Focusing on detection and avoidance of severe weather, this book teaches pilots how to lessen their chances of being caught in extreme weather conditions. Written so that anyone can understand complex meteorological terms, it attempts to bring across the most crucial principles that pilots can use to fly more wisely. Different weather conditions, including lightning, icing, and wind shear, and their effect on flying are discussed in detail.


Creative jobs make up an increasingly large part of the economy. While contextual factors of work design have been shown to affect job performance in various settings, their impact on creative tasks is under studied. This study uses a controlled laboratory experiment to understand the impact of time constraints and goal setting on creativity. I find that reducing task constraints by making time constraints ambiguous increases the creativity of ideas without undermining their quantity, relative to the baseline. I also find that a non-binding quantity-oriented goal increases the quantity of ideas without reducing creative quality. Likewise, a non-binding creativity-oriented goal increases the creativity of ideas without decreasing the number of ideas. Results indicate that work design is an important factor when developing strategies for cultivating creativity, and managers have several tools at their disposal.


SUMMARYTwo hive designs and two harvesting methods were evaluated in Otago, New Zealand, for their effect on yields and quality of royal jelly, and ease of management. Royal jelly yields from a queenright hive design, in which a queen excluder partially covered with a hardboard division confined the queen to the bottom brood chamber and away from the queen cells in the middle box where royal jelly was secreted, were similar to those obtained from a queenless hive design in which the queen was removed to a nucleus box. This was despite the bees clustering around the queen cells in the queenright hive having smaller hypopharyngeal glands than those in the queenless starter hive. The queenright design is recommended because of its simplicity and ease of conversion in alternating between honey and royal jelly production. Harvesting 66 h after grafting larvae resulted in similar yields to harvesting at 72 h and 78 h, indicating that beekeepers can harvest at any time on the third day without affecting producti...


Context : Ultrasound (US) guided supraclavicular brachial plexus block (SBPB) provides predictable dense blockade. Inclusion of additives to local anaesthetics alters the quality of blockade. Aim : To assess the block characteristics of ropivacaine alone and with additives in US guided SBPB. Materials and Methods : Prospective, double blinded randomized controlled trial. Sixty patients undergoing elective upper limb surgeries under SBPB were randomly allocated to one of 3 groups: Group RR (who received 30ml of 0.5% ropivacaine), Group RD (30ml of 0.5% ropivacaine with 1 µg/kg of dexmedetomidine) and Group RM (30ml of 0.5% ropivacaine with 50µg/kg of midazolam). After administration of block with above drugs, the block characteristics were assessed every 3mins till onset of complete blockade, every 30mins for 6hrs, then hourly for 24hrs. Apart from sensory and motor blockade, sedation score was also assessed. Results: The duration of blockade (min) was significantly longer in Group RD (907 ± 205) compared to Group RR (597 ± 101) and Group RM (605 ± 188). There was no difference among the groups with respect to onset of sensory and motor blockade. The sedation scores were significantly higher in Group RD (median = 3) and Group RM (median = 2). Conclusion: Addition of dexmedetomidine to ropivacaine in ultrasound guided supraclavicular brachial plexus block prolongs both sensory and motor blockade. Both dexmedetomidine and midazolam when added to ropivacaine produce significant sedation.


This paper presents a new Fuel Cell Fuel Consumption Minimization Strategy (FCFCMS) for Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) powered by a fuel cell and an energy storage system, in order to minimize as much as possible the consumption of hydrogen while maintaining the State Of Charge (SOC) of the battery. Compared to existing Energy Management Strategies (EMSs) (such as the well-known State Machine Strategy (SMC), Fuzzy Logic Control (FLC), Frequency Decoupling and FLC (FDFLC), and the Equivalent Consumption Minimization Strategy (ECMS)), the proposed strategy increases the overall vehicle energy efficiency and, therefore, minimizes the total hydrogen consumption while respecting the constraints of each energy and power element. A model of a hybrid vehicle has been built using the TruckMaker/MATLAB software. Using the Urban Dynamometer Driving Schedule (UDDS), which includes several stops and accelerations, the performance of the proposed strategy has been compared with these different approaches (SMC, FLC, FDFLC, and ECMS) through several simulations.


Measurements of the nonlinear parameter of a gel-like medium were carried out in an acoustical resonator fixed without slipping between two solid-state boundaries. A sample of thickness L is fixed on an oscillating plate (x = 0). The other plate of finite mass on the free surface of the sample (x = L) moves together with this surface. By changing the mass of the plate (x = L), it is possible to achieve additional static deformation of the resonator up to 65%. The dynamic method assumes measuring resonance curves at various static deformations. Nonlinear properties appear at deformations of more than 20%. The nonlinear parameter and shear modulus measured dynamically were compared to static measurements where the dependence becomes nonlinear at strains greater than 30%. The static values of the shear modulus and the nonlinear parameter correspond to the values obtained in the dynamic method within an error.


The interactions between the Mongols and religious leaders from different confessions have been documented since the early period of the Mongol Empire. When the Mongols conquered Iran and Anatolia and established the Ilkhanid dynasty, the interaction between the Mongol court and Sufi shaykhs became more apparent. Mongol courtly women (khātūns), who had enough economic capability and financial autonomy, played an important role in securing political favour and economic support for religious leaders. This paper explores the interaction between courtly women and Sufi shaykhs in Ilkhanid Iran and Anatolia. Firstly, it investigates the role of Mongol women in religion and secondly, it examines their patronage activities. Finally, it addresses the personal interaction between some of these ladies and Shaykh Ṣafī al-Dīn Ardabīlī, which provides an interesting case study to facilitate an understanding of the relationship between khātāns and shaykhs in the fourteenth century.


Much of our understanding of the mechanisms involved in cellular DNA damage response pathways have come from studies of human cancer susceptibility syndromes. ATM, the gene mutated in the cancer-prone, radiosensitive disorder, Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T), is a protein kinase that is a central mediator of responses to DNA double strand breaks in cells. Once activated, ATM phosphorylates numerous substrates in the cell that modulate the cell9s response to the DNA damage. p53, one of the many targets of the ATM kinase, is a critical mediator of cell cycle changes and cell death signaling following DNA damage and other stresses. Though ATM clearly plays a central role in mediating cellular responses to DNA breakage, some of the clinical abnormalities in A-T are difficult to attribute directly to alterations in DNA damage signaling. The broad-based symptoms in A-T and recently acquired data suggest that ATM has physiologic roles that extend beyond its regulation of DNA damage responses. In particular, ATM appears to affect insulin signaling pathways and to have a direct role in regulating mitochondrial function. Interestingly, we found in mouse models of A-T that these mitochondrial defects associated with ATM deficiency appear to be a contributing factor to cancer development in A-T. These new insights suggest that Ataxia-Telangiectasia should be considered, at least in part, as a mitochondrial dysfunction disease and provide links between cancer-related DNA damage signaling, general metabolic signaling pathways, and cancer development. Citation Format: Michael B. Kastan, Yasmine Valentin-Vega, Adam Brown, Peter Scarbrough, Donald Fleenor. ATM: Bridging DNA damage responses and metabolic regulation. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirteenth Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2014 Sep 27-Oct 1; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2015;8(10 Suppl): Abstract nr PL04-02.


Introduction. This paper discusses how exploring the research process in-depth and over time contributes to a fuller understanding of interactions with various representations of information. Method. A longitudinal ethnographic study explored decisions made by two informants involved in scholarly research. Relevance assessment and information seeking were observed as part of informants' own ongoing research projects. Fieldwork used methods of discovery that allowed informants to shape the exploration of the practices surrounding the evolving understandings of their topics. Analysis. Inductive analysis was carried out on the qualitative data collected over a two-year period of judgements observed on a document-by-document basis. The paper introduces broad categories that point to the variability and richness of the ways that informants used representations of information resources to make relevance judgements. Results. Relevance judgements appear to be drivers of the search and research processes informants moved through during the observations. Focusing on research goals rather than on retrieval tasks brings us to afuller understanding of the relationship between ultimate research goals and the articulation of those goals in interactions with information systems. Conclusion. Relevance assessment is a process that unfolds in the doing of a search, the making of judgements and the using of texts and representations of information.


This article examines how the community mental health program run by the Chinese state conceptualizes, mobilizes, and molds the family. My fieldwork shows that, on the one hand, the program defines care biomedically and connects it to managing security risks in the population. The state fashions itself as paternal while displacing most responsibilities for patient care and management onto the supposedly authoritative families. On the other hand, caregivers—mostly women and the elderly—may resort to practices publicly denounced but privately enabled by the program, such as covert medication and home confinement. They do so not only to manage patients from a position of vulnerability and deprivation but also to compassionately engage with patients' suffering and non-medical desires. These two entangled kinship correlates of state power, which I call "biopolitical paternalism" and its "maternal supplements," prove critical for understanding the work of community governance in China and beyond.


The Nunavut Act and Nunavut Land Claims Agreement were negotiated in response to a plethora of needs and desires, as expressed by the Government of Canada, the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Nunavut Tungavik Inc., an organization representing the Inuit living in the Nunavut region. An analysis of the articles in these two documents illuminates both what these needs and desires were at the time of negotiation and what the three parties deemed to be mutually appropriate and acceptable legislation in response to these needs. One relatively minor index of such concerns is the provisions for the use of the Inuit language, Inuktitut. In this paper, we examine the clauses in the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement that deal specifically with language use in varying contexts. This systematic analysis of the language provisions reveals that although language is a minor element, it is nonetheless treated explicitly and compellingly in the two founding documents of the Nunavut Territory. The analysis further demonstrates that the application of the provisions is unambiguous and, if done conscientiously, will lead to certain intended, as well as other, perhaps unintended, results.


When it comes to sustainable construction the question of quality comes into the discussion since sustainability can be defined as a quality criterion of a building. The real estate market is complex and shaped by different stakeholders (i.e. developers, investors, etc.) with their individual interests. Building performance assessment depends on those different interests who vary between economic performance as the prime focus of investors and comfort as well as health factors on the side of occupants which can be categorized as potential and actual performance (Cole 1998). Because of the number of actors being involved the sector seems to be fragmented which opens the door for principal–agent problems since decision making and information are dispersed. While the literature maintains that an agent is defined as a third party who acts for, on behalf of, or as representative of the principal will act in the best interest of the principal when the incentive structure is such that the agent is rewarded for outcomes favoring the principal (Arrow 1985) the question of defining the agents in a real estate transaction becomes crucial. This might be specifically important for sustainable constructions since we can found assumptions in the literature that designers and clients are active agents since certification standards are applied during the planning and design phases and decisions regarding green building practices are driven by clients' commitment to sustainability whereas constructors have been seen as passive agents. With new evidence about negative impacts of the construction phase on sustainability a shift towards a more active role of constructors happened. This goes hand in hand with the different actors' perceptions of sustainable construction and the level of knowledge about sustainable construction and its benefits. The argument follows the lines that environmental assessment requires more communication between the stakeholders throughout the whole process. Thus coordination to enhance trust, communication, commitment, and a clear understanding of roles becomes more relevant to manage the transition of the building sector to sustainability. Consequently new modes of governance are needed that take into account the long-term orientation, the uncertainties and complexities and the multitude of actors and interests involved. The paper is designed as a review of the literature including a few cases of green building certification projects.


Background: Degraded peripheral vision has been hypothesized to be a stimulus for the development of foveal refractive error. Contact lenses have been widely used to correct central vision, but their impacts on peripheral vision are still unknown. The purpose of this study was to use optical model software to evaluate the peripheral optics of rigid gas permeable (RGP) and soft contact lenses (SCLs) in isolation. This will better assist us in understanding their peripheral optical performances on human eyes. Methods: An optical design software package (Zemax EE) was used to model peripheral optics of Menicon RGP lens and Acuvue 2 SCLs. Profiles of sphero-cylindrical power and major higher-order aberrations were computed in 10osteps out to 40o off-axis eccentricity for –3.0 D central focal power contact lens. The results of optical modeling were analyzed and compared with previously published experimental data. Results: –3.0 D RGP lenses and SCLs had –1.4 D and –2.0 D dioptric power at 40o eccentricity, respectively. The reduced dioptric power in the periphery of the analyzed contact lenses quantitatively matched with the reduced amount of hyperopic field curvature found from experimental data when these contact lenses fitted on human eyes. Cylindrical power increased to 0.3 D ~ 0.4 D at 40o eccentricity for both lens types. In addition, both contact lens types produced higher order aberrations, namely 1.2 μm coma and 0.15 μm spherical aberration at 40o eccentricity. Conclusions: Compared to SCLs, RGP lenses with equal focal power had less dioptric power in the periphery. Both RGP lenses and SCLs produced the same amount of major higher-order aberrations with increasing of the field angle. Some of these results can be used to predict and understand the peripheral optical performance of contact lenses on human eyes.


Purpose: The treatment efficacy of anticancer drugs is often assessed by measurement of tumor size change. Radiologic assessment of tumor size has been performed using one‐dimensional measurement (RECIST), area calculated from two linear dimensions (WHO criteria), and volume calculated from two or three linear dimensions using a variety of equations or other volumetric techniques. However, one‐ and/or two‐dimensional measurements may misrepresent change in tumor size by disregarding the second and/or third dimension. It is frequently proposed that the weight of an excised tumor is the most consistent and reproducible reflection of its volume. The aim of this project is to validate that in‐air micro‐CT imaging volume of an excised tumor can be gold standard in place of mass. Methods and Materials:Ultrasound, micro‐CT and MR imaging of twenty head and neck rat tumor models (SCC‐4) ranging in size from 4.19 mm3 to 1436.76 mm3 were performed followed by caliper measurements. Tumors excised from rats were weighed and in‐air micro‐CT images of the excised tumors were obtained. In‐air micro‐CT imaging volume of excised tumors was calculated using a voxel counting method of Analyze software. NIST‐traceable acrylic phantoms were used to validate accuracy and precision of micro‐CT imaging volume. In situtumor size measurements were made in three perpendicular dimensions for each modality. 1D (RECIST), 2D (WHO) and 3D (volume) analysis was performed for each modality as well as the caliper method, and compared with excised tumor volume. Results: The accuracy (∼ 0.4%) of in‐air micro‐CT imaging volume of excised tumors was confirmed using acrylic phantoms. In situ volumes in three modalities were linear to "gold standard" excised tumor volumes and showed statistically to be the most likely model. Conclusion: It is concluded that in‐air micro‐CT imaging volume of excised tumors is a more direct gold standard and nearly equivalent to mass.


Genome replication and virion assembly of segmented RNA viruses are highly coordinated events, tightly regulated by sequence and structural elements in the UTRs of viral RNA. This process is poorly defined and likely requires the participation of host proteins in concert with viral proteins. In this study, we employed a proteomics-based approach, named RNA–protein interaction detection (RaPID), to comprehensively screen for host proteins that bind to a conserved motif within the rotavirus (RV) 3′ terminus. Using this assay, we identified ATP5B, a core subunit of the mitochondrial ATP synthase, as having high affinity to the RV 3′UTR consensus sequences. During RV infection, ATP5B bound to the RV 3′UTR and co-localized with viral RNA and viroplasm. Functionally, siRNA-mediated genetic depletion of ATP5B or other ATP synthase subunits such as ATP5A1 and ATP5O reduced the production of infectious viral progeny without significant alteration of intracellular viral RNA levels or RNA translation. Chemical inhibition of ATP synthase diminished RV yield in both conventional cell culture and in human intestinal enteroids, indicating that ATP5B positively regulates late-stage RV maturation in primary intestinal epithelial cells. Collectively, our results shed light on the role of host proteins in RV genome assembly and particle formation and identify ATP5B as a novel pro-RV RNA-binding protein, contributing to our understanding of how host ATP synthases may galvanize virus growth and pathogenesis.


A phylogenetic study of Oxypolis and Ptilimnium, two small genera of tribe Oenantheae (Apiaceae: subfamily Apioideae), was carried out. Generic circumscriptions and infrageneric and infraspecific relationships were investigated through parsimony and Bayesian inference analyses of nuclear rDNA ITS and cpDNA trnQ5′rps16 and 3′rps165′trnK intergenic spacer sequences. Fruit anatomical characters were also examined and used in conjunction with leaf morphology to corroborate the results of the phylogenetic analyses. Each genus as currently delimited has both compound-leaved and rachis-leaved species. Results of the phylogenetic analyses show that neither Oxypolis nor Ptilimnium is monophyletic; each genus is split into two strongly supported clades that correspond to differences in leaf morphology within the groups. Fruit anatomical characters support these splits. The fruits of compound-leaved and rachis-leaved Oxypolis species differ in the number of commissural vittae per mericarp, the branching of the vittae, and the lignification of mericarp around the seed. The fruits of compoundleaved and rachis-leaved Ptilimnium species differ in the compression of the mericarps and the development of the marginal ribs. The fruits of rachis-leaved Oxypolis and rachis-leaved Ptilimnium species also differ in the compression of the mericarps and the development of the marginal ribs. Based on analyses of molecular data and corroboration with morphological and fruit anatomical data, new circumscriptions for the genera Oxypolis and Ptilimnium are formalized. Each of the two polyphyletic genera (Oxypolis and Ptilimnium) is split, two genera (Tiedemannia and Harperella) are resurrected, and three new combina-


The aim of this project was to propose a model for the management of schools in times of insecurity. Quantitative research method was employed while using descriptive research design. A total of 139 school managers' respondents which was ten percent of the target population were sample size. The instrument was subjected to content validity and inter-raters reliability was also employed. Data collected was analyzed using frequency counts; percentages, mean, standard deviation, bar chart and chi-square. The major findings revealed that education, religion and lack of facilities constituted the major insecurity in schools. Tripartite model was discovered to be an effective model school managers should employ for the management of insecurity in schools. Based on the findings, it was recommended that tripartite model should be employed for capacity building and training of school managers, teachers and government educational agencies for effective management of schools in Nigeria in times of insecurity.


A sample of 30 volunteers from a population of 100 Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) civil servants took part in a series of dietary assessments. Food frequency interview, 24-hour dietary recalls, 7-day weighed food record, duplicate diet analysis and 28-day household food purchase records were all used to estimate intakes of energy and a range of nutrients. When results for energy, fat and iron, using the five different methods, were compared there appeared to be systematic differences between methods. The highest results came from food purchase records for the women and from food frequency interviews for the men. Lowest results came from the duplicate diet analysis for fat and energy but from the 24-hour recall for iron, for men and women alike. The implications of these findings, together with possible explanations for them, are discussed.


The CEO study from IBM (Berman, 2010) concludes that creativity is the single most important leadership competency for the organizations of today. At the same time, we know that our educational system can be detrimental to children's naturally occurring creativity. This study conducts an inquiry into the possibility that feedback sign (positive vs negative feedback) can generate variation in behavior. Variability in behavior will not necessarily make individuals creative, but variability is considered an essential part of creativity. Simultaneously, feedback is acknowledged as an essential element of theories of learning and instruction. Former studies have concluded that reinforcement and extinction elicits variability. This study consists of an elementary computer experiment with a learning phase, where adult subjects receive either positive, negative or persistent negative feedback, followed by a phase where the subjects are free to choose without receiving any feedback. The tentative conclusion of this study is that individuals receiving positive feedback tend to repeat their answers, even in the learning phase so it takes significantly longer to learn, and on subsequent, similar tasks with no feedback. Individuals receiving negative feedback on wrong answers alter these answers relatively immediately, resulting in rapid learning. The subjects in the negative feedback group kept on varying their answers significantly more than the positive feedback group, on the succeeding similar tasks. The results of the persistent negative feedback group is similar to negative feedback, but there are differences that this study is unable to account for. A tentative conclusion of this study is; individuals use longer time learning when receiving only positive feedback on correct answers. The behaviors "learned" from the type of feedback in the feedback phase, varying or repeating, persists in subsequent


Therapeutic vaccines can elicit tumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), but durable reductions in tumor burden require vaccines that stimulate high-avidity CTLs. Recent advances in immunotherapy responses have led to renewed interest in vaccine approaches, including dendritic cell vaccine strategies. However, dendritic cell requirements for vaccines that generate potent anti-tumor T-cell responses are unclear. Here we use mathematical modeling to show that counterintuitively, increasing levels of immature dendritic cells may lead to selective expansion of high-avidity CTLs. This finding contrasts with traditional dendritic cell vaccine approaches that have sought to harness ex vivo generated mature dendritic cells. We show that the injection of vaccine antigens in the context of increased numbers of immature dendritic cells results in a decreased overall peptide:MHC complex load that favors high-avidity CTL activation and expansion. Overall, our results provide a firm basis for further development of this approach, both alone and in combination with other immunotherapies such as checkpoint blockade.


Despite growing recognition that Europe must adapt to climate variability and change, there is still limited evidence of adaptation implementation. At the same time, despite knowing that successful adaptation will be contingent on societal factors just as much as on technical ones, there has been very little research into social perceptions of adaptation technologies. To address this gap, I undertake an interdisciplinary synthesis of stable beliefs and values about technology—those that are less susceptible to change across different situations—from five major but hitherto disconnected theoretical perspectives on perceptions of technology: the psychometric paradigm, the technology control dilemma, cultural theory, technology acceptance models, and responsible innovation. Four common dimensions of perception were identified: knowledge of technology, scope of technological projects, impacts of technology, and trust in the control of technology. These dimensions can be used to develop a concept of and framework for social readiness, whereby aspects of adaptation technologies that are likely to be perceived negatively or positively, and by whom, can be identified. This is by no means a panacea to the challenges of adaptation implementation, but one that contributes to and would join in constructive exchange with wider efforts to evaluate adaptation technologies. I end this review by discussing the need for bridging the gap between opposing epistemic cultures that favor different styles of knowledge production around adaptation technology perception.


This study is designed to investigate the presence of diverse micro-organisms in the herbal preparations made from green, unripe mature pawpaw fruits for the treatment of stomach ulcer. Samples of pawpaw fruits were collected from a pawpaw plantation in Ibadan, Nigeria, and used within one hour of being harvested. Pour plate method was employed for the microbiological and biomedical charaterisation of isolates. The results confirmed the presence of yeast and pathogenic organisms including bacteria and fungi. Among them are Alcalogenes faecalis, M. kristianae, B. polymyxa, M. varians, Corynebacterium spp. as well as A. iwoffi; which is the most pathogenic bacteria among the isolates, as the organism is known to cause food spoilage and lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) in humans. This herbal preparation poses a potential hazard to human health if not consumed fresh. A suitable means of preservation such as cold storage is therefore required if the preparation is to be stored. In the alternative, the use of fresh preparations on a daily basis is highly recommended.


Breast cancer is 26% of diagnosed cancer in 2008 and it is second cause of cancer related deaths in women. This type of cancer is a complex genetic disease, because microRNAs (miRNAs) are expressional regulators of genes, genetic variations such as single nucleotide polymorphisms in their genes. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in miRNA 148/152 genes and breast cancer risk in Isfahan population. This case control study was performed on 200 samples containing 100 controls and 100 cases. Polymorphism genotyping was performed using polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR–RFLP) and tetra primer amplification refractory mutation system (TARMS-PCR). Our observations indicated no significant association between rs185641358 and rs12940701 in miRNAs and breast cancer risk because their p-values are 0.08 and 0.19, respectively. No association between miRNA148/152 genes polymorphisms and risk of breast cancer was found.


The largest organ of the human body is the skin with its ~2 m2 surface area that envelopes the whole organism defining its physical border and which most importantly provides a barrier against internal organ dehydration and external penetration of noxious substances. The critical importance of the skin barrier is appreciated when it is lost such as in skin burns or compromised such as in atopic dermatitis, affecting the overall wellbeing of the individual. Moreover, it has been shown that the skin barrier function undergoes a maturation process during the first years of life. It is therefore of interest to identify skin care routines such as washing and bathing that would not be damaging to the skin barrier and if possible enhancing its protection. Furthermore, barrier enhancement aids in the prevention and treatment of certain conditions such as atopic dermatitis. Recent scientific discoveries in skin biology and formulation science have advanced the understanding of the regulatory mechanisms that control skin barrier homeostasis as well as our knowledge of skin-product interactions. Application of this knowledge has led to the design of appropriate skin care products and the design of tests that can demonstrate barrier-related benefits. This special issue of the Dermatology Research and Practice addresses these issues.

The paper by L. Telofski et al. titled "The infant skin barrier: can we preserve, protect, and enhance the barrier?" provides an introduction to the recent findings on skin barrier maturation after birth that lasts for the first few years of life. The authors present on healthy skin barrier development as well as problems that can arise during infancy related to abnormal skin conditions and barrier integrity. They then discuss appropriate cleansing routines that should respect the distinct nature of infant skin and the use of emollients to protect and enhance the infant skin barrier function.

In the paper titled "Management of patients with atopic dermatitis: the role of emollient therapy" by M. Mack Correa and J. Nebus, the authors discuss in more detail the use of emollients as baseline support therapy to the use of corticosteroids or calcineurin inhibitors. Prevention strategies are also presented and include appropriate skin care routines, avoiding allergic triggers, and regular use of emollients to improve the skin barrier function. Y. Valdman-Grinshpoun et al. present the dermatologist's point of view in treating and managing atopic dermatitis in their contribution titled "Barrier-restoring therapies in atopic dermatitis: current approaches and future perspectives." This paper makes the link between skin barrier dysfunction and atopic dermatitis. It goes on to discuss the importance of skin barrier therapy approaches for its management including the use of corticosteroids and immunomodulators, as well as the potential requirement of short-term topical or systemic use of antibiotics in cases of infected lesions.

Another barrier-related disease, contact dermatitis, is reviewed in the paper by Y. Yoshihisa and T. Shimizu titled "Metal allergy and systemic contact dermatitis: an overview." Known metals common in our environment, such as nickel, cobalt, zinc, and chromium can result in allergic contact dermatitis. The authors present in vivo and in vitro diagnostic tests of metal sensitivity.

Other aspects of skin barrier protection are covered by the following two papers: "Cleansing formulations that respect skin barrier integrity" by R. Walters et al. and "Methods to assess the protective efficacy of emollients against climatic and chemical aggressors" by R. Roure et al. The former presents information about innovations in mild surfactant technologies used in cleansing products. As cleansing is an everyday activity that brings these products in contact with the skin, it is important to understand what makes a surfactant potentially aggressive to the lipids of the stratum corneum that provide a large part of the skin's barrier function. The use of hydrophobically modified polymers as surfactants in skin cleansing products is being introduced to enhance the stability and size of micelles and therefore the mildness to the skin. The latter mentioned paper deals with in vivo skin protocols that are being used to assess the protective action of emollients on the skin. Such models simulate skin exposure to cold wind or to an irritant such as sodium lauryl sulfate. Data are then presented to demonstrate how these investigative methods can be used to show how exposures can impact skin barrier and skin protection.

Georgios N. Stamatas

Alex Zvulunov

Paul Horowitz

Gary L. Grove


This paper presents a chopper instrumentation amplifier for interfacing precision thermistor bridges. For high CMRR and DC gain, the amplifier employs a three-stage current-feedback topology with nested-Miller compensation. By chopping both the input and intermediate stages of the amplifier, a 1 mHz 1/f noise corner was achieved at an input-referred noise power spectral density (PSD) of 15 nV/¿Hz. To reduce chopper ripple, the amplifier employs a continuous-time AC-coupled ripple reduction loop. Due to its continuous-time nature, the loop causes no noise folding to DC and hence offers improved noise performance over auto-zeroed amplifiers. The loop reduces chopper ripple by more than 60 dB, to levels below the amplifier's own input-referred noise. Furthermore, a maximum input referred offset of 5 ¿ V and a CMRR greater than 120 dB were measured at a supply current of 230 ¿A at 5 V.


This paper describes a modified F-factor approach for real-time performance monitoring of heat rate and CO2 emissions for fossil fuel power plants. The calculation protocol introduced in the present investigation is a modification of the F-factor method mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It utilizes Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems (CEMS) data to evaluate an F-factor based on actual conditions prevailing in the combustion process, and therefore is less reliant on the use of empirical correction factors. The proposed method is intended to be used in combination with a real-time output-loss performance monitoring approach described herein. It was shown that when modified F-factors were corrected back to standard conditions of stack pressure and temperature, and stoichiometric combustion was assumed, standard EPA F-factors were comparable in magnitude to the values generated by the real-time algorithm. The modified F-factor method was used to evaluate the gross heat rate. The resulting heat rate values were identical to those obtained by a real-time performance monitoring algorithm for the same input data. The modified F-factor method was likewise used to calculate the mass flow rate of CO2 as a function of gross plant generation. Those resulting values were compared to similar data reported to EPA. The real-time CO2 mass flow rate data obtained using the modified F-factor method agreed more closely with the EPA F-factor values as the plant load increased.


Ecosystems are being stressed by climate change, but few studies have tested food web responses to changes in precipitation patterns and the consequences to ecosystem function. Fewer still have considered whether results from one geographic region can be applied to other regions, given the degree of community change over large biogeographic gradients. We assembled, in one field site, three types of macroinvertebrate communities within water-filled bromeliads. Two represented food webs containing both a fast filter feeder-microbial and slow detritivore energy channels found in Costa Rica and Puerto Rico, and one represented the structurally simpler food webs in French Guiana, which only contained the fast filter feeder-microbial channel. We manipulated the amount and distribution of rain entering bromeliads and examined how food web structure mediated ecosystem responses to changes in the quantity and temporal distribution of precipitation. Food web structure affected the survival of functional groups in general and ecosystem functions such as decomposition and the production of fine particulate organic matter. Ecosystem processes were more affected by decreased precipitation than were the abundance of micro-organisms and metazoans. In our experiments, the sensitivity of the ecosystem to precipitation change was primarily revealed in the food web dominated by the single filter feeder-microbial channel because other top-down and bottom-up processes were weak or absent. Our results show stronger effects of food web structure than precipitation change per se on the functioning of bromeliad ecosystems. Consequently, we predict that ecosystem function in bromeliads throughout the Americas will be more sensitive to changes in the distribution of species, rather than to the direct effects caused by changes in precipitation.


The livelihood diversification increases sources of income and smoothens consumption by promoting rural food security. In Ethiopia little attention has been given to livelihood diversification and the numerous factors that determine the abilities of rural household's choice of different livelihood activities. Thus, the objective of this study is to generate location specific data regarding the livelihood diversification and its role in attaining household's food security. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 191 sample households, by undertaking structured questionnaire to obtain data pertaining to livelihood diversification and its implication to food security during the year of 2016. Additionally, key informant interview, focus group discussion and observation were the principal methods used to generate data. Descriptive statistics and ordered logit regression model were used to analyze quantitative data. The result of ordered logit model showed that education level of household-head, land size of household, annual income of household head, membership of households in the organization, credit utilization, and access of extension services were significant in determining the livelihood diversification of households in the study area. On the other hand, while age and family size of households were found to be negatively correlated (P<0.5) and related to household level of livelihood diversification. Moreover, the findings of this study gave insight into factors affecting livelihood diversification and its importance to food security. Therefore, government should promote livelihood diversification in order to promote food security in the area.

 Key words: Education level, household size, livelihood diversification, ordered logit model, rural households.


The literature on economic sanctions has long studied sender countries' policymaking as a simple choice between imposing sanctions to extract concessions from the targeted country and doing nothing. We depart from this simplifying assumption and analyze sanctions as a multifaceted foreign policy instrument. We argue that senders design sanction policies in response to policy preferences of two domestic constituencies. Voters expect a response to an international dispute in the form of some policy, such as economic sanctions; hence, the sender's policymakers seek to demonstrate their competence in foreign affairs by imposing sanctions. Once the policymakers announce the use of sanctions, special interest groups that stand to experience economic losses when this foreign policy is implemented pressure the policymakers to choose sanction measures limiting such losses. As a result, the policymakers design sanction policies to include measures that will be less detrimental to special interest groups. We test our theoretical argument using the Threat and Imposition of Sanctions data and show that, while pressures from public opinion increase the likelihood of sanctions, special interest groups that benefit from the relationship with the target country are associated with a lower probability of the use of sanction measures that would impose substantial costs on domestic interest groups.


Methods for planning in stochastic domains often aim for finding plans that minimize expected execution cost or maximize the probability of goal achievement. Researchers have largely ignored the question how to incorporate risk-sensitive attitudes into their planning mechanisms. Since utility theory shows that it can be rational to maximize expected utility, one might believe that by replacing all costs with their respective utilities (for an appropriate utility function) one could achieve risk-sensitive attitudes without having to change the existing probabilistic planning methods. Unfortunately, we show that this is usually not the case and, moreover, that the best action in a state can depend on the total cost that the agent has already accumulated. However, we demonstrate how one can transform risksensitive planning problems into equivalent ones for riskneutral agents provided that utility functions with the delta property are used. The transformation of a riskseeking planning problem can then be solved with any AI planning algorithm that either minimizes (or sarisrices) expected execution cost or, equivalently, one that maximizes (or satisrices) the probability of goal achievement. Thus, one can extend the functionality of these planners to risk-sensitive planning.


High temperature annealing effects on Oxygen-induced defects formation has been studied by IR-LST, FTIR and TEM techniques. The results show that most defects are amorphous oxygen precipitates and/or dislocations. Ham's theory has been modified in order to take into account the variations of interstitial oxygen concentration during the formation of precipitates. Comparison between experimental data and simulation shows that the specificity of annealing cycle is to combine both nucleation and growth stages. The morphology and stoechiometry of SiOx precipitates are also studied.


Person-led guided tours play an important role in museums' educational programs. With this scoping review, we take a critical look at existing knowledge based on empirically-based primary studies to shed light on the practices of person-led guided tours in museums, focusing on the tour leader and his/her work practice. Our review included 39 peer-reviewed papers from 1978 to 2018. Results indicate that the research landscape is scattered across different disciplines. We specified three main research topics (docent training, professionalism/expertise, tour performance) to which the reviewed papers could be assigned and made cross-references between studies. Consequently, the review reveals the very complex practice of person-led guided tours in museums. Our review closes with the discussion of implications for practice and further research, with the intention of advancing multidisciplinary empirical research on the guiding practice in museums and person-led museum guided tours.


Near-infrared (NIR) spectral sensors deliver the spectral response of the light absorbed by materials for quantification, qualification or identification. Spectral analysis technology based on the NIR sensor has been a useful tool for complex information processing and high precision identification in the tobacco industry. In this paper, a novel method based on the support vector machine (SVM) is proposed to discriminate the tobacco cultivation region using the near-infrared (NIR) sensors, where the genetic algorithm (GA) is employed for input subset selection to identify the effective principal components (PCs) for the SVM model. With the same number of PCs as the inputs to the SVM model, a number of comparative experiments were conducted between the effective PCs selected by GA and the PCs orderly starting from the first one. The model performance was evaluated in terms of prediction accuracy and four parameters of assessment criteria (true positive rate, true negative rate, positive predictive value and F1 score). From the results, it is interesting to find that some PCs with less information may contribute more to the cultivation regions and are considered as more effective PCs, and the SVM model with the effective PCs selected by GA has a superior discrimination capacity. The proposed GA-SVM model can effectively learn the relationship between tobacco cultivation regions and tobacco NIR sensor data.


Clinical studies have shown that cigarette smoking is a dose-dependent and independent risk factor for acute pancreatitis. Cigarette smoke contains nicotine which can be converted to the potent receptor ligand and toxin, NNK [4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone]. Previously, we have shown that NNK induces premature activation of pancreatic zymogens in rats, an initiating event in pancreatitis, and this activation is prevented by pharmacologic inhibition of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR). In this study, we determined whether NNK mediates pancreatitis through the α7 isoform of nAChR using α7nAChR knockout mice. PCR analysis confirmed expression of non-neuronal α7nAChR in C57BL/6 (WT) mouse and human acinar cells. NNK treatment stimulated trypsinogen activation in acini from WT but not α7nAChR-/- mice. NNK also stimulated trypsinogen activation in human acini. To further confirm these findings, WT and α7nAChR-/- mice were treated with NNK in vivo and markers of pancreatitis were measured. As observed in acini NNK treatment induced trypsinogen activation in WT but not α7nAChR-/- mice. NNK also induced other markers of pancreatitis including pancreatic edema, vacuolization and pyknotic nuclei in WT but not α7nAChR-/- animals. NNK treatment led to increased neutrophil infiltration, a marker of inflammation, in WT mice and to a significantly lesser extent in α7nAChR-/- mice. We also examined downstream targets of α7nAChR activation and found that calcium and PKC activation are involved down stream of NNK stimulation of α7nAChR. In this study we used genetic deletion of the α7nAChR to confirm our previous inhibitor studies that demonstrated NNK stimulates pancreatitis by activating this receptor. Lastly, we demonstrate that NNK can also stimulate zymogen activation in human acinar cells and thus may play a role in human disease.


The number of free trade agreements (FTAs) concluded by the United States of America (US) has grown vastly over the past two decades. While FTAs contribute to increased global competition and as such may also contribute to socially-undesirable practices in the area of working conditions and the environment, the proliferation in FTAs has paradoxically also augmented the potential for making free trade more fair as some of these agreements now include labour provisions. However, the question is whether these trade agreements have also actually diffused internationally recognised labour standards. This article studies the FTA the US signed in 2004 with a number of Central American countries and which, at a later stage, also included the Dominican Republic. This FTA is commonly referred to as CAFTA-DR and includes a chapter on labour standards. The article argues that the effects of the inclusion of labour standards in CAFTA-DR have been limited and therefore should be viewed as an unsuccessful attempt at policy transfer. This is illustrated by the case of Guatemala, a country known for its lack of respect for labour standards and which is currently the subject of a complaints procedure under the CAFTA-DR. It is maintained that this lack of effectiveness is the result of many factors. Among these is the weakness of the labour chapter of CAFTA-DR resulting from the fact that the chapter is the outcome of bargaining processes both within the US and between the US and Guatemala, where symbolic results were valued more highly than actual substance.


Research on fish nutrition and feed development at SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department has focused on three major areas: nutrient requirements and their interrelationships, digestive enzymes and digestibility, and practical feed development for important species such as milkfish (Chanos chanos Forsskal), sea bass (Lates calcarifer), Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), bighead carp (Ari0stichthys nobilis), and tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon). Early studies on the nutrient requirements were mainly on protein, lipid and carbohydrate. Studies on essential amino acids and fatty acids, and optimum proteln:energy ratio in the diets for cultured species were conducted later. Likewise, requirements for other essential nutrients in shrimps, like phospholipid and cholesterol, were studied. Dietary calcium and phosphorus required to prevent soft-shelled shrimps were determined. Requirements for water-soluble vitamins and bioavailability of stable forms of vitamin C were evaluated. Little is known of the vitamin and mineral requirements. The major digestive enzymes in milkfish have been studied. The apparent digestibility of common feedstuffs were determined in vivo and in vitro for milkfish and tiger shrimp, and presently, for sea bass. Development of cost-effective practical feed continues to be a major research undertaking at SEAFDEC/AQD. Diet refinement emphasizes on use of inexpensive and indigenous materials in diet formulations. The feasibility of using legumes, leaf meals, and agricultural by-products and wastes as feed components has been demonstrated. Feed and feedstuff quality control and proper processing techniques were found to improve the nutritional value of low-grade raw materials. Improved feeding techniques and practices have been pursued to minimize feeding costs. Studies on the effect of feeds on the environment are being initiated. Economically feasible grow-out diets for semi-intensive culture of milkfish, Nile tilapia, and tiger shrimp, and diets for broodstock and larvae of these species have been developed. 52 Fish Nutrition and Feeds '94 Proceedings


With the increase of rotating speed, the rotor unbalance of the modern rotating machinery becomes more sensitive. The on-line active balance is an ideal balancing mode for precision machines. Electromagnetic balancer is a non-contact new-structure balancing device in the on-line balancing field, as it can reliably work in high-speed condition and keep the position balanceable after turning down. Balance ability is an important indicator evaluating the performance of a balancer. This paper studies a new electromagnetic balancer carrying permanent magnet for the motorized spindle. Because the counterweight disk is the primary moving element of the balancer, its balance compensation value and distribution are mainly discussed in this paper. Based on the existing disk structure, the balance ability of disks with different structure is researched. The two counterweight disks with the same compensation value and distribution angle, the two disks have the same compensation value and different distribution angles, the two disks have different compensation values and the same distribution angle are analysed. The calculation results demonstrate that the first scheme is proven better in the balance ability and can be easily developed.


Individuals that reproduce parthenogenetically do not have to produce males and can therefore produce twice as many female offspring. With this twofold reproduction advantage of asexual reproduction, the question of how sex persists in the short term remains unresolved. In the dioecious charophyte Chara canescens, both parthenogenetically reproducing females and sexually reproducing females and males occur sympatrically at only one site in Europe: Neusiedler See-Seewinkel (Austria). By means of four nuclear species-specific microsatellite loci, we examined the interaction between coexisting sexuals and parthenogens by analysing the population structure and gene flow between both reproduction systems. Using a Bayesian assignment method, we found that the sites encompassed two genetically distinct clusters of individuals. The first cluster included genotypes of sexual individuals, which are genetically distinct from a second cluster which included parthenogenetic individuals and few sexually reproducing males, which are genetically identical to the parthenogenetic individuals. However, an analysis of the population genetic structure found no differences with respect to genotypic variation, clonal diversity, and population differentiation between the sympatric parthenogenetically and the sexually reproducing populations. The results indicated that the parthenogenetic individuals cannot outcompete the sexually reproducing individuals.


Background The profound disparity in response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) by cutaneous melanoma (CM) and uveal melanoma (UM) patients is not well understood. Therefore, we characterized metastases of CM and UM from the same metastatic site (liver), in order to dissect the potential underlying mechanism in differential response on ICB. Methods Tumor liver samples from CM (n=38) and UM (n=28) patients were analyzed at the genomic (whole exome sequencing), transcriptional (RNA sequencing) and protein (immunohistochemistry and GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiling) level. Results Comparison of CM and UM metastases from the same metastatic site revealed that, although originating from the same melanocyte lineage, CM and UM differed in somatic mutation profile, copy number profile, tumor mutational burden (TMB) and consequently predicted neoantigens. A higher melanin content and higher expression of the melanoma differentiation antigen MelanA was observed in liver metastases of UM patients. No difference in B2M and human leukocyte antigen-DR (HLA-DR) expression was observed. A higher expression of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) was found in CM compared with UM liver metastases, although the majority of CM and UM liver metastases lacked PD-L1 expression. There was no difference in the extent of immune infiltration observed between CM and UM metastases, with the exception of a higher expression of CD163 (p<0.0001) in CM liver samples. While the extent of immune infiltration was similar for CM and UM metastases, the ratio of exhausted CD8 T cells to cytotoxic T cells, to total CD8 T cells and to Th1 cells, was significantly higher in UM metastases. Conclusions While TMB was different between CM and UM metastases, tumor immune infiltration was similar. The greater dependency on PD-L1 as an immune checkpoint in CM and the identification of higher exhaustion ratios in UM may both serve as explanations for the difference in response to ICB. Consequently, in order to improve current treatment for metastatic UM, reversal of T cell exhaustion beyond programmed cell death 1 blockade should be considered.


Cities around the world are trying out a multitude of transportation policy and investment alternatives with the aim of reducing car-induced externalities. However, without a solid understanding of how people make their transportation and residential location choices, it is hard to tell which of these policies and investments are really doing the job and which are wasting precious city resources. The focus of this paper is the determinants of car ownership and car use for commuting. Using survey data from 1997 to 1998 collected in New York City, this paper uses discrete choice econometrics to estimate a model of the choices of car ownership and commute mode while also modeling the related choice of residential location. The main story told by this analysis is that New Yorkers are more sensitive to changes in travel time than they are to changes in travel cost. The model predicts that the most effective ways to reduce both auto ownership and car commuting involve changing the relative travel times for cars and transit, making transit trips faster by increasing both the frequency and the speed of service and making auto trips slower – perhaps simply by allowing traffic congestion. Population density also appears to have a substantial effect on car ownership in New York. 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


A series of deletions were constructed in the 476 amino acid Tn5 transposase in order to assemble an initial domain structure for this protein. The first four amino acids were found to be important for transposition activity but not for DNA binding to the Tn5 outside end (OE). Larger amino-terminal deletions result in the complete loss of transposition in vivo and the concomitant loss of specific DNA binding. Four point mutants and a six base-pair deletion in the amino terminus between residues 20 and 36 were also found to impair DNA binding to the OE. Analysis of a series of carboxy-terminal deletions has revealed that the carboxy terminus may actually mask the DNA binding domain, since deletions to residues 388 and 370 result in a large increase in DNA binding activity. In addition, the carboxy-terminal deletion to residue 370 results in a significant increase in the mobility of the Tnp-OE complex indicative of a change in the oligomeric state of this complex. Further carboxy-terminal deletions beyond residue 370 also abolished DNA binding activity. These results indicate that the first four amino acids of Tnp are important for transposition but not DNA binding, a region between residues 5 and 36 is critical for DNA binding, the wild-type carboxy terminus acts to inhibit DNA binding, and that a region towards the carboxy terminus, defined by residues 370 to 387, is critical for Tnp multimeric interactions.


PANDORA is an EU FP7-funded project developing a novel training and learning environment for Gold Commanders, individualswho carry executive responsibility for the services and facilities identified as strategically critical e.g. Police, Fire, in crisis management strategic planning situations. A key part of the work for this project is considering the emotional and behavioural state of the trainees, and the creation of more realistic, and thereby stressful, representations of multimedia information to impact on the decision-making of those trainees. Existing training models are predominantly paper-based, table-top exercises, which require an exercise of imagination on the part of the trainees to consider not only the various aspects of a crisis situation but also the impacts of interventions, and remediating actions in the event of the failure of an intervention. However, existing computing models and tools are focused on supporting tactical and operational activities in crisis management, not strategic. Therefore, the PANDORA system will provide a rich multimedia information environment, to provide trainees with the detailed information they require to develop strategic plans to deal with a crisis scenario, and will then provide information on the impacts of the implementation of those plans and provide the opportunity for the trainees to revise and remediate those plans. Since this activity is invariably multi-agency, the training environment must support group-based strategic planning activities and trainees will occupy specific roles within the crisis scenario. The system will also provide a range of non-playing characters (NPC) representing domain experts, high-level controllers (e.g. politicians, ministers), low-level controllers (tactical and operational commanders), and missing trainee roles, to ensure a fully populated scenario can be realised in each instantiation. Within the environment, the emotional and behavioural state of the trainees will be monitored, and interventions, in the form of environmental information controls and mechanisms impacting on the stress levels and decisionmaking capabilities of the trainees, will be used to personalise the training environment. This approach enables a richer and more realistic representation of the crisis scenario to be enacted, leading to better strategic plans and providing trainees with structured feedback on their performance under stress. Keywords: affective computing; augmented reality simulations; affective impact in eLearning; timeline-based crisis scenarios; emotional markup


Using the hierarchy picture of the fractional quantum Hall effect, we study the the ground state periodicity of a finite size quantum Hall droplet in a quantum Hall fluid of a different filling factor. The droplet edge charge is periodically modulated with flux through the droplet and will lead to a periodic variation in the conductance of a nearby point contact, such as occurs in some quantum Hall interferometers. Our model is consistent with experiment and predicts that superperiods can be observed in geometries where no interfering trajectories occur. The model may also provide an experimentally feasible method of detecting elusive neutral modes and otherwise obtaining information about the microscopic edge structure in fractional quantum Hall states.


A FIELD-WISE WIND RETRIEVAL ALGORITHM FOR SEAWINDS Stephen L. Richards Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Master of Science In the spring of 1999 NASA will launch the scatterometer SeaWinds, beginning a 3 year mission to measure the ocean winds. SeaWinds is di erent from previous spaceborne scatterometers in that it employs a rotating pencil-beam antenna as opposed to xed fan-beam antennas. The scanning beam provides greater coverage but causes the wind retrieval accuracy to vary across the swath. This thesis develops a eld-wise wind retrieval algorithm to improve the overall wind retrieval accuracy for use with SeaWinds data. In order to test the eld-wise wind retrieval algorithm, methods for simulating wind elds are developed. A realistic approach interpolates the NASA Scatterometer (NSCAT) estimates to ll a SeaWinds swath using optimal interpolation along with linear wind eld models. The two stages of the eld-wise wind retrieval algorithm are eld-wise estimation and eld-wise ambiguity selection. Field-wise estimation is implemented using a 22 parameter Karhunen-Loeve (KL) wind eld model in conjunction with a maximum likelihood objective function. An augmented multi-start global optimization is developed which uses information from the point-wise estimates to aid in a global search of the objective function. The local minima in the objective function are located using the augmented multi-start search techniques and are stored as eld-wise ambiguities The ambiguity selection algorithm uses a eld-wise median lter to select the eld-wise ambiguity closest to the true wind in each region. Point-wise nudging is used to further improve the eld-wise estimate using information from the point-wise estimates. Combined, these two techniques select a good estimate of the wind 95% of the time. The overall performance of the eld-wise wind retrieval algorithm is compared with the performance of the current point-wise techniques. Field-wise estimation techniques are shown to be potentially better than point-wise techniques. The eldwise estimates are also shown to be very useful tools in point-wise ambiguity selection since 95.8%-96.6% of the point-wise estimates closest to the eld-wise estimates are the correct aliases.


Stimulus arrays are inevitably presented at different positions on the retina in visual tasks, even those that nominally require fixation. In particular, this applies to many perceptual learning tasks. We show that perceptual inference or discrimination in the face of positional variance has a structurally different quality from inference about fixed position stimuli, involving a particular, quadratic, non-linearity rather than a purely linear discrimination. We show the advantage taking this non-linearity into account has for discrimination, and suggest it as a role for recurrent connections in area VI, by demonstrating the superior discrimination performance of a recurrent network. We propose that learning the feedforward and recurrent neural connections for these tasks corresponds to the fast and slow components of learning observed in perceptual learning tasks.


Purpose: To assess the efficacy of nitrous oxide (N2O)-oxygen (O2) inhalation sedation by rapid induction technique using preadjusted mix of 30% N2O and 70% O2 in children. Materials and Methods: Sixty children with a treatment plan which included pulp therapy were recruited for the study. Children categorized 3 and 4 of Frankl behavior rating scale and American Society of Anesthesiologists health status I and II were included for the study. Children were distributed into study group (Group-I) and control group (Group-II) by fishbowl randomization. Children in Group-I were induced inhalation sedation using a preadjusted mix of 30% N2O and 70% O2 through rapid induction technique, and children in Group-II were exposed to inhalation sedation by conventional slow induction technique. Parameters such as least oxygen saturation, sedation levels by Richmond Agitation–Sedation Scale, time taken to achieve ideal sedation, maximum N2O concentrations used, and adverse events were recorded and evaluated for each procedure. Data were analyzed using independent sample t-test and Chi-square tests. Results: Analysis of data showed statistically significant difference between both groups in time taken to achieve ideal sedation (P < 0.001). No significant difference was seen in incidence of hypoxia (P < 0.512), maximum N2O concentrations used (P < 0.118), and occurrence of any adverse events. Conclusion: None of the children from both groups exhibited hypoxia. Sense of detachment was seen in one child each from both groups. Rapid induction by preadjusted mix resulted in ideal sedation in 57% children of the Group-I; rest had achieved these levels at 40% N2O. There was a significant difference in the time taken to achieve ideal sedation by rapid induction which was almost half the time taken with slow induction.


Follow this and additional works at: http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/wrd2011_keynote Philip Weller is the Executive Secretary of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR), based at the United Nations in Vienna, Austria. The ICPDR is the forum for 14 Danube countries and the European Commission to implement their commitments to improve water quality and water management in the Danube Basin. In his previous position as Program Director of the Danube Carpathian Program of WWF International, Mr. Weller was the driving force behind the "Lower Danube Green Corridor" an agreement between Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine that remains the largest wetland protection and restoration initiative in Europe. Previously, he served as Director Great Lakes United, a binational coalition focused on the Great Lakes. Mr. Weller is author of three books on environmental topics, including "Freshwater Seas."


This article challenges the assertion, found in the writings Dr. Taha Jabir Al-Alwani and other Muslim reformers, that Islamic thought declined precipitously in the early centuries of Islam and is of little value to contemporary Muslims.  It introduces readers to the sophisticated thought of four diverse Muslim thinkers from the 5th/11th century who each wrote about topics that remain important to Muslims today, such as the nature of the soul, ethics, the purpose of knowledge, and spirituality.  These thinkers are the philosopher-historian Miskawayh, the Sunni Mu'tazili al-Hakim al-Jishumi, the Zahiri Ibn Hazm, and the Hadith scholar al-Khatib al-Baghdadi.  In addition to drawing specific lessons from these classical thinkers' writings, the article encourages contemporary Muslims to emulate their practice of reading widely, including works of Muslim philosophy and theology, and to appreciate the significant connection they made between the acquisition of knowledge and its application to daily life.
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Objective: We performed a retrospective chart review of patients with trisomy 21 and infantile spasms in our university-based pediatric epilepsy center between 2002 and 2016 in order to describe the clinical characteristics of children with these diagnoses as well as to evaluate their response to first-line treatments. Methods: Patients with infantile spasms were identified via the neurophysiology database. Charts were reviewed with attention to infantile spasms diagnosis, presence of trisomy 21, age of reported clinical onset, treatment lag, treatments used, response to treatment, imaging findings, electroencephalography (EEG) data, and developmental outcomes. Results: Of the 310 patients with infantile spasms, 24 also had trisomy 21. Three patients did not meet inclusion criteria. Ten of the 21 patients received nonstandard therapies first line; 2 of the 10 (20%) achieved spasm control, and 4 of the 8 who failed therapy (50%) progressed to Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Eleven of the 21 patients received standard therapies as first-line treatments (10 with prednisolone according to the protocol in the United Kingdom Infantile Spasms Study [UKISS] and 1 with adrenocorticotrophic hormone [ACTH]). Nine of the 10 patients (90%) who received prednisolone achieved spasm resolution, 6 (60%) of these without relapse. The final patient (10%) failed prednisolone as well as ACTH. One patient received ACTH first line with success. Conclusion: This is the only series to follow children with trisomy 21 and infantile spasms in which a significant proportion received UKISS-protocol prednisolone. It adds to current knowledge about safety, tolerability, and effectiveness of prednisolone in this group.


This work by Prof. Nirmala Sharma is the first full-length narration of the extraordinary life, immense literary output, manifold philosophical perspectives of Kumarajiva and the development of a new translation methodology by him. He is the great transcreator of Buddhist Chinese diction. His oeuvre covers all genres of Buddhist literature. All his works, both extant and lost, are detailed. The author discusses at length his crucial texts that became the foundation of sects and philosophical systems in East Asia. Kucha the homeland of Kumarajiva excelled in painting, music and dance. Around a hundred illustrations of murals and scrolls vividly portray this ambience of Kucha. The author has added a writeup of President Daisaku Ikeda, whose devotion to the unparalleled monk-translator adds to the deep understanding of the mind and message of Kumarajiva to humanity. President Ikeda discusses Kumarajiva's new systematization of terminology to bring greater clarity to Buddhist thought and practice. The author ends the book with the translation of the original Chinese life of Kumarajiva, translated by Prof. J. Nobel, from the Lives of Eminent Monks written by Hui-chiao in AD 519. The original text in Chinese has also been reproduced.


Genetic variants of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) could influence individual susceptibility to coronary artery disease (CAD) with or without association with demographic factors. This study was designed to assess the Glu298 /Asp variant of the eNOS gene in 79 patients with CAD as compared to equal number (79) of controls. The genotype frequencies for eNOS gene polymorphism were determined by PCR and RFLP, and the results analyzed statistically. Demographic factors were recorded using structured questionnaire. The genotype frequencies for Glu298/Asp (Glu/Glu, Glu/Asp and Asp/Asp) genotypes were 46.83, 30.37 and 22.78% in CAD subjects and 60.75, 31.64 and 7.59% in control subjects, respectively. The genotype frequencies differed significantly (p < 0.05) between the controls and cases. From our regression analysis we found that Glu/Asp variant in association with other factors such as hypertension, smoking, were independent risk factors of CAD, whereas other factors were not CAD independent risk factors. The individuals with eNOS Glu298/Asp variant were at greater risk of CAD, and this might indicate genetic susceptibility to CAD and that eNOS gene (Glu298/Asp) polymorphism could represent a useful genetic marker in identifying individuals at greater risk of developing atherosclerotic disease.

 Key words: eNOS gene, polymorphisms, CAD, risk factors, genetic markers.


The problem of collocational storage of media strands, which are sequences of continuously recorded audio samples or video frames, on disk to support the integration of storage and transmission of multimedia data with computing is examined. A model that relates disk and device characteristics to the playback rates of media strands and derives storage patterns so as to guarantee continuous retrieval of media strands is presented. To efficiently utilize the disk space, mechanisms for merging storage patterns of multiple media strands by filling the gaps between media blocks of one strand with media blocks of other strands are developed. Both an online algorithm suitable for merging a new media strand into a set of already stored strands and an offline merging algorithm that can be applied a priori to the storage of a set of media strands before any of them have been stored on disk are proposed. As a consequence of merging, storage patterns of media strands may become perturbed slightly. To compensate for this read-ahead and buffering are required so that continuity of retrieval remains satisfied are also presented. >


This study investigated a model of professional development that has been developed by the principals of a cluster of six New Zealand rural schools. It explored the reasons why the principals chose this model of self initiated professional development, how professional development was achieved and the factors that sustained it. Data were gathered using a variety of tools, including interviews with the principals and an external professional development provider, observations, a survey and a limited historical documentation search. Results indicated that the need for regular social and professional interaction with other principals who work in similar communities was highly valued by all participants. They believed that they were unique and capable of providing professional leadership and collegial support for their cluster. The change from meeting for organizing sporting events to providing relevant professional development was strongly influenced by a mentoring contract offered by the Ministry of Education. Implications for the provision of professional development specifically for rural schools and their learning communities are discussed and suggest that the principals of rural schools have specific needs. Their professional development should include opportunities for social and professional interaction with cooperative decisions and activities initiated by them.


Abstract Purpose: To cross-culturally adapt the Identification Functional Ankle Instability for use with Korean-speaking participants. Methods: The English version of the IdFAI was cross-culturally adapted into Korean based on the guidelines. The psychometric properties in the Korean version of the IdFAI were measured for test-retest reliability, internal consistency, criterion-related validity, discriminative validity, and measurement error 181 native Korean-speakers. Results: Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC2,1) between the English and Korean versions of the IdFAI for test–retest reliability was 0.98 (standard error of measurement = 1.41). The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.89 for the Korean versions of IdFAI. The Korean versions of the IdFAI had a strong correlation with the SF-36 (rs = −0.69, p < .001) and the Korean version of the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool (rs = −0.65, p < .001). The cutoff score of >10 was the optimal cutoff score to distinguish between the group memberships. The minimally detectable change of the Korean versions of the IdFAI score was 3.91. Conclusion: The Korean versions of the IdFAI have shown to be an excellent, reliable, and valid instrument. The Korean versions of the IdFAI can be utilized to assess the presence of Chronic Ankle Instability by researchers and clinicians working among Korean-speaking populations. Implications for rehabilitation The high recurrence rate of sprains may result into Chronic Ankle Instability (CAI). The Identification of Functional Ankle Instability Tool (IdFAI) has been validated and recommended to identify patients with Chronic Ankle Instability (CAI). The Korean version of the Identification of Functional Ankle Instability Tool (IdFAI) may be also recommend to researchers and clinicians for assessing the presence of Chronic Ankle Instability (CAI) in Korean-speaking population.


Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a degenerative disease of the nervous system that often occurs in the elderly. As magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) reflect the brain's anatomical changes and functional changes caused by AD, they are often used to diagnose AD. Multimodal fusion based on these two types of images can effectively utilize complementary information and improve diagnostic performance. To avoid the computational complexity of the 3D image and expand training samples, this study designed an AD diagnosis framework based on a 2.5D convolutional neural network (CNN) to fuse multimodal data. First, MRI and PET were preprocessed with skull stripping and registration. After that, multiple 2.5D patches were extracted within the hippocampus regions from both MRI and PET. Then, we constructed a multimodal 2.5D CNN to integrate the multimodal information fromMRI and PET patches. We also utilized a training strategy called branches pre-training to enhance the feature extraction ability of the 2.5D CNN by pre-training two branches with corresponding modalities individually. Finally, the results of patches are used to diagnose AD and progressive mild cognitive impairment (pMCI) patients from normal controls (NC). The experiments were conducted with the ADNI dataset, and accuracies of 92.89% and 84.07% were achieved in the AD vs. NC and pMCI vs. NC tasks. The results are much better than using single modality and indicate that the proposed multimodal 2.5D CNN could effectively integrate complementary information from multi-modality and yield a promising AD diagnosis performance.


The survey tries to review the various problems and their solution in Delay Tolerant Network (DTN) while routing the packets. In this paper, going to discuss and see the overview of various methods used in the DTN. They are simbet and bubble rap which are the DTN routing algorithm and is used for identify the bridge nodes using betweenness centrality and similarity metrics in the network. Then watchdog and pathrater used for detecting the misbehaving nodes in the DTN. Practical incentive protocol (Pi) is used for addressing the selfishness problem in DTN. Secure multilayer credit based incentive scheme (SMART) provide the incentives to the selfish node by using credits in the network.


ABSTRACT By collecting data continuously over 24 hours, accelerometers and other wearable devices can provide novel insights into circadian rhythms and their relationship to human health. Existing approaches for analyzing diurnal patterns using these data, including the cosinor model and functional principal component analysis, have revealed and quantified population-level diurnal patterns, but considerable subject-level variability remained uncaptured in features such as wake/sleep times and activity intensity. This remaining informative variability could provide a better understanding of chronotypes, or behavioral manifestations of one's underlying 24-hour rhythm. Curve registration, or alignment, is a technique in functional data analysis that separates "vertical" variability in activity intensity from "horizontal" variability in time-dependent markers like wake and sleep times; this data-driven approach is well-suited to studying chronotypes using accelerometer data. We develop a parametric registration framework for 24-hour accelerometric rest-activity profiles represented as dichotomized into epoch-level states of activity or rest. Specifically, we estimate subject-specific piecewise linear time-warping functions parametrized with a small set of parameters. We apply this method to data from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging and illustrate how estimated parameters give a more flexible quantification of chronotypes compared to traditional approaches.


We present an experiment where subjects sequentially receive signals about the true state of the world and need to form beliefs about which one is true, with payoffs related to reported beliefs. We attempt to control for risk aversion using the Offerman et al. (Rev Econ Stud 76(4):1461–1489, 2009) technique. Against the baseline of Bayesian updating, we test for belief adjustment underreaction and overreaction and model the decision making process of the agent as a double hurdle model where agents with inferential expectations first decide whether to adjust their beliefs and then, if so, decide by how much. We also test the effects of increased inattention and complexity on belief updating. We find evidence for periods of belief inertia interspersed with belief adjustment. This is due to a combination of random belief adjustment; state-dependent belief adjustment, with many subjects requiring considerable evidence to change their beliefs; and quasi-Bayesian belief adjustment, with aggregate insufficient belief adjustment when a belief change does occur. Inattention, like complexity, makes subjects less likely to adjust their stated beliefs, while inattention additionally discourages full adjustment.


H OSPITALISTS, ALONG with the evolution of the specialty of hospital medicine, are improving the delivery of care to hospitalized patients and are poised to revolutionize the system of hospital care delivery. Initial research indicates that hospitalists reduce inpatient mortality while demonstrating consistent reductions in health care costs. Not only are adult inpatients benefiting, but pediatric hospitalists seem to have a similar impact. With probably 20 000 or more hospitalists currently in the United States, this increasingly evidencebased intervention has experienced remarkable growth since the mid 1990s and has become part of the mainstream of health care delivery. The Society of Hospital Medicine aptly defines hospitalists as "physicians whose primary professional focus is the general medical care of hospitalized patients," reflecting how they focus mainly on hospital care delivery and how to improve it. Hospital medicine continues to evolve and to meet the needs of hospitalized patients as well as providing multiple solutions to the hospital system of care delivery. There are many ways in which hospitalists can benefit patients:


The behavior of hardmetals under cyclic loads is investigated. Unnotched specimens were employed to obtain practical information regarding fatigue in hardmetals. All the tested hardmetals exhibit an increase in the number of cycles until failure with a decrease in the maximum stress, i.e., the hardmetals exhibit a high fatigue sensitivity. The fatigue strength increases with the cobalt content. Although distinct fatigue limits, as observed in metals, cannot be observed, the calculated fatigue limit stress at 107 cycles is found to be approximately 70% of the flexural strength, and the stress value exhibits a linear relationship with the flexural stress.


Background The soluble biomarker sub-committee of OMERACT has published validation criteria for biomarkers reflecting structural damage end-points. Within these, categories of Discrimination and Feasibility relate to assay reproducibility and performance. 14–3-3eta (η) is a joint-derived biomarker that drives joint damage processes and informs radiographic progression independently of acute phase reactants. As an ELISA assay, 14–3-3η is currently available for clinical use as a laboratory developed test (LDT) in the United States (US) and as an in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) in Canada. The ELISA is (CE) marked for Europe and is Therapeutics Good Administration (TGA) approved for Australia. Previous studies have described 14–3-3eta assay equivalence at independent laboratories in the US and Canada. Objectives The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the reproducibility of 14–3-3eta measurements at two independent laboratories in Japan and one in Canada. Methods A total of 212 samples from the University of Occupational and Environmental Health were provided for this study. Serum 14–3-3eta measurements were performed using the 14–3-3eta ELISA provided by Augurex. Testing in Canada occurred in August 2015; these 14–3-3eta values were set as the "standard". The 212 samples were shipped from Canada to Japan in January 2016 with testing being performed in February 2016. Testing at MBL was performed on a blinded-basis. Upon completion of testing, results were sent to the investigators at which point in time, MBL was unblinded. 14–3-3eta positivity was defined at ≥0.19ng/ml. Contigency and Spearman analyses were performed to assess the strength of the results between the two testing centres. Values above the linear range of the assay i.e. ≥20ng/ml were excluded for the Spearman analyses and determination of the median (IQR). A p-value of <0.05 established statistical significance. Results In Canada, of the 212 samples tested, 146 (68.8%) were 14–3-3eta positive and in Japan, 147 (69.3%) were positive. In Canada, 187 patients had reportable values in the linear range and in Japan 186 did. Median 14–3-3eta levels in Canada were 0.51 ng/ml (IQR: 0.11–2.09) and in Japan they were 0.58 ng/ml (IQR: 0.02–2.68), respectively. Spearman correlation analysis revealed a highly significant correlation between the two testing sites, r=0.92; p<0.00001. Contingency analysis revealed a strong concordance between the two sets of results delivering a likelihood ratio (LR) of 156, p<0.0001. Between the two sites, 58 of the samples were 14–3-3eta negative and 139 were positive; there was agreement in 197 (93%) of the 212 samples. Conclusions As defined by the soluble biomarker sub-committee of OMERACT, reliability and standardization of biomarker assessments in routine clinical practice across the globe and in clinical studies is of high importance. The results presented herein demonstrate that the 14–3-3eta assay is highly reliable, that testing/delivery of results can be standardized between two independent laboratories, and that it is very stable over time and when shipped between continents. Disclosure of Interest S. Hirata: None declared, M. Kaneda Employee of: Medical & Biological Laboratories, T. Isayama Employee of: Medical & Biological Laboratories, Y. Gui Employee of: Augurex Life Sciences Corp., A. Marotta Employee of: Augurex Life Sciences Corp., W. Maksymowych Consultant for: Augurex Life Sciences Corp, Y. Tanaka: None declared


The closure related to the COVID-19 pandemic impacted on the management of separation-related disorder in a dog. Eight weeks before the first COVID-19 pandemic closure, the patient, an 8-year-old female neutered cross breed dog weighing 6 kg, was presented for nonstop barking when separated from her owners, 8 hours a day, 5 days each week. Before the first consultation, 4 years of training based on desensitization without medication helped the patient but never lowered the barking beyond two hours a day, which remains way too high to provide a correct quality of life to this dog. The patient welfare was at stake, and the neighborhood complains were growing. The patient was prescribed fluoxetine at 20 mg (3.3 mg/kg) PO q24 h. and trazodone PRN before separation at 25 mg (4.2 mg/kg) PO. A behavioral modification plan based on extinction and calm reinforcement was prescribed. Eight weeks after the treatment onset, just before the first COVID-19 pandemic closure, the dog improved significantly, lowered daily barking up to 15 minutes. During all the successive closures (i.e., one year), the dog was never left alone. When the closures ended, the barking relapsed, straight at the first separation event, reaching 1 to 2 hours daily, even though the fluoxetine had never been interrupted. Therefore, gabapentin was prescribed PRN before separation at 100 mg (16.6 mg/kg) in place of trazodone that triggered excitation in the patient when it was previously tried. The behavioral plan was completed with additional conditioning learning before sep-aration. The dog improved quickly to a short tolerable time of barking (i.e., 5 to 10 minutes). This outcome remains stable by the time the paper is written i.e., 3 months after the end of the closure. The patient's evolution emphasizes two important topics in the treatment of separation-related disorder: firstly, medication is needed for most cases to lower the level of emotional reaction, and secondly, interruption in the exposition to the fearful context may have rebound effects when the context will be encountered again. The long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic remains unknown on both human and dog's welfare. More extensive studies should be conducted to measure its impact on separation-related disorder in dogs. © 2021, Edizioni ETS. All rights reserved.


A two-year investigation into the effects of weed management practices, sowing dates and maize varieties was made in a Striga endemic field at Minna, Nigeria. The treatment was a factorial combination of variety (SAMMAZ 15, 17, 37, 40 and SUWAN-1-SR-Y), weed management practices (weedy check, two hoe weeding (HW) at 3 + 6 weeks after sowing (WAS), pre-emergence (PE) Atrazine at 2.4 kg a.i ha-1 + 1 HW at 6 WAS and PE Atrazine at 2.4 kg ha-1 + post-emergence (POE) Nicosulfuron at 0.06 kg ha-1 at 6 WAS) and sowing dates: early (28th May), mid-season  (18th June) and late-season (9th July) in 2018 and early-season (26th May), mid-season (16th June) and late-season  (7th July) in 2019 laid in a split plot arranged in a randomized complete block with three replications. Maize variety and weed management practices were combined as the main plot and sowing dates constituted the subplot. Delayed Striga shoot emergence and reduced shoot density were observed in SAMMAZ 15 and 40 and higher grain yield with SAMMAZ 17 in 2018 and 2019. Application of Atrazine plus Nicosulfuron significantly delayed Striga shoot emergence, reduced shoot density and higher maize grain yield in both years. Sowing in May significantly delayed Striga shoot emergence and reduced shoot density in both years. Sowing in June significantly increased maize grain yield in 2018 and 2019. These results suggest that SAMMAZ 15 and 40 in combination with PE Atrazine at 2.4 kg a.i ha-1 and POE Nicosulfuron at 0.06 kg a.i ha-1 and sowing in May effectively reduced Striga infestation. SAMMAZ 17 in combination with PE Atrazine at 2.4 kg a.i ha-1 and POE Nicosulfuron at 0.06 kg a.i ha-1 and sowing in June increased maize grain yield.

 Key words: Maize variety, sowing date, Striga, weed management.


Al4Cu2Ni2Mg alloy is an age-hardenable aluminum alloy. The effect of different solution and aging heat treatment conditions on the microstructure, hardness and wear resistance of the alloy was studied. The cast specimens were solution treated and then artificially aged. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to investigate the microstructures of the specimens. The hardness and wear tests were applied to understanding the effects of heat treatment. After aging for 8 h, the hardness of the alloy increases from HV10 96.5 to 151.1. Aging treatment for a longer duration causes a drop in the hardness because of over aging. Increasing the hardness of the alloy increases the wear resistance. As a result of all tests, solution heat treatment at 540 °C for 8 h and aging at 190 °C for 8 h were chosen for optimum heat treatment conditions for this alloy.


The Cnidarian, hydra, is an appealing model system for studying the basic processes underlying pattern formation. Classical studies have elucidated much basic information regarding the role of development gradients, and theoretical models have been quite successful at describing experimental results. However, most experiments and computer simulations have dealt with isolated patterning events such as the dynamics of head regeneration. More global events such as interactions among the head, bud, and foot patterning systems have not been extensively addressed. The characterization of monoclonal antibodies with position-specific labeling patterns and the recent cloning and characterization of genes expressed in position-specific manners now provide the tools for investigating global interactions between patterning systems. In particular, changes in the axial positional value gradient may be monitored in response to experimental perturbation. Rather than studying isolated patterning events, this approach allows us to study patterning over the entire animal. The studies reported here focus on interactions between the foot and the head patterning systems in Hydra vulgaris following induction of a foot in close proximity to a head, axial grafting of a foot closer to the head, or doubling the amount of basal tissue by lateral grafting of an additional peduncle-foot onto host animals. Resulting positional value changes as monitored by antigen (TS19) and gene (ks1 and CnNK-2) expression were assessed in the foot, head, and intervening tissue. The results of the experiments indicate that positional values changed rapidly, in a matter of hours, and that there were reciprocal interactions between the foot and the head patterning systems. Theoretical interpretations of the results in the form of computer simulations based on the reaction-diffusion model are presented and predict many, but not all, of the experimental observations. Since the lateral grafting experiment cannot, at present, be simulated, it is discussed in light of what has been learned from the axial grafting experiments and their simulations.


Abstract One neighborhood in Groningen, the Netherlands, is a neighborhood housing about 12,000 citizens with on average a low-SES background, showing a less healthy and active lifestyle. In the past, initiatives have been undertaken to promote active lifestyle by implementing outdoor facilities stimulating physical activity. However, use of facilities was poor due to lack of citizen involvement. Aim of this project was to engage citizens in the overall process of capturing, plan making and prototyping of concepts for an exercise-friendly physical and social environment. From January 2020 - May 2022 a Living Lab was run following the 'Our Voice' citizen science method. Participatory citizen science was applied in which a community of stakeholders (public/private parties) and citizens was built. The community addressed the problem by creating more insight in promoting/degrading features in the neighborhood concerning an active lifestyle. Citizens (n = 40) used the Stanford Neighborhood Discovery Tool, which allowed for systematic observations of the physical environment. Additionally, emergent research walks gave extra information on neighborhood barriers/facilitators next to Discovery Tool data. Collected data allowed citizens to brainstorm on possible solutions in sessions facilitated by the researchers. Solutions were presented to local government and further developed for implementation and realization. Use of the Discovery Tool created an overview of the neighborhood. Based on positive/negative features, new ideas were generated for improving exercise-friendliness. One example was a walking route along art objects in the neighborhood. Furthermore, a citizens work group was formed which discussed this route, and other ideas and prototypes, with local government. This group was also involved in realization of prototypes. Our project resulted in a citizen science approach which can be transferred to other neighborhoods. Use of Discovery Tool showed many benefits for neighborhood plan making. Early and continuous involvement of citizens will lead to more sustainable engagement and is a powerful method to create engagement around societal problems and social innovation in the field of Health Enhancing Physical Activity. A transferable method for neighborhood development based on citizen science was developed. Key feature in our method was integration of design thinking, citizen engagement, and use of digital tools.