Nowadays, devices are equipped with advanced sensors with higher processing/computing capabilities. Further, widespread Internet availability enables communication among sensing devices. As a result, vast amounts of data are generated on edge devices to drive Internet-of-Things (IoT), crowdsourcing, and other emerging technologies. The collected extensive data can be pre-processed, scaled, classified, and finally, used for predicting future events using machine learning (ML) methods. In traditional ML approaches, data is sent to and processed in a central server, which encounters communication overhead, processing delay, privacy leakage, and security issues. To overcome these challenges, each client can be trained locally based on its available data and by learning from the global model. This decentralized learning structure is referred to as Federated Learning (FL). However, in large-scale networks, there may be clients with varying computational resource capabilities. This may lead to implementation and scalability challenges for FL techniques. In this paper, we first introduce some recently implemented real-life applications of FL. We then emphasize on the core challenges of implementing the FL algorithms from the perspective of resource limitations (e.g., memory, bandwidth, and energy budget) of client clients. We finally discuss open issues associated with FL and highlight future directions in the FL area concerning resource-constrained devices.


Abstract Acaena (Rosaceae) is the most complex and ecologically variable genus in Sanguisorbinae. Although it has been the subject of several taxonomic treatments, the largest phylogenetic analysis to date only sampled a small fraction of the total global diversity (five to seven out of 45 to 50 species). This study included most of the species to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships of Acaena and biogeographic patterns in Sanguisorbinae. Phylogenetic analyses of non-coding nuclear (ITS region) and chloroplast (trnL-F) DNA sequence markers using maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses suggested that Acaena is a paraphyletic group with species of Margyricarpus and Tetraglochin nested within it. We identified strong support for eight subclades that are geographically or taxonomically structured. Nevertheless, the species-level relationships within subclades are still uncertain, which may be due to rapid diversification and lack of informative characters in the markers used. Sanguisorbinae, a primarily Southern Hemisphere clade, exhibits a classic Gondwana disjunct distribution. This current distribution is explained primarily by eight long-distance dispersal events. Our results suggested that Sanguisorbinae split into Cliffortia and Acaena around 13.6 mya. While Cliffortia diversified in southern South Africa, Acaena experienced several migration events in the Southern Hemisphere. Our estimation of the ancestral range suggested that Acaena likely originated in South Africa, followed by migration and subsequent diversification into southern South America. From there, the genus migrated to New Zealand, throughout the Andes, and to tropical areas in Central America, reaching as far north as California. Chile and New Zealand are the main sources of propagules for dispersal as well as the greatest diversity for the genus. The evolutionary relationships of species in Acaena combine a history of rapid diversifications, long-distance dispersals, and genetic variation within some taxa. Further research should be undertaken to clarify the infraspecific classification of A. magellanica.


The objective of the research was to investigate the effect of polyethylene glycol (PEG) or urea supplementation in sheep and goats fed a basal diet of Acacia saligna and wheat straw. The 3 dietary treatments were: (1) Control: ad libitum A. saligna+ 400 g/d wheat straw (95% DM) (basal diet); (2) Basal diet+50 g/d PEG 4000; and (3) Basal diet+1% (on a DM basis) urea sprayed onto the straw and A. saligna 30 min prior to feeding. All animals maintained live weight, regardless of the dietary treatment. All sheep readily consumed the A. saligna in preference to straw. In sheep both DMD and OMD were higher (p<0.05) where PEG was included in the diet compared to the other two treatments. Contrary to findings by other researchers there was no significant difference in DMI, DMD or OMD between sheep and goats in corresponding treatment groups. All animals were in positive N balance. For both sheep and goats, rumen ammonia concentrations were increased with the use of either urea or PEG. In these groups the maximum ammonia concentrations exceeded 50 mg/L, considered the minimum required to maximise microbial growth. This threshold, however, was exceeded only for a period of 8-11 h. Of those measured, rumen ammonia levels were generally the highest at 4 h post feeding. None of the measurements of rumen ammonia for the control group approached 50 mg/L. It is unclear how and why feed intake and live weight


We report a new theoretical model that accounts for the unusual magnetic properties of the cyanide cluster ([MnII(tmphen)2]3[MnIII(CN)6]2) (tmphen = 3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline). The model takes into account (1) the spin-orbit interaction, (2) the trigonal component of the crystal field acting on the ground-state cubic (3)T(1) terms of the apical Mn(III) ions, and (3) the isotropic contribution to the exchange interaction between Mn(III) and Mn(II) ions. The ground state of the cluster was shown to be the state with the total angular momentum projection |M(J)| = 15/2; the energies of the low-lying levels obtained from this treatment increase with decreasing |M(J)| values, a situation that leads to a barrier for the reversal of magnetization (U(eff) approximately 30 cm(-1)). The new model explains the recently discovered single-molecule magnet behavior of the ([MnII(tmphen)2]3[MnIII(CN)6]2)in contrast to the traditional approach that takes into account only the ground-state spin (S) and a negative zero-field splitting parameter (D(S) < 0).


Fatty acid profiles were used to investigate aspects of bottlenose dolphin populations around the Azores archipelago. Biopsy samples were obtained from 70 dolphins during the period 2002–2004. No statistically significant differences in profiles were found between different island groups, between sexes or between year of sampling. Thus no evidence was seen for island group fidelity, in contrast to bottlenose dolphins found around similar island groups such as the Hawaiian archipelago or the Bahamas. The findings are consistent with concurrent genetic and photo-identification studies on dolphins in the Azores.


Diversity, especially gender diversity, in the corporate world seems like an idea whose time has come. We saw the issue of gender diversity on corporate boards take centre stage after the financial crisis with States introducing both hard and soft laws in this regard. However, the recent incidents at Uber, the poster child of the start-up world, which ultimately led to the resignation of the founder CEO and a board member, shows that gender diversity efforts must be re-thought. Further, derivative actions and shareholder letters against Twenty First Century Fox and Amazon respectively show that diversity and related issues of harassment, discrimination and inclusion have to be prioritized as significant issues by company boards.
This article reviews the current laws and regulations on corporate gender diversity across countries and finds that there are two separate problems that they seem to be addressing. The first problem is that of board effectiveness being hampered by homogeneity. The second problem is that of gender equality in the corporate context. However, since neither of these issues is clarified individually, the measures taken fail to appropriately address them. Instead, there is a conflation of both problems and the resulting regulations only propose superficial solutions.
To remedy this, this article makes the case for a new regime for regulating each of these problems, or, in other words, a move towards 'corporate diversity 2.0' which offers appropriate solutions to each of the two problems. The article also argues that the problem of 'gender equality' should be framed more broadly as equality at the workplace. This article will then build on some of the diversity-related recommendations of the Holder Committee set up by the board of Uber, to ensure that diversity efforts do not merely stop at the level of the board, but instead aim to make workplaces at various levels more diverse. Ultimately, workplace diversity efforts will not only help address some of the structural barriers that women and minority groups might face but also to ensure that diverse candidates are retained in the workforce, and are able to naturally progress into board roles.


Increasingly, research has demonstrated that traditional zoo-only sites are meeting their overall mission to convey biodiversity and conservation messages to visitors. However, robust evaluations of specific zoo experiences and studies from non-traditional zoo settings such as theme park zoos are missing from the literature. This thesis investigates the impact of specific zoo experiences and tests whether a combined theme park and zoo is also able to meet the zoo mission. Theme park zoos represent the extreme entertainment end of the zoo spectrum, thus test whether learning can occur in commercialised entertainment settings. Data were collected at a combined theme park and zoo during peak season, May to October, 2013 through to 2016. A combination of paired and unpaired pre-post-surveys were collected to test the immediate effects of educational experiences and the overall impact of zoo visits. A single theme park zoo visit was found to lead to significant increases in visitors' animal knowledge. In contrast, such a visit did not impact on conservation attitudes. Information signs were found to be the most important source of animal and conservation information for visitors. Additionally, whilst live animal shows effectively conveyed animal facts, the use of 'trick' behaviours appeared to cause confusion and hindered learning. Non-animal shows, which used theatre and puppets, were found to be a successful alternative to live animal shows and effectively conveyed animal and conservation information to both adults and children. This research indicates that zoos should provide information at a range of levels from factual knowledge through to practical opportunities for conservation behaviours. Currently, theme park zoos effectively convey factual information, thereby fulfilling part of the zoo mission. However, knowledge alone is not enough to influence visitor behaviour. For theme park zoos to meet the aims of modern zoo practice they must model sustainable behaviours and help visitors engage with conservation issues and solutions.


Statistical, Random and Fractal Characterizations of Surface Topography with Engineering Applications by Gongyao Zhou Two methods, namely the conventional and fractal geometry methods, are developed for surface topography characterization. The conventional method utilizing statistical and random process techniques is used to study waterjet machined surfaces. In the study the waterjet surfaces are separated into smooth and striation zones, where striation influence is negligible in the smooth zone. It is found that the smooth zone has a random, moderately isotropic texture, with the height distribution nearly Gaussian. In the striation zone the major frequencies of the surface profile power spectra are independent of cutting parameters, while the amplitudes of these frequencies monotonically increase with cutting speed or depth of cut. The effects of cutting speed, depth of cut, orifice diameter, and abrasive size on the surface topography are also studied. This provides useful information for controlling process parameters to obtain smooth finished surfaces. The spectral analysis is used to investigate the structure dynamics of the waterjet machining system. It is found that the vibration of the abrasive waterjet machining system plays an important role in the striation formation. Manufactured surfaces which have random texture, such as those produced by electrical discharge machining, waterjet cutting, and ion-nitriding coating, can be characterized by fractal geometry. A Gaussian random fractal model coupled with structure functions is used to relate surface topography with fractal geometry via fractal dimension (D) and topothesy (L). This fractal characterization of surface topography complements and improves the conventional statistical and random process methods of surface characterization, especially in the study of contact mechanics and wear processes. The Gaussian fractal model for surface topography is shown to predict a primary relationship between D and the bearing area curve, while L affects this curve to a smaller degree. Several experiments are performed, and the results support the predicted effects of D and L on the bearing area curve. Fractal characterization of surface topography is further applied to the study of contact mechanics and wear processes. A fractal geometry model is developed, which predicts the wear rate in terms of fractal parameters D and L for wear prediction. This model shows that the wear rate V r and the true contact area A r have the relationship Vr (A r)m(D) , where m(D) is a function of D and has a value between 0.5 and I. Next the optimum (i.e. the lowest wear rate) fractal dimension in a wear process is studied. It is found that the optimum fractal dimension is affected by contact area, material properties, and scale amplitude. Experimental results of wear testing show good agreement with the predictions based on the model. STATISTICAL, RANDOM AND FRACTAL CHARACTERIZATIONS OF SURFACE TOPOGRAPHY WITH ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS


High strength and ductility of the TRIP steels is often attributed to the transformation induced plasticity effect resulting from the strain induced martensitic transformation of the retained austenite in the bainite microstructure. The present work reports results of in-situ neutron diffraction experiments focused on monitoring the phase evolution in two TRIP steel samples (two different thermomechanical treatments) subjected to tensile loading at room temperature. Comparison of the single lineprofile analysis of reactor data (TKSN-400 at NPI Rez) and multi lineprofile analysis of data obtained at spallation neutron source (diffractometer ENGIN-X at ISIS RAL Chilton) suggests that the former can be used in the first approximation for in-situ monitoring of the phase evolution in TRIP steels subjected to mechanical loads.


3-Dimethylamino-2,2-dimethyl-2H-azirine (1) reacts with a number of NH-acidic compounds to give adducts of interesting structural variety. In analogy to the reaction of OH-acidic substrates, the reaction mechanism can be understood to proceed via initial protonation of the aminoazirine, subsequent attack of the nitrogen nucleophile on the iminiumaziridine and ring expansion of the three-membered ring to form a zwitterionic intermediate. Depending very much on the charge-distribution delivered by the variety of substituents, this zwitterionic intermediate is going to be stablised by different routes, e.g. water elimination, ring enlargement or rearrangement, to yield new N-heterocyclic compounds.


Interdependencies between thyroid function and the respiratory system in physiological and pathological conditions are presented in the paper. The dependencies discussed below result from the proximity of both this structures and metabolic interactions between them. Thyroid hormones start to play a role, as early as in the foetus stage, in forming the respiratory system (including beta-receptors formation and surfactant production). They influence the respiratory volume in adults (mainly by changing the anatomical structure of the connective tissue and by influence upon respiratory muscles) and the respiratory flow (by hypersensitivity and bronchospasm induction). They also stimulate the respiratory centre in the brain stem. The respiratory flow in the airways depends also on the thyroid size. It has been proven, that the thyroid expansion (struma) causes tracheal compression and ventilation disturbances of an obstructive type. In conclusion, for a normal respiratory function it is essential to keep the homeostasis of the thyroid hormones serum concentration and the proper volume of the thyroid gland. Laboratory and clinical tests useful in estimating the impact of a wide range of thyroid pathology on the respiratory tract are described in the paper. We also emphasize the usefulness of the spirometry in these cases.


Abstract. Methane plays an important role as a radiatively and chemically active gas in our atmosphere. Until recently, sources of atmospheric methane in the biosphere have been attributed to strictly anaerobic microbial processes during degradation of organic matter. However, a large fraction of methane produced in the anoxic soil layers does not reach the atmosphere due to methanotrophic consumption in the overlaying oxic soil. Although methane fluxes from aerobic soils have been observed, an alternative source other than methanogenesis has not been identified thus far. Here we provide evidence for non-microbial methane formation in soils under oxic conditions. We found that soils release methane upon heating and other environmental factors like ultraviolet irradiation, and drying-rewetting cycles. We suggest that chemical formation of methane during degradation of soil organic matter may represent the missing soil source that is needed to fully understand the methane cycle in aerobic soils. Although the emission fluxes are relatively low when compared to those from wetlands, they may be important in warm and wet regions subjected to ultraviolet radiation. We suggest that this methane source is highly sensitive to global change.


Twinning induced plasticity (TWIP) steels are one of the most attractive advanced high-strength steels for structural applications due to their unique combination of strength and ductility, which is associated with so-called "mechanical twinning", where twins act as strong obstacles to the dislocation motion. In this context, Nb addition to TWIP steel increases the strength and refines grain size by nanoscale NbC precipitates. Nowadays, high-manganese TWIP steels are extensively studied. However, information in the specialized literature about their tribological properties is limited. This research work studies the wear behavior of high-manganese austenitic Fe–20Mn–1.5Si–1.5Al–0.4C TWIP steel microalloyed with Nb. The wear behavior was evaluated under non-lubricated sliding condition using the "pin-on-ring" technique. As-solution heat treated samples were worn under loads of 53, 104 and 154 N, and at sliding speeds of 0.22, 0.60 and 0.87 m/s. The wear resistance was evaluated in terms of the loss weight. Wear debris and worn surfaces were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). In general, results show that the wear resistance significantly improves as the sliding speed increases. On the other hand, Nb addition to present TWIP steel produces a slight increase of the wear resistance. Also, it was found that the oxide layer plays a significant role in the wear resistance behavior of this kind of steel.


This proposal seeks to begin an examination of the role of Comprehensive Development Area (CDA) allocation in the shaping of renewal cities. The term renewal here is used to mean cities that began the most significant part of their post-war development after 1959 (Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield, Glasgow etc.) These cities not only share characteristics in terms of the tempo of their post-war development, but can also be seen to be city regions in their own right. In this sense are their particular regional nuances in policy, in planning, in economics and in architecture that are distinct but also have commonality? Manchester will be used as a case study with which to start to unfold the relationships between the afforded statutory powers, the formal processes of allocation, the informal processes of developer led lobbying and the role of architects in this situation. There are several key questions attached to this enquiry [1] What were the conditions that meant rebuilding did not really commence until almost 15 years after the end of WWII? [2] Why, if powers to allocate CDAs were awarded under the 1947 Town and Country Planning Act, were these powers not employed sooner by local authorities? [3] What were the influencing factors in terms of selecting areas to be designated as CDAs? [4] What was the role of the architect in the processes of allocation, of lobbying and of development? [5] What was the relationship between CDA allocation and other planning led decisions of the period? Of the six designated CDAs in Manchester, the architectural practice of Cruickshank and Seward were appointed to develop two of them and had significant influence in a third. Of the two in which they were the only appointed architects, one was built and another failed to be realised. An examination of the political and economic structures around these two particular instances may reveal some answers to the questions posed above – often unbuilt projects have as much to say about a period in question as those which were completed. Cruickshank and Seward themselves may be described as regionally dominant during the period from 1960-74 and as such perhaps provided a useful conduit to the predominantly London based development companies. Thus the role of the regional architect in socio-cultural, economic and political setting, termed here as regionality, will also be explored.


Samples of Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus , were collected from Lakes Awassa and Ziway during December 2002–March 2003. The moisture content of freeze-dried organs (muscle, bone, gill and liver) collected from six sites ranged between 76.0 and 80.7% (m/m). An optimal procedure required 12 mL of tertiary mixture consisting of HNO 3 , HClO 4 , and H 2 O 2 to mineralize powdered samples in open refluxed digestion vessels: 1.0 g bone or muscle, 0.5 g gill or liver. The concentrations of 8 elements in muscle, bone, gill and liver determined by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer varied, respectively, (mg element/kg dry mass): Cd 0.44–1.43, 4.58–4.93, 2.20–2.85, and 1.08–1.90; Co 2.47–3.59, 17.1–18.9, 8.28–10.1, and 10.2–13.0; Cu 1.68–4.95, 6.65–7.58, 7.08–8.58, and 602–797; Fe 18.7–53.0, 81.9–94.3, 120–196, and 635–7139; Mn 1.03–6.78, 23.1–146, 26.1–107, and 8.80–24.5; Ni 7.80–15.9, 64.1–71.0, 34.8–42.4, and 14.1–21.3; Pb 1.65–2.69, 39.5–42.3, 17.1–23.1, and 2.20–3.37; Zn 34.6–38.6, 61.9–78.8, 82.3–97.1, and 85.6–115.9. Results revealed organ specific distribution of trace metals in Tilapia , which has been discussed in terms of physiological role in fish and/or the likely influence of anthropogenic origin on lakes. Application of the statistical t -test on trace elements data further showed significant difference between the two lakes, which could be attributed to anthropogenic influences. KEY WORDS: Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus , Distribution of trace elements in fish, Water pollution, Lake Awassa, Lake Ziway Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2004 , 18(2), 119-130.


ABSTRACT Using the Gezi Park protests as a case study this article considers the performative component of protest movements including how and why protestors actively produce protest activity 'on the ground' and how this is expressed through visual images. It looks beyond iconic images which appear as emblematic of the protest and instead shifts our focus to consider the more 'everyday' or mundane activities which occur during a protest occupation, and explores how social media allows these images to have expressive and communicative dimensions. In this respect, protests can be performed through humdrum activities and this signifies a political voice which is communicated visually. The research is based on visual analysis of Twitter data and reveals methodological innovation in understanding how protestors communicate.


: The anti-tetanus serology was studied in Valladolid during 1988. IgG-antibodies and every one of four IgG-subclasses were determined by ELISA in 144 sera. In this study were included 31 parturient women, 20 newborn, 68 children 1.5-14 years old and 25 younger than 18 months. A 0.01 UI/ml sensibiling and a 8.5% interassay variability coefficient were achieved. The highest mean antibodies level (70.9-39.6 Ua/ml) was presented by children 1.5-3 years old and the lowest (31.1 +/- 15.9 Ua/ml) by 3-5 years old; nevertheless in mothers it was only 1.0 +/- 1.6 Ua/ml. Among children 1.5-14 years old we found only 5/63 (7.9%) cases with non-protective antibodies level. On the contrary, in mothers it increased until 23/31 (74%) and until 16/20 (80%) in cord blood. Antibodies of four IgG subclasses has each other a good correlation, especially IgG1/G2/G4 (p less than 0.001). The IgG2 and IgG3 subclasses were the antibodies which lesser decreased after vaccination. We emphasize the poor anti-tetanus protection of mothers and newborns, lower than levels reported in other countries.


Solid tumor survives by the generation of micro-vessels around it. This phenomenon is known as angiogenesis. Angiogenesis is governed by two factors, namely Tumor Angiogenic Factor (TAF) secreted by the tumor cells and tissue Fibronectin (FNT) concentration in the extra-cellular space. These two factors help in mobilization of endothelial cells from nearby blood vessels. At the initial phase of angiogenesis, neighboring blood vessels affect in formation of capillary sprouts. In this work we have develop an analytical model to make a correlation between tumor system, vasculature system of the cancer milieu and peripheral blood circulatory system. This, in turn, could be an effective and clinically relevant approach for tracking the tumor growth and its angiogenesis with a quantitative manner.


In this study, process parameters like punch angle, die opening, grain direction, and pre-bend condition of the strip for deep draw of high strength low alloy steel HSLA 420 are investigated. The finite element method (FEM) in association with the Taguchi and the analysis of variance (ANOVA) techniques are carried out to investigate the degree of importance of process parameters in Vbending process for HSLA 420&ST12 grade material. From results, it is observed that punch angle had a major influence on the springback. Die opening also showed very significant role on spring back. On the other hand, it is revealed that grain direction had the least impact on spring back; however, if strip from flat sheet is taken, then it is less prone to spring back as compared to the strip from sheet metal coil. HyperForm software is used for FEM simulation and experiments are designed using Taguchi method. Percentage contribution of the parameters is obtained through the ANOVA techniques. Keywords—Bending, V-bending, FEM, spring-back, Taguchi, HyperForm, profile projector, HSLA 420 & St12 materials.


The quantum-chemical calculations of the thermal ring opening of 1-methyl-2,3-diphenyl- and 1,2,3-triphenylaziridine with formation of the corresponding azomethine ylides of S-, U-, and W-type as well as their cycloaddition to dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (DMAD) and dimethyl 2,3-dicyanobut-2- enedioate, were performed at the DFT B3LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory with the PCM solvation model. The calculations are in complete accordance with experimental results and explain the switch from the concerted to the non-concerted pathway depending on substituents in the dipolarophile and the ylide. It was found that strong electron-withdrawing substituents in dipolarophiles, such as in dialkyl dicyanobutenedioates, significantly reduce the barrier for the formation of zwitterionic intermediates in the reaction of azomethine ylides with such dipoles. This can render the stepwise cycloaddition competitive with the concerted one. However, the concertedness of the cycloaddition even to dipolarophiles with several electron-withdrawing substituents is governed by a fine balance of electronic and steric effects in both ylide and dipolarophile counterparts. The hypothesis that introduction of substituents in the azo- methine ylide that destabilize the positive charge in a corresponding zwitterion will favor the concerted cycloaddition even with dialkyl dicyanobutenedioates was tested theoretically and experimentally.


Two anesthetic protocols in adult giraffe were compared by retrospective study. Thirteen anesthesia records for medetomidine-ketamine (MK) and seven for medetomidine-ketamine with a potent opioid (MKO) were evaluated for differences in demographic, behavioral, drug, and respiratory parameters. Giraffe stood significantly more quickly with MKO vs MK though MK animals were physically restrained to preclude premature standing as part of normal recovery practices (5.5 min vs 21.4 min, P = 0.01). Regurgitation was recorded in 5/13 and resedation in 4/13 MK animals. The range of values for blood lactate was higher in MKO (5.18-11.25 mM/L) than in MK giraffe (0.78-6.08 mM/L). Despite limitations of a retrospective study, both MK and MKO giraffe anesthesia protocols exhibit benefits and side effects. Awareness and management of these factors will improve outcomes until standardized, prospective studies of giraffe immobilization offer more comprehensive guidance on protocol selection.


Cutaneous elevations were present on the feet, legs and heads of four Florida sandhill cranes, Grus canadensis pratensis, (one free-living, three penreared birds). As a result of examination of the elevations by light- and electron microscopy, it was determined that the lesions were caused by poxvirus. This is the first record of pox in cranes in North America.


ObjectivesPain assessment can be a challenging task for parents, who increasingly provide the care for their children after surgery. This research provides evidence of the construct validity of the Parents' Postoperative Pain Measure (PPPM), a 15-item behavioral scale. MethodsStudy 1 examined the ability of scores on the PPPM to discriminate between pain and anxiety in a sample of 75 children (30 girls) between the ages of 7 and 12 years undergoing day surgery. Study 2 examined the sensitivity of scores on the PPPM to analgesic intervention among a sample of 28 children (7 girls) between the ages of 7 and 12 years undergoing day surgery. ResultsIn Study 1, scores on the PPPM closely followed the pattern of children's self-reported pain intensity and not state-related anxiety. Results from Study 2 showed that scores on the PPPM, like children's self-reported pain intensity ratings, were sensitive to analgesic intervention. DiscussionThe results of these studies provide further support for the construct validity of the PPPM and confirm that the measure is a valid pain assessment tool for use by parents at home following children's surgeries.


Abstract. This paper presents 23 years (1992–2014) of quasi-continuous measurements of the total ozone column (TOC) over the Southern Space Observatory (SSO) in Sao Martinho da Serra, Brazil (29.26° S, 53.48° and 488 m altitude). The TOC was measured by a Brewer spectrometer, and the results are also compared to daily and monthly observations from the TOMS (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer) and OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument) satellite instruments. Analyses of the main interannual modes of variability computed using the wavelet transform method were performed. A favorable agreement between the Brewer spectrophotometer and satellite datasets was found. The seasonal TOC variation is dominated by an annual cycle, with a minimum of approximately 260 DU in April and a maximum of approximately 295 DU in September. The wavelet analysis applied in the SSO TOC anomaly time series revealed that the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) modulation was the main mode of interannual variability. The comparison between the SSO TOC anomaly time series with the QBO index revealed that the two are in opposite phases.


At the planning of autonomous microgrid including a variety of dispatchable distributed energy resources (DDERs) and wind turbine generator (WTG), the droop coefficients of DDERs should be properly scheduled to yield both the economic dispatch among multiple DDERs in steady state and the satisfactory dynamic behavior of microgrid in transient. Therefore, a method to design the optimal droop coefficients of DDERs considering the volatility of wind power generation is proposed in this paper. First, the wind power uncertainties are modeled by a limited number of scenarios with high probabilities. Then, a multi-objective optimization model of droop coefficients compromising between the operational cost and the integral of time-weighted absolute error (ITAE) index which indicates the dynamic behavior of the microgrid with the variation of wind power generation and load is developed. Finally, the optimization is done using differential evolution (DE) algorithm. The simulation results show that the economy and stability of the microgrid can be improved significantly using the proposed method.


The Katun River originates in the steppe of the Altai Mountains in Siberia. One of the major headwaters of the Ob River, the Katun is considered central to the culture of the indigenous Altaians. The Katun Valley contains large numbers of important cultural sites, dating from the Neolithic and representing some of the earliest human settlement in Russia. Modern-day Altaians still observe traditional ceremonies honoring the river and springs throughout the watershed and utilize traditional ecological knowledge in their man- agement of the land and water resources. Russian and international scientists have identified the Altai Mountains as a region of high plant diversity and endemism, and as important habitat for endangered species such as the snow leopard. The Katun River itself contains species of threatened and endangered fishes, and its headwaters are part of the unusual Mongolian ichthyofaunal province that is characterized by high levels of endemism. The same regions are considered by the Altaian people to be special or sacred and are recognized by Western scientists as having great value for conservation. During the era of perestroika, a hydroelectric dam was to be built on the Katun. The large dam, a vestige of the earlier Soviet plan for the Project of the Century, would have devastated significant agricultural, ecological, recreational, and cultural resources. The indigenous Altaian people would have lost much of their sacred and cultural landscape. The Katun dam project united indigenous people, well-known Siberian writers, and scientists in protest, which became so heated that it engaged the international community, with lasting effects on Russian society. The mag- nitude of the protest illustrates the importance of the Altai Mountain region to all of Russia. The active participation of indigenous Altaians reflected their traditional willingness to take action against political decisions that negatively impacted the environmental, cultural, and religious values of their homeland. Their involvement also reflected the new wave of awareness under perestroika that underscored a greater respect and autonomy for indigenous peoples in Russia.


Hypertension is known to be a major risk factor for coronary artery disease, stroke, heart failure, vision loss which remains asymptomatic until late in its course and even severely elevated pressures can be clinically silent for years.  Measurement of diameter of the pupil is indicative of autonomic function, and recording of the pupil to limbus diameter (PLD) ratio correlates with alterations in blood pressure.  As hypertension is more prevalent in males and the incidence is increasing year by year, measurement of PLD ratio can be used as a simple screening tool in the general population to measure the autonomic alterations associated with changes in blood pressure.  This study aims at finding the correlation of pupil to limbus diameter (PLD) ratio with blood pressure and pulse rate in Hypertensive Males.  45 male patients attending O/P of Saveetha Medical College and Hospital in the age group of 30 to 65 years, fulfilling the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study.  It's a case-control study with non-probability convenient sampling.  Blood pressure, using a sphygmomanometer and pulse rate were measured by the physician according to AHA criteria, and PLD ratio was assessed by the two-box method.  There was a significant decrease observed in PLD ratio when normal and hypertensive groups.  Mean pulse rate of hypertensive males was significantly higher compared to the control group.  The systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were significantly high in hypertensive male patients.  A significant difference in PLD ratio exists between the control and hypertensive males though no positive correlation was observed.


The presence of numerous haustoria, with accompanying death of the algal cells, was noted in a mixed cuture of the fungal symbiont (mycobiont) of Collema tenax (Sw.) Ach., em. Degel. and Trebouxia impressa Ahm., the algal partner (phycobiont) of Physcia stellaris (L.) Nyl. The parasitic action was noted even on media which would optimally sustain the independent growth of the individual symbionts.


This paper presents a new method for personal recognition using palmprints. This method uses inkless, normalized palmprint images to generate eigenpalms. Every palmprint image is thus characterized by a feature vector, consisting of weights from eigenpalm images. The performance of proposed method using two measures, i.e., minimum Euclidean distance and maximum similarity measure, is evaluated. The low-resolution images of 100 dpi, which dominantly capture the palmprint creases, have been used in the experiments. The experimental results show that this method achieves high recognition rate when the similarity criterion is used to recognize 300 inkless palmprint test images.


Many people regard travel as an integral part of their leisure and work lives. Flying from A to B, hopping on and off a train, taking a road trip, and setting sail on a cruise offer the promise of excitement and escape from daily routines. Tourism, however, is not only an industry that enables travel, but is a social phenomenon influenced by socio-structural and cultural forces. When exploring the social and cultural aspects of tourism, the extent to which all touristic experiences are shaped by issues such as socio-economic factors, disability, race, and age become apparent. For example, gender is associated with tourism as an industry and as an experience. Consider the women smiling invitingly from holiday brochures and advertisements, the largely invisible women who clean hotel rooms, the local women encountered in the markets and shops, the mothers on vacation entertaining and taking care of their children, the woman eating in a hotel restaurant by herself, or the groups of older women laughing and hurrying back to join their tour bus. All of these scenarios are common in the world of tourism every day. Yet, little is known about the experiences of these women. Our interest in understanding more about these diverse lived experiences has informed our research and thinking about women and tourism.


Orexin is a neuropeptide secreted from the lateral hypothalamus and prefrontal cortex concerned in wakefulness and excitement. This study aimed to review the possible neurobiological effect of orexin. A diversity of search strategies was adopted and assumed which included electronic database searches of Medline and PubMed using MeSH terms, keywords, and title words. Orexin plays a vital role in activation of learning, memory acquisition, and consolidation through activation of the monoaminergic system, which affects cognitive flexibility and cognitive function. Orexin stimulates adrenocorticotrophin (ACTH) and corticosteroid secretions via activation of the central corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). Cerebrospinal (CSF) and serum orexin serum levels are reduced in depression, schizophrenia, and narcolepsy. However, high orexin serum levels are revealed in drug addictions. Regarding neurodegenerative brain diseases, CSF and serum orexin levels are reduced in Parkinson's disease (PD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), Huntington's disease (HD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and multiple sclerosis (MS). Orexin antagonist leads to significant reduction of sympathetic overactivity during withdrawal syndrome. Also, orexin antagonist improves sleep pattern. The orexinergic system is involved in different psychiatric and neurological disorders; therefore targeting of this system could be a possible novel pathway in the management of these disorders. In addition measurement of CSF and serum orexin levels might predict the relapse and withdrawal of addict patients.


The American marten (Martes americana) is a small carnivorous forest mammal with a long, slender body found throughout northern North America. Our study focused on home range size and habitat use of individuals in the Manistee National Forest in Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Marten home range sizes vary from animal to animal, as population density, climate, and food availability are all factors to consider (Smith et al. 2002). Our understanding of wildlife habitat use and selection, and therefore our efforts to create or manage suitable habitat are based almost exclusively on research conducted using very high frequency (VHF)-based radio telemetry. We compared the habitat use for each animal based on conventional VHF telemetry and Global Positioning System (GPS) telemetry. The habitat type in which each point was in was used as an indication of habitat preference. VHF-based radio telemetry generally allows the researcher to locate an animal once a day up to once a week. GPS-based telemetry allows the researcher to collect locations as often as once every half an hour, but the increased frequency comes with an increased cost of roughly ten times the cost of VHF transmitters. We conducted GPS telemetry by attaching GPS transmitters, small enough to use on an American marten, to a collar. The use of GPS collars increases the frequency of locations which will likely increase accuracy in our understanding of habitat selection. We evaluated whether the inferences regarding marten habitat use vary between VHF and GPS derived data. We found that these inferences do vary, which justifies the increased cost of GPS transmitters. This astute research can be used by the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians (LRBOI), the United States Forest Service (USFS) and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) to effectively manage marten habitat in Michigan.


Since the endogenous opioid peptides bind to more than one of the types of binding sites, it is important to have synthetic compounds that bind almost exclusively at one site. There are now such agonists available but antagonists are still required that interact exclusively with one opioid site. The results obtained with opioid peptides or non-peptides having such qualities will be the physiological basis for a correlation of the binding at mu-, delta- and kappa-receptors with their pharmacological effects. It is important to realize that almost all endogenous opioid ligands are degraded by peptidases and that it is necessary to have synthetic non-toxic inhibitors of those peptidases that play a role in opioid transmission. Related to this problem is the need to develop methods for the study of the release of various endogenous opioid peptides under physiological conditions.


The authors consider universal data compression, universal portfolio selection (online portfolio algorithms) and the relationship of both to information theory. Apparently the fundamental minimax redundancy game in data compression and the minimax regret game for the growth rate of wealth in investment have the same answer. There is also a duality between entropy rate and the growth rate of wealth.


Years in the making, the recent steady rise in drilling in the Powder River Basin of northeast Wyoming is generating excitement reminiscent of the early days of currently more-established US onshore oil plays.
 The upturn in activity is resulting in double-digit production growth. Wells are bubbling over with oil, and operators are bubbling over with enthusiasm. This has been most evident in recent industry presentations, where decision makers from the basin's exclusive club of operators have gushed over what is becoming a core asset in their portfolios.
 Given the basin's oil richness, multiple stacked horizons, and well performance and economics, "we think it's comparable and competitive with the big-name basins—whether it's the Permian, SCOOP, or STACK," Joseph DeDominic, president and chief operating officer of Anschutz Exploration, said at a recent SPE Gulf Coast Section meeting on the basin.
 "This is what really gets us excited—the fact that you have 5,000 ft of stacked pay which is very similar to what you see in the other basins," generating a high-dollar amount per acre, said Aaron Ketter, vice president of Devon's Rockies business unit, during the same event. Formations are "highly economical" at $50/bbl and under, he said, with the heart of the Turner zone sometimes breaking even in the high $30s/bbl.
 Traditionally known for its prolific coal production, the Powder River Basin's potential for oil became a stronger point of focus in the industry about a decade ago. Operators began moving in on the region, rigs in tow, collecting limited but valuable data on its formations. When the commodity price downturn struck the industry during 2014–2016, operators pulled back investment, resulting in the basin's failure to launch.
 In its current state as an oil play, the basin is still underdeveloped. While lots of vertical wells have been drilled there in the past, "the truth is, when you look at horizontal development, and even using modern completions, it's really brand new. We're just getting started," said Joseph A. Mills, Samson Resources II president and chief executive officer. "Delineation is what's happening today and that's probably what's going to go on for another couple of years."
 Companies that are now ahead of the curve arrived early in the basin, secured operatorships, began drilling years ago, held onto their acreage—and its accompanying data—through the downturn, and patiently waited for oil prices to rise and costs to fall.
 "What's unique about the Powder is just the areal extent of some of these zones aren't the same magnitude as you see in the Permian or the Midcontinent. So zip code really matters," said Ketter.
 Current Lay of the Land
 Devon, Anschutz, and EOG Resources have the largest positions in the Powder River at around 400,000 net acres each. Chesapeake Energy and Anadarko Petroleum each has around 300,000 net acres, with the latter firm having just spent some $100 million to expand its position.


PURPOSE
Given that the recent eHealth literacy literature supports the properties of the 3-factor eHealth literacy scale (eHEALS) model in samples with millennials, adults, and older adults, the appropriate next step is to establish whether the model can be reproduced in a rural adolescent sample. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the recent 3-factor model by Paige and associates with a sample of seventh-grade students.

METHODS
This cross-sectional study included a subsample of students (n = 146) from 3 school districts in Appalachian Kentucky. We used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) procedures and small sample model fit guidelines to evaluate our model, and the 1-sample bootstrap algorithm with bias-corrected and accelerated 95% confidence intervals to estimate associations among eHEALS and health and technology variables.

FINDINGS
A total of 137 students, or 61% of enrolled seventh-grade students, completed the study. CFA results showed eHEALS 3-factor loadings-information awareness, information seeking, and information engagement-were high (≥0.63) and statistically significant. We observed evidence of a good model fit (root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.07, standardized root mean square residual [SRMR] = 0.03, comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.99) and results are comparable with Paige and associates' model fit (RMSEA = 0.06, SRMR = 0.08, CFI = 0.98). Correlations showed that students with more access to technology were associated with higher information seeking (r = 0.31) and higher information engagement (r = 0.23). eHealth literacy scores did not differ by level of rurality or gender.

CONCLUSIONS
The 3-factor eHEALS is a reliable and valid instrument in assessing eHealth literacy in a group of rural seventh graders from Appalachian Kentucky.


In this study, we use d remote sensing and GIS technology to estimate the value of soil conservation. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) was used to estimate soil erosion quantity. The total amount of soil conservation of grassland ecosystem was 79.25×105t/a in HulunBuir in 2006, the total value was 81.58×107yuan/a, in which the economic value of soil fertility conservation, reducing abandoned farmland and reducing silt accumulation were 80.39×107yuan/a, 0.694×107yuan/a and 0.50×107yuan/a respectively. For the different grassland types, lowland meadow was maximum, next was temperate meadow-steppe. Marsh was the minimum.


Job satisfaction refers to how much an employee feels happy or enjoy with his or her job. It had been the focus of broad study by many researchers in recent years. Latest survey by Job Street had revealed that many employees are dissatisfied with their job. Therefore, this study examine the factors influencing job satisfaction which are working environment and leadership style. Questionnaire had been used as a research instrument to obtain data. A total of 108 questionnaires were distributed to respondents at Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) Melaka and 93 of them were completely returned to the researcher. Therefore, the response rate for this study was accumulated to a percentage of 86%. The sample of study and data was then being analysed using a software known as Statistical Package for Social Science Version 20. The tests involved are Descriptive Analysis, Reliability Analysis, Pearson's Correlation Analysis and Multiple Regression Analysis. The results of this research indicated that there is significant relationship between working environment and leadership style with job satisfaction and the most influential factor towards job satisfaction is leadership style.


Scalable machine learning over big data stored on a cluster of commodity machines with significant communication costs has become important in recent years. In this paper we give a novel approach to the distributed training of linear classifiers (involving smooth losses and L2 regularization) that is designed to reduce communication costs. At each iteration, the nodes minimize approximate objective functions; then the resulting minimizers are combined to form a descent direction to move. Our approach gives a lot of freedom in the formation of the approximate objective function as well as in the choice of methods to solve them. The method is shown to have O(log(1/ǫ)) time convergence. The method can be viewed as an iterative parameter mixing method. A special instantiation yields a parallel stochastic gradient descent method with strong convergence. When communication times between nodes are large, our method is much faster than the SQM method [7], which computes function and gradient values in a distributed fashion.


Removing manganese while controlling the amount of disinfection byproducts formed in a drinking water plant and distribution system is a delicate balancing act. Currently the Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproduct Rule (Stage 2 DBPR), established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is designed to improve drinking water quality and provide additional public health protection from disinfection byproducts. Many drinking water systems will not be able to comply with the Stage 2 DBPR unless changes are made to their treatment and distribution systems [USEPA, 2007]. With compliance issues threatening, water treatment utilities across the nation are using or at least considering any means necessary to minimize disinfection byproducts.Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania like many water utilities experiences elevated levels of iron and manganese in their drinking water. The most common and arguably the most effective means of removing iron and manganese is prefilter chlorination. Here, chlorine is introduced to water at the top of the filter and oxidizes the metals in solution to a solid state, after which, iron and manganese are removed on multimedia filters. The major water treatment utility concern was that prefilter water with elevated amounts of TOC (disinfection byproduct precursor) is being dosed with chlorine before the filters have a chance to remove the excessive organic matter. The least amount of organic matter combined with the lowest chlorine dose necessary for metals removal and disinfection should create the lowest concentration of trihalomethanes.The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA) devised and completed bench, pilot and full plant-scale experiments testing alternative methods of manganese removal. Novel technologies such as prefilter hydrogen peroxide and prefilter sodium permanganate oxidation were both tested in bench and pilot scale experiments. Bench-Scale studies utilizing ferric sulfate as a primary coagulant were conducted to determine the degree of manganese contamination compared with use of ferric chloride, PWSA's current coagulant. Prefilter chlorination and the effects on trihalomethane formation were also extensively studied.The purpose of this research was to determine the optimal treatment approach that permits adequate removal of manganese, to prevent discoloration of finished water in the distribution system and produce the lowest concentration of disinfection byproducts, and therefore the safest water at the tap.


An N-terminal tyrosine residue truncate of Jingzhaotoxin-V (Y1-JZTX-V) was synthesized by solid-phase chemical methods using Fmoc-protected amino acids. Reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF MS) were used to monitor the oxidative refolding of Y1-JZTX-V to find the optimal renaturation conditions of the synthetic linear peptide. When Y1-JZTX-V (0.05 mg/L) was dissolved in 0.1 mol/L Tris-HCl buffer containing 1 mmol/L GSH and 0.1 mmol/L GSSG at pH 7.50 and 4 degrees C, the best renaturation yield of the truncate toxin was obtained. Under the whole-cell patch-clamp mode, Y1-JZTX-V could inhibit tetrodotoxin-resistant (TTX-R) and tetrodotoxin-sensitive (TTX-S) sodium currents in adult rat dorsal root ganglion neurons with IC50 values of 160 nmol/L and 39.6 nmol/L, respectively. The inhibition potentiality of Y1-JZTX-V on TTX-S sodium currents was almost the same as the natural JZTX-V, while that on TTX-R sodium currents was obviously weakened. The IC50 value of Y1-JZTX-V on TTX-R sodium currents was 5.8 times as many as that of natural JZTX-V. Present findings indicated that the first tyrosine residue (Y1) in the N-terminal of JZTX-V was involved in the binding activities of JZTX-V to TTX-R sodium channels.


Drawn from a long-term ethnographic research into personal blogging, this paper proposes a theoretical approach to the issue of materiality and culture in technology that combines the concept of affordances and that of Deleuze & Guattari's concept of assemblage. Highlighting the relational aspect of these concepts, a list of blog affordances is proposed. These can provide a basis for further analysis of blogs as well as other internet media forms.


Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are ideal candidates as electrode materials for neuronal stimulation and monitoring devices, since they provide a high charge injection limit without significant Faradic reactions, and carbon nanotube electrodes have a high surface to volume ratio. CNTs are positioned at desired locations by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) growth from patterned catalysts. However, these processes typically require temperatures above 700 °C, which is unacceptable for many flexible substrate materials like polyimide, which looses its insulating properties around 400 °C and its stability at 600 °C. By proper selection of parameters such as catalyst material, gas composition, processing pressure and time, it is possible to grow CNTs at temperatures as low as 350 °C with a total CNT height of ~1 μm on silicon. On polyimide additional substrate and catalyst pretreatment is necessary at such low temperatures. This indicates that the substrate may influence the growth process of CNTs.


Background: Recent research has suggested supramaximal training can be an effective means of improving endurance performance; however ultra high intensity training (UHIT) has not been examined as a replacement of training volume in a well-trained endurance population. Overuserelated injuries, recurring illness, feelings of staleness, and overtraining that are often associated with high volume training may be avoided with low volume, UHIT training. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two weeks of low volume UHIT with two weeks of traditional HV endurance training on lactate threshold (LT), VO2max, steady state efficiency, substrate utilization rates, and 25K time trial performance in well-trained endurance athletes. Method: Twenty (VO2max ≥ 55 ml/kg/min or 4.5 L/min and minimum training volume of 150 km/week) male cyclists were match-paired into two groups. Four two-day testing sessions were performed at 0, 2, 4, and 6 wks. Day one of testing measured VO2max and lactate threshold. Day two involved a 10-min steady state ride followed by a 25K time trial. All participants were tested, then continued two weeks of their endurance training. Following a retest, the controls (CON) continued with their endurance training while the other half (INT) replaced their endurance training with UHIT, consisting of a 10-min warm-up followed by 8-10 x 30 sec sprints at a workload of 0.075 kg/kg body weight and 4.5 min recovery. Participants completed 6 training sessions over two weeks with two optional low intensity endurance days. Following the second phase all participants re-tested then either continued with (CON) or returned to (INT) their individual endurance-training regimen. A final testing session was conducted two wks later. Results: There were no significant differences between the two groups in VO2max or LT (% of VO2max).


Selection of ideal laser parameters for tissue welding is inhibited by poor understanding of the mechanism. We investigated structural changes in collagen molecules extracted from rat tail tendon (> 90% type I collagen) after tissue welding using an 808 nm diode laser and indocyanine green dye applied to the weld site. Mobility patterns on SDS‐PAGE were identical in the lasered and untreated tendon extracts with urea or acetic acid. Pepsin incubation after acetic acid extraction revealed a reduction of collagen alpha and beta bands in lasered compared with untreated specimens. Circular dichroism studies of rat tail tendon showed absence of helical structure in collagen from lasered tendon. No evidence for covalent bonding was present in laser‐treated tissues. Collagen molecules are denatured by the laser wavelength and parameters used in this study. No significant amount of helical structure is regenerated on cooling. We conclude that non‐covalent interactions between denatured collagen molecules may be responsible for the creation of tissue welding. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Here we present data to demonstrate how partitioning of a hydrophilic enzyme can be directed to the hydrophobic detergent-enriched phase of an aqueous two-phase system by addition of short stretches of amino acid residues to the protein molecule. The target enzyme was the industrially important endoglucanase I, EGI (endo-1,4-beta-D-glucan-4-glucanohydrolase, EC 126.96.36.199, Cel7B) of Trichoderma reesei. We investigated the partitioning of three EGI variants containing various C-terminal peptide extensions including Trp-Pro motifs of different lengths and localizations. Additionally, a recently developed system composed of the thermoseparating copolymer HM-EOPO was utilized to study the effects of fusion tags. The addition of peptides containing tryptohan residues enhanced the partitioning of EGI to the HM-EOPO-rich phase. The system composed of a nonionic detergent (Agrimul NRE1205) resulted in the highest partition coefficient (K = 31) and yield (90%) with the construct EGI(core-P5)(WP)(4) containing (Trp-Pro)(4) after a short linker stretch. A recombinant strain of T. reesei Rut-C30 for large-scale production was constructed in which the fusion protein EGI(core-P5)(WP)(4) was expressed from the strong promoter of the cellulase gene cbh1. The fusion protein was successfully expressed and secreted from the fungus during shake-flask cultivations. Cultivation in a 28-L bioreactor however, revealed that the fusion protein is sensitive to proteases. Consequently, only low production levels were obtained in large-scale production trials.


ABSTRACT Ice-covered periods might significantly contribute to lake emissions at ice-melt, yet a comprehensive understanding of under-ice carbon dioxide (CO2) dynamics is still lacking. This study investigated the processes driving spatiotemporal patterns of under-ice CO2 in large Lake Onego. In March 2015 and 2016, under-ice CO2, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) distributions were measured along a river to an open-lake transect. CO2 decreased from 120/129 μmol L−1 in the river to 51/98 μmol L−1 in the bay, and 34/36 μmol L−1 in the open lake, while DOC decreased from 1.18/1.55 mmol L−1 in the river to 0.67/1.04 mmol L−1 in the bay in 2015 and 2016, respectively. These decreases in concentrations with increasing distance from the river mouth indicate that river discharge modulates spatial patterns of under-ice CO2. The variability between the 2 years was mainly driven by river discharge and ice transparency affecting the extent of under-ice convection. Higher discharge during winter 2016 resulted in higher CO2 concentrations in the bay. By contrast, intensive under-ice convection led to lower, more homogeneously distributed CO2 in 2015. In conclusion, the river-to-bay transition zone is characterized by strong CO2 variability and is therefore an important zone to consider when assessing the CO2 budget of large lakes.


Abstract Efforts to simulate the extreme toughness of the polycrystalline diamond variety known as carbonado typically entail the sintering of diamond powders in the presence of metal solvent-catalysts. In this study, we have attempted to duplicate the carbonado microstructure by sintering diamond powders without catalysts in a multi-anvil press at pressures of 6 to 9 GPa, temperatures of 1200 to 1800 °C, and times up to 6 h. The resultant microstructural defect assemblages for each experimental condition were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Despite the absence of catalysts, sintered compacts were successfully produced for all runs, though intergranular porosity was significantly higher than that observed in natural carbonado. Primary grain sizes were reduced by more than 50% from their original dimensions in some experiments due to surface fracturing and abrasion, and aperiodic slip planes rigorously parallel to {111} consistently emerged in high densities, with lamellar spacings of 3 to 30 nm. In addition, sintering over all conditions produced polysynthetic spinel twinning in close association with the partial slip defects. Compacts compressed at 8 GPa produced some euhedral crystals with very low dislocation densities surrounded by grains in which dislocation densities were quite high. In addition, curviplanar defects loosely constrained to {111} were visible within some specimens sintered at the highest pressures. These textures resembled the polygonalization fabrics and defect microstructures observed in natural carbonado (De et al. 1998), and the appearance of these features suggests that our experiments at their most extreme pressure and temperature parameters reproduced carbonado-like defect assemblages. The formation of such textures in quasi-hydrostatic experiments suggests that shock metamorphism is not required to produce the periodic defect lamellae observed in carbonado.


Summary This paper examines the extension of constructive libraryaware logic synthesis to the physical placement stage of integrated circuit design. Constructive logic synthesis differs from traditional synthesis approaches in that it builds a circuit netlist incrementally starting from the primary inputs and proceeding towards the primary outputs. In each iteration of this procedure, the semantic structure of the unsynthesized logic functions is utilized to identify and extract a small subcircuit that consists of library primitives reflecting that structure. The algorithm interleaves the steps of technology-independent decomposition and technology-dependent mapping into library cells in a way that mitigates its greedy nature. Conjecturing that adding a placement step to this methodology would further improve synthesis quality we developed a system which synthesizes circuits by incremental decomposition, mapping, and placement. We describe the algorithms used in this system and analyze the quality of the designs it generates under a variety of options for decomposition and placement. The empirical results we obtained, however, suggest that adding a placement step to constructive synthesis produces no noticeable improvement in design quality. This strongly suggests that our original conjecture is false, and we examine possible reasons for such a negative result.


Haemophilus parahaemolyticus rarely causes disease in humans. We present the case of a 68-y-old man who suffered from a brain abscess over the right-side thalamus and midbrain. Stereotactic aspirates grew H. parahaemolyticus. No portal of entry for the microorganism was identified in this case. The patient made a good recovery after treatment.


~" The authors report four cases of primary intracranial choriocarcinoma, all in young males. Three tumors occurred in the pineal region and one in the lateral ventricle. Besides the signs of increased intracranial pressure and ophthalmological disorders, skin pigmentation or eruption was observed in three cases and precocious puberty in two cases. Angiography revealed tumor stain with irregular vessels in all cases. Enhanced computerized tomography scans in the last two cases demonstrated a round, lobulated lesion of high density, with relatively low density in the central portion. Hormonal study was carried out in three cases. In addition to high levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) in the urine and cerebrospinal fluid and/or of plasma luteinizing hormone (LH), LH in the tumor tissue or medium obtained via cell cultures was also high in all three cases, suggesting inherent activity of HCG secretion by the tumor cells. The tumors were relatively demarcated from the surrounding brain. They were very hemorrhagic, and fresh hematoma was identified in the tumor in one case. Good results were obtained in two cases treated with surgical removal followed by simultaneous chemotherapy and e~ irradiation.


Abstract : Since 2006, the gang related homicide rate in Salinas, California has quadrupled. As of 2009 the homicide rate associated with gang activity far exceeds those of much larger cities such as San Francisco, San Jose, and even Los Angeles, California. This report examines this negative trend through the lens of counterinsurgency, since gangs exhibit many similarities in structure and tactics to insurgent groups. Accordingly, this thesis capitalizes on the diverse academic theories available to the study of counterinsurgencies. While the common narrative for an effective counterinsurgency campaign focuses on the importance of information dominance, there has been little research into component factors that might either promote, or inhibit, the flow of information that is also critical in combating the American street gang phenomenon. In reality, gangs exist because of an information advantage bestowed upon them by the population. Thus, we postulate that two factors, information volume and information processing, mutually contribute to information dominance with respect to a counter-gang strategy. Through comparative analysis, our research suggests that improving relationships between the population and the government encourages more communication about gang activities. Additionally, improving communication structures within the government enhances information processing. Combined, these two factors reduce the gang's information advantage.


The integration of Distributed Energy Resource (DER) technologies such as heat pumps, electric vehicles and small-scale generation into the electricity grid at the household level is limited by technical constraints. This work argues that location is an important aspect for the control and integration of DER and that network topology can inferred without the use of a centralised network model. It addresses DER integration challenges by presenting a novel approach that uses a decentralised multi-agent system where equipment controllers learn and use their location within the low-voltage section of the power system.

Models of electrical networks exhibiting technical constraints were developed. Through theoretical analysis and real network data collection, various sources of location data were identified and new geographical and electrical techniques were developed for deriving network topology using Global Positioning System (GPS) and 24-hour voltage logs. The multi-agent system paradigm and societal structures were examined as an approach to a multi-stakeholder domain and congregations were used as an aid to decentralisation in a non-hierarchical, non-market-based approach. Through formal description of the agent attitude INTEND2, the novel technique of Intention Transfer was applied to an agent congregation to provide an opt-in, collaborative system.

Test facilities for multi-agent systems were developed and culminated in a new embedded controller test platform that integrated a real-time dynamic electrical network simulator to provide a full-feedback system integrated with control hardware. Finally, a multi-agent control system was developed and implemented that used location data in providing demand-side response to a voltage excursion, with the goals of improving power quality, reducing generator disconnections, and deferring network reinforcement.

The resulting communicating and self-organising energy agent community, as demonstrated on a unique hardware-in-the-loop platform, provides an application model and test facility to inspire agent-based, location-aware smart grid applications across the power systems domain.


Suicide prevention has become a focal point on college campuses as the concept of suicide prevention is more widely understood and epidemiological findings suggest that the rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors among this population are increasing. The implementation of suicide prevention trainings including practices to reduce access to lethal means, "means reduction," gives individuals, called gatekeepers, the skills to intervene during a suicidal crisis. CALM CARPE Diem is a suicide prevention gatekeeper training that includes information intended to inform participants about why suicide prevention is necessary, give them the skills to implement suicide prevention, and teach about means reduction methods. The effectiveness of the CALM CARPE Diem Gatekeeper Training was assessed in this study by measuring Resident Assistants' (RAs) perceptions of confidence when learning of students living in the residence halls who might be experiencing a suicidal crisis. CALM CARPE Diem gatekeeper training was delivered to 17 RAs at a medium sized comprehensive university in the southeastern U.S. Confidence in suicide prevention and means reduction strategies was assessed at pre-training, post-training, and after a four week follow-up via Qualtrics. Results revealed a significant increase in knowledge and confidence in means reduction principles from baseline to post-training, gains that were sustained at follow-up. These results suggest that CALM CARPE Diem may have comparable effects to other suicide prevention trainings, and may indicate a benefit to using this training for RAs and other gatekeeper populations.


Capture and permanent sequestration of biogenic CO2 emissions play a pivotal role in stringent climate change mitigation. Bioenergy with carbon capture and sequestration (BECCS) technologies, in particular, can remove atmospheric CO2 emissions while producing valuable energy products such as fuels, electricity, and gaseous hydrocarbons. Yet, most near-term assessments of climate change mitigation opportunities assume BECCS is either too costly or commercially unavailable. In contrast, biogenic CO2 capture and sequestration from industrial fermentation is already deployed at commercial scale, including several corn ethanol facilities in the United States. Such capture opportunities target pure streams of biogenic CO2 from existing biofuel infrastructure, resulting in a low cost of capture and sequestration. Moreover, existing and proposed policies in the United States, including California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) and the 2016 Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage Act (S.3179, the CCUS Act), could provide sufficient financial incentive for industry-wide deployment of CCS for saline aquifers. Here, we study the abatement potential and costs of biogenic CO2 capture and sequestration from biorefineries in the United States using process engineering, spatial optimization, and lifecycle assessment. We minimize the total cost of capture, compression, transportation, and sequestration, building from existing spatial pipeline optimization models [1]. We consider two options for CO2 transport: pipelines, and trucking, which recent work has shown is cost-effective at low CO2 volumes [2]. Preliminary results identify ~44 Mt of biogenic CO2 emitted annually from 217 facilities, most of which can be captured for under $30/tCO2. We also find strong evidence for economies of scale in pipeline transportation. Recent financial incentives under California's LCFS (~$75150/tCO2 abated) and proposed in the U.S Senate ($50/tCO2 stored in saline aquifers) suggest a substantial near-term opportunity to permanently sequester biogenic CO2, given proper policy incentives. This opportunity can catalyze the growth of carbon capture, transport, utilization, and sequestration across the U.S. and improve the lifecycle impacts of conventional ethanol. When complete, we expect to produce the following results:  Spatially-optimized infrastructure design and supply curves for biogenic CO2 capture, transport, and sequestration in the United States, for both pipeline and truck transport  Lifecycle carbon intensity impacts for transportation fuels, evaluated under CA-GREET  Cost-optimal deployment levels under multiple CA LCFS and CCUS Act price scenarios


BACKGROUND
The development of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) antagonists has made it feasible to investigate the role of this cytokine in refractory asthma.

METHODS
We measured markers of TNF-alpha activity on peripheral-blood monocytes in 10 patients with refractory asthma, 10 patients with mild-to-moderate asthma, and 10 control subjects. We also investigated the effects of treatment with the soluble TNF-alpha receptor etanercept (25 mg twice weekly) in the patients with refractory asthma in a placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover pilot study.

RESULTS
As compared with patients with mild-to-moderate asthma and controls, patients with refractory asthma had increased expression of membrane-bound TNF-alpha, TNF-alpha receptor 1, and TNF-alpha-converting enzyme by peripheral-blood monocytes. In the clinical trial, as compared with placebo, 10 weeks of treatment with etanercept was associated with a significant increase in the concentration of methacholine required to provoke a 20 percent decrease in the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) (mean difference in doubling concentration changes between etanercept and placebo, 3.5; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.07 to 7.0; P=0.05), an improvement in the asthma-related quality-of-life score (by 0.85 point; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.16 to 1.54 on a 7-point scale; P=0.02), and a 0.32-liter increase in post-bronchodilator FEV1 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.08 to 0.55; P=0.01).

CONCLUSIONS
Patients with refractory asthma have evidence of up-regulation of the TNF-alpha axis. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00276029.).


Echolocating bats and toothed whales probe their environment with ultrasonic sound pulses, using returning echoes to navigate and find prey in a process that appears to have resulted from a remarkable convergence of the two taxa. Here, we report the first detailed quantification of echolocation behaviour during prey capture in the most studied delphinid species, a false killer whale and a bottlenose dolphin. Using acoustic DTAGs, we demonstrate that just prior to prey interception these delphinids change their acoustic gaze dramatically by reducing inter-click intervals and output >10-fold in a high repetition rate, low output buzz. Buzz click rates of 250–500 Hz for large but agile animals suggest that sampling rates during capture are scaled with the whale's manoeuvrability. These observations support the growing notion that fast sonar sampling accompanied by a low output level is critical for high rate feedback to inform motor patterns during prey interception in all echolocating toothed whales.


INTRODUCTION
Concurrent use (co-use) of tobacco and cannabis may impede successful cigarette smoking cessation. This study examined whether changes in cannabis use frequency were associated with smoking cessation.

METHODS
Nationally representative samples of adult cigarette smokers from Canada (n=1455), the United States (n=892), England (n=1416), and Australia (n=717) were surveyed in 2016 and 2018. In each year, smokers reported how often they used cannabis in the previous 12 months. Reports were compared to determine whether cannabis use increased, remained unchanged, or decreased. Smoking cessation outcomes, measured in 2018, were (1) any attempt to quit in the previous year, (2) currently quit, and (3) currently quit for at least 6 months. Weighted multivariable logistic regression estimated the association between changes in cannabis use and cessation outcomes.

RESULTS
Cigarette smokers who increased their frequency of cannabis use were significantly less likely to be currently quit than non-cannabis using smokers (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.31, 0.86); they were also less likely to have quit for at least 6 months (aOR = 0.30; 95% CI: 0.15, 0.62).

CONCLUSIONS
Smokers who increase their frequency of cannabis use have poorer smoking cessation outcomes compared to non-cannabis using smokers. It will be important to monitor the impact of cannabis legalization on patterns of cannabis use, and whether this influences cigarette smoking cessation rates.


Polycrystalline CuInS(2) films were fabricated by sulfurization of electrodeposited Cu and In metallic precursor films in a Cu-rich composition at 520 °C in H(2)S (5% in Ar). Structural analyses revealed that the adherence of the thus-formed CuInS(2) film to the Mo substrate was strongly dependent on heating profiles of the Cu/In bilayer film: a CuInS(2) film with poor adherence having many crevices was formed when the Cu/In bilayer film was heated monotonously from room temperature to 520 °C in Ar within 25 min followed by sulfurization, whereas CuInS(2) films with good adherence were obtained when the Cu/In films were pretreated at 110 °C in Ar for 10-60 min just before increasing the temperature up to 520 °C for sulfurization. It was also clarified that the CuInS(2) film obtained without 110 °C pretreatment had pinholes inside the film, whereas the CuInS(2) films formed after 110 °C pretreatment showed no notable pinholes. Photoelectrochemical responses of these CuInS(2) films in an electrolyte solution containing Eu(III) indicated that the CuInS(2) films obtained after 110 °C pretreatment had higher external quantum efficiency (EQE) values than those of films obtained without 110 °C pretreatment, mainly due to better adherence of 110 °C pretreated CuInS(2) films to the Mo substrate than the CuInS(2) film obtained without 110 °C pretreatment. The performance of solar cells with an Al:ZnO/Zn(S,O)/CdS/CuInS(2)/Mo structure also depended on the structural characteristics of the CuInS(2) films, i.e., preliminary conversion efficiencies of ca. 5% were obtained for devices based on the CuInS(2) films obtained after 110 °C pretreatment, whereas the device prepared by the CuInS(2) film without 110 °C pretreatment showed the conversion efficiency less than 1.5%.


Abstract Costs of a sexual ornament in its early evolutionary form and the relationship between these costs and individual condition may be an important influence in the likelihood of possible evolutionary mechanisms involved in the evolution of this ornament. We reconstructed the tail shape in hypothetical ancestors of recent hirundines (Aves: Hirundinidae), from which the elongation of tail feathers under sexual selection might have begun. By elongating the tail in sand martins (Riparia riparia, Hirundinidae), we simulated the early evolution of a long forked tail—the typical ornament of male hirundines. Birds with initial ornament captured smaller insects than controls, which suggests that this ornament imposed a cost in terms of impaired foraging. Furthermore, birds with naturally longer tails were better able to cope with initial ornament than naturally short-tailed birds. If length of tail in sand martins indicates the quality of individuals, our results suggest higher costs of this initial ornament for poorer than for higher quality individuals. We discuss the potential role of the handicap principle and other mechanisms in early evolution of a tail ornament. Corresponding Editor: E. Martins


Aim: Fascioliasis is one of the most zoonotic diseases with global extension. As the epidemiological distribution of Fasciola may lead to various genetic patterns of the parasite, the aim of this study is to identify Fasciola hepatica based on spermatogenesis, and phylogenetic analysis using mitochondrial (nicotiamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase subunit I [ND1] and cytochrome oxidase subunit I) gene marker. Materials and Methods: In this study, 90 F. hepatica collected from 30 cattle at slaughterhouse located in three different geographical locations in the North-East of Iran were evaluated based on spermatogenetic ability and internal transcribed spacer 1 gene restriction fragment length polymorphism pattern. Genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationship using mtDNA gene marker for the isolates from the North-East of Iran, and other countries were then analyzed. Results: Partial sequences of mtDNA showed eight haplotypes in both genes. The phylogenic analysis using neighbor joining as well as maximum likelihood methods showed similar topologies of trees. Pairwise fixation index between different F. hepatica populations calculated from the nucleotide data set of ND1 gene are statistically significant and show the genetic difference. Conclusion: F. hepatica found in this region of Iran has different genetic structures through the other Fasciola populations in the world.


ABSTRACT As the multiple issues of the digital public sphere threaten our democracies and the cohesion of our societies, most attempts for a betterment of the digital networks and platforms revolve around a risk-response approach. This paper takes the opposite approach and develops a positive definition of the ideal ethical public sphere, combining normative features with original taxonomies. In view of defining common standards for a healthy digital public sphere, this paper offers an interdisciplinary literature review, and original recommendations, before discussing potential leverages for implementing these changes. The suggested ethical normative features derive from a positive approach to the digital public sphere, as ideal common standards. Sustained by the underlying assumption that the composite landscape of the media ecosystem and its different layers (networks, platforms, users) cannot be steered by government regulations alone, the normative (deontological) approach serves to understand and justify the need for a normative approach, to help envision new pathways for an ethical transformation.


BACKGROUND Demand for nonsurgical esthetic body procedures has led to the development of noninvasive techniques for reducing localized subcutaneous adipose tissue. OBJECTIVE This study assessed multiple treatments with nonthermal focused ultrasound for noninvasive abdominal treatment of excess fat deposits. MATERIALS AND METHODS Subjects were randomly assigned to Group 1 for a 4-week control phase before undergoing 3 abdominal fat reduction treatments, at 2-week intervals, or to Group 2 for immediate treatment. Weight, abdominal circumference, tolerability to treatment, subject satisfaction, and adverse events were recorded. RESULTS Weight remained stable in the 126 participants. Mean reduction in midline circumference was 2.5 ± 2.1 cm in the Group 1 and 3.5 ± 2.7 cm in the Group 2 at Week 22. The effect of multiple treatments was cumulative with a steady decrease in abdominal circumferences during the study. Erythema was observed in 28% of treatments but was mild and transient in nature. Subjects tolerated the treatments well and were satisfied with treatment outcome. CONCLUSION The study demonstrated the efficacy and safety of multiple nonthermal focused ultrasound treatments of excess abdominal fat deposits. Although the remodeling effect is minor compared with traditional surgical procedures, successive focused ultrasound treatments significantly reduced treatment area circumference, while avoiding invasive techniques and their associated disadvantages.


PURPOSE
The decision to enroll in a clinical trial is complex given the uncertain risks and benefits of new approaches. Many patients also have financial concerns. We sought to characterize the association between financial concerns and the quality of decision making about clinical trials.

METHODS
We conducted a secondary data analysis of a randomized trial of a Web-based educational tool (Preparatory Education About Clinical Trials) designed to improve the preparation of patients with cancer for making decisions about clinical trial enrollment. Patients completed a baseline questionnaire that included three questions related to financial concerns (five-point Likert scales): "How much of a burden on you is the cost of your medical care?," "I'm afraid that my health insurance won't pay for a clinical trial," and "I'm worried that I wouldn't be able to afford the costs of treatment on a clinical trial." Results were summed, with higher scores indicating greater concerns. We used multiple linear regressions to measure the association between concerns and self-reported measures of self-efficacy, preparation for decision making, distress, and decisional conflict in separate models, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics.

RESULTS
One thousand two hundred eleven patients completed at least one financial concern question. Of these, 27% were 65 years or older, 58% were female, and 24% had a high school education or less. Greater financial concern was associated with lower self-efficacy and preparation for decision making, as well as with greater decisional conflict and distress, even after adjustment for age, race, sex, education, employment, and hospital location (P < .001 for all models).

CONCLUSION
Financial concerns are associated with several psychological constructs that may negatively influence decision quality regarding clinical trials. Greater attention to patients' financial needs and concerns may reduce distress and improve patient decision making.


Abstract : This report is one in a series about FY 1997 Defense base realignment and closure military construction costs. Public law 102-190, "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1992 and 1993," December 5, 1991, directs the Secretary of Defense to ensure that the amount of the authorization that DoD requested for each military construction project associated with Defense base realignment and closure does not exceed the original estimated cost provided to the Commission on Defense Base Closure and Realignment (the Commission). If the requested budget amounts exceed the original project cost estimates provided to the Commission, the Secretary of Defense is required to explain to Congress the reasons for the differences. The Office of the Inspector General, DoD, is required to review each Defense base realignment and closure military construction project for which a significant difference exists from the original cost estimate and to provide the results of the review to the congressional Defense committees. Our audits cover a" projects valued at more than $1 million.


THE SKEPTICISM, originally entertained in some quarters 6 regarding the efficacy of surgical portacaval shunt decompression for the complication of bleeding from esophageal varices in the patient with Laennec's cirrhosis, is disappearing rapidly. That massive hemorrhage in the patient with cirrhosis is a surgical problem has become an acceptable proposition among internists and surgeons alike. 11 Portalsystemic shunting in these patients with bleeding varices significantly improves the prospect for overall five-year survival in this group. 3 There has been concern with the timing of operation for the patient with cirrhosis who is hospitalized with massive hemorrhage from varices. One cannot help but be troubled by the extremely poor prognosis implicit in the episode of massive esophageal hemorrhage in those patients who have been managed by conservative measures alone. It has been estimated that the mortality in this group is well above 60% and it has been reliably reported to be


The tunicate Botryllus is a marine protochordate whose clonal colonies undergo regulated natural transplantations when they come into contact in nature. The outcome of these transplantations (fusion or rejection) is controlled by genes of a highly polymorphic histocompatibility system that resembles in many respects the mammalian major histocompatibility complex (MHC). While fusion or rejection reactions are often completed within 24 hr after transplantation, resorption of one partner of a pair of fused semiallogeneic colonies may occur days to weeks after initial contact. The latter process is similar to the degeneration of old individuals, or zooids, that precedes maturation of each new generation of asexual buds. Here we describe comparisons of in vitro reactions of a) mixtures of cells from allogeneic animals and b) cells taken from animals at the zooid-resorption ("takeover") stage of colony development. In vitro autoreactivity of cells from resorbing colonies may reflect in vivo responses to senescent cells, which in turn may be related to allorecognition events that govern fusion or rejection between colonies.


Endothelial cell response to the complex hemodynamic environment of the circulatory system is critical to the pathophysiological regulation of the cardiovascular system; however the mechanism by which this mechanical signal is transduced remains poorly understood. Recent in vivo evidence suggests that cells are capable of responding locally to shear stress, on the length scale of a single cell. Because of the complexity of the in vivo environment, we have designed and characterized an in vitro microchannel chamber with well-defined rheological conditions. This system is being used to investigate endothelial cell signaling response to shear stress, thereby bridging the gap between in vivo and in vitro observations.Copyright © 2007 by ASME


BACKGROUND
Plethysmographic variability index (PVI) is an accurate predictor of fluid responsiveness in mechanically ventilated patients. However, the site of measurement of the plethysmographic waveform impacts its morphology and its respiratory variation. The goal of this study was to investigate the ability of PVI to predict fluid responsiveness at three sites of measurement (the forehead, ear, and finger) in mechanically ventilated patients under general anaesthesia.

METHODS
We studied 28 subjects after induction of general anaesthesia. Subjects were monitored with a pulmonary artery catheter and three pulse oximeter sensors (the finger, ear, and forehead). Pulse pressure variation, central venous pressure, cardiac index (CI), and PVI measured at the forehead, ear, and finger (PVI(forehead), PVI(ear), and PVI(finger)) were recorded before and after fluid loading (FL). Subjects were responders to volume expansion if CI increased >15% after FL.

RESULTS
Areas under the receiver-operating curves to predict fluid responsiveness were 0.906, 0.880, and 0.836 for PVI(forehead), PVI(ear), and PVI(finger), respectively (P<0.05). PVI(forehead), PVI(ear), and PVI(finger) had a threshold value to predict fluid responsiveness of 15%, 16%, and 12% with sensitivities of 89%, 74%, and 74% and specificities of 78%, 74%, and 67%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS
PVI can predict fluid responsiveness in anaesthetized and ventilated subjects at all three sites of measurement. However, the threshold values for predicting fluid responsiveness differ with the site of measurement. These results support the use of this plethysmographic dynamic index in the cephalic region when the finger is inaccessible or during states of low peripheral perfusion.


In this paper, with reference to short-pulse three-dimensional scattering from moderately rough surfaces, we present a comparison between Gabor-based narrow-waisted Gaussian beam (NW-GB) and finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) algorithms. NW-GB algorithms have recently emerged as an attractive alternative to traditional (ray-optical) high-frequency/short-pulse approximate methods, whereas FDTD algorithms are well-established full-wave tools for electromagnetic wave propagation and scattering. After presentation of relevant background material, results are presented and discussed for realistic parameter configurations, involving dispersive soils and moderately rough surface profiles, of interest in pulsed ground penetrating radar applications. Results indicate a generally satisfying agreement between the two methods, which tends to improve for slightly dispersive soils. Computational aspects are also compared.


Profit is a concept that both causes and manifests deep conflict and division. It is not merely that people disagree over whether it is good or bad. The very meaning of the concept and its role in competing theories necessitates the deepest possible disagreement; people cannot agree on what profit is. Still, simply learning the starkly different sentiments expressed about profit gives us some feel for the depth of the conflict. Friends of capitalism have praised profit as central to the achievement of prosperity and to civilized modern life. Calvin Coolidge, that silent sentinel of American business, said, "Profit and civilization go hand in hand." F. A. Hayek tells us that in the evolution of the structure of human activities, profitability works as a signal that guides selection towards what makes man more fruitful; only what is more profitable will, as a rule, nourish more people, for it sacrifices less than it adds.


This paper presents two alternative methods for moving long baseline (MLBL) navigation of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). In both methods 13-bit messages are broadcasted from transponders on the moving target ship to the AUV. These messages provided both range and state information about the target ship. The first method uses an extended Kalman filter (EKF) based on a relative coordinate system fixed to a moving target ship. The second method uses two EKFs, one to estimate the state of the target ship, and a second to estimate the state of the AUV itself. Both methods performed similarly in simulation. Further simulations utilizing field test data showed the global approach to be more robust to the target ship dynamics and message broadcast timing cycle.


Savliv® suspension, is an herbal drug for liver cirrhosis treatment developed by Indian scientists, used to prevent the liver fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCL4) in male albino rats. This study provides further evidence on its role as a hepato-therapeutic agent in the experimental rats with CCL4 -induced liver fibrosis. Then Liver tissue and serum were collected. Oral administration of savliv®) drops (750 and 500µl /rat) after CCL4-fibrosis induction showed a significant decrease in the collagen fibre formation and cell membrane destruction. Histopathological examination revealed the regression of collagen fiber and connective tissues percentage between the liver lobules in the CCL4- induced liver fibrotic rats (G4&5) and reconstruction - regeneration of the damaged liver cells after treated rats (G4&5) with savliv drops (750 and 500µl /rat) at week 8, in a dose dependent manner. The serum levels of Glutamic-Oxaloacetic Transaminase (GOT), Glutamic Pyruvic Transaminase (GPT), and alkaline phosphatse (ALP) enzymes were significantly increased in the CCL4-model group in comparison with the control groups (oil: vehicle). Treatment with savliv® drops showed a marked reduction in the above condition. These results further support that the Savliv® drops has the potency of curative effects for liver fibrotic cells induced by toxic agent.