Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is a seasonal fruit and is cultivated extensively in tropical and subtropical region in India and worldwide. The fruit is processed and mango pulp is extracted in fruit processing industries and kernel is unutilized as industrial waste. Hence, in the present study focused on Totapuri mango kernel cultivar was taken to utilize for bio product development. Soxhlet apparatus with different solvents was used for the crude bioactive compounds extraction from mango kernel powder. The extracted bioactive mass was evaluated for its antibacterial activity against bacterial strains such as Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Shigella sonnei, Klebsiella pneumonia, Xanthomonas oryzae and Staphylococcus aureuss. Further, the extracted crude bioactive compound was tested for antifungal activity against Rhizactonia solani, Curvularia lunata, Alternaria alternate and Fusarium oxysporum. The antifeedent and larval mortality of Spodoptera litura and Helicoverpa armigera activity was studied using the bioactive compound extract. The Methanol Mango Kernel extract (MeOH MK) recorded growth inhibition zone for all the bacteria tested ranging from 21±0.31 to 24±1.55 mm. At 5 % MeOH MK crude extract concentration, the fungal mycelia growth of R. solani was inhibited by 92.90 ± 0.31 %. The highest percent of antifeedent activity was observed in 5% MeOH MK extract recorded as 77.37 %± 0.75 for S.litura and 55. 1.06 for H.armigera. The crude extract of MeOH MK at 5 % concentration recorded 17.8 %± 2.2 mortality rate for S. leutira larva and 100 % mortality rate for H. armigra. The MeOH MK extract was effective as antibacterial, antifungal, antifeedent and larval mortality.


A 33 m ice core was retrieved from the Tanggula Mts, central Tibetan Plateau at 5743 m a.s.l. in August 2005. Annual averageδ18O values were determined for the upper 17 m depth (14.6 m w.eq.), representing the time series since the mid-1930s. Data are compared to previous results of an ice core from Mt. Geladaindong, 100 km to the northwest, for the period 1935–2003. During the time 1935–1960, δ18O values differed by 2–3‰ between the two ice cores, with generally lower ratios preserved in the Tanggula 2005 core. Differences in interannual variability and overall average ratios between the two study locations highlight the spatially variable climate controls on ice core isotope ratios within the boundary of monsoonand westerly-impacted regions of the central Tibetan Plateau. Average annual net accumulation was 261 mm w.eq. for the period 1935–2004. The overall averageδ18O value was−13.2‰ and exhibited a statistically significant increase from the 1935–1969 average ( −13.7‰) to the 1970–2004 average ( −12.6‰). Despite the observed increase in isotope ratios, isotopic temperature dependence was not evident, based on comparison with long-term data from meteorological stations to the north and southwest of the study location. Lack of correlation between average δ18O values and temperature is likely due to monsoon influence, which results in relatively greater isotopic depletion of moisture during the warm season. Evidence of monsoon impacts on precipitation in the central Tibetan Plateau has been previously documented, and statistically significant negative correlation (r=−0.37,p <0.01) between the annual average ice coreδ18O values and North India monsoon rainfall was observed for the period 1935–2004. Although the δ18O data Correspondence to: D. R. Joswiak (firstname.lastname@example.com) agree well with the monsoon rainfall amount, no significant correlation was observed between the core accumulation and the monsoon rainfall amount. Previous model and observational results suggest monsoon impact on δ18O in precipitation may extend beyond the immediate extent of heavy monsoon rainfall, reaching the central Tibetan Plateau. These results provide evidence that the δ18O variability at this study location may be sensitive to southern monsoon intensity.


Three-dimensional electromagnetic or photonic crystals with periodic variations of the dielectric constants were fabricated by using a rapid prototyping method called stereolithography. Millimeter-order epoxy lattices with a diamond structure were designed to reflect electromagnetic waves by forming an electromagnetic band gap in GHz range. Titania based ceramic particles were dispersed into the lattice to control the dielectric constant. The diamond lattice structures formed the perfect band gap reflecting electromagnetic waves for all directions. The location of the band gap agreed with the band calculation using the plane wave propagation method. The diamond structures with graded lattice spacing were successfully fabricated as well, resulting in the directional transmission of microwaves. The stretching ratio of the lattice spacing in the crystal structure was changed according to the electromagnetic band calculation. A microwave antenna head composed of the diamond structure with graded lattice spacing was fabricated which achieved the unidirectional transmission.


Global political and economic developments shape both the demand for minerals and primary metals and their supply. Overall, demand has moved broadly in step with economic activity over the past 30 years. Notwithstanding the collapse of the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries, demand grew more rapidly in the second half of the period than the first. The performance of individual products within this general trend largely reflects the specific nature of their main end uses. The geographic center of demand has shifted away from the mature industrial economies of North America, Western Europe, and Japan toward the newly industrializing countries of the Pacific Rim, China, and India. Mine production rose with demand, but not always in precise step. New capacity was required not just to meet demand, even where that was static, but also to offset the continuing effects of ore depletion. There were also changes in the location of production in response to geopolitical forces, the depletion of ore reserves, and the changing economics of extraction and processing. The number of mines contracted, especially during the 1990s, and the scale of mining operations was increased in order to achieve the requisite cost savings. Prices fluctuated in response to changing balances between supply and demand, trending downward from the early 1970s until the early 2000s. Most products witnessed at least one sharp price spike during the period, usually with continuing repercussions. Prices picked up from 2003, but generally not back to their earlier peak in real terms. Profitability varied according to the products concerned. In many years the average rates of return on capital employed have been insufficient to cover the risks involved.


Local delivery of support to householders to reduce the exposure to, and impacts of, fuel poverty is attracting increasing policymaker interest, but there is a dearth of empirical research that describes and evaluates local support schemes. Community organisations are viewed as having great potential to aid this delivery, but research on how this could be achieved is scarce. The research presented in this paper responds to these needs through an exploratory study of the delivery of home energy advice visits in the UK. Data were collected through interviews and supporting documents from twelve projects and analysis examined the inter-relationships between the process, delivered outputs and impacts of each project. The research findings suggest that long-term local professional initiatives appear to be most effective at reaching and providing support to fuel poor households across a local area. Community organisations appear to have some potential to fill gaps in local provision and can assist professional initiatives, particularly through signposting, but a lack of volunteer capacity ultimately constrains their impact. Issues identified for further study include: how local support services can be resourced and delivered nationwide; trade-offs between pursuing climate change and fuel poverty agendas; a need for more robust evidence of impacts.


Cyber-Physical Systems consisting of hundreds of thousands of elements are emerging, with even bigger systems likely to emerge in the immediate future. However, in order for emerging and reasonably anticipated systems to be practical, the software control of million-element Cyber-Physical Systems needs to be addressed.
This PhD thesis describes the software control algorithms necessary for the realization of million-element Cyber-Physical Systems. This work will show that Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) based control of such Cyber-Physical Systems provides significant benefits, both in the form of fast control of large numbers of elements, as well as in terms of providing a viable and scalable option by using inexpensive, off-the-shelf hardware. GPU control will be shown to be particularly well suited for the combination of the virtual environment with the manipulation of the physical shape of the environment in which the user resides.
The main contributions of this PhD thesis consist of novel algorithms that utilize existing off-the-shelf GPUs to control the Constrained Motion Cyber-Physical Systems comprised of multi million element systems, and demonstrate the feasibility and scalability of such control algorithms. It will be shown how both control and coordination of the elements can be achieved, while at the same time accounting for the physical limitations of the Cyber-Physical System elements. The approach presented here results in the ability to control the position of the actuation elements in Cyber-Physical Systems, as well as additional physical attributes of the system such as temperature, perceived elasticity of the actuating elements, slipperiness of the ground in large scale systems, etc. We describe how to further extend our approach to deal with existing Cyber-Physical Systems like catoms/Claytronics [1], [2], CirculaFloor [3] and MEMSbased tactile devices, as well as describe an approach to addressing the physical safety of the user in large scale Cyber-Physical Systems.


We propose a novel approach for the recommendation of possible customers (users) to advertisers (e.g., brands) based on two main aspects: (i) the comparison between On-line Social Network profiles, and (ii) neighborhood analysis on the On-line Social Network. Profile matching between users and brands is considered based on bag-of-words representation of textual contents coming from the social media, and measures such as the Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency are used in order to characterize the importance of words in the comparison. The approach has been implemented relying on Big Data Technologies, allowing this way the efficient analysis of very large Online Social Networks. Results on real datasets show that the combination of profile matching and neighborhood analysis is successful in identifying the most suitable set of users to be used as target for a given advertisement campaign.


Surgery was undertaken in 149 patients with tumours or hyperplasia of the adrenal glands accompanied by high arterial hypertension, not infrequently of a malignant nature. An analysis is presented of some auxiliary methods of clinical diagnosis of pheochromocytomas (69 cases) and aldosteromas (56 cases). Data on the methods of topical diagnosis are presented, among which the authors believe tomography of the adrenals conducted against the background of pneumoretroperitoneum, and selective phlebography of the adrenals to be the best techniques. The immediate results of surgery for this grave form of hypertension are reported. The late results of the hypotensive effect of surgery are analysed in all 149 operated cases, the follow-up period ranging from 2 to 15 years.


Career development theory provides a comprehensive model for conceptualizing the school-to-work transition. Since the 1920s, this model has guided the design of a plethora of career education methods and materials that orient, teach, coach, and rehearse students for the transition from school to work. The developmental model, methods, and materials aim to increase students' awareness of the choices to be made and the information and planning that bears on these choices. The editors of this special issue asked the authors to focus on "explicitly applying their theories to the school-to-work transition of work-bound youth" and to "emphasize ways that their respective theoretical positions can be used to help understand or facilitate the School-to-Work (STW) transition of youth." This is an amiable assignment for advocates of career development theory because this evolutionary perspective on careers explicitly concentrates on the developmental tasks and individual coping resources required to successfully negotiate the transition to work life. The transition of youth from school to work looms large in the landscape of predictable passages in a career because it marks the beginning of full-time employment. This article first discusses the developmental model for understanding the STW transition and then describes methods and materials for facilitating the STW transition. UNDERSTANDING THE STW TRANSITION The years after a student leaves school are years of choice and change. The choices may be explicit or implicit, made by action or inaction, but either way young adults make important career choices that change their lives. Numerous studies over the last 60 years have examined the experiences of youth in making the STW transition. These studies agree on one major conclusion, the essence of the developmental perspective on the STW transition: Youth cope better with the STW transition if as high school students they have developed awareness of the choices to be made and of the information and planning that bear on these choices. To use the vernacular, high school students who "look ahead" and "look around" develop greater job-seeking readiness (Stevens, 1973) and adjust more quickly to the work world. The studies that first stated this conclusion were conducted between the Great Depression and World War II. Although conducted in a different cultural and historical context, these landmark studies articulated a wisdom that remains relevant today. Particularly important among empirical studies of this type are those that used a prospective, longitudinal research design such as the Regents of New York inquiry titled When Youth Leave School (Eckert & Marshall, 1939); the American Youth Commission survey titled Youth Tell Their Story (Bell, 1938); two Harvard studies: Scholastic, Economic and Social Background of Unemployed Youth (Dearborn & Rothney, 1938) and "Advice From Apprentices" (Moyer, 1940); the National Association of Secondary School Principals' study of Occupational Adjustment and the School (Landy, 1940); and "From School to Work During the Depression Years" (Super & Wright, 1941a, 1941b). Each of these longitudinal studies examined the dynamics of the STW transition by relating data collected from high school students about their career development to detailed information about their adaptation to the world of work. The resemblance of these studies to contemporary research on the same topic is impressive. For example, the Landy (1940) study, which investigated high school behavior as a predictor of occupational adjustment, identified "practices which seem useful" in preparing students for the STW transition. Landy recommended that principals establish courses that would allow students to become responsible and self-directed in situations that are as much like real jobs as possible. He advised teachers to make their students aware of the problems involved in the STW transition. …


Cities are characterized by concentrating population, economic activity and services. However, not all cities are equal and a natural hierarchy at local, regional or global scales spontaneously emerges. In this work, we introduce a method to quantify city influence using geolocated tweets to characterize human mobility. Rome and Paris appear consistently as the cities attracting most diverse visitors. The ratio between locals and non-local visitors turns out to be fundamental for a city to truly be global. Focusing only on urban residents' mobility flows, a city-to-city network can be constructed. This network allows us to analyse centrality measures at different scales. New York and London play a central role on the global scale, while urban rankings suffer substantial changes if the focus is set at a regional level.


This paper describes the work of an alliance formed by three civic organizations in Mumbai to address poverty - the NGO SPARC, the National Slum Dwellers Federation and Mahila Milan, a cooperative representing women's savings groups. It highlights key features of their work which include: putting the knowledge and capacity of the poor and the savings groups that they form at the core of all their work (with NGOs in a supporting role); keeping politically neutral and negotiating with whoever is in power; driving change through setting precedents (for example, a community-designed and managed toilet, a house design developed collectively by the urban poor that they can build far cheaper than public or private agencies) and using these to negotiate support and changed policies (a strategy that develops new "legal" solutions on the poor's own terms); a horizontal structure as the Alliance is underpinned by, accountable to and serves thousands of small savings groups formed mostly by poor women; community-to-community exchange visits that root innovation and learning in what urban poor groups do; and urban poor groups undertaking surveys and censuses to produce their own data about "slums" (which official policies lack and need) to help build partnerships with official agencies in ways that strengthen and support their own organizations. The paper notes that these are features shared with urban poor federations and alliances in other countries and it describes the international community exchanges and other links between them. These groups are internationalizing themselves, creating networks of globalization from below. Individually and collectively, they seek to demonstrate to governments (local, regional, national) and international agencies that urban poor groups are more capable than they in poverty reduction, and they also provide these agencies with strong community-based partners through which to do so. They are, or can be, instruments of deep democracy, rooted in local context and able to mediate globalizing forces in ways that benefit the poor. In so doing, both within nations and globally, they are seeking to redefine what governance and governability mean.


Rotations have long been used to improve crop yields. No-tillage production acreage is increasing, and production information on rotation effects on yields and soybean cyst nematode populations is needed for this system. Field experiments were initiated in 1985 and continued through 1992 to evaluate P-K fertilization effects on yield of a corn-soybean [Zea mays L.-Glycine max (L.) Merr.] rotation and on populations of soybean cyst nematode (Heterodera glycines Ichinohe) (SCN). The research was conducted on a Loring silt loam soil (a fine-silty, mixed, active, thermic Oxyaquic Fragiudalf), using no-tillage management. The experimental design was a split-plot for corn evaluation and split-split-plot for soybean evaluation. Individual treatments were replicated five times. Main plots were broadcast P-K rates of 0-0, 15-28, 29-56, 44-84, and 59-112 kg ha -1 . The split-plots were continuous corn, continuous soybean, a corn-soybean rotation, and a soybean-corn rotation. The split-split-plots were two soybean cultivars possessing different levels of SCN resistance. Yields of both crops were increased by the fertilization. In this study, corn yields were increased 14% and soybean yields increased 11% with the rotation. Rotating the two cultivars produced similar yields and nonrotated yields of resistant TN 4-86 were higher than susceptible Essex, indicating an effect of SCN. The primary benefit of corn in the rotation was to reduce SCN populations. However, within Essex rotations the SCN population recovery was rapid, while populations remained relatively low in the TN 4-86 rotations. The SCN populations were greater when rotations were fertilized with the two lowest P-K rates, compared with populations within the unfertilized check and the highest P-K rate. Soybean producers should consider a no-tillage system of rotating corn with SCN-resistant soybean cultivars, fertilized at high P and K rates for yield improvement and reduced SCN populations.


All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated...As therefore the bell that rings to a sermon, calls not upon the preacher only, but upon the congregation to come: so this bell calls us all: but how much more me, who am brought so near the door by this sickness ...No man is an island, entire of itself...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.


The Asparagus officinalis intracellular PR1 (AoPR1) gene is expressed in response to wounding and pathogen attack. We utilized the inverse polymerase chain reaction (IPCR) to isolate the cis-acting regulatory sequences of the AoPR1 gene following unsuccessful attempts to identify hybridizing clones in genomic libraries. Sequence analysis of two IPCR products revealed that a 347 bp intron was present in the AoPR1 gene and that it was probable that the AoPR1 regulatory sequence had been amplified. To test the AoPR1 cis-acting sequences for biological function a translational fusion was constructed with the beta-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene and tested in tobacco. These data demonstrated that sequences 982 bp from the probable start of transcription are sufficient to direct wound-inducible transcription and that there is no signal peptide encoded by the first 31 residues of the predicted AoPR1 protein. Histochemical localization of GUS activity in transgenic tobacco demonstrated strong activity localized to wound and pathogen invasion sites. GUS activity was also found in mature pollen grains.


A series of new hybrid fluorescent Biginelli compounds, including a Monastrol derivative, were designed and synthesized with good yields. The photophysical studies revealed dual fluorescence emission, attributed to excited enol forms (E*) and tautomeric (K*) species, respectively, due to the ESIPT mechanism. The cytotoxic activity of all compounds was evaluated against MCF-7, Caco-2 and PC3 cancer cell lines and PNT2 normal prostate cells. The fluorescent Monastrol derivative 8f was the most active with cytotoxic activity very similar to cisplatin, whereas derivative 8c was the most selective towards the PC3 prostate cancer cells. The confocal laser scanning microscopy images of PC3 and MCF-7 cancer cell lines were acquired after incubation of the fluorescent Biginelli hybrids 8c and 8f, respectively, demonstrating efficient cellular uptake of both compounds and strong fluorescence within the intracellular medium. These results show that the new hybrid 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2-(thi)ones are dual-function bioactive compounds that act both as fluorescent probes and antineoplastic agents.


To the Editor: We read with great interest the article by Schilling et al. dealing with effects of sevoflurane and desflurane as volatile anesthetics compared with propofol as an intravenous anesthetic and the relationship between pulmonary and systemic inflammation in patients undergoing open thoracic surgery. Authors remarked that proinflammatory cytokines increased in the ventilated lung after one lung ventilation. Mediator release was more enhanced during propofol anesthesia compared with desflurane or sevoflurane administration. Postoperatively, the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor(P 0.001), interleukin-1 (IL-1 ) (P 0.002), and interleukin 8 (IL-8) (P 0.025) were more increased in patients during propofol administration compared with both volatile anesthesia groups, and postoperative serum concentration of IL-6 was increased in all patient groups after thoracic surgery (P 0.001). The authors concluded that onelung ventilation increases the alveolar concentrations of proinflammatory mediators in the ventilated lung. Both desflurane and sevoflurane suppress the local alveolar, but not the systemic, inflammatory responses to one-lung ventilation and thoracic surgery. Lung injury after thoracic surgery is a relatively uncommon but major complication with high mortality. Many factors, including cytokine imbalance, ischemia reperfusion injury, and the use of one-lung ventilation, are involved in this process apart from the surgical insult itself. In our opinion, a point of this work is not sufficiently clear. EDTA and sulfite might be added as antimicrobial agents to several formulations of propofol, which may have different physiologic responses. Herr et al. showed that the patients in the surgical intensive care unit receiving propofol with EDTA had significantly reduced mortality rates at 7 and 28 days compared with those receiving propofol without EDTA. Haitsma et al. compared the effects of propofol with EDTA, propofol with sulfite, and ketamine/midazolam on tumor necrosis factor, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 in an animal study. They showed that bronchoalveolar lavage IL-6 was significantly higher in the propofol with sulfite group compared with both the ketamine/ midazolam and the propofol with EDTA groups. They also remarked that pulmonary IL-6 can be modulated by additives in systemic anesthesia. Accordingly, we think that reporting detailed formula of propofol in studies evaluating the effect of propofol on inflammatory responses would be crucial, and we hope that the previously mentioned comments might add to the value of the manuscript by Schilling et al.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop and assess an organizational intervention consisting of psychological first aid (PFA) and Open Space Technology (OST), and its impact on individual resilience and perceived organization support.

Design/methodology/approach
The study used a non-experimental, pre-test and post-test design. Measures of employee post-trauma, resilience and organizational support were measured before and after the PFA intervention.

Findings
Paired sample t-tests revealed significant pre/post-increases in individual resilience and perceived organization support. Correlational analysis revealed that resilience was associated with perceived organization support. Evaluations revealed that participants found the small group sharing, information about coping and the open space problem-solving activities particularly worthwhile.

Research limitations/implications
A limitation of the study was the lack of a randomized control group in the design. Future research may utilize more robust designs such as experimental and longitudinal studies to evaluate impact.

Practical implications
This study indicates how the use of an organization-based intervention can be adopted for employees who undergo an emergency in their workplace. The combination of PFA and OST was found to be valuable in improving individual resilience and perceived organization support. In addition, OST can better facilitate problem-solving performance in intact groups, as it enhances collective interaction and community efficacy among survivors.

Originality/value
The study contributes to the dearth of knowledge on the use of PFA when used in an intact organization as part of its crisis intervention.


A method for the fault detection in complex industrial systems is presented. The plant devices, the sensors, the actuators, and diagnostic tests are described as discrete-event systems. A formal composition rule of these models is given and an inference procedure for the identification and isolation of the faults is discussed. Temporal information is also considered to speed up the fault isolation procedure and, in some cases, to uniquely identify faults with the same static fault signature.


In the semiarid southern coast of Puerto Rico at the Fortuna agricultural experiment substation, Juana Diaz, we conducted a study on N, P and K uptake by nitrogen fertigated sweet peppers (cv. Cubanelle) and growth parameters (fresh and dry weight of plant, fresh and dry weight of fruit). The treatments were T1 = 500, T2 = 300 and T3 = 150 kg of N per hectare in 11 applications via drip irrigation, T4 = 500 kg of N/ha banded, T5 = control, replicated four times in a complete randomized split plot design. Nitrogen source was urea. The subplots were used for plastic mulched and nonmulched plots. The relationships between N, P, K and growth parameters versus days after transplanting were determined by the equation Y = A/(B + (C-X) 2 , a Mitscherlich curve type. These relationships indicated 5 phases of nutrient uptake. Coefficient of determination varied from 0.55 to 0.85 for growth parameters and from 0.70 to 0.99 for nutrient uptake. Nutrient uptake values were significantly higher in the last one-third of the growing cycle. The commercial pepper yield was 46.8, 51.2, 43.1, 31.0 and 20.8 tons/ha with plastic mulching compared with 26.2, 34.6, 27.9, 25.9 and 14.8 tons/ha with no mulching in the T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 plots, respectively. Fertigation with 300 kg/ha of N produced a higher commercial yield compared with fertilization and control at P = 0.05. Plastic mulching increased pepper yield significantly over that with no mulching at P = 0.05.


To maintain crop production in areas where irrigation water or soil contains a large amount of salt, proper management of water and soil is required. A model simulating salt movement in the field may be helpful for developing improved management practices. We developed a two-dimensional Galerkin finite element model to simulate transport of water, heat, and solute in furrow-irrigated soil. In this model, we considered the interaction of soil water content, temperature, and solute concentration on transport of water, heat, and solute. An energy balance equation was applied to each node along the simulated ridge-furrow soil surface to provide boundary conditions for water and heat transport. The model was compared with field measurements acquired in a loamy sand plot near College Station, TX. In the soil profile, distributions of water content and electrical conductivity were measured with time domain reflectometry, and distributions of temperature were measured with thermocouples. Solute concentration was estimated from electrical conductivity. The overall performance of the developed model was favorable when simulating distributions of water content, temperature, and solute concentration.


With the current paradigm shift from analogue telephoning to digital and the astronomical increase in the active mobile subscribers and teledensity in Nigeria, this has led to the emergence of mobile communication device that enhances this shift. The smartphone provides an opportunity for internet-enabled communication due to its multi-tasking ability. Arguably, it is expedient to investigate the determinants of Smartphone purchase behavior in an emerging economy like Nigeria. More so, Smartphone was found to be common among young adults who make up the larger percentage of Smartphone market in Nigeria. Based on the fore goings, the study seeks to empirically investigate the determinants of Smartphone purchase behavior among young adults in Anambra State, Nigeria. To achieve the objective, survey research design was adopted and quota sampling was chosen as the sampling technique. A sample size of 437 respondents was statistically drawn and the research instrument was a questionnaire. Hypotheses were tested using multiple. The result of the data analysis had serious implications for retail management among others. It is recommended that Smartphone marketers should adopt a customized marketing mix strategy, also various attractive features should be offered to better appeal to the young adults and a more attractive appealing pricing strategy should be adopted.


We consider the general problem of sampling from a sequence of distributions that is defined on a union of sub-spaces. We will illustrate the general approach on the problem of sequential radial basis function (RBF) regression where the number of kernels is variable and unknown. Our approach, which we term trans-dimensional sequential Monte Carlo (TD-SMC), is based on a generalisation of importance sampling to spaces of variable dimension. In the spirit of P. Del Moral and A. Doucet (2002) we augment the target parameter space at the current time step with an auxiliary space corresponding to the parameters at the previous time step. This facilitates the design of efficient proposal distributions, which can then be formulated as moves from the auxiliary parameter space to the target parameter space, lending our algorithm its sequential character. These proposals are very general, and may include within model moves to update parameters, and trans-dimensional birth or death moves to add or remove parameters when appropriate. From this perspective our approach is reminiscent of the reversible jump Markov Chain Monte Carlo (RJ-MCMC) algorithm [P.J. Green, 1995].


Abstract We investigate experimentally the characteristics of the flow field that develops at low Reynolds numbers ( $\mathit{Re}\ll 1$ ) around a sharp $9{0}^{\ensuremath{\circ} } $ corner bounded by channel walls. Two-dimensional planar velocity fields are obtained using particle image velocimetry (PIV) conducted in a towing tank filled with a silicone oil of high viscosity. We find that, in the vicinity of the corner, the steady-state flow patterns bear the signature of a three-dimensional secondary flow, characterized by counter-rotating pairs of streamwise vortical structures and identified by the presence of non-vanishing transverse velocities ( ${u}_{z} $ ). These results are compared to numerical solutions of the incompressible flow as well as to predictions obtained, for a similar geometry, from an asymptotic expansion solution (Guglielmini et al., J. Fluid Mech., vol. 668, 2011, pp. 33–57). Furthermore, we discuss the influence of both Reynolds number and aspect ratio of the channel cross-section on the resulting secondary flows. This work represents, to the best of our knowledge, the first experimental characterization of the three-dimensional flow features arising in a pressure-driven flow near a corner at low Reynolds number.


The ability to control nanoscale alloying and phase segregation properties is important for the exploration of multimetallic nanoparticles for the design of advanced functional materials and catalysts. This report highlights recent insights into the nanoscale phase properties of gold-platinum (AuPt) nanoparticles, which serves as an example to shine a light on the importance of changes in physical and chemical properties in which nanoscale multimetallic materials may differ from their bulk counterparts. In contrast to the wide miscibility gap well known for the bulk gold-platinum system, the bimetallic nanoparticles have been demonstrated to exist in phases ranging from alloy, partial alloy, to phase segregation depending on the preparation conditions, the bimetallic composition, and the supporting materials. For AuPt nanoparticles supported on carbon materials, the nanoscale alloying or phase segregation is shown to be controllable by thermal treatment temperatures, which is not only evidenced by detailed analysis of the phase and surface properties, but also supported by theoretical modeling based on thermodynamic and density function theory. The understanding of the nanoscale phase properties can be correlated with the electrocatalytic activities for fuel cell reactions such as methanol oxidation reaction and oxygen reduction reaction. Implications of the new insights to designing and nanoengineering the phase properties of multimetallic nanoparticles and catalysts are also briefly discussed.


In any heterogeneous system, porting reconfigurable computing is often a high performance platform for a broad range of computationally challenging issues. However, efficiently utilizing the maximum potential of these reconfigurable systems is a difficult job without understanding their performance characteristics. This work proposes an analytic performance model using Petri Nets (PN) for a Reconfigurable OR1200 (ROR1200) soft-core processor with model validation and verifications. By modeling the ROR1200 system using Petri Nets, both behavioral and structural properties existing in parallel systems were analyzed. The Bound Level Analysis with respect to the dependency level of data is also performed on Soft Core Processors (SCP) like the ROR1200, the OR1200 and the MicroBlaze.


We report the discovery of an esdL3 subdwarf, ULAS J020858.62+020657.0, and a usdL4.5 subdwarf, ULAS J230711.01+014447.1. They were identified as L subdwarfs by optical spectra obtained with the Gran Telescopio Canarias, and followed up by optical-to-near-infrared spectroscopy with the Very Large Telescope. We also obtained an optical-to-near-infrared spectrum of a previously known L subdwarf, ULAS J135058.85+081506.8, and reclassified it as a usdL3 subdwarf. These three objects all have typical halo kinematics. They have $T_{\rm eff}$ around 2050$-$2250 K, $-$1.8 $\leq$ [Fe/H] $\leq -$1.5, and mass around 0.0822$-$0.0833 M$_{\odot}$, according to model spectral fitting and evolutionary models. These sources are likely halo transitional brown dwarfs with unsteady hydrogen fusion, as their masses are just below the hydrogen-burning minimum mass, which is $\sim$ 0.0845 M$_{\odot}$ at [Fe/H] = $-$1.6 and $\sim$ 0.0855 M$_{\odot}$ at [Fe/H] = $-$1.8. Including these, there are now nine objects in the `halo brown dwarf transition zone', which is a `substellar subdwarf gap' that spans a wide temperature range within a narrow mass range of the substellar population.


We have been using poster projects in freshman and sophomore level courses as a way to develop our students' design, teamwork, and presentation skills, as well as to reinforce the course concepts. Projects for classes are selected pertinent to the specific course material and are run as a competitive challenge to a number of separate teams formed from the students in each class. The projects require actually building a working prototype of the design and competing against other teams in head-to-head competition. In addition to the project competition, a judged, poster presentation on the project is required which is to demonstrate how their engineering skills were applied to the design and analysis of the project. This paper presents some of the different projects that have been used in our mechanical engineering classes. It also discusses how the projects were administered and discusses the strengths and weaknesses of this type of activity as a learning tool. Introduction: What is a competitive poster project? It involves a team design project that culminates with both a poster display of the work completed by the team and a competitive event in which the different student teams compete against other student teams with a prototype of their design and construction. The choice of project can vary from class to class, since the focus of the projects are not interdisciplinary, but are targeted very closely to the material and principles which are to be covered in a specific class. The project is to act as an avenue by which the understanding of principles can be strengthened and at the same time allow an open-endedness to create the opportunity for a worthwhile design experience. It should be complex enough to include several of the conceptual principles together, so that the students will need to separate out the problems into a set of smaller tasks. Because the project will also involve actually building a prototype, the project should be simple enough that a team of students with average construction skills will be able to put together a workable prototype. While students generally find the opportunity to actually build a project exciting, the addition of making this into competition makes it even better. The promise of competition tends to draw out even more effort in the majority of students. The grand finale of the project occurs during the final week of the term, when the posters are displayed and judged, and the teams pit their prototypes against each other in competition. The educational objectives of a poster project include: --to create a simple focused design experience at a lower class level. Session 1566


The Saccharomyces cerevisiae DPMI gene product, dolichol-phosphate-mannose (Dol-P-Man) synthase, is involved in the coupled processes of synthesis and membrane translocation of Dol-P-Man. Dol-P-Man is the lipid-linked sugar donor of the last four mannose residues that are added to the core oligosaccharide transferred to protein during N-linked glycosylation in the endoplasmic reticulum. We present evidence that the S. cerevisiae gene DPM1, when stably transfected into a mutant Chinese hamster ovary cell line, B4-2-1, is able to correct the glycosylation defect of the cells. Evidence for complementation includes (i) fluorescenceactivated cell sorter analysis of differential lectin binding to cell surface glycoproteins, (ii) restoration of Dol-P-Man synthase enzymatic activity in crude cell lysates, (iii) isolation and high-performance liquid chromatography fractionation of the lipid-linked oligosaccharides synthesized in the transfected and control cell lines, and (iv) the restoration of endoglycosidase H sensitivity to the oligosaccharides transferred to a specific glycoprotein synthesized in the DPMI CHO transfectants. Indirect immunofluorescence with a primary antibody directed against the DPMJ protein shows a reticular staining pattern of protein localization in transfected hamster and monkey cell lines.


A method was developed for production of a freeze-dried Western equine encephalomyelitis vaccine from virus propagated in chick embryo cell culture monolayers maintained with a serum-free medium. A sufficient concentration of virus accumulated in the cell culture fluids prior to the occurrence of viral cytopathology to permit the production of a vaccine relatively free from serum and cellular proteins. Inoculation with two mouse ld(50) doses of virus per 100 tissue culture cells was found to yield reproducible high virus titers at a convenient harvest time. These harvests were inactivated at 22 C by 0.05% formalin within 48 hr. Potency test results, as measured by the protection of immunized guinea pigs against an intracerebral virus challenge, indicated that the vaccine produced from the virus propagated in cell culture was equal in potency to a lot of whole chick embryo vaccine used to immunize laboratory and field workers subject to a high risk of infection.


Abstract. More and more, existing buildings – and particularly historic buildings – are becoming part of the daily business of every architect. Planning and designing in the field of architectural heritage requires not only knowledge of contemporary building techniques, design processes and national and international guidelines, but also a deep understanding of architectural heritage, its evolution and genesis, the building techniques that have been applied, materials used, traditions, etc. In many cases, it is indispensable to perform a detailed building survey and building research to achieve an adequate design concept. The Department of History of Architecture and Building Archaeology of TU Wien has an extensive tradition of building research and over the course of the past 10 years, has developed a teaching workflow to introduce architectural students to building archaeology und surveying methods for building research. A sophisticated, temporally interwoven combination of courses and lectures on different topics related to building archaeology and surveying rapidly gives the architectural students the right tools for this important but often neglected task.


Background: Dipstick urine analysis is the most common method for screening children for detecting urinary abnormalities. This study is aimed to estimate the frequency of urinary problems among children aged 6-13 years from five primary schools in different parts of the Sohag Governorate, Egypt. Study Design and Setting: Cross-sectional study carried out by the Pediatrics Department and Community Medicine Departments at Sohag University, Egypt. Study Duration: Study was conducted during the academic year of Egypt 2014-2015. Methods: Urine analysis was performed for 2850 asymptomatic school children [1800 (63%) males and 1050 (37%) females]. Out of which, 1736 (61%) children were from rural areas and 1114 (39%) children were from urban areas. Microscopic examinations were performed for the abnormal dipstick samples after two weeks. Urine culture and other investigations were done to determine the underlining urinary abnormities. Results: The initial urinary screening by dipstick revealed 53 children (1.86%) had urine abnormities. Confirmatory test by complete microscopic examination of urine after 15 days showed that only 38 children (1.33%) still had urinary abnormalities. Twenty-one children (0.74%) had hematuria, three children (0.11%) had proteinuria and 14 children (0.49%) had pyuria. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) were diagnosed in 21 children (14 children with pyuria and seven children with hematuria) in whom further evaluation revealed UTIs. The most common bacteria in positive urine culture samples were gram-negative bacilli in 42.86% children. Conclusion: Small number of asymptomatic renal abnormalities can be detected by dipstick urine screening. The common abnormalities were hematuria, UTIs and proteinuria. Hematuria and UTIs were more common in females than males. Further work is needed to determine value of early detection of renal disorders in childhood in preventing development of end-stage renal diseases.


The present cross-sectional correlational study aimed to investigate a set of cognitive, affective, and personality traits impacting the psychological effects of imprisonment. Ninety-three male inmates filled out a battery including measures of intelligence, working memory, psychopathy, aggressiveness, anxious trait, emotionality, rumination styles, and empathy proneness. Inmates' psychological outcomes were conceptualized in terms of mood, anxiety, depression, and general health. Results showed that inmates with high cognitive abilities, psychopathic impulsivity, proactive aggression, personal distress and fantasy, anxious and negative emotionality are mainly prone to ill-being psychological outcomes. Contrariwise, the fearless dominance trait, positive emotionality and empathic concern ability seem to expose inmates to positive psychological outcomes. Reactive aggression and perspective taking seem to impact both positive and negative moods. Ruminative style was unrelated to psychological outcomes. These preliminary results provide an insight into which factors intervention programs should be based upon in order to enhance well-being and reduce distress among inmates.


Tertiary syphilis is now a rare disease in Europe, mainly as a result of occasional antibiotherapy for concomitant infections. However early syphilis is rising in USA and Germany, and it is necessary to maintain an high level of knowledge and suspicion to achieve a diagnosis in the tertiary stage of the disease. In this report two patients with benign tertiary syphilis are described. The first one is a 55-year-old female with erythemato-violaceous annular scaling plaques on the right buttock and scapula and on both thighs, which had a negative and then a low VDRL titer. The second case is a 33-year-old mentally handicapped female with erythematous plaques, with psoriasiform scaling in the trunk and well defined crusted ulcers on the face, which also had negative VDRL. Biopsy of the skin lesions revealed plasmocytic infiltrate with endothelial swelling without granulomas and with negative silver stains in both patients. The investigation for cardiovascular and neurological involvement was negative in both patients. Diagnosis of tertiary syphilis can be difficult as clinical pictures can be misleading, similar to other granulomatous diseases, and serological titers can be low or negative. We recall the necessity of ruling out neurological and cardiac involvement in this stage of syphilis. These cases are reported as a reminder of the possibility of syphilis, so that new cases are not misdiagnosed and mistreated as other diseases.


One of the main issues of the single point incremental forming (SPIF) process is still the achievable accuracy. A number of methods have been suggested to increase this accuracy, but many of these contain a significant drawback. Reprocessing the workpiece can increase the accuracy but also significantly increases the manufacturing time and leads to a worse surface finish of the part. Other methods iteratively correct the toolpath based upon the deviations measured on the previously manufactured parts. This method is not very well suited for one of a kind products, since instead of one part, multiple parts need to be manufactured before the desired accuracy can be reached. Our method proposes to use feature detection to split the workpiece in a configuration of planes, edges, freeform surfaces and other features. For each of these features an optimised toolpath strategy can be determined and the toolpath in that zone can be adjusted for this strategy. The proposed method generates a single pass toolpath that leads to more accurate parts compared to the standard CAM toolpaths. This paper describes the feature based optimised toolpath generation method (FSPIF) and contains the results of experiments performed to validate this method.


Many highly eutrophic waters are dominated by Cyanobacteria non-edible for zooplankton. This dominance of large phytoplankton and its exudation as well as the low biomass of small phytoplankton lead to a high ratio of exudation to edible primary production. As bacteria can effectively use exudates, they could be an important alternative food source for zooplankton. We investigated primary production (PP) in various size fractions and bacterial production (BP) in the hypertrophic Bautzen reservoir (Germany) in order to test whether (1) high PP can promote high BP and (2) BP can amount to similar values as particulate PP of the edible fraction. The main part of PP was produced by non-edible colonies of Microcystisspp. in summer and fall. The dynamics of BP and PP showing maximum activities in July and October were closely coupled. The strong relationship between BP and PP (r2 = 0.98) indicates that allochthonous DOC (dissolved organic carbon) should be of little importance for bacteria. Consequently, PP was their main DOC source, but exudation could not cover bacterial organic carbon demand at the maxima of BP. The mean ratio of BP to PP was 3.5%, a low value typical for hypertrophic waters. However, BP amounted to similar or higher values than particulate PP of the edible fraction with respect to carbon production in summer and fall. Since the dominating daphnids are considered to be able to graze effectively on bacteria, it must be assumed that bacteria should be an equally important food source for Daphnia as edible phytoplankton.


We describe a microfluidic device for automated culture and long-term high resolution imaging of Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes, which we specifically employed as model organisms for the analysis of neurodegenerative disease progression. In this platform, we integrated: (i) a microfluidic design tailored for the confinement of worms at the L2 larval stage in separate culture chambers by means of passive hydrodynamics; (ii) an optimized protocol for worm feeding and progeny removal at desired rate, allowing follow-up of the same worms over long-term studies; (iii) a technique for reversible C.elegans immobilization, based on the thermoreversible gelation of Pluronic F127 (PF127) inside the microfluidic chip; (iv) active control of the device temperature; (v) a compact device assembly, suitable for automated multi-dimensional imaging on any upright or inverted microscope.


The aim of NetPark was to test the potential for artists, researchers and developers to create an extensible and mobile experience that connects to public spaces as a dynamic locative experience. Additionally, the project aimed to explore the educational potential of Netpark by creating educational works in collaboration with local school children. As a funded R&D project, NetPark was a collaboration between the arts organisation Metal, the mobile app development company Calvium, and researchers at the University of Brighton. This report presents the process and results of creating a free public digital arts park in Chalkwell Park, Southend-on-Sea, where Metal has its base.

Five artists were commissioned to create digital artwork to be experienced by the general public in the park, supported by Metal and Calvium. Jamie Gledhill created the augmented reality project 'Talking Trees' utilising the Junaio browser; Rosie Poebright created ' Run to Flight' a locative audio app using GPS; Joel Cahen created ' The Oneironaut' where users experience a narrated dream and contention of reality; Mark Grist and DJ Mixy (Michael Riccardi) created ' The Spoken Word Tours' - a series of performance and musical works based on observations of park users, also including work with school children as performance poetry. Finally, Metal commissioned music duo Matmos to create a new sound work app, where the artists sampled sounds from the park and made new musical works.

In addition to the commissioned artists, five local primary schools took part in a series of eight-week long workshops to create locative story apps for younger visitors to the park, in collaboration with professional authors and illustrators.

The researchers at the University of Brighton's School of Arts, Design and Media collected and analysed research material, including interviews and observations, that provided insights into stakeholder issues related to the project delivery, the perspective of makers on creating locative media art, the user experience of artworks in the form of locative media apps, and the educational aspect of creating works with schools.

The key insights are:

* NetPark is a creative response to the challenges local authorities face around public spaces and parks, drawing on opportunities of the digital and creative economy, to establish a process for artistic and educational creation as well as stakeholder engagement.
* NetPark shows how the combination of the park setting park with digital, mobile and locative technologies facilitates new user experiences and engages new audiences.
* Engaging local school children in locative media creation for NetPark has a range of educational opportunities and benefits.
* Understanding the user experience and the educational opportunities of NetPark can inform further engagement with diverse communities.
* Curating and maintaining NetPark is an important part of its strategy and follows the setting-up process.
* The NetPark Toolkit contains guidance and resources on the process of commissioning, producing and maintaining both locative digital art works and locative educational digital works in public outdoor spaces.
* The NetPark projects makes a contribution to the long-term development of public space in a digital age.


Abstract Nasolacrimal ductus obstruction cause Epifora. Two widely accepted treatment modalities are external and endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy. Currently available rigid nasal endoscopes are safe for intranasal manipulation of structures of the nasal cavity, including the region of the lacrimal sac. Twenty-eight patients with complete stenosis of the nasolacrimal duct were treated with endoscopically controlled endonasal dacryocystorhinoslomy. Approximately 97% of the patients were symptom free, and 3% of these felt improved postoperatively. This procedure appears to be safe and effective, which should be considered as an alternative to external dacryocystorhinostomy for the surgical treatment of the nasolacrimal duct obstruction.


Listeria monocytogenes is the facultative intracellular pathogen responsible for causing the foodborne illness known as listeriosis. Disease occurs following invasion of cells of the intestinal tract by the organism following consumption of contaminated foods. In this study, a mechanism of opsonin-independent attachment of L. monocytogenes to host cells was identified. A clinical isolate of L. monocytogenes, together with murinederived primary peritoneal macrophages were used to study this adherence phenomenon. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy were used to visualize the attachment and uptake of L. monocytogenes by murine macrophages, while organism enumeration by viable bacterial cell colony counts was used as a measure of intracellular replication in host cells. L. monocytogenes was shown to adhere to host cells in the absence of complement and a complete infectious cycle for the organism was found. These data confirmed previously identified stages of host cell infection by L. monocytogenes in other cell types, including adherence, uptake, phagosomal escape, and intracellular replication. The nature of the L. monocytogenes bacterial "adhesin" and the host cell "receptor" in binding studies was investigated. The results from competitive binding studies indicated the involvement of N-acetyl neuraminic acid, a member of the sialic acid group, in the binding of L. monocytogenes to murine peritoneal macrophages. Identification of the host cell receptor was not possible, as most treatments were ineffective at preventing organism binding. Monoclonal antibodies directed against complement receptor 3 were used in blocking studies and these indicated that CR3 is not involved in the recognition of L. monocytogenes by nonlistericidal, thioglycollateelicited macrophages. These results indicated the importance of opsonin-independent binding mechanisms for L. monocytogenes and shed new light on our understanding of the infectious processes of this pathogen.


Tracer-based mapping of metabolic networks in vivo is a powerful approach for revealing metabolic reprogramming in human cancer. However, current in vivo labeling techniques for model animals face important challenges including insufficient depth of pathway coverage (e.g. inability to detect labeled nucleotides, proteins, and lipids) and stress-related artifacts. Here, we report stress-free administration of 13C6-glucose via liquid diet into mice. 13C enrichment was observed in metabolites of glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, the pentose phosphate pathway, nucleobases, UDP-sugars, as well as macromolecules glycogen, lipids, and proteins from major organs in NSG mice. We have applied the liquid diet method to map the glucose metabolic networks in NSCLC tumors in a patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model. We observed a high enrichment in the metabolites of glycolysis, Krebs cycle, and PPP as well as de novo synthesized nucleotides and amino acids by IC-UHR-FTMS analysis. Lung PDX displayed unexpected metabolic complexity, such as the use of pyruvate to fuel anaplerosis as well as gluconeogenesis. We also found high 13C enrichment in both tumor and plasma glutamine, which implies that glutamine in the PDX tumors largely came from other organs via the blood rather than being synthesized in situ. Our data showed that liquid diet is an effective and noninvasive means for comprehensive analysis of glucose-associated metabolic networks in human tumor xenografts, which can also be extended to SIRM studies with other fuel sources. Acknowledgements: This work was supported in part by grants: 1R01ES022191-01 (to TWMF and RMH), 1P01CA163223-01A1 (to ANL and TWMF), and 1U24DK097215-01A1 (to RMH, TWMF, and ANL) R.C. Sun was supported by a T32 training grant to M. Vore (5T32ES007266-25) Citation Format: Ramon C. Sun, Marc O. Warmoes, Ye Yang, Pan Deng, Qiushi Sun, Andrew N. Lane, Richard M. Higashi, Teresa W-M Fan. Liquid diet introduction of tracers into mice for stable isotope-resolved metabolomics (SIRM) investigations [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2502. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-2502


Abstract. Estimation of evapotranspiration (ET) parameters is essential for understanding crop water requirements and to find out the ground water recharge. In situ data collection procedures are generally adopted to measure the parameters required to find ET. Latest remote sensing technologies accompanied by newly launched satellite datasets can supplement the field data collection and analysis by finding out some of the parameters such as land surface temperature, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), albedo, emissivity, etc. The Upper Ganga Canal Command Area (UGC) lying between two rivers Ganga and Yamuna situated between two states, namely Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh in North India is selected as the study area for this research work. Operational Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEBop) method is used to derive high resolution (10m) ET map for the Upper Ganga Canal Command Area. Sentinel-2 multi spectral images were used to derive land use, land cover (LU/LC) maps, NDVI, albedo, etc. Downscaled Landsat 8 images were used to derive land surface temperature of the command area. Meteorological data retrieved from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) was used to calculate reference evapotranspiration. ET map of the study area was generated using the above estimated parameters. Further, validation of the obtained ET values was accomplished by gridded ET data obtained from IMD.


The ternary layered machinable Ti3SiC2 ceramics were synthesized at 1300°C by high-energy milling and hot pressing sintering using Ti,Si and C powder as starting material. The reaction mechanism was examined by XRD, SEM and thermodynamic analysis. The results show that Ti-Si-C powders were transformed to Ti, Si and little TiSi, SiC,Ti5Si3 intermetallics by milled for 18 hours. In this process, the little Ti and C transformed to TiSi phase in early stage, and then the most of residual elements reacted to form SiC and Ti5Si3 intermetallics. Finally, Ti, Si, SiC, Ti5Si3 intermetallics and TiSi reacted to yield Ti3SiC2 by hot pressing sintering. And the sintering temperatures had a significant impact on the yielded content of Ti3SiC2 phase. Besides. The Ti3SiC2 would decompose if the temperature was high enough.


Calreticulin (CRT) is a well-known "eat-me" signal harbored by dying cells participating in their recognition by phagocytes. CRT is also recognized to deeply impact the immune response to altered self-cells. In this study, we focus on the role of the newly exposed CRT following cell death induction. We show that if CRT increases at the outer face of the plasma membrane and is well recognized by C1q even when phosphatidylserine is not yet detected, CRT is also released in the surrounding milieu and is able to interact with phagocytes. We observed that exogenous CRT is endocytosed by THP1 macrophages through macropinocytosis and that internalization is associated with a particular phenotype characterized by an increase of cell spreading and migration, an upregulation of CD14, an increase of interleukin-8 release, and a decrease of early apoptotic cell uptake. Importantly, CRT-induced pro-inflammatory phenotype was confirmed on human monocytes-derived macrophages by the overexpression of CD40 and CD274, and we found that monocyte-derived macrophages exposed to CRT display a peculiar polarization notably associated with a downregulation of the histocompatibility complex of class II molecules hampering its description through the classical M1/M2 dichotomy. Altogether our results highlight the role of soluble CRT with strong possible consequences on the macrophage-mediated immune response to dying cell.


To investigate dual-process persuasion theories in the context of group decision making, we studied low and high need-for-cognition (NFC) participants within a mock trial study. Participants considered plaintiff and defense expert scientific testimony that varied in argument strength. All participants heard a cross-examination of the experts focusing on peripheral information (e.g., credentials) about the expert, but half were randomly assigned to also hear central information highlighting flaws in the expert's message (e.g., quality of the research presented by the expert). Participants rendered pre- and post-group-deliberation verdicts, which were considered "scientifically accurate" if the verdicts reflected the strong (versus weak) expert message, and "scientifically inaccurate" if they reflected the weak (versus strong) expert message. For individual participants, we replicated studies testing classic persuasion theories: Factors promoting reliance on central information (i.e., central cross-examination, high NFC) improved verdict accuracy because they sensitized individual participants to the quality discrepancy between the experts' messages. Interestingly, however, at the group level, the more that scientifically accurate mock jurors discussed peripheral (versus central) information about the experts, the more likely their group was to reach the scientifically accurate verdict. When participants were arguing for the scientifically accurate verdict consistent with the strong expert message, peripheral comments increased their persuasiveness, which made the group more likely to reach the more scientifically accurate verdict.


The purpose of this article is to reflect upon the importance and the role of financial institutions before, during and after the financial crisis and to outline proposals for alternative approaches to the financial crisis. Without an understanding of the historic development, nature and scope, and important limitations of modern financial institutions, the regulatory reform of modern financial institutions cannot be successful. The success of financial reforms and their restructuring can only be measured when modern financial institutions participate, support and develop the real economy and support a more balanced, inclusive and diverse social development process. This is what the really 'exciting' banking and finance organizations should stand for. At the moment, the Western societies are still moving away from the goal of socially useful role of financial institutions. The regulatory reforms, bail-outs and dominant ideas about the European banking union, for example, are impeding, rather than facilitating, hopes for real economic and social recovery on both sides of the Atlantic. Only after an in-depth understanding of the substantive intricacies of modern financial institutions, can we approach a meaningful and thoughtful regulatory reform. Independent minded scholars from all over the world would make a historical mistake if they continue to ignore the wide variety of ways that the financial, economic and social reconstruction of modern societies in different parts of the world can be accomplished.


Homeostatic regulation of plasma membrane (PM) phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) in receptor-stimulated cells is mediated by the lipid transfer protein Nir2. Nir2 is dynamically recruited to endoplasmic reticulum–plasma membrane (ER–PM) junctions to facilitate replenishment of PM PIP2 hydrolyzed during receptor-mediated signaling. However, our knowledge regarding the activation and sustainment of Nir2-mediated replenishment of PM PIP2 is limited. Here, we describe the functions of Nir1 as a positive regulator of Nir2 and PIP2 homeostasis. In contrast to the family proteins Nir2 and Nir3, Nir1 constitutively localizes at ER–PM junctions. Nir1 potentiates Nir2 targeting to ER–PM junctions during receptor-mediated signaling and is required for efficient PM PIP2 replenishment. Live-cell imaging and biochemical analysis reveal that Nir1 interacts with Nir2 via a region between the FFAT motif and the DDHD domain. Combined, results from this study identify Nir1 as an ER–PM junction localized protein that promotes Nir2 recruitment for PIP2 homeostasis.


The prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is growing together with population age, being 8.8% in a population above 65 years according to a recent study [1]. Deciding between elective surgical repair of AAA and watchful management is a complex issue due to the lack of reliable rupture risk indices. The maximum transverse diameter of AAA is most commonly used in clinical practice to base this decision. From a biomechanical viewpoint, AAA rupture is related to the balance between the stresses acting on the wall and strength of the wall tissue. Many different factors contribute to the stress within the aortic aneurysm wall, including the presence of intraluminal thrombus (ILT) [2–5], the local surface curvature [6] and material characteristics of the AAA wall [7], and the presence of local "stress concentrators" due to calcifications or local thinning. As regards the ILT, its role with respect to aneurysm wall stresses has given rise to many hypotheses. Some studies show that the pressure inside the thrombus is not reduced with respect to the arterial blood pressure, some, including studies from the authors, state a possible protective role [2–5]. Previously in our laboratory, a nonlinear, hyperelastic constitutive model was developed for ILT, and the parameters for which were determined through ex-vivo experimentation [8]. The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability of using the same population-mean values of ILT constitutive parameters for estimates of wall stress distribution in all AAA. For this, we performed a parametric study in which the ELT constitutive parameters were varied within a physiological range and aortic wall stresses were evaluated.


This article shows the results of a research whose objective is to identify and analyze the leadership styles from the experiences in the educational practicum and their relationship in the development and improvement of the educational quality in the public schools of Villavicencio, Colombia. According to the objectives, this research has a qualitative approach with a descriptive - correlational type, For that reason, it was made a descriptive analysis of the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) from the OCDE (2013), which was developed within the second international study about Teaching and Learning and it was applied to 34 directive people of some educational institutions of Villavicencio, - Meta - Colombia, it searched to demonstrate the relations between the questions that asses the directives' leadership aspects with the results of the Synthetic Index of Education Quality (ISCE) taking advantage of the sample size which is not far from the population size that is used by the factorial analysis techniques, it found links between the work experience and the leadership training as very important aspects in the ISCE scores. As the most relevant conclusions, it is found that the directive leadership is not one-sided, but there are also other members of the community who contributes to it. Likewise, it is shown the lack of budget and resources by the government for the teachers' training and the support to get educational resources for the teaching practice.


This study investigates the glass transition temperature (Tg) of novel stress-sensitive composites capable of detecting a damage precursor using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The molecular structures of a cross-linked epoxy network (which consist of epoxy resin, hardener and stress-sensitive material) have been simulated and experimentally validated. The chemical constituents of the molecular structures are di-glycidyl ether of bisphenol F (DGEBF: epoxy resin), di-ethylene tri-amine (DETA: hardener) and tris-(cinnamoyloxymethyl)-ethane (TCE: stress-sensitive material). The cross-linking degree is varied by manipulating the number of covalent bonds through tuning a cutoff distance between activated DGEBF and DETA during the non-equilibrium MD simulation. A relationship between the cross-linking degree and Tgs has been studied numerically. In order to validate a proposed MD simulation framework, MD-predicted Tgs of materials used in this study have been compared to the experimental results obtained by the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Two molecular models have been constructed for comparative study: (i) neat epoxy (epoxy resin with hardener) and (ii) smart polymer (neat epoxy with stress-sensitive material). The predicted Tgs show close agreement with the DSC results.


The brain is composed of the cerebrum, cerebellum, diencephalon and brainstem. The cerebrum is the superlative part of the central nervous system and also the main part of the brain. There are differences and similarities between humans and mouse. The study of mouse brain model is helpful to understand the process in clinical trials and also has reference significance for the study of human brain. Therefore, the study of mouse brain is particularly important. As the skull has a large scattering effect on light, it is difficult for us to image the brain through the skull directly. Therefore, we often use methods such as optical clearing or thin skull to reduce or remove the influence of the skull on imaging. In this paper, the transmission of photons in mouse brain was studied using Monte Carlo method. In the study of photon trajectories, the photon distribution without intact skull went farther in both longitudinal and transverse directions compared with that of with intact skull. In terms of the optical absorption density and fluence rate. On the condition of with intact skull, the distribution of optical absorption density and fluence rate was fusiform and rounder on the whole. The radial distribution range of optical absorption density and fluence rate was 0.25 cm, which was approximately 2.5 times of that of with intact skull. In the depth direction, due to the strong scattering and absorption of the scalp and skull, the optical absorption density dropped sharply from 0.890 cm-1 to 0.415 cm-1. When the photons arrived at the gray matter layer, only a few photons were reserved. Due to the strong absorption and scattering effect of the gray matter layer, only a few photons left, the optical absorption density increased from 0.415 cm-1 to 0.592 cm-1, and then decreased again. When the depth was 1.35 cm, the optical absorption density dropped to 0 cm-1. After removing the skull, due to the weak absorption and scattering effect of normal saline and cerebrospinal fluid, the optical absorption density was low (0.119 cm-1) and dropped slowly. When the photons arrived at the gray matter layer, most of the photons were reserved. Due to the strong absorption and scattering effect of the gray matter layer, the optical absorption density increased from 0.117 cm-1 to 0.812 cm-1, then the optical absorption density decreased to 0 cm-1 at a depth of 1.35 cm. The distribution of radiant fluence rate is similar to that of optical absorption density. This study will provide reference and theoretical guidance for the optical imaging of mouse brain and the study of the mouse and human brain.


The problematic Internet use (PIU) has become a topic of special relevance since it is a problem that affects the whole world. It has been detected that the population at greatest risk is university students along with adolescents. At the same time, Spain is one of the countries with the highest PIU rate. The purposes of this article were to analyze the presence and degree of Internet addiction among university students and to check the sociodemographic factors that influence the PIU. To this end, 13 hypotheses were put forward and contrasted using a structural equation model. The study adopted a cross-sectional approach by applying the Internet addiction test to a sample of undergraduate students in southern Spain (n = 1,013). The results indicated a prevalence of PIU among students of almost 12.5% and with a moderate degree of addiction. In turn, the following hypotheses that had a significant effect on the PIU were supported: gender; field of knowledge; living in the parents' home; Internet daily use for leisure; Internet daily use for academic purposes; number of social networks; sexual orientation; marital status. Finally, the main findings of the study were reviewed, and the main recommendations and implications for mitigating the negative effects of technology and enhancing the positive ones were established.


Consider a mechanism run by an auctioneer who can use both payment and inspection instruments to incentivize agents. The timeline of the events is as follows. Based on a pre-specified allocation rule and the reported values of agents, the auctioneer allocates the item and secures the reported values as deposits. The auctioneer then inspects the values of agents and, using a pre-specified reward rule, rewards the ones that have reported truthfully. Using techniques from convex analysis and calculus of variation, for any distribution of values, we fully characterize the optimal mechanism for a single agent. Using Border's theorem and duality, we find conditions under which our characterization extends to multiple agents. Interestingly, the optimal allocation function, unlike the classic settings without inspection, is not a thresholding strategy and instead is an increasing and continuous function of the types. We also present an implementation of our optimal auction and show that it achieves a higher revenue than auctions in classic settings without inspection. This is because the inspection enables the auctioneer to charge payments closer to agent's true value without creating incentives for them to deviate to lower types.


Mesenchymal Stromal/Stem Cells from human Wharton's jelly (WJ-MSC) are an abundant and interesting source of stem cells for applications in cell and tissue engineering. Their fetal origin confers specific characteristics compared to Mesenchymal Stromal/Stem Cells isolated from human bone marrow (BM-MSC). The aim of this work was to optimize WJ-MSC culture conditions for their subsequent clinical use. We focused on the influence of oxygen concentration during monolayer expansion on several parameters to characterize MSC. Our work distinguished WJ-MSC from BM-MSC in terms of proliferation, telomerase activity and adipogenic differentiation. We also showed that hypoxia had a beneficial effect on proliferation potential, clonogenic capacity and to a lesser extent, on HLA-G expression of WJ-MSC during their expansion. Moreover, we reported for the first time an increase in chondrogenic differentiation when WJ-MSC were expanded under hypoxia. In an allogeneic therapeutic context, production of clinical batches requires generating high numbers of MSC whilst maintaining the cells' properties. Considering our results, hypoxia will be an important parameter to take into account. In addition, the clinical use of WJ-MSC would provide significant numbers of cells with maintenance of their proliferation and differentiation potential, particularly their chondrogenic potential. Due to their chondrogenic differentiation potential, WJ-MSC promise to be an interesting source of MSC for cell therapy or tissue engineering for cartilage repair and/or regeneration.


An adaptive forecasting method of branch power of the urban power grid is presented. The implementation is accomplished by utilizing three basic load forecasting methods using Multi-model technology. After forecasting the load of one bus, two methods are used to get the branch power including distributing bus load and forecasting it directly with history data. The proposed branch power forecasting method is tested on one urban power grid. The simulations imply that the adaptive method is more efficient than that using single model.


BACKGROUND Telemedicine is the use of wireless communications and Web-based technologies to provide healthcare and services. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed an unprecedented challenge to healthcare providers, who have been forced to change their usual mode of service delivery and have been given an opportunity to adopt the concept of telemedicine. OBSERVATIONS A 40-year-old underprivileged and unseparated conjoined twin (pygopagus) had dorsal spine tuberculosis and was on a regular follow-up through telemedicine due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and embarrassment they had to face in public appearances. After a few months, they contracted COVID-19 infection after which they were shifted to our tertiary care center. Several unique challenges were encountered during the 4-day course of management. Ultimately, they died and left us with questions of whether we are really prepared to tackle these challenges. LESSONS The general public should be made aware of such groups of patients and to encourage them to follow COVID-appropriate behavior. Vaccinations should be given on a priority basis to these subsets. A more robust approach of telemedicine consultation is required for management of patients in remote areas at the time of a pandemic. Ventilator management of these patients is still intriguing.


Airborne particulate matter (PM) is a key air pollutant that affects human health adversely. Exposure to high concentrations of such particles may cause premature death, heart disease, respiratory problems, or reduced lung function. Previous work on particulate matter ( P M 2.5 and P M 10 ) was limited to specific areas. Therefore, more studies are required to investigate airborne particulate matter patterns due to their complex and varying properties, and their associated ( P M 10 and P M 2.5 ) concentrations and compositions to assess the numerical productivity of pollution control programs for air quality. Consequently, to control particulate matter pollution and to make effective plans for counter measurement, it is important to measure the efficiency and efficacy of policies applied by the Ministry of Environment. The primary purpose of this research is to construct a simulation model for the identification of a change point in particulate matter ( P M 2.5 and P M 10 ) concentration, and if it occurs in different areas of the world. The methodology is based on the Bayesian approach for the analysis of different data structures and a likelihood ratio test is used to a detect change point at unknown time (k). Real time data of particulate matter concentrations at different locations has been used for numerical verification. The model parameters before change point ( θ ) and parameters after change point ( λ ) have been critically analyzed so that the proficiency and success of environmental policies for particulate matter ( P M 2.5 and P M 10 ) concentrations can be evaluated. The main reason for using different areas is their considerably different features, i.e., environment, population densities, and transportation vehicle densities. Consequently, this study also provides insights about how well this suggested model could perform in different areas.


Electron microprobe measurements of olivine and metal in about 85 percent of the known pallasites were made. The olivines are unzoned, and coexisting crystals within most pallasites have identical compositions. This indicates a high degree of internal equilibrium. Relative to terrestrial olivines, pallasitic olivines are depleted in Ni. Thermochemical calculations demonstrate that the low Ni contents of pallasitic olivines are consistent with metal-olivine equilibrium at 1000° C or less. Cooling rate measurements show that the pallasites cooled more slowly (0.5° to 2.0° C per million years) than the bulk of the iron meteorites and that the pallasites form a homogeneous cooling rate group. Application of a modified Prior9s rule to the pallasites suggests that olivine and metal equilibrated in the presence of other silicates. The observed compositional distribution of olivine from pallasites is compatible with that predicted from a chondritic parent melt. The pallasites were probably derived from deep within their parent body, either at or near the core. Most iron meteorites were either formed from different parent bodies or came from isolated metal pools within the silicate mantle.


Allogeneic islet transplantation serves as a source of insulin-secreting beta-cells for the maintenance of normal glucose levels and treatment of diabetes. However, limited availability of islets, high rates of islet graft failure, and the need for life-long non-specific immunosuppressive therapy are major obstacles to the widespread application of this therapeutic approach. To overcome these problems, pancreatic islet transplantation was recently suggested as a potential target of the "therapeutic plasticity" of adult stem cells. In fact, new results suggest that stem/precursor cells, and mesenchymal stem cells in particular, co-transplanted with islets can promote tissue engraftment and beta-cell survival via bystander mechanisms, mainly exerted by creating a milieu of cytoprotective and immunomodulatory molecules. This evidence consistently challenges the limited view that stem/precursor cells work exclusively through beta-cell replacement in diabetes therapy. It proposes that stem cells also act as "feeder" cells for islets, and supporter of graft protection, tissue revascularization, and immune acceptance. This article reviews the experience of using stem cell co-transplantation as strategy to improve islet transplantation. It highlights that comprehension of the mechanisms involved will help to identify new molecular targets and promote development of new pharmacological strategies to treat type 1 and type 2 diabetes patients.


Introduction: Tracheo-oesophageal (TE) speech is one of the most commonly used alaryngeal voice restoration options for individuals who have undergone a total laryngectomy. Cepstral Peak Prominence (CPP) implies the overall voice quality objectively.
Aim: To compare the CPP between Blom-Singer non-indwelling low pressure and classic indwelling voice prosthesis across vowel phonation /a/ and text-reading tasks in male TE speakers.
Materials and Methods: The study included 10 male TE speakers in the age range of 45-75 years. Dr. Hillenbrand's 'Speech Tool' software was used to measure CPP. Two types of speech prosthesis used were Blom-Singer non-indwelling low pressure and classic indwelling voice prosthesis (both of 16 French diameter) and the tasks vowel phonation and text-reading were considered. The SPSS software, version 15.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL) was used for data analysis. The parametric paired t-test was applied to compare CPP between two types of voice prostheses across speech tasks.
Results: There was no significant difference between Blom-Singer non-indwelling low pressure voice prosthesis and classic indwelling voice prosthesis for CPP during vowel phonation/a/task {t(9)=0.74, p=0.516} and text-reading task {t(9)=0.72, p=0.947)}. Similarly, there was no significant difference for CPP between speech tasks for Blom-Singer non-indwelling low pressure voice prosthesis {t(9)=1.11, p=0.347)} and Blom-Singer classic indwelling voice prosthesis {t(9)=0.51, p=0.644)}.
Conclusion: In TE speakers, CPP is not influenced by prosthesis type in terms of mode of fitting, prosthesis design and valve opening pressure across speech tasks, implying no difference in the objective measure of overall voice quality.


Abstract The fight against terrorism requires identifying potential terrorists before they have the opportunity to act. In this paper, we investigate the extent to which retail banking data – which as far as we know are not currently used by anti-terror intelligence agencies in any systematic manner – are a useful tool in identifying terrorists. Using detailed administrative records of a large British bank, we demonstrate that a number of variables in the data are strongly correlated with terrorism-related activities. Having both an Islamic given name and surname, not surprisingly, are among the strongest of these predictors, but a wide range of other demographic characteristics and behaviors observed in the data are also correlated strongly with terrorist involvement. The real key to our method, however, rests on the identification of one particular pattern of banking behavior (what we call "Variable Z") which dramatically improves our ability to identify terrorists. Our model is demonstrated to have substantial power to identify terrorists both within sample and out of sample.


Geoscience programs at the two-year vocational, technical and continuing education level experience severe enrollment fluctuations that follow the global cycle of supply and demand for mineral resources. The absence of stable enrollments has manifested itself into a major problem. Many of these geoscience programs have not survived periods of low enrollments and have either been merged with other programs or been discontinued altogether.
This research into new approaches in vocational, technical and continuing geoscience education was initiated to identify what variations in need for geoscience education exist and how the problem of low enrollments may be addressed. During the initial stages of investiga-tion, answers began to surface in University of Alaska Mining Extension enrollment files and in the literature, suggesting the need to diversify geoscience education programs. Govern-ment, industry, educators and students indicate that there is a need for geoscience education that would serve industry, teachers and the general public. Theoretically, enrollments would be stabilized in two-year programs that provided geoscience education simultaneously to these three user groups.
To identify the needs of each group, research was conducted in Tasmania, Australia; British Columbia, Canada; and Alaska, USA. During the initial stages of the investigation, it was revealed that, in addition to the stability created by providing courses simultaneously to the mineral industry, teachers and general public, there was a need for internal diversification to meet their individual needs.
Diversity in geoscience education for the mineral industry includes the three levels of vocational, technical and continuing education. Through distribution of a comprehensive ques-tionnaire to representatives of the geoscience based organizations in each study area, the em-ployment levels, employment positions and skills required to satisfy those positions were iden-tified. It was also demonstrated that the greatest potential for success in presenting geoscience education for the mineral industry would be created if the training needs for each of the three levels of education coincided.
Diversity in geoscience education for teachers involves geology, intellectual growth and mineral industry subjects. Through distribution of a comprehensive questionnaire to primary and secondary school teachers in the three study areas, the value of subjects required to satisfy these three divisions were identified. It was also shown that where the curriculum categories for these three divisions coincide, the greatest potential for success in presenting geoscience
education for primary and secondary school teachers would be possible. Geoscience education for the general public was recognized as serving three areas of need, including intellectual growth, geoscience for entrepreneurs, and recreational geoscience. Through distribution of a comprehensive questionnaire to the general public in each study area, the courses required to satisfy these three educational needs were identified. It was shown that where the curriculum categories for these three elements coincide there was the greatest potential for success in presenting geoscience education for the general public.
The information provided by representatives of the three study areas indicated that the curriculum diversity required to maximize provision of geoscience education for industry, teachers and the general public simultaneously, would also have the greatest potential for development of a two-year geoscience program with stable enrollments.
By amalgamating the results obtained for each user group from each study area, a model has been created that includes each of the components required for the development of a diversified two-year geoscience education program. Through this model, weaknesses and strengths peculiar to individual study areas have been balanced. This model serves as a resource of information for other regions interested in developing or improving geoscience programs.
This investigation into new approaches in vocational, technical and continuing geoscience education provides solutions to current problems faced by two-year geoscience programs and satisfies the geoscience educational needs suggested by government, industry, educators, students and the general public.


In this paper, we present a new multimedia retrieval paradigm to innovate large-scale search of heterogenous multimedia data. It is able to return results of different media types from heterogeneous data sources, e.g., using a query image to retrieve relevant text documents or images from different data sources. This utilizes the widely available data from different sources and caters for the current users' demand of receiving a result list simultaneously containing multiple types of data to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the query's results. To enable large-scale inter-media retrieval, we propose a novel inter-media hashing (IMH) model to explore the correlations among multiple media types from different data sources and tackle the scalability issue. To this end, multimedia data from heterogeneous data sources are transformed into a common Hamming space, in which fast search can be easily implemented by XOR and bit-count operations. Furthermore, we integrate a linear regression model to learn hashing functions so that the hash codes for new data points can be efficiently generated. Experiments conducted on real-world large-scale multimedia datasets demonstrate the superiority of our proposed method compared with state-of-the-art techniques.


Methylphenidate (MPD) is commonly prescribed for patients with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Although used off-label, MPD forms part of complex and multifactorial treatment regimen for narcolepsy and hypersomnia, together with including behavioural interventions. The drug is sometimes also prescribed off-label to subjects with other mental illness or somatic condition to improve intellectual outcome, ease fatigue or enhance the ability to concentrate. Common side effects include headache, insomnia, decreased appetite and hypertension. Concurrently, clinicians should be aware of relatively rare but potentially threatening adverse effects including agitation and psychotic symptoms. Several case reports regarding MPD-induced psychosis have been published, but most of them regard children or teenagers (1) and much less is known about drug-induced psychosis in adults (2). In this article, we present a case report of MPD-induced psychosis in a 31-year-old, antipsychotic-naïve patient. Careful evaluation including clinical examination, medical and family history and possible early signs of psychosis is recommended each time before MPD treatment will be initiated.


Human action recognition remains challenging in realistic videos, where scale and viewpoint changes make the problem complicated. Many complex models have been developed to overcome these difficulties, while we explore using low-level features and typical classifiers to achieve the state-of-the-art performance. The baseline model of feature encoding for action recognition is bag-of-words model, which has shown high efficiency but ignores the arrangement of local features. Refined methods compensate for this problem by using a large number of co-occurrence descriptors or a concatenation of the local distributions in designed segments. In contrast, this article proposes to encode the relative position of visual words using a simple but very compact method called sliding coordinates coding (SCC). The SCC vector of each kind of word is only an eight-dimensional vector which is more compact than many of the spatial or spatial–temporal pooling methods in the literature. Our key observation is that the relative position is robust to the variations of video scale and view angle. Additionally, we design a temporal cutting scheme to define the margin of coding within video clips, since visual words far away from each other have little relationship. In experiments, four action data sets, including KTH, Rochester Activities, IXMAS, and UCF YouTube, are used for performance evaluation. Results show that our method achieves comparable or better performance than the state of the art, while using more compact and less complex models.