An efficient, practical, and external-oxidant-free indole synthesis from readily available aryl hydrazines was developed, by using hydrazone as a directing group for Rh(III)-catalyzed C-H activation and alkyne annulation. The hydrazone group was formed by in situ condensation of hydrazines and C=O source, whereas its N-N bond was served as an internal oxidant, for which we termed it as an auto-formed and auto-cleavable directing group (DG(auto)). This method needs no step for pre-installation and post-cleavage of the directing group, making it a quite easily scalable approach to access unprotected indoles with high step economy. The DG(auto) strategy was also applicable for isoquinoline synthesis. In addition, synthetic utilities of this chemistry for rapid assembly of π-extended nitrogen-doped polyheterocycles and bioactive molecules were demonstrated.


Abstract Due to their extraordinary properties nano-sized materials (NMs) are increasingly used in industrial, pharmaceutical and medical applications. An even broader use is currently limited by concern about their potential adverse effect on health. Screening for toxic effects of all engineered NMs therefore, is needed to demonstrate biocompatibility. The identification of adverse cellular effects is one of the first steps in the toxicological assessment of drug compounds before they get to the market. A panel of cytotoxicity screening assays is available and can be used also for the assessment of NMs. The use of these established and validated assays for the testing of NMs, however, is complicated by the fact that NMs may interfere by color, chemical reactivity and light scattering leading to false positive or false negative results. The paper illustrates the principles of conventional cytotoxicity screening assays and discusses their suitability for the assessment of NMs. Adequate controls to identify interference and alternatives, if interference with the used assay is seen, are suggested.


A study of borderline neuro-psychic disorders observed in he restorative period of head injuries revealed their polymorphous character and the necessity of psychotherapy. The author carried out a psychotherapeutic program (rational psychotherapy, prolonged sleep-hypnosis, hypnosuggestion, psychotherapeutic passes) that essentially increased the efficiency of treatment of borderline neuro-psychic disorders in the restorative period of head injuries.


Natural Language Inference (NLI), also known as Recognizing Textual Entailment (RTE), is one of the most important problems in natural language processing. It requires to infer the logical relationship between two given sentences. While current approaches mostly focus on the interaction architectures of the sentences, in this paper, we propose to transfer knowledge from some important discourse markers to augment the quality of the NLI model. We observe that people usually use some discourse markers such as "so" or "but" to represent the logical relationship between two sentences. These words potentially have deep connections with the meanings of the sentences, thus can be utilized to help improve the representations of them. Moreover, we use reinforcement learning to optimize a new objective function with a reward defined by the property of the NLI datasets to make full use of the labels information. Experiments show that our method achieves the state-of-the-art performance on several large-scale datasets.


The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa provides a framework for developing an archival system in the country. The Constitution requires the devolution of the state's responsibility for archives from the national government to the country's nine provinces. In terms of Schedule 5 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, "archives other than national archives are a functional area of exclusive provincial competence". By virtue of this provision, each province is required to promulgate its own Act on archives and records services, as well as establish and maintain its own archival infrastructure. Although almost all nine provinces have enacted their own archival legislation and established archival infrastructure, some of these repositories are 'empty shells' without archival holdings. This study suggests how archives repositories in South Africa can turn the situation of 'empty archives' into a window of opportunity to build inclusive archival holdings that reflect the diversity of South Africa as a rainbow nation. This in turn will help to bridge the gap that exists in the national archives repository in South Africa, as the holdings mostly reflect the records of colonial and apartheid governments. This study suggests that as some of these repositories are situated in previously marginalised communities, the archival holdings should embrace the voices of such community, which in turn will promote the usage of archives. One way of building an inclusive archive is through embarking on a national oral history project that adopts the model of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Furthermore, the South African government should consider developing a policy on inter-repository repatriation of archives to the communities about which they were created. It is concluded that failure to address the situation of 'archives without archives' will render these repositories "white elephants" and "empty vessels".


Plane turbulent mixing between two streams of different gases (especially nitrogen and helium) was studied in a novel apparatus. Spark shadow pictures showed that, for all ratios of densities in the two streams, the mixing layer is dominated by large coherent structures. High-speed movies showed that these convect at nearly constant speed, and increase their size and spacing discontinuously by amalgamation with neighbouring ones. The pictures and measurements of density fluctuations suggest that turbulent mixing and entrainment is a process of entanglement on the scale of the large structures; some statistical properties of the latter are used to obtain an estimate of entrainment rates. Large changes of the density ratio across the mixing layer were found to have a relatively small effect on the spreading angle; it is concluded that the strong effects, which are observed when one stream is supersonic, are due to compressibility effects, not density effects, as has been generally supposed.


HIV-1 transmission in intravenous drug users (IDUs) has been characterized by high genetic multiplicity and suggests a greater challenge for HIV-1 infection blocking. We investigated a total of 749 sequences of full-length gp160 gene obtained by single genome sequencing (SGS) from 22 HIV-1 early infected IDUs in Xinjiang province, northwest China, and generated a transmitted and founder virus (T/F virus) consensus sequence (IDU.CON). The T/F virus was classified as subtype CRF07_BC and predicted to be CCR5-tropic virus. The variable region (V1, V2, and V4 loop) of IDU.CON showed length variation compared with the heterosexual T/F virus consensus sequence (HSX.CON) and homosexual T/F virus consensus sequence (MSM.CON). A total of 26 N-linked glycosylation sites were discovered in the IDU.CON sequence, which is less than that of MSM.CON and HSX.CON. Characterization of T/F virus from IDUs highlights the genetic make-up and complexity of virus near the moment of transmission or in early infection preceding systemic dissemination and is important toward the development of an effective HIV-1 preventive methods, including vaccines.


We show that the universal Grobner basis and the Graver basis of a binomial edge ideal coincide. We provide a description for this basis set in terms of certain paths in the underlying graph. We conjecture a similar result for a parity binomial edge ideal and prove this conjecture for the case when the underlying graph is the complete graph.


Changing shape to destroy RNA Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs) together with CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins form an adaptive immune system that helps bacteria and archaea defend themselves against invading viruses and plasmids. CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs) target CRISPR-Cas protein complexes to the invaders, bringing about their destruction. Taylor et al. used cryo–electron microscopy to determine the structure of a 12-subunit CRISPR-Cas protein complex with crRNA from Thermus thermophilus, in the presence and absence of single-stranded target RNA. Binding to the target RNA causes a change in shape of the CRISPR-Cas complex that results in target recognition and destruction. Science, this issue p. 581 A bacterial immune system protein complex changes shape to recognize and destroy foreign RNA. Adaptive immunity in bacteria involves RNA-guided surveillance complexes that use CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)–associated (Cas) proteins together with CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs) to target invasive nucleic acids for degradation. Whereas type I and type II CRISPR-Cas surveillance complexes target double-stranded DNA, type III complexes target single-stranded RNA. Near-atomic resolution cryo–electron microscopy reconstructions of native type III Cmr (CRISPR RAMP module) complexes in the absence and presence of target RNA reveal a helical protein arrangement that positions the crRNA for substrate binding. Thumblike β hairpins intercalate between segments of duplexed crRNA:target RNA to facilitate cleavage of the target at 6-nucleotide intervals. The Cmr complex is architecturally similar to the type I CRISPR-Cascade complex, suggesting divergent evolution of these immune systems from a common ancestor.


In the present work, we aimed to demonstrate the fabrication of a novel electrochemical sensor for the trace determination of Cu(II) in different food matrices. The new sensor was fabricated using cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (CoFe2O4) which were prepared via an eco-friendly green method. The prepared nanoparticles were investigated and characterized using different techniques. The described differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DP-ASV) was optimized and validated. Under the optimal conditions, the sensor showed sensitive response to Cu determination over a wide linear range. The limits of detection and quantification were found to be 0.085 and 0.284 ppb, respectively, which are considered as lower than the reported limits. Furthermore, the developed method was applied for trace quantitation of Cu in water, oil, sugar and tea. This was carried out without interferences from various inorganic and organic species. Satisfactory recoveries of Cu from samples clearly revealed that the proposed sensor can be applied into quality control and routine determination of Cu samples.


Monoacylglycerol emulsifiers commonly employed in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries can be produced by a glycerolysis reaction using lipase. The concentrations of two substrates (palm olein and glycerol) in the glycerolysis reaction were strictly interdependent. Therefore, it was impossible to perform a classic kinetic study by fixing the concentration of one substrate and changing the concentration of the other substrate. Here, a mathematical model approach is a useful tool to independently assess the effects of hypothetical changes in the concentrations of each. In essence, this analysis permits one to examine various aspects associated with the dynamics and equilibrium of the glycerolysis reaction that cannot be investigated experimentally. In this study a mathematical model, taking into account the mechanism of the glycerolysis reaction for monoacylglycerol production using immobilized lipase, has been developed. From the proposed model, the effects of varying the initial concentrations of substrates on the initial production rate and yield of monoacylglycerol were simulated. The most significant finding from simulation was that an increase in the initial concentration of triacylglycerol leads to an increase in the initial production rate of monoacylglycerol, but there is a limit beyond which increasing the initial concentration of triacylglycerol results in a low yield of monoacylglycerol. The simulation results show that mostly glycerol reacts with fatty acid of triacylglycerol to produce monoacylglycerol in a glycerolysis reaction. From a thermodynamic standpoint, a greater incorporation of glycerol is expected because a higher concentration of this acyl acceptor should shift the equilibrium towards a greater glycerolysis reaction.


The purpose of this qualitative case study was to describe the experiences of professional school counselors (PSCs) with children of incarcerated parents (CIP). The study addressed three research questions: In what ways do PSCs conceptualize the needs of CIP? In what ways do PSCs work with CIP? and How do PSCs experience barriers in their work with CIP? An instrumental case study design (Stake, 1995) was used to consider the experiences of PSCs in a single school district in a Southeastern state. Data sources included interviews with fifteen PSCs, observation of PSC professional development, and document review of policies and practices guiding PSCs in the school district. Themes emerged from analysis of the data sources within the context of the case. Findings suggested PSCs noted observable impacts of parental incarceration among school-age children, including emotional responses, behavioral or cognitive responses, and academic problems. PSCs in the study conceptualized loss experiences for CIP in a way that was consistent with ambiguous loss theory (Boss, 2006), describing changes in family relationships, uncertainty, and stigma. Findings also suggested PSCs sought to meet the needs of CIP using skills inherent in their professional role; however, they experienced barriers navigating professional roles and meeting the needs of CIP. Based on these findings, implications for PSCs and counselor educators and recommendations for future research were provided.


Teenager population due to many risk factors like unknowledge, early sex begining age, drug use and abuse, social and gender inequality and myths, is vulnerable to get transmited disease (STD) and HIV/AIDS. The most common STD found are gonorrhea, syphilis and trichomoniasis (HVP, syphilis and trichomoniasis have also other routes of transmition). AIDS is caused by a retrovirus, the HIV, it can be adquired by either sexual or blood transmition, it has several phases and now a days it can be considered a chronic disease but in log terms it will eventually cause death. Statistical data of ONU and WHO shows that AIDS prevalence in Costa Ricaof the population between 15 and 29 years old is 2,7 for each 10000 inhabitants. From the new causes of STD 90% will happen between the ages of 15 – 30 years and the vast majority in 25 years or younger. Within the effective prevention methods we have abstinence and condoms. Reports have shown the innefficiency of the nonoxinol-9 gels, the vaccine of HPV is still under investigation phases. Within the legal frame, it exist a crime penalty for the propagation of infectious diseases, the best traslation for the crime will be venereal contagion or venereal transmition. There is also the law 7771 refering to AIDS. Besides legislation protects child teenagers and rape or abuse victims. It is necessary to provide usefull and truthfull information to populations in risk of special concern to these case teenagers not only because they are an concern group but also according to law they have theright to protect themselves.


While aerial vehicles offer enormous benefits in several application domains, multidrone localization and control in uncertain environments with limited onboard sensing capabilities remains an active research field. A formation control solution which does not rely on external infrastructure aids such as GPS and motion capture systems must be established based on onboard perception feedback. We address the integration of onboard perception and decision layers in a distributed formation control architecture for three-drone systems. The proposed algorithm fuses two sensor characteristics, distance, and vision, to estimate the relative positions between the drones. Particularly, we utilize the omnidirectional sensing property of the ultrawideband distance sensors and a deep learning-based bearing detection algorithm in a filter. The entire system leads to a closed-loop perception-decision framework, whose stability and convergence properties are analyzed exploiting its modular structure. Remarkably, the drones do not use a common reference frame. We verified the framework through extensive simulations in a realistic environment. Furthermore, we conducted real world experiments using two drones and proved the applicability of the proposed framework. We conjecture that our solution will prove useful in the realization of future drone swarms.


A method is developed to realize optimal channel input conditional distributions, which maximize the finite transmission feedback information (FTFI) capacity, often called  $n$ -block length feedback capacity, by information lossless randomized strategies. The method is applied to compute closed form expressions for the FTFI capacity and feedback capacity, of nonstationary, nonergodic, unstable, multiple input multiple output Gaussian channels with memory on past channel outputs, subject to average transmission cost constraints of quadratic form in the channel inputs and outputs. It is shown that randomized strategies decompose into two orthogonal parts-an deterministic part, which controls the channel output process, and an innovation part, which transmits new information over the channel. Then a separation principle is shown between the computation of the optimal deterministic part and the random part of the optimal randomized strategies. Finally, the ergodic theory of linear-quadratic-Gaussian stochastic optimal control theory, is applied to identify sufficient conditions, expressed in terms of solutions to matrix difference and algebraic Riccati equations, so that the optimal control part of randomized strategies induces asymptotic stationarity and ergodicity, and feedback capacity is characterized by the per unit time limit of the FTFI capacity. The method reveals an interaction of the control and the information transmission parts of the optimal randomized strategies, and that whether feedback increases capacity, is directly related to the channel parameters and the transmission cost function, through the solutions of the matrix Riccati equations. For unstable channels, it is shown that feedback capacity exists and it is strictly positive, provided the power exceeds a critical threshold.


DNA Methylation Status of Tyrosine Hydroxylase Gene in the Locus Ceruleus of rats During Abstinence from Morphine
Author(s): Farideh Jalali Mashayekhi
of Biochemistry and Genetics, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak
Study Type: Research | Subject: Special | Received: 2015/03/19 - Accepted: 2015/03/19 - Published: 2015/03/19
Abstract:
Background: Repeated use of addictive drugs such as morphine, promotes alterations in gene expression that underly addiction as well as compensatory neuroadaptations. Epigenetic mechanisms, including histone modification and DNA methylation are implicated in stimulant-induced gene expression and addiction behavior. The expression of TH gene is known to be regulated in the locus coeruleus (LC) during morphine exposure and drug-abstinence. Upregulation of TH expression would be expected to increase the synthesis of dopamine and norepinephrine and is believed to contribute to particular withdrawal symptoms. We investigated correlation between regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) expression and the methylation level of the TH promoter in chronic morphine treatment and morphine withdrawal. Material and Methods: In this study, morphine dependence was induced in male rats by rising doses of morphine (10 to 50 mg/kg i.p) twice per day for 11 days and then they were decapitated at 3 different time points. LC tissues were dissected and the DNA was extracted. After modification of DNA, promoter methylation of TH gene in the samples was analyzed by methylation by methylation specific PCR (MS-PCR). Result: MS-PCR analysis at the TH promoter (-75 / +111) showed no difference between methylation status in morphine abstinence groups and chronic morphine treatment. Our data also showed that methylation status did not change around the TH gene promoter in the LC of case and control groups. Conclusion: In our experiment, there were no correlation between methylation status and TH gene expression at different time points after cessation of chronic morphine administration.
Keywords: DNA Methylation, Morphine, Rats, Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenas


Small area estimation is a statistical technique used to produce reliable estimates for smaller geographic areas than those for which the original surveys were designed. Such small area estimates (SAEs) often lack rigorous external validation. In this study, we validated our multilevel regression and poststratification SAEs from 2011 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data using direct estimates from 2011 Missouri County-Level Study and American Community Survey data at both the state and county levels. Coefficients for correlation between modelbased SAEs and Missouri County-Level Study direct estimates for 115 counties in Missouri were all significantly positive (0.28 for obesity and no health-care coverage, 0.40 for current smoking, 0.51 for diabetes, and 0.69 for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Coefficients for correlation between model-based SAEs and American Community Survey direct estimates of no health-care coverage were 0.85 at the county level (811 counties) and 0.95 at the state level. Unweighted and weighted model-based SAEs were compared with direct estimates; unweighted models performed better. External validation results suggest that multilevel regression and poststratification model-based SAEs using single-year Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data are valid and could be used to characterize geographic variations in health indictors at local levels (such as counties) when high-quality local survey data are not available.


It has been speculated that there are large oceanic methane hydrate deposits adjacent to Japan, and it is important to elucidate the mechanical and chemical properties of the hydrate to develop commercial technologies for identifications and extracting hydrate concentrations to utilize these resources. The occurrence of methane hydrate is controlled by severe conditions such as high pressure and low temperature and the decomposition processes of synthetic methane were observed microscopically hydrate under the conditions of a wide range of temperatures and atmospheric conditions. The results are summarized as follows:(1) Microscopic observation of thin sections of synthetic methane hydrate is available using a sample sowed by microtome using a tungsten knife covered with a plastic plate. However, it is very difficult to reduce the hydrate to a thickness of about 0.02 mm, which is the common thickness for rock thin sections. Hydrate and ice are identified under crossed nicols based on the differences in crystal systems.(2) Occurrence of the common decomposition in methane hydrate processes were observed at temperature increases of between 2 °C / min and 10 °C / min and in the temperature range of -100-0 °C. When methane hydrate was maintained at 5 °C or 10 °C on the surface of the thin section, it took about 10 or 100 minutes respectively for the hydrate to decompose into methane and ice. When the temperature of methane hydrate was increased at a high rates, a small amount of ice gradually formed until temperature reached 0 °C, and then a large amount of ice was shortly formed near 0 °C. When the rate of temperature increases was low, ice was formed slowly and at an even rate. We speculated that this phenomenon was related to self-preservation. Based on the results of this study, we found that for a long period of time is required to decompose methane hydrate into methane and ice or water.


Knowledge representation is a long-history topic in AI, which is very important. A variety of models have been proposed for knowledge graph embedding, which projects symbolic entities and relations into continuous vector space. However, most related methods merely focus on the data-fitting of knowledge graph, and ignore the interpretable semantic expression. Thus, traditional embedding methods are not friendly for applications that require semantic analysis, such as question answering and entity retrieval. To this end, this paper proposes a semantic representation method for knowledge graph \textbf{(KSR)}, which imposes a two-level hierarchical generative process that globally extracts many aspects and then locally assigns a specific category in each aspect for every triple. Since both aspects and categories are semantics-relevant, the collection of categories in each aspect is treated as the semantic representation of this triple. Extensive experiments show that our model outperforms other state-of-the-art baselines substantially.


Proximal splitting algorithms are well suited to solving large-scale nonsmooth optimization problems, in particular those arising in machine learning. We propose a new primal-dual algorithm, in which the dual update is randomized; equivalently, the proximity operator of one of the function in the problem is replaced by a stochastic oracle. For instance, some randomly chosen dual variables, instead of all, are updated at each iteration. Or, the proximity operator of a function is called with some small probability only. A nonsmooth variance-reduction technique is implemented so that the algorithm finds an exact minimizer of the general problem involving smooth and nonsmooth functions, possibly composed with linear operators. We derive linear convergence results in presence of strong convexity; these results are new even in the deterministic case, when our algorithms reverts to the recently proposed Primal-Dual Davis-Yin algorithm. Some randomized algorithms of the literature are also recovered as particular cases (e.g., Point-SAGA). But our randomization technique is general and encompasses many unbiased mechanisms beyond sampling and probabilistic updates, including compression. Since the convergence speed depends on the slowest among the primal and dual contraction mechanisms, the iteration complexity might remain the same when randomness is used. On the other hand, the computation complexity can be significantly reduced. Overall, randomness helps getting faster algorithms. This has long been known for stochastic-gradient-type algorithms, and our work shows that this fully applies in the more general primal-dual setting as well.


Using graph grammars as a formal tool that supports the distributed system description necessitates a solution to both the problem of assurance of cohesion distributed subgraphs describing the system and making possible cooperation of (different) graph grammars (that will modify these graphs). The definition of conjugated graph grammars, introduced in the paper, seems to be a possible solution of the above problem. Moreover, for some subclass of these grammars - the strictly conjugated graph grammar - it can be proven that consistency of conjugated graphs system will not be violated by productions of this kind of grammars. An example application SCG grammar limitation to the algebraic DPO approach is finally presented.


The aim is to explain the current issues of HW/SW cosimulation and to introduce a new challenge of HW/SW cosimulation for multiprocessor SoC (MPSoC). Most of the current issues are related to raising abstraction levels of HW/SW cosimulation. Mixed-level cosimulation is explained in a unified manner using a concept of 'HW/SW interface'. First, abstraction levels in HW/SW cosimulation are explained in terms of abstraction levels of function, SW interface and HW interface. Transaction level models are introduced for HW interface. OS and device driver levels are explained for the SW interface. Then, the concept, applications and techniques of mixed-level cosimulation are presented. To better understand mixed-level cosimulation through SoC design flow, a view called refinement space is presented. Using the refinement space, cases of mixed-level cosimulation are explained in a SoC design scenario. Then, the issue of cosimulation performance in raising abstraction levels, i.e. Amdahl's law in HW/SW cosimulation, is addressed. A new challenge of cosimulation for MPSoC is also introduced.


With the popularity of portable computers and the proliferation of wireless networking interfaces, there is currently a great deal of interest in providing IP networking support for host mobility using the Internet as a foundation for wireless networking. Most proposed solutions depend on a default route through the mobile host's horne address, which makes for unnecessarily long routes. The major problem that this gives rise to is that of finding an efficient way of locating and routing that allows datagrams to be delivered efficiently to moving destinations whilst limiting costly Internet-wide location updates as much as possible. Two concepts "local region" and "patron service" are introduced based on the locality features of the host movement and packet traffic patterns. For each mobile host, the local region is a set of designated subnetworks within which a mobile host often moves, and the patrons are the hosts from which the majority of traffic for the mobile host originated. By making use of the hierarchical addressing and routing structure of Internet, the two concepts are used to confine the effects of a host moving, so location updates are sent only to a designated host moving area and to those hosts which are most likely to call again, thus providing nearly optimal routing for most communication. The proposed scheme was implemented as an IP extension using a network simulator and evaluated from a system performance point of view. The results show a significant reduction in the accumulated communication time along with improved datagram tunneling, as compared with its extra location overhead. In addition, a comparison with another scheme shows that our functionality is more effective both for location update and routing efficiency. The scheme offers improved network and host scalability by isolating local movement from the rest of the world, and provides a convenient point at which to perform administration functions.


: Agribusiness (including agriculture) accounts for almost one third of South Asia's GDP and has the potential to almost double over the next fifteen years (reaching 1.5 trillion US dollars by 2030). This increase will be driven by rapid growth in population, incomes and urbanization, as well as accelerated transformation of the sector towards higher value products and downstream activities. The highest growth will come from processed food and related services, such as food retail and restaurants which will create millions of productive jobs outside agriculture and positive backward linkages for farmers. Removing restrictions on trade, markets and prices would support this transformation; reforms in these areas are already showing promising effects. In addition, governments should continue to support smaller and poorer farmers, who may not benefit from this transformation. More targeted and pro-active support should be provided to raise productivity, rather than blanket subsidies and price controls that encourage the status quo and threaten the sustainability of the sector in the face of climate change (for example, large untargeted water subsidies).


The purpose was to assess whether children's sex, duration of nursery school attendance, and mothers' and fathers' educational levels were associated with any statistically significant differences in perceptual, cognitive, and emotional perspective-taking skills. The relation between these skills and parents' empathetic skill was also of interest. 100 children aged 6 years (49 girls, 51 boys) and their parents participated in the research. Data were collected through a Personal Information Form, the Perspective-taking Test, and the Empathetic Skills Scale–Form B. Analysis suggested that sex, duration of nursery school attendance, and mothers' and fathers' educational levels did not affect perspective-taking skills. There was no significant correlation between the perspective-taking skills of children and the empathetic skills of their parents.


Visual acuity is better for vertical and horizontal compared to other orientations. This cross-species phenomenon is often explained by "efficient coding," whereby more neurons show sharper tuning for the orientations most common in natural vision. However, it is unclear if experience alone can account for such biases. Here, we measured orientation representations in a convolutional neural network, VGG-16, trained on modified versions of ImageNet (rotated by 0°, 22.5°, or 45° counterclockwise of upright). Discriminability for each model was highest near the orientations that were most common in the network's training set. Furthermore, there was an overrepresentation of narrowly tuned units selective for the most common orientations. These effects emerged in middle layers and increased with depth in the network, though this layer-wise pattern may depend on properties of the evaluation stimuli used. Biases emerged early in training, consistent with the possibility that nonuniform representations may play a functional role in the network's task performance. Together, our results suggest that biased orientation representations can emerge through experience with a nonuniform distribution of orientations, supporting the efficient coding hypothesis.


To the Editor.— Mehregan's histiopathologic concept of "transepithelial elimination" 1 (TE) has been sporadically or consistently observed in an increasing number of dermatoses. I recently observed TE of retained suture material via a hair follicle. Report of a Case.— A 68-year-old woman had a basal cell carcinoma excised from the tip of her nose. The elliptical wound was primarily closed with an absorbable, braided polyglycolic acid suture for subcuticular approximation and a monofilament nylon thread for surface suture. The superficial sutures were completely removed four days later. Histologic examination showed the tumor extending to the margin of the excised specimen. Twenty-four days after the original procedure, reexcision of the area was undertaken. Histologic examination of the second specimen disclosed no residual tumor. In the dermis, a granulomatous foreign-body reaction was seen enveloping a dilated hair follicle (Fig 1). The follicular infundibulum was filled with bluish-staining amorphous material, cell debris, brown


A comprehensive summary is provided on the subject of heavy metal fluoride glasses. This includes discussions on glass compositions, preparation, structure, fiber drawing characteristics, and intrinsic and extrinsic optical properties. Other relevant glass and fiber characteristics such as strength, durability, and thermal Shock resistance are also outlined. Particular emphasis is given to the measurements of optical attenuation in fluoride glasses and their potential for use in ultralow-loss fiber optic waveguides. An excellent bibliography of recent work in the area of heavy metal fluoride glasses has been generated for those seeking more detailed information on this topic.


Abstract:  Armoured stem‐gnathostomes (jawless vertebrates previously termed 'ostracoderms') have long been assumed to exhibit strong endemicity. This assumption has underpinned their utility in many palaeobiogeographic studies as well as scenarios regarding the evolution and dominance of jawed vertebrates over their jawless relatives. The hypothesis of endemicity in stem‐gnathostomes is investigated for the first time in the light of the phylogeny of the closest relatives of jawed vertebrates – Osteostraci and Galeaspida. Palaeobiogeography of each is reconstructed using Fitch optimization and modified Brooks Parsimony Analysis. Palaeobiogeographic distributions corroborate phylogeny. Results, along with consideration of the Heterostraci, enable identification of similar patterns across groups (broad ancestral range, Early Devonian expansion, endemic and pandemic clades within each, and Middle Devonian radiation events) and inferences to the palaeogeographic relationship between major terranes (i.e. Laurentia, Baltica, Avalonia, Kara, Altaids, South China, Tarim). Comparison of basin and terrane level analyses identifies the different palaeogeographic processes responsible for the distributions of each group: sea‐level changes in the case of the Osteostraci and rifting in the case of the Galeaspida. The general endemic nature of the Osteostraci and Galeaspida is confirmed, and thus the hypothesis that the demise and extinction of stem‐gnathostomes was because of their limited dispersal capacity is supported.


Seismic response of structures supported on the sliding systems to bi-directional (i.e. two horizontal components) earthquake ground motion is investigated. The frictional forces of sliding system are assumed to be dependent on the relative velocity at the sliding interface with bi-directional interaction. Coupled differential equations of motion of the structure with sliding system in two orthogonal directions are derived and solved in the incremental form using step-by step method with iterations. The iterations are required due to dependence of the frictional forces on the response of the system. The response of the isolated system is analyzed to investigate the effects of velocity dependence and bi-directional interaction of frictional forces of sliding system. Thest effects are investigated under important patametric variations such as the fundamental time period of superstructure, period, damping and friction coefficient of the sliding system. It is ovserved that the dependence of friction coefficient on relative velocity of system does not have noticeable effects on the peak response of the isolated system. However, if the effects of bi-directional interaction of frictional forces are neglected then the sliding base displacement will be underestimated which is crucial from the design point of view. Further, the bi-directional interaction effects are found to be more severe for the sliding systems without restoring force (i.e. purefriction) in comparison to the systems with restoring force.


We present a method for extracting comprehensive amplitude and phase macromodels of oscillators from their circuit descriptions. The macromodels are based on combining a scalar, nonlinear phase equation with a small linear time-varying system to capture slowly-dying amplitude variations. The comprehensive macromodels are able to correctly predict oscillator response in the presence of interference at far lower computational cost than that of full SPICE-level simulation. We also present an efficient numerical method for capturing injection locking in oscillators, thereby improving on the classic technique of Adler (1946) in terms of accuracy and applicability to any kind of oscillator. We demonstrate the proposed techniques on LC and ring oscillators, comparing results from the macromodels against full SPICE-like simulation. Numerical experiments demonstrate speed tips of orders of magnitude, while retaining excellent accuracy.


Central B cell tolerance is believed to be regulated by B cell receptor signaling induced by the recognition of self-antigens in immature B cells. Using humanized mice with defective MyD88, TLR7, or TLR9 expression, we demonstrate that TLR9/MYD88 are required for central B cell tolerance and the removal of developing autoreactive clones. We also show that CXCL4, a chemokine involved in systemic sclerosis (SSc), abrogates TLR9 function in B cells by sequestering TLR9 ligands away from the endosomal compartments where this receptor resides. The in vivo production of CXCL4 thereby impedes both TLR9 responses in B cells and the establishment of central B cell tolerance. We conclude that TLR9 plays an essential early tolerogenic function required for the establishment of central B cell tolerance and that correcting defective TLR9 function in B cells from SSc patients may represent a novel therapeutic strategy to restore B cell tolerance.


The analysis of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in biofluids is an expanding area of biomarker discovery. To be effective, a diagnostic test must differentiate EVs originating from cancer cells versus non-cancerous origins, and also define biomarkers enriched in cancer EVs. Our team has developed a micro-flow cytometry platform using the Apogee A50 to analyze prostate cancer (PCa) EVs in different biofluids. While flow cytometry is powerful tool for quantitative and qualitative evaluation of cellular biomarkers, direct translation of most applications to EVs is challenging. For example, EVs in biofluids typically range in size from 50-1000nm, and are present as low refractive index, polydisperse populations. We have optimized 30 assay parameters for the identification of prostate specific EVs so that disease specific biomarkers may be evaluated. To illustrate the sensitivity of the system, conditioned media from palmitoylated-GFP-LNCaP cells was used as a positive signal sample. When spiked into increasing concentrations of unstained plasma EVs, the GFP spike was detected linearly, even when present as low as 0.03% of the total EV population. Furthermore, the rate of positive signal/uL sample was quantitative after 15-30 seconds of sample analysis. The platform also permits high throughput analysis using a 96 well plate autosampler. To show sample reproducibility, we analyzed both low and high positive-signal samples over an 8hr sampling window. Low positive samples (120events/uL; 0.1% of total EVs) had a 4% CV over 96 samples whereas the high positive signal samples (2300events/uL, 1.0% of total EVs) had a 2.2% CV. Similar CVs have been obtained with CD9 and CD63. Analysis of sample aliquots over multiple days shows less than 6% CV. Conventional flow cytometers acquire tens of thousands of events while the Apogee system is able to collect millions of events with several parameters/event, in a high throughput manner. This generates a significant amount of data for which we have designed a unique machine learning approach to detect specific EV populations within the whole sample. In this manner, we utilize all data from the sample and not simply a subjectively defined area of interest. Using fresh samples from the clinic we have standardized a 2hr arm-freezer protocol for the collection and preservation of serum and plasma. Comparison studies in LNCaps and PC3 cells of 5 antibodies against PSMA, indicated the J591 anti-PSMA monoclonal antibody as a selective marker for prostate cancer EVs. Positive signal for this antibody was linearly titrated in both a LNCaP EV system and plasma EVs from metastatic prostate cancer patients. Specificity was shown by saturating a plasma system with unconjugated J591 and then reacting with PE-conjugated J591. Using the A50 micro-flow cytometry platform, the J591 antibody to identify prostate specific EVs, and a unique machine learning algorithm, we identified a multiple biomarker, diagnostic signature for PCa. Citation Format: Desmond Pink, Robert Paproski, Deborah Sosnowski, Lian Willetts, Eric Hyndman, John D. Lewis. Technical validation of a micro-flow cytometry platform for prostate cancer biomarker discovery [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3799. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-3799


© Cambridge University Press 2015. Until the early nineteenth century, all book and print production processes in all parts of the world succeeded or failed as a result of manual labour. Hands, not powered machines, engraved wood blocks and plates, cut punches and cast, composed and inked type. Hands worked paper mills and different kinds of xylography and letter-press, using many different sorts of material. Hands hung drying paper and silk, and bound the products. Across Europe, men and women lived and often suffered from the making of lead-based type and rag-based paper and from the exertions of pulling the letter- and rolling presses. Many operatives worked in small, hot and unpleasant printing rooms. In all parts of the world, eyes as well as hands suffered from the demands of microscopic cutting and refining of wood blocks and copper and other metal plates. Unlike the coming of print (wood blocks in second-century East Asia and thirteenth-century Europe; moveable type in eleventh-century China and fifteenth-century Europe), the second mechanized, industrial revolution in book production was experienced worldwide in one century. It was, nonetheless, hugely variable in its regional adoption and impact. This nineteenth-century transformation has been identified with publishing capitalism, and yet its history is many-faceted, with complicated antecedents. Technological bravura led the revolution, its products sometimes dismissed as industrial literature. Thomas Carlyle (and cultural pessimists around the globe) denounced the new machinery as mechanizing minds, devaluing literature and learning, and replacing craftsmanship (in writing as well as in publishing) by the robotic and the mass-produced. The unprecedented cheapness of industrially printed materials encouraged more people to read but also developed a greater sense of the indeterminacy and anonymity of the reading public.


The interface between the organic semiconductor and dielectric plays an important role in determining the device performance of organic field‐effect transistors (OFETs). Although self‐assembled monolayers (SAMs) made from organosilanes have been widely used for dielectric modification to improve the device performance of OFETs, they suffer from incontinuous and lack uniform coverage of the dielectric layer. Here, it is reported that by introduction of a solution‐processed organozinc compound as a dielectric modification layer between the dielectric and the silane SAM, improved surface morphology and reduced surface polarity can be achieved. The organozinc compound originates from the reaction between diethylzinc and the cyclohexanone solvent, which leads to formation of zinc carboxylates. Being annealed at different temperatures, organozinc compound exists in various forms in the solid films. With organozinc modification, p‐type polymer FETs show a high charge carrier mobility that is about two‐fold larger than a control device that does not contain the organozinc compound, both for devices with a positive threshold voltage and for those with a negative one. After organozinc compound modification, the threshold voltage of polymer FETs can either be altered to approach zero or remain unchanged depending on positive or negative threshold voltage they have.


Visual lanscapes forms analysis with taking adventage of formalisation Landscape is a space containing many aspects: natural, economical, cultural, social and esthetic. Any interfering with this scheme should be a deliberate action. Should there appear a necessity to combine planned green areas with landscape, it is vital to analyze it's unique visual phenomenon. Thus why presented landscape frame method has been created. It is based on pictures, chosen to appease the following criterion: picturesque. The research covers all recorded elements (which are treated equally) and their mutual visual relations. The pictures have been subjects to formal analysis, presenting conclusions in tables, models and patterns. Landscape frame method can be useful when designing new picturesque forms have to blend into landscape. This method can be a part of wholesome study of landscape spatial codes.


Two maximum entropy convex decompositions are computed with the use of the iterative proportional fitting procedure. First, a doubly stochastic version of a 5 × 5 British social mobility table is represented as the sum of 120 5 × 5 permutation matrices. The most heavily weighted permutations display a bandwidth form, indicative of relatively strong movements within social classes and between neighboring classes. Then the mobility table itself is expressed as the sum of 6 985 5 × 5 transportation matrices—possessing the same row and column sums as the mobility table. A particular block-diagonal structure is evident in the matrices assigned the greatest weight. The methodology can be applied as well to the representation of other nonnegative matrices in terms of their extreme points, and should be extendable to higher-order mathematical structures—for example, operators and functions.


Wearable health devices have the potential to incentivize individuals in health-promoting behaviors and to assist in the monitoring of health conditions. Wearable epilepsy seizure monitoring devices are now evolving that can support individuals and their caregivers via the automated sensing, reporting and logging of epileptic seizures. This work contributes a novel reflection on the interface requirements of wearer users and non-wearer stakeholder users. We evaluate the "guessability" of the light pattern interface of the Empatica Embrace wrist-worn epileptic seizure monitor and provide box plot results for eight interface indications. We also report summarised feedback from a heuristic analysis with fourteen participant evaluators. The results indicate some satisfaction with the minimal aesthetic of a simple light pattern interface as well as some concerns about confusion between different indications, accessibility and reliance on recall.


Background Maternal education is universally recognised as a major factor in positive societal indicators (health, wellbeing, overall education, etc.) and a country's growth and economic sustainability, yet the underlying factors contributing to maternal education have not been widely investigated, especially in developing countries. Objective This study investigated the 15-year trend of maternal education in Bangladesh (2004–2018) to identify the factors contributing to maternal education. Method This study used publicly available cross-data from five consecutive Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys (2004, 2007, 2011, 2014 and 2018). Level of maternal education was grouped as 'no education', 'incomplete primary', 'complete primary', 'incomplete secondary', 'complete secondary' and 'higher education' (reference group). The differences in factors/exposure variables suspected to contribute to maternal education were measured for these groups for 2004–2018, and a survey multinomial logistic regression was performed to estimate the explanatory value of these factors. Results From 2004–2018, there was a 62% gross reduction of the no education group and a 61% gross increase in the higher education group. A gross increase was also observed for complete secondary (49%), incomplete secondary (39%) and complete primary education (14%). In multivariate analysis, in rural areas, in 2018, the probability of a woman being in the complete primary, incomplete primary or no education groups was increased (adjusted relative risk ratio: 1.21, 1.40 and 1.59), compared to 2004 (0.73, 1.09, 1.12), respectively. From 2004–2018, the factor of no television watching reduced the probability of maternal education levels. Having a husband/partner who had no education increased the probability of a woman's education level. The probability of all maternal education levels decreased across all wealth index groups. Conclusion The data suggest that average maternal education level in Bangladesh increased from 2004–2018. However, an integrated effort is required to improve factors associated with maternal education to both increase maternal education and Bangladesh's long-term sustainability.


Flock house virus is a small insect virus with a bipartite RNA genome consisting of RNA1 and RNA2. RNA3 is a subgenomic element encoded by RNA1, the genomic segment required for viral RNA synthesis (T. M. Gallagher, P. D. Friesen, and R. R. Rueckert, J. Virol. 46:481-489, 1983). Synthesis of RNA3 is strongly inhibited by RNA2, the gene for viral coat protein. Evidence that coat protein is not the regulatory element was obtained by using a defective interfering RNA2 which was messenger inactive. It was also found that RNA2 selectively down-regulated synthesis of positive-strand RNA3 but not of its complementary negative strand. cDNA-generated RNA2 transcripts, carrying four extra nonviral bases at the 3' end, failed to repress synthesis of RNA3 but recovered this activity after a single passage in Drosophila cells in the presence of RNA1, suggesting that down-regulation of RNA3 synthesis is controlled by competition with RNA2 for viral replicase.


Agriculture has been recognized as the main motive for economic growth and development in different countries of the world. In the meantime, mapping croplands through the classification of remote sensing images is one of the effective solutions in decision making and providing food security to the community. In this research, croplands are classified into different classes of agricultural products (including wheat, barley, corn, alfalfa, potatoes, and Sugar beets) using multi-temporal optical (Sentinel-2) and synthetic aperture radar (Sentinel-1) satellite images. All the steps related to the preparation of satellite images, have been conducted in the Google Earth Engine online processing platform. A novel three-dimensional deep convolutional neural network is used as the classifier. The designed network, in addition to three-dimensional kernels with the ability to extract spatial and temporal information of each pixel simultaneously, uses some escape connections of the previous layers. These connections, contrary to the feed-forward convolutional networks, feed the output of the previous layers to the new layers. After dividing the ground truth data into two categories of training and evaluation and assessing the performance of the network with 50 different training and evaluation data, the network's overall accuracy was calculated 91.6% on average. According to the final results, the designed escape connections increased the overall accuracy of classification by 2%. The proposed network was also compared with temporal and spatial-temporal Random Forests and Support Vector Machines which showed a better performance with a difference of at least 2.4%.


Efficient network communications are essential to enable network-centric warfare. However, tactical edge networks present an extremely challenging and heterogeneous networking environment due to heterogeneous architectures, dynamic topologies, unwanted adversarial behavior, interference, and other wireless channel conditions. In order to support end-user applications and guarantee system performance and interoperability in such constrained environments, it is critical to adapt the volume and type of traffic generated by applications to the continuously varying network conditions. To this end, we extended the Agile Computing Middleware (ACM) with capabilities specifically designed to provide network state detection and adaptation in constrained networks. In this paper, we present SENSEI (for Smart Estimation of Network StatE Information), a set of components of the ACM that provides effective strategies for the dissemination of network state information. SENSEI implements a content- and context-aware clustering-based algorithm for the distribution of network state information that can significantly reduce the overhead associated with network state information sharing.


Abstract The Nintendo Wii is a gaming console with motion-sensitive controls that is making inroads into health care and rehabilitation. However, there is still limited knowledge on how elderly people perceive the use of such a product. The aim of this study was to examine how the use of the Wii Sports Bowling in an activity group was perceived by elderly people. The data consisted of observations and interviews with participants who used Wii Sports Bowling and was analysed with content analysis. The findings are described in three themes; 'The use of the Wii Sports game', 'Engagement in the game' and 'Social interaction around the activity'. Wii Sports Bowling was described as easier to play compared to real-life bowling and was enjoyable and a social activity. The opportunity to meet the group each week was important for the participants. Playing the game resulted in signs of immersion and a flow-like state. The Wii was perceived to be easy to use, to provide a way to socialize with peers and to give opportunities to participate in activities in a new way. More studies regarding elderly people's experiences and apprehensions regarding new technology such as gaming consoles and virtual reality are needed.


Coating blade wears seriously in paper coating process. Wear mechanism was analyzed in this article. A new technology of surface coating process was introduced to increase the hardness of the edge of coating blade and thus to prolong its service life. Surface coating preparing process on blade was studied and metal-ceramic compound coating prepared successfully on the edge of coating blade with AT13 (Al2O3+13%TiO2) wear resistant material by plasma spraying process. NiCrAl alloy powder was used as under coat material. Microstructure of the coating is dense. The coating bonds well with the matrix and have high hardness. Results of grain-abrasion testing show that wear-resisting property of the metal/ceramic compound coating is about 7-8 times as that of steel blade.


The aim of this paper is to model for the first time the variation of field and flow parameters in the magnetosheath during Earth passage of an interplanetary magnetic cloud. Under typical Solar wind conditions, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effects on the flow of plasma in the terrestrial magnetosheath are important only in a layer adjacent to the magnetopause which is a few thousand kilometers thick ("depletion layer" or "magnetic barrier"). During the passage of an interplanetary magnetic cloud, however, conditions upstream of the bow shock depart strongly from the norm. In this case, interplanetary parameters vary slowly over a wide range of values. Values of the upstream Alfven Mach number are much lower than those otherwise sampled (∼3 versus 8–10). Together with the magnetic shear across the magnetopause, this parameter plays a central role in determining the structure of the magnetosheath close to the magnetopause. As a consequence of sustained low values of the upstream Alfven Mach number, the magnetic field exerts a strong influence on the flow over a very substantial fraction of the magnetosheath throughout the duration of cloud passage, i.e., for a time period of the order of 1–2 days. We apply an algorithm to integrate the ideal MHD equations, using a boundary layer technique, and compute the variations of field and flow parameters along the stagnation streamline. We choose as our example the magnetic cloud which passed Earth on January 14–15, 1988. The interaction of this cloud with the magnetosphere, as regards the resulting ionospheric flow patterns and the substorm activity, has been the subject of various investigations. Using information from these studies, we obtain results on the magnetosheath when the magnetopause is modeled, first as a tangential discontinuity and then as a rotational discontinuity. Our results are in good general agreement with recent observations on the behavior of field and flow quantities in the magnetosheath region adjacent to the magnetopause. In addition, we predict the existence of a magnetic barrier when the upstream Alfven Mach number is low, irrespective of the magnetic shear across the magnetopause.


This paper investigates the impact of realistic propagation conditions on the achievable secrecy performance of multiple-input multiple-output systems in the presence of an eavesdropper (Eve). Specifically, we concentrate on the $\kappa$-$\mu$ shadowed fading model because its physical underpinnings capture a wide range of propagation conditions, while, at the same time, it allows for a much better tractability than other state-of-the-art fading models. By considering transmit antenna selection and maximal ratio combining reception at the legitimate (Bob) and Eve's receiver sides, we study two relevant scenarios: 1) the transmitter knows Bob's channel state information (CSI) but not Eve's CSI, and 2) the transmitter is aware of the CSI of both Bob and Eve channels. For this purpose, we first obtain novel and tractable expressions for the statistics of the maximum of independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) variates related to the legitimate channel. Based on these results, we derive novel closed-form expressions of the two aforementioned scenarios to assess the secrecy performance of the underlying system. Specifically, for cases: 1) the secrecy outage probability (SOP), the probability of strictly positive secrecy capacity (SPSC), and 2) the average secrecy capacity (ASC). Moreover, we develop analytical asymptotic expressions of the SOP and ASC in the high signal-to-noise ratio regime. In all instances, secrecy performance metrics are characterized in closed-form, without requiring the evaluation of Meijer-G or Fox-H functions. Some useful insights on how the different propagation conditions and the number of antennas impact the secrecy performance are also provided.


ABSTRACT Reflective journals are used in the literature to promote students' learning, develop writing skills, assess students' reflection level, promote teachers' professional development, and gather research data. However, the current research bridges the gap in the literature by exploring the impact of students' reflective journals on informing instructional practices in an EFL writing context at a university in Qatar. Informed by Gibb's reflective cycle (1988) (i.e. description, feelings, evaluation, conclusion and action) and social constructionism, the researcher developed a reflective journal to help students reflect on the instructional practices. Using a case study methodology, the researcher collected seventy-eight reflective journals, written by bilingual female university students in Qatar. Data was analysed qualitatively using thematic content analysis. Findings revealed that students preferred the following teaching strategies: gradual teaching, exemplification, discussion, comprehension checking, cooperative learning, and graphic organisers. Findings also showed students' reported challenges such as strict classroom management, lack of teacher's electronic feedback, teacher's frequent questioning, recurrent turn-taking, time mismanagement, lack of handouts, cooperative learning problems, mocking students, ringing mobile phones, unpunctual students and dealing with disruptive students. Implications for instructional practices are provided.


AbstractBACKGROUND: There is a growing tendency to include in medical curricula teaching programs that promote a biopsychosocial (BPS) approach to patient care. However, we know of no attempts to assess their effect on patterns of care and health care expenditures.
 OBJECTIVE: To determine whether 1) a teaching intervention aiming to promote a BPS approach to care affects the duration of the doctor-patient encounter, health expenditures, and patient satisfaction with care, and 2) the teaching method employed affects these outcomes.
 METHODS: We compared two teaching methods. The first one (didactic) consisted of reading assignments, lectures, and group discussions. The second (interactive) consisted of reading assignments, small group discussions, Balint groups, and role-playing exercises. We videotaped patient encounters 1 month before and 6 months after the teaching interventions, and recorded the duration of the videotaped encounters and whether the doctor had prescribed medications, ordered tests, and referred the patient to consultants. Patient satisfaction was measured by a structured questionnaire.
 RESULTS: Both teaching interventions were followed by a reduction in medications prescribed and by improved patient satisfaction. Compared to the didactic group, the interactive group prescribed even fewer medications, ordered fewer laboratory examinations, and elicited higher scores of patient satisfaction. The average duration of the encounters after the didactic and interactive teaching interventions was longer than that before by 36 and 42 seconds, respectively.
 CONCLUSIONS: A BPS teaching intervention may reduce health care expenditures and enhance patients' satisfaction, without changing markedly the duration of the encounter. An interactive method of instruction was more effective in achieving these objectives than a didactic one.


Despite their success and popularity, deep neural networks (DNNs) are vulnerable when facing backdoor attacks. This impedes their wider adoption, especially in mission critical applications. This paper tackles the problem of Trojan detection, namely, identifying Trojaned models -- models trained with poisoned data. One popular approach is reverse engineering, i.e., recovering the triggers on a clean image by manipulating the model's prediction. One major challenge of reverse engineering approach is the enormous search space of triggers. To this end, we propose innovative priors such as diversity and topological simplicity to not only increase the chances of finding the appropriate triggers but also improve the quality of the found triggers. Moreover, by encouraging a diverse set of trigger candidates, our method can perform effectively in cases with unknown target labels. We demonstrate that these priors can significantly improve the quality of the recovered triggers, resulting in substantially improved Trojan detection accuracy as validated on both synthetic and publicly available TrojAI benchmarks.


Thus, the described documents on a plastic basis have a number of significant drawbacks. These factors contribute to the legalization of stolen and non-cleared vehicles, which in turn leads to costly losses and shortfalls in the budget of significant funds, as well as the use of fake driver's licenses. To correct this situation, it is necessary to strengthen the protection of this type of documents by applying additional protection methods, for example: inscriptions or images that will be damaged when deleting personal data, leaving traces of erasing, applying personal data by laser engraving. Applying the document number after personalization by laser perforation or volumetric laser engraving, it is also necessary to establish effective control over consumables. These issues are most effectively resolved when implementing centralized personalization of this type of documents.


We analyze the statistical consistency of robust estimators for precision matrices in high dimensions. We focus on a contamination mechanism acting cellwise on the data matrix. The estimators we analyze are formed by plugging appropriately chosen robust covariance matrix estimators into the graphical Lasso and CLIME. Such estimators were recently proposed in the robust statistics literature, but only analyzed mathematically from the point of view of the breakdown point. This paper provides complementary high-dimensional error bounds for the precision matrix estimators that reveal the interplay between the dimensionality of the problem and the degree of contamination permitted in the observed distribution. We also show that although the graphical Lasso and CLIME estimators perform equally well from the point of view of statistical consistency, the breakdown property of the graphical Lasso is superior to that of CLIME. We discuss implications of our work for problems involving graphical model estimation when the uncontaminated data follow a multivariate normal distribution, and the goal is to estimate the support of the population-level precision matrix. Our error bounds do not make any assumptions about the the contaminating distribution and allow for a nonvanishing fraction of cellwise contamination. MSC 2010 subject classifications: Primary 62F35; secondary 62G35.


In some languages, creaky voice is used over relatively long stretches of speech as a prosodic element, to convey emotion, and/or stylistically. A primary acoustic and perceptual cue to creaky voice quality is a low fundamental frequency. Previous research has shown that listeners can make fine-grained comparisons of speakers' habitual modal pitch, but this study focuses on how a combination of modal and nonmodal phonation affects the perception of habitual pitch. A perception experiment assesses whether listeners are more likely to rate a speaker's utterance as being holistically lower in pitch if it contains both modal and creaky voice than if it is fully modal speech. Results indicate that for female American English speakers with higher modal pitch, the inclusion of creaky voice leads listeners to rate such utterances as lower in pitch than fully modal utterances, but not for speakers with lower modal pitch. These results are consistent with studies showing that pitch perception interacts with nonmodal phonation, and they relate to previous observations that speakers may utilize nonmodal phonation to manipulate their intended habitual pitch.*


Pengaruh arus dan sudut kampuh Pengelasan Terhadap Kekerasan dan keretakan pada Las SMAW Dengan Elektroda E7018."Comparison journal with Joko Santoso, 2006. TM, FT, UNNES "Welding current Effect Against Tensile Strength and Toughness Las SMAW with E7018 Electrodes" .Penelitian uses low alloy steel materials, materials treated with a variety of welding current 100 Ampere, 130 Ampere and 160 Amper using reverse polarity DC SMAW welding electrode E 7018 with a diameter of 3.2 mm. Seam type used is seam V with an angle of 60 °. The value of tensile strength and yield stress to specimen quality force tensile low alloy steel welding current 160 Ampere group the highest compared with those variations welding current of 100 amperes and 130 amperes and raw materials group. Its value has increased by 44.84 MPa to values of tensile strength and 84 MPa for the yield stress value of the raw materials group. The value of the extension and increased cross-section reduction compared to the group and the group 130 100 Amper Amper, but decreased compared with those raw materials. This study aims to determine the effect of welding current against violence, the corner seam welds and cracks levels 1,2 and 3 on the SMAW welding electrode E7018. This study uses a low alloy steel material treated wi th a variety of welding currents of 80 A and 180 A with a seam angle of 60 ° and 80 °, using SMAW welding DC polarity inverted with E7018 electrode diameter of 3.2 mm. DC reverse polarity that the electrode holder is connected to the positive pole and the metal stem is connected to the negative pole. Specimens carried hardness testing and cracking levels 1,2 and 3, Hardness of weld joint highest in the group of specimens of 60 ° to 180 A which is worth 181 HB for angle of 80 ° to 180 A and 181 HB, the lowe st value obtained angle of 80 ° with 80 A whose value is 141 HB, to an angle of 60 ° to 80 A HB 156 value from the data above is taken the average - average, for the position of HAZ According to the results of this study concluded that with the variation of the welding current is very influence in welding materials and therefore contributes to violence. Keywords are current, angle, SMAW, violence, rift, E7018.


Developing of cognitive competencies in scientific, mathematical and technological fields is one of the most important goals for educational systems across the world. In this paper, we present a way in which new computational technologies can support learning in some interdisciplinary lessons at the upper secondary level. We will refer to a new kind of classrooms equipped with multi-touch technology, available in eight schools in Romania, thanks to a project implemented by the Project Management Unit with Foreign Finance-Education Ministry in partnership with SIVECO ROMANIA and "Carol I" National Defence University. This new technology allows an integrated approach, is suitable for studies of complex issues and fosters collaborative activities. We want to present one of the ways in which the multi-touch laboratory of the National College "Mihai Eminescu" Satu Mare is used for teaching and learning in scientific field. We refer to the manner in which the use of computer simulations improve the understanding of scientific concepts. During the engagement with the model, there is an interaction between students' current understanding and the computational models they use, facilitated by the visualization of different states that the system can have. Students can modify variables of the model, question and test hypotheses. In a constructivist learning approach the students create their own models and simulations in order to express their conceptions on how a given scientific process works. By working in team, students learn both from the teacher and from the other students. The assessment is formative and takes into account not only students' products, but the entire process. This interdisciplinary approach aims developing computational and analytical thinking, as well as the development of the capacity of investigation and working in a team.


Big data analytics uses algorithms for decision-making and targeting of customers. These algorithms process large-scale data sets and create efficiencies in the decision-making process for organizations but are often incomprehensible to customers and inherently opaque in nature. Recent European Union regulations require that organizations communicate meaningful information to customers on the use of algorithms and the reasons behind decisions made about them. In this paper, we explore the use of explanations in big data analytics services. We rely on discourse ethics to argue that explanations can facilitate a balanced communication between organizations and customers, leading to transparency and trust for customers as well as customer engagement and reduced reputation risks for organizations. We conclude the paper by proposing future empirical research directions.


UNLABELLED
BACKGROUND AND AIMS. The experience in intensive care unit (ICU) has created an intense emotional situation both to patients and their family members. The aim of this study was to determine the family members information needs of critically ill patients in ICU.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 family members of patients admitted in ICU. A face to face interview was conducted and a self-report questionnaire of the Critical Care Family Needs Inventory (CCFNI) was used.

RESULTS
Findings reported CCFNI five sub-attributes that ranked from highest to lowest included: support (mean 39.13 ± 6.189); proximity (mean 27.17 ± 3.384); information (mean 24.25 ± 3.093); assurance (mean 22.67 ± 1.862) and comfort (mean 16.24 ± 2.776). There were no significant differences in needs between family members with different gender (p >0.05). However, there were significant differences in support needs between family members with admission to ICU with (t=-2.111; p <0.05). There were significant differences in assurance needs (F=3.542; p <0.05) and information needs (F=3.681; p <0.05) between family members with age. There were no significant differences in needs between family members with different education level (p >0.05) whereas assurance needs were significant differences with education level of (F=3.542; p <0.05).

CONCLUSION
The results suggest that family members perceived support and proximity as the most crucial need. Comfort need was viewed as least important. Although this study was conducted in a tertiary hospital, the findings could still provide insight for nurses to improve the delivery of care to patients and family members.


BACKGROUND
A cardiac homograft valve bank with cryopreservation facility was established at the Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Madras Medical Mission, Chennai in July 1995.

METHODS AND RESULTS
During the last 7 1/2 years of its existence, from July 1995 to March 2003, 588 hearts were processed. The valves harvested were 390 aortic, 400 pulmonary and 39 others including mitral valve, aortic conduits, pericardium etc.; 176 (29.9%) hearts were discarded for various reasons which included failure to sterilize, HBV, HIV, HCV, treponema pallidum hemagglutination test positivity, atheromatous/fatty streaks, incompetent valves, and dissection mistakes. The valves were sterilized using an antibiotic cocktail of vancomycin, amikacin, streptomycin, cefotaxime and amphotericin B in Hank's balanced salt solution. Of the 585 valves issued for clinical use, 247 were aortic, 323 pulmonary and 15 others (mitral valve, pericardium, conduits). Gram negative bacilli were the predominant contaminants from the hearts during the first half (July 1995 to February 1999) and gram positive organisms were the predominant contaminants during the later half (March 1999 to March 2003) of the study period. A variety of fungal contaminants like candida, aspergillus, penicillium and other fungi were also isolated from the homograft hearts at procurement. The valves were used most commonly for Rastelli procedure/right ventricular-pulmonary artery conduit (48.71%) followed by Ross procedure (23.41%). The other procedures were aortic valve replacement (6.15%), truncus repair (5.81%), unifocalization with conduit repair (6.49%), aortoplasty (0.512%), left ventricular-pulmonary artery conduit (0.512%), pulmonary valve replacement (0.512%), aneurysm repair (0.34%), Norwood repair (0.34%), mitral valve replacement (0.17%) and other procedures (7%).

CONCLUSIONS
We have established a viable and functioning cardiac homograft valve bank to suit Indian conditions and till date, have issued 585 homograft valves for clinical use.


The Martian meteorite ALH84001 preserves evidence of interaction with aqueous fluids while on Mars in the form of microscopic carbonate disks. These carbonate disks are believed to have precipitated 3.9 Ga ago at beginning of the Noachian epoch on Mars during which both the oldest extant Martian surfaces were formed, and perhaps the earliest global oceans. Intimately associated within and throughout these carbonate disks are nanocrystal magnetites (Fe3O4) with unusual chemical and physical properties, whose origins have become the source of considerable debate. One group of hypotheses argues that these magnetites are the product of partial thermal decomposition of the host carbonate. Alternatively, the origins of magnetite and carbonate may be unrelated; that is, from the perspective of the carbonate the magnetite is allochthonous. For example, the magnetites might have already been present in the aqueous fluids from which the carbonates were believed to have been deposited. We have sought to resolve between these hypotheses through the detailed characterization of the compositional and structural relationships of the carbonate disks and associated magnetites with the orthopyroxene matrix in which they are embedded. Extensive use of focused ion beam milling techniques has been utilized for sample preparation. We then compared our observations with those from experimental thermal decomposition studies of sideritic carbonates under a range of plausible geological heating scenarios. We conclude that the vast majority of the nanocrystal magnetites present in the carbonate disks could not have formed by any of the currently proposed thermal decomposition scenarios. Instead, we find there is considerable evidence in support of an alternative allochthonous origin for the magnetite unrelated to any shock or thermal processing of the carbonates. 2009 Published by Elsevier Ltd.


Objective: The aim of the study was detection of two major causative agents of pleuropneumonia, Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae (Mccp) and Mannheimia haemolytica, in goats. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first investigation of Mccp in Iran. Methods: 50 grossly suspected lungs to pleuropneumonia and 10 healthy samples were collected from Shiraz abattoir. Results: Histopathological evaluation of tissue samples showed various diagnosed pneumonias including 40% bronchointerstitial pneumonia (20 samples), 34% interstitial pneumonia (17 samples), 10% fibrinopurulent bronchopneumonia (5 samples), 12% purulent bronchopneumonia (6 samples) and 4% chronic pneumonia (2 samples). In molecular study, all 50 suspected samples and 10 healthy ones by PCR showed no Mccp positive sample, but the detection rate of M. haemolytica in suspected samples was 14% and in healthy lungs was zero. Conclusions: It may be concluded that goats referred to Shiraz abattoir is free of Mccp. Further sampling and molecular testing at the level of suspected herds to CCPP can be useful.


This content was published in the Monash University Law Review, the flagship academic journal of Monash Law School, managed by a team student editors.


I am becoming animal, a rocking horse, a ventriloquist's emu, a felt frog who will never be a

prince. The labyrinth I inhabit has multiple exits but only one entrance. How you come out of my

maze does not depend on how you enter, you will be morphed. Charged by the planes of

immanence your lines of flight will electrify and animate you. Suckling and entangling you

become; bag puss, zippy, muffin the mule, bill and ben, lady penelope, lady lovelace and finally

zebedee, boing! You fight the forces of abstraction to distraction and it is a draw. You perform,

you happen, you dematerialise, you objectify, you are the subject, you are not. You will evolve,

revolve, and dissolve some of those images of thought you have explored by constructing fleeting

imaginary worlds. What will pull you back to the memory of crossing the singular threshold? Will it

be through rosebudishness, madeleineness, or by the encounter with the idea that forces you to

think differently? I will bring a spring, a wooden ball, a moustache, red, blue, yellow and black.

Taking in Vilem Flusser and Louis Bec's Vampyroteuthis Infernalis as a 'line of flight' this paper

uses the characters from the Magic Roundabout as luminaires in, 'The eternal night of the

vampyroteuthis [which] is filled with colours and sounds that are emitted by living beings-an

eternal festival of colours and sounds, a son et lumiere of extraordinary opulence. The ocean floor

is carpeted with red, white, and violet stone; there are dunes of blue and yellow sand, sparkling

with pearls and fragments of molten meteorites. Forests, meadows, and plains of plant-like

animals, beaming with colours, sway in the current with fanned tentacles. Wandering in their

midst are giant iridescent snails, and whirring above them are swarms of crabs, flashing in silver,

red, and yellow. It is a luxuriant garden that the vampyroteuthis can illuminate, on a whim, to enjoy

its desserts in splendour.' (Flusser & Bec 2000: 35)


Remedying the European Union's deficient overall business research and development performance requires the nurturing of more new companies in new sectors, enabling them to grow to leading-innovator status. This means addressing young leading innovators' access to external finance, particularly early-stage venture capital.The funding system for aspiring young leading innovators ('yollies') needs to be understood as an interconnected system comprising different types of funding at different stages of company lifecycles. Venture capital funds are critical at the early commercialisation stage.Venture capital investors rely on a good deal flow of high-potential investment-ready firms, on skilled investment managers, and on developed exit markets.Poor returns from early-stage investments in Europe on a smaller deal flow have significantly reduced the appetite for early-stage venture capital. This exodus has left a funding gap in Europe for aspiring yollies.The evidence suggests that there are a number of ineffective public schemes supporting mediocre deals at mediocre funds. Shutting those down would free up enough funding to allow a significant shift towards a more effective venture investing system focused on high quality venture capital and innovative projects from aspiring yollies.


Caffeine is a major constituent of many drugs and also widely and immensely consumed in beverages and soft drinks. The public health implication of the habitual and indiscriminate consumption of caffeine containing products has prompted studies on its safety evaluation. In this study, we investigated the potentials of caffeine to induce abnormal sperm cells in the testes and micronuclei (MN) in the bone marrow cells using the sperm morphology and MN assays in mice. For these assays, mice were administered intraperitoneally (IP) caffeine at dose levels of 0.39mg/kg body weight (bwt), 0.78mg/kg bwt, 1.56mg/kg bwt and 3.12mg/kg bwt., and normal saline and cyclophosphamide were used as negative and positive controls respectively. The sperms of mice from the caudal epididymes examined at 5 and 10 weeks from the first day of treatment showed that caffeine induced dose-dependent significant (p<0.05) formation of abnormal sperm cells. Induction of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes was not dose dependent but statistically significant (p<0.05) at the doses of 1.17mg/kg body weight and 1.56mg/kg body weight. These suggest that caffeine may be a potential germ and somatic cell mutagen, and thus its indiscriminate use may be of potential human health risk. Key words: Caffeine, genotoxicity, mice, micronucleus, spermatozoa


The aim of this paper was to provide a critical review of the monograph entitled "The Psychology of Romanian People. Psychological Profile of Romanians" (by Professor Ph.D.Daniel David), from a research method perspective. The reading lenses took into account the author's method option, which includes a multilevel and an interdisciplinary approach, a preference towards quantitative and cross-cultural research methods and towards an ethic and an objective approach, as well as the major reliance on secondary data analyses (with three new studies). Given the methodological features of this volume, the following points should be underlined: (a) cross-cultural comparisons are pertinent and possible to be done despite some technical limitations such as the difficulty to test the measurement invariance; (b) the author has taken a series of active measures to minimize the risk of statistical artifacts in the comparisons he has done; (c) the entire approach, including discussion, is in accordance with the requirements for an evidence based perspective. In conclusion, the volume benefits from an appropriate methodological support, in accordance to the complexity of the investigated problem and up to the modern standards in the field.


Objectives. To test the hypothesis that individuals with regional and widespread pain disorders have an increased risk of mortality. Methods. We conducted a prospective cohort study of 4515 adults. Subjects were an age- and sex-stratified sample who had participated in a population study of pain occurrence during 1996. Based on those reports subjects were classified as having no pain, regional pain or widespread pain. All subjects were identified on the National Health Service Central Register and followed up until April 2005, a total of 8.2 yrs, at which time information was obtained on vital status, and if applicable, date and cause of death. The relationship between pain status and subsequent death is expressed as mortality rate ratios with 95% CIs, adjusted for age, gender, ethnicity and practice. Results. A total of 35.2% reported regional pain and 16.9% satisfied criteria for widespread pain. In comparison with those without pain, there was a 20% and 30% increased risk of dying over the follow-up period among subjects with regional and widespread pain, respectively. The specific causes of death in excess were cancer and cardiovascular disease. In addition, the mortality risk from both cancer and cardiovascular deaths was found to increase as the number of pain sites that subjects reported increased. Conclusions. This study supports a previous observation that persons with regional and widespread pain are at an increased risk of cancer death. Possible mechanisms should be explored.


New palaeomagnetic data from Lower Carboniferous granitoids of the orogenic root of the eastern Variscan belt (Moldanubian domain) show a polyphase palaeomagnetic record. Comparison of the data with existing palaeomagnetic measurements from Lower Palaeozoic sequences of the Bohemian Massif demonstrates a Carboniferous remagnetization of these latter units. All the data presented suggest that the Saxothuringian basement, the Moldanubian orogenic root system as well as the eastern Neoproterozoic Brunovistulian basement were already assembled during the Early Carboniferous. The whole Variscan belt subsequently rotated in a clockwise direction during Mid–Late Carboniferous times. Structural and geochronological data indicate that this rotation was accompanied by large-scale dextral wrenching along NW–SE-trending lithospheric faults. In a first stage, the blocks limited by wrench-faults rotated anticlockwise in bookshelf manner. The data presented rule out the existing model of oroclinal bending of the Rhenohercynian zone at the eastern termination of the Variscan belt.


Producing maps and geo-data at different scales is traditionally one of the main tasks of National (and regional) Mapping Agencies (NMAs). The derivation of low-scale maps (i.e. with less detail) from large-scale maps (with more detail), i.e. generalisation, used to be a manual task of cartographers. With the need for more up-to-date data as well as the development of automated generalisation solutions in both research and industry, NMAs are implementing automated generalisation production lines. To exchange experiences and identify remaining issues, a workshop was organised end 2015 by the Commission on Generalisation and Multirepresentation of the International Cartographic Association and the Commission on Modelling and Processing of the European Spatial Data Research. This paper reports about the workshop outcomes. It shows that, most NMAs have implemented a certain form of automation in their workflows, varying from generalisation of certain features while still maintaining a manual workflow; semiautomated editing and generalisation to a fully automated procedure.


We consider the effects of blade mean loading on the noise generated by the interaction between convected vorticity and a blade row. The blades are treated as flat plates aligned at a non-zero incidence angle, $\delta$, to the oncoming stream, and we take harmonic components of the incident vorticity field with reduced frequency $k$, and use asymptotic analysis in the realistic limit $k\,{\gg}\, 1$, $\delta \,{\ll}\, 1$ with $k\delta=O(1)$. In a previous paper (Peake & Kerschen, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 347 (1997), pp. 315–346) we have analysed the sound radiated back upstream, but the field in the blade passages and the sound radiated downstream are also of considerable practical interest, and are considered in this paper. The flow is seen to consist of inner regions around each leading edge, in which sound is generated by the local gust–airfoil and gust–flow interactions, and an outer region in which the incident gust and the acoustic radiation interact with the non-uniform mean flow and the other blades. It is shown that the complicated multiple interactions between the blades can be represented by images in potential–streamfunction space, yielding closed-form expressions for the phase distortion experienced by sound waves propagating down the blade passages. The acoustic radiation downstream of the cascade at $O(1)$ distances is dominated by the duct-mode beams that emanate from the passages, while the far downstream field is generated by the diffraction of the duct modes by the trailing edges. The modal amplitudes of the radiation field far downstream tend to be largest when the mode direction is close to the propagation direction of the duct mode which generated it, corresponding to the way (in uniform flow) in which the radiation from a single blade passage tends to be beamed in the duct-mode directions. Although the diffraction coefficient for the scattering from a single trailing edge is singular in these directions, we show how uniformly valid expressions can be derived by combining the trailing-edge fields in an appropriate way, thereby describing the larger amplitude in the beam directions. The steady non-uniform flow downstream has the effect of tilting the directions of the beams by $O(\delta)$ angles away from the duct-mode directions, which are explicitly determined. Throughout this analysis it will be seen that the interaction with the non-uniform mean flow introduces phase corrections of size $O(k\delta)$, which, given the way in which interference effects between the multiple blades dominate unsteady cascade flow, proves to be highly significant.


We present the design concept of a bimetallic thermocouple array-based temperature sensor to monitor thermal behavior of integrated circuits. Our proposed design is able to provide fine-grain thermal characterization. Such a sensor array that is capable of monitoring a large area accurately at a fine granularity is essential to perform reliable and effective dynamic thermal management for high performance chips. Since our proposed thermocouple array-based sensor uses only metals, the resulting sensor design occupies minimal area on the silicon layer. Furthermore, we show that such a metal-based design is advantageous in mitigating process variations. The working principle of the proposed thermocouple array is demonstrated with a bimetallic macroscopic prototype. Our thermocouple prototype tracks the temperature variation from 20 °C to 160 °C to within less than 1 °C. Furthermore, our analysis indicates that the sensor array is robust against process variations to a thermal accuracy of less than 1 °C.


During mitosis, the chromosomal passenger complex (CPC) orchestrates highly different processes, such as chromosome alignment, histone modification, and cytokinesis. Proper and timely localization of this complex is the key to precise control over the enzymatic core of the CPC, the Aurora-B kinase. We discuss the molecular mechanisms by which the CPC members direct the dynamic localization of the complex throughout cell division. Also, we summarize posttranslational modifications that occur on the CPC and discuss their roles in regulating localization and function of this mitotic complex.


CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing is a powerful technology to study the genetics of rising model organisms, such as the jewel wasp Nasonia vitripennis. However, current methods involving embryonic microinjection of CRISPR reagents are challenging. Delivery of Cas9 ribonucleoprotein into female ovaries is an alternative that has only been explored in a small handful of insects, such as mosquitoes and whiteflies. Here, we developed a simple protocol for germline gene editing by injecting Cas9 ribonucleoprotein in adult N. vitripennis females using either ReMOT control (Receptor-Mediated Ovary Transduction of Cargo) or BAPC (Branched Amphiphilic Peptide Capsules) as ovary delivery methods. We demonstrate efficient delivery of protein cargo such as EGFP and Cas9 into developing oocytes via P2C peptide and BAPC. Additionally, somatic and germline gene editing have been demonstrated. This approach will greatly facilitate CRISPR-applied genetic manipulation in this and other rising model organisms.


Market forecasts predict a potentially large market for a quiet supersonic business jet provided that several technical hurdles are overcome prior to fielding such a vehicle. In order to be acceptable, the QSJ must be able to fly at supersonic speeds over land and operate from regional airports while meeting government noise and emissions requirements. Physics based analysis tools are used in conjunction with a Response Surface metamodeling approach to create an environment in which the performance, economics, and environmental impact of the aircraft can be studied as a function of design and mission parameters. Through the use of this environment, the designer is able to rapidly explore the entire concept space by dynamically modifying the configuration, engine cycle, and requirements. Results obtained using this exploration tool indicate that it may be possible to meet emissions and noise requirements, but that technology infusion will be required in order to meet all performance and economic goals. Finally, this same physics-based environment was used to assess the impact of a portfolio of technologies on the system's acceptability.