We propose a multicast protocol for a distributed system that includes mobile hosts. The protocol guarantees reliable delivery, i.e. delivery of every multicast and absence of duplicates. The sender of each multicast may select among three increasingly strong delivery ordering guarantees: FIFO, causal, total. We make loose assumptions on the underlying computing system: (i) we consider an unreliable wireless network i.e. one that provides only incomplete spatial coverage and such that messages could be lost even within cells (e.g., due to physical obstructions); (ii) movements are unpredictable, i.e. a user that leaves a cell may enter any other cell, perhaps after a potentially long disconnection. Our solution does not store any sensible state information at mobile support stations, thus movements do not trigger the transmission query message in the wired network and no notion of hand-off is used. Furthermore, movements at inopportune times can cause only occasional performance penalty but do not affect correctness. Weak assumptions on the underlying computing system, absence of state information at mobile support stations and loose mobility assumptions, contribute to improve the reliability of applications deployed over the proposed protocol.


Phosphorylated chitosans were synthesized as templates to manipulate hydroxyapatite (HA) crystal nucleation, growth and microstructure. Two kinds of insoluble phosphorylated chitosan were soaked in saturated Ca(OH)2 solution for 4 d and in 1.5× SBF (simulated body fluid) solutions for 14 d at 37 °C for biomimetic mineralization. A lower [P]-content of phosphorylated chitosan promoted greater mineralization than higher [P]-content. Phosphorylated chitosan inhibited osteoblast proliferation and differentiation in vitro, while calcium phosphate phosphorylated chitosan composites did not.


After the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan, it has steadily become more important to ensure the structural integrity of cask systems containing spent fuels or radioactive debris during seismic events. These cask systems are free-standing cylindrical structures and are believed to show rocking and sliding motions at huge seismic excitations. In the worst case, these cask systems can possibly overturn or collide with each other. Therefore, it is very important to reduce the sliding and rocking motions of the cask system in order to avoid subsequent contamination due to radioactive substances.To date, the authors have been studying the response behaviors of these motions, and have developed some types of methods that are effective at mitigating sliding or rocking motions, and confirmed the effectiveness of these methods. A system utilizing coaxial circular cylinders and high-viscosity liquid filled into the annular spaces was developed for the suppression of sliding motion. This system was installed at the bottom end of the rigid body. Previous studies show that liquids with high-viscosity provide a very large added damping effect that causes sliding motion to be suppressed significantly. For the suppression of rocking motion, the authors developed a system that utilizes a gyro system, and confirmed it's effectiveness both analytically and experimentally.However, the gyro system is slightly complex and requires electric power even during a seismic event. Thus, some passive suppression method is required. On the other hand, the above-mentioned coaxial circular cylindrical system filled with high-viscosity liquid is thought to have a high damping effect on rocking motion, along with suppression of sliding motion.This study investigated the effect of rocking motion suppression due to the above-mentioned coaxial circular cylindrical system that is utilized for the suppression of sliding motion. First, an analytical model that can account for the coupled rocking and sliding motion was established, and then the rocking behavior of a rigid structure coupled with its sliding motion was studied. Next, shaking table tests were conducted by using a fundamental test model. By comparing the analytically obtained rocking motion with that obtained by the test results, the validity of the analytical model was confirmed. Finally, the analytical model was modified for cask systems equipped with a rocking suppression system, and the rocking motion was analyzed to evaluate its effectiveness.The proposed rocking suppression system was found to be very effective in suppressing the rocking motion of the rigid body when subjected to base excitations.Copyright © 2016 by ASME


Stencil lithography is used here for the fabrication of bismuth nanowires using thermal evaporation. This technique provides good electrical contact resistance by having the nanowire structure and the contact pads deposited at the same time. It has also the advantage of modulating nanowires' height as a function of their width. As the evaporated material deposits on the stencil mask, the apertures shrink in size until they are fully clogged and no more material can pass through. Thus, the authors obtain variable-height (from 27 to 95 nm) nanowires in the same evaporation. Upon their morphological (scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy) and electrical characterizations, the authors obtain their resistivity, which is independent of the nanowire size and is the lowest reported for physical vapor deposition of Bi nanowires (1.2×10−3 Ω cm), only an order of magnitude higher than that of bulk bismuth.


Past international studies on the effect of CEO turnover on a firm's share price performance have yielded inconsistent results. To establish the nature and magnitude of the relationship between the two variables in Kenya, this research was conducted, with a particular emphasis on NSE listed companies. The study used the Event Study methodology by looking at whether or not, Cumulative Abnormal Returns (CAR) around the date of the announcement of CEO change in Kenya were significant. Using the standard event study methodology , the study found that CEO turnover has indeed had an impact on actual stock performance in Kenya. From the study findings it became apparent that company CEO exit announcements have had an impact on firm stock price in Kenya. The impact was however found to be varied, depending on the time period between the preand post-exit announcement date. From the analysis, it was established that there has been a significant negative reaction to such announcements three (3) to four (4) months before the exit date announcement. By the time it is two (2) months to the announcement date of CEO exit, all the way to five (5) months after the appointment of the new CEO. the reaction was found to be positive and sinificant. The study also found that in the period between 5 and 12 months prior to the announcement date and that from 6 months and beyond after the announcement date, investors' reaction was insignificant. Using the standard event study methodology, the stud}' found that CEO turnover has had an impact on actual stock performance in Kenya. This study which addressed shareholderwealth changes around the announcement of a CEO turnover in Kenya and found that a significant change in the volatility of the stock-price process around a change in firm leadership exists in the country . The volatility changes that follow a CEO turnover were therefore found to have a significant impact on the firm, and listed companies" boards should plan a succession strategy taking these effects into account.


Under the general topic of the impact of floating photovoltaics (FPVs) systems on water basins, the present study aims to model and analyze the effect of FPVs on the evaporation rate of water surfaces. The estimation of the evaporation of the water surface of a basin is usually calculated using mathematical evaporation models that require knowledge of some parameters (ie, solar radiation, humidity, air temperature, water temperature, and wind velocity). Thus, in the first section of this study, some evaporative models (EVM) for free water basin have been examined to evaluate which are the environmental variables used. On the basis of this analysis, new numerical models for the calculation of the daily evaporation rate have been developed using the design of experiments (DoE) method (three models) and the linear regression method (two models). The results of the developed models have been compared with the experimental measurements carried out by an evaporimeter; such comparison has highlighted the robustness of the proposed numerical models. Moreover, for estimating the evaporation rate in water basins partially covered by FPVs, further three numerical methods are proposed. Finally, the evaporation rates, arising by the installation of different typology of FPVs on water basins, have been evaluated as function of the energy balance on the water surface. It is possible to highlight that the amount of evaporated water depends not only on the percentage of surface covered but also on the characteristics of floating systems. Covering only 30% of the surface of a basin, it is possible to obtain up to 49% reduction in evaporation.


Automatic road extraction from remote-sensing imagery plays an important role in many applications. However, accurate and efficient extraction from very high-resolution (VHR) images remains difficult because of, for example, increased data size and superfluous details, the spatial and spectral diversity of road targets, disturbances (e.g., vehicles, shadows of trees, and buildings), the necessity of finding weak road edges while avoiding noise, and the fast-acquisition requirement of road information for crisis response. To solve these difficulties, a two-stage method combining edge information and region characteristics is presented. In the first stage, convolutions are executed by applying Gabor wavelets in the best scale to detect Gabor features with location and orientation information. The features are then merged into one response map for connection analysis. In the second stage, highly complete, connected Gabor features are used as edge constraints to facilitate stable object segmentation and limit region growing. Finally, segmented objects are evaluated by some fundamental shape features to eliminate nonroad objects. The results indicate the validity and superiority of the proposed method to efficiently extract accurate road targets from VHR remote-sensing images.


Background: Despite the increasing use of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs for insomnia, there
are no guidelines for their use nor data on prescribing patterns in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
(KSA).
Aim: To explore the prescribing practices for treating insomnia in the KSA and begin the
development of national guidelines, taking into account patients' perspectives.
Method: A mixed methods design was used in four phases. First, a retrospective audit of
patients prescribed benzodiazepines or Z-drugs for insomnia (April 2012–March 2017) in King
Fahad Central Hospital, Jazan, KSA, based on two US guidelines, was performed. Descriptive
statistics, using Stata, were used to report findings. Second, a qualitative study, using NVivo,
of physicians' knowledge, perceptions and attitudes regarding treating primary insomnia and
using US guidelines was performed. Third, an e-Delphi technique was used for guideline
development. Twenty-seven insomnia experts participated in developing the consensus (≥ 80%
agreement) around future national guidelines. Fourth, a cross-sectional survey (unrestricted,
self-selected online survey) was utilised to explore patients' knowledge, experiences and
perceptions about using hypnotics to manage primary insomnia in the KSA. The data were
encoded and analysed using Stata.
Results: Of the 504 records reviewed, 379 patients (75%) were prescribed benzodiazepines or
Z-drugs; only 182 (48%) had documented diagnoses. Of the 307 patients (60%) diagnosed with
insomnia, none received cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). No patients were
reviewed by physicians for long-term use. No records met all criteria. Physicians' perceptions
and attitudes in KSA toward using US or other international guidelines were based on
knowledge, resistance and the presence of barriers and facilitators. In the Delphi study, sixteen
4
statements achieved the consensus to be included in future KSA guidelines. The survey study
revealed that patients have limited knowledge of insomnia and its treatment. Patients are often
prescribed hypnotics for insomnia, do not receive CBT-I as first-line treatment, and are rarely
involved in treatment decisions. Most patients are on long-term hypnotics use and are not
reviewed regularly by their doctors or provided with a plan for discontinuation. There is
considerable resistance among patients to using nonpharmacological treatment options for
insomnia.
Conclusion: The Ministry of Health should enhance public awareness of insomnia, provide
training for physicians on prescribing hypnotics and CBT-I, improve hospital administration
and encourage documentation. The produced consensus statements can be used, taking into
consideration patients' perspectives, in the development of national guidelines that will
standardise the use of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs for the treatment of primary insomnia in
adults in the KSA.


In this paper, the fully-developed temperature profile and corresponding
 Nusselt value is determined analytically for a gaseous flow in a microtube
 with a thermal boundary condition of constant wall heat flux. The flow
 assumed to be laminar, and hydrodynamically and thermally fully developed.
 The fluid is assumed to be constant property and incompressible. The effect
 of rarefaction, viscous dissipation and axial conduction, which are
 important at the microscale, are included in the analysis. Second-order slip
 model is used for the slip-flow and temperature jump boundary conditions for
 the implementation of the rarefaction effect. Closed form solutions for the
 temperature field and the fully-developed Nusselt number is derived as a
 function of Knudsen number, Brinkman number and Peclet number.


The realization problem asks: When does an algebraic complex arise, up to homotopy, from a geometric complex In the case of 2- dimensional algebraic complexes, this is equiv alent to the D2 problem, which asks when homological methods can distinguish between 2 and 3 dimensional complexes. We approach the realization problem (and hence the D2 problem) by classifying all pos sible algebraic 2- complexes and showing that they are realized. We show that if a dihedral group has order 2n, then the algebraic complexes over it are parametrized by their second homology groups, which we refer to as algebraic second homotopy groups. A cancellation theorem of Swan ( 11 ), then allows us to solve the realization problem for the group D{dollar}. Let X be a finite geometric 2- complex. Standard isomorphisms give 7r2(Ar) = H2(X Z), as modules over ni(X). Schanuel's lemma may then be used to show that the stable class of n2(X) is determined by k {lcub}X). We show how 7r3(X) maybe calculated similarly. Specif ically, we show that as a module over the fundamental group, (X) = S2{lcub}ir2{lcub}X)), where S2(ir2(X)) denotes the symmetric part of the module 7r2(X) z tt2(X). As a consequence, we are able to show that when the order of n (X) is odd, the stable class of 7r3(X) is also determined by ir {lcub}X). Given a closed, connected, orientable 5- dimensional manifold, with finite fundamen tal group, we may represent it, up to homotopy equivalence, by an algebraic complex. Poincare duality induces a homotopy equivalence between this algebraic complex and its dual. We consider how similar this homotopy equivalence may be made to the identity, (through appropriate choice of algebraic complex). We show that it can be taken to be the identity on 4 of the 6 terms of the chain complex. However, by finding a homological ob struction, we show that in general the homotopy equivalence may not be written as the identity.


The aim of this study is to characterise the microstructures of the as-quenched and tempered SAE 1040 steel specimens by sound velocity and attenuation measurements. An initial heat treatment was applied to the specimens to obtain a uniform starting microstructure. Following 850°C/0.5 h austenitisation and water-quenching of all specimens, a tempering process was applied at 200°C and 600°C for 2 h. Microstructures of the specimens were characterised first by metallography and hardness measurements. Then, the velocities of both longitudinal and transversal waves were measured. Backwall echo patterns were obtained to compare the attenuation behaviour. By using the specimens having the same thickness, and by eliminating the effects of grain size and texture, only the influence of microstructural phases on sound velocity and attenuation was investigated. Sound velocity increased as a function of tempering temperature, however no meaningful variation in sound attenuation was observed.


We propose an edit-centric approach to assess Wikipedia article quality as a complementary alternative to current full document-based techniques. Our model consists of a main classifier equipped with an auxiliary generative module which, for a given edit, jointly provides an estimation of its quality and generates a description in natural language. We performed an empirical study to assess the feasibility of the proposed model and its cost-effectiveness in terms of data and quality requirements.


Purpose: To examine the burden of uncontrolled hyperglycemia in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and their characteristics in a large urban city. Methods: A randomized sample of 4993 patients with DM ≥18 years old who received routine health care in a large university teaching hospital in the city of Philadelphia was analyzed. Uncontrolled hyperglycemia was classified as blood hemoglobin A1c >8%. The associations of uncontrolled hyperglycemia with sociodemographic and cardiovascular factors were analyzed using univariate and multivariate analysis methods. Results: The results show that patients 18–54 years had the highest prevalence of uncontrolled hyperglycemia (36.0%), followed by those at age 55–64 (30.9%), 65–74 (22.9%), and ≥75 (20.6%) years (p<0.0001). Unadjusted hyperglycemia was significantly associated with patients with increased total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein ratio (odds ratio [OR]=1.59, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.33–1.90, p<0.001), and with prevalent coronary heart disease (OR=1.39, 95% CI: 1.16–1.67, p=0.001). Patients living in neighborhoods with lower socioeconomic status (SES) had significantly higher uncontrolled hyperglycemia rates across the city (r=0.52, R2=0.27, p=0.03). Conclusions: Findings of this study is one of the first studies to address that younger adults had higher rates of uncontrolled hyperglycemia. Further attention should be paid to the challenges of controlling DM in younger adults and patients who live in neighborhoods with lower SES.


Current day large animal facilities generate more manure than they need on their own feed production areas. Excessive nutrient applications deteriorate groundwater (nitrogen) and sur- face water quality (nitrogen and/or phosphorus). Due to differences in environmental and eco- nomic characteristics, adjacent regions may have differing objectives for nitrogen and phos- phorus abatement. We postulate an analytical model of upstream agricultural and downstream recreational regions, and analyze optimal policies that consider both regions. We show that de- pending on the environmental and economic characteristics, tightening upstream regulation with respect to loading of one nutrient only might increase the downstream loading of the other. As the prevailing regulatory tool for livestock production is the Nutrient Management Plan based on nitrogen standard; and because livestock production is the main source of man-made nutrient loads to environment, the model is of high importance. Our model contributes to literature by i) differentiating (the impacts of) manure regulation between the livestock farm and the adjacent crop production farm ii) showing how this differentiation is carried over to relative and absolute amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus loading due to changes in nutrient application and uptake; and due to changes in application areas iii) allowing for regional differences in abatement objec- tives.


Exurban development (e.g., second homes) in woodlands spreads urban land use impacts beyond suburbs, but because exurban developments often retain many components of original ecosystem structure—such as a forest canopy rather than open lawn—their ecological impacts may be underestimated. Changes in seed-dispersing ant behavior prompted by exurban land use, such as edge avoidance, may pose deleterious impacts on the woodland plants (myrmecochores) they disperse, and hence the floristic diversity of exurban forests. We examined the effects of exurbanization on seed- dispersing ant nesting and foraging, seed retrieval, dispersal direction and subsequent impact on myrmecochores. We used a matrix of forested and exurbanized habitats to test whether (1) exurban edges decrease ant nest colonization and seed foraging, (2) ants disperse seeds away from exurban edges, and (3) consequently, there is lower ant-dispersed plant abundance nearer exurban edges. We found that exurban development poses little impact on keystone seed-dispersing ants because they foraged, colonized and thrived in fragmented woodland habitats as well as they did in intact forests. Exurban edges changed ant behavior, however, so that they generally moved seeds toward forest interiors, and, hence, away from edges. Corresponding to this behavioral change, we found that ant-dispersed plants declined with proximity to edges, whereas other woodland herbs with dispersal modes other than ants were unaffected. Exurbanization poses little threat to seed-dispersing ant viability, but, by changing foraging patterns (specifically, limiting the directionality of dispersal), it indirectly threatens the plants they disperse. Edge effects on biota commonly are associated with cascades through abiotic resources, but we show a deleterious biotic cascade between exurban edge, keystone ants and herbaceous plants. Species-mediated services, such as seed dispersal and pollination, are key resources, and assessing the full consequences of land use change therefore necessitates evaluation of impacts on biotic interactions.


PURPOSE
To provide an overview of considerations in the design and performance of prospective clinical trials in the evaluation of new pharmaceutical and surgical treatments in dry eye disease (DED).

DESIGN
A compilation and interpretation of experiences in the challenges and pitfalls of clinical trial design based on experiences documented in the peerreviewed literature over the last 40 years.

METHODS
A review of the literature in the design and performance of clinical trials in DED with an interpretative and prognostic outlook.

RESULTS
Published results of clinical trials in DED reveal problems in the design of clinical trials which are unique to this disease. These include a discordance between the signs and symptoms of DED, variability in disease course and short-term environmental effects on ocular surface staining.

CONCLUSIONS
The development of better efficacy endpoints will be necessary to improve the outcomes of clinical trials to evaluate new pharmaceutical and surgical approaches to the management of dry eye. The most promising field is that of biomarkers which serve as surrogates for disease severity. As these markers undergo validation with clinical changes, it is likely that they will assume greater significance in future clinical trial designs.


The French masses overwhelmingly supported the Revolution in 1789. Economic hardship, hunger, and debt combined to put them solidly behind the leaders. But between the people's expectations and the politicians' interpretation of what was needed to construct a new state lay a vast chasm. Olwen H. Hufton explores the responses of two groups of working women - those in rural areas and those in Paris - to the revolution's aftermath. Women were denied citizenship in the new state, but they were not apolitical. In Paris, collective female activity promoted a controlled economy as women struggled to secure an adequate supply of bread at a reasonable price. Rural women engaged in collective confrontation to undermine government religious policy which was destroying the networks of traditional Catholic charity. Hufton examines the motivations of these two groups, the strategies they used to advance their respective causes, and the bitter misogyinistic legacy of the republican tradition which persisted into the twentieth century.


Summary The transplantation of allogeneic or autologous haematopoietic stem cells is an established treatment for many malignant and non-malignant diseases of the bone marrow. Intensive cytoreductive regimens administered before transplantation induce prolonged and severe cytopenia of all haematopoietic lineages. Thrombocytopenia leads to an increased risk of bleeding, which may be further aggravated by consumption of plasmatic factors as a result of tumour lysis or after antibody administration. At the same time, patients after transplantation are also at increased risk of thrombotic complications. Endothelial damage induced by radio-and chemotherapy, indwelling catheters, prolonged immobilization and a high incidence of systemic infection all contribute to the frequent occurrence of thromboembolic events in this population. This review discusses the incidence and risk factors for haemorrhagic and thrombotic complications after stem cell transplantation. Special emphasis is given to complications occurring specifically in the context of transplantation such as diffuse alveolar haemorrhage, haemorrhagic cystitis, veno-occlusive disease, and transplant associated microangiopathy.


The impact of satellite-derived precipitation on variability of sea-surface salinity (SSS) in the tropical Indian Ocean has been studied using an ocean general-circulation model. Two different experiments have been conducted. In one of the experiments, the model has been forced by precipitation derived from National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis, while in the other one, the model has been forced by satellite-derived precipitation. The time span of the experiments is 2003-2005. The simulations have been compared with data from buoy located at 90°E and 1.5°. The comparison suggests that the simulation forced by satellite precipitation captures the high-frequency variability much better than that forced by NCEP precipitation. The reason for this lies in the fact that the regions of high-frequency variability in SSS coincide with the regions of high-frequency variability in the satellite precipitation. As far as the low-frequency part of the SSS variability is concerned, it was found that this was governed by advective process. Hence, satellite precipitation does not have significant impact on this scale of variability.


Understanding the water flow behaviour in a single fracture is essential for investigating groundwater flow and solute transport in fractured crystalline rock formations in the context of water supply, remediation of dissolved contaminant or projecting long-term nuclear waste repositories. Numerical modelling was used as a tool for studying the geometrical and hydraulic properties of a single fracture. Two computer codes were developed for this purpose. The first one simulates the fracture-free space geometry and the other one solves the transient flow equation. The fracture geometry simulation consists of defining the contact zones where the fracture is closed for the water flow, and of generating the aperture values in zones of water flow. The distribution of contact areas within the simulated fracture is governed by principles of percolation theory. The positive values of aperture in water-flow zones were distributed according to the knowledge of real fracture data. Transient flow simulation is based on principles of fluid mass balance in the fracture space and on locally valid cubic law that quantifies flow rate through the fracture profile. The problem is solved numerically by means of the discretization in time and the finite element method. The percolation theory approach makes it possible to get a faithful evaluation of the fracture permeability and the transient form of the flow equation enables us to simulate the flow and pressure field propagation in accordance to laboratory or field test conditions.


To enable turbine components to withstand high combustion temperatures, they are cooled by air routed from the compressor, which can leak through gaps between components. These gaps vary in size from thermal expansions that take place. The leakage flow between the interface of the combustor and the turbine, in particular, interacts with the flowfield along the endwall. This study presents measurements of adiabatic cooling effectiveness and heat transfer coefficients on the endwall of a first vane, with the presence of leakage flow through a flush slot upstream of the vane. The effect of axial contraction of the slot width due to thermal expansion of the engine was tested for two blowing rates. Contracting the slot width, while maintaining the slot mass flow, resulted in a larger coolant coverage area and higher effectiveness values, as well as slightly lower heat transfer coefficients. Matching the momentum flux ratio of the leakage flow from the nominal and contracted slot widths lowered both cooling effectiveness and heat transfer coefficients for the contracted slot flow. Comparison of the coolant coverage pattern to the measured endwall shear stress topology indicated that the trajectory of the slot coolant was dictated by the complex endwall flow.


The diffusion of computer technology in hospital pharmacy departments was studied by surveying pharmacy directors in a randomly selected sample of 501 hospitals in the United States with at least 100 beds. Pharmacy directors were asked to indicate for which of 17 tasks a computer or memory typewriter was used in the pharmacy department. The time of first adopting computers in the department was compared with the predicted S adoption curve; adoption time was also correlated with characteristics of the hospital, pharmacy, and pharmacy director. Of the 417 respondents, 308 reported use of a memory typewriter or computer in the pharmacy. Fifty-one directors reported only memory-typewriter use, and 94 reported both computer and memory-typewriter use. Maintenance of patient census lists and patient billing were the most frequent uses of computers. The primary uses of memory typewriters were preparation of letters and labels. There was no significant difference in the actual and predicted S curves for time of adoption of computers. The number of months since first adopting computers was positively correlated with hospital bed size and the pharmacy director's number of years as a pharmacist, years in current position and with current employer, and number of subordinates; it was also positively correlated with number of pharmaceutical services and number of computer uses in the department. Computer technology is becoming more universally accepted in hospital pharmacy, and research on the diffusion of innovations suggests that acceptance will continue to increase.


Locally-biased graph algorithms are algorithms that attempt to find local or small-scale structure in a large data graph. In some cases, this can be accomplished by adding some sort of locality constraint and calling a traditional graph algorithm; but more interesting are locally-biased graph algorithms that compute answers by running a procedure that does not even look at most of the input graph. This corresponds more closely to what practitioners from various data science domains do, but it does not correspond well with the way that algorithmic and statistical theory is typically formulated. Recent work from several research communities has focused on developing locally-biased graph algorithms that come with strong complementary algorithmic and statistical theory and that are useful in practice in downstream data science applications. We provide a review and overview of this work, highlighting commonalities between seemingly different approaches, and highlighting promising directions for future work.


Click on the link to view the abstract. The Tropical Journal of Health Sciences Vol 20 No 2 (July 2013)


Soil compaction may restrict deep root growth and adversely affect plant access to sub-soil layer. Therefore it is important to study rooting behaviour of crops to soil compaction that are imparted on it naturally or artificially. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of soil compaction levels by varying the soil bulk density (BD) on rooting parameters and to model the root growth to understand the dynamics of rooting behaviour of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). Compaction level treatments, i.e. BDs were (i) 1.2, (ii) 1.4, (iii) 1.5 and (iv) 1.6 Mg/m3. When BD was increased from 1.2 Mg/m3 to 1.6 Mg/m3, there was 58% and 44% reduction in plant height of JG 11 and JG 130, respectively. There was 59% and 45% reduction in root length of JG 11 and JG 130, with increase in BD from 1.2 Mg/m3 to 1.6 Mg/m3. On an average, an increase in BD by 0.1 unit resulted in 19.34 and 19.11% decrease in root main axis length of JG 11 and JG 130, respectively. There was a negative correlation between root penetration rate and soil BD (R2 = 0.88). The critical growth limiting BD for chickpea was found to be 1.89 Mg/m3 in our study. The logistic growth model was fitted well with the observed dataset obtained from study with R2 of 0.98** (P < 0.01). In this study, the chickpea variety JG 130 proved to be better than JG 11 while selecting chickpea cultivars for highly compacted soils.


In "Education and the Human Quest" Thelen describes classroom settings that took place at the University of Chicago Laboratory School in the "Sophomore Project" in 1957-1958 (in Blaine 400, remodeled specifically for this purpose). Thelen and his group of followers used to sit in a glass enclosed gallery, on high, and study us as subjects going about our learning in subgroups in this open-area classroom. There were microphones attached to long poles that were lowered into the subgroups of desks with hinged wings, so that the professor and his students might listen to what we were saying. Later in the year, a small group of us were freed from the normal pressures of the group and permitted to study what we wished. I chose to continue a study of symbolic (mathematical) logic and picked up on the content I had learned in the previous year from Michael Houghton Millar, in his experimental mathematics classroom (based to some extent on the "Moore" method). The mathematics leader of this small group of selected students was John Paul Moulton, our mathematics teacher in the Sophomore Project. In Thelen's book about the Project, I am "Jane." The work I did with Millar and Moulton was one of the best educational experiences I have had (and I have had a great many fine ones, through the level of Ph.D.--married name "Arlinghaus").

Quotation from page 93 of Thelen, Herbert A. Education and the Human Quest, Four Designs for Education, 1960 and 1972, University of Chicago Press: "Jane, Roger, and John, the other three in the seminar, are probably the kinds of students that teachers retrospectively would call "gifted"--if we forget that by all the screens so far used to identify "gifted" children, Penny, Paul, and Mimi are equally "gifted." Jane, Roger and John simply blossomed in the seminar. They were eager, enthusiastic, happy. They worked hard and loved every minute of it. Penny, Paul, and Mimi show us some of the kinds of problems we will encounter with this notion of personal inquiry; Jane, Roger and John show us that the game is very much worth the candle.
 Jane started, as already noted, by cleaning up a month of math over one weekend. The topic she chose to work on was not posed as a specific question; she wanted to find out all about symbolic logic. This had been mentioned by her math teacher last year and she had been curious about it ever since. Her present math teacher, somewhat startled, suggested some references, and she was off. She reported twice to the seminar, and the social studies teacher felt no shame in admitting that she lost him halfway through the first talk. The paper she wrote is cherished by the math teacher. Having had her fill of constructing "truth tables," Jane next turned to the rewriting and expansion of her 120-page manuscript on the history of the English language. She read a variety of books and rounded out and polished her discussion. What was she going to do with this manuscript? Nothing--she just wanted to write it."


Interactions between protein domains and lipid molecules play key roles in controlling cell membrane signalling and trafficking. The pleckstrin homology (PH) domain is one of the most widespread, binding specifically to phosphatidylinositol phosphates (PIPs) in cell membranes. PH domains must locate specific PIPs in the presence of a background of approximately 20% anionic lipids within the cytoplasmic leaflet of the plasma membrane. We investigate the mechanism of such recognition via a multiscale procedure combining Brownian dynamics (BD) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the GRP1 PH domain interacting with phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate (PI(3,4,5)P3). The interaction of GRP1-PH with PI(3,4,5)P3 in a zwitterionic bilayer is compared with the interaction in bilayers containing different levels of anionic 'decoy' lipids. BD simulations reveal both translational and orientational electrostatic steering of the PH domain towards the PI(3,4,5)P3-containing anionic bilayer surface. There is a payoff between non-PIP anionic lipids attracting the PH domain to the bilayer surface in a favourable orientation and their role as 'decoys', disrupting the interaction of GRP1-PH with the PI(3,4,5)P3 molecule. Significantly, approximately 20% anionic lipid in the cytoplasmic leaflet of the bilayer is nearly optimal to both enhance orientational steering and to localise GRP1-PH proximal to the surface of the membrane without sacrificing its ability to locate PI(3,4,5)P3 within the bilayer plane. Subsequent MD simulations reveal binding to PI(3,4,5)P3, forming protein-phosphate contacts comparable to those in X-ray structures. These studies demonstrate a computational framework which addresses lipid recognition within a cell membrane environment, offering a link between structural and cell biological characterisation.


The effect of quenching heat treatments on the microstructure of cast and worked commercial steel AISI M2 and hot isostatically pressed as well as IPEN vacuum sintered AISI T15 have been studied. The quenching treatments were carried out from 1160, 1185, 1210 and 1235°C. The average grain size, volume fraction and average size of the primary carbides M6C and MC were determined by scanning electron microscopy and by using the digital image analysis method "Quantikov". An increase in average austenite grain size with increase in quenching temperature was observed for the AISI M2 commercial steel and vacuum sintered specimens. In the case of the AISI T15 steel specimens, increase in quenching temperature did not result in an increase in average grain size, both for the commercial and the vacuum sintered steels. The average size and volume fraction of M6C and MC carbides remained unaltered with increase in quenching temperature.


Objectives: To evaluate the in-vivo plaque composition and characteristics in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) using Virtual Histology intravascular ultrasound (VH IVUS). Methods: In 90 patients with stable angina pectoris, de novo target vessels were studied and plaque components were analysed. Patients were divided into two groups: a diabetic group (36 vessels) and a non-diabetic group (54 vessels). Results: The percentage area of necrotic core and dense calcium were significantly larger in the DM group than the non-DM group (necrotic core: 11.0% (interquartile range (IQR): 7.2–15.2%) vs 7.6% (IQR 5.6–13.2%), p = 0.03; dense calcium: 5.6% (IQR: 2.3–7.3%) vs 2.9% (IQR: 1.7–4.9%), p = 0.01). The DM group presented with a significantly higher presence of at least one VH IVUS-derived thin-cap fibroatheroma (VHD-TCFA) (75% vs 41%, p = 0.001) and VH IVUS-derived fibrocalcific atheroma (VHD-FCA) (75% vs 40%, p = 0.001). In the DM group, 53% of the vessels had both VHD-TCFA and VHD-FCA, which was significantly higher than non-DM group (17%, p = 0.0004). Conclusions: Coronary plaque characteristics in DM patients showed an increased amount of dense calcium and necrotic core, as well as a higher frequency of VHD-TCFA and VHD-FCA. Atherosclerosis of the target vessel was more advanced in diabetic patients.


This paper defines the scaling laws for synchronous permanent magnet machines which include three separate procedures: rewinding, axial scaling, radial scaling. The derivation of scaling relations is based on the requirement that the magnetic fields in the scaled model should be the exact images of the fields in the referent model. The exact equations for the various parameters (torque, power, losses, mass, resistance, inductance) of the machine are derived using the three scaling factors, one for each scaling procedure. The equations are numerically validated using the state-of-the-art finite-element software.


The nature, and normative properties, of competition in health care markets has long been the subject of much debate. In particular, policymakers have exhibited a great deal of reservation toward competition in health care markets, as demonstrated by the plethora of regulations governing the health care sector. Currently, as consolidation rapidly occurs in health care markets, concern about reduced competition has arisen. This concern, however, cannot be properly evaluated without a normative standard. In this paper we consider what the optimal benchmark is in the presence of moral hazard effects on consumption due to health insurance. Moral hazard is widely recognized as one of the most important distortions in health care markets. Moral hazard due to health insurance leads to excess consumption, therefore it is not obvious that competition is second best optimal given this distortion. Intuitively, it seems that imperfect competition in the health care market may constrain this moral hazard by increasing prices. We show that this intuition cannot be correct if insurance markets are competitive. A competitive insurance market will always produce a contract that leaves consumers at least as well off under lower prices as under higher prices. Thus, imperfect competition in health care markets can not have efficiency enhancing effects if the only distortion is due to moral hazard.


Recognizing that education is the gateway to opportunity, the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) has been a significant source of research on education and training, including work on early care and education, girls' experiences in the K-12 system, high quality workforce development opportunities, and postsecondary attainment. Its work has explored the importance of education for improving women's earnings, the importance of access to quality early care and education for mothers' labor force outcomes, methods for improving job quality among early care and education providers, the role of child care in spurring and sustaining economic development, the importance of low-income women's access to postsecondary education as a poverty reduction tool, strategies for increasing the success of student parents in college through providing child care and other supports, and increasing women's representation in higher paying, traditionally male careers such as in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields.


Objective To compare the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and physical activity for the risk of ankle, wrist and hip fractures in a large prospective study of postmenopausal women in the UK. Methods In 1996–2001, women recruited into the Million Women Study completed a self-administered questionnaire asking about body size, physical activity, disease history, and lifestyle and reproductive factors. Incident ankle, wrist and hip fractures were identified through self-report in a follow-up questionnaire completed an average of 3.2 years after recruitment. RRs and CIs for each fracture site in postmenopausal women by BMI and physical activity at recruitment were calculated using Cox regression models, adjusted for socio-economic status, smoking and other health and lifestyle factors. Results Among 599 550 postmenopausal women, 5114 reported an ankle fracture, 8565 reported a wrist fracture, and 754 reported a hip fracture during follow-up. When compared to lean women (BMI<22.5 kg/m2), obese women (BMI≥30 kg/m2) had an increased risk of ankle fracture (RR 2.47; 95% CI 2.32 to to 2.63), but a decreased risk of wrist fracture (RR 0.68; 95% CI 0.64 to to 0.72) and hip fracture (RR 0.29; 95% CI 0.23 to to 0.37) (χ2<0.001 for the effect of BMI for each fracture site). Physical activity had little influence on the risk of either ankle fracture or wrist fracture, but women who reported strenuous physical activities up to once per week or more often were at a lower risk of hip fracture than women who reported less frequent activity (RR 0.65; 95% CI 0.56 to to 0.76). Conclusions BMI and physical activity have different effects on the incidence of fracture at different sites. While obese women are at increased risk of ankle fracture they are at lower risk of wrist fracture and hip fracture. Physical activity has no marked influence on ankle and wrist fracture but is protective against hip fracture.


High-level, tissue-specific expression of the beta-globin genes requires the presence of an upstream locus control region (LCR). The overall enhancer activity of the beta-globin complex LCR (beta-LCR) is dependent on the integrity of the tandem NF-E2 sites of HS-2. The NF-E2 protein which binds these sites is a heterodimeric basic leucine zipper protein composed of a tissue-specific subunit, p45 NF-E2, and a smaller subunit, p18 NF-E2, that is widely expressed. In these studies, we sought to investigate the role of NF-E2 in globin expression. We show that expression of a dominant-negative mutant p18 greatly reduces the amount of functional NF-E2 complex in the cell. Reduced levels of both alpha- and beta-globin were associated with the lower levels of NF-E2 activity in this cell line. Globin expression was fully restored upon the introduction of a tethered p45-p18 heterodimer. We also examined CB3 cells, a mouse erythroleukemia (MEL) cell line that does not express endogenous p45 NF-E2, and demonstrated that the restoration of globin gene expression was dependent upon the levels of expressed tethered NF-E2 heterodimer. Results of DNase I hypersensitivity mapping and in vivo footprinting assays showed no detectable chromatin alterations in beta-LCR HS-2 due to loss of NF-E2. Finally, we examined the specificity of NF-E2 for globin gene expression in MEL cells. These experiments indicate a critical role for the amino-terminal domain of p45 NF-E2 and show that a related protein, LCRF1, is unable to restore globin gene expression in p45 NF-E2-deficient cells. From these results, we conclude that NF-E2 is specifically required for high level goblin gene expression in MEL cells.


Contamination of all-ceramic restorations with oral fluids during clinical try-in can have a detrimental effect on their clinical performance. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the efficiency of four different saliva cleaning regimens on the shear bond strength (SBS) of lithium disilicate and zirconia with resin cement. Materials and Methods: Ten cubic samples of lithium disilicate pressable ceramic (Group A) and monolithic zirconia (Group B) were fabricated. Four surfaces from each sample were coated with saliva, washed with water, and dried. These surfaces were subsequently treated with four different cleaning protocols (water [A1, B1], isopropyl alcohol [A2, B2], sodium hypochlorite [A3, B3], and Ivoclean™ [A4, B4]) and bonded to composite cylinders using dual-cure resin cement. The specimens were then tested for SBS. Results: Group A, subgroup A4 had a significantly higher mean SBS compared to other groups, and for Group B, subgroup B4 had a significantly higher mean SBS compared to other groups. The mean difference in the SBS for subgroup A1 and B1 was −3.862 at P = 0.01; for subgroup A2 and B2, it was −4.164 at P = 0.03; for A3 and B3, it was −4.845 at P < 0.001; and for subgroup A4 and B4, it was −24.990 at P < 0.001. Conclusion: Monolithic zirconia specimens showed significantly more SBS compared to lithium disilicate specimens in all subgroups. The mean SBS was highest for surfaces cleaned using Ivoclean in both groups.


Abstract The paper attempts to examine diverse challenges to the making of the new Afghan National Army (ANA), and its future prospects. The issue assumes significance as the Taliban shift battle lines outside the Pashtun areas and there is growing difference among Western countries regarding the means and approaches to be used to stabilize Afghanistan. The paper is broadly divided into four sections. The first section seeks to identify and critically examine the role played by key institutional structures responsible for the training and mentoring of the new national army. The second section deals with the challenges confronting Afghanistan which have a bearing on the development of the ANA as an effective force. The third section explores the dilemmas confronting the West, and the final section offers key assessments on the ANA's future prospects.


ABSTRACT The Upper Cambrian Johns Wash Limestone Member of the Orr Formation constitutes part of the miogeoclinal "carbonate belt" of the Great Basin. In the House Range of western Utah the member may be subdivided into five facies: (1) a bioclastic facies of thin-bedded fossiliferous or mottled wackestones, (2) an oolitic facies of cross-bedded oolitic intraclastic grainstones, (3) a stromatolitic facies consisting of diverse types of algal stromatolites in an oolitic matrix, (4) a pelletoidal facies of burrowed, light gray, oolitic grainstones and pelletoidal packstones, and (5) a fenestral facies of extensively burrowed and bored, light gray mudstones and packstones which possess fenestral fabric. The facies are interpreted as reflecting deposition on a broad platform on which an oolite shoal separated a shallow-water lagoon from a more open marine environment to the west. Landward of the lagoon, the fenestral facies accumulated on an extensive tidal flat. Westward progradation of these environments resulted in superposition of the facies which compose the regressive carbonate sequence of the Johns Wash Limstone in the House Range.


High entropy alloys are more corrosion resistance than 316L stainless steel HEA are used as implantation material Because its unique properties and better corrosion resistances behaviors. The improved corrosion behavior could be attributed to the different chemical composition as well as the formation of a unique high entropy atomic structure with a maximum degree of disorder. It is also possible to achieve high-hardness and high-abrasion performance at high temperature, microstructure and properties of several HEA. High entropy alloys are prepared by various methods such as powder metallurgy laser cladding etc, are discussed. The corrosion resistance of HEAs and its applications also discussed.


Conductive hydrogels have attracted increasing attention because of their important application in flexible pressure sensors. However, designing hydrogels with a combination of excellent mechanical properties, high sensitivity, and good biocompatibility is still a profound challenge. Here we report a conductive and biocompatible PVA–Gelatin–nHAP hydrogel (PGHAP gel) by connecting a double network with inorganic nano-particles via ionic bonds. The as-prepared gel achieves excellent elasticity and good fatigue resistance even after 50 cycles of compression. Then a hydrogel pressure sensor was obtained using the as-prepared gel, exhibiting high pressure sensitivity almost linearly responding up to 1.5 kPa and adequate stability of the capacitance–pressure over 4 cycles. These results demonstrate the great potential applications of the hydrogel in biomedical devices, including artificial intelligence, human motion detection, and wearable devices.


Author(s): Nguyen, Don Duy | Advisor(s): Dorrestein, Pieter C | Abstract: In 1886, physicist Eugen Goldstein discovered Kanalstrahlen or "canal rays," rays that moved from anode to cathode and determined that these rays were composed of positively charged particles. Twelve years later, another physicist named Wilhelm Wien demonstrated that canal rays, in the presence of strong electric and magnetic fields, could be deflected and that different rays travel different parabolic paths depending on their charge-to-mass ratios. It was at this time that the first mass spectrometers were born. Fast forward to present day, we now have numerous ways to generate ions, a variety of mass analyzers, and seemingly limitless applications for mass spectrometry---mass spectrometers are even being sent to Mars! To make a long story short, modern mass spectrometers have come a very, very long way from their ancestors in the late 1800's. Mass specs are faster, more sensitive, and capable of more advanced analysis than ever before, however, the difficult problem of molecular identification still remains in the field of natural products and metabolomics. Chemistries produced by the natural world are complex messes of complicated molecular structures and biochemical transformations that always make understanding the world a difficult task. The work presented in this dissertation are applications of mass spectrometry and molecular networking, which are only small steps in the direction of simplifying molecular identification. The chemical repertoire of hundreds bacteria belonging to the same genus are explored, four new molecules are discovered, and a reference index of compounds has been created to aid future studies of the bacterial genus Pseudomonas. Lastly, this dissertation applies mass spectrometry and molecular networking in an attempt to deconvolute the metabolic exchange factors that take place in predator-prey interactions. It appears that the predator leaves specific signatures belonging to breakdown products of a key molecule involved in photosynthesis---a signature that could be used for crop protection in the production of alternative liquid fuels.


Esscher transformed Laplace distribution is a new class of asymmetric heavy tailed distribution. In this article, we generalize the Esscher transformed Laplace distribution using the quadratic rank transmutation map to develop transmuted Esscher transformed Laplace distribution. We derived the probability density function of transmuted Esscher transformed Laplace distribution and its various properties were studied. The maximum likelihood estimation procedure is employed to estimate the parameters of the proposed distribution and an algorithm in R package is developed to carry out the estimation. Simulation studies for various choices of parameter values were performed to validate the algorithm. Finally, we fitted the transmuted Esscher transformed Laplace, Esscher transformed Laplace and Gaussian distributions to microarray gene expression dataset and compared them.


Robert Alan Good [5] was an American physician and scientific researcher who explored the cellular mechanisms of immunity. His research and discoveries earned him the label of "father of modern immunology." Though his work in immunology is considered his greatest scientific achievement, Good is also well known for his work with tissue engineering. From his research on immunology, Good was able to perform the first successful allogeneic (donor and recipient are unrelated) bone marrow transplant. A bone marrow transplant is a form of hematopoietic stem cell transplant in which hematopoietic stem cells [6] are infused into a patient to treat various diseases of the blood including some autoimmune and inherited conditions, and cancer. Following his success with bone marrow transplants, Good established a bone marrow transplantation program for children at the University of South Florida.


Using computational technology to support in-depth understanding of complex physical phenomena represents an opportunity in the current educational practice. Harnessing powerful but affordable technology enables teaching concepts and mathematical models otherwise more difficult to explain. The teacher of Physics has the chance to perform their work of teaching not only as a Science but also as an Art, in their striving to initiate pupils in the alphabet of Science. The objective of teaching activities is not confined to mere scientific literacy, but also to transmit the joy of understanding the world we live in, and to raise the interest for study and research. In this paper, we show how some spectacular optical phenomena can be understood in depth by the students, through recourse to the mathematical language of Physics. In our approach, the computer becomes, together with the teacher, a key mediator in the process of understanding complex mathematical relations by the students. The activities presented in this paper were carried out at the Centre of Excellence of Satu Mare, with students of the interdisciplinary study group who are involved in inquiry based learning, by the creation and the use of computer models in the study of Science. The computer applications that have been used in our activities, namely the educational software Cinderella and GeoGebra, are free and allow an appropriate implementation of various mathematical models. The purpose of our research is to discover new ways of using computational technologies in education, whereby a greater number of students can understand the principles of scientific inquiry, becoming interested and passionate about Science.


Background: Female circumcision or female genital mutilation is a tradition that is carried out mainly in Africa. The intervention refers to that part of- or all of the girl's external genital organs are removed. Aim: The study's purpose was to highlight the consequences of female circumcision in the encounter with western health care.Method: A systematic literature reviews was performed as a method. Twelve articles were selected for the study and these were sought in Chinal, PubMed and PsycINFO. Analysis and interpretation was done according to qualitative content analysis, inspired by Lundman and Granheim. Eriksson, Birkler, Dahlberg and Segersten's nursing theory was used as background in the discussion.Results: The analysis process resulted in six categories: laws and guidelines, offence, communication, knowledge, vulnerability and nursing. The results showed that offence occur extensively against genitally mutilated women and the exposure of these women. The results also showed a strong need for knowledge, laws and guidelines.Conclusions: Health care professionals need to have a basic knowledge of female circumcision and clear guidelines to ensure good care. The nurse should also keep themselves updated of new research and search for knowledge to improve their care.


This thesis is concerned with the numerical solution of several important classes of boundary value problems involving bimaterials with imperfect interfaces. The use of imperfect interfaces in the analysis of layered materials is in line with the current research trends in engineering science. Problems in steady state axisymmetric heat conduction and plane elastostatics are considered in this thesis. The imperfect interfaces of the bimaterials in the axisymmetric heat conduction analysis are either low or high conducting. For the plane elastostatic analysis, the interfaces are assumed to be either soft or stiff. For both the axisymmetric heat conduction and plane elastostatic problems considered here, special Green's functions are derived for cases where the imperfect interfaces are flat (planar). The Green's functions are chosen to satisfy the relevant imperfect interfacial conditions and employed to derive boundary integral equations that do not involve integrals over the imperfect interfaces. Boundary element procedures based on the boundary integral equations, which do not require the interfaces to be discretized into elements, are then proposed for solving numerically the boundary value problems for the bimaterials. An alternative boundary element approach based on hypersingular integral formulation of the imperfect interfacial conditions is also proposed for the numerical solution of axisymmetric heat conduction problems involving bimai Green's Functions and Boundary Elements for Imperfect Interfaces terials with low and high conducting interfaces. Unlike the special Green's function boundary element approaches for flat interfaces, the hypersingular boundary integral method may be used to solve problems involving curved interfaces. Together with a corrective-predictor procedure, it is applied too to solve an axisymmetric heat conduction problem involving nonlinear interfacial conditions. The validity and the accuracy of all the boundary element approaches proposed in this thesis are examined by solving numerically specific test problems that have known analytical solutions. The numerical solutions are found to agree well with the analytical ones. For some problems that may be of practical interest, the effects of the interfacial parameters on the heat conduction or elastic deformation of bimaterials with imperfect interfaces are studied using the boundary element procedures. The results obtained appear to be intuitively and qualitatively acceptable.


In simple metallic melts, which are supposed to be in equilibrium, dynamic asymmetry and thus large differences in diffusivities of the constituents are not expected. For instance, on the previous investigation in multicomponent Pd-based glass forming melts, diffusivities of all components merge into one single temperature dependence, and the majority component Pd obeys Stokes-Einstein (SE) relation in the whole temperature range; from the stable melt down to the glass transition temperature. It is interesting to check whether these results are generally accepted also for another class of metallic glass formers, e.g. Zr-based glass formers. Therefore, simultaneous radiotracer diffusion experiments of Co-57 and Zr-95 in the melt of multicomponent system,Zr46.75Ti8.25Cu7.5Ni10Be27.5 (Vitreloy 4), and of the simpler systems, Zr64Ni36 , Zr36Ni64 and Zr60Ni25Al15 above their respective liquidus temperature, Tl , are performed. From these experiments, the effects of component complexity on the atomic diffusion in the melt can be understood. Additionally, from the experimental results of the simpler systems, the atomic diffusion in the multicomponent Zr-based systems, as well as the effects of packing density and chemical short range order (CSRO) on the atomic diffusion, can also be explained. The results in multicomponent Vit. 4 melt show that Zr diffusivity differs significantly from the diffusivities of the smaller components by a factor of 4 at its Tl, although it obeys SE relation. On the other hand, the Co and Zr diffusivities ratio in the melt of the simpler Zr-based systems is the same as the component diffusivities ratio in simple metallic and Pd-based melts, although it increases sequentially from Zr64Ni36 to Zr60Ni25Al15 and Zr36Ni64. These results suggest that in multicomponent Vit.4, Zr atoms enter energy-landscape-controlled regime and behave solid-like already at least 150 K above its Tl. Additionally, although the diffusion in the simpler system of Zr-based melts is similar to the simple metallic melts, the results show the effects of packing density and CSRO on the atomic iffusion.


Different from popular neural networks using quasiconvex activations, non-monotonic networks activated by periodic nonlinearities have emerged as a more competitive paradigm, offering revolutionary benefits: 1) compactly characterizing highfrequency patterns; 2) precisely representing highorder derivatives. Nevertheless, they are also wellknown for being hard to train, due to easily overfitting dissonant noise and only allowing for tiny architectures (shallower than 5 layers). The fundamental bottleneck is that the periodicity leads to many poor and dense local minima in solution space. The direction and norm of gradient oscillate continually during error backpropagation. Thus non-monotonic networks are prematurely stuck in these local minima, and leave out effective error feedback. To alleviate the optimization dilemma, in this paper, we propose a non-trivial soft transfer approach. It smooths their solution space close to that of monotonic ones in the beginning, and then improve their representational properties by transferring the solutions from the neural space of monotonic neurons to the Fourier space of nonmonotonic neurons as the training continues. The soft transfer consists of two core components: 1) a rectified concrete gate is constructed to characterize the state of each neuron; 2) a variational Bayesian learning framework is proposed to dynamically balance the empirical risk and the intensity of transfer. We provide comprehensive empirical evidence showing that the soft transfer not only reduces the risk of non-monotonic networks on over-fitting noise, but also helps them scale to much deeper architectures (more than 100 layers) achieving the new state-of-the-art performance.


Cities are novel and fast changing environments. We have little understanding of how
urbanisation affects ecological patterns and processes. In Chapter One I review the
literature (with an emphasis on arthropods) concerning the general effects of
urbanisation on biodiversity, how urban greenspaces are structured, the main
characteristics of urban ecological populations and communities, and how trophic
dynamics and species interactions are affected by urban environments. The experimental
chapters of this thesis focuses on addressing gaps in knowledge concerning how species
interactions respond to increasing levels of urbanisation, by using aphids and their natural
enemies and ant mutualists as a model system. In Chapter Two I explore the local and fine
scale environmental drivers of naturally occurring assemblages of aphids, and their
coccinelid and syrphid predators, in urban gardens. Ladybirds are the only group affected
by increased urbanisation, while aphids and hoverflies vary as a function of host plant
abundance and garden plant richness, which in themselves are indirect consequences of
urbanisation. In Chapter Three, I investigate the main biotic and abiotic factors that affect
the recruitment of naturally occurring predators, parasitoids and mutualists in
experimental colonies placed on an urbanisation gradient. In Chapter Four, I build on this
to consider how two aphid species, each differentially attended by mutualists, are
influenced by urbanisation. In both chapters I found a higher sensitivity of predators to
increased urbanisation, while ants appear to particularly benefit from the creation of
these novel habitats. In Chapter Five I explore if there is a differential response of
predator functional groups to urban green spaces, and I confirm my hypothesis that
specialist predators respond more strongly to increased abundance and size of green
space in urban areas. In Chapter Six I investigate which features of urban habitats have a
greater influence in the outcome of interspecific competition, and my results suggest that
an increased abundance of ants in urban habitats may act in concert with abiotic features
of urbanisation to affect the dynamics of competition synergistically. In the seventh and
final chapter, I discuss the main findings, contributions and future directions in the field of
urban ecology.


Thiomersal-iodine-formalin (TIF) has been used as a faecal preservative in many prevalence surveys of intestinal helminths and protozoa. In helminth surveys, however, estimates of worm burden are no less essential than those of prevalence. Direct-smear and dilution egg-counting techniques, using fresh faeces, have been developed to provide such estimates. This study originated in a field survey that required the use of a preservative. Attempts to estimate worm burden with TIF-preserved faeces led to the assessment of TIF direct-smear (TIF-DS) methods reported here. TIF-DS egg-counting provides reliable statistical estimates of hookworm, Ascaris and Trichuris burden; this is a satisfactory method for estimating worm burden when faeces must be preserved and transported from the field. TIF direct-smears also determine parasite prevalence "efficiently". Some previous studies have cast doubt on the value of TIF concentration (TIFC) and in this study also TIFC proved to be erratic or ineffective in concentrating eggs.


Background : The concomitant intake of poly-herbal medicines with orthodox drugs raises huge concerns about herb-drug interactions and patient safety, especially as the  pharmacokinetic properties of these herbal medicines are not known. Objectives : This study aimed to determine the effect of Ruzu® herbal bitters on the  issolution profile and release kinetics of glibenclamide (Daonil®) in pH simulated dissolution media in order to predict possible herb-drug interaction. Method : The assay of glibenclamide was carried out as described in the British  pharmacopeia (2014). In vitro dissolution of glibenclamide tablets was studied alone and with Ruzu® herbal bitters in phosphate buffer pH 6.8 using USP dissolution apparatus II at 75 rpm. Analysis of glibenclamide was done using High Performance Liquid chromatography coupled with a UV detector. Dissolution data were analysed and percentage glibenclamide released in the dissolution medium determined; dissolution data were compared using a model independent approach. Different mathematical models were adopted to explore the release kinetics. Result : The glibenclamide tablets studied showed satisfactory drug content as per BP  specifications. Ruzu® herbal bitters caused a significant reduction in the amount of glibenclamide released in vitro at gastrointestinal pH 6.8 (P < 0.001). The release of glibenclamide alone and with Ruzu® herbal bitters showed Higuchi mathematical model as their best fitting model. Conclusion : Ruzu® Herbal Bitters significantly decreased the dissolution of glibenclamide tablets at gastrointestinal pH of 6.8. This could reflect on in vivo bioavailability performance with potential for causing sub-therapeutic levels of glibenclamide in vivo. Further studies are needed to assess herb-drug interaction in vivo. Keywords : Glibenclamide; Ruzu herbal Bitters; Dissolution; Release Kinetics


As open source development's acceptance has increased, many companies have incorporated it into heterogeneous development, which creates products by combining software that's from many sources and built with many different processes. To be effective, heterogeneous development must bridge the gap between industrial and open source software (OSS) development practices. One aspect of this approach is inner-source development, which aims to deploy key aspects of OSS development within a limited scope - for example, a division, a company, or even a consortium. So, industrial software development must be extended with knowledge of how to cooperate in open source and inner-source communities. To compete successfully, software-intensive companies will need to adopt new forms of collaborative development involving open source software.


Robotics involves the simultaneous motion in 3D space of several objects. In the particular case of robotic arms in motion, the resulting end-effector trajectory is caused by the synchronous activation of several motors along the robotic mechanism. This article discusses newly developed software that allows the direct visualization of the motion of robotic arms from a mathematical description of the robot structure as well as visual analysis of its joint motions. It is now possible to ascertain the feasibility and effectiveness of robotic tasks long before putting a machine into action. The analysis of mechanical robotic structures, individual joint motions, end-effector trajectories, robot singularities, as well as off-line trajectory planning, and verification of obstacle avoidance can be performed by use of virtual objects and visualization methods. By using virtual models of robotic mechanism in computer-simulated environments, many features of a robot task planning can be verified and ascertained to be functionally feasible before the programming of the real robot. The research described here involves the creation of virtual models of real industrial robots for virtual simulation using visualization and simulation software capable of generating virtual renditions of mathematical models of robots.


Background In clinical practice, nonepileptic paroxysmal events during infancy and childhood are common reasons for parents and caregivers to seek for medical advice. These events are mostly unrecognized and considered as an epileptic seizure because of the clinical features resembling an epileptic seizure. Paroxysmal tonic upgaze, which consists of recurrent episodes of sustained upward deviation of the eyes and incomplete downward saccades, and normal horizontal eye movements without impairment of consciousness, is a diagnostic challenge for the pediatrician and pediatric neurologist. In general, the entity was defined as an apparently benign phenomenon with normal investigations and eventual complete resolution of the symptoms, although some authors reported on patients with associated neurologic signs, such as ataxia, developmental delay, and abnormal brain magnetic resonance imaging finding. Methods The patients were 3 children (1 boy and 2 girls) who were between 5 and 18 months old experiencing rapid ocular movements with sustained conjugate upward deviation of the eyes. Their attacks, which were recorded using a video or electroencephalogram system, were also investigated comprehensively, including neurologic examination, electroencephalograms, brain magnetic resonance imaging, and metabolic tests. Paroxysmal tonic upgaze attacks have decreased in number or disappeared in 2 patients, but 1 patient exhibited mild abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging and had relatives with epilepsy. Conclusions In conclusion, paroxysmal tonic upgaze is an apparently benign phenomenon with unclear pathophysiology of various proposed mechanisms such as genetic predisposition, immaturity of the brain stem, neurotransmitter depletion, or immune dysregulation. It is important to recognize the clinical presentation of paroxysmal tonic upgaze and distinguish the disorders from epilepsy for deciding the treatment and prognosis of the patients.


Abstract. One of the objectives of the International Cartographic Association (ICA) is facilitating the transfer of new cartographic knowledge inside and among nations, especially in developing countries, by providing specialists to lead workshops and courses when requested. In this sense, the Commission on Maps and Graphics for Blind and Partially Sighted People offers diverse courses in partnership with researchers from the Centro de Cartografia Tatil (Tactile Cartographic Center) at Universidad Tecnologica Metropolitana de Santiago de Chile. The faculty is multidisciplinary, formed by cartographers, geographers, special education teachers, designers, among others. Approaching theoretical questions related to the Introduction to Cartography and Tactile Cartography, and also the development of practical activities, such as the construction of tactile instructional materials (in collage and aluminum) which prioritize the use of low-cost materials to assure they are affordable to all groups, but also demonstrating alternatives based on digital technologies like 3D printers and the use dynamics of these materials in schools. The main goal of the courses is to demonstrate construction techniques of tactile graphic representations inside an inclusive educational policy, as well as to make participants aware of the importance of tactile graphic representations for the teaching/learning of geography and other areas in an interdisciplinary perspective. In general, they are presented to heterogeneous groups (teachers of students with special educational needs, teachers of "regular" groups (of geography and other subjects), cartographers, etc.). The courses, which are one-week long, started to be presented in Santiago de Chile in 2003, and there were other editions in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2013 and 2018, and they always had participants from several countries from Latin America (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Uruguay, and Venezuela), and later the team was invited to run the courses in Argentina (2004), Mexico (2004), Costa Rica (2016), Ecuador and Dominican Republic (2019). The experience with the courses demonstrated the importance of continuing education for teachers in the different education stages and for professionals who assist people with special needs, and the possibility of exchanging experiences, highlighting the inclusion of disabled students in the regular classroom. Primarily in what concerns geography teachers, it was noticed that there is little or no knowledge about the specificities of visually impaired students and their needs in relation to geography teaching and the use of graphic representations. On the other hand, teachers who had specific education to teach students with special educational needs and are located in multifunctional resources' rooms or some of the remaining special needs' schools lack specific knowledge about geography and cartography. These teachers need to assist the demands of all subjects and, many times, despite their efforts, they end up making inappropriate adaptations of materials, because they ignore the principles which must be observed in the transposition of visual/digital/printed materials into the tactile format. The organizing team developed a basic structure of themes that are approached to meet the participants' expectations, and the themes are organized in the modules: Geo-cartographic concepts, techniques for preparation and reproduction of maps and relief illustrations, application of maps and tactile instructional materials to education. With a figure of about 300 participants, it was noticed how the practices stimulate the teachers' creativity and encourage them to create activities and group exercises for the classroom. Besides, the courses provide the reflection on how cartography can help geography teaching when it is done in a way that is more dynamic and meaningful for the students.


We report a case of bilateral persistence of the common mesonephric duct in a child. This anomaly is an error of implantation of the vas deferens in the distal part of the Wolffian duct. This abnormality is extremely rare (6 cases have been reported in the world literature). The diagnosis is usually incidental during laparotomy or on retrograde cystography (vesico-ureteric and vesico-deferential reflux). It is simple to treat: bilateral deferential ligation in view of the context of multiple malformations, in order to prevent ascending genital infections (prostatitis, epididymitis, testicular abscess). Only one case has been reported in adults, presenting in the form of a septic complication. This diagnosis must be considered in a context of atypical urogenital infection in a subject with other congenital abnormalities.


Though creativity is usually defined as "novel and appropriate," this is most often understood to mean "as novel as possible, so long as appropriate." While this definition might be suitably applied to finished products, it is less obviously useful as a guiding value during the act of creation. This research tests this and other definitions by using computer simulations based on Campbell's "blind variation and selective retention" theory. Introducing a "temperature" parameter to reduce novelty's importance over time produces results superior to both an even combination of novelty and appropriateness and the prevailing "novel, so long as appropriate" definition. However, choosing the correct temperature adjustment schedule is essential. In this way, the simulations show that human decision processes might plausibly produce the same dynamics as Simulated Annealing, and thus that metaheuristic optimization can be an insightful theoretical guide for creativity researchers. The results also show the feasibility of Campbell's theory. Finally, they show that if creativity is to be a guiding value while creating, then it is best defined as "appropriately novel, and appropriate."


It has been a challenge for researchers to accurately measure high temperature creep strain online without damaging the mechanical properties of the pipe surface. To this end, a noncontact method for measuring high temperature strain of a main steam pipe based on digital image correlation was proposed, and a system for monitoring of high temperature strain was designed and developed. Wavelet thresholding was used for denoising measurement data. The sub-pixel displacement search algorithm with curved surface fitting was improved to increase measurement accuracy. A field test was carried out to investigate the designed monitoring system of high temperature strain. The measuring error was less than 0.4 ppm/oC, which meets actual measurement requirements for engineering. Our findings provide a new way to monitor creep damage of the main steam pipe of a boiler of an ultra-supercritical power plant in service.


This article focuses on the debate about the developmental impact of migration on the sending countries. Throughout the post-Second World War period, temporary labour migration has been promoted as a path to development. Remittances have grown to rival or surpass official development assistance and have increased living standards in the sending countries. However, the evidence over time is that the remittances do not lead to development or even to higher incomes that are sustainable without further migration. Some determinedly temporary labour migration schemes offer promise. But where the pattern of migration and remittances locks into a semi-permanent arrangement (the standard line is 'There's nothing more permanent than "temporary" migration'), then this may be a developmental trap for the South whereby, in a semi-permanent '3 Ds Deal', the South forgoes self-development in favour of being a long-range bedroom community to supply the labour for dirty, dangerous, and difficult jobs in the North.


This paper proposes a real-time, robust and efficient 3D model-based tracking algorithm for visual servoing. A virtual visual servoing approach is used for monocular 3D tracking. This method is similar to more classical nonlinear pose computation techniques. A concise method for derivation of efficient distance-to-contour interaction matrices is described. An oriented edge detector is used in order to provide real-time tracking of points normal to the object contours. Robustness is obtained by integrating a M-estimator into the virtual visual control law via an iteratively reweighted least squares implementation. The method presented in this paper has been validated on several 2D 1/2 visual servoing experiments considering various objects. Results show the method to be robust to occlusion, changes in illumination and miss-tracking.


The formation of quaternary 76Ni17Fe5Cu2Cr (wt. %) alloy by mechanical alloying is investigated. The elemental powders of Ni, Fe, Cu and Cr where milled in argon atmosphere in a planetary ball mill for time up to 20 h. Formation of the alloy was checked by X-ray diffraction studies. It is found that the rapid formation of the alloy lead to the rapid establishment of an equilibrium between the welding and fracture process during milling, leading to a constant particle size distribution over a big range of milling time. The morphology of the powders, studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirms the rapid increase in size. The particle size distribution and the flowability of the powders are also analyzed as a function of milling time. Enhanced magnetization was found for the milled samples, compared to a cast alloy.


Abstract This study investigates how adolescent peer friendship formation relates to help-seeking behavior and how the structure of peer social networks contributes to the creation of social connections by psychological counseling recipients. The study sample comprised 2,264 adolescents ages 12-19 from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Stochastic actor-based modeling simulated the co-dependence of peer friendship networks and adolescent help-seeking behavior from an initial data state to a final data state while accounting for social selection and influence effects in the same model. Results indicated that adolescents who sought psychological counseling in the past year nominated 65% more peers as friends than otherwise identical adolescents who did not use psychological services. Adolescent psychological counseling did not contribute to the loss of friends. Users of psychological services were twice as likely to be named as friends in highly interconnected peer social networks (i.e. more friendship connections among their friends), as opposed to individuals in less interconnected peer groups. The findings indicate improved social functioning of adolescents as a result of psychological counseling. The results advocate for use of psychological services and point to the necessity of wide-spread screening and early detection and treatment of mental ill-health among U.S. adolescents. Group interventions targeting building social skills to enhance peer group social network interconnectivity may promote better social connections for adolescent users of psychological counseling.


The current study investigates factors connected to Quality of Work Life (QWL) for mental health therapists providing neurofeedback (NFB) based on previous NFB conceptual framework and QWL findings (Larson, In Press; Larson, Cothran, Drandorff, Morgan, & Ryan, 2012; Larson, Ryan, & Baerentzen, 2010). One hundred and ninety-eight NFB therapists completed online surveys gathering demographics and ratings of practice behaviors and characteristics. SPSS version 20 was utilized for descriptive statistics, frequencies, means, standard deviations, ranges, Pearson Product-Moment Correlation analyses, independent samples t-tests, and a regular simultaneous regression analysis. Results of this study found that QWL separately correlated with calmness, observant, realistic, and optimistic scores, and therapists with high levels of technique and commitment reported significantly higher QWL scores compared to therapists with moderate levels of technique and commitment. The current findings indicated that 40% of the variance in the QWL can be determined by variance in a significant multiple correlation of confidence, monthly NFB sessions, years of NFB experience, and burnout.


The emerging 3D virtual worlds attract more and more people to participate in the virtual environment, creating a new market for business to sell their products. In 3D virtual worlds, members mainly interact with each other through avatars. The selling process is fulfilled through the shop avatars. How businesses sell their products successfully to the potential customers and eventually persuade the customer to purchase the product is an essential question. Trust played a key role in the selling process. In the general selling process, trust was established through the sales person. In the virtual world environment, could the trust be established between the sales avatars and customer avatars This paper aims at answering this question by examining the trust transference process in the 3D virtual world environment. An experiment was conducted to categorize the avatars into attractive and expert ones. The research result first suggest that trust formed in a 3D avatar seller could be transferred to a selling company and a product but for an expert 3D avatar seller, trust transferred to the company and product results in intent to purchase. Trust in a 3D avatar seller is transferred to trust in a product and a company and furthermore, an expert avatar can affect a consumer's intent to purchase. In the case of an attractive 3D avatar, although trust is transferred, it is only to the point of intent to purchase.


CHRONIC traumatic osteomyelitis following injuries of long bones sustained in World War II was one of the most serious problems confronting the army general hospital one year after the cessation of hostilities. At Oliver General Hospital over 300 patients with chronic osteomyelitis were treated from Oct. 1, 1946 to Jan. 1, 1948. Various principles of conservative and surgical management 1 evolved from World War I to the present were applied, with uniformly good results. 2 However, in spite of diligent measures, infection persisted in certain refractory cases. In the present study of 26 such cases, all cases of united fractures, we sought to evaluate the effectiveness of streptomycin with or without the combination of penicillin. 3 Four cases of infection following bone graft and 1 case of chronic hematogenous osteomyelitis were also added. In this series, the average duration of infection was 26.2 months and an average of 3.6 sequestrectomies


The main idea of the Chimera method is to generate independent meshes for the objects present in a computational domain and to couple them by a coupling strategy in order to obtain a unique solution of the system. The method has appealing characteristics that are convenient for applications like simplified mesh generation, moving components, local refinement and optimization. The optimization process is a straightforward application where several objects, each one with its respective mesh, can be moved around without the need to remesh the whole computational domain. Then, different optimization techniques can be used to find the optimum configuration of the system in terms of an objective function. In a previous work (B. Storti et al., "A chimera method based on Dirichlet-Dirichlet coupling and pasting penalization operators", Mecanica Computacional, vol. XXXIV, 2016), we have presented and validated a Chimera scheme in the finite element context for structured meshes, and we have proven that it has a good convergence rate solving the system iteratively with BiCGStab (BiConjugate Gradient Stabilized method). In the present work, we improve the Chimera method to solve thermal conduction problems on overlapping unstructured meshes and then we test it in several optimization cases. A Dirichlet-Dirichlet coupling imposes the continuity of the unknown on overlapping subdomains and to transfer these values between the multiples domains, a third order interpolation method is used in conjunction with a "pasting" penalization operator. Several numerical examples are also shown in order to validate the proposed interpolation method. Finally a variety of optimization problems are solved under the pyOpt framework, either using gradient-free or gradient based optimizers, running in the CIMEC cluster Seshat (http://www.cimec.org.ar/c3/seshat/equipos.php), where every evaluation test of the objective function is compute on each core. Seshat is a 69 nodes cluster, which has an Infiniband network and a computing power of almost 7 TFLOPS.


The framework proposed by Ostrom (2009) has become one of the most utilized tools to address the complexity of social-ecological systems. Most cases use this framework to analyze the systems from the perspective of a single resource unit. However, the livelihoods in several coastal communities are diverse, so that the users interact with multiple common-pool resources, which makes their analysis difficult. In this sense, it is important to identify the key elements of management to achieve the sustainable use of the resources. In this study, we were able to do this in a coastal community where commercial fishing, ecotourism, and recreational fishing coexist. The system of interest, located in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico, was subdivided by resource type using a multi-method approach to data collection including surveys, interviews, and records review. A conceptual map was developed that shows how the second-tier variables are integrated through the governance and actors with the biophysical system. The actors involved in lobster fishing achieved a more complex governance system, followed by the ecotourism and recreational fishing; the complexity of the governance was related with the equity level of the actors. The analysis revealed the research gaps to develop management strategies and improve the sustainability of the system.


The recent Boston Marathon bombing and the kidnap of a British boy at Lake Titiwangsa,
have ignited a pressing interest for automated video content analysis to assist the
law enforcement in preventing such events from recurring. Post-mortem investigations
surrounding such cases often found that there were missed opportunities for using technology
to detect the abnormality of the suspects, which lead to those tragedies. Therefore,
this thesis aims to develop computer vision solutions to identify regions or behaviours,
which could lead to unfavourable events, as a cue to direct the attention of security personnel
for a more effective and proactive video surveillance.
The first contribution of this thesis introduces a robust visual tracking algorithm that
is able to locate moving objects in surveillance videos. A great challenge in this domain
is the capability of dealing with complex scenarios of tracking abrupt motion, such
as switching between cameras, which is very common when the number of CCTV to
be monitored is enormous. Conventional sampling-based predictors often assume that
motion is governed by a Gaussian distribution. This assumption holds true for smooth
motion but fails in the case of abrupt motion. Therefore, by considering tracking as an
optimisation problem, the proposed SwATrack algorithm searches for the optimal distribution
of motion model without making prior assumptions, or prior learning of the motion
model. Experimental results have shown that the proposed SwATrack improves the accuracy
of tracking abrupt motion, with an average accuracy of 91.39%, while significantly
reduces the computational overheads, with an average processing time of 63 milliseconds
per frame.
Visual tracking of objects at mass gatherings such as rallies can be daunting due
to the large variations of crowd. Hence, the second contribution proposes an alternative
solution that deals with dense crowd scenes. A new research direction that identifies and
v
localises interesting regions by exploiting the motion dynamics of crowd is proposed.
Here, interesting regions refer to abnormalities, where they exhibit high motion dynamics
or irregularities. This assumption alludes to the social behaviours and conventions of
humans in crowded scenes. Therefore, the possibility of abnormal events taking place
is considered likely, when there is high motion dynamics and irregularities. Experiment
results have shown an average accuracy of 78% on the defined dataset.
The third contribution aims to provide an integrated solution to detect multiple events
in different regions-of-interest of a given scene. This is very critical in the real-world
scenarios where multiple events may take place in a scene at the same time. Existing
solutions such as CROMATICA and PRISMATICA are commonly limited to detect single
events, at a particular time. On the contrary, the proposed solution provides flexibility to
deal with different environments, for a broader degree of scene understanding. The key
idea is to conceptually decompose information obtained from a given scene into several
intermediate degrees of abstractions. These low-level descriptions are then integrated
using a basic set of rule-packages, to discriminate the different events. Experimental
results on fives scenarios of abnormal events have shown an average accuracy of 83%.


Marine biologists have gone through a paradigm shift, from the assumption that marine populations are largely 'open' owing to extensive larval dispersal to the realization that marine dispersal is 'more restricted than previously thought'. Yet, population genetic studies often reveal low levels of genetic structure across large geographic areas. On the other side, more direct approaches such as mark‐recapture provide evidence of localized dispersal. To what extent can direct and indirect studies of marine dispersal be reconciled? One approach consists in applying genetic methods that have been validated with direct estimates of dispersal. Here, we use such an approach—genetic isolation by distance between individuals in continuous populations—to estimate the spatial scale of dispersal in five species of coral reef fish presenting low levels of genetic structure across the Caribbean. Individuals were sampled continuously along a 220‐km transect following the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, population densities were estimated from surveys covering 17 200 m2 of reef, and samples were genotyped at a total of 58 microsatellite loci. A small but positive isolation‐by‐distance slope was observed in the five species, providing mean parent‐offspring dispersal estimates ranging between 7 and 42 km (CI 1–113 km) and suggesting that there might be a correlation between minimum/maximum pelagic larval duration and dispersal in coral reef fishes. Coalescent‐based simulations indicate that these results are robust to a variety of dispersal distributions and sampling designs. We conclude that low levels of genetic structure across large geographic areas are not necessarily indicative of extensive dispersal at ecological timescales.