Context. Magnetic fields play a pivotal role in the formation and evolution of low-mass stars, but the dynamo mechanisms generating these fields are poorly understood. Measuring cool star magnetism is a complicated task because of the complexity of cool star spectra and the subtle signatures of magnetic fields. Aims. Based on detailed spectral synthesis, we carry out quantitative measurements of the strength and complexity of surface magnetic fields in the four well-known M dwarfs GJ 388, GJ 729, GJ 285, and GJ 406 that populate the mass regime around the boundary between partially and fully convective stars. Very high-resolution (R = 100 000), high signal-to-noise (up to 400), near-infrared Stokes I spectra were obtained with CRIRES at ESO's Very Large Telescope covering regions of the FeH Wing-Ford transitions at 1 μ ma nd Na i lines at 2.2 μm. Methods. A modified version of the Molecular Zeeman Library (MZL) was used to compute Lande g-factors for FeH lines. We determined the distribution of magnetic fields by magnetic spectral synthesis performed with the Synmast code. We tested two different magnetic geometries to probe the influence of field orientation effects. Results. Our analysis confirms that FeH lines are excellent indicators of surface magnetic fields in low-mass stars of type M, particularly in comparison to profiles of Na i lines that are heavily affected by water lines and that suffer problems with continuum normalization. The field distributions in all four stars are characterized by three distinct groups of field components, and the data are consistent neither with a smooth distribution of different field strengths nor with one average field strength covering the full star. We find evidence of a subtle difference in the field distribution of GJ 285 compared to the other three targets. GJ 285 also has the highest average field of 3.5 kG and the strongest maximum field component of 7–7.5 kG. The maximum local field strengths in our sample seem to be correlated with rotation rate. While the average field strength is saturated, the maximum local field strengths in our sample show no evidence of saturation. Conclusions. We fi nd no difference between the field distributions of partially and fully convective stars. The one star with evidence of field distribution different from the other three is the most active star (i.e. with X-ray luminosity and mean surface magnetic field) rotating relatively fast. A possible explanation is that rotation determines the distribution of surface magnetic fields, and that local field strengths grow with rotation even in stars in which the average field is already saturated.


Unprecedented urbanisation processes characterise the Great Acceleration, urging urban researchers to make sense of data analysis in support of evidence-based and large-scale decision-making. Urban morphologists are no exception since the impact of urban form on fundamental natural and social patterns (equity, prosperity and resource consumption's efficiency) is now fully acknowledged. However, urban morphology is still far from offering a comprehensive and reliable framework for quantitative analysis. Despite remarkable progress since its emergence in the late 1950s, the discipline still exhibits significant terminological inconsistencies with regards to the definition of the fundamental components of urban form, which prevents the establishment of objective models for measuring it. In this article, we present a study of existing methods for measuring urban form, with a focus on terminological inconsistencies, and propose a systematic and comprehensive framework to classify urban form characters, where 'urban form character' stands for a characteristic (or feature) of one kind of urban form that distinguishes it from another kind. In particular, we introduce the Index of Elements that allows for a univocal and non-interpretive description of urban form characters. Based on such Index of Elements, we develop a systematic classification of urban form according to six categories (dimension, shape, spatial distribution, intensity, connectivity and diversity) and three conceptual scales (small, medium, large) based on two definitions of scale (extent and grain). This framework is then applied to identify and organise the urban form characters adopted in available literature to date. The resulting classification of urban form characters reveals clear gaps in existing research, in particular, in relation to the spatial distribution and diversity characters. The proposed framework reduces the current inconsistencies of urban morphology research, paving the way to enhanced methods of urban form systematic and quantitative analysis at a global scale.


We propose an AI-assisted design concept exploration tool, the "Character Space Construction" ("CSC"). Concept designers explore and articulate the target product aesthetics and semantics in language, which is expressed using "Design Concept Phrases" ("DCPs"), that is, compound adjective phrases, and contrasting terms that convey what are not their target design concepts. Designers often utilize this dichotomy technique to communicate the nature of their aesthetic and semantic design concepts with stakeholders, especially in an early design development phase. The CSC assists this designers' cognitive activity by constructing a "Character Space" ("CS"), which is a semantic quadrant system, in a structured manner. A CS created by designers with the assistance of the CSC enables them to discern and explain their design concepts in contrast with opposing terms. These terms in a CS are retrieved and combined in the CSC by using a knowledge graph. The CSC presents terms and phrases as lists of candidates to users from which users will choose in order to define the target design concept, which is then visualized in a CS. The participants in our experiment, who were in the "arts and design" profession, were given two conditions under which to create DCPs and explain them. One group created and explained the DCPs with the assistance of the proposed CSC, and the other did the same task without this assistance, given the freedom to use any publicly available web search tools instead. The result showed that the group assisted by the CSC indicated their tasks were supported significantly better, especially in exploration, as measured by the Creativity Support Index (CSI).


Category: Case Study Purpose: To report on the content management system designed to manage the 30 web-based research guides developed by the subject liaison librarians at the Georgia State University Library. Methodology/Approach: The web development librarian, with assistance from the web programmer, designed a system using MySQL and ASP. A liaison team gave input on the system through rigorous testing and assisted with the design of the templates that control the layout of the content on the guides. A usability study and two surveys were also completed. Findings: The new system met and exceeded the baseline expectations for content collection and management, offering a greater control over appearance and navigation while still offering customization features for liaisons. Improvements are planned for the templates in addition to better promotion of the guides on the library website. Initial and ongoing training for the liaisons should have been more effectively addressed. Despite their observed and future potential advantages, the CMS model has not been universally adopted by academic libraries. Practical Implications: Regardless of the technology involved, libraries preparing for a CMS transition must give at least as much attention to user issues as they do to technical issues, from the organizational buy-in and comprehensive training to internal/external usability. Originality/Value of Paper: This paper contributes to a small but growing collection of CMS case studies. It covers the technical, functional, and managerial developments of a CMS, while also addressing the practical user factors that sometimes get lost in the process. Keywords: content management systems, web-based guides, database-driven websites liaisons, academic libraries


We consider a platform in which multiple sellers offer their products for sale over a time horizon of T periods. Each seller sets its own price. The platform collects a fraction of the sales revenue and provides price-setting incentives to the sellers to maximize its own revenue. The demand for each seller's product is a function of all sellers' prices and some customer features. Initially, neither the platform nor the sellers know the demand function, but they can learn about it through sales observations: each seller observes its own sales, whereas the platform observes all sellers' sales as well as the customer feature information. We measure the platform's performance by comparing its expected revenue with the full-information optimal revenue, and design policies that enable the platform to judiciously manage information revelation and price-setting incentives. Perhaps surprisingly, a simple "do-nothing" policy does not always exhibit poor revenue performance and can perform exceptionally well under certain conditions. With a more conservative policy that reveals information to make price-setting incentives more effective, the platform can always protect itself from large revenue losses caused by demand model uncertainty. We develop a strategic-reveal-and-incentivize policy that combines the benefits of the aforementioned policies and thereby achieves asymptotically optimal revenue performance as T grows large.


OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of the herbal agent in the prevention and treatment of bacterial cystitis in a rat model.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
A total of twenty-eight male Sprague- Dawley rats were divided into four groups. Group-1 constituted the control group (operated and normal saline injected into the bladder, received only drinking water for 7 days); Group-2 constituted the no-treatment group (operated, E.coli J96 strain injected into the bladder, received only drinking water for 7 days); Group-3 constituted the short-term treatment (operated, E.coli J96 strain injected into the bladder, received the herbal agent added into drinking water for 7 days) and Group-4 constituted the long-term treatment (operated, E. coli J96 strain injected into the bladder, received herbal agent added into drinking water for 14 days). At the end of the pre-defined treatment periods of duration, the rats were sacrificed, urine samples collected from the bladder for culture and bladders were harvested for histopathological evaluation. Urine culture results and histopathological findings were comparatively evaluated between the groups.

RESULTS
Urine cultures were positive for implanted E. coli strains in 0%, 85.7%, 42.8% and 0% of rats in Group 1, Group 2, Group 3 and Group 4, respectively (p = 0.001). Although histopathological evaluation revealed increased vascular dilation in the bladder specimens obtained from Group 2 and Group 3 (p = 0.028) no significant difference was noticed in level of inflammation (p = 0.610), edema (p = 0.754) and thickness of uroepithelium (p = 0.138).

CONCLUSION
While long term (14 days) treatment with an herbal agent added into the drinking water resulted in complete clearance of urine from E. coli; shorter application of the agent revealed partial clearance. Further clinical studies are needed to support our results.


Human mitochondria are the vital cell organelle acting as a storehouse of energy generation and diverse regulatory functions. Mitochondrial DNA comprises 93% coding region and 7% non-coding regions, in which the non-coding region hypothesized as responsible for signaling is our specific interest. Here, we explored the unknown functions of mitochondrial non-coding RNAs by studying their respective signaling pathways. We retrieved conserved motifs of interactions from known experimental protein-RNA complexes to model unknown mitochondrial ncRNA sequences. Our results provide the ncRNAs list and show their involvement in four crucial pathways, such as (i) Processing of Capped Intron-Containing Pre-mRNA, (ii) Spliceosome, (iii) Spliceosomal assembly, and (iv) RNA Polymerase II Transcription, respectively. The interactome analysis revealed that the SRSF2 and U2AF2 proteins interact with ncRNAs. Further, we have simulated the selected ncRNA-protein complexes in cell-like environmental conditions and found them stable in terms of energetics. Through our study, we have identified an apparent interaction of mitochondrial ncRNAs with proteins and their role in critical signaling pathways, providing new insights into mitochondrial ncRNA-dependent gene regulation.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.


Current day general purpose processors have been enhanced with what is called "media instruction set" to achieve performance gains in applications that are media processing intensive. The instruction set that has been added exploits the fact that media applications have small native datatypes and have widths much less than that supported by commercial processors and the plethora of data-parallelism in such applications. Current processors enhanced with the "media instruction set" support arithmetic on sub-datatypes of only 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit and 64-bit precision. In this paper we motivate the need for arbitrary precision packed arithmetic wherein the width of the sub-datatypes are programmable by the user and propose an implementation for arithmetic on such packed datatypes. The proposed scheme has marginal hardware overhead over conventional implementations of arithmetic on processors incorporating a multimedia extended instruction set.


110 cases of viral fever patients receiving Qing Wen oral liquid were observed. The total effective rate was 94.5% in comparing to 86.5% in the control group, P < 0.01. The shortening of time concerning both the beginning on the declining of fever and normalization of body temperature were obvious in comparison with the control. The remedy was also effective in improving symptoms and signs, alleviating renal failure, improving microcirculation and providing bi-directional regulation to the immune system, thus the progression of the disease was controlled. Animal experiments showed that Qing Wen oral liquid could protect the rabbits with hemorrhagic fever, delay the incubation period and the peak of fever, lower the febrile index and PGE content, improve the hemorheology and enhance the cell-mediated immunity in CSF.


This thesis explores the impact of using System Dynamics (SD) as a simulation tool to help learners understand complex, dynamic concepts in project management education, and specifically with the learning of the theory associated with Earned Value Management (EVM). SD simulation models have been used widely but mainly in business contexts to support managers in the decision making process. However the application of SD in the field of project management education has been limited and particularly in terms of assessing its potential impact to help improve learners' skills and understanding about project management concepts.
'Projects' are considered to be complex information feedback systems, characterized by causality and underlying dynamic relations between multiple variables, and the ability of junior project managers to apply and experience higher practical skills in the management of these complex systems presents a real challenge in the higher education context. The ability of SD to simulate the behaviour of a system, to reveal the underlying relationships, and to help visualize its dynamic changes over time, makes SD a potential modelling tool to help supporting the learners in the project management education area. This study sets out to evaluate the use of SD in an instructional context to help postgraduate project management students to visualize and to more understand the complex dynamic relationships in the concept of EVM, a topic that features significantly in project management education.
In this study, SD was deployed to teach EVM through a series of computer based models to visualize changes of multiple interacting variables over time. The SD simulations were evaluated and improved in a series of pilot and formal studies. In an experimentally controlled study involving 46 students, EVM content was delivered with SD simulations and using traditional methods respectively. Results, both quantitative and qualitative, demonstrated a positive impact of SD on the learning of the EVM concept. Recommendations of further work to deploy SD in the delivery of complex project management content and other challenging topics, with wider pool of learners are discussed.


Background: Enlargement of the hilar branches of the pulmonary artery, in particular of the right descending pulmonary artery, has been accepted as a sign of pulmonary hypertension (PH). To clarify its diagnostic value, we investigated the relationship between right descending pulmonary artery diameter (RDPAD) and systolic pulmonary artery pressure (SPAP). Methods: In a total of 229 subjects enrolled, SPAP was estimated by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography. PH was defined as SPAP greater than 30 mmHg. RDPAD was measured on a chest X-ray (postero-anterior view) taken within one month of the echocardiography. We applied two-sample Student's t-test to test the difference of RDPAD between groups with and without PH. Linear regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between SPAP and RDPAD. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was done to seek a potential cut-off point of RDPAD that discriminated between PH and non-PH. Results: Two-sample Student's t-test revealed RDPAD were higher in the PH group than the non-PH group (p = 0.024). Linear regression analysis showed SPAP = 20.9 + 0.53*RDPAD (p = 0.047), which implied a positive association between RDPAD and SPAP. However, ROC curve analysis did not find any satisfactory cut-off point of RDPAD for predicting PH. Even with RDPAD value of mean + 2SD of the non-PH group, its sensitivity and specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, overall accuracy, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood value were 6.7%, 97.9%, 66.8%, 62.3%, 62.5%, 3.1, and 0.95, respectively. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated RDPAD on the chest radiographic film significantly correlated with echocardiography-estimated SPAP. But as a diagnostic tool, RDPAD was not good enough to predict PH.


Synaptic strength depends on the amount of neurotransmitter stored in synaptic vesicles. The vesicular transmitter content has recently been shown to be directly dependent on the expression levels of vesicular neurotransmitter transporters indicating that the transport capacity of synaptic vesicles is a critical determinant for synaptic efficacy. Using synaptic vesicles prepared from whole brain at different times of the day we now show that the amount of vesicular glutamate transporter (VGLUT) 1 undergoes strong diurnal cycling. VGLUT1 protein levels are high before the start of the light period, decline at noon, increase again before start of the dark period, and decline again at midnight. Mice kept in complete darkness showed within a 24-h period only a single peak of VGLUT1 expression in the middle of the rest phase. In contrast, mice lacking the period gene Period 2, a core component of the circadian clock, did not show any light-cycle-dependent changes of VGLUT1 levels. No other of several synaptic vesicle proteins examined underwent circadian cycling. Circadian cycling of VGLUT1 was not seen when analyzing homogenate or synaptosomes, the starting fraction for vesicle preparation. Circadian cycling of VGLUT1 was also not reflected at the mRNA level. We conclude that nerve terminals are endowed with mechanisms that regulate quantal size by changing the copy number of transporters in synaptic vesicles. A reduced amount of VGLUT1 per vesicle is probably achieved by means of selective sorting controlled by clock genes.


There is increasing evidence that children who are subject to commercial child sexual exploitation (CCSE) are likely to experience complex mental health needs. Failure to address the trauma experienced by victims of CCSE can lead to suicide attempts, self-harm, and long-term mental health needs (Powell, Asbill, Louis, & Stoklosa, 2018). A 'trauma-informed' approach (TIA) creates a responsive environment that improves the motivation of victims of CCSE to seek treatment and service providers to address unmet needs. Merging Maslow's (1943) hierarchy of needs with a TIA approach provides a comprehensive framework to assess the service requirements necessary to meet CCSE survivors' needs. Particularly, when Maslow's hierarchy of needs model is coupled with contemporary extensions, which address our greater understanding of the neurological impact of abuse on physiological well-being greater resilience can be created. Additionally, a TIA instigates a shift from victims of CCSE being viewed as damaged, to an understanding of the impact abusive experiences have had on their development. That approach permits them and others to perceive their "survivorhood" and develop their capacity to achieve self-actualization. This paper critically examines what is constituted as best practice in trauma-informed mental health service delivery to not only meet needs but to support CCSE survivors' attainment of self-actualization.


Many applications place users into collaborations with unknown and distant partners. Collaboration between participants in such environments is more efficient if individuals can identify and understand the contributions of others. A traditional approach to supporting such understanding within the CSCW community is to record user activity for later access. Issues with this approach include difficulties in locating activity of interest in large tasks and that history is often recorded at a system-activity level instead of at a human-activity level. To address these issues, this paper introduces CoActIVE, a history mechanism that clusters records of user activity and extracts keywords from manipulated content in an attempt to provide a human-level representation of history. Multiple visualization techniques' based on this processing were compared in their ability to improve users' location and comprehension of the activity of others. The results show the combination of clustering low level history events into activity segments and new visualizations summarizing activity within a segment result in a significant improvement over prior interfaces.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Glioma is the most common form of brain tumor in adults and accounts for about 80% of the total brain malignancy. The association between several nutritional and non-nutritional factors and the incidence and prevention of glioma has been investigated in previous studies. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between coffee and tea consumption and the risk of glioma. METHODS: In this systematic overview, all studies published until March 2017 were reviewed using the "PubMed", "GoogleScholar" and "SCOPUS" databases using the keywords "coffee", "caffeine", "tea", "diet" and "lifestyle" for coffee and tea consumption and the keywords "glioma", "glioblastoma", "GBM", "brain tumor", "oligodendroglioma", "oligoastrocytoma", "astrocytoma" and "ependymom" for the risk of glioma. FINDINGS: Overall, 12 studies were found to be related to the association between coffee and tea consumption and glioma. In studies that investigated the association between tea consumption and glioma, tea consumption was associated with a 25% reduction in the risk of glioma. In studies that investigated the association between total coffee and tea consumption and glioma, a 40% risk reduction was observed, consuming 5 cups or more of coffee and tea per day. CONCLUSION: The results of the study showed that increased coffee and tea consumption is associated with lower risk of glioma.


Abstract The study of plants and animals on islands, both natural and artificial, has produced a body of generalizations immediately useful to land use planners concerned with minimizing the impacts of habitat destruction on the environment. A case study of 37 isolated chaparral fragments in San Diego, California, demonstrates the consequences of habitat fragmentation, including rapid and predictable extinctions of native birds in isolated canyons. This study and others can be used to generate planning guidelines for the prevention of such disappearances. Among the most important measures that can be taken are consolidation of open space set-asides and the provision of corridors linking habitat patches. Corridors can mitigate some of the negative effects of development on wildlife, especially where they facilitate the movement of large predators.


The present communication deals with the assessment of phosphate solubilizing bacterial community structure across artificially created fertility gradient with regards to N, P and K status of soil in the experimental site. 20 randomly phosphate solubilizing bacteria from each fertility gradient were isolated, purified and characterized through their insoluble mineral phosphate-source utilization patterns. Four insoluble phosphate sources; purulia rock phosphate (PRP), mussourie rock phosphate (MRP), crystalline iron and aluminum phosphate were charged in basic Pikovskaia solid medium. Growth pattern of the isolates on those phosphate sources was recorded. Different communities utilized different P-sources in different magnitudes. Size of isolates of low fertility gradient showing greater utilization efficiency towards diverse phosphate sources gradually reduced along the gradient of fertility. Data thus obtained from the experiment were filed to compute community structure of phosphate solubilizing bacteria through principal component analysis (PCA). On the whole, the community composition of phosphate solubilizing bacteria reduced gradually under the influence of cultivation and fertilization in different fertility gradient soils.


Factors influencing sizing response were investigated by the combined analysis of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and pyrolysis gas chromatography (PyGC). Fatty acids (FAs) such as stearic acid (SA) and palmitic acid (PA) were used as models of rosin size, and the handsheets prepared beforehand with aluminum sulfate (alum) were soaked in the FAs⁄chloroform solution. Nearly no sizing effect appeared in the FAs-sized sheets without alum. The sizing degrees of the sized sheets increased with an increase in the internal alum addition level, although the size content determined by PyGC was almost constant regardless of the amount of alum added or a variety of FAs as sizing agents. However, the sizing response of the sheets sized by SA⁄PA mixture was quite higher than that of SA- or PA-sized sheets. High resolution XPS analysis revealed that both of internal alum addition and blending FAs brought about an increase in the atomic ratio of carbon originating from the size components present on the pulp fibers. As based on the XPS analytical principle that the detectable depth of photoelectrons is quite shallow (‹ 10 nm), it was possibly suggested that one of the factors affecting the sizing response was the subtle size aggregation over 10 nm in diameter on the sheet surfaces. A creative analysis of XPS⁄PyGC comparative quantification offered a new aspect in sizing mechanisms that the delicate behavior of size aggregation must govern the sizing response.


Purpose
The efficacy of additional barrage laser posterior to ridge in advanced stage 3 or stage 4 retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is established, but its role in early stages is not defined. The objective was to study the efficacy of additional posterior barrage laser in type I zone 2 disease.

Methods
In a randomized trial, patients with type I zone 2 ROP were recruited between February 2016 and May 2017. One eye of each baby was randomized into study and control groups, respectively. Laser photocoagulation anterior to ridge was given in the control group, and additional posterior barrage laser was performed in the study group. The outcome measures were time to complete ridge regression and final cycloplegic refraction at 3 months post-laser.

Results
Forty patients (40 eyes per group) completed the required follow-up. The mean birth weight and gestational age were 1357 ± 338 g and 29.72 ± 2.57 weeks, respectively. The mean post-conceptional age during laser was 36.67 ± 3.23 weeks. The number of eyes achieving ridge regression in control and study groups was 8/40 (20%) and 27/40 (67%) at 2 weeks (P = 0.001) and 39/40 (97%) and 40/40 (100%) at 4 weeks (P = 0.4). The mean time to complete ridge regression was 3.74 ± 1.17 weeks and 2.62 ± 0.91 weeks in control and study groups, respectively (P < 0.001). The mean spherical equivalent at 12 weeks in control and study groups was -1.9 ± 2.3 Diopters and -2.4 ± 2.6 Diopters, respectively (P = 0.41).

Conclusions
Additional posterior barrage laser leads to significantly faster regression of type 1 zone 2 ROP without increasing induced myopia and thereby might be a useful adjunct to conventional treatment in selected cases.

Trial registration number
CTRI/2018/05/013779.


Raphidocelis subcapitata is one of the most frequently used species for algal growth inhibition tests. Accordingly, many microalgal culture collections worldwide maintain R. subcapitata for distribution to users. All R. subcapitata strains maintained in these collections are derived from the same cultured strain, NIVA-CHL1. However, considering that 61 years have passed since this strain was isolated, we suspected that NIVA-CHL1 in culture collections might have acquired various mutations. In this study, we compared the genome sequences among NIVA-CHL1 from 8 microalgal culture collections and one laboratory in Japan to evaluate the presence of mutations. We found single-nucleotide polymorphisms or indels at 19,576 to 28,212 sites per strain in comparison with the genome sequence of R. subcapitata NIES-35, maintained at the National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Japan. These mutations were detected not only in non-coding but also in coding regions; some of the latter mutations may affect protein function. In growth inhibition test with 3,5-dichlorophenol, EC50 values varied 2.6-fold among the 9 strains. In the ATCC 22662–2 and CCAP 278/4 strains, we also detected a mutation in the gene encoding small-conductance mechanosensitive ion channel, which may lead to protein truncation and loss of function. Growth inhibition test with sodium chloride suggested that osmotic regulation has changed in ATCC 22662–2 and CCAP 278/4 in comparison with NIES-35.


Abstract
Estimation of the number of expected years of life free of some disease lost due to an occupational exposure is frequently required.The amount of compensation due to the worker relies upon this estimation. The motivating example was a French case-cohort study on the occurrence of lung cancer for workers exposed to asbestos. For a case-cohort study the most usual models are the logistic ones. But this is adequate only if the aim is to evaluate the risks of developing the disease, which is not our objective. Several models, though, can be used in order to solve our problem. One of the simplest is the Cox model involving the professional exposure as a covariate at the same level as other risk factors that could also induce lung cancer, like for example family history of cancer and tobacco consumption. But we can also think of adapting to case-control study the threshold regression model, also named first hitting time model (fht), which was initially developed for cohort studies. This model allows us to treat the professional exposure as an accelerator of the time to onset of the disease, while the other covariates are divided into two classes, acting differently on the time to onset: the built-in ones (like genetic factors for example) and the lifelong ones like tobacco consumption..


In the context of the ongoing transformation of China's economic development model, the central government under Xi Jinping announced a general upgrading of China's skill-formation system. The initiative is part of a larger strategy to avoid the middle income trap and move towards a high-skill route of development. One of the core challenges in this respect is to consolidate the cooperation of enterprises and vocational schools and colleges, and to couple the realms of education and employment more tightly. The aim of this paper is to analyze these issues in the institutional context of state-permeated capitalism from the perspective of actor-centered institutionalism. By conducting a structured and focused comparison of the fields of nursing and mechanical engineering in two vocational colleges in Eastern China, it identifies important factors facilitative to reforms. The nursing case illustrates that bureaucratic integration and a dominance of the public sector facilitate the cooperation of schools and enterprises and the coupling of education and employment. Here, hierarchical steering can reinforce cooperation and couple education and employment via vocational qualification certificates. The fragmentation of bureaucratic authority and marketization, on the other hand, require new patterns of cooperation and coupling. The case of mechanical engineering illustrates the potential of well-performing education facilities to attract cooperation partners without direct state support, and of industry associations to play an intermediary role between schools and companies, and to develop new vocational qualifications geared to companies' requirements. The case study design focuses on areas of vocational education with high incentives for cooperation and good material conditions. The preliminary results indicate that the generally negative assessment of China's TVET system in the literature may be somewhat too pessimistic, and that a more differentiated analysis is needed.


For more than twenty years, Iran has focused a great deal of research on the emergence and development of Upper Palaeolithic industries. South of the Caspian Sea, the site of Garm Roud 2, dated to 33878 ± 3300 Cal BP, is one of the few sites, with Mirak, to have yielded stratified evidence of occupation during this period. This paper presents the results of the typo-technological analysis of the lithic assemblage collected during the 2006 to 2008 excavation campaigns. The focus here is on a production of straight and twisted bladelets. Very few similarities have appeared between this assemblage and those from sites in the Zagros and the rest of Iran, which are generally older (about 35 to 40 000 Cal BP). Garm Roud 2 yields original evidence and may be seen as a key site for understanding Upper Palaeolithic technocomplexes and the development of bladelet production in this area.


Мany aspects of сerebrolysin treatment in a wide range of nervous system disorders in children are described. High efficacy and well tolerated therapy are revealed. These findings expand the perspectives of using сerebrolysin in pediatric neurology.


Human-induced climate change is already having an acute impact on many lives and livelihoods. This is expected to escalate, especially for "disadvantaged people and communities in countries at all levels of development" (Pachauri et al., 2014, p. 13). This thesis is situated within post- and critical development, enabling critique of mainstream development alongside the exploration of alternative, bottom-up forms of development, such as social movements. Following a social constructionist epistemology, it utilises qualitative methodologies (in-person and virtual in-depth interviews) to navigate the complex, fluid, and subjective field of climate justice. This research situates the emerging climate justice movements in Aotearoa as key to understanding how radical, progressive societal change is articulated in the contemporary era to mitigate and adapt to anthropogenic climate change. Several core themes emerge as part of the research, including how various actors (organisations, sub-movements, and individuals) relate to each other and the world around them. This research asks and addresses not only what climate justice is in Aotearoa and who is involved, but also which theories of change operate within these emerging social movements? The data in this research outlines that climate justice movements in Aotearoa are accessible, inclusive, relational, accountable and frontline community-led, the antithesis of the current dominant structures and systems of society. These movements build upon other rights and justice movements, notably: Indigenous justice, disability justice, intersectional feminism, workers' rights, and intergenerational justice. The development and negotiation of a collective climate justice identity is shaped by several interconnected tensions: partisanship versus non-partisanship, internal conformity versus diversity, and ecosystem versus 'egosystem'. These tensions can also impede connection and understanding, at times leading to substantial harm to individuals, communities, and climate justice more broadly. This thesis outlines multiple forces shaping the actualisation of justice in an Aotearoa experiencing climate change. Fundamentally, this thesis highlights that climate justice is an ongoing journey of relationships and negotiations that "move at the speed of trust".


In cats bilateral sympathectomy or administration of reserpine results in a marked reduction in concentration of myocardial catecholamines. The contractility of papillary muscles from such animals is significantly less than that of muscles from untreated animals. These findings demonstrate the importance of normal levels of myocardial catecholamines in the maintenance of normal cardiac contractility.


In spite of the progress in management of Atrial Fibrillation (AF), this arrhythmia is one of the major causes of stroke and heart failure. The progression of this pathology from a silent paroxysmal form (PAF) into a sustained AF can be prevented by predicting the onset of PAF episodes. Moreover, since AF is caused by heterogeneous mechanisms in different patients, as we demonstrate in this paper, a patient-specific approach offers a promising solution. In this work, we consider two ECG recordings, one close to PAF onset and one far away from any PAF episode. For each patient, we extract two 5-minute ECG segments approximately 20 minutes apart. Next, we train a linear Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier using patient-specific sets of time- and amplitude-domain features. In particular, we consider the P-waves and the QRS complexes in short windows of 5 consecutive heart beats. Finally, we validate the method on the PAF Prediction Challenge (2001) PhysioNet database predicting the onset with an F1 score of 97.1%, sensitivity of 96.2% and specificity of 98.1%.


A seven-month research evaluated the management effect on the water quality and sediment of seven fish ponds. Water and sediment were collected at nine sample sites: seven in the fish ponds; one in inlet water and another in the fish farm's effluent. The soil samples were analyzed for macro- and micro-nutrients and the water samples were analyzed for physical and chemical parameters. Management and local climate conditions affected nutrient seasonality in the sediment and featured high concentrations of Al, Ca, Cu, K, Mg, C, Na, Zn and OM at the effluent with low pH, ranging between 4.4 and 6.5. Sudden decrease of DO (less than 3 mg/L) during the rainy season, with a 180 mmrainfall, and a TSS increase (approximately 10 mg/L) were reported. Use of organic manure in fish pond V6 caused higher rates of ammonia (over 1 mg/L). Due to the sediment's acid pH (less than 4.8) and Al at 0.92 mg/L at the effluent, great care was required in the fish farm. Maintenance and procedures management in the fish farm under analysis should be given more attention since high levels of Al, Fe and acid pH and low levels of potassium and phosphorus in the sediment may produce unfavorable conditions in the water column, and may ultimately have an impact on fish.


This paper considers the steps to be taken in investigating the effects of
recycling Ti-6Al-4V powders for Selective Laser Melting (SLM). A research
methodology is presented that shall allow for investigation in to the change in powder
characteristics through repeated use, and will provide the basis for eventual
determination of any effect that these changes have on the chemical, mechanical
and metallurgical properties of laser melted parts. An in depth understanding of the
link between powder and part characteristics is essential for SLM, and measuring
powder characteristics after building production parts may prove to be an important
marker for part quality. Initial powder characterisation testing was conducted on
powder that had been recycled up to five times. The results showed a trend towards
increased Particle Size Diameter (PSD) through repeated recycling, with a reduction
in the number of fine particles. Additionally, a roughening of the powder surface was
observed, with a reduction in the sphericity of powder particles. Chemical
composition tests on the powder to determine changes in interstitial oxygen and
nitrogen showed negligible change through repeated recycling.


Damen has grown to a worldwide market leader in tugs with their formula of designing and manufacturing standardized ships. One of the current developments is the change process from conventional product development with a project-oriented approach to a more configuration oriented development with a product oriented approach. From a demand to further improve the standardization concept, a graduation assignment was offered for the standardization of specifications of Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) propelled tugs. A design part was added to fit the interests of both the company and the student, which lead to the following assignment: "Investigating the standardization of ASD Tugs and developing an exterior concept design proposal for future ASD Tug(s)." An introduction stage in the subject was started, where literature and specifications were reviewed and Design&Proposal (D&P) engineers consulted to gain general info on tugs, activities and its components. The environment of standardization within the company and the role of the different departments (stakeholders) was identified. Different levels of standardization were identified (ships, systems, components and process(es)), where the fourth level is the design process of the first three levels. First, it was decided to focus on standardization of the content, before the specifications could be standardized. The specification of a ship type is the description of components and systems. Therefore, an overview was made in order to compare the systems and components of the different ASD tugs. Since experience and naval knowledge were needed to identify which systems and components could be further standardized, it was decided to further focus on the fourth level of the process and leave the results with the D&P department. The stakeholders were interviewed to get an overview of the visions and opinions of the different departments. These visions and opinions were clustered in order to identify improvements for the optimization of standardization and a midreport was made that showed all the results so far. The conclusions showed that the current process of standardization was under exposed (among employees) and therefore not working to its full extent. To complete the overall picture on standardization, different (design) processes and standardization initiatives were mapped to create a communication tool for the standardization process within Damen. The map of the current standardization was be linked to the literature, in order to conclude with points of interest. This finalized the first part of the complete assignment. For the second part, the design part, a qualitative research was executed on the stakeholders preferences on exterior styling characteristics and a research paper was written. The results showed that the future tugs should look powerful, fearless, muscular, proud and rigid. The mast should look solid, strong, not be too hefty, but emit more composure than the current mast, which is too slim. These results were used as a basis for the ideation phase. Partly based on a current demand for a new redesign of the mast, it was decided to design within the current production possibilities of the different Damen Shipyards around the world. One of the points of interest of the first part of this thesis was an improvement cooperation and knowledge transfer between departments. Therefore, different people from different departments where involved to design in the style of the current and the most recent designed Damen ships. Ideas were clustered and three mast concepts were elaborated into 3D-models in order to evaluate the concepts on the most important/influentual requirements. For the wheel- & deckhouse one concept was elaborated to show the influence of more pronounced exterior styling conform the stakeholders. The best rated concept was optimized during extra iteration steps. The final wheel- & deckhouse and mast were modelled in the 3D-model of an ASD 3212 tug. Styling characteristics found in the literature and in recently designed Damen vessels are applied to the future tug. The styling redesign can be described as less chaotic, have body, look rigid, powerful and fearless. The thesis was finalized with an evaluation on the project and product and with conclusions and recommendations.


Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is one of the most important herbs widely used for its medicinal properties and as food ingredient. The marketing of this product highlights the problem that these plants have long and slender stems, which are easy to break off and thus making difficult their market distribution. In this work, two cultivars of basil (Genovese and Profumo) at the adequate development stage for sale were used. We evaluated the effect of supplemental ultraviolet (UV)-B irradiation (15 W m-2; 3 h day-1) on plant growth and market quality. Both cultivars of basil plants under UV-B irradiation resulted in increased leaf size and biomass, and decreased shoot length in comparison to that of under control growth conditions. These results indicate that the application of UV-B irradiation beneficially influenced plant architecture in basil improving their greenhouse production for fresh market.


To keep the window open to limit global warming to 1.5 C, countries need to accelerate transformation towards a net-zero emissions future across all sectors at a far faster pace than recent trends, according to this report from World Resources Institute and ClimateWorks Foundation, with input from Climate Action Tracker. For example, the report finds that to get on track for the emission cuts required by 2030, the world needs to: Accelerate the increased share of renewables in electricity generation five times faster; Phase out coal in electricity generation five times faster; Reduce the carbon intensity of electricity generation three times faster; Accelerate the uptake of electric vehicles 22 times faster than the significant rates of adoption in recent years; Accelerate the increase in the share of low-carbon fuels by eight times faster; and Accelerate the increase in annual tree cover gain five times faster. The rapid transformation needed to halve emissions by 2030 will require significant financial investments, technology transfer and capacity-building for developing countries. While climate finance has increased significantly in recent years across the public, private and philanthropic sectors, it is still not at the scale needed to revolutionize our energy and transportation systems, accelerate energy efficiency and protect forests. Estimates indicate that between $1.6 and $3.8 trillion per year will be needed through 2050 to transform the energy system alone. Experience has shown that transformative change can happen at an exponential, non-linear rate. Systemic changes that once seemed impossible have ultimately been achieved, such as technological advances with cars, phones and computers. A rapid transition to a zero-carbon future offers the same opportunity — but only with smart and proactive investments in key sectors. The report outlines opportunities within all six sectors to align emissions trajectories with what the science suggests is necessary to avoid the worst climate impacts. Countries, businesses, philanthropy and others must urgently put in place policies, incentives and financial investments to accelerate us toward that safer, prosperous and more equitable future.


In an attempt to determine whether the opioid peptides derived from prodynorphin participate in the effects of electroconvulsive shock (ECS), we used radioimmunoassay and immunocytochemistry to measure dynorphin-like immunoreactivity (DN-LI) in various rat brain regions after repeated ECS treatments. Ten daily ECSs caused a significant increase in dynorphin A (1–8)-LI in most limbic-basal ganglia structures, including hypothalamus (50%), striatum (30%), and septum (30%). No significant change was found in the frontal cortex or the neurointermediate lobe of the pituitary. In contrast, 10 ECS treatments depleted DN-LI in hippocampal mossy fibers by 64%. A detailed time- course study revealed that a single shock caused a small but significant increase in hippocampal DN-LI, whereas three consecutive shocks depleted DN-LI by 30%. The maximal decrease in DN-LI was reached after six daily ECSs. The level of DN-LI in the hippocampus partly recovered, but remained lower than the control value 4, 7, and 14 d after the cessation of six daily ECSs (50, 77, and 83% of control value, respectively). In contrast with the ECS-induced depletion of hippocampal dynorphin, 10 daily ECSs caused a significant increase (40%) in (Met5)-enkephalin-LI in the hippocampus, as well as in other limbic-basal ganglia structures. Immunocytochemistry revealed that enkephalin-LI was increased in the perforant pathway, which is presynaptic to the dynorphin-containing mossy fiber pathway in the hippocampus. These observations suggest that different mechanisms may regulate these two opioid peptide systems in the hippocampus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


The present dissertation attempts to fill the gap in Pentateuchal studies on the Mosiac dietary laws concerning clean and unclean animals by investigating the nature, theology, and rationale of the food regulations. My study is divided into four chapters. After an introduction (where the problem of the topic, methodology, limits, purpose, and justification of the study are presented) chapter 1 deals with the chronological development of the interpretation of the laws of clean and uncle food. Chapter 2 reviews relevant explanations of these laws topically, analyzes them, and briefly evaluated the different approaches to the Pentateuchal dietary laws. Chapter 3 examines the context and the literary structure of Lev 11 and demonstrates on exegetical grounds various links among Pentateuchal passages (Gen 1-2, Gen 3, Gen 7-9, Lev 11, and Deut 14:2-21). Chapter 4 describes these dietary regulations in the broader perspective of a theology of eating. The rationale of dietary rules is explored. The final conclusion summarizes the main points of the investigation. This intertextual study within the canonical text of the Pentateuch demonstrates exegetically that the Mosaic laws of clean and unclean animals are to be taken as dietary laws (Lev 11:1-23, 41-47; Deut 14:2-21). The present thesis differentiates between two basic types of uncleanness: ritual/ceremonial and natural/hereditary. Ritual uncleanness is closely associated with elements of time, and/or isolation, and/or cleansing, and/or sacrifices. On the other hand, natural uncleanness, which is related only to the dietary laws, is permanent, and no rituals are involved. I argue that such a category of uncleanness belongs to universal law. The Mosaic dietary laws are built on the Genesis creation cosmology. The taxonomy of these laws reflects the categories of animals presented in the creation story. The first creation account stresses concepts of life, habitats, locomotion, separation, limits, different categories of living creatures, the image of God, and holiness. Gen 2 adds the important theological dimension of choice among the trees in the garden of Eden in relationship to eating. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil teaches humans their limits. Gen 3 presents new dietary regulations with the story of original sin. The flood story introduces the concept of clean and unclean animals, and the new creation order as presented in Gen 9 stresses prohibition of blood. The links between the main Pentateuchal sections related to the dietary laws are firmly established on terminological, conceptual, stylistic, structural, and theological grounds, especially Gen 1-2, Gen 3, Gen 9, and Deut 14:2-21 which are explored in relationship to Lev 11. This study reveals that there is a definite link between the Mosaic laws and the creation account. The primary rationale of the Mosaic dietary laws is respect for the Creator. Under this umbrella other important aspects are included: holiness (imitate Dei), natural repulsiveness, a wall against paganism, health, and respect for life. A model of Creation-Fall-New Creation order is reflected in the formation of the dietary laws. Laws regarding clean animals maintain and sustain life (originally included in the creation order of vegetarian Edenic food prescriptions); this principle of life lies behind the new creation order reflected in the prohibition of blood, and is included in the Mosaic dietary laws. On the other hand, the laws of unclean animals are connected to death: several factors must be integrated in order to explain the uncleanness, such as carnivorous habits of unclean animals, use of some of them in war, unsuitability for human health, etc. Thus the overarching criterion for the laws of clean and unclean animals is Creation itself, which is linked to ice, whereas departure from the Creation ideal (the Fall) is tied to death. Any factor which reflects primary concern for the life-death principle is taken seriously in this approach. Because the Creation-Fall-New Creation model lies behind the Pentateuchal dietary regulations, I call my theological interpretation the "Creation-Fall-New Creation pattern theory."


A drug sensitizes Ewing's sarcoma cells to chemotherapy by inducing mitotic arrest and priming the cells for apoptosis. A multipronged attack on Ewing's sarcoma Chemotherapy is a standard treatment for Ewing's sarcoma (ES), but toxicity limits dosing and hence its efficacy. Some ES tumors are driven by the oncogenic fusion protein EWS-FLI1, a transcription factor and mRNA splicing protein that can be inhibited by the drug YK-4-279. Zöllner et al. found that YK-4-279 sensitized ES cells to the chemotherapeutic drug vincristine in ways that converged on mitotic catastrophe. The drug decreased the EWS-FLI1–dependent expression of microtubule stability proteins and of a ubiquitin ligase, which increased the amount of the cell cycle arrest protein cyclin B1, thus promoting mitotic arrest. The drug also decreased the amount of alternatively spliced, antiapoptotic BCL2 family proteins, altogether poising cells for apoptosis upon exposure to vincristine. The combination blocked tumor growth and induced tumor regression in mice at doses of each drug that had no effects alone. Thus, this drug combination might be effective and might have less toxicity in ES patients. Ewing's sarcoma (ES) is a rare and highly malignant cancer that grows in the bones or surrounding tissues mostly affecting adolescents and young adults. A chimeric fusion between the RNA binding protein EWS and the ETS family transcription factor FLI1 (EWS-FLI1), which is generated from a chromosomal translocation, is implicated in driving most ES cases by modulation of transcription and alternative splicing. The small-molecule YK-4-279 inhibits EWS-FLI1 function and induces apoptosis in ES cells. We aimed to identify both the underlying mechanism of the drug and potential combination therapies that might enhance its antitumor activity. We tested 69 anticancer drugs in combination with YK-4-279 and found that vinca alkaloids exhibited synergy with YK-4-279 in five ES cell lines. The combination of YK-4-279 and vincristine reduced tumor burden and increased survival in mice bearing ES xenografts. We determined that independent drug-induced events converged to cause this synergistic therapeutic effect. YK-4-279 rapidly induced G2-M arrest, increased the abundance of cyclin B1, and decreased EWS-FLI1–mediated generation of microtubule-associated proteins, which rendered cells more susceptible to microtubule depolymerization by vincristine. YK-4-279 reduced the expression of the EWS-FLI1 target gene encoding the ubiquitin ligase UBE2C, which, in part, contributed to the increase in cyclin B1. YK-4-279 also increased the abundance of proapoptotic isoforms of MCL1 and BCL2, presumably through inhibition of alternative splicing by EWS-FLI1, thus promoting cell death in response to vincristine. Thus, a combination of vincristine and YK-4-279 might be therapeutically effective in ES patients.


An Explicit Data Organization (EDO-SIMD) instruction set architecture (ISA) is proposed in this paper to reduce the data organization overhead of SIMD (Single Instruction Multiple Data) for media processors. It explicitly describes the data organization information in instruction words and merges the data organization with computation and store operation. An implementation of EDO-SIMD ISA based on a baseline SIMD processor is described and cycle accurate simulator for evaluation is designed. Simulation results show that, relative to the baseline SIMD architecture, EDO-SIMD ISA can achieve 1.34 to 1.40 speedups for the benchmark of real time H.264/AVC decoder and reduce 17.7% of the code size with only 0.49% increase in hardware area.


With an aging society, the need to automate time-consuming repetitive actions done by medical doctors to maximize their treatment ability is imminent. Automatic biomedical image segmentation algorithms are set to play a key role in the healthcare of the future. Currently performed by radiologists, the time-consuming procedure consists of assigning areas on the image to corresponding anatomical structures. Novel automatic segmentation algorithms proposed in the literature can be divided into atlas-based, methods using statistical shape knowledge and deep learning algorithms. Deep learning algorithms do not require complex preparation of the atlas or a priori knowledge about the segmented shape. However, their performance is dependent on the training dataset size and quality. Employing the U-Net convolutional neural network architecture, the authors aim to overcome the bottleneck of a small-sized dataset with artificial data augmentation, creating new training samples using flipping and elastic deformation procedures. Algorithms' further increase of efficiency was obtained by combining binary segmentation models – each model was trained to segment one anatomical structure on the image. As most of the work in the field focuses on the introducing novel neural networks' architectures to the field, the thorough description of the impact of these refinement steps sets the paper apart from the other publications in the field. The evaluation of the method utilized Dice's coefficient as a quantitative metric. The presented results show the differences between the model's coefficient values acquired on different magnetic resonance sequences used in the training process. Furthermore, data augmentation impact on segmentation accuracy is showcased, as well as segmentation examples for visual inspection. The authors discuss also the practical usefulness of the algorithm, its limitations as well as future development plans.


Reading Dorothy Hewett's Bobbin Up (1959) with the tools provided by recent advances in social reproduction theory, this essay suggests that Hewett's text develops a richer and more sophisticated account of the relations between waged and unwaged labour than previous materialist critics have acknowledged. In turn, it reads Bobbin Up for the ways Hewett's fiction can provide insights for social reproduction theorists. Hewett's novel, this essay argues, builds a specifically social-reproduction poetics.


We describe the biomechanics of the patellofemoral joint and of patellofemoral joint prostheses. It seemed that the designs and associated instruments that were studied had little research and development and that soft tissue realignment procedures often were needed because of pre-existing pathology. Factors that help these unicompartmental implants to integrate with the surrounding knee structures are discussed, particularly articular geometry, contact areas, forces and fixation. The desirability of patellar area contact geometry rather than axisymmetric buttons with point or line contact is discussed, in relation to their use in younger more active patients. Bone preservation relating to revision to total knee arthroplasty also is considered. Data on the articular geometry, stability and tracking of the designs studied are presented, showing that although most parameters are returned within normal limits, problems such as erratic subluxation-reduction effects may occur if the patellar component catches on the edge of the femoral component during knee flexion-extension. Through our results, we suggest that further implant and instrumentation research and development are needed before clinical trials leading to widespread use.


ABSTRACT The transcription factor RUNX-1 plays a key role in megakaryocyte differentiation and is mutated in cases of myelodysplastic syndrome and leukemia. In this study, we purified RUNX-1-containing multiprotein complexes from phorbol ester-induced L8057 murine megakaryoblastic cells and identified the ets transcription factor FLI-1 as a novel in vivo-associated factor. The interaction occurs via direct protein-protein interactions and results in synergistic transcriptional activation of the c-mpl promoter. Interestingly, the interaction fails to occur in uninduced cells. Gel filtration chromatography confirms the differentiation-dependent binding and shows that it correlates with the assembly of a complex also containing the key megakaryocyte transcription factors GATA-1 and Friend of GATA-1 (FOG-1). Phosphorylation analysis of FLI-1 with uninduced versus induced L8057 cells suggests the loss of phosphorylation at serine 10 in the induced state. Substitution of Ser10 with the phosphorylation mimic aspartic acid selectively impairs RUNX-1 binding, abrogates transcriptional synergy with RUNX-1, and dominantly inhibits primary fetal liver megakaryocyte differentiation in vitro. Conversely, substitution with alanine, which blocks phosphorylation, augments differentiation of primary megakaryocytes. We propose that dephosphorylation of FLI-1 is a key event in the transcriptional regulation of megakaryocyte maturation. These findings have implications for other cell types where interactions between runx and ets family proteins occur.


About 90% of the extant species of the Decapoda live in oceans and adjacent coastal and estuarine regions, and most of them pass through a complex life history comprising a benthic (juvenile-adult) and a planktonic (larval) phase. The larvae show a wide array of adaptations to the pelagic environment, including modifications in functio-nal morphology, anatomy, the molting cycle, nutrition, growth, chemical composi-tion, meta-bo-lism, energy partitioning, ecology, and behavior. Due to these adaptive traits, which are the principal subject of this volume, decapod larvae are more like unrelat-ed holoplanktonic organisms rather than resembling the conspecific benthic juveniles and adults. Emphasis is here on the lesser known anatomical, bioenergetic, and ecophysiologi-cal aspects of larval life, because morphology has already extensively been documented in the literature. Changes in biological parameters (e.g. rates of feeding, growth, metabolism) are shown in successive developmental stages, within individual stages, and as repsonses to environmental factors. Particular attention is paid to interrelationships between intrinsic phenomena (molting cycle, organogenesis, growth) and the overlaying effects of extrinsic factors (e.g. food, temperature, salinity, pollution). Concluding from the available data, we may identify major bias and gaps in our present knowledge of larval biology. For instance, biochemical, physiological, and anatomical aspects have been investigated much less than larval morphology, ecology, and behavior, and bioenergetic parameters have large-ly been studied as isolated physio-lo-gi-cal traits rather than attempting to quantify the overall partition-ing of chemical energy. Little is known also about intraspecific variability within or between separate populations. This remains a major challenge for larval biologist, because knowledge of phenotypic plasticity and genetical divergence, e.g. in larval morphology or stress tolerance, is of utmost importance for the understanding of evolutionary adaptation and speciation. In particular, early ontogenetic adaptations to extreme or unpredictable ecological conditions are important in the evolutionary transitions from marine to limnic or terrestrial environments. We also need more compari-sons between field and laboratory observations in order to "calibrate" data from the field with those obtained under controlled conditions; inversely, those comparisons should help to identify "domestication effects" and other artifacts that are potentially pertinent to laboratory data. Furthermore, future research should increasingly consider effects which persist through successive life-history phases, e.g. those of embryonic acclimatization on larval stress tolerance, or the significance of larval condition for later settlement and recruit-ment success.


Although tau protein was long regarded as an intracellular protein with several functions inside the cell, new evidence has shown tau secretion into the extracellular space. The active secretion of tau could be a physiological response of neurons to increased intracellular amounts of tau during the progression of tau pathology. We looked for potential differences in the serum levels of toxic tau oligomers in regards to cognitive impairment of subjects. We detected tau oligomers in the serum of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, but they were also present to some extent in the serum of healthy older subjects where the levels positively correlated with aging (Spearman r = 0.26, p = 0.016). On the contrary, we found lower levels of tau oligomers in the serum of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (p = 0.033) and MCI-AD (p = 0.006) patients. These results could suggest that clearance of extracellular tau proteins takes place, in part, in the periphery. In the case of MCI patients, the lower levels of tau oligomers could be the result of impaired clearance of tau protein from interstitium to blood and consequent accumulation of tau aggregates in the brain.


A panel of 18 hybridomas producing MCA to measles virus (the L-16 strain) was produced by somatic hybridization method. Thirteen hybridomas produce immunoglobulins of the G class represented by all known subclasses of mouse immunoglobulins; the subclass G 2a is predominant. Five hybridomas produce immunoglobulins of the M class. The resulting preparations of MCA are highly reactive in several serological tests: IFA, NIF, HI, NT. MCA have been divided into 3 groups according to their capacity to combine with three strains of morbilli viruses: L-16, LEC, and carnivora distemper virus (strain EPM).


A guide designed to help you determine whether or not the government should introduce the Broad Snouted Caiman to help combat the problems of cane toads.


The 2005-2006 strike at New York University elicited strong emotions.  Confrontations among peers, hostilities within departments, and divisions between intellectual allies created tension, anger, and deep dismay for many graduate students, professors, undergraduates, deans and administrators.  Can asking scholarly questions about last year's strike assist in reestablishing the intellectual bonds that unite the various members of academic communities? Can asking questions about the strike make future labor conflicts more transparent for parties on all sides?


The presence of stray signals in an antenna measurement range can cause errors in the measured patterns. In order to measure low sidelobe antennas in an antenna range, the stray signals in the range should be very small (at least 8-10 dB below the sidelobe level). It may not be possible to achieve such low level stray signals in a real world antenna range. Thus, alternate methods for reducing these measurement errors are needed. In this paper, such a method is presented. Using simulated examples and experimental data, it is shown that this method significantly reduces the chamber related measurement errors. The method can also be used to identify the angular regions along which the stray signal errors are most significant. Thus, the range can be qualified and, if possible, improved. >


Antibiotics are commonly used to treat bacterial infections. For many years, antibiotics have been used at sub-therapeutic doses to promote animal growth and misused as prophylactics and metaphylactic on farms. The widespread and improper use of antibiotics has resulted in a serious problem, defined as antibiotic resistance by the World Health Organisation, which is a major public health threat in the 21st century. Bacteria have evolved sophisticated mechanistic strategies to avoid being killed by antibiotics. These strategies can be classified as intrinsic resistance (referring to the inherent structural or functional characteristics of a bacterial species) or acquired resistance (referring to mutations in chromosomal genes or the acquisition of external genetic determinants of resistance). In farm animals, the use of antibiotics warrants serious consideration, as their residues leach into the environment through effluents and come into contact with humans through food. Several factors have contributed to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This review provides an update on antibiotic resistance mechanisms, while focusing on the effects of this threat on veterinary medicine, and highlighting causal factors in clinical practice. Finally, it makes an excursus on alternative therapies, such as the use of bacteriophages, bacteriocins, antimicrobial photodynamic therapy, phytochemicals, and ozone therapy, which should be used to combat antibiotic-resistant infections. Some of these therapies, such as ozone therapy, are aimed at preventing the persistence of antibiotics in animal tissues and their contact with the final consumer of food of animal origin.


COINLink is an independent electronic data interchange (EDI) network that can connect a large number of automobile dealers and lenders. Historically, most dealerships have remained in a captive relationship with their auto makers' finance companies. COINLink has the potential to create an electronic common market of the $280 billion installment credit industry for automobiles. To evaluate the impacts of new technologies like COINLink, the author argues that traditional efficiency criteria are not sufficient. Instead, he introduces Porter's (1980 and 1985) frameworks of a value chain and the five forces of industry competition. Using these models, he enumerates the likely impacts of COINLinks to alter the scope of competition among the dealers and lenders. Coin's success in the EDI market will depend on the industry accepting its proposal for a uniform network standard. Additionally, Coin must continue to innovate on system enhancements and exploit the asset complementarity from its strategic partnerships with major network vendors and users. >


Ambulatory surgery has now becoming increasingly popular and it is generally well accepted. Major complications following ambulatory surgery are very rare but certain postoperative symptoms can be very unpleasant and distressing to the patients. Follow-up phone calls regarding their well being at home following the surgery may give us the clue and allow us to identify certain problems that can be sorted out immediately or as a reference for a better service in future. The present study was carried out to determine the prevalence of common postoperative symptoms and their subsequent effects within 24 hours after ambulatory surgery by follow-up phone calls. We prospectively studied 199 ASA I and II patients, but only 187 patients were analyzed. Patients had undergone general surgery, orthopaedic, urology, gynaecology or ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgery. Pain was scored based on Numerical Rating Scale (NRS). Majority of patients (70.8%) had only mild pain prior to discharge home. At 24 hours postoperatively, pain was the commonest symptom reported (92.5%) followed by sleepiness (72.2%), dizziness (49.7%), sore throat (17.1%), nausea and vomiting (7.5%) and headache (7%). Sleep was mildly affected in nearly 50% of the patients. Fifty seven percent of patients did not need assistance in performing daily activities during the 24 hours, post surgery. Majority of patients were satisfied (81.3%) with ambulatory surgery. In conclusion, pain was the commonest postoperative symptom encountered following the surgery. Sleep was mildly affected by the postoperative symptoms. Most of the patients did not need assistance in performing their daily activities following surgery. All patients were able to return to at least more than 50% of their normal daily activities at 24 hours after the surgery. Overall satisfaction towards ambulatory surgery was good.


Italy has often held a special place in the view of cultivated Englishmen, and this is especially the case for Italian sciences in the seventeenth century (1). At the first beginnings of the Royal Society in 1645 the young men who met for discussions in London held Italian science in high esteem. So much was this the case that among their topics of discussion, as John Wallis, by then Savilian Professor at Oxford, recalled in 1678, were the valves in the veins (whose description by Fabricius of Aquapendente had so impressed William Harvey), Galileo s telescopic discoveries and Torricelli s barometric experiment, all part of that 'New Philosophy' which he took to have been founded by Galileo and Bacon. This last was certainly the view to which most of the early Fellows of the Royal Society subscribed, paying constant tribute to Galileo's role in the foundation of the new experimental science as well as in the advancement of the Copernican theory, as can be seen from the works of Robert Boyle and, later, Newton. The chronological point, self-evident but not always remembered, that living men are not constrained by dates, although historians may wish to be, is exemplified in the case of Newton's respect for Galileo enunciated in 1687 in the first edition of the Principia, maintained through all the vicissitudes of revision in 1713 and 1723, and as long as the Principia was read, as it was throughout the seventy-five years after Newton's death (1727), his 1687 tribute to Galileo remained fresh. Similarly, the works of post-Galilean Italian scientists by no means lost their influence because time had worn on into the eighteenth century and they had published in the seventeenth; even today a fifty-year-old book in a new edition may excite new readers, and this of course was even more true in the past when scientific advances approximated in their rate of development to those of, say, economics or psychology today.


The singularity expansion method (SEM) represents transient scattering by superposition of damped oscillatory fields corresponding to the complex resonant frequencies of the scatterer. The series of these global wave fields, which encompass the scattering object as a whole, is slowly convergent at early observation times and even deficient at very early times when portions of the object are as yet unexcited. Thus, the resonance series representation must generally be augmented by an entire function in the complex frequency domain. The choice of the entire function is relatively arbitrary but affects the excitation coefficients, called coupling coefficients, of individual resonances and also the "turn-on" and "switch-on" times of the SEM series. Moreover, it contains essential (intrinsic) and nonessential (removable) portions which have been subjected to various interpretations. By formulating the transient problem in terms of traveling (progressing) incident, reflected and diffracted wavefronts, these constructs in the SEM can be interpreted in a precise and physical manner. Furthermore, the analysis clarifies the evolution of resonances as collective summations of multiple wavefront fields which are caused by successive reflections or diffractions at the surfaces and scattering centers comprising the object. By combining wavefronts and resonances self-consistently, one may construct a hybrid field that avoids the difficulties at early times in the SEM formulation. The systematic exploration of the interplay between wavefronts and resonances is facilitated through use of a flow diagram, as introduced in system theory. These concepts are developed in broad generality and are illustrated for two-dimensional scattering by various special configurations.


Galectines are a family of carbohydrate-binding proteins with an affinity for beta-galactosides. Galectines is differentially expressed by various normal and pathological tissues and appears to be functionally polyvalent, with a wide range of biological activity. The intracellular and extracellular activity of galectines has been described. Evidence points to galectin and its ligands as one of the master regulators of such immune responses as T-cell homeostasis and survival, T-cell immune disorders, inflammation and allergies as well as host-pathogen interactions. Galectines expression or overexpression in tumors and/or the tissue surrounding them must be considered as a sign of the malignant tumor progression that is often related to the long-range dissemination of tumoral cells (metastasis), to their dissemination into the surrounding normal tissue, and to tumor immune-escape. Elevated levels of galectines have been found to be significantly associated with higher risk progressing of the lymphoproliferative disease. The targeted inhibition of Galectines expression is what should be developed for therapeutic applications against cancer progression. Galectines are the promising molecular target for the development of new and original diagnostic and therapeutic tools.


: It was analyzed the results of examination and surgical treatment of 338 patients with obstructive jaundice. The patients were operated in 2004-2012 years. 148 patients had benign jaundice and 190 patients had malignancy genesis of jaundice. It was determined laboratory data (bilirubin total, protein total, prothrombin index) as well as complications of obstructive jaundice (cholangitis, renal failure, hepatic encephalopathy, gastrointestinal bleeding, sepsis) indicating to the severity of obstructive jaundice and it was taken into consideration the malignant origin of jaundice. The selected attributes were assigned marks from 1 to 3. Each complication as well as factor of malignancy was evaluated two times higher than mark of bilirubin. The grade of jaundice severity (A, B, C) was determined by combination of the marks that identified the attributes. It was analyzed the influence of prothrombin index and blood serum protein on the results of severity grade formation of obstructive jaundice with the postoperative results (lethality, complications). It was done for simplification of classification. The absence of significant differences in assessing of the severity obstructive jaundice class with and without attributes of a "total protein" and "prothrombin index". To simplify the classification and to get more reliable information about the difference of postoperative results between the grades (A, B, C) are possible by exception of total protein attributes and prothrombin index.


Understanding the complex movement patterns of animals in natural environments is a key objective of 'movement ecology'. Complexity results from behavioural responses to external stimuli but can also arise spontaneously in their absence. Drawing on theoretical arguments about decision-making circuitry, we predict that the spontaneous patterns will be scale-free and universal, being independent of taxon and mode of locomotion. To test this hypothesis, we examined the activity patterns of the European honeybee, and multiple species of noctuid moth, tethered to flight mills and exposed to minimal external cues. We also reanalysed pre-existing data for Drosophila flies walking in featureless environments. Across these species, we found evidence of common scale-invariant properties in their movement patterns; pause and movement durations were typically power law distributed over a range of scales and characterized by exponents close to 3/2. Our analyses are suggestive of the presence of a pervasive scale-invariant template for locomotion which, when acted on by environmental cues, produces the movements with characteristic scales observed in nature. Our results indicate that scale-finite complexity as embodied, for instance, in correlated random walk models, may be the result of environmental cues overriding innate behaviour, and that scale-free movements may be intrinsic and not limited to 'blind' foragers as previously thought.


A growing number of countries are anchoring their monetary policy through explicit inflation targeting. This policy has already scored remarkable successes in several countries, establishing central bank credibility, and reining in inflation where it had long been stubbornly high. But implementing inflation targets raises many difficult questions. What prerequisites must an economy and its institutions meet for the strategy to work? What choices should central banks make from the menu of possible variations on the basic approach? This book summarizes the discussions in a seminar at which economists and policymakers from ten countries reviewed their experiences with inflation targeting.


This present work deals with the postcolonial search for an African selfhood
through the trope of journeying while subverting the (con)text of the western
representational discourse. The chosen corpus of this study is Aye Kwei Armah's Why
Are We So Blest? And Ama Ata Aidoo's Our Sister Killjoy . Both works are read from a
postcolonial perspective. The crossing undertaken by African protagonists, works as a
debunking to the Eurocentric assumptions constructed by the west. The African
protagonist is to question the truthfulness and credibility of western assumptions about
the classificatory stratification of the world. He, is therefore, to examine the constructed
dichotomies set by the west that of the superiority of the west and the inferiority of
Africa. One aspect of that debunking is the dissection of the nature of education they
receive in the west. In an Althusserian reading, western education is viewed as a strong
state apparatus with which the African educated class would be westernized
perpetuating, most tragically, the western imperial project in a neocolonial outfit.
Fluctuating between essentialism and non-essentialism, the encounters the protagonists
had, reveal the internalizations of some constructed perceptions and images inherent in
the western representational discourse. The differences that exist between cultures and
races are shown to be historical and not biological in nature. The issue of gender,
moreover, is so paramount when dealing with the issue of the African identity. Aspiring
to recover a healthy and a genuine African self-hood, the African woman should be
(re)inscribed in the historicity of the African experience. The issue of language and
genre is another challenge for the African author's endeavor to communicate his
concerns. Both authors' use of English seems to stem from pragmatic reasons while they
are qualified, in a Bhabhian sense, as mimetic writers. The pastiche-like form through
the incorporation of orality into the western conventional novel is an ideological, as
well as, an aesthetic undertaking performed by the African writer.


Abstract. Peng Xi county, Sichuan province, the Bao Fan temple mural digitization survey mapping project: we use three-dimensional laserscanning, multi-baseline definition digital photography, multi-spectral digital image acquisition and other technologies for digital survey mapping. The purpose of this project is to use modern mathematical reconnaissance mapping means to obtain accurate mural shape, color, quality and other data. Combined with field investigation and laboratory analysis results, and based on a comprehensive survey and study, a comprehensive analysis of the historical Bao Fan Temple mural artistic and scientific value was conducted. A study of the mural's many qualities (structural, material, technique, preservation environment, degradation, etc.) reveal all aspects of the information carried by the Bao Fan Temple mural. From multiple angles (archeology, architecture, surveying, conservation science and other disciplines) an assessment for the Bao Fan Temple mural provides basic data and recommendations for conservation of the mural. In order to achieve the conservation of cultural relics in the Bao Fan Temple mural digitization survey mapping process, we try to apply the advantages of three-dimensional laser scanning equipment. For wall murals this means obtaining three-dimensional scale data from the scan of the building and through the analysis of these data to help determine the overall condition of the settlement as well as the deformation of the wall structure. Survey analysis provides an effective set of conclusions and suggestions for appropriate mural conservation. But before data collection, analysis and research need to first to select the appropriate scanning equipment, set the appropriate scanning accuracy and layout position of stations necessary to determine the scope of required data. We use the fine features of the three-dimensional laser scanning measuring arm to scan the mural surface deformation degradation to reflect the actual state of the mural surface patch model. For the degradation of the surface of the pigment layer, we use the patch model to simulate the scan obtained from an analysis. Statistics calculated relatively objective mural surface area from volume data, providing more accurate quantitative data for the mural conservation, especially, providing a viable technology for accurate monitoring of continued degradation. We believe, in order to make use of the three-dimensional laser scanning technology in a digital heritage conservation application, the technology should not only be used to record the object geometry and play a role in record keeping aspects, but, rather, should be used during the investigation to protect against targeted degradation and a more meaningful interpretation function. Like the development of the medical application of X-ray technology not only retains a picture, but more importantly, through this technical interpretation of patient pathology, guides doctors in carrying out the treatment work. Therefore, in the process of digitization of cultural heritage research, the focus should shift to the use of digital technology in the analysis of heritage object degradation and degradation monitoring surveys can promote the application of digital technology in the conservation of cultural heritage.


Spontaneous bursting (5 or more spikes of 200-450mV amplitude at 400Hz) occurs in many areas of chick forebrain. Day-old chicks trained on a one-trial passive avoidance task show a bilateral increase of up to 350% in bursting following training in one of these areas: the intermediate medial hyperstriatum ventrale, or IMHV (Mason & Rose, 1987; 1988).

An investigation was carried out into the time course and lateralization of this change in bursting activity following the training of day-old chicks on a passive avoidance task. Chicks were trained to either avoid a bead coated with the bitter-tasting substance methylanthranilate (M-birds) or were trained to peck a water coated bead (W-birds). Bursting was recorded sequentially from the IMHV of both hemispheres at 8 time points over the period 1 to 9 hours post-test. The results indicate that there are significant differences in bursting activity recorded from M-birds only during the period 3-7hr posttest, when compared to W-birds. Between 6-7hr posttest there are significant differences in the burst firing patterns of the right IMHV of M-birds compared to the left. At other time points tested there are no significant differences between hemispheres. No between hemisphere differences are evident in W-birds.

Multi-unit recordings were made from the lobus parolfactorius (LPO), another forebrain structure to show changes in biochemistry and morphology following passive avoidance training. M-birds showed a higher incidence of bursting when compared to W-birds over the period 1-10hr posttest. No lateralization of bursting was seen in either group at any time posttest.

In a further experiment, chicks trained to avoid the methylanthranilate coated bead were subjected to subconvulsive electroshock 5min posttraining. This procedure was used to test whether the training-induced increase in bursting in the LPO was a direct correlate of memory formation for the task. This electroshock treatment produced two groups of birds: one group that avoided the bead (remembered the task) and another that pecked the bead (forgot the task). Multi-unit recordings from the LPO of these two groups revealed that the group that avoided the bead had a significantly higher mean burst-frequency when compared to the group that pecked the bead, indicating that increased bursting in the LPO following training is directly associated with recall for the task. These results are similar to those of Mason and Rose (1988) who showed that amnesia abolished a training-induced enhancement of bursting in the IMHV.

The effects of pretraining bilateral LPO lesions on IMHV bursting activity were examined. The IMHV of four groups of birds was recorded ftom following training: two groups of M-birds, one with LPO lesions the other with sham LPO lesions and two similarly treated groups of W-birds. A significant increase in overall IMHV bursting activity was observed in sham-lesioned M-birds when compared to sham-lesioned W-birds. However, no significant difference in bursting activity was seen between lesioned M-birds and lesioned W-birds. There was a trend towards a higher overall level of bursting in lesioned W-birds, when compared to sham-lesioned W-birds.

These results are discussed with reference to previous electrophysiological studies concerning the role of burst-firing patterns in models of learning and memory.


Ischemic stress in the brain induces acute and massive neuronal death in the targeted area, which is followed by a second round of detrimental processes, called delayed neuronal death, in the neighboring areas. To test the hypothesis that transcriptional control plays a role in the pathophysiology of the postischemic brain, the genomic responses that occurred in the brain at 3, 6 and, 12 h, and 1, 2 or 4 days after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) were examined using a microarray harboring 5000 rat cDNAs. This analysis indicated that the number of up‐regulated genes was gradually increased, along with the concomitant reduction in the number of down‐regulated genes, until 12 h to 1 day after MCAO. It was followed by a delayed surge of down‐regulated genes at 2 days after MCAO. Northern blots and immunohistological analysis confirmed the validity of these microarray data. We present a list of 85 genes that were up‐regulated more than 2.3‐fold between 12 h and 4 days after MCAO, which included 56 novel genes whose expression has not previously been implicated in ischemic pathophysiology. The list included genes involved in oxidative stress, inflammation, extracellular matrix (ECM), neuronal development and differentiation processes. Together these results suggest that the pathophysiology of the postischemic brain proceeds by the transcriptional activation of genes related to the process of delayed neuronal damage and/or recovery and repair.


PURPOSE
To determine the in vitro effectiveness of Plantago major extract, along with two of its active components, aucubin and baicalein, on the inhibition of Candida albicans growth, biofilm formation, metabolic activity, and cell surface hydrophobicity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Twofold dilutions of P. major, aucubin, and baicalein were used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC), and the minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC) of each solution. Separately, twofold dilutions of P. major, aucubin, and baicalein were used to determine the metabolic activity of established C. albicans biofilm using a 2,3-bis (2- methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-carboxanilide reduction assay. Twofold dilutions of P. major, aucubin, and baicalein were used to determine the cell surface hydrophobicity of treated C. albicans biofilm by a two-phase assay using hexadecane. The hydrophobicity percentage of the cell surface was then calculated. A mixed-model ANOVA test was used for intergroup comparisons.

RESULTS
The MICs of P. major extract (diluted 1:2 to 1:8), aucubin (61 to 244 μg/ml), and baicalein (0.0063 to 100 μg/ml) on the total growth of C. albicans were noticeable at their highest concentrations, and the inhibition was dose dependent. The MFC was evaluated after 48 hours of incubation, and aucubin (244 μg/ml) exhibited a strong fungicidal activity at its highest concentration against C. albicans growth. The MBIC indicated no growth or reduced growth of C. albicans biofilm at the highest concentrations of aucubin (61 to 244 μg/ml) and baicalein (25 to 100 μg/ml). Similarly, the effects of these reagents on C. albicans biofilm metabolic activity and hydrophobicity demonstrated high effectiveness at their highest concentrations.

CONCLUSION
P. major extract, aucubin, and baicalein caused a dose-dependent reduction on the total growth, biofilm formation, metabolic activity, and cell surface hydrophobicity of C. albicans. This demonstrates their effectiveness as antifungals and suggests their promising potential use as solutions for C. albicans biofilm-related infections.


Presenting the critical theory model of societal development and identifying societal steering media as an important element in it, the paper analyses the forces at play in the reform of the wider public sector, in an economic, political and ideological context, and details the key features of the New Zealand compulsory educational system, including the introduction and application of managerial values and rationality. Concluding the article focuses on the possible range of responses of key actors in the educational process to change.


Discrete cosine transform (DCT) is widely used in image and video compression standards. This paper presents distributed arithmetic (DA) based VLSI architecture of DCT for low hardware circuit cost as well as low power consumption. Low hardware cost is achieved by exploiting redundant computational units in recent literature. A technique to reduce error introduced by sign extension is also presented. The proposed 1-D DCT architecture is implemented in both the Xilinx FPGA and Synopsys DC using TSMC CLN65GPLUS 65nm technology library. For power and hardware cost comparisons, recent DA based DCT architecture is also implemented. The comparison results indicate the considerable power as well as hardware savings in presented architecture. 2-D DCT is implemented using row column decomposition by the proposed 1-D DCT architecture.


Supply chains in the pharmaceutical industry are growing increasingly more complex and expanding their geographic reach both in manufacturing production and to the end consumer, the patient. Physical development, manufacturing and distribution of these drugs, both of biologics and small molecules, is extremely technical in science and processes. Additionally, the industry is highly regulated with nuanced requirements that vary by country of origin and consumption, adding complexity to the drug development process. For these reasons, companies are pushing for longer range planning and forecasting of their drug pipelines, beginning the process earlier for drugs that are in pre-clinical phases of production in order to adequately plan for capacity in manufacturing and distribution. Working with data on a number of small molecules across different lines of treatment in the drug development pipeline, a discrete event simulation model was developed to simulate production quantity outputs given varying levels of stochastic parameters such as drug dosage, treatment duration, patient population, patient compliance, and competitive market share. Results from the simulations were used to assess manufacturing capacity risk given capacity and resource capabilities. The outputs of the model built in this thesis can be used to better inform capacity planning decisions for these early stage molecules. Thesis Supervisor: Ozgu Turgut, Postdoctoral Associate, MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics


Crowd flow prediction is of great importance in a wide range of applications from urban planning, traffic control to public safety. It aims at predicting the inflow (the traffic of crowds entering a region in a given time interval) and outflow (the traffic of crowds leaving a region for other places) of each region in the city with knowing the historical flow data. In this article, we propose DeepSTN+, a deep learning-based convolutional model, to predict crowd flows in the metropolis. First, DeepSTN+ employs the ConvPlus structure to model the long-range spatial dependence among crowd flows in different regions. Further, PoI distributions and time factor are combined to express the effect of location attributes to introduce prior knowledge of the crowd movements. Finally, we propose a temporal attention-based fusion mechanism to stabilize the training process, which further improves the performance. Extensive experimental results based on four real-life datasets demonstrate the superiority of our model, i.e., DeepSTN+ reduces the error of the crowd flow prediction by approximately 10%–21% compared with the state-of-the-art baselines.