An approximated quadratic programming optimization is proposed to determine a model predictive controller to guarantee end-to-end delay in the DiffServ architecture. The proposed algorithm, called the suboptimal model predictive control scheduler (SMPCS), regulates the service rates of aggregated traffic classes dynamically, such that some constraints on proportional or absolute delay can be guaranteed. This paper investigates SMPCS complexity and its implementation problems in high-speed routers. The main problem of model predictive control (and one which has limited its use to slow processes) is its complexity. Optimization is the most computationally complex part in a model predictive controller. To enable efficient implementation of such a computationally expensive algorithm, this paper proposes to reduce the precision of the optimizer while maintaining near-optimal values for the manipulated variables (service rates). Both control-theoretic analysis and simulations demonstrate that SMPCS performs stable and acceptable quality-of-service differentiations at core routers while maintaining end-to-end delay constraints.


Micronization processes involving supercritical carbon dioxide are rapid methods to produce fine particles. They also might offer the possibility of using less organic solvent than conventional crystallization methods leading to an environmentally friendlier processing. The separation capabilities of such processes are now demonstrated on the diastereomeric resolution of mandelic acid using (R)-1-phenylethanamine as a resolving agent, utilizing the batch type gas antisolvent fractionation as the separation method. A detailed study was conducted on the effects of the operational parameters pressure (12-20 MPa), temperature (35-55 °C) and co-solvent concentration (33-99 mg/ml). At 12 MPa, 35 °C and 99 mg/ml methanol concentration, a selectivity of 0.52 and a diastereomeric excess of 62% was reached. The same operational parameters were applied during the investigation of the recrystallization-based further purification of the diastereomeric salts, applying the resolving agent in molar equivalent quantity to a non-racemic mixture of mandelic acid. It has been found that the more stable (R)-1-phenylethylammonium-(R)-mandelate salt can be purified to de>98% through four additional recrystallization steps following the initial, half-molar equivalent resolution step.


Liver hydatidosis is the most common clinical presentation of cystic echinococcosis (CE). Ultrasonographic mass surveys have demonstrated the true prevalence, including the asymptomatic characteristic of the majority of cases, providing new insight into the natural history of the disease. This raises the question of whether to treat or not to treat these patients, due to the high and unsuspected prevalence of CE. The high rate of liver/lung frequencies of cyst localization, the autopsy findings, and the involution of cysts demonstrated in long time follow-up of asymptomatic carriers contribute to this discussion. The decision to treat an asymptomatic patient by surgery, albendazole, or puncture aspiration injection and re-aspiration or to wait and watch, is based on conflicting reports in the literature, the lack of complications in untreated patients over time, and the spontaneous disappearance and involution of cysts. All these points contribute to difficulties of individual clinical decisions. The patients should be informed of the reasons and the risks of watchful/waiting without treatment, the possibility of complications, and the risks of the other options. As more information on the natural history of liver hydatidosis is acquired, selection of the best treatment will be come easier. Without this knowledge it would be very difficult to establish definitive rules of treatment. At present, it is possible to manage these patients over time and to wait for the best moment for treatment. Follow-up studies must be conducted to achieve this objective.


Network coding has recently attracted a lot of interest from the research community, mainly due to its simplicity of application and the large number of applications it can be suited for. Research in network coding started on wired networks, but the researchers soon came to realize that the inherent properties of the wireless medium render it a fertile ground for the application of network coding, and the resulting efforts mainly targeted bidirectional traffic scenarios. In this work, we focus on practical implementation issues for network coding when applied to uplink cellular traffic. We provide our own relaying scheme based on decode-and-forward relays and network coding, with a specially designed method of decoding at the receiver. We complement this method with user grouping in order to make better use of the application of network coding. We measure the SINR and capacity performances of our proposed scheme and compare them to the classical decode-and-forward algorithm in a system level simulator. We show that user grouping should complement a network coding solution in order to translate the decrease in the number of transmissions offered by network coding into capacity gains.


A new fingerprint parameterization for liveness detection based on quality measures is presented. The novel feature set is used in a complete liveness detection system and tested on the development set of the LivDET competition, comprising over 4,500 real and fake images acquired with three different optical sensors. The proposed solution proves to be robust to the multi-sensor scenario, and presents an overall rate of 93% of correctly classified samples. Furthermore, the liveness detection method presented has the added advantage over previously studied techniques of needing just one image from a finger to decide whether it is real or fake.


Mandura (Iron rust) is known by names lohkitta, malayas, ayomala, meaning waste of iron. Among different formulations prescribed for Parinamashoola (Peptic ulcer), in Ayurvedic classics Kshiramandura (Preparation of Iron rust in Milk) is one. Ancient authorities have given similar recipes of Mandura and these medicines are being successfully administered in the management of Peptic ulcer. In Parinamashoola (Peptic ulcer), Acharya Chakradatta mentioned Kshiramandura, as a formulation prepared by taking 384gms of Mandura Bhasma (Incinerated Iron rust), 3 Kg 73 gm of cow's urine and 768gms of cow's milk, boiled and administered in a dose of 500mg. To establish Physical and Chemical factors present in Mandura before and after purification and incineration, the preparation ofKshira mandura was attempted by adopting Quantitative and Qualitative methods. The drugwas identified by the qualities as described in the classics, viz., unctuous, heavy, hard and black in color and absence of hollow space. Mandura was heated in burning charcoal (600-800° c) and dipped in 5 liters of Cow's urine. This process was repeated 7 times, till the Mandura broke. This purified Mandura was then powdered and triturated with decoction ofTerminalia chebula, Terminalia belerica and Emblica officinalis (Triphala kashaya). Thereafter pellets were prepared and dried. The pellets were then sealed in crucibles and heated 30 times in a special type of furnace with temperature of 1000°c (Gajaputa method) to incinerate Mandura and prepare its ash (Bhasma). Cow's urine and milk were added to this Mandura Bhasma and Kshiramandura was prepared. When analyzed it showed 68.3 5% Ferric oxide, 0.66%MgCO3 and 1.32% CaCO3.


BACKGROUND
An indwelling urinary catheter or urethral stent are standardly used following a urethroplasty to prevent post-operative urinary retention. There are both closed drainage system (CDS) and open drainage system (ODS) available.

OBJECTIVE
The study was designed to determine the outcomes between post-operative CDS and ODS.

MATERIAL AND METHOD
Fifty-seven hypospadias patients with 66 urethroplasties, performed by a single surgeon, were assessed. During the 40-month study period, the operative outcomes relative to the technique of both urinary catheter drainage systems were evaluated for length of hospital stay (LOS), cost of hospitalization, and post-operative complications.

RESULTS
CDS and ODS drainage systems were performed in 32 and 34 operations, respectively. The patient characteristics, the surgical profiles, and post-operative complications were not statistically significant. The CDS/ODS group had median LOS (range) of 9 (1 to 22) 12 (1 to 6) days, respectively, and cost of hospitalization (SD) of 22,908 (4,455)/18,408 (3,848) Bahts respectively. Both had statistical significance, p < 0.001. The subgroup of 26 posterior hypospadias and TIP urethroplasties were also evaluated.

CONCLUSION
Patients with hypospadias given an open drainage system after urethroplasty have a higher rate of early discharge, lower cost of hospitalization, and a lower rate of wound infection.


The global economy was faced with extreme economic conditions, which had the effect of transforming the entire banking system. Effective management of the situation was not an easy task and demanded participate, spirit and active mood by all parties. However, the stabilization of the banking sector has taken place, with changes in the overall framework surrounding credit institutions, against the backdrop of the stability and durability of the system. Thus, a series of banking arrangements were made, most recently Basel III, providing the solvency that the system most needed. The Greek banking system, which is an integral part of the global banking system, has been hit hard. The global financial crisis, coupled with the debt crisis of Euro zone, has led the country, among other things, with extreme recessionary conditions, spread, lack of bank liquidity, bank run and capital control. The causes are many, but the challenge lies in whether the Greek banking system will withstand the pressure that exists and to what extent it can return to regularity and growth.


Combination therapy with a cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) inhibitor and an aromatase inhibitor (AI) for first-line treatment of postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer (ABC) has demonstrated improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) over AI monotherapy without adding substantial toxicity. However, CDK4/6 inhibitor plus AI therapy is not uniformly used as first-line therapy for ABC, indicating that barriers to CDK4/6 inhibitor use exist. Such barriers may include the following perceptions: patients with bone-only metastases, with a long disease-free interval, or who are older may respond to AI monotherapy and may not benefit from a CDK4/6 inhibitor; tumor response rates may be lower and delayed with CDK4/6 inhibitor plus AI therapy than chemotherapy; the increased incidence of adverse events with CDK4/6 inhibitor plus AI therapy outweighs benefits; and the cost of CDK4/6 inhibitors may be prohibitive. Some of these barriers are addressed with data from follow-up analyses of CDK4/6 inhibitor trials, which have shown a PFS benefit of combination therapy in all subgroups assessed, including older patients, those with bone-only metastatic disease, and those with a long disease-free interval. Tumor response rates with CDK4/6 inhibitor plus AI therapy are comparable to those with first-line cytotoxic chemotherapy. Finally, adverse events associated with CDK4/6 inhibitor plus AI therapy are manageable and occur with decreasing severity during treatment, with similar reports of quality of life to those with AI monotherapy. These data support CDK4/6 inhibitor plus AI therapy as the standard of care in first-line treatment of ABC.


Introduction. Treatment of urinary tract infections (UTI) is a complex thing to do, due to the difficulties in diagnosing the causes of UTI and identifying risk factors for recurrence of the disease. Objective. To study the causes of hemorrhagic cystitis, develop an algorithm for examining these patients, and select a rational therapy. Materials and methods. A complex examination and treatment of 275 patients with a clinical picture of hemorrhagic cystitis was performed. Patients with the absence of leukocyturia and bacteriuria additionally performed рolymerase chain reaction (PCR) of the first portion of urine (scraping from the urethra) for the presence of herpes simplex viruses of the 1 and 2 types (HSV of the 1 and 2 types), cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), human papillomavirus of high oncogenic risk (HPV)) in acute period, ELISA with determination of immunoglobulins G and M for HSV types 1 and 2, CMV and EBV, examination of vagina flora pathogens and sensitivity to antibiotics with essential indication of the number of lactobacilli. Results. There is an increase level of hemorrhagic cystitis in young patients, while in 64% of cases, the bacterial agent was not detected. An algorithm for the diagnosis of hemorrhagic cystitis of viral etiology has been developed, including examination of this category of patients for the presence of viral agents. In 37% of cases, the presence of chronic herpes and papillomavirus infection was proven. The use of antiviral therapy significantly reduced the number of recurrent UTI in this category of patients. Conclusions. Examination of patients with recurrent urinary tract infections should include the methods which confirm the viral nature of the disease.


If the upper atmosphere and ionosphere of Triton are controlled by precipitation of electrons from Neptune's magnetosphere as previously proposed, Triton could have the only ionosphere in the solar system not controlled by solar radiation. However, a new model of Triton's atmosphere, in which only solar radiation is present, predicts a large column of carbon atoms. With an assumed, but reasonable, rate of charge transfer between N2(+) and C, a peak C+ abundance results that is close to the peak electron densities measured by Voyager in Triton's ionosphere. These results suggest that Triton's upper atmospheric chemistry may thus be solar-controlled. Measurement of key reaction rate constants, currently unknown or highly uncertain at Triton's low temperatures, would help to clarify the chemical and physical processes occurring in Triton's atmosphere.


Matched-field beamforming used in combination with a generalized likelihood ratio test is the most common detector structure in array processing situations. Unfortunately, various array perturbations caused by phase, calibration, propagation effects, or modeling errors can cause the sensor observations to become only partially correlated, limiting the performance of traditional matched-field beamformers that assume perfect coherence of the signal wavefronts. Quadratic array processing is optimal for many perturbed array problems; however, direct implementation poses a significant computational burden. We show that under certain conditions, the optimal quadratic detector for dealing with perturbed arrays can be approximately realized efficiently and robustly employing only discrete Fourier trans- forms to deal with spatial processing. In addition, we show that the proposed spatial processing allows for convenient integration of conventional frequency-domain methods for angle-of-arrival searches. Our proposed array detection structure provides the robustness and performance benefits of complicated quadratic processing at a computational cost comparable with that of traditional matched-field beamforming.


This paper demonstrates how the availability of family planning and maternal and child health services alters the structure of intra-household bargaining. Despite the intention of many family planning and health services programs to empower women through fertility control, I observe that when women obtain access to services only through marriage, there can be offsetting welfare changes in their bargaining power and in the dowries they are required to pay their husbands. To understand these effects, I develop a model that allows for the possibility of household adjustments to external shocks to occur along two margins simultaneously— both before marriage through a dowry payment as well as within marriage through a shift in the bargaining weights. I then examine the marriage market effects of a quasi-randomized family planning and health services program in rural Bangladesh using 1996 cross-sectional data on nearly 4,500 households. I find that women pay 14 percent higher dowries in order to obtain husbands with access to the program, and this result is confirmed in a difference-in-differences specification. Moreover, compared to women without program access, women in the treatment area are 33 percent less likely to be able to make large purchases without permission from their husbands or another household member. The fact that I observe adjustments both before and within marriage suggests that marital contracts in Matlab occur in a setting of limited commitment.


Aim: This paper represents a report of a study designed to explore the experiences of female community continence
link nurses in relation to female catheterisation and their psychological and educational preparedness to teach it. The lived experiences and emotional responses of female patients learning to perform Clean Intermittent Self-Catheterisation (CISC) are also examined.
Background: There is general consensus that CISC should be considered in preference to indwelling catheterisation
wherever feasible. Published literature has tended to focus on quality of life issues and technical and physical
aspects. There has been less investigation into patients' initial perceptions of CISC, and into their subsequent
experiences of learning the technique. There has also been minimal investigation into how community continence link nurses feel about female CISC and into their perceived ability to teach it.
Design: This qualitative study used a phenomenological research design.
Method: A series of semi-structured, in-depth interviews were held with a self-selected sample of female continence
link nurses and adult female patients performing CISC aged 34-64 years. Interviews were tape recorded
and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using the 'Framework' method and recurrent themes identified.
Results: The lived experiences of nurses in relation to the catheterisation of female patients were categorized
into themes: the nurses' emotional responses, their own and others' coping mechanisms, visualisation of the female
urethra, the approach adopted by their mentor and their knowledge deficit around CISC. Six recurrent themes were also identified from the patient sample: grief and loss, lack of knowledge (regarding female anatomy, bladder dysfunction and catheters), negative associations and stigma, psychological aversion and embarrassment, nursing approaches and coping mechanisms.
Conclusion: Nurse recognised that although they felt competent in providing sensitive, individualised care for
patients requiring in-dwelling catheterisation, they lacked the underpinning skills and knowledge to enable them
to assess patients and feel confident in teaching CISC. Explicit recognition of their own and others' psychological coping mechanisms promotes an individualised approach which translates into an enhanced experience for the patient.
For the patients, loss of normal bladder function may represent a devastating event, and trigger emotional responses
associated with grief and loss. Patients may experience a range of reactions whilst learning CISC, including
embarrassment and aversion, which may not dissipate over time. However, psychological distress is not
inevitable, and varies enormously between individuals. The nursing approach is vital, as individualised, empathic
care is recognised and valued.


To study the geographic distribution and demographic characteristics of Pithecia aequatorialis in Peruvian Amazonia, we undertook surveys and transect census in three river basins (Río Itaya, Río Tigre and Río Curaray) between 2004 and 2008. A total of 123 groups of P. aequatorialis was encountered during 1623 km of transect walks. Group size was uniform among the three areas (3.4–3.6 individuals), but surprisingly, population densities were higher in the area with strong hunting pressure (Río Itaya: 7.8 ind./km2, vs. 5.6 and 5.9 km2 in the Río Tigre and Río Curaray basins, respectively). The most common group composition included an adult pair with one offspring. Groups with more than one adult male and/or female accounted for 35% of sightings. Our observations extend P. aequatorialis range in Peru further south to the area between the Río Tigre and Río Corrientes, but exclude the area to the north between the Río Curaray and Río Napo. These findings are in contrast to previous distribution maps. P. aequatorialis was rarely seen in interspecific association during our censuses. Am. J. Primatol. 71:964–968, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Alterations in autonomic activity are well established in fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). Previous studies found reduced parasympathetic activity and sympathetic reactivity to physical and stress manipulations. However, sympathetic activity at rest has not been well studied in FMS. Sweating is exclusively controlled by sympathetic mechanisms. In this study, skin conductance (SC), as an indirect measure of sweating, was analyzed in 45 women with FMS and 38 healthy women. Tonic SC levels were recorded during a 4-minute rest period, and a breathing maneuver consisting of deep breathing with posterior breath holding was used to evoke SC responses. Associations of tonic SC with state anxiety and body temperature, measured in the hand, were explored to determine sweat functionality. The results showed reduced tonic SC levels, with a less marked decrease in SC during the recording period, and blunted SC reactivity to the breathing manipulation in FMS patients relative to healthy participants. Positive associations of SC with state anxiety and body temperature were observed in healthy participants, but these associations were absent in FMS patients. These results indicate alterations of sweating in FMS, suggesting reduced tonic and reactivity sympathetic influences. Furthermore, the absence of associations between SC levels and state anxiety and body temperature in the patient sample suggested a loss of functionality of the autonomic nervous system in FMS. Diminished autonomic regulation in FMS would reduce the ability to cope with environmental demands, thus favoring increases in stress and pain levels. Finally, the observed reduction in sweating is in accordance with evidence of small nerve fiber neuropathy in FMS.


This thesis proposes that dialogue should be seen as a core element of education, from practice to theory and research.
The research arose from a concern, not for a generic concept of education but for specific educational practices in association to dialogue. When the focus of the analysis narrows on certain educational practices the association between dialogue and education becomes problematic. If education is seen as dialogue and if assessment is an educational practice then the association of dialogue to assessment should be reasonably straightforward. Yet this is precisely where a contradiction emerges that highlights that it should be possible to associate educational practices with dialogue but too often this is not the case.
This research set out to examine the possibility of associating dialogue with assessment through the development of a set of dialogical principles derived from the literature and from professional experience in two contexts, namely Distance Education and conventional Third Level Education courses at undergraduate and post-graduate level.
The research is a multi-phase study which utilises a Multi-faceted Design-Based research approach to investigate through cycles of design-implementation and evaluation two assessment interventions (a new feedback report form and a dialogically-oriented assessment portfolio) designed to infuse dialogical principles in assessment practice.
The research undertaken for this thesis has led to the disclosure of the tri-dimensional nature of the association of dialogue with assessment. The thesis proposes that ontologically, assessment should be seen as dialogue, ethically it should act as a catalyst for dialogue, and methodologically this should be achieved in educational practice through dialogue, understood as multi-form method. A model of dialogically-infused assessment has been generated which, thanks to its non-prescriptive formulation, offers a flexible framework for practitioners who may wish to stir their assessment practice in a dialogical direction.


Motivated by the increasing need for fast distributed processing of large-scale graphs such as the Web graph and various social networks, we study a number of fundamental graph problems in the message-passing model, where we have k machines that jointly perform computation on an arbitrary n-node (typically, n G k) input graph. The graph is assumed to be randomly partitioned among the k ≥ 2 machines (a common implementation in many real world systems). The communication is point-to-point, and the goal is to minimize the time complexity i.e., the number of communication rounds, of solving various fundamental graph problems.

We present lower bounds that quantify the fundamental time limitations of distributively solving graph problems. We first show a lower bound of Ω(n/k) rounds for computing a spanning tree (ST) of the input graph. This result also implies the same bound for other fundamental problems such as computing a minimum spanning tree (MST), breadth-first tree (BFS), and shortest paths tree (SPT). We also show an Ω(n/k2) lower bound for connectivity ST verification and other related problems. Our lower bounds develop and use new bounds in random-partition communication complexity.

To complement our lower bounds, we also give algorithms for various fundamental graph problems, e.g., PageRank, MST, connectivity, ST verification, shortest paths, cuts, spanners, covering problems, densest subgraph, subgraph isomorphism, finding triangles, etc. We show that problems such as PageRank, MST, connectivity, and graph covering can be solved in O(n/k) time (the notation O hides polylog(n) factors and an additive polylog(n) term); this shows that one can achieve almost linear (in k) speedup, whereas for shortest paths, we present algorithms that run in O(n/Ok) time (for (1 + e)-factor approximation) and in O(n/k) time (for O(log n)-factor approximation) respectively.

Our results are a step towards understanding the complexity of distributively solving large-scale graph problems.


Djaletti is a series of programs about the different dialects in the Maltese islands. Sergio Grech talks with linguists, authors and people who do not mind using or talking in dialect.


PURPOSE
In this paper we report the oncological outcomes from clinical series of patients with rectal cancer submitted to local excision after neoadjuvant therapy and discuss the indications for local excision in partial clinical responders.

METHODS
We analysed a prospective database of 39 patients submitted to a transanal endoscopic operation for rectal cancer after neoadjuvant chemoradiation between 2006 and 2015, comparing clinical and pathological variables, perioperative complications, recurrence rate and overall survival.

RESULTS
We obtained 15.4% ypT0, 17.9% ypT1, 35.9% ypT2 and 28.2% ypT3. After a median follow-up of 24 months, tumoral recurrence was observed in 4 patients, one of them with isolated pulmonary metastasis. R0 resection was achieved in 79.5%, and postoperative complications were observed in 30.2% patients and no perioperative mortality occur. Compromise surgical margins do not affect recurrence rate, and 94.9% of patients are alive nowadays.

CONCLUSION
Local excision could be associated with low recurrence rate and good overall survival. Short hospitalization time and low level of serious complications observed could be an interesting option for patients who would not tolerate a radical procedure or for those who declined a total mesorectal excision. A strict long-term follow-up must be warranted to detect early tumoral recurrence.


This chapter explores stereotype threat in organizational contexts. Building on the understanding that stereotype threat involves concerns about confirming a negative stereotype about one's group, we begin by elucidating the scope of potential stereotype threat effects in organizations. We first examine the ubiquity of evaluations in organizations, which are at the heart of stereotype threat. Next we specify the potential psychological consequences of stereotype threat on targeted individuals within organizations, including weakening domain identification and engagement, reducing aspirations, increasing self-handicapping, and reducing openness to feedback. In the next section we focus on specific performance consequences of stereotype threat in four domains: leadership, negotiations, entrepreneurship, and competitiveness. We follow by identifying the likely triggers of stereotype threat within organizations, including task difficulty, organizational structure, minority representation, and organizational culture. Finally, we identify three categories of strategies that organizations can implement to reduce stereotype threat: 1) stereotype management, which includes acknowledging stereotypes, emphasizing positive stereotypes, and deemphasizing negative stereotypes; 2) hiring and training, which includes increasing minority representation and job training; and 3) organizational culture, including both fostering identity safety and valuing effort.


Introduction: Artemisia annua  is a common type of sweet wormwood, an herb employed in Chinese traditional medicine and introduced throughout the world. It belongs to the family of  Asteraceae  and has fern-like leaves, a camphor-like scent and bright yellow flowers . The glandular structures found on their surface produce a wide range of bioactive compounds and contain the chemical artemisinin. Its remarkable properties are the key to its malaria- and cancer-fighting effects. Materials and Methods:  For our research we used a wide spectrum of sources including many medical articles, books, encyclopedias and well-known medical journals  and, of course, the information and the knowledge of our academic mentor. Results:  This study goes through the main stages of pharmacological development  of artemisinin including the discovery of its effects and mechanisms of action. We present shortly the well-known effect on malaria and explain in details the most recent studies proving artemisinin`s anti-cancer effects. In short, cancer cells tend to express high levels of the transferrin receptors for internalizing iron which is a useful difference from normal cells along with the difference in the iron transport and this is the reason why artemisinin compounds kill only cancer cells and spare normal ones. Conclusion:  In conclusion artemisinin, like many marvels of modern medicine, has been discovered by accident but series of experimental studies show that artemisinin is highly effective against a variety of cancers. Leukemia and colon cancer are the two types where its influence is most widely explored.  The result from our study, we believe, would inform the audience about the latest scientific discoveries in the field, which is in any case  beneficial.


We consider a distributed source coding system in which several observations must be encoded separately and communicated to the decoder by using limited transmission rate. We introduce a robust distributed coding scheme which flexibly trades off between system robustness and compression efficiency. The optimality of this coding scheme is proved for various special cases.


X chromosome inactivation takes place in the early development of female mammals and depends on the Xist gene expression. The mechanisms of Xist expression regulation have not been well understood so far. In this work, we compared Xist promoter region of vole Microtus rossiaemeridionalis and other mammalian species. We observed three conserved regions which were characterized by computational analysis, DNaseI in vitro footprinting, and reporter construct assay. Regulatory factors potentially involved in Xist activation and repression in voles were determined. The role of CpG methylation in vole Xist expression regulation was established. A CTCF binding site was found in the 5′ flanking region of the Xist promoter on the active X chromosome in both males and females. We suggest that CTCF acts as an insulator which defines an inactive Xist domain on the active X chromosome in voles.


The effects of storage on stability of six types of commercial insulins have been studied at 5°, 25°, 37°, and 50° C. for periods up to thirty-six months. Samples of insulin from thirty-two batches at concentrations of 40 and 80 U. per ml. were used. Use of the radioimmunoassay made it practical to perform the large number of potency determinations required to obtain the data in the present report. These data show that no appreciable loss of potency occurred in any of the insulins during thirty months of storage at 5° C. At higher temperatures extent of potency loss was influenced by length of storage and type of insulin. In general, all modified insulins studied were more stable than Regular insulin. Under the same conditions Protamine Zinc and NPH insulins were more stable than the Lente insulins. The biological reaction (duration of action) of the modified insulins which had beenstored for twenty-four months at 5°C. were compared with freshly prepared samples. No significant changes in the response curves characteristic for each insulin type were observed. Potency determination by the U.S.P. rabbit assay compared satisfactorily with data obtained by radioimmunoassay


The present paper is aimed at reporting our investigation and analysis of the current sea-water pollution situation in Laizhou Bay, Shandong, particularly, with the pollution distribution of organophosphate pesticide residues (OPs) in the waters. For the research purpose, we have worked out a GCFPD method to determine the 28 kinds of OPs in the water. With the method, we made an analysis on the OPs in the samples of Laizhou Bay of Bohai Sea collected in May, 2005. With the data detected, a preliminary risk assessment has been done by using the formula of risk assessment of chemical contamination. The results of our analysis reveal that the content of the OPs is ranging from 0.2 ng/L to 79.1 ng/L, with omethoate, methamidophos, malathion, trichlorphon, dichlorvos, dimethoate, chlorpyrifos-methyl, and parathion-methyl as the dominant components. Compared with other sea-water areas of the world, the OPs pollution level in OPs can be regarded as moderate. The risk assessment results indicate that some residues of the organic phosphorus pesticides, such as omethoate, methamidophos, malathion, trichlorphon, dichlorvos, dimethoate, have already become harmful factors as to form a threatening factor for the ecological environment. Therefore, our study likes to suggest that the degree of the content of OPs in the area has been affected by the complicated hydrological kinetics. It is just for this reason, necessary measures should be taken to control the use of organophosphate pesticides.


A central objective of port privatization and/or deregulation policies is stimulating greater efficiency by engendering a more competitive market and commercial approach to management. Korea provides a prime example of a nation that is implementing such policies. Also, its ports play a pivotal role in world shipping, particularly in the ever-burgeoning container market. The success of these policies in increasing the productive efficiency of Korean container terminals is assessed. The UK container terminal sector provides a useful benchmark for comparison since privatization and deregulation have formed an integral part of UK port reforms for nearly 20 years and the effect on efficiency, having had time to mature, will be much easier to gauge. The stochastic frontier model is justified as the chosen methodology for estimating productive efficiency levels and is applied to cross-sectional data under a variety of distributional assumptions. A panel data model is also estimated. Results are consistent and suggest (1) The degree of private sector involvement in sample container terminals is positively related to productive efficiency and (2) Improved productive efficiency has followed the implementation of privatization and deregulation policies within the Korean sector. Even though not categorical, these conclusions are important because the market for container throughput is internationally competitive and if policies which promote competition between Korean container terminals lead to greater productive efficiency, this will inevitably make the sector as a whole more competitive internationally.


Along with "globalization" and ideas of a "new world order", the last 20 years have witnessed the emergence of an (anti-)foundational critique of international law which may be associated with the postmodernist turn of philosophy. In addition, globalization has questioned some of the basic assumptions of international law, especially the primordial role of states. The article analyses several answers postmodern international legal theory has given to the challenges for international law – despair, politicization, history, subjectivism(s), democratic experimentalism, and a return to positivism. It argues that postmodern theory fails to provide a concept for the future of international law but that this is exactly what is needed to save international law from politics and irrelevance. The author comes to the conclusion that a "middle-of-the-road"-approach steering a course between positivist objectivism and the subjective responsibility of the lawyer might be the most promising avenue for the future of international law. Wer mir Dekonstruktion ans Herz legt, und auf Differenz besteht, steht am Anfang eines Gesprächs, nicht an seinem Ziele.Hans-Georg Gadamer


Network-based analysis methods can help resolve coverage and inconsistency issues in proteomics data. Previously, it was demonstrated that a suite of rank-based network approaches (RBNAs) provides unparalleled consistency and reliable feature selection. However, reliance on the t-statistic/t-distribution and hypersensitivity (coupled to a relatively flat p-value distribution) makes feature prioritization for validation difficult. To address these concerns, a refinement based on the fuzzified Fisher exact test, Fuzzy-FishNet was developed. Fuzzy-FishNet is highly precise (providing probability values that allows exact ranking of features). Furthermore, feature ranks are stable, even in small sample size scenario. Comparison of features selected by genomics and proteomics data respectively revealed that in spite of relative feature stability, cross-platform overlaps are extremely limited, suggesting that networks may not be the answer towards bridging the proteomics-genomics divide.


The solvability of glucose and maltose in water–based isopropanol and acetone has been studied. It has been revealed that with increase of organic solvent fraction the solvability of maltose in comparison with glucose sharply decreases. When the mass fraction of water in mixed solvent is less than 0.3, the difference in solvability of glucose and maltose in water–based acetone is significantly higher than their difference in water–based isopropanol. The obtained data served as the basis for the study of crystallization process of glucose and maltose mixtures of different compositions from water–organic solvents. It has been found that the highest efficiency of maltose crystallization from acetone and isopropanol is achieved during crystallization of the mixture containing 75 % of maltose and 25 % of glucose in case of twelve–fold exceedance by the volume of added organic solvent over the volume of water contained in initial syrup. The use of acetone gives a higher total efficiency of separation process, while the use of isopropanol gives a higher optimal content of dry substances (two times and more) in glucose–maltose syrup. Keyword: acetone, crystallization, maltose, glucose, isopropanol, syrup.


This study sought to determine the Efficacy of Allamanda cathartica leaves crude extract as an antihelminthic agent. The researchers would like to prove if the constituents of Allamanda cathartica crude extract can eradicate the worms Ascaris suum) in vitro. The leaves of Allamanda cathartica was prepared as crude extract (50% and 100%) and was tested against pig roundworms (Ascaris suum) The worms are placed in a petri dish and the researchers observe for the number of worms died in every two hours interval. The positive control which is the Albendazole eradicated 5 worms within 2 hours. The Negative control which is the Phosphate Buffered Saline does not eradicate any worms within 12 hours. The experimental control which is the Allamanda cathartica (Yellowbell) which is 50% concentrated eradicated 3 worms within 2 hours and 2 worms after 4 hours. The data's were presented by comparing the positive control from the experimental control and the negative control from the experimental control by using independent t-test. Based from the results, the Allamanda cathartica (Yellow bell) crude extract is effective as an antihelminthic agent.


Several contention-based Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols have been proposed for the vehicles to gain the radio channels to distribute active safety messages timely, e.g., Safety Critical Application (SCA) information, for inter-vehicle communications in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs). In these MAC protocols, a contention period is introduced before the vehicle for channel access so that we may not have the timely and reliably message dissemination in VANETs. To reduce the contention period, this paper proposes a Region-based Clustering Mechanism (RCM) to be applied in these MAC protocols. We propose analytical models to investigate the performance of the RCM, which are validated by the simulation experiments.


The coastal zones of Oman are frequently exposed to tropical cyclones and are expected to be overwhelmed by tsunami waves that originate from marine earthquakes in the Indian Ocean. Inundation of low-lying coastal lands is, hence, inevitable. This study aims to provide a spatial database of the major infrastructure of Oman in relation to their vulnerability to the sea-level rise by tsunamis. This investigation relied on high-resolution elevation data obtained from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer-Global Digital Elevation Model (ASTER GDEM) and eleven infrastructure variables acquired from the Oman National Spatial Data Infrastructure. These variables include: schools, hospitals, banks, mosques, fuel stations, police centers, shopping centers, archeological sites, vegetation cover, roads and built-up areas. A Geographical Information System (GIS) analysis was carried out to delineate and quantify the features along the coast with elevation ranges between 1 and 10 m above the current sea-level. Four tsunami scenarios were investigated depending on historical and expected estimations of tsunami heights of 2, 5, 8 and 10 m at the shoreline from previous studies. Results provide spatial vulnerability maps and databases that could be of the utmost importance to planners and developers. Al-Batinah coastal plain of northern Oman is the most vulnerable location to tsunami hazards due to its low-elevated coastal plain and high concentration of population, infrastructure and services. The study asserts the benefits of GIS as a geospatial analysis tool for risk assessment.


Recently mangrove ecosystems are constantly under pressure as a result of various human activities. Utilization of mangrove forests fullest possible without damaging the forest ecosystem is one of them is for recreation limited by means of ecotourism. The purpose of this study was to determine and analyze the suitability of mangrove eco-tourism in the regency of Malang. The method used in this research is descriptive method, using the techniques of research interviews and observation. The results showed that the mangrove vegetation found in the South Beach regency of Malang, there stands the main mangrove species, namely the Sonneratia alba, Rhizophora mucronata. Suitability index mangrove area for ecotourism activities in the South Coast Malang included in the appropriate category. Keywords :  mangrove, ecotourism, index, mangrove utilization


Resource-partitioning theory explains how, in heavily concentrated populations, specialist organizations arise and proliferate. The theory also addresses the process of market concentration itself, although far less attention has been devoted to the theoretical claims in this area. In this analysis, the theory is used to explain generalist concentration through the distribution of environmental (market) resources. It is argued that the higher the homogeneity and concentration of relevant environmental resources, the higher the concentration of large generalist organizations competing on the basis of scale. Using data on the Dutch daily newspaper industry from 1968 to 1994, statistical analyses show that concentration among generalist (national) newspapers occurs more fully in province-level markets where the readership base consists of relatively homogeneous sets of individuals in terms of age, religion, politics, and education. At the same time, these concentrated markets prove to be fertile areas for the operation of specialist papers, at least when resources are not fully homogenized. The analysis thus provides a more complete model of the resource-partitioning process among organizations in a population.


Pharmaceutical formulation methods often require a heating stage. An interesting alternative to conventional methods is controlled microwave heating, which offers a range of benefits including improved drug encapsulation. The potential of this method was investigated using ibuprofen (a wellcharacterised drug) formulated with cyclodextrin (b-CD) and polyvinylpirrolidone (PVP). The excipients were selected to allow comparison with the work of other researchers.
The resultant formulations were characterised using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and drug dissolution analysis.


The relationships humans express when describing images have powerful, but poorly understood, effects on how visual information is represented, structured, and processed in information systems. This study evaluates the benefits and difficulties of using content analysis and ontological analysis as predictors of relationship instances and types occurring in image descriptions. A random sample of 36 documented reference transactions from the administrative files of the Pittsburgh Photographic Library is analyzed in light of three describing contexts: image searcher, curator, and cataloger. Through the qualitative and quantitative assessment of image descriptions, the research leads to several key findings and contributions. The most important findings vindicate the claim that recognition, capture, and classification of relationship instances can be empirically grounded utilizing content analysis and ontological tools and methods. Evidence comes in successfully ascertaining and capturing in a Corpus the existence of 1,655 relationship instances. Further, the analysis finds evidence of relationship types and subtypes of relationships whose members share certain recognizable properties in common. The study also brings useful, new insights to the capture of background information surrounding events using situation-templates, introduces methods for formulating case relations and image attributes as binary predicates, and it offers a new, finer-grained definition of relationship. Contributions of this study include a corpus of relationship instances, an ontology of relationship types, and a methodological framework that provides significantly better results than earlier studies in the prediction of relationships (the architecture of which is depicted in Figure 22 on page 102). There are a number of ways this research could be extended and corroborated. First, event analysis ought to be tied to a system of semantic frame analysis. Second, test the content analysis form against other texts, which will result in elaboration of the core ontology of relationship types. Third, expand image description analysis beyond the current domain to include image description in visual ethnography, art history and criticism, and photography practices. Fourth, test how inference engines reason over relationships in knowledge-based environments. Finally, to aid in the analysis of the meanings of relationships, more work is needed in formalizing the ontological concepts used in image descriptions.


Field necropsies provide important information regarding both individual animal and herd health. Adequate preparation, including following an agreed-upon plan with the producer, obtaining proper equipment, and collecting a thorough history, contributes significantly to successfully determining a diagnosis in a timely manner. Standard equipment includes proper outerwear, a necropsy knife, honing steel, and an axe or reciprocating saw. Cattle should be placed left side down and prosected in a manner that allows the veterinarian to examine relevant organs in a consistent order. By developing a standard necropsy routine, the veterinarian is less likely to overlook organs with significant gross lesions. In the absence of distinctive gross lesions, submission of photographs or tissue samples to an experienced veterinarian or diagnostic laboratory may help with determination of the diagnosis or etiology.


Schistosomes have an outer tegument that protects them from the host immune system. Parasite antigens expressed on or within the surface layer of the tegument have been suggested to be potential vaccine targets such as tetraspanin 23 (TSP23). Little is known about the evolution and diversity of tegumental antigens, an important consideration given that vaccines are being designed and are failing. Moreover, these antigens, including TSP23, are in direct contact with the host immune system, and so accelerated and adaptive evolution may be occurring. Species of 'Schistosoma' infect a variety of definitive hosts. The way in which these hosts are shaping the evolution of antigens across different species of 'Schistosoma' needs investigating. Much attention has been focussed on the production of an effective multi-species vaccine against the schistosomes, and there has been little success in absolute clearance or even establishment of continued immune memory post-infection. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the evolution of schistosome antigens within and across parasite species to identify genetic changes that could alter the shape of the resultant antigenic proteins. This will also shed light on the speciation, divergence and adaptive evolution events among populations of schistosomes as a result of their definitive hosts. PCR and bioinformatic tools were used to analyse the antigenic and structural diversity of tegumental antigens. Results revealed antigenic and structural diversity in these antigens including TSP23 across species and within populations of 'Schistosoma', and suggest that the definitive host has played a part in positive and adaptive evolution of schistosomes. Furthermore, efficient tools have been developed to examine vaccine candidate antigens and their interactions with the host as a means of understanding the complications of vaccine design.


It has been reported that most aluminum alloys contain high-density micro pores, which make an appreciable contribution to damage evolution during ductile fracture. It is reasonable to assume that the mechanical properties of aluminum alloys are more or less improved by controlling micro pores in aluminum alloys. In the present study, the volume fraction of micro pores is controlled by controlling hydrogen content over a wide range. Tensile tests are performed using smooth and notched specimens at room and elevated temperatures, together with a fracture toughness test. It has been shown that both strength and ductility increase with decreasing micro pore volume fraction. The elimination of micro pores has pronounced effects especially on high-temperature ductility, notched tensile strength and fracture toughness. It has been observed in the in-situ observation of a room temperature tensile test that pre-existing hydrogen micro pores exhibit premature growth immediately after the onset of plastic deformation, whereas the well-known particle fracture mechanism operates only after the maximum load in the alloys with the least micro pores fraction. It can be inferred that in the notched and pre-cracked specimens, the premature growth of micro pores are driven by triaxial stress state, thereby inducing more degradation in mechanical properties. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.L-M2013832]


In the quest to increase user perceived quality of experience (QoE), the classic audio-visual content paradigm can be extended to include media components that stimulate other human senses. Among these, olfaction-enhanced multimedia has attracted significant attention, as it is both attractive from user point of view and challenging from research perspective. This paper presents the results of two subjective studies which analyzed user QoE of olfaction-enhanced multimedia. Diverse scent types and video content were considered. In particular, QoE levels were studied when one and two olfaction stimuli enhanced audiovisual media. The results presented show that scent type influences user QoE. Statistically significant differences between pleasant and unpleasant scent types existed. Also, in certain cases, users were prepared to forgive the presence of unpleasant scent types with respect to QoE. Finally, users reported a clear preference for olfaction presented after the video sequence with which the olfaction effect should be synchronized, as opposed to before the video sequence.


The counterflow pipeline processor architecture (CFPP) is a proposal for a family of microarchitectures for RISC processors. The architecture derives its name from its fundamental feature, namely that instructions and results flow in opposite directions within a pipeline and interact as they pass. The architecture seeks geometric regularity in processor chip layout, purely local control to avoid performance limitations of complex global pipeline stall signals, and simplicity that might lead to provably correct processor designs. Moreover, CFPP designs allow asynchronous implementations, in contrast to conventional pipeline designs where the synchronization required for operand forwarding makes asynchronous designs unattractive. This paper presents the CFPP architecture and a proposal for an asynchronous implementation. Detailed performance simulations of a complete processor design are not yet available.


The growth of woody plants as perennial organisms is based on the long lasting process of organs elongation and differentiation. This process proceeds on rhythmic activity of plant meristems and cambium formation. The growth is succeeded by wood and bark differentiation as well as carbon polymers formation (mostly cellulose, starch and lignin). These secondary substances are formed from the primary products of photosynthesis. Roots also play an important role of stem elongation and leaves formation. In our experimental work we investigated such basal processes as leaves growth; growth and differentiation of stems and roots regeneration.


The new model of teletraffic is proposed. This model has two components. It is shown that it is possible to select the parameters of this model in such way that the conditions of Slow Growth and Fast Growth for the first and second components hold and under some common normalization the process of aggregated traffic converges to some limit process which is the sum of Stable Levy Motion and Fractional Brownian Motion. This is some generalization of the results of Mikosch et al.


This study develops and uses a programming model for farm-level resource use and output supply response to estimate the effects of agricultural land tax in South Africa: A case study of Free State, a region of extremely large commercial farms that gained their size and economic heft during the apartheid years of aggressive subsidies, favorable tax treatment, lucrative state grants and gifts, and all manner of financial assistance. The results indicate that changes in land use and output supply are marginal. The highest effects are observed on irrigated farming. Relevant policy responses raised by the findings are discussed.


of a dissertation at the University of Miami. Dissertation supervised by Professor Daniel D. Benetti. No. of pages in text. (84) Effects of probiotics pulse-supplementation on cobia were assessed over two experimental trials carried out with larval and juvenile stages using a commercial blend of Bacillus subtilis, B. lincheniformis, B. magaterium, and Brevibacillus laterosporus. The first trial evaluated the effects of probiotic-enriched live feeds (7x10 and 10x10 colony-forming units (CFU) L for rotifers and Artemia sp., respectively) on the growth and survival of fingerlings during a commercial larval rearing run. The second trial assessed the effects of probiotics supplementation in dry feeds (10 CFU kg) on the survival, growth, feed conversion ratio (FCR), ammonia excretion of cobia juveniles (58 g to 216 g) and key metabolites measured in whole digestive systems. Results from both experiments showed no significant differences between control and probiotics groups in any of the measured variables, suggesting that pulsed-probiotic supplementation under the present conditions did not affect cobia aquaculture performance. Gas chromatography (GC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE) results evidenced similar profiles between groups for fatty acids and cations, respectively, whereas no values were detected for organic acids of low molecular weight. With regard to the free amino acid profiles, thin layer chromatography (TLC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assessments revealed a similar amino acid composition for both experimental groups in each pulse period. However, the concentration of each amino acid increased over time in the supplementation group, whereas the control group showed an opposite tendency. The total free amino acid concentration (ppm) at the end of the experiment was 1.5 and 2.8 times higher than in the control group, as evidenced by spectrophotometry and HPLC analysis, respectively. This increased concentration could be related to higher free amino acid availability from food hydrolysis modulated by probiotics; however, this increment had a negligible effect on feed conversion and growth. With regards to yellowfin tuna, the effects of probiotics and 1-monoglycerides supplementation on the larval growth and survival at -10 DPH, a common age of acute mortality largely due to nutritional deficiencies, was studied. Two probiotic trials (carried out at different stocking density and different probiotic inclusion) and one trial with 1-monoglycerides were performed. The higher probiotic supplementation (40x10 CFU L; Trial 2) yielded a significantly higher total length in the supplementation group with respect to the control in 10 DPH YFT larvae, with no significant differences in survival between groups for both trials. In the case of 1-monoglycerides, no significant differences were found in both variables either, although the supplementation group yielded a twofold increase in survival compared to the control group, and overall, had higher and less variable values. Probiotics might have assisted digestive processes of the rudimentary digestive system of pre-flexion larvae, whereas 1-monoglycerides might have contributed as additional energy sources, both enabling higher larval nutrient uptake and growth.


The type of bolivarite from Campo Lameiro, Pontevedr4 in Spain, is shown to have physical and optical properties similar to those of the type specimen of evansite from Mt. /eUnl16 Giimdr, S'lovakia- Both minerals are X-ray amorphous. DTA spectra of both minerals show a stong endothermic effect at 120'C and a weaker one aI 399"C. IR spectra show absorption peaks at 3500, 1600 and 1000 cm-l, which are attributed to OH, H2O and PO4, respectively. NMR spe.tra give a P signal centered at -10.7 ppm, typical of amorphous phosphates, and an Al signal centered at -4.2 ppm, which is typical of Al in octahedral coordination. Chemical analyses give the empirical formula A12@Or0.,(O1D325.4.03H2O for bolivarite and Alr@O)1.*(OH)5%,73TH2O for evansite. Analyses of other of hydrous aluminum phosphates from the Pontevedra area give results that indicare a range of Al:P atomic ratios varying bet'ween 2.44 and 3,58. Because of the amorphous nature of these materials, it is afficult to know if these analytical data pertain to mixtures of hydrous aluminum phosphates or if bolivarite and evansite represent intermediate members of a wide solid-solution series in which POa radicals are replaced by 3(OI!.


A new immobilization method for the localized adsorption of proteins on thermoplastic surfaces is introduced. Artificial three-phase interfaces were realized by surface structuring to control the wetting behavior which lead to a preferred adsorption in these modified areas. Additionally, different fabrication methods were analyzed to determine mass fabrication capabilities. These fabrication methods also allowed the production of fully structured microchannels to tune the fluids behavior within.


INTRODUCTION AND AIMS
A previous observational study of ayahuasca-assisted therapy demonstrated statistically significant reductions in self-reported problematic cocaine use among members of an Indigenous community in Canada. This paper aims to qualitatively explore the impact of ayahuasca-assisted therapy on addiction and other substance use-related outcomes and elucidate the lived experiences of participants.

DESIGN AND METHODS
Qualitative interviews were conducted with 11 adult Indigenous participants of the ayahuasca-assisted 'Working with Addiction and Stress' ceremonial retreats (June-September 2011). Semi-structured interviews assessed experiences of participants following the retreats at 6-month follow up. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts was conducted.

RESULTS
Narratives revealed that the retreats helped participants identify negative thought patterns and barriers related to their addiction in ways that differed from conventional therapies. All participants reported reductions in substance use and cravings; eight participants reported complete cessation of at least one substance at follow up. Increased connectedness with self, others and nature/spirit was described as a key element associated with reduced substance use and cravings.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
This analysis expands upon prior quantitative results highlighting the therapeutic potential of ayahuasca-assisted therapy and provides important contextual insights into why ayahuasca-assisted therapy may have been beneficial for members of an Indigenous community seeking to address their problematic use of substances. Given limited efficacy of conventional treatments for resolving addiction issues, further research should investigate the role of ayahuasca and other psychedelic-assisted therapies in enhancing connectedness and other key factors that may improve well-being and reduce harmful substance use.


Background: Head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors often exhibit late symptoms or adverse effects of treatment that may severely disrupt their ability to speak, eat, breathe, and associate with others. Research has focused on survival and quality of life associated with treatment and/or stage of cancer. Although research shows communication problems in 50% of survivors, few studies have assessed functional speech, and none describe HNC survivor perspectives on speech or communication more broadly. Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe survivors' experience of communication during and after treatment. Methods: A phenomenological, descriptive, and interpretive research method was used to study 39 HNC survivors. Interviews included open-ended questions about their communication experiences. Researchers conducted line-by-line coding, identified theme labels, and compared themes in all interviews. Procedures to ensure scientific rigor included data validation and consensus. Results: Intertwined positive/negative aspects of communication were described. Two major themes were identified: "change in communication," which included functional aspects of communication, and "going deeper into life," which included the positive aspects of the process. Conclusions: This study is the first to describe day-to-day communication experiences from the perspective of HNC survivors. The deeply personal aspects of communication included functional and existential themes far beyond the ability to speak. For these participants, deeper change came from their experience and was carried forward in their lives. Implications for Practice: Survivors benefited from support and understanding offered by family, friends, and healthcare professionals. This difficult situation served as a catalyst for deeper human change.


Broadband V-band and W-band frequency multiplication is reported using soliton propagation on GaAs monolithic nonlinear transmission lines. With 24-dBm input, a doubler attained 17.4-dBm peak output power with at least 52-63.1-GHz 3-dB bandwidth, and a tripler attained 12.8-dBm peak output power with at least 81-108.8-GHz 3-dB bandwidth. These multipliers were fabricated with 3- mu m design rules on GaAs and driven with lower-frequency amplifiers, and are cost-effective sources of high-frequency power.<<ETX>>


Recent advances in robotics have spurred its adoption into new application areas such as medical, rescue, transportation, logistics, personal care and entertainment. In the personal care domain, robots are expected to operate in human-present environments and provide non-critical assistance. Successful and flourishing deployment of such robots present different opportunities as well as challenges. Under a national research project, Bobbie, this dissertation analyzes challenges associated with these robots and proposes solutions for identified problems.

The thesis begins by highlighting the important safety concern and presenting a comprehensive overview of safety issues in a typical domestic robot system. By using functional safety concept, the overall safety of the complex robotic system was analyzed through subsystem level safety issues. Safety regions in the world model of the perception subsystem, dependable understanding of the unstructured environment via fusion of sensory subsystems, lightweight and compliant design of mechanical components, passivity based control system and quantitative metrics used to assert safety are some important points discussed in the safety review.

The main research focus of this work is on controller design of robotic manipulators against two conflicting requirements: motion performance and safety. Human-friendly manipulators used on domestic robots exhibit a lightweight design and demand a stable operation with a compliant behavior injected via a passivity based impedance controller. Effective motion based manipulation using such a controller requires a highly stiff behavior while important safety requirements are achieved with compliant behaviors. On the basis of this intuitive observation, this research identifies suitable metrics to identify the appropriate impedance for a given performance and safety requirement.

This thesis also introduces a domestic robot design that adopts a modular design approach to minimize complexity, cost and development time. On the basis of functional modularity concept where each module has a unique functional contribution in the system, the robot "Bobbie-UT" is built as an interconnection of interchangeable mobile platform, torso, robotic arm and humanoid head components. Implementation of necessary functional and safety requirements, design of interfaces and development of suitable software architecture are also discussed with the design.


Background: Though neurological benefits of yoga training have been reported, lacunae still exists in understanding neurophysiological effects of such training. Hence, the present study was conducted to find the effect of yogasanas and pranayams on neurological and neuromuscular functions in healthy human volunteers and also determined differential effects of training in asan, pranayama and their combination. Materials and Methods: Eighty male trainees from Pondicherry Police Training School were randomly divided into asan, pranayama, and asan-pranayama groups who received a training of 4 days a week for 6 months and a control group. Electroencephalogram (EEG), nerve conduction (NC), electromyogram (EMG), visual evoked potentials (VEP), and auditory reaction time (ART) were recorded before and after the study period. NC, EMG, and VEP data were obtained from 28 subjects; EEG data from 48 subjects; and RT from 67 subjects. Intergroup differences were assessed by AVOVA/Kruskal–Wallis and intragroup differences by Student's t-test. Results and Discussion: Police trainees showed beneficial effects of yoga training, although they were undergoing intensive police training and the yoga training was relatively less intense. Alpha, theta, and total power of EEG increased as a result of asan training. A shortening of visual reaction time and a decrease in red-green discriminatory reaction time signifies an improved and faster processing of visual input. They also showed a decrease in resting EMG voltage, signifying better muscular relaxation following pranayama training. Beta, theta and total power of EEG increased. ART and red-green discriminatory reaction times decreased in the trainees, signifying a more alert state as well as improved central neural processing. A combination of asan and pranayama training for 6 months produced an improvement in motor and sensory nerve conduction. Total power of EEG, alpha and theta power as well as delta % increased, while reaction time decreased signifying an alert and yet relaxed state of the neuromuscular system. Summary and Conclusion: The present study has shown that 6 months training in asan, pranayama as well as their combination is effective in improving physiological functions of police trainees. They showed beneficial effects of yoga training, although they were undergoing intensive police training and the yoga training was relatively less intense. Hence, we recommend that yoga training be introduced in police training curricula.


In formal synthesis of reactive systems an implementation of a system is automatically constructed from its formal specification. The great advantage of synthesis is that the resulting implementation is correct by construction; therefore there is no need for manual programming and tedious debugging tasks. Developers remain, nevertheless, hesitant to using automatic synthesis tools and still favor manually writing code. A common argument against synthesis is that the resulting implementation does not always give a clear picture on what decisions were made during the synthesis process. The outcome of synthesis tools is mostly unreadable and hinders the developer from understanding the functionality of the resulting implementation. Many attempts have been made in the last years to make the synthesis process more transparent to users. Either by structuring the outcome of synthesis tools or by providing additional automated support to help users with the specification process. In this paper we discuss the challenges in writing specifications for reactive systems and give a survey on what tools have been developed to guide users in specifying reactive systems and understanding the outcome of synthesis tools.


Abstract Background Nowadays bodybuilders use anabolic steroids frequently. Abuse of these substances can cause significant side effects; therefore, we aim to investigate the effect of anabolic steroids on DNA damage in bodybuilders' blood lymphocytes. Methods and materials This case-control study was performed on 36 male bodybuilders in Gonabad. The case group included bodybuilders with a history of taking anabolic-androgenic steroids (n = 18), and the control group composed of bodybuilders who did not use anabolic-androgenic steroids (n = 18). Intravenous blood samples were obtained and then the lymphocytes, cells and electrophoresis of blood were extracted. Afterward, the coloured slides and DNA damage were measured using a fluorescent microscope and CometScore software. The DNA damage was compared using t-tests . Results Results showed that there was no significant difference between age, marital status, BMI, systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the case and control group. However, parameters related to the DNA damage including tail length, percent tail DNA, and tail moment were significantly higher in the case group. Conclusion The use of anabolic-androgenic steroids increases DNA damage in the bodybuilders' blood lymphocytes.


Problem background and discussion: Emerging countries economies are growing substantially; one of these is India which stock market has been one of the best performing in the world in recent years. Analysts are forecasting further development and some claims that India has the most business- and investment-stimulating political leaders in the world. However, stock markets in emerging countries are highly volatile and normally more risky than in developed economies. One approach to emphasise the more common risks in emerging countries are by including Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) rating into the fundamental investment model. However, there is a conflict of what previous studies suggest regarding ESG investments. Some argues there is a positive relation and others a negative relation between ESG factors and risk- adjusted return.Research question: "Is there a relation between risk-adjusted return and ESG performance at the Indian stock market?"Objective: The objective is to determine if there is a relationship between ESG performance and risk-adjusted return in India. Another objective is to determine if there is a relationship between ESG performance and risk-adjusted return among companies with high Total ESG rating as well as for companies with low Total ESG rating.Theoretical framework: ESG is an established approach to describe sustainability issues, where screening is a process designed to select those companies that meet ESG criteria. A basic description of Capital Asset Pricing Model CAPM, which calculates an asset's expected return, has been used to calculate risk-adjusted return. Efficient Market Hypothesis EMH is the basic theory of market efficiency and is used to explain any non-linear relationship between ESG factors and risk-adjusted returns. Adaptive Market Hypothesis AMH has been taken into account as it deals with financial behaviour.Method: A quantitative study using a deductive approach has been selected to perform this study. The practical approach is a cross sectional study where the relationship in the Indian market has been analysed and significance-tested during 2014. ESG information for 126 companies listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has been purchased from Sustainalytics, a global leader in research for responsible investment.Empirical findings and analysis: The results of the study demonstrate no significant relationship between Total ESG rating and risk-adjusted return during 2014. In the examination of individual categories, Environmental and Social rating does not have a significant association with the risk-adjusted Return. Though, the results display a negative relationship between Governance rating and risk-adjusted return. This relationship is also obtained among companies in with low Total ESG rating but not companies with high ESG rating.Conclusion: Results implies that investors have not been able to use the information of Total ESG performance to obtain a better risk-adjusted return on the Indian stock market in 2014. However, this can be achieved by using Governance rating.


Abstract Investigating the underlying producer characteristics associated with regional pest control adoption revealed an interesting proposition. Early adopting producers of firm-specific techniques with characteristics including higher education, more specialized operations, and larger sized business units are dissatisfied with a regional pest control technique. This study provides an explanation of the proposition based on a principal-agent model. Empirical support for the proposition is also presented by developing a multinomial logit model for predicting producers' dissatisfaction with boll weevil eradication.


A new self-calibration procedure, the LRR method, for the calibration of vector network analyzers is presented. The calibration circuits consist of partly unknown standards, where L symbolizes a line element and R represents a symmetrical reflection standard. In contrast to the thru reflect line (TRL) method, which needs a line-standard with a different length than the other calibration standards, the calibration circuits of the LRR method are all of equal mechanical length. This is advantageous because the connectors of the vector network analyzer do not, thus, have to be placed at different distances from each other during calibration. In addition, the complexity of the test fixture can be reduced. The robust functionality of the LRR method is confirmed by measurements.


We propose a model of growing networks based on cliques formations. A clique is used to illustrate for example co-authorship in co-publication networks, co-occurence of words or collaboration between actors of the same movie. Our model is iterative and at each step, a clique of λη existing vertices and (1 − λ)η new vertices is created and added in the network; η is the mean number of vertices per clique and λ is the proportion of old vertices per clique. The old vertices are selected according to preferential attachment. We show that the degree distribution of the generated networks follows the Power Law of parameter 1 + 1/ λ and thus they are ultra small-world networks with high clustering coefficient and low density. Moreover, the networks generated by the proposed model match with some real co-publication networks such as CARI, EGC and HepTh.


We have investigated the effects of retinoids, vitamin D and thyroid hormone on the levels of retinoic acid receptor (RAR)alpha, RAR beta and RAR gamma mRNAs in intact animals. Although vitamin A deficiency caused no significant changes in the levels of RAR alpha and RAR gamma mRNAs, the level of RAR beta transcripts was greatly decreased in various tissues of vitamin A-deficient rats, but was restored rapidly to a normal level after administration of retinoic acid. Retinol also restored the RAR beta mRNA level, but the magnitude and kinetics of the induction differed from those by retinoic acid. The use of specific inhibitors demonstrated that this autoregulation of RAR beta gene expression in vivo occurred at the transcriptional level. In addition, from these results it was postulated that the maintenance of the normal RAR beta mRNA levels seemed to require a threshold serum retinol concentration (about 25 micrograms/dl). Moreover, we found that administration of retinol and retinoic acid to normal rats caused the overexpression of RAR beta transcripts (2-15-fold) when compared with the control levels of RAR beta mRNA, although the levels of RAR alpha and RAR gamma mRNAs were not affected. Vitamin D and thyroid hormone did not modulate the levels of RAR transcripts. These findings clearly indicate the specific ligand regulation of RAR beta gene expression in intact animals. The altered levels of RAR beta according to retinoid status may affect retinoid-inducible gene expression.


Objective Generalist health professional training on substance abuse prevention is patchy. This study assessed the effects of Project MAINSTREAM, a national interdisciplinary faculty development fellowship program, whose principal objective was to enhance curriculum on basic substance abuse services at health professions training institutions. Five interdisciplinary teams of three health professions' faculty were selected as fellows. This study assessed changes in curriculum, training, fellows' knowledge, and fellows' academic productivity in substance abuse. Design Pre and post-program surveys and interviews were administered. Setting Fellows were located in five cities in the USA. Method The two-year, part-time training program featured training meetings, on-site and distance mentoring, and internet-based instructional materials. Principal learning activities consisted of developing independent projects in curriculum enhancement and prevention services delivery. Results Fellows implemented 45 distinct curricula, providing 19,000 hours of new instruction to over 5000 trainees. Over 80 per cent of the training occurred as required curricular experiences. Fellows' academic accomplishments included five peer-reviewed publications, seven additional submitted papers, 78 presentations, and 23 awards or appointments. Fellows' knowledge increased significantly. Conclusions Project MAINSTREAM shows promise as a national model for enhancing health professional training on substance abuse.


Microwave links have to be designed such that propagation effects do not reduce the quality of the transmitted signals. Measurements and the derived propagation parameters are analysed and discussed, for Cluj-Napoca County, in order to improve future planning of the radio links.


Objective: Childhood obesity disproportionately affects Hispanic children and youth in the United States, calling for innovative public health interventions. Due to Hispanics' religious affiliation, faith-based communities present a viable platform for childhood obesity prevention. This study aimed to gain insights on Hispanic church-going youths' perspective for designing healthy bodyweight programming for faith-based communities.
Methods: This qualitative study conducted nine focus groups with 56 youths aged 10 to 18 years from nine predominately Hispanic churches in Texas, USA. Using a semi-structured guide, the discussions were facilitated by trained moderators and audiotaped. Audio recordings were transcribed verbatim and inductively analyzed utilizing NVivo software. Member checking, debriefing, and team analysis approach were implored to enhance trustworthiness of findings.
Results: Participants perceived the connection between faith and health affirming that one's body is God's Temple. Church was viewed as a natural setting for supporting healthy lifestyle changes. Participants called for healthy food options and fun physical activities in conjunction with health education for congregants. Youth also identified facilitators (e.g. social support, role modeling and support from church), as well as barriers (e.g. culture, lack of money, bad neighborhoods and resistance to change) to successful program implementation.
Conclusion: Church is a promising setting for health promotion programming. Healthy Sunday school curriculum and church health environmental and policy changes, along with culturally appropriate, family-oriented health education and activities are potential strategies for childhood obesity prevention in Hispanic faith-community settings.


Cigarette smoking has severe health impacts on those who smoke and the people around them. Several wearable sensing modalities have recently been investigated to collect objective data on daily smoking, including detection of smoking episodes from breathing patterns, hand to mouth behavior, and characteristic hand gestures or cigarette lighting events. In order to provide new insight into ongoing research on the objective collection of smoking-related events, this paper proposes a novel method to identify smoking events from the associated changes in heart rate parameters specific to smoking. The proposed method also accounts for the breathing rate and body motion of the person who is smoking to better distinguish these changes from intense physical activities. In this research, a human study was first performed on 20 daily cigarette smokers to record heart rate, breathing rate, and body acceleration collected from a wearable chest sensor consisting of an ECG and bioimpedance measurement sensor and a 3D inertial sensor. Each participant spent ~2 hours in a laboratory environment (mimicking daily activities that included smoking 4 cigarettes) and ~24 hours under unconstrained free-living conditions. A support vector machine-based classifier was developed to automatically detect smoking episodes from the captured sensor signals using fifteen features selected by a forward-feature selection method. In a leave one subject out cross-validation, the proposed approach detected smoking events (187 out of total 232) with the sensitivity and F-score accuracy of 0.87 and 0.79, respectively, in the laboratory setting (known activities) and 0.77 and 0.61, respectively, under free-living conditions. These results validate the proof-of-concept that, although further research is necessary for performance improvement, characteristic changes in heart rate parameters could be a useful indicator of cigarette smoking even under free-living conditions.


The immune abnormalities of NOD mice, a model of human type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes, have been postulated to be T-lymphocyte dependent. We measured responsiveness to exogenous interleukin 2 (IL-2) and IL-2 production in spleen mononuclear cells from female NOD/Shi/Kbe mice after stimulating the cells with concanavalin A (ConA blasts) or phytohemagglutinin (PHA blasts). Exogenous IL-2 produced significantly lower proliferative responses in each blast from 3- and 10-wk-old NOD/Shi/Kbe mice than from control strains. IL-2 production in NOD/Shi/Kbe mice was inclined to decrease but not significantly compared with controls. Even sufficient amounts of recombinant IL-2 (rlL-2) or IL-1 (rlL-1), added with mitogens to the preculture medium, failed to provoke normal proliferative responses from NOD/Shi/Kbe mouse cells. To clarify the reason for this defect, we investigated the expression of IL-2 receptors (IL-2Rs) on mitogen-activated cells with anti- IL-2R monoclonal antibody (PC61) and radiolabeled IL-2. Cytofluorometry showed no significant difference between strains in the number of PC61+ ConA and PHA blasts. However, Scatchard analysis with 125I-labeled IL-2 showed that the number of high-affinity IL-2Rs (H-IL-2Rs), the mediators of the biological activity of IL-2, was decreased in NOD/Shi/Kbe mice compared with controls, whereas the number of lowaffinity IL-2Rs (L-IL-2Rs) was not different. Separating the L3T4+ and Lyt-2+ populations of T lymphocytes by cell sorting showed both to be deficient in H-IL-2Rs. Chemical cross-linking of 125I-IL-2 bound to H-IL-2Rs on ConA blasts generated the labeling of both IL-2R p70 and p55 proteins (proteins of 70,000 and 55,000 Mr, respectively). These proteins were quantifiably less radioactive in the NOD/Shi/Kbe mice. These studies suggest that the impaired H-IL-2R expression on mitogen-activated splenic T lymphocytes may be involved in the pathogenesis of type I diabetes in NOD/Shi/Kbe mice.


Parallel MRI acquisitions are generally reconstructed into images off-line, on PCs and computer clusters. Here, we present an innovative single-FPGA engine that performs real-time 2D-FFT image reconstruction from arrays of up to 16 coils. Partial reconfiguration enables rapid switching of FPGA modules for maximal flexibility and lower hardware cost. If the engine is integrated on to an FPGA-based receiver, more complicated parallel MRI algorithms can replace the receiver logic after an acquisition is complete. The engine can also function as a standalone hardware accelerator. As a proof-of-concept for real-time non-cartesian reconstruction, a reconfigurable module for next-neighbor regridding of spiral MRI is also demonstrated.


Plant biodiversity is at risk, with as many as 10% of native species in the United States being threatened with extinction. Habitat loss has led a growing number of plant species to become rare or threatened, while the introduction or expansion of pest species has led some habitats to be dominated by relatively few, mostly nonindigenous, species. As humans continue to alter many landscapes and vegetation types, understanding how biological traits determine the location of species along a spectrum from vulnerability to pest status is critical to designing risk assessment protocols, setting conservation priorities, and developing monitoring programs. We used boosted regression trees to predict rarity (based on The Nature Conservancy global rankings) and pest status (defined as legal pest status) from data on traits for the native vascular flora of the United States and Canada including Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands (n approximately = 15,000). Categories were moderately to highly predictable (AUCpest = 0.87 on 25% holdout test set, AUCrarity = 0.80 on 25% holdout test set). Key predictors were chromosome number, ploidy, seed mass, and a suite of traits suggestive of specialist vs. generalist adaptations (e.g., facultative wetland habitat association and phenotypic variability in growth form and life history). Specifically, pests were associated with high chromosome numbers, polyploidy, and seed masses ranging from 0.1 to 100 mg, whereas rare species were associated with low chromosome numbers, low ploidy, and large (>1000 mg) seed masses. In addition, pest species were disproportionately likely to be facultatively associated with wetlands, and variable in growth form and life history, whereas rare species exhibited an opposite pattern. These results suggest that rare and pest species contrast along trait axes related to dispersal and performance in disturbed or novel habitats.


For laparoscopic cholecystectomy, previous abdominal operations are seen as a relative contraindication. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the incision type of previous abdominal surgery on laparoscopic cholecystectomy in terms of complications and conversion to open surgery. Data from 677 patients who had previously undergone abdominal surgery before undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy were prospectively collected and evaluated. From the previous operations, the incisions were upper abdominal in 66 patients, lower abdominal in 567, and upper plus lower in 44. Conversion rates in the upper, lower and upper plus lower groups were 27.27%, 2.82%, and 25%, respectively. Intraoperative major complications were bile duct injury (1 patient, upper plus lower incision group), small bowel mesentery injury, and aortic injury (1 patient each, both in the lower incision group). Postoperative major intra-abdominal complications were duodenal injury (1 patient, upper incision group) and small intestine injury (1 patient, lower incision group). The lower abdominal incision group had fewer adhesions in the upper abdomen than did the other 2 groups, and as a result had a much lower conversion rate.


Bob has a black box that emits a single pure state qudit which is, from his perspective, uniformly distributed. Alice wishes to give Bob evidence that she has knowledge about the emitted state while giving him little or no information about it. We show that zero-knowledge evidencing of such knowledge is impossible in quantum relativistic protocols, extending a previous result of Horodecki, Horodecki, and Horodecki. We also show that no such protocol can be both sound and complete. We present a new quantum relativistic protocol which we conjecture to be close to optimal in security against Alice and which reveals little knowledge to Bob, for large dimension d. We analyze its security against general attacks by Bob and restricted attacks by Alice.


The formation of the nervous system requires a coordinated development of neuronal morphology and synaptic physiology. We have used the frog retinotectal system to examine the development of brain structure and function. The retinotectal system of frogs is well known for its developmental and experience-dependent synaptic plasticity. As the animal grows, retinotectal axon arbors migrate considerable distances within the contralateral optic tectum in order to maintain a high degree of refinement in the retinotopic map. The capacity of the arbors to move within the tectal neuropil indicates that the retinotectal synapses and axon arbor branches are dynamic. The maintenance of retinotopy despite the axonal mobility indicates that there must be a mechanism which controls sites of synapse formation and stabilization. Considerable evidence supports the hypothesis that N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor activity is required to maintain the retinotopic map (Cline 1991), but it is still not clear how activity influences the neuronal


The Saccharomyces cerevisae RAD3 gene is the homolog of human XPD, an essential gene encoding a DNA helicase of the TFIIH complex involved in both nucleotide excision repair (NER) and transcription. Some mutant alleles of RAD3 (rad3-101 and rad3-102) have partial defects in DNA repair and a strong hyper-recombination (hyper-Rec) phenotype. Previous studies showed that the hyper-Rec phenotype associated with rad3-101 and rad3-102 can be explained as a consequence of persistent single-stranded DNA gaps that are converted to recombinogenic double-strand breaks (DSBs) by replication. The systems previously used to characterize the hyper-Rec phenotype of rad3 strains do not detect the reciprocal products of mitotic recombination. We have further characterized these events using a system in which the reciprocal products of mitotic recombination are recovered. Both rad3-101 and rad3-102 elevate the frequency of reciprocal crossovers about 100-fold. Mapping of these events shows that three-quarters of these crossovers reflect DSBs formed at the same positions in both sister chromatids (double sister-chromatid breaks, DSCBs). The remainder reflects DSBs formed in single chromatids (single chromatid breaks, SCBs). The ratio of DSCBs to SCBs is similar to that observed for spontaneous recombination events in wild-type cells. We mapped 216 unselected genomic alterations throughout the genome including crossovers, gene conversions, deletions, and duplications. We found a significant association between the location of these recombination events and regions with elevated gamma-H2AX. In addition, there was a hotspot for deletions and duplications at the IMA2 and HXT11 genes near the left end of chromosome XV. A comparison of these data with our previous analysis of spontaneous mitotic recombination events suggests that a sub-set of spontaneous events in wild-type cells may be initiated by incomplete NER reactions, and that DSCBs, which cannot be repaired by sister-chromatid recombination, are a major source of mitotic recombination between homologous chromosomes.


Providing superior customer experiences has become a strategic priority for companies. However, companies and researchers lack a measure that quantifies customer experience (CX) as a multi-dimensional construct in today's omni-channel environment, predicts crucial outcomes (e.g., customer satisfaction and loyalty), and measures CX in an accurate but efficient way (e.g., in mobile surveys). This has led to persistent difficulties for companies to manage customer interactions. To address these drawbacks, this paper provides two reliable and valid CX scales: a textbased and a pictorial scale. While research can apply the text-based scale, the pictorial scale especially enables companies to track CX efficiently.


: Twenty young adult patients with hand and digital ischemia were found to have obstructive arterial disease. All patients were surgically explored, and the occluded vessels were resected and by-passed. Eighteen patients had obstruction at the level of the distal ulnar artery and palmar arch, and 12 had obstruction of the common digital and digital proper arteries. Occlusive arteriosclerotic lesions were found in all patients; these lesions were characterized by prominent fibromuscular intimal plaques with superimposed thrombosis. Six patients had also thromboembolism to distal digital vessels. Vasculitis, calcifications, cholesterol deposits, and atheromatous emboli were not observed. Five patients had transmural neovascularization of the lesions in a similar manner to that described in coronary artery lesions. Obstructive lesions due to fibromuscular intimal proliferation with associated thrombosis and/or distal thromboembolization affecting arteries of hands and digits appear to be an important lesion that can affect young patients.


Temporally extended actions have proven useful for reinforcement learning, but their duration also makes them valuable for efficient planning. The options framework provides a concrete way to implement and reason about temporally extended actions. Existing literature has demonstrated the value of planning with options empirically, but there is a lack of theoretical analysis formalizing when planning with options is more efficient than planning with primitive actions. We provide a general analysis of the convergence rate of a popular Approximate Value Iteration (AVI) algorithm called Fitted Value Iteration (FVI) with options. Our analysis reveals that longer duration options and a pessimistic estimate of the value function both lead to faster convergence. Furthermore, options can improve convergence even when they are suboptimal and sparsely distributed throughout the state-space. Next we consider the problem of generating useful options for planning based on a subset of landmark states. This suggests a new algorithm, Landmark-based AVI (LAVI), that represents the value function only at the landmark states. We analyze both FVI and LAVI using the proposed landmark-based options and compare the two algorithms. Our experimental results in three different domains demonstrate the key properties from the analysis. Our theoretical and experimental results demonstrate that options can play an important role in AVI by decreasing approximation error and inducing fast convergence.