 and 850 hPa levels (RMSE 20°-60°) and lower prediction quality at 1000 hPa at 0Z (RMSE 60°-90°). The analysis under-predicts the wind speed, especially at 1000 hPa. The wind speed RMSE is 1-2 m/s, except for winter lows with 2-3 m/s RMSE at 0Z, 12Z at all levels.Inference of surface wind may be possible at 12Z from 925 or 825 hPa winds under winter lows. Inference of wind direction from 925 hPa winds may be possible under highs to the west and Persian troughs. Wind speed should be inferred by interpolation, according to historical data of measurements or high resolution model.


The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab WorldIn the summer of 1993 I participated in a discussion on the Arab-Israeli peace process at the annual conference of the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies. A Labor-led government headed by Yitzhak Rabin, the most dovish in Israel's history, had come to power the previous year with the avowed commitment to peace-making. Yet my copanelist, Avi Shlaim of Oxford University, remained unimpressed. "Let me tell you an anecdote," he said by way of underscoring his scepticism. "When asked for his reaction to the change of regime in Israel, an old Palestinian said: `Do you see my left shoe? That is Yitzhak Rabin. Do you see my right shoe? That is Yitzhak Shamir. Two Yitzhaks, two shoes, so what's the difference?'"For most people it would of course make a fundamental difference whether they put their right shoe on the left foot, and vice versa; indeed, it did not take long for this analogy to be wrong-footed by the Oslo Accords and the attendant peace process between Israel and its neighbours. But for Shlaim, there seems to be no real difference between left- and right-wing Israeli attitudes to the Arab world in general, and to the Palestinian people in particular.This viewpoint is vividly illustrated by the title of his latest study of Israel's policy towards the Arab world -- The Iron Wall, borrowed from a 1923 article by Zeev (Vladimir) Jabotinsky, founding father of Revisionist Zionism, the antecedent of today's Likud Party. In that article Jabotinsky viewed the creation of an unassailable Zionist power base -- political, diplomatic, and military -- as the only way to convince the Arabs to desist from their effort to obliterate the Jewish national cause and to accept a negotiated settlement based on mutual equality and respect. But then Shlaim misinterpreted this broad concept of power as a narrow and unwarranted obsession with military force, (mis)attributing it to both right- and left-wing Zionist/Israeli policies throughout the twentieth century.Shlaim reckons that Jabotinsky recognized Palestinian national rights, was categorically opposed to their expulsion from Palestine, and was amenable to a negotiated settlement based on mutual respect of national and civilian rights once the latter had given up the hope of destroying Jewish nationalism. Yet this does not prevent him from portraying Zionist/Israeli history as a catalogue of recalcitrance, aggression, and undue obsession with military force. The Arabs' outspoken commitment to the destruction of the Jewish national cause and their sustained violent attempts to achieve this goal from the early 1920s onwards are conveniently overlooked, as are Jewish attempts at peaceful coexistence. Instead, the reader comes out with a surrealistic impression of the conflict, where a small, fragile, and peace-loving Arab World is besieged by an aggressive and expansionist Jewish superpower.In a brief point in time, after the signing of the 1993 Oslo Accords, Shlaim sheds this indiscriminate approach by conceding that the differences between Labor and Likud are "quite profound, in the realms both of ideology and of practical policy" (p. 479). Yet he fails to trace these divergences to their real origins, well before the establishment of the State of Israel. Instead he views Labor and revisionist policies over this prolonged period as virtually identical, as if there is no difference between the former's acceptance of the UN Partition Resolution of November 1947, with its expressed commitment to the creation of an Arab (i. …


Background: Cardiac arrest, or downtime, can result in ischemic damage to myocardial tissue, which prompts caution in accepting hearts with such a history for transplant. Our aim is to provide guidance about whether these hearts are suitable and which among them confer optimal outcome. Methods: We analyzed all first-time adult cardiac transplantations in the United States between 1988 and 2010 as reported in the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) database. Stratification was between donors with downtime history prior to brain death versus those without such a history for univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: Of 17,941 donors that met inclusion criteria, 700 experienced downtime. Recipients of these hearts were sicker pre-transplant: at waitlist status 1A, hospitalized, supported by ECMO, on IV inotropes, and supported by LVAD (p<0.05). They were more likely to be black, to be cigarette users, and to have had prior cardiac surgery (p<0.05). In univariate and multivariate analysis, downtime history was not associated with differences in 30-day, 1-year, or 10-year graft survival. Independent risk factors for outcome were donor age, donor BMI, donor cigarette use, recipient ECMO use, recipient use of RVAD, TAH, or bi-VAD, and black recipient ethnicity (p<0.05). Subset analysis of recipients of downtime hearts showed that donor cigarette use and black or Hispanic recipient ethnicity were associated with worse outcomes within this group (p<0.05). Conclusions: Donor downtime does not influence survival or mortality overall; however, donor smoking history and non-white recipient ethnicity confer a worse outcome within the cohort.


Enhanced detection of large-plaque variants of Western equine encephalitis virus in the presence of large numbers of small-plaque Western encephalitis virus was achieved by using higher bicarbonate concentrations in the agar-overlay medium and increasing concentrations of CO(2) in an enclosed environment during the time plaques were developed with neutral red. By this technique we were able to detect large-plaque mutants in cloned small-plaque suspensions for the first time and to show an increase in detectable plaque progeny in plaques developed by neutral red. Further increase in the number of progeny per plaque was determined by assaying extracts of agar overlaying cultures containing known numbers of plaques. The significance of these findings for potential use in mutational studies is discussed.


This practical thesis project examines the planning process of a specific exhibition using the photographic collection of a Canadian photographer / portrait painter William S. Sawyer. The exhibition is drawn from the many artifacts, including photographic prints, family albums, newspaper clippings, and speeches on photography from William S. Sawyer's personal collection that were donated to the Archives Department at Queens University. Following several discussions with the head archivist at Queens University, Mr. Paul Banfield, I have created an exhibition for future display at Queens University archives. The exhibition contains a selection of 48 prints and related artifacts. This paper examines the procedures and decision-making processes used while planning this exhibition. The appendix includes the traditional byproducts of an exhibition including checklists, wall text, gallery layout and preservation and conservation recommendations for the objects included in the exhibition.


A 27-year-old woman was admitted at 39 weeks' gestation for induction of labour for gestational diabetes. During artificial rupture of her membranes, cord prolapse occurred necessitating an emergency caesarean section. At closure, the incision, instead of being in the lower uterine segment, was found to be in the vagina about 1.5 cm below the anterior lip of the cervix. This was closed routinely, both mother and the baby made an uneventful recovery and at a 6 week postnatal check-up the vaginal wall was completely healed and normal.


Objective Our primary aim was to investigate crew performance during medical emergencies with and without ground-support from a flight surgeon located at mission control. Background There are gaps in knowledge regarding the potential for unanticipated in-flight medical events to affect crew health and capacity, and potentially compromise mission success. Additionally, ground support may be impaired or periodically absent during long duration missions. Method We reviewed video recordings of 16 three-person flight crews each managing four unique medical events in a fully immersive spacecraft simulator. Crews were randomized to two conditions: with and without telemedical flight surgeon (FS) support. We assessed differences in technical performance, behavioral skills, and cognitive load between groups. Results Crews with FS support performed better clinically, were rated higher on technical skills, and completed more clinical tasks from the medical checklists than crews without FS support. Crews with FS support also had better behavioral/non-technical skills (information exchange) and reported significantly lower cognitive demand during the medical event scenarios on the NASA-TLX scale, particularly in mental demand and temporal demand. There was no significant difference between groups in time to treat or in objective measures of cognitive demand derived from heart rate variability and electroencephalography. Conclusion Medical checklists are necessary but not sufficient to support high levels of autonomous crew performance in the absence of real-time flight surgeon support Application Potential applications of this research include developing ground-based and in-flight training countermeasures; informing policy regarding autonomous spaceflight, and design of autonomous clinical decision support systems.


The Solar Total Energy Project (STEP) at Shenandoah, Georgia is the world's largest industrial application of solar cogeneration. It is a cooperative effort between the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Georgia Power Company to further America's search for alternative sources of energy. It is an outgrowth of research started in 1972 by Sandia National Laboratories for the U. S. Energy Research and Development Administration. The objective of the Shenandoah project is to evaluate a solar total energy system that provides electrical power, process steam, and air conditioning for a knitwear factory operated by Bleyle of America, Inc. Solar energy will displace a large part of the electricity and fossil fuels normally used to run the factory and produce the clothing.


This article explores the current relationship Australia has to Antarctica, and provides suggestions for Australia's future actions in the wake of emerging geopolitical complications in the Antarctic region. Australia's foreign policy scope almost exclusively looks northwards, but this paper argues that Australia should not be complacent of its interests to the south. The formation of the Antarctic Treaty System and Australia's role in this process is described, before the modern issues challenging this system of stability are introduced. Prominently, the geographical changes to the region caused by climate change and human interference is cited as having the potential to open Antarctica up to resource competition and militarisation between states invested in the South Pole. This, combined with the growing interest of the tourism industry in the continent, puts the political position of Antarctica as a land purely for peaceful use, and not for sovereign claim or control, under threat. It assesses how these geopolitical issues effect the continent, Australia, and the wider world, as well as presenting suggestions for how Australia should respond to these issues in their efforts to exert diplomatic influence over the South Pole, protect Antarctica's longevity, and promote peaceful stability in the region.


Boron is an essential element for industry, but it is hard to accurately and rapidly determine high boron content with conventional laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), due to the matrix and self-absorption effect. Using molecular emission is an alternative method for boron content analysis, but its weak spectra are major challenges. Here, boron monoxide (BO) radicals were used to establish calibration assisted by LIBS and laser-induced radical fluorescence (LIBS-LIRF). Two types of BO radical excitations, vibrational ground state excitation (LIRFG) and vibrational excited state excitation (LIRFE), were compared. The results showed that LIRFG achieved better sensitivity with a limit of detection of 0.0993 wt.%, while the LIRFE was more accurate with a root mean square error of cross validation of 0.2514 wt.%. In conclusion, this work provided a potential approach for molecular emission analysis with LIBS-LIRF.


Recent introduction of molecular targeted drugs such as bortezomib and IMIDs in the clinical settings has achieved the improved treatment outcome of multiple myeloma (MM). However, MM is still an incurable disease and these drugs also possess serious adverse reactions, therefore, safe and more effective therapy should be established. Artesunate (ART) is a semi-synthetic derivative of artemisinin and is widely used for the treatment of malaria as a salvage therapy. Recent in vitro studies showed that ART also has an anti-tumor activity against several cancer cell lines. We thus investigated whether ART could possess anti-myeloma activity and demonstrated that apoptosis of myeloma cells is strongly induced by ART. Interestingly, we also found that this activity is mediated through heat shock protein (Hsp) 27-dependent pathway. Several MM cell lines (IM9, OPM2, RPMI8226, U266) were treated with various concentrations of ART for 48 hours, and MTT assays were performed to assess the anti-myeloma activity. IM9, OPM2, RPMI8226 cells showed the striking reduction of viability (up to 40% at 1μM and up to 90% at 10μM) in a dose- and time-dependent manner, whereas ART has less inhibitory effect on U266 cell line. ART induced G1 arrest of IM9 cells, and apoptosis was confirmed by decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, and flow cytometric analysis using AnnexinV/PI staining. Colony assay showed that ART has no growth inhibitory effect on normal CD34-positive bone marrow cells even at a concentration of 10μM. Immunoblot analyses demonstrated the activation of caspases-3 and -9, and the decreased expression of pro-apoptotic protein Bid. Interestingly, heat shock protein (Hsp) 27 was downregulated in myeloma cell lines (IM9, RPMI8226) which are sensitive to the ART treatment. In contrast, downregulation of Hsp 27 was not observed in U266 cells which are resistant to ART. Other anti-apoptotic Hsps (Hsp70, 90), as well as Bcl-2 family proteins (Bcl-2, Bax, Bad, Bcl-xL), Akt, MDM2, p53 and MAPKs (SAPK/JNK, p38, ERK1/2) were not affected by ART. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that ART did not influence the mRNA expression of Hsp27, suggesting that ART could downregulate the Hsp27 protein at a posttranscriptional or posttranslational levels. Overexpression of Hsp27 cDNA by transfection method in ART-sensitive myeloma cell lines demonstrated that these cell lines acquired resistance to ART and apoptosis was not induced at a concentration which ART is effective to the parental cells. Our preliminary data using knockdown procedure of Hsp27 mRNA by RNAi-expressing lentivirus showed the growth suppression of myeloma cells, which apparently suggested that Hsp27 could confer a critical function in the proliferation of myeloma cells and that downregulation of Hsp27 could result in induction of apoptosis in MM. Hsp27 has an important role in anti-apoptotic effect against various stresses to the cells. Our data implies a novel mechanism that downregulation of Hsp27 by ART could induce misfolding of several client proteins indispensable for the cell growth, which results in the induction of apoptosis in MM cells. In conclusion, ART could become a candidate of safe and effective therapeutic drug for MM, and Hsp 27 might be a potential molecular target for the treatment of MM.


C2-domains are widespread protein modules with diverse Ca2 -regulatory functions. Although multiple Ca2 ions are known to bind at the tip of several C2domains, the exact number of Ca2 -binding sites and their functional relevance are unknown. The first C2domain of synaptotagmin I is believed to play a key role in neurotransmitter release via its Ca2 -dependent interactions with syntaxin and phospholipids. We have studied the Ca2 -binding mode of this C2-domain as a prototypical C2-domain using NMR spectroscopy and site-directed mutagenesis. The C2-domain is an elliptical module composed of a β-sandwich with a long axis of 50 Å. Our results reveal that the C2-domain binds three Ca2 ions in a tight cluster spanning only 6 Å at the tip of the module. The Ca2 -binding region is formed by two loops whose conformation is stabilized by Ca2 binding. Binding involves one serine and five aspartate residues that are conserved in numerous C2domains. All three Ca2 ions are required for the interactions of the C2-domain with syntaxin and phospholipids. These results support an electrostatic switch model for C2-domain function whereby the β-sheets of the domain provide a fixed scaffold for the Ca2 binding loops, and whereby interactions with target molecules are triggered by a Ca2 -induced switch in electrostatic potential.


The work proposed through this paper presents a novel technique applied for the control of a wind turbine generation system (WTGS) prototype. A model predictive control combined with a direct power control technique (MPC-DPC) based on SVM control and a novel switching cycle sequence pattern for thermal switch losses reduction have been adopted. The novel developed direct power control (DPC) scheme based on a multivariable filter (MVF) topology for power estimation process has been illustrated. The control of the converter system is adopted through a predictive control strategy to achieve a complete and an instantaneous control over the active and the reactive powers flowing from and to the converter. An experimental implementation has been achieved for the validation of the system using both real-time simulation mode and a full control system with hardware synchronization mode. A switches losses modelling was achieved to evaluate the performances of the proposed control technique.


The growing problem of antibiotic resistance underlies the critical need to develop new treatments to prevent and control resistant bacterial infection. Exogenous application of bacteriophage lysins results in rapid and specific destruction of Gram-positive bacteria and therefore lysins represent novel antibacterial agents. The PlyC phage lysin is the most potent lysin characterized to date and can rapidly lyse Group A, C and E streptococci. Previously, we have determined the X-ray crystal structure of PlyC, revealing a complicated and unique arrangement of nine proteins. The scaffold features a multimeric cell-wall docking assembly bound to two catalytic domains that communicate and work synergistically. However, the crystal structure appeared to be auto-inhibited and raised important questions as to the mechanism underlying its extreme potency. Here we use small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and reveal that the conformational ensemble of PlyC in solution is different to that in the crystal structure. We also investigated the flexibility of the enzyme using both normal mode (NM) analysis and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Consistent with our SAXS data, MD simulations show rotational dynamics of both catalytic domains, and implicate inter-domain communication in achieving a substrate-ready conformation required for enzyme function. Our studies therefore provide insights into how the domains in the PlyC holoenzyme may act together to achieve its extraordinary potency.


BACKGROUND
Somafostatin receptors (SSTRs) have been suggested to involve in mediating the effect of somatostatin on hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in an activation-dependent way. We, therefore, try to investigate the relationship between expression of SSTRs and activation of rat HSCs.

METHODS
HSCs were isolated from rats by in situ perfusion and single-step density gradient centrifugation. SSTR1-5 mRNA levels in the differentiated first passage HSCs were detected by means of a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. On the other hand, hepatic fibrosis was induced in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats by carbon tetrachloride intoxication, and the expression of SSTR1-5 in normal as well as fibrotic livers was measured by immunohistochemical staining.

RESULTS
SSTR mRNA and SSTR could not be found in freshly isolated rat HSCs or normal rat liver. However, SSTR1-3 mRNA appeared as HSCs became wholly activated, and could also be identified on the membrane of activated HSCs in the perisinusoid space, fibrous septa, etc.

CONCLUSION
The expression of SSTR1-3 in the rat HSC is closely related to its activation. This may reflect one of the main negative regulation mechanisms in the course of HSC activation.


The role of electrostatic interactions and mutations that change charge states in intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) is well-established, but many disease-associated mutations in IDPs are charge-neutral. The Val66Met single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) encodes a hydrophobic-to-hydrophobic mutation at the midpoint of the prodomain of precursor brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), one of the earliest SNPs to be associated with neuropsychiatric disorders, for which the underlying molecular mechanism is unknown. Here we report on over 250 μs of fully-atomistic, explicit solvent, temperature replica exchange molecular dynamics simulations of the 91 residue BDNF prodomain, for both the V66 and M66 sequence.The simulations were able to correctly reproduce the location of both local and non-local secondary changes due to the Val66Met mutation when compared with NMR spectroscopy. We find that the local structure change is mediated via entropic and sequence specific effects. We show that the highly disordered prodomain can be meaningfully divided into domains based on sequence alone. Monte Carlo simulations of a self-excluding heterogeneous polymer, with monomers representing each domain, suggest the sequence would be effectively segmented by the long, highly disordered polyampholyte near the sequence midpoint. This is qualitatively consistent with observed interdomain contacts within the BDNF prodomain, although contacts between the two segments are enriched relative to the self-excluding polymer. The Val66Met mutation increases interactions across the boundary between the two segments, due in part to a specific Met-Met interaction with a Methionine in the other segment. This effect propagates to cause the non-local change in secondary structure around the second methionine, previously observed in NMR. The effect is not mediated simply via changes in inter-domain contacts but is also dependent on secondary structure formation around residue 66, indicating a mechanism for secondary structure coupling in disordered proteins.


In this paper, we design an adaptive position/force controller for robot manipulators during constrained motion. The proposed controller can compensate for parametric uncertainty while only requiring measurements of link position and end-effector force. A filtering technique is utilized to produce a pseudo-velocity error signal and thus, eliminate the need for link velocity measurements. The control strategy provides semiglobal asymptotic tracking performance for the end-effector position and the interaction force between the constraint and the end-effector. An experimental implementation of the proposed controller on a two-link planar robot is also presented.


AIM
To reflect on the use of photo elicitation as a data collection method when conducting research with primary school age children (nine to 11 years).

BACKGROUND
There is recognition that children feel an affinity with the visual medium; as a result, visual methods can be useful when conducting research with children. Photo elicitation is one such method, but there has been little discussion of its use with primary school children within a health context. This paper considers the main issues that researchers should consider.

DATA SOURCES
This paper draws on a research study conducted by the author that used an ethnographic approach and photo elicitation to identify the assets underpinning children's wellbeing.

REVIEW METHODS
A reflective discussion is used to highlight issues relating to the use of photo elicitation to collect data from primary school children.

DISCUSSION
Photo elicitation is not without its challenges: it creates additional ethical considerations, and can be more time-consuming and expensive. However, children value the opportunity to be involved in research and have their opinions sought, and photo elicitation provides a method of collecting data that is appropriate for children's developmental and cognitive maturational stages.

CONCLUSION
Photo elicitation can be a positive experience for children, and one that is not only fun and engaging, but that is also empowering and valuing of their contributions.

IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH/PRACTICE
Research that uses photo elicitation needs to be carefully planned to ensure that the study is supported appropriately. The visual process can offer a unique insight into children's lives that allows health professionals to deepen their understanding of children's experiences.


Organic photovoltaics will be one of the corner stones in solving the increasing world's energy demand issue. For this reason, a better understanding of the detailed mechanisms involved in energy conversion in the employed nanostructured materials is still desirable. In this context, one-dimensional and two-dimensional nanostructured organic semiconductors may reveal intriguing opto-electronic properties due to their morphology and the nanoscopic confinement. In this regard, supramolecular self-assembly has proven to be a powerful tool to control the obtained nanostructures, by using secondary interactions such as hydrogen bonding or the phase segregation between molecular segments of different nature, which requires functionalization of the pi-conjugated chromophore. The present thesis starts with the preparation of functionalized oligothiophenes. The synthesis of pi-conjugated systems is rendered difficult by their inherently low solubility. In the first part of the present thesis, we therefore developed a convenient synthetic pathway for chemically functionalized oligothiophenes up to the octathiophenes, by employing chlorendylimidyl active esters as both temporary protecting groups and solubilizing groups. From the obtained soluble precursors, a large library of oligothiophene derivatives carrying polymer-oligopeptide substituents was straightforwardly prepared in a divergent synthesis. This simple substitution served to induce aggregation into one-dimensional nanowires that comprised a single stack of oligothiophenes arranged in a helically twisted, parallel-displaced fashion. This molecular arrangement was in turn found to result in the facile photo-induced formation of charge-carriers. Thus, charge generation under illumination and decay in the dark were characterized for oligothiophene nanowires with varying molecular parameters. Notably, derivatives with an even number of thiophene units accumulated a higher concentration of charges, up to 4 mol%. Thus, aggregation into one-dimensional nanostructures with supramolecular helicity can be regarded as a useful tool to promote a cofacial stacking of chromophores and facilitate charge generation. In parallel, we investigated two-dimensional nanostructures obtained from an acceptor-donor-acceptor triad based on perylene-bisimide and quaterthiophene substituted with flexible polymer chains. The latter served to reliably induce aggregation into smectic lamellar phases. Within the lamellae, the triad segments were arranged with a tilt angle relative to the layer normal in order to accommodate packing constraints. Light absorption was followed by transient charge separation between the two types of chromophores. Charge recombination was slower in thin films than in solution and even slower for a derivative with longer polymer chains and higher degree of long-range order. These findings demonstrate that the phase segregation observed in rod-coil systems can be used to improve the nanoscale order and could be beneficial for applications in organic photovoltaics.


We present the results of an investigation into the growth of InGaSb/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) by molecular beam epitaxy using migration-enhanced epitaxy. Surface atomic force microscopy and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy show that the QDs undergo a significant change in morphology upon capping with GaAs. A GaAs 'cold capping' technique was partly successful in preserving QD morphology during this process, but strong group-V intermixing was still observed. Energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy reveals that the resulting nanostructures are small 'core' QDs surrounded by a highly intermixed disc. Temperature varying photoluminescence (PL) measurements indicate strong light emission from the QDs, with an emission wavelength of 1230 nm at room temperature. Nextnano 8 × 8 k.p calculations show good agreement with the PL results and indicate a low level of group-V intermixing in the core QD.


Diffractive photonic devices manipulate light via local and nonlocal optical modes. Local devices, such as metasurfaces, can shape a wavefront at multiple selected wavelengths, but inevitably modify light across the spectrum; nonlocal devices, such as grating filters, offer great frequency selectivity but limited spatial control. In this talk, I will introduce a rational design paradigm using quasi-bound states in the continuum to realize multifunctional nonlocal devices: metasurfaces that produce narrowband spatially tailored wavefronts at multiple selected wavelengths and yet are otherwise transparent.


Large number of digital images and videos are acquired, stored, processed and shared nowadays. High quality imaging hardware and low cost, user friendly image editing software make digital mediums vulnerable to modifications. One of the most popular image modification techniques is copy move forgery. This tampering technique copies part of an image and pastes it into another part on the same image to conceal or to replicate some part of the image. Researchers proposed many techniques to detect copy move forged regions of images recently. These methods divide image into overlapping blocks and extract features to determine similarity among group of blocks. Selection of the feature extraction algorithm plays an important role on the accuracy of detection methods. Column averages of 1D-FT of rows is used to extract features from overlapping blocks on the image. Blocks are transformed into frequency domain using 1D-FT of the rows and average values of the transformed columns form feature vectors. Similarity of feature vectors indicates possible forged regions. Results show that the proposed method can detect copy pasted regions with higher accuracy compared to similar works reported in the literature. The method is also more resistant against the Gaussian blurring or JPEG compression attacks as shown in the results.


Objectives The Arg389Gly polymorphism (Arg389Gly) in the &bgr;1-adrenergic receptor gene (ADRB1) has been associated with improvement in left-ventricular remodeling with &bgr;-blocker treatment. One study of risk for heart failure suggested a synergistic effect of ADRB1 Arg389Gly with the insertion/deletion polymorphism in the &agr;2C-adrenergic receptor gene (ADRA2C). We tested whether the ADRA2C insertion/deletion polymorphism was associated with &bgr;-blocker response in heart failure, either alone or in combination with the ADRB1Arg389Gly polymorphism. Methods Fifty-four &bgr;-blocker naive heart failure patients underwent echocardiography before and after 5–6 months of metoprolol CR/XL therapy. Multivariant linear regression modeling was performed to assess the impact of genotypes and other variables on changes in left-ventricular function in response to metoprolol therapy. Results Deletion carriers had a significantly greater negative chronotropic response. Predictors of the end of study ejection fraction were baseline ejection fraction, deletion carrier status and Arg389Arg genotype. Patients with Arg389Arg/Del-carrier status showed the greatest ejection fraction increase with metoprolol CR/XL. Adjusting for baseline ejection fraction, final S-metoprolol plasma concentration and race, final ejection fraction in patients with this genotype combination was significantly higher than all other genotype combination groups. Conclusion ADRB1 and ADRA2C polymorphisms synergistically influence the ejection fraction response to &bgr;-blocker therapy of heart failure patients.


We model the interactions between management regimes (municipal vs. delegated) and operating costs of water supply services in order to compare their performance and pricing. We estimate the models from panel data in France. We show that the choice between management regimes at the local community level depends on costs and service characteristics, that there is a significant difference in average productive efficiency in favor of delegated services, and that municipal services appear more efficient in network returns. Under delegation, the margins realized by operators depend on service and contract characteristics.


Many studies on linguistic summarization have addressed the use of ordinary fuzzy set [type-1 fuzzy set (T1FS)] for modeling words; however, few of them have exploited interval type-2 fuzzy set (IT2FS), although IT2FS is better able to deal with the uncertainty associated with words. The existing studies on linguistic summarization using IT2FS have focused on scalar cardinality based degree of truth. In this paper, for the first time, we propose a probabilistic framework based on the idea of interval mass assignment to evaluate interval type-2 fuzzy linguistic summaries based on the type-II quantified sentences and the semi-fuzzy quantifiers as an alternative method to the scalar cardinality based methods. We implement a real case study on linguistic summarization of time series data of Europe Brent Spot Price, as well as a comparison of the results obtained with our approach and those of the existing approaches.


Black Americans are disproportionately affected by cancer and chronic diseases. Black patients with cancer and their family caregivers may concurrently experience symptoms that influence their wellbeing. This study investigates the influence of mental and physical symptom distress on quality of life (QOL) among Black Americans with cancer and their family caregivers from a dyadic perspective.


In this paper, we present trends in IS research during a 10-year period (2004 to 2013). Much like its predecessor, Palvia et al. (2004), we provide a long-overdue update. We reviewed all papers from seven major IS journals and coded them based on topics studied, methodologies used, models rendered, and paradigmatic approaches taken. We captured trends in IS research and compared them to previous trends that extend across many periods from past studies. We present major shifts and trends in IS research and discuss voids in the literature. Results reveal that electronic commerce was the most studied topic and that the survey method maintained its dominance in conducting research. Also, the majority of IS researchers used the multi-tier influence diagrams to portray their research models, and the positivist approach was still the most used research approach.


" Dancing Aotearoa" emanates from my conviction that, even in today's highly globalised and mobile world, it is not only possible but also important to recognise a contemporary dancer and choreographic practice that is distinctly from Aotearoa New Zealand. Its importance resides in the fact that, 174 years after the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi (The Treaty of Waitangi), between the British colonisers and the Māori, Aotearoa New Zealand is still grappling with its social and cultural identity. Dance, along with the other arts, is one way of working out what it means to be a New Zealander in these times. Arguably more than the other arts, however, the dance artist experiences the world sensuously, emotionally and physically. S/he is attuned through a dancer's embodiment to be able to respond to the shapes, forms and energies of place by matching, morphing, shaping and re-shaping the space. His/her rhythms derive from an internal pulse and from the visual and felt rhythms of the landscape. This landscape might be constructed, angular and urban or elemental. It might be psychological, intuitive or imposed. It is my view that a dance artist has the potential, along with the other arts, to speak for 'this' time and place—ecologically, socially, culturally or politically—and in so doing help define our national identity. In the following article I offer a commentary on connections with land, identity and ecology that can be seen in the work of some dancer/choreographers of Aotearoa. My commentary reflects my own depth of experience as a dancer/choreographer and educator, as well as some preliminary research with a small group of other dancer/choreographers whose artistry I have witnessed and who chose to engage with this issue.


When Michel Foucault introduces the term, dispositif, commonly translated as 'apparatus', he uses the architectural example of the Panopticon to illustrate how power is exercised. A building, according to this line of thinking, seemingly has the capacity to exercise control on its occupants. But is this really the case? This paper examines the thinking of Foucault on the subject, and questions to what extent we can conceive of a building as being in and of itself an apparatus. It goes on to explore Foucault's subsequent reflections on the subject in his interview with Paul Rabinow, 'Space, Knowledge and Power', where he seems to qualify his earlier remarks on the Panopticon. It then opens up the theory of affordances to question whether a building – or any other entities that could be perceived as operating as a tool or mechanism within the social realm – has the agency to control behaviour. Finally, the paper introduces Gilles Deleuze's subsequent remarks in 'Postscript on the Societies of Control' where he contributes to the debate about the political agency of form by arguing that in our present age there has been an erosion in the hegemony of the physical, and current forms of control are more gaseous and invisible in their operations than a mere physical building. The paper concludes that it is too simplistic to regard a building in and of itself as an apparatus. At best it could be perceived as an element within a 'system of relations' that might constitute the apparatus.


Fluorine-18 ((18)F, beta(+); 96.7%, T(1/2)=109.8 min) is of considerable importance for developing positron emission tomography (PET) ligands for imaging receptor, enzyme, gene expression etc. in brain, tumor, myocardium and other regions or organs due to its optimal decay characteristics. To synthesize (18)F-labeled PET ligands, reliable labeling techniques inserting (18)F into a target molecule are necessary. [(18)F]Fluoroalkylation is a useful way of introducing (18)F into target molecules containing amino, phenol, thiophenol, and amide functional groups. Here, we review the preparation, reactivity and application of [(18)F]fluoroalkyl agents for the development of (18)F-labeled PET ligands in molecular imaging. [(18)F]Fluoroalkyl agents have been synthesized by reacting [(18)F]F(-) with the corresponding alkyl derivatives containing halogen and sulfonate as leaving groups. After the fluorination reaction, the radiolabeled products with relatively low boiling points were distilled from the reaction mixtures, sometimes added by Sep-Pak or gas chromatography separation. The [(18)F]fluoromethyl agents have high reactivity with nucleophilic substrates, but many [(18)F]fluoromethylated compounds are in vitro unstable. To increase the efficiency of [(18)F]fluoroethylation, [(18)F]FCH2CH2Br, the most frequently used [(18)F]fluoroethyl agent, was converted into [(18)F]FCH2CH2I or [(18)F]FCH2CH2OTf in situ. Most [(18)F]fluoromethylated ligands were found to be in vivo unstable due to defluorination. Deuterium substitution for the fluoromethyl group reduced defluorination to an extent. A number of [(18)F]fluoroethylated PET ligands have been developed for animal evaluation and clinical investigation.


This paper presents a novel Multi-Degree-of-Freedom magnetic levitation sphere driving joint. It analyses the relevance theory of air-gap magnetic energy of the mechanic and electric energy transformation while the magnetic levitation force and electromagnetic torque were generated by driving joint, which based on the principles of state reconstruction. It achieves state synchronization suspension control and self-test feedback control without sensor of the rotor. The simulation experiment shows that the state synchronization suspension control owns high precision and interference immunity.


Abstract We present results from the first-ever study of populations of the North American River Otter, Lontra canadensis, in coastal habitats of the San Francisco Bay Area, California. Historically extirpated from the region, wild populations of this sentinel carnivore appear to have made a recovery in recent years. Utilizing a citizen-science network paired with field investigations in 2012 and 2013, we documented 1374 River Otter observations across 8 of 9 San Francisco Bay Area counties. We demonstrate that River Otters are reproducing, and report here on the 1st sightings in decades in Alameda, San Francisco, and Santa Clara counties indicating a possible gradual expansion of the species' range southward. Within our Intensive Study Area in coastal Marin County, conservatively estimated densities ranged from 0.21 to 0.32 River Otters/km, with otters inhabiting a range of habitats from freshwater to marine. A pilot assessment of disease and mortality indicates that otters are being exposed to pathogens such as Vibrio and that observable mortality was largely due to car-strikes. We also report on timing of mating, timing of pup-juvenile emergence, and pup-juvenile production. Despite large-scale ecosystem restoration actions underway across the San Francisco Bay Area, River Otters have been overlooked by resource managers. Being apex carnivores that not only directly benefit from restoration actions but also likely play a significant role in the outcome of recovery actions focused on endangered salmonids and waterfowl, we strongly recommend attention to their potential role as a keystone species in the San Francisco Bay Area.


The surface morphology of the northern slope of the Brooks Range (North Slope) from the Canning River, Alaska, eastward is dominated by a series of large alluvial fans and braided streams floored by coarse alluvium. On the basis of the absence of sediment on the seasonal sea ice after spring flooding, the measured stability of fan fronts during a 30year period, and the sparsity or absence of Holocene marine sedimentary deposits seaward of the fans, we conclude that the fans are not prograding now nor have they been prograding at any time during the Holocene. In numerous areas, surficial fan alluvium terminates on land at or below 2-m-thick glaciomarine deposits. These deposits, the Flaxman Member of the Gubik Formation, formed during the latest major interglacial transgression (oxygen-isotope stage 5a), about 85-80 ka. We therefore believe that the fans are still older. Our observations suggest that during the latest transgression and the following sea-level highstand, the North Slope depositional environment and climate differed greatly from the present ones.


Although economists have recognized long ago that "time enters into all economic questions", the ways they treated and modeled time has varied substantially in the last century. While in the 1930s there was a distinctive Cambridge tradition against discounting utilities of future generations, to which Frank Ramsey subscribed, postwar neoclassical growth economists (of the "Ramsey-Cass-Koopmans model") applied the discount factor either to individual's or to social planner's decision-making as a technical requirement of dynamic general equilibrium models. My goal in this article is to shed some historical light on how a practice that was condemned as ethically indefensible when applied to intergenerational comparisons became a technical requirement in dynamic models of either a consumer or a planner deciding the intertemporal allocation of resources.


Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been attracting attention because of their prominent mechanical and electronic properties. In this study, we investigate the deformation of a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) with a bend junction using atomistic modeling with Brenner potential to analyze strain concentration caused by macroscopic tube shape and microscopic interatomic bond structure. The simulation model consists of (8,8) and (14,0) CNTs connected with a flexion angle of 30 degrees. For geometric reasons five and seven-membered rings are introduced at the inside and outside of the bend junction. After the structure under no external load is determined, tensile load is applied to the model. Then, we analyze the strain concentration at the bend junction, and high tensile strain is observed at the inside of the bend junction. The strain at the seven-membered ring at the inside of the bend junction has higher strain compared to the neighboring rings due to the microscopic effect.


Development agencies and animal welfare charities try to improve the health and welfare of livestock in the developing world by educating owners and providing healthcare. The impact assessment of these projects relies mainly upon input-related parameters (eg number of animals treated or educational lectures delivered). The aim of this study was to investigate whether animal-based parameters, such as scores for skin lesions, body condition and lameness, could be used to assess the impact of interventions by development agencies on working donkeys. A general checklist for integument assessment of livestock, developed and then tested on two British farms, was redefined for assessment of equine animals in West Kenya. In total, 346 donkeys were assessed over four days with a mobile clinic of the Kenyan Society for the Protection and Care of Animals, using 25 animal-based parameters. The checklist was easy to use: the parameters could be scored using visual assessment or palpation, and the procedure was completed in approximately 5 min per animal. The method was found to be acceptable for owners and animal health technicians, and no special equipment was required. Significant observations included a reduced frequency of leg lesions when head-tethering (as opposed to leg-tethering) was used, and a reduced frequency of foot lesions in regions previously visited by the charity. This animal-based method proved that the charity had made a positive impact on donkey welfare through owner education.


Abstract We performed decompression experiments on sulfur-bearing hydrous rhyolite magma at a temperature of 800 °C to investigate redox evolution during magma decompression. The magma was continuously decompressed from 100 MPa to 10–50 MPa at rates of 10 and 100 MPa h–1. The evolution of the ferric to total iron ratio (Fe3+/Fetotal) during decompression was investigated using XANES, and redox evolution was determined based on a thermodynamic calculation and measured Fe3+/Fetotal. Before decompression, the sample was buffered from NNO to NNO+1, and the pre-exsolved fluid phase and sulfide crystal coexisted. Sulfide crystals were found in all decompressed samples, and Fe3+/Fetotal showed a slight decrease with decompression. It was confirmed that the sample in a gold capsule was not influenced by the change in redox conditions outside of the capsule for the timescale of the decompression experiments; thus, the decompressed sample reflected the redox evolution in magma during decompression. Our experiments indicated that magma decompression causes a slight reduction when it includes water and sulfur. This evolution is qualitatively explained by sulfur degassing and fluid-melt redox equilibria. During the fluid-melt redox equilibria, magma is reduced if the existence of a pre-exsolved fluid phase is assumed, while the model calculation shows that magma is oxidized when it contains only water or no pre-exsolved fluid phases. This is because sulfur buffers the oxidation of magma through a reaction with oxygen in the fluid phase. Therefore, we inferred that the redox condition of magma is not oxidized during explosive volcanism with a pre-exsolved fluid phase and closed-system degassing. In contrast, if magma experiences open-system degassing, it may be oxidized, resulting in the breakdown of sulfide crystals as observed in some pyroclasts and lavas.


Background: The increase in the number of vehicle accidents and falls has contributed to many spinal cord injuries (SCIs). One of the personal hygiene functions is oral care with common activities including brushing, flossing, mouth washing, and dental cleaning. However, little research has been done on the oral care that they need during their treatment and rehabilitation processes. This study assesses the oral health care for patients with SCI with a view to identifying possible remedies for improving their health. Materials and Methods: A search for articles on the topic published between 2005 and 2020 was done on PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar, and Cochrane. The Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment tool was then used to establish the extent to which the articles could be biased to their authors' ideas. Results: The search yielded 27 articles, but only seven (7) were included based on the set criteria. The included articles addressed oral behaviors and problems among individuals with SCI, their need for dental care and dental health status, the reasons why they have oral health problems, health-related quality of life (QoL), and the attitudes and practices of their caregivers. The common dental health problems included gingival bleeding, plaques, dental caries, and periodontal conditions. The authors agreed that the individuals had fair or compromised dental health status that required interventions. Conclusion: The training of professional providers should focus on providing dental care for SCI patients because of their special needs.


The demise of Moore's Law has led to the rise of hardware acceleration. However, the focus on accelerating stable algorithms in their entirety neglects the abundant finegrained acceleration opportunities available in broader domains and squanders host processors' compute power. This paper presents Duet, a scalable, manycore-FPGA architecture that promotes embedded FPGAs (eFPGA) to be equal peers with processors through non-intrusive, bi-directionally cache-coherent integration. In contrast to existing CPU-FPGA hybrid systems in which the processors play a supportive role, Duet unleashes the full potential of both the processors and the eFPGAs with two classes of post-fabrication enhancements: finegrained acceleration, which partitions an application into small tasks and offloads the frequently-invoked, compute-intensive ones onto various small accelerators, leveraging the processors to handle dynamic control flow and less accelerable tasks; hardware augmentation, which employs eFPGA-emulated hardware widgets to improve processor efficiency or mitigate software overheads in certain execution models. An RTL-level implementation of Duet is developed to evaluate the architecture with high fidelity. Experiments using synthetic benchmarks show that Duet can reduce the processor-accelerator communication latency by up to 82% and increase the bandwidth by up to 9.5x. The RTL implementation is further evaluated with seven application benchmarks, achieving 1.5-24.9x speedup.


The aim of this thesis was to systemically assess reported cortical reorganisation in achromatopsia, a congenital loss of cone photoreceptor function, to inform the current development of vision restoration approaches. Both, functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were used to answer if and to what extend the brain undergoes changes when visual input is lost from birth.
First, visual cortical representations of rod and cone driven signals were examined in normally sighted participants to detail differences between these two retinal pathways. We showed that spatial summation properties of the rod pathway are expressed at a cortical level and highlighted that low light levels mainly affect primary visual cortex, while extra striate areas, likely related to their increased spatial pooling properties, still show robust responses.
Further, functional MRI showed no differences in cortical responses at central visual field representations between achromats and controls, while achromats that presented with reduced rod function are characterised by a more severe reduction in cortical responses. Notably, traces of remapping in form of an eccentricity shift cannot be ruled out for some participants,
Last, this thesis examined brain integrity in achromatopsia using surface-based morphometry and revealed that surface area is reduced across primary visual cortex. Further, patients showed highly localised thickening of the foveal representation in primary visual cortex, supporting the notion of aberrant pruning processes.
In summary, findings presented in this thesis allowed insights into cortical mechanisms that maximise sensitivity when visual information is sparse and clearly showed that remapping is not a general feature in achromatopsia while the absence of visual input has distinct effects on cortical structure, comparable to other patient groups with congenital loss of vision.