We present a framework for automatically generating the facial expression animation of 3D talking heads using only the speech information. Our system is trained on the Berlin emotional speech dataset that is in German and includes seven emotions. We first parameterize the speech signal with prosody related features and spectral features. Then, we investigate two different classifier architectures for the emotion recognition: Gaussian mixture model (GMM) and hidden Markov model (HMM) based classifiers. In the experimental studies, we achieve an average emotion recognition rate of 83.42% using 5-fold stratified cross validation (SCV) method with a GMM classifier based on Mel frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC) and dynamic MFCC features. Moreover, decision fusion of two GMM classifiers based on MFCC and line spectral frequency (LSF) features yields an average recognition rate of 85.30%. Also, a second-stage decision fusion of this result with a prosody-based HMM classifier further advances the average recognition rate up to 86.45%. Experimental results on automatic emotion recognition to drive facial expression animation synthesis are encouraging.


The Fifth Plenum of the 19th Central Committee of the CCP emphasized the role of science, technology and innovation (STI) as the country's driving forces on the path to achieving socialist modernization by 2035. In light of the escalating relevance bestowed to STI areas, this essay examines the gradual yet steady establishment, through a trial-and-error approach, of a national innovation system (NIS) in China. Adopting the analytical tools offered by the NIS theory, the article highlights the key principles and critical turning points in the country's STI policy since the inception of the economic reforms. Whereas mainstream reports on China's progress in the STI areas ascribe its success mainly to heavy State-led investments in science and technology, this essay acknowledges the attention accorded to the coordination of innovative actors and the circulation of knowledge, skills, and ideas. When looking at the present and future developments, four areas of attention are highlighted: the updated definition of new emerging industries, the growing importance of regional clustering, an ongoing infrastructural upgrade, and the strategic relevance of technology standardization. Significant obstacles to continued progress in the STI areas are also identified. First of all, the incentives structure is still too disconnected from qualitative criteria. Secondly, the growing atrophy of China's long-standing institutional flexibility is endangering a model that, thus far, has enabled its extraordinary progress in science and technology.


Radiation is an example of one of the techniques used for pasteurization and sterilization in various packaging systems. There is a high demand for the evaluation of the possible degradation of new composites, especially based on natural raw materials. The results of experimental research that evaluated the impact of radiation technology on biodegradable and compostable packaging materials up to 40 kGy have been presented. Two commercially available flexible composite films based on aliphatic–aromatic copolyesters (AA) were selected for the study, including one film with chitosan and starch (AA-CH-S) and the other with thermoplastic starch (AA-S). The materials were subjected to the influence of ionizing radiation from 10 to 40 kGy and then tests were carried out to check their usability as packaging material for the food industry. The results showed that the mechanical properties of AA-S films improved due to the radiation-induced cross-linking processes, while in the case of AA-CH-S films, a considerable decrease in the elongation at break was observed. The results also showed a decrease in the WVTR in the case of AA-S and no changes in barrier properties in the case of AA-CH-S. Both materials revealed no changes in the odor analyzed by sensory analysis. In the case of the AA-S films, the higher the radiation dose, the faster the biodegradation rate. In the case of the AA-CH-S film, the radiation did not affect biodegradation. The performed research enables the evaluation of the materials intended for direct contact with food. AA-CH-S was associated with unsatisfactory parameters (exceeding the overall migration limit and revealing color change during storage) while AA-S showed compliance at the level of tests carried out. The study showed that the AA-CH-S composite did not show a synergistic effect due to the presence of chitosan.


The dynamics of potassium ions in a KcsA channel, located within a stochastically fluctuating medium, is modelled via the application of the molecular dynamics simulation method. We investigate the effect of presence and absence of an applied electric field, either constant or periodic, on the dynamics of the channel. It is found that the ions undergo a hopping motion when the channel is exposed to a constant electric field of strength 0.03 V/nm. Furthermore, an alternating electric field in the GHz range, normally present in the daily environment and encountered by most biological systems, is applied to the channel, showing that in this frequency range, the rigidity of the atomic bonds of the filter is increased, which in turn disturbs the ionic passage rate through the filter. Consequently, in this frequency range, the application of electric fields may affect the function of such channels.


Background : Raf-1 kinase inhibitory protein (RKIP) recently has been identified as a metastasis suppressor in a variety of human carcinomas. The prognostic significance of RKIP expression in extrahepatic bile duct (EBD) carcinoma has not been studied. The aims of the current study were to evaluate RKIP expression and to determine the prognostic significance of RKIP expression in EBD carcinoma. Methods : Immunohistochemical staining for RKIP was performed for 131 cases of EBD carcinoma. The associations of RKIP expression with clinicopathologic parameters and patient outcomes were examined. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent predictive parameters for lymphovascular invasion and nodal and distant metastases. Results : Loss of RKIP expression was observed in 55.0% (72/131) of cases. EBD carcinoma had significantly lower RKIP immunoreactivity than normal EBD (p < 0.001). Loss of RKIP expression was significantly associated with lymphatic invasion (p = 0.030) and nodal metastasis (p = 0.036), but it was not found to be a significant prognostic predictor for overall, disease-free or distant metastasis-free survival. In addition, loss of RKIP expression was an independent predictor for lymphatic invasion (p = 0.027). Conclusions : These results suggest that RKIP may play a role in the suppression of lymphatic invasion and nodal metastasis in EBD carcinoma.


Background: A case is reported of acute headache and vomiting which was started from day before hospital admission in a 49 year old man. This is the first known reported case of organophosphate induced bilateral angle closure glaucoma.
Case presentation: This case presents a 49 year old who had admitted to A&E department with headache and blurred vision and vomiting. Intra ocular pressure (IOP) of the right eye of the patient was 22 mm Hg and the left eye was 34 mm Hg. Visual acuity of the right eye was reported 3/10 and the left eye was reported 4/10. Patient was treated by peripheral iridotomy with the diagnosis of acute bilateral angle-closure glaucoma and the patient's symptoms were completely resolved one hour after treatment.
Conclusion: Acute bilateral angle closure glaucoma is reported as side effect of many drugs but this shows it was occurred after injection of atropine for poisoning with organophosphate pesticide.


Ultrasound (US) has numerous advantages when used to examine joints in children compared to other imaging modalities. This include non-invasiveness, rapidity of performance, easy repeatability, high patient acceptability and lack of exposure to ionizing radiation. In addition, it does not require sedation for scanning in younger children. US is more sensitive than physical examination and may detect early disease that is not evident on physical examination. Lack of standardized precise definitions of grey scale (GS) and Power Doppler (PD) US findings in different age groups was the biggest limitation for its use. Additional difficulty is age dependent variability of normal sonoanatomy, due to maturation and ossification in children. That is why acquisition, interpretation and comparison of US images are completely different than in adults and had to be addressed specifically. All this may affect the validity of the technique, and without defined standardized examination technique, US can be a challenge in the childhood population. On the other hand, US as an imaging technique is considered to be examiner and equipment dependent. Studies resulting in good intra and inter-reader reliability and validity, based on specific definitions, are essential for its application as a diagnostic tool. Recently developed standardized image acquisition methodology, definitions of joint components in healthy children, as well as, definitions for synovitis components and its grading in GS and PD in children will be presented in details. US allow precise and thorough visualization of inflammatory and destructive joint abnormalities, including synovial hyperplasia, joint effusion, cartilage damage, bone erosion, tenosynovitis and enthesopathy. In JIA ultrasound is considered particularly useful for its ability to detect subclinical synovitis and improve classification of JIA patients into the subtypes. Current evidences about application of ultrasound in JIA can improve definition of remission necessary to optimize treatment strategies. Due to peculiarities of US examination and image acquisition in children additional educational efforts among pediatric rheumatologists are required for expanding this imaging modality in daily practice. Disclosure of Interest None declared


ABSTRACT Planning emergency evacuation operations in a proactive manner in public marine transportation systems is a critical success factor for passenger and crew safety. Despite the fact that there is a growing attention on safety issues for marine transportation systems, providing a real-time decision support for evacuation planning under different emergency conditions has not yet been addressed. In this context, this paper contributes to the related literature by providing a comprehensive methodology including simulation and statistical analysis along with a three-module decision support system (DSS) for ferryboat emergency evacuation. Emergency evacuation and fire environment are simulated via Maritime EXODUS V5.1 and SMARTFIRE V4.3, respectively. The methodology is applied to a real-life Ro-Ro ferry, and the results not only revealed significant factors on emergency evacuation performance, but also demonstrated the validity of the developed decision support system.


Three simple, accurate, economical and reproducible spectrophotometric methods for simultaneous estimation of two-component drug mixture of rosiglitazone maleate and glimepiride in combined tablet dosage form have been developed. Developed methods are based on direct estimation of rosiglitazone maleate at 318.0 nm, as at this wavelength glimepiride has zero absorbance and hence does not interfere. For estimation of glimepiride first developed method involves formation and solving of simultaneous equation at 238.0 nm. Second developed method makes use two wavelength spectroscopy using 244.8 nm and 257.2 nm as two wavelengths. Third developed method is based on first derivative spectroscopy using 252.0 nm as zero crossing point for estimation of glimepiride. All the developed methods obey Beer's law in the concentration ranges employed for the respective methods. The results of analysis were validated statistically and by recovery studies.


This research report is a case study of a rural agricultural cooperative bank, the People's National Cooperative Bank (NPCB). The NPCB has its foundations in the early 1900s and today operates 37 branches across the island of Jamaica. Notwithstanding its history, the NPCB has continued to suffer from issues related to overall profitability and therefore has undergone various transformations and amalgamations of branches over the years. This study involves a comparative analysis of branch performance based on branch-specific financial data. Best and worst practice banks are identified along with their key characteristics in order to pinpoint areas of operations that may benefit from improvement. It is suggested that the variance in the level of efficiency with which resources are employed and incomes earned are factors which affect the level of performance of individual branches. The findings of the research indicate large variations in branch expenses, incomes and lending rates and suggest the need for further examination of branches on a case-bycase basis in order to better facilitate improvements in their respective levels of efficiency.


ABSTRACT We examined the effects of temperature and salt concentration on growth of the freshwater oomycete Saprolegnia parasitica that has recently (since 2013) been found to infect an important subsistence fish (in Iñupiaq, Aanaakłiq; broad whitefish, Coregonus nasus) on the Colville River in Nuiqsut, Alaska. Using two confirmed isolates (one from the Colville River and another from a southern British Columbia aquaculture facility), we tested the following hypotheses: (1) the isolate from Alaska will grow at a greater rate than the isolate from British Columbia at lower temperatures, (2) the isolate from British Columbia will grow at a greater rate at higher temperatures than the Alaska isolate, and (3) increasing salinity will reduce the growth rate of both isolates similarly at all temperatures. In addition, we used local observations—subsistence fishers and observations associated with scientific monitoring—to assist in interpreting the potential implications of our experimental results in the context of these environmental observations. In the habitat relevant to this study, water temperature ranges between <0°C and 18°C, and salinity ranges between 0 and 30 parts per thousand due to a seasonal (and occasional west wind-driven) saltwater intrusions. No statistically significant differences were detected in growth rate or salt tolerance between the two isolates at the temperatures and salinities tested; high temperature (24°C) and low salt concentration are associated with the highest growth rate for both isolates. From our lab study, one might conclude that the peak host colonization would occur during the seasonal period of warmest water temperature; however, the observations by local fishers and biologists show this not to be the case. We conclude that, at this time, we do not have evidence that peak warm water is the primary cause of an increased incidence of infection by this freshwater mold. Although indirect and lag analysis of temperature and timing of infection were not part of this study, we note that there is a greater role of complex interactions among biotic and abiotic factors (including temperature) that may predispose some individuals in the population to become infected during spawning season.


In this paper, two mathematical models, the baseline model and the intervention model, are proposed to study the transmission dynamics of echinococcus. A global forward bifurcation completely characterizes the dynamical behavior of the baseline model. That is, when the basic reproductive number is less than one, the disease-free equilibrium is asymptotically globally stable; when the number is greater than one, the endemic equilibrium is asymptotically globally stable. For the intervention model, however, the basic reproduction number alone is not enough to describe the dynamics, particularly for the case where the basic reproductive number is less then one. The emergence of a backward bifurcation enriches the dynamical behavior of the model. Applying these mathematical models to Qinghai Province, China, we found that the infection of echinococcus is in an endemic state. Furthermore, the model appears to be supportive of human interventions in order to change the landscape of echinococcus infection in this region.


The crank unit is defined as the basic unit of the crank-group driving mechanism for the modular design and production, and the balance methods of inertia force are researched on the crank unit in crank-group driving mechanism's modular design. The factors affecting the balance weight's position and mass are studied. This indicates that the product of the mass and gyration radius of the balance weight is influenced by the number, mass, length of the crank and the total mass moving rod in the mechanism. The balance method based on the crank unit is received to meet the modular design and production. This approach achieves the balance of crank-group driving mechanism quickly and efficiently.


Anorthoscopic vision: Designing and Sensing the Future

Tom O'Dell

As a means of thinking about the future and issues of uncertainty, I would like to take my point of departure in a project I completed a few years ago (O'Dell 2013) concerning plans to develop a huge particle sciences facility in Lund, called the European Spallation Source (ESS). I was the only ethnologist working with a team of 10 other scholars, all from different disciplinary backgrounds, and I focused my research on what I framed as a cultural history of the future. The ESS, if it were ever to be built (and this was very uncertain since this Big Science facility involved financing from 17 different nations and many billions of Euros, in a time of economic crisis), would not be completed until the year 2019. But procuring the financial resources needed to construct the facility, and to mobilize public opinion in favor of such a development, implied the deployment of a massive publicity campaign. The actors involved in this campaign ranged from the regional government, and city planners of Lund to Lund University and local land owners.

Twenty years earlier debates raged as plans were made to construct the Oresund Bridge, linking Sweden and Denmark. In these debates visions of the future collided. Would the bridge improve the natural environment in Oresund or be detrimental to it? Would a strong region be a threat to the Swedish and Danish national projects, or an economic motor propelling them forward? Would a bridge facilitate the flow of narcotics and crime through the region, or constitute a precondition for a safer and more dynamic home for the citizens of the region?

As the idea of the ESS was launched, these types of debates were remarkably missing. In their place one found a rich flora of dreams of how this Big Science facility would spur the development of new golf courses, swimming facilities, public transportation, new schools etc. Architects produced models of the future that were put on display, and the regional planners published all kinds of drawings and CGIs of how the future would come to look in Lund. If the funding for ESS was uncertain, visions of the future seemed to flourish, and I would argue, "a better future" was the only thing that seemed certain.

So what can this empirical example (very shortly presented here) tell us about the future and issues of certainty and uncertainty? For my own thinking, I am struck by the role "vision", and "ways of seeing", function here.

The mode in which all of this is done (and here I am thinking particularly of the work of urban and regional planners) is a kin to what Paul Virilio (2000:38) describes as anorthoscopic vision which "involves restricting vision by masking all but the barest slit of the visual field, so that a figure is not seen all at once, but is successively revealed". Vision is always framed, and perhaps visions of the future are destined to be more starkly framed than visions of the present. In the present the viewer always has the option of turning her/his head, or the possibility of peaking around the corner. Visions of the future are defined by stakeholders, and are thus more difficult to gain secondary perspectives upon. But in anorthoscopic vision, it is the minimum that is offered. The form of the object being viewed is not seen in its entirety but in sequential segments, which allude to the actual object's form, shape and contours. In the case of the ESS the anorthoscopic visuals that are offered may in part be an outcome of the fact that no one is still sure of what the ESS will actually look like in its entirety. But anorthoscopic vision is a steering and controlling form of vision, that in this case even helps conceal the fact that no one yet knows exactly what we are looking at when we think (and when we are told) that we are looking at the ESS. When there is actually, nothing yet to see.

But anorthoscopic vision does more than offer us a "minimum field of sight" it plays with and reorganizes time. It is a time machine. ESS only exists as a CGI and paper model. But roads are being built, train lines are being drawn, and new neighborhoods are growing. The future in this sense is very present. It is not something that necessarily lies in front of us, but as this case helps illustrate it is very much with us now. It is changing Lund physically, and in a very real manner. So it might be interesting to reflect upon what types of futures we are discussing and encountering in this workshop. Some futures (most of them) will never materialize. They will only have a life in the form of a dream or vision. Some futures will change and slowly come into being as something "Other" than we are envisioning now. And some futures are very present and with us, affecting us and changing us in ways that we may or may not be fully aware of.

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A Pastoral image of MAX IV. A facility that is actually being built at the moment but lies next to ESS (Illustration: Fojab and Snohetta)
ESS and Brunnshog, Materializing the Future. (Photo O'Dell) A knowledge Village in development in Shanghai. (Photo O'Dell)


We introduce a generalized notion of inference system to support more flexible interpretations of recursive definitions. Besides axioms and inference rules with the usual meaning, we allow also coaxioms, which are, intuitively, axioms which can only be applied "at infinite depth" in a proof tree. Coaxioms allow us to interpret recursive definitions as fixed points which are not necessarily the least, nor the greatest one, whose existence is guaranteed by a smooth extension of classical results. This notion nicely subsumes standard inference systems and their inductive and coinductive interpretation, thus allowing formal reasoning in cases where the inductive and coinductive interpretation do not provide the intended meaning, but are rather mixed together.


Summery Routing presents a significant design challenge to meet various applications requirements in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) communications. In this paper, we present a minimum delay multipath routing protocol with modification to the standard dynamic source routing (DSR) protocol, which aims to improve energy efficiency and minimize end-to-end delay to provide quality of service (QoS) support for delay sensitive applications in WSNs. The presented Energy-Efficient DSR (EEDSR) protocol takes into account, end-to-end delay and reliability of wireless channel links to establish a routing metric used to determine the cost associated with individual routes between a source node and a destination node. Each source node records multiple disjoint routes to the same destination. Selection of the primary route for data transmissions is based on the derived routing metric to give preference to the most reliable route with minimum end-to-end delay, reducing energy consumption which would otherwise be incurred during packet retransmissions for reliable communication. Simulation results reveal improved performance by the EEDSR protocol in comparison with the standard DSR protocol, most importantly when used for routing in unreliable channel link conditions with high error rates.


The ethics of conventional representations of the developing world in charity fundraising and photojournalism have been increasingly questioned. Van Leeuwen's (2000) social semiotic model of analysis of visual racism, applied to a famine image, reveals strategies for symbolically representing otherness that perpetuate a naturalized ― "Western rescuer/developing world victim" narrative. Respondent interviews demonstrate that such ― "poverty porn" produces viewer apathy, while an alternative representation depicting self-determination evokes a charitable response. Elliott's (2003) ethical framework is used to judge the harm of conventional representations. The results, while tentative, suggest worth in expanding the study in light of implications for represented persons, the viewer, and Canadian society. In the meantime, image producers and distributors must become visually literate to avoid using harmful images.


Antioxidants which can only be obtained from the diet are protective against free radical damage which is associated with diseases such as cancer, macular degeneration, and cataracts. A diet high in antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables including spinach is beneficial for general health and ocular health. The daily dietary intake of the antioxidants lutein, beta-carotene, zinc, vitamin C, and vitamin E as well as vitamin A, fat, and iron was determined using a food frequency questionnaire in 49 healthy young adults. Significant gender differences were found for the dietary intake of vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, and zinc with men consuming more than women of these nutrients (p<0.05). When adjusted for caloric intake, women consume more lutein than men (p<0.05). Males exceeded the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for all items with RDAs. Females exceeded the RDA for all items except zinc.


Summary Using multiple historical trials with surrogate and true endpoints, we consider various models to predict the effect of treatment on a true endpoint in a target trial in which only a surrogate endpoint is observed. This predicted result is computed using (1) a prediction model (mixture, linear, or principal stratification) estimated from historical trials and the surrogate endpoint of the target trial and (2) a random extrapolation error estimated from successively leaving out each trial among the historical trials. The method applies to either binary outcomes or survival to a particular time that is computed from censored survival data. We compute a 95% confidence interval for the predicted result and validate its coverage using simulation. To summarize the additional uncertainty from using a predicted instead of true result for the estimated treatment effect, we compute its multiplier of standard error. Software is available for download.


Abstract Field emission from materials at high electric fields can be associated with unfavorable or even destructive effect on the surface of the investigated cathode. The impact of high voltage electric power supply causes locally very strong electric fields focusing on the cathode surface. It causes a number of phenomena, which can adversely affect the morphology and the structure of the cathode material. Such a phenomenon is, for example, peeling of an emissive layer from the substrate or its burnout. It results in tearing of the layer and a decrease or loss of its ability to electrons emission. The cold cathodes in a form of CNT films with various CNTs superficial distribution are obtained by physical vapor deposition followed by chemical vapor deposition. CNTs are catalyzed in pyrolytic process with xylene (CVD), by Ni in a form of nanograins (few nm in size) placed in carbonaceous matrix. These films are built of emissive CNTs - carbonaceous film deposited on different substrates. In this work, the morphology and topography of superficial changes resulting from external electric field in such films were investigated.


Background: Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is a disorder originating in the subchondral bone, leading to focal lesions with risk of fragmentation and secondary damage of the articular cartilage. It remains controversial if surgical treatment of such lesions is equally successful in skeletally immature and mature patients. Purpose: To determine (1) the long-term clinical success rate after internal fixation of unstable OCD in skeletally immature and mature patients based on physeal status, (2) if patient-specific and procedural variables influence the risk of failure, and (3) patient-reported outcome measures over time. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A multicenter retrospective cohort study was conducted investigating skeletally immature and mature patients treated for unstable OCD lesions of the knee between 2000 and 2015. The healing rate was assessed by radiological imaging and clinical follow-up. Failure was defined as any definitive reoperation for the initially treated OCD lesion. Results: A total of 81 patients met inclusion criteria, including 25 skeletally immature patients and 56 patients with closed physes at the time of surgery. After a mean follow-up time of 11.3 ± 4 years, 58 (71.6%) patients had healed lesions, whereas the lesions failed to heal in 23 (28.4%) patients. No significant difference in risk of failure was observed based on physeal maturation status (hazard ratio, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.33-1.84; P = .56). Lateral versus medial condylar lesion location conferred an increased risk of failure (P < .05) for both skeletally immature and mature patients. Multivariate analysis of skeletal maturity status showed that a lateral femoral condylar location was an independent risk factor for failure (hazard ratio, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.1-0.5; P < .05). The mean patient-reported outcome scores (International Knee Documentation Committee [IKDC] score and Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score [KOOS]) increased significantly after surgery and remained high at the final follow-up (P < .05). The final scores (mean ± SD) at a mean follow-up of 135.8 months (range, 80-249 months) were IKDC, 86.6 ± 16.7; KOOS Pain, 88.7 ± 18.1; KOOS Symptoms, 89.3 ± 12.6; KOOS Activities of Daily Living, 89.3 ± 21.6; KOOS Sport and Recreation, 79.8 ± 26.3; and KOOS Quality of Life, 76.7 ± 26.3. Conclusion: The long-term results after internal fixation of OCD fragments show high rates of healing and sustainable subjective improvement of knee function and quality of life. A healing rate of 72% was noted at a mean follow-up of 11.3 years. The stage of skeletal maturity had no significant influence on the rate of failure. Lateral femoral condylar lesion location is an independent risk factor for failure in skeletally mature and immature patients.


This paper proposes a novel dual-input matrix converter (DIMC) to integrate two three-phase ac type energy resources to a power grid. The proposed matrix converter is developed based on the traditional indirect matrix converter under reverse power flow operation mode, but with its six-switch voltage source converter replaced by a nine-switch configuration. With the additional three switches, the proposed DIMC can provide six input terminals, which make it possible to integrate two independent ac sources into a single grid-tied power electronics interface. The proposed converter has input-to-output voltage boost capability since power flows from the converter's voltage source side to its current source side. Commanded currents can be extracted from the two input sources to the grid. The proposed control and modulation schemes guarantee sinusoidal input and output waveforms as well as unity input power factors. The simulation and experimental results using a laboratory prototype are provided to validate the effectiveness of the proposed control and modulation schemes for the proposed converter.


The main objective of this research is to investigate and understand the factors that contribute to the usage of ICT to support the agribusiness transformation among smallholder farmers in Malaysia by extending the existing theoretical framework. The perception of smallholder farmers plays an important role in utilising ICT as tools for improving their agriculture and business activities. Agriculture provides the main and raw source of foods for humans. Agricultural activities have been developed intensely in modern techniques and activities depending on the country, culture, and environment, such as the global climate and sustainability. Malaysia still imports food, as local providers cannot support the supply and demand within the country. Hence, the government has introduced many initiatives to support the agricultural industry to produce more food for local needs. Instead of introducing agricultural programmes and educating farmers, the government is focusing on the use of agricultural technology with ICT-based tools, and farmers in Malaysia are gradually recognising the importance of tools, such as fertigation and precision agriculture; nevertheless, they are still unable to improve their yield and supply the local demand for food. The introduction of agribusiness to the farmers is still not well understood and it is difficult to implement due to their limitations as smallholder farmers. This research uses a multimethodology, to explore the nature of the phenomenon by integrating the multiple factor analysis with the integrated nature of the work, and an empirical system prototype has also been incorporated into the integrated information systems theory.


U. Grenander's patterns theory aspects of application are considered in the article from the object-oriented approach point of view. Basic elements of the patterns theory models are shown, among them: derivation, links, regular configurations and images. The models received allow to formulate the patterns theory aspects of application in program engineering.


Abstract. With the appearance of smartphones and affordable mobile phone plans including (internet) data within the last decade, mobile cartography in the sense of map applications became available to a wide user group including professionals and non-professionals. This paper defines the field of mobile cartography, deals with new research areas and prerequisites concerning mobile cartography and a set of criteria for evaluating map applications has been derived. For this work, the criteria have been applied to several map applications in order to evaluate them and present recent features and possible actions. In particular, the focus has been set on high-quality map applications for Austria and on novel navigation and routing capabilities. Results showed that the guideline presented in this paper can already be well applied but can still be improved upon.


Research on social inferences demonstrates that when thinking about minds similar to our own, we anchor and adjust away from ourselves (Tamir & Mitchell, 2013). However, research on relational self theory (Andersen & Chen, 2002) suggests the possibility of using knowledge about others as an anchor when they are more similar to a target than ourselves. We investigated whether social inferences are made on the basis of significant other knowledge through an anchor and adjustment process, and whether this ability would be reduced under load. Participants answered questions about their likes and habits, as well as the likes and habits of a significant other, a target similar to their significant other, and a yoked control. We found that differences between the significant other and similar target were related to participants' reaction time, and found the opposite effect for self and target differences, suggesting anchoring and adjustment from the significant other rather than the self. However, inferences about the others tended to be more similar to the self under load, suggesting that the self serves as the primary source of information about others.


Hippocampal ripples are transient population bursts that structure cortico-hippocampal communication and play a central role in memory processing. However, the mechanisms controlling ripple initiation in behaving animals remain poorly understood. Here we combine multisite extracellular and whole-cell recordings in awake mice to contrast the brain state and ripple modulation of subthreshold dynamics across hippocampal subfields. We find that entorhinal input to the dentate gyrus (DG) exhibits UP and DOWN dynamics with ripples occurring exclusively in UP states. While elevated cortical input in UP states generates depolarization in DG and CA1, it produces persistent hyperpolarization in CA3 neurons. Furthermore, growing inhibition is evident in CA3 throughout the course of the ripple buildup, while DG and CA1 neurons exhibit depolarization transients 100 ms before and during ripples. These observations highlight the importance of CA3 inhibition for ripple generation, while pre-ripple responses indicate a long and orchestrated ripple initiation process in the awake state.


The bioleaching effect of different concentrations of silver ion catalysis on chalcopyrite tailings has been investigated in shaking flasks. In this paper, A.t ferrooxidans were selected for conducting the bioleaching process. Experiments were carried out under the condition of pulp density 150 g/L, inoculation amount 106~7 cells/mL, pH around 2.0, culture temperature 30°C, rotation speed 150 r/min. The silver ion concentrations varied from 0 to 0.05g/L. After a bioleaching time of 24 days, 82% and 55% of copper was dissolved from the ore for the silver ion concentration of 0.01 g/L and 0.001 g/L respectively, compared with only 37% and 13% recovery for the silver ion concentration of 0 and 0.05 g/L. Preliminary tests showed that the silver ion concentration had a markedly catalytic effect on the copper extraction. The experimental results also showed that high silver ion concentration would inhibit the copper extraction. That was because the silver ions at high concentrations are toxic and they can suppress the bacteria growth and oxidation activity.


This paper proposes a geometry-constrained spatial pyramid adaptation approach for the image classification task. Scene geometry is used as an input parameter for generating the spatial pyramid definitions. The resulting region adaptation is performed in accordance with the predefined geometric guidelines and underlying image characteristics. Using an approximate global geometric correspondence, exploits the idea that images of the same category share a spatial similarity. This assumption is evaluated and justified in an object classification framework, in which generated region segments are used as an enhancement to the widely utilized "spatial pyramid" method. Fixed region pyramids are replaced by the proposed locally coherent geometrically consistent region segments. Performance of the proposed method on object classification framework is evaluated on the 20 class Pascal VOC 2007 dataset. The proposed method shows consistent increase in the mean average precision (MAP) score for different experimental scenarios.


The Literature and Comparative Cultures Major and the Comparative Literature Major allow students to address fundamental questions about the nature, function, and value of literature in a broadly comparative context. Students read and write about a wide variety of literary works across periods, genres, and national traditions. They investigate ancient and contemporary approaches to literary study, theories and methods of comparison, and the relationship of literature to film and other media. Majors have the freedom to construct a program of study that reflects their intellectual goals. All prospective majors should register with the director of undergraduate studies, who will work with them to develop a coherent sequence of courses suited to their individual interests.


This study examines the relationship between company and ownership characteristics and the disclosure level of compliance with Quoted Companies Alliance (QCA) recommendations on corporate governance in Alternative Investment Market (AIM) companies. We report clear evidence that compliance increases with company size, board size, the proportion of independent non-executive directors, the presence of turnover revenue, and being formerly listed on the Main Market. However, we find that shell and highly geared AIM companies disclose relatively lower levels of corporate governance than recommended under QCA guidelines. Our findings suggest that market regulators should review the potential impact of the quality of corporate governance in these companies on the future vibrancy of AIM. We find no evidence that ownership structure or the type of Nominated Advisor is related to disclosure of compliance with QCA guidelines. Overall, in a lightly regulated environment such as the AIM market, it seems that companies will ultimately pursue a cost–benefit strategy in voluntarily complying with good corporate governance practice.


In a recent study we identified abnormal salivation, dysphagia, nausea, constipation, and defecatory dysfunction as those gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms associated with Parkinson disease (PD) and characterized their relationship to PD severity and therapy. In this study, we re‐evaluated these symptoms and their relationship to parameters of PD 18 months later. Sixty‐six percent of the original participants responded. Over the 18 months, 68% of originally untreated PD subjects commenced anti‐PD therapy. Abnormal salivation, dysphagia, nausea, constipation, and defecatory dysfunction were again identified as those GI symptoms more common in PD. Constipation increased both in severity and frequency. Comparison of GI symptom scores and parameters of PD dysfunction failed to reveal significant progression of either GI symptomatology or PD dysfunction, or the development of new GI symptoms over the 18‐month period. This study validates our GI dysfunction assessment system and confirms abnormal salivation, dysphagia, nausea, constipation, and defecatory function as those GI symptoms truly associated with PD. A direct relationship between PD and its related GI symptoms is again supported.


Metal coordination complexes of the sterically hindered β-diketonate, 2,6-dimesitylbenzoyl pinacolone (esac), are reported for Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn. All four form ML2-type complexes with typical coordination behavior for late-metal β-diketonates, however the effects on established electrochemistry and reactivity vary somewhat per metal. For example, the striking chemical and electrochemical inertness of CoII(esac)2 to oxidation and disproportionation is atypical. Conversely, the behavior of CuII(esac)2 is rather typical relative to other CuII(β-diketonate)2 complexes. These data suggest a relative disfavoring of certain reaction pathways, and represent an important step in modulating the catalysis of the base metals via sterically hindered β-diketonates.


: It is shown that, when conducting sequential testing of linkage in pedigree samples, (1) type I and type II errors observed are less than expected and (2) the generally accepted method for determining the average sample size, E(N), required for sequential analysis of linkage, underestimates it. A less biased approximation of E(N) is proposed. A wide scattering of actual sample sizes required for completion of sequential analysis is demonstrated, which puts practical use of E(N) into question.


Aim
The Hutchinsonian hypervolume is the conceptual foundation for many lines of ecological and evolutionary inquiry, including functional morphology, comparative biology, community ecology and niche theory. However, extant methods to sample from hypervolumes or measure their geometry perform poorly on high-dimensional or holey datasets.

Innovation
We first highlight the conceptual and computational issues that have prevented a more direct approach to measuring hypervolumes. Next, we present a new multivariate kernel density estimation method that resolves many of these problems in an arbitrary number of dimensions.

Main conclusions
We show that our method (implemented as the 'hypervolume' R package) can match several extant methods for hypervolume geometry and species distribution modelling. Tools to quantify high-dimensional ecological hypervolumes will enable a wide range of fundamental descriptive, inferential and comparative questions to be addressed.


This contribution theorizes on the emergence of affective styles in the accountability reporting of public agencies. Under conditions of multiple accountability towards heterogeneous stakeholders, public agencies are expected to make increased use of sentiment in their reporting. Agencies' differentiated modulation of positive and negative sentiment results in four ideal-typical affective styles: technocratic; political; alarming; and self-praising. The plausibility of this framework is demonstrated for the case of a major international public agency, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which serves several million Palestine refugees. We conduct a dictionary-based sentiment analysis of UNRWA annual reports published between 1951 and 2020, a corpus of 1.47 million words. Additional evidence from interviews with UNRWA officials and diplomats is also considered. Over time, the agency's use of sentiment has increased in response to diversifying stakeholders and its affective style of reporting has changed repeatedly. Contrary to established theoretical expectations, multiple accountability not only increases positive reporting and self-praise. Rather, with increasing levels of negativity, the alarming and political styles of communication have played a much stronger role. These findings demonstrate that agencies' chief goal in accountability reporting is not simply to elicit positive assessments from their respective accountability forums through self-praising language. Agencies may also aim to achieve 'negativity congruence' with accountability forums by increasing negative sentiment, thus compelling stakeholders to acknowledge the operational challenges agencies face.


During the 15th and 16th century, Petrarch played an important role in the various areas of cultural and everyday life. One of the sources of his influence was that he could answer any question concerning his art, though the interpretations differed according to the various readings. This is what happened in the case of his opinion about the regal court, too. I intend to introduce one episode of this long story of the relationship between the humanist and the regal court influenced by Petrarca. This episode contains the story of Ferrara in the 15th century and Pandolfo Collenuccio, the literator.


This paper proposes five bandwidth reallocation algorithms (BRAs) that can be applied to the quantitative provisioning in a differentiated services (DS) network supporting dynamic provisioning. At each node in the DS domain, quantitative traffic is classified into EF PHB and AF11 quantitative-assured PHB. The bandwidth reallocation process for quantitative provisioning is separated into two stages. The first stage is to manage the quantitative provisioning for the EF PHB and the second stage is to manage the quantitative provisioning for the AF11 quantitative-assured PHB. Basic concepts and the detailed steps of the proposed BRAs are presented. The performances of all five proposed BRAs are evaluated and compared under various network topologies as well as network congestion conditions. Finally, some concluding remarks based on this study are given to help network administrators in understanding the complex bandwidth reallocation problem for dynamic provisioning in differentiated services networks.


Received Jan 13, 2020 Revised March 30, 2020 Accepted March 31, 2020 This paper introduces a fast and accurate object detection algorithm based on a convolutional neural network for humanoid marathon robot applications. The algorithm is capable of operating on a low-performance CPU without relying on the GPU or hardware accelerator. A new region proposal algorithm, based on color segmentation, is proposed to extract a region containing a potential object. As a classifier, the convolution neural network is used to predict object classes from the proposed region. In the training phase, the classifier is trained with an Adam optimizer to minimize the loss function, using datasets collected from humanoid marathon competitions and diversified using image augmentation. An NVIDIA GTX 1070 training machine, with 500 batch images per epoch and a learning rate of 0.001, required 12 seconds to minimize the loss value below 0.0374. In the accuracy evaluation, the proposed method successfully recognizes and localizes three classes of marker with a training accuracy of 99.929%, validation accuracy of 99.924%, and test accuracy of 98.821%. As a real-time benchmark, the algorithm achieves 41.13 FPS while running on a robot computer with Intel i3-5010U CPU @ 2.10GHz.


This review examines research on the assimilation of immigrant groups. We review research on four primary benchmarks of assimilation: socioeconomic status, spatial concentration, language assimilation, and intermarriage. The existing literature shows that today's immigrants are largely assimilating into American society along each of these dimensions. This review also considers directions for future research on the assimilation of immigrant groups in new southern and midwestern gateways and how sociologists measure immigrant assimilation. We document the changing geography of immigrant settlement and review the emerging body of research in this area. We argue that examining immigrant assimilation in these new immigrant gateways is crucial for the development of theories about immigrant assimilation. We also argue that we are likely to see a protracted period of immigrant replenishment that may change the nature of assimilation. Studying this change requires sociologists to use both birth cohort and genera...


Lignosus rhinocerotis (Cooke) Ryvarden (Tiger Milk mushroom) has been traditionally
used to treat a variety of diseases, including asthma, fever, food poisoning, joint pain,
cancers, kidney disorders, body swelling, chronic cough, chronic hepatitis, gastric ulcer
and as a general tonic. The sclerotium of the mushroom is the part with medicinal value.
This rare mushroom has recently been successfully cultivated, making it possible to be
fully exploited for its medicinal and functional benefits. Sub-acute toxicity of the
sclerotial powder of L. rhinocerotis from the wild type and two cultivars (termed TM02
and TM03) as well as chronic toxicity of the sclerotial powder of cultivar TM02 were
evaluated. There was no treatment-related sub-acute toxicity in rats following 28-days
oral administration of 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg TM02, 1000 mg/kg TM03 as well as
1000 mg/kg wild type L. rhinocerotis sclerotial powder, as measured by haematological,
clinical biochemistry, weight, general observations and histological examinations of
heart, kidney, spleen, lung and liver. There was also no treatment-related chronic toxicity
in rats following the long term (180-days) oral administration of 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg
of L. rhinocerotis (TM02) sclerotial powder, as shown by the clinical observations, body
weight gain, haematological analysis, clinical biochemistry, urinalysis, absolute organ
weight, relative organ weight and histological examinations of the organs. Thus, the noobserved-
adverse-effect level (NOAEL) doses for both sub-acute and chronic toxicity of
the respective sclerotial powders were more than 1000 mg/kg. The sclerotial powder of
L. rhinocerotis (TM02) at 100 mg/kg did not cause adverse effect on fertility nor
teratogenic effect on the offspring of the treated rats. The bacterial reverse mutation assay
also showed that the sclerotial powder (TM02) was not mutagenic. Cold water extract
(CWE), hot water extract (HWE) and methanol extract (ME) of the sclerotial powder of
L. rhinocerotis cultivar TM02 possessed anti-acute inflammatory activity as was
iv
measured by carrageenan-induced paw oedema test using rats, with CWE having the most
potent activity. The acute anti-inflammatory activity of CWE was mainly contributed by
its high molecular weight (HMW) fraction isolated by Sephadex G-50 gel filtration
chromatography. CWE at 200 mg/kg did not inhibit transudative and proliferative phase
of chronic inflammation, as shown by using the cotton pellet induced granuloma in rats.
The anti-inflammatory activity of CWE of TM02 which was measured by inhibition of
lipopolysaccharide induced TNF-alpha production in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells was
mainly contributed by the protein component (also containing carbohydrate) of the HMW
fraction as it exhibited strong inhibitory effect on TNF-alpha production with an IC50 of
9.35 ± 0.48 μg/ml based on total carbohydrate and protein content. The protein component
was subjected to fractionation by anionic exchange chromatography (Resource™ Q) and
two active fractions (F5 and F6) with the strongest inhibitory effect on TNF-alpha
production were separated by SDS-PAGE. LC-MS/MS (QTOF) analysis of SDS-PAGE
gel section and literature research suggested possible anti-inflammatory candidate(s) of
F5 and F6 to be serine proteases (the most potential candidate), lectins and/or
immunomodulatory proteins.


Automatic credit approval is important for the efficient processing of credit applications. Eight different genetic programming (GP) approaches for the classification rule mining of a credit card application dataset are investigated, using both a Booleanizing technique and strongly- typed GP. In addition, the use of GP for missing value handling is evaluated. Overall, on the Australian Credit Approval dataset, those GP approaches that had poorer classification correctness on the training data often proved better at generalizing for the test set.


Purpose: To identify what factors may predispose patients to exposure of porous anophthalmic implants and to determine the outcome of exposed porous implants. Methods: Examination of pooled data obtained through a PubMed literature search of English-language publications from 1989 through 2004 using the key words enucleation, evisceration, and socket reconstruction. Results: Porous implants were inserted in 80% (3012 of 3777) of the cases identified from 49 publications. The difference in exposure rate between coralline hydroxyapatite (4.9%) and porous polyethylene (8.1%) implants is primarily related to a higher reported complication rate of uncovered porous polyethylene implants, particularly in retinoblastoma patients. Other techniques associated with increased exposures include wrapping implants with bovine pericardium or polyglactin mesh. Evisceration and secondary procedures did not have statistically different complication rates compared with enucleation. There are more late exposures of porous polyethylene than coralline hydroxyapatite implants. Spontaneous healing of exposures occurred in 13% (19 of 145) of cases. Covering exposures with patch grafts underneath vascularized conjunctival flaps was the most successful method of surgical repair. Implant removal was necessary after 29% (42 of 145) of exposures. Conclusions: Although the published literature between 1989 and 2004 reports higher complication rates for uncovered porous implants and implants wrapped with bovine pericardium or polyglactin mesh, pooling data from different studies may mask very good or poor results obtained by individual surgeons. Spontaneous healing of exposed porous implants is relatively uncommon. However, many exposed porous implants can be salvaged with secondary repair.


Although the performance of person Re-Identification (ReID) has been significantly boosted, many challenging issues in real scenarios have not been fully investigated, e.g., the complex scenes and lighting variations, viewpoint and pose changes, and the large number of identities in a camera network. To facilitate the research towards conquering those issues, this paper contributes a new dataset called MSMT171 with many important features, e.g., 1) the raw videos are taken by an 15-camera network deployed in both indoor and outdoor scenes, 2) the videos cover a long period of time and present complex lighting variations, and 3) it contains currently the largest number of annotated identities, i.e., 4,101 identities and 126,441 bounding boxes. We also observe that, domain gap commonly exists between datasets, which essentially causes severe performance drop when training and testing on different datasets. This results in that available training data cannot be effectively leveraged for new testing domains. To relieve the expensive costs of annotating new training samples, we propose a Person Transfer Generative Adversarial Network (PTGAN) to bridge the domain gap. Comprehensive experiments show that the domain gap could be substantially narrowed-down by the PTGAN.


Current methods for the identification of RNA–protein interactions require a quantity and quality of sample that hinders their application, especially for dynamic biological systems or when sample material is limiting. Here, we present a new approach to enrich RNA-Binding Proteins (RBPs): Orthogonal Organic Phase Separation (OOPS), which is compatible with downstream proteomics and RNA sequencing. OOPS enables recovery of RBPs and free protein, or protein-bound RNA and free RNA, from a single sample in an unbiased manner. By applying OOPS to human cell lines, we extract the majority of known RBPs, and importantly identify additional novel RBPs, including those from previously under-represented cellular compartments. The high yield and unbiased nature of OOPS facilitates its application in both dynamic and inaccessible systems. Thus, we have identified changes in RNA-protein interactions in mammalian cells following nocodazole cell-cycle arrest, and defined the first bacterial RNA-interactome. Overall, OOPS provides an easy-to-use and flexible technique that opens new opportunities to characterize RNA-protein interactions and explore their dynamic behaviour.


The authors consider the problem of recovering an observable from certain measurements containing random errors. The observable is given by a pseudodifferential operator while the random errors are generated by a Gaussian white noise. The authors show how wave packets can be used to partially recover the observable from the measurements almost surely. Furthermore, they point out the limitation of wave packets to recover the remaining part of the observable, and show how the errors hide the signal coming from the observable. The recovery results are based on an ergodicity property of the errors produced by wave packets.


This paper addresses the problem of reactive power procurement by an independent system operator (ISO) in deregulated electricity markets. A reactive bid structure is proposed in the context of a reactive power market. Based on the reactive power price offers and technical constraints involved in reactive power planning, a two-tier approach is developed to determine the most beneficial reactive power contracts for the ISO. The reactive capability of a generator and, therefore, the opportunity costs in providing reactive power is also included in the model. Uncertainty in reactive demand and in reactive bids of participating parties is incorporated through Monte Carlo simulations and the expected reactive power procurement plan for the ISO is hence determined. The CIGRÉ 32-bus network, approximately representing the Swedish system, is used for the studies.


Abslract- The characteristics of coherent array beams generated by waveguide carbon dioxide laser structures have been investigated, with particular emphasis on their propagation and transformation properties. Methods of array beam generation are presented, and measurements of array beam quality are given through the use of the M2 parameter. Efficient transformation of an array beam from the antisymmetric to symmetric pattern is achieved through the use of a binary phase plate, and spatial filtering is shown to improve the beam quality at the expense of only a moderate loss of total beam power. Coherence effects in the near-field propagation of array beams are also explored.


A new approach combining groundwater storage change (GWSC) derived from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite data and baseflow was proposed to estimate groundwater recharge at large spatial scales but a short (monthly) time scale. This method was applied in two typical karst basins of southwest China, the Wujiang River basin (WRB, ∼87,900 km2, ∼70% karstification) and Xijiang River Basin (XRB, ∼360,000 km2, ∼44% karstification). The 2006–2012 monthly baseflow was first separated from in situ streamflow through multivariate regression analysis. Groundwater recharge was estimated using separated baseflow and GWSC estimated from GRACE data and observation‐based groundwater‐level data. The comparison between GRACE‐ and observation‐based recharge in the larger XRB shows better consistency, while that in the smaller WRB shows larger discrepancies. Considering the associated uncertainty (60–93 mm/yr), the 2006–2012 mean recharge in two basins, ranging 199–225 mm/yr (17%–19% of precipitation) is comparable to bulletin‐reported estimates (∼145 mm/yr). Both the degree of karstification and aquifer water table depth influence recharge and discharge processes in karst areas of southwest China. The more karstic WRB exhibits more rapid infiltration (due to more developed permeable epikarst zone) and higher discharge capability (due to more developed underground drainage systems), particularly during dry periods (2009, 2011, and winter). Baseflow exhibits a shorter time lag to recharge and GWSC in the XRB than WRB owing to more quick flow, lower storage with more rapid infiltration, and shorter mean groundwater residence time. Observation‐based monthly recharge reflects different rainfall‐infiltration‐runoff processes under different rainfall intensities, particularly in the WRB.


In this paper, we address the problem of power control and subcarrier assignment for the downlink of a sectorized two-dimensional (2-D) OFDMA cellular network assuming statistical Channel State Information (CSI) and fractional frequency reuse. The latter reuse scheme has been recommended for several cellular systems such as WiMAX. In this context, we provide a resource allocation algorithm with low computational complexity that can be implemented in a distributed fashion without the intervention of any central controller. The performance of this allocation scheme is analyzed assuming fast fading Rayleigh channels and Gaussian distributed multicell interference. Interestingly, it is shown that the proposed algorithm is asymptotically equivalent to an optimal resource allocation i.e., its total transmit power is equal in the limit of large numbers of users to the transmit power associated with a global solution to the joint resource allocation problem.


The objective of this paper is to explain the distributions, assumptions, interpretations, and relationships of the two compatible, stochastic models of fire history: the negative exponential and the Weibull. For each model the "fire interval" and "time-sinee-fire" distributions are given. Both models apply to homogenous stationary stochastic processes. The negative exponential states that the instantaneous fire hazard rate is constant for all stand ages. The Weibull states that the instantaneous fire hazard rate increases with stand age when the shape parameter is > 1 (the negative exponential is a special ease of the Weibull when shape = 1). An empirical method is given for separating from an observed fire history distribution, the pre- and post-fire suppression distributions. Four relationships are derived from the models and defined per study region (per stand): (i) the fire cycle (average fire interval), (ii) the annual percent burned area (fire frequency), (iii) the average age of the vegetation (av...


We utilize a range of emission scenarios for shipping to determine the induced global-mean radiative forcing and temperature change. Ship emission scenarios consistent with the new regulations on nitrogen oxides (NO(x)) and sulfur dioxide (SO(2)) from the International Maritime Organization and two of the Representative Concentration Pathways are used as input to a simple climate model (SCM). Based on a complex aerosol-climate model we develop and test new parametrizations of the indirect aerosol effect (IAE) in the SCM that account for nonlinearities in radiative forcing of ship-induced IAE. We find that shipping causes a net global cooling impact throughout the period 1900-2050 across all parametrizations and scenarios. However, calculated total net global-mean temperature change in 2050 ranges from -0.03[-0.07,-0.002]°C to -0.3[-0.6,-0.2]°C in the A1B scenario. This wide range across parametrizations emphasizes the importance of properly representing the IAE in SCMs and to reflect the uncertainties from complex global models. Furthermore, our calculations show that the future ship-induced temperature response is likely a continued cooling if SO(2) and NO(x) emissions continue to increase due to a strong increase in activity, despite current emission regulations. However, such cooling does not negate the need for continued efforts to reduce CO(2) emissions, since residual warming from CO(2) is long-lived.


Rule 10b-5's antifraud catch-all is one of the most consequential pieces of American administrative law and most highly developed areas of judicially-created federal law. Although the rule broadly prohibits securities fraud in both public and private company stock, the vast majority of jurisprudence, and the voluminous academic literature that accompanies it, has developed through a public company lens.

This Article illuminates how the explosive growth of private markets has left huge portions of U.S. capital markets with relatively light securities fraud scrutiny and enforcement. Some of the largest private companies by valuation grow in an environment of extreme information asymmetry and with the pressure, opportunity, and rationalizing culture that can foster misconduct and deception. Many investors in the private markets are sophisticated and can bear high levels of risk and significant losses from securities fraud. It is increasingly evident, however, that private company lies can harm a broader range of shareholders and stakeholders as well as the efficiency of allocating billions of dollars for innovation and new business. In response to this underappreciated problem, this Article explores a range of mechanisms to improve accountability in the private markets and ultimately argues for greater public oversight and enforcement.


Many of the arguments for and against robust moral realism parallel arguments for and against theism. In this article, I consider one of the shared challenges: the explanatory challenge. The article begins with a presentation of Harman's formulation of the explanatory challenge as applied to moral realism and theism. I then examine two responses offered by robust moral realists to the explanatory challenge, one by Russ Shafer-Landau and another by David Enoch. Shafer-Landau argues that the moral realist can plausibly respond to the challenge in a way unavailable to theists. I argue that Shafer-Landau's response is implausible as it stands and that once revised, it will apply to theism just as well. I then argue that Enoch's response, to the extent that it is plausible, can be used to defend theism as well.


Objective To evaluate the impact of combinations of lifestyle factors on mortality in middle aged women. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Nurses' health study, United States. Participants 77 782 women aged 34 to 59 years and free from cardiovascular disease and cancer in 1980. Main outcome measure Relative risk of mortality during 24 years of follow-up in relation to five lifestyle factors (cigarette smoking, being overweight, taking little moderate to vigorous physical activity, no light to moderate alcohol intake, and low diet quality score). Results 8882 deaths were documented, including 1790 from cardiovascular disease and 4527 from cancer. Each lifestyle factor independently and significantly predicted mortality. Relative risks for five compared with zero lifestyle risk factors were 3.26 (95% confidence interval 2.45 to 4.34) for cancer mortality, 8.17 (4.96 to 13.47) for cardiovascular mortality, and 4.31 (3.51 to 5.31) for all cause mortality. A total of 28% (25% to 31%) of deaths during follow-up could be attributed to smoking and 55% (47% to 62%) to the combination of smoking, being overweight, lack of physical activity, and a low diet quality. Additionally considering alcohol intake did not substantially change this estimate. Conclusions These results indicate that adherence to lifestyle guidelines is associated with markedly lower mortality in middle aged women. Both efforts to eradicate cigarette smoking and those to stimulate regular physical activity and a healthy diet should be intensified.


Background Recent policy has encouraged emergency departments (EDs) to deploy nurses to stream patients from the ED front door to GPs working in a separate GP service operating within or alongside an ED. We aimed to describe mechanisms relating to effectiveness of streaming in different primary care service models identified in EDs. We explored perceptions of whether patients were perceived to be appropriately streamed to emergency care, primary care, other hospital services or community primary care services; and effects on patient flow (waiting times and length of stay in the ED); and safe streaming outcomes. Methods We used realist evaluation methodology to explore perceived streaming effectiveness. We visited 13 EDs with different primary care service models (purposively selected across England & Wales; 8 streamed primary care patients to a primary care clinician) and carried out observations of triage/streaming and patient flow and interviews with key members of staff (consultants, GPs, nurses). Field notes and audio-recorded interviews were transcribed and analysed by creating context, mechanism and outcome configurations to refine and develop theories relating to streaming effectiveness. Results We identified five contexts (nurses' knowledge and experience, streaming guidance, teamwork and communication, operational management and strategic management) that facilitated mechanisms that influenced the effectiveness of streaming (streaming to an appropriate service, patient flow, delivering safe care). We integrated a middle range psychological theory (cognitive continuum theory) with our findings to recommend a focus for training nurses in streaming and service improvements. Conclusions We identified key mechanisms relating to the effectiveness of primary care streaming in different models of service. We recommend a collaborative approach to service development, guidance and training (including input from ED clinicians and primary care clinicians) and a range of training strategies that are suitable for less experienced junior nurses and more experienced senior nurses and nurse practitioners.


If mainframe computing is like driving a reliable sedan, some experts say client-server computing is like driving a fast, maneuverable sports car. But until you understand and fine-tune a client-server system, performance can be disappointing.


In Indian thought we find two main approaches to the study of the problem of meaning. The Mimamseekas and the Naiyayikas consider the word as an autonomous unit of sense, and take the sentence as a colleotion of words. They face many problems that arise in such a naive attitude; what is the exact primary meaning of a word, how can words convey a syntactically related unified sense, what are the conditions of mutual relation of words in a sentence and what exactly is the nature of verbal comprehension. Different theories are enunciated to explain the problems. Mutual expectancy (akanksa), consistency (yogyata) and proximity (sannidhi) are considered as the conditions for syntactic relation. The importance of contextual factors and the speaker's intention is also fully appreciated. Acoording to the abhihitanvaya theory, first we remember the isolated word-meanings, and then a simultaneous collective memory gives us the same as mutually related. The anvitabhaidhana theory makes the words themselves convey the connected sentence-meaning gradually. The problem of the change of meaning is also studied and the conditions for a metaphorical transfer (laksana) discussed - mainly from a synchronistic point of view, Bhartrhari's theory of sphota asserts that the fundamental linguistic fact is the sentence considered as a single integral language-symbol. Words are mere abstractions made from the sentence by linguistic analysis, and have only a pragmatic value. The apoha theory of the Buddhists also considers the words to have no real substance. Anandavardhana includes in meaning the emotive elements and the 'social-cultural' significance of utterances which are suggested with the help of contextual factors, and advocates their importance in literature. The sphota theory gives a welcome corrective to the prevailing tendency of laying undue stress on words.


AbstractCompressor station (CS) is an essential and an integral part of gas pipeline, providing gastransportation by means of power equipment, installed at CS. It serves as a control element in thecomplex of buildings, belonging to the trunk gas pipeline. It is by compressor station operationparameters the pipeline operation mode is defined. Presence of CS allows to adjust an operation modeof the gas pipeline at gas consumption fluctuations, using the maximum of the gas pipeline storagecapacity.During the operation of compressor station there can occur some infractions of gas pumping unit(GPU) electro-receivers power supply, leading to a forced or emergency stop of at least one GPU ofCS. Wind power plants can be used as a backup power supply. Years of national and internationalexperience show that the use of wind power plants of low power (up to 5-6 kW) is almost alwayseconomically feasible in areas with average annual wind speed VAV. AN. of more than 3.5-4.0 m/s. Theuse of high-power wind power plants is justified in cases when VAV. AN. exceeds 5.5-6.0 m/s.In the master's thesis the possibility of wind power plants exploitation for uninterrupted operation ofauxiliary power plant (APP), which is a part of compressor station, is considered.In the first chapter of the thesis the condition and reliability of CS power supply system of trunk gaspipelines (TGP) is examined. Besides the issues of energy supply and gas facilities stability areconsidered; the categories of electrical receivers, as well as factors, providing the sustainability andreliability of compressor station, are defined. In the last section of this chapter the volumes of powerconsumption at compressor station and auxiliary power plant are considered.The second chapter provides a classification of wind turbines, their design and wind flowcharacteristics, as well as the methods for wind climatic characteristics determination at a giventerritory. Particular attention is paid to offshore wind turbines as the most promising wind energyinstallations.The third chapter presents environmental aspects of wind power industry: an impact on fauna, acousticnoise, vibration impact, radio waves interference, air pollution, land use, visual impact, tourism andrecreation zones.The fourth chapter represents the consideration of wind turbine exploitation, including thedevelopment of a wind energy project, the power generation base cost definition, as well as the ways toreduce the costs of power generation and prospects of development and usage of wind power industryin the Russian Federation.


What is the role of each node in a system of many interconnected nodes? This can be quantified by comparing the dynamics of the nodes in the intact system, with their modified dynamics in the edited system, where one node is deleted. In detail, the spectra are calculated from a causal multivariate autoregressive model for the intact system. Next, without re-estimation, one node is deleted from the model and the modified spectra at all other nodes are re-calculated. The change in spectra from the edited system to the intact system quantifies the role of the deleted node, giving a measure of its Granger-causal effects (CFX) on the system. A generalization of this novel measure is available for networks (i.e. for groups of nodes), which quantifies the role of each network in a system of many networks. For the sake of reproducible research, program codes (PASCAL), executable file, and toy data in human readable format are included in the supplementary material.


"The interoperability of different engineering data models and the product data exchange between heterogeneous design tools are among the most fundamental research problems related to the development of open integrated environments for CAE/CIC. The successful solution of these problems is of primary importance for the acceptance and the wide implementation of product data technology on the basis of ISO 10303 (STEP). This paper presents a flexible, non proprietary, STEP-based approach to design tool integration that has been developed in the EU project COMBI. It focuses on the interoperability methods and tools for product data management realised in the COMBI system: (1) a descriptive schema mapping language which complements the EXPRESS specifications of the implemented product data models, (2) an active object-matching mechanism which serves for providing the consistency of the modelling objects across disciplines, time and design domains, and (3) a communication management module which uses enabling World Wide Web CGI technology to allow for remote and concurrent information exchange via the Internet. Along with a critical discussion of the described integration concept, important future research topics targeting the development of a concurrent engineering environment, which will be pursued in the COMBI follow-up project ToCEE, are also briefly outlined."


A biosensor as an integrated miniaturized device, exploits the modern microelectronics with specific sensing probe through signal transduction. The challenge for new generation biosensors is to achieve specific analyte detection at very low concentrations, which is possible by tailoring the materials used for fabrication of these devices based on nanoscience and nanotechnology. The new approach is explored in this thesis for fabrication of novel nanobiosensors for ultrasensitive detection of sulfite. The literature review in chapter 1 describes the long history of sulfite usage as preservative, its benefits and health concerns. This chapter also outlines the existing approaches for fabrication of sulfite nanobiosensors, and explores the new and emerging fabrication strategies based on the use of nanomaterials. The resulting new constructive matrices for electroelectrochemical detection provides amplified redox signals, enhanced direct electron transfer and an enlarged catalytic surface area for increased enzyme immobilization. The integration of all these properties certainly improved the performance of the resulting sulfite nanobiosensor with ultrahigh sensitivity and selectivity, as compared with the traditional methods used for sulfite detection. In chapter 2, the use of composite PPy and PtNPs for entrapment of sulfite oxidase (SOx) was considered for improvement of sulfite detection. The properties of the resulting nanobiosensor were dramatically improved due to increased surface area compared to those achieved in absence of PtNPs. Furthermore, the deposition of PtNPs on the electrode surface improved the chemical kinetics of redox reactions, as this nanomaterial acted in providing catalytic centres. The morphology of the exposed surface of the fabricated PtNPs-PPy-SOx demonstrated a clear difference compared to in the absence of PtNPs decoration, the electrochemical behaviour revealed by CV and potentiometric measurements further indicates fast and efficient redox kinetics. Optimization of the PtNPs-PPy-SOx biosensor enabled achievement of a detection limit of 12.35 nM, a linear range of 0.75 - 65.50 µM with a sensitivity of 57.5 mV/decade, and was successfully applied to real samples. The fabrication and use of PPy nanowires array was considered in chapter 3 to achieve better mass and electron transfer with improved surface area for SOx immobilization. Simple and low cost Anodic Aluminium Oxide (AAO) templates were prepared by a two-step anodization method. Pyrrole was deposited into the nanochannels of AAO templates by electropolymerization to obtain highly ordered PPyNWA with desired dimensions. The improved catalytic performance was achieved by decorating the nanowire surface with PtNPs. The resulting geometrical structure provided enlarged activated surface area for increased enzyme loading with free space available for the mobility of analyte. SEM images revealed the morphology of PPyNWA and their highly ordered features. Furthermore, EIS and CV were employed to gain a better understanding of the electrochemical performance in terms of sensitivity and stability for sulfite detection. The amperometric response was used for the optimization and evaluation of electrode modification. The modified electrode with PPyNWA improved detection limit (7.4 nM), and the linear concentration range (0.12 - 1200 μM) with a sensitivity of 57.33 μA mMˉ¹cmˉ². The resulting nanobiosensor was applied to real samples and also indicated improved stability of 120 days. In chapter 4, the use of AAO templates was considered for fabrication gold nanowires array. The one dimensional features of the AuNWA were modified with PtNPs to activate the surface morphology three dimensionally. The nanostructural assembly with high surface to volume ratio for SOx immobilization boosted the direct electron transfer (DET) of redox reactions and increased the sensitivity of the resulting sulfite nanobiosensor. Furthermore, cross-linking of SOx with a mixture of glutaraldehyde (GLA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) on the AuNWA modified with PtNPs provided an opportunity to enhance the sensitivity of the nanobiosensor. Fast electrochemical kinetics achieved with the nanobiosensor enabled an improved detection limit of 3.5 nM and linear range of 4.9 µM – 1.5 mM for low concentrations and 2 mM – 5.5 mM for higher with high sensitivities of 61.5 µA mMˉ¹cmˉ² and 90.00 µA mMˉ¹cmˉ², respectively. The achieved sensitivities in low and high sulfite concentration ranges were 61.5 µA mMˉ¹cmˉ² and 90.00 µA mMˉ¹cmˉ². Long term storage stability was 140 days. A novel sulfite nanobiosensor based on the use of nanostructure composite material, involving encapsulation of SOx into Nafion membrane and PtNPs decorated hybrid matrix of MWCNTs and PPy is described in chapter 5. The large surface provided by inclusion of MWCNTs enabled immobilization of more enzyme molecules, resulting in faster direct electron transfer and enhanced response towards H₂O₂. The achieved sensitivity was strongly influenced by enzyme loading and catalytic activation of the matrix with PtNPs. The homogeneity of the resulting Naf-SOx-PtNPs-MWCNTs/PPy nanocomposite matrix was characterized by SEM, EIS and CV. The optimized sulfite nanobiosensor gave a linear range of 20 nM – 6 mM with a high sensitivity of 71 mA mMˉ¹cmˉ², detection limit of 5.4 nM, and response time of <3 s. The sulfite nanobiosensor was also successfully applied to real samples and demonstrated a long term stability of 112 days. Chapter 6 describes the importance of nanobiosensor for the detection of sulfite, and a brief review of all the strategies used for fabrication of sulfite nanobiosensor. It also provides a comparison of all the approaches in terms of fabrication process, and performance of the resulting nanobiosensors. Overall, the use of nanomaterials gave the best sensitivity of 89.97 mA mMˉ¹cmˉ², detection limit of 3.5 nM, and a linear range of 20 nM to 6 mM. Furthermore, it describes future research directions for fabrication of sulfite nanobiosensors based on careful nanoengineering of various matrices, and their integration on screen printed electrodes.


CONTEXT
Hyperthyroidism is associated with low levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, and hypothyroidism is associated with hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia.

OBJECTIVE
The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the impact of therapy for overt and subclinical hyper- and hypothyroidism on serum lipids.

DATA SOURCES
We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Scopus through April 5, 2018.

STUDY SELECTION
Pairs of independent reviewers selected randomized and observational studies evaluating lipid parameters in patients undergoing treatment for hyper- or hypothyroidism.

DATA EXTRACTION
Pairs of independent reviewers extracted data and appraised studies.

DATA SYNTHESIS
Treatment of overt hyperthyroidism showed a significant increase in total cholesterol (TC) by 44.50 mg/dL (95% confidence interval [CI], 37.99, 51.02), low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) by 31.13 mg/dL (95% CI 24.33, 37.93), high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) by 5.52 mg/dL (95% CI 1.48, 9.56), apolipoprotein A (Apo A) by 15.6 mg/dL (95% CI 10.38, 20.81), apolipoprotein B (apo B) by 26.12 mg/dL (95% CI 22.67, 29.57) and lipoprotein (Lp[a]) by 4.18 mg/dL (95% CI 1.65, 6.71). There was no significant change in triglyceride (TG) levels. Treatment of subclinical hyperthyroidism did not change any lipid parameters significantly. Levothyroxine therapy in overt hypothyroidism showed a statistically significant decrease in TC by -58.4 mg/dL (95% CI -64.70, -52.09), LDL-C by -41.11 mg/dL (95% CI -46.53, -35.69), HDL-C by -4.14 mg/dL (95% CI -5.67, -2.61), TGs by -27.25 mg/dL (95% CI -36.63, 17.87), apo A by -12.59 mg/dL (95% CI -17.98, -7.19), apo B by -33.96 mg/dL (95% CI 41.14, -26.77), and Lp(a) by -5.6 mg/dL (95% CI -9.06, -2.14). Levothyroxine therapy in subclinical hypothyroidism showed similar changes but with a smaller magnitude. The studies contained varied population characteristics, severity of thyroid dysfunction, and follow-up duration.

CONCLUSIONS
Treatment of overt but not subclinical hyperthyroidism is associated with worsening of the lipid profile. Levothyroxine therapy in both overt and subclinical hypothyroidism leads to improvement in the lipid profile, with a smaller magnitude of improvement in subclinical hypothyroidism.


Road surface conditions vary with snow, ice, wet and dry during the four seasons in Korea. The change of the road surface conditions can have significant influence on the safety of a running vehicle on the road. Nowadays, there are a lot of CCTVs that are installed to observe the road surface with the unaided eye, and it is common for an administrator to determine the road surface conditions after confirming visually. However, there is a limitation to quickly determine the road surface conditions manually. Thus there is a need for developing a technology that can automatically determine the road surface based on images. In this paper, a recognition algorithm was proposed to extract the state of road surface conditions based on images obtained by a vision camera, and empirical experiment was conducted. The road surface conditions were classified using histogram and wavelet filter based on the proposed algorithm. In order to verify the recognition algorithm, the asphalt road was recorded and a variety of road surface conditions such as dry, snow, ice and wet was utilized as the input data. First, the road surface condition was distinguished into dry and wet using polarization coefficient, and then the dry condition was distinguished into dry and ice using wavelet and frequency characteristic. As a result of experiment, the possibility of vision-based recognition algorithm of the road surface conditions was demonstrated. In the future, it is expected that a way of road surface control through CCTVs would change from manual to automatic recognition with the introduction of latest technologies.


This study demonstrates molecular engineering of a series of donor-acceptor systems to allow control of the lifetime and initial spin multiplicity of the charge-separated state. By tuning the rate of intersystem crossing (ISC) and the donor-acceptor distance, electron transfer can be made to occur exclusively from the triplet excited state of the electron donor resulting in long-lived charge separation. To achieve this, three new palladium porphyrin-fullerene donor-acceptor systems were synthesized. The heavy Pd atom enhances the rate of ISC in the porphyrin and the rates of electron and energy transfer are modulated by varying the redox potential of the porphyrin and the porphyrin-fullerene distance. In the case of the meso-tris(tolyl)porphyrinato palladium(ii)-fulleropyrrolidine, the donor-acceptor distance is relatively long (13.1 Å) and the driving force for electron transfer is low. As a result, excitation of the porphyrin leads to rapid ISC followed by triplet-triplet energy transfer to fullerene. When the fullerene is bound directly to the porphyrin shortening the donor-acceptor distance to 2.6 Å electron transfer from the singlet excited palladium porphyrin leading to the generation of a short-lived charge separated state is the main process. Finally, when the palladium porphyrin is substituted with three electron rich triphenylamine entities, the lower oxidation potential of the porphyrin and appropriate donor-acceptor distance (∼13 Å), lead to electron transfer exclusively from the triplet excited state of palladium porphyrin with high quantum yield. The results show that when electron transfer occurs from the triplet state, its increased lifetime allows the distance between the donor and acceptor to be increased which results in a longer lifetime for the charge separated state.


We consider the effect of geography on wages using individual data from 56 Chinese cities. We present a simple new economic geography model that links wages to individual characteristics and market access. The latter is calculated as a transport cost weighted sum of surrounding locations' market capacity. After controlling for individual skills and local factor endowments, we find that a significant fraction of the interindividual differences in returns to labor can be explained by the geography of market access. We further find greater wage sensitivity to market access for highly skilled workers and for workers in private and, particularly, foreign-owned firms.


Five-week old, male, Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) were given ad libitum access to glucose- soybean meal-10% fat diets containing 0, 0.25, 0.5, or 1% cholesterol, with or without the addition of a vitamin supplement (vitamin C--1 g/kg of diet, vitamin E--30 I.U./kg of diet and choline chloride--5.5 g/kg of diet). After 12 weeks, 9 quail from the 24 quail fed each diet were killed and the total cholesterol concentration of serum, liver, kidney, and aorta was determined. Cholesterol concentrations of these organs increased with increasing levels of dietary cholesterol. The vitamin supplementation enhanced the increase in the cholesterol concentration of serum and kidney, lessened the elevation of the liver cholesterol concentration and had no effect on the aorta cholesterol concentration. The remaining quail were fed the same diets, for a subsequent 12 week period, except that cholesterol was deleted. At the termination of the experiment, the total cholesterol concentration of serum, liver, and kidney returned to control level for all treatments in which organ cholesterol concentrations had been increased previously. Aortic cholesterol concentration decreased during the second 12 week period (0.5 and 1% cholesterol diets fed for the first 12 weeks), however, the aortic cholesterol concentration remained higher than those of the control at 24 weeks. No significant effect of vitamin supplementation on organ cholesterol concentration was noted at 24 weeks although serum cholesterol concentration was significantly lower for the vitamin- fed groups at all levels of dietary cholesterol. Aortic ahteromata were observed at both 12 and 24 weeks in all groups fed 0.5 and 1% cholesterol.


EPA2142. Master Engineering and Policy Analysis. The course is a survey of models for analyzing and supporting design and decision-making in multi-actor settings. It's all about games of negotiation or bargaining. A new solution concept, Nash arbitration, is introduced: if the players agree to have the outcome determined by an impartial arbitrator, how should he allocate the pay-offs? Other cooperative solutions are shortly discussed as well, and the broader context of Negotiation Analysis is presented in a guest lecture.


In recent years, it is becoming more common for people to use applications or devices that keep track of their activities, such as fitness activities, places they visit, the music they listen to, and pictures they take. These data are used by the services for various purposes, but usually there are limitations for the users to explore or interact with them. This project investigates a new approach of visualizing such Quantified Self data, in a meaningful and enjoyable way that gives the users insights into their data.This thesis discusses the feasibility of creating a system that allows users to connect the activity tracking applications they already use, analyse the amount of activities, and then present the resulting information. The visualization of the information is done with an avatar that maps the different activities the user is engaged with, along with the activity levels, as graphical features.Within the scope of this work, several user studies were conducted and a system prototype was implemented to explore how to build, using web technologies, such a system that aggregates and analyses personal activity data, and also to determine what kind of data should and can be collected, to provide meaningful information to the users. Furthermore, it was investigated how a possible design for the avatar could look like, to be clearly understood by the users.


The goal of this article is to examine whether profit opportunities exist after days with abnormal volume in the U.S. Treasury market when the market is under stress and market makers are reluctant to take risks. The evidence from the trading strategy used implies that morning and overnight returns are positively related and that profits are positive and highly significantly different from zero following days with abnormal volume. This article finds that when the two-year notes' volume is used in the trading strategy of other securities, profits increase with maturity and improve for all maturities.


We do not live in a vacuum. Instead, we are connected to innumerable other living entities, and our individual vantage point is only one among many. When we hear people talk about protecting the land and the landscape that we enjoy, it may be helpful to consider that each of us has a personal environment, experienced from a particular point of view. This personal environment, the landscape that we see, is made up of and affected by everything we can perceive using our senses -immobile mountains, buildings, and trees; moving animals, cars, and people; changes in light, humidity, and temperatureas well as the interactions among these things. As we observe and influence these interactions, we participate in the process of creating the landscape we experience.


Physical exercises have been associated with important and varied benefits to health, as those related to the specific and non-specific immune function, stressing the inflammatory process in the latter. However, depending on their type, intensity, frequency and duration, exercises can also cause certain harm to the organism. Actually, previous research has demonstrated that the hypernociception of inflammatory origin in rats was influenced by the physical exercises protocol performed on treadmill. Thus, the aim of this research was to study the effects of high and low intensity physical exercises on acute inflammatory response. Therefore, male adult Wistar rats were submitted (trained group) or not (untrained group) to physical exercises on a treadmill. Acute inflammation was induced by a 0.5% carrageenin injection into the plantar tissue of the left hind paw of each rat and the acute inflammatory edema volume was measured by plethysmography before and after 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 24 hours of the inflammatory process induction. The statistical analysis of the results showed a significant increase in the edema volume in times H1, H2 and H3 (P 0.05) in animals of the high intensity group compared with the non-trained group. Therefore, it was concluded that low-intensity physical exercises on treadmill increased the acute inflammatory edema volume in rats, probably due to the increase in the synthesis and secretion of prostaglandins and/or increase in the plasmatic levels of cytokines IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-alfa among other factors. This fact has not been observed in animals submitted to high intensity exercises, which demonstrates the influence of intensity, frequency and duration of the exercises on this inflammatory parameter.