Regulatory pathways inside living cells employ feed-forward architectures to fulfill essential signal processing functions that aide in the interpretation of various types of inputs through noise-filtering, fold-change detection and adaptation. Although it has been demonstrated computationally that a coherent feed-forward loop (CFFL) can function as noise filter, a property essential to decoding complex temporal signals, this motif has not been extensively characterized experimentally or integrated into larger networks. Here we use post-transcriptional regulation to implement and characterize a synthetic CFFL in an Escherichia coli cell-free transcription-translation system and build larger composite feed-forward architectures. We employ microfluidic flow reactors to probe the response of the CFFL circuit using both persistent and short, noise-like inputs and analyze the influence of different circuit components on the steady-state and dynamics of the output. We demonstrate that our synthetic CFFL implementation can reliably repress background activity compared to a reference circuit, but displays low potential as a temporal filter, and validate these findings using a computational model. Our results offer practical insight into the putative noise-filtering behavior of CFFLs and show that this motif can be used to mitigate leakage and increase the fold-change of the output of synthetic genetic circuits.


SUMMARY Hen erythrocytes that were fixed after treatment with lysolecithin in aqueous solution for 30 s at 37 °C showed evidence of bridge formation between adjacent lysed cells. Generally, the homokaryons that were produced using lysolecithin in this way contained large numbers of nuclei. These giant syncytia had damaged nuclear membranes and unstable plasma membranes; complete disintegration of the syncytia occurred within 1 min of adding lysolecithin to the erythrocytes. In order to localize the action of lysolecithin, the fusing agent was incorporated into microdroplets of lipid. Cell fusion following the addition of lysolecithin in an aqueous glyceridelecithin emulsion was slower than with lysolecithin in aqueous solution, taking 10-30 min, and it was accompanied by considerably less damage to the plasma and nuclear membranes. The fused erythrocytes, which usually contained only two or three nuclei, lysed slowly during the 45 min following fusion, and lysis could be arrested by cooling the fused cells. The plasma membranes of lysed, multinucleated cells remained intact at 37 °C for at least 90 h. Mouse fibroblast-hen erythrocyte heterokaryons formed with the aid of the emulsion were more stable than those produced with lysolecithin in solution, but the hybrid cells nevertheless had damaged subcellular organelles. Viable clones of hybrid mouse-hamster fibroblast cells were obtained using the emulsion although, possibly owing to reduced viability of the lysolecithin-treated cells, only at twice the frequency of spontaneously produced hybrids.


ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that causes nosocomial infections in intensive care units. Determining a system of typing that is discriminatory is essential for epidemiological surveillance of P. aeruginosa. We developed a method for the typing of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, namely, multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat (VNTR) typing with high-resolution melting analysis (HRMA). The technology was used to genotype a collection of 43 environmental and clinical strains isolated during an outbreak in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) that we report. Nineteen strains isolated in other departments or outside the hospital were also tested. The genetic diversity of this collection was determined using VNTR-HRMA, with amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis as a reference. Twenty-five and 28 genotypes were identified, respectively, and both techniques produced congruent data. VNTR-HRMA established clonal relationships between the strains of P. aeruginosa isolated during the outbreak in the NICU and proved, for the first time, the role of mineral water as the inoculum source. VNTR typing with one primer pair in association with HRMA is highly reproducible and discriminative, easily portable among laboratories, fast, and inexpensive, and it demonstrated excellent typeability in this study. VNTR-HRMA represents a promising tool for the molecular surveillance of P. aeruginosa and perhaps for molecular epidemiologic analysis of other hospital infections.


Counterproductive work behaviours (CWB) are discretionary behaviours that violate organizational rules thus endangering the well-being of the organization and its members. Workplace deviance is a pervasive and expansive problem for the organizations and, consequently, it has become increasingly important to managers and organizational scholars. This study intends to clarify the roles of job dissatisfaction and organizational injustice perceptions in predicting counterproductive work behaviours. Drawing on theoretical bases, the author compared three possible models using structural equation modelling: full mediation (job dissatisfaction mediates the injustice-CWB relationship), partial mediation (direct and indirect relationship - through job dissatisfaction - between injustice and CWB) and independent effects model (job dissatisfaction and injustice are separate predictors of CWB). The results show greatest support for the second model where job dissatisfaction is a partial mediator of the injustice-CWB relationship. The article considers in particular the implications of the results for research and managerial practices and proposes suggestions for theory development.


Abstract This article examples the class and gender politics of theater reform in Boston, MA and Providence, RI of the 1820s-1840s focused on the third tier and sex work or prostitution in theaters. Both regulatory campaigns and Christian or moral reform mobilized constructions of the prostitute as predator while encouraging new policing of working women.


Hydrogen storage by calcium nitride or magnesium nitride has been undertaken by the use of ammonia, in which the possibility of ammonia as a vector for hydrogen carriers has been studied. When the calcium imide ornitride obtained by thermal decomposition of calcium amide dispersed on active carbon (AC) was brought into contact with ammonia gas (300 Torr) at room temperature, NH3 uptake readily occurred. When the sample after NH3 uptake was heated, the absorbed ammonia was released in the form of hydrogen and nitrogen. The ammonia is possibly absorbed in the form of the decomposed state in the imide ornitride. This type of hydrogen storage has been extensively studied and characterized.For magnesium nitride, ammonia was absorbed and desorbed without the decomposition.


Education is continues process thus anytime anywhere access to it is the requirement of the generation. Education in the twenty-first century is the center from which all changes and developments arise. Information technology in education needs a culture. This culture needs to be learned along with the use of hardware resources. Education should meet the needs of learners and therefore IT plays vital role in meeting this need. In todays time technological literacy is need of the time for an individual to stand in the society. Technology makes learning easy with the use of variety of learning resources. In this paper we are going to study the need and importance of information technology in education and to understand the benefits of technology in education.


Urinary hepcidin, inflammation, and iron metabolism were examined during the 24 hr after exercise. Eight moderately trained athletes (6 men, 2 women) completed a 60-min running trial (15-min warm-up at 75-80% HR(peak) + 45 min at 85-90% HR(peak)) and a 60-min trial of seated rest in a randomized, crossover design. Venous blood and urine samples were collected pretrial, immediately posttrial, and at 3, 6, and 24 hr posttrial. Samples were analyzed for interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), serum iron, serum ferritin, and urinary hepcidin. The immediate postrun levels of IL-6 and 24-hr postrun levels of CRP were significantly increased from baseline (6.9 and 2.6 times greater, respectively) and when compared with the rest trial (p < or = .05). Hepcidin levels in the run trial after 3, 6, and 24 hr of recovery were significantly greater (1.7-3.1 times) than the pre- and immediate postrun levels (p < or = .05). This outcome was consistent in all participants, despite marked variation in the magnitude of rise. In addition, the 3-hr postrun levels of hepcidin were significantly greater than at 3 hr in the rest trial (3.0 times greater, p < or = .05). Hepcidin levels continued to increase at 6 hr postrun but failed to significantly differ from the rest trial (p = .071), possibly because of diurnal influence. Finally, serum iron levels were significantly increased immediately postrun (1.3 times, p < or = .05). The authors concluded that high-intensity exercise was responsible for a significant increase in hepcidin levels subsequent to a significant increase in IL-6 and serum iron.


Using an IT based portable group support system such as Teamworker can transform a revision session from a place where a teacher delivers information to a place where students engage with one another to solve problems, discuss a topic and actively engage in the learning and revision process. The Teamworker system consists of a set of individual wireless handsets: each with numeric keypad, 2 line LCD display and radio transmitter. The other part of the system comprises a radio receiver linked to a PC, connected to a video projector. The handsets enable students to respond to the questions displayed by the video projector. Individual responses can be recorded and the group responses displayed back to the class in the form of an anonymous bar or pie chart. One study in the University of Portsmouth Business School used the system to help prepare students for an end of unit examination in Business Information Systems for a cohort of 300 students. The students, working in small groups answered a number of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs). A question was displayed, the students discussed and agreed their answer, and then transmitted the numerical value representing the answer. The group responses were then displayed. Where the student groups returned a range of answers, or the majority returned a wrong answer, a group discussion followed as to what was the right answer. When the lecturer considered it appropriate the correct answer was displayed and the reason explained, generating further discussion. At each Teamworker session the performance of individual groups could be monitored and poorly performing groups could be identified for additional tutorial support. Students reported, via a questionnaire, that they had enjoyed the revision session and found it useful. They particularly liked the instant feedback of answers and the chance to discuss straight away those things they did not understand. Other students identified that the session helped them recognise those areas that they needed to concentrate on in terms of their revision. As one student said 'It made learning and revision more fun – when people enjoy learning, they will learn more'.


Previous work has shown that stimulation of APCs via CD40 strongly influences the outcome of a CD8 T cell response. In this study, we examined the effect of CD40 ligation on peripheral tolerance induction of self-reactive CD8 T cells in an adoptive transfer model. Naive CD8 T cells from TCR-transgenic (tg) mice specific for the gp33 epitope of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus were tolerized when transferred into H8-tg mice expressing the gp33 epitope under the control of a MHC class I promoter. However, if the H8 recipient mice were treated with agonistic anti-CD40 Abs, TCR-tg cells vigorously proliferated, and induced destruction of lymphoid organs and hepatitis. Break of peripheral tolerance induction was B cell independent and did not require CD28/B7 interactions. These findings provide further in vivo evidence for the crucial role of the activation state of the APC in peripheral tolerance induction and suggest the need for caution in systemically activating APC via CD40 ligation in the presence of self-reactive T cells. The Journal of Immunology, 2002, 168: 5124–5129.


Due to globalization growth, learning a second language is a necessity to develop in an increasingly demanding multicultural environment. However, at present we still find that some traditional methodologies are still being applied for teaching, which represents a problem for current students, also called digital natives, because these methodologies should adapt to this digital age of technology and knowledge. To solve this problem, a digital resource for foreign language learning was developed taking into account competitiveness and gamification as bases to motivate students and engage them into the course. The objective of this tool is to improve the processing of theoretical information obtained making use of a virtual environment which has competitive activities and gamification elements such as: obtaining medals for completing tasks, user's progress bar and ranking according to the scores obtained, so that students are motivated and improve their learning. This research seeks to analyze the effects of applying competitiveness and gamification in a virtual environment aimed at foreign language learning. It was found that 81.03% of students are more inclined to use gamified digital tools and also 82.76% of students feel more motivated to learn a second language using this methodology. Keywords—Gamification, Competitiveness, Gamified Platform, Foreign Language Learning, Educational Technology.


Since the introduction of deep learning, a wide scope of representation properties, such as decorrelation, whitening, disentanglement, rank, isotropy, and mutual information, have been studied to improve the quality of representation. However, manipulating such properties can be challenging in terms of implementational effectiveness and general applicability. To address these limitations, we propose to regularize von Neumann entropy (VNE) of representation. First, we demonstrate that the mathematical formulation of VNE is superior in effectively manipulating the eigenvalues of the representation autocorrelation matrix. Then, we demonstrate that it is widely applicable in improving state-of-the-art algorithms or popular benchmark algorithms by investigating domain-generalization, meta-learning, self-supervised learning, and generative models. In addition, we formally establish theoretical connections with rank, disentanglement, and isotropy of representation. Finally, we provide discussions on the dimension control of VNE and the relationship with Shannon entropy. Code is available at: https://github.com/jaeill/CVPR23-VNE.


Rationale: Patients without a known history of lung disease presenting with a spontaneous pneumothorax are generally diagnosed as having primary spontaneous pneumothorax. However, occult diffuse cystic lung diseases such as Birt‐Hogg‐Dubé syndrome (BHD), lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), and pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis (PLCH) can also first present with a spontaneous pneumothorax, and their early identification by high‐resolution computed tomographic (HRCT) chest imaging has implications for subsequent management. Objectives: The objective of our study was to evaluate the cost‐effectiveness of HRCT chest imaging to facilitate early diagnosis of LAM, BHD, and PLCH. Methods: We constructed a Markov state‐transition model to assess the cost‐effectiveness of screening HRCT to facilitate early diagnosis of diffuse cystic lung diseases in patients presenting with an apparent primary spontaneous pneumothorax. Baseline data for prevalence of BHD, LAM, and PLCH and rates of recurrent pneumothoraces in each of these diseases were derived from the literature. Costs were extracted from 2014 Medicare data. We compared a strategy of HRCT screening followed by pleurodesis in patients with LAM, BHD, or PLCH versus conventional management with no HRCT screening. Measurements and Main Results: In our base case analysis, screening for the presence of BHD, LAM, or PLCH in patients presenting with a spontaneous pneumothorax was cost effective, with a marginal cost‐effectiveness ratio of $1,427 per quality‐adjusted life‐year gained. Sensitivity analysis showed that screening HRCT remained cost effective for diffuse cystic lung diseases prevalence as low as 0.01%. Conclusions: HRCT image screening for BHD, LAM, and PLCH in patients with apparent primary spontaneous pneumothorax is cost effective. Clinicians should consider performing a screening HRCT in patients presenting with apparent primary spontaneous pneumothorax.


Background The frequency of heart failure (HF) in Tunisia is on the rise and has now become a public health concern. This is mainly due to an aging Tunisian population (Tunisia has one of the oldest populations in Africa as well as the highest life expectancy in the continent) and an increase in coronary artery disease and hypertension. However, no extensive data are available on demographic characteristics, prognosis, and quality of care of patients with HF in Tunisia (nor in North Africa). Objective The aim of this study was to analyze, follow, and evaluate patients with HF in a large nation-wide multicenter trial. Methods A total of 1700 patients with HF diagnosed by the investigator will be included in the National Tunisian Registry of Heart Failure study (NATURE-HF). Patients must visit the cardiology clinic 1, 3, and 12 months after study inclusion. This follow-up is provided by the investigator. All data are collected via the DACIMA Clinical Suite web interface. Results At the end of the study, we will note the occurrence of cardiovascular death (sudden death, coronary artery disease, refractory HF, stroke), death from any cause (cardiovascular and noncardiovascular), and the occurrence of a rehospitalization episode for an HF relapse during the follow-up period. Based on these data, we will evaluate the demographic characteristics of the study patients, the characteristics of pathological antecedents, and symptomatic and clinical features of HF. In addition, we will report the paraclinical examination findings such as the laboratory standard parameters and brain natriuretic peptides, electrocardiogram or 24-hour Holter monitoring, echocardiography, and coronarography. We will also provide a description of the therapeutic environment and therapeutic changes that occur during the 1-year follow-up of patients, adverse events following medical treatment and intervention during the 3- and 12-month follow-up, the evaluation of left ventricular ejection fraction during the 3- and 12-month follow-up, the overall rate of rehospitalization over the 1-year follow-up for an HF relapse, and the rate of rehospitalization during the first 3 months after inclusion into the study. Conclusions The NATURE-HF study will fill a significant gap in the dynamic landscape of HF care and research. It will provide unique and necessary data on the management and outcomes of patients with HF. This study will yield the largest contemporary longitudinal cohort of patients with HF in Tunisia. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03262675; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03262675 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/12262


Research Summary

This study examined the DNA forensic testing outcomes from 894 previously untested sexual assault kits (SAKs) from Detroit, Michigan. At issue was how many of these SAKs would produce DNA profiles eligible for upload into CODIS (Combined DNA Index System), the national forensic DNA database maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and then how many would produce CODIS hits (DNA matches) to other crimes. Fifty-four percent of the SAKs associated with stranger-perpetrated sexual assaults yielded CODIS-eligible DNA profiles, producing 156 CODIS hits (DNA matches) and 51 hits matched prior sexual assault offenses in CODIS (i.e., serial sexual assault hit). Forty percent of the SAKs from nonstranger rapes had CODIS-eligible profiles, producing 103 CODIS hits and 18 serial sexual assault hits. CODIS entry rates and CODIS hit rates were equivalent between stranger and nonstranger SAKs; serial sexual assault hit rates were significantly higher for stranger SAKs.

Policy Implications

These results highlight the importance of testing both stranger and nonstranger SAKs as they have an equivalent likelihood of producing CODIS hits. The findings do not support policy recommendations that stranger-perpetrated SAKs should have testing priority over nonstranger SAKs. Prioritizing stranger SAKs may have unintended negative consequences on the utility of CODIS by limiting the number and type of eligible DNA profiles that are referenced in the federal DNA database.


This work addresses the problem of semantic image segmentation of nighttime scenes. Although considerable progress has been made in semantic image segmentation, it is mainly related to daytime scenarios. This paper proposes a novel method to progressive adapt the semantic models trained on daytime scenes, along with large-scale annotations therein, to nighttime scenes via the bridge of twilight time — the time between dawn and sunrise, or between sunset and dusk. The goal of the method is to alleviate the cost of human annotation for nighttime images by transferring knowledge from standard daytime conditions. In addition to the method, a new dataset of road scenes is compiled; it consists of 35,000 images ranging from daytime to twilight time and to nighttime. Also, a subset of the nighttime images are densely annotated for method evaluation. Our experiments show that our method is effective for knowledge transfer from daytime scenes to nighttime scenes, without human annotation.


Innate T cells (ITCs), including invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells, mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells, and γδ T cell populations, use conserved antigen receptors generated by somatic recombination to respond to non-peptide antigens in an innate-like manner. Understanding where these cells fit in the scheme of immunity has been a puzzle since their discovery. Here, immunophenotyping of 101 individuals revealed that these populations account for as much as 25% of peripheral human T cells. To better understand these cells, we generated detailed gene expression profiles using low-input RNA-seq and confirmed key findings through protein-level and functional validation. Unbiased transcriptomic analyses revealed a continuous 'innateness gradient' with adaptive T cells at one end followed by MAIT, iNKT, Vδ1+ T, Vδ2+ T, and natural killer cells at the other end. Innateness was characterized by decreased expression of translational machinery genes and reduced proliferative potential, which allowed for prioritization of effector functions, including rapid cytokine and chemokine production, and cytotoxicity. Thus, global transcriptional programs uncovered rapid proliferation and rapid effector functions as competing goals that respectively define adaptive and innate states. One Sentence Summary Adaptive and innate T cells align along a continuous innateness gradient, reflecting a trade-off between effector function and proliferative capacity.


Many new deepwater, subsalt Gulf of Mexico developments are afflicted by poor imaging caused by the complex nature of their salt overburdens. The Atlantis Field is an example; a poor image of its northern flank hindered development. The ocean-bottom seismic (OBS) autonomous node method was applied with the goal of substantially improving the subsalt reservoir image.


PURPOSE. To evaluate a review process for identifying marginal performers among students in a clerkship. METHOD. To better identify the marginal performers among the students participating in the medicine clerkship at the University of Minnesota Medical School–Minneapolis, the Medicine Clerkship Committee reviewed in 1990–91 and 1991–92 all students rated by faculty or housestaff as below expectations for any of nine areas of clinical performance (27 students of 890, 3%). (In the past, a student was considered to be a marginal performer only if he or she was assigned an unsatisfactory numerical grade, calculated from the nine ratings, or if written comments by housestaff and faculty and the opinions of the attending faculty and clerkship site coordinator indicated that the student should fail.) Chi-square analysis was used to compare the number of students judged to be marginal performers under the review process with the number of marginal performers in 1988–89 and 1989–90. The two groups were also compared based on their preclerkship performances on standardized examinations. RESULTS. Ten of those reviewed (37%) were judged to have performed marginally. Although the study group's performance on standardized examinations was not different from that of students during the previous two years, significantly fewer students were identified as marginal performers before the review process began than afterwards (2 of 867, 0.2%, versus 10 of 890, 1.1%, p < .05). CONCLUSION. Without changing the way in which faculty and housestaff evaluated students, the review process improved the medicine clerkship evaluation system by identifying significantly more students who were marginal performers.


Machine learning has become prevalent across a wide variety of applications. Unfortunately, machine learning has also shown to be susceptible to deception, leading to errors, and even fatal failures. This circumstance calls into question the widespread use of machine learning, especially in safety-critical applications, unless we are able to assure its correctness and trustworthiness properties. Software verification and testing are established technique for assuring such properties, for example by detecting errors. However, software testing challenges for machine learning are vast and profuse - yet critical to address. This summary talk discusses the current state-of-the-art of software testing for machine learning. More specifically, it discusses six key challenge areas for software testing of machine learning systems, examines current approaches to these challenges and highlights their limitations. The paper provides a research agenda with elaborated directions for making progress toward advancing the state-of-the-art on testing of machine learning.


Abstract This study investigated the effectiveness of the proprietary laser methane detector (LMD) in enteric methane monitoring from individual dairy cows and sheep. Three experiments were carried out. First, the relationship between LMD and indirect open-circuit respiration calorimetric chamber measurements was tested. Sensitivity and specificity for cows were 95.4% and 96.5%. For sheep, sensitivity was 93.8% and specificity was 78.7%. Second, the effect of cow's activity on enteric methane emissions was investigated. During drinking and feeding, cows produced significantly more (p<0.001) methane emissions than when idle. Third, effect of different micrometeorological factors on LMD measurements under outdoor grazing conditions was investigated. Wind speed, relative humidity, pressure and wind direction relative to methane point-source had significant effect on methane measurements (p<0.001) under outdoor conditions. With further validation, the LMD has potential to provide reliable estimates from ruminants and hence provide a useful technique for on-farm monitoring and decision support for greenhouse gas mitigation strategies.


This article reports on a project that employed narrative inquiry captured on film to explore the creative practices of five mature graduates. They had previously been mature students and continued to work within their various communities after they had left formal education. The participants were asked to describe their creative practice and its impact on other people through interviews and presentation. A researcher with help from a professional filmmaker carried out the project. From the initial footage, three polished, edited versions of the films were made. The participants could use the films to promote their own work if they so wished.
Narrative inquiry is a means of seeing the connections between significant incidents and longer-term impact beyond formal education. The film footage was able to capture the connectivity between formal education, the participants and the people who had been touched by their creative practices. It successfully gave a narrative coherence to the participants' stories. Where appropriate, the visual aspects of creativity were captured, in this case, the participants all had a creative practice and the visual realm was an important part of their stories. The findings of the project were that the participants had some shared values about the importance of creative education. They all developed portfolio careers in order to carry on their creative work. All the participants were able to give examples of particular instances where their creative practice had had an impact on other people. In other words, adult learning does not just influence the individual but can have a wider and longer-term impact on others.


Data from three waves of the Indonesia Family Life Survey (IFLS) are used to examine follow-up and attrition in the context of a large scale panel survey conducted in a low-income setting. Household-level attrition between the baseline and first follow-up four years later is less than 6 percent; the cumulative attrition between the baseline and second follow-up after a five-year hiatus is 5 percent. Attrition is low in the IFLS because movers are followed: around 12 percent of households that were interviewed in the first follow-up had moved from their location at baseline. About half of those households were "local movers." The other half, many of whom had moved to a new province, were interviewed during a second sweep through the study areas ("second tracking"). Regression analyses indicate that in terms of household-level characteristics at baseline, households interviewed during second tracking are very similar to those not interviewed in the follow-up surveys. Local movers are more similar to the households found in the baseline location in the follow-ups. The results suggest that the information content of households interviewed during second tracking is probably high. The cost of following those respondents is relatively modest in the IFLS. Although the analytical value of reinterviewing movers will vary depending on the specifics of the research, we conclude that, in general, tracking movers is a worthwhile investment in longitudinal household surveys conducted in settings where communication infrastructure is limited.


A methodology is presented for estimating the wireless body electrode (WE) positions and for calculating the linear transformations that enable the synthesis of a 12-lead ECG or a multichannel ECG from three WEs, which in turn simplifies and improves the acquisition of ECGs. We present, compare, and evaluate three approaches to the synthesis: fully personalized, fully universal, and combined with universal leads and personalized transformations. The evaluation results show that WEs are an acceptable alternative to the standard 12-lead ECG device for patients with chronic myocardial ischemia, if either the fully personalized or combined approach is used. The median correlation coefficients are all higher than 0.94 and 0.92 for the fully personalized and combined approaches, respectively. The corresponding kappa and percentual diagnostic agreements between the synthesized and target 12-lead ECGs are 0.88 (95%) and 0.83 (92%), respectively. The evaluation additionally shows that the personalization of the transformations has more impact on the quality of the synthesized ECGs than the personalization of the WEs' positions.


A‐to‐I RNA editing is a modification process in which an Adenosine is edited to an Inosine post‐transcriptionally by the ADAR family of enzymes. ADARs are adenosine deaminases that act on RNA. At this time we are trying to locate specific RNA editing sites in the cacophony calcium channel of three insect species to determine if RNA editing has any effect on transcriptional products. We are going to be performing comparative analysis using RT‐PCR to map any similarities or differences in RNA editing sites between insects. To find editing sites we purify RNA from insect brains, and perform RT‐PCR, then sequence our products. To ensure that we find editing sites and not polymorphisms we compare our sequence to DNA sequences when possible. We will be comparing the editing sites that we find with four known editing sites in the cacophony channel of Drosophila. At this time we have completed the first set of RT‐PCR and are in the process of analyzing the data. The plans for our research are to determine RNA editing sites, and once located, determine the amino acid change(s) that occurs, and the possible conformational changes in the protein that may result. The long term goal for this project is to take advantage of the change in protein conformation and work on designing more specific pesticides.


This paper focuses on the application of Taguchi method for optimization of SUS440 stainless steel polishing process parameters to obtain the best finish. An optimization experiment for polishing stainless steel with SiO2 was designed by Taguchi method. Surface roughness Ra is considered as criteria for optimization. Influence of parameters involving load, speed, and slurry concentration for a given workmaterial with given abrasive (material and size) are discussed, and the optimum polishing conditions are figured out. Compared with single parameter experimental results, it illustrates that the experiment design based on Taguchi method can successfully applied to determine the optimum processing conditions for SUS440 stainless steel polishing process.


Rhegmatogenous * retinal detachment, retinal breaks, developmental abnormalities, degeneration of the peripheral retina, juxtapapillary staphyloma, chorioretinal dysplasia, and retinoschisis have been described in several breeds of dog.1-5To determine whether clinically detectable changes in the vitreous body are related to these conditions, the vitreous cavities of 24 affected collies were examined in detail. This paper is a description of the biomicroscopic findings and their correlation with the fundus abnormalities previously reported in these animals.1 Materials and Methods The collies, 9 males and 15 females, ranged in age from 5 months to 4 years. A complete fundus drawing was made of each of the 48 eyes and was used as a guide for study of the vitreous with the Zeiss Opton slit lamp and a three-mirror contact lens. When a small palpebral fissure precluded the use of the standard three-mirror lens, an especially designed contact lens with an adjustable mirror


Complement activation with pneumococcal antigens was studied both in vitro and after injection of the antigens into rats. Whole pneumococci of various serotypes activated C3-C9 in rat serum treated with ethyleneglycol-bis (,f-aminoethyl ether)-N,N'-tetraacetic acid, although serotypes differed greatly in the extent of activation. Some purified pneumococcal capsular polysaccharides also activated C3-C9 in rat serum, but only when the antigens were present in concentrations of 500 to 1,000 ,ug/ml. Much of the activation with capsular polysaccharides was eliminated by the use of ethyleneglycol-bis (f8-aminoethyl ether)-N,N'-tetraacetic acid. Activation of C3-C9 by capsular polysaccharides did not correlate with the level of reactivity observed with whole organisms of the same serotypes. After injection of 5 x 109 pneumococci (type 3 or type 4) intravenously into rats, there was a transient decline in serum C3-C9 activity, but there was no decline in C3-C9 levels after intravenous injection of 1,000 ,tg of type 3 or type 4 capsular polysaccharides. As determined by immunofluorescence, circulating capsular polysaccharide was deposited in several tissues, including the vascular endothelium and glomerular mesangium of the kidney. C3 was not detectable in these deposits, and there was no histological evidence of an inflammatory response. Capsular polysaccharides appear to be only weak activators of complement. Other pneumococcal antigens may be more important in the pathogenesis of hypocomplementemia in pneumococcal infection.


the after an ischemic δ T cells can the outcome after and eliminating γ / δ T cells with an antibody effectively reduces infarct volumes. Moreover, the data suggest that interleukin-17 secreted by γ / δ T cells is part of a chemokine cascade that eventually attracts neutrophils to the ischemic lesion and interfering with the signals can be beneficial in stroke. RCTs will have to confirm or refute this observation. When comparing different revascularization methods, the ICSS showed a strong cognitive trend in favor of endarterectomy over stenting. During endarterectomy, high-intensity transient signals on Doppler and postopera-tive hyperperfusion, but not perioperative diffusion-weighted imaging lesions, predict worse cognitive outcome. When comparing different revascularization methods, the ICSS showed a strong cognitive trend in favor of endarterectomy over stenting. facilitate a unified approach toward the complexity of SVD and its interactions with degenerative brain diseases. Additional progress can be expected from new pathophysiologic concepts, novel structural and functional MRI techniques, and ultra-high-field MRI. The recently completed Secondary Prevention of Small Subcortical Strokes (SPS3) trial represents a major step toward targeted therapeutic approaches and optimized preventive strategies in SVD. Major challenges ahead include the improvement of diagnostic tools and the development of novel therapeutic targets that need to be informed by pathomecha-nistic studies.


This article focuses on the Israeli ethno-religious party Shas and its role in the Israeli social and political structure. It is argued that while Shas functions successfully in Israel's Western-style political system, it does so as a more typical "Middle Eastern" party. Thus understanding the context within which Shas operates and its relation to political and societal divisions offers an insight into Israeli society and its political system.


OBJECTIVE--To determine whether atrial myxomas express antigens suggesting a neural origin. DESIGN--A retrospective analysis based on immunohistochemical examination of myxoma tissue. SETTING--Atrial myxomas excised by two tertiary referral cardiothoracic surgical units. SUBJECTS--24 excised atrial myxomas. Three were from known cases of familial myxoma syndrome. METHODS--Immunohistochemical identifications of three neuroendocrine markers (protein gene product (PGP) 9.5, neurone specific enolase (NSE), synaptophysin) and S100 antigen; CD34 and von Willebrand factor; and chi smooth muscle actin to identify possible Schwann cell differentiation, endothelial cells, and smooth muscle cells respectively. RESULTS--The myxoma cells were PGP 9.5 positive in 18, S100 positive in 16, and NSE positive in 12. Of the 12 NSE positive myxomas seven were synaptophysin positive. All tumours that were NSE positive were also S100 and PGP 9.5 positive. The tumour surface was partially covered by myxoma cells, partly by endothelial cells. CONCLUSION--The histological appearances of myxomas with stellate cells embedded within a loose connective tissue stroma, abundant basophil cell infiltration, and the presence of pericellular type IV collagen are similar to nerve sheath tumours (neurofibromas) at other sites. A significant proportion of myxomas also express Schwann cell and neuroendocrine differentiation markers. These features cannot prove the origin of myxomas because tumours may develop aberrant phenotype expression but they do accord with the view that myxomas originate from endocardial sensory nerve tissue.


INTRODUCTION
Utilization of orthodox health facilities for maternal health services is determined by factors operating at the individual, household, community and state level. The prevalence of small family norm is one of the identified variables operating within the community which influences the decision of where to access care (orthodox/traditional). The objective of the study was to determine the use of orthodox versus unorthodox maternity healthcare and determinants among rural women in southwest Nigeria.

METHODS
A qualitative study was done and involved three focus group discussions. A semi-structured interview guide was used to collect information from women of reproductive age group within a rural Local Government Area in Lagos state.

RESULTS
Most of the women access some form of healthcare during pregnancy, orthodox, unorthodox or both. Those who patronize both services concurrently do so to benefit from the two as each has some unique features such as herbal concoctions for traditional, ultrasound and immunization of babies for orthodox. Traditional belief exerts a strong influence on decision of where to access maternal healthcare services. Actual place of delivery is determined by individual and household factors including financial resources.

CONCLUSION
Rural women utilize one or both orthodox and unorthodox maternal health services for different reasons. Ward Development Committees should be strengthened so as to reach the communities, educate and convince women to dispel myths which limit their use of orthodox care. Training and monitoring of Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) are vital to eliminate harmful practices. We also recommend improved financial access to orthodox healthcare.


Background: Fishery industry has been important for Thai's economic more than 30 years. It leads Thailand to be the one of world's largest canned tuna producer and exporter. However, mainly white meat part is used in canned tuna product while the waste comprises roe, viscera, head and dark meat is sold to feed meal plant or sold as cheap material even its nutritive value is still high. There is well know that sea fish as tuna is a good source of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) such as Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexanoic acid (DHA). Many people around the world play more attention with salad dish with the dressing. Generally, mayonnaise is prefer for the salad dressing and it normally consists of chicken egg yolk which high saturated fatty acid and in addition, fat content in mayonnaise normally is about 30-65%. Therefore, normal mayonnaise is high in fat content and low polyunsaturated fatty acid then consuming this product may not a great idea for on diet or controlled weight people. Objective: To increase omega-3 by tuna roe substitution and to replace fat content by using inulin gel. Methods: Tuna roe was prepared by soaking with galangal extracted with 95% ethanol for removal fishy/rancidity odor. Inulin powder 45 g was added in to water to obtain final suspension 100 ml before brought to heat at temperature 65 o C for 15 min to form a gel and stored at 4 o C. Omega-3 mayonnaise product was started with using 100% tuna roe substitution for egg yolk. Thereafter, inulin gel was added to replace vegetable oil at 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100%. Basic mayonnaise containing egg yolk and 0% inulin gel (100% soy bean oil) was used as control sample. Color and emulsion stability test were monitored for physical quality. pH value, peroxide value (PV) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were used for chemical quality. Total viable count (TVC), yeast and mold, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and coliform were measured for microbiological quality. Sensory evaluation using 9-point hedonic scale technique was also monitored. Results: When increased inulin gel into the mayonnaise, L* value significantly increased while a* and b* values significantly decreased (p<0.05). Without added inulin gel, mayonnaise producing by using tuna roe had lower emulsion stability test (%) compared with control sample using egg yolk. It was found that using inulin gel significantly increased moisture contents and water activity of mayonnaise. However, there was no significantly different found in pH value in any sample. In addition, tuna roe mayonnaise with and without added inulin gel possessed higher lipid oxidation products determined as PV and TBARS value compared with basic mayonnaise using egg yolk. All microbiological quality indices were very low and passed standard regulation of mayonnaise product. Though, consumer acceptability of mayonnaise producing from tuna roe was lower than that of control, 50% of inulin gel substitution seemed to have better sensory score when compared with other inulin gel substitution groups. Therefore, sensory improvement of omega-3 mayonnaise product substituted with inulin gel need to be further studied. Conclusions: Mayonnaise producing from tuna roe and replacing fat with inulin gel between 25 to 100% were successful when determined by emulsion stability, pH value and microbiological quality. However, sensory score of using 100% tuna roe with and without inulin gel substitution for making mayonnaise was lower than that of control. Among tuna roe mayonnaise substituted with inulin gel, 50% should be selected for sensory improvement in the further work. Keywords: Tuna roe, Mayonnaise, Inulin, Omega-3


Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that involves a devastating clinical course and that lacks an effective treatment. A biochemical model for neuronal development, recently proposed by Nikolaev et al., that may also have implications for AD, hinges on a novel protein–protein interaction between the death cell receptor 6 (DR6) ectodomain and an N‐terminal fragment of amyloid precursor protein (NAPP), specifically, the growth factor‐like domain of NAPP (GFD NAPP). Given all of this, we used a pure computational work‐flow to dock a binding competent homology model of the DR6 ectodomain to a binding competent crystal structure of GFD NAPP. The DR6 homology model was built according to a template supplied by the neurotrophin p75 receptor. The best docked model was selected according to an empirical estimate of the binding affinity and represents a high quality model of probable structural accuracy, especially with respect to the residue‐level contribution of GFD NAPP. The final model was tested and verified against a variety of biophysical and theoretical data sets. Particularly, worth noting is the excellent observed agreement between the theoretically calculated DR6–GFD NAPP binding free energy and the experimental quantity. The model is used to provide a satisfying structural and energetic interpretation of DR6–GFD NAPP binding and to suggest the possibility of and a mechanism for spontaneous apoptosis. The evidence suggests that the DR6–NAPP model proposed here is of probable accuracy and that it will prove useful in future studies, modeling work, and structure‐based AD drug design. Proteins 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Background
Researches showed that microperimetry can exhibit more tiny visual function damage than conventional perimetry in glaucomatous eyes.However, the study on fixation stability of glaucoma is still rare until now.

Objective
This study was to compare the correlation between microperimetry Maia (Macular Integrity Assessment) and Humphrey perimetry, and to investigate the changes of the fixation stability in glaucoma patients with hemifield defect.

Methods
This study proposal was approved by Medical Ethic Committee of Peking University First Hospital.A cross-sectional study was performed under the informed consent of each subject.Thirty-five eyes of 35 glaucoma patients with hemifield defect by 24-2 Humphrey perimetry were included in Peking University First Hospital from December 2013 to March 2014, and 30 eyes of 30 normal volunteers served as controls.Both Humphery (10-2) and Maia (expert 10-2) were performed on the subjects respectively and the correlation of the results between Humphery (10-2) and Maia (expert 10-2) were analyzed.Then the patients with normal hemifield on Humphrey were assigned to Maia normal group and Maia abnormal group.Fixation stability differences were compared between glaucoma group and normal control group, and between Maia normal group and Maia abnormal group.

Results
The moderately positive correlation was found in the mean sensitivity between Maia microperimetry and Humphrey perimetry (r=0.403, P=0.001), and the average threshold of Maia microperimetry was moderately positive correlated with the mean defect (MD) of Humphrey perimetry in glaucoma patients (r=0.438, P=0.008). The fixation stability parameter P1 was (67±17)% and (87±10)%, and that of P2 was (70±16)% and (88±9)%; the 63% bicurve elipse area (BCEA) was (5.08±1.55)°2 and (2.21±0.60)°2, and the 95% BCEA was (14.74±6.04)°2 and (2.86±1.17)°2 in the glaucoma group and normal control group, respectively, showing significant decreases of P1 and P2 and increases of 63% BCEA and 95% BCEA in the glaucoma group compared with the normal control group (t=-5.604, -4.831, 9.885, 11.086, all at P=0.000). In Maia normal group and Maia abnormal group, the P1 was (79±8)% and (63±17)%, the P2 was (81±10)% and (67±16)%, the 63% BCEA was (3.19±0.65)°2 and (5.70±1.22)°2 and the 95% BCEA was (9.10±2.60)°2 and (19.35±5.01)°2, respectively.Compared with the Maia normal group, the P1 and P2 were significantly lower, and 63% BCEA and 95% BCEA were higher in the Maia abnormal group (t=-2.468, P=0.019; t=-2.371, P=0.024; t=5.514, P=0.000; t=5.575, P=0.000).

Conclusions
Maia microperimetry and Humphrey perimetry yield a good correlation for glaucomatous macular function examination.In addition, Maia microperimetry showed that fixation stability decreased in glaucoma patients with hemifield defect.

Key words:
Glaucoma/physiopathology; Visual field tests/instrumentation; Visual fields/physiology; Biomedical technology; Microperimetry; Fixation stability; Humans


The State of California has enacted ambitious policies that aim to reduce the state's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Some of these policies focus on reducing the amount of driving throughout the state, measured in vehicle miles traveled (VMT), given that transportation, primarily automobile use, is the largest single source of California's GHG emissions. To encourage local plans and projects that reduce VMT, California has established several grant programs to which local jurisdictions may apply. These grant programs have generated a need for methods to estimate the potential VMT – and thus GHG – impacts of proposed planning efforts, land development projects, and transportation projects. A range of VMT estimation methods are available for use by funding applicants. Regional travel demand models, for example, are used to estimate the VMT and GHG implications of alternative scenarios in the development of federally-required regional transportation plans and state-required sustainable communities strategies. These models are resource intensive, however, requiring modeling expertise and sometimes many days to complete a single analysis. To fill the need for less resource-intensive methods more appropriate for localized plans and individual projects, upwards of a dozen "sketch" tools have been developed. These sketch tools vary in their approach and appropriateness for the breadth of development projects and project locations in the state. Practitioners are often unsure as to which method to use for a particular project and have little information to guide their choice. In this report we compare and evaluate VMT estimation tools across a sample of land use projects. We compare the results from different tools for each project, consider the applicability of methods in particular contexts and for different types of projects, and assess data needs, relative ease of use, and other practical considerations.


The need for flexibility, adaptability and timeliness of information service systems has become increasingly important since the advent of electronic commerce. This fosters an urgent need for the design of a high-assurance information service system to meet both providers' and users' heterogeneous requirements. In order to cope with rapidly evolving situations of service provision and utilization, an autonomous information service system has been proposed, called faded information field (FIF). FIF is a distributed information service system architecture, sustained by push/pull mobile agents, through recursive demand-oriented provision of the most popular information closer to the users to make a tradeoff between the cost of service allocation and access. In this system, users' requests are autonomously driven by pull mobile agents in charge of finding the relevant service. In the case of a mono-service request, the system is designed to reduce the time needed for users to access the information and to preserve the consistency of the replicas. However, when the user requests joint selection of multi-services, synchronization of atomic actions and timeliness have to be assured by the system. In this paper, the relationship that exists among the contents, properties and access ratios of information services is clarified. Based on these factors, the ratio of correlation is defined and the autonomous integration and provision of information services for heterogeneous FIFs to provide one-stop service for users' multi-service requirements are proposed. The effectiveness of the proposed technology is shown through evaluation and the results show that the integrated services can reduce the total users access time and increase service consumption compared with separate systems.


A Internship report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelors of Arts in English and Humanities 2013.


Interactions between epithelial cells and the extracellular matrix are central to tissue homeostasis and have a dynamic role in tissue remodeling and repair. Regulation of these pathways is balanced by positive and negative feedback elements, many of which have been implicated in the pathways of malignant progression. We have used differential display to identify genes that are up-regulated in normal human urothelial cells in response to exposure to extracellular matrix proteins (Matrigel) in vitro. This approach has identified genes that have key roles in cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions and that have been implicated in the progression of carcinomas of urothelial or other epithelial cell origins. One confirmed but unknown differentially expressed sequence was used to isolate a full-length gene, MIG-C4, from a human urothelial cDNA library. This gene was found to encode a novel urokinase plasminogen-activator receptor-like member of the Ly-6 family of glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol-anchored glycoproteins, and was identified as the human homologue of the rat metastasis-associated C4.4A gene. By in situ hybridization, MIG-C4 was expressed variably in normal urothelium and intensely in the tumor component of some noninvasive superficial lesions and in invasive and metastatic urothelial cancers. Thus, our approach has identified previously nonimplicated gene products involved in normal urothelium-matrix interactions that could be tumor-invasion or suppressor-gene targets in the development of invasive and metastatic tumor phenotypes.


The purpose of this study was to examine the physiological responses to intensive snow shoveling. The subjects were six males (25-71, 50±8 years) who participated in a snow removal volunteer tour. Prior to the tour, each subject engaged in a cycle ergometer test (Test 1) and a multistage shoveling test (Test 2) to evaluate the relationship between volume of oxygen consumption (V 4 O2) and heart rate. Field measurements were performed in Miruto of Iwamizawa City, Hokkaido, Japan on February 2, 2014. Average air temperatures of that day were -6.3 °C in the morning and -1.4 °C in the afternoon. The snow layer at the work site had various grain shapes and snow density linearly increased with snow depth. While snow hardness increased exponentially with increase in snow depth. Mean heart rate during working time in the afternoon (142±9 beats min) was significantly (p<0.01) higher than that in the morning (131±9 beats min). These heart rates correspond 84 % and 77 % of the predicted maximum heart rate (HRmax), respectively. Ratings of perceived exertion were not different in the morning (12.9±0.4) and afternoon (12.4±0.3). The mean values of V 4 O2 in the total work period (111±3 min) was estimated to be 22.2±1.2 ml kg min (Metabolic equivalent; 6.4±0.3 METs). Estimated energy expenditure averaged 782±46 kcal. It is conceivable that increase in snow hardness and snow density caused an increase in work intensity.


This study investigated associations between complementary medicine use and treatment and illness beliefs. Previously validated questionnaire measures of treatment beliefs, illness beliefs, and complementary medicine use were presented and advertised online. Completed questionnaires were received from 247 participants. Logistic regression analysis showed that demographic characteristics, treatment beliefs, and illness beliefs accounted for approximately 36% of the variance in complementary medicine use. Separate analyses were conducted to predict use of different types of complementary medicine. The strength of associations between beliefs and complementary medicine use was related to the type of complementary medicine used. The results suggest that people use complementary medicine because they are attracted to it rather than because they are disillusioned with orthodox medicine, and that both treatment and illness beliefs have an important role in explaining why people use complementary medicine.


Remittances are known to make a positive contribution to the overall GDP of an economy. In recent years, it has become a major source of financial inflow for Bangladesh. On the other hand, for a substantial growth of an economy, the right amount of energy consumption is required. According to our knowledge, energy consumption has not been associated with remittance in any previous empirical studies, although significant studies are found to exist with other macroeconomic variables. This is the first multivariate model investigating the relationship between remittances and energy consumption of Bangladesh over the period 1980-2015. The main objective of this study is to examine the cointegration and causality of the variables in both short run and long run. In order to conduct the study, a number of econometric techniques have been performed. The Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) Unit Root test shows that all the concerned variables are stationary at their first difference. Afterwards, the Johansen Cointegration method was performed which indicates that long run cointegration exists in most of the concerned variables. Then, applying the Granger Causality test, there seems to be a causal relationship among remittance, energy use and some of the other indicators. Lastly, the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) test has been employed to find the changes in the short run. The study therefore points out that there exists a long run causal relationship between remittance and energy consumption in Bangladeshi industrialization, financial development and thus economic growth supporting the multiplier effect of inward remittance. Policy makers of the country should encourage higher remittance inflow for higher standards of living and development.


Inflammation contributes to the initiation and progression of coronary atherosclerosis. A highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) can be used as a predictor of future coronary events in healthy populations and in patients with angina. However, the relationship between hs-CRP and coronary lesion characteristics as well as their associations with clinical outcomes in Chinese patients with coronary artery diseases has not been well described. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of coronary lesion characteristics and hs-CRP in Chinese patients with coronary artery disease. Coronary lesion characteristics were characterized by intravascular ultrasound. Serum hs-CRP and pro-matrix metalloproteinase-1 (ProMMP-1) concentrations were measured by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 184 patients. Among these patients, 101 suffered from acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and 83 suffered from stable angina (SA). These patients were followed up for one year to monitor subsequent major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Patients with ACS exhibited an increased external elastic membrane cross-sectional area, plaque burden, lipid pool burden, and remodeling index compared with the patients with SA (P < 0.05). Rupture and vulnerable plaques were more frequently observed in patients with ACS than in patients with SA (40.59% vs. 1.20% and 42.57% vs. 3.61%, respectively; P < 0.001). Serum hs-CRP and proMMP-1 concentrations were higher in patients with ACS (18.17 [6.32, 22.10] mg/L vs. 3.75 [1.86, 4.32] mg/L, P < 0.001 and 1.56 [0.72, 1.82] ng/ml vs. 1.14 [0.75, 1.14] ng/ml, P = 0.012]. Strong associations were found between hs-CRP, proMMP-1 and plaque type. Univariate analysis found that ACS, Troponin I and hs-CRP were associated with MACE, while multivariate logistic regression found that only hs-CRP was independently associated with MACE for one year. An increase in hs-CRP is correlated with rupture and vulnerable plaques. hs-CRP but not plaque morphology is associated with poor prognosis in Chinese patients with coronary artery disease.


The goal of this research is to find the crucial factors that influence the level of adolescence's academic achievement. The objective of this research is to study the     relationship between adolescence's attributional style with their level of academic achievement. This research was carried out by correlational design. This research involve adolescence as students of three public senior high school in Bandung City, i.e. SMAN 4, SMAN 8, and SMAN 11.  The sample of this study are 459  students selected  through random from second and third grade. The students at first grade not selected as sample because them not yet owned the data of achievement. The data of achievement was collected by documentation study, and data of attribution by questionnaire. The data expressed in ordinal scale and analyzed statistically by Rank Spearman. This study has some outcomes related to the relationship between style of attribution with academic achievement. Students which attributing their academic success with high ability and effort or working hard and attributed their academic failure with lack of effort and luck, tend to attain high achievement.  While the students that attributing their academic success with easy task and luck, and attributed their academic failure with lack of ability and difficult task, tend to attain low achievement.  Based on the findings, to increasing the level of student's academic achievement can be conducted by train the students to developing the adaptive attribution style, that is to attributing their success academic with ability and effort factors, and to attributing their failure academic with lack of effort an luck.


We derive weak turbulence and quasilinear models for relativistic charged particle dynamics in pitch-angle and energy space, due to interactions with electromagnetic waves propagating (anti-)parallel to a uniform background magnetic field. We use a Markovian approach that starts from the consideration of single particle motion in a prescribed electromagnetic field. This Markovian approach has a number of benefits, including: 1) the evident self-consistent relationship between a more general weak turbulence theory and the standard resonant diffusion quasilinear theory (as is commonly used in e.g. radiation belt and solar wind modeling); 2) the general nature of the Fokker-Planck equation that can be derived without any prior assumptions regarding its form; 3) the clear dependence of the form of the Fokker-Planck equation and the transport coefficients on given specific timescales. The quasilinear diffusion coefficients that we derive are not new in and of themselves, but this concise derivation and discussion of the weak turbulence and quasilinear theories using the Markovian framework is physically very instructive. The results presented herein form fundamental groundwork for future studies that consider phenomena for which some of the assumptions made in this manuscript may be relaxed.


This paper presents a novel approach for optical flow control of Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs). The task is challenging due to the nonlinearity of optical flow observables. Our proposed Incremental Nonlinear Dynamic Inversion (INDI) control scheme incorporates an efficient data-driven method to address the nonlinearity. It directly estimates the inverse of the time-varying control effectiveness in real-time, eliminating the need for the constant assumption and avoiding high computation in traditional INDI. This approach effectively handles fast-changing system dynamics commonly encountered in optical flow control, particularly height-dependent changes. We demonstrate the robustness and efficiency of the proposed control scheme in numerical simulations and also real-world flight tests: multiple landings of an MAV on a static and flat surface with various tracking setpoints, hovering and landings on moving and undulating surfaces. Despite being challenged with the presence of noisy optical flow estimates and the lateral and vertical movement of the landing surfaces, the MAV is able to successfully track or land on the surface with an exponential decay of both height and vertical velocity at almost the same time, as desired.


This study aimed at investigating the effects of individualistic-collectivistic value orientations on non-fatal suicidal behavior and attitudes in Turkish adolescents and young adults. A questionnaire containing measures of individualism, collectivism (INDCOL), non-fatal suicidal behaviors and suicidal attitudes was used to collect the data. The results showed that both suicidal ideation and attempts were significantly more frequent in participants classified as individualist than those who were classified as collectivist on the basis of INDCOL scale scores. Participants with individualistic tendencies displayed more permissive attitudes toward suicide than those with collectivistic tendencies but collectivists believed to a greater extent than the individualists that people should communicate suicidal problems to others. Participants with collectivistic tendencies showed more accepting and helping reactions to an imagined suicidal friend than those with individualistic tendencies. Suicidal ideation and attempts were more common among adolescents than young adults. The findings suggest that individualistic and collectivistic value orientations and developmental status specific stressors play a role in the distribution of nonfatal suicidal behavior and the nature of suicidal attitudes.


We have previously proposed that polysialic acid (PSA), which is attached to NCAM on the cell surface, can serve to regulate a variety of cell-cell interactions. The present study provides evidence that hydrated PSA influences a sufficiently large volume at the cell surface to exert broad steric effects, and that the removal of PSA in fact causes a detectable change in intercellular space. Using F11 neuron/neuroblastoma hybrid cells as a model system, the measured density and size of PSA suggests that a substantial fraction of the space between two apposed cell surface membranes could be sterically influenced by the presence of PSA. Specific enzymatic removal of PSA, which is similar in magnitude to changes that occur in many tissues during normal development, caused about a 25% decrease in the distance between two apposed cells. By contrast, removal of both heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate from the cells had no effect on this parameter. It is proposed that such changes in membrane-membrane distance could serve to alter selectively the efficiency of encounter between complementary receptors on apposing cells, and explain at least in part the broad biological influences of PSA.


An ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD)-based approach was developed to extract steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) for wireless handling of a small robot car. Three visual stimuli, flickering at 13, 14, and 15 Hz, were displayed on a liquid crystal display monitor to induce user's SSVEPs. The induced SSVEPs were used to control three movement functions (forward, left, and right) of the small robot car. Users gazed at one chosen visual stimulus at one time, and the induced SSVEP was recognized to activate the desired movement function. In this paper, all subjects were requested to handle the small robot car to complete an S-shaped course four times. The proposed system utilized only one electroencephalography (EEG) channel placed at the Oz position. The acquired EEG signals were first segmented into 1-s epochs, and each epoch was then decomposed by EEMD into a series of oscillation components, denoted as intrinsic oscillatory functions (IOFs), representing multiscale features of the recorded signal. The SSVEP-related IOFs were then recognized using a matched filter detector (MFD), including a matched filter demodulator and an amplitude detector. The visual stimulus, which contributed maximum power to the MFD, was recognized as the gazed target. In this paper, all subjects could actuate the small robot car using the proposed EEMD-based brain computer interface system to complete an S-shaped course four times; the mean execution time, number of valid detections, and command transfer interval over the 11 subjects were 84.5 s, 51.13 commands, and 1.65 s/command, respectively.


Temporary labor migration programs have been among the most controversial topics in discussions of immigration reform. They have been opposed by many, perhaps most, academics writing on immigration, by immigration reform activists, and by organized labor. This opposition has not been without some good reasons, as many historical temporary labor migration programs have led to significant injustice and abuse. However, in this paper I argue that a well-crafted temporary labor migration program is both compatible with liberal principles of justice and likely to be an important part of a sensible immigration policy for the near future, at least. I show how the many injustices and high potential for abuse of earlier programs may be avoided. I also show good reason to favor a well-crafted temporary labor migration program over either the more likely alternative outcome of officially tight borders (which would almost certainly maintain our current dependence on large-scale unauthorized immigration) and the much less likely option of nearly open borders. As increased labor migration of all sorts is an intrinsic part of increased economic globalization, it is especially important to craft guidelines for just temporary labor migration programs if we are to both gain the advantages of globalization and protect the rights of workers.


In eukaryotes, enzymes responsible for the interconversion of one-carbon units exist in parallel in both mitochondria and the cytoplasm. Strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were constructed that possess combinations of gene disruptions at the SHM1 [mitochondrial serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMTm)], SHM2 [cytoplasmic SHMT (SHMTc)], MIS1 [mitochondrial C1-tetrahydrofolate synthase (C1-THFSm)], ADE3 [cytoplasmic C1-THF synthase (C1-THFSc)], GCV1 [glycine cleavage system (GCV) protein T], and the GLY1 (involved in glycine synthesis) loci. Analysis of the in vivo growth characteristics and phenotypes was used to determine the contribution to cytoplasmic nucleic acid and amino acid anabolism by the mitochondrial enzymes involved in the interconversion of folate coenzymes. The data indicate that mitochondria transport formate to the cytoplasmic compartment and mitochondrial synthesis of formate appears to rely primarily on SHMTm rather than the glycine cleavage system. The glycine cleavage system and SHMTm cooperate to specifically synthesize serine. With the inactivation of SHM1, however, the glycine cleavage system can make an observable contribution to the level of mitochondrial formate. Inactivation of SHM1, SHM2 and ADE3 is required to render yeast auxotrophic for TMP and methionine, suggesting that TMP synthesized in mitochondria may be available to the cytoplasmic compartment.


Recently, California Air Resource Board (CARB) has conducted new regulation about formaldehyde emission standard for composite wood products. This is because the Air Resources Board evaluated formaldehyde exposure in California and found that one of the major sources of exposure is from inhalation of formaldehyde emitted from composite wood products containing urea-formaldehyde resins. However, the domestic certification system for composite wood products does not require the minimum standard of the formaldehyde emission. Therefore, it is necessary to make appropriate domestic regulation.


Colonic diverticulosis is a benign disease whose incidence has been steadily increasing throughout the world, especially in the economically developed countries in Western Europe. This increase is connected to the population ageing process, the diverticulosis being characteristic in the elderly, and with nowadays' eating habits. Frequently, colonic diverticuli may cause complications, such as hemorrhage or diverticulitis, with pericolic abscesses or peritonitis. Consequently, efforts are being made to set up a therapeutic algorithm appropriate for the diverticular disease, the predominance of the conservative or surgical attitude being continuously adjusted. We have analyzed the therapeutic options, their advantages and their limitations, based on both the experience of the "Prof. I. Juvara" Surgical Department of the "Dr. I. Cantacuzino" Clinical Hospital and the latest data in medical literature.


Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is a therapeutic option which is in increasingly use. Its importance is recognized in the treatment of both acute respiratory pathology and chronic respiratory pathology, taking on a vital importance in the context of the evolution of respiratory pathologies, giving the patient a better quality of life. The term quality of life has become increasingly important in the scientific context, expressing the level of limitation and discomfort caused by a particular disease. Allied to this, specific instruments for assessing the quality of life of people with respiratory diseases have emerged, and its use is increasing all over the world. This study aimed at assessing the quality of life of patients on NIV. The empirical research was based on a transversal study, adopting a correlational orientation and on a quantitative approach through the application of the specific SGRQ questionnaire to each participant. The study included 30 people with OSA, which perform NIV. The results were processed in SPSS (version 19). The results from the SGRQ questionnaire showed a compromised quality of life in all its domains (symptoms, activities, impact), and the most affected area for this sample was "Activity", in which 24 people show disturbances in their quality of life.


A description of the design, operation, and test results of a miniature, low-cost, integrated GPS/inertial navigation system that uses commercial off-the-shelf micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) accelerometers and gyroscopes. The MEMS inertial measurement unit (EMU) is packaged in a small size and provides the raw EMU data through a serial interface to a processor board where the inertial navigation solution and integrated GPS/inertial Kalman filter is generated. The GPS/inertial software integration is performed using NAVSYS' modular InterNav software product. This allows integration with different low-cost GPS chip sets or receivers and also allows the integrated GPS/inertial navigation solution to be embedded as an application on a customer's host computer. This modular object-oriented architecture facilitates integration of the miniature MEMS GPS/INS navigation system for embedded navigation applications and is designed to handle the large errors characteristic of a low-grade MEMS IMU. Test results are presented showing the performance of the integrated MEMS GPS/inertial navigation system. Data is provided showing the position, velocity, and attitude accuracy when operating with GPS aiding and also for periods where GPS dropouts occur and alternative navigation update sources are used to bound the MEMS inertial navigation error growth.


An identification procedure of the active vibration damping system with the piezo-elements glued to the structure is presented in the paper. Such identification can be carried out in analytical way (Guyan reduction) by using of low-band pass amplifiers. First, we have identified the open loop system in the frequency domain by using experimental setup with real amplifier and beam equipped in piezo-strips working as actuators and sensor, respectively. For the frequency range 1 Hz to 400 Hz we have obtained Bode plots with helped of Dynamic Signal Analyzer which were base to further calculations. Second, mathematical model have been adjusted to the experimental results by the least square sum approach and also by the consideration of a system which was modeled by finite elements. A three first resonance frequencies and three first anti-resonance frequencies have obtained.


Purpose To determine the indications, long-term clinical and visual outcomes, and complications of the aphakic snap-on type I Boston keratoprosthesis (KPro). Design Retrospective, non-comparative case series. Methods Forty-five eyes of 43 patients with type I aphakic snap-on KPros with at least 1 year of follow-up were included. The past medical histories, preoperative indications, best-corrected visual acuities (BCVAs), postoperative complications, and retention rates were analyzed. Results The most common indication for KPro implantation was a failed corneal graft (89%). The mean preoperative BCVA was count fingers–hand motion (2.14±0.45 logarithm of minimum angle of resolution [logMAR]), which initially improved to 20/200 (1.04±0.85 logMAR; P<0.0001). At the last examination, 24 eyes (53%) maintained some visual gain, 22% retained their preoperative visual acuity, and 24% lost vision due to postoperative events and underlying ocular comorbidities. Postoperative complications included retroprosthetic membranes (8/45, 18%), corneal melts (5/45, 11%), glaucoma progression (6/45, 13%), and endophthalmitis or sterile vitritis (6/45, 13%). The KPro retention rate was 89%, with a mean follow-up of 51 months. The mean BCVA at the last visit was 20/1,400 (1.82±0.92 logMAR). Conclusion Most patients experienced improved visual acuity after the implantation of the aphakic, snap-on type I KPro; however, the visual gains were not sustained over time, correlating with the onset of postoperative complications.


This article derives an updated cost-benefit ratio for the High/Scope Perry Preschool Program, an intensive preschool intervention delivered during the 1960s to at-risk children in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Because children were randomly assigned to the program or a control group, differences in outcomes are probably attributable to program status. Data on outcome differences is now available on participants as they reached the age of 40; outcomes include educational attainment, earnings, criminal activity, and welfare receipt. These outcomes are rendered in money terms and compared to the costs of delivering the program to calculate the net present value of the program both for participants and for society. The data show strong advantages for the treatment group in terms of higher lifetime earnings and lower criminal activity. For the general public, gains in tax revenues, lower expenditures on criminal justice, lower victim costs, and lower welfare payments easily outweigh program costs. At a 3% discount rate the program repays $12.90 for every $1 invested from the perspective of the general public; with a 7% discount rate, the repayment per dollar is $5.67. Returns are even higher if the total benefits—both public and private—are counted. However, there are strong differences by gender: a large proportion of the gains from the program come from lower criminal activity rates by the treatment group, almost all of which is undertaken by the males in the sample. The implications of these findings for public policy on early childhood education are considered.


Internet scale applications such as search engines and social networks run their services on large-scale data centres consisting of tens of thousands of servers. These systems have to cope with explosive and highly variable user demand and maintain a high level of performance. At the same time, the energy consumption of a data centre is one of the major contributors to its operational cost. This embodies the performance-energy trade-off problem. We need to find configurations which minimise the energy consumed in running important applications in complex environments, but which also allow those applications to run reliably and fast. In this thesis, we develop a general performance–energy analysis framework that can be used to express complex behaviour in communicating systems and provide a rapid analysis of performance and energy goals. It is intended that this framework can be used both at design time to predict long-run performance and energy consumption of an application in a large execution environment; and at run time to make short-term predictions given current conditions of the environment. In both cases the rapid model analysis permits detailed what-if scenarios to be tested without the need for expensive experiments or time-consuming simulations. The major contributions of this thesis are: (i) development of the Population Continuous-Time Markov Chain (PCTMC) representation as a low-level abstraction for very large performance models, (ii) development of rapid ODE analysis techniques to compute performance-based Service Level Agreements (SLA) and reward-based energy metrics in PCTMCs, (iii) hybrid extension of PCTMCs that allows models to incorporate continuous variables such as temperature and that permits the specification of systems with time-varying workloads (iv) an extension of the GPEPA process algebra that can support session-based synchronisation between agents and that can be mapped to PCTMCs, thus giving access to the rapid ODE analysis. We support the framework with a software tool GPA, which implements all the described formalisms and analysis techniques.


ASAS J174406+2446.8 was originally found as a δ Scuti-type pulsating star with the period P = 0.189068 d by ASAS survey. However, the LAMOST stellar parameters reveal that it is far beyond the red edge of pulsational instability strip on the log g − T diagram of δ Scuti pulsating stars. To understand the physical properties of the variable star, we observed it by the 1.0-m Cassegrain reflecting telescope at Yunnan Observatories. Multi-color light curves in B, V, Rc and Ic bands were obtained and are analyzed by using the W-D program. It is found that this variable star is a shallow-contact binary with an EB-type light curve and an orbital period of 0.3781 d rather than a δ Scuti star. It is a W-subtype contact binary with a mass ratio of 1.135(± 0.019) and a fill-out factor of 10.4%(± 5.6)%. The situation of ASAS J174406+2446.8 resembles those of other EB-type marginal-contact binaries such as UU Lyn, II Per and GW Tau. All of them are at a key evolutionary phase from a semi-detached configuration to a contact system predicted by the thermal relaxation oscillation theory. The linear ephemeris was corrected by using 303 new determined times of light minimum. It is detected that the O – C curve shows a sinusoidal variation that could be explained by the light-travel-time effect via the presence of a cool red dwarf. The present investigation reveals that some of the δ Scuti-type stars beyond the red edge of pulsating instability strip on the log g – T diagram are misclassified eclipsing binaries. To understand their structures and evolutionary states, more studies are required in the future.


The most popular inference method in Takagi-Sugeno (TS) fuzzy systems is the weighted averaging (WA), whereas the most investigated inference method in fuzzy rule-based classifier is probably the winner-takes-all (WTA). This paper first shows the time complexities associated with WA and WTA inference methods in Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy rule-based systems, also highlighting the strengths and the weaknesses of both approaches. Then it argues that using a hybrid of the two inference methods, namely the WTA during identification and the WA during the evaluation, allows advantaging of the strong points of the two methods, without inheriting most of their weakness. In particular, the hybrid formulation has a nice property which can be even mandatory in particular applications: it both guarantees that the TS system is continuous (provided that infinite support membership functions are used) and that it performs an approximate reasoning, by combining the conclusions of more than one rule. The interesting features of the hybrid method are demonstrated on a multiobjective genetic rule learning framework used for regression.


Stations are the main components of the subway systems. Despite the progress in the construction and maintenance, stations have always been exposed to the natural and man-made disasters. In such incidents, the station's evacuation capability has a direct relation with a passenger's life. Various factors affect the station's evacuation capability. Investigation of these factors and evaluation of the station's evacuation capability have important roles in protecting a passenger's life. For this purpose, the catastrophic events that lead to the evacuation of a station and the factors affecting the evacuation of the station are identified. Due to the difference in the catastrophic event probabilities at each station, the risk of catastrophic events is evaluated. Then the station score is calculated according to the value and weight of the evacuation factors and the wighted influence of the catastrophic events. Accordingly, the proposed model is implemented in the Tehran subway. Based on the results obtained, uncrowded stations, even though served by a small number of passengers, may also have a low evacuation capacity and lead to casualties in an emergency situation. This is due to the lack of emergency management and safety facilities. Also by assessing the risk of catastrophic events at stations and equipping stations on its basis, the degree of safety and evacuation capability can be improved more effectively. The sensitivity analysis of the evacuation factors show that the most effective way to increase the station's evacuation capability is to improve its status in management factors. Using the proposed model to evaluate the station's evacuation capability is an appropriate method for identifying the stations that have a poor evacuation capability.


The Permian Basin is a structurally complex sedimentary basin with an extensive history of tectonic deformation. As the basin evolved through time, sediments dispersed into the basin floor from surrounding carbonate platforms leading to various mass movements. One such mass movement is observed on a 3D seismic survey in the Upper Leonard interval (Lower Permian) of the Midland Basin that is characteristic of a mass transport deposit (MTD). The 350 ft thick MTD mapped in the study area is 5 mi wide, extends up to 14 mi basinward, and covers only the translational and compressional regime of the mass movement. A unique sedimentary feature, unlike those observed previously, is mapped and interpreted as gravity spreading. MTDs have been extensively studied in the Delaware Basin of Permian-aged strata; however, only a few works have been published on the geomorphological expression of MTDs using seismic and seismic attributes to delineate the shape, size, and anatomy of this subsurface feature. The MTD in the study area exhibits an array of features including slide, slump, basal shear surface, and MTD grooves. In cross section, the MTD is characterized as chaotic with semitransparent reflectors terminating laterally against a coherent package of seismic facies, or the lateral wall. Sobel filter-based coherence, structural curvature, dip magnitude, and dip azimuth attributes are used to map thrust faults within the discontinuous MTD. Kinematic evidence provided by the Upper Spraberry isopach suggests that this MTD was sourced north of the Midland Basin and deposited on the basin floor fairway. Slope strata are interpreted from well-log analysis showing MTD as a mixture of carbonates and siliciclastics with a moderate to high resistivity response.


Algorithmic competition has arrived. With it has come the specter of algorithmic collusion – rapid detection of co-conspirators' defection via technologically enhanced price monitoring and setting capability can encourage anticompetitive collusion. Strikingly, the ability to track consumers' willingness-to-pay and price discriminate among them may synergize with algorithmic collusion into something antitrust scholars had previously thought impossible: stable cartels.

In particular, consumer-facing digital platforms increasingly can determine consumers' individual willingness to pay. Doing this allows them to deploy sophisticated forms of price discrimination, and thereby effect large welfare transfers from consumers to producers. This Article is the first to describe and analyze the potential interaction between price discrimination and algorithmic collusion. Algorithm-driven platforms now knit together large numbers of previously-independent firms and agents; some platforms set the price these participating firms and agents will charge. Crucially, if the gains to producers from collusive price discrimination are big enough, a qualitative change may take place: participants may find that they are no longer are in a Prisoner's Dilemma tempting them to undercut each other on price, but rather in a coordination game with a single, rational choice: keep their collusion going. This Article sets forth how this dynamic can produce agreements by competitors, facilitated by price-discriminating, price-setting platforms that transfer wealth from consumers to producers – arguably a violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act. Indeed, in contrast to the traditional view that firms need to first obtain Section 2 monopoly power, and only then can implement price discrimination, the model presented here shows the causation can run the other way: The ability to price discriminate effectively can drive the joint maintenance of monopoly power by colluding competitors. This dynamic takes on new urgency as more and more commerce shifts to the Internet and smartphone apps, a trend that has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated acceleration of the shift to e-commerce.

Potential solutions to this problem will be complicated by antitrust law's current relegation of price discrimination to the dead letter office – no Federal Trade Commission complaint under the Robinson-Patman Act, the main relevant statute, has been brought this century. Indeed, during the past decade, the most recent edition of the leading antitrust casebook in the U.S. deleted its section on price discrimination and the Act. This Article proposes three actions: (i) revive some enforcement against price discrimination, (ii) prioritize action against price discriminating platforms that inhibit switching by participants, including scrutinizing mergers between firms whose Big Data-based ability to gauge willingness-to-pay may, if combined, have negative ramifications for consumers, and (iii) factor price discrimination-driven algorithmic collusion into the current reevaluation of vertical restraints.


Multiplex networks arise when there exists more than one source of relationships for a common set of nodes. For such data, the usual approaches consist of dealing with each relationship separately or of merging the information in a unique network. In the present contribution, we propose using factorial methods to visually explore the complex structure in multiplex networks. Specifically, the derived adjacency matrices from one-mode multiplex networks are analyzed using the DISTATIS technique, an extension of multidimensional scaling to three-way data. This technique allows the representation of the different types of relationships in separate spaces for each layer and in a compromise space. How the analytic procedure works is illustrated using a real-world example.


Based on the conservative regions of the nucleotide-binding site and the leucine-rich repeat (NBS-LRR) in cloned wilt resistance genes, the polymerase chain reaction with degenerate primers was employed to isolate resistance  gene analogues (RGAs) from the genomic DNA of wilt resistance germplasm 'Goldfinger' (AAAB) banana. As a result, twenty fragments of RGAs were isolated, which were of expected size (about 530 bp). Analysis of the deduced amino acids of these RGAs show that they share the NB-ARC domain and belong to the non-TIR-NBS class resistance gene candidates, containing 4 conservative amino acid domains, i.e. P-loop (GMGGVGKTT), Kinase-2 (LLVLDDIW), RNBS-B (CKVLFTTRS), and hydrophobic amino acids GLPL (GLPLALKVL). Other results reveal that sequence identity among the 20 RGAs rang from 41.1% to 99.3%, while identity of the deduced amino acid sequences range from 33.2% to 96.3%. The phylogenetic analysis of the RGA nucleotide sequences and the deduced amino acids showed that the 20 sequences could be divided into 5 distinct types. All of the amino acids deduced from the RGAs share a homology of 28%~54% with those deduced from the known wilt resistance genes such as Fom-2, I2C-1, I2C-2 and I2. This result to some degree indicates the conservation of disease resistance gene evolution. Technically, these RGAs isolated in the present study would lay a base for the further cloning of wilt resistance genes in banana, which could also be used as molecular markers for screening candidate wilt resistance genes in banana.


: From the time of the discovery of the tubercle bacillus in the late nineteenth century until the introduction of chemotherapy in the mid-twentieth, the role of the laboratory in the management of tuberculosis was limited because the treatment of the disease was nonspecific. The advent of specific chemotherapy and the recognition of human diseases caused by a number of mycobacterial species other than M. tuberculosis increased the scope and importance of the clinical laboratory in guiding the diagnosis and management of mycobacterial disease. This included the isolation of mycobacteria, the identification of the isolates, the determination of their susceptibilities to chemotherapeutic agents and their subtyping for epidemiologic purposes. In spite of the enhanced role it has played in the past forty years, the laboratory's contribution has been impeded by the slow growth of mycobacteria, which causes delays of weeks or months between submission of a specimen and the availability of a definitive report. In the meantime both the urgency and the complexity of diagnosis and management of mycobacterial disease have increased with the emergence of epidemics of these diseases associated with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). This development has also increased the need for recognition of tubercle bacilli in such specimens as blood and stools, which were only infrequently studied in past years. Recent developments in microchemical and immunologic technology, and especially molecular biology, are greatly reducing the time needed to get information that contributes to diagnosis and management of mycobacterial disease.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


The demand for stream processing at Facebook has grown as services increasingly rely on real-time signals to speed up decisions and actions. Emerging real-time applications require strict Service Level Objectives (SLOs) with low downtime and processing lag—even in the presence of failures and load variability. Addressing this challenge at Facebook scale led to the development of Turbine, a management platform designed to bridge the gap between the capabilities of the existing general-purpose cluster management frameworks and Facebook's stream processing requirements. Specifically, Turbine features a fast and scalable task scheduler; an efficient predictive auto scaler; and an application update mechanism that provides fault-tolerance, atomicity, consistency, isolation and durability.Turbine has been in production for over three years, and one of the core technologies that enabled a booming growth of stream processing at Facebook. It is currently deployed on clusters spanning tens of thousands of machines, managing several thousands of streaming pipelines processing terabytes of data per second in real time. Our production experience has validated Turbine's effectiveness: its task scheduler evenly balances workload fluctuation across clusters; its auto scaler effectively and predictively handles unplanned load spikes; and the application update mechanism consistently and efficiently completes high scale updates within minutes. This paper describes the Turbine architecture, discusses the design choices behind it, and shares several case studies demonstrating Turbine capabilities in production.


The "Golden Hour" model of care originated in adult trauma medicine. Recently, this concept has been applied to premature neonates and the care they receive immediately after birth. This is not limited to the first hour of life, however, as this approach encompasses the first hours and days after birth. While no universal description defines the Golden Hour model, critical domains include initial delivery room management, thermoregulation, ventilation and oxygenation, glycemic control and prevention of infection. Strong evidence favors standardization of care to improve short- and long-term outcomes. This approach to care for the most at-risk premature infant is typically institution-specific; thus, team-building and quality improvement are critical to the care of these vulnerable patients.