Epicure and gourmand Brillat-Savarin was one of the most influential food writers of all time. His 1825 book "The Physiology of Taste" defined our notions of French gastronomy, and his insistence that food be a civilizing pleasure for all has inspired the slow food movement and guided chefs worldwide. From discourses on the erotic properties of truffles and the origins of chocolate, to a defence of gourmandism and why 'a dessert without cheese is like a pretty woman with only one eye', the delightful writings in this selection are a hymn to the art of eating well.


Prolactin (PRL) is a multifunctional signaling molecule best known for its role in regulating lactation in mammals. Systemic PRL is produced by the anterior pituitary, but extrapituitary PRL has also been detected in many tissues including the human endometrium. Prolactin is essential for pregnancy in rodents and one of the most dramatically induced genes in the endometrium during human pregnancy. The promoter for human endometrial Prl is located about 5.8 kb upstream of the pituitary promoter and is derived from a transposable element called MER39. Although it has been shown that prolactin is expressed in the pregnant endometrium of a few mammals other than humans, MER39 has been described as primate specific. Thus, in an effort to understand mechanisms of prolactin regulatory evolution, we sought to determine how uterine prolactin is transcribed in species that lack MER39. Using a variety of complementary strategies, including reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends, and whole-transcriptome sequencing, we show that endometrial Prl expression is not a shared character of all placental mammals, as it is not expressed in rabbits, pigs, dogs, or armadillos. We show that in primates, mice, and elephants, prolactin mRNA is transcribed in the pregnant endometrium from alternative promoters, different from the pituitary promoter and different from each other. Moreover, we demonstrate that the spider monkey promoter derives from the long terminal repeat (LTR) element MER39 as in humans, the mouse promoter derives from the LTR element MER77, and the elephant promoter derives from the lineage-specific LINE retrotransposon L1-2_LA. We also find surprising variation of transcriptional start sites within these transposable elements and of Prl splice variants, suggesting a high degree of flexibility in the promoter architecture even among closely related species. Finally, the three groups shown here to express endometrial prolactin-the higher primates, the rodents, and the elephant-represent three of the four lineages that showed adaptive evolution of the Prl gene in an earlier study (Wallis M. 2000. Episodic evolution of protein hormones: molecular evolution of pituitary prolactin. J Mol Evol. 50:465-473), which supports our findings and suggests that the selective forces responsible for accelerated Prl evolution were in the endometrium. This is the first reported case of convergent evolution of gene expression through the independent recruitment of different transposable elements, highlighting the importance of transposable elements in gene regulatory, and potentially adaptive, evolution.


In this paper, a new multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission system, which is called space-time quadrature spatial modulation (ST-QSM), and combines quadrature spatial modulation (QSM) with space time block codes (STBCs) in order to achieve second order transmit diversity gain, is proposed. In the proposed ST-QSM scheme, the number of transmit antennas is subdivided into two groups and STBC systems with two, four and eight antennas, depending on the number of antennas in each group, are used to transmit real and imaginary parts of two M -ary quadrature amplitude modulation (M -QAM) symbols. The theoretical error probability analysis of the ST-QSM system is performed and the average bit error probability (ABEP) is obtained. Moreover, it is shown by extensive computer simulations that the ST-QSM system shows better error performance than QSM, space-time coded spatial modulation (STBC-SM) and Alamouti STBC systems. Keywords—MIMO systems, spatial modulation (SM), quadrature SM (QSM), space-time block codes (STBCs).


This article tackles the enumeration and asymptotics of directed lattice paths (that are isomorphic to unidimensional paths) of bounded height (walks below one wall, or between two walls, for $\textit{any}$ finite set of jumps). Thus, for any lattice paths, we give the generating functions of bridges ("discrete'' Brownian bridges) and reflected bridges ("discrete'' reflected Brownian bridges) of a given height. It is a new success of the "kernel method'' that the generating functions of such walks have some nice expressions as symmetric functions in terms of the roots of the kernel. These formulae also lead to fast algorithms for computing the $n$-th Taylor coefficients of the corresponding generating functions. For a large class of walks, we give the discrete distribution of the height of bridges, and show the convergence to a Rayleigh limit law. For the family of walks consisting of a $-1$ jump and many positive jumps, we give more precise bounds for the speed of convergence. We end our article with a heuristic application to bioinformatics that has a high speed-up relative to previous work.


Dropout is a powerful and widely used technique to regularize the training of deep neural networks. In this paper, we introduce a simple regularization strategy upon dropout in model training, namely R-Drop, which forces the output distributions of different sub models generated by dropout to be consistent with each other. Specifically, for each training sample, R-Drop minimizes the bidirectional KL-divergence between the output distributions of two sub models sampled by dropout. Theoretical analysis reveals that R-Drop reduces the freedom of the model parameters and complements dropout. Experiments on $\bf{5}$ widely used deep learning tasks ($\bf{18}$ datasets in total), including neural machine translation, abstractive summarization, language understanding, language modeling, and image classification, show that R-Drop is universally effective. In particular, it yields substantial improvements when applied to fine-tune large-scale pre-trained models, e.g., ViT, RoBERTa-large, and BART, and achieves state-of-the-art (SOTA) performances with the vanilla Transformer model on WMT14 English$\to$German translation ($\bf{30.91}$ BLEU) and WMT14 English$\to$French translation ($\bf{43.95}$ BLEU), even surpassing models trained with extra large-scale data and expert-designed advanced variants of Transformer models. Our code is available at GitHub{\url{https://github.com/dropreg/R-Drop}}.


Findings from youth research have shown that, due to the development of the transitional phase of "emerging adulthood", the family has become increasingly significant for young adults as a source of support and as a safety net. In contrast, care leavers are confronted with a relatively abrupt transition to independent living. However, international studies have shown that the family also plays a significant role during the status passage of leaving care — as an arena of concrete social relationships, as a normative model and ideal, as a biographical experience and memory, as a connection to family traditions and practices, and as an important contextual factor for resilience and identity formation. The first section of this paper describes the various links between care leavers and their families based on a literature review. In the second section, the biographical relevance of the family is highlighted based on the example of a qualitative interview study about the educational pathways of 20- to 27-year-old care leavers. The study shows the various influences of family links on the educational careers of young people during and after out-of-home care. From the findings, we derive some consequences for professional work with families in out-of-home care and for professional support and guidance during the status passage of leaving care.


Derivatives of N6-(4-aminobenzyl)adenosine (substituted at the aminobenzyl group) and 5'-linked derivatives of N6-(4-nitrobenzyl)adenosine (NBAdo) were evaluated as inhibitors of site-specific binding of [3H]nitrobenzylthioinosine (NBMPR) to pig erythrocyte membranes. Potent inhibitors were SAENTA [5'-S-(2-aminoethyl)-N6-(4-nitrobenzyl)-5'-thioadenosine] and acetyl-SAENTA (the 2-acetamidoethyl derivative of SAENTA). SAENTA was coupled to derivatized agarose-gel beads (Affi-Gel 10) to form an affinity matrix for chromatographic purification of NBMPR-binding polypeptides, which in pig erythrocytes are part of, or are associated with, the equilibrative nucleoside transporter. When pig erythrocyte membranes were solubilized with octyl glucoside (n-octyl beta-D-glucopyranoside) and applied to SAENTA-Affi-Gel 10 (SAENTA-AG10), polypeptides that migrated as a broad band on SDS/PAGE with an apparent molecular mass of 58-60 kDa were selectively retained by the affinity gel. These polypeptides were identified as components of the nucleoside transporter of pig erythrocytes by reactivity with a monoclonal antibody (mAb 11C4) that recognizes the NBMPR-binding protein of pig erythrocytes. Retention of the immunoreactive polypeptides by SAENTA-AG10 was blocked by NBAdo. The immunoreactive polypeptides were released from SAENTA-AG10 by elution under denaturing conditions with 1% SDS or by elution with detergent solutions containing competitive ligands (NBAdo or NBMPR). A 72-fold enrichment of the immunoreactive polypeptides was achieved by a single passage of solubilized, protein-depleted membranes through a column of SAENTA-AG10, followed by elution with detergent solutions containing NBAdo. These results demonstrate that polypeptide components of NBMPR-sensitive nucleoside-transport systems may be partly purified by affinity chromatography using gel media bearing SAENTA groups.


A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted to determine if concomitant administration of ranitidine, an H2-receptor antagonist, could reduce the gastroduodenal mucosal damage associated with short-term (3 day) aspirin therapy. Nineteen subjects received ranitidine 150 mg b.i.d. plus aspirin 650 mg q.i.d., and 21 received placebo b.i.d. plus aspirin 650 mg q.i.d. for 3 days. Gastric injury and duodenal injury were assessed separately on the basis of pre- and posttreatment endoscopic examinations. The ranitidine/aspirin group had significantly less mucosal damage in the stomach (p < 0.01) and duodenum (p < 0.05) than the placebo/aspirin group. There was no significant difference in mean serum salicylate levels between treatment groups after 3 days of aspirin consumption, indicating that the protective effect was achieved without compromising salicylate absorption.


In this era of internet, the Online Social Networks (OSNs) are the platform to build social relations among people who share interests, activities, backgrounds or real life connections. OSNs have gained a ubiquitous status and this has led to security issues of posting unwanted messages on user wall. Therefore, in order to make the OSN user wall a secured wall, we are introducing a flexiblerule based system which provides users to control the messages that are posted on their walls and allows user to customise the filtering criteria to be applied on their walls. This system exploits machine learning based soft classifier for automatically labelling messages in support of content based filtering.


In this symposium issue, a group of federal courts and conflicts scholars were presented with a hypothetical set of facts, and asked to sit as the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals on review from the lower district court's decision. The case involves interpretation, application, and enforceability of a forum selection clause in federal court, under state law principles. The facts are as follows: Ski Vacations is a New York corporation which operates ski resort primarily in upstate New York and Vermont, and has recently opened a small facility in Colorado. Plaintiff, an Atlanta, Georgia resident, responded to a local newspaper ad promoting inexpensive Colorado ski vacations. An Atlanta agency had placed the ad, responding to Ski Vacations's form mailings advertising special package deals and good commissions as part of its start-up campaign. Plaintiff booked, paid a deposit on a package trip, and received a confirmation letter from Ski Vacations's Colorado office containing information about the resort. Included in the information was a notice entitled "Conditions of Contract." Condition 3 indicated that any and all disputes arising out of Ski Vacations's provision of services or goods, including any tort claims, must be brought in Vermont state court and are to be governed by Vermont law.Plaintiff went on the Colorado ski trip, paying the balance due upon arrival and signing a Conditions of Contract" form identical to the one received in the mail. While on the slopes, Plaintiff was injured and is now a quadriplegic. Emergency treatment was rendered in Colorado. Soon after, Plaintiff returned to Georgia and continues to reside there. Plaintiff brought negligence and strict liability claims in Georgia state court against Ski Vacations for allegedly allowing the use of inappropriate equipment and to ski on an inappropriate and poorly designed slope.Assume significant differences between Georgia, Colorado, and Vermont law on one or more important substantive law issues; also assume Vermont law is most favorable to defendant Ski Vacations on each of these issues. Assume choice of forum clauses which oust Georgia of jurisdiction were not traditionally honored under Georgia law as against public policy. Recent mid-level cases, however, have approved forum clauses, indicating some confusion or uncertainty about the current state of Georgia law on this issue. Assume that Georgia normally enforces contract choice of law clauses unless against public policy, but has not squarely ruled whether choice of law can be pre-negotiated for tort actions via contract terms. Assume Georgia is a vested rights jurisdiction that does not apply renvoi.Defendant Ski Vacations removed Plaintiff's suit to federal court on the basis of diversity and, citing the forum selection clause, moved to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction and/or improper venue. Assume the federal district court sitting in Atlanta granted this motion, holding that the issue was governed by federal law and that Stewart Org., Inc. v. Ricoh Corp., 487 U.S. 22 (1988), and Carnival Cruise Lines, Inc.,v.Shute, 499 U.S. 585 (1991), indicate federal policy to enforce such clauses. Plaintiff appeals the dismissal.As the federal Appeals Court sitting en banc in 11th Circuit, how should we rule on this appeal? The scholars were asked to address two issues: (1) By what law, state or federal, should the court determine the validity of the forum selection clause?, and (2) regardless of whether the court applies federal or state law, should the court honor the forum selection clause on the stated facts? Those who decide that the issue is properly governed by state law were instructed to should assume that there is enough room in Georgia precedents to allow a ruling either way on these facts.Summing up the decision on the Erie issue, under rationales or variations on rationales, a majority of the "Court" rules that Georgia law controls whether the forum selection clause indicating suit in Vermont is valid (Professors Burbank, Mullenix, Silberman, Solimine and Weintraub). On the second issue ― whether the clause should be enforced, and the case dismissed ― a four vote plurality finds that the clause should not be enforced (Professors Borchers, Mullenix, Silberman, and Weintraub), with two more "judges" remanding for further inquiry as to the content of state law on this issue (Professors Burbank and Redish).


Introduction: Caring for a family member with dementia is associated with a wide range of challenges. The national strategy for caregivers highlights the growing need for health professionals to provide support to caregivers of people with dementia. This review aimed to identify the evidence and current role of occupational therapists in supporting caregivers of people with dementia in the community. Method: All relevant research databases were systematically searched to identify relevant United Kingdom articles. The inclusion criteria included: dated 1999–2010, English language, community based and considered impact of intervention on carer. Findings: Seventeen studies met the inclusion criteria. The identified interventions were delivered by a range of different professionals with a variety of outcome measures. Overall, the methodological quality of the included studies was poor, with only a small number providing evidence of improvement in outcomes as a result of interventions, such as reminiscence and cognitive behavioural therapy. Conclusion: A requirement for more robust research into the impact of interventions on caregivers of people with dementia was identified. There is a dearth of research into the current role of occupational therapists working with these caregivers and a lack of research to support the expansion of this role.


Consistency properties and algorithms for achieving them are at the heart of the success of Constraint Programming. For non-binary Constraint Satisfaction Problems (CSPs), the relational-consistency property R(i,j)C of [Dechter and van Beek 1997] may add new non-binary constraints to the constraint network, thus modifying its topology. The domain-filtering properties of [Bessiere et al. 2008] filter the domains of the variables and leave the constraints unchanged but are restricted to combinations of two constraints. We restate the property of m-wise consistency [Gyssens 1986; Jegou 1993] as relational (∗,m)-consistency, R(∗,m)C. R(∗,m)C ensures that any tuple in a relation is consistent in every combination of m constraints. The main contributions of this document are the design of an algorithm for enforcing R(∗,m)C and the evaluation of its effectiveness in a search procedure solving CSPs. This document thus establishes the usefulness in practice of higher consistency levels in non-binary CSPs. 1 University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Computer Science and Engineering Technical Report TR-UNL-CSE-2009-0009 Issued June 23, 2009


The Office of Scholarly Communication and Publishing of the University Library System, University of Pittsburgh developed this document to introduce to their journal publishing partners their metrics tracking systems: Open Journal Systems' native usage statistics, Google Analytics, and PlumX. Used in conjunction with a hands-on training session with a journal's editorial team, the document provides an overview of each system, including information on how to access and account set-up, an overview of the various data types and analyses, and an explanation of how to interpret the reports generated by each system.


Abstract General Psychotherapy (GPT; Grawe, 1997) is a research-informed psychotherapy that combines cognitive-behavioral and process-experiential techniques and that assumes motivational clarification and problem mastery as central mechanisms of change. To isolate the effect of motivational clarification, GPT was compared to a treatment that proscribed motivational clarification (General Psychotherapy Minus Clarification, GPT-C) in a randomized-controlled trial with 67 diagnostically heterogeneous outpatients. Previous analyses demonstrated equal outcomes and some superiority for highly avoidant patients in GPT. Re-analyses using causal-analytic methods confirmed equal changes, but also showed superior effects for GPT in highly symptomatic patients. Results are discussed regarding theory, methodological limitations, and implications for research and practice.


In this paper we propose a motion based approach for synthesizing dynamic textures. Dynamic textures are natural phenomenon characterized by their distinctive motion patterns. Synthesis of these textures is thus considered as the regeneration of a motion pattern that has identical motion distribution of a source texture. In this paper we propose a synthesis technique where new textures are generated by computing their movement pattern from a known motion distribution followed by the generation of image frames. Experimental results demonstrate the ability of the proposed technique by producing visually promising dynamic textures.


This United States Department of Energy (DOE) research project was established to document the integrated team approach for solving reservoir engineering problems. A field study integrating the disciplines of geology, geophysics, and petroleum engineering will be the mechanism for documenting the integrated approach. This is an area of keen interest to the oil and gas industry. The goal will be to provide tools and approaches that can be used to detect reservoir compartments, reach a better reserve estimate, and improve profits early in the life of a field.


A simple approach to learning invariances in image classification consists in augmenting the training set with transformed versions of the original images. However, given a large set of possible transformations, selecting a compact subset is challenging. Indeed, all transformations are not equally informative and adding uninformative transformations increases training time with no gain in accuracy. We propose a principled algorithm -- Image Transformation Pursuit (ITP) -- for the automatic selection of a compact set of transformations. ITP works in a greedy fashion, by selecting at each iteration the one that yields the highest accuracy gain. ITP also allows to efficiently explore complex transformations, that combine basic transformations. We report results on two public benchmarks: the CUB dataset of bird images and the ImageNet 2010 challenge. Using Fisher Vector representations, we achieve an improvement from 28.2% to 45.2% in top-1 accuracy on CUB, and an improvement from 70.1% to 74.9% in top-5 accuracy on ImageNet. We also show significant improvements for deep convnet features: from 47.3% to 55.4% on CUB and from 77.9% to 81.4% on ImageNet.


ABSTRACT: Amazing Deals Auto Mart (ADAM) is a nationwide retailer of late model pre‐owned premium cars. Due to the changes in the industry and economy, its senior management is concerned with a slowdown in collections and loan defaults, and is worried whether or not ADAM will meet the 2005 consensus earnings estimate of analysts. You are required to analyze the accounts receivable and allowance for doubtful accounts data to assess a possibility of earnings management. You are also required to perform financial analyses of the two financing alternatives (securitization and secured borrowing) that ADAM is considering for cash generation from receivables and to determine their effects on financial statements and ratios.


Wormholes form fractural networks leading to increased reservoir permeability in the cold heavy oil production with sand (CHOPS). We extend ageneralized homogeneous approach to present an algorithm of the finite difference scheme with the fracture parameters, modeling the wormholes of CHOPS and the recorded synthetic seismograms from wormholes based on the non-welded contact theory (Schoenberg, 1980). This paper illustrates that the PP and PS seismic characters, such as amplitude, frequency, and travel time (velocity) will vary with the fractural network wormhole features. The paper exhibits that 4D seismic time-lapse technology can be used to monitor CHOPS production.


This paper proposes a new speed sensorless direct torque and flux-controlled interior permanent-magnet synchronous motor (IPMSM) drive. Closed-loop control of both the torque and stator flux linkage are achieved by using two proportional-integral (PI) controllers. The reference voltage vectors are generated by a SVM unit. The drive uses an adaptive sliding mode observer for joint stator flux and rotor speed estimation. Global asymptotic stability of the observer is achieved via Lyapunov analysis. At low speeds, the observer is combined with the high frequency signal injection technique for stable operation down to standstill. Hence, the sensorless drive is capable of exhibiting high dynamic and steady-state performances over a wide speed range. The operating range of the direct torque and flux-controlled (DTFC) drive is extended into the high speed region by incorporating field weakening. Experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method.


The Gulf Cooperation Council is a regional cooperation of six Middle Eastern countries—Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman. A common feature of these countries is the existence of many group quarters, usually called labor camps, a term used to refer to housing accommodations for unskilled migrants where nonrelated people live together. The camp size ranges from a few people to a few thousand people from many different countries who speak dozens of languages. Also, the camp size and the composition of residents inside the camps change relatively quickly as people move in and out of the camps as their labor contracts expire or project needs change. This article presents one way to subsample this dynamic population inside such labor camps. The technique was used in one survey conducted in Qatar, where more than half of the country's population resides in labor camps.


The routine procedures used to prepare DNA from eucaryotic cells and nuclei give rise to material which is considerably degraded. This degradation takes the form of haplotomic (single-stranded) breaks arising from deoxyribonuclease action action and diplotomic cleavage (double-stranded scission) of the DNA duplex due to mechanical shearing during the isolation procedure. Attempts to study the template specificities of the eucaryotic DNA-dependent RNA polymerases must take into account how these modifications to the structure of the DNA affect its template properties for these enzymes. Techniques are described which permit an accurate assessment of the state of integrity of the DNA. Treatment of the DNA with pancreatic deoxyribonuclease or sonication is shown to give rise to single-stranded interruptions in the duplex which are competent sites for the initiation of RNA synthesis by both forms AI and B rat liver RNA polymerases. However both these treatments also give rise to diplotomic cleavage of the DNA. This results in an inhibition of RNA synthesis which may be correlated with the formation of non-productive complexes by the RNA polymerases at DNA ends. Therefore the degree of template activation by pancreatic deoxyribonuclease and sonication for RNA synthesis as seen in the assay in vitro is a delicate balance between two opposing effects and is highly dependent upon the polymerase : DNA ratio. This data serves to emphasise that experiments designed to study the template specificity of eucaryotic RNA polymerases must make use of new, sophisticated techniques for the preparation of a template which is both intact and of high molecular weight.


We derive a new multisymplectic integrator for the Kawahara-type equation which is a fully explicit scheme and thus needs less computation cost. Multisympecticity of such scheme guarantees the long-time numerical behaviors. Numerical experiments are presented to verify the accuracy of this scheme as well as the excellent performance on invariant preservation for three kinds of Kawahara-type equations.


The present study presents a detailed analysis of the diurnal and monthly cycles the surface boundary layer and of surface energy balance in a sparse natural vegetation canopy on Huancayo observatory (12.04 ∘ S, 75.32 ∘ W, 3313 m ASL), which is located in the central Andes of Peru (Mantaro Valley) during an entire year (May 2018–April 2019). We used a set of meteorological sensors (temperature, relative humidity, wind) installed in a gradient tower 30 m high, a set of radiative sensors to measure all irradiance components, and a set of tensiometers and heat flux plate to measure soil moisture, soil temperatures and soil heat flux. To estimate turbulent energy fluxes (sensible and latent), two flux–gradient methods: the aerodynamic method and the Bowen-ratio energy-balance method were used. The ground heat flux at surface was estimated using a molecular heat transfer equation. The results show minimum mean monthly temperatures and more stable conditions were observed in June and July before sunrise, while maximum mean monthly temperatures in October and November and more unstable conditions in February and March. From May to August inverted water vapor profiles near the surface were observed (more intense in July) at night hours, which indicate a transfer of water vapor as dewfall on the surface. The patterns of wind direction indicate well-defined mountain–valley circulation from south-east to south-west especially in fall–winter months (April–August). The maximum mean monthly sensible heat fluxes were found in June and September while minimum in February and March. Maximum mean monthly latent heat fluxes were found in February and March while minimum in June and July. The surface albedo and the Bowen ratio indicate semi-arid conditions in wet summer months and extreme arid conditions in dry winter months. The comparisons between sensible heat flux ( Q H ) and latent heat flux ( Q E ), estimated by the two methods show a good agreement (R 2 above 0.8). The comparison between available energy and the sum of Q E and Q H fluxes shows a good level of agreement (R 2 = 0.86) with important imbalance contributions after sunrise and around noon, probably by advection processes generated by heterogeneities on the surface around the Huancayo observatory and intensified by the mountain–valley circulation.


We consider how new technologies could be used, particularly in deafness healthcare. This concerns recent designs of hearing aid systems dedicated to restoring hearing, at least partially. In general, the apparatus could be in two basic forms: a conventional hearing aid dedicated to restore hearing loss that is not severs, and cochlear prostheses dedicated to restoring total or profound hearing loss. With the development of digital signal processing 'DSP' technologies, these prostheses are becoming more flexible in use and performance. Two complementary strategies for digital speech processing could be proposed for hearing-aid systems using a DSP-driven board. These two strategies were conceived around a temporal approach utilising a filter bank model and a spectral approach utilising a fast Fourier transform 'FFT'. Clinically, it is important to distinguish these two strategies especially during apparatus adjustments, to achieve patient comfort. Digital signal processing dedicated to hearing aid research was based on an adjustable FFT/filter-bank based algorithm. It could be adapted to speech amplification in a conventional hearing aid, or to electrical stimulation in cochlear prostheses. This algorithm, which should be used in flexible and fully programmable devices, would certainly improve hearing capacity since we have included additional possibilities in processing sounds.


Rescheduling train traffic in a busy and complex railway area is a challenging task, partly because of the high number of constraints to be taken into account, and partly because of the many variables involved. Currently this task is performed almost exclusively by human traffic operators. Previous attempts to provide an automated decision support system have been limited to identifying and solving train conflicts locally. Recently innovative dispatching support tools have been presented that are able to cope with large (real-time) timetable perturbations, such as train delays and their propagation. However, there is a lack of computational studies that underline their additional practical value. In this paper we compare two advanced support systems for real-time rescheduling of train operations, developed for the German and Dutch railway networks. The research aim is to establish a bench mark for future co-operation and exchange of innovative solutions. A common test case from the Dutch railway network, the dispatching area between Utrecht and Den Bosch, and disturbed traffic conditions are studied to evaluate the two dispatching support tools in terms of delay minimization. Since these tools make use of different mathematical optimization techniques for the computation of running times and train sequences, a detailed comparison of the proposed rescheduling solutions is provided. The use of railway capacity is illustrated in order to enable an easy and fast detection of the conflicts between the trains running in the network and to get precise information about their resolution by the different rescheduling techniques.


<br>The environmental externalities of economic activities, such as anthropogenic climate change and pollution, have major social, environmental and economic consequences. Monetary valuation of these externalities is a widely acclaimed approach to better account for them in economic decisions, as it provides an appropriate price level for charging a Pigouvian tax. Yet, little research exists on the monetary valuation of the environmental externalities associated with Dutch economic activities and the impact of pricing them on the profitability of different sectors. To address this gap, this paper estimates the monetary value of 30 environmental externalities associated with the activities of 13 sectors and 163 subsectors for the year 2015, based on a global environmentally extended input-output model. It then compares these environmental costs with the financial performance of the sectors to provide an appraisal of potential profit at risk. The findings show that total environmental damage costs associated with the Dutch economy amount to EUR 50 Bn or 7.3% of Dutch GDP in 2015. They also demonstrate that some sectors (energy production, waste and sewage treatment, manufacturing, transport and agriculture) do not generate sufficient profit to cover their natural resource use and pollution costs. These sectors are particularly exposed to the transition risks associated with the internalization of these costs through, for instance, taxation or stricter regulation. It is especially important for financial institutions to be aware of the presence of these risks. The analysis within this research could help to introduce and improve standards and systems, including relevant regulations aimed at internalizing the external costs of production, extraction and consumption. Moreover, these tools can also support financial institutions to inform their heat mapping exercises, the assessment of materiality and/or measurement of environmental transition risks more broadly.


The nurse who hopes to respond to the experience of individuals and their families with a diagnosis of cancer must understand and explore meaning in illness. Meaning has been described as a fundamental dimension of personhood (Cassel, 1982). There can be little understanding of the person's behaviour and responses to cancer without understanding the meaning of illness in their lives. The meaning ascribed to a situation can have a profound impact on the individual and family's coping and adjustment and may influence their relationships with the health care team. Meaning in illness may be influenced by cultural beliefs, religion, values, life philosophy and past experience. Meaning goes beyond the surface reactions of the individual to the very depths of the person's soul and can be a source of despair and suffering. Meaning evolve throughout the illness trajectory and can have a profound influence on the person's lived experience. The skills required to understand meaning and the lived experience of illness for the individual are extensive. It is only through true presence, mutual understanding and a sharing of the life of the other that nurses are able to understand and co-construct meaning. It is a respect and understanding of the individual within the whole context of their personhood and the meanings assigned to their experience of cancer which allows the nurse to practice beyond the surface, to touch the person's soul.


We determined the relationship between the presence of Mycoplasma fermentans and Mycoplasma penetrans and the rate of progression of HIV-associated disease in a nested case-control study based on a cohort of 159 HIV-infected patients with different rates of disease progression. Study participants were divided into 3 progression groups: non-progressors who had been HIV-1 seropositive for at least 9 years and had remained asymptomatic with a CD4 cell count of > 500/mm3; slow progressors who had been HIV-1 seropositive for at least 9 years and whose CD4 cell count had fallen below 500 cells, and who had developed symptomatic disease or AIDS; and rapid progressors who had developed AIDS within 5 years of HIV infection. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected at enrollment and examined by mycoplasma polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. Three (7%) of 46 non-progressors, 3 (3%) of 86 slow progressors, and 2 (7%) of 27 rapid progressors were M. fermentans positive. The PBMCs from 91 subjects were tested for M. penetrans DNA and none was positive. The small proportion of M. fermentans-positive patients indicates that the mycoplasma cannot be important in the development of AIDS in the large majority of patients. Furthermore, no association was found between its presence and more rapid HIV disease progression.


Solid Management is a concern in East African capital cities. The absence of managing solid waste is a serious problem. An ever bigger concern is the growing quantities of waste that are generatedat households level in informal settlements. In most cases proper safeguard measures are largely ineffective or not in place at all. Moreover, unsafe disposal of waste in the region is coupled with poor hygiene. There is no doubt that East African capital cities need to formulate effective ways to manage their waste. This book is a result of PhD research within the framework of the PROVIDE project funded by INREF and carried out in East African capital cities (Dar es Salaam, Nairobi and Kampala). The work was carried out at the Environmental Policy (ENP) group with professor Gert Spaargaren and Dr. Peter Oosterveer as promotor and co-promotor. The focus of the research was to highlight the role of households in the production and management of domestic solid wastes.


We will introduce an integrated model of Online Decision Making Meetings (ODMM) for sustainable management of water resources, which combines online meetings with an agent-based simulation function. This model is able to supply the decision makers with visualized simulation results of different policy scenarios and then support them to have online discussions, communication and make final decisions. The model consists of a remote server, a simulation model for background processing and clients. We assume that several departments related to water resource management will join this meeting and make proposals based on their data and policy. These departments are clients in our model and they are granted with special authority according to their departments. During an online meeting, the clients can choose global parameters for a simulation model that relates to their department based on their roles. Afterwards, simulations for different scenarios can be conducted by the model and the simulation results will be displayed for and visualized by the clients through the server on time. Thus, the government planners can easily view the simulation results regarding different policy scenarios using this tool, thereby making informed decisions and policy implementations.


INTRODUCTION
To study the use, safety and effectiveness of a novel antenatal vaginal birth training device (EPI-NO) in primiparous women.

METHODS
Antenatal use of the EPI-NO vaginal birth trainer was prospectively studied in 31 primiparous booked patients who were delivered by obstetricians from July to December 2002 at the KK Women's and Children's Hospital. This was studied in relation to episiotomy rate, perineal trauma and analgesic requirements during the postpartum period. A patient questionnaire form was used to assess their perception of pain and how well they coped with its use. For comparison, perineal trauma was also studied retrospectively in 60 consecutive obstetrician-booked primiparous term patients who had normal vaginal delivery (NVD) and who did not use EPI-NO during the same study period.

RESULTS
The mean length of usage was for 2.1 weeks (standard deviation [sd] 1.2 weeks). The mean frequency of use was 5.3 episodes per week (sd 2.1, range 1 to 7). There was no laceration and vaginal infection arising from its usage. There was a case of minimal bleeding post-usage. There were 20 (64.5 percent) NVDs, four (12.9 percent) forceps deliveries, five vacuum deliveries (16.1 percent) and two (6.5 percent) Caesarean sections. Of the 29 vaginal delivery cases, 19 (65.5 percent) had episiotomy, eight (27.6 percent) had lacerations, and two (6.9 percent) did not sustain laceration. The reasons for episiotomy in the 19 cases were nine cases of pending tearing of vagina/perineum, nine cases of instrumental vaginal deliveries, and one to shorten second stage. There was no third degree tear. 21 (67.7 percent) out of 30 required a painkiller. The majority of patients (17; 54.8 percent) appeared to be comfortable with the use of EPI-NO. All coped well with vaginal examination after using EPI-NO perineal training. Comparing among term primiparous NVD cases with (n value equals 20) and without (n value equals 60) EPI-NO, the perineal trauma rate (90.0 percent vs 96.6 percent, p value equals 0.24) was slightly but not significantly lower in the EPI-NO group. The episiotomy rate was significantly lower (50.0 percent vs 93.3 percent, p value is less than 0.0001) and the extent of perineal trauma in the patient appeared to be less severe in cases using EPI-NO.

CONCLUSION
EPI-NO appeared to be safe and acceptable to the majority of users. Although birth training with EPI-NO significantly decreases the rate of episiotomies in term primiparous patients, and the degree of perineal tissue injury appeared to be less in the EPI-NO group especially among those with lacerations, the overall perineal trauma rate was slightly but not significantly lower, in view of the higher spontaneous laceration rate in the EPI-NO group.


A comprehensive review of electronic toll collection (ETC) systems and related issues is presented with the primary purpose of providing transportation professionals with the basic knowledge necessary for the selection, evaluation, and implementation of various ETC systems. In addition, a tentative framework is offered for demonstrating, testing, and evaluating the performance of ETC systems. Many agencies are expected to procure ETC systems in the near future, creating a clear need for developing a standardized evaluation procedure. Once developed, this procedure can be used to demonstrate the capabilities of various systems and allow the results to be transferred among agencies.


Background Evidence show that lack of access to and use of, essential obstetric care services to be a crucial factor that contributes to the high maternal morbidity and mortality. Skilled attendance during labor, delivery and early post-partum period could reduce deaths due to obstructed labor, hemorrhage, sepsis and eclampsia. There is limited information on the mothers' use of skilled delivery services in the study area. This study assessed the predictors of safe delivery service utilization in Arsi Zone, Southeast Ethiopia. Methods A cross- sectional community based study using quantitative and qualitative methods was conducted from February 15th to March 15th 2006. A total of 1089 women who had at least one birth one year prior to the study were involved in the study from nine rural and four urban kebeles in three Woredas (Districts) selected using a systematic sampling method from all households in the study area. A pre-tested structured interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Information on the utilization of safe delivery service and socio-demographic, individual and institutional factors and past obstetric history were collected. Focus Group Discussion guide was used for qualitative data collection. The data were edited, cleaned, and entered into a computer and analyzed using SPSS for windows version 12.0. Result One thousand seventy four women who had at least one birth were interviewed making a response rate 98.6%. Two hundred seventy one (75.0%) of urban and 373(52.0%) rural women received antenatal care from skilled health professional at least once during their last pregnancy. Thirty-one (4.3%) of rural and 145 (40.4%) of urban women delivered in health institution. In multivariate analysis showed that residential area OR= 8.5, 95%CI; (5.1,13.9), parity OR=0.18, 95%CI; (0.08, 0.42), and ANC service use OR= 4.5, 95%CI; (2.2,8.9), and maternal education OR=4.6, 95%CI; (1.7,12.8), were most significant predictors of safe delivery service use by mothers (P< 0.01). Conclusion Birth attended by skilled personnel was low in the study area. Maternal education, her birth experience and her use of prenatal services are important predictors. Promoting information, education and communication on safe delivery service utilization, expansion of health service and empowerment of women are needed.


Nan Madol is a massive 81 hectare prehistoric administrative and ceremonial complex made up of 93 constructed islets on the high volcanic island of Pohnpei. Built between A.D. 900 and 1650 over earlier settlement remains along the southern coast of Temwen Island within the fringing reef, the site is noted for its distinctive use of columnar basalt and large boulders. XRF analysis presented here suggests the site's builders favoured columnar basalt from the island's main shield building stage (7-8 mya) over post-shield material. Boulders incorporated in the architecture are primarily from post-shield stage Temwen Island but supplemented by some main shield boulders from mainland Pohnpei. Preliminary findings further suggest that there were shifts in the relative frequency of quarries used to construct different structures. These shifts could relate to exhaustion of accessible stone from specific sources or perhaps changing preferences for stone from different sources due to social or political imperatives.


Despite the proven efficacy of proteasome inhibitors like bortezomib (BTZ) in multiple myeloma, mantle cell lymphoma, and in an experimental setting in pediatric acute leukemia, development of drug resistance remains a primary hindrance. To further understand the molecular basis underlying this chemoresistance phenomenon, various leukemia cell line models with acquired resistance to BTZ were developed and characterized. One common characteristic was that acquisition of point mutations in PSMB5 and upregulation of the β5-subunit of the proteasome were key determinants of BTZ-resistance in vitro. However, it remains unclear how these drug resistance modalities translate to the overcoming of proteolytic stress imposed by proteasome inhibition. From this perspective, we here undertook a multi-modality (DNA, mRNA, miRNA) array-based analyses of human CCRF-CEM acute leukemia cells and two BTZ-resistant subclones [one with a low resistance level [(10-fold, CEM/BTZ7) and another subline with a high resistance level (140-fold, CEM/BTZ200)] to determine whether or not complementary mechanisms contribute to BTZ resistance. Gene expression profiling studies revealed markedly reduced proteolytic stress induction in drug resistant cells over a broad BTZ concentration range. Moreover, several genes involved in cytoskeleton regulation and vesicle migration were increased in resistant cells. Of all genes, myristoylated alanine-rich C-kinase substrate (MARCKS) was the most differentially overexpressed gene with 25- to 42-fold upregulation in CEM/BTZ7 and CEM/BTZ200 cells, respectively. These observations were corroborated at the protein level and solely included unphosphorylated MARCKS rather than phosphorylated MARCKS, which was marginally expressed in CEM/BTZ cells. Interestingly, MARCKS upregulation was also observed in other BTZ-resistant and leukemia cells (CEM and THP1) with acquired resistance to the proteasome inhibitor salinosporamide A and the immunoproteasome inhibitor PR924. Given the overexpression of MARCKS in proteasome inhibitor-resistant leukemia cells, we further explored whether or not MARCKS overexpression may serve as a predictive marker of BTZ resistance in clinical samples of acute leukemia patients. To this end, we examined primary patient specimens from a phase II childhood refractory/relapsed ALL trial in which BTZ is administered in two intensive re-induction regimens containing vincristine, prednisone, PEG-asparaginase, doxorubicin or cyclophosphamide and etoposide followed by methotrexate treatment. MARCKS expression was demonstrated in 64% of therapy-refractory pediatric leukemia specimens (n=44) wherein higher MARCKS expression trended (p=0.09) towards a dismal response to BTZ-containing chemotherapy. Finally, from a mechanistic perspective, we showed a concentration-dependent association of MARCKS protein with the emergence of ubiquitin-containing vesicles in the resistant cells. This association with MARCKS protein was lost upon exocytosis of these vesicles, which were found to be extruded and taken up in co-cultures with recipient HeLa cells. Collectively, we propose a role for MARCKS in a novel mechanism of BTZ resistance through vesicular exocytosis of ubiquitinated proteins in BTZ-resistant cells to overcome proteolytic stress over a broad range of cytotoxic BTZ concentrations. Disclosures Kaspers:Janssen-Cilag: Research Funding. Smeets:Novartis: Employment. Zweegman:Celgene: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Takeda: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Cloos:Takeda: Honoraria.


A correct and rapid inference is required for practical use of an online fault diagnosis in power substations. This paper proposes a novel approach for on-line fault section estimations and fault types identification using the hybrid cause-effect network/fuzzy rule-based method in distribution substations. A cause-effect network, which is well suited to parallel processing, represents the functions of protective relays and circuit breakers for selection of faulted sections. Therefore the inference speed can be improved significantly. In order to deal with the uncertainties involved in the process of clarifying faults, a fuzzy rule-based method is derived. The proposed approach has been practically verified by testing on a typical Taiwan Power Company's (Taipower) secondary substation. The experimental results reveal that the correct and rapid diagnosis is obtained even for the fault domains involving multiple faults and failure operations of protective devices. Moreover, it is easy to implement and transplant into different substations.


Basic education is a fundamental economic necessity, but circumstances such as armed violence often make its effective provision quite grim. This is particularly pertinent in South Sudan where the delivery of social services has been greatly undermined by a recent violence. This policy brief analyzes the impacts of South Sudan's ongoing violence on education in the three states of Upper Nile. Our findings indicate that the war has led to pronounced reductions in educational activities and resources in the area, with school closure and mass outmigration as a result. We recommend to both the government and the humanitarian community to pay considerable attention to the educational priorities of the communities in question, paying teachers regularly, and supplying necessary inputs for continued learning in the area. Continued investments in education, even in the time of mass violence, reduce future social injustice and set stage for needed stability in the country.


Introduction Vaginal discharge is the most common complaint of women who seek services in the various units in the health delivery system including in most parts of the world. We determine the aetiology of vaginal discharge in women patronising Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Clinic in Kumasi, Ghana as a follow up to similar study in 2006. Methods Specimen for wet mount preparation, pH determination, whiff test, Gram's stain, culture and polymerase chain reaction were collected from the vagina and the cervix of 500 women: 250 sex workers (SW) and 250 non-sex workers (NSW), attending Suntreso STI Clinic in Kumasi, Ghana with complaint of vaginal discharge on their first attendance. Details regarding demographics, symptoms and signs as well as sexual behaviour were recorded. Associations of these factors with each infection were determined and adjusted for other risk factors. Results 39.4% had bacterial vaginosis (197/500, p-0.000, SW-114/250 {45.2%}; NSW- 83/250{33.2%}, 29.1% with Candida species (145/500: p=0.000, SW- 67/250{26.7%}; NSW- 78/250{31.2%}), 4.5% with Trichomonas vaginalis (23/500: p-0.000 SW-18/250{7.1%; NSW- 5/250{2.0%},), 3.1% with Chlamydia trachomatis (16/500: p-0.001 SW-12/250{4.8%}; NSW-4/250{1.6%}), 2.2% with Neisseria gonorrhoeae (11/500: p-0.014, SW- 8/250{3.2%}; NSW- 3/250{0.8%}) and 3.0% with Mycoplasma genitalium (15/500, 3.0%, p-0.000, SW-10/250{4.0%};NSW-5/250{2.0%}). Conclusion The study found bacterial vaginosis the most predominate aetiological agent of vaginal discharge among women in Kumasi Ghana with an increase in prevalence from 37.8% in 2006 to 39.4% in 2016. The result confirms the existing literature, making the inclusion of bacterial vaginosis in the syndromic management of STI still relevant.


To examine the influence of an increase in central blood volume with head-out water immersion (WI) on fluid-regulating hormones during exercise, 10 healthy men underwent upright leg cycle exercise on land and with WI. Venous plasma renin activity and plasma venous concentrations of atrial natriuretic peptide, plasma aldosterone, and arginine vasopressin were determined at exercise intensities corresponding to approximately 40, 60, 80, and 100% peak oxygen consumption (VO2) and at minutes 1 and 5 of seated rest recovery within each environment. Peak VO2 did not differ on land and with WI. Atrial natriuretic peptide concentration was higher (P less than 0.05) and plasma renin activity was lower (P less than 0.05) in water than on land at 40% peak VO2 through minute 5 of recovery. Plasma aldosterone and arginine vasopressin concentrations were lower (P less than 0.05) in water at peak exercise and at minutes 1 and 5 of recovery. Osmolality and plasma sodium and potassium concentrations during exercise were similar in water and on land. The results indicate that WI alters the circulating levels of several hormones involved in fluid and electrolyte regulation during exercise. These hormonal alterations can best be explained by stimulation of low-pressure baroreceptors and atrial stretch due to increased central blood volume with head-out WI.


Hypoxia and HIF-1 are major factors which play essential roles in cancer cell adaptation to pathophysiological restrictions like poor vasculature and limited metabolic supplies caused by hypoxic tumor core. Transcription factor Yin-Yang 1 (YY1) has been linked with cell proliferation, cell cycle progression and deregulation; it exerts oncogenic effects contributing to cancer progression. YY1 and hypoxia/HIF1 independently share several common aspects of malignant transformation. In this review, we discuss the oncogenic roles of YY1 and hypoxia/HIF1 and sum up the possibilities indicating their association in cancers. We advocate the idea that simultaneously modulating the effects of hypoxia and YY1 might provide a better approach and targeting strategy while treating solid cancers.


This paper describes the effect of laser surface treatment on wearesistance of steel Ck45 .A Pulse Nd:YAG laser with wave length 1064 nm and pulse duration 100 ns was used by applying one pulse ,two pulses with different laser energies (500, 750, 1000 mJ). Pin-on-disc technique was done to define wear rate with different forces (5, 10, 15, 20, 25 N) and different sliding speeds (1.319 ,2.199, 3.078, 3.958 m/s) for constant time (20 min) and constant rotating disc 720 r.p.m with 45HRC .Also defined microhardness which decreases far from the hardened surface , depth of hardening was evaluated through optical microscopy . The results of this work demonstrated that improvement in wear resistance for 1000 mJ laser energy more than the other energies for one pulse and two pulses ,while wear resistance for two pulses more than one pulse for all the energies . X-ray analysis results show that precipitation of another carbides like iron carbides ,chromium carbides ,manganese carbides after the treatment by laser.


Background
Immunizations have led to a decrease in the incidence of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in Canada, but this infection still leads to significant morbidity and mortality.

Objectives
The purpose of this study was to determine the burden of illness and management of IMD in paediatric hospitals.

Methods
Data were collected on all cases of IMD in eight paediatric hospitals from 2013 to 2017.

Results
There were 17 cases of IMD. Three of eight hospitals had no cases. Just over half of the cases were serogroup B (n=9); a quarter (n=4) were serogroup W; less than a quarter (n=3) were serogroup Y; and one was unknown. Two infected children were not started on antibiotics until day one and day five after the initial blood culture was collected, but had uneventful recoveries. Six cases required admission to intensive care units; two died. Six cases had probable or proven meningitis. Thrombocytopenia was documented in seven cases. All cases had elevated C-reactive protein levels. Seven children received more than seven days of antibiotics; of these seven, only two had complications that justified prolonged therapy (subdural empyema and septic knee). Six cases had a central line placed.

Conclusion
IMD is now rare in Canadian children, but about one-third of the cases in our study required treatment in the intensive care unit and two died. Clinicians appear to not always be aware that a five to seven-day course is adequate for uncomplicated cases of bacteremia or meningitis.


A frequency estimator for sinusoids in white noise is described. Convergence results are obtained for the single sinusoid case and a simulation described for the multiple sinusoid case. The estimator is shown to be capable of providing accurate frequency estimates at lower SNR's than currently existing techniques. Furthermore, the simplicity of the algorithm lends itself to a simple and efficient implementation.


This paper presents the high-precision wave tank testing of Columbia Power Technologies' (COLUMBIA POWER's) 1:15 scale wave energy device in Oregon State University's (OSU's) large wave flume. Wave energy converter (WEC) testing in the OSU O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory (HWRL), in collaboration with the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center (NNMREC) headquartered at OSU, includes state-of-the-art optical motion tracking and data acquisition developed to facilitate the optimization of wave energy devices to efficiently convert the motion of ocean waves into electrical energy. This paper includes the high resolution wave tank testing process, and example performance results.


The antimicrobial activity of copper nanoparticles (CuNps) has been studied against different pathogenic microorganisms, however to our knowledge, no studies have been reported about their activity against periodontal bacteria in a biofilm. Therefore, in order to bridge this information gap, this study aims to observe and count the formation of oral biofilm on titanium alloys coated with different types of CuNps. Three different methods were used to synthetize and then apply a coating of CuNps on dental implant healing caps, by then, their antibacterial properties were investigated using an in vitro oral biofilm by plate count method and confocal laser microscopy. The result of the counts, showed that the lower microbial load is observed in the caps coated with CuNps obtained by copper electroplating, it can be concluded, within the limitations of this study, that CuNps obtained by copper electroplating showed greater bactericidal effect that PVD methods, especially in periodontal pathogenic bacteria like P.gingivalis, and P. intermedia. More studies are necessary for corroborate this observation and better understand the reason why only CuNps obtained by certain methods were more bactericidal tan others and the reason why only some bacteria were affected. The antimicrobial properties exhibited by CuNps could be useful for develop anti-infective biomaterials become a strategy to control dental biofilm.


Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are characterized by a reduced ability to appropriately express social greetings. Studies have indicated that individuals with ASD might not recognize the crucial nonverbal cues that usually aid social interaction. This study applied augmented reality (AR) with tabletop role-playing game (AR-RPG) to focus on the standard nonverbal social cues to teach children with ASD, how to appropriately reciprocate when they socially interact with others. The results showed that intervention system provides an AR combined with physical manipulatives and presents corresponding specific elements in an AR 3D animation with dialogue; thus, it can be used to help them increase their social interaction skills and drive their attention toward the meaning and social value of greeting behavior in specific social situations. We conclude that AR-RPG of social situations helped children with ASD recognize and better understand these situations and moderately effective in teaching the target greeting responses.


The contributory factors to male homosexuals' (MH) involvement with mainstream newspapers reporting of homosexuality was observed on news content representation including the reporting criterion and its consistency to be reported to the audiences, triggering the public interest in receiving information and advocating themselves towards a guided living culture. This study was guided with two theories; (i) Uses and Gratifications Theory, and (ii) Social Judgment Theory following a series of content analysis on newspapers reporting of homosexuality that was conducted to understand how it was presented. Using a qualitative approach with phenomenology and popular culture paradigms, informants of male homosexuals from the non-governmental organization were selected randomly through the purposive and judgmental sampling strategies. All data were collected from in-depth interviews and content analysis procedures and analyzed by using thematic analysis and constant comparison strategy. It was disclosed such news reporting became a platform for the male homosexuals to be alert with current updates pertaining to homosexuality issues that established involvement. The inclination in getting involved among male homosexuals' readers with news reporting of homosexuality was also factored by the message conveyance on content delivery, news themes and overall reporting that strongly associated with the public awareness on issues of safe sex messages and crimes. In overall, this study had managed to observe on the role of mainstream mass media in Malaysia as a platform in disseminating the government agenda including to understand the possible factor that generated MH involvement as active audience affecting on their attitude and behavioral change induced by ego involvement.


Magnetic surveys carried out with an automatic caesium gradiometer in the 1980s suffer from systematic and unsystematic data errors. Recently-developed algorithms for restoring erroneous magnetic data allow postprocessing of the early surveys. The restored data are thereafter suitable for a 3D-modelling algorithm. The resulting model is used for 3D-interpretation and reconstruction of the respective monument. The processing is demonstrated on a circular ditch system dating from the Middle Neolithic period about 6500–6800 BP at Strogen/Austria. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


OBJECTIVE
To assess a commercially available point-of-care assay for measurement of bovine cardiac troponin I (cTnI) concentration in blood and plasma samples.

SAMPLE
Prepared bovine plasma standard samples with known concentrations (0 to 1.0 ng/mL) of cTnI and blood and plasma samples obtained from 28 healthy 2.5-month-old Holstein calves.

PROCEDURES
Coefficients of variation were calculated for concentrations of cTnI in prepared standards determined with the point-of-care assay, and values were compared with the known concentrations. The cTnI concentrations in blood samples obtained from calves determined with the point-of-care assay were compared with cTnI concentrations in plasma samples obtained from those animals determined with a validated immunoassay.

RESULTS
The coefficients of variation of cTnI concentrations determined for prepared standards by use of the point-of-care assay were low (< 20%) for standards with cTnI concentrations ≥ 0.025 ng/mL. The blood cTnI concentrations determined with the point-of-care assay were not significantly different from the plasma cTnI concentrations determined with the validated immunoassay.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Results of this study indicated the point-of-care assay had high precision for determination of cTnI concentrations in most evaluated prepared bovine plasma standard samples. The point-of-care assay may be useful for determination of circulating concentrations of cTnI in cattle.


This paper employs a new approach to regulate the blood glucose level of type I diabetic patient under an intensive insulin treatment. The closed-loop control scheme incorporates expert knowledge about treatment by using reinforcement learning theory to maintain the normoglycemic average of 80 mg/dl and the normal condition for free plasma insulin concentration in severe initial state. The insulin delivery rate is obtained off-line by using Q- learning algorithm, without requiring an explicit model of the environment dynamics. The implementation of the insulin delivery rate, therefore, requires simple function evaluation and minimal online computations. Controller performance is assessed in terms of its ability to reject the effect of meal disturbance and to overcome the variability in the glucose-insulin dynamics from patient to patient. Computer simulations are used to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed technique and to show its superiority in controlling hyperglycemia over other existing algorithms.


This work will discuss the major challenges facing transition economies restructuring their financial systems to integrate with world financial markets. Discussion will include the particular development of capital markets. Special attention is paid to the example of the Republic of Uzbekistan; the achievements to date and the challenges to come, including the development of securities markets and factors that will influence this. This work commences with a discussion on the importance of financial development on economic growth. The history of Uzbekistan's financial development is presented to clarify and illustrate the present situation. The work continues by highlighting some of the key decisions faced by the transitional economies and, again using the Uzbekistan situation as an example, the causes and effects of implementing such decisions. The work concludes by focusing on the issues surrounding the development of the capital market in Uzbekistan. The last part of the paper is experimental, concentrating on an investigation into the relationship between foreign exchange regimes and market capitalisation based on a thorough analysis of transition economies.


Water being a precious commodity for every person around the world needs to be quality monitored continuously for ensuring safety whilst usage. The water data collected from sensors in water plants are used for water quality assessment. The anomaly present in the water data seriously affects the performance of water quality assessment. Hence it needs to be addressed. In this regard, water data collected from sensors have been subjected to various anomaly detection approaches guided by Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning framework. Standard machine learning algorithms have been used extensively in water quality analysis and these algorithms in general converge quickly. Considering the fact that manual feature selection has to be done for ML algorithms, Deep Learning (DL) algorithm is proposed which involve implicit feature learning. A hybrid model is formulated that takes advantage of both and it is data invariant too. This novel Hybrid Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) approach is used to detect presence of anomalies in sensor collected water data. The experiment of the proposed CNN-ELM model is carried out using the publicly available dataset GECCO 2019. The findings proved that the model has improved the water quality assessment of the sensor water data collected by detecting the anomalies efficiently and achieves F1 score of 0.92. This model can be implemented in water quality assessment.


Increase in the global population growth has led to a simultaneous increased in demand for energy leading to increased fear of global warming. This situation has given the international community a cause for concern and as a result, countries are seeking alternative sources for cleaner and sustainable energy. The importance of utilising greener energy sources is evident in the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially Goal 7, Target 2. This study examined the long-run relationship between economic growth, sustainable energy and the different financing options for sustainable energy in Nigeria. The Johansen Cointegration test was utilised in order to achieve this objective. The findings showed that different sources of sustainable energy and the different types of financing employed in Nigeria have different effects on the economic growth of Nigeria. A long-run relationship amongst all three variables was also established. These findings are an indication that with the right policies, SDG 7 could be achieved.


Bronchoalveolar lavage has been widely used to sample the lower respiratory tract. Most of the material recovered with this technique represents alveolar contents. A number of modifications have been suggested in order to obtain samples relatively enriched for bronchial material. In order to be able to use a standard technique for bronchoalveolar lavage to sample both airways and "routine" alveolar material, a simple modification of the technique as described by Reynolds and Newball was used: five sequential 20-ml aliquots were infused into the lower respiratory tract, and each aliquot was immediately aspirated. The return from the first aliquot was processed separately from the return from the subsequent four aliquots. These last four aliquots were pooled. Analysis of the first aliquot revealed it to be enriched for ciliated epithelial cells when compared with the subsequent aliquots. There were also differences in inflammatory cell composition with the bronchial sample containing relatively more neutrophils and relatively less lymphocytes. Aspiration during transoral bronchoscopy was documented by quantifying salivary amylase in the bronchial and alveolar lavage fluids. It was estimated, however, that the aspiration was not of quantitative significance in the vast majority of subjects studied. Finally, with the technique of fractional processing of bronchoalveolar lavage samples, it was possible to compare the protein concentrations in bronchial and alveolar lavages. Most prominent among the differences was a marked relative enrichment in the bronchial samples for immunoglobulin A. The technique of fractional processing of bronchoalveolar lavage samples provides a simple means to obtain samples enriched for bronchial and alveolar components. This should facilitate analysis of lower respiratory tract specimens in airway disease.


DISCLAIMER This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. Printed in the United States of America Available from National Technical Information Service U.S. Department of Commerce 5285 Port Royal Road Springfield, VA 22161 NTIS price codes1 Printed copy: A02 Microfiche copy: AD1 1Codes are used for priCing all publications. The code is determined by the number of pages in the publication. Information pertaining to the pricing codes can be found in the current issues of the following publications, which are generally available in most libraries:


This study examines the differential impact of major bilateral trade flows on labour market inequality for the period 1983 to 2000. The focus is on the key trading partners of Malaysia, which are the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the United States of America and Japan. The paper finds that the direction of trade or rather the "whom†aspects of trade matter for inequality trends. There are striking differences on the labour market when export destinations are considered relative to import sources. The results suggest that an expansion in exports to countries that are relatively skilled labour abundant causes greater product market competition, thereby increasing the demand for skilled labour vis-a-vis unskilled labour in the domestic market. Inequality outcomes however do not differ with import source, as there is a general dampening effect of import expansion on the former in the short- and long run. The results clearly do not lend support to the widespread belief that imports from countries that are relatively skilled labour abundant reduce labour market inequality.


During evacuations, emergency managers and departments of transportation seek to facilitate the movement of citizens out of impacted or threatened areas. One strategy they may consider is crossing elimination, which prohibits certain movements at intersections, that may be permissible under normal operating conditions. A few previous studies examined this strategy in conjunction with contra-flow operations, but fewer have considered crossing elimination by itself. This study helps fill the existing gap in knowledge of the individual effects of crossing elimination. A bi-level model that iterates between optimization and simulation is developed to determine the optimal configuration of intersection movements from a set of pre-specified possible configurations for intersections in a given area. At the upper level, evacuees' travel time is minimized and at the lower level, traffic is assigned to the network with the traffic assignmentsimulation software DynusT. The overall model is solved with a simulated annealing heuristic and applied to a real case study to assess the impact of crossing elimination. Three scenarios are developed and examined using the solution method proposed in this research. These scenarios are developed using combinations of two elements: (1) Evacuee destination distributions, and (2) Evacuee departure time distributions. Results showed about 3-5 percent improvement in total evacuee travel time can be achieved in these scenarios. Availability of through movements at intersections and existing merging points in movement configurations are the two factors influencing the selection of movement configurations.


Cancer is a growing problem for human health world-wide. Dramatic breakthroughs have increased our understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the process of tumorigenesis, allowing us to develop more refined anti-cancer treatments, expanding the repertoire of available anti-cancer drugs, and increasing the efficiency of their delivery to malignant cells. Nevertheless, even with improved understanding of the complex origins of cancer cells, there is a dearth of efficient and above all specific anti-cancer treatments. Apoptin (viral protein 3 - VP3), a gene product derived from the Chicken Anaemia Virus (CAV) represents a novel anti-cancer tool. It appears to have innate tumour-specific p53-independent, Bcl-2-enhanced pro-apoptotic activity, and hence may be of great utility in the endeavour to achieve specific and efficient elimination of cancer cells, particularly in cases of drug resistance through Bcl-2 overexpression/loss of p53 function etc. This review will examine the unique aspects of apoptin's properties, and in particular, its ability to localise specifically in the nucleus of transformed but not normal cells. The latter ability, importantly, appears to be integrally related to its tumour-specific pro-apoptotic action.


We investigate the effects of resetting mechanisms on random processes that follow the telegrapher's equation instead of the usual diffusion equation. We thus study the consequences of a finite speed of signal propagation, the landmark of telegraphic processes. Likewise diffusion processes where signal propagation is instantaneous, we show that in telegraphic processes, where signal propagation is not instantaneous, random resettings also stabilize the random walk around the resetting position and optimize the mean first-arrival time. We also obtain the exact evolution equations for the probability density of the combined process and study the limiting cases.


Over the past decade, homicide law reform surrounding the partial defences to murder has animated debate among criminological scholars and legal stakeholders in Australia and the United Kingdom. In response to these debates, criminal jurisdictions have conducted reviews of the partial defences to murder and implemented reforms targeted at reducing gender bias in the law which has played out through the operation of the partial defence of provocation. This research examines the different approaches taken to addressing the problem posed by provocation in Victoria, New South Wales and England. In doing so, it explores questions around the need for reform to the law of homicide, the effects of these reforms in practice, and the influential role of sentencing in questions surrounding homicide law reform. Throughout the analysis key frameworks of criminological thought in relation to feminist engagements with the law, the conceptualisation of denial and the influence of law and order politics upon the development of criminal justice policy are applied. By drawing on 81 in-depth interviews conducted with legal stakeholders across the three jurisdictions under study, and an analysis of relevant case law, this research concludes that reforms implemented to counter gender bias in the operation of homicide law have produced mixed results in practice, particularly in connection to the law's response to three key categories of person in the courtroom: the jealous man, the female victim of homicide, and the battered woman.


Abstract:This article focuses on how the Lebanese government and political establishment reacted to two waves of protest movements that used slogans decrying the country's sectarian system of government. Much of the literature on Lebanon's power-sharing regime has focused on internal schisms and the challenges of mobilization against it, but little has been done to understand how it responds to anti-sectarian mobilization. I argue that the government and sectarian establishment employ co-optation, counter-narratives, and repression to demobilize protests that challenge the core pillars of sectarian representation.


Secure and efficient access authentication is one of the most important security requirements for vehicular networks, but it is difficult to fulfill due to potential security attacks and long authentication delay caused by high vehicle mobility, etc. Most of the existing authentication protocols, either do not consider attacks like single point of failure or do not focus on reducing authentication delay. To address these issues, we introduce an edge-assisted decentralized authentication (EADA) architecture, which provides secure and more communication-efficient authentication by enabling an authentication server to delegate its authentication capability to distributed edge nodes (ENs) such as roadside units (RSUs) and base stations (BSs). Under the architecture, we propose a threshold mutual authentication protocol that supports fast handover, which involves two scenarios, Auth-I and Auth-II. Auth-I only happens once when a vehicle tries to access the network for the first time, while Auth-II happens when a vehicle seamlessly roams between two ENs, i.e., handover. Specifically, for Auth-I, each vehicle can be cooperatively authenticated by $t$ out of $n$ ENs with identity-based signature techniques to obtain an authentication token and the involved ENs can be efficiently authenticated in a batch by the vehicle. For Auth-II, the vehicle can utilize the token as its private credential to achieve fast handover based on identity-based signature without interacting with multiple ENs, which further reduces the authentication delay significantly. In addition, we design a flexible method to support dynamic joining and leaving of ENs without the assistance of a trusted center. We demonstrate that the proposed protocol is secure and efficient through security analysis and performance evaluation.


Abstract Biogenetic biosilica displays intricate patterns that are structured on a nanometer-to-micrometer scale. At the nanoscale, it involves the polymerization products of silica, apparently mediated by the interaction between different biomolecules with special functional groups. In this paper, using tetraethyl orthosilicate [TEOS, Si(OCH2CH3)4] as a silica source, phospholipid (PL) and dodecylamine (DA) were introduced as model organic additives to investigate their influence on the formation and morphology of silica in the mineralization process. Morphology, structure, and composition of the products were characterized using a range of techniques including FESEM, TEM, SAXRD, TG-DTA, solid-state 29Si NMR, FTIR, and nitrogen physisorption. The FESEM and TEM analyses demonstrate that increasing PL concentrations at constant DA content leads to the formation of siliceous elongated structures. Localized enlargement can also be observed during further growth of elongated structures, displaying some features of the earliest recognizable stage of valve development in diatoms. In addition, in the presence or absence of PL, a series of control experiments using ammonia instead of DA show that no elongated structures are obtained, suggesting that the formation of elongated silica structures results from the cooperative interactions between PL and DA molecules. Because both organic amines (e.g., long-chain polyamines, LCPA) and phospholipid membranes (e.g., silicalemma) are of special importance for biosilicification in diatoms and sponges, our results imply that phospholipids are involved in the formation of organic aggregates, and thus influence the amines-mediated silica deposition. As such, our results may provide a new insight into the mechanism of biosilicification


Abstract The paper presents how the parameters defining the state of the atmosphere: pressure, temperature, humidity, are affecting performance of the aircraft turbine engines and their durability. Also negative impact of dust pollution level is considered as an important source of engine deterioration. Article highlights limitation of the aircraft takeoff weight (TOW) and requirements for length of the runways depending on weather condition changes. These problems stem from the growing "demand" of gas turbine engines for an air. The highest thrust engines have air mass flow more than 1000 kg/s. Engine inlet ice formation is presented as a result of weather conditions and inlet duct design features.


A systematic study of the colour reaction formed between iron (llI) and thiocyanate reagent has been carried out by using micro-scale spectrophotometric method. The optimized data resulted conditions in obtaining unusual highest sensitivity with molar absorption of 2.9565x104I/mol.cm at wavelength of maximum absorption 480 nm in 0.2-1.4 N nitric acid medium containing 60% acetone and 25,000 fold molar excess of the thiocyanate reagent. Beer's law is valid for 0.1-4.0 ppm of iron (llI). Sandell's sensitivity is 0.002 I¼g/cm2. Effects of reagent concentration, order of addition, stability, acidity, types of solvents and diverse ions are reported. It has been found to give accurate results of iron estimations in pharmaceutical preparations and mustard seeds. The proposed optimized method has highest sensitivity, unusual stability and simplicity in operation, without involving cumbersome extractive procedure. Further, the procedure has additional advantages of economy, safety and less time consuming with minimum waste disposal.


This paper shows that the Atlantic English-based Creoles share six features which are derivable neither from superstratal, substratal, nor universal influences, and therefore constitute idiosyncratic correspondences. The six features indicate that these Creoles all derive from a single ancestor of expanded structure, in contrast to the dominant polygenetic scenario under which the Atlantic English-based Creoles emerged, in essence, independently of one another in their respective locations. The findings have implications for all conceptions of creole genesis, in arguing for diffusion as a pivotal, rather than marginal factor. The features discussed are copulas da and de, pronoun unu, anterior marker bin, adverbial self and the obligative verb fu.


Introduction: Study approach is a concept about students' motivation on learning and the use of appropriate strategies. The different approaches of learning are superficial approach and a deep approach. Examination of students' study approaches has been a growing area of research in higher education to help identify students' strengths and weaknesses. It also provides teachers guidance for review, development of curriculum and teaching methodologies, most likely to support appropriate learning. Students in general, are expected to develop deep learning approach by adopting a deeper level processing, higher levels of critical thinking, and greater ability to engage in self-regulated learning. It becomes more important to know the approach used by postgraduate students, as they will be specializing in a particular subject. Therefore, the objective of this research was to assess the study motives and strategies adopted by postgraduate physiotherapy students. Materials and Methods: John Bigg's Revised Two Factor Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F) was administered to 40 postgraduate physiotherapy students. Questionnaire has two approaches: deep approach and superficial approach, each containing two subscales: motives and strategy. Results: The mean scores of the deep approach were higher than superficial approach. The data analysis showed that physiotherapy postgraduate students significantly adopted deep approach (p<0.000). They were found to have deep motives and strategies compared to that of superficial. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that postgraduate physiotherapy students prefer a deep study approach with deep motives and strategies. Keyword: Study Approach, R-SPQ-2F, Motives, Strategies, Physiotherapy, Postgraduate students


Recently, encodings in interaction nets of the call-by-name and call-by-value strategies of the $\lambda$-calculus have been proposed. The purpose of these encodings is to bridge the gap between interaction nets and traditional abstract machines, which are both used to provide lower-level specifications of strategies of the $\lambda$-calculus, but in radically different ways. The strength of these encodings is their simplicity, which comes from the simple idea of introducing an explicit syntactic object to represent the evaluation flow. Another benefit of this approach is that no artifact is needed to represent boxes. However, these encodings deliberately follow the implemented strategies (call-by-name and call-by-value) as closely as possible, and hence do not benefit from the ability of interaction nets to represent sharing easily. The aim of this paper is to show that better sharing (hence efficiency) can indeed be achieved without adding much structure. We thus present the call-by-need strategy following the same philosophy, which is, indeed, no more complicated than call-by-name. We also extend our approach to fully lazy reduction. This continues the task of bridging the gap between interaction nets and abstract machines, thus pushing forward a more uniform framework for implementations of the $\lambda$-calculus.


An attempt is made to validate an adaptation of Levelťs (1989) Speaking model to bilingual speakers. It is concluded that the best empirical evidence available at the moment comes from research on speech errors and code switching. Data from the latter source suggests that in word retrieval, 'language' serves as one of the cues for the selection of a specific lemma. Such cues can have more or less weight, and their impact will vary accordingly. Language choice in code switching can be regarded as the result of an interaction between communicative intentions and the information that is available in time during the production process. In order to arrive at a full-fledged model, observational data will have to be supplemented with experimental research using real-time techniques.


ABSTRACT In this study, it was investigated if student feedback promoted teachers' insight into where they could improve their lessons and their reflection on their lessons. It was also studied in what ways teachers worked on improvement, based on the student feedback, and whether it affected the quality of their teaching. Student perceptions of teaching quality were measured by means of a smartphone application for providing teachers with feedback on their lesson. Teachers in this study (N = 60) were randomly assigned to the control or experimental group. The smartphone application was used several times by teachers to obtain student feedback. The teachers reported that they gained insight into where they could improve their lessons. They reported improvement-oriented actions in response to the student feedback. According to students, teachers first slightly improved their teaching quality. However, teachers did not seem to reflect significantly more on their lessons and their improvement did not sustain. Explanations for the findings are discussed and suggestions for future research are presented.


The Bcl-2 family of proteins controls a critical step in commitment to apoptosis by regulating permeabilization of the mitochondrial outer membrane (MOM). The family is divided into three classes: multiregion proapoptotic proteins that directly permeabilize the MOM; BH3 proteins that directly or indirectly activate the pore-forming class members; and the antiapoptotic proteins that inhibit this process at several steps. Different experimental approaches have led to several models, each proposed to explain the interactions between Bcl-2 family proteins. The discovery that many of these interactions occur at or in membranes as well as in the cytoplasm, and are governed by the concentrations and relative binding affinities of the proteins, provides a new basis for rationalizing these models. Furthermore, these dynamic interactions cause conformational changes in the Bcl-2 proteins that modulate their apoptotic function, providing additional potential modes of regulation.


Adaptive learning refers to technologies that dynamically adjust to the level or type of course content based on an individual's abilities or skill attainment, in ways that accelerate a learner's performance with both automated and instructor interventions. This column explores adaptive learning, its close relationship to artificial intelligence, and points to several results from artificial intelligence that have been used to build effective adaptive learning systems. The pairing of massive open online courses and adaptive learning has revealed new technical and pedagogical challenges that are currently being explored in various research projects.


To understand the role of chief knowledge officer (CKO) and the evolving practice of knowledge management (KM), the authors studied twenty CKOs in North America and Europe using face-to-face interviews, and a personality assessment questionnaire. All CKOs were first incumbents, most having been on the job less than two years.
Appointed by CEOs more through intuition and instinct than through analysis or strategic logic, the CKOs had to discover and develop the CEO's implicit vision of how KM would make a difference.

The CKOs agreed that knowledge is a necesssary and sustainable source of competitive advantage and that companies are not good at managing either explicit knowledge (expressed in words or numbers and shared as scientific formulas, codified procedures, or universal principles) or tacit knowledge (personal, experiential, context specific, and hard to formalize).

CKOs have two principal design competencies: they are technologists (able to understand which technologies can contribute to capturing, storing, exploring, and sharing knowledge) and environmentalists (able to create social environments that stimulate and facilitate arranged and chance conversations or able to develop events and processes to encourage deliberate knowledge creation and exchange).

As self-starters and risk takers, these CKOs are entrepreneurs who can strategize about transforming the corporation through KM and are driven by building something and seeing it through. By matching new ideas with the business needs of their constituencies, the CKOs are also consultants, trafficking in ideas that fit the corporation's knowledge vision.

Breadth of career experience, familiarity with their organizations, and infectious enthusiasm for their mission are characteristic of these CKOs. The personality characteristics and competencies of these CKOs are unusual and distinctive. They need to be sociable and energetic yet tolerant and pragmatic. Finding the right person is at least as important as deciding to create the CKO role.

Two critical success factors have emerged: the need for organizational slack time (for thinking, dreaming, talking, and selling) and high-level sponsorship beyond visible CEO support. The CKO must make senior executives and prominent line managers believe in KM ? a goal that is indivisible from winning and retaining personal trust.


A CMOS/SOI circuit to decode Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) signals is presented as part of a body-implanted neurostimulator for visual prosthesis. Since encoded data is the sole input to the circuit, the decoding technique is based on a novel double-integration concept and does not require low-pass filtering. Non-overlapping control phases are internally derived from the incoming pulses and a fast-settling comparator ensures good discrimination accuracy in the megahertz range. The circuit was integrated on a 2 mum single-metal thin-film CMOS/SOI fabrication process and has an effective area of 2 mm(2). Measured resolution of encoding parameter a is better than 10% at 6 MHz and V-DD = 3.3 V. Idle-mode consumption is 340 LW. Pulses of frequencies up to 15 MHz and alpha = 10% can be discriminated for 2.3 V less than or equal to V-DD less than or equal to 3.3 V. Such an excellent immunity to V-DD deviations meets a design specification with respect to inherent coupling losses on transmitting data and power by means of a transcutaneous link.