Abstract. Recent studies highlight that biomass-burning aerosol over the remote southeast Atlantic is some of the most sunlight-absorbing aerosol on the planet. In-situ measurements of single-scattering albedo at the 530 nm wavelength (SSA530nm) range from 0.83 to 0.89 within six flights (five in September, 2016 and one in late August, 2017) of the ORACLES (ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their intEractionS) aircraft campaign, increasing with the organic aerosol to black carbon (OA : BC) mass ratio. OA : BC mass ratios of 10 to 14 are lower than some model values and consistent with BC-enriched source emissions, based on indirect inferences of fuel type (savannah grasslands) and dry, flame-efficient combustion conditions. These primarily explain the low single-scattering albedos. We investigate whether continued chemical aging of aerosol plumes of intermediate age (4–7 days after emission, as determined from model tracers) within the free troposphere can further lower the SSA530nm. A mean OA to organic carbon mass ratio of 2.2 indicates highly oxygenated aerosol with the chemical marker f44 indicating the free-tropospheric aerosol continues to oxidize after advecting offshore of continental Africa. Two flights, for which BC to carbon monoxide (CO) ratios remain constant with increasing chemical age, are analyzed further. In both flights, the OA : BC mass ratio decreases over the same time span, indicating continuing net aerosol loss. One flight sampled younger (∼ 4 days) aerosol within the strong zonal outflow of the 4–6 km altitude African Easterly Jet-South. This possessed the highest OA : BC mass ratio of the 2016 campaign and overlaid slightly older aerosol with proportionately less OA, although the age difference of one day is not enough to attribute to a large-scale recirculation and subsidence pattern. The other flight sampled aerosol constrained closer to the coast by a mid-latitude disturbance and found older aerosol aloft overlying younger aerosol. Its vertical increase in OA : BC and nitrate to BC was less pronounced than when younger aerosol overlaid older aerosol, consistent with compensation between a net aerosol loss through aging and a thermodynamical partitioning. Organic nitrate provided 68 % on average of the total nitrate for the 6 flights, in contrast to measurements made at Ascension Island that only found inorganic nitrate. Some evidence for the thermodynamical partitioning to the particle phase at higher altitudes with higher relative humidities for nitrate is still found. The 470–660 nm absorption Angstrom exponent is slightly higher near the African coast than further offshore (approximately 1.2 versus 1.0–1.1), indicating some brown carbon may be present near the coast. The data support the following parameterization: SSA530nm = 0.80+0056*(OA : BC). This indicates a 20 % decrease in SSA can be attributed to chemical aging, or the net 25 % reduction in OA : BC documented for constant BC : CO ratios.


Hymenoptera stings can cause severe systemic allergic reactions and occasionally fatal anaphylaxis, which contribute significantly to morbidity and deterioration in health‐related quality of life. The latest epidemiological data confirm the importance of insect sting allergy as a cause of anaphylaxis. Despite the high prevalence of asymptomatic sensitization, the prevalence of sting‐induced systemic reactions (SRs) is low. However, to date, no parameter has been identified that can predict who will have a future reaction and whether it will be a large local reaction or anaphylactic. The combination of several concomitant factors, which include environmental, genetics and individual factors, may account for the occurrence of a system reaction in individual patients. Several not completely known factors may be associated with the severity of systemic re‐stings. As about 50% of subjects with fatal sting reactions had no documented history of a previous SR, greater insight of the natural history and risk factors is required, especially in asymptomatic sensitized subjects. For patients with SRs, prevention of future severe allergic reactions starts with referral to an emergency department, correct administration of epinephrine by medical staff, referral to an allergist and coaching for the self‐administration of epinephrine. However, most insect sting victims failed to seek medical advice and hospital attendance does not always correlate with the severity of the allergic reaction. Moreover, only about one‐third of patients received a prescription for self‐injectable epinephrine and were officially referred to an allergist after being discharged, causing the non‐ or delayed prescription of specific immunotherapy. Significantly, this means that at least half of the sting fatalities in patients with a positive history could have been avoided through the timely administration of specific immunotherapy. These findings indicate the urgent need to educate the general population and doctors on the management of venom‐allergic patients.


This book reveals the diverse worlds of history, civic culture, and values in South Africa, South Korea, Chile, Poland, Turkey, Germany, and Sweden. It explores the similarities and differences between the values of the elites and the ordinary people to see how well democracy works in each of these countries, and how old and new democracies compare with each other. The study is based on analyses of value orientations of the parliamentary and media elites and those of the ordinary citizens, obtained from conducted research surveys. The first part of the book considers the quality of democracy in the context of the historical and cultural heritage of the seven countries, their civic culture and notions of citizenship, and their constitutions as foundations of the democratic political order. The second part assesses the quality of democracy by means of comparative analyses of the convergence and divergence in value orientations of the elites and the masses, both within each case and across all the seven cases. Written from various disciplinary perspectives and offering both empirical evidence and insiders' knowledge, Democracy under Scrutiny will be of interest to a wide variety of readers.


In this paper, we develop a new human computation algorithm for speech-to-text transcription that can potentially achieve the high accuracy of professional transcription using only microtasks deployed via an online task market or a game. The algorithm partitions audio clips into short 10-second segments for independent processing and joins adjacent outputs to produce the full transcription. Each segment is sent through an iterative dual pathway structure that allows participants in either path to iteratively refine the transcriptions of others in their path while being rewarded based on transcriptions in the other path, eliminating the need to check transcripts in a separate process. Initial experiments with local subjects show that produced transcripts are on average 96.6% accurate.


Kraft et al present a convincing example of the potential of hybrid modelling. The H2M framework combines a neural network with hydrological model constraints. I definitely see the value of this research line in the context of hydrological modelling, demonstrated in this manuscript by the comparison with several established GHMs. Unfortunately, the manuscript is quite hard to read, especially because in the figures several letters dropped of the axes, which made it a puzzle to find out what was shown where (I did not manage to solve this puzzle for Fig 10), this made it hard to estimate if all conclusions are robust / valid. Besides, some sections and choices are hard to follow for an average HESS reader with average ML knowledge (as I consider myself that way..). Below I indicate this in more detail, hopefully the authors will be able to improve and clarify this in a next version.


A systematic experiment has been conducted to obtain the ignition delay of fine fuel droplets in a hot and pressurized gas stream to examine the effects of ambient pressure and additional oxygen on the ignition delay and moreover the relationship between the evaporation rate and the ignition delay. An array of free fine droplets of paraffin hydrocarbon, whose mean diameter is close to that of droplets in a fuel spray, was discharged into a high temperature and high pressure gas flow. It was confirmed from the results that the ignition delay reduces with the increase in ambient pressure and additional oxygen and, moreover the more the number of carbon atom in the hydro-carbon are, the longer the delay becomes. In the case of multiple composition droplets of n-heptane and n-hexadecane, the evaporation rate constant increases and the ignition delay reduces as the proportion of n-heptane increases, and also the trend changes at the point of 50% in the proportion.


Recently, a number of covariance-constrained hardware selection problems have been proposed. However, underlying each is the choice of a compensating element (i.e., the state estimator for the sensor case, the feedback controller for the actuator case, and both for the simultaneous case). The subtlety is whether these compensators should be optimal or suboptimal. In this paper, we present formulations using both types of compensators and then prove that the global solution for each type of formulation is independent of the compensator assumption. However, in spite of this equivalence of solutions, the computational perspective indicates that one choice will always have an advantage. While the computational difference is minor in the sensor selection case, significant advantages can be found in the suboptimal controller version of the actuator selection problem. In particular, the suboptimal version can be used to find global solutions to the previously intractable optimal controller formulation. In the simultaneous case, similar results are presented and lead to the first global solution scheme for the covariance-based simultaneous sensor and actuator selection problem.


Background C reactive protein (CRP) is one of the acute phase proteins that increase during systemic inflammation. It's been suggested that testing CRP levels in the blood may be an additional way to assess cardiovascular disease risk. A more sensitive CRP test, called a highly sensitive C reactive protein (hs-CRP) assay, is available to determine heart disease risk. However, and the association between CRP and stent thrombosis after drug-eluting stent implantation has not been defined. Objective To investigate in a follow-up study whether high-sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP) predicts coronary heart disease (CHD) events and stent thrombosis in subjects undergone drug-eluting stent implantation. Methods and results We evaluated 3691 patients treated with drug-eluting stents who had a baseline CRP measurement. The primary outcome was stent thrombosis; secondary outcomes were death, myocardial infarction (MI), death or MI, and target vessel revascularisation. During follow-up (median 2 years), 26 patients had definite or probable stent thrombosis, 146 patients died, 239 had an MI and 206 underwent target vessel revascularisation. In multivariable Cox proportional-hazards models, elevated levels of hs-CRP were significantly associated with increased risk of stent thrombosis. Elevated hs-CRP levels also significantly predicted the risks of death, MI, and death or MI, but not target vessel revascularisation. Conclusions Elevated hs-CRP levels were significantly associated with increased risks of stent thrombosis, death and MI in patients receiving drug-eluting stents, suggesting the usefulness of inflammatory risk assessment with CRP.


Cummiskey, Brian R. MSME, Purdue University, May 2015. Characterization and Evaluation of Head Impact Sensors and Varsity Football Helmets. Major Professor: Eric A. Nauman, School of Mechanical Engineering. An increased understanding of the effects of brain injury in recent years has led to greater attention being given to the topic. A desire to investigate the causal agents of these injuries in athletes has led to the development and use of several devices that track head impacts as well as improving helmet technology to protect players from said impacts. In order to determine which devices are able to best measure head impacts, a Hybrid III headform was used to quantify the accuracy for translational and angular accelerations. Testing was performed by means of administering impacts to a helmet on the headform, with each device mounted according to manufacturer instruction, using an impulse hammer. For peak translational acceleration, the worst locational root-mean-square error for a head mounted device was 74.68% while the worst for a helmet mounted device was 297.62%. Head mounted devices outperformed those mounted in helmets and should be the basis of future sensor designs. For the sake of determining the effectiveness of recent helmet innovations, several helmet models were fastened to the headform in order to measure the response accelerations from impacts. The impulse hammer provided transient force data which allowed for the comparison of the input blow and output accelerations for each impact, and several metrics were defined and evaluated to determine helmet impact mitigation ability. Relative helmet effectiveness between models varied by region. The lowest peak translational acceleration metric was 0.31, and the highest was 0.57. The corresponding angular acceleration metric had a low of 0.23 and a high above one at 1.71. The helmets evaluated were more consistent in mitigating peak translational acceleration than peak angular acceleration.


Drug effects were examined on cumulative norepinephrine (NE) concentration-response curves in ring segments of right extrapulmonary artery, intrapulmonary artery (IPA) and intrapulmonary vein (IPV) isolated from rabbit lung. Phentolamine (0.1 and 1.0 microM) caused concentration-dependent nonparallel rightward shifts in NE concentration-response curves and decreased maximal tension development in IPA by as much as 84%. Propranolol (3 microM) significantly increased the maximal developed tension to NE in IPA and IPV by 49 and 27%, respectively, and also abolished the relaxation response to higher (10(-6) to 10(-4) M) concentrations of NE observed in control experiments. These data suggested that responses of pulmonary vessels to NE, in particular IPA and IPV, consisted of an initial contractile response (alpha adrenergic receptor mediated) followed by beta adrenergic receptor-mediated relaxation which functionally opposed the contractile response to NE. Contractile response to high concentrations of NE (greater than 10(-4) M) were unaffected. Inhibition of neuronal uptake of NE by cocaine (10 microM) significantly potentiated NE contractile response in right extrapulmonary artery, IPA and IPV. Inhibition of extraneuronal uptake of NE by hydrocortisone (30 microM) or monoamine oxidase inhibition by harmaline (1 microM) did not alter contractile response to NE. Although the catechol-O-methyl-transferase inhibitor U-0521 (100 microM) also failed to potentiate NE contractile effects, this drug significantly decreased the initial contractile response to low concentrations of NE and greatly attenuated contractile responses to high concentrations of NE (greater than 10(-4) M) in IPA and IPV. These results indicate that rabbit intrapulmonary vessels show enhanced beta adrenergic receptor-mediated effects when compared with extrapulmonary vessels.


Learning continually from non-stationary data streams is a long-standing goal and a challenging problem in machine learning. Recently, we have witnessed a renewed and fast-growing interest in continual learning, especially within the deep learning community. However, algorithmic solutions are often difficult to re-implement, evaluate and port across different settings, where even results on standard benchmarks are hard to reproduce. In this work, we propose Avalanche, an open-source end-to-end library for continual learning research based on PyTorch. Avalanche is designed to provide a shared and collaborative codebase for fast prototyping, training, and reproducible evaluation of continual learning algorithms.


Perforating injuries were produced in the posterior segments of rabbit eyes. A control group had no surgery; a second group underwent closed vitrectomy immediately after injury; and a third group had closed vitrectomy delayed two weeks following injury. The eyes were then observed for four weeks. Transvitreal proliferation, which was found in each of the control eyes, was effectively prevented in the eyes that underwent immediate vitrectomy. Established transvitreal proliferation was removed and its recurrence prevented by delayed vitrectomy. These results establish the principle that vitreous acts as a scaffold for proliferation. Removal of the vitreous eliminates the structures along which proliferation can occur and thus effectively prevents transvitreal proliferation. Early removal of vitreous in severely injured eyes with vitreous damage is recommended.


We present a study of the relative orientation between the magnetic field and elongated cloud structures for the ρ Oph A and ρ Oph E regions in L1688 in the Ophiuchus molecular cloud. Combining inferred magnetic field orientation from HAWC+ 154 μm observations of polarized thermal emission with column density maps created using Herschel submillimeter observations, we find consistent perpendicular relative alignment at scales of 0.02 pc (33.″6 at d ≈ 137 pc) using the histogram of relative orientations (HRO) technique. This supports the conclusions of previous work using Planck polarimetry and extends the results to higher column densities. Combining this HAWC+ HRO analysis with a new Planck HRO analysis of L1688, the transition from parallel to perpendicular alignment in L1688 is observed to occur at a molecular hydrogen column density of approximately 1021.7 cm−2. This value for the alignment transition column density agrees well with values found for nearby clouds via previous studies using only Planck observations. Using existing turbulent, magnetohydrodynamic simulations of molecular clouds formed by colliding flows as a model for L1688, we conclude that the molecular hydrogen volume density associated with this transition is approximately ∼104 cm−3. We discuss the limitations of our analysis, including incomplete sampling of the dense regions in L1688 by HAWC+.


This demonstration project is a collaboration among DOE, Sandia National Laboratories, the University of Texas, El Paso (UTEP), the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Sandia deployed and demonstrated a field measurement technology that enables the determination of erosion and transport potential of sediments in the Rio Grande. The technology deployed was the Mobile High Shear Stress Flume. This unique device was developed by Sandia's Carlsbad Programs for the USACE and has been used extensively in collaborative efforts on near shore and river systems throughout the United States. Since surface water quantity and quality along with human health is an important part of the National Border Technology Program, technologies that aid in characterizing, managing, and protecting this valuable resource from possible contamination sources is imperative.


SIR,-When I blew calf-lymph vaccine on the T.V. programme about immunization I little knew what a hornets' nest I was stirring. The correspondence started by Professor Thomas Anderson (March 19, p. 882) has lasted over two months. As the accused, I would like to reply to some of the critics and to sum the position up. Two quite separate problems are involved. Firstly, should the vaccine be blown from the tube with the mouth (as I did on the T.V. programme), or should some other means be used to eject it ? Secondly, there is the risk of causing hepatitis if inadequately sterilized syringes are used. No one is suggesting that blowing calf-lymph vaccine exposes the patient to the risk of hepatitis-the risk here is of secondary infection of the vaccination lesion. As far as syringe sterilization goes, I am in complete agreement with all the critics who say that a fresh syringe with a fresh needle should be used for every injection. On the T.V. programme I took a fresh syringe and needle from my (water) sterilizer. The blowing of calf-lymph from the capillary tube or the use of a teat from a baby's bottle or a special nipple raises other questions. I do agree that blowing with the mouth is not the best method. The difficulty I used to experience whenever I used a nipple was the flow-back of the lymph into the nipple when the broken end of the tube was pushed into the hole in the nipple. This can easily be overcome (I have now discovered) by breaking off only one end of the tube before pushing it into the nipple. My error does seem to have served a useful purpose. If local authorities (or the Ministry of Health) can now be persuaded to supply dry sterile syringes to G.P.s for their immunization sessions (as the London County Council propose to supply for the sessions held in their own clinics), then all the sterilization doubts raised by Professor Anderson will be dispelled. May I once more be permitted to retain the anonymity granted me by the B.B.C., and sign myself A GENERAL PRACTITIONER.


ABSTRACT A 100%-respiration-deficient nuclear petite amylolytic Saccharomyces cerevisiae NPB-G strain was generated, and its employment for direct fermentation of starch into ethanol was investigated. In a comparison of ethanol fermentation performances with the parental respiration-sufficient WTPB-G strain, the NPB-G strain showed an increase of ca. 48% in both ethanol yield and ethanol productivity.


Stochastic gradient descent method and its variants constitute the core optimization algorithms that achieve good convergence rates for solving machine learning problems. These rates are obtained especially when these algorithms are fine-tuned for the application at hand. Although this tuning process can require large computational costs, recent work has shown that these costs can be reduced by line search methods that iteratively adjust the step length. We propose an alternative approach to stochastic line search by using a new algorithm based on forward step model building. This model building step incorporates second-order information that allows adjusting not only the step length but also the search direction. Noting that deep learning model parameters come in groups (layers of tensors), our method builds its model and calculates a new step for each parameter group. This novel diagonalization approach makes the selected step lengths adaptive. We provide convergence rate analysis, and experimentally show that the proposed algorithm achieves faster convergence and better generalization in well-known test problems. More precisely, SMB requires less tuning, and shows comparable performance to other adaptive methods.


In the March 21st edition of the magazine The Spectator, the British journalist Matt Ridley, who blogs on science, the environment, and the economy, wrote "Never once in my six decades did I expect to be back in a 17th-century world of social and physical distancing as a matter of life and death … Many people will die prematurely. Many will lose their jobs. Many businesses will go under … The only question is how many in each case. We are about to find out how robust civilization is. The hardships ahead are like nothing we've known." The on-going medical crisis is particularly challenging for two reasons: first, it develops while we do not know the rules of the game to organise neither a proper defense (vaccine) against it nor a proper social protection through an impossible general distancing, and second it shakes the very foundational factors of our strong long term socio-economic growth, indeed of our civilisation. As for the developing economic crisis, which the medical crisis and our best response to it are generating, it has two prongs: first, the lost jobs and failing firms and suppliers-businesses-customers networks, and second the attacks against our economic institutions and organisations by sorcerers' apprentices and fake intellectuals. The latent discourse against markets, competition, economic freedom, and globalisation, will likely amplify in the coming months. The ability to trade, especially with strangers, is a distinguishing characteristic of humans. This ability is unique to us and far exceeds the simple reciprocity observed in other animals, where it is typically limited to individuals of the same clan or family—frequently involving goods of the same undiversified kind received or consumed within a relatively short period of time. This article is part of a Special Concurrences On-Topic dedicated to "Competition law and health crisis". (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)


Semiconductor polymers are successfully implemented in a broad range of applications such as light emitting diodes, field effect transistors and photovoltaic devices. Most of the achievements reached in the development of these devices were obtained at experimental level, being difficult to identify individually the influence of each factor that limits and controls these devices efficiency. One of the factors that strongly influence the performance of polymer-based devices is the presence of chemical defects in the polymer strands that change their molecular properties. As a result, these polymer strands can work like traps or deep energetic states for charge transport, leading, for instance, to a decrease on charge mobility. At experimental level it is a difficult task to isolate the influence of each type of chemical defects individually on the molecular properties of the polymer strands. It is in this context that theoretical modelling seems to be the most suitable approach to get a deep understanding of the influence of chemical defects on the molecular properties of semiconductor polymers. By performing quantum molecular dynamics calculations we study the influence of chemical defects on the molecular properties of poly(para-phenylenevinylene) (PPV). Our results show clearly a significant difference on the electronic properties of defective polymer strands (e.g. charge carrier localization, ionization potential, electron affinity and electric-field threshold for charge carrier mobility along the polymer backbone) as compared with defect-free strands.


In recent years there is a growing trend in business firms that aims to transform their manufacturing-based business models, processes and practices to service-based ones. This trend is especially important for Information Technology (IT) industry since IT is considered as a major provider of various business services. However, there is little empirical research on the service relationships in the IT industry level. We adopt a network perspective to empirically investigate a financial dataset that contains service-related transactions between 587 IT companies and their major clients. It was found that the constructed customer-supplier network in IT industry shows scale-free network topology. This finding indicates that IT service market is dominated by a few large customers such as U.S. Government and industry leaders. Leading IT companies such as DELL and Microsoft are more of service customers than providers. The results of our descriptive analysis may provide potential research directions for empirical service researchers and practical implications for IT service firms and professions.


It as an evident that the everyday life is basically based on electric power. Electric power networks provide the required power to the customers. However as greater amounts of power are daily demanded, the need for the construction of new networks or the expansion of the existing ones constitute an issue of vital importance. A network is basically divided into three parts: the main station, which produces the power and distributes it to the substations, the substations that distribute the power to the loads and the loads that are represented by the customers. The current work is basically focused on the part of the substations distributing power to the loads. It is proved that when designing a distribution substation it is more customary and helpful to employ geometric figures, thus the distribution is planned to supply the load in a way that it is easier to analyse and construct. Alternative models for green field distribution system planning are analysed and compared in this study in an effort to provide the most liable solution in terms of cost and reliability for whole network distribution systems.


Faculty of Science School of Computational and Applied Mathematics Doctor of Philosophy On the Application of Partial Differential Equations and Fractional Partial Differential Equations to Images and Their Methods of Solution by Byron Jacobs This body of work examines the plausibility of applying partial differential equations and time-fractional partial differential equations to images. The standard diffusion equation is coupled with a nonlinear cubic source term of the Fitzhugh-Nagumo type to obtain a model with diffusive properties and a binarizing effect due to the source term. We examine the effects of applying this model to a class of images known as document images; images that largely comprise text. The effects of this model result in a binarization process that is competitive with the state-of-the-art techniques. Further to this application, we provide a stability analysis of the method as well as high-performance implementation on general purpose graphical processing units. The model is extended to include time derivatives to a fractional order which affords us another degree of control over this process and the nature of the fractionality is discussed indicating the change in dynamics brought about by this generalization. We apply a semi-discrete method derived by hybridizing the Laplace transform and two discretization methods: finite-differences and Chebyshev collocation. These hybrid techniques are coupled with a quasi-linearization process to allow for the application of the Laplace transform, a linear operator, to a nonlinear equation of fractional order in the temporal domain. A thorough analysis of these methods is provided giving rise to conditions for solvability. The merits and demerits of the methods are discussed indicating the appropriateness of each method.


Minimum structures and harmonic vibrational frequencies of dibenzofuran (DF), 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran (TCDF), and octachlorodibenzofuran (OCDF) were calculated using the multiconfigurational complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) and density functional theory (DFT) methods. The electronic transitions in these compounds were studied via the single-state multireference second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2) based on the CASSCF(14,13) references, as well as the time-dependent DFT (TD-B3P86) employing the cc-pVDZ (CASSCF/CASPT2) and 6-31G(d,p) (TD-B3P86) basis sets. The B3P86 geometry and harmonic vibrational frequencies of ground state DF agree very well with the experimental data, and the CASSCF/CASPT2 excitation energies and oscillator strengths are accurate enough to provide a reliable assignment of the absorption bands in the 200-300 nm region. The close agreements with experiment for the parent DF give the present theoretical approaches a valuable credit in predicting the properties of the environmentally toxic polychlorinated congeners, which is all the more important considering the difficulties and hazards in obtaining the experimental data.


Unraveling Environmental Disasters provides scientific explanations of the most threatening current and future environmental disasters, including an analysis of ways that the disaster could have been prevented and how the risk of similar disasters can be minimized in the future. * Named a 2014 Outstanding Academic Title by the American Library Association's Choice publication* Treats disasters as complex systems* Provides predictions based upon sound science, such as what the buildup of certain radiant gases in the troposphere will do, or what will happen if current transoceanic crude oil transport continues* Considers the impact of human systems on environmental disasters


Sexual reproduction in eukaryotes is thought to have arisen about a thousand million years ago and that in prokaryotes two thousand million years earlier. While the origin of sex is shrouded in speculation, we are better informed on the origin of this book, which began as a workshop on 'Molecular aspects of cellular diversity' at the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole in 1984. Its aims were summarised by one of the editors as (1) to analyse the molecular basis of sex in bacteria and (2) to lay the foundations for a comparison of sex and sexuality in higher organisms. With these aims in mind, the book has been subdivided into four sections: (1) Bacterial conjugation: beginning of sexuality in prokaryotes; (2) The DNA of sex in unicellular eukaryotes; (3) Evolutionary patterns in segregation of germ cells; (4) Sex determination and differentiation in vertebrates. Each section concludes with a summary of the discussion written by a discussion leader, whose task cannot have been an easy one. No-one is likely to be surprised that the hoped for evolutionary link between sexual mechanisms in prokaryotes and eukaryotes failed to be identified. Nevertheless,


In a globalising market, labour migration in low-skilled sectors plays an
important role. A growing number of poor people move between their
villages of origin, capital cities, and international destinations, while
financially sustaining their families and home countries. The positive role
of remittances for alleviating the poverty of sending countries is widely
acknowledged. However, migration also leads to a growing imbalance
between rural and urban areas and certain unfavourable societal changes.
Drawing on case studies in Central and South Asia, this issue of
evidence for policy examines the challenges of making migration safer and more beneficial for low-skilled workers.


Purpose: To study outcomes after surgical removal of epithelial ingrowth (EI) in post-laser in situ keratomileusis patients, specifically comparing visual results and recurrence rates between 2 different EI management techniques. Methods: In this retrospective chart review of 67 eyes of 54 patients who underwent surgical treatment for EI after laser in situ keratomileusis between July 1999 and July 2014 at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Miami, FL, surgical techniques, recurrence rates, visual acuity (VA), and refractive error were assessed. Results: Of the 67 eyes, 56 eyes (83.6%) had flap lift + scraping alone, and 11 eyes (16.4%) had flap lift + scraping + suturing. After mean follow-up of 2.5 years, 11 of 56 eyes (19.6%) treated with flap lift + scraping alone had EI recurrence, whereas no eyes treated with flap lift + scraping + suturing had EI recurrence. VA results and refractive errors were better in eyes treated with lift + scraping alone compared with lift + scraping + suturing at 1 month. In the 67 eyes with 1-year follow-up, VA and refractive errors improved from preoperative values and were comparable between groups. Conclusions: Scraping alone provides significantly better initial visual outcomes but higher EI recurrence rates compared with scrape–suturing. Long-term visual outcomes are comparable between 2 techniques.


[1] Measurements of aerosol and cloud properties in the Eastern Pacific Ocean were taken during an airborne experiment on the University of Wyoming's King Air during April 2004 as part of the Cloud Indirect Forcing Experiment (CIFEX). We observed a wide variety of aerosols, including those of long-range transport from Asia, clean marine boundary layer, and North American emissions. These aerosols, classified by their size distribution and history, were found in stratified layers between 500 to 7500 m above sea level and thicknesses from 100 to 3000 m. A comparison of the aerosol size distributions to measurements of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) provides insight to the CCN activity of the different aerosol types. The overall ratio of measured to predicted CCN concentration (NCCN) is 0.56 ± 0.41 with a relationship of NCCN,measured = NCCN,predicted0.846±0.002 for 23 research flights and 1884 comparisons. Such a relationship does not accurately describe a CCN closure; however, it is consistent with our measurements that high CCN concentrations are more influenced by anthropogenic sources, which are less CCN active. While other CCN closures have obtained results closer to the expected 1:1 relationship, the different aerosol types (and presumably differences in aerosol chemistry) are responsible for the discrepancy. The measured NCCN at 0.3% supersaturation (Sc) ranged from 20 cm−3 (pristine) to 350 cm−3 (anthropogenic) with an average of 106 ± 54 cm−3 over the experiment. The inferred supersaturation in the clouds sampled during this experiment is ∼0.3%. CCN concentrations of cloud-processed aerosol were well predicted using an ammonium sulfate approximation for Sc ≤ 0.4%. Predicted NCCN for other aerosol types (i.e., Asian and North American aerosols) were high compared to measured values indicating a less CCN active aerosol. This study highlights the importance of chemical effects on CCN measurements and introduces a CCN activation index as a method of classifying the efficiency of an aerosol to serve as CCN relative to an ammonium sulfate particle. This index ranged from close to unity for cloud processed aerosols to as low as 0.31 for aged aerosols transported from Asia. We also compare the performance of two CCN instruments (static thermal diffusion chamber and streamwise continuous flow chamber) on a 45 minute level leg where we observe an aged layer and a nucleation event. More than 50% of the aged aerosol served as CCN at 0.2% Sc, primarily owing to their large size, while CCN concentrations during the nucleation event were close to 0 cm−3. CCN concentrations from both instruments agreed within instrument errors; however, the continuous flow chamber effectively captured the rapid transition in aerosol properties.


The study reviews private financing in the road sector, which has traditionally been financed directly by governments. However, there are reasons why the private sector could be involved in the subject, namely regarding the efficiency of operations, and, the provision of responsive service to road users, shippers, and all those whose livelihoods are affected by the road system. Moreover, the totality of the road system, also includes financing of new construction, and existing network requiring maintenance and rehabilitation. Government concessions are reviewed, starting with private toll roads' operations, to a number of motorways development, conducive to improved economic conditions, which allows high traffic growth. Broad policy issues are examined, and the factors contributing to these changes. The study suggests concessions should be structured, and supportive policy, and legal frameworks, within national, regional, and local transportation policies, and programs implemented. The financial support from governments is analyzed, through a range of mechanisms, such as equity guarantees, exchange rate guarantees, and minimum traffic or revenue guarantees. Following several case studies, it concludes that, although private sector involvement is sound in theory, in practice doubts still exist, particularly in political terms, but its efficiency remains constant.


The abrupt cessation of effective cardiac function that is generally due to heart rhythm disorders can cause sudden and unexpected death at any age and is referred to as a syndrome called "sudden cardiac death" (SCD). Annually, about 400,000 cases of SCD occur in the United States alone. Less than 5% of the resuscitation techniques are effective. The prevalence of SCD in a population rises with age according to the prevalence of coronary artery disease, which is the most common cause of sudden cardiac arrest. However, there is a peak in SCD incidence for the age below 5 years, which is equal to 17 cases per 100,000 of the population. This peak is due to congenital monogenic arrhythmic canalopathies. Despite their relative rarity, these cases are obviously the most tragic. The immediate causes, or mechanisms, of SCD are comprehensive. Generally, it is arrhythmic death due to ventricular tachyarrythmias – sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF). Bradyarrhythmias and pulseless electrical activity account for no more than 40% of all registered cardiac arrests, and they are more often the outcome of the abovementioned arrhythmias. Our current understanding of the mechanisms responsible for SCD has emerged from decades of basic science investigation into the normal electrophysiology of the heart, the molecular physiology of cardiac ion channels, the fundamental cellular and tissue events associated with cardiac arrhythmias, and the molecular genetics of monogenic disorders of the heart rhythm (for example, the long QT syndrome). This review presents an overview of the molecular and genetic basis of SCD in the long QT syndrome, Brugada syndrome, short QT syndrome, catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia and idiopathic ventricular fibrillation, and arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia, and sudden cardiac death prevention strategies by modern techniques (including implantable cardioverter-defibrillator).


In this paper, we focus on the calling behavior of Japanese tree frogs, which make calls alternately with their neighbors in order to increase the probability of mating. This behavior can be applied in phase control which realizes collision-free transmission scheduling in wireless communication. We propose a self-organizing scheduling scheme inspired by this frog calling behavior for reliable data transmission in wireless sensor networks. Simulation results show that our proposed method for phase control is capable of reducing data transmission failures and improves the data collection ratio up to 24% compared to a random transmission method.


International standard for test method on cell migration into a scaffold is one of the important things to evaluate the scaffold. The "cell migration" ability can divide into two parts. One is infiltration of cell suspension before in vitro cell culture on the scaffold. Another is migration of adherent cells from the edge of scaffold. The latter one could be closely related to cell/tissue migration into the scaffold when it is implanted into bone. Thus, in the present study, the cell migration ability was evaluated toward standardization of in vitro evaluation method for in vivo cell/tissue migration ability using several bioactive ceramics and composites including commercially available materials. The specimen 5 mm in diameter was placed on confluent MG63 cell layer. After 3 days incubation, the specimen was harvested, fixed and divided into two parts. Inside and outside of the scaffold were stained by Giemsa and observed by optical microscopy. In addition, the same specimen was critical point dried and observed with scanning electron microscope (SEM). From microscopic observation, MG63 cells migrated to pore walls of the specimen as well as a sidewall. Maximum migration distances were different among specimens and seemed to depend on pore structure and size as well as porosity. Similar behaviors were observed with SEM.Even relations between this test method and in vivo cell/tissue migration have not been evaluated, this test method is potentially a good method for testing cell migration ability of porous bioactive ceramics as well as other porous scaffold materials.


In this study, both liquid and powder metallurgy techniques were employed to fabricate Mg nanocomposites. Comparisons were made on the physical and mechanical properties of Mg nanocomposites using these two different fabrication techniques. When similar weight fractions of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were added to Mg using these two different techniques, the nanocomposites fabricated using powder metallurgy technique were found to be thermally more stable and has higher yield and tensile strengths than those produced using liquid metallurgy technique. The higher yield and tensile strengths were due to the presence of MgO particles which were pre-existent in the Mg powders. The MgO particles cause a hybrid reinforcement effect in the Mg-CNT nanocomposites, which surpasses the strengthening effect of the CNTs alone.


This work presents a laptop-based studio which combines lectures, discussions, and simulations in a single classroom environment and keeps the students actively engaged in the learning process. Difficult concepts are reinforced through simulation studies immediately after being covered in the lecture. The process modules present challenging dynamic behavior and provide detailed examples to which different control techniques can be applied. A boilerhouse tour gives students an appreciation for the scale of process equipment and the importance of automation and control in operating an industrial scale process. Finally, a multivariable case study project ties together many of the fundamental concepts, and gives the students a taste of the practice of control engineering.


Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a systemic disorder clinically characterized by widespread thrombosis and obstetric complications associated with the persistent presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs). The persistent presence of aPLs represents a thrombotic risk in APS, which can be stratified according to the aPL profile. Thrombosis occurs in both arteries and veins. Notably, arterial thromboses have a higher recurrence compared with venous thromboses and a tendency for recurrence in the same vascular (arterial) site. Secondary prevention of arterial thrombosis requires more intensive treatment than prevention of venous thrombosis. Data from randomized clinical trials indicated that factor Xa inhibitors should not be recommended for APS. Recurrent thromboses in patients with APS treated with factor Xa inhibitors were mainly arterial, with a high rate of stroke. Dual antiplatelet therapy may have some benefit for preventing the recurrence of arterial thrombosis in patients with APS. This review article describes pathogenic mechanisms, clinical features, risk assessment, and management of arterial thrombosis in patients with APS. Particularly, we discuss how secondary prophylaxis may be a useful approach to reduce the occurrence of arterial thrombosis.


The widening range of countries acting as home and host to MNEs, and the continuing growth in all forms of cross-border economic activity, have prompted a large literature on the effects of outward MNE activity on the host countries. A smaller body of work has examined the effects on the home countries of MNEs, but this literature has remained quite fragmented. The purpose of this paper is to bring together and review the different strands of the literature examining the home country effects, and to discuss how some of the changes ongoing in the global economy are likely to impact the analyses on the complementarity between home and host country activities.


The potential application of Mg/Ca ratios in top shells of the mollusc species Phorcus lineatus (Da Costa, 1778) obtained by Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) has been evaluated as an environmental proxy to reconstruct paleotemperatures and season of capture of molluscs for the first time. All samples were collected from the Cantabrian Sea (Spain). The results were compared with instrumental sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and with a known reliable proxy as the oxygen isotope ratio (δ18Oshell) which is mainly dependent on the SST, obtained from the same shells. Measurements were taken in two different biominerals of the shell (aragonite and calcite) resulting in a correlation between Mg/Ca ratios and SSTs of R2 = 0.43 and 0.44, respectively. Mg/Ca ratios were also studied through a long sequence on three shells collected in autumn 2012. The results show variations in Mg/Ca ratios related to seasonal changes in the SST throughout the year and a good correlation between Mg/Ca ratios and δ18Oshell in two shells (R2 = 0.70 and 0.65, respectively).


The growth of data traffic and Internet forces the telecommunication window to widen up in order to accommodate the increasing number of channels in wavelength division multiplexing network systems. This however requires wide bandwidth optical amplifiers with flat gain spectrum for multiwavelength signals to propagate simultaneously. Unfortunately, the accumulation of attenuation inside the fiber (0.2 dB/km) restricts the accessible distance of the transmitted signal and thus, causes the system performance to drop tremendously. Erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA), which is able to boost the transmitted signal for longer communication distance at low pump power with significant wideband gain, is identified as an alternative to overcome the drawbacks caused by the electronic repeaters. This research work focuses on designing and developing two different structures of L-band EDFA which are discrete and remote. A flat L-band gain response is the main target in both designs with high gain, low noise figure (NF) and high optical signalto-noise ratio. For discrete L-band EDFA, the research concentrates on designing and developing a dual-stage EDFA where a new pumping scheme utilizing distributed pumping concept is introduced. This pumping scheme uses power coupler to distribute the pump power between two different amplifier stages with different lengths of erbium-doped fiber. Optimizations of the splitting ratios, erbium doped fiber lengths and pump power are required in order to achieve better performance over the Lband region. This dual-stage EDFA utilizing distributed pumping scheme offers gain and NF improvement of 1.2 dB and 5 dB respectively with better gain flatness of less than 0.4 dB when compared with the conventional single-stage EDFA. As conclusion, this dual-stage EDFA utilizing distributed pumping scheme is cost efficient as it only implements a single pump laser in the design and it does not require any gain equalizing filter to attain a reasonably flat gain response over the entire L-band region. For the other amplifier structure, the work focuses on designing and developing a remotely pumped EDFA (R-EDFA) that works at low pump power and at the same time has the ability to compensate dispersion. Due to attenuation and scattering effects that occur in the transmission fiber, a reduced 1497 nm Raman pump power is delivered to pump the R-EDFA. The presence of Raman effects in the L-band wavelength range helps to boost up the propagated signal for higher transmission gain and optical signal-to-noise ratio at the output of the proposed R-EDFA. L-band multiwavelength dispersion compensation module is used as signal reflector to form a double-pass amplifier structure and also as dispersion compensator. The work successfully demonstrates that the gain and NF are improved by 5.55 dB and 4.03 dB respectively with 4.24 dB gain flatness in comparison to conventional R-EDFA. In addition, the proposed amplifier also has the ability to compensate overall dispersion in the transmission fiber.


Featured Article: Rissin DM, Kan CW, Campbell TG, Stuart SC, Fournier DR, Song L, et al. Single-molecule enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay detects serum proteins at subfemtomolar concentrations. Nat Biotechnol 2010;28:595–9.3

Proteins are the functional units of life. Berson et al. opened the field of protein measurements with the development of RIAs in the 1950s (1). In 1971, Engvall and Perlmann reported the ELISA (2) that has since been the staple for protein measurements. In 2010, when our article featured here was published, there were 325 proteins detectable in blood, of which 171 were Food and Drug Administration–approved tests of clinical value (3). Most of these proteins are measured using ELISA. When the human genome was sequenced, it was predicted that there should be nearly 4000 proteins in the human bloodstream (4). Where are the missing proteins? ELISA enabled detection down to picomolar concentrations, but this limit of quantification was insufficient to fully access the human blood proteome. The single-molecule array (Simoa) …


The purposes of this study were to determine the range of likely mandibular arch dimensional and positional changes that occur with growth when a particular nonextraction treatment approach is used in the late mixed dentition and to search for factors that might affect those changes. The records (pretreatment and posttreatment lateral cephalograms and study casts) of 182 patients with Class I or Class II malocclusion, with or without crowding, were assessed prospectively. Considerable individual variation was found in all measurements, and anteroposterior dimensional arch changes were found to be significantly correlated with the amount of space required for leveling and relief of crowding in the mandibular arch. Despite those relationships, mandibular arch space requirements of 4 to 8 mm were found to be associated, on average, with small anteroposterior and transverse dimensional changes. By starting treatment in the late mixed dentition, it might be possible to control anteroposterior mandibular incisal changes reasonably well, even with considerable space requirements. Transverse mandibular arch changes in this sample were generally greater across the first premolars than across the canines, something previously acknowledged to improve stability after orthodontic treatment. A wide range of variation exists in the amount of available bilateral mandibular E-space; consequently, assessing the relative sizes of the deciduous second molars and their permanent successors in individual orthodontic patients is necessary.


Investigating variables associated with the school success and educational resilience of urban youth of color should be a high priority because of the persistent achievement gap in the United States. The current study examined individual and peer factors' relation to the school engagement of 132 seventh- and eighth-grade students from a diverse public elementary school in a large Midwestern city. The participants ranged in age from 12 to 15 years old. In this study, positive peer norms, peer support, and positive ethnic identification were hypothesized to intervene in the relationship between negative peer norms and low school engagement. The findings suggest that both positive peer norms and positive ethnic identity may serve as significant protective factors for urban youth of color.


Joule heating has recently been investigated as a potential alternative to chemical fumigation for phytosanitary treatment of Pinus radiata logs exported from New Zealand. The research was driven by concern regarding the effects of methyl bromide release to atmosphere, following fumigation, as highlighted by the Montreal Protocol. The work has involved creating 1 dimensional and 3 dimensional computer models of the Joule heating process in P. radiata, building a laboratory-scale log test rig with suitable instrumentation and control systems, heating approximately 60 P. radiata logs and using the measured data to refine and validate the models. While engaged in this work it became clear that the process could also potentially be applied to heat veneer peeler logs. This paper describes the application of the 1 dimensional model and laboratory-scale test rig to a typical P. radiata export log and to a Eucalyptus nitens log prepared for veneer peeling. The results demonstrate that, despite the heterogeneities of the timber, the technique is capable of achieving the required temperature profiles for both applications and that the model is a sufficiently good representation of the process to provide a viable control method. Copyright © 2018 VBRI Press.


In an effort to further understand the impact of domestic violence (DV) on infant and toddlers' development, this research utilized data from the second cohort of National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW II) to examine the relationship between maternal DV and infant and toddlers' emotional regulation, and determine whether mothers' receipt of DV services mediated this relationship. The sample was limited to children aged 0 to 3 years and included (a) infants less than 1 year old (n = 603), (b) infants 1 to less than 2 years old (n = 310), and (c) toddlers 2 to 3 years old (n = 268). Infant/toddlers' emotional regulation was measured using mothers' response on the How My Infant/Toddler/Child Usually Acts questionnaire. In addition, data were collected to assess whether (a) active DV was present during the time of the Child Protective Services (CPS) investigation and (b) mothers received DV services during the past year. Study research questions were examined using a series of multiple regression analyses. Mediation was tested based on Baron and Kenny's recommended model for establishing mediation. The mediational model was not found to be significant; however, a positive relationship existed between maternal DV and emotional regulation among infants aged less than 1 year old (β = 1.61, p = .039). There were no statistically significant relationships between DV and emotional regulation in the other age groups. These findings highlight the need to provide CPS-involved families victimized by DV with services that focus on preventing poor infant emotional regulation.


Abstract The volcanic succession in the inland Prinsen af Wales Bjerge contains the oldest known onshore lava flows (61 Ma) of the Palaeogene East Greenland flood basalt province. These flows and interbedded sediments define the Urbjerget Formation and are found in the southernmost part of Prinsen af Wales Bjerge. Flows of the Urbjerget Formation are chemically similar to the coastal Vandfaldsdalen Formation flows and the two formations may be chronostratigraphical equivalents. The Urbjerget Formation is overlain by the < 57 Ma tholeiitic basalts of the Milne Land Formation. Four regional volcanic formations are found along the Blosseville Kyst, but the Milne Land Formation is the only one present in the southern Prinsen af Wales Bjerge. Flows of the absent formations (Geikie Plateau, Rømer Fjord and Skrænterne formations) may not have been able to enter the area due to local uplift, more distal located eruption sites or possibly topographic features. A high-Si (SiO2 > 52 wt%) lave flow succession in the Milne Land Formation consists of crustally contaminated magmas which were arrested in crustal chambers as the magma supply rate from the mantle decreased, either due to a general lowering of potential mantle temperatures or a decrease in the rate of continental rifting. Tholeiitic high-Ti flows (MgO: 10–15 wt%, TiO2: 5–6 wt%) within the Milne Land Formation are unique to the Prinsen af Wales Bjerge region, and equivalents have not been reported from other flood basalt provinces. Local flow composition variations in the Milne Land Formation can be explained as the result of melting under lithosphere of variable thickness, small-scale variations in mantle composition and mixing in small magma chambers. Unconformably overlying the Milne Land Formation is a succession of c. 53 Ma alkaline flows, known as the Prinsen af Wales Bjerge Formation. Several crater sites are known from this flow succession and this suggests that the Prinsen af Wales Formation was only covered locally by later volcanic or sedimentary units. The duration of alkaline volcanic activity in the Prinsen af Wales Bjerge is not well constrained but may have been less than 2.5 Ma. The hiatus between the Urbjerget and Milne Land formations is a regional feature in the North Atlantic as it occurs at a similar stratigraphic level at Nansen Fjord, the Faroe Islands and in the ODP Leg 152 volcanic succession off SE Greenland at c. 63°N. It represents a 3–4 Ma long cessation of, or very low frequency of activity in East Greenland/Faroese volcanism and may be explained as the time interval between two pulses in the palaeo-Icelandic plume.


Background The advent of biologic medications has considerably increased the potential for treatment benefit in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), with clinical remission being now achievable in a substantial proportion of patients. Objectives To evaluate the outcome of etanercept (ETN) therapy in Italian children with JIA. Methods This is a multicenter, observational study that includes all children with JIA who were given ETN at Italian pediatric rheumatology centers after January 2000. Patients were classified in 2 groups: patients who were no longer taking ETN at study start (Group 1); patients who were still receiving ETN at study start (Group 2). Patients in Group 1 underwent only retrospective assessments, whereas patients in Group 2 underwent both retrospective and cross-sectional assessments. The primary outcome of the study were reasons for ETN discontinuation in patients in Group 1, and achievement of the states of inactive disease (ID), minimal disease activity (MDA) and parent- and child-acceptable symptom state (PASS, CASS) in patients in Group 2. The above states were assessed through both formal definitions and JADAS cutoffs. The secondary outcome was the evaluation of frequency and characteristics of ETN-related side effects. Results So far, the data of 1019 patients (629 in Group 1 and 390 in Group 2) have been collected. Among the 629 patients in Group 1, reasons for ETN discontinuation evaluated in 460 patients included disease remission (48.5%), lack of efficacy (26.1%), and side effects (14.8%). The results of assessment of disease state through formal definitions in 371 children of the 390 children in Group 2 who had already undergone the cross-sectional evaluation were the following: ID 39.7%, MDA 63.0%, PASS 82.4%, CASS 75.8%. The percentages of patients who reached the same disease states assessed through JADAS cutoffs were: ID 45.9%, MDA 61.6%, PASS 70.0%, CASS 66.2%. Serious adverse events were seen in 17 patients and included inflammatory bowel disease (8 pts), tuberculosis (1 pt), CMV hepatitis (1 pt), recurrent pneumoniae (1 pt), varicella complicated by bronchopneumonia (1 pt), acute pancreatitis (1pt), bacterial osteomyelitis (1 pt), bladder carcinoma (1pt), thyroid carcinoma (1 pt); 1 patient died of sepsis. Conclusions A substantial proportion of children currently receiving ETN were in the states of ID or MDA, or were satisfied with treatment outcome. Half of the patients who had been discontinued from ETN before study start had the medication stopped because of disease remission. Serious adverse events were uncommon. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Traffic prediction plays an essential role in many real-world applications ranging from route planning to vehicular communications. The goal of making accurate prediction is challenging due to the dynamic and various spatial-temporal correlations in traffic network. Numerous methods have been proposed to capture the spatial-temporal correlations, however, there are two major challenges: i) The task of synchronously capturing dynamic and various spatial-temporal correlations has not been fully explored yet. ii) Lack of an adaptive mechanism to model different influences caused by different external factors. To overcome these challenges, we propose a unified spatial-temporal attention network entitled USTAN. First, it constructs the spatial neighbor graph and the temporal neighbor array to describe the spatial and temporal correlations respectively. By expanding the spatial neighbors in temporal perspective according to the temporal neighbor array, all the spatial-temporal neighbors can be gathered together. Second, a single unified attention component is performed on all the spatial-temporal neighbors for capturing the spatial-temporal correlations all at once. In addition, a gated fusion module is designed to fuse the external factors adaptively to reduce predicting error. Extensive experiments on real-world traffic prediction tasks demonstrate the superiority of our proposed framework.


OBJECTIVE
Translational research to advance design criteria and apply the Childbirth Supporter Study (CSS) findings to practice.

BACKGROUND
The physical design of birth environments has not undergone substantial improvements in layout or ambiance since the initial move to hospitals. Cooperative, continuously present childbirth supporters are beneficial and are an expectation for most modern birth practices, yet the built environment does not offer support for the supporter.

METHODS
To advance design criteria, we use a comparative case study approach to create translational findings. Specifically, CSS findings were used as indicators to advance the Birth Unit Design Spatial Evaluation Tool (BUDSET) design characteristics in pursuit of better support for childbirth supporters in the built hospital birth environment.

RESULTS
This comparative case study provides eight new BUDSET design domain suggestions to benefit the supporter-woman dyad, and subsequently the baby and care providers.

CONCLUSIONS
Research-informed design imperatives are needed to guide the inclusion of childbirth supporters as both a supporter and as an individual in the birth space. Increased understanding of relationships between specific design features and childbirth supporters' experiences and reactions are provided. Suggestions to enhance the applicability of the BUDSET for birth unit design facility development are made, specifically ones that will better accommodate childbirth supporters.


This pivotal phase 2 study evaluated the safety and efficacy of brentuximab vedotin in patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). After a median observation period of approximately 6 years from first treatment, we examined the durability of remission, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety outcomes of patients treated on this trial. Among all enrolled patients (n = 58), no progressions were observed beyond 40 months, and median OS was not reached. Patients with a complete response (CR), as assessed by the investigator (38 of 58, 66%), continued to demonstrate improved outcomes with neither median OS nor PFS reached. Of the 38 CR patients, 16 received a consolidative stem cell transplant (SCT) with median PFS not reached. Among patients who were on-study and in remission at study closure, 16 patients had not received any new treatment after single-agent brentuximab vedotin other than consolidative SCT. Among this subset of 16 patients, 8 received SCT, and the remaining 8 patients (14% of all enrolled patients) remained in sustained remission without consolidative SCT or any new anticancer therapy. Thirty-three patients experienced peripheral neuropathy, among whom, the majority (30 of 33, 91%) had experienced resolution or improvement at their last assessment. These final results, which demonstrated a high rate of peripheral neuropathy resolution, and durable remissions in a subset of patients with relapsed or refractory systemic ALCL, provide evidence that single-agent brentuximab vedotin may be a potentially curative treatment option. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00866047.


Context. The temperature and density structure of molecular cloud cores are the most important physical quantities that determine the course of the protostellar collapse and the properties of the stars they form. Nevertheless, density profiles often rely either on the simplifying assumption of isothermality or on observationally poorly constrained model temperature profiles. The instruments of the Herschel satellite provide us for the first time with both the spectral coverage and the spatial resolution that is needed to directly measure the dust temperature structure of nearby molecular cloud cores. Aims. With the aim of better constraining the initial physical conditions in molecular cloud cores at the onset of protostellar collapse, in particular of measuring their temperature structure, we initiated the guaranteed time key project (GTKP) "The Earliest Phases of Star Formation" (EPoS) with the Herschel satellite. This paper gives an overview of the low-mass sources in the EPoS project, the Herschel and complementary ground-based observations, our analysis method, and the initial results of the survey. Methods. We study the thermal dust emission of 12 previously well-characterized, isolated, nearby globules using FIR and submm continuum maps at up to eight wavelengths between 100 mu m and 1.2 mm. Our sample contains both globules with starless cores and embedded protostars at different early evolutionary stages. The dust emission maps are used to extract spatially resolved SEDs, which are then fit independently with modified blackbody curves to obtain line-of-sight-averaged dust temperature and column density maps. Results. We find that the thermal structure of all globules (mean mass 7 M-circle dot) is dominated by external heating from the interstellar radiation field and moderate shielding by thin extended halos. All globules have warm outer envelopes (14-20 K) and colder dense interiors (8-12 K) with column densities of a few 10(22) cm(-2). The protostars embedded in some of the globules raise the local temperature of the dense cores only within radii out to about 5000 AU, but do not significantly affect the overall thermal balance of the globules. Five out of the six starless cores in the sample are gravitationally bound and approximately thermally stabilized. The starless core in CB 244 is found to be supercritical and is speculated to be on the verge of collapse. For the first time, we can now also include externally heated starless cores in the L-smm/L-bol vs. T-bol diagram and find that T-bol <25 K seems to be a robust criterion to distinguish starless from protostellar cores, including those that only have an embedded very low-luminosity object.


We developed a micro fabrication process of vibration-based sputtered PZT micro energy harvester with a proof mass. A PZT film as a piezoelectric material is formed on a cantilever by using sputtering. An electric power is generated because of piezoelectric effect when the cantilever is bended and stressed. The device is fabricated on a Si substrate by MEMS techniques. The cantilever had 1200 μm in length, 600 μm in width, and 50 μm in thickness on the Si substrate. Also, a PZT thin film free standing cantilever was successfully fabricated. A proof mass with 0.42 mg in weight was fabricated on both top of Si substrate cantilever and PZT thin film free standing cantilever. Dynamic and static frequency characteristics and output power generation were experimented by using a shaker and a network analyzer for characterizing the device. The resonant frequency of the Si cantilever was 8.81 kHz. We achieved 418 pW output power at the resonant frequency.


Effective deployment of Real Time Distributed Network Intrusion Detection Systems (DNIDS) on High- speed and large-scale networks within limited budget constraints is a challenging task. In this paper we investigate algorithms aiming at optimizing the deployment of DNIDS systems. We use Group Betweenness Centrality (GBC) as an approximation of the DNIDS deployment utility. In this work we use two cost models. The first cost model assumes that all network intrusion detection devices have the same cost. The second model assumes that the cost of the device is relative to the traffic load on the network node on which it is installed. We evaluate two algorithms for finding the most prominent group in these cost models. The first algorithm is based on greedy choice of vertices and the second is based on heuristic search and finds the optimal deployment locations. We investigate combinations of heuristic functions based on solution cost and on solution utility and different node ordering strategies. We show that intelligent choice of the heuristic functions and node ordering can speed up the search. Empirical evaluation shows that while in the first cost model the greedy algorithm produces results that are negligibly close to optimal in the second cost model the difference between optimal and suboptimal solutions can be significant.


Allogeneic stem cell transplantations (SCT) are currently being used as a therapy for hematological malignancies, some solid tumors and non-malignant bone marrow deficiencies. Nevertheless, clinical applicability is limited due to toxicity of conditioning regimens, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and the scarcity of HLA-identical family donors. New concepts are based on nonmyeloablative conditioning to reduce toxicity, prevention or amelioration of GVHD and the use of haploidentical donors to increase donor availability. To meet these requirements, we have developed a nonmyeloablative conditioning regimen in a haploidentical F1 → F1 mouse model. These mini-transplantations, consisting of low dose total body irradiation and cyclophosphamide-based chemotherapy, resulted in stable full donor chimerism, but also in the development of GVHD. Administration of keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) before and after SCT resulted in reduced GVHD, evident as reduced weight loss and a lesser degree of dermatitis than in saline-treated controls. KGF preserved plasma citrulline and TNF-a levels, both indicative for reduced radiation-induced injury to the gastrointestinal tract. Citruline has recently been described as a new marker for gastrointestinal toxicity. Six months after transplantation, survival rates were significantly higher in KGF-treated animals (57% as compared to PBS-treated controls (5.3%). These data indicate that nonmyeloablative haploidentical transplantations might be feasible and that KGF might contribute substantially to reduction of lethal GVHD, also after nonmyeloablative procedures. For clinical transplantation such an effect would be significant if intensive T cell depletion might be prevented in haploidentical transplantation protocols and therefore reduced infection rates can be obtained.


Blood samples from 182 patients presenting at the out-patient clinic in Richard-Toll. Senegal were analysed by Thick smear microscopy, the QBC, PCR and the new dipstick PATH Malaria assay which detects the histidine rich protein II antigen of Plasmodium falciparum. Thick smear microscopy was used as the reference method. Sensitivity, specificity, predictive positive and negative values were 100%, 83.6%, 93.4% and 100% QBC respectively; 100%, 72.7%, 89.4% and 100% for PCR; 96%, 92.7%, 96.8% and 91% for the PATH assay. PATH assay failed to detect one positive sample with Plasmodium malariae. Assays were also compared with regard to the expense of equipment and reagents and speed and ease of use. The rapid PATH assay can be performed with minimal training and may be specially useful in areas where P. falciparum is the predominant malaria species, in epidemic malaria regions, and where skilled microscopy is not readily available.


Biosurfactants are heterogeneous surface active compounds released by microorganisms, which adhere to cell surface or are excreted extracellularly in the growth medium. These can be divided into low molecular weight molecules, that lower surface and interfacial tensions efficiently and high-molecular-weight polymers that bind tightly to surfaces. In the past two decades, biosurfactants have gained increasing attention due to their useful properties such as biodegradability, low toxicity, ecological acceptability and ability to be produced from renewable and cheaper substrates. The objective of this study was to isolate and identify the biosurfactant producing bacteria from the water sample. Mixed raw effluent (MRE) and drainage water samples were serially diluted and spread plated on the Minimal salt medium (MSM) agar supplemented with 1 % (vlv) crude palm oil as carbon source. To confirm the ability of isolates in biosurfactant production, various biosurfactant activity, assay and test were conducted. A total of 12 isolates, 2 isolates from MRE sample and 10 isolates from drainage water sample were screened for the presence of surface-active agent producing bacteria using the red blood cell haemolysis test, drop collapse test and emulsification assay. There are 1 isolate from MRE sample and 6 isolates from drainage water sample resulted beta-haemolysis as it is complete haemolytic activity. . In drop collapse test, only 1 isolate from MRE sample and 3 isolates from drainage water sample exhibited negative score. The highest emulsification activity resulted by isolate Ea2b from drainage water sample, 62.5% and the lowest is Ec5c and Fa1c showed only 6.3%. A total of 12 isolates were successfully characterized by cell and colony morphology. The size of purified DNA fragment is 1324bp after amplified it by using primer of 16S 68F and 16S 1392R.


Abstract : The object of the glow discharge shock tube is to be able to fire a mild shock into a flowing gas that has been passed through an electrical discharge. The shock heats and compresses the gas rapidly, but not to such a high temperature that further dissociation takes place. This technique was applied to the O + SO afterglow. The SO2 afterglow continuum was produced by two independent methods: (a) passing SO2 through a microwave discharge and injecting it into a N2 stream, or (b) passing O2 through the discharge and adding OCS downstream, converting some O atoms to SO by the reaction of O with OCS. In both cases the emission intensity was of second order pressure dependence. Measurements made in different regions of the spectrum showed no wavelength dependence of the temperature exponent. Absolute emission intensity was determined in the O + OCS system at room temperature by using the O + NO afterglow for calibration. The integrated intensity from 2000 to 5000 A gave a rate constant in agreement with previous determinations. (Author)


According to dendritic cable theory, proximal synapses give rise to inputs with short delay, high amplitude, and short duration. In contrast, inputs from distal synapses have long delays, low amplitude, and long duration. Large scale neural networks are seldom built with realistically layered synaptic architectures and corresponding electrotonic parameters. A complete representation of electrotonic dynamics implies the computationally expensive solution of cable differential equations. Here, we use a simpler model to investigate the spike response dynamics of networks with different electrotonic structures. The networks consist of a layer of neurons receiving a sparse feedforward projection from a set of inputs, as well as sparse recurrent connections from within the layer. Firing patterns are set in the set of inputs, and recorded from the neuron (output) layer. The feedforward and recurrent synapses are independently set as proximal or distal, representing dendritic connections near or far from the soma, respectively. Analyses of firing dynamics indicate that recurrent distal synapses tend to concentrate network activity in fewer neurons, while proximal recurrent synapses result in a more homogeneous activity distribution. In addition, when the feedforward input is regular (spiking or bursting) and asynchronous, the output is regular if recurrent synapses are more distal than feedforward ones, and irregular in the opposite configuration. Finally, the amplitude of network fluctuations in response to asynchronous input is lower if feedforward and recurrent synapses are electrotonically distant from one another (in either configuration). In conclusion, electrotonic effects reflecting different dendritic positions of synaptic inputs significantly influence network dynamics.


Background: The performance of postgraduate students depends on a comprehensive combination of scientific and practical competencies acquired during their coursework.Identifying a teaching method that can promote learning outcomes, academic writing and, most importantly, content and knowledge creation will be valuable.
Methods: Content creation based learning (CCBL) was used for a course in instructional design for 40 master's students in medical education. The project was implemented across four semesters over 2 years. Each semester included 17 two-hour sessions. CCBL includes the following steps: finding content about the subject of each session; summarizing, organizing and writing collected content; presenting content in classroom; receiving feedback from classmates and instructor; and revising the content produced.
Results: The results are summarized as follows: (1) At the end of the course, 16 chapters of avalid and reliable book about instructional design could be produced. (2) The mean scores of student learning were 16.78 ± 1.3 (of a possible 20 points). This is a desirable level of learning.(3) The majority of students (60%) were highly satisfied. (4) Students felt this course had positive effects of this course on their academic achievement.
Conclusion: The results of this scholarly activity revealed many practical issues in field of postgraduate education. Applying CCBL in postgraduate education is recommended. The researchers hope other studies about outcomes and efficacy of CCBL will provide more evidence.


Reliability concerns due to Negative Bias Temperature Instability (NBTI) and Positive Bias Temperature Instability (PBTI) are increasing in nanometer CMOS memory and digital logic. Conventional chip lifetime enhancement techniques rely on run-time wearout sensors to detect device threshold voltage (Vth) shift. In this work, we present a novel wearout sensing technique using metastability resolution time. The circuit consists of a reference inverter and age-tracking inverter cross-coupled to form a metastable cell. The resolution time of this cell is impacted by temporal Vth shift in the tracking devices. The tracking devices are sized relatively large compared to reference inverter to minimize impact of process induced Vth offset. The resolution time measurement is performed in two stages using a ring oscillator based Time to Digital Converter (TDC). The first stage of measurement establishes a reference precision during run time. In the second stage, the actual resolution time is measured relative to the reference. This alleviates impact of process variation and measurement temperature. Implementation and simulation in 32nm Predictive Technology Model indicate a lightweight sensor with estimated area of ~105μm2 and tracking power of 239nW. The resolution time of the circuit tracks Vth shift due to both NBTI and PBTI. A worst case measurement error at +/-3σ Vth offset is 9.3% of ΔVth. A nominal measurement time of ~1ns provides accurate estimate of Vth shift without allowing recovery time for tracking devices.


Summary The morphology and drainage network of the sub-Cretaceous unconformity in Western Canada is reconstructed utilizing over 240,000 hydrocarbon exploration wells. GIS software was used to determine the fluvial drainage on the resulting topography. The unconformity, covering over 1,000,000 km 2 , occurred after deposition of Oxfordian-Kimmeridgian sediment of the first foreland basin clastic wedge. The unconformity is associated with an episode of tectonic and magmatic quiescence in the Canadian Cordillera from 140 to 125 Ma. Tectonic compression associated with the Colombian Orogeny may have decreased or changed direction. The resulting drainage systems on the unconformity were extremely complex with multiple drainage divides. In S Saskatchewan, the rivers flowed south into the USA. In NE Alberta and NW Sask, rivers flowed north and east into a large embayment lapping onto the Canadian Shield. In W-central Alberta, rivers drained Paleozoic carbonate uplands, flowing south and west towards the old foredeep and the Fox Creek Escarpment. In NW Alberta, rivers flowed northwest and west also towards the Fox Creek Escarpment. Paleocurrents from the Rocky Mountains indicate that westernmost rivers flowed northnorthwest in SW Alberta and northeast in easternmost British Colombia. The earliest fill (Aptian) above the unconformity is highly variably with large areas of non-deposition and pedogenesis. In the W and SW, basal sediment of the Cadomin and Dalhousie fms were deposited as low-accommodation braided rivers flowing NNW, parallel to the basin axis. In central Saskatchewan, gold-bearing tidally-influenced rivers drained the Canadian Shield flowing to the SSW. In NE Alberta, the McMurray Fm, host of the second largest hydrocarbon accumulation on earth, was deposited in a tidally-influenced, meandering fluvial and tidal bar system within an embayment open to the northeast, with sediment derived from the Canadian Shield. Much of S Saskatchewan was a dissected upland surface, exposed for 10-15 million years, forming thick paleosols.


Instruction-level parallelism (ILP) is a set of hardware and software techniques that allow parallel execution of machine operations. Superscalar architectures rely most heavily upon hardware schemes to identify parallelism among operations. Although successful in terms of performance, the hardware complexity involved might limit the scalability of this model. VLIW architectures use a different approach to exploit ILP. In this case all data dependence analyses and scheduling of operations are performed at compile time, resulting in a simpler hardware organization. This allows the inclusion of a larger number of functional units (FUs) into a single chip. In spite of this relative simplification, the scalability of VLIW architectures can be constrained by the size and number of ports of the register file. VLIW machines often use software pipelining techniques to improve the execution of loop structures, which can increase the register pressure. Furthermore, the access time of a register file can he compromised by the number of ports, causing a negative impact on the machine cycle time. For these reasons, we understand that the register file required by a wide-issue unclustered machine could compromise the benefits of having parallel FUs, which have motivated the investigation of alternative machine designs. This thesis presents a scalable VLIW architecture comprising clusters of FUs and private register files. Register files organized as queue structures are used as a mechanism for inter-cluster communication, allowing the enforcement of fixed latency in the process. This scheme presents better possibilities in terms of scalability as the size of individual register files is not determined by the total number of FUs, suggesting that the silicon area may grow only linearly with respect to the number of FUs. However, the effectiveness of such an organization depends on the efficiency of the code partitioning strategy. We have developed an algorithm for a clustered VLIW architecture integrating both software pipelining and code partitioning in a single procedure. Experimental results show it may allow performance levels close to an unclustered machine without communication constraints. Finally, we have developed silicon area and cycle time models to quantify the scalability of performance and cost for this class of architecture.


Emotion recognition from EEG could be used in many applications as it allows us to know the "inner" emotion regardless of the human facial expression, behaviour, or verbal communication. In this paper, we proposed and described a novel fractal dimension (FD) based emotion recognition algorithm using an Arousal-Valence emotion model. FD values calculated from the EEG signal recorded from the corresponding brain lobes are mapped to the 2D emotion model. The proposed algorithm allows us to recognize emotions that could be defined by arousal and valence levels. Only 3 electrodes are needed for the emotions recognition. Higuchi and box-counting algorithms were used for the EEG analysis and comparison. Support Vector Machine classifier was applied for arousal and valence levels recognition. The proposed method is a subject dependent one. Experiments with music and sound stimuli to induce human emotions were realized. Sound clips from the International Affective Digitized Sounds (IADS) database were used in the experiments.


The usage of the fair value for the evaluation of biological assets arising from the adoption of international accounting standards have caused significant economic effects on the value of the companies and, hence, on their current and future results. Furthermore, there is a number of criticisms - from both the academic and business environments - about the importance and usage of such evaluation metrics, especially for assets related to agricultural products which do not have an active trading market, for instance: eucalyptus forests. Thus, the present study aimed to analyze if the users of the accounting information acknowledge the importance of using the fair value method to measure the biological assets. To analyze the issue, this study conducted an experiment with 217 market professionals attending the Executive MBA course and 155 students from the Graduation Course in Accounting, from the perspective of the Counterfactual Thinking Theory. The following stimuli about the judgment of the relevance of fair value in biological assets were considered: (i) if the result (losses or gains) arising from the evaluation at fair value, (ii) if the type of biological asset (with or without liquidity) and (iii) if the managerial decision (hold the asset to the maturity date or make it available for sale) interfere in the judgment of the relevance of fair value. The findings reveal that the use of fair value is relevant for the measurement of the biological assets, in opposition to the use of the Historical cost. I has also been found that the fair value is more important for the assets without active market (eucalyptus) than for the assets with net market (bovines). Thereby, the findings of the research adhere to the guidelines of the List of International Financial Reporting Standards recommending the adoption of the fair value as a measurement methodology for such assets (eucalyptus and bovines), although there is still some concern with the reliability of the measurement approach (fair value).


Social learning networks enable the sharing, transfer and enhancement of knowledge in the workplace that builds the ground to exchange informal learning practices. In this work, three healthcare networks are studied in order to understand how to enable the building, maintaining and activation of new contacts at work and the exchange of knowledge between them. By paying close attention to the needs of the practitioners, we aimed to understand how personal and social learning could be supported by technological services exploiting social networks and the respective traces reflected in the semantics. This paper presents a case study reporting on the results of two co-design sessions and elicits requirements showing the importance of scaffolding strategies in personal and shared learning networks. Besides, the significance of these strategies to aggregate trust among peers when sharing resources and decision-support when exchanging questions and answers. The outcome is a set of design criteria to be used for further technical development for a social semantic question and answer tool. We conclude with the lessons learned and future work.


This paper presents a modification to the apparatus of the mortar bar test of ASTM C490 in order to assess and compare the influence of mechanical preventive measures in reducing alkali-silica reaction (ASR) expansion in concrete with respect to the traditional measures. For this purpose, reinforced mortar specimens with or without pre-stressing force applied were examined and the effects of the reinforcement ratio and pre-stressing force on ASR-induced expansion and cracking were studied through the accelerated mortar bar test method of ASTM C1260. The mechanical preventive measure was also compared with a traditional preventive measure by using fly ash. The results show that reinforcement and pre-stressing force play a role in limiting expansion and cracking due to ASR and that the developed test apparatus in this study can be used for measurements.


The South African public technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges have experienced considerable change in the past 20 years. Recently, these colleges have become the focal point of education and training, ever since the publication of the Green Paper on Post-School Education and Training in 2012, transferring the colleges to the higher education and training system. These colleges are expected to increase their enrolments from 650 000 to 2.5 million by 2030. Leaders in these institutions have been faced with constant challenges in a rapidly changing environment. It has been internationally acknowledged that in order for leaders at all levels of vocational education and training institutions to be capable of and effective in transforming their institutions, leadership development is essential. Even though a leadership development programme was advocated in the Green Paper on Further Education and Training in South Africa (RSA, 2012), this training was not mentioned specifically in the subsequent White Paper (RSA, 2014). This lack of leadership development prioritisation of leaders in this sector differs from governments in other countries where customised leadership development in this complex sector has not only been prioritised but has become a matter of urgency. The purpose of this study was thus to develop a leadership development curriculum framework specifically for leaders, present and future, of public TVET colleges in South Africa. These colleges have also been examined as activity systems with their cultural and historical influences, according to Engestrom's (1987) version of activity theory. Through interactive qualitative analysis (IQA), an interpretive methodology grounded in systems theory (Northcutt & McCoy, 2004) which uses an interpretive approach by means of focus group and individual interviews with different constituency populations, an attempt was made to gain an understanding of what challenges these college leaders face and what knowledge, skills, attributes and attitudes they may need to achieve the mandate of the White Paper (RSA, 2014).


Upon exposure to genotoxic stress, cells activate DNA damage response (DDR) that coordinates DNA repair with a temporal arrest in the cell cycle progression. DDR is triggered by activation of ataxia telangiectasia mutated/ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3‐related protein kinases that phosphorylate multiple targets including tumor suppressor protein tumor suppressor p53 (p53). In addition, DNA damage can activate parallel stress response pathways [such as mitogen‐activated protein kinase p38 alpha (p38)/MAPK‐activated protein kinase 2 (MK2) kinases] contributing to establishing the cell cycle arrest. Wild‐type p53‐induced phosphatase 1 (WIP1) controls timely inactivation of DDR and is needed for recovery from the G2 checkpoint by counteracting the function of p53. Here, we developed a simple in vitro assay for testing WIP1 substrates in nuclear extracts. Whereas we did not detect any activity of WIP1 toward p38/MK2, we confirmed p53 as a substrate of WIP1. Inhibition or inactivation of WIP1 in U2OS cells increased phosphorylation of p53 at S15 and potentiated its acetylation at K382. Further, we identified Deleted in breast cancer gene 1 (DBC1) as a new substrate of WIP1 but surprisingly, depletion of DBC1 did not interfere with the ability of WIP1 to regulate p53 acetylation. Instead, we have found that WIP1 activity suppresses p53‐K382 acetylation by inhibiting the interaction between p53 and the acetyltransferase p300. Newly established phosphatase assay allows an easy comparison of WIP1 ability to dephosphorylate various proteins and thus contributes to identification of its physiological substrates.


In engineering applications, multiple copies of object descriptions have to coexist in a single database. A scheme is proposed that enables users to explicitly deal with these object versions. After introducing a basic version model, the problem of rerouting interobject references on the creation of new versions is solved by providing generic references and user-specific environments. Logical version clusters are introduced that allow for the meaningful grouping of versions. Some remarks on implementation and a comparison with other approaches are also included. >


Augustine Volcano is an active stratovolcano located in southwestern Cook Inlet, about 280 kilometers southwest of Anchorage, Alaska. The volcano produced six significant explosive eruptions between 1812 and 1986. Augustine eruptions typically have an explosive onset followed by dome building. The most recent eruption began on January 11, 2006. We applied the small baseline subset (SBAS) interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) technique to measure ground surface deformation during 1992–2005 with the use of European Remote Sensing Satellites 1 and 2 (ERS–1 and ERS–2) radar imagery. Through a multiple-interferogram approach, atmospheric delay artifacts, which hinder conventional InSAR measurements, are significantly reduced by spatial and temporal filtering. This allows us to retrieve time-series deformation over coherent points at millimeter-scale accuracy. The deformation results from two independent satellite tracks agree with each other, suggesting 2 to 8 cm wholesale uplift of Augustine Volcano from 1992 to 2005. Global Positioning System (GPS) data acquired in September 2004 and October 2005 confirm the SBAS InSAR results. A preliminary model consisting of a contracting source at 2 to 4 km depth and an inflating source at 7 to 12 km depth fits the observed deformation reasonably well. We interpret the deeper source as a long-term magma storage zone and the shallower source as a subsidiary reservoir that was tapped during the 2006 eruption. The shallow source corresponds approximately to the location of the volcanotectonic earthquakes that preceded and followed the 1976 and 2006 eruptions, respectively.